Hey all! how are we?
There is about two chapters to go, woohoo!
Hope you enjoy this, I apologise, I had to write a little bit of mush...what good is a long story without mush?
love you all!
xx
Song: 'Love Song' - the Cure
Whenever I'm alone with you,
you make me feel like I am home again
Whenever I'm alone with you,
you make me feel like I am whole again
"So do you think I should do it Gracie?" Will pondered aloud to his best friend. The cordless phone was neatly wedged between his right ear and right shoulder. Tension pulled tightly through the back of his neck, so he switched the phone and tucked it into the crevice between his right neck and shoulder. He tasted the salad that he was mixing before shuddering slightly.
"Too much vinegar?" Came Graces voice from the other end.
"How did you know I was making salad?"
"I know that shudder. It's different from the 'I am really disgusted' shudder or the 'I just pictured my boss naked' shudder."
By mentioning it, the image of Mr. Stein dancing around naked popped into Will's mind and he released a cringing shudder of revolt.
"Ah, pictured the boss…"
"Grace, shut up. Help me. This is costing me money!"
"Ok, ok. But Will, I can't make these big decisions for you. That's what you do for me!"
"Should I do it?"
Practical silence, besides the sound of breathing lingered down the receiving end of the phone.
"Grace, are you gonna do the best friend thing and make my decision for me, or are you just gonna sit there and give me your best Darth Vader impersonation?"
"Sorry, I was thinking with my mouth open."
"Please. Help. Needed."
"Ok, ok, I despise when you use one word sentences. I am a new woman now. I do not intrude and I do not tell people what to do!"
"Grace…"
"I think you should definitely do it. You will never know if you don't." She cut in quickly.
Will sighed loudly, his mind a muddy puddle of outrageous thought.
"I'm gonna do it… This will change everything with…Jack, you know."
"Quit being such a female, Jack's your friend! You have to tell him asap."
"Love.Grace."
"Love."
Will hung up the phone as he thought about what he had to do, he bit his lip. He took one last trial of his salad, and disgusted at the bitter, stinging taste, he dropped the mixing utensils in the bowl and walked off to the bathroom, contemplating what Grace had just told him to do. I have to talk to Richard…and then…Jack.
Whenever I'm alone with you,
You make me feel like I am young again
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am fun again
"Hey look at us Kare! We are being good people! Maybe we should write articles in the church magazines about how good we are!" Jack announced, his voice muffled through his mouthfuls of chicken sandwich.
"You're right Jackie!" Karen exclaimed with excitement. "I mean how many so-called parents out there take their children out for lunch?"
Josie and Elliot shared the silent thought of how crazy their parents were. They turned to each other and rolled their eyes.
"Hey hey hey! Stop making seductive Angelina Jolie eyes at my boy, missy!" Jack accused the shocked Josie.
Karen poked Elliot in the shoulder with her non-drinking hand. "And you, don't impregnate my kid with your striking looks and your fake brown hair!"
"Uh, I have a girlfriend. And this hair? All real baby." Elliot cleared up.
"He's a little…young for me Jack! I'm seventeen, he's like, what…"
"16." Elliot slotted in.
"Ok, not as young as I thought. I am going to look down right now, poke at my salad and pretend that I am really interested in what's going on in my own head now to make you believe that I am not embarrassed." Josie replied she dug her fork into her salad, avoiding eye contact with the other three members of the table.
Karen suddenly slammed her elbow down on the table and shoved her chin into her palm, supporting her head.
"Men! I can't stand them. I'd rather stand on them!" She stated, slumping down further into her position.
"Boy problems? You have come to the right place. We have all dealt with the dreaded boy troubles here…"
Elliot's head shot up as his eyes widened. "Jack I'm not g…"
"Zip it, Chatty." The father said, smoothly gesturing with his hand for the boy to shut his mouth.
"What's your problem, Karen?" Josie questioned.
"It's Rosie, she told me that I have to brush my own teeth and turn my own book pages now. Why does it have to be so hard, Jackie? I know she's doing it for the best, but now it just feels cruel."
Jack reached over and rubbed his friend's back in support.
"If it makes you feel any better, Jimmy hasn't called." Josie complained, also adopting the same dreary pose as her mother.
"Thanks for the nice gesture small fry, but it doesn't quite elevate my mood…wait. I have some small, white, round friends that will!"
"Well I'm fine. No man no cry." Jack stated in a matter-of-factly manner. Josie, Elliot and Karen all made mutual eye contact around the table before breaking down in a roaring laughter.
"Thanks Jack, you really boosted the mood!" Josie snickered.
"That was a good one, poodle. You're fine. You kill me, you know that!"
However far away I will always love you
However long I stay I will always love you
Whatever Words I say I will always love you
I will always
Love you.
Jack peeked around the edge of his apartment open door, his eyes rapidly darting left to right and back again.
"Looking devilishly handsome, smooth and sleek, he seamlessly creeps to the entrance with the precision and elegance of a striking black panther."
Jack scurried across the hallway and over to the door of Will's apartment, in accordance with his own Discovery channel documentary-style voice over.
"He pauses for a second, carefully listening to see if his prey is roaming behind the door. The angered rhinoceros seems to not be stirring in his natural habitat. This is good for the panther, as the rhinoceros cannot tell him off for stealing his bubble bath powder. The panther slowly turns the door knob. It clicks. Ah, the prey has been expecting me – but alas! I cannot hear him moving around. Perhaps he has better things to do than be at home on a Saturday afternoon…impossible!"
Jack pushed Will's door open, screamed and paused briefly in shock. Standing right behind the door was Will, holding a white cloth to the left side of his forehead. Jack's mouth gaped open as he quickly spun around.
"Abort. Abort. Abort!" Jack warned himself aloud as he pivoted and prepared to run back to the safety of his own apartment. Before he had a chance to take his first step, Will grabbed the back of the waistband on Jack's pants and dragged him into the apartment.
"Oh no, the panther has been caught by the sneaky, chubby poacher. He is being dragged off to be killed and…eaten. Panther meat is rare and extraordinarily tasty!"
Will let go of Jack and walked into his kitchen, still dabbing at his forehead with the white cloth. Jack noticed the contrast of the red blood against the white material.
"What's with the attempt at a sympathy vote, Truman?" Jack questioned, collecting the newspaper off Will's coffee table and flipping through it, not particularly interested in the events of the world. Where's the comics?
"See the corner of that wall?" Will asked, pointing towards the small hallway of his apartment.
"Yeah?"
"Good. Cause I didn't"
The temptation to giggle took a stranglehold over Jack as he held his waist and cackled at his friend's misfortune. In between fits of laughter, Jack tapped the empty space on the couch next to him.
"Here, come and let me look at it."
"Why, so you can take a photo of it to cheer you up when depressed?"
"Ooh, good idea!" Jack said, standing up. He suddenly became a little more serious. "Sit down, William!"
Will slowly made his way over to the couch, and allowed Jack to peel the cloth away to inspect his forehead. Jack leaned over, his face close to Will's. Will looked upwards and caught the serious concentration in Jack's eyes, provoking an unwanted smile to cross his face.
Jack stepped back and nodded. "You're gonna need a stitch. Lucky for you, the cut is on your thinning hairline, so it's basically hidden. Now I'm just gonna grab the first aid kit from my apa…"
"Wait…you are NOT stitching up my head! Especially you!"
Jack shoved his hand on his hip and angrily tapped his foot. "Excuse me, are we forgetting that I was once a waitress of the medical banquet?"
Within a minute, Jack was out and back in the apartment, clearing up the cut on Will's head.
"Aren't patients supposed to be fixed by nurses they trust?" Will asked.
"Shut up or you're not getting a jelly bean. Ok, I'm going to do the stitch now, and you know that its going to hurt a bit…"
Will nodded a little to show that he understood. As Jack began the stitching, he felt Will's body instantly tense up. Will winced, biting his lip and releasing a tiny squeal as he gripped onto the bottom of Jack's shirt with all his strength to relieve the sharp pain.
"You are such a baby." Jack smirked, flopping down onto the couch next to Will. Will touched the band-aid that his current nurse had placed on his head and stood up.
"Thank you, Jack." He said quietly, as he disappeared into his room for a second, and came back out carrying a cardboard box.
Jack pounced off the couch when he caught a glimpse of the box.
"You're not gonna butcher me and put me in there and dump me in the ocean because I stitched you are you?"
Will smiled. "No…it's uh…Richard asked me to move in with him."
Jack froze. The silent tension between the two men was unbearable for him.
"I think I'd prefer it if you chopped me up into small bits than you moving away."
"Jack…I..."
"That was so meant to stay in my head. Stupid voice, dammit I hate you but adore you at the same time!"
Will looked down, and then quickly back up at Jack. He walked towards Jack and took his hand.
"Bu..."
"Let us know when you have the moving out party. I have a fantastic place for the after after party. Streamers, dancers and strange coloured drinks…and that's just the beginning!" Jack offered quickly, stringing his words together as he wriggled his hand free.
"Listen, Ja…"
Jack quickly pecked Will on the cheek before spinning around and pacing out of the door.
"Jack, where are you going?"
"Work." He said, closing Will's door.
"C'mon, that excuse is as weak as Jessica Simpson's remake of 'These Boots'!" Will yelled to the closed door. He threw the half-full box on the ground, allowing the contents to spill onto the floor.
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am free again
Whenever I'm alone with you
You make me feel like I am clean again
Grace briefly washed her hands and forgot to dry them as she heard Mr. Blake's voice booming on the phone. Wiping her hands on her pants, she opened the bathroom door slightly ajar so she could receive a clearer sound. She could see the blur of his body as he paced up and down the corridor outside the bathroom, holding his phone to his ear.
"Look, Marcus, she has done all that she can do here, I have no reason to keep her here anymore."
Hey, that's me! Grace thought.
"She misses her home, I did this favour for you, and she has done an amazing job, I think you're gonna have to let her know about your involvement."
Involvement? Wait a second…Marcus…Markus…oh no not…
"Ok, Leo, I'll let you go. Catch you, buddy."
Grace quietly closed the door and walked over to the enormous bath. As she sat on the edge of the bath, her confusion began to dig at and twist her brain. Feeling like and idiot and not quite knowing why, shifted a little to gain a more comfortable position on the edge of the bath, causing her to fall backwards, grasping for anything to cling to. Her foot hit the tap and as cold water came rushing out she squealed loudly. Why does he still have to exist?
The door of the bathroom swung open and Ashton Blake, much like a saviour came rushing in, and helping her up, he switched off the water. He handed the whimpering woman a towel.
"Grace Adler, forget Tornados and Comets, you are the biggest natural disaster to ever happen to mankind!"
However far away I will always love you
However long I stay I will always love you
Whatever Words I say I will always love you
I will always Love you
As he strutted towards his own apartment block, Will thought about his previous discussion with Richard. Christmas ornaments and colours were beginning to sneak themselves into the windows and shelves of shops, and children were beginning to 'count how many sleeps till Santa comes'. The fresh early stages of Winter air nipped at his face and hands as he pulled his coat tighter around himself. He remembered the preceding Christmas, when he had no idea of the events that would unfold over the year, how embittered and alone he was, and how he never pictured that the very next Christmas, he would be making such a huge decision.
As the elevator slowly delivered him to his level, his frustration began to chortle his reminiscent thoughts. The instant that he heard the doors 'ding' and open, he knew that what he had to do was inevitable.
He stalked over to Jack's apartment, and without knocking, he roughly turned the knob and pushed the door with force, allowing it to veer violently open . He took the hand of the shocked Jack and firmly urged him to sit down on the couch.
"Ooh aren't we Mr Butchy McBig-Man today!" Jack teased, preparing to stand up, but being shoved back down by Will.
Will began to pace, backwards and forwards as Jack's eyes never lost contact with the body of his best friend. I HATE tennis!
"You are gonna sit down and listen to me!" Will announced angrily. "You, Jack McFarland, are a commitment-phobe. It has taken months of self-analysing, thinking about what I've done wrong, like was I too needy? Did I embarrass you in some way? Did I tape over your favourite TV show? And it occurred to me that it wasn't me at all. It's you!"
"Will…"
"Quiet, lady! YOU are the reason why I have never been able to settle down with anyone! I have a man who loves me, with a daughter who I adore. He doesn't smoke, he doesn't work stupid hours and he understands the beauty behind embroided serviettes. He's not messy, and he has never made me mad. He is perfect. Being with him would have been the life that I have always dreamed of. But then there's you. The messiest, most irresponsible, most irritatingly frustrating person to ever be born. We are constantly at each-other's throats, and I never thought that I would have to make a decision between you and anyone. But I have."
Jack stood up to face Will. Mainly due to the fact that Will's pacing was really annoying him.
"And?"
Will released a loud, defeated sigh and looked at Jack. "It's you, Jack. Dammit, it's always been you, as much as I don't want it to be."
Jack's heart began to beat harder at his chest as he smothered his grin.
"No one gets to me the way you do. I'm sorry I freaked you out when I suggested that we get married, but I guess I always knew it would be this way. I always knew that I'd end up with you…it's a thought that scared me in my sleep, even more than those nightmares I have about spiders singing Celine Dion ballads."
Once again, silence lingered between the two as they stood facing each other. Will was suppressing the urge to vomit with embarrassment at pouring his feelings out.
"Are you done?" Jack questioned softly.
"Uh…"
"Rephrase. You're done. Shut up." He said, pulling his friend into him and gently placing his mouth on Will's. The kiss was instantly deepened, both knowing that this was what they had been both fearing and craving for the past four months, and maybe even since they first met.
Jack pulled away and looked at Will.
"The cardboard box of stuff?"
Will grinned. "It was Richard's things."
Thank you guys for sticking with this story, i hope i didn't disappoint!
And to my lovely reviewers...
GracieAdler: Thankyou so so so so so so much love! I'm ecstatic that you still like this, it's relieving that its coming to an end though, because I've been meaning to write the challenge i took up months ago! Thankyou. Take care xx
SkinnyRita: Here's some of the rest! haha yay! I'm on your alert list! Thank you xx
Queen of The Paperclips: I wish i could have written a steamy bedroom scene, but I have to keep this story clean due to the rating. Thanks for your review love! xx
Next Chapter: Grace confronts Mr. Blake about Leo, while her three friends prepare for a Christmas without the fourth member of their click. They realise how much they miss Grace.