TC Stark: Hello, beautifuls! Sorry this took a little while, I've been super busy! Eeek! Thank you everyone who has reviewed, followed, and favorited this story! I promise not to let you down! And remember, don't hesitate to let me know if you have any ideas. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I only own Frankie and my ideas

Chapter Two

When Frankie stepped back into the station, she saw that her mother and father had seated themselves at a table in the far left corner. It seemed that Maggie had already served them coffee and was working on something to eat for them. In was then that she wondered how something that seemed so easy going could make her throat tighten.

As they approached the tale, Forrest began to remove his hat from his head. Frankie observed that that motion was like second nature to him. She wondered where he had learned the gesture. Jack was a kind and respectful boy, but he didn't always take off his hat. And for someone who had been in the military, Howard didn't seem to care if his hat was on or not. It was only the legend that really seemed to care about the action.

Forrest always seemed dangerous. Even when he wasn't trying to, he was an imposing force of nature. Nothing was done carelessly. Not even the way he sat down. He would not allow himself to seem vulnerable, in front of anyone. And he kept eye contact with Harvey, as he lowered himself in the seat right across the father.

Frankie's eyes noticed that Jack was in the corner of the bar, sitting at a table by himself playing cards. Trying to stimulate his mind, which was good considering not many people in Franklin kept up with their education. Growing up on a farm, she wondered if he even went to any kind of school. He was a smart young boy and simply wanted to keep his mind keen. Somewhat of a tribute to his deceased friend Cricket, whom he always liked to brag about the boy's intelligence.

Howard was also sitting at the counter, guzzling down a mason jar of moonshine. It was an illegal activity and not the best way to introduce her parents to the family she was marrying into, but it was his property and like Forrest, he'd do as he saw fit. Besides, Frankie knew he wasn't doing it to be disrespectful. Drinking alcohol was second nature to the oldest Bondurant.

"Would you like something to drink, sweetie?" Maggie stepped over to the table, placing two plates of eggs and home fries down and asking Frankie a question.

"Well, I can get-"

With a wink, the redhead waved her off and went towards the bar to retrieve a fountain soda for Frankie and some more coffee for Forrest. When she returned, Yvonne smiled and complimented, "Maggie, this looks great. Were you always a cook?"

Flawlessly she turned and without giving anything about her past away, she smiled, "Not always, but I think I fell into it pretty easily. I was always around the kitchen with my grandmother."

"I had always hoped Frankie would learn to cook, but it never seemed to catch on." The mother let out a small sigh.

Frankie adjusted herself in her seat, as Maggie spoke with a smile, "Oh, Frankie has been a huge help in the kitchen."

Giving her a smile, the New Yorker gave a nod that the redhead returned before walking away. Seeing that Maggie was out of earshot, Harvey cleared his throat and began to speak, "I don't mean to create an air of uneasiness, but I find that I must bring this up. You are a Bondurant. And stories of your family, especially of you has reached New York. As well as, I'm sure; the rest of the country. Everyone knows that you are bootleggers and sell illegal moonshine."

Frankie's eyes shifted over to Forrest, who remained as stoic as ever. His gaze was unmoving, locked onto her father's. It didn't surprise her. He was a Bondurant. He wasn't going to back down to everyone. No nerve even twitched, as the gravel in his voice surprised her mother, "Yes, sir."

"I'm not judging you. My brother makes bathtub gin and I remember a time when alcohol was not illegal. Fairly speaking, it's a bullshit rule," With a sigh, Harvey dug into his food and made a comment about it being good, "How am I supposed to be comfortable with my daughter living here when every bastard out there is trying to kill you?"

Taking a pregnant pause, Forrest lifted up his mug and brought the rim to his full lips. Letting the hot liquid seep down his throat. Nothing he did was rushed and he wasn't about to start. The rest of the station was busy with utensils hitting silverware feverishly. Mostly men who ate their meals quite brashly.

After setting the mug down, a groan rumbled out of his lips before the words followed, "Ain't no one getting to my family."

To that day his voice still sent shivers down Frankie's spine. She wanted nothing more than to drink him in. Her protector. No matter what bad had happened to her, she knew she was safe with him. He was the one to open up her world and be the one who made her realize their was nothing wrong with who she was. There was no one else that she fully entrusted her life to other than him.

"You know...I hope you can understand my husband and my trepidation towards this. There are a number of things that worry us," Yvonne began, "For one...you are a tad older than Frankie. We just found out about this recently and she has only been here for a year. Frankie has been known to...make brash decisions and well, I'm not sure if you know about her condition-"

"Mom."

Before the two women could erupt, Forrest held his hand out to Frankie as if to tell her that he would handle it. And after clearing his throat, the larger man explained, "All due respect, Mrs. Giller, ain't nothing wrong with Frankie. And if I can be so bold, I'm gonna say it was that kind of accusation that caused her to run out in the first place."

Now, anyone would now that it wasn't exactly proper, or a very good idea; to speak in such a way to the parents of your future in-laws. But, as anyone would know; Forrest was not like most people. Whether or not they were Frankie's parents, it didn't matter. He would not have anyone speaking in such a way to anyone in his family.

Readjusting in his seat, Harvey looked the large man up and down. Assessing him. It was a good thing that Frankie knew her father didn't carry weapons on him. He was an honest man who did what he could to put food on the table for his family. Carrying around weapons only attracted violence and while she had seen him throw a fist or two, her father was a man who rarely did anything else other than work and spend time with his family.

Clearing his throat, Harvey spoke, "You don't think there's anything wrong with my daughter?"

"Not at all, sir."

Harvey slowly nodded, while pulling his own cigarette holder out and popping one in between his lips, "You're either full of shit, Forrest Bondurant, or an honorable man. And I would like to think the latter. Frankie may be rash at times, but she ain't stupid."

The tension in the air was suffocating. Frankie felt her breath hitch, trying to regain control of the air that was flowing into her. This was most certainly not the way a first meeting with the parents was supposed to go. But, then again what was she supposed to know? It wasn't like she would have any idea on how a meeting like this was supposed to go. She had never really been in a relationship like the one she was in with Forrest.

Feeling the need to have her own cigarette, Frankie looked over and noticed Forrest as calm as could be. His muscles weren't even moving. He was as still as a statue. Nothing was affecting him. She admired his ability not to let tension situation get to him. Not to allow himself to slip up, the way she was doing.

"How long are you guys in town?" Frankie decided to break the silence. She had to say something.

Yvonne snapped out of her daze and explained, "Only a week. We wanted to see what was happening with you. We don't want to leave your sisters for too long. They're young, they don't really understand."

Nodding, she smiled slightly, "I understand. I miss them. Please tell them I love them."

"Of course. Perhaps you and Forrest can discuss the date of your wedding and we will head back down for then. We will even bring Alana and Kerry."

Forrest and Frankie looked at each other. They hadn't even discussed a date and she knew they weren't going to in front of her parents. It was something personal. Private. She knew for a fact he wouldn't want an audience and in a way, neither did she. The thought of feeling tense, while saying her vows; sounded awful.

After another sip of coffee, the Immortal Bondurant offered, "There's a spare bedroom upstairs. Y'all can stay there for the week."

"What about Howard?" Frankie asked, since the spare bedroom was where the oldest brother usually crashed.

"Howard can stay in the shed, he won't mind much."

Giving a small nod, Harvey thanked, "That is very hospitable of you, Forrest. Now, if we are past formalities and all that shit, perhaps you wouldn't mind giving me a jar of the White Lightening that I've been hearing so much about."

Frankie cracked a smile. She knew if her father was asking for alcohol than he already was comfortable. Forrest glanced over to the blonde haired girl and nodded his head, before slowly easing out of the chair. She heard a small grunt murmur from his lips and a few bones pop, but she noticed that he seemed to be moving easier.

As Forrest stepped moved towards the supply closet, Frankie snapped her gaze upon her mother, "Do you really have to talk about that in front of Forrest?"

"What is the problem? It seems clear that he knows about it."

Tightening her lips, her eyebrows furrowed inwards, "I came here to escape all that prejudice. This is a new life for me and frankly I find this all very rude. Can we not sit down and be friendly to each other? I haven't seen either of you in a year and I find it offensive that this is the way your first meeting with Forrest is going."

Fixing his suit, Harvey cleared his throat and tilted his head up, "Frankie, I just don't feel comfortable. There is a lot of crime in Franklin...I'm just worried. What did you do before you came in contact with the Bondurants?"

It wasn't very long before she had met the Bondurant boys, but Frankie didn't want to divulge. So while running her forefinger along the rim of her glass, she shrugged, "I lived in the local hotel and worked at a nightclub."

"That doesn't sound very safe."

A quickly flash of her last night working crossed before her eyes. Frankie couldn't help, but shudder at the memory of feeling Charlie's leather glove smacked against her mouth. The scent of the material traveled up to her nose, as she was violated anally. Suddenly, she could have sworn that she actually smelt the aroma. If she hadn't seen the look of murder in Howard and Forrest's eyes that night, she would have been worried that the deputy wasn't actually dead.

With a blink, she snapped out of her memory and looked back at her parents and firmly spoke, "I'm not a child anymore. I can take care of myself and have done so. And I have felt even stronger since I have met Forrest. You don't need to worry about me anymore. The dog days...they're over. I'm going to live the American dream..."

With a grave frown, Yvonne sighed and admitted, "I'm sorry...I feel as if things were simpler when I was growing up. There's a lot about you I don't understand..."

"There was a lot about me I didn't understand either," Picking her head up, Frankie let out a smile, "But, I have a better outlook on myself and it's because of Forrest."

Her mother gave a smile as Forrest then returned with two mason jars. Frankie recognized what was in each. Moonshine for her father and apple brandy for her mother. A part of her had wished he had brought her some apple brandy, considering she had grown to like it so much. But, she felt she needed a clear head to deal with both her parents.

Harvey eyed the clear liquid. From what she suspected, he had never tasted moonshine before. Bootlegging in Franklin County was a very touchy subject, especially since the arrival of Special Deputy Charlie Rakes. Everyone knew what the Bondurants did and while they occasionally even sold their product to the law, they never really spoke about it.

Frankie only hoped that Rakes was the last of the problems they would receive from law enforcement. Obviously, the deputies in Franklin had seen the problems caused by bringing someone else into their county. Before the weasel from Chicago, everyone went on their business with no one getting hurt and everyone getting a little piece of the cake. With him around, all they ever got was trouble. There was always someone worse out there, but she hoped that they wouldn't be sent their way.

Frankie's eyes watched as her father tilted the jar up and allowed the clear liquid to seep down his throat. In an instant, he let out a cough and reeled back, "God damn. Some powerful shit, son."

Son. Harvey didn't have any. His life was surrounded by women. While he had one brother, he had two other siblings who were women. Only his mother was still alive and he lived with his wife and three daughters. He had many years before Alana and Kerry would start dating boys, but Frankie was the oldest and she supposed he was waiting for the day she would announce a possible wedding. Though, she was sure he thought it would probably be with another woman. She was sure the word son felt foreign on his tongue.

After taking another sip, Harvey cleared his throat, "I can see why your stuff is so popular."

As Forrest gave a small nod, Howard then approached the table. Having felt the uneasiness at the table, the oldest brother shifted slightly before addressing, "Forrest."

"Hm?"

"I'ma head over to Carl's farm and get some supplies. Anything specific we need?"

Shifting his gaze over to Maggie, Forrest rubbed his lips together in thought. Pulling his cigar from his pocket, he placed it in between his teeth and mumbled, "Make sure to get eggs...bread...whatever you can butcher. And go ask Maggie, whatever she wants you get. Go give Carl a case for his trouble."

Howard nodded and before he was about to turn around, Frankie addressed him, "Howard, would it be alright if my parents stayed in your room for the week they're here."

"Nah, it's fine. Probably crash out in the shed. Even thinking about maybe taking a trip up into the mountains."

Frankie smiled. She knew what that meant. And she knew there was a part of Forrest that was happy as well. It was a nice thought that Howard was making an attempt to make his marriage work. Since the fight between the two older brothers, he hadn't brought any girl home. Neither of them knew if he was still fooling around, but he was going to visit his wife and daughter. And as long as he was doing that, she felt confident that everything was going to work out in the end.

For the first time she they sat down, Frankie let out a sigh. Her chest unclenched and she felt that her brain wasn't so clogged. Finally, her father was casually drinking and her mother was finishing her meal. Hopefully, they had finished with the awkward questions and she could just enjoy her time with them. They could be the way they were before her condition had popped up.

Clearing his throat, Forrest slowly stood up while addressing Frankie, "I'm gonna step out. Let you and your parents catch up."

She nodded her head, as Harvey stood up and firmly stuck his hand out, "Thank you, Mr. Bondurant, for allowing us in your home."

Looking down and eying the hand, Forrest grumbled under his breath before taking a hold of Mr. Giller's hand, "As long as there's no trouble, all are welcomed at Blackwater."