Victoria returned to the apartment later on in the evening after having gone out for dinner with Andrew on the Thursday night. Her father had been unattainable the last few days, constantly working and constantly brooding. She didn't expect anything other than that from him. He had informed her that he intended to go up to Portland for a while as he needed to go and see the farming division of the WSU. She wasn't sure how long he intended on staying there but she was sort of glad that he was going for a while. Maybe it would be the breathing space which they both needed.
"Whilst I am gone you need to remember that Mrs Jones is in charge," Christian barked at Victoria as she sat on the sofa, flicking through her book and revising for her final exam on the Monday. It was everyone's last exam. It was a night to go out and celebrate. It was house party night considering first years of college couldn't get served anywhere. She had hoped that her father wouldn't find out. She wondered if he would be in Portland until the Monday.
Victoria rolled her eyes, licking the edge of her finger and flipping the page as Christian paced up and down in front of the coffee table, his eyes fixed on his BlackBerry until ten seconds had passed and she still hadn't replied to him.
"Do you understand, Victoria?" Christian snapped, looking at her through the corner of his eyes and she looked up at him, slamming her hand down onto the page of her book as she did so.
"Yes!" she snapped back. "Jesus...I don't even see why you need to go up to Portland!"
"Because I'm visiting the farming division. We have already had this discussion."
"No," Victoria shook her head. "A discussion requires two people who are mutually talking to each other. I don't think we've ever had that."
Christian turned a slight tinge of red, his eyes glaring dangerously at the young woman who was sat on the sofa with her legs folded as she turned her attention back to her book, avoiding her father's direct glare.
"I'm not arguing with you now, Victoria," he decided, taking the high ground as her eyes went wide but she remained focused on her book as Christian buttoned up his blazer. "I shall be taking Charlie Tango straight from work tomorrow night and I should be back on Monday. Tuesday at the latest. As I said, Mrs Jones is in charge and your grandparents should be popping up on Saturday to make sure you're okay. I shall text you every day between twelve and six."
"I'm glad to see you've been able to fit some time into your busy schedule for me," Victoria said sarcastically as she looked up at Christian who continued with his glowering. "I shall look out for your text."
"Glad to hear it," Christian simply snapped back at her, not biting back at her taunts. "I'm going to continue working. I shall see you sometime next week considering you won't be up for when I leave tomorrow."
"Fair enough," Victoria mumbled as Christian stalked off down the hallway and she closed her book, watching as he left and she ran a hand through her blonde hair, wondering what had happened between the pair of them.
...
"Hey, Grandma," Victoria smiled when she saw her grandmother on the Saturday evening. Grace looked around the apartment as she left the elevator, her eyes taking in the sight which never failed to astound her. Christian certainly did live in style. Carrick followed behind her with plastic bags in his hands as Grace opened her arms, hugging her grandchild close to her.
"Vicky," she cooed. "Have you been cooped up in here all day?"
"I've been studying," Victoria shrugged as Carrick placed the bags onto the worktop, ruffling his granddaughter's hair as he went. He began to speak with Mrs Jones, telling her that Grace had been adamant to bring her own food to the apartment to cook a meal.
"Honestly," Grace rolled her eyes, putting Vicky at arm's length as she did so. "You're looking pale, Victoria. A young girl like you needs to be going out to get some air."
"I will do," Victoria promised her with a smile on her face and Grace arched a brow and nodded, daring her to challenge her demands. But she didn't.
"And your apartment...your father should have told us sooner but he said you weren't hurt?" Grace said, her voice rising at the end to make Victoria confirm her suspicions. Christian never did that.
"No," Victoria shook her head. "I wasn't hurt. Maybe just a little hysterical."
"Understandable," Grace nodded. "I thought that your father would maybe have taken you to Portland with him...just you two away from Seattle."
"I had to study," Victoria muttered, her eyes avoiding her grandmother's. "Besides...I doubt he'd want to spend time with me."
Grace remained silent as she looked at the young girl with scepticism. She took hold of her hand, leading her to the sitting area as they sat on the edge of the sofa, Grace's hand on Vicky's knee as she looked at her granddaughter.
"Carrick!" she shouted to her husband. "Can you start preparing dinner? I need to talk with Vicky."
"There's isn't anything to discuss," Victoria mumbled as Grace looked at her without belief and Carrick agreed to his task.
"I know Christian is formal, Victoria." Grace said, rolling her eyes as she did so. "But what makes you say such things?"
"He was more concerned about insurance than me, Grandma," Vicky complained. "He didn't ask if I was alright and he...I don't know when the last time he hugged me was...or the last time he told me he loved me...I just...it's like..."
"Honey," Grace said, pushing a strand of her hair behind her ear, "your father cares for you very much."
"Flynn said the same thing," Victoria snorted and Grace's eyes went wide.
"You went to see John?" she enquired and Victoria nodded to confirm.
"I felt like a moaning brat for doing it," she snorted and Grace hit her once on the arm.
"You're not a moaning brat," she retorted. "Why did you go and see John?"
"I don't know," Victoria admitted with a shrug. "I really just don't understand anything...I love him...of course I love him...but he just winds me up to no end."
"And he does love you," Grace assured her. "He just doesn't know how to say it. Maybe you need to talk to him instead of talking to Flynn? He is the one you have an issue with, after all."
"I just don't know what to say."
...
"Miss Steele," Christian placed on his darkest and deepest voice as he saw the young woman in the hardware shop and he remained stood tall, his hands on his hips as she turned around to see him. Her cheeks instantly flushed red under the intensity of his gaze.
"Mr Grey," she blurted out quickly. "Why are you here?"
"Considering you reported on me then I thought you'd know that I have recently donated money to the WSU farming department?" Christian said and she went redder – as if it was possible.
"No...Kate...Miss Kavanagh...she deals with the questions...I just went as a favour..."
"Indeed," Christian responded dryly as Ana coughed once, her eyes looking to the floor as she tilted her head.
"Was there anything which I could help you with?" she enquired as Christian produced his BlackBerry, his attention turning to it as he noted a message from Casey which he promptly deleted. Ana made her move to look back at him, taking in his features until his gaze found hers again.
"I need some rope," Christian stated and Ana wrinkled her nose at his request but nodded, jumping onto his situation straight away.
"I apologise for my daughter's interruption the other day," Christian told Ana as they walked down the corridors, people looking at the pair of them as they moved. "She had gotten herself worked up over nothing of importance."
"It's alright," Ana shrugged once, still focusing on where the rope was. "Your daughter comes first even when she has a small problem...it's the joys of being a parent...or so I hear..."
"She can be a handful," Christian confirmed with a roll of his eyes. "Do you think any less of me for having a child so young?"
His question caught Ana completely off guard. Why did he care about what she thought?
"I don't think it is in my place to judge, Mr Grey," Ana said back to him with honesty.
She didn't get it. If he was to pursue her any further than her opinion was needed. Yes, he knew she ogled him. Many women did. But if she felt uncomfortable with the idea of a relationship with him then he needed to know. He needed to quash it in the bud before it got out of hand. But his other subs had never known. What made her so different?
"I'm asking for your opinion, Miss Steele," he replied, his voice low and full of authority as Ana racked her brain for an answer.
"I think...I guess you didn't mean to have a child so young...but standing by her...no...I don't think any less of you for it. That would be judgemental when I don't know anything about what happened."
Correct answer, Miss Steele.
...
"I can't!" Victoria snapped as she was presented with one more vodka shot in front of her. Mandy was stood on the opposite side of the breakfast bar in the small suburban home where the Monday Night Fiasco was taking place as Victoria clung onto her stomach, feeling the contents of it swilling around and trying to make a reappearance. Her head felt like mush and her eyes were barely managing to stay open. So she was shocked when she managed to down the shot in one and not throw up everywhere.
She knew she would be in trouble if her father ever knew where she had been. God, he'd have a fit and ground her for an eternity. He considered alcohol dangerous for her considering she had never really drank and he didn't want her to. He had seen the effects it had on people. He didn't want her being reckless and destroying her Grey name.
...
"Mrs Jones," Christian greeted his housekeeper who nodded back at him as he entered through the lift of the apartment on the Monday night. The clock had just struck ten and he had decided to return home after a scolding from his mother on leaving his daughter when she was so emotional. He didn't know she was emotional. She never had said anything and he wasn't a mind reader.
"Mr Grey!" Mrs Jones exclaimed when she saw him and she began to flurry around the kitchen. "I didn't expect you back so late, sir."
"I thought I would have a well rested night," Christian nodded back at her as he looked around the quiet apartment.
"Is Victoria in her room?" Christian wondered and he saw the housekeeper bite down on her bottom lip. Why did women do that?
"Mrs Jones," Christian spoke her name dangerously low, waiting for an answer before she shook her head.
"I went out to do the groceries when Miss Grey came back from her final exam. She seemed happy and tired and she said that she was going to watch some TV. When I came back she had left me a note saying she was off to a party. She knew I wouldn't let her go because you would have disallowed it and so she snuck out," Mrs Jones explained quickly and Christian shook his head, his phone moving to his ear as he demanded for her cell to be tracked.
"I'm sorry, Mr Grey," Mrs Jones quickly apologised. "I tried to call her but she wouldn't pick up and I phoned Taylor. I didn't want to worry you."
"It is too late for that now, isn't it?" Christian snapped back at her before he rang Taylor, demanding him to drive him to whichever location his daughter was at.
...
Christian looked onto the house where the party was clearly in full swing and he groaned once. A house full of drunken teenagers. It was not on his agenda to enter one of them. There were some on the front lawn, throwing up as other's comforted them and the bass from the stereo could be felt in the car.
"Do you want me to go and find her, sir?" Taylor wondered as Christian shook his head, unfastening his seatbelt before moving from the car and walking up the path, avoiding the eyes of people who were staring at him. He remained focused. He was going to find Victoria and then go. The hallway was full of couples making out as he pushed his way through them, rolling his eyes at such common behaviour before he came to the kitchen, scanning the room as he did so. He thanked God that she wasn't hard to find as she was stood to the side with a glass in her hand, her boyfriend leaning over her as she giggled.
Christian barged people out of the way who stared at him but he was more focused on finding out what the hell Victoria had been playing at.
"Vicky...you're drunk...you need some water..." Andrew said, forcing a glass of it towards her as she shook her head.
"No!" She responded. "I need some vodka."
"No," Andrew snapped back. "You've had enough."
"You're not my dad!" she drawled.
"He's not," Christian declared and Victoria looked back up at the new voice as Andrew looked at Grey. "But I am."
"Mr Grey," Andrew quickly said his name. "Sir...I've been trying to tell her...to stop drinking...but she wouldn't listen...and..."
"I can see," Christian said, silently glad that the boy hadn't taken advantage.
"So you're going to ruin my fun now?" Victoria asked as Christian took the drink from her hand, forcing it into Andrew's hand.
"Apparently so," he confirmed and Victoria rolled her eyes as he took hold of her arm and began to drag her from the party. She tried to pull against him as Andrew remained silent, watching Grey take his daughter but he didn't make a move to stop him.
"That's all you do!" Victoria complained as she looked at her father as the fresh air hit her lungs. "You ruin my life!"
"Don't be stupid," Christian told her as Taylor opened the back door of the car. "If you kept on drinking do you think you'd have been in a fit state?"
"Who knows?" Victoria wondered aloud.
"I know and you wouldn't," Christian answered for her. "Now come on."
Christian pushed her into the back of the car, looking at her choice of outfit in a disapproving manner. Why was the red material so short?
"For once...I was having a good time!" Victoria complained. "But you can't let me be happy!"
"You're drunk and not talking sense," Christian said as Taylor shut the door and he looked at his daughter. She was crying. Why the hell was she crying? She was supposed to be annoyed and angry. Not bloody upset.
"Why...why don't you love me...why...?" Victoria sobbed and Christian's eyes went wide, the BlackBerry which had been in his hand fell into his pocket as he looked at her. Jesus, the alcohol must be talking.
"You're drunk," he declared again and she shook her head at him.
"Yes...no...but..." she blabbered as mascara ran down her face and Christian resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"Victoria," Christian complained, opening his window slightly to get some air into the back of the car as Taylor minded his own business.
"I just want...I want it..." she complained, looking down at her lap, tears dripping down her nose as she spoke to him. "Why..."
"Don't cry," he urged her, not really sure what to do when she began to cry. He didn't deal well with emotions. At all.
"But you never hug me," she said, a new set of tears seeming to rear their ugly heads as Christian thought about what she had just said. Physical contact with anyone was hard. Even with his subs sometimes.
Christian was unsure as to what came over him. He hadn't seen her look so...vulnerable...in ages...maybe ever. The last time she had cried like this was when monsters had hid under her bed and he had to make sure they had all gone before she went back to sleep.
But seeing her visibly so upset made him act. He slid into the middle of the SUV, his hand forcefully wrapping itself around her wrist as he pulled her towards him, handling her until she was settled on his lap, her head tucked into his neck . Her hands remained in her lap, thank goodness, as Christian wrapped his arm around her waist.
"Try and sleep," he urged her and she remained silent, too shocked and drunk to take in what was happening.
Christian didn't have a heart. But he did have a conscious. Sometimes. And tonight, it appeared it was visible.
...
A/N: Overwhelming response to this story and I want to thank everyone who has reviewed or spent the time to read this far! So please, do let me know what you think! Pretty please?