I finally have wifi so I can post this!
I'm the worst. I say I love one-shots, but I had an idea that I just couldn't let it go, and it was far too complex to not be a multi-chapter. I actually did a one-shot based on Gabby being in witness protection, but I wanted to expand it and make it sort of different. This will be Dawsey, but I'm going to attempt to make the time span shorter in chapters but have more content. So you will have to wait a bit, sorry.
Also I feel like a lot of the stuff I've written is Dawsey and Shawson based, so I wanted to build/show relationships with characters that have never been in the show and are no longer in the show including those. I'm hoping this story will go a long way.
Anyways, I really hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading and please let me know what you think :)
Gabby stared into her coffee as she stirred in the sugar, so exhausted she thought she may fall asleep in any second. She'd had trouble sleeping for a couple of months, which as Hannah told her was expected, but it made her bad mood even worse.
It was only 8 in the morning and the diner she was at was ridiculously busy. Teenagers gossiping, bells dinging and cooks yelling at each other in the back, occasionally the sound of something falling as someone ran out, late for god knows what.
Gabby thought about the diner she used to go to, only down the block from her house- old house- that had basically the best pancakes she'd ever tasted. The same noises that she found comforting there felt foreign here, and made her uncomfortable.
Where the hell was Hannah?
"Hello." Gabby jumped, looking up at a young black man with a huge smile on his face. Though he only looked slightly younger than her, he seemed to radiate a certain enthusiasm only a child could have. It may have brought her mood up if she wasn't still jumping at any sudden sound.
"Hey." She looked up at his name tag, Peter was his name. She could still feel her heart beating a bit faster, still slightly panicked by him popping out of nowhere.
"Sorry if I surprised you. I was just wondering if you knew what you wanted to order."
"Peter. I'm actually waiting for someone, could you give me a minute." He was looking at her face, but not in her eyes. Even though he seemed nice enough Gabby could feel herself getting annoyed, knowing he was looking at the remnants of the giant bruise on her face, and the cuts her arms were covered in. She cursed herself for wearing a t-shirt, but the heat had gotten to her. Despite the annoyance she forced herself to smile, and thankfully he pulled himself out of his thoughts and nodded.
"Yeah, I'll give you another minute."
He walked away, and Gabby sighed in relief, switching to the other side of the booth so she could see the front door and be sure no one was behind her. All the way in the back, on the side there were no bathrooms but a door with an employee entrance, clear view of the door. That's what she looked for now. Not the spot with the best view of the busy city block or the spot by the teenagers so she could secretly listen to their petty stories. Safety came first. She needed to be prepared. Hannah told her she didn't need to be as on guard anymore. She was safe here. But as true as that was she still had panic attacks, still couldn't walk alone at night without feeling like her head was going to explode. Hannah said they'd work on it though.
She'd finally given up on worrying about where she was when Hannah walked in. Gabby was stirring another packet of sugar and another cream into her coffee, eyes trained on Peter who was bringing orders to obnoxious teenagers. She perked up the second she saw her, and Hannah gave her a smile before she made her way over.
"You know you could sit by the door Grace."
Gabby rolled her eyes at the mention of her new name but didn't bring it up when Hannah shot her a look. "I know I can. I'm just more comfortable here." The petite U.S. marshal who had been assigned to watch her had quickly wormed her way into Gabby's comfort zone, despite her refusal to call her Gabby. She was the only person Gabby had for company, and the only person in this new city who knew what Gabby had gone through, which was good enough a reason for them to be friendly.
"You know today is my day off, is there anything you want to do today?"
"You're allowed to have days off?"
"I took the day off because I knew you were probably getting antsy not seeing me for a while. You know I have to start checking in on you less."
"Thank you." Gabby responded, truly grateful. Hannah had been doing favors for her since the day they met, and though she pissed her off sometimes she owed her a lot.
"You know you've been in Chicago for a little over a month and we still haven't visited that bean. We could do that."
She shook her head. "I didn't fall asleep until around four. And then someone decided to drag me out for breakfast, so."
"You should really try to sleep more."
"I am trying, that's not the problem." Gabby snapped at her. Hannah simply grabbed a menu and started to go through it, knowing it wasn't a conversation that needed to be had in public. Gabby grabbed a menu too, and started looking through it before she quietly spoke up. "I'm sorry. I'm just really tired." She didn't have to look up to know that Hannah understood, so she continued "the old diner I used to go to have the best pancakes." Hannah just hummed in response and they sat together quietly before Peter came up to the table again.
"You must be the friend," he said, grinning at Hannah. Hannah gave Gabby a quick smile before turning to look up at Peter. "Are you two ready to order?"
Hannah gave him a huge grin and Gabby had to restrain from rolling her eyes. "My friend Grace here has it in her mind that the old diner she went to had the best pancakes. We'll get two orders of pancakes so we can test that theory."
Peter grinned at Gabby but she simply glared at Hannah before saying, "a side of sausage too." He nodded and left, leaving Gabby to look at Hannah annoyed.
"He was cute."
"Can you not Hannah?"
"What, he was!"
Gabby groaned. "I'm not really looking for someone to date currently."
"Grace, this isn't a short term thing. I know you don't want to, but you really should try to settle down."
"I hate when you call me that." Gabby grumbled, sinking into the seat before drinking about half of her coffee in one go.
"Well it's your name now. You even have a birth certificate to prove it."
Not even bothering to argue, Gabby stared out the window until Peter came up back with their pancakes. She ate quickly, wanting to get home as soon as possible so she could sleep. Her eyelids felt heavy and the coffee she was drinking was doing nothing to combat that. Hannah decided to take her time though, using a disgusting amount of syrup on her pancakes, that even Gabby couldn't deny weren't that bad.
Getting bored Gabby started watching people, keeping an eye on Peter, hoping he wouldn't catch her staring. He was cute, she observed, but not exactly her type. She took pity when a group of teenagers complained about their order, simply to spite him, and again when it took him a good five minutes to get an elderly couples order. Eventually she got bored with people watching, and let her eyes wander. She perked up and took particular interest though in a tall blonde man with a son who was practically identical to him walked in. Both had almost piercing blue eyes and the same pointy nose. The young boy, who she figured was around 7 or 8, was tugging on the man's sleeve relentlessly, and she could tell he was annoyed but trying to hide it. He was attractive, extremely well built, and the face he was pulling while trying to quiet his son almost made her laugh out loud.
She became even more intrigued when Peter went up to him, clapping him on the back in a 'man hug' before crouching down to talk to the little boy. They went to sit at a table not too far from hers, and Gabby turned her attention back to her plate when Peter made his way over to her table.
"So, how were the pancakes?"
"Pretty decent," Gabby said.
Hannah snorted at her. "They were great. I was wondering if there is any chance you're hiring?"
"Have you had any experience?" Peter asked, and Gabby groaned internally, knowing she wasn't asking for herself.
"Actually, I'm asking for her. She's new to the area and really needs some work."
Peter looked over and Gabby attempted to put on a smile. He obviously took it as sincere because he nodded. "Yeah. Well no, actually. I'm not sure if we're looking to hire. But this is my family's place, so maybe I can work something out for you."
Gabby's eyebrows raised, and although the last thing she wanted to think about was getting a job she appreciated his kindness. "That would be great, thank you."
Hannah was practically beaming, and she pulled out a pen and paper, scribbling down Grace Davis in large curly handwriting that didn't seem like the type to belong to a U.S. marshal, and Gabby's new cell phone number on it, handing it to Peter. Relieved because she would have surely not remembered either of those things, Gabby just tried to not look too uncomfortable and keep up her smile despite her exhaustion. Hannah handed him some cash to pay for their meals, and they both started to gather their things to leave. "You've been so kind Peter." Hannah said, and they all stood.
"Of course. Uh, I'll call you, Grace."
Gabby nodded, and the two headed out. As they were leaving, she got a quick glance at the man she'd seen earlier. He was watching his son talk, and the look on his face warmed her heart, reminding her of Antonio and Diego. It didn't take long for the warmth to turn into an ache though, so she quickly shook it off, instead turning her thoughts to going home and sleeping.
Gabby woke up around 6 in the afternoon, and figured that if Hannah was going to make her find work she might as well attempt to fix her sleep schedule. So she decided to pull herself out of bed to get some melatonin.
Although now she could sleep for more than an hour, even if the time wasn't convenient, when they'd still been moving around from hotel to hotel she could barely shut her eyes. Even when they'd found this place for Gabby, she'd asked Hannah to sleep on the couch until she got comfortable. She of course did to Gabby's relief, but eventually she needed to become comfortable in this home. And Hannah needed to stop visiting so frequently.
Walking to her closet, she surveyed her options. Remembering people's eyes on her arms at breakfast, she pulled out a long sleeved shirt, before deciding to pair it with running shorts. The bruising on her legs wasn't that bad anymore, only a small faded bruise marred her lower calf. Pulling on running shoes and her father's old Yankees cap, she headed to the kitchen. When she opened the fridge and found nothing but leftover pizza and some beer, she figured she might as well stop at the grocery store as well.
She kept her head down as she headed out of her house and to the closest bus stop. For now she was in one of the newer, nicer parts of Chicago, meant for people far more well off than she was. But thankfully it was a neighborhood of people who weren't nosy and kept to themselves.
It was a miracle that she ended up in a city and not some small secluded town. Gabby figured Antonio had probably insisted on it, saying she'd go stir crazy stuck in a small place. That would make her a higher risk of leaving, and she was an important witness. Too important for them to risk running out of the program and going home to get killed.
Though she was glad she was still in a city, buses made her anxious. She didn't like being trapped in a moving vehicle with tons of other people. But then again walking made her anxious as well. She could drive, but they couldn't get her a car when they put her into protection, and she didn't have the money to buy one. So for now she would deal with sitting in the front of the bus behind the driver. Look out the window when people board so they won't see your face. Always be the first one off.
She managed to stick to that, and bounded off the bus and towards the grocery store at her stop.
The cold of the frozen sections was a nice contrast to the heat outside that made her feel like she was suffocating. Grabbing a cart, she started walking up and down the aisles, at first grabbing things to toss in the cart with no real purpose. She would eat anything, as long as she could sleep at night. The melatonin was at the end of the store, so when she realized she'd grabbed about five different bags of candy, she slowed down and took her time in an attempt to force herself to get real food, working her way across.
It worked for a while until she ended up in the cereal aisle, where she momentarily stopped being an adult. Trying to gauge accurately while walking whether or not she needed, or would actually eat, froot loops, she almost missed the boy standing in front of her cart. Thankfully at the last moment she came to a halt, and looked down at the smiling face of the kid she'd seen at the diner that morning. She took a second to be sure that it was the same boy, before actually thinking about the fact that she should probably say something to him, or smile at least. She did both.
"Hey. Uh, are you here with one of your parents?"
"Yeah, my dad brought me. But he's taking forever, and I wanted to pick out my cereal."
"Oh. Which aisle is he in? Maybe we can go find-"
"Do you like froot loops?" His smile was huge and Gabby couldn't help but smile back at him. He continued without waiting for her response. "I like froot loops, but I'm more into chocolate cereal. I tried to tell dad-"
"Andrew." Gabby heard a voice behind him and looked over her shoulder to see the man from the diner earlier. His face was flustered, but he looked relieved at the sight of his son. He rushed over, dropping his basket on the ground to get eye level with his son- Andrew. "Don't run off on me again, you hear me?"
Andrew rolled his eyes, and as bad as Gabby felt for the fright he'd given his father, it was hard to not be amused at the fact that Andrew thought he knew best. "Daaad, I just wanted to pick out cereal. You told me I could and you were taking forever!"
"That doesn't matter. You can't just wander around. You need to learn to be patient, you'll still get what you want. Besides, it's not like you can eat it now. Okay?"
"Okay." Andrew only looked guilty for a moment before he turned back to Gabby. "As I was saying, I tried to tell dad that we should get cookie crisp, but he said that was more a dessert than a breakfast."
Gabby looked over at his father, who had now risen to stand next to her. He was even more attractive up close, and she quickly averted her eyes. "Well I hate to break it to you kid but your dad's probably right."
"Thank you." She looked up at him and smiled. He was giving her a confused look, and she took a step back, feeling nervous under his gaze. "I feel like I saw you somewhere this morning."
Glad she wasn't strange for remembering him she nodded. "I feel like I may have seen you at a diner, maybe?"
He nodded his head. "Yeah, that's it. Um, thank you for making sure he didn't run off again." He looked somewhat embarrassed and Gabby gave him a small smile.
"Oh, it's no big deal. He was only here for like, 10 seconds before you showed up, so."
He nodded slowly, looking over at Andrew who was looking at all the characters on the cereal boxes. "Yeah, he's just got so much energy. I turn away for a second and he's run off. I could sign the kid up for about 10 sports and he'd still have too much energy."
Gabby let out a quiet laugh. "Yeah, I get it. My nephew's like that." Cursing herself for saying that, she turned back to her cart, tossing in the froot loops that she'd held on to. "I'll uh, let you get back to it. Have a nice night." She smiled quickly and started pushing the cart by him before he could say anything else to her, just wanting to finish her grocery shopping and sleep for another 8 hours. She made it only a few steps before Andrew called out.
"Wait, what's your name?"
She looked over her shoulder quickly. Checking herself to make sure she said the right thing, she called back, "It's Grace." Gabby turned out of the aisle, desperate to leave and wishing she could have told them her real name.
Gabby somehow ended up at the diner again the next morning, this time without the company of Hannah. When she walked in and the spot she had sat in yesterday was taken, along with basically any other booth or table, she started to become worried. The only seats left were at the counter. It took her a second to gather the courage but she did, and still in the same clothes she'd put on before she went grocery shopping she made her way up to the counter and ordered pancakes, finishing her coffee as soon as she got it. Soon enough an older looking woman with a bright smile and curly short brown hair came up to her, ready to refill her cup. She slightly resembled Peter, and remembering that he'd said his family owned the place Gabby wondered if this was his mother.
"You pull that hair color off. I remember my daughter used to always try to convince me to let her dye her hair blonde. I never wanted it for her." She poured the coffee and it took Gabby a moment to realize she was talking to her, that she no longer had her dark brown hair that fell past her shoulders.
"Thank you. I uh, I wasn't even really that into it, my friend thought it would be a good idea." She remembered Hannah convincing her she should make a change. It wasn't necessary for relocating, the 800 mile distance was enough considering the gangs operations were strictly east coast, but she probably thought it would help make the new start more enjoyable. Maybe it would make it feel like it was her own choice that she was starting over. It didn't, but Gabby couldn't bother to dye it back.
"Well you must trust your friend to let her be messing with your hair."
Gabby smiled slightly, "yeah, I trust her a lot. Although I'm sure the hair department is something I won't trust her with again."
She smiled, and despite the Sunday morning business she leaned up against the counter, staying to talk to Gabby. "My name's Ingrid."
"I'm Grace. Is there any chance you're Peter's mother?"
Ingrid's face lit up at the mention of him and she nodded. "Yes I am. You must be the Grace he told me to keep a look out for. When did you meet him?"
"Just yesterday. I'm still relatively new to Chicago."
"Well Grace, you have made a good impression on me. I may just have some work for you."
Gabby smiled, putting her hand out to shake Ingrid's. "Thank you, for even considering me. I really appreciate it."
"Oh don't worry about it darling. I'm sure we can find something for you to do around this place. It gets pretty busy, and Peter works shifts at firehouse 51 just a few blocks away, so we could use the help."
Another server came up with Gabby's order of pancakes, and she thanked them before turning back to Ingrid. "So Peter's a firefighter?"
She sighed, and Gabby could tell the idea was far from thrilling to her. It reminded her of the face her mom pulled anytime Antonio's job was brought up. "Yup. He wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. I can't say I'm all that happy about it, but he put his mind to it a long while ago. It's not fair of me to stop him now."
Gabby nodded slowly. "I'm sure he's good at his job and works with men who are too. I know accidents aren't always prevented by that, but I bet he's doing his best to come home safe to you."
Ingrid nodded, and Gabby just smiled at her, keeping her eyes trained on her expression. She truly felt comfortable around Ingrid. Realizing she'd neglected to acknowledge what was going on around her she turned, surveying the restaurant for anyone who look familiar. When she was satisfied she turned back around. Ingrid had stood up, filling her coffee cup once more. "I'm going to leave you to eat. But just so you know," she leaned in closer looking pointedly at the remains of the bruise on Gabby's face. "I'll always be here for you. Anything you need sweetie. I'm sure Peter got your number, I'll be giving you a call about that work sometime soon."
Though her stomach churned at the acknowledgment, Gabby nodded, saying a quiet thank you. Finishing her meal quickly, she paid and left. Not wanting to go back home just yet, she made her way to a park, pushing up her sleeves in a weak attempt to deal with the heat. Figuring she was wearing the clothes for it, she got on a trail and started to run.
She let herself get somewhat lost while being careful that she was aware. The pounding of her feet on the pavement set up a nice rhythm, and she tried to let it calm her. Giving a quick glance to everyone she ran by, and being sure to look at who was behind her on turns, she made her way around the park, trying to not think too much about anything that wasn't in her immediate surroundings.
She had finally let herself relax slightly, when out of the corner of the eye she saw a moustache and greasy, choppy black hair that looked far too familiar for her liking. She could feel her heart start to beat even faster than it already was, and her stomach knotted. She quickened her pace, trying to get to a spot with more people, worrying that somehow, someone had found her and it was the end of it.
Practically sprinting, she ran towards a spot with multiple picnics going on, a park full of children and a police officer not too far from there. She twisted her head around, and let out a huff of relief when she saw no one was behind her on the trail but an older woman with a young girl. Slowing to a stop, Gabby moved to the side of the path and sat on a bench. Taking deep breaths she tried to calm down, tried to get to the state she was in before.
It was just a false alarm, she told herself. Over, and over, it was just a false alarm.
Eventually her breathing evened out and she sat up, looking at the people around her, wondering if any of them would ever feel so panicked and alone as she had felt so many times recently. She hoped they didn't.
Gabby didn't want to be Grace; she didn't want to be in Chicago. She wished she'd never reconnected with Jason. Then she could be at home with her family, not in some random park alone. Not with only one friend, who had been assigned to protect her.
Even though she was able to calm down, she knew she had to anticipate another false run in with one of the men who'd hurt her. She knew she'd still have panic attacks and be anxious. But in that moment she figured she should just be glad that she was okay. Pulling herself off the bench she stretched quickly, and started walking back in the direction she thought was home, just wanting to go shower and watch T.V.
Since she was starting work that day, only a week after she'd met Ingrid, Gabby decided she might as well get up and be productive. She didn't have to be at the diner until around 2, but figured she may as well get some things done.
She was in the middle of her third granola bar when she heard a knock at the door. Checking the peephole she saw Hannah standing at the door, and smiled slightly. She opened the door and started walking to the living room, knowing Hannah would probably grab something from the kitchen before joining her.
"You actually have food in here." Hannah called out. Gabby rolled her eyes despite knowing she couldn't see her. She wondered if she was ever so unprofessional around her colleagues. Of course Gabby was thankful that she wasn't professional. She was sure that if she had been Gabby wouldn't have liked her as much, and the transition would have been far worse.
"Yeah, I went shopping."
"But you still refuse to eat fruit." She walked into the living room and threw an apple at Gabby that landed next to her on the couch. Gabby scowled but bit into it, leaning into the cushions. "This place is still so bare. Are you sure you don't want to get furniture?"
"Nah, I mean I'm still going to have to move at least once more right? Do you know when my things will get here?"
"I don't know, it may be a month, may be 6. You've only been out of New York for3 months so far."
"It feels like forever."
"Yeah well." Hannah leaned against the wall, biting into the apple she was eating. "I was just stopping by to let you know that I'll be gone for a bit."
"How long?"
"Only a week or so." Relieved, Gabby leaned back. The number of times Hannah checked up on her had significantly decreased, so she could deal with a week by herself. "You're starting your new job today right?"
"Yup, thanks to you."
She scoffed. "Please, this will be good for you. You should try to become friends with that Peter boy, he seemed nice."
"Yeah, maybe."
Hannah didn't push the topic anymore but stuck around, helping Gabby do dishes. She left soon after, leaving Gabby to vacuum and then take a nap before she head out for work.
Working at the diner wasn't too difficult of a job. She got to wear her favorite pair of jeans instead of dress pants, and everyone working there was quite nice. Peter showed her the ropes, how to use the cash register, when she needed to bus, how to put in orders. She was left to work behind the register her first day, safe behind the counter, only having to smile at people and tell them to have a good day. By the time 10:30 rolled around, their last customer was leaving, and she and Peter were wiping down tables and refilling salt and pepper shakers.
"So my mom said you're new to Chicago?"
Gabby only slightly grimaced, not wanting to have to talk about herself but responded with a simple "yep."
"Where'd you live before?"
"New York."
"Ohh, so you're used to big cities." She just hummed, hoping that he'd drop the questions if she didn't give good responses. "Why'd you move out here?"
"Look, Peter you're a nice guy but I really don't want to talk about it. Especially with someone I hardly know." She immediately felt regret for snapping at him when his face fell. They were at opposite sides of the place, him sweeping and her wiping down tables, and they stood looking at each other before he nodded, looking to the ground and continuing to work. Gabby sighed, walking over to him. "I'm sorry. That was unfair of me. It's just- it's just not really something I want to share, okay. I shouldn't have snapped at you, you've been so nice to me."
He looked up at her, looking guilty. "I get it, it's none of my business. If you ever want to talk though, I'm here."
Gabby nodded, smiling. "I'll keep that in mind." She went back to wiping tables while he continued sweeping. "So your mom told me you're a firefighter?"
"Yeah, I just started recently, actually. Still the candidate, so I get all the shitty jobs. But everyone there is great, and it's been my dream for forever."
"That's nice. I guess I know who to call if I ever have an accident baking." She cringed at the joke, not even bothering to look up.
He chuckled. "911 is probably a better bet than me, but I'd show up."
They finished everything up by 11, and Peter told Gabby that he'd lock up. She thanked him, and was about to head out before he stopped her. "Hey Grace. You know, all the guys at the firehouse go out every once in a while. You're free to join us."
The thought of going out drinking with a group of strangers sounded exhausting, but she smiled and nodded anyway. "Yeah, maybe some time."
I hope you liked this! Just wondering, would you rather see this whole thing through Gabby's perspective, or should I maybe add Matts or even Peters for some chapter? Let me know what you think. Btw In the Wings should be updated by Wednesday :)