I'm quiet, you know
You make a first impression
I've found I'm scared to know I'm always on your mind

Even the best fall down sometime
Even the stars refuse to shine
Out of the back you fall in time
I somehow find
You and I collide

-Howie Day, "Collide"

CHAPTER TEN

Remember that thing I said earlier, about how my mother told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say, I shouldn't say anything? And that was why I didn't say anything about Gabriella Wicks?

Well. Even my mom agrees that rule doesn't apply when it comes to Aunt Cathy – that's how bad she is.

I've known Aunt Cathy for almost as long as Frankie has, even though she's not technically my blood relative… but every time she's at the Darcys for a holiday, I see her too. I remember when I was 6 years old, she asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I said I wanted to become a garbage man. (I was a weird 6-year-old.) That old witch looked me straight in the eye and told me that the position of garbage man was reserved for poor, dirty people, who looked like they lived in garbage anyway, and that a true lady would never go near such a "profession." (Her quotes, not mine.)

I think that explains quite a bit.

I could see the look on Aunt Cathy's face when she heard that my fiancée, his father and his brother were all construction workers… she instantly deemed herself "better" than them, and nothing that anyone could say or do would change that. She was only mildly bitchy to Charlie, because he wouldn't be marrying into her family directly… but everyone had seen the chemistry between Frankie and Eddie earlier in the night, and it was pretty dang obvious how into each other they were. Which explains why she turned on the Full Bitch mode and aimed her considerable un-matchmaking efforts on Eddie.

Frankie watched as Aunt Cathy stared Eddie down, biting her lip nervously. She had to stop it, but she felt like she was in a nightmare, running in slow motion, unable to prevent the disaster from happening. Eddie looked bewildered.

"Yes, a construction company," he replied.

"So you own the business, then?" she asked him. Eddie looked around as if he was making sure she was talking to him.

"Well, my father owns the business, and Charlie will be inheriting it one day-"

"What exactly is it that you do?" she interrupted. Frankie bit back a groan, bringing her hand up to her temples.

"Well, I help with the projects."

"So you do the manual labor," she stated plainly. She didn't give Eddie a chance to respond before she continued. "Carl is a lawyer in the Chicago Attorney General's office." Frankie felt her cheeks burn red and resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands. Could her aunt have been any more obvious? Carl, however, didn't seem to mind, seeing as how he had sat up a little straighter and was beaming with egotistical pride.

"Wow, Carl…" Eddie said dryly, his voice full of disdain. "That's just… that's great." Suddenly, Mrs. Bell cleared her throat.

"Well, can I get anyone anything to drink?" she asked, clearly trying to change the subject. She went around getting drink orders, while Emily started talking to Aunt Cathy to divert her from interrogating Eddie. The two mothers were fairly successful, managing to clear most of the tension out of the room until dinner was ready. Everyone was making their way into the dining room, and Frankie decided to take the opportunity to pull Eddie aside for a minute. She felt like she had to explain, before he became convinced, again, that she and her family were cold-hearted bitches. She weaved her way through the en masse movement toward the dining room, grabbing Eddie by the elbow and pulling him aside into the kitchen.

"What's up?" he asked. Frankie was wringing her hands in front of her, wondering how to say it without sounding condescending.

"Look, my Aunt Cathy is really… I just…" She looked around, making sure no one could hear her. She lowered her voice. "She's a really big bitch."

Eddie smirked. "No offense, but I think I could've figured that out without your help," he said. Frankie managed a wry smile.

"I just don't want you to think that I, or my parents, or my sister, or anyone else, really… have the same opinion as her, because we don't. None of us."

Eddie crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked at her like he was really amused. "I know all that, Frankie."

Frankie squirmed. "Okay, well… good." She started to walk away, but Eddie stopped her.

"Whoa, whoa, wait…" he said, putting a hand on her elbow. "What are you so worried about?"

Frankie bit her tongue. She didn't want to say what she knew was the true answer to that question. "I just don't want you to think that we're terrible people just because my great aunt is a bitch, that's all. C'mon, they're waiting for us." She started walking into the dining room, and this time he didn't stop her. They entered, seeing that there were two seats next to each other open. Jane looked over at her and winked slyly, and Frankie rolled her eyes.

"Carl, come sit next to me," Aunt Cathy suddenly snapped. Carl looked up, startled.

"Oh, uh… sure, Cathy," he said, getting up from his spot next to Emily. He walked around and sat down in one of the empty chairs that were so strategically next to each other. Frankie sighed. Clearly Aunt Cathy was making her opinion painfully obvious. Frankie sat down in the chair next to Carl, while Eddie went around the table and sat in the chair that Carl had just vacated. Everyone busied themselves with passing around the food, and Frankie tried to ignore the smiles that Carl kept throwing her way every time he handed her a dish. Once everyone's plates were full and everyone had started eating, Aunt Cathy started in again.

"So, Jane, Charlie, how did you two meet?" she asked. Frankie resisted the urge to slam her forehead into her plate of mashed potatoes.

"We met at a party of a mutual friend's," Jane replied. Aunt Cathy nodded, then turned to me.

"And I suppose that you and Eddie met through Jane and Charlie?"

"Yes, Aunt Cathy," I hissed through my teeth.

"And how did the two of you get to be such good… friends?" The last word was said pointedly, with an arch of her eyebrow.

"We planned a surprise engagement party for Jane and Charlie," Frankie answered quickly, pleading with her eyes for her mother to change the subject, but Emily was looking helpless. "So, uh… we spent some time working on that."

"Actually, we met because I'm a part-time gigolo on the side, and Frankie was in need of a little male company," Eddie rattled nonchalantly before taking a bite of his ham. Frankie choked on her food, slamming her hand to her mouth in an attempt to keep it from spewing across the table. The room was dead silent for a moment.

"Edward!" Mrs. Bennett exclaimed incredulously. Frankie ventured a glance at Aunt Cathy, seeing that her expression was one of pure disgust, equal to the one adorning Carl's face. Jane's shoulders were shaking, she was trying so hard not to laugh. Frankie smiled, suddenly very amused by the situation herself. Eddie looked back at Aunt Cathy again.

"I'm just kidding, Cathy darling." He looked at Frankie and winked at her. "For Frankie, my services would definitely be for free." Frankie colored deeply, though she couldn't stop herself from laughing quietly.

"Well isn't that nice," Aunt Cathy said in a tone of voice that clearly said that it wasn't.

"I think so." Eddie looked straight back at Frankie and smiled again. She could see Aunt Cathy practically fuming in her chair, and Frankie raised an eyebrow at Eddie.

Gigolo? She mouthed to him. He just kept smiling.

"Francesca," Cathy said, getting her niece's attention. Frankie looked at her aunt dutifully. "Carl is quite the patron of the arts. He's got season tickets for the symphony, box seats no less."

This time Eddie was the one stifling his laughter.

After an evening filled with attempts to block off any more interrogation – or matchmaking - on Aunt Cathy's part, the Darcys were headed home. Eddie materialized at Frankie's side when she was standing by the door, holding her coat, and he helped her put it on.

"Thanks," she said, pulling out her hair from beneath the collar. "Hey… can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure," he replied. "Talk." Frankie looked around awkwardly, noticing at least six people looking at them.

"Um… in private?"

"Oh… right." Eddie chuckled.

"Can we just step outside for a moment?"

"I'll do better than that, I'll walk you home." He reached into the closet and grabbed his coat.

"Oh, you don't need to do that."

"Don't worry about it." He pulled his coat on and ushered her out of the door with his hand on the small of her back. She could feel the gazes of everyone on their backs as they walked out, but she chose to ignore it. She even saw Cathy making a move to stop them in her peripheral vision, but Mrs. Bell grabbed her elbow and pulled her back into the house.

Frankie and Eddie stepped outside, walking down the shoveled sidewalk as she zipped her coat closed. They walked for a moment before Eddie cleared his throat.

"So… you wanted to talk to me?" he prompted.

"Oh, right. Sorry." Frankie's cheeks flushed. "Um, I just wanted to thank you for putting up with my Aunt Cathy. I know she's… a force to be reckoned with, to say the least. Anyway, I just really appreciate it that you were a good sport about the whole thing… much lesser guys than you have run for their lives when they met her, and you don't even really have to deal with her, because you…" Frankie trailed off when she realized what she just said, and all the implications underneath it. She looked away and cleared her throat. "Although I'm not sure that you can call claiming to be a gigolo being a 'good sport'…" She trailed off, and Eddie chuckled.

"That was just purely for my own entertainment."

Frankie laughed. "Well maybe I don't need to thank you, seeing as you got such a kick out of it."

"No, no, that's perfectly alright, thank away. I'm a big fan of gratitude. Although, if you ask me, you've got it a lot worse… I mean, is she really trying to set you up with that piece of cardboard?" Eddie asked incredulously. Frankie laughed.

"Apparently. She's always trying to set me up with some rich, hoity-toity guy… I've gotten used to it." They both smiled at each other in silence for a moment. Frankie looked up and saw that they were almost to her house.

"So… tomorrow's Christmas Eve," she said. Wow, way to state the obvious. You are such a dork, Darcy.

"Indeed it is."

"Think you're gonna get anything good?" she asked, attempting to avoid the silence by making conversation, even if it was the dumbest conversation she'd possibly ever had. Eddie shrugged.

"I think I'm getting the first season of MASH on DVD from Charlie."

Frankie giggled. "Ooh, score," she teased.

"What about you?"

"I dunno, might get something good from dear Aunt Cathy," she said, sarcasm dripping from her voice. Eddie laughed.

"Like Carl, naked and gift wrapped on your bed?" he asked. Frankie laughed loudly and then groaned in disgust.

"That's a very disturbing thought."

"Yeah, not only for you…" Eddie trailed off before shuddering. Frankie giggled. They turned onto the sidewalk leading to her house, and he walked with her up the few steps to her front door.

"Well… it's been a lovely evening," he said. Frankie laughed.

"Yeah right."

"No really… it's been fun."

Frankie smiled. "Well, in case we don't see you tomorrow… Merry Christmas," she said.

"Merry Christmas to you too."

Frankie had an inkling that he was going to hug her, but she wasn't prepared when he wrapped his arms around her. Her arms were around his shoulders, his around her waist, and in the cold of the evening, she could feel the warmth of his cheek against hers. He pulled back after what seemed like an eternity, and smiled at her.

"Goodnight, Frankie."

Frankie had just settled into bed and was trying her best to force herself to stop thinking about Eddie when her cell phone rang. She groaned and rolled over, digging it out from her purse next to her bed. When she saw that it was Jane, she rolled her eyes.

"Seriously, Jane. I was just over there. You couldn't've talked to me then?" was how she answered the phone.

"No time for jokes, Frankie, I had to call and tell you something."

"What?"

"Before you left, when everyone was heading for the door and our moms were talking about recipes and all that crap… Aunt Cathy pulled Eddie aside to talk to him."

Frankie sat bolt upright in her bed. "Oh god…"

"Yeah, my thoughts exactly, which is why I followed them and listened at the door, and get this… Aunt Cathy started ranting about how he wasn't good enough for you, and how he should do you a favor and just stay away-"

"Oh shit," Frankie muttered, leaning forward and burying her face in the blankets.

"No, no, no, that's not even the part that I had to tell you! Aunt Cathy told Eddie that she wanted him to promise that he would never go after you… and he refused."

Frankie sat upright again. "What?"

"Yeah! He was like, 'First of all, I don't answer to you, and second of all, if Frankie is interested in me, there's no way in hell I'd say no just because her bitch of an aunt has delusions of grandeur about her great niece.'"

Frankie couldn't move. She couldn't even breathe.

"Anyway, I had to tell you… I think maybe you have something to think about."

"Merry Christmas Eve, sweetheart," Emily greeted her daughter as she walked into the kitchen the next morning. Frankie smiled.

"Merry Christmas Eve, Mom," she replied. Her mother stuck her cheek out for a kiss, and Frankie obliged. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Oh, just relaxing until the evening… we're going over to the Bells again, but just for some egg nog and pie after dinner." Frankie nodded, swallowing hard.

She couldn't stop thinking about Eddie, and she had no idea what to do about it. She looked over at her mom, putting muffins into the oven, and realized that it was past time for some motherly advice.

"Mom," she started.

"Yes, dear?" Her mother turned around and took off her oven mitts. Frankie gulped again.

"Um… have you ever had a first impression of someone that turned out to be totally wrong?" she asked sheepishly, avoiding her mother's gaze by pouring herself a cup of coffee.

"Of course I have. Everyone has."

Frankie added cream. "So um… how did you… well…"

Emily reached over and took her daughter's face in her hands, forcing her to look in her eyes. "Darling, why don't you drop the abstract questions and just ask me about Eddie?" Frankie opened her mouth to protest, but stopped when she realized the whole point had been to ask her mother. She plopped down on a barstool.

"I think I like Eddie," she blurted out. "A lot. I think I like him a lot. I don't understand why, he's so… so… irritating and cocky and occasionally vulgar, but… on the other hand he can be so… attentive, and he looks at me like I'm the only person alive, and he makes me be this person that I never in a million years thought that I would be…" She trailed off, then looked up at her mom intently. "He makes me nervous, Mom. NERVOUS. I haven't been nervous about a guy since… since… my god, I've NEVER been nervous about a guy! I've always been confident and independent, and it's something that I love about myself, but now… I know that I'm going to see him, and I get butterflies. He looks at me and I get goosebumps. I fumble over my words, I stick my foot in my mouth at every opportunity…" Frankie stopped talking when she realized her mother was laughing. "…and you're laughing at me! Great. Icing on the cake."

"Oh honey, I'm not laughing at you," Emily said, reaching over to touch her daughter's arm. Frankie glared at her. "No really! I'm not. I'm laughing because the solution to your problem is so obvious, and I think it's a little funny that a girl as smart as you can't figure it out."

"And what is this obvious solution, exactly?"

Emily leaned forward onto her elbows. "It's just what you said, honey. You like him, a lot. So ask him out. You just said you've always been confident and independent… why not?" Frankie shook her head vehemently.

"I can't do that, Mom. I did that once, and… it didn't work, to say the least."

"Didn't you just tell me that your first impression of Eddie was wrong?"

"Yes…" Frankie answered slowly.

"And that your conception of who he is has changed?"

"Yeah…"

"Don't you think that maybe the same thing could've happened to him?"

"Merry Christmas, Darcys!" Mrs. Bell greeted everyone cheerfully as they walked in the door. Frankie's heart was pounding, her palms sweating, her breathing labored… and all because of the envelope currently residing in her coat pocket. Everyone was cheerful as they greeted each other, Emily bearing gifts for the Bells and Bennetts. Everyone was ushered into the living room where a glass of egg nog was placed in each hand. Frankie settled into the couch she had been placed on, looking around and noticing that Eddie was nowhere to be seen. Her spirits sank slightly.

"Where's Eddie and Charlie?" Emily asked. Frankie looked over at Mrs. Bell expectantly for the reply, thanking god for mothers.

"Oh they went on a little errand for me. They should be back soon."

Carl plopped down onto the couch next to her, and Frankie's spirits sank even lower. The man had been a fixture at his side, bragging about his summer home in the Hamptons and his new Ferrari… the man was so self-centered that it made her want to scream. She had been looking forward to going to the Bells if only to get away from him for a little while… but with Eddie running errands, it looked like that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

An hour and a half later, they still weren't back. Jane had called Charlie, who said that traffic was horrible with the snow pouring down. Frankie looked down into her empty glass, feeling as though her hopes had disappeared into nothing. She'd worked up the guts to do something special, something that could possibly change everything… and now she couldn't even give it to him, and she had a feeling that if she didn't do it that night, she'd lose her nerve.

She could tell that her mother was reluctant to go home, but Aunt Cathy was insisting that they leave. Frankie narrowed her eyes at her great aunt, wondering if she was the reason that Eddie was seemingly avoiding her. Carl took advantage of his absence to appear at her side and help her on with her coat. She could feel the envelope still in her pocket, and found herself wishing that Aunt Cathy would just die or move to Antarctica or something, rid them all of her presence.

"Uh oh, Francesca…" Carl said from behind her. She resisted the strong urge to roll her eyes as she turned to face him. He had a stupid grin on his face, pointing his finger at the ceiling. Frankie felt her heart drop into her stomach as she looked up and saw what he was pointing to. "We appear to be caught under the mistletoe."

Frankie looked around desperately, trying to find a way out, but everyone was just looking on helplessly… except for Aunt Cathy, who was smiling contentedly.

"Um…" she stuttered. He was leaning towards her, and she felt her stomach lurch. "Oh god…" she muttered. He was getting awfully close to her, and Frankie was bracing herself, when suddenly the front door swung open, startling them apart. Eddie and Charlie walked in, soaked to the bone and covered in snow. Frankie saw Carl's face fall out of the corner of her eye, but she was too busy staring at Eddie to really notice it. The expression on his face was unreadable, but she knew something for sure – he had seen what was about to happen.

"There you boys are! We were starting to get worried!" Mrs. Bell said. Mrs. Bennett rushed up and switched into motherly mode, taking off her sons' coats and brushing the snow off of their hair. Frankie couldn't move – Eddie's eyes had been locked on hers since the moment he walked in the door. He looked away for a split second to swat his mother's hands away, and Frankie giggled.

"Merry Christmas," he said as he walked up to her.

"Merry Christmas," she replied. She lowered her voice. "Um, I have something for you." He didn't say another word, simply took her by the elbow and lead her back into the living room where she'd just spent the entire evening thinking about him.

"You didn't have to get me anything," he said as she put her hands into her pockets. Her palms had started sweating again.

"I wanted to. Anyway, it's not much, not right now anyway, but hopefully it'll turn into something new and… good. Really good." She was babbling. She pulled the envelope out of her pocket and handed it to him. He ripped it open, and pulled out the small business card sitting inside.

"Stuart Knight," he read the name. "Who's Stuart Knight and why is he my Christmas present? He better not be a gigolo, Frankie, you know I don't swing that way." He paused, apparently remembering what had happened the night before, then continued. "Well, apparently I do, but I need to be the one getting paid, not my competition." Frankie laughed before swatting him on the arm.

"Shut up, I'm trying to be serious here."

"Okay then… seriously, who is he?"

"He's a close friend of mine, and if you'll look at the card, you'll notice that he works at a bank."

He looked down at the card, then back up at her. "Yes, I see that."

"Right. Well, see, he owes me a favor, and I'm calling it in now… for you."

He furrowed his brow. "I don't understand."

"A small business loan," she stated simply. Realization dawned over Eddie's face. "I called him already, he wants to hear your ideas. He wants to help make your dream come true, Eddie."

Eddie was silent. Frankie giggled, trying to cover up how nervous she was. "Wow, never thought I'd see you speechless."

"Frankie, I…" Eddie's voice was hoarse. "This is unbelievable. I don't know how to thank you." He looked up at her, and this time she saw a look in his eyes that she'd never seen before. Slowly he broke into a smile. "I didn't even get you anything."

Frankie giggled. "That's okay. That's the whole point of a gift. Just something that I know will make you happy." She suddenly realized that they had inched closer together.

"Francesca! We're leaving!" Aunt Cathy's shrill voice interrupted their wonderful moment. Frankie rolled her eyes and cleared her throat.

"Guess I'm being beckoned." She started to back away. "Merry Christmas again, Eddie."

"Wait," he said suddenly, grabbing her elbow and pulling her back towards him. He tugged her a little too hard, and she ended up a mere inches away from him. "You don't… I mean… with Carl, just now, you weren't…"

Frankie giggled. "Are you kidding me?" Eddie smiled slowly, and they both stood there for a moment before she turned around and followed her family out the door.

AN: Hey guys! Thanks for continuing to read and review, and I'm sorry that it took me a little longer to get this chapter out... it was a busy weekend. :) hehe. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this... only one chapter and an epilogue left! Thanks again everybody!

2ndAN: Hey guys! I was inspired by a review left by the wonderful Sobee1982, so I added an extra little bit. :)