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TITLE: A Thousand Glimpses
SERIES: All My Children
AUTHOR:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dreiser
EMAIL: dreiser7@yahoo.com
YAHOO ID: dreiser7
MY WEBSITE: http://www.dreiser.org/
CONTENT: F/F romance. Bianca/Reese. Breeze.
SUMMARY: Reese Williams had experienced a thousand glimpses of the life she always wanted but until she met Bianca Montgomery she never thought she could have it for herself.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my admittance that I wish I had written Reese as breaking up with Simon before meeting Bianca.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My spoiler predictions were wrong. Sucks! I'm officially over it though. lol. I have some links for the curious.
The Stinky Cheese Man is one of my absolute favorite kids books and I've read a lot of them having a first grade teacher for a mother. I encourage all to read it or to at least have a look at this YouTube video that has clips of the book being performed by a really neat acting troupe. I want to see this book performed live one day. It's just that funny.
I listened to a ton of Ladyhawke while writing this chapter. Here are some songs for her because I'm an obsessive music sharing person: Love Don't Live Here by Ladyhawke : Back Of The Van by Ladyhawke
A Thousand Glimpses
By: Dreiser
Eight
Out of a desperate attempt to keep her inquisitive staff far from her increasingly complicated personal life, Reese came into the office an hour early. It was still dark when she arrived and as she walked into her office, sinking into her ergonomic chair with a sigh, she supposed that she couldn't really blame them. They were a small firm and because of this the employees were exceptionally close.
Everyone at the firm was aware of her wedding to Simon and her own disconnected feelings about it. That kind of thing was hard to keep secret when the bride to be spent most of her time in a different country than the one the wedding was taking place in. Not to mention they had all been witness to Reese's spectacular avoidance tactics when it came to making any sort of decision about the nuptials. It had turned into something of an office joke with many of the staff helping Reese to conceal herself from her mother's visits in Paris during the early weeks of the wedding planning. Sometimes she wondered why they did it. Audrey claimed it was because their employees wanted to spend as much time with Reese as possible before the wedding which they felt would lead to an exodus to her father's firm in New York.
She knew that was what her parents wanted. They wanted her to marry Simon, the perfect son-in-law, abandon her firm, move back to New York, and join Simon and her father in the family business. When she had given up on music and pleasing her mother that way, she fell into the world of design and although at first it was still out of some warped attempt to make her parents happy Reese found herself truly enjoying it. Even as a little girl she had loved going to job sites with her father and grandfather, it was always such fun to her, seeing the sketches they created coming to life in the form of these massive buildings throughout the east coast.
All too soon that love became just as suffocating as new expectations were placed on her. When it was just the music and the manners and her personality it was her only mother's pressure, her dreams for her, but when she revealed she wanted to follow after her father he soon followed suit. At least in terms of her education and career path. He had been in Cornell's architecture program, just like her grandfather, and of course that should be where Reese went to school as well. Naturally, when she graduated from Cornell she would join the family firm.
Paris had been an escape from that future.
The wedding was meant to bring her home, she knew that. It was the reason her mother was so excited about it. When Reese married Simon, she would return to New York because that was where he worked and with him working for her father and them living in New York it would just be natural for her to join the family firm… forgetting all about her own little venture she created in Paris.
Audrey expected her to leave and so did Maurice. She knew that instinctively. From the occasional sad looks they gave her and the underlining snarks whenever her mother called and Simon appeared on her doorstep. They saw her family as intruders to her life in Paris and as much as they loved her they didn't understand her refusal to fight for the life she had created here.
It wasn't that Reese didn't want to fight, it was just so incredibly tiring. Refusing to attend Cornell, running off to Paris, that had been her big rebellion and it caused chaos in her family. So much that she wondered if her parents would ever forgive her. They did though but she knew that it only came from the belief they had that she would return one day. That she had to return to New York and the family firm and the family expectations. It just never stopped. They always brought it up and it wore at her and she wondered why didn't she just do it. Why didn't she do what they wanted and make them happy, it wasn't like she was finding any true fulfillment here in Paris.
While Paris was an escape it wasn't a sanctuary, it never had been, and Reese hadn't found what she been searching for. With those expectations still on her and that emptiness clinging, she met Simon again when visiting her parents for the holidays. He had been kind and gentle and terribly understanding, revealing his own experiences dealing with demanding parents and society gossip. Their relationship just emerged as a natural sort of entity and she felt herself relax around him because when she saw how her parents, how her mother, reacted when she introduced Simon to them she felt their pressure on her lessen for the very first time in her life and it was such a relief.
Simon was a symbol to them. That she was finally falling in line with the life they had always imagined for her and Reese's mother, she was so very happy, she laughed and she complimented and she doted over Simon and Reese in a manner that she had never done before and it caused Reese to just give in. She surrendered to the happiness their relationship granted her parents and she went along with it, so much that when he proposed she didn't have to really think before saying yes. Of course she said yes, he made her parents happy, his presence had somehow taken away that horrible never ending pressure on Reese to conform and fit into their standards and Reese didn't think she could ever find something better than that because the idea of having more, feeling more, was such a foreign concept.
Then she went to a park and got hit in the face with a ball.
Of all the things that could have happened to Reese to change her life, that was the one thing she couldn't have imagined. Just like she couldn't have imagined meeting someone like Bianca and the emotions her existence could evoke. Reese never thought she could feel like this, she never thought that she could care so much and so quickly and feel so very right with another person. Things came so easily with Bianca and Reese found herself telling the brunette things she had kept hidden for years just because it felt safe to tell her.
Being with Bianca felt right. More than anything ever had in Reese's life and she was happy. Deliriously happy. She had been ever since their date on Saturday night. Most of Sunday had been spent with her head in the clouds, a floating contentment surrounding everything she did, it didn’t go away either, it stayed with Reese, lingering just like the memory of Bianca's kisses. Reese knew she wouldn't able to hide it from her staff and that's why she came in the office early, hoping by their afternoon meeting it wouldn't be nearly so obvious.
When the meeting ended and Audrey followed her into her office, Reese knew that she failed. That or the other woman somehow had psychic knowledge of her date with Bianca. She wouldn't put it past the redhead, she had strange skills that way.
"Well?" Audrey drew the word out, wearing a look of expectation on her features.
Instead of responding, Reese walked over to her desk and began arranging the schematics she had taken to the meeting. She did this for almost a minute and they remained in silence until Audrey cleared her throat. Sighing heavily, Reese looked up at the other woman and said rather defensively, "What? What is it, Audrey? What do you want me to tell you?"
Raising an eyebrow at this outburst, Audrey replied, "Explaining why happiness has apparently led paranoia would be a start."
"I'm sorry," said Reese wearily, collapsing in her chair and looking at Audrey forlornly. "It just bothers me that you, Maurice, and everyone around here can somehow read me like a book lately. I'm not used to it."
"Your stress has been increasing and you cannot hide yourself as well as you once did," Audrey explained, walking over to the blonde. She perched herself on the corner of Reese's desk and looked at her with a lidded gaze. "How many weeks until the wedding?"
"Three," Reese muttered and she stared at the desk, her jaw setting in a firm clench. She released it after several moments then revealed in a quiet confession that Audrey had to strain to hear, "I'm not going to marry Simon."
Green eyes became comically wide then Audrey tilted her head, a smirk on her lips as she asked, "This is why you are so happy?"
"No," said Reese with a laugh, shaking her head. "I went on a date with Bianca on Saturday."
Silence as Audrey studied her with knowing eyes, inspecting her quite closely, enough that Reese felt something like a scientific experiment and then she smiled slowly, looking very pleased and quite smug, as she murmured, "Then I was correct. You do care for her."
"It doesn't make sense, does it?" asked Reese, looking to Audrey for confirmation and some type of reassurance. That she wasn't alone in thinking these sudden whirlwind of emotions that Bianca created in her simply weren't the norm. "I know I just met her but it doesn't feel that way. It feels like we've been close forever and when I'm with her it's so easy, Audrey. I feel safe and it's like everything is right in the world."
"Love isn't about sense, it is about feeling," said Audrey wisely. "I find it best not to question such things."
"Maybe," said Reese, releasing a self conscious laugh, leaning back in her chair. She stared out the long windows of her office, down the street and in the direction of Bianca's house as she said with grim humor, "My mother will go nuts when she finds out."
"A distinct possibility," said Audrey lightly, a smile in her voice. "Your father will also be less than pleased. I am sure he felt Simon being in his employ would lead to you abandoning us and joining his firm in New York. He has been after you to do this for years."
"I don't want to leave," Reese said, looking to the other woman seriously. "I'm proud of what we've created here."
"I know," said Audrey and she wore an understanding smile, cupping the blonde's cheek and looking at her almost sadly. "But all the same, should you have chosen to marry Simon eventually you would have returned to New York. We were all aware of this." Her smile turning a bit wicked, she tilted her head and said, "Why do you think Maurice and I were so against it? Pure selfishness."
"You knew I wouldn't be happy with him," replied Reese. "And you were right. I wouldn't have been."
"When will you speak to Simon?" questioned Audrey.
"He's flying back on Sunday," said Reese and she grimaced at the idea of having the conversation with him. She didn't like the idea of hurting him and she knew ending their engagement would, no matter what she believed he might suspect about her predilections. "I don't want to do it over the phone. It wouldn't be right." She paused and looked to Audrey wryly as she said, "My parents on the other hand…"
"You are lucky your mother despises international flights," Audrey laughed, pushing herself off the desk. "If you were in the United States she would track you down like an expert hunter, trapping you until you explained precisely your reasons for ending the engagement."
"God," Reese groaned, squeezing her eyes shut, rubbing her forehead. "She's going to be furious. You know she's planned the entire wedding? I haven't had anything to do with it. All the planning has been done by her and Simon whenever he's in the states."
"Reese," Audrey said her name, quiet but powerful, and the blonde was immediately compelled to look at her. When she did, she was met with a compassionate gaze and Audrey murmured, "You must do this. The wedding, no matter who has planned it, was to be yours. This is your life and it is well past time that you took control of it. I know the expectations your mother has placed on you and how you have always tried to meet them but that was never something you should have felt necessary. Your life must be your own. She has to accept that."
"I'm scared how they'll react," confessed Reese and it was the truth.
She was scared because she had never done anything like this before. Her rebellion by going to Paris was minor compared to ending her engagement a few weeks before the wedding. By doing this she was effectively rejecting her parents plans for her and she had never done anything close to that before. Her life was formed in the idea she was meant live up to the expectations they placed on her and by doing this… by refusing to marry Simon, she was ending that for good. Part of her wondered if they would ever forgive her for it.
"When you become frightened, remind yourself of Bianca and the feelings you have when with her," advised Audrey kindly. She paused for a moment, seeming to mull something over before she said, "You must also consider it need not all be said at once."
"You don't think I should come out?" asked Reese, looking at Audrey, unable to believe that's what the redhead was saying. Her being closeted had been a major point of contention during their relationship in college and had led to their eventual break up.
"No, I am not saying that," Audrey corrected. She paused to gather her thoughts before she continued, "I think perhaps it might be best that you tell your parents after they have been able to process your relationship ending with Simon. As you said, they will not take it well when you announce that the wedding is off. Informing them of your sexuality at the same time would only aggravate the situation."
"I think you're right," said Reese quietly.
Telling her parents she was a lesbian wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. She knew this instinctively. Bad as things might become when she told them she wasn't going to marry Simon it would be much worse when she revealed the reason why. Though she had always avoided thinking about the ramifications of coming out Reese couldn't help but fixate on it. Usually in the dark of night, she would contemplate their reactions and it had always been one of horror and rejection. Her family wasn't especially religious but they were very rigid in their ideas of who she should be and being a lesbian definitely didn't fit into their viewpoint of who Reese Williams was as a person.
"You are doing what is best for you," Audrey's voice drifted in the air and Reese looked up to see her friend smiling at her. She tossed her red hair over her shoulder, exiting her office in a strut as she called over her shoulder, "It is a most refreshing change."
Chuckling at this, Reese shook her head and found herself able to finally concentrate on her work. The hours passed without her quite keeping track of them, slipping past unnoticed, like they always did when she was absorbed in her work and when her cell phone rang she was surprised to see it was already past five o'clock. A wide smile immediately formed on her features on seeing Bianca's name and she answered it with a happy drawl, "I was wondering when you would call."
"I said Monday!" exclaimed Bianca in an instant protest and Reese laughed at her reaction. She heard the brunette huff over the line then she said, "You shouldn't tease me. I could get honestly offended by it one day then you wouldn't see me anymore."
"Impossible," Reese declared, spinning in her chair and looking out her window and down Bianca's street. "You like me too much."
Silence and Reese began to wonder if she had said too much, assumed something she shouldn't have, then Bianca grumbled and said with a rather relenting tone, "It still isn't nice to tease people. Especially when they're calling with invitations."
"Where to?" asked Reese playfully. "Another carnal play?"
"No," said Bianca who sounded altogether exasperated but in such a way that Reese rather thought she enjoyed it. For some reason it reminded Reese of the way the brunette spoke of her family and the idea she was in their company pleased her. Perhaps because it hinted at a sense of permanence. Though she found it strange to consider such things so soon but she couldn't seem to help herself. It just came so very naturally with Bianca. "First of all, are you still at your office?"
"I'm sitting behind my desk as we speak," said Reese, trying very hard to contain her curiosity. "Why?"
Instead of a response, there was someone calling Bianca's name in the background then Reese heard the other woman's muffled reply and she returned, a little breathless as she said, "Sorry about that." After Reese gave assurances it was all right, Bianca continued with a playful tone that matched the blonde's and said, "I was going to invite you over for dinner but you insisted on being mean to me."
"I object to the word mean, I wasn't mean. If anything I was maybe, just maybe, acting rascally," Reese revealed.
"Rascally?" repeated Bianca with a laugh. "What's next? Confessions of being a scalawag?"
"I was never a pirate," said Reese, sounding horribly offended. "I might be seafaring but I've never plundered any booty."
"I'm sure," said Bianca skeptically. A pause then she asked a bit wryly, "Did you want to come over for dinner? We're eating in a half an hour. Madame Trotter is making authentic Coq au Vin for us but please don't tell Miranda it's made with rooster and not chickens. I have a sneaking suspicion if she found out it would end up in another bout of that's weird food and I won't eat it refusal."
"I'd love to have dinner with you," said Reese, unable to keep the warmth from her voice as she spoke and not sure she wanted to in the first place. "When should I get there? A half an hour on the dot?"
"Come over whenever you like but if you're not here by five thirty I can't guarantee we won't start without you," said Bianca humorously. "The natives tend to get restless when it comes to food in these parts."
Reese was already on her feet, gathering her purse and walking out the door to her office, locking it behind her as she said, "Can you guess what I'm doing?"
"Hiding from nosy coworkers?" asked Bianca drolly.
"You're funny," said Reese in a sardonic compliment, stepping off the elevator and waving at Danielle who was going through her nightly routine of checking the building before she left for the day. As their lobby secretary she was in charge of locking their two entrances and making sure the lobby was clean and ready for opening in the morning. Stepping out onto the street, Reese headed east on Avenue Secretan, waiting for traffic to clear before jogging across the street to turn right down Avenue Mathurin Moreau. "Guess again."
"Thinking of ways to subtly tell Miranda that our dinner is made of scary fighting roosters without me finding out?" Bianca tried again.
"No," Reese burst into laughter while she neared the innocuous brick house with white and pepto bismol pink arches and moldings that caused her to grimace at the color. She agreed with Bianca's mother. They really were ugly. Making her left hand into a fist and knocking loudly on the door, she questioned, "Do you hear that?" She listened to Bianca's laugh then the faint rustle of clothing as Reese assumed she walked to the door and then it was pulled open to reveal the brunette's smiling face, holding a cell phone at her side. An impossibly large grin on her features, Reese drawled, still speaking into her phone, "Surprise."
Bianca's only response was to laugh happily and pull Reese into the house.
---
Regardless of Bianca's implications, Reese didn't tell Miranda that their dinner was made with roosters instead of chicken, and the child ate her entire serving but only after she insisted her mother cut it up into the most microscopic portions imaginable. Reese was secretly entertained and impressed by Bianca's patience as she cut the food up again and again, pausing each time to ask Miranda if it was the proper size for eating yet and simply redoing her efforts when the child said no. After dinner, Miranda took Reese by the hand, pulling her into her room and introducing her to a multitude of dolls, several Reese recognized from her first visit to the house when they were at the kitchen table having a tea party. She was further charmed when the child said that two of the dolls were in the midst of an argument and weren't speaking.
While she wouldn't admit it, particularly to Bianca, who watched this exchange with a fond expression from the doorway, Reese suspected that the argument among the dolls was perhaps influenced by Miranda witnessing certain behaviors from her mother's family. The litany of tales she heard from Maurice about not only Erica Kane but Bianca's sister, Kendall Hart, gave Reese the impression that the women in their family weren't exactly the wilting flower type. It made Reese slightly curious to find out if Bianca had any such tendencies.
Just slightly though.
Eventually they settled into the living room where Miranda produced a box that was worn at the edges and caused Reese to grin widely as she recognized the board game as a familiar favorite from her own childhood. When Bianca looked to Reese with a questioning gaze, clearly trying to discover without words if Reese was willing to spend time in this activity, Reese turned to an expectant Miranda and said when she was a little girl she thought the Candy Cane Forest had to be a real place. A piece of information Miranda delighted in before asking Reese quite seriously what color gingerbread man did she want to be, advising that she felt green had the best luck.
They played Candy Land until Bianca eyed the clock, determining it was bedtime and Miranda was thoroughly disappointed until she managed to wrangle a promise out of Reese to stay for her nightly story. When Bianca instructed her to find Adele and get ready for bed, she skipped off with a happy affirming yell, and Bianca watched her daughter's exit with a bemused expression.
"I'm sorry," Bianca began, looking to Reese, her dark eyes apologetic but filled with affection. "I shouldn't have let Miranda bully you into getting involved with our story time. If you want I can make an excuse for you--"
"Wait a minute," interrupted Reese with good natured offense, holding up a hand. "Are you doubting my story telling skills?"
A pause then Bianca looked at her wryly, though the affection remained in her gaze along with a definite relief that Reese was still enjoying her time with them, and she arched an eyebrow as she replied, "Well, how much experience do you have?"
"Some people don't require experience," declared Reese, doing her best to look supremely confident and not at all sure if she was succeeding by the way Bianca looked at her indulgently. "Some have innate story telling talent."
"And you're one of those people," said Bianca in a pithy reply.
"I am the woman of a thousand voices," Reese announced, hooking her arm with Bianca's, and heading down the hallway to follow after Miranda's shout that she was ready for her story. "You'll think I'm a human chameleon when you hear it for yourself. I'm great at it."
"Right," Bianca said slowly, drawing it out, and her dark eyes were shining as they walked into Miranda's room.
Upon entering they were boisterously greeted by Miranda who sat on the floor in front of her bookcase that was filled with stacks of brightly colored books. She was scanning the spines, clearly looking for a familiar title. When she found it, she bounced to her feet and presented the book to Reese, revealing her Wonder Woman pajamas in the process, causing Reese smile crookedly.
"I like your pajamas, Miranda," complimented Reese, taking the book from the child without looking at its title.
"Aunt Kendall bought them," Miranda said proudly, thrusting her chest out as if to emphasize the Wonder Woman insignia, placing her hands on her hips. "'Cause I'm tough."
"Clearly she's a smart aunt," said Reese with a chuckle, smiling as Miranda agreed enthusiastically and climbed onto her small twin bed, snuggling beneath the covers. Once she settled in with Bianca's help, she reached out to Reese, instructing her in solemn tones to sit on the other side of her. Sitting down to the left of Miranda and smiling at Bianca over the little girl's head, Reese finally looked at the book she held in her hands and found herself chuckling again as she read aloud, "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales."
"It's funny!" insisted Miranda, opening the book for Reese. She looked up with big brown eyes and asked, "You'll read it?"
"Of course, I will," said Reese in reassuring tones, smiling at Miranda who beamed up at her and was promptly satisfied.
"Stinky Cheese Man is a long book, Miranda," remarked Bianca and Reese couldn't help but be charmed by the motherly tone the brunette took on. It was soft and understanding but there was an authority to it that still retained a underlining kindness. One that Miranda responded to with a nod and a wide gaze. "You can pick three of the stories in it for Reese to read to you, all right?"
Nodding in affirmation, Miranda scooted closer to Reese, leaning over her to flip the pages with her small hands. Finally stopping at the page that had the title Chicken Licken at the top and featured a picture of a strange looking green bird on the right side. Reese arranged herself for a moment, clearing her throat and placing the book on Miranda's lap so the child could see the pictures when she turned the page.
"Once upon a time Chicken Licken was standing around when a piece of something fell on her head," Reese began in an utterly serious narrator voice that was a mimic of the announcer from Masterpiece Theater. Distantly she heard Bianca hold back a snort of laughter and a grin crept onto the corners of her lips as she continued, "She wasn't the brightest thing on two legs, so she started running around in a circle clucking." Reese paused for a moment, changing her voice to something far more high pitched and panicked, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We must tell the President!" Returning to her Masterpiece Theater voice, she continued, "Chicken Licken ran to her friend Ducky Lucky and clucked." Again came the high pitched and panicked voice, causing Miranda to giggle as she said, "Ducky Lucky! Ducky Lucky! The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We must tell the President!"
Twenty minutes later, Reese was finishing the last story, The Really Ugly Duckling, and Miranda was quietly dozing at her side. Lowering her Masterpiece Theater narrator voice to a soft murmur, she finished, "Well, as it turned out, he was just a really ugly duckling. And he grew up to be just a really ugly duck. The End." Closing the book as silently as possible, she shifted off the bed, smiling when Miranda released a sleepy protest that was hushed by Bianca smoothing her hair and kissing her on the cheek. Reese was kneeling in front of the bookcase, putting the book back where Miranda had gotten it, smiling at the other clearly humorous titles she found there when she felt Bianca's light touch at the back of her neck, playing with her hair. Looking up at the other woman, Reese said in a whisper, "I told you I do great voices."
For a response, Bianca rolled her eyes, and released an exaggerated but purposefully muted laugh, tugging the blonde to her feet and holding her hand as she led Reese out of Miranda's bedroom. With one last look backwards at her daughter, Bianca shut her bedroom door, leaving it a bit ajar just in case Miranda should wake up and go looking for her. The house had a dim glow about it as they walked back towards the living room where the Candy Land game had magically been put away, something Reese attributed to Adele, whom she had met briefly.
"We're alone," Bianca informed as if sensing the other woman's line of thought. "Adele and Madame Trotter are gone for the evening."
"And?" questioned Reese rather expectantly, lifting an eyebrow in lighthearted challenge.
"You enjoy being difficult, don't you?" accused Bianca, her tones playful. Wagging her finger at the blonde, she said, "I'm onto your games. You're not nearly as clever as you think, little miss rascally."
Releasing an almost elated laugh, Reese grabbed the finger and deposited a kiss on its tip. Dropping her hands to Bianca's hips, she pulled the brunette forward until their bodies were gently pressed together and she replied, "What exactly are you onto?"
"I'm onto…" Bianca started off sounding completely confident but her expression wavered and she trailed off, descending into laughter at Reese's somber expression that seemed to demand an answer. Dropping her head onto Reese's shoulder, Bianca's breath was warm on the blonde's skin as she murmured, "Now I'm not sure anymore. You have talent for confusing me in a very nice way."
Smiling tenderly on hearing this, Reese buried her fingers in Bianca's dark hair, combing through the locks as she said softly, "I had fun tonight. It was even better than seeing the carnal play and much more child friendly."
"Really?" asked Bianca, her voice plaintive, expression almost concerned as she lifted her head to look at Reese.
"Really," Reese reassured and she paused, tilting her head to take in Bianca's pale features, so open and honest, displaying a wealth of emotions, each of them making her heart beat that much faster. Cupping the brunette's face in her hands, her thumbs gently caressing the silken skin in a bare touch, Reese murmured, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since Saturday."
"Me too," said Bianca in a whisper, her voice secretive, possessing a shy quality. Reese chuckled at this and Bianca rolled her eyes again, a faint pout forming as she said, "Don't you start teasing me. Remember what I told you before?"
"No," remarked Reese, obviously fibbing and moving in for a kiss before Bianca could reply.
The kisses they had shared on their date, Reese had relived them a hundred times in her mind. Enough she had them memorized. The way that Bianca tilted her head and opened her mouth ever so slightly in encouragement to deepen their kiss. She had gone over them so many times that Reese wondered if maybe she had started to add things to her memories. That maybe the kisses weren't nearly as powerful and passionate as she remembered but as she kissed Bianca now, she realized she had been wrong, because this time it was even better.
It was more detailed, more intense, and more sensual in its demanding. Reese had been the one to start this kiss but Bianca was the person in control of it, sucking hard on Reese's tongue and exploring the recesses of her mouth with a single minded concentration that left her weak at the knees and shaky in Bianca's embrace. When they parted for air, there was a moment of respite, then Bianca was kissing her again, this time small and eager nips and tugs, mischievous and jovial in their touch, causing Reese to smile and laugh as the kiss became soft and slow, making her moan into the other woman and drop her hands down to cup the curve of Bianca's rear.
The dark haired woman dipped her head down, leaving a line of kisses on Reese's neck and the blonde instinctively threw her head backwards, exposing more of her neck as she slid her hands upwards to tangle in Bianca's hair and gasped at the sensation. She felt Bianca smile against her skin and she couldn't help but smile in return, especially when she heard the other woman said in low and throaty tones, "See why you shouldn't tease me?"
Moving her head so she was looking into Bianca's waiting gaze, a smile twitching at the edge of her lips, Reese feigned a look of total ignorance and said again, in entirely blasé tones, "No."
At this, Bianca could only give a frustrated growl and another kiss. Something that didn't bother Reese in the least.
To be continued...
SERIES: All My Children
AUTHOR:
dreiserEMAIL: dreiser7@yahoo.com
YAHOO ID: dreiser7
MY WEBSITE: http://www.dreiser.org/
CONTENT: F/F romance. Bianca/Reese. Breeze.
SUMMARY: Reese Williams had experienced a thousand glimpses of the life she always wanted but until she met Bianca Montgomery she never thought she could have it for herself.
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but my admittance that I wish I had written Reese as breaking up with Simon before meeting Bianca.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: My spoiler predictions were wrong. Sucks! I'm officially over it though. lol. I have some links for the curious.
The Stinky Cheese Man is one of my absolute favorite kids books and I've read a lot of them having a first grade teacher for a mother. I encourage all to read it or to at least have a look at this YouTube video that has clips of the book being performed by a really neat acting troupe. I want to see this book performed live one day. It's just that funny.
I listened to a ton of Ladyhawke while writing this chapter. Here are some songs for her because I'm an obsessive music sharing person: Love Don't Live Here by Ladyhawke : Back Of The Van by Ladyhawke
A Thousand Glimpses
By: Dreiser
Eight
Out of a desperate attempt to keep her inquisitive staff far from her increasingly complicated personal life, Reese came into the office an hour early. It was still dark when she arrived and as she walked into her office, sinking into her ergonomic chair with a sigh, she supposed that she couldn't really blame them. They were a small firm and because of this the employees were exceptionally close.
Everyone at the firm was aware of her wedding to Simon and her own disconnected feelings about it. That kind of thing was hard to keep secret when the bride to be spent most of her time in a different country than the one the wedding was taking place in. Not to mention they had all been witness to Reese's spectacular avoidance tactics when it came to making any sort of decision about the nuptials. It had turned into something of an office joke with many of the staff helping Reese to conceal herself from her mother's visits in Paris during the early weeks of the wedding planning. Sometimes she wondered why they did it. Audrey claimed it was because their employees wanted to spend as much time with Reese as possible before the wedding which they felt would lead to an exodus to her father's firm in New York.
She knew that was what her parents wanted. They wanted her to marry Simon, the perfect son-in-law, abandon her firm, move back to New York, and join Simon and her father in the family business. When she had given up on music and pleasing her mother that way, she fell into the world of design and although at first it was still out of some warped attempt to make her parents happy Reese found herself truly enjoying it. Even as a little girl she had loved going to job sites with her father and grandfather, it was always such fun to her, seeing the sketches they created coming to life in the form of these massive buildings throughout the east coast.
All too soon that love became just as suffocating as new expectations were placed on her. When it was just the music and the manners and her personality it was her only mother's pressure, her dreams for her, but when she revealed she wanted to follow after her father he soon followed suit. At least in terms of her education and career path. He had been in Cornell's architecture program, just like her grandfather, and of course that should be where Reese went to school as well. Naturally, when she graduated from Cornell she would join the family firm.
Paris had been an escape from that future.
The wedding was meant to bring her home, she knew that. It was the reason her mother was so excited about it. When Reese married Simon, she would return to New York because that was where he worked and with him working for her father and them living in New York it would just be natural for her to join the family firm… forgetting all about her own little venture she created in Paris.
Audrey expected her to leave and so did Maurice. She knew that instinctively. From the occasional sad looks they gave her and the underlining snarks whenever her mother called and Simon appeared on her doorstep. They saw her family as intruders to her life in Paris and as much as they loved her they didn't understand her refusal to fight for the life she had created here.
It wasn't that Reese didn't want to fight, it was just so incredibly tiring. Refusing to attend Cornell, running off to Paris, that had been her big rebellion and it caused chaos in her family. So much that she wondered if her parents would ever forgive her. They did though but she knew that it only came from the belief they had that she would return one day. That she had to return to New York and the family firm and the family expectations. It just never stopped. They always brought it up and it wore at her and she wondered why didn't she just do it. Why didn't she do what they wanted and make them happy, it wasn't like she was finding any true fulfillment here in Paris.
While Paris was an escape it wasn't a sanctuary, it never had been, and Reese hadn't found what she been searching for. With those expectations still on her and that emptiness clinging, she met Simon again when visiting her parents for the holidays. He had been kind and gentle and terribly understanding, revealing his own experiences dealing with demanding parents and society gossip. Their relationship just emerged as a natural sort of entity and she felt herself relax around him because when she saw how her parents, how her mother, reacted when she introduced Simon to them she felt their pressure on her lessen for the very first time in her life and it was such a relief.
Simon was a symbol to them. That she was finally falling in line with the life they had always imagined for her and Reese's mother, she was so very happy, she laughed and she complimented and she doted over Simon and Reese in a manner that she had never done before and it caused Reese to just give in. She surrendered to the happiness their relationship granted her parents and she went along with it, so much that when he proposed she didn't have to really think before saying yes. Of course she said yes, he made her parents happy, his presence had somehow taken away that horrible never ending pressure on Reese to conform and fit into their standards and Reese didn't think she could ever find something better than that because the idea of having more, feeling more, was such a foreign concept.
Then she went to a park and got hit in the face with a ball.
Of all the things that could have happened to Reese to change her life, that was the one thing she couldn't have imagined. Just like she couldn't have imagined meeting someone like Bianca and the emotions her existence could evoke. Reese never thought she could feel like this, she never thought that she could care so much and so quickly and feel so very right with another person. Things came so easily with Bianca and Reese found herself telling the brunette things she had kept hidden for years just because it felt safe to tell her.
Being with Bianca felt right. More than anything ever had in Reese's life and she was happy. Deliriously happy. She had been ever since their date on Saturday night. Most of Sunday had been spent with her head in the clouds, a floating contentment surrounding everything she did, it didn’t go away either, it stayed with Reese, lingering just like the memory of Bianca's kisses. Reese knew she wouldn't able to hide it from her staff and that's why she came in the office early, hoping by their afternoon meeting it wouldn't be nearly so obvious.
When the meeting ended and Audrey followed her into her office, Reese knew that she failed. That or the other woman somehow had psychic knowledge of her date with Bianca. She wouldn't put it past the redhead, she had strange skills that way.
"Well?" Audrey drew the word out, wearing a look of expectation on her features.
Instead of responding, Reese walked over to her desk and began arranging the schematics she had taken to the meeting. She did this for almost a minute and they remained in silence until Audrey cleared her throat. Sighing heavily, Reese looked up at the other woman and said rather defensively, "What? What is it, Audrey? What do you want me to tell you?"
Raising an eyebrow at this outburst, Audrey replied, "Explaining why happiness has apparently led paranoia would be a start."
"I'm sorry," said Reese wearily, collapsing in her chair and looking at Audrey forlornly. "It just bothers me that you, Maurice, and everyone around here can somehow read me like a book lately. I'm not used to it."
"Your stress has been increasing and you cannot hide yourself as well as you once did," Audrey explained, walking over to the blonde. She perched herself on the corner of Reese's desk and looked at her with a lidded gaze. "How many weeks until the wedding?"
"Three," Reese muttered and she stared at the desk, her jaw setting in a firm clench. She released it after several moments then revealed in a quiet confession that Audrey had to strain to hear, "I'm not going to marry Simon."
Green eyes became comically wide then Audrey tilted her head, a smirk on her lips as she asked, "This is why you are so happy?"
"No," said Reese with a laugh, shaking her head. "I went on a date with Bianca on Saturday."
Silence as Audrey studied her with knowing eyes, inspecting her quite closely, enough that Reese felt something like a scientific experiment and then she smiled slowly, looking very pleased and quite smug, as she murmured, "Then I was correct. You do care for her."
"It doesn't make sense, does it?" asked Reese, looking to Audrey for confirmation and some type of reassurance. That she wasn't alone in thinking these sudden whirlwind of emotions that Bianca created in her simply weren't the norm. "I know I just met her but it doesn't feel that way. It feels like we've been close forever and when I'm with her it's so easy, Audrey. I feel safe and it's like everything is right in the world."
"Love isn't about sense, it is about feeling," said Audrey wisely. "I find it best not to question such things."
"Maybe," said Reese, releasing a self conscious laugh, leaning back in her chair. She stared out the long windows of her office, down the street and in the direction of Bianca's house as she said with grim humor, "My mother will go nuts when she finds out."
"A distinct possibility," said Audrey lightly, a smile in her voice. "Your father will also be less than pleased. I am sure he felt Simon being in his employ would lead to you abandoning us and joining his firm in New York. He has been after you to do this for years."
"I don't want to leave," Reese said, looking to the other woman seriously. "I'm proud of what we've created here."
"I know," said Audrey and she wore an understanding smile, cupping the blonde's cheek and looking at her almost sadly. "But all the same, should you have chosen to marry Simon eventually you would have returned to New York. We were all aware of this." Her smile turning a bit wicked, she tilted her head and said, "Why do you think Maurice and I were so against it? Pure selfishness."
"You knew I wouldn't be happy with him," replied Reese. "And you were right. I wouldn't have been."
"When will you speak to Simon?" questioned Audrey.
"He's flying back on Sunday," said Reese and she grimaced at the idea of having the conversation with him. She didn't like the idea of hurting him and she knew ending their engagement would, no matter what she believed he might suspect about her predilections. "I don't want to do it over the phone. It wouldn't be right." She paused and looked to Audrey wryly as she said, "My parents on the other hand…"
"You are lucky your mother despises international flights," Audrey laughed, pushing herself off the desk. "If you were in the United States she would track you down like an expert hunter, trapping you until you explained precisely your reasons for ending the engagement."
"God," Reese groaned, squeezing her eyes shut, rubbing her forehead. "She's going to be furious. You know she's planned the entire wedding? I haven't had anything to do with it. All the planning has been done by her and Simon whenever he's in the states."
"Reese," Audrey said her name, quiet but powerful, and the blonde was immediately compelled to look at her. When she did, she was met with a compassionate gaze and Audrey murmured, "You must do this. The wedding, no matter who has planned it, was to be yours. This is your life and it is well past time that you took control of it. I know the expectations your mother has placed on you and how you have always tried to meet them but that was never something you should have felt necessary. Your life must be your own. She has to accept that."
"I'm scared how they'll react," confessed Reese and it was the truth.
She was scared because she had never done anything like this before. Her rebellion by going to Paris was minor compared to ending her engagement a few weeks before the wedding. By doing this she was effectively rejecting her parents plans for her and she had never done anything close to that before. Her life was formed in the idea she was meant live up to the expectations they placed on her and by doing this… by refusing to marry Simon, she was ending that for good. Part of her wondered if they would ever forgive her for it.
"When you become frightened, remind yourself of Bianca and the feelings you have when with her," advised Audrey kindly. She paused for a moment, seeming to mull something over before she said, "You must also consider it need not all be said at once."
"You don't think I should come out?" asked Reese, looking at Audrey, unable to believe that's what the redhead was saying. Her being closeted had been a major point of contention during their relationship in college and had led to their eventual break up.
"No, I am not saying that," Audrey corrected. She paused to gather her thoughts before she continued, "I think perhaps it might be best that you tell your parents after they have been able to process your relationship ending with Simon. As you said, they will not take it well when you announce that the wedding is off. Informing them of your sexuality at the same time would only aggravate the situation."
"I think you're right," said Reese quietly.
Telling her parents she was a lesbian wasn't going to be a pleasant experience. She knew this instinctively. Bad as things might become when she told them she wasn't going to marry Simon it would be much worse when she revealed the reason why. Though she had always avoided thinking about the ramifications of coming out Reese couldn't help but fixate on it. Usually in the dark of night, she would contemplate their reactions and it had always been one of horror and rejection. Her family wasn't especially religious but they were very rigid in their ideas of who she should be and being a lesbian definitely didn't fit into their viewpoint of who Reese Williams was as a person.
"You are doing what is best for you," Audrey's voice drifted in the air and Reese looked up to see her friend smiling at her. She tossed her red hair over her shoulder, exiting her office in a strut as she called over her shoulder, "It is a most refreshing change."
Chuckling at this, Reese shook her head and found herself able to finally concentrate on her work. The hours passed without her quite keeping track of them, slipping past unnoticed, like they always did when she was absorbed in her work and when her cell phone rang she was surprised to see it was already past five o'clock. A wide smile immediately formed on her features on seeing Bianca's name and she answered it with a happy drawl, "I was wondering when you would call."
"I said Monday!" exclaimed Bianca in an instant protest and Reese laughed at her reaction. She heard the brunette huff over the line then she said, "You shouldn't tease me. I could get honestly offended by it one day then you wouldn't see me anymore."
"Impossible," Reese declared, spinning in her chair and looking out her window and down Bianca's street. "You like me too much."
Silence and Reese began to wonder if she had said too much, assumed something she shouldn't have, then Bianca grumbled and said with a rather relenting tone, "It still isn't nice to tease people. Especially when they're calling with invitations."
"Where to?" asked Reese playfully. "Another carnal play?"
"No," said Bianca who sounded altogether exasperated but in such a way that Reese rather thought she enjoyed it. For some reason it reminded Reese of the way the brunette spoke of her family and the idea she was in their company pleased her. Perhaps because it hinted at a sense of permanence. Though she found it strange to consider such things so soon but she couldn't seem to help herself. It just came so very naturally with Bianca. "First of all, are you still at your office?"
"I'm sitting behind my desk as we speak," said Reese, trying very hard to contain her curiosity. "Why?"
Instead of a response, there was someone calling Bianca's name in the background then Reese heard the other woman's muffled reply and she returned, a little breathless as she said, "Sorry about that." After Reese gave assurances it was all right, Bianca continued with a playful tone that matched the blonde's and said, "I was going to invite you over for dinner but you insisted on being mean to me."
"I object to the word mean, I wasn't mean. If anything I was maybe, just maybe, acting rascally," Reese revealed.
"Rascally?" repeated Bianca with a laugh. "What's next? Confessions of being a scalawag?"
"I was never a pirate," said Reese, sounding horribly offended. "I might be seafaring but I've never plundered any booty."
"I'm sure," said Bianca skeptically. A pause then she asked a bit wryly, "Did you want to come over for dinner? We're eating in a half an hour. Madame Trotter is making authentic Coq au Vin for us but please don't tell Miranda it's made with rooster and not chickens. I have a sneaking suspicion if she found out it would end up in another bout of that's weird food and I won't eat it refusal."
"I'd love to have dinner with you," said Reese, unable to keep the warmth from her voice as she spoke and not sure she wanted to in the first place. "When should I get there? A half an hour on the dot?"
"Come over whenever you like but if you're not here by five thirty I can't guarantee we won't start without you," said Bianca humorously. "The natives tend to get restless when it comes to food in these parts."
Reese was already on her feet, gathering her purse and walking out the door to her office, locking it behind her as she said, "Can you guess what I'm doing?"
"Hiding from nosy coworkers?" asked Bianca drolly.
"You're funny," said Reese in a sardonic compliment, stepping off the elevator and waving at Danielle who was going through her nightly routine of checking the building before she left for the day. As their lobby secretary she was in charge of locking their two entrances and making sure the lobby was clean and ready for opening in the morning. Stepping out onto the street, Reese headed east on Avenue Secretan, waiting for traffic to clear before jogging across the street to turn right down Avenue Mathurin Moreau. "Guess again."
"Thinking of ways to subtly tell Miranda that our dinner is made of scary fighting roosters without me finding out?" Bianca tried again.
"No," Reese burst into laughter while she neared the innocuous brick house with white and pepto bismol pink arches and moldings that caused her to grimace at the color. She agreed with Bianca's mother. They really were ugly. Making her left hand into a fist and knocking loudly on the door, she questioned, "Do you hear that?" She listened to Bianca's laugh then the faint rustle of clothing as Reese assumed she walked to the door and then it was pulled open to reveal the brunette's smiling face, holding a cell phone at her side. An impossibly large grin on her features, Reese drawled, still speaking into her phone, "Surprise."
Bianca's only response was to laugh happily and pull Reese into the house.
---
Regardless of Bianca's implications, Reese didn't tell Miranda that their dinner was made with roosters instead of chicken, and the child ate her entire serving but only after she insisted her mother cut it up into the most microscopic portions imaginable. Reese was secretly entertained and impressed by Bianca's patience as she cut the food up again and again, pausing each time to ask Miranda if it was the proper size for eating yet and simply redoing her efforts when the child said no. After dinner, Miranda took Reese by the hand, pulling her into her room and introducing her to a multitude of dolls, several Reese recognized from her first visit to the house when they were at the kitchen table having a tea party. She was further charmed when the child said that two of the dolls were in the midst of an argument and weren't speaking.
While she wouldn't admit it, particularly to Bianca, who watched this exchange with a fond expression from the doorway, Reese suspected that the argument among the dolls was perhaps influenced by Miranda witnessing certain behaviors from her mother's family. The litany of tales she heard from Maurice about not only Erica Kane but Bianca's sister, Kendall Hart, gave Reese the impression that the women in their family weren't exactly the wilting flower type. It made Reese slightly curious to find out if Bianca had any such tendencies.
Just slightly though.
Eventually they settled into the living room where Miranda produced a box that was worn at the edges and caused Reese to grin widely as she recognized the board game as a familiar favorite from her own childhood. When Bianca looked to Reese with a questioning gaze, clearly trying to discover without words if Reese was willing to spend time in this activity, Reese turned to an expectant Miranda and said when she was a little girl she thought the Candy Cane Forest had to be a real place. A piece of information Miranda delighted in before asking Reese quite seriously what color gingerbread man did she want to be, advising that she felt green had the best luck.
They played Candy Land until Bianca eyed the clock, determining it was bedtime and Miranda was thoroughly disappointed until she managed to wrangle a promise out of Reese to stay for her nightly story. When Bianca instructed her to find Adele and get ready for bed, she skipped off with a happy affirming yell, and Bianca watched her daughter's exit with a bemused expression.
"I'm sorry," Bianca began, looking to Reese, her dark eyes apologetic but filled with affection. "I shouldn't have let Miranda bully you into getting involved with our story time. If you want I can make an excuse for you--"
"Wait a minute," interrupted Reese with good natured offense, holding up a hand. "Are you doubting my story telling skills?"
A pause then Bianca looked at her wryly, though the affection remained in her gaze along with a definite relief that Reese was still enjoying her time with them, and she arched an eyebrow as she replied, "Well, how much experience do you have?"
"Some people don't require experience," declared Reese, doing her best to look supremely confident and not at all sure if she was succeeding by the way Bianca looked at her indulgently. "Some have innate story telling talent."
"And you're one of those people," said Bianca in a pithy reply.
"I am the woman of a thousand voices," Reese announced, hooking her arm with Bianca's, and heading down the hallway to follow after Miranda's shout that she was ready for her story. "You'll think I'm a human chameleon when you hear it for yourself. I'm great at it."
"Right," Bianca said slowly, drawing it out, and her dark eyes were shining as they walked into Miranda's room.
Upon entering they were boisterously greeted by Miranda who sat on the floor in front of her bookcase that was filled with stacks of brightly colored books. She was scanning the spines, clearly looking for a familiar title. When she found it, she bounced to her feet and presented the book to Reese, revealing her Wonder Woman pajamas in the process, causing Reese smile crookedly.
"I like your pajamas, Miranda," complimented Reese, taking the book from the child without looking at its title.
"Aunt Kendall bought them," Miranda said proudly, thrusting her chest out as if to emphasize the Wonder Woman insignia, placing her hands on her hips. "'Cause I'm tough."
"Clearly she's a smart aunt," said Reese with a chuckle, smiling as Miranda agreed enthusiastically and climbed onto her small twin bed, snuggling beneath the covers. Once she settled in with Bianca's help, she reached out to Reese, instructing her in solemn tones to sit on the other side of her. Sitting down to the left of Miranda and smiling at Bianca over the little girl's head, Reese finally looked at the book she held in her hands and found herself chuckling again as she read aloud, "The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales."
"It's funny!" insisted Miranda, opening the book for Reese. She looked up with big brown eyes and asked, "You'll read it?"
"Of course, I will," said Reese in reassuring tones, smiling at Miranda who beamed up at her and was promptly satisfied.
"Stinky Cheese Man is a long book, Miranda," remarked Bianca and Reese couldn't help but be charmed by the motherly tone the brunette took on. It was soft and understanding but there was an authority to it that still retained a underlining kindness. One that Miranda responded to with a nod and a wide gaze. "You can pick three of the stories in it for Reese to read to you, all right?"
Nodding in affirmation, Miranda scooted closer to Reese, leaning over her to flip the pages with her small hands. Finally stopping at the page that had the title Chicken Licken at the top and featured a picture of a strange looking green bird on the right side. Reese arranged herself for a moment, clearing her throat and placing the book on Miranda's lap so the child could see the pictures when she turned the page.
"Once upon a time Chicken Licken was standing around when a piece of something fell on her head," Reese began in an utterly serious narrator voice that was a mimic of the announcer from Masterpiece Theater. Distantly she heard Bianca hold back a snort of laughter and a grin crept onto the corners of her lips as she continued, "She wasn't the brightest thing on two legs, so she started running around in a circle clucking." Reese paused for a moment, changing her voice to something far more high pitched and panicked, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We must tell the President!" Returning to her Masterpiece Theater voice, she continued, "Chicken Licken ran to her friend Ducky Lucky and clucked." Again came the high pitched and panicked voice, causing Miranda to giggle as she said, "Ducky Lucky! Ducky Lucky! The sky is falling! The sky is falling! We must tell the President!"
Twenty minutes later, Reese was finishing the last story, The Really Ugly Duckling, and Miranda was quietly dozing at her side. Lowering her Masterpiece Theater narrator voice to a soft murmur, she finished, "Well, as it turned out, he was just a really ugly duckling. And he grew up to be just a really ugly duck. The End." Closing the book as silently as possible, she shifted off the bed, smiling when Miranda released a sleepy protest that was hushed by Bianca smoothing her hair and kissing her on the cheek. Reese was kneeling in front of the bookcase, putting the book back where Miranda had gotten it, smiling at the other clearly humorous titles she found there when she felt Bianca's light touch at the back of her neck, playing with her hair. Looking up at the other woman, Reese said in a whisper, "I told you I do great voices."
For a response, Bianca rolled her eyes, and released an exaggerated but purposefully muted laugh, tugging the blonde to her feet and holding her hand as she led Reese out of Miranda's bedroom. With one last look backwards at her daughter, Bianca shut her bedroom door, leaving it a bit ajar just in case Miranda should wake up and go looking for her. The house had a dim glow about it as they walked back towards the living room where the Candy Land game had magically been put away, something Reese attributed to Adele, whom she had met briefly.
"We're alone," Bianca informed as if sensing the other woman's line of thought. "Adele and Madame Trotter are gone for the evening."
"And?" questioned Reese rather expectantly, lifting an eyebrow in lighthearted challenge.
"You enjoy being difficult, don't you?" accused Bianca, her tones playful. Wagging her finger at the blonde, she said, "I'm onto your games. You're not nearly as clever as you think, little miss rascally."
Releasing an almost elated laugh, Reese grabbed the finger and deposited a kiss on its tip. Dropping her hands to Bianca's hips, she pulled the brunette forward until their bodies were gently pressed together and she replied, "What exactly are you onto?"
"I'm onto…" Bianca started off sounding completely confident but her expression wavered and she trailed off, descending into laughter at Reese's somber expression that seemed to demand an answer. Dropping her head onto Reese's shoulder, Bianca's breath was warm on the blonde's skin as she murmured, "Now I'm not sure anymore. You have talent for confusing me in a very nice way."
Smiling tenderly on hearing this, Reese buried her fingers in Bianca's dark hair, combing through the locks as she said softly, "I had fun tonight. It was even better than seeing the carnal play and much more child friendly."
"Really?" asked Bianca, her voice plaintive, expression almost concerned as she lifted her head to look at Reese.
"Really," Reese reassured and she paused, tilting her head to take in Bianca's pale features, so open and honest, displaying a wealth of emotions, each of them making her heart beat that much faster. Cupping the brunette's face in her hands, her thumbs gently caressing the silken skin in a bare touch, Reese murmured, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you since Saturday."
"Me too," said Bianca in a whisper, her voice secretive, possessing a shy quality. Reese chuckled at this and Bianca rolled her eyes again, a faint pout forming as she said, "Don't you start teasing me. Remember what I told you before?"
"No," remarked Reese, obviously fibbing and moving in for a kiss before Bianca could reply.
The kisses they had shared on their date, Reese had relived them a hundred times in her mind. Enough she had them memorized. The way that Bianca tilted her head and opened her mouth ever so slightly in encouragement to deepen their kiss. She had gone over them so many times that Reese wondered if maybe she had started to add things to her memories. That maybe the kisses weren't nearly as powerful and passionate as she remembered but as she kissed Bianca now, she realized she had been wrong, because this time it was even better.
It was more detailed, more intense, and more sensual in its demanding. Reese had been the one to start this kiss but Bianca was the person in control of it, sucking hard on Reese's tongue and exploring the recesses of her mouth with a single minded concentration that left her weak at the knees and shaky in Bianca's embrace. When they parted for air, there was a moment of respite, then Bianca was kissing her again, this time small and eager nips and tugs, mischievous and jovial in their touch, causing Reese to smile and laugh as the kiss became soft and slow, making her moan into the other woman and drop her hands down to cup the curve of Bianca's rear.
The dark haired woman dipped her head down, leaving a line of kisses on Reese's neck and the blonde instinctively threw her head backwards, exposing more of her neck as she slid her hands upwards to tangle in Bianca's hair and gasped at the sensation. She felt Bianca smile against her skin and she couldn't help but smile in return, especially when she heard the other woman said in low and throaty tones, "See why you shouldn't tease me?"
Moving her head so she was looking into Bianca's waiting gaze, a smile twitching at the edge of her lips, Reese feigned a look of total ignorance and said again, in entirely blasé tones, "No."
At this, Bianca could only give a frustrated growl and another kiss. Something that didn't bother Reese in the least.
To be continued...
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Another lovely addition to the story. It's nice to see Reese making some decisions for herself finally, and being backed up by Audrey. I'm looking forward to seeing how you write Reese's interactions with Simon when he finally arrives in Paris, and how Reese will tell Bianca about the whole thing (or how she'll find out about it giving her uncanny ability to overhear exactly the things she shouldn't). I also look forward to you incorporating the vacation to Jamaica the AMC writers randomly tossed in.
Simon factor
Re: Simon factor
However, I'll try to work everything else in as correctly as I can. Such as Reese breaking the engagement off two weeks before the wedding and not telling Bianca about Simon's existence.
In this story it's more that Reese hasn't ever been in love with anyone. She's physically attracted to women and has had closeted relationships with them to achieve sexual release but she's never been in love with any of them. Bianca is the first time she's experienced these kinds of feelings and it's a bit overwhelming for her, leading to the break up with Simon as she finally sees what she's been missing.
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Their romance timeline is so wacky. I'm using this theory. They meet in June 2007, they start dating by end of June, they decide to have another child January 2008 which has them together about eight months by that time. Bianca is inseminated in February 2008 and has Gabrielle less than a month premature in October 2008 in a tornado.
I think way too much about this stuff. lol. And dude, I had to use the voices after Bianca made mention of Reese being better at them than she is on the show. Mostly because I liked how Reese played it off sort of scoffing smug humor over it.
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You incorporated the bit about Reese being good at the voices nicely in there.
"Wait a minute," interrupted Reese with good natured offense, holding up a hand. "Are you doubting my story telling skills?"
"Well, how much experience do you have?"
"Some people don't require experience,"
:D This bit of dialog seemed intentionally suggestive. Way to keep it G rated while still teasing Binks.
Thanks for another awesome update. I'm sure I'll be rereading it many times while waiting for the next one.
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You know, I never considered that Reese does act a bit high around Binks. lol. It's pretty accurate. I should make mention of it when they have an upcoming scene with her coworkers.
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In the hopes of not making this comment go on forever, I'll be brief, but please indulge me:
I used to be a big General Hospital fan but stopped watching around the time Tamara Braun left. Not for that reason, but I just grew tired of soaps in general (also never saw an ep of AMC). That being said, I haven't watched any soap operas for about 5 or so years now, and never really had any intention of going back.
Although I've been remiss in checking into livejournal lately, I did happen to catch your initial vid post of Bianca and Reese's first scene together and I was SUPER excited to see not only my favorite Carly back on screen, but also playing a lesbian! I had no background on AMC, Bianca, or her love life before Reese came to town, but I absolutely love them together!
You know I've been a fan of your writing for years now so I was perhaps even more elated to see you tackle this couple. This story is absolutely wonderful and I'm so thrilled to be able to read your stuff aain. I'm sorry this is the first time I posted a comment, but please know I've been reading it since the beginning and absolutely LOVE it. Way to go (again).
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I was the opposite of you, I always watched All My Children with a sad dedication followed by One Life To Live. I knew just the bare minimum about General Hospital but I saw enough of it to know how much Tamara Braun rocked the house as Carly.
General Hospital isn't even about a hospital anymore. I don't think it has been for years. It should be renamed General Mafia or something. Or Everybody Loves Sonny. I dunno. Sucks how that one character has totally taken over the show it seems.
If you get bored I have a slew of scenes for Bianca on my YouTube Playlists. (http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=dreiser7&view=playlists/) The one labeled AMC is pretty much just dedicated to Kane family clips, focusing for the most part on Bianca and Kendall. If you want to get the rundown on Bianca there's a synopsis series for her called Bianca's Story that does a good job of condensing her storyline all the way from her birth in 1984 up to her last visits before her October 2008 return with Reese.
Can you tell I'm an AMC fangirl? lol. It made me so happy when they made Erica Kane's, undoubtably the most important character on the show, sweet natured daughter a lesbian. Thanks to Eden Riegel the role has been really great overall. Of course, they did tons of shitty shitty things to Bianca over the years but her character always manages to survive and retain her soap heroine status.
I'm glad you're enjoying the fic! I think I'll be writing it for awhile given how much I'm really loving this couple. Plus I do want to finish it at the natural end of things, when Bianca leaves to go tell Kendall about her pregnancy.
banter
Re: banter
Yesterday's insights
Reacting to Bianca's insecurities of yesterdays show I think they are really tapping into her fears that she would leave her for a man as it has happened to her in the past. I also think that given Bianca's history she can't even understand that if you are lesbian that you can sleep with a man. Reese saying that Bianca was the "first" everything implies being satisfied sexually - which I doubt they can really say on the show. Maybe they can show that?!?!?!?
Re: Yesterday's insights
Sorry.
Re: Yesterday's insights
no subject
I adore how something so... simply changes her her life, y'know? The whole reflection on what being in Paris means, abandoning her life in NY and knowing her parents want her to return make the whole blossoming romance with Bianca that much more intense for her. And, again, me and my broken record, it's beautifully written.
I liked the talk between Reese and Audrey. It was good to see her work things out with someone other than just stewing over it on her own.
I also like the idea of being with Bianca just seeming right and things with Simon not. It makes his appearance in PV on the show and her reaction to it more pertinent.
One of the reasons I like Reese so much is that she just knows how to roll with the punches, and you're capturing that aspect of her personality very well in this story.
Ah! And the ending! Such a tease! ;)