~A Once and Again Series~
Now and Then
Hey everyone who took the time to read this! I don't know if anyone else is having this problem, but I can't see chapters 2-4 of this series on the site for some reason. I'm trying to fix that. But, it's still bugging me! Oh, and I should have said this earlier, but I used the transcripts from www.geocities.com/lorbooks to help with the earlier flashback scenes. It's an amazing Grace/Dimitri site, if you haven't already checked it out. : ) Anyways, on to the show..
Chapter 6// Take to the Sky
"Grace."
Grace turned away from her mother's upset face. She heard Jessie mumble something about homework and leave the room. Grace couldn't believe she let it slip that Mr. Dimitri was her teacher once again. How dumb was she? And now her mother was going to have a fit about it, Grace could just tell. Grace remembered back to when her mother had found the book Mr. Dimitri had given her. Her mother had been upset when Grace hadn't told her where she was, and Lily had assumed Grace was at Mr. Dimitri's house.. she was right. And when Grace came home, the taste of Dimitri still on her lips, she had found her mother tearing apart her room.
(memory flashback***)
Grace entered her bedroom. The room was a mess: her belongings were thrown around the room. Rick stood there uneasily amidst the chaos and her mother stood there, with THE book opened in her hands. Eli had warned her downstairs that her mother was upset and that she had gone into her room, but Grace hadn't expected anything like this.
"What are you doing?!" Grace cried. "Get out of my room!" She rushed forward to take the book out of her mother's hands. "I can't believe you're reading that!" She made a lunge for the book, "That's private!"
"Grace." Her mother said, holding the book firmly out of Grace's grasp.
"Give me that book!"
"We had an agreement, Grace," Her mother said angrily.
"I never promised, mom-" Grace argued.
"-That you would check with me before going out," Her mother interrupted.
"Well, I'm sorry, mom, but I couldn't keep that promise." Grace thought back to the kiss she and August had only shared a few minutes earlier, "Actually, I'm not even sorry."
Her mother's eyebrows rose in disbelief and Grace heard Rick uncomfortably leave the room behind her. Grace paused then held out her hand, "Mom, give me back my book, please."
Instead of handing her the book, her mother opened it up to the page with the inscription. "For the girl with the loveliest eyes-"
"Mom, don't," Grace reached out again for the book, but her mother continued reading. Her eyes stung with tears.
"Love always, August." Her mother looked to her, "So you call him August?"
"No, actually I don't," Grace said, which was a semi-truth. That name had never been spoken from her lips, but she had often thought of him as August in her head, in her daydreams.
"Grace, try telling me the truth."
"I don't know what I call him!" Grace cried.
"Why is he.. He shouldn't be writing you things like this," Her mother hit the inscription with her hand angrily.
"Why not?"
"Oh, Grace, stop it! You know why not!" Her mother cried, "Because it's wrong!"
Grace took a deep breath and held out her hand once more, "Please mom, just give me back my book." Her mother reluctantly handed it to her. Grace took it and looked back at her mother, "And it's not the loveliest eyes.. it's the girl with the loneliest eyes. You read it wrong." Grace turned and left the room.
(***end of memory flashback)
But her mother had done something amazing after that fight. Lily had stuck up for her in the conference the school held to decide Mr. Dimitri's fate as a teacher. Her mother hadn't told them about the book, about the inscription she had seen. And when the meeting was over, Lily even let her go say her goodbyes to Dimitri. Grace had thought she understood then, and Grace wondered if her mother could understand now.
"Grace, we have to talk about this," Her mother said, calling her back from her thoughts and memories.
Grace turned, facing Lily and Rick, "Why?"
"Because, he shouldn't.. you shouldn't.." Lily furrowed her brow, "Did you know he was going to be your teacher?"
"No, I didn't! Ms. Smithson couldn't teach the class for some reason and they put him in as her replacement.. it's the truth!" Grace cried as she saw the doubt on her mother's face.
"What's going on?" Zoe asked from the doorway to the living room. She looked at each of them. When no one answered Zoe said, "Dominic woke up."
Lily automatically turned towards the door, her motherly instincts calling her to her son. She stopped and looked back at Grace. Rick patted his wife's shoulder, "I'll take care of it."
Lily watched him go and waited until he had convinced Zoe to go with him before speaking again. "Grace, don't you think you should-"
"I should what? Drop the class? I'm not doing that, mom." Grace crossed her arms firmly and stared back at her mother.
"But, Grace.." Her mother paused and then continued on in a softer voice, "I just don't like the idea of him being so near you again, after what happened."
Grace shook her head, "Mom, you don't understand! He was an amazing teacher and I want him to be my teacher again!"
"Why would you put yourself in that position again, Grace? After what he did to you?"
"He didn't do anything to me, mom!" Grace cried. "I'm not dropping the class."
"Grace!" Her mother sighed, "Come on, be reasonable. This man tried to sedu.. he tried to.. he was inappropriate with you."
Grace smiled softly. "I was inappropriate with him too," She said to her mother's dismay.
"Grace, I don't want you to be taking this class," Her mother crossed her own arms, and they stood across from each other, mirror reflections of determination. One of them had to budge, though.
"I'm not dropping this class. I don't care what you say!"
"Grace.. are you seeing him again, is that it?" Lily said in shock and disgust.
"No!" Grace rolled her eyes. "God, mother! Can't you understand that he is a good teacher and that's why I want to keep the class?"
"No, I can't understand that.. not with everything he put you through. And I won't accept it either, Grace. You may be eighteen now, but you're still living under my roof." Lily caught the look in Grace's eyes and added, "Yes, the garage still counts as being under my roof."
"I can't believe you're pulling the 'under my roof' card! I thought you were different!" Grace complained, thinking back to how understanding her mother had been before.. letting her keep the book and letting her say goodbye to Mr. Dimitri. But now Grace understood her mother had only been 'understanding' because she knew Mr. Dimitri was about to be leaving her daughter's life.
"I'm sorry I'm being a good mother, Grace."
"No, you're not being a good mother, mom! A good mother wouldn't be giving her daughter an ultimatum." Grace shook her head in disbelief.
"I haven't given you an ultimatum!" Lily argued.
"What I heard from you was: either drop the class or move out of your house.. isn't that right?" Grace challenged.
"Well.. yes." Lily said firmly.
"Then, I'll just move out!" Grace smiled.
"Grace, you can't do that!" Lily moved towards her, but Grace backed away.
"I'm not dropping the class, mother, and so I guess that means I have to move out."
"No, honey, you don't have to do that.."
Grace laughed, "Come on, mother! Be honest! There's no way you'll accept me keeping the class."
"Where would you go?" Lily said, resigned.
"Eli's," Grace said, coming to a decision. "He has a two-bedroom place, and I'm sure he'd let me stay there."
"Grace, you don't have to do this. I don't want you to do this," Lily's eyes were filling up with tears.
"No, mom, I think it's something I HAVE to do. I still love you, mom," Grace added as the tears began to flow down her mother's face.
"Please then, please just drop the class," Her mother begged.
"No." Grace looked away in pain at seeing her mother hurt like this, but the idea of moving out was growing on her. It would eventually help her and her mother's relationship, Grace believed. Giving each other space would help them see how they had been suffocating each other. Grace had been hidden under her mother's wing for too long. She needed to take to the sky herself. She needed to fly away. "I'm going to go pack."
Her mother watched her go in painful silence.
* * *
"Eli?" Grace said into the phone a half hour later. She was almost halfway packed, but then decided she should call up Eli and ask him before she just arrived over there with her bags.
"Hey! What's going on?"
"Can I stay with you?" Grace asked, getting to the important question right away.
"Stay with me.. of course Grace. But, why?"
"I'm moving out."
"What?" Was Eli's shocked reply.
Grace leaned back against her bed and told Eli what had happened between her mother and her. "So, it's alright that I move in with you? I can help pay the rent."
"Yeah, yeah. Did you want me to come and help you with your stuff?"
"No, I'll just throw everything important in my car and get the rest later. Thanks so much, Eli." Grace smiled at the phone.
"Of course, Grace."
"I'll see you in a little bit, then, okay?"
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Grace pressed the END button on her cell phone and looked unsurely around her room. This was really it. She was really going to leave. Grace took a deep breath and then picked up her bags. She was finally leaving the nest.
* * *
Now and Then
Hey everyone who took the time to read this! I don't know if anyone else is having this problem, but I can't see chapters 2-4 of this series on the site for some reason. I'm trying to fix that. But, it's still bugging me! Oh, and I should have said this earlier, but I used the transcripts from www.geocities.com/lorbooks to help with the earlier flashback scenes. It's an amazing Grace/Dimitri site, if you haven't already checked it out. : ) Anyways, on to the show..
Chapter 6// Take to the Sky
"Grace."
Grace turned away from her mother's upset face. She heard Jessie mumble something about homework and leave the room. Grace couldn't believe she let it slip that Mr. Dimitri was her teacher once again. How dumb was she? And now her mother was going to have a fit about it, Grace could just tell. Grace remembered back to when her mother had found the book Mr. Dimitri had given her. Her mother had been upset when Grace hadn't told her where she was, and Lily had assumed Grace was at Mr. Dimitri's house.. she was right. And when Grace came home, the taste of Dimitri still on her lips, she had found her mother tearing apart her room.
(memory flashback***)
Grace entered her bedroom. The room was a mess: her belongings were thrown around the room. Rick stood there uneasily amidst the chaos and her mother stood there, with THE book opened in her hands. Eli had warned her downstairs that her mother was upset and that she had gone into her room, but Grace hadn't expected anything like this.
"What are you doing?!" Grace cried. "Get out of my room!" She rushed forward to take the book out of her mother's hands. "I can't believe you're reading that!" She made a lunge for the book, "That's private!"
"Grace." Her mother said, holding the book firmly out of Grace's grasp.
"Give me that book!"
"We had an agreement, Grace," Her mother said angrily.
"I never promised, mom-" Grace argued.
"-That you would check with me before going out," Her mother interrupted.
"Well, I'm sorry, mom, but I couldn't keep that promise." Grace thought back to the kiss she and August had only shared a few minutes earlier, "Actually, I'm not even sorry."
Her mother's eyebrows rose in disbelief and Grace heard Rick uncomfortably leave the room behind her. Grace paused then held out her hand, "Mom, give me back my book, please."
Instead of handing her the book, her mother opened it up to the page with the inscription. "For the girl with the loveliest eyes-"
"Mom, don't," Grace reached out again for the book, but her mother continued reading. Her eyes stung with tears.
"Love always, August." Her mother looked to her, "So you call him August?"
"No, actually I don't," Grace said, which was a semi-truth. That name had never been spoken from her lips, but she had often thought of him as August in her head, in her daydreams.
"Grace, try telling me the truth."
"I don't know what I call him!" Grace cried.
"Why is he.. He shouldn't be writing you things like this," Her mother hit the inscription with her hand angrily.
"Why not?"
"Oh, Grace, stop it! You know why not!" Her mother cried, "Because it's wrong!"
Grace took a deep breath and held out her hand once more, "Please mom, just give me back my book." Her mother reluctantly handed it to her. Grace took it and looked back at her mother, "And it's not the loveliest eyes.. it's the girl with the loneliest eyes. You read it wrong." Grace turned and left the room.
(***end of memory flashback)
But her mother had done something amazing after that fight. Lily had stuck up for her in the conference the school held to decide Mr. Dimitri's fate as a teacher. Her mother hadn't told them about the book, about the inscription she had seen. And when the meeting was over, Lily even let her go say her goodbyes to Dimitri. Grace had thought she understood then, and Grace wondered if her mother could understand now.
"Grace, we have to talk about this," Her mother said, calling her back from her thoughts and memories.
Grace turned, facing Lily and Rick, "Why?"
"Because, he shouldn't.. you shouldn't.." Lily furrowed her brow, "Did you know he was going to be your teacher?"
"No, I didn't! Ms. Smithson couldn't teach the class for some reason and they put him in as her replacement.. it's the truth!" Grace cried as she saw the doubt on her mother's face.
"What's going on?" Zoe asked from the doorway to the living room. She looked at each of them. When no one answered Zoe said, "Dominic woke up."
Lily automatically turned towards the door, her motherly instincts calling her to her son. She stopped and looked back at Grace. Rick patted his wife's shoulder, "I'll take care of it."
Lily watched him go and waited until he had convinced Zoe to go with him before speaking again. "Grace, don't you think you should-"
"I should what? Drop the class? I'm not doing that, mom." Grace crossed her arms firmly and stared back at her mother.
"But, Grace.." Her mother paused and then continued on in a softer voice, "I just don't like the idea of him being so near you again, after what happened."
Grace shook her head, "Mom, you don't understand! He was an amazing teacher and I want him to be my teacher again!"
"Why would you put yourself in that position again, Grace? After what he did to you?"
"He didn't do anything to me, mom!" Grace cried. "I'm not dropping the class."
"Grace!" Her mother sighed, "Come on, be reasonable. This man tried to sedu.. he tried to.. he was inappropriate with you."
Grace smiled softly. "I was inappropriate with him too," She said to her mother's dismay.
"Grace, I don't want you to be taking this class," Her mother crossed her own arms, and they stood across from each other, mirror reflections of determination. One of them had to budge, though.
"I'm not dropping this class. I don't care what you say!"
"Grace.. are you seeing him again, is that it?" Lily said in shock and disgust.
"No!" Grace rolled her eyes. "God, mother! Can't you understand that he is a good teacher and that's why I want to keep the class?"
"No, I can't understand that.. not with everything he put you through. And I won't accept it either, Grace. You may be eighteen now, but you're still living under my roof." Lily caught the look in Grace's eyes and added, "Yes, the garage still counts as being under my roof."
"I can't believe you're pulling the 'under my roof' card! I thought you were different!" Grace complained, thinking back to how understanding her mother had been before.. letting her keep the book and letting her say goodbye to Mr. Dimitri. But now Grace understood her mother had only been 'understanding' because she knew Mr. Dimitri was about to be leaving her daughter's life.
"I'm sorry I'm being a good mother, Grace."
"No, you're not being a good mother, mom! A good mother wouldn't be giving her daughter an ultimatum." Grace shook her head in disbelief.
"I haven't given you an ultimatum!" Lily argued.
"What I heard from you was: either drop the class or move out of your house.. isn't that right?" Grace challenged.
"Well.. yes." Lily said firmly.
"Then, I'll just move out!" Grace smiled.
"Grace, you can't do that!" Lily moved towards her, but Grace backed away.
"I'm not dropping the class, mother, and so I guess that means I have to move out."
"No, honey, you don't have to do that.."
Grace laughed, "Come on, mother! Be honest! There's no way you'll accept me keeping the class."
"Where would you go?" Lily said, resigned.
"Eli's," Grace said, coming to a decision. "He has a two-bedroom place, and I'm sure he'd let me stay there."
"Grace, you don't have to do this. I don't want you to do this," Lily's eyes were filling up with tears.
"No, mom, I think it's something I HAVE to do. I still love you, mom," Grace added as the tears began to flow down her mother's face.
"Please then, please just drop the class," Her mother begged.
"No." Grace looked away in pain at seeing her mother hurt like this, but the idea of moving out was growing on her. It would eventually help her and her mother's relationship, Grace believed. Giving each other space would help them see how they had been suffocating each other. Grace had been hidden under her mother's wing for too long. She needed to take to the sky herself. She needed to fly away. "I'm going to go pack."
Her mother watched her go in painful silence.
* * *
"Eli?" Grace said into the phone a half hour later. She was almost halfway packed, but then decided she should call up Eli and ask him before she just arrived over there with her bags.
"Hey! What's going on?"
"Can I stay with you?" Grace asked, getting to the important question right away.
"Stay with me.. of course Grace. But, why?"
"I'm moving out."
"What?" Was Eli's shocked reply.
Grace leaned back against her bed and told Eli what had happened between her mother and her. "So, it's alright that I move in with you? I can help pay the rent."
"Yeah, yeah. Did you want me to come and help you with your stuff?"
"No, I'll just throw everything important in my car and get the rest later. Thanks so much, Eli." Grace smiled at the phone.
"Of course, Grace."
"I'll see you in a little bit, then, okay?"
"Okay. Bye."
"Bye."
Grace pressed the END button on her cell phone and looked unsurely around her room. This was really it. She was really going to leave. Grace took a deep breath and then picked up her bags. She was finally leaving the nest.
* * *