A lot more narrative then I usually go for, but I wanted to set up the background of the character first so bear with me.

Christina

"Chrissy mom wants to know if you want to help with dinner" Phoebe says sticking her head into my room.

"Ok I will be down as soon as I unpack this last bag" I tell her hiding my cell phone.

"I saw that" she says coming fully into my room. "Who were you texting?"

"No one" I say innocently. She arches her eyebrow at me. "You can't tell dad."

"Ah" she screams jumping up and down. "I knew it. I told Ava that you couldn't be canceling visits for no reason. You totally have a boy."

"Shhh" I whisper getting up to close my door. "New York is a lot farther than LA it's not that easy to just hop on a flight for the weekend."

"Your little attempt at distracting me just answers my question" she says and I groan inwardly.

"He isn't exactly a boy" I whisper blushing.

"Shut up" she laughs. "How old is he?"

"Twenty-six" I answer reluctantly already knowing her reaction.

"That is a seven year difference" she says shaking her head. "Chrissy he is older than me."

"Only by a year" I argue.

"Daddy will flip if he finds out" she informs me.

"I know" I mumble.

"How does he not already know" she asks and I have to smirk.

"Rodger and I have an understanding" I inform her. "He respects my privacy as long as I don't place myself in any danger."

"Wow I can't get John to wear regular clothes let alone leave my side" she says sulking.

"Well I pay his salary so he kind of has to listen to me" her jaw drops open. "I made it so that the money dad gives him goes directly to a charity."

"Stop trying to distract me" she says shaking her head. "Who is this guy?"

"Giovanni" I say blushing.

"Wait…my fiancés best friend Giovanni?" I nod my head hiding behind my hand. "Oh my goodness, Are you serious? Chrissy you couldn't have started out slow someone your age and awkward not older and experienced" I burst out laughing; she has no idea how right she is.

"Phoebe you were supposed to get her and come back down" Mom says opening my door. No one in my family understands the art of knocking.

"We were coming down now" I say loving the distraction.

"This isn't over" Phoebe whispers in my ear as we go down the stairs. I roll my eyes.

"I saw that" dad says meeting mom at the bottom of the stairs. They share a kiss that I truly feel they shouldn't in front of their children.

"Gross" I say trying to walk past them, but dad grabs me into a bear hug.

"I love having you home" he says kissing my hair.

"I love being home" I say honestly. I hate that I have been away so long, but I can't let him find out about Giovanni, he will freak. I am his baby, I am not supposed to grow up, fall in love, especially not at the age of nineteen, but I couldn't help it. From the moment I met Giovanni I just knew in my heart that he was mine. It was as if God had specifically designed him for me, awkward, quiet, clumsy Christina.

I graduated from high school at fifteen from Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences and went on to attend The Julliard School. I graduated last May and have stayed in New York for work. I had always kept to myself so I did not have a lot of friends and no one in college wanted to be friends with the weird fifteen year old who had a man in a suit following her around. By the time my age caught up with my peers I was a senior and in a serious relationship with Gio. His friends sort of became my friends and I was okay with that.

"I have been talking to Keith over at the Seattle Orchestra…" he begins as he follows us into the kitchen. I stop listening as soon as I hear Seattle Orchestra. He has been trying to get me to move back home since I decided to attend Julliard. I went out east because I wanted to grow, to become my own person and I knew I could not do that under The Christian Grey's roof.

"Dad" I say patiently pulling my hair up and out of my face. "I like my job."

"I just don't understand how you could like being a receptionist when you are a classically trained pianist" he grumbles.

"I am not a receptionist" I argue for the millionth time. "I am music producer."

"No you are a music producer's assistant" he says challenging me.

"Okay you two, enough" mom says rubbing my back. "Can you please help? Your sister is next to useless." My mom is a saint. She always knows what to say and when to diffuse any familial disputes.

"Hey I am trying" Phoebe grumbles sounding just like our father. "These carrots won't peel right."

"That's because you are holding it wrong" I say washing my hands and then taking the carrot and peeler out of her hands. "Just chop the lettuce for the salad I will do this. Mom, when is everyone getting here?"

"In less than an hour so let's speed this up" she says checking the oven. "Why isn't Marcelo joining us?"

"He is still in New York with Giovanni and Paulo" she says smirking at me. "Giovanni has apparently been on a war path for the past two weeks and they flew out there to see what is going on. Chrissy, weren't you in the UK for the past two weeks?"

"Yes, how was that trip?" mom asks not picking up on Phoebe's innuendo.

"It was good" I say breaking my glaring contest with Phoebe to smile at her. "I was able to learn a lot about making instrumentals and sampling."

"Are they treating you good?" dad asks from his spot at the island cutting cucumbers.

"Yes dad they are treating me good" I say slowly. "I just have to pay my dues and then I will be able to branch out on my own."

"You wouldn't have to pay your dues if you…" he begins.

"Dad we get it she is squandering her talent drop it already" Phoebe says winking her solidarity at me.

"How about you go set the table?" mom suggests shooing dad out of the kitchen. "I am so nervous to be doing this Thanksgiving here" she bids as a topic change.

"It will be perfect mom, just like at Grandma's" I offer. Grandma Grace broke her arm last week and Aunt Mia was stuck at her restaurant all day so it was up to us to do Thanksgiving this year. The doorbell rang and it took me minute to realize that Gail wasn't here to get it. She and Taylor went to her sister's house for the holiday.

"They are early" mom said fussing with her apron.

"It's okay we are ready" I tell her slowly. "As soon as I am done with the carrots and Phoebe finishes doing whatever she is doing with the lettuce the only thing we will have left is the ham and that will be done in twenty."

"Yeah okay" she says taking a deep breathe. "We did it."

"You did it I got her like an hour ago" I laughed pushing her out of the kitchen. I went to the cabinets to get out the 'fancy' plates, as I reached up my sweater raised up and my jeans rode down. I heard a gasp right before my cousin Ava stormed towards me lifting my shirt higher.

"When the hell did you get a tattoo Baby Grey?" Ava asks. I swat her hands away and pull down my shirt.

"Can you be any louder?" I growl.

"Wait you have ink?" Phoebe whisper screams dropping her chopping knife to cross the kitchen. "Show. Me. Now."

Knowing I would not be able to get them to drop this I grabbed their hands and pulled them into the bathroom off the side of the kitchen. I un-buckled my pants and pull down the left hip of my genes to show them the heart made of music notes with a single treble clef in the middle.

"When did you get that?" Phoebe asks in awe.

"Five months ago" I whisper.

"FIVE MONTHS" Phoebe screeches and everything happened so fast. The door opened and on the other side were my mom and my Aunt Kate.

"Whoa nice ink Baby Grey" Aunt Kate said.

"We will talk about that later" mom says pointing at my hip. "Phoebe, go greet you grandparents and take Ava with you. Christina Elizabeth Grey you go upstairs and put on a dress, I saw that earlier when you were peeling carrots if your father sees it he will ruin dinner. Go now."

A series of yes ma'am's rang out as the three of us ran to accomplish our given tasks.

"Shit, shit, shit" I mumble as I ran up the back stairs towards my room. I stripped quickly and grabbed the dress Phoebe brought me earlier; it was a light blue A-line dress with an illusion neckline. I never planned on anyone seeing my tattoo, Gio is going to be pissed. Speaking of Gio…I grab my phone and unlock it only to find multiple missed calls and text message all from him. Shit. I open the text messages only to see the 'got here safely text' that I sent him saved to drafts. That is three strikes in less than two hours; I have never messed up this royally.

Scrubbing my hand over my face I sift through my contacts and call Gio.

"Seven hours and forty-three minutes" he growls through the phone.

"I know" I whisper into the receiver.

"What was the agreed upon time?" he questions calmly, too calmly.

"Four- fifteen my time" I answer closing my eyes.

"What time is it now?"

"Nearly six o'clock" I sigh already knowing this won't end well for me. "Gio I meant to send you a text."

"Oh I know I have had those insufferable dots on my screen for over an hour" he says casually. "I am on my way."

"What?" I croak.

"I am on my company's plane now" he explains. "I will land in Seattle in under an hour with Marcelo. He is crashing your dinner."

"If you left New York an hour ago you would not be touching down for another four hour at the very least" I argue confused.

"I left three hours after you did" he grits out. "It took me that long to know I will not make it a whole week without you." He always knows how to weaken my knees.

"I will be staying at the Hilton" he informs me. "I want you there by ten."

"My dad is not going to let me…" I start.

"Marcelo will handle that just be here" he says briskly. "It will not be in your best interest to make me wait, do you understand mi Tesoro?"

"Yes" I whisper.

"Yes what?" he growls out.

"Yes, master" I answer, he ends the call.

That was strike three; I will have a very hard time walking this week.