Oliver headed straight for the back when they got to Melissa's car, the woman staring at her brother as he automatically climbed into one of the seats designated for children. She started to speak up but thought better of it, hastily starting the engine and backing out into the street as Oliver looked out the window and absently waved his tiny, sneakered feet as they dangled over the floor. Though he not a minute prior confirmed that he was an adult, that didn't stop him from describing his pretend play with Justin with the breathless excitement of a child.
"So I was Iron Man an' he was Captain America an' there was, um, an alien invasion? They had taken over a buncha army bases so we hadta go in and kill of all them but then Loki showed up an' it turned out that the aliens were just a distraction from what he was doing, so then we hadta..."
Melissa asked a question every so often to keep him going, glad that he had the distraction from the situation even if the nature of the distraction was extremely worrying. Try as she might, she couldn't find any difference between the boy in the backseat - who suddenly and without warning switched the topic of his gushing to how cool Adventure Time was - and the boy her little brother had been when he was seven the first time. On top of having to worry about finding her sons and figuring out a way to turn them back, she also had to consider what would happen if the effects of Oliver's regression lingered after he returned to his adulthood - if he returned to his adulthood. She supposed that if anything went wrong, she could always...
Melissa shook her head and tightened her grip on the steering wheel. No. That's not happening. Don't even think about it.
When they reached the ice cream parlor the woman's thoughts were still primarily concerned with pushing one particular thought out of her mind. She exhaled as she undid her seatbelt and met Oliver's eyes in the mirror.
"Stay here, okay? If Connor and Jackson are around I'll bring them right back so we can get everything back to normal."
"Can I have a cone?"
Melissa furrowed her brow. She turned to look at her little brother.
"A cone?"
"Yeah. With Chunky Monkey. Please?"
Oliver smiled at his sister. His sister smiled back.
"...sure. You just hang tight here."
"Yes! Thank you!" The boy returned to amusing himself, primarily by breathing against the window and making little drawings in the resulting patches before they disappeared. Melissa watched him for a second before getting out of the car and hustling into the parlor. Mercifully, there was no line for her to deal with - but, she realized with a stone in her stomach, also no sign of Connor or Jackson.
"Hi, um..." Melissa searched for the words as the chipper girl working the counter waited patiently. "Were there a couple of twins here a minute ago? They might've been acting strangely or - "
"Oh, jeez, I was wondering if anybody was gonna come asking about them," the girl laughed. "After taking, like, five minutes to read the menu they ordered two Cookie Cookie Sundaes - then they held up the line arguing over how much money they were supposed to give, even though I was telling them exactly how much it was. Eventually I just took a bill out of their hands, and when I gave them their change they just stared at it for a moment before throwing it all in the tip jar. That was, like, eight bucks - not that I was gonna tell them it was too much. Then they took their sundaes over to that table and just went to town on them. And the whole time they were laughing and talking about how great it was to be grown-up? Something like that. They were so loud and they were making such a mess that my manager was just about to kick them out when they took off without even picking up their trash. Hey, was that for some kinda prank show or something? Are you the producer?"
"...that's right." Melissa managed a smile. "I'm sorry they made such a mess, but, uh, it came off great on camera. If we decide to use the footage we'll give you a call beforehand to get all the proper clearances and everything. Would you happen to know which way they went? They were supposed to prank another place nearby but they haven't showed up."
"Oh my God, I hope they're all right. Those guys were hilarious." The girl frowned and pointed down the street. "They went that way. It's too bad your cameras didn't get it - it was so funny watching them run and jump down the street like they were little kids on a sugar rush."
"I bet it was." Melissa's smile tightened. "Thanks for your help - uh, while I'm here, do you think I could get..."
Oliver had apparently run out of ways to amuse himself by the time Melissa returned to the car. The boy slouched in his seat and idly kicked the chair in front of him, looking the picture of utter boredom until the sight of Melissa - and the treat she carried - brought him back to life.
"Here you go, Ollie. Try not to drip it all over my car, okay?"
"Thanks! I won't!" Oliver beamed as he took the cone and immediately started licking at the oversized scoop on top, the ice cream having seemingly rendered him the happiest kid on earth. Melissa, struck by his adorability, resisted the urge to give his hair a tousle - she had a serious decision to make and couldn't be distracted by how cute her little brother was. The direction in which the girl had pointed led to two businesses that were among Connor and Jackson's favorite places in the world - the fast-food outlet with the attached playground and the family fun center with a cornucopia of options for kid fun. She knew that this might be her last chance to catch up with her boys, that the employees and patrons of the next place they visited might not take as kindly to their antics as had those at the parlor. Pushing away the paralyzing thoughts of Connor and Jackson being arrested for their naughtiness, Melissa finally decided to head towards...