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Disclaimer: I do not own Guiding Light or any of its characters. They are used here strictly for entertainment. No money is being gained or sought from this.
A/N: I was listening to music on my mp3 player when Dan Hartman’s I Can Dream about You came on. This idea popped into my head and wouldn’t let go. It’s not very long, and honestly may not be very good. I just thought since I’d written it I’d put it out into the universe and see what happens.
Pairing: Olivia/Natalia
Rating: PG
Title: I Can Dream
***
This is going to sound very cliché, but it is undeniably true.
She is the love of my life. She is the woman of my dreams… literally. To understand the enormity of that statement you should know that I’ve never… ever… seriously, like ever been attracted to another woman. I didn’t even know I had a dream woman or that she was that woman until she invaded my dreams.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure invaded is the right word. The invasion was so subtle at first that I didn’t quite realize what was happening. Then one day, I just knew… I knew she was the one.
I liken the way she invaded my dreams to the way she crept into my heart. Complete subterfuge. Why resist, what I now realize was the inevitable not so hostile takeover of my heart.
It was like we were trying to rip each other’s heads off one minute and in the next I wanted to rip her clothes off. Was that the catalyst to our arguments? Built up sexual tension…
I don’t know what it was. This was all so different. This was so far out of my comfort zone, yet I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all.
Everything about her is different. I have no frame of reference for this. She is not like anyone I have ever known. This foreign landscape I find myself traversing feels like home. She feels like home.
Only it’s not like any home I’ve ever known, but it’s the home I have always dreamt of having.
A home that is so warm, so full of love… filled with the happy sounds of the children playing. Simply put, it’s a home where love abounds.
Funny thing, love…
I thought I knew what love was, or at least what it should be. She showed me differently.
Love doesn’t have to come in like a whirlwind and sweep you off your feet. No candlelight dinners, no walk in the park holding hands… love is not all romance and butterflies in your stomach from nervous anticipation.
Love can be subtle. The shy touch of a hand, the whispered reassurance that everything is going to be all right, that’s the love I now know. The love I crave. The love I need more than I need to breathe.
She gives me that and so much more.
***
We have something that I never knew I desired. A family… we have quite a large family. Together we have six beautiful children. Each of our children has their own very different personality.
Ava, goodness how do I begin to describe Ava? Ava is every bit her mother’s daughter. She’s intelligent, sarcastic, strong-willed, quite beautiful, and perhaps just a little lost. And, like her mother she often looked for love in all the wrong places. I think she’s finding her way now, and I know Christophe has a lot to do with that.
Rafe is a handsome young man who has finally gotten his anger under control. After a short stint in prison, he turned his life around. He married Ashlee Wolfe and they have a rambunctious 3-year-old, Jeremiah to keep them busy.
Emma is a mix of both her mothers. She has a very peaceful nature and a quiet strength that should never be tested. She has grown into a beautiful young woman. She attends Princeton University where she is consistently on the Dean’s List. The most important thing to know about Emma is that she is the reason we are a family.
Chessie is very much like me. She’s eleven going on 47. She is far too advanced and way too sarcastic for a kid her age. Most importantly she is fiercely protective of the ones she loves. Quickest way to a black eye is to insult someone in her family. Just ask Colin O’Neill. Colin spoke ill of Rafe one day and Chessie heard him. She just walked right up and decked him while screaming for him to shut his stupid mouth.
Gregory is nine, and thinks he is the man of the house. He’s extremely spoiled by the women who love him more than life itself. When he grows up he’s sure to be a heartbreaker. Skin the color of honey with emerald eyes and curly black hair, he is definitely our son.
Marissa is also nine. She and Gregory are twins. Marissa is one of the most beautiful little girls I’ve ever seen (sounds biased, but it’s true). Due to some complications during delivery Marissa was born partially deaf. We didn’t know that until she was around 2. I noticed that I often had to call out to her more than once and sometimes quite loudly to get her to respond. We took her to an audiologist. Dr. Bowman fitted our baby with the necessary hearing aid, and then she recommended an excellent speech therapist. It wasn’t long before Marissa was talking our ears off. I couldn’t have been happier. She had been so quiet before, and I was worried about her because, let’s face it, children can be mean to someone who is different.
Marissa is so outgoing and very independent. She’ll let you know in no uncertain terms that she doesn’t like to be babied or singled out. Both she and Gregory are social butterflies (wonder where they get that).
This is my family… our family, and I love them all.
As, I look at her surrounded by our children, I know that it doesn’t get any better than this. My dreams pale in comparison to my reality.
Falling in love with Natalia was easy because it happened when I wasn’t looking. I know with her by my side I’ll never have to look again.
I guess it’s true that love happens when you least expect it… when you stop looking.
Twelve years later and I still dream. Now, however, my dreams are more vivid and in colour.
End