By damnation
DISCLAIMER: This is an Otalia-Uber fiction. The characters in this story portrays the physical and some personality attributes of the characters Olivia Spencer and Natalia Rivera from Guiding Light but they belong to me.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks to Blue for her great beta-ing skills!
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
By damnation
63
Everyone had worked hard on decorating the house for the party; it looked a tad menacing with its faux slashed doors, red lights and bloody drapes. Kristen took another sip of her sangria and searched the crowd for Frances. She had to keep reminding herself to give Frances her space to hang out and mingle with her mates the entire night but she could not stop herself from seeking her out, just to know where she was at all times.
"Hello, stranger."
Kristen's eyes fell on Eleanor, who had come as a warrior woman with streaks of blood all over her face and arms. "Hey, you. Having fun?"
"Hell yeah. Sick party!" Eleanor said, looking around. There were a few vampires walking around, a few of them with bloody stakes. Nell looked spunky in a Jason costume, complete with a hockey mask and machete.
"Um, so. Are you doing okay? Must be a little crazy with Frances being taken and all..." Eleanor said, trailing off. Kristen blew out a breath. She was hoping to not have to think about what had happened. Seeing Kristen's expression and reading it correctly, Eleanor shook her head. "Hey, I just want you to know that if you need to talk about it with anyone other than Frances, I'm here, okay?"
Kristen pursed her lips in a small smile. "Yeah, thanks. I appreciate that," she said, touching her hand to Eleanor's arm. She liked Eleanor but she really wasn't someone Kristen would want to talk about such things with. Nevertheless, she was touched by the offer.
"So, I totally dig your outfit," Eleanor said, changing the topic. "How many times have you gotten hit on tonight?" she teased, running her eyes down Kristen's length.
Kristen's hair was sprayed black with a streak of white for the party. She had on a white shirt, a tie, pin striped charcoal vest and matching pants. Leather cut off gloves encased her hands up to her knuckles. Kristen whipped out her barber blade to tap against her chin. "A couple," she said seriously before breaking out into a shy smile.
"Never thought I'd say this but... you're actually doing a hot impersonation of Todd Sweeney," Eleanor said grudgingly. "Though no one could ever do it better than Johnny."
"Oh, yeah, that man is so hot," Kristen agreed with a dreamy look.
"Which man?" Frances interrupted, snaking her arms around Kristen's waist. "I shall pounce on him and rip his jugular out with my... hey, where's my breast dagger?" she asked no one in particular as she patted down her body.
"Honey, there's not much on you for you to lose anything in," Eleanor said with a chuckle and a lift of her brow.
Frances snickered and threw her friend a naughty look. "Oh, I didn't have a breast dagger. I just wanted to draw Kristen's attention to my attributes." Kristen sighed indulgently at the tease that was Frances.
"Johnny Depp," Eleanor said, answering Frances' question. At the confused look on her friend's face, Eleanor rephrased what she was saying. "The man that Kristen thinks is hot."
Frances hummed as she eyed Kristen's outfit. "Oh, he is very, very sexy." Her eyes fell on the razor blade in Kristen's hand. She lifted Kristen's hand and directed it to her chest, trailing the blade down her body lightly. Kristen sucked in a breath as her eyes followed the trek the blade was making.
"Christ, you two! Get a room!" Eleanor huffed playfully.
Kristen's hand itched to unravel the bit of brown material that wrapped around Frances' chest. It just barely covered her breasts. Frances had a band on one upper arm and a wrist gauntlet on the other. The rest of her upper torso was smeared with clay that had dried to a grey paste. She had drawn the swirls on Frances' face, arms and shoulders herself.
Frances tiptoed slightly to plant a kiss on Kristen's lips before she pulled away and shot Eleanor a sheepish smile. "Sorry."
She wandered away, leaving Eleanor to call after her. "Hey, I didn't mean for you to leave! Frances!"
Frances her head but kept on walking. "I need to go to the bathroom!" She couldn't believe that her bladder had held on long enough for her to get sidetracked by Kristen. Then again, Kristen had the knack of making her forget things--things like her own name, for instance.
"Your girlfriend is so... exasperating," Eleanor said to Kristen, who was smirking.
"You mean my girlfriend is so exasperatingly hot," Kristen amended.
Eleanor shook her head at Kristen. "You're totally into her, aren't you?" she asked, her voice painted with wonder.
Kristen finished her drink and placed her empty glass on the table behind them. "Abso-fuckin-lutely." She took a step backwards and cast a distracted look in the direction of the bathroom. "If you'll excuse me, I have to use the, um, bathroom."
Eleanor rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Yeah, yeah. Good thing there are two bathrooms in this house!"
Frances dried her hands and frowned at the splatter patterns on her clay smeared arms. She twisted her body in the mirror to see if it was still smeared with clay. Satisfied that most of her costume was still intact, Frances let herself out of the bathroom only to walk into Isobel.
"Hey," she said in surprise, stumbling backwards a little.
"Hey, Frances, I, um, just wanted to say that I'm sorry... about, you know, my brother," Isobel said haltingly as she rested a hand on the door frame to stop herself from swaying too much. "I'm really glad you're okay."
Frances peered up at Isobel. "It's okay. I mean, it's not okay, but it's okay. You know what I mean." Frances shook her head lightly to clear it. "And you shouldn't have to apologise. Damn, brothers are such a pain! Thank God I'm an only child," she said jokingly.
"Everyone was really worried about you. When Doug came over... I think that was the first time it hit him what a complete and total knob he's been." Frances chuckled lightly at the use of the term 'knob'. "Kristen seems to care a lot for you," Isobel rambled on after she had gotten all that uncomfortable stuff out of the way.
"Um. Yeah. She does," Frances said, thinking that the bathroom had got to be one of the weirdest places to conduct a conversation with someone you weren't that close to. "Do you wanna go back out and grab a drink?" she asked before deciding that it was probably a really bad suggestion to make to Isobel, who looked like she was about to topple over.
Isobel didn't seem to hear her. "Can I just ask you something?"
Frances shrugged. "Yeah?"
"Why... why Kristen? I mean, why her and not me? Why couldn't we have what the two of you have? Am I... is it me?"
Frances was caught by surprise at the direction the conversation had suddenly taken. "No, it's not you. I... I'm not sure there's any explanation for it... You're really great, Izzie. I'm just not the one for you."
"How do you know that Kristen's the one for you then?" Frances frowned up at Isobel, not entirely sure if she wanted to be having this conversation with her. It was none of her business to begin with. "Sorry. I'm behaving like a knob myself," Isobel said, sighing. Her face was flushed and her eyes were unfocussed. "I just really liked you and I thought, you know... and maybe it would help if I knew what went wrong..."
"Nothing went wrong, Izzie." Frances tried to search her brain for the words to get her out of this awkward situation. She wasn't even sure if Isobel would remember it the next day. "And I don't know that she's the one. She just... is," Frances said with a shrug. "I don't have to think about it or ask questions about it."
"So you don't know she's the one?" Isobel asked, confused.
"No..." Frances grounded out, a little frustrated. "I just mean I don't have to think about... never mind. She is the one for me." She never had to explain herself every two sentences with Kristen, Frances thought. "I'm gonna go back to the party, okay?" When Isobel merely swayed in answer, Frances frowned. "Are you okay? I could get you some water..."
Her eyes widened in alarm when Isobel suddenly leaned in really close. She just managed to turn her face when Kristen appeared. Isobel dropped her forehead on Frances' shoulder, mumbling incoherently. "Hey. Is she okay?" Kristen asked cautiously.
"Yeah," Frances said when Isobel clamped a hand over her mouth and righted herself. "She was just about to use the bathroom..." Isobel pushed past Frances, who pulled the bathroom door shut with a slight grimace.
She turned to Kristen, ready to explain if Kristen had gotten the wrong idea; Kristen reached out a hand to pull a surprised Frances against her. "She's pretty smashed," Frances said redundantly, a tad breathless at being handled that way by Kristen.
"I know." Kristen's voice was low and her gaze was electric. "I kinda heard the tail end of your conversation. Sorry."
"Oh." Frances thought back about what she had said and blushed slightly. "How embarrassing." She shifted between Kristen and the wall, bringing her hands up to drape around Kristen's shoulders. She touched the shock of white that run from Kristen's hairline and smiled. "How much did you hear exactly?"
"I heard you say you don't know if I'm the one for you," Kristen said wryly.
Frances rolled her eyes. "You know that's so not what I meant." The music from the stereo stopped abruptly. Frances glanced behind Kristen and squeezed her shoulder lightly. "You wanna take this conversation somewhere else? Izzie's gonna come out of the bathroom any second..."
"I love you, Frances," Kristen said, not caring if Isobel did walk out and see them wrapped up in each other. The starting chords of Jace Everett's Bad Things sounded from the lounge room. "And I want you, every second of every day..." It was driving her crazy, this wanting.
Frances grinned. "To do bad things with?" she asked with a lift of a brow. She could hear Nell singing in a low, scratchy voice into the microphone, heightening the song's dark, sexy appeal.
Kristen's lips twitched. Her ears picked up the lyrics of the song. "Yeah. I wanna do real bad things with you," she said before dipping her head to touch her lips to Frances'. A moan rose in the back of her throat and she sighed into the kiss, her head swimming in an alcoholic, love and lust filled haze.
Frances pushed herself away from the wall and steered them away from the bathroom with her arms still wrapped around Kristen. They bumped into a few giggling party-goers along the way to Frances' room but managed to not break their kiss the entire time. Frances slammed the door shut behind her and gasped in surprise when Kristen abruptly backed her up against the door with her body.
"Kristen, wait. You're gonna get a mouth full of clay..." Frances murmured and caught Kristen's face in her hands before she could kiss her way down her neck. Her room was dark except for the glow of a purple lava lamp in a corner.
"I want you. And I don't want to wait," Kristen said in a gravelly tone, making Frances' breath hitch. She untied the knot between Frances' shoulders and allowed the material to drop to the floor. "No clay here," she murmured with a seductive smile before dipping her head and catching a nipple with her lips. Frances' eyes fluttered shut and her hand came to rest on Kristen's head. Then her eyes shot open when Kristen lifted her up. Her legs went around Kristen's hips instinctively.
Kristen reached up to let Frances' hair down, sighing at the sight of her shaking her dark tresses loose. Then Frances cradled Kristen's face in her hands as she touched their noses together. "I'm not very light, baby. You should let me down."
"Nuh uh," Kristen mumbled. Frances' weight felt good. Her long hair falling like a curtain around them felt good. And her hands cradling her face... that felt really good. "You are... you mean... I don't even know the words..." she stammered, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the ball of emotions that was expanding in her chest.
"Then don't say anything. I know what you mean... because I feel the same." Frances slanted her face and covered Kristen's lips with her own. Kristen's moan made her stop and pull back slightly, trying to keep her breathing under control. "So, what're the bad things you said you wanna do with me?" she asked softly, teasingly.
Kristen growled. "You are such a tease."
She took two steps and they tumbled onto Frances' bed. A giggle escaped Frances but Kristen's hands on the waistband of her leather pants silenced that. "What, no foreplay?" she asked, biting back a smile. She was propped up on her elbows, gazing up at Kristen.
Kristen ripped the offending piece of garment off Frances and swallowed hard. "No," she said firmly before taking Frances in a swift motion, loving the way Frances' eyes widened, the way her mouth fell open as she gasped.
Frances pulled herself upright with a hand on Kristen's shoulder, bringing her face a breath away from Kristen's. Their eyes met before Frances dropped hers to focus on Kristen's lips. Then she began moving slowly, impaling herself repeatedly on Kristen's fingers, her whimpering growing louder as her movements became more urgent.
"You're amazing," Kristen said in wonder as she began pushing herself deeper into Frances.
"I'm gonna come all over your nice pants," Frances said huskily with a breathless smile. She bit on her lower lip and pulled her hair back and around one shoulder.
Kristen closed her eyes for a second at the words. A slow, seductive smile crept onto her face. "That shouldn't sound this hot," she rasped out. Then she touched her thumb to Frances' clit and Frances' head rolled back as she groaned loudly. She grabbed onto Frances' hip with her free hand to push her onto her fingers more firmly, increasing the pressure and speed of their copulation.
"Oh, God, fuck..." Frances cried out, feeling a rush of wetness to her centre as her pleasure increased tenfold. "That feels so good," she managed out before her body tensed and Kristen released a wordless cry to match Frances'. Kristen dropped her head onto a sweaty shoulder, breathing heavily. She had to get out of her damned clothes before she combusted.
"What are you doing to me?" Frances murmured against Kristen's neck. "Just when I think sex with you can't get better... you blow my freakin' mind." Kristen chuckled, feeling immensely pleased with herself. "God, you must be melting," Frances said when she finally noticed the state that Kristen was in. "I'll get the fan."
Frances turned the room light on as well before returning to bed. She took one look at Kristen and began giggling. "Baby, you have clay all over your clothes... I'm so sorry..." she said mirthfully as she wiped at the stains on Kristen's clothes futilely.
Kristen smirked when she took her shirt off. She was about to put her vest back on when Frances stopped her. "If you start on me, we'll never make it back to the party," Kristen said regretfully, buttoning up her vest.
"So? Who cares about the party? I've already picked up the hottest chick in the house," Frances murmured, tugging Kristen's vest lightly.
Kristen gave Frances an indulgent look before her expression turned serious. "I just thought we deserve a bit of fun after everything... and that you might wanna hang out with your friends."
Frances stroked Kristen's cheek softly. "We do. I do. Thank you." She kissed Kristen on her lips lightly.
A loud knock on the door made their heads swivel around. "Hey guys, come back out and join the party!"
"Coming!" Frances called out, sharing a chuckle with Kristen. "You go first. I'll be out shortly," she said, knowing that the longer they remained in the room together, the less chance they would make it out without mucking around some more.
"'Kay." Kristen nuzzled Frances' shoulder before she scrambled off the bed and let herself out of the room.
"Is she coming out soon? We've got the cake ready," Eleanor said in a whisper.
That's right, the surprise birthday cake! Kristen could not believe that it had slipped her mind. "Yeah, she's just... getting dressed," she said with a slight blush.
Eleanor and Nell chuckled. "Oh, to be in love..." Nell said in a sing song voice.
"And in lust..." Eleanor added cheekily, making Kristen's blush deepen.
They went to the lounge room, where the cake was, with at least a dozen sparklers sticking out of it. Teagan was standing beside it with a lighter in one hand. "Should I light it now?" she asked, looking over their shoulders.
"Um. I'll give you the signal," Eleanor said, moving towards Frances' room. "Oh, now, now!" she said hurriedly when she saw Frances' door crack open.
Everyone broke out in a loud rendition of Happy Birthday when Frances appeared. Kristen chuckled at Frances' exaggerated eye rolling and lingered by the couch when Frances was engulfed by Nell, Eleanor and Teagan in a group hug. Their eyes met for a split second past Teagan's shoulder, and Kristen smiled.
64
Sam Faulks stifled a yawn. He was on his way home from his seemingly neverending shift when he decided on a whim to swing by Frances Russell's to update her on the case. Slamming his car door shut, Faulks double checked the address in his folder before he let himself through the gate. Combing a hand through his floppy brown hair, Faulks hoped that he looked presentable.
As he made his way up the steps to the veranda, it became increasingly clear to him that he was witnessing the aftermath of a party. Faulks lifted a brow when he reached a slashed front door. He glanced in his folder again, wanting to make sure that he did not get the wrong house.
The front door swung open, startling him. His lips curved up in a smile when he saw Frances. "Morning, Miss Russell. I'm the detective who took your statement a few days ago..."
Frances looked surprised. "Oh, hi! Detective Faulks, right? What can I do for you?"
Pleased that she remembered his name, Faulks relaxed his shoulders a little and combed his hand through his hair again. "Call me Sam," he offered with a boyish smile.
"Oh. Okay. And it's Frances to you," Frances answered with a smile of her own. "Would you like to come in? Have a cup of tea?"
Faulks nodded as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Yeah, that would be lovely. If it's not too much trouble, of course," he said hastily.
Frances' face broke into a dimpled smile that made him feel warm all over. "No trouble at all. Come on in," she said, holding the door open for him. He slid past her and made his way through the house, his nose wrinkling slightly at the sour smell of alcohol. "Sorry 'bout the mess, Detective. We had a party last night," Frances apologised from behind him.
"Oh, no worries. Any special occasion?" he asked conversationally.
"Nah. Just a house party," Frances said, walking over to the kettle. "How do you like your tea?"
"White, one sugar," Faulks replied, looking around the kitchen idly before letting his eyes fall on Frances. She looked like she had just taken a shower; her long, dark hair was damp. She looked good in a blue wifebeater and really short shorts, he decided. He liked how she seemed so unaware of the way she looked. "Is this a share house?"
Frances nodded. "Here," she said, placing a mug of tea before him. She took a seat across from him, folding her legs under her. Faulks noticed her grimace slightly when she rested her weight on her injured ankle.
"How's the ankle?" he asked sympathetically.
"Heaps better, actually," Frances said, sipping from her mug. "Thanks. So, what brings you here today, Detective?"
"Sam," Faulks corrected her, smiling when she said his name. "I was just going home after my shift so I thought I'd drop by to let you know that we've picked Liam Murphy and Benjamin Cameron up. They're both at the station right now."
"Oh. So... what happens now?" Frances asked nervously.
Faulks moved a little closer to Frances. "Well, we can hold them for up to eight hours for questioning. If the need arises, we could request to hold them longer. They should be released soon if my partner doesn't see the need to detain them any further. Would you be safe...?"
Frances bit her lower lip. "Yes," she said, wishing that she was as confident as she sounded.
"All right. Well." Faulks reached for his wallet and rummaged through it for his card. "Here's my number. If you need anything... if they bother you, don't hesitate to call me," he instructed.
"Thanks," Frances murmured gratefully, taking the card from him.
"Sorry, I hope I didn't ruin your Sunday," Faulks said ruefully, catching the worried expression on Frances' face.
Frances shook her head. "Thanks for stopping by, Det- Sam. I really appreciate it."
"My pleasure," Faulks said, sipping his tea slowly, hoping to prolong his visit. "So... what do you do?" he asked, tilting his head slightly. His right hand played with the silver chain that he wore around his left wrist absently.
"I... teach," Frances said, wondering if Kristen had awaken in the time that she had left the bed. She had wanted to run down the road to grab a couple of croissants and surprise Kristen with breakfast in bed. "Actually, do you mind hanging out here on your own, finish your tea? I kinda have something I have to do but you're totally welcome to just hang if you want."
"Oh. Um." Faulks looked a little surprised, then awkward. "No, I'm done, actually," he said, clearing his throat and tugging at his collar. "I won't hold you up any longer."
Frances looked sheepish. "Sorry. You're not holding me up or anything, it's just..."
"Hey," a husky voice floated into the kitchen, making Frances and Faulks look up. Faulks swallowed at the sight of a woman with her hair pulled back in a ponytail, standing in the kitchen doorway in an oversized men's shirt with its sleeves rolled up. He briefly wondered if there was a vacant room for rent in this house.
"Hey," Frances greeted, her eyes lighting up at the sight of Kristen. "Kristen, this is Detective Faulks. He dropped by to update me on the case."
"Oh. Hi Detective," Kristen greeted, stretching a hand out.
Faulks cleared his throat, acutely feeling his masculinity in the company of two beautiful women. "Call me Sam, please," he said, taking Kristen's hand in his own. It was a strong handshake.
"So... is everything okay?" Kristen asked, looking from the detective to Frances. She walked over to Frances and placed a hand on her shoulder. Frances reached for it automatically, threading their fingers together.
"Um, yeah," Faulks said, noting their closeness. They must be really good friends, he thought. "We've taken Liam Murphy and Benjamin Cameron in for questioning," he said for Kristen's benefit. "They'll be released from the station soon if my partner doesn't find any reason to detain them further. We still have to conduct more investigation before we can make any arrests," he said regretfully.
"What kind of charges..."
"Unlawful imprisonment for one," Faulks answered before Frances could finish her question. "Sorry, but I can't really disclose anything else." At Frances' nod, Faulks finished his tea and rubbed the back of his neck gingerly. "Well, um, I guess I should make a move."
Frances got up, releasing Kristen's hand. She flashed him a quick smile. "Thanks again, Detective. I'll walk you out."
Faulks gave Kristen a polite smile which she returned. Then he made his way to the front door of the house with Frances by his side. "So, uh, have a great Sunday," he said finally when they reached the door. He was feeling a little nervous and he attributed it to his impulsiveness after pulling a sixteen hour shift.
"Thanks. You too," Frances said, tucking her hair behind her ear. "And sorry about earlier..."
Faulks shook his head. "My bad. I shouldn't have dropped by this way. It was very unprofessional of me. I should be the one apologising."
"No, no," Frances said hurriedly. "Not at all. It was really nice of you."
"I'll see you again, then," he said, leaning against the doorframe so that his eyes were on the same level as hers. He clasped the folder that he had brought with him against his chest.
"Um. Yeah. See ya," Frances said, starting to feel a little impatient. When he finally left, Frances shut the door and went back to the kitchen to find Kristen leaning against the counter with a steaming mug in her hands and her legs crossed at her ankles. "Hey," she greeted softly, lips curving up at the sexy sight.
"Hey. Interesting morning?"
Frances shrugged. "It was nice of the detective to drop by and stuff but he kinda foiled my breakfast in bed surprise for you."
"Ooh." Kristen pushed herself away from the counter to close the distance between Frances and herself. "Breakfast in bed surprise, huh?" she asked, smiling. "Was that just you, naked, splayed out for me to feast on?"
Frances rolled her eyes. "Brain. Gutter. Out," she admonished, trailing her fingers down the exposed skin at Kristen's chest. Kristen pulled their bodies close, making Frances' eyes flutter shut briefly. "You smell really nice," she husked out, nuzzling Kristen's neck.
"Mm. So do you," Kristen replied, breathing in the scent of Frances' shampoo. "And for your information, that detective was interested in you."
Frances shot Kristen a skeptical look. "He so was not."
"Uh huh. He so was."
"Kristen, who in their right minds would be interested in me after they see you?" Frances asked, bewildered. "I mean, look at you," she said, gesticulating with her hand.
Chuckling softly, Kristen dipped her face to capture Frances' lips. "Thank you for that compliment, but I assure you, not everyone sees me the way you do."
"I sure hope not. I'd have to give up my full time job to fend them off you with a stick!" Frances mumbled under her breath, making Kristen laugh at loud at the look on her face and the imagery that she painted.
"So, about this breakfast in bed offer... does it have an expiry date?" Kristen asked, changing the subject.
Frances looked speculatively at Kristen. "How do you feel about almond croissants?"
"Ooh. You makin'? Puff pastry's a pain in the ass," Kristen teased.
"No... let's take a walk. It's a nice day. We could get some croissants for everyone else too," Frances said, pulling away from Kristen. She stopped and frowned. "We'll need to get more clothes on you before you step out of this house though."
"What, is this not good enough for you?" Kristen asked, looking down at her attire, pretending to feel affronted.
"Kristen," Frances said with a long suffering sigh, "Stop being a smart ass. That's my job."
"I can't help it! You keep passing me your germs!" Kristen complained good naturedly as she followed Frances back to her room.
Frances spun around when she stepped into her room, reached a hand out, grabbed Kristen by the front of her shirt and pulled her close. She slid her other hand under Kristen's shirt and scraped her nails up her torso. Then she crushed their lips together just as her hand closed around a breast, tearing a groan from Kristen's throat. Kristen blindly reached for the door behind her and slammed it shut.
"You don't wanna do that," Frances murmured breathlessly.
"Do what?" Kristen asked, equally breathless, her lips bruised from the rough kissing.
"Ugh. I was really looking forward to almond croissants..." Frances whined as she steered Kristen backwards until Kristen's back was against the door.
"So let's go get some," Kristen said, amusement lacing her voice. She combed her hands through Frances' still damp tresses and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Come on, I'll get changed and we'll go get some tucker," she said, trying to calm her raging libido.
"The moment you step out of that shirt, Kristen, I'd jump you so fast you'd forget your name," Frances informed Kristen wryly.
Kristen sucked in a breath at that. "Ooh. Is that a promise or a threat?"
Frances blew out a breath and pulled her own top off, making Kristen's eyes widen for a split second. "Neither. It's a fact," Frances said, pushing Kristen onto her bed.