~A Once and Again Series~
Where Do We Go From Here?
Chapter 20//Belive it
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[[[Start of memory flashback...]]]
"Hi Eli," Deanna said cheerfully as she ran into him at work, about a week after their little one night together. Deanna believed he was avoiding her...
"Hi," Eli said, his voice muffled. His eyes held dark circles under them, and he looked like the living dead.
"Are you okay?" Deanna asked, leaning closer.
Eli took a step back. He looked around, but the back room was empty except for him and Deanna. "Don't talk to me," He said harshly.
Deanna's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
Eli frowned, turning back to the carton of books he was unloading. "Just don't talk to me. I'm having a bad enough life as it is..."
"And why's that?" Deanna asked, putting on a smile. Her finger traced the spine of a book, "Because I thought after the fun time I gave you... you'd be a little happier."
"Fun time?!" Eli cried in disbelief. He looked over at Deanna, lowering his voice. "I don't even remember most of it. I was drunk... I should have thought about what I was doing... and not have just let you led me into sleeping with you."
"Led you?" Deanna let out a short laugh. "God, you're a fucking guy, Eli... guys want sex. They do. They always do! I didn't trick you into sleeping with me!"
"That's not what I'm saying!" Eli insisted with a heavy sigh. "I just meant.... I should have never gone to your house. I should have known what would happen. And now...."
"Now what?" Deanna prodded.
"Never mind," Eli said, deliberately turning his back on her.
Deanna looked at him as he went back to work unloading the books. She frowned, glaring a hole into the back of his neck. She stood there for a few moments, and then forced a smile on her face. She walked over, and leaned her head against his shoulder blades, giving him a kiss on the neck.
Eli pulled away, cursing. "What do you think you're doing?"
"It doesn't have to be just that one time..." Deanna said with a sultry smile.
Eli let out a harsh laugh of disbelief. "Deanna..."
"We could skip out of here, and go back to my place... your girlfriend never has to know," Deanna offered.
"No!" Eli cried. He didn't correct Deanna on the 'girlfriend' comment... she didn't have to know that his girlfriend had broken up with him. Besides that didn't change anything-- he still never wanted to touch Deanna again.
Deanna rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on... I know you wanna."
Eli frowned, and thought of how to put it without hurting her... but then he realized that he didn't really care whether Deanna was hurt by his words or not. "Deanna, you know what? I'll be happy if I never have to see your face again!"
Deanna made a noise of disbelief. Eli not want her? Impossible.
"In fact, why don't you get the fuck away from me?!" Eli continued, sensing she still didn't get it. "And never talk to me again!"
Deanna shook her head, "You're going to regret that, Eli." She backed out of the room, finally storming out the door with angry clicking of her heels.
Eli watched her go, and when she disappeared, he took the first real good breath since she had come in.
* * * (still memory flashback)* * *
"Jake, I need to talk to you," Deanna said an hour later, when Jake came back from his lunch break.
"Oh, sure," Jake said. He followed her into his empty office.
"It's about Eli," Deanna said calmly. She had gotten her anger under control while waiting for Jake to return.
"Oh?" Jake asked, sorting through his desk for some papers.
"Oh, gosh... I don't know how to say this," Deanna said, making her voice sound sad.
"What is it?" Jake said, finally turning his attention fully on her.
"I can't tell you!" Deanna cried. "It's so..."
"You CAN tell me," Jake said gently.
Deanna looked away, her eyes darting away with a practiced touch. She looked her part of sad and reluctant. "See, Jake... Eli and I slept together."
"Oh," Jake said, clearly startled by this admission.
Deanna turned her eyes on him. Her lips trembled, "And now he's being SO mean to me!"
"Uh.." Jake wasn't sure what to say.
"I mean, I never thought he'd be that way!" Deanna said sadly, "He tricked me into sleeping with him, by saying he wanted to date me... but then afterwards when I mentioned dating, he laughed at me. And now he's making all these lewd comments about me... and being an overall ass to me!"
Jake took a deep breath. He looked out the office window, where Eli was stacking books on the shelf. Eli had become one of Jake's strongest employees. He needed Eli, but what Deanna was saying...
Deanna frowned, a bit upset that Jake wasn't reacting to her news. She pouted and said, "Jake, I'd really appreciate if you'd fire Eli. I just can't work with him. It's either HIM or ME."
Jake shook his head, "Deanna, don't you think we can work this out?"
"NO!" Deanna shouted.
Jake looked at her with a frown. Deanna was not one of Jake's favorite employees. She tended to flirt too much with the customers, and take extra long breaks. But, still, she was a good worker. Jake didn't want to lose either of them. But, this situation... "Maybe we could get Eli in here, and talk it out?" Jake offered.
"NO!" Deanna said, her eyes flaring. "Jake, just choose now... him or me."
Jake sighed. "Deanna, don't..."
"Jake..." Deanna said, "Choose!"
Jake rubbed his face slowly. Finally he muttered, "Eli."
Deanna cursed aloud, shaking her head. "Fine! Bye, Jake!" She stormed out of the room. Jake had made the wrong choice. ELI over her? Eli? Even with the act she had put on Jake had still chosen Eli! Fine, Deanna didn't need this... not at all!
* * *
[[[End of memory flashback]]]
"See, remember what I told you about what happened with Eli and me?" Deanna began, as she and Jake stood looking at each other in Booklover's parking lot.
"Yes," Jake said, narrowing his eyes a bit. What was Deanna getting at? What did this have to do with Grace?
"And how he slept with me... and then was super mean to me?" Deanna continued, although Jake had already confirmed that he remembered.
Jake shifted uncomfortably, Deanna was a strange girl. She had no problem talking about this stuff to Jake in the middle of the day, while they stood in the middle of the parking lot. Jake had always had a feeling that what Deanna had said about what had happened between her and Eli wasn't the real truth... and so that was why he had given Eli a chance, and had chosen to fire Deanna a few months ago instead.
Jake waited for Deanna to continue... wondering why he had thought it was a good idea to rehire her anyway.
"So, there's more to it..." Deanna said, annoyed that Jake didn't seem too interested in what she was saying. She had to step it up a pace. "See, Eli had a girlfriend at the time when this all happened..."
Jake mumbled a reply to the tones of 'so?'.
Deanna left the trying to look sad act behind... and glared at Jake. "And GRACE was that girlfriend."
Jake gaped. "Grace?"
Deanna smiled, "Yes, Grace."
Jake shook his head, "No..."
"...Yes," Deanna insisted.
Jake shook his head again, "...No."
"Yes!" Deanna said, crossing her arms. "Eli and Grace... believe it!" She noticed a pick of lint on her shoulder, and picked it off. She looked back up at Jake, "And they're having a baby, I heard."
Jake's face tightened. Could this be true? He looked at Deanna, who was smiling proudly. He opened his mouth and spat out at her, "You're fired!"
"ME?" Deanna cried, shocked. "But, it's your daughter who's the whore!"
Jake's eyes practically popped out of his head, "What did you call Grace?!"
Deanna wisely backed away. "You know what, Jake? I don't need this stupid job, anyways!" She hurried across the parking lot to her car, leaving Jake standing there, bathed in sunlight, but feeling so... cold, so frozen.
Grace and ELI?????
* * *
Grace snuggled in Eli's arms. "This is nice," She whispered.
"I almost wish I didn't say that to Lily," Eli said, with a sigh, "Then we wouldn't have to tell her.."
"But we WOULD have to tell her," Grace remained him, "I mean... Rick knows, Jessie knows... we have to tell her, or she'll find out on her own soon."
Eli tightened his arms around her, as they lay on his bed. "What about your father... and my mother?" He asked.
"We'll just have to tell them too," Grace admitted reluctantly.
"Your father..." Eli said, grimacing.
Grace, although she couldn't see Eli's face the way she was laying, knew how he felt. "It'll be tough, but maybe he'll be okay about it."
Eli was silent, hopefully wishing that could be so... but also having a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach that Jake would get hysterical about it.
Eli moved his hands, and held them over Grace's belly. Grace smiled, peacefully closing her eyes. They lay like that. Eli held her as she feel asleep, and he tried to sleep himself, but his thoughts were just too active for him to do that.
* * *
"Hi daddy!" Zoe cried.
Jake gave her a distracted hug. "Where's Grace?" He looked behind her to the empty kitchen.
Zoe shrugged, "I think she's with Eli at the mall or something." She smiled up at her dad, "So, what movie are we going to see tonight?"
Jake blinked in surprise. He had forgotten all about that... after the announcement Deanna had made earlier today. "Zoe," He began.
Zoe turned away, frowning, "You're not taking me?"
"I'm sorry... I forgot about it, honey," Jake said, looking at Zoe, wondering exactly when she had became a teenager. She had really grown-- taller, but also had grown in other ways... she just was not the same little kid who used to run around 24/7 in her ballet tutu.
"That's okay," Zoe mumbled, but her tone said it was not okay.
Jake sighed, "Another night, okay, pumpkin? Tonight I just really have to talk to your sister."
Zoe looked back at her father, her eyes angry little slits. "Why is everything about GRACE?!"
"Zoe, not everything is about Grace... I just found out something important today and need to talk to her about it," Jake said, trying to comfort her.
But Zoe wouldn't have it. "No! It's always about Grace! Grace! Grace and her stupid baby!"
"Zoe," Jake began.
"I don't see why Grace is so much more important than me!" Zoe cried, her eyes lining with tears. "You and mom are not even upset that she's having a baby when she's only 18 and not married!"
"Zoe, you don't know how you're mother and I feel," Jake tried to edge in, but Zoe's words continued.
"If I did that, you'd freak! But, Grace is special... Grace is smart! Well, she's not so smart, huh?" Zoe looked at her father with anger, "She let Coop get her pregnant!"
"Wait... Coop... Coop is the father?" Jake asked.
Zoe groaned, "See, that's ALL you care about! HER!" She stormed out of the room.
Jake sighed, leaning against the counter. Had he really been treating Zoe that way? Ignoring her unconsciously? It was just... Grace had had him distracted with her pregnancy... he had been so wrapped up in that that he forgot that Zoe maybe had her own problems, too.
Jake sighed again, considering going up to talk to Zoe, but knowing that would be useless. He scribbled a note down on a pad on the counter for Grace to call him, and he left.
As he drove back home he wondered over Zoe's outburst, and over what Zoe had said... his thoughts automatically going back to Grace without realizing it. Was Coop the father or was Eli? Had Deanna made up the whole 'Eli and Grace relationship'? Or had she been actually telling the truth? With Deanna, the truth was hard to sort out from the lies...
Jake wondered.
* * *
Where Do We Go From Here?
Chapter 20//Belive it
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[[[Start of memory flashback...]]]
"Hi Eli," Deanna said cheerfully as she ran into him at work, about a week after their little one night together. Deanna believed he was avoiding her...
"Hi," Eli said, his voice muffled. His eyes held dark circles under them, and he looked like the living dead.
"Are you okay?" Deanna asked, leaning closer.
Eli took a step back. He looked around, but the back room was empty except for him and Deanna. "Don't talk to me," He said harshly.
Deanna's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"
Eli frowned, turning back to the carton of books he was unloading. "Just don't talk to me. I'm having a bad enough life as it is..."
"And why's that?" Deanna asked, putting on a smile. Her finger traced the spine of a book, "Because I thought after the fun time I gave you... you'd be a little happier."
"Fun time?!" Eli cried in disbelief. He looked over at Deanna, lowering his voice. "I don't even remember most of it. I was drunk... I should have thought about what I was doing... and not have just let you led me into sleeping with you."
"Led you?" Deanna let out a short laugh. "God, you're a fucking guy, Eli... guys want sex. They do. They always do! I didn't trick you into sleeping with me!"
"That's not what I'm saying!" Eli insisted with a heavy sigh. "I just meant.... I should have never gone to your house. I should have known what would happen. And now...."
"Now what?" Deanna prodded.
"Never mind," Eli said, deliberately turning his back on her.
Deanna looked at him as he went back to work unloading the books. She frowned, glaring a hole into the back of his neck. She stood there for a few moments, and then forced a smile on her face. She walked over, and leaned her head against his shoulder blades, giving him a kiss on the neck.
Eli pulled away, cursing. "What do you think you're doing?"
"It doesn't have to be just that one time..." Deanna said with a sultry smile.
Eli let out a harsh laugh of disbelief. "Deanna..."
"We could skip out of here, and go back to my place... your girlfriend never has to know," Deanna offered.
"No!" Eli cried. He didn't correct Deanna on the 'girlfriend' comment... she didn't have to know that his girlfriend had broken up with him. Besides that didn't change anything-- he still never wanted to touch Deanna again.
Deanna rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on... I know you wanna."
Eli frowned, and thought of how to put it without hurting her... but then he realized that he didn't really care whether Deanna was hurt by his words or not. "Deanna, you know what? I'll be happy if I never have to see your face again!"
Deanna made a noise of disbelief. Eli not want her? Impossible.
"In fact, why don't you get the fuck away from me?!" Eli continued, sensing she still didn't get it. "And never talk to me again!"
Deanna shook her head, "You're going to regret that, Eli." She backed out of the room, finally storming out the door with angry clicking of her heels.
Eli watched her go, and when she disappeared, he took the first real good breath since she had come in.
* * * (still memory flashback)* * *
"Jake, I need to talk to you," Deanna said an hour later, when Jake came back from his lunch break.
"Oh, sure," Jake said. He followed her into his empty office.
"It's about Eli," Deanna said calmly. She had gotten her anger under control while waiting for Jake to return.
"Oh?" Jake asked, sorting through his desk for some papers.
"Oh, gosh... I don't know how to say this," Deanna said, making her voice sound sad.
"What is it?" Jake said, finally turning his attention fully on her.
"I can't tell you!" Deanna cried. "It's so..."
"You CAN tell me," Jake said gently.
Deanna looked away, her eyes darting away with a practiced touch. She looked her part of sad and reluctant. "See, Jake... Eli and I slept together."
"Oh," Jake said, clearly startled by this admission.
Deanna turned her eyes on him. Her lips trembled, "And now he's being SO mean to me!"
"Uh.." Jake wasn't sure what to say.
"I mean, I never thought he'd be that way!" Deanna said sadly, "He tricked me into sleeping with him, by saying he wanted to date me... but then afterwards when I mentioned dating, he laughed at me. And now he's making all these lewd comments about me... and being an overall ass to me!"
Jake took a deep breath. He looked out the office window, where Eli was stacking books on the shelf. Eli had become one of Jake's strongest employees. He needed Eli, but what Deanna was saying...
Deanna frowned, a bit upset that Jake wasn't reacting to her news. She pouted and said, "Jake, I'd really appreciate if you'd fire Eli. I just can't work with him. It's either HIM or ME."
Jake shook his head, "Deanna, don't you think we can work this out?"
"NO!" Deanna shouted.
Jake looked at her with a frown. Deanna was not one of Jake's favorite employees. She tended to flirt too much with the customers, and take extra long breaks. But, still, she was a good worker. Jake didn't want to lose either of them. But, this situation... "Maybe we could get Eli in here, and talk it out?" Jake offered.
"NO!" Deanna said, her eyes flaring. "Jake, just choose now... him or me."
Jake sighed. "Deanna, don't..."
"Jake..." Deanna said, "Choose!"
Jake rubbed his face slowly. Finally he muttered, "Eli."
Deanna cursed aloud, shaking her head. "Fine! Bye, Jake!" She stormed out of the room. Jake had made the wrong choice. ELI over her? Eli? Even with the act she had put on Jake had still chosen Eli! Fine, Deanna didn't need this... not at all!
* * *
[[[End of memory flashback]]]
"See, remember what I told you about what happened with Eli and me?" Deanna began, as she and Jake stood looking at each other in Booklover's parking lot.
"Yes," Jake said, narrowing his eyes a bit. What was Deanna getting at? What did this have to do with Grace?
"And how he slept with me... and then was super mean to me?" Deanna continued, although Jake had already confirmed that he remembered.
Jake shifted uncomfortably, Deanna was a strange girl. She had no problem talking about this stuff to Jake in the middle of the day, while they stood in the middle of the parking lot. Jake had always had a feeling that what Deanna had said about what had happened between her and Eli wasn't the real truth... and so that was why he had given Eli a chance, and had chosen to fire Deanna a few months ago instead.
Jake waited for Deanna to continue... wondering why he had thought it was a good idea to rehire her anyway.
"So, there's more to it..." Deanna said, annoyed that Jake didn't seem too interested in what she was saying. She had to step it up a pace. "See, Eli had a girlfriend at the time when this all happened..."
Jake mumbled a reply to the tones of 'so?'.
Deanna left the trying to look sad act behind... and glared at Jake. "And GRACE was that girlfriend."
Jake gaped. "Grace?"
Deanna smiled, "Yes, Grace."
Jake shook his head, "No..."
"...Yes," Deanna insisted.
Jake shook his head again, "...No."
"Yes!" Deanna said, crossing her arms. "Eli and Grace... believe it!" She noticed a pick of lint on her shoulder, and picked it off. She looked back up at Jake, "And they're having a baby, I heard."
Jake's face tightened. Could this be true? He looked at Deanna, who was smiling proudly. He opened his mouth and spat out at her, "You're fired!"
"ME?" Deanna cried, shocked. "But, it's your daughter who's the whore!"
Jake's eyes practically popped out of his head, "What did you call Grace?!"
Deanna wisely backed away. "You know what, Jake? I don't need this stupid job, anyways!" She hurried across the parking lot to her car, leaving Jake standing there, bathed in sunlight, but feeling so... cold, so frozen.
Grace and ELI?????
* * *
Grace snuggled in Eli's arms. "This is nice," She whispered.
"I almost wish I didn't say that to Lily," Eli said, with a sigh, "Then we wouldn't have to tell her.."
"But we WOULD have to tell her," Grace remained him, "I mean... Rick knows, Jessie knows... we have to tell her, or she'll find out on her own soon."
Eli tightened his arms around her, as they lay on his bed. "What about your father... and my mother?" He asked.
"We'll just have to tell them too," Grace admitted reluctantly.
"Your father..." Eli said, grimacing.
Grace, although she couldn't see Eli's face the way she was laying, knew how he felt. "It'll be tough, but maybe he'll be okay about it."
Eli was silent, hopefully wishing that could be so... but also having a gnawing feeling in the pit of his stomach that Jake would get hysterical about it.
Eli moved his hands, and held them over Grace's belly. Grace smiled, peacefully closing her eyes. They lay like that. Eli held her as she feel asleep, and he tried to sleep himself, but his thoughts were just too active for him to do that.
* * *
"Hi daddy!" Zoe cried.
Jake gave her a distracted hug. "Where's Grace?" He looked behind her to the empty kitchen.
Zoe shrugged, "I think she's with Eli at the mall or something." She smiled up at her dad, "So, what movie are we going to see tonight?"
Jake blinked in surprise. He had forgotten all about that... after the announcement Deanna had made earlier today. "Zoe," He began.
Zoe turned away, frowning, "You're not taking me?"
"I'm sorry... I forgot about it, honey," Jake said, looking at Zoe, wondering exactly when she had became a teenager. She had really grown-- taller, but also had grown in other ways... she just was not the same little kid who used to run around 24/7 in her ballet tutu.
"That's okay," Zoe mumbled, but her tone said it was not okay.
Jake sighed, "Another night, okay, pumpkin? Tonight I just really have to talk to your sister."
Zoe looked back at her father, her eyes angry little slits. "Why is everything about GRACE?!"
"Zoe, not everything is about Grace... I just found out something important today and need to talk to her about it," Jake said, trying to comfort her.
But Zoe wouldn't have it. "No! It's always about Grace! Grace! Grace and her stupid baby!"
"Zoe," Jake began.
"I don't see why Grace is so much more important than me!" Zoe cried, her eyes lining with tears. "You and mom are not even upset that she's having a baby when she's only 18 and not married!"
"Zoe, you don't know how you're mother and I feel," Jake tried to edge in, but Zoe's words continued.
"If I did that, you'd freak! But, Grace is special... Grace is smart! Well, she's not so smart, huh?" Zoe looked at her father with anger, "She let Coop get her pregnant!"
"Wait... Coop... Coop is the father?" Jake asked.
Zoe groaned, "See, that's ALL you care about! HER!" She stormed out of the room.
Jake sighed, leaning against the counter. Had he really been treating Zoe that way? Ignoring her unconsciously? It was just... Grace had had him distracted with her pregnancy... he had been so wrapped up in that that he forgot that Zoe maybe had her own problems, too.
Jake sighed again, considering going up to talk to Zoe, but knowing that would be useless. He scribbled a note down on a pad on the counter for Grace to call him, and he left.
As he drove back home he wondered over Zoe's outburst, and over what Zoe had said... his thoughts automatically going back to Grace without realizing it. Was Coop the father or was Eli? Had Deanna made up the whole 'Eli and Grace relationship'? Or had she been actually telling the truth? With Deanna, the truth was hard to sort out from the lies...
Jake wondered.
* * *