The Deep End (Frank Adler/Gifted Fanfiction)

"Favourite"

Frank figured that his kindness was causing more harm to her than good, so he smiled politely and nodded his head and tried to leave the awkward situation. The two bottles of wine he had in his hand would have to do.

"Look, about before." Bonnie stopped him before he could get away. "It's not really my style to go around... I dunno, throwing myself at people." She nervously laughed. Referring to her kissing him out of the blue in front of Jessie's house the day that Ed had passed away.

Bonnie was getting flustered and covered her eyes in embarrassment and Frank remembered all of the reasons that he had found her charming and cute before. He gave her an understanding smile and silently hoped that they could all be friends and put the past in the past.

"I know." Frank tried to reassure her in a casual way and let her off the hook. "Emotions were running high, it was a crazy day. You had no idea that I was seeing someone."

"Joey, though?" Bonnie squeaked with a scrunched up face. She was trying to sound objective, but Frank was uncomfortable talking about his current girlfriend with his ex. "Are you sure you know what you're getting into? I'm worried that maybe you haven't thought this through. I was hoping that we could maybe talk...you know, as friends?"

"You never really struck me as a the Ferg's type." Frank sighed and shook his head. He had a bad feeling about Bonnie's new found concern. "You haven't been going there in hopes of running into me, have you?" Frank chuckled and hoped that his exasperation wouldn't be confused as flirting.

"Wow. Wow, you're really...you're really full of yourself. Were you always like this?" she huffed. "I'll have you know...you're not God's gift to women...I'm sorta seeing someone myself." Bonnie was caught. She had obviously been going to Ferg's to try and see him and was trying to save face. Frank gave her another patient understanding smile until she calmed down. "Maybe." Bonnie confessed with a sweet smile. "But not in like a weird stalker kinda way. I just heard about what happened on the pier with Robert Middleton and I heard you got really hurt. He's a big guy. I just thought that maybe you could use a friend, and I wanted to see if you were okay."

"News travels fast in this town, huh?" Getting his ass kicked was embarrassing enough without rehashing it with his ex in the middle of a liquor store.

"I've been worried about you, okay. Mostly, I'm worried about Mary. I saw what you went through to keep her, I'd hate to see you get dragged into that mess again because of some girl you just met."

"That's not going to happen and it's not like Joey is a stranger." Frank insisted, but realized how naive that sounded since he hadn't really know Joey that long.

Frank didn't like where this was going and a part of him questioned why he had humored Bonnie for this long. He had to pick Mary up from school and get home to get ready for dinner, but Bonnie didn't look very convinced and he had always trusted her opinion in the past. He was torn and wasn't sure what he should do.

"I hate to be the one to tell you this, Frank, but a girl like Joey...she's not going to help you if you get dragged into family court again."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Frank snapped. "Her dad? Is that what you're talking about?"

"Yes. He's bad news."

"I know all about him and that has nothing to do with her. If we were all judged on our parents I wouldn't fair very well, myself."

"You're right." Bonnie nodded and fidgeted with her fingers. "I just know that Dr. Golding thought that Mary might have violent tendencies based on what she was exposed to when she was with you."

"I'm happy, Bonnie." Frank softened towards her and felt bad for raising his voice. "Mary is happy, too. You know as well I as I do that Mary isn't violent and for what it's worth neither is Joey." It bothered Frank to his core that Bonnie was trying to use the court case against Joey in a twisted way but he tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. "I'm sorry that we didn't work out." Bonnie rolled her eyes but Frank kept talking. "You were great and I was a dick. But I was in a bad place and you were right. Back then I would have made a shitty boyfriend, but I'm hoping to change that."