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rhoorl · 5 months

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Delta Landscaping | Chapter 10: Tio Frankie

Series Summary: In this AU, the boys of Delta Force start a new business post-Colombia.

Series Masterlist | Chapter 10 A03 Link

Series Rating: Explicit (18+)

Word Count: 6.2k

Previously on As the Mule Falls: Melissa was a woman on a mission, uncovering some details on Cousin Joel. Did you catch that Frankie grew up with Benny and Will? Santiago had to face the guys and talk about his intentions with Melissa, which brought up some bad memories for Benny.

On This Episode: Frankie visits his sister and her family in Dallas. (Side note: Can I tell you how hard I had to resist to call this chapter Frankie Does Dallas? Ok, back to the show.) We learn a bit more about Frankie's past and get a healthy dose of Tio Frankie. Following the argument with Santiago, Benny makes a rash decision. And we get a Neighborhood Watch group chat.

Chapter Warning: TW: death - As we explore part of Frankie's backstory we learn that both his mother and father have passed, and what happened in the aftermath. Also a mention of infidelity and learning the paternity of a baby.

If you ever have questions about any of the content, please reach out. The last thing I want is for someone to have a negative reaction. Overall this is a happy, silly series but it is grounded in some reality.

*Cue the Real Housewives music and roll opening credits*

The ding of the seatbelt sign turning back on woke Frankie up from his nap. He was thankful to have gotten some rest on the flight after a bit of a frantic morning. He liked getting to the airport early with time to relax, but that didn't happen thanks to Santiago who was late picking him up from his early morning appointment. They then, of course, hit traffic, causing Frankie to have to run through the terminal to catch his flight.

As he looked out the window at the vast expanse of the Texan terrain, Frankie got a bit of a lump in his throat. Although they had been talking weekly and having regular FaceTime calls, he hadn’t seen his sister in person in well over a year. He wasn’t proud of the state he was in during that period of his life. He’ll never forget the sound of her voice when he called to tell her he missed his flight and wouldn’t be able to be there for Leia’s first birthday. Valeria wasn't mad, she was disappointed, which hurt him more. He wanted her to yell at him and tear him down, but she just seemed defeated. Without their father or Frankie there it was yet another reminder of how quickly her family had disintegrated.

After their mom Alejandra unexpectedly passed away, their father Felipe withdrew from everything. She was the love of his life and without her, he didn’t know how he could go on. They met in their early 20’s working at a hotel in San Antonio, shortly after Felipe arrived in the U.S. from Colombia. She was a housekeeper and he worked in maintenance. It was love at first sight and they quickly fell into a whirlwind romance. They got married and welcomed Frankie all within a year of meeting, with Valeria following two years later.

Frankie always wondered what would have happened to his father had he not had two kids to take care of. Most days, Felipe could barely move from the couch, leaving Frankie to assume much of the care for his little sister, who was only a toddler when Alejandra passed. Frankie doted on Valeria and she adored him.

After about a year, Felipe decided to relocate his now smaller family. He knew Frankie and Valeria deserved better and frankly, he needed the support too. He had to get out of San Antonio, a place where he was constantly reminded of Alejandra. The grocery store she always shopped at, the park where they took Frankie and Valeria, or the school where she worked. He saw everything through an Alejandra filter. Austin seemed like a good destination since he could be closer to his family, which he knew would be best for his children, and get a bit of a fresh start.

The Morales family of three ended up moving into a working-class neighborhood a couple of houses down from the Millers, a family with two boys around the same age as Frankie and Valeria. The Millers quickly adopted the Morales kids into their little family, giving them another place to stay after school when Felipe had to work late.

Speaking of work, Felipe bounced around to different jobs to make ends meet. In Colombia, he studied to be an engineer, but when he came to the U.S. he had to take whatever jobs he could find. He ended up as a jack of all trades, realizing there was a lot of value for someone who knew how to take things apart and put them back together. One Saturday, as the kids were playing in the backyard, Abel, Will and Benny’s father, asked Felipe if he wanted to work for his brother Sam’s contracting business. From then on, Felipe was a loyal worker, thankful to both Miller families for their friendship and providing the means for a steady income.

As the boys got older, Frankie tagged along on jobs during the summer with Will and Benny and their cousins Joel and Tommy. They all developed a close friendship and Felipe was thankful that the boys looked after Valeria too, not that she needed it. She was a firecracker from a young age, similar to her mother. There were so many times Felipe could see flashes of Alejandra in Valeria. At first, it made him sad, but with time he felt like it was a gift. That his wife was sending him little reminders.

Frankie always felt guilty for leaving home at 18. He had dreams of being a commercial airline pilot, but couldn’t afford it, so he decided to pursue the military instead. Sure, he would come home occasionally, but it was never quite the same. And the deeper he got into his Delta Force work, the more reclusive he became as he tried to reconcile all the things he bore witness to.

Frankie’s endless cycle of self-loathing was further fueled by the fact that his little sister thought the world of him and was his biggest cheerleader. He never understood how she could have such unwavering support and unconditional love for him despite all the ways he had disappointed her over the years, yet she remained a steady constant in his life no matter what.

Delta Force was ultimately the reason why he couldn't be there when his family needed him most. For months Felipe wanted to come out to Florida and see his son, but Frankie always found some excuse. It also didn't help that at the time things were especially tumultuous with Raquel, so he was in no state to see his father. Frankie promised himself that he’d call his dad after his next mission.

When he and the boys finally landed back on U.S. soil and he was able to turn his phone on, Frankie was inundated with messages and voicemails. He clicked on the most recent one from Valeria, well, actually it was Alyssa who spoke with a grim tone. She shared that Felipe had suffered a massive heart attack and passed away suddenly. Upon hearing that, Frankie collapsed in a heap on the tarmac.

He felt so many competing emotions. Sadness and grief over the loss of his father. Guilt because Valeria had to deal with it all while not knowing if Frankie was safe. Anger at Raquel for fucking him up so much in the head that he was robbed of the chance to see his father for the last time. He also felt like he let his father down and wasted so much time pushing him away.

The jolt of the plane’s wheels meeting the ground brought Frankie back to the present. As the plane taxied, he reflected on his session from this morning. He and his therapist talked about how this trip was a momentous occasion. It was the start of a new chapter in his relationship with Valeria and a chance to bond with his niece and nephew.

He flipped his phone off of airplane mode and saw a text come through from Valeria.

Valeria: Hope your flight goes well. Sorry but I can't pick you up. Trying to convince this asshole judge to give us this warrant. If it gets late Tim will cover, but meet me at my place. I have the rest of the week off …. Tim says you owe him a beer!

Valeria: Love you 🩷🐰

Frankie: All good. I'll get an Uber. Tell Tim I say hi.

Frankie: Love you too 🐰

Frankie smiled, his little sister as feisty as ever. She was equal parts smart and brave and always unapologetically herself. He was thankful to her partner in (fighting) crime and mentor, Tim. Although she didn't need protecting, it still gave Frankie peace of mind knowing Tim was looking after her in the field. He was also thankful they both moved off of the narcotics unit and onto white-collar crimes. On the home front, Frankie was equally thankful for Valeria’s partner in life. Alyssa was single-handedly the best thing to ever happen to her. Frankie held out a little hope that one day he'd find a love like theirs.

______________________

Benny, already dressed and ready for the gym, stood in his kitchen eating a bowl of cereal staring at his phone. He was expecting a call and hoped it would come before Will woke up. He waited and waited and of course, as soon as Will sauntered in to make his coffee, the phone rang.

Benny cleared his throat and answered, “Hey, Herb, how’s it going?” He was actively trying to avoid Will who now was looking squarely at his little brother. “Ha, yeah it’s been a while,” he paced around, listening to the man on the other end of the line. “Yup, yeah I can be ready. Where’s it at?” He drank the milk from his cereal bowl and put it in the sink. “Cool, yeah, wasn’t Omar one of Lights’ guys or something? Huh ok. How long ago did he make the switch over?” Benny could practically feel Will’s eyes boring into the back of his head. “Yeah, sounds good. Guess I gotta start training, huh? Ok, talk to you soon Herb.”

“What the fuck was that?” Will piped up as soon as Benny ended the call.

“Nothing,” Benny tried to walk around Will, but his brother stood his ground, squaring up and looking him in the eye.

“Didn’t sound like nothin’ Ben. What kinda shit are you getting yourself into, huh?”

Benny crossed his arms in front of his chest and threw his head back as he rolled his eyes. He was trying to avoid exactly what was happening now. With a big sigh, Benny responded, “Look, I…I was texting with Herb last night and he said he could get me a fight and before you freak the fuck out, it’s just a one-time thing. His friend has this guy who was some hot shot boxer up in New York City who’s switching things up and get his footing in the MMA world.”

“Sounds like Herb is setting you up to get your ass kicked. Ben, you got knocked out cold the last time. Do you really want to lose-”

“Hey! I didn’t lose that fight. Fucker used a 12-6 elbow and got his ass disqualified,” Benny scoffed.

“Ok, Benny. You’re right, I’m sorry,” Will gave him a tight smile, trying to pacify his brother before he got more riled up. “How soon?”

“Middle of August,” Benny responded flatly, already knowing what Will was going to say. “I know, I know. I’d love to have more time to prepare too but it’s fine. It’s gonna be fine, Will.”

Will sighed, knowing that it was a wasted effort to try and convince Benny since his mind was made up. As easygoing as Benny typically was, if he had his mind set on something there was no wavering. “How can I help?”

Benny was taken aback for a moment before a big smile came across his face.“There’s the spirit,” he slapped Will on the chest. “Maybe you can come to the gym with me, help spar? Once Fish gets back he can help too. I'm gonna have to do two a days at least. Can you run with me some days?”

“What about Connor?”

“I’ll still work out with him, but I’m gonna knock the kid out by accident if he tries to help me fight” Benny smirked. “I'm great at what I do, but it’s gonna take him all summer to put on some muscle.”

_______________________

Frankie took a deep breath as he stood at Valeria's doorstep. As he was about to ring the doorbell, the front door swung open and Valeria practically threw herself at her brother, burying her face into his chest.

“Hola mi conejita,” he smiled, hugging her tightly, and lifting her off the ground. “Te extrañé.” He put her back down, seeing tears starting to fall as she pulled back to look at him. “Please don’t cry.” He wiped the tears from her cheeks, cradled her head, and brought her back into his chest.

She sniffles, “Sorry, Paco. I just,” she pushed back and grabbed his face with both of her hands, stroking his stubble, “Fuck, I’m just so happy to see you!” She smiled through her tears and ushered him inside. “You look good, hermano. Better than good, you look amazing! I like the salt and pepper in your beard, it looks like dad’s.” She turned to face him, running her hands down his arms until she reached his hands, giving them a squeeze.

“Thanks,” he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she walked him to her kitchen table to sit. “Feelin’ good too.”

“¿Quieres un cafecito?” She asked, heading over to the gigantic espresso machine in the corner of her kitchen counter. Alyssa's job as a top caterer in Dallas meant they had all of the fanciest appliances in their kitchen. Frankie nodded and she got to work. “How are the boys?”

“Good. They’re all good,” Frankie smirked. “Benny said to tell you Will says hi.”

“Ay dios mio, ese sinvergüenza,” she chuckles. “You know how many times I had to cover for his ass back in the day? The nerve to still give me shit about his brother,” She shook her head as she poured the coffees. “Y Santiago? Is he off traveling somewhere chasing after a woman?” She walked over and sat with Frankie.

“No, no he’s been home for a while. Trying to keep him out of trouble, but you know how he is. We've been spending a lot of time at Will and Benny's place,” he smiled, taking a sip. “Got a lot of nice neighbors, it’s been… nice.”

“How nice are the neighbors?” She raised an eyebrow, studying her brother who rolled his eyes.

“No, nothing like that. Not for me, at least. You should talk to Will though, he’s been extra…nice,” he smirked before taking another sip. “What time do you have to pick up the kids?”

Valeria looked at her phone to check the time. “Ah, we should probably leave in like half an hour. Well…ah sorry, I assumed you wanted to come. Do you want to come? We could surprise them! They think you aren't coming until later.”

“I'd love to,” Frankie’s eyes softened.

______________________

“You ok?” Connor asked as he took over the squat bar from Benny, who had been uncharacteristically quiet that morning.

“Hmm? Yeah, sorry man. I just ah…kinda did something without really thinking through it.”

“What’d ya do?” Connor grunted out between reps.

“I signed up for a fight.”

“You’re fighting again?” Connor finished his set and rested his arms on the bar as he caught his breath.

“Well, kinda I guess. Well, yeah, I am,” Benny sighed and readjusted his hat. “I don’t know what I was thinking… I dunno, I figured they’d moved on and there wasn’t gonna be a spot for me on the card, but…they took me seriously and found me a fight.”

“You're gonna win right?”

“I sure fuckin hope so,” Benny inhaled deeply. “Shit, my last few fights didn't end the best.”

“Do you know who you're fighting against?”

“Yeah, this guy Omar.”

“Well, Coach Ben always says that you can tell a lot about an opponent by watching film on them. You can pick up little ticks and tendencies. This guy have any fights you can watch?” Connor offered as he moved around to spot Benny on the bench press.

“That's a good point. I think I can find some stuff on him, he just recently got into MMA but he was a boxer too.” Benny finished his set and sat up on the bench, pulling his shirt up to wipe the sweat off of his brow. “Wanna help me train?”

“Me? You'd kick my ass in like two seconds. I don't think my mom’ll be too happy if I-”

“No, no not like that. I have Will and Fish to beat up on,” Benny winked. “No, I meant like with the video stuff. D’you think you could watch his fights with me?”

“I don't really watch MMA man, I'm more of a WWE kinda guy.”

“That's fine. It's probably good you aren't familiar with it now that I think of it, you'll pick up on shit I probably wouldn’t see.” Benny gave Connor an encouraging smile before knocking on his shoulder. “C'mon, you don't want me to get my ass handed to me do ya? You'll lose out on a training partner.”

Connor smiled, excited that he could finally help Benny with something. “Deal. When do we start?”

_____________________

On the way to pick up the kids, Valeria filled Frankie in on what each of them liked. Antonio was obsessed with Star Wars, especially after playing with some of his Tio Frankie’s old toys. Valeria found them when she went through her father's house before the estate sale. Leia, on the other hand, only had eyes for Minnie Mouse, a fact Frankie was thankful he knew beforehand so he could get her a birthday present.

Frankie tried to stave off his nerves on the drive. He wasn’t a stranger to the kids, thanks to FaceTime, but he still wondered how they’d react to him in person. It always made his heart melt to see Antonio’s face light up when Valeria passed him the phone to talk to Frankie. He'd show off all of his toys and talk a mile a minute about shows Frankie had never heard of. Leia was a bit on the shyer side, but Frankie was so enamored with his little niece. She reminded him so much of both his mother and Valeria when she was younger.

“Hey, they’re so excited to see you,” Valeria reached over to squeeze her brother’s arm. “I could barely get Antonio into his classroom today, he wanted me to take him to the airport to see his Tio,” she laughed.

Valeria parked and Frankie took a deep breath before getting out of the car. He took his hat off and ran his fingers through his hair as he and Valeria made their way down the hallway to Leia’s classroom. He was oblivious to the fact that he turned heads as he walked by, but Valeria noticed; her powers of observation enhanced thanks to her day job. She smirked to herself and rolled her eyes. Her whole life all of her friends either had a crush on Frankie or one of his friends.

When they reached the classroom, Valeria knocked on the door and waved. Leia spotted her and ran to the door.

“Mommmaaa. Hi momma!” the toddler babbled. “Momma. Up!” She lifted her little arms up, wanting Valeria to pick her up.

“Hola mi niña, did you have a good day?” She asked the little girl, looking over to her teacher who smiled and nodded.

“She had a lot of fun today,” her teacher handed over Leia’s dinosaur lunchbox.

Leia wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck and then her eyes locked with Frankie's, as he gave her a shy wave. He could see the wheels turning in the little girl’s head. She definitely recognized him, but it seemed like she was trying to figure out how.

“Hola mi princesa,” Frankie offered, pushing his hat up a little bit so she could see more of his face.

She paused for a moment before her face lit up, “Tio Fankee!” She wiggled in her mom’s arms, signaling she wanted to be put down and put down fast. She ran over to Frankie and wrapped her arms around his leg, drawing awws from parents passing by.

Frankie let out a breath he didn’t realize he had been holding in, his shoulders relaxing as he looked down at the little girl reaching her arms up. He scooped her up, planting a big kiss on her cheek which made her giggle as he tickled her.

Valeria looked on and felt a mix of emotions at the scene playing out. Her brother loved kids and always had a soft spot for them. She knew he would make the most amazing father, which is why the situation with Raquel still stung. Frankie had been over the moon to have a little one on the way only to have that ripped away. It took everything in Valeria to not fly to Tampa to beat Raquel's ass the day Frankie called to say that the baby wasn't his. She felt a rage she had never felt before, hearing her brother sound so low, so defeated. Little did she know the spiral that still awaited them both.

Even though that was in the past, she could still see the pain in Frankie’s eyes as he held Leia. She knew he was thinking about what it would be like to hold his own child. With Leia firmly perched on Frankie's hip, the trio walked down to Antonio’s room. He was sitting at a table, reading when his mom knocked on the door.

“Mamá! Is Tio Frankie here?!” The little boy quickly shuffled out of his seat, running over to the door ignoring his teacher’s pleas to walk instead of run.

Frankie hid on the other side of the door, giving Valeria a wink as he heard his nephew shuffle over. “Peek-a-boo!” Frankie popped out, surprising Antonio whose face went from fear to utter joy in about one second flat.

“Tio Frankie!!” The boy wrapped his arms around Frankie’s waist before Frankie bent down, Leia still clinging to him like a koala bear.

“You’re getting so big, pollito. You taking good care of your moms and sister?” The little boy nodded, wrapping his arms around Frankie’s neck. “Good job, I’m proud of you, buddy.”

“Tio Frankie?”

“What?”

“Why do you call me pollito?”

Frankie chuckled, looking up at Valeria who laughed and rolled her eyes. “Actually, your Tio Benny gave you that nickname when I sent him a photo of you in the hospital when you were born,” Frankie laughed.

Valeria shook her head. She vividly remembered how Benny’s first reaction at seeing a photo of Antonio was to say he looked like Chicken Little from the animated movie.

“C’mon, let's get home,” Valeria grabbed Antonio's things. “Mommy is gonna make Tio Frankie his favorite - breakfast for dinner!”

“I'm so happy you married a chef,” Frankie looked over his shoulder as he and the kids made their way down the hallway, Antonio talking a mile a minute about what he learned that day.

Valeria stood back a second to take in the view of her brother walking down the hall, holding Antonio's hand with Valeria still clinging to him. It was the most complete she'd felt in a long time.

__________________________

David: Liv, are you sure you don't need help for the party? I have a whole mood board going.

Ty: I'm sorry Liv. You know he can't be stopped once he gets going…

Olivia: Aww thanks D. But I don't know how much space we'll have. I just picked up some stuff from the Dollar Store, we should be fine. But if you all want to dress up, I won’t stop you! 😉

David: SAY LESS! Ty and I have the perfect costumes.

Ty: This is a child’s birthday party babe, not a circuit party. Don’t worry Liv, we’ll be appropriate.

Megan: Send the name of the rink over to Melissa, she'll find you the goddamn blueprints by the end of the day 🤣

Katie: Seriously, what she can uncover with a few uninterrupted hours is frightening

Melissa: oh stop it!! You weren't complaining when I was showing you what I found about Cousin Joel

David: 👀 I'm listening

Melissa sends a few photos from her folder titled Cousin Joel Discovery

Ty: Holy shit 🥵

Olivia: Oh hello Cousin Joel!! 🔥

Megan: Ty can you please do a welfare check on David

David: WHEN IS HE VISITING FOR THE LOVE OF GOD I NEED TO SEE THIS MAN IN PERSON

Ty: Megan and Kat, please do me a solid and give me fair warning if Cousin Joel ever comes to visit. I’ll need as much time as I can get to construct a Jurassic Park-level enclosure for David

David: you can't hold me back! I'll gnaw through it RAWR 🦖

Olivia:💀🤣

Lucille: He is very handsome. Although he looks a bit like trouble.

Katie: You think so?

David: I like trouble, love it actually.

Ty: 🤦🏽‍♂️

_____________________

“Tio Frankie, Tio Frankie! Can we play Star Wars? Who’s your favorite character? Which ship do you think is the coolest? I think the A-wing is the coolest. What color lightsaber would you choose? I like green like Luke. What about-”

“Ohhhh ok,” Valeria ushered the boy inside the house, Leia on her hip as Frankie dropped off the kid’s backpacks and made a beeline to Alyssa who was busy preparing dinner.

“Hola, Lyssa,” Frankie said as he kissed her cheek.

“Hey Frank, you look good hermanito!” She gave him an up and down.

“Hey babe!” Valeria shouted as she made her way down the hallway to change Leia’s diaper.

“I’m so glad you’re here Frank, she’s been so excited ever since you called,” Alyssa smiled as she pulled some biscuits from the oven.

“I’m glad I’m here too,” he leaned up against the kitchen counter. “This all smells amazing, thank you. I know the last thing you probably want to be doing is cooking after you do it all day,” he chuckled.

“Oh stop it! And not have a chance to hear you rant and rave over my cooking! I’ll take that any day! Besides, your sister is doing this low-carb thing so it gives me an excuse to make biscuits and gravy since we both like it,” she winked.

“Well, I’m glad to be your conspirator…as usual.”

Antonio came crashing into the kitchen with a plastic bin of toys. “Tio Frankie! Can we play? Pleeeeease!”

Frankie could not resist his nephew’s little face, looking to Alyssa for confirmation.

“I have about 10 minutes until dinner is ready. If you eat all of it and Tio Frankie isn’t too tired then you guys can play after dinner.”

“Yeesssss!” Antonio jumped up and down and headed to the living room to take all of his toys out.

“Oh shoot, wait, I have something,” Frankie stopped and opened up his suitcase, taking out two bags. “Pollito, come here,” he smiled as the little boy bounded over.

“But, it’s not my birthday Tio Frankie, it’s Leia’s at the end of the week. Mamá and Mommy are taking us to the aquarium.”

“I know, but I wanted to get you a surprise too. Here open it,” Frankie handed over a plain green bag just as Valeria walked back in with Leia.

“What do you say?” Valeria raised her eyebrows and gave that mom look her son knew quite well.

“Gracias Tio Frankie.” The little boy put the bag on the ground and reached in, pulling out a Lego helicopter set. The biggest smile came across his face as he turned the box over to read it. “This is so cool!”

“You know that Tio Frankie can fly one of those, right?” Alyssa called over her shoulder.

“You can fly? Like Luke Skywalker?!”

“Ha, well, my ships aren’t as cool as Luke’s but yeah, I can fly a bunch of stuff.”

The little boy looked in awe at his uncle. “Woooow that’s so cool.”

“Maybe one day, you all can come to Florida and I’ll take you all up in a helicopter,” he smiled.

“I’m good to stay on the ground with the baby,” Alyssa called over. “One and done for me, no offense Frank.”

Frankie shook his head, remembering the time he took his sister and her new girlfriend up in a helicopter. It was then he really knew Alyssa loved Valeria because she tried to overcome a fear of flying just to impress her.

“That would be so fun! Mamá can we do that?! Can we do that pleeease!!!” Antonio jumped up and down.

“Si, mijo, we’ll go visit Tio Frankie. And guess what? We’ll get to see Tio Santi, Tio Will, and Tio Benny too! They haven’t seen you in a while and I know they’re probably so excited to see you,” Valeria ruffled her son’s hair.

“Maybe after dinner, we can try putting this together?” Frankie held up the box just as Leia walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his legs. “Hola princesa, c’mere!” He picked her up and she gave him a kiss on the cheek. Frankie kissed her on the forehead and brought her in for a hug, his eyes getting misty.

“Dinner’s ready! Let me get the kid’s plates together and you two help yourselves.”

_______________________

Will finished loading the dishwasher and sat down on his couch with a beer to watch whatever game was on TV. He felt a bit off all day, still processing that his little brother was going to need to be in fighting shape in 47 days.

Benny was impulsive in his decision to reach out to Herb. Will knew Benny would rather step into an octagon than face his feelings and talk. He wished Frankie was there, he always seemed to be a bit of a Benny whisperer. But since Frankie was on his trip, Joel was with Sarah, and Santiago was on a date, Will stared at his phone before deciding who to text.

Will: Hope you had a good day

He took a deep breath, resting the phone against his temple, feeling his phone vibrate not too long after.

Katie: It was a Monday 😕 How was yours? Did you drive anyone to get M&Ms today?

Will: Ha, no Mr. Jacobs didn’t have a sweet tooth today. Just wanted to get some deodorant and his meds.

Katie: Lol

Katie: How’s Benny?

Will: Fine. This morning I found out that he’s signed himself up for a fight.

Katie: Oh. How do you feel about that?

Will: Eh, I don’t know. It makes me nervous. I don’t want to see the kid get hurt.

Katie: You’re a good big brother 💗

Katie: But you’ve said he’s really talented, right? So he should be fine?

Will: Yeah. I don’t want to put pressure on him, but he should be ok. Especially once we get started training.

Katie: Buuut…

Will: He’s doing this because he doesn’t want to deal with stuff and this is the only way he knows how to process shit. I wish he’d just talk to someone, it doesn’t even have to be me.

Katie: Oh. I’m sorry. He sounds a lot like one of my brothers actually.

Will: Yeah?

Katie: Yeah. Nate was like that for a long time.

Will: What changed?

Katie: He found his girlfriend. I’m shocked every day that he found someone to put up with him!

Will: Ha, well, I feel like he’s going to be so focused on this fight that anything like that will be the last thing on his mind.

Katie: I understand that.

Katie: Hey, you guys are still planning on going to the twins’ party on Saturday right?

Will: Yeah. You actually reminded me I need to go get a present from Ben and I

Katie: Maybe we can go to the store after work on Wednesday? Then come back to my place. I’ll wrap it for you 🙂

Will: Sounds like a plan

________________________

“That was so good Alyssa, thank you,” Frankie got up and started to collect everyone’s dishes.

“You’re welcome and you stop that right now and go to the living room to play with your nephew,” Alyssa winked at him as she grabbed the plates out of his hands.

“Tio Frankie, Tio Frankie! Can we play? Mommy said we could play after dinner, and it’s after dinner and I ate all of my food.”

“Let’s go,” Frankie ruffled the boy’s curls.

Valeria helped Alyssa clear the table and gave her wife a kiss before swooping up Leia and walking over to the living room.

Frankie helped Antonio put together the helicopter, telling the little boy about the different parts and what they do. They had fun playing, Leia making her way into her uncle’s lap to observe.

“Oh, can I give Leia her birthday present?” Frankie looked up at his sister, now sitting on the couch with a glass of wine observing.

“Tio Frankie, her birthday isn’t today.” Antonio reminded him.

“It’s ok, mijo. Besides, Tio Frankie won’t be here for her birthday,” she smiled at the boy. “Yeah, Paco, let me go get it.”

She came back with a little pink bag stuffed with white tissue paper and handed it to Frankie.

“Here you go princesa. This is for you,” he set the bag on the ground in front of his niece. She studied it for a moment and then looked back up at Frankie with her big brown eyes. “Go ahead, mira, you just take the tissue paper out. He grabbed her little hand and helped guide one of the pieces of tissue paper out.

She smiled and then attacked the rest of it before pulling out a stuffed Minnie Mouse toy. The Minnie Mouse was dressed in a pink dress with white polka dots, a matching bow, and pink shoes.

Leia let out a big gasp and brought the toy in for a big hug. “Momma, Min Mou!” she babbled.

“Aw, wow! How nice, Tio Frankie got you a Minnie Mouse! Que linda! What do you say?”

“Ank ooo Tio Fankee!” Leia managed with a big smile on her face before wrapping her little arms around Frankie’s neck.

“You’re welcome,” Frankie whispered, giving the little girl a kiss on the top of her head.

Alyssa finished up cleaning and came over to tell the kids it was bath time which started a bit of a meltdown from both of them since they wanted to spend more time with Frankie. With some coaxing, and a promise Frankie would read them both a story, they were off to the bathroom with Alyssa as Frankie sat up on the couch with his sister.

“It’s exhausting isn’t it,” she smirked.

Frankie leaned all the way back on the couch, the back of his head resting on the back of the couch. “Ha yea, but they’re awesome, conejita. I’m glad they seem to like me.”

“Like you?! They love you, Paco,” she leaned over giving his arm a comforting squeeze, making Frankie smile. “D-do you ever think about having some of your own?”

He nodded, his eyes cast downward with a tight smile.

“So I have to ask because I’m your sister, but… are you seeing anyone?”

“Ha, no. Honestly, I’m not really looking for anything. It’s been good to just kinda…I dunno focus on me, you know? I’m at peace with where things are.”

“I’m so proud of you,” she patted his knee. “Hey, I was going to send this to you, but since you’re here, I figured I could give it to you.” She got up from the couch and walked into her office to grab a small box.

“What? You didn’t have to get me anything,” he furrowed his brows as he took the box from her.

“I know, but, I want you to have this. Open it.”

Frankie took the box, undid the bow, and opened up the lid and he instantly felt tears welling up in his eyes. In the box was his father’s watch, a gift the Millers got him when he retired. Frankie didn’t have much of his father or mother’s possessions, so this was truly special.

“He wanted you to have it. I found a box of stuff in his room and there were some notes in there about what went to who,” Valeria told him as she rubbed Frankie’s back.

He brought the heels of his hands up to his eyes, rubbing them before looking over at her. “Thanks, this is awesome.”

They sat together as Frankie composed himself before Valeria finally broke the silence, “I have some other stuff too, mostly photos if you want to go through them tomorrow. I also have some jewelry, like Mom’s ring if you want it.”

Frankie tilted his head down and raised his eyebrow, “and why would I need that?”

“I’m just saying! If you ever need it, I have it. And I think you’ll be asking for it soon.”

Frankie chuckled, shaking his head, “what do you mean?”

“I just…I had a dream that you met someone soon,” she smiled.

From a young age, Valeria thought she had a gift. So many times she felt like her dreams predicted the future. She had a dream the week before she met Alyssa that she was going to find her soulmate. Nearly every time Frankie was off on a mission, she would have a dream that he would return safely. And she, unfortunately, had a dream that Frankie and Raquel were not going to last, but she didn’t dare tell him that.

“What kind of brujería are you on now?” Frankie chuckled. He was skeptical when it came to his sister’s dreams, always thinking the outcomes were more a matter of coincidence rather than fate.

She started to laugh as Alyssa came back in, to let them know Antonio requested Frankie read a book about the Star Wars ships for his bedtime story.

“Good luck and don’t let him ask you too many questions,” Valeria winked as Frankie got up and made his way to Antonio’s room.

Next chapter

Next week on As the Mule Falls: Frankie returns home to Tampa. Olivia's twins have their birthday party *cue a montage of Benny skating backward and racing Will around the rink, David still sneaking in his Stanley cup, Frankie checking his phone, Santiago avoiding Melissa, and some fun Star Wars decorations*

A/N: To my Frankie fans, I hope you liked getting a little more of a spotlight on our favorite pilot. His story is just now starting to pick up. Speaking of, here's a shameless plug … have you read my Frankie one-shot Turbulence? If you haven't, consider it your homework before the next installment. How do we feel about Benny? Dipping into bad habits or is he just working through things in his own way?

Thank you so much for being here and reading. I hope you are enjoying this ride! I love reading your comments and reblogs, they seriously make my day!

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