The next morning, Dani had taken Frankie along with her to the bakery to give their parents some much-needed rest. Even if the woman had refused to show it, Dani could tell the recent events had stressed her mother out to the max, so she had decided to take matters into her own hands.
"Are those pancakes good, Frankiebear?" Greta asked the boy with a smile as both she and Dani watched him devour the chocolate chip pancakes Mr.B had fixed up for him.
"Mhm!!" Frankie said as he looked up at them with a mouth covered in chocolate and nodded.
Dani snorted and picked up a napkin to wipe her brother's mouth as she said, "Bud, how do you always manage to get more chocolate around your mouth than inside?"
"Because I like chocolate," Frankie simply answered with a shrug and stuffed another piece of pancake into his mouth.
Dani raised an eyebrow as Greta laughed.
"Yeah, 'cause that answered my question," she mumbled with a smile while shaking her head.
"You mind telling me how in the world you managed to drive not only yourself but your brother as well to the bakery?" Greta asked while wiping down the counter.
"Easy. My left foot is the one that's injured...all I had to do was position it so that it wasn't in the way," Dani told her with a smirk. "We all know I'm practically the best driver in all of StoryBrooke."
She then huffed as she was sent a raised eyebrow in response and said, "Okay fine, we took a cab! Happy now?"
"Mhm, that's what I thought," Greta said with a laugh.
Dani rolled her eyes playfully.
"Ellie?" Frankie questioned, which caused the girl to turn to him. "Can we go to the park?"
A small pout formed on Dani's lips as she said, "But I can't slide down the slide, bud. That wouldn't be fair."
Greta snorted.
"But you can watch me slide down the slide!" Frankie said with a wide smile.
Dani's eyes narrowed as she tilted her head and asked, "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"Oh wow. He's like a mini-Mikey!" Greta exclaimed with a laugh. "You remember in 4th grade when you sprained your wrist and couldn't get on the monkey bars?"
Dani rolled her eyes again with a nod. "Yeah, and Mikey told me since I couldn't climb them myself, I could just watch him climb them and imagine the fun...he was so stupid," she said and shook her head.
Greta burst into laughter just as the bell above the door rang from behind them. They turned their heads towards the sound and groaned at who walked into the bakery.
"Hello, girls...Little dude," Goldi said with a smirk as she walked up to the counter.
She then pouted at Dani and said, "Aww, Dani, I heard about your little accident. I do hope you get better soon."
Dani sent the girl a nasty look as her pout turned into a smirk.
"What do you want, Goldi?" Greta asked through gritted teeth.
A pat on Dani's shoulder caused her to turn her head to see her brother looking up at her with puppy dog eyes.
Dani raised a playful eyebrow at him as she asked, "Yes?"
"Can I have more pancakes, sissy?... Pretty please," he asked.
"Oh no, no, no," she said while shaking her head. "You are not getting me. Sorry bud, but the answer is no. You've already eaten three!"
Frankie's pout deepened as he said, "But they're so yummy!! Please sissy!! I won't tell Momma!!"
"Aww, sissy. Why don't you just give him one more," Goldi said from the other side of her.
Dani's jaw was clenched as she turned back around to face the other blonde and said, "And why don't you mind your own business?"
Goldi narrowed her eyes and shifted on her feet. "You better watch how you talk to me, Richards."
Dani scoffed and folded her arms with a tilt of her head and said, "Or what, Locks? Just because I have a boot on my foot doesn't mean I still can't kick your-"
"Ellie!!"
"Butt! I was going to say butt!" Dani said as she turned to her brother.
Frankie narrowed his eyes, which caused her to sigh.
"You are just like your momma, you know that?" she asked him.
"Oh, this is just perfect," Goldi said with a laugh.
Dani rolled her eyes.
"You just let everyone walk all over you, don't you, Richards?"
Dani's head tilted again as she said, "No, I don't...but if you want, I can walk over you, Goldi."
"You wouldn't dare," Goldi spat while leaning towards her.
Leaning in herself, Dani narrowed her eyes and said, "Try me."
"Okay, Goldi! Here is your cinnamon latte and muffin!" Mr.B announced as he walked towards the girls with the items in hand.
Goldi and Dani continued to glare at each other before Dani smirked as Goldi huffed and grabbed her items.
"This isn't over, Richards," Goldi said as she gave the girl one last glare before turning around.
Dani smirked as she watched her walk away. "Anytime, Anyplace, Locks. I'm always ready to beat some-"
"Ellie!"
"What?! I was going to say butt!!" Dani said as she turned to her brother, who shook his head.
"That's right, Frankie. Catch your sister when she's being a potty mouth," Greta said with a nod.
Frankie giggled as he gave her a high five when she raised her hand.
Dani scoffed and looked at her best friend as she said, "Oh, please! Your mouth is far worse than mine."
"Is not," Greta said with a hand held up to her chest in mock offense.
"Yes, it is," Mr.B said as he walked back out with an eyebrow raised to take Frankie's plate.
Frankie giggled again as Greta's features dropped in shock before he covered his mouth as she gave him a playful look.
"You, my little Liebeskӓfer," she walked over to pick him up in her arms, "Are supposed to be on my side!"
Dani snorted as Frankie's eyes widened, and he said, "I am on your side, Greta!!"
"No, you're not if you were laughing at me," she countered back with a pout.
Dani hid her laughter as Frankie genuinely looked flustered.
"But...but I didn't mean it!" he said with a shake of his head. "I wasn't serious!"
"You promise?" Greta asked with a tilt of her head.
Frankie quickly nodded and said, "Uh-huh! Ellie has a potty mouth...not you!!"
Dani gasped as Greta burst into laughter. "I knew you were my favorite for a reason!" she told him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Wha-Hey!" Dani exclaimed.
They turned their heads to her as Greta smirked at the expression on her face.
"One? I most certainly do not have the worst potty mouth, and Two...You met me first!!" she said with a pout.
Greta snorted as Frankie giggled, and she said, "Geez, D, are you sure you're the older one between you two?"
Dani rolled her eyes and frowned as she turned to see Mr.B shaking his head with a smile. "You too, Mr.B?! You're supposed to be my godfather!"
"And that I always will be," the male pig said and kissed her head. "But I can't deny that I'm not seeing much of a difference between you and your brother right now."
Dani gasped as her godfather chuckled while walking back into the kitchen. "Traitors!! All of you!" she said with a laugh.
Greta and Frankie continued to laugh as they high-fived each other.
And Dani had finally started to see why he liked her so much.
✧
After being asked a dozen more times by Frankie if they could go to the park, Dani had finally decided to cave in to her brother's begging and take him. So, after going back home to retrieve her car -because she really could drive- and informing their parents on where they were going, they had finally found themselves at the playground.
Dani watched with a smile as Frankie played on the jungle gym with some of Ms.Daisy's children, who had just so happened to be there.
That woman sure does have a lot of kids, she thought to herself as she remembered plenty of times where she would play with some of the woman's older children as a child.
Dani's eyebrows then furrowed as she suddenly felt another presence come and sit beside her, and she looked over to see Officer Swan, which caused her to scowl slightly. Officer Swan, or Alice, was Goldi's older cousin. Remember the old saying the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree? Well, their apples must've been mighty close.
"Alice?" Dani questioned. "Alice Swan?"
Alice smiled as she turned her head to Dani and said, "Hey, Dani. Long time no see."
"Yeah," the girl said with a nod. "It has been a while...Did you leave or something? I swear I haven't seen you in ages."
Alice shrugged. "Just been pretty busy lately," she said. "Don't act like you've been looking for me. We've never been friends."
Dani rolled her eyes. "Just making an observation," she mumbled.
"Yeah," Alice said with a snort. "You've always been a bit on the nosey side...and now I am. The hell happened to you? You fall down another flight of stairs?"
Dani scoffed and said, "Don't act like you don't work for the same police force who's been denying my claims on who attacked me. You guys are worse than my mother and her best friend. I know you know what happened to me."
Alice sighed. "So you're still claiming it was him, huh? Maybe you are losing it."
"Excuse me?!" Dani exclaimed. "And who the hell are you to talk, Crazy Alice?!"
It was like a switch. Something inside of Alice had ticked at her words as Dani could see her body stiffen before she clenched her jaw and breathed out slowly.
"You really know how to tick some people off, huh?" she asked. "Explains how you keep getting your ass kicked by the Big Bad Wolf."
"You fucking bitch!" Dani exclaimed. "Fuck you! You're lucky I have this boot on my foot!"
"And you're lucky I'm on duty right now," Alice said with narrowed eyes. "So I'd watch my tone if I were you. Wouldn't want to get a smudge on your perfect reputation, would you?"
Dani's eyes narrowed as Alice then tilted her head and said, "Oh wait. That wouldn't really matter, would it? You know, cause your little boyfriend could get it cleaned off for you like his uncle did for him?"
"You know what, Alice-"
"Dani!!"
Dani paused and turned her head to see Jill Nichols as she walked towards them with her gaze set on her.
"Jill?" she questioned with furrowed brows.
"Hey, girl! I know you're on the outs with my brother, but does that really mean you have to put me in the doghouse too?" Jill questioned with a playful pout.
"What?" Dani said with a laugh. "Of course not! What's up? I haven't seen you in forever!"
Jill laughed as Dani stood up to hug her, completely forgetting the conversation she was having prior.
"Ugh, I know! But in my defense, I am a mother! To two now instead of one!" she said. "But look at you! How are you?! How are you feeling?!"
As Dani was about to answer the question, Jill looked over her shoulder and sighed in relief.
"Thank God she's gone," she muttered. "I could see you two arguing from across the park and knew there was a fight brewing. Girl's always been a bitch. Just like her raggedy-ass little cousin. You alright, sis?"
Dani's eyebrows furrowed as she looked behind them and laughed a little as it finally occurred to her what had been going on before Jill appeared.
"Oh yeah," she said. "Yeah, I'm good. I'm the one who started it anyway. I shouldn't have-"
"Nelli, don't you start," Jill cut her off. "That girl is just like her cousin. No matter what you may have said to piss her off, she still would've tried to pick a fight cause that's who she is."
Dani sighed before smiling a small smile as she said, "I've missed you. Where have you been?! This town is only so big, but I haven't seen you since last month when my mom cooked up that dinner for you, me, and..."
A small pang formed in Dani's heart as she realized what she was about to say.
Jill's features saddened as she rubbed the girl's arms with a nod and said, "Yeah, I know...Why don't we have a shopping trip soon? Just me and you. You know, like the old days."
A small smile formed on Dani's lips again at Jill's words as she thought about it and nodded. "Yeah...Okay. We can do that. I get my cast off in a few days, so why don't we plan it sometime after that?"
"Deal," Jill said with a smile. "I could use some girl time anyway. Do you have any idea how stressful it is living in a house full of males?! Girl, it's a nightmare!!"
Dani snorted as Jill shook her head before they were interrupted by a certain someone tugging on Dani's leg, and Jill smiled as they looked down to face him.
"Is that my little Frankie?!" she asked.
"Hi, Jill!!" Frankie said as she picked him up to hug him.
"Hey, baby boy! How are you?" Jill asked after kissing his cheek.
"I'm good! I saw Alex on the jungle gym! Then we played on the tire swing!" Frankie said as Jill put him back down.
Dani snorted as Jill laughed at his words. Alex was Jill's fiance's son, who was just a few weeks older than Frankie. The two had hit it off from the moment they'd met, and it had always made Dani happy to see them having so much fun together.
"Oh boy, he's on the tire swing?" Jill asked. "I know he's going to be tough to take home now. I'll see you later, girl. Okay? Love you. And tell your momma I said Hi!"
Dani smiled as Jill hugged her, and she said, "Of course! See you later, boo. And tell my baby his Godmommy says hi!"
Jill laughed and said, "Alright," as they pulled away.
Dani laughed as Frankie tugged on her shirt again, which caused her to look down and ask, "Yes, Monkey?"
"Can we go home now?" Frankie asked. "I miss Momma and Daddy."
"Aww, you do?" Dani asked him. "I'm sure they're missing you just as much. We can go home if you're ready."
Frankie smiled as he grabbed his sister's hand, and they began the walk to her car since Jill had walked off after saying goodbye.
"Did you see me on the tire swings, Ellie?! Kevin Bradberry pushed me really fast, and I didn't even fall off!!" Frankie said as they walked across the parking lot.
A small smile grew on Dani's features at the excitement in her brother's voice as she said, "You did? That's awesome, bud! You're going to have to teach me how to do that."
Frankie giggled as Dani helped him into his seat once they'd made it to her car. "But you're way bigger than me, Ellie!! I can't push you on the swing!" he said, and Dani let out a fake gasp.
"Are you saying I'm heavy, bud?! Am I a giant to you?!" she asked in faux offense with a hand placed over her heart.
"No!" Frankie said as he continued to laugh.
"No!" Dani mocked and placed multiple kisses on his face before laughing as he let out a squeal.
"Come on, let's go home. We can make hot chocolate and watch The Polar Express!" she then said with a smile.
Frankie's features immediately lit up in excitement as he nodded and said, "Yeah, yeah, yeah!! Let's do that, sissy!! I wanna do that!!"
Dani laughed as she shut the door and turned around before gasping at the sight of Officer Swan standing across the street, staring at her. Getting caught entirely off-guard by the officer's sudden appearance, Dani's eyebrows furrowed as she kept her gaze across the street while scrambling to find the door handle before she quickly opened the door to the driver's side and got in.
"Ellie? Are you okay?" Frankie asked, which caused Dani to look into the rearview mirror to see him already staring back at her with a pout.
"Huh? What do you mean, bud? Why wouldn't I be okay?" she asked him with furrowed brows.
"You look scared, Ellie," Frankie said. "Is something scary outside? Is it gonna chase us?!"
"What? Hey, hey, no, look at me," Dani said and turned around in her seat to grab her brother's hand.
Frankie sniffed as he looked up at his sister with tearful eyes.
"It's okay, Monkey. There's nothing out there, okay? Nothing's going to chase us home," she reassured him.
Frankie sniffed again. "You promise?"
With a saddened smile, Dani nodded and said, "I promise. We're completely safe."
Frankie looked around the parking lot before turning back to face his sister and grabbed her hand to squeeze it as he sniffed once again and said, "Okay."
"Okay," she repeated with a small smile and turned back around.
Dani's eyes then narrowed as her gaze automatically locked on the officer still watching them from across the street, and no longer did she hold any regrets from calling her exactly what she was.
"Crazy bitch," she muttered while turning up the radio before driving off towards home.