The Perk, Monday morning

[fancypantsdoc.livejournal.com]

In a way, Simon was relieved that the boy who had surprisingly appeared on his doorstep together with a very young mother, who was also a complete stranger, seemed to take after him rather than his sister. River had been good at taking everything apart and putting it back together in working order, while Malcolm seemed content with reading books. And clearly he could read even if Simon doubted he understood that much.

"More cake?" he asked the boy.

[Open, Simon is here with the kid]

Comments

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Yes please," Malcolm said, sitting quiet in his chair, and looking around at all the people. "Is this your favorite place?"

[fancypantsdoc.livejournal.com]

Simon thought for a moment. "I guess it is," he said. "Although I've never thought about it like that. Sometimes I just need to get out of the house." He cut another part of his cake and gave it to Malcolm. "So, what would you like to do today?"

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Thank-you-very-much," Malcolm said real fast, and broke off bites to put in his mouth, neat but quickly. "Mmmmmmmmmm." He thought about what he'd like to do, and chewed and swallowed, chewed and swallowed, then said, "We went to the park yesterday. And played at the dorms the other other day. Somewhere else, new."

[fancypantsdoc.livejournal.com]

"Um, would you like to see where I work here?" Simon asked. "It's not like the hospital," or so he assumed, "but you might find it interesting."

He would have found it interesting at Malcolm's age.

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Yes!" Malcolm immediately gave him a brilliant smile, and asked, "Can I wear a white coat if there's extra? And a head-band reflector thing? And ask the nurses to make 'ppointments?"

[fancypantsdoc.livejournal.com]

"Of course." Simon smiled at him over the rim of the tea cup. He suspected the nurses would like Malcolm better than they liked him.

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Rule!" Which was a new word he'd learned from Gawain, and it was neat that he got to use it now. "Daddy? How come you're not with Mommy now?"

[fancypantsdoc.livejournal.com]

He wasn't sure of the boy would understand.

"You have travelled in time," Simon explained, "To a point where your mother and I haven't met yet. And there are also parallel universes, in which your other half-siblings exist."

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"But you did meet," Malcolm said, looking worried, then taking a big gulp of milk. The time travel part was kind of over his head. "Lena and Jess and Gawain are just my brothers and sisters for now." He frowned a little. "You still like Mommy?"

[fancypantsdoc.livejournal.com]

"Of course I do," Simon replied. Perhaps not like a wife, but the boy might not be aware of the distinction. And Dinah had seemed nice.

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Okay," Malcolm said, because most of this was pretty confusing. But Mommy and Daddy weren't married to other people, and Mommy had said he'd got home soon and everything would be the same there, so that was good. "I played in the ball-pit with Estella last night. She goes to kindergarten. And we played monsters with Colin, he's Uncle Tony's little boy."

[fancypantsdoc.livejournal.com]

"Oh, good," Simon said. "And who is Uncle Tony?"

[newlances.livejournal.com]

"Mommy's best friend," Malcolm said matter-of-factly. "He makes movies in Vancouver. We seem him in the summer and New Year's, sometimes."

[cowboy-sailor.livejournal.com]

Tully had spent the weekend in hiding, just in case anyone had run into him while he'd been someone else. Just what the hell was that thing that'd bitten him anyway?

He hadn't listened to the radio for that same reason, so he had no idea anything unusual was going on.

"Hey Doc." Tully greeted Simon as he came in to get some long delayed coffee. "Babysitting?"