Title: Night Visitor
Author: Fab_fan
Rating: G
Fandom: All My Children
Pairing: Frankie/Bianca
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. If I did, AMC would have been a lot different.
Summary: AU. Ghosts don't exist do they?
This couldn't be happening.
Why did this always happen to her?
Well, not this per say. She'd never actually experienced this before, but still. This was not supposed to happen. It was meant to be perfect. She had just moved away from her hometown. Pine Valley wasn't the biggest city on the planet, and being the daughter of one of the town's most prominent residents made it so everyone was in her business. More than one nosey neighbor had tried to glean information on every facet of her life.
Bianca Montgomery was done with that, now. She had moved a few hours away to a small town in the rolling green hills of Pennsylvania. It was a farming community, and many people lived on large sprawling plots of land. It was perfect for her to be by herself and work on her papers. She was helping a professor from her alma mater – Pine Valley University – research the history of children in the commonwealth – because Pennsylvania wasn't a state – during the time period right after the revolutionary war.
This meant she had a lot of books to read, and the majority of the boxes her sister Kendall and brother-in-law Zach had helped carry in were filled with volume upon volume of history texts and papers. She had moved in during a warm sunny summer weekend. The house was an old farmhouse that was purported to have been built in the early 1700's. Bianca couldn't help but feel giddy at the prospect of researching a time period in a home built back then. The realtor who helped with the rental of the place was strangely overjoyed to sign the papers and even offered to drive her out to the home. The man would only say that it had taken awhile to get the place rented. The owners lived in Florida and never stayed at the farm.
Kendall took one look at the vast empty fields of grass and wildflowers. That was all it took for her to stare at her sister with undisguised confusion. What crazy person wanted to live out in the middle of nowhere surrounded by Amish and cows? Bianca had laughed off her concerns. Kendall got uncomfortable if she was less than twenty minutes from a boutique. The lack of shoes and designer blouses put her on edge, just like their mother.
This was going to be good. She had peace and quiet to continue her research, no nosey neighbors to wonder if she was dating a new girl, and a beautiful landscape to take in during breaks. What more could she ask for?
How naïve could she be?
It started the second night.
She had just turned of the bedside lamp and snuggled under the covers when she heard it. Footsteps. Her eyes popped open, and she froze. She held her breath and listened carefully. The creak of the old floorboards groaned as heavy footsteps made their way down the hallway.
Someone was in the house!
What should she do? What should she do? Her cell phone was charging in the living room downstairs. Who would she call anyway? No one was around for miles.
Bianca breathed in deeply. The footsteps stopped. She had to go see if this person was still there. She hoped it wasn't a burglar. What would they steal? Her history textbooks?
Gathering her courage, she slipped out of bed and grabbed onto the first thing she could – a hairbrush. She slowly walked to the bedroom door and squeaked it open with a cringe. Note to self, fix the squeak. She stuck her head out and looked both ways.
No one was there.
She cautiously stepped out, keeping her back flat against the wall like in the movies. If it worked for them, it worked for her. She walked throughout the house. No one was there.
This continued to happen nightly. There would be footsteps up and down the hallway, but no one was there. It escalated as time went on. The footsteps moved to go up and down the stairs as well. There was knocking on the walls and doors, lights flickered, and she swore she heard a voice once.
That had been it.
"Kendall, you don't understand." Bianca threw her hands up.
Kendall was bent over the table, her laughs echoing throughout the restaurant. She had invited her little sister out to lunch, and over salads had learned of the nightly happenings.
"Bianca…you think…it's…haunted?" Kendall got out between chuckles.
Bianca set her fork down, "I don't know. I left Pine Valley for some peace and quiet, and now all of these things are happening."
"Karma hates you." Kendall stabbed at a sprig of lettuce. "Maybe it's mom; she hated when you left. Ooh, maybe it's her spirit manifesting as a ghoul to haunt you into returning home."
Bianca rolled her eyes, but she wouldn't put it past her mother to do something like that.
"Ok, so you have ghostly footsteps, knockings, flickering lights, and voices. How many horror movies have you seen?"
"I'm not imagining it." Bianca huffed in frustration. "It's weird."
"What's weird is you." Kendall chewed thoughtfully on a piece of chicken. "You of all people think this place is haunted. You're the rational one. You went into academia, for crying out loud. No one will go to scary movies with you anymore because you sit there and explain how that isn't possible. Leo almost killed you when you two saw the Messengers."
"It's not haunted…it's just weird." Bianca sipped her water.
"Maybe you should have a séance. Break out the Ouija board." Kendall joked.
Bianca shook her head, "Whatever. It's probably just the house settling or something. Old buildings can get like that."
"Yeah, sure." Kendall nodded her head mockingly.
"Forget it." Bianca picked her fork back up and pricked a crouton, "How's Zach?"
Bianca popped open the orange juice carton and poured the cool liquid into the tall glass. It was a hot day, and the thought of a cold refreshing drink was too much to pass up. She was knee deep in her books and papers, but decided to take a quick break for refreshment. She screwed the lid back on and put the orange juice away. As she picked up the glass, her cell phone rang.
"Hello?" she carried the glass back into the living room.
"Bianca, it's Kendall. Are you home?"
"Where else would I be?" Bianca sat down on the sofa.
"You didn't have any plans tonight, did you?"
"No…why?" Bianca knit her eyebrows together.
There was a slight pause, "I might have invited some people over to your place tonight."
Bianca sighed, "Kendall, I'm busy. I can't have a bunch of people coming over for one of your wild parties."
"How do you know they're wild? You never go to them." Kendall cut in.
"Because the entire town talks about them for days afterward." Bianca set her glass down on the coffee table. "You have to tell them no. All of my research is out, and it would be a hassle if anything happened to them."
"Bianca, I don't think I can. Besides, it's not a party, so don't worry. I just need you to be there when they arrive."
Bianca frowned, "Kendall, who did you invite to my house?"
"It's nothing bad."
Bianca could hear the sneakiness in her voice, "Who, Kendall?"
Kendall snickered, "I just invited some people who I think can help you with your problem."
"My problem?"
"You know, the ghosts."
"Kendall, there are no ghosts." Bianca picked up a textbook.
"Well, you'll know for sure after tonight."
"What do you mean?"
Kendall could barely hold back the laugh, "I called the Paranormal Research Cooperative Society. They'll be there to investigate your ghosts tonight."
Bianca dropped the book.
The van pulled up around seven.
Bianca could hear the tires on the gravel driveway. The slamming of doors and voices filtered in. She adjusted her purple blouse and straightened to her full height. She was going to tell these ghost hunters there was no point in them being here and to go home. Of course, if they believed in ghosts, who knew how rational they were.
There was a sharp knock on the door. She marched over and swung it wide open, intent on politely shooing them away. She stopped at the charming grin beaming her way.
"Hey, are you Bianca Montgomery?"
Bianca nodded mutely.
"I'm Frankie Stone." The shorter woman held out a hand.
Bianca took the hand. The warm palm enveloped her own and gave a firm shake. She scrutinized the ghost hunter. She was shorter than Bianca, probably around 5 foot, maybe a little taller. She had a t-shirt with the logo of what she assumed was her ghost hunting society on. Her legs were encased in baggy dark blue jeans, and a cell phone was clipped to her belt. Her dark blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and chocolate brown eyes promised a playful soul.
"Nice to meet you." Bianca blushed slightly and pushed a long strand of dark brown hair behind her ear.
"You too." Frankie glanced quickly around the entryway, "I'm with PRCS. Your sister called us about some things that might be happening here."
Regaining her focus, Bianca shook her head, "Yes, I'm sorry about that. She thinks it's funny to have you guys come out here. There aren't any ghosts here."
"Yeah?" Frankie rocked back on her heels, "That sucks."
"Yes, it does. I'm sorry for making you come all the way out here."
Frankie smirked, "No problem. I bet you don't have too many visitors all the way out here. Think of it as a friendly nighttime visit."
"From someone I don't know?"
The smirk grew, "Sometimes those are the best ones."
Bianca chuckled, "Right."
Frankie hooked her fingers in her pockets, "This might be a stupid question, but what's a girl like you doing all the way out here? No offense, but you look like you don't belong here."
"Where do I belong?"
Frankie shrugged, "I don't know. A runway or something? Paris, Milan, one of those places."
Bianca smiled charmed, "I'm not a model."
Frankie just grinned.
"I'm helping with some history research for one of my former professors."
"That's cool. Bet this is a good place to do that."
"It is."
"An old place like this, you sure nothing's been going on?"
Bianca sighed, "There are no such things as ghosts."
Frankie rocked forward, "You sure?"
"Yes."
"Well," Frankie scratched at her cheek, "I tend to think there might be. How about I make a deal with you? We'll check the place out, and if we find something, I win, and if nothing happens, you win."
"What do I win?"
Frankie leaned her shoulder against the doorframe, "Breakfast. I make a mean western omelet."
"What if I don't like omelets?"
"I'm pretty sure you'll like mine."
Bianca snickered, "Fine. But if I win, you have to do something for me."
"I'm sure that won't be a problem." Frankie pushed off the doorframe. "I'll get the others. We have some equipment we need to set up. Your sister said you had unexplained noises?"
Bianca followed her out to the van, "There have been some noises at night. Knocking, footsteps, that sort of thing. It's just the house settling."
"Hmmm." Frankie hummed.
They reached the van. Three other people were huddled around. Frankie pointed to each of them.
"This is Babe." She pointed at a pretty blonde in a pink and white outfit. "This is JR." a man with neatly cut blonde hair and a scowl, "And, this is Anna."
"Hello." Anna greeted in a clipped British accent.
"Hi." Bianca waved.
"Hi! This is going to be great, isn't it JR?" Babe bounced in her place.
"Sure." JR looked disinterested.
"Come on, guys. Let's get our stuff set up." Frankie waved her hand.
"I'll show you around." Bianca offered as JR and Babe grabbed a bunch of wires and cases from the back of the van.
As they walked off, Anna stepped up to Frankie, "She seems nice."
"Shut up." Frankie grumbled good-naturedly.
"What?" Anna smirked, "I was only commenting on her disposition."
"Uh huh. You say that about every girl we run into." She continued before Anna could respond, "I don't need a girlfriend, Anna. I appreciate your concern for me, but I'm ok being single."
"Frankie, when you're not working you're driving around in this van traipsing through people's homes in the middle of the night."
"I like what I do." Frankie slid the side door open. "We find stuff all the time."
"I know you do. I just think it might be nice if you got out and did other things with other people."
Frankie tugged out a case and flipped it open. "Anna, you know I appreciate how you and David support me with this, but you need to back off."
"We just worry about you. Your sister does, too."
Frankie pulled out a few recorders and checked the batteries, "Maggie doesn't believe in any of this, that's why she worries."
Anna smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder, "She loves you."
"I love her, too." Frankie grabbed a flashlight and tested it. "You guys need to stop worrying."
"Ok." Anna pulled her into a one arm hug.
"Yeah, yeah." Frankie looked up as Bianca, JR, and Babe came out of the house. Bianca Montgomery was beautiful. Dressed in a purple blouse and dark tight jeans, her legs seemed to go for miles. Her heart-shaped face held a certain kindness that was hard to find.
"All set up. You can turn on the screens." JR announced, Babe hanging on his arm.
Anna hopped into the van and flipped on the laptop. It flickered to life and showed various parts of the farmhouse. "Looks good."
"Great." Frankie clapped her hands. "The sun is setting. It'll be dark in a few minutes. JR and Babe, you two will stick together. You can start on the first floor. I'll take the attic."
"You're going by yourself?" Bianca interrupted.
"Usually we have another member, but Jaime got sick. I'll be fine. I can handle a couple shadows." Frankie winked.
Bianca crossed her arms. The thought of the blonde being alone in the home bothered her. Who knew what the woman would stir up with her electronics and charismatic smirk? "What will I do?"
"You can hang with Anna if you want. Otherwise, you could go into town and spend the night there. There's a Holiday Inn Express nearby."
"Can I go with you?" Bianca blurted out.
Anna raised a curious eyebrow.
"Um, I don't know if that's a good idea." Frankie was startled at the request. None of the previous homeowners had wanted to join in. "There's a lot of stuff we have to do, and you've never done this. Besides, it can get kinda creepy and…"
"And what? You think I'll scare the ghost or something?"
Frankie shrugged.
"There are no ghosts in there or anywhere else. I won't mess up your little investigation." Bianca was indignant.
"Sounds like you found a new partner." Anna spoke up.
Frankie shot her a look. "Looks like it."
The sun had set a few hours ago, and Frankie led the way up the stairs and into the cramped attic, Bianca at her heels. The small pinpoint beam of light was the only glow in the area.
"What are we supposed to be looking for? Voices or something?" Bianca fumbled with her flashlight in the dark.
Frankie chuckled, "Don't you watch tv or anything? There are a ton of shows about this."
"I'm too busy for tv."
"You're missing out. There was an inspiring episode of sixteen and pregnant last night."
"What?" Bianca clicked on her light. "You watch that?"
Frankie laughed, "No, I've been banned from reality tv. I mock it too much." They reached the attic door. "Ok, let's see what we got up here."
The door eased open and they slipped inside. Frankie took out her EMF reader and held it out. She had marked the normal EMF level of the house earlier and mentally remembered it as she walked around. Bianca followed, eyeing the gadget over the shorter woman's shoulder.
"Hmm." Frankie hummed to herself.
"Hmmm? Hmmm what?" Bianca whispered.
Frankie indicated the numbers, "Look at this. The numbers are jumping here."
"So."
Frankie held it up, "There's a theory that spirits use or are made up of a type of energy that can mess with the electromagnetic field. This measures that field. See how it's spiking like that?"
"Yeah." Bianca breathed, listening intently.
"That could indicate something. I'm going to see if I can find a natural source for this." She took of walking.
Bianca was right beside her, intently watching the numbers appear on the device. "It's only spiking over there."
"Is there an outlet or anything?" Frankie went back to the spot.
"No." Bianca looked around, "There's nothing here."
"Hmmm." Frankie put the device away and pulled out a recorder. "Let's see if someone's here."
Bianca watched her click the recorder on and talk, "Hello, is anyone here with us?"
Bianca thought this should feel weird. She was standing in her attic with a stranger who was talking to nothing.
"Is anyone here with us? We won't hurt you. We just want to talk with you. Can you let us know you're here? Knock on something, make a noise."
They held their breath.
Nothing.
"I told you there are no ghosts. They don't exist." Bianca whispered.
Frankie rolled her eyes. "You sound like Maggie. Give it a little time."
Maggie? Another group member? "You only have tonight."
"I can do wonders in just one night." Frankie winked. "Is there anyone here? Can you let us know of your presence?"
An intrigued smile played at the corners of Bianca's lips.
"Did you used to live here?" Frankie questioned. "Was this your home?"
Bianca didn't hear anything.
Sensing her doubt, Frankie spoke, "There could be EVPs. We might not be able to hear it, but the recorder picks it up."
"Right." Bianca nodded. EVPs? EMFs? This was crazy.
"Can you let us know you're here?"
BANG!
"What was that?" Bianca spun on her heel.
"I don't know." Frankie responded. "Is someone with us?"
A staccato of knocks sounded on the far wall.
"Oh my god." Bianca grabbed for Frankie.
"Cool." Frankie began to walk towards the wall.
"What are you doing?" Bianca pulled her back.
"Checking it out." Frankie dragged her forward, "Come on, there's no such things as ghosts, right?"
Bianca glared at her, "What if it's a burglar?"
"Then maybe we'll get a reward from the police."
They arrived at the wall. No one was there.
"Is there a vent or something noise could come up from?" Frankie shined her flashlight around.
"There's nothing here." Bianca joined in her search.
"Did you ever hear anything up here?" Frankie asked.
"No." Bianca shook her head.
Creeaaakk…SLAM!
They both jumped.
The door to the attic had banged shut.
"The door swung closed." Bianca moved toward the door.
"Might be an air vent somewhere close by." Frankie looked around.
Bianca arrived at the door and pulled on the handle. Then, she pulled again.
"Frankie, this isn't funny."
"You're telling me? I'm the paranormal investigator."
"No, the door." Bianca corrected with a huff.
"What about it?"
"It won't open." She tugged again.
"What do you mean it won't open?" Frankie walked over.
"Is this some kind of practical joke? Did Kendall put you up to this?"
Frankie took the door handle, "How did I do this? I was standing over there with you."
"You could have come in earlier."
"When?" Frankie used all her strength to no avail, "This is the first time I've been up here."
"Maybe you did this to make it seem like they're ghosts here."
Frankie stopped and stared at her, "This is serious work to me. I want to find spirits not scare the homeowner."
Bianca could feel the hair on the back of her neck rise, "You can't open it?"
"No." Frankie grunted, trying to open it again.
"We're stuck up here?" a trickle of fear crept up. This wasn't happening.
"Guess…so." Frankie tugged hard and lost her grip. She stumbled back into Bianca who caught her.
"Careful." She unconsciously wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist.
"Thanks." Frankie blinked at the comforting embrace.
"No problem."
They stood there for a moment. Then, as if realizing what they were doing, they backed away from each other.
"Ok, I'll call Anna. She'll come let us out." Frankie unhooked her cell phone. She frowned.
"What?"
"No signal." Frankie walked around waving her phone.
"Serious?" Bianca crossed her arms, "Great."
"They'll come up sometime. JR and Babe will stop by sooner or later." Frankie put her useless phone away.
"So, we just wait until someone let's us out? Does this happen often in your hunts?"
"Sad to be stuck with me for an hour or so? I promise I'm not that bad." Frankie returned to her side.
"No, that's not it." Bianca bit her lip. It was actually not bad at all. "It's this whole thing. I came out here to work on the research and all of this happens. I might as well have stayed in Pine Valley."
"What are you researching?"
"Children during the period right after the Revolutionary War."
"Oh…that's cool." Frankie nodded. Then, she chuckled.
"What?"
"It's just interesting. You're all into history, but you don't believe in spirits. Historical places are the most likely to have activity."
"So, I should be a believer because I'm a history person?"
Frankie lowered herself to the floor, "No, just saying you might have some encounters, that's all."
"What are you doing?" Bianca gazed down at her.
"Sitting. Might as well get comfortable."
Bianca mulled this over. After a few seconds, she sat down.
"So…tell me about yourself." Frankie leaned back on her hands.
"What do you want to know?"
Frankie shrugged, "I don't know. Whatever you want to tell me."
Bianca ran a hand through her hair, "I'm originally from Pine Valley."
"What's that like?"
Bianca grinned, "You know the telephone game, where you pass on a message from one person to the next?"
"That's Pine Valley?" Frankie surmised.
"That's Pine Valley." Bianca agreed. "Everyone knows what everyone is doing."
"Ooh, sounds like fun." Frankie joked.
"Oh yeah."
"Your sister seems cool, though."
"She is, sometimes." Bianca thought about Kendall. She couldn't believe she had called ghost hunters on her.
"I know what you mean. I have a twin, Maggie. She doesn't really understand the whole paranormal investigator thing." They loved each other, but they had learned to not even attempt talking about Frankie's 'hobby.'
"I don't think anyone does." Bianca bumped their shoulders together. She was stuck in a creepy attic with someone she just met, but she felt more comfortable than she had in a long time.
"That's because we're special."
"Yes, you are."
"Aww, how nice of you to say." Frankie played along.
Bianca chortled, "I should say something nice to you, since you got me locked in the attic."
"Oh, this is my fault? I'm not the one who decided to live in an active house."
"Whatever." Bianca set her flashlight on the floor. "What are we going to do?"
"Twenty questions?"
Bianca stared at her.
"Favorite movie?"
Frankie answered automatically, "Enter the Dragon."
"Bruce Lee, nice."
"Thank you."
"Not the Twilight Zone or the Haunted or something?"
Frankie rolled her eyes, "I guess I could become a kung-fu expert, but Jackie Chan was busy."
Bianca fell into her as she laughed. Frankie flying through the air like kung-fu panda was etched in her mind. As time ticked by, they had slowly moved closer and closer together until they were pressed up side by side.
Frankie unknowingly peered down at Bianca, the brunette head resting lightly between her shoulder and chin. A caring smile twisted her mouth. She didn't know how long it had been since she was this close to someone in this way. She had been with girls, a lot of girls. But, it was only for a night or two. She was with them for purely carnal pursuits. With Bianca, she was hot, no doubt about that. However, there was something else there. She wasn't sure what it was, but she wanted to find out.
Bianca peeked up at the silent woman. Her laughter died down, and she felt her stomach clench at the smile aimed at her. She didn't know how long they were in that attic. They started talking and she got so caught up she forgot they were even stuck.
Her tongue poked out and wet her lips. With an aching slowness, she pushed up and pressed her lips against Frankie's.
Frankie kissed her back. Their lips tentatively brushed against each other and then pushed together more firmly. Frankie brought a hand up to cup Bianca's cheek.
"What is going on up here?" Anna's voice had the two breaking apart. She smirked, "Is this how you hunt ghosts now, Frankie?"
Frankie put a hand up to block the beam of light shining on her face, "You got the door open."
Anna gave her a confused look, "It's not that difficult. You turn the knob and push."
"It was locked." Bianca regained her composure.
"No, it wasn't."
"What?" Frankie shook her head and stood up, "Yes, it was. I almost tore my arm out of the socket trying to open that thing."
Anna watched as her husband's cousin helped the young woman up. "It wasn't locked, Frankie."
Frankie and Bianca shared a confused glance.
Anna jerked her head, "Come on, JR and Babe are done. We're turning on the lights and packing up. They'll go over all the evidence later today."
"Right…well…ok." Frankie nodded and gestured for Bianca to go ahead of her.
"Did anything happen up here?" Anna clicked on the light.
Frankie grinned as Bianca cautiously tangled their fingers together. She squeezed back. "You could say that."
They all left the attic. Bianca bent down and whispered in Frankie's ear, "You owe me breakfast."
"We don't know if there's anything here. We need to check the evidence."
"Either way you're making breakfast."
"Oh yeah?"
Bianca pecked her cheek, "If I win you have to do what I want. I want breakfast."
Frankie stole glances at her as they descended the stairs. "Maybe I want lunch."
"So, brunch?"
Frankie swung their hands, "It's a date."
Bianca loved the sound of that.
Upstairs, the door to the attic swung shut, and a soft satisfied chuckle echoed.