Memories
TW! Talks about abuse, drug use, and abandonment. (A look into some of Grace's past)
Grace didn't know where she was going, she just let her feet take her away. She needed to get away from everything, Bruce, Jason, Phobia, and even Dick. She walked for what felt like miles, but somehow whenever she goes on a walk she always ends up in the same area. An area she knew all too well. An area that brought back all these memories, parts of her past she would do anything to forget about.
She knew she shouldn't go but her mind didn't tell her body to go back, instead her mind told her body to continue walking. Grace knew she shouldn't but she couldn't help it. Grace had tried so hard to bury her past but one way or another it always comes back.
Grace continued to walk until she got to an alleyway. The alleyway. It only took a single glance at the alleyway for all the memories she tried her hardest to forget about came all flooding back like a huge wave. She tried to push the memories away but no matter how hard she fought the memories always won. Grace tried her hardest to walk away from the abandoned alley and to never relive all those memories. But she caved Grace went to the alley anyway. She found no one there, which was weird considering all the other times there were at least a couple of homeless people there.
Grace walked to the end of the alley and found a corner of the alley that was all too familiar to her. As she slowly sat down in the corner and let all the memories flood back.
~Flashback~
9-year-old Grace and her mother, Monica had just come back from a small lunch, they had shared a meal from McDonald's. This was a very rare treat for Grace, her family had always been poor. Her mother was an addict and would often bring men to their trailer, that was until she meant Luke when Grace was 4. Soon after Monica met Luke the 3 of them moved into a small apartment. It was good for about a week until Luke started to become mad over every little thing.
He would drink his weight in any type of liquor he could get his hands on, and Monica wasn't any better she was a drug addict. It never mattered what drug it was she would take them all, from smoking pot to shooting up heroin, she did it all. And if anything Luke would encourage her to take them because he knew as long as he kept supplying her the drugs Monica would always stay with him, and therefore Grace would always be there too.
They were too poor to afford school for Grace, she tried to tell them once when she was 7 that if they stopped spending the money on drugs and alcohol they would have enough to send her to school. Luke obviously didn't like that idea and just responded by slapping Grace across the face and sending her to her room without any dinner, while Monica stood there and watched. This often happened Luke would punish Grace in many horrid ways and Monica would just sit and watch.
Grace's mother claimed that after their lunch they were going to take a small walk before going back to the apartment, and Grace believed her, it was her mother after all she could always trust her mother. Grace and her mother walked for a while until they stopped at an alleyway, Monica told Grace to stay in the alley because she had a surprise for her. Grace listen to her and sat next to an old woman and waited. She waited for her mother...and her mother never came back.
Grace was 11 when Dick found her in the alley. Dick found Grace fighting off an older guy who was trying to take the few bucks she had gotten. Grace would have lost the money if Dick hadn't stopped the fight. And from that day forward Grace and Dick became like siblings.
~End of Flashback~
Grace had finally let all the memories come flooding back, and she regretted it, like every time this had happened. She knew what was going to happen if she chose to stay and she did anyway. At that moment Grace wanted nothing but Dick, she wanted her older brother to comfort her. So without thinking Grace picked up her phone a called Dick. She knew he wasn't going to pick up, but she just wanted to see one last time if he would.
After a couple of rings, the call went to voicemail. At this point, Grace couldn't stop the tears that were filling in her eyes. Grace couldn't take it anymore so she just let the tears fall. She wouldn't admit it but it felt good to cry, instead of just getting mad and yelling, or breaking things. She couldn't really explain why crying felt better than getting mad it just did at some points.
*****
Once Grace had calmed down she left the alley and headed back to the manor. Grace hoped that Bruce didn't know she had snuck out, she couldn't deal with him right now. As Grace was seeking back into her room through the window, she was greeted by a very angry-looking Bruce sitting on her bed.
"What are you doing?" Grace asked as she shut her window behind her.
"Waiting for you," Bruce stated
"Why?"
"Because Alfred came to check on you after our argument, and he found your room empty," Bruce told Grace. "Where were you?" Bruce asked
"Why do you want to know?" Grace asked already getting pissed at Bruce. "I have a tracker in my arm in case you forgot."
"You went back there didn't go?" Bruce asked, Grace couldn't tell if Bruce was getting pissed or if he was actually worried about her. When Grace didn't respond and only looked down at the floor he had his answer. "I told you I don't want you going back there." Bruce continued, as Grace continued to stare at the floor. Bruce didn't know what else to do so he just shook his head with a small sigh and left, saying something under his breath that sounded like "What am I going to do with her."
*****
A few hours later Grace was peacefully reading in her room until she saw her door swing open to reveal a panicked Jason. He was saying something to her but she couldn't read his lips, it was like they were moving faster than light. Grace got off her bed and stopped Jason. Before Jason could do anything she gave him a piece of paper and pen telling him to write it down. Jason practically ripped the pen and paper out of Grace's hand and scribbled a few words down on the paper before showing Grace.
Two-face escaped from Arkham Bruce needs you in the bat cave now!
Grace read the paper twice to make sure she read it right. Without another word Gace grabbed her hearing aids off her nightstand and ran down to the bat cave with Jason following after. Once she got to the Batcave Bruce threw Grace her suit and told her to get ready. After getting her suit on Grace walked back into the Batcave.
"Does this mean I'm phobia again?" Grace asked
"Let's see how this goes," Bruce replied.
"Wait what about me?" Jason asked.
"Stay on the computers we need eyes on Two-face," Grace answered, cutting Bruce off without even thinking.
And with that Grace and Bruce left to go fight Two-face.
AN: This chapter took so long to write for no reason, but I finally finished. Sorry, the ending is kinda rushed I just needed to finish so I could finish my project for school. :) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and this little peak into Grace's past. I will go deeper into her past in another chapter, but I thought you guys should know a bit about her past.