Title: A Chance at happiness 23/?

Author: Christen (purplehaysc@netscape.net)

Disclaimer: these characters belong to once and again except any characters you don't recognize

Distribution: Take it, but let me know. If you have any of my other fics, go ahead.

Comments: email me all you comments and suggestions. This is my first once and again fan fic so any ideas or comments you have would be great. So please email me with them. J oh people I have been reading the reviews and the very least I can see if first OMG! I am so shocked I have gotten so many reviews and for those of you who were wondering since Jessie I now gay then I might try to play that in but I'm not sure. Oh and I'm bring in something that happened with the gay/straight alliance thing so bare with me.

Eli got into the car and turned to Grace. "What happened in there?" He asked worried.

"Eli, please I just want to forget about it." She said pulling his jacket tighter.

"Grace, I can't help you if you don' tell me what happened." He said.

"Well maybe I don't want your help!" She screamed.

"Well, whether you want it or not you need it! So if you would just accept that and move on, then everything would be fine!"

Grace started crying. "Everything will never be fine again, Eli… Never again…."

"I didn't mean to make you cry." He said reaching for her.

She turned away. "Eli, promise me you wouldn't tell anyone what happened." She said.

"But Grace…"

She faced him. "Eli, I'd die if anyone else ever knew what happened in there so promise you won't tell anyone…"

"I promise." He said.

She smiled. "Now let's go home."

Rick and Lily were sitting at the table in the kitchen talking, when Grace and Eli came home.

"Grace how was school?" Lily asked.

Grace just headed up stairs.

Rick turned to Eli. "What was that about?"

"You don't want to know." Eli said going to the refrigerator and getting something to drink.

"Why was she wearing you jacket?" Lily asked.

"Cause she was cold." Eli said sarcastically and then headed into the living room.

After he left, Lily turned to Rick. "Do you think it is because…" she whispered. "She's gay?"

Eli from the living room heard what she said and spit out his drink.

Rick and Lily turned to him. "Did you just hear what we said?" Lily asked worried.

"Is that what's wrong with Grace?" Rick asked.

Eli got up and started laughing. "I'm sorry but why would you think Grace was gay?"

"Because she's like running the gay/straight alliance." Lily said.

"And because of that you thought she was gay?" He asked shocked.

"Well then why else would she…" Rick asked.

"Because Mr. Dimitri running it and he was her favorite teacher." Eli said.

"So Grace isn't gay?" Lily asked confused.

"No, she's far from it, believe me." He said laughing and starting to walk out of the room.

Rick looked at Lily and smiled. "You should be happy now that we both have daughters who are straight."

Lily frowned. "Yeah sure but…."

"But what?" Rick asked.

"He knows something about Grace and I want to know what it is."

Grace turned the hot water on the tub and let the steam start to rise up and cover the mirrors in the bathroom. Once the mirrors where all fogged up she started to undress, she did not want to see her self. She was not sure she could look her self in the eye. She took out a washcloth and a bar of soap and sat down in the tub.  Once she was in the tub, she started vigorously to try to get his scent off her. When she realized that the she could not, she started to cry. Cry for the pain she had felt, the love she had lost and how stupid she had been. Grace heard a knock at the door and she was pulled out of her thoughts. "Yes?"

"Sweetie, we're about to eat. Are you planning to join us?" Lily asked.

"Yeah, mom I'll be down there in a few seconds." She said getting out and putting a long sleeve, gray, baggy shirt on and a pair of sweatpants. She did not brush her hair; she did not feel a need to. She grabbed the clothes she had just worn and put them in the trashcan except for Eli's jacket.  Her eyes were still red from crying, when she came down stairs to dinner. Eli was the only one who noticed. When she was done eating, she headed up to bed, she wanted this day to end as soon as possible.