Falling from Grace

It wasn't supposed to be like this…

Childhood memories crashed and collided, creating a kaleidoscope of colour and sound in a mind that wished only to be blissfully blank.

They were roughly forced to the back of that mind, to dwell with every other happy memory that had ever developed over the last nineteen years.

But no, there was the sudden image of a glistening Christmas tree, a mound of brightly wrapped presents, and a room of smiling faces.

Next she saw a celebratory dinner for an excellent school report.

Brilliant blue eyes scrunched up as the memories were forced even more violently into the recesses of a grieving mind. A hand on her shoulder caused her eyes to fly open.

Grace Maitland turned and looked into the face of Mrs Vaughn, the lady who had lived next door to her parents for the last twenty years. She was gazing concernedly at Grace, but quite apart from making her feel better Grace found it annoyed her. She didn't want anyone's pity right now. She didn't want to feel the gaping chasm that was once her heart, didn't want to acknowledge that she would never see her parents again…

"Do you want a ride home, dear?" Mrs Vaughn asked gently.

With surprise, Grace realised the service for her parents was over. The crowd that had been standing with her had dispersed and she was one of the few left next to the two trenches that would be the permanent resting places for her sweet, warm mother, her strong, funny father.

Grace shook her head, a few tendrils of golden hair escaping from the knot at the back of her neck. Her delicate frame shivered, despite the summer sun beaming down from the sapphire sky above. Seeing Mrs Vaughn's expression grow even more worried, Grace finally spoke.

"Thank you Mrs Vaughn, that's very kind of you, but I think I'll stay here a little longer. I'll be fine, honestly"

Grace even managed to add a smile to the end of her sentence, though she had no idea how she had found the strength to do it. With a final glance, Mrs Vaughn nodded and walked away.

She got through the next few minutes with the occasional muttered thank you and hug and then, finally, she was alone. Well, almost alone.

The men filling in the graves were looking nervously at her as she stood there, like a guard over the hardwood coffins that enclosed her entire family. Both her parents had no siblings, just as she had none, and her grandparents had passed away several years before. Those two cold, impersonal boxes lying in the open wounds of holes in the dirt were all she had left and now even they were gone.

Every shovelful of dirt that hit the wood sounded like gunshots to her, every mild breeze froze her to the bone, but she didn't want to leave. To leave would mean she truly was all alone in this world.

But all too soon her view of the coffins was obscured by the mounting dirt and one of the men said quietly "They'll be shutting the gates soon, Miss. You should run along home."

Taking a breath so deep it felt as if it would break her ribcage, Grace finally turned and walked away from the darkening graveyard.

It was never supposed to be like this…

As Grace walked along the street towards her tiny bed-sit she couldn't help but let those thoughts of what could have been come rushing to the fore. Though she had never yet been in a serious relationship she had still dreamed of her parents attending her wedding, of them holding her newborn children, of simply being there.

She felt guilt at leaving home when she was eighteen. She had been so eager to prove her independence and was so proud of her late shift at the local tavern, even of her tiny one room bed-sit above her workplace. She came home every night stinking like stale beer and cigarette smoke, she endured the leers of drunken men but she was still proud.

Now she wished the last year had been spent telling them how much they meant to her.

It was almost completely dark when she finally reached the tavern where she worked. All she wanted to do was climb the filthy stairs to her room, her sanctuary, and go to sleep.

Forcing one foot in front of the other she made it to the door and was putting the key in when a depressingly familiar voice called out to her.

"Hey, Gracie!"

Grace closed her eyes briefly before turning to face Sean Farris, son of the great oaf that owned this gloomy building. Sean towered over her by almost a foot, was heavyset and had greasy dark hair, with an even greasier smile. The way he often looked at her made her feel very uncomfortable, but thankfully all he ever did was look.

"Hello Sean. What can I do for you?"

"Pam quit. We need you downstairs tonight."

It didn't surprise her that Pam had finally left. Sean's playfulness had recently been getting a little too familiar for the buxom redhead and she had confided in Grace her fears. Pam had a little boy at home and didn't need the aggravation.

Good for you, Pam. Wish I could have gone with you!

"Tonight? But…the funeral was today…" her voice trailed off as she saw the sneer on his arrogant face.

"Life goes on sweetheart, unless you want to follow your friend."

As tempting as that sounded, Grace couldn't afford to lose her job and Sean knew it. Her parents hadn't been rich. They also hadn't been that old when the car accident claimed them both, so they had never gotten around to making a will. The meagre amount they did own was being sold to pay for their debts.

"I'll be down in 10 minutes", Grace conceded and turned again to enter her room. A firm hand stopped her.

"If you need a shoulder to cry on sugar, you know where to find me."

He gave a sordid wink and trudged off down the hallway.

Finally Grace was in the questionable security of her room. She gazed around at her neatly made bed, her bookshelf crammed with books and photos of her family, her threadbare but comfortable sofa, her scrubbed little table and two chairs she ate her meals at. There wasn't much else in the room apart from a tiny kitchenette, which had barely enough room in it to actually cook. Grace sighed, shrugging off her black lightweight jacket and hanging it on the back of one of the chairs.

She kicked off her shoes and went into the poky bathroom. She looked up as she unfurled her hair and caught her reflection in the mirror. Her golden hair tumbled about her delicate shoulders, reaching all the way to her tiny waist. Her skin was flawless and creamy, her eyes were the clear blue of an aquamarine gem, and her lips were full and pink.

But with those wide blue eyes and golden waves Grace thought she looked like a child, not a woman of almost twenty. It made her look innocent, vulnerable.

She stepped out of the black dress she had been wearing and doused herself under the shower, quickly reviving her tired body before she had to face what she called 'hell night'.

It must have been at least three in the morning when Sean finally said she could go and Grace couldn't get away quickly enough. It was a Friday night and the tavern was more crowded than usual. A large group from interstate had shown up just after midnight and the looks several of them had been giving her had made her extremely nervous. They were all men, all big, and all drunk. Not a good combination.

Grateful for the first time that her room was so close to work, Grace climbed the stairs once more and walked down the dark and silent hallway.

She was so tired she could barely keep her eyes open and her slender fingers fumbled in her bag as she tried to retrieve her keys.

"Damn."

The keys fell to the floor and the hallway was so dark it was hard to see. The light that was outside her door had been broken for months. Sean's father hadn't bothered to fix it.

"Looking for these, love?"

A raspy voice spoke from right behind her and she heard the jingle of her keys. Her heart beating wildly, she took a calming breath before replying.

"Thank you. May I have them back please?"

"Sure, honey, sure, just as soon as you've made us a nice little payment."

There were several laughs in the darkness, and she gasped as a rough hand slid across her cheek in a grotesque parody of gentleness.

"Please give me my keys." Grace hated the tremble in her voice. She had always considered herself a brave person, with an overabundance of pride and here it was crumbling away because of a group of drunks.

Drunks!

Banking on them being a lot more uncoordinated than she was, Grace made a grab for the keys. She managed to knock them to the ground again, which was no help to her in the darkness.

The man who had held them made a grab for her as she ducked down, frantically trying to find the keys. The other men were closing in now, and the first man's hand found her hair and pulled her cruelly to her feet.

"Looks like this one has some spirit, boys. Let's take it out of her!"

On pure instinct, Grace kicked out and was pleased when it connected with hard flesh. The wounded man let go of her and Grace dashed along the hallway.

Damn the keys, I'm getting out of here!

Once again Grace cursed her lazy boss. Just one fixed light would have improved her situation. Instead she was running down a dark hallway, occasionally bumping painfully into a wall, hearing the men thundering along behind her.

Grace stumbled down the stairs, hearing the men gaining on her. She pushed open the side door that led to the alley outside and turned swiftly, heading for the main street. The alley was not much brighter than the hallway had been but the street beyond was lit brightly. Surely there would be someone out there. This was the city that never slept after all!

The thundering steps were much closer now. She could almost smell the alcohol emanating from them. She was running as fast as she could but her side was cramping and her legs were starting to ache. Only a short distance from the main street a strong arm grabbed her around the waist and a filthy hand clapped over her mouth.

The man gave a triumphant grin and dragged her backwards, deeper into the shadows.

Then he threw her backwards into the arms of another reeking man who pulled her back so tight against his chest that Grace could barely breathe. Another hand was clamped over her mouth. All she could do was watch the first man advance towards her.

"Now, now sweetheart, I'm disappointed." He said, again brushing her cheek with his hand. "I was hoping we could be friends! I was going to be real nice to you."

His hand made its way behind her head and once more gripped a fistful of her hair so hard it brought tears to her eyes. The watching men, three or four of them, laughed appreciatively. The ringleader jerked her head forwards and lowered his slobbering mouth to hers, his remaining hand crushing one of her breasts.

Grace closed her eyes. This was a nightmare! If she just stayed still, if she just let them get it over with then perhaps she wouldn't be killed.

"Now tell me," a completely unfamiliar voice spoke up out of the darkness, "Is that any way to treat a lady?"

Grace's eyes flew open. Had she really heard someone out there or was she just so terrified she was imagining things?

The men who were watching now looked nervously into the dark shadows, trying to find who had spoken. The ringleader pulled his mouth back, but kept his hand in a bruising grip on her breast.

"Whoever he is, sort him out" He growled before resuming his attack on Grace's delicate flesh.

A deep sigh came from the darkness this time, but the next words were said in a singsong tone.

"I did just tell you that's not how you treat a lady. You're not listening!"

The four other men rushed towards the voice but came out empty handed. They stumbled back, confused, to their boss.

"Let her go."

This was spoken so close to her that Grace jumped. How did he get so close so quickly? The man fondling her finally let go and peered into the shadowed area just behind and to the right of Grace. The man holding her from behind relaxed his grip, just a little.

"Only a coward would hide, Mr. Mystery." He joked with false bravado. "And this aint no lady"

"And how brave is it to bring along five friends to attack a girl?" The mystery person chided. "She doesn't look particularly dangerous to me."

Grace blushed at the comment. Whoever he was, he was right. She was stupid to get herself in this situation.

Well, let's show him how stupid I can be!

Grace stomped down hard on the foot of the man behind her and ran again. This time one of the men grabbed her around one knee, causing her to crash to the ground. Her head hit the concrete, as did one elbow. Dazed she heard the mystery voice again, and it did not sound happy.

"You were warned."

The sudden sounds of a fight filled the alleyway.

My god, he's going to take on all six alone?

There was a hard thump on the ground next to her and she saw one of the men crumpled, unconscious.

Two more dull thumps, the unmistakeable sounds of bodies hitting hard ground and interspersed between the thumps a faint rattling, like chains.

Well, well. Mr Mystery came prepared!

Grace regained enough of her senses to stand, careful to keep herself plastered against the wall so nothing would hit her. She edged her way closer to the battle, her only thought to get to the lit street beyond.

Shadowy figures could now be discerned in the alleyway, one dark shape surrounded by another three. As she watched the mystery man fight she couldn't help but admire his fluid movements. It was almost like watching a dance. A sidestep, a pirouette, ducking and weaving, and all the time he had some sort of weapon in each hand, constantly twirling them to keep his attackers at bay.

She was a lot closer now. She could almost make out the features of the three thugs. One had reddish tangled hair, one had dark short cropped hair….the third had just been sent flying into the opposite wall.

The Mystery man stopped for a moment, his voice filled with amusement.

"Ready to give up?" He teased.

The two remaining men looked at each other then drew long knives from their boots. Grace gasped. How could the mystery man beat two vicious looking knives with a chain and some wood?

"Your choice!" Came the amused voice again and Grace was sure if she could see his face he would be smiling.

The other two advanced on him, deciding speed would defeat him. Instead each man went flying in different directions, their knives clattering to the ground.

Silence fell in the dark alley and Grace peered at her rescuer.

A long black coat covered him from neck to foot and he wore a black hat, pulled down low over his face.

Well, that doesn't help me!

"Are you ok?" The voice was deep, rich, and melodious, with just a tinge of boyishness.

Grace checked herself over mentally and then nodded, wincing slightly at the sudden movement of her head.

"Yes….thank you." It didn't seem to be enough somehow, but she could sense he was surprised but pleased by those simple words.

"Do you live nearby?"

"Not far."

"Good, then I suggest you get yourself home quickly." He turned and started walking away.

Shocked by the sudden brush off, Grace began to follow but faltered when she heard a faint rustling. She turned and saw one of the men, the ringleader, getting to his feet, one of the discarded knives now firmly in his hand. Grace tensed, about to scream as he neared her, but he walked right past. It suddenly dawned on her what he was about to do, so Grace did the only thing she could think of. She put out one foot and tripped the man to the ground. The knife slid across the concrete, coming to rest at the feet of her rescuer who had turned at the very first sound and watched her brash move.

"Well, looks like you haven't learnt your lesson" he said darkly, crouching down and binding the man with a slender rope. "I think you need to rest up here and think about what you've done"

And for good measure he punched the man in the jaw, knocking him unconscious.

"Guess it's my turn to thank you" Mr Mystery said with laughter in his voice.

Grace gave a nervous smile.

"Guess we're even then." She answered, trying to be playful but too tired to really pull it off. "So, do you always lurk in dark alleyways rescuing damsels in distress Mr…?"

The mystery man cleared his throat, clearly uncomfortable about answering her.

"It's ok," Grace spoke up quickly. "I don't need to know who you are. The fact that you saved me is more than enough. I wish there were more men like you in this city."

She thought she heard a rather sarcastic sound erupt from him, but it was over so quickly she was sure she had imagined it.

"Well…"She shifted nervously for the man was just standing there, staring. "I…I should get home now. Thank you again." She stepped forward to shake his hand but he took a step backwards, stopping only when she was bathed in the light coming from the street behind them.

"You're hurt."

Grace lifted a hand to her head and it came away red.

"I'll be ok. It's a lot less than would have happened if you hadn't come along when you did."

"Get someone to patch you up, ok?" Again he started to turn away.

"I…I don't have anyone."

She didn't mean to cry, didn't want to, but she found all the events of the past few days crashing down upon her like a violent storm and she was drowning in sorrow.

She knew she looked weak, knew her rescuer would be so disgusted he would be gone in an instant, but Grace suddenly felt two powerful arms wrap around her and hold her. It was the first act of compassion she had felt in a long time, and apart from making her feel better it caused a grief stricken sob to erupt from her small frame. She felt the arms tighten around her, felt a head gently rest on top of her own and her own arms wrapped around him, clinging to his hard form, drawing strength from it.

Between her sobs she poured out her grief, knowing she would never see him again. She told of her awful job, the sleazy Sean, and the loss of her parents. The stranger simply held her quietly, never interrupting.

After what felt like an eternity, embarrassed beyond all belief, Grace pulled away. Immediately the mystery man slipped into shadow, before she could see him clearly.

A hand went into his pocket and he withdrew a small card. He handed it to her.

"Go here. She'll help you out. Tell her Mike sent you."

No sooner was the card put in her hand than he was gone, blending into the darkness like a ghost.

Grace looked down at the card and read it.

Second Time Around