Getting Her Back

The soft, low vibration drifted through Adrien's dreams, slowly bringing him out of his slumber. His cell phone jumped lightly on his dresser beside his bed. Groggily, Adrien rolled over and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Adrien? Are you busy? I need to speak to you!" Grace's normally quiet voice floated urgently from the receiver, making Adrien jolt up in bed.
“Grace? It’s Saturday, why are you calling me; shouldn’t you be in Alaska?”

Grace had left for Alaska three days ago to go hiking in the snow-covered mountains with her boyfriend, and Adrien’s ex best friend, Jim. Adrien wasn’t expecting a call from her for another six days.
Grace sighed. “Adrien, something terrible has happened! You were the only person I could think to call!”
Adrien could hear fear and worry in her voice.
“Adrien, Jim’s been kidnapped! It all happened so fast; I had no idea what was going on. I still don’t know what’s going on! I don’t understand Adrien; Jim and I were just starting up Mount --- when this helicopter landed right in front of us and three men got out. Two of them grabbed Jim, and the third, - oh God Adrien, he hurt me! He hit me and threw me against the helicopter! I don’t know why, Jim and I didn’t deserve that! They took everything! My wallet and phone, my car keys, even my pictures! Adrien, I’m scared. I don’t know what to do. Can you please come up here? I really need you right now.”
Adrien covered his eyes and tried not to think of Grace being beaten up by large guys. He couldn’t think of her hurt. Wouldn’t. This was grace; fun, loving, spirited grace. No one would ever want to hurt her. She was too nice. She taught Adrien how to cook a chicken. She lived next to him, had for three years now. Grace was his friend, someone he could tell everything to.

“Where are you?”
“I’m in my hotel, The Polar.”
“Alright, I’ll be on a flight by six, I promise. Just hang tight, stay in your room and don’t answer the door!”

Adrien hung up the phone and leaned back on his bed. This couldn’t be real. Something like this only happened in movies, to fictional characters. Not to Adrien. Not to the people he cared so much about. He grabbed his wallet off his dresser and took out a folded picture. It was one taken at the carnival last year. Adrien took Grace because Jim was on a business trip for that whole week. She rode every ride and won three stuffed animals. She even begged Adrien to get a picture taken with her. Adrien sighed. She looked so happy that night, so peaceful. That peace had been broken when Jim came back with a foreign number in his palm pilot. When Grace had asked him about it, Jim had told her that he had cheated on her, but that it was just a fling, that he didn’t even care about that person. It hadn’t fooled Adrien, but Grace took the bait and stayed with him. That was when Adrien’s friendship with Jim ceased to exist.

Adrien put his picture back in his wallet and shoved into his back pocket, and went to pack.

End Chapter One

If there was one place Grace never wanted to be again, this was it. It had started to get dark, and the cold from the mountain slowly crept down to the quiet town below. The darkness seemed to give off an evil aura.

Grace paced back and forth in her room. She had an ice pack on her left eye and was limping slightly. She glanced at the clock on the wall as she passed. Nine-thirty. Where in Heaven was he? Adrien swore he’d be on a plane by six. It should only take two hours to get to --- from Seattle. Give or take half an hour for weather conditions, he should have been here by now.

Grace went to the bathroom and examined herself in the mirror. Good God she looked a mess! Her hair was disshelved and her clothes torn. She had a nasty cut from her left temple to her jaw, along with many other cuts and bruises scattered across her face and arms. Her right ankle was twisted and her good eye was bloodshot from where she had been crying. Slowly, carefully, Grace removed the ice pack from her left eye and sighed in expiration. It had already swollen shut and bruising had begun around it. That was going to be some black eye.
Grace didn’t want to think about what Jim looked like. Grace went to her bed and sat down on the edge, head in hands. Just then, a sharp knock sounded at the door, making her jump. She scrambled off the bed and headed toward the door, but stopped. Adrien told her not to answer the door. It could be him, but Grace was too scared to check for fear that the ultimate danger lay hidden behind that door. Her head-on experience with insanity made her more cautious, more wary of the dangers of society. Another rapt sounded an this time it was accompanied by a voice.

“Grace? Are you in there? It’s me, Adrien.” Adrien’s soft, sweet voice whispered.
Grace’s good eye opened wide and she ran to the door. She barely had time to completely open the door when Adrien grabbed her and enveloped her in a tight hug. Grace let herself sink into his embrace and just stood there, breathing in the scent of happiness, of security. When he eventually pulled away, Grace shut the door and headed back to the bed. Adrien followed her.

“Grace, stop. Turn around.”
Grace turned around and looked at Adrien.
“Good Lord, Gracie, what did they do to you?” Adrien’s concerned gaze traveled over Grace’s body, making her shiver, though she had no idea why. Suddenly her eyes filled up with tears and she sank onto the bed. Adrien rushed to her and sat down beside her and put his arms around her. Grace leaned on his shoulder and started crying.
“Adrien, what’s going to happen to Jim? None of this makes sense. Jim and I didn’t do anything. I don’t understand!”
Adrien tilted Grace’s head up. The tears brightened her eyes, making them shine a beautiful green. A purple ring framed her left eye. Adrien thought that it made her look like a cute sad puppy.

Adrien traced the cut on Grace’s cheek.
“We’re going to get Jim back. I promise you, we’ll find out what’s going on. I’ll get to the bottom this if I have to ask every yeti from here to Florida.”
Grace smiled and Adrien felt his stomach flutter.
“You always did know what to say to make me laugh when I was sad.” She leaned further into him and kissed him on the cheek.
“Thank you for being such a great friend.”

Adrien’s heart stopped at friend. He couldn’t stand being just a friend. He wanted to be more. Always had. But a part of him had known Jim would get Grace. Everything had started with that boy, and Adrien knew it was going to end with him somehow. Adrien closed his eyes and silently groaned. Why did that bastard have to be so much trouble? He hurt Grace in ways a hunter wouldn’t hurt a deer. And Jim knew it too. That was the horrible thing; he knew that Grace loved him, and he used it against her to get everything he wanted. Grace deserved so much more.

Suddenly Grace got back off the bed and went over to the dresser and hastily started pulling out clothes. Confused, Adrien went up behind her and put his hands on her shoulders.
“Gracie, sweetheart, what are you doing?”
Grace answered over her shoulder, never turning around. “If we’re going to find Jim, we should start now; it will get too dark if we wait any longer.”
Adrien sighed.
“Grace, I know you want to find Jim. I do too. But if we start now we won’t get anywhere before midnight. You’re tired, I’m tired. Let’s get some sleep and we’ll figure out what to do in the morning.”

Grace stopped packing and looked Adrien in the eyes.
“But what about Jim? What if something happens to him?”
“grace, if these people have any brains, they will wait until morning to do anything as well. Jim is safe for the night. But you,” he continued, smiling. “you might just fall over at any moment. Now sleep.”

Grace seemed reluctant at first, not willing to leave her boyfriend out in the unknown all night, but humanity got the better of her in the end. She yawned.
“Just promise me Adrien. Promise me we will get started early. I mean, at the crack of dawn, we’re up that mountain.”
Adrien smiled and put his hand over his heart.
“I solemnly swear to do all you ask.”
Grace giggled and punched him lightly before she headed for the bathroom to get changed.

End Chapter Two

Adrien glanced at the clock for the umpteenth time, only to find that the night had advanced two minutes. The sun wasn’t due to come up for another three hours. He turned on his side and looked at Grace, sleeping peacefully beside him. The bruises on her face were less prominent in the dark. Adrien raised his hand and lightly touched her cheek. She really was beautiful. With subtle red hair and light skin, Grace shone when the sun touched her. But in the dark... Adrien sighed and closed his eyes. He didn't know when he actually started liking her, but he could remember the time he relized it when the shocking truth came crashing around his shoulders when Grace knocked on Adrien's door that cold, rainy night; when it was so stormy he couldn't tell if it was the rain or her tears that made her mascara run.