Chapter Sixty-six
As they sat at the diner, Danny looked across the table and stared at Lia. She looked so upset and he had no idea how to console her. To top it all off, Mike almost didn't take his order – payback he was sure for breaking up with Kate. Good thing for Danny Mike finally relented, because he was starving.
He took the last bite of his burger and thought he'd try to get through to her once more. She'd been uncharacteristically quiet since they left the park.
"Lia. She's OK." Danny said softly.
She looked at him with eyes full of sadness. "You really think so?"
He nodded and reached for her hand. For once she didn't snatch it away. "Yeah. I do. We watched the whole time and nothing happened. She just sat there for hours and then she went home. It looked like she just needed to have some time to herself."
Lia wanted to make him see. This whole thing was so much more than that. "You just don't understand. She usually tells me everything. She's shutting me out, Danny and I don't know what to do about it."
"Just give her some time. She's…" He stopped, unsure of exactly how to say it. "She's just lonely I think."
"She shouldn't be. She has me." Lia gave him a confused look.
Danny took a deep breath and tried again. "Yeah. Of course she does. But she's the only one of us not paired off."
She continued to look at him like he had two heads. "Thornhart. We're so not a pair."
Her words stung. He didn't see this coming. He had no idea why it was suddenly the most important thing in the world to change her mind. "Lia…" He whispered and held her hand tighter. "C'mon. Would it be so bad?"
When he looked at her like that she could barely breathe. Her stomach did somersaults. Her mind was spinning. Lia hated feeling like this. She had to make it stop. She let go of his hand and pushed away from the table. She grabbed her purse and ran towards the door.
As she slipped out the door Mike placed the check on the table. As he watched the door close behind her, Danny dug into his pocket to pay the bill and muttered to himself. "Guess so."
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Caleb looked out into the night. He had called Lynnie to meet him but it was clear that his wife had other plans for him today. She was insistent on talking to Colin and he had decided to let her give it one last try. Olivia always had a better way of dealing with their son then he could ever hope for. In his mind he went back in time to when life was much more simple.
"Is that right, Dad?" Colin asked as he played a chord on the guitar.
Caleb smiled. "Good job. You've almost got it. Just hold your fingers this way." He took his son's small hand in his and helped arrange them properly. "Now. Try it again."
Colin strummed the guitar perfectly. The kid was a natural, Caleb thought with pride.
"When I grow up I'll be just like you Dad. I'll be the best in the world." Colin smiled as he gazed at his father.
Emotion washed over him, unlike anything he ever experienced before. He had a chance to make it right, but he was worried how his son would react when he realized that his father was not just a musician, but something much rarer.
Caleb shook his head to clear it, fighting the images swimming in his brain. He knew what came next – what always came next. The day he told his son the truth. Though he was sure to live forever, a part of him died that day. It was a part he was sure he could never get back.
Colin stared at them both and looked physically ill. His voice was choked but he managed two words.
"That's sick." He said, his eyes wide with horror.
"It's your destiny." Caleb explained as he moved to place a hand on his son's shoulder.
Colin cringed and backed away, causing Livvie's eyes to fill with tears and Caleb's to cloud with rage. "I can't believe this. How can you…"
"Colin, sweetheart. You're afraid of what you don't understand. Let your father explain."
He shook his head at her vehemently. "Oh no. That's OK. I've got it. You feed on other people. I always wondered why you had so many people at your beck and call, how you could get Mom to change her mind by giving her a look. I thought it was because you were a rock star. I thought it was just your charisma that made people want to be near you. But now I see the truth. It was something far more menacing."
"Son…"
Colin cut him off and continued his retreat. "I'm not your son. Not anymore." He looked at them both in disgust as he opened the door and walked away.
That was years ago and now Caleb was sure it would always be true. Olivia could try but he was convinced it wouldn't make a difference. Despite his efforts, despite all the powers he possessed, he had lost the thing he had always wanted. He had lost his family.
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Alison sat in her favorite chair by their bed. She shivered despite how warm it was outside.
Worn out from too much sun and much more swimming, Becky had fallen asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Alison knew it would be hours before she would fall asleep herself.
It always came back to the same thing - always. In her heart she truly wanted for everyone to be happy and that even extended to Caleb and Livvie. The problem was, Caleb and Livvie were never happy unless she and Rafe were miserable.
She knew where Rafe was. He was out with Cam - plotting. It had been so long since anything had come close enough to touch them she was way out of practice, and the fact that she was pregnant and overemotional anyway didn't help matters much.
Alison heard the door creak open and watched him back into the room. She smiled to herself knowing he was trying to be quiet for her sake.
"I'm awake Rafe. It's OK." She called out to him softly.
He looked at her with concern filled eyes. "Hey. It's so late. What are you still doing up?"
Rafe walked to kneel beside the chair. Alison blinked back tears as she moved to put her arms around him. He shifted to hold her close.
"What's the matter?" He whispered as his arms tightened around her. "Is everything OK?"
"Yeah." She sighed. "For now."
"You don't have to worry..." Rafe began.
Alison pulled back and stared at him in disbelief. "No?" She tried to laugh but it came out garbled. "Are you sure?"
Rafe nodded and pulled her back into his arms. He whispered against her hair. "I'm going to take care of it. Everything will be OK."
She gave in and let him hold her, but she couldn't help the words from coming out of her mouth. "I don't want you to."
"What?" He asked, not understanding.
She pulled away again and moved to stand, pacing a bit as she spoke. "I don't want you to take care of it. I don't want any of our kids to take care of it or even Lucy for that matter. I don't want Kate or Grant or - my God Rafe - or Becky to have to do it either."
Alison turned to face him and rested a hand on her stomach blinking back tears. She needed him to understand what she was saying. "I don't want Cam or Abby to have to worry about Lynnie either. It's so unfair. I'm just really tired, Rafe. Enough is enough already. Why can't we just be left alone to live our lives. I was hoping that maybe it would be different but I'm not sure I'm up for anymore of this."
Her voice sounded like she was pleading with him as she finished. "I just want it to stop - once and for all."
He heard every word and it had his heart breaking. As he gazed across the room at her almost couldn't say the words. It was so hard for him to admit it, but he knew he had to.
Rafe looked into her eyes and told her the truth. "I know, Angel." He said with a sigh. "I'm just not sure it ever will."