Chapter Five
Looking out the window of her room, Abby hugged her arms around herself. The town looked so peaceful, so quaint from up here, she thought. But evil hung over it like a fog. She shivered slightly and shook her head. It was coming again.
The vision, of a man, dark and eerily evil. Plotting, planning, stalking his prey. She could see how others were joining him, following blindly. Giving in to something they should be fighting with everything they had. He was getting stronger.
The town of Port Charles was turning upside down. This is crazy, Abby thought. What was she doing here? Who's going to listen to her? No one here knows her at all. Why would they trust what she has to tell them?
These were the times she missed them most, her mother and Cameron. They were the two people in this world who understood her best.
"What should I do? Huh?" she spoke aloud. "Either one of you, feel free to jump in. God knows you both loved to tell me what to do when you were here." She sighed and then suddenly, she could feel them there, and in her mind heard their words as if they were standing right in front of her.
If Abby tried, really hard, she could even see them. Her mother, beautiful as ever, her brown hair curling softly about her face, her sparkling blue eyes the kindest in the world.
"Follow your heart, sweet Abby - you know it will always tell you the truth."
As quickly as she was there, she was gone. And Cameron stood in her place.
Abby's heart cried out as she looked at him. Tall and strong, his arms crossed over his chest, standing like he always had when he'd give her one of his lectures. How she missed the feel of those arms around her, holding her close.
"Abs -- c'mon, since when are you chicken? I've never known you to make a bad decision. You chose me didn't you?" he said, with a grin. Then he slowly faded away.
As always, the wonderful memories their images brought back were laced with unbelievable sadness. Abby's eyes filled with tears of frustration. "I know, I know. But, here's what I'm scared of."
"I couldn't save either of you. What makes you think I can save them?"
************
Not far away, Alison looked out at Port Charles from her own window. She was in the apartment alone. They hadn't been home five minutes when Rafe rushed out the door to meet Ian.
Now she knew how Lois Lane felt whenever Clark Kent left to play Superman.
She smiled a bit, remembering the day they had shared. It had been amazing. So amazing, she almost forgot - about Caleb, and Livvie, and Joshua. Almost.
She had been so happy when they discovered the hot springs. She thought it was over. She thought that they'd finally be rid of it all. Something good had come out of it. At least, they'd gotten to Caleb. He was mortal now, and as just a man, seemed slightly less scary. Now, they needed to catch just a few more - and then they'd be free.
She meant what she'd said earlier that day. It wasn't fair.
From the very beginning, Alison knew it wouldn't be easy. When she finally admitted to herself and to Rafe that she loved him all those months ago, she knew their life together wouldn't be totally normal. But she thought, maybe, just maybe, it'd come close. And it did. When they were alone, when they were able to shut the crazy world out, it was all she'd ever dreamed of and more.
But, when they were forced to let the world back in, they fought that constant battle against things that were so incredibly evil --- it scared her to think that it was slowly wearing her out. She tried to be strong and brave, she really did. She knew she could never truly give up but really, honestly, what did they ever do to deserve this? Did they deserve that horrible trick that Caleb had played on them, destroying what should have been the happiest day of their lives? Did they deserve the pain of watching the destruction of the all the people they loved? Did her mother and Ian deserve to be turned? Did Jack deserve what happened to him? Falling in love once again with a woman controlled by Caleb? Why would they all have to pay so dearly? What was their crime? It made no sense at all. Was Rafe actually right? Was it all because they had met and fallen in love? How was that fair?
Turning away from the window, Alison glanced around their apartment. How happy they'd been the day he told her his plans, for a new business, for their life together. So much had happened since then, they hadn't even had time to think about decorating this place. Actually, Rafe could care less if it stayed the way it was. She had made a few pathetic attempts with some candles, but it hardly looked like the home she'd dreamed of. She wanted to erase the memory of the fact that due to Caleb's cruel joke,, Rafe had once lived in this apartment alone. Without her.
Soon, she promised herself. Soon.
Here eyes continued to scan the room and fell onto the bed. She saw it then, a perfect pink rose. "I gotta tell you - there are benefits to falling for a former angel", she said to herself and smiled. How pretty it would look on the bedside table.
She went to the kitchen, chose a tall, thin vase and walked back to the bed. Her smile grew. "A perfect ending to a perfect day. How I love you, Rafe Kovich" Alison said with a sigh, as she closed her eyes and picked up the rose, lifting it to her nose to sniff it.
It held no scent at all.
That's odd, she thought as her eyes fluttered open and then grew wide. She jumped a foot, dropped the vase with a crash and just stared.
Her perfect pink rose had turned black.
Looking out the window of her room, Abby hugged her arms around herself. The town looked so peaceful, so quaint from up here, she thought. But evil hung over it like a fog. She shivered slightly and shook her head. It was coming again.
The vision, of a man, dark and eerily evil. Plotting, planning, stalking his prey. She could see how others were joining him, following blindly. Giving in to something they should be fighting with everything they had. He was getting stronger.
The town of Port Charles was turning upside down. This is crazy, Abby thought. What was she doing here? Who's going to listen to her? No one here knows her at all. Why would they trust what she has to tell them?
These were the times she missed them most, her mother and Cameron. They were the two people in this world who understood her best.
"What should I do? Huh?" she spoke aloud. "Either one of you, feel free to jump in. God knows you both loved to tell me what to do when you were here." She sighed and then suddenly, she could feel them there, and in her mind heard their words as if they were standing right in front of her.
If Abby tried, really hard, she could even see them. Her mother, beautiful as ever, her brown hair curling softly about her face, her sparkling blue eyes the kindest in the world.
"Follow your heart, sweet Abby - you know it will always tell you the truth."
As quickly as she was there, she was gone. And Cameron stood in her place.
Abby's heart cried out as she looked at him. Tall and strong, his arms crossed over his chest, standing like he always had when he'd give her one of his lectures. How she missed the feel of those arms around her, holding her close.
"Abs -- c'mon, since when are you chicken? I've never known you to make a bad decision. You chose me didn't you?" he said, with a grin. Then he slowly faded away.
As always, the wonderful memories their images brought back were laced with unbelievable sadness. Abby's eyes filled with tears of frustration. "I know, I know. But, here's what I'm scared of."
"I couldn't save either of you. What makes you think I can save them?"
************
Not far away, Alison looked out at Port Charles from her own window. She was in the apartment alone. They hadn't been home five minutes when Rafe rushed out the door to meet Ian.
Now she knew how Lois Lane felt whenever Clark Kent left to play Superman.
She smiled a bit, remembering the day they had shared. It had been amazing. So amazing, she almost forgot - about Caleb, and Livvie, and Joshua. Almost.
She had been so happy when they discovered the hot springs. She thought it was over. She thought that they'd finally be rid of it all. Something good had come out of it. At least, they'd gotten to Caleb. He was mortal now, and as just a man, seemed slightly less scary. Now, they needed to catch just a few more - and then they'd be free.
She meant what she'd said earlier that day. It wasn't fair.
From the very beginning, Alison knew it wouldn't be easy. When she finally admitted to herself and to Rafe that she loved him all those months ago, she knew their life together wouldn't be totally normal. But she thought, maybe, just maybe, it'd come close. And it did. When they were alone, when they were able to shut the crazy world out, it was all she'd ever dreamed of and more.
But, when they were forced to let the world back in, they fought that constant battle against things that were so incredibly evil --- it scared her to think that it was slowly wearing her out. She tried to be strong and brave, she really did. She knew she could never truly give up but really, honestly, what did they ever do to deserve this? Did they deserve that horrible trick that Caleb had played on them, destroying what should have been the happiest day of their lives? Did they deserve the pain of watching the destruction of the all the people they loved? Did her mother and Ian deserve to be turned? Did Jack deserve what happened to him? Falling in love once again with a woman controlled by Caleb? Why would they all have to pay so dearly? What was their crime? It made no sense at all. Was Rafe actually right? Was it all because they had met and fallen in love? How was that fair?
Turning away from the window, Alison glanced around their apartment. How happy they'd been the day he told her his plans, for a new business, for their life together. So much had happened since then, they hadn't even had time to think about decorating this place. Actually, Rafe could care less if it stayed the way it was. She had made a few pathetic attempts with some candles, but it hardly looked like the home she'd dreamed of. She wanted to erase the memory of the fact that due to Caleb's cruel joke,, Rafe had once lived in this apartment alone. Without her.
Soon, she promised herself. Soon.
Here eyes continued to scan the room and fell onto the bed. She saw it then, a perfect pink rose. "I gotta tell you - there are benefits to falling for a former angel", she said to herself and smiled. How pretty it would look on the bedside table.
She went to the kitchen, chose a tall, thin vase and walked back to the bed. Her smile grew. "A perfect ending to a perfect day. How I love you, Rafe Kovich" Alison said with a sigh, as she closed her eyes and picked up the rose, lifting it to her nose to sniff it.
It held no scent at all.
That's odd, she thought as her eyes fluttered open and then grew wide. She jumped a foot, dropped the vase with a crash and just stared.
Her perfect pink rose had turned black.