A/N: Gracie and Nat-I love your reactions. I was surprised at myself for
writing it. Have Rafe and Caleb really ended up joining the rest of their
vampire and slayer buddies on the other side? What will it take to wake up
Alison? Well, including this chapter there are 4 remaining-so we'll find
out soon enough. Ya'll are truly the best, and knowing you are enjoying
this story brings a smile to my face. Until next time-PCGirl.
~~~~~~~~
"Mrs. Kanelos, will you please explain why you sent your son to live with a man he barely knows?" asked Kate as she stood in front of Courtney who was on the witness stand.
"I had some personal problems, and needed to have some time to myself. I figured that once everything got straightened out that Frank knew I would come back to get my son."
"What type of personal problems were those?"
"I-I was in a relationship with a man who wanted me to choose him over my son," she said with tears forming in her eyes.
"But you decided to choose your son in the end, correct?"
"Yes because I love Neil more than anything else. We've always been together and I just can't see him living with a man like Frank Scanlon."
"What type of man would he be?" asked Kate as she turned to look at Frank.
"A vampire."
--------
Lucy held the phone in her hand and looked at Jack, "Stupid connection."
"No, there's something more-what did you mean by a noise?"
"It was this loud sound, I'm not sure how to describe it though. The reception at the Monastery is so bad though, it might have just been a gun shot or a car door slam," she said trying to keep herself calm.
"A car door?" he said with the hint of a laugh.
"Yeah, because we all know that Caleb didn't go up there to sabotage everyone else-he went up there for once to help Rafe. Oh who am I kidding- he doesn't have a helpful bone in his body," she said jumping up and beginning to pace. She looked up at Livvie walking over with a blank look on her face, "Hey. Is everything ok? You look kind of out of it."
"I-I feel like I'm missing a part of me all of a sudden. As if half of me is gone, not anywhere around."
"Half of you as in Tess?" asked a confused Lucy.
"No, not that-almost as if Caleb were just killed or badly injured. I-I think I need to go find him," she said as she turned and began to walk away.
"Hold on a second," said Jack as he turned Livvie back around.
-------
"Well, that's part of the reason you two are here, and not inside the gates yet. When you two were sent back you destroyed each other, all the way to losing both your lives-again. So we have to make a decision, either you two don't give up the battle and go through the gates, or you have to sign a pact that you will permanently end the war. If the pact is broken both of you will be killed, and there will be no forth chances, or how ever many times you two have died."
"Let's go, Caleb," said James as he led him towards the gates.
"Wait, who said I'm not willing for a truce."
"Are you saying you are willing to give into this rubbish? Your father will not be pleased," as he shook his head.
"Let him think whatever he wants, I at least want to discuss this idea before I say yes or no to it."
"See James, you are on somewhat of the losing side. Caleb has recently grown a conscious again, mortality will do that to a man."
"Don't tell me how you think I've changed," he yelled as he walked towards Ed before Rafe jumped in his way.
"Fine, Caleb. Then explain why you would be willing to put everything else aside."
------
Kate had to take a second to keep from laughing before continuing on, "Will you please say that again?"
"A vampire-Frank is a vampire and I have proof."
Kate looked back at Frank, who was becoming fidgety, "What type of proof would this be?"
"I saw him drinking blood one day at the Elixir. Of course, I didn't get to actually touch or taste it before his friend, Jack Ramsey, took the cup from my hand."
Kate turned to ask Frank, "Frank, are you a vampire?"
"No," he said with a laugh. He seriously needed to give Chris free martini's at the bar for a year now. "I mean if you want proof then someone find a mirror, because vampires don't have reflections, or wave some garlic in my face and watch me not flinch. I didn't even know they existed."
"Thank you, Frank," said Kate who enjoyed his little joke there. "So you believe he's a vampire still?" she asked Courtney.
"I guess I could have been wrong. I just want my son back, that's all."
-------
"Let go Jack," she said pulling her arm out of his grasp. "I just want to go see if he needs help."
"He doesn't need help, he's got plenty with Ian and Jamal."
"Yeah, and Ian will help Rafe out with his injuries or whatever it is that crazy woman gave him. So whatever that noise might have been is nothing to worry about, right? Right," said Lucy as she sat back down.
"Noise? What type of noise?"
"I was on the phone with Ian-Caleb had gone inside by himself. Ian and Jamal were going in after him in a few minutes. I heard a noise, and then Ian hung up."
"And you aren't worried?" she said as she began to get tense.
"Yes I'm worried. I mean I may have just lost my cousin," said Lucy as the tears began to fall. "This has got to be the worst Christmas ever."
"What? Are you suggesting that noise you heard was the Monastery exploding?"
---------
"Olivia. It's all for Olivia. You should understand that Rafe. Alison's lying in that hospital bed right now and you will do anything for her."
"What?" he said as Caleb realized that Rafe had no idea what had happened while he was being held against his will in the monastery.
"Rafe, we'll explain that in a bit. Let's see what else Caleb here has to say."
"I think Rafe and I agree on one thing, and that is love. The love of a woman, not just any woman, but the right one, is stronger than anything else. So here we stand with a choice-either we walk through those gates and never lay an eye on each other for eternity, or we can sign the pact and let love win. What do you say, Rafe?"
"Well, doesn't love always triumph?" he said with a grin.
------
"Do you want your son to have a good education, Courtney?"
"Yes, I do. That's why we went to Europe, because they have better schools than here."
"If you wanted him to have such a good education, then why has he been through four different schools in the past three years?"
"I've been having trouble finding work, but now I think I've got a steady job and not have to worry about relocating again."
"That's all I need to ask, Courtney," she said as Courtney got off the stand. "So Judge Ellsworth, we've determined this woman is willing enough to make up accusations about other people to try and get her son back. You've also talked to Neil, who wishes to live with Frank for the time being. I believe with his age his decision should be the final one, but as this is a courtroom yours is the final decision. I do hope you see what I have seen and that he deserves to stay with his father in Port Charles."
-----
"I don't know-it's just that anything is possible now."
"Well, if they are gone then that's fine with me," said Jack as he plopped down on a chair.
"Excuse me?" yelled both women at him.
"Jack Ramsey, are you honestly saying our town would be better if both were never to come here?"
"Yes, yes I am Livvie. I mean just look at everything both those men have put this town through. Nothing good has ever come out of them being here."
"Jack, don't take this the wrong way," said Lucy in a sweet voice, "But maybe you should leave. Livvie and I can take care of ourselves."
"Fine, I'm out of here," he said getting up and walking off.
Livvie started smiling as she thought of something, "Hey Jack," she said turning around and seeing him at the elevator.
"What?" he snapped as he got on the elevator.
Just as the doors were closing she was able to get out, "If Caleb never came to this town then you'd be dead, my dear," she said with a smile on her face and then looking at Lucy who was grinning also now.
-------
"Will you just hurry up and sign the stupid thing?" said Caleb as they sat at a table.
"Last time I signed on of these things I ended up marrying your Olivia. Just want to make sure that doesn't happen again," he said as he continued to read on. "Alright, no hidden agenda this time, I see," he said looking at James, and then signing the agreement before passing it on to Caleb.
"Guess I better read it too, never can trust you entirely," he said looking over it. "I feel like I'm signing my life away here," he said as he signed his name. "Is that it?"
"That's all," said Ed as he took the paper from Caleb. "Of course, seeing you two shake hands wouldn't be a bad thing."
So the two men stood up and looked at each other, the end of the battle had come and in the end love won over everything else.
~~~~~~~~
"Mrs. Kanelos, will you please explain why you sent your son to live with a man he barely knows?" asked Kate as she stood in front of Courtney who was on the witness stand.
"I had some personal problems, and needed to have some time to myself. I figured that once everything got straightened out that Frank knew I would come back to get my son."
"What type of personal problems were those?"
"I-I was in a relationship with a man who wanted me to choose him over my son," she said with tears forming in her eyes.
"But you decided to choose your son in the end, correct?"
"Yes because I love Neil more than anything else. We've always been together and I just can't see him living with a man like Frank Scanlon."
"What type of man would he be?" asked Kate as she turned to look at Frank.
"A vampire."
--------
Lucy held the phone in her hand and looked at Jack, "Stupid connection."
"No, there's something more-what did you mean by a noise?"
"It was this loud sound, I'm not sure how to describe it though. The reception at the Monastery is so bad though, it might have just been a gun shot or a car door slam," she said trying to keep herself calm.
"A car door?" he said with the hint of a laugh.
"Yeah, because we all know that Caleb didn't go up there to sabotage everyone else-he went up there for once to help Rafe. Oh who am I kidding- he doesn't have a helpful bone in his body," she said jumping up and beginning to pace. She looked up at Livvie walking over with a blank look on her face, "Hey. Is everything ok? You look kind of out of it."
"I-I feel like I'm missing a part of me all of a sudden. As if half of me is gone, not anywhere around."
"Half of you as in Tess?" asked a confused Lucy.
"No, not that-almost as if Caleb were just killed or badly injured. I-I think I need to go find him," she said as she turned and began to walk away.
"Hold on a second," said Jack as he turned Livvie back around.
-------
"Well, that's part of the reason you two are here, and not inside the gates yet. When you two were sent back you destroyed each other, all the way to losing both your lives-again. So we have to make a decision, either you two don't give up the battle and go through the gates, or you have to sign a pact that you will permanently end the war. If the pact is broken both of you will be killed, and there will be no forth chances, or how ever many times you two have died."
"Let's go, Caleb," said James as he led him towards the gates.
"Wait, who said I'm not willing for a truce."
"Are you saying you are willing to give into this rubbish? Your father will not be pleased," as he shook his head.
"Let him think whatever he wants, I at least want to discuss this idea before I say yes or no to it."
"See James, you are on somewhat of the losing side. Caleb has recently grown a conscious again, mortality will do that to a man."
"Don't tell me how you think I've changed," he yelled as he walked towards Ed before Rafe jumped in his way.
"Fine, Caleb. Then explain why you would be willing to put everything else aside."
------
Kate had to take a second to keep from laughing before continuing on, "Will you please say that again?"
"A vampire-Frank is a vampire and I have proof."
Kate looked back at Frank, who was becoming fidgety, "What type of proof would this be?"
"I saw him drinking blood one day at the Elixir. Of course, I didn't get to actually touch or taste it before his friend, Jack Ramsey, took the cup from my hand."
Kate turned to ask Frank, "Frank, are you a vampire?"
"No," he said with a laugh. He seriously needed to give Chris free martini's at the bar for a year now. "I mean if you want proof then someone find a mirror, because vampires don't have reflections, or wave some garlic in my face and watch me not flinch. I didn't even know they existed."
"Thank you, Frank," said Kate who enjoyed his little joke there. "So you believe he's a vampire still?" she asked Courtney.
"I guess I could have been wrong. I just want my son back, that's all."
-------
"Let go Jack," she said pulling her arm out of his grasp. "I just want to go see if he needs help."
"He doesn't need help, he's got plenty with Ian and Jamal."
"Yeah, and Ian will help Rafe out with his injuries or whatever it is that crazy woman gave him. So whatever that noise might have been is nothing to worry about, right? Right," said Lucy as she sat back down.
"Noise? What type of noise?"
"I was on the phone with Ian-Caleb had gone inside by himself. Ian and Jamal were going in after him in a few minutes. I heard a noise, and then Ian hung up."
"And you aren't worried?" she said as she began to get tense.
"Yes I'm worried. I mean I may have just lost my cousin," said Lucy as the tears began to fall. "This has got to be the worst Christmas ever."
"What? Are you suggesting that noise you heard was the Monastery exploding?"
---------
"Olivia. It's all for Olivia. You should understand that Rafe. Alison's lying in that hospital bed right now and you will do anything for her."
"What?" he said as Caleb realized that Rafe had no idea what had happened while he was being held against his will in the monastery.
"Rafe, we'll explain that in a bit. Let's see what else Caleb here has to say."
"I think Rafe and I agree on one thing, and that is love. The love of a woman, not just any woman, but the right one, is stronger than anything else. So here we stand with a choice-either we walk through those gates and never lay an eye on each other for eternity, or we can sign the pact and let love win. What do you say, Rafe?"
"Well, doesn't love always triumph?" he said with a grin.
------
"Do you want your son to have a good education, Courtney?"
"Yes, I do. That's why we went to Europe, because they have better schools than here."
"If you wanted him to have such a good education, then why has he been through four different schools in the past three years?"
"I've been having trouble finding work, but now I think I've got a steady job and not have to worry about relocating again."
"That's all I need to ask, Courtney," she said as Courtney got off the stand. "So Judge Ellsworth, we've determined this woman is willing enough to make up accusations about other people to try and get her son back. You've also talked to Neil, who wishes to live with Frank for the time being. I believe with his age his decision should be the final one, but as this is a courtroom yours is the final decision. I do hope you see what I have seen and that he deserves to stay with his father in Port Charles."
-----
"I don't know-it's just that anything is possible now."
"Well, if they are gone then that's fine with me," said Jack as he plopped down on a chair.
"Excuse me?" yelled both women at him.
"Jack Ramsey, are you honestly saying our town would be better if both were never to come here?"
"Yes, yes I am Livvie. I mean just look at everything both those men have put this town through. Nothing good has ever come out of them being here."
"Jack, don't take this the wrong way," said Lucy in a sweet voice, "But maybe you should leave. Livvie and I can take care of ourselves."
"Fine, I'm out of here," he said getting up and walking off.
Livvie started smiling as she thought of something, "Hey Jack," she said turning around and seeing him at the elevator.
"What?" he snapped as he got on the elevator.
Just as the doors were closing she was able to get out, "If Caleb never came to this town then you'd be dead, my dear," she said with a smile on her face and then looking at Lucy who was grinning also now.
-------
"Will you just hurry up and sign the stupid thing?" said Caleb as they sat at a table.
"Last time I signed on of these things I ended up marrying your Olivia. Just want to make sure that doesn't happen again," he said as he continued to read on. "Alright, no hidden agenda this time, I see," he said looking at James, and then signing the agreement before passing it on to Caleb.
"Guess I better read it too, never can trust you entirely," he said looking over it. "I feel like I'm signing my life away here," he said as he signed his name. "Is that it?"
"That's all," said Ed as he took the paper from Caleb. "Of course, seeing you two shake hands wouldn't be a bad thing."
So the two men stood up and looked at each other, the end of the battle had come and in the end love won over everything else.