As the dawn breaks, cooling waters ripple on reflections of our memories together. . .
Alison's pen slipped out of her hand and onto the floor. Tears blotched the crisp paper. She'd gotten a call that morning. A call that she'd never wanted to get . . .
Grace finished collecting her things again. Her bags were packed and she was ready to go. She looked at Howie. He was lying peacefully in her bed.
"Love you," Grace whispered. Remembering something, Grace opened her purse and placed the tiny cell phone on the bedside table. She left the hotel room and closed the door behind her.
Cora quietly opened the door to the hotel room which she was sharing with Alison that night. She could unexpectedly hear something. Cora listened. Her eyes widened when she realized that Alison was crying softly. She moved to her own bed and sat, not quite sure what to do. Cora felt like crying herself.
"Alison?" Cora asked softly.
Her friend sniffed and sat up. "How was your night with Nick? I didn't really expect to see you until later, on the bus."
"I - I slept with him," Cora admitted.
"No shit sherlock!" Alison rolled her eyes. "And I thought you two were just watching TV!"
"You don't have to be mean," Cora whispered. "Are you alright?"
"What happened?" Alison said, ignoring Cora's question. "Why aren't you still hanging in with lover boy?"
"I," Cora started again. "He fell asleep and I left right after. I wandered the city for a while. Um, I did some thinking . . ."
"Oh, is that a first?" Alison asked sarcastically.
Cora bit her lip, beginning to get a bit angry. "About leaving the group."
Alison's eyes went wide and she stared at Cora. She burst into a new round of tears. "Why?" She choked.
"It was bound to happen," Cora shrugged. "I don't really have a role in the group. Grace is gone. I don't know how I'm ever going to look at Nick again. I know you three can perform without me. Our contract was released when Jack left . . ."
"You can't go," Alison told her.
"Yeah, I can," Cora sighed. She looked into Alison's eyes. "Dammit! It's not like you couldn't get along just fine without me! I know you three can do it alone, but I'd like to see us get along without you! Or Lara, or Vicky!"
Alison stood very suddenly. "Yeah, well you've got your wish! I have to leave today, to go back to Toronto! So unless you want Lara and Tori to go out there on their own, then you're going to have to stick around long enough to see if you can make it without me! I don't know why you came back! Just go!"
Cora's throat felt dry. She wanted to scream. Instead, she stood, and walked quickly out of the room. She wanted to slam the door. Instead, she shut it quietly.
Grace knelt in front of Lou's hotel room door and shoved a white envelope underneath.
"Grace?" She heard her name. She turned to see Andrew coming down the hall. "What are you doing?" He asked.
"I'm leaving Lou my resignation," Grace answered. "I'm suppose to give two weeks notice, but I'm asking them to wave that, because I haven't even worked with them for more than three weeks."
"Actually, you've been working with them for over a month," Andrew corrected. "You've been on since a few shows before the North American tour. Even before Nova jumped on board. Obviously you've forgotten, but that's what you told me . . ."
Grace sighed and stood up. "I don't even remember telling you that . . ." She commented, avoiding the obvious question.
Andrew tapped his head. "Photographic memory, I see words." He paused. "Were you just going to leave without saying goodbye?"
Grace smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Bye Andrew. I'll miss you! You were my first ever male room mate! Even if I couldn't stay with you last night . . . or the last three weeks . . ."
"Aye lassie, but I was still your first!" He hugged her. "And I will miss you!"
She punched his arm lightly. "See ya around the galaxy!" Grace headed off down the hall.
Just after Grace had checked out and was about to walk out the door, she heard someone calling for her. She turned on her heel to see Cora sprinting across the lobby. Immediately Grace dropped her bags and embraced Cora.
"Grace you can't leave! You can't leave me here with them," Cora cried, wrapping her arms tightly around her friend. Grace's face filled with confusion as she hugged Cora.
"Cora, what are you talking about?" Grace asked her. Cora's only response was a soft sob. Grace bit her lip. She had a good hour before she really had to be at the airport. She'd been lucky enough to get a flight back to San Francisco last night and she really didn't want to miss it. "C'mon hon," Grace coaxed softly. "There's a little patio area around the side of the hotel. Let's go talk, okay?" Cora nodded.
"I'm leaving the group," Cora said bluntly, as soon as she sat down. "I can't stay. Not after what happened last night. Not with you gone. Not when, there's just no point anymore . . ."
"What?" Grace demanded, sitting. "Cora no, I mean, of course it's your life - but why? You've got such potential."
"They do, not me," Cora tried to point out. "I contribute almost nothing to Nova. I don't want to waste my life in this little gig. And, when you were gone I got a - when we were in Chicago I had a- " Cora looked into Grace's eyes, searching for support. She could only see confusion. Cora decided to try a different route of explanation. "Grace, when I was nearly OD on heroin you took care of me. I know it must have been hard because you couldn't take me to a hospital-"
"You weren't overdosed," Grace snapped, cutting her off. "If you had been, no one could have stopped me from calling the hospital; police involvement or no police involvement. You were just lucky Jack wasn't so much a dealer as he was someone who wanted you to sign so badly he was willing to risk your life. Just shows how much talent you have . . ." She smiled slightly.
"No, they're the ones with talent. Not me," Cora shook her head. "Besides, that doesn't make sense, we were already signed to him."
"Barely," Grace sighed. "Your group had an irrevocable proxy and he didn't have any options on you. He had very little control. If he got you addicted to heroin, you would have become dependant on him." Cora gave her a blank look. "I read over the contract after it happened. Since the police weren't going to be investigating I wanted to know why he did it." Cora's mouth dropped.
"Why would you care so much?" She asked.
Grace shrugged. "I don't know . . . but what happened last night? You were fine the last time I talked to you. You seemed happy," Grace remembered. Grace paused to let Cora speak, but she remained silent. "And I can't believe you didn't already know why he drugged you! You are the life force of Nova, if you left they'd fall apart. Jack knew that, and he knew that if he hooked you he'd basically hooked them, without needing more stash." Grace ran a hand through her hair. "Cora, it was you that he wanted . . ."
Cora's eyes began to water. "I didn't want to know that . . ."
Grace shook her head. "It's pointless to argue. You may not be the greatest poet or dancer or even musician, but you've got something the other girls don't. Please don't bail on them, they need you. You even told me on the phone about what happened in Chicago, but you were just sick then. And I don't know what happened to you last night, but I can't believe that it would be enough to make you give up everything you've worked for." Grace sighed as Cora still remained silent. "I have to go now. I was lucky enough to get this flight as it was."
Cora bit her lip and nodded. Grace squeezed her hand. "Think about what I said, okay?"
"I will," Cora promised. Grace gave her one last reassuring smile before leaving to catch a taxi. Leaving her friends, leaving her lover and leaving a small part of her life.
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