A/N - OK - I'm angry. TIIC are a bunch of sickos. Just a note to them - if you are going to read my stories and pick out details - don't have Alison talk about making pancakes unless you let Rafe seduce her afterwards. If you want to plagiarize fine - just be accurate. :-). LOL! When's the wedding? Ummm - soon - I promise!! - xox - G

Chapter Twenty-two

Her curiosity was killing her. Alison listened outside Abby's door, wondering what was going on. It sounded pretty quiet. That was a good sign. She smiled as she turned away and began to walk back towards her own apartment only to be stopped in her tracks as she heard a loud crash. The sound came from Abby's.

Worried, Alison knocked on the door. "Abby?"

There was no answer - just the muffled sound of tears.

"Abby? Please. Open up. I'm not going away until I know you're alright."

A full minute later, she heard Abby unlock the door. She didn't open it to let her in. Something must be terribly wrong, Alison realized. She gently pushed the door open.

Her heart broke as she looked at her sister. Abby's eyes were swollen, her cheeks stained with tears. She had changed from her nightgown into an oversized t-shirt and sweats but she looked far from relaxed. Her feet were bare. Alison noticed then that the floor was strewn with broken glass. Abby didn't seem to pay attention - she walked across the floor and almost through the shards when Alison stopped her.

"Whoa! Abby. OK, sit down. You're going to hurt yourself."

"No. I won't." Abby promised, her voice filled with pain. "I can't feel anything anymore."

"Or you feel too much. I know how it is." Alison said softly.

"Alison. I can't do this anymore." Abby began to cry again.

"I know. I know." Alison sighed as she put her arm around Abby's shoulders. "C'mon. Why don't you just sit down for a second? I'll make you some tea."

Alison sighed, her heart breaking. Cameron was gone, that was clear and Abby was clearly beside herself.

"You don't have to." Abby said as she watched Alison sweep the glass away, picking up the picture of Abby and Cam and placing it gently on the table.

"I want to." Alison insisted "Let me take care of you. I know how you feel."

"You do and you don't" Abby said.

"What do you mean?" Alison asked as she put the kettle on to boil.

"You met Rafe when he was already gone. The fact that he came back was amazing - don't get me wrong - but you two never had a chance before he left. You had a lot to make up for."

"OK." Alison said - not really understanding the point.

"Cam and I - they probably think we've had our chance. I'm never going to have him back for good again. I'm sure of it. The fact that he keeps coming back for minutes at a time - Alison - it's going to destroy me. It tears me up to have him here and then for him to be ripped away again. I'd rather he never came back at all."

"I don't believe that Abby. Trust me - I know for a fact that there are miracles. I've seen them happen - and not just for Rafe and me." Alison brought 2 steaming mugs over to Abby and handing her one - sat down beside her on the couch.

"Well, Alison, I can't believe it. I can't. If I continue to hope and dream - I'll never live again."

"So you're giving up?" Alison asked.

"Yes." Abby replied.

"Just like that?"

Abby was getting annoyed. "Yes."

Alison looked at her sister over the edge of the mug as she took a sip of tea. "Hmm. I thought you were a lot like me - but it's clear I was wrong."

"No, you're not - we are. We're a lot alike." Abby said, confused.

"I used to think so. I used to think you were so brave. I didn't know you were such a coward."

Abby was shocked. Alison had some nerve. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying you are not as strong as I imagined. You totally had me fooled."

"Sorry to disappoint you." Abby said bitterly.

"I am disappointed. I just can't believe you'd let a chance slip away like this."

"What?"

Alison decided to lay it all out on the table. It was so funny she now felt she was an expert in the way Heaven worked - but she did have some experience.

"Clearly, they're bending the rules for you two. There's a reason they keep sending Cam back. One day, maybe, if you both hope and pray hard enough he'll be back for good. It could happen. It did for me."

"Alison, it can't. How would you explain that to his family? People back home know he's gone."

"I fully believe the ones above would find a way to make it all make sense. The only reason you should stop believing it can happen is if you truly would rather live without him."

"Alison. If he came back - what would happen? Look at you and Rafe. You've had to fight every moment to be together. Is it really worth it?"

Alison stared into her sister's eyes and took her hands before she spoke. Tears filled her own as she said the words. "Abby. Every minute, every second that I have with Rafe is worth all we've been through and more. I can't even imagine what my life would be like without him. I feel lost and empty just thinking about losing him. I know it can happen. Even now. But the minute he looks at me, the moment he takes my hand in his I forget. I forget everything else but how it feels to be loved by him and to love him back."

Abby shook her head - not daring to hope that she could really be that happy too.

"Rafe and I were destined to be together, Abby. If it didn't happen the way it did - I fully believe we'd have found each other anyway. I think you have the same thing with Cameron. He just got taken too soon. Somehow, someway, you can bring him back. If you love him enough - it'll happen. I'm sure of it."

"So what do I do?" Abby said, wiping her tears away feeling stronger by the moment.

"No, you really want to ask - what do we do? Because I'm going to make sure you have him back Abby, if it's the last thing I do."