Saved By The Outlaws

Chapter Ten: Accepted

A/N: I also want to say that I have not edited any of these chapters at all, not for any of my works - that's a summer job (: So I apologise for any mistakes made! Especially if there are any annoying ones (like the correct use of there, their, they're etc...)

Chapter 10 – Accepted

“Grace” Mrs Grange said suddenly from her chopping, after we'd had the heart to heart she roped me in to helping out with cooking dinner. “I noticed you called my Mrs Grange several times during your little speech and it made me sound really old. I didn't like it. Grace. My name is Grace and you shall call me that.”

I smiled and nodded as I went back to peeling the potatoes. However, I was suddenly interrupted by the door slamming open and Nate rushing in.

“Ma, tell me that you didn't let him leave without me?”

“Who Nate?” Grace replied, full attention still on her chopping.

“Isaac! Pa said that he had a mission that he needed to do and that he was on his way back to the group of men with Fred and that he was only taking a few people with him.”

“That's nice dear” Grace said, not really listening to what Nate was saying.

“Ma!” Nate yelled as Grace's head snapped up to meet her son's gaze before Liam came round the corner.

“Mr Grange” I smiled acknowledging his entrance.

“Liam” he replied “as my wife seems to have ditched her formality of Mrs Grange, it only makes sense for me to as well.”

I nodded as he turned his attention to his son. “Nathan Ruben, I hope you weren't just yelling at your ma!”

“But pa, she wasn't listening and it was important. Isaac left and didn't take me with him!”

“Because it was something that didn't concern you Nate” Liam tried to argue “ it was something that Isaac had to do on his own.”

“The only thing that wouldn't concern me is if it had to do something with her” Nate pointed to me “everything else concerns me because Isaac is family.”

The comment stung a little with his blatant disregard for me, however the silence seemed to weigh heavily on me more. And that's when everything seemed to fall into place.

“No” I whispered “he hasn't gone after my brother has he?”

Liam looked me in the eyes and pity crossed them before he began to speak “I can't tell you the exact details Carly, but yes, he has gone to try and find out what is going on.”

“I've got to stop him then” I mumbled beginning to move past the people in the kitchen, but not before a hand on my elbow stopped me from leaving the room.

Grace's hand.

“Carly, this is something that Isaac feels like he has to do, and if you go after him now, say that he does find your brother and you end up there as well. You could both get severely hurt. I don't want that to happen. Now I may not be able to control what happens to my son, but I can ensure your safety and so you're not going to leave here without a fight.”

I sighed. There was no point arguing against this woman, and there was no point leaving any later than now. I didn't know where he was planning on going and in which direction.

“Ok” I nodded “I won't leave.”

As I glance around the room, I caught the look of thanks that Liam sent towards his wife before leaving the room, taking Nate with him. Lily got on with whatever preparation that she was before, remaining unusually quiet during the whole encounter and Grace nodded and smiled before giving my elbow a gentle squeeze and returning to chopping the vegetable on the work surface.

Before I could get on with the peeling, I felt a tug at my arm and turned to see a smiling Mary-Louise.

“Fancy a walk?” She asked as I turned to Grace for approval, she nodded which in turn caused me to nod at Mary-Louise.

We exited the house together arm in arm as she directed us to the side of the house and into a little field. She pulled me down to sit beside her and began finding daisy's to make into a daisy chain. I automatically began to help, starting up my own chain to add to hers.

“You're part of our family now Carly you know that right?” Mary-Louise said quietly. It stunned me too much to answer and she she went on.

“You're actually fully accepted by all of us now” she smiled looking up at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

“Oh, I don't think that's exactly true Mary-Lou, Nate doesn't seem to be too welcoming to me.”

“Oh he's just being stubborn about the whole incident, he's not angry at you Carly, he's ashamed that you felt like you needed to protect him. He didn't like that you felt that away about him. He likes to act all big and tough. He's been this way with all of the old ones when they've tried to protect or help him. Gets it from our ma.”

“I understand” I worked through the daisy's fixing them together as Mary-Louise pulled at the end of mine and began to fix the two together.

“Just like these chains Carly our lives have come together and everything will work out, you'll see.”

Just as I was about to reply we heard Grace shout from the house that food was nearly ready and to get ourselves inside to wash up. Mary-Louise pulled me up gently and remained holding my hand up to the house. In the other hand she was swinging the combined daisy chain and before entering the house she wound it round the porch banister.

Tugging me inside I realised what she'd done and understood exactly what she was saying. I really have been accepted by the Grange family, and now I couldn't imagine my life without them.