"Livvie, everything will be okay, I promise.....Caleb's been away for so
long, and I'm not about to let him back into our lives now," Jack said
soothingly, stroking Livvie's hair. He only hoped that he could keep that
promise. Caleb was powerful, more powerful that anything or anyone Jack had
ever encountered. But Caleb had been stopped once, and he would be stopped
again. But Jack wasn't going to let him get so far this time.
Livvie, however, was not so confident in her husband. She, too, knew
how powerful Caleb was, and she was frightened. This couldn't happen to
her, not again. She'd barely had the strength to live through it the first
time around, when she'd been a spry twenty-something. She was older now.
But maybe that meant she was wiser, too. Wise enough to keep out of Caleb's
grasp. She only hoped so.
* When Chris finally got home that night, it was actually the morning. Almost one-thirty, to be exact. He was exhausted, but he needed a drink. He sluggishly trudged directly over to his mini-wet bar as soon he as was through the door of his apartment. My bachelor pad of more than fifteen years! he thought cynically, pouring himself a martini. He sank into his leather chair and drained the glass. He was sick of sitting at home alone every night, drinking. Okay, so the drinking wasn't so bad, it was just he didn't have anyone to drink with. It seemed that everyone else in Port Charles was coupled and happy. There was Lucy and Kevin, the trusty power- couple; Ian and Eve, who were as romantically in love as the day they'd been married; Jack and Livvie, who'd overcome so much to be where they were now: perfectly in love and blissfully happy (Chris was unaware of the events of the day thus far), Alison and Jamal, who seemed destined to be together; and Frank and Karen, who were the ideal of what a married, family- oriented couple should be. Chris sighed, and bit the olive off his stirrer. He felt remorseful as he wrapped his brain around the last thought. He knew he was way past the chance of ever becoming father. Wasn't he? After all, he wasn't thirty anymore. Heck, he wasn't even forty anymore! He tried to brush the thought away as he'd been doing for the past decade and a half of his life. He'd been so sure he'd wanted children. Even in the brief time he'd been a "father", he'd loved every minute of it, and had been actually happy. Happy, when it was just him, Christina, and Julie. Chris was convinced that Julie was, or had been, anyway, the love of his life. She'd been beautiful, sweet, and smart, but sadly, most of all, Julie was misunderstood. In Chris's eyes, at least. His heart had broken for her when the town had turned on her, calling her crazy for wanting to protect her own daughter. She could've raised her, he would've helped. He'd wanted to. But that had all changed the day that Julie had suddenly come back into Chris's life, into everyone's life, for that last precious moment. In that time, Julie had announced that she was dying, and had given toddler Christina to Lucy and Kevin to be raised. That had been seventeen years ago, though. But Chris had never stopped loving Julie, never stopped wanting her back. Never stopped comparing every woman he dated to her and deciding she wasn't good enough, whoever she was, simply because she wasn't Julie. Nobody would ever take Julie's place in Chris Ramsey's heart. For him, Julie would always be the one that got away, always and forever.
*
Sascha had sent Ana to bed hours ago, but she'd had to wait up for her mother. She had to talk to her. Things just weren't adding up right. She'd just come to realize how odd Ricky's actions were, not to mention biased toward her. And then there was that photograph. "Hi, honey. What are you doing up so late?" Karen asked, coming through the door. She set her medical bag next to the door and began to take off her coat. "Mom! I'm glad you're home. Listen, I was wondering, could we look at some pictures? Like, old pictures? Of me. You know, baby pictures?" Sascha asked, hopping off the couch. Karen heaved a sigh and took her daughter's face in her hands. "Sascha. It's two A.M. I've been working since ten A.M. yesterday. I need some sleep! We'll do this another time, okay?" By the way she said it, Sascha doubted that they would. But she had to keep trying, something was up. First, there were her initial suspicisions, and now, her mother had just confirmed them by her off putting attitude. She flopped down onto the couch, feeling discouraged and unsettled. What could she possibly be hiding?
* When Chris finally got home that night, it was actually the morning. Almost one-thirty, to be exact. He was exhausted, but he needed a drink. He sluggishly trudged directly over to his mini-wet bar as soon he as was through the door of his apartment. My bachelor pad of more than fifteen years! he thought cynically, pouring himself a martini. He sank into his leather chair and drained the glass. He was sick of sitting at home alone every night, drinking. Okay, so the drinking wasn't so bad, it was just he didn't have anyone to drink with. It seemed that everyone else in Port Charles was coupled and happy. There was Lucy and Kevin, the trusty power- couple; Ian and Eve, who were as romantically in love as the day they'd been married; Jack and Livvie, who'd overcome so much to be where they were now: perfectly in love and blissfully happy (Chris was unaware of the events of the day thus far), Alison and Jamal, who seemed destined to be together; and Frank and Karen, who were the ideal of what a married, family- oriented couple should be. Chris sighed, and bit the olive off his stirrer. He felt remorseful as he wrapped his brain around the last thought. He knew he was way past the chance of ever becoming father. Wasn't he? After all, he wasn't thirty anymore. Heck, he wasn't even forty anymore! He tried to brush the thought away as he'd been doing for the past decade and a half of his life. He'd been so sure he'd wanted children. Even in the brief time he'd been a "father", he'd loved every minute of it, and had been actually happy. Happy, when it was just him, Christina, and Julie. Chris was convinced that Julie was, or had been, anyway, the love of his life. She'd been beautiful, sweet, and smart, but sadly, most of all, Julie was misunderstood. In Chris's eyes, at least. His heart had broken for her when the town had turned on her, calling her crazy for wanting to protect her own daughter. She could've raised her, he would've helped. He'd wanted to. But that had all changed the day that Julie had suddenly come back into Chris's life, into everyone's life, for that last precious moment. In that time, Julie had announced that she was dying, and had given toddler Christina to Lucy and Kevin to be raised. That had been seventeen years ago, though. But Chris had never stopped loving Julie, never stopped wanting her back. Never stopped comparing every woman he dated to her and deciding she wasn't good enough, whoever she was, simply because she wasn't Julie. Nobody would ever take Julie's place in Chris Ramsey's heart. For him, Julie would always be the one that got away, always and forever.
*
Sascha had sent Ana to bed hours ago, but she'd had to wait up for her mother. She had to talk to her. Things just weren't adding up right. She'd just come to realize how odd Ricky's actions were, not to mention biased toward her. And then there was that photograph. "Hi, honey. What are you doing up so late?" Karen asked, coming through the door. She set her medical bag next to the door and began to take off her coat. "Mom! I'm glad you're home. Listen, I was wondering, could we look at some pictures? Like, old pictures? Of me. You know, baby pictures?" Sascha asked, hopping off the couch. Karen heaved a sigh and took her daughter's face in her hands. "Sascha. It's two A.M. I've been working since ten A.M. yesterday. I need some sleep! We'll do this another time, okay?" By the way she said it, Sascha doubted that they would. But she had to keep trying, something was up. First, there were her initial suspicisions, and now, her mother had just confirmed them by her off putting attitude. She flopped down onto the couch, feeling discouraged and unsettled. What could she possibly be hiding?