Preordained Chapter 10
Preordained
by DebC and Christina A
Summary: Bruce & Grace reunite after a painful 4-month separation and everyone’s lives are affected.
Chapter Ten
Friday, January 21, 2005
Tying up the laces on her skates, Grace moved out onto the ice. It had been a couple years since she went ice-skating. The last time was the winter before she met Bruce. Courtney had dragged her out, and since Hope had been visiting, the three women had had a blast. But Grace had little doubt that the excursion today was going to far surpass that one.
True to her word, she wasn’t wearing purple winter gear. She had chosen a soft yellow this time. As the rink was outside, in a nice little park, she chose to wear a down stuffed yellow winter coat, waist length. She had a pair of matching yellow snow pants; and on top of her head, she wore a yellow hat and matching yellow gloves. She wore gloves though and not mittens as she wanted to be able to hold Bruce’s hand.
Moving out onto the ice, she waited for him to join her. School was back in session so the only other skaters on the ice were other grown ups… adults who either worked evenings or took the day off to spend it together. The press contingent had been small today, a couple curious reporters eager to get a picture of the reunited couple. They were easy to ignore. She was also able to easily ignore Mr. Sloane and his security men. Although she’d teased that she would have loved to have seen him on the ice.
Looking at Bruce, who was still on the bench, she smiled brightly at him. “Well…” She held out her hands for him. “No time like the present.”
“Okay, but I warn you, I haven’t been skating in a very long time.” His eyes were twinkling, the pain of the previous night seemingly forgotten. Bruce took her offered hands, his black gloves contrasting with her yellow ones as he rose to his bladed feet. They always contrasted, outwardly anyway, because of her bright, sunny looks and his dark tones. So, that he wore all black with silver accents to her yellow, it came as no surprise. Black was more of a ‘signature color’ for Bruce, whereas Grace shone vibrantly in any hue she donned.
He moved onto the ice with her, unsteadily at first, as if his legs were determined to illustrate his half-joking comment. His legs grew more confident, however, as he fell in beside her and they moved further away from the bench.
She couldn’t help but smile brightly as she felt him grow more confident. Spinning around she skated backwards, her eyes holding his as she let him set the pace. “It sure doesn’t look like you haven’t skated in a while. Maybe it’s like riding a bike… something you never forget. And with all the training you do, you have an excellent center of gravity.” She winked. “I remember when I first learned how to ice skate, Mom…” she paused and qualified, “Judy, not Janet, took me out on the center of the ice and I fell down so many times. I was four or five. I remember at one point I started to cry and Dad tried to come out and tell me I didn’t have to do it, but Mom was determined I learn. I ended up with a few bruises, but by the end of the day, I was skating. We celebrated with pizza.” She let her voice drift off and the smile stayed on her face at the memory. It was shortly after that when they found out her mom was pregnant with Hope.
She wasn’t sure why she told him that. She hadn’t told anyone else the story of that day. Like it was a precious and guarded memory about her mother. But with Bruce, she felt like sharing. Life with Judy wasn’t all bad; it just ended that way. “After that, I loved ice skating. Roller skating too.” She winked.
Bruce smiled at the story. Grace’s face was alight with the happy memory, and that made him happy, too. He moved away, easily circling her once before reaching to take her hand, just to hold her. “I was in England when I learned,” he told her, his voice thoughtful and distant. “It was winter after my parents… and I was behind in studies because I hadn’t returned right away.” He’d refused to go back, and at first Alfred had taken pity on him and allowed him to stay at the Manor instead of going back to his boarding school. “Alfred flew out to bring me some things for the Holidays and he took me to his brother’s home in the country.” Bruce smiled at the memory. “We spent hours every day after I completed my studies… trying to perfect a figure eight because I wanted to be like the Olympic skaters.”
“I sprained an ankle trying to learn how to do those jumps,” she smiled. She looked down at his feet before looking back up again at him. She loved doing things like this. Being at the Manor and cuddling was nice… fantastic even. But going out, doing things… she felt so alive. He was right; she could have so easily become a recluse, but she was glad she didn’t give in to it. Letting go of one hand, she had to concentrate only a little before lifting their joined hands and spinning once before landing in her original position. Her free hand took his again and she laughed lightly. “That either could have gone very well or very badly.” They came closer together, and she kissed him quickly before pulling back away. “I’ll bet you mastered that figure eight thing too, didn’t you?”
“Eventually, yes,” he replied, chuckling warmly. He was glad George had suggested it, and more than glad he’d relayed the suggestion to Grace. She was so happy, she seemed to glow, and that, of course, was what he’d wanted all along. “Would you like to try one with me?” He turned, facing her and took both her hands. Together, they skated a large circle in the ice, Bruce guiding her into the turns of the eight while skating backwards and Grace echoing his movements.
It must have made quite an image, as most of the people on the ice stopped to watch, as well as their media shadows and the bodyguards. Bruce didn’t care who watched, as his eyes were fixed only on the woman in front of him, locking him into this one moment.
She smiled as she flowed easily into the move with him. She’d noticed their contrasting outfits and how she highlighted her light features with light colors while he did the accented his darker ones with black. But when they moved together like this, there was no contrast. She was fair; he was dark. But when they did things like this, there was no doubt that they were one being… the connection so strong that they could move on instinct together. When they finished, she smiled brightly at him. “I think you have mastered the move,” she skated closer to him, not noticing the clapping from the people around them. He drew her in like a moth to the flame… only this fire wasn’t lethal. It was effervescent. “I also think you didn’t forget anything about skating at all.” She smiled brightly at him. She spun so that her back was to his front and she leaned against him as they continued to skate. “Nope, didn’t forget a thing.” She sighed happily.
Bruce slid his arms around her waist, keeping her close to him as they now made a leisurely circle of the rink. “So it would seem… although it could just be my skating partner,” he said softly. “You make me feel like I could do anything in the world.”
They skated a few more laps around the rink –sometimes holding one another and sometimes breaking away to do turns and spins. At one point, the rink owner decided to put their impromptu routine to music and they skated to Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue,” letting it dictate the tempo and variety of their moves, although mostly it resembled something out of the musicals and black and white films both enjoyed, only recreated on ice. Indeed, skating with Grace to his favorite piece of music of all times, Bruce felt very much like Fred Astaire. Or at the very least, one of his compatriots. And for once, he didn’t mind the cameras flashing from the sidelines.
When the song ended, they slowed to a stop near the edge of the ice. “Think they’ve had enough?” Bruce asked, laughing. Of course, he meant their impromptu audience, some of whom were leaving as if they felt the show was over and others of whom were politely applauding. The cold air was nipping at their faces, leaving cheeks and noses a rosy shade. “I thought I heard Alfred say something about cocoa when we get back…” It wasn’t a subtle hint. Alfred made the best cocoa –rich and creamy, with much finer chocolate than anything you could buy from a grocery store. As a kid, Bruce would stand on tiptoe to peer over the top of the counter so he could watch the butler make it. And right now, Bruce could think of no better way to celebrate a day this good than by sharing the delicious treat with Grace by a warm fire.
The last of the onlookers drifted away, and Grace placed her warm gloved hands on his cold cheeks. She was smiling, had been all day long. The entire afternoon had been like a beautiful dream. After the trauma and heartache of the past couple days, they had deserved something like this. She moved her hands from his cheeks to her cheeks and chuckled. “Nice warm cocoa… a big roaring fire… blanket bundled around us. Sounds absolutely fantastic.” Her hands reached out for his again. “Though we really should come back and do this again sometime. An encore performance perhaps?”
“I think that could be arranged,” he told her, bringing his hands up to join hers for a moment. He was smiling as well. Today had been one of the best days in his memory; they could definitely do it again. He led her over to their bench, where they sat and began to remove their skates. “Like I said, I haven’t done this in a long time. It’s definitely something we should do again before the season passes us by.”
He removed his skates one at a time, replacing them with his boots. When he was finished, he stood and offered her his hand. “Shall we adjoin to a warmer climate?” he asked, meaning home. She took his hand, nodding in the affirmative, and they walked to the limousine.
The ride home was made in relative silence, holding one another. Grace’s gaze moved periodically from their joined hands to his eyes.
Today had been, beyond words… indescribable… exhilarating… There was no way she could keep the happiness out of her eyes. When they did talk, her tone of voice brightened and she exuded life and love. She had come full circle back to herself. She felt completely safe and happy, and it showed.
When the limo pulled into the Manor, she let Bruce help her out. Her hand immediately sought out his as they approached the door and Alfred opened it. It was almost instinctive to take his hand when they walked or rest her head on his shoulder. It’s where she belonged, after all.
The door, unsurprisingly, opened as they approached, and Alfred smiled warmly at them. “I take it you had a good afternoon,” he said to both of them.
They responded with identical nods and smiles.
As they entered the foyer, Grace removed her coat after Alfred took her skates. It was as he was taking Bruce’s skates that he said, “Mistress
Courtney phoned and would like for someone to return her call.”
Grace laughed. “That would be your job, Bruce,” she joked. “No way am I getting a lecture on household etiquette.” Besides, more than likely it was Bruce she’d end up talking to anyway. It was how things worked. Though Courtney and Grace had been friends for about twenty years, the bond they shared wasn’t anywhere near the bond Courtney had with Bruce. And Grace didn’t mind. How could she? They both had friends that they relied on especially. Neither could fault the other in any way. “I’m sure she’s thought up a good comeback to the ‘Knock next time’ comment you tossed at her,” she winked as she said.
Chuckling, Bruce worked his way out of his remaining snow clothes. When he was down to his blue jeans and the Gotham University sweatshirt he’d thrown on haphazardly that morning, he took the phone from Alfred and dialed Courtney’s number.
Grace headed up the stairs preferring to remove the rest of her snow clothes in her room. She was sure the cap had left her hair frizzed and wanted to fix it. As she walked up the stairs, she heard Bruce’s voice say, “Courtney.”
*-*-*
Courtney picked up the phone on the second ring, resting back against
Seth as they watched the basketball game he’d TiVo’d the night before.
“You’ve had a busy day,” she said into the phone, her voice somewhat somber from the lack of general activity through the day. “Alfred said you and Grace went ice skating?”
“Yeah, we did. Just getting back, actually.” He ambled into the living room just off the library and sat down in a chair. “You should come join us next time,” he said, assuming there would be a next time. “It was fun.” ‘It was,’ he thought with a smile. “So… what about you? Have you decided calling was safer than just barging in unannounced?” Here he grinned just a little.
She laughed lightly at that. “Safer for you maybe. I wasn’t the one with the red face, having to hide behind my girlfriend.”
Seth, who had no doubts as to what that comment pertained to, simply shook his head. “Courtney Evelyn…”
She smiled at him. “Well, he did.” To Bruce, she said, “You give people carte blanche…” She smiled brightly. “I make no promises about repeat incidents, though I promise to try to behave like a civilized person.” That comment got a ‘Ha!’ from Seth who got an elbow in the ribs.
“I’ll believe that when I see it.” Bruce laughed heartily, obviously having gotten over whatever embarrassment he had experienced over the incident. “Anyway,” still chuckling “Alfred said you called while we were out?” Curiosity tinged his voice. “What’s up?”
The door opened behind him and he turned his head just in time to see Grace entering. She’d stripped of her snow clothes and was now dressed in jeans and a yellow angora sweater. It looked soft and touchable, and suddenly his hands itched to do just that. Patting the seat next to him, he turned his attention back to Courtney, waiting on an answer.
Grace slipped off her shoes and cuddled into the chair with him. That was the best thing about the big chairs in this place. They were just the right size for two. She sat beside him, her body pressed to his, now listening intently to his end of the conversation.
Courtney’s voice turned more serious as she looked at Seth. “Yeah, I did call earlier.” She paused for the longest moment. Why was it so hard to say the words? It was like she was getting an abscessed tooth pulled without anything to numb it. If she had taken her eyes off her husband, she probably would have changed her mind and made up an excuse about the phone call. But she didn’t, and she couldn’t, so she inhaled deeply and said, “About the bodyguard. I suppose I’ve changed my mind.”
“You have!?” He sounded pleasantly amazed. Turning his face away from the phone, he repeated the message to Grace. They shared surprised smiles. “Nee, that’s great!” he told Courtney as he turned his attention back to her. “You have to thank Seth for me, okay?”
“Yeah,” Courtney sighed, feeling Seth’s supportive arm come around her. “I’ll let him know. It’s just…” She closed her eyes for a moment.
“It’s just going to be strange, knowing someone’s watching my every move. And if Seth hadn’t pulled the ‘do it for me’ card, I doubt I’d have changed my mind.” She picked at some invisible lint on her jeans and this time, it was her mother’s words that entered her mind and her mother’s words that she repeated. “It’s not just me I have to live for… And I lose sight of that sometimes. Seth happily reminded me.”
Her husband spoke a bit loudly so Bruce could hear. “Sometimes we gotta make her do what’s best for her,” he teased.
She looked over and mock-glared at him. “Do you see me laughing?” At that she couldn’t help but crack a smile.
Leaning in, Seth said into the phone. “No laughing, but definitely smiling.”
She pushed him away and said, “Be quiet and watch your ballgame. I’m talking to my friend on the phone.”
Bruce’s smile had sobered a bit as he heard her reluctant admission of why, but he still smiled at the Meyers’ antics. No matter what was happening, they always seemed to find something to be even a little cheerful about, a knack Bruce had never mastered. With him, it was either all good, or all bad –highs or lows and never any middle plateaus. Especially without Grace in his life.
“I understand… or at least I hope I do,” he told her. “But you have to remember, I grew up with bodyguards. They’re second nature to me.” He hoped this explained why he didn’t really share her concerns over someone watching him, or them. “I’m just… really glad you changed your mind.” It didn’t matter to him why she’d done it, just that she had.
“It happens so rarely,” she didn’t mind stating the obvious. She picked her beer up off the coffee table and took a swig before handing it to Seth so he could finish it off. “At the end of the day, what really matters is peace of mind and everyone is pretty much in agreement that this is the best move, so I’ll listen.” Her tone was genuine as she said, “And thanks, Bruce. I mean, I know I’m giving you a hard time over it and all, but,” she shrugged, “if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be me.” She started off serious but ended in a light laugh. “Part of all the fun and all.”
She smiled even wider as she asked, “So, tell me about your day… this ice skating. Did you fall? If you did, did you take Grace with you? Please tell me she didn’t wear that bright florescent pink snow outfit she has. I love her dearly, but pink… soooooo not her color.” She laughed. “Ever notice, designers put her in every color BUT pink.”
Bruce shook his head. He had noticed that, but truthfully? It didn’t matter to him what Grace wore; she was beautiful all the time. “We were bees, today,” he told Courtney. He smiled once again as he went over the events of the day in his mind. “You’d think I would fall, huh? I haven’t been skating in… You know, I don’t remember the last I was skating; it’s been that long. But no, didn’t fall. Though, Grace and I did put on a bit of a show.” He told her about the reporters and other skaters who’d stopped to watch them skate, his voice lighter than Courtney had ever heard it.
She smiled widely, poking Seth lightly in the ribs to get his attention and give him a non-verbal signal that things were going well. “It’s kinda like that, you know?” she spoke softly, happily. “When you find the right one, they hold you up so you don’t fall.” She furrowed her brows for a moment as something dawned on her. Sitting up a bit straighter, she said, “Hold on a minute. You,” she put emphasis on that word, “were out in public and *you* put on a show for the reporters? You? Mr. Private Person… put on a show! As in not minding them taking pictures… not minding them asking questions… not minding that people were watching you?” She smiled brightly. “You got it bad.” She all but beamed now. “And I have to admit, I’m sooooo happy to see it happen.”
Bruce chuckled, but when he spoke, his voice held a small note of awe when he realized what she’d just said… what he’d done without knowing it. “Really, Nee, I didn’t even notice them. The whole world could have ended and it was just Grace and I on the ice, I swear. Although… I’m pretty sure there’ll be pictures in the paper tomorrow or Sunday.”
“I am,” Courtney said to Bruce, “very proud of you. And let them put photos in the paper. You and Grace look fantastic together.” She paused for a moment, curious about something. She knew about the plans for Sunday, but wondered if he had any clue. So rather stealthily, she asked, “So what do you guys have planned for this weekend? Anything exciting or are you just going to re-initiate some of the rooms in the Manor?”
“Courtney, I swear,” Seth said with a laugh. “The way you talk, you make it sound like you are perpetually horny.”
Of course, that remark earned him another pinch in the ribs. “We’ve already discussed initiations.” To Bruce, she asked again, “So?”
“Hadn’t really thought about it.” Truthfully, aside from today, he and Grace had just been spending their days as they came. He looked at Grace, asking her “Do we have plans for tomorrow?”
“None that I’m aware of,” she replied.
About this time, Alfred came into the room with their cocoa in two steaming cups on the silver tea tray. A silver bowl with mini-marshmallows accompanied the cups. He set the tray down on the coffee table. Having heard the question, he politely interjected, “Tomorrow is cook’s day off, Master Bruce.”
“Oh… yeah.” Bruce furrowed his brows and then said to Courtney. “How ‘bout you and Seth come over for Chinese? My treat.”
“Seth loves Chinese,” Courtney said, remembering how good the Mandarin tasted the day Bruce made it for her. “You are cooking, right?”
“Bruce cooks,” Seth commented with a raised brow. “Interesting. And me? Always up for Chinese.”
Courtney laughed. “At least your up for something,” she quipped teasingly which earned her a growl from her husband. “Seth grunted that we’d love to join you guys for dinner tomorrow night.” She laughed as she said.
Grace, who noticed that Bruce had raised an eyebrow at whatever comment
Courtney was making, reached forward and grabbed a steaming mug of cocoa, blowing into it and smiling as the steam tickled her nose. “Dangle Chinese in front of Seth’s nose and he’ll do anything,” she smiled again as she blew into the cup before tasting carefully. Her features softened and she sighed happily. “Delicious.” She sat back next to him, while he finished talking to Courtney.
“Of course I’m cooking. Is there any other way to have it?” he asked, quipping. “Unless you want to fly to China for the real thing?” Courtney groaned and Bruce winked at Grace. “Why don’t you guys call Alex and AnnaBeth? Have them show up… anytime after two and we’ll make a day of it. Mostly spontaneous fun.”
“Oooo, spontaneity!” Courtney waggled her brows. Apparently, she had said it rather loudly because she could hear Grace laugh in the background. “I’ll have Seth call Alex when we get off the phone and set everything up. I’m not sure he and AnnaBeth have spent a moment apart since last weekend.”
“Yeah, but she curses at him constantly in Greek,” Seth said with a shrug. “Strange relationship.”
Grace’s cocoa had cooled to where she had sipped it down enough that she could add marshmallows without worrying about her cup running over. Grabbing a spoon, she leaned back again, situating herself and quietly content now to dunk in the minis and watch them bob up again. As Courtney and Bruce finalized plans, she became rather happily lost in her own thoughts… how comfortable this was… just being able to sit here with him and hear the deep timbre of his voice as he talked to
Courtney.
She honestly didn’t need to be a part of the conversation; she was happily content sitting here with him. She’d look up when he chuckled and smiled before going back to her marshmallows, eating one when it looked adequately soaked and just before it completely melted.
Courtney continued, “But if we can drag them out of his penthouse, we’ll bring them along for sure. Like I said, Seth will call and let them know. Just remember, Alex eats more than Grace and I do combine.”
“I’ll make a list so we can stock up on provisions,” Bruce joked, but he knew Alex had a hollow leg… or two. He’d seen the man eat enough times to know not to take him to an all-you-can-eat buffet ever again. “Tomorrow, then?” he reconfirmed before saying good-bye to his friend. Hanging up, he set the phone down and reached for his own, now much cooler cocoa. Leaning back into the chair with it, he forced both himself and Grace to wiggle a little in order to get comfortable. Soon, though, they were curled together in the chair.
“So the gang is coming over tomorrow?” she asked softly, still playing with her marshmallows. Her head rested near his as she started sipping at her cocoa again. “Anything in particular I can help you with tomorrow? Cutting vegetables? Distracting you with tempting thoughts?” She moved forward and set her cup down on the tray before curling completely into him.
“Distracting me with…” he echoed, pausing to sip more of his cocoa. Setting his aside as well, he turned his head to hers. “Distraction sounds like fun. We could slip off… disappear for a while… I know plenty of places we could ‘get lost’ in for a while.” He was kidding, only slightly though. Tilting his head, he brought his lips to hers. Her kiss tasted of the rich chocolate, sweetness, and Grace. There was nothing else to describe it. Just… Grace.
Pulling away from the kiss, he planted another on the top of her head. “Whatever you want to help with,” he told her. “Or just hang out and have fun with our friends.”
Her hand moved up his chest and touched his cheek, turning his face to hers. “I want to be where you are,” she said with a smile. “And since my mother is an excellent cook, she made sure Hopeful and I knew all the tricks of the trade. I can slice and dice with the best of them, baby.” She gave him a wink. “So, how about we slice and dice… mingle… get things really hot in the kitchen,” she smiled as her face drew closer to his, “and then maybe get lost a few places between here and there while we’re at it.” Her lips were ghosting against his as she said, “And since we know the hurricane is contained, maybe we can practice right now.” She really didn’t wait for a response; she didn’t have to as her lips met his and everything was answered for her.
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