Marie moved to comfort Frankie. She pulled the woman's hair back and away.  "Frankie I am sure we will be able to figure out something.  It will be okay.... wait did you say hand to a Godfather?!?  Who?  Don Dovahkiin?"

Frankie swallowed, realizing she had said too much in her shock.  Family business wasn't something you spoke about to anyone even good friends who use to be family; but especially other crew leaders from another city.  She looked at the dress.  "Fuck."  She said sitting down on the side of the street.

"FUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  She kicked rocks and the heel of her shoe snapped off.  She laughed, a pathetic laugh that was one of giving up.  "Yea.  A few days from now."  She let he head sink, her chin landing on her chest.  "Not what you were expecting, eh?"

Marie sat down with her.  "No not at all.  In fact one of the main reasons I came down here to Las Vegas was to try and convince you to go set yourself up in Seattle.  I was even going to offer you some financial support to do it."

She laughed.  "Lucy would have wanted that."  She put her face into her hands and let out a, "ARGH!"  She shakes her head.  "Lucky Lucy left me her empire.  All of it.  The money, the names, the contacts, everything but her businesses which she left to her daughter.  She... sent me and Tony on these wild goose chases all across the country.  Tasks meant to make me hate rogues as much as she did, culminating with a reunion of me and my dad.  A reunion I didn't go to because... well, the final step was to finish her contract that my grandfather took out - on my dad."

She turned and looked to Marie.  "Sometimes when I think about how horrible this fucking country is - when I think about it's honorless mobsters and I want to go home; I remember my Grandfather took a hit on his only son and I realize it's not the place that's fucked... it's us."  She motioned outward.  "It's all of this.  What we do.  This 'thing' of ours.  And I just... I can't.  I can't build a family Marie.  Not now, maybe not ever."

She shook her head.  "Dovahkiin called me into HQ a few days ago and she tells me she'll support me leaving and going to Seattle... but she's keeping Tony.  And, she doesn't want me to go... and I should think about what it will mean to take that step."  She wiped tears off her cheek.  "She gave me a folder that summed up the end of Lucy's story... complete with pictures of Frank on a slab and of Lucy's dead still pregnant body on the floor of your cousin's wedding."

She drew a breath.  "The only family I want to build with whatever time I got ... it's not a crime family Marie.  It's one of my own blood and that dress..."  Tears rolled down her cheeks again.  "That dress was suppose to show how pure and perfect and valuable it would all be despite this SHIT life."

She looked to her friend.  "Now look at it.  All full of holes, all the value ripped from it, covered in dirt, it's just... trash." 

You have got to be kidding me right?  A year ago we were Goombas on the streets selling stolen watches in New York.  Now look at us.  I am leading my own crew and you are about to become the left hand of one of only 3 Godfather-Chairs in this country.  You.  A woman.  In this forsaken, shit-eating, man-dominated world.  We took on this thing of ours and we made it bend to our will.  You over came all of that shit and you are telling me now... now you can't handle what life has thrown at you.  Knock that shit off and taking this fucking world by the neck and make it become the world YOU want it to be.  

You want the most fucking expensive wedding dress on the planet than we will get that dress.  If you want to go hunt down those men that did this and extract a pound of flesh we will do that, but hell if I let you sit here on this damn hot pavement and cry like a fucking princess when you have the power to make this world be what you want it to be."

Marie stood up and dusted herself off.  Then she held out her hand to help her friend up.  "So what is it going to be?  What is it that Frankie-Messina wants in this world?"

Frankie needed a bit of tough love from a friend, and she was glad Marie was here to give it.  She gave the question some true consideration.  What was it she wanted?  The first thing came easiest and it amused her so much that she smiled when she said, "Tony."  Because, her whole life the thing she wanted more than anything was to be a Mafioso, one her Grandfather would respect as much as any of his men.

"And to help teach."  She said.  That part also was a bit of a surprise.  She hadn't expected in all her life that she'd feel so strongly about the absolute lack of understanding that some of the young had.  "I want to make these young American Gangsters see how it can be - how it should be in true Familia."

She slowly nodded.  "I also want to find out who those sons of bitches were and then I want to go after them for a pound of flesh ... make two pounds."  she stood up dusting herself off.  "But first we need to find out who they were and learn what we can about them.  I've never seen those gangsters before.  Not once and that really worries me.  Don Dovahkiin will want to know about this.  Don Shaggs too."