Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Tears of the Sun and mean no copyright infringement.
Chapter 1
Staring at the creek as the water rushed by breaking against rocks and constantly changing paths, Grace felt the most relaxed she had been in a while. There were no other sounds besides a few birds chirping in the tall oak trees. She was alone. And in this small corner of the world, it was peaceful. The last couple years had been rough. But, she was home now, and that was all that mattered. She let out a pent up sigh and stood from her place of serenity. She had been hiding from the real world enough for today. She took her time climbing the steep hill, up to a green pasture, filled with the sounds of crickets and rustling grass. Her pace was slow, but steady, as she headed for the old white farm house. The wind picked up a bit, and as she wiped her hair that was blown in her face, she could swear she smelt supper cooking on the stove. Her stomach grumbled slightly, and she picked up her pace. She only hoped it was her momma's post roast with tomato gravy. Her mouth watered at the thought. As she reached the steps of the porch she took them in two's, eagerly making her way into the kitchen to investigate if her senses and hopes had been correct. She was stopped short though, when she heard voices talking; it was her momma and daddy and someone else. Damn, that voice sounded familiar to her. She changed directions from the kitchen and headed into the living room, where she stopped dead in her tracks. There in her living room sat a man she thought she would never see again, and his name was Lieutenant A.K. Waters.
The man looked up, "Hello, Grace."
She was at a lost for words, images started flooding her mind, ones that she had tried so hard to forget, but this man had brought them all back. She closed her eyes for a second willing the memories away, and when she opened them she looked straight into his eyes, "Hello, Lieutenant. My guess is your not here for momma's pot roast."
He smiled a bit, as if that was all he was capable of, "I'm afraid not, Grace. I was actually hoping to talk to you in private."
Her knees felt week but she nodded, and headed back to the porch, expecting him to follow. She leaned against the railing willing herself to be strong. When she heard footsteps she turned around, "So tell me L.T., what is so important that you have to come 600 miles out of your way to tell me?"
"It's about Lake," he looked down at his feet a moment, shaking his head, then met her eyes again, they were filled with tears, "He's gone, Grace, I'm so sorry, but he's gone."
She couldn't breath. The harder she tried the worst she failed. Her cheeks were wet, and she lifted her hand to touch them only to realize that she was crying. She was crying and she didn't know it. Her entire body had gone numb and then a hurt so bad, it brought her to her knees, radiated from the very core of her being. She cried out in agony. Her mother rushed out to the porch, and cradled Grace in her arms rocking her like a child. Serenity was gone.