fic: you are my past, she is my present, we are the future (gl, otalia, 7/?)
Title: You Are My Past, She is My Present, We Are The Future
Author: Whisper_2Me (AKA AlexRiley/ MidKnight elsewhere)
Fandom: Guiding Light
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia et OC/female that is yet to be mentioned
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: Well, no, Olivia and Natalia and anyone who originates from Springfield Township belong to Telenext Media, Proctor and Gamble, and CBS; I'm just borrowing them. However, I do own the character Krista and only Krista.
Author's Note: Thanks to gidgegirl for beta reading this.
1. Something In Her Past
2. Who Is She And Why Do You All Know Her?
3. It'll Be Okay
4. Her Family
5. Let's Play Some Basketball
6. Healthy Combinations Be Damned!
Watching the sunrise seemed to be her favourite pastime ever since she arrived back in Springfield. The pastel colours in the sky were calming against the reality she seemed to live in. Being in a town enhanced those colours, but being out in the middle of nowhere; now that made moments like these memorable. The colour in the sky along with the quiet landscape of the farm made her feel like a child again; she had nothing else in mind but the peace and serenity of her surroundings. Peace and serenity were what she needed now; everything seemed to go off-kilter and away from her initial plan. The simplicities of life were something she was grateful for.
“You know, being out here instead of inside might freak my mom out.” Krista clutched the blanket around her shoulders when she jumped because of the voice. She turned her gaze and gave a weak smile to Rafe as he walked up to her, sitting beside her on the bench. She looked back at the brightening sky and made a quiet, humming sound.
“I have no intention of leaving the property right now. I don’t think I can hotwire your mother’s car with one hand, especially with the headache I have. What brings you out here this fine morning when the birds remain asleep?” A quiet chuckle came from Rafe as he heard the question. He scratched his head and slouched against the bench as he stared at the glowing sky. He saw Krista turn back to him in the corner of his eye, but he kept his gaze upward.
“I heard you go down the stairs earlier - those steps are creaky as hell,” Rafe explained as he caught Krista’s gaze. He watched as the other woman smirked with the knowledge that he was right; he could imagine Krista wincing every time the steps creaked beneath every move she made.
“Covert at its worst; if I wasn’t all battered up and bruised, I probably would’ve slid down the railing,” Krista replied back.
“Totally, and you could’ve flew right into the door and then ma wouldn’t have heard you.” Krista wore an amused smile as she looked at Rafe; he had a point.
“I’m surprised you didn’t wake your mother up; it sounds like your feet are held down by a metal ball and chain, they’re so loud.”
“See, everyone was still awake, so there was no reason to stay quiet. Besides, I know where the creaky spots are so I avoid those. Anyways, what are you doing out here? It’s not even six o’clock last time I checked.” Krista remained silent at the question. She had an answer, but she realized that it might bring up more questions. She looked down at the blanket wrapped around her shoulders and sadly smiled because of all the memories attached to it.
The fleece blanket covered with white, baby blue and lavender designs that seemed to have never of aged. The small teddy bears around the edge and abstract pattern in the centre reminded her of when she first received the blanket. Big, bluish purple, and soft, it was sixteen years old when it had been given to her. The memories she cherished the most with the blanket were the times when she and Olivia still lived in San Cristobel. The simple times while Sam was around and Marissa and their father were still alive; those were the moments Krista held onto.
It was the Saturday nights that led to no sleep until Sunday morning. Krista, Sam, Marissa and Olivia would pretend to sleep until they thought their parents were surely asleep, even though looking back on it, Krista figured her parents knew about the tradition. When they thought the coast was clear, all of them would quietly move to the backyard in their pyjamas with their blankets around their shoulders and pillows under their arms. They would sit on the back porch and stare up at the stars, telling stories, naming constellations or just simply staring at the small lights that filled the sky. All four of them would be huddled together, with Krista always next to Olivia. She looked up to her.
Eventually, time would pass and the stars would fade away to allow the incoming sun to rise once again. Slowly, the dark sky would be full of pastel colours and being a Sunday morning, no one would be awake yet which left a beautiful calmness to the four. They always accomplished their tradition together until Krista moved to Springfield, but Krista continued to watch the sky and relive the moments that made her the happiest.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I decided to get up when I could,” Krista answered; she was tired of lies and making up one now would only eat at her. She was surprised when she felt a hand against her back and it made her turn to Rafe. She saw the concern on his face and gave him a weak smile.
“Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?” Krista bit her lower lip and was ready to say yes, to what question, she had no idea. She wanted to talk to someone about something and it made sense to her that she talk to a stranger; she rationalized that she was less likely to be judged and that whoever was listening had no preconceived notions of who she was.
“Rafe, where are you?” Natalia’s voice abruptly tore through the silence. Rafe rubbed Krista’s back before he stood up and extended a hand to her. Krista gratefully accepted the help since her legs lost feeling when she huddled them against her to keep warm. She carefully lowered her legs to the ground and pulled herself up with Rafe’s help. “Raphael, this isn’t funny!” Krista turned to Rafe and chuckled at how much trouble he was possibly in if he failed to answer. They slowly made their way to the door, entered back inside the house and watched as Natalia hurried to the kitchen, frenzied.
“Ma, we’re right here!” Rafe called out as he heard the other door shut. He sighed and hung his head low when he thought that his mother hadn’t heard him and was now outside, searching. However, the sound of rushed footsteps made itself known and it made both Rafe and Krista stare at the walkway to the kitchen. They watched as Natalia appeared in the living room, flustered, but relieved.
“Don’t do that, both of you! You two nearly gave me a heart attack! Why are you two awake at this hour?” Rafe and Krista exchanged wary looks, but Natalia continued to speak. “Never mind, come on, I’m going to make breakfast since we’re all awake now.”
“Okay, but I’m going to go take a shower first, I’ll be back in a bit,” Krista stated, leaving before Rafe or Natalia could protest. Natalia looked at her son and eyed him carefully for any kind of suspicious behaviour.
“We didn’t do anything,” Rafe sighed as he walked towards his mother and led her back to the kitchen.
***
Olivia waved goodbye to Emma as Jane took her off to school. She quietly closed the door and approached one of the windows. She pushed the curtain back far enough to see the sky and she sighed; the sunrise disappeared all too quickly. Ever since Krista came back, she found herself looking out for the sunrise again. She may have only gained one morning to observe a sunrise, be it that day granted the circumstances, and it brought every memory she had of her childhood as well as her early adulthood back into her mind.
A quiet chuckle escaped her lips when she remembered all the fun times she had with her family before all of it seemed to have been ripped away from her all too quickly. That was the life before all hell seemed to have unleashed against her. The water fights, the times at the beach, the barbecues, the birthday parties and their little traditions were the simpler days. She had no ex-husbands, no complicated lies, she did not have to run to keep her family safe and it was all before everyone seemed to have left her.
Olivia wanted Emma to have that kind of childhood. Free of pain and complications that she went through before everything went awry. She wanted the joys that she’d had in her past again, but she knew it would be a struggle. Between the return of her sister and the time that it was taking for her and Natalia to be comfortable together in public, she knew some things in her life were going to have to wait, since everything related to her family had to come first.
“Olivia?” the voice was soft, but it still made her jump away from the window. Olivia turned around and saw Natalia standing beside her bed with a concerned look on her face. She rubbed her face with her hands and sighed in amusement that she did not hear Natalia enter.
“Hey, what are you doing here? I thought I gave you some time off to adjust to living with my sister.” She looked at the other woman and saw a smirk form on her face.
“I’m here for work and to, you know, talk. I know you gave me a couple days off, but your sister and my son somehow managed to persuade me to leave.” The tone in Natalia’s voice made Olivia smile; she was worried that Rafe and Krista would do something when she left. Luckily, Olivia knew her sister and knew her behaviour. Krista was not the type to randomly hook up; she had to get to know a person before that would happen. The smile died on her lips when she remembered that she hadn’t had contact with Krista for almost ten years. She could have changed when she moved to Los Angeles, Olivia thought to herself.
“Olivia, are you okay?”
“Huh - oh, yeah, I’m fine, just a little tired. As you can see, I’m still in my pyjamas,” Olivia motioned to her slippers and robe that was cinched tight around her waist. She saw how unconvinced Natalia was and dared to ask, “What?”
“What were you doing by the window?” The question was something Olivia expected, but she still managed to feel caught off-guard by it. She scratched the back of her head and turned her gaze to the floor, but Natalia brought her hand up and lifted her chin and to look Olivia in the eyes. She saw the look Natalia gave her. She needed to spill, but stayed silent. Her answer would be nothing extravagant, but the after thought that she watched the sunrise alone saddened her.
“I was watching the sun come up and I’d hoped that the sky was still the same after Emma left for school,” Olivia whispered as she saw a knowing look cross Natalia’s face. “You’re not going to make fun of me?” She heard Natalia chuckle in response while she shook her head.
“No, I’m not, because the sun rising is beautiful and Krista was doing the same thing.” Olivia’s eyes widened.
“She was?” Natalia nodded and smiled when she saw the beginning of a smile form on Olivia’s lips.
“Rafe and Krista were outside this morning and they both said that they were watching the sunrise together. Krista was outside earlier, but Rafe eventually joined her. She was wrapped in a cute blanket, actually.”
“Was it baby blue, white and lavender?” Olivia perked up at the mention of the blanket. She watched as Natalia contemplated her question and nodded. “Did you see little teddy bears around the edge?”
“Yeah, I think there were, why?” Olivia grinned at Natalia and took her hand to lead her to sit at the foot of the bed.
“I bought that blanket for her when she was a child after her first one managed to get stolen by a dog. She’s always held onto it and when we were younger, with Sam and Marissa, we would stay up during Saturday nights just to see the Sunday sunrise and she had that blanket with her. I’m glad to know she didn’t lose it when she first moved to Springfield or when she moved to Los Angeles.” Natalia nodded and smiled at the explanation. She realized how close all four siblings were before everything seemed to spiral out of control. It sounded as if all of them had the greatest childhoods, but as they grew closer to being adults everything became grim.
“Why did Krista move to Los Angeles? Not to pry or anything, but... why did she move if all of you were so happy?” Olivia quickly turned away, feeling painful memories clench her heart and tears spring to her eyes. She tried to figure out how to form the words. The reason why Krista had to move was the last thing Natalia would want to hear at that very moment, well actually, it would probably be the last thing she’d want to hear, ever. Luckily, her cell phone started to go off. She moved quickly. “Olivia Spencer,” she answered, turning away to face the window.
Natalia narrowed her eyes as Olivia spoke to Greg about some banquet dinner that was booked next week. She was not about to let this go.
Author: Whisper_2Me (AKA AlexRiley/ MidKnight elsewhere)
Fandom: Guiding Light
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia et OC/female that is yet to be mentioned
Rating: PG
Spoilers: None.
Disclaimer: Well, no, Olivia and Natalia and anyone who originates from Springfield Township belong to Telenext Media, Proctor and Gamble, and CBS; I'm just borrowing them. However, I do own the character Krista and only Krista.
Author's Note: Thanks to gidgegirl for beta reading this.
1. Something In Her Past
2. Who Is She And Why Do You All Know Her?
3. It'll Be Okay
4. Her Family
5. Let's Play Some Basketball
6. Healthy Combinations Be Damned!
Watching the sunrise seemed to be her favourite pastime ever since she arrived back in Springfield. The pastel colours in the sky were calming against the reality she seemed to live in. Being in a town enhanced those colours, but being out in the middle of nowhere; now that made moments like these memorable. The colour in the sky along with the quiet landscape of the farm made her feel like a child again; she had nothing else in mind but the peace and serenity of her surroundings. Peace and serenity were what she needed now; everything seemed to go off-kilter and away from her initial plan. The simplicities of life were something she was grateful for.
“You know, being out here instead of inside might freak my mom out.” Krista clutched the blanket around her shoulders when she jumped because of the voice. She turned her gaze and gave a weak smile to Rafe as he walked up to her, sitting beside her on the bench. She looked back at the brightening sky and made a quiet, humming sound.
“I have no intention of leaving the property right now. I don’t think I can hotwire your mother’s car with one hand, especially with the headache I have. What brings you out here this fine morning when the birds remain asleep?” A quiet chuckle came from Rafe as he heard the question. He scratched his head and slouched against the bench as he stared at the glowing sky. He saw Krista turn back to him in the corner of his eye, but he kept his gaze upward.
“I heard you go down the stairs earlier - those steps are creaky as hell,” Rafe explained as he caught Krista’s gaze. He watched as the other woman smirked with the knowledge that he was right; he could imagine Krista wincing every time the steps creaked beneath every move she made.
“Covert at its worst; if I wasn’t all battered up and bruised, I probably would’ve slid down the railing,” Krista replied back.
“Totally, and you could’ve flew right into the door and then ma wouldn’t have heard you.” Krista wore an amused smile as she looked at Rafe; he had a point.
“I’m surprised you didn’t wake your mother up; it sounds like your feet are held down by a metal ball and chain, they’re so loud.”
“See, everyone was still awake, so there was no reason to stay quiet. Besides, I know where the creaky spots are so I avoid those. Anyways, what are you doing out here? It’s not even six o’clock last time I checked.” Krista remained silent at the question. She had an answer, but she realized that it might bring up more questions. She looked down at the blanket wrapped around her shoulders and sadly smiled because of all the memories attached to it.
The fleece blanket covered with white, baby blue and lavender designs that seemed to have never of aged. The small teddy bears around the edge and abstract pattern in the centre reminded her of when she first received the blanket. Big, bluish purple, and soft, it was sixteen years old when it had been given to her. The memories she cherished the most with the blanket were the times when she and Olivia still lived in San Cristobel. The simple times while Sam was around and Marissa and their father were still alive; those were the moments Krista held onto.
It was the Saturday nights that led to no sleep until Sunday morning. Krista, Sam, Marissa and Olivia would pretend to sleep until they thought their parents were surely asleep, even though looking back on it, Krista figured her parents knew about the tradition. When they thought the coast was clear, all of them would quietly move to the backyard in their pyjamas with their blankets around their shoulders and pillows under their arms. They would sit on the back porch and stare up at the stars, telling stories, naming constellations or just simply staring at the small lights that filled the sky. All four of them would be huddled together, with Krista always next to Olivia. She looked up to her.
Eventually, time would pass and the stars would fade away to allow the incoming sun to rise once again. Slowly, the dark sky would be full of pastel colours and being a Sunday morning, no one would be awake yet which left a beautiful calmness to the four. They always accomplished their tradition together until Krista moved to Springfield, but Krista continued to watch the sky and relive the moments that made her the happiest.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I decided to get up when I could,” Krista answered; she was tired of lies and making up one now would only eat at her. She was surprised when she felt a hand against her back and it made her turn to Rafe. She saw the concern on his face and gave him a weak smile.
“Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?” Krista bit her lower lip and was ready to say yes, to what question, she had no idea. She wanted to talk to someone about something and it made sense to her that she talk to a stranger; she rationalized that she was less likely to be judged and that whoever was listening had no preconceived notions of who she was.
“Rafe, where are you?” Natalia’s voice abruptly tore through the silence. Rafe rubbed Krista’s back before he stood up and extended a hand to her. Krista gratefully accepted the help since her legs lost feeling when she huddled them against her to keep warm. She carefully lowered her legs to the ground and pulled herself up with Rafe’s help. “Raphael, this isn’t funny!” Krista turned to Rafe and chuckled at how much trouble he was possibly in if he failed to answer. They slowly made their way to the door, entered back inside the house and watched as Natalia hurried to the kitchen, frenzied.
“Ma, we’re right here!” Rafe called out as he heard the other door shut. He sighed and hung his head low when he thought that his mother hadn’t heard him and was now outside, searching. However, the sound of rushed footsteps made itself known and it made both Rafe and Krista stare at the walkway to the kitchen. They watched as Natalia appeared in the living room, flustered, but relieved.
“Don’t do that, both of you! You two nearly gave me a heart attack! Why are you two awake at this hour?” Rafe and Krista exchanged wary looks, but Natalia continued to speak. “Never mind, come on, I’m going to make breakfast since we’re all awake now.”
“Okay, but I’m going to go take a shower first, I’ll be back in a bit,” Krista stated, leaving before Rafe or Natalia could protest. Natalia looked at her son and eyed him carefully for any kind of suspicious behaviour.
“We didn’t do anything,” Rafe sighed as he walked towards his mother and led her back to the kitchen.
***
Olivia waved goodbye to Emma as Jane took her off to school. She quietly closed the door and approached one of the windows. She pushed the curtain back far enough to see the sky and she sighed; the sunrise disappeared all too quickly. Ever since Krista came back, she found herself looking out for the sunrise again. She may have only gained one morning to observe a sunrise, be it that day granted the circumstances, and it brought every memory she had of her childhood as well as her early adulthood back into her mind.
A quiet chuckle escaped her lips when she remembered all the fun times she had with her family before all of it seemed to have been ripped away from her all too quickly. That was the life before all hell seemed to have unleashed against her. The water fights, the times at the beach, the barbecues, the birthday parties and their little traditions were the simpler days. She had no ex-husbands, no complicated lies, she did not have to run to keep her family safe and it was all before everyone seemed to have left her.
Olivia wanted Emma to have that kind of childhood. Free of pain and complications that she went through before everything went awry. She wanted the joys that she’d had in her past again, but she knew it would be a struggle. Between the return of her sister and the time that it was taking for her and Natalia to be comfortable together in public, she knew some things in her life were going to have to wait, since everything related to her family had to come first.
“Olivia?” the voice was soft, but it still made her jump away from the window. Olivia turned around and saw Natalia standing beside her bed with a concerned look on her face. She rubbed her face with her hands and sighed in amusement that she did not hear Natalia enter.
“Hey, what are you doing here? I thought I gave you some time off to adjust to living with my sister.” She looked at the other woman and saw a smirk form on her face.
“I’m here for work and to, you know, talk. I know you gave me a couple days off, but your sister and my son somehow managed to persuade me to leave.” The tone in Natalia’s voice made Olivia smile; she was worried that Rafe and Krista would do something when she left. Luckily, Olivia knew her sister and knew her behaviour. Krista was not the type to randomly hook up; she had to get to know a person before that would happen. The smile died on her lips when she remembered that she hadn’t had contact with Krista for almost ten years. She could have changed when she moved to Los Angeles, Olivia thought to herself.
“Olivia, are you okay?”
“Huh - oh, yeah, I’m fine, just a little tired. As you can see, I’m still in my pyjamas,” Olivia motioned to her slippers and robe that was cinched tight around her waist. She saw how unconvinced Natalia was and dared to ask, “What?”
“What were you doing by the window?” The question was something Olivia expected, but she still managed to feel caught off-guard by it. She scratched the back of her head and turned her gaze to the floor, but Natalia brought her hand up and lifted her chin and to look Olivia in the eyes. She saw the look Natalia gave her. She needed to spill, but stayed silent. Her answer would be nothing extravagant, but the after thought that she watched the sunrise alone saddened her.
“I was watching the sun come up and I’d hoped that the sky was still the same after Emma left for school,” Olivia whispered as she saw a knowing look cross Natalia’s face. “You’re not going to make fun of me?” She heard Natalia chuckle in response while she shook her head.
“No, I’m not, because the sun rising is beautiful and Krista was doing the same thing.” Olivia’s eyes widened.
“She was?” Natalia nodded and smiled when she saw the beginning of a smile form on Olivia’s lips.
“Rafe and Krista were outside this morning and they both said that they were watching the sunrise together. Krista was outside earlier, but Rafe eventually joined her. She was wrapped in a cute blanket, actually.”
“Was it baby blue, white and lavender?” Olivia perked up at the mention of the blanket. She watched as Natalia contemplated her question and nodded. “Did you see little teddy bears around the edge?”
“Yeah, I think there were, why?” Olivia grinned at Natalia and took her hand to lead her to sit at the foot of the bed.
“I bought that blanket for her when she was a child after her first one managed to get stolen by a dog. She’s always held onto it and when we were younger, with Sam and Marissa, we would stay up during Saturday nights just to see the Sunday sunrise and she had that blanket with her. I’m glad to know she didn’t lose it when she first moved to Springfield or when she moved to Los Angeles.” Natalia nodded and smiled at the explanation. She realized how close all four siblings were before everything seemed to spiral out of control. It sounded as if all of them had the greatest childhoods, but as they grew closer to being adults everything became grim.
“Why did Krista move to Los Angeles? Not to pry or anything, but... why did she move if all of you were so happy?” Olivia quickly turned away, feeling painful memories clench her heart and tears spring to her eyes. She tried to figure out how to form the words. The reason why Krista had to move was the last thing Natalia would want to hear at that very moment, well actually, it would probably be the last thing she’d want to hear, ever. Luckily, her cell phone started to go off. She moved quickly. “Olivia Spencer,” she answered, turning away to face the window.
Natalia narrowed her eyes as Olivia spoke to Greg about some banquet dinner that was booked next week. She was not about to let this go.