Hey!

As promised a new chapter, I hope you all enjoy it!
I want to thank all of you for reading my story and leaving some lovely comments behind! I love it!
I wish you all a happy new year! May your dreams come true!

Disclaimer: I don't own Wentworth or these characters!

Three weeks after finally becoming a real couple, Franky and Bridget had fallen into an easy going routine. Franky would come and sleep over on Wednesday and Saturday, while on Sunday the couple would spend the day together doing something fun and interesting outside the house. Although both women felt comfortable in each other's company and did trust one another, Bridget sensed that the younger woman was holding a lot back from her. When they were together Franky would always be on 'her best behavior', making sure Bridget was alright and that she would never push the older woman into doing something she didn't want to. Even when that was really sweet, the psychologist was a little concerned about her behavior. Back in prison, Bridget had falling in love with Franky for so many different reasons, but one being that Franky always stood up for the people she loves. Bridget knew that Franky longed for deep conversations and that she was great with words, but these last few weeks the younger woman had barely shared anything deep with Bridget. She knew that Franky had been studying hard to get her degree on time and that in the meantime she already started looking into some jobs. At night they would share some sweet and intimate moments together on the couch or in Bridget's bed. As it turned out Franky loved to cuddle up closely to the psychologist, leaving almost no room between their bodies. As far as being intimate goes both women had decided to take things slowly, so having sex was still not in order and that was okay. But that didn't mean they hadn't touched each other just yet. Some nights Franky would fall asleep, while one hand rested on Bridget naked stomach or Bridget's hand playfully stroking the younger woman's' hips or bum. But despite all that Bridget knew that something else was going on with Franky.

Late at Saturday night, when both women were already lying in bed Bridget took the opportunity to start a conversation about what she was feeling and thinking.

"Honey, you're still awake?" Bridget whispered, nuzzling the other woman's neck lovingly.

"Hmmm yeah Gidge?" Franky spoke quietly, her voice a little thick with sleep already catching up on her.

"You're okay Franky?" Bridget asked tentatively, urging Franky to lay down on her back, so the psychologist could hover over her body making sure she could see Franky's face, with a little amount of light illuminating the room.

"I am, why is something wrong?" Franky responded, feeling quite uneasy with Bridget's serious question.

Bridget could feel Franky's rapid heartbeat under her fingers, where her hand rested on the younger woman's neck. The psychologist slowly kissed Franky on the lips, before she started speaking.

"Yes and no… I mean you and I, we're great." Bridget spoke, lovingly stroking Franky's neck and cheek trying to reassure the woman. "You're not your usual self, honey. What's going on?" Bridget continued.

"There's nothing going on Gidge, I'm fucking great!" Franky put into words quite harshly, trying to get on her side so she didn't have to face Bridget gaze.

"Franky…" Bridget whispered, getting emotional but a little frustrated as well. "Talk to me please?" The psychologist asked, encircling the younger woman's waist and pressing her chest against Franky's back.

Franky felt Bridget's fingertips creeping up under her tank top, tracing her abdomen for the first time and almost discovering her tattoo there. More precisely the old scars on her stomach, who she made into a nice tattoo trying to cover them up somehow. Franky covered Bridget hand on her stomach with her own, effectively stopping the other woman's movements.

After a few minutes, Franky started to speak, her voice sounding small and uncertain. Bridget guessed the younger woman was close to crying, which gave her the impression that Franky was indeed not alright.

"I feel confused…"

"About what honey?" Bridget lovingly responded. "Can you look at me Franky?"

"Hmmm." Franky murmured, turning around so she was facing Bridget. Seeing the worry and she guessed the love in the other woman's eyes, made it impossible to hold everything in any longer. A few tears escaped Franky's eyes, but she quickly brushed them away feeling stupid for her behavior.

"It's okay." Bridget voiced, making Franky look her in the eyes by placing a hand under the woman's chin.

"I don't deserve to be here." Franky whispered, after her breathing was back under control.

"Why do you think that Franky?" Bridget questioned, giving Franky the opportunity to be completely open.

I'm not a good person." Franky spoke quietly, more tears making their way down her cheeks, crying openly for the first time since being out of prison.

"You are Franky. I know you are!" Bridget told her.

"How could you say that Bridget! I've fucking killed someone, I burned that man, I smuggled so many drugs inside prison, I've hurt so many people… I don't deserve to be here, I don't deserve you…" Franky put into words, so many emotions coming out all at once. The younger woman tried to hide from Bridget by trying to cover her face with both her hands, but the psychologist was faster. Before Franky knew it, Bridget moved her entire body on top of Franky's, resting her upper body on her upper arms but placing both hands on Franky's cheeks while Franky lie down on her back. Franky looked away, afraid to see what Bridget was thinking and feeling.

"Look at me Franky?" Bridget asked, kissing the younger forehead lovingly, before looking into her troubled green eyes. Tears still springing from her eyes. "You have to let go of your past honey. Yes, you have done some bad things, but you've paid for them. You've done your time. You are so much more than the mistakes you've made Franky! You are such a kind person and you feel very deeply and in less than two months you will graduate. You took your life into your own hands and you deserve to be happy! Regardless of your past." Bridget put into words carefully, never breaking eye-contact with Franky. Bridget knew that the other woman was not ready to hear the next words, but the psychologist felt the need to voice them anyway.

"Not everything is your fault Franky, you didn't deserve the things you went through as a child."

"Stop!" Franky interrupted, trying to move Bridget's body away from her. But Bridget anticipated the move and stayed exactly where she was. "You deserved to be loved as a child as well as an adult and not been abused by your mother or left behind by your father. It may have changed you into this angry woman at some point, but you're not that person anymore. Every day I see you working so hard to change and become better person."

Bridget had read Franky's thick personal file when she first started counselling the woman and she would never understand how a mother or father could to all these terrible things toward their children. Some of these children would never get a second chance to live the life they wanted and deserved, always being suppressed by the memories and reminders of the abuse, physical and/or emotional. But Franky was not one of them. Yes, Franky may have been lost for a really long time, but she herself had decided to change once she started studying and started to make up for all the fucked up things she had done while in prison and even before she ended up there.
Bridget also had seen some pictures of Franky's naked torso, back and other body parts, as part of her file. It stored some medical reports when the younger woman had been part of a fight during her stay in prison. She guessed that, although Franky was not shy of being physical with women, Franky was not so eager to let Bridget touch her naked body. Sex was one thing, but being intimate and letting Bridget explore every inch of her body was not something Franky was ready for. And Bridget understood that, but they needed to be open about that, if they wanted to make their relationship work. Franky really needed to talk about her thoughts and feelings at some point.

"I can't talk about it…" Franky cried openly, feeling like she needed to escape the situation. She adored Bridget, but she was not ready to talk about some things. She would never be ready…

"You can Franky, you're strong enough. You can't keep it all in honey." Bridget spoke, brushing and kissing away some of Franky's fallen tears on her cheeks.

"It won't change anything." Franky whispered. "I don't want to, I'm fine."

"You're not fine Franky."

"It was nothing, I don't fucking care about it anymore." Franky mumbled. "I need to…" Franky spoke, trying to push Bridget away from her, so she could hide.

Bridget saw Franky losing control, panic slowly taking over her mind and body. The younger woman's body was trembling under Bridget's weight, her heart beating too fast. Bridget knew that Franky's past was of limits, but she hadn't envisioned Franky reacting so deeply. It was hurting the psychologist to see the woman she was so in love with like this. Although Bridget had heard so many stories of abuse these last twenty years as a psychologist, it was too difficult to distance herself from this situation.

"Breath honey." Bridget whispered lovingly. The psychologist put some distance between them, sensing that Franky needed it. Immediately Franky got up and sat down on top of the covers, bringing her knees up against her torso and placing her arms around her legs feeling more safe in that position. Bridget copied Franky's actions and placed one hand on the other woman's back, while her other hand found it way on Franky's knees. Franky breathing was getting more labored, feeling like she was losing control.

"Breath in with me Franky." Bridget gently spoke. "And out." The psychologist repeated these same words, mimicking them in action, until she felt Franky's heartbeat going down and seeing her breathing more slowly.

"You're okay." Bridget quietly spoke, when Franky rested her head on the older woman's shoulder, completely drained emotionally as well as physically.

"I don't want to talk about it." Franky voiced after a while, her voice raw from crying.

"I know…" Bridget whispered. Seeing Franky going through something this heavy was hard and it felt even harder that she couldn't help her.

"I am so sorry Gidge."

"There's nothing to be sorry about honey."

"There is, I should be able to talk about my past and about what I feel for you, but I don't know how…" Franky put into words, looking up into Bridget's eyes. The younger woman could see the worry reflecting in them and could not understand how Bridget could be this understanding. Seeing this brought some fresh tears to the surface, feeling so exhausted.

"You will get there. I just don't want you to hide what you really feel from me. I worry." Bridget voiced out, encircling Franky's body in a tight hug. Franky made herself as small as possible, feeling safe in the other woman's arms. Bridget lovingly placed a kiss on Franky's head, before resting her own head against hers.

Franky took several deep breaths, finally but slowly feeling more like herself, whatever that was, again. "Thank you."

"I'm here for you, always." Bridget spoke, her own eyes filling with tears. "I love you Franky."

Franky was at loss for any words, she had heard Bridget telling her that she loves her. But Franky was not ready yet to reciprocate these words. The two women stayed cuddled up closely together for a long time, no words needed.

"I've heard you Gidge." Franky whispered after a while.

"You don't have to say it back honey, take your time. I just want you to know what I feel." Bridget lovingly responded.

"Thank you, I know what I feel, but I can't. Not yet…"

"And that's okay, don't worry about it." Bridget put into words, placing a tender kiss on Franky's cheek.

"Thanks." Franky whispered, sleep catching up on her.

"Come on, some sleep would do you good." Bridget said, silently urging Franky to lay down with her, after kissing her tenderly. Bridget replaced the sheets on top of them, after they had made themselves comfortable in bed. "Try to get some sleep honey." The psychologist continued, spooning the younger woman's body immediately, kissing her neck tenderly.

"Gidge…"

"Hmmm?"

"Thank you." Franky uttered, before closing her eyes and falling asleep.