Chapter Thirty-one
"C'mon. Hurry up." Rafe said - still dragging Abby along.
Abby knew they were getting nearer, but she needed to stop for a minute. Seriously, Rafe was practically pulling her arm out of the socket.
She stopped running completely, causing him to release her hand. He turned and glared at her.
"Abby." His voice threatened her, "I said come on."
She glared back at him, "Please. Just wait a second Rafe."
"We don't have a second - I have to find Alison."
"I know." She said rubbing her shoulder. "I know. But, please. Just hold on for a minute. She's OK right now. I can see that."
"That's nice. Thanks for the update. Now let's go." He reached for her hand again.
She backed away. "Rafe. I'm serious. You can't go barging in there like a lunatic. You need to think for a second. I'm not moving until you listen to me." Abby shook back her hair, put her hands on her hips and looked up at him.
He rubbed a hand over his face. If there was any doubt that she and Alison were sisters this proved it. He looked up at the sky for a second. "What the hell were you thinking?" he spoke silently to the one's responsible above. "You made two of them? She is just as stubborn as Alison."
"I've got to meet the guy who fell for you. We definitely have lots talk about." Rafe muttered under his breath as he looked back at her.
"What did you say?" Abby thought she'd heard him and began to get angry.
"Never mind. Abby. Seriously, I am running out of time and out of patience. If you don't start moving, I'll just throw you over my shoulder and make you." Rafe promised.
Abby laughed, "You wouldn't dare."
Rafe moved to do just what he promised.
She sidestepped him, and then turned to stand in front of him, blocking the path. She knew she only had a second or two before he tried again but she needed him to hear her.
"Rafe. Please listen to me, for just a second. This is not the first time I've tried to save someone that I care about - and I don't want something to go wrong. I need you to listen to me."
Rafe began to focus on what Abby was saying. Maybe she was right. He stood facing her, his arms folded across his chest. His eyes narrowed as she continued to speak.
"Joshua's always lurking, but he'll be distracted in a few minutes as well. Jamal will take care of it."
"Jamal? He's there? He's been turned?" Rafe asked, shocked at the news.
"Yeah." Abby said sadly.
Rafe looked down and shook his head in disbelief. It just kept getting worse. Alison must be devastated.
Abby placed a hand on his arm. "Rafe, listen to me. I thought the same thing, but he's helping her. He's watching out for her. He's been talking to Casey."
Rafe sighed. At least that was something. He looked over at Abby again.
"Is that all?" he asked, now even more desperate to go and get to Alison, if that was even possible.
"Just one more thing, she's in a room on the first floor. From the back entrance, it's up a short flight of stairs. It's the second door on the right. There's a terrace off her room, if you can't get out the same way you came in."
She didn't have to worry about that, Rafe thought. I may not be using the door. "OK. OK. Now let's go." Rafe reached for her hand.
Again, Abby stepped away. "No. Wait. I'm not going with you."
"You're not?" Rafe asked, confused.
"No. I'm the only one who knows where you both are. If something goes wrong."
"You can save us." Rafe finished her sentence.
He was counting on that, wasn't he? The thought had Abby terrified. She'd never been able to come through before. Maybe this time it would be different.
"I can try." Abby said softly, not sure she actually could save them at all. "Just, please - be careful."
Rafe took Abby's hand again, this time simply squeezing it gently. He looked into those eyes that were so like Alison's as he said simply "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Now, go. Go get my.sister" Abby said. It was amazing how easy it was to already think of her that way.
Acting on impulse, Rafe leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "Wish me luck," he said. Then, running as fast as his legs could carry him, he raced off to save the woman he loved.
"Good luck. If you're counting on me - you'll need it." Abby whispered as he disappeared into the woods.
***********
Alison paced the room. She couldn't believe it had come to this. She was in the very place they had never intended her to end up. As if that wasn't bad enough, one of the people she loved most in the world was now a vampire. Her heart broke thinking of Jamal, of what the evil had done to everyone here.
She was dressed in a gown that Joshua had left for her. His taste in clothes was actually lovely, but the feel of the silk and lace on her skin just sickened her.
She shivered, thinking of what was in store for her here.
"Rafe." she called out to him in her mind. He must be going crazy. It was only a matter of time until she saw him here. She knew he'd never give up until he found her. But this time, she wouldn't be happy to see him, because once he got here, she knew she'd just have to push him away.
Images of their life together began to fill her mind, making her heart ache. Alison remembered Rafe knocking the tray of muffins out of her hands, then making fun of how they dented the floor. He always loved to tease her, from that very first day. She began to cry as she recalled the first rose he gave her, making it magically appear. She began to sob as she thought of the day she finally admitted to herself just how much in love with him she was.
Alison had been so sure they would be able to have the life they had dreamed of. She had been so sure that together they would be able to make all their dreams come true.
Finally, she remembered the day she realized that he had actually brought her back from the dead, the thousand different ways he saved her life just by loving her.
As hard as it was for her to imagine actually doing what she knew it would take, it was her turn to save his.
"C'mon. Hurry up." Rafe said - still dragging Abby along.
Abby knew they were getting nearer, but she needed to stop for a minute. Seriously, Rafe was practically pulling her arm out of the socket.
She stopped running completely, causing him to release her hand. He turned and glared at her.
"Abby." His voice threatened her, "I said come on."
She glared back at him, "Please. Just wait a second Rafe."
"We don't have a second - I have to find Alison."
"I know." She said rubbing her shoulder. "I know. But, please. Just hold on for a minute. She's OK right now. I can see that."
"That's nice. Thanks for the update. Now let's go." He reached for her hand again.
She backed away. "Rafe. I'm serious. You can't go barging in there like a lunatic. You need to think for a second. I'm not moving until you listen to me." Abby shook back her hair, put her hands on her hips and looked up at him.
He rubbed a hand over his face. If there was any doubt that she and Alison were sisters this proved it. He looked up at the sky for a second. "What the hell were you thinking?" he spoke silently to the one's responsible above. "You made two of them? She is just as stubborn as Alison."
"I've got to meet the guy who fell for you. We definitely have lots talk about." Rafe muttered under his breath as he looked back at her.
"What did you say?" Abby thought she'd heard him and began to get angry.
"Never mind. Abby. Seriously, I am running out of time and out of patience. If you don't start moving, I'll just throw you over my shoulder and make you." Rafe promised.
Abby laughed, "You wouldn't dare."
Rafe moved to do just what he promised.
She sidestepped him, and then turned to stand in front of him, blocking the path. She knew she only had a second or two before he tried again but she needed him to hear her.
"Rafe. Please listen to me, for just a second. This is not the first time I've tried to save someone that I care about - and I don't want something to go wrong. I need you to listen to me."
Rafe began to focus on what Abby was saying. Maybe she was right. He stood facing her, his arms folded across his chest. His eyes narrowed as she continued to speak.
"Joshua's always lurking, but he'll be distracted in a few minutes as well. Jamal will take care of it."
"Jamal? He's there? He's been turned?" Rafe asked, shocked at the news.
"Yeah." Abby said sadly.
Rafe looked down and shook his head in disbelief. It just kept getting worse. Alison must be devastated.
Abby placed a hand on his arm. "Rafe, listen to me. I thought the same thing, but he's helping her. He's watching out for her. He's been talking to Casey."
Rafe sighed. At least that was something. He looked over at Abby again.
"Is that all?" he asked, now even more desperate to go and get to Alison, if that was even possible.
"Just one more thing, she's in a room on the first floor. From the back entrance, it's up a short flight of stairs. It's the second door on the right. There's a terrace off her room, if you can't get out the same way you came in."
She didn't have to worry about that, Rafe thought. I may not be using the door. "OK. OK. Now let's go." Rafe reached for her hand.
Again, Abby stepped away. "No. Wait. I'm not going with you."
"You're not?" Rafe asked, confused.
"No. I'm the only one who knows where you both are. If something goes wrong."
"You can save us." Rafe finished her sentence.
He was counting on that, wasn't he? The thought had Abby terrified. She'd never been able to come through before. Maybe this time it would be different.
"I can try." Abby said softly, not sure she actually could save them at all. "Just, please - be careful."
Rafe took Abby's hand again, this time simply squeezing it gently. He looked into those eyes that were so like Alison's as he said simply "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Now, go. Go get my.sister" Abby said. It was amazing how easy it was to already think of her that way.
Acting on impulse, Rafe leaned in and placed a quick kiss on her forehead. "Wish me luck," he said. Then, running as fast as his legs could carry him, he raced off to save the woman he loved.
"Good luck. If you're counting on me - you'll need it." Abby whispered as he disappeared into the woods.
***********
Alison paced the room. She couldn't believe it had come to this. She was in the very place they had never intended her to end up. As if that wasn't bad enough, one of the people she loved most in the world was now a vampire. Her heart broke thinking of Jamal, of what the evil had done to everyone here.
She was dressed in a gown that Joshua had left for her. His taste in clothes was actually lovely, but the feel of the silk and lace on her skin just sickened her.
She shivered, thinking of what was in store for her here.
"Rafe." she called out to him in her mind. He must be going crazy. It was only a matter of time until she saw him here. She knew he'd never give up until he found her. But this time, she wouldn't be happy to see him, because once he got here, she knew she'd just have to push him away.
Images of their life together began to fill her mind, making her heart ache. Alison remembered Rafe knocking the tray of muffins out of her hands, then making fun of how they dented the floor. He always loved to tease her, from that very first day. She began to cry as she recalled the first rose he gave her, making it magically appear. She began to sob as she thought of the day she finally admitted to herself just how much in love with him she was.
Alison had been so sure they would be able to have the life they had dreamed of. She had been so sure that together they would be able to make all their dreams come true.
Finally, she remembered the day she realized that he had actually brought her back from the dead, the thousand different ways he saved her life just by loving her.
As hard as it was for her to imagine actually doing what she knew it would take, it was her turn to save his.