InsaneJournal

Who: Danny & Frankie
What: Chillaxin
When: Tuesday Evening
Where: Home
Rating: PG-13 for underage drinking
Status: Incomplete



Frankie Though she'd been living with him for nearly a year, Frankie still wasn't perfectly used to the situation. Her arrangement in London had been much different -- she would come and go as she pleased, and could go for days without seeing her mother. She still felt like she was sleeping on his couch -- that she was being put up with. Never mind the fact that she had spent most of her life living with a woman, the male presence rarely making an impact on the scene. Not that she didn't spend time with her father, she did. But it was at his house on his terms, and actually sharing a space with a full grown man was quite different from living with her mother. Not to mention she had been the baby and thus the focus of the house for as long as she had existed. Dan had a daughter. Frankie wasn't used to sharing the spotlight. Even after 10 months, she was not quite used to it. Partially because she was not planning on becoming used to it -- it was a temporary situation, surely, and once her parents were sure of her capability in a foreign city, they would allow her to move in on her own. But for now, she lived with Dan. It might seem at this point that she didn't like him, which is untrue, she liked him a lot. He was so very very different from either of her parents, and she felt a kinship with his small daughter (Dan and Cate had never married -- much like Lara and Mickey). As it was Wednesday, Frankie wasn't planning on going out, so she abandoned her spacious room dressed in black leggings and a bra, her blond hair pulled into a messy ponytail, her laptop in her hands. Dan was where she thought he would be, on the porch, and she sat on the floor next to him, laptop on her knees. "How'd it go with Maria?" No greeting was offered, and her eyes were firm on the webpage in front of her, though her fingers were still for the moment.

Danny Why’d she have to go around half dressed? Not that it really mattered. Honestly, he knew Lara, knew her upbringing probably wasn’t the strictest in the world and therefore he felt no real obligation to impose some sort of crazy rules on her. She had to tell him when she was going somewhere. If she wasn’t going to be home, he wanted a phone call, one every 24 hours until she was back. It was just to make sure she was alright really. He didn’t care if she drank his booze, if she had boys over. He didn’t care if she partied every day, or even threw parties here so long as Maria wasn’t home. There was one rule, no drugs in the house, and he doubted very much she’d break it. Maybe there was a weed stash somewhere, who didn’t have one at that age? But as long as she wasn’t using around Maria, what did it matter? But her being half-naked, that was slightly disturbing if only because she was, well, developed and also related to him. He supposed he’d have the same issue with Maria once she was old enough, but that was a ways off. “Do you really have to be half-naked?” But he was smirking, typing away on his own laptop and stopping occasionally to take a sip of beer. He reached into the bucket he had beside him, the steel thing filled with ice and other bottles. This was his vacation, and while he’d never go away from home because that would be away from Maria, he was still planning on doing typical vacation things: Going to the beach, sleeping in late, drinking at inappropriate hours. A bottle was shaken, the ice chips sliding from it before he tossed it lightly in her direction. “It went well. We went to the park all day, so she ignored her nap until I was taking her home and then she passed out.”

Frankie Yeah. Living with Dan wasn't so bad. On paper or in practice. Sometimes she just felt like she had to defend her territory, so to speak. And it wasn't like she was unnecessarily rude to him or anything, she very rarely threw parties at home because she liked having her privacy -- only the closest of friends ever came here. She did partake of the liquor cabinet but in moderation -- she'd been drinking years in England anyway. The drugs thing she abided by strictly: she had never brought anything harder than marijuana into the house, and she was strict as hell with her mates about doing the same. Occasionally she would empty out their pockets just to enforce it. Having ex-junkie parents definitely affected Frankie's stance on recreational drugs, but it was more about Dan. She wanted to be treated like an adult, for the most part, and letting him know that she respected him and his rules was the best way of getting that treatment. Not to say she couldn't have her petulant moments. She ignored his comment about her state of undress and opened the bottle, carefully placing the cap beside her. Lara had almost never been fully dressed -- there was a sense of complete security when you had the money for a gate and walls. It was her house. Frankie wouldn't have complained if Dan preferred to go shirtless. And as for the related bit? All the more reason. Wouldn't it have been weirder if they weren't related? "That's good," she said, glancing at him. "At least she saved the nap for after your hang sesh. Would've been a bit shit if you'd gotten her and she'd just slept the whole time," she put the bottle to her lips and took a swig. She didn't like beer especially, but she figured it was a sort of bonding thing, and she liked having things in common with Dan. "And how was Cate?"

Danny There were times when he felt guilty that Frankie was stuck with him. She was young and beautiful and had money, both her parents and her own. She probably wanted a place of her own, freedom. Even if he didn’t have all those rules, he was still around. He was still an adult, still her Uncle. People tended to feel obligated to behave a little more when they were living with someone like that. At least she had the house to herself when he was filming in Austin, right? Still, it was probably the reason behind him giving her the beer. “Cate is…Cate.” He smiled, dimples pressing into his cheeks. “No, she’s good I guess. I think she still thinks that I don’t know that she purposely put out the key.” He had a key to his ex’s house. Was that weird? She had put it out, knowing he would swipe it. He had swiped it knowing she had put it out for him. It wasn’t the same as her actually giving him the key, but it was the same basic concept. It meant he was over quite a bit, letting himself in. He had passed out in Maria’s room a few times when he had gotten urges to see the child, if only to watch her sleep. He stole food from Cate’s fridge, generally invaded her life. It probably annoyed the shit out of her, but it was natural for him and in the end, it seemed to work well enough for the couple. They weren’t on bad terms, they never had been…They simply hadn’t worked. Such was life, though, and the two adults had parted agreeing to stay as close to friends as ex’s could be for their daughter’s sake. “You got any plans for tomorrow?”

Frankie Frankie didn't know Cate very well, the pair had split just prior to Frankie's arrival in L.A., and while she was awkward witness to the aftermath of their breakup, she wasn't very familiar with her Uncle's ex. Not that she wanted to be, she had no reason to get to know the mother of her cousin. Frankie had the whole knowing-intimately-on-a-need-to-know-basis thing down pat, she didn't waste her time with people. As far as she was concerned, Cate was a time waster. Or maybe that was just her loyal side coming out. Despite the fact that he was nearing 40, Frankie was still secretly protective of Dan. But protective or not, if he was her ex and still sneaking things from her fridge, she would have been pissed. As it was, Frankie was tempted sometimes to label things in their own fridge to prevent him from eating them. She took another swig of beer. "Yeah, I have to plan Friday's show. I'm trying to address the recession without sounding completely backwards in logic or condescending. There's a fine line between being helpful and being obnoxious, and too many publications fall into the obnoxious category." She set the beer down on the floor and typed something quickly. "Will you let me know if I ever start to sound like I write for Vogue? I swear to god, they write as if they are speaking to babies in couture. If I were to paraphrase, their recession friendly budget column would amount to 'spend less money'. That whole magazine is like, no flippin' shit. Thanks for the information," she grabbed her bottle again. "Sorry."

Danny It was funny, really, that he was the one that had gotten a college education and yet she was the one that had the intellectual job. Well, okay. Maybe she didn’t have an extremely intellectual job, but it was still better than acting, and for that, he commended her. The fact that she was avoiding sounding like Vogue was a good thing. It meant she was being informative, actually making the world a better place. She didn’t just trade on her father’s name. She didn’t just go out and party. She had jobs, a few of them, and she actually took them seriously. He could only hope that Maria would be the same when she grew up, independent and willing to work for what she wanted. “What are you planning on saying, anyway?” How much was there to say? While Vogue’s column might have seemed a bit trivial, in the end it was right. The whole problem with the recession was that people had spent money they didn’t have. Once Americans learned to spend what they earned and not more, they’d be fine. Then again, who was he to speak? He was debt-free, but that had little to do with his spending habits. His house was paid off, his car was paid off. Maria already had a nice school fund, and he was on his way to having a nice nest egg for retirement. He had lost some money in the stocks when the market had tumbled, but most of his money had been in safe, low-yield funds that hadn’t really gone up or down. He really didn’t have to worry about things like a recession when he could never work again and still survive reasonably comfortably. “You should suggest staying with your uncle. I heard it saves about two grand a month on rent.” Actually, knowing her, she probably would have had a decent place. Nothing HUGE, of course, but a decent place in a trendy neighborhood. It would have been more than two grand, but who was he to make things depressingly realistic.

Frankie Money, obviously, had never been something Frankie thought about. She didn't spend gratuitous amounts simply because she could, but she certainly didn't keep an extraordinarily close eye on her monthly bills. It was nice not to worry at all, and though she was well aware that there were relatively few people who had that luxury, that knowledge wasn't going to make a difference in her spending. Quite honestly, she'd slowed a bit since coming to L.A.; she bought what she wanted when she wanted but her level of desire had gone down. She was busy actually doing things rather than shopping, and that had made a difference. So to be fair, she really wasn't the sort of person who would be super reliable for recession era budgeting, but she was smart enough to know that harping on about $300 Luella Bartley dresses weren't going to do anyone any good. So she'd come up with her money saving idea. Now all she had to do was actually think about how to save money. She flashed a quick smile at Dan before taking another gulp of beer. "That would certainly help. But not everyone has rich, famous uncles they can mooch off," she set the bottle down and stared at her screen. "I'm trying to go for the more...preserve your lifestyle approach, because no one wants to change, really," and anyone who said they did was lying. "What about you? When do you start filming again?" It was a toss up, when he went away. When he was there, she thought she would enjoy having the house to herself again, and as soon as he was gone, she felt lonely. A no-win situation, really.

Danny “You should do one of those things about like…You know, spend and splurge. Where you can save money. You don’t need designer paper towel, but you might want designer jeans because those really aren’t the same as the cheapo ones?” Oh, what did he know? Daniel went back to his beer for a second, taking a long sip and the moment to really pay attention to the setting sun. He hated L.A., he hated it with a passion, but at least he had found a place with a bit of a yard. There wasn’t an amazing view, but you could still see the sky, and for that he was grateful. Now if he could just get back to New York. Or Hell, if he was going to dream big, why not Chicago? “Ignore me; I have no clue what I’m talking about. We start shooting in August, though.” If there was one place he hated more than L.A., it was Austin. Actually, it would have been anywhere. He loved Austin, if he was honest. It was a great city, full of life and character without being big or dirty, but it was so far away from Maria. Every season a few weeks in he contemplated quitting. Even during times like these, times when he got to see Maria, he contemplated quitting. He was established enough, after all. He could find a series shooting in LA, or even movies shooting in the city. It wouldn’t be that hard, though he might not have such a great role or such a great show. If he got to be with Maria, wouldn’t it be worth it?

Frankie She cocked her head and listened, fingers still on the keyboard. She could very easily do that. She hated when magazines had the cosmetic spreads that boasted $5 lipgloss and then $40 foundation. Why not have it within one price range? And if you bought all your mascara cheap (because really, the stuff lasts 3 months and looks identical anyway) you could buy a pair of Louboutins. Alright, maybe not Louboutins, but a pair of Coach heels. She wrinkled her nose slightly at the thought of Coach heels. That was the hardest part, trying to avoid looking like a complete hypocrite. It was kind of silly to recommend buying drugstore brand moisturizer and then spending $800+ on a pair of heels. Still, that was the sort of meal plan she had to offer. She was half rethinking the whole budget idea, and even Dan, who had not grown up with a rockstar father, was retracting his suggestion. That couldn't bode well. She was still listening, though, and her eyes followed him as he spoke, though her mouth was busy with booze. "I thought you liked the show," she turned back to the computer, fingers tapping out a rough layout for Friday's show. Truth be told she did a lot of it on her feet -- she didn't like reading off a script, which was yet another reason she had avoided the whole acting thing. Dan was obviously pretty good at it though, and she admired him for that.

Danny Daniel finished off his beer easily, putting it aside with the other beer bottle he had polished off. With no work the next morning, he could easily go on drinking. Instead, he decided to lie off for a while. He had long since passed the days when getting trashed was incredibly amusing: The hangover just wasn’t worth it. Still, he wasn’t eager to get rid of his buzz and so the bucket was checked for supply before he finally addressed her question. “You know, I really do, but it’s just such a pain in the ass to be that far away. I may ask Cate to move out with me when I go for the show if she’s not working on anything. Or maybe ask to re-arrange the custody so that I have her for longer periods of time? I don’t know. I think life would be a helluva lot easier if both of us weren’t in the industry.” Or if neither of them had been, or if they had stayed together. There were a lot of things that could have made his life easier, but it wasn’t like he was actually quitting his job. “You should come down to the set this year. I mean, most of the cast is your age. I think you’d have fun.” And he’d be around someone he knew, which would be second only to having someone HIS age. It wasn’t that he didn’t dislike the cast: It was actually quite the opposite. They were like one big family, but still. He did get lonely sometimes, homesick. He worried about her when he wasn’t in L.A. God, why did the show have to be so good? It would have been so much easier if the script was shitty and the actors were bad, but it was a once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing and while they’d never be the most popular show on TV, he was immensely proud of the work they had all done. “Do you think that’d be selfish of me by the way? Asking her to move down so I could be closer to Maria?”

Frankie Frankie stopped typing when he mentioned her coming down. It was not the sort of request she was very used to; with friends it was always sort of a wary invitation, they were often much too eager to cater to her whims, and with family...Her mother demanded things and her father had a way of forcing her into things ridiculously subtly. And usually it came down between them fighting (in a manner of speaking) over Frankie. Her life, in so many ways, was not about her. She was quiet while he continued, thinking that honestly there was nothing she would like less than to spend summer in Austin with twenty-somethings playing high schoolers. Not to mention that she absolutely despised American football. She rationalized internally: it might be nice to broadcast from the set, there could be a whole mess of exclusive type stories in regards to following Dan around. Truthfully, that's all she wanted to do. Follow Dan around. If she went to Austin, it would be for him. Would it be so hard just to admit that? "No." Her gaze remained on the computer screen. "Not selfish at all. If she asked you to do the same, you would," hypothetical tradeoffs were one of Frankie's most favorite of things. "Maybe I could take her down there. Babysit, you know," still her eyes were on her computer, though she was no longer reading what she had written. It was a tentative request made to look like an offhand remark. She was good at that sort of thing. "Save Cate the trouble,"=