A/N: Ladies and Germs—LOL—I do hope you all have a wonderful weekend as Spring has finally sprung (at least in Georgia) and I am going to be enjoying myself all weekend. You are my faithful readers (I can't say faithful updaters—though Melody has been doing good lately, and Gracie is always a faithful updater) and I love hearing what you thinking of my stories. Anyways, here is Chapter 59—this is now the longest story I've ever written—WOO HOO! Until Monday—still singing Tainted Love—PCGirl.
"So how about some music?" asked Caleb as he came back into the cabin from the cargo area.
"Sure," said Livvie as she hit the button for the radio and an 80's song came pouring out of the radio and filled the cabin. "What, don't you like 80's music?" laughed Livvie as she began to lip sync the song.
"Not particularly," he said coming over and turning off the radio.
"Hey, I was listening to that," she laughed.
"Sorry, but I don't feel like having that song playing over and over in my head the entire way home."
"Fine, let's see what I can find to keep us occupied instead," she smiled.
"Have you and Ian put everything to rest?" asked Kevin as he came into the office and locked the door behind him and Lucy.
"I think so—I told him what I felt inside Kevin, I just hope you still feel the same way after the little stunt I pulled."
"It was more than a little stunt Lucy—you had me scared to death. But I realized a long time ago no matter what crazy stunt you pull I'm still going to love you just as much," he said pulling her into a kiss.
"Glad to hear it," she smiled.
"What are we doing at the house?" asked Alison as Rafe pulled the car into the driveway.
"You'll see," he grinned.
"Rafe—what did you do?"
"Nothing much. Come on, let's go in and see what we may find that's new."
"New? Please tell me you didn't decorate this house by yourself."
"No, but I'm sure what I did do you will like," he said as they went into the living room and she saw it was still bare looking. "Go up the steps," he said pushing her towards them.
"Oh really?" grinned Caleb.
"That's not what I was thinking about," she said now getting up out of the seat and leaving, then coming back with one of the diaries.
"I thought you'd finished that."
"Not the last entry—I figured I'd wait until everything else was done before reading it. Do you want me to read it out loud?"
"Sure," he said sitting next to her, and putting his arm along the back of the seat behind her.
"Jasmine and I laid Elena to rest today. Joseph was there also, but I could not get Lucas to agree to be there. I know Lucas loved his aunt, I just hope one day he can come to peace with his cousin, but I think that in the end these two branches of the family will be at each others throats for many many years—longer than I will live it is certain. I said a prayer as we placed her coffin in the ground, I prayed that if God did truly want us to live in peace and not at war then one day he will allow myself and Elena's words to be read again, so at that time all of those who have died between now and then can rest at peace, especially Gregory, Trevor, myself, and Elena."
"I realized something else too last night," he said sitting down on the couch and facing her.
"What exactly was that?"
"That I haven't really realized before what all you and Rafe have to do being vampire slayers. It's more than vampires you chase off, and whatever it was you had to chase off this time—well I'm glad that's over and we can settle on more important matters."
"Such as?"
"Marriage. Lucy, we are divorced, remember?"
"Oh yes, I remember signing those stupid things not too long ago. What are we going to do about that now?"
"Wait," he said as they got to the top of the steps and he got in front of her. "Close your eyes—I'm going to lead you to it."
"Ok," she said nervously as he led her. "We're going to our bedroom, I can tell."
"How can you tell that?"
"Because I've been imagining everything about this house, and where everything is for so long now. I just know where it is," she said as he paused at the door.
"Ok, open your eyes," he said as he came behind her and put his arms around her stomach.
"Rafe—it's beautiful," she said looking at her new bedroom suite. "It's got this old world antique look to it—how did you afford this?" she said turning and looking at him.
"Well, that's the thing—I didn't really pay for it."
Livvie closed the diary and looked at Caleb who was deep in thought, "Did she stop writing in the diary because Elena had died?"
"No, I believe she stopped writing because a few weeks later she died."
"What? How?"
"This is the story I've been told—the day after they laid Elena to rest Tara made a decision that she didn't want to live when her best friend and also her husband had already passed on. She went to the spring—to become mortal and live the rest of her days out—however many those may be. When she returned from the journey alone she became sick. On her deathbed, with both Joseph and Lucas there she begged them to forgive one another for past wrongs, but they didn't—instead began to argue again as to whose fault it was that she was dying."
"How sad," she sighed. "At least now we know they are finally at peace," she said running her hands over the front of the worn leather cover.
"Well, this may be a little forward of me," he said getting up and going to the top drawer of his desk. He saw there was a message on his machine and hit play, "Hi Daddy. I—uhm—just wanted you to know I'm going to be out of town for a few weeks. Caleb and I are going to Transylvania, and we're going to try and have a child. Rafe can explain it better—I have to go now, the pilot says he won't wait a few more minutes for me to better explain this. Don't worry about me, I'll be fine—I'll call you later. I love you—Bye, and give a Ta to Lucy for me."
"Wow," said Lucy.
"Yeah, really. Ok, what was I doing?" he said as he looked down and saw the box in the drawer. He picked it up and came back to where Lucy was sitting. "I know we've done this too many times to count, but do you think down the road in the near future you'd want to marry me again, Lucy Coe?"
"Oh Doc, of course I will again—I will a hundred times over, don't you know that by now?"
"Yeah, I think we're halfway to that number already," he laughed taking the ring out of the box and slipping it on her finger. "I love you, Lucy."
"I love you too, Doc."
"Wait, how did you not pay for it? I mean they just don't give away these things in free raffles."
Rafe couldn't stop from smiling, "I didn't pay for it because this isn't something you can get from a home store or even antique store around here. This is genuine old world," he said coming over to the four-poster bed and touching the wood. "It was my mom's—when Caleb went to Daia he was to do two things for me —first he was to bring back the deed to Kovich Manor along with the other stuff that was in the box, and second he was to arrange for everything to be moved out of the Manor and into storage. Except for this—this he was to tell the moving guy to ship over here. I had no clue where I was going to put it if we didn't get a house—but luck usually is on our side, right?"
"It definitely is," she said walking over to the vanity and looking at herself in the mirror. Rafe walked up behind her and looked at them in the mirror now, "But you didn't sell the Manor—so is the house sitting empty now?"
"No, I got in touch with the guy and told him I'd still pay him for moving the bedroom suite though. There's a story behind this, would you like me to tell you?" asked Rafe who got a nod in response from Alison.
"This set is an exact copy of what is—or was—Elena and Gregory's room at Morley Manor. When Gregory was gone, fixing the manor up before being killed," he said giving a cough, "he knew they wouldn't be able to take the bedroom suite that had been there's for so long with them, so he had an exact copy made for their new home. It was to be Gregory's present to Elena for the birth of their child, and it's my present to you Alison for the birth of both our children."
