~A Once and Again Series~
Where Do We Go From Here?
Chapter 25//What More Do You Want
*
Okay, it looks like this story is running down... almost to the end, folks! Yeah, I guess I could continue, and write more, but I had always planned to finish it with a happy ending--- and what could be happier than a new baby!? And now we've basically gone through all the flashbacks... so you are caught up to where the story started from. So, looks like it's almost done! One or two more chapters after this one... and then the ending. (I'll probably pick up "The Way We Were" next and finally write that season two for it.) Anyways, as always, thanks for reading!
*
*
*
"But what I don't get is how Eli is the father, if you were dating Coop," Zoe said, putting a French fry in her mouth. They had returned Zoe's bus ticket, and had convinced Lily to let them go out for dinner. Lily, being just so relieved that they had found Zoe, didn't dispute over it. Now they sat in a corner booth at Culver's, rehashing over the many details of Eli's and Grace's relationship.
Grace wrinkled up her nose. She glanced across the table at Eli. "Well..."
* * *
[[[[...start of memory flashback]]]]
"So, I was thinking about prom," Coop spoke up.
Grace continued looking through the store's CD collection. "What about prom?"
"...I was thinking about us going."
Grace looked up at him, "Really? Didn't you already go to prom your senior year?"
Coop nodded, "But I want to take you to yours... unless you were thinking of not going."
Grace was silent, thumbing through the CDs.
"You were thinking of not going?" Coop asked.
Grace sighed, "I just don't get all the fuss... It's just a stupid dance! And you have to buy a dress, and shoes, and get your hair done... it's ridiculous how much girls spend on it."
"So, you don't want to go?" Coop asked, trying to mask his disappointment.
Grace looked up at her boyfriend. "Well... uh, can I think about it?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course," Coop leaned in, pecking her on the cheek. He moved to kiss her on the lips too, but Grace turned her head away, faking interest in a magazine rack.
* * * (Still memory flashback)* * *
"How about I come in?" Coop asked as he pulled into Grace's driveway.
Grace looked at him, her eyes troubled. "Coop..."
Coop sighed, tapping the steering wheel with his fingers, "Right, you want to hide me from them."
"That's not it," Grace insisted. "I just don't want to tell them, yet."
Coop was silent.
"Coop..." Grace put a hand on his shoulder.
"Grace," Coop whispered, looking at her. "I think I love you."
Grace was blown away. Her hand faltered away from his shoulder, and she looked uncomfortably at the dashboard.
"You don't have to say anything," Coop said, but his voice displayed his disappointment. "I know you're not... there yet."
"I..." Grace began, but her words fell flat.
"It's okay," Coop said, looking at her. "I just wanted for you know... I didn't expect you to feel the same, not yet."
Grace smiled. She leaned in, kissing his sweet lips. "I do really like you."
"I know."
Grace opened the car door, and got out. She waved a hand as Coop backed out of the driveway and drove into the night.
"I can't believe it!"
Grace turned in surprise, and saw Zoe sitting on the porch. "How long have you been there?" Grace asked.
Zoe shrugged, "Long enough to see you making out with Coop!"
Grace groaned.
"So, you're dating him?"
Grace shrugged, "Yeah..." She looked pleadingly at her sister, "Please don't tell anyone."
Zoe thought this over.
"Please, Zoe... I need this from you."
Zoe nodded, "Okay."
Grace hugged her spontaneously, "You're the best sister!"
"Better than Jessie?" Zoe asked.
Grace rolled her eyes, "Of course... you're blood. We share the same stupid messed-up genes."
They went inside together.
* * * (Still memory flashback)* * *
"Grace?" His voice echoed surprise.
Grace leaned against the doorframe, "Can I come in?"
Eli nodded, backing up to let her in. "Why are you here?"
Grace shrugged, "I don't know." She went over and plopped on Eli's bed. Her hand landed on a half-empty bottle of vodka. "Eli?" She asked, holding it up.
"I had some friends over," Eli said taking it from her, and storing it in his dresser. That sounded better than the truth, though... that he had been drinking alone, wallowing in pity. "Grace, what are you doing here?"
Grace looked up at him, "I missed you."
Eli sighed, "And what does that mean?" He sat down next to her on the bed. "You're still with Coop, right?
"Yes," Grace admitted. "But, Eli... I miss talking to you."
"Grace, you can't just come in here, and..." Eli trailed off.
"Why not?" Grace asked, her heart tightening. She really just wanted to be with Eli right now. She wanted to talk to him, and laugh with him... and have him hold her. Grace turned her head away, so Eli wouldn't see the tears.
"We can't just be friends like that," Eli said angrily.
Grace bit her bottom lip. Those words were so familiar... just what Mr. Dimitri had said over and over, 'We can't be friends'. And why did Grace think that she and Eli really COULD be friends? After all that happened between them? Why did Grace think that was possible... and why did she want that? Why did she need him to be a part of her life still?
"I love you, Grace," Eli said softly.
Grace stared down at her hands... oh great, a second love declaration for her in the matter of hours.
"And... so I can't... you can't just come in here, and expect me to talk with you about HIM."
Grace cringed. She wiped at her eyes and turned around, looking back at Eli. "I don't want to talk about him."
Eli's anger cooled down. "Then what?"
Grace shrugged. She smiled at him, her lips trembling.
Eli's face changed into an expression of care and love. He pulled her into his arms, and Grace sank into his grasp like honey. His arms felt so right around her. "Grace..." Eli whispered.
Grace tilted her head upwards, and looked into his hazel eyes.
"What do you think you're doing?" Eli asked, his voice heavy.
"I... I'm just doing what feels right," Grace answered, and she brought her lips up to his. Eli didn't kiss her back at first, he was too stunned by it all. Grace linked her fingers around the back of his neck. Eli's hands rose to clutch her back, and gradually he began to kiss her back.
But then he was pulling away, "You should leave."
Grace shook her head. "I don't want to."
"Grace, you're dating Coop now," Eli reminded her.
Grace closed her eyes briefly, "But... that doesn't matter, not right now." She moved her body up against Eli's again, and they fell on the bed, legs tangled, lips locked.
* * *
[[[[...End of memory flashback]]]]
Zoe waited for Grace's explanation.
Grace sighed, letting her memories flow by her. "Well, things weren't entirely over between Eli and me."
Zoe looked at Eli, and then back at Grace. "So, you were dating him and Coop at the same time?"
Grace took a long drink of her soda. "Well, not exactly..."
"We weren't a couple," Eli interjected.
Zoe frowned, "But, Grace just said..." She stopped as she understood, her face expressing a sisterly look of disgust. "So, you guys were just like... friends with benefits?"
Grace smiled, rolling her eyes, "I guess you could call it that."
"Okay, WAY too much information," Zoe said, looking away from the two of them.
Grace smiled over at Eli. "But it turned out good, huh?"
Eli nodded, smiling himself. "It did."
They shared a moment of tenderness, holding hands over the table.
Zoe interrupted their moment by taking a noisy sip of her milkshake and asking, "But, so what did you do about Coop?"
Grace's smile faded as she remembered it...
* * *
[[[[...start of memory flashback]]]]
"So, we can buy the tickets this week, I heard," Coop said.
Grace looked up at him, her eyebrows raised in confusion. "What tickets?"
"For... prom," Coop reminded her.
Grace sighed, "Oh... Coop."
Coop looked away, "So, you've decided you don't want to go?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry... I just don't see the point," Grace touched his hand lightly over the mall food court table.
Coop gently drew his hand away, "Well, the point is to share the night with someone special... and have a night to remember."
"We can do something else that night," Grace offered.
Coop shook his head, "It's not like that."
Grace began to get irritated. So she didn't want to spend a fortune on a dress for one night! What was the big deal? "Coop, you've already gone to a prom," Grace reminded him.
Coop's eyes narrowed. "Oh, right... how could I have forgotten?" He asked mockingly.
"Well, I just don't see why this is SO important to you!" Grace spit out.
"Because, maybe it would mean that you actually care about me!" Coop snapped back.
Grace shook her head, "You know I care about you."
Coop sighed, looking around at the crowded mall. "You know, I've never been that sure on that."
"Coop," Grace said, her tone filled with disgust, "What more do you want from me?"
"I want you to FEEL something for me," Eli said, his tone just as disgusted as hers.
Grace tilted her head, frowning. "I do."
Coop looked away, "But... it's just not enough."
Grace's anger flared again. "What more could I give you?"
Coop was silent, fiddling with the straw in his cup. Grace crossed her arms, staring at him. She felt incredibly guilty. She had been cheating on Coop... she had been sleeping with Eli behind his back. Of course, Coop didn't know that. And she and Eli said what they were doing meant nothing... and they always pretended that this time would be the last... but it never was. Grace felt drawn to Eli, even though she didn't know whether she could love him again, after what he had done to her.... and now Grace was doing the same thing to Coop... she was cheating on him.
"Can we just go home?" Grace asked weakly.
Coop got up obligingly, and they headed for the exits. They were silent all through the car ride to her house. Coop pulled up at the curb to Grace's house. They both looked out the window at where Rick, Zoe and Jessie were engrossed in a game of basketball in the dusk of the evening.
"Coop..." Grace began.
"I hate how you say it like that," Coop said suddenly. "That's the way you always say my name now: 'Coop...'-- Like it's painful for you to say it."
"Coo-" Grace began to say, but stopped herself, realizing that was just what he meant.
"I should have realized this was going nowhere."
"Don't say that," Grace said, looking at his profile.
"I should have seen that it just wasn't going to work out, between us," Coop said with a sigh.
"Are you saying..." Grace said softly, trailing off.
Coop studied her pretty face, and leaned in to kiss her. Grace pulled back, her eyes on Rick, Zoe and Jessie in the driveway. Coop sighed. He drew back and nodded, resolved, "Yes, I guess I am saying..."
Grace waited for it, feeling a bit relieved, and a bit upset- that it had to end like this. Coop didn't even realize how important he was to her. He WAS important to her. He had been a great friend, a great boyfriend... and Grace had blocked herself from feeling anything too much for him because of Eli. And then Grace had let herself fall back into Eli's arms... for what? Some meaningless flings with him? Was anything ever going to come out of her sleeping with him again? Right now, Grace didn't think it was headed anywhere... and yet she still went back to Eli, for more.
"I think we should break up," Coop said finally, turning to look at Grace. He caught the tears in Grace's eyes. "Oh... Grace, it just..."
"I know," Grace said, trying to keep her tears from flowing. "I..." She jumped as a knock sounded on the car window. Grace rolled down the window.
"Hey Coop!" Jessie cried, not realizing she was interrupting anything. After all, she just thought Coop was a friend to Grace, nothing more. "Did you want to play some basketball with us?"
"No, that's okay, Jessie. I've got to get going anyways," Coop gave Jessie a small smile, and looked away.
Grace unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door. Jessie was already running back towards her dad and Zoe. "I guess I'll see you around, then," Grace said sadly.
"Bye Grace," Coop said, just as sadly. Grace shut the door, and watched as his car took off in the night. It was over.
* * *
[[[[...end of memory flashback]]]]
"And then he moved to Texas, right?" Zoe asked, as Grace finished.
Grace nodded. "A few weeks after that he moved."
"Hmm," Zoe took one last sip of her shake. "I guess we should get home." Zoe sighed. "Mom will be ready to like kill me."
"Don't worry, we'll protect you," Grace joked. The three of them got up from the table and left Culver's.
"Hey, maybe you two could adopt me," Zoe joked as they drove back towards home. "I mean, after you get married and move out."
There was the talk of marriage again... Grace looked over at Eli. Eli looked back at her. Neither one looked freaked by Zoe's commentary. In fact, if anything, they both looked intrigued.... marriage......
* * *
Where Do We Go From Here?
Chapter 25//What More Do You Want
*
Okay, it looks like this story is running down... almost to the end, folks! Yeah, I guess I could continue, and write more, but I had always planned to finish it with a happy ending--- and what could be happier than a new baby!? And now we've basically gone through all the flashbacks... so you are caught up to where the story started from. So, looks like it's almost done! One or two more chapters after this one... and then the ending. (I'll probably pick up "The Way We Were" next and finally write that season two for it.) Anyways, as always, thanks for reading!
*
*
*
"But what I don't get is how Eli is the father, if you were dating Coop," Zoe said, putting a French fry in her mouth. They had returned Zoe's bus ticket, and had convinced Lily to let them go out for dinner. Lily, being just so relieved that they had found Zoe, didn't dispute over it. Now they sat in a corner booth at Culver's, rehashing over the many details of Eli's and Grace's relationship.
Grace wrinkled up her nose. She glanced across the table at Eli. "Well..."
* * *
[[[[...start of memory flashback]]]]
"So, I was thinking about prom," Coop spoke up.
Grace continued looking through the store's CD collection. "What about prom?"
"...I was thinking about us going."
Grace looked up at him, "Really? Didn't you already go to prom your senior year?"
Coop nodded, "But I want to take you to yours... unless you were thinking of not going."
Grace was silent, thumbing through the CDs.
"You were thinking of not going?" Coop asked.
Grace sighed, "I just don't get all the fuss... It's just a stupid dance! And you have to buy a dress, and shoes, and get your hair done... it's ridiculous how much girls spend on it."
"So, you don't want to go?" Coop asked, trying to mask his disappointment.
Grace looked up at her boyfriend. "Well... uh, can I think about it?"
"Yeah, yeah, of course," Coop leaned in, pecking her on the cheek. He moved to kiss her on the lips too, but Grace turned her head away, faking interest in a magazine rack.
* * * (Still memory flashback)* * *
"How about I come in?" Coop asked as he pulled into Grace's driveway.
Grace looked at him, her eyes troubled. "Coop..."
Coop sighed, tapping the steering wheel with his fingers, "Right, you want to hide me from them."
"That's not it," Grace insisted. "I just don't want to tell them, yet."
Coop was silent.
"Coop..." Grace put a hand on his shoulder.
"Grace," Coop whispered, looking at her. "I think I love you."
Grace was blown away. Her hand faltered away from his shoulder, and she looked uncomfortably at the dashboard.
"You don't have to say anything," Coop said, but his voice displayed his disappointment. "I know you're not... there yet."
"I..." Grace began, but her words fell flat.
"It's okay," Coop said, looking at her. "I just wanted for you know... I didn't expect you to feel the same, not yet."
Grace smiled. She leaned in, kissing his sweet lips. "I do really like you."
"I know."
Grace opened the car door, and got out. She waved a hand as Coop backed out of the driveway and drove into the night.
"I can't believe it!"
Grace turned in surprise, and saw Zoe sitting on the porch. "How long have you been there?" Grace asked.
Zoe shrugged, "Long enough to see you making out with Coop!"
Grace groaned.
"So, you're dating him?"
Grace shrugged, "Yeah..." She looked pleadingly at her sister, "Please don't tell anyone."
Zoe thought this over.
"Please, Zoe... I need this from you."
Zoe nodded, "Okay."
Grace hugged her spontaneously, "You're the best sister!"
"Better than Jessie?" Zoe asked.
Grace rolled her eyes, "Of course... you're blood. We share the same stupid messed-up genes."
They went inside together.
* * * (Still memory flashback)* * *
"Grace?" His voice echoed surprise.
Grace leaned against the doorframe, "Can I come in?"
Eli nodded, backing up to let her in. "Why are you here?"
Grace shrugged, "I don't know." She went over and plopped on Eli's bed. Her hand landed on a half-empty bottle of vodka. "Eli?" She asked, holding it up.
"I had some friends over," Eli said taking it from her, and storing it in his dresser. That sounded better than the truth, though... that he had been drinking alone, wallowing in pity. "Grace, what are you doing here?"
Grace looked up at him, "I missed you."
Eli sighed, "And what does that mean?" He sat down next to her on the bed. "You're still with Coop, right?
"Yes," Grace admitted. "But, Eli... I miss talking to you."
"Grace, you can't just come in here, and..." Eli trailed off.
"Why not?" Grace asked, her heart tightening. She really just wanted to be with Eli right now. She wanted to talk to him, and laugh with him... and have him hold her. Grace turned her head away, so Eli wouldn't see the tears.
"We can't just be friends like that," Eli said angrily.
Grace bit her bottom lip. Those words were so familiar... just what Mr. Dimitri had said over and over, 'We can't be friends'. And why did Grace think that she and Eli really COULD be friends? After all that happened between them? Why did Grace think that was possible... and why did she want that? Why did she need him to be a part of her life still?
"I love you, Grace," Eli said softly.
Grace stared down at her hands... oh great, a second love declaration for her in the matter of hours.
"And... so I can't... you can't just come in here, and expect me to talk with you about HIM."
Grace cringed. She wiped at her eyes and turned around, looking back at Eli. "I don't want to talk about him."
Eli's anger cooled down. "Then what?"
Grace shrugged. She smiled at him, her lips trembling.
Eli's face changed into an expression of care and love. He pulled her into his arms, and Grace sank into his grasp like honey. His arms felt so right around her. "Grace..." Eli whispered.
Grace tilted her head upwards, and looked into his hazel eyes.
"What do you think you're doing?" Eli asked, his voice heavy.
"I... I'm just doing what feels right," Grace answered, and she brought her lips up to his. Eli didn't kiss her back at first, he was too stunned by it all. Grace linked her fingers around the back of his neck. Eli's hands rose to clutch her back, and gradually he began to kiss her back.
But then he was pulling away, "You should leave."
Grace shook her head. "I don't want to."
"Grace, you're dating Coop now," Eli reminded her.
Grace closed her eyes briefly, "But... that doesn't matter, not right now." She moved her body up against Eli's again, and they fell on the bed, legs tangled, lips locked.
* * *
[[[[...End of memory flashback]]]]
Zoe waited for Grace's explanation.
Grace sighed, letting her memories flow by her. "Well, things weren't entirely over between Eli and me."
Zoe looked at Eli, and then back at Grace. "So, you were dating him and Coop at the same time?"
Grace took a long drink of her soda. "Well, not exactly..."
"We weren't a couple," Eli interjected.
Zoe frowned, "But, Grace just said..." She stopped as she understood, her face expressing a sisterly look of disgust. "So, you guys were just like... friends with benefits?"
Grace smiled, rolling her eyes, "I guess you could call it that."
"Okay, WAY too much information," Zoe said, looking away from the two of them.
Grace smiled over at Eli. "But it turned out good, huh?"
Eli nodded, smiling himself. "It did."
They shared a moment of tenderness, holding hands over the table.
Zoe interrupted their moment by taking a noisy sip of her milkshake and asking, "But, so what did you do about Coop?"
Grace's smile faded as she remembered it...
* * *
[[[[...start of memory flashback]]]]
"So, we can buy the tickets this week, I heard," Coop said.
Grace looked up at him, her eyebrows raised in confusion. "What tickets?"
"For... prom," Coop reminded her.
Grace sighed, "Oh... Coop."
Coop looked away, "So, you've decided you don't want to go?"
"Yeah, I'm sorry... I just don't see the point," Grace touched his hand lightly over the mall food court table.
Coop gently drew his hand away, "Well, the point is to share the night with someone special... and have a night to remember."
"We can do something else that night," Grace offered.
Coop shook his head, "It's not like that."
Grace began to get irritated. So she didn't want to spend a fortune on a dress for one night! What was the big deal? "Coop, you've already gone to a prom," Grace reminded him.
Coop's eyes narrowed. "Oh, right... how could I have forgotten?" He asked mockingly.
"Well, I just don't see why this is SO important to you!" Grace spit out.
"Because, maybe it would mean that you actually care about me!" Coop snapped back.
Grace shook her head, "You know I care about you."
Coop sighed, looking around at the crowded mall. "You know, I've never been that sure on that."
"Coop," Grace said, her tone filled with disgust, "What more do you want from me?"
"I want you to FEEL something for me," Eli said, his tone just as disgusted as hers.
Grace tilted her head, frowning. "I do."
Coop looked away, "But... it's just not enough."
Grace's anger flared again. "What more could I give you?"
Coop was silent, fiddling with the straw in his cup. Grace crossed her arms, staring at him. She felt incredibly guilty. She had been cheating on Coop... she had been sleeping with Eli behind his back. Of course, Coop didn't know that. And she and Eli said what they were doing meant nothing... and they always pretended that this time would be the last... but it never was. Grace felt drawn to Eli, even though she didn't know whether she could love him again, after what he had done to her.... and now Grace was doing the same thing to Coop... she was cheating on him.
"Can we just go home?" Grace asked weakly.
Coop got up obligingly, and they headed for the exits. They were silent all through the car ride to her house. Coop pulled up at the curb to Grace's house. They both looked out the window at where Rick, Zoe and Jessie were engrossed in a game of basketball in the dusk of the evening.
"Coop..." Grace began.
"I hate how you say it like that," Coop said suddenly. "That's the way you always say my name now: 'Coop...'-- Like it's painful for you to say it."
"Coo-" Grace began to say, but stopped herself, realizing that was just what he meant.
"I should have realized this was going nowhere."
"Don't say that," Grace said, looking at his profile.
"I should have seen that it just wasn't going to work out, between us," Coop said with a sigh.
"Are you saying..." Grace said softly, trailing off.
Coop studied her pretty face, and leaned in to kiss her. Grace pulled back, her eyes on Rick, Zoe and Jessie in the driveway. Coop sighed. He drew back and nodded, resolved, "Yes, I guess I am saying..."
Grace waited for it, feeling a bit relieved, and a bit upset- that it had to end like this. Coop didn't even realize how important he was to her. He WAS important to her. He had been a great friend, a great boyfriend... and Grace had blocked herself from feeling anything too much for him because of Eli. And then Grace had let herself fall back into Eli's arms... for what? Some meaningless flings with him? Was anything ever going to come out of her sleeping with him again? Right now, Grace didn't think it was headed anywhere... and yet she still went back to Eli, for more.
"I think we should break up," Coop said finally, turning to look at Grace. He caught the tears in Grace's eyes. "Oh... Grace, it just..."
"I know," Grace said, trying to keep her tears from flowing. "I..." She jumped as a knock sounded on the car window. Grace rolled down the window.
"Hey Coop!" Jessie cried, not realizing she was interrupting anything. After all, she just thought Coop was a friend to Grace, nothing more. "Did you want to play some basketball with us?"
"No, that's okay, Jessie. I've got to get going anyways," Coop gave Jessie a small smile, and looked away.
Grace unbuckled her seatbelt and opened the car door. Jessie was already running back towards her dad and Zoe. "I guess I'll see you around, then," Grace said sadly.
"Bye Grace," Coop said, just as sadly. Grace shut the door, and watched as his car took off in the night. It was over.
* * *
[[[[...end of memory flashback]]]]
"And then he moved to Texas, right?" Zoe asked, as Grace finished.
Grace nodded. "A few weeks after that he moved."
"Hmm," Zoe took one last sip of her shake. "I guess we should get home." Zoe sighed. "Mom will be ready to like kill me."
"Don't worry, we'll protect you," Grace joked. The three of them got up from the table and left Culver's.
"Hey, maybe you two could adopt me," Zoe joked as they drove back towards home. "I mean, after you get married and move out."
There was the talk of marriage again... Grace looked over at Eli. Eli looked back at her. Neither one looked freaked by Zoe's commentary. In fact, if anything, they both looked intrigued.... marriage......
* * *