Always and Forever

Chapter Two

Grace escaped New Orleans before the sun set. She boarded a bus and let it take her as far as it would go. She had no idea where she was going but she knew that anywhere was better then home. She was tired of the neglect and the abuse. Grace bit her lip as memories of the past flooded back. No one knew about the abuse. It had only happened a few times. Sometimes Elijah got angry and he'd hit her. He would bribe her not to tell anyone especially her father. Klaus may not of cared about Grace but he hated abuse. Grace never told anyone... not even Hope. She took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her eyes. She was eight years old. She doesn't need to be crying. Grace grabbed the straps of her bag and began walking. The bus had dropped her off in a town called Beacon Hills. It seemed nice. It wasn't as big as New Orleans but that's what Grace found appealing. As she walked down the streets, Grace decided her first order of business should be to get food. Grace had been planning to run away for months, so she asked Camille, Vincent and Marcel for some money. They'd all given her some and she kept all of it. She had over $400 dollars. First she'd eat then she'd find the police department. So Grace found the nearest restaurant. It was a small diner. She walked through the door, the little bell on the door ringing, signaling her entrance. A waitress looked up, seeing the little girl. She was shocked to see a child enter the diner by herself. Grace didn't look at anyone. She quietly walked to an empty booth, taking her bag off and placing it into the empty space beside her. She sat down and waited for a waitress to bring her a menu. The waitress, worried about the girl, grabbed a kids menu and walked over to the girl. Grace saw the lady approaching and smiled.
"Hi, sweetheart. Here's a menu." The waitress placed the menu down in front of the girl. Grace looked at the older lady in a yellow uniform. She wore a name tag that said Edith.
"Thank you, Miss Edith." Grace looked at the menu. Edith watched as the girl looked through the small list of kids items.
"Can I have the chicken tenders and French fries please?" Edith nodded.
"What would you like to drink hon?"
"Hmm. Do you have chocolate milk?" Edith smiled and nodded. Grace smiled, bouncing a bit in her seat.
"Then yes please." Edith smiled and grabbed a small pack of crayons out of her apron pocket.
"Here. You can color on the menu if you'd like." Grace's eyes lit up. She grabbed the crayons and started coloring the little doodles that covered the page. Edith smiled at the girl once more. She walked back to the kitchen to put in the order and grab the phone. In the about five minutes it took the girl to order, no one had shown up for the girl. She was worried. She dialed the Sherrifs department. Someone needed to check up on this child. As Edith, worked on the other tables and handed out orders, she kept an eye on the girl. She was coloring away on the sheet, waiting patiently for her food. A few moments later, Edith brought Grace her food. She sat it down in front of her. Grace smiled.
"Thank you very much." Edith smiled and nodded.
"Enjoy your meal. Let me know if you need anything." Grace nodded and began eating the food. Chicken was her favorite. Camille always gave her chicken tenders when she did her school work at Rousseau's, the bar where Camille worked. Grace ate as she finished coloring on the paper. She didn't notice when the door opened behind her. In walked Sherrif Noah Stilinski. Edith walked over to him.
"Hey sheriff. She's over there," she said, pointing towards the girl. Noah's looked where Edith and saw the little girl sitting alone in a booth. She was busy coloring and eating. She didnt look scared or worried. She seemed...content.
"Thanks Edith," he said, walking over to where the girl sat. Noah decided to see if her parents were around. He sat down across from her, much to the suprise of the child. Grace looked up and saw the man sitting there. She wasn't scared, but she was slightly shocked.
"Hi," Noah said, smiling at the girl. Grace smiled back.
"Hi. I'm Grace."
"Well its nice to meet you Grace. I'm Noah Stilinski. I'm a police officer. I heard you were here by yourself?" Grace nodded, taking a bite of her food.
"Where's your parents?" Grace bit her lip. She didn't like lying but she didn't want to be sent home. She decided not to lie.
"New Orleans." Noah was slightly shocked. How was an innocent little girl so far away from her parents.
"New Orleans? How did you get here? Are you staying with someone?"
"I took a bus. It took a few days but this was the last stop."
"You took a bus? By yourself?" Grace nodded again, taking a sip of her drink.
"Can I ask why?" Grace sat down her drink and looked at the kind looking man. 
"My family doesn't love me. So I left." Noah looked at the girl in sadness. He couldn't believe a parent could make their chd feel like that.
"Im sure they love you, Grace." Grace shook her head.
"No they don't. I know they don't. I've seen it. I...I've felt it." It took Noah only a second to realize what she meant. He bit back his anger.
"Has someone hurt you?" Again, Grace thought about what to say. She loved her family... even if they didn't love her and she didn't want them to get in trouble. She bit her lip. Noah watched the girl. He could tell she didn't know what to say. He smiled sadly.
"Listen sweetie. You don't have to tell me if you don't want too." Grace sighed in relief.
"Would you like to take a ride with me? I'd like to take you to the hospital to make sure you're okay." Grace nodded before grabbing her bag. She quickly opened it and dug through it to find the small zipper bag that held her cash. She pulled out a twenty dollar bill and sat it on the table. Noah smiled and reached out a hand. Grace looked at his hand for a moment. Grace wasn't a fan of physical contact unless she absolutely trusted the person. Most adults didn't care about that though so Grace took a deep breath and grabbed his hand. Noah noticed the girls reaction. Her had seen it before in kids from abusive and traumatic situations. He gently led Grace towards the door. Grace followed looking over at the waitress. She smiled and waved at the woman before she exited the building with Noah. He led her to his police car, opening the back door for her. Grace climbed in and Noah helped her buckle up. Grace smiled at him before he closed the door. When she was alone in the car, Grace took a deep breath. This was the moment her new life would begin.