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Chris sat down on the edge of the king sized bed that he was sharing with Frank for the night. They'd come to a compromise and agreed that it was best they let Christina sleep alone. It still seemed that something was bothering her, something other than Julie, but then again, she must've had quite a day. Finding out your parents weren't really your parents and that your real mother might not be still living is a lot to handle. That, and Chris knew that she'd had a fight with that twit of a boyfriend of hers, Michael Corinthos. He didn't know what about, but he'd heard him yelling at her at the hospital earlier. He couldn't understand why a great girl like Christina would waste herself on a jerk like Corinthos. Then again, he'd wondered the same thing about Julie and himself all those years ago.
"I just can't believe how long it's been," Frank quietly remarked, looking at Christina sleeping on the other bed.
"I know," Chris replied. The two men watched the girl slumbering for a moment longer, then turned the light out. They'd driven for hours, but their real journey began when the sun rose.
*
Ricky's mouth slowly formed an O of surprise as Sascha continued to stare at him, hands on her hips. "Sascha...." he stammered.
"I'm waiting," she said, pulling up the barstool and seating herself upon it. Ricky shook his head, then raked his hands through his thick black hair. "Did Kar- your mom tell you?" he asked, staring into the countertop, his head resting in his hands.
"No. Well, yeah. I mean, I figured it out, then she admitted it. I found these." Sascha reached into her white messenger bag and withdrew the manila folder. Ricky reluctantly took it from her, handling it like it was a baby bird or something similar, fragile. He opened it, and took out the pictures of himself and his baby girl, who was not a baby anymore, but a teen, a teen who was sitting next to him, desperate for answers.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Sascha repeated, more softly this time. When Ricky didn't respond, she tugged the pictures out of his hands, and he looked up at her. There was a long, awkward pause, and then Ricky spoke.
"Your mom and I were together for a little while about fifteen years ago. Your dad, er, Frank, had proposed to her, and she'd said no, and they were broken up, and I thought we had something. A connection. She made me feel like a man, and I made her feel alive, I guess. That was what she always told me. But you wouldn't understand any of that. Anyway, we were together for about a month, and then she got pregnant with you. We were both surprised, of course, but I was psyched, and she was scared. I think it was because in her heart, she'd never really left Frank. But we wanted to try to make it work, for your sake. So we moved in together, and then you came along."
Sascha was touched as she watched Ricky's distant eyes well with tears. "You were so perfect," he continued, " so sweet and perfect. I loved you the second that I saw you. And your mom and I, we were happy. Or at least I thought we were. We were a family, after all. But she didn't want a family with me. She wanted you, of course, but I never forgot the way that she would look at me with and I could tell that she was wishing with all her heart that I was Frank. A couple days after your second birthday, your mom started seeing Frank again. I let it go on for a few weeks, hell, I didn't know what else to do. And when I finally confronted her about it, she told me that she was leaving me......and taking you with her."
Ricky paused to brush a tear away from his olive cheek. He took a deep breath, and started again. "She said that we had never been meant to be together, and that having you hadn't been the 'sign' that she had thought it was, and that she was still in love with Frank. She said that I was just too young, and that it wasn't fair to me to be to be tied down with a baby. She said that she wanted to let me go free, and that this would be best for everyone. And I loved you so much, that was all that I wanted. What was best for you. So I thought about it for awhile, and I came to the conclusion that she was right. It wouldn't be best for you to be stuck in a home with loveless parents and a crazy, irresponsible kid for a dad. So she left me, and then I signed you over to Frank."
Ricky finished his story, and it was now Sascha who had tears in her eyes.
*
"Mom, where are we going?" Raven asked as her mother dragged her toward the door. Alison didn't answer. "Livvie, come on. There's no way I'm leaving you alone like this." Alison grabbed Livvie's hand with her free one, and pulled them both out the door. "Mom, where are we going!?" Raven repeated as they stood on the porch. "Slaying lessons," Alison said matter-of-factly.
Livvie and Raven exchanged confused glances. "You can't fight a vampire if you don't know how, can you?" Alison asked. "Yeah, but who's going to teach me how to do that?" Raven asked, eyebrows furrowed. "Who do you think?"
*
"Doc, I'm so sorry....." Lucy murmured softly, wishing she could do something to ease Kevin's mind. Suddenly, there was a frantic knock at the door. "I better get that," Lucy said, and bustled over to answer the door. Standing there were Alison, Raven, and Livvie.
"Oh, thank God, you're all safe. Come in, please, come on," Lucy said, ushering them inside, "Livvie!" Kevin cried, running to his daughter and throwing his arms around her. Livvie went limp in them, her father giving her the comfort that she couldn't get from her missing husband and son. "Thank God that monster hasn't gotten to you yet...." Kevin crooned as he stroked Livvie's hair. Livvie sniffled and pulled back.
"But that's just it, Daddy, he's got Jack and Eli," she said, biting her lip. Kevin held her out at arm's length, shocked by her statement. "What?" Lucy acted like she wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. So Raven took this opportunity to cut in.
"Don't worry, Doctor Collins. I'm going to get them back, both of them. And I'm not going to let Caleb near Livvie. I'm going to stop him before he hurts anybody else," she said, surprised by the strength coming from her voice.
"That's right, Doc," Lucy reassured. Alison stepped forward then. "That's actually why we're here, Lucy. We need you to teach Raven how to be a slayer. You can do that, can't you?" she inquired.
Lucy let a smile come over her face, and cupped Raven's chin. "Well, I supposed I can remember a few old tricks," she said. "But it's going to take at least a couple of days for me to train her-" "A couple of days?!" Livvie exclaimed. "But what will happen to Jack and Eli? Caleb could kill them by then!"
"No, no he won't, " Raven interrupted, surprising herself. Where did that come from? Livvie seemed comforted by the sureness in her tone. "She's right," Lucy continued. "Caleb came here for you, and he won't do anything to Jack and Eli until he's got you. They're just pawns he needed to move before he can get to the queen."
A silence came over the room, as all eyes went to Raven. "Consider me the bishop," Raven said.
*
Chris sat down on the edge of the king sized bed that he was sharing with Frank for the night. They'd come to a compromise and agreed that it was best they let Christina sleep alone. It still seemed that something was bothering her, something other than Julie, but then again, she must've had quite a day. Finding out your parents weren't really your parents and that your real mother might not be still living is a lot to handle. That, and Chris knew that she'd had a fight with that twit of a boyfriend of hers, Michael Corinthos. He didn't know what about, but he'd heard him yelling at her at the hospital earlier. He couldn't understand why a great girl like Christina would waste herself on a jerk like Corinthos. Then again, he'd wondered the same thing about Julie and himself all those years ago.
"I just can't believe how long it's been," Frank quietly remarked, looking at Christina sleeping on the other bed.
"I know," Chris replied. The two men watched the girl slumbering for a moment longer, then turned the light out. They'd driven for hours, but their real journey began when the sun rose.
*
Ricky's mouth slowly formed an O of surprise as Sascha continued to stare at him, hands on her hips. "Sascha...." he stammered.
"I'm waiting," she said, pulling up the barstool and seating herself upon it. Ricky shook his head, then raked his hands through his thick black hair. "Did Kar- your mom tell you?" he asked, staring into the countertop, his head resting in his hands.
"No. Well, yeah. I mean, I figured it out, then she admitted it. I found these." Sascha reached into her white messenger bag and withdrew the manila folder. Ricky reluctantly took it from her, handling it like it was a baby bird or something similar, fragile. He opened it, and took out the pictures of himself and his baby girl, who was not a baby anymore, but a teen, a teen who was sitting next to him, desperate for answers.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?" Sascha repeated, more softly this time. When Ricky didn't respond, she tugged the pictures out of his hands, and he looked up at her. There was a long, awkward pause, and then Ricky spoke.
"Your mom and I were together for a little while about fifteen years ago. Your dad, er, Frank, had proposed to her, and she'd said no, and they were broken up, and I thought we had something. A connection. She made me feel like a man, and I made her feel alive, I guess. That was what she always told me. But you wouldn't understand any of that. Anyway, we were together for about a month, and then she got pregnant with you. We were both surprised, of course, but I was psyched, and she was scared. I think it was because in her heart, she'd never really left Frank. But we wanted to try to make it work, for your sake. So we moved in together, and then you came along."
Sascha was touched as she watched Ricky's distant eyes well with tears. "You were so perfect," he continued, " so sweet and perfect. I loved you the second that I saw you. And your mom and I, we were happy. Or at least I thought we were. We were a family, after all. But she didn't want a family with me. She wanted you, of course, but I never forgot the way that she would look at me with and I could tell that she was wishing with all her heart that I was Frank. A couple days after your second birthday, your mom started seeing Frank again. I let it go on for a few weeks, hell, I didn't know what else to do. And when I finally confronted her about it, she told me that she was leaving me......and taking you with her."
Ricky paused to brush a tear away from his olive cheek. He took a deep breath, and started again. "She said that we had never been meant to be together, and that having you hadn't been the 'sign' that she had thought it was, and that she was still in love with Frank. She said that I was just too young, and that it wasn't fair to me to be to be tied down with a baby. She said that she wanted to let me go free, and that this would be best for everyone. And I loved you so much, that was all that I wanted. What was best for you. So I thought about it for awhile, and I came to the conclusion that she was right. It wouldn't be best for you to be stuck in a home with loveless parents and a crazy, irresponsible kid for a dad. So she left me, and then I signed you over to Frank."
Ricky finished his story, and it was now Sascha who had tears in her eyes.
*
"Mom, where are we going?" Raven asked as her mother dragged her toward the door. Alison didn't answer. "Livvie, come on. There's no way I'm leaving you alone like this." Alison grabbed Livvie's hand with her free one, and pulled them both out the door. "Mom, where are we going!?" Raven repeated as they stood on the porch. "Slaying lessons," Alison said matter-of-factly.
Livvie and Raven exchanged confused glances. "You can't fight a vampire if you don't know how, can you?" Alison asked. "Yeah, but who's going to teach me how to do that?" Raven asked, eyebrows furrowed. "Who do you think?"
*
"Doc, I'm so sorry....." Lucy murmured softly, wishing she could do something to ease Kevin's mind. Suddenly, there was a frantic knock at the door. "I better get that," Lucy said, and bustled over to answer the door. Standing there were Alison, Raven, and Livvie.
"Oh, thank God, you're all safe. Come in, please, come on," Lucy said, ushering them inside, "Livvie!" Kevin cried, running to his daughter and throwing his arms around her. Livvie went limp in them, her father giving her the comfort that she couldn't get from her missing husband and son. "Thank God that monster hasn't gotten to you yet...." Kevin crooned as he stroked Livvie's hair. Livvie sniffled and pulled back.
"But that's just it, Daddy, he's got Jack and Eli," she said, biting her lip. Kevin held her out at arm's length, shocked by her statement. "What?" Lucy acted like she wanted to say something, but she didn't know what. So Raven took this opportunity to cut in.
"Don't worry, Doctor Collins. I'm going to get them back, both of them. And I'm not going to let Caleb near Livvie. I'm going to stop him before he hurts anybody else," she said, surprised by the strength coming from her voice.
"That's right, Doc," Lucy reassured. Alison stepped forward then. "That's actually why we're here, Lucy. We need you to teach Raven how to be a slayer. You can do that, can't you?" she inquired.
Lucy let a smile come over her face, and cupped Raven's chin. "Well, I supposed I can remember a few old tricks," she said. "But it's going to take at least a couple of days for me to train her-" "A couple of days?!" Livvie exclaimed. "But what will happen to Jack and Eli? Caleb could kill them by then!"
"No, no he won't, " Raven interrupted, surprising herself. Where did that come from? Livvie seemed comforted by the sureness in her tone. "She's right," Lucy continued. "Caleb came here for you, and he won't do anything to Jack and Eli until he's got you. They're just pawns he needed to move before he can get to the queen."
A silence came over the room, as all eyes went to Raven. "Consider me the bishop," Raven said.
*