CHAPTER 19
You come out at night
That's when the energy comes
And the dark side's light
And the vampires roam
-Sarah McLachlan, "Building a Mystery"
Rafe couldn't believe his ears.
"You're joking," he said incredulously. "The only reason I came here, the only reason I found this place and found all of you was because of Caleb? That thing? That monster? That-"
"Vampire?" Alison interjected.
Rafe stared at her in disbelief.
"How did you know that?" he asked, taken aback by her comment.
Alison rolled her eyes.
There were so many things Rafe didn't know, so many she'd have to explain to him. She hated it. She hated all of it.
"Rafe, listen to me," said Alison, gently placing her hands on top of his. "Listen to me carefully. Remember when we were in the church and I told you I knew everything about you?"
He nodded, never breaking eye contact with her.
"Well, one of those things I know is Caleb. I know what he is, a vampire, and I know what you are, a slayer."
"H-How-?"
Rafe was so bewildered, so flabbergasted, he could barely speak.
How could Livvie and now Alison know his secret, his deepest, most intimate secret? Who else knew?
"Late last year, when you first came to Port Charles," explained Alison, "you showed up here, on Kevin and Lucy's doorstep. You told them you were a slayer and that you would help destroy Caleb, once and for all."
"Great," Rafe muttered. "So Kevin and Lucy know, too? Who else?"
Alison looked down, purposefully avoiding his eyes.
"Alison," said Rafe, through clenched teeth.
The blonde's head popped back up.
"Um…"
She listed a couple names, counting on her fingertips.
"Ian and his wife, Eve…"
Rafe leaned back against the headboard, shaking his head in amazement.
"Basically," Alison said gently, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "everyone who knew you, at least here in Port Charles."
Rafe whimpered, covering his face with his hands.
"How could I be so stupid?" he scolded himself, lifting his hands emphatically. "No one can know what I do. It's so dangerous, and I don't want anybody I care about to get hurt… God!"
He shook his head again.
"Hey, Rafe, look at me… please," Alison pleaded, grasping his hand. "It would have been just as dangerous for us if we had to deal with Caleb on our own. We needed your help, no matter what the cost."
Still, Rafe shook his head.
"No, Alison, it just doesn't make sense. I've been tracking Caleb since '91, just waiting for him. Why would it take another ten years for me to finally kill him?
"I mean… I hated him, Alison. I mean, I really, really hated him. I still do. I wanted to make him pay for everything he'd ever done, every life he'd ever taken. Why would I wait ten years?
"Back home, I was so close to catching him, so close, but he must've gotten away. He must have tricked me somehow because, let's face it. The way I felt, there was no way I'd let him get away. I mean, the only way I'd let him go was over my dead body, and, I'm still here, so we know that didn't happen."
Rafe chuckled.
Alison was silent, casting her eyes downward.
"Hey?"
Now it was Rafe's turn to comfort her, and he did so, tilting her face upward with his hands, and caressing her cheek with his thumb.
"What's wrong?"
A lone tear dropped down her face, and he wiped it away with his thumb.
"Alison?" he whispered, concerned.
Sniffling, Alison wiped her face with her hands.
She didn't want Rafe to see her like this. This wasn't her.
This whole situation was just wrong. It was so, so wrong…
Why had God done this to her? He'd brought Rafe back to her, and for that she would be eternally grateful, but why this? Why would He want to put her through - No, put Rafe through - the pain, the agony of really knowing what happened to him all those years ago? Why?
"Rafe…"
Alison swallowed loudly, covering her mouth with a nervously balled fist.
She had to tell him…
"Rafe, you were dead… Caleb, he- he killed you."
You come out at night
That's when the energy comes
And the dark side's light
And the vampires roam
-Sarah McLachlan, "Building a Mystery"
Rafe couldn't believe his ears.
"You're joking," he said incredulously. "The only reason I came here, the only reason I found this place and found all of you was because of Caleb? That thing? That monster? That-"
"Vampire?" Alison interjected.
Rafe stared at her in disbelief.
"How did you know that?" he asked, taken aback by her comment.
Alison rolled her eyes.
There were so many things Rafe didn't know, so many she'd have to explain to him. She hated it. She hated all of it.
"Rafe, listen to me," said Alison, gently placing her hands on top of his. "Listen to me carefully. Remember when we were in the church and I told you I knew everything about you?"
He nodded, never breaking eye contact with her.
"Well, one of those things I know is Caleb. I know what he is, a vampire, and I know what you are, a slayer."
"H-How-?"
Rafe was so bewildered, so flabbergasted, he could barely speak.
How could Livvie and now Alison know his secret, his deepest, most intimate secret? Who else knew?
"Late last year, when you first came to Port Charles," explained Alison, "you showed up here, on Kevin and Lucy's doorstep. You told them you were a slayer and that you would help destroy Caleb, once and for all."
"Great," Rafe muttered. "So Kevin and Lucy know, too? Who else?"
Alison looked down, purposefully avoiding his eyes.
"Alison," said Rafe, through clenched teeth.
The blonde's head popped back up.
"Um…"
She listed a couple names, counting on her fingertips.
"Ian and his wife, Eve…"
Rafe leaned back against the headboard, shaking his head in amazement.
"Basically," Alison said gently, placing a sympathetic hand on his shoulder, "everyone who knew you, at least here in Port Charles."
Rafe whimpered, covering his face with his hands.
"How could I be so stupid?" he scolded himself, lifting his hands emphatically. "No one can know what I do. It's so dangerous, and I don't want anybody I care about to get hurt… God!"
He shook his head again.
"Hey, Rafe, look at me… please," Alison pleaded, grasping his hand. "It would have been just as dangerous for us if we had to deal with Caleb on our own. We needed your help, no matter what the cost."
Still, Rafe shook his head.
"No, Alison, it just doesn't make sense. I've been tracking Caleb since '91, just waiting for him. Why would it take another ten years for me to finally kill him?
"I mean… I hated him, Alison. I mean, I really, really hated him. I still do. I wanted to make him pay for everything he'd ever done, every life he'd ever taken. Why would I wait ten years?
"Back home, I was so close to catching him, so close, but he must've gotten away. He must have tricked me somehow because, let's face it. The way I felt, there was no way I'd let him get away. I mean, the only way I'd let him go was over my dead body, and, I'm still here, so we know that didn't happen."
Rafe chuckled.
Alison was silent, casting her eyes downward.
"Hey?"
Now it was Rafe's turn to comfort her, and he did so, tilting her face upward with his hands, and caressing her cheek with his thumb.
"What's wrong?"
A lone tear dropped down her face, and he wiped it away with his thumb.
"Alison?" he whispered, concerned.
Sniffling, Alison wiped her face with her hands.
She didn't want Rafe to see her like this. This wasn't her.
This whole situation was just wrong. It was so, so wrong…
Why had God done this to her? He'd brought Rafe back to her, and for that she would be eternally grateful, but why this? Why would He want to put her through - No, put Rafe through - the pain, the agony of really knowing what happened to him all those years ago? Why?
"Rafe…"
Alison swallowed loudly, covering her mouth with a nervously balled fist.
She had to tell him…
"Rafe, you were dead… Caleb, he- he killed you."