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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
Part Five
"Listen, all I need is another room. I don't care where it is or if it's tiny. You have to have something. I'll take a closet. I. Don't. Care." Ani was practically spitting out the words. There was no way she was going back to Gina or the room that they were supposed to be sharing, because she knew the moment that she got back Gina would start trying to persuade her that she hadn't done anything wrong. The worst part was she might even succeed. Even though Ani knew damn well what she had seen. Her eyes burned from unshed tears. She had never been able to tell Gina no. That had always been her problem. Well, it stopped now. She had given Gina a second chance - given them both a chance to have what they wanted - and Gina had fucked it up again. No more second chances. She was done, really done, this time.
"I'll take care of this. Thank you, Joel," a woman said, sliding up next to the desk clerk.
All Ani could do was stare in shock. "You-" She pointed, mouth gaping open. "Me." She closed her eyes, scrunching them shut then opened them again, just in case she was going crazy. But no the woman was still standing there looking incredibly like Ani.
The woman shook her head and then glanced beside her. "You sure weren't kidding about the resemblance."
Still stunned, Ani followed the woman's gaze to Gina. Her eyes narrowed immediately. "What is this, Gina? Do you think this is some kind of joke? Because it's not funny. Bringing over some woman who looks like me isn't going to make me forget what you did."
"No, she has nothing to do with this. I mean, she does, but-"
"You know what?" Ani said, holding up a hand to stop her. "I don't care who she is or why she's here. I have no idea how you managed to find someone who looks so much like me and get her under your spell so quickly. I mean, it's a little creepy, Gina. But I don't even care anymore. I just want to get out of here as soon as I can. Or at least get another room. There's no way I'm staying with you."
"Actually," Natalia said, jumping in before either woman could say anything else. "I think I can help clear a few things up." Natalia held up her own hand, palm facing inward before Ani could protest. She pointed toward the ring on her middle finger. "I'm happily married."
"I'm sorry," Ani said. "But it wouldn't be the first time she's been with a married woman."
Gina sighed. "I don't even know why I fucking bothered. You made up your mind about me a long time ago and you'll never let it go, will you?"
"Let it go," Ani repeated her voice raising. "You've got to be kidding me. Why should I let it go, Gina?"
"Because I didn't do it," Gina snapped back. "Not this time! And she can prove it," she added, pointing at Natalia.
Ani's eyes narrowed. "How?"
"Video," Gina said succinctly.
"It will show you the truth, one way or another," Natalia added softly, ignoring the less than appreciative look Gina shot her.
"Fine," Ani conceded finally. "I'll look at your video but then I want my own room. I can't do this again."
*** *** ***
"You're getting ice," Ani said flatly.
"You can see the time stamp there at the bottom," Natalia pointed out helpfully. "And there she is running into Emma." Natalia shook her head, making a mental note that she needed to talk to Emma later. She had to be so confused.
"Okay," Ani agreed, refusing to look at Gina who was standing behind them, one arm wrapped around herself, the other hand pressed to her mouth. "This proves that she got ice, but it doesn't prove that she wasn't making out with someone else in plain sight of everyone down in the lobby."
"Oh, right," Natalia said, a hint of color flushing her cheeks. She hit a few buttons on the equipment and pulled up another clip. "Is this what you saw?"
Ani swallowed, anger and humiliation flashing through her again. "Yes." She whirled to face Gina. "See! How can you deny it now?"
"Look," Natalia cut in before Gina could respond, drawing Ani's attention back to the screen.
On it the person Gina was kissing looked up and Ani found herself looking at...herself. "But I didn't-" Her eyes narrowed as she became aware of subtle differences. "I thought you said you didn't kiss her."
"I didn't," Natalia said, her voice rising a little. "Keep watching."
Ani did. And what she saw stunned her. She ducked in closer, peering at the screen and then jerking back in surprise. "But that's not..." She glanced behind her at Gina. "I mean, it's you but it's not you."
"That," Natalia explained gently, "Is my wife - Olivia."
Ani stared at her in disbelief. "So you look like me and you're married to someone who looks like my girlfriend? What kind of crazy place is this?"
Gina's heart leaped. Ani had called her, her girlfriend. It wasn't much, but it was something. Better than ex-girlfriend.
"I don't know," Natalia said, shaking her head. "I have no idea what this means. There hasn't really been time to think about it yet." She shook her head. "But some pretty crazy things have happened in my life in the past few years - things I never could have imagined - but somehow they've worked out better than I could ever have hoped. I think you just have to get used to it after a while."
Almost as quickly as it had come the anger she had felt toward Gina had drained away from Ani, leaving confusion and exhaustion in its wake. She felt like she'd run a marathon.
"I'm sorry," she apologized to Natalia, unable to face Gina for a completely different reason this time. "I'm not usually this emotional. I was out of line with what I said to you."
"It's okay," Natalia reassured her. "We all have moments like this."
Ani nodded, but she didn't seem convinced. "I'm sorry," she apologized again. "We've taken up so much of your time. Thank you for being so patient. We should," she swallowed and glanced at Gina for the first time, quickly looking away again. "We should go now."
"Okay," Natalia said, having compassion for Ani and what she had been through. "Just let me know if there's anything else I can do."
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
Part Five
"Listen, all I need is another room. I don't care where it is or if it's tiny. You have to have something. I'll take a closet. I. Don't. Care." Ani was practically spitting out the words. There was no way she was going back to Gina or the room that they were supposed to be sharing, because she knew the moment that she got back Gina would start trying to persuade her that she hadn't done anything wrong. The worst part was she might even succeed. Even though Ani knew damn well what she had seen. Her eyes burned from unshed tears. She had never been able to tell Gina no. That had always been her problem. Well, it stopped now. She had given Gina a second chance - given them both a chance to have what they wanted - and Gina had fucked it up again. No more second chances. She was done, really done, this time.
"I'll take care of this. Thank you, Joel," a woman said, sliding up next to the desk clerk.
All Ani could do was stare in shock. "You-" She pointed, mouth gaping open. "Me." She closed her eyes, scrunching them shut then opened them again, just in case she was going crazy. But no the woman was still standing there looking incredibly like Ani.
The woman shook her head and then glanced beside her. "You sure weren't kidding about the resemblance."
Still stunned, Ani followed the woman's gaze to Gina. Her eyes narrowed immediately. "What is this, Gina? Do you think this is some kind of joke? Because it's not funny. Bringing over some woman who looks like me isn't going to make me forget what you did."
"No, she has nothing to do with this. I mean, she does, but-"
"You know what?" Ani said, holding up a hand to stop her. "I don't care who she is or why she's here. I have no idea how you managed to find someone who looks so much like me and get her under your spell so quickly. I mean, it's a little creepy, Gina. But I don't even care anymore. I just want to get out of here as soon as I can. Or at least get another room. There's no way I'm staying with you."
"Actually," Natalia said, jumping in before either woman could say anything else. "I think I can help clear a few things up." Natalia held up her own hand, palm facing inward before Ani could protest. She pointed toward the ring on her middle finger. "I'm happily married."
"I'm sorry," Ani said. "But it wouldn't be the first time she's been with a married woman."
Gina sighed. "I don't even know why I fucking bothered. You made up your mind about me a long time ago and you'll never let it go, will you?"
"Let it go," Ani repeated her voice raising. "You've got to be kidding me. Why should I let it go, Gina?"
"Because I didn't do it," Gina snapped back. "Not this time! And she can prove it," she added, pointing at Natalia.
Ani's eyes narrowed. "How?"
"Video," Gina said succinctly.
"It will show you the truth, one way or another," Natalia added softly, ignoring the less than appreciative look Gina shot her.
"Fine," Ani conceded finally. "I'll look at your video but then I want my own room. I can't do this again."
*** *** ***
"You're getting ice," Ani said flatly.
"You can see the time stamp there at the bottom," Natalia pointed out helpfully. "And there she is running into Emma." Natalia shook her head, making a mental note that she needed to talk to Emma later. She had to be so confused.
"Okay," Ani agreed, refusing to look at Gina who was standing behind them, one arm wrapped around herself, the other hand pressed to her mouth. "This proves that she got ice, but it doesn't prove that she wasn't making out with someone else in plain sight of everyone down in the lobby."
"Oh, right," Natalia said, a hint of color flushing her cheeks. She hit a few buttons on the equipment and pulled up another clip. "Is this what you saw?"
Ani swallowed, anger and humiliation flashing through her again. "Yes." She whirled to face Gina. "See! How can you deny it now?"
"Look," Natalia cut in before Gina could respond, drawing Ani's attention back to the screen.
On it the person Gina was kissing looked up and Ani found herself looking at...herself. "But I didn't-" Her eyes narrowed as she became aware of subtle differences. "I thought you said you didn't kiss her."
"I didn't," Natalia said, her voice rising a little. "Keep watching."
Ani did. And what she saw stunned her. She ducked in closer, peering at the screen and then jerking back in surprise. "But that's not..." She glanced behind her at Gina. "I mean, it's you but it's not you."
"That," Natalia explained gently, "Is my wife - Olivia."
Ani stared at her in disbelief. "So you look like me and you're married to someone who looks like my girlfriend? What kind of crazy place is this?"
Gina's heart leaped. Ani had called her, her girlfriend. It wasn't much, but it was something. Better than ex-girlfriend.
"I don't know," Natalia said, shaking her head. "I have no idea what this means. There hasn't really been time to think about it yet." She shook her head. "But some pretty crazy things have happened in my life in the past few years - things I never could have imagined - but somehow they've worked out better than I could ever have hoped. I think you just have to get used to it after a while."
Almost as quickly as it had come the anger she had felt toward Gina had drained away from Ani, leaving confusion and exhaustion in its wake. She felt like she'd run a marathon.
"I'm sorry," she apologized to Natalia, unable to face Gina for a completely different reason this time. "I'm not usually this emotional. I was out of line with what I said to you."
"It's okay," Natalia reassured her. "We all have moments like this."
Ani nodded, but she didn't seem convinced. "I'm sorry," she apologized again. "We've taken up so much of your time. Thank you for being so patient. We should," she swallowed and glanced at Gina for the first time, quickly looking away again. "We should go now."
"Okay," Natalia said, having compassion for Ani and what she had been through. "Just let me know if there's anything else I can do."
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