co-written by RatedrKjErIcHo


Jess stood in the kitchen making sure the food was put out and still warm. She heard the people in the living room giving their condolences to her parents. She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Elaine there.

"Mrs. Orton." She said to her.

"I think we need to talk." Elaine said walking in.

"What could we possibly have to talk about?"

"Gracie." Elaine replied. "Randy wants us to have her. I'm sure Kim would agree too. We're her grandparents. And whether you like it or not, Randy is her father and he gets a say so in who gets custody of her should he go to prison. And he wants me and Bob to have custody."

"You're crazier than your son if you think that would ever happen while there is breath left in my body. Gracie stays here with me and Phil."

"Randy wants us to have her. And when we go to court, they will agree. They will agree with what the biological father wants. Randy is Gracie's only living parent and he has the rights to make decisions concerning his daughter." Elaine replied. "Whether you like it or not. We will get custody of her and Randy will see his daughter."

"The only reason he's her only living parent is because he murdered my sister. You want to fight this out? Fine. But as long as I'm alive, I'll fight you tooth and nail on this. You're not getting the only piece of my sister I have left and subjecting her to that cold blooded son of a bitch you call your son."

"What is going on in here?" Katherine said walking in. "I can hear the yelling in there where people are mourning my daughter. Now what is going on?"

"Elaine was just telling me that Randy wants her and Bob to have Gracie and that she will get custody and take Gracie to see him. And I was telling her that it will not happen as long as I'm alive." Jessica said answering her mom.

Elaine looked at Jessica and then Katherine. "I understand that you're all grieving for Kim. We are too. But it's not right to cut Randy out of Gracie's life. He's her father and that doesn't change. Kim loved Randy and she would want her daughter to see him no matter what." Elaine started to walk out. She stopped and turned to them. "I will not let you cut him out. Bob and I will fight you on that." She didn't say anything else as she walked into the living room. She said goodbye to Gracie who was sitting with Jerry and then she and Bob left. They were staying at a hotel while in town.

Katherine looked at her daughter. "What?" Jess said turning to look at her. "You going to get all judgmental on me?"

"No, I'm not. But couldn't this have waited until after the wake." Katherine said to her. "This day is to say goodbye to Kim."

"She started this. She said she wanted to talk and then she went in about Randy having say in where Gracie should be. I'm not letting a murderer tell anyone where my niece should be. And I'm not letting the parents who raised the murderer raise my niece." Jess looked at her. "Mom, you don't want them to have Gracie anymore than I do."

"You're right I don't. But I'm not so vindictive that I would attack her at my daughter's wake either."

"If you feel that way, maybe you should go."

"Jess." Katherine said to her. "I know you're hurting and angry over Kim's death. I am too. But we want what is best for Gracie. Elaine and Bob are her grandparents. That doesn't change. We need to try to get along with them for Gracie's sake."

"I can't do that. I can't get along with him. I know they aren't the ones who actually killed her, but they raised the man who did. And they take her to go see him. He stole my sister from me. My best friend in the whole world. And he robbed that little girl of her mother and I'm supposed to be okay with her going to that place and making all nice with the man who killed her mother? I can't do it. And I won't. When I'm done with them, they won't get to see her until they agree not to take her to see him." She said wiping her face. "Can...uh...can you tell Phil I went to lay down? I'm not feeling so well." Jess said as she walked up the back stairs to the kitchen.

Katherine sighed. She walked back into the living room and saw Jerry and Phil with Gracie. She walked over to them. "Jess went upstairs. She wasn't feeling well."

"I'll go check on her." Phil said heading upstairs himself.

Jerry turned to his wife. "Everything okay?"

"I'm worried about Jess's hatred toward Randy and his parents."

"Aunt Jess hates Daddy? Why?"

They both looked at Gracie. Katherine sighed. She thought Gracie wasn't listening. "Gracie, sometimes things happen that make people angry with each other." She said sitting down on the sofa.

"But daddy is the best daddy. Why would Aunt Jess hate him? Mommy loved him so much." She said as Jerry picked her up and sat her down beside Katherine. He sat on the other side. They honestly weren't sure what to say to her.

"Gracie, Aunt Jess and daddy are just having some issues right now." Jerry said to her.

"Because daddy's in that place where I went yesterday."

"Baby, Aunt Jess doesn't hate your Daddy. She's just angry with him. It will all work out." Jerry said.

"But what did daddy do to make her angry?" She asked him.

"It's grown up stuff baby." Katherine replied.

"Maybe if daddy apologized." Gracie said. "Mommy always said apologizing is the best way to not be angry. She said you should never be angry with anyone. That being angry never did anyone any good."

"And she was right baby. She was right."

Jess sat down on the bed and closed her eyes. She wiped the tears that streaked down her face before she opened them and looked at the picture on the nightstand. It was taken at her engagement party. Kim was pregnant with Gracie then.

"She was afraid she looked fat." She heard from the doorway. She looked up to see Phil standing there.

"I kept telling her she looked beautiful but she didn't believe it."

"So you got the idea to make us all wear those pregnancy bellies to make her feel better." He said as he sat down beside her. She laughed a little before she sobbed and he wrapped her in his arms.

"I still can't believe she's gone."

"I know." He said hugging her. "I wish I had something clever to say to make you feel better but I don't. I know nothing will take this hurt away. But you have to remember the great times you had with Kim. And you know she wouldn't want you to not dwell on this. You know Kim better than anyone."

"That's true. But it's not going to make me miss her any less."

"I know." He said with a sigh. "But you have a little girl downstairs who needs you. She's confused about things. She's lost her mom and she's, in a sense, lost her dad. She needs you. And I need you. We're here for you baby and we will help you get through this."

She sighed. "You're right. We have a huge battle coming for Gracie and Randy's trial. I don't want to think about it but you're right. We have to take care of Gracie. I owe it to Kim to take care of her."

"Why don't I see if Katherine and Jerry will take Gracie tonight and we can spend the night alone? Just the two I us." She nodded and he headed downstairs.

She looked at the picture again. She would fight with everything she had to keep Gracie and make sure Randy paid for killing her sister. She couldn't save Kim but she keep Gracie from Randy and make sure she was safe.

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