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Title: Of Shrimp and Lobsters
Fandom: Guiding Light & Venice
Characters: Olivia Spencer, Natalia Rivera, Gina Brogno, Ani Martin
Category: Humor, Romance
Rating: R, for use of the f-word.
Word count: 1,684
Summary: Sometimes fate has something in store for you, other than what you planned.
Spoilers/Timeline For the purposes of this fic, assume it takes place some time in early 2011. It's based on speculation about Venice Season 2, but consider anything that comes before 2011 to be fair game, spoiler wise.
Disclaimer: All characters (Olivia Spencer, Natalia Rivera, blah blah etc.) and situations belong to Guiding Light, Telenext, Proctor & Gamble, etc. I'm not them. Same goes for Gina Brogno and Ani Martin, whom I'm borrowing from Venice and Open Book Productions.
Author's Note: I...don't remember how I came up with this idea, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
I'm not promising anything this time, but probably daily posts! I do have everything all written!
Part One
Part Two
The look on Gina's face as she walked away from the car rental counter told Ani everything she needed to know.
"No luck?"
"None," Gina said, sounding aggrieved and a little pissed off. "What about you?"
Ani shook her head. "I even tried offering him double his usual fare. He said we would be lucky to get ten miles in these conditions, much less two hundred."
"Damn." Gina summed her feelings on that up succinctly. Getting a cab to take them up to Chicago had been their last possibility. Now there were well and truly stuck here. "I'm sorry," she said, not for the first time. "I know how important this was."
Ani shrugged. "We tried. It's not like there's anything else we can do now but wait it out." She glanced away at all of the people flowing around them in a steady stream of pedestrian traffic. "I guess none of the hotels around here are going to have any rooms available either," she said, with a sigh of resignation.
"Actually," Gina said. "About that, I have some good news."
"Oh?"
"Do you remember when I texted Michelle earlier as we were landing?"
"Yeah..." Ani said, drawing the word out in an implicit demand for more information.
"Well, I was texting Michelle, but it wasn't for work. I had her book us a room here, just in case we weren't able to make it out."
Ani laughed, impulsively throwing her arms around Gina's neck. "That's the best news I've heard all day."
"Thought you might like that." Gina said, with a hint of her familiar confidence, some might say cockiness. "C'mon, let's go before all the good cabs are taken."
Ani groaned, her head tucked into the crook of Gina's neck. "You realize we're dressed for January in Venice, not January in Illinois, don't you?"
Gina glanced down at their outfits, differing in color and style, but similar in nature, basically slacks and light sweaters. Nothing that blizzard force winds, much less the temperature wouldn't go through in an instant. She sighed.
"Fuck me."
"Pretty much," Ani agreed.
*** *** ***
"You did good," Ani said, turning to take in the spacious lobby.
"This was all Michelle," Gina said, equally distracted by her surroundings, perusing it with a professional eye. "But this place is pretty amazing. It could use some updating, but it's a lot better than what I was expecting from-" She bit her words off as the desk clerk glanced up at her expectantly. "-From a smaller, non-franchise hotel."
"Actually the owner is in the process of turning this into a franchise," the young man volunteered, still focused on his computer screen, having yet to look up at them. "Our Chicago location opens in six months."
"Really?" Gina said, unable to keep the interest out of her voice. One never knew where one might pick up interesting tidbits of information like this. If this location was any indication, the owner was already doing well for herself. If she could get in early and land a contract to be the exclusive designer for the Beacon chain of hotels, well that could be very lucrative. It didn't offer the excitement and glamor of her most recent project in London, but excitement and glamor weren't everything.
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Maybe I should speak with your owner."
"I'm sure she would be happy to speak to you when she has a moment," the desk clerk - Joel, his name tag read - said agreeably. "She's right over there."
Gina turned in the direction that he gestured, but her view was obscured by a large group of teenagers stumbling through the lobby in a large, laughing knot of bodies. She felt the warm press of a body against her other side and turned to smile at Ani as she slipped up next to her.
"I shouldn't have made fun of you earlier. I'm glad you got us a room here. So much better than the airport." Ani had one arm wrapped around her waist. Gina felt her fingers slip under the thin material of her sweater, cold even against her chilled skin.
"You going to warm me up," Gina murmured for Ani's ears alone.
"Mmm," Ani said just as quietly. "Even if we have to share some body heat to do it."
"Promise?" Gina said flirtatiously.
Ani didn't bother answering. She just kissed her.
Neither of them noticed Joel finally look up from his computer or the very strange look that he was giving both of them.
*** *** ***
"Thank you," Olivia Spencer said sincerely, her gaze never leaving her wife despite the barely controlled chaos that surrounded them. "I know you would rather be at home with kids, than stuck here in a suite. But I have to stay and I can't stand the thought of three of you way out there where I don't know what's going on, when I have to stay here. If I thought there was anyone else...."
"Olivia," Natalia cut in quickly, squeezing her wife's hands gently. "I know." She let go of one hand to cup Olivia's cheek. "I know there's no where you would rather be than with us, but the Beacon is important too. We'll be fine here for a few days until this weather clears up."
Olivia let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and let her head fall to rest against Natalia's. "Thank you for understanding and making this so easy."
"Right, because it's going to be so hard to kick back and relax in a luxury suite and order room service for a few days," Natalia said dryly.
Olivia snorted. "You make an excellent point."
"I know I do," Natalia said with a smile. "Now," she added, glancing behind Olivia at the long line of people in front of the registration counter. "I think you should probably go rescue Joel before he has a meltdown."
Olivia glanced behind her and groaned. "Can't I just hide out with you upstairs?"
"You won't say that in a little while when Francesca and Emma start going stir crazy," Natalia teased her.
"You're right," Olivia agreed. "I should get to work." But even though she had straightened, she didn't make any move to pull away from Natalia yet. "Call me in a little while, if the kids start to drive you crazy."
Natalia nodded, appreciating the sentiment even if she had no intention of actually doing it. The reason that she had agreed to spend the next few days at the Beacon was because she was well aware of how busy Olivia really was going to be and didn't want to give her any extra worries. Two rambunctious and cooped up children definitely qualified as extra worries.
"Don't work too hard," Natalia said, half-stern command and half-plea that Olivia take better care of herself. "Jane is staying here so she'll be available if we need her and I might be a little out of practice but I can still help out if you need an extra set of hands."
"I'll keep that in mind," Olivia said. She looked at Natalia for a long moment and then leaned over to kiss her, taking her time and kissing her thoroughly. This might be the last time for the next few days that she got to enjoy a moment relatively alone with Natalia and she wanted to savor it.
*** *** ***
"Where are you going?" Ani murmured, sounding a little groggy as she clung to Gina's arm. "We don't have to be anywhere until this blizzard clears up. I thought we could spend the time together."
Gina gave a rich laugh. "Oh, I plan to," she said, leaning over to steal a kiss from Ani. "I just want to get some ice. I'll be right back." She smiled, a little dazed by the sight of Ani in her bed. She wasn't one for much reflection, but there had been a time, not that long ago when having Ani back in her life and in her bed had seemed like an impossibility. "Don't go anywhere," she added as she backed toward the door.
Ani sighed and flopped face forward onto the bed. She didn't feel like watching tv and for the first time in a long time there wasn't someplace she had to be or something she had to do. A cat nap while she waited for Gina to get back was sounding better and better.
She lay there, snuggled down into the surprisingly luxurious sheets and soft comforter, but her mind refused to relax, still spinning in a hundred directions, even though she had nothing to do. Ani straightened, glancing at the clock and wrinkled her nose. Gina had been gone longer than she had thought. Maybe there was a line for the icemaker. She could go see what was taking her so long. It would be a lot more interesting than sitting here bored, waiting for her. That decision made, Ani rose and started pulling her clothes back on.
But when she ventured down the hall, there was no one in the small room that contained an icemaker and vending machines. An out of order sign over the icemaker was explanation enough and Ani continued down the hall to the elevators. Gina was probably down in the lobby or searching for a working icemaker on another floor.
Just as the elevator doors slid shut, Ani heard the ding announcing the arrival of the other elevator. She thought about hitting the open door button, but her elevator was already lurching into motion. She snorted at the thought of Gina's startled face when she returned to an empty room. Maybe she could pick up a bottle of champaign from the hotel dining area while she was downstairs to make her absence worth while.
The elevator doors slid open again and Ani froze in the doorway as she glanced up. Standing not twenty feet away from her was Gina, her fingers threaded through some brunette's hair, kissing her passionately, as if she were the last woman on the planet. Ani's heart sank like a stone.
Not again.
Fandom: Guiding Light & Venice
Characters: Olivia Spencer, Natalia Rivera, Gina Brogno, Ani Martin
Category: Humor, Romance
Rating: R, for use of the f-word.
Word count: 1,684
Summary: Sometimes fate has something in store for you, other than what you planned.
Spoilers/Timeline For the purposes of this fic, assume it takes place some time in early 2011. It's based on speculation about Venice Season 2, but consider anything that comes before 2011 to be fair game, spoiler wise.
Disclaimer: All characters (Olivia Spencer, Natalia Rivera, blah blah etc.) and situations belong to Guiding Light, Telenext, Proctor & Gamble, etc. I'm not them. Same goes for Gina Brogno and Ani Martin, whom I'm borrowing from Venice and Open Book Productions.
Author's Note: I...don't remember how I came up with this idea, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
I'm not promising anything this time, but probably daily posts! I do have everything all written!
Part One
Part Two
The look on Gina's face as she walked away from the car rental counter told Ani everything she needed to know.
"No luck?"
"None," Gina said, sounding aggrieved and a little pissed off. "What about you?"
Ani shook her head. "I even tried offering him double his usual fare. He said we would be lucky to get ten miles in these conditions, much less two hundred."
"Damn." Gina summed her feelings on that up succinctly. Getting a cab to take them up to Chicago had been their last possibility. Now there were well and truly stuck here. "I'm sorry," she said, not for the first time. "I know how important this was."
Ani shrugged. "We tried. It's not like there's anything else we can do now but wait it out." She glanced away at all of the people flowing around them in a steady stream of pedestrian traffic. "I guess none of the hotels around here are going to have any rooms available either," she said, with a sigh of resignation.
"Actually," Gina said. "About that, I have some good news."
"Oh?"
"Do you remember when I texted Michelle earlier as we were landing?"
"Yeah..." Ani said, drawing the word out in an implicit demand for more information.
"Well, I was texting Michelle, but it wasn't for work. I had her book us a room here, just in case we weren't able to make it out."
Ani laughed, impulsively throwing her arms around Gina's neck. "That's the best news I've heard all day."
"Thought you might like that." Gina said, with a hint of her familiar confidence, some might say cockiness. "C'mon, let's go before all the good cabs are taken."
Ani groaned, her head tucked into the crook of Gina's neck. "You realize we're dressed for January in Venice, not January in Illinois, don't you?"
Gina glanced down at their outfits, differing in color and style, but similar in nature, basically slacks and light sweaters. Nothing that blizzard force winds, much less the temperature wouldn't go through in an instant. She sighed.
"Fuck me."
"Pretty much," Ani agreed.
*** *** ***
"You did good," Ani said, turning to take in the spacious lobby.
"This was all Michelle," Gina said, equally distracted by her surroundings, perusing it with a professional eye. "But this place is pretty amazing. It could use some updating, but it's a lot better than what I was expecting from-" She bit her words off as the desk clerk glanced up at her expectantly. "-From a smaller, non-franchise hotel."
"Actually the owner is in the process of turning this into a franchise," the young man volunteered, still focused on his computer screen, having yet to look up at them. "Our Chicago location opens in six months."
"Really?" Gina said, unable to keep the interest out of her voice. One never knew where one might pick up interesting tidbits of information like this. If this location was any indication, the owner was already doing well for herself. If she could get in early and land a contract to be the exclusive designer for the Beacon chain of hotels, well that could be very lucrative. It didn't offer the excitement and glamor of her most recent project in London, but excitement and glamor weren't everything.
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Maybe I should speak with your owner."
"I'm sure she would be happy to speak to you when she has a moment," the desk clerk - Joel, his name tag read - said agreeably. "She's right over there."
Gina turned in the direction that he gestured, but her view was obscured by a large group of teenagers stumbling through the lobby in a large, laughing knot of bodies. She felt the warm press of a body against her other side and turned to smile at Ani as she slipped up next to her.
"I shouldn't have made fun of you earlier. I'm glad you got us a room here. So much better than the airport." Ani had one arm wrapped around her waist. Gina felt her fingers slip under the thin material of her sweater, cold even against her chilled skin.
"You going to warm me up," Gina murmured for Ani's ears alone.
"Mmm," Ani said just as quietly. "Even if we have to share some body heat to do it."
"Promise?" Gina said flirtatiously.
Ani didn't bother answering. She just kissed her.
Neither of them noticed Joel finally look up from his computer or the very strange look that he was giving both of them.
*** *** ***
"Thank you," Olivia Spencer said sincerely, her gaze never leaving her wife despite the barely controlled chaos that surrounded them. "I know you would rather be at home with kids, than stuck here in a suite. But I have to stay and I can't stand the thought of three of you way out there where I don't know what's going on, when I have to stay here. If I thought there was anyone else...."
"Olivia," Natalia cut in quickly, squeezing her wife's hands gently. "I know." She let go of one hand to cup Olivia's cheek. "I know there's no where you would rather be than with us, but the Beacon is important too. We'll be fine here for a few days until this weather clears up."
Olivia let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding and let her head fall to rest against Natalia's. "Thank you for understanding and making this so easy."
"Right, because it's going to be so hard to kick back and relax in a luxury suite and order room service for a few days," Natalia said dryly.
Olivia snorted. "You make an excellent point."
"I know I do," Natalia said with a smile. "Now," she added, glancing behind Olivia at the long line of people in front of the registration counter. "I think you should probably go rescue Joel before he has a meltdown."
Olivia glanced behind her and groaned. "Can't I just hide out with you upstairs?"
"You won't say that in a little while when Francesca and Emma start going stir crazy," Natalia teased her.
"You're right," Olivia agreed. "I should get to work." But even though she had straightened, she didn't make any move to pull away from Natalia yet. "Call me in a little while, if the kids start to drive you crazy."
Natalia nodded, appreciating the sentiment even if she had no intention of actually doing it. The reason that she had agreed to spend the next few days at the Beacon was because she was well aware of how busy Olivia really was going to be and didn't want to give her any extra worries. Two rambunctious and cooped up children definitely qualified as extra worries.
"Don't work too hard," Natalia said, half-stern command and half-plea that Olivia take better care of herself. "Jane is staying here so she'll be available if we need her and I might be a little out of practice but I can still help out if you need an extra set of hands."
"I'll keep that in mind," Olivia said. She looked at Natalia for a long moment and then leaned over to kiss her, taking her time and kissing her thoroughly. This might be the last time for the next few days that she got to enjoy a moment relatively alone with Natalia and she wanted to savor it.
*** *** ***
"Where are you going?" Ani murmured, sounding a little groggy as she clung to Gina's arm. "We don't have to be anywhere until this blizzard clears up. I thought we could spend the time together."
Gina gave a rich laugh. "Oh, I plan to," she said, leaning over to steal a kiss from Ani. "I just want to get some ice. I'll be right back." She smiled, a little dazed by the sight of Ani in her bed. She wasn't one for much reflection, but there had been a time, not that long ago when having Ani back in her life and in her bed had seemed like an impossibility. "Don't go anywhere," she added as she backed toward the door.
Ani sighed and flopped face forward onto the bed. She didn't feel like watching tv and for the first time in a long time there wasn't someplace she had to be or something she had to do. A cat nap while she waited for Gina to get back was sounding better and better.
She lay there, snuggled down into the surprisingly luxurious sheets and soft comforter, but her mind refused to relax, still spinning in a hundred directions, even though she had nothing to do. Ani straightened, glancing at the clock and wrinkled her nose. Gina had been gone longer than she had thought. Maybe there was a line for the icemaker. She could go see what was taking her so long. It would be a lot more interesting than sitting here bored, waiting for her. That decision made, Ani rose and started pulling her clothes back on.
But when she ventured down the hall, there was no one in the small room that contained an icemaker and vending machines. An out of order sign over the icemaker was explanation enough and Ani continued down the hall to the elevators. Gina was probably down in the lobby or searching for a working icemaker on another floor.
Just as the elevator doors slid shut, Ani heard the ding announcing the arrival of the other elevator. She thought about hitting the open door button, but her elevator was already lurching into motion. She snorted at the thought of Gina's startled face when she returned to an empty room. Maybe she could pick up a bottle of champaign from the hotel dining area while she was downstairs to make her absence worth while.
The elevator doors slid open again and Ani froze in the doorway as she glanced up. Standing not twenty feet away from her was Gina, her fingers threaded through some brunette's hair, kissing her passionately, as if she were the last woman on the planet. Ani's heart sank like a stone.
Not again.
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Heh. You know 2 Crystal and Jessica's thing is the thing that's been mentioned the most with this fic. Whaddya know?
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Waiting for more. :)
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I'm still trying to get the image of a world with 2 Crystals and 2 Jessicas out of my mind ('cause if I don't, I'll be completely useless at work).
So nice, please continue...quickly!!!
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What's gonna happen next! :o
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