Chapter Six
Three days. Three days and he had gotten nowhere. The ring was still missing, possibly in the hands of someone who could do real damage. Someone like Joshua, who had no idea the power he possessed, but was crazy enough to believe he could control them all. Still frustrated beyond belief, Caleb threw a glass across the room, pleased when he heard the sound of it shattering. The glass got off easy. When he found out who held the ring - he would do more than just break them - he would destroy them.
Livvie heard the noise of glass breaking from the other room and slowly walked in. She was still feeling guilty - still furious her self. They were getting nowhere and that she really was no help in figuring out where to look next. The pattern would never change. Alison was home with Rafe, safe and sound and happy and she and Caleb were still looking, trying to get back everything they'd lost. That fact made her blood boil. Alison always won. She always lost.
Caleb ran through a list in his mind. If it wasn't Frank who held the ring, perhaps it was Jamal. He was there with Alison at Joshua's. He was now a vampire. Or was it the angel Casey, trying to keep so called evil from spreading. If either one of them had it, that little group he belonged to would close around the person who held the ring to try and protect them from him. He'd tried to come here to live in peace, he'd be willing to try and keep it, but these mortals were asking for him to return to his old ways if they continued to keep him from his family's legacy. He had a new enemy.
"Caleb." Livvie said softly.
Ah, there she was - his sweet Olivia. As he pulled her to him he noticed the look in her eyes. She looked ready to kill. It almost made him laugh. The people in this town thought that he was the one to be afraid of.
"Yes." He said as he moved to kiss her neck, needing to taste her.
"Shouldn't we be out there looking? What are we doing?"
He fisted his hand in her hair, exposing more of her throat as he whispered near her ear. "We're planning, my love. Plotting. We need to find a way to draw whoever holds the ring to us."
"How?" she said, now nearly breathless with the anticipation of feeling his teeth in her skin.
"A little" he began as he gently sucked on her neck, not yet breaking the skin. He pulled back and bared his fangs and just before he bit down, he finished, "at a time.
**********
Alison and Abby talked for what seemed like hours, desperate to make up for all the lost time. When Rafe and Lucy returned, they didn't even take a break to say hello. Since they had left Lucy's, the whole ride in the car and now as the moved to sit down at a table near the Pizza Shack, she still hadn't stopped chattering away. Rafe was ecstatic to see Alison so happy at last. She seemed to be finally feeling better too. There was color back in her cheeks and her eyes were sparkling. He held her hand across the table and just let her talk, content to watch her forever.
As he did, he realized all of the sudden, she had stopped. Her face had fallen and her eyes filled with tears. Wondering what had made her upset, Rafe turned to look behind him. His answer stood just a few feet away. Rafe got up and moved to stand behind Alison, fighting the urge to tell Elizabeth just where she could go.
"Alison. Sweetie," She began.
"Don't "sweetie" me, Mother. I'm sorry - but I really don't think I want to see you right now."
"I was so worried. I'm so glad you're all right."
"I'm fine." Alison replied, her voice filled with more hurt than anger, making Rafe increasingly more furious each second. He laid a hand on Alison's shoulder. Alison placed her hand on his as she continued. "I'll always be fine. Thanks to Rafe - and oh, yeah - my sister."
Elizabeth tried to explain herself, "Alison, baby, I know you're mad at me."
Alison laughed bitterly. "That's one way to put it. Really. You know, just when I think you understand - just when I think you've finally got it - that the one thing in this world that I want from you is the truth, I find out you've told me yet another lie. This was the worst of all, Mother. This was just unbelievably cruel."
That last statement left Elizabeth defeated. She stopped pleading and just looked at Alison with tears in her eyes.
"I can see you want to apologize, but I'm just not ready to hear it yet. Now. Rafe and I were just about to have a nice, peaceful dinner for what seems like the first time in months - so if you'll excuse us." Alison finished as she looked up at Rafe and gave his hand a little squeeze.
She continued to look at him until she could see from the corner of her eye that her mother walked away. She let her breath out as Rafe moved to sit down beside her.
"Thank you." She said softly, still holding his hand.
"For what?" He asked as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
"For not saying anything. I know it was killing you." Alison was smiling.
He smiled back. "It was. You will have to talk to her eventually, though - you know."
"I know - just not today, Rafe. I'm not going to let her ruin it. I don't want to fight with her now. I just want to remember how happy I am today. I'm so happy with you." She leaned in to kiss him. Her eyes began to sparkle again as she continued. "and my sister. Rafe, Abby's amazing."
She had mentioned that fact at least 20 times in the last hour. "Yes. She certainly is." He agreed.
Alison decided it was time to bring up the subject that she'd been dying to talk about all night. "She deserves to be happy, too. Don't you think?"
"Yes. She does."
"As happy as us." Alison continued.
"Sure." He replied as he brought his hand to touch her cheek.
"So. I need you to tell me." She smiled brightly at him.
"Tell you what?" he asked, willing to tell her anything he was so glad to just be sitting there with her.
"How do we get Cameron to come back?"
Three days. Three days and he had gotten nowhere. The ring was still missing, possibly in the hands of someone who could do real damage. Someone like Joshua, who had no idea the power he possessed, but was crazy enough to believe he could control them all. Still frustrated beyond belief, Caleb threw a glass across the room, pleased when he heard the sound of it shattering. The glass got off easy. When he found out who held the ring - he would do more than just break them - he would destroy them.
Livvie heard the noise of glass breaking from the other room and slowly walked in. She was still feeling guilty - still furious her self. They were getting nowhere and that she really was no help in figuring out where to look next. The pattern would never change. Alison was home with Rafe, safe and sound and happy and she and Caleb were still looking, trying to get back everything they'd lost. That fact made her blood boil. Alison always won. She always lost.
Caleb ran through a list in his mind. If it wasn't Frank who held the ring, perhaps it was Jamal. He was there with Alison at Joshua's. He was now a vampire. Or was it the angel Casey, trying to keep so called evil from spreading. If either one of them had it, that little group he belonged to would close around the person who held the ring to try and protect them from him. He'd tried to come here to live in peace, he'd be willing to try and keep it, but these mortals were asking for him to return to his old ways if they continued to keep him from his family's legacy. He had a new enemy.
"Caleb." Livvie said softly.
Ah, there she was - his sweet Olivia. As he pulled her to him he noticed the look in her eyes. She looked ready to kill. It almost made him laugh. The people in this town thought that he was the one to be afraid of.
"Yes." He said as he moved to kiss her neck, needing to taste her.
"Shouldn't we be out there looking? What are we doing?"
He fisted his hand in her hair, exposing more of her throat as he whispered near her ear. "We're planning, my love. Plotting. We need to find a way to draw whoever holds the ring to us."
"How?" she said, now nearly breathless with the anticipation of feeling his teeth in her skin.
"A little" he began as he gently sucked on her neck, not yet breaking the skin. He pulled back and bared his fangs and just before he bit down, he finished, "at a time.
**********
Alison and Abby talked for what seemed like hours, desperate to make up for all the lost time. When Rafe and Lucy returned, they didn't even take a break to say hello. Since they had left Lucy's, the whole ride in the car and now as the moved to sit down at a table near the Pizza Shack, she still hadn't stopped chattering away. Rafe was ecstatic to see Alison so happy at last. She seemed to be finally feeling better too. There was color back in her cheeks and her eyes were sparkling. He held her hand across the table and just let her talk, content to watch her forever.
As he did, he realized all of the sudden, she had stopped. Her face had fallen and her eyes filled with tears. Wondering what had made her upset, Rafe turned to look behind him. His answer stood just a few feet away. Rafe got up and moved to stand behind Alison, fighting the urge to tell Elizabeth just where she could go.
"Alison. Sweetie," She began.
"Don't "sweetie" me, Mother. I'm sorry - but I really don't think I want to see you right now."
"I was so worried. I'm so glad you're all right."
"I'm fine." Alison replied, her voice filled with more hurt than anger, making Rafe increasingly more furious each second. He laid a hand on Alison's shoulder. Alison placed her hand on his as she continued. "I'll always be fine. Thanks to Rafe - and oh, yeah - my sister."
Elizabeth tried to explain herself, "Alison, baby, I know you're mad at me."
Alison laughed bitterly. "That's one way to put it. Really. You know, just when I think you understand - just when I think you've finally got it - that the one thing in this world that I want from you is the truth, I find out you've told me yet another lie. This was the worst of all, Mother. This was just unbelievably cruel."
That last statement left Elizabeth defeated. She stopped pleading and just looked at Alison with tears in her eyes.
"I can see you want to apologize, but I'm just not ready to hear it yet. Now. Rafe and I were just about to have a nice, peaceful dinner for what seems like the first time in months - so if you'll excuse us." Alison finished as she looked up at Rafe and gave his hand a little squeeze.
She continued to look at him until she could see from the corner of her eye that her mother walked away. She let her breath out as Rafe moved to sit down beside her.
"Thank you." She said softly, still holding his hand.
"For what?" He asked as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
"For not saying anything. I know it was killing you." Alison was smiling.
He smiled back. "It was. You will have to talk to her eventually, though - you know."
"I know - just not today, Rafe. I'm not going to let her ruin it. I don't want to fight with her now. I just want to remember how happy I am today. I'm so happy with you." She leaned in to kiss him. Her eyes began to sparkle again as she continued. "and my sister. Rafe, Abby's amazing."
She had mentioned that fact at least 20 times in the last hour. "Yes. She certainly is." He agreed.
Alison decided it was time to bring up the subject that she'd been dying to talk about all night. "She deserves to be happy, too. Don't you think?"
"Yes. She does."
"As happy as us." Alison continued.
"Sure." He replied as he brought his hand to touch her cheek.
"So. I need you to tell me." She smiled brightly at him.
"Tell you what?" he asked, willing to tell her anything he was so glad to just be sitting there with her.
"How do we get Cameron to come back?"