A Fall From Grace

Chapter 5

Stuck lingering by the door Gracie ultimately decides that she mind as well go over and see what's up with Darby. She deserves at least one casual drink after the day that she's had. Gracie makes her way across the room to Darby and takes a seat next to him. 

"Gracie, hey!" Darby greets her as soon as she sits down. 

"Hey, Darby." Gracie flashes a friendly smile back at him. "I thought that my dad was going to be joining us?" She asks casually. 

"He was." Darby nods. "But he got a call a few minutes ago and said that he had some business. said that I should stay and have a drink with you." He explains. "If that's okay, of course." 

"Of course." Gracie shrugs. "I don't mind. Any idea what was so urgent he had to leave before I even got here?" She asks Darby.

"Not a clue." Darby shrugs. "But it didn't sound super bad." He adds. 

"I'm sure he's fine." Gracie nods. "I don't know if you've noticed yet or not, but my dad can be a bit dramatic at times." She jokes with a small laugh. 

"I've been picking up on that, yeah." Darby chuckles. 

Gracie takes a second to order herself a drink before she and Darby get into small talk. She knows that it would be impolite to ditch Darby just because Sting had to go. And Darby seems nice enough to warrant a couple of drinks and a casual conversation. 

"So, how was your first day back on the job, doc?" Darby asks after Gracie gets her drink delivered to her. 

"It was, quiet." Gracie shrugs and takes a sip from her glass. "Which is always a good thing. But I'd be lying if I said that I was just a smidge bored." She admits with a small laugh. 

"I get it." Darby nods. "You want to dive headfirst into the action. Get the adrenaline going and all that." He explains. 

"Exactly." Gracie nods. "Not that I like seeing people get hurt." She adds. 

"Of course not." Darby nods in understanding. 

"You know I get the feeling that I may be seeing a lot of you in my office in the future, Darby." Gracie passes another casual joke. It has been ages since she's properly been out. 

"Nah, I'm careful." Darby waves his hand. 

"Mhm." Gracie rolls her eyes playfully. "I know your type, Darby. Reckless daredevils that love to walk that razor edge." She informs him. 

"Guilty." Darby grins across the table and picks up his drink. "But then again, you wouldn't have a job if it weren't for guys like me, now would you?" He points out. 

"Touche." Gracie laughs and picks up her drink as well. 

The pair sit in a silence that gets more comfortable by the minute. Gracie's fear of an awkward night slowly fades away.

"So, how did you meet my dad anyway?" Gracie decides that her dad is a safe enough topic of conversation.

"Tony Khan paired me with him after he signed his contract," Darby replies. "We all know that your dad can't exactly keep with the pace of a full-time career anyway. So Khan wanted to pair him with someone that the fans would see as a believable pair." He explains.

"And who better than AEW's resident edgy daredevil, right?" Gracie laughs to herself.

"Exactly." Darby nods. "Khan said that I was the perfect fit for partnering with your dad. We started working together his first week."

"And now you two are attached at the hip," Gracie adds jokingly. "I'm glad that he found someone to partner with though. Especially since none of his kids wanted to get into the business with him." She smiles softly.

"He's a good mentor." Darby nods. "And friend."

"He also happens to be a great dad, too," Gracie adds.

"I can imagine." Darby chuckles.

The pair share a few more drinks until Gracie cuts herself off so she's still safe to drive home. She and Darby swap a few casual stories about work and home life before they both call it a night.

"Thanks for coming out, Gracie. I had a nice time." Darby thanks Gracie as they are leaving.

"Yeah, I had a nice time as well." Gracie agrees. "Take care Darby, and try not to hurt yourself before Friday." She jokes with a small smile.

"I'll try." Darby chuckles with her. "No promises though, doc." He adds.

Gracie rolls her eyes playfully then heads home for the night. When she gets home she finds a package sitting on her front porch.

Curious as to what the package is, Gracie, haul it inside and sets it down on her coffee table. She checks the shipping label but doesn't recognize the address. And there isn't a name on it.

"What in the world?" Gracie pulls open the box and finds a bunch more picture frames and other old sentimental items tucked away in it. "Are you fucking kidding me?" She fumes as she picks up one of the photos. "He just can't leave me alone, can he?" She growls to herself and drops the picture back into the box.

Setting the box on the floor Gracie kicks it into the corner of the room and leaves it there. She can dispose of it properly later. As she's walking away from the box her phone rings.

"Dad? Hey, what's up?" Gracie glances at the caller ID before she answers.

"Gracie, hey sweetie. I just wanted to say sorry for ditching you and Darby for drinks." Sting replies. "How did it go?"

"Fine, dad." Gracie shrugs. "We talked, had a few drinks. No big deal." She explains.

"Right. Again, sorry." Sting sighs quietly. "Hey, I'll see you on Friday then. Yeah?"

"I'll be there." Gracie nods. "Goodnight dad. And tell mom that I say hello." She adds.

"I will. Take care, honey." Sting replies and hangs up.

Gracie sighs and puts her phone away before she stares at the box on the other side of the room. She moved to get away from shit like this. But her ex is turning out to be a persistent bastard.

Gracie knows that she should probably tell her dad about this whole package thing. But Sting has been known to get serious with things like that. And the last thing she needs is her dad making a spectacle out of things. So she'll just have to take care of the problem on her own. Her way.