Falice 2

Firstborn

Alice's pregnancy was not something she found to be easy. Another thing she did not find easy was running into an old lover while on a walk around town.

"Alice?" She hears a familiar voice call her name. She turns around to see FP Jones. "Hi."

"Hi," Alice greets him. "It's been awhile."

"Yeah, looks like I missed a couple of things while overseas." FP looks down at her belly. She was showing. "Congratulations."

Alice places a hand on her belly. She's proud to be carrying her baby. "Thanks."

"When's it due?"

"May."

"Not so far from now. You must be excited."

"Yeah. This little one will be the first baby I'll be able to take home with me."

"You and Hal see yourself having more?" FP would like to picture her as a mother to a couple beautiful children, but the thought of it being with Hal did hurt some unresolved feelings he didn't know still linger.

"Oh," Alice didn't realize what she had said. "Yeah, maybe. I'd love for her to have her sibling one day if given the chance."

"It's a girl?" He smiles at her. The thought of her having a daughter was sweet to him. "Congrats, Al. She'll be as beautiful as her mother."

Alice hides her blushing cheeks. "If she's anything like me, she's going to be a tough one."

"That's a good thing. It means she'll always be strong. She's lucky to have you." He tells her. "I don't even know if I'll ever be a father. I think it'd be nice, but I doubt I deserve the title."

"But you are one."

FP looks at her confused.

"I mean you'd be a good one. You've got what it takes. Don't you think so?"

"Weren't you the one telling me I'd end up like mine only a few years ago?"

Alice frowns. She recalls what he's talking about and she's not proud of the way she bashed him in front of their friends with something critical to him. "I didn't mean it. I was only taking my anger out on you and that wasn't fair."

"Be honest with me. Was there a part of you that thought it would turn out true?"

"No."

"What makes you think that?"

She had listened to him tell her and the others that he would never lay a hand on his kid, not only admitting that he's abused at home, but that he would prove to them all that he wouldn't become like his own father. All while she was pregnant with a son of his he knows nothing about.

"You're not your father. I never once believed you would lay a hand on me or even your own child."

"He's gone now. Did you know?"

"He is?" Alice wasn't caught up with whatever was happening with the Serpents on the southside after she left the gang.

FP nods. "He actually left some time before I enlisted in the army. Clearly, I'm back now. But he's not. Good riddance anyway. My mother's safe from him now."

"I'm glad you both are." Alice smiles.

"It's nice," FP smiles back at her, but it drops when he remembers what was left for him when he came back. "It's too bad I still had to take the throne. Even with him gone, somehow he still managed to win."

"You don't have to be king if you don't want to, FP."

"I have to, Al. If I didn't take it, someone worse than him would have. Imagine the trouble they'd cause between the two sides of town. At least this way I can preserve the peace. Who knows, maybe the younger serpents can look up to me one day when I'm old." FP chuckles. "Kinda like those who watched over us when we needed them."

"You mean like a father figure?" Alice points out, hoping he can see he's capable of it.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"That's really sweet. Those kids would be lucky to have a good leader for once. Maybe they wouldn't need to leave like I did."

"Don't get me wrong, but it's a good thing you left. Look at you now, you made it. You're married, you have a family coming, a good job, you did it all. Like we both used to talk about."

"You didn't have to join after I left. You avoided it for so long."

"The serpents took me in when my old man kicked me out to the street for not joining. They looked after me even when I wasn't one. I just wish they would have stepped in when they knew what Forsythe was doing to us at home."

"You and your mom deserved better. I hope you get it all now."

"I think we're getting there." FP nods. He takes a quick glance at her. "But there will obviously be some things we can never get back."

"Don't say that. I think you both can get back whatever it is you lost because of him."

FP shakes his head. "There are things that were just meant to be let go of. It's for the best now."

"Well, whatever makes you happy. I suppose you have to handle things your own way."

"Answer me this. Are you happy?"

"I'd like to think so." She knows there are a couple of things that would make her happier, but for now she's in a decent place in life. "Why?"

"No reason at all," He shrugs. "I just wanted to know if we're both happy. I think we both are." If she's happy, then he's happy.

"Well, it's a good thing we are." Alice takes a good look at him, soaking in every feature she once fell in love with, before she leaves. "Goodbye, FP. It was nice seeing you, but I do have to get going. This little girl takes up a lot of my energy these days."

"I understand. Goodbye, Alice. Maybe I'll run into you again."

A year later, they cross paths again. Only this time the baby girl she was pregnant with before is in a stroller she's pushing around the park. It was once again a nice day. A nice walk in the park sounded delightful, except when heavily pregnant.

Then she hears it again. She hears that same familiar voice call her name. "Alice!" He grabs her attention.

Alice turns around. He looks at her first with a smile, then down at her belly. He had seen the baby stroller and was glad to see that she had her baby girl. Little did he expect that she was pregnant again.

"You had her." FP says. He peeks down into the stroller to see the little blonde. He's surprised to see the little one looks more like Hal than her.

"Yes, my precious Polly."

"And you're already on your way towards giving her a sibling like you wanted."

"Funny how things pan out," Alice chuckles. "Hal and I did want the girls close in age."

FP's smile drops at the name of Hal. Something she doesn't seem to notice. "That's great." He then shifts away from the mention of her husband. "Looks like you, Fred, and I will be having kids about the same age."

Alice looks at him shocked. She knows her dear neighbor, Fred, and his wife were expecting a boy soon. But FP? "You're going to have a baby?"

"Well, Gladys is, but yeah. You won't believe it. I guess I do get to be a dad after all." FP had never been happier. He's proud to be the soon to be father to his unborn son. Though he does wish it was out of love, and with the woman he once pictured this life with. "I get to be the dad to a baby boy."

Alice zones out as those few words break her heart in a way he would never know. She masks the pain with a smile. "Your son will be lucky to have you."

"God, I'm so scared of screwing this up. But I'm going to love that little knucklehead."

"I suppose our kids will be in school together one day."

"What will you do the day my boy charms one of your girls?" FP jokes.

"Don't speak it into existence," Alice laughs. "You were enough trouble."

"I wouldn't worry about this boy. He's going to be a gentleman. I promise."

"Time will tell."

"Yeah, I suppose so."