I Could Use Somebody

by JanetB418

This story follows the Otalia Storyline. It picks up at the time Natalia leaves to go on her retreat. Olivia's chef from the Beacon has resigned, and now she must replace him. Enter Chef Andrea Bannister, an out lesbian.

Title: I Could Use Somebody

Author: JanetB418

Summary: This is my first attempt at writing any kind of fan fiction. I thought that it would be interesting to introduce another lesbian into the storyline, besides Doris. Enter Chef Andrea Bannister, the fireworks should be interesting.

A/N: This storyline picks up after Natalia leaves for her retreat. Olivia and Doris looked for her, and now Olivia is back in Springfield and has to turn her attention to The Beacon. Her chef has left and she now must replace him. So it will follow the cannon, but with an interesting twist.

Rating: NC 17

Disclaimer: Guiding Light and its characters are the property of Telenext and Proctor and Gamble.

Chapter 1

Olivia sat behind her desk at the Beacon. The work had piled up while she and Doris had been away, looking for Natalia. She pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily, and "This is not going to get done by itself."

Kyra, her less than stellar assistant, came into the office and reminded her that she had a meeting in less than 10 minutes.

"Ms. Spencer, don't forget that you have a meeting in 10 minutes."

"And who is it that I'm meeting with and why?" Olivia asked.

"You're meeting with one of the candidates for the chef position, Andrea Bannister."

"Do I have a copy of her resume or any other information on her that might be helpful?" Olivia asked, in a tone that Kyra was all too familiar with.

"It's on your desk in the folder with her name on it, Ms. Spencer." Replied Kyra.

"Uh okay – Kyra, thank you." Olivia replied. She was very surprised that Kyra had put together a folder for her on each of the candidates for the chef position. That was something that Natalia would have done. Oh hell, she thought to herself, can I not go 5 minutes without thinking of her?

"Ms. Spencer, should I just show her in when she gets here?"

"Give me 10 minutes so I can look over all the information. I'll buzz you when I'm ready. That will be all Kyra." Olivia picks up the folder and looks over the resume. Impressive, Ms. Bannister did internships at Charlie Trotters and Everest and is the Executive Chef at Zealous. These are all outstanding restaurants, the best in Chicago. I wonder why she is interested in working here in Springfield.

Kyra leaves the office and turns around to a strikingly attractive woman walking in the door.

"May I help you?" asked Kyra.

"I hope that I'm in the right place, I'm Andrea Bannister. I have appointment with Olivia Spencer." The young woman answered.

"Yes you're in the right place. Ms. Spencer will be with you in a moment. Can I offer you something to drink while you're waiting?"

"I'm fine right now, thank you."

Andrea looked around the outer office. She had seen very little of the Beacon as she came in, but what she saw she like. I do like this place. I think that it would be a perfect place to start fresh, to help me forget everything that has happened over the past 2 years.

Chapter 2

Andrea sat in the outer office, lost in her thoughts. She didn't hear Olivia buzz Kyra to let her that she was ready for the interview.

"Ms. Bannister, Ms. Spencer is ready to see you now. If you will follow me, please."

Andrea followed Kyra through the door into Olivia's office. As she looked up, her eyes met the gorgeous green eyes and she almost lost her breath. Oh my god, those eyes, and then she saw the full lips and the beautiful smile that is Olivia Spencer.

"Ms. Bannister, I'm so pleased to meet you" Olivia said as she moved from behind her desk and reached out her hand to shake Andrea's hand.

Olivia was taken aback by the strikingly good looks of this young woman. Andrea had light brown hair, with shimmers of blonde in it, brown eyes and full lips. She is beautiful, but there are no dimples when she smiles. Damn wish I could get Natalia out of my mind for at least 10 minutes.

And as taken aback as Olivia was, Andrea was more so. Those eyes. My God, it feels like she is looking straight into my soul. Those lips and that smile. Careful Andrea, this woman could potentially be your boss. Reign in those thoughts you're having.

"Thank you Ms. Spencer. The pleasure is all mine and call me Andrea."

"All right, Andrea, have a seat. I'm Olivia by the way."

The young woman takes a seat and Olivia walks around behind her desk and sits down.

"So Andrea, tell me a bit about yourself."

"I graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1997. After graduation I went to Chicago and began..."

Olivia raises a hand and cuts her off.

"I have read over your portfolio, and can see that your credentials are very impressive. I'm more interested in Andrea, the person and why you would want to leave one of the top restaurants in Chicago. Especially to come to a small town like Springfield." Olivia says and she raises her eyebrow.

Andrea paused for a moment, thinking over very careful how she wanted to answer. She decided to be honest. She had never hidden her sexually and she wasn't about to start now.

She took a deep breath, and began her story.

Chapter 3

"Olivia, I'm going to be totally honest with you. The main reason I'm interested in this position, is that I think it would be very challenging for me as a chef. But there is another reason that I want to leave Chicago." Andrea said, her eyes filling with tears. "Two years ago, my partner was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer. She fought very hard and very long, but after a year she lost the fight. We had been together for 6 years. We worked together at Zealous. Candice ran the front and I ran the kitchen. We were a team and it has been extremely hard for me to continue to work there without her. So when I found out that you were looking for a chef, I thought that this would be a perfect scenario for me. A new kitchen and a new town to call home."

Olivia could see Andrea was having a difficult time telling her about this, and the old Olivia would have seen it as a sign of weakness. But not now. Her heart went out to the younger woman. And right now I understand your pain, because the woman I love just left me.

"Andrea, I can see how difficult this was for you to share with me and I appreciate your honesty. I'm really sorry for the loss of your partner."

"Thanks Olivia. And Springfield is close enough to Chicago that I can visit my family and friends. The bottom line is I would love to be the chef for the Beacon. It would be a great fit and I think that you and I would work extremely well together."

Olivia took a moment to look over the resumes of the other candidates that Kyra had given her. Andrea is definitely the most qualified and the most talented out of all of these applicants. And she is well known in the Chicago area. This could be great for business. She is going to cost me an arm and a leg, but in the long run this could be just what I need to help me franchise the Beacon. And I feel very comfortable with her, and very drawn to her.

"I couldn't agree more, Andrea. How would you like to see your kitchen? Then after that we can grab some lunch and discuss your salary and your start date."

"I would love to see my new kitchen and lunch sounds wonderful. And Olivia, you won't regret hiring me." Andrea says reaching her hand out to shake Olivia's. I can't believe how comfortable I feel with this woman, and I'm drawn to her. For the first time since Candice died, I'm actually attracted to a woman.

The two ladies left Olivia's office, making their way to the Beacon restaurant and kitchen. The conversation was easy between the two them and when they weren't talking, the silence was just as comfortable.

Andrea was impressed with the setup and the flow of the kitchen.

Once the tour had ended, Olivia asked Andrea if she was ready for lunch.

"Sounds great. I'm starved."

"Do you want to grab a bite to eat here at the hotel?" Olivia asked.

"Well we could, but you know what I'm really in the mood for?" Andrea said with her head slightly tilted to the right and the cutest grin on her face.

"Um, what?" Olivia stuttered, slightly blushing with her eyebrow raised.

"I would kill for a cheeseburger with onions."

Olivia laughed and shook her head, "Well do I have the place to take you then, if you're game."

"Oh I'm game."

"Good, let's go by my office and I will take you the get, not only a cheeseburger, but a Buzz Burger."

Chapter 4

Olivia and Andrea stopped by the office. Olivia let Kyra know that they were going to Company for lunch. She also told Kyra to contact the other candidates for the chef position and let them know that it was no longer available.

The two made their way over to Company. As they walked in, Olivia saw that Rafe was there with Ashley and Daisy. Oh shit! I hope this doesn't get ugly, she thought as she and Andrea walked up to the counter to order. Considering the way Rafe's attitude had been towards her, it was entirely probable that there would be a scene. Especially since Natalia had disappeared.

Buzz was at the other end of the counter and spoke to Olivia. "Hey you. I'll be with you ladies in a minute."

"Take your time Buzz." Olivia replied, a little tense.

Andrea notice that the older blonde seemed a little tense. "Are you okay Olivia?" Reaching out and touching her on her arm.

Olivia was shocked at how nice and how right that simple touch felt. "I'm fine. Why?"

"You just seem a little tense, that's all."

"No, really I'm fine."

Buzz made his way down to the two. "Well ladies, what can I do for you today?"

"We are going to have 2 Buzz Burgers with the works and fries on both of those," Olivia replied.

"You got it and who might this lovely young lady be?" Buzz asked.

"Oh, Buzz, I'm sorry. This is Andrea Bannister. I have just hired her. She's the new Executive Chef at the Beacon. Andrea, this is Buzz Cooper. He and his family own and run Company. He invented the Buzz Burger."

"Well nice to meet you Andrea and welcome to Springfield."

"Thank you Mr. Cooper. It's nice to meet you as well."

"It's Buzz, not Mr. Cooper. Okay ladies, I will have those burgers out to you in a bit."

Olivia turned and looked around for a place to sit, preferably as far away from Rafe and they could get. She saw that the table back in the corner was vacant. She and Andrea made their way over there and sat down.

"So Andrea, when can you start?" Olivia asked.

"Well I have taken some time off this week and would love to start doing some preliminary work tomorrow. I had prepared the owners of Zealous for my departure. Their new chef has already started and I have been helping him transition into the position. I will need to go back to Chicago for a few days at the end of the week to tie up loose ends at work there and to line up the movers. Then I need to find a place to live here in Springfield."

"You were that confident I would hire you?" Olivia asked.

Andrea sensed that Olivia thought that she was being a little arrogant.

"No, I was hoping that you would hire me, and I felt that I had a good chance to get this position, but I never once assumed that you would hire me. I have been planning to leave Zealous for a few months and just wanted to get things lined up for them. It has been very hard for me to work there. Every time that I looked up from the line, or from my office, I expected to see Candice there. Even though I knew deep down that she wouldn't be there, I still expected her to be there. I don't know if you can understand this, but her presence is always there at Zealous, and I just need to move on with my life. I was hoping it would be here, but if this hadn't worked out, I knew that the right position would come along."

"I do understand." Olivia answered. Boy do I understand. Every time a door opens or the phone rings, I expect it to be Natalia. But it's not, she's not here and I don't know where she is. "It's a very hard place to be in your life."

"So I take it you have lost someone as well?" Andrea asked.

Neither of the ladies notice that Rafe had walked up on their conversation.

"More like she drove her away." Rafe interjected, as both ladies looked over at him. "Olivia where in the hell is my Mother?" he demanded.

"Rafe now is not the time." Olivia answered

""Oh I think that it is. You pushed her, causing her to go against her beliefs and now she's gone, so I think that now is the perfect time." he hissed.

Olivia looked over at Andrea, who had a very confused look on her face.

"Rafe, as I said now is not the time and this is not the place. I have no idea where Natalia is. If you will excuse me, I'm trying to have a meeting."

"No, I'm not leaving until I have some answers. Are you afraid that your new friend will find out all your dirty little secrets?"

Olivia started to speak, but before she could say anything, Andrea stood up and looked Rafe square in the eyes. "Rafe, is it? Well Rafe, I believe that Ms. Spencer said that this not the time or the place. And she also asked you to excuse us. I don't know who you think you are, but we are trying to have a meeting here. I think the best thing that you could do is leave before this situation gets any nastier than it all ready has."

"Look lady, I "but before he could finish, Buzz walked up with the food for the ladies.

"Rafe, that's enough!" Buzz stated very firmly. "Now clearly both of the ladies have asked you to leave and I think that's just what you should do. Or do I need to call Frank?" Buzz added.

Rafe didn't say anything; he stood there for a moment, glaring at Olivia. Then he finally turned and left.

"Buzz, thank you." Olivia said as she slowly leaned back in her chair.

"Forget about it. I didn't really do anything. But this one here," as he pointed to Andrea, "she knows how to handle herself."

"Thanks Buzz," Andrea replied, slightly blushing. "Years of practice. Being a female chef has taught me quite a lot about how to handle young boys trying to be a man."

"Well you handled it beautifully. Now here are those burgers you ordered. Can I get you ladies anything else?

"No Buzz, I think that we're good." Olivia answered.

"Okay. Just give a shout if you need anything."

"Will do Buzz. Thanks gain."

"No problem."

Andrea looked over at Olivia, "Now where were we before we were interrupted?"

Chapter 5

Olivia quickly realized that Andrea was giving her an opportunity not to talk about the events that had just transpired. Thank you for that. I just don't want to talk about Natalia and Rafe now.

"I think we were talking about you finding a place to live here in Springfield." Olivia answered, smiling at the younger woman. "Why don't we set you up with a suite at the Beacon as part of your salary for now? It would allow you to get settle into work, and it would help me a lot to have you on premises."

"I think that's a great idea," Andrea answered as she took a bite of her cheeseburger. "Oh my god, this is the best burger ever."

"I know, right?" Olivia responded.

The two finished their lunch without any further interruptions.

After they finished eating, Olivia called Greg and told him to get the other executive suite ready for Andrea. They headed back to the Beacon. As Andrea and Olivia walked into the lobby, Greg met them and let Olivia know that the suite was ready for Andrea.

"Greg, let me introduce you to our new Executive Chef, Andrea Bannister. Andrea, this is Greg Wilson, he is the General Manager here at the Beacon."

"Very nice to meet you Andrea," Greg replied, reaching out to shake Andrea's hand.

"And it's nice to meet you as well," Andrea said shaking Greg's hand.

"If there's anything I can do to help you or if you need anything, please don't hesitate to let me know."

"Thanks Greg. I appreciate the offer and will probably take you up on it." Andrea replied.

Olivia checked her watch and realized that she needed to call Ava and check in on her and Emma. She had sent Emma to Ava, while she and Doris had gone to look for Natalia. Emma has been through so much, Olivia thought. I'm glad that she's not here to see the hurt and the pain I'm feeling right now. Damn you Natalia. Where the hell are you and what's going on with you?

"Greg, could you show Andrea to her room? I have some calls I need to make." Olivia asked.

"Of course Ms. Spencer." Greg replied.

"Andrea, I'll check in with you later this afternoon. If you need anything, just give me a call." Olivia said, as she hand the younger woman her business card.

"Thanks Olivia. "

With that Olivia headed to her office.

"Andrea, if you will come with me," Greg said.

With that, the two turn and headed towards the elevator. Something made Andrea look back and she saw caught Olivia's eye. Their eyes meet for just a brief moment. Andrea smiled, and turned back towards the elevators.

Andrea was relieved to get into her room. It was a very comfortable room, and had everything there she needed. She decided to rest a little before getting her things out of her car. She had packed a small bag with a few change of clothes, her chef's uniforms, and a picture of she and Candice that she took with her when she traveled, just in case things had gone well. I'm so glad this worked out. Boy do I have a lot to do. I need to get started on a new menu, talk to Olivia about replacing some of the older equipment meet with the local food vendors and that's just here. Then there's getting everything moved into storage in Chicago.

After resting for an hour or so, Andrea went down to get her bag and her laptop. She was ready to start working on the new menu and she needed to check her email. Once she returned to the room, she unpacked her clothes, set up her laptop, and then she placed the photo of Candice on the bedside table.

Oh baby, I miss you so much and I still love you so much, she thought as her eyes filled with tears and a few rolled down her cheeks, I know that you would be happy and proud of me. You always were.

She stared at the picture for a few moments, and then turned her attention to her laptop. After answering her emails and making calls to Zealous and the movers in Chicago, she began working on ideas for the menu. She had packed a few of her favorite cookbooks in her laptop bag and began reading through them, stopping occasionally to make notes on her laptop. She was very focused, and was startled when she heard a knock on the door. She set down the cookbooks, got up from the laptop and opened the door. She was surprised to see Olivia standing there.

"Hey Olivia, I'm surprised to see you." She said.

"I hope I didn't interrupt you," Olivia said as she nodded toward the desk with cookbooks and the laptop.

"No, just working on some menu ideas. Would you like to come in?" Andrea asked, a little tentatively, not quite sure if she wanted to be alone with Olivia in her room. I don't know why, but I just think it's not a good idea to be alone with you right now.

"No, I just wanted to see if you were getting settle, and to let you know that I've arranged a meeting with the kitchen and wait staff for 8 am tomorrow morning. I want to formally introduce you to the staff."

"That sounds great."

"I will see you in the morning then," Olivia turned and left. Before she got to the elevator, she looked back to see if Andrea was still standing in the door. She was, and once again their eyes met. Olivia quickly looked away.

Chapter 6

The next few days were a blur for Andrea. Olivia had introduced her to the staff, she had made a list of all the equipment that needed to be replaced, and she met with all the local vendors. She got up at 5 am every morning for a run. Then after a quick shower, she headed down the kitchen where she worked on the line and with the staff through the dinner shift. She would then head back to her room, work a little while on her laptop and then hit the bed.

Andrea had never been so tired, but it was a good tired. She didn't see much of Olivia during this time. She would come through the kitchen every so often to make sure that everything was going okay, but the visits were never long and there was very little conversation. But they always caught each other's eyes.

On Friday, Andrea left for Chicago to get the things she needed at the hotel, and have the movers put the rest of her things in storage. She made it back to the Beacon early Sunday afternoon. After getting the car unloaded and her things unpacked, she decided she would go to the park for a run. Running always cleared her mind.

She quickly changed into her running clothes and grabbed her Pod.

The park was not too crowded for a Sunday, and the run was just what she needed. Andrea decided to take a break from the running and check out the park. She walked up on the gazebo and noticed that Olivia was there, looking very sad and like she had been crying.

"Olivia, are you okay?" Andrea asked as she walked up on the gazebo.

Olivia looks up, tears on her cheeks, "Andrea, I didn't see you. I'm fine," She replies. "When did you get back from Chicago?"

"I got back a couple of hours ago. Got everything unpacked and decided to go for a run." She looked at Olivia again, catching her eyes, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Olivia walked to the side of the gazebo, "I said I was fine." Andrea was taken aback by her tone.

"I'll just go and finish my run," Andrea said as she turned and left.

Olivia just stood there thinking, Great Spencer, she was just trying to help. You didn't have to be so rude. There you go pushing everyone away. What the hell, everyone leaves anyway. Natalia left and now Jeffery's gone. And having to tell Ava was the hardest part. I'm glad she has Emma with her right now. God, I feel so alone right now.

Andrea finished her run and returned to the Beacon. Once in her room, she checked to see if she had any messages and then decided to take a quick shower. She threw on a pair of jeans and a white tank top, and grabbed a bottle of red wine. Pouring herself a glass, she fired up the laptop, pulled out her cook books and began working on the menu. She wanted to have it ready to submit to Olivia by the middle of the week. She took her first drink of the wine, trying to understand the harsh tone that Olivia had used with her earlier. She was obviously upset; guess I just pushed too hard. I hope she's okay. She just looked very sad and very lost.

A knock at her door brought Andrea out of her thoughts. She strolled over to the door, glass of wine in hand, and opened the door.

Andrea was very surprised to see Olivia standing there.

"Olivia, "Andrea began.

"Look, I just wanted to come by and apologize for being rude to you earlier. I know that you were just trying to help. I could really use someone to talk to right now. And a drink," she said nodding at the glass of wine in Andrea's hand.

"Sure, come on in and I'll pour you a glass." Andrea replied as Olivia walked through the door.

Chapter 7

Olivia came in and set her purse down.

"Make yourself comfortable while I get you a glass of wine," Andrea said as she headed towards the bar.

Olivia noticed how attractive this younger woman was. She definitely looks good in those jeans and that white tank. It's the first I've seen her in anything but a business suit or her chef whites. Well she was in shorts today, but I really didn't pay attention, guess that I should have.

Andrea turned and walked over to the sofa and handed Olivia her a glass of wine.

"Um, thanks," Olivia said, as she took a sip of the wine. "This is exactly what I need."

"Glad that you are enjoying it." Andrea replied.

Olivia looked at all the cook books lying around and at the lap top. "Do you work all the time?" She asked.

"Not all the time, but you see I have this new boss, and I need to get a menu to her by mid week," Andrea replied smiling at Olivia.

Olivia took a drink, and smiled at the gorgeous woman, "Sounds like you work for a slave driver."

"That's what I've been told. But for me, work is an outlet. It has gotten me through a lot of tough times, and cooking is my passion. I'm fortunate; you pay me well to do what I would do for free."

"Now you tell me that," Olivia said as she laughed and shook her head.

Andrea laughed as well, as she got up to grab the bottle of wine. "Something tells me that you didn't come here to talk about how much I work or the fact that I would have worked for free. So what's on your mind Olivia?"

"It occurred to me when I saw you in the park today that you never asked me about the scene at Company the other day. Why is that?"

"It wasn't my place to ask you about it. I work for you and we had just met. Besides I thought if you wanted me to know about it, you would tell me."

"I did and do appreciate the fact that you didn't ask any questions that day. The fact is that the past few weeks have not been the best of times for me, and having to deal with Rafe that day didn't help. By the way, thank you for handling that situation."

"You're welcome," Andrea said. "So who exactly is this Rafe kid?"

"Rafe is the son of the woman I'm in love with. Her name is Natalia Rivera."

Andrea wasn't surprised by this revelation. "And I take it from that day that Natalia isn't here right now?"

"She left, without a word. I found out from her priest that she was at a religious retreat. Hell, I even went to look for her, but didn't find her. We were finally ready to tell everybody in town that we were a couple, and she just disappears."

Olivia went on to tell Andrea the whole story, of how she and Natalia met. How she got Gus's heart, how Natalia took care of her, how the friendship turned to love, the struggle that Natalia had with her religion, and how they were planning on going to the Bauer BBQ as a couple.

"So she never showed up, no phone call, nothing?" Andrea asked.

"She did tell Blake, her boss, to tell me that she couldn't see me. So now I'm here, have no idea where she is. I don't know if she is coming home. She doesn't return my calls. So I'm thinking that it's time for me to move on, because even if she does come back, how could I ever trust her again?" Olivia asked Andrea, with tears streaming down her face.

Andrea, instinctively, reached up and wiped the tears away. "That's a very tough question, and it's one that you can't answer today. One thing that I've learned from losing Candice is that the pain never goes away. There are days that it's not as bad, but then there are days that it just takes your breath away when you think about it. All you can do is get through the next 5 minutes, and when you get through that 5 minutes, you get through the next 5 until it becomes a little easier. There are no magical answers."

"I know that there aren't any magical answers," Olivia replied. "I just thought that I had finally gotten it right this time. For the first time in my life, I had put someone, other than my children, first in my life. And it bit me in the ass."

"Not necessarily," Andrea replied. "Did you learn how to really love someone?"

"Yes, yes I did," Olivia whispered.

"Well then how does that possibly constitute you being bitten in the ass?"

"I guess I see your point," Olivia says as she gets up and walks around. She notices the picture of the beautiful blonde on the bedside table. What a beautiful woman! That must be Candice."

"So Andrea, tell me about Candice."

Andrea took a healthy sip of her wine, then took a deep breath, and began her story.

"Candice and I were introduced by a very dear friend. Neither of us were looking for a relationship, but I thought what the hell, you can always use a friend. So I agree to meet her. The first time I saw her, she took my breath away. I knew about half way through that first drink, this was the woman I would spend the rest of my life with. And the feeling was the same for her. I had heard of love at first sight, but I never believed it could happen. That all changed the night I met Candice and we were together until she died. It was the most wonderful six years of my life. We were inseparable; we worked, lived and loved together. We got married in front of our families and friends; boy was it a crazy day for both of us. We flew to Hawaii, which was so romantic and beautiful for our honeymoon.

We were great together; we were even talking about having a child. That's how we found out that Candice was sick. She wanted to carry the baby, and had gone in for a routine checkup. Her white blood cell count was elevated and they wanted to keep her to run some tests to find out why." Andrea paused for a moment, her eyes filled with tears.

"You don't have to go on if you don't want to," Olivia said as she sat back down on the sofa with the younger woman.

"No it's okay, I need to talk about this and tell you about her. When we first found that she was sick, we were hopeful, as were the doctors, because we thought that we caught it early enough. But it the cancer didn't respond to any of the conventional treatments. The chemo and radiation were so hard on her, that after 6 months, we decided no more. We wanted to be able to enjoy what time we had left together without Candice being so sick.

And we did until the day she died. I was with her that whole day. I held her hand and talked to her. She was in and out of consciousness all day and right before sunset, she opened her eyes, pulled me close, gave me the sweetest kiss, and told me that she loved me.

Then, she was gone." Andrea broke down and started to cry.

Olivia grabbed the younger woman, and held her, both of them crying for the loves that were no longer with them.

Chapter 8

The two women stayed on the sofa holding each other for what seemed like a long time. Andrea was the first to break away. "I'm sorry Olivia; I didn't think that I would get so emotional."

"You have nothing to apologize for," Olivia replied, as she sat back on the sofa. "I guess I wasn't the only one that needed to talk."

Andrea poured herself another glass of wine, took a drink, "No I guess not. I've never told anyone about my last moments with Candice until now. But somehow I knew that I could trust you and I knew that you would understand."

Olivia nodded her head in agreement, "You are very easy to talk to, and I knew that I could trust you too."

The two talked for several more hours. Olivia sharing with Andrea about Jeffrey, and telling her about Ava and Emma. Andrea took note of the softness in Olivia's eyes when she talked about her daughters, but there was a special softness when she talked about Emma. They finally realized how late it was, and Olivia got up to leave. Andrea got up with her and walked to the door with her.

"Well at least I don't have to drive home," Olivia laughed as she was getting ready to walk out the door.

"That's the good thing about us being neighbors, if you drink too much wine, you can just walk down the hall and you're home," Andrea laughed as well.

Olivia reached out and grabbed the younger woman's hand, "Thank you for the wine and thank you for listening. It's nice to have someone to talk to that understands."

Andrea held Olivia's hand as well, "And thank you. I didn't realize that I needed to let go of all the emotions that I did tonight."

"So," as Olivia let go of Andrea's hand, "I will see you tomorrow. If you don't mind, I thought that I would like to come down to the kitchen for a while and work with you on some of the new dishes that you are considering."

"Really, I think that would be great," Andrea replied. "Do you know your way around a kitchen?"

"Oh didn't I tell you?" Olivia asked with a little grin on her face, "I used to be a chef, went to culinary school and everything." With that she walked out of the door.

Andrea just stood there, shook her head and said, "Well aren't you full of surprises?"

Olivia replied over her shoulder, as she walked towards her room, "You have no idea."

Andrea crawled into bed, picked up her picture of Candice, hugged it and fell asleep with it in her arms. Down the hall, Olivia crawled into bed, picked up the picture of she, Emma and Natalia from their first New Year's Eve together, hugged it and fell asleep with it in her arms.

Chapter 9

Olivia arrived at the office unusually early for her that Monday. She wanted to get some of her work finished before she went down to the kitchen to work with Andrea. She read all the reports that she needed to, sign all the paperwork, and answered all her emails.

She picked up the phone, and dialed the number to the chef's office. "This is Andrea."

"Hey Andrea, it's Olivia. I'm about to head down there if now's a good time."

"Sure, I have everything ready."

"Okay be there in a few minutes."

Olivia hung up the phone, and walked out of her office.

"Kyra, I'm going down to the kitchen to work on some of the dishes with Andrea," she said as she walked past Kyra's desk. "If you need to reach me, call my cell."

Olivia didn't wait for her reply. She decided to run up to her suite, and change into her chef whites before going to the kitchen. It didn't take her long to find them, and they still fit. She pulled back her hair, checked her look in the mirror, Damn Spencer, she thought, It's been a long time since you wore this. Satisfied that she looked okay, she headed down to her hotel's kitchen.

As she walked through the door, she saw Andrea at the sauté' station.

"Good morning Chef," Olivia said as she came around the corner.

Andrea looked up and smiled, "And good morning to you as well."

"What are you working on?" Olivia asked.

"Just pan searing a filet," Andrea replied. "How do you like your steak cooked?"

"Medium rare," Olivia answered. "So what are we going to be serving with this filet?"

"I'm thinking that we serve it with fingerling potatoes, baby vegetables, and our own homemade steak sauce," Andrea told her, as she flipped the filet and put it in the oven to finish cooking.

"So do you have the steak sauce prepared already or do we need to make it?"

"The sauce is already done; I made it first thing this morning so it would have time to meld together before we tried it."

"Well what can I help you with?" Olivia asked.

"You could cut some salmon for me," Andrea said laughingly, knowing that this was not going to happen.

"Okay let's try this again. What can I help you with that doesn't include me cutting fish of any kind?"

"Yes, "Andrea answered, "You can julienne those red peppers and onions, and then dice up that chorizo for the salmon dish."

"That I can handle."

Kyra was sitting at her desk, working on the reports that Olivia had given her to finish and send out before she went to the kitchen. She heard the office door open and looked up to see Mayor Wolfe walking in.

"Good morning Kyra," Doris as she headed towards Olivia's office.

"She's not there, Mayor."

Doris checked her watch, "This is late even for Olivia."

"She's already been in and left again. She's down in the kitchen with the new chef."

"Really?" Doris asked.

"Yes, she left a while ago and said that she would be there working on some new dishes with Andrea."

"Andrea, who's Andrea?"

"Andrea is the new chef," Kyra replied.

"Did she say how long she was going to be down there?"

"No she didn't."

"Okay, well I'll just check back later then," Doris said as she walked back out the door.

Doris walked past the elevator and headed for straight for the kitchen.

Olivia was really enjoying being in the kitchen, which surprised her. She hadn't enjoyed cooking like this in a very long time, if ever. She had julienned the red peppers and the onions, and diced the chorizo. She quickly began to prepare the recipe, and once it was together and simmering, she tasted it to see if it needed any further seasoning. It's missing something, but I can't figure out what it is. She grabbed another spoon and got some of the sauce.

"Andrea, could you taste this and let me know what it needs?" asked Olivia, as she walked over to Andrea with spoon in hand. Andrea was busy cutting fish, so Olivia held the spoon while she tasted the sauce.

"It needs a bit more kosher salt and a pinch more garlic," Andrea said.

Olivia laughed, shook her head, "I had forgotten that chef's measure everything in a bit or a pinch."

Andrea, laughing as well, said, "Didn't they teach you that in culinary school?"

Both women were laughing, as Doris walked in the doors to the kitchen.

"I tried to stop her Chef" the server said, as Doris approached Andrea and Olivia.

"Doris," Olivia said, before Andrea could say anything, "What are you doing in here?"

"I went by your office, and Kyra said that you were down here with your new chef," Doris replied as she glanced over at Andrea. Well I could use a chef like that in my kitchen!

"Doris, this is my new Executive Chef, Andrea Bannister. Andrea, this is Doris Wolfe, the mayor of Springfield."

"Hi," Doris said, looking over at Andrea, "It's always nice to me a new citizen of Springfield."

"Hello, good to meet you as well, Mayor Wolfe," Andrea replied as she nodded at Doris.

"Olivia, I'm just going to get back to work, if you will excuse me," Andrea said.

"I'll be over to help again shortly," Olivia replied, as she turned towards Doris.

"So Doris what is so important that it couldn't wait until I was back in my office?" Olivia asked.

"I hadn't talked to you since we got back from looking for Natalia, and face it you weren't in the best place. But it appears that you are doing better," Doris replied as she nodded towards Andrea.

"What the hell are you implying Doris?"

"Nothing, it's just I haven't seen you laugh or even look remotely interested in anything since Natalia left. But you look awfully comfortable here with your new chef."

"I'm just trying to focus on work right now. I don't know what else to do."

"You still haven't heard anything from her have you?" Doris asked, already knowing what the answer would be.

"Not a word," Olivia replied, "and I don't think that I'm going to."

Doris left and Olivia went back to work with Andrea.

Andrea noticed that Olivia's mood had turned darker after the mayor had left. She decide that it was best not to ask Olivia about her conversation with Doris. If she wants me to know, then she tell me about it. She had learned that much about Olivia in the short time they had know each other.

The two worked for a while longer, Andrea answering Olivia's questions flavor profiles, costs, and presentations. Once they finished, Olivia checked her watch, Is it really that late? I need to get back to the office. I need to call Ava and Emma, and check on them.

"Andrea, I'm going head back to the office now," Olivia told the younger woman.

"Okay, Olivia. Thanks for the help. I really enjoyed you being here this morning," Andrea replied.

Olivia smiled at Andrea, "I enjoyed it too. I'll call you later. "

"I look forward to it."

Olivia headed to her office. Once she got there, she called Ava and Emma. Ava was doing okay; she told Olivia that it helped to have Emma there with her. Olivia promised she would call her as soon as she found out when Jeffery's memorial service was going to be held. She promised Emma that she could go back to San Francisco with Ava, for a little longer after the memorial service. She was glad to talk to them, but it was hard with the girls being on the West Coast, and her being in Springfield. Once again the feeling of being so alone washed over her. She picked up her cell phone and dialed Natalia's number; I know that I'm going to get her voice mail. I don't know why I keep trying.

"Hi, sorry I missed your call. If you will leave your name, number and a message, I'll give you a call back." Beep.

"Natalia, it's me. I just needed to hear your voice, even if it's a recording. Where are you? There's so much going on and I'm so confused. Would you please just let me know that you're all right?"

Olivia hung up her phone. Damn it. Why can't I get it? She's not going to call and I have no idea when or if she's coming home. Why did you do this, Natalia? Why did you leave?

Olivia shook her head to try to clear the thoughts from her mind. She needed to get some work done before she left for the day, but that was proving to be impossible. She let her thoughts wander, and suddenly they turned to Andrea.

Olivia was surprised and amazed at how easy it was to talk to her. She felt, that of all the people she knew, Andrea was the one that understood the most what she was going through. I can't imagine watching the love of your life die. That has got to be the hardest thing that anyone will ever have to go through. Is that why I feel so drawn to you? Why can't I get the image of you in those jeans and tank top out of my mind? I felt a connection with you, and I'm wondering if you felt it too.

Olivia picked up her phone.

Andrea walked into her office after Olivia had left. She looked over the new recipes and made notes on some of the things that she and Olivia discussed. She was amazed at how comfortable Olivia had been in the kitchen with her. She was surprised at how easily she had been able to talk to Olivia. Olivia really understood her pain. I can't imagine having the love of your life just walk out on you? In some ways that's harder than watching your love die. At least when someone dies, you know that you're not going to see them again, not in this life any way. Is that why I feel so drawn to you? And why can't I get the imagine on you in your chef whites out of my mind? I now understand what Candice meant when she said there's something about a woman in chef whites. I truly felt a strong connection with you, especially after you shared all the things that you shared with me. And I wonder if you felt it as well?

Andrea's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone. She picked up the phone, "This is Andrea."

"Hi, it's Olivia."

"Hi there."

"Are you busy?"

"Not at the moment, just looking over a few things."

"So are you planning to work all night as well?"

"No actually I was just thinking about wrapping things up and getting out of here. What about you?"

"I'm finishing up as well. I was wondering if you would like to have dinner with me."

"Sounds great, Olivia. What time?"

"I'll come by your room in an hour or so."

"I'll see you then."

Chapter 11

Olivia hung up the phone, and headed upstairs to her suite. She wanted to get a shower before she and Andrea went out to dinner. She got to room and quickly jumped into the shower. While she was in the shower, she was thinking about what she should wear. I'm thinking jeans and that long sleeve white shirt and black vest. Olivia felt that funny feeling in her stomach, almost like butterflies. What the hell? Why am I feeling nervous? It's not like it's a date or anything. Just two friends getting together for dinner. Olivia got out of the shower and began to get ready. Once she finished, she checked in the mirror, and was pleased with her look. She grabbed her purse and keys, as she headed out the door.

Olivia headed down the hall to Andrea's suite. She knocked on the door. Andrea answered the door, wearing jeans and a beautiful khaki colored blouse that set off the color of her eyes. She had her hair down, and had on just a touch of makeup.

"Hi there, do you want to come in for a minute?" Andrea asked.

"Sure," Olivia managed to say. My God. You look amazing. Olivia thought.

"Make yourself comfortable while I get my things together. I shouldn't be long."

"So what are you in the mood for?" Olivia asked, realizing almost immediately what she said. "For dinner, I mean," she stammered.

Andrea laughed as she walked back into the living room, "Anything would be fine with me."

"There's a new Italian place that I've been wanting to try. How does that sound?" Olivia offered.

"Italian sounds great. Let's go I'm starved." Andrea said, grabbing her things as they headed for the door.

The drive to the restaurant was short, and they made small talk along the way. Once they got there, the place was not crowded, and they were sat immediately as a very cozy corner table.

Andrea ordered a nice bottle of wine for them and they began to look over the menu.

"So what looks good to you?" Andrea asked.

Do you really want me to answer that question? Olivia thought. "I'm thinking the Tuscan Steak looks really good."

"I think that I'm going to try the Osso Bucco. "

The waiter came back with the wine and the ladies placed their orders. The waiter poured the wine, and left them to turn in their orders.

"Um, I like this wine," Olivia said. "I don't think that I've ever tried this one before."

Andrea lead back in her chair, crossed her legs, "It's an amusing little wine. I thought that you might like it." She smiled very shyly at Olivia.

I think she's flirting with me. How very interesting. Olivia sat back in her chair, "Yes it is amusing. I do like it. We might just have to add this to our wine list at the Beacon."

"I'm glad that you like it. I think that it will complement the steak dish that we are putting on the new menu very well."

"I agree. Did you get any more work done on the menu after I left?" Olivia asked.

"A little. I should have it all finalized by Wednesday morning and I'll have it to you that afternoon," Andrea replied.

"Sounds great. But let's not talk about work anymore tonight. I want to enjoy this wine, our dinner, and just relax," Olivia said, smiling at the beautiful woman across the table from her.

"I think that's the second best idea I've heard all day," Andrea replied, with a coy smile on her face.

"Really, what was the first?" Olivia asked.

"Your idea to come to dinner," Andrea answered.

"Well that was a great idea wasn't it?" Olivia laughed

"Yes it was," the younger woman laughingly agreed.

The conversation between the two was very easy. There were periods of silence, but they were comfortable. Olivia was really surprised at how totally at ease she had become with this woman, in such a short amount of time. It was so out of character for her. Very out of character for her. Yet there is something about you that made me know that I could trust you. I told you things about myself last night that I've not told many people at all. I don't know what's happening between us, but I think that I'm just going to relax and enjoy your company.

Their dinner arrived, and they ate – having light conversation, both agreeing that the food was excellent. Once they finished eating, the waiter brought by the dessert tray. Andrea looked at Olivia, "So what do you think?" she asked.

"I think that I want the cannoli," Olivia replied.

"Well I have to have some chocolate, so I think that I will try the Italian Chocolate Cake," Andrea said. "Oh and I'll have an espresso with mine."

"I'll have a latte, don't think that I can do an espresso," Olivia chuckled.

The waiter returned in a few moments with their desserts and coffee.

"This cannoli is too die for," Olivia said, after taking her first bite.

"So is this chocolate cake. Here try a bite," Andrea said as she took the fork with a bite of cake on it and moved to Olivia's mouth. She has the most beautiful mouth. And those eyes. So mesmerizing. I could get lost there. Andrea was a little surprised by these thoughts. But not too surprised. Their bond had formed quickly and she was really enjoying the company of the beautiful, older woman. She hadn't enjoyed anything in so long, and it felt so good and right to be here having dinner with Olivia.

They finished their dessert, Andrea ordered another espresso. Olivia sipped on her latte, looked over at Andrea, "I've really enjoyed this evening with you."

"So have I. It's the first time in a very long time that I've been this relaxed and at ease. Thank you for that Olivia."

"It's been my pleasure. I think we both needed to relax and forget about things for a while," Olivia replied.

"I agree. I take it you still haven't heard anything from Natalia?" she asked, with a little hesitation.

"No. I tried to call her today. I left her yet another voice mail. But she hasn't returned any of my calls, and I don't think that she's going to," Olivia answered. "I think that the best thing I can do is just let go and move on."

"That's easier said than done," Andrea reminded her.

"Yes, but all I can do is get through the next 5 minutes, and when I get through that 5 minutes, I will get through the next 5 until it becomes a little easier. At least so I've been told."

Andrea smiled at the woman, "Sounds like someone gave you some good advice."

"I think so," Olivia answered. "Now I think that we need to pay the bill and get out of here."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Andrea agreed.

The ride back to the Beacon didn't seem to take as long as the ride over, and the two ladies very quickly found themselves outside the door to Andrea's suite.

Olivia turned to Andrea and looked into her eyes, "I had a really great time with you tonight, and I really don't want it to end yet."

"It doesn't have to end yet," Andrea replied, as she opened the door to her room.

Chapter 12

Andrea reached out her hand and Olivia took it, following her into the room.

As Andrea closed the door, Olivia again turned to face her, still holding her hand.

"My God, you are so beautiful, and you look so amazing tonight," Olivia whispered. She leaned in very close to Andrea, putting her hand on her face. "I really want to kiss you."

"Then kiss me, Olivia," she said with a husky voice.

As she leaned closer, Olivia could feel Andrea's breath on her lips. She reached up with her other hand and cupped Andrea's face. She pulled her close and began to kiss her. Softly at first, then their tongues met, and Andrea put her hands on Olivia's hips and pulled her as close as she could.

When they finally pulled away from each other, Olivia looked at the beautiful younger woman, "So that's what it feels like to kiss a woman."

"Yes it certainly is. I had almost forgotten how good it felt to kiss someone," Andrea whispered

Andrea took Olivia's hand and led her to the sofa. They sat down together and just held hands for a while, not saying anything.

Finally Olivia spoke, "Andrea, I'm attracted you on so many levels."

"I feel the same way Olivia. I haven't felt this way since Candice died, and that's very scary for me."

"I know, it's scary for me too," Olivia said. "I guess we both have a lot of baggage."

"I don't know if it's necessarily baggage, as much as it's the fact that we have become so comfortable with each other so very quickly."

"So what do we do?" Olivia asked.

"I think we keep getting to know each other, spend some time together and see what happens. I'm not ready to have a sexual relationship yet, and I don't think that you are either. It's nice to know that I can find another women attractive, and have the desire to become intimate. I didn't know if I would ever would."

"I have to admit that it's nice to know that you find me attractive," Olivia said very sheepishly. "And I agree, even though my hormones are trying to get the better of me, I'm not ready to have a sexual relationship yet either. I like the idea of us continuing to get to know each other, and I especially like the part of spending more time together. So I guess we will see what happens. But right now I should go home."

"Well as much as I don't want this evening to end, I agree. I have to be up early in the morning. I have a lot to get accomplished over the next few days," Andrea replied.

Olivia stood up, as did Andrea so she could walk her to the door. Olivia reached for her hand and Andrea gave it to her.

When they got to the door, Olivia turned and leaned in to kiss Andrea again. It was a sweet, soft kiss.

As they moved apart, Olivia gazed into hers eyes, "Thank you for the most enjoyable evening I've had in a while."

"I enjoyed the evening too. Goodnight and sleep well."
"You too," Olivia said as she turned, walked through the door, and headed down the hallway to her room.

The alarm went off way too early the next morning. Andrea rolled over and turned it off. She got out of the bed and got dressed for her run. She grabbed her IPod and headed out. She ran for about an hour, as she ran her mind turned to the kisses that she had shared with Olivia the night before. And she smiled.

As Andrea returned from her run, down the hall another alarm clock went off. Olivia rolled over and hit the snooze several times, her mind drifting to the kisses that she had shared with Andrea the night before. And she smiled.

The rest of the morning was a blur for both of the women. Olivia met with her financial adviser. Then she turned her attention to look at other properties that she was thinking about buying.

Andrea had a busy morning, the restaurant was busy for breakfast, and then she had two banquets lined up for lunch. Any spare moment she had, she worked on menu creations. Finally at 2 pm, things slowed down enough for her to make her way into her office and begin the final revisions on the menu. At 3 pm, she met with her Sous Chef to get him set up to run the dinner shift. There were no banquets, and the reservations were light for dinner. Once she finished with him, she asked not to be disturbed for the next hour or so, while she put the finishing touches on the menu. About 20 minutes later, there was a knock on her office door. She got up and opened the door, and was surprised to see Olivia standing there.

"Hi there," Olivia said as she walk through the door, smiling at Andrea.

"Hi there yourself."

"How has your day been?"

"Very hectic. We were slammed at breakfast, and lunch, plus we had 2 banquets of over 50 each at noon. The busiest day that we had since I've been here. And how has your been?"

"You know, meetings, looking at properties to possibly buy, dealing with vendors, the usual things that you have to deal with when you own a hotel. I have been thinking about the new menu."

"So have I. That's what I'm working on right now," Andrea replied.

"How would you feel about having an invitation only party to roll out the new menu and introduce you to Springfield?" Olivia asked raising her eyebrow.

"I think that would be a great idea. It sounds like fun. It will be a lot of work, but I love doing events like that. So when are you thinking that we do this?"

'Well it won't be this week, because that won't give us enough time. I was thinking that we could do it within the next two weeks. We'll look at our upcoming events, and pick a day that we don't have anything booked."

"Sounds like you have really been thinking a lot about this," Andrea smiled. It was amazing to watch Olivia in her business mode.

"I have. Do you have any plans for this evening?" Olivia asked, shyly.

"I was planning on finishing up the menu. Why? What do you have in mind?" Andrea asked.

"Why don't I come over and we finish the menu together. I'll bring the events book and we can set a date for the menu roll out and plan it. That way we can spend some time together and get some work done at the same time. Unless you would rather work on all of this alone," Olivia said with a playful grin on her face.

"I like the way you think, Olivia," Andrea replied as she moved in closer to her.

Chapter 13

Before they could kiss, they heard, "Chef, there's someone here to see you," coming from the kitchen.

"Boy talk about timing," Andrea said, as she pulled back. "I should go out there and see who's here. Shall we continue this tonight?"

"Good idea," Olivia said as she walked out the door.

Andrea went into the kitchen.

Olivia arrived at Andrea's suite at half past 6. She had run to Company and grabbed a couple of Buzz Burgers with fries. Andrea was working when Olivia got there and was surprised and grateful for the burger.

Once they finished dinner, they started work. They finalized the menu, picked a date for the menu roll out and began to plan the event.

Finally Olivia said, "Enough all ready, let's take a break for a while and relax. Boy and I thought that I was a slave driver."

Andrea smiled at the gorgeous older woman, "Okay you win. We'll take a break. There's no law that says we have to get this done tonight."

"Good because I brought a great bottle of wine, and I'm going to grab a glass. Would you like one?" Olivia asked as she got up to open the wine.

"That would be awesome," Andrea answered.

Olivia poured them both a glass of wine and joined Andrea on the sofa. "So how's the rest of your week shaping up?" She asked Andrea.

"The banquets are heavy tomorrow, Thursday and Friday. I'm sure that will occupy a great deal of my time. Tomorrow's are at lunch only, but on Thursday and Friday, we have lunch and dinner banquets, not to mention the regulars in the restaurant. Is the rest of your week hectic?"

"Tomorrow I have several meetings in the morning, but the afternoon looks pretty lite. Ava and Emma are flying in on Thursday. I found out that Jeffery's memorial service is on Friday. They will be here through Saturday. Emma wants to go back to her sister's for another week, and I thought that it would be good for Ava to have her with her after saying goodbye to her dad."

"Sounds like that will be a difficult day for all of you."

"One that I'm not looking forward to."

The two women chatted for a while, sharing stories from culinary school, and about their first years as women in professional kitchens. They had moved extremely close to each other while they were talking. Olivia gazed at the other woman, took the wine glass out of Andrea's hand, and said, "Wasn't there something that was about to happen in your office this afternoon that you said we would continue this evening?"

"Oh do you mean this?" Andrea asked as she leaned in and kissed Olivia. It was sweet, but sexy and playful.

As they pulled away from each other, Olivia said, "Yes that's exactly what I meant."

"I have to admit that I have been wanting to do that all day," Andrea replied.

"What took you so long?" Olivia asked playfully.

"If you remember, we were interrupted in my office. My plan was to throw you against the wall and kiss you as soon as you got here, but you had food. And I was starving," Andrea answered, grinning.

"Ah, thrown to the side for a Buzz Burger."

"I hate to admit it, but I could get addicted to those things," Andrea said.

"It's getting late," Olivia said as she looked at her watch. "I should be going."

"Well if you must," Andrea replied, standing up offering her hand to Olivia.

The two walked to the door.

Olivia turned towards Andrea and said, "Tomorrow night is the last free evening I'll have for a few days. Would you like to get together after work for a while?"

"Sounds like a really good idea, but we'll have to make an early evening of it because I have a very early morning on Thursday," Andrea replied as she opened the door.

"Okay, I'll call you tomorrow and we can finalize our plans." Olivia leaned in and kissed Andrea. They lingered at the door for a few moments after the kiss, then Olivia turned and headed to her room.

Andrea closed the door and the leaned against it, closed her, and touched her lips, still feeling Olivia's kiss lingering on her lips. This was the last thing I expected to find in Springfield, she thought. You're some woman Olivia Spencer.

Chapter 14

The next weeks past so quickly that Olivia hardly had time to catch her breath. The memorial service for Jeffrey had been extremely hard, especially for Ava. She told Ava about Natalia, that they had fallen in love, and how Natalia had just vanished. And she also told Ava about how she and Andrea had become close, and that they were spending a lot of time together. Ava wasn't surprised be either revelation, but did caution her Mom to be careful. She introduced both the girls to Andrea, when they had gone restaurant for dinner the night before they went back to San Frisco.

Now it was the day of the party, and there was still a lot to do. The girls had flown in yesterday. Olivia wanted both her girls to be there. And even though she had been busy, she had missed Emma so much and it was time for them to get back to their lives.

Andrea's day was busy as well. She had been down in the kitchen at 5am to start prepping for the party. She couldn't believe how quickly the past weeks had passed. The restaurant had been so busy, and it seemed that all the buzz about the party had brought in more business.

She and Olivia spent what time they could together, and they had grown closer over the time. They still hadn't slept together, not because they didn't want to, but because neither woman was ready to take that step.

An hour and a half before the party was to start, Andrea went up to her room to take a shower and change into her dress chef whites for the event. Olivia wanted her out front with her, meeting and mingling with the guests. She was okay with that, she actually enjoyed talking to customers and getting their feedback. It was always refreshing. Once she finished, she headed back to the kitchen to give the staff last minute instructions and make sure that everything was in order.

Olivia came in shortly after that to make sure that everything was ready. She looked gorgeous in the outfit she had on. A very classy pant suit, black with a long jacket, and beautiful green silk blouse that matched the color of her eyes.

Andrea looked up when she walked in, and was totally amazed at how beautiful Olivia looked.

"Are we ready," she asked, looking at Andrea. Damn, she thought, how can it be that you look so sexy in chef whites?

"Everything is ready. All we need is people to serve," the younger chef replied.

"Great, shall we go out front and greet our guests?" Olivia asked.

"Let's go." Andrea said as she came from behind the line and joined Olivia.

As they walked out to the front of the restaurant, Andrea leaned in and whispered to Olivia, "You look amazing."

Olivia whispered back, "And you look awesome. How is it you can make chef whites sexy?"

They laughed at each other and went to meet their guests.

The guest lists included the usual suspects for a Springfield party. Doris and Ashley, The Spaulding's, The Lewis men. She had invited Buzz and Lillian, but decided it would probably be best not to invite Frank, given everything that had happen between them. Rick came, but couldn't find a date, so he brought Matt. She even invited Blake. She was still upset with her , but she wanted her to see that she was doing okay without Natalia. The press was there, as well as Dinah with a camera crew. Olivia wanted to make sure that the restaurant had as much exposure as possible.

She welcomed everybody as they came in. As soon as everyone was there and had a drink, she decided to introduce Andrea at once. "Everyone, if I could have your attention. First I want to thank you for coming. It's a very exciting time for us here at the Beacon. I wanted to introduce you to our new Executive Chef, Andrea Bannister."

Andrea moved to stand beside Olivia, and was greeted by the guests. "I'm very honored to be here at the Beacon, and to be working with Olivia."

With that Olivia and Andrea started to mingle with their guests. Doris was the first one to talk to Olivia. "So this is why we haven't seen much of you the past few weeks," Doris said.

"Doris, I saw you at Jeffery's memorial service. Remember?" Olivia replied.

"I know. I just didn't expect to see you this cheerful," Doris added.

"Why wouldn't I be? I have a great new chef that has got this place going in the right direction, and business is good."

"But there's something else, I can see it. Are you seeing someone?" Doris asked.

"What makes you think that?" Olivia asked with a coy smile on her face.

"Well, we have been talking for like 5 minutes and you haven't even mentioned Natalia. Who is it?"

As soon as Doris asked the question, Andrea walked up. "Excuse me for interrupting. Olivia, could I borrow you for a moment they want to take some pictures for the paper?" she asked.

"Sure. Doris if you will excuse me. I'll talk with you later," Olivia said as the two ladies walked away.

Doris watched them as they left, and noticed they were very comfortable with each other. She also noticed the way they looked at each other while they talked. She remembered the day that she went to the kitchen and saw them laughing together. I'll be damned, that's who you're seeing Olivia. You're seeing Andrea.

Blake walked up while Doris was lost in thought.

"Hey Doris, where are you?" Blake asked.

"Oh hi, sorry just a little preoccupied. How are you Blake?"

I'm good thanks. This is some shindig that Olivia has thrown. To tell you the truth, I was surprised she invited me. Things have been a little tense with us, since.." Blake trailed off.

"Since, when?" Doris asked. "Since Natalia left?"

"Oh so you know about them?" Blake asked.

"Yes I do. I even went with Olivia to look for her."

"Really?" Blake replied.

"Yes, but from the looks of things," Doris said nodding towards Olivia and Andrea, "It appears that Olivia is moving on."

Blake watched the two women for a moment. There wasn't anything obvious, but there was something between them. They looked very comfortable with each other.

"Doris, excuse me for a minute. There's something that I need to do. I'll be right back," Blake said as she walked out of the restaurant without waiting for Doris to reply.

She walked through the lobby and out the front door. She wanted to make sure that she was out of earshot. She took out her phone and made a call. Voice mail, damn it. "Hey, it's me. Look, I don't know where your head's at right now or what you're planning to do, but if you're going to try and salvage anything with Olivia, I suggest that you come home now before it's too late."

Chapter 15

Blake went back in after making her phone call. Everyone had taken their seats and the food was about to be served. She sat at the table with Doris and Ashley.

"Where did you go?" Doris asked Blake as she sat down.

"I'm sorry, but I had to make a very important call," Blake said.

"So important that it couldn't wait until after you left the party?"

"Yes," was the all that Blake would say.

"All right everyone," Olivia said, "Chef Andrea is going to tell you a little about the food you are going to be enjoying this evening. Chef, the floor is yours."

"Thank you Olivia. I wanted to thank all of you for coming and being a part of the excitement that we are creating. We decided to serve the meal family style. There will be portions of each of the new menu items served to every table. The servers with tell you what each course consistent of and the wine that we have paired with the food. Again, thank you for coming and please enjoy," with that Andrea left and returned to her kitchen.

As the dinner progressed, everyone was in awe of the creations that Andrea had prepared for them, and the wines that were chosen accentuated the food to perfection.

Once the main course was finished, the dessert course was served and it was truly the perfect ending to the meal. After that, Andrea came back to the dining room, and was met with a hearty and well deserved round of applause. She visited each table, saving Olivia's table for last.

As she approached the table, Olivia was beaming at her.

"This was so amazing," she said as she stood up to hug Andrea.

"I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it Olivia," Andrea said as Olivia embraced her.

"Ava, Emma did you enjoy your dinner? Andrea asked the girls.

Ava spoke first, "It was amazing Andrea. The food and the wines were perfect. And the desserts were just the best I have ever eaten."

"The desserts were my favorite," Emma said, smiling at the chef.

"That's my jellybean," Olivia said with a huge smile on her face.

As everyone finished their dinner, the servers brought our bottles of champagne for each table, and sparkling grape juice for Emma. Once the everyone had a glass, Olivia rose, faced Andrea, and proposed a toast, "Andrea, your creations tonight were magnificent. Not only in flavor, but in presentation as well. Thank you for your commitment and dedication to make this evening such a success. To Andrea." Everyone rose and lifted their flutes.

Andrea was truly moved by the toast. Tears filled her eyes. After all the guest came by and congratulated and thanked her, Olivia finally walked over to the younger woman. "Hope those of tears of joy I'm seeing in your eyes," Olivia said as she looked straight into her eyes.

"They are. This has been a bit overwhelming, but in a good way."

"This evening has been a huge success. I know that you must be exhausted, but I was wondering if maybe you might be up to a little private celebration after this." Olivia asked.

"Why Ms. Spencer, just what do you have in mind?" Andrea asked playfully.

"I was thinking you, me and a bottle of champagne in your suite."

"Sounds heavenly," Andrea replied.

"Well let's finish up with everyone here, and we'll go up together," Olivia said.

"What about Ava and Emma?" Andrea asked.

"Ava graciously offered to take Emma to my suite and get her into bed. She even promised Emma a trip to the zoo tomorrow."

"Well it sounds like you have everything taken care of," Andrea said flashy a sexy smile at Olivia.

"Yes I do, so now let's say goodnight to our guests and get out of here."

Andrea and Olivia made their rounds as people were leaving. Ava and Emma had said goodnight a little earlier, and now finally the last guest had left. Once the guest was gone, they went into the kitchen to thank the staff for all of their hard work. They made their way to Andrea's suite. They didn't talk much, both feeling euphoric from the success of the evening.

Andrea swiped her key card, and opened the door to her suite. She was greeted by candles everywhere, a bottle of champagne chilling, and a tray of chocolate dipped strawberries beside the champagne.

"You did all of this for me?" Andrea asked in disbelief.

"Well I didn't do it all. I had a little help," Olivia said smiling shyly at Andrea. "I wanted you know how much I appreciate all the long hours you worked to make this evening happen. It far exceeded my expectations. But not only that, I wanted to know that I care about you and that spending time with you has become very special to me."

Andrea looked around the suite in disbelief. "This is amazing," she said a s she looked at Olivia with tears in her eyes.

"I'm so glad that you like it," Olivia replied as she pulled the younger woman to her and began to kiss her, softly as first, then with a passion and a sense of urgency that she had never known.

Olivia was the first to pull away so they could catch their breath.

Andrea looked at the older woman, putting her had on her face, "If you don't mind, I'm going to take a quick shower and get into something a little more comfortable than these chef clothes."

"I think that's the best idea I've heard all day. Oh and by the way, there's a package for you on your bed," Olivia replied with a devilish grin on her face.

"I said it before and I'll say it again, you are full of surprises Olivia Spencer," Andrea said as she gave Olivia a quick kiss and headed for her shower. She stopped at her bed, seeing the package that was there for her. There was a card with it. She opened the card and begin to read it,

Andrea,

I saw these and thought of you. You have been working so hard the past few weeks, and I know that we haven't had much time together. I wanted you to know how much you have come to mean to me. I know that neither of us have been ready to take this relationship to the next level. For me, that time has come, and I hope that it has for you as well.

Olivia

PS – Can't wait to see you in these. Yes you have to model them for me.

Andrea laid the card down and opened the box lying on her bed. Inside she found a beautiful pair of dark blue silk pajamas, the right size of course. Oh Olivia, their beautiful, she thought, and so thoughtful. Guess I better get in the shower, so I can model them for you and yes, the time has come for me.

Andrea headed into her bathroom and jumped in the shower. Once she finished, she quickly dried her hair, put a little cologne on and dressed in the pajamas, leaving the top button undone.

She checked her look in the mirror, opened the door to the living room.

Olivia looked up as Andrea opened the door, "My God you look beautiful."

"Thank you, but I suspect that you thought that I would when you bought them for me. Now are your going to pour us some champagne?" Andrea asked playfully.

Olivia popped the cork on the champagne and poured them both a glass. She handed Andrea hers, "You were amazing tonight. Everything was perfect."

'And I could say the same to you'" Andrea replied as she took her champagne from Olivia, and moved towards the sofa and sat down.

Olivia joined her on the sofa, "So glad that you think so." She couldn't take her eyes off the sexy chef, and had notice that her pajama top wasn't buttoned all the way.

Andrea moved in closer to Olivia. She took Olivia's glass from her and set both of the glasses down on the coffee table. She took Olivia's face into her hands, and gently grazed Olivia's full bottom lip with her tongue.

Olivia moaned slightly and shuddered. She put her arms around Andrea's waist and pull her body full into hers and they began to kiss, their tongues exploring each other's mouths. Their hands began to explore each other's bodies as well.

Suddenly both women pulled back from each other. Andrea looked at Olivia, " I can't do this. I find you incredibly attractive, but we can't sleep with each. I know that even though you're hurt and feel betrayed, you're still in love with Natalia. Aren't you?"

"Yes" Olivia whispered.

Andrea took Olivia's hand, "And I'm still in love with Candice. When you find that one true love, it's, it's – well there are no words to describe it. And as much as our bodies may want each other, we both know deep down in our hearts that the only women we want to make love to aren't here."

Before Andrea could continue, there was a knock at the door.

"Are you expecting anybody?" Olivia asked.

"No. I mean I have no idea who it could be," Andrea replied as she moved to answer the door.

She opened the door to a beautiful, dark haired woman.

"Can I help you?" Andrea asked.

The woman hesitated for a moment, looking around the room with the romantic candle light, and then she said, "I was told that Olivia Spencer was here. I'm Natalia Rivera."

Chapter 16

"Andrea, who is it?" Olivia asked as she came around the corner. She stopped in tracks when she saw Natalia. Oh my God, she's pregnant. She looked at Andrea, then back at Natalia.

"Natalia, what are you doing here? How did you know where to find me?" Olivia asked.

"I stopped by your suite and Ava told me you where you were," Natalia replied noticing that both women looked flushed.

Andrea looked at both women, "Olivia, I'm just going to go to my bedroom so you two can talk in private. I'll be there if you need me," she said as she reached out and squeezed Olivia's hand.

"Andrea, you don't have to..."

Before she could finish, Andrea said, "It's all right Olivia. Really." She smiled at Olivia and nodded at Natalia, then headed to her bedroom.

"I can't believe that you just show up here," Olivia said, looking at Natalia, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact the woman she loved was pregnant.

"Did I interrupt something?" Natalia asked sarcastically.

"Not that's any of your business, we were just celebrating, wait I don't owe you an explanation. " Olivia said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. She was having so many conflicting feelings .

"I'm sorry I left without an explanation. I panicked when I found out I was pregnant. I was scared and confused, and I ran. But it looks like you wasted no time in replacing me with the first woman that came along," Natalia fired back. My God you look so beautiful and I have missed you so much, but what did I walk in on?

"Excuse me? You're the one that left. You didn't have enough faith or trust in our relationship, or in me for that matter, to tell me that you were leaving, much less why you were leaving. But you told Blake and you told Father Ray. He told me that you were on a retreat. Did you know that I looked for you? And now you have the audacity to question who I spend my time with?"

"Olivia, .."

She stopped Natalia before she could finish, "I think you should go now. This is not the time or the place."

"All right, I'll go for now. But this isn't over by a long shot," Natalia replied. "I still love you and I will fight for you."

"And I love you, Natalia. God help me, I still do, but you broke my heart, and I don't know if I can get over that," Olivia replied, as tears feel down her cheeks. "Just go, please."

"I love you Olivia," Natalia said, as she reached out and touched Olivia's face. The she turned and walked out the door.

Olivia walked into the living room, sat down, and began to sob.

Andrea heard the door close, waited a moment and came out of her room. She saw Olivia sitting on the sofa, crying. She went to her, sat down beside her and put her arms around her.

"Let it out, just let I out. I've got you" she told the older woman as she stroked her hair.

Andrea held Olivia and let her cry it out.

Finally after Olivia had cried all she could, she moved back from Andrea. "I'm so sorry that happened."

"Olivia, you had no idea that she was going to show up here tonight, so you have nothing to be sorry for. "

"I know, she was the last person I expected to see when I came around that corner. And she's pregnant," Olivia said shaking her head. "What the hell am I going to do?"

"Well clearly you are still in love with her. Even if you hadn't told me tonight, I would have been able to tell by the way that you looked at her, even though your angry with her, Olivia, I could see the love that you two share for each other. I would have to be blind not to see it," Andrea said.

"Yes, the only thing I know for sure is that I do still love her and I'm in love with her. But she broke my heart, and I don't know if I can trust her," Olivia replied. "I don't know if love is enough."

"Love, especially true love, is always enough. Do you want some coffee?" Andrea asked.

"I would love some coffee," Olivia replied.

Andrea got up and put on a pot of coffee. Once it was done, she poured them both a cup and brought them to the sofa with her. She handed Olivia her cup.

"Thanks. I have a question and I want you to be totally honest with me," Olivia said, as she looked at Andrea.

"Okay."

"What's going to happen to us?"

Andrea reached up and touched her face, "I can't answer that at this moment. I know that I enjoy spending time with you, and lord knows I'm attracted to you. I do know that I will be here for you, no matter what you decide. I'm not going anywhere."

"I'm glad to hear that," Olivia said, putting her hand on top of Andrea's. "I don't think that I could handle losing you right now."

"Olivia, you're not going to lose me. No matter what happens, we will always be a part of each other's lives. It may be only as friends, and if that's where this path takes us, then we will deal with it. But I think that you are avoiding the bigger issue is what are you going to do about Natalia?"

"I guess I'm going to talk to her, at some point. Beyond that, I don't know," Olivia replied.

Andrea didn't say anything for a few minutes, just sipped on her coffee. She finally spoke, "Olivia, is Natalia the one?"

"Yes, she is," Olivia replied with a sigh.

Across town, Natalia knocked on the door to Blake's house. Finally Blake came to the door.

"I'm sorry Blake, I know it's late. I didn't wake you or the children did I?" Natalia asked.

"No, I was writing and the kids are with Mom tonight. Come in. When did you get back?"

"About an hour ago. I was on my way back when I got your voice mail," Natalia answered.

They went to the kitchen and sat at the dining room table.

"I was about to make some tea. Would you like some?" Blake asked.

"Yes I would love some," Natalia replied. She was tired, mad, hurt and confused. "I went straight to the Beacon when I go back. But Olivia wasn't there. Ava answered the door."

"Olivia wasn't there?" Blake asked.

"No. Ava really didn't want to tell me where she was, but finally she told me that she was in her chef's suite right down the hall. Of course, for some reason, I was expecting a man, but you can imagine my surprise when this attractive woman opening the door."

"Andrea, her name's Andrea Bannister. Oh my God, what happened? Was Olivia there?" Blake asked as she sat at the table with Natalia.

"Yes Olivia was there. There were candles everywhere in the room. From the looks on their faces, I must have interrupted something," Natalia continued. "Olivia didn't seem very happy to see me, but she will be."

"What are you going to do"? Blake asked.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to pay Andrea Bannister a visit. If she wants Olivia, she's going to have to go through me."

Chapter 17

Andrea and Olivia talked until 3 am, as did Blake and Natalia.

Natalia went to the farmhouse and tried to sleep for a little while. But every time she closed her eyes, she saw Olivia in Andrea's suite, with all the candles. Finally she got up out of bed and took a shower. She went downstairs to the kitchen. She made a cup of tea and some toast. She sat there thinking how differently she imagined her return would be. She knew that Olivia would be upset with her, and she had every right to be. But she never imagined that she would find Olivia in another woman's hotel suite.

She had to fight for Olivia. She couldn't lose her or the family that she hoped they would become. She knew that she wanted Olivia to raise the baby with her. She knew that she had to tell Frank, and she would do that later today. First she had a stop to make. She was going to have a conversation with Andrea Bannister.

Andrea slept for a couple of hours. She had gotten use to going on very little sleep when Candice became sick, and some how she had never gotten out of the routine. She got ready and went out for her morning run. She usually ran for about an hour, but this morning she decided to run a while longer. Two hours later she returned to her room. She put on a pot of coffee, and called down to the restaurant to have them send up some breakfast for her. She quickly showered. She threw on a pair of pajama pants, and a tank top. She grabbed a cup of coffee, turned on her lap top and sat down to check her emails. It was not long until there was a knock at her door. Boy that was quick, she thought as she went to open the door.

To her surprise, it wasn't room service, but Natalia.

"Can I come in?" Natalia asked.

"Sure," Andrea replied, as she motioned for her to come in.

Natalia walked into the room, noticing that all the candles from the night before were gone.

Andrea closed the door and followed her into the room.

"Please have a seat Natalia. Can I get you a cup of coffee? Andrea asked as she sat down.

"No. I'm fine," she answered the chef. "I guess you wondering why I'm here." Natalia asked.

"I assume that you want to know about Olivia and I," Andrea answered.

"Yes, because if you think that I'm going to give her up without a fight, you're wrong," the Latino told Andrea.

"Don't you think you should be having this conversation with Olivia instead of me?" Andrea asked, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Oh believe me, I plan on having many conversations about this with Olivia, but right now I want to hear what you have to say," Natalia said very sternly. " Now, how long have you been seeing the woman I love?"

"Are you always so demanding?" Andrea asked. "Look Natalia, I don't want to argue with you. Olivia's a very special woman and we have become close. "

"How close? Are you sleeping with her?" Natalia asked, feeling a little sick at her stomach at the thought of another woman touching Olivia.

"No we aren't sleeping together. We wanted to, even came close. But neither of us could go through with it. I understand that you're upset, but the fact is that you left her, without a word. You didn't return her calls and she had no idea if you were ever coming back. We came into each other's lives at a time when we both needed someone. We care a lot for each other."

"Are you saying that you are in love with each other?" Natalia asked.

"No that's not what I'm saying. Olivia's in love with you. Surely you know that. Even though she's hurt and angry, she loves you. And now you come back, and you're pregnant. She's very confused right now. I would be too. Did you think that there wouldn't be any consequences to your actions? What did you expect to find when you came back?"

"Not this, that's for sure," Natalia said. "I want to be with her. I want us to be a family, to raise this child I'm carrying together. I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"Have you told her that?" Andrea asked.

"She didn't give me a chance to say much of anything last night."

"Then you need to go to her and tell her, because what the two of you have only comes once in a lifetime. You need to fight for her and fight for what you have, but you don't have to worry about me. I've seen her eyes when she talks about you, and I've seen the way she looks at you. The love is there, but you're going to have to prove that she can trust you again."

Natalia looked at Andrea for a moment. She started to speak, when there was a knock at the door. Andrea got up to answer the door, Natalia got up as well, "I've taken enough of your time. I'll just go now."

The two women walked to the door. Andrea opened it and it was room service. They brought the cart in and she turned to Natalia, "Natalia, you had better be sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that this is what you want, because if you hurt her again, you will have to worry about me."

"It is," Natalia said as she turned and left.

Andrea signed for her breakfast, and closed the door. This is so not how I wanted to start my day. She went over, looked at her breakfast, and decided that the only thing she was hungry for was the fruit, which she grabbed on her way to the sofa. She sat down and was about to take a bite when there was a knock on her door. What is this, Grand Central Station this morning? She thought as she went to answer the door. She was surprised and relieved to see Olivia.

"Hey you," Andrea said.

"Good morning, do you feel up to some company?" Olivia asked.

"Sure come on in. Do you want some coffee?

"Would love a cup," Olivia said as she sat down on the sofa.

Andrea refilled her cup and poured Olivia a cup, handing it to her as she set sown next to her on the sofa.

"Did you get any sleep?" Olivia asked the younger woman.

"A couple of hours. Got up and went for a 2 hour run. How about you?"

"Not really. The girls were up early and I finally got out of bed. They just left for the zoo."

"So you weren't up for the whole zoo thing this morning?" Andrea asked with giggle.

"Not quiet, so other than the run, what else have you been up to?"

"Let's see. I showered, ordered breakfast, checked email, had an interesting conversation with Natalia..."

Olivia cut her off before she could finish, "Natalia was here? This morning?"

"Yes, she left about 10 minutes ago."

"What did she want?" Olivia asked in a state of disbelief.

"Oh you know, the usual, if we had slept together, are we in love with each, and to tell me that she is going to fight for you," Andrea answered.

"I can't believe her. She leaves without a word. She shows acting like she's the one that has been wronged. And she's pregnant. What the hell does she want from me?"

"She wants you," Andrea answered. " I think you should talk to her."

"I know. I'm sorry that you got dragged into the middle of this."

"I told you last night that I wasn't going anywhere. I'm here for you and if talking to Natalia helps you, then that's what I'll do," Andrea said as she reached over and took Olivia's hand.

Olivia smiled at her, "I'm glad that you're still here. "

"So what's on your agenda for the rest of the day?" Andrea asked.

"I was actually thinking about taking a walk in the park. Would you like to join me?"

"I will, on one condition," Andrea said.

"And what's the condition?" Olivia asked hesitantly.

"Once we get done with our walk, you'll find Natalia and talk to her," Andrea replied.

Chapter 18

Once she left the Beacon, Natalia called Rafe to let him know that she was home. She wanted to come to the farmhouse later so she could talk to him. After their conversation, she head to Company to see if Frank was there. She walked through the door and found him behind the counter, with his back to the door. "Frank," she called to him as she walked to the counter.

He turned and was shocked to see Natalia and a pregnant Natalia.

"Sorry to just drop by like this," Natalia said. "I thought that we should talk."

"I guess that we should. Is the baby mine?" Frank asked.

"Yes, you're the father. Can we sit down and talk for a minute?"

"Sure, let's go over here and sit down," Frank said as he lead her to a corner table. "So this is why you left town?"

"I needed to get away to figure out some things and come to terms with being pregnant again," Natalia replied.

"You know I will be here for you and the baby, whatever you need. Did you get things figured out?" Frank asked.

"For the most part, I knew you would want to help, and be there for the baby. I want this child to have a family, and I really want for Olivia, you and I raise this child together."

"I don't know how I feel about that," Frank replied. "I'm not a big Olivia fan and you know that."

"Frank, I know none of this has been easy for you, but I love her. I want to raise this child with the both of you."

"I need some time to process all of this."

"I understand, but nothing you can say or do is going to make me change my mind. I know what I want, and it's to spend the rest of my life with Olivia," Natalia said as she got up to leave.

Frank watched her walk away. "We'll see about that." Frank took out his cell phone to make a call. "Hey, it's me. I have a job for you."

Natalia went to the park after she left Company. She was afraid that Frank was going to cause trouble. She needed to think, and so it came as no surprise to her that she ended up at the gazebo. She always did when she needed to think. As she walked up, she was surprised to see Olivia and Andrea there.

"Hi," Natalia said as she walked up the stairs.

"Hello," Andrea replied.

Before anyone could say anything, Andrea got up, "Olivia, I'm going to head back to the hotel. Call me later, if you need me."

"I will," Olivia replied. She could feel her anger rising at Natalia. She couldn't believe that she had shown up at Andrea's suite this morning.

"I'll talk to you in a bit. Bye," she replied as she walked away.

Natalia sat down by Olivia, "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too. But right now I'm very angry at you. Why did you go to see Andrea this morning?" Olivia asked.

"I wanted to find out what was going on between the two of you."

"If you want to know anything about Andrea and I, you need to ask me. Got it? I can't believe you. You leave without a word. I don't hear anything from you the whole time that you're gone. You come back, pregnant and you act like you're the one that's been wronged. I don't get it."

"I'm sorry for leaving without talking to you. I was so confused. When I found out I was pregnant, I thought God was punishing me for loving you. Father Ray suggested that I go to a retreat to think, and I agreed. I should have talked to you, I know that now. While I was away I thought about you and realized how much I love you. And I do love you Olivia."

"And I'm just supposed to accept that and run back into your arms? I don't think so. Do you have any idea how it felt when Blake told me that you couldn't see me? I felt so betrayed and so alone. I went to see Father Ray and he told me that you were on a retreat, but wouldn't tell me where you were. I went looking for you and made a fool of myself at several convents. I sent Emma to stay with Ava so she wouldn't see me so lost. She has been through so much. So I focused on the thing I'm the best at, work. My chef had resigned while I was looking for you. Andrea applied for the job, and I hired her. She's been there for me, and we have become close. I care a great deal for her."

"Are you in love with her?" Natalia asked, feeling her anger rise a bit.

"No, I'm not in love with her. But I enjoy spending time with her. And I'm very attracted to her. Everything has been very easy with her. I wasn't looking for this. Neither of us were. I'm glad that she's in my life. I'm sorry if this hurts you, but I had no idea if you were coming back or when. You walked away from us because you didn't have faith and trust in what we had. I don't know if we can fix this."

"So you're saying there's no chance for us?" Natalia asked as her eyes filled with tears. "Well I won't accept that. I will prove to you that you and I belong together. I want us to raise this child together. I want Emma to be this child's big sister. Olivia, I'm going to fight for us, whether you do or not."

"Is this Frank's child?" Olivia asked.

"Yes it is."

"Have you told him about the baby?"

"Yes, I just left from telling him," Natalia replied.

"So did you tell him that you wanted me to raise the baby with you?"

"Yes," the Latino replied nodding her head.

"I bet he was thrilled about that. But he won't have to worry about that."

"What do you mean, Olivia?"

"Natalia, I love you and I always will be in love with you, but I don't think I can forgive you. You broke my heart and you broke my trust. I can't go through that again and I can't put Emma through that again," Olivia said with tears streaming down her face.

"You're saying we're over? I can't and won't accept that," Natalia replied. "I love you and I will prove to you that we can be together."

"I have to go. Please Natalia, just leave me alone," Olivia said as she got up to leave.

"Olivia, please," Natalia said as she reached out and grabbed the older woman's hand. "Don't go, I know we can fix this."

"I can't do this, not right now," Olivia said as she pulled her hand away from Natalia. "I have to go."

"Are you going to her?" Natalia asked with fear in her voice.

"I don't know and if I do, that's none of your business."

With that Olivia walked away.

Natalia sat there in shock. She couldn't believe that Olivia was walking away from her. I will win you back Olivia. I love you and I'm not going to lose you, she thought as she let her tears fall.

Olivia almost ran all the way back to her car. She had to get away from Natalia, she couldn't breathe. Damn her, I can't let her do this to me anymore. I can't let her hurt me anymore.

As she approached her car, she was surprised to see Andrea sitting on top of her car.

"I thought that you were going back to the hotel?" Olivia asked as she got closer.

"I was going to, but something told me I might need to wait for you," She replied as she got off the car. "And from the looks of things, I was right."

"I love her Andrea, I truly do and I'm in love with her. But I can't get past this hurt. I don't trust her. I can't go back and I don't know if I can move forward with her. Did you know that she wants us to raise the child she's carrying together?"

"She told me that this morning," Andrea replied.

"How am I supposed to do that? How am I supposed to just forget everything that's happened and fall back into her arms? How can I put my daughter through all of that again?" Olivia asked with tears streaming down her face. "I need to get out of here. Can you drive me back to the Beacon?" she asked as she handed Andrea the keys.

"Sure," Andrea replied as she took the keys, and got Olivia situated in the passenger's side. She got in on the driver's side and started the car. As she pulled away, she looked over at Olivia, "Why don't you take the girls and go to Chicago for a few days. You guys could leave tonight and Ava could fly out from there instead of here. I think it would be good for you to get away for a few days. You can get away from everything and everybody, including me. It will give you a chance to think without all of this around you."

"You're not the problem here," Olivia answered.

"I may not be the problem, but I may be clouding the issue for you," Andrea said. "This isn't easy for me either. I don't like seeing you hurting like this, and all I want to do is take you in my arms and make it better, but I can't."

"Maybe you're right," Olivia admitted, "A few days with my girls would help me a lot."

"Good," Andrea said as they pulled into the parking lot of the Beacon. They got out of the car and started walking towards the hotel. Olivia was lost in her thoughts, and didn't see the car that was bearing down on her. The next thing she knew, Andrea was pushing her out of the way, causing her to fall and hit her head. That was the last thing Olivia remembered.

Chapter 19

Olivia woke up and didn't have any idea where she was at first. The she heard the beep of the heart monitor and felt the pain in her head. What the hell?

"Mom, hey. I'm so relieved you're awake," Ava spoke soothingly.

"Ava, what happened? Why am I here and why does my head hurt ?" Olivia asked.

"You don't remember anything?"

"I remember Andrea pushing me and falling, I remember falling and that's it."

"From what the police have been able to tell me, there was a car coming for you. Andrea pushed you out of the way and you hit your head when you fell," Ava told her mother.

"Is Andrea outside? I need to thank her."

"Mom, when Andrea pushed you out of the way, the car hit her. She's in surgery right now."

Olivia just stared at her daughter, trying to process what Ava had just told her.

"Mom, did you hear me? Ava asked.

"What? Yes baby I heard you. Is Rick taking care of her?" Olivia asked.

"Yes he's with her right now. He's not operating on her, but he said he would be out to update us as soon as he could."

"How serious are we talking?" Olivia asked, feeling sick on her stomach.

"Both of her legs were broke, there were internal injuries and a skull fracture. That's what they're working on right now. Rick has told me that she is in very critical condition," Ava replied.

"Are you telling me she's not going to make it?"

Before Ava could answer, Rick walked in the room.

"Olivia, nice to see you awake. How's your head feeling?"

"It hurts a bit, but I'm fine. How's Andrea?"

"She's still in surgery. "

"How serious is it?' Olivia asked.

"I'm not going to lie to you Olivia, she's in bad shape."

"Is she going to make it?" Olivia asked Rick this time.

"I don't know Olivia. We'll just have to wait and see. Head injuries are tricky things, and there could be the possibility of brain damage."

"Rick, whatever she needs, do it. If she needs specialists, anything."

"Olivia, we are doing everything we can. "

"I want to see her as soon as she's out of surgery."

"We'll see. You've had a pretty bad bump on the head, so you're going to have to take it easy for a few days. I'll give you something to help pain and we're going to watch you for a little longer to make sure everything's okay. So as hard as it is for you, just relax. I'll be back as soon as I have any word on Andrea."

"Thanks Rick," Olivia answered.

"You're welcome. Just rest."

Ava watched her Mom for a few minutes, "Mom, I know you're going to be upset with me, but I called Natalia to let her know that you were in an accident."

"I really wish you hadn't done that."

"I know, and I'm not trying to upset you, but I know how much you two have meant to each other, and even with everything that's happened, I thought she should know."

"Is she here?" Olivia asked.

"She got here right after we did. She's with Emma right now. Do you want to see her?"

"I don't know. But I do want to see Emma."

There was a knock on the door, before Ava could reply.

"Come in," Ava said.

Mallet walked in to the room, "Hello ladies. I was wondering if I could ask you a few questions Olivia."

"Okay, but I don't know if I can help. I don't remember much."

"Did you see the car or the driver?" the detective asked.

"No, I was kind of in my own world. We were in the parking lot of the Beacon. The last thing I remember was Andrea pushing me out of the way."

"Okay, so you really didn't see anything. You didn't notice the car or anything?"

"No Mallet, I didn't. I wish I could help more," Olivia replied.

"Well from what we've been able to piece together. This was no accident, and the car would have hit you if Ms. Bannister hadn't pushed you out of the way. So you are going to have a police guard 24/7 and so are your daughters. I promise you Olivia, I will find out who's behind this and I will catch them."

Olivia laid there, pretty much in a state of shock. Ava went white and looked at her Mom.

"Excuse me Mallet, I'm need to check on Emma," Ava said.

It's like you were in my mind Ava. Thank you for that, Olivia thought.

"Mallet, I can't think of anyone that would want to do this."

"There's not a business deal that's gone wrong, or a jealous lover?" Mallet asked.

"No, Mallet. All of my deals have been above board and the only person that I've been spending time with is currently in surgery fighting for her life," Olivia answered briskly.

"I know that you and Natalia were close. Frank told me. I can't believe that I'm asking you this, but do you think that Natalia..."

Olivia stopped him, "Mallet there is no way in hell that Natalia is capable of doing something like this or being involved in something like this. Besides I had just left her in the park before all of this happened and as you can see she is pregnant, so there is no way she could have done this."

"I didn't think so, but I had to ask, it's my job."

"I know, is there anybody else that you have looked at?" Olivia asked.

"Yes there is," Mallet said as he looked down, "but I can't tell you until I'm one hundred percent sure."

"You can't tell me who, but you can accuse Natalia. A woman who would never intentionally hurt another human being in her life. Oh that's priceless Mallet."

Rick came in the room, "Mallet, I said that you could talk to Olivia, not upset her."

"I'm sorry Rick. I'll go now. Olivia I will call you as soon as I have any new evidence."

Mallet left the room. He stopped to give instructions to the officers that were assigned to protect Olivia and her family. "All right guys listen up. You have been chosen for this assignment because you have proven that your trustworthy. I want an officer with Olivia, one with her girls, one stationed outside of ICU with Ms. Bannister, and one with Natalia Rivera. There is a person of interest in this case already, and we have to connect the guy to the driver of the car. This is where your jobs become difficult, the only detective that you are to report to is me. That means do not discuss this case with anyone but me. Call me on my cell 24/7. Do not call my house. Any questions? All right do what you guys do best."

After Mallet left, Rick went over to Olivia and checked her.

"I'm fine Rick. Any word on Andrea?"

"She made it through surgery and that's saying something. They're moving her to ICU right now, and if you're really good, I'll take you to see her in a few minutes, but first you have a visitor, if you're up for it."

"Sure," Olivia said as Rick opened the door, Emma came running into the room, followed by Ava, who helped her sister up on the bed so she could hug her Mom.

"Mommy, I was so worried about you. So was Natalia. Does your head hurt much?" Emma asked.

"No too bad Jellybean. Dr. Rick said that we could go home in a little bit. How does that sound?"

"Great. Can Natalia come over tonight?"

"Not tonight sis. Mom needs her rest tonight. But I tell you what, if it's okay with Mom, I'll take you to Natalia tomorrow. Deal?" Ava asked her little sister.

"Can I Mom? Please?"

"Sure baby as long as it's okay with Natalia."

"It's sounds great to me," Natalia said from the door way.

"Yippee," Emma screamed.

"Okay sis, let's go and get Mom a bottle of water," Ava said as she grabbed Emma's hand and lead her from the room. She looked back at her Mom, who nodded at her.

"Can I come in?" Natalia asked.

"Sure," Olivia replied.

"How's your head?"

"It hurts a bit, but I'm really worried about Andrea," Olivia said.

"I know, she saved your life and I will be eternally grateful to her for that," Natalia added.

"So will I. Rick's going to take me see her in a few minutes," Olivia said.

"I knew that you would want to go see her. Do you want me to go with you?"

"No, I think I need to do this by myself. Natalia, I'm still hurt and upset, but I want us to talk, but not right now," Olivia said.

"I will be ready whenever you are, "Natalia said as she reached out and took Olivia's hand.

Rick came in with a wheel chair, "Your chariot madam."

"Is that really necessary Rick?" Olivia asked.

"It is if you want to see Andrea," the doctor replied.

"Okay," Olivia said as she tried to stand up.

"Hold on, Olivia," Natalia said as she moved to help the woman. She and Rick got Olivia in the chair.

"Rick, could I have a minute with Natalia before we go to ICU?" Olivia asked.

"Sure, I'll be right outside when you're done."

"Thanks for helping me get into the chair," she said to Natalia.

"You're welcome, but I don't think that's why you wanted to have a minute with me," Natalia said flashing the dimples at Olivia.

"No, that's not all. Look I said some things earlier today, and like I said, I'm still upset and hurt, but we will talk I promise. Okay?" Olivia said taking Natalia's hand.

"I can wait, as long as I know you will talk to me."

"And promise me one thing," Olivia said.

"Name it," Natalia replied with a gaze that made Olivia shiver.

"Please be careful. Mallet thinks someone is trying to hurt me, and I wouldn't want them to come after you. I couldn't stand the thought of something happening to you or to the baby because of me."

"Mallet's already talked to me, and I will have police protection. I'll be careful, I promise."

Natalia pushed Olivia out into the hall so Rick could take her to the ICU, "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?"

"No, I really need to do this by myself."

"Call me later if you need to talk," Natalia replied as she put a hand on Olivia's shoulder.

"Okay," Olivia replied as Rick pushed her off to the ICU with her police guard in tow.

"Olivia, I have to warn you that she looks really bad. We'll still don't know if she's going to make it. I just want to prepare you for what you're going to see," Rick told her as he pushed her into ICU.

Andrea had tubes running out her mouth and nose. Her head was bandage and both her eyes were black.

Olivia blinked back the tears when she saw her like that.

"Can she hear me if I talk to her?"

"Well there are those that believe that a person in a comma can hear you. It couldn't hurt. I'll be back in a bit to get you and then we can get you discharged. I'll let the girls know where you are."

"Thanks Rick."

"Dre, I'm here," Olivia said as she took her hand. "You're going to be okay. You're strong and you're healthy. You've got to fight and I'll be here to help you. I can't lose my friend, not like this."

She sat there, just holding her friend's hand, knowing that could have easily been her. It should have been me, she thought. The car was supposed to have hit me, not you.

Chapter 20

Olivia was suddenly brought out of her thoughts by the constant beep on the machine.

Oh no, no. This cannot be happening. Where are the damned nurses? She thought as the ICU nurse burst in the door, followed by Rick and a doctor she didn't know. Rick grabbed Olivia and pushed her out of the ICU.

"Rick, please, save her," Olivia pleaded as he took out of the room.

"I will be back," Rick told her as he ran back into the ICU.

Olivia took at her cell, and dialed the number. "Hey are you still here. Can you come to the ICU? I need you."

A few minutes later, Natalia was kneeling in front of her, "Olivia, what happened? Is it Andrea?"

"She coded. They are working on her right now. Natalia, she can't die. That car was meant for me, that should be me in there," Olivia said with tears streaming down her face.

"Olivia, look at me. You can't do this. Everything happens for a reason, even though we don't know why, but it does. She's strong, she's young, and she's a fighter. She will make it, I have faith that she will."

Before Olivia could say anything, Rick came out of ICU.

"Rick?" Olivia looked at the doctor.

"We were able to bring her back, and she's stable for the moment," Rick told them as he reached out a patted Olivia on the shoulder. "Now we need to get you discharged, so Ava can take you home to rest."

"I'm not leaving her Rick," Olivia said very emphatically.

"Olivia, you need your rest," Rick said, although he knew arguing with her would be useless.

"I agree with Rick. You need to go home and rest. I'll stay with her tonight, you can come back in the morning," Natalia offered.

"You would do that for her?" Olivia asked. "After everything that's happened?"

Natalia bent down in front of Olivia, taking her hand, "Of course I will. She saved the life of the woman I love. If it wasn't for her, I would be staying with you tonight in ICU."

Olivia looked into Natalia's eyes, "Thank you. Will you call me and let me know how she's doing?"

"I promise," Natalia said.

Olivia looked at Rick, "Can I see her for before I go?"

"Sure, but just for a few minutes, because you really need to rest," Rick responded.

"I'll wait out here, and then I'll walk down with you," Natalia said.

"Okay," Olivia said as Rick pushed her into see Andrea. He told her he would be back in a few minutes.

Olivia took Andrea's hand, "Okay dear one. You've frightened me enough for one day. Please, don't do that again. I really need you to get better, and I'll be right here to help you."

Rick came back to get Olivia. She asked him to help her stand for a minute, then she leaned in and kissed Andrea on the cheek, "I'll be back in the morning."

Natalia was waiting for her. She took Olivia's hand and walked with her.

Ava and Emma were waiting for her, once Rick had signed her discharge papers. Natalia went with them and helped get Olivia in the car. "I'll call you in a while to make sure that you're resting like you're supposed to, and to update you on Andrea."

"Thank you for being here and thank you again for staying with Andrea," Olivia said as she put her hand on Natalia's face.

"Don't you know that I would do anything for you? I love you Olivia," Natalia said as she kissed Olivia's hand.

"And I love you."

Natalia watched them drive away, followed by the officer's that were assigned to protect them.

She turned, went into the hospital and headed for the ICU. Rick had one of the orderlies bring in a more comfortable chair, since she was going to be there all night. Before she went into ICU, she called Rafe and gave him a rundown on everything that had happened . He said that he would be there shortly.

Natalia walked in to ICU, and was shocked to see how badly Andrea looked. She sat down in the chair beside the bed, and took Andrea's hand, "I wanted you to know that you're not alone. Olivia had to go home and rest, so I will be here with you. Thank you for what you did today. You saved Olivia, and I'll be eternally grateful to you. You have to fight, you have to get better. And I will help you anyway I can."

Natalia bowed her head, and said a silent prayer for Andrea.

Olivia was settled in her suite. Ava had ordered some food for them and Emma was snuggled next Olivia, watching TV.

"Mommy?"

"Yes jellybean?" Olivia answered, smiling at her youngest.

"Is Andrea going to be all right?"

"Oh baby, I hope so."

"Is she all by herself right now?" the little girl asked.

"No bean, Natalia's with her, why?"

"I just think it would be sad for her to be all alone. I'm glad Natalia's with her. Can I make her a get well card?"

"Baby, I think that's a wonderful idea. I will take it to her tomorrow when I go visit her."

"Okay, I'm going to go start on the card, I love you Mommy," Emma told Olivia as she hugged her.

"I love you too baby."

Emma headed off to her room to start on the card. Ava came over and sat with her Mom on the sofa.

"How's your head feeling?"

"A little better. It's not hurting as much as it was earlier."

"Mom, I want to stay here with you and Emma for while. I can't go back to California right now with all of this going on. Is that okay with you?" Ava asked.

"I think that's a great idea. It'll be good for Emma to have you here, and I have to admit that it'll be good for me too," Olivia told her oldest.

"So things seem to be a little less strained between you and Natalia."

"Yes they are a little better. I'm not sure what's going to happen, but I have learned one thing from what's happened today."

"What's that Mom?"

"You can never take anything for granted. Life can be taken away from you in a heartbeat."

"You didn't tell me what happened with Andrea this afternoon," Ava remarked.

"She coded while I was with her. Ava, it was so scary and the only thing I could think was that car was meant to hit me. It was supposed to be me, "Olivia said as she took Ava's hand.

"I know Mom. I can't believe that she pushed you out of the way. That was a very selfless act. I will always be grateful to her. I still have my Mom thanks to her," Ava said as tears filled her eyes.

Olivia pulled her daughter to her and hugged her, "I know baby. I know."

Olivia held her oldest for a while, letting go of her only when her phone rang, "Hello."

"Hey it's me. How are you feeling?" Natalia asked.

"Better, my head's not hurting as badly. Just sitting here with Ava,"

"Where's Emma?"

"She's in her room making a get well card for Andrea. She was very happy that you were staying with Andrea," Olivia told her.

"Aw, she is so sweet and thoughtful," Natalia replied.

"Yes she is. How's Andrea?" Olivia asked.

"She's holding her own. Rick was just in here to check on her before he went home. He said her vital signs were stable. He said if she remains stable through the night she'll have a good chance to pull through."

"That's good news. You sound tired, are you sure you're up to staying with her tonight? I could come and let you go home," Olivia asked.

"I'm fine, and you need to be there with the girls and get some rest. I'll see you in the morning."

"Okay. Call me if there's any change."

"I will."

"Natalia, thank you for doing this," Olivia said.

"You don't have to thank me. I would do anything for you, I love you," Natalia said softly.

Olivia sat there for a minute, "I know Natalia, and I love you."

"Sleep well, and if you need me, call. Good night."

"Good night Natalia."

Chapter 21

Frank was pacing like a big cat in a cage. How the hell did this go wrong? Who would have thought that woman would push Olivia out of the way? I wonder if she saw Edmund driving the car. He was brought back from his thoughts by the ringing of his phone.

"Where the hell are you? (…) No I don't want you going anywhere near the hospital. There are cops all around her. (…) Olivia has a police guard as well. (…) No, don't go anywhere near Natalia, she's carrying my child.(...) This is what we're going to do, you will find a way to get to Olivia, and finish what you started. I'll take care of the Bannister woman. I don't want any witness.(...) Edmund, I want her dead. She's not going to help raise my child, is that clear enough for you?"

Frank hung up his phone. He grabbed his keys and headed out the door.

Rafe was standing against the wall. His mind and heart were racing. Frank hadn't realized he was there and had overheard his conversation with Edmund. You? It was you that had that car go after Olivia? You're supposed to be one of the good guys. I have got to get out of here.

Rafe went to his room and crawled out of his window. He didn't want to run the risk that Frank would see him. Once safely out the window, and away from the apartment. He took out his phone.

"Mallet, it's Rafe."

"Rafe, what can I do for you?" Mallet asked.

"I know who tried to run down Olivia," Rafe replied.

"Who?"

"It's Frank. I overheard him talking to someone named Edmund. This Edmund guy is going after Olivia and Frank's going after Andrea. Mallet, my Mom's with Andrea."

"Okay Rafe – I'm on my way to the hospital, and I'll call the officer with Olivia to let him know to get her and the girls out of there."

"I'll meet you there," Rafe added.

Mallet got the phone with Rafe. He dialed the number of the officer that was assigned to Olivia. "Tom, it's Mallet. Get Olivia and her daughters, and get them out of there. Take them to station."

Mallet grabbed his gun and his keys, and headed out the door for Cedars. While he was driving he called the officer at Cedars, and filled him in on what was going on. He then called Cedars and let Rick know what was happening.

Olivia was about to get ready for bed, when she heard the knock on the door. Ava called to her and told her she would get it.

Olivia came out of her room, "Who is it Ava?" she asked as she saw the officer standing there.

"Ms. Spencer, I have to get you and your family out of here. Mallet called and said to get you to the station. We have to move, now."

All the blood drained out of Olivia's face. Ava quickly got her little sister, and they all left with the officer.

Rafe got to the hospital, and went to his Mom in the ICU. Natalia smiled at him, as he walked through the door, as she saw the look on his face, her smile quickly faded.

"Rafe, what..," Natalia began.

Rafe stopped her before she could finish, "Ma, we have to get you out of here."

"Rafe, I can't leave Andrea.

"Ma, listen to me. Frank is the one behind all of this. I overheard him talking to some guy named Edmund. He wants Olivia dead, and he's on his way over her to take care of Andrea. We've got to go."

Mallet and the officer walked in about that time, "Natalia, you and Rafe go with this officer. He's going to take you to the station. Olivia and the girls are there, they're safe."

"What about Andrea?' Natalia asked, her head spinning with everything that she had been told.

"I'm going to be here when Frank gets here, but we've got to get you two out of here. I promise I won't let anything happen to her. Now go before he gets here."

Rafe took Natalia's hand, and they went with the officer.

Mallet positioned himself in the bathroom, leaving the door cracked so he could see Frank. He didn't have to wait long. He watched as Frank walked in the room, and when to the bed where Andrea lay fighting for her life.

He bent down and looked at her, "I'm really sorry that you got caught in the middle of this, but I can't take the chance that you'll wake up and remember seeing Edmund behind the wheel of that car. It was meant for Olivia, and I can't have her raising my child." Frank reached for a pillow to put over Andrea's face.

Mallet walked out, with his gun drawn, "Frank freeze. Drop the pillow and step away from Andrea."

Frank looked over his shoulder and saw Mallet with his gun out. He dropped the pillow and at the same time, he went for his gun, "I'm not going to jail, Mallet."

"Frank, don't do it," Mallet yelled at his father-in-law, as Frank wheeled to fire at Mallet. Mallet shot first and dropped Frank.

Mallet ran over to Frank's body, and knelt down. Frank had a gaping wound in his chest.

"Frank, why, why did you make me do this?" Mallet asked, as tears filled his eyes.

Mallet checked his pulse, he was gone.

Rick and the ICU nurse came rushing in, and saw Mallet kneeling over his father-in-law.

Rick quickly checked Frank, realizing that he was dead. Frank's gun was still in his hand.

Mallet looked at Rick, "I didn't have a choice. He went for his gun, I didn't have a choice."

Rafe and Natalia arrived at the station. They were taken to the office where Olivia and the girls were.

Olivia was surprised when they walked in, "Natalia, what's going on?"

Natalia looked at Rafe, "Why don't you take Emma to get a something to drink?"

"Okay, Ma. Come on squirt let's go see what we can find to drink," Rafe said as he grabbed Emma's hand.

"Natalia?" Olivia asked her.

"Rafe overheard Frank on his phone earlier. Frank hired Edmund to kill you. He sent Edmund after you tonight and he went after Andrea..." Natalia started, but before she could finish, the officer that brought Olivia and the girls to the station came in. "It's over Ms. Spencer."

"What do you mean it's over?" Olivia demanded.

"Ms. Bannister's safe, and we have Edmund Winslow in custody," he answered her.

"What about Frank," Natalia asked.

"I'm sorry Ms. Rivera, Detective Cooper is dead. He went after his gun when Detective Mallet tried to stop him. He had no choice. I'm sorry."

The three women just stood there, stunned at the news. Natalia all of the sudden felt dizzy, and Olivia caught her before she hit the floor.

Chapter 22

Olivia was holding Natalia up, trying to get her to a chair when Rafe returned with Emma.

"Ma," he shouted as he ran over to help Olivia get Natalia into a chair, "Are you alright?"

He looked up at Olivia, "What happened?"

"I started feeling dizzy," Natalia answered. "I felt like I was going to pass out."

"We need to take you to the hospital to have you and the baby checked," Olivia said.

"I'm fine, just tired and it's been a really long day," Natalia said.

"Ma, I agree with Olivia. We should get you checked as soon as it's safe," Rafe added.

Olivia realized that Rafe didn't know what was going on. She looked over at Ava.

"Hey Em, would show me where you got your drink? I'm thirsty," Ava said as she grabbed her little sister's hand and headed out of the room.

"Thank you," Olivia mouthed at Ava as she walked out.

"Rafe," Olivia started, "We just got some news that's a little upsetting. Frank is dead."

"What? How?" Rafe asked with a look of disbelief on his face.

"He went after Andrea and tried to kill her. Mallet was there and Frank went for his gun, Mallet had no choice. He shot him," Olivia told him.

"Oh my God. What about this Edmund guy? Is he still after you?"

"Edmund has been arrested," Olivia said.

"So it's over," Rafe stated.

"Yes that part is, now we have to deal with the aftermath," Olivia said, looking over at Natalia. "And Rafe's right baby, we need to take you to Cedars and have you checked. And I need to check on Andrea."

Natalia smiled at the sound of Olivia calling her baby.

Olivia got out her phone and called Greg. She asked him to bring one of the Beacon's SUV s to the station, so they could go to the hospital. She then called Rick, to fill him on what happened with Natalia. He agreed that she needed to be check, if only for a precaution.

"How's Andrea?" Olivia asked the good doctor.

"We've moved her from the room she was in, which is now a crime scene. And we took her off the respirator. She's breathing on her own, and her vital signs are improving."

"That's great news Rick. Can I see her when we get there?"Olivia asked, smiling for the first time since all of this started.

"I think that would be a good idea." Rick answered, as he looked over at Andrea, who had opened her eyes right before Olivia called.

"I'll be there soon," Olivia replied.

She put her phone back in her purse, as Greg walked in with Ava and Emma. She went to Natalia, and knelt in front of her, "Natalia, honey. We're going o go to Cedars. Rick wants to take a look at you to make sure everything's okay with you and the baby. Can you walk?"

Natalia looked at her, "Yes I think so. I don't feel as dizzy as I did. How's Andrea?" she asked as Ava and Rafe helped her to her feet.

"Rick said that she's breathing on her own. They've moved her to another room."

"That's good news. She has to get better so I can thank her," Natalia replied as they made their way to the SUV.

Once they arrived at Cedars, Rick met them with a wheel chair for Natalia. He took her back to be examined. Olivia asked Greg to take Ava and Emma to the Beacon. Jane was going to stay with Emma, while Ava got her mother's car and would come back to Cedars.

Ava hugged her Mom and told her that she loved her, "I'll be back as soon as I can. Try and take it easy okay? It's been a really long and stressful day."

"I promise I'll be good," Olivia replied.

"Mommy, I love you," Emma said ash reached up for a hug.

"I love you too jelly bean. Get some sleep and I'll see you in a little while," she said as she reached down and hugged her youngest.

"I will Mommy. Tell Natalia I love her."

"Okay baby," Olivia said as she kissed the little girl on her cheek.

She watched her daughters leave and then turned to Rafe, "I'm going to see Andrea while Rick is checking Natalia. Will you let me know what they find?" she asked.

"Sure Olivia. Look, I know that I haven't been your biggest fan and I've pretty much been an ass to you about my Ma, and I'm sorry for that. I see the way that you two look at each other, and I've never seen Ma happy like this. I know that she hurt you, but I also know that neither of you are happy unless you're with each other. So promise me that you'll try to work this out," Rafe said, with eyes that were pleading.

Olivia put her hand on his shoulder, "Rafe, if I've learned anything today it's that life is too short. All of this can be gone in the blink on an eye. I promise that your Mother and I will talk and try to work all of this out. I do love her Rafe, and all I want is for her to be happy."

"What about Andrea?" he asked.

"Andrea and I are friends. She's a great person, who could have taken advantage of this situation, but didn't. She saved my life today, and I want to help her, so whatever she needs, I'll be there for her."

"But what if she wants you?" Rafe asked.

"Rafe, trust me on this. She and I are just friends. We tried to be more than that, but she couldn't because of my feeling for Natalia."

Olivia turned to walk away and came face to face with Marina. Oh shit. This is not going to be pleasant.

"You," Marina screamed, "This is all your fault. You got into Natalia's head and messed with her mind. She left my dad at the altar to be with you. That drove him over the edge, and now he's dead. He's dead because of you," she screamed at Olivia, with tears streaming down her face.

Before Olivia could say anything, Rafe was at her side, "This is not her fault. Are you crazy? I know that you just lost your dad and all, but he tried to have her killed. Then he tried to kill her friend. My Ma didn't marry your dad because she didn't love him. That's right she didn't love him," Rafe screamed at Marina.

"ENOUGH!" Buzz yelled at both of them. "Marina, this is not Olivia's fault. Frank did this to himself. He became obsessed, and he went crazy. Don't you understand he crossed the line that he was sworn to protect.?He tried to take an innocent human's life. There's a woman down the hall fighting for her life because of him, and now my grand child is in jeopardy because of this. Your husband is hurting and in shock because Frank forced him to shoot him. This ends now. Olivia, Rafe I'm sorry for everything that's happened. Now I'm going to take my family home," Buzz said as he took Marina by the hand and led her away.

Olivia and Rafe stood there for a moment s they watched the Coopers walk away. Rafe looked over at Olivia, "There's no way this your fault. You know that right? Frank snapped, and not because of anything that you did. He went after you. He hurt a lot of innocent people in the process."

Olivia looked over at Rafe, "I know, it just all seems like such a waste and I feel like I could have do something to prevent it."

"You had no way of knowing, I lived with the man and I had no idea that he was capable of this until tonight," Rafe added.

"Rafe, I never thanked you. If it wasn't for you.."

Rafe cut her off, "It's okay. Now go check on Andrea, and I'll come and get you as soon as we have word on Ma."

Olivia reached down and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze. She turned and walked to Andrea's room.

Chapter 23

Olivia opened the door to the room and walked in.

"Hey you," Andrea said with a rasp in her voice.

"Dre, oh my God, you're awake!" Olivia exclaimed as she came around and sat in the chair beside her bed. She took the younger woman's hand in hers, "I almost lost you," she told Andrea as tears ran down her face.

Andrea moved her hand up and wiped away the tears, "It's okay. I'm here," she said.

"Do you remember what happened?" Olivia asked, sniffling.

"Yes, sort of," the chef rasped.

"You pushed me out of the way and you saved my life. I don't know how to thank you," Olivia said and she reached up and touched Andrea's cheek.

"So you weren't hurt?" Andrea asked slowly.

"Not really, bumped my head when I fell, but nothing compared to you," Olivia replied. "Why did you do that, why did you risk your life to save mine?"

Andrea looked at Olivia, as a blinding pain ripped through her head, "I love you Olivia," she said as she tried to reach out her hand to the older woman. Her eyes closed, her hand went limp, and the heart monitor flat lined. She was gone.

Olivia screamed, "No, Dre, no."

Rick and the nurses came running into the room. Rick looked at Olivia, "What happened?"

'We were talking, Rick she seemed fine and alert, and then her eyes closed and she flat lined," Olivia said with tears streaming down her face.

"Olivia, wait out in the hall. I will be out as soon as I can," Rick said as he went to work on Andrea.

Olivia walked out in the hallway, feeling lost and numb. She looked up and say Rafe running down the hall towards her. Oh God please don't let anything be wrong with Natalia, I can't take anymore today.

"Rick had just walked out to let me know that Ma and the baby were okay. Then he got the code blue. Is it Andrea? Olivia?" Rafe asked her, as he put his hand on her shoulder.

Before she could say anything, Rick came out of Andrea's room. He looked at Olivia, "I'm sorry Olivia. We did everything we..."

Before he could say anything else, Olivia screamed, "NO RICK NO SHE CAN"T BE GONE."

Her legs buckled and Rafe caught her before she hit the floor. Rick and Rafe helped Olivia to a chair in the waiting room right down the hall. Olivia was crying and shaking her head.

"What happened, Rick," Rafe asked as they got Olivia in a chair.

"From what we could tell, there was a blood clot in her brain that ruptured. There was nothing that we could do for her. Olivia, I'm so sorry," Rick said as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Rick, I don't understand. She was awake and we were talking. She smiled at me," Olivia sobbed. "One minute she was fine, and the next minute.." She couldn't finish, she was crying so hard.

Rick looked at Rafe, "Is Ava back yet?" he asked.

"I'm here Rick. What's happened? Is it Natalia?" Ava asked as she ran to her Mother

"Ma and the baby are fine, Ava. It's Andrea, she didn't make it," Rafe answered.

No, no. Mom's going to blame herself for this. Ava sat down next to her Mom, and put her arms around Olivia. "It's okay Mom. I'm here," Ava said as Olivia buried her head in Ava's shoulder.

Ava looked at Rick, "Can we do something to calm her down? I'm worried about her heart," Ava said.

"I'm afraid to give her anything too strong because of that bump she took on her head today," Rick said.

Olivia pulled away from Ava's shoulder, "Please stop talking about me like I'm not here," she said her voice thick with pain. "Rick, I need to see her for a moment, before they take her away."

"Okay Olivia, but just for a minute."

"Thank you," she whispered, as she stood up a little unsteady.

"Come on Mom, I'll go with you," Ava said standing up to go with Olivia.

"No, Ava, baby. Thank you for offering, but I need to do this by myself," Olivia said as she walked to the room, she paused at the door for a moment before going into to Andrea's room.

No one had noticed that Rafe had slipped off. He grabbed a wheel chair and rolled it into Natalia's room.

Natalia looked at her son as he rolled the chair in, "Rafe, sweetie, are you breaking me out of here?" Natalia asked with a smile on her face, which quickly faded as she saw the somber look on her son's face. "Rafe, honey what is it?" she asked. "Is it Olivia, is she okay?"

"Ma, she's okay, but she needs you. Andrea just died," Rafe said softly.

"No," Natalia whispered with tears filling her eyes. She moved to get out of the bed and Rafe helped into the wheelchair. "Take me to her please," Natalia said.

"You got it Ma," Rafe said as he rolled her out of the room and to Olivia.

Olivia went through the door and closed it. She leaned against it, closing her eyes for a moment before going over to Andrea. She sat down on the bed beside her, and took her hand. She sat there for a moment just holding her hand. "Dre, I'm so sorry. This should be me, I should be the one lying there, not you. That car was meant for me, and you saved my life," she whispered, as tears fell from her eyes. "What am I going to do without you my dear one? We became so close so quickly and I don't know what I would have done without you these past weeks. Thank you for all that you were and for all that you gave me. And I know that you're with your Candice now, and you two can be together forever. And I love you too, my friend." She bent over and gently kissed Andrea's forehead. "Rest well my dear one."

Chapter 24

Rafe pushed Natalia down the hall to the waiting room where Rick and Ava were talking.

Rick looked up, "Natalia, you should be resting," he told the Latino.

"I'm fine. Where's Olivia?" she asked.

"She wanted a moment with Andrea before they took her away," Ava said. "I'm really worried about her. I know she going to blame herself for all of this."

Natalia turned to Rafe, "Help me out of this chair please," she asked him.

"Sure Ma," he replied as he locked the wheelchair and helped her out.

Natalia looked at the three of them, "I'm going to her. Which room is she in?" she asked.

"Natalia, I don't think it's a good idea. She said she needed to do this alone," Ava said.

"I'm not going to let her go through this alone. Now, which room is it?" she demanded again.

"Room 110, it's right down the hall on the right," Rick answered her.

"Thank you," Natalia said as she turned to go to the woman she loved.

"Is she always so demanding?" Ava asked Rafe.

"When it comes to being there for the people she loves, yes," Rafe answered. "And before you say anything, I know that she ran away, and she was wrong to do that. The bottom line is that she loves Olivia, and I have never seen her happier than when she's with your Mom."

"I know she hurt Mom, but I also know Mom loves her too. I hope they can work this out, because Mom really could use some happiness."

Natalia walked to Room 110, paused at the door for a moment, saying a silent prayer for Andrea, for her soul to rest, and to thank her for the sacrifice she made for Olivia. She quietly opened the door, and saw Olivia sitting there holding Andrea's hand, sobbing. Seeing Olivia like this, broke her heart, and she fought to hold back the tears. She moved into the room and closed the door.

"Ava, I told you I wanted to be alone with Andrea," Olivia said, without turning around.

Natalia didn't say a word. She moved to the chair by the bed in front of Olivia.

Olivia looked up at her, "I'm sorry. I thought it was Ava."

"It's okay. Do you want me to leave?" she asked.

"No, I'm glad it's you. Are you and the baby alright?" Olivia asked through her tears.

"Yes, we are both fine. It's a girl, the baby, Rick told me when they did the sonogram to make sure that she was alright."

"A girl? That's wonderful. You've always wanted a daughter," Olivia said, trying to smile. "Natalia, is all of this really happening?"

"Yes," she replied as she took Olivia's other hand. "It is all happening. Olivia, I'm so sorry about Andrea. I know the two of you had become close. I wish I could take all of your pain away," Natalia whispered as she reached up with her other hand to wipe away her tears.

"She gave her life to save mine. How do I get through this? How do I live with myself after this?" Olivia asked the Latino. "This should be me lying here, not her. Edmund was supposed to have killed me. She shouldn't have pushed me out of the way," she said softly.

"Olivia, look at me," Natalia said as she lifted the old woman's chin. "What if she hadn't pushed you out of the way and that was you lying there instead of her? Emma and Ava would have lost their Mother. Do you really think she would have wanted that? I didn't know her well, but I could see that she truly cared for you and I know that she would have done anything to keep you from getting hurt," Natalia said.

"How do you know that?" Olivia asked.

"She told me this morning. She said that if I ever hurt you again I would have to worry about her. She loved you Olivia, whether or not she was in love with you, I don't know. But I could see that she loved you," Natalia replied.

"That was the last thing she said to me, she told me she loved me right before she died," Olivia said. "Then she was gone. I love her too, she was my friend. She was truly my friend and she was selfless," Olivia whispered as she began to sob again.

Natalia stood up at pulled the older woman to her and held her while she cried. "Olivia, it will be okay. We will get through this. I'm here and I'm never leaving you again. You're not alone, and you never will be," Natalia told her as she stroked her hair. The two stayed that way for a long time, and finally Olivia, having cried herself out for the moment, pulled away from Natalia. She looked up and saw the love for her in those big, brown eyes.

"Are you ready to go now?" Natalia asked.

"Yes, I think it's time," Olivia said as she laid Andrea's hand down carefully by her side. She stood up and bent down to kiss Andrea's forehead one last time. "Goodbye my dear one." She whispered. Olivia then turned and reached out for Natalia's hand, taking it in hers, "Let's go baby," she said to the Latino woman.

The two women walked hand in hand to the door, as Olivia opened the door, Natalia turned and looked back at Andrea's body. There are no words to say how I feel for what you did today, she though. You gave your life for my Olivia, and I promise you that I will love her and take care of her. I will never hurt her again. A single tear rolled down Natalia's cheek.

Olivia looked over at her, "Natalia, are you ready? Are you okay?" Olivia asked.

"Yes," she whispered. "Let's get you out of here," she said as she led Olivia out of the room.

Rafe and Ava saw their mothers come out of the room, holding hands. They looked at each other and smiled. They got up and walked over to the couple.

"Mom, we should get you home," Ava said.

"I know baby, I need to see Emma, and tell her I love her," Olivia replied.

"Ma, are you ready? We need to get you home. You and the baby need to get some rest," Rafe said.

"It's late, why don't you both come to the Beacon and stay with us tonight?" Olivia said, looking at Natalia and Rafe.

Rafe looked as his mother, whose eyes had never left the older woman, "What you think Ma?"

"I think that's a good idea. If you sure Olivia," she replied.

"I don't want any of us to be alone tonight," she said as the tears welled in her eyes again.

Ava looked at the two women, and then at Rafe, "Then let's go. We can take Mom's car and Rafe I can bring you back in the morning to pick up Natalia's car," she said as they all turned to leave Cedars.

Once they got to the car, Olivia opened the back door, Natalia looked at her and got in with the Latino. She laid her head on Natalia's shoulder as the tears began to fall again.

They were all very quiet on the ride to the Beacon, and as soon as they got to the suite. Olivia went immediately to Emma's room to check on her little girl. She sat down on the bed beside her and bent down to kiss her, "I love you my jellybean," she whispered. Natalia stood in the door, watching Olivia, always amazed at the love and connection between the two.

Olivia sat there for a few moments, then got up and joined Natalia in the doorway, "Thank you for being here and coming to me at the hospital," Olivia said as she put her arms around Natalia's waist, laying her head on the Latino's shoulder.

"Of course I would be here, I love you Olivia. I promise I will never leave you again," Natalia whispered as she ran her fingers through the older woman's hair. "We need to figure out where everyone's going to sleep," she said finally.

"Ava can sleep in here with Emma and Rafe can have the extra room," Olivia said. "I want you to stay with me in my room if that's okay. I don't want to be away from you tonight," Olivia said.

"And I don't want to be away from you either my love," Natalia whispered.

Olivia pulled away from her shoulder and took her hand as they walked back to the living room.

Rafe and Ava were sitting on the sofa, both were totally exhausted.

"Ava, can you bunk in with bean tonight so Rafe sleep in the extra room?" Olivia asked.

"Sure Mom," she replied.

"Okay, we're going to bed. I'm emotionally and physically exhausted," she told them. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Mom," Ava said with a puzzled look on her face.

"Goodnight Rafe," Natalia told her son, patting him on his shoulder as she and Olivia headed for the bedroom.

"Goodnight Ma," Rafe said a little smile working its way on to his face.

After the two women went into Olivia's room, Rafe and Ava looked at each other, "Well I guess they are working things out," Rafe said.

"It would appear so," Ava said. "I'm going to bed. It's been a long day and I'm tired," she added.

"Sounds good, think I will head to bed as well," Rafe said as he stood.

"Rafe, thank you for what you did tonight. You saved us, and I just..."

Rafe cut her off before she could finish, "I couldn't let anybody else get hurt. Good night, Ava," he said as he headed for the extra room.

"Good night Rafe," Ava replied as she headed to her sister's room.

Once inside of her room, Olivia pulled Natalia to her and hugged her. "Thank you for being here," Olivia whispered.

"Of course, I'm here and I'll be here always," Natalia replied.

Olivia pulled away, "Do you want a t shirt to sleep in?" she asked Natalia.

"That would be great. I know where they are ,I'll get one," Natalia said as she headed over to Olivia's dresser and got a t-shirt for her and a pair of pajamas for Olivia. She handed the pajamas to Olivia. "I'll just go in the bathroom and change," she told Olivia.

Olivia changed into her pajamas and sat down on the bed. Natalia emerged from the bathroom in one of Olivia's old t-shirts. My God you look so cute in my t-shirt, she thought.

Natalia joined her on the bed and the two crawled under the covers. Olivia laid her head on the younger woman's shoulder as Natalia put her arms around Olivia. They laid there for a long time without talking, and Natalia thought that Olivia had gone to sleep.

"I can't believe we're here together, like this," the older woman whispered.

"I know," Natalia agreed. "I can't believe that so much has happened in the last 24 hours."

"Has it only been 24 hours? It seems like it has been days," Olivia said, thinking about the party, about Andrea and Natalia coming back.

Olivia raised up and propped up on her elbow and looked down at those brown eyes, "Natalia, I love you. You do know that right?" Olivia asked.

"Yes baby, I know that you love me," she whispered reaching up to put a hand on the older woman's face.

"We wasted so much time, time that we should have been together," Olivia said. "Today has made me realize just how easily everything can be taken away. And I don't want to waste anymore time. I love you, and I want to be with you. I want us to be together, a family, you, me, Ava, Emma, Rafe and that little girl you're carrying," she said moving her hand to Natalia's bump.

"Are you sure,?" Natalia said as tears welled in her eyes. "I know that I've hurt you and I promise..."

Olivia stopped her before she could finish, "None of that matters now. All that matters is this moment, this time here with you. Andrea knew that, and she tried to make me see that. She was right. I would never be truly be happy without you. She knew what it was like to lose someone that you love, "Olivia said.

She began to tell Natalia the story of Andrea and Candice. After she finished, the Latino had tears streaming down her face, "I had no idea. You two did become close. I'm so grateful that you had her Olivia and I'm so grateful for what she did for us," Natalia whispered letting her tears flow freely. "And now she can be with Candice again."

"I know," Olivia said. "It's helping me to deal with all of this, knowing at last she and Candice are together again. Andrea told me that true love never died, and she knew that Candice's love didn't die with her. She said that she could always feel her love surrounding her."

"I didn't know that you could be so spiritual," Natalia said with a sweet smile on her face.

"I learned a lot from Andrea. I was very blessed to have had her as a friend even for such a short amount of time," Olivia said as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"We should really try to get some sleep," Natalia said. "I know that you have to be exhausted."

"I am," Olivia said. "But we have waited for this night for so long, I don't want it to end."

"It won't end. It's the first of many nights like this to come. Olivia, come home. Will you and Emma moved back to the farmhouse with me?" Natalia asked.

Olivia looked at Natalia, and leaned in to her, taking the Latino's face in her hands. And she kissed Natalia, finally, after all this time, she kissed the woman that she love. Softly, sweetly the two kissed for what seemed like an eternity. Finally they pulled away from each other, Olivia whispered, "I don't want to wait anymore. Yes, I'll come home, Natalia. Emma and I will move back to the farmhouse with you."

"I love you Olivia Spencer," Natalia told the older woman.

"I know and I love you Natalia Rivera," Olivia said as she settled on the younger woman's shoulder, finally drifting off to sleep, ending one of the worst, yet best days in her life.

Three Months Later

Olivia sat at the kitchen table, having a cup of coffee, while Natalia finished cooking their breakfast. She couldn't believe how much had happened in the past months. She had contacted Andrea's sister, Megan who was listed as her emergency contact. Andrea was taken back to Chicago and was laid to rest beside Candice. Olivia, Natalia, Ava and Rafe went to Chicago for the service. Emma was getting ready to start school, so she stayed with Phillip while the rest of the family were in Chicago.

Natalia took over running the Beacon until time for their baby to be born. Olivia wanted to run the kitchen for a while. She said that it was and would always be Andrea's kitchen, she was just watching over it.

Ava went back to San Francisco and was again settling in to her life. Rafe decided to go to culinary school. He was accepted to The American Culinary Institute of America in New York. Natalia was sad that he was going to school so far away, but she was so proud that he was finally turning his life around.

Their lives had fallen into place, and both women had admitted to each other they had a guardian angel watching over them. Emma was growing and was happy. She was very excited about the upcoming arrival of her little sister.

The nursery was ready and waiting for the little one who was due to make an appearance close to Thanksgiving, which was less than a week away.

Olivia looked up from her coffee and gazed across the table at Natalia, who had just sat down with their breakfast, "You know sweetie, we really should decide on a name before this little one makes her debut."

"I know," Natalia said as she took Olivia's hand in hers. "I've been thinking a lot about that, and I think we should name her Andrea. If it hadn't been for her selfless act, being a true friend to you, we wouldn't have any of this."

Olivia felt the lump in her throat and tears well in her eyes, "I think that's a beautiful idea, a beautiful name."

9 Months Later

Olivia woke up early that morning which was unusual for her on the mornings that she didn't go into work. This was the day she had been dreading for a long time. She crept into the nursery to check on their daughter. She wasn't surprised to find the little girl awake, playing with one of her toys, smiling.

"Hey dear one," She said as she picked her daughter up. "What are you doing awake this time of the morning?" She asked her as she kissed the baby's forehead. "You look just like your Ma. You have her eyes, and hair. I can see that I'm going to have my hands full with you," she said as the baby reached for her hair.

The past year had been the best of Olivia's life. She and Emma moving back to the farmhouse, watching Rafe thrive in culinary school, and being there for the birth of their daughter. She and Natalia were so much in love with each other, and happy. Yet, there wasn't a day that passed where Andrea didn't cross her mind. And when she was in the kitchen at work was where she felt closest to her. Olivia had learned just to breathe through those times. She cried when she need to, and she always talked to Natalia about her. But today was the hardest yet, it was the year anniversary of the day of Andrea's death, and standing there in the nursery, holding her namesake, she could feel her presence stronger than she had since the day Andrea died.

Olivia walked over to the rocking chair, and sat down. She placed the baby on her lap, facing her. "Okay dear one, Mommy's a little sad today. I lost a dear friend a year ago today, and if hadn't been for her, your Mommy would not be here with you, your Ma, or your sister Emma. And that's why we named you after her. She saved Mommy's life. And we must never forget what we have because of her. So little Andrea, that's why there is a picture of her and Mommy in your room, she was my best friend and she taught me how to see what was important in life," Olivia said pulling the baby close as she let her tears fall.

Natalia was standing in the door of the nursery. She had awaken, to find Olivia gone from the bed. She knew that this was going to be a difficult day for the woman that she loved. She knew Olivia would be in the nursery with their daughter, "How are my girls this morning?" she asked as she moved into the room, kneeling down in front of the rocker, placing her arms on Olivia's legs, taking one of little Andrea's hands in hers.

"We were just having a little talk about how she got her name," Olivia said.

"I know love, I heard," Natalia said as she took her other hand and wiped away Olivia's tears.

"I love you Olivia Spencer," she told the older woman.

"I know and I love you Natalia Rivera," Olivia replied.

The End