Title: Declining Grace

Author: Sassy

Rating: PG to PG-13ish

Pairing: Shawn/OC, some Richard/Lily and Danny/Nikki undertones

Disclaimer: I don't own the 4400 or the characters, except for the ones you don't recognize.

Summary: This story mostly focuses on Shawn and my character Delainia, especially the first chapter.  After that, other members of the 4400 will appear, including Maia, Richard, and Lily.  Shawn feels like nothing will ever be normal and he explodes under the pressure.  Delainia Grace blows into his life and suddenly everything changes.

Declining Grace

Chapter One

Stares

            Shawn Farrell sunk down into his desk chair in his English 12 British Literature class.  He had felt eyes on him all hour and he hated it.  He hated being a freak.  He hated having everyone stare at him, wondering when he'd turn green and start talking in another language.  He hated waiting for it.  He looked down at his notes but noticed there wasn't really anything written on the page.  He had just scribbled lines and swirls on the paper.  Knowing the kids in his class, if they saw it, they would think he was writing in an alien language.  In truth, he just didn't care about school anymore.  It all seemed so useless.  He still could see the school like he had never left it.  He remembered being popular, with friends, a girlfriend.  He had had the normal stresses of senior year, worrying about colleges and majors and scholarships.  Now, three years later, he was still a senior in high school, but none of that stuff mattered anymore.  He didn't care if he went to college.  They would find out he was just one of the 4400 freaks and he'd be tormented again.  It wasn't that he cared so much about being made fun of.  He didn't really care.  It was wondering what had happened to him in his lost three years.  He didn't even feel any different from what he used to be.  But it was so very obvious that he was different.  He was in the same grade as his little brother.  He was the same age as his little brother, except his birth certificate said differently.  It said he was 20.  He was 17.  And he had that pesky new power thing, whatever that was.  He could heal things?  He could kill them?  What was it?  How did he control it?  How did he get it?  Shawn sighed and dropped the pen on his notebook, not even caring if he looked like he was interested.  The teacher wouldn't even notice.  The teacher wouldn't ever look him in the eye.  Shawn felt anger boiling up inside of him, frustration at his situation, pain at what he had lost, and anger at never getting a moment's peace from prying eyes.  He turned around abruptly, ready to glare angrily at the person who was staring at him, but found someone he didn't recognize.  It was a girl, her hair raven black and her eyes a sparkling green.  Even though he didn't recognize her, didn't mean he didn't know her.  She had probably grown up a lot from the fourteen-year-old girl, like Nikki had, and he just couldn't place the face.  She smiled at him shyly.  Shawn turned back around, facing the blackboard.  Did she think it was funny to stare at him?  He wasn't a sideshow circus freak.  She had no right to invade his privacy and brain this way.  Shawn slammed his notebook shut and sunk deeper down into his chair, seething deep inside.

            As the class ended, Shawn had had an appropriate amount of time to boil in his own frustration and anger.  He was ready to confront the girl about staring.  It had made him self-conscious again and he despised that feeling.  She was lingering at the back of the class, her books filling her arms.  Shawn waited until the rest of the class had left before walking up to her.  She saw him approach and smiled brightly at him.

"Hi."

"Do you think it's funny staring at me?  I mean, were you looking to see if I'd suddenly sprout antennae or if my skin color would turn into a nice lime green and the rest of my body would shrink?"

She seemed almost taken aback at his harsh words, but he didn't care.  She deserved every bit of it.  He was so tired of letting it all roll of him like raindrops. 

"What are you talking about?"

"So I don't know where I've been for the last 3 years.  That doesn't mean I'm an alien.  None of us have turned into one yet.  I'm just as normal as you are, just a little behind in the times."

She started to walk backwards, as if she were almost scared of him.  She dropped a couple of books on her way back, a pencil dropping in front of them like a gauntlet.

"I-"

"You shouldn't stare.  If you're plotting your revenge against us freaks, you should do it without making it obvious." 

"I wasn't staring."
"Yeah, you were.  I'm glad we could be a spectacle for you."

"You keep saying we and us.  What, do you have multiple personalities or something?"

"You'd love to tell that to the reporters, wouldn't you?  4400 Returnee Stricken with Insanity."

"You're a 4400?"  Her eyes had widened with interest and surprise.  That only served to anger him more.  How dare she act surprised!  The entire school knew about it.  What made him even more upset was that he found himself staring into her emerald eyes and was almost attracted to her.  If it had been three years ago, he would have been.
"Don't act surprised.  The whole school knows.  When I disappeared three years ago, everyone knew I was gone.  And they know I returned with the 4400."

"I am surprised.  I didn't know."

"You were staring at me."

A bit of pink colored her cheeks as she bent down to retrieve her fallen books.  She tossed her black hair over her shoulder, but remained intently interested in the tiled floor.

"I was staring at you because I thought you were cute."

He paused, thrown off course by that answer.  He hadn't expected that.

"What?"

"I'm new here.  I don't know anyone and I was having a miserable day.  Then I got to fourth hour British Lit and saw this really cute guy in the seat three chairs in front of me.  I was beginning to think that maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but apparently, while you're hot, you've got a frightful personality."

He noticed a bit of an accent at that moment.  It sounded almost British, but she hid it well.  He started to feel guilty for attacking her so thoroughly.  He'd been truly cruel to her because he'd been so angry with her. 

"You really didn't know I was a 4400?"

"No.  I really didn't."

She pushed her books into her messenger bag, but her arms remained full.  She had to catch up to the high school's work since she had transferred in.  He remembered having to catch up, but the teachers had been easy on him.  Probably because of what he'd been through.

"Listen, I'm sorry.  I'm just so used to having everyone on me about being one, I assumed you knew.  I just thought I hadn't seen you around since I came back here."

"Yeah, whatever.  I'm going to be late to class."

She turned and started to leave the class.  Shawn knew he had to stop her.

"I really am sorry."

"I know you are."

"My name's Shawn, by the way.  Shawn Farrell."

She left without another word.  The only person in the entire school that didn't know him or his story and he had alienated her-no pun intended.  He reached down for his backpack and slipped it on.  He noticed Mr. Taylor in the background, watching him suspiciously.

"Mr. Taylor, the new girl, what's her name?"

"Delainia Grace."

Shawn sighed and left the class as the warning bell rang.  Yeah, he was going to be late to class.  But if he had any luck, which was debatable, Delainia Grace would be in his next class.

            Delainia didn't end up being in his fifth hour, but she did end up in his sixth hour.  He had been sitting in his French class as the teacher began her welcome to the class.  At that moment, Delainia came stumbling in, as clumsily as she had left him, her hair blocking her face. 
"Je suis desolee, Mademoiselle Ambrose.  I couldn't find the class and I ended up at the other end of the school thinking I was going in the right direction."

"And you are?"

"Delainia Grace, I'm new."

"I see that.  Go ahead and take a seat.  I was just about to start class, so you didn't miss anything, Miss Grace.  But tardiness isn't acceptable."
"No, it isn't.  I apologize."

Delainia scanned the room but instead of finding an empty seat she found Shawn.  Her face darkened considerably as she moved to the chair two seats beside him.  Her heart fluttered much to her dismay.  Shawn was hot and nothing would change that, but he had been so mean to her. She wouldn't accept treatment like that.  But a small voice inside of her told her to forgive him.  He had been through a lot if he was one of the 4400.  Everyone had heard about them.  Abductees from fifty or more years ago returning to Earth in a large ball of light with no memory of what had happened.  They didn't age.  For all she knew, Shawn had been abducted in the 1940's.  Or he could have been abducted a year ago.  No matter what, the psychological affect would be immense.  But she refused to accept his cruelty.  He had been freaking out for no reason.  Sure, it wasn't polite to stare, but it had been harmless and he had blown it way out of proportion.  She blew a strand of her silky black hair out of her eyes and pulled out the spiral she had chosen for this class to begin the assignment Mademoiselle Ambrose had put on the board.  She would have to work to catch up, even though she'd been a master of the French language at her old school.  She still had to make up a few assignments here.  She felt several eyes on her and she wondered if that was what Shawn had felt like when she'd stared at him.  She looked up to see a girl watching her, along with Shawn and two other boys.  Who were they?  She smiled sweetly at them before going back to her work.

            Shawn couldn't believe that she was in another class and it was their last class of the day.  He could explain his reaction and apologize again for what he had done.  He had become so involved in his anger and sudden status as a loner that he had completely misread her stare.  Was he that out of touch that he didn't even know when a girl was checking him out?  He guessed that it was because he couldn't see anyone doing that.  They all knew what he was.  Shawn studied Delainia while he chewed on the tip of his pen.  She was beautiful.  She had milky white skin that seemed exotic with her black hair and green eyes.  She kind of had a whole Snow White feel to her.  She seemed completely enthralled in the exercises that Miss Ambrose had given them, so apparently she liked schoolwork.  Or the distraction.  She seemed to be having no problem with them, either, so she was probably smart.  At least at French.  She seemed to have something more to her than that, but he couldn't quite place it.  It was almost like she had a secret, but he couldn't imagine what it was.  No one could.  He had almost put himself into a trance staring at her and before he knew it, class was over.  He hurried to his feet and tried to corner her in the aisle.  He ignored Danny and Nikki's presence as he spoke, "Delainia, I'm glad I saw you again today."

She didn't look at him.  She knew who had stopped her.

"Am I allowed to look up to see you or am I plotting your end by staring daggers at you for being a freak?"

She had a sharp tongue, apparently, as well.

"I deserved that, I know."
"Yeah, you did."

"You know, you're the first person who hasn't treated me like I am a freak or tried to treat me like I'm going to break if they say something I don't want to hear."
"Well, I'm ecstatic.  But the last I knew, I was treating you like a freak.  And if that's what you want, I can give it to you."
"No, it's not.  I wanted to say I was sorry again for totally breaking down in fourth hour."
"Yeah, I heard you the first time.  Now would you please move?  I have a little sister to get home to."

Shawn allowed her to pass and he watched her leave.  She walked confidently, as if she didn't care what other people thought.  He wished he could claim the same thing.  Danny and Nikki approached him.

"What was that, man?"

"Nothing, Danny."

"She seemed mad at you.  Why would she be mad at you?"  Nikki questioned carefully.  Shawn stared down at his backpack, unable to look her in the eyes.  He hadn't been able to look at her since they had kissed in the garage after he had-healed her?  That thought was a little to Roswellian for him.  But he and his brother's girlfriend had kissed and he knew he shouldn't have done it.  He had just been so lonely and Nikki was the only one who would give him a chance.  So he had kissed her and now he regretted it.  Still, he didn't know what to do.  Apologize?  Ignore it?  While he figured it out, he remained painfully awkward around her.  Luckily, Danny hadn't noticed.

"I sort of yelled at her earlier.  She's in my British Lit class and I thought she was staring at me because I'm a 4400.  Turns out she didn't even know.  Because she's new.  But I didn't realize that until after I yelled at her."

"You didn't recognize that she was new?'
"Well, I've only been back for a month now, Danny, so I thought maybe I just hadn't noticed her."
"You hadn't noticed her?"  Nikki shot Danny a look who simply smiled at her in return.

"I've been a little preoccupied, okay?'
"Whatever, man."  Danny took Nikki's hand and they started walking in the direction of the parking lot with Shawn lagging behind.