Welcome. I have loved AMC for most of my life. Nothing ever affected me like Bianca's journey though. Not any other character or soap. While I enjoyed the journey and was sad to see it end. I thought they did it with dignity that Bianca deserved. Aside from some of the poor choices that writers made, I will forever hold Frankie Stone in my heart. She was an amazing character that received far too little time and far too little credit. The FAB story could have been amazing. Since the errors were made and she left us...I fully acknowledge that Maggie Stone was quite wonderful too. It's Frankie first for me though.
I wrote this story for any FAB lovers out there. (All 3 of us) It takes place partially in PV and other places, yet the characters and timing of events are not cannon. Therefore, I guess it should be considered AU? Maybe? Anyway, it is a story i have been messing with for a while and thought I would post. It is a little adult in parts, so be warned. The stuff I write is not usually for the modest. I try to give it timing and purpose though, not just sexual content for the sake of such.
I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reading.
It was a college bar just like thousands of others across America. A long narrow room wedged in between coffee shops and newspaper stands on a busy downtown strip of some average town. The lighting was dim. The dance floor was overcrowded. There was a long bar to the side, overflowing with folks waving their money and fighting for their position in line for service.
Sexy female co-eds walked around with trays of brightly colored liquid poured into shot glasses and test tubes. Young men were tending the bar at a feverish pace, with muscles rippling out of skintight shirts. Beads of sweat dripped down their cheeks from their perfectly coiffed hair. Young women, dressed scantily with slurred speech and mascara beginning to run, attempted to slip napkins with their phone numbers into the hands of said bartenders.
It was just like any other Friday night, but on this particular night, Frankie Stone was sitting in the back corner of the bar. She sat at a heavy wooden table, on a worn vinyl bench seat. She mindlessly twirled an empty matchbook, after she had burned each and every stick and flicked it into the empty glass nearby. She had been there for an hour, or two, and was now trying to remember why she hadn't left already.
She loved music and the bar had plenty to offer. There was a live band outside and a relatively good DJ inside. If she grew bored, she could easily meander down the block and find one or two more, with the same ambiance to offer. She had been really excited to get out of her apartment. She had a vibe tonight was going to be different, so she got cleaned up and came downtown. She ran into a few people she knew at the start of her night. They talked a little, and she even danced with a girl she knew from school. They laughed and did a few rounds of shots, but then Frankie felt that feeling again.
She felt that feeling of being completely alone in the world, even in a crowded bar. Her attempts at being social made her feel like a phony. The laughter and smiles felt forced. She couldn't look at the girl anymore, much less laugh at her jokes. So she played out one last fake smile. She laid it on thick about how it was great seeing her and they would catch each other later this week. Then she made a beeline for a bar further down the street. Three beers, two rum & cokes, and two matchbooks later, brought her to a moment of boredom. She was ready to call it a night.
When did I get old and boring? She questioned herself. She drained the last bit of beer from the bottle and set it down with the others. She grabbed her jacket and stood up, weaving her way through the crowd. She felt as if eyes were watching her. She scanned the crowd. She didn't see anything, but then a new song was pumped loudly through the speakers above and she paused. She stepped to the side and turned to watch the hordes of sweaty co-eds gyrating on the nearby dance floor. Frankie and her roommate, Jamie, could often be found people watching. She loved observing and reading people. She cursed her friend for not being available tonight. If he were there, they would be scoping out girls and making bets as to who could get the most phone numbers or invitations home. But Jamie was lost in his own little world, tormented over a failed relationship and probably off studying or sitting in his own little cocoon of sorrow.
Frankie continued to people watch and once again felt a heated gaze burning into her. She glanced to the side and caught two brown pools of light gazing into her own. It was only a flash and she turned her head back quickly. The girl was beautiful. She was tall and statuesque. She had ivory skin and flowing brown locks that were almost on par with those eyes. Was she really just staring at me? Frankie questioned herself and eased her head around to see if she could catch a sight of the girl again. She was gone. "What the…" Frankie muttered as she scanned the area. She wondered if she had been imagining things until she caught a glimpse of the girl walking directly across the room and depositing herself against another wall.
Did I scare her off? What is this girl playing at? Frankie wondered. She watched the girl nervously fidgeting, and occasionally throwing another glance in Frankie's direction. Frankie couldn't get the image of the girl and those eyes out of her mind. After a moment of thought, she decided she was going to talk to the girl and find out what was happening. She felt that there was definitely some sort of spark there, yet Frankie couldn't pinpoint it. Her interest had never been peaked like this before. She made her way across the room and could see the blush overtake the brunette's face the closer Frankie became. She leaned in close to the girl and asked the obvious lead in question, "Hey, what is your name?"
The brunette turned her head to speak into Frankie's ear so that her voice could be heard above the speaker banging out rhythms overhead. "Bianca." She stated softly. Frankie felt her nerves stand on end at the feel of the warm breath on her ear, and the name ringing in her mind like music. Frankie cleared her throat, "That is just beautiful…you are beautiful! I'm Frankie. Umm…are you here with anybody?" Bianca shook her head No in response and Frankie could feel her breath hitch a little in excitement. She leaned in again, "Would you like to dance?" Bianca shook her head No, and the excitement started to leave Frankie rapidly. Man, maybe I was wrong. I really thought that there was something to the way she was looking at me. What am I doing? I don't do this. I should have just left when I was gonna.
Frankie was pulled out of her own head when Bianca suddenly took a hold of her hand, leaned in and said "I am just not used to dancing to this music, but if it was different…I would love to dance with you." Bianca smiled and Frankie felt like the wind was knocked out of her. She was completely lost in the girl's eyes, her smile and the feel of the hand in her own. Frankie felt like she was floating. She came back to reality and heard that the music had turned to some slow two-stepping number. She nodded at Bianca. "I know exactly where we can go…you wanna come with me?"
Bianca gestured for Frankie to lead the way. They stepped out of the bar and the chill night air hit them like a wall. Frankie wrapped her jacket around Bianca's shoulders and smiled as she saw the blush overtake Bianca's glowing face once again. "Thank you." Bianca said quietly.
"No problem." Frankie responded and then asked "So, Bianca…I'm sorry, what's your last name?"
"Montgomery." Bianca answered. "And yours is?" Bianca questioned in return.
"Stone…Frankie Stone. Well, it's actually Mary-Frances…but if you call me that I...Well…'Frankie' suits me just fine."
Bianca giggled and said "I agree…I think Frankie suits you better. I like it."
"Are you from around here?" Frankie questioned
"No, I'm just here on a weekend trip." Bianca answered. "My cousin Reggie wanted to come check this scene out. He is thinking about coming to school here and we have a few old friends in the area. We live in a little town called Pine Valley that is about 5 hours from here down in Pennsylvania. He was dying to see the bars and clubs here. I agreed to come along, so we made sort of a mini-vacation out of it."
Frankie processed the response. She felt a little strange twinge in her belly at the thought of the girl leaving, but shook it off as they approached the new bar. "Well then, Ms. Montgomery of Pine Valley…I suppose I better get you out on that floor while I still can." The girls entered the club and made their way towards the floor. They stopped briefly at the bar to order a few drinks.
Frankie felt an unnerving calm in Bianca's presence. She couldn't place it. She picked up girls all the time to party with. From time to time they would even invite Frankie somewhere to 'be alone'. But it felt more like a game. With Jamie along, it most often was. They understood each other and that feeling of being all alone. They shared the common history of love lacking in their lives. Each understood the desire to keep all forms of love at bay as sort of protection. Jamie had been the only person in Frankie's life for some time who knew all the sides of Frankie Stone. She certainly would never grant that right to some random female. Why am I feeling such comfort and familiarity with someone I have known all of twenty minutes?
They stood in silence, listening to the music and sipping on their drinks. A new song came on and Bianca began to sway a little. Frankie took the drinks, set them on the bar and then grabbed Bianca's hand. They worked their way through the crowd and out onto the floor. Frankie turned to face Bianca, their hands entwining, and began to sway with the rhythm. Bianca's gaze locked onto Frankie, as Frankie was lost in the sight of the creamy skin, slender neck and plump red lips. Bianca lowered her gaze momentarily and stepped further into Frankie's body, while pulling her closer.
The moment that followed became a blur to Frankie. Their bodies melded together in perfect rhythm. Bianca slid her delicate arms across Frankie's shoulders and entwined her fingers into the hair at the nape of her neck. Frankie placed her hands on Bianca's hips and felt the nerves within her flesh ignite. She smoothed them across Bianca's curves, until meeting at the small of her back. Through the rocking of their bodies, as they swayed in perfect time, Frankie found her face buried in Bianca's luxurious brown locks. She relished in the softness, the sweet smell of shampoo and the heated flesh of Bianca's cheeks.
When Bianca's nose trailed along Frankie's jawline and her warm breath ghosted across her ear, Frankie pulled back slightly. The girls' eyes met again, the air charged and their breath hitched. The club fell away as lips crashed together. A slight moan erupted from the back of Bianca's throat at the touch of Frankie's lips to her own. Frankie's hands slid downward, groping Bianca's butt and pulling her tighter into her own form. Both girls parted for air breathlessly, finding themselves still gently rocking to the beat. Their foreheads touched and eyes locked as their lips molded into matching Cheshire cat-like grins.
Frankie spoke between gasps for air. "I…I am sorry if I am…I mean…I don't normally…" She was silenced by a slender finger across her lips. Bianca's eyes flashed with desire and her smile widened again, causing Frankie to completely forget her train of thought. She only saw Bianca. The smile, the lips, the eyes…everything about this girl from her body, her voice, even her name…well, it all just made Frankie's nerves stand on end. She wanted to learn everything about her and just soak it all up. She was mesmerized. Frankie came out of her musings and realized she was grinning like an idiot. Bianca's smile grew impossibly bigger and she leaned back in capturing Frankie's mouth with her lips again.
Later, the girls left the floor and were draped together across a lounger on the back patio of the bar. Bianca was telling Frankie about her cousin and what her life was like back in Pine Valley, while Frankie absentmindedly twirled a tendril of Bianca's hair in-between her fingers. Frankie was once again mesmerized when Bianca took a sip of her beer and turned her eyes to Frankie. "So, what about you, Stone? Where do you come from? What is your family like?" Frankie stiffened a little and released the lock of Bianca's hair. She cleared her throat. "I…I came here from Green Bay several years ago. It's just me. I have a friend…my roommate, Jamie. He is like a brother. He…well, he is a character. You would have to meet him. But that is about it. We met about 2 years ago at school. He is gonna be a doctor and I'm studying criminal justice. I am thinking about joining law enforcement, but I don't know. Maybe I will…but for now, I manage a little record store off-campus. I've been doing that for a while."
Bianca's eyes sparkled with interest and wonder in a way that made Frankie's stomach flip. How does she do that? I mean, she just looks at me and I feel like I am describing how to cure cancer or something. Frankie cupped Bianca's face and kissed her lips softly. She closed her eyes as she inhaled the sweet scent of her hair again and pulled back gazing into Bianca's eyes. "Do you want to get outta here? I mean…I'm not trying to be forward or anything. We could go wherever you want…take two cars, a cab…whatever. I just want to be somewhere quieter with you." Bianca smiled and nodded. "I would like that very much. I can ride with you, but I just need to check in with my cousin."
"Okay." Frankie said. "If he wants to meet me, or something, he can. Or you can give him my number…ya know, or whatever. I don't want him to think I am some crazy nut. I give you my word, for whatever that is worth." Bianca giggled at the nervous ramblings and confessions of her new friend. "It is okay, Frankie. I…I trust you. I am a big girl and can handle myself. And…well, I think a crazy lunatic would have been a tad more calculated and smooth than you're being right now." Bianca's melodious laugh echoed through Frankie's ears in a way that washed away whatever embarrassment that comment would have normally invoked. She felt her ears redden a little and just nodded in agreement as she watched Bianca step away to call her cousin.
When she returned, Frankie slipped her hand in Bianca's and asked "Everything alright?" Bianca nodded and Frankie continued. "Where to? You want to eat? Or maybe have some coffee?" Frankie began to guide them out of the bar and towards her car a block away. Bianca just grinned at Frankie and squeezed her hand. "I was actually thinking that maybe we could just go to your place. I would love to see more of your world and where you come from. If that is okay with you?" Frankie felt her stomach drop as the words left Bianca's lips. She stood frozen in place for a second as her wide eyes glared at Bianca, and she cleared her throat. "My place? Umm…okay…okay." She felt the blood begin to flow to her appendages again and nodded her head while opening the car door. As Bianca got in the passenger seat, Frankie muttered, "My place it is." A smirk spread across her face as she shut the door and moved to the driver's side to get in.