I from her ruby lips a giggle erupted, her body shaking softly to make the can she held between her fingers rattle. He smiled against her neck where his lip caused the sound. His vision was blurred and his mind was set on only her. Her shirt was too tight and constricting against her full chest, while those jeans squeezed her ass in just the right way. He reached out and took the can away from her, placing it on the counter and then swiftly pushed her on top of it, her legs wrapping around his waist. He couldn't recall the removal of his shirt between their sloppy kisses, but lifting her shirt above her head was more than memorable. His memory evaded him, he only saw the trail of their clothes to one of their rooms leading them to the bed. Misguided and not aware of their actions, skin pressed against skin. Her silky voice whispered in his ear…

"Greg, Greg! GREGORY HOJEM SANDERS!" Frankie screamed into the young investigator's ear, who had fallen asleep at the break room table.

He bolted upright into a seated position and noticed he was flushed. The stress of his job had gotten to him, evoking his unnatural slumber. He needed a release. He found it hard to look at her while she spoke, and he let out a sigh when she departed, leaving him with results. He rubbed his face and went to find Catharine to give her their new results. He perused the report and grinned, Frankie had helped break their case. He found Catharine in the layout room looking through their case file and all the photos from the scene.

"Hey Cath, we got a break through, thanks to Aphrodite." Greg told his superior, not realizing his choice in words.

"Who?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, old habit. Frankie ran some DNA and we have results."

He gave her the file, to which Catharine glanced over and then looked up at her colleague. "Why do you call her that?"

"Frankie's half Greek, it's her middle name."

Catharine nodded and Greg tried to ignore the suspicious look in her eyes.

In the locker room, Frankie was depositing her bobby pins into the top shelf and running her hands through her hair to give it that edge she liked so much. She had gotten a lot of evidence logged in and knew it was safe enough to clock out. She slammed the door of her locker and nearly jumped at Henry standing there.

"Henry, don't do that!" She scolded.

He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, you done?"

She nodded. "Why? You wanna go for that coffee now?"

He nodded. "Yea. Let's get to it."

He placed a friendly hand on the small of her back, guiding the two of them to the parking lot. This didn't go unnoticed, for at that moment Greg had looked up from his work spacing out and noticing his best friend departing. He knew the resentment he felt and was attempting to ignore it, but Catharine who was working beside him on laying out the suspect's bloody clothes on the white sheet of paper, noticed immediately. Before having to say anything to him, Greg snapped out of it and went back to his work, hoping it would help him forget it. Little did Greg know that in the coffee shop Henry was helping the older man on so many levels.

Henry watched Frankie dip her head closer to her large mug and take a sip of the dark liquid. "What's with you and Greg?" He asked.

Frankie sighed and placed her cup again on the table in front of her. "Not you too, Henry. Look, Greg protected me in college and kept me out of trouble when my brothers couldn't. We never dated, if that's what you want to know."

"But there was something there."

She took another sip. "Perhaps, but Greg and I are simply best friends, I mean yeah I broke up with many boyfriends because they clashed, but Greg's my best friend. Have you heard from Wendy?"

Henry shook his head, but wasn't letting the topic go. "Mandy called her a week ago, she's coping and missing the lab. Is it true that Greg didn't lose his virginity until he was 22?"

"Henry! Enough about Greg Sanders. What have you been up to? And yes, as far as I am aware."

Henry sighed and put his own coffee cup down. "It's just I worry about you and even though I didn't make you happy, someone else can. I see the way he looks at you and how you bend over backwards to take care of him. Maybe it's the history you two have or because of your maternal instincts, but I think you two could have something."

Frankie looked down at her watch, not particularly pleased with the way the conversation was going. She had asked Henry out for coffee to hear about what he has been doing lately and to reestablish their friendship. She didn't want to hear him of all people telling her to go after Greg Sanders. "You know, I have to get going and take my kid to school." She stood up and kissed Henry on the cheek. "I'll see you later and perhaps we can do this again sometime without speaking of Greg."

Henry nodded at the older woman that he couldn't help but want to save. Frankie Bentivegna would only be saved on her on accord, no one else's. He knew he shouldn't have questioned it for he knew she did what she pleased. Sighing in defeat, Henry departed from the shop and made his way home. As for Frankie she almost got pulled over trying to get home in time to fix breakfast for her son. Immersing herself into working all the time had put a damper on their relationship and Frankie was not pleased about it. Worst of all, he had asked her if Greg was his father and she wasn't about to start that argument. Dorian was only eight; they weren't supposed to start fighting until he was at least thirteen. Although she feared the mother conflict she had with her own was passed down to make Dorian despise her and that wasn't something she was prepared for.

She put the keys into the front door and slowly opened it, trying to be as quiet as possible so she didn't wake either of the boys occupying the house. The smell of fresh brewed coffee alerted her that one of them was awake. Seeing both of them sitting there in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal each, and Alexander sipping a coffee flavored milk was a surprise to her. Frankie crossed the room and left a kiss on Dorian's head. He smiled at his mother, but he could tell she was completely stressed out, and that worried him.

"Hey mom, are you okay?"

Frankie nodded. "Isn't it still too early for you to be up?"

Dorian shook his head. "We should leave in the next ten minutes."

"Oh, I must have taken longer when I went out for coffee with Henry. You remember Henry, don't you? He works graveyard shift as the toxicologist in the lab. Leave your bowl sweetheart, I'll clean up, you just go get ready for school."

Dorian left the room and Frankie went about cleaning what was on the kitchen table. Alexander halted her, "Francesca, Johnny called."

She nodded. "We spoke, he apologized for taking the bitch's side and he said he wanted to come out and meet Dorian. I think he misses being our second eldest brother."

"I know, just be careful sis, I worry about you."

"I know Alexander, but Johnny could never hurt anyone it's our other brother that I fear the most."

Dorian entered the room ready to leave and Frankie smiled at her bright young son. "Alright, let's go."

The sounds of thrashing drums and deep bass erupted into her car, while Frankie drove her only son to school. The transplants had been a popular favorite with Dorian, even though that shampoo commercial distorted their image. Dorian recited the events of his last hockey game and how he had scored a goal, while they stay idle at the red light. When the light changed, Frankie's foot tapped the gas but she hadn't seen the premeditated acceleration of the crossing vehicle ramming into the side of the car. All she could worry about was her son's well being until the smoke and fog sent her into the great abyss.

Author's note: Props to anyone that understands the line about the transplants and a shampoo commerical