A/N: I didn't intend to spend so much time on Becky's incident. The more I thought about it - I just felt it was a responsible thing to do. How I got Imani so involved is a mystery to me. I never really paid too much attention to her when she was on PC. To refresh your memory – she was never a werewolf in my story. I have enough to deal with carrying all these vampires. LOL!

There must be something in the PC water. I swear!

Until 57 – BRRRRRRRRRR! - STAY WARM! xox - G

Chapter Fifty-six

"Watch him Colin! Oh my God!" Kate squealed as Alex teetered dangerously close to the stairway.

"I got him." Colin replied with a laugh. He swept the little boy up his arms. "Hey there big guy. Where do you think you're going?"

"Da." Alex giggled as leaned back and clapped his hands. He squirmed as he tried to get away. "Down."

Colin shook his head as he looked over at Katrina. "I'm still not used to him talking."

"Or walking." Kate laughed back at him. She walked over and gave Alex a smacking kiss on the cheek. "He's such a big boy." She whispered as she nuzzled against his neck.

"Mama." Alex said with a pout. "Pweas? Down."

"Oh Colin. Let him go." She laughed.

Colin laughed back as he bent down and placed Alex gently on the ground. He giggled as he waddled away from them.

Kate kept one eye on her son and the other on her husband. Her brow creased with worry as she gazed at Colin. "You OK?"

"Hmmm?" Colin replied, staring off into space.

"Have you heard from your parents yet?" She asked, trying to rouse him. She simultaneously grabbed a picture frame from Alex's little hands and tried to redirect his path towards a safer end of the living room.

"My mom called the other day. I know this is hard for you to understand – but they just sound so…" Colin fought to find the right words.

"Sad?" Kate offered.

Colin blinked in surprise. How did she always have all the right answers? "Yeah."

Kate nodded as she scolded Alex. "Sweetie. Give that to Mommy please." She bent down to his level and held out her hand. Alex laughed as he placed the glass paperweight he held into her palm. "Thank you baby." She whispered as she kissed his nose. They'd have to do another round of baby proofing it seemed. He was getting into absolutely everything. She turned her attention back to her husband as she straightened. "I thought so."

"How do you possibly know that?" He asked.

"Because. I know what my father said – that your father is losing his powers minute by minute – and I'm sure that doesn't make him happy." Kate took a deep breath as she scooped Alex up and grabbed a candy dish from his hands. Her heart was heavy but she knew that her next thought was probably the right one. "You know what?" She found herself saying. "You could probably really help him."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Are you sure that's all you want? You barely ate a thing." Kyle whispered as he reached across the table to grab Becky's hand.

She nodded and tried to swallow. The orange juice she was drinking felt like razor blades as it slid down her throat.

"I'm sure." She whispered when she could finally find her voice.

"Becky…" Kyle gently scolded her. "Please. Let me take you to the hospital. I want to make sure you are OK."

She shook her head at him and adjusted the scarf she had wound around her neck. She was lucky she had brought it, even though she had expected to wear it in her hair instead. "I'm fine, Kyle."

He could see from the look in her eyes she wasn't going to agree with him. He began to plot, figuring if he could just get her in the car he'd be able to steer it towards the hospital and convince her along the way.

Kyle watched her with concern as he dug in his pocket to pay the bill.

"Well look who it is. They told me you'd be stopping by here." A voice called out behind her as she watched Kyle walk away.

Becky jumped a bit at the sound, wondering if she'd ever feel comfortable again. She turned around and gave a grin. "Uncle J."

"Stand up; baby girl let me take a look at you." Jamal said with a smile. "God. You look exactly like your mother when I first met her. It's kinda scary."

On shaky legs Becky stood and faced him. In the state she was in she didn't even realize that the very restaurant they were in had been in Imani's family for years. She tugged at the sleeves of her t-shirt, realizing with horror that they weren't quite long enough to hide the bruises on her arms.

As hard as she tried, nothing got past Jamal. His eyes narrowed and his voice got soft and dangerous. "What the hell happened to you?"

Becky feigned innocence. "N-n-nothing."

"That's not nothing – that's some punk not treating you right." Jamal replied as he gently examined her arm. He took a step back and his defenses sprang to life. "Who is it? That tall blond dude who was just sitting here?"

"Who? Kyle? N-n-no Uncle J." Becky's eyes went wide with shock.

Kyle, unfortunately, picked that precise moment to join them. "Becky?" He called out to her, his voice full of concern.

In one swift movement Jamal grabbed hold of his t-shirt and dragged him outside. Becky screamed, the sound causing Imani to race in from the back room.

"Stop him. Please." Becky pleaded as she ran to the door. Once out the door she clutched Jamal's arm. "Please. Stop!"

"You think it's cute, putting marks on a woman? You think you're a tough guy because you can beat up a girl?" Jamal hissed at Kyle as he slammed him against the doorframe.

As pain shot through his head Kyle realized just how dangerous getting involved with Becky had become. People were so protective of her it seemed to him he was always getting the crap kicked out of him due to misunderstandings where she was involved.

"No sir. I would never." Kyle replied. He didn't even flinch as Jamal threw daggers at him with his eyes.

"It wasn't Kyle." Becky sobbed as she pleaded with him. "Please. Leave him alone. He would never, ever hurt me. NEVER."

"Someone hurt you." Jamal snapped at her. He turned his attention back to Kyle. "And if it wasn't you – you must have let it happen."

"NO. You're wrong. Kyle would never hurt me. He saved me…" Becky's voice rose in panic. She turned towards Imani and continued to beg. "Please get him to stop."

"Jamal Woods. Get a hold of yourself." Imani scolded as she finally got him to ease his hold. "My grandmother is rolling in her grave right about now. I swear. You have never mastered southern hospitality."

The ordeal left Becky weak and hysterical. She moved to one of the rocking chairs that filled the porch of the Silverhill Café. Tears poured from her eyes as she whispered. "Just stop."

Once freed, Kyle rushed to Becky, pulling her close and trying to quiet her. "She says she OK. I couldn't get her to agree to go to the hospital. I was planning on just taking her there once we got back in the car. Then we were going to call home and go and find you." He pressed a kiss to Becky's head as he looked over at Imani and said softly. "I didn't realize we were already here and that this was your restaurant."

"What the hell happened to her?" Jamal barked at Kyle as he swatted his wife's hands away from him.

Imani rolled her eyes and moved to Becky's side. She gently pulled Kyle away from her and reached for Becky's hand. If her suspicions were right, she figured it might be better if Becky had another woman to talk to. "Honey. Let's go inside. You can take a few minutes and if you feel up to it, tell me what happened."

Still shaking, feeling almost as if she was going through everything all over again, Becky nodded and followed slowly behind.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Alerted by an early morning call from his sister in law, no sooner did Becky and Imani reach the back room did someone else make an appearance.

"Where is she?" Rafe barked as he bounded up the stairs to the porch. "I can't believe I trusted you."

"Easy there cowboy." Jamal joked as he tugged on Rafe's sleeve. He laughed as he shook his head. "I thought it'd take you a few hours to get here at least. We were just going to give you a call. I forget that you have those freaky superpowers."

Rafe ignored Jamal's teasing. His gaze moved over towards Kyle as he spoke accusingly. "You lied to me. You told me last night that she was alright. How the hell did you let this happen?"

"I know sir." Kyle whispered. "I can explain that. She was just so upset I figured…"

"Yeah well now I'm upset." Rafe spat back at him. "Proud of yourself?"

"No sir." Kyle took a deep breath and stared Rafe straight in the eye. "But if I had to do it over again I'd do the exact same thing."

"Oh you would?" Rafe stared at him openmouthed.

"Yes." Kyle nodded, feeling more confident by the second. "I would. I know she's too young and I know we've had our problems in the past but there's one thing that you need to deal with."

Rafe crossed his arms over his chest as he continued to stare the younger man down.

Kyle barely flinched as he continued. "I love your daughter. I intend to spend the rest of my life with her if I'm lucky enough and while I do I'll do everything I can to keep her safe." His voice rose in anger as he went on. "But short of catching her before she left Port Charles there was nothing you or I could have done to prevent this. She does what she wants – no matter what either one of us says and that's just one of the million things I love about her. So. I can either sit here and argue with you over who loves her more or we can just skip it and focus on helping her now." He mimicked Rafe's stance as he finished. "You decide…sir."

"Damn Rafe." Jamal chuckled. "He told you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"I could help him?" Colin looked at her like she was nuts. Then he voiced his thoughts. "Are you insane?"

She carried Alex over to his playpen and laid him gently down in it, hoping beyond hope he wouldn't try and climb out again. "No. And I resent that suggestion." She said with a smile as she walked over to him and tugged at his hands, drawing him down on the couch with her. She held his hand in hers and traced the line of his wedding ring with her finger as she continued. "You chose to be mortal. If that's what's happening to him maybe you can help him accept it."

Her words were sweet but he didn't know what difference that all made. "My father isn't going to accept this, Katrina. You know that as well as I do."

Colin ran a hand gently through her hair as he continued. "It's not so simple. If he loses his powers he'll lose everything. There's his legacy. I've refused to follow him and if he becomes mortal – the name Morley as his world knows it will become obsolete."

Terror filled Katrina's eyes. "You don't think…" She whispered. "You don't think he'll try to come after you again…or worse…" She added as she involuntarily rested a hand on her stomach and gazed over at Alex. "…our children?"

"I don't know." Colin admitted, too concerned to realize what Kate was actually implying. "I know that when he's desperate he does anything he can to survive. He won't go down easily."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Becky gratefully took a glass of water from Imani with a trembling hand. "Thank you."

Imani smiled as she took a seat beside her. "You don't have to talk to me if you don't want to sweetie." She whispered. "I just think maybe it'll make you feel better."

"I know Kyle is worried but I'm really OK. Honest." Becky insisted.

"OK. I know you think you're fine but there's no question someone hurt you Becky and I know your father. You won't be able to hide this from him. It's not going to be easy when he asks you for an explanation. So…" She said with a grin. "Why don't you just practice on me?"

Becky would still rather forget the whole thing but she knew Imani was probably right. She took a deep breath and stared at her lap as she started to speak.

"I came down here for Kyle…" Becky began, twisting the edge of her skirt nervously in her hands. "He hasn't seen or heard from his mother or his sister in years and then suddenly he's been getting calls from his sister, Alaina. The area code is from Alabama so my best guess is that they're somewhere near here. He doesn't say much but I can tell he really misses them."

She shook back her hair and continued. "I love him so much I just wanted him to be happy you know? So I started to save my money and planned this trip – I knew once I left he'd follow and then once he found me he wouldn't be able resist at least trying to find them. It just didn't go at all like I thought." She said with a sniffle.

Imani stayed silent and just watched the young girl's face. She reached out and gently took Becky's hand in hers.

Becky grabbed on and held tight as she kept on, bracing herself for the next. "The trip was awful and it took so long and then the bus broke down. There was this guy there, he offered to help me with my bag and I didn't want him to but he seemed nice enough and I was so tired and it was so heavy I let him. And before I knew it he had locked me in my room and he threw me down on the bed and he…" Becky's voice broke. "I mean, he was trying to…"

She didn't need to elaborate. Imani had kind of guessed the story would go something like this. "It's OK sweetie..." She said softly as she ran a hand over Becky's hair.

"I don't know when exactly Kyle got there. The guy…he had his hands on my neck and he was choking me so I wouldn't scream and I guess I just passed out. I know that I wasn't awake for some of it but I really don't think he hurt me – I mean – not in that way. I would know wouldn't I?" She asked as tears slowly ran down her cheeks.

Becky looked so much more grown up than the last time she'd seen her but the look in her eyes and the way she framed the question told Imani she was still incredibly young and innocent. "Yes, honey. You would know."

"I'm tired and achy and my throat hurts a little but I'm really fine. That's not what's bothering me. You know what I'm the most worried about now?" Becky wept softly. "Kyle's been so sweet and he's doing all the right things but I just don't know if he'll ever look at me the same again. He saw that guy with his hands all over me. He's been so stubborn. He says he wants me but he doesn't want to disrespect my father. I mean it's totally crazy. I love him so much and even though we've been together so long we haven't even slept together yet…"

"And now – look what's happened." She looked up at Imani, her gaze desolate. "Now that he knows – now that he's seen me like that - will he even want me anymore?"

If there was anything the way Kyle so much as looked at Becky told her it was that no matter what happened Kyle's impression of Becky would never change. It was clear he absolutely adored her. If her guess was right – and she was sure it was – Kyle was beating himself up about Becky being in harms way in the first place.

"Of course he will. Becky what happened wasn't your fault." Imani promised her. "Kyle knows that better than anyone."

Becky nodded and swiped a hand across her cheek. "I just have waited so long you know? I had all these plans for what it would be like when I finally was with him. And now, because I went running off without really thinking everything through I can't help but think I ruined it all."

Imani smiled softly as she reached over and pulled Becky into a hug. "Shh, sweetie. Don't you worry. It's like my grandma always said, "Every day is another opportunity to make a new happy ending." She hugged her tighter as she added. "Something tells me you're still going to get yours."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Then I think you should go – just for a little while." Kate said softly, as her heart beat faster just imagining him going over there. It was so silly. He toured for his music all the time. There were weeks on end that she lived without him. For some reason there was something different about this. Even so, she knew it was a good idea. Deep down, in a corner of Caleb's heart, she knew without a doubt that love still lurked there. It was obvious in the way he gazed at Livvie, and most definitely could be seen when he so much as spoke Rachel's name. It was there when he had cared enough for Colin to let him go.

Throughout the years there was one thing she'd learned. When you peeled away everything else, vampires and slayers really weren't that different.

She was a slayer like her father but she was also alot like her mother. Kate knew without a doubt that if there was anything that could save Caleb, it would be love.

Colin looked at her completely confused. "It's not that I don't appreciate this Katrina because I absolutely do, but why are you so insistent about all this?"

This was not the way she'd planned on telling him her news but she figured it was as good a time as any. Kate gently held his hand in hers as she spoke. "You know that I have a hard time with some of the things your family does. But the fact is that your father helped to save my life and for that I will always be grateful." She gazed into his eyes and went on. "So if it might help him to have you for a little while I'm willing to let you go."

Colin was so overcome with love that he didn't realize she was still speaking. Her eyes filled with tears as she kept on.

"Besides. It'll be nice. You can tell your parents in person about their new grandchild." She said with a huge grin.

"Their w-w-what?" Colin stammered.

"Yeah. Well." Kate shrugged and pretended to be nonchalant. "I figure we've done such a good job with Alex – why not try another?"

"Are you really?" Colin asked.

"Yeah. I'm really..." Kate replied laughing at the look on his face.

Colin swallowed nervously. "And they say you're OK? It won't be like last time?"

She should have known he'd worry. She had seen both Michelle and Chris and they had both given her a clean bill of health. She gently ran a hand over his cheek, hoping to calm him a bit. "They say that I'm fine. No. It won't be like last time - I promise."

Colin pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers, wondering how in the world he ever got so lucky. He was so thankful for what he had in his life, he owed it to his father to help him.

"I love you." He whispered as he pulled away and grinned madly.

"Good to know." Kate teased as she pulled him back to her and kissed him sweetly. "Because I kinda love you too."