"GOODNIGHT GRACIE"

( season four / episode 24 )

The plane was all but bearable. Paige reached her plane at the very last second and got onto a plane where there were so many noises. Or atleast that was what she thought.

Her mind was all over the place, she didn't know what to think, what to say or what to do. She had packed her entire life in Paris in 2 days and left the place. She hadn't seen her family in 2 years and she didn't know what to say. Her mom had died and she was apparently the last one to know that. Her dad broke the news to her later in the day, he wasn't at all mad at Paige to come back just for a funeral but it was saddening.

She knew her mother was the most disappointed of her for not visiting them. She showed that in most of their calls. She still loved her mom and her mom loved her back. A lot. Apparently she had left a little something back for her in Florida.

And that's where this plane was heading. She was sitting beside a kind stranger who didn't care about the situation she was in. he just smiled at her when she first sat in her sat and then he carried on with his life. He looked so happy, maybe he still had a mother he had hugged daily, maybe he was also going to her, maybe he never abandoned his family while just calling them once a week. Maybe he was happy.

She let out a sigh and closed her eyes, currently she was in a fetus position upright and was resting her head against the window, the cool air was annoying her after the initial hour but she had to bear it.

She was moving back to her home and she had to face the ugly truth. Sleep was never easy for her but surprisingly she slept through most of the flight easily. Maybe the tiredness finally took over her.

☆☆☆

After departing from the flight. She was waiting outside for her father to come and pick her up. She had insisted on getting an UBER but her father was a stubborn man and argued that he would come up and pick up his daughter after 2 years of not meeting her. The words stung but she quickly agreed, not having the strength to fight back.

The heat was so much more worse than she anticipated, she couldn't believe it. A few minutes later, her dad appeared with his usual bright smile, but she could see the dimness it is. Her mother always made him happy. She smiled back at him and he got out of the car. Paige hugged him so tight that she never wanted to let go, she felt a few tears fall and she pulled back, wiping her tears away.

"Uh, hi dad." She told, still smiling.

'Hi, sweetie, I'm happy you're back." He told with a sigh.

"I'm happy too but I wish it were under different circumstances Pa." She looked away and noticed her suitcases. "I'll put those in the back yeah?" She asked and moved them towards the trunk.

Her dad opened it up and she set them. She sat in the front seat and half of the car ride was comfortable silence with her father singing here and there. Him and Phil were always like eachother.

"Oh my god! Dad, Phil and his family. Oh, do they know I'm coming back?' she asked facing her dad.

"No they don't, I've kept it a secret. Thought you would love that Pay Pay." He tapped on the steering wheel to a beat and just continued staring towards he road.

"Oh! Yes. I love that. Thank you." She smiled and looked out of the window. That was the first time she had smiled genuinely. All because of her dear brother.

The time passed and they reached the house quite sooner than she thought they would. It all looked the same. Nothing had been changed, even the dent in the wall that she had made with her suitcase the first time she went away. Her father led the way and she looked at the inside of her house. It hadn't been changed, nothing had. Except her, she was the only thing different in this room.

She told her father that she would take a quick shower and wait for Phil's family who would be coming in a few hours.

Her room was all the same, except that there was no dust on it, she knew her mom was too stubborn to let any room be dirty, even if it was abandoned. It was all so clean. The covers were just as the same as the last time she left them. She didn't want to cry but her mother wasn't making it easy. She took her clothes and went to shower, she couldn't handle the memories in the room.

After coming back, she kept her clothes in the closet quickly and went downstairs to wait. Her dad had made her tea, the her and her mom always liked, she hadn't had this like this in a few months and it brought up some bittersweet memories for her. Luckily her dad saved her by asking something.

"Hm? Could you repeat that dad?" She sipped her tea and set it down.

"Oh yes. I asked, how had your job been going sweetie?" He finished his tea and set it down too.

"Oh uh well? Most of my designs are doing well in the industry ya know. I'm glad they're selecting me but they weren't happy when I said I wanted to switch to the California branch." She wanted to stay in Florida but the company she worked for worked were in California and that's where they sent her. Atleast she would be living with her brother, for a while until she found her own home.

Time passed slowly as they made some small talk but mostly sat in silence, she couldn't bear to talk about the passing of her mother. It hurt just to even think about it, so she waited until her brother and his family came. Apparently, the entire side of Claire's family were coming too. That would ease the tension maybe. They came just about an hour and a half later.

The door bell rung and Paige immediately stood up, she was nervous now. How would her brother even react. Would he hate her? Would he yell at her to leave just as she before? She was getting worried.

"Should I get it Paige" Her father asked as he stood up.

"That would be nice. Thank you." She nodded at him. She was thankful he understood why she didn't want to.

She stayed back for a few minutes, listening as everyone talked and the family met. She realised that she had to go outside too. She wiped her hands on her jeans and let out a small sigh. She could do this.

The family were talking about something just as Paige popped her head outside of the door. Claire was the first to notice and yelled out.

"Hey! I didn't know you were back. It's been so long. Come out here!" Everyone's head turned towards her and she stepped out.

"Hi guys, how are ya?" She spoke out with lesser enthusiasm than Claire. Her dad let out a sigh and looked towards Phil. Paige did the same.

She couldn't decipher the look on her brother's face, what was he thinking? What could she even say to fix the things that had happened? She braced herself to get yelled at, instead all she got was a tight hug. It took her a few seconds to even comprehend what was happening, but when she did. She hugged him back even tighter.

"Thank you for coming back." Phil whispered in her ear. She knew it was harder for him to be able to even look at her. She was an exact copy of her mom, while he was of his dad's.

"I'm not leaving again Fifi." She smiled, closing her eyes.

"Well, do we get hugs too?" Claire asked for the others as they waited eagerly when she parted from Phil.

"Yes, of course!" She chuckled giving hugs to the entire family. They were all she had.

"How are you doing? How are you holding on?" Claire asked her dad just as Paige finished hugging Haley, there was still a little tension between the two of them but the both of them smiled through the hug.

"You know...getting through it. I'm doing okay. A little trouble sleeping. I'm so used to her snoring, I may have to borrow the neighbor's bulldog." Everyone chuckled at that, although she could see the tiredness in her dad's eyes, but he had told her not to worry, knowing Frank, he could get through it.

"Morning, Charlotte!" her father exclaimed to the neighbor who appeared in the house next door to them. "This is my family from California!" He told her.

"I can tell. They all look like movie stars." The family all smiled when she said that.

"Oh, thank you." Cameron told, raising his hands.

"That's nuts, I know that woman, but I have no idea from where." jay was the one who spoke out, looking at their neighbor.

"Yeah. This place is full of stories like that." Just as her father told that, a women in a scooter came towards them. She looked like a mailman, probably was too.

"Goodmorning Mr. Dunphy, visitors." The woman nodded in acknowledgment as she parked her scooter in front of them.

"Please, Shelley, call me Frank." Her father asked, approaching the woman.

"No, sir. That might be the way they do things in Whistling Pines, but we run a tight ship at Leisure Park." She told them sternly. "As per you request, I have reserved the lakeside promenade this evening for one hour, beginning at 5:00 p.m., for your memorial service." Paige had dreaded that hour since she came back, but maybe with her family being here, it could be a little bit easier.

"May I remind you that there's no smoking on the grounds, no glass near the lake, no feeding the ducks? I'm sorry for your loss." The woman continued monotonously.

"Thank you." Her brother told.

"No feeding the ducks." The woman stared into Phil's soul, or that what it looked like from where Paige stood.

"What are you looking at me for?" Phil tried to act nonchalant but Shelley clicked her fingers sharply at him and he pulled out some breadcrumbs from his pocket. The family standing beside her all turned away at their father's antics but all Paige wondered was how long did Phil keep that in his pocket for and also how the woman knew.

☆☆☆

While the others parted their ways to go do their own things, Paige's dad called her aside to have a 'talk' and to also giver her something.

They were currently sitting in the dining room and her dad held a thick book against his chest. It looked worn out and the pages were spilling with things.

"Dad you do that we've had the 'talk' right? No need to do it again?" Paige tried to crack up a joke but it was so bad that she internally cringed.

"Oh, honey... it's not that" He chuckled a little and set the book on the table." Your mother, she uh- she kept something aside for you. Had it ever since you were born. She told me that the book was never ending even if she wouldn't be there to give it. Never knew what that meant until after she left and I read through it. So, uh, here you go Pay Pay." He slowly pushed the book towards her.

She looked at him carefully and opened the leather book. The first page was a picture of her and her mom when she was born. And there was a note at the bottom 'ever so happy to have a little girl, my never ending Paige(s)' the note was so small yet it teared her up. Paige smiled at the little S at the end of her name. it was a clever thing her mom did. Just reading the first page, she realised how much of a bitch she was to not spend the last few years with her parents.

"Oh, god. Dad..." she covered her mouth and looked at him in tears. "I miss her, oh, god." her father immediately enveloped her in a tight hug. "I've been such a bad daughter dad, how could I do this?" She clutched onto him and let out soft sobs.

"There, there, little Pay Pay. You're here now. That's all that matters." He tried to console her but he himself couldn't stop from tearing up.

"But I left you guys, I left all of you. I missed her last few moments here." She whispered out, still sobbing into him. He gently patted her head and they sat there for a few minutes, the moment passing by in silence. All Paige could do was let it out now.

After she was done, she wiped her tears with the sleeve of her top and pulled away from her dad. "I'm going to keep this and continue it. She would've wanted me to." She slowly said.

"That's nice sweetie." Her father smiled at her. "Maybe, go and visit the place yeah? It could take your mind off of things?" He suggested and she nodded to him.

"Yeah, that seems good." She got out of the room, waving bye and went to keep the book upstairs.

☆☆☆

Paige got out of the house and saw some random women approaching it with casseroles in their hands, they politely smiled at her and went inside the house. Paige just gave a weird look to them and went towards her dad's car. Since she didn't have one here she took his car. She'd seen a café while her dad was picking her up from the airport. She thought she would try it out, get some peace of mind and whatnot.

She soon reached the place, it looked cute. Worthy enough to take some pictures but Paige was just not in the mind to take them. The place had a few customers going about their day, enjoying their lives probably.

Paige let out a deep sigh and went towards the counter, "Coffee please, dark. And uh two cookies?" she thought out.

The person taking her order nodded towards her, "Coming right up!" why did everyone suddenly seem so happy to her, everyone was giggling around her yet Paige was the one struck with sadness. She shook out the thoughts and saw that person had placed her order infront of her. She took the food and went to a corner where no one seemed to sit.

It was perfect, just how she wanted it. She set the food on the table and took out her phone, she hadn't checked it since she departed the flight many hours ago, she honestly didn't feel like it either. Her friends had spammed had messages and she multiple missed calls. Taking a sip of her coffee, she clicked on the groupchat with her two best friends, Tallulah and Riley.

She typed out a quick message saying that she was alright and had reached safely and that her family wasn't at all mad at her. She took a picture of the cookies and coffee and sent it to her friends. 'look? All better. Don't worry about me you guys.'

Just as she kept her phone of the table, her eyes landed on a man who just entered the café. It was the same man who she sat beside on her flight. He must've noticed her too, he gave her a big smile and she returned it with a smaller one.

She noticed him coming towards her, and that meant that he was going to talk.

"Hey there! Aren't you the girl who sat beside me on a boring plane ride?" He asked a bit enthusiastically for her. She noticed that he had an accent on, so he wasn't from America.

"Hmm, yes, that would be me." She just nodded with a smile.

"Oh, uh I'm Grayson. Wouldn't want a random man to sit next to you without knowing his name would ya?" He raised his hand for her to shake.

She declined it by saying, "Ohh, but I have sat next to you now, haven't I Mr. Grayson." he smiled at her and slowly pulled his hand away.

"I'm, Paige, and I'm hoping you're not a weirdo." She gave him a quizzical look, wondering why he was still sitting next to her.

"Oh, no, sorry! You were the only person I recognised here and I didn't wanna sit alone... but I'm thinking you did?" She nodded at that. "So sorry then, I'll leave you be." He was about to get up from his chair but Paige stopped him, she didn't even know why she did that.

"No, stay. It's all new for me too." She smiled at him and he smiled back. "So, Grayson, I'm noticing an accent there, you're not from America are you?" She tried to make conversation.

"Nope, born and brought up in Britain, I just came here to meet up with a few friends, then I leave in three days." He told, taking a sip pf his drink afterwards.

"Oh, well, that's cool." Paige nodded.

"What about you Miss Paige. What brings you here?" He asked, Paige did not want to tell him the truth so she deflected the question by a half truth.

"Oh, family matters. Ya know." She told awkwardly. The conversation from then went smoothly, Grayson didn't pry information from her and he honestly seemed to enjoy their conversation.

"I hate to stop talking but I just realised how late it's gotten and I have to go back home, yes." She looked at her phone, noticing that it was 4;20 already, it would take her ten minutes to go home. And an additional 15 to get ready for the memorial. So, she had to leave now.

"Oh, that's fine, no worries! Can I have your number? I would love to talk again." He asked politely with a smile.

"How about I have yours? I will text back, don't worry." She extended her phone out to him.

"Sure." He quickly added his number and gave her phone back.

"Thank you. It was nice meeting you Grayson! Bye!" She got up from her seat and waved goodbye as she exited the café. She soon found her car and turned it on.

Pulling it out of the driveway, a huge sigh was released. She realised what she was going to now, and what she had to say. 'I can do it.' that's what she kept chanting the entire time until she reached her house.

☆☆☆

She went up to her room to get into the clothes she had placed aside before, a simple lack sweater with a black skirt and some boots fit her well enough for the thing she did not want to attend, she knew she would break down again if she did but not attending would just solidify her being known as a person who leaves everything. She couldn't do it. Not again.

Soon after, she sat in her dad's car, while he was in passengers seat. While the others decided to come in their own vehicle.

"You know, Gracie would've loved this. Everyone being here. Sometimes I feel she is watching over us." Her dad sighed out, he was staring fronting with a solemn expression.

"I know, dad. I know." And that's all that was said during the car ride. They sat in a comfortable silence as Paige drove to the place.

They reached the place in a little while just as everyone was pouring in. there were a few amount of people she could recognise but most of them were old friends of her parents who came to pay their respects.

She saw her family sitting at the front and went here, she took a seat next to her brother who just nodded at her. The two hadn't talked much since morning and she wanted to change that. She would tell her plans to him after everything ended, but for now all they could do was lean on eachother as their beloved mother watched over them.

The ceremony started with a beautiful piece being played. That lasted for about 5 minutes, all Paige could do was smile and wonder what her mother must be thinking of this memorial , would she have really loved it just like her dad said? Or would she have wanted something crazier?

"Thank you, Mel. That was beautiful." Her brother got up to give a speech to the crowd.

"Um, before we say goodnight, my daughter Alex would like to pay tribute." Alex went up to give her dad a hug.

"My grandmother and I had a very special bond. This may not make sense to everyone, but I'm pretty sure she would've loved it. Alex told everyone with a smile. That's when Paige knew her mother still had a crazy thing planned.

A man came up to Alex and held out something and the girl put a lighter to it, suddenly fireworks started bursting in the sky and they looked so beautiful. Now this is something her mom would've wanted. Paige smiled with tears in her eyes and her brother held out a hand to her. She clutched onto it tightly, giving reassurance that she would never leave them again. Ever.

addie's notes!

i feel like there must be so many continuity errors 😭 i haven't written properly in a year guys, please dont judge this and also im blaming it on being the first chapter even though it is 3k works ahhh.

anyway hope you enjoyed!

THANKS FOR READING HOMESICK