Title: Ran Away
Rating: T
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Orion Black, Sirius Black, OC
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 1,294
Summary: Single Parent!AU. Orion ran away years ago, but his past catches up to him.
Notes:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Lithomancy: Sorrow Stone: Obsidian - Write about a protective character.
Can You Make it to the End Challenge: Round 10 - Pick one parent and child below and write a fic over 1k about them.
Build Your Cube Challenge: Yellow- Single parent!au
The FRIENDS Competition: TOW Ross's Wedding (Part 1) - Write a story set outside of the UK
The Most in a Month Competition Part II
Orion never thought he would want to be a father again. He certainly never thought he'd marry again or willingly enter any kind of romantic relationship with a woman. After all, Walburga was just a horrible woman. Why would he want to do it all again?
Then again, he never thought he leave the UK. It was his home. It was the Black family's home. It was a country he was most familiar with.
He just never thought he'd be so unhappy that running away would seem like the best option. But run away he did.
Ten years ago, after being tired of watching Walburga ruin their children, Orion got up in the middle of the night and left. He didn't tell Sirius or Regulus he was going; he didn't even say goodbye to them. It would have been too painful to see them one last time.
Maybe he should have taken them with him, but he was selfish, and he knew Walburga wouldn't let him escape with his boys. And all he wanted to do was escape. He was more likely to be forgotten about by Walburga as long as she had the boys with her. It was more likely that she would choose to ignore his disappearance.
It was selfish, and he should have been thinking about his sons, but he did what he thought he had to do.
Things happened while he was in America. He met a witch, a Half-blood, and they had an affair. He was still legally married to Walburga, so unfortunately, he couldn't make it an honest relationship. Orion never thought he'd ever be with anyone that wasn't a Pure-blood, but Sally Tara Bing was just so breathtakingly beautiful and intelligent. Orion couldn't deny himself when he wanted her so badly.
It was a whirlwind relationship and within two years of being together, Sally became pregnant. It was an easy pregnancy and nothing should have gone wrong, but something did and Sally didn't survive giving birth. Thankfully, their daughter did survive the traumatic experience. Tara Dromeda Black became the most important person in his life and as a new single father, he promised himself he would not make the same mistakes with her that he made with his sons. She would never doubt his love and commitment to her. He would always protect her and listen to her when she talked to him. And he would never turn away from her, even if she did something he didn't approve of.
There were times that he wished Sirius and Regulus could meet their half-sister, but he didn't know if that was possible. He wasn't sure what Walburga would try to do if she discovered Tara's existence, and he wasn't ready to risk his daughter's life and happiness on the off-chance that Walburga wouldn't care.
One day, when Tara was six years old, he got part of his wish. He had no reason to believe he would ever see Sirius again, especially not in America. And he wasn't planning to go back to the UK until he knew Walburga was dead and no longer a threat.
Still, on a nice autumn day, he was walking with Tara through a park. She was talking about playing with a frisbee. That was one of her favorite outdoor activities. Orion wasn't particularly good when it came to throwing it properly, but when he failed to get it to her, Tara always broke out in giggles, and that made his embarrassment worth it.
He was paying attention to Tara while he kept one eye on his surroundings, making sure no one was giving any special attention to the two of them.
That was why he wasn't sure why he didn't notice the younger male. He should have, but he just seemed to be blind to the other figure.
He heard the deep voice, though, and despite the years that had passed, despite the fact that he hadn't heard the voice since the boy was thirteen, he knew who it was.
"Dad?"
Orion looked to his left, and there stood Sirius Black. "Son."
Sirius glared at him. "I might have called you 'Dad,' but you have no right to call me 'Son.' You lost that right."
Orion didn't blame Sirius for his anger. "You're right. I don't. I'm just glad to see you're well."
Sirius scoffed. "Well? That bitch that you married threw me out of the house when I was fifteen. If it hadn't been for the Potters, I would have been on the streets. And do you even know what happened to Regulus?"
Orion didn't want to hear it, but he had to know. "What?"
"He disappeared, but it's assumed he's dead. And you weren't there! Maybe if you were, Regulus would still be alive! You ran away, though. Like the Slytherin coward that you are!"
Orion looked away, pained. He thought about defending himself, but what could he say? Everything Sirius said was true. He had been a coward. He was a coward for leaving, and he was a coward for not taking his sons with him.
Tara, bless her heart, didn't know any of that. "Daddy is not a coward!" she screamed fiercely.
For the first time, Sirius seemed to notice the little girl. "You had another kid."
"Her mother died giving birth."
Sirius rolled her eyes. "Another Pure-blood that you can tote around. Maybe she'll make you prouder than I ever could."
"Her mother was a Half-blood, and I cared very much for her," Orion explained. He didn't know if Sally's blood would make a difference to Sirius, but maybe it would show his son that he had changed, even if it was only a bit.
Sirius looked away. "Why couldn't you take us with you?"
Orion wanted to reach out and touch his oldest child, but he didn't. He might have not seen Sirius in years, but he knew if he tried to make contact, Sirius would lash out. "I should have, but I was just thinking about myself. I knew I was subjecting you to a bad environment, both you and Regulus, but all I saw was what was best for me."
"I understand I wasn't what you wanted in an heir, and maybe you didn't even care about leaving me behind, but why not take Regulus, the son you were always so proud of? You could have saved him."
Orion shook his head. "Regulus wasn't more important to me than you. I know I made a lot of mistakes with you, but I was proud of you. Maybe I wished you were a Slytherin instead of a Gryffindor, but I was proud that you become someone who stood by his beliefs and didn't waver, despite pressure from everyone around you. You knew what you wanted, and you went for it. My leaving you behind had nothing to do with my feelings about either of you boys. It was purely selfish on my part, and I'm sorry. I told myself when I found out Sally was pregnant with Tara that I would do things right this time. I would be the kind of father I should have been with you and Regulus."
Sirius nodded. "I think I might still hate you a bit."
Orion nodded. "I understand."
Sirius looked at Tara. "Can I get to know my sister?"
Orion smiled. "I'm sure she would love to meet her big brother. Tara, Love, this is Sirius. Your brother."
Tara tilted her head and held out her hand. "Hello, Sirius," she primly greeted.
Sirius knelt down and took the smaller hand in his. He slowly shook it. "Hello, Tara. It's very nice to meet you.
Orion watched the interaction.
It wasn't much, but at least it was a start.
Notes: In this story, Sirius got kicked out of the house instead of running away, and earlier, because Orion hadn't been there to run interference.