Hey readers! Thanks for being patient with me, keep it up, along with
the flattering reviews! As for those of you who are wondering if Raff is
going to come into the picture, you'll just have to wait and see..;)
"Jack," Livvie said timidly. "What is, babe?" Jack asked. They were at home, going over the bike shop's finances. Jack had figured it would be a good way to get their minds off....you - know - who, and besides, it needed to be done.
"I was just thinking," Livvie continued. "Mmm-hmm," Jack murmured as he punched some numbers into the calculator. "Eli's been gone for an awfully long time," she pointed out, nodding towards the clock. Finally, Jack looked up from his figuring. "You know what? You're right," he said. "But what if-" "No, no, no! Don't even say it, Livvie. Because nothing happened, and you know it. How many times has our son broke curfew? Don't worry, I'll call Storm's house and you'll see," Jack said, rubbing Livvie's shoulder. He picked up the phone and dialed Storm's house.
"Hello?" Storm answered. "Hi, Storm. Look, it's Jack, Eli's dad. Look, could you tell him to come home now, please?" "Uh, I would, Jack, but, he's not here." "What?" "He's not here, man," Storm insisted. "But wait, he said he was going to your place. You're sure he's not there?" Jack asked, standing up and lowering his voice.
"Nope. Never was," Storm said honestly. "Okay, well...." Jack said, floundering. "All right, then, I'll be over in a minute," he said, raising his voice again. He couldn't worry Livvie like that. "But I just said-" "Thank you, Storm. Uh-huh. Bye now," Jack said before hanging up on a protesting Storm. Jack proceeded to grab his car keys.
"What is it, Jack? What did he say?" Livvie asked. "He..uh...said that Eli was there, but he's having car trouble and they were trying to fix it themselves. And does he bother to call? No! Jeez, just like me when I was his age," Jack said with a wink. He started to head out the door.
"Jack?" Livvie called after him. Jack paused in the doorway and turned to look at her. "What, honey?" "Be back soon," she pleaded, her eyes wide with fear. Jack nodded, and locked the door as he shut it behind him.
*
"Colleen!" Lucy gasped as she reached the front desk at GH. "Is she here? Is Christina here?" she demanded. Colleen looked up from the folder she was poring over.
"Oh, Lucy! Hello! No, I'm sorry, Christina just left. She looked pretty excited about something," Colleen said. "Shoot!" Lucy cried. "Ta, Colleen!" with that she returned to her car and sped back home. Once she got there, Kevin met her at the door.
"Lucy! I'm glad you're here! What do you mean giving Christina permission to go on some trip with Chris and Frank?" he demanded angrily. "What?! Christina went where? With who?! " she exclaimed.
"She came back here all in a rush, ran upstairs and packed, and Chris and Frank picked her up. She said that you'd given her permission to go with them to find Julie?" Kevin said, confused. "No! No, Doc, I didn't even know about this! What did you say? To find Julie? But Julie's dead, Doc! What are they trying to prove?"
"I don't know," Kevin said, throwing up his hands. "But she said she'd call us. She seemed really happy." Lucy went inside and tossed her purse onto the sofa. "Well, I guess she deserves to meet Julie, if she is out in the universe somewhere. And it will be good for her to bond with Frank. I mean, she knows now, and she's old enough to make her own decisions."
Kevin nodded and kissed Lucy. "It will be nice for us to have some time to ourselves, too," he said smiling. Lucy smiled, too. Then she remembered the awful news she had to give to Kevin, and she stopped smiling.
*
Back at Raven's and Alison's, Alison was trying to console her daughter. She felt horrible that there was nothing she could say or do for her. This was something only Raven had the power to do. The phone rang. Raven sat up, and wiped her eyes and cleared her throat.
"That's probably Christina," she said before delicately lifting the phone from it's cradle. "Hello?" she asked. "Hey, baby." Raven sighed hugely. "Danny, it's you," she said. Her voice was still unsteady and forlorn. "Sorry," Danny said, offended. "No, no, I just thought you were someone else," Raven explained, squinting her eyes shut as she rubbed her injured head.
"Oh, well, I was just calling to see how you were. I thought maybe we could talk-" "Danny, actually, I am not that fine. I happen to be going through some life altering turning point, so could we maybe do this another time!?! Thank you!" With that, Raven slammed the phone down. Alison sat stunned at her daughter's behavior. She'd never spoken to Danny like that before. This was really hard on her. Then again, what had she expected?
* Danny hung up the phone, puzzled. Why was Raven acting so strangely lately? He realized she'd just been in a terrible wreck, but it wasn't that. She hadn't been herself before that, even. He racked his brain for anything he could've done to make her mad at him.
He must've had quite a look on his face, because when Eve came into the living room, she stopped in her tracks. "Danny? Honey?" she asked, tilting her head to study his face. "Huh?" he asked. "Something wrong?" she asked, sitting down next to him. Danny shrugged.
"You can tell me," Eve insisted. "It's just Raven. She's been acting so weird lately. I don't know what I did to make her so mad at me, but something is definitely up with her," Danny said. "Oh, sweetie, you know girls. I mean, we can be pretty emotional sometimes," Eve said gently, placing her hand on her son's shoulder.
"Yeah, but Raven's not like that, Mom. Not even on her bad days. I just don't know," Danny said. He looked so depressed that it concerned Eve. She knew Danny loved Raven, and she knew Raven loved Danny. They'd never had any serious fights, so what was wrong now? "Mom, I'm worried about her," Danny said suddenly. "Well, what is Raven doing that makes you so worried?" Danny thought for a moment, remembering.
"The other day, she told me she'd meet me at Jack and Livvie's place, since I had to practice with Eli and the guys. And she was late, but that wasn't so weird as the fact that when she got there, she got out of her Jeep, got this funny look on her face, and turned around and left without barely saying a word to me. She said she 'wasn't feeling well' all of a sudden," he began.
"And then, " he continued, " I called her back after you and I got back from the benefit, and she sounded.....funny. Distracted. So I went over, and brought her that soup you made, and she acted like someone had been there before."
Eve listened to her son, growing more and more troubled each time he spoke. "And then I just got off the phone with her, and she completely blew me off. I mean, I know she's just been through an accident, but this whole time, I've been nothing but supportive and patient with her. I just don't understand," Danny said.
"Me neither, Danny, " Eve said, confused. This did not sound like the Raven Kovich she knew. "Me neither."
*
"Jack!" Livvie called as she stood in her doorway. Her small arms were clasped tightly around her as she shivered in the unseasonably cool breeze. She couldn't seem to get warm now that Caleb had come back for her. And especially now that she was alone, vulnerable. Jack had been gone for more than an hour, and it was starting to get dark.
"Jack!!!" she cried out again, craning her neck to scan the premises. No sign of Jack anywhere. Then again, no sign of anyone, including Caleb. Gingerly, Livvie stepped out onto the porch, looking all around her as she did. She moved slowly, silently, as if she were trying not to wake some sleeping creature or suffer the consequences. She held her breath without realizing it. Creeping around the yard, feeling as if someone was watching her., she swore she heard something in the bushes. Then again, she was paranoid.
"Jack??" she called out. "Eli?" She had wandered out to the garage, and looked inside. She noticed something shiny in the corner of the garage, behind one of the bikes. Eli's guitar. "Oh my gosh...." she breathed. Realization slammed into her as her heart hit the cold concrete floor. Eli never went to Storm's, and neither did Jack. But then where...... They're gone, Livvie. They're gone.
*
Chris and Frank had picked Christina up and were on their way to search for the one woman they all had in common. Chris was at the wheel, Frank next to him in the passenger seat, and Christina in the back.
"So where exactly are we going? I mean, do you have a plan , or are we just going to rely on your keen intuition?" Frank asked. Chris glared at him before answering. "Both. And my 'keen intuition' tells me that we have to go and see the Devlins." Christina poked her head up front. "Who?" "The Devlins, Julie's parents," Chris replied.
"Your grandparents," Frank added. Christina nodded. She was still in disbelief about this whole thing, not to mention her own secret. It was then that she realized that when she met the Devlins, there would be four generations present. The idea churned her stomach, and she decided not to focus on that. Easier said than done.
*
"Lucy? What's the matter?" Kevin asked as his wife's smile faded. Lucy stepped out of Kevin's embrace, and looked down at her hands. "Lucy?" Kevin asked again, this time his tone was wary. If something was up with Lucy, it usually wasn't good. "Doc," she began, "We need to talk, all right?" She took him by the arm and led him into the house. They sat on the couch.
Lucy shook her head, and looked sympathetically at Kevin. "I don't know any other way to say this than to just it, so I guess that's what I am going to have to do," she said.
"Say what? Lucy, what is going on here?!" Kevin demanded. "Caleb Morley is back. He's come back to Port Charles."
"Jack," Livvie said timidly. "What is, babe?" Jack asked. They were at home, going over the bike shop's finances. Jack had figured it would be a good way to get their minds off....you - know - who, and besides, it needed to be done.
"I was just thinking," Livvie continued. "Mmm-hmm," Jack murmured as he punched some numbers into the calculator. "Eli's been gone for an awfully long time," she pointed out, nodding towards the clock. Finally, Jack looked up from his figuring. "You know what? You're right," he said. "But what if-" "No, no, no! Don't even say it, Livvie. Because nothing happened, and you know it. How many times has our son broke curfew? Don't worry, I'll call Storm's house and you'll see," Jack said, rubbing Livvie's shoulder. He picked up the phone and dialed Storm's house.
"Hello?" Storm answered. "Hi, Storm. Look, it's Jack, Eli's dad. Look, could you tell him to come home now, please?" "Uh, I would, Jack, but, he's not here." "What?" "He's not here, man," Storm insisted. "But wait, he said he was going to your place. You're sure he's not there?" Jack asked, standing up and lowering his voice.
"Nope. Never was," Storm said honestly. "Okay, well...." Jack said, floundering. "All right, then, I'll be over in a minute," he said, raising his voice again. He couldn't worry Livvie like that. "But I just said-" "Thank you, Storm. Uh-huh. Bye now," Jack said before hanging up on a protesting Storm. Jack proceeded to grab his car keys.
"What is it, Jack? What did he say?" Livvie asked. "He..uh...said that Eli was there, but he's having car trouble and they were trying to fix it themselves. And does he bother to call? No! Jeez, just like me when I was his age," Jack said with a wink. He started to head out the door.
"Jack?" Livvie called after him. Jack paused in the doorway and turned to look at her. "What, honey?" "Be back soon," she pleaded, her eyes wide with fear. Jack nodded, and locked the door as he shut it behind him.
*
"Colleen!" Lucy gasped as she reached the front desk at GH. "Is she here? Is Christina here?" she demanded. Colleen looked up from the folder she was poring over.
"Oh, Lucy! Hello! No, I'm sorry, Christina just left. She looked pretty excited about something," Colleen said. "Shoot!" Lucy cried. "Ta, Colleen!" with that she returned to her car and sped back home. Once she got there, Kevin met her at the door.
"Lucy! I'm glad you're here! What do you mean giving Christina permission to go on some trip with Chris and Frank?" he demanded angrily. "What?! Christina went where? With who?! " she exclaimed.
"She came back here all in a rush, ran upstairs and packed, and Chris and Frank picked her up. She said that you'd given her permission to go with them to find Julie?" Kevin said, confused. "No! No, Doc, I didn't even know about this! What did you say? To find Julie? But Julie's dead, Doc! What are they trying to prove?"
"I don't know," Kevin said, throwing up his hands. "But she said she'd call us. She seemed really happy." Lucy went inside and tossed her purse onto the sofa. "Well, I guess she deserves to meet Julie, if she is out in the universe somewhere. And it will be good for her to bond with Frank. I mean, she knows now, and she's old enough to make her own decisions."
Kevin nodded and kissed Lucy. "It will be nice for us to have some time to ourselves, too," he said smiling. Lucy smiled, too. Then she remembered the awful news she had to give to Kevin, and she stopped smiling.
*
Back at Raven's and Alison's, Alison was trying to console her daughter. She felt horrible that there was nothing she could say or do for her. This was something only Raven had the power to do. The phone rang. Raven sat up, and wiped her eyes and cleared her throat.
"That's probably Christina," she said before delicately lifting the phone from it's cradle. "Hello?" she asked. "Hey, baby." Raven sighed hugely. "Danny, it's you," she said. Her voice was still unsteady and forlorn. "Sorry," Danny said, offended. "No, no, I just thought you were someone else," Raven explained, squinting her eyes shut as she rubbed her injured head.
"Oh, well, I was just calling to see how you were. I thought maybe we could talk-" "Danny, actually, I am not that fine. I happen to be going through some life altering turning point, so could we maybe do this another time!?! Thank you!" With that, Raven slammed the phone down. Alison sat stunned at her daughter's behavior. She'd never spoken to Danny like that before. This was really hard on her. Then again, what had she expected?
* Danny hung up the phone, puzzled. Why was Raven acting so strangely lately? He realized she'd just been in a terrible wreck, but it wasn't that. She hadn't been herself before that, even. He racked his brain for anything he could've done to make her mad at him.
He must've had quite a look on his face, because when Eve came into the living room, she stopped in her tracks. "Danny? Honey?" she asked, tilting her head to study his face. "Huh?" he asked. "Something wrong?" she asked, sitting down next to him. Danny shrugged.
"You can tell me," Eve insisted. "It's just Raven. She's been acting so weird lately. I don't know what I did to make her so mad at me, but something is definitely up with her," Danny said. "Oh, sweetie, you know girls. I mean, we can be pretty emotional sometimes," Eve said gently, placing her hand on her son's shoulder.
"Yeah, but Raven's not like that, Mom. Not even on her bad days. I just don't know," Danny said. He looked so depressed that it concerned Eve. She knew Danny loved Raven, and she knew Raven loved Danny. They'd never had any serious fights, so what was wrong now? "Mom, I'm worried about her," Danny said suddenly. "Well, what is Raven doing that makes you so worried?" Danny thought for a moment, remembering.
"The other day, she told me she'd meet me at Jack and Livvie's place, since I had to practice with Eli and the guys. And she was late, but that wasn't so weird as the fact that when she got there, she got out of her Jeep, got this funny look on her face, and turned around and left without barely saying a word to me. She said she 'wasn't feeling well' all of a sudden," he began.
"And then, " he continued, " I called her back after you and I got back from the benefit, and she sounded.....funny. Distracted. So I went over, and brought her that soup you made, and she acted like someone had been there before."
Eve listened to her son, growing more and more troubled each time he spoke. "And then I just got off the phone with her, and she completely blew me off. I mean, I know she's just been through an accident, but this whole time, I've been nothing but supportive and patient with her. I just don't understand," Danny said.
"Me neither, Danny, " Eve said, confused. This did not sound like the Raven Kovich she knew. "Me neither."
*
"Jack!" Livvie called as she stood in her doorway. Her small arms were clasped tightly around her as she shivered in the unseasonably cool breeze. She couldn't seem to get warm now that Caleb had come back for her. And especially now that she was alone, vulnerable. Jack had been gone for more than an hour, and it was starting to get dark.
"Jack!!!" she cried out again, craning her neck to scan the premises. No sign of Jack anywhere. Then again, no sign of anyone, including Caleb. Gingerly, Livvie stepped out onto the porch, looking all around her as she did. She moved slowly, silently, as if she were trying not to wake some sleeping creature or suffer the consequences. She held her breath without realizing it. Creeping around the yard, feeling as if someone was watching her., she swore she heard something in the bushes. Then again, she was paranoid.
"Jack??" she called out. "Eli?" She had wandered out to the garage, and looked inside. She noticed something shiny in the corner of the garage, behind one of the bikes. Eli's guitar. "Oh my gosh...." she breathed. Realization slammed into her as her heart hit the cold concrete floor. Eli never went to Storm's, and neither did Jack. But then where...... They're gone, Livvie. They're gone.
*
Chris and Frank had picked Christina up and were on their way to search for the one woman they all had in common. Chris was at the wheel, Frank next to him in the passenger seat, and Christina in the back.
"So where exactly are we going? I mean, do you have a plan , or are we just going to rely on your keen intuition?" Frank asked. Chris glared at him before answering. "Both. And my 'keen intuition' tells me that we have to go and see the Devlins." Christina poked her head up front. "Who?" "The Devlins, Julie's parents," Chris replied.
"Your grandparents," Frank added. Christina nodded. She was still in disbelief about this whole thing, not to mention her own secret. It was then that she realized that when she met the Devlins, there would be four generations present. The idea churned her stomach, and she decided not to focus on that. Easier said than done.
*
"Lucy? What's the matter?" Kevin asked as his wife's smile faded. Lucy stepped out of Kevin's embrace, and looked down at her hands. "Lucy?" Kevin asked again, this time his tone was wary. If something was up with Lucy, it usually wasn't good. "Doc," she began, "We need to talk, all right?" She took him by the arm and led him into the house. They sat on the couch.
Lucy shook her head, and looked sympathetically at Kevin. "I don't know any other way to say this than to just it, so I guess that's what I am going to have to do," she said.
"Say what? Lucy, what is going on here?!" Kevin demanded. "Caleb Morley is back. He's come back to Port Charles."