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Title: Five Moments That Shaped The Strangest Moment Of Francesca Rivera's Young Life
Fandom: Guiding Light
Characters: Olivia Spencer, Natalia Rivera, Emma Spencer, Francesca Rivera, Frank Cooper, Rick Bauer.
Category: Romance, Drama, Humor
Rating: R
Word count: 3, 028
Summary: The five moments that shaped the strangest moment of Francesca Rivera's young life.
Spoilers/Timeline Generally through September '09, though nothing terribly specific I think.
Disclaimer: All characters (Olivia Spencer, Natalia Rivera, blah blah etc.) and situations belong to Guiding Light, Telenext, Proctor & Gamble, etc. I'm not them.
Author's Note: I've had this idea for almost a year now. All that to say...even I have no idea where I got this idea from at this point.
Beta: A big thanks to both aimlessla and Rysler for their very different but equally invaluable input about this fic.
Warning: This fic may leave you scratching your head. You may not want to read it if you have a family history of baldness.
Part One || Part Two || Part Three
4.
“Okay, Rick,” Olivia said, folding her arms over her chest. “We’ve been patient long enough. We need some answers.”
“I, ah...” Rick shrugged. “This isn’t something that happens every day, you know? As far as I know it’s never happened before. I don’t even know how it’s possible. But I checked that test. I did it myself to make sure one of the technicians weren’t altering something by accident - and the results were always the same.”
“She was tiny.”
It was the first time that Natalia had spoken since they had gathered in the doctor’s small conference room.
“What?” Olivia asked, unable to make the leap between their conversation and where Natalia had gone.
“Remember?” Natalia beseeched, looking up at Olivia. “Francesca was so so tiny when she was born - but she was almost three weeks late. The pediatrician was worried that something was wrong with her because she looked like a preemie, but they couldn’t find anything wrong with her. They just thought she was a slow developer or something,” she added to Rick.
“So what are you saying?” Rick asked.
“The first time we ever, you know, at the spa...” Natalia gestured between she and Olivia. “It wasn’t that long really after Frank and I. I mean, two months - it is for a baby, but... And Olivia was the only other person besides Frank.”
Rick looked down. “You know, Natalia, just because you use protection or you don’t think the person you’re with can have children for whatever reason, nothing is certain. There’s always a possibility-”
“Rick,” Natalia cut him off, touching his arm. “Olivia was the only person besides Frank.”
“Okay,” Rick said with a shrug. “If that’s what you say then I believe you. It’s what the results say.”
“That still doesn’t explain how it happened,” Olivia interjected.
Rick rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I don’t have anything for you there. We may never know how it happened. But - it’s not a bad thing, is it? You both love Francesca. I may feel bad for Frank, but...”
“No, it’s not bad,” Natalia said slowly, sorting through what she was feeling to some extent as she spoke. “Just very unexpected and strange. We never expected...” She reached for Olivia’s hand again and gave it a tight squeeze. “But she’s our little girl and no matter how she came into our lives, we’ll always love her.”
“Just the way we always have,” Olivia said, glancing away from Rick and catching Natalia’s gaze, the intimacy of the moment all but forcing him out of the conversation.
“Always?” Natalia asked with a tiny quirk of her lips.
Olivia dipped her head in acknowledgement of Natalia’s point, but her smile never wavered. In fact, it grew. She raised a hand to brush Natalia’s chin with her thumb. “From the first moment I saw her.”
Rick coughed such an obviously fake cough that Olivia rolled her eyes. Natalia’s lips quirked upwards in a smile.
“Can you look into it for us, Rick?” Olivia asked, straightening and drawing herself back up and away from Natalia. “Just to make sure there’s nothing to worry about. We’re happy but it’s strange.”
“Of course,” Rick nodded. “But you know, we may never know. I’ll talk to the people at the spa you mentioned earlier, see if there’s been anything strange going on there. Something in the water...”
Olivia arched an eyebrow. “Something in the water, Rick? That’s the best you can come up with?”
He gave her a grimace. “Well, would you rather I said it was magic - or God?”
Olivia stiffened as his last comment drew a sharp look from Natalia.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for us - and you’re doing for Francesca - but you don’t get to mock my beliefs. They’re serious and important to me.”
For a moment, Rick looked startled and then he shrugged. “There are more things in heaven and earth...”
Natalia tensed, but then realized Rick wasn’t mocking her. If anything he was conceding the point. She relaxed with the thought echoing in her mind. A child for she and Olivia, of she and Olivia, God’s gift to them? She wasn’t sure that she trusted the thought. What had they done to be so deserving? But she wouldn’t question it or struggle against it.
Or let the absolute surrealness of the notion ruin what should be a happy, joyous moment.
Instead she would hold it close and embrace it for the blessing their daughter was - no matter who she was borne of in flesh and blood.
(4/5)
Fandom: Guiding Light
Characters: Olivia Spencer, Natalia Rivera, Emma Spencer, Francesca Rivera, Frank Cooper, Rick Bauer.
Category: Romance, Drama, Humor
Rating: R
Word count: 3, 028
Summary: The five moments that shaped the strangest moment of Francesca Rivera's young life.
Spoilers/Timeline Generally through September '09, though nothing terribly specific I think.
Disclaimer: All characters (Olivia Spencer, Natalia Rivera, blah blah etc.) and situations belong to Guiding Light, Telenext, Proctor & Gamble, etc. I'm not them.
Author's Note: I've had this idea for almost a year now. All that to say...even I have no idea where I got this idea from at this point.
Beta: A big thanks to both aimlessla and Rysler for their very different but equally invaluable input about this fic.
Warning: This fic may leave you scratching your head. You may not want to read it if you have a family history of baldness.
Part One || Part Two || Part Three
4.
“Okay, Rick,” Olivia said, folding her arms over her chest. “We’ve been patient long enough. We need some answers.”
“I, ah...” Rick shrugged. “This isn’t something that happens every day, you know? As far as I know it’s never happened before. I don’t even know how it’s possible. But I checked that test. I did it myself to make sure one of the technicians weren’t altering something by accident - and the results were always the same.”
“She was tiny.”
It was the first time that Natalia had spoken since they had gathered in the doctor’s small conference room.
“What?” Olivia asked, unable to make the leap between their conversation and where Natalia had gone.
“Remember?” Natalia beseeched, looking up at Olivia. “Francesca was so so tiny when she was born - but she was almost three weeks late. The pediatrician was worried that something was wrong with her because she looked like a preemie, but they couldn’t find anything wrong with her. They just thought she was a slow developer or something,” she added to Rick.
“So what are you saying?” Rick asked.
“The first time we ever, you know, at the spa...” Natalia gestured between she and Olivia. “It wasn’t that long really after Frank and I. I mean, two months - it is for a baby, but... And Olivia was the only other person besides Frank.”
Rick looked down. “You know, Natalia, just because you use protection or you don’t think the person you’re with can have children for whatever reason, nothing is certain. There’s always a possibility-”
“Rick,” Natalia cut him off, touching his arm. “Olivia was the only person besides Frank.”
“Okay,” Rick said with a shrug. “If that’s what you say then I believe you. It’s what the results say.”
“That still doesn’t explain how it happened,” Olivia interjected.
Rick rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “I don’t have anything for you there. We may never know how it happened. But - it’s not a bad thing, is it? You both love Francesca. I may feel bad for Frank, but...”
“No, it’s not bad,” Natalia said slowly, sorting through what she was feeling to some extent as she spoke. “Just very unexpected and strange. We never expected...” She reached for Olivia’s hand again and gave it a tight squeeze. “But she’s our little girl and no matter how she came into our lives, we’ll always love her.”
“Just the way we always have,” Olivia said, glancing away from Rick and catching Natalia’s gaze, the intimacy of the moment all but forcing him out of the conversation.
“Always?” Natalia asked with a tiny quirk of her lips.
Olivia dipped her head in acknowledgement of Natalia’s point, but her smile never wavered. In fact, it grew. She raised a hand to brush Natalia’s chin with her thumb. “From the first moment I saw her.”
Rick coughed such an obviously fake cough that Olivia rolled her eyes. Natalia’s lips quirked upwards in a smile.
“Can you look into it for us, Rick?” Olivia asked, straightening and drawing herself back up and away from Natalia. “Just to make sure there’s nothing to worry about. We’re happy but it’s strange.”
“Of course,” Rick nodded. “But you know, we may never know. I’ll talk to the people at the spa you mentioned earlier, see if there’s been anything strange going on there. Something in the water...”
Olivia arched an eyebrow. “Something in the water, Rick? That’s the best you can come up with?”
He gave her a grimace. “Well, would you rather I said it was magic - or God?”
Olivia stiffened as his last comment drew a sharp look from Natalia.
“I appreciate everything you’ve done for us - and you’re doing for Francesca - but you don’t get to mock my beliefs. They’re serious and important to me.”
For a moment, Rick looked startled and then he shrugged. “There are more things in heaven and earth...”
Natalia tensed, but then realized Rick wasn’t mocking her. If anything he was conceding the point. She relaxed with the thought echoing in her mind. A child for she and Olivia, of she and Olivia, God’s gift to them? She wasn’t sure that she trusted the thought. What had they done to be so deserving? But she wouldn’t question it or struggle against it.
Or let the absolute surrealness of the notion ruin what should be a happy, joyous moment.
Instead she would hold it close and embrace it for the blessing their daughter was - no matter who she was borne of in flesh and blood.
(4/5)