The Return Part 2 Olivia/Natalia
Title: The Return Part 2
Author: Karjens40
Fandom: Guiding Light
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia
Rating: G
Spoilers: None really just the weeks Jessica was on ML.
Summary: Natalia wants to figure out how to make things right.
Disclaimer: Guiding Light and all of its characters belong to Telenext and Proctor & Gamble
This is speculation regarding Natalia’s return.
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“You’ve got a meeting with Patricia Wyndham tomorrow at noon, but then your schedule is free the rest of the day,” Natalia said as she flipped through her folder.
“Oh good,” Blake looked up from her notepad and studied her assistant. Natalia had come back to work just two days after her surprise return. Blake had tried to convince her to spend the time with Olivia, but Natalia refused, saying she’d already been away from her new job long enough.
Blake didn’t argue. She knew that Natalia was an emotional wreck. Ever since she’d come home she’d been almost unreadable and aside from business, rarely said anything. Blake was growing more and more worried about the woman.
The silence grew tense as both women pretended to focus on paperwork. Finally, Blake couldn’t stand it any longer.
“What’s going on, Natalia?” When the dark head lifted, it was clear she was about to deny that anything was wrong, but Blake held up her hand. “Don’t say ‘nothing’. You wear your emotions on your sleeve, my friend.”
Natalia sighed. “Blake, you don’t pay me to talk about my personal life. In fact, I’m surprised you still want me to work for you after I left the way I did.”
Blake put her paperwork aside. She’d never met anyone like Natalia Rivera before and she wasn’t quite sure what to make of her or exactly how to talk to her. “Why wouldn’t I? I like you, Natalia. I respect your abilities and have no doubt that I made a smart decision in hiring you. Beyond that, I think of you as my friend and I’m worried about you.”
Natalia looked at the woman she’d only recently come to know. She didn’t know what to do. She could not…would not go to Father Ray. One of the things she’d come to understand while she was gone was that he would always counsel her based on his beliefs and nothing else. Listening to him the last time nearly cost her everything. She wouldn’t make that mistake again, but now she was lost. She saw the sincere concern in Blake’s eyes and decided to take a chance.
“I ruined everything, Blake,” she blurted, looking away from knowing, probing eyes.
“No you didn’t.” Blake started but Natalia interrupted.
“Yes I did. I let my fears override my faith in Olivia as well as myself. I let Father Ray and Rafe convince me that everything that’s happened lately is a sign or a punishment and I ran away. Like a coward.”
“Yes, you did,” Blake said bluntly. “But that was partly my fault. I should have stopped you, instead of helping you. I should have told Olivia what was going on.”
Natalia smiled sadly. “It wouldn’t have changed anything. God, Blake, for nearly a year, every decision I’ve made has been the wrong one. I invested money I shouldn’t have, I slept with a man I didn’t love so I could push away my feelings for Olivia, then I agreed to marry that man, knowing I was not only lying to him as well as myself, but also that I was hurting someone who truly loved me. The only right decision I’ve made in all this time was running out of the wedding before it was too late.”
Blake wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Frank Cooper was a very good friend of hers and she had hated to see him hurt, but she really didn’t know how it could’ve ended any differently.
“Maybe that’s true,” Blake said cautiously, “but you made the decision to come home. That was a very smart decision.”
“Was it?” Natalia asked fearfully. “Olivia says she understands, but how can I live with what I did to her, running out like I did? I didn’t even try to explain or even tell her I was going. When I heard about Jeffery and realized she had had to go through that alone, all the time wondering what happened to me…how can she not hate me?”
What a mess, Blake thought. “Because she loves you,” she said simply.
“She tries to act like everything is back to normal.” Natalia continued as if she hadn’t heard Blake, “but I’m not as naive as she thinks I am. She’s so much more reserved than she was and I know she hasn’t forgiven me.”
Blake wanted to tell Natalia that she was being ridiculous, but she knew that unpleasant though it may be, she had to hear the ugly truth. “Probably not,” Blake responded, saddened by the slight flinch on the beautiful face. “I know you understand that though, right?”
“Of course I do. I am so lucky that she just didn’t give up on me and tell me it was over. God Blake, when am I going to stop looking for disaster all the time? When am I going to stop being afraid?” Tears started to roll down her cheeks.
Soon I hope, Blake thought. “As soon as you realize that you’re not alone anymore, Natalia; as soon as you realize that you have Olivia.”
Natalia started to reply when her cell phone interrupted them. She looked and nearly wept in relief to see Olivia’s name on the caller ID.
“Olivia?” She said tentatively.
“Natalia? We need to talk.”
Natalia got to her feet as she heard the determined tone in Olivia’s voice. She fought the urge to throw up as she guessed what was coming. Olivia was going to tell her she couldn’t be with her anymore.
“Olivia, please,” she pleaded nearly stumbling to the door, needing to be away from Blake’s watchful eyes. “Please tell me you’re not leaving me,” she was close to hyperventilating as she tried to open the door.
“Natalia, that’s not…”
Before Olivia could finish, Natalia dropped the phone in a dead faint.
“Natalia!” Blake was on her feet and by her assistant’s side in an instant. Hearing Olivia’s worried calls for Natalia coming from the phone, she picked it up.
“Olivia, it’s Blake.”
“What’s going on? Where’s Natalia?” Olivia was almost beside herself in panic.
Blake gazed in horror at crumpled form of Natalia lying on the carpet. “She passed out,” Blake said bluntly. “I’ve got to call the ambulance. Meet us at Cedars.” She hung up and dialed 911.
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Thanks to Lazydevil for the read through. Part 1 can be found at http://community.livejournal.com/otaliavs/