Title: On the Other Side of Fear
Rating: PG-13
Pairing/Characters: Frank/Laurel
Spoilers: Set a few weeks after 2x09. Then deviates from canon.
Disclaimer: All things HTGAWM belong to ABC, Pete Nowalk, and Shonda Rhimes. I'm just borrowing them.
Summary: Laurel takes a deep breath, closing her eyes tight, as if that will somehow make the last thirty seconds just a figment of her imagination. On autopilot, she stands from the couch and slowly backs away from him while trying to stem the tide of emotions rising in her—hurt, sadness, uncertainty, fear. The fear is the most overwhelming, and that's what kills her because she never, ever thought it was something she would feel with Frank.
A/N: This is my first multi-chapter for Flaurel, and I hope you'll enjoy. I'm going to try and post weekly; I have a few chapters written and an outline for the rest, so I will try to be consistent. Reviews/constructive criticism are always welcomed!
Chapter 1: Prologue
Laurel takes a deep breath, closing her eyes tight, as if that will somehow make the last thirty seconds just a figment of her imagination. On autopilot, she stands from the couch and slowly backs away from him while trying to stem the tide of emotions rising in her—hurt, sadness, uncertainty, fear. The fear is the most overwhelming, and that's what kills her because she never, ever thought it was something she would feel with Frank.
If she had been paying attention, she would have seen the anguish in his eyes at her reaction.
"You... You killed Lila. It wasn't Sam or Rebecca," she repeats slowly, hoping that she somehow misunderstood him but knowing that she didn't. This man that she's falling in love with couldn't have done this.
"Laurel," he says softly, as if knowing anything else will send her running even faster. "Please, let me explain; I didn't want to do it but I had to. You don't know how much Sam and Annalise have done for me."
"So, that makes killing a girl okay?!" she yells, causing him to get up and step towards her.
"Laurel, please be quiet."
She backs away quickly as he does. "Don't touch me."
He stops in his tracks, dropping his hands. She can see the hurt, and for a moment, it gives her pause. But no, she cannot feel bad about this. He's killed a girl. Her boyfriend is a murderer.
"Why are you telling me this?" she asks, wrapping her arms around her torso, subconsciously protecting herself.
"Because I love you. And I can't lie to you anymore. I don't want to be that person; I'm not. I thought you'd let me explain, that you'd eventually understand."
Her eyes squint in confusion. "You thought I'd understand?" she asks, in disbelief.
"You're the one that asked me to whack Rebecca," he throws out, helplessly, as if that would explain everything.
"And you said that wasn't who you were! Did you ever stop to think that maybe that's what I had been hoping to hear from you that night? That this idea I had that you were a hitman was ridiculous. That I couldn't be falling for a hitman."
"I'm not," he argues, crossing his arms.
"You're not?! You killed Lila for Sam. That's the definition of a hitman, Frank," she shouts, watching as he nervously keeps himself in place. She can see that he wants to quiet her down, afraid of someone hearing her. But he's respecting her space, not moving any closer. She looks at him a long moment, before continuing, her voice quieter. "Did you kill Rebecca?"
"No," he answers immediately.
"No?" she asks, clearly not believing him. "You didn't kill her?"
"I said I didn't," he whispered harshly, stepping towards her.
"And I'm supposed to believe you, why?"
"Because I'm telling you the truth," he says, desperate for her to listen.
"And if we break up," she starts, "Are you going to kill me, too?" She takes a breath, chin raised, refusing to show any of the fear overtaking her.
He takes a step back, clearly pained that the thought has even crossed her mind. "Laurel, I would never hurt you. Ever."
They stand in silence for several moments before Laurel slowly nods, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly.
"I'm going to come and get my stuff while you're at work tomorrow. Please don't be here, and please don't come after me. This is over. I can't—I can't do this. I can't be with you after something like this."
"No, Laurel," he takes a step closer, desperation in his voice. "Please just let me explain everything. Let me try to fix this."
She shakes her head. "I can't be with someone like my father."
"I'm not your father," he responds adamantly.
"You killed a girl, Frank, and who knows what else. You know what I've gone through. How can you even ask me to forget that? To do this to myself? I won't be my mother."
"Laurel—" he tries again, sounding more defeated this time.
"No, this is over. I can't be with you. And I-I can't work for Annalise anymore. Not after all of this."
"You really think she's just gonna let you quit? After everything you've been part of? You think she doesn't have a million things to blackmail you with?"
He's sounds like he's speaking from his own experience. And she knows that he probably is but she can't let this sway her. She can't get sucked into his story. She's been put through too much, and this is exactly the thing she had been trying to get away from when she moved over 1,000 miles from her family. She has to get away from it and start over, be normal somehow.
"She's not really going to get much of a say in the matter," she says finally, her resolve clear. "I have a million and one things I can blackmail her with too. Mutually-assured destruction and all that."
There seems to be an understanding pass between her and Frank, and she can see the sadness in his eyes but she can also see that he's given up. He's not going to try and keep her in this life. At least, that's what she hopes she's seeing. She moves around him to grab her purse and walks over to the doorway to slip on her shoes. When she looks back up at him, there are tears in her eyes, his eyes too.
"She said that night that I had been through worse with my father. And maybe that's true but it doesn't mean any of this is okay, that this is what I want my life to be… And if you really love me, Frank, you wouldn't want this to be my life either."
"I do love you," he speaks up then.
"I know you do. Goodbye, Frank," she says, finally, before walking out of his door and away from his life.
