Disclaimer: I own nothing except for the original ideas in my own scattered mind.
Feedback: Only if you want to live…I mean read more. (grins)
Summary: Takes place in the future. It will include August, yes, so never fear. By the way, I couldn't recall whether Lily's baby was male or female, so in my version, it's a girl.
Chapter One: There's No Place Like Home (Unfortunately)
Grace Manning pulled into her driveway in her new white jeep, a warm smile spreading across her face. Home, she thought. It had been so long since she'd last seen her family.
Grace forced herself out of her car, opting to worry about lugging her belongings in later. Right now she was too exhausted from her long journey to unpack. Reaching the door, Grace lifted herself up upon her tiptoes, feeling around for the extra key in the gutter. Mom told her that they might not be home when she arrived, but they still hid the key in the same place.
Letting herself into the dark house, Grace flicked the light switch, taking in the sweet aroma of her old house, a mild, lemony scent she had grown all too accustomed to. Yawning widely, Grace melted down onto a plush velvet couch she didn't recognize and allowed her eyes to slowly shut.
Her eyes may have been closed, but she was far from a state of sleep. Grace had too many worries on her mind to even consider drifting off. The past five years of her life had been such a blur and she couldn't even remember how her life had ended up this way.
After moving to Australia with her mother, Grace finished her senior year of high school. Tensions between her and her mother increased, especially when she discovered that Grace was attempting to contact her former literature teacher, August Dimitri. Grace never really did pluck up the courage to contact him, but her mother wouldn't even listen long enough to realize that.
So, naturally as soon Grace graduated she packed her bags, eager to head back to the States. She was accepted to Columbia University on a partial writing scholarship. Grace juggled two jobs to help support herself and pay for college, refusing any money her mother and Rick tried to offer her. Her dad never offered her money…the two hadn't spoken in years. Grace threw herself into college and her work, neglecting her family completely. She had resented her family for ruining her relationship with Mr. Dimitri, and being her usual stubborn self, cut off all contact with them.
She published a book in college, filled with a collection of her own short stories and poems. She entitled it "As the World Falls Down" in honor of her most personal short story, a piece inspired by her relationship with August. It did surprisingly well, even if it didn't exactly take the world by storm, and Grace was able to relax and not worry so much about money. Grace was majored in literature and minored in journalism, meshing two writing worlds within herself. The day she graduated college was the saddest day of her life; she was the only one there without family members watching. She decided then that she would have to let go off her childhood anger, and she spent that night crying on the phone with her mother and catching her up on everything new in her life. She made amends with her entire family, all except for her father, who remained stubborn, refusing to speak to her.
A month after she graduated, Grace was hired at the New Yorker at first as just a book reviewer. Grace loved being paid for merely reading and commenting on books, an act she had been doing for free nearly all of her life. Grace made many new friends within the company, and it was all because of Sharon Deisser that she met her now fiancé. Sharon was one of the theatre critics and while reviewing "the Producers", she made Grace come along with her, convinced that she wasn't getting out nearly as much as she should be. Grace loved the comedy, and afterwards met the actor/musician Marcus Renter who had played the play's lead character Max Bialystock. He and Grace hit it off right away, and it wasn't long before the two started dating. He was extremely sweet and passionate about his music and he encouraged Grace's writing incessantly. He proposed to her about a month ago on the empty Broadway stage. Surprised but ecstatic, Grace eagerly agreed, and the two planned on marrying in June.
This engagement is precisely what brought Grace home. Lily and Rick only stayed out in Australia a few more months after Grace left, then they brought the entire family back to Illinois with them; minus one. Grace's grandmother never fully adapted to the move out to Australia, and died one month before the family returned home. Her grandmother's death always made Grace feel guilty for leaving Australia so rashly, but as she couldn't go back and change her past, Grace learned to accept her mistakes and move on. And she really was moving on into a whole new life with Marcus.
When Grace told her mother the exciting news, Lily began bawling on the phone, rambling about "her little Gracie growing up". She insisted that Grace come home for a little while, so Grace took a leave of absence from her work and flew out to Chicago. Marcus was finishing touring with the cast of "Chicago". He was playing lawyer Billy Flynn and still had another week before he was due to arrive in Chicago. Grace couldn't wait for him to arrive and meet the family. She knew that they would love him instantly.
"Gracie? Gracie are you here?" a familiar feminine voice asked.
Grace's eyes shot open at once and a small smile crept over her face. Climbing to her feet, Grace entered the kitchen where her mom stood waiting, an emotional mess to say the least.
Grace embraced her mother tightly, wondering how she could have ever once thought she could survive without her family. Her mom pulled away first, wiping a few silent tears from her face, while trying desperately to contain all of her emotion.
Grace had to laugh at the artistic sight her mother painted. "Oh mom," she sighed, shaking her head.
"I'm sorry," Lily said. "But I haven't seen you in years Gracie."
Grace smiled and squeezed her mom's shoulder. "Where's the rest of the herd?"
"They're getting their school stuff. They should be right in."
"Oh my God! Graaaaaaaaaaaace!" wailed a tall, lanky brunette who soared into the room, backpack swinging wildly as she tackled her sister.
Grace laughed as she hugged her sister. She had to admit she missed Zoe immensely. Zoe was, after all, her younger sister with her fiery temper and quirky personality. Grace hated that she missed watching Zoe grow up. She hardly recognized this now grown young woman who seemed to be permanently attached to her side.
"Hey kid," Zoe said, mussing Zoe's dark brown hair. "How've you been?"
Zoe stood up and sighed, a long, drawn out, overdramatic sigh. "High school sucks," she announced.
Grace laughed while her mother hit Zoe with the dish towel in her hand.
"Zoe!" Lily warned.
"It's fine," Grace assured her. "I missed this drama queen."
"Yeah, do you know how weird it was without an older sister to fight with?" Zoe joked. "The only one left here is the little one."
"Zoe Manning! You leave your sister alone!" Lily scolded.
"Sorry," Zoe mumbled, turning to Grace and rolling her eyes. "The kid's evil," she mouthed to Grace.
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" a small voice called. A five year old little girl toddled inside, a piece of paper in her hand. "I made it for you and Daddy," she claimed triumphantly.
"Oh wow!" Lily exclaimed, scooping the fair-haired girl into her arms. "Maddie, I love it! Let's hang it on the fridge, okay?"
"Okay," Madison giggled, helping her mom place a magnet over the picture.
"Hey, Maddie, do you remember Gracie?" Lily asked.
"I'm so glad she can't add an "ie" onto my name," Zoe remarked.
"Zo!" Lily exclaimed as she set Maddie down. "Go get ready for work."
"All right, all right," Zoe remarked.
Maddie walked up to Grace curiously and then started pointing into the living room. "The book!" she yelled.
"The book?" Grace questioned. "No, no, Maddie, I'm your sister Grace."
Maddie huffed. "The book," she said firmly.
Grace looked up at Lily in confusion. Lily shrugged as Maddie ran out of the room.
"She gets like that sometimes," Lily remarked. "She gets in these moods and just wants to be left alone."
"Oh," Grace said, a bit hurt that her own sister didn't remember her. Not that she could blame her. After all, the last time Grace had seen her, she was barely one.
"Where's Rick?" Grace asked, cutting herself a piece of chocolate cake.
"Still at work," Lily replied. "He won't be home for another couple of hours. But Jessie will be here soon."
"Jessie?" Grace asked, baffled.
"Yeah…stepsister…year younger than you…tiny, blonde thing about…"
Grace rolled her eyes. "I know who Jessie is. I just didn't know she was visiting."
"Visiting?" Lily asked, the confusion being passed on to her. "Oh! I thought you knew. Jessie still lives with us."
"She does?" Grace asked in disbelief. "Why?"
"Grace!" Lily warned. "She's had a hard time dealing with all of the problems in her life. I mean, it can't be easy coming to terms with being a lesbian, plus battling an eating disorder…"
"Oh right, so I see nothing's changed," Grace remarked, slamming her plate of untouched cake down onto the counter. "Jessie's still the golden child, no matter what."
"Grace, don't be ridiculous. And you of all people! I thought you'd be a bit more understanding. Jessie has a lot to deal with right now."
"Well, so do I!" Grace shouted. "Why does no one ever include me?"
"Well, let's think about it this Grace, you blocked us out of your life for four years," Lily said sharply. "I lied, more like six years, starting your junior year. You kept to yourself in your own little Grace world and refused to accept any interference from anyone."
"That's not true!" Grace yelled.
"Oh, right, August Dimitri was granted entry into your sacred world."
Her mom's words stung. She never knew her mom could still be so angry about a subject so long buried.
"Well," Grace said, narrowing her eyes. "At least I remember why I shut you out."
Lily paused, obviously hurt by her daughter's harsh words. Just then a loud crash was heard from the living room. The two rushed towards the sound, thankful to see only a broken picture frame and Zoe hovering above it.
"Zoe!" Lily shouted. "What happened?"
"Why do you two always do this?" Zoe demanded. "You always fight, about everything. Why can't you just STOP? Grace already went away for a long time and I don't want her leaving again! So just stop! Please…"
"Oh, Zo," Grace began, suddenly embarrassed about her childish behavior.
"No," Zoey said, fleeing up the stairs.
"God," Grace muttered turning towards her mom. "Look, let's just leave well enough alone. We obviously have differences that will never be sorted out, no matter how hard we try. Let's just leave the past in the past, and try to move on. Okay?"
Lily smiled. "Just when I think you can't possibly grow any older, you contradict me."
Grace grinned. "So where am I staying?"
Grace dragged her heavy suitcases up the wobbly wooden stairs that led to the garage apartment. She set her luggage to the far side of the room, out of the way of Jessie's belongings. Her mother told her she could use the bureau on the right side of the room and that Jessie agreed to lend half of her closet space. Eager, to get the grunt work out of the way, Grace hurried with her unpacking, shoving clothes in their proper place, and stacking books along her temporary air mattress.
Once she had finished, Grace flopped down upon her air mattress, understandably exhausted. She decided a short nap couldn't hurt, but before she could even reach for the lamp, she heard soft footsteps coming up the stairs.
"Hey," a quiet voice said.
"Hey," Grace replied, forcing herself to sit up. She took a long look at the tall blonde standing before her. Jessie had changed so much, and yet, so little. Her hair lightened, and had white blonde highlights in it. She had grown a bit and was now taller than Grace. She also seemed somewhat different. Grace couldn't place just how yet, but she knew it was there.
"Do you need any help?" Jessie asked, pushing her soft, long hair over her shoulder with indefinite grace; an act that Grace often despised and envied all throughout her high school years.
"Nah," Grace said, waving her hand. "I'm pretty much done."
"Oh, okay," Jessie said cautiously, tiptoeing around the room, hands held nervously behind her back. She bit her lip, a nervous habit, and focused her attention upon some of Grace's books. "Oh!" she said suddenly, as if finding the perfect conversation starter. "I read your book."
"Oh? That was nice of you," Grace said.
"Yeah, I thought it was great," Jessie admitted, smiling. "Some of your poems were really awesome."
"Thanks," Grace smiled. "So…what have you been up to?" she asked, hoping to cut some of the tension from the room.
"Well, I've been taking a few college courses here and there," Jessie explained. "I'm not in any particular rush to finish. I should be done in three more years if I continue at this pace, maybe one if I move to being a full-time student. I'm majoring in drama. I'm hoping to one day get onto Broadway. That would be amazing!"
"Yeah, it would," Grace said, remembering how they once competed for the part of Rosalind for their high school play. "You'll be a great actress…especially with your voice."
"Thanks," Jessie blushed.
"Yeah, my fiancé, Marcus, he's actually a performer. He's been on Broadway a few times. He's actually finishing up a tour with his cast. They're doing "Chicago" and he's Billy Flynn."
"Are you serious?" Jessie asked, incredulous. "That's unbelievable! He must be amazing."
"He's great," Grace admitted.
"Wow," Jessie said, still unable to fully take in this news. "I've only done a few plays since high school. Just local theaters. And, I'm helping out at this new community theater for teenagers. I'm assisting the director. It's a lot of fun."
"What are you doing?" Grace asked.
"Right now we're doing "Damn Yankees". It's one of my favorites."
"Well good luck…I mean, break a leg," Grace joked.
"Thanks," Jessie said grinning, as she ran her hand over some of Grace's books. "Mind if I peek through?"
"Not at all," Grace said. "I'm actually going to run to the kitchen to grab some iced tea. Do you want anything?"
Jessie shook her head. "No, I'm good."
"Okay," Grace insisted, clamoring down the stairs. She hurried into the kitchen, grabbing two glasses, and pouring herself and Jessie some iced tea. She heard the sounds of the Dawson's Creek theme song nearby. She poked her head into the living room where Zoe sat, enticed in an episode of Dawson's Creek.
"Is this show still alive?" Grace asked.
"Shh…" Zoe mumbled. "She's gonna kiss him, I just know it!"
Grace chuckled inwardly as she headed back upstairs. "I know you said you didn't want any, but…" Grace began.
"You still have this?" Jessie asked, holding up Grace's Chekhov book.
"Yeah, why?" Grace asked, setting Jessie's glass of iced tea on her desk.
"It's just…I would have thought that after everything…you would have thrown it away…" Jessie trailed off, her eyes scanning the ground.
Grace was shocked at the prospect of throwing the book out. It was hers. It was priceless. She looked down upon Jessie, who was still in so many ways, a child. "Jessie, that book means more to me than anyone will ever know. I could never part with it."
"Well, it just caused so much fighting between you and your mom," Jessie shrugged. "I figured since you two were past that, you were past this too."
"Jessie, we are past that and I am past this. It's just that sometimes memories are good to hold on to. They're reminders of past mistakes."
"So you finally admit that the fling you and Mr. Dimitri had was a mistake?" Jessie asked.
"Well…no," Grace said. "And it wasn't a fling. It was one kiss and it's in the past. But I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. He was an amazing man and I learned so much from him. I just wish other people could see that."
"Grace, it's just still weird," Jessie said. "I mean he was like twenty years older than you and…and it was just…"
"Weird?" Grace asked, suddenly angry.
"Well…yeah," Jessie said meekly.
"And what, being a lesbian isn't weird?" Grace snapped.
Jessie shook her head, fighting back tears. "You know Grace, for someone so smart, you always miss the bigger picture."
"What bigger picture?" Grace remarked. "The fact that no matter what you do, it's acceptable, and everything I do isn't? The fact that you can stay here and live off your parents while I'm actually out there making something of myself? I don't get it Jessie…what else am I missing."
Jessie let a small sob escape from her face as she neared the stairs. She turned back around, her face scrunching up in pain. "Everything," she spat, storming off.
Grace shook her head and flopped down on her air mattress. Maybe returning home wasn't the greatest idea she ever had.
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