Frank Longbottom

Here we are.

[franklylongsuffered]

drxmedatonks​:

Andromeda could see the concern in Frank’s eyes, and she appreciated it. She’d gotten her fair share of are you okays this past week while she healed up her elbow, and despite how it could usually become grating after a while, for now she felt grateful, for being taken care of. She had friends who cared about her and her family, that wasn’t something she took for granted.

“Exhausted does seem to be the common ground,” she offered, sympathetic. Yes, Ted had been in the exact same boat, and herself as well. Their entire floor at the Ministry was working overtime, running around putting off fires, it was hard not to carry it all back home. All things considered, Nymphadora was dealing pretty well with her parents’ absence. Perhaps that was one of the silver linings of her growing up. Frank didn’t mention anything with Alice, to which Andromeda felt the utmost need to pry on, because they were good friends and she wanted to know if they were okay. It was half real concern, half wanting to have something to gossip about whenever Ted arrived late this evening. “And at home? Everything okay? With Alice? I saw her yesterday, you know, for a girls’ chat.”

.

“Unfortunately so,” Frank agreed. He let his eyes fall closed, which was perhaps a blessing because he didn’t need to school his face about Alice. “There’s a lot going on,” he eventually said. “Honestly it has very little to do with us, but we’ve been sucked into it. That always seemed to happen.” At work, with the Order, among their friends... They both always tried to be helpful, but Frank didn’t fully understand why it needed to come at their own expense every single time. “You know how it is.” He was being a little too cryptic probably, but Andy was generally good about not pushing. He appreciated that about her. She’d find sneakier ways to gain the information she wanted.

[franklylongsuffered]

theoselwyn​:

Theo just laughed, rolling her eyes at him. “Totally. Being your friend is so hard.” Of course she was joking. Whilst it hadn’t always plain sailing for them, he had been a good friend, and she really did appreciate him. Theo hadn’t always been the best person, but she was trying to be a better person. Sometimes it was hard, but she did appreciate that people were able to look past her past discretions, and see the good she could be. Of course, she had a lot of past discretions, but she really was trying. 

Pulling back from the hug, she rested back on the sofa, and just smiled at him. “Little nugget is going to spend lots of time with Uncle Frank. Trust me.” Theo teased, resting a hand on her stomach. “I have no siblings, and well…. we both know how the Rosier’s will react…” She bit her lip, clearly not too happy about that. “Baby Rosier is gonna need all the pseudo Uncles they can get.”

.

Frank grinned, letting his face soften. This was all far more complicated than it probably needed to be, but right this moment, they could pretend at simple. “Family’s who you label it,” he said, knowing that was oversimplifying. “It’s all in who you want.” That was easy for him to say, of course. His mother had her flaws, but lack of support wasn’t one of them. Alice had needed to walk away from her family. That hadn’t been easy. But she’d done it, and Frank had been proud of her for it. This wasn’t the same, but the similarities were there. Hopefully Theo and Evan could figure it out as peacefully as possible. “Happy to be here, and I’m sure I won’t be the only one.”

[franklylongsuffered]

Date: July 14, 1984 Location: The Fable Spice restaurant Starter: @adarkershadeofalice​

Thirty fucking sucked. Frank hadn’t gone into the day with high hopes, but considering he’d had to intervene in a situation of faulty and frankly dangerous protective items being sold to children at a fake back-to-school stall that had popped up earlier in the week, it had only gotten worse. He had a mountain of related paperwork to do now and hadn’t even gotten to hex the seller. What was the point?

He also couldn’t help being a bit frustrated by the fact that he and his wife worked together, yet Frank had apparated alone. He’d checked in on her, and Alice had promised she’d be done soon. Still, Frank hadn’t wanted to risk losing their reservation by being late, so he’d told her he was heading home to change and would see her at the restaurant. He’d been seated for almost twenty minutes now. Frank knew Alice would feel guilty about being late when she got here, and he wouldn’t want to fault her for it. This was how she got when she was wrapped up in her work. Frank admired her for it. She had such dedication, such passion. He just hoped his memory would cut through that soon for her to join him.

Someone came near, and Frank looked up sharply, his face relaxing when he saw Alice. Frank stood automatically and walked around to pull her chair out. “Get everything done that you wanted?” he asked by way of greeting. “You look lovely, by the way.”

[franklylongsuffered]

gidprxwett​:

Who: @franklylongsuffered

When: July 2nd

Where: the office

Gideon had gone awhile without seeing his friend. Life had been busy and he had allowed many of his relationships to start slipping away. He wanted to say that it wasn't on purpose and that life had just become that busy for him but he knew it would be a lie. There were just some people he felt awkward around since his return. It wasn't their fault of course but he was left wondering if they looked at him how they used to or if they saw him as some broken thing that had to be looked after.

He had decided to track down Frank that day at work. He had been feeling a bit lighter that day. He had been feeling that way for a little while though. He felt happier at times and he wanted to grasp that feeling. If he held to it tightly he thought perhaps it would stay with him. He had asked his sister if he could have some sweets to lure his friend into his clutches.

He found Frank at his desk and set the little basket of sweets on his desk as he moved to sit on the edge of the desk. "Frank come to lunch with me. I miss your pretty face and I made my sister make you some muffins to butter you up." He put a smile on his lips as he pushed the little basket closer to his friend.

Frank felt a little unmoored. Things had started to settle again after their mixed bag of a mission last month, and even the Ministry’s response to the London setup had simmered down. They were back to that vague sense that things weren’t going well, and he’d spent years trying unsuccessfully to figure out how to best exist in them. He’d settled on tired. That was the best he could do.

Still, he was happy to accept a little something to shake up what had so far been a boring yet tiring day as a basket popped into his line of sight where he’d been zoning out in the direction of some paperwork that he really didn’t have to have done until tomorrow. He looked up, offering Gideon a smile. 

“Bribing me for my time with Molly’s food?” He faked outrage. “If you think something like that will work with me... you are completely correct. I love your sister’s baking.” Frank stood and stretched his arms, groaning at the soreness in his lower back. “Don’t get old,” he advised, even though Gideon was barely younger than him. “It isn’t pleasant. Anyway, where are we going?”

[franklylongsuffered]

theoselwyn​:

Theo just smiled at him. Secretly she was glad that he hadn’t decided to disown her too. She didn’t know if she can handle losing two of her closest friends within 24 hours. She might not have been as close to Frank as she had been to Alice, but he was still important to her. “Thank you.” Was all she said. She appreciated him not probing too much, even if she knew Alice would have preferred he did. Theo just wanted to reflect on it herself, and then make it right. She couldn’t do that if people kept poking their noses in.

“I suppose that is true….” She mused, the smile a little more genuine. They might not have been friends the whole time, but they were now, and that was important now. And clearly Frank thought good enough of her to not want to throw their friendship aside, so really she did appreciate that. “Who knew I could put up with you for all these years Longbottom.” She teased, as she hugged him. To be honest the hug was better than anything he could have said. Theo was such a physical person, and lived for hugs and cuddles.

“Or should that be Uncle Frank now?” She asked, as she pulled back, a little grin on her face. If he wasn’t going to pick a side, then she really would be taking advantage of having him around.

.

Frank gave her a quick squeeze in their hug as he listened to her. He chuckled. “Oh, like it’s been such a hard ship, huh?” Really there had been a time when it had been, when they hadn’t been friends because of her choices. But Theo was making it clear she was past it. He understood why Alice was struggling with that right now, but Theo as a person? She wasn’t hard to be friends with.

He didn’t want to admit the sputtered sound that left his throat. Uncle wasn’t necessarily a new title with Dora, but it meant a lot that Theo was willing to dub him that now, especially given the situation with Alice. “You can’t take that back,” he warned. “It’s my title now. Even if you never use it again, I will. I will absolutely make sure the nugget does too when they arrive.”

[wila-travers]

franklylongsuffered​:

Frank nodded back, hoping she had some time of peace ahead if she was that used to things being spur-of-the-moment and not allowing much rest. “They aren’t perfect by any means, but at least usually things can happen pretty quickly when it’s a big issue, even when that occasionally can be a bit inconvenient for us.” He shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets. 

“That might be giving too much credit, especially when I’m sure certain pockets are being lined to try and keep that from happening.” Frank sighed. The whole Ministry was corrupt at this point, and he wondered if there was any saving it left. Probably best not to say that part aloud, though. “Well, I should probably let you go to get a little sleep before tomorrow then.”

~

Wila nodded her head in agreement. She could accept that the scale of the explosion was far beyond their capabilities. She was just rather glad that they had still gone undetected, despite the Ministry being there. “Exactly what I was thinking,” she agreed. “Thankfully it wasn’t too inconvenient this time, and their presence let us take care of the original mission, which is what really matters.”

She sometimes wondered if people in the Ministry were just purposefully being obtuse when it came to what was happening around them. Or if they were in agreement with the Death Eaters. Whatever the reason, she didn’t often have much faith in them. “Oh, I’m sure you’re right,” she agreed. She nodded her head. “I should get going,” she agreed, offering him a small smile. “I’ll see you around, I’m sure. Try to get some rest too,” Wila said, before she turned around and walked out of the door and headed home.

Fin.

[franklylongsuffered]

healerrosier​:

“Exciting but damning,” Evan admitted and shook his head. His mind was set. It had been since before the sense of urgency came into play but there was still a lot of hesitancy toward coming clean with his family. “Much to gain and just as much to lose.” He wasn’t a betting man but his money would have been on his father being unforgiving. It was a terrifying realization but not scary enough to leave him wanting to comply and do as was expected of him. There was also the matter of timing being better but Evan wouldn’t go into depth on that. “It’s too much to try to keep thinking about.”

Evan arched a brow at Frank’s question. It wasn’t that complicated of a question but Evan wasn’t certain how to answer without getting too dark on things. “Likely both,” He sighed after a moment of thought. “Those that are too comfortable with being home not expecting misusing magic to come with consequences and those that aren’t potentially clashing with parents after a school year spent making their own decisions.” He could say from experience that the latter didn’t always end well and that wasn’t knowledge gained from working at St. Mungo’s.

.

Frank drummed his fingers on the table, trying to figure out the best way to respond. Eventually he said, “Then don’t think about it. Focus on the good. You’ll deal with the rest when you have to, but I suspect that will either come to you or not come to pass. Let yourself stop worrying for five minutes and just enjoy where you are.” Her reasons would be different, but Frank suspected if their situations had flipped, Alice would be the one worrying to Evan’s levels, trying to figure out every single reason they should be afraid and not happy. Frank hoped Theo and Evan could take a breath and reach the happy only stage. There was a lot, yeah, but it wasn’t the end of the world. It was the start of new chances.

He nodded along as Evan explain what things were like. Both sides made sense to him. The Ministry occasionally had to get involved in cases like that, but the aurors rarely did. It took a very specific, potent, and occasionally lethal combination of elements to involve the aurors. Frank never wanted to be the one assigned to those cases. They never ended well. “We all remember being young and invincible,” he mused. “Every year felt older and more mature, but they’re all just babies. We were too.” 

[franklylongsuffered]

Orla the short-eared owl is Frank and Alice’s family owl. She was a wedding present from Frank to Alice.

@adarkershadeofalice​

[franklylongsuffered]

wila-travers​:

Wila knew that the moment she crawled into her bed, she was going to fall right asleep. The adrenaline of the day was starting to wear off, and she hoped that she would get a few hours of sleep before she headed into the office. Sleepless nights weren’t a new thing for Wila, she had spent many nights doing Order work, but she was exhausted. 

“It’s alright, I’m used to it. The meetings and the little sleep,” she admitted. She nodded her head. “I’m sure that the Ministry is going to be busy with this one. I was surprised that they were able to get to Muggle London to take control so quickly. I’m glad that you will have another day, though, before you have to walk into the mess that I’m sure the Ministry will be dealing with.” Wila knew that it was a risk that they all took, every day, that they would be found out. But somehow they had managed to avoid detection for this long. “Hopefully nobody put two and two together,” she agreed. “If they can find a way to link the explosion and the other things to someone on the Death Eater side, maybe we’ll finally make some headway here,” she said. Wila offered him a tired smile and nodded her head. “Thank you. I wish you well when you return back to work. Hopefully it’s not too chaotic.” 

Frank nodded back, hoping she had some time of peace ahead if she was that used to things being spur-of-the-moment and not allowing much rest. “They aren’t perfect by any means, but at least usually things can happen pretty quickly when it’s a big issue, even when that occasionally can be a bit inconvenient for us.” He shrugged, sliding his hands into his pockets. 

“That might be giving too much credit, especially when I’m sure certain pockets are being lined to try and keep that from happening.” Frank sighed. The whole Ministry was corrupt at this point, and he wondered if there was any saving it left. Probably best not to say that part aloud, though. “Well, I should probably let you go to get a little sleep before tomorrow then.”

[franklylongsuffered]

theoselwyn​:

Theodosia had no desire to make or beg Frank to believe her. He either would or he wouldn’t. And she was not going to beg anyone to believe her. Whilst she appreciated their friendship, she wasn’t going to lower herself down to that level. Hopefully he would believe her, and if not, well that would be that. The fact that he was here, and giving her a chance to speak at least made her feel that he was willing to her side of the story.

“You don’t need to tell me how big a mistake I’ve made. I’m well aware.” Her ton had come off harsher than she had intended. But she was beginning to realise how big her mistake was. And she was actually genuinely regretting it. A few months ago, she was enjoying spying for the Dark Lord. But now, she wasn’t so sure. These people were her friends. And she didn’t like betraying them anymore. She just really did not know what to do about it. And it was not like she could really talk to anyone about it. They wouldn’t understand.

“Maybe. I don’t know. But I can’t change what I did.” And maybe telling them would have been better. But she hadn’t, and she couldn’t change that mistake now. “I just….. I know it’s selfish. But I didn’t want people to judge me more than they already do.” And she knew they still did, even more so now. Theo knew people were angry. She just hoped they could more past it eventually.

“I don’t think she’s overreacted.” She murmured, biting on her lip. “It’s not even that…. the fight over the mark that has upset me.” She added, her voice wavering a little. Alice might not have thought she cared, but she really did. Despite all her terrible flaws, Theo truly adored and loved her friends. Losing Alice hurt. “Her not believing that I’m pregnant. That’s what has upset me….. I was freaking out, and I needed her.” And whilst she couldn’t blame her for her reaction, she really could have done with a friend in that moment. 

“You don’t need to be in the middle.” Theo murmured, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. “She’s your wife. And I’d hate to be the reason that things become even worse between you too.”

.

Frank raised his brows as she snapped at him. He didn’t intend to turn it into a lecture, but hopefully Theo at least realized how rich that reaction was when she hadn’t shared that awareness and could acknowledge it had been a selfish choice. But as far as he had heard, Alice had already given her plenty of lecture and guilt trip over it. Frank didn’t intend to do the same. “Then I’ll let you sit with it. I don’t need to say anything else about it.”

Instead he focused on the part about Alice. He’d already put himself in the middle just by being here probably, but Frank didn’t like to choose sides in personal matters that didn’t really involve him. Learning both sides was helpful, even if he didn’t want to try and choose a right or wrong at the end.

Regardless of what Alice would think if she knew, he reached out to coax her into a hug. “I’ve known you just as long as her,” he pointed out. Maybe they hadn’t fully been friends the whole time, not with some of the choices Theo had made, but she’d worked to get past that. She was still working now. “She can’t fault me for wanting to congratulate a friend.” 

[franklylongsuffered]

healerrosier​:

Alice knew so Frank knew. Ted had overheard the whole argument so there was no doubt that Andromeda would know. He wouldn’t have minded so much if it weren’t information he would have preferred keeping quiet about until he and Theo were ready to share themselves. It wouldn’t come as a surprise if the entire Order knew by the time the next meeting came about. “We got it confirmed,” Evan sighed, taking a more diplomatic approach toward speaking since the location wasn’t the most ideal for a serious conversation. “So I have a few things to sort out. My father won’t be happy but I don’t think that is news to either of us.”

A low chuckle escaped before Evan nodded to answer Frank’s question. “Incredibly,” He gave another nod. “I swear summer has more cases of accidental magic running amuck than the school year does.” The stories he would be able to tell if it weren’t for disliking speaking about patients and cases once outside of the hospital. “I appreciate hearing that,” He chuckled. It was another thing to add to the list of reasons his father wasn’t going to be happy with him. “I am thoroughly impressed with how they handled things.”

.

Frank barely noticed the weariness slipping into Evan’s voice, focusing instead on the joy of what he had to say. “That’s amazing! Congratulations.” He reached forward across the table to clap his hand onto Evan’s shoulder. He gave it a squeeze of reassurance before settling back on his own side. “Your father be damned, this is good. This is exciting. You should be allowed to celebrate it.” Doing well at work, a cause to fight for, a baby on the way with the woman he loved... Frank envied him, yes, but his joy on Evan’s behalf overrode that. Evan and Theo deserved to be happy, complicated though their happiness could be.

He sat back, offering a sympathetic smile to the story. “Do you think it’s because more kids are attempting to do magic they shouldn’t or just the extra emotions that come from them being home?” Frank didn’t know firsthand, but he knew his mother had always struggled to adapt to him being home again--to the noise, to the disruption to her routine. Families with more kids, with more chaos having issues wasn’t a surprise. As for the handling, he shrugged. “They’re doing their best.”

[wells-hannah]

#me trying to keep my cool

[franklylongsuffered]

theoselwyn​:

Theo knew that Evan would do everything to keep her safe. And that was another thing that was worrying her. She didn’t want to see him get hurt, especially because of her. But Theo also knew that Evan wouldn’t not protect her, and it would be wrong to not give him that chance. As much as she thought he would be safer without her there, she simply knew he wouldn’t accept it. And the thought of hurting him herself by leaving made her sad too. “You have a lot of confidence in us.” She murmured with a smile.

The smile dropped at his next sentence. Could none of them give her even 24 hours to recover from her injuries. “I hope you’re interrogating Severus like this too.” She grumbled, an annoyed look on her face. She knew Severus hadn’t been in the Order as long as she had, but he’d not told them either. It wasn’t just her. Theo sighed, running her fingers through her hair. “It’s hard.” And it was. What she was doing was hard. Even more so now that she was feeling conflicted. Theo had no idea where she stood now. Everything was hanging in the balance. “It’s one thing have a blasted constant reminder of my wrongdoings and the shittiest mistake I made, but for my friends….. or former friends, to see it….. i just couldn’t do it.” She bit her lip, quiet for a moment. “And i know that makes me a shitty person. Don’t worry. Alice was very clear about that last night. She made very sure that I couldn’t forget that fact.” 

Theo was quiet for a few more moments as she thought. She wanted to be helpful, but she had to be careful. She couldn’t risk making them lose any more trust in her. “Yes.” She confirmed with a nod. “He apparently only marks his inner circle…..which I know makes me look even shittier. Don’t worry. I feel it.” She did. “That suggests whoever our spy is….. isn’t in the inner circle. They could be proving there selves. He liked to fuck about and make you prove your worth.” That was not a lie. The more she thought about it, the more she realises that Voldemort’s ways were really fucked up, and she wondered if she had ever been on the right side.

“I regret what I did Frank.” And that was the truth. At the time that she joined she might not have cared about anyone here. But they were her friends now. And she really want to see them get hurt. “Despite how Alice had already clouded your view of me now, I never wanted anyone to get hurt…..” Or at least she didn’t want that anymore.

.

Frank pressed his lips firmly together when Theo mentioned Severus. He wasn’t. That was also because of a matter of trust, but not because Frank trusted Severus. Quite the opposite. They could say whatever they wanted, and Frank wouldn’t be inclined to believe it. That didn’t matter when they had Dumbledore’s personal vouching and seemingly every decision-maker’s faith in their abilities. 

Instead he focused on Theo’s explanation. “We all make mistakes,” he said gently. “That is... Well, there’s no denying the size of the one you made, but coming here? Trying to fix it? I applaud the courage that takes, Theo. I think I understand what you’re saying, but even if having it as a reminder is hard, wouldn’t it be better to share it? To make it something else? A reminder of the switch and what you can do with it?”

Frank turned away from her, more because he didn’t know what to say after all that. There was a lot she’d brought up, and Frank didn’t have the right answers. He couldn’t pretend to. I’m not... I won’t even pretend to know how things are going to go with Alice. She’s hurt. I know you probably think she overreacted, but after everything we’ve gone through and the way she’s vouched for you? You hid that. Her actions weren’t right, but neither were yours.” There isn’t a right or wrong here. I won’t pretend there is. But you’re going to have to convince people you had good reason for hiding the mark. Alice was... Well, I guess she was the start of that. I’m sorry you’re dealing with it, but it’s not an easy situation.” He cleared his throat. “I- I don’t like being in the middle like this. I hope you understand that.”

[franklylongsuffered]

wila-travers​:

Wila didn’t know why she was surprised. Frank had always been rather moral, she was sure that he would hold not being there as some sort of measure of failure for the rest of time. That sounded utterly exhausting, but she supposed that it wasn’t her life, so whatever Frank wanted to do was his choice. Wila wasn’t going to hold it against him, however. “Well, your apology, although not needed is accepted,” she finally settled on. “I’m sure that you will be there for whatever comes next.” 

“I am as well,” she agreed. “And I’m glad to see that you are on the mend.” Wila smiled faintly. “I don’t have much time for sleep, unfortunately. My father has been in Thailand so I’m keeping the company running in his absence. But I don’t have meetings until the afternoon so I can go in a bit later then usual. Perks of being the boss,” Wila mused. “And what about you? Are you expected into the Ministry tomorrow?”

Frank nodded. Clearly he and Wila were coming at this from a different perspective, but he supposed that was as close to a compromise as they were going to get on the subject. 

He grimaced as she brought up meetings. “That’s unfortunate, but at least you can take the morning. I hate to keep you too much longer if that’s the case.” He shrugged. “I have one more day because of the injury leave, but I’ll go back Tuesday. I’m sure the office will be crazy with all of this. I’m hoping that we managed not to get the Order connected to things directly in any of these locations, but somehow I doubt we’ll get that lucky.” It seemed like they never did. Even when things were started by the Death Eaters, they seemed to end up fingered by at least a few people at the Ministry. Now those tended to be people Frank himself was suspicious of, but that was neither here nor there. “I wish you the best on a smooth day tomorrow.”

[franklylongsuffered]

theoselwyn​:

“I hope so….” Frank seemed a lot more confident in her abilities than she was herself. Of course, she knew that they would step up, but that didn’t necessarily mean she was overly confident. She wasn’t exactly a loving person. She could count on one hand the people that she loved. And she had no idea if she was maternal. But she supposed she must have some maternal instincts since she was already feeling protective of the little life growing up inside her. She just hoped that she could do a good job.

“You don’t understand…..Not fully Frank. You’ve never had to go through what I have….or will.” He was a pureblood, and so was his wife. Whilst Theo might not be a muggleborn, she wasn’t of a high enough blood status for the Rosier’s, and she was going to face the consequences of that. “You’re a pureblood… and I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. You just…. don’t face the same things I do.” And they were the very reasons why she was worrying about Evan, and considering leaving. She didn’t want to leave. She loved Evan. But she would rather leave, than watch him get hurt because of her. Of course, she knew that would hurt him too. But saving him from getting hurt by his father was her aim. Theo just sighed, biting on her lip. “I’m…. just scared Frank.” She wasn’t very open to that many people, but she felt like she could trust him. “In their eyes I’m going to be fucking up the Rosier line…. and god knows what they’ll do to protect their name”

.

Frank couldn’t pretend to understand. She was right. He’d never been in that situation. But he did know Evan, had watched him moon over Theo at his side for years in ways that Frank found all too relatable. The two of them seemed like they could conquer anything. This was just one more step in that journey together. “In that case,” he said slowly, “God knows what Evan’ll do to protect you. The two of you can do this. Together.”

He cleared his throat, not wanting to sour the conversation but knowing he needed to. “Speaking of protecting... care to explain?” He gestured toward her arm, even though he couldn’t see anything right now. “I want to believe you had a good reason, Theo, but that... It doesn’t look good. That’s something we should have known years ago. It would have been incredibly helpful. Alice said something about inner circle?” He hated to remind her of her fight with Alice, but in many ways, Frank found it necessary. He wasn’t going to jump to conclusions in the same way she had, but he also wanted Theo to know he wasn’t just going to drop it.

[wickd-archiving-deactivated2025]

“Someone asked me what home was and all I could think of were the stars on the tip of your tongue, the flowers sprouting from your mouth, the roots entwined in the gaps between your fingers, the ocean echoing inside of your ribcage.”

— E.E. Cummings (via sunsetquotes)

[franklylongsuffered]

@adarkershadeofalice

[franklylongsuffered]

theoselwyn​:

“I’m not so sure about that…..” Theo mused with a little shrug. She really was not sure. She hadn’t thought about it long enough to really had a feeling about it. At the moment she was just panicking, and she knew that meant that she was not thinking rationally. Theo knew that Evan would make a great dad though. She’d seen how he protected her, and how he was with his sisters. She had no doubt he would be a great father. “We still could have been better prepared….” She mused with a shrug. Just because they weren’t planning it, didn’t mean they couldn’t have used better contraception. But there was little point worrying about that now.

“You’re too good to me Frank.” And she knew that his wife would really not like him offering up to protect Theo. But she really did appreciate knowing that she had him. Theo knew she could look after herself, but there was going to come a point in a few months where it got more difficult. And knowing that she had Frank there, it meant a lot to her. “I really don’t think your mother’s anger would be enough to stop Evan’s father…..” She murmured, biting on her lip as she thought about him. “I just…. don’t want him to get hurt.” She murmured, clearly looking worried about that. “I’d rather leave altogether than risk him getting hurt.” 

.

Frank waved a hand, pushing away the concern. “I’m sure you could have,” he agreed. No sense lying to her about it. Clearly planning for and being ready for a baby for always could to make someone better prepared than realizing they were having one without the forethought. “That doesn’t change the fact that you’re going to step up and you’re going to do amazing.”

His face clouded over as Theo voiced a desire to leave, and Frank shook his head emphatically. “I understand wanting to protect him, but that’s not your decision to make. If he’s committed to you, you can’t cut him out because you think it would be better. Better for who? You? Him? The baby? I can’t see it being better for anyone but his asshole father, and you can’t be about to let him win.” Perhaps Frank had overstepped slightly. His own dad had died too young for him to have much experience in the matter, but he’d listened to enough stories from Evan over the years to know what kind of man he was.