~A Once and Again Series~
Where Do We Go From Here?
Thanks, as always for the reviews and for reading. You guys are too nice! Sigh, I just watched "Acting Out" once again... that has to be one of the best O & A episodes ever. Not only does it have great Grace/Eli scenes... but also Grace/Dimitri. I just wished Eli had shown up at the play... who knows what would have happened if he did? Or if they would have just kissed when Grace was in his room! They so should have! Anyways, enough of my ranting. Eli & Grace forever!
Chapter 22//Things I Love More
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"That wasn't so bad."
Grace rolled her eyes. "I bet my mom is freaking out right now." She sighed, getting up off Eli's bed.
"Where you going?" Eli asked, reaching out a hand for her to come back.
"I've got to go talk to her," Grace explained. "She needs to see how important you are to me..."
"I am?" Eli asked, intrigued.
Grace nodded, "Of course." She paused in the doorway. "I have another appointment in two weeks. We can find out the sex of the baby... if we want."
"Do we want?" Eli asked with a smile.
Grace shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure." She smiled, and left the garage. She headed up to her mother's bedroom.
"Grace," Lily said when Grace appeared in the doorway.
"Mom," Grace said back. They looked at each other briefly. "Are you ready to talk about this?" Grace asked.
Lily shrugged, her eyes looking defeated. "Come in," She said, patting the bed next to her.
Grace moved across the room, sitting next to her mother. "Eli and I love each other."
Lily was silent. She rested her chin on her drawn up knees.
"We... just seem to fit perfectly together," Grace tried to explain. "I need him, mom."
Lily sighed. "I had thought Coop was the father..."
Grace smiled, amused.
"...And before that I thought it was Mr. Dimitri," Lily continued.
Grace's smile grew. "Well, what do you think now.... that you know?"
Lily pulled Grace into her, hugging her tightly. "I don't know what I think, honey. But I will always love you, you know that..."
Grace sank into her mother's hug. "I know that," She answered with relief.
* * *
Jake knocked on the front door. He got no answer, and turned the knob. It was open. "Hello?" He called to the seemingly empty house. He flicked on the light switch, illuminating the living room. Jake had waited for Grace to call him, but she never had. Finally he decided he should just come over and talk to her in person.
Jake had to know. He had to know the truth.
Eli... or Coop.
Who was the father? Jake had met Coop once... when Grace had dragged him to go see one of Eli's gigs. Jake hadn't been impressed. He was surprised that Zoe had said what she had... that Coop was the father. Jake hadn't even known Grace had dated him. And Jake knew Eli... yes he knew more about Eli than he wanted to. Jake didn't like his choices. Eli or Coop.
"Hi... Jake."
Jake looked up, breaking from his thoughts. Eli stood before him, hands in his pockets, looking at Jake curiously.
Jake felt his anger billowing up inside him... He glared at Eli. "Are you the one??"
"What?" Eli said, mystified.
"Are you the father?!" Jake demanded.
Eli swallowed nervously.
* * *
[[[[...Start of memory flashback]]]]
"Coop!" Grace cried with surprise.
Coop smiled warmly at her, shuffling his feet a bit. "I was hoping to run into you."
Grace couldn't help but smile at him. It felt good to smile... really good. These past few weeks had been tough. She saw Eli almost everyday, and had to pretend that nothing was wrong, and it was so hard. "So, what are you doing here?" Grace asked, looking around at the almost- empty auditorium. They had just finished up play rehearsal.
"...to run into you," Coop repeated.
Grace shook her head a bit, "Right." She picked up her backpack from where she had stored it, on one of the seats.
"What play are you guys doing?" Coop asked, looking at the stage which had an assortment of half-painted props set up.
"Romeo and Juliet," Grace said, grimacing. It seemed that every school had to do Romeo and Juliet at least once every four years. And it would be Grace's last play, as she was a senior, and this was the last play of year... which made it all the more disappointing. But, Grace had scored the lead role of Juliet, and she was determined to give it her all, despite wishes that they could have done something else.
But, then again, maybe it wouldn't have seemed so silly to do Romeo and Juliet if Mr. Dimitri had been their director. He would infuse it with old folk songs, and a new time period, and...
Grace sighed.
"You okay?" Coop said, catching it.
Grace nodded. They began walking towards the doors.
"You haven't been coming to band rehearsal..." Coop commented.
"Yeah, I've been busy..." Grace supplemented. She missed the fun, frenzy, excitement of being part of a musical creation. Watching them play, helping them write lyrics... goofing around with Coop. It had all been so... fun.
"Eli hasn't been coming either," Coop added.
Grace looked over at Coop in surprise. This was the first she had heard of this... "He hasn't?"
Coop shook his head, "The other guys are getting restless. They want to start looking for a new person."
"Oh," Grace said, frowning over this. They pushed out the doors, and the warm sun greeted them.
"He won't talk to me," Coop said, as they stood, bathed in warmth due to the high sun, despite the slightly chilly temperatures. "What's up with him?"
Grace looked away from Coop's waiting eyes. She sighed. "I... I wouldn't know."
"I thought you two were close," Coop said.
Grace shrugged, "We were."
Grace gestured towards the parking lot. "My mom let me take her car today. So, I guess... I'll see you around." Grace began to move away, but Coop called after her.
"Grace!"
Grace turned, holding a hand over her eyes to block the sunlight's rays. "Yeah?"
"Can I call you?"
Grace paused. She blinked, "Uh... sure."
"Okay," Coop waved a hand at her, and Grace continued walking. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Coop still standing there, silhouetted in the sun, watching her walk away. She turned her head back around, smiling softly.
* * * (Still memory flashback) * * *
Eli looked over as Grace entered through the kitchen side door. The late evening sun came in with her, lighting up her pretty features with an orange glow. Grace saw him looking at her, and her smile faded.
She went to walk past the table at what he sat, but he reached a hand out, stopping her.
"Grace..." He said, trying for the millionth time to just get her to talk to him again.
Grace looked down at him, and to Eli's surprise she didn't push past him, or shoot him a dirty look. She looked at him curiously. "So... you're quitting the band?"
That wasn't what Eli expected, but hey, it was a start. "I guess," Eli shrugged. His hand fell back down to his side, and he looked up at her. "I don't see the point of it anymore."
"But you loved it," Grace reminded him. "It was your calling."
"There are other things I love more," Eli said, pointedly looking up at her.
Grace looked down at him, studying his eyes.
"No way!" Zoe came in the room, talking animatedly into the phone. "Shut up! No!" She went to the fridge, not even glancing at the two of them.
Grace looked over at her sister, and then back at Eli. Eli's eyes were filled with hope. One hand reached out and touched the side of her hand lightly. Grace shook her head slightly, and moved away... out of the room.
* * * (Still memory flashback)* * *
"What about this?" Grace asked, holding up a pink floral candle.
Coop looked over and shook his head. "My sister isn't the candle- type."
Grace set the candle back down on the store's shelf. She moved further down the aisle. She and Coop had started talking regularly on the phone. Grace loved that he made her laugh. That he made her smile. It was nice.
"Okay, what do you think of this?" Coop asked, holding up a pink heart candle.
"For your sister?" Grace asked, laughing. "I thought she hated candles."
"How about for the girl I'm mad about?" Coop said, taking a few steps closer.
Grace looked up at him, her eyes widening. "Well... let me see what it smells like," She said, breathing out the words.
Coop handed her the candle, their fingertips brushing. Grace put it to her nose and breathed in the scent of lavender. "It's nice actually," She admitted, handing it back.
"So, you think she'd like it," Coop asked.
"Your sister?" Grace asked, looking into his eyes.
"No, the girl I'm mad about..." Coop reminded her. He tilted his head down to hers.
Grace turned her head away. "Oh..." She walked away, picking up the first thing that caught her eye. It was a leather-bound notebook. "How about this for your sister's birthday gift?"
Coop followed her, a missed-chance look on his face. "Yeah, actually, she might like that."
Grace smiled, handing him the notebook.
"Grace?" Coop asked, when her eyes failed to met hers.
"Yeah?" Grace asked, pretending to be interested in an assortment of pens.
"Do you like me?" Coop asked.
Grace finally looked over at him. She paused as a group of three girls walked past. Grace noticed the way they all looked at Coop, and then giggled. Grace smiled in amusement. "Of course I like you," She told Coop.
"I mean.... like me more than a friend," Coop said, sighing. He still held the heart candle in one hand. "Sometimes I think you might, and then sometimes I think you don't... that you couldn't."
Grace's brow wrinkled up. "I..."
Coop leaned closer to her. "Because... I really like you, Grace. I think we could have something here."
Grace's eyes darted away from his sweet face. She had never considered the possibility of getting into a relationship with Coop. It wasn't something she had planned on. It had been over a month since she and Eli had broken up, but still... Grace didn't know if she could give her heart to another so soon.
"It doesn't have to be anything big," Coop said, as if almost reading her mind. "We could just continue what we've been doing... talking on the phone, going places... you've been having fun, right?"
"Yeah," Grace assured him. She had been having fun with Coop. More fun than she knew was possible. She smiled up at him, and before she knew it... he was leaning in, kissing her.
He kissed her right there, in the aisle of Target.
And Grace kissed him back.
* * *
[[[...end of memory flashback]]]]
* * *
"Dad," Grace said in surprise as she and Lily started down the stairs to find Jake glaring at Eli.
"Grace..." Lily nudged her, sensing something was up.
"Dad!" Grace cried again, rushing down the rest of the stairs. "Dad?"
Jake finally heard her. He turned to look at his daughter. "Grace... tell me the truth."
Grace walked towards her father. "The truth?"
"Is Eli the father... or is Coop?" Jake demanded.
"How do you know about Coop?" Grace asked, looking back at her mother, but Lily just shrugged.
"So, it's Coop?!" Jake cried. "Well, where is he now? Why isn't he a part of this?"
Grace shook her head, "No... Dad, no... Coop isn't the father. Eli is."
Jake looked back on Eli, "So, it is true."
Grace looked at her mother, wondering how Jake had found out, but Lily herself hadn't even known herself until tonight.
Jake clued Grace in with his next statement, "I didn't realize I had to find out who the father of my grandson or granddaughter was from Deanna!"
"Dad... I was going to tell you," Grace said. It was true... eventually she would have told her father... eventually.
Jake shook his head with impatience. He looked back on Eli. "And... what are you going to do about this?"
Eli fidgeted under the spotlight, "Well, I'm going to be there for her and the baby, of course."
"Are you going to marry her?" Jake demanded.
Eli looked at Grace who was apologizing about her father with the look in her eyes.
"I hadn't thought about it," Eli finally muttered.
Jake's eyes narrowed. He leaned over and kissed Grace's forehead. "I'll talk to you later," He whispered.
"Where are you going?" Grace asked, perplexed.
"Anywhere..." Jake said, shaking his head. "I need to think."
"Okay," Grace said, her voice pained. "I'm sorry, Dad... for not telling you."
Jake sighed. He threw a glance over at Eli, and then walked to the door. He left quickly. Grace went to the window, looking out after him. The house was eerily still now, without her father's anger. Grace didn't feel comfortable in the calmness. She didn't want to be tricked into thinking the trouble was over, when it could only be the false eye of the storm. Was another round coming?
* * *
Where Do We Go From Here?
Thanks, as always for the reviews and for reading. You guys are too nice! Sigh, I just watched "Acting Out" once again... that has to be one of the best O & A episodes ever. Not only does it have great Grace/Eli scenes... but also Grace/Dimitri. I just wished Eli had shown up at the play... who knows what would have happened if he did? Or if they would have just kissed when Grace was in his room! They so should have! Anyways, enough of my ranting. Eli & Grace forever!
Chapter 22//Things I Love More
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"That wasn't so bad."
Grace rolled her eyes. "I bet my mom is freaking out right now." She sighed, getting up off Eli's bed.
"Where you going?" Eli asked, reaching out a hand for her to come back.
"I've got to go talk to her," Grace explained. "She needs to see how important you are to me..."
"I am?" Eli asked, intrigued.
Grace nodded, "Of course." She paused in the doorway. "I have another appointment in two weeks. We can find out the sex of the baby... if we want."
"Do we want?" Eli asked with a smile.
Grace shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure." She smiled, and left the garage. She headed up to her mother's bedroom.
"Grace," Lily said when Grace appeared in the doorway.
"Mom," Grace said back. They looked at each other briefly. "Are you ready to talk about this?" Grace asked.
Lily shrugged, her eyes looking defeated. "Come in," She said, patting the bed next to her.
Grace moved across the room, sitting next to her mother. "Eli and I love each other."
Lily was silent. She rested her chin on her drawn up knees.
"We... just seem to fit perfectly together," Grace tried to explain. "I need him, mom."
Lily sighed. "I had thought Coop was the father..."
Grace smiled, amused.
"...And before that I thought it was Mr. Dimitri," Lily continued.
Grace's smile grew. "Well, what do you think now.... that you know?"
Lily pulled Grace into her, hugging her tightly. "I don't know what I think, honey. But I will always love you, you know that..."
Grace sank into her mother's hug. "I know that," She answered with relief.
* * *
Jake knocked on the front door. He got no answer, and turned the knob. It was open. "Hello?" He called to the seemingly empty house. He flicked on the light switch, illuminating the living room. Jake had waited for Grace to call him, but she never had. Finally he decided he should just come over and talk to her in person.
Jake had to know. He had to know the truth.
Eli... or Coop.
Who was the father? Jake had met Coop once... when Grace had dragged him to go see one of Eli's gigs. Jake hadn't been impressed. He was surprised that Zoe had said what she had... that Coop was the father. Jake hadn't even known Grace had dated him. And Jake knew Eli... yes he knew more about Eli than he wanted to. Jake didn't like his choices. Eli or Coop.
"Hi... Jake."
Jake looked up, breaking from his thoughts. Eli stood before him, hands in his pockets, looking at Jake curiously.
Jake felt his anger billowing up inside him... He glared at Eli. "Are you the one??"
"What?" Eli said, mystified.
"Are you the father?!" Jake demanded.
Eli swallowed nervously.
* * *
[[[[...Start of memory flashback]]]]
"Coop!" Grace cried with surprise.
Coop smiled warmly at her, shuffling his feet a bit. "I was hoping to run into you."
Grace couldn't help but smile at him. It felt good to smile... really good. These past few weeks had been tough. She saw Eli almost everyday, and had to pretend that nothing was wrong, and it was so hard. "So, what are you doing here?" Grace asked, looking around at the almost- empty auditorium. They had just finished up play rehearsal.
"...to run into you," Coop repeated.
Grace shook her head a bit, "Right." She picked up her backpack from where she had stored it, on one of the seats.
"What play are you guys doing?" Coop asked, looking at the stage which had an assortment of half-painted props set up.
"Romeo and Juliet," Grace said, grimacing. It seemed that every school had to do Romeo and Juliet at least once every four years. And it would be Grace's last play, as she was a senior, and this was the last play of year... which made it all the more disappointing. But, Grace had scored the lead role of Juliet, and she was determined to give it her all, despite wishes that they could have done something else.
But, then again, maybe it wouldn't have seemed so silly to do Romeo and Juliet if Mr. Dimitri had been their director. He would infuse it with old folk songs, and a new time period, and...
Grace sighed.
"You okay?" Coop said, catching it.
Grace nodded. They began walking towards the doors.
"You haven't been coming to band rehearsal..." Coop commented.
"Yeah, I've been busy..." Grace supplemented. She missed the fun, frenzy, excitement of being part of a musical creation. Watching them play, helping them write lyrics... goofing around with Coop. It had all been so... fun.
"Eli hasn't been coming either," Coop added.
Grace looked over at Coop in surprise. This was the first she had heard of this... "He hasn't?"
Coop shook his head, "The other guys are getting restless. They want to start looking for a new person."
"Oh," Grace said, frowning over this. They pushed out the doors, and the warm sun greeted them.
"He won't talk to me," Coop said, as they stood, bathed in warmth due to the high sun, despite the slightly chilly temperatures. "What's up with him?"
Grace looked away from Coop's waiting eyes. She sighed. "I... I wouldn't know."
"I thought you two were close," Coop said.
Grace shrugged, "We were."
Grace gestured towards the parking lot. "My mom let me take her car today. So, I guess... I'll see you around." Grace began to move away, but Coop called after her.
"Grace!"
Grace turned, holding a hand over her eyes to block the sunlight's rays. "Yeah?"
"Can I call you?"
Grace paused. She blinked, "Uh... sure."
"Okay," Coop waved a hand at her, and Grace continued walking. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing Coop still standing there, silhouetted in the sun, watching her walk away. She turned her head back around, smiling softly.
* * * (Still memory flashback) * * *
Eli looked over as Grace entered through the kitchen side door. The late evening sun came in with her, lighting up her pretty features with an orange glow. Grace saw him looking at her, and her smile faded.
She went to walk past the table at what he sat, but he reached a hand out, stopping her.
"Grace..." He said, trying for the millionth time to just get her to talk to him again.
Grace looked down at him, and to Eli's surprise she didn't push past him, or shoot him a dirty look. She looked at him curiously. "So... you're quitting the band?"
That wasn't what Eli expected, but hey, it was a start. "I guess," Eli shrugged. His hand fell back down to his side, and he looked up at her. "I don't see the point of it anymore."
"But you loved it," Grace reminded him. "It was your calling."
"There are other things I love more," Eli said, pointedly looking up at her.
Grace looked down at him, studying his eyes.
"No way!" Zoe came in the room, talking animatedly into the phone. "Shut up! No!" She went to the fridge, not even glancing at the two of them.
Grace looked over at her sister, and then back at Eli. Eli's eyes were filled with hope. One hand reached out and touched the side of her hand lightly. Grace shook her head slightly, and moved away... out of the room.
* * * (Still memory flashback)* * *
"What about this?" Grace asked, holding up a pink floral candle.
Coop looked over and shook his head. "My sister isn't the candle- type."
Grace set the candle back down on the store's shelf. She moved further down the aisle. She and Coop had started talking regularly on the phone. Grace loved that he made her laugh. That he made her smile. It was nice.
"Okay, what do you think of this?" Coop asked, holding up a pink heart candle.
"For your sister?" Grace asked, laughing. "I thought she hated candles."
"How about for the girl I'm mad about?" Coop said, taking a few steps closer.
Grace looked up at him, her eyes widening. "Well... let me see what it smells like," She said, breathing out the words.
Coop handed her the candle, their fingertips brushing. Grace put it to her nose and breathed in the scent of lavender. "It's nice actually," She admitted, handing it back.
"So, you think she'd like it," Coop asked.
"Your sister?" Grace asked, looking into his eyes.
"No, the girl I'm mad about..." Coop reminded her. He tilted his head down to hers.
Grace turned her head away. "Oh..." She walked away, picking up the first thing that caught her eye. It was a leather-bound notebook. "How about this for your sister's birthday gift?"
Coop followed her, a missed-chance look on his face. "Yeah, actually, she might like that."
Grace smiled, handing him the notebook.
"Grace?" Coop asked, when her eyes failed to met hers.
"Yeah?" Grace asked, pretending to be interested in an assortment of pens.
"Do you like me?" Coop asked.
Grace finally looked over at him. She paused as a group of three girls walked past. Grace noticed the way they all looked at Coop, and then giggled. Grace smiled in amusement. "Of course I like you," She told Coop.
"I mean.... like me more than a friend," Coop said, sighing. He still held the heart candle in one hand. "Sometimes I think you might, and then sometimes I think you don't... that you couldn't."
Grace's brow wrinkled up. "I..."
Coop leaned closer to her. "Because... I really like you, Grace. I think we could have something here."
Grace's eyes darted away from his sweet face. She had never considered the possibility of getting into a relationship with Coop. It wasn't something she had planned on. It had been over a month since she and Eli had broken up, but still... Grace didn't know if she could give her heart to another so soon.
"It doesn't have to be anything big," Coop said, as if almost reading her mind. "We could just continue what we've been doing... talking on the phone, going places... you've been having fun, right?"
"Yeah," Grace assured him. She had been having fun with Coop. More fun than she knew was possible. She smiled up at him, and before she knew it... he was leaning in, kissing her.
He kissed her right there, in the aisle of Target.
And Grace kissed him back.
* * *
[[[...end of memory flashback]]]]
* * *
"Dad," Grace said in surprise as she and Lily started down the stairs to find Jake glaring at Eli.
"Grace..." Lily nudged her, sensing something was up.
"Dad!" Grace cried again, rushing down the rest of the stairs. "Dad?"
Jake finally heard her. He turned to look at his daughter. "Grace... tell me the truth."
Grace walked towards her father. "The truth?"
"Is Eli the father... or is Coop?" Jake demanded.
"How do you know about Coop?" Grace asked, looking back at her mother, but Lily just shrugged.
"So, it's Coop?!" Jake cried. "Well, where is he now? Why isn't he a part of this?"
Grace shook her head, "No... Dad, no... Coop isn't the father. Eli is."
Jake looked back on Eli, "So, it is true."
Grace looked at her mother, wondering how Jake had found out, but Lily herself hadn't even known herself until tonight.
Jake clued Grace in with his next statement, "I didn't realize I had to find out who the father of my grandson or granddaughter was from Deanna!"
"Dad... I was going to tell you," Grace said. It was true... eventually she would have told her father... eventually.
Jake shook his head with impatience. He looked back on Eli. "And... what are you going to do about this?"
Eli fidgeted under the spotlight, "Well, I'm going to be there for her and the baby, of course."
"Are you going to marry her?" Jake demanded.
Eli looked at Grace who was apologizing about her father with the look in her eyes.
"I hadn't thought about it," Eli finally muttered.
Jake's eyes narrowed. He leaned over and kissed Grace's forehead. "I'll talk to you later," He whispered.
"Where are you going?" Grace asked, perplexed.
"Anywhere..." Jake said, shaking his head. "I need to think."
"Okay," Grace said, her voice pained. "I'm sorry, Dad... for not telling you."
Jake sighed. He threw a glance over at Eli, and then walked to the door. He left quickly. Grace went to the window, looking out after him. The house was eerily still now, without her father's anger. Grace didn't feel comfortable in the calmness. She didn't want to be tricked into thinking the trouble was over, when it could only be the false eye of the storm. Was another round coming?
* * *