TW: Mentions of abuse
Annalise perched on the back of a truck, tears streaming down her face. Two detectives surrounded her, one holding a notepad and a pencil. Lights and sirens blared around her as firefighters hosed down the house.
"You're in shock right now. I understand that." A male detective, the one with the paper, said. "Unfortunately, we do need to get as much information from you as possible. Can you tell us where you were before?"
Annalise simply stared ahead, her face expressionless. He pushed for an answer, so she provided one.
"The clinic." She told him, her tone void of emotion. "I had to pick up some work."
"Did anyone else see you there? Someone who can vouch for your whereabouts?"
It seemed the intention of the detectives became clear for Annalise, as she glared at the man.
"You're joking. My house is burning down, and now you want to make me a suspect?" At last, a form of emotion shined in her voice. Anger.
In an attempt to diffuse the situation, the man said, "Now, hold on. No one's saying anything like that."
"Yeah, be a monster, that's fine. But don't be a dumbass as well." Keating snapped.
"To be clear," the female detective intervened, "your neighbors saw your car in the driveway all day."
Annalise glanced between the two.
"You wanna arrest me for burning down my house. Then do it! Cuff me right here!" She shouted, her words cracking with despair.
"Arrest me!" She screamed as nobody moved. "Go on, arrest me!"
~~~~~X~~~~~
Two Months Earlier
Karmen woke up the morning after court feeling more melancholy than usual. Whether it was the usual topic of Frank or the loss of a case, she wasn't sure. But still, she got ready for the day like she always did. As she finished pouring coffee into a mug, her phone rang. She plucked it off the table and read the number. Her brows furrowed as she saw it was an unknown number. She answered the call and held it up to her ear.
"Hello?"
Much like those months ago, she heard shaky breathing from the other end.
"Frank?" She asked hopefully. There was a pause where nothing could be heard, and she wasn't sure if it was him or not. She was ready to hang up when all of the sudden,
"I didn't want to do it."
She held her breath. That was the first time she'd heard his voice in what felt like forever. What killed her was how broken he sounded.
"Do what?"
"Annalise...she..." he trailed off, sounding like he was on the verge of tears.
"Hey, it's okay. I'm here, you can tell me." She said soothingly. She waited patiently as silence took up his end. She sipped her coffee.
"She sent someone to kill me."
She nearly choked. She spit out her drink in shock and began coughing. As soon as she regained her breathing, she seethed,
"I'm sorry, she did what?"
"I had to kill him." He whispered. She knew she should have been more horrified with that sentence, but in all honesty, she was more angry with Annalise than anything.
"It was him or you. It's not your fault."
"It's all my fault."
She shook her head before remembering he can't see her. She rolled her eyes at herself. "No, hey, none of that. We already had this conversation. It's not on you."
"I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Leaving."
She gulped. "I already told you, I'm not mad."
"You were lying. I get it. I feel terrible." She could hear how sincere he was, and she nodded.
"I know, I know. Where are you? I can come to you, and we can figure this all out."
The silence that followed her inquiry scared her.
"Frank?"
She thought that once again, she'd lost him.
"I can't tell you." At last, he spoke.
"Why not?"
"I have to take care of some things."
Karmen ran a hand through her hair. "When you're done with that?"
"Maybe. Goodbye, Karmen."
The line went dead. Karmen sat down, heaving a sigh. She didn't know what to think. Annalise sent somebody to kill Frank. Why? How could she do something like that? She realized that if she didn't leave, she'd be late for class. Karmen left her apartment in a hurry, her mind racing. Frank killed a man, but it wasn't his fault. He had to survive. And what things could he have to take care of? Probably dumping a body. She shuddered.
Possibly the worst thing about it was out of the whole conversation, what she took to heart was that there was a chance she'd see him again.
She must have been more insane than she'd originally thought.
~~~~~X~~~~~
When she reached the classroom, she plastered a tired smile on her face and approached her friends, who congregated by the top of the room. Alyssa noticed her first.
"Hey, Kar."
The other glanced towards her as she responded, "Hey. What are we talking about?"
"Have you seen this?" Laurel asked, showing the blonde her phone. On the screen was an article about the 'killer' posters found on campus. Karmen shook her head.
"No."
Laurel seemed confused by the lack of emotion in her voice. "Am I the only one who cares about this?"
"I think it's good." Wes shrugged. "Journalists might be able to figure out who's putting the fliers up."
"You ever think that Annalise just put them up herself?" A new voice rang out, and she glared at Simon Drake, who had inserted himself in the conversation.
"Did anyone ask you?" She retorted at the same time as Alyssa asked,
"And why would she do that?"
"To get attention, to play the victim." Drake listened as he pretentiously walked off.
Wes scoffed. "That's ridiculous."
Simon glanced back once. "Is it?" She watched with anger in her eyes as he hurried away.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he put up the fliers." Karmen muttered, and before her friends could respond, the person responsible for most of her despisement entered the room.
"Take a seat."
She reluctantly slumped into her chair as Annalise prepared her lecture. As she set up, Karmen thought about how Frank had always done what he could to make Annalise happy. Maybe it was out of guilt, but still. They'd work together for years. Did she hesitate at all when making the decision to try and kill him?
"The court's assigned us a new client. Irene Crowley," the television flickered to life, "convicted of murdering her husband Rodney when she was thirty-one years old. The weapon—a clawhammer." The screen went from Irene to her husband on the ground, blood scattered all around him.
"After she finished, she showered, took the bus to work, punched in on time for shift at the factory. Today, Irene is sixty-three years old. She's served thirty-two in prison and has been denied parole six times. Now, we're gonna fight like hell to get her free. Why?"
A picture of Irene bearing countless bruises flashed on the TV.
"Irene was physically and sexually abused by her husband throughout their ten-year marriage. Now, at the time, the courts did not allow past abuse into evidence, which left without a defense. Each of you will be given one minute to present a parole strategy to Irene."
Karmen's mind whirred with possibilities as Annalise went on.
"Now, there's several arguments that will sway the parole board. One—if released, does Irene pose a danger? Two—you have to prove that she is remorseful for her crime. Now, the parole board..."
Annalise ranted about the parole board, but she zoned out as her mind ping ponged between Frank and the case. She wanted to help Irene, but she knew her mind wasn't in the right focus for a case. If she wanted to be a lawyer, she'd have to be able to handle the stress of her life, but she wasn't ready to do that just yet. After debating her capabilities for an extended period of time, class ended. As she slowly walked out of the room, she thought about marching up to Annalise and confronting her. But she didn't want it to compromise Frank. But then again, she must have already known what happened.
Screw it.
Karmen spun on her heel and stomped down the steps. But right before she could reach the ground level, Alyssa stepped in front of her.
"Hey, are you okay? You look pissed."
Karmen's nose flared as she watched Annalise stroll out of the classroom. She then met Alyssa's eyes and admitted,
"I am pissed. I hate Annalise."
Hubbard's blue eyes widened. "Why?"
"Do I need a reason? Everything she does ticks me off." She knew she didn't want to tell Alyssa. Her friend didn't deserve to get involved in her mess.
"Right." Alyssa stated flatly, not believing her. "Well, please don't do anything stupid. Let's just go."
Karmen glared at the spot where Annalise once was before sighing in defeat. "Fine."
She let Alyssa drag her away from the class and far away from Annalise Keating.
~~~~~X~~~~~
Later on that day, Karmen sat across from Irene Crowley, who bore a deep frown.
"Parole is granted to people that feel remorse for their actions. Now, even if you aren't sorry, which I wouldn't blame you, you have to act like it."
"I'm not a good actress." Irene deadpanned. Karmen leaned forward.
"Everyone can act well if they want something badly enough. You do want out of here, don't you?"
The woman's blank face didn't falter. "You seem to want to be here just as much as I do."
"Oh, I want you to get parole. But the person to get you there won't be me."
"And why's that?"
"Because I won't be able to win it." She said truthfully.
"Aren't lawyers supposed to be confident?" Irene shot back.
Karmen slumped back in her seat. "I'm confident. I know that under better circumstances, I could win your case."
"Great. Are we done?"
Their meeting ended after that, and she drove towards the clinic where the law students were now able to work. Once all of the murder group arrived, they spoke of their performance with Irene. When Karmen was asked how she did, she shrugged.
"I was honest. I'm pretty sure Irene would rather have Drake defend her, and that's saying something."
Asher hummed. "Good. One less person to compete with."
"She doesn't want the case, genius." Michaela snapped. "She knows it's a loser."
Suddenly, the door burst open and in marched Annalise. "We have a winner." Karmen glanced up.
"Irene was very clear on who she connected with. Congratulations, Ms. Athans."
Her eyes doubled in size as she looked at her professor in befuddlement. There was no way Irene chose her. She made it very clear she wouldn't be able to perform as well as usual. She heard Connor quietly snicker, so she crumpled up a paper and chucked it at his head. He flinched back, glaring at her. She merely smirked in return. Then, the realization came crashing down on her. She would be responsible for Irene and if she stayed in prison or not. With that in mind, she abruptly stood up.
"Where are you going?" Alyssa asked.
She held up her phone and said truthfully, "Gotta make a phone call."
She moved past her professor and the others, wandering down the hall. Just to ensure nobody would hear her, she ducked into a janitor's closet. After shutting the door, she dialed a familiar number and raised the phone to her ear. She thought about what she would say. She had always wanted to keep her voicemails positive, but her head flooded with negativity.
"Karmen?"
She nearly jumped in shock. He answered her.
"Frank? You picked up?"
"Yeah...I just wanted to hear your voice again."
She smiled softly. "Cheesy bastard."
She heard a chuckle and joined him, until the stress of the situation crashed down, and her laughter faded away.
"Oh, god..." She muttered, sliding to the floor.
"What's wrong?"
"I'm going insane. I can't do this. How the hell am I supposed to do this?" She questioned, raking a hand across her scalp.
"Do what?"
"There's a woman...Irene. She killed her husband over thirty years ago because he was abusing her, and now we're trying to get her parole. And for some reason, she chose me as her lawyer. I can't be a lawyer, Frank! Not when my mind is all over the place." She ranted, feeling as though she was about to shed frustrated tears.
"I'm sure you'll do fine."
"I doubt that. I can't stop thinking about..." she trailed off, remembering who she was talking to.
"Me. You're freaking out because of me."
She heard the guilt in his voice and flinched.
"No, that's not it. I...I'm angry at Annalise, and I just miss you. My life is so messed up. How am I supposed to help somebody else in an even worse position?"
"You'll be able to do it. You know why?"
"Why?"
"Because you're one of the most intelligent people I've ever met."
She scoffed. "Yeah, right."
"I'm not kidding. Karmen, who was it that realized Max St. Vincent was a hunter and couldn't have killed his wife?"
She blinked in surprise. She'd nearly forgotten about that case. She sighed. "Me."
"What about the case where the kid killed his father because he was abusing his mother? Who memorized all of those journal entries and got the abuse allowed in court?"
Her lips twitched upwards. "I did."
"You know, I remember the St. Vincent case because after Annalise said she liked your ideas, you had such a confident smirk as you walked into the courtroom. Bonnie leaned over to me and told me I picked the wrong girl. And she was right. You're the most amazing woman I've ever been with. You've always been confident in yourself. It's one of your best qualities. So use that confidence and get that woman parole."
By the end of his speech, Karmen was grinning. She knew there was a reason she'd held on to him.
"You're right. I can do this. Thank you, that was very sweet of you. Kind of out of character." She said, finishing with a joke. She was sure he smiled at that.
"I'm changing, Kar. I'm gonna come back a new man."
"I'll hold you to that. If you don't show up at my door with glasses and a sweater vest I'll be disappointed."
There was a pause filled with laughter before Frank said in a serious tone.
"I want to see you soon."
She perked up. "Really?"
"Yeah. I was gonna wait, but I can sneak up there tomorrow, if you're willing to see me."
"Yes, of course." She couldn't help the excitement that made its way into her voice.
"I'll call you, alright?"
"Got it. Thanks again."
"Any time."
The line went dead, and she let out a cheerful holler. She was ready to win the case, and not only that, but she was going to see Frank. Life couldn't get better than that.
~~~~~X~~~~~
The next morning, Karmen stood in front of peers, all of her confidence regained.
"Look, I know some of you think this case is a bust, but it's not. There's a chance we can win this. Now, I also know a lot of you are thinking that you shouldn't have to help, because it's not your case. That's not true. Irene's fate lies on all of us. So, with that being said, I'm splitting us into groups to get more work done." As she turned around to write on the board, she could have sworn she caught an approving glance from Annalise. If only that meant something to her.
"Team one, Michaela and Asher. I'd like you two to find witnesses that will testify to the abuse."
She turned back around to find the two nodding slowly. "Now, our biggest issue will be the dead husband's sister, Amber. She has shown up at every single parole hearing to testify against Irene's release. Wes, you seem sweet, and Alyssa, you are, so we'll use that to our advantage." Alyssa grinned, but rolled her eyes. Karmen went on to give a few more roles, like putting Laurel and Connor to use, along with Drake, begrudgingly. After a minute, she concluded with,
"Our most important angle of this case is Irene's own testimony. She chose me as her first chair, so I'll go down there and speak with her. Are we clear?"
Her eyes threaded the room, watching as all the students agreed with her. Once again, she caught Annalise's eye. The woman smiled. She didn't return the gesture.
"Great. Let's get to work."
Karmen, along with the others, sprung into action. She grabbed her coat, said a few parting words to her friends, then was out the door. As she drove, her phone rang. She quickly accepted the call and put it on speaker.
"Hello?"
"Hey."
She brightened up at the sound of Frank's voice.
"Hey! I didn't think I'd hear from you so soon."
"I'm on my way. I'll be there by dinner time."
She tilted her head to the side. "So, what? Is this a date, or is this a catching-up-to-speed type thing?"
"I'd rather our first date not be after we haven't seen each other for months. Will your place be empty?"
"It will." She noticed how close she was to her destination and said, "Hey, I'm almost at the prison, so I should go."
"Okay. See you."
"See you later." She spoke giddily, not believing the words that came out of her mouth. She was going to see Frank. She still thought she was dreaming.
In the course of ten minutes she had reached the prison and settled into the room where Irene waited. Karmen wanted so badly to ask why she'd been chosen, but instead got straight to business.
"They're gonna ask about your life before the crime first. But after that, it'll mostly be about life with your husband, and the abuse that led up to the events of that night."
Irene crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't remember anything from that night."
"Nothing?" Karmen asked in disbelief.
"Not a lick." She denied.
The blonde could feel herself softening in sympathy. "I know you remember what happened. Look—I get not wanting to talk about it. I read about what he did to you."
"Reading about it is different than being there." Irene snapped. "You want to know what's worse? The feelings I get during those hearings. Those men on the board wanting me on my knees, spill my deepest and darkest, beg, only to tell me no again. I'd rather get hit."
She nodded. "I may never understand what you're going through, but I can understand the mental toll that can take on a person."
"How's that?" Irene questioned spitefully. Karmen sighed deeply.
"All my life, I've been mentally abused by my father. He made me believe I was never good enough. I gave him my all but it was never enough. But that's just his opinion. I know I'm enough. I know that I'm worth more than what he says. You're worth more than whatever those men on the board say, Irene. You're better than their words."
And there it was.
Her heart, exposed and open to a woman she'd met only once before. Irene looked at her—really looked at her, and then, she showed emotion. She showed pain, anger, fear. Karmen couldn't do much more but sit there as Irene exposed her heart, too.
All the world had to offer to these two broken women was each other.
~~~~~X~~~~~
Karmen had returned to the clinic, worked for a considerable amount of time, and then left as the sun dipped past the horizon. She simply said she was going home for the night, but made no notion to go into detail about what she'd be doing. Nobody could know about Frank being back. She soon found herself racing around her apartment, cleaning everything she laid eyes on, and even went as far into changing into a different outfit. She threw on a grey sweater tucked underneath black skinny jeans. She didn't want to look over-the-top, but she wanted to be presentable. As she waited for Frank, she wondered if he had really changed at all. It was possible. But what would be different? She was so wrapped up on her thoughts she almost missed the knock on her door.
Karmen trekked towards the door, doubt crawling through her system. She pushed it away to the best of her ability and swung open the door.
Every single thought drained from her mind as she took him in. He was there. Frank was standing right in front of her. When they locked eyes for the first time in months, nothing else seemed to matter.
"Hey." He managed to say.
She smiled. "Hi."
She didn't know what to do. She wanted to hug him, hell, part of her even wanted to kiss him. But instead of doing either of those things, she stepped aside.
"Come in."
He walked inside, her eyes following him as she went. She noticed a change in him instantly. He had shaved his head and beard. He still looked attractive, but it saddened her.
Poor Asher will be heartbroken.
She then realized he held a bottle in his hand. She read the label, grinning as she realized it was the same wine he'd gotten for her and Alyssa a while back.
"I'll take that." She said, holding out her hand. Frank's lips curled upwards as he handed over the bottle. She set it on the counter and spun back towards Frank. Her eyes widened as she realized he was staring straight at her.
"What?"
He didn't break his gaze. "You look more beautiful than I remember."
A blush crept up the back of her neck and reached her cheeks. "Yeah, right."
The two stopped speaking and instead absorbed each other's presences. After a minute, Frank began walking towards her. She was frozen in place as he came to stand a mere foot away from her. Without warning, he wrapped his arms around her. She let out a shaky breath, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly.
Finally, after months of being lost, she felt at home.
"I'm so sorry." He muttered into her hair. Tears rimmed her eyes, and she nodded against him.
"I know. I forgive you."
Eventually, they pulled away from each other. Frank reached up and brushed away the tears that slipped down her cheeks. She felt at a loss for words. Everything still seemed like a dream that she would wake up from at any instant.
"You probably have some questions." Frank said after a moment.
Karmen shrugged. "A couple. You want a drink?"
"Sure."
She stepped away from Frank, grabbing a glass and setting it on the counter. She then snagged a beer from her fridge. She busied herself with pouring a glass of wine while Frank sat down at the table. Once she finished, she sat across from him, sliding the beer his way. He thanked her, and they each spared a minute to drink before the serious conversation started.
She asked the first question. "So what have you been up to?"
He hesitated, a darkness shadowing in his features. "Uh, about that. I need to tell you something."
At hearing those words, her heart tightened. What else could he have done?
"Right before I left, I took Wes to see Wallace Mahoney and I—"
"I know." She quickly said. He glanced at her in confusion, which morphed into relief as he realized she wasn't angry.
"Right. Other than that, haven't done much. I've moved around and kept my guard up. You?"
"Hanging around at home, or with Alyssa. Sometimes Connor, too."
He threw her a question back. "Why did you start leaving me positive voicemails?"
She drank her wine, formulating a response. "Ah...I realized it would do no good in constantly asking you to come back. And I guess I just wanted to feel normal." She admitted with a shrug.
"Normal?" Frank repeated. She laughed at the expression on his face.
"I know, I know. None of this is normal."
"I'm not complaining. It made my day better after hearing about how Alyssa chucked an empty ice cream tub at Connor's head because he said Liam was the better Hemsworth."
She clapped her hand over her mouth in an attempt to stifle a chortle.
"Oh, that was a good day." She said with a content sigh. Her happiness fizzled away, however, as more questions for Frank popped into her head.
"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?"
Frank's expression turned somber. "I knew you'd convince me to stay."
She thought of all the voicemails she left him, vetoing him to come back.
"I doubt that." She said bitterly.
"Kar..." he reached his hand out, taking hers and squeezing. She refused to meet his eye.
"Look at me." He pleaded, so she did.
"Every time I listened to your voicemails I wanted to come back. But I needed time. If she finds out I'm here..."
"I know." She told him. "I get it. I'm sorry, I shouldn't be petty. I already forgave you."
"You have the right to be petty. I'm surprised you're not more angry."
She shook her head. "I spent so much time at first being angry. But I can't waste the time I have with you being upset when I don't know when I'll see you again."
A pang of remorse flashed over his face. "I'll fix this. I swear. You won't have to live like this much longer." He said, and she analyzed him. He sounded truthful.
"I believe you." She took her free hand, using it to lift her glass to her lips. She finished off her wine and then stood, her hand falling out of Frank's.
"Enough of this serious talk. I want to spend some actual quality time with you."
He sprung up, a new light in his eyes. "Sure. Tell me about your case."
Immediately, her shoulders slumped. As she circled the counter, she retorted,
"I did say good, right?"
Frank walked over to her as she poured another glass of wine. He looped his arm over her waist, and instinctively, she leaned back into him.
"Tell me about it." He requested.
And so, she did. The two moved to the couch as she recited the story of her day. After that, Frank actually helped her organize a plan and what she would say in front of the parole board if need be. He was a great help to her all around. She felt better after venting, and after getting to run her ideas by someone else with an even better experience in law as her.
Hours must have passed, but she wasn't keeping track. They ran out of topics to talk about and chose to watch a horror movie, which they laughed through half of. When the movie ended, Karmen eyed Frank hesitantly. Would he leave?
He tilted his head down, as she was snuggled in his side.
"I should probably get going."
Disappointed, she replied, "Yeah, I know."
As they got up, he drawled, "Or..."
Her brow cocked. "Or?"
"Or I could stay." He suggested smoothly, a smirk on his face. She threw her arms around his neck.
"You should."
Suddenly, a fervor glinted in his stare. His eyes flickered from hers to her lips. She did the same.
"Kar, can I—"
She didn't allow him to finish his sentence, connecting their lips. And like every other time, her breath was knocked out of her.
It was like fire and ice colliding. She was the fire that burned with such fierceness, never seeming to dwindle. He was the cold, unbreakable ice that seemed to thaw just by a single brush of her lips on his.
They stayed like that for minutes, until she reluctantly reeled back, pointing out the time. It was getting late, and she had the parole board to deal with tomorrow. Frank understood, softly suggesting she go to bed while he stayed on the couch.
"I know for a fact you're not staying here to sleep on the couch. When I'm changed, I expect you to be in bed." She sternly told him. With adoration clear in his eyes, he agreed. Karmen retreated to the bathroom with a change of clothes, and when she emerged, Frank had made himself comfortable under her sheets. She smiled, joining him. They were like magnets, instantly gravitating towards one another. He wrapped his arm around her while he dropped her head on his chest.
"Are you going to be gone before I wake up?" She asked with hesitation.
"Is anyone coming over in the morning?"
She responded, "No."
"Then no."
He planted a light kiss on the top of her head, and while listening to his heartbeat, Karmen easily dozed off that night.