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Six Months Later
Once the police heard that Grace was back in the real world, they came to interview her.  Everyone left the room, but Nick refused.  He sat by the bed and held her hand and listened to her tell what had happened.  She spoke haltingly but she was determined to get it all out.  She didn't want to have to tell the story more than once.  Nick's heart broke for her but he was happy to hear about the strength she had shown.  The police were very impressed with her coded message to Nick.  Quick thinking in a difficult situation, they said.  And they told Nick that he and Kevin had saved her life by not hesitating when they thought they had figured out what was going on.
The police left and Nick told everyone to go away.  He wanted to be alone with Grace.  The doctor had come in and removed the IV while they were waiting for the police.  When everyone was gone, Nick climbed onto the bed behind her and carefully tucked her into his arms.  They slept like spoons, secure and safe.  Agnes looked in on them at one point and reported to the anxious relatives that they were fine.
Gary's sister came and cleaned out his apartment.  They hadn't seen each other for quite some time, but it was the least she could do, she felt.  The apartment manager had removed all the porno magazines before she got there, partly out of respect for Gary and partly because it was an impressive collection and he wanted a look.  Gary's sister found all his logbooks, but couldn't really make head nor tail of them, so she threw them out.  Other than that, there wasn't much to take.
Grace's mother found her usefulness when she went to Grace's apartment.  She cleaned it thoroughly, leaving no trace of what had gone on there.  The computer keyboard was full of blood and it would have been impossible to get it all out, so her father took it to a computer store and replaced it with an exact model.  Then he mounted the baseball bat on the wall over her desk, so Grace would never lose sight of how strong and brave she had been.
Grace's scars slowly healed.  She was afraid to show them to Nick at first, but he insisted.  He called them "little road maps for my lips" and proceeded to kiss them gently and often.
Nick was heralded as a hero by the fans.  Petey and Tammy had told of their exploits at school and the fan sites went wild.  The story grew daily and before long, Nick and Kevin truly were larger than life in the eyes of the fans.  They refused to discuss it other than the official statement that they released saying that it had been a horrifying event and they would all like to move on and respect Grace's and everyone's privacy.  They paid tribute to Gary and his valiant attempt to save Grace's life.  The statement had no effect at all on the fan frenzy, of course.
Nick and Grace's first public appearance was a media event.  Although the police had not told anyone how Matt had died, the story got out and Grace became a symbol of women fighting back against violence.  They had talked it over with the guys and decided that a controlled event was probably best, much better than being ambushed when they tried to do something private.  The new album had been completed and Grace wanted the whole thing over with before the launch party.  She owed everything to these people and she didn't want to get in the way of their business. 
They went to a nightclub.  They had security everywhere.  Unbelievably, Grace had received email from two people cursing her for what she had done and threatening to punish her.  The police had managed to track them down and had warned them that any more nonsense would be prosecuted. 
When they stepped out of the limo, the flashes were blinding.  Grace moved in close to Nick and he put a protective arm around her.  This was the photo that made all the wire services the next day and made the fans even prouder of their golden-haired boy.
The boys were going on tour.  The album was done and ready to be promoted.  Nick was reluctant to leave Grace, but she insisted that she would be fine and that she could come and see him on tour whenever he wanted.  One of the perks of being your own boss, she told him.
They all had the week off before they left.  Nick told Grace to pack a bag.  They were going to a resort together.  That was all he would tell her.  He picked her up in a limo and took her to the marina.  They got onto his boat and headed out.  Grace wondered what resorts were close enough to get to by boat.  And then she saw what direction they were going and she smiled.  She slipped her arms around him from the back.
"Are we going to a really private resort?" she asked.
"Very private," he answered.
"How private?" she prodded.
"Just the two of us," he said, smiling and pushed the throttle forward to hurry them along to The Cove.