Serenity: Transition

Chapter 38

Agent O: Haha damn right son!

monkeybaby: I am glad that you liked it so much!

Arkytior's Song: Haha I am glad that you have been liking it so much! Barry is honeslty just the best, I love him. Heheheheheh just wait... you won't be sorry :P

ZabuzasGirl: Haha yeah, sorry!

nightfall252524: I have plans for all of that... *evil author laugh*

kmhappybunny240: And don't worry, the trouble is to come. It will, just gotta lead up to it :)

ThatOneDino: I am so glad to hear that you liked it! And don't worry... it will be a slow progression.. but I promise you that it will happen :)

gryffindorgal13: Haha honestly, I watched a few clips on Youtube to get inspiration on how to write a scene like the racing one I had to put in this story. Haha yeah I am honestly excited to write Barry and Grace team up (spoiler alert? Idk) Dude really? That is awesome, I am so proud of you getting your new job and just being a deckhand your self makes you instantly super cool :) Keep up the great work, I'm rooting for you :)

"Back up girly, you don't want to do this."

"Oh trust me, there isn't anything else I would rather do than kick your guy's asses."

Grace cracked her head from side to side and moved her arms upwards, shifting the sleeves of her jacket upwards. Her hands curled into fists as she held them in front of her face, and Grace bent her legs, lowering her center of gravity and making sure that she was on the balls of her feet. She rocked back and forth, waiting for the first idiot to come forward. The frat guy that was making all the commotion in the first place, the one who hit Barry, he approached Grace first.

"There really isn't need for this, honey we were just playing a game."

"Doesn't look like a game to me—"

"That's because you need to smile more."

One of the guys backing up the ring leader said, only to make the leader of the frat guys laugh at his friend's joke.

"Excuse me? What the hell did you just say to me?"

"You heard him. Smile more. You'll be a whole hell of a lot prettier if you did."

The guy approached Grace and they were so close that she could smell the alcohol on his breath. Great, not only was she going to have to put assholes in their place, she was going to have to put drunk assholes in their place.

"So what do you say, Grace. Smile for us."

"How about this, you fucking smile."

Without warning, Grace threw the first punch to the ring leaders' mouth. Her hand connecting with his teeth, the force shoving her fist upwards, connecting with the guy's nose as well. She pulled her hand back, her knuckles already screaming at her in pain, both from the impact of the bricks earlier and now against teeth, she was going to have some sore hands in the morning if they weren't broken first. The other guys couldn't believe what had just happened, but when realization dawned on them, it seemed as if they wanted to avenge their fraternity brother, even if it meant going toe to toe with a girl.

The other guys came at Grace, and she was forced to duck, hitting the guy a few times in the abs as he huffed and threw an elbow down at her back. Grace lost her air for a moment but crashed the guy into one of the flipped tables making him land backwards on it. The other two guys charged at her, but she played them against each other. She pulled the one close by his coat, and while the other was ready to throw a punch at her, she moved out of the way making one punch the other.

When the guy fell threw with his punch, Grace spun around and kicked the guy's legs out from under him. However, Grace didn't realize that the ring leader finally composed himself and grabbed Grace from behind putting her into a choke hold. She could feel her windpipe start to collapse, but instead of freaking out, she got her leg on the inside of his, and with the heel of her boot, she picked her leg up and rushed downwards, all the while scraping the hard rubber against the ring leader's shin. He hissed in pain and yelled at his boys to get up and stop being pussies. They came back for another round, the guy that Grace pushed down into the table getting up and throwing his own set of punches, one of them actually hitting her.

Grace let her head turn to the side, and when she felt the metallic taste of blood fill her mouth, she couldn't help smile. Blood caked her teeth, and she smiled at the guy as he grabbed her collar and pulled her closer to him. He breathed down her neck, thinking that he won, and he addressed Grace as such, as if he was victorious even though the fight just started.

"You can dish it, but you can't take it, can you?"

"At least I don't cry like a little bitch."

"When did I cry like—"

The guy immediately let Grace go as she kicked him in the jewels. The guy doubled over in pain, unable to get up as Grace kicked him where it would hurt the most. However, she didn't stop there. As he kneeled in front of her, she performed a roundhouse kick to his head, effectively knocking him out. Unfortunately for her, one of the other guys came at her and she tried to defend herself, but he picked her up and rushed her towards the wall. Grace's back smacked against the hard concrete and she struggled against the guy. She clasped her hands together and brought them down on the back of the guy's neck, making his anatomy buckle.

Throughout the endeavor of breaking free, Grace's keys dropped out of her pocket and didn't notice they had left her side until the ring leader stumbled towards her and jingled them in front of her face. He snarled at her and wanted to cause her the same apparent pain that she was inflicting on him and his tag-team. So, the guy ran outside and rounded up his arm before letting go of her keys. God, she hated the baseball team. She didn't have to watch to know that the guy aimed for the Gotham bay, and with his aim, he probably sunk her keys into the water.

He ran back inside to see the damage to his group, his buddy still trying to hold Grace hostage, even though he was clearly in pain with her specific hits. Grace eyes the ring leader and he came up to her ready to spit in her face.

"How does it feel that you will never be able to ride your bike again?"

"I guess it would amount to the same feeling with having your ass whooped by a girl."

"I don't see anyone doing an ass-whopping here."

"Well, I was going to let you off with a warning, let you guys leave how you were, but I guess that isn't gonna happen now is it? I can't let you get away with tossing my keys into the bay, now, can I?"

"Grace, you're all talk. I hope you know that none of us take you seriously."

However, anyone in the shop would have taken the blonde seriously. She had injured everyone there, and one of the guys had even been knocked out already. But she wasn't about to rain down on this guy's parade. No. She was in the mood for a fight, she just hoped these guys would put up one.

"Oh, trust me, I was just warming up. You tossed my keys and now… now, I'm going to kick your ass."

Grace leaned down and with the guy that was holding her against the wall, she leaned down and got close to his ear as if she was about to whisper sweet nothings to him. Instead she sunk her teeth down into the top of it, making the guy hiss and jerk away from her. Grace licked her lips as she fell to the floor, and cracked her knuckles, even if the release of fluid was painful. That's when Grace decided to rain hell down upon these assholes.

Grace looked around at the passed-out bodies on the floor of the coffee shop. She did try to warn them after all. However, she wasn't alone for long as Barry came back to join her, handing her a few ice bags for her knuckles, and the few bruises that were starting to appear on her neck and body. He tried to hand her two, but Grace just took one and refused the other, pointed to Barry's shiner of his own.

Kicking up her feet on the table that the two of them righted, Grace decided to break the silence between the two of them.

"You make a damn good, what is this called again?" Grace asked as she turned the paper coffee cup to the side trying to get a good look at it, even if she couldn't tell what was inside it.

"It is a mint hot chocolate. They aren't in season right now, but I figured you would like it. Has less caffeine in it than coffee."

"Well you make a damn good mint hot chocolate chip, Barry."

Barry laughed at the mispronounced name and Grace gave up a chuckle while sipping on the drink. The two fell back into a silence, their eyes returning to the bodies that were knocked out on the floor. Grace could tell that it made Barry uneasy, seeing that these guys were passed out, and she started to feel a sort of guilt enter her system. Maybe she shouldn't have taken things as far as she did, especially since the coffee shop was trashed.

"You really should put that ice on your eye there, Barry," Grace said nonchalantly, not trying to bring up the fact that he kept playing with the ice instead of actually using it for its intended purpose.

Barry looked down and refused to make eye contact with Grace. It was unusual he was being so quiet. In the short time that she knew the kid, he had been running his mouth nonstop talking about anything and everything. However, now, with just the two of them, minus the bodies on the floor, he seemed solemn and quiet. She didn't want to assume anything and she didn't want to ask, because that would make his problem hers. Grace tried to keep to herself the entire time that she was here in Gotham, but with the person across from her, it was getting harder and harder to do that.

"So, why do you work such a shit job here? I mean don't coffee shops nowadays like compare to working fast food and shit?"

Grace got a small smile from Barry, and he finally put the ice pack on his eye. Whatever had bothered him before, now seemed to give him a break, Grace breaking up the mundane-ness in his mind.

"Honestly? It is one of the few places that would hire me. Plus, with this job it totals three, and since I'm almost ready to go onto four to pay for school… anyway, this job lets me read and catch up on homework and study if things are going slow…"

Nodding, she knew exactly how that felt. At the end of the day, she was happy that she made a little extra on the side with street racing, even if some of the shit happened tonight is common. Also, she couldn't exactly complain when both the jobs she held, even if they were in a rough and tough neighborhood, she at least had some respect in her respective positions. At least, she thought she did.

"Anyway, thanks for the… drink," Grace looked at Barry, not attempting to name it, trying to make him smile again.

"Yeah, anytime. What are partners for?"

"Which reminds me," Grace paused, making a gesture with her hand, "You need me to help you clean up here?"

"Nah, I think I got it."

"You sure?"

Barry just nodded his head, and Grace didn't want to press any further. She remembered the last time she pressed for answers with someone… and enough of that mental trail of thoughts. The blonde may be coming down off of her adrenaline rush, but she wasn't nearly incapacitated enough to go down that path right now.

"Well, I better get going… You sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah, I will, I'm just…"

Grace cocked her head to the side and leaned forward, putting her feet back onto the floor, ready to push out of the chair and leave. But she had a feeling that she needed to sit here for a second longer, so Barry could speak what was on his mind. The realization dawning on Grace that even though the boy loved to talk, it seemed that when things were awry or if something was on his mind, it was difficult for him to get the words out.

"I'm just worried that you won't be able to get your bike up and running again because they tossed your keys and I could have done something, anything but all I did was stand there, I felt like I just couldn't move and—"

"Barry, stop it," Grace spoke in a firm but calm manner.

Barry rubbed his hands, Grace noticing that it was probably a habit when he got nervous or something. It was like her when she played with her long hair or bit the inside of her cheek, as cliché as it sounded.

"The keys are no big deal, as long as you are okay, everything else will work out, okay?

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Barry gave Grace a weak smile, trying to make her believe that he really meant the words that he said."

Grace pushed off from the table and stood, Barry doing the same, in a rushed, awkward manner.

"Anyway, thanks again…"

Barry nodded his head, the mood between them filling with a slight sense of unease, in which, Grace couldn't help but take pity on the situation. That is when it dawned on her. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick message, and then exited out of the store not delaying the inevitable any longer. Barry rocked back and forth on his feet before following after Grace, something still on his mind.

"Grace?"

The blonde turned around but kept her hands in her leather pockets.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks again."

"Don't mention it… just try not to make a habit out of it," she remarked, "Also, if you ever get sick of this job, give me a call I could probably hook you up in a better place than this."

"I'll uhh… I'll think about it…" Barry said, taken off guard by the direct kindness Grace was showing all of a sudden.

He noticed that she was a kind person underneath all that dark leather, again, Barry wondered why she had such a strong attitude she carried on her shoulders. Grace turned around and started to head towards the shoreline of the Gotham Bay, or at least, down the alley to the main street.

"Oh, and Grace?"

"Yes, Barry? Didn't I just say not to make this a habit," she joked.

"No! I mean yes, but no—"

"I'm just messin' with you."

"Oh, okay, umm… I just in case I change my mind and want a job, or like with homework or like another—"

"As much as I like this approach, check your phone, kid."

And with that Grace finally did leave the scene, and Barry tried to stumble through getting his phone out of his pocket. He gave a sigh of relief, that even after the events with the frat guys, his screen wasn't cracked. If it was, he definitely didn't have the money to replace it. However, as the screen came to life, he noticed a new text message, his phone not recognizing the number. It was a plain message, but nevertheless, it made him smile and let go of the situation around him for a while.

All the message said was: Grace Sanibel.

Barry knew that the message was such like Grace it was unbelievable. She knew who she was and even in a small thing like texting, she was confident, not letting anyone tell her that she was anything but who she truly was. That made Barry respect her even more, and it also made him a little jealous of the girl, wishing that he had the same confidence that she had. The only thing was that Barry didn't know that Grace just said to fake it until you made it, and apparently it seemed as if she was doing something right.

Scratching his head, and looking around to see if the coast was clear, he took a step backwards and zoomed back into the coffee shop. In an instantly it seemed as if everything had been up righted, and cleaned, minus a few breaks on a shelf or two that held goods that someone could buy and take home with them from the shop. Not only that, but with a ring of the bell over the front door, the frat guys were propped up on the wall outside of the shop. Huffing, Barry stopped in the middle of the room and patted down his sleeves, they were smoking, and he muttered to himself that he had to figure out a way to invent something so that maybe all his clothes wouldn't just disintegrate every time he decided to use his meta human powers. That's where the pause came, he wanted to be Grace's friend, and he wasn't threatened by her, but if she ever found out that he qualified as a person with meta-human powers, then would she end up hating him, just like she did with Superman?

But if she didn't find out then there was no threat to their blossoming friendship. Barry just had one mission: to get his father out of prison. He didn't need to be a superhero, or anything of the like. He had no issue keeping his powers under wraps, getting his degree and proving his dad was innocent. That's all he wanted, but on the other hand, he really did care what Grace thought about him and it made him worry. Even if she didn't consider him one, he considered her his friend. His only one to be exact.

"You know, you really have to keep better track of these things," a feminine voice sounded from behind Grace.

The blonde didn't respond right away and instead, continued to search the dusty shoreline for some rocks to skip. When she had a decent handful of them, Grace started chucking them across the bay, carefully keeping an eye on the water line, making sure it didn't touch her.

"You mean my keys?"

"Is that what they call these oddly shaped things?" Mera questioned.

"Heh, yeah they go to the vehicles we drive."

"The things that pollute the oceans. Got it. However, I didn't give you this shell just so that way I could pick up your trash for you. I mean, this is like the fifth time this month someone launched your keys into that disgusting water."

"What can I say, I just have a way with people."

Grace turned her head and threw a look at Mera, who just rolled her eyes.

"Plus, I can't believe you put a hole in it…"

"What is so bad about that? You gave it to me and it is just easier keeping it as a keychain, so I don't lose it."

Mera didn't respond, and Grace wondered if Mera knew what a key-chain was, or if they had them in Atlantis. Over the past few months, Mera had come to the surface to visit with her, but ever since Grace moved to Gotham, the visits became less and less frequent. Grace couldn't blame her red-headed friend. The water here was polluted with god's know what, and on top of it, the hustle and bustle of a city wasn't for everyone. Hell, it sure as hell changed Grace. She was angrier recently, but she just chalked that up with dealing with assholes everywhere she went.

"How have you been Mera, oh I've been good thank you for asking. How have you been Grace?" Mera mocked, crossing her arms, trying to have a conversation with Grace.

Grace sucked in a deep breath and chucked the last of her rocks into the water in front of her. She then turned and gave her attention to Mera. She opened her hands, palms up, as if an indication asking what and that the red-head had the blonde's attention now.

"Well?" Mera asked, waiting for an actual reply from her friend.

Grace sighed and looked away, "Its been fine."

"Then how the hell do you describe this?" Mera asked fiercely like an overprotective mother.

She was about to deny everything, but saw her friend close the distance and look at her split knuckles. At least Mera had the kindness to say something something about her hands first, granted, to Grace, they probably looked worse than her bruising face.

"It's fine, Mera. I'm fine. Stop acting like my mother."

"I'm not acting like your mother, I'm acting as your best friend. Or am I not allowed to be that anymore since you decided to go off on this whole badass biker chick attitude and dress phase?"

"I've always been—"

"Don't bullshit with me Grace, you at least owe me that much."

Grace sucked her cheeks inwards and held them there, making her lips pucker out like a fish. She knew that Mera had a point, and Grace was acting like a bitch to the only person beside Egil in her family that was still talking to her.

"I'm angry… I'm just... I'm angry all the time Mera."

Mera nodded her head as if she understood. It was pretty clear that Grace still wasn't completely over everything that had happened, and the red-head knew that. No reason to bring it up any more.

"Its okay, Grace—"

"No it isn't Mera. I just can't seem to help it. Every little thing makes me feel like exploding. I know I'm hot headed, but I guess I am still not over the same shit."

"Its not the same shit. What happened with everything and how Arthur left you…"

"Yeah, don't remind me. What is more cliché than the girl who falls for the bad boy only to wind up getting heartbroken?"

"Grace…"

"Really, Mera, its fine. I was the dumbass and now, I just have to work through the consequences myself. That is what is great about Gotham though, no one gives a shit about you."

Mera didn't have an answer to Grace and honestly didn't know how to help her friend. Grace was in a dark place with not even a glimmer of hope. She kept falling and falling, deeper and deeper, with no end in sight. The last time Mera saw her friend, she was simply depressed, and now, she replaced that sadness with the hidden strength of anger. But, Mera knew better. She knew it was a mask Grace put up to prevent anyone from getting close with her again. So, instead of going around and around in the same conversation, Mera changed the topic.

"Have you had any time to practice—"

"No."

The answer that Grace gave was short, sweet, and simple.

"I haven't had the time."

"Haven't had the time, or just don't want to."

"You take a guess at that one. I mean I'm not going to have the same abilities as you, Mera."

"Sounds like you're just scared, and you don't know what you can do until you practice them."

"Oh, I know plenty of what I can do."

"If you are so sure, then push the water out of the bay like you did in Atlantis."

Grace scoffed in response, "You know, you're a pain in the ass you know that?"

"You wouldn't want me any other way."

Grace shook her head, and shoved her hands into her pockets, relaxing her shoulders.

"Grace, I know you don't want to hear this, but you need to put the past behind you."

"That is easier said than done, Mera. I just want to live like a normal human—"

"If that was the case what do you call all the illegal street racing and fighting?"

"Mera—"

"If that is what you call moving on, then I guess I'm sorry that I don't understand surface dwellers' ways then. However, I know you Grace. I know that you are not just lying to me, but you are lying to yourself. I know Arthur left, I know that you can't have kids anymore… but still, that doesn't give you the right to be a bitch to me or anyone else."

"Wow. Okay Mera."

"No, you need to hear this—"

"Trust me, I heard you loud and clear."

"I just worry about you and you need to get this through your thick skull—"

"Do I now? And what the hell do you know abut loss? Hmm? Your little life is perfect down in Atlantis, especially with Triton gone. How the hell can you understand what—"

Mera didn't hesitate and slapped Grace across the face, tears pricking in the red-head's eyes. Grace groaned and placed her hand on her cheek, trying to rub the sting out of it.

"I deserved that."

"You sure as hell did."

"Mera, look I'm sorry—"

Mera didn't listen to Grace and instead knocked the wind out of her, throwing herself into a hug with the blonde. Mera squeezed Grace uncomfortably hard, but the blonde let her do it. Grace relaxed as much as she could and wrapped her own arms around her friend, feeling Mera's hot tears run down against her cheek and neck, wetting the collar of the shirt she wore under her leather jacket.

"You're my best friend Grace and you are not alone. I love you."

Grace paused and stopped rubbing her friends back. She hadn't heard those words in a long time. She resumed comforting her friend and finally responded, feeling more alone then she usually was.

"I love you too."

Grace swayed into her trashy apartment complex. On the way home, she decided to leave her bike where it was, her keys, wallet, and phone safe and secure in her pockets, and went to the convenience store only to buy a cheap bottle of whisky. It was half way gone and the stairs seemed to move sideways as she tried to walk up them. She gripped the railing and tried to take a few steps, almost falling up the stairs. However, she managed to not drop a single splash of the brown liquid on the musty carpet.

On the way up the rest of the stairs, she passed one of her neighbors chilled out, lighting up a joint. She didn't even ask and took it from his mouth, putting it in her own. She took a puff of the mary jane and instantly, with the mix of alcohol already in her system, she felt her head become light.

"Yo Grace that's my last one man. Come on. That is some good quality shit right there."

"Danny, tell your dealer I say thanks for the hook up and I need it more than you do."

"You look like shit man."

"Thanks for your wonderful words" Grace muttered, walking through the puff of smoke that Danny just made as he pulled ou this weed infused vape pen.

Rolling her eyes, she kept the joint in her mouth, knowing that Danny wouldn't miss it. He probably already forgot that she took it from him. Out of everyone in her complex, those two got along the best. Danny was generally in a haze of smoke, but he was easy going and didn't care about anything, which suited Grace just fine. That just meant he wasn't one to ask her questions, unlike the asshole couple who lived above her. Just as if she was speaking about the devil, Grace got to her door and swung it open, only to hear the normal screaming and shouting coming from above her.

It happened nightly that the two upstairs fought. Typically they would yell their heads off and then have passionate sex on a bed that creaked so bad she was surprised that the building next to apartment couldn't hear it. Grace just felt bad for the kids that were upstairs. One night they were still up after she got home from her shift at the bar and took pity on the kids. Only to had both the male and female try to pick a fight with her on separate occasions. Now, she just lets them do what they want, but Grace still stops to talk to their kids, making sure to help them with school work and to feed them, even if it was late when she saw them.

Grace sludged off her jacket and let it fall to the floor, and she put her helmet on top of it. The top of it was cracked, and she knew that she was going to have to fix it tomorrow. It wasn't like she had enough money to get a new one. Grace took another hit on the joint, placing it in between her fingers when she was done and then took a swig of the alcohol. She kicked off her shoes and made her way through the bedroom and into the small dimly lit bathroom.

She ran the water to the sink, it coming out first as a rush of brown liquid that shifted to tan, and eventually clear. Placing the glass bottle on the sink and the joint in her hand, Grace used a rag to wipe the dirt and blood on her face. When she thought that everything was gone, she put the joint back into her mouth and proceeded to wash the dried blood from her knuckles. Evidently, she cringed as she did so, seeing that the dried blood was acting like a scab of sorts and she just washed it all off, making the wounds into fresh cuts again. Glancing around, Grace spotted a few dirty t-shirts on the tiled floor, and she proceeded to pick them up and wrap her hands up in them, knowing that she didn't have any bandages anywhere.

The blonde refused to look at herself in the cracked mirror as she went through the whole process of taking care of her wounds. She knew she wouldn't like what she saw there, and knew it wasn't going to change any time soon, so why make her feel worse than what she already was? Grace grabbed the whisky bottle again, switching off again, but she didn't hesitate to leave only a fourth of the bottle left. Grace made her way out of her bathroom and plopped down on her bed, laying on her back. She looked to the side and knew that she had work to do for school in the morning, but right now, it was the last thing she wanted to do.

No, she was in pain, and was trying to use the short and dangerous release of a mix of drugs and alcohol to make it so she didn't feel anything. But even though she was under the influence, the only thing she still felt was loneliness bubbling up inside of her. Without thinking about it, Grace took another drag and flipped open her phone. She looked through her contact list and found the first person who came to mind. She pressed send, and put the phone up to her ear, just to be sent to voicemail. She had just called Mateo. She knew that it was probably too ate for him right now or that he was with his daughter, either way, he was typically her go too when she needed a warm body.

She exited out and looked through the contact list one more time, this time, her thumb hovered over the call button to Benny's cell number. The two still weren't talking and Grace wasn't going to be the one to apologize this time. She wasn't drunk enough to listen to Benny's incessant bitching at her. After their fight, Grace took off to Gotham, and since then the two hadn't spoken a word to the other. Both to hard-headed to apologize first. Grace thought that Benny would be the one to fix it, but with one semester down and into the next one, he still never said anything. Too much for the sense of family with each other.

However, she was drunk enough to message someone else. She could feel the depressant in her system make her feel numb to everything around her while the high made her feel like she could finally have some sense of calm within herself, even if her thoughts kept being interrupted by the screaming match above her. Since her time in the hospital, Grace had sent messages to Arthur's phone, and each day they became fewer and farther between. Hell, she didn't think about talking to him for months until tonight. She had gone almost her entire time back at university not talking to the man, but, here she was.

She knew that each message went unanswered, but as Grace pushed send to the text message, she still had a lingering feeling of hope ignite in her chest. That maybe, just maybe, this would be the time that she would finally get a response from the reclusive man. However, within a few minutes of staring at a blank screen, she scoffed at herself, knowing that she was being stupid. She knew that she wasn't going to get a reply this time, or maybe ever. Hell, if the man was smart he probably changed his phone number, so she couldn't contact him. However, just as she was about to flip it closed, Grace saw something she never thought she would see. Three little black dots in the corner of her phone alerting her that someone was typing a message in reply.

Grace held her breath, and waited for a message to come through, but just as quickly as the dots appeared, they faded, and it left Grace feeling even more hollow then what she originally was walking home from her conversation with Mera. Grace curled up on her bed, ignoring her school work and tossed her phone to the side and pushed the blunt out on a plate she had on the end table next to her bed. She gripped her legs to her chest and let herself silently cry as the noises of Gotham rose up and tried to swallow her whole.

She was being stupid with texting Arthur, that much wasn't new. It was probably best that he never responded to her. If he had sent her a message back, she didn't know what she would have done, but it was cruel that he thought about sending her something only to delete it, getting Grace's small hopes up that she would be able to talk to the man she once loved, even if it was through a screen. In the morning when she woke up, Grace knew that every bone in her body would regret sending the text, but right now, it gave her the sense that she wasn't completely alone in this world. It was a simple text, but the words held more meaning in them then her long paragraphs she had sent Arthur. That was probably why she almost got a response back.

All she sent to Arthur were three words: I miss you.