Fic: Family Values
Story set 10 years from now; thanks to second_batgirl and emerald_ollie for help with the future.
It was the question everyone told him to avoid. The one that would lose him points, lose him votes, lose him the election. It was the question he wasn't supposed to answer.
"Mr. Queen, your family -- if you can call it that --
"What else would you call it?"
"Well, you have five children --"
"Yes."
"All with different mothers --"
"Two with different fathers if you're being technical."
"Uh, yes, and --"
"Are you saying adopted children don't count?"
"Wha-- of course not."
"Okay."
"My point -- my question --"
"Yes?"
"Your family is, what's the best word..."
"Close."
"No --"
"Supportive."
"No --"
"Ridiculously attractive."
"I -- no -- my question is what kind of family values are you promoting if you raise your children this way?"
"What way?"
"You're not married."
"Are you married?"
"I -- no, I'm divorced, but --"
"Do you have kids?"
"I have a son but this isn't about me. I'm not running for office."
"You're asking the question."
"Yes, but --"
"So you care what the answer is, right?"
"...Yes."
"Okay. Here's the answer. I want to promote the kind of family values that value family. Yes, I have five children.
Roy wasn't watching. Not live and not the recaps. His job didn't lend itself to morning news. Lian would show him the clips when he got in.
"Five children, five grandchildren, a niece, three godkids... It's a big family."
Connor and Mia shared a look over coffee in the break room at Star City Middle School. Mia should have left ten minutes ago; some people would wonder at her hitching a ride with Connor when her class at the elementary school started an hour and a half later than his. Some people would wonder how she was still always rushing in, nearly always almost late (but never actually). Of course those people don't call her Speedy.
"Where they came from, who they belonged to, how they got in...nah."
Cissie King-Jones-Allen has a program that records all mention of anyone in her family. Family as defined by Cissie King-Jones-Allen. It is always recording something.
"You go ahead and attach whatever kind of value you want to that. I'm going to value my family."
Steven waved from his seat beside his mother. His white blonde curls made him look like an angel. His parents knew better.
"That's my son over there. And that's his mother. That's my family and if you want to know what I promote, if you want to know who I am, you look at them. You look at my five children, my five grandchildren, my niece, my three godkids. And the people they love. It's a big family."
"I still don't understand --"
"Yeah, I noticed."
"Mr. Queen --"
"Go hug your kid."
It was the question he wasn't supposed to answer.
Jenni held her meticulously colored sign up for her mother to read: Queen for Senator. Go hug your kid.
It was the question that won him the election.
It was the question everyone told him to avoid. The one that would lose him points, lose him votes, lose him the election. It was the question he wasn't supposed to answer.
"Mr. Queen, your family -- if you can call it that --
"What else would you call it?"
"Well, you have five children --"
"Yes."
"All with different mothers --"
"Two with different fathers if you're being technical."
"Uh, yes, and --"
"Are you saying adopted children don't count?"
"Wha-- of course not."
"Okay."
"My point -- my question --"
"Yes?"
"Your family is, what's the best word..."
"Close."
"No --"
"Supportive."
"No --"
"Ridiculously attractive."
"I -- no -- my question is what kind of family values are you promoting if you raise your children this way?"
"What way?"
"You're not married."
"Are you married?"
"I -- no, I'm divorced, but --"
"Do you have kids?"
"I have a son but this isn't about me. I'm not running for office."
"You're asking the question."
"Yes, but --"
"So you care what the answer is, right?"
"...Yes."
"Okay. Here's the answer. I want to promote the kind of family values that value family. Yes, I have five children.
Roy wasn't watching. Not live and not the recaps. His job didn't lend itself to morning news. Lian would show him the clips when he got in.
"Five children, five grandchildren, a niece, three godkids... It's a big family."
Connor and Mia shared a look over coffee in the break room at Star City Middle School. Mia should have left ten minutes ago; some people would wonder at her hitching a ride with Connor when her class at the elementary school started an hour and a half later than his. Some people would wonder how she was still always rushing in, nearly always almost late (but never actually). Of course those people don't call her Speedy.
"Where they came from, who they belonged to, how they got in...nah."
Cissie King-Jones-Allen has a program that records all mention of anyone in her family. Family as defined by Cissie King-Jones-Allen. It is always recording something.
"You go ahead and attach whatever kind of value you want to that. I'm going to value my family."
Steven waved from his seat beside his mother. His white blonde curls made him look like an angel. His parents knew better.
"That's my son over there. And that's his mother. That's my family and if you want to know what I promote, if you want to know who I am, you look at them. You look at my five children, my five grandchildren, my niece, my three godkids. And the people they love. It's a big family."
"I still don't understand --"
"Yeah, I noticed."
"Mr. Queen --"
"Go hug your kid."
It was the question he wasn't supposed to answer.
Jenni held her meticulously colored sign up for her mother to read: Queen for Senator. Go hug your kid.
It was the question that won him the election.