Disclaimer: I do not believe I own any characters in this story other than
Angel, Eddie, and Jesse, which are my own creation. The other characters
are property of ABC/Disney.
He was just starting to wake up when all of a sudden he felt two jumps onto the bed. He opened his eyes to see Angel and Eddie sitting at the edge.
"Santa came! Santa came!" they yelled, eager to get their dad to go in and see what had been brought.
"Ok, let's get up and see what all you got," he smiled, getting out of the covers. He loved this time of year, getting to see the kids excited about presents. As the kids picked out the first present to open, he took a step outside. There was fresh snow on the ground. He looked up to the sky and thought, "Merry Christmas, Dad. Merry Christmas, Alison. Wish you two could be down here to share it with us." He had somehow started that tradition the first Christmas after Alison died, as a way to celebrate it with her.
He walked back inside, eager to see what the kids thought of what all Santa had brought them the night before.
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"Knock knock," Rafe said, opening Lucy's front door with his hands full of presents. "Anyone home?"
"Hey there cousin. Come in out of the cold. How has your Christmas been so far?"
"It's been good so far. The kids enjoyed all the presents Santa brought them. Is everyone here yet?" he asked, as the kids ran past them.
"Elizabeth just called and is on her way. Jack, Reese, and Jamal should be here any second. Kevin has Christina for another hour, so I figured we can sit around for awhile until she gets here to open presents."
"Did someone say our name?" Reese laughed, walking in. She walked over and gave Rafe a hug, "Merry Christmas, Rafe."
"Merry Christmas, Reese." Behind Reese wobbled in Maxie. "Look at you, you are getting to be so big." He said, leaning over and picking up his niece.
"Hey man," said Jack, carrying the presents in. "Anything new with that red head I saw you with the other day?"
"No, I haven't talked to her since. I did find out who she is staying with though."
"Who's that?" he asked while setting the presents down under the tree.
"Kevin. I'm going to take a guess that she is, after all, a relative of Livvie's."
"Does that mean you aren't interested?"
"I never said I was interested, but I'll get to know her a little better before I pass judgment."
They all sat down, and talked for awhile. Eventually they heard a car pull up, guessing that it was Kevin dropping off Christina. "Kids! Christina's here, come in so we can open up presents," yelled Lucy as she opened the door. Expecting Kevin, she was surprised when she saw a redhead at the door.
"Hi, I'm Jesse. Jesse Locke. I'm a family friend of Kevin's. He wanted me to drop off Christina."
"Well, come in," Lucy said, turning her head and giving Rafe a look as if asking if this was the same girl. Rafe covered his face and started to grin. "We were just waiting for Christina to get here so we could open the presents. This is my husband Ian, Elizabeth Barrington, Jack and Reese Ramsey, Jamal Woods, and I believe you've met Rafe."
"Hi again," Rafe said, expecting to be completely and totally embarrassed in a few minutes. He could already feel a slight redness in his cheeks.
"Hello, I didn't know you were a friend of Kevin's ex-wife."
"Yes, Lucy's my cousin."
"Oh, well I better get back to Kevin's place. Hope to see you again Rafe," she said heading out the door. Once the door closed Rafe took a deep sigh of relief.
"Rafe, why didn't you ask her to stay?" said Jamal, egging him on.
"Uhm, well," he said, scratching his head. "Kids, if you don't get in here soon I'm going to take all your presents," he yelled, trying to change the subject and fast.
"Awww. I believe Rafe might just have a girlfriend before too long," laughed Reese.
The subject of Jesse was not brought up for the rest of the time. They started passing out presents, when Rafe remembered Maxie's present. He got it and handed it to Reese. "Just think of it as a present from both Alison and me."
She opened the package to see the beautiful pink blanket laying there in the box. Her eyes filled with tears, knowing that her sister had this same blanket picked out for Angel. "Oh Rafe, it's beautiful," she said, leaning over and giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek.
Angel looked up from her presents to see the blanket, "I have one just like that."
"Yes you do, and now Maxie has one too. It's a special gift from your mommy to her sister." Rafe smiled, "Merry Christmas everyone."
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Rafe sat on the park bench, watching the kids play in the snow. It was the day after Christmas, and they had another week and a half of vacation before school started up again. He hadn't noticed someone walking up to him, but looking up he saw Jesse.
"Hello, Mr. Kovich. Out for a day in the park, I see."
"Yeah, the kids wanted to come and play, so I decided to take the day off and join them. So what are you doing out on this cold winter day?"
"I was just taking a walk. Sorry about yesterday at Lucy's. I'm sure you got some harassment after I left."
"Nah, not too bad."
"So, you never explained to me how you are friends with Kevin," he asked. It had been bothering him, thinking that she may be Livvie's sister.
"Well, I was adopted when I was an infant. I found out recently that my biological mother was Rachel Locke. I didn't have a good relationship with my adopted parents, so when I found out my biological mother's name I had it changed."
He realized she was Livvie's sister, but before he could say anything Angel ran up to them. "Daddy, can you do snow angels with me?"
"Sure, sweetie," he said, watching those blue eyes dance like they Alison's did.
Angel looked at Jesse, and then pulled her dad by the hand. Rafe looked back at her, and motioned he'd be right back.
The more Jesse was around him, the more she realized how great a person he was. She thought this seemed silly considering she knew very little about him. What she had seen mainly was how much he loved his children. The other stuff she had learned about him was he had the brightest smile and his eyes seemed to be able to see inside your soul. She wondered what she could do in order to get to spend an evening alone with him in order to get to know him better.
Rafe walked back over to the bench. He now had flakes of snow in his hair, but didn't seem to care at all. "Wow, that was fun," he laughed, brushing the snow out of his hair.
"You surprise me every time I see you, Rafe Kovich," she said, hoping that maybe he would suggest dinner one night.
"Yeah, that's me, full of surprises," he grinned. "I was thinking, how would you like to maybe go out for dinner one night next week. I'll have to see when one of my many babysitters can come by, but it shouldn't be a problem."
She tried to hide her excitement, "Oh, that sounds nice. Let me know when, and I'll be there," she said, looking at her watch, "Oh, look at the time. I need to be somewhere soon. You have Kevin's number right? Just let me know."
"Ok, I will. Take care," he said watching her walk off. He couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth just then. It was almost like someone else had said them.
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Rafe stared into the bedroom mirror. He was so nervous, and he had no idea why. He knew why, he just wasn't up for admitting it. This was going to be his first date since Alison had died. He heard the front door open and his name being called. "I'm in here Jack!" he yelled.
"Hey man. Wow, you look sharp."
"Thanks for the compliment, but right now I need something to calm my nerves."
"Don't worry, everything is going to be fine. You just need to take a deep breath, and enjoy yourself."
"You'd think I've never been on a date before. I guess this is different though, this is my first date since Alison. I'm sure she's up there right now laughing at me."
"Probably. Just remember to breathe, I don't want to hear about you being taken to the hospital for lack of oxygen. What time is dinner at?"
"Dinner is at 7:30. I need to go somewhere else first though," he said, finishing up. "How do I look? Do I look like a guy that hasn't been on a date with a female in two years?"
"You look good. Knock her dead, Rafe."
"Thanks, I'll be home no later than 10:30."
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He opened the door, and took a step in. It was musty in here, but what did he expect. He hadn't been back to the barn in over 6 months. He walked over to where their name was carved on the beam.
"Hey Alison. Are you and dad enjoying yourselves up there? Tell him he has a sick mind for setting me up with Livvie's SISTER! Anyways, I just thought I'd come over here before going to the date. I know you want me to be happy, and go on living. That's what tonight is all about, getting on with my life, right? One thing will not change though, and that is I will not forget you. If I don't visit here for awhile don't be upset. Ok, well I better go before I am late. Love you, Alison," he said closing the door. The nerves he had been talking to Jack were gone. It was as if just setting foot in that barn made them all vanish.
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He was about to go into the restaurant when he saw a street vendor selling flowers. He figured it would be a nice gesture of him to get her one. So, what should he get? A red rose? No, don't want to scare her away. How about white? No, that doesn't seem good either. He figured that he would stay way from pink, but then realized that the vendor was all out of pink ones. Yellow, that seemed perfect. Didn't yellow signify friendship?
He walked into the restaurant and she was already seated. Was he late? Looking down at his watch he saw that he was on time. She must have just gone and got a table early. "Hope you haven't been waiting too long," he said with a smile.
"No, I just got here. I wasn't sure how busy this place gets, so I decided to get a table while there was one available. Is that for me?" she asked, eyeing the yellow rose in his hand.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot. I didn't know what color you liked, so I figured yellow would do," he said, feeling the nervousness coming over him again.
"Actually, my favorite flowers are yellow roses. You did very well tonight, Rafe," she said smiling.
He hadn't noticed her smile before. It reminded him of Livvie's slightly. The only thing different though was it was more sincere than her sister's.
"So, has Kevin explained to you who Livvie is?"
"He said I was related to her. Which I guess means I lied when I told you I wasn't before."
"It's ok, you didn't know. In this town I wouldn't admit I was related to her either. Anyways, I guess I'll tell you. Livvie's mother is Rachel Locke, the same person as your biological mother."
"So we're sisters," she said. "Other than your cousin being her ex- stepmother, how else do you two know each other?"
"Well, it's a very long story. So I'll sum it up in a short brief statement. I lost my memory, and Livvie tricked me into thinking I was in love with her. We married, I realized I had no feelings for her, and then went back to Alison-my late wife."
"I'll have to ask for the full version of that story another night. Tell me about Alison, if that's ok with you."
He let out a small sigh, and smiled. "Well, if you honestly want to know. Part of this story will have to be told later also, I'll let you know that now. Alison was, at one time, Livvie's best friend. Things happened to Livvie though, and she changed. Back to Alison, well she had blue eyes, as you've noticed from the kids. Her hair was the same color as Eddie's is now. She was stubborn, and selfless, and willing to help the smallest creature. We were married 6 years when she passed, she was in a car crash. This may sound silly, but I truly know she wants me to be happy with my life. Let's put it this way, I was given a second chance at life. Alison put everything she had aside to make sure I live my second chance to the fullest."
"Well, I'd like to make a toast," she said smiling. "Here's to Alison, for giving you two beautiful children to spend your second chance with."
"I'll toast to that," he said, smiling. He realized she was honestly interested in hearing about Alison just then. The only thing above that that mattered was her being able to get along with the kids.
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He pulled into the driveway at 11 pm. He couldn't believe how refreshed he felt. Him and Jesse had a great dinner, and then walked in the park before heading back to the cars. He figured he'd call her sometime tomorrow, and see when they could meet again. Walking in the house he saw Jack sprawled out on the couch asleep.
"Hey man, wake up," he said, pushing Jack's feet off the couch.
"Hey. So how was the date? Did you finally relax?"
"Let me say it ranks up as number one in the dates I've been on in the past two years."
Jack just looked at Rafe and laughed, "Well, that's a given, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but it was really good. I enjoyed myself, and told her that Livvie was her sister. She even asked me to tell her about Alison. I could tell when I finished she had really been interested in finding out about her."
"Did you tell her about the vampires and such?"
"No, I figured that finding out Livvie is your sister is enough horror for one night."
"Yeah, really," Jack said, heading to the door. "Hey, I want you to know that whatever happens, I'll be happy as long as you're happy."
"Thanks, Goodnight."
He was just starting to wake up when all of a sudden he felt two jumps onto the bed. He opened his eyes to see Angel and Eddie sitting at the edge.
"Santa came! Santa came!" they yelled, eager to get their dad to go in and see what had been brought.
"Ok, let's get up and see what all you got," he smiled, getting out of the covers. He loved this time of year, getting to see the kids excited about presents. As the kids picked out the first present to open, he took a step outside. There was fresh snow on the ground. He looked up to the sky and thought, "Merry Christmas, Dad. Merry Christmas, Alison. Wish you two could be down here to share it with us." He had somehow started that tradition the first Christmas after Alison died, as a way to celebrate it with her.
He walked back inside, eager to see what the kids thought of what all Santa had brought them the night before.
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"Knock knock," Rafe said, opening Lucy's front door with his hands full of presents. "Anyone home?"
"Hey there cousin. Come in out of the cold. How has your Christmas been so far?"
"It's been good so far. The kids enjoyed all the presents Santa brought them. Is everyone here yet?" he asked, as the kids ran past them.
"Elizabeth just called and is on her way. Jack, Reese, and Jamal should be here any second. Kevin has Christina for another hour, so I figured we can sit around for awhile until she gets here to open presents."
"Did someone say our name?" Reese laughed, walking in. She walked over and gave Rafe a hug, "Merry Christmas, Rafe."
"Merry Christmas, Reese." Behind Reese wobbled in Maxie. "Look at you, you are getting to be so big." He said, leaning over and picking up his niece.
"Hey man," said Jack, carrying the presents in. "Anything new with that red head I saw you with the other day?"
"No, I haven't talked to her since. I did find out who she is staying with though."
"Who's that?" he asked while setting the presents down under the tree.
"Kevin. I'm going to take a guess that she is, after all, a relative of Livvie's."
"Does that mean you aren't interested?"
"I never said I was interested, but I'll get to know her a little better before I pass judgment."
They all sat down, and talked for awhile. Eventually they heard a car pull up, guessing that it was Kevin dropping off Christina. "Kids! Christina's here, come in so we can open up presents," yelled Lucy as she opened the door. Expecting Kevin, she was surprised when she saw a redhead at the door.
"Hi, I'm Jesse. Jesse Locke. I'm a family friend of Kevin's. He wanted me to drop off Christina."
"Well, come in," Lucy said, turning her head and giving Rafe a look as if asking if this was the same girl. Rafe covered his face and started to grin. "We were just waiting for Christina to get here so we could open the presents. This is my husband Ian, Elizabeth Barrington, Jack and Reese Ramsey, Jamal Woods, and I believe you've met Rafe."
"Hi again," Rafe said, expecting to be completely and totally embarrassed in a few minutes. He could already feel a slight redness in his cheeks.
"Hello, I didn't know you were a friend of Kevin's ex-wife."
"Yes, Lucy's my cousin."
"Oh, well I better get back to Kevin's place. Hope to see you again Rafe," she said heading out the door. Once the door closed Rafe took a deep sigh of relief.
"Rafe, why didn't you ask her to stay?" said Jamal, egging him on.
"Uhm, well," he said, scratching his head. "Kids, if you don't get in here soon I'm going to take all your presents," he yelled, trying to change the subject and fast.
"Awww. I believe Rafe might just have a girlfriend before too long," laughed Reese.
The subject of Jesse was not brought up for the rest of the time. They started passing out presents, when Rafe remembered Maxie's present. He got it and handed it to Reese. "Just think of it as a present from both Alison and me."
She opened the package to see the beautiful pink blanket laying there in the box. Her eyes filled with tears, knowing that her sister had this same blanket picked out for Angel. "Oh Rafe, it's beautiful," she said, leaning over and giving him a hug and kiss on the cheek.
Angel looked up from her presents to see the blanket, "I have one just like that."
"Yes you do, and now Maxie has one too. It's a special gift from your mommy to her sister." Rafe smiled, "Merry Christmas everyone."
----------------------
Rafe sat on the park bench, watching the kids play in the snow. It was the day after Christmas, and they had another week and a half of vacation before school started up again. He hadn't noticed someone walking up to him, but looking up he saw Jesse.
"Hello, Mr. Kovich. Out for a day in the park, I see."
"Yeah, the kids wanted to come and play, so I decided to take the day off and join them. So what are you doing out on this cold winter day?"
"I was just taking a walk. Sorry about yesterday at Lucy's. I'm sure you got some harassment after I left."
"Nah, not too bad."
"So, you never explained to me how you are friends with Kevin," he asked. It had been bothering him, thinking that she may be Livvie's sister.
"Well, I was adopted when I was an infant. I found out recently that my biological mother was Rachel Locke. I didn't have a good relationship with my adopted parents, so when I found out my biological mother's name I had it changed."
He realized she was Livvie's sister, but before he could say anything Angel ran up to them. "Daddy, can you do snow angels with me?"
"Sure, sweetie," he said, watching those blue eyes dance like they Alison's did.
Angel looked at Jesse, and then pulled her dad by the hand. Rafe looked back at her, and motioned he'd be right back.
The more Jesse was around him, the more she realized how great a person he was. She thought this seemed silly considering she knew very little about him. What she had seen mainly was how much he loved his children. The other stuff she had learned about him was he had the brightest smile and his eyes seemed to be able to see inside your soul. She wondered what she could do in order to get to spend an evening alone with him in order to get to know him better.
Rafe walked back over to the bench. He now had flakes of snow in his hair, but didn't seem to care at all. "Wow, that was fun," he laughed, brushing the snow out of his hair.
"You surprise me every time I see you, Rafe Kovich," she said, hoping that maybe he would suggest dinner one night.
"Yeah, that's me, full of surprises," he grinned. "I was thinking, how would you like to maybe go out for dinner one night next week. I'll have to see when one of my many babysitters can come by, but it shouldn't be a problem."
She tried to hide her excitement, "Oh, that sounds nice. Let me know when, and I'll be there," she said, looking at her watch, "Oh, look at the time. I need to be somewhere soon. You have Kevin's number right? Just let me know."
"Ok, I will. Take care," he said watching her walk off. He couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth just then. It was almost like someone else had said them.
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Rafe stared into the bedroom mirror. He was so nervous, and he had no idea why. He knew why, he just wasn't up for admitting it. This was going to be his first date since Alison had died. He heard the front door open and his name being called. "I'm in here Jack!" he yelled.
"Hey man. Wow, you look sharp."
"Thanks for the compliment, but right now I need something to calm my nerves."
"Don't worry, everything is going to be fine. You just need to take a deep breath, and enjoy yourself."
"You'd think I've never been on a date before. I guess this is different though, this is my first date since Alison. I'm sure she's up there right now laughing at me."
"Probably. Just remember to breathe, I don't want to hear about you being taken to the hospital for lack of oxygen. What time is dinner at?"
"Dinner is at 7:30. I need to go somewhere else first though," he said, finishing up. "How do I look? Do I look like a guy that hasn't been on a date with a female in two years?"
"You look good. Knock her dead, Rafe."
"Thanks, I'll be home no later than 10:30."
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He opened the door, and took a step in. It was musty in here, but what did he expect. He hadn't been back to the barn in over 6 months. He walked over to where their name was carved on the beam.
"Hey Alison. Are you and dad enjoying yourselves up there? Tell him he has a sick mind for setting me up with Livvie's SISTER! Anyways, I just thought I'd come over here before going to the date. I know you want me to be happy, and go on living. That's what tonight is all about, getting on with my life, right? One thing will not change though, and that is I will not forget you. If I don't visit here for awhile don't be upset. Ok, well I better go before I am late. Love you, Alison," he said closing the door. The nerves he had been talking to Jack were gone. It was as if just setting foot in that barn made them all vanish.
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He was about to go into the restaurant when he saw a street vendor selling flowers. He figured it would be a nice gesture of him to get her one. So, what should he get? A red rose? No, don't want to scare her away. How about white? No, that doesn't seem good either. He figured that he would stay way from pink, but then realized that the vendor was all out of pink ones. Yellow, that seemed perfect. Didn't yellow signify friendship?
He walked into the restaurant and she was already seated. Was he late? Looking down at his watch he saw that he was on time. She must have just gone and got a table early. "Hope you haven't been waiting too long," he said with a smile.
"No, I just got here. I wasn't sure how busy this place gets, so I decided to get a table while there was one available. Is that for me?" she asked, eyeing the yellow rose in his hand.
"Oh yes, I almost forgot. I didn't know what color you liked, so I figured yellow would do," he said, feeling the nervousness coming over him again.
"Actually, my favorite flowers are yellow roses. You did very well tonight, Rafe," she said smiling.
He hadn't noticed her smile before. It reminded him of Livvie's slightly. The only thing different though was it was more sincere than her sister's.
"So, has Kevin explained to you who Livvie is?"
"He said I was related to her. Which I guess means I lied when I told you I wasn't before."
"It's ok, you didn't know. In this town I wouldn't admit I was related to her either. Anyways, I guess I'll tell you. Livvie's mother is Rachel Locke, the same person as your biological mother."
"So we're sisters," she said. "Other than your cousin being her ex- stepmother, how else do you two know each other?"
"Well, it's a very long story. So I'll sum it up in a short brief statement. I lost my memory, and Livvie tricked me into thinking I was in love with her. We married, I realized I had no feelings for her, and then went back to Alison-my late wife."
"I'll have to ask for the full version of that story another night. Tell me about Alison, if that's ok with you."
He let out a small sigh, and smiled. "Well, if you honestly want to know. Part of this story will have to be told later also, I'll let you know that now. Alison was, at one time, Livvie's best friend. Things happened to Livvie though, and she changed. Back to Alison, well she had blue eyes, as you've noticed from the kids. Her hair was the same color as Eddie's is now. She was stubborn, and selfless, and willing to help the smallest creature. We were married 6 years when she passed, she was in a car crash. This may sound silly, but I truly know she wants me to be happy with my life. Let's put it this way, I was given a second chance at life. Alison put everything she had aside to make sure I live my second chance to the fullest."
"Well, I'd like to make a toast," she said smiling. "Here's to Alison, for giving you two beautiful children to spend your second chance with."
"I'll toast to that," he said, smiling. He realized she was honestly interested in hearing about Alison just then. The only thing above that that mattered was her being able to get along with the kids.
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He pulled into the driveway at 11 pm. He couldn't believe how refreshed he felt. Him and Jesse had a great dinner, and then walked in the park before heading back to the cars. He figured he'd call her sometime tomorrow, and see when they could meet again. Walking in the house he saw Jack sprawled out on the couch asleep.
"Hey man, wake up," he said, pushing Jack's feet off the couch.
"Hey. So how was the date? Did you finally relax?"
"Let me say it ranks up as number one in the dates I've been on in the past two years."
Jack just looked at Rafe and laughed, "Well, that's a given, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but it was really good. I enjoyed myself, and told her that Livvie was her sister. She even asked me to tell her about Alison. I could tell when I finished she had really been interested in finding out about her."
"Did you tell her about the vampires and such?"
"No, I figured that finding out Livvie is your sister is enough horror for one night."
"Yeah, really," Jack said, heading to the door. "Hey, I want you to know that whatever happens, I'll be happy as long as you're happy."
"Thanks, Goodnight."
