Complicated

Chapter Two: New York Winters

Made a wrong turn
Once or twice
Dug my way out
Blood and fire
Bad decisions
That's alright
Welcome to my silly life

Pink - Perfect

The locker room was freezing, the chill from the air was putting goosebumps all over Grace's skin as she pulled the jade green sweatshirt down over her body. She had left Flack's in the early hours of this morning while he had been still sleeping. Flack's body had been splayed out on his stomach, his arm resting upon her chest holding her against him. It had taken a few minutes to extract herself from his embrace, there wasn't a chance in hell Flack had wanted to let her go. She'd managed to redress herself in record time because of the cold and had made it into work in time for the early shift she was on.

Three hours of crossing the 'T''s and dotting the 'I''s on her reports had warranted some form of break so she had gone to get coffee only to slip on some ice on the way back from the Starbucks across the street and spill the entire cup upon her white silk blouse. Lucky she always kept a back up outfit in case of dumpster diving mishaps.

Grace was balling up the shirt between her hands when Stella stepped into the locker room, clad in her outdoor attire rubbing her own hands together to keep warm.

"I didn't think New York winters could get much colder." Stella exclaimed as she came to stand next to Grace, twisting the combination lock attached to her own locker.

"Me neither." Grace said as she tossed the coffee stained shirt inside. "Damn ice is lethal though, I've slipped on it twice today already. Fell right on my ass the first time, spilt coffee on my new shirt the second."

"I was going to say I haven't seen the jade shirt in quite a while, it brings out your skin tone." Stella complimented with a smile as she stripped off her gloves, one slipped from her fingers and dropped to the floor.

"Working with you is like having a talking copy of Cosmo magazine." Grace teased as Stella crouched down to retrieve her glove.

Stella's gaze shifted to the green rucksack in the bottom of Grace's locker as her fingers enclosed upon her black glove. There was a moment where the silence waged between them. Grace pursed her lips together tightly as she rubbed the back of her neck. Stella rose to her feet, her eyes still taking in the expression on Grace's features as the other woman exhaled deeply.

"I understand." Stella said sympathetically. "You still need to have an escape route."

"Just in case." Grace told her quietly. "I know it's been three months but I can't forget what it feels like to be trapped in a situation like that, even now."

"There's no shame in that." Stella reminded her, taking Grace's hands and pressing them together between hers as if in prayer.

"I know." Grace uttered as she met Stella's gaze. "I tell myself that every single day."

"Your a strong one Grace, you can't let what he did break you." Stella told her, releasing Grace's hands and unzipping her jacket.

"Never." Grace promised before clearing her throat and casting a small smile at Stella.

"Thanks for getting me out of that situation. I know we've never talked about it but I appreciate what you did, telling Mac." Grace clarified, watching Stella as she hung up her jacket inside her locker. "It was the right thing to do."

Stella closed her locker at the same time as Grace slipped a twenty from her purse and slipped it into the back pocket of her grey pinstriped trousers.

"You weren't listening to me, it was time to bring out the big guns." Stella spoke with honesty as she met Grace's gaze. "I saw how bad it was getting and I knew sooner or later it would be too late."