NO ONE TOUCHES LITTLE RADIATION.

The vision hit Alice so suddenly that the vase in her hands hit the ground, shattering. A little too unbothered, Frankie and Emmett didn't look away from the basketball game they were playing on the PlayStation. Renesmee, who had grown considerably over the last month, had been playing the piano perfectly, showing off her new accomplishment. But she stopped, and all other eyes went to Alice.

"The Volturi." Okay, at that, Frankie and Emmett paused the game and looked at her with curious eyes. "They're coming for us. Aro, Caius, Marcus, the Guard. And lrina."

Bella glanced at her daughter nervously, feeling as if the evil vampires would jump out in seconds and attack them. "Honey, come here." In an instant, Nessie moved to stand in front of her mother, who held her close.

"Why?" Carlisle questioned, and Alice didn't have an answer for him.

"What did lrina see in the woods?" Edward asked. Just the day before, Irina came across Bella, Nessie, and Jacob in the woods, apparently to reconcile. But seeing Jacob made her run off.

"We were just walking," Bella told him, shrugging.

"Ness was catching snowflakes," Jacob added.

Edward frowned, seeing how it appeared in Jacob's mind. "Of course. Irina thinks Renesmee's an lmmortal Child."

"The hell is an Immortal Child?" Frankie asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Rose, how about you take Renesmee to see Leah and Seth," Carlisle said, not wanting the child to hear what they were going to discuss. And as soon as she was gone from the room, Carlisle led the others to his office and pulled out a few ancient books.

"The lmmortal Children were very beautiful — so enchanting. To be near them was to love them. But their development was frozen at the age they were turned. They couldn't be taught or restrained. A single tantrum could destroy an entire village. Humans heard about the devastation. Stories spread. The Volturi were forced to intervene. Since the Children couldn't protect our secret, they had to be destroyed."

"Their creators grew very attached and fought to protect them. Long-established covens were torn apart, including the one let by Irina's mother. Countless humans slaughtered. Traditions, friends, even families. Lost."

"So the Denalis' mother made an lmmortal Child?" Bella realized.

"Yes. And she paid the price," he said with a grim expression.

"Well, good," Frankie said, crossing her arms. It was disgusting to do that to a child. "Not to support the Volturi guys, but that's an actually good law. But Ratatoulli isn't breaking the law."

"Yeah, Renesmee's nothing like those children," Bella argued. "She was born, not bitten. She grows every single day."

"So can't you just explain that to the Volturi?" Jacob asked while Frankie nodded.

Edward shook his head. "Aro has enough proof in lrina's thoughts."

"So we fight," he said simply.

"Their offensive weapons are too powerful," Jasper said, not thinking it wise. "No one can stand against Jane."

"Alec's even worse," Alice whispered.

"I can stand against them," Frankie reminded them.

"You're powerful, Frankie," Carlisle told her, "but the guard is expansive. Even if you were to take out Jane and Alec, you'd be too overwhelmed. You're not indestructible."

"He's right," Emmett said when he saw Frankie about to argue.

"Well, then we convince them," Bella said, trying to find a way to save her daughter.

"They're coming to kill us, not to talk," Emmett claimed, putting his arm around Frankie, who leaned into his side. He kissed the side of her forehead, knowing that they wouldn't have much time together.

"No, you're right," Edward then said. "They won't listen to us. But maybe others can convince them. Carlisle, you have friends all around the world."

He shook his head. "I won't ask them to fight."

"Not fight. Witness. If enough people knew the truth, maybe we could convince the Volturi to listen," he explained.

Esme turned to her mate, a considerate expression on her face. "We can ask this of our friends."

"And you can ask it of the wolves too," Frankie told them. Between Emmett, Rosalie, and Renesmee all being Imprints, no one was going to touch them. "It's been a while since I've killed a vampire, so if it comes to a fight, you won't hear us complaining."

☽︎

The next day, nearly everyone was packing up to find all the friends of the coven and ask for their help. Carlisle and Esme were headed to Europe. Edward, Bella, and Jacob were taking Nessie to Denali. And Emmett and Rosalie were going to various places around the United States.

Because she was bound to the land — and she suspected more wolves would be joining the packs — Frankie stayed behind along with Seth and Leah. She wasn't thrilled about Emmett running off but knew they'd be back as soon as they could be.

"At least we get to go to London again," Esme said, trying to look on the bright side of everything. "We haven't been there in a long time."

Jacob then grabbed his overnight bag and moved to get Nessie's as well. "All right. Let's get this show on the road..." He trailed off when he saw Sam walking up the driveway. "Frank."

Frankie was the first out of the house, going to see what the ex-alpha wanted. He had a somber expression on his face and something in his hand.

"What's happened?" she asked, knowing he wouldn't show up without reason. Though they all had peace now, Sam wasn't exactly best friends with the Cullens.

In response, Sam handed a folded-up piece of paper to Carlisle. "Alice asked me to give you that. She and Jasper crossed our lands to the ocean last night."

Carlisle frowned as he read over the short note that explained very little. "Carlisle?" Esme questioned.

"They've left us."

"Why?" Rosalie asked, growing concerned. Did they think it was because there was no hope?

"She didn't say."

"Can I see that?" Bella then asked, taking the note. Frankie came and read the words over her shoulder.

'Gather as many witnesses as you can before the snow sticks to the ground. That's when they'll come.'

Then Bella turned the page over, seeing that Alice must've left hastily as she ripped it from a copy of 'The Merchant of Venice' instead of on an actual piece of paper.

"We don't have long then," Frankie said, seeing as it was the start of December. It was already snowing every few days, but it'd melt as soon as it touched the ground.

"We'll have the time," Carlisle told her, not wanting her to worry. "But we have to leave. Will you be ready to receive anyone that makes it back before we do?"

Frankie grinned sweetly. "I will be a welcoming host and promise not to throw any raging parties in your giant mansion."

The leader hummed and rolled his eyes before hugging her and the others goodbye. The next to leave were Bella, Edward, Renesmee, and Jacob. And before Emmett and Rosalie could get in the Jeep, Frankie grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him into a long, slow kiss.

Rosalie sighed as Emmett pressed Frankie up against the side of the house, sliding his tongue in her mouth. She then cleared her throat and looked at her watch. "Frankie, you literally just said we don't have much time."

Finally, Frankie pulled back, tangling her fingers in his curls. "Come back fast," she whispered, pecking his lips once more. "And be careful."

"No one dies, Roman."

"No one dies."

☽︎

Within the week, the Cullen house was filled to the brim with vampires, and Frankie fucking hated it. All she saw were red eyes, and her instincts were telling her to rip into them. At the very least, she was too busy to spend all her free time with the bloodsuckers.

Already, three young boys — too young — had shifted. Their names were Jamie, Hunter, and Owen, and they ranged from twelve to fifteen. It crushed Frankie knowing that their youth had been ripped from them all because some freaks wanted to kill Renesmee. They were children drafted into a war that they had no choice but to fight in.

Frankie and Jacob took to training them while the rest of the pack watched the borders. The vampires all agreed not to hunt in the area, but they had to hunt somewhere, which was unsettling.

"Now, you guys can do some serious damage," Jacob was telling the boys. "Which is why you'll need to control your phasing. If your mom pisses you off, you don't want to tear her head off. And Frankie stays booked and busy, so we can't rely on her to just growl and turn you back. You've gotta learn to control it."

"How did you do that, by the way?" Hunter asked. Just an hour ago, he'd lost control and Frankie turned him back into his human form.

"I'm just built different," she said in a smug tone. Truthfully, they'd learn about the difference between Spirit Shifters and real werewolves at their first Council Meeting. And there, Billy would explain how the Mekko bloodline was mixed with both, giving her more power over shifters and creatures of the night.

Jacob rolled his eyes playfully and shoved her to the side. "She's not even that cool. Ignore her—"

He cut himself off when they heard a disruption from the forest. Someone was coming quite fast, and based off what they could hear nearby on the Cullen's property, the guests were expected. So, anticipating a threat, Jacob and Frankie shared a look.

"Whoever's coming wasn't invited," Jacob muttered.

Then he shifted instantly and took off into the forest, the three boys following after him, it taking a while for them to catch up. Wanting to make sure there weren't any others that snuck up on them, Frankie brought up the rear.

There were two vampires, running faster than even Edward and really putting the wolves' speed to the test. As they caught up to the leeches, they began climbing the tall pine trees. And since wolves couldn't climb, Jacob was left to jump uselessly until Owen and Jamie barreled into him, landing in a literal dog pile.

The two vampires dropped down on a tall boulder and laughed at the wolves, beginning to whistle and kiss at them as if they were pets, only for their smiles to fall when Frankie stepped out of the trees, her red eyes fixed on them. Something told them climbing a tree wouldn't keep them safe from her.

"Frankie." It was Carlisle that spoke, his tone telling her to stand down when he and several other vampires arrived. Emmett went to Frankie's side and ran his fingers through her fur comfortingly. "Vladimir, Stefan, you're a long way from home."

"What are they doing here?" Kate asked, clearly not fans of them. No one wanted them around.

"We heard the Volturi were moving against you," the one with blonde hair, Vladimir, said. "But that you would not stand alone."

"We didn't do what we were accused of," Carlisle told them quickly.

Vladimir rolled his eyes dramatically. "We do not care what you did, Carlisle."

Frankie couldn't help but let out an amused huff — at least he was honest.

"We have been waiting a millennium for the Italian scum to be challenged," Stefan said, a scowl on his face.

"It's not our plan to fight the Volturi," Carlisle informed them.

"Shame," Vladimir said in a casual tone. "Aro's witnesses will be so disappointed."

"They enjoy a good fight," Stefan agreed.

"Aro's witnesses?" Eleazar questioned, looking at Carlisle worridly.

A low growl left Frankie's throat, itching to sink her claws into the so-called witnesses that were evidently being gathered. She knew it wasn't going to be a civil conversation like Carlisle hoped, and honestly, she was looking forward to it.

"Aww," Vladimir cooed, seeing the furious look in Frankie's eyes. She had the look of a soldier and that was just what he wanted. "Still hoping they'll listen?"

☽︎

Frankie leaned against the wall, in just one of Emmett's long shirts as she crossed her arms, every muscle in her body clenched. Everyone could feel the anger coming off of her, and the vampires that were already wary of her moved further away. Of course, Emmett just stayed tucked to her side, as excited by the prospect of a fight as his mate was.

"When Aro wants someone from a coven it's never long before evidence turns up proving that coven committed some crime," Eleazar explaiend to everyone.

"So he's done this before?" Bella questioned.

"Of course, he would," Frankie spoke up, leaning her head against the wall. "If you want to be the most powerful alpha around—"

"—you get a Mekko," Jacob finished for her. She'd agreed to neither be part of the Uley or Black pack in order to keep one from being too powerful. She was an ally to both. "Then you can't be challenged. He's collecting the powerful ones."

"It happens so rarely, I never realized it was a pattern," Eleazar added.

"Apparently he always pardons one person whose thoughts he claims are repentant," Carlisle told them all.

"This person always has an ability. And they're always given a place with the guard."

Edward frowned and shook his head. "This is all about Alice. He has no one like her."

"Which is why she left," Bella claimed. But Frankie shook her head, feeling like there was more to it. Alice wouldn't have taken Jasper if she didn't need him for something else.

"Why does he need witnesses?" Emmett then asked. The guard was strong enough to take a coven out.

The vampire named Alistair, who'd been living up in the attic and avoiding them all, was the one to reply. "To spread the word that justice has been served. After he slaughters an entire coven."

Amun, from Egypt, began to head to the door. "Benjamin, Tia, we're leaving."

"And where will you go?" Edward asked before he could leave. "What makes you think they'll be satisfied with Alice? What's to stop them from going after Benjamin next? Or Zafrina or Kate or anyone else with a gift? Anyone they want. Their goal isn't punishment, it's power. It's acquisition. Carlisle might not ask you to fight, but I will. For the sake of my family. But also for yours. And for the way you want to live."

Frankie pushed off the wall, an animalistic grin on her face as she ran her tongue over her teeth. "I'm gonna make that Jane bitch fucking cry. No one touches little Radiaton."

"What she means is the packs will fight," Jacob said, rolling his eyes. "We've never been afraid of vampires."

Every member of the Denali coven then stood. "We will fight."

"This won't be the first time I fought a king's rule," Garrett said.

"We'll join you," Benjamin offered.

"No," Amun denied, not wanting to lose his son.

"I will do the right thing, Amun. You may do as you please," was all he said in a calm tone.

It wasn't long before all the others were standing as well, even the nomads, pledging their allegiance to the coven. Vladimir was quite smug as he leaned over next to Stefan. "That didn't take much."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Edward said.

"We'll see," Alistair muttered to Carlisle before leaving the room.

"Well, I for one, am excited," Frankie said, grinning brightly.

"Yeah, babe," Emmett said, kissing the side of her head. "We know."

☽︎

The next day, Frankie sat next to Emmett in the living room with the Cullens and Denalis, all discussing different strategies to use. The problem, of course, was the offensive powers that the guard possessed.

"Aro will want us incapacitated before he attacks. Jane and Alec will try and take me out first because I can anticipate their moves," Edward explained.

"So, I rip their heads off," Frankie surmised. "Then Edward is free to anticipate all day long."

"You can't overpower Jane's ability," Eleazar told her with a frown.

Emmett smirked proudly, recalling how her mate easily got past the pain Jane caused her. "Can't she?" he asked smugly.

"Yeah, it stings a little bit," Frankie said with a shrug. "But not enough to keep me down. I can handle Jane."

"You're an interesting little thing," Garrett mused, making her narrow her eyes at him.

"I am six feet tall."

He smirked down at her, easily five inches taller. "And yet I'm still towering over you."

"Kate, hit him with your shocks or something," Frankie muttered while dropping back down next to Emmett, who was laughing.

At her request, Kate reached over and poked Garrett, a small shock running through him. He flinched and glared playfully at the blonde while rubbing his arm. Then he looked to the only one amongst them that couldn't be shocked — or tortrued or have their mind read. "Too bad we don't all have your shield."

Bella sighed. "Doesn't help me fight, though."

"No, but you could help the rest of us if you could project it," Tanya considered, which confused Bella, along with Frankie and Jacob, who weren't familiar with vampire powers.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean shield someone other than yourself."

"Is that possible?" she asked eagerly.

"Gifts can be developed over time," Carlisle told her.

"At first, mine was just in my palms. Now I can radiate it all over my body," Kate explained to her.

"How do you do it?" Bella asked while grabbing Kate's hand, forgetting her newborn strength. "Tell me."

Kate raised an eyebrow, letting out a calm, "Ow."

Ten minutes later, Kate, Garrett, Emmett, Edward, and Bella stood outside. While Jacob was off with Nessie, Frankie joined the vampires, wanting to help motivate Bella. Alistair was also perched on a tree, watching silently and unnoticed by all the others but the wolf.

"You need to visualize it," Kate was telling Bella. "See how it moves. What color it is. Now picture it expanding. Will it to go beyond you."

Bella seemed to focus hard for a moment, though no one could see anything happening around her. After a few seconds, she let out an exhausted breath and gave in.

Kate eyed Edward with a smirk. "I think she needs something to motivate her."

Edward sighed, already dreading it as he stepped forward. In an instant, Bella shook her head. "No."

"It's all right, I can take it."

Garrett shared a look with Emmett and Frankie, who were all looking forward to this. "He says that now."

"Focus, Bella, or he's gonna be hurting."

Frankie stayed silent, kind of wanting Edward to be hurt. After all, she'd never really forgiven him for the state he left Bella in after her birthday. Hearing her thoughts, he looked at her apologetically before putting his hand out toward Kate.

"Edward, I'm not ready to do this yet—"

Bella was cut off by Kate touching Edward's wrist, sening a painful electric shock througout him. He groaned in pain and fell to the ground, making Frankie giggle.

"I'm sorry," Bella stammered. "I said that I wasn't ready."

Emmett glared at his brother playfully. "Dude, you're not motivating her."

"You want to try?" Edward asked sharply. Emmett quickly put his hands up and backed off.

"Kinda," Frankie admitted, but that was more so because she wanted to see if she could overcome Kate's power like she could Jane's.

Once Edward was back on his feet, Bella tried to focus her power again, but it wouldn't work as Kate touched Edward's neck, sending another shock through his body as he screamed and fell to his knees.

"Kate!" Bella snapped.

"You're so cool," Frankie breathed out, in awe of Kate's ability.

"Bella, you seem to lack incentive. Shall I go see if Renesmee's awake?"

"Oh, not Ricochet," Frankie said, switching up fast as she glared at Kate.

"Are you crazy?" Bella asked protectively.

"All right," Kate said, raising her hand. "This one's on full power."

Edward cringed, remebering his vows as he got ready for the pain. Emmett and Frankie couldn't help but laugh at the nervous look on his face. Bella focused hard, and this time, when Kate made contact, Edward flinched, but he didn't cry out in pain.

It was working.

Edward sighed in relief when Kate removed her touch. "It's painful, but it's bearable," he said in awe of his wife.

Bella smiled excitedly, realizing she might actually be useful in this fight. "Okay, we should go again."

In an instant, Edward looked to Emmett, not wanting to go again. "Emmett?"

He instantly shook his head and stepepd back, as did Garrett who didn't want to be volunteered. "I'm good."

"I'll go," Frankie said, raising her hand proudly. "I'm not a fucking pussy."

☽︎

Frankie was tucked away in the backseat of Bella's car with Renesmee— Jacob called shotgun before she could. They were all traveling to see Charlie and Raylan. Frankie knew her father had all but moved into the Swan house, only going back to their trailer once a week when he needed something.

The girls were happy knowing that their fathers were happy together.

"I'm surprised you took a break from Jedi training," Jacob was saying to Bella. She'd been practicing her shield ability nonstop, Frakie always offering to be the test subject. She could block out Edward's mind reading and Kate's shocks.

"If I don't take Renesmee to my dad, he'll come to us. Not so great," Bella reminded him.

Jacob eyed her before glancing at Frankie in the rearview mirror. She was helping Nessie beat a level of some game on her new DS. "I know that's what you told Edward," he whispered.

Bella didn't reply, not wanting him to know she was up to something. Of course, Frankie knew because she knew Bella like the back of her hand. But if Bella didn't want them to know, it was because whatever it was would remain safe from Aro in her mind and her mind alone.

"Whatever. I'm just glad to get away from all those reeking bloodsuckers," Jacob said, and Frankie hummed in agreement, showing that she was in fact listening. Bella just shot him a look of disapproval. "I'm sorry. I know. They're the good guys. But come on, Dracula One and Two are creepy."

All of them laughed, and Frankie couldn't help but break into a mocking, stereotypical vampire accent. "I vant to suck your blood!"

The group continued to joke about the more odd vampires of the bunch until the reached the house. Charlie and Raylan were already waiting outside, and as soon as Frankie unbuckled her, Renesmee was rushing out of the car and running up to them.

"There she is. Come here," Charlie said, catching her in his arms and spinning her. "Oh! Wow! Look at you. You've grown half a foot! Seriously. Like six inches."

Charlie looked at Raylan questioningly, wondering if he was as freaked out by his granddaughter's growth rate. But Raylan just shook his head and bent down to kiss Nessie on the top of her head.

"Come on inside. Lunch is on the table," he said. "Made your favorite — bacon mac and cheese."

"And we got a tree to decorate, huh?" Charlie told the girl, who was quite excited.

"I've actually got a few errands to run, guys," Bella told them. "I'll be back soon, okay?"

"Want me to come with?" Frankie offered as Jacob followed the others inside.

Bella smiled at the offer but shook her head. "I'm hoping I don't need my bodyguard this time around."

"Shame. I'm itching to kick some ass."

"Something tells me your time for that is coming."

☽︎

"Em," Frankie moaned, her back pressed against the closed door. He was sucking gently on her neck, trying with all his might to leave a mark that would heal over in a matter of minutes. He loved watching the bruises form and disappear, taunting him to just add another to the invisible collection. "It's almost time for presents."

"I'm in the middle of giving you yours," he informed her, nipping at her skin.

Frankie pushed on his chest a bit, narrowing her eyes at him. "You didn't get me a real Christmas present?"

He let out a hearty laugh and pulled her close. "Of course, I got you a present. You'll love it. This is just a... bonus."

She hummed before giving in and pulling him in for another kiss. He cupped her jaw, guiding her into it. It was gentle and sweet, them pouring all their emotions into the kiss. Both were aware that the snow outside was sticking to the ground and they didn't have much time at all before the Volturi came.

His tongue traced the seam of her lips, but she teasingly kept them closed. He let out a little growl and moved the hand from her jaw to her throat, giving the smallest of squeezes. She let out an excited gasp, and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue past her parted lips, deepening the kiss. Frankie moaned as his cold hand stayed around her throat, keeping her pinned to the door. She slid her hands down his chest until her fingers reached the fabric of his sweater—

"Stop making out in my room!" Bella screeched from the otherside of the door.

Emmett pulled back and chuckled while Frankie opened the door, revealing an annoyed Bella on the other end. "Figured someone should get some action in here," he said teasingly.

"Go downstairs," she said, rolling her eyes. She also grabbed Frankie's hand and dragged her along to make sure she didn't remain up there with Emmett.

Christmas day was spent at Charlie's house, and now that dinner was over and done with — which Emmett and Frankie left early to begin their activities in Bella's room — it was time to exchange presents. Everyone was present — the Swans, the Romans, the Clearwaters, the Blacks, as well as Emmett, Edward, and Rosalie.

"All right! Present time!" Charlie exclaimed. "Let's go! Seth, Leah, stop eating. Jake, you start. Get it going."

"What are you eating?" Frankie asked, peering at her packmates who had their mouths full. Seth ended up tossing her one of the rolls in his hand, which she tore into before sitting between him and Emmett on the floor.

"What did you get me?" Seth asked his sister.

"I'm not giving you anything," Leah said stubbornly while leaning into Rosalie's side, who was grinning.

"Hey!" he whined. "No, come on, what did you get me?"

"She's messing with you, Seth," Rose told him before kissing Leah's cheek. Leah then handed over the present she'd been hiding behind her back.

Bella then came over to Charlie, handing him an envelope. "Well, Dad, we didn't have time to wrap yours, but here it is," she said. "It's a five-day fishing trip to Fraser River. It's for you and Ray."

"You leave tomorrow," Frankie said, grinning mischeviosuly. Really, they just wanted their fathers out of town in case there really was a fight. They wouldn't put it past the Volturi to hurt Charlie just to get at Bella.

"Wow, that's really nice. Thank you," Charlie said before frowning. "Tomorrow? I can't leave tomorrow."

Raylan then came up behind him and threw his arm around his shoulder. "I made arrangements for you at work.

"Sneaky. And extravagant," Charlie noted.

"And non-refundable, I'm afraid," Edward said with a smirk.

Charlie peered at the three involved. "You all trying to get rid of me?"

"Hell yeah," Frankie said, her grin widening.

"Well, it's working!" Charlie said, chuckling. "Fraser River. That means we'll be chasing cutthroat."

"We might even hook a Rainbow or some Bulls," Raylan added.

Charlie hummed happily. "Man knows his trout."

"He'll cook it up for you too," he said before ducking down to kiss Charlie.

In sync, Bella and Frankie began groaning and gagging while throwing wrapping paper at them to get them to stop. Then everyone settled down and finished handing out gifts. Frankie looked at her boyfriend expectantly.

"It's your turn," Emmett said, pulling a bright red envelope out of his pocket. He'd drawn all over it with little cartoon Santas and reindeer, which put a smile on Frankie's face.

When she opened it, her jaw dropped. "These are tickets to the World Cup next year." Then she threw her arms around her boyfriend, unable to believe he'd gotten her something so perfect. Usually, she hated big, expensive gifts, but she was already so excited that she didn't care.

"I think mine kinda pales in comparison, but thank you so much," she said, kissing him happily. "Okay, okay. Your turn."

She pulled out a giftbag from underneath the tree, and Frankie was grinning excitedly as Emmett opened his, leaving behind a mess of tissue paper as he looked in the sparkly bag.

"No way," he said, looking at her. "A Jessica and the Werewolves t-shirt?"

Frankie laughed and nodded her head. All the time Emmett was talking to her about how much he missed the band. It wasn't much, but then again, she didn't exactly have a lot of money. Emmett loved it and also knew Alice would hate how unfashonable it was, which made him like it even more.

"There's one more thing in the bottom," she said, nodding to the bag.

He pulled out more tissue paper and saw a framed picture that made him hold his breath. He didn't even know how she got it, but it was a photo of the very first day when she kissed him in the cafeteria. It captured his awe-struck expression perfectly, taking just seconds before he'd cupped her jaw to kiss her back.

"Angela has been holding out on me," Frankie told him. "She took it and has had it this whole time."

"It's perfect," Emmett said, smiling fondly at the memory. Then he moved to kiss Frankie gently. "You're perfect."

"Love you," she murmured, pecking his lips once more.

"I love you more."

"Immposible."

It was Raylan that threw a bundle of wrapping paper at their heads, breaking up the affection. "If I can't kiss my boyfriend, neither can you."