Title: A Chance at happiness 63/?
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. If you have any other questions then email me at purplehaysc@netscape.net Oh and after finding out about the cancellation of the show I've found it harder to write some reason because when I watch the show inspiration comes so if you have any suggestions email me purplehaysc@netscape.net or im me at purplehays10 (ok I'm going to use the kiss that happened on the last eps with Karen and Henry as if it did already happen but that's the only thing I'm actually keeping) (oh and I'm keeping Miriam and Aaron together)
"So what exactly do you think she's going to say?" Grace asked Eli.
"A lot of things." Eli said.
Faith came over and opened the door. "Come in." She said and they followed her into the room.
"Ok I saw the news, would you two like to tell me what else has happened?" She asked as she sat down.
"Well to start off with we told our parents." Grace said.
"That's not all she told out parents." Eli said smiling.
"What does he mean?" Faith asked Grace.
"Well… I told my whole family and his what I've been feeling." Grace said.
"This is a good thing right?" Faith asked.
"Depends on your definition of good." Eli said.
Faith smiled. "Grace, how about you tell me what you said and how everyone reacted." Faith suggested.
"Ok well here goes…" She started to say.
"So what happened at Lily's?" Tiffany asked as she put Maddie down.
"Well for one we found out that Grace isn't as cured as she seemed, Grace and Eli are dating, B is in town, Lily might be having twins, some stupid news guy told all of Chicago about Grace's rape, Dimitri was arrested again but this time for attempted rape of another student and we went and saw Lily's brother and his girlfriend." Jake said out of breath as he sat down on the couch.
"Wow, that's quite a lot to happen in one afternoon. You're probably feeling pretty mad." Tiffany said sitting down next to him.
"I was but I've calmed down, had no choice but to. I wasn't doing much good being angry." Jake said.
"I never thought you say those words." Tiffany said shocked.
"We'll I'm getting wiser with age." He said smiling.
"That's good to know." Tiffany said smiling
"I learned from one of my own daughters that sometimes you just have to say what you feel." Jake said.
"Grace would be glad to know she taught you something." Tiffany said.
"And I want to start doing that now." He said and looked Tiffany in the eye. "Tiffany I can't lie about this any more…" He started to say.
"Jake… you don't have to." She said.
"Yes I do. Look Tiffany ever since you have had Maddie I cannot seem to get either of you out of my mind. I want you and Maddie in my life. I could not think of not having you in my life. The thought itself is causing me great pain. I love you, Tiffany." Jake said.
"Jake, are you sure you want to go there? You've just crossed a point we can't ever go back to." Tiffany said seriously.
"There are few things in my life that I know will never change. One is that family means everything to me, I will always protect my little girls and their mothers. Second is that I rarely tell people I love them and when I do it, I mean it." Jake said.
Tiffany smiled and let a tear slide down her face. "I love you too, Jake. I was never sure if you were every ready to feel that way towards me. I was getting worried that you would never say it. I'm very glad you did."
Jake smiled. "I should have said it a long time ago, I was just…."
"Sacred?" Tiffany asked.
Jake shrugged. "I don't get sacred."
"Yeah right." She said smiling.
"You know what I think I'd like to bring your family back in here, one at a time." Faith said as she put her folder down.
"They'd be a little hesitant to come but I can probably get them here. Who do you want to see first?" Grace asked.
"I think I'd like to start with the parents. Maybe your father or your mother and step-father, which ever one can come tomorrow afternoon."
"Ok, I'll check with them. My father can probably get Judy to watch Booklovers and if my mom is not on the radio, she can come. But I don't know about Rick."
"He can probably get off." Eli said.
"Good, after that I'd like to see your mother, Eli. Then your brothers and sisters." Faith said writing the names down in that order on a sheet. "Give this to your parents." She said handing one to Grace and one to Eli.
"Are we through here?" Grace asked.
"Yes, I think everything else will matter on your families." Faith said as she got up.
"Thanks." Grace said as they started to leave.
"You think you could take the case for me?" Karen asked the person on the phone. "Thank you. I'll send you his number tomorrow morning." Karen said as she put the phone down.
"So they now have a lawyer?" Henry asked.
"Yes and I'm very glad." Karen said as she propped the cane up against the arm of the couch.
"Well I'm glad too. This means that you can relax. You've had too much excitement for one day." Henry said as he started rubbing her shoulders.
"That feels very good. You know I think I need you around more often." Karen said smiling.
"You're just saying that because you like the way I rub your shoulders. That means your using me." He said smiling.
"You have a problem with that?" She asked.
"Not really, I just wanted to see if you'd admit it." He said smiling.
"Oh right, I forgot tell you I met my new therapist. She's not very nice." Karen said sadly.
"I know, I choose who you got. I choose someone who was good at what she does but doesn't get distracted, not even by you." He said.
"So this is all your fault? Oh I see how it is, you like to see me in pain." She said.
"No that's not true, I just think that you need someone who will get down to business. I want you to be able to walk without the cane soon, like I know you can." He said.
"It's good to know some one has faith in me." She said smiling.
"So this is what you call taking a girl out to eat?" She asked shocked as she took out her hamburger.
"Hey despite what you girls would like to think not all of us guys have tons of money. I work at a bookstore/restaurant and believe me I don't get paid that much." He said.
"Sorry, didn't mean to fall into a stereotype and you know what…" She took a bite. "This really is quite good."
"You're lying but I'm going to believe you any way. So would like to start our very much needed conversation before or after we eat?" He asked.
"During, because I'm tired and I don't want to be out all night." She said.
"Ok well you start." He suggested.
"No, I really want to hear what you have to say first." Grace said.
"Well ok, I think that you should have told me. I hate to think that you've been feeling all of this because of me and I didn't know." He said.
"And how would I have done that, Eli? I mean it is not exactly something that your bring up in regular conversation. Plus you were so happy, I didn't want to ruin that." She said seriously.
"But Grace I would have preferred to have know rather than thinking everything was happy."
"And if I would have told you what exactly would you have done?" Grace asked.
"I wouldn't have kissed you so much, or touched you, I would have changed everything." He said.
"But I didn't want you to. See Eli; even though those things cause me pain, deep down inside of me I still want all of those things. I always have. It is just now it is heard to reach that spot deep down inside of me. And yes pain comes before happiness but all the pain I feel is worth if I feel just one second of happiness. Eli, if I did not want you to touch me or if I did not want you to kiss me, I'd tell you. Yes, I get sacred but I also get sacred walking alone at night but that's doesn't mean I don't do it."
"Kissing me is like walking alone a night?" He asked confused.
"Ok so bad comparison but you get the point. I cannot always not do something because it causes me pain or because I am sacred. If I do that then I will never have a chance to be happy again and I don't want that." She said.
"I don't want that either. How about let us just take this really slow. Whenever you want to go to the next the step, just say the word. I don't mind waiting." He said.
She smiled. "I don't know what I ever did to deserve you but I'm glad I did."
"So are you going to tell Tad tomorrow?" Katie asked Jessie.
"That's the plan. The problem is I do not know how to say it. How do you tell a guy who likes you that you don't like him, you like a girl?" Jessie asked confused.
"Never been in the position sorry, sweetie. I can only advice being very gentle." Katie said.
"Aren't I always?" she asked.
"Sure, if you want to believe that." Katie said smiling.
"Oh you're cruel." Jessie said laughing.
"Jessie, turn on your TV." Katie said quickly.
"Our station would like to make a public apology to The Manning and Sammler Family today. It seems one of our news people took it upon them selves to release some information that was not from a reliable source involving Grace Manning. Our station is deeply sorry about what happened, and have fired the man and am offering to the Manning and Sammler Families to do what ever we can to fix this mistake that was made." The man said. "Again we are truly sorry for any pain we have caused for this family." The man said and then went off air.
"Yeah, I bet." Grace said as she turned off the TV in living room and headed upstairs. Did they really think that they could take away all the pain that had been caused? She asked her self. If they did they were very naïve. This pain was not going away, she knew it, and she knew there was nothing they could do to change that. She grabbed some pajamas quietly, making sure to wake up her grandmother. This day had lasted excessively long and she just wanted to go to sleep and forget about everything that had happened.
"So are you ready to talk now?" Sam asked Judy as he came back into the living room.
"Is Jamie asleep?" Judy asked.
"Yes." He said.
"Then sure, how would you like to start this conversation?" She asked.
"Well first I'd like to tell you. I do want to have a child with you Judy but I am in no rush to have any more kids. It is not that I do not love you. It is just… I'm not sure that your need for children has anything to do with me." Sam said.
"What do you think it has to do with then?" She asked.
"I think you're jealous of Lily and you're worried that sooner or later you're sacred you're going to be too old to have kids." He said.
"You think you know everything don't you?" She asked sarcastically.
"Usually I don't but I think I've gotten this really on the dot this time" He said.
"Well are the reason so wrong?" She asked.
"No I guess not but until I'm sure I'm ready for another child, I don't want to have to worry about you trying to get pregnant." Sam said.
"What are talking about?" She asked confused.
"When I'm ready to have a child, then we can start trying. But until then Judy, I don't want to have to worry about you getting pregnant." He said.
"Well in that case, I better go home." She said getting up.
"Judy…?" He said.
"What?"
"I do want children with you just not at this time and I know you'll make a wonderful mother, when the time comes." He said.
"So how did your talk go?" Jessie asked as Eli entered his apartment.
"What are you doing in my room?" He asked annoyed.
"Waiting to talk to you." She said.
"Well I'm all talked out, go talk to Zoe." He said.
"No, you're not getting rid of me that easily." She said smiling.
"Ok, what do you want?" He asked sitting down on the bed.
"I want to talk to you." She said.
"Yeah, got that much, you think you could tell me a little bit more." He suggested.
"Actually I could."
"Good."
"I need your advice." She said.
He laughed. "Well this is a first, not that I'm not glad to hear this but I'm a little shocked. So how can I help you?"
"Well I need your advice on how to tell Tad about me and Katie." She said.
"I have no clue. I've never had a girl tell me she was in love with a girl." He said seriously.
"Ok then I'm lost. I have no clue how to tell him, but I know I have to tell him and soon." She said agitated.
"Well then if I was you I'd go to sleep and think about it in the morning." Eli said.
"How would that… Wait I see what you're doing, you're trying to get rid of me." She said.
"And now I see why people always said you were the smarter of the two of us." He said sarcastically.
"Well I am." She said smiling.
"If that's what you want to believe then do, I can't stop you." He said. "But I can get you out of my room. I've got to go pack my stuff to go to Mom's." He said getting up.
"Ok, I'll leave but I'll be back." She said as she got up.
"I know and I'm make sure not to be here." He said as she threw a pillow at his head.
"So is everyone asleep?" Rick asked as she got into bed.
"Let's hope so because I'm too tired to take anything else happening." She said as she yawned.
"So am I, this day has been exhausting. But two good thing have come out of this." He said.
"What's that?" She asked half asleep.
"Well we finally have a place for all our kids, future and present. And we know there are no more secrets."
She laughed. "We don't know that for a fact. I mean a life with out any secrets, is a little too much to hope for."
"OK, then a life with out…." He started to say yawning. "Late, sleepless nights."
"Now that I like." She said smiling.