Chapter Text
2025
Being an introvert can sometimes suck, or at least that what Grace Ashcroft tells herself. Those who are, tend to disagree. It mainly means you try to avoid interacting with people as much as possible and like being left alone. For Grace, this has been her life for the past few years with a few exceptions.
She normally spends her time alone looking over her mother’s reports and research on anything and everything that may lead her to figuring out why she died. The little she has collected, points to the outbreaks that have occurred across the globe. From Racoon City to Louisiana, small villages in Africa and Spain, Alyssa reported on it in some capacity and Grace has been trying to figure out the connection.
She has found a singular name that keeps coming up-Umbrella. This lead her down a long road of sleepless nights doing research and not interacting with anyone.
However, when she is forced to be amongst the living, like today, Grace has found a new hobby to put her mind at ease-people watching. It isn’t so much of a hobby, rather than a necessity due to her paranoia that she’s being followed.
‘Found you’ Those two words have been haunting her since that fateful night.
“Agent Ashcroft?”
It’s been awful trying to live like this, constantly looking over her shoulder for a would-be attacker.
“Agent Grace Ashcroft.”
She’s gotten better though. In the beginning she’d constantly get caught staring. Now though, she makes sure she’s not looking at one person for too long. Eyes darting from the pages she reads or her computer, to each person that walks past. Making mental notes of everyone while not focusing on them for too long.
Getting caught staring at people is the worst. Body temperature rising as she turns multiple shades of red. Panic setting in that they might come up and talk to her.
”Is there an Agent Ashcroft here?” The secretary comes from behind her desk to see why no one is answering.
”Oh s-sorry.” Grace fumbles with her things as she stands. “Didn’t hear you.” Grace removes her ear buds while trying to pick up some paper that has now scattered across the floor.
”Apparently not.” The secretary says with a little too much annoyance in her voice for Graces liking. But does Grace say anything about it?
“Director Dempsey is ready to see you now.”
“Ok, thank you.” No, no she does not.
Confronting people is not who she is. Probably for the best since it would not be the best way to start out her FBI career by making a scene on her first day.
She follows the rude secretary to her new bosses door and takes a deep breath to calm her nerves before walking in.
“Thank you Beth.” The director acknowledges the woman. “Hold all my calls for the next hour or so.”
Hour?
Grace tries to remember her breathing exercises the therapist and her mother taught her when she was feeling overwhelmed. Unfortunately for her she’s failing miserably.
”Agent Ashcroft? Nathan Dempsey.” She takes his offered hand in hers and his powerful shake snaps her out of her would-be panic attack. “Special agent in charge of the Midwest field office. Nice to finally meet you.”
”Yes s-sir. N-nice to meet you as well.”
”Please have a seat.” Agent Dempsey motions to the chair in front of his desk.
It isn’t a large office but it’s nice. Furnished with newer looking furniture, a fake plant and some pictures on the wall. At least her chair is comfortable until he begins to talk.
“So, tell me why you wanted to become an FBI agent?” Dempsey asks while sitting and opening the folder in front of him.
Grace wasn’t sure what to expect from this interview/ meeting but answering the same questions she’s already been asked was not on her list. Did they think they made a mistake by recruiting her?
”A-as you know police work at any level is forced to sometimes be reactive.” Grace begins, wringing her hands together, avoiding eye contact. “I-I wanted to try and come up with a good method so it can be more proactive. Stopping crimes before they happen. As difficult as that may be.”
Graces heart is pounding in her chest. So much so she wouldn’t be surprised if Dempsey heard it. Maybe it’s the reason why he isn’t saying anything at the moment. Or maybe he can tell she’s nervous and trying to make it worse. Either way its working.
She’s not sure how much time passes since she answered but she’s pretty sure she has now sweated completely through her shirt.
Is the AC working?
”That sounds,” Dempsey slowly begins. “Like a perfectly-rehearsed answer, agent Ashcroft.” Dempsey holds his hands up to stop any oncoming rebuttal.
”I want to know why you wanted to become an FBI agent?”
Grace is pretty sure she has now melted into a giant puddle of soup. Getting out of this ‘interrogation’ apparently requires an actual answer. Or running out of his office screaming.
”Well, I-I didn’t always want to be an agent. B-but certain things happened in my life that changed that.”
“I understand what you mean.” Dempsey's demeanor changes, softening a little. “It’s the one thing we have in common. Unfortunately.”
Grace isn’t sure if she wants to know what tragedy they both share but takes a deep breath and continues.
”I wanted to be a journalist like my mother but,” She hoped to get through this without getting emotional but just mentioning her mother brings back memories she no longer wants.
”It’s ok,” Agent Dempsey interrupts and hands her a box of tissues. “You don’t have to say anymore. I have all that in here.” He points to the folder in front of him. “I’ve read it multiple times. And I have to say, I think you’re going to be a great addition to this office. You actually want to help people avoid tragedy, and that’s what the bureau needs.”
The kind words allow Grace to relax a little. Focusing on what her new boss just said about her future rather than her past.
”T-Thank you, sir.”
”However,”
’Oh boy here it comes-you’re too much of a neurotic mess!’
”As agents we have a responsibility to do our duty and not make it personal. And any personal issues we had prior to becoming an agent needs to be put aside for the sake of the job.”
Talk about rehearsed answers
”I understand,”
“But…”
He likes interrupting me that’s for sure
”If you were to find anything during an investigation that led to reopening your mothers case, I’d be the first to approve it.”
Finding comfort in his words, Grace is able to relax a little more, knowing he would do that for her.
”I do this with all the agents who work under me- talk to them before they start. I want to get to know them, not just what’s on a piece of paper. Which is to say impressive.”
Not only does he like to interrupt but he loves to talk.
”I was supposed to ask you about some discrepancies with your security clearance but,” He shrugs his shoulders, takes his glasses off to clean them, and continues. “That’s up to you if you want to talk about them. Me? I’m perfectly fine with not only what you’ve had to say but your impressive file here.”
Grace sits up and leans forward a little to possibly see what discrepancies he could be talking about. Also, to see what impresses him so much.
”Top of your class in high school, college, and Quantico. You aced everything. Normally they like to have someone with some kind of experience in law enforcement but they even bypassed that. And that,” Dempsey says a little louder than Grace anticipates, making her jump in her chair. “Is why I could care less about the rest of this.”
Smiling back at the man who gave her more compliments in a short amount of time than she’s ever heard, Grace quickly thinks over what problems he could be talking about. She can’t imagine what it could be. She answered all the security investigators questions when she was a junior in college. So why now is there an issue.
In this moment though, she even impresses herself since Dempsey is giving her an out on this conversation yet she wants it to continue.
”Again, t-thank you sir. But what discrepancies are you referring too?”
”Uh, let me see.” Dempsey begins while flipping through each page. “Oh, here. They had questions about your childhood addresses and why you had so many. With no one able to really verify it. I mean that’s a stretch and easy to answer.”
Grace opens her mouth but closes it just as quickly as he continues.
”Your mother was a journalist and you were a minor so you didn’t get a chance to really know anyone. Mostly home schooled so who cares.” Flipping theough some more pages he reads to himself.
“Here it is. This is where it’s not so cut and dry. There’s gaps in time that aren’t accounted for.”
”Like when?” Grace’s interest is piqued, not sure of what he could be referring too.
”It looks like September 2018 to February 2021.”
Oh that time frame.
“Like I said, I don’t care but it may hurt your next security clearance interview.” Dempsey sounds sincere but also like he’s fishing for something.
“Well, I can explain that time. B-but you may have to tell your secretary to hold your calls for a little longer.”
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2018
Being from a smaller midwest city most police officers don’t get to experience the crimes that inflict those of the big cities like New York or Chicago. The days and nights are normally filled with vandalism, suspicious person’s and domestic calls with the occasional burglaries. There have been the unfortunate suicides and drug overdoses but the city of Wrenwood had never seen a triple homicide. Minus the five bodies that were randomly showing up over the past few months.
“Do you know what I put here?” Officer Charlie Harris asks his partner while pointing to a section on his paperwork. Receiving only a shrug of the shoulders from his younger partner, the twenty year veteran sighs while rubbing his temples. He drops his pen on his desk while trying to get the images of the last few hours out of his head. Failing miserably, officer Harris does the only thing he can think of.
”I'm going for a smoke.”
The midnight air catches in his lungs as he pushes through the back door of the police station. Covering the flame from the slight breeze and rain, he lights his first cigarette in what feels like forever as he begins to rethink not putting on a coat. That’s all he needs is for Annette to hear he’s outside shivering in the cold; and smoking.
“She’ll be on me for a week.” Charlie rolls his eyes and smiles at the ensuing argument he’s probably gonna have as he lets out a long puff of smoke. He knows he shouldn’t be doing it. Knows it’s bad for him. Everyone from his wife, doctor, lieutenant and even his partner who’s fresh out of the academy and barely old enough to bye a pack, has told him. But tonight, after what he’s experienced, one won’t kill him.
Three dead. One with a slit throat, another by gunshot, and the final one nearly being decapitated is enough to make anyone need to de-stress. Top it all off with most of the evidence being burned in a fire and this case may never be solved.
“And drink.” Charlie says shaking his head while stomping on the butt. “Lots of whiskey.”
Then, to top it all off the only witness is a seventeen year old who witnessed the whole thing and is barely able to talk. Not that he blames her.
”Poor girl.” Charlie takes out his phone, goes to his ‘favorites’ and hits send. It took everything him and two firefighters had to pull the girl away from her mother. Even when they covered the bodies she just stared at the lifeless form of her mother, screaming for her until she was out of the hotel and in the ambulance.
“Hey babe,” the voice on the other end of the line sounds tired but answers immediately. “yeah it’s bad. Worse than I’ve ever seen. Yeah, I’ll tell you more when you get here, but did you get a call from Ms. Anita? Ok good. Yeah, you can come to the station now. And tell Natasha to make up the other bed in her room. We’re gonna have a guest for a while.”
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Living nightmare.
That's the only way to describe what Grace is going through right now. She’s not sure how much time has past or where she just woke up but the memories are too fresh to care about anything else.
Her mom is dead. Killed right in front of her. Murdered. And for what? A story? It can’t be. What could her mom have uncovered that got her killed.
I'm all alone
Grace is unable to stop the bile that rises up, and she scrambles for a garbage can. Wiping off her mouth and pushing the can away the tears flow uncontrollably.
”Mom…no. This can’t be real.”
But it is. And there’s nothing she can do to change what just happened. The scream that comes next feels like it’s from someone else. She’s never yelled so loud. Been in so much pain and it’s all uncontrollable.
”Grace?” A voice cuts through the darkness of the room she is in. Not recognizing it Grace scrambles back into her room as far as she can.
”W-who’s there? Stay away from me!”
”It’s okay, Grace. My name is Anita and I’m from child protection services.”
“Leave me alone.” Grace tries to protest as she covers her eyes since this person turns on the lights without warning. But the strange woman is now moving towards her.
“I’m here to help. We are here to help.” Anita corrects herself as someone else walks in behind her. “This is Annette.” Anita points to the other woman while taking a seat as close as she thinks is safe. From what the officers said at the scene, Grace became violent when they tried to move her. Not that she blames the girl. "Her and her husband Charlie are a part of the foster..."
“I don’t want help. I just want my mom.” Grace’s voice strains while she continues to cry. Surprisingly, Grace doesn’t pull away when the other woman pulls her in for a hug.
”I know baby girl. I know. And I’m so sorry.” Anita holds onto the smaller framed girl, trying to comfort her as much as she can. She didn’t see what happened but if the stories were true from Annette’s husband, it was bad. Worse than she’s ever heard before.
“But Ms. Annette is here to take care of you for a little while.” Anita pulls back a little to look into the grief stricken girls face. Brushing some hair out of her eyes. Hoping she accepts the help.
“Will that be okay. Just for a short time.”
Receiving a small nod she hopes her words can comfort this poor girl but as soon as Grace looks up and makes eye contact her tears flow again.
“Come here Grace. I got you. Ms Anita’s got you.” It’s near impossible for anyone in the room to not be emotional. Anita takes a tissue and wipes her own eyes. Then making eye contact with her friend Annette, she sees her wiping moisture that won’t seem to stop falling.
What does anyone say to a child that has been forced to witness the worst tragedy possible? What can be done to make any of this better?
Nothing.
Nothing except what she’s doing now. Holding a child who just lost their mother, and not saying everything will be alright. Not saying she’ll be ok. Cause that’s a lie. This girls life has been shattered and no words can change that, ever.
”You think you’re ready to go with Annette?” Anita asks after a while, still holding the young girl in her arms. Receiving a short nod after Grace leans more into her embrace, Anita smiles briefly for the little wins she sometimes gets with this job. She always wanted to help children. Being a child who went into the foster system herself, she made it her mission to make sure anyone in her care never has to deal with the horrors that can occur.
Leading Grace to Annette who has been standing off in the background, Anita is happy the young girl is not putting up any kind of a fight. Watching her friend lead Grace out of the police station and into their car, Annette drives back to her home, content with filling out any paperwork that’s needed in the morning. All she knows is that she wishes her husband was alive or her son was home to hold her for the rest of the night while she cries herself to sleep.