Otalia fic - Heroes & Friends, 23/25

Title: Heroes and Friends
Fandom: Otalia
Rating: PG-13 for this chapter
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: I don’t think so. This story picks up at the “no more waiting” gazebo scene and goes off canon.
Summary: Nat gets the shock of her life and it turns Liv’s world upside down.
Warning: Not beta’d so if it sucks, there’s only me to blame.

Links to previous chapters: Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7 - Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16.1 - Chapter 16.2 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18 - Chapter 19 - Chapter 20 - Chapter 21 - Chapter 22

Chapter 23

The drive back to the farmhouse was somewhat subdued without Rafe in the back seat entertaining Emma. Instead, the little girl sat silently and looked out the side window, watching the late summer sun start its descent in the sky. She wasn’t really sad, but she did seem contemplative, a tiny little frown marring her otherwise innocent face.

While Olivia needed to find Doris and talk about the memorial plans, they both agreed that it would be best to get Emma back to the farmhouse and into some kind of normal routine. So, while it wasn’t Friday night, they did decide to do a special pizza and movie night reminiscent of the night before Natalia went missing, only this time no one would be leaving unexpectantly.

As soon as they pulled into the driveway, Emma seemed to come to life. She sat up in her seat craning her neck to see the house.

“Are the ducks still here?” She asked eagerly.

“They were this morning.” Natalia chuckled over her shoulder. “Do you want to go check them out while your mom goes to see Doris?”

“Yeah!”

The car was barely parked when Emma bolted out of the door and up the sidewalk to the front door. “Come on, whatcha waitin’ for?”

Natalia turned to Olivia. “She’s definitely a Spencer. Bossy, bossy, bossy.”

“Hmmm, I think I see a little Rivera one-track-mindedness in there too.”

The brunette opened the door but then leaned back over the console between them. “Oh, do you?”

“Uh huh.”

Natalia leaned closer, her fingers stroking Olivia’s hand resting on the gear shift. “Well, in that case, this one-track mind is telling your bossy to get a move on and get back here as fast as possible.”

“Why? The pizza’s not that good!”

“No, but I am.” Then she kissed Olivia. Slow and gentle at first, until a soft moan escaped the older woman’s lips, making Natalia angle in for a deeper kiss. The tap on the window though and an overly excited Emma bouncing up and down telling Natalia to hurry up broke the erotic haze.

Both women groaned and pulled apart. Natalia brushed a thumb along Olivia’s bottom lip to remove her smudged lipstick. “Don’t be too long.”

“Okay.” Olivia sighed.

“Love you.” Natalia gave her one last peck and climbed out of the car.

“Love you too!” Olivia called as the door was closed. She watched for a moment as Natalia walked up the sidewalk with Emma jumping excitedly at her side. The slow smile that grew when the brunette turned back to wave sassily at her could have lit the entire town. “Gah! As fast as possible, huh? Hell yeah, I can do that!”

*************
This late in the afternoon, city hall was a literal ghost town. It was so quiet and the echo so prominent in the cavernous structure that Olivia could have sworn that the only people in the entire building were her, Doris, and the security guard waiting with a wand just on the other side of the metal detectors.

The large man waved her through with a friendly smile. Olivia had been there enough in recent months that he recognized her. “Good evening, Ms. Spencer. You’re here awfully late.”

“Hey, Sid.” She cheated a little taking a quick glance at his badge. “I have some business with Mayor Wolfe. I assume she’s still here. I saw her car out front.”

“She sure is.” He did a cursory glance at the screen as her purse was scanned through the machine.

She picked up her purse. “Thanks. Have a good evening.”

The ride up to the top floor was pretty quick. Springfield was a decent sized town, but aside from The Beacon, city hall was the tallest structure in town rising to a massive four floors. Olivia stepped off the elevator and strolled down the empty corridor to the richly engraved, solid wood double doors. Doris had told her the history of them once. It seems they were hand-crafted in France in the 1700s exclusively for the mayor at that time, who apparently had close ties with the royal family in France. The doors were moved several times over the years depending on where the Mayor would take up office. It was perhaps the most extravagant feature of the building and oddly out of place for a building that was no more than fifty years old, but it certainly gave the place character.

Olivia pulled one of the doors open. Several standard wooden office desks lined the walls leading to another set of doors at the end of the short hall. These doors were much more appropriate to the overall feel of the building. They were still beautiful in their dark brown, mahogany tones, but not nearly as overwhelming.

Since it was now after hours, nobody was seated at the desks so Olivia walked to the end of the hallway and knocked lightly on Doris Wolfe’s door.

Olivia could hear the shuffle of feet on the other side of the door, then a cautious, “Yes?”

“Open up, Wolfe. It’s your favorite constituent.” Olivia tried to sound acerbic, but she smiled through the gruffness, causing it to lose its effect.

She heard light laughter on the other side. “What’s the special gay knock?”

Olivia laughed heartily. “I don’t know if I know an Elton John tune in knock format off the top of my head. Just open up, would ya?”

The door cracked and Olivia was wrapped in Doris’ arms. Momentarily surprised, she relaxed and returned the hug. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” Doris pulled back trying to get her composure.

“Awww, I didn’t know you cared, Doris.”

“Well, you know, you have a huge stash of money that could be donated to my next campaign so…”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “Please…you missed me.”

Doris walked back to her desk then turned and leaned back against it. She crossed her arms and smiled. “Maybe a little.”

“Same here.” The silence and understanding was only slightly awkward. They were friends and they knew it, no matter what they said. “So, how are things coming with the memorial tomorrow?”

Doris smiled, unfolded her arms and rested her hands back on the desk. “Everything’s in place. I had no idea how much went into planning an officer’s funeral. But don’t worry, it’s all taken care of. Blake did a lot and Remy actually put together the ceremony. All you have to do is show up.”

“We’ll be there. It seems like the least we can do.”

Doris nodded her head in acknowledgement. Then she changed topics, “How’s Natalia?”

“She’s doing very well. I’m kind of surprised that she’s not having nightmares or something. Health-wise though, she seems perfectly fine. She does her insulin shots when needed and is eating right. That was never a problem for her though.”

Doris tilted her head to the side. “And the two of you?”

“Good. We’re good.”

“And?” Doris pressed, knowing that Olivia knew what she was getting at.

Olivia looked down and scratched at the back of her neck nervously, a hint of blush rising in her cheeks. “We haven’t yet, okay? We’ve kind of had other things on our minds.”

The Mayor smiled mischievously at her friend. “Sure you have. I know you better than that, Olivia. I might buy that from Natalia, but not you.”

“Okay, fine! I’ve thought about it…a lot. But I want it to be right. I’ll know when the time’s right. So, stop pushing.”

Doris held up her hands. “Hey, you’re preaching to the choir, okay? I’m just really happy for you. You have what so many of us only dream of.”

“You’ll have it.” Olivia reassured.

“I had it.” Doris blocked, a long pause passing between them, then she emotionally backed up. “Oh, by the way, your buddy the Governor will be at the ceremony tomorrow. You’ll want to have your best political game face on.”

Olivia knew there was more to Doris’ shift, but she knew eventually she’d get the whole story. “No problem. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Doris turned to go back behind her desk as Olivia headed for the door. “Oh, and Doris?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for everything. You know with Rafe and such.”

“That’s what friends are for, Olivia. I was happy to do it.”

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

The walk back from the pond was relaxing. Natalia took a deep breath and watched as Emma ran in circles around a tree, skipping over the large roots that protruded out of the ground. This was perfection. Well, almost. The only thing that would make the moment more perfect would be to have Olivia there, walking by her side, holding her hand. Okay, even that wouldn’t be totally perfect. Maybe a little kissing, right under that tree where Emma’s standing, and of course, without Emma there. Maybe conveniently staying with her dad. Yep, that would be perfect.

Natalia sighed and turned to gaze at the setting sun. Orange and dark blue streamers of clouds and light stretched across the sky, casting golden shadows across the green grass towards the farmhouse. This is our house, Natalia thought. My family’s house. She smiled to herself. And when Olivia gets back, it’ll be home.

A shiver of anticipation ran through her. She couldn’t wait to be alone with Olivia. She wasn’t naïve. She knew what this meant. Living together, loving each other, being a family. All of the building tensions between them were culminating for this one moment in time. A time that would never come again. The first time. It all came down to this shaky, giddy feeling she had been feeling since getting out of the hospital. This thing inside of her that wanted to scratch through her skin and come to life. It was desire in its simplest form.

She wanted Olivia. She wanted to make love to her, feel her skin, and taste her lips. She wanted Olivia to scream her name in ecstasy and talk to her in hushed whispers in the afterglow. The fervent dance of lovers, a timeless and ageless movement of taste, touch, and emotion. She wanted it all and only with Olivia. Just thinking of the older woman was doing crazy things to her body and mind, and if anyone could see the images in her head, they’d be shocked. She wasn’t shocked, not anymore. Now she just wondered if her fantasies were going to be as good as the real thing, and honestly, she was dying to find out.

An excited hand tugging at her arm pulled her back to the moment, and she looked down to see a smiling Emma with open, expressive eyes like her mother’s staring back at her. “So can we do it?”

“I’m sorry, baby. Do what?” Natalia shook her head to get herself back in the present and focus on her daughter.

“Make cookies for Daddy. Maybe they can make him better.” Emma looked at her hopefully, as if the older woman had all the answers to the universe, and Natalia couldn’t bring herself to tell Emma that the cookies won’t make Phillip get better.

“Sure, we can do that. Come on, let’s go. It’s getting a little chilly out anyway.” She took Emma’s hand, and they walked back to the farmhouse.

Natalia scanned the numbers on the side of the refrigerator and found the one for the pizza delivery. She called in for a medium cheese for Emma and a medium pizza with everything, including extra olives, for her and Olivia. She watched as Emma pulled out the butter, flour, and eggs while she relayed the order to the person on the other end.

When she got off the phone, she pulled over a small stool. “Here, stand on this.”

“When will the pizza be here?”

Natalia looked at the clock. “In about thirty minutes, and it should be just in time for your mom too.”

“Yay!!!” Emma raised her hands.

“Yay!!!” Natalia raised her hands too, and they both laughed.

For the next few minutes, both of them were silent as Natalia got the right amount of ingredients and poured them all into a large bowl. She found a whisk and handed it over to her pint-sized assistant. The little girl smiled and started stirring too vigorously, causing flour to go flying all over herself and Natalia.

“Oops!”

Natalia laughed and brushed the flour off of her apron and the front of Emma. “It’s okay, baby. Just start gently.”

“Okay.” Emma went back to stirring but this time was much slower in her movements.

The batter was almost fully mixed when Emma spoke. “I was really scared.”

Natalia stopped putting away the ingredients back in the refrigerator and turned to Emma. “Scared? When?” She thought she knew, but she also knew the little girl needed to talk it out.

“When you and Mommy left.” She focused on stirring again. “I didn’t want Dad to know I was scared so I didn’t say anything. Because he doesn’t need to worry about me too.”

“Oh, sweetie.” Natalia ran a comforting hand over the long, dark hair.

“I was afraid the two of you would never come back and then Daddy wouldn’t be there. Who would take care of me?” Emma swiped a hand at her runny nose as she sniffed. Natalia reached for a tissue and handed it to her.

She wrapped Emma in a tight hug, tears falling at seeing Emma so scared and uncertain. “Emma, listen to me. Your mommy and I love you so very much and we’ll never, ever leave you.”

“But, you could die like Daddy might or Mommy almost did!” She was nearly hysterical in her fear. “Then I wouldn’t have anyone.”

Natalia leaned back and pulled Emma’s tear-soaked face to look at her. “Oh, my baby…you’re too young to worry like this. Here, sit down.”

Natalia knew she couldn’t avoid the discussion so she decided to be honest with her. She held onto Emma’s hand as she pulled out a chair and patted her lap. “Come here.”

Emma crawled into her lap and wrapped herself around Natalia’s neck. “I need you to understand something, Emma. Your mom and I have made a decision to be together and be a family. That means that you are our daughter and you are our first priority. We’ll never purposefully or willingly leave you…ever. You got that?”

The little girl nodded and pulled in closer to her neck. “That doesn’t mean that something can’t happen to one of us, that’s true. But if something ever happened to one of us, the other will be here, and if God forbid, something happened to both of us, we’ve thought about that too. Rafe and Ava both love you very much, and they’ll always be here for you. It won’t be the same, but they are your family. Okay? You’ll never be alone if we have anything to say about it.”

Natalia could feel the small head nod against her. Her sniffles had subsided and she raised a hand to wipe away the tears from Emma’s face. She kissed her on the top of the head. “I love you, Emma.” She pulled her tighter into the hug, and she felt it returned.

“Natalia?”

“Yeah, baby?” Natalia had unconsciously started to rock Emma much like she did when Rafe was little and had nightmares.

“You’re my mom too, right?”

Natalia smiled against her head. “Yes, I am.”

“Can I call you Ma like Rafe does?”

Natalia laughed and looked down at her. “I’d be honored.”

Emma smiled and wrapped her thin arms around her neck. “I love you too, Ma.”

They stayed like that for a few more minutes letting the comfort and closeness sink in deep. Emma eventually started to squirm and Natalia couldn’t help but smile. She let her go and gave her a playful nudge. “Open the oven, and I’ll put these in. They should be done by the time pizza gets here.”

She looked at the clock and then back at Emma. “Go wash up, honey. Your mom should be here any minute.”

When Emma bounded up the steps, she glanced back up at the clock. “What’s taking you so long, Olivia?”

A few minutes later, Natalia checked the cookies. They only needed a few more minutes. She looked overhead wondering what in the world had happened to Emma. “Jeez, Emma, did you fall in or something?”

A knock at the door let her know the pizza was here. She grabbed the money off the counter by the stove and went to the door. The teenage boy smiled at her shyly and handed over the pizzas. She gave him a healthy tip and wished him a good night. No sooner had she set down the pizzas on the table when her phone rang.

She looked at the caller ID. “Olivia?”

“Um, yeah.” Natalia pulled her phone from her ear when she heard a shrill alarm sound.

“What in the world was that?”

Olivia hesitated. “Sirens?”

“Sirens? For what? Olivia, what happened? Are you okay?” Natalia felt her heart drop and then start to race painfully in her chest. She put her hand up on reflex to keep it from beating out of her chest.

“I had a little accident.”

“Little…how little? Are you okay?”

“Yes, yes…I’m fine. Stop panicking, baby.”

The words didn’t hold much weight though when she heard another voice come through the line. “Ms. Spencer, we need to get you to the hospital.”

“Hospital! Olivia!”

She could hear Olivia addressing the voice Natalia had just heard. “I don’t need the hospital.”

“It’s a precaution. You need to have a scan of your head since you have a nice bump on it. Just to be safe.”

Natalia had already started to search for her keys and called up to Emma, trying to sound as calm as possible. When the girl came out, she told her there was a change of plans and that she needed to get an overnight bag.

When Emma went to her room, she gave her full attention back to her partner, talking sternly to her. “Olivia, go to the hospital. I’ll drop Emma off at Jane’s and be there in twenty minutes.”

“Natalia,” Olivia whined, “I’m fine.”

“Don’t argue, just go.”

“Fine, fine.” She flipped her phone closed and looked at the EMT. “No wonder men don’t argue with their wives.”

He smiled knowingly. “It’s just easier to give in.”

“Tell me about it!” She climbed in the back of the ambulance as he climbed in and closed the doors behind them.

*************
Olivia was sitting up in the hospital bed when the door to her room opened. Natalia walked in carrying a pizza box in one hand and a small bag in the other. The older woman smiled at her.

“We really need to stop meeting like this.”

Natalia sighed and set the box down in Olivia’s lap. “It does seem that we spend more time in hospitals than at home.”

Olivia took out a slice of pizza, and even though it was cold now, it was like heaven because she was so hungry. She moaned her approval. “We need to change that. I’m so sick of hospitals. No pun intended, of course.”

“Of course. So, what happened?”

Olivia hung her head. “A deer.”

“Ah, I see.” Natalia nodded her head in understanding.

A dark eyebrow was cocked at her. “I should have just hit it though.”

Natalia swatted her leg. “Don’t say that!”

“No, seriously. I may have done less damage. I ended up running off the road and hitting a tree.”

The younger woman winced, imagining the damage done to Olivia’s pretty white car. “Let me guess, the car’s…”

“Totaled, yeah.”

“Lovely.”

“And I have a nice little knot on the head in commemoration of this event.”

Natalia sat in the chair next to the bed. “And that’s why they want a scan.”

“Yep.” She handed a piece of pizza to Natalia, who gratefully took it since she could feel her sugar getting low.

“Have they taken you back yet?”

“Nope.”

“We could be here a while then.” Natalia looked at her sadly. So much for time alone tonight, she thought.

“Looks like it. Sorry.” Natalia stood up and leaned over the bed.

“Don’t, don’t feel sorry, Olivia. You couldn’t help that a deer ran out in front of you. I’m just glad you’re okay.” She brushed a strand of hair behind Olivia’s ear, letting her fingers trace soft skin across her jaw.

Olivia leaned into the touch, closing her eyes. “I just wanted to get home to you so bad. I’m beginning to think we’ll never have time alone.”

Natalia smiled and leaned over to kiss her. “Oh yes, we will. One way or another, I’ll make sure of it.”

Olivia smirked at her, feeling emboldened by Natalia’s obvious desire. “Oh, you will?”

“If I have to lock up the farmhouse like Fort Knox and ship Emma off to a month long summer camp, I will.” She laughed at her conspiring mind.

“I love you.” Olivia wrapped her fingers in Natalia’s long hair and pulled her in for a kiss. “So much.”

“Then make the world go away…please.” Natalia whispered.

“Done.” She sealed it with another kiss.