I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 73

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 73

Rafe led his Jessie out onto the open floor, where people had been mindlessly swaying for hours to light contemporary music. They began to do the same, both gazing into the other's eyes with a warmth they hadn't felt in a while.

"It seems like the MM are doing pretty well here." Rafe spoke up, not letting go of the eye contact.

"I told you they would be just fine." Jessie replied with a soft smile. Rafe laughed and looked down, with a nod of understanding.

"You were right." He stated plainly. A little moment of silence elapsed before Rafe finally mustered up the courage to say what he had been waiting to say for years.

"Jessie..."

His wife waited patiently for his next words, raising her brows and leaning in a little more. He looked down and swallowed the lump in his throat, trying not to show his nerves. He looked back up at Jessie with a newfound seriousness that almost concerned her.

"I have something I want to give you."

Jessie knitted her brows together in clear confusion. The couple still managed to sway back and forth to the piano while Rafe carefully rummaged through his pants pocket. He eventually pulled out the tiny black box and carefully opened it, revealing the gorgeous ring that caught the warm mood lighting perfectly. Jessie's jaw dropped, but she was still confused... she already had a ring?

"This... is my mom's ring..." Rafe trailed off as he looked at his wife with hope behind his eyes. "And I want you to wear it."

"Rafe I can't-"

"She'd want you to, Jess... you're the girl she's always dreamed of for me. And if she were here right now I know she'd do the same."

Jessie choked on her words, suddenly feeling like the room was getting hotter and smaller. She looked around to see the pogues were now all standing comfortably at the bar with smiles on their faces watching the exchange. Oh god. This was not about to be pretty. She took a deep labored breath and looked back up at Rafe. However, her expression was not one of unbelief and gratitude like Rafe expected. Instead, she looked... conflicted... and a little distraught. He was now the one to wear the confusion across his face. Jessie shook her head slowly, trying to choose her next words carefully. Rafe suddenly was overwhelmed with fear of what she was going to say next. He could also feel the room getting tighter and tighter with each passing second. The ringing in his ears was too much to bear, but suddenly Jessie's voice cut right through it.

"Rafe." She spoke up just loud enough for him to hear. Her eyes were now locked on the man in front of her and her jaw was clenched. Shit. She was angry... but why? "I thought you would have come to me by now." She whispered in an eerily calm demeanor as she shook her head in disappointment.

"What do you mean?" Rafe asked, now with his brows furrowed. He was begging for her to elaborate.

"You really think I don't know?" Jessie spat, now playing with a neutral expression on her face. It looked as if she was hiding a smirk.

"Know what?" Rafe asked, clearly playing dumb. He wanted to let go of Jessie and back away slowly for fear of what was to come, yet suddenly he felt her grip tighten, as if to silently say that they were about to have this tough, ugly conversation in front of every one. She laughed as she looked down for a split second.

"About the coke." Jessie finally answered. Rafe still tried to play it off like he was clueless.

"W-what? Jessie? What coke?"

Jessie just laughed and bit her lip.

"Rafe... you really don't think I'm that stupid do you?"

She knew. Rafe realized there was no hiding it anymore. Tears began to fill his eyes and his lip began to quiver. Yet he still danced, for fear of what would happen if he stopped.

"H-how-"

"I've known for a long time now, Rafe." She interrupted. Yet her ability to never lose her cool was always what made Rafe so uneasy.

"B-but why didn't you-"

"I wanted to give you the opportunity to either fix your mistake or come to me about it... and seeing as you've done neither and clearly have no intention of telling me before putting your own mothers ring on my finger... I can't let it slide by anymore. I won't."

Rafe struggled to breathe. All he could utter were two simple words.

"How long?"

Ironically, Jessie's face still showed some sort of odd sympathy, yet Rafe knew it was all an act for the party going on around them. She cupped his face in her hand, which now felt ice cold to him, much like her calculated words.

"I've know the whole time."

Rafe still couldn't catch his breath, now just standing there with his mouth wide open and his eyes searching for any sign of understanding from the woman he loved. He wouldn't find any.

"I knew you were strung out the night we had dinner out on the patio at the Bahamas. I knew you were on coke the night we fought in my old apartment. I knew you were high the night of our little dinner party with the shareholders, and every time in between, Rafe."

Rafe was now shaking at the realization that Jessie was not bluffing. Then again, she never did. He couldn't find many words.

"H-how did you-"

"Rafe..." she interrupted, this time with a smirk that wasn't trying to be hidden. "I know you..." she whispered. God, she was right. Rafe thought how could he be so stupid, thinking Jessie couldn't see right through him this whole time? "I know you better than anyone in this world... I know you better than you know yourself... and that's always been what makes us and what breaks us."

Rafe felt like he was going to puke. Jessie was unpredictable... almost unreadable in the moment. Yet the party continued around them, with nobody having any clue what hell just broke loose between the matriarch and patriarch of this party.

"Rafe..." Jessie went on, toying with a grin. "This whole time you've felt the need to tell me how to play this game. Telling me how I need to act, what I need to say, and how I need to move strategically in order to give our family a shot at a better life ... you still think I'm some hot head who's always going to say what I think and not consider the consequences of my actions..." Jessie paused, licking her lips and allowing Rafe to hang on to her every word. She still swayed to the music in perfect frame. She pushed her eyebrows together as she locked eyes with her husband.

"I know exactly how to play this game. Don't you ever think for one damn second I don't know what it means to hold my tongue for the sake of someone I love." She said, this time her eyes shifted to a darkness he hadn't seen before. It was a rage that she had masked for god knows how long. Jessie had Rafe in the palm of her hand, and he could feel her starting to crush his facade slowly, all while maintaining hers. This. This moment right here, was exactly what her upbringing had prepared her for. Rafe had never seen anyone... not even him... not even his father... with the ability to read people like Jessie did. It was her sixth sense.

The words made Rafe's heart stop. He was convinced it actually would have if he hadn't still been somehow standing up. He felt Jessie finally drop his hand in the middle of the dance floor and walk away. He stood there with his feet planted on the floor as he watched Jessie slide right past the Pogues to get a glass of champagne from the bar like nothing had happened, the gentle sway of her backless dress now emphasized by her loose hips. There she was... still playing the game too damn well. She uttered a few words to her brother and whisked herself away. Rafe just watched as she calmly exited through the grand doors. He had no clue what to do.

The fact that Jessie just waltzed out of the room as if she hadn't just dropped a bomb on his life was the first thing that came to his numb mind. Suddenly, his insecurity turned to downright storm clouds behind his eyes. Although he needed to stay and entertain, he knew he wouldn't be able to, not with the anger that was impossible for him to hide. He seethed at the idea of her sauntering back into their home, feeling accomplished with the way she left him and him having to go on with the night and explain why she wasn't there. Now he was the one who felt like he was a pawn that his wife was clearly in control of. How the tables had turned.

He shouldn't have been as infuriated as he was considering that he had been keeping just as big of a secret— if not bigger— from his wife. Yet he couldn't ignore the burning in his chest and the fire in his brain. He took short breaths and clinched his fists together, trying his damndest not to let anyone there see him sweat. Not the Pogues, not the MM, and certainly not his shareholders. But god, he couldn't just stand there. Before he had the opportunity to be swept away by more mindless chatter from some random, he trudged past the crowd and walked straight out of the room, leaving the party without a host.

Rafe walked through the Fourier and towards his private elevator. He had assumed that Jessie had done the same just minutes before. As he was going up to the top floor he couldn't help but pace in that tiny box. Should he be upset? Should he be grateful? Should he take it out on Jessie? Who exactly was he upset with? He had no answers. Finally, the ding of the elevator rang through and the doors opened. He marched down to the last door and jingled his keys around to unlock it. He cursed Jessie under his breath for being petty enough to lock the door. He swung it wide open to reveal his wife sitting on the couch with a glass of champagne in her hand and her silk dress still on. Despite her looking rather comfortable, Rafe could tell she was anything but. She still had her shoes on, which meant she was prepared to leave at any moment. In fact, he noticed she changed into her dirty white converse. She wasn't just prepared to leave, she was prepared to run... or fight.

Even though the thud of the door swinging against the wall was loud enough to wake the dead, Jessie simply rotated her head achingly slow to see her seething husband at the entrance. His jaw was locked, eyes narrowed, nose flared, and chest bowed. She lived for it.

"What the hell was that out there, huh?" Rafe fumed, now walking in the living room, suddenly feeling like his tie was suffocating him and opting to loosen it.

"It was me confronting you." Jessie replied plainly— almost sarcastically— not daring to drop the eye contact as she took a sip of her champagne. She hated the stuff, but she needed a buzz.

"A-a-and you didn't think to do that shit in private weeks ago? You are unbelievable, Jessie Cameron!"

"How is this my fault?" Jessie sassed right back, now standing up. "You're the one that willingly hid your coke addiction from me for weeks!"

"I was gonna tell you-"

"Bullshit, Rafe!" A pause came over them as Rafe realized he had been called out once more. "The longer you hide it the easier it gets. I knew that! I saw the distance in your eyes weeks ago! I was going to confront you after the holidays but tonight... when you wanted to put that ring on my finger... I couldn't do it. Not when I knew you were lying to me. Your mother deserved better."

"Don't tell me what my mother deserves Jessica!" Rafe was now screaming from the top of his lungs. Jessie knew she made the right choice when she told JJ to keep Charley downstairs no matter what until she texted him. Jessie just paused, looking at the man in front of her with disgust.

"You're a monster." She said with disgust.

"You made the monster... twice."

Jessie sucked in a breath as she realized just what Rafe meant. Now she was the one being confronted with her own part in this disaster. The fact that she had introduced— and reintroduced— her husband to coke was the sin she couldn't forgive herself for even if she tried. And she had tried. She constantly told herself that it wasn't her fault that Rafe took his addiction too far. But she learned that two things can be true at the same time. Rafe hadn't seemed to understand that just yet. The words alone took the fire out of her breath and the fierceness out of her eyes. She now teared up at the scary reality that Rafe actually blamed her for this... and she did too.

"Rafe..." she squeaked out, still trying to hold onto her determination through short breaths. "You didn't deserve what happened to you... but neither did I." Jessie hoped those words were enough for Rafe to find his fault in this as well. Clearly Jessie had. The guilt of it had eaten away at her for years.

Rafe felt he had cast plenty of blame on himself all the way up until this point. Why he couldn't see past his rage? He didn't know.

"I'm having a hard time forgiving you this time..." Jessie said. Rafe laughed and put his hands on his hips as he looked down. He shook his head and clicked his tongue, clearly not believing what he was hearing. He popped his head back up with a fake smile.

"You know what, Jessie? I'm having a hard time forgiving you this time."

Jessie looked down at her husband's shoes and played with the skin on her lips. He noticed her posture deflate at his words. It seemed they were at an impasse. Jessie just looked around for the words.

"Well then I guess... neither one of us know where to go from here." She said as she threw her hands up in defeat. The words cut deep for both of them. A hush fell between them as they both realized what this meant.

"I guess it does." Rafe tried to say nonchalantly with a flustered shrug of his shoulders .

"Rafe..." Jessie continued, this time no longer masking the clear hopelessness in her voice and eyes. He watched her intently. "Were no good for each other. When we're together all we know how to do is be irresponsible. This isn't high school anymore. Besides ... neither one of us had any love to give in the first place... we both knew that."

Yet another reality check that stung a little too much for either of them to handle. Yet Rafe tried to keep his composure. He shrugged and blinked back tears.

"We didn't know how." He replied, with a nod indicating he understood. That was the sad reality neither one of them had voiced until this very moment. The couple once bonded over their warped perception of love... and yet now it was their downfall.

"So there's no fixing this." Jessie stated. "But I mean... we do have a daughter to raise."

Rafe looked beyond his wife to think of a solution. He couldn't find one.

"Jessie, you don't trust me... and I don't trust you. And like you said... all we do is tear each other apart. We know each other too well."

"Yeah... but our daughter trusts us. And I swore the second I found out I was pregnant that she would not be the child of drugged out father and a helpless mother... so until you can get this figured out... I'm taking Charley."

As if the conversation couldn't get any more earth shattering, Rafe realized that he was now losing his daughter too. His eyes grew wide and panic clearly set in.

"Woah woah woah woah... you're not gonna keep my daughter from me."

"Yes I am Rafe..." Jessie implored calmly as she walked over to their bedroom. Rafe followed her. "And it starts tonight... I'm going back to my old apartment." Jessie finished as she began to pack a small backpack.

"Wait wait wait, Jessie." Rafe pleaded now with wide eyes as he realized this conversation took a totally different turn that he wasn't prepared for.

"I didn't think you actually meant leaving me, I mean I though this was just another-"

"What the hell else am I supposed to do, Rafe? It's the only way you seem to get your shit together... but I'm not coming back... we're done."

"Jessie..." Rafe begged with tears in his eyes as he got closer. He knew she didn't throw out ultimatums unless she meant them. She meant it this time. He knew when she was done. He wanted to touch her so bad, at least find some way to bring her back to him, but he knew he couldn't.

"Rafe, you act like taking my child from you is easy! You don't think it's killing me? The thought of having to explain to her why she can't see you every morning? Why her mom and dad aren't sleeping in the same bed or living in the same house? I know the questions are gonna come... and I'm gonna have to answer them... for the rest of her life! This was exactly why I left in the first place! And now I'm forced to do the very thing I was terrified of... sharing our daughter."

"Jessie..." Rafe cried, trying anything to get her to stay and work this out.

"Rafe..." Jessie interrupted, now with just as many tears. "It's over." Her voice cracked.

As much as he didn't want to, Rafe understood. He swallowed the lump in his throat, now looking at Jessie with not a thought behind his eyes except for his own guilt and reconciliation. He choked on his next words, unsure of what to say to get her back.

"Look, Jessie, if it's not you it's not anyone... I tried for years to fill that void and I'm never going to find anyone else..."

Jessie laughed at the very idea. Rafe clearly was frantic and pulling at straws to figure out any other reason to convince her to stay.

"Rafe..." she rolled her eyes with a hopeless smile. "I'm not gonna be with someone else either... To be with anyone else is a crime... and just not fair to whatever pour innocent soul that could be. We're the only ones perfectly wrong for each other." She whispered as she looked dead on at the man she loved most.

The both of them knew that to be true, both equally as damned to ruin the next person if they ever came along. They reserved that right only for each other.

Jessie began to walk towards the front door, bag in hand to go downstairs and pick up Charley, and probably any other pogues that want to go with her. She couldn't bring herself to walk out without first turning around to look at her husband.

"Rafe."

No words were said, yet Jessie could tell he was hanging on every word. He stood just mere feet from her in the doorway with his hands on his hips trying to keep it together.

"I love you. Never forget that."

To hell with keeping it together, at that point all Rafe could do was look away and pinch his features together in an attempt to not let the waterworks fly. His lip quivered. He sniffled and took a deep breath, looking back at his wife.

"I love you too. And don't you forget this, Jessie Cameron..." He replied with a point of his shaky finger through tears. Jessie inclined her ear, imploring him to go on through tears of her own.

"If you ever need me... I'll come running."

It was in that moment, as the two star crossed lovers locked eyes with so much love yet so much hatred that this was the way it had to be, that they realized that maybe the only reason for their romance was for Jessie to make Rafe a little more wild... and for Rafe to make Jessie a little more cautious. If that was the case, they had served their purpose.

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 59

There they all sat at the presidential grade dinner table that night overlooking the beach from their porch. The pogues, Wheezy, Jessie, Rafe, and Charley all scattered around the table eating their dinner contently, albeit, with some obvious tension. Despite the crashing waves and the beautiful sunset, nobody could seem to focus on anything except for the fact that Rafe was completely silent and zoned in on the food in front of him, making sure to stab the steak with a little too much force to ignore.

Jessie was immediately transported back to that first night she met the Cameron's, she couldn't forget the way Ward ate either, always with a chip on his shoulder and something business related bugging him.

However, Rafe didn't speak not out of anger, but out of fear that his wife would be able to tell that he was slightly high. He was embarrassed of the fact just like he was years ago when he first started. Only this time, he wasn't hiding it from Ward. Somehow, the fear felt stronger this time.

Pope, on the other hand, was undoubtedly not speaking due to anger. Everyone around the table could tell, except for sweet Charley, who sing songed her way through dinner and insisted her mother cut up her steak into smaller pieces. Rafe was still angry though, and what should've been music to his ears was like nails on a chalkboard. He wished his daughter would catch the hint, but of course, like her mother, she never was afraid to be heard.

Jessie could see Rafe's fingers grip the fork tighter and his chest rise higher as she could tell he was getting annoyed. She came home and expected to be met with many questions at dinner by her husband about their day, instead, she got a stone cold look of focus. She didn't dare ask what about, but she would later once they were alone. For now, she just had to keep the peace.

"Charley." Jessie piped up, and the sound visibly scared everyone as she heard the subtle clanking of people's forks against their plates and jerking their head upwards to meet her. She cleared her throat and set her fork down, but before she could say a word she heard the all too familiar ring of her husband's work phone to her left. She jolted her head towards Rafe to find him about to take a bite but instead heaving a loud sigh as he let his fork hit the plate and forcefully scooted himself away from the table. Without a word or even a glance in Jessie's direction, he walked towards his office with the phone to his ear.

Jessie watched as his arms bulged out of his white button up, which had now been untucked from his khakis since his meeting earlier. She watched his back muscles flex as he brought the phone to his ear and walked away. She could tell he was tense. Then again, everyone could.

"You're excused!" JJ sassed right after Rafe was out of ear shot, clearly unhappy with his attitude. Jessie was grateful he didn't try to push that boundary while Rafe could still hear him, because she was certain it would've ended with her brother laid out across the table in front of them.

Jessie finally peeled her eyes away from where her husband had just disappeared to and went back to eating. She couldn't get one bite chewed before she looked up and was met with an overwhelming amount of eyes. She didn't have to ask why they were all looking at her with looks of confusion and guilt. She merely huffed and deflated her posture.

"You guys are excused." Jessie retorted in defeat as she lazily put her arms up on the table, clearly not caring about appearances anymore.

"Oh may we?" JJ replied with too much snark for his sister's liking. Thankfully, Kiara made sure to slap him hard for the comment, to which he winced in pain.

"Jessie..." Sarah spoke up from farther down the table. "We're not gonna leave you here-"

"Sarah, don't try to be the hero. We all know none of us want to be here when he blows up, but if it's gonna be around anyone it needs to be me."

At that no one has an answer, until finally John B spoke up.

"What the hell happened Pope?"

Pope still seemed oddly unphased, as he was the only one still eating mindlessly. He simply shrugged as he looked up and around at everyone through chewing his food.

"Ask Rafe." He simply said, to which everyone rolled their eyes as they leaned back in their seats in defeat. The two were being impossible.

"Just go." Jessie said through annoyance with a quick wave of her hand and scrunched face. In unison, the pogues and Wheezy jumped up from their seats, unintentionally making as much noise as they could as they stuffed their plates full of more food and took it with them back inside. Charley tried to follow along, but her mother stopped her.

"Charley, you're staying with me."

All the teens looked back at Jessie with shock.

"Seriously?" JJ inquired. "You're gonna let your daughter just watch him lose his shit?"

Jessie just sighed, clearly feeling even more defeated by the judgement coming from her brother. She looked at him with pleading eyes silently begging him to withhold the attitude.

"She's not your responsibility, she's mine. And you guys won't be around forever to whisk her away from conversations like this. Rafe's going to have to learn how to be frustrated around his child."

What Jessie said made sense, yet the Pogues couldn't in good conscience leave the toddler there knowing what could happen. They all looked around at each other and exchanged knowing looks.

"Yeah well..." JJ said as he cleared his throat and walked back towards his niece with an extended hand. "We're here now and I'm not leaving my niece with that..."

Before he could finish the sentence, Jessie gave her brother a look that reminded JJ that he was talking about Charley's father, not just his previous nemesis. He picked up on the silent chastisement and fixed his tone and his face as he looked down at Charley.

"That very nice man! Come on Char Char!"

Jessie watched as JJ held Charley's little hand in his and a full plate of food in the other. The sight made her sad at the thought of separating the two by leaving for Manhattan. Although, she thought maybe the sadness was also due to the fact that she'd be leaving to follow a man that isn't emotionally intelligent enough to convey his feelings, or at least hide them correctly around his kid. She had to put the thought away and glanced over at the rolling waves on the beach. She took notice of the clouds that were now in the sky after the sun had set and loved how the world around her seemed to fade into a comfortable powder blue. Right between sunset and night time was always Jessie favorite sight, and she never felt the feeling lasted long enough, so she was grateful it came around once a day. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes and allowed her senses to feel the crisp ocean breeze on her face and the cool night air on her arms. She took notice of the feeling of her white sundress floating in the wind behind her chair. Before she could get caught further in her trance, she heard a pair of strong footsteps waltz towards her. She looked back to see Rafe planted halfway between the table and the door with a dumbfounded look on his face.

"Where's everybody?"

"They left."

"Did they even eat?" Rafe asked with annoyance written clear on his face as he sunk back down in his chair and sassily fluffed the cloth napkin by his side before fanning it out on his knee.

"They took their food with them." Jessie simply stated, trying to balance the perfect amount of eye contact with her husband and her food. She tried to continue eating like nothing happened.

"What the hell is their problem?" Rafe asked as he stabbed his fork back into the food in front of him with an arm laid lazily over the table.

"They're afraid of you." Jessie replied numbly as if it was common sense, not daring to look up at Rafe. Despite not looking, she heard the fork clammer against the porcelain and could feel the hard gaze Rafe had on her.

"And why's that?" He responded immediately with bite behind his tone. He sounded as if he was accusing Jessie for whatever reason.

"You tell me, Rafe. Your attitude is less than stellar so I'm assuming things didn't quite go your way today." Jessie bit back, but not with near as much venom, just enough to get the point across without sending Rafe into a complete tailspin.

"No! They didn't! And you wanna know why?"

"Yes! We'd all love to know why!"

"Because your little friend didn't exactly heed my advice today, and he's gonna dig himself a real deep hole if he doesn't listen!" Rafe yelled, now with narrowed eyes and pointed finger.

"My little friend? God, Rafe! You sound like they're all still your enemies! Stop acting like they're not family to us now!"

"Family?! Family?!" Rafe screamed in bewilderment as he pushed his chair away from the table. Causing the champagne glasses to spill and an aching noise to come from the chair as it scooted across the concrete. Rafe stood up with fury and balled his fist as he walked towards the edge of the balcony, now looking into the dim sky. "Did you even see Pope at dinner tonight?! He wasn't the only one with a chip on his shoulder! He doesn't exactly view me as family either, and he certainly didn't treat me like that today! God, Jessie, don't you get it! At least I'm trying to help the kid out! He's not listening to me!" Rafe said through rage as he paced back and forth, pulling on his clothes occasionally and running his hands over his short hair. His eyes were now wide with anger as he pleaded for Jessie to understand.

"I don't know what went down today!" Jessie started as she got up from the table, matching the same energy as her husband. "But it doesn't matter! You don't get to lose it just because someone didn't listen to you or because things didn't go your way! You're throwing a hissy fit over something stupid and now everyone is walking on eggshells trying not to set you off! Well I'm not gonna raise my family like that, Rafe! You're gonna learn to control your emotions or you can-"

"Or I can what?!" Rafe challenged, this time getting close to his wife with balled fists. Jessie knew Rafe wasn't about to swing though. She got closer. Right as she opened her mouth to speak she heard the unmistakable ring of Rafe's phone. She looked down at his pocket and so did he. She looked back up to see her husband roll his eyes and huff and puff in annoyance. He growled and put his hands to his head.

"Oh my god, I swear, if this damn phone rings one more time!" Rafe screamed as he dug the phone out of his pocket and raised it to his ear.

"What!" He yelled, not even caring to look at who was calling. He was fuming still. Jessie could see it, and suddenly it all made sense. Her gaze softened as she slowly reached up to Rafe's phone clad hand. Rafe felt the delicate hand weasel around his to take the phone. He looked over to find his wife silently pleading with him to let her do this. He couldn't help but oblige. Without breaking eye contact, Jessie took the phone and ended the call, the both of them still breathing heavily as they looked at each other with soft eyes.

"You're tired." Jessie simply stated with sympathy.

Rafe had no words, anything he could've thought to say got stuck in his throat. Jessie took one step closer to wrap her arms around her husband lovingly. She took one hand and cupped his face and rubbed her thumb against his cheek. She could feel him melting in her touch.

"I know you're tired, baby. You won't be forever. I know you think that everything needs to be done immediately but I'm telling you it doesn't."

"But Jessie, you don't understand-"

Jessie shushed him and took his face in both her hands.

"It's gonna be alright. This isn't you, and I see that. I know this is all coming from being overwhelmed... but Rafe... we've gotta work on this. We've gotta teach Charley to handle emotions better than our parents taught us, okay?"

That last sentence cut Rafe deep. If only Jessie knew how he was really handling his emotions... suddenly he grew scared to look in her eyes for fear that she would see the Coke induced haze deep within them. He looked down and sighed. He knew she was right, and he couldn't help but admire that Jessie still remained so stolid in the midst of the chaos. Charley needed that. He needed that.

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 71

One thing Rafe never forgot about was Jessie's angelic voice. After all, her singing was what drew him in in the first place... how could he not remember that beautiful voice singing freely at the Island Club that fateful night? Rafe seemed to think his wife didn't sing enough. He always wished she was one of those girls that sang mindlessly throughout the house as she cooked or cleaned or one of those girls that sang ballads in the shower... but she wasn't. Jessie seemed to like to keep that party trick reserved most of the time, Rafe figured mostly due to fear of putting herself out there in that way. As bold as Jessie was, Rafe could never figure out why this was the thing she was hesitant to bring to light. She always seemed to need a good reason to sing, such as having too much alcohol or her sweet toddler asking her to do so. Rafe was grateful his daughter got to hear her mother's voice from time to time. He couldn't get the sweet picture out of his head. He loved how the bond between the two. Although he wanted to give the girls their privacy, he couldn't help but want to hear his wife sing just one more time.

Rafe crept down the hall, waiting mere moments for his wife to get settled into the white rocker in the corner of their daughter's bedroom. He didn't dare peek around the corner for too long, for fear that his wife would see him and suddenly get stage fright. From what he managed to see, it appeared that Jessie was now settled in the rocker with only her side profile visible. He noticed how she had Charley perfectly swaddled in the blanket of her choice, laying comfortably in her lap as she started rocking back and forth.

"You comfortable, baby?" Jessie asked as she finished tucking the blanket underneath the little girl. Charley nodded in silent response as she nuzzled in closer to her mother's side.

"What do you want me to sing this time?"

This time. She had been singing to Charley for god knows how long. The thought made Rafe's heart flutter. He teared up at the idea that Jessie might have sang to his child many a night. God how he wished he could've been there.

"Rainbow!" The toddler exclaimed, to which Jessie chuckled and nodded in understanding.

"When It rains, it pours, but you didn't even notice. It ain't raining anymore, it's hard to breathe when all you know is..."

There's that voice. The voice that Rafe had only heard in his mind for the past four years. The voice he heard in his dreams, and even in his every day interactions. It was impossible for him to get away from some days. She sounded like an angel then, and somehow she only got better over time. Years ago she sang like a free spirited girl, this time... she sang like a mother.

"If you could see what I see, you'd be blinded by the colors, yellow, red, orange, and green, and at least a million others."

Rafe rounded the corner, feeling it was safe to stay and watch for just a moment. He couldn't help himself. He watched as his daughter slowly closed her heavy eyes and fell to sleep. He noticed Jessie rocking back and forth as she simply looked at Charley with kind eyes and stroked her cheek with the back of her hand soothingly.

Jessie loved singing to Charley, but this song always had a special meaning for her and the child. It was the first song Jessie sang to her daughter when it was just the two of them alone in an endless New York hospital. It was the song she always sang when she had had a rough day at work or was a little extra home sick. It was the song she sang to Charley when she was robbed of sleep or hurt in anyway. It always seemed to soothe the both of them, sometimes for totally different reasons.

"Oh tie up the boat, take off your coat, and take a look around... everything is alright now."

Jessie always sang those words more to herself than to her daughter, and the song singlehandedly got her through more hard times than anything else could. In the midst of her fight with Rafe, she couldn't help but feel like this song once again met her where she was at in life like it always had managed to do so perfectly.

Despite being stuck out in the same storm again, Jessie sang this song to her daughter, knowing that a rainbow was always shining over the two of them, and no matter what happened, the two of them would always make it through. She had more strength now then ever to keep going with this new life, knowing that at the end of the day it really would all be alright, no matter what her relationship looked like with Rafe, or what her life looked like as a newfound socialite. Had the sky finally opened for Jessie? She wasn't so sure, but she knew that her and Charley would make it.

Rafe now couldn't help but bring himself into full view by the time the song was over, now planting himself on the doorway with his hands in his pockets and tears in his eyes. He wished he could stay right there forever, watching his girls feel safe enough to tune out the outside world and share such an intentional moment.

Jessie stroked her daughter's cheek, knowing that she was now sound asleep. She looked up and breathed a sigh of relief, also expressing a look that showed she felt that moment was grounding for her as well. She needed to sing that song to herself more than anything. Rafe could see that too. Jessie finally swayed the rocker just enough to face closer to the doorway, where she met Rafe's tearful eyes. She pursed her lips and exhaled, showing sympathy to her husband. Rafe was grateful she wasn't upset.

"I'm sorry for eavesdropping." Rafe choked out with a slight smile. Jessie just laughed slightly and shook her head.

"It's okay."

"You sounded beautiful."

Jessie was never able to take that particular compliment well, and even though Rafe knew his girl inside and out, he had never managed to figure why she was so guarded about her singing. Jessie looked down, clearly trying to collect herself, and looked back up with a half smile.

"Thanks." She simply replied. With that, she slowly arose from the rocker and laid their daughter softly in her new big girl bed, carefully tucking her in. Rafe went over to the corner to turn off the lamp and walked his wife out of the room. Once he had closed the door they both stood in the hallway looking at each other with soft expressions. Both of them were tired, physically and mentally, yet they couldn't deny the need for intimate moments like this. Their eyes gave that away, the both of them looking at each other with a love and desire that still burned so bright. The hope behind their soft smiles couldn't be ignored.

"Let's get these presents under the tree and get to bed." Rafe said sweetly as he took his wife's hand to lead her back to the living room.

- - -

JJ felt a sudden heaviness on his shirtless chest the next morning. In his sleep induced coma he couldn't help but think maybe all that smoking finally caught up to him? Wait, no, that was a child... it was Charley. He opened his eyes just enough to see the toddler sitting comfortably on his chest with her head bent down looking intently for any sign of life.

Once Charley saw her uncle's head move just slightly, she poked his cheek softly.

"Uncle JJ..." the child whispered with a sheepish grin. He opened his eyes a little more.

"What?" He groaned, the facade of the happy go lucky uncle clearly fallen when he was woken up. Charley didn't care.

"Time to wake uuuuup..." she cooed, still gently enough so as not to wake up the sleeping Aunt Kie right beside them. JJ tried not to get upset as he realized his niece was simply excited because it was Christmas. He opted to get up and take his niece out of the room.

"Hey Char Char... I've got an idea..." JJ said with a smirk on his face as he wiggled his eyebrows at the toddler on his hip. She smiled wide waiting for his answer.

"How about you go wake up mommy and daddy and I'll wake up everyone else, yeah? But you gotta promise me you will walk straight past the Christmas tree and go only to mommy and daddy's room, okayyyy?"

"Okayyyy..." Charley replied bashfully. JJ wasn't fully convinced the toddler could come through on such a big promise, and the doubt was clear on his face. After all, this was the spawn of Jessie and Rafe... did he really expect her not to get into the presents that would be right in front of her and only her? Yeah, right.

"Iiiiii will just walk you over there." He replied. "Cover your eyes!" He pointed with determination, to which the child obliged.

"I may have to cover my eyes too." JJ said with disgust as he walked closer to his sister's room, not knowing what in the world he would walk into. It wouldn't be the first time he walked into more than he bargained for with those two. Thankfully, Charley still had her eyes closed as well as he opened the door with one eye hesitantly opened. They were sleeping. Thank god. With that, JJ let the little girl down on the ground and silently motioned for her to go in there and do what she does best: disrupt their sleep. He closed the door and went back to do the same to the pogues. Any other day they'd be pissed that they were woken up so early, but the truth is, they all knew they wanted to wake up with Charley to open gifts with her... like a real family.

Charley's footsteps could be heard paddling against the carpet, and pretty soon Rafe felt a slight dip in the bed at his feet as he realized his daughter was trying to get up on the bed. When she realized the bed was too tall for her to get up on by herself, she went to the very end and used the cushioned seat to get a step up. Little did the toddler know her dad had put that there for that very reason. He felt her crawl in between him and Jessie, but she didn't lay down of course. She was too excited. He knew she would be. The next step was no surprise. Even though Rafe had his eyes closed, he knew exactly what his little girl was doing: eyeing him like a hawk, waiting for any sign of stirring, any quickened breath, any twitch of an eyelid, literally anything. She wouldn't find it this time, despite her father being wide awake unbeknownst to her.

The toddler stuck her tongue out and furrowed her brows, clearly thinking about her next move. She slowly leaned into her father, ready with her little finger to poke at his face like she always did. Right as her hand was mere inches from her father's face, she heard a voice that startled her.

"We're gonna have to work on your sneaking around, kid." The low raspy voice of her father finally muttered, now with one eye open and a smirk on his face. Charley jumped at the sudden noise and retreated backwards with her hands to her chest, hoping her father wouldn't have caught on to what she was planning on doing before he so abruptly woke up. She giggled at the man in front of her and buried her head in the crook of his neck looking for a hug. Rafe of course wrapped his arms lazily around his daughter and sat up in the bed with a groan. He set the girl comfortably on his lap.

"Merry Christmas, Charlotte." Rafe whispered with a kind smile and a kiss to her forehead.

"Merry Christmas, daddyyy." Charley replied with a slight lisp. The words were enough to draw Jessie out of her sleep as well, and the father and daughter both darted their eyes over to the woman of the hour stirring awake with an exaggerated stretch. She rolled over to see one of her favorite sights: her daughter fixed safely in her father's strong arms with a smile on both of their faces as they looked at her expectantly.

"Merry Christmas, mama." Rafe whispered to Jessie as he leaned in and locked eyes on her lips. She caught his drift and she cupped his face with a smile. The nickname always made her heart flutter.

"Merry Christmas." She replied softly as she kissed him deeply. By now Charley was up out of her daddy's lap and jumping on the bed.

"It's Christmas, mommy!" She exclaimed as she kept bouncing through excitement. Despite the couple only trying to deepen the kiss, the constant moving of the bed was making it very difficult.

"Mommy!" Charley protested once again, this time much louder and now with a fierceness to her tone. The toddler crawled towards her parents, clearly trying to get their attention. It worked.

"What?" Jessie sighed with a playful smile on her face, showing fake annoyance. At least Charley saw that it was fake. Rafe could tell it wasn't. But he was just as distracted, needing Jessie arguably more than she needed him in that moment, especially considering they never finished what was started last night after their little gift exchange. Rafe continued to pepper soft but intentional kisses along Jessie's jawline and down her neck, knowing that always got her.

"It's time to open presents! Daddy! Get off mommy!" Charley said in her broken English.

"Yeah, daddy..." A different but familiar feminine voice billowed through the door. It was none other than Sarah, with her arms folded, hip cocked, and eyebrow raised. "Get off mommy." She responded playfully. Her brother turned his head, now with actual annoyance written on his face, his hands still managing to find more of his wife's body by the minute. Jessie just snickered at the exchange between the siblings.

"Daddy's about to open his present." Rafe snapped right back at his sister, which earned a disgusted look from Sarah and a swift slap from his wife.

"You're ridiculous!" Jessie laughed as she got out of bed, earning a groan from her husband. She picked up Charley and took her to the living room, but not before stopping at the door with her sister in law.

"We'll be waiting." Sarah said obnoxiously.

"Yeah, well, you're gonna have to give me a minute." Rafe said nonchalantly as he rested his head on the headboard, clearly in no rush to get out from under the covers. Both Jessie and Sarah knew why.

"Oh god." Sarah scoffed as she rolled her eyes and walked the rest of the way out of the room to meet the Pogues by the tree. Jessie once again couldn't help but laugh. Rafe was too easily flustered sometimes.

"Hey Jessie, wait here?" Rafe asked before she could close the door.

"Rafe, I'm not-"

"That's not what I meant... I meant, I have something for you out in the living room but I don't want you to see it without me."

Jessie hesitated, feeling like this might definitely be a trap to get her back in bed, but she could tell he had a new plea on his face, a sincere one. So, she handed the toddler off to Sarah and waited for Rafe.

Once Rafe got out of bed and put his sweatpants on, he took Jessie's hand in his with a smile and led her out to the living room, where all the Pogues awaited. Of course, once again, Charley and JJ were seated perfectly by the tree Indian style waiting patiently. Jessie couldn't hold her focus on them for too long due to the obvious new addition in their living room. 

"Oh my gosh! Rafe!" Jessie gasped as she looked at the new sectional couch that replaced the stupid white cashmere one she hated. This one was much darker, and was a soft material that could withstand the whims of a three year old. Jessie laughed at the thought that her husband had put into the gift. Rafe beamed as he saw how excited she got.

"Why're you freaking out, Jess? It's just a couch?" JJ sassed, clearly not impressed and more so confused. The Pogues didn't want to admit it, but they were confused as well. It was just a couch... right?

Oh how wrong they were, much like the tv, this was another step in the right direction. Another chance for Rafe to prove that he was listening to his wife. Another reason for her to believe that she wasn't just some pawn in this game of business, but his partner in life. Jessie's face showed that gratitude. She shook her head in disbelief with a smile on her face as she pulled Rafe in for a passionate kiss. He accepted it by pulling her in by her waist. JJ couldn't help but let out a clear groan of disapproval.

"Get a room!" John B spoke up, now hopping on the bandwagon with his best friend. The couple laughed and looked at their daughter, who looked like she had ants in her pants. Jessie could tell she simply couldn't wait any longer, and the silence was killing the toddler.

"Go on Charley!" Jessie answered her child's silent plea, which resulted in her of course ripping into everything she saw like a tornado.

Jessie and Rafe took a seat on their brand new comfy couch as they watched their new family open all the gifts they deserved. For once in a long time, the two of them felt like they really were going to be alright. Even the magic of Christmas was able to mask the rift between them, at least for one day.

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Epilogue

Jessie heard the knock of her apartment door, signaling that people were there— right on time. She threw the kitchen towel down that she was using to clean up the mess from the cake her and mama just decorated.

"Want me to get it sweetie?" Tom asked from the couch, not bothering to look up from his sports on the TV.

"That's okay, pops. I got it! Charleyyyy!" Jessie rang up the narrow stairs of her oh so familiar apartment. "You need to get down here, there's some people here to see you!"

Mama smiled as she watched the young woman practically dance over to the door. Jessie knew exactly who was behind that door. She opened it with the biggest smile on her face knowing exactly who she was going to get to see.

"Hellooooo!" JJ beamed. He was accompanied by other greetings and murmurings from the Pogues and Wheezie behind him, all of them had brightly colored presents in their hands as they entered into the apartment with excitement. Jessie couldn't hug her brother fast enough.

"Ugh! JJ! It's been too long!" Jessie exclaimed as she brought her brother in for a warm embrace, doing the same to the others.

"Four months and twelve days... but who's counting right?" JJ replied with a laugh.

"Charley still has no idea we're here right?" Sarah asked. They all were clearly anxious to see the little girl.

"That's right! She knows all her friends are coming for the birthday party... just not you guys. Oh, she's coming!" Jessie said, frantically moving out of the way to reveal the brand new four year old with a birthday crown already on her head and a sash already around her pretty new dress. She looked around the living room in confusion, but the second she laid eyes on the entryway she gasped.

"UNCLE JJAYYYYY!!!" Charley screamed as she ran up to the blonde haired boy. Like so many times before, JJ reached down to scoop up the little girl.

"Ohhhh my gosh Char Char! You've already grown so much since New Years! Gotta stop that now!" JJ insisted as he poked at the little lady in his arms.

"Someone's not a little girl anymore." Sarah said through happy tears as she looked over at her sister in law, embracing her with a hug. Jessie nodded in unfortunate understanding of the same reality.

"I know it." She responded with a tinge of sadness. Time truly was a thief. "And look at you, little lady!" Jessie said, now turning her attention to the teenager in front of her. "You have got stop growing! What's next? A boyfriend?!" Jessie joked as she held Wheezie's face in her hands like only a mother could. She couldn't help but feel like if she blinked her eyes Charley would be that old too. She distracted herself by averting her attention to the Pogues.

"Everyone else should be here shortly." Jessie said.

"Who all's coming?" Kiara asked, knowing exactly what answer her and the rest of the Pogues were looking for. Jessie read between the lines.

"Uh, some friends from school, some of the MM... and Rafe."

The room went quiet. The Pogues looked concerned, but Mama and Tom seemed to show a chip on their shoulder at the very mention of the man's name. The truth is, they had been taking the brunt of Jessie's whims the last four months, trying their best to get her back on her feet after such a messy split. Nothing was official yet, but they could see how tired Jessie was from trying to balance work and strained family dynamics across the board. Trying to help the Pogues in the Bahamas and raise her daughter with an unstable father was more difficult than she originally imagined. Yet she chose to still keep in touch and make things work the best she could. She figured Rafe deserved that. No matter what, he had a daughter that he now knew about and was undoubtedly attached to. The Pogues could see that too, and they had their own worry for the twenty-two year old. Yet, they found themselves more conflicted than Maci and Tom, mostly from the fact that they saw Rafe's side of things too. Regardless, today was not the day to pick a side and wage a war.

"Stop looking like that." Jessie sighed with a plea behind her eyes.

"Like what?" JJ asked stupidly, as if he didn't know exactly the look she was referring to.

"The look of guilt... the worry. I can't take one more look of sympathy." Jessie replied with slight annoyance. The Pogues felt their own sort of guilt from this mess... JJ still couldn't live with the fact that he had called Jessie to come get him out of trouble in the first place... if hadn't have done that... she wouldn't be in this situation. Yet Jessie still made it clear that it wasn't his fault time and time again.

JJ pursed his lips and looked down, trying his hardest to understand where Jessie was coming from. He was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of another knock on the door.

"That should be Sam and Treasure."

"Treasurrrrrre!" Charley squealed as she kicked her feet, begging for her uncle to let her down.

"Thats one of her friends." Jessie explained. "Char char, go ahead and let her in!"

Once her feet hit the ground again she ran to the door, frantically opening it. Jessie figured this was the perfect time to step aside with the Pogues and have a moment.

"Look guys... I know everything is still fresh... but today is Charley's birthday. Today is not a day to pick sides or start anything, alright?"

The Pogues could tell Jessie was serious, she almost came off as threatening. They nodded in understanding.

"I'm serious." Jessie reiterated, still not convinced they understood what this day meant.

Jessie and Rafe, although communication was minimal and strictly for Charley, managed to come to an agreement about days like this. Rafe was allowed to come over, but no conversation outside of what was necessary. It was harsh, but it was crucial to making sure that this day didn't turn into passive aggressive manipulation that both of them were so good at wielding. Jessie didn't even like being in the same room as Rafe right now... as she felt that he could attack her with just his smile and those longing eyes... no words needed. But she decided that for today, he had a right to celebrate his daughter.

Slowly but surely more people started to trickle in, resulting in a house full of friends and family that Jessie loved to mingle with. The sounds of kids running around, all the adults laughing, and music blaring was still not enough to fill the hole Jessie knew was there. It was blatantly obvious in her mind only that Charley's father still wasn't there. She wondered why. He said he was coming.

What Jessie didn't know is that Rafe thought he was coming to, yet he had been a bundle of nerves all day. He got no sleep the night before. He wondered if he was strong enough to celebrate something and someone so special to him with the girl he loved the most and act like she was only the mother of his child. How was he supposed to casually share his daughter when her mother was so incessant on hardly any contact? He played every possible scenario of how this day could go in his head over and over, which caused him to stop right as he touched the exit door of his penthouse, to take another lap around the block of Jessie's apartment building, and for him to stop dead in his tracks with his hand held up almost ready to knock on her door. He stopped every single time, contemplating if he was really ready for this. He had only seen Jessie these last few months in the small time it took to drop Charley off for little visits. Yet even in those short moments, he knew his Jessie inside and out. No amount of time could change that. She was keeping it short and sweet for the same reasons as he was... fear of falling. Still, he shook his head and whispered to himself to get it together, his next move being a swift knock to her front door before he could stop himself with his thoughts once more.

Jessie finally heard the only knock that mattered, knowing it could only be the one person that was left that still hadn't shown up. Her heart skipped a beat when she heard it, and she leaped through the crowd to get the door before anyone else had a chance. She opened the door to reveal none other than Rafe Cameron. She took a deep breath, one that Rafe could see due to her extended rib cage and look of concentration. He pursed his lips but quickly remembered that he needed to smile, so he did.

"Hi." Rafe whispered numbly as he flashed his pearly whites.

"Hi." Jessie exhaled with a fake smile plastered on her face as well.

The two stood there, for as long as their hearts would allow them. Even after months of little to no contact, their eyes still said everything they wouldn't allow themselves to say for the sake of accepting reality and keeping the peace. And as Jessie looked deep into those ocean eyes standing in her doorway, that was all the confirmation she needed to know exactly where to go from here.

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 58

"Well I don't care what you have to do to keep her! It's always cheaper to keep them than to replace them. If she won't move to New York, make it an offer she can't refuse." Rafe demanded over the phone as he walked through the kitchen the next morning. He leaned up against the counter to watch Jessie make breakfast for Charley, who was still fast asleep in the king size bed. Jessie whipped her head away from the stove long enough to put her finger to her lips to tell her husband to quiet down. It was way too early for him to be yelling, especially over work. He simply nodded his head with pursed lips and furrowed brows, clearly agitated but listening to his wife. She giggled at the sight as she went back to making breakfast.

The conversation continued for a few more minutes until Rafe abruptly hung up and flung his phone down beside him. He never moved from his spot on the counter, instead he folded his arms up, clearly in thought as he looked down at the ground. Jessie decided to lighten the mood as best she could by walking over to him and leaning on him with her arms wrapped around his neck.

"It's wayyy too early to be this frustrated." She simply said with a soft smile.

"Yeah well working out of three different time zones makes stuff like this kinda hard." Rafe explained through frustration. He wrapped his arms around Jessie's waist, albeit a little more aggressively than usual, looking at her soft eyes with stern ones. She dismissed the look, knowing it wasn't for her and kissed his lips gently.

"What's the problem now?" She asked, genuinely curious.

"My secretary doesn't want to move." Rafe simply stated through a short temper.

"So find a new secretary." Jessie replied as if the answer was obvious. Rafe just paused for a moment, trying to think of an appropriate explanation.

"She knows too much." Rafe responded with a guilty look. At that Jessie couldn't help but giggle a little. She then decided to pause to come up with a solution of her own.

"Well then you'll just have to kill her." Jessie joked with a shrug of her shoulders.

"That's a very real possibility." Rafe cracked a smile as he joked right along with her, to which she laughed. He brought Jessie closer to him to kiss her harder, this time getting a little more heated, until they were rudely interrupted.

"Oh god, okay, ya know what? It's sickening enough for me to be hungover and now I have to watch you two play tongue hockey!" JJ mumbled as he walked in the kitchen with squinted eyes. Jessie couldn't tell if that was due to the massive hangover or the fact that the two of them were making out right in front of him. "Seriously get a room." He sassed.

"Our room is occupied by a three year old little girl." Rafe sassed right back as JJ took a seat at the bar.

"And so your solution is to have sex in the kitchen? Seriously there's dozens of rooms in this house." JJ mumbled as he rubbed his eyes. The couple just couldn't help but laugh. Jessie dismissed his snide remarks and went to the fridge.

"Hey grab me a beer outta that." JJ said mindlessly pointing over that direction still holding his head.

"Seriously, Jayj? You know a beer is not gonna help." Jessie scolded as she opted for the milk.

"Yeah, and kooks don't typically drink this damn early." Rafe joked. JJ just groaned in annoyance as he laid his head on the cold marble counter. He looked quite comical they had to admit.

"You're getting toast instead." Jessie exclaimed as she went to grab the bread from the pantry. JJ knew better than to argue, especially when he was this hungover.

"Rafe will you go wake Charley up? I don't want her sleeping all day." Jessie asked. Rafe gave her a look that said he really didn't wanna do that. Jessie noticed.

"Oh come on, you're gonna have to be the bad guy at some point. She'll live." Jessie reiterated. Much like JJ, Rafe knew better than to argue. Instead, he marched back to their room.

Jessie slid the cinnamon sugar toast over to her brother, who's head was still laying on the counter. She figured he was asleep, so she snapped her fingers to get his attention. It worked, and he jolted his head up with eyes open, but not for long considering the pounding headache he just remembered he had.

"Eat up, I don't want you puking on the floor. This shit's probably priceless." Jessie joked as she pointed to the toast. She then brought him a glass of milk as well.

It wasn't but a few more moments until Rafe rounded the corner with a sleepy Charley clinging to his hip. Her head rested comfortably on his shoulder and Jessie could tell she was almost back asleep. She sleeps just like her uncle: anywhere at anytime. Rafe looked smitten as he just rubbed her back, wanting her to choose when to wake up. Unfortunately, he had to let go considering he got a call as soon he as he entered the kitchen. He huffed and gave Jessie a sympathetic look as he had to pass her off.

"What?" Rafe snapped as he walked out of the room. JJ watched as he marched away and looked back at Jessie.

"Does that not bother you?" JJ mumbled as he took another bite.

"What?" Jessie asked.

"The constant phone calls, the bad mood he's in, the stress?"

"That's all just a season. We're all going to find a new normal at some point and he won't be this busy." Jessie said dismissively with a head shake. JJ just shook his head in disbelief as he looked down at his food.

"How many times did you see Ward on the phone, stressed out, talking about business, and all that other shit?" JJ asked, allowing for a pause for his sister to think. "Right, a lot. Probably almost everytime you saw the man. That man had been running that company for decades and never got a break. The only time that man was ever off his phone was when he was entertaining all the other rich goons around him. You're kidding yourself if you think that's gonna change, sis."

Jessie just sighed deeply with an annoyed look on her face as if she knew a lot more about this situation than JJ did. She hated that he was so confident in his speculation. He decided to back off.

"Alright, alright..." JJ said as he held his hands up in surrender. "But all I'm sayin is... if I ran the same business he was running, I'd do hard drugs too."

JJ meant that as a joke, but to Jessie it was anything but. She didn't even want to think about the path her husband could go down if he didn't draw some boundaries and take a break every once and a while. But then again, Rafe had seen first hand the man that his father had become, so she liked to believe that he would be self aware enough to not let that happen. After all, he already revolved his life around Charley and her the second they came back into his life. She had to hold on to that truth to not let her mind run wild with doubt and fear.

Jessie was pulled out of her thoughts by a clearly flustered Rafe coming back into the kitchen, now breathing a sigh and scratching the back of his neck. He came to stand right beside his wife, putting his hands on the countertop and stretching his neck with his eyes closed. JJ noticed it too.

"You alright there, big guy?" JJ asked with knitted brows. Rafe just opened his eyes slowly to give JJ a subtle glare and brought his eyes over to Jessie, who had the same look of curious concern on her face.

"I'm fine." He muttered. "I'm going to get in the shower, if Pope comes down tell him I've got people coming at noon and he needs to be ready."

The siblings simply nodded their heads, trying not to push it.

"Do you need me to do anything?" Jessie asked with sympathetic eyes, genuinely trying to be of any assistance she could. Rafe picked up on her fragile tone and immediately shifted his attitude as best he could.

"No, baby, I'm fine, it's all gonna be fine." Rafe whispered as he cupped her face and gave her a reassuring look. He admired her beautiful face for just a moment, and took in his favorite sight of his two girls. He planted a sweet kiss to Jessie's lips and slowly peeled his fingers away. JJ tried his best not to ruin the moment by being disgusted with the public display of affection. With that, Rafe backed away and headed for their master bathroom. Jessie watched as his back muscles tensed as he clinched his fists on the way out. She could tell he was still deep in thought about anything and everything.

- - -

"Pope, I'd like you to meet Mr. Singh. Mr. Singh, this is Mr. Heyward." Rafe introduced the two men who were now standing in the grand living room, both dressed in collared shirts and perfectly ironed pants. Not Pope's preferred wardrobe, but he knew he had to dress to impress-- literally.

Rafe had his driver take the rest of the crew out for a day at the beach, with security standing back modestly of course.

The two men shook hands and exchanged nods of approval.

"So, Mr. Heyward." The man spoke up in a thick Bahamian accent. "I hear you have something of great value to me."

Pope had no idea what to say, after all, he'd never done this before. Pope's words got caught in his throat for fear of saying the wrong thing or giving off the wrong vibe. Despite Rafe's brief teaching before the meeting, Pope still forgot everything, now only looking at Rafe to rescue him. Thankfully, not too much awkward silence lapsed before Rafe quickly stepped in.

"That's correct, Mr. Singh." Rafe played it off as he rubbed his hands together and dawned a confident smile, making sure to look the man directly in the eyes. "It's a cross. Seven foot long made of pure gold and adorned with diamonds and other precious stones. Appraisers say it's priceless."

"Your father and I have been business partners for a long time now, Cameron. And although he hasn't screwed me yet, I would like to know... how did this young lad get involved?" Mr. Singh asked with furrowed brows in Pope's direction. He ran his hand mindlessly through his beard waiting for an answer. Rafe didn't waver.

"This cross— the cross of Santo Domingo— was found by this young man. And he wants to make sure that when this artifact is sold that it's sold to the right partner. Someone who's... going to appreciate it as much as he does. And of course I thought who better than you Mr. Singh?" Rafe calmly stated through a kind smile that Pope couldn't help but tell was fake. That's all these pleasantries seemed to be... fake. But Rafe told him it would be. These were negotiations, nothing more.

"Well that is a fair point but I still do not see how this man found you, Mr. Cameron? And if you found him then... why aren't you wanting this "priceless artifact" all for yourself?" The Bahamian asked with a knowing smirk. Rafe expected the man to always be looking to get under his skin.

"Well that's really none of your concern, Mr. Singh. Because what I have in front of you right now is much more important than any backstory you claim to need."

Pope just watched as the two men eyed each other up and down, clearly playing a silent game of dick measuring. He thought he was ready for this, apparently he wasn't. Still, he couldn't stand the thought of not saying something. He finally cleared his throat.

"It's worth at least 500 million dollars."

Rafe just pursed his lips just enough to keep himself from scolding Pope. No straight answers was what he was told, and yet here he was, spewing a cold hard number to this man. Luckily, Rafe was good at not letting anyone see that he was upset. Now was not the time to lose it.

Mr. Signh was visibly shocked that Pope spoke up. He raised his eyebrows and let out a slight chuckle as he leaned back in his chair, now feeling like he had the leverage.

"Well well well... he speaks!" Mr. Signh exclaimed as he clapped his hands together.

Rafe looked at Pope with a grin that he knew held so much sarcasm. Rafe decided against saying anything else, feeling like Pope needed to sort this one out now. Pope felt the judgement, and just decided to roll with it.

"Yeah I do..." Pope stated calmly, now inhaling deeply and rubbing his sweaty palms on his perfectly starched khakis. "And I want you to know that this cross isn't to be altered in any way if I sell it to you. I want this in a museum on display somewhere. I feel that that's what it deserves."

"Fair enough, Mr. Heyward..." The man leaned in once more with his hands folded together neatly, giving Pope an oddly genuine smile. "But I feel that Mr. Cameron has yet to inform you that... I'm more interested in... off the record purchases. One's that don't get put in museums but... ones that put 500 million dollars cash in your pocket today. Is that something you'd be interested in, Mr. Heyward?" He whispered. Pope looked over at Rafe, unsure of what to say or do. Rafe gave no physical indication of what to do. After all, this was his cross. Rafe's input or previous coaching clearly didn't matter to Pope.

"Well yeah but-"

"But what, Mr. Heyward?" Mr. Signh asked with harsh eyes and a tilt of his head. Pope just sighed.

"If it's not going in a museum or to a good cause... then I can't sell it to you." Pope said sternly, finally finding his voice. Mr. Singh looked down at the floor and tapped his freshly polished leather loafer against the expensive rug.

"Very well, Mr. Heyward. But just a word of advice." Mr. Singh said as he stood up from the couch and looked between the two men in front of him. "Mr. Cameron... doesn't do honest deals either."

With that, the man strutted out of the mansion with his goons in tow. Pope and Rafe both watched as he ominously walked out of the room. Suddenly, Pope whipped his head back around with fury as he looked at Rafe with narrowed eyes and a puffed chest. He looked like he was trying to control his breathing.

"What?" Rafe spat with arms slightly extended.

"What does that prick mean by not doing honest deals? You know what? Never mind, I know exactly what he meant by that! That guy's not from some museum! He's not a collector!" Pope fumed as he now paced around the room.

"Oh he's a collector..." Rafe corrected defensively. Pope had to physically stop and ball his fists in that moment to contain himself. He pursed his lips and let the pent up air out slowly through his nose. Suddenly the collared shirt he had on felt suffocating, and he hastily unbuttoned the top button.

"That's not what I meant, Rafe. He's a black market collector and-"

"And he'll make you more money than you ever thought possible if you give up the damn merit! Dude, I understand you're new to all this, but you gotta understand, I'm not... and I'm telling you... this is what gets you and your little friends to full kook just like you all wanted!" Rafe seethed as he now met Pope where he was standing, being sure to point a finger towards his chest.

Pope had to pause once again to contain his anger.

"My little friends are also your sister and your brother in law. God, Rafe, I thought you understood by now!"

"Understood what?!"

"... We're not friends... we're family... you're family. We all let you in on this despite having our reservations about you because we love Jessie and chose to trust her. You still don't get it! You're still trying to do things your way and you're not understanding that we can sell this cross to the right people, make money, and still keep the moral high ground! We may want to be kooks... but we're not gonna be sell outs to get there..."

"If you're gonna be a kook you're gonna have to-"

"What you just did was not treating me or anyone else like family. This is not just a transaction, Rafe."

Rafe matched Pope's demeanor, now eyeing the man in front of him up and down with fists planted firmly by his side and his chest slowly heaving up and down. Pope could tell he had so much left to say, yet he didn't. Instead he walked away still fuming. Despite everything that just happened, Pope had to admit he was impressed. Not a punch thrown, not a shove, not even one more venomous word.

Rafe marched back to his hidden room, planting himself firmly on the bed and rubbing his eyes furiously as if to try and forget the memory of what just happened. Rafe felt like he had been punched in the gut with all the family talk.

"This is not just a transaction, Rafe."

Rafe didn't understand family... he understood transactions. That was the problem, and it broke his own heart. After all, that's all he was ever taught. Life was not a journey, but a game, a game that his father taught him to win. Ward toured around as a "family man" but Rafe knew he was anything but. He couldn't help but wonder if he would ever view life as more than just transactions as well. He needed Jessie here to prove him wrong, but she wasn't. Rafe started to sob with his head in his hands as he grasped the weight of Pope's words. Jessie and Charley were clearly his family, but the Pogues? Maybe he wasn't as open minded as he thought. Years of hatred and a brainwashed narrative will do that to a person. Then again, he thought he was doing the right thing by Pope and the others by trying to make the most money, not giving much thought to Pope's true intentions. Maybe that was his problem, he was never taught to move morally, only strategically. The sudden rush of emotions and flood of childhood traumatic memories overwhelmed Rafe. He needed Jessie, but she wasn't there.

Before he could process what he was doing, he felt his legs move towards the pantry right outside his hidden door. His mind was numb, only processing what felt like weights around his feet weighing down his legs. He felt drunk and out of his mind and yet he had nothing in his system. He scoured the cabinets for anything he could find, of course, all the wines, champagnes and whiskeys one could possibly imagine were right where they were supposed to be. He quickly grabbed the closest whiskey he could find, not even bothering to grab a certain brand and downed one big swig. The burn down his throat still wasn't enough to drown out the pounding in his head. He held his eyes once more trying to forget. He stumbled back into his bedroom and towards the master bath, not from drunkenness, but from losing his senses altogether due to the overwhelming anxiety he felt. He managed to catch himself as he placed his arms on the marble sink, slowly looking up at himself in the mirror. He took notice of the blown out pupils and wet bloodshot eyes.

"Be a man, men don't cry!"

Rafe heard his dead father ring in his ears the same way he heard him when he was ten years old. He physically groaned at the thought and put his head down feeling like the weight could snap it right off. Given the migraine he was suffering from, he wished it would.

Speaking of migraines, Rafe remembered he was in the bathroom, and behind the mirror would be some medicine that could help. With that he sniffled, wiped his face and tried to pull himself together despite nobody being around to see. Suddenly the suit jacket he had on felt like a straight jacket, and he immediately pulled it off. He rummaged through the cabinet sure enough to find the bottle of pills he was looking for, but when he opened it up, it was not Tylenol he found. It was a plastic baggy of the all too familiar powder. God, why'd he have to hide that shit everywhere he wondered. Even after he decided to get clean he still couldn't seem to escape his former self who undoubtedly had the best hiding spots. Still he stopped in shock as he looked at the contents of the bottle. He expected to immediately throw the bottle down and run out of the bathroom out of fear. Instead, he gripped it tighter out of anger for contemplating his next move. He still felt drunk to his senses, yet now he was filled with rage. Rage that this bottle had so much control over him in the moment. He gritted his teeth at the thought of the cocaine undoubtedly taking his headache away... and all the other pain he was feeling. He needed his Jessie... but she wasn't there.

Finally unable to take the pressure that kept building in his skull and in his mind, he created the perfect line of coke that would carry him through until his girls got home.

I'll Come Running - R.C. - Chapter 70

Rafe couldn't help but eavesdrop on the conversation the two siblings were having. What started as genuinely trying to make sure everyone was settled in turned into calculating his breaths and trying not to creek the wood floor to give away his whereabouts.

"And he's not gonna want you be anything else other than that."

The words cut Rafe deep, but what twisted the knife was the fact that Jessie didn't refute it. He only heard an undoubtedly awkward hush come over the two siblings. Without even seeing his wife, he knew exactly what she was doing. She was looking down at the floor with her lips sewn together trying not to say what she really thinks.

Rafe knows what she thinks.

JJ was right, though. Rafe didn't want Jessie to be anything else other than herself... but what he needed her to be... well, that was a different story. The same went for Rafe, what he wanted to be was not the same as what he needed to be. Rafe wanted to be the present father that wasn't so damn wrapped up in work all the time. But he needed to be the business man his father created him to be. He needed to be the breadwinner for the family. He needed to give his girls the best life had to offer, as he felt like anything less was a disservice to them. Not to mention, anything less is something he didn't grow up to be proud of. The Cameron's were always the best in their class, no matter what that looked like. If he was going to carry out the life he was destined for, he was gonna do it right.

Rafe didn't want to be addicted to cocaine, yet he needed a hit now more than ever due to the sudden feeling of inadequacy he felt once again. It was a feeling that was becoming familiar to Rafe all over again. He'd like to think that the past week of a stalemate between him and his brooding wife would have helped him kick the habit, but it only sucked him in more, soon enough he found himself using the same amount as he did before Jessie left. The memory scared him more than he could explain... yet he couldn't stop. Rafe felt worse about the using this time around. This time around it felt like he was cheating on Jessie, as she still had no clue he had fallen into bad habits. Yet the cocaine suddenly became more tantalizing, more seductive. The drug now was doing better at making him happy than Jessie was. The thought killed him, but ironically, the only thing that could convince Rafe to stop thinking about the disappointment would be to hit a line. So that's exactly what he did. Christmas wasn't supposed to be like this... his life wasn't supposed to be like this. But suddenly he couldn't see any other way he could smile for the pictures and get through this day knowing what his wife thought of him behind closed doors.

Rafe creeped over into his office just a few doors down and managed to form a neat white line. The same white line managed to block out Jessie's long hair, perfect lips, and curves every time. Once he recovered from the high, he decided to sneak back out as if nothing had happened, even though he would feel the effects of his rendezvous for hours.

"What're we doing?" Rafe asked as he walked back into the kitchen. Of course, the question was rhetorical, as he could clearly see what was going on.

"Making gingerbread houses." Jessie replied as she set the icing down and looked over at her husband.

"Daddyyyy" Charley squealed.

"Yes, darling?"

"Mommy and me and you have to make one togetherrrrr."

Why the toddler insisted on all three of them making a gingerbread house together? Nobody really knew, but Rafe didn't dare deny his child's wishes.

"Alright, sweetheart. What can I do to help?"

"Well you can help me hold the house in place while I glue it together." Jessie stated, to which Rafe obliged. He took notice of how everyone had paired off... he raised his eyebrows at the flirting coming from JJ and Kiara... that was a new development. Or maybe it wasn't, and he just hadn't looked up long enough to notice. He also noticed that Sarah and John B had their own gingerbread house to make... leaving Pope all alone.

"Hey Charley." Rafe spoke up, to which his daughter turned her attention up to him.

"Uncle Pope is all alone, why don't you go help him make his house, yeah?"

Charley looked in between her father and Pope, who was now smiling from ear to ear at the thought of not being the seventh wheel.

"I could really use your help, Charley!" He exclaimed. Everyone could tell the toddler was seriously considering the offer. She looked back up at her father with determination behind her eyes and a point of her finger.

"Okay... but you have to help mommy!" Charley demanded as she pointed at her father with narrowed eyes. The threat somehow worked, and yet Rafe couldn't help but giggle. She was just like her mother. Everyone else snickered at the very same realization. Rafe simply held his hand to his chest and the other in the air, taking the threat rather seriously.

"I promise." He replied. Charley folded her arms and nodded her head and marched over to her uncle Pope. The two extra wheels ended up winning the contest for best gingerbread house...

- - -

"Alright, everyone! Gather around! We're all gonna open one gift!" Jessie yelled throughout the house as everyone made their way in the living room, getting comfortable on the couches and some sitting on the floor closer to the tree. Of course, the ones sitting closer to the tree were Charley and JJ, both for the same reason... pure excitement.

"Alright, Char Char..." JJ rubbed his hands together in angst as he leaned down to his niece. "So the way this works is we all get one present tonight, and then we'll open the rest in the morning. Got it?"

"Got it!" The toddler exclaimed, who was now bouncing up and down, clearly unable to contain her joy.

Rafe sauntered into the living room with a bottle of champagne and glasses, setting them down carefully and walking over to his wife with a smile. He wrapped an arm around her and she did the same. Show time.

"Alright, so I know you guys all came here with your gifts for each other... but Jessie and I wanted to do something a little different this year."

The pogues looked up intently waiting for his next words.

"Since this is our first Christmas together as a family... and Jessie and I's first Christmas... ever... we wanted to just give each of you guys a present from us for tonight."

"So each of you have a present underneath the tree, so go find it!" Jessie exclaimed. The couple watched as their friends dug through the presents, looking for the one that belonged to them, and ripping them open with fury. Despite this being Jessie and Rafe's first Christmas together... they could both agree on one thing: a free for all was necessary when it came to gift opening. They both hated the idea of everyone opening their gifts one at a time. Nobody in that room had the patience for that. Especially not their three year old.

A slough of oohs and ahs filled the room as everyone gawked at their presents, JJ got a new hat and a pack of beer, John B got a hat rack (since his hats were always thrown everywhere), Kie got a turtle themed skateboard, Sarah got some new sneakers she had been wanting, Pope got a new book he has also been eyeing, and Charley got a new treasure chest for her toys, one that was much more colorful than the one she had in her room currently.

"Mommy, look!" The toddler screamed as she pointed to her new toy and peddled her feet up and down. Her parents both smiled as her father went to go open the champagne.

"I see it, baby! How cool!" Jessie replied as if she hadn't seen it already.

"And guess what Charley?" Sarah spoke up as she crawled over to her niece with a mischievous smile. "Santa's gonna bring you more tomorrow morning!"

Charley erupted in cheers and applause as she ran around the living room, which caused everyone to laugh.

"I wanna go put toys in it nooooow!" She begged as she ran back over to her treasure chest.

"Well then let's get to it!" John B responded as he jumped up to grab the box. It was too big for one person to carry, but thankfully, JJ understood the assignment and helped him carry it out. Charley stood underneath it, her arms barely tall enough to touch the bottom of it to try and help. The boys let the box down just slightly so Charley could "carry" it as well. The Pogues all followed the little girl to her room to help her redistribute her toys, which would undoubtedly turn into show and tell.

Jessie and Rafe both laughed as they watched the scene unfold, and after everyone finally made their way out of the living room, Jessie turned back around to see Rafe standing there with two glasses of champagne in his hands. He extended one to his wife. Her smile faded just slightly as she remembered her new vow not to drink since that night at her old apartment when everything broke loose. She still didn't want to mess with any gateway drugs, even alcohol. Rafe picked up on the subtle change of demeanor as he watched his wife eye the drink in her hand.

"You don't have to drink it." He said simply. Jessie darted her eyes back up to her husband, feeling like her secret was out. Rafe just chuckled. "I know you haven't been drinking, Jess. Don't think I haven't picked up on it."

A silence feel between them and Jessie let an awkward laugh escape her lips.

"Do... you have something you want to tell me?" Rafe asked softly, trying not to intrude. But he couldn't ignore the fact that his wife had stopped drinking cold turkey. Whether she realized it or not, Rafe knew her inside and out. She looked up at the man in front of her with furrowed brows, now suddenly really confused.

"Like what...?" She trailed off. Rafe just shrugged and looked around the room, unsure of what to say. He stared at Jessie with an inquisition that gave away exactly what he was looking for. Jessie's mouth dropped open and she choked on the words trying to come out of her mouth.

"O-oh... I'm not pregnant." Jessie assured as she exhaled deeply and shook her head frantically. Rafe let go of the breath he was holding in too followed by a slight laugh.

"Well good... I guess." Rafe tried to joke. He would love to have more kids with Jessie, but he knew now sure as hell wasn't the time. Jessie laughed and looked down at the floor awkwardly, playing with the shaggy carpet underneath her bare feet.

"I just... uh... haven't been drinking since..."

"Since the fight..." Rafe finished the sentence for her, now looking at her with kind eyes and a soft smile. "Yeah... I know." He whispered, now taking his free hand and cupping her face. This is the first genuinely gentle touch Jessie had felt since everything happened. For the past week every touch felt motivated out of lust or manipulation. This time, Jessie knew Rafe had his guard down.

"It's just that... drugs and alcohol was kinda what got us in this mess in the first place and... I just don't wanna give me or you anymore chances to mess this up again."

Jessie had her guard down too, and Rafe could tell by her words. He nodded his head and swallowed the lump in his throat. Not being able to look her in the eyes knowing his secret, he let go of her face, his hand suddenly feeling cold and heavy. He looked down at the ground, only being able to look at her red painted toenails. He nodded his head slowly, managing the strength to look back up.

"Yeah... I know." That's all that he could manage to say. He had to divert the conversation. He cleared his throat and took a deep breath as if to internally recollect himself. Jessie could tell he was ready to move on from the potentially deep conversation, and she wasn't surprised. "So I know you've seen that big ass box wrapped behind the tree." Rafe said with a smile and a nod of his head in that direction.

"How could I not? I know I didn't buy whatever that is." Jessie joked right back, getting back into character like nothing happened.

"It's for you." Rafe replied with a chuckle. Jessie just looked at the long, thin box that came up to her waist in confusion. "Go on... open it." Rafe insisted as he stepped aside.

Jessie showed clear hesitation on her face but slowly began walking over to the present, carefully setting down her champagne she still hadn't taken a sip of. She carefully slid the box across rhetorical floor just enough to get it out from behind the massive tree. She looked at Rafe, who silently implored her to go on. She ripped open the beautiful dark green paper and revealed a box with bright colors printed on the front of it. She gasped, and couldn't help but kick her head back in laughter, joy now spread across her face as she looked at her sneaky sneaky husband.

"It's a TV... for the living room... so we can all watch our shows together." Rafe explained softly. What seemed like such an impersonal gift to outsiders was just what Jessie needed to see the human side of Rafe again. She could tell he had put thought into this one. She scoffed and shook her head as she walked over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"You are unbelievable." She stated with a laugh as they swayed back and forth.

"Yeah, well... I figured we could give up the museum look anyways..." He joked back as he leaned down to kiss Jessie passionately. Through laughs, Jessie deepened the kiss, now bringing her hands to his face. Rafe smiled into the kiss as he realized what she was doing. He wrapped his arms tighter around her body, trying not to let her escape as he kissed her harder and began backing her up towards their room.

"I bet Charley's keeping them busy with her toys... we have a while." Rafe whispered in between kisses as he continued to walk his wife back. Despite clearly enjoying it, Jessie shook her head and moved her hands towards Rafe's chest to push him back.

"Uh uh." Jessie replied with a cheeky grin. "Just our luck they'll be out any minute wondering where we are." She said as she pulled away from his tight grip, sending him into a fit of groans. Jessie just giggled and walked back towards the living room, passing it and going towards her daughter's room.

"And fix your pants." Jessie hinted as she pointed down towards her husband's crotch.

"Well if you didn't make us all wear paper thin pajama pants we wouldn't have this problem now would we?"

Jessie just laughed and shook her head as he made her way to Charley's room to see her new set up.

The rest of the night was spent eating homemade cookies and watching Christmas movies. Jessie and Rafe managed to put Charley to bed, albeit it was extra difficult to get her to settle in given that her favorite people were still awake and Santa was coming. Eventually the Pogues turned into their rooms as well, leaving the couple to finally be able to set out the rest of the gifts for everyone. Of course, before they could even get one gift out, Jessie shushed her husband, as she heard the creak of a door and tiny little footsteps coming down the hall. She looked at Rafe with a smirk as she turned around to reveal none other than their daughter. Rafe watched as his wife stuck her hands on her hips with sass and gave his child a knowing look as she cocked her head.

"And what are you doing up, missy?" Jessie asked, already knowing the answer. She began to round the corner of the couch to get closer to her daughter. Charley of course had a shy smile on her face as she rocked back and forth. God, Rafe couldn't take the cuteness. Suddenly he thought maybe one more hour of staying awake with her wouldn't be so bad?

"I don't knoooooow." Charley replied as she retreated her face behind her hands.

"Yeah right," Jessie bantered. "You know you're not supposed to be up!" She said with feigned aggravation as she picked her daughter up and set her on her hip. Charley giggled, knowing her mother was just playing alone, and rested her head comfortably on Jessie's shoulder. Charley looked over at her father with her big doe eyes.

"You know I can't help you out of this one, princess." Rafe answered his daughter's silent plea as he stuck his hands in his pockets and shook his head. Charley looked up at her mother.

"I can't sleeeeeeep... Will you sing to me?"

"Of course I can, baby."