Suddenly

Everyone is a Critic

Grace quickly cast her glance to the mirror for what seemed like the tenth time that morning. Her fingers ghosted over her cheeks as she attempted to smooth out a nonexistent makeup line.

She was nervous.

Today, Friday, day two of 'Operation Freedom', as she had mentally dubbed her current endeavor, would be her first day speaking with a lawyer in hopes of making her case. She desperately needed to get the ball rolling. After all, if she wasn't successful today, it would be Monday before she could hope to speak to another lawyer. That would be two whole days wasted.

Wednesday was looming closer and closer.

The thought of her husband coming home to an empty apartment excited and terrified her.

"You look beautiful, Grace, very professional chic." Mamrie assures her as she begins to push her towards the door. The redhead knew they could not be late for the 8:15 sharp appointment with one of LA's best divorce attorneys.

Honestly, Mamrie had been surprised that Grace even asked her along. Not that she minded at all, it made her heart swell inside her chest. She would gladly stand beside Grace for as much moral support as she needed.

"My hair doesn't look....I don't know, frumpy?" Grace croaked.

Of course her hair looked beautiful, not a strand out of place, each piece curled to perfection.

Mamrie laid a gentle hand on Grace's left shoulder. She turned the other woman to face her. "You've got this. I'm not going anywhere."

Grace's shoulders noticeably relaxed. She gave her best friend a semi confident nod.

"Okay," she turned to face Hannah, who stood holding a very sleepy Ayla. "Are you sure you've got her, Hannah? She can be quite a handful, she doesn't know you that well and-"

Hannah cut her off. "Grace, I'm sure I can't handle this girl for a few hours. If she is too much I promise I will call you immediately, but you need to get out of here."

The little girl gave a big yawn before shooting her mother a soft smile. As if she too were trying to reassure the nervous blonde.

"Right, bye Aylie," she dropped a quick peck on the child's forehead, then headed for the door before she lost all of her resolve.

The moment the front door swung shut, Ayla's little head popped up from Hannah's shoulder. Her big eyes darted from where her mother had just exited to the woman holding her.

"Hey, Ay, you're gonna stay with Annie today!" Hannah tries to sound peppy and upbeat, she could sense an impending meltdown brewing.

As if on cue, brown eyes filled with tear and a loud, dramatic wailed exited the child's mouth.

Hannah's frantically began to bounce and shush the baby.

"Shit...shit..." she muttered, "I should have let Mamrie stay with you."

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"Mrs. Housely, I just don't know if I am willing to take on this case." Grace heard the older man say solemnly. "I'm sure you can understand?"

Somehow his voice sounded far away, as if she were in a tunnel. She could feel her breathing pick up and her heart sink.

Beside her, Mamrie slammed an angry hand on the mahogany desk. "Why the hell not?" She yelled angrily.

She had not liked older man's attitude since they had arrived in his office. He seemed overly pompous and completely unreceptive to anything they had told him. His mind had been made up the moment the two of the walked in.

"Money is not an issue." Grace mumbled quietly, she was still trying to stave off a panic attack at his previous statement.

I'm sure you can understand. Why the hell should she understand? What was there to understand? Was it too big a case? Did he think she was lying?

The man gave a slight snort of laughter, which only enraged Mamrie more. "Mrs. Housley, I am quite aware of who you and your husband are. The Housely family is very prominent in New York. I'm afraid I don't know if this is a case I can meet your demands in. Domestic abuse cases are often difficult. And securing sole custody of your daughter, let's see, a one Ayla Grace Housely, can be near impossible. In this day and age, we do not like to rip a child from her paternal figure."

He gave no hint of remorse. No, he kept the same pompous smirk on his unevenly shaved face.

"So, let me get this straight, you won't take the case because you don't want to protect an innocent child from an abusive bastard, because why? His little swimmers helped make her in a moment of passion?" Mamrie was crass, she was angry. This man had no right to speak to Grace like he had.

A vein in the man's head seemed to pulse as his face grew red with anger.

"All I'm saying, is we have no proof of Mrs. Housley's claims. I am not taking a child from her father because of a jilted mother!" His professionalism had been thrown out the window. How dare this ignorant woman come into his office and speak to him like that.

Mamrie was on her feet in a flash. She pulled Grace to hers as well. Her arm quickly pushed Grace to turn away from the man as she yanked the hem of her shirt up, revealing her back, and its numerous scars.

"Looky here, asshole, how is this for proof?" She snarled at him.

Grace was crying now. Mamrie was fuming, but she knew she needed to calm down in order to get her friend calm and out of this asshole's office.

The lawyer sank back into his chair as Mamrie released the shirt and reached for both of their bags. "I think we are done here, this dick obviously will be of no use to you."

Her arm went around Grace's quivering shoulders as she silently lead her out of the room.

Outside, in the waiting area, the secretary stared at them in amazement. She had never heard anyone speak to her boss like that, not that he didn't need it.

She quickly jumped from her small desk and pushed a card into Grace's shaking hand.

"You've got this, I believe in you."

The two women exited the building. Once safely inside Mamrie's car, Grace flipped the card over in her hand.

Joan H. Johnson
Divorce and Child Rights Attorney.
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A/N I'm back! Sorry for the delay! Either I don't write for a week or I write a chapter in 30 minutes!

So has anyone seen the news about the new show on Fullscreen? Actors are going to act out their own fanfic written about them! The first is about the Trinity!