When the women arrived down stairs Francesca was on the phone with Frank. Frank dated Blake for about thirteen months before they had hit a stalemate and mutually decided that they were better off as friends. A few weeks later Elini showed up in town without Alan-Michael. She wanted to work on her relationship with Marina and get to know her grandson but her daughter was being very difficult about it. As usual, Frank found himself in between the two, and convinces Marina to at least let her mother attend her up coming nuptials to Shayne. After a few months of Elini'e persistence, she and her daughter managed to call a truce and at some point their relationship went beyond merely tolerating one another. Frank and Elini ended up reliving old feelings and decided to give it a go once again. The two of them wanted to begin their new relationship elsewhere. Something about old wounds and fresh starts, so they headed to Greece. Frank loved his kids, but Marina was an adult with a family of her own and Frank couldn't help shake the feeling that he was the odd man out where Francesca was concerned. He didn't see himself being more than an uncle to the girl. At least that's how he rationalized his decision to Natalia and Olivia. Olivia felt offended for her baby's sake until he explained that he would dissolve any rights to custody over the toddler before he left the country so that Olivia could adopt her. Frank came to visit at least once a year and called Francesca a few times a month.
"I love you too daddy, bye," Francesca exclaimed with excitement before hanging up the phone. She didn't see Frank often but she loved him anyway. "Daddy said to tell you hi," their little girl squealed to Olivia.
"Oh, I'm sorry I missed him," Olivia replied as she ran her hands over her daughter's ponytail. She genuinely meant it. From the time of Natalia and Frank's aborted wedding until the time he left the country with Elini, the animosity between the two could be felt more often than not. When he opted to leave town it subsided nearly right away. Frank could see that he and Natalia weren't meant to be. He had accepted as much. With Frank no longer around to throw the fact that he was Francesca's father in Olivia's face, she no longer had the overwhelming urge to punch him in his. When she admitted it to herself, part of the annoyance was that the thought of Frank touching Natalia in such an intimate way, while Olivia was in love with her, made her ill. Logically she knew it wasn't Frank's fault. In fact he had been a victim of the denial and confusion that she and Natalia were going through. He couldn't have known that Natalia was running away from her feelings for the Olivia by having pity sex with him. Nor could he have known that Olivia was pushing him and Natalia together out of some misguided attempt to give the woman she loved all the things she deserved. Yet she still wondered how he could propose to a woman who had never once said "I love you" to him much less go through with a wedding. Olivia shook the thought out of her mind and went off to hug Evan and Ava.
"How's my grandson today?" Olivia was down right giddy.
"He's a little grumpy today Grandmom," Ava answered for the sulking child by her side.
"Well let's see what we can do about that," Natalia bent down to the boy and held out her hand. He took it.
"Grandma has some peanut butter cookies just for you and Chessy." The two children followed Natalia into the kitchen. Ava smiled as she watched her son follow. He loved Natalia as much as he loved Olivia. It made her feel so warm inside to see how many people were there for her and her child.
She tried to hate Natalia for leaving her mom the way she had. She saw herself how devastated her mother had been. She had even heard stories about how Olivia unraveled during the time of Natalia's absence. But whenever Ava tried to hate Natalia, she'd end up thinking about how she gave her mother Gus' heart so that she could live. She'd think about how Natalia struggled to keep her mother alive when Olivia had lost her will to live, and how she managed to give that will back. So when Olivia informed Ava that the two had gotten back together, she was relieved that she didn't have to hold on to that anger. She didn't quite know how to take the whole "you have a new brother who once shot your father and a new baby sister on the way" at first, but after seeing how happy her mom and sister were she grew to love their family every bit as much as Emma did.
"Don't start Mom," Ava began to fuss as soon as the little ones got out of ear shot.
"What?" Olivia said rather surprised.
"Mom I'm not in the mood to hear whatever it is you have to say about Ian," Ava declared and crossed her arms.
"Okay."
"Thank you." Ava smiled at her victory. Then she began to furrow her eyebrows and shot her mother a glair that only a Spencer could master. "Wait a minute, that was too easy."
"Oh come on." Olivia came to her own defense. "Oh okay, I promised your stepmother that I would be on my best behavior," Olivia said defeated.
"I've got to say that I love that you're so whipped," Ava giggled.
Olivia attempted to look offended but failed miserably. She was glad too. No one else could put her in her place like the feisty Latina she'd married. Her wife completely had her eating out of the palm of her hands and oddly enough Olivia was more than okay with it. She'd embraced the fact that those soft brown eyes and the dimples that graced her beloved's face were going to be her undoing long ago. "Speaking of being whipped, my wife says that I have to chaperone your husband and Rafe in the back."
"Ashlee's back there now, I doubt Rafe will step out of line. Maybe I should go join her and keep Ian in check."
"You sound like you don't trust me." A mischievous smile took over Olivia's face. "Go on. I'll go see if I can sneak a cookie with the kids."
Mother and daughter walked into the kitchen. "They decided to reign in their own husbands," the older woman announced as Ava approached the back door.
"It's our job." Ava sighed and headed out the back door. Evan quickly leaped up from the chair he'd occupied at the table and followed his mother, cookie in hand.
Francesca sat at the table eating a cookie. Emma sat across from her perusing the New York University website on her laptop. "Look Ma, These are the dorms I'll be staying in." Emma could see how hard it was for her Ma to let go. She knew her mother and her father were dreading the upcoming separation as well, but her Ma was having a difficult time keeping the sadness out of her eyes. She hoped that if she could show her all of the things the school had to offer and explain everything she could about the campus, Natalia might be able to come around.
"That's nice sweetie. I'm sure they'll be great," Natalia smiled wide, though her eyes didn't seem to get the memo.
"When we drive down there your mom and I should take you to get some things to decorate your room with. I can't have you that far away and not make sure you have everything you need." Emma and Olivia both smiled at the obvious attempt to sound happy.
"Ma, that would be great. We can pick it out together," Emma replied with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
Olivia watched as Natalia walked over to their Jellybean, enveloping her in her arms, and kissed her on the head. "I can't believe how fast time has gone by. And now you're leaving us. I'm going to miss you so much."
Emma was about to make a comment when Francesca threw down what was left of her cookie and leapt to her feet.
"It's not fair!" The little girl wailed, her skinny legs taking her out of the kitchen in a blur.
All three pairs of eyes looked at the spot Francesca had just abandoned trying to fathom what had just happened.
"I'll go," Olivia left the kitchen with no word of protest following her.
The door was open but Olivia still took the time to knock on the door that had her youngest daughter's name emblazoned in pink letters. She didn't wait for a reply. "What's going on Chessy?" she went over and stood next to the pink princess bed that Francesca was laying on. The little girl had her face buried in a pillow refusing to answer. "Sweetie, Mommy can't make it better if you don't talk to me," Olivia urged.
Francesca sat up looking at her mommy. "I don't want Emma to go away," the little girl sniffled. It just about broke Olivia's second heart. Her little girl looked so much like Natalia and the pout they shared was difficult to take at best. She was sure Emma had some ounce of Rivera biologically because she seemed to have the same effect on her.
"Come here," Olivia said softly. Francesca complied. Olivia bent down and hoisted her daughter up onto her side.
"I'm too old for this," Olivia thought as she held the girl up.
"Mommy, your not 'posta pick me up," Francesca said with a little giggle. Olivia half laughed at the mispronunciation her daughter had just made. "Mama's not going to like it."
Olivia contemplated telling the girl that it would be okay just this once but then she realized that her little girl wasn't quite so little any more and her body could feel as much. "I guess you're right. " Olivia set the girl down on the bed and sat down next to her. "Come sit in my lap then." Francesca was quick to oblige. "So you're sad that you're sister isn't going to be here as much anymore?" She said it like a question but she knew the answer already.
"Uh-huh." The child said it so softly that it almost didn't register to Olivia's ears.
"Philip, and Mama, and me are sad too," Olivia said sympathetically.
"Then why don't you tell her you want her to stay?" Francesca's voice remained quiet.
"Sweetie we talked about this. Emma's almost grown up. She wants to see what it's like to live somewhere new and meet people from other places. One day you're going to want to do the same and your Mama and I are going to have to let you go too."
"I don't ever want to go away." Francesca declared.
Olivia smiled at her daughter thinking about how much she wished that would be true when Francesca's graduation from high school came. "I think you will," Olivia countered softly.
"Who's going to take me out to feed the ducks and take me out on sister days?"
"I'm going to come home to visit," Emma interjected before her mom could answer.
"It won't be the same," Francesca retorted quietly.
"No it won't but I'll see you during holidays, and at Christmas, and spring break. You'll have me during the summers. When I'm gone we can talk on the phone. Maybe we can convince Mom and Ma to let you visit too. You can also see Ava and Even there, maybe even Uncle Sam. And we'll make sure that during every trip we have at least one sister day with just you and me." Emma knelt down in front of her little sister and wrapped her arms around her. "I could never stay away from you too long."
When Olivia looked up at the bedroom door and saw tears falling from her wife's big brown eyes and she could no longer hold back the tears that welled in her own. Natalia walked in the bedroom and joined in the hug. Olivia followed suit.