A/N - Thanks y'all for the reviews of last chapter. Re: the train - well -
I just couldn't resist. FYI - the only thing that really keeps me from
updating sooner is making the story have an actual plot. LOL!!! I could
write chapter after chapter of happy Rali w/o a problem. Why was it so
hard for TIIC?? I have no idea. ANYWAY - Honeymoon Part II coming up.just
please bear with me. ;) xox - G
Chapter Twenty-seven
Abby was scared. She looked at the note in her hand. She wasn't surprised. Leave it to Caleb to make his own terms. So, it was a day earlier than she had planned to meet him but she thought she was ready. He thought she was a pushover but she wasn't planning on just handing the ring over. She was going to try and reason with him.
Caleb unnerved her - in the worst ways possible. It was almost as if he could see right through her - almost as if he could read her thoughts. He knew her every weakness and preyed upon them.
He would try and trick her - he would try and get her to do his dirty work for him if she'd let him. She was sure of that. She wanted no part of it. The only thing she could get from that ring was heartache and she'd already had a lifetime's worth.
She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the footsteps approaching. The one who called this meeting relished in the element of surprise. Abby shivered a bit, though it wasn't very cold out. Her stomach flip-flopped as she turned to look behind her - feeling as if someone's eyes were on her.
"Get a grip, Abby." She said to herself. "You're just being paranoid and it's too late to back out now."
*************
He had never been more miserable. Since he came back Cam was pretty much useless. He was giving horrible advice so they took him off conscience duty - telling that kid that taking one little candy bar would be just fine didn't go over too well. He was now stuck filing admission papers in Ed's office. It wasn't that bad usually - he always liked being almost the first to know who was new in town but lately he just seemed to be in a trance.
Ed noticed. Cam was doing a terrible job. It was like he forgot the alphabet. Just yesterday he found a pile of "M"'s in the "Q" file. He would never be able to find anything again if he didn't put a stop to this.
"Cameron." He said with a sigh as he watched Cam drop a pile of papers.
"Hmm?" he answered as he bent down to pick them up. When he did he didn't even notice that they were now completely out of order.
"Sit down and talk to me for a minute."
Cam moved like a zombie and took a seat across from Ed, dropping papers like a trail of breadcrumbs behind him.
Ed sighed again. "Something troubling you, my boy?"
"Hmm?" was Cam's reply.
"Cam - c'mon. Just give me a yes or no. Quit the mumbling - you're driving me nuts."
Cam looked up at Ed with a vacant expression and said softly, "No."
"So you're fine?" Ed asked, knowing the complete opposite was true.
"Never better." Cam said bitterly.
"Really?" Ed asked again.
"No. Ed. Not really. I'm miserable. There. Are you happy now??" Cam said as he stood and turned his back to him.
"No. I'm not happy you are miserable - but I am glad you're at least being truthful. Kid, you were supposed to watch out for her when you were down there."
"I know."
"Instead, she's still in a heap of trouble and is getting in deeper by the second. What were you thinking?" Ed scolded.
"Clearly, I wasn't." Cam turned back and glared at him.
"At least you know it."
"Actually, that's not true. I was. I was thinking that I've never seen anything more beautiful than her, not when I was alive and not since I've been here either. I was thinking that I never got to hold her before I left her and that it wasn't fair to either of us. I was thinking that if I never left - she wouldn't be in the mess she's in right now. That's what I was thinking."
Ed just looked at him with sadness in his eyes. These kids are killing me, he thought. I might have to retire soon.
Cam took a deep breath and continued. "She doesn't want me to come see her again. Not unless I can stay for good."
Ed looked Cam in the eyes and said "I know."
"And since I know that'll never happen - I need to try and forget her - OK? Even though I know I never will I have to try. Please. I'm begging you - get someone else watch her Ed because I can't do it and not go crazy. If I think about her too much I'm going to do something drastic and she'll be worse off than she is right now."
"Well - at least you know she's a smart girl. She wants to do the right thing."
Cam challenged Ed with that statement. "She's brilliant Ed, but that's not the point. She's so incredibly lonely and sad and it's all because of me. I promised her after her mom died that I'd look after her - that she'd be my family and then - what did I do? I left her too. Her sister and your son - they're fantastic and they do - they love her, but not the way I do, Ed. No one can ever love her the way I do." He looked Ed straight in the eye, "No one."
"I'm sure you're right." Ed agreed.
Cameron didn't want to talk anymore. He was tired. It had been a long day. "Ed. Could you please tell me what the point of this conversation is because it's just getting me angry. This isn't helping me at all."
"I think when you hear what I have to say it might. Sit down kid. I've got a proposition for you. Behave yourself and it just might work."
************
Abby sat down and continued to wait. It was getting dark and she was getting more and more nervous. Finally, the person who was there to see her made them self known.
"Sweet little Abigail, out all alone with no one to protect her." A voice spoke from the dark. "Waiting for Caleb are you?"
Abby looked at Livvie with a mixture of fear and annoyance. "Yes. As a matter of fact I am."
Livvie laughed, hatred glowing in her eyes. "Well. Surprise. He's not coming. And when I'm through with you - well - honey, you're going to wish he had."
Chapter Twenty-seven
Abby was scared. She looked at the note in her hand. She wasn't surprised. Leave it to Caleb to make his own terms. So, it was a day earlier than she had planned to meet him but she thought she was ready. He thought she was a pushover but she wasn't planning on just handing the ring over. She was going to try and reason with him.
Caleb unnerved her - in the worst ways possible. It was almost as if he could see right through her - almost as if he could read her thoughts. He knew her every weakness and preyed upon them.
He would try and trick her - he would try and get her to do his dirty work for him if she'd let him. She was sure of that. She wanted no part of it. The only thing she could get from that ring was heartache and she'd already had a lifetime's worth.
She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear the footsteps approaching. The one who called this meeting relished in the element of surprise. Abby shivered a bit, though it wasn't very cold out. Her stomach flip-flopped as she turned to look behind her - feeling as if someone's eyes were on her.
"Get a grip, Abby." She said to herself. "You're just being paranoid and it's too late to back out now."
*************
He had never been more miserable. Since he came back Cam was pretty much useless. He was giving horrible advice so they took him off conscience duty - telling that kid that taking one little candy bar would be just fine didn't go over too well. He was now stuck filing admission papers in Ed's office. It wasn't that bad usually - he always liked being almost the first to know who was new in town but lately he just seemed to be in a trance.
Ed noticed. Cam was doing a terrible job. It was like he forgot the alphabet. Just yesterday he found a pile of "M"'s in the "Q" file. He would never be able to find anything again if he didn't put a stop to this.
"Cameron." He said with a sigh as he watched Cam drop a pile of papers.
"Hmm?" he answered as he bent down to pick them up. When he did he didn't even notice that they were now completely out of order.
"Sit down and talk to me for a minute."
Cam moved like a zombie and took a seat across from Ed, dropping papers like a trail of breadcrumbs behind him.
Ed sighed again. "Something troubling you, my boy?"
"Hmm?" was Cam's reply.
"Cam - c'mon. Just give me a yes or no. Quit the mumbling - you're driving me nuts."
Cam looked up at Ed with a vacant expression and said softly, "No."
"So you're fine?" Ed asked, knowing the complete opposite was true.
"Never better." Cam said bitterly.
"Really?" Ed asked again.
"No. Ed. Not really. I'm miserable. There. Are you happy now??" Cam said as he stood and turned his back to him.
"No. I'm not happy you are miserable - but I am glad you're at least being truthful. Kid, you were supposed to watch out for her when you were down there."
"I know."
"Instead, she's still in a heap of trouble and is getting in deeper by the second. What were you thinking?" Ed scolded.
"Clearly, I wasn't." Cam turned back and glared at him.
"At least you know it."
"Actually, that's not true. I was. I was thinking that I've never seen anything more beautiful than her, not when I was alive and not since I've been here either. I was thinking that I never got to hold her before I left her and that it wasn't fair to either of us. I was thinking that if I never left - she wouldn't be in the mess she's in right now. That's what I was thinking."
Ed just looked at him with sadness in his eyes. These kids are killing me, he thought. I might have to retire soon.
Cam took a deep breath and continued. "She doesn't want me to come see her again. Not unless I can stay for good."
Ed looked Cam in the eyes and said "I know."
"And since I know that'll never happen - I need to try and forget her - OK? Even though I know I never will I have to try. Please. I'm begging you - get someone else watch her Ed because I can't do it and not go crazy. If I think about her too much I'm going to do something drastic and she'll be worse off than she is right now."
"Well - at least you know she's a smart girl. She wants to do the right thing."
Cam challenged Ed with that statement. "She's brilliant Ed, but that's not the point. She's so incredibly lonely and sad and it's all because of me. I promised her after her mom died that I'd look after her - that she'd be my family and then - what did I do? I left her too. Her sister and your son - they're fantastic and they do - they love her, but not the way I do, Ed. No one can ever love her the way I do." He looked Ed straight in the eye, "No one."
"I'm sure you're right." Ed agreed.
Cameron didn't want to talk anymore. He was tired. It had been a long day. "Ed. Could you please tell me what the point of this conversation is because it's just getting me angry. This isn't helping me at all."
"I think when you hear what I have to say it might. Sit down kid. I've got a proposition for you. Behave yourself and it just might work."
************
Abby sat down and continued to wait. It was getting dark and she was getting more and more nervous. Finally, the person who was there to see her made them self known.
"Sweet little Abigail, out all alone with no one to protect her." A voice spoke from the dark. "Waiting for Caleb are you?"
Abby looked at Livvie with a mixture of fear and annoyance. "Yes. As a matter of fact I am."
Livvie laughed, hatred glowing in her eyes. "Well. Surprise. He's not coming. And when I'm through with you - well - honey, you're going to wish he had."