Chapter Sixty-one
"That was a nice distraction." Caleb whispered into Livvie's hair. "But you can't keep me here all day."
She snuggled into him and pulled him closer. "I can try." She murmured against his neck.
"We have work to do." Caleb said, not really at all anxious to get started himself. He knew full well that Colin would continue to drag his feet and the whole issue with which slayer actually did the job was tricky. It was either Rafe's son or daughter. Punishment, though necessary would come at a dangerous price. Though he could think of many ways to pass the time, the truth was it was on his mind. He ran his fingers through her hair and said softly. "There's the problem of our son – and revenge to plan."
Livvie leaned her head on her hand and regarded him closely. She was so tired of this type of conversation. Part of her wanted to threaten him with leaving but after all this time she decided to be honest - with herself most of all.
Push come to shove she's choose him – always. There wasn't a question. She'd never survive alone. She'd choose him over her father, and she'd just recently proven she'd choose him over her son. It pained her but she knew, deep down, it was the truth.
That didn't mean she couldn't influence him. "Caleb…" She sighed. "Let's deal with it tomorrow. Let's take a day off. There's no rush."
"Olivia…" He tried to put up a fight but the truth was, this wasn't one he wanted to win.
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Breakfast was hours ago, and everyone in the Kovich household was still worn out from the night before. If you asked Rafe or Alison they couldn't tell you exactly how, but they'd wound up back upstairs in their bedroom, lying in bed with their little girl nestled between them. Alison had fallen asleep watching Becky's sweet face, her little cheek resting on Rafe's chest, her tiny hand curled around Rafe's forearm. Rafe's arm curved around to hold her as well, keeping his two girls as close as he possibly could.
Kate and Grant came home and knew in an instant something was out of the ordinary. As they quietly made their way upstairs Becky stirred first. She shifted out of her father's arms and sat up, grinning at Grant when he peeked in his parent's bedroom. She quickly scrambled off the bed and joined him in the hallway. Grant shut the door softly behind her.
"We took a nap." Becky said as she beamed up at him. "We were all tuckered out."
She was so cute he couldn't help but grin at her. "I can see that." Grant scooped her up in his arms. "How you doing, Squirt?"
She pulled back and gave him an exasperated look. "Why does everyone ask me that today? I'm good. I was sleepy but I rested lots. Hi Katie." She said over Grant's shoulder.
"Hey Becks. You had me worried." Kate blinked back tears. She didn't cry though. She didn't want to worry Becky and it looked like she was going to be all right. She was so relieved.
Becky slid from Grant's hold back onto the ground, looking much younger than her eight years in her pink nightgown and matching ballet slippers. "Hey Grant? What happened to the bad man after I threw the stick? Is he going to hurt her again? Daddy says no he won't but he's acting kinda weird. Is he really gone?"
"Yes. He's really gone." Grant replied. "But Becky – don't go talking to your friends about what happened at the carnival OK? If you need to talk about it you find one of us. Do you understand?"
She looked a bit puzzled but then agreed. "OK. I'm glad he's gone. I won't tell anyone, if you say so." She looked up at Kate and did a little pirouette. "Want to watch a movie? I can make the popcorn in the microwave. Mommy showed me – I just can't open the bag by myself. It gets too hot."
"Sure." Kate replied with a sigh of relief. "You go pick a movie and I'll help you in a second. I'll be right down."
"Cool. Movies and pajamas in the daytime." Becky started down the stairs and then stopped. She turned to give them another smile. "It'll be a lazy day today huh?"
"Yeah. A real lazy day." Grant replied with a smile as he watched her dash off.
Kate placed a hand gently on his arm. "I guess she's really OK."
Grant nodded. "Yeah – looks like she's fine."
She watched her little sister bounce down the stairs and wondered how to keep her as happy as she seemed to be at the moment. "Someone's going to have to take responsibility for what happened." She said ominously, wracking her brain for a solution.
Her brother did the same, and knew in an instant he had found it. "Yeah." Grant said softly. "That someone is me.
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As Becky moved away Alison inched closer to Rafe. His arms closed around her and held her tight. She sighed as she rested her head on his chest, her ear near his heart which she almost could feel beating strongly. The sound kept her under for a few more minutes.
When she opened her eyes a short time later, she could feel his breathing quicken and knew that now he was awake too. "Is she OK?" He asked in a whisper. "Where did she go?"
Alison's heart melted when she heard his words. He was still so worried. Could there be a better father? "The kids are home. I heard Grant say hello to Becky." She took a deep breath before she continued. "They're watching a movie."
"How do you know that?" Rafe asked with a yawn. "Taking up Abby's hobby?"
"Nope. Popcorn." Alison replied with a smile. "Can't you smell it?"
"So that's how you do it? You're full of tricks. I always wondered how you seem to know everything about them." He said as he held her closer.
She shook her head and giggled. "No. I know everything about them because I'm their mother. That sixth sense comes with the job."
Smiling to herself, Alison twined her leg around Rafe's and pressed herself nearer to him. Rafe dipped his head down and buried his nose in her hair. They stayed just like that for a few more gloriously lazy moments. "It's nearly three." Rafe commented as he glanced at the clock.
"You had a rough night." Alison said as she pulled back to look at him. She lifted a hand to his cheek. "She's OK." She said for the thousandth time. She could see in his eyes he was still so worried.
"I should have told you. I knew it could be Becky all along." He said quietly.
There he was, beating himself up again. Alison wouldn't let him keep doing it. "No. C'mon Rafe. You could not have predicted it."
Rafe took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. He looked into her eyes, his voice shaking a bit as he told her. "Yes. I could. Because when I was her age, it happened to me."
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As Becky went to get another soda Kate grabbed her brother's arm. "Grant? Are you insane?"
He shook his head. "No. I'm practical. Caleb's going to go after someone. He'll know you were with Colin and he'll find out I was at the carnival. It's a logical choice that I'm the one. You don't want Becky to go up against him do you?"
The though had fear snaking up her spine. "No. But Grant. If Dad finds out, he'll have a fit."
"He'll have a fit anyway. Besides, you had a shot at Caleb yourself didn't you?"
She stared into her lap. "That was different."
"How?" He asked.
Kate desperately tried to find a reason to convince him but she couldn't at the moment. "It just was. Grant…please."
He shook his head and glared at her. "This isn't debatable. It's either me or Becky and you know it can't be Becky."
"There has to be another way." But for the life of her Kate couldn't figure out what it could be.
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Her eyes filled with tears. She clutched his shirt in her hand and pulled him towards her. "Oh my God. Rafe. How come you never told me?"
He shrugged and looked away. "I was trying to be normal, remember? You think normal is an eight year old slaying a vampire?"
She couldn't believe he'd started so young. The thought made her start to shiver again. "Tell me now." She whispered as she made him meet her eyes. "What happened?"
"It was a long time ago." Rafe replied.
"And you remember it like it was yesterday don't you?" Alison pleaded with him. "Rafe. Tell me please."
Rafe shifted and sat up in bed. Alison followed and pulled him so he faced her. "I was bored. She was shopping - I hate shopping." Rafe began, his voice sounding far away.
"I know." She said with a slight smile.
"I wandered off a bit and then I saw it - something just like what Becky saw. There in the alley way there was a man, biting a woman, draining her of her blood and ending her life. He needed to be stopped. I didn't know exactly what I was doing but I knew that. I knew it as well as I knew my own name."
Alison placed her hand on his cheek and made him meet her eyes. "And you stopped him, Rafe. You were protecting people even then."
Rafe was still off somewhere else in his mind. "My mother was so upset. She dragged me home. The upside was that I didn't have to go shopping again for a while."
Rafe finally focused on Alison's face. He knew that it was all his fault. He'd started this, all those years ago. "Alison - this all started because of me. The vampire. The one I killed? He was Caleb's uncle." He took her chin in his hand and made her look at him to make sure she understood. "That day - when I was eight years old, I slayed the first of the Morley vampires."