Going Solo: Grace Gen 4.24

My head was pounding when I opened my eyes. I looked around. I was at home. How did I get home? I swung my legs over the side of my bed. I stood and stretched. I felt like I was floating. I was floating! I'm floating!

"JONAS!"

Both he and Vor appeared in my doorway.

"You're up! I've been so worried, you've been out for two days."

"Yes I'm up, as in my feet won't touch the floor how do I make it stop?!"

He started laughing. "Um..." he floated for a minute then landed. "...think down."

I did as he said and felt my feet touch the ground.

"This will be a learning experience for us both. My grandmother has been talking to my great-grandfather. Neither of us expected you to pass out like that. It scared us both. How are you feeling?"

"My head hurts and my back itches, but other than that fine. And learning experience?"

"Yeah, it's been about a century or so since the last human was approved to become a fairy. The previous council leader wasn't very keen on handing out approvals. I'm going to be your teacher I guess. Oh, and your parents were here. Please let them know you're okay, your father has put me back on his shit list."

I could only imagine how Dad had been acting since he said I'd been out for two days. I looked at my clothes and hoped that Mom changed me.

"I'll call them, but first I want to see."

I walked into the bathroom and looked at my reflection. They were yellow. Bright and beautiful like sunshine. I had wings! I was something different. Being with Jonas my life had changed and evolved and now my body had. I was like a butterfly, I'd lived in a cocoon for for a very long time and finally had emerged into the being I think I was meant to be. I felt the same for the most part other than a tickling sensation radiating from my back. I hoped that would go away eventually.

"They match your aura of kindness."

"My aura?"

"Yes, as a fairy, you can tell a person's aura, their, um...their true inner being. When you look a person, you can see a glow around them."

I looked at him and noticed a glowing white light around him. It was strange. "Yours match as well. What does it mean?"

"Pure of heart."

I smiled. It was very fitting for him. "So every time you looked at me you saw a yellow glow."

He nodded. It was strange, but I liked it.

"Your grandmother's are teal. What does that color mean?"

"They're more blue than teal, but the blue-ish family means wisdom."

There was so much to learn, and understand, but I had time. I smiled at that thought, I had lots of time now. My stomach growled reminding me it hadn't had food in two days. Jonas went to fix me something to eat while I called my parents who were relieved to hear I was up. Dad told me he was going to bury Jonas in the hills if I hadn't woken up soon. I was happy to removed the bounty from his head. I promised to come by to visit. My next call was to Hope. I had Jonas take a picture of the new me, so she could see. Wind came by to check on me. She was waiting on me to wake up before heading back to Hidden Springs. Jonas promised to bring me soon so I could meet the rest of his family which sadly only consisted of his great-grandfather.

Jonas stayed with me and helped me get used to the new me. I enjoyed being a fairy. He wasn't lying when he said they were good with plants. My plants seemed to grow bigger and faster. It was amazing. He still hadn't moved back to his house. We'd settled into a routine of being roommates. He still slept in the spare room. We had breakfast and dinner together each day. Would watch TV or just sit and talk until we were ready for bed.

Snowflake day arrived and I was excited. Hope and Caleb were coming and I'd finally get to meet Trevor. So much had gone on that I'd never got to go out and visit them. I couldn't wait to see my nephew in person for the first time.

Carter greeted us at the door. He was the spitting image of Dad. He was doing well at college and Erin was in her final year of high school. Dad had eased up on the dating thing, for which she was grateful.

"Gracie!!!" Hope, yelled rushing towards me. She hugged me tight. It had been so long since we'd seen each other last.

"I've missed you."

"Same here. Let me see!" She turned me so that my back was to her. "Those are so cool. So..." she lowered her voice a bit... "Mom says Jonas is living with you. How's that going? I can't believe you didn't call and tell me!"

"You knew he was there. What are you talking about, not telling you?"

"Yeah, but that was because of that asshole. He's stayed...so that means things are...different."
She winked at me and I picked up on her meaning. I looked around for Jonas, but he and Dad were both missing.

"Hope! No...he...no we haven't...he sleeps in the other room."

She frowned "Seriously?"

"Yes."

She started to say something but Caleb walked over and gave me a big hug.

"If I had known you were gonna be here soon, I would have saved that diaper for you."

"I'll get the next one, but right now I want to officially meet my nephew."

Trevor was even more adorable in person. He had Caleb's eyes and Mom's hair. He was a happy baby, full of giggles, but had really sharp teeth. I learned quickly it was not okay to have my fingers anywhere around his mouth.

It was still hard to believe my sister was a mother, but looking at her face when she looked at Trevor, I'd never seen her look so fulfilled. After dinner, we all opened gifts. Trevor of course got tons of stuff he didn't need. Mom and Dad were going to have to pay a fortune to ship it all to Aurora Skies. Jonas had been acting strange since he and Dad came back from outside earlier. He seemed nervous which I thought was odd considering Dad had eased off his protective dad role since everything with Patrick.

"Grace, I have one more gift for you."

He pulled me off the couch over to the center of the room. Dad walked over and gave me a kiss on the cheek and a hug before going to stand with Mom. The moment Jonas started to get down on one knee Hope let out a squeal startling Jonas and making him drop the box.

"Grace, I don't think I ever told you thank you for allowing me into your life. I have been grateful for everyday that I've had with you. I can no longer imagine a life that doesn't include you in it. Your parents have given me their blessing, and you know that winning over your father was no easy feat." He paused and looked over at Dad who gave a small nod of approval. "Grace Mariah Gruber, would you do me the great honor of becoming my wife?"

I looked around at my family. Everyone smiling, supporting us. Me. This day started out like every other and morphed into one of those moments in my life that I didn't expect. I looked down at Jonas, I couldn't imagine my life without him either.

"Yes!"

He slid the ring on my finger and just like that I was engaged. Engaged! Me! I couldn't believe it. Everyone was excited and giving hugs and officially welcoming Jonas to the family. My earlier conversation with Hope replayed in my head. Dread settled in my stomach. I'd never thought about having sex with Jonas. He never pushed anything more than kissing. Getting married would change that. I grabbed Hope's arm and pulled her outside.

"I can't do it!"

"Do what?"

"Earlier, when you asked about...you know. I...I don't think I can and if I marry him then he'll expect it."

"Gracie, it will be okay. If he's been with you this long and you two don't even sleep in the same room, I doubt he's gonna turn into some sex crazed man overnight. Jonas is a good guy and he's letting you set the pace on things. When you're ready, you'll know. Until then just enjoy this moment. You need to get back in there and spend time with you hunky new fiancé."

She pulled me back inside and the first thing I saw was Jonas' smiling face. She was right, of course. Jonas hadn't even tried to move rooms, I knew in my heart that he would never push that issue with me. But I also knew that he probably wasn't expecting to spend a his life being celibate either.

**A/N**

Thanks Piazzagirl for sending me Trevor. Grace appreciated getting to meet her nephew finally.