not what it seems.

Camila had never really thought of Frank Castle in a romantic sort of way. When Billy had brought him home after their first tour overseas, boasting about having found the 'best Goddamned Marine in the world', Camila had laughed it off and been friendly to Frank at best. She had thought he was attractive but she would never marry into a military family, she had no real clue about what that took and even so, she knew that she didn't have the strength to marry a military member. So she had gone on to meet someone else, the owner of a local pub in NYC. He made a fair bit of chance, treated Camila right, and Billy was ultimately happy to see Camila happy. And besides, by the time that Camila had seen Frank next, he was infatuated with a woman named Maria. Billy had told her once that the day that Frank met Maria, Frank had told him that he would marry her one day.

Sure enough, not even three months later, Frank was engaged to Maria and less than a year later, Frank was a father and married. With how close Frank and Billy were, ultimately Camila ended up close to Maria and soon enough, they were best friends. Camila was with Maria every step of the way during both of her pregnancies. She looked at both Lisa and Frankie Jr. as her niece and nephew, even being called their Aunt because she'd been around for forever, just like Billy had been.

Years went by, Camila was happily engaged to her wonderful fiance by the name of Thomas. She was planning a wedding, with Maria giving all the input in the world while Frank and Billy were overseas serving. The boys had been back for less than a month when the murders took place, leaving Camila feeling empty and lost. She had just lost her best friend and her niece and nephew. And Frank, someone who she had eventually looked up to like an older brother. He teased her, much like Billy always had while they were growing up.

Camila had been torn apart and had never quite been the same after, it led to complications in her relationship and eventually, things were broken off between her and Thomas. They remained amicable but that was the most that either of them could offer. Camila was too torn up and Thomas, he didn't know how to handle it. How to help her out of the depression that she had descended into. It wasn’t that she blamed him because she didn’t, it was just that things had just changed too much.

She had gotten a job at another nearby restaurant, one that was famous for their brunch offerings. It wasn't long after getting the job that Camila was promoted to manager and that was where she spent her days when Billy wasn't occupying her time. Billy and the restaurant was all that she really had left at this point. She was working a mid shift, one that had started at 11am and would end likely somewhere around 7pm. If she was lucky and things went according to planned. Someone had already called out sick so she was working the floor, trying to bail the other servers out because it was a Saturday morning and weekend brunches were always so busy.

Camila approached a table that had a man sitting alone, his hood pulled all the way up so she couldn't see his features at all. She cleared her throat, offering a tired sort of smile as she introduced herself. "Morning, sir. My name is Camila and I'll be helping you out today, can I get something to drink for you?"

Frank Castle had once been a person who loved life and everything about it. He loved his country, he served his country, and his family too. He had once had a beautiful wife, he worshiped the very ground she walked on, and two amazing kids that he only wanted to see thrive and learn and grow. But Frank had all of that torn away from him in the most bloody, murderous way possible. He had watched his family be gunned down in the park on a day that was supposed to be celebratory as it had always been. Having the things you loved the most ripped away from you and buried six feet under had the potential to make you a little crazy. It made Frank a lot crazy and even more vengeful. Frank had gone ballistic, murdering every single person in that mob that had been in the park that day, and even the people whom were associated with it to begin with. Frank had been tried and convicted, only to escape and fake his death in order to slip away and eventual finish what he had started.
It had been months and months since the “end” of what was supposed to be Frank Castle. His hair was longer, a full beard dawning his face. He now worked a construction job to save money and be able to live while he tried to figure out what the next step he was supposed to take. With a little extra cash, Frank decided to head to the diner to get a bite to eat. The man was starving, and he was sick and tired of living off of cold cuts and ramen. He could afford to get some bacon and eggs and a cup of coffee that wasn’t instant.

Frank pulled his hoodie and cap snuggly over his head and slid into the booth. He grabbed the menu and allowed his eyes to roam over it, even though he already knew what he was going to be ordering. He hadn’t bothered to look up when the waitress approached him. He wasn’t even going to look up. He was just going to rattle off his order and toss his menu to the side. But she spoke. She spoke, and it hit his heart and his mind and his fucking body at that too. His blood ran cold, worry stricken that she might notice him—she would get hurt too. He tried not to look up, he tried. But he did. Camila fuckin’ Russo. His eyes never made contact with hers, he was too fearful. Had she already recognized him?

“Just uh, just a cup of coffee, two eggs over medium, some toast, and a side of bacon.” He rushed out, not even breathing or breaking up his sentence. He was staring at her now, fuck, he had to look away. He looked down at the table and pushed the menu away from him, hoping that she would just walk away. But he had a sickening feeling that she wasn’t about to do that.

Camila nodded her head, jotting down the man's order mindlessly. Already, she was thinking about how she had to go grab a ceramic mug and some creamers for Frank if he wanted them in his coffee. She smiled at the man, nodding her head as she turned to dutifully put the order into the system so that the food would come out as soon as possible. While the way the man had looked at her was a bit unnerving, Camila tried not to think too much about it as she walked away from his table.

There was something strangely familiar about the man and she was wracking her brain, trying to figure it out as she put the order in. Camila poured a cup of coffee, turning to grab the small bowl that was filled with both creamers and milk. She returned promptly, carefully setting both items down in front of Frank. "Your food should be out shortly, sir," Camila said, turning to walk away from Frank's table when it hit her suddenly and all at once, like a truck.

Camila's heart skipped a beat, her stomach dropping to somewhere beneath her feet. She gulped, her brows pulling together as she turned back around slowly. Her breathe hitched as her eyes roamed over Frank's features. She couldn't remember a time that she had ever seen him with a beard which might be an explanation as to why she hadn't recognized him right away. That and Frank Castle was supposed to be dead. Camila let out a sharp gasp, her eyes widening slightly as she reached up to cover her mouth.

A million questions rushed through her mind but for some reason all she could think to say was, "you don't want any cream, do you?" Camila's voice came out soft, almost as if she was afraid she would blink and Frank would be gone. Tears had welled in her eyes as she stared down at him, the tray in her hand shaking as she tried to keep her composure. She was at work, Frank was supposed to be dead and now he wasn't. What the hell was she supposed to do? Camila swallowed, opening and closing her mouth several times over. "Does.. D-Does Billy, does he know?" She finally managed to ask, knowing how heartbroken her brother had been over Frank's death.

Frank breathed a sigh of relief when she had just walked away, not stealing a second glance at him. He thought for a moment that he had gotten away with out her noticing. He made a mental note that this way not the diner that he should get in the habit of frequenting. Either that, or he needed to figure out how he would be able to track her shifts so he could pop in when she wasn’t around. Frank stared out the window and watched cars pass by, allowing himself jus to be silent and not have to think about anything for a few moments. Until Camila had returned with creamer, that is. She had dropped it on the table, and that had given Frank more justification that she didn’t know—because Camila knew Frank drank his coffee black. Always.

But then she turned around. And she was racing towards him with wide eyes. Frank could have shit himself just by the way that she was rushing towards him with glassy eyes. For a moment, he thought he was going to have to get up and cover her mouth because it looked like she was going to scream and announce to the world that Frank fucking Castle was trying to get brunch.

“No, no, I don’t want cream.” Frank replied softly in an effort to take control of the conversation. But hell, he knew that wasn’t going to work because now she was asking him if her damn brother knew he was alive. Immediately, Frank was shaking his head no. HELL no, Billy Russo did not know he was alive.

Frank watched her shaking hands and he felt as though he had did something wrong. He felt so guilty that he was here and riling up her emotions while she was trying to work. Frank reached out, a large and calloused hand wrapping around her delicate wrist. “You’re shakin’, it’s okay. Just, let’s not do this right now, okay? Lemme meet you out back after I eat.”

---

It was about thrity minutes from the time Frank had gotten his food and scarfed it down until the time he was standing out back of the diner in front of Camila. His eyes darted around, watching to see if anyone else had saw him. He shoved his hands in his pockets, almost ashamed, as he began to speak.

“Billy don’t know I’m alive, okay?” His voice was soft and firm all at the same time. “And I’d like to keep it that way for now, Cam. I can’t have everyone knowin’ I’m here. Hell, you ain’t even ‘sposed to know. If I knew you worked here, I never woulda stepped foot in that door…”

Camila stood in front of Frank, letting out a breathe that she hadn't even realized she was holding in until Frank grabbed her wrist. Her body seemed to relax just on that alone, her shoulders relaxing and her stance becoming less excited than she had been. She gave a sad sort of smile, chewing on the inside of her lip. Camila reached up, wiping away the tear that had just managed to fall before it could get too far down her cheek.

"I'm sorry. I know it's silly... I just.." Camila trailed off, shrugging her shoulders as she looked down to her feet. She was clutching her tray like it was a life line, like it was the only thing keeping her grounded because at the moment, it was. She cleared her throat, nodding at Frank's offer before she reluctantly turned away from him. She was almost positive that if she looked back at Frank, he wouldn't be there and she would have to commit herself to the hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Frank Castle was dead, there was no way in hell that he was sitting in her diner, eating brunch that her chef had tossed together for him.

After her next server clocked in, Camila passed her tables off to the woman and she headed out back to see if Frank had held up to his end of the deal. She had no clue what he had been doing for the past year or so, she didn't know if he was still the honest man that she had grown to love over the years.

Camila stood in front of Frank, her arms wrapped tightly around her torso as she looked up to him. SHe listened to him speak, opening her mouth to ask him if she could call Billy to tell him the good news but before she could speak, Frank was telling her that it needed to stay that way. She swallowed, confusion etching itself across her features. His last comment hit her right in the gut and Camila had to turn away so that Frank didn't see the hurt flashing across her face. "Oh," she uttered, her voice catching.

Looking down to the ground, Camila toed at the gravel beneath her feet. "Can I.. I dunno... what's going on with you, Frankie? For Christ's sake, you're supposed to be dead!" Camila declared, looking up to Frank finally. "Let me help you. Please. Whatever you need. If it's.. If it's money, I have a fair bit of savings. Or if you need a place to stay, I have a couch. It's uncomfortable as hell but it's still a warm place..." Camila trailed off, having no real clue what was going on. All she knew was that right now, Frank Castle was standing in front of her and she wanted to help him in any way that she could.

Frank felt awkward as hell as he sat there watching a single tear slip from Camila’s eye. He wished there was something he could do, but deep down, Frank was a changed man. He didn’t have time nor the energy to allow basic human emotions to show through. All Frank consisted of these days was rage, anger, revenge—and, well now, awkwardness. He bit his lip and looked away from her as she started speaking, trying to focus on her words rather than the incessant buzzing that was in his ears. It was becoming increasingly hard now days to focus on anything but his mission.

“Don’t be sorry,” Frank murmured gruffly. He watched as she dropped his food on the table and was thankful when she turned around to walk away.

---

Frank couldn’t help but notice how small and feeble Camila looked at the moment. Her arms were hugging herself tight, looking mildly intimidated to be standing there in front of him. When Frank had quickly spoken out that she couldn’t tell Billy, it was almost as if he had slapped her or insulted her. He could tell that she looked away from him as to not give away her feelings. But Frank knew Camila. He knew she was either hurt or pissed off—or both. But there was nothing he could do about it now.

“Yeah, the whole damn world knows I’m ‘sposed to be dead, Camila.” Frank growled out, a lot more harshly than he intended. He cleared his throat, his demeanor softening in the slightest. “But there’s shit I need to take care of, things that need’a be done.”

Frank was shaking his head fervently as she began to offer him things. There was no way in hell he was going to get her caught up in this or risk her getting hurt. It wasn’t her place to do that and he would be damned to let another body drop, especially one that he felt so strongly about. “I don’t need anything from ya other than for you to be quiet about seeing me—act like this never happened, Camila. ‘S safer that way.”

Camila's breathe hitched as Frank spoke to her. She listened to the words that he said but she didn't really hear them, the only thing rushing through her mind, over and over, was the sound of his voice. The grit that had always been Frank Castle's voice. Her stomach lurched at Frank's last comment and she opened her mouth to argue with him. She had been intent on telling Frank to not be so damn stubborn, to let her help. That he was family because in truth, Camila had considered Frank another brother. Maria had been like a sister and those two beautiful children had been like a niece and nephew to her.

But the only noise that came from Camila was an unexpected sob as she hung her head. She closed her eyes, trying like hell to stop the tears from falling but still, they fell. Her shoulders shook as she covered her mouth, biting down on her bottom lip so hard she thought it was going to split. She couldn't remember the last time that she had cried, she had simply bottled up her emotions because it was all she could do. It was the only thing that took the pain off of her mind and pushed it to the side long enough for her to be able to focus on her job. She knew that if she ever needed help, her brother would be right there to help pay her bills but Camila was an independent woman and she didn't want his help. Not one bit.

Looking away, Camila's entire body shuddered as she drew in a deep breathe. "Sometimes... sometimes, I can still.. smell the iron in the air. Feel the blood on my hands," Camila whispered, holding up her shaking hands as if to cement her words. It was an admission that she had never spoken to anyone before, not even her brother because she didn't know how to tell anyone. Her ex-fiancee had been able to guess but a guess was never completely exact.

"A-And.. And," she paused to look back toward Frank. Camila couldn't quite reach his eyes so she stopped at his chest, swallowing around the lump that had formed in her throat. "I wish it had been me, Frankie. I do.. I'm sorry it wasn't," she breathed, feeling like wieght had lifted off of her shoulders. "If I could change it, I would. If I had the chance... even just to save one of them. I'm just sorry that I don't."

Fuck. Frank dropped his head as soon as she started… He felt like he had been punched in the fucking gut. He hated that Camila was there that day… That they all were fucking there that day! It was supposed to be a great day. A fun day for the kids, a relaxing day for the adults. Hell, they did it annually. Every year when they came back—it was supposed to be a joyous time and a day for a breath of relief. Instead, it turned it to a fucking blood bath—a day that marked the change inside of Frank Castle. The day that everyone he loved was ripped from him—everyone but Camila, and Billy who hadn’t been there.

“Don’t you fucking say that, Cam.” Frank spit out harshly, “Don’t you fucking say that ever again. You got me? Because if it should have been anyone else, it should have fucking been me! That’s what they wanted, don’t you get it? It was supposed to be me!”

Frank wasn’t sure why he was scolding her. But just the thought of losing Camila too sent him over the edge. Frank couldn’t bring his family back, all he could do was try to keep the small handful of people he had left safe and continue to get rid of those who fucked up his entire world.

Frank was biting on the inside of his cheeks, a bit of blood seeping into his mouth from his teeth piercing his own flesh. His nostrils flared as he inhaled a deep breath, willing himself to calm the hell down for a just a moment. “Ain’t nothin’ we can do about it now, sweetheart.” Frank pointed out, his voice a whole lot softer than it was just mere second ago. “We just gotta keep pushin’ forward. Just gotta keep lookin’ at tomorrow. You’re here because you’re supposed to be here.” Frank’s voice dropped just barely above a whisper. “It wasn’t supposed to be them or you or the innocent people… It was supposed to be me. It was always supposed to be me.”

Camila knew that she was probably supposed to shut up when Frank told her to but now that the emotions were coming pouring out, she couldn't stop them. She let out a loud sob as she hung her head, covering her face with her hands as she openly cried into them. All of the emotions that she had bottled up over the past two years or so were coming to the surface and it felt like she was drowning, like there was no amount of kicking that she could do to get to the surface.

She knew what Frank was saying was the truth. It had become abundantly obvious that Frank was supposed to have fallen during the attack and that was enough to just make her heart crumble all over again. She swallowed around the lump that had formed in her throat, trying to think straight enough that she could actually speak to Frank.

"I know that, Frankie. I knew that the day it happened... I mean. I didn't... didn't connect the dots but it made sense," Camila croaked out the words, her voice not breaking despite the tears that continued to roll down her cheeks. "Billy's told me some stuff. Not a lot, told me I didn't need to know. Just that you guys did a lot of shit that you could never talk about 'cause it wasn't exactly... he said sanctioned," Camila said. She didn't think any less of either Billy or Frank because with Billy as her brother, she understood that they had simply been doing as they were told. They were both lieutenants, sure, but they were truthfully, pretty low on the totem pole of command.

"I didn't have a husband, I didn't have kids. It's not fair that you lost everything, not when you did nothing wrong in the first place!" Camila's chest was heaving as she exclaimed, her sadness replaced by a burning anger. To know that Frank had lost everything because... well, she was sure there was more to the story than she knew. But she also knew Frank Castle and she knew he was a man that loved his family more than anything else out there. That he would have gladly given his own life for Maria and his kids'. "It's just not fuckin' fair. And I hate it. I'd give everything I've ever had, ever known to change it." Camila knew Frank probably didn't want to hear what she was saying but she didn't realize just how unfair it was to be unleashing all of these pent up feelings on Frank, of all people. Though she knew enough not to say anything about how she had almost wished it had been her. Because then she wouldn't have lost her fiancee due to her loss, she wouldn't have lost her best friend, her godkids, and not Frank either.

Camila drew in a deep breathe, looking up to him slowly. Her tears had slowed, they were only slow moving but there was a fierce look on her face now. "I hope you get them. Every last fucker responsible. I don't care who it is, I don't care how small their role in it was. You got me?" Of course Frank did, of course she didn't need to tell him to go seek revenge but Jesus Christ, it felt good to say it out loud. Frank wasn't the only one who wanted people to pay.

Frank didn’t know exactly how to react when Camila mentioned Billy had let her in on some of the things that happened while they were over there. Frank wished that nobody knew about that shit… Nobody. Not even himself. It would be a whole hell of a lot better off that way. Frank bit down on the inside of his cheek, his features remaining stoic as he watched her continue to drone on and on and on. The old Frank would have given her some pity, reached out and brought her to his chest. Told her it was okay and that she shouldn’t allow those thoughts to burden her mind. But Frank Castle was a different man. All he this as was bitching and complaining and Camila throwing a pity party for herself.

Stop Frank. It was Maria’s voice in the back of her mind. Cut the girl some slack. She was my best friend and like an aunt to your children. You weren’t the only person who lost people that day, Frank Castle.

Frank dropped his head, silently thanking his saving grace that came in the form of the voice of his late wife. God, he wished she was here to scold him now. But she wasn’t.

“Listen Camila,” Frank started. “We cant change what happened. I mean—Look, I’ve tried. Fuckin’ tried. But it ain’t gonna happen. They’re gone and we’re here for a damn reason. So try and quit thinkin’ and talkin’ like that, alright? Might do you some good.”

Frank smirked as she looked up at him with that burning vengeance in her eyes. There was the Camila Frank knew. The bold, fierce, and righteous young women who he would pit against any man, any day. He reached up and wiped his mouth, nodding along to her statement. “It’ll git done, Cam. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. And I’ll tell you, there’s gonna be a fuckin’ way.”

Camila let out a bitter laugh as she shook her head, her gaze dropping from Frank's. She stared at the ground between them, toeing at the dirt in front of her. "I don't talk like that. Who's gonna listen, Frankie? I don't have Maria to talk to... and shit, Thomas, he ditched me when I couldn't shake that day from my mind. And Billy, he'll just tell me that shit happens and there's nothing that we can do about it. That maybe I should talk to Curt because Curt's a good man and he'll help me, he'll understand." Her face scrunched a bit. "And I know Curt's a good guy, Frank. But he doesn't... he wasn't there," Camilla said, her shoulders sagging as she spoke. She felt like she was a broken record even if it was true that she had never talked about any of this to someone before. Maybe that was part of her problem to begin with.

Swallowing around the lump that had formed in her throat, Camila shifted her weight from one side to the other. She looked back up to Frank, folding her arms in front of herself. "Do you... think I can, I dunno.." she sighed, shaking her head for a moment. "Help? I'm fuckin' tired of the diner but it's all I have right now and I feel like it's a dead end. It's the only thing I have that lets me.. lets me forget about that fucking day. And every day after it."

Camila rubbed her arm, her eyes searching Frank's for God only knew what. "Even if it's just stupid stuff like cooking you food and washing your laundry. Won't be too hard because I bet all you wear is black to begin with. Huh?" Camila said, making a lame attempt at a joke. She frowned suddenly as she looked up to him. "You're not going to disappear again are you, Frank? I mean, I know it's probably dangerous and you won't like it but even if you don't let me help you in the stuff you're doing, you have to let me know you're still alive. That you're okay because now I know and Frank, I don't think I can handle it. Losing you again..."

Frank knew that Camila was no longer with Thomas. He often blamed himself for that. Mostly because it was him and his family that had affected Camila so much to the point where it ended her relationship. That was one of the many burdens that laid at Frank Castle’s feet. “You should talk to Curt.” Frank mumbled. “Curt is good with this kinda shit. And I know he wasn’t there, Cam, but he might be a good resource for you. I mean, shit, he’s fuckin’ helped me tremendously. In ways I’ll never be able to repay him for. If you ain’t got anyone to talk about it to, you should go to him. Because, I for one, can’t fuckin’ talk about this shit anymore. I’ve talked and talked and talked and fuckin’ talked until I was blue in the face. I can’t no more.”

Frank looked at her as she continued to talk. There was no way that Frank could let Camila get close to him again… There was no way. Even though he was technically dead and unrecognizable now, there was no way he was going to be able to do that to her. He refused to put her in any type of danger. If they ever came after him again, if he ever started to get mixed up in shit again… She would be a target.

But Frank was lonely and it was nice to have a familiar face around. Frank’s eyes cast downward as he thought it over. There had to be a happy medium. There had to be a way to where he could be there for her again and keep her out of trouble. Frank looked back up at her, looking at her for quite a long time before he decided to open his mouth again.

“You ain’t gonna lose me again, Cam.” Frank huffed. “What if I tried to come around more often? Or I could come to your place and I could do laundry there? My shithole apartment doesn’t have laundry so I gotta take it to the ‘mat anyways.”

Camila had felt weight lift from her shoulders when she spoke to Frank about that day, for the first time. She had longed to help him after, had wanted to help him even after the vigilante justice began. She had, at first, been skeptical and of course, she had disagreed with Frank's actions. Time wore on though and the pain never left her heart, the loss and the sadness never quite left Camilla. It lingered in the shadows, right over her shoulder even when she felt happy in the moment. It wasn't gone as she admitted things to Frank but it still felt as if she could breathe just a better. Frank understood her pain. Of course, he had lost more than she had that day but still, he had lost everything that she had.

She'd found herself feeling afraid when Frank was quiet for a long moment, wondeirng if he was simply going to tell her that this was the end of him being in her life. That she would never see him again, that it was safer, that it was this or that. All that Camila knew was that she was sure Frank was going to tell her this couldn't continue and she wanted to stomp her feet and yell at Frank about how it wasn't fair. That none of it was fair but Frank, he already knew that and Camila knew she didn't need to remind him.

Breathing a sigh of relief when Frank said she wasn't going to lose him, she found a sad sort of smile bubbling up inside of her chest at Frank's last comment. "You just want to use me to do free laundry," Camila said, letting out a small giggle as she wiped away her tears. She sniffled, biting down on her bottom lip as she nodded. "No, but yeah. That sounds great. You can come over whenever you need to to do laundry."

Camila hesitated, raising an eyebrow. "Do we... exchange numbers or is that... that too dangerous?" She grimaced, realizing she had no clue what she was tiptoeing toward. "Do you want me to give you my address now or..?" Silence passed between them for a moments before another question sounded, this time quieter and almost childlike as her gaze dropped from Frank's. "Can I.. can I have a hug?"

“Just give me your address and I will come stop by,” Frank answered solidly. “Don’t wanna risk anyone finding out any of my burner numbers if there are too many phone calls coming in and out.” Frank couldn’t risk getting caught, he had already had one person find him—who’s to say there wouldn’t be more who were able to find him as well? Frank looked her over, an overwhelming sense of guilt spreading through his body. Here he was doing the one thing that he had repeated over and over again to here that he wasn’t going to do—drag her into this. Frank sighed and ran a hand over his head. “I mean it, though, Cam. You can’t say shit. No matter how badly you want to or if anyone asks or even if Billy has a fucking inkling of suspicion, ya can’t say anythin’.”

Frank rolled his eyes at the girl in front of him. She was the same teenage girl he knew all those years ago, always hanging around and trying to pry into her older brothers business. She was always wanting to feel like she was a part of something. With a crooked smirk, Frank reached out and pulled her to his chest. He pressed a friendly kiss to the top of her head and sighed. “Bein’ serious,” He mumbled into her hair. “Not a word—and don’t think you’re gonna go getting’ involved in shit because I ain’t fixin’ to start telling ya what I am doing.”

Frank released her from his grasp. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet. “I’ll probably be comin’ by sometime tomorrow night, if that’s okay with you? Can’t do it durin’ the day. Not goin’ to your place where people could see. And I ain’t comin’ back to this diner now that I know you work here.”

Pulling out hte small notepad still in her back pocket, Camila was quick to scribble down her home address before ripping off the piece of paper. She crumbled it up before shoving it into Frank's hand, offering him a sheepish smile. Camila wondered if it was wrong to be this happy to see Frank after so long. It wasn't even anything more than just knowing that he was alive and seemingly as healthy as one could be. It was strange to Camila how adamant that Frank was about Billy not knowing he was alive but she thought it was the least she could do for Frank. The man had lost everything, as far as Billy knew, Frank was dead. What would telling him the truth accomplish? It seemed as though Billy had come to terms with his death and Camila would leave it at that.

"I don't expect you to tell me anything. I know how you guys are, Billy's the same way. I've got a job at Anvil if I want it but he said I'd only ever be doing secretary work and that's just boring," Camila said with a soft laugh. She crossed her arms, hugging herself as she looked up to Frank. She was quiet as he spoke, surveying his features. "It's... it's good to see you, Frankie," Camila spoke quietly, biting down on the inside of her lip.

Camila didn't work tomorrow night but she worked early the next day but she wasn't about to tell Frank because she was sure that if she did, he wouldn't come by and she wasn't going to risk that. She wanted to get close to Frank again, she wanted to help him in any way that she could because he had already lost so much. He had hurt and grieved and sought revenge but still, Camila had no doubt in her mind that Frank ached for his family. Deep in his bones. Everything that Camila knew about Frank told her that there was likely not a single day that went by that he didn't regret what happened, that he didn't wander what he could have or should have done wrong.

She bit back a sigh, hesitating as she shifted her weight from one side to the other. "You don't have to tell me anything you're doing, just... just promise me you'll come to me if you need anything. If you need help, or money, or food, or somewhere warm to get away from the cold..." Camila trailed off, shrugging her shoulders. She didn't care what it was, Camila would help Frank. She was similar to him in that regard, if you were her family, she would stop at nothing to help you. "Got it, Castle?"

Frank took the piece of paper carefully from her hand. He folded it up neatly and shoved it in his back pocket. He made a mental note to remind himself not to lose it. He didn’t need her address getting lost and someone picking the shit up and… His mind was racing, going to the bad place. He didn’t want Camila in danger. But hell, she was already in danger with Billy fuckin’ Russo being her brother.

Frank smiled at her as she chastised him. “Yes, I promise to come to you and not disappear on ya, women.” Frank shook his head. “You still think you can boss me around even though I’m the older one?” It felt nice to Frank to have a free flowing, lighthearted conversation. But Frank knew that wasn’t his life. Frank knew that wouldn’t ever be his life again. He sighed and looked down at his feet. Where was he supposed to take this from here? Was he positive that Camila wasn’t going to slip up and tell Billy? Frank knew how close the siblings were. He had been around them long and often enough to know that they shared everything. But Frank also knew how honorable Camila was.

Frank took a step forward and brought Camila into another hug. He placed a friendly kiss to the top of her head, before he turned to walk away. He looked back at her, “I’ll see ya.”

---

Frank watched the diner that Camila worked at for a week. Watched the patterns of who came in and out. Watched the shifts that she worked. Noticed when Billy would come in. Every Tuesday morning at zero-eight-fifteen Billy was eating breakfast there. That day was a no-go.

It was a Thursday, midday, when Frank decided to slip in on her. He made he was into the diner as Camila was back in the kitchen retrieving and order. He sat himself in a booth, hoodie slipped up over his head. When he caught her eye, he couldn’t help but notice the smile that pulled at her lips. When she came over to him, all he could find it in him to say was a small, “Hey.”

The day that Camila had met Frank, she'd had a crush on him. She had thought that it was nothing more than a stupid school girl crush and filed it away under things to be forgotten. Frank and Billy had grown super close so of course, Camila had been around Frank a fair bit but she'd eventually been able to forget her feelings. Particularly after Frank had met Maria because they'd been so ridiculously in love that there was nothing that Camila could have ever imagined. Of course she knew that the couple had their disputes, particularly toward the... the end, but she'd never questioned their love for each other. When you saw Frank and Maria Castle together in the same room, their love wasn't something you could question.

"That's because I'm the manager here, Frankie. You come into my diner, you get the pleasure of listening to me," Camila declared, looking rather triumphant with her hands on her hips. She smirked, tilting her head to the side.

"See ya around, Frankie. Love ya," Camila answered back, affection evident in her voice. She grinned as she watched Frank retreat down the alleyway, reluctantly returning to work after she could no longer see him.

---

Camila always had to work Tuesdays, pay roll had to be processed so she would sit with Billy while he ate and she tapped away on the diner's laptop. It was old and she was always considering just buying a new one out of her own pocket but sh hadn't quite bothered to yet. Tuesdays were her guaranteed day to see Billy so they were special to her. Between Billy's work and her... well, she didn't want to call it depression but she was pretty sure that was what she should call it, they didn't get together quite as often as they used to. Before everything happened.

Thursdays were a hit or miss, it always depended on what days her girls needed off. Today, she was working between Amy, one of her more seasoned waitresses needed the day off to go to her kid's football game or.. something. Bursting from the kitchen, Camila headed over to the table, with burning hot plates on her arms. She set each plate down, letting the family know that she'd be back in a bit to check up on them.

She'd noticed a newly seated table so she started to head over to it, pulling out her notepad before she even looked up. But when she did, there was no denying the smile that broke out on Camila's features. Frank. It made her heart swell to see him, it made her heart ache to see him. It was obvious he was safe but she knew he'd likely been off doing not so good things too. She couldn't help but wonder if he was hurting, with bruises covered by his clothing.

Camila cleared her throat, trying to focus her mind on the task at hand. "Black coffee..." she trailed off, scribbling on her pad. "Feeling adventurous or do you want the same ol' breakfast?" She asked, her voice dipping a bit more than it did with her other customers.