Long Distance
Title: Long Distance
Author: Fab_fan
Fandom: All My Children
Pairing: Bianca/Frankie
Rating: R
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. The song is by Bruno Mars.
Summary: Follow up to There Goes My Baby.
Note: Alright dear readers, I present to you a follow up to TGMB. Right now, it's this one shot, but I've been told it should be expanded upon. Let me know what you think/want. If you guys want more, there just might be more. Also, there are 2 versions of this song, but I like Bruno Mars's demo better than Brandy's version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpp-nQ0Jc-Q
The marbled fingertip carefully traced each swooping black curve, slowly spelling out the words imprinted along the back of a sculpted shoulder. Ruby red lips pressed hotly against the soft flesh. A pink tongue swept out, tasting the path of a smooth spine.
“Baby,” Frankie whispered hoarsely, breaths coming in quickly as teeth nipped lightly at the back of her neck. Her eyes slammed shut as supple hips pressed down on hers. She buried her face in the pillow when the tongue followed the trail already blazed by questing fingers. She could feel the words burning her skin with each flick and dip.
Bianca smiled when she heard the quiet whimper fall into the pillow. Her hands dropped to her lover’s sides, teasingly scratching their way down to cup Frankie’s hips. She gently pulled, guiding Frankie onto her back. Eyelashes slowly rose, revealing love-filled hazel orbs. Her brown eyes locked with them, lost in the endless depths. A tanned hand curved behind her head, threading into her long dark locks and pulling her into a scorching kiss. Lips fused together, eliciting a moan from each of them. Frankie arched up, pressing the length of her body against Bianca’s.
“I love you.” Frankie breathed as they broke apart.
“Love you.” Bianca curled her palm around a pert breast. “Love you so much.”
“Show me.”
BUZZZ
BUZZZ
BUZZZ
“Damn it.”
Bianca’s hand slammed onto the bedside table, smacking until her fist connected with her cellphone, killing the annoying sound. She refused to open her eyes, trying her hardest to hold onto the dream.
It was gone before she’d even hit the table.
Sighing, she blinked her eyes open. The bedroom was awash in the muted golden glow of a crisp autumn morning. She could hear the faint chirping of birds outside the window, and the hum of a car as it puttered on by. Her arm splayed out to her side, hitting cold emptiness. She was alone. No warm body curled up next to her, lean arms always reaching for her, even in slumber.
A frown tugged at her mouth as she grasped a pillow and pulled it into her arms. She buried her nose in it, inhaling deeply and hugging it close. She missed Frankie so much. She hated having dreams like that. It felt so wonderful being in her girlfriend’s arms, to feel her, see her, but then she was forced to wake up alone. How long had it been? 4 months? 5? How long since she’d kissed Frankie goodbye? Since the blonde musician stood at the door, suitcase packed and at her side as her manager hovered behind her, noting that they were running late and record labels didn’t react too kindly to newcomers not showing up for their first tour stop?
She could remember the way Frankie felt as they held each other one final time. The smell of amber clinging to the side of the other girl’s throat, her jaw working as she attempted to not show Bianca how much this was killing her. She didn’t need to hide anything. Bianca already knew this was hurting them both.
She also knew Frankie had to leave.
No one was more proud than her when Frankie signed her first record deal. After years of playing in pubs and bars, trolling coffee shops and a few university sponsored shows, Frankie finally got noticed. Bianca had already graduated, and they were settled into their new home near Bianca’s job when it happened. Frankie performed a short show at ConFusion, a hip bar run by the company Bianca worked for - Fusion Cosmetics. Bianca’d helped Frankie get the gig, using her place as the youngest associate in the advertising department to catch the name of the club manager. He signed Frankie up, and the next thing they knew, someone approached Frankie as she was packing up her equipment with a business card emblazoned with the record label’s logo.
It had been a long time coming, and the two women couldn’t be more excited. Frankie went out to New York to cut her first album, deftly seeking advice from her lover on which tracks she liked best. Bianca knew Frankie’s music more than anyone other than the musician herself. It made her heart flutter, though, to know Frankie was including her in something so important. It was an uphill battle all the way. The record label kept an unwavering watch over their newest investment. Wariness over Frankie’s ability to sell songs to the commercial masses triggered intense scrutiny over her track choices and music styles. More than once Bianca would get a frustrated phone call from Frankie. Her somewhat laidback demeanor was shot to hell by record executives berating her on everything from lyrics to the way she sung the final note on a certain song. Frankie would admit to anyone who listened that she was only able to make it through the process because of her girlfriend.
Bianca picked the call up on the first ring, setting her pen down on top of the work folder, “Hi, sweetheart.”
“Hey,” Frankie sighed with irritation on the other end.
“How are you?” she could feel the tension through the line.
It was quiet for a moment, and Bianca knew Frankie was shrugging, “Alright.”
Bianca chewed on her bottom lip, “What’s wrong?”
Frankie sighed again and there was a bit of crinkling and shuffling, indicating Frankie was moving around, “Damn label.”
Bianca nodded. She’d heard enough about this label to want to throttle the entire executive board, “What are they doing now?”
“They want me to use someone else’s songs.”
Bianca frowned, “They what?” Frankie wrote her own music. Her stuff was fantastic, and while Bianca might be biased, she wasn’t the only one to say so. All of Frankie’s fans in whatever town she played in said so. It was somewhat of her trademark.
Frankie sighed again, “They…they don’t think my stuff is commercially viable.”
Commercially viable? “That’s crazy. You write great songs, Frankie. You were singing your own work when that guy gave you his card.”
“I know. The producer is telling me to just go with it, though. This is how things work because I’m new. I get that things are what they are…but…they’re my songs.”
“Frankie, you should do what you want to do. This is your album. I will love you no matter what song you sing.” She took a breath, “But, I don’t think you’d be happy if you didn’t sing your own.”
There was a pause as Frankie thought it over, “I know.”
“You’ll be great.” She assured her. She knew Frankie was confident about her music. It was something that never changed about her. Frankie’d always been that way. But, with each verbal slap from the label, Bianca noticed her esteem dipping a little at a time. “I love you.”
“I was thinking about using those new songs I wrote before I came out here for a few tracks.”
Bianca smiled, “I think that’d be wonderful.”
It surprised everyone when the first single hit big. No one saw it coming, especially not the record label. When it became clear Frankie was going to be huge, they booked her as the opening act on the first tour they could find. The whirlwind barely gave the couple time to breathe before Frankie was whisked off on a bus crisscrossing the country.
Bianca was happy for Frankie. But, this time apart was tearing at her heart. Waking up alone every morning, living by herself in the apartment she once shared with the blonde, was difficult. She found herself more than once staring at the photo frames of them perched in the living room. The smiling faces of them at graduation, Frankie standing proudly at Bianca’s side as the brunette smiled in her cap and gown sat next to a picture of them from when they were younger, curled up in a chair at Frankie’s parents’ house with Frankie giving the taller girl a smooch on the cheek as Bianca grinned widely at the camera. Little things would squeeze her heart. The silence that was once filled with music and stilted hums as Frankie wrote a new song. How, instead of two coffee mugs, only one sat in the sink after breakfast. One pair of shoes near the door rather than two.
She couldn’t even remember the last time she danced. Frankie loved to dance. No, Frankie loved to dance with her. It was something the composer told her time and time again. Frankie liked dancing, but she loved moving her body with Bianca’s.
Rubbing her eyes, Bianca sat up. She leaned against the headboard and wiped the sleep away. Maybe she would call Frankie after she took a shower and had breakfast. Her girl was supposed to be in…Atlanta. She would be awake, even though she had a show the night before in Miami. She hoped Frankie was getting enough sleep. Frankie’s voice grew more exhausted with each passing phone call.
Biting her lip, Bianca swung her legs over the side of the bed, wincing as her feet hit the cold floor. As she rose to her feet, a firm knock at the front door caught her attention. Who would be at her door this early on a Saturday morning? Reaching for her robe, she flung it on and padded out of the bedroom. She made her way over to the door, tying the sash tightly around her waist. Unlocking the bolt, she twisted the handle to reveal Jaime - the doorman for the apartment building.
“Good morning, Ms. Montgomery.” He held out a small package with a tiny smirk, “This came in the mail for you.”
“Good morning, Jaime. Thank you.” Bianca took the package curiously. Usually she’d have to go to the desk to get any packages.
“Have a good day.” Jaime turned and walked away, a spring in his step.
Absently closing the door, Bianca turned the package around in her hand. There was no return address on it and her information had been typed out and pasted on. There were no hints as to who sent it. For a moment, Bianca worried about what it could be. Who would send her something without saying who they were? It couldn’t be her family or Frankie’s - they always put their return information on it and usually let the couple know something was on its way. Her friends didn’t really use the postal service. Not in this day and age.
Maybe it had something to do with Frankie.
Frankie hadn’t mentioned anything, but she was so busy things tended to slip her mind. The last time they talked, Frankie didn’t even know what day it was.
Speaking of Frankie…Bianca went back into the bedroom, package in hand. She picked up her cellphone and was met with three missed text messages. That must have been what woke her up. Clicking them open, a smile blossomed on her face. They were all from Frankie.
Good morning, baby
Are you up
Did you get the mail
Did she get the mail? Frankie knew about the package! Bianca tossed her phone to the bed and held the package up. Frankie must have sent it. A sense of giddiness bloomed inside. What could it be? She picked at the flap, tearing it off and popping open the side. She tucked her hand inside. An eyebrow rose as her fingers collided with the hard plastic edge of a case. Pulling it out, the unmarked cd case glinted in the sunlight.
“A cd?” she murmured to herself. Dropping the package, she flipped open the case and popped the cd out. Why had Frankie sent her a cd? She already had a copy of Frankie’s debut album - more than one actually. She even had a few demos from it and first cuts. The only ones who probably had more of Frankie’s music than her were Gwen and Mark Stone.
Frankie nearly fainted from embarrassment when she found out her parents bought out the entire stock the local cd store carried the day her record released. Bianca never let her live it down, either. It was so much fun when they visited the Stones. Bianca always had them break out their collection of memorabilia. Frankie was mortified. The musician had a healthy ego, but seeing her parents parade out home videos of her six years old in oversized headphones rocking out to Michael Jackson turned her cheeks redder than Rudolph’s nose. The Stones promised it would be great for when E stopped by and wanted to have an interview.
Bianca smirked to herself as she remembered the last time they went back home. It had been a long weekend right after Frankie finished recording. Gwen had fluttered about, alternating between praising Frankie for finally getting her dream and scolding her about how she better not become one of those drug addicted one hit wonders who cheated on their girlfriends because Bianca was a good girl and Gwen would hunt Frankie down and ground her if she even thought about it. Frankie grumbled about how they loved Bianca more than her…but the loving glance she shot the brunette was filled with adoration.
The most embarrassed Bianca ever saw Frankie, though, happened the morning after that discussion. It made her chuckle just thinking about it.
“Ma, stop. I’m begging you.” Frankie planted her face in her crossed arms on the kitchen table.
Gwen waved a spatula at the girl, “Now Frankie, don’t be embarrassed. This is important.”
Frankie groaned.
Bianca entered the kitchen, having caught the last exchange, “Good morning.”
“Morning, Bianca.” Gwen pointed at the table, “Have a seat while I finish these pancakes.”
Bianca sat down next to her girlfriend, lightly nudging her foot against a bare calf beneath the table, “Hey.”
Frankie kept her face firmly out of sight, but she unhooked one arm and groped around until she found Bianca’s hand resting on the tabletop. Their fingers and palms automatically curled together.
“You’re just in time, too.” Gwen puttered around the stovetop, “I was speaking with Frankie about something very important.”
“You were?” Bianca glanced at Frankie. She must have stumbled downstairs right when she woke up. She was still in her pajamas.
“Yes, my husband and I have been talking, and we both know you two are getting older. You have jobs now and you’re adults.”
Bianca’s eyebrow rose in confusion. She peeked at Frankie again, taking in the still mussed hair and sleep crinkled t-shirt. She unconsciously reached out, sweeping a lock of hair behind Frankie’s ear, “You need a haircut soon, honey.”
“You see, Frankie, this girl takes care of you.” Gwen lightly tapped her daughter with the spatula as she walked behind her toward the pantry. “Now, stop pouting.”
“I know she does, ma.” Frankie grumbled, straightening in her seat. Bianca could see the remnants of a blush in her rosy cheeks and ears. Frankie looked over at her, a gentle crooked grin forming, “Morning, baby.”
“Good morning.” Bianca leant over and gave her a chaste kiss. When she pulled back, Frankie followed, giving her another quick peck.
“See, you two are good together.” Gwen shuffled back to the stove. “And it’s about time, anyway.”
“Ma!”
Bianca squeezed Frankie’s hand, “What is she talking about?”
Gwen spoke up, “My husband and I are wondering when Frankie is going to make an honest woman out of you.”
Frankie’s head ducked and she stared at the table as Bianca’s jaw dropped, “Not cool, ma.”
Gwen turned the stove off, “You two have been together so long, it’s about time for you to get married. Now Frankie, I know you have the whole music thing going, but Bianca is an amazing girl and you might want to put a ring on her finger before someone steals her away. I’ve been waiting forever for you to let me know I can show you those wedding magazines I bought. Besides, you don’t want the paparazzi always hounding you about who you’re dating, now do you? Lord knows it’s good for you to have someone at home to keep you from acting out.” She picked up the plate of pancakes, “And don’t think I don’t know you’re playing footsie under the table.”
Frankie didn’t make a snappy comeback. She didn’t even make a sound. She simply stared at the table as redness darkened her cheeks and ears. It was the most embarrassed either of them had ever seen the girl.
Bianca brushed a kiss to her lover’s burning face, “No one can steal me away.” She smirked impishly, “Though the paparazzi can be brutal.”
There was only one time when Bianca doubted what they had. Back when the Stone twins talked to each other and the three of them were friends. Well, when she thought they were all friends. Bianca hadn’t spoken to Maggie since that time. Since their friendship fell apart. She knew Maggie was in medical school, but that was it. Sometimes, she missed her best friend. But, then she would recall what Maggie did to them. To think someone she trusted so much would betray her like that stung. Maggie had betrayed both of them - her and Frankie. Bianca knew Frankie asked her parents about her sister whenever they called. Frankie was hurt by what happened, but part of her still cared about her twin. It was something Bianca knew Frankie fought with all the time. Missing her sister and reconciling that with the knowledge her sister tried to ruin her relationship. Good came from Maggie’s meddling, though. Frankie and her grew stronger. Their bond was unbreakable now. They loved each other and always would.
Even if she only saw Frankie in her dreams.
Coming out of her thoughts, Bianca ambled over to the cd player in the corner of the room. She slipped the cd into it and hit play. She held her breath, a bit of anxiousness seeping in as she waited. A bit of static sounded at first. A throat cleared. More static. What was this?
Then, Frankie’s smooth voice filled the room.
“Ok, take one.”
There was a pause.
Then, Frankie began to sing, a subtle piano accompanying her in the background.
“There's only so many songs that I can sing to pass the time. And I'm running out of things to do to get you off my mind.”
Bianca inhaled sharply, swallowing thickly at the voice full of pain and longing.
“All I have is this picture in a frame that I hold close to see your face everyday. With you is where I'd rather be, but we're stuck where we are, and it's so hard, you're so far. This long distance is killing me.”
Bianca brought a hand to her mouth as tears pricked her eyes.
“I wish that you were here with me, but we're stuck where we are, and it's so hard, you're so far, this long distance is killing me. It's so hard, it's so hard where we are, where we are. You're so far. This long distance is killing me.”
The first tear rolled down her cheek. She bit her trembling lip, the words clawing at her soul. “Oh, Frankie.” She whispered. Her legs shook unsteadily, vision blurring.
“Now the minutes feel like hours, and the hours feel like days while I'm away. Ya know right now I can't be home, but I'm coming home soon, coming home soon.”
Bianca leaned against the dresser the player sat on, legs weakening with each sung note. She’d never heard this before. Frankie must have written it on the road. Oh god, Frankie wrote her this song. Frankie missed her as much as she missed Frankie. She could picture Frankie’s face, eyes glistening with sorrow as she crooned the notes. Her chest ached at the sight.
“All I have is this picture in a frame that I hold close to see your face again. Oh, with you is where I'd rather be. But we're stuck where we are. And it's so hard. You're so far. This long distance is killing me.”
This distance was killing both of them. It was hard, so very hard. God, all she wanted to do was take Frankie in her arms. She could hear the anguish in her lover’s voice. It burrowed in her mind and wrapped around her heart like a crown of thorns. She would do anything to hold her lover - to have her lover hold her.
A voice, tender as their first kiss, brushed her ear as a body appeared behind her, “Can you hear me crying?”
Bianca spun around with a gasp, throwing herself into strong arms.
“With you is where I want to be.” Frankie sang wetly, voice muffled as she buried her face in the graceful curve of Bianca’s neck.
Bianca held onto her lover as tightly as she could. She breathed in her presence, squeezing her gratefully. She couldn’t help but laugh joyously as tears continued to stream down her face. She didn’t care how or why - Frankie was there, and that was all that mattered at the moment. She pulled back a fraction to capture tear stained lips in a kiss. The moment their mouths touched, Bianca felt something shift inside. The invisible hole that’d been dug into her chest the second the door closed behind Frankie’s retreating form began to fill with love and happiness.
“I missed you.” Frankie pressed their foreheads together.
“I love you.” Bianca kissed her again.
Frankie kissed her back, hands flattening against the silk draped across Bianca’s back. Long and deep, she reminded herself of the way Bianca tasted. Like heaven and nirvana. She lightly sucked on Bianca’s bottom lip, hands bunching the robe as they silently begged to feel the body beneath.
“Frankie,” Bianca gasped as Frankie pressed her into the dresser. Their mouths broke away from each other, both panting quietly. She cupped Frankie’s face, one hand sliding down to curl around the side of her neck. Eyes closed, she just felt. Felt the way Frankie fit perfectly against her. The puffs of air that coated her bruised lips. How right this was. Her thumb caressed the line of Frankie’s jaw, a well-worn path it knew well.
“You are so gorgeous, baby.” Frankie blindly reached for the sash of her robe, “I love you.”
“Love you.” Bianca felt as fingers fumbled with the knot.
The knot gave way and the sash fluttered apart. Bare skin peeked out from the slightly parted opening. The swell of a breast hinted beneath the silk. Frankie’s palm rested on the flat plane of her belly as she pressed a gentle kiss to Bianca’s face, “You’re amazing.”
Their eyes joined, “Smooth.”
“As silk.” Frankie shot her a lopsided grin.
Bianca stared into the only eyes to ever hold her heart, “I’ve needed you so much.”
Frankie’s hand slipped lower, “Do you need me now?”
“More than anything.”
Frankie gazed into the depths of her chocolate orbs, taking in the undeniable love and affection peering back at her. Wordlessly, she gave Bianca a heartfelt kiss before letting her mouth slid lower. She kissed every inch of skin she could. Lower and lower she went, kissing the hollow of her throat, the valley between heaving breasts, the soft stomach.
Bianca’s breath caught as she watched Frankie sink to her knees. She reached back, gripping the edge of the dresser with one hand as the other tangled in blonde hair. Her body shuddered as a tiny kiss pressed into her inner thigh and she spread her legs wider. Her belly clenched as Frankie peppered quick kisses up to her hipbone and back down. Desire raced in her veins, consuming her. She lightly massaged Frankie’s scalp, wanting this woman so much it clouded her mind in hazy euphoria. “Honey…”
Her head fell back as a careful kiss touched her where she needed Frankie most.
Fire nipped at her as lips and teeth teased her folds. She leaned heavily against the dresser, breaths quickening with each swipe of a tongue. Hands grasped her hips, caressing them as she rolled into the hot mouth. A kaleidoscope of lights flashed across her eyes when she felt winsome lips wrap around her swollen bud. The lights overtook her, and she fell apart with a breathless cry.
When the lights slowly disappeared, she felt familiar arms wrapped around her. She instinctively tilted into Frankie. Still catching her breath, she fisted her hands in Frankie’s shirt, pushing her back until she tumbled onto the bed. She crawled up Frankie’s body, kissing her with everything she had. All the months of yearning, of needing to be with this woman but unable to, fueled her. The unyielding craving to let this woman know how much she loved her, to show her how much she meant to her, engulfed her in its fervor.
She tugged at the rumpled shirt, pulling it over Frankie’s head. Frankie raised her arms, allowing the cotton to slid off and be tossed to the side. She muttered a low, “God, baby,” as Bianca sucked at her neck and ripped at the button and zipper of her threadbare blue jeans.
When her fingers dove into slick wet heat, she looked into her lover’s gaze. She felt her heart seize and melt at the same time.
So much passion. So much longing.
So much.
She slowly pumped in and out, watching the way Frankie’s eyes grew darker and her breathing hitched. They moved together, a natural ebb and flow that only they knew. Frankie cupped the back of her neck, holding on as Bianca drew out every inch of their bond, reknitting the threads back together and mending the frayed but not broken, never broken, fabric that was them. Slowly, achingly slow, she watched the love Frankie had just given her be returned, replacing the deep loneliness these past few months imbued in her. In the hazel she could see their lives together. The first time she ever saw Frankie - the day the girl moved into the house down the street, cocky and confident but filled with earnest goodness. Their first kiss - gentle as a butterfly’s wings that brought about uncontainable emotion. Concerts and study sessions, dancing and candlelit dinners. Breakfasts at the diner near campus, and long Sunday mornings cocooned in their own world far away from prying eyes.
She covered Frankie’s mouth with her own as the blonde hit her crescendo, exploding into a heap of limbs and feelings in her arms with a husky whimper. Bianca kissed her face and temple again and again, “I love you. Love you.”
“Love you.” Frankie muttered dazedly, “Damn.”
Bianca carefully pulled out of her, tucking her arms around the shorter girl, “You ok?”
Frankie drew in a shaky breath, “If the distance didn’t kill me, that sure did.”
Bianca huffed out a laugh, nuzzling Frankie’s shoulder, “At least you died in my arms.”
“Uh huh.” She still fought to breathe properly.
Bianca rolled her eyes lightheartedly while watching the rise and fall of her chest, “You used to be smooth in bed.”
“Give me a minute.” Frankie gulped, “Been a while since I’ve had to be smooth and charming.”
“You’re not charming audiences across the country?” Bianca traced the tattoo on the inside of Frankie’s wrist. The one Frankie used to cover with a wristband because her dad was mortified to actually see ink on his child’s body.
“Not like that.” Frankie smirked, “Only one girl I charm like that.”
“Like what?” Bianca playfully kissed her shoulder.
“Private performances.” Frankie snuggled into her, “Label says I gotta charge for my song and dance routine now.”
“I’m sure your fans were sad to hear that.” It meant a lot they were strong enough she could joke about other people wanting private time with her girlfriend, because she trusted Frankie enough to know she would never stray.
“Nah, more sad to hear I’m crazy about this amazing girl who all my songs are about.” Frankie winked.
“All of them?”
“All the good ones.”
Bianca peered over at her, “I love you.”
Frankie’s grin widened, “Love you.”
Bianca leaned over and kissed her, “I missed you, too.”
“Good cause,” Frankie wriggled her eyebrows, “I’d really like to see you.”
Bianca chuckled at the familiar line, “I’d like to see you, too.”
“Cool.”
“How long are you home for?”
“Forever,” Frankie moved further into her, “or the weekend. Main Act got sick, cancelled a few shows.” She exhaled softly as Bianca began to trace the inked words above her heart, “Caught the first flight I could.”
“And sent me a gift.” She smiled, “I love it.”
“I love you.” Frankie captured her hand, “Waffles?”
“Sounds perfect.”
“Awesome.” Frankie kissed her fingers, “I want to hear all about you. Your job, what you’ve been doing, everything. Then, I want to make love to you until we can’t move anymore.”
Bianca touched the corner of Frankie’s mouth. This was what mornings should be like.