Complicated

Chapter Ten: One Survivor To Another

Deliver me, out of my sadness

Deliver me, from all of the madness

Deliver me, courage to guide me

Deliver me, strength from inside me

Sarah Brightman - Deliver Me

The Crime Lab seemed a much brighter place than usual. The winter sun was shining outside through the glistening glass flooding the entire crime lab with natural light. It was a beautiful cold day and Grace didn't even mind the fact she could see her breath in the locker room when she hung up her fleece lined jacket.

"I don't understand how your smiling." Adam remarked from the opposite side of the locker room as Grace took a glance in her compact before running her fingers through her hair to give it more volume. "It's still below freezing outside."

"I've got a good feeling about today." Grace said, running a Chapstick over her dry lips.

"A good feeling?" Adam questioned. "Like its gonna get a few degrees warmer over the next couple of hours?"

Grace chuckled at his words as she unwound her scarf from her throat and hung it up along side her coat. Adam gave her a sidelong glance noting the white Victorian style shirt she was wearing today. His eyes came to linger at the dark mark on her neck, peeking out from just under the collar.

"What is that?" Adam asked, using his fingertip to draw down the top of collar so he could get a full view of the mark. "Is that a Hickey?"

Grace clapped a hand to her neck in surprise as she jerked away, scowling at Adam as an amused smile crossed his rugged features.

"Ah, now I know what that smile is about." he smirked, tilting his head as Grace's cheeks began to flush red.

"Is it that obvious?" Grace asked, snapping open her compact again to review the damage.

The Hickey had apparently gotten worse since their actions this morning, Grace cursed Don and herself before closing the tiny mirror and setting it back onto the shelf where she kept her emergency make up supplies.

"No..." Adam stuttered as she cast him a look of disbelief. "Well yea, but no, its good the fact that your dating again."

"I am gonna kill him." Grace muttered as she searched through her locker before coming upon her concealer stick.

"Was it the fireman? I bet it was the fireman wasn't it?" Adam exclaimed, shaking his head and laughing as he posed like a body builder. "Because that guy was buff..."

"It's not the fireman." Grace mumbled, tilting her head up to dab the concealer over the shape of the Hickey.

"You want me to run a background check for you," Adam offered rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I mean if Flack finds out he's just gonna do it anyway, at least this way..."

"It's Flack." Grace submitted, replacing the concealer back in the top of her locker before closing it.

"Flack?" Adam repeated his mouth hanging open in surprise. "Don Flack? As in our Detective Don Flack?"

"Yea." Grace said with a bright smile as she twisted her head to face Adam. "It started a couple of months ago and now this is me, telling you."

"Does the boss know? Does anybody know? Because Gracie I am not good at keeping secrets, especially not from Mac, not when he does that dead stare, silent thing...I just go to pieces." Adam said quickly, gesturing wildly with his hands.

Grace placed both hands on Adam's shoulders as she looked deeply into his azure eyes to focus his attention.

"Adam calm down, it's not going to be much of a surprise to people that the two of us are seeing each other. Danny's been telling me to get my shit together for years." Adam nodded his agreement at that notion. "Besides aren't you and Agent Beth supposed to be a secret?"