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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
Part Three
When the ice machine on their floor had been out of order, Gina had taken the elevator up to the next floor. The rooms were more spaced out and the surroundings slightly more opulent. It was subtle and tasteful, but Gina noticed the differences immediately. This was probably the floor that held most of the Beacon's suites.
It didn't take her long to find the ice machine. The basic floor layout was the same and Gina was just thinking about calling down to the front desk to get a bottle of champagne sent up for she and Ani when she heard the thud of little feet in the hallway. It was quiet enough on this floor that the sound stood out. She hesitated a moment in the doorway, intending to wait until the child had thundered on by. To Gina's surprise the little girl's face lit up as she saw her.
"Mommy!" The delighted cry shocked Gina so much that she almost dropped the ice bucket in her hand. Despite not having seen anyone else in the small room, Gina turned around to look and see if anyone was standing beside her.
The little body slammed into Gina in her moment of distraction and she staggered, throwing out a hand to catch her balance. Instinctively Gina reached out to steady the little girl with her other hand.
"Fuck!" Gina winced, regretting the word the moment it slipped out of her mouth. Usually she wouldn't think a thing about it but this was the Midwest and this little girl's parents would probably be just overjoyed that their young impressionable daughter had learned a new word. "Uh, sorry. You shouldn't repeat that."
The girl giggled, her arms still wrapped tightly around Gina's waist, and raised her head to look up at Gina. "That's a bad word, Mommy. Natalia's going to make you put money in the swear jar."
Gina's eyes widened. There was no mistaking this time that the little girl was talking to her. "I'm not your mother."
The girl flinched, hurt welling in her eyes and even though Gina knew it was the absolute truth and she had no reason to feel bad, the look on the girl's face still made her feel like a horrible person. She ran her hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face and tried to think. How did she get into situations like this one? Ani was so not going to believe her when she got back to the room.
Gina squatted down and tried not to look as freaked out as she felt. "I'm sure it's just a case of mistaken identity, Honey. Why don't we go to the front desk and see if they can get you back to your Mommy's room?"
The hurt faded from the girl's eyes only to be replaced by amusement. "Don't be silly, Mommy! Joel will just send me back to your room. Mama's waiting for us, but she said that you wouldn't be back until late tonight. I'm so glad you could get back early. I wanted to play a game but Mama said we didn't have enough people."
Gina swallowed. This was serious. For some reason the girl truly seemed to believe that she was her mother. It worried her for the girl. A second thought occurred to her and Gina narrowed her eyes, glancing down at the girl again. "Did Ani put you up to this?"
Gina had no idea how Ani would have met a child and so quickly convinced her parents to let her be a part of a prank like this, but Ani did have an angelic face and a hidden fondness for practical jokes. It would be just like her to do something like this to Gina, just to see the expression on her face.
"Ani?" The girl's frowned. "Who's Ani, Mommy?"
The sound of footsteps, louder and heavier than the first Gina had heard made her laugh with relief. Surely this was Ani, coming to rescue her and laugh at her startled response to someone claiming to be her daughter.
But the young woman running down the hallway wasn't Ani, Gina could tell that as soon as she glanced up.
"Emma!" The woman exclaimed. "You can't run away like that! Especially not when the hotel is so busy." Her eyes flickered to Gina and she straightened, still gasping for air from her sprint down the hall. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Spencer. It won't happen again. I just took my eyes off her for a second..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes narrowed. "Um, you're not..."
Gina shook her head quickly. "No, I'm not." She stood and pointed down at the girl. "But she thinks I am. I'm not," she stated again, just to make sure that there was absolutely no confusion here.
The woman put a hand on the little girl's shoulder and drew her back away from Gina, eying her warily. "Emma, I know this woman looks - a lot - like you're mom, but she just has a very strong resemblance."
"Like an identical twin?" Emma sounded excited. "We learned about those in school last week!"
"Right, but identical twins are related. I don't think your mom has a sister, does she?"
"No," Emma sounded disappointed. "But she looks so much alike."
"I know," Jane reassured her, shooting Gina another puzzled look. She gave her head a quick shake, as if clearing her thoughts. "I'm so sorry we bothered you, Ms.-" she said, letting her sentence trail off.
"Brogno," Gina supplied, more out of habit than anything else. This was just weird. "Do I really look that much like her?" She gestured between she and Emma.
Jane nodded, her eyes wide. "You really do. It's uncanny."
"Huh," Gina said. It wasn't that she didn't believe them, it was just such a crazy coincidence. Owen was never going to believe her. "Well, now that you've found her, I should get back to my room." She gestured behind her, keeping an eye on the little girl for several steps as she walked away. Things like this didn't happen every day, not even to her.
*** *** ***
"You will never fucking guess what happened to me while I was getting ice," Gina called out as she pushed the door open. Her gaze went straight to the bed, hoping that Ani would still be there waiting for her, even though her little errand had taken longer than she had expected. To her disappointment it was empty. In the next instant, she saw Ani standing in front of the window with her arms wrapped around her waist. Unfortunately there was nothing of the happy contentment that had been on her face when Gina had left the room.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Gina asked, setting down the ice bucket on the nearest flat surface and starting toward Ani. She had no clue what could have upset her this badly.
Ani shook her head and didn't answer.
"Ani?" Gina tried to get Ani to look at her, one hand going to her shoulder. Ani jerked away from her touch.
"Just...don't, Gina," Ani snapped, twisting away from her. "I can't do this right now. I don't even want to see you. I can't believe I ever thought you would change. I'm an idiot."
"You're not an idiot," Gina said automatically.
"Yes," Ani said emphatically, "I am an idiot for ever thinking you could keep it in your pants. We've been here for what, a couple of hours? And you've already found some woman willing to make out with you. How the hell do you do it?" She held up a hand. "Wait, I don't want to know."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Gina demanded her voice rising. "The only woman I've made out with here was you and you weren't mad about that when I left." She couldn't keep the hint of smugness out of her voice at that, even as she struggled to figure out what the hell was going on.
Ani's eyes narrowed. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I saw you, Gina; you can stop lying. You were kissing her like she was the only woman in the world."
"I didn't kiss anyone, damn it," Gina said, frustration filling her voice. "I just went to get us some ice and ran into some weird kid who thought I was her mom." She shook her head. This was ridiculous and she had no idea why Ani was doing this. "Listen, can we just talk about what you think you saw, because whatever it was, I swear it wasn't me." She took a step closer to Ani. "I love you." Even now after they had been together for months, it was still rare that she said the words to Ani, not because she didn't feel them, but it was still hard for her to bare her heart that completely to anyone, even Ani. But Gina couldn't lose Ani again.
Ani snorted. "That's such bullshit. I've heard it all before, Gina, and I am not falling for your excuses again. I'm done."
"Where are you going?" Gina demanded as Ani stormed past her.
"To get another room," Ani said succinctly as she opened the door only to slam it shut behind her, leaving Gina stunned in her wake.
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
Part Three
When the ice machine on their floor had been out of order, Gina had taken the elevator up to the next floor. The rooms were more spaced out and the surroundings slightly more opulent. It was subtle and tasteful, but Gina noticed the differences immediately. This was probably the floor that held most of the Beacon's suites.
It didn't take her long to find the ice machine. The basic floor layout was the same and Gina was just thinking about calling down to the front desk to get a bottle of champagne sent up for she and Ani when she heard the thud of little feet in the hallway. It was quiet enough on this floor that the sound stood out. She hesitated a moment in the doorway, intending to wait until the child had thundered on by. To Gina's surprise the little girl's face lit up as she saw her.
"Mommy!" The delighted cry shocked Gina so much that she almost dropped the ice bucket in her hand. Despite not having seen anyone else in the small room, Gina turned around to look and see if anyone was standing beside her.
The little body slammed into Gina in her moment of distraction and she staggered, throwing out a hand to catch her balance. Instinctively Gina reached out to steady the little girl with her other hand.
"Fuck!" Gina winced, regretting the word the moment it slipped out of her mouth. Usually she wouldn't think a thing about it but this was the Midwest and this little girl's parents would probably be just overjoyed that their young impressionable daughter had learned a new word. "Uh, sorry. You shouldn't repeat that."
The girl giggled, her arms still wrapped tightly around Gina's waist, and raised her head to look up at Gina. "That's a bad word, Mommy. Natalia's going to make you put money in the swear jar."
Gina's eyes widened. There was no mistaking this time that the little girl was talking to her. "I'm not your mother."
The girl flinched, hurt welling in her eyes and even though Gina knew it was the absolute truth and she had no reason to feel bad, the look on the girl's face still made her feel like a horrible person. She ran her hand through her hair, pushing it out of her face and tried to think. How did she get into situations like this one? Ani was so not going to believe her when she got back to the room.
Gina squatted down and tried not to look as freaked out as she felt. "I'm sure it's just a case of mistaken identity, Honey. Why don't we go to the front desk and see if they can get you back to your Mommy's room?"
The hurt faded from the girl's eyes only to be replaced by amusement. "Don't be silly, Mommy! Joel will just send me back to your room. Mama's waiting for us, but she said that you wouldn't be back until late tonight. I'm so glad you could get back early. I wanted to play a game but Mama said we didn't have enough people."
Gina swallowed. This was serious. For some reason the girl truly seemed to believe that she was her mother. It worried her for the girl. A second thought occurred to her and Gina narrowed her eyes, glancing down at the girl again. "Did Ani put you up to this?"
Gina had no idea how Ani would have met a child and so quickly convinced her parents to let her be a part of a prank like this, but Ani did have an angelic face and a hidden fondness for practical jokes. It would be just like her to do something like this to Gina, just to see the expression on her face.
"Ani?" The girl's frowned. "Who's Ani, Mommy?"
The sound of footsteps, louder and heavier than the first Gina had heard made her laugh with relief. Surely this was Ani, coming to rescue her and laugh at her startled response to someone claiming to be her daughter.
But the young woman running down the hallway wasn't Ani, Gina could tell that as soon as she glanced up.
"Emma!" The woman exclaimed. "You can't run away like that! Especially not when the hotel is so busy." Her eyes flickered to Gina and she straightened, still gasping for air from her sprint down the hall. "I'm so sorry, Ms. Spencer. It won't happen again. I just took my eyes off her for a second..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes narrowed. "Um, you're not..."
Gina shook her head quickly. "No, I'm not." She stood and pointed down at the girl. "But she thinks I am. I'm not," she stated again, just to make sure that there was absolutely no confusion here.
The woman put a hand on the little girl's shoulder and drew her back away from Gina, eying her warily. "Emma, I know this woman looks - a lot - like you're mom, but she just has a very strong resemblance."
"Like an identical twin?" Emma sounded excited. "We learned about those in school last week!"
"Right, but identical twins are related. I don't think your mom has a sister, does she?"
"No," Emma sounded disappointed. "But she looks so much alike."
"I know," Jane reassured her, shooting Gina another puzzled look. She gave her head a quick shake, as if clearing her thoughts. "I'm so sorry we bothered you, Ms.-" she said, letting her sentence trail off.
"Brogno," Gina supplied, more out of habit than anything else. This was just weird. "Do I really look that much like her?" She gestured between she and Emma.
Jane nodded, her eyes wide. "You really do. It's uncanny."
"Huh," Gina said. It wasn't that she didn't believe them, it was just such a crazy coincidence. Owen was never going to believe her. "Well, now that you've found her, I should get back to my room." She gestured behind her, keeping an eye on the little girl for several steps as she walked away. Things like this didn't happen every day, not even to her.
*** *** ***
"You will never fucking guess what happened to me while I was getting ice," Gina called out as she pushed the door open. Her gaze went straight to the bed, hoping that Ani would still be there waiting for her, even though her little errand had taken longer than she had expected. To her disappointment it was empty. In the next instant, she saw Ani standing in front of the window with her arms wrapped around her waist. Unfortunately there was nothing of the happy contentment that had been on her face when Gina had left the room.
"Baby, what's wrong?" Gina asked, setting down the ice bucket on the nearest flat surface and starting toward Ani. She had no clue what could have upset her this badly.
Ani shook her head and didn't answer.
"Ani?" Gina tried to get Ani to look at her, one hand going to her shoulder. Ani jerked away from her touch.
"Just...don't, Gina," Ani snapped, twisting away from her. "I can't do this right now. I don't even want to see you. I can't believe I ever thought you would change. I'm an idiot."
"You're not an idiot," Gina said automatically.
"Yes," Ani said emphatically, "I am an idiot for ever thinking you could keep it in your pants. We've been here for what, a couple of hours? And you've already found some woman willing to make out with you. How the hell do you do it?" She held up a hand. "Wait, I don't want to know."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Gina demanded her voice rising. "The only woman I've made out with here was you and you weren't mad about that when I left." She couldn't keep the hint of smugness out of her voice at that, even as she struggled to figure out what the hell was going on.
Ani's eyes narrowed. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. I saw you, Gina; you can stop lying. You were kissing her like she was the only woman in the world."
"I didn't kiss anyone, damn it," Gina said, frustration filling her voice. "I just went to get us some ice and ran into some weird kid who thought I was her mom." She shook her head. This was ridiculous and she had no idea why Ani was doing this. "Listen, can we just talk about what you think you saw, because whatever it was, I swear it wasn't me." She took a step closer to Ani. "I love you." Even now after they had been together for months, it was still rare that she said the words to Ani, not because she didn't feel them, but it was still hard for her to bare her heart that completely to anyone, even Ani. But Gina couldn't lose Ani again.
Ani snorted. "That's such bullshit. I've heard it all before, Gina, and I am not falling for your excuses again. I'm done."
"Where are you going?" Gina demanded as Ani stormed past her.
"To get another room," Ani said succinctly as she opened the door only to slam it shut behind her, leaving Gina stunned in her wake.
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