An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Rating: M (TW for hints of child abuse/neglect and child abandonment)
Summary: To the world, the press conference leaking Celineâs involvement in Wolf River and Bradleyâs detainment was a power move. For Cory, the media firestorm and emotional fallout of it all is about to break him. When a paternal half-sister heâs never met turns up on his doorstep and abandons her three-year old daughter with him, he must figure out how to survive in a brand new world that he doesnât even begin to know how to navigate.
The woman was offering Cory a carrot, begging him to take it. He could have a family. As a child, having siblings to play with, and other people who cared about him was something that Little Cory had wanted so desperately he could almost taste it. He remembered staring at advertisements of families sitting around Thanksgiving tables in the Sears catalog, wishing that he could insert himself right into the photo. Still, there was part of him that refused to let his guard down.
âMy father-our father- was a piece of shit,â Cory told her flatly. âHe left when I was ten and never came back. I waited for him, and he never came back. And then we heard about you and your mother.â
Something flashed in Kaylaâs eyes-regret, maybe, or perhaps bitterness. The baby began to cry again, however, and she quickly turned her attention away from him.
âMister, thatâs a bad word!â Zoey said, putting her hand on her hip. âMiss Nina says that youâre not supposed to say the S word!â
âOops,â Cory said, dramatically clapping his hand over his mouth. âMiss Nina is correct. He was aâŚsugar cookie. Yes. Thatâs what he was. Or how about a shining star? He was more like a black hole, though.â
âA snowflake!â Zoey said, beaming. âSometimes Miss Nina yells âSon of a Motherless Goat!â when she stubs her toe. I donât know what that means. But she said I canât say that one, either.â The little girl spun around in a circle again, hopping on one foot. âMiss Nina is my teacher,â she explained. âAt Sunny Smiles Daycare.â
âYou should always listen to your teachers,â Cory told her. The kid was something else. âAnd you shouldnât tell strangers where you go to school, either. Itâs not safe.â
âOkay, Uncle Cory,â she said dutifully. âI wonât.â