They had waited. Much longer than they had originally agreed on or anticipated but it was kind of hard to leave when they were overhearing what was going on which made Grace glad that her and Dean had stuck around the SRU. Sitting with Winnie and listening to her father working with his team trying to save that little girl was the most nerve wracking and yet adrenaline experience that Grace had ever been through. Hearing those gunshots and not knowing who had shot them and if anyone had been hurt or even worse killed was pretty daunting. Grace didn't have the most active imagination in the world but her imagination had been kind of running wild as she tried to picture what was going on outside whilst her and Dean were inside with Winnie. Grace had always know that her father had been a cop, she had known that for as long as she could remember but she hadn't know the know the extent of the job. Winnie had explained that as Sergeant, her father was overall leader of Team One and he was the primarily negotiator on the team. As Grace listened to her father work, she started to understand what Winnie had told her as it seemed like her father had a skill for reading people and talking to them. It was a far cry from the angry alcoholic that Grace used to know, the man who had practically pushed his family out of the door and to another country to get away from him. This version of Greg Parker was kinder, warmer and somebody who Grace didn't quite recognize. Grace knew that her father hadn't always been the man who she remember, it was just a result of him feeling the need to constantly work and his alcoholism. Before all that came he was a loving husband and father, then everything changed and Grace no longer recognized her father. The same thing could be said about the Greg Parker that Grace was currently looking at now, sure he looked and sounded the same as always. But she knew didn't know him, she hadn't in a long time and yet he seemed so familiar but not similar as in the angry workaholic and alcoholic father that Grace could remember. Rather the father that Grace used to know, a very long time ago.
"You haven't lost your job or anything like that? Have you because of what happened today?" Grace wearily asked as she smacked away Dean's hand as he tried to steal a piece of the salad. Winnie had explained to Grace and Dean that their father had used lethal force to save the little girl his team had been looking for and as such he had to talk with the Special Investigations Unit about the shooting, straight after it had happened which is why he had taken so long to back. When their father had finally came back to the SRU he had been surprised to see them both still there and they had offered to take them out for pizza. Dean had other ideas and suggested that he would cook for them and so the three of them were back at his apartment.
"No. I just had to have a debrief with Special Investigations about the shooting and explain that Alexis' life was in imminent danger and whilst the SRU is tasked to resolve extreme situations without the use of deadly force, sometimes we do have to use it if there is no solution." Greg replied in a reassuring manner. "I'll have to attend the coroner's inquest in a while but I haven't lost my job, the SIU have to investigate but they will conclude that the use of lethal force was justified."
"I'm glad… Well not that you had to kill someone but I'm glad that the little girl is okay and safe now. I can't imagine what it's been like for her, going on the run because some guy wants to kill because she witnessed a crime. All this time she should have been outside playing with friends instead of running and hiding." Grace quietly stated as she eyed up her father briefly, for someone who had shot someone dead only hours ago he seemed to calm about it. But Grace rationalized that this might not have been the first time and it wasn't like Greg had killed the man in cold blood. He was a cop and had made a judgment call which had saved the life of a ten year old girl.
"At least Alexis and her family won't have to run anymore." Dean added.
"I'm sorry that you guys had to sit around the barn for so long, it's just that Team One were on call and e had to respond. At the time I didn't know how long it would take or that I would end up with SIU." Greg attempted to explain and Grace just waved his apology off or rather began to until she noticed that she had a knife in the hand that she was waving about so she promptly put said hand back down.
"It's fine. You know your job is your job and it's not the kind of job where you can get someone to cover for you on the last second. You had to go and because you did, you saved that girl's life. Plus it was petty cool sitting with Winnie and listening to what was happening…" Grace said with a small smile.
"You wasn't saying that a couple of hours ago Gracie, you nerves were so fraud that at one point you were wound up tighter than a spring." Dean pointed out and Grace just glared at him.
"It's called reacting like a normal person Dean so forgive me for getting a bit tense when I hear several gunshots over a radio." Grace retorted as she stuck her tongue out at her brother and Dean quickly stuck his tongue out and moments later she heard laughing coming from right in front of her and she turned to see her father laughing at the both of them.
"It's just nice to see you both together, I remember when the two of you were really young that you'd be playing with each other one moment and then fighting the next. It was always over some toy that you'd both want and you'd fight over it for longest time before forgetting what you were fighting over and go back to playing with each other like nothing had happened." Greg explained and Grace looked at Dean and moments later they both started to laugh, the two of them almost fought. It was just atypical brother and sister thing and the arguments they had were always petty and never seemed to last for more than a few hours.
"We still argue quite a bit and mom tells us off about it saying that we shouldn't be like that towards each other because of the whole twins thing. But the arguing thing is inevitably considering how much time we spend with each so the arguing tends to happen because we press each others buttons frequently. But whilst Gracie tends to drive me crazy, I like having her around." Dean admitted with a shy and nervous smile and Grace noted the proud yet sad smile that was on their father's face. No doubt he felt bad about not being around these last eight years. "Sentimental idiot." Grace quipped with a small smirk before she gently nudged her brother.
"Now go wash up for dinner, I'll be nice and dish everything up since I cooked most of it as you can barely boil pasta."
"Very funny Grace." Dean sneered in an amused manner before walking off in the direction of the bathroom, leaving Grace alone with their father and as Grace began to start dishing up the food her eyes couldn't help but keep wondering over to her father's. She was trying to figure him out but it was kind of hard to, probably due to the fact that he spent most of his days reading people. It was rather annoying.
"Grace whatever it is you want to say or ask me, go ahead… I know you might feel uneasy given how long it's been since we've last seen each other but I want you to know that you can say anything to me. No matter what it is." Greg stated and Grace opened her mouth in shock at first as she had no idea how her father knew that. Until she remembered that this was part of her dad's job and clearly he had picked something up off of her.
"Am I that obvious?" Grace wearily questioned with a weak smile
"Yeah I'm afraid so." Greg replied as he pointed to Grace's hand which she kept switching from fidgeting with to being bunched up with a fist. Grace couldn't help but frown, she hated the fact that she had such a tell tell sign for when she was nervous about something. People could tell from a mile off when something was wrong with her, Dean especially as he knew when something was bothering Grace before she started displaying the whole nervous twitch she had going on.
"You seem different. Well from what I can remember and even then that's not much to begin with as I've purposely tried not to remember when we used to live here. I don't really know as the psychobabble is more your thing then it is mine but you just seem different from the man who I've had in my head. I see someone different, someone much more soft spoken, calm and gentler than I can previously remember." Grace quietly said.
"Is it a good thing? Me being different." Greg hesitantly asked and Grace slowly nodded her head. "Yeah I think so. I kind of had a cross between the boogeyman and one of those rigid cops in my head over the last few years in my head. I'm not really sure why but that doesn't seem to be you. I look at you and I see something different from what I'm been convincing myself of these last few years. My memory may be a bit hazy over what went on all those years ago but I know enough that things weren't good. That you were different back then and it was bad enough that mom left with Dean and I because of the person you were then, because of the alcohol and everything else you had going on." Grace quietly admitted in a rather awkward manner.
"I did a lot of things back then that I regret now Grace, everyday I have regretted what I did to hurt you, your mom and Dean because you were the most important people in my life and I hurt you all. The people I love the most and it took losing you three for me to take a long hard look in the mirror. I know I can only say this to you and may not mean much but I'm not the man I was back then. I have changed, I don't drink anymore." Greg said and Grace looked into her father's eyes searching for any sign of deceit but she couldn't see anyone. But that didn't mean that she instantly believed him or that they could start playing happy families again but Greg was clearly making an effort with both her and Dean. Taking a deep breath Grace walked over to her bag and pulled out the crumpled letter than she had stuffed back into her bag earlier and handed it over to Greg. "What is this?"
"I've kept this. It's the only letter that you sent that I kept and I only opened it after you came down to Dallas to try and see us. It's why I came with Dean today, I wanted to see if you truly were sorry about what happened like your letters made you out to be and I think you are. Or I want to think you are but you have to show me that you really are sorry, that you want to be a dad again as letters can only do so much…"