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intheheartTitle: Secrets
Rating: PG-13 for swearing.
Summary: Amelia's perfect life is not as perfect as she thought.
Date: 2018
AU: Secrets
Notes: none.
The boys had the day off from school, which started the whole mess.
They'd been driving Amelia wild all day. It was Frank's birthday, so she wanted the house to be neat and clean when he got home. Just a little thing, a little present for him to go with the packages already wrapped in shining paper and the bows of ribbon perfectly tied and folded. Somehow, in between her children wrecking her carefully cleaned and organized home, she'd managed to bake a cake, fix dinner, and get everything set up to her satisfaction.
The boys had been forbidden the dining room until after dinner. Hopefully they'd listen.
Well. Now they were playing noisily in their room, and Amelia was enjoying a moment of peace. She'd had a shower-- she'd wanted a bath, but she was not getting one-- and dressed carefully, her burgandy lingerie set (Frank's favorite) beneath a curve-skimming black dress. The boys were already packed to go over to the babysitter's for the night, after dinner and presents. They weren't neat but they were clean, and she was as prepared as she was going to be.
She took a deep breath, and smiled at herself in the mirror, at her perfect makeup and the diamonds winking in her earlobes. Tonight would be fine. She'd planned for everything. It would be perfect.
Then the doorbell rang.
Amelia jumped, hissed a curse, then bit it back and sighed. Well, no help for it. She went out on the landing, told the boys to go back to playing, and descended the stairs.
The doorbell rang again when she was halfway down. She glanced at the clock, then quickened her steps. It was about time for Frank to get home. Maybe he'd forgotten his keys? Even if it wasn't him, she'd better get to whoever it was and get rid of them fast. Frank didn't like visitors around when he'd just got home from work.
She opened the door, a practiced smile on her face, and stepped back quickly in shock.
The woman on the other side had a shock of blonde hair cut short to her scalp, two piercings in each ear, and some kind of bruise just barely visible above the collar of her beat-up leather jacket. She had her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her jeans and looked distinctly uncomfortable, as well as out of place. A... a biker girl in a nice neighborhood like this?
Amelia, who had never seen anything like her in her life, clung to the door and asked, faintly, "Can I help you?"
"Maybe," the woman said, and took a breath. "I guess I hope so. I'm looking for Frank Sierbenski?"
Oh no. Oh, no. What could a woman like this possibly want with Frank? "He's not home," Amelia said. "He won't be home for hours."
The woman frowned. "Really? He used to work nine to five. Like, really strictly."
Amelia's hand tightened on the doorframe. "He works all the time now," she said, firmly, her voice a touch stiffer than she had meant. "He won't be home until very late. It was lovely of you to call but I'm afraid you have to go now."
Something shuttered in the woman's eyes then. "I'd love to," she said. "But I can't. I have to talk to him. I'll wait."
Not in my house, you won't! Amelia swallowed the words. "I'm afraid today is not a good day to bother him," she temporized. "Perhaps if you came back tomorrow..."
"I can't come back tomorrow," the woman said. "Or I guess I could, but this is kind of time-sensitive. It can't wait."
No! Amelia bit her lip. Frank would be home any minute, and if she couldn't get rid of this woman... she could see the perfect evening she'd had planned slipping away. "Well, if you'd care to give me your name and contact information, I'll be sure to give it to him when he gets home."
She wouldn't, of course. She'd lose it, or give it to Frank tomorrow morning if it seemed important enough, but tonight she intended to go as planned.
"I'm Danny Sierbenski," the woman said. "Um, Daniella, I guess. I'm his daughter. My brother could use a kidney, I'm not a match, neither is our mom, you get it." She shrugged, uncomfortably. "I know this is a really long shot but I figured... you never know."
The door was the only thing holding Amelia up now. She stared at the woman, and said, faintly, "But Frank doesn't have a daughter."
Daniella's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, yes, he does," she said. "Not that he gives a flying fuck about me or Michael. Left a few things out of the first date bio, did he?"
Amelia shook her head. This woman had to be lying. She had to be. Frank would have told her about any other children he had. He was so devoted to Jason and Brian. He would have told her about any others. "I think you have the wrong Frank Sierbenski," she said, and straightened. Of course. That was it. Mistaken identity. "My husband has our two sons, but no other children."
"I don't have the wrong Frank," Daniella said. "This is where my mother's legal correspondance came from. And you said you were married to him, so..."
"Nevertheless," Amelia insisted. Frank would not have lied to her about this. "I'm sorry. You have the wrong house." She started to close the door.
"Listen." Daniella stuck her foot, unfortunately clad in an extremely sturdy steel-toed boot, in the door. "I'm sorry my asshole excuse for a father lied to you, lady, okay? I really am. You are not alone in being fucked over by him. But my brother is sick, and he needs a damn kidney. You tell that son of a bitch that he needs to get tested, and if he's a match, he needs to fly his ass up to Seattle and give Michael a kidney." Her mouth twisted, and she added, "Not that I think he'll do any such thing, but at least I fucking tried." She pulled her foot out of the door, whirled, and stomped away down the path.
Amelia closed the door, locked it, and leaned against it, trying not to cry.
Frank didn't lie to her, she told herself. Frank could not have done that. He wouldn't have.
She didn't even believe herself.
Rating: PG-13 for swearing.
Summary: Amelia's perfect life is not as perfect as she thought.
Date: 2018
AU: Secrets
Notes: none.
The boys had the day off from school, which started the whole mess.
They'd been driving Amelia wild all day. It was Frank's birthday, so she wanted the house to be neat and clean when he got home. Just a little thing, a little present for him to go with the packages already wrapped in shining paper and the bows of ribbon perfectly tied and folded. Somehow, in between her children wrecking her carefully cleaned and organized home, she'd managed to bake a cake, fix dinner, and get everything set up to her satisfaction.
The boys had been forbidden the dining room until after dinner. Hopefully they'd listen.
Well. Now they were playing noisily in their room, and Amelia was enjoying a moment of peace. She'd had a shower-- she'd wanted a bath, but she was not getting one-- and dressed carefully, her burgandy lingerie set (Frank's favorite) beneath a curve-skimming black dress. The boys were already packed to go over to the babysitter's for the night, after dinner and presents. They weren't neat but they were clean, and she was as prepared as she was going to be.
She took a deep breath, and smiled at herself in the mirror, at her perfect makeup and the diamonds winking in her earlobes. Tonight would be fine. She'd planned for everything. It would be perfect.
Then the doorbell rang.
Amelia jumped, hissed a curse, then bit it back and sighed. Well, no help for it. She went out on the landing, told the boys to go back to playing, and descended the stairs.
The doorbell rang again when she was halfway down. She glanced at the clock, then quickened her steps. It was about time for Frank to get home. Maybe he'd forgotten his keys? Even if it wasn't him, she'd better get to whoever it was and get rid of them fast. Frank didn't like visitors around when he'd just got home from work.
She opened the door, a practiced smile on her face, and stepped back quickly in shock.
The woman on the other side had a shock of blonde hair cut short to her scalp, two piercings in each ear, and some kind of bruise just barely visible above the collar of her beat-up leather jacket. She had her hands shoved deep into the pockets of her jeans and looked distinctly uncomfortable, as well as out of place. A... a biker girl in a nice neighborhood like this?
Amelia, who had never seen anything like her in her life, clung to the door and asked, faintly, "Can I help you?"
"Maybe," the woman said, and took a breath. "I guess I hope so. I'm looking for Frank Sierbenski?"
Oh no. Oh, no. What could a woman like this possibly want with Frank? "He's not home," Amelia said. "He won't be home for hours."
The woman frowned. "Really? He used to work nine to five. Like, really strictly."
Amelia's hand tightened on the doorframe. "He works all the time now," she said, firmly, her voice a touch stiffer than she had meant. "He won't be home until very late. It was lovely of you to call but I'm afraid you have to go now."
Something shuttered in the woman's eyes then. "I'd love to," she said. "But I can't. I have to talk to him. I'll wait."
Not in my house, you won't! Amelia swallowed the words. "I'm afraid today is not a good day to bother him," she temporized. "Perhaps if you came back tomorrow..."
"I can't come back tomorrow," the woman said. "Or I guess I could, but this is kind of time-sensitive. It can't wait."
No! Amelia bit her lip. Frank would be home any minute, and if she couldn't get rid of this woman... she could see the perfect evening she'd had planned slipping away. "Well, if you'd care to give me your name and contact information, I'll be sure to give it to him when he gets home."
She wouldn't, of course. She'd lose it, or give it to Frank tomorrow morning if it seemed important enough, but tonight she intended to go as planned.
"I'm Danny Sierbenski," the woman said. "Um, Daniella, I guess. I'm his daughter. My brother could use a kidney, I'm not a match, neither is our mom, you get it." She shrugged, uncomfortably. "I know this is a really long shot but I figured... you never know."
The door was the only thing holding Amelia up now. She stared at the woman, and said, faintly, "But Frank doesn't have a daughter."
Daniella's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, yes, he does," she said. "Not that he gives a flying fuck about me or Michael. Left a few things out of the first date bio, did he?"
Amelia shook her head. This woman had to be lying. She had to be. Frank would have told her about any other children he had. He was so devoted to Jason and Brian. He would have told her about any others. "I think you have the wrong Frank Sierbenski," she said, and straightened. Of course. That was it. Mistaken identity. "My husband has our two sons, but no other children."
"I don't have the wrong Frank," Daniella said. "This is where my mother's legal correspondance came from. And you said you were married to him, so..."
"Nevertheless," Amelia insisted. Frank would not have lied to her about this. "I'm sorry. You have the wrong house." She started to close the door.
"Listen." Daniella stuck her foot, unfortunately clad in an extremely sturdy steel-toed boot, in the door. "I'm sorry my asshole excuse for a father lied to you, lady, okay? I really am. You are not alone in being fucked over by him. But my brother is sick, and he needs a damn kidney. You tell that son of a bitch that he needs to get tested, and if he's a match, he needs to fly his ass up to Seattle and give Michael a kidney." Her mouth twisted, and she added, "Not that I think he'll do any such thing, but at least I fucking tried." She pulled her foot out of the door, whirled, and stomped away down the path.
Amelia closed the door, locked it, and leaned against it, trying not to cry.
Frank didn't lie to her, she told herself. Frank could not have done that. He wouldn't have.
She didn't even believe herself.
