Willow Valley (Frank Adler AU) 18+

22

"Mom?! Hiiii..." Hassie looked shocked as she saw Etta at the door, now wrapping the robe around her a little more. "What are, erm, what are you doing here?"

Etta eyed her. "Came to see how you were - has Frank stopped by? I spoke to him this morning and he said he was gonna. I dropped off his supper but he weren't there".

"Well". She squeaked a little and then cleared her throat. "Erm, well he's certainly not here, I dunno why you'd think that he would be?" She consciously smoothed her hair. "I've just been sleeping. Another late one  last night, up writing"

Her mother tutted. "Hass, you're meant to be taking things easy".

"Yeah, so is Frank". She said and then wished that she hadn't. "I mean, he's not at his cabin is he? So he's probably out walking or something - brooding, being a moody bastard like usual coz he can't do much".

Etta chuckled. "Well he's got all the more reason to be lately, we gonna be seeing you out on the ranch anytime soon?"

She shook her head. "Not yet. I've still got a few things to put down onto paper".

"You talked with your management?"

"Yeah. I pretty much walked away, but I have a few meetings lined up with a couple other labels that now have got word I'm free. I just need to make it clear I'm the one making the decisions though. My agent agrees and of course my publicist certainly does".

Etta nodded and gave her a smile. "How you feeling though?"

Like she had just been railed into oblivion...

"Good, never better". She smiled as Etta said she was gonna go with Earl to collect Mary and then headed off.

Hassie closed the door, locking it and then sighing with relief. Walking back into the bedroom, Frank simply was lounging on the bed with everything out on show. "Geez Adler! My mother could've walked in!"

"Yeah, but she didn't" He grinned and beckoned her over. "Also...moody bastard and brooding? That's the sweetest thing you've ever said about me".

She chucked his pants and top at him. "Get up, Mary's gonna be back soon".

"Damnit". He muttered, and pulled his clothes on, Hassie doing the same with hers. "So...same time tomorrow?"

"You ain't got nothing else to do".

"Apart from you, well...if erm...actually we should probably talk about things". He suggested, not wanting just sex to be the only thing between them. Even if it was good.

Hassie nodded. "Talk then fuck, or talk while we fuck?"

"Both?"

"Sounds good to me". She smiled, checking the coast was clear before grabbing his top and pulling him towards her for a kiss. "Guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow".

Frank nodded and turned, heading down the path, rib hurting but it had been worth it. Once he was out of the cast and fully healed, then he had no doubt that everything would heat up more than it already had between them.

Closing the door again, Hassie beamed to herself feeling like she'd never felt before. The flame that had been flickering away between them for a while had finally sparked and set off the fire. Now it would only get out of control if the sex had been anything to go by.

She needed to get her notebook...

**

"Hey missy, have a good day at school?" Hassie asked as Mary came skipping up the path a little later that evening. She sat cross-legged on the chair with her guitar in her lap, occasionally leaning over to write down lyrics or chord changes. 

"Mhmmm" Mary said, coming to sit next to her. "Is this a new song?" 

"Yeah, you wanna hear it, it's still early days though". 

Mary turned to her. "Frank told me Keaton's not coming back?" 

Hassie sighed. "No. He ain't - like I said to you before. Sometimes things just don't work, and me and Keaton don't. Neither do me and my management, so it looks like I'm gonna be sticking around for a while before I go back home". 

"Really?" The little girl's face lit up. 

"Yep, which means I get to annoy Frank more". 

"He likes you really". 

Yeah. She'd already found out just how much...

Mary now took the notebook and looked at it. "Bluebird". She now read and scanned the lyrics Hassie had so far. "Can I listen to it?" 

"Alright". Hassie smirked and began to play for her, stopping once she'd got far enough. "Sound good? Or like a dumpster fire? It'll be better once we get it recorded". 

Mary shook her head. "I like it". 

"Then that's the only approval I need". Hassie grinned as she watched a group of guests riding past along with one of the ranch's cowboys. 

"If I was a cowboy, I'd be the queen or something, just riding anywhere I wanted to go without anyone telling me what to do".  Mary watched the group as they disappeared. "And Frank says I'm getting better with my riding". 

Hassie wanted to tell her that Frank would probably say the same to her too, but refrained herself from doing so. 

"You are just giving me titles today young lady". Hassie took the pen on the table and quickly wrote something down in her notebook. "What's Frank doing?" 

"Being grumpy about his rib. He says he hurt it a little today". 

Snapping the notebook shut, Hassie stood up. "Well then, we'd best go tell him to stop being cranky and to take those meds of his, because I'm sure that he ain't". 

Mary giggled and took her hand as they walked down to the ranch and up to Frank's cabin. He was sat outside on the porch, slumped on a chair. He looked up as he saw Mary and Hassie. "Oh I see, you went running to get back up". He eyed his niece. 

"Mary tells me you're moaning about your rib. Meds". Hassie now demanded. 

"Taken them".

"I hope so, because we're gonna have problems if I find you ain't following doctor's orders". 

He smirked up at her. "And if I'm not? What you gonna do about it superstar?" 

"Crack a few more of those ribs for a start". Now shooting him a challenging look which made him now wince at her. 

"Yikes, sounds painful". 

Her expression changed to one of amusement. "You'd better believe it". 

"Hassie, can you put me to bed tonight?" Mary asked, tugging at her arm. 

"Mary, I'm sure Hassie's got stuff to do". Frank protested. 

Hassie shook her head. "Not really, why don't you go get in your pyjamas and I'll be inside in a minute". Now telling Mary who nodded and went in to get changed. She glanced to Frank before she went to follow her in. "Whether I have things to do or not? I'll always have time for her". She smiled and then disappeared through the door. 

Frank sat outside, watching the sun go down and contemplating on things, shifting himself from the chair to go and check if Mary was asleep or milking every moment of story time.  Peering around the doorway, he saw them both on Mary's bed, the book still open in Hassie's lap, but both of them asleep, Mary huddled into her. 

Smiling to himself, he turned off the light and began to lock up for the night, Hassie soon appearing a little bleary eyed and yawning. "Sorry...must've dozed off, anyway I'm gonna get going". 

He put his hand on hers as she went to open the door to leave. "Stay". 

Her gaze went from their hands to him. 

"Okay".