Title: Snapshots: Anthology of a Life Well Lived

Author: Kimberly21570

Fandoms: Guiding Light / All My Children

Pairings: Olivia and Natalia / Lena and Bianca

Disclaimer: The characters of Olivia and Emma Spencer, Natalia and Rafe Rivera, Ava Peralta, Ashlee Wolfe-Rivera, and Maureen Reardon are owned by CBS/TeleNext and Proctor & Gamble. The original characters of Sutton Keller, and Isabella Mia, Marissa, and Ariana Spencer-Rivera are the property of this author, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

This chapter's title comes from Shakespeare's The Tempest, Act 2, Scene 1.

No copyright infringement intended with regard to Guiding Light, CBS/TeleNext, Proctor & Gamble, AMC, ABC/Disney, or any other entity. The dialogue and story content in these scenes are original. Written for fun, not profit. All other standard disclaimers apply.

This update has not been proofread, so all mistakes are my own.

Rating: This section of Chapter 7 is rated R for language and some explicit sexual content.

Synopsis: It's a stroll down memory lane for Olivia and Natalia, Lena and Bianca, and their friends and family, as two of our favorite couples' daughters prepare to enter into wedded bliss, in a double wedding… of sorts…

Author's Note: Pay particular attention to the transitions in time, as this chapter contains flashbacks.

Finally, thank you all again for your patience, and for all of your supportive comments regarding my health. I'm feeling better, stronger, every day, and I'm really enjoying working on these stories again. I'll have another, much longer update for you on this one next week.

Until then, I hope you all enjoy.

Regards—

Kimberly

Snapshots: Anthology of a Life Well Lived

Copyright September 2012

"What's past is prologue, and the world awaits."

— Lisa Mantchev, Eyes Like Stars

Chapter 7.5—What's Past is Prologue:

The Farmhouse of Love—Friday, May 11, 2029, 5:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time

"I can't believe our little Jellybean is about to get married," Natalia mused. She sounded both excited and a little sad.

"I can't believe she finally settled on just one of them," Olivia commented dryly.

"Oh, you stop," Natalia lightly scolded.

Olivia cracked a grin.

"I think she's known all along where she belongs," Natalia said confidently. "She just needed to forgive herself for the past, and grab hold of the future that was always waiting for her."

"Our daughter is certainly complicated," Olivia agreed. "She's a lot like her mothers."

"Well, I can't argue with that," Natalia conceded. "And we have more than one of those," she reminded with a sigh, as once again, they were interrupted by the battle being waged above their heads.

"Give me my charger, Bella!" Ariana screeched.

"I don't have your stupid charger," Bella lied.

"Yes, you do!" Ariana accused. "I saw you take it."

"Just like you took my jeans," Bella scowled.

"Here," Marissa interjected, tossing her charger across the room she shared with her twin. "Use mine, and just shut the hell up!" She was trying to read, and Ariana was irritating her.

"I'm tellin' Mama you said 'hell'," Bella threatened.

Dark eyes narrowing, Marissa looked as though she was about to wage a war, but Ariana interrupted her. "I don't even need a charger," she informed. "I'm just pissed because she took mine."

"Give me my jeans, and you can have your charger back," Bella taunted. "And I'm tellin' Mama you said 'pissed'," she added, sounding satisfied.

"I don't give a shit," Ariana snapped back.

"What are you, five?" Marissa barked at Bella. "Knock it off, Asshole."

"Girls!" Natalia bellowed up the stairs. "Language!"

"Sorry, Mama," three voices said in practiced penitent union.

"You're just lucky we're not Catholic anymore," Natalia called back. "You'd all be saying 'Hail Mary's' until you're forty."

Amused, Olivia chuckled, and Natalia shrugged in response.

"I thought you didn't have it," Marissa commented, glaring at Bella over the top of her book as she shifted the subject back to the charger.

Bella just arched an eyebrow and shrugged, daring Marissa to challenge her again.

"Would you give it up about the jeans already," Ariana huffed. She swore Bella was like a dog with a bone. "I told you hours ago, yours are in the dryer."

"Why is our home so noisy?" Natalia mused. Summer break had barely started, and already their house was like a war-zone. She couldn't even fathom what it would be like after nearly three months of this.

"Fairly certain it's all your doing," Olivia commented.

"My doing?" Natalia sounded annoyed.

"You were the one who wanted more kids," Olivia reminded. "I was perfectly happy with the three we already had."

Natalia opened her mouth to argue, but before she could, Olivia said, "Remember the night…"

The Farmhouse of Love—Saturday, December 18, 2010, 11:30 p.m. Central Standard Time

"I think… we should try again," Natalia whispered into the darkness, as Olivia held her close, spooning her from behind. They had just shared an exquisite evening of lovemaking, and were contently lying in their bed, enjoying the freedom allotted by Emma's overnight stay with Maureen Reardon.

A mischievous smirk teased at Olivia's lips. "Did we do it wrong this last time?" she murmured against Natalia's ear. Lightly, she nipped the lobe. "Because it felt pretty damned spectacular to me…"

Natalia giggled in response, and pulled their intertwined hands toward her mouth, lightly kissing Olivia's fingers. "That's not what I meant," she said, softly. "But just for the record, we did it perfectly," she complimented. "And I wouldn't mind doing it again. Soon."

Olivia could hear the smile on Natalia's lips. "How soon?" she husked, as the fingers of her free hand lightly teased at the tuft of soft, damp curls between her fiancée's legs. She loved the sensation of feeling Natalia's desire still clinging to those soft tendrils.

That slight touch drew a gasp, followed by a soft purr, from Natalia's lips. She shifted, turning in Olivia's arms. "If you keep that up, then the answer is immediately."

"Is that a promise?" Olivia challenged. Her eyes sparkled in the patch of moonlight that bathed their bedroom in a soft glow. Then she saw the seriousness in Natalia's dark eyes, reflecting back into her own. "What's on your mind?"

Natalia bit her bottom lip, adorably. "I want a baby with you." The statement fell from her lips in an anxious rush. She wasn't certain what scared her the most—Olivia's reaction, or the fact that she had even suggested it at all.

"What?" Olivia sputtered. She was completely taken aback.

"Losing Dantéa was the hardest thing I've ever experienced, and… it still hurts so much sometimes. But she's gone, and we can't bring her back. Ava and Rafe are grown adults, and I love raising Emma with you. But she's growing up so fast. And I still have this overwhelming desire to raise another child with you, Liv. We shared so many beautiful moments together while I was pregnant, and then it was over. Dantéa was gone, and so was all of the joy we felt as we prepared for her arrival. I want that back, Liv. I want a baby with you."

Olivia closed her eyes, staving off tears. "Natalia, I don't… I don't think I could bear it if we lost another child. I don't think I could take watching you in all that pain again."

"We know about my condition now, and we can take precautions," Natalia reasoned; suddenly realizing just exactly how much she wanted this, regardless of the possible consequences.

"Natalia—" Olivia's tone was rife with concern.

"Kait and Stassi both said it doesn't have to be that way," Natalia countered, before Olivia could wage an argument. "Kait monitored Stassi's pregnancy when she carried the girls, and everything was fine."

"I'm not a doctor." Sounding harsher than she had intended, Olivia pointed out the obvious.

"But Kait is, and she said she would…" Natalia's words faded as the pained expression flooded Olivia's eyes.

"You talked to Kait and your sister about this before coming to me?" She sounded so hurt it nearly broke Natalia's resolve.

"Only because I wanted to be certain it would be safe before I approached you with the idea," she explained apologetically. "Please don't be mad."

Olivia's features softened into a smile, and she gently took Natalia's face into her hands. "I'm not mad, Sweetheart," she whispered, pressing her lips to Natalia's, lingering on her mouth. "And it isn't that I don't want another child with you; because I do. Besides finally becoming your wife, I want that more than anything." Releasing a soft sigh, she confessed, "I'm just scared."

"I'm scared, too, Liv," Natalia admitted. "But not scared enough to let go of the idea of raising another child with you."

"Will you give me some time?" Olivia asked, tentatively. "I need to think about it; talk to Kait for myself."

"As long as time means I'm hearing a 'maybe,' rather than an adamant 'No'," Natalia answered. There was a hint of humor behind the seriousness in her tone.

"It's a definite 'maybe'," Olivia grinned.

Natalia rolled her eyes. "You sure do enjoy your way around a good paradox, don't you?"

"Yeah—it's kinda like acting natural," Olivia answered teasingly.


The Farmhouse of Love—Friday, May 11, 2029, 5:45 p.m. Central Daylight Time

"Okay, okay, fine," Natalia relented, her hands raised in surrender. "I guess I was the instigator when it came to having more kids."

Olivia grinned triumphantly. And then she leaned over, brushing a soft kiss against Natalia's mouth. "Yes, you were, my Love," she affirmed. "And even on days like this, when they're at each other's throats, I wouldn't change our decision to have them for the world."

Natalia nodded, a tender smile fluttering across her lips. "Neither would I."

"Ooh, laundry day!" Emma exclaimed as she bounced through the door a moment later. "You two really know how to party, don't you?"

"You are so your mother's daughter sometimes," Natalia teased.

"Yes," Emma readily agreed. "And sometimes, I'm so yours," she added, as she bent over to plant a quick kiss on her Ma's cheek.

Natalia smiled up at her. "Yes, you are," she said with pride.

Emma dropped down into the armchair beside the sofa, releasing a contented sigh as she propped her sneaker-clad feet up on the coffee table. She looked so relaxed in a backward facing Cubs ball cap, a faded University of Michigan t-shirt, and a pair of worn Levi's, but Natalia's vaulted eyebrow had her quickly removing her feet from the table. "Sorry, Ma," she said penitently. She knew better than that.

Setting another folded towel on the pile, Natalia smiled as she reached over, gently patting Emma's knee. "You might remember by the time you're forty," she teased.

"Eleven years to go," Emma sighed. "I think there might be hope."

They all laughed together, knowing that would never happen.

"Where are the girls?" Olivia asked. She knew Emma had been with Maury and Sutton most of the day, and Ava and Ashlee had joined them at some point. Now none of them were anywhere to be found.

"Maury had to drop by WSPR," Emma reported of the television executive. "Ava and Ashlee both ran home to check on husbands and kids before we head out to dinner. And Sutton had a few last-minute things to set up for the shower. Apparently, I'm not allowed to know everything," she said wryly.

"Yes, they have their secrets from us, as well," Natalia commented.

"The room at the Beacon looks amazing, by the way," Emma said appreciatively. "Thank you for all the work you've put into my shower."

"You're welcome, Jellybean," Olivia smiled. "Your sisters and the girls did most of the work, though. And your brothers helped with the heavy lifting. We just added the finishing touches this morning."

"Well, I appreciate it, Mom," Emma said. "I know how busy you guys are."

"We're never too busy for you," Natalia declared as she stood from the sofa. Leaning down, she kissed the top of Emma's head before lifting the stack of towels for the girls' bathroom from the table. She knew from experience that yelling up the stairs for them to come retrieve them would be futile.

"Here, let me take those up for you," Emma said, springing to her feet.

"You think your Mama is too old and decrepit to make the trip with her hands full?" Natalia teased.

Emma chuckled. "No, ma'am," she answered. "But I like to help you when I'm home."

Handing the stack of towels over to her daughter, Natalia gently patted her cheek. "At least we raised one of you right," she said jokily.

"No worries, Mama. I'll whip them into shape when I get upstairs," Emma said. And then she was bounding up the staircase two steps at a time. As much as the three of them bickered with one another, especially Bella and Ariana, they were all united in their mutual love for Emma. She was always a positive influence on them, and they listened to her counsel, even when they didn't like what she had to say.

"Oh, to have that kind of energy again," Natalia sighed, as she dropped back down on the sofa beside her wife.

Olivia grinned mischievously as she wrapped an arm around Natalia's shoulders. "You had plenty of energy last night, my Love," she commented.

"That's because I save every last ounce I can spare just for date night," Natalia winked.

"You know," Olivia intoned, "for a religious woman, you really are quite devilish."

Natalia leaned close, offering a rather seductive kiss for a Friday afternoon with a house full of teenagers. "Just don't tell our minister," she whispered.

"I won't say a word," Olivia murmured. And then she kissed Natalia again to seal her promise.


TBC in Chapter 7.6…