A/N: Thank you for all your reviews! Keep them coming! This chapter is Cook. Flashbacks are in Italics. Next chapter is going to be Naomi.
"In you go, princess!" He said in a loving tone while the girl gave exited cheers. The man turned to look at Effy and she gasped.
"Cook?" Effy was in awe.
"Effy." He replied in equal shock.
"What are you doing in Bristol?" She said quietly. "Thought you were a fugitive after… you know." Effy couldn't bring herself to say it after so many years.
"My Uncle Keith died. I'm looking after his pub." Cook replied.
"Sorry. How'd he go?" Effy asked quietly.
"Syphilis? Alcohol? High cholesterol? Who the fuck knows?" Cook shrugged. The man was a pig and everyone knew it.
Effy was extremely uncomfortable and turned to the little girl on the swing. "And who is this?"
"Effy. This is my daughter, Sophie."
"D-daughter?" Effy stuttered, "How?"
It was 3 in the afternoon and Cook had just gotten out of bed he was naked. He reached for the pair of boxer on the floor and gave them a sniff. Not bad. He put them on and he went downstairs and grabbed a stale piece of bread and sat on the table. He pulled out a maxed out credit card and started shaping his line of coke.
"Ah. Breakfast." He said contently as he rolled a five pound bill. The door knocked as he leaned forward and was about to snort. He groaned, "For fuck's sake! Who the fuck-?" He opened the door and there was a blonde shabby looking girl. She was attractive enough, Cook thought. She had slightly sunken cheekbones and bulging eyes. Heroin addict.
"Look, I don't sell anymore…"
"No. My name is Michelle. We shagged? About a year ago…"
"I don't remember who I shagged last night but if you've come back for more of The Cookie all you have to do is ask." He grinned.
"Fuck no." The girl, Michelle, turned away and grabbed something from the hall. It was a stroller. With a baby.
"The fuck is that?" He pointed at it.
"Your daughter, Sophie."
"My- WHAT? No. No fucking way. You need to leave! Now." Cook was losing it. The baby started crying in her crib.
Michelle groaned, "Shut up, you stupid baby! Shah!" Michelle covered her ears and sank to the floor until she reached a fetal position.
"Hey!" Cook snapped at her, "She's just a baby."
Michelle was unresponsive. Cook had had enough and he rushed over to the crib and for the first time looked down at his daughter. She looked healthy despite her mother's condition. She had tufts of blond hair and gray eyes. Her face was red from the crying. Cook felt compelled to grab her and he did. He was unsure of what to do but he cradled her against his chest she started selling and the crying stopped. Cook looked down at her and smiled, happy that she had stopped crying.
"That's a good girl." He cooed. "See, Michelle? It's not so bad." Cook looked down to where Michelle was laying but she was gone.
"Michelle?" She was gone. "Shit! Michelle! Where the fuck are you?" He looked out of his loft into the corridor but she was completely gone. And he couldn't chase after her because he was still holding the baby.
"Fuck!" He cussed in hushed tone not wanting to upset the baby. He went to sit down on the table and noticed that his back of coke and stack of cash were gone.
"What are we gonna do, huh?" He talked to the baby that was in his arms she just looked up at him and smiled.
"Oh." Was all Effy could say after Cook told her what had happened.
"So… Yeah... Sophie has been with me for nearly a year."
Effy remained quiet and just stared at the girl. She was a lovely child with blonde ringlets, steel gray eyes, and chubby arms.
"She's beautiful." Effy whispered.
"Yeah… She is." Cook looked at his daughter, completely mesmerized. "It's nearly twelve," Cook looked down at his watch, "I've got to go."
"Go where?" Effy asked.
"My uncle's pub. I'm fixing it up. Wanna come? I could use and extra pair of hands." Cook offered.
"Sure." Effy said and followed Cook to his car. They got to the old pub and walked in. The place definitely needed renewing.
"So what are we doing?" Effy asked.
"Today, you and little Miss Sophie are going to help me paint this old shack!" He said enthusiastically for Sophie.
"Cool." Effy said as Cook handed her a paint bucket and a roller. They stated working on the back wall. She couldn't help but look at Cook. He had changed. He was more muscular and his hair was evenly cut a styled. Even, his clothes had changed to a more mature, polished look. But it was so much more than that it was the way he acted, the way he talked, the way that every few minutes he would glance back to check if Sophie was still asleep. Effy decided she liked this new Cook.
Cook didn't say anything but he had caught Effy looking over at him a few times. The thought made him smile. He didn't know what it was about that girl but when he saw her again it was like all those years had never gone by, like they were still in college and he was still in love with her.
"Oops." Effy laughed and pointed at some of the paint her roller had dripped on Cook's sleeve. "I'm sorry."
"Nah. Don't worry about it." He shrugged and she turned to face the wall again. Suddenly she felt Cook's roller press up against her entire arm. She turned to look at him.
"Oops." He shrugged and smiled devilishly.
"You dickhead!" She joked and retaliated by using her finger to draw a line of paint on Cook's cheek.
"Oh you are so paying for that!" Cook grabbed a brush and got Effy's nose. Soon they were a tangled, painted mess. Cook stopped when they were face. She was looking at him with her beautiful electric blue eyes and he was staring right back. Something was compelling her to kiss her and something told him that she would kiss back. Right as he leaned in Sophie started stirring and whelping. He pulled away from Effy and rushed to her.
"It's time for her feeding." He said.
"Right. Yeah. I should leave." Effy said still motionless.
Cook nodded understandingly. "Ring me if you need more help with this place, yeah?" She said quietly.
"Yeah." Cook said softly and Effy smiled at him and left.
"Sophie, I think I'm still in love with that girl." He confided in his daughter.