Stuck With Me

8 | Unannounced Visit

As the weekend came, everyone in the Cooper-Smith household had been sleeping in for a bit, so Alice and FP had been preparing breakfast as the kids were getting dressed. It was the first weekend in months that she had completely to herself and she looked forward spending it the way she wanted. 

Alice was surprised when she heard the doorbell ring and gave FP a look, asking him wether he was expecting someone or not. He obviously hadn't invited someone over, so whoever who was behind that door would be a surprise for him as well. 

Alice walked to the door, curious to who was paying her a visit on her day-off. But it wasn't some stranger asking for something, or their neighbors asking for some sugar. No, it was the man who raised her. 

''Dad? What brings you here?'' Alice asked confused.

She hadn't seen the man in a long time, and that was something she was absolutely okay with. Besides that, she wasn't a fan of unannounced visits.

''Can't I visit my favorite daughter and granddaughter?'' He smiled brightly, his perfect white teeth showing. 

''Sure, come on in.'' Alice feigned a smile as she gestured for him come into her house. She couldn't possibly refuse her Dad. It wasn't if they were in a fight, but other than that he had raised her she didn't really feel a deep connection to him. 

FP had walked from the kitchen to the living room as well to see who had been at her door but had no idea who he was. The same thing went for Russel, who hadn't seen FP before.

''Since when are you dating someone? Why haven't I been introduced before?'' He turned around to face his daughter and gestured to the still unknown man in front. 

''Oh no, Dad. That's not it. This is FP, he helps me take care of Betty. Jughead, his son, lives her too.'' Alice explained quickly. She had become a little oblivious to the fact that for other this situation still sounded very strange, which was confirmed by the frown on Russel's head. 

''Gotta help me out here, sweetheart. Why is that?'' He hadn't even took the time to introduce himself, which was something that annoyed FP deeply. You didn't need a genius to know this he was the kind of person to feel better than anyone else in the room. 

Alice fell silent when her Dad asked for an explanation, because well, the situation was complicated and it was hard to sugarcoat what had happened before FP started to live with them. 

To save Alice from coming up with something else FP thought it'd be best if he'd come clear about his past. He wasn't ashamed of it and he would gladly tell the truth. 

''Because I was in jail. She took my son in her home. He's dating your granddaughter. Got homeless and moved in here to be there for the kids while madam mayor runs the town.'' He summed up for Russel, leaving both him and Alice a little speechless.

But he wasn't defeated so easily, of course the man had a comeback. 

''So you are giving shelter to ex-convicts now, I see?'' He huffed a little. Still, he was the only one who laughed at his so called joke. 

Alice couldn't even pretend to like it, as she slowly began to be done about people judging FP's past or her decision to take him in and give him a job. 

''Stop talking like that. FP has been a big help. Jughead has been here for months, which you could have known if you had stopped by.'' She snapped at him, which now was the thing that left both man speechless.

First, FP hadn't expect Alice to stand up for him like that, especially not when she had been the first one to lie about his past when she got the chance. That lie backfired and maybe that is why she had learned form the first time. It made him somehow feel better that she had reached the point were she wasn't ashamed of his past either.