A/N: A new reviewer!! YAY! Kathy - thank you. Reviews like yours bring me to tears. As for your suggestion, wow. Well, right now it's a just a little hobby/obsession. :) I'll let you know if it ever changes.
To my dear PCGirl who likes to give me a little challenge every chapter - thanks for the jinx. LOL!
As you'll see for yourselves - this chapter's jumpy - I've got a lot of ground to cover. Until 45! xox-G
Chapter Forty-four
"So here's the deal. I play my guitar, and you pay me - with beer." Colin said to the bartender, already well on his way to feeling no pain. He'd managed to get someone to buy him a six pack earlier but it was long gone.
He looked at Colin sympathetically. "Kid. I can't serve you."
"I'm not a kid." Colin insisted, becoming belligerent. "Does a kid raise themselves? Does a kid start working at age 15? I'm not a kid, buddy. Make no mistake." As he finished his little tirade as he knocked over the basket of pretzels on the bar.
"Sure you're not." The bartender replied as he cleaned up the mess and served Colin a soda.
He took the glass and slumped in his seat. He was so full of pain that he wasn't aware of someone coming to stand beside him. "Rough night?" a sweet voice asked.
"No. Not a rough night at all. My girlfriend didn't dump me and her mother's not lying in a coma either." He said bitterly.
"It was a rhetorical question, by the way. And I'm sorry I asked." She said with a bit of a laugh.
"It's not funny." He replied, finally turning to look at her. As he did - all he could think was that she looked like Katrina.
Colin's eyes ran over her. She looked a lot like her. The girl's hair was blond, but wasn't nearly as thick as Katrina's. Her eyes were green, but not at all as bright as Katrina's. Her smile was warm, but no where near as warm as Katrina's.
All in all, the fact was that she wasn't Katrina of course. Colin had enough to drink tonight that he was almost at the point to where he didn't care.
Colin knew he'd jinxed himself, just by falling for Kate in the first place. Maybe he could pretend. He thought to himself. He knew he'd be doing that for the rest of his life anyway.
He'd thought about how it was going to be from now on. He guessed he'd resume his old life, never have a home of his own, going from place to place and never staying long enough to get attached. But something would be different now. Now, he knew he'd always be looking for her.
Everywhere he went he'd search for someone who laughed like her, or had the same colored eyes, or hair the same style. He'd know the whole time that it was a cheap imitation of the real thing. But he also knew it was as close he could ever get again.
He looked at the girl and smiled. Grabbing the beer the bartender had just served her, he chugged it down almost in one gulp. He didn't want to move on, but he knew he had to. He thought he might as well start now.
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"It feels weird, being back here." Livvie said as they settled in at the villa. She looked around the room and remembered way back when. This is where they'd spent their time when she first met him. This is place she always thought of when she remembered when her life changed.
"But right. Doesn't it?" Caleb said, his mood lifted as he came up behind her and snaked his hands around her waist. He was finally content. His plans were in motion now. A quick meeting would take place and all was going smoothly. At this moment, he was sure his son was well on the way to taking the bait.
It was a shame it had to be that way, but as far as Caleb was concerned, completely necessary.
Caleb had sent his trusted friend Marcus ahead to Port Charles. When he decided to track his son down, he knew Marcus was the one for the job. Plus, he also had enough charm to always turn a lady's head and it seemed this time was no exception. He'd done well with his choice for the job and would be rewarded.
Caleb smiled as he held Livvie close and pressed his lips to her neck. His mind was still swimming with the possibilities. As a unexpected bonus, wasn't Marcus full of amazing tidbits of information? Seems Colin had latched on to - as impossible as it seemed - Alison and Rafe's precious little princess.
He couldn't have arranged anything better if he'd planned it himself.
The slayer went crazy, as expected and his darling, sweet angel wound up in the hospital once again. As he began to take nibbles at Livvie's skin, Caleb thought they should stop by in the morning and pay her a little visit. It was a friendly sort of thing to do.
Caleb turned Livvie in his arms, thoughts of their son pushed aside for the moment. As he slowly sank his teeth into her throat he could think of nothing but her. Caleb's last coherent thought was that he knew she would be angry with him at first.
The result would be more than worth it. She'd see in the long run, that he was right.
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"What is your name again?" He whispered as he held her close. She had told him but he forgot.
"Ariel." She said softly as she smiled, her lips pressed to his neck.
This whole thing felt uncomfortable but he was trying desperately to pretend. "Ariel." He murmured. It sounded odd, the name didn't roll off his tongue. It came out choked and awkward.
The scent she wore was wrong, he noticed. It was too heavy, too spicy, too…something. Katrina smelled like wildflowers he thought sadly. Not like this.
She didn't fit quite right, he realized as she moved closer to him. She was just an inch or so too tall. Katrina's head fit right under his chin. She was perfect.
Katrina's perfect. He thought sadly. Katrina...
This was wrong, he realized as he felt Ariel kiss his neck. Her body was pressed firmly against his. She knew what she wanted and it seemed she was determined. Despite the fact that his judgment was severely impaired at the moment he knew how wrong this would be.
"Sorry…" He whispered as he pushed her away. "I can't…"
"C'mon…" She batted her eyes at him and clutched the fabric of his shirt, dragging him back to her. She swayed to the music, brushing her body against his. "It'll be fun. Don't you like to have fun Colin?"
This wasn't fun. Colin thought as he held her in his arms. This was so wrong. He pushed her more forcefully this time, nothing but thoughts of Katrina filling his mind now. Now that his vision cleared he realized, this girl looked nothing like her. What in the world was he thinking?
He needed to get out of here. He needed to get as far away as he could before he made a horrible mistake.
"I can't." He insisted as he stumbled towards the door.
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"Kate?" Rafe whispered as he walked towards the couch. It was early morning and he could tell she hadn't slept. He didn't know when she'd gotten back. She looked so pale and distraught, it frightened him.
"Daddy…" She sobbed as she looked up at him.
He knew what she was feeling. That awful desperate aching feeling that settled in the pit of your stomach. The unbelievable guilt. He sat beside her and pulled her close. "Shh. Princess. She's OK. She's awake now."
"And - the baby…" She asked, her voice broken as she clung to him.
Rafe swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't lie to her. "I'm not so sure. Right now, your mom just needs to rest. We'll see. Katie. The good news is that she's going to be OK. You don't have to worry."
He looked around the waiting room, a bit confused. Rafe expected to see them together. "Honey? Where's Colin?"
"He's gone." She said so softly he didn't quite hear.
"What?" Rafe asked, confused. He pulled away and looked into her eyes.
"It's over. I knew I had to choose." Her voice sounded hollow. "I let him go."
He stared at her. "Katie…"
She shook her head at him. "I love him, Daddy, but if loving him does this much damage to all of you - I have no choice but to let him go."
Her words should have made him happy. This was what he thought he wanted. He wanted her as far from Caleb's son as she could get. If that was the case, why was his heart breaking as he looked at her?
"Kate…" He sighed as he held her close.
"I let him go…" Kate said over and over, burying her face in his shoulder. She was hoping she'd be able to accept it if she said it often enough.