**Sorry for the glitch. This is the actual chapter 11. Thanks!
The couple reached the floor and Frankie timidly put her arms around Bianca's waist. They swayed to the rhythm of the sappy love songs that were playing overhead. Bianca could not help but stare into Frankie's eyes. Frankie chewed at her bottom lip and tried her best to just breathe and hold the gaze. My God, she looks amazing. I have no idea what I am doing here. I can't do this. I am feeling too much and I know now that it means nothing. She made her choice. I can't blame her, I was never meant to have her. As Bianca noticed the gleam building up in the hazel orbs, she broke their connection and tried to ease the tension.
"It really is a great party. I am glad you were able to attend. Reggie will be thrilled when he sees that you are here."
Frankie cleared her throat. Man, I am gonna miss that…the way she can just read my mind and seems to instinctively know what I need. "I am glad too. Your sister and her husband look amazing and the decorations are just awesome. What did Reggie and Dani come as?"
"Superman and Supergirl." Bianca said with a laugh.
"Ahh, of course." Frankie said with a knowing grin. "What about your mother and Uncle Jack? Or Myrtle? Are they coming?"
"Oh, I assure you my mother will be making her grand entrance at any moment. Myrtle isn't going to make it tonight though. Her daughter Rae is in town visiting with her. "
"Oh, well I'll have to stop in and see her before we leave tomorrow." Frankie fidgeted nervously as they continued to sway to the beat.
"You are staying overnight then?" Bianca asked. Her interest was peaked. "I mean, I wasn't sure. I didn't know what your plans were."
"Yeah….well, when Jamie and his girl decided to come along, we just decided to stay. We got some rooms at the Pine Cone before we headed over here. "
"Oh, well that is good. I would be worried for you all driving back so late."
Bianca leaned back in closer to Frankie and laid her head on the older girl's shoulder as they finished out the song. Frankie sighed. I have never felt like the way I do when we are just together…just like this. What in the world is happening to me? I can't even describe how she fits. How she knows me…knew me from the start. Everything with her is so easy…and also so painful. Frankie lunged at the force of a pat on her back.
"Mary- Frances! Wow, you have not changed a bit. Well, taller…maybe." Leo spoke as Frankie turned around. She was surprised and a little relieved to see her cousin there. Tall and grinning, handsome as ever and clad in nothing but a leopard print loin cloth.
"Ha! How ya doing, Leo?" Frankie replied. She looked him up and down, taking in the sight of his bare chest and unique costume. "Nice costume. You pick that one out yourself?" Her smirk and Bianca's move to cover her own laugh made Leo a little self-conscious and he reached down to adjust the garment.
"Nope. This has the little woman written all over it. Tarzan and Jane in October would not have been my first choice. Apparently she was on some Marie Antoinette kick but the costume was rented. She isn't thrilled, but…anyway, you know how that goes. I gotta tell you. It has been great re-connecting with you by phone, but I have to say that I am really glad you decided to show up tonight. It has been way too long and it's about time this family gets put back together. Well, you know…now that my mother is locked away."
"Yeah…yeah, I guess it has been a while." Frankie replied. "I still can't believe it about Aunt Vanessa. I mean I knew she was up to no good, usually, but…wow. Eh, It must be something in the Bennett genes."
Leo nodded as he looked up and scanned the crowd. "How is Mary-Margaret doing?"
Frankie mumbled. "I…haven't seen Maggie in years. Not since she left and well, I don't have much reason to go back looking. Ya know?"
"Yeah, Aunt Gwennie was something. Heh…our family, what a piece of work, huh?" Leo excused himself when he heard Greenlee calling his name. "I am being summoned. I will catch you in a bit and we can catch up." Frankie nodded and searched the room for a distraction. I cannot go through another slow dance. Where the hell is Jamie? Ahh, making out in a corner…of course. Man…Reggie, Greenlee, even Erica would be welcomed right about now. With a sigh, she turned to Bianca and said "I need a drink. How about you?" She practically jogged to the bar with Bianca following close behind.
They sat down at the bar after ordering a couple of beers and sat in silence. Bianca was terrified of saying too much and Frankie was just plain terrified. They sipped quietly, catching each other's glances every once in a while. The bartender with the hat returned and smiled at Bianca. "Good! You decided not to leave! I hadn't gotten a chance to pass the message on to Superman. He has been…umm, busy." She laughed as they all turned their heads to view Reggie and Dani gyrating in a dark corner. Then the girl noticed Frankie looking at her. "Oh, The Punisher is here. Nice costume, friend." She extended her hand. "You must be who Elektra has been waiting on. My name is Dee. Dee Cooper. I have been keeping your girlfriend here company and protecting her from the masses."
Bianca felt a little twinge in her belly. She liked the sound of that. Frankie's girlfriend. Frankie neglected to shake the girl's hand. "She…she's not my girlfriend. Just a friend." Frankie quipped. "She is a big girl and knows how to make decisions for herself."
"Well okay then." Dee said in reply. Neither girl noticed the tears swell in Bianca's eyes. Dee withdrew her hand and moved to help a customer as Leo approached Frankie. "Hey cousin, can I borrow you for a bit? I got some folks I'd like you to meet." Frankie gratefully nodded at the interruption and followed Leo to meet David, Anna and Greenlee.
Bianca watched Frankie walk away and turned to Dee. "Hey, can you give me a shot of something? Anything. Actually, maybe a couple of shots." She tried her best to smile.
Dee just laughed. "Well, you are a big girl, after all. Two shots of our finest tequila coming up." She poured the shots and with a wink, downed a third shot herself. Dee watched with a smile as Bianca suffered through the fiery liquid as it burned down her throat. As she finished sucking the last piece of lime, she felt a hint of cloudiness fog her brain. She looked to Dee and said "Hey, aren't there enough of you back there? You are entitled to a break or two aren't you?"
Dee smiled and turned to her co-worker. She removed her apron and adjusted her cap as she came around the bar. She took Bianca's waiting hand and escorted her to the dance floor. Frankie had just been introduced to her older cousin David and his wife Anna.
"It is so good to finally meet you, Frankie." David said with a charming grin, while shaking her hand warmly. "Leo has been telling me so much about you. I haven't seen Aunt Gwen in ages. I didn't even know she had kids. Leo tells me your sister is studying medicine, is that correct?"
Frankie nodded uncomfortably. "I think so, yeah. I haven't seen her in years. She left home, then I did and well our mother is pretty unreachable, usually. I've had no reason to go back."
"I absolutely understand." David said with a knowing look. "Well, maybe in time we can bring her around for a visit. I would love to find out what field she is entering." He then turned to his wife. "Anna, you should know, Frankie is a Criminal Justice major." Anna nodded in surprise. "My wife here is the Pine Valley Chief of Police and has all sorts of connections with various agencies. You could learn a lot from her."
Frankie smiled, suddenly more interested. "Really? Well that is good to know. I have been thinking about my path once I am done. Maybe I will give you a call sometime. I mean, for advice."
Anna smiled. "Sure. That would be lovely. I must excuse myself. David, darling, I need to go speak with Jackson for a moment. He has just arrived." She nodded to the others and walked to the entrance where Erica and Jackson had just arrived. Erica was dressed as Marie Antoinette and Jackson as Louis XVI. Frankie chuckled inside at the pretentious get up. Look at her walking in all fashionably late and seeming surprised by all the attention. Heh, what a piece of work? Amazing that Bianca came from her.
Frankie sipped her beer and listened to Greenlee whining about some nonsense to Leo. She saw Reggie waving from the corner, as he had finally noticed her presence. He began to approach and Frankie turned her attention back to Erica. Erica's eyes swept over the crowd as she graciously waved and gestured at various guests. Then her eyes widened with a rage that matched only that of the day in the parking garage. Shit…surely she didn't see me? What is she breathing fire for? Frankie followed the angry glare and turned to the direction of the dance floor. What the fuck?
Frankie felt her pulse quicken and her grip around her long neck tightened to the point that she was sure she was about to shatter it in her bare hand. There was Bianca, on the dance floor with that bartender. What was her name? Dee or something? Look at her smug little grin. She knows she is lucky to have her hands on Bianca. My Bianca. Her left fist clenched and unclenched at her side while her right grip grew impossibly tighter around the bottle.
Reggie had approached the group, but had not yet noticed his guest's demeanor. Greenlee had included him in her whine fest about the latest argument with Kendall. All of this was just a fuzzy mumbled sound in the background as Frankie zeroed her sights on the tall brunette and her new partner. She isn't your Bianca, Frankie's conscience seemed to argue. Then why the hell do I feel this way? Why do I just want a reason…any reason to go knock that smug ass grin off that cocky bitch?
Bianca danced. She swayed slowly to the music. Her eyes closed. She tried to block out the noise. She ignored the stares that she knew her mother was giving her. She didn't care. She didn't want to belong to anyone. She wasn't her mother's little dress-up doll. She wasn't the moral compass of Pine Valley. She wasn't Sarah's sweet little good girl that would sit and wait forever. She was a woman. She needed to be safe and loved, but not from afar. She wanted to be wanted. She wanted to be cherished and feel needed. The way that she felt every second she was with Frankie. The natural way she fit with the girl, at least up until tonight when Frankie denied her. She knew why it happened. It was truth. That didn't make it hurt any less. The guilt washed over her again and she remembered the pain in Sarah's voice when she confessed about Frankie. The understanding she showed and the effort she had been putting forth ever since. She had to stop doing this.
Bianca was now very aware of how Dee's hands were soothing over her flesh. In fact, not many folks in the bar were unaware. Dee had made eye contact with Frankie and given her a taunting wink. The tension was now oozing off of Frankie in waves. Erica looked at the sight of her daughter being publicly groped and a storm of anger was brewing in her too. She was too far away though, lost in a sea of admirers that she couldn't get through fast enough. Reggie and Leo had begun to notice the spectacle. As had Jamie and Bella. Jamie was now frantically searching the crowd for Frankie's location. He had an instinct that something very bad was about to happen.
Bianca felt uncomfortable at Dee's further exploration of her curves and when her hand grazed too close to the exposed flesh of her thigh, Bianca flinched away. Dee was unsure of the reaction, since Bianca had been seemed more than willing only moments before. Her hand trailed across another exposed patch and Bianca reacted this time with a touch of shock and began to push Dee away. The shots and rum had taken their toll and Bianca proved to be a little unsteady. "Whoa, where are you going?" Dee asked. "Are you okay? Do you need to sit?" Bianca felt a little tipsy. She was shaking No in response and put her hand to her head trying to brace against the dizzy spell. Dee's steady hold was appreciated by Bianca, but to the spectators that crowded the bar, it was easily mistaken for a forceful and unwanted advance.
In just a mere flash of time, Reggie saw what appeared to be a struggle and moved forward just a bit before being pulled back by Leo. "You don't need any trouble. I got this." The two men's exchange and re-positioning gave just the opening for Jamie to locate Frankie. He saw the stance he knew far too well. The beer bottle shattered to the ground. "Stone!" shouted Jamie as he pushed Bella aside and lunged forward. It was too late.
Frankie had reached the pair. "The lady is telling you no!" she shouted. She grabbed Dee and spun her around. Bianca had stumbled backward and was caught by Leo, who was helping her sit nearby as they watched in horror. Frankie's fist connected square into the jaw of the surprised girl. A sickening crack was heard across the now quiet room. Dee's body flew like a ragdoll into the nearby chairs.
"Stone…Frankie, Stop!" Jamie screamed as he cut through on-lookers like a hot knife through butter. Frankie was knelt over Dee. She looked as if she could hit her again but hesitated, as if waiting to see what the girl's next move would be. As Jamie pushed past Reggie, he snapped back to reality from the spectacle he was witnessing. The pair was at Frankie's side in moments, pulling her away from the girl. Jamie tightened his hold, trying to connect with the Frankie's eyes with his own. "Hey, Frankie…calm down." Jamie whispered steady but low. "It's Jamie…It's me."
David rushed to Dee's side and was examining her as Jackson quickly called paramedics. Erica and Anna just gazed in shock, not sure of what they had just seen. Bianca looked only at Frankie. Her eyes full of tears, shock cementing her feet to the floor. Frankie snapped out of her trance. She saw David kneeling beside the girl on the floor and felt the throbbing pain of her knuckles as she flexed her hand in disbelief. Then when she searched the misty brown orbs of the younger girl she thought Oh My God, what have I done? She looked fearful up at Jamie and then back to Bianca, but the girl was gone. She saw the shadow of her figure as it raced out the door.
"Bianca!" Frankie released a mournful cry. In a feat of adrenaline she burst from the restraints of her friends and ran to the door. Unable to be stopped, she was out the door and in pursuit of her lover, before Anna could even realize. Anna turned to Jackson, who nodded. She rolled her neck and let out a sigh. "I'm sorry David." She mumbled to herself. "I have a job to do. The law is the law." Then she pulled out her cell phone and called in a report to the station ordering Frankie's arrest.