Okay, it wasn't too long for an update really... Hey, it's better than nothing. Last time it took more than two months!

I'm going to apologise in advance for anything remotely wrong in this chapter; I'm in hospital on god knows what drugs. Yep, again. Seriously, who ends up with a case of appendicitis that goes undiagnosed for about two months and then nearly kills them? Me, of course...

Anyway, thanks must go to both aussiebabe290 and quonoeye for both being my regular reviews. You have no idea what it means to me. And apart from the fact that I'm really bored, I had to update now, because if Rhyleigh updates one more time before I do....

****

Two Days Later...

It had arrived. A day Rachel had been dreading. She had tried, tried to make some sort of connection with Grace when she had been dating Jake. But she just wouldn't budge.

Rachel could understand how parent's wanted to be protective of their children. After all, her Dad had once searched one of Rachel's potential boyfriends for condoms during her high school years. However, she just wanted the chance. The chance to prove to Jake's mother that she did genuinely care for Jake.

As Rachel, Jake and Alex made their way through Royal North Shore hospital to where they knew Grace was, Rachel began hesitating slightly. Her pace slowed and she fell a few steps behind Jake, something he noticed quickly.

"Rach?"

Rachel looked up at the expectant man before her and licked her upper lift before indicating to him that she was coming. She skipped the few steps up to be back beside him.

Alex opened the door to Grace's room himself, while Jake went to step in next, followed by Rachel. But before she could, Rachel was stopped by Melissa herself.

"You have a habit of stopping me at the hospital," Rachel told. Melissa just smiled before replying.

"Yeah. How are you feeling about today?" Rachel looked at Mel, trying to give her the 'what do you mean' look, only to see Melissa wasn't buying it, judging by how she raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, I'm freaking out," Rachel whispered back, stepping back slightly from the door, which was ajar. "I have no idea how any of this is going to go down."

"You're stressing out; you'll make it feel worse than it really is," offered Melissa.

"You have no idea," replied Rachel, her voice still at stage whisper levels. "She hates me!"

"Just go with the flow; work around what she says and does. Compromise," provided Melissa. "It's probably the best way unless you want to start World War III."

"I think we're way beyond that..." Rachel threw Melissa one final, small smile before stepping in through the door.

"Alright if I come in?" Grace gave Rachel a small smile, something she hadn't been expecting. The cold, stone-faced Grace that Rachel had been picturing and dreaming about for days now didn't appear to be present. Yet.

12.30am, Barton House

Rachel hung back a little as Grace went into the house. It was something Rachel was thinking about; she wasn't purposefully doing it. She just was.

With her boys either side of her as she walked the couple of steps to the front door, Jake stopped and looked back at Rachel as she hesitated at the bottom of the steps. Alex was assisting his mother through the front door.

Grace saw from the corner of her eye, Jake stepping back down the steps to Rachel's side. She could see the look on his face. Genuine caring. She couldn't dwell on this any further when Alex pulled her further inside.

"You don't have to stay," Jake told Rachel. He could almost see the torment she was enduring at the present moment, the same torment that had been eating her up bit by bit each day.

But Rachel just shook her head.

"I promised Alex I would stay," she replied. "And you." Jake watched her intently. "Besides, imagine how much more your Mum would hate me should I leave now."

"She doesn't hate you..." jumped in Jake, the usual argument. Rachel just scoffed.

"Yeah."

2.30pm, Rafter House

"Oh, come on!" cried Julie Rafter as she moved the tin she was holding aside. Dave, who was at the computer table looked over, while Sammy and Nathan both looked over Julie's shoulders, right at the dead item on the bench.

"That was supposed to be a chocolate cake!" she again cried.

"Well, it... it might be okay... you know, if you add some icing..." tried Sammy.

"It's dead!"

"Yeah, Sam, don't get between Mum and her chocolate cake," put in Nathan, stepping back.

"That's the second one today!" Julie's tone was murderous.

"You gave away the only good one to Rachel and Jake," was Dave's reply, coming over to inspect the cake for himself. All he got was a glare in return. "Okay!" he threw his arms up exasperated. "When is Rachel coming back anyway?"

"When Jake and Grace are better I suppose," Julie replied, throwing down the tea towel she was holding. Nathan took Sammy's arm and pulled her out of the kitchen quietly, attempting to avoid any more of Julie's outbursts.

5.30pm, Barton House

Jake and Alex were watching some form out sport on the television often yelling something out at something or someone on the screen.

Rachel was attempting to make a start on dinner. She was going for what was usually simple, spaghetti bolognaise. But with Rachel's kitchen sense, it wasn't exactly going to plan.

"Do you want a hand there?" Rachel whirled around from the sink to see Grace standing by the bench.

"Oh, you're supposed to be resting. I, I can manage," stuttered Rachel.

"It's okay Rachel. I'm not going to give you the dressing down at dinner." Grace stepped further into the kitchen, moving to the pot of bubbling red sauce and gave it a stir, before pausing for a minute and reaching over to the bench. Picking up the salt, she cracked it a few time over the top.

"It'll add flavour."

"Right," replied Rachel, her tone nervous. Grace stirred the pot for a few minutes while Rachel focused on the pasta, both remaining silent before Grace took the initiative and spoke up.

"Rachel, I know that in the past..."

"It's okay. I know your thoughts and I respect that," Rachel jumped in quickly. Aside from the fact that she knew what Grace was already going to say, she didn't think she'd be able to keep herself supposed if she heard it all again.

"That wasn't what I was going to say." Grace looked towards Rachel. Rachel said nothing. "Rachel, what you did for us, this family, for me, I can't thank you enough," started Grace. "To be perfectly honest, I never thought I'd be saying this to you of all people, but I'm really grateful it was you here looking after things. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there for Alex. And Jake."

Rachel wasn't exactly sure what to say. When Grace had started talking, she sure hadn't been expecting that.

"I was really hesitant about losing Jake when we first met you," said Grace. "And it's taken me so long to realise, that I can't keep him locked up forever. He needs to live his own life." Grace paused, as if gathering her words, making Rachel even more nervous. "And if he wants to have that life with you, then I'm going to support him. He's my son."

To say she was speechless, would be an understatement; Rachel was gobsmacked. Had Grace really hit her head that hard?

"Now you think I'm just saying it because of Jake, aren't you?" Grace asked, taking in Rachel's reaction, or lack thereof. "I'm not."

Saving Rachel from thinking up something to answer Grace's words, Alex came bustling in.

"How long 'till dinner's ready?" Rachel flicked away a piece of hair that has inching closer to her eyes before answering.

"Uh, a few minutes?"

"Few minutes Jake!" called out Alex as he headed back to the living room to sit back down with Jake.

"I'm not planning on hurting Jake," Rachel eventually summed up the courage to say. "And I don't plan on changing him. Because if I did that, he wouldn't be the Jake I love."

The Jake she loved? Wow, where did that come from? thought Rachel to herself almost as soon as the words were out.

Grace reached over and gave Rachel a hug. She wasn't sure things were entirely okay just yet, but Rachel had the feeling that things were starting off better than she had imagined.

*****

Corny, right?! LOL. I'll blame it all on whatever I'm on at the moment. I have never really had much idea as to what exactly would happen with this. It kind of just, panned out. I had the main idea, but it all pretty much wrote itself.

Reviews/comments muchly appreciated. Thanks for being such loyal reviewers!