Rafe didn't want to get his hopes up, but he couldn't help being excited about what he thought he just heard Ed say.
"Ed! Don't joke with me! Did you just say..."
"Well my boy, the council finally reached a decision...thanks to a little handy work from you good ol' boss, here...And you thought YOU were good at finding loopholes! Ha!"
"What?! What loophole? Ed! What are you saying?! Are you saying I'm...I'm going...back?" Rafe asked in astonishment, still not believing what was happening.
Ed just smiled and Rafe knew the answer to his question.
"Whooooo!!!" Rafe jumped into the air with joy. He was ecstatic, to say the least! "But...for how long? Do I get at least a little while with her this time?"
"Haha! Oh yeah...you get a little while...til death do you part." Ed winked.
"What?!" Rafe could not believe what he was hearing.
"Well...ya see kiddo. I did my research...and guess what...you screwed up! Not surprising, given your record. But this time your screw up actually helped you out later."
"What are you talking about?" Rafe questioned.
"Well, ya see, Rafe...you were ALWAYS meant to be with Alison. That's what was supposed to go down. You remember that tree branch that fell on your little blondie?"
"Yeah, she died...and...I brought her back to life...I couldn't help it...she was just lying there, and-..."
"Please, kid, don't attempt explanations now...besides, the fact that you messed around with fate and brought her back to life is the reason your being sent back down now."
"I still don't get it."
"Ya know, sometimes I really wonder how you got this job kid....Ok, if ya need me to spell it out for you...Alison was SUPPOSED to die! YOU were SUPPOSED to help her on her journey up here...and then the two of you were SUPPOSED to live out eternity together! But Nooooo!...We don't follow the rules! Who cares about rules?!...You brought her back to life, and you messed up 'The Plan.' The Big Guy doesn't like when his plans are foiled...so...with a little persuasion...and some damn good selling points, if I do say so myself...I used all that to sway Him and the council into sending you back...since Alison is your destiny after all." Ed smiled proudly, patting himself on the back for a job well done.
"Boss! You're amazing!"
"Yeah, yeah. I know....So you might wanna be heading back now, son. There's some intense stuff going on with your little blondie right now."
"What? What are you talking about?" Rafe turned to the TV screen and saw what was going on down in the hospital. "Oh my God! Is she gonna be okay? Is the baby gonna be okay?"
"Well, my boy, I could tell ya that...but you're officially one of them now...so our little secrets you don't get to know anymore....but," Ed leaned in and whispered into Rafe's ear, "Strictly off the record...I think it's gonna be a very Merry Christmas for you and your little blondie."
"I gotta get down there to her." Rafe was still worried, even after Ed's assurance that everything would be okay.
"I'll miss ya, kid!"
"Thanks, boss...Thanks for everything!" Rafe hugged Ed.
"Merry Christmas, my boy." Ed snapped his fingers and Rafe disappeared. "That Santa guy's got NOTHING on me!"
Ed turned to watch the small television in his office.
"Now this I gotta see...I'll show them must-see-TV!" Ed remarked as he watched the screen.
Alison lay in the hospital bed. The anesthesia from the surgery had knocked her out. As she came to, her vision was blurred, and for a moment she didn't know what was going on or where she was. Then it hit her.
Alison started to freak out, "Oh my god! Where's my baby?! Oh god!"
In her excited state, she had not noticed the tall, blonde, male figure dressed in scrubs in the corner of the room. Alison spotted the figure and stopped cold, believing she was hallucinating from the drugs. It couldn't be.
Rafe turned slowly with a smile, holding a small bundle in his arms, "Shh...It's alright, Angel. The baby's fine. Her daddy's got her."
"Rafe?! Rafe?! Oh my god! Oh my-... Tell me this is not a dream...that this is not from the drugs. Oh god! Is this...is this real?! You're here?! You're really here?!"
Rafe just smiled as he sat down beside her on the bed.
Alison began to cry from the excitement, "I don't understand...I mean, I thought...how? How are you here?"
"Well, it's a long story...Let's just say my boss gave me a little Christmas present. Although, as much as I love Ed's present, I have to say...I think this one's my favorite." Rafe said as he looked down at the sleeping infant he held in his arms.
In all the original panic, and now excitement, Alison hadn't even focused yet on the reason she was in this hospital room.
"Oh my god, Rafe! She's beautiful, isn't she? She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Alison smiled with tears filling her eyes as Rafe handed her the tiny infant.
"Well, let's not forget about her mother." Rafe leaned in and kissed Alison on the forehead who was completely entranced by her child.
Alison stared at the child in her arms with amazement. She could not believe she was finally here, hers and Rafe's baby...in her arms. And Rafe! Rafe was here too! She had the two people she loved most in the world with her now, and she could not have been happier.
Alison wiped a tear from her eyes and let out a soft laugh as she cooed at her daughter. Then she gazed up at Rafe, who was reveling in the site of his beautiful Alison holding their daughter. He was just as happy as Alison. He never thought this day would come, and here he was. It was perfect. Nothing could ever compare to this blissful, glorious moment.
Alison's smile faded slightly as a thought crossed her mind. "Rafe?...Ummm...I was just wondering...How long this time? I mean...How long do I have you...do WE have you?" Alison asked.
"Oh didn't I tell you, Angel?" Rafe smiled slyly, "You're stuck with me...you're BOTH stuck with me...for...oh...only...forever!"
"What?! Are you kidding? Rafe! Do NOT joke with me about this! Are you serious?!"
"Forever," Rafe repeated firmly.
Alison sprang toward him in delight, still holding the baby in her arms, and let out a squeal...followed by, "Owww!"
"What's the matter?" Rafe asked, worried, as he took the baby from her and leaned in to help her settle back.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Alison's delight was dampened slightly as she moved herself slowly back against the pillows. "Ok...not such a good idea after a c-section, I guess...little too much movement, I think. I could use a little of that magic dust right about now."
"Are..are..are you okay? Do you want me to go get the doctor? Do you need-..." Rafe began to head for the door to call someone for help.
Alison interrupted, "Rafe! I'm fine...I'm better than fine. I don't need the doctor, I don't need anything...not anything...except you!"
She shot him that seductive smile of hers that he loved so much, and he knew everything was okay. Careful not to smother the baby, Rafe moved back toward the bed and leaned in, kissing Alison deeply, as she caressed his long, blonde hair. They shared a long, passionate kiss, savoring every second of their reunion. Their celebration was interrupted, however by the quiet cry of their child, held between her two parents.
Rafe and Alison laughed as they parted. Alison looked down at the baby, "Hey now, you! You better get used to this, because there's gonna be a LOT more of it for a LONG time."
Rafe smiled, "Yes...a VERY long time." Rafe's mind then jumped to a new thought, "Hey...we need a name for this little princess. Had you decided on one since I left?"
Alison thought for a minute, "Well...I remembered about your mom's name- Dasha. And I've always, since I was a little girl, wanted to name my daughter Eleanor. I don't know why, but I used to be completely enthralled with that name...EVERY doll I owned was named Eleanor. It always sounded so...I don't know...regal? So I was thinking...Eleanor Dasha Kovich?" Alison was slightly befuddled as Rafe began to laugh. "What? You don't like it? If you don't like it we can choose something else. It's fine."
"No, no! It's not that I don't like it...it's just...E.D."
"What?" Alison was getting really confused by Rafe's reaction.
Rafe began to laugh even harder, "Haha! Well, boss...I guess we did name the kid after you after all!"
"Rafe?! What in the world are you going on about?"
"Nothing...nothing," Rafe assured her as he calmed himself down and pulled himself back together, "It's a beautiful name...For the most beautiful little girl in heaven or on earth."
"Yeah, she is gorgeous isn't she?" Alison's eyes began to well up with tears again.
"What's wrong?" Rafe questioned, fearing Alison might be in pain again from the surgery.
"I'm fine...I'm...It's just...It's everything I dreamed about! You're back with me...we have a beautiful daughter. We're a family, Rafe!"
"That's right, Angel. And this time it really is forever. But there's just one more little thing..." Rafe took Alison's left hand and slipped a sparkling diamond ring onto her finger.
"Oh my-...Rafe! Oh, Rafe! It's...it's beautiful!!" Alison started to get choked up again as Rafe leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. "I love you so much!" Alison exclaimed as they kissed.
Rafe smiled as he reluctantly pulled away to look at the woman who was going to be his wife. "So I guess that's a 'yes'?" he teased.
"Rafe!" Alison pulled him back into the kiss, letting that be her response. She pulled away once again and started to ramble off in her excitement, "We're going to have such a wonderful life together...we're going to be a family! Ya know...I never really had a family growing up, and that's all I've ever dreamed of...and now...now-..."
"Now, we're going to make your every wish and dream come true...Mrs. Kovich..." Rafe smiled and ran his fingers along Alison's cheek. "We'll have a nice little house...something like that sandcastle we once built...and we'll fill it with love....love and maybe some more kids...I think little Edie here needs a little brother now, don't you sweetie?"
"Rafe...darling...sweetheart...you just got back...and I love you SO much...Please...PLEASE don't make me hurt you," Alison grabbed Rafe's upper arm and pinched it as hard as she could.
"Owww!! You and the pinching!"
~~And they lived happily ever after... The End~~