Chapter Sixteen
Now safely back in her house, Lucy stared at the beautiful young woman sitting on the couch. She was intrigued, but still slightly suspicious.
It was such a shame. She hadn't always been so wary of new people. But understandably, current circumstances made her keep her guard up.
This poor girl, Lucy thought, as she looked at her again. She looked scared, and so tired, but most of all unbelievably sad. Abby had said not much more to her and Ian than where exactly they could find her dear cousin and Alison.
They were locked, with both Caleb and Livvie, being held captive by Joshua, in a cell deep below Caleb's villa. Ian must almost be there by now. She pushed the worry away and decided to get Abby to open up a bit, suddenly, wanting nothing more but to help her.
If nothing else - it would go a long way to get her mind off herself, and whatever was making her so ill. Not wanting to waste another minute on hospitals, tests and what she almost knew for sure was more bad news, Lucy turned her attention to Abby.
In a kind voice, she said softly "Abby, do you mind if I ask you a question or two? I'll understand if you don't want to answer but - "
"No, it's OK, it's fine." Abby replied looking up at her for the first time since she'd come in the house. Tossing back her long, honey streaked hair and pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, she continued "What do you want to know?"
It was such a strange, new feeling, but something in this woman was calling out to Abby. She felt as though Lucy was a kindred spirit. She almost knew in her heart that she, of all people, would understand most about her gift, maybe even revel in it. Abby, knew, almost instantly, that she could trust her completely.
Lucy looked deep into Abby's stunning blue eyes and began, anxious for the answers she might receive.
"Okey dokey. Here we go then. What brought you here, to Port Charles?"
"It was what I could see." Abby replied, nearly sighing with relief that she would finally be able to share her secret.
"See? Where?" Lucy asked, her voice filled with confusion.
"The things happening here, what will happen here" Abby continued. "I can see it in my mind"
"What will happen? Wh - wait? What are you saying? Are you saying that you can see the future?" Lucy was awestruck.
"Yes" Abby said sadly. "I always have been."
"Oh my gosh! Oh my! How exciting!" Lucy grabbed Abby's hands then, giving them a quick squeeze.
"No. Not when you can't stop them."
"I'm sorry, stop what?"
Abby looked into Lucy's eyes as she answered. "The horrible things you see happen, especially to the people you love."
Lucy couldn't believe this. All her faith in the universe, which had been kind of on the fritz lately, when she thought about it, completely restored. There were millions of questions she wanted to ask her, but most important right now was figuring out how she came to be here.
"How is it that you know all of us? Do you live around here? Did you grow up around here?" Lucy asked then.
"No. I don't, I didn't. I live quite far away, actually. A little town in Colorado called Silver Canyon."
"Is that where your family is?"
In a voice so lonely it broke Lucy's heart, Abby answered.
"I don't have any family. Not anymore."
Tears filled her eyes as she got up off the couch and turned her back to Lucy, crossing her arms in front of herself moving to gaze out the window.
"Don't you have anyone who's there waiting for you?" Lucy asked, her voice hopeful.
She heard Abby give a small laugh. "Yes, I have Gwen." Already anticipating Lucy's next question she continued. "Gwen's my boss, my best friend - she, well, I guess you could say she takes care of me."
Happy to hear that she at least had someone who cared about her, Lucy said quietly, "I'm glad to hear that."
"Yeah - well." A tear or two escaped and rolled down her cheeks. Abby raised her hand to her face and caught them on the back of her hand.
"So if you are from so far away, I still don't understand how you came to be here. What's your connection to all of us?"
Abby turned back to look at Lucy as she said finally, "I guess - you could say - that it's Alison."
**********
Once they were free, Rafe ran into the opposite cell, shaking Alison awake gently. Her eyes were fighting to stay open as she asked him, "Please, Rafe, can we go home now?"
He stopped, took a breath and promised, "Yeah. Yeah we can."
Finally able to be together, Caleb and Livvie sprinted ahead as Rafe could do nothing but look on sadly. As hard as it had been - it'd do it again, in a second.
All that mattered was Alison.
He gathered her up, smiling in spite of it all at how she immediately snuggled in close, hooking an arm around his neck, laying her free hand over his heart. He carried her out of that hellhole and into the fresh air outside. He had just gotten to the bottom of the steps that led to the villa when he saw Ian.
"There you are. Look at that. You are here - just as she said you would be" he said as he greeted them.
"Hey, Ian - good to see you." Rafe replied, almost casually.
"How's she doing?" Ian nodded at the sleeping figure Rafe cradled in his arms.
"Well, obviously she's exhausted. She's also scared out of her mind." he said bitterly.
"You don't look so good yourself."
"I'm fine. I'm fine. Now that we're out of there."
"Well, c'mon, then. Now that you're free there's someone I think you both need to meet." Ian turned to lead them away.
Rafe couldn't possibly imagine there'd be anyone he would want to meet right now. He just wanted to get Alison away from here.
"Who?" he asked.
"This pretty young thing that Lucy and I met earlier today. She's the one who told me where to find you."
Realization came over Rafe's face as he said, "Let me guess. She's named Abby."
"Good guess. You know her then, do you? Well that explains it -"
"No, Ian. I don't. I do know that she met Livvie earlier, though, I, we, have no idea who she is."
"Well, let's be off then. We'll all find out who she is together. Come. She's at Lucy's. I'll take you there now."
Rafe looked over at Ian. A slayer, befriending a vampire. He never thought he'd see the day.
His voice was quiet as he spoke. "Ian. I will - we will. We'll go meet her, but I, I really
need to take Alison home now." He shifted her slightly in his arms.
Ian saw the look in his friend's eyes and knew introductions would have to wait.
"Fair enough." He said. "Let's get you both home."
Now safely back in her house, Lucy stared at the beautiful young woman sitting on the couch. She was intrigued, but still slightly suspicious.
It was such a shame. She hadn't always been so wary of new people. But understandably, current circumstances made her keep her guard up.
This poor girl, Lucy thought, as she looked at her again. She looked scared, and so tired, but most of all unbelievably sad. Abby had said not much more to her and Ian than where exactly they could find her dear cousin and Alison.
They were locked, with both Caleb and Livvie, being held captive by Joshua, in a cell deep below Caleb's villa. Ian must almost be there by now. She pushed the worry away and decided to get Abby to open up a bit, suddenly, wanting nothing more but to help her.
If nothing else - it would go a long way to get her mind off herself, and whatever was making her so ill. Not wanting to waste another minute on hospitals, tests and what she almost knew for sure was more bad news, Lucy turned her attention to Abby.
In a kind voice, she said softly "Abby, do you mind if I ask you a question or two? I'll understand if you don't want to answer but - "
"No, it's OK, it's fine." Abby replied looking up at her for the first time since she'd come in the house. Tossing back her long, honey streaked hair and pushing her glasses back up the bridge of her nose, she continued "What do you want to know?"
It was such a strange, new feeling, but something in this woman was calling out to Abby. She felt as though Lucy was a kindred spirit. She almost knew in her heart that she, of all people, would understand most about her gift, maybe even revel in it. Abby, knew, almost instantly, that she could trust her completely.
Lucy looked deep into Abby's stunning blue eyes and began, anxious for the answers she might receive.
"Okey dokey. Here we go then. What brought you here, to Port Charles?"
"It was what I could see." Abby replied, nearly sighing with relief that she would finally be able to share her secret.
"See? Where?" Lucy asked, her voice filled with confusion.
"The things happening here, what will happen here" Abby continued. "I can see it in my mind"
"What will happen? Wh - wait? What are you saying? Are you saying that you can see the future?" Lucy was awestruck.
"Yes" Abby said sadly. "I always have been."
"Oh my gosh! Oh my! How exciting!" Lucy grabbed Abby's hands then, giving them a quick squeeze.
"No. Not when you can't stop them."
"I'm sorry, stop what?"
Abby looked into Lucy's eyes as she answered. "The horrible things you see happen, especially to the people you love."
Lucy couldn't believe this. All her faith in the universe, which had been kind of on the fritz lately, when she thought about it, completely restored. There were millions of questions she wanted to ask her, but most important right now was figuring out how she came to be here.
"How is it that you know all of us? Do you live around here? Did you grow up around here?" Lucy asked then.
"No. I don't, I didn't. I live quite far away, actually. A little town in Colorado called Silver Canyon."
"Is that where your family is?"
In a voice so lonely it broke Lucy's heart, Abby answered.
"I don't have any family. Not anymore."
Tears filled her eyes as she got up off the couch and turned her back to Lucy, crossing her arms in front of herself moving to gaze out the window.
"Don't you have anyone who's there waiting for you?" Lucy asked, her voice hopeful.
She heard Abby give a small laugh. "Yes, I have Gwen." Already anticipating Lucy's next question she continued. "Gwen's my boss, my best friend - she, well, I guess you could say she takes care of me."
Happy to hear that she at least had someone who cared about her, Lucy said quietly, "I'm glad to hear that."
"Yeah - well." A tear or two escaped and rolled down her cheeks. Abby raised her hand to her face and caught them on the back of her hand.
"So if you are from so far away, I still don't understand how you came to be here. What's your connection to all of us?"
Abby turned back to look at Lucy as she said finally, "I guess - you could say - that it's Alison."
**********
Once they were free, Rafe ran into the opposite cell, shaking Alison awake gently. Her eyes were fighting to stay open as she asked him, "Please, Rafe, can we go home now?"
He stopped, took a breath and promised, "Yeah. Yeah we can."
Finally able to be together, Caleb and Livvie sprinted ahead as Rafe could do nothing but look on sadly. As hard as it had been - it'd do it again, in a second.
All that mattered was Alison.
He gathered her up, smiling in spite of it all at how she immediately snuggled in close, hooking an arm around his neck, laying her free hand over his heart. He carried her out of that hellhole and into the fresh air outside. He had just gotten to the bottom of the steps that led to the villa when he saw Ian.
"There you are. Look at that. You are here - just as she said you would be" he said as he greeted them.
"Hey, Ian - good to see you." Rafe replied, almost casually.
"How's she doing?" Ian nodded at the sleeping figure Rafe cradled in his arms.
"Well, obviously she's exhausted. She's also scared out of her mind." he said bitterly.
"You don't look so good yourself."
"I'm fine. I'm fine. Now that we're out of there."
"Well, c'mon, then. Now that you're free there's someone I think you both need to meet." Ian turned to lead them away.
Rafe couldn't possibly imagine there'd be anyone he would want to meet right now. He just wanted to get Alison away from here.
"Who?" he asked.
"This pretty young thing that Lucy and I met earlier today. She's the one who told me where to find you."
Realization came over Rafe's face as he said, "Let me guess. She's named Abby."
"Good guess. You know her then, do you? Well that explains it -"
"No, Ian. I don't. I do know that she met Livvie earlier, though, I, we, have no idea who she is."
"Well, let's be off then. We'll all find out who she is together. Come. She's at Lucy's. I'll take you there now."
Rafe looked over at Ian. A slayer, befriending a vampire. He never thought he'd see the day.
His voice was quiet as he spoke. "Ian. I will - we will. We'll go meet her, but I, I really
need to take Alison home now." He shifted her slightly in his arms.
Ian saw the look in his friend's eyes and knew introductions would have to wait.
"Fair enough." He said. "Let's get you both home."