25 August 2010

When morning came and they still hadn't found Rebekah's necklace, Nik's bright idea was to take Grace up on the invitation shopping and go for some retail therapy to distract Rebekah from both her missing necklace and the shock of 21st century life.

Nik picked the shop, obviously not for the clothes but for the service - the champagne and endless supply of female blood seemed to have entice him. Apparently according to Gloria some of the shop assistances here were those rare strange breed of human that didn't mind the feeding process.

"There has to be more to this dress." Rebekah called from being the curtain, it was probably her tenth dress and all of them seemed to leave her baffled as to how woman got away wi try wearing what seemed like undergarments outside.

As she walked out the changing room Nik looked at the dress before chuckling.

"I'm sorry to say there just isn't."

The short black dress hugged Rebekah in a flattering way but she didn't seem comfortable in it and the most flattering clothes are ones that someone feels comfortable in.

"So women in the 21st century dress like prostitutes, then. You know, I got dirty looks for wearing trousers."  She looked to Grace for clarification or reassurance or something.

"I mean I guess?"  Grace replied trying to hold in her laugh.

"You wore trousers so women today could wear nothing." Nik joked sipping down some more champagne.

"And what is this music?" She asked glaring at the speakers in the ceiling. "It sounds like a cable car accident."

Grace muffled her laugh into the sleeve of her jumper, it was pop music but she had to admit Rebekah was right it did sound a bit like a crash.

"It's dance music." Stefan replied deadpan, he didn't really seem to be enjoying himself.

"People dance to this?" Rebekah asked completely bamboozled at the idea of dancing to the music that was playing.

"Hmm." Stefan replied with a small nod. He was probably thinking the same thing Grace thought. It did make her laugh, aside from the sales assistants that were no where to be seen Grave was the youngest in the room by a significant amount of years and as such her taste in music was widely different to them.

"Are we done?" Nik interjected looking decidedly bored.

"And why are you so grumpy?" Rebekah snapped.

"I needed one thing from you for my witch to find out why my hybrids are dying, one thing. Your necklace. And you lost it." Nik laid it out plain and simple, there was a slight growl to his voice which made Grace roll her eyes, for such a powerful man he sounded like a petulant child.

"I didn't lose it. It's just been missing for 90 years."

"So what do you think?" Rebekah asked giving him a twirl.

"I like it." He replied but she was not satisfied with his answer, that j up was clear by the expression on her face but he seemed clueless.

"What?" He asked defensively, when Grace gave him a sharp nudge to the side. "I said I like it."

Grace simply gave him a pitiful smile.

"I can always tell when you're lying, Stefan." She replied with a cool tone as she went back in to the the fitting room.

As soon as her back was turned Nik sent Stefan a glare.

"Nice one." Nik quietly joked. "Good work."

"You're the one that pulled the dagger out of her." Stefan muttered back to him.

"I heard that." She snapped but it sounded like there wasn't much real malice in her tone. "Grace what about you? I need a woman's opinion on this."

"You look amazing but unless you are going to a party or upmarket club I don't really think it is you. I mean modern fashion kind of means you can wear what ever you want whenever you want but a little black dress isn't really day to day wear." Grace smiled walking over to the clothing rack pulling out some items. "Now these are still fashionable and perhaps even daring but they are too preppy or too put together."

Rebekah smiled as she took the bundle of clothes into her arms.

"See Nik, Stefan - that is how you talk to a lady. Tell her what she wants to hear but actually give her useful advice at the same time."

"Yeah alright." Nik waved his sister of before turning back to Grace. His face lit up as though he had stumbled upon a brilliant idea. "Rebekah why don't you pick out some things for Grace to try on."

"Ohh sounds fun." Rebekah giggled.

"Go as ridiculous as you want." Nik encouraged her.

"This is all pretty ridiculous for me." Rebekah laughed before diving into the clothes on display.

Within a couple of minutes she had come back with some choice items for Grace to try on. Laughing along at Rebekah's obvious enjoyment of the task she had been set Grace took her turn to go behind the curtain and try on that she had been given.

The two dresses went down well with everyone and if it wasn't for the eye watering price tag she would probably have wanted to get them - however the expense brought their beauty down by at least half.

The last item was a top - a little more daring than she was used too but the fabric was soft and the colour was just right. Pulling it on over her head she smiled as she walked out to give a mini fashion parade. At first the three of them were smiling but quickly the three smiles, Rebekah was left looking confused, Stefan's grip on his champagne flute tightened until it shattered and Nik jumped to his feet so fast Grace almost fell over.

Following their eyeline she looked down.

Gasping her hands flew to cover her midriff, in her admiration for the the dress she had failed to realise that it left her new scar on complete view. Her pale disfigured skin was bare for the world to see. Not that the world really mattered - all people of any importance were right in front of her and the secret she had been keeping from them had been laid to bare due to a simple slip of the mind.

Before either of them could say anything she ran back into the changing room and closed the curtain as fast as she could. Her mind was racing and tears were building in her eyes, she didn't know why though. Perhaps the looks of shock and sadness on Stefan's face or the anger on Nik's.

She hadn't meant to keep the secret this long but  I'm finding out undoubtedly means going back to Mystic Falls - he would want to enact his vengeance - and going back to Mystic Falls means even more things would come to light. Besides she had promised herself she would never go back there.

It took all of ten seconds for the silence to break and the shouting to begin, it sounded like Stefan and Nik were going to kill each other. Both asking the other what happened, how they didn't know and we hen had it happened. Then they started accusing each other and that's when the tears really started to come.

"If I find out you did this to her Salvatore I will rip your head from you shoulders myself."

"Don't even think for a second that I would lab a finger on her." Stefan snarled back at him. "How do I know it was you?"

There was a crash and what sounding like more glass smashing as the two of them made contact with each other.

"Enough!" Rebekah's voice cut through the clatter. Suddenly their was silence. "Now will the two of you pick yourselves up and walk it off."

"Grace."  Rebekah gently called sliding the curtain across. When she saw Grace slumped on the floor with tear stained cheeks she sat down opposite her. "Oh sweetie I'm so sorry."

"It's hardly your fault." Grace sniffed using the back of her hand to try and clear her eyes.

"I feel like it is though - if I'd have know I wouldn't have given you the top to try on."

"If you had known it wouldn't have been an issue because they would have know too."

"And why don't they know?" Rebekah asked tentatively. "It looks like a pretty old scar and I'm assuming at least one of them has seen your midriff before."

"It's not an old scar - it's a new wound but Gloria helped me heal it."

"Why the scar then? Gloria is normally a more effective healer than that."

"I thought she probably was - I don't really know why it scarred. I though having her heal it would solve my problem as there would be nothing left to see but apparently not."

"Well how did it happen?"  Rebekah asked, skidding so she was sitting next to her instead of opposite. "It's alright they are gone, they can't hear you."

"We were up in the mountains tracking a wolf pack but apparently we were being tracked too. I was waking back to the car and I spooked the people following me. The fired of a wooden stake but didn't bother to check what it hit. I took it out and bandaged myself up the best I could - I cleaned the blood so there was no obvious stains and ever since I had my period Nik doesn't really ask about the smell of blood anymore."  Grace said with a weak smile. "I was managing it quite well, cleaning and changing the bandages but Gloria caught on that there was something wrong. At first she thought I was pregnant but when she found out what was wrong she offered to help and that is kind of it."

"Those people following you, the ones that shot you. Do you know who they are?"

"Yes."

"Do you need me to go and take care of them?"

"No."  Grace smiled gently at Rebekah - she was a lot like her brother then

"Is that why you didn't tell them - you didn't want them to go and kill the people that did this to you."

"I didn't want to put Stefan in an impossible situation and I didn't want Nik to go on a killing spree. And besides they worry about me and fuss over me enough as if is, if they found out I got hurt I'd never have an inch of freedom or personal space ever again."  And she didn't want Nik to go back to Mystic Falls.

"We'll know they know so what are you going to do?"

"Tell them the truth I guess."  Or at least some of it.

"If that is what you want to do then tell them." Rebekah smiled. "My brother is an intimidating person and Stefan can seem distant but they both are intense people as well, they don't love half heartedly."

"Rebekah."  Grace began in protest.

"Just listen, my brothers heart is his own to give and Stefan was an important but impermanent part of my life. They both obviously care for you but your heart is yours to do what you will with it. Don't give it away because you feel like you owe it to someone."

Grace opened her mouth to argue or refute what Rebekah had told her but instead all that came out was a quite word of thanks.

"That's the boys back." Rebekah said standing up again. "Remember it's you story to tell as well - that also means you don't have to tell it. Now get changed and come out, or on second thought don't - the top suits you."

Leaving the changing room Rebekah left Grace there to collect her thoughts, her arms were still firmly wrapped around her torso as though they could form a protective shield and block out everything.

Leaving the safety of the changing room she stepped out to face the two of them. Rebekah had obviously had a word beucase they stood their begrudgingly silent.

"When we were in the mountains I got injured. Gloria healed me also I'm fine now and I really don't want to talk about it."

Their questions exploded as soon as she finished her sentence.

Standing her ground, steely eyed she waited for them to stop their questions when they realised she wasn't listening. 'I don't want to talk about it.'