Going Solo: Grace Gen 4.20

The next day I woke up still feeling excited about last night. When I'd texted Hope, she couldn't contain herself to just typing out messages. Instead she'd called me and I spent a good hour outside on the back porch talking to her. I thought she'd bust my eardrum when I told her he kissed me since she'd squealed so loudly. When I told her how I felt afterwards, she said it was the same thing she had with Caleb when they'd kissed for the first time that her whole world changed. It was still strange to hear her talk like that, but remembering how she looked when around him, I knew she didn't lie. It was crazy how much difference a day can make.

"Good morning, honey."

"Hey Mom."

She walked over and turned on the morning news before heading into the kitchen to start breakfast. She had the same routine every time I stayed over even though I told her it wasn't necessary. No one in the house really needed to eat human food, but she'd cook it anyway. Something about old habits dying hard.

"You and Jonas seemed really close last night." She glanced back at me giving me that 'mom' look and I felt my face heat up.

"Mom, how did you know?"

"A mom just knows these things."

"Not...that, but that Dad, in all his craziness, was the one for you?"

Mom's face lit up and she got this dreamy look in her eye. "Well, hard to say exactly. I just knew that when I was around him I felt complete, like this part of me I didn't even know had been missing was suddenly there. That feeling is still there, even after all these years. When your father looks at me, I still get all excited and he makes me feel like I'm the only woman in the world."

I smiled listening to her talk. My parents were unconventional at times, but the one thing that was always clear was how much they loved each other. Even after being together for so long, that love was easily felt and seen at times as they still couldn't keep their hands off each other.

"Well..."

"In other news, local business owner and long time resident 

Jonas Solo was in a car accident last night. Police 

say it appears he was ran off the road, as he drove 

across the bridge on Cliff Road. This was the most violent act 

in an apparent recent string of harassment aimed at Mr. Solo..."

"Oh my god!" Mom whispered in shock.

I grabbed my phone and tried his number. No answer. I tried again. Still no answer. I looked over at Mom.

"I'll call the hospital," she said.

This wasn't happening. He had to be alright. He just had to be. My hands shook and I felt the tears already running down my cheeks as I waited on Mom to get off the phone.

Dad walked back in with Vor as Mom was hanging up the phone. "What's going on?"

"The news said Jonas was in a car accident. She can't reach him..." Mom answered then looked over at me before continuing. "And he wasn't admitted to the hospital.

No! No! No! If he wasn't admitted that would mean...It felt as if all the air had been sucked out of my lungs.

"I...I have to find him."

"Grace..." Dad stated but my phone rang cutting him off. Jonas' name showed on the caller ID.

"You're okay! Please say you're okay."

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?"

"The news...it...car accident...Mom said you weren't admitted so I...I...you're really okay?"

"Yes, I promise you I'm fine. My car not so much, but I'm perfectly fine."

"I'm coming to see you. I need to see for myself."

"You can't. The bridge leading to my house is not drivable. I'll come to you."

"How can you come but I can't?"

"I have wings."

I swear I could almost hear him smiling when he said that.When we hung up, both Mom and Dad were looking at me anxiously. I told him he was fine and would be over in a little while. Dad pulled me into a hug, comforting me like I was a little girl again. Hearing his voice was great, but I needed to see him, I needed to know for sure that he was okay. It felt like forever before Jonas showed up. I threw my arms around his neck and held on tight.

"I was so scared."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you."

"What happened? How in the world did you survive you car going over a bridge?"

He smiled and then he seemingly disappeared right before me. All that remained was a little light, then he reappeared.

"We shrink."

I started laughing. In all the time I'd known him, he'd never done that. I wasn't sure what all went into being a Fairy but I was so happy now that they were able to do that cool trick.

"I'm glad to see you're unharmed. My daughter has been through enough, she doesn't need to lose anyone else she cares about," Dad said as he stepped between us.

"Thank you. I plan on sticking around for as long as she'll have me."

He looked over and smiled at me and I got that same warming feeling. Maybe Hope was right, somehow Jonas had gone from being just my friend. We walked in and had a seat on the sofa. Mom went back to finishing up breakfast and Cater and Erin trickled out of their rooms.

"The news said this was another attack or something. They think whoever messed up your store also was the one that tried to kill you? I mean that's a bit extreme," I commented.

A funny look crossed his face. "Well, I didn't want to worry you, but there's been other things. Started right after you left for Hope's wedding."

"What!"

"Yeah, it was never anything big, mostly destruction of property. Until last night."

"Why would anyone do that?"

Jonas rubbed the back of his neck. He cut his eyes over at Dad then back at me. "I...I suspect because of you."

"Excuse me?" Dad piped in.

"Well, they keep repeating the same message, she's mine, and since Grace is the only woman I'm seeing..."

The sound of a pan hitting the floor echoed loudly in the house. Mom looked worried and I'd only see that look on her face one time before. "Davis, it couldn't be him could it? The DA said we would be notified when or if he was ever up for release."

Dad was on his phone instantly, he didn't care that it was Sunday, he wanted answers. Carter and Erin were asking questions. Jonas seemed to be just as lost, but me...I was transported back to that night.

"SON OF A BITCH!" Dad yelled. "Three months, three fucking months he's been out and no one thought to call!"

I jumped hearing Dad get angry. Three months, that meant I wasn't crazy. It had to be him, all those times I felt I was being watched. In town. At my house. MY HOUSE!

"Grace?" Jonas called my name to get my attention.

"The old DA retired and apparently the new kid that took his place didn't get the memo on the required notifications," Dad said as he slammed his phone down.

"Grace, you said you felt like someone had been watching you..." Jonas said quietly.

"What? When? Why didn't you tell us?" Mom asked.

"What's going on? Someone has been stalking Grace?" Carter asked.

I sat in a daze. Just when I thought my life was on the path to finding normal, it was horribly veered off course again. He was out, he'd been watching me. When I didn't answer, Jonas spoke again.

"She called me in a panic the day you guys returned from Monte Vista, she thought someone was following her," Jonas explained. "Um, since then she said sometimes when she was in town she felt like she was being followed. Who is this person?"

Dad sat down next to me, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. No one answered and I felt like all eyes were on me. I clasped my hands together in my lap, squeezing my fingers together tightly. I'd hoped I would never have to talk about that night again. I'd wanted to believe I could just forget about it and try to pretend it didn't happen. I'd lived my life trying to never think about it, I knew now I'd been lying to myself. Everyday since that night had been a side effect of what happened.

"He...his name is Patrick Wilcox and...wh...when I was sixteen, he...he raped me."

"Raped?! Did she say raped?!" Erin exclaimed.

Both Carter and Erin started asking questions that Mom tried to answer. They both wanted to know why they were never told. Dad explained that it wasn't something I liked talking about and it happened long before they came along so there wasn't any need to bring it up. Silence fell over the house. I kept my eyes focused on my hands, but I could feel Jonas staring at me. His hand covered mine, intertwining our fingers. I was vaguely aware of Mom ushering everyone out of the living room leaving only Jonas and me. I glanced at him briefly.

"I...I suspected you had some bad experience, an ex that cheated on you...something like that, but this...I don't even know what..." Jonas stated softly.

"They don't exactly make a Hallmark card for this sort of thing. I...I thought about telling you, after your birthday, I wanted you to know I wasn't running from you, but from the dark, because that's when...but I don't like talking about it. I kept having to repeat the story over and over to the cops, and the DA and all I wanted was to hide and forget."

"I wish there was something more I could say. I do understand a lot more why your dad was, well is so protective."

"Yeah, well he never liked the idea of us dating, but after, well I guess he was more over the top. I spent a lot of time at the library while Hope snuck off to dates. He worked there and he started talking to me about books and things. He seemed friendly and I guess you could say that I started to trust him. I wasn't the most outgoing person before, all of the people I hung out with were because of Hope, except him. After...I lived like a hermit. I didn't want to leave the house and being around people..."

"You were scared of everyone?"

I nodded. "First I was mad at Hope for being late. I didn't want to talk to her for a long time. Then I blamed myself. If I hadn't have talked to him, if I hadn't gotten in his car...so avoiding people seemed like the safer option. But now he's back...I knew one day he'd get out. I just never thought he'd come back here. He knows where I live."

That thought was most terrifying. The nights I'd been home alone, Vor's behavior made much more sense now. His barking at the front door. The way he slept in the doorway instead of in bed with me. He must have known he was out there. I think Vor being with me was the only reason he hadn't tried anything, that is unless he was waiting for something. I felt Jonas' hand on my face.

"I'm not going to let anything happen to you. We'll talk to the cops, let them know what's been happening. He's not going to hurt you ever again."

Jonas pressed his lips to my forehead and some of the anxiety I felt went away.

"Can you control moods?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well sometimes, like now, I can feel nervous or anxious and then you will say or do something and that feeling will lessen."

He smiled. "Nope, think that's just my natural charming personality."

I smiled in return, feeling better about things. Mom and Dad came back out to join us. Dad had already been on the phone and we all were heading to the police station once I was ready.