WARNING: "Slash" implies sexual relations between members of
the SAME SEX, in this case, two women. If this isn't your
thing or you are underage, PLEASE GO NO FURTHER! Thanks.

October wasn't supposed to be hot. It was supposed to be the
harbinger of nights filled with crisp breezes, rustling leaves
and a fresh chill that made the inevitability of winter seem
almost bearable.

Bianca Montgomery sighed, then turned against sticky sheets. The
air in her room was thick with humidity and she grumbled against
the shut-down-for-the-season central climate control that
dominated Lyndhurst. My kingdom for an old-fashioned window air-
conditioner, she thought morosely, pounding her damp pillow into
a slightly more comfortable lump.

It was useless. Bianca rose with a groan, fanned her T-shirt
out, bare toes scruffing against spotless white berber rugs.
White rugs, she thought ruefully, as she padded down the main
staircase -- who in their right mind would have white rugs?

Erica, Erica Kane, that's who.

It made no sense, but who could figure out her mother? Either she
was an eternal optimist or a woman who didn't mind shelling out
the extra bucks for luxuries mere mortals would think
superfluous in the extreme. With a yawn, Bianca shuffled into
the kitchen and reached blindly for a glass and smacked it with
confidence against the ice maker which responded with a
satisfying *thunk-crunch-crackle*.

A big, tall glass of fresh water later and she was good to go.
Outside, a blinding flash of light sparked through the windows
and Bianca jumped, startled at its daylight intensity. A loud
rumble of thunder followed and a downpour began to beat against
the windows, sheeting the glass with wet fury.

Bianca shivered. Even as a little girl she often thought about
those who might be caught outside in such a downpour -- all cold,
wet and trembling. Her mother used to tuck her in to the sounds
of storms, hoping to lull her to sleep with the knowledge that
she was warm and safe, but Bianca always knew that there were
others less fortunate than she, stuck in the midst of nature's
wrath with nowhere else to go.

This thought stayed with her throughout her life and made her
more appreciative of people's frailties, even as her mother took
a more cynical outlook as the years passed by. It wasn't easy
being Erica Kane's daughter, so the saying might have gone, but
it was even less easy being Erica Kane's softhearted daughter --
the one who worried about those left out in the rain more than
she worried about herself.

Another flash of lightning and Bianca steeled herself against the
thunder that was sure to follow. And follow it did, with a crash
so loud she nearly dropped her water glass. What an awful night,
she thought, peering outside a blurry window, wondering at the
moving shape that dashed past her line of vision.

Bianca blinked, but the mysterious shape took off again and a
shiver of fear tingled down her spine. Could it be that someone
was lurking outside Lyndhurst, even in the midst of a
violent storm?

She swallowed dryly and edged closer to the back door. A
tentative peek outside and Bianca flung the door open, gaping at
the wet apparition that stood there, slumped with soggy defeat,
blond hair dark and dripping over familiar features.

"Frankie?" Bianca reached out and felt along a soaked sleeve
till she reached an ice-cold patch of skin. "Oh my God, you're
freezing." She tugged, found resistance, then tugged again until
the other girl took a stumbling step inside.

"Hey, Bianca," the girl muttered through blue-tinged lips.

Bianca gaped at her, momentarily unsure. "What happened? What
are you doing out there?"

A slow shrug, followed by a resentful sniffle. Water dripped
onto the kitchen floor, pooling at muddy shoes creating tiny
brown lakes over once-spotless tiles. "I ... I ..." Another
shrug and Frankie's entire body started to shake with cold. Blue
eyes stared into Bianca's, their corners wet, but not from rain.
"I'm sorry. I just didn't expect the weather to be so bad
tonight."

"You were sleeping outside again?" A nod in the
affirmative, and Bianca picked up a clean dishtowel from the
counter. She reached out and gently pressed it against Frankie's
pale cheeks. "Come on. Come upstairs and get into some dry
clothes before you catch pneumonia."

To her surprise, there was no argument, not even when she
motioned for Frankie to take off her shoes, lest her mother
discover their tracks, literally. They crept upstairs through
the dark together, Frankie's cold fingers entwined with her own,
clutching them trustfully. A tiny shiver of remembrance curled
through Bianca -- how many times had she and her lover Sarah
crept through the dark like this -- but she tamped it down
viciously.

This wasn't like that. This was just being a friend, a good
person, helping someone in need.

Nothing more.

Bianca silently opened her bedroom door and ushered Frankie
inside, thankful she left her nightstand light on. Its yellow
glow suffused the room and she looked over at the other girl who
stood there shyly, looking for all the world like a doll left out
in the rain.

"Here are some sweats and a T-shirt," said Bianca, rummaging
through her bureau drawer. "Do you need socks? It's sort of hot
in here, really."

"No, that's fine." Frankie slicked the hair back from her
forehead with a careless gesture. A bemused grin crossed her
features. "Are you sure your Mom won't mind a sleepover?"

"No. Because she's not going to know." Bianca tossed a fresh
towel at her. "And leave me a little shampoo, will ya? I'm
almost out after your last visit."

Frankie chuckled. "Sorry. I just couldn't resist that
"Enchanted" feeling I got from it."

"Har, har. And be quiet," Bianca cautioned. "Mom sleeps like
she's on a bed of nails."

"That's quite a picture." Frankie slung the towel over her
shoulder and sauntered into the bathroom. "Don't worry. I'll
save my special rendition of "Earth Angel" for later."

The door shut and Bianca listened to the echoes of water spraying
in the shower, as outside, the torrential rains fell even harder.
Flashes of lightning flickered across the blinds and she sat on
the edge of the bed, the springs squeaking beneath.

A sleepover, a bed shared. What a concept and Bianca's fingers
played across her quilt, a stray thread twining around her pinkie
until it broke off. Noises from the bathroom, clothes shed,
squeaks of faucets ... all familiar, yet suddenly exotic.

Suddenly enticing.

Some months before, another homeless girl named Raine had spent
the night in her room but that was different. Bianca had been
desperately in love then, with Sarah, the girl she'd sworn
forever to and no one else factored into an equation she was just
beginning to figure out. She was devoted back then, confused and
frightened out of her mind as well, so nothing happened that
evening -- nor on any evening following, with anyone.

It seemed like a million years ago, and Bianca hated to admit it,
but she was lonely. Sarah wasn't much more than a sweet memory,
a brief infatuation with Laura English had been an unmitigated
disaster and suddenly, options were opening up to her: intriguing
options unthinkable before, more than plausible now.

Options that included sharing a warm shower with the girl who was
bathing less than a few feet away, washing each other's hair,
sharing warm, wet kisses under the spray, while outside the sky
continued to open. Slippery touches, fighting to stay quiet,
tumbling out together, falling naked onto thick blankets, letting
the night take them where it may.

Bianca swallowed dryly, a turn of the doorknob jolting her out of
her reverie. A heated flush filled her face, sudden embarrassment
and she didn't look up when Frankie asked for a comb.

"Oh, I have some new ones in here. I get fresh ones all the time
from Mom's office." She fumbled through the drawer and handed
over a plastic encased brush set.

"A new comb every morning? Now *that's* rich."

"There have to be some benefits to having a mom who owns a
cosmetic company, right?" The heady smell of freshly shampooed
hair and warm soapy skin made Bianca's nose tingle. She blushed
again, and rose quickly, her movements uncomfortable. "Are you
hungry? We have leftovers downstairs and ..."

"No, not really." A stretch, followed by a long yawn. "Can we
just hit the sack? I'm totally wiped."

Bianca could hear her own heartbeat thud in her ears. Too fast,
too soon, a tiny voice wailed through her and she quashed it,
hard. Why was she flipping out? It's not as if she couldn't
control herself. Just because there was another girl in the bed
beside her didn't mean anything would follow ...

Not even wishful thinking could make it so.

A faint rumble of thunder rolled across the sky outside. Bianca
turned down the covers and crawled beneath them, Frankie was
already settled on the other side, her blond hair splaying over the
pillows, her smile welcoming ... kind.

Bianca reached over and clicked off the light, the darkness
amplifying the pounding of her heart. She wondered vaguely if
Frankie could hear it, the steady beat of need that was playing
along her nerves like a symphony of desire. Shutting her eyes,
Bianca clutched the blankets between shaking fingers and tried
without success to ignore the warmth that was stealing closer,
blowing lightly against her cheek.

"I love rainy nights," Frankie breathed, smelling of flowers
and cinnamon. Another flash of lightning, the thunder faded in
the distance. "Especially when I'm inside. There's so much
going on, you can lay here and imagine the storm moving across the
land, then over the sea, making the waves crash. And if it gets
too scary, you can just slide down under the blankets a little
more."

A pause, and Bianca's heart increased its pace as a gentle hand
slipped into hers, squeezing tight. "Perfect weather to cuddle
by." The warmth spread, Bianca could feel the other girl's
length pressed up against hers, not intrusive or overwhelming,
simply warm ... comforting. "If you like that sort of thing."

Bianca nodded, even though she knew the gesture wouldn't be seen
through the darkness. "I like that sort of thing," she whispered
hoarsely, wincing at how clumsy she suddenly felt, like ... like
a teenager cuddling in bed during a rainstorm and wondering what
the hell she was going to do next.

"You do?" The hand moved again, this time making playful circles
across Bianca's belly, tickling just a little, but still
spreading sparks beneath their touch. "What else do you like,
Bianca-la?"

More light touches along her ribs, her sides and down the tops of
her legs. "I like that," Bianca murmured, her breath catching
when the hand suddenly dipped under her T-shirt, fingertips
sliding along the flesh beneath. Bianca shut her eyes tightly,
as her body started to thrum beneath the simple caresses.

Lips brushed against Bianca's cheek and she turned into the kiss,
throwing caution to the storm. A shear of lightning burst
outside the windows as a gentle hand cupped her breast, catching
a hardened nipple between questing fingers. Bianca arched into
the touch, seeking more, seeking something almost lost but was
returning with frightening clarity.

She wanted this. This and more, and she gasped as Frankie's lips
moved down the curve of her neck, soft and warm. It had been so
long since she'd felt kisses like that, and the goosebumps rose
on her skin as the sweet torture continued.

A lick at the whorl of her earlobe, and she heard Frankie whisper
to her, sweetly, as one lover might to another. "You don't have
to worry, Bianca. We're safe in here."

"We are?" Bianca wanted to laugh aloud, but any reply was stopped
by Frankie's mouth, as an inquisitive tongue slipped between her
lips. Arms enveloped her and she tried to turn within their
circle, aching for more but Frankie held her tightly, her kisses
deep and hot, a knowing tongue flicking against the roof of
Bianca's mouth.

Frankie pulled away and Bianca could see the slight glisten of
moisture on her lips, and in her eyes, through the dim light of
the outdoor floodlamps. "We are," Frankie insisted, cupping
Bianca's face between her hands and dipping down for another
kiss. "I'm here, and you're safe, I swear."

Bianca sighed. Safe. So safe and no longer alone.

Her breath caught in her throat and she reached up, tangling her
fingers in Frankie's hair, pulling her closer, hungrily demanding
more with her lips and tongue. She tugged at the clothes that
separated them, sighing happily when their breasts touched, the
warmth permeating her body to her bones.

Sly fingers trailed along the waistband of her panties and Bianca
wriggled out of them with a frustrated groan, as Frankie's soft
laughter surrounded her. More kisses, too many to count and
Bianca reached out, covering the other girl's sex and lightly
cupped it, fingers curled inside, slipping along the hot wetness
within.

Frankie gasped raggedly; it was a good sound and Biance shivered
as the favor was returned, fingers fluttering against the wall of
muscle inside her. Her senses fled and she was once more in that
magical place she didn't know that could be shared with anyone
else, but there it was, glorious and shining within the snapshot
flashes of lightning that filled the room.

All other clothing was quickly shed, tossed aside carelessly and
Bianca had to bit her lip against moaning as Frankie's mouth
covered one breast, then the other, the flicking her tongue
lending itself to urgent suckling, making the dark-haired girl
quiver beneath her. Hands grasped and kneaded her from behind,
she rubbed shamelessly against the smooth thigh that rested
between her legs and felt raindrops of sweat hit her lips and
tongue.

Slick and smooth and good and Bianca squirmed around, licking her
way down Frankie's body until coming to her lower folds,
positioning herself between her legs and burying herself inside.

It was salty, tasting of the sea and humanity and just the
faintest hint of soap. She worried the tender skin, licking
along the creases, delving inside, even as the sensations were
echoed in her own body below.

The rode together, writhing like a rollercoaster of desire,
taking each other with equal drive ... equal need. Bianca lost
conscious thought, her senses melding giving and receiving
simultaneously. Her hips bucked awkwardly and release came,
rolling through her like thunder, in spirals of bright color and
light.

A responding spasm throughout the body above her and they fell
together, a sweaty tangle of arms and legs, their labored
breathing slowing down to breathy sighs. Bianca slid up, and
rested her head against Frankie's chest, her arm slung possessively
around the other girl's waist.

Mine. Mine, mine and together, we'll be safe.

Contentment washed over Bianca, in warm waves. Outside the rain
slowed down to a trickle against the panes. "Hear that?"

"Mmm? Wha'?" Frankie murmured sleepily into her hair.

"The storm is passing." The room became incrementally cooler and
Bianca snuggled closer. "And we're safe inside."

"Good. Go 'sleep now." A baby yawn. "Dream sweet, sweet
dreams."

"Yes, sweet dreams," Bianca sighed, sleep overtaking her, lulling
her toward peace as the breathing beside her turned light and
steady. The rain stopped and somewhere inside, Bianca knew that
it was all right now, both inside and out.

And, with any luck, it might just stay that way for a while.

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End. Comments are welcome at: [email protected]