What? Another chapter so soon? Yes. Hope you like it. Hoping to have this story completely finished by the end of Season 5. I don't know about you all, but every new episode is just a painful reminder Will is gone. Which is why I need to write, to keep him alive.


Being home was hard on everyone. Will and Alicia would take turns staying home to be there with her, and when neither of them could skip court, Veronica or Owen would stay with her. Grace was glad to be home, but she still tired of all the surveillance. But, at least she knew her family cared about her, And they let her eat on her own time, not on a timed schedule. IShe was doing her very best to get better. She hadn't made herself sick since the night she went into the hospital, but eating was hard. So hard. It was scary, and made her stomach hurt, and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't shut the voice off in her head that constantly told her she was a fat failure. When she ate, the voice gets louder and by the time she takes her fourth bite it is a silent scream only she can hear.
Her family knew it was hard for her, but they didn't understand why food was so frightening. And how could they?

She felt like she wasn't getting better fast enough, and she felt like a failure. She was so sorry she had everyone so worried, and that they had to rearrange their entire lives to take care of her. Zack always made sure to stop by when he could. He would randomly show up when he had a few hours to spare at college. He would bring her flowers or smoothie or something that would brighten her day. He never forced her to eat or talk. He made her food, but didn't watch her like a hawk, and when she wanted to talk, he listened. Most of the time, they would just sit in a comfortable silence and work on their homework. He was the one who was there when she finally hit her breaking point when they were eating lunch one day, he was the one who called Will when Alicia didn't answer her phone, and he was the one who held his sister while she was hyperventilating and sobbing, rocking back and forth and telling a voice he couldn't hear to shut up.

Will had been in a meeting, but had told his assistant that she was to interrupt him anytime with a call from Zack, Grace, Owen, Alicia or Veronica. As soon as she said Zack called, and he was needed at home as soon as possible, he grabbed his stuff, apologized to his clients, and was at the apartment no more than 7 minutes later.

The scene he walked into was gut wrenching. His two kids sat on the floor by kitchen table. Zack looked frightened, and he had his arms around his baby sister. Grace was shaking, crying, and sputtering out the same two words, over and over. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up."
Bewildered, he looked at Zack, hoping the younger man could help him figure out what was going on. His son just looked at him with wide eyes, and shrugged slightly.

Crouching in front of Grace, Will gently clasped her hands into his.

"Grace. Honey, calm down. Breathe. Put your head between your knees. Deep breaths. There you go. Keep breathing."

Zack stood up and got his sister a glass of water. He handed it to Will, and then on the kitchen counter. Moving into to the spot previously occupied by Zack, Will rubbed small circles on her back, and continued whispered for her to calm down, breathe.

It took a while, but eventually Grace calmed down. After drinking the water, and drying her tears, she looked at the worried expressions of Will and Zack.

"I'm sorry. I am so sorry for worrying you."

The two men exchanged glances.

"What exactly happened, Sweetheart?"

After staring at the floor for several minutes, Grace mumbled something incoherently.

"Say again?"

"She wouldn't shut up. I couldn't get her to shut up."

Completely baffled, Will tried to keep his voice level.
"Who wouldn't shut up?"

"Ana! Ana wouldn't shut up. I want her gone. I NEED her gone."

"Who is Ana?"

"She is the voice in my head that won't leave me alone. No matter what I do she tells me I'm fat. No matter how hard I try I can't block her out. She is the reason I am like this. She is the reason I can't get better! She won't shut up!"

Grace was back to crying and rocking. Will held her, crying with her, and Zack had slid off his counter top perch to come sit on the floor again.

And this is how Alicia found them, huddled together, crying.


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