Title: Reunification
Author: Lisbeth
Disclaimer: I do not own these characters.
Show: Once And Again
Synopsis: While attending graduate school Grace runs into someone from her past (is it really that hard to figure out who it is)
Rating: PG for now
E-Mail: strangefruitgirl@hotmail.com
Chapter 1: Five Years Gone
As Grace stood before Manning Manor with her luggage, she was immediately reminded of the last time she slept in that very house. It was five years ago, her junior year had just ended at Upton Sinclair High School, and her mother was almost two months pregnant. Rick and Lily decided that it would be best if the kids finished the school year before leaving for Australia. It was decided that Grace, Zoe, Eli, and Barbara, Lily and Judy's mom, would go to Australia. Jessie wanted to stay with Karen for the obvious reason of Katie. Judy and Sam left for Australia a few weeks before in order for Sam to get the first project started off. Lily decided to wait on the radio syndication opportunity which was presented to her. Even though she knew she could do the job, she still had small insecurities about it. Besides, she wanted to focus more on the baby instead of a new career at the moment. Just as she thought they would, the radio gods would wait for her.
Grace was excited about moving to Sydney at the time, it was going to be a fresh start for her, a new life almost. It would somehow be an escape for all of the emotional disappointments which had somehow plagued her for the last few weeks. Sydney would be her escape. She knew that running away from the past never worked, but in those moments, it was the only solution she could think of. There still lingered, in her mind, the ghost of August Dimitri. The book of works he had given her by Anton Chekov was probably more precious to her than anything else she owned. Grace always figured that her family had more important things to worry about than her crush/love for her former teacher.
As Grace finished her senior year, she knew that she wanted to return to the states for college. She attended Boston University on a four year scholarship majoring in English while minoring in Sociology. The opportunity to write and have some of her works published were even presented to her. Grace even had the chance to be the literary critic for the schools newspaper. Those were some of the best years of her life. Boston was a city she loved and fully intended on staying in for her graduate studies, but some things and people were slowly taking a turn.
Rick, Lily, and the rest of the crew moved back to Illinois only after four years in Australia. Sam and Judy eventually got married and stayed in Sydney. It was as simple as everyone being homesick for Manning Manor. The house was never put on the market for the simple reason that they did not want to let it go. Jack and Tiffany kept the house up while everyone was gone, even renting it out for a year to a family. Jessie and Katie were still seeing each other, both being open about their relationship. Karen was engaged to Henry Higgins and things were as good as ever for her. Rick still was able to work with Sam from Illinois, thanks to the advancements of technology, while Lily's show was becoming one of the most popular radio syndication shows on the radio.
While everyone was somehow moving forward, Barbara however, was moving back. The Alzheimer's progressed both quickly and without mercy, and that was one of the main reasons they came home. It was the reason Grace was asked to pursue her graduate degree in Chicago instead of Boston. Lily somehow thought that it would make things easier for them all if they were all somehow closer to one another in location. Chicago was not too far a drive from her home town, and Grace knew that she wanted to be around her family now that the ties that bound them were being tested.
As Grace preceded to walk towards the front door, she noticed that the neighborhood still looked the same. She somewhat expected a few changes, but was disappointed that only a few gardens and house colors had changed. Grace did not even have to knock on the door, Lily was there waiting for her, looking as beautiful as ever. Lily ran out of the door to help Grace with her luggage.
"Hey honey!" Lily screamed as she hugged Grace.
"Hi Mom" were the only words Grace could say.
"Let me help you with those bags sweetie" Lily said as she grabbed two of Grace's bags. "Do you have anymore in your car?"
"Just a small bag with some books, but I can get them" Grace replied.
"Don't be silly, you must be tired from the drive. I'll get it." Lily stated.
As Grace walked into the house, Lily preceded to open the door of her daughters green Volkswagen Jetta. Lily remembered the day Grace called them in Sydney to tell them that she was planning on buying a car. It was a marvel at how independent Grace had become, but then again, Grace was always someone who was not really afraid to branch out on her own when necessary. As Lily grabbed the bag, she noticed a familiar book, the book of stories by Anton Chekov. Lily knew that Grace still held an inkling of a flame for her former teacher, but she also knew that Grace was now twenty-two and capable of making her own decisions. She just did not want to see her daughter get hurt. Lily quickly grabbed the bag and marched back to Manning Manor.
When Lily returned to the kitchen, she saw Grace sitting at the kitchen counter helping herself to a bowl of cereal.
"Sorry, but I didn't get much to eat on the drive here" Grace said.
"That's no problem. This is still your house you know" Lily said.
"So, where is everyone. Is the house always this dead?" Grace replied.
"Well, Zoe is still in school, and your grandmother and Simon are both taking a nap upstairs. Rick mentioned that Jessie was going to come down this weekend to visit. She lives in Chicago now with Katie. I think I mentioned before that the two of them are attending college together."
"So you know about the two of them right" Grace asked.
"Of course we do. You know, we may find out about these things a lot later than you may, but we know the two of them are seeing each other. It's neat actually. I've seen the two of them together and it just amazes me that a relationship like that can still exist this day and age. I look at them and it reminds me of when I first started seeing Rick. There is still that giddiness with them. They don't care what anyone else thinks about it, so, more power to them. So, do you have any kind of relationship that I would like to know about." Lily stated, egging her daughter on.
"No." Grace was quick to reply. "I dated a little, but no one I could seriously see myself settling down with or anything. Besides, I have no plans in the near future on marriage. I would much rather focus on my education right now instead. Anyway, how is grandma?"
Grace knew she struck a nerve when she asked that question. A thick silence overwhelmed Lily and Grace could swear that her mother was on the verge of tears at that moment.
"Well, things aren't looking too good right now. Grace, I don't know if I can take it much longer. There are days when it is good, and there are days when I'm not too sure she even knows where she's at. I know you wanted to stay in Boston, but the truth is, she is slipping so fast, and we need all of the help we can get in taking care of her. The thing is, we can't let her out of our sight anymore. Last week she went outside to check the mail and ended up wandering off. We found her three blocks down the street at the Milton's house. She was in their backyard sitting in their hammock. We can't even let her go outside anymore. I know you're going to ask if the doctor says we can do anything, but Grace, we can't. It's only going to get worse. Me and your aunt Judy have been talking about maybe putting her in a home."
"A home mom! You've got to be kidding me." Grace replied with anger.
"Grace, it's coming to the point where we may not have any choice. We cannot look after her 24/7. I'm afraid I'm going to wake up one day and she won't even recognize who I am."
As Grace reached for her moms hand, she could only console her with soft glances and kind words. "Mom, everything is going to be alright. We can't just give up on her that easily."
Mother and daughter hugged. Grace remembered how good it felt to be in her mothers arms. The smell of her perfume and how every time Grace smelled it on another woman she would check to make sure it wasn't really her mother who was wearing it. After a few moments, they let go of one another, and Grace walked upstairs to put her bags in her room. While her grandmother stayed with them, Grace's room was no longer really hers. It was somehow decided that Grace would take the attic now that Jessie no longer resided in the house. The attic was still well kept; Grace could swear that the room was recently freshened up. She threw her bags on the floor and plopped down on the bed. The drive from Boston was tiring and Grace felt as if she actually drove cross country. But, it was still the early afternoon, and she knew that there were some things she wanted to take care of that day. She heard Lily come up the stairs and knock lightly on the door.
"Hey honey. Zoe is going to be out of school soon and I have to run to the store. Would you mind staying here and watching over Simon and your grandma. We should be back soon. I'm sure Zoe will be excited to see you."
"Sure mom." Grace replied.
"Ok. I'll be back in about thirty minutes." Before she could leave she looked at Grace and stated, "you know, I'm so glad that you're back home. It's almost like we are all going to be a family again."
"We're already a family mom." Grace replied.
Grace slowly walked around the house while her mom was out. The same floor boards still creaked, just as the colors on the wall remained the same. The furniture was different, but the feeling was still the same. Grace checked up on her younger brother Simon. For a few minutes she watched him sleep, a soft slumber which Grace never remembered ever having recently.
Grace walked downstairs to the garage. What was once Eli's room was now Zoe's. She remembered how the room had always needed a girls touch to it and it finally had it with Zoe moving in to it. Eli had finally gotten some of his life back on track, but he still was capable of rash and stupid decisions at times. His love of music still conquered him and Eli decided to major in music while at college in Australia. He met Hayden, a cello player, one day in one of his classes and fell in love. While a combination of the guitar and cello made an interesting match, the music the two of them created was indeed eclectic and hauntingly beautiful. It was a combination of rock and baroque. Eli still stayed in contact with his fellow band members, but they had moved on, and Eli had done so too. While everyone moved back to Illinois, Eli decided to stay in Sydney to be with Hayden.
Throughout the years, Zoe had taken in dance with full force. While ballet was her first choice, she quickly fell in love with modern dance after seeing a performance by the Alvin Ailey dance troupe. The walls were covered with posters of the American Ballet Theatre Company and some of her favorite dancers. Another hobby of Zoe's, photography, also made itself known on her walls. Of course, it was only practical to mix her two favorite things together. As Grace continued to observe her sisters photographs, she heard the kitchen door open with the voices of Zoe and Lily invading the household. Grace walked into the kitchen all smiles when she saw Zoe.
"Hey stranger! Man, you're certainly lookin' different these days." Zoe yelped. As Zoe went to hug Grace, she was surprised to see how much Grace had changed. It could be easily said by someone who knew Grace in high school that she had indeed changed. She was definitely taller and somehow slimmer than she was five years ago. Her hair was longer, past shoulder length, which many felt suited her more than the shorter crops she once had.
Grace too had noticed the physical changes in Zoe. While Zoe was still shorter than she was, she could almost match Grace with her own height. Zoe had however opted for a shorter, almost pixie styled haircut. It was hard for Grace to take in being that she always remembered seeing Zoe with long hair, but the last time she saw Zoe was almost a year ago. Even though some things remained the same, Grace knew that it was foolish to believe that everything and everyone could remain the same.
"So, you're excited to be back" Zoe asked in a frenzy.
"Yes. It's a good feeling. My first class starts Monday, three days left of rest and relaxation, I hope."
"It would of been cool if you could have come back earlier. You could of seen the recital I both directed and performed in."
"I know, I wanted to come down sooner, but I had a few things I needed to get settled before I left Boston."
"I bet you Boston has a good dance scene mom, but nothing can top NYC. I'm gonna go dance there one day for a top company Grace."
Grace smiled and reassured Zoe that it would happen for her one day. She never remembered ever being that excited about her writing. It was always a dream to get something published in a major literary magazine, maybe even a major collection of short stories, but Grace never really felt that she had the potential to do greater things with her talent. August Dimitri proved her wrong.
As Zoe helped Grace settle into her new room, Zoe began to fold some of Grace's shirts and put them into the dresser drawer. She decided to initiate the conversation.
"So, I suppose you've heard about grandma. Mom thinks it would be good if she were put in some kind of home. Some place where they can take better care of her. What do you think about that?"
"I don't think its right for us to just throw her into some home just because she was found in the Milton's backyard one day. Isn't there some kind of medication she can take?"
"The doctors can't give her anything. Grace, we all know that there isn't a cure. I mean, she can't even remember Simon sometimes. I'm surprised she even remembers my name."
"Zoe, don't be stupid. I just think that something can be figured out in her case. That's the main reason I returned home in the first place, to help you guys take care of her. I think she should spend her last few years with the people that she loves."
"Even if she doesn't remember us" Zoe replied.
The sisters continued folding and saving Grace's clothing, and after a long silence, Zoe decided it was time to continue
the conversation.
"You know, I'm glad your finally home. It seemed sometimes that you were trying to run from us, at least it felt that way when you decided that you wanted to go to Boston for college. You're going to stay right?"
"For the time being, you guys have nothing to worry about, unless you begin to annoy me like you used to do." Grace joked.
"Yeah, very funny" Zoe replied back, as she took one of the pillows and threw it at Grace. They continued to joke
around and settle things in for Grace while waiting for Rick to return home. Grace felt as if the time apart had actually made
her relationship with Zoe even better. For four years she called Boston her home, but it was beginning to dawn on her that
she was finally home - her true home.
