Devil Ride 10/?
Title: Devil Ride
Author: xenalvr
Fandom: Guiding Light
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia
Rating: NC-17
Warnings and Disclaimers: This AU story 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. It is rated NC-17.
All characters from Guiding Light do not belong to me. All the other characters do, however, so please leave them alone. 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 at this point.
I've decided not to worry too much about pre-Otalia plotline discrepancy as this is an AU after all.
10
Her key was where she had left it, stuck to the top of the doorframe with a wad of gum. Natalia let herself into her small apartment and shut the door behind her. The small room held only the bare minimum: a double mattress on the floor, a portable electric stove by the kitchen sink, which doubled as her bathroom sink because the plumbing in her bathroom was broken, an old bar fridge and a second hand heater. Her clothes were neatly folded in milk crates beside a row of books. The only mess in the room was on her bed, which had been slept in by Ruth the night before. Her friend had rung her up this morning to tell her that she had crashed here, and to check that Natalia was all right.
It was a phonecall that had reminded Natalia of her life outside the hotel suite.
Natalia changed out of her clothes and looked around the sparse room with her hands on her hips. This place had been her home for the past six months or so, but she wasn't going to miss it when she left. She walked over to the broken air-conditioning unit at the corner of the room and removed its front grille, reaching in for a ziplock bag that held most of her savings.
It wasn't there.
Natalia felt her heart lurch nastily in her chest as she felt around her hidey-hole. "Dammit!" she swore, before making for the bathroom.
With her heart in her throat, she loosened a tile and blew out a breath of relief when she found her other hidey-hole undisturbed. It stung that she had been stolen from and she felt sick in the stomach, but at least she hadn't lost everything. She replaced the tile but stuffed the small bag of money into her pants pocket and exited the bathroom. Her mind was running through the possible suspects. Ruth had been here the night before but Natalia doubted that she was the thief. Ruth had her faults but, to Natalia's knowledge, she had never taken anything that wasn't hers.
That left Maria.
Natalia covered her eyes with one hand as she grimaced. The random thought of her offering her condolences to Olivia for her choice of ex popped into her head and she let out a mirthless laugh. The same could be said of about her choice of ex.
She looked around for something to hit, kick, or break but, upon finding nothing suitable to vent her anger out on, sat down on her unmade bed and cried.
*
After her anger poured out of her in the form of tears, Natalia picked herself up and began packing. Her initial plan had been to take a few days to pack her things and decide where she wanted to head to next. Now, her plan remained the same, but she was going to carry it out today because she didn't feel at all comfortable staying in a place where she had been stolen from.
She knew that by the time she found Maria--and that was presuming she could--her money would be long gone. Maria had an expensive habit which had gotten progressively worse towards the end of their relationship--if she could call it that. They had lived in each other's pockets for so long that a physical relationship had seemed like a natural progression. Not all of their times together were bad, but for now, the bad was all she could remember, and she was so over revisiting that store of memories.
Natalia didn't even bother taking one last look at the apartment before she shut the door behind her. Then she slung her bag over her shoulder and went down the stairs. Outside, it was windy and grey, reflecting Natalia's mood. She lowered her head and trudged down the familiar streets of her neighbourhood, stopping only when she reached the bus stop. There were a few people there, so Natalia stood outside the tiny shelter and placed her bag on the ground, between her feet. Then she stared unseeingly at the late afternoon traffic, her gloved hands stuck deep in her pockets.
A car slowed down when it approached the bus stop. The passenger side window rolled down.
"Going somewhere?"
Natalia's eyes flickered to the people in the backseat and her blood turned cold.
*
"I'm sorry."
Natalia had heard these words from Maria countless times before and not once had they amounted to anything. She didn't doubt the apology, but an apology that didn't lead to any change in behaviour was an empty one.
"Talia, I'm sorry."
Natalia sighed at Maria's hypocorism for her and finally turned to her. "Are you okay?" she asked grudgingly. Maria was bruised around her cheek and her upper lip was split. Blood crusted the side of her face and down her neck.
"Been worse."
They had been in the car for a few hours now but Natalia still didn't know where the men were taking them. Getting into the car was probably not one of the smartest decisions she'd made but she hadn't been able to ignore the sight of a bruised up Maria struggling against the man who was now in the passenger seat. Even though she was furious with Maria, she knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if her body was found in a ditch somewhere and she had done nothing to help her.
"What's going on? You took my money, didn't you?" Natalia whispered accusingly. "It wasn't enough to get you out of... whatever the hell this is, and now you have to drag me into it?" She had worked so hard for that money; to know that it was gone, all for nothing, made her so angry. Boiling mad, even. Natalia ignored the defiant glare that Maria sent her way.
"Look, I know I fucked up, aiight? But I didn't lead them to you. They knew who you were."
Maria's words did not make sense to Natalia. "I'm clean. I don't use, I have no pimp, I sublet... I'm practically invisible. Why would anyone know who I am to want anything of me?" Natalia demanded.
Maria shrugged. "Fuck if I know." Then her face softened slightly, letting concern leak through. "These people mean business, Talia. Whatever they want... I say give it to 'em."
Natalia clenched her jaw, her mind racing and the sickening feeling in her stomach worsening. They continued the car ride in silence.
TBC
Author: xenalvr
Fandom: Guiding Light
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia
Rating: NC-17
Warnings and Disclaimers: This AU story 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. It is rated NC-17.
All characters from Guiding Light do not belong to me. All the other characters do, however, so please leave them alone. 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 at this point.
I've decided not to worry too much about pre-Otalia plotline discrepancy as this is an AU after all.
10
Her key was where she had left it, stuck to the top of the doorframe with a wad of gum. Natalia let herself into her small apartment and shut the door behind her. The small room held only the bare minimum: a double mattress on the floor, a portable electric stove by the kitchen sink, which doubled as her bathroom sink because the plumbing in her bathroom was broken, an old bar fridge and a second hand heater. Her clothes were neatly folded in milk crates beside a row of books. The only mess in the room was on her bed, which had been slept in by Ruth the night before. Her friend had rung her up this morning to tell her that she had crashed here, and to check that Natalia was all right.
It was a phonecall that had reminded Natalia of her life outside the hotel suite.
Natalia changed out of her clothes and looked around the sparse room with her hands on her hips. This place had been her home for the past six months or so, but she wasn't going to miss it when she left. She walked over to the broken air-conditioning unit at the corner of the room and removed its front grille, reaching in for a ziplock bag that held most of her savings.
It wasn't there.
Natalia felt her heart lurch nastily in her chest as she felt around her hidey-hole. "Dammit!" she swore, before making for the bathroom.
With her heart in her throat, she loosened a tile and blew out a breath of relief when she found her other hidey-hole undisturbed. It stung that she had been stolen from and she felt sick in the stomach, but at least she hadn't lost everything. She replaced the tile but stuffed the small bag of money into her pants pocket and exited the bathroom. Her mind was running through the possible suspects. Ruth had been here the night before but Natalia doubted that she was the thief. Ruth had her faults but, to Natalia's knowledge, she had never taken anything that wasn't hers.
That left Maria.
Natalia covered her eyes with one hand as she grimaced. The random thought of her offering her condolences to Olivia for her choice of ex popped into her head and she let out a mirthless laugh. The same could be said of about her choice of ex.
She looked around for something to hit, kick, or break but, upon finding nothing suitable to vent her anger out on, sat down on her unmade bed and cried.
*
After her anger poured out of her in the form of tears, Natalia picked herself up and began packing. Her initial plan had been to take a few days to pack her things and decide where she wanted to head to next. Now, her plan remained the same, but she was going to carry it out today because she didn't feel at all comfortable staying in a place where she had been stolen from.
She knew that by the time she found Maria--and that was presuming she could--her money would be long gone. Maria had an expensive habit which had gotten progressively worse towards the end of their relationship--if she could call it that. They had lived in each other's pockets for so long that a physical relationship had seemed like a natural progression. Not all of their times together were bad, but for now, the bad was all she could remember, and she was so over revisiting that store of memories.
Natalia didn't even bother taking one last look at the apartment before she shut the door behind her. Then she slung her bag over her shoulder and went down the stairs. Outside, it was windy and grey, reflecting Natalia's mood. She lowered her head and trudged down the familiar streets of her neighbourhood, stopping only when she reached the bus stop. There were a few people there, so Natalia stood outside the tiny shelter and placed her bag on the ground, between her feet. Then she stared unseeingly at the late afternoon traffic, her gloved hands stuck deep in her pockets.
A car slowed down when it approached the bus stop. The passenger side window rolled down.
"Going somewhere?"
Natalia's eyes flickered to the people in the backseat and her blood turned cold.
*
"I'm sorry."
Natalia had heard these words from Maria countless times before and not once had they amounted to anything. She didn't doubt the apology, but an apology that didn't lead to any change in behaviour was an empty one.
"Talia, I'm sorry."
Natalia sighed at Maria's hypocorism for her and finally turned to her. "Are you okay?" she asked grudgingly. Maria was bruised around her cheek and her upper lip was split. Blood crusted the side of her face and down her neck.
"Been worse."
They had been in the car for a few hours now but Natalia still didn't know where the men were taking them. Getting into the car was probably not one of the smartest decisions she'd made but she hadn't been able to ignore the sight of a bruised up Maria struggling against the man who was now in the passenger seat. Even though she was furious with Maria, she knew she wouldn't be able to live with herself if her body was found in a ditch somewhere and she had done nothing to help her.
"What's going on? You took my money, didn't you?" Natalia whispered accusingly. "It wasn't enough to get you out of... whatever the hell this is, and now you have to drag me into it?" She had worked so hard for that money; to know that it was gone, all for nothing, made her so angry. Boiling mad, even. Natalia ignored the defiant glare that Maria sent her way.
"Look, I know I fucked up, aiight? But I didn't lead them to you. They knew who you were."
Maria's words did not make sense to Natalia. "I'm clean. I don't use, I have no pimp, I sublet... I'm practically invisible. Why would anyone know who I am to want anything of me?" Natalia demanded.
Maria shrugged. "Fuck if I know." Then her face softened slightly, letting concern leak through. "These people mean business, Talia. Whatever they want... I say give it to 'em."
Natalia clenched her jaw, her mind racing and the sickening feeling in her stomach worsening. They continued the car ride in silence.
TBC