Title: Cigarettes
Rating: G
Disclaimer: Not mine!
Summary: Reese never understood why Bianca had to keep a pack of cigarettes in her purse.
Reese never understood why Bianca had to keep a pack of cigarettes in her purse. Bianca didn't smoke. However, there was always a worn and tattered pack with her. She wasn't the only one who never understood. Lena had been confused when she first spotted Bianca purchasing a package of the cheapest cigarettes that could be found in a local gas station in Pine Valley. Kendall had questioned her relentlessly about it one time, wondering when her little sister started smoking. Even Erica had once noticed the small box. But, Bianca did not pick up the habit. She never would. Smoking was just something she did not want to do. Each question or comment was met with the same reply – she was getting them for someone.
The only one who had an idea about why Bianca Montgomery wasted money on something she would never use was Maggie. She never asked the brunette. She just let it go, but there was a glimmer in her eye whenever she saw the tiny sticks and their wrappings.
No matter what anyone said or thought, Bianca continued to buy cigarettes. She took to buying two packs whenever she saw the right brand. It wasn't easy finding them, especially in France. Sure, the French liked their cigarettes, but not the cheap American kind, and it had to be the cheapest brand made or she wouldn't get them. So, she bought two. One she kept for herself. The other…she kept on hand for when she would be able to get back to Pine Valley.
There was another thing people didn't know about Bianca. Reese never knew that sometimes late at night when the darkness enveloped the world and there was barely a whisper of sound, Bianca would slip out of bed and duck out onto the terrace. She'd bring her pack of cigarettes with her and a lighter. She'd lean against the balcony railing, looking out into the quiet solitude of their estate. Clearing her mind of all the previous day's trials and tribulations, she'd pluck out a thin stick and bring it to her lips. The scent of tobacco would greet her like an old friend. Instantly her mind flashed to a different time. A time when the smell of tobacco and amber laced skin would cradle her face. A time when she would bury her nose in the smoky essence and feel strong fingers run through her hair as a soothing mouth calmed her after a moment of intense passion.
A flick of her thumb produced a small flame, and she lit the tip of the cigarette. She sucked in a lungful of the acrid smoke, coughing as she exhaled the stream of white. The burning end glowed in the night air, and as her body composed after the onslaught of smoke, her eyes locked on the embers. The smell of smoke and tobacco became more powerful and she held the stick between two fingers, much like she had done.
Glimpses of the past danced before her eyes like a slideshow as she slowly allowed the cigarette to burn. Fingers, cracked and bruised, cupping a lighter near sweet lips. The tang of tobacco, amber, and freedom as her tongue met smooth skin. The way her voice would change after a cigarette, whispering sweet simple words into her ear as if they were nothing more than easy promises. A tongue, wet and slippery, touched hers and she could taste the ash but it was so sweet she couldn't get enough. The crooked grin that held the cigarette and the bashful yet hungry eyes as Bianca curled into the warm body and plucked the stick from those lips and replaced them with her own.
She could see the nervous fingers twirling a cigarette as the blonde fought to keep her composure. The many times she would talk unabashedly about how she had always smoked and wasn't going to quit, but she quickly got rid of her cigarette whenever she noticed Bianca approaching. The times Bianca would lay on the guest bed in the dark, sinewy arms lazily thrown over her bare waist and under her head. She would feel soft even breaths against her back as the person slept, and her gaze would land on the bedside table where the battered pack of cigarettes rested. Eying the pack, she would snuggle back into the comforting embrace and let the feelings of hope and love fill her tired body.
When the cigarette burned down to her fingers, she flicked the stub away and took one last deep breath of the sickly sweet smell. Then, with visions of charmingly mischievous brown eyes and the hint of youthful exuberance behind sarcastic chuckles playing across her eyelids, Bianca would slide back into her home and back into bed with her wife.
The next time Bianca, Reese, and their children visited Pine Valley was for Thanksgiving. A day before the big dinner, Bianca gave Reese a peck on the cheek and told her she had to go visit someone and she'd be back later. Without another word, Bianca went out to her car, and after making sure she had her purse, drove away as Reese watched her go, wondering who Bianca was going to see.
The leaves rustled gently under Bianca's feet. The crisp autumn wind lightly knocked the colorful leaves off the strong branches of the old oak trees, dotting the ground with specks of red, orange, and yellow. Bianca stood near the base of the tallest tree in the area. She gazed down at the gravestone. It seemed to shimmer in the afternoon sunlight, the letters sparkling like winks. Taking a breath, the woman sunk down to the soft grass. She reached into her purse and pulled out one of the packs of cigarettes she'd bought at the gas station just outside of town.
"Hey Frankie, got you something." she spoke tenderly. She set the pack down against the headstone along with a lighter. Her fingertips touched the cool rock, and they tenderly traced the letters forming the name of her long ago love. "I miss you."
If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn the smell of tobacco and amber wafted on the cool breeze.