Archive of Our Own ^beta

Scarlett Stone was a 22-year-old childcare worker who often worked with the police. She was often paired with Officer Dylan Smith, a tough Black man with shining brown eyes who was her childhood friend. Scarlett, however, had long red hair and blue eyes that went perfectly with her pale skin. People in public were amazed by her beauty, but little did they know that she had a secret desire: to have children.

This morning, the police have been called to screams coming from a strange house. One of the screams sounded like a child, so they brought Scarlett with them, just in case. Scarlett stood behind Dylan, her knees bent. Dylan held up his hand, signaling the other policeman to go around the house and the policewoman to come with him. Then, he stood up and kicked down the door.

"Stop, police!" He yelled.

"Get down on the ground!" The policewoman, Amelia, snapped.

The elderly man in the chair went down on his knees while the woman holding a wine bottle fell to the ground with her hands up. Scarlett walked over to her and lifted her up by the collar.

"Where's the child?" She asked firmly.

"Wha..." The woman mumbled.

"WHERE'S THE CHILD?!" Scarlett yelled.

"In the attic." The woman replied.

"Are you drunk, ma'am?" Dylan asked.

"Y-yeah." The woman collapsed again.

"Keep your hands where I can see them." He turned to Scarlett. "Go find the kid."

Scarlett nodded and went upstairs. Once she reached the second floor, Scarlett looked around. She heard humming in the bathroom, then she heard the other policeman, Jackson, run upstairs.

"Jackson, I found another one!" She called. She fumbled with the doorknob. "But I think it's locked."

"I got this." Jackson gently pushed her aside. "You go find the kid." He kicked the door down and ran inside. "Police! You're under arrest!"

Scarlett ran down the hallway until she stopped. She heard soft sobs coming from the attic. There was a lock on it, meaning either the parents or the elderly man trapped her inside. Scarlett took out a hairpin and fumbled with the key hole until the lock fell off. She opened the attic door, revealing a ladder, which she climbed. Sitting with her back to her was a little girl with blonde hair in pigtails.

"Hello?" Scarlett asked gently.

The little girl turned to her, her eyes wide and filled with tears. "H-hello." She said.

"It's okay, I'm here to help you." The woman said gently. "What's your name, sweetie?"

"C-Claire." The little girl replied.

"Claire, what a beautiful name." Scarlett knelt down and opened her arms. "Claire? Come here, sweetie."

Claire stood up and walked over to the woman, who gently picked her up and held her like a infant, gently shushing her as she sobbed.

"Shh, shh..." She whispered, "it's okay, sweetie. You're safe."

"Scarlett!" Dylan climbed into the attic. "Did you find her?"

"Yes." Scarlett replied.

"Why are you holding her like that?" Dylan asked.

Scarlett looked at the little girl who sobbed into her chest. She held her tightly. "I'll take care of her." She said. "I'll be her new mother."

~The next day~

Claire woke up in a bed that had a flower-printed blanket. She blinked, taking note of where she was. She wasn't in the attic where she slept, rather, she was in an actual bedroom. She could hear steam hissing and a man's gentle snoring. Seeing that the digital clock on her nightstand read 7:50 AM, she got out of bed and walked downstairs. In the kitchen, the red-haired woman, Scarlett, was cooking something in two pans. By the table was an acoustic guitar. Scarlett turned off the stove, put pancakes and bacon on plates then put them on the table, which had syrup, a kettle, a milk jug three plates, three forks, three knifes, two mugs, and a glass. When she saw the girl, she smiled and ran over to her.

"Well, good morning, Claire, my dear girl!" She said, bending down to hug her. "Oh, isn't this just perfect timing! I've been practicing singing a song that I think you'd like very much!"

She let Claire go, then led Claire to the table. She picked up the guitar and she began to sing.

"She lives in the shadow of a lonely girl
Voice so quiet you don't hear a word
Always talking but she can't be heard

You can see there if you catch her eye
I know she's brave but it's trapped inside
Scared to talk but she don't know why

Wish I knew back then what I know now
Wish I could somehow go back in time
And maybe listen to my own advice

I'd tell her to speak up, tell her to shout out
Talk a bit louder, be a bit prouder
Tell her she's beautiful, wonderful, everything she doesn't see
You gotta speak up, you gotta shout out
And know that right here, right now
You can be beautiful, wonderful, anything you wanna be
Little me..."

Claire clapped her hands, then put pancakes and bacon on her plate. She put a bit of syrup on both, then began to eat.

"Are you married?" Claire asked through a mouthful of pancake.

"No, but I have a boyfriend." Scarlett smiled as she sat down and filled the two mugs with the hot water from the kettle. "His name is James. We've been dating for two years, and he's the sweetest man you'll ever meet. He loves children." She leaned over to pour milk into Claire's glass, then perked up when she heard footsteps. "Oh, here he comes now!" She stopped pouring and sat back down, and a young man with brown hair and blue eyes walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, babe."

"Good morning, sweetie." James walked over to her and kissed her head. "And good morning, Claire." He smiled at the girl. "We didn't really meet, as I was at a friend's house, but my name is James."

"Hello." Claire said, gazing at the young couple.

Scarlett took James's hand and they smiled at the little girl. "You can call us Mom and Dad, if you'd like."