Title: Confessions Lead to Strange Bedfellows

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, Gus/Nicky Aitoro are owned by CBS/TeleNext and Proctor & Gamble. The original characters Nastassia Rivera and Ana Mackenzie are the property of this author, and any resemblance to fictional characters, or real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

No copyright infringement intended with regard to Guiding Light, CBS/TeleNext, Proctor & Gamble, or any other entity. With the exception the Farmhouse of Love, the dialogue, settings, and story content in these scenes are original. Written for fun, not profit. All other standard disclaimers apply.

This update has not been proofread. Thus, all errors are my own.

Rating: Chapter 19 is rated PG.

Confessions Lead to Strange Bedfellows

Copyright May 2009

"Sometimes life takes unexpected turns. Sometimes we hide the very core of our existence because we fear the judgment of others. Sometimes the universe shifts and we are provided with a brief moment to begin anew. These moments allow us to become fearless and let our perfectly created souls shine."

― Cori Garrison, New Beginnings

Chapter 19.4 – New Beginnings:

Friday, May 14, 2010… New Beginnings, Chicago, Illinois—2:45 p.m. Central Daylight Time

They stood in stunned silence for what felt like an eternity; the air around them tight with tension, as they regarded one another with rapt skepticism. To call the moment awkward would be an understatement. But it was the only description that came close, and neither of them seemed to possess the power of words anyway.

Her insides quaking, the woman shuffled nervously on her feet, the heels of those sharp black boots clacking against the hardwood floor as she eyed Olivia up and down, searching for her own voice. "No one other than my mother has called me that for years," she finally managed.

Delivered on a strangled whisper, Nastassia's comment lingered in the stillness that surrounded them. Olivia just stared at her, unable to believe what was standing right in front of her. The term Twilight Zone didn't even begin to cover it. The woman was looked exactly like Natalia. Except now that she knew better, somehow, she didn't. And yet, she did. It was the strangest paradox Olivia had ever encountered. It wasn't that Olivia had never encountered an identical twin before. But it felt different because of the intimate nature of her relationship with Natalia. The true realization that there was another person who literally mirrored her fiancée in every way was mindboggling, and she struggled, searching for understanding.

When no response was forthcoming from the hotelier, Nastassia realized what was happening. It wasn't all that uncommon—at least not to her. "Obviously, you know my sister," she said with a nervous laugh and a lopsided grin. She knew it was lame, but she was anxious as hell given the awkward silence, and hoping to jumpstart a dialogue.

Arching a deliberate eyebrow, Olivia shot her that "No shit" expression, before finally finding her voice. "Sh—she's my, uh… my fiancée," she stuttered, fingers still attempting to soothe her throbbing lip.

"Fiancée," Nastassia repeated, processing the information.

"Yes," Olivia said with conviction. Despite the pain, she couldn't stop the smile that was teasing at her lips. "We're getting married next year. A year from today, actually," she suddenly seemed to realize.

"Congratulations, Ms. Spencer," Nastassia said, warmly, her dimples making another appearance as she smiled at Olivia.

Those dimples nearly stopped Olivia's heart. Then she reminded herself that those were not Natalia's dimples. "Thank you," she said, albeit a bit warily, as she continued to survey the woman. "You don't seem surprised," she said, bluntly.

Nastassia's laugh flowed from her lips like a charming fountain, once again reminding Olivia of Natalia. "Well, I might have been, if you hadn't kissed me like that," she joked. Suddenly, she felt oddly at ease with this woman.

Olivia blushed slightly. Natalia was right—Nastassia did have Olivia's quick-witted sense of humor. "If I'm not mistaken, I think you kissed me back," she pointed out. "And your hand wasn't exactly innocent either."

It was Nastassia's turn to blush. She didn't answer the accusation.

God, she looked just like Natalia. Sounded exactly like her, too. Why hadn't she noticed that during the phone interview? Perhaps she had, and just chalked it up to having heard what she wanted to hear, because she missed Natalia so terribly. If she weren't so intrigued by the uncanny resemblance, she would've already launched into a tirade about how the woman—hell, her entire family, had abandoned Natalia when she needed them most. But instead, she felt somehow calmed by the woman's presence. How strange to feel so calm, yet so completely unnerved in the same instance.

Olivia stepped around the side of her desk to stand behind it—a show of power and control that wasn't lost on the other woman—and gestured with her right hand toward one of the sleek, black leather armchairs that faced her desk. "Please. Have a seat," she said, as she dropped back into her thickly padded black leather executive's chair. Her hair bounced when she did, giving her that sexy, carefree look that always disarmed Natalia.

Nastassia felt equally unnerved by the situation. When she realized Olivia not only knew Natalia, but was seriously involved with her, she half expected the woman to berate her, and throw her out of the office.

Instead, she was being invited to stay.

Politely!

Was she being surreptitiously set up for a fall? Lured in for the kill?

Olivia Spencer's reputation preceded her, and that gave Nastassia cause for extreme concern. Cautiously, she lowered herself into the proffered chair, crossing her legs, left over right.

Even that mannerism was the opposite of Natalia, Olivia noted. It was such a curious contrast, this mirror image thing. She regarded the woman for a moment longer before speaking. "Listen, I'm sorry about—," she said, gesturing toward Nastassia, indicating the scene that had played out between them. "Natalia and our daughter are on their way to Chicago to spend the weekend with me, and when you walked in, I thought…"

"Your daughter?" Nastassia quickly interrupted, her voice brightening at the receipt of any information whatsoever about her sister. "So Natalia's baby was a girl," she deduced.

"What?" Olivia said, caught just a bit off guard. How could this woman know about Dantéa? The thought of the baby they had lost stilled Olivia's heart for a moment. She took a deep breath, staving off the emotions that threatened, and turned her attention back to the comment.

"Natalia's baby," Nastassia reiterated. "Well, she wouldn't be a baby anymore…"

After processing the comment for what it was—a throwback to Natalia's teen pregnancy, Olivia corrected, "Oh! No. Natalia has a son. Rafe. Our son's name is Rafe," she reported. "Emma is my nine-year-old daughter; the one positive out of a marriage made in hell," she said dryly. She hadn't meant to divulge so much. And yet, she had. "Natalia and I are raising her together."

A nod of Nastassia's head indicated she was processing the information. "So… I have a niece and a nephew," she said, smiling. Just the thought of it made her heart sing.

"Do the two of you have other children together?" she asked. She knew she had no right to the information, but she had been completely caught off guard by the sudden connection to her long-lost twin. And now that the floodgates had been opened, she couldn't stop herself from being hopeful for the answers.

"I have an older daughter," Olivia answered. "Ava. She's twenty-four."

Surprised to hear that Olivia had a daughter that age, Nastassia willfully suppressed a reaction.

"She's an acquisitions manager for our parent corporation, BGRC," Olivia informed; unable to believe how open she was being with this woman she didn't even know. She couldn't bring herself to tell her about Dantéa though. The memory was still too raw, and far too painful. And what business was it of hers anyway? Olivia's throat tightened at the thought.

The air hung thick between them, and desperate for a way out, Olivia abruptly changed the subject. "What, uh… what are you doing here?" she asked. Truth told, her curiosity was killing her. "How did you find us?"

"Newspaper ad," Nastassia answered. She looked a bit confused. "In the Tribune."

"You…" Olivia's poker-face failed her. She looked genuinely stunned. "You're my three o'clock?"

Tilting her head, Nastassia offered another lopsided grin. "Guessing I don't have a chance in hell of getting the job now," she said wryly.

"I, um…"

Flummoxed, Olivia shook her head as she searched for the abandoned file she'd been reading moments earlier.

Opening it, she scanned the résumé, making certain she hadn't completely lost her mind. "So what's with the name?" she asked brusquely, her eyes dropping back down to the paperwork in the file folder on her desk. "Based upon your résumé, I was expecting to meet Ana Mackenzie—not… Nastassia Rivera."

Nastassia gave her a weak smile and nodded. "I guess that does look kinda bad, doesn't it?" she winced.

"Kinda." Olivia let the implications fall silently into the abyss. The hotelier's commanding presence was now firmly in place—Natalia called it authoritative reticence.

"Well, first of all, Mackenzie is my married name," Nastassia explained.

Glancing down at the woman's hand, for the first time Olivia took notice of the impressive diamond wedding set on the woman's left ring finger. Had she looked there earlier, this whole awkward scene never would have played out. Natalia was going to kill her. She was certain of it.

"And as for the name Ana," Nastassia continued, "it's a variation on my given name."

Olivia arched a skeptical eyebrow, drawing a nervous laugh from Nastassia. "I know. Sounds crazy, but it's true," she said. "Anastasia is the Greek form of Nastassia," she explained. "I've gone by Ana for so long now that anything else sounds foreign to me. My mother is the only one who's stubborn enough to hold out on me."

She babbles just like Natalia when she's nervous, Olivia noted. She willed herself to not get distracted by the similarities. "Why the change?" she asked. She knew it was none of her business, but she couldn't help indulging her curiosity.

"Honestly?" Nastassia sighed, pausing for a moment to collect her thoughts. "The name Nastassia holds too many painful memories for me," she said, softly. "Natalia and I were like yin and yang; two halves of the same whole. Polar opposites, yet perfectly matched," she shared, as she fidgeted with the diamond ring on her finger. "So when Papi disowned her, I felt as though I'd lost half of myself. The better half, if I'm being honest. And I just… I couldn't bear to be Nastassia, without Natalia."

The woman's vulnerability tugged at Olivia's heartstrings, but she there was no way she was letting her get off so easily. Willfully, she bolstered her defenses. "Why didn't you ever try to find her?" she asked.

Here it comes, Nastassia thought. She braced herself for the inevitable.

Olivia recognized the flash of guilt mixed with pain and shame, as it flickered through those eyes that looked so much like Natalia's. Still, she stood her ground.

Nastassia swallowed hard. "Papi never would've allowed it," she answered forthrightly. "He was furious with her for defying him, and forbade any of us to go anywhere near her," she explained. "We all knew the consequences if we defied him," she said, trepidation in her tone.

Forcefully, Olivia tamped down the surge of anger she felt rising up within her. "You're a grown woman now," she challenged. She allowed the implications to fall where they may.

A hint of sadness hijacked Nastassia's tone then, as she answered the condemnation wrapped in a statement of fact. "Yes, I am," she quietly agreed. "And I thought so many times of trying to find her. Especially after he was gone, but I—I felt like… even if she was willing forgive me, I didn't deserve the pardon…"

"So, your father is deceased now," Olivia said. It wasn't a question, so much as a confirmation that she stored away for future reference.

"Yes," Nastassia verified. "He died ten years ago—heart attack."

Olivia nodded. Pressing the tips of her fingers together, she rocked in her office chair, contemplating her next move. It was like playing chess with a familiar, yet incalculable opponent. "Obviously, from what you said earlier, your mother is still alive," she deduced, remembering Nastassia's initial comment about being called by her given name.

"Yes."

"What about your siblings?" Olivia wanted to gather every last detail she could, to ensure that nothing would catch Natalia off guard. There was no avoiding an encounter, and she knew it was going to be difficult enough for Natalia, without something seriously out of left field.

Those dimples made another appearance, as Nastassia smiled at her. "They're all fine," she answered. "Married. Most of them with children," she reported.

Olivia was quiet as she processed the information, and Nastassia took the opportunity to study her with measured interest. "I'm just curious," she said, "How did you know I wasn't Natalia? I mean, at first, you were clearly fooled, but then—"

Olivia leaned back in her chair, laughing heartily. "Well, first of all, you didn't bitch me out for picking you up, twirling you around," she grinned. "Natalia would've chewed me a new asshole for disregarding my health," she said, clearly amused. Even now, Natalia still fussed and fretted over Olivia's health. "But I didn't process that, until after I realized how much was wrong with that kiss. Hindsight's twenty-twenty, I suppose."

"What was wrong with the kiss?" Nastassia demanded without thinking. She hoped she didn't sound as insulted as she felt. And though she knew it was ridiculous, she also knew she had no control over an automatic response.

"It wasn't Natalia's," Olivia said simply, a sheepish smile teasing at the corners of her mouth.

"You really love my sister," Nastassia said with soft certainty.

"You have no idea," Olivia whispered, attempting to stave off the tears that threatened to spill.

"Well, I think she's a very lucky woman," Nastassia declared, smiling at Olivia.

Olivia shook her head, denying the declaration. "I'm the lucky one," she insisted. "Natalia saved my life, in more ways than one…"

She took in a deep breath then, studying Natalia's doppelganger with keen interest. "You seem oddly calm for learning your very Catholic sister is engaged to a woman," she said, still trying to size the woman up.

Nastassia shrugged her shoulders. "Who am I to judge?" she replied rhetorically.

Olivia thought the response ironic, given that their entire family had judged Natalia so harshly when she'd gotten pregnant with Rafe. But she said nothing.

A weak smile flickered across Nastassia's face as she caught Olivia nursing her bruised lip again. "I'm really sorry I hit you."

"Why did you, exactly?" Olivia was curious. "If I remember correctly, you kissed me back."

"I did," Nastassia nodded in concession.

"Why?"

"Curiosity?" Nastassia suggested, shrugging her shoulder. Truth was, once she realized the connection between Olivia and Natalia, old instincts had taken over, and she hadn't been able to resist putting one over on someone who was so obviously clueless.

"About?" Olivia's tone was no-nonsense.

"Well, you are Olivia Spencer," Nastassia reasoned. "And quite honestly, it was a throwback to our younger years, when Natalia and I used to switch identities. But we're grown now, and… it was really foolish of me."

"No more foolish than slapping me," Olivia commented drolly. "Why did you?"

"When you called me by her name, well… it was a knee-jerk reaction. I've always hated it when people would confuse me for her," Nastassia explained.

"Why?" Olivia asked, curious.

Pain and regret eclipsed those piercing mahogany eyes, and suddenly, Nastassia found the carpeting beneath her boots very interesting. "Because Natalia is everything I could never be," she quietly confessed. "She has always been the better half of us. And ever since Papi disowned her, I've lived every single day trying to make up for that." She shrugged then, as if in apology. "Guess that's how I ended up in Social Work," she added with a wry smile. "And why I felt so drawn to this position here at New Beginnings… It's a chance to help other young girls, in a way that I couldn't help my Natalia."

No longer able to sustain her anger with this woman, jade eyes flooded with tears. And with those quietly uttered statements, Olivia felt an inexplicable connection form between herself and this woman who looked so very much like her Natalia.

TBC in Chapter 19.5…