Finding where I fit

Chapter 2: Zipped up

Maryse straightened the cushions on the sofa for the fourth time. She paced back and forth as she stared at the clock on the wall. Robert walked into the living room and watched his wife for a second. Maryse caught sight of him and rushed over. "What do you think Robert? Does it look okay? Should I make tea or coffee?" Robert put his hands on her shoulders, urging Maryse to look at him, as her mind went a million miles a minute. He spoke softly "Maryse, calm down okay. This is just a first visit. He's just coming over with an attendee for an hour or so, so that we can chat. Its no guarantee of anything okay? He's just visiting for a little while." Maryse broke down slightly under Robert's touch. "I want him to be happy Robert. You read his file. This poor boy has never had anything. Not a room or a plate or piece of clothing that didn't come from another child before him." Her eyes teared up slightly. "What if he doesn't want to stay with us Robert? Are we even doing the right thing?" There was a knock at the door, two shadows could be seen in the glass. An older, male shaped figure and a smaller one with his arms crossed. Robert glanced at Maryse as she flattened her skirt and ran her hand over her hair. "I guess we won't have to wait long to find out."

***

Maryse came back into the room after putting the older man's coat in the hallway closet. She hesitated slightly before attempting to put a hand on Jonathan's shoulder. He was sat on the edge of the sofa, facing away from where she had walked in. Just before her hand made contact, the boy shifted slightly, and she pulled her hand back. Of course. He barely knows me. How foolish. Maryse put her hand back down by her side as she talked. "Are you sure that I can't take your coat sweetie? Its quite warm in here." Jonathan looked down as he put his hand protectively over the top of his zip. The man who had came with him jerked his head, indicating that he wanted to speak with Maryse in private.

***

"Is that really true?" Maryse looked out at the little boy as she watched from the hall. Robert was sat with him, trying to bring up a conversation, but she could see that Jonathan wasn't replying to anything he said. The man looked on sadly. "Yes, I'm afraid so. Nine homes in seven years will do that to a child I'm afraid. He believes that there's no point in removing his coat because he won't be here long enough. It was the same with his bag in his last household." Maryse looked on with a gloomy expression. "That's so sad. I hoped that he would be more talkative at least, but I suppose these things take time."

***

Robert looked out into the hallway, as Maryse whispered with the man from the children's home. He picked up a photo from the mantle piece and walked over "Here you go-" He held out a framed photo for Jonathan to look at, when Jonathan didn't take it, Robert sat down next to him, holding out the photograph. "The tallest one is Alec. He's my oldest. And that's Izzy in the middle and she's carrying Max who is our smallest boy." Jonathan pointed to the photo and mumbled very quietly. "and who is he?" Robert ran his thumb over the photograph as he smiled slightly. "That's Magnus. He's my eldest's best-friend. He had to move...two years ago I think but they still talk every day on the phone. You'll have to meet him too if you stay with us." Jonathan retreated back into his coat at the thought, so Robert decided to stop talking. Several minutes went by and he couldn't take the silence any longer. Where the hell was Maryse? He tried speaking to Jonathan again. "I don't want you to feel pressured that you have to stay with us. It will be your choice okay?"

Maryse came back into the room with the man, sparing them any further conversation. Jonathan's cheeks were red from the heat inside the house. His hand was still over his zip. Maryse thought to herself sadly that maybe another person had tried to take it off by force before and frightened him.

The man cleared his throat as they came back into the room. He held out his hand to Robert and Maryse who shook it in turn. "Its time to go Jonathan. Say 'thank you' to Mr and Mrs Lightwood for having us." Jonathan jumped off the end of the sofa, hardly making a sound as his feet touched the floor. Maryse could see that he was small, probably malnourished and definitely underweight for his age. She made cookies and he'd eaten about six. She imagined that he hadn't had them before.

Jonathan walked to the front door with his arms crossed. He didn't look up, except to step over the slightly turned up corner of the rug that was on the floor, before reaching the hall. He picked up his little worn bag from the cubby by the front door, and stood facing it while he waited for the man from the children's home. The man followed Jonathan, shaking his head apologetically at Maryse and Robert. He thanked them both again and they waved as they shut the front door.

***

As the car pulled away with the boy staring down from the back seat, Maryse went back into the kitchen, to sit at the table. She put her head in her hands and started crying as Robert patted her back and tried to comfort her. "What have all those people done to him Robert?! He's absolutely broken! There's no light in his eyes. How are we going to do this?! How can we raise a child that wont even speak to us or look us in the face?!" Robert sighed as he turned to the wall to put the kettle. "We have to try don't we? Look at him Maryse. He's never known a permanent home or a sibling or even a friend. Its destroyed him. If there's even a tiny chance that we can help him Maryse...he...he spoke to me..." Maryse sat up, wiping her face, she walked around to Robert and pulled out the chair next to him. "He did? What did he say? He wouldn't speak to me...Did I offend him?" Robert kissed her forehead and wiped a tear from her face. "I wouldn't take it personally Maryse. I showed him the photo on the mantle piece of the kids. I pointed to our three and he asked who was the one hugging Alec. Maybe he thought that we adopted him too, although we kind of did. Think about it-" His eyes lit up slightly and he laughed as Maryse smiled with tears in her eyes. "-We did basically take Magnus in. We've done this before so how hard can it be? He spent more time at ours than his own house before he had to move." Maryse laughed. "I guess you're right. I think Alec still misses him terribly Robert. Maybe it would be nice for him to have Jonathan around, once he's settled of course."

Maryse wiped her eyes as her front door nearly fell off the hinge. There was a dent in the wall where the handle always hit it when they ran in. Isabelle burst through the front door, barely being able to move as she had Max in her arms. Alec followed a few seconds later, he was on his mobile and trying to pull all of their bags back into the house. Maryse took Max from Izzy's arms and made faces at him as he grinned. Alec hugged Robert with one arm as he spoke, apparently focused on something else. Maryse lifted his phone from his hand and flipped the screen down "MOM! HEY!" She gestured for Izzy and Alec to follow her to the living room as she handed Max to Robert and gave Alec his phone back. She didn't have to ask who he was speaking to. "You can call Magnus back in a minute. Me and your father need to have an important conversation with you." Alec stopped sulking and lifted his chin expectantly. "and did you make cookies for this very grown up conversation?" Maryse smiled as she lifted a bowl up from the table, there were cookies on the plate under it, but less than usual as she had put half in little Jonathan's bag to take back with him. Both of the children cheered as they grabbed the plate and ran into the living room. Max cooed and giggled as Robert followed while he bounced him on his side. Maryse just hoped that the positive mood would last, she was about to drop a big bomb-shell on the children, and didn't want them to feel abandoned.