Falling Into Place

Chapter Twenty-Five

Lucas and Maya had been taking Alice out with them afyer school everyday for the past two weeks. She was really comfortable with them, more comfortable than with her foster parents, and Lucas was starting to have a little soft spot for her. They had also become very familiar with the Bell family, even eating dinner over at their house a few times.

"Maya, Lucas, can I speak to you?" Mr. Bell wondered, just before they took Alice off his hands for the night. The two nodded, leaving Alice in the living room. Mr. Bell lead Lucas and Maya to an office just off their living room and shut the door. "I understand you two are very fond of Alice, but I don't want her to get hurt. She's rarely happy and since you two, you specifically," He gestured to Maya, "have entered her life, this is the most prolonged her happiness has been, since she's come under our care at least."

"Don't worry Mr. Bell, I-uh... I understand what it's like to not have anyone there for you growing up... I just don't want her to feel that way."

"Absolutly! She's the most darling little thing I've ever met! I have no intentions of hurting her whatsoever."

Hesitant, Mr. Bell let the three go. This being the first time Alice was staying the night with the two, but Mr. Bell had no worries. All he was concerned about was that little girls happiness, and when she was with Lucas and Maya, she was as happy as could be.

"What do you wanna do tonight?" Lucas asked, glancing in the rear view mirror, then back at the dark road infront of him.

"Not sure." Alice shrugged. She adjusted her overnight bag on the floor of the car and looked back and forth between Maya and Lucas. "Have you two kissed?"

"Umm-"

"Of course." Maya interupted Lucas' unofficial answer.

"Why?"

"Well," Maya adjusted her seat belt and her legs so she was turned around facing Alice. "when you love someone, and you want to show them, one of the ways to do that is through a kiss." Maya wanted to add more detail to her explication, like "whether it be between a parent or a significant other, but how in detail can you go with a seven year old?

"Well... will I ever find someone to kiss me?"

"Absolutly!" Maya gasped. "You're an adorable little sweetheart! Some Mommy and Daddy are going to come and adopt you one day and shower you in kisses!" A smile grew on Alice's face at the thought of two loving parents loving her and kissing either of her cheeks.

"We're here." Lucas parked his car at his apartment complex and unbuckled his seat belt, Maya and Alice following the action and getting out of the car. "My mom is probably out with Maya's mom, so it'll just be us three." He added.

"Like a little family..." Alice said softly to herself. She followed Lucas up the stairs and to his apartment.

"Are you hungry or thirsty?" Maya asked. Alice shook her head, dropping her bag by the couch.

"Did you eat dinner?" Lucas pushed. Again, Alice shook her head. Lucas opened his mouth to speak, but Maya stopped him.

"Lucas, she's a little kid. If she's hungry she'll eat." Lucas nodded and wrapped an arm around Maya's back.

"What do you guys usually do?" Alice wondered.

"Well, in all honesty, we take naps a lot." Maya laughed. Lucas nodded in agreement and smiled. "You let us know when you get tired okay?" The little girl nodded her head and looked around the apartment.

"Where do you two sleep?" She wondered.

"In my bed." Lucas answered simply.

"Where do I sleep?"

"Where do ya wanna sleep?" Lucas asked. Alice looked around and shrugged.

"Wherever." A yawn interupted her answer, causing the two teenagers to chuckle.

"Honey, if you're tired we can go to sleep. You don't have to be home until four tomorrow evening. We'll still have plenty of time to have fun." Maya kneeled down to her level and Alice nodded, admitting she was tired.

Lucas and Maya showed her a spare bedroom, that she agreed to sleep in. Alice changed into her pink, cotton pajamas and crawled into the spare bed.

"We're going to be right across the hall, okay?" Maya pushed some of Alice's dark brown hair behind her ear. Alice nodded and leaned back into the fluffy pillow. "Okay... night."

"Night." Lucas smiled.

"G'night." Maya smiled at the cute pronunciation of "goodnight" and cracked the bedroom door as her and Lucas headed to his room to lay down.

"She's cute." Lucas stated, slipping his pajama pants on and his shirt off.

"She is. I feel bad that such a sweet girl has to go through what she is, ya know?" Lucas nodded, turning off the light and crawling under the comforter next to Maya.

"It'll get better for her. I know it will."

"I hope so..." Maya layed down, facing Lucas and resting her hands infront of his bare chest. Lucas settled his hand on Maya's lower thigh, breathing deeply as he started to fall asleep. Soon, his light breathing turned to light snoring but Maya couldn't fall asleep.

She started to trace shapes on Lucas' chest, giggling everytime he would squirm or twitch. She heard tiny footsteps and the sound of the door creaking open. Maya turned around to see the short figure of Alice standing in the doorway.

"Maya?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"I can't sleep..." Alice took a few steps into Lucas' room and Maya cleared her throat. She turned over, now facing away from Lucas, and scooted her body back into his, making room for Alice on Lucas' bed.

"Come on." Maya patted the bed a few times and Alice hopped in, curling up facing Maya. "You think you'll be able to sleep in here with this bozo snoring?" Maya laughed. Alice laughed aswell, nodding and picking her head up to look over at Lucas.

Alice yawned, closing her eyes. Her legs were curled slightly infront of her and her tiny feet were rested against Maya's legs. Lucas' arm flung around Maya's waist and Maya smiled into the pillow she was resting on.

Not even thirty minutes later, Alice's tiny snores mixed with Lucas' and a slight smile was stitched on Maya's face. She looked over at Alice, her lips were slightly parted and her hair was tangled and partially in her face. Maya leaned over a bit, sure not to disturb Lucas, and brushed the loose strands of hair out of the little girls face, before placing a soft, tiny kiss on her forehead.

"Goodnight, Alice."