Chapter 52
Bridget knocked on Vera's door, and waited for the governor to wave her inside. She had their lunches with her. Franky had been true to her word, and sent an extra lunch with the blonde each day to give to her friend.
"Hey, Vera." Bridget set their lunches down on the round meeting table in the governor's office. "How's your day going?"
"Good, well, alright. It's been a bit busy." Vera sighed.
The blonde gave her a small smile. "I figured maybe that was the reason you asked me to meet you here instead of in the staff room."
"Yeah, i just wanted a quiet lunch without a bunch of people around," she said as she joined her friend at the table.
Bridget nodded. "How were your last few days of vacation?"
"They were alright." Vera took a bite. The food was delicious, as was anything Franky made. "I think I'm going to break up with Jake."
The governor had said it with such nonchalance that the blonde wasn't sure that she'd heard correctly. "What? Why?"
"I realized some things." Vera glanced up at her friend.
Bridget narrowed her eyes, and studied her friend's face for a moment. "What kind of things?"
"Things like...things." She had been wanting to have this conversation with the blonde, but now she was feeling a bit self-conscious.
"Come on, Vera. We're best friends. You can tell me anything." She'd thought things had been off between Jake and her friend on New Year's Eve, but she didn't think it was that bad. He seemed like an alright guy.
Vera shrugged. "I don't know, I guess just seeing how you and Franky are, it made me realize that that's what I want with someone. I want that level of comfort, and caring. I mean, I feel more comfortable around you or Franky than I do with Jake, and it shouldn't be like that."
"Hmm." Bridget sat back in her chair, and nodded her head slowly while she thought. "So you feel like he's just not the right one, maybe?"
"Yeah, I think maybe not. He's nice and everything, I just don't enjoy things with him the way I feel like I should." The governor shrugged.
"If it doesn't make you feel good, then it's not worth it." The blonde wasn't usually one to advise others to dismiss people so quickly, but she knew from her own experience that if you don't click with someone right away then it won't happen.
Vera nodded her head. "You knew right away with Franky didn't you?"
"Yeah," Bridget said quietly. She couldn't help the smile that came across her face.
"I could tell. That first day she sent you with lunch, I knew from the way you talked about her that she was going to stick." The phone on Vera's desk rang, and she glanced out the window to where the receptionist was sitting at her desk. The woman held up a hand in a silent apology. "Sorry, about that. She was supposed to hold my calls."
"Oh that's alright. If you need to take it, I don't mind." The blonde understood that sometimes matters came up that couldn't wait.
"No, it's probably just Channing calling for the hundredth time today. He's got big ideas on how we could make the prison run more efficiently. He wants to cut down on overtime, save money, you know, the usual. Except this time he's hiring a consulting firm. I think he's gunning for a promotion or something." Vera sighed.
"So that's what's been keeping you so busy these past couple days." Bridget had noticed since the holidays that her friend had been a bit more stressed than usual.
"Yeah, I only found out about it when I came back after New Year's. He wants years of data and I have just over a week to find it all so that he has time to review it before it goes to the firm. I wish he'd told me about it sooner." The governor rested her chin on her hand.
"It'll be alright. You can do it. And if you need to unwind after work, you just stop by the house." The blonde reached over, and rubbed Vera's arm.
"Thanks." The governor gave her friend a small smile.
They finished the rest of their meal without much talking. Vera was glad just to have the company while she ate.
"Good morning, baby." Bridget gave Franky a soft kiss on the lips when she began to stir. For once, she was the one who had woken up first, and she enjoyed watching the brunette sleep peacefully for a few minutes.
"Mmm, good morning." Franky answered her kiss with another.
When their lips parted, the blonde pulled back and studied the younger woman's eyes. She let her hand trail down the brunette's back, and around to the back of Franky's thigh. Bridget pulled the other woman's leg over her hip, allowing them to move closer.
Franky sighed as the blonde let her fingers move slowly up and down over the skin on the back of her leg. She closed her eyes and let herself melt into the older woman, as she cuddled into the crook of her neck.
After a few seconds, Bridget felt the brunette's lips brush softly against her neck, then a gentle bite.
"Gidge?" It was barely more than a mumble.
"Yeah, baby?" the blonde asked softly.
"That feels really good." Franky kissed her neck again.
Bridget smiled. She loved that the brunette was able to be so open with her. With most people Franky had a tough exterior, but with the blonde, she was soft and gentle.
"Will you come with me today?" The brunette pulled back so she could see Bridget's face. Today was the day Franky was going to see the set where she would be filming.
The blonde gave a small nod of her head. "If you want."
"I know I said I didn't want you or Em involved, but I'd really like you to be there." The younger woman's gaze flicked away from Bridget's eyes for a split second.
"Baby." Bridget rubbed her back, slowly. "I know that last time you went through a lot of stuff, so I understand why this is something you feel like you don't want us to be involved in. I love that you're protective of us, but that doesn't mean you have to do this on your own." Franky was quiet, but the blonde knew she still had her attention, so she continued. "I know you're strong, and I believe in you, but we're a team, yeah?" The brunette was still silent, but nodded slightly. Bridget could tell the younger woman was getting emotional. "Let me be there for you."
"I just…" Franky trailed off.
"I won't agree to anything I'm not comfortable with, okay?" The blonde moved her fingertips across the other woman's side. She felt Franky relax again.
"Okay," the brunette said, as she buried her head back in the crook of Bridget's neck. "Can we stay here for a bit?"
"Yeah, of course." They didn't have any plans until later that day, but in all honesty, it wouldn't have mattered to Bridget even if they did. This was what Franky needed right now, and she was going to give it to her.
Whenever she ran her fingers over a particularly sensitive spot on the younger woman's skin, the blonde heard a small hum of content, or felt a kiss on her neck. Most of the spots she already knew, but she managed to find a couple new ones in her journey.
"I like the little sounds you make, baby," Bridget whispered. She got a response, not in the form of words, but as a small bite on the patch of skin where Franky's lips had been. The blonde gave a small laugh.
"I like when you touch me," the brunette murmured.
Bridget was turned on, and she could tell that the younger woman was too, but neither made a move to take their actions any further. This was about intimacy and making Franky feel loved and supported, not sex and orgasms.
About an hour had passed from when they had first woken up until they decided to get out of bed and start their day. Bridget had made a quick call to Vera, who had agreed to come over and watch Emily for the couple of hours it would take them to tour the set.
"Ready, baby?" Bridget asked. They had just pulled into the carpark, but the brunette had made no move to actually get out of the car.
Franky was quiet for a moment, then nodded, opened the door, and stepped out onto the pavement. As she stood looking at the large building in front of her, she felt the blonde take her hand, and give it a reassuring squeeze.
"Let's go, hm?" Bridget didn't want to rush her, but she felt like maybe the brunette needed some extra encouragement. She felt the brunette's grip on her hand tighten a bit before she began to walk.
When they entered the lobby, they were greeted by the receptionist.
"Franky Doyle, I'm here to see Jillian." Franky introduced herself to the young man sitting behind the counter.
"Ms. Banks will be right with you. You can have a seat over there if you like." He motioned to some chairs on one side of the large room.
"Thanks." The brunette wandered over towards the chairs but never sat down. She was too full of nervous energy, shifting her weight from one leg to the other.
"Baby," Bridget whispered quietly. "Just take a deep breath, okay?" The blonde changed her grip on Franky's hand, lacing their fingers together. This way she could stroke the edge of the younger woman's thumb with her own; something she knew comforted the brunette.
Franky gave a small nod. "Gidge, I don't feel well."
"I know." She reached up and cupped the brunette's cheek. "I'm here though, and today is just a tour. No filming, nothing. Afterwards we can just go home and just spend the rest of the day together with Em. Just focus on that if you need to in order to get through it."
"Okay." Franky nodded and took another deep breath. "I love you."
"I love you, too" Bridget gave her a quick kiss.
"Franky, good to see you again." Jillian approached the couple. "And this must be the partner you mentioned last time we spoke." She held out her hand to the blonde.
"Yeah, this is Bridget, my fiancée." The brunette waited while they shook hands.
"Nice to meet you." The producer gave her a big smile. "I'm Jillian, the one who's been meeting with Franky. We're so happy she's agreed to work with us."
"I hope you don't mind, I asked if I could come along today and see the set. I've never been behind the scenes of a tv show." Bridget returned her smile.
"Oh, no problem, we'll give you the full tour." She reached over and took the two visitor passes that the receptionist had placed on the counter for them, and handed them to the couple. "If you'll just put these on then we can get started."
Franky and Bridget clipped on their passes, and Jillian turned to lead them to the set. Once the producer had turned her back, the brunette gave Bridget a questioning look. The blonde simply gave her a small smile, and a quick raise of her eyebrows before they followed the other woman onto the set.
"So there's only two main areas to the set." Jillian spoke as she led them into the studio. "The first one I'll show you is the dorm." She swiped an access card and they entered into a large, nicely decorated living area. "So we've kind of set it up just like a big house. We have the living area here, and the outdoor area is just through those doors." She pointed to large patio doors beyond the living area. "The bedrooms and bathrooms are just down the hall here."
Bridget could tell Franky was still tense. Every so often the blonde would give her hand a squeeze to remind her that she was still there with her.
"So on the left here, we have the bathrooms. There's five in total, and they're fully private; toilets, sinks and showers in each. They're also the only rooms on set that don't have any cameras or microphones. Having said that though, if you're wearing a mic when you go in, it'll be active unless you turn it off yourself." The producer waited while the couple looked at one of the bathrooms. When they stepped back out into the hallway, she continued. "Now, on the right, we have the sleeping areas. There's one for males and one for females." She opened the door to the female's room. "They're both identical."
The room was large, with single beds lined up on both sides of the room. Franky counted six beds in total and assumed that meant there would be 12 contestants. At the far end of the room were six closet spaces to go with the six beds.
Jillian broke the silence. "So I just wanted to confirm with you that it's been cleared with everyone that you'll have some time at the end of each interview session to call home."
The brunette was quiet. She wasn't trying to be rude, but she felt like her brain was processing so much that she didn't know what to say.
Bridget still had a hold of Franky's hand, and she leaned now into the younger woman's side. She reached over and rubbed her back. "Baby?" She said it quietly enough that the brunette was probably the only one who could hear her.
"Yeah, sounds good. Thanks." Franky looked at the blonde, then Jillian. Bridget gave her a small nod.
"Okay." The producer gave her a small smile. "I'll give you guys some time alone to look around without me hovering over you. I need to go over some things with the crew just back out where we first came in. When you're done, let me know and I'll take you over to see the competition area where most of the filming will take place." She gave them a quick nod, and headed back out the door.
"Jillian." A cameraman approached the producer just after she exited the bedroom. "Do you want the cameras rolling on this? Everything's set up already."
Jillian glanced back towards the door. The producer side of her wanted to say yes, but she'd made a promise to Franky. "Absolutely not." She turned to leave. "And make sure all the mics in here are off as well."
"Gidge."
Franky didn't need to say any more. Bridget stretched up to give her a gentle kiss on the lips.
"You're doing well, baby. How are you feeling?" The blonde studied her face.
"Anxious, nervous. I feel like I can't even think properly right now." The brunette took a deep breath. "And still very nauseous," she said, placing a hand on her stomach.
"Well, the bathroom is across the hall, but I'm not holding your hair for you." Bridget playfully nudged the younger woman with her elbow, and saw a hint of a smile appear on her face.
"Yes you would." Franky gave a small laugh.
"Yeah, I would." The blonde placed another quick but soft kiss on her lips. "This set is nice though, isn't it?"
"A lot nicer than I was expecting actually," The brunette said, looking around. "But I'd rather be home with you guys."
"I know, baby." Bridget wrapped her arms around Franky and held her tight. They stood there for a few seconds before the blonde spoke again. "Let's go have a look at the rest of this set, so we can see the big kitchen one. I bet it's fancy, too."
The suggestion seemed to perk up the brunette a bit, and they left the bedroom to explore the living area and the kitchen they'd use to cook for themselves when they weren't filming. Bridget could feel that, while Franky was still upset, some of the tension was leaving her as they walked around the set and chatted. She knew that while the majority of the younger woman's anxiety was coming from her past experience, some of it was also just a fear of the unknown. Requesting the set tour had been a great idea, and Bridget could see that it was helping.
They wandered around the set for a few minutes, then went to find Jillian.
"Ready to see the main set?" She gathered the papers she was looking through, and placed them back in their files.
"I think so," Franky answered. Really, that was the set she cared about. She wanted to see what she'd have to work with during the competition. It had been nice to see the dorms, but she wasn't planning on spending much time there.
"So this," she said, reaching out her swipe card to unlock the door, "is the competition area." She pushed open the doors to reveal a large soundstage built to look like a restaurant, but with two kitchens instead of one, and a large dining area with booths, and tables and chairs. "The kitchens are both the same so I'll just run through one of them with you then you're free to look around again if you'd like."
"Holy shit, is that a…" Franky asked, mouth open, pointing at one of the ovens.
"It is." Jillian had a large grin on her face. They had consulted with some of the best chefs in the country when they chose the equipment for the set, and she was glad to see it had paid off.
The brunette reached out and ran her hand over the surface of the new appliance.
"I think you're drooling, baby," Bridget said, letting out a small laugh.
"Gidge, this is like the oven. If I could afford to put one in our house, I totally would." Franky opened each of the doors and peered inside.
"Maybe someday." The blonde smiled at her.
Franky just shook her head, and continued checking out all the features of the appliance.
"So as you can see, there's the convection oven, the steam oven, four burners, a grill, and a griddle. It should be able to handle the demands of any dish you throw at it. In the cabinets below are the smaller appliances, things like blenders and mixers." She opened the doors to allow the brunette to look inside. "In the two drawers up here are the smaller utensils. We do have knife sets, of course, but if you have your own that you'd like to use, you can bring it with you."
"I have my own I'd rather use," Franky said absentmindedly as she looked through the drawers.
"Very well." The producer was quiet for a moment. "Any questions, or should I just leave you to explore on your own again?"
"I do have a question, actually." Franky closed the drawer, and looked up. Jillian nodded for her to continue. "If I do get to go home at some point, the rest of them will just think I actually went wherever it was I was supposed to go, right?"
"Absolutely. We don't want them knowing we're bending the rules for someone." Jillian looked at the two women. "Do you mind me asking exactly what's so special that you need to be home for?"
Franky hesitated. She looked to the blonde, who gave a small nod in confirmation. "Nothing goes in the show from this conversation?" The producer nodded. "We're looking after her niece. She's only five, she's lost both her parents, and her dad died just a few months ago. She's very attached to us, and it's gotten better, but I know she'll have a really hard time with me being away. I don't want her to think that another person in her life is leaving her. I just-" She took a breath to calm herself. "I just need to be with her and Gidge some." She felt Bridget wrap her arm around hers and lace their fingers together again.
Jillian sighed. "I didn't realize…" She trailed off, not knowing what to say. "I mean, you had mentioned that you had a little girl, but…" She shook her head. "Okay, Well, if you win the challenges, I'll see what I can do, but no promises."
"Thanks." Franky made sure to hold eye contact, so the producer would know she was being sincere. "Would you do this for any of the other contestants?"
"Honestly? Probably not. If they came to us, asking for what you are, I'd suggest that maybe it's not the right time for them to be applying for a show like this." She sighed. "But we came to you, so it's a different story. You didn't get to choose the timing."
"Thank you." The brunette reached out to shake Jillian's hand.
"I told you I was on your side." The producer gave her a smile. "If you'd like to look around more, I can leave you for a bit."
"I think I'm good, if you are, Gidge." Franky looked to the older woman.
"I'm good. Whenever you're ready." She gave the younger woman's hand a squeeze.
"Let's go home then."
Jillian led them back out to the main lobby where they turned in their passes. She handed Franky a packet of information. "Filming begins on the third of February, so next month. All the specifics are in there, but if you have any more questions or concerns, you have my number." She shook both their hands again, and they said their goodbyes.
"I'll drive home." Bridget reached over and gently took the keys out of the brunette's hand.
"Hmm?" Franky looked down at her hand to see her keys were gone. "Why?"
"Because you're distracted, and if I drive, you can just sit back and relax." She reached out and unlocked the door.
"Thanks for coming with me," the brunette said, as they both got settled into their seats in the car.
"You're welcome, baby, but you don't have to keep thanking me." The blonde gave her a quick kiss, then started the car.
Later that afternoon, Emily and Franky were in the kitchen making pizza for supper. It had become a bit of a family tradition for them. Bridget helped sometimes, but tonight she was sitting on one of the stools at the island, chatting with them while they cooked.
"Can I cook everything tomorrow?" Emily asked as she measured out spices for the sauce.
"What do you mean 'cook everything'?" Franky was working on stretching out the dough.
"I want to make all the meals by myself."
The brunette glanced at Bridget, who simply nodded and shrugged in response. This was Franky's domain, not hers.
"What did you want to make?" Franky knew that Emily was very capable, but lately she had been asking to try things that the brunette felt were beyond her current skill level. She knew she was partly to blame for this. She never wanted to discourage the young girl, so until this point, she had let her try pretty much anything she asked. The more she sat in on Franky's summer classes though, the more advanced techniques she was exposed to.
"Omelettes for breakfast, grilled cheese for lunch, and tacos for supper." She answered without hesitation, and both women were impressed that she'd actually thought about it.
"Well, those sound pretty good. Let's make a deal though." The brunette waited until she had Emily's full attention. "I'll let you do it, but I'll still need to help you with a few things, and absolutely no cooking anything without one of us in the kitchen. Okay?" The last part had always been a rule, but Franky wanted to make it clear that cooking for them still didn't mean she could do it alone.
"Okay." Emily had a large smile on her face that the brunette loved to see.
Franky opened her eyes, and saw the morning sun coming in through their curtains. She was still tired and didn't feel like getting up yet, so she was happy to see that the blonde was still resting peacefully. They had gone to bed earlier than usual the night before, but sleep hadn't come until quite awhile later.
The brunette felt herself drifting back to sleep when all of a sudden there was a loud crash in the kitchen. Franky's eyes flew open, and she sat up, unsure of what had caused the noise. Bridget was awake now too, and even more confused than the other woman.
"Was that outside?" Bridget mumbled, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"I think it was in the kitchen." Franky threw back the covers, and hopped out of bed. "I'll go check."
The brunette passed by Emily's door, and noticed that it was already open. She picked up her pace.
"Em?" She called out on her way down the hallway.
Franky had received no answer, and when she got to the kitchen, she saw no sign of the young girl. On the island though she saw one of the knives from Emily's set, and a half chopped onion. The carton of eggs was also out of the fridge and sitting with a few other ingredients. The brunette quickly made her way around to the other side of the island where she saw her crouching, trying to clean up some eggs that had spilled. Franky assumed now that the sound she heard was the large metal mixing bowl falling off the counter.
"Are you okay?" When the brunette got no response, she crouched down in front of the young girl. "Em, stop and look at me." When Emily finally looked up, Franky could see the tears in her eyes. "Are you okay? You hurt?" The brunette quickly looked her over as she shook her head. "What happened?"
"I wanted to make breakfast for you." Emily blinked, and a tear ran down her cheek. "And I knocked the bowl off the counter." She was crying harder now, taking in shaky breaths.
Bridget was standing behind Franky now, and tapped her on the shoulder. The brunette glanced back, and saw that she was holding out a washcloth for her to wipe Emily's face with. The older woman took a seat on one of the stools. Her niece had broken a number of rules this morning, and she wanted to let Franky take the lead with her this time.
"Okay, take a deep breath, slowly. And out." The brunette wiped the girl's face while she worked to control her breathing. It reminded Franky of the time when Emily had cut herself during their second class. "You know you're not supposed to be cooking on your own."
"I wanted to surprise you." The young girl had herself barely under control now.
Franky nodded. "I know you did, bub. What did I say when you asked me about this yesterday?"
Emily broke eye contact and looked down to the floor. "That you had to be here and I couldn't cook by myself."
"Right." The brunette took a deep breath. She knew the young girl wasn't going to like what she said next. "So because you didn't listen, this can't happen today. You can't cook for us."
"Can I still help though?" A new batch of tears were building in her eyes.
"No, bub. You're out of the kitchen for the day." Franky watched as Emily got worked up again, this time worse than the first. "Alright, come on. The brunette stood and put her hand on the young girl's shoulder, guiding her around the island to where Bridget was sitting.
She was quiet while Franky cleaned up the rest of the eggs from the floor and set the bowl on the counter behind her. When the brunette looked on the island again she saw the knife still laying there. In her efforts to calm the young girl, and make sure that she wasn't hurt, she'd forgotten that it was there.
Franky's gaze moved from the knife to Emily, then finally she made eye contact with Bridget. She'd made the blonde a promise when she'd bought Emily the knives that she'd teach her how to handle them safely, and if she broke the rules, there would be consequences. She'd made that clear to the young girl on Christmas morning as well.
"You used your knives, too?" It was a rhetorical question, really. The brunette knew that she had.
Emily looked to her aunt, who said nothing. She looked back to Franky and nodded.
"Do you remember what we talked about when I gave them to you?" The brunette had found that when she had to talk to Emily about something she had done wrong, that she liked to make it more of a discussion than just her saying which rule had been broken, and handing out the consequences. She hadn't dealt with anything major though, until now.
"That I had to look after them," Emily said quietly.
"And?" Franky knew the girl remembered exactly which thing she was talking about.
"That I wasn't allowed to use them unless you or Auntie Bridge were there." Her bottom lip quivered.
"Right. You've lost them now for the rest of the week. You can't use them here, and you can't take them to the Centre. Also, from now on they'll be stored somewhere else, and you'll have to ask one of us to get them for you." Franky watched as Emily once again looked to Bridget for help, and got none. Her expression changed from sadness to anger as she focused her attention back on the brunette.
"You're mean, and I hate you! I just wanted to make you breakfast!" Emily stomped her foot against the wooden floor.
Bridget watched as the younger woman's expression quickly turned from one of surprise, to one of hurt once she realized what the girl had said.
"Em, go take a few minutes in your room to calm down." The blonde reached down and gently nudged her niece's shoulder in the direction of her room.
Franky stayed silent even after the girl had left. She carefully washed the knife and wiped it dry.
Bridget watched as she wiped a thin layer of mineral oil onto the blade before getting the carrying bag out of the cupboard. The blonde saw her wipe her cheeks before she turned around again.
"You alright?" Bridget asked quietly.
Franky shook her head as she placed the knives, one by one, into the bag. "That hurt so much when she said that, Gidge."
The blonde got up and came around to stand beside her. She wrapped her arms around the brunette's waist. "You know she doesn't really mean it, yeah? Kids lash out sometimes when they're upset."
Franky nodded. "I know."
"Do you want to go talk to her in a few minutes, or would you like me to?" Normally Bridget would suggest that the same person see the whole situation through to the end, but she knew the brunette was hurting.
"Uh, I think I'll just finish up cooking these for us if that's alright. I just need a bit." Cooking had been a coping mechanism for Franky for a long time, and she was grateful to have a meal to prepare right now.
"Okay. And baby?" The blonde waited until the younger woman turned her head and looked at her. "You handled that whole situation very well."
Franky nodded, and stood up straight. She turned to reach for one of her own knives behind her to finish preparing the meal.
Bridget took her seat on the stool again, and watched the brunette work while she waited for a few more minutes to pass before she'd go in to talk with Emily.
Franky was just cracking a fresh batch of eggs into a new bowl the blonde decided to check on her niece. She walked down the hall, and quietly opened the bedroom door. If by chance the girl had fallen asleep, she didn't want to wake her.
Emily lifted her head as soon as she heard someone come into the room. "I thought you were Franky."
"Franky is making breakfast, love." Bridget took the small chair they used when they read to the girl at night, and placed it beside the bed. She sat down. "How are you feeling?"
"Sad." Emily made eye contact before she turned her head into the pillow. "Franky's mad at me."
"She's upset," the blonde said softly. "Is that why you're sad?"
Emily nodded. "And because I can't cook with her."
"Do you know why she's upset?" The blonde asked quietly.
"Because I said she was mean and I hated her." The young girl looked at her aunt again. "I didn't mean it though. I love Franky."
"I know, love." Bridget reached out and rubbed her back. "You know, we only made all those rules to keep you safe because we love you too, and you have to learn to follow them. Part of why she's upset is because she was worried you'd been hurt."
"Yeah." Emily wiped her eyes. "Can I talk to her?"
"Breakfast is almost ready. Let's eat, and then you two can talk, okay?" The blonde held out her hand to the young girl. She led her out into the kitchen. "Go have a seat at the table." Bridget waited while the girl walked over, and sat in her usual seat. "She wants to talk to you after we eat," she whispered to the brunette as she took the stack of plates and silverware over to the table.
They ate in almost complete silence. When the meal was finished Bridget offered to clean up, and Franky went over to sit on the couch.
Emily looked at her aunt, then over at the back of the brunette's head.
"Go on, love." Bridget nodded towards the living room.
Franky watched as the young girl walked over and stood in front of her. She could tell that the girl wanted to say something, but it seemed like she didn't know how. After a moment of awkward silence, the brunette decided to make it easy on her and break the silence herself.
"Do you want to sit with me, bub?" She was leaning against one end of the couch, but she held open her arm, giving Emily the choice of sitting beside her, or on her lap.
Emily chose the brunette's lap. Franky wrapped her arms around her once she'd settled in, and the young girl buried her face against her neck.
"Auntie said you wanted to talk to me," she said in a soft voice.
"I'm sorry I said you were mean and that I hated you and made you upset." The young girl spoke so quietly that Franky had to listen carefully to hear her. "I didn't mean it. And I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."
Franky glanced over to the kitchen. The blonde had stopped cleaning up, and was watching them. "Thank you for saying you're sorry." The brunette rubbed the girl's back. "Do you understand why I made those rules?" She felt Emily give a small nod. "I made them because I've seen people get hurt working in kitchens before, and I don't want that to happen to you."
"I know. Auntie Bridge said they're to keep me safe." Emily still spoke softly, and now played with the hem of the sleeve of Franky's t-shirt.
"That's right, and we want that because we love you." The brunette took a deep breath. She'd cried enough today already, she didn't want to start again.
"I love you, too." The young girl was quiet for a moment. "Are you still my Franky?"
Franky smiled. "Yeah, bub, I'm still your Franky." She reached up and wiped away the tears on her own face.
The rest of the day had passed uneventfully. Emily had spent most of the day on Franky's lap except for when the brunette was in the kitchen. The punishment had stuck, and the young girl wasn't allowed to help out, but the brunette had let her sit on one of the stools and watch while she cooked.
Bridget was the first one in bed tonight, and when Franky joined her, she cuddled into the blonde's side the same way the older woman usually did with her.
"This is different, baby." Bridget grinned, putting her arm around the other woman.
"Mmm, I thought I was going to have to have her surgically removed from my lap by the end of the day." The brunette said, settling in. They both gave a small laugh.
"She was just glad you forgave her." The blonde ran her fingers along Franky's arm.
"I know." The younger woman sighed. "I knew she'd say something like that one day, all kids do at some point. I didn't think it would hurt like that though."
"It won't be the last time she says something like that to one of us either. I remember she told me the same thing one time that I had to discipline her when I was visiting. It's something kids do, they don't mean it though. They're just mad and don't know how to handle it yet." She placed a kiss on Franky's forehead.
"Our next kid had better never say it to us." The brunette gave a small chuckle.
It took Bridget a moment to process what she'd just heard. It had been a while since they'd talked about having kids of their own. At the time, Franky had been unsure, and said she needed time to think. It appeared now, that she'd come to a decision. "I'd love to tell you they won't, but they most likely will."
"Little ankle biters." The younger woman muttered with another laugh.
