A/N: OMG—do you realize there is this chapter and then 2 more and this story is done? I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe a little of both. LOL—thanks to my 2 Awians who were no help whatsoever. Well, maybe you were more of a help than I realized the other day. : ) Everyone enjoy! Until next time—ya'll are the best—PCGirl.
Tara walked from the seat she'd been in to the table and picked up the cordless phone, "Hello?"
Kate was surprised at hearing the voice on the other line but smiled, "Tara—hi. How are you feeling?"
"I'm ok—today is better than yesterday and so forth. My mom's been MIA for most of the day though—usually she's checking on me every ten minutes," she laughed.
"Well, between keeping our dad's from fighting takes a lot of work," she laughed loudly.
"What are you talking about? Is your dad here?"
Kate froze and cursed under her breath, "Yeah—I thought you knew."
"Why would he be here though?"
"Tara—I don't want to be the one to tell you."
"Just get it out of the way and say it—ok?"
"Marius—he was hired by your father to have you kidnapped and turned. I'm sorry I had to tell you."
Tara was silent before she began to yell, "Why? Why are you lying to me? That's crazy—I mean why would my father want me to be a vampire? And you—you were with me so how did he know Andrew would be there to save you?"
"I don't know—I guess he paid Marius to make sure Andrew was there so I wouldn't get hurt."
"Wouldn't get hurt?" she laughed as she turned to see Caleb, Livvie, and Rafe walk in. "I hate you."
"I didn't do anything though," cried Kate as she wished someone were around right now.
"You obviously mean more to my family than I do—for them to make sure you were safe and sound while they threw me to the wolves," she said while glaring at her father. "I don't want to talk to you again—you understand that Katrina Kovich? I don't want anything to do with you again," she yelled as she hung up the phone and looked at her father.
"Tara," he said softly as he walked towards her.
"Stop—I don't want anything to do with you ever again—you are dead to me. In case you don't understand that in English here's another versionTu eşti mort la spre eu."
"I'm sorry—I just."
"You just what? Wanted to keep me under your spell forever? Wanted to end my friendship with Kate," she said as she looked at Rafe for a moment. "Answer me Father—Answer me!"
Ian tapped his hand against his leg as he watched the others get off the plane and smiled when he saw Lucy and Kevin come into view and waved, "Collins—over here!"
"Ian!" grinned Lucy as she went running up and hugging him tightly. "Where are they? I have so many plans I need to run by with Christina," she asked in one continuous sentence.
He laughed and scratched his head, "Maeve has a friend that is making a wedding dress for Christina—they are working on it now. Kevin," he said shaking his hand.
"Ian," he smiled.
"So let's get your luggage and hurry up—there's somewhere I want to take you two before we meet up with the kids."
Lucy grinned huge as she followed Ian with Kevin rolling his eyes and laughing at her nonstop excitement.
Livvie grabbed Caleb's arm and dragged him out of the room, with Rafe following. "First—Rafe don't say it, I know what you are thinking and wipe that damn smile off your face and go call Alison. Have her go talk to Kate and get her to believe Tara didn't mean any of that," she said, snapping at first but becoming calmer at the end.
"Second—Caleb it's obviously not a good idea for you to talk to her now. Let me try first—ok? Have Delia bring up some soup or soothing tea, please," she said, finishing by turning on her heel and going down the walkway towards the room she was using.
"Where are you going?" asked Caleb.
"To get the one thing that might keep her off the edge of being a textbook case of someone with the Locke-Collins genes," she shouted as she went to her room and slammed the door shut.
Ian pulled up to the gray stone building and walked towards the door, "This is it. I hadn't been here recently, but Daniel remembered it immediately and insisted they get married here."
"It's gorgeous," said Lucy as she placed her hand on the stone and felt the energy coming from the building.
"Wait til you see the inside," he laughed as he pulled open the large wooden door and walked in, opening the other door to actually enter sanctuary.
Kevin immediately noticed all the wood and detailing that was done to restore this gorgeous building and smiled, "I see why you once picked this place Ian—and I can't help wonder why Danny is still drawn here."
Ian laughed, "I know. It reminds me of where Eve and I said our first vows to each other."
"Except its much more."
"Happier," finished Lucy. "I can tell there have been a lot of tears shed here—more good than bad, instead of the—." She didn't finish the statement as to keep away any bad karma. "So where is the Priest?"
"Father Timothy should be somewhere around here," he said as he walked out to the foyer and called his name but got no response and went back to where Kevin and Lucy were.
"Can I help you?" asked a man as he walked into the sanctuary with them.
"I was looking for Father Timothy. He's doing out children's wedding tonight."
"Mr. Thornhart? Yes, he told me to be expecting you—he's very sorry that he can't make it tonight—he was called out on an emergency and won't return until tomorrow morning. I can do the service though if you don't mind."
"That's fine. What is your name?" asked Ian.
"I'm Father Michael," he said as he held out his hand and Ian shook his hand heartily—keeping a straight face the entire time.
"Nice to meet you—I'm Kevin Collins and this is my wife Lucy," he said as he shook each of their hands. "We need to be getting back to our children, but we'll see you later this evening."
"Very well. See you then," he smiled as they walked past him and back out to the car.
Kevin sat in the car for a good minute before he finally spoke up with a laugh, "Maybe I'm just paranoid but maybe we should call Rafe when we get back to your place, Ian. You know—just to make sure Caleb's really there."
"You read my mind, Collins," laughed Ian.
Livvie's heart broke at watching her little girl standing there on the porch. She knew what she was thinking and feeling—that she'd lost everyone she ever believed in and trusted, but Livvie knew that wasn't the case either. "Tara," she spoke softly.
"Go away. I don't want to talk to anyone."
"Not even your sister?" she asked as she sat Miranda down and she went running to Tara's legs squealing with glee.
Tara looked down at her and smiled, "Hey sweetie—what have you been up to?"
"Picked flowers for you, Taya," she said as she handed her the small bunch of wildflowers she had in her hand.
"Why thank you. You might be the only person that I still know I can trust," she said as she looked at her Mom's face drop suddenly. "I'm sorry—I didn't mean that."
"You're mad at Caleb and you have every right to be," said Livvie as she sat down on the chair and Miranda came to crawl in her lap. "Believe me—I've been mad at the world before—including my best friend."
"I hurt Kate's feelings by saying what I did—I didn't mean to but I was so mad that it seems like Dad even made sure she was safe. Why? Why did he want that man to know where we were? Why did he want to make me something I don't want to be?"
"He thought he was doing the right thing—I think now he knows about how bad it would hurt you to stay like this.
"You know—for a long time I didn't have my best friend around. I pushed her away and hated her and the rest of the world and there were times when I could have used my best friend to be there. You're mad at Kate right now because you believe the world loves her more than you, but that's not the truth sweetheart. We love both of you so much and were so scared when we thought either of you were still in harms way—and when they found Kate, she went running into Marius' castle only thinking about saving you from him.
"Don't be mad at her for so long you miss sharing in the important moments in each other's lives, ok?" smiled Livvie as she went up and sat Miranda down in her lap, kissing the top of Tara's head in the process.
"Ok," smiled Tara slightly.
"It's a beautiful sunset, isn't it?" asked Ian as he walked out the back door to see Kevin looking at the landscape. "You've been to Ireland before, right?"
"Yes—it's a gorgeous country," he smiled as he took a sip of the beer Ian handed him. "I was just thinking about how everything has come full circle in our lives. Today—with the sudden change of Priest's, and his name—it just had me thinking."
"Caleb changed our lives—sometimes I wonder how they'd be different if he wasn't here."
Kevin shrugged, "You wonder too much and you miss life. But I wanted to say something to you Ian. When you left Port Charles I was able to finally have the life I deserved to have with Lucy. I—I just wanted to say thank you for stepping to the side and for raising a great son like Danny."
"I think you should thank Eve for both of those things. She visited me shortly before I left—told me I'd find a love like hers again, and I see a lot more of Eve in him than myself."
"Well, then I guess I should be toasting Eve then," he said as he raised his glass to the sky and Ian doing the same before they both took a drink in honor of her.
