The Alchemists

Rory came every day to the hospital and brought a lot of gifts for Aleksis. His presence made Finland's sad heart feel lighter. She felt like she had a new friend to replace Jean who had forgotten her.

"Rory, why are you helping me? I'm just a stranger to you..." Finland asked as Rory picked them up from the hospital to go home. She really felt bad for troubling someone who was not even her relative.

"I am not helping you, I am helping Aleksis." Rory answered lightly. He helped Finland carry her belongings since the girl was struggling to carry her baby. "Can you walk to the parking lot or should I push you in a wheelchair?"

"I can walk, thank you. Uhmm... will you drive us home by car?"

"Yes, I brought my car here."

"Where do you live?" Finland asked.

"I live in a hotel," Rory answered nonchalantly. "I love adventure and I don't want to settle somewhere. Right now, my house is my car. It's easier for me to stay in a hotel right now..."

"Oh..." Finland felt Rory was somewhat mysterious but she didn't want to ask too many questions. She adheres to the same principle as Jean: if someone wanted you to know something, surely they would share it eventually without being asked. Therefore, she waited patiently.

Finland finally returned to her apartment after she was hospitalized. To her surprise, the apartment had become quite dusty. Rory coughed and protested when he entered the flat and didn't bring Finland's bag inside.

"Your apartment is a mess. This is not suitable for a baby. You'd better come with me to the hotel," he said, as he shook his head in protest.

"But this is my home... I can tidy up..." Finland said quickly. "It's only natural that it's dusty, I've been in the hospital for two weeks."

"Have the apartment cleaned before you return to live here..." Rory did not listen to Finland's protest and immediately pulled the girl's hand out of the apartment. He locked the apartment and returned to his car. Finland had no choice but to follow Rory's orders.

Rory apparently lived in the Hilton Hotel. When they pulled over in front of the hotel, Finland immediately shook her head. She didn't want to get out of the car.

"This hotel is very expensive. A week's stay here can pay my apartment rent for a month," she protested. Finland still had a lot of money from Caspar, but she didn't want to spend it foolishly by staying in such an expensive hotel when she had an apartment to stay in.

"Who told you to pay?" Rory opened the passenger door and gave a signal for Finland to come out with Aleksis. "I told you, I have a lot of money."

"Oh..." Finland again had no choice but to follow Rory's will. Considering that for the past two weeks Rory had taken care of her and Aleksis, she felt bad about arguing. Rory took out their bags and handed the car keys to the valet.

"I want to move to a two-room suite," Rory told the receptionist who was surprised to see him coming with a woman and a baby. The girl just nodded and typed in something on the computer, then handed the key to the concierge.

"Welcome back, Sir. Have a good rest."

Rory just nodded and followed the concierge. Finland followed them with a troubled mind. She was probably facing the most difficult time of her life, and she unexpectedly received help from a stranger. Maybe God didn't want her to constantly suffer.

"You won't be bothered by the presence of a baby here?" Finland asked, confused. Rory was very strange to her.

"No." Rory immediately made two cups of tea for them and handed one to Finland.

"Babies usually cry all night..." Finland said again.

"I don't mind. Besides, the walls in this hotel are soundproofed." Rory took a sip of his tea with a flat face.

"I don't understand why you are helping us... Please, this has been bothering my mind for weeks. You must give me an explanation."

Rory put down his cup and looked at Finland for a long time.

"Hmmm..." He finally nodded. "OK."

Rory took out a small bottle from his pocket and handed it to Finland.

"What is this?" Finland asked, confused. She studied the bottle and looked up in surprise.

"Death," Rory answered shortly.

"I do not understand."

"I am tired of life. Two weeks ago I decided to die, but suddenly I met you on the road. I thought there was no harm in helping one person before I ended my life... So, I decided to wait until you recovered and continue with my plan. I still wanted to die." Rory took a deep breath. "But after I saw Aleksis born... somehow that feeling disappeared. Maybe I was destined to meet you two. Now, I just want to see that child grow up..."

Finland was stunned to hear that. Finland fell in love with Aleksis since the first time she saw her daughter, but she did not expect Rory to feel the same. They were not even blood related.

"This is hard to believe..." Finland said softly, "B... but, thank you. Without you, things would have been really hard for me..."

"I am helping you because I want something in return," Rory said interrupting Finland. "I want to see Aleksis as often as possible. I've decided to stay in San Francisco, so I can see her often."

"Wait... what?!" Finland felt that Rory sounded more and more strange.

"I have no purpose in life. After venturing around the world, I have no more goals to live for. Maybe now is the time for me to settle down." Rory just shrugged.

In her heart Finland felt that this was too good to be true. She wanted to refuse, but on the other hand, she would need help to look after Aleksis when she went to work.

"You mean, you will stay in San Francisco... and you want to see Aleksis often? Do you mind taking care of her while I work?" Finland asked slowly. "If so, then I will be very happy and grateful."

Rory nodded. He stood up and took Aleksis from Finland's lap. He held the baby whose two eye colors matched his and smiled very warmly at her.

"Now I finally have a purpose in life..." he said softly.

Finland, who saw how much Rory loved Aleksis, felt relieved.

They stayed at the hotel for a week until Rory bought a house near Painted Ladies. Every day, before Finland left for the office, she left Aleksis at the hotel Rory was staying at until he moved to his new house. Rory happily took care of the baby. He would spend the whole day with her; he read books to her and took her outside in her stroller.

"Have you found a caregiver for Aleksis? How can you return to work so quickly?" asked Anne when Finland entered the office for the first time after giving birth. Unlike most other countries, woman do not get maternity leave in United States, and every mother was expected to return to work after giving birth so as not to be subjected to salary deductions.

Even though Finland still had a lot of money, she did not want her salary to be cut, and moreover, she wanted to repay Tony who brought her to America by working as well as possible. She believed in Rory very much and was relieved when he said that he wanted to take care of Aleksis.

"I did find a caregiver for Aleksis..." Finland answered with a smile.

"You're so lucky..." commented the women in the office who knew how difficult it was to balance life at home and work after having children.

Finland too was wondering how she could be so lucky lately. In the past, she would never consider herself lucky, because her life was always consisted of one misfortune after another. She then remembered how Rory once called her an optimist, and at the time she felt that that statement was not true. However, now she felt that she had changed. She was no longer the poor and pessimistic Finland. Now she felt optimistic and lucky.

"You're very natural with babies..." Finland commented as she returned home from work to pick Aleksis up from Rory's house. "At first glance people will think that you're her father."

"I do not mind." Rory shrugged. He kissed Aleksis' fragrant hair and smiled teasingly at the baby, "Look, her eyes have changed color, and now they are like mine. Maybe it indeed was fate for us to meet. I need Aleksis, and she needs me..."

Finland nodded in agreement. Rory had been in their lives for six months now and she was very grateful that the man was helping them so much. Rory bought a lot of things for Aleksis and he even decorated a room in his house specifically for her daughter. She almost felt like she and Rory shared custody over Aleksis.

They had spent so much time together, but until now Rory still did not want to tell her who he really was. Finland's theory was that Rory came from a wealthy family, but for some reason he had to live alone and eventually he became tired of living (alone) and needed encouragement to live.

That was where Aleksis came into the picture. She did not mind Rory's presence in their lives, because he helped Finland a lot.