Playing the Widow
Title: Playing the Widow
Author: hurinhouse
Fandom: White Collar (Pre-series)
Rating: G
Characters: OFC, Ellen, Neal
Summary: Once he comes back, everything will be fine.
Disclaimer: Entirely fiction
285 words
"Go out and play, Baby."
"-kay!"
The curls fly as he runs out, soft baby waves that he still lets me pet when no one's looking. The screen door slams shut behind him.
"Call him Danny." It's been a year and she's still harping.
"I will not. At least I don't call him- "
"Regardless," she cuts me off. She always does. "He needs to hear it, especially from you."
She opens all the curtains and the midday sun nearly blinds me. We have a fence, but she watches him through the window anyway.
"Don’t take him to the salon, Kathryn."
"It's Ellen. He'll blend in better if we cut it."
"You want to dye it next? Maybe get him some plastic surgery?"
She sighs, tired, like she's the one who can barely get out of bed. "Do you want to keep him yours, or keep him safe?"
"It can be both."
"Not the way you are now."
We'll do this again next week when she buys him a bike and teaches him to ride.
We'll do this again next year when she'll insist on him going to school.
I'm tired of doing this. "You're not his mother."
"Then act like you are."
She grabs the car keys and heads out, always taking my boy from me, "Let's go, Danny."
"Where?" He skips toward her. When did he learn to do that?
The car door shuts, the engine cutting through my quiet afternoon on the couch and I wrap the pillow round my head, drifting back to the place we used to be.
It'll be fine. James will come for us soon and I'll be able to think more clearly. We'll be a family again.
Author: hurinhouse
Fandom: White Collar (Pre-series)
Rating: G
Characters: OFC, Ellen, Neal
Summary: Once he comes back, everything will be fine.
Disclaimer: Entirely fiction
285 words
"Go out and play, Baby."
"-kay!"
The curls fly as he runs out, soft baby waves that he still lets me pet when no one's looking. The screen door slams shut behind him.
"Call him Danny." It's been a year and she's still harping.
"I will not. At least I don't call him- "
"Regardless," she cuts me off. She always does. "He needs to hear it, especially from you."
She opens all the curtains and the midday sun nearly blinds me. We have a fence, but she watches him through the window anyway.
"Don’t take him to the salon, Kathryn."
"It's Ellen. He'll blend in better if we cut it."
"You want to dye it next? Maybe get him some plastic surgery?"
She sighs, tired, like she's the one who can barely get out of bed. "Do you want to keep him yours, or keep him safe?"
"It can be both."
"Not the way you are now."
We'll do this again next week when she buys him a bike and teaches him to ride.
We'll do this again next year when she'll insist on him going to school.
I'm tired of doing this. "You're not his mother."
"Then act like you are."
She grabs the car keys and heads out, always taking my boy from me, "Let's go, Danny."
"Where?" He skips toward her. When did he learn to do that?
The car door shuts, the engine cutting through my quiet afternoon on the couch and I wrap the pillow round my head, drifting back to the place we used to be.
It'll be fine. James will come for us soon and I'll be able to think more clearly. We'll be a family again.