Overcast Night Stars

18: Extinguish The Flames

Chapter 18- Extinguish The Flames

The following days, she was asked to stay for observation. That didn't take long. She had passed the tests with flying colors. The baby didn't suffer any damage and was perfectly healthy. Fp wanted to marry Alice so badly. And then he got the call of a lifetime.

"You're going back?" His said into his phone. "Wait you're just coming to take Jughead?!" He wanted to scream. Why now? She wanted to take his only son with her back to Toledo. "Hell no! Gladsy! I don't care if you are more capable! You're not taking my son away from me! You didn't even come back when he almost died, Gladsy! No, don't hang up on me!" He was getting so frustrated. "God damn't!" He cursed he nearly chucked his phone against the wall. How was he supposed to tell his son? He didn't want to let his son go. He almost died in his care. But that didn't make him a bad parent.

"Who was that?" A voice starled him. He looked up to see Alice standing in the doorway. He shook his head. "Uh, it's nothing." She didn't seem convinced. "Are you sure? That sounded tense." She pressed lightly as she snacked on some pickles. He smiled at her. He appreciated her concern. He finally started to give in.

"That was Gladsy. She's coming back." Alice didn't know what to say. She felt heartbroken. She couldn't lose him. "Oh." Fp had heard the concern and worry in her voice. "To take Jughead to Toledo with her." He grumbled as he brushed a hand through his hair.

Alice stood there breathless. She couldn't believe his mother was going to take him away from Fp. "Oh, Fp. I'm so sorry." She said softly before she wrapped her arms around him. She hated seeing Fp down. "How am I supposed to tell Jug? He hates his mother. And Gladsy says she has a right from her lawyer." This just angered Alice even more. Then an idea popped in her head. "Then we get a layer too." Fp liked the idea but he knew that wouldn't happen in short notice. "I can't afford one and and since it's short notice." He reminded her as a sigh escaped his lips.

"Then we get Mary." He sighed knowing Mary didn't exactly like him after he threw Fred under the bus. "Come on." She exasperated. "Don't you want to keep you're son." He knew she had a very good point.

"Fine. But Your going to have to ask her. She's still mad at me for causing Fred to lose money." He explained as he watched her leave the room and into the kitchen.

Alice sat at the bar table, looking at old contacts in the phone book. And yes she still owned one. After searching for thirty-Five minutes she finally gave up. Then an idea popped in her brain. Fred still lived next door to her. She hadn't put the house up for sale even as much as she wanted to. She walked over to the front door, clicking her heels together as she waited patiently for his slow butt to open the dang door.

"Alice?" He says in complete surprise as he opened the door. "What are you doing here?" He asked nicely as he let her into the house. She followed him to his medium sized kitchen, taking a seat on one of the stools at the island. She lightly tapped her nails against the island. "I need a favor." He looked at her with suspicion in his eyes. "Hey don't look at me like. I'm not asking for that favor. I'm insulted that you thought I was asking for sex." It was now his turn to be insulted. "Alice that wasn't what I was implying." He crosses his arms and faked a frown. "Oh no not that either. I'm sorry I asked you to do that. I was jealous of Hermonie flirting with Fp." She confessed feeling her face get hot.

Fred wasn't sure why she stopped over. She hadn't ever payed attention to him after decades living next door to each other. "I know what you mean. And you won't want to tell Fp a few days after you broke it off with him. We hooked up. It's okay that secret stays hidden. Buried for the matter. I don't need Fp using that on me." Alice nodded her head. "I just don't want him to think I was a slut. And that night I was very drunk. And... oh god." That caught his attention. "What? What is it?" She shook her head. "That couldn't be. We didn't have sex." She blushed when she realized that she said that out-loud. "No Charles wouldn't be mine. He was a hundred and forty-Five percent FP's. The hair on that baby and the nose." He confirmed her realization.