Arms of an Angel Part 43
Title: Arms of an Angel
Author: Fab_fan
Fandom: All My Children
Pairing: Frankie/Bianca, Maggie/Other
Rating:R
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Summary: What do you do when you are forced to face the past?
Frankie stopped walking.
This was it. She was outside the small pizza parlor. The traditional red checkered covered tables were visible through the window, and a black apron clad waitress walked back and forth with steaming pizza pies. The exterior of the building was slightly run down and shabby, but it hid one of the best pizzas in town. The agent had discovered it one night she got off late from work and was driving around in search of somewhere to calm down from a hard day. The staff was friendly and didn’t care what condition or shape their customers were in. They served hot food without any curiosity or wonder. Their prices were very agreeable, and the service was fast. The ingredients were fresh and the dough homemade.
She wasn’t thinking about the food, though.
Breathing in slow deep breaths, Frankie ran a hand across her face. She glanced around the street, wondering if Maggie was already there. Did she show up? Maybe she decided not to go. They hadn’t really talked in years. Maybe it should stay that way. There was no use in going over old history.
She rocked back on her heels and looked at her cell phone. It was time for them to meet. Actually, she was running five minutes late. She put her cell phone away and sighed. There was no reason for her not to go in there. She was a federal agent for crying out loud. She’d faced down countless criminals and been in more than one dangerous situation. She was not afraid of anything. Frankie Stone was not afraid. Deft fingers fiddled with the collar of her shirt, adjusting it so it sat just right. Hands smoothed out the sleeves of her coat.
Nodding to herself, Frankie quickly opened the door and stepped inside out of the cold. The bell above the door jingled at the sudden entrance, and the waitress smiled at her as she rushed by, dirty plates in hand. Frankie scanned every face in the room, ticking from table to table. Her gut twisted as she saw stranger after stranger.
Maggie wasn’t there.
Frankie blinked as it hit her. Maggie hadn’t shown up. She blinked and blinked again. Her stomach clenched as disappointment flood her mind. She tried to shrug it off. So what if Maggie didn’t show up? They didn’t need to meet anyway. It would have turned out bad if they did. They lived different lives, now. They ran in different circles. Well, they always had, but they were in different cities…different countries. Hell, they didn’t even like each other. Before, at the hospital, it was the moment. She was in a weak state because of the news about her heart and Maggie was…whatever she was because of being back in Pine Valley and everything. It didn’t mean anything. She didn’t even want to come. Why did she? There was so much that had to be done with the case. She should be talking with Moreno, calling old contacts, and setting up meetings. This was stupid.
The door flung open, and another body nearly barreled into Frankie’s back. A quick pivot had them missing by inches. Frankie watched as Maggie frantically looked around, face red and rapid pants gasping from her mouth. Maggie’s gaze landed on Frankie, and a visible look of relief washed over her face. She fixed her crooked scarf and hat, a hesitant smile on her face, “Hey, Frankie.”
“Hey.”
“There was a big traffic jam, and the taxi got stuck behind this semi-truck who couldn’t move, and the car behind us kept tailing our bumper. I can’t believe the semi was even in this part of the city; he could barely fit on the road. So, I got out, but I couldn’t find another taxi. I finally caught one, but he must have been new because he took me to the wrong place.” Maggie rambled at her sister’s stoic look. “I wanted to call and tell you, but I don’t have your number. I was going to call Bianca for it, but then you might not have answered even if I did call. Not that you should or anything; you probably have to screen your calls.”
Frankie squinted, attempting to keep up with the increasing speed of the words. Finally, she held up a hand, cutting off Maggie from continuing her story. She hooked a thumb toward the smattering of tables, “Pizza?”
Maggie nodded, “Yes.”
They stood there staring at each other for a minute. Shaking her head, Frankie made a wide sweep with her hand, indicating for Maggie to go first. Maggie took the hint and began to meander through the tables until she found an empty one. She slipped out of her coat and scarf and hung them over the back of the plain black painted wooden chair before sitting down. Frankie shrugged out of her own coat and tossed it over the chair before sliding in her seat.
Both there, silence descended on them. Maggie sat primly in her chair, watching the various customers and staff. Frankie kept her eyes on the tabletop. She reached out and grasped the salt shaker. She rolled the object around in a circle.
Neither knew what to say or how to say it. Who should speak first? What should they say? It had been so long since it was just them; they didn’t even know how to talk. They didn’t know each other. What if they spoke first and said the wrong thing? That seemed to be how every one of their conversations went. Someone said something to make the other angry and it escalated into a fight until one or both turned and left.
The waitress swept by, depositing two glasses of water and a basket of bread. Clearly frazzled but not minding one bit, she plucked a pencil from her mess of a bun that was her hair and flipped open an order pad.
“What’ll it be?”
The salt shaker stopped moving as Maggie spoke up, “A large pizza with everything but the green peppers. On one half make sure there’s extra sausage and onions. The other half put extra cheese and bacon.”
The waitress nodded. She finished jotting down the orders, “Anything to drink?”
“A coke for me.”
The waitress peeked over at Frankie who waved a hand, “Water’s fine.”
The waitress left with a smile and a promise to bring back the coke soon. The twins both went quiet and back to their earlier actions. Watching a man cut up a slice of pizza into bite size pieces for his son, Maggie froze as a voice cleared.
“You…uh…remember how we got pizza.” Frankie spoke haltingly, not looking up.
Maggie turned her attention back to her companion, “Hard to forget. We got it so much.”
Frankie chuckled softly, “We ate pizza for almost every meal for a while.”
Their mother had been too drunk to cook anything, and their father lived off of alcohol. When they could scrape together enough money, they’d run down to Tony’s Pizza Shop. Soon enough they had their own booth that was always kept open for them, and the staff knew what their orders were before the twins had even sat down.
“You used to get cherry coke, though.” Maggie pointed out. Frankie always needed her caffeine it seemed like.
“Don’t drink that stuff anymore.”
“What do you drink now?”
The question lingered in the air. Frankie pushed the salt shaker away and flattened her palm on the table, tapping her fingers in a steady rhythm. Her choice in drinks had been changing the past few months.
Maggie frowned at the non-answer. Before she was able to think about it, though, Frankie said, “It’s been a long time since we got pizza.”
Maggie wrapped her arms around her body as a shot of cold bolted through her body at the memories the words provoked, “Yes, it has.”
“D-Do you remember the last time we did?” Frankie peeked up at her. A sheen of vulnerability covered the normally clear brown and contrasted sharply with the expressionless face.
Maggie nodded, the flashbacks playing in her brain. How could she forget? “It was the last time we talked.” The last time I really saw you before you died.
“We saw each other after that.”
They had fought. It only lasted about an hour, and they had said the worst things they could to each other. They both left and the next time Maggie was seeing Frankie was as a gravestone. “I pretend like we didn’t.” It was easier to remember the time they got pizza as the last time. Sure, they were going in different directions and had next to nothing in common, but they were civil. They didn’t fight.
Frankie swallowed roughly and grabbed the bread basket. She tore off a chunk from the loaf, “It was at Tony’s, right?”
“Yes, it was.” Maggie watched her sister methodically break apart the bread into tiny pieces. Frankie always needed to be doing something. It was actually comforting to see.
“That wasn’t a bad day, was it?” Frankie dropped the last morsel onto her small plate. Her fingers batted at the crumbs, forming straight lines.
“No, it wasn’t. It…was a good day, a really good day.” She thought about it a lot when she had first arrived in Pine Valley. She inhaled deeply and confessed, “I haven’t been back since.”
“You haven’t?”
“I couldn’t. I went by once, when I was trying to contact mom after…” you died, “anyway, I went by and I got to the door. I could see inside, and I saw our booth.” Maggie gulped and rubbed at her eye, “I left. I couldn’t go in.”
“Oh.” Frankie felt her stomach plummet at the twinge of sadness in her sister’s tone. She coughed to cover it up.
“It was tough. When we thought you were gone, it was bad, Frankie. With Mom and Dad, they…”
“I don’t want to talk about them.” Frankie bit out harshly.
Did you get in another fight?
N-No, dad.
Don’t lie. You got in another fight. Stupid useless brat.
An irrational sense of anger surged through Maggie at her sister’s abrupt harshness. She didn't want to talk about them either, but Frankie always had to be so unopen and not caring. “What do you want to talk about, Frankie? Do you want to talk about how you pretended to be dead? How you never told me you were alive?”
“Shut up.” Frankie whispered, eyes growing cold. Here comes the belittling lecture.
“Do you want to talk about why you never talked to me at all? How you decided to work for our psychopath of an aunt?”
“Damn it, Maggie.” Frankie growled, “I don’t want to talk about our parents. Sorry I’m such a jerk for not wanting to talk about two people who didn’t care I was dead.”
“I cared.”
Frankie deflated at that simple statement. She leaned back heavily in her chair and scratched at her cheek, “I can’t talk about it.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t, Maggie. I just can’t, ok? Do you really want to talk about it? Huh? All of it?”
Maggie looked away from the meaningful stare. No, she did not want to talk about everything.
The waitress set down the pizza with a flourish, “Here you go. Enjoy.”
“Thanks,” Maggie mumbled politely as Frankie shifted in her seat.
Frankie lined up the salt, red pepper flakes, and cheese shakers while Maggie spun the pizza so the appropriate toppings faced the correct person.
“No salt.” Maggie absently ordered as she plopped a slice onto her plate. “It’s not good for your heart.”
“Doesn’t really matter.” Frankie shook the red pepper flakes onto her slice.
“You have to watch what you eat. Pizza itself isn’t good for you.” Maggie slid the salt shaker to her end of the table.
Frankie glared at her, “Thanks for the advice, Doc. Now, can I have the salt?”
“You can be such an ass sometimes. You have to be careful.”
“I am, Maggie. I’m not going to keel over if I put some salt on my pizza.” She couldn’t. She didn’t have time.
They stared at each other.
“Fine.” Frankie shook her head and took a bite of her unsalted pizza.
Maggie picked up her fork and knife and cut a tiny piece. She blinked away the surge of fear from Frankie’s comment. Twirling a strand of cheese around the tongs, she casually spoke, “Have you thought any about the different treatments?”
Frankie chewed and swallowed, “Not too much. Been kinda busy.”
“You should. I think talking to David would help. He’s up to date on all the new procedures and medicines.”
“Maybe.” Frankie shrugged.
Maggie pricked the cut up piece and brought it to her mouth, “Have you talked about it with Bianca?”
Frankie wiped her fingers on a napkin and reached for her water. The liquid sloshed up the sides in her hand, “There’s a lot going on…with work.”
“Like what?”
“I just have other stuff I need to focus on right now.”
“If you’re choosing something else over Bianca…”
“I’ve never been the one who did that.” Frankie cut her off with a pointed look.
Maggie grimaced at the unspoken words. Everyone knew Maggie had chosen someone else over Bianca. “You need to discuss this with her, especially with Miranda involved.” Miranda got along well with Frankie. Their relationship was evident at the hospital.
“I’m not going to hurt them.” Her voice was sure, but there was a gleam in her eyes, almost like she was begging Maggie to believe her.
“You still might.” Maggie sighed, “Miranda is so young still. She’s been through so much, and she’s attached to you. If you left her…”
“Not going anywhere.” Frankie said firmly. “I have to do some stuff for work, but that’s it. I would never hurt her or her sister.” She bit back commenting about Maggie leaving Miranda.
“Just talk to Bianca. It’s always better if you do.”
“Trust me, I know that.” Frankie smirked to herself.
They both grabbed a second slice of pizza.
“I saw you with Miranda at the hospital.” Maggie began to cut up her slice.
“So?” Frankie grew defensive.
Maggie shrugged, “You…you got along well together.”
Frankie picked at her pizza, “She’s a good kid.”
“She is.” agreed Maggie. She chuckled, “Do you remember when we were that age?”
Frankie rolled her eyes, “You discovered fashion.” Maggie’s sense of fashion differed greatly from other people’s.
“And you always wore that old Packers coat.” Maggie’s smirked, "Do you still follow them?”
“We’re coming back.”
“How’s that guy doing? What’s his name? Favre?”
“How’s that fashion sense working for you? Scare away any other shoppers lately?”
“I never scared anyone.” huffed Maggie.
“Uh huh. That’s why that one lady shielded her eyes from your yellow/orange ensemble. Great combination there.” Frankie flicked a mushroom at her.
They smiled at each other.
The smiles slowly dropped as they both realized where they were and why. For a brief moment, they had slipped back into being something they hadn’t been in a long time.
It grew quiet again.
“I looked up information on different treatments last night.” Maggie broke the silence. “I emailed one of my colleagues in Paris, too.”
Frankie nodded along as she listened. A yawn escaped from her lips, and she quickly smothered it with a hand. Maggie noticed the exhaustion creeping at the corners of her doppelganger’s eyes.
“Late night?” she asked inconspicuously.
“Work.” Frankie shrugged.
Maggie nodded, “What are you working on?”
“A case.”
“Is it like your last one?” She hoped not.
Frankie sipped her water, “No.” It was a lot more complex and closer to home.
“Ok.”
Frankie saw that Maggie wanted to ask something else, so she beat her to the punch, “You were talking about treatments?”
“Yes, I have some information in my purse.” Maggie lifted up the small bag and dug through its contents.
Frankie watched her half wary and half intrigued. Her sister was eating pizza with her, and they weren’t shouting and yelling. It was surreal. It was…nice.
Their eyes connected and twin looks passed between them. No matter what was said or done from that moment on, they both knew deep inside that it was true. They had missed each other.
****
Bianca walked into the living area, Gabrielle balanced on her hip. She smiled at the sight of Miranda perched on the couch, the sightseeing book open in her lap. The mother went up to the couch and sat beside the young girl. Gabrielle let go and crawled in between them.
“What are you reading, sweetie?” Bianca asked.
“’bout places.”
“What sort of places?”
Miranda shrugged, “Places.”
“Ah, I see.” Bianca picked up Gabby and settled the crawling child in her lap. Gabby nestled into her.
Miranda turned the page, “Would Frankie wanna go to this place?” she pointed at the air and space museum. “They got lots of planes and a spaceship.”
“I think she would.” Bianca ran her fingers through Miranda’s hair. “But, Frankie is going to be very busy for awhile.”
Miranda frowned and her shoulders slumped, “Why?”
“She has to work, honey. That’s why she had to come back here.”
“How long does she gotta work? Working is stupid.” Miranda kicked her feet out.
Bianca couldn’t help but laugh at that, “You’re going to work when you grow up. Everyone does.”
“No.”
“Don’t you want to be something when you get older? Like a teacher or a pilot?” or a corporate CEO.
“I wanna be with you and Frankie and Gabby.”
“I want that too, honey.” Bianca pulled Miranda into a small hug.
The ringing of Bianca’s cell phone interrupted the moment. Bianca grabbed the phone and frowned at the caller id, “Mom?”
“Bianca, we need to talk.” Erica’s voice came through loud and clear.
Bianca rolled her eyes and stood up, placing Gabby down on the sofa, “Mom, now’s not a good time.”
“A good time? When is a good time for you? You left town, Bianca.”
“We had to get back to Washington.”
“Without even telling me?”
“We were in a hurry. Frankie had to get back for work.”
“Frankie! Bianca, what is wrong with you?”
Bianca stepped into the bedroom, keeping the door open so she could still see the kids, but away from their ears, “Mom, I know it came as a shock. That wasn’t the way I wanted to tell you.”
“Bianca, you’re married! You are in love with Reese.”
Bianca’s grip tightened, “I’m in love with Frankie. I’ve always been in love with her.”
“Bianca, why are you doing this to yourself? She hurt you, baby. I know she did. Why would you go back to that?”
“She loves me.”
“She lied to you. She’s been lying to you since you met.”
Bianca closed her eyes, “I’m not talking about Frankie with you.”
“Yes you are. Bianca, you are not seventeen anymore.”
“I know that, Mom. Do you?”
“Of course I do.” Erica scoffed.
“Then stop treating me like I am.” Bianca pushed her hair behind her ear, “I am in love with Frankie. She is in love with me. We are going to be together.”
“What happened to Reese? What about your wife?”
Bianca sat down on her bed, “I’m getting a divorce.”
“Because of that liar?”
“Because of me. Because I can’t be with Reese.” Bianca rubbed at her forehead, “I am not with Reese anymore. I am with Frankie, and we are going to be together for a long time.”
“Frankie is dead!”
“She’s not, Mom. She had to act like she was.”
“Because she was trying to con you, Bianca. Open your eyes. Frankie Stone was never good for you. I thanked god everyday that she was just a passing teenage fling for you.”
“She wasn’t, Mom.” Bianca’s eyes snapped open. “She was never just a fling to me. She was the woman I loved. I loved her, Mom. I still do.”
“Bianca,”
“And she is good for me. She is amazing. She’s so good with the kids. Frankie is a part of this family. We love each other, and that’s not going to change. I don’t care what anyone says. Mom, I don’t care if you never like her or approve of her. I don’t care if anyone does. I’m not going to stop loving her and wanting her.”
Erica was shocked speechless by the declaration.
Bianca breathed heavily, feelings bubbling up. Everything she said was the truth. It was what she believed. What she knew.
“She left you, honey.” Erica finally found her voice. The way Bianca had spoken was daunting. Her belief in her words was palpable. “She left and stayed away for years.”
“She had to leave, Mom.”
“Why did she never come back for you? If she loved you, she would have come back.”
“She did.”
“No, she didn’t.”
Bianca bit her lip, “She did, Mom. She came back for me.”
“I think I would have remembered Frankie Stone coming back from the dead.”
“She saw me with someone else.” It hurt thinking that they had been so close to being together so long ago. What would have happened if Frankie never saw her with Maggie? If they talked? Would they have gotten back together? Would they have lasted? “She thought it was better for me if she stayed away. She thought I had…met someone better than her.”
“That wasn’t too difficult.” Erica snorted.
“Why do you hate her so much?” Bianca yelled. Glancing at the children, she lowered her voice, “She never did anything for you to hate her like this. She is my lover, Mom. She is my girlfriend. I am not going to sit her and listen to you cut her down.”
“She hurt you.”
“A lot of people have hurt me. I’ve hurt Frankie, too. We still love each other.” Bianca’s voice dropped to a whisper, “I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
“No, Bianca.” Erica breathed out.
Bianca sniffled as emotion took over, “It’s so hard, Mom. There is so much going on. I almost lost her again. I keep almost losing her. I can’t lose her again.”
“Bianca, you are setting yourself up. You fall in love so easily, and people take advantage of that. She’s taking advantage of your heart, again.”
“I love her.”
“Bianca,”
“She loves me.” Bianca ignored her. “She loves me, Mom. She loves Miranda and Gabrielle. She loves us.”
“How can you be sure?”
Bianca smiled, “I can feel it. When she touches me, when she looks at me. I can see it when she talks with Miranda or plays with Gabby. She tells me, and I can feel it. It feels so good, Mom. It’s real.”
The sound of a door opening and closing caught Bianca’s attention. She stood up and peeked out. Frankie ambled into view, a thoughtful look on her face. A squeal filled the air, and a thump followed. A second later a blur rushed toward Frankie and flew into the air. Frankie caught Miranda with a grunt and backpedaled a few steps.
“Mom, I have to go.” Bianca said into the phone.
“Bianca, we need to talk about this. I don’t understand what is going on.”
Frankie carried Miranda back toward the couch, the girl chatting a mile a minute. Frankie nodded along, dodging as a boisterous hand swung through the air to express a point. The agent glanced around before dropping Miranda onto the sofa.
“Mom, I’m with Frankie. That’s it.” Bianca entered the living area.
Frankie offered her a small smile and raised an eyebrow at the phone.
Bianca shook her head and hung up.
“That was rude.” Frankie jutted her chin at the phone.
“Must have learned it from you.”
“Mommy, Frankie’s here!” Miranda bounced. Gabrielle joined her with clapping hands.
“Yes, she is.” Bianca stepped up to the older woman. She wrapped her arms around Frankie and pulled her into a hug. “How was lunch?” she asked softly.
Frankie shrugged, “Alright.”
Bianca pressed a kiss to her cheek, “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Sweetheart?” Bianca leaned back so she could look into confused and contemplative brown eyes.
“We talked. It was…different.”
“What do you mean?”
“We talked.” Frankie blinked. There had been no yelling or throwing of things. No one got hurt. Frankie wasn’t bursting with anger. She didn’t have to leave. Maggie didn’t condemn her or scold her. There were no looks of pure disappointment or shame.
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah, fine.” Frankie went over the conversation in her head. It had been almost friendly.
“I’m happy for you.” Bianca pecked the corner of her mouth. “Wasn’t as bad as you thought, huh?”
“It was just pizza.”
Bianca gave her a knowing look, but let it go. “Well, I’m glad you’re back.”
“Me, too!” Miranda raised her hand and waved it around.
“Yeah?” Frankie moved away from Bianca and to Miranda. “You sure?”
“Yeah!” Miranda nodded vigorously.
“That’s good to know.” Frankie ruffled Miranda’s hair.
“Frankie, stop.” Miranda smacked at the hands with a giggle. She scooted over and picked up her book. She expertly flipped to the marked page and held it up, “Can we go? Please?”
Frankie’s grin dropped, but she quickly plastered it back on, “Kid, we need to talk about some stuff.”
Miranda frowned at the tone, “Like what?”
Frankie looked over at Bianca, who gave her an encouraging and supportive smile. “I’m going to being away for awhile.”
“You’re goin’ away?”
“I have to for work. You won’t see me for a little bit.”
“No,” Miranda’s bottom lip began to tremble, “don’t go.”
“I have to for work.”
“No.” Miranda folded her arms across her chest, “I don’t want you to.”
Frankie knelt down in front of her, “When I’m done, we can spend as much time together as you want. We can do whatever you want.”
“I wanna do it now.” Miranda bowed her head, “Why do you leave so much?”
Bianca gasped and held a hand to her chest at the mournful question. Frankie bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood. She shuffled closer to the child and rested her arms on either side of Miranda, “I don’t want to. After this one thing, I won’t anymore. I won’t go anywhere.” She put a hand on Miranda’s shoulder, “I don’t want to ever leave you. I want to stay here with you, but I have to go work for a bit.”
“Work is stupid.” Miranda mumbled.
“Yeah, it is.” Frankie agreed. “But, I still have to.”
“Cause that’s what grown-ups do. Mommy said so.”
“Your mom’s right.”
Miranda wiped at her eye, “When can ya stop?”
“Soon, kiddo. Very soon.” She’d have to.
Miranda nodded, “Ok.”
Frankie rubbed her shoulder and peered at the open book. “You want to go to the air and space museum?”
Miranda nodded, “They got lots of planes and a spaceship.”
Frankie grabbed the book and propped it up beside Miranda, “You know, I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Why aren’t you?”
Because that required going to school and not being a reformed con. “I might not have been able to meet you if I had.”
“I’m gonna miss you.” Miranda hugged Frankie.
“Me too, kid.”
Bianca appeared beside Frankie. She rubbed her daughter’s back comfortingly, “Honey, why don’t you go get washed up so we can get dinner soon?”
Miranda nodded and slowly slid off the sofa. She slouched to the bathroom.
“It’s going to be ok. She loves you.” Bianca laid a hand on Frankie’s shoulder.
“Yeah.” Frankie replied uncertainly. She stood up and scooped Gabrielle into her arms, “How’s squirt doing?”
Gabby giggled, “Frankie.”
Frankie grinned down at her, “You be good for your mom.” She sobered and looked at Bianca, “I’m going to have to go soon.”
“Now?” Why did she have to go now? She just got back.
Frankie brushed a kiss to Gabby’s head and set her back on the couch, “I need to set some stuff up, and I need to get back to my place.”
“Stay with me. One more night.” Bianca twisted her fingers in Frankie’s shirt. She felt her heart pound at the thought of Frankie leaving.
“I should stay at my place from now on. It’s safer.” Frankie’s hands automatically went to the younger woman’s hips. “I only came to say goodbye.”
“Not yet, Frankie. Have dinner with us, at least.” Bianca had been strong all day. She dealt with the fact that Frankie was not going to be her Frankie. But now that it was happening, she fought to hold on as long as possible.
“I can’t. I have to do some things before tomorrow.” Frankie traced her thumbs back and forth over Bianca’s sides.
“God, I don’t want you to go.” tears started to form.
“I don’t want to, either. I have to.” Frankie pushed up on her toes and captured Bianca’s lips in a kiss, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Whatever I might say tomorrow or after, I don’t mean it.” Frankie kissed her again, “I love you and the kids.”
“I know.”
“I’m coming back.”
“I know.”
They kissed again, and Bianca squeezed her eyes shut. She tried to memorize every feeling, every emotion. She printed to memory the feel of Frankie in her arms, the heat of her body, and the tingling in her veins.
“Mommy? Frankie?” Miranda interrupted.
The adults pulled apart. Bianca dabbed at her eyes as Frankie turned to the kid. “Hey, kiddo.”
“You’re leaving.” Miranda guessed.
“I’ll see you when it’s all over.” Frankie nodded.
Miranda took this in. Frankie was leaving. With a shuddering breath, she ran as fast as she could and collided with Frankie, wrapping her arms around her legs and waist as tightly as she could.
Frankie clenched her jaw shut and hugged her back.
“Love you, Frankie.” Miranda mumbled.
“You too, kid.”
Reluctantly, Miranda let go. Frankie patted her back before picking up Gabrielle again. She focused on the youngest child, pressing another kiss to her temple. “I’ll see you later.”
Gabby clung to her shirt, not fully understanding what was happening, but knowing she didn’t want the woman to go. Frankie gently pried her tiny fingers away, but Gabby quickly clutched to her hands.
“Come on, squirt.” Frankie muttered.
“Didn’t think she was going to make it easy on you, did you?” Bianca murmured as she slipped next to Frankie and helped loosen Gabby’s hold. Once the fingers were free, the little girl was swiftly put down.
Seeing her little sister sad and confused, Miranda bounded over to her and wrapped her arms around her. “She’ll be back, Gabby. I’ll stay with ya till she does.”
Frankie coughed thickly, a lump forming in her throat. She gave one last look to the two children before turning away. She went to the door, needing to leave before she made a radical decision like staying and forgetting about Young, Carrington, and whoever else might be out there.
“Sweetheart, wait.” Bianca clasped their hands together and pulled her to a stop.
Frankie paused, head down to hide her own grief at leaving. Bianca tugged on her hand until she turned to her. She bent to the side, seeking brown orbs. “Are you sure about this?”
“Bianca, it’s my job. It’s…more than that.”
“You don’t have to do anything. You can stay with us.” Bianca tangled their fingers together, “You’re not supposed to go back to work.”
“It’s my case.” It was her life. Her family.
“Let me help you.” Bianca pleaded. “Cambias has so many resources you could use.”
“No, Bianca.” Frankie shook her head. “I can handle this. I don’t want you near it anymore than you have to be.”
“At least tell me what you’re doing. What’s the plan? What does Michaels think about all this? About your condition?”
“I can’t tell you anything. The less you know the better.”
“Stop playing the agent card, Frankie.” Bianca pressed their bodies together. “You can tell me anything.”
“Not this.”
Bianca pushed back against oncoming tears, “I don’t want you to do this.”
“I know.”
“God, Frankie. I’m worried about you. How you were acting…how you are.” She placed their joined hands over Frankie’s heart, “I’m worried about your heart.” Both physically and emotionally.
“I once said the same thing to you.” Frankie mumbled. “You told me it was up to you to protect your heart. So…let me protect mine.”
“Frankie,”
“And let me try to protect yours. Even if I can’t, let me try.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Frankie exhaled heavily and put a crooked grin on her face, “I have to go. So, um, do I get a goodbye kiss?”
She did not like this, “If I don’t?”
“I’ll be very sad.”
Bianca melted at the charming smile. She cupped Frankie’s cheeks and pressed their lips together. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.” Frankie kissed her again. “Whatever happens, don’t forget that.”
Bianca pulled her into a hug, “If you’re with Michaels, do what he says. If it keeps you safe, don’t do anything crazy, like getting shot, ok?”
“No getting shot. Got it.” Frankie kissed her pulse point.
Bianca released her embrace and inhaled deeply, “Go before I change my mind.”
Frankie winked, “Yes, ma’am.” She trailed a hand down Bianca’s arm, “I love you.”
“I love you.”
With one last look, Frankie spun and left.
Author: Fab_fan
Fandom: All My Children
Pairing: Frankie/Bianca, Maggie/Other
Rating:R
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Summary: What do you do when you are forced to face the past?
Frankie stopped walking.
This was it. She was outside the small pizza parlor. The traditional red checkered covered tables were visible through the window, and a black apron clad waitress walked back and forth with steaming pizza pies. The exterior of the building was slightly run down and shabby, but it hid one of the best pizzas in town. The agent had discovered it one night she got off late from work and was driving around in search of somewhere to calm down from a hard day. The staff was friendly and didn’t care what condition or shape their customers were in. They served hot food without any curiosity or wonder. Their prices were very agreeable, and the service was fast. The ingredients were fresh and the dough homemade.
She wasn’t thinking about the food, though.
Breathing in slow deep breaths, Frankie ran a hand across her face. She glanced around the street, wondering if Maggie was already there. Did she show up? Maybe she decided not to go. They hadn’t really talked in years. Maybe it should stay that way. There was no use in going over old history.
She rocked back on her heels and looked at her cell phone. It was time for them to meet. Actually, she was running five minutes late. She put her cell phone away and sighed. There was no reason for her not to go in there. She was a federal agent for crying out loud. She’d faced down countless criminals and been in more than one dangerous situation. She was not afraid of anything. Frankie Stone was not afraid. Deft fingers fiddled with the collar of her shirt, adjusting it so it sat just right. Hands smoothed out the sleeves of her coat.
Nodding to herself, Frankie quickly opened the door and stepped inside out of the cold. The bell above the door jingled at the sudden entrance, and the waitress smiled at her as she rushed by, dirty plates in hand. Frankie scanned every face in the room, ticking from table to table. Her gut twisted as she saw stranger after stranger.
Maggie wasn’t there.
Frankie blinked as it hit her. Maggie hadn’t shown up. She blinked and blinked again. Her stomach clenched as disappointment flood her mind. She tried to shrug it off. So what if Maggie didn’t show up? They didn’t need to meet anyway. It would have turned out bad if they did. They lived different lives, now. They ran in different circles. Well, they always had, but they were in different cities…different countries. Hell, they didn’t even like each other. Before, at the hospital, it was the moment. She was in a weak state because of the news about her heart and Maggie was…whatever she was because of being back in Pine Valley and everything. It didn’t mean anything. She didn’t even want to come. Why did she? There was so much that had to be done with the case. She should be talking with Moreno, calling old contacts, and setting up meetings. This was stupid.
The door flung open, and another body nearly barreled into Frankie’s back. A quick pivot had them missing by inches. Frankie watched as Maggie frantically looked around, face red and rapid pants gasping from her mouth. Maggie’s gaze landed on Frankie, and a visible look of relief washed over her face. She fixed her crooked scarf and hat, a hesitant smile on her face, “Hey, Frankie.”
“Hey.”
“There was a big traffic jam, and the taxi got stuck behind this semi-truck who couldn’t move, and the car behind us kept tailing our bumper. I can’t believe the semi was even in this part of the city; he could barely fit on the road. So, I got out, but I couldn’t find another taxi. I finally caught one, but he must have been new because he took me to the wrong place.” Maggie rambled at her sister’s stoic look. “I wanted to call and tell you, but I don’t have your number. I was going to call Bianca for it, but then you might not have answered even if I did call. Not that you should or anything; you probably have to screen your calls.”
Frankie squinted, attempting to keep up with the increasing speed of the words. Finally, she held up a hand, cutting off Maggie from continuing her story. She hooked a thumb toward the smattering of tables, “Pizza?”
Maggie nodded, “Yes.”
They stood there staring at each other for a minute. Shaking her head, Frankie made a wide sweep with her hand, indicating for Maggie to go first. Maggie took the hint and began to meander through the tables until she found an empty one. She slipped out of her coat and scarf and hung them over the back of the plain black painted wooden chair before sitting down. Frankie shrugged out of her own coat and tossed it over the chair before sliding in her seat.
Both there, silence descended on them. Maggie sat primly in her chair, watching the various customers and staff. Frankie kept her eyes on the tabletop. She reached out and grasped the salt shaker. She rolled the object around in a circle.
Neither knew what to say or how to say it. Who should speak first? What should they say? It had been so long since it was just them; they didn’t even know how to talk. They didn’t know each other. What if they spoke first and said the wrong thing? That seemed to be how every one of their conversations went. Someone said something to make the other angry and it escalated into a fight until one or both turned and left.
The waitress swept by, depositing two glasses of water and a basket of bread. Clearly frazzled but not minding one bit, she plucked a pencil from her mess of a bun that was her hair and flipped open an order pad.
“What’ll it be?”
The salt shaker stopped moving as Maggie spoke up, “A large pizza with everything but the green peppers. On one half make sure there’s extra sausage and onions. The other half put extra cheese and bacon.”
The waitress nodded. She finished jotting down the orders, “Anything to drink?”
“A coke for me.”
The waitress peeked over at Frankie who waved a hand, “Water’s fine.”
The waitress left with a smile and a promise to bring back the coke soon. The twins both went quiet and back to their earlier actions. Watching a man cut up a slice of pizza into bite size pieces for his son, Maggie froze as a voice cleared.
“You…uh…remember how we got pizza.” Frankie spoke haltingly, not looking up.
Maggie turned her attention back to her companion, “Hard to forget. We got it so much.”
Frankie chuckled softly, “We ate pizza for almost every meal for a while.”
Their mother had been too drunk to cook anything, and their father lived off of alcohol. When they could scrape together enough money, they’d run down to Tony’s Pizza Shop. Soon enough they had their own booth that was always kept open for them, and the staff knew what their orders were before the twins had even sat down.
“You used to get cherry coke, though.” Maggie pointed out. Frankie always needed her caffeine it seemed like.
“Don’t drink that stuff anymore.”
“What do you drink now?”
The question lingered in the air. Frankie pushed the salt shaker away and flattened her palm on the table, tapping her fingers in a steady rhythm. Her choice in drinks had been changing the past few months.
Maggie frowned at the non-answer. Before she was able to think about it, though, Frankie said, “It’s been a long time since we got pizza.”
Maggie wrapped her arms around her body as a shot of cold bolted through her body at the memories the words provoked, “Yes, it has.”
“D-Do you remember the last time we did?” Frankie peeked up at her. A sheen of vulnerability covered the normally clear brown and contrasted sharply with the expressionless face.
Maggie nodded, the flashbacks playing in her brain. How could she forget? “It was the last time we talked.” The last time I really saw you before you died.
“We saw each other after that.”
They had fought. It only lasted about an hour, and they had said the worst things they could to each other. They both left and the next time Maggie was seeing Frankie was as a gravestone. “I pretend like we didn’t.” It was easier to remember the time they got pizza as the last time. Sure, they were going in different directions and had next to nothing in common, but they were civil. They didn’t fight.
Frankie swallowed roughly and grabbed the bread basket. She tore off a chunk from the loaf, “It was at Tony’s, right?”
“Yes, it was.” Maggie watched her sister methodically break apart the bread into tiny pieces. Frankie always needed to be doing something. It was actually comforting to see.
“That wasn’t a bad day, was it?” Frankie dropped the last morsel onto her small plate. Her fingers batted at the crumbs, forming straight lines.
“No, it wasn’t. It…was a good day, a really good day.” She thought about it a lot when she had first arrived in Pine Valley. She inhaled deeply and confessed, “I haven’t been back since.”
“You haven’t?”
“I couldn’t. I went by once, when I was trying to contact mom after…” you died, “anyway, I went by and I got to the door. I could see inside, and I saw our booth.” Maggie gulped and rubbed at her eye, “I left. I couldn’t go in.”
“Oh.” Frankie felt her stomach plummet at the twinge of sadness in her sister’s tone. She coughed to cover it up.
“It was tough. When we thought you were gone, it was bad, Frankie. With Mom and Dad, they…”
“I don’t want to talk about them.” Frankie bit out harshly.
Did you get in another fight?
N-No, dad.
Don’t lie. You got in another fight. Stupid useless brat.
An irrational sense of anger surged through Maggie at her sister’s abrupt harshness. She didn't want to talk about them either, but Frankie always had to be so unopen and not caring. “What do you want to talk about, Frankie? Do you want to talk about how you pretended to be dead? How you never told me you were alive?”
“Shut up.” Frankie whispered, eyes growing cold. Here comes the belittling lecture.
“Do you want to talk about why you never talked to me at all? How you decided to work for our psychopath of an aunt?”
“Damn it, Maggie.” Frankie growled, “I don’t want to talk about our parents. Sorry I’m such a jerk for not wanting to talk about two people who didn’t care I was dead.”
“I cared.”
Frankie deflated at that simple statement. She leaned back heavily in her chair and scratched at her cheek, “I can’t talk about it.”
“Why not?”
“I can’t, Maggie. I just can’t, ok? Do you really want to talk about it? Huh? All of it?”
Maggie looked away from the meaningful stare. No, she did not want to talk about everything.
The waitress set down the pizza with a flourish, “Here you go. Enjoy.”
“Thanks,” Maggie mumbled politely as Frankie shifted in her seat.
Frankie lined up the salt, red pepper flakes, and cheese shakers while Maggie spun the pizza so the appropriate toppings faced the correct person.
“No salt.” Maggie absently ordered as she plopped a slice onto her plate. “It’s not good for your heart.”
“Doesn’t really matter.” Frankie shook the red pepper flakes onto her slice.
“You have to watch what you eat. Pizza itself isn’t good for you.” Maggie slid the salt shaker to her end of the table.
Frankie glared at her, “Thanks for the advice, Doc. Now, can I have the salt?”
“You can be such an ass sometimes. You have to be careful.”
“I am, Maggie. I’m not going to keel over if I put some salt on my pizza.” She couldn’t. She didn’t have time.
They stared at each other.
“Fine.” Frankie shook her head and took a bite of her unsalted pizza.
Maggie picked up her fork and knife and cut a tiny piece. She blinked away the surge of fear from Frankie’s comment. Twirling a strand of cheese around the tongs, she casually spoke, “Have you thought any about the different treatments?”
Frankie chewed and swallowed, “Not too much. Been kinda busy.”
“You should. I think talking to David would help. He’s up to date on all the new procedures and medicines.”
“Maybe.” Frankie shrugged.
Maggie pricked the cut up piece and brought it to her mouth, “Have you talked about it with Bianca?”
Frankie wiped her fingers on a napkin and reached for her water. The liquid sloshed up the sides in her hand, “There’s a lot going on…with work.”
“Like what?”
“I just have other stuff I need to focus on right now.”
“If you’re choosing something else over Bianca…”
“I’ve never been the one who did that.” Frankie cut her off with a pointed look.
Maggie grimaced at the unspoken words. Everyone knew Maggie had chosen someone else over Bianca. “You need to discuss this with her, especially with Miranda involved.” Miranda got along well with Frankie. Their relationship was evident at the hospital.
“I’m not going to hurt them.” Her voice was sure, but there was a gleam in her eyes, almost like she was begging Maggie to believe her.
“You still might.” Maggie sighed, “Miranda is so young still. She’s been through so much, and she’s attached to you. If you left her…”
“Not going anywhere.” Frankie said firmly. “I have to do some stuff for work, but that’s it. I would never hurt her or her sister.” She bit back commenting about Maggie leaving Miranda.
“Just talk to Bianca. It’s always better if you do.”
“Trust me, I know that.” Frankie smirked to herself.
They both grabbed a second slice of pizza.
“I saw you with Miranda at the hospital.” Maggie began to cut up her slice.
“So?” Frankie grew defensive.
Maggie shrugged, “You…you got along well together.”
Frankie picked at her pizza, “She’s a good kid.”
“She is.” agreed Maggie. She chuckled, “Do you remember when we were that age?”
Frankie rolled her eyes, “You discovered fashion.” Maggie’s sense of fashion differed greatly from other people’s.
“And you always wore that old Packers coat.” Maggie’s smirked, "Do you still follow them?”
“We’re coming back.”
“How’s that guy doing? What’s his name? Favre?”
“How’s that fashion sense working for you? Scare away any other shoppers lately?”
“I never scared anyone.” huffed Maggie.
“Uh huh. That’s why that one lady shielded her eyes from your yellow/orange ensemble. Great combination there.” Frankie flicked a mushroom at her.
They smiled at each other.
The smiles slowly dropped as they both realized where they were and why. For a brief moment, they had slipped back into being something they hadn’t been in a long time.
It grew quiet again.
“I looked up information on different treatments last night.” Maggie broke the silence. “I emailed one of my colleagues in Paris, too.”
Frankie nodded along as she listened. A yawn escaped from her lips, and she quickly smothered it with a hand. Maggie noticed the exhaustion creeping at the corners of her doppelganger’s eyes.
“Late night?” she asked inconspicuously.
“Work.” Frankie shrugged.
Maggie nodded, “What are you working on?”
“A case.”
“Is it like your last one?” She hoped not.
Frankie sipped her water, “No.” It was a lot more complex and closer to home.
“Ok.”
Frankie saw that Maggie wanted to ask something else, so she beat her to the punch, “You were talking about treatments?”
“Yes, I have some information in my purse.” Maggie lifted up the small bag and dug through its contents.
Frankie watched her half wary and half intrigued. Her sister was eating pizza with her, and they weren’t shouting and yelling. It was surreal. It was…nice.
Their eyes connected and twin looks passed between them. No matter what was said or done from that moment on, they both knew deep inside that it was true. They had missed each other.
****
Bianca walked into the living area, Gabrielle balanced on her hip. She smiled at the sight of Miranda perched on the couch, the sightseeing book open in her lap. The mother went up to the couch and sat beside the young girl. Gabrielle let go and crawled in between them.
“What are you reading, sweetie?” Bianca asked.
“’bout places.”
“What sort of places?”
Miranda shrugged, “Places.”
“Ah, I see.” Bianca picked up Gabby and settled the crawling child in her lap. Gabby nestled into her.
Miranda turned the page, “Would Frankie wanna go to this place?” she pointed at the air and space museum. “They got lots of planes and a spaceship.”
“I think she would.” Bianca ran her fingers through Miranda’s hair. “But, Frankie is going to be very busy for awhile.”
Miranda frowned and her shoulders slumped, “Why?”
“She has to work, honey. That’s why she had to come back here.”
“How long does she gotta work? Working is stupid.” Miranda kicked her feet out.
Bianca couldn’t help but laugh at that, “You’re going to work when you grow up. Everyone does.”
“No.”
“Don’t you want to be something when you get older? Like a teacher or a pilot?” or a corporate CEO.
“I wanna be with you and Frankie and Gabby.”
“I want that too, honey.” Bianca pulled Miranda into a small hug.
The ringing of Bianca’s cell phone interrupted the moment. Bianca grabbed the phone and frowned at the caller id, “Mom?”
“Bianca, we need to talk.” Erica’s voice came through loud and clear.
Bianca rolled her eyes and stood up, placing Gabby down on the sofa, “Mom, now’s not a good time.”
“A good time? When is a good time for you? You left town, Bianca.”
“We had to get back to Washington.”
“Without even telling me?”
“We were in a hurry. Frankie had to get back for work.”
“Frankie! Bianca, what is wrong with you?”
Bianca stepped into the bedroom, keeping the door open so she could still see the kids, but away from their ears, “Mom, I know it came as a shock. That wasn’t the way I wanted to tell you.”
“Bianca, you’re married! You are in love with Reese.”
Bianca’s grip tightened, “I’m in love with Frankie. I’ve always been in love with her.”
“Bianca, why are you doing this to yourself? She hurt you, baby. I know she did. Why would you go back to that?”
“She loves me.”
“She lied to you. She’s been lying to you since you met.”
Bianca closed her eyes, “I’m not talking about Frankie with you.”
“Yes you are. Bianca, you are not seventeen anymore.”
“I know that, Mom. Do you?”
“Of course I do.” Erica scoffed.
“Then stop treating me like I am.” Bianca pushed her hair behind her ear, “I am in love with Frankie. She is in love with me. We are going to be together.”
“What happened to Reese? What about your wife?”
Bianca sat down on her bed, “I’m getting a divorce.”
“Because of that liar?”
“Because of me. Because I can’t be with Reese.” Bianca rubbed at her forehead, “I am not with Reese anymore. I am with Frankie, and we are going to be together for a long time.”
“Frankie is dead!”
“She’s not, Mom. She had to act like she was.”
“Because she was trying to con you, Bianca. Open your eyes. Frankie Stone was never good for you. I thanked god everyday that she was just a passing teenage fling for you.”
“She wasn’t, Mom.” Bianca’s eyes snapped open. “She was never just a fling to me. She was the woman I loved. I loved her, Mom. I still do.”
“Bianca,”
“And she is good for me. She is amazing. She’s so good with the kids. Frankie is a part of this family. We love each other, and that’s not going to change. I don’t care what anyone says. Mom, I don’t care if you never like her or approve of her. I don’t care if anyone does. I’m not going to stop loving her and wanting her.”
Erica was shocked speechless by the declaration.
Bianca breathed heavily, feelings bubbling up. Everything she said was the truth. It was what she believed. What she knew.
“She left you, honey.” Erica finally found her voice. The way Bianca had spoken was daunting. Her belief in her words was palpable. “She left and stayed away for years.”
“She had to leave, Mom.”
“Why did she never come back for you? If she loved you, she would have come back.”
“She did.”
“No, she didn’t.”
Bianca bit her lip, “She did, Mom. She came back for me.”
“I think I would have remembered Frankie Stone coming back from the dead.”
“She saw me with someone else.” It hurt thinking that they had been so close to being together so long ago. What would have happened if Frankie never saw her with Maggie? If they talked? Would they have gotten back together? Would they have lasted? “She thought it was better for me if she stayed away. She thought I had…met someone better than her.”
“That wasn’t too difficult.” Erica snorted.
“Why do you hate her so much?” Bianca yelled. Glancing at the children, she lowered her voice, “She never did anything for you to hate her like this. She is my lover, Mom. She is my girlfriend. I am not going to sit her and listen to you cut her down.”
“She hurt you.”
“A lot of people have hurt me. I’ve hurt Frankie, too. We still love each other.” Bianca’s voice dropped to a whisper, “I want to spend the rest of my life with her.”
“No, Bianca.” Erica breathed out.
Bianca sniffled as emotion took over, “It’s so hard, Mom. There is so much going on. I almost lost her again. I keep almost losing her. I can’t lose her again.”
“Bianca, you are setting yourself up. You fall in love so easily, and people take advantage of that. She’s taking advantage of your heart, again.”
“I love her.”
“Bianca,”
“She loves me.” Bianca ignored her. “She loves me, Mom. She loves Miranda and Gabrielle. She loves us.”
“How can you be sure?”
Bianca smiled, “I can feel it. When she touches me, when she looks at me. I can see it when she talks with Miranda or plays with Gabby. She tells me, and I can feel it. It feels so good, Mom. It’s real.”
The sound of a door opening and closing caught Bianca’s attention. She stood up and peeked out. Frankie ambled into view, a thoughtful look on her face. A squeal filled the air, and a thump followed. A second later a blur rushed toward Frankie and flew into the air. Frankie caught Miranda with a grunt and backpedaled a few steps.
“Mom, I have to go.” Bianca said into the phone.
“Bianca, we need to talk about this. I don’t understand what is going on.”
Frankie carried Miranda back toward the couch, the girl chatting a mile a minute. Frankie nodded along, dodging as a boisterous hand swung through the air to express a point. The agent glanced around before dropping Miranda onto the sofa.
“Mom, I’m with Frankie. That’s it.” Bianca entered the living area.
Frankie offered her a small smile and raised an eyebrow at the phone.
Bianca shook her head and hung up.
“That was rude.” Frankie jutted her chin at the phone.
“Must have learned it from you.”
“Mommy, Frankie’s here!” Miranda bounced. Gabrielle joined her with clapping hands.
“Yes, she is.” Bianca stepped up to the older woman. She wrapped her arms around Frankie and pulled her into a hug. “How was lunch?” she asked softly.
Frankie shrugged, “Alright.”
Bianca pressed a kiss to her cheek, “What happened?”
“Nothing.”
“Sweetheart?” Bianca leaned back so she could look into confused and contemplative brown eyes.
“We talked. It was…different.”
“What do you mean?”
“We talked.” Frankie blinked. There had been no yelling or throwing of things. No one got hurt. Frankie wasn’t bursting with anger. She didn’t have to leave. Maggie didn’t condemn her or scold her. There were no looks of pure disappointment or shame.
“Are you ok?”
“Yeah, fine.” Frankie went over the conversation in her head. It had been almost friendly.
“I’m happy for you.” Bianca pecked the corner of her mouth. “Wasn’t as bad as you thought, huh?”
“It was just pizza.”
Bianca gave her a knowing look, but let it go. “Well, I’m glad you’re back.”
“Me, too!” Miranda raised her hand and waved it around.
“Yeah?” Frankie moved away from Bianca and to Miranda. “You sure?”
“Yeah!” Miranda nodded vigorously.
“That’s good to know.” Frankie ruffled Miranda’s hair.
“Frankie, stop.” Miranda smacked at the hands with a giggle. She scooted over and picked up her book. She expertly flipped to the marked page and held it up, “Can we go? Please?”
Frankie’s grin dropped, but she quickly plastered it back on, “Kid, we need to talk about some stuff.”
Miranda frowned at the tone, “Like what?”
Frankie looked over at Bianca, who gave her an encouraging and supportive smile. “I’m going to being away for awhile.”
“You’re goin’ away?”
“I have to for work. You won’t see me for a little bit.”
“No,” Miranda’s bottom lip began to tremble, “don’t go.”
“I have to for work.”
“No.” Miranda folded her arms across her chest, “I don’t want you to.”
Frankie knelt down in front of her, “When I’m done, we can spend as much time together as you want. We can do whatever you want.”
“I wanna do it now.” Miranda bowed her head, “Why do you leave so much?”
Bianca gasped and held a hand to her chest at the mournful question. Frankie bit her tongue so hard she tasted blood. She shuffled closer to the child and rested her arms on either side of Miranda, “I don’t want to. After this one thing, I won’t anymore. I won’t go anywhere.” She put a hand on Miranda’s shoulder, “I don’t want to ever leave you. I want to stay here with you, but I have to go work for a bit.”
“Work is stupid.” Miranda mumbled.
“Yeah, it is.” Frankie agreed. “But, I still have to.”
“Cause that’s what grown-ups do. Mommy said so.”
“Your mom’s right.”
Miranda wiped at her eye, “When can ya stop?”
“Soon, kiddo. Very soon.” She’d have to.
Miranda nodded, “Ok.”
Frankie rubbed her shoulder and peered at the open book. “You want to go to the air and space museum?”
Miranda nodded, “They got lots of planes and a spaceship.”
Frankie grabbed the book and propped it up beside Miranda, “You know, I wanted to be an astronaut when I was a kid.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Why aren’t you?”
Because that required going to school and not being a reformed con. “I might not have been able to meet you if I had.”
“I’m gonna miss you.” Miranda hugged Frankie.
“Me too, kid.”
Bianca appeared beside Frankie. She rubbed her daughter’s back comfortingly, “Honey, why don’t you go get washed up so we can get dinner soon?”
Miranda nodded and slowly slid off the sofa. She slouched to the bathroom.
“It’s going to be ok. She loves you.” Bianca laid a hand on Frankie’s shoulder.
“Yeah.” Frankie replied uncertainly. She stood up and scooped Gabrielle into her arms, “How’s squirt doing?”
Gabby giggled, “Frankie.”
Frankie grinned down at her, “You be good for your mom.” She sobered and looked at Bianca, “I’m going to have to go soon.”
“Now?” Why did she have to go now? She just got back.
Frankie brushed a kiss to Gabby’s head and set her back on the couch, “I need to set some stuff up, and I need to get back to my place.”
“Stay with me. One more night.” Bianca twisted her fingers in Frankie’s shirt. She felt her heart pound at the thought of Frankie leaving.
“I should stay at my place from now on. It’s safer.” Frankie’s hands automatically went to the younger woman’s hips. “I only came to say goodbye.”
“Not yet, Frankie. Have dinner with us, at least.” Bianca had been strong all day. She dealt with the fact that Frankie was not going to be her Frankie. But now that it was happening, she fought to hold on as long as possible.
“I can’t. I have to do some things before tomorrow.” Frankie traced her thumbs back and forth over Bianca’s sides.
“God, I don’t want you to go.” tears started to form.
“I don’t want to, either. I have to.” Frankie pushed up on her toes and captured Bianca’s lips in a kiss, “I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
“Whatever I might say tomorrow or after, I don’t mean it.” Frankie kissed her again, “I love you and the kids.”
“I know.”
“I’m coming back.”
“I know.”
They kissed again, and Bianca squeezed her eyes shut. She tried to memorize every feeling, every emotion. She printed to memory the feel of Frankie in her arms, the heat of her body, and the tingling in her veins.
“Mommy? Frankie?” Miranda interrupted.
The adults pulled apart. Bianca dabbed at her eyes as Frankie turned to the kid. “Hey, kiddo.”
“You’re leaving.” Miranda guessed.
“I’ll see you when it’s all over.” Frankie nodded.
Miranda took this in. Frankie was leaving. With a shuddering breath, she ran as fast as she could and collided with Frankie, wrapping her arms around her legs and waist as tightly as she could.
Frankie clenched her jaw shut and hugged her back.
“Love you, Frankie.” Miranda mumbled.
“You too, kid.”
Reluctantly, Miranda let go. Frankie patted her back before picking up Gabrielle again. She focused on the youngest child, pressing another kiss to her temple. “I’ll see you later.”
Gabby clung to her shirt, not fully understanding what was happening, but knowing she didn’t want the woman to go. Frankie gently pried her tiny fingers away, but Gabby quickly clutched to her hands.
“Come on, squirt.” Frankie muttered.
“Didn’t think she was going to make it easy on you, did you?” Bianca murmured as she slipped next to Frankie and helped loosen Gabby’s hold. Once the fingers were free, the little girl was swiftly put down.
Seeing her little sister sad and confused, Miranda bounded over to her and wrapped her arms around her. “She’ll be back, Gabby. I’ll stay with ya till she does.”
Frankie coughed thickly, a lump forming in her throat. She gave one last look to the two children before turning away. She went to the door, needing to leave before she made a radical decision like staying and forgetting about Young, Carrington, and whoever else might be out there.
“Sweetheart, wait.” Bianca clasped their hands together and pulled her to a stop.
Frankie paused, head down to hide her own grief at leaving. Bianca tugged on her hand until she turned to her. She bent to the side, seeking brown orbs. “Are you sure about this?”
“Bianca, it’s my job. It’s…more than that.”
“You don’t have to do anything. You can stay with us.” Bianca tangled their fingers together, “You’re not supposed to go back to work.”
“It’s my case.” It was her life. Her family.
“Let me help you.” Bianca pleaded. “Cambias has so many resources you could use.”
“No, Bianca.” Frankie shook her head. “I can handle this. I don’t want you near it anymore than you have to be.”
“At least tell me what you’re doing. What’s the plan? What does Michaels think about all this? About your condition?”
“I can’t tell you anything. The less you know the better.”
“Stop playing the agent card, Frankie.” Bianca pressed their bodies together. “You can tell me anything.”
“Not this.”
Bianca pushed back against oncoming tears, “I don’t want you to do this.”
“I know.”
“God, Frankie. I’m worried about you. How you were acting…how you are.” She placed their joined hands over Frankie’s heart, “I’m worried about your heart.” Both physically and emotionally.
“I once said the same thing to you.” Frankie mumbled. “You told me it was up to you to protect your heart. So…let me protect mine.”
“Frankie,”
“And let me try to protect yours. Even if I can’t, let me try.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
Frankie exhaled heavily and put a crooked grin on her face, “I have to go. So, um, do I get a goodbye kiss?”
She did not like this, “If I don’t?”
“I’ll be very sad.”
Bianca melted at the charming smile. She cupped Frankie’s cheeks and pressed their lips together. “I love you.”
“Love you, too.” Frankie kissed her again. “Whatever happens, don’t forget that.”
Bianca pulled her into a hug, “If you’re with Michaels, do what he says. If it keeps you safe, don’t do anything crazy, like getting shot, ok?”
“No getting shot. Got it.” Frankie kissed her pulse point.
Bianca released her embrace and inhaled deeply, “Go before I change my mind.”
Frankie winked, “Yes, ma’am.” She trailed a hand down Bianca’s arm, “I love you.”
“I love you.”
With one last look, Frankie spun and left.