Chapter Text
The whole ordeal had started with a missing purse.
Or rather, a noticed missing purse. Noticed, specifically, by one Mr. Wallace Herbertson, sitting in his car waiting for his fiancée.
“How was the meeting, luv?” he asked with a smile, the light of his life beaming back at him.
“Everyone was so nice! They kept giving me all these compliments, and the Nurse said if she didn’t know better she’d think these,” she motioned to her breasts, “were completely natural!” A sigh. “Though I could ‘ave done without the Page’s… friend asking how the bottom portion fared.”
“Don’t tell him about the dilators. ‘E’ll get a nosebleed like one of those cartoons with the big eyes and high-pitched Japanese.”
Wilhelmina giggled. “That would be a fitting end for ‘im, wouldn’t you say?”
“Yeah, it really would.” Wallace reached for the lever, then suddenly halted. “… Wait… didn’t you bring your purse with you into the meeting?”
“Yes…?” she said slowly. Then she looked down. “I… Oh.”
“You forgot it, didn’t you?”
She sighed. “I don’t suppose you mind waitin’ a bit longer? It’ll only be a minute.”
“Nowhere else to be.”
“Thank you,” she said, already getting out of the car. “You’re a lifesaver.”
“And you’re giving me a bit too much credit,” Wallace smiled.
“You never know, some of me pills are in there, and the doctor did say I ‘ad to take ‘em all. I might’ve just keeled over in the night.”
“Don’t be gruesome,” the man said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. “Just go, luv.”
She did. As it turned out she didn’t even have to make it all the way inside.
“Take it this is yours?” The King of Cowboys held out a small blue purse.
“Yes it is! Thank you so much!” She took it gingerly in her hands. “I don’t know ‘ow I can ever repay… oh! Wait! I have a twenty in me wallet.”
“There’s… no need…”
“Oh, nonsense! You ‘elped me out so much, the least I could do is…” She paused as the boy’s hand went to his pocket. “… oh. There really is no need, I see.”
“Yeah, sorry ‘bout that. Here.” The King offered back the crumpled bill.
“None of that, I did just say you could ‘ave it.” She pushed it back. “But in the future, you shouldn’t go ‘elping yourself, you know. … Say, where’s your ride?”
“Oh, uh, they’re running late.”
“Really?” She pointed. “Well, me fiancé’s right be’ind me. I’m sure ‘e wouldn’t mind giving you a lift.”
“Nah,” he shrugged her off. “You ain’t gotta do nothin’, a’right? M’ sure I can handle it.”
“ ‘Ave you tried callin’ them to ask if sommat’s wrong?”
“Don’t got a phone.”
“Do you want to borrow mine?”
The King shook his head. “They ain’t got a phone neither.”
“Maybe I should wait with you-”
“No,” he said a little too quickly. “N-nah, whatcha wanna do a thing like that for? You don’t gotta worry or nothin’, m’ sure it’s fine…”
Wilhelmina’s eyes narrowed. “Son, do you even ‘ave a ride?”
He sighed, shifted his feet. “You… you weren’t here when I told my story… After I did, somma the grown ups got weird, so… was kinda hopin’ the rest wouldn’t find out.”
“Find out? About what?”
“Um… well… see, I don’t exactly have a… living situation. At the moment.”
Her breath caught in her throat. “Y-you mean you’re…”
“Homeless. Yeah.”
Silence filled the space between them.
“… Were you ‘ere? The night I told?” Wilhelmina asked softly.
“Nah, not yet. Heard bits and pieces though.”
A sigh. “Alright. Can you wait ‘ere for a moment?”
The boy (how old was he?) blinked. “Uh… sure. Got nowhere to be, really.”
“Thanks.”
She walked back to the car, standing by the open window. Wallace was frowning. “Everythin’ alright?”
“No.” Blunt and to the point.
“What’s wrong? I can see you found your purse.” He peered around her. “I take it, it has something to do with that lad over there?”
“That’s the King, and it ‘as everything to do with ‘im!” Wilhelmina sighed. “I think we’d better do sommat about him.”
“The King?” Wallace blinked. “I’m sorry, have you mentioned ‘im before? If you did, I don’t think I remember-”
“I probably wouldn’t ‘ave,” she agreed. “I try not to talk much about anyone specific - I’m really not supposed to, there’s those confidentiality rules - but…”
“Special case?”
“Special case.” She nodded. “Poor boy’s so young…”
“Can’t go home?”
“Doesn’t ‘ave one.” Wallace winced, and Wilhelmina nodded sadly. “… We do ‘ave the spare room…”
“Say no more. Tell ‘im ‘e’s welcome… though we should probably ask ‘is actual name.”
“On it!” she said very quickly, darting away again. “Dear?”
The King was now studying Wallace suspiciously and trying to look like he wasn’t by just doing so with the corner of his eye. “Huh?”
“You’re comin’ with me,” she said. “We have room for more.”
“… What?”
“Well, if the Mother ‘asn’t gotten you into a home, you must ‘ave some sort of issue with the foster system.”
“Uh, yeah, my guy ran this school-type setup. Ain’t ‘xactly eager to get placed again.”
“I understand, but still, I’ll not ‘ave you sleepin’ outside-”
“I’ve been-”
“I know! That’s the problem.” She sighed. “Please come… Please? I’ll feel better knowing you’re safe.”
“No ‘fense, but gettin’ into a car with strangers don’t make me feel too safe.”
“Of course.” Wilhelmina dug in her purse and brought out her phone. “I’m goin’ to trust you with this, alright? If you keep it with you when you’re with us, you could call 911 if you needed to. Does that ‘elp?”
The King’s eyebrows raised. “I could just run off with this.”
“We could ‘urt you, but we won’t. If you get me drift.”
He did. Moving slowly, as if she’d snatch it away, he took the phone, checked to make sure it worked, then nodded and slipped it into his pocket
“One thing,” she said as they were halfway to the car, “I don’t suppose I can keep calling you ‘the King’ all the time if we’re going to be living together…”
“Wish you would.” He smiled faintly. “Wouldn’t that be somethin’?”
With a ghostly smile of her own, Wilhelmina shook her head. “You know what I mean. What’s your other name? What do you want us to call you?”
“Jack,” he said, looking at the ground. “S’ Jack Kelly.”
Her breath caught slightly, and she couldn’t help but smile. “… Jack was me brother’s name,” she said, rather simply.
“Oh. Sorry.”
“Don’t be, dear.” She gave his shoulder a gentle pat. “Really. Don’t be.”