#everymilebetweenus

Grace groans as she feels someone rubbing her back and pushes her face further into the warm chest she’s using as a pillow. 

“You gonna get up darlin’? It’s Sunday, so we gotta get to Cleveland later for Claudio’s match.” He skims his fingers down her back and it makes her shudder. 

She hears his lighter and she groans. “Don’t get any ashes on me.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it, little brat.”

“Were you able to get her to wake up meine Liebe?” Grace smells coffee and smiles when she hears the two men kiss good morning. “You and your cigarettes.” She nestles further into Moxie’s chest when Claudio kisses her on the head before turning her face toward him for a peck on the lips. “Ah, she is awake.”

“I’m not awake.” She groans and sets her teeth in Jon’s collarbone when they laugh. 

“I have coffee for you, piccolina.”

“Watch your teeth puppy.” Mox warns and she kisses the spot sweetly. 

Grace sits up with her back on the wall and pats the mattress for Claudio to sit down with them, sighing in content when she’s surrounded by the heat of her boyfriends. “You know one day y’all are gonna have to get a headboard, right?” She laughs as Jon and Claudio snort into their coffee cups. 

“You have two men who are over six feet, tesoro, we should be lucky we all fit in this bed.” 

“I’m only jokin’, we could be on the floor with blankets, and I’d be happy.” 

“Alright ya sappy shits, we gotta get up and get ready.” Moxie growls out but softens the bite by kissing both of them before heading to the bathroom and she laughs as Claudio gracefully climbs out of the bed to follow him after throwing her a wink. 

Grace elbows Jon as he snickers while Claudio straightens his gear. “Claudio, guapo, I love you but what is that you’re wearing?” 

“What do you mean Bellissima?”

“You look-.” She looks at Moxie for help. 

“Like a sleazy used car salesman, babe.” He grunts when she elbows him again. “Ow, what? He asked.” He rubs his side as she shakes her head and walks over to Claudio.

“Good luck tonight baby; we’ll be out there cheering you on.” She reaches up to cup his cheeks and pull him down for a kiss. “That’s for good luck.” She kisses him deeply and smiles when he groans as she pulls away. “And that was just because.” She throws him a wink as she walks away to go find Bryan, kissing Jon as he passes her to give Claudio his own brand of luck. 

She smiles and shakes her head as she hears Claudio’s shocked gasp and swearing as she closes the door. She finally ends up at the right door and knocks.

“Bry! You decent?” She calls out. “I’m coming in!” 

“Hey Gracie! Come in! I’m just finishing up, but bathroom door is closed.”

“No William tonight? I thought he’d be here?” She asks and hears him sigh. 

“Something came up one of the shows and Vince needed Will’s help.” She hears him scoff and sigh. “He’ll be Philly though for ROH versus CZW on the fifteenth. Will you be there?” 

“I’m gonna try! I know Mox is working and training, but I’m gonna try to be there with Claudio.” 

They are interrupted by a worker letting them know that were ready for Bryan and that he was going out to the ring first. “Well, that’s me. I’ll see you out there.” 

She hugs him again and wishes him luck before going to find Claudio and Jon. She gives Claudio one last good luck kiss and follows Jon to their seats. They make sure to cheer loudly for Claudio as he comes out and Grace can see the wink, he throws at them, so she blows him a kiss while Jon plays lovestruck and puts a hand to his heart. 

“Did he tell you if he’s winning?” She whispers to Mox.

“Nah, we don’t usually tell each other, but I bet our boy wins it.” She kisses his cheek enthusiastically. 

“He’s our champ; he’s got this!” 

Grace stays on the edge of her seat through the thirty minutes but doesn’t start to get worried until the last thirty seconds where all three men are tied at one. She jumps out of her seat as the final bell rings, and it’s announced that Claudio retains the CAPW belt at two falls to the other two’s one and she is so proud. She turns to Jon and sees the pride shine in his eyes at their soulmate and she grabs his hand to head to the back before it gets too busy with people leaving. 

Grace cooks dinner that night so that Jon has food for work the next night and listens to the guys talk ‘shop’ about their next opponents and matches. She throws in little tidbits that she thinks would help them and she smiles when they take in what she says and asks her opinion on other things too. 

“Why you surprised babe? Your family is made up of legends and you work at the wrestling school; we’d be stupid not to listen to what you have to say.” A look must pass on her face because Jon lets out a low snarl. “I swear Grace if I ever meet your stepdad or mom, I’m goin’ ta jail.” 

She sighs and puts the spoon down before going over to her irate boyfriend and scratching his scalp to calm him down. “No, you’re not Jon. They are absolutely not worth it, ya hear me?” She pulls gently on his hair to lean his head back and kisses him on the forehead. “I love you though, you feral beast.” She lets go and heads back to the stove, laughing as he smacks her on the butt and calls her a brat. 

Claudio catches her by the waist and pulls her to sit in his lap before kissing her sweetly. “Everything you say is important to us, piccolina, and we love you so much.” He brushes her hair out of her face and cups her cheek before kissing her breathless. 

“Damn champ, y’all keep kissing me like that I’ll never want to go back to El Paso.” 

“El Paso? Not home?” Claudio asks, smiling when she shakes her head and looks between them.

“El Paso will always be home because it’s where I found my family, but wherever you two are, that’s where my heart lies from now on.” 

She doesn’t know Jon moves until she feels his lips on her neck. “I’m not very hungry tonight; think dinner can wait until breakfast tomorrow?” He growls into her neck. “Kind of wanna congratulate our champ and appreciate our girl.”

“I think that’s an excellent idea, Jon.” She makes a noise of complaint as Jon stands her up but sighs happily as Jon gives her one of his biting kisses. 

“Good, you take her to the room, and I’ll put everything away for tomorrow.”

“But guys-.” Grace doesn’t get the chance to protest as Claudio spins her around and throws her over his shoulder. “Claudio put me down!”

“No, I don’t think I will until we get to our bed.” She hears the two men kiss and she blushes at Jon’s groan. “Don’t take too long, mein Hertz (my heart).” Claudio growls out before turning and carrying her to the room.

She jumps out of the car excitedly when Claudio puts it in park. Jon gets out and looks around the mall parking lot at all the cars and Grace can see him stiffen. She crowds up against him, running her fingers through his hair.

He lets out a low rumble. “A couple of hours, Moxie, I swear. We got our beautiful Swiss with us, and no one will screw with you, but if you really want to go we can.” 

Claudio presses his chest to Jon’s back and wraps a long arm around both of them, placing a kiss to the side of Jon’s temple. She knows that he hates touch usually but it’s also a known fact that she and Claudio are his biggest exceptions. Grace can feel him sag between them and he shakes his head in irritation.

“You’re only here for a few more days; I can handle a couple of hours around people.”

“It’s okay amore. Let’s just head inside and see what we can find our piccolina for college, sí?” Claudio drops his tone making Jon shiver slightly. 

“Thank you, baby.” She kisses lightly over his Adam’s apple, feeling the rumble that he lets out. “If you need a break or want to leave let me know. Don’t make yourself be here; I’ll happily leave if you need us to, okay?” He sighs and runs his nose across her temple and into her hair.

“Yeah puppy, I promise, and I promise to be on my best behavior.” He runs his hand down her arm until he gets to her mark and runs his thumb over it before tilting his head up and kissing Claudio.

Claudio and Grace do really well at keeping Jon focused on them and having fun, she’s even convinced him to get a few books at the bookstore they find. They grab something to eat at the Chinese place in the food court before walking on and Grace gasps when she spots a Build A Bear. 

She stops and spins around to face the men following her. “Can we go? Please?” She drawls out and clasps her hands. 

“Put the puppy eyes away baby; if you want to go get a damn bear, we can get a bear.” She smiles at him and leans up to peck him on the cheek in thanks. 

“You call her puppy for a reason, amore.” Claudio chuckles, smiling and leaning down when Grace gives him a kiss on the cheek as well.

They get into the store, and she drops their hands as she checks all of the stuffed animals they have. She gasps softly as she sees a reddish tan bear that looks like Jon’s hair and then finds a snow-white bear that reminds her of the Swiss Alps. Grace turns to show the guys when she sees them looking at a Halloween themed bear and she smiles. 

“Look at these bears! Now I can have both of you with me at college. What did y’all find?” She beams. 

“Look piccolina, they’re Halloween bears.”

“Oh, how adorable!” She looks at Mox holding and staring at the bear before looking at Claudio who winks at her.

“I was thinking that since you will be in college and we will be wrestling, we should have a bear for you too. How does that sound, Jon?”

Jon clears his throat and gives them a small smile. “Uh, yeah, that’d be cool.” He scratches the back of his neck and Grace can see a blush on his cheeks. 

She nestles into his side and smiles at him before kissing his cheek. “I’d be happy knowing you have your own bear- if you want it of course.” She whispers.

“Yeah puppy, I already get Claudio, so it’ll be nice to have a Grace bear when I miss you.” He mutters and kisses her on the temple. 

Grace is ecstatic when they get them stuffed and the boys let her pick the hearts out for their bears. She makes sure to kiss each heart before they get sewed into the bears and she beams when they do the same to her hearts. 

“You must be a Halloween baby.” The woman says as she sews Jon’s bear up. 

She laughs and nods her head. “Yeah, I’m heading off to college, so I decided I wanted bears for my boys. Claudio here found these Halloween bears and decided they both should get bears for me too.” 

“How sweet is that? Well, you are all sewn up! I hope you found everything okay?”

She sees Jon wander off to find Claudio when she hands the bear off and Grace turns back to the woman. “Actually, do have any superhero shirts? Specifically, Batman and Superman?” 

“Oh absolutely!” The woman, Jane, notices that no one is waiting to get their bear stuffed so she walks Grace to the shirts and shows her the shirts she asked for. “Here you are! Batman and Superman, just like you wanted. I’m happy we had some for you; they’re pretty popular.”

“I’m happy too; Batman is Moxie’s favorite and Claudio is our Superman, so I wanted them to remember the boys by.” She realizes she’s rambling and blushes. “Sorry about that, thank you again!”

“Oh honey! That is so adorable! Good luck in college and congratulations on finding your boys. Have a great day!”

“You too!” She puts the shirts on the bears and gets rid of the hangers, hoping her boys won’t see the shirts until they leave the store. 

“Find everything piccolina?” Claudio startles her. “My apologies, Grace; Jon decided he wanted to pay for both the Grace bears and step out of the store, so I’ve come to take your new friends and pay for them.”

“Oh, Claudio no! I found some shirts for them, and you shouldn’t have to pay for that!” He levels her with a loving glare until she sighs. “Fine, but I’m carrying them.” She sticks her tongue out and he laughs at her, sweeping his hand past them.

“After you then, my love.” She grins brightly as he throws his arm over her shoulders and leads her to the counter.

“Ah! These must be the other two bears! How adorable are they?”

“As adorable as she is.” Claudio beams and leans to kiss the top of her head as she blushes.

“S-stop it and thank you ma’am.” She stammers and nestles into him as he pays in cash. 

“You wanna carry them out or put them in boxes?” 

Grace looks up at Claudio. “What did Mox do?” 

Claudio chuckles. “He put them in a bag; said he didn’t want the boxes as they were too big, and we could use the bags later.”

“Sounds like him.” She snorts. “Can you put those two in a bag as well, please?” 

“Oh, um sure, of course. Are you sure?” The worker asks. 

“We have a few more places to go and the bag will just be easier to carry. Thank you!”

Claudio takes the bag from the woman before she can, and Grace rolls her eyes before grabbing his hand and walking out to meet up with Jon. He’s sitting on a bench outside the store with her bookstore bag on one side of him and the bear bag on the other reading a random book that she bought. She catches the eye contact of a woman giving him an angry look and Grace raises her eyebrows daring the woman to speak up. Grace walks over to Jon and runs her fingers through that soft, long hair of his, smiling when he sighs happily. 

“Hey baby, you okay with a couple more stores or are you ready for home?” She smiles down at him as he butts against her hand like a cat, and she resumes scratching at his scalp.

“You keep scratchin’ my head and I’ll get you the moon.” Claudio snorts and Grace bends down to kiss him on the forehead.

“Noted baby; one more store and we’ll head home.”

“Perfetto (perfect), piccolina, let’s get you some clothes and then we’ll pick up dinner before heading home.” Claudio holds his hand out to Jon and Jon smirks before letting himself be helped up. “Come on, mein Herzen, let’s get going.” The boys won’t let her carry the bags so she’s happy to grab their free hands as they head to the Hot Topic.

Grace grabs Jon another beer from the fridge and smiles when she sees all four bears sitting together in their chair. 

“They stole poor Claudio’s chair?” She laughs.

“They should sit together before they’re separated for who knows how long.” 

“I willingly gave up my seat to our bears so that I could sit with you both.”

“And where am I sitting for dinner?” She laughingly asks as she hands Mox his beer.

“You have a pretty seat open right there on our Superman’s lap.” 

She squeaks as Claudio pulls her down into him and she situates herself so she can sit sideways with her back against the armrest and tucks her feet under Jon’s legs. “Ah, one of my favorite blankets to keep me warm.” Jon reaches in front on them and hands her a to go box, so she doesn’t have to move, and she thanks him with a kiss. 

Claudio opens the box and holds a fry to her mouth that she happily eats. She’s noticed how they try to get her to eat more during her month visit and she’s happy to indulge them considering it seems to be helping her eat more. 

“Why didn’t I apply for a college here again?” She whines.

“Because you want to be near your sisters and brother, bellissima. You know we want you here, but you would miss them and they, Tyler especially, would miss you.” She sighs as he runs his fingertips across her lower back. 

“Besides, if you were here for college, I’d just demand attention from you all the time and then you’d fail classes.” Jon runs a hand down her leg and smirks as Claudio and Grace laugh. 

Claudio leans in closer to her ear. “We will miss you terribly, but we know that we have you forever, piccolina, so we can give you up a little longer.” She shivers slightly at his lips touch her neck gently. 

The box is taken by Jon and put on the table as Grace curls herself into Claudio’s chest and puts both of her legs into Mox’s lap. “I don’t want this trip to end.” She mutters into his shirt and Jon rubs her legs while Claudio runs his fingers through her hair.

“Don’t think of it as ending, Gracie Rose. Don’t forget, we took some time so that we can come and move you into your fancy dorm and we still have a whole month that we can come visit you and you can come see some of our matches.” Jon puts a hand in her lap, and she happily holds it. 

“Do you want to watch a movie and finish our food, amore mio?” Claudio asks after a few minutes. 

“Do I have to move?” She asks as she burrows further into his chest.

She smiles and presses her ear against his chest as he chuckles. “No, piccolina, you don’t and if you fall asleep, I’ll carry you to bed.” She sighs happily and agrees. 

“Oh, horror movie marathon.” Jon states excitedly. 

Grace only has a few more days in Ohio with them and she knows she doesn’t want to leave them. She inhales the scent of Claudio’s cologne and relaxes against him as she watches Jon transfixed with the movie. She smiles as he keeps her legs in his lap and pets them at random times like he’s reminding himself that she’s still there. Her eyes flutter shut against her will, but she falls asleep feeling safe, secure, and loved. 

The end of August comes quicker than Grace expected and she’s happy that her boys had the time off to help her move into her new dorm. Uncle Taz and Dad were still on the road, but they promised to come see her when they got back. She looks around the single dorm room and smiles to herself as she thinks about what being here means.

“I’m so proud of you baby.”

“Thank you, Mama; I can’t believe I’m finally here.” She places the box in her hand on the small set of drawers in the bedroom. “Thankfully I’m not too far from home so I don’t have to bring too many things. I hate that they’re making me live in the dorms, but I get it.”

“I know you love your siblings, but I think you’ll be happy to have a place that you come to and be by yourself.”

“Hey babe, where you want this? Shit, sorry Nance, didn’t mean to interrupt y’all.” 

“All good, baby, that’s her bedding I think, so put it on that desk please.” 

“Yes ma’am, we got everything else in the kitchen area. Shauly and Sheri are wondering if they can fix your bathroom up for you.” Grace knows her eyes have hearts in them as Jon talks about her sisters so comfortably. 

“Yeah, that’s fine. Where’s Ty at?”

“Him and Eddie found a vending machine. Kid got a little claustrophobic, so Eddie found him some chips.”

“Sorelline, here is the box you need for the bathroom.” She hears Claudio speaking to the girls and her heart flutters at him calling them his little sisters. 

She makes eye contact with Nancy for a moment who winks at her and heads toward the bedroom door. “I’m gonna go find Eddie and Tyler to make sure nobody kidnapped the famous wrestler. You mind helping her unpack her bedroom, baby?”

“No ma’am I don’t mind; I know Claudio’s doing the kitchen stuff right now, so he’ll keep an eye on the girls.” Nancy waves at them and Grace can hear her talk to the girls quickly before she heads out the door. 

Jon has unrolled and situated her new foam mattress top by the time she turns back to him, and she grins at him before grabbing his hand. “You doin’ okay?” She feels the need to check in with him.

“Yeah, luckily it’s not too bad people-wise.” He shrugs and looks at her sheet set as he unpacks it before smiling. “Look at you choosing black sheets. Like our apartment, huh?” He winks at her. 

She smacks his stomach lightly. “Shut up, Moxie, I’m gonna miss y’all so yeah I got black sheets like the apartment.” She smiles softly at him as she makes the bed with him. 

“Well, I guess it’s a good thing I brought you something else too huh?” He smiles at her as he leaves the room for a moment and comes back with a blanket, and she smiles brightly. 

“You brought me y’all’s blanket?” Her eyes widen. 

“Yeah babe, I know you got your pink one from your sisters, but I thought you could have this one too.” She hugs him tightly and he kisses her forehead before hugging her back. 

“Thank you, Moxie, I love it.” She states as she takes the blanket and drapes it on the bed before grabbing her bears and putting them against the pillows. “All perfect.” She claps her hands excitedly. 

She and Mox get her room straightened up and she smiles as they finish, loving the end result. Her desk is her favorite part as she places the laptop from William and Bryan on it and she feels like she could jump into note taking and schoolwork right now.

“I can feel you nerding out right now, babe. It’s written all over your face.” Jon pops his finger on the tip of her nose, and she snaps her teeth at him playfully.

“It looks wonderful in here, piccolina.” Claudio calls out from the doorway, a huge smile on his face. “Leave our beautiful nerd alone, mein Hertz.” He reaches out to snag Jon by the waist and kisses him sweetly. 

“I love it, Gracie!” Sherilyn pushes past the two bigger men as they laugh at her. “It’s so cool!” She jumps up on Grace’s bed and giggles. “We finished your bathroom too and Shauly went to go find the others so they can see the dorm!”

Grace smiles as Mama, Papa, and Ty come back to see her finished dorm. “Tah dah! Ain’t it pretty?” She exclaims. 

“It’s wonderful, cariña.” Eddie kisses her on the forehead. “I’m glad you had help while we were with Tyler.”

“I don’t mind Papa, I’m just glad you could be here with me, and we still get to go walk the campus together!” She smiles as he hugs her tightly.

“You’re right mija; let’s just hope that there’s no crazy fans.” 

“I mean with the size of those two and Mama’s energy alone, I think we’ll be safe.” She and Eddie burst out laughing. 

Grace is attacked with hugs from the kids as Nancy and Eddie try to wrangle them together and get them home. Ty is surprisingly the hardest to convince to leave her in the dorm and Grace almost cries.

“What if something happens to her, Mom?” He mutters into Grace’s shoulder. 

“Nothing’s gonna happen, Ty. I’m not far from home either so you’ll see me all the time, Bubs.” She tears up and stares at everybody for help.

“Don’t worry kid, Claudio and I will make sure Grace is safe before we go back to Ohio. How’s that sound?” Jon comes up close to the two and leans down slightly to look the boy in the eyes when he takes his face out of Grace’s shoulder. 

“You promise?” He mutters.

“Yeah kid, I promise. Your big sis is safe with us.” Tyler taps Grace’s other shoulder to let him down and he stomps over to Jon and looks up at the man studying him for a moment before nodding his head.

“Okay.” Grace kneels down and gives him another hug before completing a round of hugs for everyone else.

“We’ll see you soon baby; your Uncle Taz and Dad should be around next weekend to see you.” 

“Okay Mama, see y’all soon. I love you.” She sighs happily as Eddie gives her a long drawn-out hug. “Papa I’m practically down the road, I’ll be okay.” She giggles as he sighs and lets her go before tucking a lock of hair behind her ear and kissing her forehead.

“Hey Gracie!” She jerks her head up at her name. “Can you bring me a towel, babe? I forgot one.” She rolls her eyes and gets up off the hotel bed. 

“Forgot huh?” She smirks as she grabs a towel from the closet and opens the bathroom door. 

Mox pokes his head out of the shower and sends her a dirty smile. “Or maybe I just wanted you the bathroom with me. Wanna join me?”

Grace shakes her head and leans in to kiss him, groaning when he deepens it. They hear the hotel door open and close before they separate from each other. 

“Finish your shower, bello, and I’ll brush your hair like you like. Sound good, ya big ol’ cat?” She kisses him again and skips out of the bathroom as he grabs for her. 

“Tease!” He calls out playfully.

“Only for you and Superman!” She throws back before running into Claudio. “Oh hi, was just talking about you.” She smiles up at him, kissing him sweetly. “Oh! You got wings? My favorite!” She kisses him again and sneakily takes the bags from him before sitting on one of the hotel beds. 

“Jon in the shower?” Claudio asks.

“He’s looking for some company too if you wanna join in and wash off the sweat from the day.” She suggests flirtatiously. 

“I guess I should go see if he needs any help then.” He smiles deviously before stripping his clothes off as he heads toward the shower.

She hears Jon groan and shakes her head as she sets the food out. They don’t make her wait long as they open the door, and the steam escapes the small bathroom. She wolf whistles as they drop the towels from their waists and rummage through their duffle bags. Claudio finds a loose pair of basketball shorts and Mox finds his thin sweatpants while Grace fans herself dramatically.

“You had your chance brat.” Jon’s wet hair brushes her cheek as he leans down to kiss her and steal a French fry.

“Mhm, but I got to sit here and imagine our Superman in the shower with you, so I was pretty okay with sitting out here.” She runs a finger down his bare chest and delights in the clenching of his stomach. “I’m sure he took good care of you.” She tucks a piece of that reddish-blonde hair behind his ear and strokes his cheek. “Now let’s eat food, watch a movie, and then I’ll play with your hair.” He chuckles as he goes to sit at the foot of the bed.

Claudio slips behind her in the bed and lets her lean on his chest and she reaches back with a French fry which he eats from her fingers before kissing her fingertips in thanks. “Mm, I made sure to take care of him so that he would be sweet for you tonight.”

She turns her head and tilts her chin to kiss him, sighing happily when he cups her cheek to deepen the kiss. “Want your hair played with too, guapo?” She asks as she runs her finger down his nose.

“Maybe when we’re falling asleep tonight, yeah?” 

“Of course, babe.”

Grace rolls her eyes lovingly as Jon finds Point Break and puts his sole focus into it as Claudio and Grace eat their food. “Mein Herz, don’t forget to eat.” Claudio nudges his lower back with his foot. “The movie isn’t going anywhere.” He chuckles as the only response he gets is a grunt and the sight of Jon eating more of his food. 

“The food will be there; you got enough to feed an army.” She giggles and moves so that she’s sitting next to Claudio, and they can eat more comfortably. “Besides it’s his favorite movie.” She touches her foot lightly to Mox’s back and runs it down to his tailbone. 

A few minutes pass while they busy themselves eating and listening to Jon quote the movie under his breath before Claudio mutters to her. “When does school start again, piccolina?”

“Next Monday; can we go to Walmart tomorrow and get supplies?” She looks up into his face. “Tio Rey gave me some money for it because ‘he knows I love pencils’, and he felt bad for missing graduation.” She snorts. 

“Of course we can bellissima. You have six classes, yes?” She nods as she eats her fries. “Then we’ll get whatever basic supplies you need until you go to class and see what else you need. When do you pick up your books and such?”

“Wednesday I think, I’ll have to look at it again and make sure, but yeah, I really just want to get notebooks, a planner, and a few other things. Shopping is always more fun with y’all.” Grace kisses his cheek before holding her stomach and grimacing.

“You full, piccolina?” He asks softly but she can see Jon tilting his head toward them slightly. “Hey, you ate more than you usually do so that’s good.” He grabs her hand and kisses the back of it before clearing away the food in front of them.

“Thanks.” She mutters. “What? Oof, Jon-.” She looks down at Mox and smiles when he smiles up from her lap. “What are you doing, ya weirdo?”

“Wanted y’all’s attention for the rest of the movie.” He grabs the hand not holding Claudio’s and puts it in his hair. “Scratch my head?” He asks as he nudges her hand with his head before taking one of Claudio’s hands and putting it on his collarbone.

She sniffs and laughs softly. “Yeah baby, I’ll scratch your head.” She leans down and pecks a kiss to his forehead. “I love you, Mox.” She whispers before turning to Claudio. “And I love you, Claudio.”

Spanish: guapo: handsome  mija: daughter cariña: honey bello: handsome

Italian: piccolina: little one bellissima: beautiful/gorgeous tesoro: darling amore: love perfetto: perfect sorelline: sisters

German: meine Liebe: my love mein Hertz(en): my heart(s)

Grace rushes up the stairs and into her room to pack her duffle bag. She made sure to do any homework Friday night, including the work she would miss Monday, and put the folder on top of her desk so she could check it Monday night when they got back home. She hears a chuckle at her door and turns to see Eddie.

“You don’t have to rush, mija, we have plenty of time.” He looks into her bag as he walks over. “Don’t forget a jacket cariña, your dad may say it’s not cold but it’s January and he’s Canadian, so I don’t trust him.” She snorts and snatches her hoodie from her desk chair and zipping her bag up.

“All ready! I can’t wait to get to South Carolina and see the show!” 

They load the bags in the car and say goodbye to the girls, Joanie, and Billy Gunn, who was home for the weekend. She waves as they drive away and smiles at Sheri’s enthusiastic wave. The hours pass by between talking, reading, and finally sleeping the last couple of hours. She groans as Eddie shakes her gently. 

“Wake up cariña; we’re at the hotel. Look there’s Chris.” She blinks sleepily and waves at Chris through the window. 

They get unloaded and up to the hotel room before she gives Chris a hug. “Hey Dad, missed you.” She lays her head on his shoulder sleepily and smiles when his laugh reverberates. 

“Bonjour mon calme. Why don’t we all get some sleep and when we wake up, we’ll go get lunch and go to the arena.” She nods sleepily and walks to the made-up bed before dropping onto it, ignoring their laughter. 

“There you are my dove.” She smiles as she hears the Englishman’s voice and excuses herself from Eddie and Chris for a moment. 

“Mr. Regal! How are you?” She wraps her arms around the man’s waist tightly. 

“I’m well, darling, and you? I also have something for you.”She smiles brightly. “You shouldn’t have, Mr. Regal. I’m here with Papa to watch someone wrestle and visit Dad and Uncle Taz. I didn’t know you’d be here so now I’m more excited.”

He pats her lovingly on the shoulder as he smiles at her. “I wanted to give you your birthday present in person, my dear. I’m here to watch a young man named Jon Moxley; Bryan and I have heard wonderful things about him, and I want to see for myself.” He pulls a package from the bag at his feet and hands it to her. 

“Thank you!” She opens it carefully and gasps at the book series in her hand. “The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings series! Oh, thank you Mr. Regal! I love them!” She hugs the man tightly again.

“Bryan helped me find them for you so I’m very glad you like them; it took us quite a while to find a set that matched properly.” He chuckles lowly and squeezes her once more before stepping back. 

“Oh! I have a phone now! I’ll give you the number before I leave, or you can get it from Dad. I can finally call Bryan on my own phone! How is he lately? Still winning like crazy? Shawn talks about him every time I see him.”

“He is doing well, my dove, but I believe your Papa is signaling for you.” He points behind her and she turns to see Eddie waving for her.

She chuckles. “Glad to hear, but I guess I gotta go. Thank you again for the books; I love them! I’ll see you before we leave tomorrow! Tell me what you think of Jon Moxley, and I’ll watch him tonight too; we can compare notes.” He ruffles her hair and sends her a smirk before she meets back up with her dads and Uncle. 

“Grace! I’m glad you made it! It’s all Chris and Taz have been talking about.” Her shoulders stiffen slightly at the voice, and she edges closer to Taz who puts an arm across her back. 

“Lawler, didn’t think you were supposed to be here tonight.”

“Ah, you know how Vince and Stephanie are Chris.” 

Her dad hums at the man disinterested and turns to her. “Why don’t you and Eddie go sit down in your seats. We got you right up front so you can see everything. I’ll join you when I can okay?”

She doesn’t acknowledge the commentator as her and Eddie pass, but she hears a rumble from Taz that makes her think he tried to speak with her. She wraps her arm around Eddie’s and squeezes to let him know she’s okay and he kisses her on the temple. Grace never really understood what made her so uncomfortable around the man, but he always made her antsy and jittery, so she stayed away. 

“Here we are cariña; are you okay?” She smiles brightly at him. 

“I’m fine.” She shrugs. “Lawler’s always rubbed me the wrong way since he grabbed my shoulder that one time and called me Stephanie. He’s weird and creepy but not in a ‘you and Dad should step in’ creepy.”

They’re interrupted as the show starts and the dark match starts. She feels a slight shiver when the second match starts, and the first team comes down. She looks up to see the two young men in blue trunks jumping around and she blushes when the guy with the ponytail throws her a cocky wink. 

Grace watches the match in amazement. She doesn’t know what it is about this particular match, but she can’t take her eyes off the man with the reddish-blonde ponytail. She can hear Eddie chuckling beside her, and she breaks her concentration to look at him. 

“What?” 

He laughs again and shakes his head at her. “Dios mija, if you stare at that boy any longer, he may catch fire.” She shoves him lightly and barely turns her head in enough time to see the man being thrown her way. 

It looks like he’s thrown into the barricade harder than they had planned because half of his body is over the barrier. She reaches out instinctively to help him and though Eddie tries to stop her, her hands make contact with his shoulders, and they jolt at the feeling that goes through them. She helps push him back upright and he stares at her for a moment before he is yanked away by Mercury and thrown back in the ring. She stares down at the mark on her arm as half the shield and a sword turns a pretty scarlet red. 

“Cariña…” She hears Eddie speaking to her, but she can’t take her eyes off the dazed man in the ring as he’s double teamed then pinned. “… to the back with Dad.” There’s a tug on her arm and she willingly follows. “… privacy for y’all.”

She’s sat in a chair, and she finally shakes herself out of it as Eddie goes to touch her arm. “I met him, Papa.” She pets down the mark with her finger. “At least one of them anyway. It’s a perfect half so that means two, right?” She looks up at her dads and Uncle. 

“Yeah, that’s right, mija. Joanie’s was a perfect half too.”

She looks around and finally notices she’s backstage. “Wait, when did we get back here? I gotta go meet him, right?” She tries to stand up, but Eddie puts a hand on her shoulder. “I brought you back here so you could meet after his match, okay? Get you two some food and you can sit and talk. It’s less crowded back here and in catering.” She smiles weakly at him and bounces her leg as she waits.

It’s a herculean effort to convince her dads to go back to the crowd and let Taz watch over her from a small distance away, but she manages somehow. He doesn’t make her wait long as he and his tag team partner come to the back, but he looks upset. She worries it’s because of their marking until she hears part of their conversation. 

“… back here somewhere.”

“It’s just my luck, man; I finish my mark with a cute chick that doesn’t want it.”

“No way man, she was staring a hole into you the whole match.”

“Then where the hell-?” She steps close to him to make him stop walking and smiles softly at him.

“H-hi, I’m Grace, it’s nice to meet you.” She holds her hand out to the, once again, surprised man. 

His friend nudges him and he throws her a confident smirk. “Jon Moxley but people call me Mox.” Grace blushes as he looks her up and down.  “Well, aren’t you fuckin’ gorgeous?” He grabs her hand and gently shakes it. 

“I’ll see you later Mox; good match tonight.” His friend doesn’t wait for an answer as he jogs off and she notices he still has her hand. 

“Would you like to go to catering with me? I’m starving and you just went through a match so you gotta be as well.”

“Mind if I take a quick shower first and meet you?” She nods and smiles while he sends her a devious smirk and kisses her hand before heading off. 

Grace heads to catering on her own where she makes eye contact with William, and she heads to him gleefully. 

“I believe I can tell Bryan that Jon Moxley was quite the wrestler, yes?”

She blushes and chuckles. “Shut up, Mr. Regal. I-I found one of them and I thought I would get these butterflies in my stomach but after the shock passed everything was calm.” She holds out her arm and shows him the mark. 

“Ah, young love; it’s the most beautiful thing. Bryan said the same thing when he met me the first time.” He cups her cheek and tilts her head up to look at him. “Enjoy this, my dove, you have met one of your loves and it’s a wonderful occasion.” He releases her face, and she grabs some random food to share with Jon. “Let me pay for this- I don’t want to hear anything about it, my dear, it’s my treat. Enjoy your time with your young man.” He pays for the food and kisses the top of her head before he walks away with his phone to his ear. 

She reaches into her bag for a book and reads as she waits for him to join her and she’s surprised that there isn’t any anxiety or fear. She’s calm, but excited to know about him. A weight leans against her chair and she flinches at the sudden presence. 

“Ah shit, I’m sorry Darlin’, should have made a noise to alert you.” He comes around the table scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. “You got us food? What do I owe you?” He sits down and she giggles at the growl from his stomach.

“You don’t owe me anything-.”

“I’m not gonna let you spend all your money on me; I don’t let Claudio do it either.” He says harshly and she can’t help but flinch. 

“My- I guess he’s like an uncle- paid for it so neither of us would have to. He’s generous with money like that.” She rubs her leg. “So, you really don’t owe me, and he won’t accept money.” She says quietly.

“Shit,” She hears him mutter and scrub his face. “I’m sorry, Grace. I got… issues sometimes when people try to take care of me, but that’s my shit and I shouldn’t put that on you. It drives Claudio crazy too because he’s generous as fuck and so damn nice.” He sighs sadly and puts his hand on the table palm up. “I’m sorry for snapping at you, I won’t say it won’t happen again, but that was wrong of me. Can we start again?”

She looks at him for a moment before answering. “Before we do, you need to know that I have shit too. Aggression scares me to death most times because of my stepdad and I know people can’t always control outbursts but I’m asking you to try.” His eyes roam her face for a moment like they can see the past bruises and trauma before softening and he sends her a genuine smile. 

“Yeah Darlin’, I can try.” 

She puts her hand in his open one and smiles. “Hi, I’m Grace Parker, but people call me Gracie, it’s really nice to meet you.”

“I’m Jon Moxley, but friends call me Mox, it’s a damn pleasure to meet you too.” His voice is gravelly, and she swears he’s damn near growling. 

They focus on eating for a moment after his stomach growls again before she asks him a few important questions. “So, Claudio?”

He looks up at her and gives her a dopey smile as he thinks of him. “Yeah, Claudio Castagnoli. He’s a huge Swiss dude and strong as hell but he’s a gentle giant; you’ll love him.”

“How did y’all meet?” She sees him eye the other half of her sandwich and she nudges the plate toward him. “And can I see your soul mark?” She blushes at the dirty grin he sends her and looks at the complete mark on his inner wrist, same place as hers. 

“Oh babe, you can see anything you want on me.” She rolls her eyes at the cocky wink. “It was actually completely random, like us. He came to visit a friend that was wrestling the same day and we accidently bumped into each other. That was last year, and we’ve been making it work since; the long-distance sucks but it’s worth it.” He shrugs and she extends her foot to nudge his calf to make him look at her.

“I agree, long distance sucks but it’s worth it. My family are all wrestlers or retired from the business, so I know how the distance thing works.” He stares at her for a moment and looks confused. “This the stepdad?” She shakes her head as she looks down at her fries a moment. “You don’t gotta tell me right now if you don’t want. We can save the heavy shit for when you’ve met both of us.” 

He hooks his ankle onto hers and she smiles. “I ran away when my stepdad attacked me and threatened to ‘finish what he started’. The man I worked for- well he’s family too- sent me on a bus to El Paso to a family friend who took me into his family despite knowing he could get arrested. Told me if I wanted to stay, they’d help me, so I got emancipated and I’ve lived with them ever since.” 

“That’s amaz-.” He looks over her shoulder and his eyes widen. 

“What is it?” She turns her head to see her dads and Uncle coming up to them and she looks back at Mox and smiles. “Oh, yeah, um that’s my family.” She giggles nervously. 

“Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and Taz are your family babe?” 

“Y-yeah, is that okay?” She tries to pull her foot away, but he doesn’t let her and sends her a smirk. 

“All good, Grace. I just- they’re legends and you just- they’re just your family to you.” She laughs loudly and covers her mouth. 

“I swear I’m laughing at the situation because I had the same reaction when I met them.” She giggles again. “But they’ve been family since like day one, so I’m used to it now.” She waves them over then grabs Jon’s hand on the table. “It’ll be great, you’ll see.”

He squeezes gently and she feels hands squeeze her shoulders lovingly. “Hola cariña, wanna introduce us?” Jon sends her a wink and she smiles.

“Guys this is Jon Moxley; Jon this is Eddie, Chris, and Taz.” She points to each of them this time. “My Papa, my dad, and my uncle.”

Jon stands up momentarily and shakes each man’s hands. “Ya can call me Mox, everybody does. It’s nice ta meet y’all.” 

She gets up and they clean up before starting the walk to the car. She holds Jon’s hand as he talks to the guys, and she catches a glimpse of William again, so she squeezes his hand. He turns to face her, and she’s mesmerized by his smile for a moment before Taz clears his throat and chuckles. 

“Just like when I met Nancy.” He mutters to her dads, who laugh.

She rolls her eyes. “I have to go say bye to Mr. Regal; I promised to give him my number for his husband Bryan. I’ll be right back.” She turns to the three older men and glares playfully. “Please don’t run him off. Y’all hear?” 

As she walks off, she can hear Jon muttering to himself. “Does she know all the legends? Holy shit.”

“Mr. Regal! Hey, I’m glad I caught you. Here’s my number for you and Bryan and thank you again for my books.” 

“There you are my dove, you are most welcome, and thank you. Bryan will be calling you soon I’m sure, especially after he learns about tonight.” He places a hand on her shoulder. “I am so proud of you, my girl.”

She beams up at him. “There’s another one too; his name is Claudio. I can’t wait to meet him.” They talk another moment before he hugs her and kisses the top of her head. 

She returns back to the group to see Taz gone and her dads talking to Jon. “There she is! Come on Chris, let’s head to the hotel. You can drive her there, right?” 

“Uh, yes sir, I can. I’m not staying there but I’m close by so I can drop her off.” She remembers at that moment that her and Eddie have to go home tomorrow, and Jon catches her mood change. “Hey, it’ll be alright, let’s just hang out a bit longer.” 

She watches her dads leave and settles into the old car with Jon who grabs her hand again before heading to her hotel behind Chris and Eddie and parking in a parking spot. She shivers slightly at the cold and grins lovingly when he takes his jacket off and helps her into it. They talk about little things, and he tells her about his wrestling career. The deathmatches scare the hell out of her but the passion in his voice quiets the fear a little. He looks at her during the conversation like he’s waiting for her to disagree with him. 

“Hey, as long as you come home to me and Claudio, I’ll support you. Is it scary as hell? Yeah of course it is. Will we fight about it one day? Probably, but as of right now, I’m not gonna tell you to stop what you love.” He looks surprised at her answer, and she smiles as he plays with her fingers. 

She watches curiously as he clears his throat and looks out the window away from her. “My dad died when I was like five and my sister was four. My mom didn’t do too hot after that. I mean, two kids under six and no husband? She tried her best, but- yeah.” He clears his throat again and she squeezes his hand in silent support. “She didn’t marry again but she had plenty of boyfriends, some good and some that were horrible. I did everything I could to protect my sister and take care of her, so she’d have a good life. I left when I was sixteen and found Heartland Wrestling; my sister left not long after me and lives with her friend now. We talk a lot on the phone, and I see her when I’m in her town. I developed a drug problem because of things, but Claudio helped me get clean.” He stays silent for a bit before opening and closing his mouth as if trying to continue. 

“Hey, I am so proud of you; thank you for telling me that. You don’t have to continue right now.” She strokes the back of his hand with her thumb. “We got plenty of time to learn about each other so don’t push yourself.” He sighs before turning to look at her.

“I don’t like taking from people because I learned that everything has a price. If you want something, you have to give something.” He looks down at their conjoined hands. “Before you and Claudio, I wouldn’t do this. I learned early that people can fake love to get what they want, and I closed myself off to only my sister until this mark showed up. Mom lost hers when Dad died and she hated that I had one, but I knew that this mark meant someone would love me one day.” She reaches over and traces his mark with her finger, loving the shiver that runs through him. “How did I get so lucky to get two people?” He whispers. 

“That’s why you snapped when I told you not to pay me back?” He nods slowly. “We’re a team now, yeah? You, me, and Claudio are a team. I understand what it means to work through something you had no choice to learn in order to survive, but we can work through things together now.” She touches his mark again and smiles. “You’re not alone in this anymore. You said it yourself; you have two people to love you now.”

She’s surprised when he kisses her gently on the cheek. She writes her cell phone number on a piece of scrap paper and gives him a quick kiss on the cheek back before sliding out of the car and up the elevator. Opening the door as quietly as she can, she slips inside the room.

“Hey cariña, there you are. Are you okay?” She tearfully smiles when she sees them waiting for her and goes to their bed to sit between them, laying her head on Eddie’s shoulder. 

“I don’t want to leave tomorrow. How can I have only known him for a few hours and now I can’t imagine going home while he goes somewhere else? It makes no sense.” She raises her head and looks between them and it’s Chris that answers her.

“Because mon calme, he is literally a part of your soul; perfect for you. You’ve just met him and now you’re being separated; it’s not a fair thing for you to go through. We will make sure that he and your other soulmate can come visit you.”

“Claudio; the other soulmate’s name is Claudio.” She feels a kiss to her temple and Eddie sighs. 

“I’m sorry we have to go home tomorrow cariña, so soon after you meet him.” 

She gets up from between them and grabs clothes from her bag for a shower. “I think I’ll be okay. If he didn’t have a match coming up in another town, I’d probably be more upset, but he’ll probably be gone before us tomorrow morning.” She runs her hand down the jacket. “Thank y’all for waiting up for me; I’m gonna get a shower so get some sleep and I’ll be out in a minute.” 

She blows them both a kiss and returns their goodnights before taking her dirty clothes off and jumping in the shower. She takes a quick shower and hops out, drying off quickly as exhaustion suddenly hits her. She looks at Jon’s jacket for a moment when she gets to her bed before slipping it on and zipping it up. Grace smiles as she looks down at the jacket deciding it’s the next best thing to having him there with her. 

She wakes up to a chirping from her phone and blearily flips it open to a text from an unknown number and looks up when her dads stir but ultimately settle back down. 

Unknown: outside. 5 min. -Mox

She shoots up and looks at the phone again to make sure she ready it right before jumping up and getting her shoes on. She brushes her hair out with her fingers and calls it good before nudging her Papa. 

“Papa, I’m running downstairs for a few minutes; Jon’s coming to say bye.”

Eddie sighs sleepily and rubs his face. “You be careful. If you’re gone longer than ten minutes, I’m sending Dad after you and you know he’s not a morning person.” She giggles at his grumbling and kisses his cheek.

“Yes Papa, I promise.” With that she slips her shoes on, grabs the hotel key, and heads downstairs. 

She gets to the front and sees the car from last night and Jon leaning against it with two drinks. “Mornin’, darlin’.” His voice is deep and gravelly, and her heart skips a bit. 

“Good morning, Jon! What are you doing here?” She blushes as he looks her up and down and smirks before handing her one of the cups.

“Hot chocolate for a cold morning and I wanted to see you before I left.” He reaches out and snags the string of the jacket. “Looks better on you than me and seeing you with it on is worth bein’ cold.” He sends her a wink and chuckles. 

“I didn’t even realize I still had it on last night.” She sips her cocoa and lets out a small groan at the warmth.

“Cold there, Gracie? I can think of a few ways to get you warm.” Her cheeks turn as red as their marks, and she looks to the side. “Aw, I’m jus’ fuckin’ with you darlin’, c’mere.”

Careful of both of their drinks she goes for a hug and laughs in his chest. “I bet you say that to all the girls you meet when they help you back over a barricade, huh?” She looks up at him and see his eyes soften. 

“Nah, only the ones that have a shield and swords mark on their wrist.” He presses his hand tighter on her lower back for a moment before she steps away and leans on the car beside him.

“Maybe if we had more than five minutes before the ‘Rabid Wolverine’ comes for me, you could tell me more about those other ways.” She sends her own wink to him, and he bursts out laughing.

“I knew you were hiding that somewhere in you.” They drink their drinks for a moment in silence before he breaks it. “I hate that we have to go. That’s why I made sure to see you before I left, and you went back to El Paso.” He stays looking ahead at the wall. 

She bumps into his side and he looks and smiles down at her. “I appreciate it, I was worried I wasn’t gonna see you and we’d only get to talk on the phone.” She giggles at the grimace he makes. “What’s that face for?”

“I hate technology if I’m being honest; not very ‘tech savvy’. Claudio makes fun of me, but yeah I hate it.” She leans her head on him and laughs again.

“So you hate it, that’s not the most terrible problem you could have.” She shrugs. “Would make it hard to stay in touch while you’re traveling and I’m in school, but maybe we could get a messenger pigeon!” He snorts then burst out laughing. 

“I’ll call you, you little brat.” He rolls his eyes and mutters under his breath. “A fuckin’ pigeon.”

“Good to know I’m special then. Don’t worry about it though; we’ll make it work out somehow.” He looks at his watch and sighs. “You gotta head out?”

He sighs again and nods his head. “Yeah I do, fuckin’ sucks.” She sets the drink on the trunk and stands in front of him, taking his drink and putting it with hers. 

“M-maybe you could find time to come to El Paso? You and Claudio? I could show you around town, show you the wrestling school, show you-.” She’s cut off with a soft kiss to the forehead.

“You’re cute when you’re nervous; sure, we’ll come to El Paso.” He plays with the strings on the jacket. “I think I’m good for a few days after my match Friday and I’ll check with Claudio, but I’m sure we can figure something out.” He grins at her and reaches down to grab at her hand. “I really do have to go though. I’ll see you soon, okay?” 

She squeezes his hand and smiles at him. “Go, get on the road before I try to keep you longer.” She starts to unzip the jacket, but his other hand stops her.

“Nah, you keep it for now and I’ll steal it back the next time I see you.” He smirks at her cockily. “That way you can tell all your friends about the stud you snagged from a wrestling match. I get to be the damsel in the story.” 

She leans up slightly and gives him a kiss on the cheek. “Call me when you get where you’re supposed to or shoot a text and I’ll do the same, though messages get expensive so maybe the phone call is best.” Grabbing her drink, she gives him a smirk of her own. “And you can bet this weekend is all my friends and sisters will hear about for a while; I’m sure Mama will interrogate me too once she hears from Uncle Taz.” She shakes her head. “Go, get on the road before I kidnap you!” She jokes. 

He leans in and whispers in her ear. “Don’t tempt me, gorgeous.” He pulls back and kisses her temple. “I’ll see you soon.”

She watches him grab his drink and get in the car before driving off. She waves at him until the car disappears and then goes back into the hotel where she’s not surprised to see Chris waiting for her. 

“I’m sorry, I know that was longer than ten minutes.” She smiles when he waves it off. 

“You had plenty of time so don’t worry about it, mon calme. Come on, let’s go get your stuff packed.” He throws his arm around and leads her to the elevator. 

Spanish: cariña: honey Dios: God mija: daughter/girl

French: bonjour: hello mon calme: my quiet one

The week trudges on for Grace after meeting Jon. True to her word, when she got home Shaul, Nancy, and Joanie had wanted to hear all about it. 

As suspected, there’s a knock on the door as she unpacks and lovingly puts her new books from William and Bryan on her shelf. 

“Knock, knock baby.” Nancy pops her head into the open door and beams at Grace. “Can I come in?”

“Sure Mama, I missed you!” She accepts the big hug that Nancy gives her and gives an extra squeeze before sitting on the bed. 

“I missed you too, sweet girl.” She beams at Grace. “So, show me the mark! I wanna see it!” Grace grins happily and places her arm into Nancy’s waiting hand. “Oh, look at my baby, growing up and finding her soulmate and looks like there will be another one too!”

She runs her finger over the mark and smiles. “His name is Jon Moxley. He seems a little rough around the edges when you first meet him, but he’s sweet. He brought me hot chocolate before he had to leave so he could see me.” Her heart flutters at the moment. “The other’s name is Claudio; Jon says he’s a Swiss sweetheart.”

Nancy chuckles. “That look on your face reminds me of when I met Peter. Your Uncle Taz was -what was it you said- rough around the edges to everyone, but when we met and I saw his mark I went right up and put my hand over the mark.” She places the hand not holding Grace’s arm over the orange sun on her bicep. “People thought I was crazy because he liked to stay in character around others, but he was nothing but sweet to me. When I was in WCW, he would use any time he had to come visit me and when I left, I traveled on the road with him, until Tyler.”

“Was it hard? When both of you were in different companies and you had to travel to see each other? I know Eddie misses Chris all the time when they’re both busy and you miss Taz when you’re here with us. Claudio and Jon both fight in multiple companies and I’m in my senior year plus college is around the corner.” She sighs before laying back on her bed and laughs when Nancy lays down beside her. 

“It’s hard to let him go when I can’t go with him and I know Eddie will say the same, but then I remember that this is what they love to do. It’ll be difficult for you three, but I think you’ll make it work.” She grabs Grace’s hand and Grace never tires of feeling the safety and warmth that comes from Nancy. 

“I never thought I’d feel so safe and comfortable with him already; it makes me excited to meet Claudio too.”

“They better be good to you, or they’ll have to deal with me.”

“I think Jon already heard those threats when I left him to talk to William Regal before we all left.” They both laugh loudly. 

“Everyone knows that I am the most dangerous in this family and you’re my baby girl.”

“Gracie?” Grace snaps out of her thoughts as Shaul waves a hand in front of her face and giggles. “Back with us? Or are you thinking about your new boyfriend?” She throws a pen at her as Shaul sings out the word.

“Shut up, Shauly! I’m just thinking that’s all.” She blushes and goes back to the homework she’s working on. 

Shaul flops next to her on the couch and Ty grumbles on the other side of her as he’s bounced and his reading is disrupted. “Sorry Tyler. Are you okay, Grace?” She lays a hand over Grace’s pencil.

Grace runs a hand through Ty’s hair to calm him. “Hey, you wanna go get some chips from the office? I got some new flavors for you.” 

He looks at her with bored eyes. “Are you gonna talk about girl stuff?”

She laughs softly. “Yeah Ty, we’re gonna talk about girl stuff.” 

He makes a face and jumps off the couch. “Gross. You want some?” At her and Shaul’s nods, she waits until he walks away to sigh and turn to Shaul. 

“I’m okay, I guess I just kinda miss Jon.” She groans. “How can I miss someone I met once and talked on the phone with twice, Shauly? I feel like a wife waiting for her husband to come back from the war!” She covers her eyes and lays her head back against the back of the couch. 

Shaul’s laugh makes her move her hands and glare at her. “I’m not laughing because you miss him, Gracie. He’s your soulmate, of course you miss him! Even if you met him five minutes ago, you’d probably miss him; according to Tia Joanie anyway.”

Grace checks her watch and groans. “I gotta get back to work.” She packs her backpack back up. “He’s just been busy and so have I with school this week, that’s all. I’ll get over it, Shauly.” She stands up and throws her bag on her shoulder before giving the girl a kiss on the forehead.

“I got you Hot Cheetos ‘cause they’re your favorite.” Ty mutters before handing Shaul hers and sitting back down with his book. 

“Thanks Ty! I really appreciate it.” She puts her fist out when she notices he doesn’t want to talk anymore, and he taps it back without looking up. “We’ll talk more later when I’m done with work. I’m hoping I can figure out what Papa’s been so sneaky about since yesterday while I’m here. You wanna help?” She asks mischievously. 

“Uh, duh I’ll help! I know Dad’s not coming home so I wanna know what it is too! Bet we can convince Sheri to ask him.” Shaul wiggles her eyebrows and laughs.

“Let me know!” Grace giggles and eats her Cheetos as she puts her book bag in the office and throws the trash away behind the desk.

She gets lost in her work for the next couple of hours. Her back is turned to the filing cabinet as she gathers some files for Joanie when a throat clears behind her. 

“Hey! Sorry about that! How can I-?” She turns around and is shocked. “J-Jon? What are you doing here?” She sets the files on the desk and rushes around to hug him.

He stiffens slightly at the sudden impact, and she almost pulls back before his arms wrap around her. “Figured since you couldn’t kidnap me, I should come steal you away for the day.”

She pulls back and her smile falters for a moment. “Oh, Jon, I have work until five.” She sighs and lays her head on his shoulder for a moment before stepping back. 

“Thank goodness you’re in good with the boss then, huh cariña?” Eddie’s voice sounds behind her and she turns to see an amused look on her Papa’s face. “You’re free to go for the day, we can handle one Sunday without you.” He walks up and shakes Jon’s hand before kissing her on the temple. 

“This is what you were planning yesterday, wasn’t it?” She looks between the two men.

“Surprise, mija.”

“I wanted to surprise you and take you out for coffee. That okay with you?” He smirks at her.

“Completely okay, I just hate that you used all that gas when you were already where your next match was at.”

He shakes his head at her worry and guffaws affectionately. “Don’t worry, okay? I got you a gift anyway, so come on.” She laughs and hugs Eddie quickly before grabbing Jon’s hand.

“Home by nine?” She asks before she leaves. 

“Just… remember you have school and use your best judgment. I want you to have fun and spend as much time as you can, okay? Be careful and be safe.” She beams and breaks away to hug him again. 

“Thank you! I’ll call you when I’m heading home.” She grabs Jon’s hand and waves at Shaul and Ty before leaving.

“So, curfew?” Jon asks as they drive.

“More like, I always ask because Sheri goes to bed by eight or nine and I don’t want to wake her up usually. They give me a lot of freedom but it’s my last year in school and I want to do well. I’m planning on enrolling in University of Texas for the fall semester.” They pull into the coffee shop parking lot. “So, what’s my surprise?” She asks when he puts the car in park, and she runs her fingers over his mark. 

“Claudio actually; he doesn’t have match until the twenty-seventh so he’s coming with me to my next one. He and I get pretty busy with matches, and he’s been like a damn eager puppy about you.” Her fingers freeze on his wrist. “Hey, we don’t have to yet if you’re not ready. We can leave right now.”

“No!” She clears her throat. “I-It’s all I’ve been thinking about, really.”

He gets out of the car and so does she but hesitates by the car door until Jon comes around and holds his hand out.

“Are you nervous? He’s gonna love you ya know?” 

“I just… It’s stupid I know but what if he doesn’t?” 

He gives her a small smirk before grabbing her hand and pulling her to him. “Only one way to find out Gracie.” He says before placing a kiss on her cheek. She rubs the half-colored mark on her wrist before smiling at Jon and letting him lead her into the coffee shop. She looks around the small shop and her eyes are drawn to a tall, built man in the corner. His eyes light up as he notices them, and she looks over to Jon to see a small smirk on his face. 

He leans down to whisper in her ear. “There he is, Gracie.” She smiles softly and walks over to the new face with Jon. 

“Ciao bellissima, my name is Claudio.” He holds out his hand to her and with another look to Jon, she gives him her hand. 

She gasps softly as the small shock runs through her body and he lifts her hand to gently kiss the back of it. “Hola guapo, I’m Grace.” He smiles widely when she speaks Spanish back to him.

“Ah, beautiful, and now our marks are complete, yes bellissima?” She looks down as he turns her arm over to show the filled scarlet mark and she gasps.

“It’s so beautiful.” She whispers in awe and Jon chuckles fondly behind her before she hears his voice right next to her ear. 

“Just like you, darlin’. Right Claudio?” His voice is gruff, and she shivers slightly.

“Our Grace is very beautiful, Jon.” He reaches a hand up and places it slowly on her cheek as she blushes. “Why don’t we get some coffee and sit so we can get to know each other, yes?” 

She nods excitedly while Claudio’s hand is still on her cheek. “I’d like that.”

They order their coffee and Claudio laughs happily as Jon and Grace complain about him paying. They sit down after collecting their drinks and talk about any and everything. Claudio holds her hand as she explains her situation to him as she did to Jon and she loves that there is no pity in his eyes, only acceptance and understanding. He opens up about his family and growing up in Switzerland and she’s mesmerized. Leaning her chin on one hand and letting Jon play with her other when he gets spacey, she listens to him describe everything so vividly she can picture it.

“I was very lucky to receive my permanent residency in my first try at the green card lottery in 2004 and I moved to the United States. I moved in with Chris Hero, but I am on the road so much that when I met Jon, he let me put my stuff in his apartment.” Jon raises his coffee cup in a toast and Grace giggles. 

“Ah yes, because it was such a hard decision to let my hot as fuck soulmate store his stuff in a place that I don’t visit much either.” They all laugh as Jon rolls his eyes. 

She’s quiet for a moment before she looks at Jon. “Jon says you’ve helped him with his past… issues.” She squeezes his hand when he fidgets in his seat. “I just wanted to say thank you and I’m glad you were there to help; I don’t know what I would have done if I woke up one day with half a mark.” She looks between the two men and smile softly before sipping at her drink.

Jon lets her hand go and before she can react, he drapes his arm behind her back, and she leans back against it. Claudio reaches across the table to grab her hand and run his thumb across the back of it.

“I shall always do what I can to protect you both, piccolina, I swear to you.” He looks so sincere that she swears she’s already in love. 

“We’ll protect each other; that’s what soulmates do, right?” Claudio nods happily and Jon wraps his big hand around her bicep and squeezes in agreement.

They change the conversation to lighter subjects until she notices Jon tensing up when the shop starts to fill up with more people. She looks at Claudio who is watching Jon and finishes her drink. 

“Hey, do either of you like to read? There’s this really great secondhand bookstore that I’m in love with and I was going to go after work before I was kidnapped by this one. It’s right down the street.”

Jon sighs gratefully and she knows she made the right choice. “I mean I used to do coke and go read at the library, so yeah, bookstore sounds great.” 

“To think, this crazy man just came into your father’s school and kidnapped you.” Claudio chuckles. “Let us go to the bookstore and find something. Jon and I will make sure no one else kidnaps you.”

They gather their things and throw the trash away. Claudio leads Jon outside while she takes advantage of the empty line and orders some of the shop’s cookies. She thanks the girl who gets them for her quickly and walks outside to see Jon leaning his head against the wall while Claudio speaks to him in what she thinks may be German. She walks gently up to them and clears her throat so she doesn’t startle them. She pulls a cookie out of the bag and hands it to Jon, who takes it while looking at her confused.

“Sometimes I get overwhelmed and I found out that sometimes sugar helps. Mama found it out when I had a bad anxiety attack a week after I had to confront my birth mom and stepdad at court. She was baking cookies with Ty, and he sat with me while I ate one.” She smiles at the memory of the little boy sitting beside her while she was trying to get her breathing under control. “It was the first time he ever hugged me, so that helped too, but I promise the sugar helped.”

Jon had been eating the cookie as she talked, and she can see he’s calmer. “Thanks darlin’, sometimes big groups of people surrounding me are overwhelming. In the ring I can ignore it because I’m amped and focused, but like that? Nah, fuck that shit.” She laughs softly and hands one of the other cookies to Claudio. 

“Grazie, piccolina. Are you okay now, mein Herz?” He asks Jon as he runs a hand down his arm until he gets to their mark and rubs this thumb across it.

Jon nods his head and grabs Claudio’s hand from his arm, squeezing it affectionately. “Let’s go find our girl some books.” He keeps a hold of Claudio’s hand and throws his other arm around Grace’s shoulder. 

Grace and Claudio keep Jon between them as they take the quick walk to the bookstore. She happy that it’s Sunday and that that usually means little to no people. The ding of the doorbell has the owner looking up and smiling at Grace. 

“Grace! There you are! I was about to call the gym and let you know I got a few of those books you wanted. Oh, and who are these two gorgeous men with you?”

“Hey Ms. Mason! Papa let me out of work today so I could hang out with these two. This is Jon and Claudio, my soulmates. Guys, this the owner Ms. Mason; I come here so often she knows my name.” She laughs joyfully.

They talk for a moment and then the older woman lets them be. The guys seem happy to follow her for a moment before something catches Claudio’s attention and then she and Jon are alone. She looks through the books on the shelf before she feels him crowd around her. She smiles as she feels hands on her waist, and he turns her gently. 

“Well, hi there, Jon. How can I help you, sir?” She giggles.

“Wanted to thank you for earlier; your voice helped a lot when it paired with Claudio’s. Never had anybody do that for me before you two.” He clears his throat and looks away from her, but she puts her hand on his cheek and turns him back to her. 

“I’m glad it worked so well and I’m happy that you have us now, Jon.” 

He still looks a little sad, so she tilts his head down more and slowly leans up so he can stop her if he wants to. The kiss is soft, gentle, and absolutely perfect to Grace. As they pull back Jon nips at her bottom lip and it seems to Grace that he’s breathing a little easier.

“That okay, darlin’?” Jon whispers and she nods happily. 

“It was perfect, Jon.” He smiles gently at her and puts a little space between them so they can go back to shopping for books. 

Jon’s sweet and carries the small stack of books she’s collected to buy, and she looks at him as he starts to laugh out of nowhere. “Sorry, I just… you always call me Jon, even when I said Mox; Claudio did the same thing.”

She looks at him with a smirk. “I mean, I can always change that, Moxie.” She says with a wink and laughs when he groans. 

“I take it back, ya brat.” He grumbles.

“Oh, no way!” She laughs. “Don’t you worry Moxie.” She leans up and gives him a kiss on the cheek. 

“Piccolina, mein Herz, there you are! Did you find anything?” 

“Oh sweetie, I don’t think Grace ever leaves without something.” The guys laugh loudly and Grace blushes. “That’s the way to that girl’s heart, just build her a library.”

“Ms. Mason! Don’t give my secrets away like that!” She laughs and Claudio puts a hand on her lower back that makes her feel warm. 

“A library, yes? I think that can be arranged one day, what do you think Jon?” Claudio beams and throws her a wink before looking at Jon. 

“Yeah, we can build our cute fuckin’ nerd a library.” 

She shakes her head and grabs Claudio’s books to add to her stack and she cuts him off when he tries to protest. “Nope, you paid for coffee and Moxie paid for the gas and stuff to come see me so I can buy your books.” She turns to Jon. “You want anything? They have comics and I remember you saying you like Batman.” Jon’s eyes light up so she points them out and watches him walk off.

“That is very kind of you, piccolina.” She blushes and gives him a small smile and they decide to stay to the side of the counter while they wait for Jon in case someone comes in. 

“What does that mean?” She asks curiously.

“Piccolina?” Claudio’s full attention on her is… a lot. 

“Y-yeah that one.” She pushes the dark lock of hair behind her ear not noticing the man get closer to her.

He puts a finger under her chin and tilts her face up with a bright smile. “It means ‘little one’ in Italian as bellissima means ‘gorgeous’ or ‘beautiful’. Mien Herz means ‘my heart’ in German; not that you are not also in my heart of course.” She’s speechless for a moment as his eyes roam her face and his thumb strokes her cheek. 

“S-so, Italian for me and German for Jon?” She asks trying to sound flirtatious.

He chuckles deeply. “You may not have noticed much but Jon needs an anchor sometimes and the harshness on the German tongue seems to help. You, my sweet heart, have had enough harshness in your life from what I have heard, so I want to speak only the language of love to you.” A tear slips down her face and he swipes it away with his thumb before smiling lovingly down at her and kissing her forehead. “No crying piccolina I only speak the truth to you. You and Jon have had a hard life and, while you have found safety and protection, I only wish to protect and love you both.” 

“You promise, Claudio?” She hates it as soon as it comes out of her mouth, but she needed to hear it. 

“I swear it Grace, on my life I swear it.” She nods and he kisses her forehead again before stepping back.

“All good here you two?” Jon striding over to them with a stack of comics. 

“All good Moxie.” She laughs as he groans. “Lemme have ‘em and don’t argue.” 

“Not gonna let it go are you, darlin’?” 

“Nope!” He snorts at her answer and all three of them head back to the counter. “Ready Ms. Mason!” She calls out, knowing the shop owner will hear her.

“Damn Claudio, I lucked out with y’all and accents.” He exhales harshly. “And she speaks Spanish; now I have two of y’all I can’t understand part of the time.” He snorts and they all burst into laughter. 

“Here are your other books, darling girl. Is this everything?” 

“Yes ma’am!” Claudio and Ms. Mason talk small talk while Grace notices Jon tapping at his collar bone and looking around the store. “Hey Moxie, you okay?” She grabs the hand not tapping when he nods at her and turns back to the register. 

“Alright! Got everything totaled up and you had some credits from last time so it’s fifty-four fifty today.” Grace hands over her debit card happily. 

“Will you put those in one bag and mine in another?”

“Sure thing sweetie.” Ms. Mason tries to hand her the bags, but Claudio beats her to it. 

“I will take those ma’am, grazie.”

“Well, aren’t you a gentleman? You bring these boys back, ya hear?” At Grace’s agreement, the trio leaves the store and walks back to the car. 

Grace checks the time and is surprised to see it was already almost eight. “Wow, time flies when you’re having fun I guess.” She hesitates by the car door and plays with the hem of her shirt before Jon nudges her gently.

“Hey, Gracie. We don’t wanna leave either ya know.” He says softly. 

“I know Jon, doesn’t make it easy I guess, but I know I have to let y’all go because this is your dream and I want to finish school and go to college. I know how this works, sort of, through my dads and Mama.”

“It’s gonna fuckin’ suck, Gracie, but we’ll get through it right? And you’ll call us if you start gettin’ pissed about the absence. We’ll make this work as best we can while we’re in the indies and you’re in school, okay?”

“Worry not piccolina, we will come visit when we can and maybe this summer before college you can come to shows with us and stay in Cincinnati with us.” She beams at the thought and nods enthusiastically. 

“I’d love that actually!”

Jon takes the keys and Claudio opens the door to the back seat for her. “Sorry, bellissima, long legs can be a curse.” She laughs at them and nods understandingly before climbing in the back and grabbing the bags from Claudio. 

The ride is too short for Grace’s liking, and they are in front of her house where Jon turns the car off and helps her out of the car. They walk her to the door and Jon looks at the door for a moment before muttering to himself and grabbing her face gently to kiss her. It’s a bit rougher than the one she gave him in the bookstore but it’s perfect and just like Mox: sweet and biting. She groans softly when he pulls away and he smiles leeringly at her.

“I want you to remember that if you get upset at the distance.” He winks and steps back for Claudio to come to her. 

He puts a big hand on her cheek and leans closer to her. “May I Grace?” He whispers and at her nod he kisses her too. 

Strong, gentle, and loving are all that run through her head as they kiss. Where Jon is rough, but kind Claudio is soft, but sturdy and they are everything she needs. She sighs happily when he pulls back and runs a thumb down her cheek tenderly. 

“Wow.” It’s the only thing that she can think to say, and they laugh affectionately.

“Yeah, that’s what I said when he kissed me too, darlin’.” She hugs Claudio tightly. 

“Please be careful and call me when you get to where your match is.” She looks between the two men. “We will figure this out because I’m gonna support your dreams like you’ll support mine. Now go before I find a way to make you both stay.” She hugs Jon and makes him promise to be careful and call her when they get back home before whispering in his ear. “Thank you for this today.” 

She kisses his cheek then kisses Claudio when she makes him lean down to her. Waving at the car until it disappears, Grace quietly goes into house making sure to lock up and heads up to her room. She changes her clothes and unpacks the books from the bag to put them up when she sees one of Jon’s comics in the bag. She smiles and flips through it when a paper falls out and flutters to the floor. She looks down at it confused before picking it up and seeing writing on it. 

-shop owner gave me some paper for this that’s why it’s taking so long. this is my favorite one so maybe you can keep it safe for me yeah? feel like a fuckin’ sap doin’ this. -Mox

Grace reads it over and over before pinning the note to the board by her desk. She plugs her phone in and gets her backpack ready for school before heading to bed. She’s stopped by the ding of her phone and sees that she has a new message from an unknown number that she assumes is Claudio.

Unknown: this is the start of a brew-tiful relationship, our little bookworm. -Claudio

She smiles before sending a quick goodnight message for the both of them and laying down. She falls asleep easily that night thinking about her day with them; they were finally complete.

Spanish: Tía: Aunt cariña: honey mija: daughter/girl Hola guapo: Hi handsome

Italian: grazie: thank you piccolina: little one ciao: hello bellissima: beautiful/gorgeous

German: mein Hertz: my heart

A week passes quickly before Grace's eyes and she's never felt so... safe before. Eddie and the girls are so kind and Nancy has been by almost every day. She really loves Joanie as well who, with Nancy, decided to teach her to throw punches. The only thing that scares her is every day she waits for Marcus to come through the door and drag her back into hell. She traces the healing scab over her mark and shudders. She looks down at the shield with crossing swords and smiles softly, before cleaning and bandaging the cut. "I hope I find you soon." She whispers as she kisses the top of the gauze lightly. "Gracie? Are you coming to the gym?" Eddie calls out from the bottom of the stairs.

She grabs her book bag and hurries to the stairs, smiling when she sees him. "Yes sir, just need shoes."

"The girls are coming too so I didn't know if you wanted to stay home and get some alone time."

Her stomach flutters when he says home. "I didn't think you'd want me here alone." She mutters.

"Of course you can be here alone; you live here as long as you want, Grace." She smiles tightly and continues down the stairs before walking with him to the kitchen.

"Thanks Eddie, I really appreciate it. I know how much you're risking by keeping me here."

“I got those pictures developed by the way.” He says as she grabs an apple, and she freezes for a moment. “If you needed to use them for anything. I want to get you to a doctor too, just for a checkup, but we can wait on that.”

“Papa! We’re ready!” They are interrupted by Sherilyn. “Gracie! May I have an apple too?” 

"Here you go, it's the last one so you can have it and I'll grab some blueberries and grapes." She cuts the apple up and looks around for a bag to put it in.

"Here; that's nice of you to do that." Grace shrugs and smiles as she takes the bag from Shaul.

“She likes apples so she can have it since it’s the last one and she doesn’t demand, she asks.” She looks to see that Sherilyn is distracted before dropping her voice and focusing on the bag. “My brothers never asked and if I talked back to them, it was usually answered with a hand to the face. I know I’m new here, but I really appreciate how you and your family have taken me in. I don’t want to step on any toes, I swear.” She finishes bagging the apple pieces and walks to Sherilyn. “Here you are Sherilyn, I cut it for you too.”

“Thank you, Grace!” She smiles sweetly and Grace returns it. 

“Come along, mi corazón, let’s get to the car while Gracie gets her breakfast together.” She turns away and heads to the refrigerator.

“You’re not you know?” She jumps and spins around barely saving the fruit.

“Huh?” She asks confused as she sets things down on the counter and looks at Shaul. 

“Stepping on any toes. I know you’re not here to replace us and I know our dads love us so much that they would never do that. I’m not saying we’re going to be best friends after a week, but I do want to get to know you. Papa and Dad have huge hearts and they’ll help anyone who needs it. I hope you’ll stay here so that you’ll get the help you need.” She doesn’t give her the chance to answer before leaving the kitchen so thankfully she doesn’t see the happy tears she caused. 

They arrive at the gym and Nancy and Tyler are already there. Grace loves the young boy and his quiet nature. She puts her fist out for him to bump but doesn’t offer a good morning like everyone else because he seems to get grumpier when they make him talk. He looks up at her with a confused cock of his head and she starts to take her hand back when she feels the light touch of his knuckles. She walks over to Nancy and sees her bright smile. 

“Great choice with him, sweetheart.” Nancy cups her face before running a thumb down her cheek and Grace is proud of herself for not flinching. “You’d think with me and Taz as parents he wouldn’t be so quiet and to himself.”

“I’m pretty quiet too so I get it.” She shrugs and slightly presses her cheek into Nancy’s hand more. “Sometimes sounds, especially first thing in the morning, are too much for me so maybe he’s the same. Either way, fist bumps work until he’s ready to talk to me.” She laughs lightly and steps away. “I was actually hoping I could talk to you about something?”

“Of course, you can always come to me! Come on this way.” 

She follows Nancy to the office and shuts the door before sitting down in the chair. She puts her elbows on her knees and her hands clasped under her chin trying to decide what she wants to say and how to ask. Nancy pulls up a chair to sit in front of her and knocks her knees gently against Grace’s. 

“Whatever it is you have to say I’m here for you.”

Grace exhales slowly and looks Nancy in the face. “I’ve been looking up ways to get emancipated, but I would need help. I have to show that I can financially take care of myself, can make my own decisions, and that I can prove that separating from my parents is best for me. I already have my money, but that won’t last forever, and Eddie took those pictures of the first day here.”

“I’m sure Eddie will hire you here so that you have a job on file, and we will help in any way you need.”

“The only thing I’m worried about is that you or Eddie could be fined or go to jail for letting me stay with you and knowing my mom she would do it just to spite y’all.”

“Don’t you worry about me and Eddie, sweet girl, we can definitely handle ourselves and our husbands are probably the most overprotective men I’ve ever met. I’ll talk to Eddie about getting you set up with a job and I’m sure we can find you a place near here and us and-.”

Grace clears her throat to get Nancy’s attention. “A-actually, I was hoping that Eddie’s offer of the room was still available. I’m hoping that I can enroll in my senior year at the high school and graduate.” She looks away and focuses her gaze on the desk. “M-maybe I can stay with you sometime too; a-after Taz meets me of course. I’ve already talked to Chris on video call and he’s all for it. I-I just- this is the only place besides José’s gym that I’ve felt safe, and I don’t want to go anywhere else-.”

She’s cut off from rambling as Nancy pulls her into a hug. “Oh, shit, I’m sor-!” She exclaims as she tries to pull away, but Grace throws her arms around her and hugs back.

“You and Joanie have felt safer in one week than my mom has my whole life.” She puts her face in Nancy’s shoulder. “All of you have; so please say I can stay.” She pulls away and looks in Nancy’s teary eyes. 

“Oh, of course you can, Gracie. We’ll take care of everything, I promise. Why don’t we go tell Eddie your plan and then we can go shopping!” Nancy beams at her. 

“Shopping for what?” She asks confused.

“For stuff for your room: furniture, decorations, new bedding! You name it! That way it can be yours and we can buy some stuff for my house for when you come over too!” 

“I-.” She doesn’t get the chance to protest. 

“Nope! We’re going shopping and you are not to bring money.” Nancy claps and laughs. 

“Can the girls come too, then? Make it a girls’ day?”

“That sounds wonderful, sweet girl. So, come on let’s go talk to Eddie.”

Grace looks around her room -her room- at the new furniture and runs her hand across the soft navy-blue bedding. Her new bookshelf is already a quarter of the way filled after Nancy set her free in a secondhand bookstore. 

She looks at the bedding set for a moment and runs her hand across it to feel the softness. She closes her eyes and remembers the worn-out blanket she had had for years, only soft when she imagined it was and never warm when she needed it to be. She’s startled out of her thoughts when she feels a small hand wiggling itself into hers and looks down to see Sherilyn who smiles up at her. 

“That one’s pretty! Do you like it?” She grins back but looks at the price tag and balks. 

“Yeah, but it’s pretty expensive so I thought I’d look around more.”

“None of that now, sweetheart. Do you like it?” Nancy smiles as she nods. “Then let’s grab it! Oh, and Shaul found you something too in the furniture section.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head before grabbing the size that Nancy tells her to grab.

Eddie fixed up her furniture and he and Joanie let her direct them to where she wanted everything no matter how tedious. Shaul and Nancy helped her make the bed and set up the bathroom with ease and laughter while Tyler watched from the desk chair. Sherilyn surprised her the most when she sweetly placed a new light pink blanket on the end of the bed and Ghost on the pillows.

“All done! It’s so pretty! Do you like your blanket?” She asks excitedly. “Shauly and I picked it for you!” 

Grace discreetly wipes a tear away from her cheek. “I love it Sherilyn, thank you so much.” She hugs the younger girl before looking at Shaul and silently asking for permission. 

“I’m glad you like it, amiga.” She gives Grace a slow, tight hug before grabbing Sherilyn’s hand. “Let’s let Tia Nancy help Grace out some more and tomorrow if she’s okay with it we can come back.” 

Nancy waits until they leave before turning to her and grinning. “Everything you hoped for?”

“And more, ma’am.” She looks around the room again. “I’m so in love with it all and this blanket from the girls is amazing!”

“Well Taz wanted to do something for you too so next week you and I will go for a girls’ day to Barnes and Noble and get you some more books, maybe some lunch or coffee too?”

“You’ve already done so much though; all of you have.” She shakes her head and sits on the bed. 

She feels the bed shift beside her. “None of us think this is too much and technically the girls’ day is a gift from Taz. He wants you to have this after I told him about how your eyes lit up in that bookstore.” She pushes a lock of Grace’s dark hair behind her ear. “We’re not doing anything for you that we wouldn’t do for our children and it’s not like we’re gonna go do this all again next week. We got you your essentials that will last for a good while and you can be comfortable in your space now, okay?” She grabs Grace’s hand and squeezes gently.

“Okay, I appreciate all of this so much, I hope y’all know that and one day I hope to pay your kindness back.”

Nancy kisses her on the temple before hugging her and getting off the bed. “You don’t have to, but I know that’ll go in one stubborn ear and out the other.” She places a hand on her cheek briefly before dropping it to her side again. “I’ll let you decorate some on your own and I’ll see you next week when Tyler and I come back, okay?”

“Thank you, Nancy; I’ll see you next week. Tell Taz I said hi!” 

A knock on the open door brings her back to the present and she turns to see Eddie. “Hola cariña, ¿cómo estás?”

“Muy bien, Eddie, gracias.” He smiles softly. “How are you?”

“I’m good, just got off the phone with Chris. He should be home sometime next weekend, gracias a Dios.” She watches as he rubs his hand across his hip subconsciously.

“Is that where your mark is?” He jumps slightly and blushes before chuckling. “Sorry, just curious.”

“It is my mark.” He pulls his sweatpants down slightly to show her the top of it. “A rose inside a maple leaf; it’s very us I think.” He has a dopey look on his face, and she giggles. “What about yours? It’s always covered up, so I haven’t seen it yet, if you don’t mind me asking.”

She uncovers the mark and holds out her arm to him. “Not at all! It’s a shield with two swords crossing in front of it. If it describes my future, I hope those swords never cut me.” She pets the mark with her finger lovingly. 

He gently grabs her arm. “See how they’re in front of the shield? I think the shield is you and they will protect you from any blows. That’s my guess anyway.” 

“I hope so.” She places a hand on his arm to get his attention. “Thank you for today by the way. It’s like I’ve been in a dream all day; I’m just waiting for the alarm clock to go off and find myself back in San Antonio.” She lets out a depreciating laugh. 

“Well get used to waking up here in El Paso, mija. You’re stuck with us now. You are so welcome for everything and thank you for letting us get it for you. Starting next week, I’m gonna have you put in some hours at the gym, okay? Just so I can have a paper trail for your employment.”

“Okay, awesome! José let me file and run the front so I’m good at that and it might free up Joanie to be on the floor more.”

He ruffles her hair sweetly. “Good idea, cariña. I’m going to let you get some sleep; see you in the morning.”

She shocks them both when she hugs him quickly. “Good night, Eddie.” She pretends she doesn’t see him wipe his eyes as he leaves the room. 

mi corazón: my heart amiga: friend Hola cariño, ¿cómo estás?: Hello honey, how are you? muy bien: very good gracias: thank you gracias a Dios: thank God

Grace winces as she puts the yellow concealer and foundation over her black eye and the bruise on her jaw to try and cover them. She curses herself for letting Marcus catch her yelling at the twins, but they know how to push her buttons and she fell for it. She looks in the mirror again and figures that it looks good enough for using her mom's makeup that people won't question it too much. Luckily, she is working at the gym this weekend and not the restaurant. She shrugs before shutting off the light and heading toward her room for her backpack.

"I'm heading out Mom, I should be back by seven-ish tonight." She calls out when she walks into the kitchen.

She winces when her mom grabs under her chin and tilts her head up into the light. "This foundation isn't your shade; it makes it noticeable that you're wearing it."

"Sorry Mom, I had to use your makeup." She winces when her mom's grip tightens. "Marcus took most of my money and I needed lunch money so I couldn't buy any." Mom sighs and Grace gently takes her face from her hand.

"Your stepfather and I need that money and don't you dare complain about it. We put a roof over your head, so you'd better be grateful young lady."

"Yes Mom, I'm sorry." She checks the clock on the stove. "I really have to go before I'm late. José is sweet but he hates tardiness and I was already late yesterday."

Her mom stops her before she leaves. "Make sure you cook dinner for your brothers tonight, Marcus and I are going on a date tonight." She sighs quietly and rolls her eyes. "You'd better feed them Gracelynn or you'll be in trouble when you wake up in the morning."

"Yes ma'am, I'll make sure to take care of them." She waves goodbye but her mom has already gone back to ignoring her.

The walk to the gym is a short but relaxing one. She walks in with a bright smile and says hello to the regulars before heading to José's office. Knocking on the open door, she is glad that her boss seems to be in a good mood.

“Hola José!”

“Hola mija, comó estás?” 

“Estoy bien y tú?” 

“I’m wonderful little one. We have two special guests today so if you could-.” He turns his chair, and she knows he can see her face, so she turns away from him. “If you could make sure that customers are out by six and the door is locked too.”

"We're closing early?" She asks shocked.

"Just for today, and tomorrow we'll close so that Shawn and Mark can have some privacy while they're here."

She nods slowly. “I’ll make some signs and hang them up on the door too so that people know. Do you still want me in tomorrow? I can clean or help with paperwork.” She tries to keep the plea out of her voice and hopes he does need her tomorrow still. 

He stares at her more a moment longer before nodding, and she sighs happily. “Yeah, I could still use you tomorrow especially for some paperwork and filing.”

“Awesome!” She turns to leave but stops when she remembers something. “I’m sorry… but did you say Shawn and Mark?” 

“Sí, you’ve met them.”

She nods excitedly. “I know! They’re two of my favorites, no one can beat Woman and Eddie Guerrero in my eyes, but they’re favorites and they’re hometown boys.” She laughs happily before heading out to the desk to start her work. 

Grace is so happy when six o’clock hits and she can lock the door. Surprisingly, only one man gives her trouble when she tells him that they’re closing early but José is quick to step in and handle the man before he gets worse. José lets her work on homework for her last hour of her shift and she mindlessly taps her pencil against her textbook until she’s interrupted by a knock on the front door. Sighing, she prepares for the fight that may happen but is excited to see José’s two friends. 

She quickly unlocks the door and lets them in. “Hey guys! José is waiting for you in the office” She locks the door behind them and turns to see the taller man, Mark, still staring at her. “Um, is everything okay sir?” 

“Looks like some nasty bruises you’re covering there sweetheart.” 

“I have two rowdy thirteen-year-old brothers, sir. Accidents tend to happen around them.” She shrugs before going back to the desk.

She watches as the two men mutter to each other before going into the office and she focuses on her work until her watch goes off telling her it’s seven and it’s time to leave. She packs her things up before heading to the office and knocking.

“Sorry to interrupt but I gotta head out. I’ll go out the back so that it locks automatically, but I already clocked out and I’ll be in tomorrow about noon if that’s okay?”

“Why don’t you come to dinner with us kiddo?” Shawn offers. 

She blushes and drops her head for a moment. “Thank you, sir, but my mom and stepdad are out for the night, and I have to cook for my brothers. Thank you again though! I’ll see you three tomorrow. Buenas noches.” She leaves quickly before they can question her further and heads out. 

Grace isn't surprised to find the twins laying on the couch with toys strewn around them. She rolls her eyes before locking the door and heading into the kitchen to get the nuggets and fries from the freezer.

“Can you make spaghetti and meatballs?” Adam whines from the living room.

“Nope! Making chicken nuggets and fries. Ask Mom tomorrow if she’ll make it.” She ignores the groans and continues setting up the pans. 

“Dad said you have to make us what we ask for tonight.” Daniel states as he walks into the kitchen to sit at the island, and she rolls her eyes.

“You get this or nothing. I’m not making a huge mess just because you want to be difficult tonight while Mom and your dad are gone. Just eat this tonight and I’m sure Mom will make you whatever tomorrow, okay? I’m tired and just want to eat this and go to bed.” 

“You still have to clean the house too, ya know?” She turns her head to face him. 

“Can’t y’all go clean while I make this? What have you been doing since they left?” 

“Watching TV, duh. Dad said you can clean when you come home, and Mom agreed.” She sighs and turns away from him, knowing it’s easier not to argue. 

“Whatever, this is on a timer, so I’ll go start it now.” She sets the timer on her watch and heads into the living room where Adam is still on the couch. 

“Are you making spaghetti?” He asks as he nudges her with his foot. 

“Nope, nuggets and fries. Now help me clean or watch TV but leave me alone.”

“But Dad said-.” She puts her hand up to stop him.

“That’s what’s for dinner, eat it or don’t.”

“I’ll tell Dad that you’re being mean again! Remember what he said last time you were mean to us.”

She freezes for a moment and covers her wrist as she remembers her stepfather telling her that if he caught her being mean to his sons again, he’d cut her mark. She breaks out of her thoughts as she hears the twins laughing at her. She opens her mouth to respond but she just shakes her head and continues to clean.

“Well? Are you going to go make what we want?” Daniel asks snottily.

“No boys, I’m not. Mom said to make you dinner and I am so eat it or don’t, but I did what I was supposed to do.” She finishes up the living room just as her timer goes off for the food. 

Thankfully the twins choose not to fight her anymore when dinner is ready, and she helps them get their homework finished before sending them to bed. She looks at the clock and realizes it’s almost midnight and she hasn’t finished cleaning. Marcus would freak out if the house wasn’t cleaned by the time, they got home so she hurried to clean the kitchen and straighten the living room back up. Just as she sits down there is a key in the lock and the door bangs against the wall. 

“Shhhh, we’ll wake the kids, Marcus.”

“They’re fiiine, Amy.” Marcus slams the door and Grace winces at the noise. “What the fuck are you doing awake?”

She jerks her head up and stares at them for a moment before stuttering out an answer. “I-I was just waiting f-for you to come home.” She silently tries to calm her breathing so that he won’t get madder at her. 

The sneer on his face makes her flinch and drop her eyes to her lap. “Aw, you were w-wa-waiting for u-u-us?” He mocks. “What have I told you about that stuttering shit? Get the fuck to bed before I slap you until you fix it!” He slurs out and she doesn’t hesitate before grabbing her things and trying to head to her room, but she’s caught as she passes them. “Where’s my kiss goodnight?” 

She chances a glance at her mother but she’s looking away from them. “I-I’m sorry, you’re right.” She spits out as he squeezes her arm tighter. “Goodnight.” She mutters before kissing his cheek and almost gagging at the alcohol on his breath. She hurries out of the room when he drops her arm and counts to ten when she makes it to her room but it’s no use as she bursts into silent tears. Only a little longer and a bit more money, that’s all she needs. 

Spanish: Hola: Hello Mija: daughter/girl Comó estás: How are you Estoy bien y tú?: I'm fine and you? Sí: Yes Buenas noches: Good night

The next few weeks are relatively calm in the house, and she only has a few new bruises on her arms from where Marcus had grabbed her. She checks to make sure they aren’t visible with the shirt she’d chosen for the day before heading to her bookshelf. She listens for a moment for movement around the house, clocking each member of her household, before pulling the book she hollowed out and opening it. The tips at the restaurant for the last week had been amazing and, with summer break officially starting today, they will only get better. 

She doesn’t hear the footsteps behind her as she grabs the money out of the book and rifles through the bills quickly. “What is that?” She stops breathing for a moment when she turns to see Daniel smirking in the doorway. “Are you hiding money?”

“Daniel please-.” His smile goes evil for a moment and his next words strike terror into her heart.

“DAD!” He crosses his arms and stares at her. 

“Daniel, I am begging you, please. I am your sister, don’t do this.”

His smile turns smug. “DAD! I need you in Grace’s room!” 

She hears the heavy boots of her stepfather’s, and she backs up toward the closest wall as she tries to make herself smaller. “What’s going on, son?” Marcus asks as he fills the doorway.

She’s shaking her head back and forth quickly, but she knows it’s no use. “Grace is hiding money from you again Dad, it’s in her front pocket. I saw her grab it from that book there.” He smugly points to her hollowed book and a tear runs down her cheek when Marcus whips his head around and glares at her. 

He holds his hand out. “Is this true, Gracelynn Rose?” She slowly pulls the money from her pocket and places it in his hand, watching him count the money. “What did I say would happen if I caught you hiding your money from me again?”

“P-please Marcus, I’m sorry, I-I needed it.” She tries to swallow her stutters but she’s too terrified. 

She shakes as he unbuckles his belt, and she knows the punishment that’s coming. “Daniel, why don’t you take Adam and go to the park.” Her brother sends a smirk and wave her way before leaving and she knows her mother is at work so there is no calvary to save her. 

She throws her hands up. “Please Marcus, I won’t do it again.”

His chuckle is as evil as the man himself. “That’s funny, Grace, I remember you saying that the last two times when I went easy on your punishments.” As if you could call a concussion and dislocated shoulder going easy. “Remember sweetie, this hurts me more than it hurts you.” She can never understand why the first hit always hurts the worst. 

Grace is thankful that Marcus’s work called and begged him to come in so that she could finally have a break. She takes a second to catch her breath and make her body work again before she gets up and grabs a duffle bag. 

“When I come back, I’ll finish what I started.”  

The cut above her mark is bleeding from where he started to cut and scare her. She shoves clothes in the bag as fast as she’s able with the pain in her wrist, ribs, and throat. She hopes that her new injuries are easy fixes, but she pushes it all aside for now. She fits the last bit of clothes that she can in her duffle bag before emptying her backpack and grabbing a few important things. She listens for any movement before sneaking into her mom’s room and going to the safe. 

“Come on, come on, unlock already.” 

She sighs in relief as the lock disengages and she grabs the folder with her name on it. Rifling through it quickly before shoving it into her backpack, she quickly runs through the house and makes sure she has anything she may need. She shoves her feet in her shoes and leaves the house, hoping that her brothers aren’t on their way home because she knows she’s in no shape to fight them. The sight of the gym’s front door makes her cry, and she has to stop and hold her ribs for a moment before entering. 

“Welcome in!” The girl at the desk looks up and gasps loudly when she sees her. “Gracie! Oh my God, what happened? José! Ven aquí y date prisa!” Grace is thankful that the gym is mostly empty as Maddie rushes over to her and grabs her bags from her. 

“Madison, why are you yell-? Grace, mija, ven conmigo.” José doesn’t hesitate to grab her gently and lead her to his office. “Madison set her things down and see about getting the gym closed down for an hour.” He sits her down on his couch and goes to grab the first aid kit. “Tell me what happened, mija, and be honest.”

She hesitates and flinches as he cleans the cut on her wrist. Dropping her head so she won’t have to look at him, she spills everything; every injury, every bit of abuse, and every bit of sadness in her life, until she’s crying too hard to continue. 

“I’ve been hiding money here because I knew that he would find it eventually if it was in the house.” She wipes the sleeve of her shirt across her nose. “I can’t do it anymore, José, I need to go, but I don’t know where I’d be safe.”

She feels his hand cup her chin gently and lift her head. “I will help you in any way that I can. For now, you are safe but I’m afraid I must check your ribs. Can you lift your shirt for me? I’ll be quick.”

She nods quickly and winces at the pressure despite how gentle he is. She watches as he wraps her wrist and ribs before sitting back and letting her drop her shirt. “I have to leave tonight, José, soon if I can. My brothers will be home soon and when they see I’m gone they’ll call Marcus. His first stop will be here, and I can’t let you be hurt because of me, and he will hurt you, sir.” He hands her some Tylenol, and she doesn’t even wait for any water before swallowing them dry. 

“We will figure things; sit here and rest while I will make some calls.”

“Jose?” She calls out tiredly.

“Yes, mija? What is it?”

“Am I so hard to love? Mom never stuck up for me and he’s hated me since she met him because I wasn’t his.” She sniffs to keep the tears at bay.

“No Gracie, you’re not hard to love; none of this is your fault, okay?” He places his hand on her head for a moment before going to the desk and picking up the phone. 

She rests her head against the back of the couch as she listens to the soothing voice of José. She picks up some Spanish, but he is talking too low and too fast for her to completely understand. She flinches violently when she feels a hand on her shoulder. 

“Lo siento pequeña, I have set up some short term plans for you but you must get up and we have to go.” He hands her an envelope, a first aid kit, and a piece of paper with writing on it. “This is your money, and you are going to El Paso to connect with an old friend of mine. He and his husband will take care of you.”

She looks in the envelope when she notices that it is much heavier than it should be. “There’s too much money in here.” She states confused. 

“I’ve been adding money over time and so has Shawn and Mark. We thought it was for something like a car or something personal, so we wanted to help out. I’m sorry that you have to use it for this, but if you’re going to leave you have to go now. There is a bus that leaves in thirty minutes so I will walk you there and get you on the bus but after that it's up to you to make sure you make it to El Paso. Por favor ten cuidado, entendido?” 

“I understand, José, thank you.” 

“Now come on, let’s get you on that bus, mija.”

José takes her bags, and they make it to the bus just as it is pulling up. She grabs her bags from him and hugs him tightly as tears well in her eyes. 

“Buena suerte pequeña.” He pulls back and kisses her on the forehead gently.

“Te amo, José.” She whispers.

“I love you too, Grace. Good luck and we will talk to you soon. Go on now.” He hugs her one last time and nudges her toward the bus. 

The driver takes one look at her and smiles sadly. “Heading to El Paso?” 

“Yes sir.” She gives him a small smile and pays for her ticket before sitting directly behind the driver. 

“Whatever you’re running from, dear, you’ll be safe on my bus.” 

She blushes and drops her head. “Thank you, sir.”

Spanish: Ven aquí y date prize: come here and hurry up Ven conmigo: come with me Lo siento pequeña: I’m sorry little one Por favor ten cuidado, entendido: Please be careful, understand? Buena suerte pequeña: good luck little one Te amo: I love you