Okay guys, here's chapter two…sorry it took so long. But, now it's summer and I can update more often if you'd like. Please r/r and let me know what you think.

Chapter Two: The Ironies of Mona Lisa

The days dragged by for Grace, and tensions between her and Jessie were still as thick as ever. She was beginning to doubt the instinct that told her to return home. She loved her family, but she didn't much like her family. It seemed she had gone out in the world and found herself, and moved forward, but her family stayed stuck in their own little world. It was like in high school when she knew she had to change, but she seemed to be the only one to catch the train. Change was a way of life, and her family did not seem to appreciate the change within her. Or perhaps she didn't let them. Either way, Grace's living arrangement was not working out to either her or Jessie's liking. So, she had decided to bring up the subject that night at dinner, a discussion she was very much dreading.

Lily made chicken alfredo, Jessie's favorite dish, and even Grace couldn't find any fault with the meal. She was just surprised to see Jessie helping herself to seconds.

"Look! Look!" Maddie shouted, pointing at Grace.

Grace furrowed her eyebrows. "What is it Maddie?" she asked. Her patience with the child was dwindling. She wanted to see the beauty within the young girl, but so far, only Zoe's philosophy of the girl's evilness seemed to shine through. She was a right little terror, screaming at three in the morning, throwing tantrums until she got her way, drawing all over Zoe's walls, and refusing to eat anything that wasn't chocolate. Grace wondered how she could be the black sheep of the family with this demon on the loose.

Maddie laughed maliciously, if a five year old can fully feel malicious, and glared at Zoe, her eyes narrowing. Grace swore she was working out a curse to place upon Zoe…no child could stare that intently.

"Mom, I'm out of here," Zoe said, getting up. "She's so creepy."

"Oh, shut up Zo," Jessie remarked. Grace felt a bit defensive. No one talked to her little sister like that! No one except her, of course. "She's such a sweetheart. I don't know why you dislike her so much."

Jessie reached for Maddie and scooped her up in such an elegant manner that sickened Grace. Grace to Zoe and saw her roll her eyes. At least they had one thing in common; they both had 'sisters' they didn't want.

"Girls, stop it," Lily said, not looking up from a newspaper article in her lap. "Oh, look Jess!" she squealed. "They've written about 'The Iliad' again."

Jessie's eyes widened as she snatched the article from Lily's hands. 'The Iliad' was the theater she worked at as assistant director and vocal coach. "Look, my picture's in it! See! That's me working with Ted Olynick! He's the founder! We were going over the auditions for "Damn Yankees"! Wow, I can't believe we made the paper! I knew the show did very well, but I never knew it was this successful!"

Zoe clicked her tongue. "Whatever," she muttered. Grace noticed she had a tongue ring. "It's just a stupid theater."

Jessie's eyes narrowed. "You're just mad, because you were too scared to audition."

Zoe glared at her stepsister for a moment then turned to Grace. "I wasn't scared," she said, looking at Grace. "I just didn't have time. I mean, I work two jobs and…"

"Blah, blah, blah," Jessie mocked in a tone that Grace thought was reserved especially for her.

"Girls, please!" Lily yelled. "Zoe, you should be happy for Jessie. She did a good thing. Stop taking your misery out on the rest of us!"

Zoe huffed. "Fine, me and my misery are just going to leave and never come back!" she announced, walking to the back door, and slamming it behind her. "Ever!" she added for good measure.

Lily sighed. "She's so overdramatic," she insisted.

"Maybe she just wants a little attention," Grace suggested.

"Oh, God," Jessie groaned. "Not this conversation again! Listen, Zoe just needs to figure life out for herself. We can't spoon feed her and have her expecting she can get everything she wants."

Grace stared at Jessie's feeble attempt to be virtuous. "Well, she's obviously very upset about this play. Zoe lives for dancing and performing. Didn't anyone try to help her out with her stage fright?"

Lily shook her head. "Grace, I've kind of had my hands full," she muttered, watching as Maddie broke into a can on caramel corn. "We've all had to make sacrifices because of the baby, and well, Zoe will have to learn to carry a little more responsibility than she's used to. She'll get over it, you did."

Grace bit her tongue. She didn't want to let her mother know that she never fully got over the fact that her mother was never there for her anymore after Jessie and the others moved in. She'd never tell her mother about how she idolized Jessie's relationship with her, going insane night after night, wondering why she couldn't be the perfect daughter Jessie was. She could relate with Zoe exactly. No wonder Zoe was so glad to see her come home.

"Listen," she began. "I've been thinking…this whole arrangement…me living here…well, it's not really working out and…"

"No, Gracie, don't tell me you're leaving." Lily's eyes looked worried, and Grace, for the first time in her life, thought of her as old. "You just got here."

"I'm not leaving," Grace stopped her. "I just think I'm going to rent an apartment out here for a while. I'll probably stay about six months. And, that way, I'll be out of your hair, and not turning your lives upside down, as usual."

"Grace, if this is because of me…" Jessie began.

Not everything's because of you Jessie, Grace wanted to say. But she'd learned to control her temper, a bit. "No, Jess, it's not. Plus, Marcus will be here in another week, and I think it will be better if we have our own place."

Lily nodded. "But, you're not leaving?"

"No, I'm staying in the area," Grace assured her. "I want you guys to get to know Marcus, and also I want to have my wedding here."

Lily sighed. She didn't want Grace to leave the house, but she had a feeling they'd all be under less stress if she went. She loved Grace dearly, but she always carried so many troubles and chaos with her, something that the Manning house never held in too well. Plus, Maddie seemed to be afraid of her and her and Jessie took to fighting again. She didn't want her home to fall apart all over again. "I guess you're right," she said at last. "Maybe you getting your own place is for the best."

Grace smiled and hugged her mom. "It is, trust me. Now, I've already been in touch with a real estate agent who has a few places in mind. She's talked to a guy who lives on Summerset Avenue, you know, the road about six blocks from Zoe's school? Well, he's going away to Boston for a few months, he's a writer I think she said…or artist, something like that. Well, he's looking for inspiration or something like that, and he's renting out his house for six months. Isn't that perfect?"

Lily smiled. "That is really convenient. You'll be close to home and have just enough time to plan the wedding here."

Jessie forced a smile, and Grace wondered if she felt a little guilty for her treatment of her. "But, if you ever want to come back…"

Grace reluctantly grinned. "I know Jess. And…thanks."

"Okay…well, I have to go," Jessie said, swallowing a sip of water. "I have to go through the old costumes at 'The Iliad'. They're not going to return themselves, you know."

A sudden thought occurred to Grace as Jessie left. She rushed out of the kitchen, following her. "Hey Jessie!"

Jessie turned, her blonde hair flowing in the wind. Grace still wanted to hate her so badly. "Yes?" she asked, distracted.

"I have a crazy idea," Grace began. "Now, I know you guys do plays during the spring, august, and summer, and as it's almost winter, your work's over for a little while."

"I guess," Jessie said, as though loathing the thought of spending a winter without her theater.

"Well, Marcus isn't exactly the greatest help when it comes to weddings," Grace began. "And, he's not going back to work until after the wedding. So, I thought maybe, he could help you. I mean, you guys could start a winter theater program. And, before choosing a show, maybe Marcus could help give any interested kids some tips and advice. You know, sort of like a theater workshop. That way, Zoe will be able to get the help she needs, as well as others, you get to keep working there for the winter, and I can keep Marcus occupied."

Jessie beamed. "Really? You think he'd go for the idea?"

Grace laughed. "Are you kidding me? He'll go nuts once I tell him. He loves kids."

"Wow," Jessie said tauntingly. "Are you sure he's your match? I know how much you hate kids," she teased.

"That's not true!" Grace insisted. "I don't hate kids…I just don't like them. There is a difference…I hope."

Jessie giggled. "Well, give me a call once you talk to him. I'll go run the idea by Tad now. I'm sure he'll love it."

"Okay Jess, have fun," Grace called, walking back inside the house. She smiled. She felt like she had finally made a positive impact in her family, for once.

XxX

Grace received a message from her real estate agent the next morning telling her she was sick and couldn't visit the house with Grace, but left the address. As the agent had called from her cell phone, she couldn't quite make out the number of the house she was supposed to look at, but Summerset Avenue was a small street and Grace was certain she could find the house on her own.

So, Grace left the house at nine thirty, dropping Maddie off to daycare on the way. Grace then turned onto Summerset Avenue, rolling down the street at fifteen miles per hour, straining her eyes to spot any house with a "For Rent" sign. Once Grace pulled onto the second block, she immediately spotted a real estate sign, and parked along the right side of the street. She turned off her ignition, staring at the house for a few more moments. This couldn't be right, she thought. Perhaps there was another house for rent? There were, after all, two more blocks.

But the more Grace argued inside of her head, the less sense she seemed to make. Finally deciding she was at the right house, she forced herself out the door, and around her car. She sighed, wondering why this house still affected her so. It wasn't as if he still lived here.

Biting her lip, Grace reluctantly traveled back in time to her junior year of high school. This house was like a sanctuary to her back then, and now, it was the last place on earth she wanted to be. She didn't want these buried feelings to return to her; but they did nonetheless.

She remembered being seventeen and falling in love with her English literature teacher and the profoundness with which he spoke, the depth in his simplest of movements, the very grace which emanated from his body when his eyes flared up with passion. Mr. Dimitri, August; how poetic. Oh, she fell hard, so very hard; and she had never quite recovered. She could still taste his kiss, the kiss that she had, in the heat of the moment, initiated, yet still his soft lips met hers, and he subtly returned her kiss, with the same vigor and passion that surged through her. She could still picture his face as he turned away from her that last time, the day he was suspended from teaching, the day he walked out of her life, forever. She'd never forget that moment for as long as she lived.

But, time changed their circumstances, and she moved to Sydney. She heard a few months later from Judy that August was moving away, she drove past and saw the for sale sign. Grace pretended not to care, but she did. She hadn't wanted him to leave. She always fantasized she return and he'd be there waiting for her, the way Rhett came back to Scarlett in "Scarlett". She waited patiently for part two of her novel life; but it never came. And then, she moved to New York, and she met Marcus. And now, now her life was complete. And the last thing she needed was to return to this house.

Grace braced herself, repeating over and over in her mind the fact that August no longer lived here, so this shouldn't be weird. Why was she making this feel so weird? She rounded the driveway and knocked on the side door.

Instantly, she felt embarrassed for doing so. When August lived here, she always came through the side door. But August doesn't live here, she reminded herself, and you have no right to knock on the side door like a close friend or family member would.

After what seemed like an eternity of waiting and inward debating on whether or not to run, the door opened. A pretty blonde with ringlets and a poster-girl smile stuck her buttoned nose out, sparkling blue eyes studying Grace.

"Grace Manning?" she questioned.

Grace smiled and nodded. "Yeah. Sorry about using the side door…I…"

"No problem," she said, beaming and pulling her inside. "My boyfriend doesn't know you're coming," she explained. "He doesn't want to move, I'm making him, for my art. Let me just get him really quick. Oh, I'm Celia by the way."

Grace nodded. So she was an artist. She allowed her eyes to travel around the kitchen. She nearly laughed when realizing she couldn't recognize a single thing inside of it. Loud, colorful plates line the dish drainer, funky cups sat eschew in the glass cupboards, and an odd plastic tablecloth lined with portraits of "the Mona Lisa" replaced the simple, yet familiar décor Grace had once known. She could have never imagined the place had changed so drastically.

"Honey, come on," the blonde insisted, tugging her boyfriend into the room. Grace brought her attention back to the Celia.

"Hon, this is Grace Manning," Celia began. "And Grace, this is my boyfriend August…"

"Dimitri," Grace spat out without meaning to. Grace suddenly felt chills and felt the urge to sit down. Her vision blurred slightly as she tried to focus in on the picture before her. August was standing less than four feet in front of her. She didn't know what she felt. She was still too shocked. She did know that she wanted to strangle the Mona Lisa tablecloth that seemed to be glaring at her, as if knowing what surprise had met her.

August's eyes met hers and for the first time, Grace couldn't read them. Or maybe she didn't want to. She held her breath. She wanted to faint.