AUTHORS NOTE: I know chapter 46 was total fluff- and the whole Grace/Lily convo was unrealistic and totally melodramatic- and Grace was running late for work.


Hope this chapter makes up for it.

"I cant let you go to New York for 3 months Grace…….." Lily started.

"Mum-" Grace tried to interrupt.

"Grace- you have school, work……..and you're family- you're father would KILL me!" Lily sighed- pushing the idea out of her mind.

"Mum- school I can make up……..or I could have assignments faxed to me………work, well I don't think dad will fire me……….I mean, Jessie could work for him! Katie works there too now, I'm sure Jessie would love to work with her! And family- - - Eli is my family!" Grace breathed, excitement beginning to bubble over.

Lily shook her head "no no no, Jake would still kill me and I don't like the idea" Lily began

"I'll call dad and talk to him………..and mum-" Grace cupped her mother's hands; "-please, I need to do this!" she said, with all the honesty she could muster.

Lily stared into her eyes for an eternity- and glanced down at the clock radio "we wouldn't make it to the airport by 10 and you haven't packed anything!" she said, flatly.

"We can make it in time……..and all I need is this ticket" Grace said, holding it up again.

Lily started to shake her head again; and Grace tightened her grip "that man you want me to spend the rest of my life with………the one who will love me, protect me and respect me?" she asked, and Lily gave a small nod; Grace continued "-that's Eli! And I am not going to let him get away! You want me to be happy?" Lily nodded again; "-Eli makes me happy……..being with him……..words cant even describe!" She said, ecstatic but silently praying for her mother to say yes!

Lily looked into Grace's eyes for a long time; trying to search for her little girl………her baby……..she wasn't there anymore.

Without saying a word, Lily started the engine, and reversed out of the parking lot-

Grace couldn't find any words, so quietly and earnestly, she whispered "thankyou", to which her mother replied with a smile and a tiny nod- as she turned onto the freeway, and started following the signs to the airport…………….


"Do you have underwear?" Karen asked with concern.

Eli went bright red as an elderly businessman flashed him a quick and curious glance.

"Yes mum" he replied, sinking into his seat.

"Just checking!" she said, forcing a smile to spread across her face.

She stared at Eli for a long time, and, feeling her eyes on him, he sunk lower into the chair.

"Sorry honey-" she said, patting his leg "-it's just-" she felt herself choke up again, and Eli sighed.

He flung an arm around her shoulders and turned to his father, who was slowly giving into sleep "dad", he said, shoving him with an elbow.

"Huh?" Rick said, becoming suddenly alert.

Jessie glanced up from her Cosmo Girl magazine and gave a small smile at Karen's weeping and Eli's exhausted face- and Rick's alarmed, and very awake face.

"Oh" Rick said, turning to look at Eli as he comforted Karen.

He motioned for Eli to get up so he could sit next to her; Eli did so and Rick started patting Karen's back "its gong to be fine-" he began.

Eli went and sat next to Jessie, looking over her shoulder as she read the 'How to pash like a movie star' section of CosmoGirl.

"Very intellectual" he said, looking away from the mag.

Jessie sighed, but continued to read, "I am so bored" she declared, "we've been here for an hour and a half now".

Eli sighed; "yeah well- mum and dad wanted to be on the safe side……" he started.

Jessie cut in, turning to look at him; "you mean, they wanted to lengthen what little time they have left with you before you cart you're ass off to New York?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

Eli let out a laugh "yeah well……what can I say? I was always the favourite………and now they only have you, surely they must be devastated!" he said, a smirk on his face.

Jessie flung the magazine at his arm, and he mocked pain "yeah right" she sighed.

Eli watched as his mother's tears began to stifle, and Rick started to show early signs of sleep-depravation.

"I'm going to buy a drink," Eli said, standing up and fumbling around in his pockets for coins.

"I'm coming" Jessie said, standing also- she thought this would be a good time to talk to him about him and Grace- if there was still a 'him and Grace'

Eli started walking to the machines, Jessie following close behind.

"So-?" she asked.

"So what?" Eli replied, counting the coins in his hand.

"You and Grace- - - so what happened?" she asked, sternly.

Eli sighed, "not now Jess" he replied simply, looking up towards the coke machine.

"Yes now, Eli- we don't exactly have much longer to discuss this topic! What with you leaving the state and all" she said, firmly.

"Well then, I guess we just don't discuss it at all" he smirked, glancing down at her stern face.

"I'm serious Eli. I know for a fact that whatever terms you parted on……they weren't good!" they stopped, standing by the machine now as Eli scanned the buttons, deciding between Pepsi Max and regular coke.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said, trying hard to concentrate on his selection.

"Fine! No skin off my nose when you're up in the air……..and the only thing you can think about is how much your going to miss her……and how you could have done things differently………all those different scenario's playing over and over again in you're mind, during the one hour plane trip-" she began, but noticed it wasn't affecting him at all.

"I mean, god forbid the plane would crash and you'd NEVER know what could have been between you two if you'd only TALKED to her and told her how you feel!" Jessie added, and Eli snapped his head to look at her.

ELI bad idea to mention a PLANE CRASH half an hour before you hop on a plane……..

"I did tell her," he said simply, pushing a coin into the slot.

Jessie's back straightened; "what did you say? What did she say?" she asked, trying to control the speed of her excited voice.

"I told her how I felt and she threw it back in my face" he explained, trying to act uninterested and unmoved by his words as he pressed the 'Pepsi max' button.

Jessie was taken aback, thinking that Grace would never 'throw anything back in Eli's face'. She loved him and Jessie knew that for a fact.

"What did you say to her?" she asked, concerned.

Eli cracked open the can, and took a sip, then looked at Jessie; "I asked her to come with me" he said, and brushed by her, heading towards the seats in the waiting area of gate 6.

Jessie was stunned for a moment, and then snapped back to reality, walking quickly after him.

"You asked her to go with you?" she repeated once she was by his side again.

Eli nodded, trying hard not to let his emotions show; "bought her a plane ticket and everything" he said, before taking another sip from the ice cold drink.

Jessie's mouth was ajar, why would Grace refuse to go with him? She thought.

She wanted to ask more………but they arrived back at their seats, and were forced into silence.

Jessie could only stare at Eli in disbelief;

JESSIE who would have guessed that Eli, MY brother, was such a romantic?

Eli knew she was staring at him, but only pulled his headphones over his ears- pressing 'play' on his Discman as 'Queens of the Stone' age started to play………..the last thing he needed was sympathy from his sister- he'd given himself enough of that over the last two days!