A/N: Merry merry. Happy happy. Enjoy enjoy. Until 58! xox - G

Chapter Fifty-seven

"Rebecca Elizabeth. Get your things. We're leaving now." Rafe bellowed.

"NO." Becky replied, her voice shaking but defiant.

After her conversation with Imani the two women walked out to witness a staring contest between Kyle and Rafe. After a million questions about Becky's physical condition and finding out what had happened to her, Rafe quickly started making demands.

"Rebecca." Rafe warned her again his eyes narrowing. "I am not in the mood to argue with you. We are leaving. Right NOW."

"NO." Becky said again as she moved to stand beside Kyle. She reached for his hand and held tight.

Rafe sighed. "If I have to I will carry you out of here." He promised giving her a look that would make a grown man cower. "I will not tell you again. Get your things and let's go."

Becky tilted her chin and challenged him once again. "NO." She repeated.

"Man, she is the spitting image of Spunky." Jamal chuckled softly as he watched the scene. "I feel for you Rafe. You have to deal with three daughters…and Ali too?" He shook his head in disbelief as Imani elbowed him in the ribs. "What'd you do to them when you were upstairs that they'd punish you like this?"

Rafe was oblivious to Jamal's teasing. He couldn't believe Becky wouldn't obey him.

Becky shook back her hair and stared into her father's eyes. "I'm not going Daddy. I'm sorry but I can't."

"You can – and not only that - you will." Rafe promised her, fighting to keep his voice steady.

"NO. I'm not." Becky replied.

"Rebecca." Rafe sighed, louder this time. "Look…"

"Mr. Kovich, please. Let me try to talk to her." Kyle began.

Becky dropped his hand and stared at him dumbfounded. "Don't you start with me too. Listen to me. We are staying here and until we find Alaina and your mother."

"We don't even know if they're even anywhere near here, Becky." Kyle replied.

"We don't know that they're not." Becky snapped back.

She turned towards her father again and spoke softly. "Mom's told me nearly everything about when you two first fell in love. I know for a fact that there was this one time when you invited her parents for dinner because you knew that it would make her happy."

Rafe paused and stared at her. Jamal was absolutely right. She looked and sounded so much like Alison it was tough for him to argue with her.

Becky wiped at her eyes as she continued. "I know what you would have done if you had had enough time. You would've gone and found them, because you love her and you'll do anything to make her happy. And that's why I'm here doing this for Kyle. It's because I love him."

Becky wouldn't be quieted, she was on a roll. She stared at Rafe as she went on. "He won't admit it – but he's too scared to do this himself. He's worried that she won't want to see him." As she finished she walked to Kyle and grabbed for his hand again.

"Becky." Kyle whispered, touched that she cared so much about him but knowing her father's patience was wearing incredibly thin.

She smiled up at Kyle and then turned back to her father. "I'm telling you right now." Becky promised, her voice gaining strength by the second. "If you make me go back home I'll just come back here again. I'll keep coming back here until Kyle finds his family. I promise you I will. And I'm sorry. You don't have to like it Dad but you don't have much choice."

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Colin took a deep breath as his taxi took the long winding drive up to his parent's home. He always got a bit of a tightening in his chest when he came here. So many memories, and the bad far outweighed the good.

Once he reached the end of the drive, he was surprised to see a dark looming figure standing guard at the door.

"Do you have business here?" The man called out in Romanian, giving Colin a sinister look as he paid the cab driver.

"Not exactly." Colin looked at him quizzically.

"Then you must leave." He replied, blocking his path.

"You've got to be kidding me." Colin tried to walk past him but was rocked back on his heels.

Colin's voice filled with annoyance as he glared at the man in front of him. "Look, Igor or whoever you are. I don't know what's going on here, but I'm here to see my parents. Now step aside and let me in."

"You are the master's son?" The man said reverently.

"Yeah. The master. Whatever." Colin replied. Fear snaked up his spine. If his father had started to recruit again, things were worse than he thought.

The guard bent down in a sweeping bow as he held the door open. "Please. Do come inside. My sincerest apologies."

"Forget it." Colin waved him off as he made his way inside.

"Colin?" Livvie called out as she ran towards him. "Oh honey!"

"Hey Mom." Colin whispered as he held her close.

"What are you doing here?" She asked as she leaned back in his arms,

"I came for a visit." He replied.

"Alone?" Livvie peered behind him, expecting Katrina and Alex to be standing there.

"Yeah. Alone." He laughed softly. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"No." Livvie laughed back at him. "It's not that I'm not happy to see you. I absolutely am. But I just love that grandchild of mine."

"What about my wife?" Colin chuckled.

Livvie sighed a bit before she tried to answer. "It's just so hard - due to the fact that she's a slayer…I mean, I do like her…"

Colin gave his mother a look. "Yeah well, you shouldn't just like her, you should adore her. She's about to give you another grandchild."

"She's what?" Livvie's mouth dropped open. She blinked back tears as she whispered. "Oh Colin, that's wonderful."

"Yeah. It is." He replied, beaming from ear to ear. Despite the joy he felt over the fact that Katrina was expecting he knew that there were more than one reason for his mother's tears.

"What's going on here Mom?" He asked softly.

"I don't know what you mean." Livvie said as she pulled away.

"There's some thug guarding the house, you look like you haven't slept in days, I don't hear Rachel anywhere. Something's going on…"

"We're fine. Your father will take care of everything." Livvie insisted.

"Great plan." Colin sighed. "Look, from what Katrina and her father have said things are far from okay."

It was then that their conversation took a quick turn for the worse. Livvie's eyes began to glow as she glared at her son.

"You pay too much attention to slayers, Colin." Livvie growled at him.

"And you don't pay enough." He spat back.

"We don't need them." Livvie shook her head. Her voice sounded almost automated as she added. "We don't need help from those weak, pathetic do-gooders. We just need each other. If we isolate ourselves everything will work out just fine."

"Everything isn't fine." Colin replied as he held his mother by the arms and stared into her eyes. "And I'm here to find out just how 'not fine' it is."

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Rafe couldn't say he hadn't been warned. Alison had told him long ago that given a choice he'd be bitterly disappointed to find out his daughters would each ultimately pick another man over him.

They grew up too fast, Rafe thought with an ache spreading through his chest. He could have sworn it was just yesterday that Becky had a pair of swinging pigtails and a mouth full of bubblegum.

Imani watched the scene and decided that it would be a good idea for Rafe and Becky to have some time to talk this out on their own. She nudged Jamal as she called out, "Kyle honey? Why don't you come sit inside with us for a bit? I'll get you a nice glass of sweet tea and a slice of blueberry pie." She smiled as she added. "It's my grandmother's secret recipe. I promise you've never tasted anything like it."

Kyle nodded as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to Becky's cheek. "You OK?"

"Yes." She whispered back as he slipped his hand from hers and followed Imani and Jamal inside.

As she gazed at her father, Becky was struck by how at the moment he was beginning to look his age. His hair was threaded with gray and soft lines creased the skin by his eyes. But most of all, she couldn't recall him ever looking quite so sad.

"Daddy…" She began.

He cut her off gently. "I worry about you, Rebecca. I worry about all of you…"

"I know…" She nodded.

Rafe walked slowly over to the porch swing and sat down. "I wasn't going to come down here. Just so you know…" He whispered. "It was really hard for me but I had decided I was going to let Kyle take care of you."

She quietly walked over and sat down beside him. He ran a hand over her hair as he went on. "But once Abby told me what she had seen I couldn't help myself. I'm probably in really big trouble. Your mother was still arguing with me about it when I just left…"

"Don't worry, she'll forgive you." Becky whispered with a smile. "She always does."

"Yeah. She does." Rafe sighed. "I'm very lucky…"

"We all are." Becky agreed, tears lighting her eyes. She took a deep breath before she started again. "Daddy, I don't want to fight with you. I just wish you could understand…"

"That's not what this is about Becky, I really do understand." He grumbled as he slipped an arm around her shoulders. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"No it doesn't." Becky smiled and snuggled into him. "A lot of this is actually your fault you know."

"How is it my fault?" He asked, completely confused.

Becky's voice was soft and dreamy as she spoke. "Not just you - because of you…and Mom. All my life I've watched you. How you look at Mom any time she comes into a room. You can practically see in the air how much you love her. And it's the same with her. You can hear it in her voice anytime she says your name, even when she's kinda mad at you." Becky giggled.

She picked up his left hand, tracing a finger over his wedding ring as she continued. "It's a rare and beautiful thing, for two people to love each other like that. Ever since I can remember I've wanted to find someone. I wanted to find someone to love and might love me that way too. And I know you don't like to hear this but I think Kyle really does"

God she sounds so grown up, Rafe thought as he listened to her. Slowly he bent his head and pressed a kiss to her hair, despite his broken heart. "I'd say so." He whispered as he pulled away.

"He really is a good person Daddy. He respects you and more than that - he respects me. Kyle would never, ever hurt me…" Becky insisted.

"I know. I know. Do me a favor OK? You can all let up on the "Kyle's Great" campaign." I get it now." Rafe replied with a roll of his eyes as Becky laughed up at him.

He turned and held her arms still as his eyes roamed over her. "Becky, are you sure you're OK?" He asked, gently pulling the scarf from her neck, his blood boiling as he softly pressed his fingers to the bruises he found there.

She winced and arched away from him. "I'm still a little sore but I'm alright, Daddy. Please don't worry. Kyle found me…just in time."

"We should go and find this guy…" Rafe replied, rage building and buzzing in his ears at the sight of what harm had been done to her. "At least report it to the police…"

She shook her head. "It's fuzzy but I think Kyle taught him enough of a lesson." Becky insisted. Her eyes welled up again as she pleaded with him. "Please. I don't want to go rehash all of it. Don't make me do that."

"Ahh.Angel Face…" Rafe sighed as he held Becky's chin gently in his hand. "What am I going to do with you?"

She sniffled as she heard him call her the nickname he'd given her so long ago. Becky sank into his arms and hugged him tight. "Don't worry Daddy. You're doing just fine."

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"To what do we owe this pleasure?" Caleb called out sarcastically from the top of the stairs.

"Can't I stop by for a visit?" Colin replied, eyeing his father carefully as he made his way towards them.

"Is that what you call it?" Caleb replied. "See. I'm thinking it's more of a recognizance mission." He walked over to Livvie and snaked his arm possessively around her waist.

"Dad…" Colin sighed.

"You chose mortality you begin to become sneaky like them. Always going around, saying one thing when you mean another…" Caleb went on.

"I have no problem saying what I want to your face." Colin's temper began to flair as he cut him off. "You want to take this into another room or have it out in front of Mom?"

"Colin please." Livvie pleaded. "I told you, everything is fine."

He angled his head towards her and gave her a suspicious look. "You want me to leave?"

"I just don't want you to stir up any trouble." Livvie clarified, her eyes blank as they stared into his.

"What has he done to you now?" Colin asked as his gaze narrowed at her. He faced his father again. "What have you done to her?"

"You spend too much time with slayers, Colin." Caleb remarked.

Colin's eyes lit with fire as he glared accusingly at Caleb. "She was fine. She was acting normally until a few minutes ago – until right before you got here. Now she's like a robo-vamp spitting out insults about my in-laws…"

"That's nothing new. Your mother and Alison have a tumultuous history…" Caleb sighed.

Colin couldn't believe how bad things had gotten. He knew it was bad, but this was beyond what he'd imagined. He desperately tried to reach his father, to latch on to the good he knew him to possess. "Stop it. This isn't about Katrina's mother, or you and Rafe. I can see what this is. This is desperation." Colin's voice softened as he implored him. "This is another sorry attempt for you to gain control when you have none. I thought more of you. A smarter man would accept a hand when it's offered. A nobler man would know when he needs help."

"Then it's clear you haven't really learned a thing." Caleb's voice was laced with contempt. "You keep calling me a man but that's far from what I am. A man is a mere mortal, easily wounded and driven by emotion. That is not who I am, or who I want to be." Caleb's eyes flashed a demonic red as he finished. "I promise you. I'll fight till my last breath to escape such a miserable state."

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Kyle wandered to the front of the restaurant, peering through the lace curtains at the scene on the porch. He watched with longing at how Becky and her father were together. He tried to think back to his childhood to see if he could remember ever feeling like that. Safe and protected and most of all loved by either of his parents. If he had it was too far buried to find now.

He could be dead for all they knew. His father never bothered to go after him when he'd left for Port Charles, his mother never bothered to send for him when she took Alaina away. Something must really be wrong with him if it was so easy for them to write him off like that.

It amazed him he could even keep it together enough to love Becky the way he did. He was damaged and broken. He knew he had some nerve even coming near her.

But, in the end, he knew he couldn't help himself.

She was everything that was bright and pure and kind and good. He was amazed that she even looked twice at him. Falling in love with her was the easiest thing in the world. When he fought with her father, when she was in danger, whenever he felt her slipping away he found himself fighting as hard as he could to hold on.

Because when he was with her, everything else just fell away. He could pretend, when he was with her, that his world hadn't been shattered years before. He could pretend that he had a real family.

He knew what she wanted. She had this silly idea that once they found his mother everything would be happy and rosy. Kyle was sure the opposite would happen, and it terrified him.

What would Becky say if she saw where he came from? In the years since his mother left his father had been in a perpetual drunken stupor. Their home, once cozy and charming was surely covered in filth by now.Kyle had tried to keep it clean while he lived there but he was certain since he'd been gonehis father had let it all go. He was sure litter was strewn about every inch of the place, bugs and rodents probably were having a field day. And his father probably sat in the midst of it, drinking himself into oblivion.

Just like her, Becky's house was so beautiful. It wasn't fancy or luxurious but it was truly a home. She had no idea what a life like that was like. She had parents and siblings who loved her, unconditionally.

If she knew what he really was, someone who's parents could care less if they saw him again - someone so unworthy of her love that it bordered on the ridiculous...if she found out what he was really like he was sure she would probably stay with him out of pity. She was too good a person not to. And Kyle knew, without a doubt that he could never bear to see her look at him like that.

He was glad Rafe had shown up. He'd make Becky go home and he could go with them – drive away from this part of the country and never look back. He could stay in Port Charles and start a new life one that had nothing to do with the one he left behind.

Taking a steadying breath he pushed the door open and moved out to the porch, the sound of the old floorboards creaking announcing his appearance. His heart melted as Becky eased out of her father's arms and beamed over at him. When he heard her words fear froze him in place.

"Everything's going to be just fine now Kyle." She promised him, her face full of hope. "My Dad's agreed to help us find your family for you."

"Becky - no." Kyle shook his head at her. "Sir…" Wide eyed and panicked, he turned to Rafe and nearly begged. "Don't you think she'd be better off at home?"

"What I think doesn't matter much at the moment. My daughter's gotten an idea in her head and I know better than to try and change her mind. If I have no choice I figure I might as well help you." Rafe replied. "You've come this far – seems a shame to waste the opportunity."

He bent and pressed a kiss to Becky's forehead before he pushed up out of the porch swing and stood. "I'll let her tell you while I go ask Imani for a slice of that pie." He smiled as he clapped Kyle on the back and slipped through the door.

"Dad says the key is going to your father first." Becky grinned madly as she stood and walked towards him, reaching out and hugging him tightly. "I think it's a fantastic idea. They used to be such good friends and I can't wait to see where you grew up."

Kyle's stomach fell to the floor as he held her; the scent Becky wore clouding his senses and making him dizzy. In an instant he imagined the rancid odors awaited them at the place he used to call home. He could already see the horror on her face when she learned the truth.

His head spun. He tried to regain control as he murmured too low for her to hear. "I can…"