Title: Blame It On The Alcohol
Rating: Teen
Pairing/Characters: Frank/Laurel, Frank Delfino, Laurel Castillo, Annalise Keating, Bonnie Winterbottom
Spoilers: Up to 3x02
Summary: "Why don't you try calling him again?" Annalise asks. Missing/extended scene from 3x02.
"Come on, I'll take you home," Bonnie says in her direct way as their game comes to an end, and Laurel finishes her drink. Her brow furrows.
"You shouldn't drive," Laurel says in a teasing tone. Her words are slurred. She's had more to drink than she wanted. In fact, she didn't really want to drink at all. Since she told Annalise about what Frank did to Lila, she's been avoiding alcohol and the bad decisions that tend to come with it.
Still Bonnie had asked her to come out tonight, and she did because she hasn't been able to stop thinking about Frank, about how much she loves him and misses him. And about how worried she is about him, not knowing where he is. She thought Bonnie, of all people, would understand that.
She sees Bonnie hesitate before sighing in a way Laurel doesn't completely follow. She's a little too impaired to interpret. "That's true," the short blonde starts. "I'll call Annalise. She'll pick us up."
"Nooo," Laurel draws out. "Won't she be mad?"
"It'll be fine," Bonnie dismisses, and Laurel stays silent as she calls, following her through the bar.
"Do you think Frank still loves me?" she can't help asking several minutes later as they wait outside.
Bonnie sighs, clearly annoyed. "Laurel," she says shortly, cutting off any more talk of him.
In fact, Laurel doesn't talk again, not even when Annalise arrives. Her thoughts are on Frank, and that's clearly something Bonnie doesn't want to entertain. She climbs into the back seat of Annalise's car, worried she's about to get some sort of lecture. She doesn't though, and it isn't long before she's starting to fall asleep. But about half way to her house, Annalise speaks, glancing at Laurel through the rearview mirror.
"Have you heard from Frank, Laurel?" she asks, and it surprises Laurel to hear that she doesn't sound upset. Laurel sits up and shakes her head.
"No," she says softly.
"Laurel's been leaving voicemails," Bonnie jumps in, and Laurel's eyes widen. Didn't Bonnie just say that Annalise would be angry if she found out?
"It's okay, Laurel," Annalise tells her. Her tone sounds softer than she usually does. It's confusing. "You're worried about him. I am too."
"You are?" That doesn't sound right.
"Of course I am. He's family, as upset with him as I am," Annalise says. "But we can't fix anything if he doesn't come home."
"You want him to?" she asks hesitantly. "You said this summer—"
"I know what I said. I needed some time but now, I want him to come home so we can work it out."
"I don't know where he is, though. I call him but he doesn't answer," Laurel divulges.
They stop then outside her apartment building, and Annalise looks back at her. "Why don't you try calling him again?" Annalise asks.
"Now?"
"Yes, let him know that we've talked, and we want him to come home," she suggests.
Laurel pauses, thinking it through. "Why don't you call him?" she asks. Frank would want to hear from Annalise, she's sure.
"He's not going to believe me, Laurel." Annalise shakes her head. "He thinks I'm really mad at him but he trusts you, and so maybe if it comes from you, he'll respond to that."
Laurel nods after a moment. "Okay." She rummages around in her purse, clumsily looking for her phone.
When she finds it, she looks up Frank's number and has to stop herself from not staring at his picture before hitting the green call button and bringing the phone up to her ear.
She hopes that Frank's listening and that he'll hear how much she misses him and wants him to come home. She hopes it will work.
[It's Frank. Leave a message.]
She smiles. She misses his voice.
She takes a breath. "Frank… please, just come home," she starts, a pleading tone in her voice. "I spoke with Bonnie and Annalise, and they want you back too. They're not mad. No one's mad. So, please come back to us." A small smile crosses her face as she thinks about seeing him again. She doesn't know if it's enough. And she needs it to be enough. She needs him to know how much she misses him.
"I love you," she adds softly, sincerely, finally saying to him what she feels, hoping he can hear how much.
Taking a breath, she hangs up.
"Was that okay?" she asks, looking down at his contact picture. She's definitely drunk, and so really she just hopes she's making sense, that she said what she needed to.
She leans forward between the seats looking for Annalise's approval.
"Perfect. Now, you just got to go see your father."
Wait. What? She thinks looking over to Annalise. Her eyes widen slightly at the directive. Why does she need to see him?