Fake News: State of Grace

Title: State of Grace
Fandom: TCR
Genre: Drama
Rating: Through NC-17
Length: ~108,000 words (plus ~8,000 words of meta)
Warnings: Sex, not always good; triggers, trauma, flashbacks; dissociation, memory issues; background childhood abuse (physical, emotional) and neglect; background young-adult sexual abuse, drug use, compromised-consent sex work; background stalking; mental illness, panic attacks, suicidal ideation; mild language, some physical violence.
Disclaimer: The Report characters and their universe are property of Stephen Colbert, the other writers, and of course Viacom. Not mine. While this story also makes references to real persons and places, the dialogue, actions, and content are products of the author's imagination only. No fake newsmen were harmed in the making of this fic.

An excursus to Expecting (and, thus, part of the Expectingverse), taking place between its final chapter and epilogue. Described in comparison as "the emotional equivalent of jumping into a cold pool after soaking in the jacuzzi." Stephen has a new baby, a new marriage, and the love of a good man — so, naturally, this is when he starts to fall apart.

The current version of the story is a much-needed revision from the original, betaed by the painstaking and phenomenal stellar_dust. Title comes from the Billy Joel song. Mirror on the AO3.

( Chapters and bonus features )