Living Without A Heart

"Next Stop - Our Future"

The waggon pulled up in front of Alice's childhood home and she hesitantly climbed out. She picked up the two year old out of her car seat. FP sensed her apprehension and instinctively grabbed her hand; Alice looked up at the taller man and smiled appreciatively at him. Alice knocked on the door three times and waited.

"Alice? What are you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you and dad..."

"Oh right, Oh! is this my little granddaughter!?" 

"It sure is... Polly this is nana- say hello,"

"'ello..." she said shyly.

"FP! What are you doing with Alice? I thought you'd forsaken each other..."

"Hey Miss Smith, we're hoping to get to that."

"Oh, come in!" she bellowed taking Polly's hand.

"Hi dad,"

"My beautiful daughter," he replied hugging her "FP!"

"Hi Mr Ryder, I'm going to have to rain check on that drink on Saturday."

"Well I got to see my beautiful girls!"

"So what are you doing here?" Susanna inquired.

"We came to say goodbye for now."

"What do you mean?" Thomas chirped in.

"You can visit when we've settled down but we can't come back to Riverdale."

"You're leaving- just the two of you? Any you're letting her go!?"

"Actually the four of us: FP, Polly, baby bump, and I..." she beamed.

"You're pregnant!?"

"Yeah!" she replied "I know it's wrong taking Hal's kids but we are starting over again."

"And you're taking on these kids as your own?" Thomas queried to FP.

"I am sir, I love Alice and Polly with all I am and I have no doubt I'll love this little one just as much!"

"Break my girls heart and I won't give her the chance to break yours- I'll break every bone in your body instead..." her dad warned.

"All due respect sir, I have no intention of hurting her- she's my world..."

"Just saying..."

Alice was sat with her mother and daughter in the living room laughing and playing. FP kept looking over at Alice with a smile tugging at his lips.

"She's so beautiful." he breathed more to him self than to Thomas "Her smile, her eyes, her laugh, her voice- I just love her so much."

"I can tell you do,"

"I'm never going to leave her again."

"Just don't hurt her, there are things you don't know about her and maybe she will never tell you but It's really only her choice and whatever she deems best." Thomas reiterated.

"I'll do my best..."

----

"Alice, I'm so proud,"

"I've finally got my chance at a future mum, a happy one!"

"I know! I can see you've got your heart and loving nature back. I've got the old Alice back and I've missed her,"

"Mum, I haven't been this happy but I feel guilty not telling him about Charlie."

"You can't find Charles darling, you'd just be hurting him for nothing..."