Chapter 18

"You need my help? What do you mean? I'm not even your dad--not yet, anyway."

**I can't talk to my dad**

"Why not?"

**Because he is too closed minded for this.**

Jon walked over to the table where Romeo was enjoying his chocolate cake. "I'm the same person, you know. Only younger."

**Physically, yes.**

"Listen, Romeo, I don't know how you're talking to us but these one sentence answers are not helping."

**I can only hold on for short time spans.**

Richie stood up from where he was sitting and witnessing the exchange and walked over to the table. Pulling out a chair he sat down and poured himself a cup of coffee. He loaded it with a bit too much sugar, rationalizing that he would need the boost to stay up all night.

"Romeo, you said that you needed your dad's--Jon's--help. What kind of help?"

**I'm not sure yet, Uncle Richie, but something is going to happen.**

"What Romeo? What's going to happen?"

"Spiderman is gonna come and zap the bad guys!" Romeo beamed, "Uncle Mookie, did you pack my Spiderman?"

Heaving a big sigh, Richie grinned at the toddler. "No, kiddo, you packed your own bags, remember?"

When Romeo's bottom lip began to quiver, Richie quickly added, "but hey, if you can't find it, we'll go tomorrow and get another one, okay?"

"And we gonna get the bad guys, right Uncle Mookie?"

"Yep, we're going to get the bad guys."

"Good. Cause they need to be rested."

"Rested?"

"Yeah, by the policeman."

Richie and Jon wasn't so sure which Romeo was talking, now.

*****

This game of cat and mouse lasted throughout the night with Romeo finally falling asleep and Jon and Richie getting no closer to the answer.

They understood that somehow Romeo was communicating his knowledge in bits and pieces because it was too exhausting to concentrate for longer than a few minutes at a time.

They also understood that sometimes when that Romeo retreated, a part of him was still present in the child before them.

What they didn't know was what part of the toddler's speeches were the other Romeo trying to get through.

They spent the rest of the night trying to piece together what they had remembered him saying.

That is, until the phone rang at about 2:15 in the morning.

*****

"It's a girl who wants to speak to the guy who looks like Jon Bon Jovi." Richie glared at Jon while covering the mouthpiece with his hand. "What the fuck did you do?"

"Just the room service waitress, Rich. We were just talking. Don't worry, I told her I was an actor," Jon mumbled as he took the phone from him. Turning his back to Richie to get a bit more privacy, his face broke into a huge smile as he answered the call.

Richie pretended not to get the hint and stood right where he was with his arms crossed, making it nearly impossible for Jon to have a private conversation. "Kristen, listen I'm sorry but I can't make it tonight. My roommate just came back with a........problem. Hey, why don't you give me your number and I'll call you tomorrow?" Jon scrambled for some paper and a pen, quickly jotting down the number she was rattling off and saying their goodbyes, hung up.

"Happy?"

"Yes. And I'd be happier if you didn't call her."

"Why? She doesn't know anything. We were just going out for a bite to eat."

"Jon, you're not here to go on a fucking date. And I don't have a problem. You do."

*****

As predicted, Romeo slept in until almost ten the following day. Rousing him gently from his slumber, Richie reminded him that they needed to get a move on if he wanted to go and get the Spiderman doll.

"I have one at home, Uncle Mookie. I want to get Venom. Please?"

"Okay, but I promised your mom that I'd have you home by lunch time, so you'd better get up and go wash up, all right?" he said, ruffling the little boy's hair.

**What is Venom, Uncle Richie?**

"He's one of Spiderman's enemies. And Romeo, I'd appreciate it if you could at least warn us when you're here?" Even though Richie was quickly beginning to get used to to these sudden appearances, it still unnerved him a little.

**How, Uncle Richie? Would you like me to announce my arrival with a bit of Reveille on my bugle?**

Smartass. "You really take after your old man, you know that?"

**So I've been told. I wouldn't really know**

"Why not?"

Romeo suddenly went silent. Without a word he slid off the bed and went towards the bathroom. "I go brush my teeth now, Uncle Mookie."

Richie stared after him. Something wasn't right. He could just feel it in his gut that the toddler understood what was just said, but he would just have to wait until the other Romeo returned.

*****

Back at the Jersey house, Jon was getting dressed for a meeting with the board of directors for one of his newest pet projects.

Being involved in the environment and human welfare, he took great interest in the recent developments that this group had managed to accomplish. He was sure that this would be a solution that most of the civilized world was looking for to meet the growing need for conservation of our natural resources, while providing food to the hungry at the same time.

The group had worked tirelessly on this for several years and would be able to for many more thanks to the funding that someone of Jon's stature was able to provide.

He was pretty excited and rightfully so, for today would be the day that he would witness the first of many experimental projects:

Nanotechnology.

*****

"Whatya got there, Romeo?" Richie was watching him fiddling with a piece of well worn paper.

"Nothing."

"Let me see that." Jon held out his hand. The folding of the paper somehow jarred something in him and he looked at it closely when Romeo handed it to him.

"It looks just like how Mrs. Ferguson folded her blanket. Who taught you how to fold it like this, Romeo?"

When the toddler just shrugged, Jon unfolded the paper and gaped at what was written on it.