Story: Keep
the Faith
Rating: T-M
Disclaimer: You know the drill.
A/N: Responses are at end of the chapter. Sorry for the typos! Much love to
all! (Violence to one!)
Chapter 4 – Fear Is Not The End of This
July 6th, 2015
"Mama…" Lara's voice gurgled through sobs as she reached out for grace from the sink.
"I know, I know it feels cold to you, but that's because you've got a fever and it's about a thousand degrees…" Grace said to Lara, who was crying as she sat in the lukewarm soapy water that filled up the sink reaching up to Grace in an effort to beg Grace to pick her up out of the water. She was seated on a towel that Grace had placed in the bottom of the sink to keep her from slipping.
Thankfully Brynn had decided to stay asleep. Grace's shirt and hair were splattered with water and there were random soap bubbles popping as they sat in her hair. She was multi-tasking with the bath. Lara had been sick since the day before. The doctor had given her medicine and said it was just a cold. Grace had decided to give Lara a bath when Lara had decided to throw up her dinner. She also figured it might help bring her daughter's fever down.
Grace sighed as the phone rang. She leaned over and grabbed the receiver, sticking it between her shoulder and ear. "Hello?" She asked as she finished rinsing Lara off, scooping the distraught 16 month old into her arms, wrapped in a thick fluffy towel.
"Hey…everything okay?" Luke replied, hearing Lara's whimpers.
"Sick baby does not like bath time when dealing with a fever…" She said as she let herself sway, rubbing Lara's back, trying to calm her down. Lara put her head down on Grace's shoulder. Her little sobs subsided, giving way to shuddering short little breaths as the little girl tried to steady her own breathing out now that she was exhausted.
"Ah…but it is going down right? The fever?" Luke asked quickly, feeling a little paranoid.
Grace bit back some laughter, mostly so she didn't startle Lara and cause her to cry again. "Yeah. She'll be good as new by the morning," Grace replied. She spotted the clock. "It's almost six, you know," She stated.
"Yeah…I know, about that," Luke began.
"Staying late?" Grace asked.
"Not much longer. I'll be home by nine-ten at the very latest," He assured her.
Grace was silent for a moment. "Are you sure that's a good idea? You barely even slept again last night…" She spoke up as she walked into Lara's room where she laid the toddler down and began to prepare her for bed as Lara stared up at Grace silently and sullen as Grace talked to Luke on the phone.
"I don't want to stay. In fact I'd rather already be home. I'm sure you're tired," Luke rambled slightly. "But there are just a few things I have to test and then I'll be home."
"I thought you were done with the fingerprint stuff?" Grace responded.
"I'm pretty sure I am, but you know…have to test it all out. I promise after tonight no more late nights," Luke told her. "Oh, before I forget, Adam and Joan said they'd watch the girls on Friday for a few hours."
"What's Friday?" Grace asked after she'd snapped Lara's footy pajamas on and lifted the toddler back into her arms. She sat down in the rocking chair in the corner of Lara's room and started to rock with her.
"Schlock festival at the theater," He almost laughed as he said it.
Grace heard herself laugh a little. "Do you have shoes to burn first?" She asked him. They both laughed for a few minutes. Lara laughed because she heard Grace laugh. "Your daughter says she wants you to come home sooner rather than later," Grace said.
"In that case no later than nine," He assured.
"I'd better go and finish getting her to sleep," Grace cleared her throat.
"All right," Luke replied. "Grace? I love you."
"I love you too," Grace said, smiling to herself, "Don't think that gets you out of late night diaper duty though."
Luke laughed. They both said goodbye and hung up. Grace set the receiver down on the nearby end table to devote her full attention to Lara, who was just about asleep. Grace shifted her head as she rocked the chair slowly, running her hands in smooth circles on Lara's back.
"See, you already feel like you're fever's going down little girl…" She said as her cheek rested at the top of Lara's head. When she could tell Lara was asleep, she turned and cradled the toddler in her arms so she could look down at her daughter. "It really is dangerous you know…how much I love you…" She whispered with a soft sigh. Lara's eyes popped open for a split second and she let out a sharp, short cry and then went right back to sleep. Grace smiled slightly. "Yeah, your sister too," She admitted.
"What are you still doing here, kid?" Luke's partner, who normally picked up where he left off at night, said as she entered the lab, shedding her jacket and pulling on her white lab coat. She was surprised to see Luke in the lab with just his suit pants and button up shirt on. His jacket was across a nearby desk with his tie strewn on top of it. He sat in a rolling desk chair in front of a table load of weapons-guns, blunt objects, knives-and various objects like cups, shoes and books. He had purple medical latex gloves on, and clear goggles.
"Grab that red flashlight and hit the lights," Luke said as he picked up each object, and then put them back down before spraying them with a strange orange liquid.
Zoë was going to question him but changed her mind. She put on her own gloves and goggles and did as Luke asked. "What are we doing?" She flipped the light, allowing red light to shine about them.
Luke reached out a hand for the flashlight. "This right here," He indicated the spray bottle with the orange liquid in it, "Is going to revolutionize finger printing," He grinned.
"How?" Zoë, who was twenty years Luke's senior and sometimes felt he knew more than her, asked.
"Check it out," He aimed the light at the objects.
Zoë stared at them. She picked up a large steak knife and turned it over in her hands. As she turned it, more fingerprints became available. "Are those mine?" She marveled.
"Yes they are," Luke smiled proudly.
"Luke, how did you do this?" She turned to look at him.
"Just a simple concoction I cooked up," He put his hands behind his head jubilantly. "If a perpetrator is wearing latex, leather, wool, suede or those yellow rubber cleaning gloves, and they pick something up, this stuff will detect it, using that light." He grinned. "Even if they clean the handle of say this gun," Luke took a rag and wiped vigorously at the handle of the gun. He put it back down and sprayed it before shining the light back on it. "Twice as many prints," He grinned.
"That's…amazing," Zoë was astounded. She clapped Luke on the shoulder. "Looks like I'm going to get a new partner, since you'll be moving on up with this discovery," She said.
Luke just smiled proudly. Zoë looked at her watch.
"Okay, take that stuff and go home," She ordered as she handed him his jacket and tie. "She's probably worried sick."
"She knows I'm getting home late," Luke assured, draping his jacket over his arm and grabbing his bottled formula. He walked over and shut down his computer, assuring he had his briefcase.
"Give her and the kids extra hugs for me!" Zoë said as Luke left.
"Gladly!" He called back to her.
Luke decided to splurge just a bit, stopping at the store and then hailing a cab instead of taking the subway home. He spent the whole ride thinking about Grace and the girls. He battled being happy and proud of himself and being terrified and anxious about their safety. Money meant stability and safety in the long run for things like school, health and relocating to somewhere beside the middle of New York City. But by no means had they been hurting for money.
They lived in a good apartment. They had more then enough left over after the bills every month to live comfortably. Grace pulled in twice as much money as Luke when she worked. Mostly it was because she tackled twice as many cases as her partners in the firm in the same amount of time while still managing to do pro bono cases for clients who truly couldn't afford a lawyer but Grace felt it would be an injustice to leave a case-appointed lawyer to do the job.
Money was also going to cause problems. People would think he owed them. The news would surely boast about a new invention to stop criminals fives times better than the current fingerprinting method. It would cast unwanted attention on his family. Luke wondered if there was a way to avoid this without causing an uproar. He sighed as the cab pulled up outside of his building. He paid the driver and gathered his things before heading inside the building.
"You know, I almost forgot this tub was big enough for two," Joan commented quietly. She and Adam lay in their deep, old fashioned tub in the bathroom. Candles dotted the windowsill ledges and the back of the toilet. They left the main light off and kept the night light plugged in, creating a pleasant glow in the room. Adam rested his back against one end and Joan the other. Their legs tangled together under the layer of bubbles floating above the surface of the warm water.
Joan rested her head back against a rolled up towel. She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. It had been a long day. She opened her eyes with a smile when she felt Adam reached down and lift her feet firmly into his lap, running his slightly rough and calloused hands over her feet, working the tenseness out of them.
"You said yourself, shower time was the only quiet time we got," He smiled and shrugged. "You looked beat when you came home, I thought I'd try and fix that."
"Well, you've succeeded," Joan said with a yawn.
"Good," He grinned at her.
After a few moments, Joan pulled her feet away and turned her body around so she could lie against Adam. He easily opened his arms and pulled her in, resting his chin on the top of her head.
"You know that promise…from a few weeks ago?" Adam asked her after they sat together peacefully for a few minutes.
"Yeah?" Joan felt some of the muscles in her back and shoulders tense up.
"What was that about?" Adam asked cautiously.
"I just…needed to know…that you would…" Joan said anxiously.
"Jane…" Adam said slowly.
"Adam, really…everything's fine. I'm okay, you're okay-we're all okay. It's all right," Joan sound unconvinced herself.
"If God…or…whoever told you something bad was going to happen to you…would you tell me?" Adam's voice sounded urgent.
Joan looked at him. "Of course I would…"
"Okay…" Now it was Adam's turn to sound unconvinced.
"It wasn't a warning about anyone specific…" Joan finally spoke up with a sigh. "It was the usual cryptic B.S. I don't know what's going to happen, Adam. I just know something bad is heading our way. It's like the weather channel…they know there's a big storm brewing, like a category 4 hurricane, they just don't know if it's going to hit Florida or New Orleans until it's too late to board up the windows and head for higher ground."
"Well…the warning's there…we just have to be vigilant…" Adam decided.
Joan nodded, her head lying on Adam's shoulder. She felt scared and unsure. She wondered what would happen to Gabe and Mac if anything were to happen to her and Adam.
"We're gonna be all right, I think," Adam spoke after a few moments. "I won't let anything happen to you…or Gabe and Mac. Besides…" Adam smiled as he looked down at Joan. "I'd hate to see what Grace would do to anyone who laid a threatening finger on them…or you," He said.
"Or you," Joan finished for him. Adam nodded. He leaned in and kissed Joan for a long time.
"We're going to make it through this one," He said firmly. Still, Joan couldn't stop that nagging, aching feeling that rose inside of her. She was pretty certain they wouldn't make it through this time without casualty; it was just a matter of who that casualty would be.
By the time Luke got home, Grace was out on the balcony. It was a large balcony that extended off of the living room. Normally they kept the door locked firmly. Grace had left the glass door open, but the screen door shut to keep out the bugs. There were clear plastic sheets securely fastened around the wrought iron that framed the cement balcony. On the left side sat a round table with 4 chairs tucked into it. On the right side was a swinging hammock. Grace was seated in the hammock with her legs tucked under her. Se held the baby monitor in her hand as she swayed on the hammock and looked out at the city and up at the sky, waiting for Luke. Damage lay on the cool cement in the hot summer night just next to the hammock. Every now and then Grace reached a hand out and scratched at his ears.
Luke spotted her when he entered. He saw her turn her head and he knew she heard him. She didn't move though. She knew he was going to go see the girls first. And he did. Luke went straight back to his and Grace's room, where he placed a kiss on Brynn's head before assuring she was tucked in just right. He unbuttoned his sleeves and rolled them to his elbows as he headed for Lara's room. He even undid the top three buttons of his shirt. Exhaustion was setting in as he straightened Lara's blanket and kissing her forehead as well. After a few moments, he headed back for the balcony with a bottle under his arm and glasses in his hand.
"Hey," He smiled, leaning in and kissing Grace.
"Hey," Grace smiled slightly. She set the monitor down on the plastic table next to her. "What's this?" She asked, looking at the green champagne bottle that Luke was opening. Luke popped the cork out of it and poured it into the glasses.
"It's a celebration," He handed her a glass and put the bottle down on the ground before sitting in the hammock across from her. The pun was not lost on either of them.
"You go right ahead and celebrate," Grace said, eying the glass in her hand.
"Relax," He smiled. "It's sparkling apple cider."
Grace almost laughed at him. Instead she just smiled as he leaned forward over his Indian style crossed legs and raised his glass.
"And what are we toasting?" She asked, leaning forward and raising her own.
Luke took a deep breath, pushing his lips tightly together in thought. A car driving by below blared out Kool & the Gang's 'Celebration' and Luke grinned from ear to ear as he watched Grace trying in vain to hold back a smile. "To…harmonic resonance," He laughed. "To us, and our family…" He leaned closer towards her, "and the completion of third greatest creation of my life," He smiled, clinking his glass to hers before taking a sip.
Grace eyed him curiously. She knew he was talking about the fingerprint formula, but she wasn't sure why he was calling it the third best thing. "What are the firs two?" She asked, sipping the bubbling liquid.
Luke leaned close to her. "Our daughters," He said quietly. Grace found herself being pulled towards him. She kissed him for a long time, almost forgetting about the glass in her hand. Luke clinked his glass to hers again when they pulled away. "And to the best mother I know," He told her.
Grace snickered. "That would be your mom dude, not me," She finished her glass and set it next to the baby monitor. Luke set his empty glass on the ground. He shook his head.
"Well…it's an even tie then," He compromised.
Grace conceded. She was too tired to argue. She yawned, stretching her legs out to his lap as they let the hammock sway with them in it. "Anneliese is coming for dinner on Thursday," She spoke up.
Luke nodded. "I can come home early, watch the girls and cook if you want to go out with her by yourself for a little while?" He suggested.
Grace shook her head. "No, we'll be fine," She assured. Luke nodded. "So, lay it on me, brain, all about it."
Luke smiled. Grace loved to hear him do his science babble. Luke knew it too. She wanted to hear all about his discovery. He started rambling and she watched him intently through tired eyes, smiling slightly and admiring him as he spoke.
After almost an hour, Lara woke up. Luke went in to get her. He returned with her in one arm and his beat up acoustic guitar in his other hand. He sat Lara down in Grace's lap and Grace held her close as Luke sat back down across from them in the hammock. She raised her eyebrow at Luke as he tuned the guitar quickly.
"What? She wanted me to sing. Like I could say no to her," He shrugged. Grace looked down at Lara. Lara curled herself against Grace and stuffed her thumb into her mouth, using her free hand to play with the necklace around Grace's neck as she watched Luke intently. Luke smiled at Lara. He let his fingers move easily across the strings and he started to sing as he and Grace swung the hammock in a slow rhythm. Even after Lara fell asleep halfway through the first song, Luke just kept singing while Grace listened. It was a peaceful ending to a long hot city day.
Collier found himself in a smoky room at the far corner of the bar. He sat with a bottle of cheap whiskey in front of hi, drinking it a little bit at a time from a short rounds glass. He leaned his head down against his fist and swallowed the burning liquid audibly. He had been there for nearly two hours now. It wasn't very crowded, mostly people who probably came here every day for a drink or two. The bartender took turns talking to each of them.
"You done there buddy?" He finally made his way to Collier, who had made it halfway through the bottle now.
"Not yet," Collier stopped the man from taking the bottle by pouring himself another glass. He was feeling light headed and tingly, but he wasn't ready to stop yet. The bartender eyed him for a suspicious moment before nodded and turning to a woman who had just walked in. She sat adjacent to Collier two bar stools down.
"What can I get ya?" He asked as he slid a peanut bowl towards her and put a coaster down in front of her.
"Tequila and a shot glass," The woman said shortly.
Collier looked over at her. He squinted. She looked familiar. Feeling his gaze, the woman looked at him. She opened her mouth to say something to him, but the bartender came back with a bottle and the requested shot glass. She paid him and began pouring.
Collier felt himself staring. He knew he was staring at the woman but he couldn't help himself. He shook his head. Too many thoughts were jumbling together in his brain. He had another message.
This time it wasn't for Grace though. It was for Joan. It was right, in Collier's opinion, not to warn Grace. What was the use of great knowledge if you couldn't put it to proper use? What was worse was he already knew the outcome of either situation; if Joan listened to him or if Joan chose to ignore him. Either was possible. Regardless of what she chose, the outcome was going to be a tribulation that Collier didn't think was fair to put Grace through after all the things she'd spent her life surviving.
"Sing yourself a song,"
Collier looked up wearily as he set his glass down after downing another half glass of the harsh liquid. "Wha?" He asked spicily.
Slowly, the woman climbed off her chair, wobble a moment, and then dragged her tequila bottle and shot glass with her until she reached the bar stool next to his. She pulled herself into it and set her treasures down.
"You look like…you couldn't handle your own thoughts…" She slurred as she spoke, pouring herself another shot.
Collier stared at her with his mouth open slightly, blinking. He was trying to connect her words.
"My grandmother used to tell me to sing a song," She downed the shot and slammed the glass down on the bar, making a face as she swallowed the liquid down. "When my thoughts got too heavy for me to bear…" She told him.
Collier nodded slightly, letting the word sink in. He tried to put them to use but shrugged, shaking his head. "What do I sing?" He asked with a slight hiccup as he filled his glass up halfway again.
The woman laughed at him. "Anything you want," She filled up the shot glass for herself. She reached out and clinked her shot glass with his glass. "To singing your worries…away," She smiled.
Collier watched her do her shot as he tipped his glass to his lips and allowed a mouthful of liquid in. "Do your thoughts," He slurred, leaning closer to her as if they were sharing a secret, "normally get too much for you to bear?" He asked.
The woman nodded. "More now than ever," She smiled sadly.
"Why aren't you singing then?" He asked her.
The woman stared at her bottle of tequila for a moment, mulling this question over. She shrugged. "I'm trying to punish myself." She looked at him. "You look like you're well off," she indicated his suit. Collier's jacket was across the back of his chair. His tie was undone but resting around his neck and his button down dress shirt sleeves were rolled up to his elbows as it lie unbuttoned down the front revealing his white T-shirt underneath. "What sorrows are you trying to drown?" She smiled wistfully. "Female troubles?"
Collier snorted as he downed the rest of his glass, reaching out to refill the cup while the woman downed another shot, made a face and reached to pour another. "No," He shook his head. "Spiritual," He eyed her for her reaction.
The woman was far enough gone that she laughed slightly. "At least come up with a better cover story," She said.
Collier polished off half of his drink and then looked at her for a moment before speaking. "I have a mission…from God…to deliver messages," He said seriously.
The woman stared at him for a moment with her mouth open. She let out a few nervous chuckles of laughter and smiled at him. "You need to work on your pick up lines," She downed another shot and made a sour face.
"You…you, you, you don't believe me?" Collier asked incredulously. He laughed with her. "I'm serial-us, I mean us. Serious." He stated as they laughed.
"Well, I'm sleeping with the devil in that case," The woman said, clinking her glass with his and then downing it.
Collier looked at her for a lingering moment before drinking a gulp from his cup. He squinted his eyes at her for a moment but he still couldn't figure out why he thought he knew who she was.
"So can you prove it?" The woman finally asked.
Collier studied her for another moment and then offered a half grin, finishing his cup. He pointed with his index finger, still holding the cup, down the bar. "See that first man there?" He asked. The woman nodded. "His name is Hank…he spends his days as a janitor in a high school. He's been stabbed 6 times, shot once, and forced to endure ridicule everyday. He lives for the weekends more than the students do. But do you know what keeps him working there?"
"What?" The woman asked.
"A runaway named Casey," Collier said. "She lives in the boiler room when her father comes home and abuses her. Hank brings her food and makes sure she has as much of the things she needs as he can bring to her. Any other janitorial worker would have already turned her in."
"Wow…" The woman replied, impressed. "What about the others?"
"The bartender," Collier continued, swigging back another half a glass and swallowing hard as his speech slurred. "He spent 8 years in prison for a crime he didn't commit before DNA tests cleared him. He saved 24 lives in there. He got down to the very core of their souls and changed their lives."
"Are you making this up?" The woman asked, starng at him seriously.
Collier laughed, but there was an inherent sadness in his voice as he held his hands out at his sides. "It's my curse," He mused. "A look in the eyes and BOOM…I know all that I need to know…thanks to the big G…"
"That doesn't seem like a curse at all," The woman smiled. "You could help a lot of people with that."
Collier laughed derisively, staring down at the glass he'd just filled. "That's the thing," He drank it and then slammed the cup down, staring at it with a set jaw. "It's against the rules…I can only interfere when it's time," He said darkly.
"When it's time to what?" She was enthralled in this conversation.
Slowly, Collier turned his head to looked at her, avoiding her eyes. "When it's time to take them home…" He said somberly.
The woman stared at him. He wouldn't look her in the eyes. She was trying to figure out if he was just totally drunk and psychotic, or if he was serious. Collier laughed chaotically again. Slowly his laughs changed into slow, shaking sighs, giving way to a couple of tears.
"So what, you're like the angel of death?" She asked him.
Collier shook his head. "Not exactly." He said sullenly.
"Do me," She said out of the blue.
Collier lifted his head swiftly and looked at her, caught off guard. The woman laughed.
"Not like that!" She snorted as she laughed, smacking his arm slightly. She cleared her throat. "I meant…read my mind or...my eyes, whatever," She said, straightening out in her chair and waiting.
Collier slowly let his eyes rise to meet hers. He squinted his left eyes slightly as he searched. Soon his eyes widened. She watched his eyes dart back and forth as he studied her.
"What? Am I destined to die a tragic death?" She asked, clearly not believing a thing Collier had said. She had chalked it up to being his drunkenness.
"Your name is Dominique Diordus. You were born in Seattle. You wanted to be a doctor your whole life until your mom died of cancer when you were 17. You lost your faith in the idealistic invincibility of doctors fixing all that was wrong with the world…" Collier began reciting. Dominique stared at him now. She couldn't make herself speak to tell him to stop. Her eyes filled as Collier continued. He reached his left hand to her shoulder and his right hand to the back of her neck to stop her from looking away. "From then on in you rebelled. You hung with the wrong crowds. You got that tattoo on your arm…and the one on your hip and your back because you thought it made you more badass," He swallowed hard as he went on.
"You met Ryan Hunter three years ago on your 24th Birthday-at the club you danced at," Collier said. Dom's eyes filled. A stray tear fell down from her left eye but Collier didn't stop. "You fell under his spell right away, when he started promising to save you from your downward spiral. But you know now, deep down, that he's only pulled you further into that empty blackness you've been fighting for nearly ten years. Do you hear me? You know now…you know down inside you. You know only you can stop yourself from staying lost inside his wicked lies and tricks…"
Dominique was nodded. She wanted Collier to continue. He was about to speak again when a young man cut him off. The man put his hand on Collier's shoulder.
"There you are Collier," He smiled at Collier.
Collier's eyes tore themselves away from Dominique's and he tried to focus. His face sobered slightly. He glanced at Dom and then back at God, tightly pushing his lips together. He nodded.
"I am sorry, Dominique…" Collier said. He went to walk but stumbled. Dominique watched as the other man steadied Collier. The new man looked younger than Collier. His brown hair was spiked up and he wore a simple pair of loose jeans, boots and a black T-shirt. He grabbed Collier's coat and handed it to him. Collier started swaying, now that he was standing instead of sitting stationary. He grabbed Dominique by her cheeks and kissed her.
"Don't let him control you. You…are better then that…doctor," Collier hiccupped.
"Okay, come on," The man started to lead Collier away. As he passed Dominique's ear while she sat still in shock, he spoke. "I'm very proud of you Dominique…you didn't give directly in. You're still trying to figure out what path you should take. Choose wisely. There'll be a cab waiting outside to take you wherever you choose to go," He told her.
Dominique turned her head and watched him help Collier out of the bar as Collier started spouting off facts about everyone as they went. He told them the good things about them as the other man escorted him with a silent smirk on his face. Dominique sat there and stared after them for a long time before she decided what she should do.
July 7th, 2015
"Rove's watching the girls today," Grace said as she and Luke juggled getting through breakfast so they could leave on time. Grace had started working again during the last week of June. She was predominantly working at home. On Tuesdays and Thursdays she went into the office for meetings. Otherwise, she and Luke had converted their guest bedroom into an office for Grace. Gina was not her secretary and Collier's secretary. She forwarded messages to Grace from the office and kept up with and faxes Grace needed.
"I'll pick them up at 5:30," Luke nodded as Grace passed him with a sippy cup and a bowl of dry Cheerios. He reached out and caught her by the arm. Grace turned her head to look at him curiously. Luke pulled her closer to him and engulfed her in a kiss, lacing his hand to the nape of her neck as if he was trying to pull her closer.
When he pulled away, Grace let out a long breath, staring at him. "What was that for?" She asked breathlessly.
Luke smiled and swooped down for another, shorter and quicker kiss. "I need a reason now?" He asked quietly.
Grace shook her head. Her mouth hung agape just slightly and she kept her face close to his. This time she closed the gap between them for a prolonged moment. "Let's call in sick today…" She suggested with a rebellious smirk.
Luke snorted and smiled. "If only that were a possibility…" He teased, moving in for another kiss. He had managed to back Grace against the counter. Her hands were still occupied by the cup and bowl. They broke apart, laughing at themselves, when Lara called out to them and Brynn woke up screaming. Grace went to give Lara her breakfast and Luke went to see what Brynn needed so they could finish their mornings before work.
"Hey Gina," Grace smiled as she entered the office.
Gina smiled and yawned tiredly, holding out some messages for Grace.
"Rough night?" Grace almost laughed at Gina's zombie-like state.
Gina nodded. "I had a huge fight with Henry last night," She sighed.
"Ooh…" Grace nodded. "I know how that goes," She cringed in sympathy.
Gina sighed and looked up at Grace. "At least Collier's in worse shape than me," She grinned. "Make sure to talk nice and loud, he's nursing well hell of a hang over," She said as Grace headed for the office door. Grace nodded.
She opened the door and walked in, shutting it loudly behind her.
"Huh? What? No, it wasn't me, it was the antelope!" Collier said, looking around alarmed.
Grace raised an eyebrow, dropping her briefcase onto her desk in the opposite corner across from Collier's.
"Oh…it's you, Grace…" Collier said, dropping his head into his hands and rubbing his temple.
"Yes…it's me," She spoke softly. She grabbed an empty glass from one of their shared desks. She pulled out a foil package from the pocket of her briefcase, shook it and then ripped it open, tipping it into the glass. After she filled the glass with water and swished it around to mix it, she sat the glass on the desk in front of Collier. He cast his eyes up to hers curiously. "Drink it," She ordered.
Collier's face flashed a guilty look as he reached out and started drinking the cloudy yellow liquid. He grimaced. "What is this?" He groaned.
Grace leaned back against the front of her desk and crossed her arms defensively. "You're an angel aren't you? Don't you know more then you're letting on?" She questioned.
Collier glanced at her before grimacing and forcing down some more of the liquid. "I'm not God, Grace," He commented.
Grace gave a sideways nod of her head with a quirked half smirk, seeming to accept this fact. She walked around her desk and sat in her chair and began flipping through her messages. "I use to give it to my mom when she had a hang over," Grace cleared her throat.
Collier watched her. She didn't look up to see his reaction. Collier had already known the answer to his question, but for Grace to have actually given him the true answer was shocking to him. Collier seemed to squirm.
"Grace…" He began to speak.
Grace looked at him. She smirked. "Just tell me you didn't do this over a woman," She chided him.
Collier was about to respond when Gina buzzed in. "Hey Chief, there's a woman out here by the name of Dominique Diordus," She said.
Grace raised an eyebrow. "Oh, dude, please. A woman?" She rolled her eyes.
Before Collier could respond to either, the door flew open. Collier leapt to his feet, groaning in pain. Grace looked up, startled. The woman looked as horrible as Collier did. Grace just looked back and forth between them as the woman began to speak.
"Now you listen to me, I don't know how you knew that information last night, but you can't just lay that on me and then let your little friend cart you away," Dominique said.
Collier held a hand at his temple. "Dominique…" He said weakly.
"Wow, you must've done quite a number on this one, Collier," Grace spoke up.
Startled, Dominique spun around to see who was talking. Grace saw the look on her face and was taken a back. "I'm going to go ahead and let you two work this out alone," Grace stood and took a few pieces of paper.
"Who are you?" Dominique demanded, unsure of herself.
"Uh," Collier walked around the desk. "Why don't you stay?" He looked at Dominique. "We can go for a walk and sort this out?" He asked.
"I'm Grace Girardi," Grace held her hand out to Dominique, intrigued. She always felt weird saying this name out loud. Luke had been surprised when she was willing to change her name. She'd told him that she felt more like a part of the Girardi family then part of her own so it was only fitting.
Collier sighed. Dominique stared at Grace, wide-eyed. How had she not recognized this woman? Ryan had been staring at her for months in pictures and videos. Grace looked different in real life. Collier watched nervously for their reactions to each other.
"O-Oh…" Dominique said.
"Right, well, let's go talk," Collier led Dominique off.
Grace watched them curiously. She shrugged after a few minutes and headed back behind her desk to get down to work.
"Hi uncle Luke!" Gabe cheered after answering the door.
Luke picked his nephew up and rested Gabe at his hip as he walked in the apartment, shutting the door behind him. "Are you supposed to answer the door alone, pal?" He asked Gabe.
Gabe's head hunched back some as his shoulder hitched. He shook his head no guiltily.
Luke smiled. "Next time wait for mommy or daddy before you answer, okay?" He asked as he reached the living room and set Gabe down. Gabe nodded.
"Hey," Adam said from the floor. He was sitting with Brynn in his arms as Mac and Lara scribbled madly on a huge white sheet of paper. Gabe was nearby them working on what he thought was a masterpiece.
"Hey," Luke sat down across from Adam.
Lara looked up and noticed him there. She crawled over to him and pulled herself into his lap before leaning back down to color again. Luke kissed the back of her head.
"Jane said you finished your formula," Adam spoke up.
Luke smiled. "Made a trip to the patent office this morning."
"What happens next?" Adam asked.
"I have a presentation for the formula tomorrow morning with the boss. After that, there's an afternoon presentation with the press. And then we wait for everyone to start contacting us," Luke stated.
"Does your dad know you finished it?" Adam asked, sitting Brynn down in her car seat.
"Yeah. I called him on my way into work. He's going to take off and head up to catch the press presentation tomorrow," Luke smiled.
"Awesome," Adam grinned.
"Uncle Luke?" Gabe asked.
"Yeah?" Luke replied, turning his attention to Gabe.
"Mommy says you're going to help puts lotsa bad guys in jail," Gabe said.
"Well, I'm hoping that's true," Luke replied.
Gabe looked like he was thinking about this for a few minutes. "I hope you put the man that watches us at the park away first," He said.
Adam and Luke exchanged concerned looks at this.
"What man?" Adam asked.
"The man at the park, daddy," Gabe said, not looking up from his drawing.
"What does he look like?" Luke asked.
Gabe shrugged, "He's real tall."
"Does he have hair like me or uncle Luke?" Adam asked.
"It's like daddy's, only real close to his head," Gabe answered.
Luke and Adam looked at each other gravely.
"Is he there every time mommy takes you to the park?" Luke asked.
Gabe shrugged. "I think so."
"I'll put a call in and have some protective details patrol the area for a couple of days with Ryan's picture and description and the instructions to look for anyone suspicious," Luke said five minutes later when he was preparing the girls for the walk home. He put them both into the double stroller, hooking Brynn in to the back section and Lara into the front section with her legs hanging out.
Adam nodded. "I'll let Jane know what's going on," He said.
Luke nodded. "I'm sure Grace will call later."
Adam nodded. They shook hands and Luke left, heading for home. The whole way Luke found himself looking all around for any signs of Ryan or anyone else who looked like they could be following or spying on them.
It wasn't until Luke got home, still feeling paranoid, that he found the worst of the possibilities of how Ryan was spying on them. He was in his and Grace's room with Lara, changing into something more comfortable when he noticed a red light near the cluttered bureau across from the end of their bed. He squinted at it and moved closer. He reached out and snatched the little box from the bureau, recognizing it immediately as a camera. Quickly, he let it fall to the bed. He routed through his work things and came out with a pair of tongs and his bottle of orange liquid. He made quick work of spraying it and finding his red flashlight before reaching for the phone to call in some Agents in the possible pursuit of Ryan Hunter.
Grace didn't asked Collier any questions. In fact she immersed herself in work all day so that she wouldn't have to hear Collier's female troubles. She left with Gina at 5, but Collier had stayed. He had tried to tell her something all day but somehow they kept getting interrupted.
Gina and Grace departed company after only 5 blocks. Gina went into the subway and Grace kept walking towards home. Her mind wondered from clients, to her family, to memories, and everywhere in between as she walked home. When she reached her block, she felt herself smile, knowing she was almost home felt comforting. She was mere minutes from being able to wrap herself in the comfort of her family.
As she approached the ally just before the Chinese take out place she and Luke frequented, her guard was already down. Before she could even react she felt herself being pulled. When her brain finally caught up to what was going on, she was pressed up again the ally wall. Her face was sideways against the brick wall. She could feel it scratching the skin of her cheek. She tried to pull back or swing but found she was securely pinned against the wall.
"Relax sis…" Ryan's gruff voice floated it from right next to her ear. Grace felt his lips near her ear. Her spine shook. "I'm no going to hurt you…not today at least," Grace could hear him smiling as he snickered at her.
She remained silent at first, trying to keep calm and think of a way to break free from is grasp. She felt Ryan's arm move and soon his hand was traveling along her stomach under her shirt. Grace felt like she was going to vomit.
"What do you want you sick son of a-,"
"Now, now, don't insult our mother…" Ryan breathed, close to her ear again.
"You've got three seconds to let me go or you're going to regret it when I get free you sick freak," Grace warned, surprised at her own fierce confidence in this statement.
Ryan laughed. He moved his face near her shoulder and dragged his nose up along her neck, inhaling deeply.
"Such feigned confidence…I can smell the fear coming off of you though…" He said, still groping around on her.
Grace squirmed under his touch, clenching her jaw tightly. "I'm not afraid of you." He declared.
"This isn't about fear anymore," Ryan emitted a guttural growl as he spoke.
"Apparently it's about incest for you," Grace struggled to break free again. Ryan simply inhaled deeply again.
"You tell that husband of yours I'll be sure to make a visit to my neices real soon…" His voice rumbled in his throat.
Grace gritted her teeth fiercely. With renewed resolve, she used all of her strength to throw herself back from the wall. The pair vaulted backwards across the small ally. Ryan hit the wall and slid down. Grace kept herself on her feet. She swung her briefcase and collided it with the side of Ryan's head. He fell backwards, grabbing his face. Grace took the opportunity to run. She made it easily to the lobby.
"Grace?" Cappy asked when he saw her disheveled look.
"Ally…in the ally," Grace huffed, unable to say anything else. Cappy didn't need her to say anything else. He darted out from behind his desk and out of the building, pulling his weapon out as he went.
A few minutes later he returned, with his gun holstered. "Whoever was in the ally is gone now," He put a hand on Grace's shoulder. "I'll call in the boys and send a call up to your husband…" He told her.
Grace shook her head. "I'll be fine…Just…I'll go upstairs…" She said.
"I'll send them up when the get here," Cappy told her. Grace nodded before turning and heading for the elevator.
"Whoa, rough day Mrs. Girardi?" A man Grace recognized as Agent Peters asked when Grace entered the apartment.
Grace looked at him blankly, trying to figure out why he was there.
"Grace? Oh God, are you okay?"
Grace blinked at Luke's partner as the woman took Grace by the shoulders, inspecting the side of her face and her appearance.
"Grace?" Zoë asked again. She turned her head. "Luke, you'd better come out here!" Zoë called.
Luke came bustling up the hallway after hearing Zoë's call. He saw Grace and was immediately alarmed. He wasted no time in crossing to her, taking one of her shoulders in his hand and the unscathed side of her face in his other hand.
"Grace? What happened?" He seemed almost afraid to ask.
Grace looked up at him blankly. "Hunter," She said.
July 9th, 2015
Things calmed down by Wednesday morning. There was a protective detail positioned outside of Luke and Grace's building. Luke's colleagues had traced the video feed to an apartment building a few block away. By the time the police had stormed in, however, the apartment looked abandoned except for some TV monitors. They had managed to lift 5 sets of fingerprints in the apartment. One, of course, belonged to Ryan. The others were not in the system, so they were unidentifiable for now.
Luke had offered to take off from work on Wednesday, but Grace refused. She told him she would be fine and that she would be very angry if he skipped his presentation and press conference. To set his mind at ease though, she'd called and managed to get Joan to come stay with her after her last session of the day at 1 until Luke got home.
Today though, Grace had called in and let Gina know that she wasn't going to be coming in to work. She would just work from home. In truth Grace hadn't been able to work all day. Instead she spent the day with the girls, trying to figure out what the next course of action was.
It wasn't until 3pm that she remembered Anneliese was coming over for dinner and that was only because Anneliese had shown up. Cappy had called to see if Grace knew who Anneliese was and if Anneliese was really coming to visit. Grace had assured Cappy that it was okay to let Anneliese head on up.
Grace opened the door with Brynn in her arms at her shoulder. "Hey," She offered a smile to Anneliese as she stepped aside to let the little girl in. "Did you come all this way by yourself?" She asked with a concerned look. Liese was entirely too young in her opinion to be crossing New York City on her own.
Liese nodded. "Mrs. Hasting gave me money for a cab though, she didn't want me taking the subway," She told Grace.
Grace shut the door and locked it. She decided to change the subject. "Well, this is Brynn. Lara's playing with the dog in the living room. Honestly, it's been a rough couple of days, it slipped my mind you were coming today-,"
"I-I can head back if you don't want me here-," Liese cut Grace off.
"No, no, not at all," Grace cut Liese back off, shaking her head. She led her niece into the kitchen. One-handed, Grace opened the fridge door and began pulling different items out and putting them on the counter behind her. "Do you like chicken?" Grace asked.
Liese nodded nervously as she fidgeted with her hands. "Is there something I can help w-with?" She asked.
Grace was going to tell Liese not to worry about it, but as she turned around she saw the look on the girl's face and changed her mind. "Let me sit her down and we'll get started," Grace turned and went into the dining room. She picked up a portable swing and placed it on the far end of the table closest to the kitchen. Grace smiled and talked to Brynn as she hooked the baby into the swing so that she wouldn't start crying. As soon as she turned the button on the swing and it started swaying, Brynn seemed to calm down considerably. Grace hit another button and the tune from a slow lullaby began to play.
"Okay, let's get the food going," Grace turned back into the kitchen. She dug around in a cabinet and produced to worn cutting boards. She washed some tomatoes, cucumbers and green and red peppers. "Think you can handle dicing some of these?" Grace questioned.
Anneliese nodded, accepting a knife.
"Just be careful not to cut your fingers," Grace smiled as she began to prepare the chicken to go in the oven.
"Oh, hello, I didn't know anyone else was here…" Joan stopped when she saw who was sitting in the waiting room of her office. Her brain started to fuzz, her mouth went dry and her heart started to pound. He never brought good news. "What are you doing here?" She asked breathlessly.
He stared at her with sad eyes. It was clear that he didn't want to be the bearer of this news. He wanted to do more than he was allowed. "You have to leave," He told her.
Joan looked at him, confused. "Leave where? The office? The city? The planet?" She asked.
"Go to Grace and Luke's," Collier stood. "Go now," He said a little more forcefully as Joan stood rooted to the spot, staring at him. He balled his fists at his sides, willing himself to stay put and not drag Joan to Grace's where he could protect her. No. He wasn't allowed to protect her; that's interfering. Collier's eyes filled as he gritted his teeth tightly.
"GO! NOW!" He screamed at her. Joan shook from her trance. She disappeared into her office to grab her bag and then returned to the waiting room. Collier was gone by the time she'd gotten there. Hurriedly, Joan locked the office. She ran for the elevators and hit the button. After ten seconds of tapping her foot nervously while waiting for the elevator, Jon let out a frustrated grunt. She turned and barreled through the stairwell exit and proceeded to run down the flights, taking the steps two at a time. She was glad she'd kept up with her kickboxing, because she was barely out of breath when she reached the street. She managed to flag a cab down and she dove in it, instructing the driver to blow any and all red lights if he knew what was good for him.
About a half an hour into their preparations, Anneliese was sitting at the kitchen table, coloring with Lara, who was in a little booster seat. Grace glanced at them, as she was getting ready to start cooking everything.
The phone rang and Grace wiped her hands and picked it up. She expected to hear Luke, but instead, Cappy's voice greeted her.
"I have an Evan down here. He says he's here to visit you in regards to work?" Cappy asked.
Grace wracked her brain. She had postponed all of her meetings until Monday. Even so, those meetings were scheduled at her office not her home. "I don't know anyone named Evan, Cappy," Grace replied.
"Okay. I'll take care of it-," Cappy cut off with a strangled sound.
"Cap? Cappy? Hey, Cappy are you there?" Grace asked into the phone. She heard a click and the phone disconnected. Grace let the receiver drop. She went to the dinning room table and picked Brynn up in one arm and then scooped Lara into her other arm. "Come with me," She said. She went towards the door, but stopped, hearing noise coming up the hallway. She turned around and ushered Liese up the hallway and into the bathroom. She sat Liese in the tub with Brynn in her arms and Lara close by.
"What's going on?" Anneliese was shaking.
Grace grabbed her by her face to make eye contact with her. "Keep them in here. When I leave this room, lock it; slide anything loose in front of it. Don't open it, even if I tell you to. Understand?" She asked. Anneliese stared at Grace. "Do you understand me?" Grace said a little more forcefully. Anneliese nodded. "Swear it."
Anneliese was close to crying now. "I-I swear," She promised. Grace nodded, giving one last look to Lara and Brynn. She pulled the door shut tightly behind her and heard Anneliese moving things in front of the door after the lock clicked.
Slowly, Grace made her way back out into the apartment. She managed to slink into the kitchen, where she noticed that the front door was still closed, but the lock was hanging down. She looked at the counter and noticed the knife she'd been using was gone. Swallowing hard Grace looked around, trying to figure out who had entered and where they were.
"I know you're in here…you might as well stop hiding like a coward…" Grace knew it wasn't a smart idea to insult someone who had broken into your apartment, but she figured she might have a better chance if she could be face to face with the intruder. Deep down she knew who it was, but thinking of the safety of her daughters was causing her to ignore that fact as her heart pounded wildly.
Before she could say anything else she felt herself being grabbed from behind. She almost yelled out, but stopped herself. She knew exactly who it was from hisragged breath. His body was pressed tightly against her back. His right arm came up around her head as his hand held her by her forehead, tilting her head back against his shoulder so he could hold the knife she'd been using for dinner against the flesh of Grace's neck with his other hand. His left arm clamped so tightly against her shoulder that she couldn't move her left arm. Her right arm grabbed at Ryan's left forearm. She felt the scratching burn of the knife's edge nicking against her neck as she tried to keep her breathing calm and she swallowed.
"You thought I was bluffing didn't you?" He laughed derisively against her ear.
Grace forced a breath in, trying to figure out what he next step to get out of this position would be. Ryan grew angry at her silence. He used his right hand to grip a handful of her hair and he pushed her forward causing Grace to gasp as she hit nose first into the refrigerator door. Just as swiftly, Ryan pulled her back to him tightly, placing the knife back at her neck as Grace coughed and choked now that blood was trickling from her nose down over her lips and down her chin. She could taste the salty fluid as it rolled down her throat as well.
"Let's go for a walk, shall we?" Ryan asked. He started to drag Grace forward with him, towards the hallway and the bathroom. Grace tore her arms free and reached them out in an attempt to brace a hand on each wall and stop their movement towards the girls. "You don't want to introduce me to my sweet little nieces?" Ryan asked, feigning sadness and hurt at this sentiment.
"They're not part of this…" Grace said through gnashed teeth as Ryan pushed on slower despite Grace's attempts and protests.
"They became a part of this the moment they were conceived, Gracie," Ryan spat back at her, laughing as he roughly nuzzled his face next to hers. Grace fought the bile of throw up rising in her throat.
"No," Grace said.
When they reached the bathroom door, Ryan slammed Grace into it. Grace felt her head wobble as Ryan kept his fist tightly holding a clump of her hair. She felt a hot trickling feeling by her hairline at the left side of her head. She braced her arms out again on either side of the doorframe.
"Who's in there with them? Hm?" Ryan asked. Grace let out a gurgled strangle. Ryan slammed her head forward again. Inside the bathroom, Grace could hear Lara and Brynn crying. She felt her blood pulsing through her. She had to figure out a way out of this and fast. Grace was pretty sure she could hear Anneliese crying too. "Do you hear me in there?" Ryan kicked the door to knock on it a few times. "Who's in there?" He screamed out. He growled low in Grace's ear again. "Is it that precious friend of yours? Joan? Can I get two birds with one stone here sis?" He asked.
Grace's head felt heavy. There was blood seeping down the side of her face; some of it blurred her vision in her left eye. Her nose was still bleeding. She could feel it soaking the collar of her shirt. She used all of her muscles to stabilize Ryan behind her and brace herself at the door. In her mind, God wouldn't get past her into this bathroom.
"Who is it?" Ryan tightened the knife against Grace's neck.
"You're daughter…" Grace forced out through a strangle and a clenched jaw. Ryan paused behind Grace, as if he were shocked. Grace tried to wiggle free but that only succeeded in snapping Ryan out of his slight trance.
"You're lying…" His gruff voice finally spoke.
Grace almost sneered. "What reason…do I have to lie to you," She spat out.
Ryan threw her head towards the door again. Grace felt her head wobbling and her arms shake. No. She willed herself not to lose consciousness by telling herself that if she did, that was it, she would fail to protect her daughters. If there was one thing in her life Grace would not do; she would not fail her children.
"Tell her to open the door and I'll let you live," Ryan bargained.
Grace scoffed. "Bite me," She spat back. She felt herself cringe as Ryan ran is tongue along the line of blood trailing down the side of Grace's face. He smacked his lips together.
"You really want me to?" He asked. Grace cringed. Ryan kicked the door again. "Open the door and your aunt lives!" He called out.
"Don't open the door Liese!" Grace choked out.
"If you don't open the door, I'm going to kill her!" Ryan yelled.
"NO!" Anneliese called out from the other side of the door. They heard shuffling behind the door. Grace felt her eyes widen.
"Liese listen to me!" Grace called as Ryan tightened the knife against her neck. She knew he'd at least torn the skin near the blade because she could feel the wet warmness around the area. "If you open the door, he's going to kill you and the girls, do you hear me? Don't open the door! Just hold on! Don't open that door!" Grace spoke fast, terrified.
"Open the door or I'm taking your aunt out and then coming after you!" Ryan shouted back. He pulled the knife away from Grace's neck. She felt his arm reel back and moved to dodge as he swung towards her left side. She let out a yelp as it grazed her side. Her knees buckled slightly but she braced herself harder.
The color drained from her face when she heard the click of the lock. She cast her eyes down when Ryan didn't notice it, and saw the handle slowly inch. Letting go of the doorframe, Grace threw her hand down and covered the door handle so that Anneliese couldn't turn it.
"Let it go," Ryan ordered.
"Anneliese lock the door!" Grace yelled. "God damnit lock the door!" She screamed. Ryan grabbed the handle of the knife, which was sticking in the door and tugged at it. "If you don't lock that door I swear I will kill you myself! Lock the door!" Grace screamed desperately. She fought to stop Ryan from pulling her away from the door now; desperately clinging to keep it shut. She felt Ryan's hands, one around the front of her neck and one around the back. They clamped down. Grace choked, trying to inhale air. Her mind reeled as she clung to the door handle.
"Remember this scenario…" His voice rumbled into her ear. "Hmmm? Sure there's no water this time…but there's also no one to save you either," He let out a low, evil laugh. "No CPR this time. And you know what the best part is?" He smiled wickedly at her. "You're a worse failure than your own mother…at least she killed herself and not her kids…" He sneered.
Grace felt her face harden as a tear slipped from her eye. She clenched her jaw, feeling the lightheadedness sinking in. With one last attempt with the fear for her daughters' lives and the anger at Ryan's words surging through her, she braced her feet and threw her head backwards. The back of her head landed squarely against Ryan's face, knocking him backwards off of her. He hit the opposite wall of the hallway and slid down, holding his face. Grace collapsed to the floor. She heaved deep breaths before throwing herself at Ryan. She couldn't let him get up and to the door. Ryan reacted after two punches. He tossed Grace off of him and pinned her under him. She felt his face near her neck, inhaling and smelling her again as she struggled fiercely against him.
"So this is how you like it," He grinned. Grace squirmed, trying to break free. "Oh, not this time, Gracie…I've got you now…" He licked at his lips, pinning her arms easily with one hand.
"You sick freak," Grace said, astounded, as he reached for the buckle of her jeans. She writhed under him; using all the force she could muster to break free. She managed one hand free and she swung a closed fist at his jaw. Ryan's head lurched with the force of the hit. He turned his face back to her and licked at the little trickle of blood appearing at his lip with a smile before pinning her down again.
"Oh this is gonna be good…" He snickered.
"Hey! What incest is the in thing with Satan now?"
Ryan's head shot up and just as he focused and realized the voice belonged to Joan, she swung a pot she'd grabbed off the stove and clubbed him upside his head with it. Ryan flew off of Grace and into the wall. Grace looked at Joan wearily as she tried to pull herself to her feet. Joan helped her. Grace, Joan could see, was on the verge of losing consciousness.
"Can you stand?" Joan asked. Grace steadied herself and nodded. "Luke and the cavalry are on their way. Let's get out of here," Joan suggested.
"What are you doing here?" Grace asked, confused and disoriented.
Ryan stirred. Joan looked at him stonily. "Save the explanations for later," She held her fists up and prepared herself to fight Ryan. "Get the girls and get out of here," She instructed Grace.
Ryan had fallen past the bathroom door. Joan stood, blocking the hallway. Grace opened the bathroom door and went in behind Joan. Anneliese cowered in the bathtub with both girls in her arms. All three of them were crying.
"We have to go…" Grace said. Anneliese looked at her, terrified. As Grace reached out. "It's all right…come on…hurry," She said. She took Brynn in her arms, holding the baby tightly to her. Anneliese followed Grace out of the hallway. Grace felt renewed energy as she saw Ryan climbing to his feet. Grace handed Brynn back to Anneliese. "Take them down the stairwell…wait until you see Luke to bring them out." She ordered.
"But," Anneliese began to protest.
"Just…" Grace cut her off. "Go on," She said.
"Go with her Grace. I've got this under control," Joan said, staring Ryan down now.
"This is getting interesting," Ryan sneered.
"Rove-," Grace began to protest.
"Go!" Joan ordered. Grace had never seen Joan this angry. She nodded and turned to go with the girls. Joan looked at Ryan. "This ends…right here…right now," She told him.
Ryan laughed. "You've got that right, little girl…" He laughed at her as she stood in a ready stance to fight.
Ryan surged forward to swing at Joan. Joan easily dodged his punch and landed an elbow in his face. Ryan shook his head and went after her again. He managed to tackle her to the ground. He clamped his hands around her neck.
"Where's your God now?" He sneered at her.
Joan smiled, as if she knew something he didn't. Using her legs she rolled and easily tossed Ryan, who was taller than her and twice her size in muscle mass, off of her and across the room. Joan leapt easily to her feet.
"Don't you get it yet? God's been with me all along," She smirked, readying herself again. She herd barking and glanced to the dinning room. Damage had been struggling against his leash, stuck under the table and pissed that he couldn't get free and attack Ryan.
Ryan climbed to his feet, clearly tired as he stared her down. He lunged towards her. Joan kneed him in the gut and groin area. Ryan keeled in pain after having the wind knocked out of him. He moved to grab her but she clamped her fists together and hit him as hard as she could at the back of his head by the base of his neck.
Ryan collapsed to the floor unconscious. Joan heard the sirens outside and decided it was time to leave, since Ryan's was unconscious. The police would be up soon enough to collect him. She had sinking feeling in her stomach and had to get out of the apartment. She unhooked Damage and made her way to the elevator.
When she reached the lobby, some uniformed officers greeted her.
"He's out cold on the living room floor," She told them. They piled in the elevator and went up to the floor.
Joan crossed the lobby and outside to the ambulance in the middle of the street. Grace was seated on its bumper, staring blankly off. Inside the Ambulance, a paramedic was checking over Anneliese, Lara and Brynn to assure they were unscathed. Cappy was being loaded into an ambulance in front of the on Grace was sitting at as a paramedic cleaned the side of her head off. Grace closed her eyes and flinched but didn't move to pull away.
Grace opened her eyes and looked at her hands in her lap when she felt someone touch them. Her eyes met Joan's; no words were exchanged at first. Grace felt her eyes fill as she saw Joan's filling.
"How did you…?" Grace trailed off, clearly still reeling from shock.
"Collier," Joan replied with a nod. Grace nodded, understanding. "Are you all right?" Joan asked.
Grace took a deep breath. She didn't need to answer the question. Not caring what the paramedic was doing, Joan reached out and hugged Grace. Joan had actually expected Grace to push her away. The opposite happened. Grace's arms slowly laced around Joan and she hugged Joan back harder then both of them knew Grace had ever held anyone other than Luke, Lara, or Brynn.
"Get off me, my family's in there, move!" Luke tried to push past the police. Grace and Joan looked up.
"You can't go in, sir," One of the officers said.
Luke whipped out his FBI ID and flashed it at the officer. "If you want to keep your job and your life, you'll get out of my way," He said stiffly. The officers parted and held the yellow tape up for him. Luke looked around frantically, running a hand through is hair at the sight in front of him. The block was taped off and multiple police cars were all around. Officers were conducting interviews. He spotted the ambulance and ran for it.
"Grace?" He called out loudly, trying to see around people to find her. "Grace?" He screamed.
"Luke, over here!" Joan said when she realized Grace couldn't speak. Grace was staring, relieved, at Luke as he turned upon hearing Joan's voice. Luke paused a moment when he spotted Joan and Grace. He ran so fast that Grace barely had time to stand before he had pulled her to him. Grace ignored the pain in her side and her head as she wrapped her arms tightly around Luke's neck, anchoring him to her.
"What happened? Are you okay? Where are the girls?" He asked, pulling only his head back and pushing her hair carefully out of the way to inspect her injuries. He looked terrified. He was pale and it was obvious he'd been crying already.
Grace nodded. "We're fine…we're all right," She managed to get out. Luke pulled her in, kissed her and then held her closely against him.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I should've been home. I'm sorry," He said into her hair. Grace felt his shoulders shaking. She was startled. She had never seen him this distraught. The closest she'd seen him in this state was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital in Ocean City years ago. She heard a sob escape him and she tangled her hand in the hair at the back of his head, holding him close to her.
"It's not your fault…we're okay. Hey…shhh, it's all right" She tried to calm him down. "We're okay…" She assured.
Joan felt her eyes burning over at the scene before her. She'd seen many sides of Grace, including the maternal and loving side. This side of Grace was shocking, but welcome. She was playing the role of comforter after experiencing a horrific event. She clung onto Luke who was crying into her hair and neck, just thankful that she was okay despite what he was viewing as his failure to protect her.
"This is not your fault," Grace told him fiercely. She turned her head and kissed the side of his head in his hair, still running her hand through the back of his hair.
"Daddy!"
Grace and Luke turned and looked into the ambulance. Lara sat on the end of a stretcher in Anneliese's lap. She reached out for Luke, happy to see him. She had calmed down considerably and it was obvious she didn't know what was going on. Luke looked at Grace. Grace nodded and released him. The paramedic sat her down again. Grace had butterfly bandages on the left side of her forehead by her hairline. Her nose was bruised by not broken. She had cleaned the blood off of it. Her collar and the top of her shirt were still covered in blood. Her neck had little nicks and scratches from the blade of the knife. The paramedic inspected Grace's left side, where she had barely dodged the knife. Luke lifted Lara into his arms, showering her in kisses as he held her to him.
Joan was standing nearby with Brynn in her arms. Brynn had actually fallen asleep on Joan's shoulder. The paramedic determined that Grace would need stitches in her side. Grace sighed. She did not want to go to the hospital. She didn't know what she wanted at this point other than to maim Ryan Hunter and to calm Luke down; but she knew she didn't want to be in a hospital. Reluctantly, the paramedic agreed to take care of it without taking her to the hospital.
After they had completed the stitches, the paramedic put a clear square tape-like covering over the spot so that no water would disrupt the area for the few weeks that the stitches would be in place. The stitches were at the back of Grace's left side. There were only 5 of the in the small spot. As Luke was helping her back out of the ambulance, Luke's partner, Zoë was yelling at a detective. She shook her head and gave them one last reprimand before walking over to the ambulance.
"What's going on?" Luke asked. Zoë looked at him and then Grace and Joan.
"We have a problem…" Zoë said.
"What is it?" Joan asked.
"He's gone," Zoë said gravely.
"What?" Grace asked.
"How could he be gone? He was out cold!" Joan cried.
"Nobody saw him leave. They found blood on the fire escape," Zoë cleared her throat. Luke looked at his sister and his wife; each of them was holding one of his daughters. He put his head down, clearly putting the blame for all of this on himself. Grace reached a free hand out when she noticed this and slid her hand inside his.
"It's going to be okay…" She told him firmly. Luke looked at her, unsure how to respond.
"Let us through! We have information!"
Grace, Luke and Joan looked up to see Collier standing with a woman next to him, arguing with the cops who wouldn't let Luke it. Grace recognized the woman as Dominique, the woman who had burst into their office, yelling at Collier.
"Go help let them in," She said to Luke, nodding in Collier and Dominique's direction. Luke did as instructed. Collier and Dominique followed him over to where Grace, Joan and Zoë were.
"Grace, you remember Dominique?" Collier asked. Grace nodded. Collier looked at the others. He turned his attention to Dominique, putting a comforting arm about her shoulders. "Go ahead, tell them," He encouraged her.
Dominique swallowed, lifting her head to look around at all of them. Her eyes landed on Grace's icy eyes as Grace held Lara protectively in her lap.
"I-I…" Dominique took a deep breath and looked at Luke and Zoë as Zoë prepared to write down whatever information that Dominique was about to give. "I know where he'll go…" She spoke up, shocking all of them.
A/N: Okay, if this chapter didn't rock your world then there's no hope for you people! Then again you might've thought it sucked. I guess I'll have to wait on pins and needles and see…
P.S. – This would have been up sooner but with the hurricane in N.O., I have some friends who's families are down there so I got sidetracked by watching the coverage of the storm…sorry but look how long this chapter was? Doesn't that balance it out?
Chapter title from "I Alone" by Live.
Responses: Carol – Sorry, I meant to update sooner, I swear! I actually was worried about how people would react to the Judith part, so I'm glad you liked it! Do you really want me to tell you if Friedman will make an appearance? "I just know that you'll kill someone" Do you want a response to that? Lol. Lots of people like Dom's character. I was surprised! Do you like her more or less after this chapter? Thanks for the kudos! Much love!
Butterfly Dancing – No need to apologize! I have missed your reviews though! Thanks for the kudos. Ha, you didn't like Luke with the gun thing, huh? Ooooh…who are you nervous for? Want to make a prediction? Thanks again, much love!
Sayxanything – Damage, I felt, was an appropriate name for an abandoned puppy! Lol, I wish I'd thought of that "Every freakin' time…!" Yeah the cameras freaked me out and I was typing it!
Audrey – Let me start off with UPDATE! YOU LEFT ME HANGING! Ahem…thanks for the kudos (cough, update, cough) much love!
Hezziebob182 – Hey! Thanks for the kudos! Much love, dude!
Coveredinrain16 – Hollaback! Lol sorry, back on track. Thanks for the Grace/Caleb kudos! I'd been planning that for a while. Ditto with the Judith scene. I was worried people wouldn't like it though. December babies rock! Ah school…boo to school. What grade are ya in? Lol, they don't have billions! Ha! Much love back!
Kool-Wolf – Shut up? Well…that would mean I have to stop typing chapters…! The rabbi's actual name is Stephen…it's sad that I know that. At least I'm pretty sure it is. Anyway…was Ryan's pounce what you expected? I AM happy you don't kill me now…does that mean if I finish this and make another story I get a stay of execution? Thanks for the props, violence to you!
Tiffany – Thanks for the kudos, dude! Glad it wasn't too choppy for ya! Judith is cool. I miss her character. I was afraid people wouldn't like it. You did update…you need to update again, yo! Don't leave me hanging! (Like I have room to talk…) IM me, yo. Much love!
Sam – Nah you don't suck! Thanks for the kudos though! I know this chapter was pretty long but I'm hoping it was as good as I thought it was when I was typing it. Usually I'm paranoid and everyone turns around and says it's great. So now I'm like "this is great!" I bet everyone's gonna hate it, ha! Anyhow, much love dude!
Jane and Adam – Was that an adequate feed for your addiction? Ryan got pretty evil during this chapter. Well…Joan may yet have to keep her promise…who knows? Much love!
Thanks for reading! Thanks for reviewing! I leave the shaping of this story partly in your hands, as I need you to tell me what sucks and what rocks! Much love!