AUTHORS NOTE: Just wanted to tell you, the song Eli was listening to in chapter 9 (kisses started and stopped) was a song by the band SISTER HAZEL and the song is called SURREAL.
The song isn't really a ballad, and it's not a soft song that would really fit the moment, it's more rock, but the lyrics give off a different feal (at least that's what I think!)
SISTER HAZEL are an awesome band, one of my favourites (you might remember hearing one of their songs on the 10 things I hate about you soundtrack) so if you like the sound of the song in my fic, check them out!
Ok, and on with the show (Thanks for all the awesome reviews, and please keep reading this story that I am totally enjoying, and will continue, writing)………….
Rick was frozen in the doorway- looking at his son and stepdaughter tangled in one another's arms.
Eli only wearing grey boxer shorts, and Grace in her pyjama bottoms and tank top- well at least they weren't naked!
Just as Rick was about to open his mouth, a bellowing command about to come out, he heard Lily racing down the stairs, and she too was in frozen shock as she stood by Rick's side, taking in what was in front of them.
Rick turned to look at Lily, expecting that he would have to comfort her, but when he looked down, she wasn't there- she had stormed off towards Eli's bed where the two children slept peacefully in each other's arms.
"Get up!" Lily screamed.
Grace opened her eyes, and saw her mother standing beside Eli's bed- her face twisted with fury and fear.
Grace quickly propped herself up, and jabbed the still dozing Eli with her finger.
Eli opened his eyes, about to open his mouth, but stopped himself when he glanced up to see Grace's drained face, as she stared in front of her with terror in her beautiful eyes.
Eli sat himself up aswell, noticing hi father in the doorway, a stone cold expression on his face. Then he turned to follow Grace's gaze, and felt his heart and stomach lurch as Lily stared at him with rage in her eyes.
"What the hell are you two doing?" Lily screamed, too angry to cry for her innocent daughter.
"Lily- nothing happened, we haven't-" Eli tried to explain, but Lily wouldn't let him finish.
"Eli I know you! I know about you're past, and the girls you've been with- you will not take advantage of my daughter ever again!" she screamed, and stretched her arm out, grabbing at Grace's wrist, pulling and tugging her off the bed.
"Let me go, stop it-" Grace tried wriggling free, but Lily had a hold on her, and pulled harder until Grace was off the bed.
"Your hurting me- mum, stop it-" Grace said pleadingly.
Eli jumped off the bed aswell, rushing towards Grace "Lily, stop it! Let her go!" he said, walking towards them.
But Lily pulled at Grace, and to prevent further pain, Grace had to allow her mother to drag her out of Eli's room, while he looked on, powerless to help her.
And as Eli tried following them out the door, his father's tall figure stood in front of him, blocking his exit.
"You- Stay!" he said sternly, and Eli shrunk back into his room, still hearing the faint cries of Grace's protest.
"Let me go!" Grace said, now trying to release her mother's grip.
"I can't believe you Grace!" her mother said, ignoring her daughter's objections "this is not like you!" Lily went on, as she dragged Grace up the stairs and into her bedroom.
"Grace, this will ruin you!" Lily said, pushing Grace into the room and closing the door behind her.
Grace stood for a moment, watching as her mother stared at her with blazing eyes, and she suddenly felt so vulnerable and small, and utterly powerless.
"Grace! This could never work, you know that!" Lily said, walking towards Grace "I know you know that!" she added.
Grace took a few steps away from her mother "Don't tell me that!" Grace said, beginning to cry, "how can you say that?" Grace asked, looking into her mother's eyes.
"Because it's true!" Lily said, taking a seat at the edge of Grace's bed.
But Grace didn't sit next to her mother, instead she stood in front of her, keeping a distance between them.
"You know what Eli is like-" Lily began, pleading with her daughter "-he changes girlfriends every week-" she added, and saw as it tore at Grace, but went on, knowing it was best that she hear it "- he doesn't know what love is. And neither do you, your both too young-" Grace went to open her mouth, but Lily continued "- he doesn't feel anything for you. You're simply the flavour of the week, and you know it Grace!"
Grace stepped back further, bumping into her closet door, she hugged herself as her mother went on, stabbing the words deeper into her heart "-what you and Eli want, it cant happen. You both think that you need each other, that you love each other? Well you don't! This is simply-" Lily flung her hands in the air, searching for the word "-built up sexual frustration! That's it, and while it MIGHT mean more to you, that's all this it is for Eli!" Lily said coldly.
"You don't know!" Grace said the words softly through blistering tears, and Lily let out a short mocking laugh at her daughter's response.
"Grace, honey- you deserve better than Eli! And more than that, you deserve someone that isn't RELATED to you!" Lily watched as the tears fell from Grace's eyes "- what? Did you expect to have a normal relationship with him? How could you? Your stepsiblings for god sake! You'd be teased about it in school, people would look at you with disgust…..and what would happen if it didn't work out? If you both finally came to you're senses? -" Lily let the question hang in the air for a moment "- you're little 'lovers quarrel' would destroy this family! Would you want that? Well? Would you? -"
Grace hugged herself tighter, wishing her mother hadn't huddled her into a corner- wishing Eli was with her to comfort her and tell her the things her mother was saying were all a lie.
She wished to hear Eli say that he did love her- she wished he would play her their song, and then she would remember how true their love was-
But Eli wasn't there, and all Grace had was the burning questions her mother had flung at her- and she began to question herself, and Eli.
