Please review! So, I'm going to do this a little bit differently. Essentially, this is going to be a series of one shots that could potentially lead to longer stories or a completely new story of the Underwood family. You all seemed to like Love Knows No Boundaries and the character James I created, so I decided to give you some more stories of their history. Because, you seemed to like the flashbacks as well. I've already got a number of ideas in mind, so I'll start with those.

So if you want to see a certain scenario happen or like a certain chapter that I post, leave a review and I'll try to steer my writing towards something similar in the future.

"Are you nervous?" Francis asked Claire, his new girlfriend four months, as he glanced over at her, biting her thumb nail while driving them from the airport to their abode for the week. School has just let out, and, instead of heading back for Gaffney, he joined Claire to meet her parents and celebrate her nineteenth birthday.

Claire glanced at him. "My mother is going to be. . .my mother. Which is awful. Daddy told her you were six years older than me even though I told him it was only five and a half." She huffed out a breath, turning onto the road leading back towards their ranch. "I'm just worried about what she might say, because I know how you are when it comes to people trying to put me down."

Francis frowned. "Why would your mother put you down?"

"Um," Claire bit her lip before sighing and pulling over the car, turning all her attention to him, "she always knew that I liked hanging around the boys. I remember hanging out with a group of them when I was just a child, and they ripped my dress. My father was mad at the boys. My mother. . .she blamed me, thought I was a slut. So, I hid whatever I could from her. The pregnancies, the abortions, every time I guy tried to force himself on me."

"Does she know what happened last fall?" Francis asked, recently finding out himself that someone on campus had forced himself on Claire after she refused to go to bed with him. His blood had boiled when she told him, but he knew his anger in that moment would only make her feel more secluded in the secret.

Claire shook her head. "She can't know, Francis."

Francis cupped her cheek in his hand, shaking his own head. "I won't tell her. And, I'll try to hold my tongue, but I can't promise anything. If she says something out of line, I will speak up. I won't allow you to be disrespected."

"I know, and I'm happy you feel that way." Claire whispered before dropping her forehead to his. "Sorry in advance for anything she says to you."

Francis smiled, pecking her lips. "I've got thick skin."

"Claire, this place is gorgeous." Francis smiled at her as he got out of the car, reaching into the backseat to collect their bags. "No wonder you loved living on the ranch so much. Living here would be like living in a piece of history."

Claire chuckled, walking up beside him and wrapping her arm around his waist. "I guess I never thought of it that way." Her amusement to Francis's reaction changed to excitement though when the front door opened and her father stepped out. "Daddy!"

Charlie Hale grinned seeing his beaming daughter, opening his arms when she ran up to him and wrapped her arms around him. "Welcome home, sweetheart. You've been gone too long, but I think I can see the who behind that reason." He chuckled as Francis walked up. "You must be Frank."

"I am. Nice to meet you, sir." Francis nodded, shaking Charlie's hand when he extended it out towards him. "May I say, you have a beautiful home."

"Thank you." Charlie nodded as Claire stepped back to stand next to Francis. "The name is Charles, but you can call me Charlie. My daughter has spoken very highly of you. Even says that you'll run Washington someday."

Francis grinned seeing Claire turn her head to hide her blush. "That's the goal. Claire, here, keeps me motivated even if she tries to take me out on the weekends."

Claire laughed. "You'd never see the sun otherwise." She wrapped her hand around his, even as it gripped the handle to her bag. "You'd be very impressed, Daddy. He's got a lifetime plan instead of a five year plan. He's already got a group of supporters around campus who follow him around like lost puppies."

"Sounds like you might be a good investment." Charlie smiled, resting his hands on his hips. His smile dimmed though when Elizabeth's voice echoed out to them.

"Is she here? Did she come with her sugar daddy too?" Elizabeth asked as she walked up to them, peering out the doorframe at them and not daring to step outside the house. "At least, he's carrying the bags."

Charlie closed his eyes, his voice warning. "Elizabeth, let's be civil. This is Frank. He seems like a promising young fellow too."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I'll be the judge of that." She stepped back, holding the door open. "Well, Charles, let them inside. My God, they don't want to stand on the doorstep all evening." She huffed out a breath when Charlie sent a glare her way before allowing Claire and Francis in ahead of himself. "Silva prepared two rooms for the two of you. No way is my daughter sharing a bed while she's not married."

"Mother, could you stop?" Claire felt her own tension building. She was ready to drag Francis back out and insist they stay in a hotel for the week, but neither of them had the money for that. "Francis came to meet you because he wanted to, even after I tried to warn him. So, could you at least try to be nice to him while we're here?"

"I make no promises." Elizabeth stated before walking off.

Charlie sighed behind the two of them. He pushed off the front door and clapped Francis's shoulder. "Don't take it personally, Frank. She's just protective." He gave them a small smile. "I'll let you two get settled. Silva put leftovers in the fridge, so, whenever you two are hungry, the fridge is full."

Claire leaned up on her toes, kissing her father's cheek. "Thank you, Daddy." She waited until he walked away as well before turning to Francis. "That wasn't too bad. It could've been worse."

"Worse?" Francis asked, wide-eyed. He chuckled with a shake of his head. "If you join me in D.C., you'd be extraordinary."

"C'mon, I want to show you my favorite spot on the property." Claire giggled, taking his hand into hers and tugging him up the stairs.

Francis followed Claire down the beaten dirt path to a large pond past the stables and pasture, holding her hand as she climbed onto a large rock under a tree next to the water's edge and climbing on after her. "This is peaceful."

Claire sat down, pulling him to sit next to her. "I used to come down here a lot to get away from my mom. Daddy didn't like it when I was little, because he thought I would jump in the water and drown. But even as a teenager, I'd sit on this rock and just fantasize about getting away from here. Getting as far as possible once I graduated."

"I used to do the same. But, I went to the water tower shaped like a peach." Francis breathed, making Claire chuckle and drop her head to his shoulder. He kissed the crown of her head before gazing back out at the water. "Is your mother always like that with the guys you bring home?"

"I've never brought anyone else here." Claire sighed, linking her arm with his.

Francis was surprised by that. "Really? Not even in high school?"

"No one was ever worth bringing home." Claire stated. She rested her chin on his shoulder, gazing up at his profile until he met her eyes. "You know that I'm seeing someone else. I wouldn't ever bring him here. You're different. You didn't even get mad when I first told you I was seeing someone else."

Francis kissed her forehead before bending his legs, resting his arms on his knees. Claire kept close to him though, and he reached over to squeeze her hand. "I can't give you everything, and you still decided to bring me here to meet your parents. As long as we're on the same page, I'm okay with it. I love you, and I want you to be happy. I know that we go beyond this. We share more than just interests."

Claire bit her lip with a smile. "You believe that."

"I do." Francis nodded.

"Even after dealing with the bitch that is my mother?" Claire challenged, making Francis chuckle.

He gazed back out at the water, reached his arm around her and wrapping it around her waist. "She may be your mother, but you're not her. I know what it's like to have parents you aren't thrilled with or proud of. We can't choose that, but we can decide who we are when we get older. I decided to make something of myself despite dirt poor beginnings, and I decided that I wanted to share that with you."

Claire hummed softly, letting herself relax into his side. "I want that too."

It was nearly one in the morning when Claire slipped out of her bed. Despite her desire to sleep in the same bed as Francis, she had stayed in her own room, but the sleep was proving difficult. Padding down the stairs with her bare feet, she made her way to the kitchen in search of a glass of water. She smiled though seeing her father had the same problem as he was sitting at the counter with his own glass. "You too?"

"I'll blame it on the full moon tonight." Charlie smirked as he watched his daughter fill her own glass and join him at the counter. "What about you?" She shrugged, hiding her true reason, but he called her out on it. "I'm not under any impression that you and Frank are waiting until marriage. If you sleep better next to him, that's a good sign."

"It's just the house." Claire breathed. Yes, she did sleep better next to Francis, but it wasn't keeping her up tonight. "I didn't expect Mother to like Francis, but I hoped she would at least pretend like she does everywhere else."

Charlie scoffed with a resigned nod. "I'd hoped for that too, sweetheart." He glanced over at her, smirking to himself. "You call him Francis. You really like this boy."

"Shut up." Claire blushed with a laugh. She turned on her stool, resting her feet on one of the rungs of Charlie's. "He's different. Different than anybody else I've gone out with. We understand each other."

"He makes you smile, not that I've ever seen you with anybody else." Charlie added. "The moment you pulled up with him, I could see how happy you were. Even after your mother called him a 'sweet daddy', 'sugar something', I could hear you two chuckling when she walked away."

Claire chuckled. "She said 'sugar daddy'. He didn't take it personally, and he knew I was nervous about him meeting her." She bit her lip, running her hand through her hair and pushing it back. "I could see myself spending my life with him, Daddy. He's everything I wanted and thought I could never have. He's not perfect, but I know he'll do whatever he can for me, even if it's nothing. We're equals, partners. I've never had that with anyone else."

Charlie smiled, meeting her eyes in the darkness of the large kitchen. "Sounds like you've found the man for you." He leaned forward before kissing her forehead, pinching her chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Just know he won't ever be good enough for my little girl." He took her water glass from her, jutting his chin back towards the foyer. "Now, get back upstairs and sleep. As much as it pains me to say this, go sleep with your boyfriend. And, I do mean sleep. I'm giving you the benefit of the doubt you won't be doing any funny business when I give you permission to be in the same room."

"Alright, Daddy." Claire snickered before standing up and kissing his cheek. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sweetheart." Charlie smiled, winking at her.

Claire made her way back up the stairs, veering off to the right to Francis's room instead of the other way to her own. She quietly slipped inside the room, finding Francis on his usual side of the bed, turned towards the far wall. Closing the door, she walked over to the bed and slipped in behind him. Inching herself closer to him until she was pressed against his back, she wrapped her arm around him, resting her cheek against his. Her eyes closed, thinking he was asleep, but she smiled when he reached down and took her hand into his, holding their joined fingers close to his chest.

Please review!