Chapter Eight: Challenges

Running the elevated track in the Academy gym, I was attempting to keep my stress levels under control. Even though it wasn't working very well. I hated running. It never did anything for me. It was more of an excuse than anything. Not even a good one. Leo knew I hated running but he knew that I needed some sort of a release. Giving it up, I went to the pool, hoping a few laps would help. When that didn't work, I went to the gym's locker room, showering, getting dressed, before I sat on the bench, staring at the wall. I was perfectly happy stewing in my own annoyance when an all too familiar voice met my ears. Rolling my eyes, I stood, quickly grabbing my things before turning to leave.

"Gracie!" Capri shrieked in my direction.

"I told you to stop calling me that." I smiled using as nice a tone as I could muster.

"I know, but Leo always sounds so cute when he says it that I can't help myself." She grinned at me.

"And do you remember why he calls me that?" I asked stepping up to her.

"Yeah, yeah, because he's your boyfriend." She said and laughed as she looked over her shoulder at her little friends, her tone very condescending.

Smiling, I stepped a little closer to her. "That's right. Dr. Leonard McCoy is my man. He's the one I wake up with and the one I go to bed with." I told her, about to go way overboard but I couldn't help myself. "And I can't even express how good the sex is. I mean, he is amazing. I'm not bad myself but Leo…he is amazing. And I know that because I have him. I have the whole package." I told her pausing, taking in her ever falling expression. "So go ahead and keep playing your games. I can take it. I can take anything you throw at me. Because I know that at the end of the day, that beautiful man is coming home to me. We're happy. For the life of me I don't know why you're trying to mess with us. You're out of your league." I finished, still smiling at her. She averted her eyes from mine. "Have a nice day." I told her before walking away.

For a few minutes I was high as a kite. A weight had been lifted and I couldn't have felt better. Than the possible consequences of what I did started to flow through my mind and I suddenly felt like I couldn't breathe. Rushing to the hospital, I put my things away before paging my boyfriend.

"What is it?" Leo asked as he came into the on call room.

"I broke." I told him. "I broke down and I told her off."

"You what?" He frowned.

"Yeah." I said starting to pace. "She was talking to me with a tone that made me want to strangle her. I couldn't take it anymore. I broke and I told her off."

"Baby, calm down." He smiled, putting his hands on my arms.

"You told me to play nice or she could make our lives a living hell." I frowned at him. "And she has been. She had been making my life hell with all of her clinginess and her need to be around all the time. But I told her off and it wasn't nice and it was in front of all her little friends." I told him starting to panic again. "What if she whines to her father and something happens? You don't think she'll try and get me fired do you?"

"Gracie, everything is going to be fine." He smiled, taking my head in his hands.

"Don't call me that." I frowned.

"Why not?" He frowned back.

"Because she always calls me that because you call me that."

"I'm not gonna stop just because of her." He said kissing me lightly.

"And I don't want you to." I told him with a whiny voice as I slouched.

"Grace, everything is going to be fine." He said pulling me against his chest.

Wrapping my arms around him, resting my head against his chest, I replied, "I know."

"Go home and relax. I'll be home soon." He said pulling me away from him.

"Promise?" I asked. "I want to relax with you."

"Promise." He said kissing me deeply.

"Okay." I smiled, taking his head in my hands as I kissed him again. "I love you."

"I love you." He smiled. "Now get out of here. You spend too much time here as it is."

"Call me if you're gonna be late?"

"I always do." He said kissing me again.

"You do." I smiled before turning to leave.

Going home, I put on a pair of sweats and a hoodie on, ready to relax. Opening a bag of cheese popcorn, I took it to the couch with a spoon, ready to enjoy my day off. Deciding to go old school, and wanting the drama, I pulled out the Twilight Saga that I had found for a good price in a pawn shop. They were so old but I they were dramatic and there was a love story. A happily ever after at the end. That and you can never go wrong with vampires and werewolves. Something that would keep me preoccupied for the majority of the day. Especially if Leo ended up in surgery for the afternoon. I had just started New Moon when the door opened and Jim came trudging in with a sorrowful expression on his face.

"Hey." I smiled at him as he stepped over my propped up legs, roughly dropping onto the couch next to me. "What's up? You okay?"

"It's over." He told me.

"With your mystery woman?" I asked gently. He nodded. "Oh, honey, I'm sorry." I told him, taking his hand. "Then she wasn't the one for you."

"I know." He nodded. "But it was fun and I like having fun."

"I know you do." I told him, putting my arm around him. "You can watch these corny movies with me. It'll make you feel better."

"Is there popcorn?" He pouted at me.

Laughing, I ran my hand down the back of his head as I kissed his temple. "I'll go make some." I told him, already having devoured all the cheese.

With popcorn in hand and two beers sitting on the coffee table, we continued my little movie marathon, talking about his failed relationship. I told him about Capri and all the trouble she would and could cause. We became heated in our conversation before we'd fall silent, eating, watching, and drinking before we built ourselves up again to keep going. By the time the door opened and Leo came in, the coffee table was littered with bottles and we were sprawled out on the couch and floor.

"Leo!" I exclaimed getting up and staggering over to him.

"Early drinking today?" He questioned as he kissed me, making a face at the beer taste of my mouth.

"Jim's girl broke up with him. Not really sure they were even dating but it's over now. He's all sad like so I'm cheering him up." I explained with slightly slurred speech. "Though we might have overdone it." I added as I took in the den's condition.

"Maybe." Leo lightly laughed, dropping his bag and going to the couch, picking up a beer as he made himself comfortable.

"Bones!" Jim yelled as he realized his friend was in the room. "These may be chick flicks but I think I like them." He told his friend as he crawled over to him, putting his arms across Leo's knee as he looked up at him. "That girl is pregnant with a vampire baby." He whispered.

"That doesn't seem possible." Leo told him.

"It's not." Jim whispered.

Giggling uncontrollably, I fell onto the couch next to Leo, bending down to get closer to Jim. "But it happened and just wait till you see what comes out."

"Is it bad?" Jim asked with a slightly shocked expression.

"Wait and see." I told him, tapping his nose as I giggled incessantly.

"You two are ridiculous." Leo told us.

"Yes." I said leaning back and looking at him. "But you wanna know something?"

"Tell me." He smiled, putting his hand on my thigh.

"Despite the little skank." I told him frowning before softening my face. "I am the luckiest girl in the world. I have good friends. And I have you. That's all I need."

Smiling, he kissed me deeply. "I'm the luckiest man in the world."

"And I'm gonna puke." Jim said and rolled away from us.

"You're just jealous because your bitch dumped you." I shot at him.

"She wasn't a bitch." He frowned at me.

"She was if she couldn't see what a great guy you are." I frowned back at him.

"Maybe I wasn't serious enough." He replied.

"No! No, Jim." I said dropping to my knees in front of Leo to meet Jim's eyes. "We are not going back there. We've been talking about this all day and we've decided that she was no good for you. She wasn't the right one. She was just someone to help lead you to the one you're supposed to be with."

"And your little skank is no threat to you, Leo, or your job. You're overthinking it and nothing will come of it. She's simply a bump in your road of happiness that will even out and be gone in no time." He replied.

"See?" I smiled. "We'll be okay."

"How long have you two been going at this?" Leo asked.

"I don't know." I replied sheepishly as I looked up at him.

"That's it. Come on." He said hoisting me onto my feet before doing the same to Jim.

He led us upstairs, dropping both of us down onto the bed. Immediately curling up with my pillow, Jim was already snoring next to me. Turning my head as Leo knelt next to me, I smiled, putting my hand on his face.

"You're so beautiful." I whispered to him.

He simply smiled, running his fingers through my hair. "Sleep it off. I'll see you in a little bit."

"I made popcorn." I told him.

"Thank you." He nodded.

"Love you."

"Love you too."


Waking a few hours later, I had a bad taste in my mouth and a throbbing headache, but I was thinking straight again. Jim was still sleeping soundly next to me. Smiling, I ran my fingers through his hair before rolling out of bed. Going to the bathroom, I brushed my teeth and took some aspirin before shuffling my feet out of the room. I was nearly to the end of the hall when I heard Leo's voice. A harsh whisper. Turning the corner, I saw him at the door, a glimpse of blond hair on the other side. Sighing, I sat on the steps, knowing exactly who it was.

"I don't care what you think. You're delusional." I heard him tell her.

"I know you want me. All you need to do is get rid of her." She told him, putting her hand out to touch him.

"Capri." He said catching it firmly, tossing it away from him. "There is absolutely nothing between us. I put up with you because of your father. If it weren't for him then you wouldn't have gotten anywhere near me and Grace."

"Don't say that." She said reaching for him again.

He slapped her hand away from him. "I will never be with you. You need to leave me alone. You need to leave Grace alone. She is the love of my life and nothing you say or do will ever change that. I'm going to ask her to marry me and we are going to be blissfully in love for the rest of our lives. You will have no part in that. So you do whatever you need to but I want you off my service by the end of the week. Stay away from me and stay away from Grace. Do you understand me?" He asked her angrily.

"Leo…?" She said sadly.

"I'd prefer it if you called me Dr. McCoy." He replied. "And if you go anywhere near Grace without a smile and something nice to say this is going to go down much differently. It would be best if you just left the both of us alone. Save yourself the pain and suffering that I will bring down on your head if you try anything else. Do you understand me?" He asked again.

"Yes." She finally told him after a long pause.

"Then get out of here." He told her before shutting the door in her face.

For a moment he just stood here with his hands against the door, taking deep calming breaths. I'd never heard him talk that way to anyone. But any doubts I had were now erased. He had defended me like no one ever had before. Not only that but he told her he was going to ask me to marry him. I hoped that was true. I would be the happiest girl in the world if he asked. Even if he didn't – as long as I was with him – I'd be happy.

"Grace." He said seeing me when he turned around. "How long have you been sitting there?"

Smiling, I walked down the remaining steps, putting my hands against his chest as I leaned against him. "Long enough."

"I'm sorry." He told me.

"For what? Defending me?" I smiled.

"For you needing a reason to be defended. If I'd just listened to you none of this would've happened." He told me, rubbing my arms.

"It doesn't matter." I told him shaking my head. "It looks like you've taken care of it."

"I didn't think she actually believed she had a chance." He said with a slightly perplexed look on his face.

"She's a love struck teenager. She doesn't know what she feels." I smirked at him.

"And you do?" He smiled back.

"I do." I nodded at him. "I feel everything. All for you."

"What would I do without you?" He smiled.

"Die of course." I frowned before laughing. "You'd be just fine. You did alright before me."

"Yeah, a divorce and a neurotic tendency." He told me sadly.

"Okay, so you weren't perfect. You still aren't." I told him, making him frown at me. "But you are perfect for me." I smiled, kissing him sweetly.

"That's true." He said leaning me into the den. "Come on. I'll hold you."

"I get a turn?" I smirked up at him.

"Shut up, woman." He said kissing me before falling onto the couch.

He made himself comfortable, lying the length of the couch, before I put my knee on the edge of it, lying atop him. Resting my head on his chest, he wrapped his arms around me as he placed a long kiss against my hair. For several minutes we just laid there, content to simply be with each other. But then the state of our home and the smell of the beer bottles got the best of me.

"You okay?" Leo asked as I sat up to get away from the smell.

"Yeah." I smiled. "I'm gonna make myself some eggs." I told him.

"No you won't." He said putting his arm around my waist as we walked to the kitchen. "I'll get you some coffee and then you can sit and relax while I make you some eggs."

"What would I do without you?" I smiled up at him.

"Die of course." He smiled back, kissing me.

Laughing, I rested my head against him before sitting at the island. Talking, he made me eggs and toast, putting together a little fruit bowl to put something good in my stomach after all the popcorn and beer. It tasted amazing. Not only because my body wanted it but because he was a good cook. No matter what he thought.

"Something smells good." Jim said coming into view.

"We saved you some." I smiled as Leo pushed a plate over to him.

"Thank you." He said as he sat and happily ate.

Then we heard the door open, slamming shut before Willow appeared in the kitchen. "I need a break. You all need to help me take a break from studying. I can't take it anymore. I need to drink, or scream, or just talk a lot. I need something and you people are going to help me."

Laughing, I simply made her a drink and sat her down with a bag of chips. We didn't have to say much as she did most of the talking. Even when we did talk it was more Leo than anyone. He knew exactly what she was going through and would definitely be a bigger help than Jim or myself. Soon there was a big snack-fest on the coffee table in the den, we sat around eating and talking till the sun was a line on the horizon. Willow was drunk so we made up the couch for her before we said goodbye to Jim before he left. When Willow was asleep, Leo and I finally made our way upstairs, ready to sleep. There was still work the next day and we were going to get very little sleep before we had to face the day.

It seemed our house had come home central to our friends' lives for nearly weeks. We hardly had a moment's peace without Jim or Willow interrupting in some way. Willow wanted to study but also wanted the option of sitting, talking, watching movies, and drinking all within the safety of our four walls. She was actually trying to better herself. Jim was between women so he was bored when he wasn't at the Academy and stopped by nearly every night to bagger Leo about the Kobayashi Maru simulation. He'd already failed once. He wanted to go back and try it again. You needed help for the test. He wanted Leo to be there but Leo hated space. He'd never been a fan of it and he didn't care to be drawn into it by Jim and his cockiness to prove himself. He'd come far. He was going to show up Capitan Pike about being an officer in three years instead of five. He had only about six months to fulfill his word to the good Capitan. He really was doing well though. Other than his cocky I-can-do-anything-without-consequences attitude. As soon as he calmed down just a little bit more he would be fine. He was a risk taker. We all knew it but it would get him into trouble someday. He'd been lucky that it hadn't yet. Everything he'd done he'd managed to pull it off. Lucky bastard.

"We're finally alone." I told Leo as I ran into the bedroom after taking Merlin for his nightly walk.

"You're cold." He frowned as I moved against him as I got into bed.

"It's a cold night." I replied resting against his side. "What are you reading?" I asked.

"Just some medical journal about how far technology has come." He replied.

"But you're old school. You don't like all the technology. You feel it all with your hands. That's enough for you." I frowned.

"I know." He smiled putting his arm around me. "But it's always a struggle. I have to have some sort of argument to stay away from the technology and do it my way."

"Your patients aren't complaining." I told him sitting up.

"Don't get upset about this." He told me. "You don't have to barge into the boards' room and tell them off for trying to convert me."

"Someone should." I said taking his hand in mine, admiring it.

"This should cheer you up." He told me putting the journal aside, spinning so he was lying in front of me. "Guess who got fired today?"

I couldn't help the smile that crossed my face. "Really?"

"Capri was brought into the Chief's office and was officially fired from the hospital for negligence. She ignored a patient who needed his bedsores re-bandaged every two hours. She thought it was below her and to time consuming. I'm pretty sure she even used the word gross in her defense." He told me and smiled. "It was the last straw and even though her father is in high places, even he couldn't stop it from happening. So we are officially free of her."

"That does cheer me up." I told him, leaning down to kiss him.

"Her dad will probably get her a job before morning but at least it won't be with us." He grinned.

Grinning back at him, a mischievous look crossed his face before he was on top of me. Laughing as he playfully ravaged my neck as his hands gripped my sides, making me squirm underneath him. Freeing my hands, I gripped his sides in return, making him squirm until I was on top of him. Straddling him, I gripped his chest in both hands before leaning down, kissing him passionately, playfully biting his lip. The heat built up as we undressed, the kisses becoming more and more passionate. Flipping me underneath him, his lips were against mine before they moved to my neck, then my chest, sucking the skin between my breasts. Trailing his tongue against my skin as he made his way back to my lips, his tongue filled my mouth as his body moved against mine. Grinning against his lips, I groaned with pleasure as he pushed himself inside of me. Breathing heavily, I couldn't help but practically giggle with pleasure as we made love. Everything was finally falling into place. Everything would feel normal again my morning.


The next week was pure bliss. Without Capri in the way, work went back to being fun and fulfilling. Leo's stress level had gone down to basically zero and I was practically skipping down the halls. Nothing horrible happened all week. We went to work, did our job, and went home hand and hand to have a nice dinner and relax before bed. It was amazing. I didn't think I could be any happier. The only thing that could make life any better would be if I had a ring on my finger. I never thought any of this could happen. I never pictured myself as the marrying type. But now I couldn't stop thinking about it. He didn't know that I heard him. If he had a plan I didn't want to ruin it. But every time I looked at him, all I could see was him in a black tux, gelled hair, and putting a ring on his finger to claim him as my own.

"Why do you keep smiling at me like that?" He asked as I made spaghetti for dinner.

"Do I need to have a reason?" I grinned at him. The smile was actually starting to hurt my face.

Stepping around the island, he put his arm around me, kissing me deeply. "No."

"Good." I said kissing him again. "Are you gonna take care of the garlic bread or what?"

"I'm on it." He replied going to the oven. "Did you put extra cheese on it?"

"Of course. With an extra stroke of garlic butter to even it out." I told him.

"You're perfect." He said placing a kiss in my hair as he walked behind me. "Another five outta do."

"Okay." I told him putting the pasta and meat sauce in separate bowls before putting them on the table.

Grabbing the parmesan cheese from the fridge, Leo poured the wine, before taking the bread out of the oven. Our meal was silent. Our thoughts and feelings being expressed with our expressions alone. Something that was enticing and fun. The cleanup went the same only now there was brushes of skin against skin. Gentle kisses to make chills run across my skin.

"Wait down here till I come get you." He whispered in my ear before swiftly leaving the kitchen, his dog on his heels.

Hearing him go up the stairs, I grinned, hoping he had finally decided that tonight would be the night. Finishing cleaning up the kitchen, I started to pace, I was excited about what he was planning. Pouring us both another glass of wine, I stood, sipping it. I was starting to calm down slightly when I thought I heard the screen door. Frowning, I moved forward, freezing when someone stepped into the hallway. My eyes grew wide as I took in the man who had attacked both Leo and me. I wanted to call out to Leo. To warn him that we were in danger. But my throat tightened as if his hands were already around it. In the next second he was rushing into the kitchen. I tried to time my movement, rushing around the opposite side of the island as he came at me. But he was large and he snatched me out of the air mid-step, bringing me down on top of the island, the wine glasses shattering against my side. Pulling from his grip, I fell to the floor, scrambling to my feet before running from the room, darting up the stairs, and to the bedroom. Stopping in the doorway, there were petals and candles lit everywhere. He had his best jeans and button-up on. It had been tonight. He was going to propose tonight and now we were going to have to fight to simply make it through it.

"I told you to -" He started but froze when he saw me. "You're hurt."

"He's here." I told him, rushing in and shutting the door, locking it. "Where's Merlin?" I asked. Seeing him in the corner, I rushed to him, grabbing him before putting him in the closet. "Be quiet." I told him sternly.

"Grace, who's here?" He asked.

"The one who hurt us." I whispered back.

"He's in a mental institute." He frowned. "There's no way he'd be let out."

"He's here." I repeated before going to the door, pressing my ear to it. Leo grabbed the bat that was by the bed and moved me from the door. "What are you doing?" I asked nervously.

"We can't stay in here while he's loose in our house." He told me.

"He's dangerous." I stated gripping his arm. "You can't go out there."

"I can and I will." He said putting his hand on my face. "He's not going to hurt us anymore."

"Leo." I said gripping his shirt tightly with both hands. "You aren't allowed to leave me."

"Neither are you." He said taking my hand as he opened the door.

The house was quiet. It would have been too easy for him to have left already. Gripping his arm tightly, we cleared upstairs before slowly making our way down. From the top of the stairs, the house appeared to be empty. Not saying a word, I let go of him but stayed right behind him as we moved through the rest of the house. The kitchen and den was clear. Going around to the other side of the stairs, we made it to the doorway of the living room when an arm appeared and Leo made a soft noise. Panic started to seep through me when he didn't move. Taking the bat from him, I moved around him, striking the man against the side of his head. He swung back at me, pain erupting in my arm as he did. Swinging again, the length of the bat came in contact with his abdomen, causing him to fall to his knees. Looking at Leo, he was on his back, red soaking through his shirt underneath his hand.

"Leo!" I exclaimed rushing to him. "Come on, get up." I told him, hooking my arms around his shoulders. "Help me!" I yelled as I attempted to get him onto his feet. Watching the large man start to get to his. "Leo, come on!" Finally getting him on his feet, I draped his arm across my shoulders, supporting most of his weight as I tried to get him back to the stairs. "Climb." I told him.

Leo nodded at me and slowly started to make his way up the stairs, blood smearing against them as he did. Turning to face the man who was here to destroy us, he was on his feet, coming toward me. Holding the bat at the ready, I swung at him, only this time he was ready. Gripping it, he held it tightly. He had one of our butcher knives in his other hand. Letting go of the bat, I dropped to the ground, narrowly missing the knife that would have buried itself in my gut. Turning, I attempted to flee up the stairs, only to be met with pain as he stabbed me in the back. Kicking him away from me, I scrambled up the stairs, seeing Leo nearly to the bedroom. Ricocheting from wall to wall, I stumbled down the hall. Grabbing him, I got us both inside, before locking the door behind us.

"You're gonna be okay." I told him as I leaned him against the bed, unable to get him off the floor.

"I'm sorry." He told me sadly.

"You have nothing to be sorry for." I told him pulling the pillow case off my pillow before putting pressure on his wound.

"I didn't protect you." He frowned.

"You did." I smiled at him. "I'm okay." I lied.

"I should have been checking up on him. Making sure they had him under control. They should have been watching him."

"Leo, baby, don't worry about that right now. Just keep breathing for me." I told him as I started to shake from the shock of it all. He had no color left in his face and his eyes looked heavy. "Does it hurt?" I asked him.

"Not really." He replied.

Tears sprang to my eyes, knowing that there was internal bleeding. We both knew what it meant. There was nothing I could do in this moment but put pressure on it, hoping it wasn't as bad as it looked. We both needed medical attention and from where I was sitting it didn't look like it was going to come any time soon.

Jumping as banging started on the door, I tried to find anything that I could use as a weapon. "After we get out of this we have to rethink your gun control issues." I told him as I came up empty, causing him to smile at me.

Running into the bathroom, I grabbed my perfume and hair dryer in an attempt to have something to hit him with. But he seemed to be as hyped up as ever. He probably didn't even feel anything we did to him.

"Where's your communicator?" I asked Leo.

"It's downstairs." He said weakly. "I didn't want to be interrupted tonight."

Looking at him, a few tears fell down my cheeks. "Hang on, okay?" I said kneeling next to him, taking his head in my hands. "You have to hang on for me. We have to redo this night when all of this is over." I smiled kissing him deeply.

"I'll do it right next time." He smiled taking shallow breaths.

"And I'll pretend to be surprised." I said kissing him again.

The pounding on the door became rhythmic, making me stand and face it, waiting for him to break in. Taking deep breaths, the door burst open, shards of wood splintering as the door frame was broken. He was quicker this time, charging in with the knife in one hand and the bat in the other. Spraying him in the face with the perfume, I tried to bludgeon him with the hair dryer. All the while he was flailing the knife. He made contact more than once before his arm caught me off guard, sending me onto my back. His arm came down on top of me, the knife flashing as it came nearer. Catching his wrist, I tried to hold him back, tried to stop him, but I wasn't strong enough. The knife buried itself in my stomach causing an agonized yell to escape me. He pulled it out and stabbed me again before pulling it slowly out of me, making me scream with pain. I could hear Leo yelling my name before I saw him throw himself at the man. They struggled briefly before I heard him yell. Staggering to my feet, I lunged at the man's waist, catching him off guard. He fell backward out into the hall. Falling to my knees, I looked at Leo, the knife imbedded in his side. He looked at me, his hand on the handle. We shared a brief moment before the man yelled, lunging at us again. But before he could reach us Leo pulled the knife out of his body, plunging it into the man's chest. The man fell backward before he staggered down the hall and out of site. Getting to my feet, I gripped Leo's shirt before he fell backward. Falling with him, I landed on my stomach next to him, feeling warmth start to run beneath me.

"Leo." I said weakly as I reached out to him, resting my hand on his chest.

He turned his head and looked at me, tears in his eyes. "I love you." He told me.

"I love you too." I smiled putting my hand on his face as tears blurred my vision. Blinking them away, I wanted to see him clearly if this was the end.

"I'm sorry." He said sadly.

"You don't need to be sorry." I frowned at him. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"I should've asked you a long time ago." He replied.

"It doesn't matter." I smiled. "We'll have time for that later."

"I would've loved to call you Mrs. McCoy." He smiled back.

"Call me it now." I told him, breathing becoming more difficult.

"Mrs. McCoy." He smiled sweetly.

Closing my eyes, smiling as I basked in sound of it, I told him, "Sounds just as it should. It sounds right." Opening my eyes, seeing that his were shut, tears started to stream as I rubbed his face. "Leo?" I said softly. "Leo. Please don't leave me. We are forever. You don't get to leave me." Even as my eyes shut, "You don't get to leave me."