Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 56th cycle. Now cycle 57!

"Distance & Secrets"
Nora (AU!Beth), Emily, (Grace)
Sunshine Girls 2 series
(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)

When Emily had arrived at Nora's house, she'd found her in her room, looking like she was getting ready to go out. "Where are you going?" she asked, surprised. Nora looked at her, or at least the reflection in her mirror as she did her makeup, and she paused. "What?" Emily asked, and after a moment Nora turned to look at her.

"Has Grace said anything to you lately?"

"Anything like what?" Emily asked, trying to play cool even if she wondered if her friend meant…

"I'm not sure, it's just she's been acting strange for a few days."

"She has?" Emily asked, sitting on Nora's bed and picking up some of the clothes which had been discarded there, absently arranging them.

"It's been a couple of times now that I ask her if she wants to come over after school and she says she's busy, but…"

"Maybe she is, so what?" Emily shrugged.

"No, but you know what I mean, it's like there's something she's not saying. And even when she's with us, she's way more quiet than she usually is."

Emily had noticed that, but then unlike Nora she did have a solid idea as to what was the reason for it. About a week had passed since the day Emily had realized that Grace knew Nora liked her, as more than a friend. She'd spoken to her about it, as much as she'd tried not to speak Nora's secrets. It was hard to pretend like she had no idea when of course she had. Then when the subject had turned from Nora liking Grace to the possibility that Grace might like Nora back, the redhead had made a break for it, begging Emily's silence.

She hadn't spoken to her about it since, not wanting to rush anything and risk ruining anything that could happen for her friends. She'd known for a few years now about how Nora felt, and if she had messed that up for her, she knew she would never forgive her. At the same time, she did worry for Grace, wanted to help her as much as she wanted to help Nora. But still she couldn't say. There was a difference between filling in the blanks for someone who had already uncovered most of the picture, and painting in the whole picture for someone still staring at a blank canvas.

"I'm sure it's fine," Emily had finally told her. "Maybe she just has a really complicated test coming up, or she misses her father and her brother back in Scotland…"

"Yeah, I guess Donny's birthday is coming up," Nora sighed.

"Well there you go," Emily nodded. "It'll be fine," she insisted.

"You're probably right."

"I usually am," Emily stood to go put the clothes away. "You still haven't told me where…" When she'd turned back from the closet, she'd paused after seeing something on Nora's dresser. It was the bracelet, the Grace bracelet, the one she'd given her, had a matching one… never took it off unless… "A date?" she asked, turning back. Nora had seen her look at the bracelet, but she'd turned back to the mirror and her make up when Emily looked at her.

"Yes," she confirmed.

"With?"

"Francesca," she revealed.

"I thought you said you didn't…"

"I had fun, okay? And you were the one who told me I couldn't wait around for Grace forever."

"Yes, I did say that…" Emily breathed, all but kicking herself.

"I'm just trying something, I have to… Sitting here hoping, wishing… pretending… After a while it just hurts too much. And maybe it won't work out with Francesca, and maybe it will, maybe… I'll be happy. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Of course it is," Emily couldn't lie, and she moved toward her friend. "Can I say something?"

"Have I ever been able to stop you," Nora smirked, and Emily shrugged.

"You look great," she smiled to her. "I hope you have a good time."

"Thank you," Nora told her.

"And you call me after, tell me all about it. Although I'm pretty sure this story won't beat the mid-movie dump," she went on, recalling a previous failed date Nora had been on.

"Pretty sure Francesca would have hated that movie as much as I did, so we're good."

It wasn't unusual for Emily to hang around at Nora's house, one or the other, even if Nora wasn't there, so as the blonde had gone off for her date, Emily had remained… And as soon as she was gone, Emily's mask of playing innocent had fallen away. She didn't like being in this position. She didn't know what Grace was feeling right now, if she didn't have those same feelings for Nora and thus was trying to find a way to let her down gently, as difficult as that would be, or if she was actually coming to realize that she could possibly like her back, which meant something even bigger for her, life changing…

But now there was Nora, off on a second date with Francesca. She was right, this was a good thing, and she had been miserable long enough, but then what if she was about to let go, just when she could finally hang on? Maybe it wouldn't work out, her and Francesca, but then what if it did, and Grace really did realize she liked her too? Soon she would find out about the date, and what would that mean for her? Emily looked at that bracelet on Nora's dresser. She never kept it on when she went out on a date, like it meant she would be stepping out on Grace to wear it while she was with someone else, even when there was nothing to step out on. Would she put it back on after that night, or would it just symbolize something she couldn't have, something she'd put behind her?

She hated being stuck in the middle.

THE END

A/N: This is a one-shot ficlet, which means that signing up for story alert will not bring you any alerts.
In the event of a sequel, the story will be separate from this one. And as chapter stories go, they are
always clearly indicated as such [ex: "Days 204-210" in the summary] Thank you!