Secret
Title: Secret
Author: Fab_fan
Fandom: All My Children
Pairing: Bianca/Frankie
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters
Summary: Can a love like theirs survive in 1830’s Carolina?
It was a quiet night. The moon rose high over the tall oak tree, and the stars dotted the bluish black sky like diamonds. A gentle southerly wind grazed the treetops, a light touch of warmth and comfort in the already calm land. Bianca sat silently in the middle of the vast expanse of solitude. Her fingertips absently brushed the tips of the long stalks of grass. The green was a sharp contrast to her pale flesh. She breathed in the aroma of daffodils and lavender.
It was long past the time she was meant to be in her bed fast asleep. Off in the distance she could see the frame of her house. All the candles had been blown out, leaving the regal grandness to the light of the moon and stars. Her family was asleep. Her mother and father in the master bedroom, her sister and brother in their slightly smaller but equally elegant rooms. Joshua would be splayed out on his bed, his arms askew and his face pressed into the pillow. Kendall slept daintily, curled up with her long curly hair the only thing visible above the blankets.
They all believed Bianca was the same as them, safely ensconced in her bedroom, with curtains drawn and the soft hum of the cricket lulling her like a mother’s lullaby. They imagined everything was as it had been since any of the siblings could remember. The youngest Montgomery went to bed after bidding her family a fond goodnight. She climbed beneath the thin summer sheet that replaced the heavy woolen blankets of winter. Once the candle was snuffed out, her eyes were closed and sleep overtook until the sun was high in the sky. Then, like every other morning, she would wake and dress. She would convene with her family in the dining room for breakfast and eat her toast and eggs while her brother and father spoke about the price of cotton and when it would rain next. Her sister and mother, Erica, would speak about the dress their neighbor Mrs. English wore to the market and the way Mrs. DuPres made a mockery of herself at Mr. Grey’s wedding. Bianca sat and listened, as always, nodding along to what she heard. Bianca was a smart girl, nearing eighteen and beautiful in an understated way. She was not the social butterfly her sister was, but she was viewed by the entire town as a caring soul. Many wondered when her hand would be asked for by one of the eligible bachelors. With the way Erica held herself in town, some even questioned if the older woman wasn’t keeping an outsider waiting in the wings, a duke or something perhaps.
That was what all believed. Bianca was a nice lovely girl simply waiting to be swept off her feet. She did as told and lived her life quietly without sin or scandal. She woke up, went about her day with a friendly smile, and went to bed. That was the life she led. That was what her family thought, and that was what the citizens of the bustling southern town of Pine Valley thought. It was indisputable truth.
It was also dead wrong.
The dim clopping of horse hooves broke the silence. The noise was nearing, the grass slightly muting the clapping so it melded with the crickets’ song. Bianca lifted her russet eyes and peered off into the distance. The edges of her mouth softened and rose into a tender grin when she spotted the horse slowing down as it approached her. She carefully stood up, wiping away the loose stalks of grass that clung to the fabric of her dress. The horse came to a stop a few yards from her. The rider, cloaked from view by the night, swung their leg around and hastily hopped off the beast. The person dropped the reins, knowing the animal would stay in place but not caring at the moment if it ran away.
Bianca bit her lip as the rider swiftly walked toward her. She took her own steps forward, anticipation yearning inside of her. Excitement built with each step.
They crashed together like two comets, celestial beams colliding only to burst into glorious flames of passion and want.
Lips melted together, claiming and being claimed with ferocious hunger. Emotions of every kind sparked between them. Need. Want. Passion. Desire.
Love.
Hands roamed Bianca’s back, pressing her nearer until nothing separated them, not even time or space. Fingers dove into her luscious dark locks, cradling her head as a craving mouth slanted over her own, a hot tongue tasting her with unbridled longing.
Bianca pulled the rider into her, gasping as the sensation of breasts against her own, even covered by the layers of their clothing, registered in her mind. She attacked the supple mouth without care or worry, emotional haze consuming her brain. She wildly grasped at slim hips, fingers darting all over the other woman’s body, needing to feel the heat of naked skin.
Bianca stumbled back a step, one hand stretching out behind her while the other griped the back of a rumpled vest. Kissing her lover, she began to lower herself toward the ground. Sensing the movement, the rider’s hands held onto her. They tumbled to the willowy grass. A moan slipped from the shorter woman as Bianca’s thighs cradled her hips.
Wordlessly, Bianca cupped the back of her neck as her free hand slid between them. She tore at the buttons of the vest, quickly undoing them and pushing the dark purple silk back before fumbling with the expanse of white shirt beneath it. Her palm slid from her companion’s neck and teased the dark blonde, nearly light brunette, hair haphazardly pinned into a workable bun. With a few flicks of her fingertips, the pins were gone and the hair cascaded to the woman’s shoulders.
Bianca groaned as she felt the skirts of her dress bunch up near her waist, the summer breeze tickling her knees.
Her breath hitched as cool fingers brushed the inside of her thigh.
The fingers stilled slightly, not moving higher, but drawing patterns across the tingling skin. The lustful kiss broke apart, both women breathing heavily. Bianca’s eyes fluttered open. Her heart skipped at the muddy brown eyes so close to her own.
“Frankie,” she breathed out, palms drifting up to touch her lover’s face.
Frankie blinked slowly at the touch, air catching in her throat at the love infused in the breathlessness of her name. Her chest clenched as Bianca guided her into a languid kiss. Slow and deep, they reconnected. Not driven by undiluted passion or need, but by the cries of their hearts. Her hands dropped from their path, landing on the ground beside them. She shivered as Bianca ran her hand through her hair. Half aware of what she was doing, becoming overwhelmed by the simple kiss they shared but allowing the small part of her still able to think to appease the need to make this woman feel like the wonder she was, Frankie touched a cotton covered breast.
Bianca inhaled sharply as Frankie’s palm cupped her breast. The shorter girl massaged the bountiful curve, eliciting gentle whimpers from the brunette. She’d foregone the corset normally required when one dressed. Her mother would be beside herself if she knew her child had left without wearing one. Her mother would be more than beside herself if she knew Bianca left without wearing a corset to meet with her lover - a woman.
Tilting her head, Bianca whispered into Frankie’s ear, “I missed you.” She pressed a kiss to the shell of the ear and another right below it. She smiled as the body above her trembled.
Frankie rested her forehead against Bianca’s, “I missed you.”
Bianca smoothed Frankie’s crinkled shirt, “How much did you miss me?” Her tone was teasingly airy.
“Enough for everyone to believe I’ve gone mad.” Frankie smirked, “I walk around all day beweeping my outcast state. I can’t eat. I can’t drink. I do nothing but stare at the road. My family is beginning to believe I should be locked up. They called in a doctor from the nearest asylum.”
“What did you tell him?”
Frankie shrugged, “That I am hopelessly in love with a woman I crave more than any food and thirst for more than any drink. And that if I am not able to touch her one more moment longer I may go insane.” Her smirk turned even more mischievous, “If you see a wagon driving by, do be kind enough to let me know my ride to Fairview is on its way.”
Bianca rolled her yes, “You may be many things, Mary-Francis Stone, but insane is not one of them.”
“On the contrary, you drive me most mad.” Frankie dipped down and kissed her, “I think of nothing but you from sun up till sun down. My dear father has refused me entrance to the library because all I do is read sad love poems and recite them without fail for the rest of the evening. It’s quite a terrible affliction.”
“Terrible, indeed.” Bianca smiled into the kiss.
“Only one known cure for it.”
“And what, pray tell, is that?”
“You.” Frankie tenderly squeezed her breast, “Only you.”
“Then, partake in your cure.” Bianca trailed her finger down the side of Frankie’s face. “I am yours. I love you.”
Frankie gulped, mouth opening slightly at the proclamation. She breathed in unsteadily, “Bianca.”
Bianca stared into her eyes. She could see the sudden uncertainty brewing in their depths. The uncertainty that she knew was always there, simply masked by bravado and sheer charm. “I am in love with you, Frankie. Only you. Now and forever.”
Frankie untangled from the embrace, shaking as she slid to the ground beside Bianca. Bianca quickly sat up, turning to her quivering lover, “Frankie…”
“Don’t.” Frankie held up a quaking hand, “Do not say what it is you are about to say.”
Bianca pressed her lips together, gaze hardening, “And what is it I am to say? What is it I am forbidden, by you, from putting into words?”
Frankie shook her head.
“Do not perceive you can give me orders, Frankie. That is not how our love works.” Her jaw clenched when she noticed the subtle flinch at the word ‘love’. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, Frankie. Do not do this to me. Not again. I will not have it.” She touched her forehead, willing herself to remain calm.
Frankie brought her knees to her chest, elbows hooking around them, “What is it I have done this time? Please, put the words in my mouth you’ve already heard in your head. It makes no difference now if I say them or not, you already believe them to be true.”
The hand dropped, “This! Do not act like a fool, because we both know you are not one. You know exactly what it is I am speaking about.” Her eyes blazed, “Any words I may think are there because you have already said them more than I wish you ever had.”
Frankie scoffed.
Bianca scrambled to her feet, the skirts of her dress rippling around her legs, “I am in love with you, and you cannot even listen to the words let alone say them back.”
“I…” Frankie jumped up after her.
“No,” Bianca interrupted her, “I have heard this all before, Mary-Francis.” She took a small amount of pleasure in the grimace her use of the name everyone else called her lover and which her lover despised, caused, “What we have between us is purer than the freshest of waters, than the air we breathe, yet you will not speak of it. You come here and touch me, yet will not even allow me to tell you how I feel about you.”
“I know what we have! And, I know how you feel!” Frankie countered, “You have said it plenty of times for me to understand.”
“Then, understand I need you.” Bianca waved her hand, “I need our love.”
“And you have it.” Frankie assured.
“Do I?”
Frankie swallowed, “You are questioning my feelings for you? I just rode 10 miles in the dead of night.”
“And you cannot even hear the word love without pulling away.”
Frankie strode up to her, roughly grabbing her waist and pushing into her, “Is this what you want? I am more than willing to be like this with you. I was far from pulling away when I had your breast in my hand, my mouth on yours.”
Bianca pushed her away, “You become obscene when you are this way.”
“What way is that?”
“Hiding from what you really feel. Attempting to pretend you are not as vulnerable as I when it comes to the love we have.” Bianca shook her head, “I am as afraid as you are, Frankie. But, I am willing to be brave because I know this is what my life was meant to have. I will not be happy any other way.”
Frankie crossed her arms, head dropping.
“If you were a man, I would be telling my mother to prepare for my wedding.”
“I am not a man.” Frankie’s head jerked up, “And neither are you. We are not to be married, and we never will be.” She sneered, “All your mother knows of me is what she sees when our families mingle. She does not know how I have held you as you cried out in my arms. Your brother and sister do not know that I have undressed you and touched every part of your body. Nobody knows, and do not act as if they should.”
Bianca steeled herself, “And if they did?”
Frankie choked out a rough laugh, “You may believe in the good in people, Bianca, even when there is none to see.”
Bianca didn’t budge, “You are important to me. The most important person I have ever known.”
“You wish to tell others?” Frankie’s eyebrow rose, “You wish to tell your father I have been lying with you out in these fields? You will be sent off to Fairview before I am.”
“Frankie,”
“And I will be carted off to jail for using my perversions against the town’s beloved daughter.”
“None of that will happen.”
Frankie paced a few steps to her left, “You are being naïve.”
“What I am is tired of living a lie.” Bianca watched her, “I am tired of lying every day to everyone.”
Frankie continued pacing.
“I am tired of not being able to see you but in secret. You are not something to be kept a secret, Frankie. Our love is not to be hidden away like some shameful indiscretion. It is something to be nurtured. To be joyful over.”
“You have lost your mind.”
Bianca stormed up to her, grabbing her arms and spinning her around to face her, “Tell me you love me.”
“What?”
“Tell. Me. You. Love. Me.” Bianca held her. “Say it. Or say that you never wish to see me again.”
Frankie’s face threatened to crumble, “You know I love you.”
“Tell me it. Say it because you believe it, not because you think you must.”
“I must tell you because I believe it.” Frankie took a breath, “I love you. I love you beyond reason.”
“Then, why will you not be with me in the way lovers are meant to be?”
“Because you will be ruined by it.” Frankie beseeched her, “What we have is not understandable by others. They will hurt you because you love me. I will not let that happen.”
“So, you hide away? You only let me see you when we are beneath the moon and out of sight?”
“You would rather see me in a cell with iron bars?”
“I want to see you beside me.” She reached for Frankie’s hand, “I want to see your hand in mine. I am not naïve. I know that there are those who will not comprehend what we feel. But, I cannot let them dictate my happiness. You make me happy. You are whom I love. If I cannot have you in my life, then what is my life meant to be but sadness and regret?” Her eyes pleaded, “My life will be ruined if I am not able to spend my life with the woman I love.”
Frankie stared at her boots, the once shiny leather covered with dust.
Bianca held her breath, waiting for a reply. Minutes past, and not a word was uttered. “Frankie?”
Her head rose, “You are not properly dressed for riding.”
Bianca’s heart stopped. What did that mean?
Frankie exhaled, “You must, then, visit me tomorrow, if you are able to do so. I…I will send my family’s carriage for you. It will be by as early as possible, most likely near lunch. You may dine with us for supper, if you so choose.” She met Bianca’s eyes, “I do so hope you choose to.”
“Supper sounds lovely.” She felt like crying with joy.
Frankie nodded, “Most of my family shall be in attendance. With the shipping trade being what it is, at times father must leave for port to attend to business, but at the moment he is expected to be home all day. If he is not available, the rest of my family will be, including my sister and mother. My cousins will be journeying in within a week. It would be a pleasure if you were able to accompany me for a meal with them, as well. I know they will think very highly of you.” She smirked, “Much higher than they think of me, no doubt. They will be smitten with you in an instant.”
Bianca felt the first tear of happiness roll down her cheek.
Frankie forged on, “I am of the understanding that Mrs. English is holding a birthday party for her daughter Laura in a few days time. Your family will no doubt be in attendance. Mrs. English’s fiancée is a good business associate of my family’s. It would be welcomed if one of the Stones were to attend. While my sister is very much a social being, I am never one to miss a celebration of any sort. I will be accepting the invitation on my family’s behalf, and I would be honored if I could be at your side during the party.”
Bianca tugged Frankie into a warm embrace, “You are welcome at my side whenever you wish to be there. I love you.”
Frankie hugged her back.
“We do not have to rush, my sweet darling. We may take our time, but please know I am so very happy by this. You make me so happy. Spending time with you is all I ask for.”
“Then, you shall have it.”
Bianca kissed her cheek, “I love you.”
“I love you.”