Still rollin'….
A half hour later, Ben appeared at Frank's office door, a serious expression on his face. "Frank? Do you have a moment?"
Frank glanced over at Ben. Obviously perplexed at Ben's grim demeanor, he replied, "Of course, Ben. Come on in."
Ben walked in and closed the door behind him. Settling into one of the chairs in front of Frank's desk, he said, "Earlier this afternoon, a gentleman came to me with a rather interesting allegation about you."
Frank looked at him curiously. "An 'interesting allegation'? What do you mean?"
Ben gave Frank a tight smile. "Well, as this man put it, there's no good way to say it, so I'll just come out with it…he told me you're from outer space. Royalty, no less. Said he heard you say it yourself."
A ball of panic and apprehension immediately formed in the pit of Frank's stomach. How could this have happened? He never openly spoke of his origins…except for that very afternoon, in the park with Columbia. But there hadn't been anyone around! Well…there hadn't been anyone around he could see, at any rate. Obviously, someone overheard their conversation – and that "someone" had to have been John.
Despite Frank's agitation, he'd rehearsed this scenario – of someone accusing him of being an alien – enough times in his mind that he was able to hide his distress and fear. He looked at Ben and laughed. "I'm from outer space? That's rich. I managed to get airsick on a Concorde flight from London to New York. I shudder to think of how I would handle air travel from a destination light years away from here." He paused a moment, still smiling. "However, if you would like proof I am who I claim to be, I can certainly produce any documentation you'd care to see…my birth certificate, school transcripts, the paperwork from my naturalization…anything at all."
With that, Ben's face relaxed, and he laughed along with Frank. "Don't worry, my boy. It isn't necessary. I just thought you'd get a kick out of that accusation. I wouldn't have bothered you with it at all, but I figured you could always use a laugh."
Frank chuckled. "Yes, laughs have been in rather short supply of late. Thank you." He frowned slightly, and asked, "Incidentally, who came to you with that claim?"
Ben smiled. "The loon? His name is John Trafford. Apparently his girlfriend is your sister-in-law. What on earth did you do to him, for him to attempt something like this?" He laughed. "It must have been good."
Frank smirked in response. "It was. I married his ex-fiancée."
After Ben left, Frank sat and thought about John. Stuart was right; John was obviously out to destroy both him and his relationship with Eva, and he wasn't afraid to play dirty to do it. An increasing sense of dread began to wash over him as he contemplated that realization. Exactly how dirty would John play in order to get his way? If John had come here to "out" Frank as an alien, it seemed likely his next step would be to attempt the same thing with Eva.
Eva…who was home alone, getting ready for her birthday celebration that evening. The very thought of it petrified him. He tried calling her, but there was no answer. Damn, she was probably in the shower. He quickly shut off his computer, grabbed his jacket and keys, and left the office.
He had to make sure Eva was all right…