AN: This is 100% a cheese fest and I am not at all sorry about it.
"Will come on it's not that big of a deal, you're overreacting." Frankie shrugged putting her bag down on the counter. Will was pacing the kitchen. Even after all these years Frankie still found it cute when Will got all worked up.
"I'm overreacting?!" Will gaped, gripping the edge of the counter, "Frankie our girls tied a kid to the playground!"
"At least they used a figure eight knot." She mumbled under her breath. They had asked to learn how to tie their shoes so Frankie took it further and taught them how to tie other knots. They've been working on the figure eight knot for weeks and when the teacher said they had a hard time untying the kid she knew exactly what knot they used. A strange sense of pride filled her chest.
"Oh my god that's what your taking from this! The type of knot they used." Will huffed throwing his hands up in the air.
"I'm really sorry daddy." Eight year old Riley sniffled from behind Frankie's back. She had a child clutching to her belt loop on each side.
"We were just playing." Her sister Mia tried to defend in a small voice. Frankie smoothed her hands down her daughters' long honey brown hair, same as her own.
"Girls go to your room, mommy and I need to talk." He sighed, using a gentler voice when addressing the twins. They looked up at her with sad eyes, the same piercing green as Will's. All she wanted to do was comfort them but she knew they had to be a united front. The two watched their girls climb slowly up the stairs, waiting until they couldn't see them anymore to finish their conversation. Frankie couldn't hold back a small snicker, Will shot her a look. Apparently she was the only one who found the situation funny. "Frankie this is serious! We barely talked the principal out of suspension." Frankie winced nodding in agreement. Thank god Will was such a sweet talker because if she had been in there alone who knows what would have happened. Will and Frankie rushed to the school when they got a call saying they were needed in the principal's office. The secretary didn't give any more information than that and Frankie almost lost it. They walked in and saw their girls sitting by the door and the principal waiting for them. The teacher who caught them was furious, luckily the principal was able to calm her down, she wanted the girls expelled but even the principal agreed that was a little much. When the principal had said Riley tied up a little boy with a jump rope while Mia kept asking him 'what he knew' Frankie almost burst out laughing.
"You're kidding right?" Frankie snorted. The stern look she received from the principal told her she was 100% not kidding.
"Mrs. Chase I can assure you I'm not." She said shortly.
"I'm really sorry Principal Brown, it will not happen again you have our word." Will assured but the Principal didn't seem convinced.
"I should hope not Mr. Chase." She folded her hands together on the desk. "We don't condone violence at this school. I know your family is new but we have a wait list a mile long, if your girls aren't going to obey the rules I have no problem replacing them with children who can. Am I being clear?" she looked down on them over the rim of her glasses.
"Yes ma'am." The spies replied at the same time. Will held the door open for Frankie, Mia and Riley sitting patiently on the bench outside the office. Will waved for them to follow. Neither one said a word the entire drive home. This was the first time since they could talk that the parents had a silent car.
"This is your fault." He chuckled shaking his head.
"What how!" Frankie said defensively.
"You're the one always playing spies with them in the backyard." Will pointed out. Frankie smiled fondly. She loves teaching them simple defense moves and the girls love it just as much. The two of them run around the backyard for hours, hunting each other down, trying to outsmart the other.
"Hey they love that game!" Frankie swatted his arm playfully. "And don't think I don't see you letting them take you down with a leg kick." She wiggled her finger at him. "Sorry for trying to bond with our children, I won't make that mistake again." She said sarcastically, running a hand over her large bump. Will's smile softened as he wrapped her in his arms, Frankie folded against his chest.
"What are we gonna do?" He sighed.
"I don't know." She whispered back.
"They can't go around tying people up." He rest his cheek against the top of her head.
"I know."
"How about no tv for a week?" Will suggested taking a seat next to Frankie on the couch.
"I think that's fair." Frankie agreed grabbing his hand, "Girls can you come down her please!" she yelled. Normally when they called for their kids it was like a herd of elephants coming down the stairs. Today a mouse would have made more noise. The two wordlessly sat down on the couch across from them.
"What you did today was wrong, you girls know that right?" Will said firmly but calmly. Two little heads nodded in response.
"The principal already told us what happened but we think it's fair if you tell us your side." Frankie said. Frankie never treated the girls like they were children, she always let them tell their side of the story without jumping to conclusions. Given her line of work she learned time and time again that one side of the story isn't always the right side of the story. It was important to give them the benefit of the doubt; god Will has made her soft.
"Well," Riley started looking down at her hands, no surprise she was the one to speak first. She was fiery just like Frankie. Whenever the girls got into some sort of mischief it was always Riley leading the way, "at first we were all just playing. We were playing a game of chase. And then Colton started saying mean things to Mia so I asked if he wanted to play spies and we tied him up."
"We were just playing a game but he started yelling and calling for the teacher." Mia added in softly.
"What kinds of things was he saying to you Mia?" Will asked. She started to sniffle.
"Hey, hey, baby it's okay." Frankie took her hands in her own, "We aren't going to yell at you we just want to know what happened."
"He was saying that my freckles were ugly." She said at barely above a whisper. Frankie's heart broke, the dusting of freckles across her nose was one of the cutest things she'd ever seen. "And he said since Riley didn't have them and that she's taller than me that we aren't real twins he said that we're lying." Frankie could see her lip tremble and eyes fill up with tears. Frankie opened her arms and Mia climbed across the arm of the couch and curled into her lap.
"I tried to tell him that we are twins but he said we can't be twins because we don't look the exact same and to be twins you have to look the exact same." Riley chimed in. Will and Frankie looked at each other with painful glances.
"Mia honey," Will rubbed her back, she turned her face against Frankie's chest to look at him. "I think your freckles are beautiful and they're what make you our little Mia pie." He tickled her stomach causing her to laugh. "And twins don't always have to look the same you know, there are some twins who don't look anything alike. You guys just happen to be the twins that do look the same." He then turned to Riley, "and Riley-bear you aren't any less beautiful than your sister because you don't have freckles." He pulled her in for a hug and wrapped his arms around Frankie and Mia. "All my girls are girls are beautiful and I'm so thankful for each one of you." He gave Mia and Riley a kiss on the forehead and Frankie a quick peck on the lips.
"And you girls are absolutely twins!" Frankie added, "I'm got the stitches to prove it." She mumbled to herself and Will hit her shoulder laughing. "Okay but girls look at me. What Colton said to you was wrong and he shouldn't have done that. But that doesn't make what you guys did right. What do I tell you when your sister does something to you and you do it back?"
"Two wrongs don't make a right." Mia and Riley echoed.
"That's right. Just because someone hurts us doesn't mean we have to hurt them back. Next time someone says something mean to you tell the teacher, don't tie them to the slide, got it?" Frankie raised an eyebrow at them.
"Yes ma'am" the two said instantly.
"I know you girls are sorry but we still have to punish you, so I'm sorry but no tv for a week." Will reprimanded. He was met with a chorus of disapproval and begging. Frankie could see how badly he wanted to give in. These girls have had him wrapped around their fingers since day one. He hated when they were upset, especially when he was the one who caused it.
"You heard daddy, now go wash up its almost time for dinner." Frankie smiled, scooting Mia off her lap so they could go play. "And lets only play spies in the house okay?" Frankie added as an afterthought.
"How did you learn all that spy stuff anyway mommy?" Riley asked. Will sent her a knowing look.
Frankie looked around, like someone might overhear, before leaning in towards the girls and stage whispering, "because daddy and I used to be spies for the FBI and CIA, we traveled all over the world fighting bad guys!" The girls looked at her with wide eyes before breaking out into giggles.
"That's silly mommy you weren't a spy!" Mia giggled grabbing Riley by the hand and running upstairs. Frankie looked at Will and chuckled leaning back against his chest.
"Can't say we never told them." He smirked
"Nope." She replied popping the 'p'. "Look at that, you're finally taking my approach with the tough love." Frankie teased pinching his thigh.
"Ugh did you see their eyes! I wanted to give in so bad." He dramatically placed his hand over his heart.
"Well they have your eyes so how do you think I've felt for years." Frankie laughed. It was hard enough saying no to one pair of those eyes, let alone three.
"Maybe this little guy will get your eyes so you can see why I fell head over heels that night at the bar." He placed a gentle kiss to her temple and rubbed a hand over her bump.
"I tried to kill you multiple times that mission if I recall." She deadpanned.
"Only made me fall harder." He whispered against her hair.