Hiding in Plain Sight, 3/?
A/N: This chapter is a tad longer and should start to answer some nagging questions. Oh, but it's only going to get crazier!
Chapter 3
Olivia slipped down into a booth near the bar with a heavy sigh. Across from her, Doris raised an eyebrow as she swallowed her wine.
Blake had called Doris last night to tell her that Natalia had returned. Doris had a feeling that today was going to be rough for her friend. Blake, in spite of being held to confidence by Natalia, had informed her that Natalia was going to talk to Olivia today and tell her why she’d left in the first place. She hadn’t been prepared, any more than Olivia, to hear that Natalia had ran away because she was pregnant with Frank’s baby.
Doris sat quietly and waited patiently for her friend to start talking since she wasn’t supposed to know anything.
Finally, Olivia looked up from the scotch the bartender had placed in front of her. “Natalia’s back.” Doris opened her mouth feigning shock and Olivia raised a hand. “Don’t try to act like you didn’t know. Blake tells you everything. The woman never could keep a secret.”
“Not quite true,” Doris defended. “She didn’t tell you where Natalia went.”
“Why do I even bother with you?” Olivia responded with false irritation.
Leaning back in the booth a little, Doris preened in arrogance. “Because you love me and because even the great Olivia Spencer needs a friend now and then.”
“True,” Olivia agreed and smiled slightly in spite of the situation. “So, what did Marler tell you? I hate repeating myself.”
“No, that’s not fair because I want to hear what happened when you first saw Natalia. What did you say to her? What did she say to you?” Doris’s enthusiasm to know more was genuine. Blake had a propensity to exaggerate. It was the writer in her, Doris was sure of it, but she wanted the details from Olivia.
Sighing, Olivia slumped back in the booth. “She left because she found out she was pregnant but she’s not anymore.”
Now that part Doris didn’t know about. “Really? How?”
Olivia waved a hand. “Not an abortion. There’s no way Natalia could do that. Miscarriage.”
“Oh.” As a mother, Doris understood this fear all too well. She saw a familiar flicker of it on Olivia’s face. “Are you okay with it?”
In her desire to cover her feelings, protect her fragile emotional state, Olivia scoffed, “Of course. It’s not like it was my kid or something. That was Frank’s baby.” For a moment, Doris simply watched and waited. Olivia couldn’t take the inquisitive look long. “Okay, I admit it. I wanted to have a baby with Natalia, but not like that. That’s not the way I had imagined it. But…but I hate to think of her going through that alone too or thinking that she needed to. But I’m supposed to be angry with her too. I AM angry with her.” Olivia’s voice rose as she spoke more become further frustrated by the situation. As angry as she was at Natalia for lying and then leaving, Olivia hurt for her ex- as well.
Doris reached across the table and took Olivia’s hand, consoling her as best she could. “You two have a lot to work through.”
Olivia pulled away and shook her head resolutely. “There’s nothing to work through. I just need to move on with my life, without Natalia in it.”
Doris waved the server over, gesturing for refills. “You’ll never move on as long as you’re in love with her.” The server set the drinks down and walked off. Doris circled her finger over the glasses. “Drink up, my friend, you’re going to need it.”
***
At the farmhouse, Natalia set the food out on the table and Rafe scooped up a hearty serving. The ruse that Rafe was her son had worked well for them for the past six years they had been partners. Rafe looked younger than he really was and that helped them pull it off. There was just enough age difference between them to make it believable.
At first, Natalia wasn’t sure about the kid being her partner, but he’d proven himself time and again in Chicago. When she got the assignment to come to Springfield, she refused to go unless she could take Rafe with her. It had all worked out perfectly. Nicky, a fellow agent, had long ago infiltrated Springfield so it was easy for people to buy that Natalia was his high school sweetheart and Rafe was his son.
Natalia knew that she came off as secretive and aloof to most people, but considering the work they did and the life they led, the less information you gave the better off you were. There were fewer opportunities to get caught in a lie if you barely spoke. Over the years, she and Rafe had developed a fairly elaborate story of their life in Chicago. The more they told the story, the more believable it became. Nicky had been briefed on their false history prior to their arrival and it all went off without a hitch until he was killed in a motorcycle accident. That’s when Olivia got his heart and Natalia’s world turned upside down.
She smiled across the table at the bushy head of her partner. He looked up at her and spoke around a mouthful of lasagna, “What?”
“You’re a mess, kid. How do you ever expect to find a girl when you eat like a caveman?” Natalia gently chided.
He pointed a fork at her playfully. “If you haven’t noticed, people like us aren’t the marrying types.”
Of that fact, Natalia didn’t need to be reminded. “That doesn’t negate the need for manners.”
The testiness in Natalia’s voice was evident. “What crawled up your butt, boss?” For a moment, Natalia refused to even look him in the eye. He put his fork down. “I knew it. You talked to Olivia, didn’t you?”
“Don’t start, Rafe,” she warned.
“You know the rules about getting close to people. They can’t know about us,” he growled.
She glared at him in reaction. She hated the lies and secrecy. More than anything, Natalia wanted to be honest with Olivia, but how could Olivia ever love her if she knew the truth? Instead she thrust her pain and fear outward onto her partner. “Don’t you dare tell me how to act or what to do, and you sure as hell don’t tell me about the rules. I was well-aware of the rules of this organization long before you came along.”
Rafe stood up from his chair. He loved his partner. They had become each other’s family over the last few years, but he couldn’t sit by and watch her risk the entire operation. “What are you going to do, Natalia? Put me into a coma like you did that guard at the Sanctuary?”
She dropped her head into her hands, frustrated and defeated. It had taken them a couple of weeks to even get her under control. The virus had the unintended consequence of infecting a nodule on her liver causing the abdominal swelling, fever, and nausea. “I told you, that was the treatment talking. I had no intention of hurting that guy.”
“But you did! Under normal conditions we can control ourselves, but what’s normal about any of this? What’s normal about us? Nothing!” Rafe threw his hands in the air in exasperation. “Do you want to hurt Olivia or worse, Emma?”
Natalia slammed her hand to the table, cracking it slightly. “You know I don’t!”
Glancing down at the crack on the table, Rafe drove his point home by pointing at it. “Then maybe for their sakes, you should keep them at a distance.”
When Rafe left the house, closing the door behind him, Natalia let herself go. Tears streamed down her face as she ran a finger over the damaged spot on the table. “Maybe he’s right.” Even as she said it though, she knew she’d never be able to honor it. The mere thought of never having Olivia in her life again ripped at her heart. She loved Olivia too much to give up now.
Chapter 3
Olivia slipped down into a booth near the bar with a heavy sigh. Across from her, Doris raised an eyebrow as she swallowed her wine.
Blake had called Doris last night to tell her that Natalia had returned. Doris had a feeling that today was going to be rough for her friend. Blake, in spite of being held to confidence by Natalia, had informed her that Natalia was going to talk to Olivia today and tell her why she’d left in the first place. She hadn’t been prepared, any more than Olivia, to hear that Natalia had ran away because she was pregnant with Frank’s baby.
Doris sat quietly and waited patiently for her friend to start talking since she wasn’t supposed to know anything.
Finally, Olivia looked up from the scotch the bartender had placed in front of her. “Natalia’s back.” Doris opened her mouth feigning shock and Olivia raised a hand. “Don’t try to act like you didn’t know. Blake tells you everything. The woman never could keep a secret.”
“Not quite true,” Doris defended. “She didn’t tell you where Natalia went.”
“Why do I even bother with you?” Olivia responded with false irritation.
Leaning back in the booth a little, Doris preened in arrogance. “Because you love me and because even the great Olivia Spencer needs a friend now and then.”
“True,” Olivia agreed and smiled slightly in spite of the situation. “So, what did Marler tell you? I hate repeating myself.”
“No, that’s not fair because I want to hear what happened when you first saw Natalia. What did you say to her? What did she say to you?” Doris’s enthusiasm to know more was genuine. Blake had a propensity to exaggerate. It was the writer in her, Doris was sure of it, but she wanted the details from Olivia.
Sighing, Olivia slumped back in the booth. “She left because she found out she was pregnant but she’s not anymore.”
Now that part Doris didn’t know about. “Really? How?”
Olivia waved a hand. “Not an abortion. There’s no way Natalia could do that. Miscarriage.”
“Oh.” As a mother, Doris understood this fear all too well. She saw a familiar flicker of it on Olivia’s face. “Are you okay with it?”
In her desire to cover her feelings, protect her fragile emotional state, Olivia scoffed, “Of course. It’s not like it was my kid or something. That was Frank’s baby.” For a moment, Doris simply watched and waited. Olivia couldn’t take the inquisitive look long. “Okay, I admit it. I wanted to have a baby with Natalia, but not like that. That’s not the way I had imagined it. But…but I hate to think of her going through that alone too or thinking that she needed to. But I’m supposed to be angry with her too. I AM angry with her.” Olivia’s voice rose as she spoke more become further frustrated by the situation. As angry as she was at Natalia for lying and then leaving, Olivia hurt for her ex- as well.
Doris reached across the table and took Olivia’s hand, consoling her as best she could. “You two have a lot to work through.”
Olivia pulled away and shook her head resolutely. “There’s nothing to work through. I just need to move on with my life, without Natalia in it.”
Doris waved the server over, gesturing for refills. “You’ll never move on as long as you’re in love with her.” The server set the drinks down and walked off. Doris circled her finger over the glasses. “Drink up, my friend, you’re going to need it.”
***
At the farmhouse, Natalia set the food out on the table and Rafe scooped up a hearty serving. The ruse that Rafe was her son had worked well for them for the past six years they had been partners. Rafe looked younger than he really was and that helped them pull it off. There was just enough age difference between them to make it believable.
At first, Natalia wasn’t sure about the kid being her partner, but he’d proven himself time and again in Chicago. When she got the assignment to come to Springfield, she refused to go unless she could take Rafe with her. It had all worked out perfectly. Nicky, a fellow agent, had long ago infiltrated Springfield so it was easy for people to buy that Natalia was his high school sweetheart and Rafe was his son.
Natalia knew that she came off as secretive and aloof to most people, but considering the work they did and the life they led, the less information you gave the better off you were. There were fewer opportunities to get caught in a lie if you barely spoke. Over the years, she and Rafe had developed a fairly elaborate story of their life in Chicago. The more they told the story, the more believable it became. Nicky had been briefed on their false history prior to their arrival and it all went off without a hitch until he was killed in a motorcycle accident. That’s when Olivia got his heart and Natalia’s world turned upside down.
She smiled across the table at the bushy head of her partner. He looked up at her and spoke around a mouthful of lasagna, “What?”
“You’re a mess, kid. How do you ever expect to find a girl when you eat like a caveman?” Natalia gently chided.
He pointed a fork at her playfully. “If you haven’t noticed, people like us aren’t the marrying types.”
Of that fact, Natalia didn’t need to be reminded. “That doesn’t negate the need for manners.”
The testiness in Natalia’s voice was evident. “What crawled up your butt, boss?” For a moment, Natalia refused to even look him in the eye. He put his fork down. “I knew it. You talked to Olivia, didn’t you?”
“Don’t start, Rafe,” she warned.
“You know the rules about getting close to people. They can’t know about us,” he growled.
She glared at him in reaction. She hated the lies and secrecy. More than anything, Natalia wanted to be honest with Olivia, but how could Olivia ever love her if she knew the truth? Instead she thrust her pain and fear outward onto her partner. “Don’t you dare tell me how to act or what to do, and you sure as hell don’t tell me about the rules. I was well-aware of the rules of this organization long before you came along.”
Rafe stood up from his chair. He loved his partner. They had become each other’s family over the last few years, but he couldn’t sit by and watch her risk the entire operation. “What are you going to do, Natalia? Put me into a coma like you did that guard at the Sanctuary?”
She dropped her head into her hands, frustrated and defeated. It had taken them a couple of weeks to even get her under control. The virus had the unintended consequence of infecting a nodule on her liver causing the abdominal swelling, fever, and nausea. “I told you, that was the treatment talking. I had no intention of hurting that guy.”
“But you did! Under normal conditions we can control ourselves, but what’s normal about any of this? What’s normal about us? Nothing!” Rafe threw his hands in the air in exasperation. “Do you want to hurt Olivia or worse, Emma?”
Natalia slammed her hand to the table, cracking it slightly. “You know I don’t!”
Glancing down at the crack on the table, Rafe drove his point home by pointing at it. “Then maybe for their sakes, you should keep them at a distance.”
When Rafe left the house, closing the door behind him, Natalia let herself go. Tears streamed down her face as she ran a finger over the damaged spot on the table. “Maybe he’s right.” Even as she said it though, she knew she’d never be able to honor it. The mere thought of never having Olivia in her life again ripped at her heart. She loved Olivia too much to give up now.