Otalia - Home Stretch

The Otalia Virtual Season mini-sodes are representations of the talent of our writers and artists. These mini-sodes may or may not be actual scenes or plots that will be a part of the regular OVS episodes.

 

Title:  Home Stretch

Fandom:  Otalia

Rating:  PG-13ish

Summary:  Natalia and Olivia go to Lamaze classes.

Disclaimer:  Blah, blah, blah…Olivia, Natalia, Frank, and GL belong to CBS, P&G, and Telenext (don’t get me started on that!).  I’m just borrowing them for the OVS.  No profit or infringement intended.

A/N:  Written as a minisode for the Otalia Virtual Seasons.

 

 

The two women walked through the sliding glass doors of the clinic and went up to the very clean and sterile white counter complete with a receptionist.  Olivia hung back, looking around suspiciously, while Natalia smiled and spoke to the woman behind the desk.

 

“Hi, we’re here for the Lamaze class?”

 

The matronly woman in her green Dr. Seuss scrubs didn’t look up, but pointed to the left down the hall, “Go that way.  First door on your left.  Sign in at the front.”

 

“Thank you,” Natalia graciously replied but the woman never looked up.  She found Olivia behind her and took her hand, leading her down the hall.

 

“Well, she was just Little Miss Merry Sunshine, huh?”  Olivia muttered.

 

Natalia snickered, “I’m used to it.  I’ve seen you first thing in the morning.”

 

“Oh, haha!”

 

Olivia opened the heavy glass door for Natalia and waved her in.  Several other couples were in the waiting area.  Olivia nervously looked around, feeling like her and Natalia stood out like a sore thumb.  One couple looked like they could be no more than Daisy and James’ age, and the girl practically glowed as she talked animatedly to her boyfriend/husband as she thumbed through a baby magazine.  Occasionally, he would glance over and grunt before turning back to his Blackberry to send another text message.  Another couple sat quietly talking as the husband rubbed his wife’s belly.  The other one appeared to be a single mom seated with an older woman.  Olivia could only surmise that it was the girl’s mother there for support.

 

She was brought out of her analysis of the group around her by Natalia’s gentle hand on her arm, “We’re all set.  We need to fill this form out and turn it back in.”

 

They sat down in chairs opposite the older couple and Olivia rummaged through her purse for a pen, “They gave me one.”  Natalia waved it in the air.

 

“Oh,” Olivia sat back in her chair, trying to get comfortable.

 

As Natalia started filling out the sheet, the woman across from them spoke, “How far along are you?”

 

Natalia looked up and smiled, instinctively rubbing her belly, “7 months.”

 

“Wow, I thought you were pretty far along.”

 

Natalia looked at Olivia with a sideways grin, one dimple popping out, “Yeah, we kind of got a late start.”

 

Out of the corner of her eye, Olivia saw the couple glance curiously at each other, then back at her and Natalia, before quietly retreating into their little world careful to ask no more questions.  Olivia shifted in her seat.  This was a new situation for her.  Not the new mom part but the feeling weird and awkward in public part.  Around their friends and family, it had been easy to be open about being together, but here, in the bigger world and outside the safety of their little town, Olivia suddenly didn’t know what to do with herself.

 

Natalia seemed to be adjusting far better and for all intents and purposes, she seemed unfazed by the looks and stares.  For Olivia, a woman who had always been brash and open, the mere fact that she was timid and cautious threw her for a loop.

 

After what seemed like an eternity, a perky blonde nurse walked into the room.  Her name was Mitzy and she described herself as a professional lactation consultant, Lamaze coach, and midwife.  She looked like she wasn’t any older than twelve yet she claimed to have birthed more than 300 babies.  Olivia seriously doubted that and was about to ask for her credentials and a driver’s license when Mitzy produced all of those documents sans the license.

 

At the end of her spiel, she asked all the moms-to-be to talk a little about their experience thus far with their pregnancy, a little about themselves and any other family they may have, and what they wanted to learn from the class.

 

Mitzy started on the far side of the room with the young girl.  Sure enough she was a single mom, 19 years old and still lived with her mom.  She talked so softly and timidly that Olivia could barely hear her name, but she thinks it was Sandy.

 

The next ones to go were the older couple across from them.  Bob and Trish were their names.  Bob is an engineer and Trish is a fitness specialist at the local YMCA.  They were both in their early 30s and already had one kid by adoption.  This one was a surprise.  Olivia rolled her eyes thinking how shocked they’d be to hear how much of a surprise this one was to them.

 

The young couple went next.  Actually, the girl did.  The boyfriend continued to text on his phone.  Mitzy didn’t like that one bit and clarified the rule about no cell phones during class since this was supposed to be a special bonding time for parents and their baby.  The guy, whom they all learned was named Jack, rolled his eyes and slipped the phone in his pocket.  Olivia bit her lip and fought down a laugh when Mitzy asked the girl’s name and she said, “Jill.”  The barely hidden snicker earned her a swat on the knee from Natalia.

 

The incident didn’t fool Mitzy and she smiled knowingly at the pair, “Your turn.”

 

Olivia and Natalia looked at each other, but finally Natalia took a deep breath, introduced Olivia as her partner, making Olivia turn a whole new shade of red, and began retelling their story.  When she was finished, Trish laughed, “That’s amazing!  Sounds like something you’d see on a soap opera.  A good one, but still.”

 

Mitzy went through the rest of the class outlining what they’d cover in each session, and she showed them a few basic breathing exercises.  She encouraged her couples to practice at home often, helping the mommy-to-be to get used to breathing but in a different way.  They were given a list of items to bring with them to the next session and were sent on their way.  On the way back to the car, Natalia reached over and took Olivia’s hand, giving it a light squeeze.

 

“This is going to be fun, don’t you think?”

 

Olivia shrugged, “Yeah, I guess, but…we’ve done this before.  We’ve both had kids.  Why do we need to go through this?  I mean, didn’t you feel, I don’t know, out of place?”

 

Natalia stopped at the car and leaned against the door, “I guess.  It’s not about them though, Olivia.  I know we’ve done this before, but this…sharing these moments with someone.  I never got to have that with anyone, and I’m so glad I’m getting them with you.”

 

When a small pout crossed Natalia’s face and she dropped her head, Olivia could have sworn that somewhere a puppy died, “I know.  I’m sorry.  I just…I feel so out of my element or something.  I can deal with the looks and stares, but this feeling…I’ve never been on this side of this before.  It takes some getting used to.  I do want to share this with you though.”

 

“You do?”  Natalia peeked up.

 

Olivia raised her chin the rest of the way up, “I do.”  She kissed her then solidly and gently with just a touch of more to come before backing up, smirking.  “Come on, there’s a soft warm bed with our names on it at home.  I’m exhausted.”

 

********

Two weeks later, Olivia and Natalia showed up at the Lamaze class carrying all of the things Mitzy had told the couples to bring – several pillows, blanket, lotions and any comfort items, like a picture of the ultrasound, but it should have meaning.  When they walked in, Mitzy instructed them to find a corner or open part of the room and put their stuff down.

 

They all went through a few rounds of new breathing techniques and reviewed old ones.  Natalia had every technique down to an art and Olivia smiled at her dedication.  She couldn’t help but think that she should be perfect.  She was practicing, and insisting on Olivia’s help, every night for an hour before bed.  Truth be told, Olivia didn’t mind.  It gave her an excuse to be in tune with Natalia, to match her breathing to hers, and to slowly rub soothing circles on her low back.  The only time Olivia had felt more connected to Natalia was when they made love, but she never told her.  Olivia was still gun-shy and afraid she may say too much or the wrong thing and spook Natalia even though the younger woman had more than proven her tenacity about their relationship.  Natalia had had plenty of opportunities to change her mind but she never took them.  Now, here they were in a clinic doing breathing exercises in a Lamaze class.  Olivia smiled as Natalia softly exhaled, and then smiled even more when Natalia without even having to look at her, smiled back, a hint of a dimple barely visible.

 

The moment was broken when Mitzy had them all go to their blankets and pillows.  She asked for the moms to lie down on their back and for their partner to place a pillow under the mom-to-be’s knees.  The other pillows were split between the mom and the partner so they could be comfortable.  Mitzy then turned down the lights, lit a small candle in the middle of the room to give it a warm glow, and turned on the CD player.  From the surround sound speakers in the room, a soft, lilting Celtic tune filtered throughout the room.

 

Mitzy instructed the mom to close her eyes and breathe; focusing on the calming action of feeling the air go in and out of their lungs, knowing the oxygen was nourishing their baby.  The partner’s were asked to touch the mom in a way that felt comfortable, whether on the leg, hand, thigh, or head.  It didn’t matter as long as each couple made a physical connection.  She went into a long monologue on the healing and therapeutic power of touch, and its value in nurturing love, relationships, and family.  With every word she spoke, her voice became softer and more reverent, lulling Olivia into a place of comfort.  She took Natalia’s hand between both of her own and slowly traced each finger.  A lazy smile spread across Natalia’s face and Olivia slid her fingers softly over the inside of her wrist, before coming back to her fingers.

 

Olivia was lost in the touch and the moment when Mitzi voice broke in, “Now, watch your partner.  Watch as the air flows in and out of her lungs.  Feel it as if it’s your own.”

 

Olivia intertwined their fingers as she watched Natalia’s chest rise and fall.  Her usual mental smacks weren’t necessary since she wasn’t thinking incredibly dirty thoughts the minute she looked at Natalia.  Instead, she found herself slowing her own breathing down, getting into rhythm with Natalia.  The effect was instantaneous, and she fought the swell of emotion that hit her.

 

“Tell your partner what you feel right now,” Mitzy prodded, “You can lie down next to her and whisper it, but make sure your breathing stays in rhythm.”

 

Olivia lay down next to Natalia, resting her head on her pillow as she watched Natalia breath and brought herself back in sync with her.  She slid Natalia’s hand up between them and gently kissed each finger.  As soon as she let herself focus on the connection between them, she felt the same overwhelming sensation from before.

 

“I’m not sure how to describe what I feel.”  Natalia didn’t reply except to squeeze her hand to give encouragement.  “It’s like, we’re one entity.  You breathe in and it feels like it’s filling me up.  I feel inexplicably bound to you with my heart, the touch of our skin, the air of our breathing mingling and blending.  It’s…spiritual.  It’s a connection that goes beyond words.”

 

Natalia broke the silence then and rolled her head to the side, “Have you ever felt it before?”

 

Olivia nodded, a tear quietly sliding down her cheek, “The first time we kissed and every time we make love.  It’s the most amazing feeling in the world.  I don’t have words.”

 

“I know.  I feel it too.  We don’t need words.”  Natalia squeezed her hand when Mitzy spoke up again.

 

“Now I want both of you to close your eyes and simply be together.  No words, just touch, just be.”  After a few quiet moments, Mitzy slowly turned the lights up, being careful not to startle anyone out of the moment.  When all the lights were fully on, she had everyone open their eyes slowly, letting their body react gradually to the brightness.

 

As Olivia stood, a long, deep snore came from across the room.  Everyone fought to hold in their laughter at the sight of Bob and Trish curled up on their blankets sound asleep. 

 

Natalia briefly chastised Olivia for laughing by slapping her on the nearest arm, “Hey, don’t laugh.  One day that’ll be you.  Actually, in about…,” looking down at her belly, “eight to ten months.”

 

The look of utter fear that ran across Olivia’s face made Natalia break out into a series of giggles, “Oh yeah, I carry her for nine months but she’s yours for the next nine.”

 

“Hey!”  Natalia waddled her way out the door before she heard any further protest from Olivia.

 

************

 

In the next class, Natalia and Olivia were shocked when they walked through the doors to see Frank sitting in one of the chairs waiting.  Natalia had invited him to participate as a back-up coach, but he never showed until tonight.  When she’d run into him later, he’d always had an excuse ready though she never asked for it.

 

“Hi…Frank, um…,” she looked at Olivia who had her face set in a fake smile.  She recognized that smile now.  It had been all too common of a sight back during the engagement, and it always seemed to pop back up when Frank was around.  She knew this was hard for both of them, and it was awkward for her to say the least, but she hoped they’d all eventually get used to the situation.

 

He stood and shrugged, “I thought I should at least know a little of what to do, just in case.”  On his last words, he gave Olivia a long, unreadable look.

 

Natalia sighed and sat in the chair Frank offered when he vacated it.  Olivia sat on the other side and took her hand.  Frank stood uncomfortably looking at them.

 

“It starts in five minutes?”  He asked Natalia.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“I think I saw a drink machine down the hall.  You two want anything?”

 

Natalia shook her head and Olivia spoke, “No thanks, Frankie.  I’m good.”

 

A few awkward minutes into the class and everyone knew the rest of Natalia and Olivia’s story of how the baby came to be and had a face to go with the tale.  Sandy, the young single mom, smiled broadly at the trio, “That’s cool.”  At her mom’s disapproving look, she glanced down at her hands in her lap, which had suddenly become incredibly interesting.

 

“Tonight’s a very important class so I’m glad we have a full house.  We’re going to talk about the weeks leading up to going into labor and the labor itself.  First, let’s review our breathing exercises.”

 

Mitzy encouraged Frank to participate in the exercises, but he stumbled awkwardly over the most basic steps and tried to correct Natalia when they got out of sync, “No, Frank, you’re supposed to follow me and help me adjust my breathing by reading my body language and then changing your own to get me back in rhythm.”

 

When Olivia took her turn to do the exercises with Natalia, they fell into sync almost immediately and by the end, they were smiling and relaxed.  Frank sat in a chair, trying not to show the disappointment on his face.  This wasn’t a situation Frank ever imagined for himself.  How pathetic is it to sit in a Lamaze class with your ex-fiancé and her female lover?

 

He was moments away from excusing himself from the class when Mitzy moved quickly into the next part of the class, “As you move into these final weeks, this is the perfect time to begin prepping your body to deliver your child.  While childbirth is a normal process and one that women’s bodies are made to endure, it is also a very stressful activity for the body to go through.  Practicing the breathing exercises and relaxation techniques will help immensely, but there’s a little known activity that can make delivery much easier.”

 

Olivia perked up at Mitzy’s words.  Her feelings for Natalia affected her concern for her well-being and the stress she would be under in giving birth.  Anything that might help, she wanted to know.

 

Flipping a cover on a dry erase board, Mitzy smiled at her artistic handiwork, a very detailed but clinical drawing of a woman’s genitalia, with labels and all.  The room was in a stunned silence.  Sandy’s mom refused to look up, Jack lifted his nose out of his Blackberry long enough to stifle a chuckle, Olivia merely lifted an eyebrow and tilted her head, and Natalia turned about ten shades of red.

 

Mitzy picked up her monologue right where she left off, oblivious to the looks she was getting, “One of the most common problems women experience during labor is being unable to pass the baby through the birth canal.”

 

She took a pointer and tapped the board, “This muscle here, the perineum, can sometimes tear at the height of delivery.  While you don’t tend to feel it, because obviously you’re more aware of other pain, stitches would be required to heal the damage, and that will just slow down your recovery.”

 

Sandy’s brown eyes were as big as saucers, “Is there anything we can do to prevent it?”

 

“I’m glad you ask!  The good news is you can do it all on your own, but it’s a lot more fun with a partner.”  She smiled at the rest of the group, letting her eyes fall a little too long on Olivia and Natalia.  “This is what you do.  Go home, grab a bottle olive oil, get comfortable with a towel on your bed or in a chair and do this.”  Hidden in a bag behind the board stand was a life size version of a woman’s anatomy.

 

Olivia covered her mouth, trying not to laugh because she could have sworn she saw that in the shop with Blake that day, but then her eyes got huge and a wave of heat washed over her as Mitzy slid her thumb into the fake opening and began stroking the muscle.  Mitzy went on in great detail about how and where to touch, for how long, and how often.  Olivia’s mind wandered and she shifted in the chair for relief.  She glanced over to Natalia, her eyes closed, and Olivia knew she wasn’t fairing much better.  Poor Frank had the worst end of the deal.  He shook his head and quickly pulled out his phone before standing saying he had to leave for an emergency.  Olivia knew it was bunk because she had seen him turn it off when he came in tonight.

 

The drive home was quiet.  Both women were off in their own worlds as Natalia pulled into the driveway.  They had picked up Emma from Phillip and Olivia took her upstairs to put to bed, while Natalia took a shower.  When she opened the door to their bedroom, Natalia was sitting in bed, resting against the headboard, completely naked.  After nearly a month of being lovers, Olivia had some of her desire quenched but the fire still simmered below the surface.  It didn’t take much to encourage her attention, and a naked Natalia certainly did that.  After a moment of appreciating the visual appeal of the woman she loved, her eyes moved to the nightstand, where a small bottle of extra virgin olive oil sat.

 

She smiled and trained her eyes back to Natalia, her own dark eyes twinkling in amusement and mischief, “You know, if I recover quicker after the birth, the sooner we can get back to making love after she’s born.”  She picked up the bottle and held it out to Olivia, “A short recovery time is a great thing, don’t you think?”

 

Olivia smirked as she took the bottle and uncapped it, “Definitely.”
 

Otalia - Heroes & Friends, Chapter 3/? (Yep, it's back!)

Yep, I've revived it!  For those just starting it, I added Chapter 1 & 2 below.  This fic picks up right around the events of the Bauer BBQ and Nat's disappearance, and then completely becomes it's own little world.  I'll update quicker this time because I'm well over halfway through writing it.

Title: Heroes and Friends

Fandom: Otalia

Rating: Mostly PG-13, eventual NC-17 for sex and violence (Not between our girls though…the violence that is…promise. The other? Well…teehee).

Disclaimer: These wonderful ladies and the rest of the town belong to CBS, Telenext, and P&G. I’m just having some fun with them.

Spoilers: We’ll see if I’m that good. If you don’t want anything with spoilers and haven’t read any at all, don’t read this because I think I’ve hit just about every single spoiler out there.

Summary: Nat gets the shock of her life and it turns Liv’s world upside down.

A/N: I’ve been spending WAY too much time in the BPD speculation threads. This fic revolves around one of the possible scenarios I came up with regarding upcoming spoilers.

A/N2:  Thanks to Ndasky for giving me an idea for the title. Actually, I swiped it from a Melissa Etheridge song.

Chapter 1
Chapter 2

Chapter 3

 

The warm smell of coffee tickled Olivia awake. She rubbed at her sleepy eyes and rolled to sit up on the sofa, moaning as bones cracked into place. Natalia giggled and peeked around the corner, holding a large mug in her hand.

 

“No poking fun at the old lady! A few years and this’ll be you. Just remember that.” 

 

Natalia smiled a big dimply smile and stepped closer, “You’re not old. You’re well-aged like a fine wine.”

 

“Sweet talker. What are you up to? Huh, what do you want?” Olivia glared at her jokingly through slitted eyes.

 

Natalia scooted next to her on the couch, “Actually, it’s more like a proposal.”

 

“Proposal? But, honey, we’ve only kissed,” Olivia smirked at her, “don’t you think that’s a little fast? Gee, a sweet talker and now a fast mover.”

 

Natalia gave her an odd look but then bumped her with her shoulder, laughing, “Be serious for a minute.”

 

“Fine. What?”

 

“Well, I was going to suggest that you and Emma go ahead to the barbecue, and I’ll meet you there.”

 

Olivia frowned and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, “I thought the whole idea was to go together.”

 

“Yeah, I know, but we overslept. It’s almost 10am. The barbeque starts in an hour. We both have to get ready and so does Emma. You needed to pick up plates and stuff, and I still need to get the ice chest out of the barn and clean it up. There’s no way we can do all of that in an hour.”

 

Olivia struggled to find a loophole in the logic so she went straight for the facts, “We’ll just be fashionably late then. I really wanted us to show up as a family.”

 

Natalia groaned, “I know. I did too, but Emma’s really excited about all the games and everyone being there. You don’t want her to miss anything.”

 

Olivia quirked her mouth to the side, “I hate it when you’re right.”

 

Natalia smiled at her broadly then shuffled her off up the stairs to get Emma so they could get on their way. When they came back down, she handed Emma a muffin and gave her a long hug before standing to give Olivia a kiss on the cheek.

 

“See you later?” Olivia asked.

 

Natalia sighed, looking preoccupied, “Yeah.”

 

************

She bent over to get the last pack of paper plates off the shelf. When she stood, she had to hide her disappointment at seeing Frank staring at her. 

 

A few long seconds passed before he spoke, “Looks like your coming to the barbeque.”

 

Olivia nervously shifted her basket to her other hand, “Yeah, Emma loves the games.” Another long moment of silence and when Frank didn’t say anything, she pushed forward, “So, is Rafe going to make it?”

 

“Yeah…yeah, I convinced him that it would be good to be seen interacting with the rest of the community. Besides, Daisy’s going to be there. I think that did more than I ever could.”

 

“Thank you…for doing that. I’m sure Natalia will be really happy to see him.”

 

He looked down, debating if he should say anything, “She might be, but I can’t say the same for him. He came back really upset the other night.”

 

“Yeah, I heard.”

 

Frank started to say something more when Emma ran up to them, “Hey Mom, can I get some sparklers for the fireworks for later? Natalia likes them too. Can I get some extras for her?”

 

“Sure, honey,” she knelt down, “Can you do me a favor?”

 

“Sure,” the little girl shrugged.

 

“We need some drinks. Can you get some for us?”

 

“Okay!” Emma enthusiastically left the two adults standing there.

 

“Oh, and Emma…nothing with caffeine.” The little girl rolled her eyes before heading further down the aisle.

 

Frank watched the exchange fondly, “She seems to be doing well.”

 

Olivia felt an undercurrent of a deeper meaning running through his words, her blood chilling slightly, “She is. We told her, by the way, about us.”

 

He raised an eyebrow at her, trying to feign disinterest, “Really? And how did that go?”

 

“She wondered when we were getting married,” Olivia fought to not smirk as she watched Frank’s face fall, “It’s amazing how kids can be so much more mature and intuitive about things than most adults.” When Frank clenched his jaw, unable to answer, she brushed past him, “We’ll see you at the barbeque, Frank.”

 

**************

Natalia knew she had acted a bit short with Olivia this morning. She hadn’t meant too, but she wasn’t feeling quite herself and part of her just wanted to be alone. She didn’t need Olivia worrying about her because she wasn’t feeling well.

 

She wasn’t sure what the problem was. Now that this weird feeling had been going on a few days, she couldn’t really blame it on nerves. Things had calmed down slightly with Rafe. Well, really he just hadn’t been around to stir things up and she hadn’t made a move to make amends yet. She knew she was going to have to deal with that, but this wasn’t the time. He was a grown man now and he needed to find his own way to deal with this, to find his own happiness just like she was doing. It wasn’t the stress over Emma because that had been a piece of cake. The little girl was practically their own built in CIA agency. She knew stuff and she wasn’t afraid to use it! Natalia smiled as she moved around the kitchen cleaning up. Emma was so much like her mother. No wonder she had been charmed by her!

 

Natalia wondered if it could be their “outing” planned for today at the barbeque, but in her mind, they had dealt with the biggest problems already: their kids and her faith. What the rest of the town thought of them as a couple was pretty much inconsequential.

 

Was it what came after today?  Natalia felt her heart race slightly at the implication. She was tired of waiting and when she said it, she knew what she meant. She wanted Olivia and she wanted what every couple has together, including sex.

 

She said the word out loud into the quiet of the farmhouse kitchen, “Sex.” Her hands shook a little, “I do. I want to have sex with Olivia.” She hadn’t said those words to Olivia yet or to anyone. To be honest, she hadn’t said them to herself either. Until now.

 

“Once you say it, Rivera, you can’t take it back,” a nervous excitement filled her and she smiled a little. The images of them kissing last night sending lightening fast messages to other parts of her body.

 

She closed her eyes and a small moan escaped her lips. If Emma hadn’t had her nightmare, no telling what would have happened. They probably wouldn’t have stopped, and Natalia, feeling the shake that had been in her hands move down below her belly, was becoming quite aware that she didn’t want to. She couldn’t say the word “sex” to Olivia, but her body sure could!

 

With a new determination, she quickly finished the dishes still sitting in the sink so she could get the supplies from the barn. The sooner this day was over, the sooner they could stop this incessant waiting, and Natalia was so done with the waiting.

 

*************

Olivia waved to Josh as she got out of the car, watching as he came closer. They laughed when Emma raced past yelling “hey Uncle Josh” before running right into a sprinkler screaming. All the other kids started chasing her and she screamed even louder.

 

“She’s awfully happy!” Josh smiled as he helped Olivia lift some bags from the car trunk. He noticed the huge grin on Olivia’s face too, “And so is her mother.”

 

Olivia couldn’t stop her smile from getting bigger, “Yes, I am.” She saw the furrowed brows and curious look of her ex-husband.

 

“So, where’s Natalia?”

 

She gave him a long, contemplative look. His smile was sincere, and if anyone got her, it would be Josh. When she closed the trunk and precariously balanced several trays of cookies, she looked at him, “She’ll be here soon. In the meantime, want to get a beer and…talk?”

 

“Talk? You? This sounds serious.”

 

“Yeah, it is. But in a good way.”

 

**************

Natalia hopped down the back steps and headed back to the barn to get the remaining supplies for the barbeque. She knew they needed an ice chest for ice to keep the drinks cold, and thinking Rafe would probably show up, she whipped up a sugar free chocolate mousse pudding that he loved.

 

Opening the doors, she waved at her face to make the dust and lingering smell of horse manure fade slightly. She set the cleaning supplies on the floor by the door and walked over to the ladder that went up to the barn loft where all their seasonal items were kept. Slowly she climbed each step in the ladder being careful to check the stability of the wood before moving up a little higher. The barn was a lot bigger than it looked from the outside so by the time she got to the last step, she was winded and slightly dizzy.

 

She knew she still had to clean the ice chest and get a shower before she could so her time was running out. Instead of sitting for a moment longer to get her bearings, she turned to reach for the chest on the shelf at the back of the loft. That was when she noticed the sleeping bag that she and Olivia had carefully rolled up and put in a protective hard plastic bag to keep rats out, completely out of the bag and stuffed in the corner.

 

“What the…?” She reached for the bag and pulled it from the corner. “Oh my God!” She covered her mouth. In the corner sat an old fashioned but functional lantern, a local newspaper, and a map. She leaned closer when she saw something shiny in hay. She ran her finger over it and seeing how small it was she picked it up, the red and gold crest flickering back at her in the sunlight coming through the loft window. She held it up to the light, finally realizing it looked very much like a cufflink, to read the markings at the bottom. She could make out the faded lettering of an “S” and an “A” but that was all.

 

An uneasiness crept over her and she had a sudden urge to run from the barn. She gripped the cufflink in her hand, picked up the chest and turned, but before she could turn all the way around, the world went dark and she fell hard to the wooden planks of the loft.

 

************

 

Olivia sat at a bench table with Josh sipping on a beer as they watched Emma and several other kids chased Bill with water balloons. They laughed as Bill slipped on a Wiffle bat and all the kids came tumbling down on top of him. Olivia watched Lizzie from across the way giving her young fiance looks of complete adoration. Everyone tried to ignore the little pooch on Lizzie’s belly, but as in love as those two were, it was bound to happen. Watching him roll and wrestle with the kids, she knew he’d make a great father one day.

 

With a deep sigh of complete contentment, she lifted the bottle to her lips and took a long sip. Josh had been watching her, watching everyone else, and fighting a silly grin.

 

“Alright…spill it.”

 

Olivia grinned at him and feigned a look of shock, “What? There’s nothing to tell…really.” The mischievous smirk however told another tale.

 

“You’re not getting out of this that easy. You wanted to sit down and have a beer and talk…so, talk.” Josh rested his goatted chin in his hand and gave Olivia his patented “tell me or else” look.

 

Olivia picked at the label on the bottle, “I’m…in love.”

 

A slow smile spread across his face, as he stretched out the only word he could think of at the moment, “Okay.” When no more information was forthcoming, he pushed, “Don’t stop there. Please, tell me more. Who is this lucky person?”

 

Olivia nervously bit her lip. If there was anyone in Springfield that she could trust and that really got her enough to understand how life-altering this was, it was Josh, but there was still a small nagging doubt in the back of her mind that made her hesitate.

 

She looked up at him and seeing nothing but genuine caring from a genuinely good man, she swallowed the last of her concerns before quietly acknowledging his question with an answer, “It’s Natalia.”

 

She watched him, cautiously, for any changing expression or reaction, but he simply smiled, “I know.”

 

“What?” Olivia was stumped.

 

He laughed at the shocked look on her face, “I know, Liv. I’ve known for a while.”

 

“Since when?”

 

He took a slow sip of his beer, “Since we played pool with Jeffrey that time. You girls really were solid, huh?”

 

She elbowed him for the snarky remark, “Not at that time, no.” The look he gave her posed the obvious next question without words, “The wedding. I…blurted it out to her next to Gus’ grave and she ran out on Frank.”

 

Josh’s eyebrows raised, “That explains why Frank’s been so cranky lately.”

 

Olivia couldn’t contain her laughter. She didn’t enjoy the idea that she caused Frank pain, yet it was hard not to want to laugh at his recent regression into a grown up version of adolescent angst.

 

When the laughter died down, he reached for her and wrapped her in a hug. “Congratulations. I’m very happy for you.”

 

She closed her eyes and let herself be comforted by Josh’s strength and friendship, “Thank you…for everything.”

 

“You’re welcome. Now, the most important question of all.”

 

Olivia put her head in her hands, “Oh no! No, Josh, you can’t watch.”

 

Josh laughed so hard he almost fell off the bench, “That was not what I was going to ask.” He wiped at the tears of laughter streaking down his face, “I was going to ask where your girl’s at.”

 

Olivia had been so caught up in her talk with Josh and how good it felt to talk openly, finally, about her relationship with Natalia that she lost track of timeand didn’t realize it had been well over an hour since she had left the farmhouse. Natalia should have been there by now. She reached into her pocket to pull out her phone, thinking she may have turned it off accidentally, but when she looked it was on and the ringer was turned up. There were no missed calls or voice mails.

 

“She must have gotten stuck getting things to bring. Let me just call her to make sure she doesn’t need any help.” Josh gave her a shooing motion as she stood to walk over by the pool.

 

After several rings, she heard the voice mail pick up, “Hey, Natalia. It’s me. I was just checking to see if you needed any help or anything. I can come back over and help if you need it. Just give me a call, okay? Oh, by the way, I hope you don’t mind but I told Josh about us, and he was very happy. So…we’re having a great time. Emma’s soaked from the water balloon wars, and they’re going to be setting up for the three-legged race in about an hour. I know Emma can’t wait to do that with you. Okay, well, I’ll see you soon. I love you!”

 

She flipped her cell closed and slipped it in her pocket.  She turned just in time to see Emma and Bill sneaking up on her with water balloons, “Don’t you dare, Emma Spencer!”

 

The little girl raised a hand innocently, “It’s just water.”

 

“Yeah, it’s just water, Olivia,” Bill bounced a water-filled balloon in his hand mischievously.

 

“Don’t even think about, Bill Lewis.”

 

“Whatcha gonna do about it, huh?” Olivia smirked evilly at the approaching forms behind Bill.

 

“Let’s just say that I hope you brought a change of clothes.”

 

“What?” Bill turned just in time to see Josh toss one of the biggest water balloons known to man right at him. Emma and Olivia both squealed and jumped back as the flood of water went everywhere.

 

Finally recovering from his shock, Bill took off after Josh, “Come here, old man! Oh, you’re gonna pay for that!”

 

**************

 

Rafe and Ashlee sat by the pool sipping lemonade and having the random kind of conversation common to teenagers. Both compared notes on their latest cell phones and all the cool applications they had downloaded and seemed to spend more time text messaging others than actually talking to each other.

 

A shadow fell over them and Rafe barely contained his contempt at the woman standing there with a tray of fresh drinks.

 

“Looks like you two are getting low,” Olivia gestured to their cups, “Want some more?”

 

Ashlee gratefully took a thoroughly iced lemonade from the tray, “Thank you so much!”

 

“No problem…Rafe?” He shook his head no but didn’t verbalize his response. Instead, he simply stood, shook his head again and walked away. Ashlee looked apologetically at Olivia, but the older woman waved her hand nonchalantly urging Ashlee silently to not worry about it.

 

Olivia walked away, and Ashlee watched for a moment before taking off where Rafe had gone. She found him far out in the field leaning against the fence.

 

“What was that about?”

 

“Nothing. Don’t worry about it.” She placed her hand carefully on his arm.

 

“Well, I am. Something’s bothering you. You know you can talk to me, right?” He fidgeted with the cap in his hand before wrapping his arms tightly around his chest as if he was in pain. He acknowledged the blonde’s concerned question with a nod, but kept looking down. 

 

“My life is so screwed up right now.”

 

Ashlee looked at him strangely. As far as she knew, his life was finally working out pretty good. “Why would you say that? You just got out of the halfway house, and you barely served any time. You have a home to go to. Friends that care. A mom that’s awesome! What could possibly be wrong?”

 

“She’s not awesome. You don’t know here,” he snorted at his own bad private joke, “Actually, neither do I.”

 

Ashlee threw up her hands, completely confused, “I don’t…”

 

“She’s gay, okay? And she’s…she thinks she’s in love with Olivia,” he shook his head vehemently, the anger bubbling quickly to the surface, “But she can’t. It’s Olivia’s fault. She messed with her head and weaseled her way into our lives. She destroyed my mom’s marriage and then led her own with this…this crap.”

 

Ashlee narrowed her eyes at her friend, watching his body language. He still hadn’t looked at her. He was ashamed of his own mother. She glared at him then.

 

“Rafe Rivera, I cannot believe you,” he finally looked at her when the tone of voice was not what he expected. He thought she’d side with him. After all, she was his friend, right?

 

“What?”

 

“Your mom is in love and from what I’ve seen of her, happily so, yet you’re going to stand here and doubt that your thirty something year old mother doesn’t know what she wants and who she wants it with?” Rafe didn’t know what to say.

 

“She lied to me, Ashlee.”

 

The blonde crossed her arms and looked out over the field, “No, no she didn’t. If she was going to lie to you, we wouldn’t be having this conversation because you still wouldn’t know about her. Let me tell you something about lying. Lying means looking your daughter in the eye and straight up saying ‘Honey, I have a dinner date with a wonderful guy named Michael at 7pm. Don’t wait up.’ And come to find out that the date was really with Michelle. That’s lying, Rafe. Not this. You’re lucky to have a mom that actually talks to you and trusts you.”

 

Rafe was shell-shocked, “You mean, your mom…the mayor is…”

 

“Yeah, but of course, I don’t know that.”

 

Rafe didn’t know what to say. Saying ‘sorry’ didn’t seem adequate at the moment so he simply reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. They both turned as they heard voices calling for the three-legged race.

 

Ashlee gave Rafe a crooked smile and tilted her head back to the gathering, “Come on. Daisy and I are going to kick you and Frank’s collective butts.”

 

He smiled and followed Ashlee back, lingering back a few steps, still pondering what she said.

 

***************

Olivia pulled her phone from her pocket for the third time in five minutes. Still no call. Nothing. A few hundred feet away, everyone was setting up for the three-legged race. She watched her daughter holding her sack, alone, and her heart clenched. She looked at the phone one more time and started to hit the speed dial number, when Frank walked by.

 

“Hey, Frankie!” He turned but stalled, debating if he really wanted to talk to her or not. “Come here, please?”

 

He finally moved to sit by her on the bench, “Sure, what’s up?”

 

“Natalia’s been held up, I think. She was supposed to do the race with Emma, but…” They both looked at the young girl, all sad and forlorn. “I don’t want her to miss out on anything. Could you…?” 

 

He only debated for a moment. In spite of what had happened with Natalia and Olivia, he couldn’t hold it against the young girl. “Sure. I’ll take care of it.”

 

He stood and walked over to Rafe, whispered something in his ear as he motioned to his knee before calling Emma over. Olivia smiled as she watched her daughter’s disposition immediately brighten and she joined Rafe for the race.

 

She caught Frank’s eye and mouthed, “Thank you.” He nodded in acknowledgment before heading to the grill area for another beer.

 

She eyed her phone again then checked for a dial tone to ensure it was working. Almost three hours had passed since she had left the farmhouse. How long did it take to get an ice chest and fill it with food? Finally, she gave in to the temptation and hit the speed dial number.

 

As hard as she tried, she couldn’t keep the concern out of her voice. She really didn’t want to sound worried or possessive, but she couldn’t help the sense of unease hanging over her.

 

“Hey Natalia. I was just making sure everything was okay. They just started the three-legged race and food’s going to be served soon. You’ll be happy to know that Emma didn’t have to forgo the race. Frank gave up his spot with Rafe for her.” She laughed as she watched Emma and Rafe stumble across the finish line. “And I think they just came in second place. If you’re not feeling good, give me a call and let me know, okay. So I don’t do something silly like worry or whatever. Alright…um, love you.”

 

She put the phone away the moment Emma ran over to her and threw her arms around her in a hug, “Did you see, mom? We came in second.” She motioned to Rafe standing well behind her, not wanting to get too close to Olivia’s space.

 

“I did! You were wonderful!” She looked at the young man that was like a brother to Emma. “Thank you for letting her race with you.”

 

He shrugged and shuffled his foot, “No problem.”

 

“Betcha I would have come in first though if Natalia had raced with me!” Rafe gave Emma a shocked look.

 

“Oh, see if I race with you again, pipsqueak.”

 

Olivia laughed at the playful banter and wished things weren’t so hard right now for him and Natalia. This could work. This could be so good for all of them. Then Rafe gave her an odd look as they both thought about Natalia, and Olivia could see the wall fall down over Rafe’s face.

 

She sighed as he mumbled that he had to go and do something.

 

Emma turned back to her mom, “So, when’s Natalia getting here?”

 

“I’m sure she’ll be here any minute now. Why don’t you go see how much longer we’ll have on those burgers, huh?” She shuffled Emma over towards Rick and the grill.

 

“Natalia, where the hell are you?” She spoke to herself.

 

**********

 

Natalia awoke to a sharp noise and a pounding headache that had taken up residence behind her eyes. She closed her eyes tight against the bright light temporarily blinding her. She squinted her eyes open, laying a hand over her eyes to block the glaring light and slightly dull the pain now throbbing in time to her heartbeat. The staccato beat of something banging against metal only made the incessant throb more unbearable. She pressed her palms into her eyes hoping the pressure would ease the pain behind her eyes.

 

At first, when she looked up again, she thought she was on the floor of the barn but as her eyes focused, they landed on gray, uneven walls and a flat concrete surface covered in straw. She was no where that looked familiar and the panic quickly raced up her throat and choked her with a sob.

 

“Oh my God, where am I?” She frantically looked around and could see no light except the false eery glow of the naked bulb that showered down on her from almost twenty feet above the ground. The space she was in was small. When she stood and ran shaking hands over the rough stone walls, her arms almost reached from one end of the wall to the other. She felt along the wall hoping to run across…something. She wasn’t sure what, but there had to be something here that could help her. All she could feel was the barely noticeable indentations for the metal door. At the very bottom of the door was a cut out groove. She felt along the opening but her touch was blocked by another piece of metal.

 

When nothing else was in apparent sight or touch, panic, raw and unhindered, bubbled to the surface and Natalia screamed, “HEEEELLLLLLLPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!” Down the hall, a dark figure turned and laughed as the screams and frantic banging on metal subsided as he walked further and further away.