Serenity

Chapter 25

A/N: I know this chapter isn't that long... but we are headed places... slowly but surely... moving.

monkeybaby: I am so glad!

Aaliyah: I am too! I just think that JM is soooo attractive. I am so happy that they casted him as aquaman and here is your next update!

Love. Fiction. 2018.: I'm glad to hear it!

kmhappybunny240: Yep! I wasn't planning on taking it that way either, I just figured that both Egil and Benny needed some love too. Now we know the real reason why Benny is always at the bar :P And heheheheehehehehehhee... Patience... Don't worry, I plan to drag this out as long as possible :P

thatredheadedchick: Omgosh! I am happy that you liked it so much and you read it this quickly! Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to read this! Well I am so happy that you like Grace as much as you do! I feel that everyone can relate to Grace in one way or another :) I know that my editing skills are to not be desired (since I don't edit lol... i'm lazy) so I am happy that you liked it :) Your comment meant so much to me and really placed a smile on my face all day, so thank you. WOW! I am happy that I was able to get that kind of emotion out of you but I am sad that you cried! I guess that means I am just doing my author duties well then :) Also, I usually post Sunday evenings/Mondays, just for your fyi :)

Grace yawned as she moved the mat out from the front door. She picked up the keys and locked the front door from the outside. She peered through the window making sure that all the lights were turned off inside the establishment. Before throwing the keys back under the mat, thinking that it was a stupid place to keep keys, she tugged on the door twice making sure that the door was indeed locked. She placed the mat back over the keys and decided that she should have a talk with Egil about storing the keys to the ale house there. He wasn't a stupid man, but she didn't want to chance someone trying to break in. The blonde knew this wasn't Fairbanks, but at the same time, one could never be too careful.

Turning around and stretching her arms above her head, she made her way to the boat. She turned to the left and then to the right with her arms in the air, trying to stretch out her back as well. She smiled to herself knowing what awaited her just down the road. She was never one to be a romantic, or was the girl in high school that really cared if guys were pining over her or not. Yes, she had her crushes and wanted to impress those boys, but who hasn't? Grace licked her lips, shoving her hands in her coat pocket.

She knew that Arthur was waiting on her to hear those simple words that he had spoken to her. The blonde didn't know why, but something just seemed to be holding her back from saying the same words. She knew that they were just words, but what was spoken could never be taken back. She cared for Arthur, she really did, but was he worth sticking around for? As her head pondered the question, her heart had another answer. One that was simple and made her want to take a leap of faith. All her heart hissed at her again and again was a breathless yes. That she did feel the same. That she loved Arthur.

However, Grace was never the one to rush in fully to these kind of things. The people who she loved could be counted on one hand and she didn't know if she could allow Arthur all the way into her heart. With everyone, she held something back from them and she knew that Curry was starting to notice. Not saying the same words back were just the very small tip of a big iceberg. Her heart wanted to say screw it, and just let things happen, but the rational side of Grace kept playing the opposite roll. At times she may have not been happy, but listening to her rational side had never led her wrong. If she stayed on the island, yes she could still be a fisherman, but relationships took a lot of work.

She had dreams and goals she wanted to accomplish outside of fishing. Long-distance relationships were hard and the blonde knew that she wasn't cut out for them. In her mind, they just never worked out. It put too much stress and strain on two people, so much so, that once started, it was doomed to fail. Not only that, but her brain kept telling her that Arthur and she weren't together, so why should she plan her life out like they were? It was a new relationship and yes, they had sex, but that didn't entirely mean they were together.

Would she see anyone else besides Arthur right now? In which that would be a no, and Grace knew that she didn't want Arthur seeing anyone either, but they never spoke about what they were, or their relationship. She didn't want to weigh down Curry with her stupid bullshit. He would probably think that she was just being girly and insecure. She may have deeper feelings for the man that she would care to admit, however, she knew she had a promising future, she was young. She didn't know if she could push that aside for the time being and be with someone. Relationships were about compromise and communication, two things that Grace was never good at.

There is always more fish in the sea Grace said to herself, and then started to laugh about the ironic words in that sentence. She liked being with Arthur and she hoped that it progressed into something more. Nevertheless, in order to protect herself from the usual outcome, it was hard for her to open herself up. She didn't want to feel the pain of being let down or the heartbreak that came with saying goodbye. Taking a deep breath, she knew in her heart that it was just her fear talking, something that she would have to get over. If anyone could make something work between the two of them, Grace had the best chance for it. She knew all of this, back and forth her heart and mind argued with her, just as if an angel and devil sat on her shoulder.

Unknowingly, Grace had picked up the pace and brought her arms out of her pockets to cross in front of her. She tried to let go of all the thoughts swimming around in her head, replacing them with the fun she would have with the man waiting for her. She pushed forward, gravel kicking up under her boots, and she held her head high. A smile started to break through onto her lips, the thoughts of Arthu's body on hers the blame for such a reaction. It quickly came to a pause though.

Out of the corner of Grace's eye, she saw someone in a dirty, but off-colored white, lab coat. They were breathing harshly, leaned up against a parked car. Grace took a few steps sideways, about to ask the person what was wrong, but she didn't have to when the man turned his head and locked his eyes with Grace's brown ones. Dr. Flint stared at Grace and she had a hard time tearing her own gaze from his. That was, until he doubled over in pain clutching his stomach. Without thinking, Grace raced forward, trying to check on the doctor's condition.

When she looked him over, trying to get him to look at her again, even though his own eyes clouded over, that was when she saw blood spattered across the coat. Not only that, but the arm that he wasn't using to hold his stomach was cut up in such a way that it looked like a bear had mauled his arm. The man in front of her was pale, and at the sight of him, Grace's own cheeks started to lose color. She had no idea how to help the man. Looking around she saw no one around and she was still a far enough distance away from the harbor that she didn't want to chance leaving the doctor here to go find Arthur.

"You… shouldn't help me…" The doctor muttered, his head rolling to the side.

Grace then tore her eyes from the surroundings and looked at the man who had propped himself up against the wheel well of the car so he wouldn't fall over.

"Doc, as much as I hate you… you really don't look well right now. What should I do to help—"

"Don't fuckin' do a thing… I—I'm sorry… Please… Just let me be…"

Grace opened her mouth and closed it again, not understanding what he was rambling about. Trenton's eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks were tear stained. Casting a glance over his wounds, the blood still seemed to be dripping out of his arm, but it was long enough ago that some of the capillaries had stopped the flow of blood and some blood had grown hard.

"Grace… I'm sorry… I'm sorry about everything…" Trenton whispered, trying to stand.

"What did you do to deserve this Trenton? What happened? You can tell me… Please I want to help you…" Grace spoke, her voice thick with worry as she tried to prevent the doctor from standing.

However, releasing his hand from his stomach, the doctor pushed the blonde away and used the car to pull himself up. Grace outstretched her hands making sure the man in front of her didn't fall.

"Everything that he said… everything… it was all a lie…"

"What was a lie? Who told you a lie, Flint?" Grace questioned.

"He couldn't bring her back… I should have known… I just wanted to tell her I loved her… to kiss her again before she got into that car… I just wanted to tell my wife goodbye."

Grace's breath hitched in her throat at the vulnerability that was coming from the doctor's mouth. The two hated each other and here he was, exposing everything to her. The blonde choked down her saliva, feeling her mouth go dry. She didn't know what Flint was talking about, but she wasn't stupid. With the mention of he that could only mean one thing. Arthur's brother had held Flint's dead wife over his head for leverage over him. However, before she could say another word, Trenton started to speak again.

"The deed has already been done… I can't say goodbye to her… but to you I can…Goodbye Grace… Goodbye…"

The blonde furrowed her eyebrows at the doctor in confusion. However, he offered up nothing more and instead started to shuffle away from her and the car, almost as if he was a zombie. His eyes were almost completely white, almost void of an iris, but his normal colored eyes were now a dull grey. It was as if everything he had, had been stripped away. Grace wanted to run after him, force him to get some help, but something just didn't feel right about the whole thing. What did he mean when he told her goodbye?

She stayed rooted in her place, not believing her own mind about what she just saw. She was tense and anxiety was starting to overcome her senses. The blonde focused on her breath, forcing air in and out of her lungs. However, fog starts to roll in from the sea, and the air around starts to become dense. Without thinking about it, or checking the car for blood confirming what she just witnessed, Grace's only thought was: move. She started to jog at first, but as the fog thickened, hardly able to see the earth in front of her, she started to run towards the harbor. Never stopping. Never allowing her feet to miss a step. Always one foot in front of the other.

Anxiety boiled in her body, and the woman refused to look behind her as her hair on the nape of her neck rose. She didn't want to turn her head and see someone behind her, chasing her. As she ran through the gravel, she almost thought she heard someone else keeping pace behind her, kicking up the rocks as well. She pumped her arms and ran as fast as she could, but it wasn't fast enough. The person, the thing, behind her picked up the pace as well, as if running was never an issue for them. Grace's feet hit the wood of the harbor and just as her foot touched the wood, it was almost as if she could feel fingers graze the back of her neck. The touch felt slimy, almost as if the fingertips were cloaked in seaweed and water.

Tracing the hairs that she had there. Someone was reaching out to her trying to get her to stop, but she wasn't going to. She was going to run until she couldn't anymore, and then fight like a bat out of hell. However, her thoughts came to a rest when she ran face first into a hard body. The momentum change knocking her clear on her ass. Grace hissed with the impact, but the man bent down and Grace recognized the face and long hair he had. Arthur. It was Arthur. Taking a deep breath before letting the man help her up, she knew that she was safe now. Whatever had been following her, whether in her mind or reality, was gone now.

"You okay there Grace? This fog rolled in out of nowhere…"

Grace huffed, trying to catch her breath before she responded to Arthur. She wanted to tell him all that she just saw, but on the other hand, did she actually see it or was she just tired? She ran a hand through her hair and debated her options, knowing that she wished she checked the car for blood before she bolted.

"Grace?"

"Yeah? Yeah—Yeah! I'm fine Arthur, really. No need to worry about me" Grace said in a breathless voice.

"Well you didn't have to run here, I was actually coming to get you so you wouldn't have to walk alone in this weather."

"I'm here now, so it's all good. It's the thought that counts!" Grace's words infused with a false sense of positivity.

Arthur gave Grace a look of worry before speaking again. She could see that his body was starting to tense up, instantly becoming protective of her. His eyes skimmed the area around them, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. Grace wondered if he could see farther in this weather thanks to his metahuman abilities, or if he was just doing it to make her feel better.

"Seriously, Arthur, I'm fine."

Arthur turned his gaze back to Grace.

"If there really was a problem… you would tell me, right?"

Grace hesitated for a beat, before nodding her head yes. However, even with the action, it felt like she was telling him a lie. Would she tell him if she had an issue, or would she just try to solve it herself? Communication and Compromise were the two words that flashed through her head, and yet again, she didn't know if she could yield on those things when it came to Arthur—no matter what her heart felt. Before Grace let her mind spiral out of control or allow Arthur to ask her any more questions, she wrapped her arms around the man's neck and pulled him down. She placed her lips tenderly on his and the world seemed to hold its breath around her.

This feeling. This was the feeling that she never wanted to give up. This was what made her heart sigh, her brain stops thinking, and her belly fill with butterflies. A simple, tender, kiss from Arthur was all that she needed. Just this one, simple, intimate action made her want to give all of herself to him. Arthur wrapped his hands around Grace's waist, pulling her closer. As their chests touched, Grace relaxed against him. All the worry from before faded, as if it never was meant to be there in the first place.

She didn't have to give up anything that she wanted, and Arthur didn't have to give up anything for her either. This was what was right. This relationship. Yes, Grace was using him to fight off whatever had just happened to her, so she didn't have to think about it, but to allow herself to not care, to want to forget everything and only be with him. Really be with Arthur. Give him not only her body, but mind as well, her senses being assaulted by everything that encompassed the long-haired man… and that was when she realized it. She loved Arthur Curry. She loved him with every molecule in her body.

From the tip of her toes to the top of her head, her whole being loved the man she shared a simple kiss with. And she never wanted it to end.

"We should take this back to your room" Arthur broke the kiss first, his voice husky with need.

Grace smiled against his lips, biting his bottom one before answering him.

"It's more fun teasing you…"

Before Grace could say anything more, Arthur pulled away giving her a playful glance. She opened her mouth, but the only thing that came out was a loud laugh when the man bent down and picked her up, throwing her over his shoulder. The blonde pounded at his back lightly, telling him that it wasn't fair that he was manhandling her. This only made Arthur laugh more. Grace let Arthur carry her all the way to her room, giving him directions so they wouldn't be caught by Benny. Her mind was completely at ease, writing off what happened with the doctor as something that she saw in the fog, a trick of her own mind. As Arthur's touch lingered over her body, the one true thing that filled her mind was how should she tell Arthur that she loved him?