AnotherWorld - View topic - Part 12: "Reclaiming Forever" - The *Fans* Board - Free Message Board Hosting by FreePowerBoards.com

I finally crashed through the wall of writer's block, and hopefully I did this part justice. If you've seen, or you remember, Felicia and Lucas's wedding and honeymoon from 1991 (and whether or not you do, it should be on hulu in a few weeks here, since it happened in mid-July 1991), this part is kind of a reversal of that, generally speaking. I made the specifics what they are. I hope you enjoy this part. Oh, and this sort of contains a spoiler for the Cass and Frankie fic I'll be writing next, since I'm writing these out of chronological order from when they would happen in the time frame of the show.

Amy

"Reclaiming Forever," Part 12

Cass checked the nightlight in the baby's room, then stood at the railing of the crib and watched Wally sleeping in the nightlight's dim, soothing glow. Just a little over two months old, and he was already in his crib and happier there than in the bassinet in Cass and Frankie's bedroom. It had been a week and a half since Wally had started sleeping in the crib every night, and he had made the adjustment easily. Thanks to Wally's own lung power, and the nursery monitor, the little lad's parents always came quickly when he needed them in the middle of the night. Frankie was taking the change in stride, but Cass was having a harder time with it, probably because of Charlie being so ill as a baby. Wally had been born perfectly healthy, without the heart defect Charlie had inherited from Cass, or anything else wrong with him either. But the four people on the planet that Cass was the most fiercely protective were Frankie, Charlie, baby Wally, and Felicia. Cass smiled at his sleeping son, who snuffled softly in his sleep. "Sweet dreams, Wally," he whispered, kissing his fingertips, then gently brushing them across the boy's forehead.

Cass exited the nursery, leaving the door ajar and carrying the listening end of the baby monitor with him, then ducked into Charlie's room to check on her. The little girl was sound asleep, her red hair, the exact same shade as Frankie's, fanned out across her white pillow, her picture-book copy of Beauty and the Beast, her new favorite story after the family's recent discussion about girls saving boys, at the foot of her bed. She was starting to recognize words from the story, and Cass had the feeling that Charlie was on track not only to look like her beautiful, intelligent mother, but to inherit Frankie's brains (Frankie's IQ was, after all, 162) as well. Charlie had kicked the covers off, so Cass recovered her, bent to kiss her still-slightly-chubby cheek, then tiptoed out of the room, also leaving her door ajar.

Then he went downstairs, nursery monitor in hand. "Okay, the kids are both sound asleep, and..." Cass trailed off as he entered the living room, which had been transformed while he was going through first Wally's and then Charlie's bedtime routines. Candles were lit all over the room, providing the only light. Cass recognized Jim Brickman's New Age piano instrumental sounds floating softly from the stereo. A bottle of champagne stood in an ice bucket next to the coffee table by the window seat, and on the table rested two empty champagne flutes waiting to be filled, and beside the flutes, a tray of fruit, bread, and cheese, including a big bowl of strawberries.

And standing next to a large quilt spread out on the floor adjacent to the coffee table, in her stocking feet, her hair down from the ponytail she'd been wearing all day, was Frankie. She beamed at her husband and held out her hand. Wordlessly, Cass crossed the room to her and took her hand. "Well, now I know why you wanted me to get the kids bedded down by myself tonight," he said. For one second, he looked panicked. "Did I forget something? I know it's not our August anniversary, that was two weeks ago."

"Relax, Counselor, you didn't forget anything," Frankie soothed, squeezing his hand. "I just thought it was time we had a Date Night. It has been a while, you know...our August anniversary being the one exception."

Cass bent to park the nursery monitor on the coffee table behind the tray of food. "That's true," he said as he straightened up. Then he took Frankie's other hand in his now-free hand. "Am I a jerk for not thinking of something like this for you?"

Frankie shook her head. "Next time, you'll surprise me. Tonight, I'm surprising you." She tugged gently on Cass's hands. "Let's sit down."

Cass toed off his loafers, then kicked each one to the corner of the living room, and he and Frankie settled themselves on the quilt. Cass popped open the champagne, quietly so the cork wouldn't wake the kids, and poured some into each flute. Frankie, meanwhile, plucked the bowl of strawberries from the tray, set it on the quilt, and when Cass turned to hand her her glass of champagne, she was waiting with a strawberry. Cass smiled as she fed him the strawberry. "Mmmm...." he murmured. "Organic?" he asked after swallowing.

"That's the only way to go," Frankie replied, accepting her champagne glass from Cass.

Cass grinned. "Indeed it is, Mary Frances," he said. He dipped a strawberry in Frankie's champagne glass, then fed it to her, and watched raptly as she closed her eyes, savoring the flavors of the berry and the champagne. "How is it possible?" Cass murmured, not even aware that he'd spoken the words instead of just thought them.

"How is what possible?" Frankie asked. Cass started as if coming out of a trance, and found Frankie looking at him, mild concern playing across her face, her strawberry eaten.

Cass leaned closer, setting his champagne on the table. "How is it possible after eight years of knowing you, and seven years of loving you and, for most of that time, being together, that you still amaze and surprise me, and you still make my heart pound and take my breath away, Mary Frances?" He paused for only a second, then continued, as Frankie set her champagne glass next to his on the table and turned to focus all of her attention on him once more, "I didn't even know I said it, I was just thinking it. I already know the answer."

"What is the answer?" Frankie asked softly, entwining her fingers with Cass's, bringing their joined hands to her lips, and gently, just barely, kissing the back of his hand.

"Love," Cass replied just as softly, tucking an errant strand of Frankie's hair behind her ear, and then closing his eyes and touching his forehead to hers. He knew that Frankie's eyes were also closed now, and he could feel her breath on his face, her fingers twined with his. "The longer we're together, the more I love you. I never stopped falling, and I never will."

"That's the same feeling I have," Frankie replied. She drew back, so Cass opened his eyes and watched Frankie watching him intently. "I look at you, when you're sleeping, or when you're poring over a case file, or when you're playing with Charlie, or rocking Wally to sleep, or doing any of a million other things...and it hits me all over again that I'm still falling in love with you, Cass. There's always some new, grand adventure, or some unexpected problem or crisis, and you're the one I want to live my life with, no matter what's going on, and I want that even more now than I did when we were first starting out. I mean, there was never a time I didn't want it, but it's all just so much..."

"Stronger," Cass said.

"Yes!" Frankie exclaimed softly. "And deeper."

"So much deeper," Cass agreed. He stroked Frankie's cheek gently with the back of his hand. "'Grow old along with me, the best is yet to be,'" he said.

"Robert Browning or Mary Chapin-Carpenter?" Frankie asked.

"I was actually thinking John Lennon," Cass replied. "But technically, all three of them said it, or sang it, at some point."

Cass scooted a little closer, and Frankie leaned a little further forward, and their arms went around each other, and they met in a kiss that quickly grew heated. Frankie was wearing a short-sleeved shirt unbuttoned over her tank top, and Cass managed to remove the shirt. Frankie gently pushed Cass backwards until he was lying flat on his back on the quilt, and he pulled her on top of them, and they continued kissing all the while, completely caught up in one another...

...which is why they didn't hear the four quick, sharp knocks at their front door.

It is also why they didn't immediately hear the click of the key in the lock, and why they were startled when they heard high heels clicking across the hardwood floor at a rapid pace.

Felicia, confused and uncertain and needing to talk to her best friend after what had just happened between her and Luke, was so preoccupied that she didn't even notice what Cass and Frankie were doing. She just walked up to the edge of the quilt and blurted out, "I kissed Luke! And then I smacked him one! I think I'm losing my mind!"

Frankie quickly rolled off of Cass, and Cass started frantically trying to rebutton his shirt and smooth out the wrinkles in it. "Felicia!" he exclaimed breathlessly. "How did you get in here?"

"I used my key, you know, the one you two gave me for emergencies? And THIS is an emergency!" Felicia exclaimed. She still didn't notice the candlelight, strawberries, champagne, or soft music, or the fact that Frankie was now fumbling to put her shirt back on.

"What emergency?" Cass asked. Then he noticed Frankie's shirt. "Frankie, your shirt's inside out," he said in a stage whisper.

Frankie yelped, then hurriedly started yanking her sleeves right-side-out again before donning the shirt.

Again, Felicia noticed none of this. "Didn't you hear what I said? I just kissed Luke! And then smacked him across the face! I mean, I kissed him! And the smack..." She looked down at Cass worriedly. "If he presses assault charges, will you be my lawyer?"

"This really isn't the best time, Felicia," Cass said, looking quickly from Felicia, to the nearest burning candles, to Frankie, and back to Felicia, hoping Felicia would connect the dots.

"Felicia," Frankie interjected, smoothing her hands through her tousled hair, "Lucas is not going to press assault charges against you."

"I don't even know why I hit him!" Felicia exclaimed.

"Well, why did you kiss him?" Frankie asked.

Cass just looked at his wife. "Frankie!" he exclaimed.

"We have to help her, Cass!" Frankie exclaimed right back.

"Now???!" Cass asked incredulously.

Felicia didn't seem to hear Cass, because she didn't acknowledge him, and she also didn't connect the dots about what she interrupted when she came barging in. "Why did I kiss Luke?" she asked, looking to Frankie. "Because he wanted to talk about why he left, and I didn't want to hear it."

"Why didn't you want to hear it?" Frankie asked gently.

"I don't believe this," Cass muttered. Frankie nudged his leg with her foot, and he shut up.

Felicia looked at Frankie helplessly. "I don't know!" she wailed.

"I think you do," Frankie replied. "You didn't want to hear what Luke had to say because if you hear him out, you might not be angry at him anymore. And if you're not angry at him anymore, what are you left with?"

Felicia thought for a moment, and then her shoulders drooped. "Fear," she said. "If I'm not angry at Luke, then I'm afraid."

"Okay, we have a breakthrough!" Cass exclaimed. "Thanks for stopping by! And using your key without asking! Next time, call first. Please!"

Frankie gave Cass a dirty look and said, "Cass," through clenched teeth.

It was then that Felicia looked around and realized just what she had interrupted. Then she looked mortified. "Oh no!" she said. "Oh, I'm SO sorry, I had no idea...I should go. I'll call you tomorrow morning." Felicia turned and headed for the door.

Frankie arched an eyebrow at Cass. Cass did his best to conceal his sigh (and Felicia didn't hear it, but Frankie did), and called, "No, wait, Felicia. You need to talk, and you're here, so you might as well stay."

"No, I'll go. Really. It can wait until morning," Felicia insisted. "I know what the problem is now, or some of it anyway. You're right, Frankie. I'm afraid of not being angry at Luke anymore because if I'm not angry, then I'm afraid. I need to think about this some more. Alone. You two just--just go back to what you were doing. Forget I was even here. I'll talk to you tomorrow." And with that, Felicia left, and Cass and Frankie were alone again, listening to Felicia lock the front door and the sound of her high heels retreating down their front walk.

"Cass," Frankie said.

"I know, I know, I'm a terrible best friend," Cass replied, putting his hands up in surrender. "But it's been so long since I've had you all to myself--"

"Two weeks. Our August anniversary, remember?" Frankie interrupted.

"An eternity," Cass replied. "I wait for moments like this...daydream about them...plan for them. Okay, so you planned this one, but...what?" Cass asked, not finishing his original thought because Frankie was laughing.

"You know something, Counselor? You're kinda cute when you're desperate," Frankie said, a gleam in her eyes.

"Only 'kinda' cute?" Cass asked.

"Oh, what am I going to do with you?" Frankie asked, shaking her head, but with a smile on her face.

"Anything you want," Cass replied. Now he was the one with a gleam in his eyes.

Laughing softly, Frankie launched herself at Cass then, and they were once again wrapped in each other's arms, kissing passionately, Cass flat on his back on the quilt, Frankie lying on top of him, and Cass had one of her arms out of her sleeve, when they were interrupted again, this time by a flurry of ringing bells. Frankie sat up and tried to get her sleeve untwisted and her arm back in her sleeve as Cass, still flat on his back on the quilt, just grinned up at her and said, "You still make me hear bells when you kiss me, Mary Frances."

"That's the doorbell, Cass," Frankie replied, finally getting her arm through the sleeve and standing up, then heading toward the door.

Cass sat up. "Frankie, no!" he hissed. "Don't answer it! It's dark out there, it's dark in here except for the candles...Whoever it is will never know we're here, and they'll go away!"

"Whoever it is is gonna wake the kids in about two seconds!" Frankie hissed back as she looked over her shoulder at Cass. She opened the door. "Lucas!" she exclaimed.

Cass fell backward on the quilt again with a groan. "This is payback," he said, staring up at the ceiling.

"Frankie, I'm sorry to come by so late and so unexpectedly," Lucas said as Frankie stood aside so he could enter the house. "I didn't wake up your kids, did I?"

"No, but you're killing our evening," Cass grumbled. Then he sat up again and turned to frown at Lucas. "This is payback for when we interrupted your honeymoon afternoon, isn't it? You can level with me, Lucas."

"Payback?" Lucas asks, confused. Then he realized what Cass must mean. "Wait, Fanny was here?" he asked. "Then you know? What did she say?"

"Could I interest you in some leftover strawberries? Perhaps a glass of rapidly warming champagne?" Cass offered sarcastically.

"She kissed you and then she smacked you," Frankie told Lucas. They were standing just inside the door, and Cass was sitting on the quilt and glaring at Lucas.

"Did she say why?" Lucas asked anxiously.

"Why she smacked you?" Frankie asked.

"Why she kissed me! I mean, she kissed me, Frankie! I've been waiting for this!" Lucas exclaimed.

"Not nearly as long as I've been waiting for my wife to kiss me tonight without interruption," Cass said pointedly, still glaring at Lucas.

Then Lucas got it. "Ohhh," he said, drawing out the single syllable. "Oh. Oh, boy. Oh, I am sorry, Cass, Frankie."

"Don't worry about it," Frankie replied. "You're our friends and we're here for you."
.
"Did you hang out the 'Open 24 Hours' sign without telling me, Frankie?" Cass asked.

"Cass, they're in crisis!" Frankie exclaimed.

"Then let THEM talk it out, so you and I can...you know...not talk," Cass replied beseechingly.

Frankie looked at Cass. "Okay, the 'kinda cute when desperate' thing? It's starting to lose its appeal."

"I'll come back tomorrow," Lucas said then. "I had no idea you had...plans for this evening. Again, I'm sorry I interrupted you."

Cass sighed and stopped glaring at Lucas, relaxing his expression so that he was just looking at the older man. "She's scared, Lucas," Cass informed Lucas. "That's why she kissed you, and it's also why she smacked you one."

"She's scared," Lucas repeated. Then the light bulb went off for him. "She's scared!" he repeated in an "oh-I-get-it-now" tone of voice. "Of course! She thinks she's gonna lose me again."

"That would be my guess," Cass said.

"Mine too," Frankie added.

"But it's all over now," Lucas insisted. "Rick is dead, I didn't kill him--which I told everybody a million times five years ago--Sally's in jail, so are Rick's cronies, it's all over. I'm never going to leave Fanny again!"

"That's what you have to make her believe," Frankie said.

"You have to earn back Felicia's trust, Lucas," Cass added. "She has good reason to be scared."

Lucas nodded. "You're right. You're both right. I have to prove to Fanny that she can count on me and she can believe in me again, and that I'm never going to leave her for anything. Thank you." Then Lucas left.

Frankie closed and locked the front door behind Lucas. She returned to the quilt then, and Cass was sitting up, staring at his sock-clad feet stretched out in front of him. "I locked the door," Frankie said.

"What, there were no Amway distributors or Jehovah's Witnesses lurking in the bushes?" Cass asked. "No Avon ladies with insomnia or overzealous Girl Scouts wanting to get a jump on cookie selling season?"

"No," Frankie replied as she crossed the room, sat down beside him, and stretched her legs out in front of her too. "It's finally just you and me."

Cass looked up at the ceiling. Frankie followed his gaze, and after a long moment, she asked, "What are we looking at?"

"I'm just waiting for Wally to start crying, or Charlie to wake up wanting a glass of water," Cass replied, eyes still on the ceiling.

"If we're really quiet, I bet they won't even stir," Frankie said as she scooted closer to Cass's side.

"That would be a--" Cass began, but he was cut off when Frankie grabbed his face in her hands and kissed him long and hard. After several seconds, his arms went around her of their own accord, and the kiss continued until the need for oxygen overcame them.

After breaking the kiss, Frankie rested her forehead against Cass's again. "What was that for?" Cass asked breathlessly.

Her eyes still closed, their foreheads still touching, Frankie replied, equally breathlessly, "Just a little trick I picked up from this guy I'm crazy in love with." She drew back, and when Cass opened his eyes, she was looking at him and she continued with a smile, "I had to get you to shut up somehow."

Cass grinned, remembering the times he had used the same technique and the same words on Frankie when she had been upset, frustrated, or rambling about something. Then he recalled the first time he had done this with Frankie, and he eagerly asked, "Is it time for another moment of silence?"

Laughing, Frankie pulled Cass into her arms. "What do you think?" she asked. And this time she was the one who fell backwards onto the quilt, Cass lying on top of her, and when they started kissing again, this time nothing and no one interrupted them for four whole hours, until Wally awoke needing his diaper changed.

TO BE CONTINUED
_________________

Made by Dean_FrankieCass_addict