Always Loved, Never Forgotten - Alternate Version

Road Trip with Our New Family

This is super long, the longest of the whole story. It is set over a couple of months. Haleb meet their possible Foster kids, and the families travel for Christmas.

Enjoy! :)

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*Wednesday, November 21st, 2001 – the Park*

Hanna feels like she can't breathe. She looks at this young boy and she has no idea what to say.

One of the older girls step forward and takes the boy's hand.

"Georgie, come over here and sit down." Georgie follows her over to the picnic table.

"I'm two years and three fourths old!" Georgie suddenly yells out and the oldest girl giggles.

"He tells everyone we meet that," She says. "He corrects you if you say he is only 2 years old." Then Harriet properly addresses Hanna and Caleb.

"My name is Harriet Madeleine. I'm 16. This is my sister Eleanor Rosalie. She's 12, almost 13. And that is George Michael."

Eleanor gives a shy wave but for the most part, Hanna and Caleb both notice that she does not really have an expression on her face, and she looks immensely uncomfortable sitting there, as if this is all overwhelming, and she is unsure of how to act.

"Ellie," Harriet gently says to the younger. "It's ok. You can say hi to Miss Hanna and Mister Caleb, if you want to." But Eleanor — Ellie — doesn't do anything.

Wanting to take the pressure off the young girl, Caleb smiles at Georgie.

"Georgie, I see you have some awesome Batman shoes there." The toddler grins at the mention of his light-up Superhero shoes. "You know, I just so happen to love Batman, too. I think he is much cooler than Superman."

Georgie giggles. "I like Batman more den Superman! He's soo cooler." This prompts Georgie to get out of Harriet's lap and go over to one of the backpacks that is on the table.

"I gots colors an' paper, Misser Caleb. Do'ya wanna dwaw wif me?"

"Well, of course, I would!" Caleb helps him up onto the bench seat. "What kind of pictures do you have, Georgie?"

While the toddler and Caleb are occupied, Hanna turns to Harriet and Eleanor.

"Harriet, I love your shirt. You look so pretty in that color." Harriet smiles as she glances down at her shirt. It's red and white striped, long-sleeve. She has on dark jeans and boots also, and her long, curly strawberry blonde hair is in a waterfall French braid.

While the two talk about everything having to do with fashion, and Caleb and Georgie are occupied with their Superhero coloring pages, Eleanor sits there looking around the park.

She is uncomfortable at the moment. She feels like Hanna and Caleb do not like her as much as they do her siblings. And she is really nervous, what if she says the wrong thing, and they decide they only want Harriet and Georgie?

She's in that awkward stage between being a child and becoming a teenager, so what if they don't want to deal with a child and all the hormones that come with this age?

She wants so badly to speak. To tell Hanna that she enjoys fashion and clothes also, to tell Caleb that, while Georgie thinks Batman is better, she thinks Superman is the best.

Ellie wants to say to both Hanna and Caleb that she gets good grades, so they won't have to worry about her being a "trouble" student in school.

Watching her siblings interact with the couple, she wishes that the lump in her throat, the one that is preventing the words from coming out, would go away.