A/N: I must be weepy or something b/c I've been tearing up all day thinking about the end of that chapter. Livvie's so mean and yeah - Cam's angry but he has a right to be I think. Will Cam and Abby make up? Umm - what do you think??? ;) LOL!

Until 15 - Enjoy! xox - G

Chapter Fourteen

"That was so much fun." Alison said with a laugh as they walked into the house. She laid Katrina down on the couch and got her out of her little snowsuit. Kate didn't really want to be disturbed at the moment and she let them both know it.

"Whoa!" Rafe walked in with the last of the stuff from the car and held his ears. "What are you doing to her?"

"Nothing. Just getting her out of that Eskimo outfit you put on her this morning." Alison sighed.

"Well - I didn't want her to be cold."

"Trust me -she's not. She's sweating." Alison laughed at him.

"That's not because of what I put her in - that's the 15 blankets you load on top of her." Rafe countered.

"OK. Truce. Can we just say that we both want her to be warm?" Alison tried her best to calm Kate who was still screaming from the ordeal.

"Opera singer?" Rafe asked. They spent a lot of time trying to figure out Kate's future career, particularly when she wailed like that.

Alison shook her head. "Rock star."

Rafe's voice got way too serious for such a silly conversation. "No way. She's not touring with a bunch of rowdy rocker guys."

"You'd have a problem with that huh?" Alison picked Kate up and rocked her back and forth. Her yelling got less and less frequent each second. She was just annoyed. She'd be OK in a minute.

"Definitely."

Alison rolled her eyes. "Poor pretty Katie. Mommy won't let these big macho guys ruin your love life - don't you worry."

Rafe stared at her as he said, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Alison shrugged and kissed the top of Kate's head. "Just that I've heard this all day - from Jamal and Jack and now you. Kate's going to have a tough time finding a guy that will please the three of you."

"And she should. I'm not worried at all. I'm pretty sure there's no one who deserves her."

Alison ignored him. There were many years before they had to settle this argument. "I'm going to go feed her so we can eat in peace. Can you warm up those leftovers for me?"

"Umm. Why don't we order in?" He was always a bit leery about doing warming stuff up. Once he put the microwave on for two hours instead of two minutes.

"No." Alison insisted. "There's plenty left over from the other night. Just hit "reheat" Rafe. It couldn't be simpler."

He watched her as she settled down with Kate and mumbled "For you maybe."

*********

Rafe came downstairs with the baby monitor, having put Kate down for the first part of the night. She seemed to sleep later and later these days. Rafe was hopeful and was keeping his fingers crossed. Maybe finally they'd get a peaceful night's sleep soon.

He saw Alison by the sink in the kitchen, gazing absentmindedly out the window as she scrubbed the serving dish.

He placed the monitor down on the counter and came up behind her, curling his arms around her waist and placing a kiss on the side of her neck.

"I'm sorry." He whispered sheepishly.

"I said 'reheat' Rafe - not 'defrost'." She was annoyed but she couldn't help smiling. He tried hard - he really did. "You are so not in charge of teaching Kate the alphabet."

"That's OK. I may not know how to handle a microwave - but I do have other talents." He kissed her neck again.

Alison tilted her head as he kissed her and sighed as she set the dish to dry on the counter. She turned in his arms and wound her own around his neck. "Really? What would those be?"

Rafe pulled her closer and kissed her, his mouth nibbling at her lips, taking little tastes. "I could show you if you want." He whispered.

"Please do." Alison said as she laid a hand on his cheek. The action caused him to jump back sharply.

"Eww. God! Alison! Take those gloves off!" Rafe pulled away and grabbed a towel to wipe his cheek.

Alison doubled over with laughter. "Oh Rafe! I'm so sorry! I forgot I was wearing them." She pulled off the gloves and tossed them in the sink.

He kept scrubbing, trying to get the slimy, greasy water off his face. "We have a dishwasher. Why are you doing the dishes anyway?"

Alison stared at him and tried to control her laughter. "I can't put a dish that dirty in the dishwasher without scrubbing it first."

Rafe threw the towel down and stared back. "Alison. That makes absolutely no sense."

"It wouldn't to you. But trust me." She said as she moved closer to him. Her eyes glittered as she untied the apron she wore around her waist and tossed it aside. "Now. Aren't you going to show me your hidden talents?"

"I'm not sure if I want to now." He teased as he turned and walked to the living room.

She followed him and reached to pull the clip from her hair. She shook it out to fall over her shoulders as she paused to light a few candles on the mantle.

"No? Are you sure?" She asked as she walked slowly over to where he sat on the couch. She stared deeply into his eyes as she curled up next to him.

"Maybe I'll show you one or two." Rafe replied as he ran a hand through her hair and pulled her face closer to his. "If you're good."

Alison placed her hands on either side of his face and brought his lips to hers. "And what if I'm bad?" She murmured against them, her eyes sparkling with laughter.

Rafe was too busy kissing her thoroughly to respond right away. When he finally eased away and caught his breath he replied with a smile. "If you're bad, I'll show you them all."