My dear little broccolis💚💚💚,

💚 So, this is me doing a favour to the same someone who PMed me and asked to upload two of my stories with the FSOG names. I already did it for Forbidden Fruit, and now, here comes the second. The original fic is published under the Mortal Instruments franchise. If you're one of my old readers, well, you already know this story, so only read it if you want to read it with other characters in mind; if you're a new reader, well hang on and let's see how this Ana and Christian work in here.

I liked writing this chapter because it starts to bring some closure to some points in the story. This chapter is in Franklin's point-of-view because I did not want to write it in Ana's point-of-view. There are many things from either Ana or Christian that I prefer to keep for the next chapter and the one after that.

Chapter 33 ~ The First Stone Of Being A Family (3,5K)

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Franklin's PoV

During five long minutes, Franklin looked at a picture of Ana, his heart shattering and swelling at the same time. It has been almost two hours since she came back with Lily and gave Franklin her photo albums before disappearing in her room, and Franklin had been looking at the different pictures freezing all those special moments that Ana lived without him.

At this moment, he was holding the letter Carla had entrusted with Lily in his left hand and the picture of a three years old Ana in his right hand. She was wearing a blue summer dress, high pigtails ornamenting the sides of her head while she was holding an ice cream in her hands. But this time, Ana wasn't the person Franklin was paying attention to in the picture. He was looking at the man Ana was smiling too.

It was a rather lean man who was all smiles for Ana, holding himself an ice-cream that was barely touched. He was dressed in casual summer clothes, a five o'clock beard shadowing his face while the sun was reverberating on his perfectly hairless skull.

It was obvious that he and Ana were close, one could feel the camaraderie between the two of them just by looking at the picture. And just by reading one more time Carla's letter, Franklin did not have any doubt concerning the identity of the man. With a sigh, Franklin shook a little his head and put back the picture at its rightful place, when he noticed the writing behind it. 'Ray & Stacia. Summer of 2001.'

He closed the album, the letter still in his hand as he passed his free hand on his face, trying to figure out what he should do next. The letter was mostly talking about this man, Ray. Very briefly at the beginning, Carla did write that she wouldn't fight for custody and was giving Franklin full custody over their daughter, saying that she would soon send all the required papers. But most of the letter was concerning this man who apparently spent seven years of his life with Ana. The man who was there for her first steps, her first days at school, her first trip to the hospital.

According to Carla, she and Ray had separated on bad terms, but that didn't stop Ray from keeping in touch with Ana. He even opened a bank account for her, and apparently kept on feeding it even after he lost contact with Ana. Carla only found out about it a few months ago, discovering that Michael had been intercepting the few letters sent on occasions like Christmas and Birthdays. Carla didn't know how to tell Ana, and so she gave the information to Franklin, along with Ray's new address in South Africa if Ana wanted to contact him.

From what Franklin could tell, it seemed that the man cared for Ana, or he wouldn't have kept putting money on the bank account for a little girl he wasn't hearing from. And the picture just proved Franklin's suspicions. Ray wasn't looking at Ana like a stranger who was intruding in a family, he was looking at the young brunette as a father would look at his daughter.

"You should talk to Ana, Frank," Lily suddenly said, gently squeezing his shoulders from behind and snapping out of his thoughts. He didn't even hear her get out of the shower. He smiled to her, without great conviction and said with bitterness:

"To tell her what? She doesn't seem very eager to speak with me."

"In that case, you should speak with her," Lily replied, sitting next to Franklin, swiftly glancing at the albums on the table. "You should tell her what you want from her, and what kind of relationship you want to have with her. You should talk to her as her father, not as a lawyer. Because so far, she only sees you as a lawyer, Franklin."

Franklin remained silent, his eyes lost into space; and so Lily put her hand on her husband's, asking him with her sweet voice: "What do you want for your daughter, Frank?"

"You know what I want for Ana. I want her to come live with us. I want her to rely on me, and to worry about things any seventeen years old would worry about. Like getting through high school, or going to the next hype concert, or … the fate of her favourite TV character."

"Well, you should tell her just that. Ana isn't someone who will tell you upfront what she wants. It's not in her character to ask for anything from anyone. Even if it's something as simple as wanting you to be her Dad. But I'm sure that if you tell her what you want, she will be more than willing to give it to you," Lily assured a confident smile on her pink lips.

She waited a little for her husband to respond, but when Franklin remained silent, she sighed a little and got up, kissing him in the meantime before she said: "I saw a cute little boutique in the lobby. I think I'm going to check it out."

With those words, she left Franklin alone, not without pointing at Ana's bedroom's door with her chin. Franklin waited a couple of seconds, before taking a deep breath and going to knock on his daughter's door.

He had to admit that ever since the trial, Ana and he hadn't spent much time together. They ate all together with Lily, but that was it. It seemed that his daughter and he had nothing to talk about. And it was true.

He didn't know his daughter. He knew Ana. He knew Ana, the little waitress who managed to slowly become a baker all by herself. He knew of the young brunette who was eager to start her life, and who always smiled when she saw him. But he didn't know Ana, his daughter. He didn't know her hopes and dreams. He didn't know her plans for the future. He didn't even know anything about her love life. He assumed, but he knew nothing coming from her. She never shared a single of those things with him as her father.

Franklin barely had the time to knock that Ana opened the door, her blue eyes wide as she looked at him with surprise. For a second, they stared at each other, before they both looked away, Franklin's eyes sweeping Ana's room. And the first thing that he noticed was Ana's beanbag on her bed, full and closed. There was nothing else in the room, making Franklin frown because they still haven't talked about going back home. He knew that they should go as soon as possible, especially since he had tons of work waiting for him; but he didn't want to rush Ana.

"I think it's time for me to go back home," She said with a very small voice, as she noticed Franklin's gaze upon her bag.

"Home?" He asked, his eyebrow up, not sure if she meant going back to Carla, or going back to the town where they met.

"Yeah. I mean, it's nice to be at the hotel and all. But … I have an apartment. And … I don't really like staying around here. It doesn't make me feel any better."

"Of course," He said, realising that he never considered things this way. He never actually tried to position himself in Ana's position concerning the whole trial. Lily was right, he did act like a lawyer all along, and not like a father. "Ana … I would like for you to come with me. To come live with Lily and me, in our house."

As the words took their full meaning in Ana's mind, Franklin looked at his daughter's eyes widen with surprise, showing that she was clearly not expecting this. But then, he saw doubt and hesitation gleam in those sapphire blue irises, as she asked: "But what about my flat? I already have a home."

Franklin could tell by the sound of her voice that she was scared of losing her apartment. After all, it was a haven for her- the only true semblance of safety and privacy she had.

"You can still keep it. That doesn't keep you from coming live with us."

"That would be wasteful to pay rent for an apartment I don't even live in," She pragmatically pointed out, unknowingly reminding Franklin of a detail he still did not share with her concerning the apartment she was renting to Mrs Lincoln.

"If you want to keep the flat, we can still keep it. I would keep on paying the rent there to Mrs Lincoln and so you could still use it whenever you want."

"What do you mean, you would keep on paying rent?"

"I have been paying your rent to Mrs Lincoln ever since that time I dropped by at your apartment shortly after we met. And she's been putting the money you've been giving her on a trust found for you to use when you need it," He let his daughter know, regretting suddenly Lily's absence by his side to guide him and make sure he would tell Ana the right words that wouldn't hurt her.

He watched Ana slowly swallow, biting the inside of her cheek as she digested the information; but then, her brows furrowed as she mumbled under her breath: "So to make it clear, you want me to come live with you so we can be even more awkward on a daily basis?"

Franklin breathed in deeply, trying to find the proper words to address his daughter before he stepped further into her room and lifted her chin up so she could look at him as he explained to her: "No. I want you to come live with Lily and me, so the three of us can work on the awkward. So we can become a real family and so you can consider my house like a home to you."

Ana looked in her father's eyes, while Franklin hoped that she would see the truth and hopes that were gleaming in them; and she looked down, taking a minute step back to regain her private space. He did not say anything about it, even if would have rather have a hug than distance.

"Are you really going to keep my flat?" Ana asked, her voice still shivering with hesitation.

"As long as you want me to."

Franklin watched his daughter bite her lower lip before she agreed: "Okay. We can try being … less awkward at your place."

Franklin smiled with all his heart, feeling like a weight had just been lifted out of his shoulders; and he informed Ana: "I'll check the next planes leaving."

"Er … Christian is picking me up in half an hour," Ana muttered, looking down at her hands holding her phone.

Franklin found himself at a loss of words, not sure of what he should say, or of how he even felt about this new piece of information. But when Ana looked back up at him, he concealed his emotions and asked: "Do you think he'd mind if Lily and I tagged along?"

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As he was paying for their stay in the hotel, Franklin watched from afar his daughter talking with Christian, charging her bean bag in the trunk of his Jeep. She was actively talking with the young lawyer who was attentively listening, his eyes briefly searching for Franklin before going back to the brunette.

"Stop worrying, Frank. She could have done a lot worst than Christian," Lily said with a soothing voice while the receptionist gave them the bill and retook possession of the electronic keys.

"She could have done no one, I wouldn't have minded at all," He retorted, his eyes still on the young couple outside the hotel, noticing that they were now closer than they were before.

"Honestly, Franklin. You like Christian. I know that you would like to have your daughter to yourself, but if you keep on being so obtuse concerning her love life, you'll never fully have your daughter."

Franklin didn't reply anything to that, a part of him knowing that his wife was right. He wasn't that bothered by their age gap, or by the fact that Ana was still a minor when Christian was a lawyer (since Ana specified that there was nothing reprehensible about their relationship). Just like Lily just pointed out, he was mostly annoyed that he never got his daughter to only be his daughter, without any other man in her life.

"Besides, have you ever seen anyone smile, the way she smiles at Christian?" Lily asked, gesturing to the young couple in a loving embrace. Christian was caressing Ana's face while she was smiling to him with a bright smile that Franklin knew all too well, which he didn't hesitate on sharing with his wife:

"I see that smile on your face every time you smile at me."

Lily smiled at him, before pecking his lips; and they walked outside to join Ana and Christian, who were still in their conversation. Christian's eyes swiftly went to Franklin as they approached before he opened the passenger door to Ana as he was informing her:

"Mom and Carrick are going to pay Elliott and me a visit next weekend. They hope to see you too."

Ana smiled at that as Franklin and Lily got in the car as well, and as soon as Christian sat behind the wheel, a heavy silence grew in the car. Christian started up the car, both his hands on the wheel as the silent kept on thickening between the four people in the car.

A part of him tried to count how many times Ana and Christian had taken this car to go to his parents' house, how many times Ana had gone to Christian's childhood house for his family to feel comfortable enough to invite her when they were in the same town. Or even come to the trial and be there for her in that difficult moment of her life. This wasn't something that strangers did. This was something families did, and apparently, Ana was already considered as part of Christian's.

"Do you want to join us for dinner, Christian? Since you're doing us the favour of dropping us," Lily suddenly asked, making Franklin snap his head to her with big eyes. It wasn't because he had decided that he wasn't going to interfere in his daughter's love life that it meant he wanted to have Christian for dinner.

Lily sweetly smiled to him, while Christian briefly glanced in the viewfinder at Franklin before he politely declined: "I'm sorry, but I have my brother waiting for me back home."

"It's okay, it's only a postpone," Lily assured, earning another pointed look from Franklin. But she ignored him and kept on trying to break the awkward silence in the car. "By the way, Ana. You never said how you two met."

Franklin watched the side of her daughter become red as she squirmed in her seat, but Christian came to her rescue and declared: "I picked her up hitchhiking not far from here. And after I dropped her in our city, we met again at the tribunal when she was dropping a letter for the DA."

Franklin recalled that day when he read the words of warning Ana had sent him concerning his 'lack of morals'. It had been a day filled with very conflicting emotions, and if he was given the opportunity of starting things over from that day, Franklin knew that there were many things that he would have done differently.

As Franklin was trying to picture what his life would be like if he had come clear to Ana earlier, an old rock song came on the radio. Red Hot Chilli Pepper's 'Road Trippin''. At the sound of the first notes, Christian snapped his head to Ana, reaching for her hand as a smile enlightened his face before he kissed her knuckles.

Lily gently pressed Franklin's thigh, to silently tell him that it was okay and that she was there for him; but strangely, that reaction to that song made Franklin look at the couple on a whole different light. Countless times, Franklin heard Christian mindlessly hum that song in the office, or Ana put it on when she was alone in the bar. It was obvious that it was their song, that this particular song had a particular meaning for them. And when Ana looked at Christian, their fingers still intertwined, they seemed so intimate suddenly that Franklin had to look away.

He only detached his eyes from the window when the song ended, replaced by a commercial about a new car from a famous brand. Still, when he looked back in front of him, Franklin noticed that Christian hadn't let go of Ana's hand and that she didn't seem to mind. He saw Christian briefly glancing at him through the viewfinder, before Christian looked back at the road, asking Lily about her job.

During the whole rest of the ride, Lily and Christian made small talk open to both Franklin and Ana, but in which neither of them decided to involve themselves. A couple of times, Franklin decently asked Christian if he wanted for Franklin to take the wheel so Christian could rest, but Christian systematically refused, claiming to be used to ride long distance.

When they finally arrived in their town, Franklin surprisingly saw Christian drive them directly to his house, making him assume that Ana had already found the time to tell Christian about her relocation. Once parked in front of the Lambert house, they all got out; and while Lily and Franklin took their bags (and Ana's) out of the trunk, Christian walked to Ana's side, whispering to her: "Don't get me wrong, babe. I know how much you want this, and I am happy for you that you have this opportunity of forming a family, … But, I don't want you to do it because you feel like you have to."

Franklin watched the young couple from afar, his eyes slightly narrowed as he was trying to assess how he felt about Christian's words. It didn't feel like Christian was trying to impose himself or his opinions on Ana, more as if he was just trying to make sure that Ana was making the right decision; but in the meantime, Franklin was her father, Christian should know that he had Ana's best interest in mind.

"But I have to, Christian. For me. I have to try having a family and all, to know how it feels… Because it's what I've always wanted… Because deep down, I've always wondered if my birth father would love me, and that now I have the chance to finally know," Ana explained with a small voice full of conviction; and to Franklin's surprise, Christian did not try to convince her otherwise, smiling to Ana and kissing her forehead.

It seemed strange for Franklin to see Christian repress his feelings concerning his paternity when he never hesitated on telling Franklin what he felt concerning the matter. But then, he figured that Christian had probably decided to not interfere in Ana's relationship with Franklin, just like Franklin had concerning Christian.

Noisily, Franklin shut the trunk, making Christian glance in his direction one more time, before he looked back down at Ana, caressing her face as he leant to kiss her:

"I love you, babe. I'll call you later."

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💚Your thoughts and opinions are always welcomed💚

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~ So here we are, Christian and Ana seem to be in a real relationship, Ana is going to live with her father and Lily, and it appears that she has a lot of money saved up, from Franklin and Ray. And Franklin recognised that Christian made Ana smile the same way he makes Lily smile. So we're getting somewhere ...

~ Anyway, question times:

1. How do you feel about this step that Ana and Franklin are making toward one another?

2. What do you think Franklin will do about Ray and everything related to him?

3. What do you think will happen next?

4. What was your favourite part?

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💚Anyway, E.L James owns the names of the characters from the Fifty Shades franchise, everything else is mine.

Love, Mina 💚💚💚