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It went very simply.

It was Alec's birthday - he'd just turn ten - so after he'd been dropped off at Andrew's office he walked in and said, "It's my birthday. I want ice cream for dinner. You promised."

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He raises an eyebrow as he finally takes a spoonful of ice cream. "I wasn't aware I generally looked so... unfortunate."

Finally! Alec was starting to wonder if he was going to let it melt or not.

"I dunno if it's unfortunate. It's just scary looking. At least that's what the other kids say."

"The other kids talk about me?"

Well, he supposes children do tend to talk about parents. Still, he wonders just what they say.

"Course they do. Well... I mean, I'm in the paper with you and they see it and so they want to know who you are and then what you're like and everything." He sounds smug about being in the papers with Andrew.

"And what do you say about me?"

Another small bite of ice cream.

Alec is halfway through his now.

"That you're gonna take over the world so that everyone can make lots of money and do whatever they want."

"I'm sure their parents are utterly thrilled about that little fact, when they inevitably repeat it around the dinner table."

Most people just don't understand Andrew's visions, he's found.

It possibly doesn't help matters that it's filtered through Alec's understanding of it all.

"They say you're crazy. I don't think you are."

"Well, I'm certainly glad that I have at least one person in my corner."

Crazy? Let them think he was crazy. He made more money in a day than most of them made in a year.

"You should have more people."

He did. Which, in Alec's point of view, proves that he's not crazy.

"I have everyone who works for me, of course. And the investors."

He's not quite sure how much Alec understands about business and how it works, but he never talks down to him as though he's too stupid to understand it. He figures Alec will learn more quickly that way.

He gets some of it. Business never really quite interests him, but he does try and pay attention.

"They should give you more money."

That's what investors did, right?

"I agree."

More or less, Alec. More or less.

"But eventually I think most people will come around to my way of thinking."

How wrong Andrew is. Alas, Alec doesn't know any better so he nods in agreement.

"I need new shoes," he says licking his spoon.

"Have you outgrown your old shoes already? I could have sworn I just bought them..."

But then, little boys' feet grow fast. He hadn't remembered that. It had been awhile since he'd been a child.

"Yes. They pinch." He makes a face.

He is going through a growth spurt and he's going to need new clothes soon as well.

"Very well. We'll get some tomorrow."

He takes another small bite of ice cream. "This really isn't bad," he muses, almost to himself.

"Of course it is. It's ice cream. You should eat it more often."

"It's too sweet to eat on a regular basis."

Yep. No sweet tooth here.

"You don't eat it at all. So more often would be like once in a month."

"Would it really improve your life to see me eating more ice cream?"

"It might improve your life."

Alec doesn't care as long as he's got ice cream.

"I'll take that into consideration."

He pushes aside the little bowl of ice cream, which is only about 3/4 finished.

He stares at that.

And then at his (second) finished ice cream sundae.

"Can I finish yours?"

A look of amusement, then a nod.

"Of course. It's your birthday. Get as sick as you like."