A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait. I want to thank those of you who are sticking with this story. All of your reviews and kind words have meant so much to me. Just bear with me, even though it might be a while between chapters sometimes, never think I'm abandoning this. I finish what I start:) The beginning of this chapter takes place at the same time as Alison is at the doctor's office. Enjoy!
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Chapter 6
Caleb was sitting calmly in the villa, reclined on the same lounge that Alison had slept peacefully on only hours earlier. The morning sun was just beginning to seep in the windows, reflecting beautifully off the white decor. The large room was silent as he sat, deep in thought. He found there was a lot to think about these days.
Alison's reaction had been pretty much what he had expected. Despite his wishful thinking, he hadn't actually thought she would immediately accept his offer to stay at the villa under his protection. The young blonde had quite the stubborn streak, plus the fact that she was still bitter about his deception regarding the baby. That also had been foreseen. He had known that as soon as Alison found out about her pregnancy, all hell would break loose. He hadn't underestimated.
He briefly considered if maybe the whole scenario with the Bed and Breakfast and the two weddings had been a little inappropriate. Nah, he decided. Everyone had gotten what they deserved. Olivia's face, horrified and murderous, popped into his mind, and he couldn't help but feel pain at the sight of it. He really did wish it didn't have to be this way. He had been so sure that she was the one, that the two of them would spend eternity together. But he had given her chance after chance, and in the end she had betrayed him. Stealing his ring had been the final straw.
He knew he had not seen the last of Olivia. She would come after Alison, and the child, and he would be there to protect them. He also knew that staying away from her would prove to be more difficult than he would like to admit. The two of them shared a deep bond, and they both ached for each other as few people did. In the past he had tried to leave her and been unsuccessful. He tried to convince himself that this time was different. Besides, she may never forgive him for what had happened with Alison, and how cruel he had been in breaking the news.
Then there was the slayer. Caleb laughed sharply at the thought of him. Poor Rafe, completely unsuspecting and then blindsided, on his wedding day no less. And he didn't even know the half of it yet. Yes, humiliating Rafe was probably his favorite aspect of the entire situation.
Not even Alison was innocent. Sure, he did have the most empathy for her, because she was just as much a victim of Olivia's plot as he was. But she had also created a deeper hole for herself by choosing to keep the truth from Rafe for so long.
Caleb let out a long breath. He had a feeling it was going to be a long nine months.
Suddenly, a thud on the patio jolted him from his thoughts. He sat up a little straighter, but did not move to get up. He wasn't surprised when he saw the man of the hour stumble through his doors. He was actually a little amazed it had taken him this long to come here. Alison's confession must have really done a number on the poor guy.
"You son of a bitch," Rafe said angrily as he charged purposefully towards his nemesis. He sloppily threw a punch, which Caleb easily blocked.
"Good to see you too, Rafe," Caleb said, slowly getting to his feet while maintaining a grip on Rafe's wrist. "I've heard that congratulations are in order."
Rafe just stared at him. "You know, Caleb, I've always known you were a sick, twisted bastard, but I have to admit, I never thought even you could sink this low." He yanked his wrist from his longtime rival's grip.
Caleb looked at him with confidence, slightly smirking. "Hey, Rafe, the whole thing with me and Alison, as much as I would like to take credit for it, was not my idea. You can save the praise for Olivia."
"Oh, but it worked out just perfectly for you, didn't it," Rafe said angrily. "I think I should be congratulating you." He made a big show of clapping his hands loudly. "You finally got me. You won this little war that we both said was over. Because I don't think I could ever top what you did."
Caleb raised an eyebrow. "You're that offended by the fact that I slept with Alison?"
Rafe flinched upon hearing the words come out of his mouth. Not knowing what to say, he just stared menacingly instead.
"You know, Rafe, I have to admit I'm impressed. I mean, all this time, I thought I was the lucky one to have Olivia. But Alison..." he let out a low whistle. "There's definitely more than meets the eye with that girl. You're a luckier man than I thought." Rafe immediately lunged at him, trying to grab him around the throat, but Caleb fought him off.
"You say one more word about Alison, and I'll-"
"You'll what, Rafe? You said it yourself, I won!" Caleb said smugly.
Rafe clenched and unclenched his fists, so furious he could barely breathe. "Why did you do this? Why did you leave Livvie? Why couldn't we just both be happy?" he yelled. "We could have just both went on with our lives, with our marriages to the women we love-"
"So you're telling me you would rather have never found out about Alison and I?" Caleb interrupted. "You would have rather lived your entire life, little blonde kids, white picket fence, never knowing about what happened that night? If you ask me, that would be even more insulting to your lack of intelligence than what you're doing now. And hey, Alison could have run right home to you that very night and spilled the beans. No one was stopping her."
Rafe honestly did not know what to say to that. "I don't even know why I bothered to come here," he finally spat. He turned around and started to storm out of the villa, but changed his mind and turned around. He slowly pointed a finger at Caleb. "You stay away from her. If you so much as touch her again, I'll-"
"Pretty defensive for a man who hasn't even seen his new bride in 24 hours," Caleb observed. "So, does this mean all is forgiven with you and Alison?"
Rafe glared at him. "That's none of your business. But I mean it. You've had your fun. You got exactly what you wanted. Now just stay away from her." He shot him one last threatening look before leaving the same way he had come in.
Once he was gone Caleb threw back his head and laughed heartily. "Oh, Rafe. You're making such a fool out of yourself," he said with a chuckle. "And the worst is still yet to come."
He was interrupted from his thoughts by a brisk knock. He turned to see one of his henchmen, a burly yet surprisingly dependable vampire called Zack standing at the entrance to the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but I thought you might like an update on Miss Barrington," he said matter-of-factly.
Caleb perked up with interest. "Continue."
Zack took a breath before continuing. "This morning she traveled to a little doctor's office just outside town. The doctor's name is Doctor O'Brien, an OBGYN. She was there for a while and then she just left, apparently headed home."
Caleb nodded. "Good. Now I want you to be extra cautious in watching the apartment. We already had one visit from my lovely bride, and I think it would be fair to expect Mr. Kovich returning home any time now."
Zack nodded. "Will do, sir." He bowed his head slightly and hurried from the room.
Caleb lied back on the lounge, pondering this new information. So, she had chosen a doctor slightly out of the way. No real surprise there, considering she had yet to tell anyone about the pregnancy. He made a mental note to himself to have this Dr. O'Brien checked out, to make sure that she was qualified to care for his child. This baby could have only the best. And until Alison came around to accepting his offer of protection, he had no choice but to keep tabs on her. After all, Port Charles had come to be a fairly dangerous town, and one could never quite know what to expect.
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After her doctor's appointment, Alison returned home to the apartment, turning her key in the lock as she glanced behind her. She had been experiencing the strange feeling of someone watching her all morning. She kept trying to convince herself that the pregnancy hormones and her recent stress were just making her extra paranoid, but she was still more eager than ever to get inside where she knew she was safe. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding as she slipped inside, clicking both locks into place for added security. She took another deep breath as she turned around, but then stopped dead in her tracks when she saw that she was not alone.
"Rafe," she said, relief and surprise evident in her voice. He was sitting there on the couch, in the same clothes he had been wearing the previous morning when she had finally told him the truth, or at least part of it. He appeared pensive and uneasy as he stared up at her. A part of her wanted more than anything to just close the small distance between them and wrap her arms around him, losing herself in him. But something in his eyes told her that wouldn't be right under the circumstances. Instead, she slowly set her purse down on the table and slipped off her coat. "Rafe...I'm so glad you're here. I've been so worried..." He still didn't respond, instead continuing to stare at her intently. Before long the gaze began to make her feel uncomfortable; he had never looked at her in this way before, so thoughtfully and searchingly, as if he was looking for some sort of answer or simple explanation for everything spelled out right there in her eyes. Even though she had all of her clothes on, Alison had never felt more naked in her entire life. "Rafe, please say something," she finally said, quietly and pleadingly.
He finally took his eyes off of her, instead looking down at his hands. "For the first time, I have no idea what to say to you."
She bit her lower lip, trying to keep it together. "Well, you're here. That has to mean something, right?" she said softly, hopefully.
He shook his head. "I don't know what it means. I don't know what anything means anymore."
She tentatively took a small step towards him. "Rafe...it's okay if you don't know what to say. If you want, you can just listen."
"Listen to what, exactly?" he said bluntly. "Because if it's more about you and...and him, then I don't want to hear it, I can't hear it." He rose from the couch and paced over to the far side of the room raising his hands to his head.
"Rafe, I'm sorry," Alison said simply, trying to control her emotions. "I'm so sorry for hurting you. I would do anything to undo this..." She thought back to the day she had begged Caleb to use the ring to do exactly that. The answer had seemed so simple then. Just make it all go away. But now it was much too late, and she had no choice but to deal with the consequences. "I love you," she said firmly. "That never changed, Rafe. I still love you, so much." Not holding back anymore, she crossed the room until she was by his side, and reached out to touch his shoulder. One defiant tear escaped her eye as she stood there with him, silently pleading for him to forgive her.
He closed his eyes when her hand touched his shoulder, but didn't make any motion to pull away. Part of him wanted to, as he remembered the way Caleb had laughed at him, the look in Alison's eyes when she had admitted everything to him. He had a painful flash of the two of them in the barn, defiling what had once been his and Alison's special place. Then he looked down at her as she stood there touching him, her eyes moist and pleading. He chose his words carefully. "I don't know if I can ever move on from this," he said honestly.
She nodded, accepting that. She drew in a slightly ragged breath and wiped her eyes before she responded. "Well, first you need to listen to what I have to tell you. Then you can decide."
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TBC!
