Some Really Big Choices

"Nobody likes Alanna cause she doesn't talk" Aiden whispered "And I won't leave her alone."

Alanna whimpered, curling up closer to her twin. Every time they'd been in this situation before, everybody wanted Aiden, but not her, and Alanna was scared.

"Hey sweetie" Randy, who'd heard what Aiden had said, bent back down and looked at them both "John and me, we're not like that, we'll love the two of you together."

Alanna looked up at Randy, a "Really?" look in her eyes.

"Really" Randy nodded "John and I always wanted to adopt twins."

Alanna smiled, holding her arms out for Randy to pick her up.

"That's my girl" Randy murmured, gently picking Alanna up and kissing her on the nose

Jeff was watching John and Randy play with the twins when he felt a tiny tug on his leg. Looking down, he saw a brown-haired girl looking up at him with wide hazel eyes "Hi" she grinned "I'm Alexis, what's your name?"

Jeff knealt down to the child's level.

"My name's Jeff," he smiled.

The little girl smiled even wider "Hi Jeff, you have pretty hair" she pointed to Jeff's rainbow colored ponytail "Do you want to play?"

Jeff smiled.

"Thank you sweetie," Jeff said. He was already becoming attached to her. "Chris, come here!"

Chris came over and smiled at Jeff and the little girl "Hey Jeff, who's this?"

"I'm Alexis" the little girl smiled as she proudly said her name "I'm three and I'm a smart cookie!"

"Oh really?" Chris and Jeff chuckled "Who said you were a smart cookie?"

"My dad..." for the first time Alexis' face lost its happy glow "He went away, then I went to a different home."

"It's alright sweetie," Jeff said softly. "My mom, she went away too, she's up there," Jeff pointed to the sky.

"Really?" Alexis came over and crawled into Jeff's lap "You miss her too?"

Jeff nodded. "I miss her a lot," Jeff said.

Alexis sighed and then her face brightened a moment later "I'm going to grab my bear" she smiled and scampered off as Jenna came walking up

"I see you've met Alexis" she smiled "She's been here for almost half a year; one day her guardians dropped her off for a checkup and never came back for her."

Jeff sighed softly.

"She's coming home with us," Jeff said, it wasn't a question, he was certain of that.

"Why was she abandoned?" Chris asked softly, watching as Jeff went over to play with Alexis,

"Well when they were prosecuted for child abandonment" Jenna rolled her eyes "They claimed that her Asperger's was too much to handle, said they were sick of it and said she could be someone else's problem."

"Jeff loves her" he murmured "Hailey's going to have something to say about this."

Jeff smiled, sitting over at a small table with Alexis, he knew this would be hard for Hailey, but he couldn't help how quickly he'd fallen for the adorable child in front of him.

"Am I going home with you?" Alexis asked quietly "Nobody ever takes me home, I don't think they like me."

"Yes sweetie, you're coming home with me," Jeff said. "You're gonna have a sister too."

"A sister, really?" Alexis's eyes lit up with excitement "What's her name? When can I meet her?"

"Her name is Hailey," Jeff said. "You'll get to meet her when we go home. "I have to tell you though, she can't walk like you can."

Alexis cocked her head curiously "Is she younger than me?" she asked innocently, not understanding what Jeff had told her

"No honey, you guys are the same age," Jeff said. "She has something wrong with her legs, they don't work right."