Closed Third Time's The Charm

[Alexander Alcott]

Louis was an adult. Just the thought made Alex's skin crawl with how old it made him seem. He had an adult son. It wouldn't be long before he'd have an adult daughter too, and then what would he be? An aged playboy with his party years long behind him, and without parenting to fill that empty time. Every time he thought about it, his head spun. He did his best to keep his cool around the kids though, not really letting it get to him until he was alone. Thankfully Giulia had wanted to spend most of the holidays with her boyfriend, (another thought that made him feel a thousand years old,) and he had plenty of time to himself. He'd pulled out the old photo album for what felt like the hundredth time, flipping through pages of his children growing up, all the moments he hadn't really appreciated until they had passed.

 

[Corinne Durand]

Corinne knew that she shouldn't be here. That what she was doing was wrong. It wasn't even the first time she had done something like this, though she knew this time was even worse. She was no longer young and naive. And she had messed up even worse. Last time, she had at least picked a good guy. Someone who took care of her mistakes. Someone... someone she was calling on again. She knew it was a long shot, he wouldn't raise her baby again. Not when it wasn't even his. But Corinne just didn't know what else to do. She had tried, but she wasn't made for this. With a heavy sigh, she adjusted the baby in her arms. Then she knocked on Alexander's door, just as she had done eighteen years ago.

 

[Alexander Alcott]

The sound of the door interrupted Alexander's thoughts and he got up, leaving the photo album open on Louis' baby photos as he left to answer the door. A mistake, as the sight he saw upon opening it was almost exactly the one he had seen eighteen years ago. It was so surreal, the memories so vivid, that Alex found himself wondering for a single insane moment whether perhaps he had just hallucinated the last eighteen years of his life, and now he was back to the moment Louis had been dropped in his arms. He couldn't do anything but stare dumbstruck, heart racing with sudden fear.

 

[Corinne Durand]

Corinne stared at Alexander, seeing the look of horror on his face. Surely he knew it couldn't be his child. But she supposed the similarity of the moment was something else. She cleared her throat, trying not to start crying immediately. "Alex... I f*cked up."

 

[Alexander Alcott]

Alex felt like he was falling backwards as he opened his mouth, not a single sound managing to come out. Not that he knew what sounds he would make if he could. He knew - knew - that there was no way this was his baby. They were about eighteen years too late for that possibility, but Corinne was here, with a baby in her arms, and he was 23 again. "What - what happened?" He managed at last, still too shellshocked to manage more.

 

[Corinne Durand]

Corinne almost laughed at Alex's words, shaking her head. "I mean, you can guess, right?" She asked self-deprecatingly. "It's not yours." She added, mostly as a joke. Though her voice shook a little. She sort of wished it was, that would have made things much easier. Alex was a decent guy. "Can... can you help me? I tried, but I can't- I can't do this."

 

[Alexander Alcott]

There were so many questions Alex wanted to ask, and he had no idea where to begin. All he could do was step aside, after a moment's debate with himself. "I can. Help." He added firmly. As... angryconfusedconcernedpitying as he was with Corinne right now, there was no part of him willing to leave a child alone with her in this state. "Come in..."