A/N: This part of the story reminds me of a hurricane. This is like the eye, when there's a bit of calm before it all starts up again. Wow. Weather analogies. How profound. LOL! So you'll have 2 happy chapters and then back to the sort of sad stuff. :( Sorry. It simply has to be done. ;)

Until 72 - enjoy! xox-G

Chapter Seventy-one

The house was much too quiet. There was a fire roaring in the fireplace, odd because it was the middle of August. The air-conditioner was blasting.

Fresh flowers were stuffed into various vases; candles flickered all over the room. Something delicious was wafting from the kitchen.

Alison came into the room and he just about lost his breath.

Her hair was loose about her shoulders and she wore a flowing flowered sundress. She looked as beautiful as he had ever seen her.

"I've been waiting for you." She said with a smile as she walked over to him and into his arms.

"I'm sorry." Rafe began to apologize. "I was at the Overlook, trying to reason with Ca…"

Alison cut him off with a long, lingering kiss. As she pulled away she shook her head at him. "Stop. I don't want to hear it."

"What?" He replied.

"I don't want to hear his name for the next 24 hours. He doesn't belong here. Not tonight." She rose on her toes and kissed him again.

Rafe took a deep breath and hoped he could do what she asked. He kissed her back and then ran his hands through her hair, loving the way it slid right through his fingers. He ran a hand over her cheek and looked deeply into her eyes. "Where are the kids?" He asked, his voice tinged with panic.

"Becky's at Lucy's. Christina's visiting." She caught the look in his eyes when he heard her say she wasn't safe at home. "Lucy will protect her Rafe. It's OK."

"OK." He said with a sigh between kisses. "What about Kate and Grant?"

Alison pulled him closer and pressed her lips to his again. She told him what she thought was the truth. "Kate's staying at Abby's. Chloe had car trouble and Grant went to get her. With the storm he said they'll just stay at Melissa and Jack's tonight."

"We're alone?" Rafe pulled back, surprised.

"We're alone. It is a special occasion after all." Alison smiled at him as she leaned close and tried to kiss him again. She fought to reign in her laughter as she scolded. "Don't tell me you forgot."

Her kisses were wrecking his concentration. Her hands were running up and down his arms and he was trying hard to focus. The scent of her skin was clouding his senses. She planted soft kisses up the column of his throat and then settled her mouth on his again. As it did he realized what she had been saying. Rafe pulled back sharply, stunning her a bit.

Alison wasn't about to let him go. "Rafe, come back here." Keeping her eyes closed she nearly purred at him, clutching his shirt and trying to drag him back to her.

"I didn't really forget." He said softly, his voice full of guilt. "I just forgot it was today."

She opened her eyes slowly and gave him a huge smile. "You did?"

"I did." She was confusing him. She didn't look angry but he was having trouble gauging her mood. Rafe framed Alison's face with his hands and stared in her eyes. "I'm so sorry Angel."

"What did you forget, Rafe?" Alison asked, trying to sound annoyed.

"Our anniversary." He said as he tore his eyes from hers.

Alison smiled as she took his chin in her hand and made him meet her gaze. "I won't complain. You haven't forgotten once in almost twenty years, Rafe." Alison whispered. "Can you even believe it? Next year will be twenty years."

She looked as beautiful now as she did on their wedding day, was all he could think. "I know. I'm sorry. I was so busy trying to find out what Ca…"

Alison grabbed his shoulders and pulled him to her, bringing his lips to hers again. Her eyes cautioned him as she eased away. "Don't say it Rafe. I'm not mad you forgot our anniversary but I'll be furious if you say his name again. If you keep it up, trust me you'll be sorry."

She sounded so serious. He began to chuckle softly at her. "Oh yeah? What are you going to do?"

"Every time you bring him up I'm…I'm…" She looked around the room and saw a sweater hanging on a hook by the door. She stepped away from him and put her hands on her hips. She gave him a sexy look. "I'm going to put more clothes on rather than take them off."

He burst into laughter "Oooo! That's some threat."

"Don't try and test me. I'm serious." She pushed him gently away when he tried to take her in his arms again. "You're soaked. Go take a shower. I have to get dinner ready."

"Take one with me." He whispered in her ear.

"Tempting." Alison said with a sigh. "But I don't want to ruin my hair."

"Alison…" Rafe begged as he tried to hold her closer.

Laughing, she took a step back and moved towards the kitchen. "Go. Dinner's almost ready."

"Alison…" He said again as he moved towards her.

She almost gave in but shoved him back with a grin. "Go." She turned and looked back at him over her shoulder. As she watched him move towards the stairs she giggled and added. "I'll be waiting."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"You're kidding me right?" Grant said as they walked inside.

"What?" Chloe replied, looking around the barn. "It's close to where I parked the car and its dry, which is more than I can say for us at the moment." She couldn't understand why he continued to look at her strangely. "Why? What's the matter? Is there something wrong?"

"No – it's just. This is where my parents got married." Grant said with a grin. "And today's their anniversary."

Chloe grinned back. "Really?"

"Yeah. Come here." He whispered as he walked towards a post in the center. He ran his hand over the carving his father had made all those years ago. "See?"

Grant smiled as he went on. "This is a special place for them. Kate knows more about it, I haven't gotten all the details but I know this is where they first said they loved each other. They got married here years before their 'real' wedding. They vowed to love each other forever and - well - you just have to look at them to know they kept them."

Chloe's heart melted. "Oh wow." Tears began to fill her eyes. She had felt so many emotions in the past hour. When she watched him leave the gym she was filled with panic, when she saw him lying on the ground she was crazy with fear, when she saw he was going to be all right she was so angry that she could barely see and now she was overwhelmed, wondering if she and Grant could have what his parents had. It must be incredible for be so in love for so long.

She took her hand and traced the letters. "Your parents - Grant, they're amazing." She said softly, her voice catching in her throat. She looked into Grant's eyes and shivered a bit.

"You're cold." He said as he looked around, trying to find a blanket or something to warm her up.

He tried to move away but she wouldn't let him. "You're hurt." She replied as she stared into his eyes. She moved her hand over his shoulder, catching the look on his face when he winced slightly. Her voice began to shake and a few tears escaped. "What would I have done if you…"

"Shh. I'm sorry." Grant pulled Chloe to him and held her close.

Though part of her wanted to stay like that forever, she pushed him away, getting angry again. "You should be. I asked you not to do this and you didn't care. You ignored me."

"Chloe. I had to try."

"No matter what happened? You would give up everything? Just like that?" She snapped her fingers and gave him a look.

Chloe rarely lived up to the adage that redheads have terrible tempers. But right now, Grant was getting the full effect.

"I was just…"

"Being a complete and total idiot. I can't even believe you." She moved to the other side of the barn and glared at him.

Grant wasn't sure what he could say to make her understand. "Clo. I wasn't thinking…"

Chloe's mouth dropped open and her voice was full of sarcasm. "No kidding. Really? Gee Grant, thanks for stating the obvious."

He looked at her and almost laughed, but he was afraid of what she'd do. Her hair was soaking wet and dripping into her eyes, the curls hanging limply around her face. Her t-shirt was clinging to her, leaving little to the imagination. Mud was splattered all over the hem of the Capri pants she wore and was caked all over her sneakers.

Grant thought she'd never looked more gorgeous, but there was no doubt she was completely furious at him. He finally had an idea. He moved towards her and stumbled a bit, wincing as he fell to his knees.

"Oh my God. Grant!" Concern and love replaced the coldness her voice held just moments before.

"I'm OK. I just got dizzy." He said, trying to keep his face from breaking into a smile.

She grabbed a blanket and spread it over the hay strewn floor. "Grant, please. Sit down. Let me look at your arm."

"OK." He said softly.

Chloe moved to untie the scarf she had wound around to stop the bleeding. Her delicate hands moved to unbutton his shirt, pushing it gently off his shoulders.

The gash on his shoulder looked worse than it actually was. Chloe stood and found a pail that had been catching rainwater and went about cleaning his wound. She was concentrating so intently she missed the fact that Grant was smiling all the while.

As she worked Chloe muttered to herself, another thing Grant loved about her. "I'm glad my father's so paranoid or else I wouldn't have had this kit in the car." She placed a bandage on the cut and leaned back to admire her work. "It should be OK now." She said with a sigh.

"Is that it?" Grant asked, his voice serious.

"Yeah. I think you'll live." He could see by the look in her eyes she was beginning to get angry again.

He wasn't about to let it happen. "I don't think so." He whispered as he stared deeply into her eyes. "I don't think you're done yet."

"What are you talking about?" She asked confused. She wished he would stop looking at her that way. She was trying to be mad at him.

"You have to kiss it to make it better." He grinned at her.

She knew he'd tricked her but she couldn't care less. She couldn't help herself from grinning back. Chloe rose on her knees and half crawled closer to him. "Oh. I do?"

As his lips touched hers Grant heard her sigh. He held her closer and demanded softly, "Yeah. You do."