Title: Risen From The Ashes
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia Doris/Blake ?/?
Rating: MA for strong language, adult situations, violence, blood, drug use.
Slightly AU most invents remain the same with a few concentrated changes to the Otalia storyline.
Summary: A mysterious stranger comes to town and changes the lives of Olivia and Natalia forever.
"Be still my beating heart." Phoenix gushed as she pushed in between Mel and Dinah to lean her back and elbows against the front desk at The Beacon.
She was stopping by on her way home to see if Olivia and Natalia needed anything before she made the short trip just out of town to the property.
Dinah and Mel rolled their eyes and grinned at Phoenix as they continued to thumb through their mail.
"We are too old for you little girl," Dinah told her as she shoved at her shoulder.
Phoenix feigned hurt as she pressed her palm into her chest. "Ahh, age my dear…aint nothin but a number," She stated and wiggled her eyebrows at them.
They laughed.
"You are just too much," Mel told her as they turned to walk away.
"It's your loss," Phoenix called out to them teasingly.
They waved her off and walked out.
She turned her attention to Greg who was nodding his head looking frightened and not understanding a damn thing the man standing in front of him was yelling about. The fact that he was speaking thick pissed off Armenian probably had something to do with it.
"Vortegh dzhokhk'i yen im srbich'ner!" Greg just nodded his head again.
Phoenix snorted then walked over to him.
"What's up fancy pants?" she asked him.
He looked at her grateful for the interruption.
"This man's translator isn't around and I haven't the foggiest what his problem is."
Phoenix nodded and turned her attention to the frustrated guest.
"Nerum indz Sir?"
He turned and looked at her gratefully.
"Du parzapes ts'ankats'yel t'arm srbich'ner t'voghets'in Dzer senyak chisht ? Menk' nrants' minch'yev dzez anmijapes ." Greg looked at her amazed.
He nodded and shook her hand.
"Shnorhakalut'yun ognelu hamar," he said.
He smiled at her then turned to give Greg one last parting glare than walked to the elevator bank.
"Send him up some fresh towels," she told Greg as she patted his cheek and made her way towards the offices.
She made sure to knock at Olivia's closed office door before entering. Those two screwed more than bunnies on holiday at Easter. She was glad for the noise cancelling quality of her walls but still when they were going at it the house was filled with this…atmosphere. She could feel it and it made her feel embarrassed.
"Come in," she heard Natalia call.
She opened the door to see Olivia sitting at her desk fingers rubbing her temples looking completely frazzled as Natalia worriedly massaged her shoulders. She could feel the tension rolling off of Olivia in waves.
She walked in and closed the door and plopped herself down in one of the chairs in front of the desk. She propped her feet up on it and lit one of her smokes taking a pull before leaning over and offering it to Olivia.
They both looked at her funny.
"Just hit it…only once though," she warned. It wasn't addictive or anything like that. Nor was it some form of recreational drug. But if it ever found itself in the wrong hands it could easily be tweaked into being just that. It seemed to be human nature to take something positive and turn it into a negative. She also didn't want to overwhelm Olivia's system knowing her health issues and the dosage for her newest batch was pretty high.
That's why she always destroyed them when she was done.
Olivia took the smoke hesitantly and brought it up to her lips. The sweet earthiness of the smoke was soothing all on its own. She took a small drag and gave it back to Francesca.
They both leaned back into their chairs and sighed.
Olivia felt her muscles loosen and the headache pounding between her ears dissipate rather quickly.
"That…is some good shit," she said smiling at her.
Natalia smacked her arm.
Francesca laughed and took a pull for herself nodding her head in agreement. When she found herself recuperating as she often did after a rather difficult fight - the numbers not stacked up in her favor it was this that got her through and made it possible for her to muster through the pain.
"So what's wrong?"
"The band we hired for tomorrow quit on us because they didn't want to work for lesbians," Natalia told her.
"Look at you expanding your vocabulary." Francesca grinned at her.
"Oh shut up Francesca." Natalia giggled.
"We can't find a replacement. Spencer-Rivera Beacon Enterprise is going to have a black spot on its record before it even gets up and running." Olivia said not at all as worried as she should have been. She was going to have to find a way to get Francesca to make her a batch of that stuff.
"Don't even try it," Francesca warned.
"Damn." Olivia grinned.
Natalia came around the desk and sat down next to the girl.
"What kind of band was it?"
"Jazz band," Natalia said sweeping her hair out of her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Huh…I might know a couple guys that could help you out." She shrugged her shoulders.
"Really?" Olivia perked up.
"They're pretty cool; some high school students that run amuck in the music department."
"High school students?" Olivia deflated a little.
"I'm serious they're good. I can totally vouch for them. If it makes you feel any better I'll play with them to keep 'em in line."
Natalia and Olivia smiled.
"We still haven't even heard you play Chess," Olivia pointed at knowing that she was finally going to get her way.
"Ugh." She rolled her eyes and threw her head back. "Fine, whatever…let's go." She stood and walked towards the door Olivia and Natalia hot on her heels.
Olivia and Natalia stood back arms crossed and shoulders touching as they watched Francesca appraise the shiny black baby grand in The Beacon Lounge. She walked around it as she slowly ran her hand across the smooth surface. It was almost like watching someone buying fruit and testing it for its ripeness.
She laid her ear on it closing her eyes and breathing in as she spread her hands out across the top.
Satisfied she straightened and walked around to sit on the bench.
She hit each key in descending order testing the sound quality. It was tuned to perfection and sounded very much like her abandoned piano back home did.
"You guys don't have to stand all the way over there I'm not uptight about playing," she told them as she settled in.
The girls came and sat down next to her. Olivia to her left and Natalia to her right. It was the same positions her parent's used to take up. She buried that thought and snorted at the vision the two of them had just put in her head with their placement.
"What?" Natalia asked her.
"Nothing, I was just imagining the two of you sitting on my shoulders whispering in my ear telling me what to do. I suppose it makes since Olivia is sitting at my left side."
"Hey," Olivia protested and smacked Francesca's shoulder with the back of her hand. "Watch it," Olivia warned her grinning pointing a finger for affect.
Natalia laughed.
Francesca shook her head at them. "Ready?"
"Ready."
She took a deep breath in through her nose and let her fingers do all the work.
The cool opening melody assaulted them. They knew her to be talented but she just presented herself so effortlessly. It was as if she was born with music put right into her.
She shook her head with the rising tempo and rocked forward with the easy flowing back into the softer notes of the song.
"Night and Day" by Cole Porter was an apt song for her to play in this moment.
They had seen the various differences between the two but it was now more than ever they could truly see the difference between Francesca and Phoenix. They were night and day…both vying for full control. Right now though Francesca was holding strong in her element and loving every bit of it.
The patrons in the lounge all began to listen in appreciation as the young girl played for them the smooth jazz melody. Her controlled dexterous fingers flowed easily over the keys as a small grin took up residence on her lips.
Olivia and Natalia both looked at her. Making sure to watch every facial expression as she at times leaned forward to put that little extra umph into the hitting of certain notes only to lean back and shake her head at her self almost as if to say "Damn girl" to smooth the song out.
They smiled at her knowing that this must be one of those rare moments she got to experience where the world just slipped away and she was just a girl doing what she loved.
The jazz poured from the piano as Francesca coaxed it into life. Everyone in the room was caught up in her web not even noticing that they had stopped what they were previously doing. No matter what she played she was able to put that something more into it to make the music sound that much better. They were all appreciating her efforts.
She played those last sweet notes and opened her eyes to see Olivia and Natalia smiling at her with that pride they kept showing her…she felt shy all of a sudden and snorted in self deprecation as she put her head down to look at the keys and bit her lip.
The lounge erupted with the sound of applause from their guests.
Natalia and Olivia sat right next to her clapping for her as well.
She looked up at them and smiled.
"Happy now?"
"Very," Olivia told her and looked across the girl to look at Natalia.
Her girlfriend just shrugged her shoulders and grinned.
"Fine but make sure the boys are at least presentable," Olivia relented
"Not a problem," Francesca said as she got up from the piano and waved off the accolades from around the room with a grin.
"That girl is something else," Natalia mused.
"Oh yeah," Olivia agreed.
Francesca remembered something and leaned down to whisper in Olivia's ear.
She quickly walked away not wanting to see that pissed off look in her eyes.
"What is it Princess?" Natalia asked her.
"Fucking Frank!"