So what now? (Katydid50 x 5Bulletproof-Marshmellows)

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

When he said he would dry soon enough, she didn't believe him. Jeans took forever to dry and she knew that from experience but she didn't push it on him, after all that would probably make them both uncomfortable and she didn't want to ruin what little they already had. Grabbing two mugs, she set them on the counter long with a spoon so that she could put sugar into the cups once it was ready.

Looking at the ground, she frowned as he dodged things. She should have cleaned the house in the morning but she had no idea she would be having visitors. That's what had happened both times he had been over. Sighing, she leaned against the counter, about to go change when he asked her a question.

A small blush appeared on her cheeks and she lowered her head. Elenore was a modest person. Biting her lip, she looked at the ground for now. Would be creepy if she said him? She didn't want to lie, she hated liars and as far as she knew, he wasn't a fan of them either. How was she supposed to say that though? Wouldn't it get awkward after that?

"I was thinking about.." she paused for a moment. "To be honest I was thinking about you." she told him, her voice was low and she didn't know what to expect from him now. Swallowing, she crossed her arms before raising her head and looking over at him. What would he say in response? If he stayed silent she would probably leave to change into some dry clothes to give him some time to think and let it slide if he didn't want to talk about it.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel watched Elenore curiously, even more so when he noticed the blush on her cheeks. He stepped closer, dodging around the toys enough for him to get to the edge of the living room. When she started to speak, he paused before his eyebrows shot up. A moment later, a playful smirk worked its way onto his face. "Really?" he asked. He stepped closer, walking up to stand in front of her. "And what, exactly, were you thinking about me?"

He wasn't normally like that but the fact that he had a gorgeous woman thinking about him in a way that was currently still in question brought out a part of his old self. Unfortunately, his complete old self was a womanizing, manipulative, calculating b*****d. Luckily for Elenore, and himself, the old part of his old self that came out was the part that was playful, albeit a dark playfulness but relatively harmless. He would never have allowed his old self to come back. His old self had caused too much pain.

He watched her intently as he waited for her answer. He wasn't sure what kind of answer he was hoping for but he hoped that it wasn't bad, like that his truck smelled or something. He'd had that happen before and it had been downright humiliating. Even if that was what she'd been thinking, he doubted very much whether she would say so or not. She was a good person, too good of a person to say something like that, if only in order to spare his feelings, which he would be grateful for, for once. In the past, he had told people to tell him the truth no matter what. That had been a mistake.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Wonderful, he wanted to know what exactly she had been thinking about him. She cleared her throat, completely aware of the fact that he was standing in front of her though her head was lowered for the moment. "Well..." she paused, looking up at him now, realizing that she felt even shorter now without her heels on. "Tell me what you were thinking about and I'll give some details." she replied, not shivering anymore since she had warmed up slightly from the heat in the house and she was standing not too far from a hot stove.

She placed her hands on the counter as she looked at his face, her eyes locked with his own. If his answer was completely innocent, then her own would be that way as well. She didn't want to start something if he didn't show any interest in her. Then again he had taken her to the forest, even stopped by once more but it could be just considered friendship.

As she continued to keep her eyes on his blue ones, she couldn't help but smile. She had always found blue eyes beautiful and his weren't an exception. Elenore would enjoy seeing him everyday and spending some time together. If they did start a relationship.. she didn't want it to be equivalent to a one night stand. She would want it to be a serious relationship but that might be asking for too much, after all she didn't even know if he had a girlfriend.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel watched as she tilted her head back to look at him. It only then struck him just how much shorter she was than him, even more so than when she'd still been wearing her heels. Of course, he was used to look down on women, literally, not in a condescending, 'men are better' type way. He didn't think their gender was better. Both had their own strengths and weaknesses, and psychos.

He raised an eyebrow and his smirk grew when she spoke again. He loved to play little games like this. He always had. When he'd been younger, it had felt like a kind of cat and mouse game where they would verbally dance around each other before going in for the kill. "You," he said. "I was wondering what you were thinking about." Well, at least it was true. When he'd been younger, he probably would have said something about his friends or his job or his mother, something that put him in a good light. If he ever told her what he had really been thinking... It wouldn't work out. They'd both end up hurt, probably her more so. He didn't want to put her or her kids through that. They were too good.

As he stared down at the emeralds that were her eyes, his mind went blank. Nothing existed but her eyes. He would have gladly stared into them forever, mesmerized but the color if nothing else. He had always found green eyes, pure green eyes, gorgeous because they were so rare. He'd only ever come across one other person who had had pure green eyes like that and that had been another guy.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Predator and prey. It had been a while since she had played that game with anyone. At least she wasn't failing at it, that wouldn't be good if she was. Hearing his response her smile grew a bit more. "Curiosity killed the cat." she whispered softly as she moved slightly so that she was standing on her toes, making her a bit taller but still not as tall as he was.

She found that she couldn't look away from his icy blue eyes, not that she wanted to but she hadn't meant to fall into them without giving it some thought. Elenore wouldn't mind waking up to see them some day.. it would be something she would look forward to, but she doubted that would ever happen. Her heart didn't exactly listen to her logic as it pounded in her chest. Listen to your heart.. her mother had once told her before her death. Was that really the best advice? Elenore cherished every bit of information she had about her mother since she had been close to her.. and the whole family had been happy back then.

"I was thinking about how in the world a guy like you doesn't have a wife by his side." and how I wouldn't mind being in that spot, she bit her lip after a moment. "Tall, dark, and handsome." she added, with a small grin, though there was a hint of sadness to her eyes. Maybe she had said too much.. she didn't know and she wouldn't take her words back. Well.. now he could either take that last part as a joke or take her seriously. Either way she had let those words escape her lips.  

[Katydid50]

At her soft whisper which he almost missed, Daniel grinned. Leaning down slightly, so the height difference wasn't so great, he whispered back, "And satisfaction brought it back." That was actually true, he'd found. Once when he had been building, Max had crawled into a small space in among his building supplies and the supplies had collapsed on top of it. When Daniel realized, he'd dug through it, sure he'd find nothing but a body. The damn thing had been fine. Not a scratch on it. He was sure it was true when people said that cats had nine lives. There was no other explanation.

As Elenore answered his question, Daniel's curiosity was taken care of but so was his playfulness. The grin faded from his face and he looked off to the side. Sadness tinted his expression but didn't overtake it. He'd learned long ago not to let weak emotions like that show fully on one's face.

He sighed deeply and closed his eyes for a moment before opening them and looking back to her. Tall. Yeah, he was tall. Handsome. That was debatable. She hadn't seen his scars yet. Dark. You got that right, he thought bitterly. "A guy like me doesn't have a wife because... because I'm no good." He gave her a moment to process what he'd said before explaining. "When I was younger, I was into a lot of really heavy s**t. I managed to get out of it but, even if I never seen any of the others again, I'll never be able to escape it." He tapped the side of his head to show that he meant he would never be able to escape it in his own mind. "Elenore, I've done horrible things, things that would make you wish you'd never met me. If I got married... I don't deserve to be happy like that." He hesitated before adding, "Like this."  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

A smile tugged at the corner of her lips when he spoke. Well, she couldn't think of anything as good as that to say back to him, so she would leave it at that. It made sense and she didn't see why she should continue to argue with it. It worked that way in relationships.. but then again, cat's only had nine lives and there were only so many times that a person could forgive the other for the same thing over again.

Seeing his grin fade away, her own smile slipped away and her eyes turned serious. Something was wrong, that much was obvious. Why hadn't she just kept her mouth shut or at least said something else? It didn't take her long to catch the small hints of sadness. Nicolas was good at hiding it.. so was Grace but she had learned to pick up on small signs, she could only hope they couldn't do the same thing.

No good? She almost interrupted him to tell him about everything that he had done for her in the small amount of time that she had known him. He had saved her kid for crying out loud! Elenore stayed silent though as she waited for him to finish, she knew what she would say once he was done, though she was paying close attention to his words as well. Her feet were flat on the floor again, her moment of playing games was gone by now and she didn't think it would come back any time soon.

She was tempted to reach out and stroke his cheek, comfort him, but as far as she knew, they weren't ready for that. If there was even a they in there. "Everyone has good in them.. and because of that, everyone deserves at least some happiness." her voice was low still and she continued. "Sometimes you just have to accept things that you've done in your past.. after all you can't change them, but you can learn from them. After that you can move on.." she paused for a second. "I don't know about your past... but I can try to help if you let me.. and if you want or need it." Elenore looked at him, her hands falling to her sides now. She could hear the water bubbling in the kettle.. it would whistle soon enough, but she hoped he would be able to respond before that. "I'm sorry I brought this up.. It seems like I manage to do something like this every time we talk." she sighed softly and lowered her head.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel hated the way her smile faded and the way her eyes turned serious. They were still gorgeous and would be no matter what expression she wore, but he preferred smiling eyes. She looked younger when she was smiling, more carefree and happy, not worn down by the demands of life. What he hated the most was that it was his fault the smile had left her face. If he had just kept his big mouth shut and continued on with their little game, they were still be smiling and laughing and having a good time. But no, he had to go and get her down.

As she started to speak, he remained silent, even through the parts he disagreed with. She said everyone had good in them. He knew for a fact that that wasn't true. He'd come across people who had been downright evil, people who had to be possessed to do what they did. He truly hoped beyond hope that she and her kids never came across someone like that.

When she spoke about accepting the things he'd done and learning from them, he still remained silent. He had accepted what he'd done and he had learned from it, but that didn't make them any easier to live with. Would she be able to look herself in the mirror if she had done what he had? That was one reason he didn't have any mirrors in his house. He couldn't. Even when he'd still been doing those things, he'd had a hard time looking himself in the mirror. He'd known they'd been wrong but he'd done them anyway, more concerned with his own needs and wants.

He slowly shook his head. He'd accepted and learned from the things in his past but he couldn't move on. He couldn't forgive himself for all the pain he'd caused. He waited until she finished speaking before he spoke.

"You're right," he told her. "You don't know my past, and I hope you never do." He paused before going on. "I've told people before, the things I'd done. When they found out everything... the way they would look at me... I never want you to look at me that way." He reached down and gently grasped her hands in his own much larger and rougher hands. "I don't know what you can do but I would like your help, should I ever need it. And don't apologize. You couldn't have known and I could have kept my mouth shut. Now you know why I don't have a wife, or a girlfriend for that matter."  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

To be honest she hadn't expected him to agree with her. Never? Never at all? She tilted her head slightly to the side, watching him. She hadn't thought that he would be concerned that much about the way she looked at him, but then again, she had been wrong about other things in the past. He was a different person now though.. whatever he had done in the past he regretted it and that showed how much he had changed. Perhaps he had enjoyed it back then, now, not so much.

Her eyes glanced down for a moment when she felt him take her hands before her green eyes met his own once more. He was gentle.. It wasn't exactly something that she was used to since Deserai jumped on her to wake her up in the morning and Grace loved to fight when she was little. Her kids were energetic.. or at least Grace and Nicolas used to be. Daniel on the other hand was almost acting like she was fragile, something that could easily be broken. She wasn't complaining about it, instead she was fine with it, perhaps she even enjoyed it.

"You've changed.. from the person you were before and the person you are now." she said softly. "I'm sure there's more than one person that would be willing to take the empty spot next to you." her fingers slowly wrapped around his own. "I'll listen if you ever do want to talk about the things you've done, but in the end it's all up to you." whatever it was, he obviously was afraid to tell anyone because of they way they looked at him afterward. She didn't know about her reaction.. but she would taken into consideration all the factors that caused him to do the things that he did.

Elenore honestly didn't think that he was a bad person. The side he had shown her was kind, gentle, and caring. If he had managed to become that after everything that he had been through, he was a strong person as well. Some people hated humanity after things that happened to them. It changed them completely, the person that they were was buried deep down inside of them.

The kettle whistled and she turned her head towards before slowly slipping one hand out of his own and moving the kettle so that it was on the cold part of the stove. Elenore turned off the heat as well as she faced him again, smiling softly, trying to cheer him up a bit.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel was surprised by just how much he enjoyed the feel of holding her hands in his. His hands were so much larger than hers, his palm and the underside of his fingers rough with callouses. Her hands were much smoother and softer but not too soft, probably from playing some instrument or tying at a computer all day. He'd come across hands that had never known a day's worth of hard work. Of course, the people who had hands like that had been of less than legal occupation. Elenore's hands... they were perfect, in his eyes anyway. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to press one to his face and see if it felt as soft against his cheek as it did against his hand.

When she spoke, he wanted to shake his head. He did believe that people could change. He himself had changed, he had no doubt about that. No longer was he having to deal with drug dealers, pimps, whores and other gang members. He didn't have to deal with prisoners, sadistic guards or wardens. He wasn't that person anymore, but that didn't mean he could escape the consequences of everything he'd done. He would never be able to escape it.

When she spoke about more than one person willing to take the spot beside him, he smiled at that. She had no idea. Over the years since he'd straightened out his life, he'd had several women propose to him but he'd denied them all. It was for their own good, he'd told them. He was no good for them and they should find someone who deserved them. Of course, they'd been hurt and furious with him. He couldn't blame them. Getting your heart broken, that hurt. But it had been for their own good.

He looked down at their hands when he felt her fingers wrap around his. He curled his own fingers around hers, being careful not to apply too much pressure. He'd hurt people before without meaning to. He didn't want that to happen to her. The guilt would nag at him for a long time, no matter what she would say. Lifting his head, he nodded slowly when she told him she would listen if he ever did want to talk to her. He would never tell her but it was good to know he had the option, even if he would never use it.

"Thank you," he murmured quietly. "I really appreciate it." He could have used someone to talk to when he had still been suffering with nightmares. He could have always talked to Michael but he hadn't. He hadn't wanted to seem weak in front of another guy. It was silly, he knew, but it was something that had been pounded into his head for as long as he could remember. He felt more comfortable with the idea of opening up to a woman, especially a woman he was close to, because, subconsciously, he viewed them as less of a threat. If a man viewed him as weak, it would be easier for him to be taken advantage of than if a woman thought he was weak.

When the kettle whistled, Daniel jumped, releasing Elenore's hands and taking an unconscious step back. It took him a few seconds to realize it was just the kettle. When he did, he shook his head in annoyance. Thinking about his past always left him so jumpy. When she turned back to him and smiled, he smiled back, though weakly.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

She had felt his fingers curl around her own in response. His hand were rough, he had definitely worked a lot to make his skin thick.. but in a way she liked it. It showed that he wasn't afraid to work to get something done, and he definitely didn't seem like the type of guy that would cry because of a small splinter that was stuck in his finger. She could understand it with small kids if they had never felt it before, but if they cried about it constantly, saying that they were going to die because of it, it just got ridiculous then.

Realizing that she had said afterward, she was surprised that she had said it in the first place. It had been so long since she had seriously thought about being with someone else that it almost hit her like a brick wall. She didn't know what Grace or Nicolas would think about it if she ever brought someone else into the house that could potentially be their stepfather at one point.. but Deserai would be all for it. She would probably scare the poor guy off because she was so eager to have a father.

Hearing the thank you, she smiled a bit more. It was nice that he would actually keep it in mind. "No problem." she responded. She remembered what it was like when she had gotten a divorce. Elenore had been so busy trying to work everything out, she never had the time to sit down and talk to someone.. It was always just a greeting and how are you, then that would be the end of the conversation. It had been horrible and she had cried herself to sleep a couple of nights, not that she would ever tell anyone about that, but still.

Blinking when Daniel jumped back, she guessed that he whistle just startled him since it was so quiet in here before. Elenore let her hands fall back down as she turned her back to him so that she could poor the boiling water into the mugs and add coffee and sugar. "Is there anything else you would like added to it?" she asked, talking about the coffee and she turned slightly so that she could look at him.

Picking up her own mug for a moment she went over and set it on the table before going back over to the counter. The kettle had stopped whistling by then. "I didn't really ask you want you wanted last time." she ran her fingers through her hair, looking over at him. The serious environment had seemingly melted by now and she once again remembered how uncomfortable she was in her wet clothes, he probably felt the same way.

Glancing at the fridge, she wondered if he wanted something to eat, like a light snack or something. There was a bowl of whole fruit on the table so he could help himself to that if he wanted it. There was cookie dough in the freezer.. she had been planning on making cookies with the kids on the weekend, it would give them some time to be together and just relax after a long week. Besides, she didn't think that he would want to make cookies at the moment.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel watched as Elenore got the coffee ready, pouring in the grounds and sugar. At her question, he shook his head. He picked up his mug and carried it over to the table, setting it in front of the seat beside hers. "No," he told her. "Where... Where I was living when I first picked up the habit of drinking coffee, there'd been no where to store milk so it was a waste getting it. I got used to drinking coffee with only sugar, and that was if I could find any."

He'd picked up coffee when he'd started living on the streets. On cold nights, he would huddle together with some other street kids. Some of the older ones had drank coffee and he had picked up the habit from them. It was a good drink that didn't cloud the mind while still warming the body. It had seemed like a God send on particularly cold nights.

He took a seat at the table, a distant, thoughtful look on his face. Almost roboticly, he took a sip from the coffee mug. The taste brought back memories he hadn't thought over in years, memories that hadn't faded a bit since he had experienced them. The taste of his first drink of coffee, the old, neglected look of the cup it had come in, the welcome relief it had brought against the cold.

But those thoughts belonged to a different time, a different him, and they were depressing, so he pushed them away. Looking back to Elenore, he noticed that she still wore her wet clothes, which was silly since she was home and could quickly change. Not that he was complaining. The clothes still clung to her like a second skin and, gentleman or not, he was still a man and had no problem with enjoying the view.

"You know, it wouldn't bother me if you took a minute to go change into something warm," he told her. He wouldn't be jealous -well, maybe a little- and he certainly wouldn't try anything while she was changing. Then again, she didn't know that. But she could always change in the bathroom. Bathroom doors usually had locks, right? His own didn't but his house was old and he had to replace that door soon. He had to replace all of his doors soon.

((Gah. Shorter, but I didn't know what else to put. Anything else would have just been stretching it))  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

((It's okay ^^ Oh, and my scanner should be working soon so I can finally send you the picture even though it would be almost twp months late >.< ))

If there was nowhere to store milk then there was no fridge, or the fridge didn't work. No sugar? Rubbing her arm, she sighed softly. So either he had a poor family or he lived on the streets. She remembered the first couple of months that she had lived with her ex. Running away from home hadn't been the best idea, but it was the only thing that she could think of. She had finished high school and sang, guitar in hand, in a few cafes, trying to make some money. Those had been tough times. She had been head over heels for Sebastian and pregnant as well.

He got a good paying job after a bit, his parents helped him go to college and Elenore got through some college courses with the help of scholarships and grants. They had been rough times but she had been happy. Lowering her head, she dismissed those thoughts. She wasn't going back to Sebastian no matter what. Tapping her finger tips against the side of the cup, she stayed silent for a little while, lost in thought.

Hearing Daniel's voice, she was pulled from her thoughts, which she was grateful for, and rubbed her neck. Yeah, it would be a good idea to change. "Alright.. I'll be back in a few minutes." she told him, simply nodding her head. Elenore walked down the small hall that all the bedrooms and bathroom branched off of before going to her own door and opening it.

Her bedroom had one window but blinds and a pair of curtains covered it at the moment. The head of the bed was up against the wall and on either side were night stands, on one of them was a small lamp. A dressed was on the opposite side of the bed and she walked over to it after she had closed the door, pulling out some dry clothes and then got out some nice dark blue jeans from the closet. Peeling off her shirt, she then did the same thing to the rest of her clothes. She had pulled her hair up so that it wouldn't be in the way.

It didn't take her too long to pull on the dry clothes. Sure the thought that he could follow her in had crossed her mind, but she had dismissed it. Fixing her gray long-sleeved button-up shirt, she let her hair back down, running her fingers briefly through it to make sure it wasn't a completely mess. Picking up her wet clothes, she had folded them and now placed them on a chair. She could wash and dry them later, since the dryer was occupied at the moment.

Opening the door, she walked back out and closed it behind her. Sticking her hands into the pockets of her jeans, she walked back over to him. She wasn't exactly in formal attire, but it was a simple nice outfit, it wasn't like she was going to go anywhere besides picking her car up and seeing family.

While her mother had been getting dressed, Grace had come home. She wasn't exactly in the best shape. Her lip was bleeding and she was going to clean up before her mom came up since she was supposed to stay late at work tonight. Grace had lost her job a few days back though she hadn't known how to break it to her mother and she didn't want to explain what the reason behind her getting fired was either. Shutting the door, she was slipping off her shoes when she saw the heels, they were now muddy, that her mother had left for work in. She had wondered why the door was unlocked. s**t. She slipped her feet back into her shoes and opened the door, racing out. Considering the shape that she was in, she didn't want her mother to see her. Grace had more than a few bruises on her body as well as scratches that she had earned from sliding across gravel or cement. Before she had left though.. she had seen another pair of shoes and she could tell belonged to a guy.  

[Katydid50]

Daniel watched as Elenore disappeared from his sight. Before she did, though he tried not to, his gaze slipped down to her backside for a moment before he forced it back up. This was getting ridiculous. He felt better than he ever had but he was acting like a teenager. Well, acting like a normal teenager, which wasn't necessarily a good thing. Sighing deeply, he rested his elbows on the table, messaging his temples with his index fingers. His eyes fell closed. What was happening to him? He'd never had this reaction to anyone else, not even the woman he'd lost his virginity to. Then again, that really wasn't surprising. He hadn't known her other than the name she gave him. Ginger. The only reason he remembered it was because she'd smelled like it and it had reminded him of the one time he'd tasted a gingerbread cookie which he had really enjoyed. If she knew that he only remembered her name because of a cookie he liked, she'd no doubt beat him up. Of course, she'd probably be fifty-five or sixty by now but he'd come across some pretty tough old birds.

Daniel wondered if that place was still in business. Probably. Places like that tended to last a long time, probably due to the fact that they didn't have to deal with taxes, government permissions and other such things that required money. Of course, the cover-up had been pretty low-key so it hadn't mattered much on that side either. Ginger would no doubt be gone, or the mistress. She'd seemed pretty high up in their hierarchy when he'd last gone there. But, more than likely, she'd been kicked out when she got too old and had died on the streets somewhere of an overdose or something. It was sad. She had seemed really nice too.

Sighing, he opened his eyes and lifted his head. He took another drink from the mug, focusing on the flavors. Definitely better than anything he'd been able to get a hold of on the street, even though most probably would have put it off as second-rate at best. People on the streets didn't have a lot of options and kids on the streets had even less. Like the old saying went, beggars couldn't be choosers. But I'm not a beggar anymore.

The sound of a door opening caught Daniel's attention and pulled his thoughts away from his memories. At first, he thought it had been Elenore coming back but then he realized the sound had come from the other side of the apartment. One of her kids coming home? Probably but he just wanted to make sure. He was paranoid that way but being paranoid had kept him alive for too long.

Getting to his feet, he slowly crept over to the doorway, trying to make as little noise as possible. It didn't seem to matter because the sound of the door opening again, followed by quick, retreating footsteps told him the person had bolted. He raced after them, pulling open the door just in time to watch a flash of red hair before the person disappeared from sight. He stood in the doorway for a few seconds before slowly stepping back inside the apartment and closing the door. He had recognized the red hair from the last time he'd paid a visit to Elenore's home. It had belonged to her eldest daughter whose name he couldn't recall. Had he even been told what her name was? Probably. It would come to him soon enough.

Returning to the table, he took another drink of coffee. Half a minute later, Elenore returned. He lifted his eyes from the coffee mug, surprised by how much she could change her appearance. She had changed from a business woman to a housewife slash stay at home mom. He found she actually looked better in her new outfit. She looked more comfortable, to him anyway. He liked women who were able to be comfortable around him rather than spending all their time trying to seem overly attractive and trying too hard.

He nodded slowly, even though she hadn't said anything. "You look nice," he told her before taking another drink from his mug. "By the way, your daughter stopped in." This was going to be interesting.  

[5Bulletproof-Marshmellows]

Looking back at him, she saw the look a surprised person would have on his face. Yeah, she didn't always look professional. When she was at home, she had to have durable clothes and something that was flexible. Besides, it was a bit more comfortable this way. By now her hair was damp, though the ends were still pretty wet.

Walking up to the table, she placed her hand on the back of the chair and grabbed the cup full of warm coffee with her other. "Thanks." she smiled softly at him, before he mentioned her daughter. "Grace?" there was no way Deserai could come into the house without Elenore knowing wherever she was located. She furrowed her eyebrows. There had been times Grace had come up to grab a snack to get before work.. but she should have already been at work unless she had a long break at the moment and decided to stop by. Why hadn't she said anything?

"Did she say anything?" she asked Daniel, trying to find a logical explanation as to why she would have come and left so quickly. Setting the coffee down without even taking a small drink, she walked over to the fridge and opened it to see if the lunch Grace had made earlier was still there or not. She had remembered the small amount of interaction that had occurred between Daniel and Grace. Grace was cold to outsiders when they came into the house, even if it was just the neighbors.

It was possible that she had seen Daniel and took a run for it.. but if he had seen her, she would have stayed, not wanting to seem like a coward. Despite what her children thought, she knew them rather well. Perhaps she hadn't seen Daniel then.. but then there had to be another reason why she had left. Sighing, she closed the fridge and walked back over to the table, running her fingers through her hair. Grace always came home before midnight and she would have to come home earlier than that tonight since they were heading over to Aunt Rose's to pick up Deserai and Nicolas. They would probably stay for a while as well.

Troubled, she picked up the mug and brought it to her lips, both of her hands wrapped around the cup as she took a drink of the warm liquid. Something wasn't right. She was almost positive that something was wrong with Grace, some would call it intuition but she didn't care about the name, she simply wanted to make sure that her eldest was alright.

Stretching her long legs slightly by standing on her toes, she sighed softly. It was during times like these that she wished that she was able to afford a phone for Grace so the two could stay in touch in case something happened to the other and she was starting to think the same thing for Nicolas since she had found out about his late night walks.

Grace had run down a couple of flights and now was on the second floor. She had made sure that her mother's car wasn't in the parking lot when she had come so she guessed that the guy drove her home.. Had something happened with the car again? Running her fingers through her hair, she hoped they would leave soon, they would have to pick up the car sometime, wouldn't they? Looking out the window, she eagerly waited, thinking that they would use the elevator to get down and out of the building. Perhaps that's why there was a man in the house... her mom had needed to get some paperwork and so they stopped by the house.. Ugh. Who knew what was going on anymore?