Oh, I was definitely thinking of Lindsey when I said it--it's, you know, not entirely uncommon (less so now) to write her out of canon-based Frank/Gerard stories. And yet I'm still happier with that than I am about divorce!fic--which happens a lot with Alicia, for instance, who IS a public figure, and it's not that I don't think divorce!fic should never be written, it's just that, yes, it's a trope, and she's usually not treated well in that scenario. The problem with writing the girlfriends out (and I agree with your non-public figures clause, in general,) is that then there are often no other women in the story, so then you're back at 1.

♥