Devil Ride 52/57
Title: Devil Ride
Author: xenalvr
Fandom: Guiding Light
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia
Rating: NC-17
Warnings and Disclaimer: CBS, P&G, Telenext et. al. own these characters, not me.
This story is set in an alternate universe, where Natalia Rivera's history and timeline are greatly altered. Most of Olivia Spencer's history remain intact. It contains adult themes and language, and deals with the sex industry, which might not be to everyone's taste, so please do NOT proceed if you are not of age or if any of that might offend you.
I've decided not to worry too much about pre-Otalia plotline discrepancy as this is an AU after all.
52
Natalia was used to making tough decisions. She mostly went with her gut and tried not to look back. After all, nothing good happened to people who looked back. Take Lot's wife for example, who had turned into a salt pillar when she had turned back to look at the house she was fleeing from; Natalia smirked mirthlessly at the random biblical reference that popped into her head as she drove along.
When Natalia was growing up, she had believed in the existence of God and Satan; heaven and hell; and sins and their punishments because that was what she had been taught to believe in. Like any other average teenager, she hadn't given religion much thought--that is, until she became pregnant with Raphael when she was sixteen.
Her mother had been convinced that she was going to hell and her father had hit her out of anger and shame. They had been so angry and she had been so scared. She could still remember the cold grip of fear that had banded around her heart each time they had spoken of abortion, and she had turned to God for guidance and strength, convinced that she would be condemned to hell for her sin but praying that her child would be absolved from her punishment.
She lost her faith the day she was told that Raphael was a stillborn.
Between then and now, Natalia had been a part of a few families that had, at one time or other, accepted her into their folds. She learnt that people who made up a family didn't necessarily have to be related by blood, that if you were fortunate enough to find people who loved and helped you unconditionally, you did your best to reciprocate in kind. It was why she would never truly be able to cut Maria out of her life, and also why she didn't want to implicate Olivia any further. Maria had been her family for a big part of her life and Olivia... Olivia was her family now.
It wasn't that Natalia didn't trust Olivia to be there for her because she did. But the thought of putting Olivia in harm's way or losing Olivia when Olivia meant so much to her was just too much. Natalia didn't think she could bear it if Olivia ever got hurt on her account; the sight of Paul lying on that hospital bed had been heart-wrenching enough. She wanted Olivia safe and sound.
What Natalia did consider was how anxious she would be if Olivia's and her roles were reversed, so she had rung Olivia up after she had spoken to Maria and formulated a semblance of a plan. She had been tempted to tell Olivia where she was heading but, knowing Olivia, she would come after her, and that would defeat her entire purpose of stealing away. So she had apologised instead, and hoped that Olivia would forgive her when all this was over. Natalia glanced at the time and breathed out loudly through her nose as she pulled into a small parking lot near her old apartment.
It felt odd to be back in her old neighbourhood.
She could hardly believe that she had only been gone for over a month; it felt like a lifetime ago. She recognised the streets and signs and knew the location of things, but everything looked and felt foreign to her, much like being in an old room that someone else now occupied. Being here brought home the fact that she was no longer a part of this world. The realisation elicited an array of conflicting emotions within her which she chose to push aside. She had more important things to entertain right now.
Natalia pulled her jacket tighter around her body and shivered slightly as she hurried up the sidewalk. Chicago should get its first snow any day now. She hoped that it would hold out till for a few days because it would make driving back to Springfield just that little bit trickier. The thought made her realise with a start that there was no question as to whom she now belonged with.
Not wanting to be distracted by the stray thought, Natalia blinked several times to try and clear her head. She still had some time before Mallet arrived. She reached the door to her old apartment and reached up for the key, which was still kept at its old hiding place even though Ruth now lived there.
According to Maria, Ruth and her roommate had gone away for a few days for Thanksgiving, so the apartment was unoccupied for the moment. The door swung open to reveal the small, stark room in a messy state. Natalia bit on her lower lip and stepped inside, torn between the warmth the apartment provided and the musty smell that emanated from it.
After shrugging off her coat and scarf, Natalia spotted a paring knife lying on the shelf beside a half eaten apple. She brought the knife over to the sink and gave it a quick rinse before hiding it in the sleeve of her snug fitting thermal top. The knock that sounded on the door made her jump even though it was expected. With a determined set to her jaw, Natalia walked over to the door and opened it.
*
Olivia took back all the ill thoughts she had ever possessed about the advancement of technology and embraced it, glitches and all. Without the inbuilt GPS in Gus's car, she doubted that she could have made it to Natalia's old apartment as quickly as she did.
Olivia double checked the address that she had hastily scribbled down and took to the stairs two steps at a time, her heart racing and stomach fluttering, unsure what she would find and hoping that she would find something. The apartment building stank of stale piss and alcohol, a bad mix on any day. Olivia steeled her stomach.
When she reached the door to Natalia's old apartment, Olivia hesitated to knock. She was about to try Natalia's cell again when she heard voices from within, so she bent her head slightly and pressed her ear to the door, eager to catch any snippet of conversation that could determine if Natalia was there. The exchange was made in hushed voices but close to the door.
"...make sure you're safe, Talia!" Olivia's heart leapt in her chest at a female voice calling out a shortened version of Natalia's name.
"You have to go."
At the familiar sound of Natalia's voice, Olivia's heart soared. She knocked on the apartment door and heard everything go quiet behind it. Then she heard the chain lift noisily and watched the door inch open. When it opened wide enough to reveal Natalia, Olivia felt a rush of relief, happiness, nervousness and a brief spurt of self-righteous anger.
"What are you doing here? How did you..." Natalia sputtered, her carefully composed face dissolving into a mix of confusion and frustration.
At a loss for words and at the risk of saying something that she might later regret, Olivia kept quiet as she tried to calm her thundering heart. She allowed Natalia to pull her into the apartment.
"Olivia, I..." Natalia started to say as she reached her hands up to cradle Olivia's face. Olivia pulled away reflexively and noted Natalia's look of hurt with vindictive pleasure. "I'm sorry." Natalia's hands dropped limply to her sides. Something in Olivia's chest twisted when Natalia took a step away from her, and she reacted by pulling Natalia to her and burying her face in Natalia's neck. Her eyes fluttered shut when she felt Natalia wrap her arms around her and breathed in deeply.
"Guess you're happy to see her," a wry voice observed, causing Olivia to pull her face back and turn to its source.
The woman standing by the bathroom door with her arms crossed in front of her had striking features and a strong presence despite her gaunt figure. Short golden brown curls framed her narrow face and dark eyes that had seen more than their fair share of the world's ugliness. Olivia instinctively knew this woman to be Natalia's ex. If Natalia had ever mentioned her name, Olivia's mind hadn't retained that information.
"I'd introduce myself but Talia's got a date to keep and she's already annoyed that I crashed her party," the woman said in a lazy drawl that both annoyed and impressed Olivia.
"I know who you are. You're the woman who betrayed Natalia's trust and stole her money. She never told me your name though. Guess it isn't that important," Olivia said in a cool tone as she disengaged herself from Natalia's embrace.
Catlike eyes narrowed before a slight sneer formed on full lips. "I've never even heard of you. Guess you ain't important," she retorted, causing Olivia's brow to lift in a mixture of irritation and admiration.
"Or maybe you're just not significant enough for Natalia to even talk to anymore," Olivia said in a low, chilled voice. She held the woman's eyes, refusing to be the one to break the stare.
"Maria. Olivia. Bathroom. Please." Natalia's voice was gentle but firm. When neither of them budged, Olivia could hear Natalia sigh behind her. "Please? Can we do this later?"
Olivia watched Maria throw her head and roll her eyes before returning into the bathroom. She herself was about to ask Natalia what she was going to do when she heard Mallet's voice on the other side of the door, calling out for Jessica. Natalia's eyes widened and Olivia felt a squeeze on her hand. "Go," Natalia whispered urgently.
Olivia couldn't do anything but oblige.
TBC
Author: xenalvr
Fandom: Guiding Light
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia
Rating: NC-17
Warnings and Disclaimer: CBS, P&G, Telenext et. al. own these characters, not me.
This story is set in an alternate universe, where Natalia Rivera's history and timeline are greatly altered. Most of Olivia Spencer's history remain intact. It contains adult themes and language, and deals with the sex industry, which might not be to everyone's taste, so please do NOT proceed if you are not of age or if any of that might offend you.
I've decided not to worry too much about pre-Otalia plotline discrepancy as this is an AU after all.
52
Natalia was used to making tough decisions. She mostly went with her gut and tried not to look back. After all, nothing good happened to people who looked back. Take Lot's wife for example, who had turned into a salt pillar when she had turned back to look at the house she was fleeing from; Natalia smirked mirthlessly at the random biblical reference that popped into her head as she drove along.
When Natalia was growing up, she had believed in the existence of God and Satan; heaven and hell; and sins and their punishments because that was what she had been taught to believe in. Like any other average teenager, she hadn't given religion much thought--that is, until she became pregnant with Raphael when she was sixteen.
Her mother had been convinced that she was going to hell and her father had hit her out of anger and shame. They had been so angry and she had been so scared. She could still remember the cold grip of fear that had banded around her heart each time they had spoken of abortion, and she had turned to God for guidance and strength, convinced that she would be condemned to hell for her sin but praying that her child would be absolved from her punishment.
She lost her faith the day she was told that Raphael was a stillborn.
Between then and now, Natalia had been a part of a few families that had, at one time or other, accepted her into their folds. She learnt that people who made up a family didn't necessarily have to be related by blood, that if you were fortunate enough to find people who loved and helped you unconditionally, you did your best to reciprocate in kind. It was why she would never truly be able to cut Maria out of her life, and also why she didn't want to implicate Olivia any further. Maria had been her family for a big part of her life and Olivia... Olivia was her family now.
It wasn't that Natalia didn't trust Olivia to be there for her because she did. But the thought of putting Olivia in harm's way or losing Olivia when Olivia meant so much to her was just too much. Natalia didn't think she could bear it if Olivia ever got hurt on her account; the sight of Paul lying on that hospital bed had been heart-wrenching enough. She wanted Olivia safe and sound.
What Natalia did consider was how anxious she would be if Olivia's and her roles were reversed, so she had rung Olivia up after she had spoken to Maria and formulated a semblance of a plan. She had been tempted to tell Olivia where she was heading but, knowing Olivia, she would come after her, and that would defeat her entire purpose of stealing away. So she had apologised instead, and hoped that Olivia would forgive her when all this was over. Natalia glanced at the time and breathed out loudly through her nose as she pulled into a small parking lot near her old apartment.
It felt odd to be back in her old neighbourhood.
She could hardly believe that she had only been gone for over a month; it felt like a lifetime ago. She recognised the streets and signs and knew the location of things, but everything looked and felt foreign to her, much like being in an old room that someone else now occupied. Being here brought home the fact that she was no longer a part of this world. The realisation elicited an array of conflicting emotions within her which she chose to push aside. She had more important things to entertain right now.
Natalia pulled her jacket tighter around her body and shivered slightly as she hurried up the sidewalk. Chicago should get its first snow any day now. She hoped that it would hold out till for a few days because it would make driving back to Springfield just that little bit trickier. The thought made her realise with a start that there was no question as to whom she now belonged with.
Not wanting to be distracted by the stray thought, Natalia blinked several times to try and clear her head. She still had some time before Mallet arrived. She reached the door to her old apartment and reached up for the key, which was still kept at its old hiding place even though Ruth now lived there.
According to Maria, Ruth and her roommate had gone away for a few days for Thanksgiving, so the apartment was unoccupied for the moment. The door swung open to reveal the small, stark room in a messy state. Natalia bit on her lower lip and stepped inside, torn between the warmth the apartment provided and the musty smell that emanated from it.
After shrugging off her coat and scarf, Natalia spotted a paring knife lying on the shelf beside a half eaten apple. She brought the knife over to the sink and gave it a quick rinse before hiding it in the sleeve of her snug fitting thermal top. The knock that sounded on the door made her jump even though it was expected. With a determined set to her jaw, Natalia walked over to the door and opened it.
*
Olivia took back all the ill thoughts she had ever possessed about the advancement of technology and embraced it, glitches and all. Without the inbuilt GPS in Gus's car, she doubted that she could have made it to Natalia's old apartment as quickly as she did.
Olivia double checked the address that she had hastily scribbled down and took to the stairs two steps at a time, her heart racing and stomach fluttering, unsure what she would find and hoping that she would find something. The apartment building stank of stale piss and alcohol, a bad mix on any day. Olivia steeled her stomach.
When she reached the door to Natalia's old apartment, Olivia hesitated to knock. She was about to try Natalia's cell again when she heard voices from within, so she bent her head slightly and pressed her ear to the door, eager to catch any snippet of conversation that could determine if Natalia was there. The exchange was made in hushed voices but close to the door.
"...make sure you're safe, Talia!" Olivia's heart leapt in her chest at a female voice calling out a shortened version of Natalia's name.
"You have to go."
At the familiar sound of Natalia's voice, Olivia's heart soared. She knocked on the apartment door and heard everything go quiet behind it. Then she heard the chain lift noisily and watched the door inch open. When it opened wide enough to reveal Natalia, Olivia felt a rush of relief, happiness, nervousness and a brief spurt of self-righteous anger.
"What are you doing here? How did you..." Natalia sputtered, her carefully composed face dissolving into a mix of confusion and frustration.
At a loss for words and at the risk of saying something that she might later regret, Olivia kept quiet as she tried to calm her thundering heart. She allowed Natalia to pull her into the apartment.
"Olivia, I..." Natalia started to say as she reached her hands up to cradle Olivia's face. Olivia pulled away reflexively and noted Natalia's look of hurt with vindictive pleasure. "I'm sorry." Natalia's hands dropped limply to her sides. Something in Olivia's chest twisted when Natalia took a step away from her, and she reacted by pulling Natalia to her and burying her face in Natalia's neck. Her eyes fluttered shut when she felt Natalia wrap her arms around her and breathed in deeply.
"Guess you're happy to see her," a wry voice observed, causing Olivia to pull her face back and turn to its source.
The woman standing by the bathroom door with her arms crossed in front of her had striking features and a strong presence despite her gaunt figure. Short golden brown curls framed her narrow face and dark eyes that had seen more than their fair share of the world's ugliness. Olivia instinctively knew this woman to be Natalia's ex. If Natalia had ever mentioned her name, Olivia's mind hadn't retained that information.
"I'd introduce myself but Talia's got a date to keep and she's already annoyed that I crashed her party," the woman said in a lazy drawl that both annoyed and impressed Olivia.
"I know who you are. You're the woman who betrayed Natalia's trust and stole her money. She never told me your name though. Guess it isn't that important," Olivia said in a cool tone as she disengaged herself from Natalia's embrace.
Catlike eyes narrowed before a slight sneer formed on full lips. "I've never even heard of you. Guess you ain't important," she retorted, causing Olivia's brow to lift in a mixture of irritation and admiration.
"Or maybe you're just not significant enough for Natalia to even talk to anymore," Olivia said in a low, chilled voice. She held the woman's eyes, refusing to be the one to break the stare.
"Maria. Olivia. Bathroom. Please." Natalia's voice was gentle but firm. When neither of them budged, Olivia could hear Natalia sigh behind her. "Please? Can we do this later?"
Olivia watched Maria throw her head and roll her eyes before returning into the bathroom. She herself was about to ask Natalia what she was going to do when she heard Mallet's voice on the other side of the door, calling out for Jessica. Natalia's eyes widened and Olivia felt a squeeze on her hand. "Go," Natalia whispered urgently.
Olivia couldn't do anything but oblige.
TBC