A/N: Hi everybody! :)
As you can probably tell, this is my new story. It's going to be a little different than my previous ones, so I hope you all will like it. This one takes place right after the events in Fifty Shades Darker, and a couple months after CG and Ana's wedding, but there is no Jack Hyde and no Elena. Teddy and Phoebe also will not be in this story - it basically will be my own, more original version of Fifty Shades Freed. If you're already interested, please read on and enjoy! If not, then I'm sorry and goodbye.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
**WARNING: This chapter contains violence that may be disturbing to some readers. If you are sensitive to such things, please read on with caution.***
This Life of Ours
Chapter 1: Elliot's Accident
Elliot loved Friday nights.
Years ago, Friday night would have meant going out to some club in the city where all the college girls would hang out, find a bunch of young ladies he could buy drinks for, and then, at the end of the night, hook up with the hottest, drunkest one in the group. In retrospect, those old habits he had of partying probably weren't his best moments - for so long, though, he had felt that a committed relationship would take all the fun out of life, and he wanted to spend what time he had having as much fun as possible. He sure had grown up a lot since then, and quite honestly, he was much happier for it.
Kate was seriously the best girlfriend in the world - not only was she smoking hot and a total vixen in the bedroom, but she was also hilarious and sweet. She loved him with all her heart, but she had never been the clingy type who didn't trust him to go anywhere without her. It was like she was made just for him, and Elliot knew he was one lucky son of a bitch for managing to snatch up such a wonderful woman…
But that didn't mean he didn't want to go out and have fun with his guy friends once in awhile.
"Next round's on me!" Elliot's friend Barry announced, holding his glass of liquor up in the air. Elliot and his buddies Roger and Craig chorused their agreement, also holding up their drinks. Elliot and some of his fellow construction worker friends were out this Friday night at a small dive bar called Lucky's, drinking away the night and celebrating the fact they didn't have to work tomorrow. Elliot often spent his Friday nights with his work friends - as much as he loved spending his nights with Kate, he got to see her every other night of the week, and once in awhile he needed his guy time. Kate understood, thankfully, and let him hang out with his friends without questioning it. She trusted him completely, and Elliot loved her all the more for that.
"Bro, you gotta stop checking your phone," Elliot said to his buddy Roger, who was staring down at his smartphone screen for the millionth time that night.
"Ugh… I can't help it, man," Roger whined, clearly already a bit intoxicated. He blinked down at his phone. "Tessa might call tonight."
"It's been two weeks, man," Elliot couldn't help but smirk sympathetically, clapping his hand on his friend's shoulder. "She's obviously not looking for a third date."
Roger groaned, dropping his phone on the table before burying his face in his hands. Elliot couldn't help but chuckle at his friend's dramatics - Roger was a decent guy who could easily get girls, but he had always been a sad drunk, much to his friends' amusement.
"Dude, why are you so hung up on this Tessa chick?" Craig asked humorously, taking a sip of his own beer. "You didn't even fuck her, so why the fuck should you care if she calls you?"
"He just needs to keep his dick wet," Barry joked, causing the other guys to laugh. "I'm sure we could get him some pussy tonight if we looked hard enough."
Elliot glanced around at the bar they were at - this place was pretty dead, and definitely more subdued than a the other bars they had already gone to that night.
"We're not gonna find any girls here, man," Craig shook his head morosely. "How the fuck did we end up here, anyway?"
"Yeah dude, I don't think I've even been in this part of Seattle before," Elliot raised his eyebrows at Barry.
"Sorry guys. I was hoping to meet up with my buddy around here, but I guess he's not showing up," Barry grimaced, glancing around the bar. "You guys wanna hit up another joint? There's that new place near the Pike Market I heard about, it's supposed to be pretty cool."
"Tessa lives near the Market…" Roger mumbled before laying his head down on the table and closing his eyes. The other guys laughed.
"I think Romeo here's had enough," Elliot chuckled, moving his friend's near-empty beer bottle away from him. "I can take him home - you two go check out that other bar if you want."
"You sure, man?" Barry asked, glancing between him and Roger.
"Yeah, it's fine," Elliot shrugged. "I need to be getting home to Kate, anyway."
Craig chuckled and shook his head incredulously. "Of course you do. Man, the El-King's got a lady waiting for him at home… never thought I'd see the day."
Elliot grinned. "Never been happier, man. You should think about settling down too."
"Well, first I gotta find a girl willing to put up with my sorry ass."
Elliot laughed, and the four of them began gathering their things to finally head out. Craig and Barry both left in Barry's car and headed over to the Pike Market while Elliot went to call himself and Roger a cab home. He wasn't exactly sure what part of Seattle they were in right now - they had all carpooled in Barry's car before, and he already had a lot to drink tonight - but he at least hoped the cab driver would know how to get to Roger's house from here.
"Come on, buddy," Elliot said, dragging Roger to his feet. "Time to go home."
Roger grumbled something in response before sluggishly getting to his feet while grabbing his coat. Elliot snickered and shook his head before leading them outside.
It was a bit chilly out tonight - Elliot realized it must have been raining out a little bit earlier. The asphalt road glimmered under the yellow streetlamps, and the night sky roiled with menacing purple and black clouds. Elliot pulled his coat tighter around his body as he and Roger stepped out onto the curb, waiting for the cab they had called earlier.
"Where are we, even?" The cold night air seemed to sober Roger up a bit as he looked curiously around the empty street. The nearby buildings all looked broken down and derelict, and the distinct scent of gasoline lingered in the air. This neighborhood definitely had a more ghetto feel to it, Elliot couldn't help but notice.
"Um… 12th Street," he read on a broken street sign a few yards away.
"12th Street?" Roger repeated, a frown on his face. "Near the 280?"
"I think so," Elliot said. "Why, do you know where we are?"
Roger grimaced. "We're in The Jungle, dude."
Elliot felt himself go pale as he stared at his friend. "Seriously?"
"Yeah, man," Roger glanced at their surroundings. "I've driven through this area before - this is definitely The Jungle."
Anyone who lived in the Washington area knew The Jungle was a bad neighborhood in the heart of Seattle notorious for crime and homeless drug addicts. Most people tended to avoid this place like the plague, and of all the neighborhoods Elliot and Roger could have ended up at one in the morning while intoxicated, this was definitely the worst.
"Well shit," Elliot mumbled, glancing down at his watch. "The cab's not coming for at least another fifteen minutes."
"Let's go back inside," Roger suggested, but just as they turned back toward the bar, they noticed the lights had all gone out and the sign in the window now read Closed.
"Fuck," Elliot hissed, turning back toward the road. "Goddammit, why did Barry have to drag us out here?"
It was definitely getting creepier out - a couple streetlamps down the road began to flicker and go out, and they could see people moving beyond their line of vision in a nearby alleyway. In the far distance, they heard somebody shout out, their voice echoing in the silent night.
"Um… could you maybe call up your brother or something?" Roger suggested nervously, looking in the direction of where they heard the sound. "He has those FBI security guards with him all the time, maybe one of them could pick us up?"
Elliot shook his head. "Christian and his wife are at some charity dinner thing tonight, so all the security's probably with them. Besides, they wouldn't be able to get here before the cab anyway."
Roger groaned under his breath, resigning himself to the fact that they probably had to stand out here and wait on the curb in this dangerous neighborhood, unarmed and vulnerable. Elliot shoved his hands in his coat pockets, and frowned as he gazed at their surroundings. A few homeless people had emerged from the alleyway and were shuffling down the sidewalk, staring at Elliot and Roger from across the street.
"…Okay , if worst comes to worst, we'll start walking that way," Elliot muttered, jerking his head to their left. "I'm sure there's a 24-hour drugstore or a gas station around that's still open and we can duck in for a few minutes."
"Okay," Roger agreed, glancing nervously around them. He shoved his hands in his pockets as well, looking anxious for the cab to arrive.
The two of them stood together on the curb for about a minute, not saying a word - both of them were trying not to pay attention to the homeless people who had walked out of the alleyway and were now slowly coming nearer to them. There was one lanky man who was mumbling to himself, a portly man in a beanie, and a tiny old woman with beady eyes that seemed to pierce right through Elliot as she stared at him.
"Excuse me, do you have a cigarette?" she asked, her voice quavering.
"No, sorry," Elliot said to her nervously while Roger shook his head.
The woman stared at Elliot for a few seconds before mumbling something to herself and shuffling away. The portly man began to shamble after her, but the lanky guy stayed right where he was - he continued to mutter to himself as he stared down at his shoes and crossed his arms tightly in front of his chest, as if he were cold. He seemed unaware of Elliot and Roger a couple feet away, who were both looking nervously at him.
"Come on," Elliot muttered to Roger, indicating they head in the opposite direction. Roger gave an imperceptible nod, and the two of them silently began to walk down the street.
"Where…?" the man suddenly spoke, and Elliot and Roger turned to look back at him. "What… are… you?"
He reached one hand up and began pulling at his hair, his eyes wild. Elliot knew immediately that this guy either had some sort of mental disability or was on drugs.
"Let's go, man," Roger muttered quietly to Elliot. He nodded in agreement, and the two of them turned back around to walk away…
And that's when it happened.
There was a loud, strangled cry, and next second, the homeless man had tackled Elliot to the ground. Roger was knocked sideways into the concrete as Elliot's head collided with the sidewalk. He immediately yelled out in pain, but before he could register what had happened and try to escape, the homeless man had pulled out a switchblade.
Elliot's screams rang out into the night as the knife suddenly sank into his right bicep.
"HEY!" Roger scrambled to his feet and forcefully tackled the homeless man and his knife off of Elliot. The two men landed with a heavy thump on the side of the road, and Roger managed to pin the guy down as he struggled and yelled.
"ARGHH!" Elliot yelled out in agony, clutching his upper arm as dark red blood gushed out, drenching his sleeve. "FUCK!"
"HELP!" Roger yelled into the night, struggling to subdue the crazy man while looking at Elliot with wide, frightened eyes. He gazed frantically around the area. "SOMEBODY HELP US!"
There were suddenly bright lights that flashed for a moment before the sound of screeching tires filled the air. Car doors slammed as a the sounds of running footsteps approached Elliot, who was still bleeding and writhing in pain on the ground.
"Oh my God - Carly, call 911! This man's bleeding!" A woman shouted, sounding scared and frantic.
Elliot heard another woman say something, the sound of scuffling from Roger and the homeless man, and a car horn in the distance. White hot pain sliced through Elliot's arm - it was the worst pain he had ever felt in his life, and even though his body and mind were completely in shock, he somehow knew he needed to stop himself from bleeding out or he was going to die.
I'm going to die…
"It's alright, sir, an ambulance is on it's way," the woman who had shouted before was now kneeling beside him and speaking soothingly to him. "Just hang on, it'll only be a few more minutes."
Only a few more minutes…
Elliot inhaled sharply through his nose, trying to control the urge he had to scream or vomit. He clutched onto his bleeding arm, gritting his teeth while trying to stay conscious. He suddenly thought of Kate, and the possibility of never seeing her again, and his urge to fight suddenly grew stronger.
I'm going to see her again, he thought to himself firmly. I will see her again.
Elliot managed to stay conscious until the ambulance arrived. Those sirens were probably the best sounds he had ever heard in his entire life.
30 minutes later
The scene outside Lucky's Bar on 12th Street was pandemonium - squad cars and ambulances littered the road outside the building and side alleyway, sending flashing red and blue lights through the dark night. Elliot Grey had already been taken onto one of the ambulances and treated for his stab wound, while the assailant (ID'd as Darryl Credd) was currently sitting in the back of the squad car in handcuffs, a large bruise on his face and a crazed expression in his eyes. Roger Larski had been the man who subdued Credd, and was giving his statement to the police along with the two women who were also witnesses to the crime.
Officer Kaz Sterling stood and watched everything going on around him - he had just finished writing up the report on Daryl Credd, who had had a history of violence and recreational drug use. That sort of report wasn't uncommon for people living in this area… Kaz glanced around at the derelict buildings and the graffitied walls with a frown on his face. Crime was pretty common in neighborhoods around here, and as a cop it was always tough to deal with, especially when it involved innocent victims like tonight.
"You ain't gonna believe this, Kaz," his partner Sandy, a short Hispanic woman with her hair in a tight bun, approached him on the sidewalk beside a nearby alleyway. "The guy who got stabbed… apparently he's Elliot Grey, the brother of the CEO of Grey Enterprise Holdings."
Kaz raised his eyebrows. "No shit? What's a guy like him doing all the way out here?"
"Apparently he and some of his friends were just out bar-hopping and they ended up here," Sandy shrugged. "Just in the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess."
Kaz shook his head - like Sandy, he was wondering if this incident was going to make the papers tomorrow since the brother of one of Seattle's most high-profile guys was the victim.
This could definitely get messy.
Before either Kaz or Sandy could say anything, they both heard a noise from the alleyway behind them. Their reactions were instinctive: in a split second, they had pulled out their guns and cocked them, pointing them protectively in front of them as they cautiously stepped into the alleyway. Sandy pulled out a flashlight and shone it around, lighting up the darkened area.
"Seattle PD!" Kaz spoke loudly and authoritatively. "Come out with your hands up!"
Nobody stepped forward, but the noise came again - it was a shifting sound from a large, overturned box beside a rusty green dumpster.
Kaz and Sandy both relaxed slightly - it was probably just a small animal trapped under there or something. Kaz put his gun away, but Sandy kept her gun and flashlight on the box in front of them, cocked and ready just in case.
Kaz cautiously moved forward and lifted up the box...
Underneath it was a tiny little girl, covered from head to toe in dirt, sitting curled up on the ground and trembling with her knees tucked up under her chin. Her clothes looked worn and tattered, and her black hair lay snarled around her slim shoulders. Large, scared brown eyes stared up at Kaz, and she immediately hid her face when the flashlight shone down onto her.
"Oh my God," Sandy breathed, and she exchanged a shocked glance with her partner.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N: Happy Halloween everyone!
I know I said I would post this tomorrow, but as it turns out I'm going to be busy all day Monday and I wasn't going to have time to edit and post. So I thought I'd finish this up early for you :) I hope you all enjoyed the introduction to my new story - I realize this first chapter got a little dark, but I promise it won't get worse than this at any other point in the story.
I'll try to update fairly regularly, but I'll probably only be able to update about once a week at most. I'll also be starting a new Pinterest board for this story if you want to follow that.
If you aren't already, make sure you follow me on Pinterest and on Facebook! I go by the username Straw Paj on both accounts.
Please leave a review on my new story and let me know what you think!