~A Once and Again Series~
Now and Then
~Weezer Getchoo~
Sometimes I push too hard
Sometimes you fall and skin your knee
I never meant to do
All that I've done to you
Please, baby, say it's not too late
Chapter 17// Sometimes I Push too Hard (sometimes you fall and skin your knee)
August woke up Sunday morning, feeling a hundred times better. Next Saturday-- no make that Friday-- he would go see Angelina and they would talk. They would end their marriage, he was absolutely certain of that. August even called a friend of a friend that morning and talked about drawing up divorce papers. He was letting go of the short marriage he had desperately tried to hold on to. He loved Angelina, but they weren't right for each other.
August couldn't wait to tell Grace. He couldn't wait to share the good news with her. And then, they could be free to be a couple. No longer would anything be holding them back. He loved Grace; he had loved her long before Angelina came into his life. He had thought he was doing the right thing by trying to make things work with Angelina, but now he saw he had just been trying to delicately hold an egg that had already cracked. It was pointless.
He just hoped that Grace would still take him back. He hoped he wasn't too late. He knew he had hurt her the other day.
August looked up Grace's number in the phone book. He wrote it down, and twenty minutes later he finally got enough courage to call her up.
"Hello?" A young girl's voice greeted him.
August hadn't thought about who would answer, hell her mother might have even answered! 'Or worse.. her angry father', August thought, remembering Jake from the school board meeting. "Is Grace there?"
"Hold on." The girl said. August heard her scream for Grace. He heard other voices in the background. Finally the girl came back on. "I think she's either sleeping or in the shower. Did you want to leave a message?"
"Ah, just tell her August called."
"Okay," The girl said, and before she hung up, August heard her saying, "Mom, can I name your next kid? She'll be.. October." And then the line went dead. August smiled and replaced the phone. He'd like to meet Grace's sister someday. And her new half-brother. He wanted to be a part of Grace's life. Was that too much to hope for, that someday that might be possible? Right now, it didn't seem so. Right now, it seemed the future was limitless.
* * *
"Grace, did you want some breakfast?" Lily called.
Grace walked into the living room, with Dominic cradled in her hands. "I think he--" But Grace didn't have to say anymore as Lily caught the scent of Dom's dirty diaper.
Rick happened to just walk into the kitchen as Grace was handing Dominic over to Lily. Lily caught sight of him, and passed the baby along. "Someone needs their daddy to change him!"
Rick smiled, but then his face twisted up as he too smelled the horrendous scent drifting up from his son. He plugged his nose and hurried Dom away to the changing table in the living room.
"So, what do you want for breakfast?" Lily asked.
"Mom, I can make my own breakfast. I'm an adult now." Grace went to the fridge and began studying the continents.
The side door opened and Eli walked in. "What's for breakfast?" Eli asked right away.
Grace laughed and exchanged an amused glance with her mother. "Some other people don't seem to get the whole adult thing, though.."
Eli ignored them, and went to the stove where he took the last of the bacon and eggs.
"Eli, that was for your dad!" Lily said.
Eli shrugged, "He won't mind." He brought his plate to the table and began eating.
Grace grabbed a bagel and sat down with him. "I miss living at your place," She whispered.
Eli smiled up at her, "Then why did you move back here?"
Grace looked around the kitchen, and sighed. "I don't know. I just felt I had to."
Zoe and Jessie entered the kitchen, both going to the fridge, to look for something to eat. Jessie got out a bagel and sliced it. Grace watched in amusement as Zoe carefully copied her. Jessie noticed her brother and they came over to the table.
"Eli, don't you have food of your own?" Jessie teased him.
"No, not really. Ask Grace, my fridge is empty."
Grace nodded, picking at her bagel.
"Oh, Grace, a guy called for you earlier this morning." Zoe said.
"A guy?" Grace asked, having no clue who could have been calling her.
"Yeah, he said his name was.. uh, October."
"October?" Grace laughed. "I don't know a person named that!" She took a bit of her bagel, and then paused. "Are you sure it wasn't August?"
Zoe considered this. "Maybe.."
Grace leaped up in her seat. She caught the surprised look on their faces, and slowly backed away from the table. "I'll be in the garage."
As she was walking away, she heard Jessie ask, "Who's August?"
Eli was silent.
* * *
Grace closed the door to her garage apartment behind her and scrambled across her bed, grabbing her cell phone off her desk. She dialed his number by memory.. it was a number she had never dialed before this, though. She waited impatiently as it rang.. and rang and rang.
Finally Grace turned off her phone, and stood up. She rushed to her closet, knowing she was overreacting, but she had to see him. She had to talk to him. She pulled out a random shirt from her closet and pulled it on. She put on a pair of jeans, and slipped her feet into her sandals. Not bothering to brush her hair, she went out the door.
* * *
August pulled into his driveway, not noticing the red Honda parked across the seat from his house. He turned off the car and grabbed the single bag of groceries from the passenger's seat. He opened the car door and stepped out.
BEEEEEEP!!!
August turned at the loud sound of a horn and his eyes winced automatically as he heard a horrifying crunch.
He dropped the bag of groceries and ran out to the street. There had been an accident. A big ford truck was slanted almost sideways in the middle of the road and a fallen angel lay sprawled on the ground. August felt his heart stop and the earth seemed to drop away from his feet as he recognized the crumpled figure.
Time seemed to slow down as he made his way to Grace. He knew he was running as fast as he could, but it wasn't fast enough. And if he hadn't been in total shock, he would have realized he was crying out her name over and over. Finally the demon that was time allowed him to reach her. He fell to his knees besides her, gasping at the sight of blood entangled in her beautiful hair. He rolled her over, holding her in his arms.
"Grace! Grace!"
Her eyelids fluttered slightly he allowed himself to breathe, and to think. He noticed the driver of the truck watching them from a few feet away.
"Do you have a cell phone??" August screeched at the immobile man.
"No," The man croaked, "Oh, God! I can't believe I hit her! She just ran out.. I didn't see her!"
August didn't have time for apologies, "Go in that house.. go in the front door, and head straight in the kitchen. The phone will be on the wall near the fridge." The man began to back away, towards August's house. "GO, NOW!" August screamed. The man took off running.
August cradled Grace closer to him, checking to make sure she was still breathing. He kissed her blood-matted hair, "Oh, Grace. Grace.."
* * *
Now and Then
~Weezer Getchoo~
Sometimes I push too hard
Sometimes you fall and skin your knee
I never meant to do
All that I've done to you
Please, baby, say it's not too late
Chapter 17// Sometimes I Push too Hard (sometimes you fall and skin your knee)
August woke up Sunday morning, feeling a hundred times better. Next Saturday-- no make that Friday-- he would go see Angelina and they would talk. They would end their marriage, he was absolutely certain of that. August even called a friend of a friend that morning and talked about drawing up divorce papers. He was letting go of the short marriage he had desperately tried to hold on to. He loved Angelina, but they weren't right for each other.
August couldn't wait to tell Grace. He couldn't wait to share the good news with her. And then, they could be free to be a couple. No longer would anything be holding them back. He loved Grace; he had loved her long before Angelina came into his life. He had thought he was doing the right thing by trying to make things work with Angelina, but now he saw he had just been trying to delicately hold an egg that had already cracked. It was pointless.
He just hoped that Grace would still take him back. He hoped he wasn't too late. He knew he had hurt her the other day.
August looked up Grace's number in the phone book. He wrote it down, and twenty minutes later he finally got enough courage to call her up.
"Hello?" A young girl's voice greeted him.
August hadn't thought about who would answer, hell her mother might have even answered! 'Or worse.. her angry father', August thought, remembering Jake from the school board meeting. "Is Grace there?"
"Hold on." The girl said. August heard her scream for Grace. He heard other voices in the background. Finally the girl came back on. "I think she's either sleeping or in the shower. Did you want to leave a message?"
"Ah, just tell her August called."
"Okay," The girl said, and before she hung up, August heard her saying, "Mom, can I name your next kid? She'll be.. October." And then the line went dead. August smiled and replaced the phone. He'd like to meet Grace's sister someday. And her new half-brother. He wanted to be a part of Grace's life. Was that too much to hope for, that someday that might be possible? Right now, it didn't seem so. Right now, it seemed the future was limitless.
* * *
"Grace, did you want some breakfast?" Lily called.
Grace walked into the living room, with Dominic cradled in her hands. "I think he--" But Grace didn't have to say anymore as Lily caught the scent of Dom's dirty diaper.
Rick happened to just walk into the kitchen as Grace was handing Dominic over to Lily. Lily caught sight of him, and passed the baby along. "Someone needs their daddy to change him!"
Rick smiled, but then his face twisted up as he too smelled the horrendous scent drifting up from his son. He plugged his nose and hurried Dom away to the changing table in the living room.
"So, what do you want for breakfast?" Lily asked.
"Mom, I can make my own breakfast. I'm an adult now." Grace went to the fridge and began studying the continents.
The side door opened and Eli walked in. "What's for breakfast?" Eli asked right away.
Grace laughed and exchanged an amused glance with her mother. "Some other people don't seem to get the whole adult thing, though.."
Eli ignored them, and went to the stove where he took the last of the bacon and eggs.
"Eli, that was for your dad!" Lily said.
Eli shrugged, "He won't mind." He brought his plate to the table and began eating.
Grace grabbed a bagel and sat down with him. "I miss living at your place," She whispered.
Eli smiled up at her, "Then why did you move back here?"
Grace looked around the kitchen, and sighed. "I don't know. I just felt I had to."
Zoe and Jessie entered the kitchen, both going to the fridge, to look for something to eat. Jessie got out a bagel and sliced it. Grace watched in amusement as Zoe carefully copied her. Jessie noticed her brother and they came over to the table.
"Eli, don't you have food of your own?" Jessie teased him.
"No, not really. Ask Grace, my fridge is empty."
Grace nodded, picking at her bagel.
"Oh, Grace, a guy called for you earlier this morning." Zoe said.
"A guy?" Grace asked, having no clue who could have been calling her.
"Yeah, he said his name was.. uh, October."
"October?" Grace laughed. "I don't know a person named that!" She took a bit of her bagel, and then paused. "Are you sure it wasn't August?"
Zoe considered this. "Maybe.."
Grace leaped up in her seat. She caught the surprised look on their faces, and slowly backed away from the table. "I'll be in the garage."
As she was walking away, she heard Jessie ask, "Who's August?"
Eli was silent.
* * *
Grace closed the door to her garage apartment behind her and scrambled across her bed, grabbing her cell phone off her desk. She dialed his number by memory.. it was a number she had never dialed before this, though. She waited impatiently as it rang.. and rang and rang.
Finally Grace turned off her phone, and stood up. She rushed to her closet, knowing she was overreacting, but she had to see him. She had to talk to him. She pulled out a random shirt from her closet and pulled it on. She put on a pair of jeans, and slipped her feet into her sandals. Not bothering to brush her hair, she went out the door.
* * *
August pulled into his driveway, not noticing the red Honda parked across the seat from his house. He turned off the car and grabbed the single bag of groceries from the passenger's seat. He opened the car door and stepped out.
BEEEEEEP!!!
August turned at the loud sound of a horn and his eyes winced automatically as he heard a horrifying crunch.
He dropped the bag of groceries and ran out to the street. There had been an accident. A big ford truck was slanted almost sideways in the middle of the road and a fallen angel lay sprawled on the ground. August felt his heart stop and the earth seemed to drop away from his feet as he recognized the crumpled figure.
Time seemed to slow down as he made his way to Grace. He knew he was running as fast as he could, but it wasn't fast enough. And if he hadn't been in total shock, he would have realized he was crying out her name over and over. Finally the demon that was time allowed him to reach her. He fell to his knees besides her, gasping at the sight of blood entangled in her beautiful hair. He rolled her over, holding her in his arms.
"Grace! Grace!"
Her eyelids fluttered slightly he allowed himself to breathe, and to think. He noticed the driver of the truck watching them from a few feet away.
"Do you have a cell phone??" August screeched at the immobile man.
"No," The man croaked, "Oh, God! I can't believe I hit her! She just ran out.. I didn't see her!"
August didn't have time for apologies, "Go in that house.. go in the front door, and head straight in the kitchen. The phone will be on the wall near the fridge." The man began to back away, towards August's house. "GO, NOW!" August screamed. The man took off running.
August cradled Grace closer to him, checking to make sure she was still breathing. He kissed her blood-matted hair, "Oh, Grace. Grace.."
* * *