Title: All That Is Left
Author: chasswozzler
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Summary: It was four years ago that Grace broke Luke's heart. Now, returning to Arcadia for Joan and Adam's wedding, she must face him and the damage she left behind.
Notes: This story kinda lodged itself in my head and wouldn't go away. Odd, since I don't usually like to write the serious stuff. Still, thought I'd give it a try. Please review and give me any pointers you think I need. You can even jam said pointers into my eye if you think I need it. Enjoy!
The snow had stopped falling as Luke pulled his car into the driveway. It had been coming down pretty heavily for most of the drive from Cambridge to Arcadia and he'd held out some hope that they might be snowed in and unable to make the journey. That was not the case however and he silently cursed his luck as he sat there, gazing at his parents' house. In the last four years he'd only been back here a handful of times and never for very long. There were too many memories in this house, this town. Whenever he was here, it felt like he couldn't enter a room or walk down a street without being haunted by some remembrance of her. MIT was different. It was new, sterile, untainted by memories. While he was there, Luke could go whole stretches without having to think about her, he could almost pretend that his past didn't exist. That wasn't something he could do in Arcadia and that was why he avoided coming back here as much as possible. Unfortunately, this time, it hadn't been possible.
Penny sat in the passenger's seat, waiting for Luke to come out of his reverie. She knew that Luke was not comfortable being back in his hometown, although she didn't know exactly why. They had known each other for almost four years, been pretty tight for the last two, but there were still things that they didn't discuss. The past was an area that neither of them liked to talk about. Respect for each other's privacy was actually one of the cornerstones of their friendship. Staring at him now though, as he looked with trepidation at his parents' house, Penny couldn't help but wonder what exactly it was that he tried so hard to bury. Reaching over, she gently placed her hand on his shoulder, "C'mon Luke, we should probably get in there."
Nodding slightly, Luke pulled the keys from the ignition and opened the car door. Stepping out into the cold night air, he let out a long, tired sigh and moved around to the back of the car. Popping the trunk, he grabbed the suitcases, deciding to leave the wedding present in the car for now. The wedding was the reason he was back in this town. His mother, through numerous phone calls, had extracted a promise that he would be here, that no "last minute emergency" would cancel his trip, like so many other times before. Joan and Adam were finally tying the knot and she was insistent that Luke be in attendance. So here he was, back in Arcadia for the wedding of Joan Girardi and Adam Rove. Looking over at Penny, he was suddenly very glad that she had agreed to come to this thing with him. It would be good to have a reminder of his life outside of Arcadia, of the safe haven he could escape back to when this week was done. That was especially important since Grace was most likely going to be attending the wedding as well. He would have to see her again, talk to her again. There had been times in the first couple of years after their break-up that he would have given anything to speak to her. Now, after four years, Luke felt he had nothing to say.
Standing on the porch, he turned to Penny and motioned to a nearby plant potter. "I'll give you all my study notes for the rest of the year if you smash that thing over my head, preferably putting me in a coma."He sounded as if he was only half-joking.
"Not that I'm not tempted Luke," Penny replied, "but I'm a guest here and guests don't go about smashing people's planters or heads for that matter. Besides, you'll give me your notes anyways." Turning serious for a moment, she lightly squeezed his hand. "It's just for a few days, then you'll be back in the lab, pretending the rest of the world doesn't exist."
Squaring his shoulders, Luke reached for the doorknob. Pushing open the front door the called out, "We're here!" in a voice that carried into the house. As he crossed the threshold, Penny could hear him mutter to himself "Let the games begin."
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Grace Polk flipped idly through the channels on her father's television set. There was nothing on but infomercials, reality shows and soppy teen dramas. Turning off the TV, she cast a critical eye around the room. It was almost exactly like it had been when she'd left for university five years previously. She'd been back quite a few times in the past few years and she was always struck by the seeming unchanging nature of home. Looking around the house it appeared as if the intervening half-decade hadn't happened.
Moving into the kitchen, she poured herself a glass of water and glanced at the refrigerator. Stuck to the door with a small magnet was a note with phone and room number. There was no label on the note, but Grace knew it was the phone number of Cedar Springs Rehabilitation Clinic and the room number was where her mother would be staying for the next few weeks. This was her third attempt in as many years to dry out and although she desperately wanted her mother to succeed, Grace wasn't getting her hopes up. Like the decor of the living room, some things didn't change.
Her father had gone to bed a little while ago, citing a migraine. It was still early-evening and Grace was left to her own devices. There was a get-together planned for family and some friends at the Girardi house tonight. "A kind of rehearsal for the rehearsal dinner." Joan had joked. Grace had begged off, saying she was going to spend some time with her dad. She hated going to these types of things and if it wasn't for the fact that it was Adam and Joan, Grace wouldn't even have bothered coming to the wedding. Besides, she had other reasons for wanting to avoid the Girardi house.
Walking back into the living room, Grace stopped to gaze at the photos her parents kept on the mantle. There was a picture of her parents' wedding, baby pictures of Grace, a photo of her graduating highschool and another of her graduating university. It was one photo however, that held her gaze. Taken at her Bat Mitzvah it showed Grace with her friends Adam, Joan and Luke. Luke's arm was curled around her waist and they were both smiling. Knowing what a sad reminder this photo was, Grace's father usually put it away whenever she came home. This time however, he seemed to have forgotten. She'd wanted him to get rid of it altogether, but there were few photos from her Bat Mitzvah that had actually turned out, so he wouldn't throw it away. Truth be told, Rabbi Polonski kept the photo mainly because it showed Grace smiling in a way he hadn't seen her do much of in the last few years.
Staring at the photo, Grace shook her head. Nearly four years had passed since she had broken it off with Luke. It hadn't been easy, but she had been convinced it was the right thing to do. There had been a whole world out there and she wasn't going to be tied down to anything. In the last four years she had done so much, seen so many things. Would that have been possible if she'd stayed with him? No, what she had done might have been painful, but it had been the best thing for both of them.
Telling this to herself yet again, Grace grabbed her car keys off the hall table. She would go over to the Girardis' house and join the little get-together. She would make conversation with everyone and enjoy the celebration of the wedding of her two best childhood friends. It might be a bit uncomfortable seeing Luke after all this time, but she was confident that they could get past it. She'd moved on in the last four years and she was sure he had too. Hell, Joan had told her that he was even bringing someone to the wedding. It would be good to see him again. She missed his bright smile and easy laugh. She even missed the way he babbled about science. They would talk and perhaps even laugh about old times.
Pulling on her well-worn leather jacket, Grace opened the front door, feeling the chill of the winter evening. It would be fun, she reassured herself. There wouldn't be drama or pain and certainly there would be no feelings of regret. That was how it was going to be.
Turning the keys in the ignition and listening to the engine roar to life, Grace almost felt as if she had herself convinced.
TBC
