Authors Note: I am overwhelmed by the lovely reviews of the first chapter and the number of people who posted and messaged me to tell me they were glad to see I was writing again. Thank you, everyone. That was a wonderful surprise and it is people who appreciate my stories that keeps me writing. For those that asked – yes, I have a new job, and a new place to live, in a new state. Things are going well, but the new job is mentally taxing, so between that and my illnesses, I regularly have 'no spoons' left to spend on writing. I am trying to conserve some more spoons/energy for writing, so the chapters in this story will likely be on the shorter side.

And yes, for those that asked…there will be LEMONS. LOTS of lemons. Never fear!

Warnings: Yes, this is an 18+ story (hello…this is me writing it. Anyone who knows me knows I write mostly 18+ stuff). However, there are no warnings for THIS chapter….gotta finesse those things, can't just jump into them willy-nilly.


Fifty Shades of Fey

Ch 2: Home is Where the Heart Is

The moment Sarah signed the guardianship contract, everything started happening incredibly fast. It was almost magical how easy things suddenly got for the two of them. When the social worker showed up, Mr. Foster met the woman at the door, and in a clipped tone that was cold and officious, informed her in no uncertain terms that Toby would not be going with her – that day or any other. Sarah watched the scene on the front porch from her spot on the couch looking out the parlor window, with Toby tucked in her lap. She almost wished she had a picture of the indignant outrage on the woman's face as it soon became a mask of fear when Mr. Foster told her to leave or she would be charged with attempted kidnapping as the 'children' were now under the care of Mr. Gareth Rex. The woman's face went white at that news, much to Sarah's amusement. While she may not know who Mr. Rex was, apparently he was someone of some power, because Ms. Green rushed off after that.

But the whirlwind of action in their lives didn't stop there. Before he had even shut the door on the rapidly retreating back of Ms. Green, Mr. Foster was on his phone.

"Ms. Williams has signed the forms, Sir," she heard him saying, as he quickly walked through the house surveying and mentally tallying the boxes and furnishings. "The movers are coming this afternoon. I will make arrangements for their belongings to be rerouted to Tylluan House."

She strained to hear who she assumed was Mr. Rex on the other end of the phone, but could hear nothing except for Mr. Foster's replies.

"Yes. The plane is waiting at the airfield. We should be back at the house by tea time tomorrow….Yes, Sir. I will tell them….. I will contact you when we have landed. Yes, Sir. I will….. "

When he hung up, Sarah was dying to ask him what Mr. Rex had said, but she wasn't given the chance, as he began making arrangements for taking them to their new home, and their new guardian, Mr. Gareth Rex.

Within hours Sarah and Toby were on their way to the airport, tucked in the back of a sleek black sedan. Sarah could barely believe it when Mr. Foster walked them out of their home to his car. She thought he was alone, but he wasn't. Leaning against the side of the car was a large man with a bald head, wearing a neat black suit and mirrored sunglasses. He wasn't overweight, but seemed to be built from pure, rock-hard muscle, the suit doing nothing to mask the solid muscles underneath the fabric. "Louis, this is Ms. Sarah and her brother, Master Tobias. They are wards of Mr. Rex," Foster said, as Louis moved to open the back door of the car, nodding at Sarah and giving her a brief smile. "Sarah, Louis is my driver and bodyguard. Upon arrival in the UK, he will take on those duties for you and your brother."

"He-he will?" she managed to squeak, blinking in surprise as she looked from Mr. Foster to the burly form of Louis as he held the car door open for her.

"Yes. He will," Foster said in a quiet tone that spoke of patience wearing thin. "While your own funds are considerable, they are held in trust and thus, are safe. However, Mr. Rex is a man of some…power …and wealth. Therefore he feels it is prudent to protect his assets - both property and people."

Sarah wasn't sure how she felt about being considered an 'asset', much less the fact that whatever life they were being taken to involved a need for a driver who doubled as a bodyguard. It was all so strange. Frowning slightly as Mr. Foster cleared his throat and looked at his watch, she slid into the back seat of the car, buckling Toby in before wrapping her arm around him. As the car door shut the two of them in, she jumped, her arm tightening around Toby who, unlike Sarah, was having the time of his young life.

"Mr. Foster…um…Sir," he asked as Mr. Foster and Louis got into the car and the engine started up.

Foster looked over his shoulder at Toby, his eyes seeming to have gone a shade of silver, making Sarah shiver as she looked at him. Surprisingly, his tone was gentle as he addressed Toby, "Yes, Master Tobias?"

"Is Mr. Rex…well…is he gonna be like my dad?" he asked, picking fluff off Lancelot.

Sarah felt her breath threaten to strangle her, a lump forming in her throat at the innocent question from the child. Mr. Foster actually smiled, seeming to look fondly at the young boy.

"No one will ever replace your father, Tobias. But Mr. Rex has every intention of making sure you have a good and happy life, just like your father wanted," he said.

At that moment, Sarah could have kissed him for being so kind and reassuring. While he may have been talking to Toby, his words meant the world to her as well. Nodding, Toby snuggled against Sarah, content with what he had been told. Sarah however, was not.

"Um…Mr. Foster… I've never heard my father talk about Mr. Rex, could you…well…could you tell me a bit about him? Who is he? What does he do?"

Turning around as Louis drove, Mr. Foster nodded, "Mr. Rex is the current head of Rexic Enterprises."

"Whoa…" Sarah murmured, trying to wrap her head around this bit of information.

Mr. Foster's lips curled in a slight smirk as he looked at Sarah's shocked face in the rearview mirror. "I see you have heard of them?"

Sarah nodded, swallowing hard, "That's the biggest multi-media corporation in the world."

Nodding, Foster smiled as he continued. "Indeed. Entertainment media is their primary industry, although there are subsidiary businesses that include electronics and publishing. Does that answer your questions?"

"Well, it tells me who he is and what he does, but I still don't understand how he knew my father."

Mr. Foster shrugged. "I handle Mr. Rex's affairs in the UK and overseas, but he needed a lawyer who was well-versed in Internet law in the US, so he retained the services of your father. That is all I really know of their relationship. I'm sure Mr. Rex will give you additional detail should you need it."

Sarah sat back and considered this. Her father…mild, unassuming Richard Williams, was a specialty lawyer for the owner and CEO of the biggest media corporation in the world. Not only that, but they were on close enough terms that her father was willing to ask Rex to be the guardian of his children. Biting her lip, Sarah looked out the window as the car drove past the airport entrance and turned into the guard gate leading to the private airfields. Louis rolled down his window and presented an ID card to the guard, who read it over then pulled an envelope from a box, saying, "Here is your manifest and flight permissions. Please have your pilot buzz the tower when you are ready."

A few minutes later the car pulled up near a sleek private plane, the entry open and stairs placed at the doorway. Turning around, Mr. Foster gave Sarah and Toby a quiet smile. "Shall we get you to your new home?"

Silently Sarah nodded, while Toby practically vibrated with the excitement of his first airplane ride, his first trip overseas and the prospect of this strange new life. Sarah however, wasn't sure about this…about any of this.

Getting out of the car she looked at the plane, then squeezed Toby's hand.

"Come on feet…let's go," she muttered, before moving forward to board the plane.


They say home is where the heart is, but Sarah wasn't quite convinced. Sure, Toby was with her still and he was, as far as she was concerned, her 'heart', however that fact alone didn't make Tylluan House home.

Tylluan 'House'.

It sounded like something from a stuffy old public television drama. For her part, Sarah thought it was a bit of a misnomer anyway. This place wasn't a house, it was a proper old-fashioned English manor house. A mansion by US standards. She vividly remembered the surreal feeling she had as Louis drove them up onto the property when they arrived. The driveway itself had to be two miles long if it was a foot, neatly splitting the immaculately manicured front lawn, which was dotted with flower beds, and edged by the forest that surrounded the property. Then there was the house. Built from finely weathered grey-brown stone, the house was massive, with four stories and more rooms than she and Toby would be able to count in a week. It far surpassed anything she expected.

It was like something out of a movie…or a dream.

Mr. Foster led them to the front door of the manor, up the great marble steps at the front, with Sarah and Toby gawking at the immense size of the place. Before he reached the large double doors, a shadow passed behind the beautiful stained glass panels set into the mahogany wood, then the doors swung open. An older woman stood there, tall and prim in her black dress that buttoned high on her neck and fell to below her knees. She wore a watch brooch on her chest, and had a ring of keys hanging at her waist. Sarah swallowed hard as Toby clung to her hand and tried to hide behind her at the sight of the woman. She looked like the wicked stepmother in every fairytale. At that moment Sarah seriously considered grabbing Toby and running as far away from this house as she could get. If the fierce aura coming off this woman was any indication, Mr. Rex must be the Devil incarnate.

Before she could make a move to run, the woman's demeanor seemed to thaw as she gave Sarah and Toby a warm smile.

"Welcome, children…welcome," she said, holding her hand out to Toby who first peeked out from around Sarah's thigh, then reached out and took it with a shy smile. Squeezing his hand she squatted down and patted his cheek. "Aren't you just a handsome little man. Just like your father said….God rest him," she said, then stood up and smiled at Sarah. "And you, you're just as pretty as a picture. Come in…come in."

Mr. Foster smiled at Sarah. "This is Mrs. Brown, she is the head housekeeper for Mr. Rex and will be in charge of you both when Mr. Rex is not in residence."

"Oh now, don't make me sound like some stodgy old jailer, Alyn," Mrs. Brown said with a broad grin. As Sarah looked more closely at her, she could see the laugh lines crinkling around the woman's eyes and lips, and the merry way her blue eyes twinkled, set off by the freckles that covered her face and her rosy cheeks. Relaxing, Sarah smiled at the woman, and was rewarded with a gentle pat on the arm. "You're home now, dear girl. We'll take good care of you…you'll see," she said, gently pulling Sarah and Toby into the front hall of the house.

The front foyer was huge, with a parquet floor that featured a diamond-shaped knot-work maze in the middle of the floor. To the right of the inlaid marble design were French doors leading into what appeared to be a library, as the walls were covered with bookshelves filled with row after row of books. Opposite the library door was a large archway leading into a living room with plush Persian rugs, heavy furniture and a fireplace outlined with an ornately carved mantel. Seeing Sarah's gaze shift to the surroundings, Mrs. Brown chuckled, "I'll give you the grand tour later, dear. Into the kitchen with the lot of you. It's a long flight and I'm sure you're hungry."

Mr. Foster shook his head, "I'm afraid I can't stay. My duties with the children end here, as I must report to Mr. Rex immediately."

Nodding curtly to Sarah, Foster turned and made his way down the stairs, as Louis entered the house and shut the front door.

Covering his mouth with his hand, Louis gave a tired yawn, before turning and lumbering down the corridor toward the back of the house. Mrs. Brown just smiled and patted Sarah's arm again, "Don't mind Louis, dear. He's a man of very few words," she said and began to steer the two of them toward the back of the house, past the huge mahogany staircase leading to the second floor. "So, my dears….we'll get you some breakfast and start to get to know each other, how's that sound?"

At the mention of food, Toby was sold on the idea and Sarah had to admit, Mrs. Brown did make the whole situation seem less surreal and frightening. Maybe she wouldn't regret her decision after all. Turning a corner, Mrs. Brown led them into a large kitchen, bathed in natural light. It was a cheerful, bright place, with a huge stovetop and four ovens, as well as a large dishwasher and two massive stone sinks set under a window that overlooked the back lawn. There was a heavy kitchen table in the middle of the room, with a butcher block top. The table was set for two and Mrs. Brown wasted no time in seating them, tying Toby's napkin around his neck. Turning toward the stove, the housekeeper opened one of the ovens and Sarah's mouth watered as the room was filled with the luscious scent of blueberry pancakes, bacon and eggs.

"I wasn't sure what you liked, so I decided to go with the classics," the older woman said, filling Sarah and Toby's plates, then getting them juice. Once she had them settled, Mrs. Brown sat down next to Toby with a cup of coffee and a happy grin. Reaching over she started to cup up Toby's pancakes, while smiling at Sarah. "So…let's get acquainted shall we?"

Their first meal in Tylluan House was a far more comfortable event than Sarah expected when the door first opened. As they chatted, Sarah learned that Mrs. Brown had been the head housekeeper for twenty-two years, and first maid for fifteen years before that. She began to work for Mr. Rex's father when she was only fifteen. Sarah also learned that Mrs. Brown and Louis weren't the only staff at the house. There were two 'family' maids, one for Mr. Rex and one for she and Toby since they were now 'family'. In addition to the family maids, there were two housemaids, a cook, a kitchen girl, stable hand, gardener, Mr. Rex's valet (who was also his personal driver/bodyguard) and the most recent addition to the household, a nanny for Toby.

The more staff Mrs. Brown listen off, the more unsettled Sarah began to feel.

"I….we…we don't belong here," Sarah said finally, putting down her cup and pushing away her half-eaten breakfast as the enormity of the situation hit her, making her appetite flee.

Gently Mrs. Brown patted her hand, the gesture at once reassuring and motherly. "Dear girl…you do belong here. Your father was a lovely man. I met him many times when he visited Mr. Rex," she said, her blue eyes shining, before she wiped them with the back of her hand. "Bless his heart, he loved you children. Even if your father hadn't put Mr. Rex as guardian in his will, Mr. Rex would have made the offer anyway."

Sarah's chin wobbled, tears welling up again. She'd go hours without thinking of all that they'd lost, then something would trigger it again. Seeing the pain well up in the girl's eyes, Mrs. Brown slid her chair close to Sarah, pulling her into a warm embrace as the tears started in earnest. Sarah couldn't stop them. She cried out her grief at losing her parents. She cried out the terror of nearly losing Toby. She cried out her fear of the unknown future in the US, which was suddenly replaced with a still unknown future in a strange country and in a strange house. The whole time she cried, Mrs. Brown held her, rocking her gently and patting her back. "Oh my darling child. You've been through so much…with no mum to cuddle you and tell you it will be okay. But it will, my dear. You'll see. You're home now. You just let it all out…"

After what seemed like an eternity, Sarah sniffled, the tears finally exhausted for the moment. Shifting she pulled back, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her sweater. Toby eased up to her, snuggling under her arm and hugging her around the middle. "It'll be okay Sarah," he said, burying his face against her side as she hugged him.

Rising, Mrs. Brown smiled at the brother and sister, "Come along now. What you need is a good nap in a comfy bed, and you'll feel better about everything," she said, chuckling as Toby nodded and yawned at the same time.

Taking Toby's hand, Sarah followed Mrs. Brown toward the staircase that led to the second floor. "This is holiday week for most of the staff except for myself and Louis," she said as they walked down the immaculate hall with its thick carpet and walls lined with artwork. "The nanny, Ms. Glen, will be here tomorrow morning, but you and I can manage Toby until then, can't we?"

Sarah nodded, exhaustion rapidly catching up with her. She stifled a yawn as Mrs. Brown opened a door and announced, "This is your room Toby, dear." Toby let out a war-whoop and raced into the large room. It was a little boy's dream come true. The bed in the corner was ornately carved to look like a pirate ship, complete with a short rope ladder to climb up into it. There were bookcases and shelves filled with books, toys and games, as well as a full train-table and a rug patterned with roads, lakes, rivers and train tracks to play on. In one corner of the room was a large wooden castle that opened up revealing rooms, including knights, soldiers and all kinds of figures for play.

Racing from thing to thing, Toby was beside himself. "Sarah…look at this! Ohh…look at this! Look at this stuff!" he gasped, then suddenly stopped, his little face falling. "Are you sure this stuff is for me? Mr. Rex doesn't know me. Why would he get me all this great stuff?" he asked Mrs. Brown.

Smiling the woman went to the dresser and pulled out a pair of pajamas just the right size for Toby. "Yes, indeed, dear boy. It's all for you. Mr. Rex himself, picked out the toys and things in this room especially for you, because he thought you'd like them."

Toby grinned again, as he looked around. "Wow…just…wow."

Mrs. Brown just chuckled watching him. When the phone started to ring she handed Sarah the pajamas. "Here dear, you get him changed while I answer that," she said and bustled away.

Feeling a bit numb, Sarah sat on a chair in the corner, pulling Toby toward her as she began to change his clothes. The little boy yawned, but grinned happily at her. "I think it's gonna be okay…don't you, Sarah?"

"Well…Mr. Rex is definitely being generous," she acknowledged, knowing from Toby's petulant huff that this wasn't the answer he wanted to hear from her. "Look, Toby, this is just a lot to take in all at once. I'm glad you're happy…but mostly I'm just glad that we're still together. We're still a family."

Once he was changed, Toby threw his arms around her and gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "We'll always be family, Sarah."

She hugged him back and kissed the top of his head. "That's right, twerp. You can't get rid of me." Standing up, she swung him into her arms, dangling him upside down as she carried the screaming and giggling boy to the bed. With a grunt, she managed to shove him up into the pirate ship, then climbed a little way up the rope ladder to tuck him in, with Lancelot in his arms.

"Sarah…do you think we can make Lancelot a pirate outfit?" the boy asked sleepily.

Smoothing hair from his forehead, Sarah smiled. "Sure…we'll ask Mrs. Brown about it this afternoon. For now, sleep. Okay?"

He nodded and mumbled sleepily, rolling over and snuggling the well-loved bear. "Love you, Sar…"

With a sigh she whispered, "Love you too, Tobes. Sweet dreams."

Sarah slipped out of the room, pulling the door shut quietly behind her, to find Mrs. Brown in the hall. "Did you get him to bed okay, dear?"

"Yeah…he was more tired than he acted," she say, covering her own yawn.

Seeing that, Mrs. Brown clucked. "Come on, dear girl. Let's get you off to sleep too. I'm sure you need a good long sleep after all you've been through," the woman said, turning and opening the door across from Toby's room. "These rooms are yours," she said, moving aside so Sarah could enter.

"Oh….my…." was all Sarah could say as she entered the room. It was as large as Toby's room, but wasn't a bedroom, but a proper sitting room. The carpet was pale rose color with a silken sheen. There was a lovely sofa covered in a rose print brocade of cream and pink, with a pink velvet chair next to it. Under the window was a large work desk with a computer of her very own sitting on it. There was even a piano against the other wall.

"Your father said you loved playing music when you were thinking, so Mr. Rex had that shipped over from Ireland for you," Mrs. Brown said, as Sarah lightly ran her fingertips over the top of the white piano.

Turning to look at her, Sarah frowned, "But…he didn't know until last night that we were coming."

Mrs. Brown just smiled, "Oh…he had faith that you'd be joining our family, dear. If you hadn't agreed on your own, he probably would have flown over to discuss it in person." Opening a door to the right, Mrs. Brown bustled into another room. "This is your bedroom, dear."

Nibbling her lip, Sarah followed the woman into a bedroom that was truly like something out of her fantasies.

The floor was a deep mossy green, with a plush throw rug depicting a mass of flowers at the foot of the bed. A large honey colored bed sat against the wall opposite the door, the four posters carved to look like climbing vines. Over the whole bed hung a semi-sheer canopy of white with flowers embroidered all over it in shades of pink, blue, purple, yellow and green. "It's like a fairy bower," she gasped, lightly caressing the shimmering cascade of embroidered flowers.

Nodding Mrs. Brown smiled, "Your father mentioned that you loved 'A Midsummer's Night Dream'. Mr. Rex thought you might like this."

Sarah looked at her, her eyes brimming again. "I don't understand…how…how can he be so nice? He doesn't know us."

The housekeeper shrugged as she opened another door, showing Sarah the spacious ensuite, then the deep walk in closet already filled with clothes. "I know what people say about Mr. Rex, Sarah dear. That he's a nasty, vicious man who is cruel and manipulative. And when it comes to his work, I've no doubt that he is just that. But in his private life…with family…and those he cares for and who care for him in return, he is a very generous man. And now, you and Toby are part of that circle of family and friends. So, he wants to be generous, to help you see that you are safe now. You are home."

Leaning against one of the uprights of the bed, Sarah wrapped her arm around it and looked at Mrs. Brown. "Tell me about him? Please?"

Mrs. Brown pulled a nightgown out of a drawer in the closet and handed it to Sarah. "You get changed and I'll tell you a bit…but then I want you to have a sleep. You look ready to fall off your feet, my dear."

Taking the nightgown, Sarah retreated into the dressing room/closet as Mrs. Brown pottered about. "Well, with family and friends he is generous. He loves music and gives the best parties for the holidays," she said, then laughed. "And he loves to dance and sing. Oh dear…let's see…what else. Well, Mr. Rex likes being outdoors when he is home. Says he gets sick of iron and concrete jungles in the city. So, at least for a month or two each year he uproots the whole household to go to the property by the sea in Ireland," she adds, smiling as Sarah comes out of the dressing room in the floor length linen nightgown, trimmed with small bits of eyelet lace. "Ahh…good…we got your size right," she nods in approval, then pulls the covers back on the bed. "I'll leave you to it. You just come on down when you wake up," she said, pulling the door shut as she left the sitting room.

Left to her own devices, Sarah looked around the beautiful sitting room, still feeling vaguely afraid to touch anything for fear the 'real' owner would swoop in at any second. While she was tired, her mind was racing too face to contemplate sleep, so she wandered toward the bookcases, dragging her fingertips over the books. All of her favourites were there, fantasy stories, Celtic mythology, science fiction, the works. Obviously her father must have spent quite a bit of time talking about her likes and dislikes. At that thought, her eyes prickled with tears again, until she shut them tight, randomly pulling a book off the shelves. Opening her eyes again, she smiled realizing she was holding a copy of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. She flipped it open and walked back into the bedroom, already losing herself in the familiar words of the Bard.

Sarah walked to the large windows to shut the curtains so she could read in peace and nap. Reaching to pull the curtains closed, she glanced up from the pages of the book to look out the window onto the back lawn of the house, only to gasp, dropping the heavy volume on the carpet as she stared transfixed into the back lawn – a back lawn that was as neat and immaculately tended as the front lawn, with one striking difference.

A labyrinth.

A massive structure of precisely carved bushes of green, their sides dotted with pink and yellow roses. And from her vantage point on the second floor, Sarah had a nearly perfect view of the fountain at the center of the hedge labyrinth, a fountain topped with something that shimmered in the late morning sunlight.

A perfectly formed crystal.


A/N:

Thanks again for all of the lovely reviews and comments. This story has been eating at me for soooo long (two years now). I just couldn't ignore it any longer. That said, don't worry. I will be getting back to my other stories. Sometimes it takes a new story to help inspire me to write on my others.