Title: A Chance at happiness 28/?

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.. 

Grace sat down in the chair with Eli holding her. Everyone was waiting for her to say something. She didn't know if you could. If you could get the words out of her mouth. She leaned closer to Eli and he held on to her tighter. He knew what she needed now and he was trying to give it to her.

Lily finally spoke up. "Gracie, we know something's wrong and we're worried. Can you please tell us what's going on?"

"I don't know if can…" Grace said a little hesitant.

"Grace, I know you can." Eli whispered in her ear.

"Grace, did someone hurt you?" Jake asked.

"Yes, someone did." Grace said.

"Who ever it is, I'm going to kill them!" He screamed getting up.

"Jake, I don't think that's what Grace's wants." Eli said.

"You don't know what she wants!" Jake said still screaming.

Grace got up. "Dad, please, Eli's right. I don't want that. I didn't come down here to tell you just so you get beat the person up."

Jake sat down and so did Grace.

"Gracie, who hurt you?" Lily asked a little afraid of the answer.

"Mr. Dimitri." She said her voice barely a whisper.

"Mr. Dimitri is a dead man!" Jake said again getting up.

"Jake, sit down!" Rick screamed getting annoyed.

He sat back down.

"What did he do?" Lily asked half-knowing the answer.

"He raped me." She said starting to cry.

Eli held on to her and let her cry.

"Oh, Gracie." Lily said. "I'm so sorry." She said going over to her.

Grace got up and hugged her. "I'm sorry to Mom. I shouldn't have let this happened."

"Oh no, Gracie. Don't say that, this wasn't your fault." Lily said in tears.

Rick got up and walked over to Eli. "Let's leave the three of them alone. I want to talk to you any way."

Eli got up and started to follow him in to the kitchen.

Jake stopped him. "Thanks, Eli."

"For what?" Eli asked.

"For being there for her when this happened. As much as I wish you would have came to me, I'm glad you did have to you run to." Jake said and shock Eli's hand.

"I was just happened to be the one to pick her up from school, if it had been you she would have done the same thing."

"Well either way, thanks." Jake said.

Jessie was sitting on the stairs, when Grace made her confession. She could not believe that Mr. Dimitri had done this. How could he have done this to her! She got up and walked to her room. Grace had been through so much lately; no wonder Eli and her were so close. She now had a new respect for Grace. She had been so strong. She had not stopped coming to school or got into a corner and cried. Jessie wished she could be like that. She promised her self for that minute on she was going to go out of way to help Grace. If the people at school started to talk, she was going to stop them. She was going to actually try to be a sister. Grace.

"What is it, Dad?" Eli asked once they got into the kitchen.

"I just wanted to say I'm proud of you. I have seen the way Grace is looking at you for support. I'm glad to see that she found a friend in you." Rick said.

"Thanks, but I feel so bad for her. She is so shaken up right now that I do not think she even knows what to do. She's got so much to go through still and I don't want her to have to go through that alone."

"I know, but I'm glad she finally said something. That guy deserves to be in jail and it think if Jake and Lily start in that guy there is no doubt he'll be in their pretty quick."

"I hope so. He seems to think nothing will happen to him. I told you all of you would go after him that the one punch I gave him was nothing compared to watch the rest of you would do."

"You punched?" Rick asked smiling.

"Yeah, he had Grace by the arms when I came in so I punched him to get him off of her." Eli said also smiling

"Well that's the least he deserves. I would have done the same thing to him." Rick said.

Rick and Eli walked back into the living room.

Lily was still holding on to Grace but when Grace saw Eli come in she went over to him.

Eli saw Lily face that first was shocked but then she smiled and mouthed the words "thank you" to him.

Rick sat down next to Lily and held her hand tight.

"We've decided to find a rape counselor in the area for Grace. I think I'll check out RAINN's website. We are going to go to school to tomorrow and talk to the principal, the three of us. I'm going to drop Grace's off at the counselor on the way." Lily said to Rick.

"Sounds like a good plan. If you need a lawyer…" Rick started to say.

"I think I have an idea of who to get." Lily said.

"Tomorrow is going to be a long day." Jake said.

"Tomorrow is going to be a hard day." Grace said.

"You might want to try to get some sleep." Lily said to her.

Grace looked at Eli. "Will you stay with me till I fall asleep?"

"I stay with you till wake up." Eli said smiling.

Then started to walk up the stairs, Lily and Rick stopped them. "How about Grace, stay on the couch tonight. Eli you can take the chair." They suggested.

Eli and Grace came back down the stairs. "I'll go get you some blankets." Eli said and went to the closet.

Grace looked at her parents. "Stop worrying, Eli is going to take care of me tonight."

They both looked at her a little shocked by her words.

"He's going to help me sleep, knowing someone is watching over me helps." Grace said trying to explain.

"In that case I'm glad you have him." Lily said and gave her a kiss goodnight.

Jake gave her hug. "You know I never knew I had such a strong daughter. I'm really proud of you." He said and started to leave.

Rick came over to her. "I know you don't really like me sometimes but I just want to I'm sorry."

She hugged him. "Rick, I do like you and thanks for caring so much."

"It's easy, you're a very sweet person." He said and started to head off to bed.

Eli came down the stairs as Rick passed. "Take good care of her." Rick said.

"I will." Eli said with a smile, headed to the couch, and handed Grace the blankets.

"Do you think you'll actually sleep?" Eli asked.

"Will you hold again tonight?" She asked.

"If you want me to, I will." He said.

She nodded her head. "But I'll be back I'm going to go change. I'll be though."

Grace headed up to her room and Eli fixed the blankets and waited.

When Grace finally came down Eli was asleep. She just smiled and lay in his arms.

Lily tuned off the computer and got into bed. "I found someone." She said as she lay looking at the ceiling.

"You ok?" He asked concerned.

"No, I'm not. I just found out that my little girl was abused. I hate myself for allowing that happened. All the signs were there. I should have stopped it." Lily said.

"You couldn't of. She did not tell anyone, Lily. There was no way you could have stopped it. Please tell you me you know that." He said.

"I'm her mother, I'm suppose to protect her and I didn't. I'm never going to get over that." She said crying.

"I know, I know." He said holding her and understanding completely because he felt the same way.

Jake walked over to Maddie's baby crib and watched her sleeping. "I want let you get hurt, Maddie. I promise you that. I'm going to do better with you than I did with Grace. You're my daughter and I love you. I want you to always know that and I want you to run to me if something ever happens to you." He said tears starting to roll down his face. "I want you to love, Maddie and know that I will always take care of you no matter what." He said and started to think about baby, Grace. He had done something wrong when he raced her. Something so wrong that she didn't trust him enough, she didn't expect him to be able to protect her like he could. He had failed Grace but he wasn't going to fail Maddie or Zoe.