Let the monster's see you smile.
Angela was the first to break the silence "oh my god."
Booth was clenching his fists, his jaw line stiff, and his eyes fixed on the bruising on Grace.
"Are you happy now Seeley?" Grace cried.
"Who did it?" Booth asked through clenched teeth.
Silence. Grace stared at the ground, Angela clung to Hodgins still in shock, Cam and Sweets both looked at each other with the same fearful look, they knew Booth, therefore knew he wouldn't drop this. Vincent sat in the corner twiddling his thumbs, looking up at the young girl's bruising every now and then, whilst Brennen stood behind Booth, her hand on his shoulder, it was her way of letting Booth know that she was there for him.
"Dam it Grace, tell me!" Booth slammed his hand on the table.
"He doesn't matter. It doesn't matter, it's over now."
Grace's mind wandered to her past relationship, his name was Henry, and they had met through mutual friends at a party. He had been the perfect gentleman, for their first date he had planned a romantic picnic, and from that day on she was hooked. They were together for 2 months when he first hit her, they'd been out and bumped into Grace's ex, this spurred a jealous row, followed by a slap delivered to Grace's face. Henry broke down, sobbing, continuously spouting the same lines "Im sorry, I don't know what happened, I'll never do it again, I love you." That was the first time he had said 'I love you', and she genuinely believed him. However, he lied, it became a regular thing. He'd get angry over minimal things, and would often leave bruises where clothes would cove. After each incident, he's spin her the same sob story and yet she believed him. It eventually hit Grace that she didn't deserve it, and if she stayed she would do something she seriously regretted either to him or to herself. The decision to leave followed a severe beating, in which he'd taken his belt to her and left her in heap on the floor crying, that's when she knew she had to leave.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Booth's voice seemed calmer this time.
"Why? Why do you think Seeley? I didn't want to be a victim. I didn't want you to see me as this victim. What was i supposed to say that the man i was living with, planning a future with, the man i was in love with would beat me if he'd had a drink, that he'd hit me if i went out with friends...that he'd hurt me for the sheer hell of it..." Grace was stood in the middle of everyone, shirt still up, tears streaming down her face "and that despite saying if a man ever hit me that i would leave him, that i didn't, instead kept telling myself that he would change, i was fooling myself. And then he took it too far, he, he…"
"Grace, stop. Tell him in private, we don't need to hear this. We'll go." Cam said as she stood, still in shock at the bruising which covered the young girl's stomach, back and arms. She may have been 21, legally an adult, but she was still a baby; barely experienced life to its fullest and someone had the audacity to ruin it so early on. Cam pulled Grace's shirt down, she couldn't bear to look at the marks left on the vulnerable skin of a girl only a few years older than Michelle.
"No need, im out of here." And with that Grace fled, leaving a stunned group of friends.
"Shouldn't someone go after her?" Vincent inquired, breaking the silence.
Booth stood, sending his chair flying as he angrily stormed out, with Brennen following close behind.
"How could anyone do that? She's so cute and lovely, it just doesn't make sense." Angela spoke solemnly into Hodgins arm, as he stroked her hair in comfort.
"I think we should split up and try to find her, she's in a delicate position and shouldn't be alone." Sweets took charge, sending each person in a different direction, hoping to find Grace before anything bad happened.