A/N: I need to explain about the cow comment. One of my friends used that
the other day and I was like - what!?! LOL! It sounded like something Ali
might say so I stole it. ;)
PCGirl - the reason Abby called Ali "mom" is because she told her to take a scarf. Nothing more to it. :) Remember y'all - Abby is seeing things that can "possibly happen". There's still time to stop it - or maybe all is not as it seems. ;) This is fun!! Anyway - 8th one's the charm so until then..xox-G
Chapter Seven
As they drove home, Rafe tried his best to keep the conversation light. He knew that the minute they got there Alison would start her argument again. He tensed up just thinking about it.
She was in for a fight because he was not giving in this time.
There was no way in hell he'd ever get a minute of work done while he wondered if any harm was coming to them. He needed them under the same roof with him so he could make sure nothing happened to either her or the baby. She needed to understand that he wasn't trying to be a tyrant about it. What did she say earlier that day? Something about cows and farms??
She was nuts, but he loved her anyway.
As they pulled in the driveway, Alison seemed to be in a pretty good mood all in all. Rafe sighed. It could be such a nice peaceful evening. It was a shame that they'd have to spoil it with a fight. As he unloaded the car, he wondered how long it would take until they made up.
He brought the last of the baby's things in the door and looked on as Alison peeled of the hundreds of layers she dressed Kate in for the four brief seconds she was actually out in the cold. She loved to listen to her talk to the baby. She sounded so sweet.
"What an adventure, huh Kate? Could've been you and me all snug here at home all day but Daddy wanted us there with him. Did he ask us where we wanted to be? No. No he didn't."
Except when she said stuff like that.
Rafe sighed and hung up his coat. This wasn't going to be pretty.
"Alison." Rafe rolled his eyes.
"Shh. Kate and I are talking." Alison said with a smile.
"Alison." He glared at her. "C'mon. Stop. If you're mad at me say it. Don't bring Kate in the middle."
"You're right." Alison said, her voice dripping with sugar. "That would be wrong - wouldn't it? Talking to a baby like she's an adult who can understand what's going on."
"Exactly." He agreed.
"Good. I'm glad we agree." Rafe was scared. She really didn't sound angry but he knew for a fact that she had to be. "I want to introduce you to someone." She picked up Katrina and brought her over to him.
"Rafe - this is Katrina. She's your daughter and she's a month old." She said as she placed Kate in his arms.
"Very funny Alison." Rafe said, getting annoyed. But of course, not at Kate. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on her nose.
"She can't tell us what she needs right now so she needs you to look out for her. To help her make the right choices. She will for quite some time. Like - years, decades in fact. And you're excellent at that - looking out for people. That's why you are such an amazing father."
She was complimenting him, but there was an argument brewing here somewhere. He was sure of it.
Alison moved to stand in front of him and placed her hands on her hips. She shook back her hair and glared at him. "Now. I'd like you to meet me. My name is Alison and I am your wife. I'm twenty plus years older than Katrina. I am perfectly capable of forming sentences and feeding myself - so I'm pretty sure I can make a decision for myself too."
There it was. He knew it was coming. "Alison - that's not." Rafe protested.
Her eyes were lit with anger as she said, "EXCUSE ME?? You didn't wake up this morning and pretty much demand that Kate and I go to the gym with you? You didn't say, "Hurry up - get dressed we're leaving in a half hour?" or "I'm not joking around anymore and I've had enough?" Are you sure that wasn't you?" She didn't let him respond before she added. "Well then you must have a twin because someone who looked just like you did."
"Forgive me if I'm worried about you." Rafe grumbled.
Alison plodded on. "I expect you to worry about me. I love that you do. But did it ever occur to you that perhaps we could have had a discussion about how to handle this?"
Rafe opened his mouth and closed it, at a loss for words at the moment.
"It doesn't usually. Rafe. If you cared enough to discuss this with me I would have said something like the following. I understand you want to keep an eye on us and don't want us to be alone, so how about this? 3 days a week the baby and I come to work with you and the other two days I will have people stop by to check in on us. Like - maybe Lucy, Jamal, Jack and my mother and when she can drive again - Abby?"
It wasn't ideal but it was a good compromise. Rafe was happy to be holding Kate and focused his attention on her. Alison did have a point.
"I'm sorry." He mumbled, looking at Kate. "You're right."
"What was that?" Alison asked with a grin, as she moved to sit beside him.
"I'm sorry." He said as he looked at her.
"I heard that. It's the other one I want to hear again." She leaned closer to him.
"You're right." He said as he kissed her.
Alison sighed as she pulled away. "I love the way that sounds. You really should say it more often. It's almost always true anyway."
"Alison." He laughed as he curled his arm around her shoulder, bringing her close.
She rested her head on his chest as the both looked adoringly at Kate. "I know you're worried. I'm worried too. I want to be close by but Rafe - really. You have to stop treating me like a child - especially now that I have one of my own."
"It's an old habit." He whispered as he placed a kiss on her hair.
"Well - break it." She said as she ran a hand over Kate's hair to smooth it. "She's going bald Rafe."
He wasn't sure he heard her right. "Whhhat?"
"Kate's losing her hair. She's going to be bald. I have to look it up and make sure it's OK. If I went bald I'd be mortified." She said with a shiver.
"OK. Alison. You're nuts. I'm pretty sure her hair will grow back. And I'd love you even if you were bald."
"You would now, because I had hair when we met. If I was bald when you first saw me you would not have looked twice."
"You're ridiculous. I would too."
"Yeah - right."
Were they honestly having a conversation about whether or not he'd have fallen in love with her if she had no hair? Apparently. Rafe said to himself as he shook his head. That was his Alison. They'd start off with a serious subject and end up talking about the craziest things.
Rafe said with a chuckle as he ran a hand through her hair. "I do love your hair, but I love you more."
"Love you too." She said as she snuggled closer. "You know. I really shouldn't worry. You'll probably actually lose yours first."
PCGirl - the reason Abby called Ali "mom" is because she told her to take a scarf. Nothing more to it. :) Remember y'all - Abby is seeing things that can "possibly happen". There's still time to stop it - or maybe all is not as it seems. ;) This is fun!! Anyway - 8th one's the charm so until then..xox-G
Chapter Seven
As they drove home, Rafe tried his best to keep the conversation light. He knew that the minute they got there Alison would start her argument again. He tensed up just thinking about it.
She was in for a fight because he was not giving in this time.
There was no way in hell he'd ever get a minute of work done while he wondered if any harm was coming to them. He needed them under the same roof with him so he could make sure nothing happened to either her or the baby. She needed to understand that he wasn't trying to be a tyrant about it. What did she say earlier that day? Something about cows and farms??
She was nuts, but he loved her anyway.
As they pulled in the driveway, Alison seemed to be in a pretty good mood all in all. Rafe sighed. It could be such a nice peaceful evening. It was a shame that they'd have to spoil it with a fight. As he unloaded the car, he wondered how long it would take until they made up.
He brought the last of the baby's things in the door and looked on as Alison peeled of the hundreds of layers she dressed Kate in for the four brief seconds she was actually out in the cold. She loved to listen to her talk to the baby. She sounded so sweet.
"What an adventure, huh Kate? Could've been you and me all snug here at home all day but Daddy wanted us there with him. Did he ask us where we wanted to be? No. No he didn't."
Except when she said stuff like that.
Rafe sighed and hung up his coat. This wasn't going to be pretty.
"Alison." Rafe rolled his eyes.
"Shh. Kate and I are talking." Alison said with a smile.
"Alison." He glared at her. "C'mon. Stop. If you're mad at me say it. Don't bring Kate in the middle."
"You're right." Alison said, her voice dripping with sugar. "That would be wrong - wouldn't it? Talking to a baby like she's an adult who can understand what's going on."
"Exactly." He agreed.
"Good. I'm glad we agree." Rafe was scared. She really didn't sound angry but he knew for a fact that she had to be. "I want to introduce you to someone." She picked up Katrina and brought her over to him.
"Rafe - this is Katrina. She's your daughter and she's a month old." She said as she placed Kate in his arms.
"Very funny Alison." Rafe said, getting annoyed. But of course, not at Kate. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on her nose.
"She can't tell us what she needs right now so she needs you to look out for her. To help her make the right choices. She will for quite some time. Like - years, decades in fact. And you're excellent at that - looking out for people. That's why you are such an amazing father."
She was complimenting him, but there was an argument brewing here somewhere. He was sure of it.
Alison moved to stand in front of him and placed her hands on her hips. She shook back her hair and glared at him. "Now. I'd like you to meet me. My name is Alison and I am your wife. I'm twenty plus years older than Katrina. I am perfectly capable of forming sentences and feeding myself - so I'm pretty sure I can make a decision for myself too."
There it was. He knew it was coming. "Alison - that's not." Rafe protested.
Her eyes were lit with anger as she said, "EXCUSE ME?? You didn't wake up this morning and pretty much demand that Kate and I go to the gym with you? You didn't say, "Hurry up - get dressed we're leaving in a half hour?" or "I'm not joking around anymore and I've had enough?" Are you sure that wasn't you?" She didn't let him respond before she added. "Well then you must have a twin because someone who looked just like you did."
"Forgive me if I'm worried about you." Rafe grumbled.
Alison plodded on. "I expect you to worry about me. I love that you do. But did it ever occur to you that perhaps we could have had a discussion about how to handle this?"
Rafe opened his mouth and closed it, at a loss for words at the moment.
"It doesn't usually. Rafe. If you cared enough to discuss this with me I would have said something like the following. I understand you want to keep an eye on us and don't want us to be alone, so how about this? 3 days a week the baby and I come to work with you and the other two days I will have people stop by to check in on us. Like - maybe Lucy, Jamal, Jack and my mother and when she can drive again - Abby?"
It wasn't ideal but it was a good compromise. Rafe was happy to be holding Kate and focused his attention on her. Alison did have a point.
"I'm sorry." He mumbled, looking at Kate. "You're right."
"What was that?" Alison asked with a grin, as she moved to sit beside him.
"I'm sorry." He said as he looked at her.
"I heard that. It's the other one I want to hear again." She leaned closer to him.
"You're right." He said as he kissed her.
Alison sighed as she pulled away. "I love the way that sounds. You really should say it more often. It's almost always true anyway."
"Alison." He laughed as he curled his arm around her shoulder, bringing her close.
She rested her head on his chest as the both looked adoringly at Kate. "I know you're worried. I'm worried too. I want to be close by but Rafe - really. You have to stop treating me like a child - especially now that I have one of my own."
"It's an old habit." He whispered as he placed a kiss on her hair.
"Well - break it." She said as she ran a hand over Kate's hair to smooth it. "She's going bald Rafe."
He wasn't sure he heard her right. "Whhhat?"
"Kate's losing her hair. She's going to be bald. I have to look it up and make sure it's OK. If I went bald I'd be mortified." She said with a shiver.
"OK. Alison. You're nuts. I'm pretty sure her hair will grow back. And I'd love you even if you were bald."
"You would now, because I had hair when we met. If I was bald when you first saw me you would not have looked twice."
"You're ridiculous. I would too."
"Yeah - right."
Were they honestly having a conversation about whether or not he'd have fallen in love with her if she had no hair? Apparently. Rafe said to himself as he shook his head. That was his Alison. They'd start off with a serious subject and end up talking about the craziest things.
Rafe said with a chuckle as he ran a hand through her hair. "I do love your hair, but I love you more."
"Love you too." She said as she snuggled closer. "You know. I really shouldn't worry. You'll probably actually lose yours first."
