Thank you so much for the reviews! I'm happy you're enjoying the story.

Chapter 11

Laurel spends the rest of the day in her hotel room, alternating between tears and anger and angry tears. She keeps telling herself, it seems on a daily basis, that she's not going to let the bumps and the discouragement stop her from helping Frank. But it seems like roadblock after roadblock appears. It feels like as soon as she makes any progress, something pops up telling her that she should stop, let Frank go to jail for everything that he has done. That thought doesn't feel right either. But the alternative here could destroy the lives of so many people. Should she sacrifice Frank to protect the rest of them?

That thought hurts the most, and no, she can't do that to Frank. She tells herself it's because of everything he did for her. It's more than that; of course, it is. She can't allow herself to admit it, to analyze those thoughts, not when so many things can and are going wrong.

When she wakes up the next day, she knows she has to stop doubting herself and the reason that she's here. She can't let Annalise intimidate her. That's exactly what the woman wants, and if Laurel gives in, she'll be playing directly into her plans. Frank deserves better than that. He's given her so much, despite what Annalise could do to him, and she needs to give just as much back.

After getting ready for the day, Laurel makes her way to the jail for morning visiting hours. They won't let her make an appointment now that Frank has removed her as his attorney. And she wasn't sure how that little complication would affect her pro hac vice motion. When she had gotten a call that morning from the courthouse, she explained that it was just a misunderstanding and she's fixing it. Luckily the woman on the other end of the line was feeling generous—or maybe could just hear Laurel's desperation—and agreed not to invalidate it just yet. She knows that she's not going to be given a long reprieve.

It's the same woman from before when she enters the jail, and Laurel gives her a friendly smile, asking if it would be possible to visit with Frank as a friend and not an attorney. The officer contemplates that but eventually agrees. Laurel goes through security and is brought back to a public room, given a small cubicle, and told to wait. She looks at the people around her as she walks over. Visiting families talking on phones to the prisoners on the other side of the plexiglass. And she hates it. She hates that Frank is in this place.

She sits at the open cubicle towards the center and waits, thinking about what she's going to say to Frank. She's not going to have long but even more, he's not going to give her a lot of time. She's sure he'll continue to try and block her out, so her first few words need to make her point and quick.

It takes longer than she expected, and her eyes remain on the door he'll come through. Her thoughts start to stray to what it must be like for him in here. She doesn't know much beyond what she sees on TV and what she's learned in class, but she knows that jail conditions are not good and inmate relations are even worse. Frank can take care of himself, she's sure of that, but the thought of him being around hardened criminals and murderers worries her.

"Ms. Castillo?" she hears from behind her and turns to see a male officer motioning for her.

She's confused but gets up and walks towards him. "Is something wrong, officer?" she asks.

"The inmate doesn't want to see you," he tells her, unconcerned with sparing her feelings. "I'll need to escort you out."

She doesn't say anything, just takes a deep breath and nods, following him back towards the entrance where she can collect her things. The woman at reception gives her a sympathetic smile. Laurel just nods a goodbye and leaves the building, getting in her car to start her drive back to the hotel.

What is she going to do now? She should have expected it, that Frank would refuse after their meeting before, but she didn't. She hoped that he would have had time to think through his earlier decision, weigh her words, and realize that she still has something to offer him. She knows Annalise better than that, though. If Annalise almost made her give up, she can only imagine how much more effective those threats would be on Frank.

Maybe she can use his family. Maybe call his mom and let her know what's going on, get her to visit, and talk him into seeing Laurel. It could work. He'd do anything for his mom. She pulls over then, parking along the street by a park. She gets out and walks around, her phone in hand as she weighs this move. It's a last resort. She doesn't have the time to waste here. She has to get into see him, get through to him before their offer expires.

She's almost about to dial the number when she stops. This isn't what Frank wants. He asked her to tell his mom that he was okay. She doesn't need to know, he said. He'd hold it against her if she makes his mom worry even more about him, think that he might not get out of prison and actually be okay.

She'll have to go another direction.

But Bonnie isn't an option either; her text was very clear, and Laurel doesn't want her to get in even more trouble. It would tip off Annalise too; let her know that Laurel isn't actually giving up and going back to DC.

The sound of her phone ringing brings her out of her thoughts. She sighs when she sees the display.

"Hello," she answers, walking towards a bench to sit.

"Hello? That's all you're going to say." So, he's still angry.

"Mark," she starts softly. "I don't know what you're expecting from me. I told you that a friend needed my help. This is something that I need to do."

"I get that this is something you need to do," he spits back, and she flinches as the response. "I didn't think that would mean you'd just fall off the planet. I thought we'd still talk, that you'd at least respond to my texts. I am your boyfriend last time I checked."

She doesn't quite understand why this is making him so upset. Sure, they've been pretty serious, despite her inability to tell him she loves him… and, yeah, if it were her in his position, she'd probably be upset too.

"I'm sorry," she says, actually meaning it. "I didn't mean to cut you off. It's just… Mark, my friend is in jail for something they didn't do, and I'm trying to help but it's really complicated and it's not going well. It's just been a lot. I'm sorry. I should have contacted you, you're right."

There's silence on his end, longer than she'd like, but after a moment, she hears his sigh. "I've just been worried. And I've missed you. I see you every day, and then you go up to Philly and nothing."

"I know. I'll do better," she tells him. She'll try, sure, but her focus has to be on the task in front of her.

"How are you?" he asks, and his voice is now filled with care and love. She smiles at the familiarity of it.

"I'm tired," she says honestly.

"This friend is really important to you," he replies. The understanding in his voice makes her feel better. Maybe talking to her is all he needed to feel better too.

"Yes, and it's really hard. There are a lot of obstacles, and there's not a lot I feel like I can do." She doesn't mean to sound so defeated.

"It's not like you to give up," he tells her, and he's right.

"I'm not giving up," she says. "It's just— it's taking longer than I anticipated for it to come together. But this is something I need to do, so I can't give up. I don't want to."

"Well, give a guy a call once in a while, okay?" His tone is joking but she can hear something just under the surface—frustration or anger, maybe a little of both.

"I will," she says, pausing before adding quickly, "I love you." She still doesn't feel it but she had told herself before all of this that she was going to throw herself into this relationship full force. She doesn't want him to be angry and frustrated with her, and so maybe one day, the words will be true.

They feel wrong now though, like she can't stomach them.

He doesn't seem to notice that part, and instead, she hears a wide smile in his voice as he responds. "I love you too, Laurel."

"I'll text you later, okay?" she says, suddenly needing to get off the phone as quickly as she can.

"Okay. Talk to you later."

She hangs up and sighs, running a hand over her face. It's too much right now and not what she needs. It's harder to keep up the ruse when she's not actually in DC and with him. Now is not the time to deal with this.

Pushing it aside, her thoughts easily turn back to Frank and the situation at hand. She can't call his mom, can't call Bonnie, and so all she can really do is just not give up. She'll keep visiting, every day, until he gets so annoyed he'll finally meet with her. It might be only to tell her to stop but it will give her a chance to say something to him at least.

o0O0o0O0o0O0o

She goes back to the jail the next day and the day after that and the day after that and so on. Each day, they take her back to the small room with the other family members and inmates, and she sits and waits for several minutes before she's ultimately called out of the room and told the prisoner refuses to see her. Each day she leaves dejected and frustrated and upset. She just needs to see him now. She needs to see that he's okay, that he's surviving in that place.

She doesn't have too much to do after he turns her away but she doesn't contact Mark. She ignores his texts, doesn't give him the time she promised she would. She can't. It doesn't feel right to talk to him when she can't give him her full attention, when she doesn't want to.

And her law firm grows impatient, asking her to give an exact date for when she can start. She was supposed to start this week, and really, she doesn't know when she'll be back in DC. She has to see this through. Not knowing what to tell them, she ignores the email, hoping to buy herself a little more time.

Her mind is on Frank twenty-four-seven. She goes to the law library all day and looks through stacks of books and cases. She's trying to find some sort of precedent, something that she can use to maybe force Frank to take her as his representation. She doesn't have luck.

Wednesday afternoon, she gets a call. It's the DA. He asks her to come to his office and she agrees, though the pit of her stomach fills with dread. She packs up and makes her way over.

"Laurel," he greets, his tone actually friendly as he gestures to a chair. "Take a seat."

She does so, trying to steady her breathing.

"What's taking so long, Laurel?" he asks, and while his tone offers some support, she can also hear that he's losing patience.

"I just need a little more time. You don't know how Annalise can be, and she's had years to learn how to get to Frank," she explains. "I'm working on it… I thought I had until the end of the week," she reminds him.

"You do," he agrees with a nod, then sighs. "Have you even talked to him though since he changed lawyers?"

Laurel pauses but she knows her expression gives the answer away. She can't lie about this.

"No," she says softly, "but I haven't given up."

"I get that you want to help him. And I'm not blind to the fact that there are a lot of extenuating circumstances in his involvement, and in this situation, but I really can't wait forever. I've been contacted by his public defender; he wanting to set up a meeting," he discloses.

Laurel feels her heart sink. If the public defender gets a deal and brings it to Frank, Frank will take it, and then she'll lose any chance. She's about to protest but Denver cuts her off.

"I've pushed it off," he tells her, anticipating her response. "I told him I'll meet with him on Monday."

"Why would you do that?" she asks, unsure why it seems like Denver is trying to help her now.

"Because you've been right from the beginning Laurel. Frank is not who I want. But I can't wait forever here. So, you have until Friday, and then I will move forward with this case." His voice hardens, and his tone shifts, and she knows that it's the extent of his help and understanding. "If you can't get him here by Friday, ready to turn on Annalise, then the deal is off the table. I'm not going to offer him something better with the public defender; I'm not going to be inclined to offer him anything at all. If he's not here by Friday, I will go after him and everything he has done with the full force of this office behind me."

Laurel knows that he means it. Taking Frank down is better than nothing for him, and she knows that she can't keep going with her current plan. She has to make something happen.

After leaving Denver, she drives back to the jail on a mission. When she walks in, she's happy to see the familiar woman behind the reception desk.

"Honey," the officer starts wearily when she sees Laurel. "I know you want to see and help your friend but maybe it's time to give up. He's getting more and more combative every time we send someone back to get him. He doesn't want to see you, and I really don't think you continuing to show up is going to change that."

Laurel nods. She knows it's true but she can't give up. She looks down at the officer's nametag. "You're right, Officer Michaels," she agrees. "So, maybe you can help me out, please?"

The desperation in Laurel's voice seems to resonate with the female officer, and she sighs, gesturing for Laurel to continue.

"Maybe you don't tell him it's me? Tell him it's Bonnie Winterbottom?" she says, thinking up a plan as she talks. "He might be more willing to see her."

The officer looks reluctant. And Laurel can see that she doesn't think it will work. Officer Michaels shakes her head. "I don't know if that's the best idea," she says before lowering her voice and leaning forward towards Laurel, "I'm not supposed to do that, and if he complains, I could get in a lot of trouble."

Laurel nods but continues, "I know you have no reason to help me. I know that you don't know me or him. He's just another criminal to you, and I'm just another lawyer." She shrugs. "But I can't just leave him here to rot. And I can help him but he's scared. Please, I just need to be in the same room as him, and I know I can get through to him."

Officer Michaels weighs Laurel's words, and it's clear as soon as she resolves to help. "Okay, we'll try this once but then I can't help you like this again. You can't come in here with different names every day."

"I know. I won't," Laurel promises.

"You sure Bonnie Winterbottom is your best shot?" she asks, confirming that Laurel's sure.

"Yes, he'll meet with Bonnie."

"Okay," she agrees, getting everything together. "You know the drill," she says, gesturing with her head towards security.

Laurel goes through the process, hoping it will actually work this time, that he won't shut Bonnie out too. She hopes Bonnie hasn't been visiting either because that could mess everything up.

She makes her way into the room and takes her assigned seat. Deep breaths help calm her as the words she'll say play over and over in her head. As soon as he sees her, he's going to turn. She knows it, so she needs to be ready. It's only a few minutes later when the door opens and she has to stop the brief jealousy welling up inside her that he agreed to see Bonnie but not her. She doesn't have time to dwell on that.

The officer points Frank towards the cubicle he's supposed to go to. It's at the end, so he doesn't see her right away. He only looks up as he gets closer, and as soon as he sees her, his eyes harden, he shakes his head, and starts to turn away. This is it; her only chance. She won't have long.

She stands, calling out his name to get his attention. She sees the officer on her side start moving in her direction but she quickly gets out what she needs to say.

"We have two days, Frank," she shouts before he can be pulled out too. He stops and looks back at her. "Two days and then the DA is going to let you fry. There won't be a deal, Frank."

The officer grabs her by the arm, the other inmates and family members' eyes are on her, but she doesn't stop as she's dragged out. "I can fix it. We can do this together. You have to let me help you get out, please don't throw away this chance to finally get out."

He's pulled from the room then, as is she, but she catches his eye at the end. He knows that she's not just talking about jail. He has a chance to get away from Annalise. She just hopes he takes it.

Laurel is taken back to the front. Officer Michaels looks disappointed in her but maybe a little impressed, too, and Laurel can't stop the small smile that pulls at her lips.

"Well, Ms. Castillo, I think you know that you're not going to be allowed to visit anymore as a friend or family member," she says, her tone all business. Laurel knew that this would be the outcome, so she just nods. It was her last chance to get through to Frank, and she's glad she took it.

It's up to him now.

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think. :)