Hi, I'm new to writing 50 Shades fanfic. I have never written anything like this before so please be kind and let me know if I did okay, or if you would be interested in more. It's essentially an AU, one of those soul mate fics where the world is black and white until they meet their soul mate.

Shades of Black and White

I scowl at my reflection in the mirror while attempting to tie my hair back neatly into a ponytail. I was supposed to be working today, doing a shift at Clayton's Hardware store where I work part-time, and yet, I had to cancel first thing this morning.

My best friend and roommate Kate was supposed to be interviewing this rich, young CEO of a major business that I haven't heard of, for the student newspaper. Unfortunately she had caught the flu suddenly last night and now, here I am, forced to take her place and do the interview for her instead of actually working.

I didn't know what to wear, so I had settled on a hooded anorak just in case it would suddenly rain, a neat ruffled blouse, and trousers. I'm not sure if its entirely appropriate, but to someone that is colorblind, should you really expect too much?

I am literally colorblind. My life, since birth, has been in a constant assortment of dull whites, blacks, and greys. But for most people these days, its how they are too, unless they are lucky and so blessed that they end up meeting their soul mate early.

My mother had been one of the lucky ones; She met my stepfather Ray two years after she had me, and then just like that, simply by being in the same room as him... she instantly found color.

I don't remember much of when I was younger, but I think my earliest memory was when I was around four or five years old. I was playing at the park with my mother Carla and my stepfather Ray. I noticed the sky was grey and white. I noticed, when I looked down at the grass, that the strands weren't the color my mother described it as.

It wasn't green like she had once described it to me, not that I ever knew what green looked like. No, it was a murky grey.

In fact, the whole entire world is built up of different shades of whites, and greys, and blacks. Monotone colors are what I see every single day of the week, upon waking. My hair looks black when I look at it in the mirror. My skin looks blindingly white. I don't know what color my eyes should be, but my mother told me they were a beautiful light shade of blue which I am unable to see until my time comes.

Apparently its what happens when you haven't met your soul mate as yet.

My mother had explained it to me when I was about eight and I had asked her why it was that I couldn't see things the way she did. We had went shopping earlier that day, and she had suggested I try on a cute little yellow polka dot dress that she had picked out. It wasn't yellow to me, but it was polka dotted. It was a light grey with black, round polka dots.

I had mentioned it to her after trying it on that I didn't understand what yellow was. She had told me it was a color, and that it was one of the prettiest colors in the world, but I wouldn't understand until I was much older. My mother met the one for her, my stepfather Ray, when I was two.

She said that after that, the world had suddenly opened up and she could see everything and all the colors in its infinite beauty.

But I'm twenty two now, and sometimes I dread that I will never get the fortune of finally meeting my soul mate and having the world become a wondrous array of colors. On the bright side, I am not the only one, at least. So far, Kate has had no luck herself in finding hers. We are both stuck in the same situation, both colorblind, missing out on all the glorious things to see in the world. I think we get as impatient as each other, most of the time.

Once I am ready and feel I look presentable enough, I head out of the bathroom, finding Kate sitting on the couch, curled under a warm blanket. Strands of her hair stick out, shiny and white. Her dark eyelashes frame shining light eyes, and, because there is no color, the freckles on the bridge of her nose are more noticeable.

"Hey, Ana," she croaks out, sitting up. She sounds terrible, her voice raspy. "Again, I am so sorry for having to make you do this today but it's really important to me."

"I know and I understand. You definitely owe me big time for this, though."

"I know and I am so sorry for making you have to miss a shift at work for this, Ana," she apologizes profusely, throwing the blanket off to stand. She rushes around the table to where a whole bunch of equipment awaits for me to take with me to the interview. "So this is the recorder," she says, showing me it, "You just press the first button and it should start recording. It's a real easy set up." She pauses, blowing her nose in a tissue before picking up a piece of paper with black text that she wrote out on the computer. "These are questions I need you to ask for the article."

"Okay. I think I've got it." In a moment of vanity, I straighten out my blouse. "Do you think I look presentable enough though?"

"Of course, Ana. You look very... professional."

"I hope so. Too bad if I turn up for the interview and color-seeing people think my blouse is really loud and vivid."

"Well, it isn't like we'd actually know, would we?" She laughs, lifting up the screen on her laptop. "I mean, it isn't like we can tell what color your blouse is, can we?"

"I'm pretty sure it was meant to be white, so hopefully..."

I hang around her while Kate starts typing something into Google. "So here's a picture of the hot-shot big CEO guy you are interviewing, just in case you get lost and need some visuals." She clicks on an image, making it bigger. "So his name is Christian Grey and he's who you will be interviewing."

"Christian Grey?" I laugh. "Grey."

"I know, right? How ironic." Kate laughs too. I swear she is the only person who fully appreciates and gets my humor.

I come closer, scrutinizing the picture she has enlarged for me carefully.

And wow, this guy actually is the very last person you'd expect. He's way younger than I was expecting; He looks about in his mid to late twenties, cutting a very suave figure in a suit and tie. The image comes out black and white for us, of course. His hair blends in with the black background, which tells us he would be fairly dark-haired. He's Caucasian, considering how white his skin is in contrast to everything else.

"Wow," I say, unable to help myself.

"I know, right? He's quite... good-looking."

"And young, Kate? He is way younger than I was expecting?"

"Yep, he definitely doesn't seem CEO billionaire material, that's for sure..."

"Anyway, I better make a move on if I want to get there on time," I say, grabbing all the stuff she has given me off the table. "I should remember how to record the interview surely. It should be fine."

"Great. Thank you so much again. Your a life-saver, Ana."

"Hey, don't mention it." I smile at her fondly. "You just rest up and feel better. I'll be back home in no time."

"Good luck."

I find my keys to my car, heading towards the front door while lugging everything with me.

Heading outside, I am brutally assaulted by flecks of white panning into my vision from the sun. I squint my eyes, racing down the steps to my car that I park out on the street. As I unlock the driver's side door, I climb in sitting the paper of questions and everything carefully in the passenger's seat.

I feel incredibly nervous for some reason and that picture of this Grey guy that Kate had shown me on Google hadn't helped in easing my nerves. I know nothing about this guy. I have no idea what he does, aside from running a very successful company. Kate would have been so much better doing this, seeing as she has been preparing for this for weeks now, but like most things unfortunately, life doesn't turn out the way you need them to. She's too sick.

The road is clear and the drive fairly enjoyable as I drive in my car towards the location Kate pointed out to me. Once I reach there, finding a decent parking space, I sit in my car for a moment, mentally preparing myself. Sucking in a deep breath, I glance up at the building where the interview is meant to take place. Grey House is written in black on the large building. It is probably the biggest building I have seen in a while, all grey, and it's daunting.

I check the time on my wrist watch, greatly relieved I am not late. I'm still fairly early, which is good. I get out of my car, locking up with holding everything in my arms. As I head in through the winding doors, I reach the reception area where a woman is standing behind it near her computer. She is very attractive- and blonde, judging by the whiteness of her hair.

If you go through life so long without knowing any colors other than whites, blacks, or greys, you begin to naturally learn to differentiate between a brunette or a blonde-haired person.

"Um, hi." I smile at the woman nervously when suddenly she glances up, arching her eyebrows at me. "My name is Anastasia Steele and I'm here to interview a Christian Grey. I'm filling in for the interview for my friend Kate Kavanagh, who unfortunately couldn't make it because she was sick."

"Just a moment please." I stand around awkwardly while she looks at something on her computer, clicking with the mouse. She's probably looking through this Grey guy's schedule. "Ah, yes, here we are, Miss Kavanagh. You're scheduled to see him in about ten minutes time. You'll need to sign in."

"Um, I'm not Miss Kavanagh," I correct her hastily. "I'm Miss Steele and I'm filling in for-"

She raises an arm, signalling to the book on the reception desk near her. "- Please, I'll need for you to just sign in there," she interrupts impatiently. Once I'm done writing in my signature, she hands me a lanyard with a visitors pass on it, which I slip over my neck. "You'll need to take the elevator up to the twentieth floor. Once out, you will find someone waiting for you."

"Okay, great. Thank you."

I walk over to the two elevators, pressing one. Once the doors open and I see its vacant, I step in, pressing for the twentieth floor. It takes about fifteen seconds to reach it. Once I exit, I look around, finding myself in another lobby area. A woman stands behind another desk, blonde yet again according to the fair shade of her hair.

"Miss Steele?" The woman asks.

"Yes, that's me."

"Great. If you would please take a seat over there, then Mr. Grey will be with your shortly. He's just running behind schedule."

I thank her anxiously, finding a waiting area with two U-shaped, stark white couches. I help myself, sitting down, taking the moment to read through some of Kate's questions. They seem easy enough. I'm so wrapped up in reading Kate's questions and preparing myself mentally that I startle when I hear a voice.

"Miss Steele?" The woman behind the desk calls.

"Um, yes." I stand up, tightening my grasp on the recorder and the paper. "Yes."

"Mr Grey is ready to see you now. May I take your jacket?"

"Oh, no thank you. It's fine."

"Very well." She smiles at me, in a somewhat friendly but forced way. "If you'll follow me, please."

As I begin following her, I start to feel more and more nervous by the second. She stops at a black door, knocking once before poking her head in.

"Excuse me, Sir, but Miss Steele is here to see you for your interview if you are ready?"

"Very well," I hear a man speak in an attractive sounding voice. I bet it's this Grey guy. "Bring her in."

My hands start to shake and I have to clear my throat quietly before stepping in when the woman holds the door open for me. I hesitate by the door, glancing around nervously. That's when I notice the man standing from his chair, crossing his desk towards me. He's smiling in a friendly way, yet the smile doesn't quite touch his eyes. It's him, the guy Kate showed me a picture of in Google Images. Astonishingly, he doesn't look any different in the photo than he had in real life, either.

"Miss Steele." He holds a hand out to me to shake as he steps towards me, and I glance down at it before moving forward to shake it. "It's a pleasure to meet you." My ears start ringing, like how it happens when you know you are close to passing out. I hadn't eaten anything for breakfast this morning, which is probably why. Lack of blood sugar.

"Yes, likewise," I breathe nervously.

"And your filling in for Katherine Kavanagh in order to do the interview for the student paper?"

"Oh, yes. She was ill today so I had to."

At our hands touch, I feel the most bizarre sensation spread through me as he shakes my hand with a firm, confident grasp. It's like static, electricity. I'm not even sure if he feels it too, but when I move my hand back, forcing myself to glance up at his face with a tight-lipped, anxious smile, that's when I notice it out of the corner of my eye.

Slowly, like paint trickling down a wall, bit by bit, the color of his suit changes. From black, straight down slowly, to a color. The grey hue starts seeping out of his skin, right before my very own eyes. When I meet his gaze anxiously, I discover he is staring at me intently, his mouth slightly parted, his eyes shining with shock.

Holy shit. I have finally met my soul mate.

So what did you think? Would it be worth continuing? I'm new at this so please be nice. Any advice would be appreciated. PS.; I didn't mean to offend about the 'colorblind' thing, I just wasn't sure how else to describe it. Basically it is a universe where everyone grows up without seeing any color until they meet their soul mate, then color forms afterwards.