[3][4] The couple is often referred by the portmanteau "Rali" (for Rafe and Alison) on Internet message boards.

[7] Brian Gaskill, who had portrayed an angel before in the short film Higher Grounds, was cast in the part.

"[8] Port Charles began dividing its storytelling into thirteen-week arcs called books.

The show's executive producer Julie Hanan Carruthers "told me that one of the reasons I'm still around is because it's been palatable," Gaskill said.

[11] He and Hershey Presley, who were friends off-screen, created an unintentional on-screen chemistry that did not work with the story they were acting out.

[11] Port Charles' co-head writer Barbara Estensen compared the actors onscreen connection to magic.

"We found this great, obviously very charming little venue to shoot that totally looks like Port Charles- and the train is so romantic, we couldn't pass it up.

"[3] Port Charles had taken on an accelerated taping schedule that gave the cast and crew a summer hiatus.

[9] The shoot took place on July 30, 2002 meaning Gaskill, Hershey Presley, as well as 150 extras, stunt people, and crew members had to take a day off from their summer hiatus.

Since the scenes were shot during the day and the story setting was night, the windows of the car had to be blacked out to simulate nighttime.

[3] On December 30, 2002, Rafe and Alison's failed wedding aired in the premiere episode of the tenth book, "Surrender".

He comes to Port Charles in order to help the citizens of that city destroy the vampire Caleb Morley.

After Caleb is defeated, Rafe's mission is to fix all of the romantic problems of the Port Charles residents.

Rafe makes a deal with James, an entity from hell, in order to come back to earth.

Alison is shocked to realize that Rafe has no memory of their relationship and that he believes he is engaged to Livvie.

When Livvie realizes that Rafe is starting to remember Alison, she sleeps with a supernatural creature called the Avatar and becomes pregnant.

Unconvinced, Rafe decides to continue his friendship with Alison and finally declares his love for her.

With his task accomplished, Rafe regains his memory, just as Livvie arrives to find the couple in an embrace.

It turns out that Rafe's father, who is also an angel, takes pity on the tragic couple and allows his son to return to Earth for good.

Problems come their way when the vampire and Rafe's enemy, Caleb Morley, returns to Port Charles.

Rafe and Caleb continue to try destroying each other, but learn they can not because it would disturb the balance of good and evil on Earth.

Unable to beat each other, Rafe and Caleb, who has a romantic relationship with Alison's nemesis Livvie, are forced to co-exist in the small town.

In 2013, on General Hospital Alison and a now teenage Rafe returned to Port Charles and learned that Lucy had been arrested for stabbing John McBain, whom she mistaken for Caleb.

Afraid that they might be in danger, Alison gave Rafe a metal spear to use as protection while she headed to the police station where she runs into John, whom she mistakes as Caleb.

When he arrives at the docks for the meeting with Alison, he finds Rafe leaning over his mother's lifeless body, holding the spear she'd given him.

[14][15] Magazine's praised Gaskill and Hershey Presley's performances in the storylines focusing around the Rafe and Alison romance.

[16] Soap Opera Weekly's Joe Diliberto also praised Hershey for her work during "the crumbling of Alison's relationship with Jamal" and the beginning of her romance with Rafe.

[17] Diliberto said, "As Port Charles Alison, Erin Hershey mixed heaping amounts of amiability with dollops of sadness and a dash of bittersweet to come up with a performance sweeter than any candy.

In the article, Joanne Gallo praised him for making "falling in love appear fresh and new," noting how difficult that is to do on a soap opera.

"[18] TV Guide also applauded the premiere of Port Charles's tenth book, "Surrender," because the expanded episode gave Hershey Presley more time to "showcase her range"—range they believed she deserved a Daytime Emmy Award nomination for.