2009-11-15: A Question of Custody

Starring:

Matt_V4icon.pngCharlotte_V4icon.png

Date: November 15, 2009

Summary:

Matt ponders where his son will go further down the road.


"A Question of Custody"

Orphanage, Germany

The house in Germany is in an isolated location, and surrounded by obstructions to boot; until you get right up close to it, it's hard to tell that it's there at all. There are rooms off to the side, gently sloped gable roofs, and even a narrow two-story tower near the far end.

Suddenly, an arm swings out, smashing the house to pieces! "Hey, watch out," Matt says to the young boy, "you might get a splinter." As he gathers up the round-edged blocks to reconstruct the model, he double-checks each one in turn for hairline cracks.

Charlotte has a baby-sense. She can tell when one is nearby. And when Charlotte finds a baby, Charlotte pounces! "Oh, he just wants to show daddy how strong he is!" The young woman coos. She's wearing, today, jeans and a pink tweed cropped, fitted jacket with a belt and plain boots. Hurrying over and slipping to her knees, Charlotte makes a playful 'rawr' at the baby and wrinkles her nose at him, wiggling her fingers in his general direction as well. "Keep him thinking he's a giant, it's how I got to eating my broccoli when I was little. I didn't like the taste, but it was fun pretending to eat trees!"

Matt laughs, shaking his head as he sets the rest of the blocks down, leaving the model of the house cut in half lengthways. "I don't know… he's supposed to have an ability too, right? What if he turns into a giant and tries to go eat the real ones? I think we'd better just stick with melted cheese." Despite the surface humor, the corners of his lips turn down in contemplation: which 'we' is he referring to there, exactly?

"Phooey," Charlotte says easily, tickling the boy with the tips of her fingers. "Any boy that can eat an entire tree will be a very healthy one. That's got to be several meals' worth of vegetables, right?" She glances up at Matt from her kneeling position and goes back to playging with the boy. Oh, one day she'll have one of her own!

"And mowing the lawn would be like dessert to him. I saw this comic strip one time—" With his hands free now, Matt lowers himself to a sitting position, looking up at Charlotte in turn. "You know, I still need to figure out what to do with him when this all blows over." Which it will, he's not admitting the possibility of it being otherwise. "His mother and I are divorced, so…"

Charlotte seems content to sit at Matt's feet so she can continue to play with the baby, her fingers lacing with his while they talk. "Most people share custody, don't they? Or one parent just becomes the sole provider, most of the time. I'm sure your ex-wife wouldn't want to be apart from him, but neither would you. Does she live in New York? Maybe you can share weekends, or maybe he can stay with one person for the summer?"

Matt shakes his head. "Los Angeles. She's a business consultant there, I don't think she'd want to move - and I've burned my bridges with the LAPD." He doesn't say anything out loud, but Charlotte would pick up some mental images flashing by: Matt punching out another officer. Matt being yelled at, while a SWAT team clears out in the background. "He was with her, up until he was kidnapped— we both thought he was someone else's."

"Well, that doesn't matter now, does it? What matters is him." She gives the boy a little pat on the head. "Listen, Matt, if there's anything I can do, concerning sharing custody or anything, let me know. Maybe I can teleport you back and forth on the weekends to bring him to his mother and to you?" She leans forward a bit, looking a little concerned. A hand is set on the elder Parkman's arm. "Are you worried about…having him stay with you?"

"You're not a cargo jet, Charlotte." As he talks, Matt absently watches the boy, who is now stacking the blocks up in a single column until they tip over. "I'm actually worried more about having him stay with Janice… if they come back in with guns, what's she going to do? With us, he'd have more of a chance. I guess she could hire a bodyguard, but… I'll have to talk with her, she gets a say about it too."

Charlotte releases Matt's arm, considering what she saw in her mind, and why she saw it…but she doesn't dwell on it too long, not at the moment. "Well you can stay here as long as you need. And…hopefully none of us will be wanted for very much longer." She leans forward, giving him a dimpled, hopeful smile. "Which will be good for everyone. For you, Molly, and little Junior here."

Matt nods. "Soon enough." Rising to his feet, he pats the kid on the head. "Matt, you'll be okay here, right? I'm going to go get a drink." That, and he needs more time to consider what he can best to do make that hope a reality. He mouths a silent 'thanks' to Charlotte, taking her hand and giving it a brief squeeze to reassure her before he heads off.

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