Living Without A Heart

Come Back

"Sit down Alice, take it easy - you're still in shock!" Mary fussed.

"Stop! I'm fine Mary, you have a life - you don't need to babysit me!"

"Sorry..." she muttered "You're all over the news!"

"Oh jeez... that means my exposé is going to be over shadowed,"

"You're still publishing it? Alice they tried to kill you to stop you publishing it!"

"All the more reason I published it this morning!"

"Why is it you just insist on taking them down? Can't you just drop it and move on with your life?"

"No I can't - I want them to suffer! I want them to feel just a fraction of the pain that I felt."

"You are so cruel - you were never mean or out to get anybody before. Sometimes I wonder why I'm still your friend..."

"It's his fault! He made me this way! He made me miss him! But I don't want to miss him!"

"And look what you've done to yourself. I'll pick up the girls for the sleepover but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Mary-"

"You need to start saving yourself. FP and I have tried to save you but you don't want to be saved..."

"I don't need saving,"

"I'll see you tomorrow..." she repeated quietly and left.

Alice sighed and walked over to the fridge. Opening a new bottle of wine, she poured a full glass, guzzled it down in one, and then poured a second glass. She was currently alone; Betty and Polly were at school, and Hal had left last night on a 2 day trip 'gathering evidence for an article'"

*****

"Why were you with her last night? Why was it you that saved her?"

"Gladys she was my dance partner. She was angry about something that happened the last time we spoke that I never got to fix."

"That was 7 years ago!"

"Exactly! I went to check she was okay, then the bomb went off and she almost fell into a quarry!"

"Do you love her?"

"What? You're my wife! I married you and your babies!"

"Fine then! Do you love me?"

"I just said- I'm here with you aren't I?"

Gladys just scoffed and neither said anything before she stormed off to their bedroom. When she came back she was laden with bags.

"What are you Gladys?" FP asked in a bored tone.

"I'm not her! I'm never going to be her... You have a way of making a person feel special, like they're the only person in the world but then you kept thinking of her and you also realised that I would never be her. I never would want to be that wench anyway."

"Gladys-"

"No! You can take your alcohol addicted ass and go to hell. You will be all alone because she hates you. She's so bitter she would risk her life just to spite someone else!"

"No - you're not taking my kids!"

"Just watch me!"

"Please..."

"I'll pick Jughead up from school."

Slamming the door, she left with Jellybean in her arms.

*****

A knock came at the door, which startled Alice. She jumped up and swayed slightly, sloshing the wine in her glass.

"Yes?"

"Are you Alice Cooper?" It was a boy of 15 years old. He had sandy blond hair and was remarkably tall.

"Yes that's me,"

"My name is Charles..." he began. Alice had zoned out slightly. His eyes were the same eyes she'd gazed into so many times before but it wasn't the same face. She'd gazed into his eyes less than 24 hours ago...

"I'm your son..." he continued hesitantly.

The glass of wine Alice had been holding clattered to the ground with a smash. Her eyes shone with tears. She panicked - how she had longed for this moment!

"I...You... I'm sorry!" She stuttered and slammed the door. Her breathing was heavy and the tears fell like a waterfall. Reality came crashing in like a ton of bricks - that was her son, he wanted to know her! what was she doing? Shaking hands groped for the door and she flung it open.

"Charles wait!" she shouted but he was nowhere to be seen. "Charlie! Come back! I'm sorry, I panicked please I made a mistake! Charlie!" She begged. The woman collapsed onto the floor on her knees screaming.

Stumbling to her feet, Alice went inside. All emotion had drained from her face. She walked like she was being controlled by a remote control. Reaching for the bottle once more, she slid down to the floor. She just drank, and drank, and drank, then she drank the next bottle too.

*****

"Hey baby - we gotta say goodbye to dad..."

They were sat outside the trailer in the car.

"Why? Where is he going?"

"He's not - we are. We are going to stay with nanna and auntie Stacy in Toledo."

"Why isn't daddy coming?"

"Because sometimes mummies and daddies get angry and upset and they don't love each other anymore..."

FP came running out of the trailer...

"Please don't take my kids!"

"You know, I'm your wife and you haven't once asked me to stay!"

"Gladys, I'm not gonna ask you to stay if you're unhappy but these are my kids! They're my world!"

"Please mummy, I don't wanna leave daddy..." Jughead pleaded.

"Fine Jughead, you can stay with your dad but Jellybean comes with me!"

"Why would you do this?" FP bellowed.

"Because I'm done living in Alice Cooper's shadow and your alcoholic tendencies."

"Gladys-"

"Goodbye little man," she ignored FP, hugging the little boy.

"Mummy-"

"I love you."

"I love you too mummy!" he cried and kissed her on the cheek before kissing the three year old girl on the cheek "I love you Jelly!"

"Goodbye my darling," FP cried "Daddy loves you so much!"

Climbing back into the car, having given Jughead's bags back, Gladys drove away from Sunnyside Trailer Park.

"I'll never leave you daddy."

"Boy I love you so much! I'll never leave you but tonight, just for tonight, I need you to stay with uncle Fred..."

"Okay," he said hugging him "I love you too..."

Ten minutes later, Fred picked up Jughead and drove back to Elm street. FP felt awful for making his son stay with someone else but right now he couldn't think straight...

The man reached for the first drop of alcohol he could find- a quarter full bottle of vodka and a six can pack of beer. FP lay with his body dangling over the edge of the couch and his arm flopped on the floor. Tears rolled from his eyes and dripped off his nose.

Alice Cooper was lay on the carpet. Her eyes were wet but no tears fell, it was like they had frozen inside of her. Around her feet were two empty bottles of wine and a smashed glass which was tainted with blood where she had caught herself.

Both lay completely shattered. Both tried pointlessly to find solace at the bottom of a bottle. Both need the other but neither knew it...