Finding where I fit

Chapter 3: Coming home

Alec and Isabelle stared, as their parents sat in front of them.

Alec scowled. "You're doing what Mom...?"

Robert spoke as he rubbed his face. "We didn't take this decision lightly okay guys? We talked you about your Mom being ill when she had Max..."

Izzy shook her head slightly, in confusion. "But you already have us three. Aren't we enough?"

Maryse sighed. "Isabelle, this is no different from us having you after having Alec or us having Max after having you. It just means that there might be one more seat at the table but not that we love any of you less. Okay?"

Izzy smiled slightly and tried to look okay with it for the sake of her parents. "Have you met him Mom? The baby? Is he nice?"

Maryse walked around the table, handing Max to Robert. "This is different Izzy. He's actually the same age as you. He's a little quiet so it might take time for him to get used to everyone, okay? And there's no guarantee that he will be staying with us. Everyone, including him and all of us, have to be happy with it before its decided"

Alec pushed his chair back with a groan. Robert and Maryse didn't follow him. When he was upset, he just wanted to be left alone. "I don't like this. I won't stand for it. He's never going to be my brother." He shut the door after himself and Robert and Maryse sighed as Alec could be heard pulling the phone off the dock in the hallway and going upstairs with it to call Magnus.

***

A week later

Izzy's hands shook by her side, as she stared at the front door. Robert came up behind her and placed his hands on her little shoulders. She was only seven herself, so it was a lot to process but Robert and Maryse had wanted to be open with their children and keep them involved. "How long is he staying with us Daddy?" Robert glanced up to the top of the stairs. While Izzy was in her smart clothes, which he said was unnecessary, and her hair was straightened, Alec was sulking on the top step in his pyjamas. "Just for one night to start out, okay Izzy?" She smiled. After a week of talking, she was starting to come around to the idea, although she couldn't get her head around why Maryse and Robert wanted a third boy and not another girl.

Maryse took Izzy's hand, and took her to sit down on the sofa in the living room. A few minutes later, Robert got up to answer the knock at the door. The adoption agency had told them to stay nearby for his first meeting with Alec and Izzy, but to let them all talk and suss each other out.

***

Maryse and Robert sat at the kitchen table, slightly on edge as they started signing some forms from the woman who had brought Jonathan. Izzy and Jonathan were just down the hall, and the doors were left open. They listened to Izzy's gentle voice, as she tried to get Jonathan to speak to her.

"-and Mom and Dad are really nice. Sometimes Alec is grumpy, but he gets sad because his best-friend moved away and he misses him because he loves him very much."

Jonathan looked over to Izzy. Who was this girl with dark hair and big eyes. and why did she want to speak to him so much? "-So what I mean is that you can be my brother too, if you want...Mom and Dad said that I shouldn't ask straight away, but seem you're nice to me and Alec never wants to play with me, and Max is just a baby."

Jonathan didn't reply but he was making eye contact, so it was a start. Maryse and Robert watched from the door. Perhaps Izzy's sweet personality and gentle coaxing could encourage him to open up a bit. Jonathan cleared his throat, he'd never held a long conversation with anyone his age before, he didn't know where to put his eyes. "Can I be your friend? Am I supposed to ask first?"

Maryse and Robert had told her to be gentle if Jonathan didn't understand everything that she did. Apparently making friends was one of them. "No, you don't have to ask. I'll be your friend, but if you ever want a sister, you can tell me, okay?"

***

There was a knock on Alec's door. He hung up and threw the phone down on his bed, as he went to open it. Maryse was on the other side and she gestured. Asking if she could sit on Alec's bed and talk to him.

"I know this is difficult for you Alec. But please don't see him as a rival. He's started out with nothing. He's never known a home or a family. Don't you think that it would be wonderful if he could join ours?"

Tears ran down Alec's face and he rushed to wipe them quickly, he didn't like crying in front of other people, he always tried to be strong for everyone else. "I'm sorry Mom, its just that its been so hard for me lately. I miss Magnus being with us and it feels like you want to look after this boy to fill the hole that Magnus left. We cant replace him Mom. I cant."

Maryse brought Alec against her side, hugging him tight as she wiped her face and closed her eyes. "Please don't ever say that Alec. Me and your father both love Magnus as one of our own. We would never try to replace him, he's basically one of ours. Are you sure that's whats bugging you? You've been so quiet lately." Alec shook his head, his eyes were red and raw. Maryse urged him to sit down next to her. Whenever something was bothering him, he bottled it to himself, and when he broke down, it wasn't pretty. "Alec...talk to me. I'm your mother. You can tell me anything."

"I'm sorry that I've been so harsh on you and Dad, I've been going through some stuff. Without Magnus here, I'm doubting everything about myself and it's scaring me." Maryse looked over her son in concern. "Do you want to tell me what you're doubting Alec? Would help to talk about it?" Alec sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Not yet Mom, okay? Thank you for the help, but I need to figure this out for myself." She nodded and stood up to hug him tightly. "I understand that Alec. When you're ready to talk about what you need to, I'll be here. Okay? Do you want to come downstairs to meet Jonathan?" She wiped her face. "We want to ask him to stay with us Alec, but we went into this as a family and we'll make that choice together, everyone has to agree but we want your okay." Alec nodded, feeling a bit lighter than he had done a few minutes ago.

***

Jonathan looked up as Maryse came into the room. She had a little boy in her arms, who he presumed was Max. A few seconds later, an older boy who looked like Izzy walked in, slightly hiding behind his Mom.

"Jonathan. This is Max and Alec. We thought that you'd like to meet them." Maryse sat down so that Alec had nothing to hide behind. A small smile appeared on his face that Maryse hadn't seen in a while. Alec held his hand out and Jonathan shook it slightly, much more than he was willing to do when he came here. "It's nice to meet you Jonathan. My name is Alec." Jonathan looked up at the boy who was a few years older, slightly intimidated, he seemed to be the one who ran things around here when it came to the kids, but he was the oldest. "Nice to meet you Alec. Is it okay if I stay with your family for a little while?" Tears ran down his face "I don't have anyone else se-" Alec hugged Jonathan tightly, he knew what it was like to feel so empty. Maybe not in the way that Jonathan did, but he knew all the same. Jonathan placed his hands lightly on Alec's back. "Your family Jonathan. Our family. You're staying with us okay?"