Chapter 6
OUTSIDE ST. LUKE'S
WILL: You've gotta be kidding me.
GRACE: I wish I was, Will. I really wish I was.
The Angel had taken Will to a cemetary just outside St. Luke's Catholic Church. She had pointed had a gravestone and walked up to it. It is in front of this stone that they are currently standing. The stone had the name "Lucas Roberts" on it.
WILL: He didn't change his last name to Horton?
GRACE: He had no reason to. He has no idea who his real dad is.
WILL: How did this happen? How did he die? Let me guess, was it André?
GRACE: No. Surprisingly, André had nothing to do with this death. This was all Lucas' own doing.
WILL: What do you mean?
GRACE: You know that Lucas is an alcoholic. Well, the love of his life ran off with a DiMera.
WILL: That would be my mother...the woman who would have been my mother.
GRACE: Yes. Sami and Lucas never had any children together, therefore Lucas could find no reason to sober up. Had he ever had a child, he would havve found the strength to go to rehab and quit drinking for both his own sake and his childs. But, as I said, he never had a child. He died when he was only in his early 30s of alcohol poisoning.
Will was now near tears.
WILL: What about Sami? You said that she had a child. Her and E.J.
GRACE: They did. But...
WILL: Can I see the child?
GRACE: I'm not really...
WILL: Please. I just need to see what kind of child she had. Please?
GRACE: All right.
OUTSIDE THE DIMERA MANSION
The Angel guided Will to the DiMera Mansion.
GRACE: Her name is Grace.
WILL: You're her child?
GRACE: A version of me. But not the me that's talking to you right now.
WILL: I'm confused.
GRACE: You'll understand soon enough. But, Will, I have a question or two for you before you go in.
WILL: Okay.
GRACE: In your timeline, you've taken psychology classes in college, right?
WILL: Yeah.
GRACE: When you were in class, was there ever an entire chapter devoted to a child named Genie?
WILL: Yeah, there was. Why?
GRACE: You'll see. Just go in through the window. Go into the hallway. First door on the right.Try to be quiet.
WILL: Aren't you coming with?
The Angel shook her head.
GRACE: I can't. It's too painful.
DIMERA MANSION
Will quietly climbed through the window and went into the room the Angel had told him about. The room was completely dark, the windows boarded up. The only light came from the door, which Will had left open. In the center of the room, Will saw a young girl sitting on a chair. The child could only be seven, at the oldest.
WILL: Hi...Grace.
The girl said nothing. She just growled at Will. As Will got closer, he could see that the girl's hair was matted. She was very dirty, bruised, and still wearing diapers. He soon saw that the chair she was sitting on was not a true chair at all, but a "potty chair", one of the devices used to help toilet train young children. She was chained by both her hands and feet to the chair. Will got down on his knees in front of her.
WILL: Oh, god. What have they done to you?
The girl made no noise. Will put his hand up to touch her cheek. The girl recoiled.
WILL: It's okay. I won't hurt you.
Will brought his hand closer to the girl. She made no sound. She smelled his hand for a moment. After she was done, Will put his hand on her cheek.
WILL (whispering, crying): I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Grace.
OUTSIDE THE DIMERA MANSION
A few minutes later, Will, with tears in his eyes, came out from the window he had gone in.
WILL (crying): Grace. I'm sorry. But...how?
GRACE: She was nine and a half months old. She was very sick as a child. E.J. took her to the doctor. He didn't like the answer they gave him. So, when he got home, he built a bar big enough to go over her crib. He tied her up in a sleeping bag and kept her in there. (voice breaking) When she was old enough to get out, he chained her up...to a potty chair. She might not look it...but she's nearly fourteen.
WILL: That's impossible. The girl I saw could only be seven, eight at the most.
GRACE (crying); Her fourteen birthday is next week.
Will hugged the Angel.
WILL: What have I done?
GRACE: You didn't do this to her, Will. E.J. did. But, don't you see? You really had a wonderful life. Don't you see what a mistake it would be if you were to just throw it all away?
WILL (crying): I want my life back. I want Sonny to know me and love me. I want all of my mom's children to be okay. I want my mom and dad to be married. I want to live again!
The Angel wiped a tear from her eye.
GRACE: What?
WILL: I said I want to live again!
GRACE: Will, that is the best thing you have ever said tonight. Oh, thank you Will. Thank you!
The Angel snapped her fingers and color came back to the world.
