Title: Aquí Contigo [Here With You]
Rating: Mature
Pairing/Characters: Frank/Laurel, Laurel Castillo, Frank Delfino, Wes Gibbins, Annalise Keating, Jorge Castillo
Spoilers: Canon up to 2x15, then diverges from canon. S3 AU
A/N: I have had the outline for this fic sitting on my computer since last summer as a potential idea for Season 3. The first two chapters have been written, patiently waiting, and then the season happened, and I lost some of the muse for this. But I've decided to start working on it again because I do like the idea I came up with.
This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, sharing-the-bed fic that expanded into a 10-chapter fic. It's canon up to the end of season 2 and then diverges completely. So really, it's an AU version of season 3, and I think we could all use that. I hope you enjoy it; I would love to hear your thoughts.
And a special thanks to Erin for her help and support and inspiration (and for helping me come up with a summary)!
Chapter 1
"Ms. Castillo!"
Laurel looks up from the file in her hand in confusion as Annalise calls for her from across the house. She can't actually see her professor but she knows she's in her office. The rest of the group looks up as well. Glancing over at Wes, she watches as he just shrugs before looking back down at his own file and barely giving her a moment of his time. She sighs heavily before standing.
"My office," Annalise calls again as if Laurel isn't moving fast enough.
She starts at that, grabbing her legal pad and pen in case she needs to take notes, and walks quickly by Bonnie who is sitting at her desk. If Laurel had remembered he was finally back, she would have noticed that Frank's space in the corner is empty.
As such, she doesn't realize until she steps into Annalise's office and finds Frank also there, sitting at one of the two chairs opposite their boss. She hesitates and forces herself to look away from him, focusing on Annalise.
"You need me for something?" she asks, holding up her notepad.
"Yes, please take a seat." Annalise gestures impatiently to the empty seat next to Frank.
She slowly moves into the office, hating the way she can smell his cologne as she moves closer, hating more the way it makes her feel.
Annalise wastes no time in getting down to business.
"Our client, Mr. Mendes, has given us a lead. I'm sending you with Frank down to Laredo to track down a witness and convince him to come back to testify. Frank can go over the details with you later." She effectively dismisses her with just a few short words.
Laurel doesn't say anything at first, can't bring herself to move. All she can think about is the fact that she's going to be alone with Frank, for who knows how long. Frank, who she hasn't talked to in months. Frank, who looks even better than she remembered. Frank, who she still might possibly love… This is really going to go over great with Wes, she thinks sarcastically.
"I—I don't know if—" she tries to find the words, something she can say to get out of this, before Frank speaks.
"I told her it wasn't a good idea," he says, his voice softer than she would like. He clearly senses how uncomfortable she is with this assignment. She can also tell that he's telling her not to bother trying to get out of it. He's already tried. She doesn't know if she should be pleased or disappointed that he doesn't want her going with him.
They haven't talked since he's been back but his return has already wreaked havoc on her life. The worst part is that she doesn't actually care how things have turned upside down. Her heart has been fluttering since seeing him again after months away, after not knowing where he was or if he was okay. If he was even alive.
She's angry.
And, also, she's not.
"And I told you, Frank, that you don't get a say in this," Annalise says sternly, barely sparing him a glance. He quiets at that, looking down at his hands like a kicked puppy.
Frank still has a lot to do in order to earn his way back to Annalise's good graces. She can see that easily. Annalise is always short with him, barely giving him a moment of her time. She sees the way Frank follows after her, trying to anticipate anything she may need before he's even asked. He's not always successful. But at least she's let him back in the house, let him back in their lives. And it wasn't a moment too soon. No one wanted to admit it, but they were starting to flounder without his unique skill set.
"You are both adults and perfectly capable of putting aside whatever it is that was going on between the two of you and just do your jobs." She gives them a pointed look, and Frank nods. "And besides, Ms. Castillo is the only one with the language skills needed for this," she points out.
She's right. No one else can speak Spanish fluently, and if they are going to the deep south of Texas to find someone that can help their client, she's probably going to need to speak Spanish.
"It's fine," Laurel speaks up at that, forcing herself to look at Frank so he can see that she's okay. He glances up at her then as if he can sense her looking at him. She gives him a small smile. She hopes her façade is convincing.
"We'll be good," she tells Annalise, though she doesn't stop looking at him. She almost forgot how blue his eyes are, the way they always seem to look right through to her soul. She takes a breath, quickly looking away before letting herself go down that road.
"Great," Annalise responds. Laurel knows she isn't going to take any other answer anyway. "You'll fly down to San Antonio and then drive to Laredo from there. Your flight is in the morning. Do not come back unless you have what we need."
Annalise looks to Frank at that, and there's a clear message that this is a test for him. If he can't come through, Annalise doesn't see the point in keeping him around. In that moment, Laurel's glad she's going with him. She wants to do what she can to help him, wants to make sure that he succeeds in this and can maybe get back into Annalise's inner circle. And, really, she still feels responsible for everything that happened. If she hadn't said anything to Annalise, he wouldn't have had to leave and everything would be so different right now. They would be different. He wouldn't have had to leave her.
"What about class?" she asks then. "I mean spring break is next week but…" she hesitates, glancing over at Frank to gauge his confidence, "what if it takes us longer than that?"
Annalise looks annoyed. She watches as her eyes narrow and her jaw tightens, and Laurel doesn't know if it's because she even asked or if it's because she doesn't have the faith in her that she's expected to have. But she doesn't know any of the details of this trip or how hard it's going to be, and she needs to be more focused on class this semester after her disastrous first year.
"Well, hopefully, it won't actually take you a whole week to do your jobs but I have already talked to your professors, let them know you are vital to this assignment, and you may not be in class for a couple of weeks. You'll still be expected to keep up with your work so make sure to take your books with you," she tells her.
"Okay," Laurel responds.
"Now, are you done wasting my time?" Annalise asks before looking down at some of the papers in front of her, reading as she picks up her pen to make a note.
Laurel opens her mouth as if to reply, remind Annalise that she called her in here. But this has been Annalise's default that past few weeks, this case starting to take its toll. Laurel nods, even though she can't see it, and glances at Frank. They both start to stand when Annalise speaks again.
"Not you, Frank," she says, and Laurel sees Frank freeze before slowly sinking back into the seat. "We have more to discuss."
Laurel gives him a small, sympathetic smile before heading out of the office and back to the living room and her work.
"What was that about?" Wes asks as she sits back beside him on the couch. There's an edge to his tone, and she knows he's realized that Frank was with her in Annalise's office.
"I'll tell you about it later," she tells him lightly before reaching for her file and attempting to get back to work. She wants to appear that she's working, at least. It's hard to do, though; her brain can only focus on this assignment, on Frank, on the fact that she's being forced to travel alone with him.
She's been doing so well. It's been months since he first left—almost a year—and, after several months of constantly thinking about him and worrying herself sick, she finally started moving forward with her life. She still thinks about him, usually at night when she's alone, but she'd been able to push him to the back of her mind much of the time. And she had just started being able to go days at a time without him worming his way into her thoughts. It felt like maybe, just maybe, she was finally able to move on when he suddenly reappeared. One day a couple of weeks ago, she walked into the office, and there he was as if he had never left.
It had been a shock, and Wes had been particularly angry that Annalise allowed him back, even though it was proven that some business associate of Wallace Mahoney was actually responsible for his death. It was just truly awful timing that Annalise had sent Frank to take Wes to New York. She never understood the logic that Frank would kill Mahoney. Annalise seemed so sure but it didn't make sense to Laurel, even with her admittedly limited knowledge of their history. Bonnie would never fill her in but Laurel somehow knows that there was something else to the story. There has to be.
It's a few hours later when everyone is starting to pack up for the night. Laurel is shoving some potentially useful files in her backpack near Frank's desk when Frank walks over from Bonnie's area. He picks up his briefcase and suit jacket, moving awkwardly around her. They never used to be awkward. They used to almost dance around each other, fluidly as if they had been doing it for years.
"I'll pick you up in the morning, Laurel," he tells her once he has everything. She looks up at him, and all she can notice is the way he avoids making eye contact. Before she can decline, he continues as if sensing her argument. "It'll be easier than getting a cab during rush hour. We'll talk through the details on the plane."
His tone is professional as he finishes. He's put up a wall. They're nothing more than colleagues now. She hates it. Even before they were together, they were never formal. It's been nothing but formal for two weeks.
"Okay," she agrees softly, watching as he nods silently and meets her eyes briefly. He turns from her then, saying good night to Bonnie before walking out. She doesn't argue because he's right; it will be next to impossible to get an Uber without a ridiculous surcharge during rush hour. If he's planning to drive and park there, then it would just be easier to go with him.
As soon as the door shuts behind him, Wes walks towards her quickly, and she can tell that he heard everything. She closes her eyes and sighs quietly. She's not ready for this conversation.
"Plane?" he asks as he reaches her. That edge is back. "Why is Frank picking you up? What's going on?"
He sounds upset—no, jealous—and she wishes she could tell him it's nothing, and he has nothing to worry about but she can't do that. She knows deep down that would be a lie. She still feels something for Frank. She just doesn't know what it means right now.
"I told you we'll talk about it later," she reminds instead, zipping up her backpack and throwing it over her shoulder. She smiles, looking up at him. "But, right now, I'm hungry, so let's go get some dinner."
They go to her favorite kabob place, though the conversation is stilted. She can see that Wes is stewing over what he heard, and she's too caught up in thinking about Frank to really help carry the conversation forward.
About halfway through, she sighs, laying her fork down.
"Wes," she says softly. "It's not that bad."
"Then what is it?" he asks. "Why is your ex-boyfriend murderer picking you up and taking you with him to the airport?"
She shushes him, quickly looking around to make sure no one heard him before feeling the need to jump to Frank's defense.
"He didn't kill your father, and you know that," she whispers harshly. Laurel had never been so relieved when they finally learned the truth. And yes, technically, Frank is a murderer. He killed Lila but Wes doesn't know that, and she's starting to make herself believe that there's a reason for it, something that will make it not as bad as it actually is. She's fully aware that she's deluding herself.
"What about Rebecca?" he asks.
"That wasn't Frank," she replies immediately. She actually doesn't know if that's true but something inside her tells her it wasn't him. "She ran off, Wes. He didn't have anything to do with that."
He gives Laurel a look as if she's stupid or naïve, but she just shakes her head.
"You don't know that he was involved," she finishes, resigned.
"Why are you defending him? You said yourself he's a horrible person, like your father, and—"
"We're all horrible people," she retorts, cutting him off. "I'm sure you don't want me dragging up everything you've done… None of us are innocent here but he didn't kill your father and he didn't kill Rebecca, and yes, he's picking me up tomorrow because Annalise is sending us to find a witness to help our client but I didn't have a choice in that. So, can we just eat, and we'll talk about this when we get home?"
He stares at her for several moments, and she pleads with her eyes for him to let this go for now. She needs this normalcy, the normalcy of eating dinner with her kind of, sort of boyfriend. He sighs and nods.
"Okay," he says softly. "We'll talk later."
"Thank you," she says. She wishes they didn't have to talk about it all but she knows she won't be that lucky. It's something they have to talk about. She can't keep secrets, doesn't want to anymore.
It's not until they are walking into her apartment that she really regrets that thought. She doesn't have to tell him everything, right? She can just tell him the facts. Annalise is sending her to Texas with Frank. He doesn't need to know how confused her feelings still are; they aren't serious. This is so new to them, and she honestly doesn't know what it is. She should be allowed her secrets.
"So," he starts after she walks into her room and grabs her suitcase. "Annalise is sending you on a vacation with Frank."
"Wes," she warns. She glances at him before starting to gather some of her clothes, wanting to get everything packed as quickly as possible. It's already late.
"No, I'm just trying to understand," he says obnoxiously, jealousy shining through.
"It's not a vacation," she specifies tightly. "And you know that. Look, our client gave up someone who can provide an alibi, clear his charges. The witness is in Texas, and Frank is going to need my help with this one," she explains everything she knows.
"Frank requested you come with him?"
She rolls her eyes, moving around him to her dresser. "No, in fact, he told Annalise it wasn't a good idea but she insisted. And really, he is going to need me down there. Spanish will be needed, and I've heard Frank try to speak Spanish. It's not good," she tries to joke but it doesn't lighten the mood in the way she thought it would.
"Can't you just tell her you can't go?" he asks.
Her brow furrows. "This is our job, Wes," she starts slowly.
"No." He shakes his head, placing his hands on his hips. "You've been acting weird ever since he came back, and I'm not stupid. I know you missed him."
She doesn't deny it. They both know it's the truth. She's never hidden that.
He continues, "And you going on this trip isn't a good idea. Just tell her no. You have classes anyway. They got along fine without us before we all started; there's no reason they need you for this. But if you're going to go without trying to get out of it, then I think we have to be done. I can't do this."
She lets him finish even though she wants to stop him, cut him off but she lets him have this. She focuses on gathering what she's going to need instead.
She looks at him once he appears to be done, stopping in her task.
"Wes," she starts softly. "You're being ridiculous."
She walks over to him and glances up at him with a smile. She reaches out, placing her hand on his stomach and sliding it around to his side.
"This is our job, Wes. You have nothing to worry about," she tells him. "But we haven't been dating that long, and even if we had been, you don't have the right to get jealous and possessive like this." He's about to contradict her; she can see it so she continues on quickly. "I can't get on Annalise's bad side just to make you happy. You know that," she pleads, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek. "So, please just try to understand where I'm coming from, okay?"
He sighs and looks down at her for several moments before leaning down and kissing her, hard. When he pulls away she can still see the anger in his eyes but his voice sounds softer when he answers. "Okay, yeah, you're right."
"It's going to be okay. There's nothing to worry about, and we'll talk every day," she tells him, moving away then and back to her luggage. She can feel his eyes on her the entire time. She looks back to him and smiles brightly, trying to make this as casual as she can. "Now come on, help me finish packing so that we can get to bed. We both have to get up early tomorrow," she reminds him.
He smiles a little then, and it makes her feel a bit better.
"Well, I don't know how much sleep you're going to be getting," he teases. She laughs, trying to let the normalcy return, trying to shut off the thoughts of Frank. It never works for long.
