A/N: I've been trying to post this since last night. Every time I think it's done I keep adding more, Now I think I've got it. I'll have you know the beginning of his chapter was the hardest ever. As PC wound down - unreasonable as it may sound - I was always so annoyed that Caleb and Livvie got all these love scenes and my poor Rali got next to nothing. : ( But - truthfully, I think I've more than made up for it in my stories ;) - and so - I can't let him come back to her without…SOMETHING. So - here's my attempt. I have to say though I'm pleased with how it worked out I like writing for Rali (or Cabby for that matter) much better as you will see - from the rest of the chapter!! I know. It wasn't necessary to point that out - I'm sure it's not obvious at all. LOL! Until 51 my dear darlings - xox - G

Chapter Fifty

"Tell me. Olivia." Caleb's lips moved to her ear, his breath warm against her skin.

She pulled back and looked at him. "I want you to be happy."

"Do you?" He asked.

Tears welled in her eyes as she nodded. "Yes. I want you to have the life that you want. I'm not really sure you want the life I can give you now."

"Why don't you tell me - Olivia? Then I'll be able to decide for myself."

Caleb's hands ran over her skin, making her lightheaded. She took a deep breath and began. "You wanted us to have a family once. Do you remember?"

"I do." He replied as he ran his fingers through her hair again and again, mesmerizing her.

Livvie didn't expect it would be this difficult to tell him the news. "We couldn't have one together then - we…"

He trailed a finger down her throat. "I remember Olivia. What's different now?"

She suddenly knew. She stared deeply into his eyes. "You already know don't you?"

"I know…" He said with a smile, placing his hand on her stomach, surprised to feel how round it was already. "and you amaze me."

Livvie started to plead her case. "I know how you feel - Caleb. I know what you want..."

"You keep putting words in my mouth, sweetheart. Why don't you give me a chance to tell you how I feel and what I want before you jump to conclusions?"

She moved away from him. "You ignored me - Caleb. You were so focused on regaining what you lost - you didn't even notice me."

"You always did demand a lot of attention." He replied with a smirk.

"Don't joke with me, Caleb. I'm serious." She crossed her arms in front of her and shook back her hair.

"So am I. I don't know what I'll be able to say to you to convince you tonight. So…" Caleb inched closer to her and pulled at her hand. He placed a kiss on her wrist. "Maybe we should stop talking."

Livvie looked at him and simply melted. She was immediately at a loss for words.

He dragged her into the room, his lips devouring hers as he swept her in his arms and laid her down gently in the center of the bed. She lost all sense of time and place - aware of nothing else but his touch, craving the feel of his skin against hers.

Caleb couldn't believe he had waited this long to come to her. She was part of him and now, she literally carried a part of him with her. His hand ran over the smooth skin of her stomach, awed by the possibilities. His heart was torn in two, but tonight, it was clear that no decisions needed to be made. He only needed her.

********************

Morning broke. The light of a new day streamed through the window. Alison had been up for hours, making breakfast. She wanted it to be ready when he got up.

She sat curled up on a chair next to the bed, her mind racing. Thoughts of her conversation with Livvie flew through her head. Could she really expect that she'd do what she asked? She hoped and prayed that she would, because the alternative scared her to death.

Alison glanced over to the bed, smiling softly. Rafe was still sleeping. She couldn't believe it. Not that he didn't need it - but it was just so unusual for the sun to be up but for him to be fast asleep. She suddenly wanted nothing more than to be near him. Alison moved over and gingerly lay down beside him again.

He could feel her there and reached out to touch her. Alison moved closer and laid her head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart beating. She clutched the fabric of his shirt in her hand and tears filled her eyes. As she walked through the house earlier, she wondered if she could really do what she'd promised Livvie last night. Could she really leave it behind?

Alison knew she'd have to. She meant every word she'd said. She would not lose him. If she had to, as hard as it would be, as much as it would sadden her - she'd lose her home but she'd still have him.

Her head was swimming with images - images she'd seen in her mind before - of Rafe in the backyard, running around with the kids, seeing them trick-or-treating, Kate dressed up like a fairy princess, so tired that Rafe needed to carry her home in the end. There were barbeques and quiet nights by the fire, many Christmases and birthdays and countless other occasions. Most of all there was love here. She could almost reach out and touch it - it was so strong.

Alison gazed up at the ceiling and spoke softly. "After everything you've done for me - after everything you've allowed me to have - I feel so selfish for saying this, but it's true. I don't want to leave here. This house is where we're meant to live. This town, as crazy as it is, it's where our family and friends are. This is our home."

"But I'll go. I'll go if we have to. To keep him safe - I will. It's just house…" She said, tears running down her cheeks now. She said it again to try and convince herself. "It's just a house. I'll still have what's most important."

She fought to keep from breaking down completely. Alison quickly tried to wipe at her eyes. She could tell by the sound of Rafe's breathing that he was close to waking up.

"Alison…" He whispered, his voice groggy.

She inched closer and held him tighter. "Hi." She whispered back.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, running his hand down the length of her back.

She took a breath to steady herself before she answered. "Everything's fine. I'm glad you finally got some sleep."

"Are you sure you're OK?" Rafe wasn't at all convinced. He could swear he had heard her crying. The sound had woken him.

"I'm sure. We're going to be fine." She said quietly, her voice shaking a bit.

Rafe could feel it. He knew she was fighting to keep her voice calm. He sat up slowly, bringing her with him. "Hey…" He whispered, noticing that her tears had soaked through his shirt. He took her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. "Alison, what is it?"

She didn't want to tell him just yet. She tried to change the subject. "Breakfast is ready." Alison plastered on a smile. "Let me get you some. I'll be right back." She tried to move from the bed.

He held her still. "Not right now." Rafe ran a hand over her cheek, wiping a stray tear away as he did. "You've been crying. What's going on? Please. Talk to me."

Alison wasn't going to play games, she knew she had to tell him. She took a deep breath. "Last night - after you went upstairs, Livvie stopped by."

"Livvie?" He repeated, his voice shocked.

"Yeah." Alison blinked back new tears. "She - umm - she said she wanted to apologize. She actually seemed sincere."

Rafe ran his hand through her hair. He hated to see her sad. "OK. Well. That's kind of a good thing - right?"

"She asked what she could do to make it up to me. And I told her…" Alison took his hand in hers and stared into his eyes. "I told her to leave town and take Caleb with her."

"You what?" Rafe couldn't believe his ears. "Alison…."

She wasn't really listening. She needed to finish this. "I told her that we all can't live here together. Rafe - I know you'd try if I asked you to - but in the end - you know it won't work. He'll do something to threaten us or we'll do something to threaten him and it'll start all over again."

***********************

Caleb placed a kiss on the top of Livvie's head. The realization from the night before finally sinking in. He was going to have a child. One of his own.

It was unbelievable. The possibilities were endless. Where this could take him he was unsure of just yet - but he knew one thing for sure. She wasn't going to leave his side ever again.

His arm curved around her waist, pulling her closer and nuzzling her neck. No matter what happened he'd have someone to live on after he was gone. The idea of such a thing awed him. This is what he wanted. As he heard her sigh in his arms he wondered about what she had said to him last night.

"I want you to have the life that you want. I'm not really sure you want the life I can give you now."

Were they really two different things? His intention was to come here and take her back with him, to return to his quest to regain his former life. Did she still want to share that life with him?

He thought that when he found her again, he'd find answers. But as it had always been when he was mortal, questions still surrounded him.

************************

Rafe pressed his lips to Alison's and sighed. "I'll keep you safe." He promised her as he pulled away and looked into her eyes.

She nodded. "I don't doubt it. But it's not the way we should have to live."

"I'm sorry." Rafe said as he moved to stand and walk by the window.

"Don't - " She protested.

"No - I am. I'm sorry. If I was a different person - this wouldn't be an issue." He said sadly, staring out the window.

"If you were a different person I wouldn't be married to you." Alison scrambled from the bed and stood behind him.

"I -" Rafe wanted to explain himself, but couldn't quite find the words. His conversation with his father the night before began to creep into his head again. He wanted to do what he knew was right. He wanted to do it for her. "You deserve a normal life. You always said that's what you wanted."

She pulled him around to face her. She stared up at him with love spilling from her eyes. "I want you - Rafe. And - most of the time - we do. We have a perfectly normal life."

"Yeah - OK." Rafe stared at the wall behind her, his voice completely unconvinced. "Alison, here's a little bit of information for you. I'm pretty sure normal people don't come back from the dead, and they don't train for years to fight forces of evil. They don't track down vampires and they don't creep into other peoples heads to show them things they want them to see. Do you really truly understand what you got yourself into? Because honestly, you couldn't have picked a more abnormal person to get involved with."

She could finally find something to laugh about in all this. He sounded so serious about it all. This obviously had been an issue for him. "So?" Alison said with a smile.

"That's all you have to say? SO?" Rafe looked down at her, expecting to hear her say more.

"Yeah. That's all I have to say." She grinned wider.

Rafe was suddenly confused. "Alison. What's so funny?"

"You - Rafe." She laughed softly and pulled him closer. She leaned up and gave him a kiss. "OK - you're right. The votes are all in and it's official. You're not normal."

He stared at her and began to get angry. "Alison. Cut it out. Stop making fun of me. I'm serious."

It was so good to be able to joke with him. She wouldn't worry about Livvie or Caleb right now. They weren't going to have to leave the house today and anyway, this was so much more fun. She batted her eyes innocently and looked up at him. "Oh Rafe - so am I. I'm serious too. You're completely and totally weird. I can't believe I ever even looked twice at you."

"Alison…" He warned her again.

Alison pulled away slowly and grabbed his hand, tugging him towards the bed. "You know." She said thoughtfully. "I just realized I made normal food for breakfast." She climbed on the bed and turned to face him, giving him a come hither grin. "I'm sorry Rafe. Is that OK? I mean - now that it's been decided - can you still eat normal food or is there some sort of freak diet that I should help you follow?"

He knew she'd keep going if he let her. He was still worried about her, there was still a lot they had to work through, but Rafe finally broke down and gave in. His eyes lit with laughter as he knelt on the bed and pulled her into his arms. "You drive me crazy - you know that?"

"mmm hmm." She replied, kissing him deeply.

His lips moved to nip lightly at her shoulder, his fingers were suddenly sliding up under the hem of the shirt she wore. "Especially when you're wearing this shirt." He smiled as his mouth found hers again. "It makes me think of all sorts of things."

"Really?" She gasped as his hand traveled over the curve of her hip, his arm curling around her waist and pulling her closer. She shook back her hair and grinned at him. "Is that normal?"

"Close enough." He laughed as he covered her mouth with his.