"What did it say, baby?" Bridget had heard the brunette take one of the pregnancy tests out of the drawer on her way to the bathroom. She'd taken one on Friday, but it was a bit early, so they'd decided to wait until Monday to try again.
"It was negative," Franky said as she crawled back into bed beside her wife. She'd been expecting that outcome.
"You alright?" the blonde asked softly, wrapping her arms around her.
"Yeah. I'm not really surprised." The younger woman sighed. "We have to call them if we want to do it again next month, right?"
"Yeah, they said they'd bring in enough each time for two tries." Bridget studied the brunette's face. She could tell that Franky was hurting, even though they'd both known, and accepted what today's test results would more than likely be. "If you need a break, we can wait."
"I'll do one more, then I think if that doesn't work, I'll wait maybe an extra month." The brunette knew that after three failed attempts, they'd be looking into the next option, which would be more invasive and more complicated, and she felt like she might need a bit more time to prepare herself mentally.
"Sounds like a plan," the blonde said quietly as she brushed her thumb against the side of Franky's neck. She could tell the younger woman was lost in thought. "Hey," she pulled the brunette's attention back to her, "I love you."
"I know." Franky smiled. "I love you, too."
"You wanted to see me?" Bridget entered the governor's office.
"Yeah, have a seat." Vera didn't like having conversations like this with her friend.
"I assume this is about Lana," the blonde said as she took a seat in one of the chairs in front of the large desk. She knew she'd probably be called in fairly early that morning to talk about the request she'd made on Friday.
"It is." Vera took a deep breath. "I guess I'm just wondering how the whole lunch thing came about."
"They weren't letting her eat, so I've been giving her food." Bridget shrugged. She knew that explanation probably wouldn't satisfy the governor. "I felt bad for her."
"I'm just concerned, I guess." Vera sighed as she leaned back in her chair.
"I know it's a little unorthodox, but I felt in this case, it would benefit her to take some of the pressure off." She knew that 'a little unorthodox' might be pushing it.
"I'm just worried that maybe it's a little too much." The governor held up her hand when she saw that Bridget was about to speak. "I know you want to help the women, and you're very good at what you do. You've obviously been able to connect with her."
"Vera, you know how horrible that punishment must be. She was already having a hard time coping, and then on top of everything, they decide to not let her eat." The blonde couldn't imagine what it would be like to feel scared, and alone, and then hungry on top of it. "She couldn't fight back over it. She's really trying to be on her best behaviour."
"I agree that it's awful, but it's how they handle things." She reached out, and straightened a piece of paper on her desk. "It's usually best if we don't interfere." Vera still vividly remembered the harsh way in which she'd learned that lesson.
"I get what you're saying, but I've been careful. It just looks like she's having regular sessions with me, which she is. She was having them before this all started." Bridget didn't like having to explain herself, but she knew that Vera only had her best interests at heart.
"Think about this: the prisoners haven't let her eat for what, over two weeks now?" The governor saw her friend nod. "And yet she's walking around perfectly fine. Two weeks with nothing to eat, and she's making no attempt to get them to change their minds. She's not sick, or weak, or tired. In fact, she looks better now than before this started."
"Franky's food is better than what they feed them here." Bridget chuckled at her own joke, but failed to get Vera to crack a smile.
"My point is, they're not stupid. If I can see it, they can see it. I'm amazed actually that they've let it slide for this long." Vera shook her head. She felt like Lana had been lucky so far. "One of the reasons that you're able to do what you do here is because the women trust you. You don't judge, you don't take sides, you help everyone if you can. If they see that you're favoring someone, they may turn on you."
"I can't just abandon her." The blonde couldn't imagine having to tell Lana that she was on her own once again. It would undo all the progress she'd made with her so far.
"I know." The governor sighed, and glanced over at her computer screen. She'd had an idea that she'd been looking into before Bridget had arrived. "I'm going to move her to A-block. She won't have had contact with any of the other prisoners there before, so she should be allowed to resume eating at the cafeteria. There's a little group there that I've been looking for an excuse to break up anyway. Do you have a session with her today?"
"Yeah, just before noon." The blonde gave Vera a sheepish look.
"I think she'll take the news better coming from you than from me." The governor knew that Lana wasn't a fan of hers. "You could let her know what's coming. I'll give her today to gather her things, then we'll move her first thing tomorrow morning."
"Thank you. I'll talk to her today" Bridget was relieved that her friend had come up with a solution. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble on Friday."
"She doesn't like me, but she came in, ate, and left without any incident." Vera gave a small shrug. "She wanted to know why you'd left for the day, though. I told her something had come up."
"Okay." The blonde nodded. She knew that Lana would have been curious about her whereabouts, and she'd probably be fielding questions during their session later that morning. "Thanks again."
Franky took Emily right to her office when they arrived at the restaurant that morning.
"Remember our deal?" the brunette asked as Emily settled into the large chair behind the desk.
"Yeah, I have to do my work first, then I can help." The young girl recited it, sounding bored.
"That's right." Franky quickly counted up the total number of worksheets that were left in the envelope, and got fifteen. She chose the top three. "I want you to finish these, then read one of the books you brought with you for at least a half hour."
"Then I can help?" Emily looked up at her, hopefully.
"I want to look over your work with you, then if everything is done, yes, you can help." The brunette had been cautioned by Bridget that morning to make sure that Emily actually did the work she gave her.
"How long is a half hour?" The young girl looked up at the clock on the wall.
"It's when the big hand on the clock goes half-way around." Franky reached up, and showed her how far the hand would have to travel. "Actually, just one sec."
The brunette left, and went down the hallway to the kitchen. She returned a minute later with a timer.
"Here." She sat it down on the desk. "I set it for thirty minutes. When you start to read, press the red button. When it beeps, you can stop. If you need anything, we'll both be out in the kitchen. She gave Emily a kiss on the cheek before she left.
Shayne had just returned from picking up coffee for them when Franky entered the kitchen.
"What's on the menu for today?" He chuckled slightly at his own pun.
"The dried spices have arrived, so we need to check those deliveries against the invoice, and make sure everything is there. Then they need to be unpacked and organized on the shelves over there." She pointed to the large shelving unit against the far wall. "I'll get Em to unpack and fill the salt and pepper shakers when she's done her work." The brunette flipped through the paperwork that had been sent with the deliveries. "We also need to start checking the temps on the fridge and freezer daily. We'll be getting the rest of our food shipments over the next two days."
They worked quietly over the next couple of hours, until Emily emerged from the office.
"What are you guys doing?" The young girl stood on her tiptoes in order to see what was going on up on the large workspace in the middle of the kitchen.
"We're just going through the things we ordered, and making sure everything is here." Franky gave her a quick smile. "Did you finish all your work?"
"Yeah." Emily handed her the sheets she'd brought with her. "I can't see what you're doing." She stretched up again.
"Here." The brunette set down the papers, then picked up the young girl, and sat her on the worksurface.
She could feel Emily watching her as she looked through the worksheets. Franky placed them down on the counter, satisfied that they were completed.
The young girl reached out for a hug, and the brunette obliged.
"You're sad today." Emily made eye contact.
"I'm okay, bub." Franky gave her a small smile. "But thank you for the hug."
The young girl reached out again, and the brunette took her in her arms. Franky wasn't sure if this hug was meant for her again, or if Emily was just needing some extra comfort today. Either way, she gave her an extra squeeze before she let go.
"These look good." Franky handed the worksheets back to Emily. "Go put them in your bag, then get washed up. I have something for you to help with."
"She's right, you know," Shayne said after the young girl had left the room. "You're not yourself today."
"I'm fine." The brunette knew they were right, but she'd been trying to keep herself busy, and not think about the test results from the morning.
"You know you can talk to me about stuff if you want, right? I'm not just a pretty face." He tried to lighten the mood.
"I know, and thank you, but I'll be okay." Franky didn't want to talk about this with anyone besides Bridget.
They'd agreed to keep anything to do with the baby between them until she was well into her pregnancy. They both knew that it would take time for it to happen, and even when it did, there was a chance for the first few weeks that something could happen. If they were unlucky, and she lost the baby early on, they didn't want to have to explain it to their friends, and relive the pain each time. They especially didn't want to put Emily through it. She had mentioned siblings a couple of times, and how she believed that since both of her parents were gone, she'd never have any. Bridget and Franky understood how sensitive the young girl was, and they didn't want to get her hopes up, only to disappoint her later on.
"You've been working hard lately. Why don't you and Bridget have a date night tonight?" He hadn't believed her when she'd denied her low mood. He thought maybe he could do something to help, even if she wasn't going to admit that something was bothering her. "I'll look after Em."
"Shayne, you don't have to." Franky shook her head.
"I want to. It'll be fine. I'll make her supper, then we'll play one of her games or something." Shayne gave her a reassuring smile. He knew that they only ever asked Liz, or Vera to look after her, but he felt like he should have earned enough of their trust by now for them to let him care for her for a few hours.
"Alright. If Em is okay with it." As much as she wanted an evening out with Bridget, she wouldn't leave Emily with someone if she wasn't comfortable with them.
"Sure, yeah of course." He was pretty sure the young girl would be okay with it. She'd seemed fine around him so far.
"I washed my hands! I'm ready!" Emily returned from the washroom a few moments later, eager to help.
"That's good because I have a job for you!" Franky was just coming back from the dining area, carrying one of the stools from the counter. "Here, can you get up on this?" These stools were a bit higher than the ones they had at the house, but the young girl managed with no problem. "Good. Now, I need these salt and pepper shakers filled. This half with salt, and this half with pepper. You can use this funnel to pour them in, and just go slowly."
"What's the rice for?" Emily had been looking at it the whole time the brunette was explaining what to do.
"Ah, yeah, that goes in with the salt." Franky smiled when the young girl gave her a weird look. She was going to teach her something new today. "You know how sometimes in the summer it's really warm, and humid?" She saw Emily nod her head. "Well, the salt doesn't like that and it'll stick together. So if you put a pinch or two of uncooked rice into the shaker with it, then the rice will absorb that humidity instead, and the salt will be fine."
"That's cool!" The young girl placed the funnel into one of the shakers, and dropped in a few grains of rice.
"Good, nice job!" Franky watched her pour in the salt next. "Now just put the lid on as tight as you can."
"Like this?" Emily held up her first completed one.
"Exactly." The brunette gave her a smile. "You can work on that while we unpack some more stuff."
"Uh, Franks, you didn't ask her if she was okay with tonight," Shayne whispered when Franky rejoined him.
"I thought maybe you'd like to ask her since it was your idea." The brunette thought that Emily would appreciate him asking her himself.
"Oh, uh sure." He quietly cleared his throat before making his way over to where the young girl was working carefully. "Hey, Em, I was thinking maybe you'd like to stay with me for a few hours this evening while your Auntie and Franky go out on a little date. What do you think?"
"How long?" Emily asked, then looked at the brunette for an answer.
"Just a few hours, not all night or anything like that." Franky could see that Shayne was disappointed that she hadn't accepted his offer right away.
"I'll cook supper for you, whatever you want. Then we can play a game, or watch a movie." He really wanted her to agree so that Franky and Bridget could go out.
"Will you be home before I go to sleep?" Emily once again directed her question to Franky.
"Probably, but if you get sleepy, you can just sleep on the couch until we get home if you don't want to go to bed on your own." The brunette didn't want to make any promises. She knew that some nights Emily liked to sleep early, and there was a chance that could happen tonight.
"Can I have tacos? Then I want to play with Lego." She asked Shayne this time, seemingly presenting the terms for her agreement.
"Yeah, that sounds good." He smiled, and gave her a small nod, then went back to join Franky.
"Tacos and lego, I have to say I'm a bit jealous. Sounds like a fun night." Franky was speaking to Shayne, but intentionally said it loud enough for Emily to hear her, and earned a smile from the young girl.
"I'm sure you'll have a fun evening, too," Shayne teased with a wink.
"Back to work." The brunette smiled, and pretended to ignore his comment.
"Hello, Lana. Good to see you." Bridget welcomed the inmate with her usual, warm greeting, and placed the meal she'd brought for her on the coffee table.
"You're feeling better?" The young inmate studied her, as they both sat down in the green chairs.
"Hm?" The question momentarily confused the blonde.
"You left early, unexpectedly on Friday. I assume you weren't feeling well?" When Bridget didn't answer, she continued. "The governor said you had an emergency come up."
"Oh, yes." She knew now what Lana was talking about. "I'm fine," Bridget gave her a small smile, "it wasn't a medical emergency."
"Family, then?" She pushed a little further, as she took a bite of her food.
"Lana," the blonde gave her a polite smile.
"We don't talk about you," Lana said, in a mocking tone, "but come on, I had to endure lunch with the governor. Don't you think you owe me for that?"
"I'm sure lunch with Ms. Bennett wasn't that bad." Bridget was getting tired of hearing her badmouth her close friend. "You know, she did us both a favor. If she hadn't let you have lunch in her office, you wouldn't have gotten to eat that day. She's done a lot for you actually; counselling sessions in my office when you were supposed to be in the slot, letting us have sessions outside, placing you with an officer you get along with. She cares about the women in here, too."
"Wait, you guys are friends, aren't you? Like outside of here." Lana had picked up that Bridget's defense of the governor was personal. "Close friends?"
"Let's talk about your weekend." The blonde needed to change directions here.
"Why won't you tell me?" The inmate ignored Bridget.
"Enough." The blonde sighed. "Lana, I need you to be serious about these sessions. Your trial will be coming up soon, and I want to have something good to tell them. You've made great progress with your PTSD therapy. I need for that progress to continue."
"I'm sorry." Lana looked down at her food as she spoke.
"It's okay." Bridget knew when an apology was sincere, and she felt that, in this case, it was.
"I push things too far sometimes." The young inmate nodded slightly. "I just feel like you understand me, and that's a feeling that's new to me."
"And I'm glad it's something you're experiencing. Having someone you can talk to, and who you trust, can make a big difference." Bridget reached out, and patted Lana's need as a gesture of comfort, and immediately admonished herself in her head.
"I was worried when you weren't there for lunch on Friday." The inmate had her head hung, but glanced up at the blonde, almost shyly.
"Why was that?" Bridget could sense that this was a moment where Lana was going to open up a bit.
"At first, I was worried about you, that you were sick or something. Then, I thought that maybe you'd decided to leave. Like you didn't want to deal with me anymore." She hung her head again.
"I would never just leave without telling anyone." The blonde knew that Lana had abandonment issues, so she wanted to reassure her that that wouldn't happen. "Thank you for your concern about my health, though." She caught a flicker of a smile on the other woman's face.
"Yeah, well, you know." Lana didn't finish her sentence, but simply shook her head. "I have a tendency to drive people away."
"You should have known I wasn't upset or abandoning you." Bridget caught the questioning look on the young inmate's face. "I made sure you got to have your lunch."
"Yeah," Lana smiled, "you did."
"Speaking of lunch." The blonde shifted in her chair. She knew that Lana probably wasn't going to take this well. "There's some concern about you coming here for your meals. The governor, and I, think the best solution is to move you into A-block where you'll get a fresh start. You'll be able to eat in the cafeteria then."
"I knew she'd ruin this somehow." The young inmate placed the container of food back onto the coffee table as if she'd suddenly lost her appetite.
"I understand that moving to a new block can mean making some adjustments, and getting used to a new routine, but it really is for the best in this case." Bridget understood that people were creatures of habit, and didn't like to be taken away from what they knew.
"It's not that. I don't give a fuck which block I'm in. I don't plan to make friends in here." She wiped her eyes. "I meant this." She waved her hand, gesturing to herself, the blonde, and the food on the table.
"Lana," Bridget sighed, "we can still have sessions just as often if you'd like. There just won't be lunch involved."
"Why did she have to stick her nose in anyway?" The young inmate felt like if the governor hadn't found out about the lunch sessions, they could have continued indefinitely.
"It wasn't her decision alone." The blonde decided to lie just a bit to take some heat off her friend. "We talked about it, and I agree that it's the best move." She saw the hurt in Lana's eyes. "Think about it; the fact that they don't think you've eaten in a couple of weeks, and yet you're doing okay…" She trailed off, and let that sink in for a moment. "Looks bad, yeah?"
"Yeah. I never thought of that. Maybe," Lana sat forward in her chair, "maybe I could like pretend I'm really hungry. Just make it look good so they don't suspect anything."
"I'm sorry. The decision has been made. You'll have the rest of the day to pack up your things, and say goodbye to people, if you want. You'll be moved in the morning." Bridget really did feel bad for her. "If you'd like, I can be there when you move; take you into the new block and see that you get settled in."
"Nah, I can't go in there looking like I'm weak and needing someone to hold my hand." The young inmate really did want to accept the offer, but her pride stood in the way.
"Okay." The blonde had accepted that this may cause a bit of a setback for them. "I'll schedule you in for a session at the usual time though."
"Yeah, alright." Lana wiped her eyes again.
"Why don't you finish your lunch while we talk a bit more?" Bridget gave her a reassuring smile. She'd get the young inmate through this.
"Gidge!" Franky wrapped her arms around the blonde as soon as she entered the house. "I have a surprise!"
"You do?" Bridget was surprised to see the brunette so excited after her low mood that morning.
"Yeah." The younger woman lowered her head and gave her wife a soft kiss. "We're having a date night tonight. Shayne is going to watch Em."
"Oh." For a second the blonde had thought that maybe Franky had taken another pregnancy test after she'd left for work, and had good news. "That's great!" She smiled, recovering from her initial disappointment. "Is he okay with that?"
"Yeah, it was his idea." The brunette had caught the change in Bridget's expression when she'd mentioned going out and leaving Em with him. "Is that okay?"
"It's fine." She gave Franky a smile. "When do we leave?"
"As soon as you get changed." The brunette leaned down and gave her another kiss.
"What's the required attire?" Bridget asked.
"I was thinking we could go to Williamstown beach. There's a great little food place there. Then maybe a walk along the beach?" Franky swayed with her in her arms as she talked. "Maybe a swim too?"
"Sounds romantic," The blonde said as she felt the younger woman place a kiss just below her ear. "I'll go get changed."
Franky threw a blanket and a couple of towels into a small bag along with their sunglasses.
"Be good for Shayne while we're gone, okay?" Bridget had gone into Emily's room after she'd changed, and saw her playing with some of her dolls. She sat down on the edge of the bed to talk with her for a moment.
"I will. Franky made me shower, and put on my pyjamas already." The young girl held out her arm to show her aunt that she'd done as she'd been asked.
"That was a good idea. In case you get tired before we're back." Bridget was glad that she seemed okay with being left with the young man.
"Franky said I can sleep on the couch." Emily was asking as if she wanted to make sure it was okay with the blonde as well.
"Yeah, that's fine." Bridget gave her a small smile.
"And Shayne is making me tacos, then he promised we'd play legos." She continued to play as she talked. "He let me pick what I wanted for supper."
"That was nice of him. It sounds like you have a fun evening planned." The blonde stood, and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "See you later tonight, love."
"Ready to go, babe?" Franky in the kitchen with Shayne, waiting for Bridget to return.
"Yeah." The blonde gave her a quick kiss before she turned her attention to the young man. "If you need us, we both have our phones."
"We'll be fine. You guys have fun." Shayne gave them a wink as they headed towards the door.
"I haven't been to the beach in forever," Bridget smiled up at the brunette as they walked along the paved path towards the water.
"Me either. We should come here more though; it's so close." Franky had always chosen the reserve across the street from their house when she wanted to spend some time outside, but the beach was less than ten minutes away. "Em would love it, too."
"She would. Maybe she'd try going in the water since she gained some confidence in the pool." The blonde smiled, remembering the fun she and Franky had had in that same pool the night before they'd taken her niece there.
"Here's the place." Franky had eaten at the small restaurant called "The Kiosk" a few times before. It was basically just a take-out place with tables set up along the edge of the beach, but she liked the food.
The brunette led the other woman over to look at the menu so they could order.
"It all looks good. What are you having?" Bridget asked as she leaned into Franky's side, and laced their fingers together.
"Fish and chips, I think." The younger woman felt like it would be the perfect beach meal.
"That sounds good. I'll get that, too." The blonde walked with her up to the window to order.
"Two fish and chips, please." Franky ordered, and paid, then turned to the older woman. "You can pick a table if you want, and I'll bring the food over when it's ready."
"Sure." Bridget stretched up a bit, and gave the brunette a soft kiss.
The blonde took the bag with their towels from Franky, and chose a table as close to the beach as possible. She was watching the waves break on the beach, when the brunette arrived with their food.
"This looks really good." Bridget hadn't realized how hungry she was until now.
"Yeah, it does. I'm starving." The brunette sat down in the chair next to the other woman. "Just wait until I'm pregnant."
"You know, when you said you had a surprise earlier, I thought maybe you'd taken another test and it was positive." Bridget gave her a small smile.
"Trust me, Gidge, if that had been the case, I wouldn't have been waiting for you to come home before I told you. I'd be marching myself right into your office the second I found out." Franky knew there would be no way she'd be able to, or want to, keep that from her wife. The blonde was just as invested in the process as she was.
"Good." Bridget could picture Franky hurrying excitedly through the hallways of the prison, Vera probably struggling a bit to keep up with her, since the brunette had a significant height advantage over the governor. "It was nice of Shayne to suggest this."
"Yeah. He and Em both picked up on my mood this morning. He offered, and Em seemed okay with it, and honestly, time alone with you sounded really good, so I agreed." She saw the blonde steal a fry from her container even though they both had the exact same meal. "I probably should have asked if you were okay leaving her with him."
"You don't have to ask me," Bridget said, shaking her head. "You're allowed to make decisions about her, and I trust your judgement."
"I know." Franky did know this in her heart, but there was always a nagging voice in the back of her mind, reminding her that there was a chance she'd fuck things up like her own mother had.
As they ate, the brunette reached over and absentmindedly rubbed Bridget's back. The blonde was wearing only a thin singlet, so she could feel even the slightest touch.
"Mm." Bridget let out a small, low moan as she chewed a bit of her food. "You know, you could probably make me come just with those little touches."
"You think so?" Franky glanced over with a half-smirk on her face, as she let her fingertips dip into the valley in the middle of the older woman's lower back.
"Yeah. You drove me crazy at dinner that night at the hotel. I think it could happen." Her back stiffened involuntarily as the brunette ran her fingers across the sensitive spot once more.
"I'd like to test that theory." Franky smiled as she ate one of her fries.
"Not here, not tonight." The blonde flashed her a look that said she wanted her to behave.
"You're no fun," the younger woman teased.
"Well, we are very much in public." Bridget wasn't sure how risky she'd be willing to go, but she had a feeling that someday Franky would test those limits with her.
"You don't want a 'When Harry met Sally' moment?" the brunette asked with a small chuckle.
"Yeah, I'd rather not." The blonde couldn't even imagine being the actress who had to perform that scene, let alone have it play out for her in real life.
Franky didn't respond, but simply let out a small laugh, and continued to eat her food.
When they'd finished eating, they decided to take a walk along the beach.
"Ready for a swim?" Bridget asked when they'd reached a quiet part of the beach.
"Yeah," Franky smiled, "we can watch the sunset from in the water."
They walked a bit farther, away from the few people who were still left on the beach. When they'd found a spot they liked, the brunette spread out the blanket she'd brought. Bridget had worn her bathing suit under her clothes, while Franky had opted to wear her board shorts with a bikini top underneath her t-shirt. They both stripped down to their swimwear, and made their way towards the water.
"It's a bit colder than I expected," the blonde said, as she waded in up to her ankles. It was the time of year when the weather was starting to cool off, but it had been sunny for the past couple of days, and she thought it would have warmed the water a bit more.
"Do you still want to go in? We can just watch from the beach instead." Franky had suggested the swim before they'd left the house, and she didn't want Bridget to just go along with her if she was going to be uncomfortable.
"Yeah, I'll be fine." The blonde gave her a smile as she walked further in.
It wasn't long before the water level had reached the older woman's shoulders.
"Come here." The brunette wrapped her arms around Bridget.
The blonde got the hint, and wrapped her legs around the younger woman's waist, and her arms around her neck.
Franky walked a few more steps until she could just still comfortably touch the bottom, then pulled Bridget in for a slow kiss. She ran her fingers lightly down the middle of the blonde's back again.
"Mm." Bridget smiled as their lips parted. "You're being naughty again."
"I can't help it," the brunette said with a small chuckle.
"Are you sure there are no sharks out here?" The blonde didn't know why, but the thought had suddenly popped into her head.
"Yeah, it's fine. Besides, I've got a fool proof way to escape from a shark." Franky smiled, waiting for Bridget to ask what it was.
"Which is?" The older woman was curious to hear this.
"Don't be the slowest swimmer." The brunette tried to be serious, but couldn't hold in her laughter when she saw the look on her wife's face.
"Seriously? You'd sacrifice me to save yourself?" Bridget shook her head. She knew that Franky was joking, and she wanted to have some fun with it.
"Nah." The younger woman let out one more final small chuckle before she turned serious. "I couldn't do this without you."
"Do what?" The blonde asked quietly, as she brushed her fingers over the nape of Franky's neck.
"Live," the brunette said quietly, as she studied Bridget's eyes.
"Yeah, you could." She saw the younger woman shake her head slightly. "Yeah, Em would need you. You'd get through it together. You two love each other so much."
"Yeah, we do." Franky smiled. "She was good today. She finished all of her work pretty quickly, and she helped the whole rest of the day without complaining once. Shayne doesn't even do that."
"She's in her element there." Bridget turned her head, and saw that the sun was low over the water now, and the sky looked like a painting with swatches of pink, red, and gold. "It's beautiful."
"Yeah, it is." The brunette leaned in, and placed a kiss on the side of the older woman's neck. She could taste the salt from the ocean on her skin.
Bridget took in a shaky breath, as she pushed her hips against Franky's lower stomach.
"You're like kryptonite, you know that?" The blonde smiled as she felt the younger woman nip at her neck.
"I've been called worse." Franky lifted her head, and smiled as she placed a soft kiss on the other woman's lips. She felt Bridget push her hips against her again. "What happened to 'not here, not tonight'?"
"You." The blonde pushed against her again, her eyes fluttering closed for a second. "And we're pretty alone now."
Franky moved her hand in between them, and let her fingers slide down into Bridget's bathing suit. She pushed lower, gliding over the blonde's clit, and letting her fingers come to rest on her folds. Even in the coolness of the water, she could feel the slick warmth of the other woman.
She flexed her hand a couple of times, then let two of her fingers slip inside her wife. She pushed in deep, and felt Bridget tighten her arms around her shoulders a bit more.
"Yes, baby," the blonde whispered next to Franky's ear.
Bridget whimpered as the brunette easily found that sweet spot inside of her. The younger woman had learned her body well, and the blonde knew she wouldn't last long.
Franky kept her fingers buried deep, and simply curled them against the older woman's front wall. Bridget's small movements were also creating friction between her clit and the brunette's palm. She felt the blonde's thigh quiver against her side.
"I know you're holding it back." Franky grinned as she kissed Bridget's shoulder. There was something she found unbelievably hot about knowing that not only could she make her wife come quickly if she wanted to, but also that the blonde would fight her own orgasm to prolong the pleasure.
"Mm, I could come in just a few seconds if I wanted to." Bridget lifted her head, and looked at the brunette with a lazy grin.
"Do it." Franky smirked as she applied a bit of extra pressure with her fingers. She saw the blonde's eyes flicker shut for a second before she gave a small shake of her head.
"Feels really good," Bridget mumbled as she lowered her head, and rested it against the brunette's shoulder.
The blonde felt Franky place kisses along her shoulder at the line where her skin met the water. It created an odd sensation with the contrast between the cool water, and her warm lips.
The brunette kept her pace stead, but soon felt Bridget's muscles start to tighten around her fingers anyway.
"Oh god." The blonde had just barely been holding on for a couple minutes now, and she felt herself quickly approaching the point of no return. "Fuck."
Franky hit that spot once more, and felt the older woman contract around her fingers. She held onto her as Bridget rode out her orgasm.
They were quiet for a moment. The only sounds were the waves against the shore in the distance, and the blonde's breathing slowly returning to normal.
The brunette felt Bridget shiver.
"Are you cold, babe?" Franky asked as she placed a kiss at the corner of her mouth.
"A little." The blonde hated to admit it because she was enjoying the peaceful calm of the water, but now that her body was coming down, she was starting to feel the chill.
"Let's go get dried off." The younger woman gave her a kiss on the lips, then started to walk back towards the shore.
"Hey," Bridget greeted Shayne as she came around the corner. "Everything go alright?"
"Yep." The young man nodded, and paused the show he was watching. He saw the blonde look around for Emily. "She's in bed. Has been for about a half hour."
"Really?" Franky was surprised. She thought for sure the young girl would still be awake when they got home.
"Yeah, we ate, and played with some legos." He motioned to their creations still sitting on the coffee table; a car built by him, and a small house that Emily had made. "She asked to watch some cartoons then halfway through the first one she said she wanted to go to bed." He shrugged.
"Well that's good. I'm glad she didn't give you too much trouble." Bridget was happy that they might have a new option for a babysitter. "And she went to bed with no fuss?"
"Mhm." Shayne nodded. "She asked for a story. The one about the girl with the long hair."
"Rapunzel?" Bridget asked.
"That's the one," Shayne replied, pointing at her.
"Thanks for looking after her, we had a nice evening." Franky was glad now that she had taken him up on his offer. "Do you want me to drive you over to Vera's?" She knew that the busses were still running, but it was much faster by car, and she felt like she owed him a favour.
"Nah, I told her I wasn't sure when you'd be home, and she said she was tired, so she was going to call it an early night. I'll probably just finish this," he gestured towards the tv with the remote that was still in his hand, "then go to bed myself."
"Alright." Franky began to unpack their towels so they could go into the laundry. "We're going to shower, then sleep, I think." She looked to Bridget for confirmation, and got a nod. "See you in the morning."
"Are you still cold, babe?" The brunette asked as she crawled into bed next to the older woman, and saw that she had put on some of her warmer pyjamas.
"A bit." She cuddled in close next to Franky. They'd taken a hot shower, which she thought should have been enough to warm her up, but her body still felt cold inside.
"We'll get you warmed up." The brunette reached down, and grabbed an extra blanket that was folded over the end of the bed. She spread it out mostly over Bridget, and made sure it was tucked in behind her so it covered her back.
"I had fun tonight." The blonde smiled at her.
"Me too." Franky placed a soft kiss on her lips. "Let's get some sleep."
The brunette heard Bridget sigh as she pulled the older woman closer, and held her a bit tighter.
