Chapter 18

"I'm back." She announced with a smile, grunting when he pulled her in for a tight hug. "Larry, can't breathe..."

"Sorry honey, just good to see you." Larry said with a chuckle, setting her down and backed away, a grin on his face. "Missed you around here, Grace. You ready to get back to work or just wanting to take it easy for the night?" He hadn't seen hide nor hair of the Undertaker lately so he was assuming the big man had decided to keep his distance from anything even remotely suggestive of Grace.

"No, I want to get back to work. I promise, I'm ready to get started, Larry." She sounded confident and wanted to lose herself in her job. She hadn't gone to medical school for eight plus years to see that all wash down the drain. Grace pulled her hair up in a messy bun before washing her hands and slapped on some gloves, sanitizing her area and sighed when Andrew came stumbling in along with Albert. "You know, if you two keep going at this rate, you're going to have brain damage."

"We didn't do it this time." Albert groaned, sighing as Larry pointed to Grace and stumbled over to her. "D' Lo and Henry decided to clobber us with chairs."

"And it really hurt."

"Maybe I shouldn't have offered to pierce them?"

"Prince Alberts from Albert aren't in high demand." Andrew sighed.

She shook her head and dabbed his wound with solution, though she was happy to be back in the full swing of things. "You really need to stop antagonizing people, Al." She grinned when he groaned, knowing he'd never live that nickname down.

"Oh my god are you two alright?!" Trish Stratus came flying in, a black leather skirt with a black tight top, holding her silver shimmering cowboy hat that matched her boots, tears in her brown eyes.

"We're fine, Trish." Andrew said, his eyes softening at the look on her face.

Albert rolled his eyes, smirking at Grace. "You're about to see and hear the most sickening display ever. They're dating." He stated, rolling his eyes again when he heard Trish cooing. "I'm fine too!"

Andrew cleared his throat.

"God, I was so worried." Trish sighed as she walked over to stand between them, smiling at Grace. "We haven't officially met. I'm Trish Stratus." She extended her hand, a soft smile on her face.

"Nice meeting you, I'm Grace." She replied with a smile of her own. "I would shake your hand, but I'm a little busy at the moment." She laughed softly when Trish pulled her hand back, stitching Albert up. "You got lucky this time, Al. No concussion."

"Al?" Trish giggled.

"Shut up Trish or I'll hold you down and pierce your nipples."

"LARRY THAT FUCKING HURT!"

"Sorry." Larry coughed, clearing his throat, his cheeks flaming red as he hastily looked over at Trish and Grace who were both trying not to smile.

"Larry is blushing, I wish I had a camera!" Grace giggled, shaking her head, both women having to lean against each other when he grumbled something regarding Trish's T&A assets. "Okay enough, I have to focus." She ordered, working on Albert again, finally finishing and slapped a band aid on his forehead literally.

Trish giggled more as she walked over and kissed Andrew's lips softly, watching him relax and winked. "Behave for Larry or no sex tonight." She stated sweetly, causing Larry to cough again and ran a hand through her blonde hair. "So Grace, you look like the woman who parties. Do you feel like going clubbing tonight?"

Raising a slow eyebrow, Grace had to let that process in her mind before responding. "Umm...clubbing?" She'd been a bookworm all of her life.

"Yeah! Drinking and dancing. I'm going with a few of the Divas and you look like you need a night out."

Wasn't that the truth! "Let me think about it and let you know."

Andrew groaned as Trish walked out, letting Larry finish up before chasing after her with his partner.

He watched as Trish led away her team, rolling his eyes mentally. Those two fools reminded him of puppies trailing after their mistress no doubt that was how Trish somehow viewed them, especially with their tongues lolling out all the time. He was leaning in a doorway of an empty room, waiting for Grace.

"I can't believe they were the only two we had tonight." Grace stated as she finished helping Larry clean up, seeing he was still grumbling, and walked over to kiss his cheek. "Knock it off with that." She ordered playfully, looking around and nodded. "Need anything else before I leave?" When he shook his head and told her to be careful, Grace nodded with a smile. "I will, night Larry." She walked out and headed down the hallway, going over Trish's offer in her mind. Clubbing. Sounded like fun, but it wasn't Grace's style. Hell, she didn't even know what style she had nowadays.

His boots made no sound as he followed her, the arena virtually empty. Some wrestlers straggled behind, the crew, but the building was winding down, people were going to their 'homes' for the night. And most people who seen him these days usually pretended they hadn't, not wanting to wind up with his barely concealed rage directed at them. He halted when she stopped, stepping back into another dark room when she turned around, hearing Grace cluck her tongue as if chiding herself.

"You're paranoid." She muttered, shaking her head, though she glanced around again before turning and kept walking.

Glen and Steve hadn't come to see her that night, which she didn't mind. She would see them eventually, she was sure of it. Thoughts turned to Mark, her arms wrapping around herself, and forced her mind to push him back in the dark recesses. He wanted nothing to do with her. When Grace heard a sound behind her, she whipped around again, frowning and sighed before pulling the holder out of her hair. The cold air assaulted her as she headed to her rental car, feeling something in the pit of her stomach, and suddenly broke out into a run out of nowhere.

Long legs quickly caught up to her, no longer masking the sound of his footsteps hitting the pavement, hearing Grace beginning to panic. Smirking, he caught her at her car, whipping her around to face him. 'Taker's eyes met hers briefly before bending down to capture her lips in his, backing her into the car, holding her arms at her sides, not about to risk being paralyzed again, ever.

Panic consumed her, remembering what Mark had done before, and trembled slightly against him. She wanted to kiss him back, to feel him against her, but he also terrified her at the same time. Grace finally managed to break free and shoved him away, tears in her eyes, her lips slightly swollen.

"What the HELL has gotten into you, Mark?" She demanded angrily, her back pressed against her car, her heart thundering against her chest. "God leave me alone..."

"Why? Is that what you want little Gracie?" He taunted, stepping away from her, jamming his hands into the pockets of his black jeans, green eyes brooding as he stared at her. The wind picked up a bit, whipping his hair around his face. "No, you don't. If you wanted me to leave you alone, you wouldn't have purposely made me remember everything, now would you?" He fell silent, just staring at her.

"Don't you DARE call me that, Marcus!" She shouted, remembering the one and only time he had taunted her with that name and it was when they first met in school. She'd put him in his place and their friendship was born. "I don't want you to leave me alone, you're right, but I also don't want you forcing yourself on me." She had to look away from him, tears in her eyes, and blinked them away. It hurt him taunting her like that and took a deep breath. "You told me to stay away from you and I have. What do you want Mark?" Grace turned around to face him, seeing his green eyes, wanting to reach out and hug him and tell him how much she missed him. She couldn't though and she knew it. He would think she was coming onto him or something. "The reason why I wanted you to remember is because you deserve to know your childhood. That and I don't like lying. I refused to pretend we were family. It wasn't right, nothing about this is right, except you're alive."

A barrage of emotions crossed his face and none of them were positive, his eyes darkening with every second that passed only this wasn't from desire or lust. "Did it ever occur to you, you interfering little bitch, that I was happy with my life the way it was?" He demanded, not caring if he hurt her. "I had the right to know? I wish to God you had left me alone! I don't WANT to remember ANY of it!" He was shaking with rage now. "But that wasn't up to me, was it? Mmm no, little Gracie had to make the decision for me."

"You wouldn't leave me alone or I would have!" She shouted back at him. "You forced yourself on me and wouldn't leave me alone until you found out I was your sister. Only that was a lie. You can't leave ME alone, Mark so stop turning this around on me! It's not my fault what happened! If you would've left me alone and went on with your own life, I would've never found out it was you!" She was shaking as well from her own rage, her fists clenched at her sides, angry tears in her eyes. "I'm going back to my hotel room now. I want you to leave me alone Mark, I mean it. You're right, I DON'T know you. I never did." She turned around and dug her key out to unlock her rental.

The minute her back was turned, he was on her again, pressing her head against the car, holding her hands in his, feeling the key digging into his palm and didn't care. "Too late, Gracie." He hissed in her ear, his breath hot against her skin, his body pressed against hers. "You are stuck with me, dearest. Your pain alleviates mine so you'll suffer right along with me."

"No!" She broke away and backhanded him across the face, groaning as she held her hand, knowing it was probably sprained. The key had been in her hand so it sliced his cheek, causing her eyes to widen with pure fear, trembling from head to toe. "It's not my fault! It's not my fault your parents died or what happened to you, Mark! It's not! You need to find someone else to blame or take your anger out on Paul! He's the one who did this! He's the one who lied about everything! Go to him and LEAVE ME ALONE YOU PSYCHO!"

"Paul..." He murmured, raising his fingertips to feel his face, staring down at his own blood. Green eyes met amber, rubbing his bloody fingertips together, apparently unfazed. "Did you ever stop and consider he had a reason for lying, Grace?" He whispered, anguish filling his eyes. "That just maybe, he was trying to protect people?" He took a step away from her, giving her space so she didn't think he was going to attack. "No...you just wanted your best friend back and guess what? He's dead. Marcus is dead."

"You're right." She whispered painfully, biting her bottom lip. "I don't know you. I don't know this man standing before me. But it is my father's fault for who you are. He's twisted and manipulated your mind for years, Mark, whether you believe it or not." She wiped her tears away, chest heaving as she fought back the sobs that threatened to consume her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for...making you remember. I thought if you did, you might leave me alone simply because of how we used to be. And it backfired, like I thought it would. My father lied to me and I'll never forgive him. I'll never forgive him for all those nights I stayed up mourning over your ass, crying and wishing you were back in my life. Imagine my surprise when after nearly twenty years, I finally DO find out that you really are alive, only you're completely different. A monster. Leave me alone and go back to your life. I want no part of it."

"That is the wisest thing you have ever said." 'Taker said softly, watching as she now fumbled with her key again, still not making any movements towards her. He raised his bloody fingers to his mouth, sucking them clean while he watched her. Of course, whether she had a choice or not was entirely up to him and he would have to think it over. Part of him wanted her to run and never look back, the other wanted to make her suffer for making him remember.

"Damn it." Grace whispered, stopping with the fumbling, and looked back at him with glistening amber eyes. She didn't know what came over her, but didn't care at the moment. She ran into his arms and wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly against her, knowing this would be the one and only time she could say this. "Goodbye Mark." She whispered before letting him go and got in her car, starting it up, and peeled out of there as the tears flowed down her cheeks the entire time. She hadn't said goodbye last time because of her father. This time, nothing stopped her from doing so.

'Taker stood there and watched her until she had pulled out of the parking lot and out of his sight. He could still smell her, feel her arms around his neck and heaved a soft sigh.

"'Taker?" Paul asked hesitantly, stepping out from the shadows where he had been watching. "What now?"

"Who knows?"