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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
Part Four
"Damn it, Ani," Gina swore under her breath as she yanked the door open. This could not be fucking happening. The one time in her life when she hadn't done anything wrong and she was still being punished for it and all of the things that she had done in the past. It wasn't fucking fair. There was no way that she was going to let Ani go, not over something that she hadn't even done. Ani would have to see that she was telling the truth. Maybe she could get the desk clerk to find that little girl to give her an alibi.
There she was, Gina thought as she caught a glimpse of very familiar long, dark curls. The elevator dinged, the doors sliding open in front of Ani and Gina jogged the last few steps to catch up with her before she got on the elevator.
"Ani, wait. Please." Gina pleaded, catching her wrist just as she was about to step into the elevator.
The women spun around, but there was no recognition on her face. Gina dropped her hand in surprise, almost forgetting about Ani.
"What. The. Fuck?" Gina drawled the words out slowly as her eyes swept the woman from head to toe. She couldn't help it. The woman could have been Ani's twin, except there were a few obvious differences. Two drew her attention immediately. This woman had subtle curves that Ani lacked and there was something in her eyes that looked older and more knowing where Ani was almost always bright and carefree.
It was disorienting to say the least. And now the woman was looking back at her as if she with a mixture of shock and disapproval. The disapproval at least looked familiar. Gina realized abruptly that she was still holding the woman's wrist and let go quickly, taking a step back as she did.
"I'm sorry. I just thought..." She shook her head. How the fuck did this keep happening to her? First the kid and now this. Was this her day for mistaken identities or what? Was it some kind of conspiracy or massive practical joke? If it was, it wasn't very fucking funny if the day ended up costing her Ani. "You, uh, look a lot like my girlfriend."
The woman nodded, eying her with open curiosity. "It's okay." She hesitated. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look a lot like my wife."
"Your-" Gina spluttered. This was just getting crazier and crazier. Something snapped into place in her mind. "I look like your wife. You have a daughter?" She made the mental leap in an instant. "Emily...Em...something?"
"Emma," Natalia supplied, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "How did you meet..." She shook her head. "I don't even want to know." Natalia took a closer look at Gina. Her resemblance to Olivia was really uncanny. That was when she noticed that beyond the surprise that they had both just had, Gina didn't look good at all. Her eyes were red and her nose was puffy. If this had been Olivia, Natalia would have said she had been crying, angry or some combination of both. "You said you were looking for your girlfriend," Natalia prompted her. "Is everything okay?" And how weird was it that this woman that looked so much like Olivia had a girlfriend too. What were the odds of that? What were the odds of any of this? "Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look so good."
Gina snorted. "Thanks." She swiped a hand over her face, pressing back the urge to cry. She couldn't fall apart, damn it. She had to find Ani and make things right. Somehow. Because Ani wasn't going to believe a word that came out of her mouth right now. "Fuck," she muttered under her breath. When she glanced back up Gina caught the disapproving look on the woman's face and couldn't help but roll her eyes. Midwesterners! "Bad day. Epically bad day," she added. "My girlfriend thinks I cheated on her."
"And did you?" Natalia asked, after the briefest of hesitations.
"Of course not," Gina snapped. This time. "She won't believe me. She still thinks I am who I was before, but I'm not. I love her," Gina said fervently. "I am not going to lose her again. I can't. She left me once before and..." She trailed off, trying not to think about how hard it had been when Ani had left her for a city three thousand miles away while swearing she wasn't leaving her. That wasn't what it had felt like. It had felt like leaving, no matter what Ani said or how many times she had promised nothing would change.
"So why does she think you cheated on her?"
"She says she saw me kissing some woman."
"Oh," Natalia said, her mouth forming a perfect circle of surprise. "I think I know what might have..." She shook her head. "I mentioned that you look a lot like my wife?"
Gina nodded. It only took her a second to catch on. "So you think..."
"That she saw me and Olivia?" Natalia shrugged. "Maybe. Unless you're not telling me the truth."
"I am," Gina said firmly. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "You realize just how fucking crazy this sounds, don't you?"
"Oh, yeah," Natalia confirmed. Her face looked pinched again. "If I'm going to help you, I'd prefer if you didn't use that kind of language around me."
Gina tried not to look as skeptical as she felt. "And how are you going to help me? Because despite the serious weird factor of this..." she gestured at Natalia as if that explained it all, "I don't think she's going to believe you anymore than she believes me. I really fu- messed it up this time. And I didn't even do anything," Gina gritted out.
Natalia smiled, the expression lighting up her face in such a familiar way that it made Gina's heart ache. "Did I mention that my wife owns this hotel?"
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
Part Four
"Damn it, Ani," Gina swore under her breath as she yanked the door open. This could not be fucking happening. The one time in her life when she hadn't done anything wrong and she was still being punished for it and all of the things that she had done in the past. It wasn't fucking fair. There was no way that she was going to let Ani go, not over something that she hadn't even done. Ani would have to see that she was telling the truth. Maybe she could get the desk clerk to find that little girl to give her an alibi.
There she was, Gina thought as she caught a glimpse of very familiar long, dark curls. The elevator dinged, the doors sliding open in front of Ani and Gina jogged the last few steps to catch up with her before she got on the elevator.
"Ani, wait. Please." Gina pleaded, catching her wrist just as she was about to step into the elevator.
The women spun around, but there was no recognition on her face. Gina dropped her hand in surprise, almost forgetting about Ani.
"What. The. Fuck?" Gina drawled the words out slowly as her eyes swept the woman from head to toe. She couldn't help it. The woman could have been Ani's twin, except there were a few obvious differences. Two drew her attention immediately. This woman had subtle curves that Ani lacked and there was something in her eyes that looked older and more knowing where Ani was almost always bright and carefree.
It was disorienting to say the least. And now the woman was looking back at her as if she with a mixture of shock and disapproval. The disapproval at least looked familiar. Gina realized abruptly that she was still holding the woman's wrist and let go quickly, taking a step back as she did.
"I'm sorry. I just thought..." She shook her head. How the fuck did this keep happening to her? First the kid and now this. Was this her day for mistaken identities or what? Was it some kind of conspiracy or massive practical joke? If it was, it wasn't very fucking funny if the day ended up costing her Ani. "You, uh, look a lot like my girlfriend."
The woman nodded, eying her with open curiosity. "It's okay." She hesitated. "Don't take this the wrong way, but you look a lot like my wife."
"Your-" Gina spluttered. This was just getting crazier and crazier. Something snapped into place in her mind. "I look like your wife. You have a daughter?" She made the mental leap in an instant. "Emily...Em...something?"
"Emma," Natalia supplied, her eyebrows shooting up in surprise. "How did you meet..." She shook her head. "I don't even want to know." Natalia took a closer look at Gina. Her resemblance to Olivia was really uncanny. That was when she noticed that beyond the surprise that they had both just had, Gina didn't look good at all. Her eyes were red and her nose was puffy. If this had been Olivia, Natalia would have said she had been crying, angry or some combination of both. "You said you were looking for your girlfriend," Natalia prompted her. "Is everything okay?" And how weird was it that this woman that looked so much like Olivia had a girlfriend too. What were the odds of that? What were the odds of any of this? "Don't take this the wrong way, but you don't look so good."
Gina snorted. "Thanks." She swiped a hand over her face, pressing back the urge to cry. She couldn't fall apart, damn it. She had to find Ani and make things right. Somehow. Because Ani wasn't going to believe a word that came out of her mouth right now. "Fuck," she muttered under her breath. When she glanced back up Gina caught the disapproving look on the woman's face and couldn't help but roll her eyes. Midwesterners! "Bad day. Epically bad day," she added. "My girlfriend thinks I cheated on her."
"And did you?" Natalia asked, after the briefest of hesitations.
"Of course not," Gina snapped. This time. "She won't believe me. She still thinks I am who I was before, but I'm not. I love her," Gina said fervently. "I am not going to lose her again. I can't. She left me once before and..." She trailed off, trying not to think about how hard it had been when Ani had left her for a city three thousand miles away while swearing she wasn't leaving her. That wasn't what it had felt like. It had felt like leaving, no matter what Ani said or how many times she had promised nothing would change.
"So why does she think you cheated on her?"
"She says she saw me kissing some woman."
"Oh," Natalia said, her mouth forming a perfect circle of surprise. "I think I know what might have..." She shook her head. "I mentioned that you look a lot like my wife?"
Gina nodded. It only took her a second to catch on. "So you think..."
"That she saw me and Olivia?" Natalia shrugged. "Maybe. Unless you're not telling me the truth."
"I am," Gina said firmly. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "You realize just how fucking crazy this sounds, don't you?"
"Oh, yeah," Natalia confirmed. Her face looked pinched again. "If I'm going to help you, I'd prefer if you didn't use that kind of language around me."
Gina tried not to look as skeptical as she felt. "And how are you going to help me? Because despite the serious weird factor of this..." she gestured at Natalia as if that explained it all, "I don't think she's going to believe you anymore than she believes me. I really fu- messed it up this time. And I didn't even do anything," Gina gritted out.
Natalia smiled, the expression lighting up her face in such a familiar way that it made Gina's heart ache. "Did I mention that my wife owns this hotel?"
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