It was Sunday and Olivia was watching Rich and Rob's panel. Ayla sitting on her lap, Daniel was in the seat beside her. Fletcher and Frank tagged along too. Steve and Audrey were back in the green room. She could tell Ayla was getting restless, though. They still had more than half an hour left. She turns to Daniel "Hey, Danny. Do you think you could take Ayla for a walk? I think she's a bit bored". He nods "Sure". "Okay, sweetheart. Go with Danny," She says to her and she listens. Ayla slides off of her lap as Daniel stands up. He takes her hand and the Speight boys decide to go with them. Liv sighs quietly. She saw Rich looking at her in concern from the stage. She smiles, giving him a thumbs up. He nods reluctantly, returning his attention to the questions.
Later
Olivia was a little worried as they hadn't returned yet. But she heard some commotion from the back of the room. It probably shouldn't have shocked her as much as it did when she saw Ayla running full speed down the side of the hall with three boys chasing after her. Rich and Rob both saw this and briefly stopped. Ayla almost knocked herself out as she ran towards the stage. Not even security could stop her from climbing up those steps. Daniel glanced over to his mom and sighed out of breath. She just chuckles. Although, nothing could prepare her for what was about to happen. Ayla didn't even need a microphone. When she got on the stage, she ran over to Rich and hugged his leg. Olivia felt her heart leap into her mouth as she yelled "Daddy!". Despite the 'aww' from the audience, Liv was mortified. The boys at the side didn't quite know what to do. Rob chuckled into his mic and Rich laughed, but he had a look in his eyes that only Olivia seemed to notice. She wasn't sure what it was, but at least he didn't seem awkward about it. He didn't even correct her. Rich lifted Ayla up from under her arms and sat her on his hip "Hey, munchkin. Any other dramatic announcements, or is that it?". The moment was over quickly, but there was still 30 minutes left. So, Olivia settled in for 30 minutes of wishing the ground would swallow her up.
____For the rest of the panel, Rich let Ayla stay up on the stage with them. He found the whole thing funny, but he felt his heart ache a little. When Ayla ran into him, yelling daddy (she almost knocked him over, but no one needed to know that), he was hit with the reminder that he wasn't. Ayla wasn't his child and neither was Daniel. But he wanted them to be. They never had a dad, Connor was a poor excuse of one and he wanted to be the one to fill in the gaps for them and show them what they missed. Yes, it was true he was in love with Olivia. There was no point in denying it anymore. But he was just a brother to her, that wouldn't change. At least he didn't think so. There have been times where he has thought she felt the same way. But if he asked and she didn't, it would ruin the relationship they had and he didn't want that. "Richie!". He felt someone tug on his jeans, pulling him out of his thoughts. He looked down to see Ayla grinning up at him. He chuckles softly "Hey, sweetheart". She wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning her full body weight against his leg. He sighs, rubbing her back a little. She wasn't going to let go of him and if he was being honest with himself, he didn't really want her to. So, he let her hold on to him for the last fifteen minutes of the panel, even when answering questions.
______Later
Olivia managed to catch up with Rich later on. She found him in the green room by himself. Ayla and Daniel were both sound asleep on the couch. He saw her come in and smiled "Hey". "Hi, sorry I left them with you" She replies. "It's not a problem, mama" He teases her. She blushes a little, rolling her eyes. He just chuckles "Dan was absolutely exhausted". "I don't blame him" Liv sighs. There's a moment of silence between them until she spoke up again "I'm really sorry about that, Rich. I...". He frowns "What are you sorry for?". She looks at him "Well...". He smiles slightly "It's fine, Via. It didn't bother me. She's four, I'm not gonna hold a grudge against her. We're all good". She nods "Okay, good. But she's three, Richie. Not four". He chuckles, shrugging "Meh, close enough". She giggles and he smiles "I better go. I need to get Rob so we can finish the panels. I'll see you later". He nudges her shoulder as he walks past her to the door. "Okay, see you later".
Would it ever be the right time for them to get together?
_______- WS
YOU ARE READING
Spn Gabriel Imagines & Preferences
FanfictionThere just isn't enough of Gabe in this world. Some have too much fluff to handle. Some are sad, some are confusing, some are funny, some are charming and some are filled with candy. It is The Trickster after all... Book is Completed