I groaned as the taxi pulled up. Mikey hadn't given us a name, just an address, and it was the same restaurant I'd unsuccessfully brought Frank to on his birthday. Frank squeezed my hand. “I'm sure it won't be so bad, Gee.”

I walked him inside, quickly spotting Mikey and my former lawyer, hurrying over. Frank stuck close to me, clinging to my hand tightly. I sat down in front of Mikey and helped Frank as he took the chair beside me. I gave a tiny, nervous wave I instantly regretted.
Mikey was my brother, but we had ultimately grown up apart, and he was very serious, almost to a point of frightening me. There was something stiff and official about him. But I wasn't surprised to see it all melt away when he met the eyes of his fiancé.
“It's great to see you again, Gerard,” Pete said brightly, to break the ice. “I'm so glad everything went well for you. Mikey tells me you were able to be there for the birth of your son.”
Mikey coughed and Pete went bright red. “Shit! Sorry...oh balls.”
He got up quickly and scurried away towards the toilets. Mikey rolled his eyes.
“Excuse me a second. He gets nervous and says things he doesn't mean to say and then has a bit of a uh...well. He gets distressed.”
I nodded numbly and watched my brother walk off calmly. Frank leaned his head on my shoulder and I saw the blank expression on his face. “Oh...sweetie,” I murmured, tilting his chin up and kissing him softly. “It's okay. Shh..”
I pulled him into a proper hug and kissed his cheek. “I'm gonna get us some drinks, I'll be right back.”
I jogged off, coming back with two of Frank’s favorite cocktails. I set one down in front of him, the other in front of my place, and sat down. He was drinking it before my bum hit the chair. I smiled sadly and rubbed his leg under the table. He was still shaky about the mention of Ryan. I had managed to recover enough to be able to comfort him when the need arose and keep my cool, but it did still hurt. I wrapped my arm around Frank’s waist as he drained the drink easily, then snatched mine away. I kissed the side of his head, moving the empty glass to my place.
“Feel better for that?” I mumbled as the second empty glass was placed on the table. Frank nodded slightly and closed his eyes.
I nudged him gently when I saw Mikey walking back, tailed by a still subdued-looking Pete. They sat down wordlessly and I opened the menu. “I brought Frank here for his birthday,” I hummed, after the silence had gone on a little too long. “We left early.”
Mikey looked up, glad for the conversation opener. “Why was that?”
I sighed and leaned back in my chair. Frank was hanging his head, picking at a thread on his jeans. “He was pregnant with Luna at the time and a few people were very rude to him about it. Not staff, customers. He was very upset.”
Pete sighed. “People can be so horrible about things they don't understand.”
I leaned over and kissed Frank’s cheek, taking one of his hands carefully.
Mikey narrowed his eyes slightly, for just a second. “What are you going to have, Frank?”
My husband seemed to shake himself, looking up and managing an almost convincing smile. “Probably just the salad.”
Mikey nodded. “It's usually good, but Pete and I tend to like steaks.”
I rubbed Frank’s back slowly, studying his face. He noticed and smiled, this time a real smile, his eyes softening as he looked at me. My heart stopped for a brief moment. He looked at me the way Pete looked at Mikey and the way he looked at Luna.
I kissed him, restraining myself enough to keep it to a short peck. I wanted to pin him to the floor and kiss him all over and tell him how much he meant to me, but I touched his cheek lightly instead. He smiled a little wider. He'd gotten the message.

The waiter came over and I smiled at him. Mikey and Pete both ordered steaks. I ordered the fish and Frank asked for the salad. The waiter nodded and tapped the table in front of Frank. “I've checked with the manager, and your meal will be free, sir, as you had such an unfortunate experience before.”
Frank's eyes widened and he thanked the man softly. I leaned around him and smiled brightly. “You're the best, thank you so much.”
The waiter nodded again and walked off.
Mikey smiled. “Well, that's nice, at least.”
Frank buried his face in my neck, wholly embarrassed. I ran my fingers through his hair slowly, a little worried. I'd never seen him act this shy before.
“So what exactly do you do, Mikey? For a job?” I asked, rubbing the inside of Frank’s thigh.
“I'm an FBI agent,” Mikey answered shortly. Pete grinned and winked at me. “He fucks shit up.”
Mikey chuckled and gently smacked the back of his fiancé's head. “I've told you not to say that a hundred times, Pete Wentz! I unfuck shit up.”
They both giggled and I smiled vaguely, feeling like a third wheel, even with Frank pressing his side to mine.
“I have to run to the restroom, I'll be right back,” I mumbled, kissing Frank's cheek as I hurried off.
I slipped into one of the cubicles and called Angelo, humming to myself until he picked up.
“Hey, Gee. Everything okay?”
I sighed. “Mikey’s fiancé made a huge blunder and was talking about Ryan, and we're at that restaurant I took Frankie to for his birthday. He's really upset and uncomfortable and I think I need to take him home. Can you call in a few minutes saying Luna’s got a runny nose or something?”
Angelo paused and let out a breath. “You're running away from dinner with your brother, Gerard.”
I closed my eyes for a few seconds. “I know. But Frank really is upset and this isn't my world. Half of the menu is in French and a lot of the stuff is deconstructed. It's like masterchef food!”
He chuckled and I heard Luna cry in the background. “Crap. She's always hungry, this one, huh?” I could hear him walking down the hall. “Very cute, though. I'll call, Gee, but you'll owe me for the next terrible date I go on. Invite Mikey round to yours again or to a restaurant you're more comfortable with. You need to spend time with him, and I have to feed Luna. I'll call in ten.”

---

We went home via Angelo’s house, picking up Luna and strapping her into her car seat.
Frank looked at me as I drove off. “She hasn't got a runny nose, Gee.”
I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. “I called Angelo because I wanted us to leave. I hate that restaurant, it wasn't going well, and I could tell you were upset. I’ll see Mikey soon..”
Frank kissed my cheek. “You're so sweet.”

I settled Luna down next to Frank, leaning over him and kissing him softly. He smiled and scooped up the baby as I broke away. “Hey honey. Dad’s here, and he loves you so so much. I'm so glad you can hear me..”
She reached out in the general direction of his voice and he kissed her forehead, letting her play with his hair and poke his eyes. He just laughed.
I sat down on the edge of the bed and put my hand on his leg. I was so proud of my little family. I had thought it was the only family I’d have, but Mikey had stepped in and was making ripples in my world.
I was glad, of course, to see him again. But I didn't like disruptions in my routine, and I hated seeing Frank uncomfortable. My first instincts were to protect my husband and my daughter over my long-lost brother.
I leaned over and kissed Frank softly, on the lips. Luna grabbed onto my hair and I chuckled, carefully moving away. “Want a cuddle, Frankie?” He nodded quickly and grinned at me, laying down and setting Luna down on his chest. I curled up next to him, one arm around his waist and my face buried in his warm neck.
“I love you guys so much..” I mumbled, squeezing Frank gently. He stroked my hair slowly. “I love you too, beautiful. Are you feeling okay? You seem really tense and..off.”
I shrugged.
“I don't feel my best, I admit,” I sighed. “Is it bad I don't really like spending time with Mikey at the moment?”
Frank rubbed my arm, kissing my forehead. “No, Geebear. I get it. You have a new baby, a fairly new husband, and you want to be at home, with us. And you thought he was dead.”
I nodded slightly and drew Frank closer to me carefully. “Mhm. And he's so...stiff. He's nice with Pete and stuff..”
I trailed off and Frank touched my cheek gently. “He's probably nervous, honey. He misses you, I'm sure, and he wants to reconnect, but he's scared of messing up.”
I looked over at Luna, sighing as her green eyes fixed on me. “He's my brother. He doesn't need to be scared of me.”
Frank chuckled and ran his fingers through my hair. “And you're still nervous when you make me dinner or take me on a date. Because you love me and you want to make it all work and everyone happy. It's the same thing, Gee. You don't need to be nervous, and you know that, but you still are.”
I grumbled and nuzzled his jaw. “You're too wise.”
“It's cause I'm a mother now. That's what happens,” Frank joked, kissing my nose. “You look tired, do you need some rest?”

Notes

This is the penultimate chapter! I'm uploading the last one tomorrow night.
Thanks to everyone who read this, I know it's an abrupt ending, but I'm getting bored of this and when I lose interest, the story tends to go downhill very quickly. I like the characters, though, so they may make another appearance :)
~Aristotle