Hello again!! This one is my take on Grace's revelation in the cemetery in 2.10, so spoilers for that episode ahead. I know it's been done several times, but I wanted to add in my thoughts as well.

Still don't own the show, though I would really like to at least borrow Rigsby for a little while - I'll return him I promise ;)

Enjoy!!

Alone No More

Grace Van Pelt had felt bad for lying about what had happened at the cemetery to her boyfriend, fellow CBI agent Wayne Rigsby, but she couldn't bear to talk about it again, especially not at work. Her training had taught her that the best way to talk down someone who was trying to commit suicide was to try and relate to them on a personal level. She had been so worried about what the woman would do that she had completely forgotten that Wayne was there and she just started talking about her sister. Throughout it, she had managed to keep some sense of composure because she needed to de-escalate the woman, but Grace knew that if she didn't deflect his question as quickly as possible, she was liable to come completely undone with only Wayne around.

She was currently on her way to his place for dinner, and she knew that she would be spared any further questions on the subject because Wayne wouldn't push her any more on her past, understanding well the hesitation to speak about past traumas. Grace wasn't even completely sure if he had sensed that she was lying anyways, his body language gave nothing away. It didn't matter either way because Grace was determined to spend a relaxing evening with her boyfriend before she could go home and finally let herself process what had happened, decompartmentalizing everything and allowing herself to break down.

Wayne had just finished preparing dinner for the two of them, a simple pasta dish, when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it for her with a smile, careful to close it before leaning down to fuse his lips with hers in a searing kiss. Pulling apart with huge grins on both their faces, Wayne took her by the hand and led her to his dining table. Seating her first, he served her some of the food before taking his seat and filling his plate.

All throughout dinner, the couple made small talk with one another, mainly focusing on what Cho and Lisbon had told them about Jane's accident at the baseball school and his crazy antics thereafter, stories that kept both of them in stitches throughout their meal. After dinner, and despite Wayne's protests, Grace helped him with the dishes (her washing, him drying) before the two finally sat down on Wayne's couch and curled up together, flipping through the channels for something to watch.

They managed to catch the last twenty minutes of one of Wayne's favourite comedies before it was time for one of those cop dramas to start. Though both really disliked these types of shows, they made a game out of watching them and pointing out all the procedural mistakes and all the ridiculous allowances made in forensics that allowed the crime to be solved in the span of an hour, or more accurately, in 45 minutes.

As they watched, both were sure that they had the identity of the killer long before the detectives on the program did. Not surprisingly, Wayne and Grace had been right in believing that the husband had killed his wife in a fit of rage. They watched as the TV detectives went to go arrest him, ready to point out any other mistakes, when the suspect was discovered dead on the floor, a note located near his body confessing to his wife's murder and apologizing to his family because he could no longer live with what he had done.

Thankfully for Grace, that discovery was part of one of the final scenes of the show, so she was able to casually excuse herself to the bathroom before her emotions got the better of her. She had been in there crying for several minutes when she heard a quiet knock on the door. There was no time for her to respond before the door opened and Wayne entered the confined space quietly.

"I'm OK, really, it's nothing." She tried as best as she could to sound convincing, but before she could continue, Wayne was crouching in front of her, placing a finger over her mouth to quiet her.

"You can tell me when you're ready. Right now, just let everything out. I'll be here for you the whole time."

Grace finally dared to look at him, and she could see in his eyes that he had known all along that she was lying to him. Deep down, she knew that she wasn't fooling him, so that wasn't so shocking to her. What was, however, was the fact that his eyes held neither hurt nor sympathy, but were instead filled with concern for her and the toll that holding everything in was obviously having on her.

Without realizing it, another sob escaped Grace's lips, but before the next one could follow, she felt Wayne's arms envelope her and pick her up off the toilet seat. Cradled to his chest, her arms wrapped tight around his neck and her face buried in the crook of his neck, Grace allowed Wayne to take her to his bedroom. Feeling one arm remove itself from her body, she started to panic, thinking that he was going to leave her, so her arms tightened around his neck in a desperate attempt to keep him close.

"I'm not going anywhere Grace, it's OK, you're OK, I promise," he quietly whispered in her ear before he kneeled on the bed, gently lowering her onto the mattress. She finally let go of him then, to allow him to lie down in front of her, before their arms once again found their ways around each other. Grace buried her face on his chest and continued to cry, while Wayne started to run one of his hands up and down her back, trying to get her to calm down at least some. Several minutes later, the sound of Grace's crying quieted, and she dared to speak.

"It's all true. I'm sorry."

Wayne had already known all this, but to hear her finally admit it tore his heart out. "You don't have to explain, I understand. Some things from the past are just too painful to speak about, even with those you're closest to. I'm just glad that you don't have to go through this alone. I want you to know that you don't ever have to go through any of this on your own anymore – I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

Grace looked up at him again and her tears were renewed, but this time they were different. This time, when she cried about her sister's suicide, her pain seemed to be eased in the smallest way. It seemed strange to her because she had shared this pain with her family and she had talked to a counsellor about it, and neither had helped to ease the pain – that was why Grace had decided to stop talking about it. She couldn't bear to share her story again, looking for some way to ease the pain and instead finding it to be just as raw as before.

However, Wayne asked nothing of her and instead offered her comfort – nothing more or less. There was no judgement with him, no demands that she open up about her feelings. He just wanted to be the shoulder for her to cry on and the one to wipe her tears away, for no other reason than he loved her and wanted to lessen her pain.

This revelation only made Grace cling all the more tightly to Wayne as she rode out her emotions. He didn't speak again, knowing that no words could ease her pain, but instead Wayne focused on keeping a gentle, but firm grip on her, continuing to run one hand up and down her back in a soothing motion. His actions must have worked because he felt her breathing even out and he looked down to see that her eyes were closed and her tears had finally ceased.

Leaning down to softly kiss her forehead, Wayne decided to close his eyes as well, surprised at how tired he felt as well. As he felt himself slip away into unconscious, he spared one last thought to what he had heard her say in the cemetery before vowing to himself that he would never leave her alone to deal with her past, even if they someday parted ways.

This was the same feeling that had allowed Grace to finally let go, and then allowed her to go to sleep, the feeling that she wasn't alone anymore and that she was safe. In the aftermath of what had happened today, Grace had come to realize that Wayne would no longer allow her to be alone in the world.

Armed with this knowledge, Grace knew she could face any demon, past, present or future.

Thanks for reading!!!!