Summary: What if Sonny had been adopted when she was a baby? What happens when her birth mother sees her on TV?
Prologue: Into the Setting Son
It was a cold winter evening. While most mothers were feeding their children hot chocolate, snug in blankets by their fireplaces, one found herself trudging through four inches of snow, a small bundle wrapped in her arms. Her new baby snuggled into her, desperately searching for her mother's warmth.
The young mother continued to walk down the deserted road despite the sting of winter air against the unprotected faces of her and her child. Her destination was not far off, and she wanted to reach it before sunset. After all, she wouldn't get another chance since her flight would be taking off in the morning.
This would be the perfect family for her daughter, she had heard. They were kind, gently, loving; everything that she had hoped for; everything that she couldn't be.
As she reached the porch, she found herself staring hard at the front door of their home. She would knock and leave the baby on the porch to be found. Still, she couldn't bring her fingers to move. There was nothing that she wanted more than to keep the daughter wrapped in her arms, but she knew that she could not. Her parents would reject her; throw her and her daughter onto the street. The father wanted nothing to do with her or their child. She was alone.
She kissed the precious baby's head one last time before gently knocking on the door. She squeezed her hand into a tight fist against the cold and knocked loud enough to wake up the neighborhood. She then set the baby gently on the porch and hid in the nearby bushes to keep herself from being seen.
When the front door opened, spilling rich firelight onto the porch, she heard a gasp escape the woman's lips. She reached down and picked up the bundle, gently cradling it in her arms. "There, there," she whispered, gently rocking the child to sleep. She lifted her head and looked around the street, searching for whomever had left her this precious gift. Giving up her search, the woman retired into the house, carrying the child with her.
The mother allowed herself to escape from her hiding spot. She felt a light tear fall down her cheek before freezing as sit fell past her face. Oh how it hurt to see her child wrapped in someone else's arms, but she knew in her heart that she was doing the right thing. She squeezed her eyes tight shut, both against the cold and the heartache. Taking in a deep breath, she turned around and began her journey home, into the setting sun.