Disclaimer: I do not own Fifty Shades of Grey; it belongs only to E. L. James

...

Growing Pains

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…

"Oh come on Dad, Keenan and Jimmy will be waiting for me, I promised them I would be there!"

"Ted, I said no. You know security has to plan ahead, you should have told me sooner."

"Jeez, it's just a skate park dad, only skateboarders or kids from the neighborhood go there. I doubt I'll run into some pedo or terrorists."

Christian cringes at the mention of 'pedo', there are some ghosts from his past that he would rather forget. "Ted, that's not funny and I said no, end of conversation."

"Mom, tell him, you know that parents always hang out there too, and they got security cameras!"

"Stop whining son, it won't work."

"Christian, Teddy and his friends have gone to that park before, and some parents do stay behind to keep a close eye on everyone. You can have Taylor assign Robert and Lance; they can do a quick check before Teddy and his friends head over there."

"Ana, I said no." Christian pulls his wife into the hallway out of hearing range. "Love, you know we have to be more careful now. After that Encino attempt against the Zuckerber's kid, I... I just can't Ana, I have to protect him, protect us, more than ever."

Anastasia understands her husband's concern; she cups his face as if to soothe his worries away. "Oh Christian, my paranoid, controlling fifty, what am I going to do with you?"

With a smile he replies. "Well Mrs. Grey, I can think of a few things you can do to take my worries away."

"OMG! Are you two serious? Hello! I can hear everything! We're talking about me, remember?"

"Relax honey; we're just discussing a way for you to meet up with your friends at the park after security has had a chance to check everything out."

"Seriously Ana? I just told your son he cannot go. No, no and no!"

An annoyed Anastasia glares at her husband and she crosses her arms in defiance. "Christian, everyone in this family is fully aware that putting up with body guards following our every move is just a way of life for us. We accept that, does not mean we like it, but we accept it. You and Taylor have hired the best and most trustworthy guards to protect us. Now, Robert and Lance have been guarding your son for years now, and done a wonderful job. I trust them to keep our son safe Christian, and you know they will not allow him to go or get near anyone, or any place, that they deem dangerous or suspicious. Besides, they know him too well; they never fall for his shenanigans and don't put up with his B.S. either."

Christian looks at his son who is smiling from ear to ear at his mother. "Wipe that smirk off your face boy, I still haven't agreed to anything." Teddy immediately stops smiling. "Now, besides Keenan and Jimmy, who else were you planning on meeting there?"

Before Teddy can reply, Christian gets a call from security at the gate. "Mr. Grey, we have a Mr. Peterson, Forrest Peterson here, he is dropping off your son's friend Sam. Theodore supposedly told Sam to come by the house today?"

"What the…hold on… Teddy, did you forget to tell us you were expecting someone today?"

"Um, yeah, sorry, I guess I forgot to tell you. I invited Sam to join us, is that okay?" Teddy backs away a few steps from his father who is now glaring at him.

"For the love of…Tanner, tell Mr. Peterson to drop off Sam at the gate, you can bring him to the front door yourself." An exasperated Christian shuts his cell phone off without waiting for a response. "Son, how many times have we told you not to invite people over until you clear it with us? We need to know in advance who and when people are coming by!"

"Sorry Dad, it was a spur of the moment thing. I met Sam just a few weeks ago, you know, new kid in school and all, likes skateboarding too."

"Christian, what is the harm here? You can't go trying to run background checks on all thirteen year olds your son befriends. Teddy needs friends his own age. Would you prefer that he spent his time with Phoebe or Ava, trying on new clothes and shoes? "

"Of course not Ana, I'm happy that he makes friends so easily, but he knows full well he is supposed to check with us before he goes on inviting people over. Besides, it's the parents I run background checks on."

"Dad, please tell me you don't do that! Mom, they're just my friend's parents for f… err, I mean for Pete's sake!"

Anastasia shakes her head in disbelief. "Christian, I can't believe you, I'm afraid you and I are going to have another sit down to discuss this, you just crossed that line again Mr. Grey."

The argument is interrupted by Mrs. Taylor. "Mr. Grey, Ana, Teddy's friend is here."

"Thanks Gail, please bring Sam in." Anastasia turns to look at Christian who is still frowning.

Within a few seconds the house guest makes an entrance behind Mrs. Taylor. "Hey Teddy, some crib you have here. How are ya?"

Christian and Anastasia's mouths drop open, while a nervous Teddy greets his new friend. "Hey Sam, glad you could make it. Sorry about the third degree out there."

"No big deal; so, when are we meeting with Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum?"

It is Christian who reacts first by clearing his throat after the initial shock wears off. "Excuse me son, but it seems that your Mother and I are not acquainted with the young lady. I believe introductions are in order."

Samantha Peterson, or Sam for short, is quite a sight. She is a pretty, blue eyed, freckled faced red headed young girl who is dressed in baggy jeans, white sneakers and tee shirt, with an equally baggy plaid opened long sleeve shirt. A backwards Red Sox baseball cap covers her red hair that is braided by the sides.

"Um, yeah, Sam, these are my parents. Mom, Dad, meet Sam. My friend…from school... she's new." Teddy fidgets a little as he runs his hand through his hair, a trait he inherited from his father.

"Nice to meet you both, Teddy talks about you all the time." Christian and Anastasia can't help but to smile back at the cute girl that is holding a skateboard that appears bigger than her.

"Well now, it is indeed a pleasure to meet you Sam, but I am afraid you have me at a disadvantage, Ted never mentioned you before. Did he say you're new in school?" Christian asks.

"Yep, my parents moved from Arizona, dad got transferred here."

"Really, and what does your father do?"

Anastasia could tell where this was leading to. "Christian, I am sure Sam didn't come here to talk about her Dad. I'm Teddy's mom, Anastasia, very nice to meet you Sam. "

Sam's eyes widen as she takes a closer look at Anastasia. "Wow, you sure are pretty." She turns to her friend. "No wonder Jimmy thinks your Mom is hot Teddy."

Anastasia gasps as she covers her mouth, then bursts laughing out loud. Christian glares at his wife since he is clearly not amused. "Excuse me Sam, but what exactly did Jimmy say?"

"Ah, Dad, Jimmy was only kidding. Come on Sam, let's go to my room, we'll call the guys from there." Teddy pulls Sam quickly away by the hand while grabbing her skateboard from her.

"Whoa Teddy, slow down…ah, nice meeting you two!"

Both Christian and Anastasia stare down the hall as their son disappears along with his new friend. "Well, now we know why he wants to go skateboarding so badly. She is a cute one." Christian smiles.

"Christian, let Teddy go out with his friends, let him have his fun like any other kid."

He signs while leaning behind her and resting his chin on her shoulder. "Alright Ana, I'll call Taylor, I guess the guys can take him and Sam to the park but only after we pick up Phoebe and Phil."

"Oh Christian, I almost forgot to tell you that Kate called, she asked if they can spend the night. Ava and Phoebe have some friends over and Mia is giving them pedicures, and Phil seems to be having a lot of fun with Carl and Elliot."

"I'm afraid to ask Ana, but what kind of fun is Elliot having with the boys?"

"Relax Christian, Elliot took them earlier to Jungle Jim's, and from what Kate told me, you couldn't tell who was having more fun, the kids or Elliot. She said she had to walk out a few times because she was too embarrassed to be seen next to him." They both laugh at the thought of Elliot Grey acting like a five year old. "Anyways, he already set a large tent outside their back yard; he's planning to camp out with them tonight. Before you complain Christian, he already arranged it with security, they will be camping out as well, and he is planning to use the thermal heaters from your last camping trip to keep them warm."

Christian is still not convinced. "I don't know Ana, I know my brother is a good father and can handle his kids, but Ava and Carl are too tame compared to Phil, the things he tries to pull and..."

"Christian, they will be fine, Elliot knows how to handle your son, trust me. Besides, if we let Teddy spend the afternoon at the skate park with his friends, well, that leaves just us. You and me, and the house, all to ourselves…" It only takes a few seconds for Christian to react as his passionate kiss ends their conversation.

…..

….

Hours later at the skate park

….

"Teddy, that was some sweet turn you made, you left some serious burn marks dude!"

"Turn, turn, watch out Jimmy!"

"Seriously dude!"

"Look Teddy, I can swing the board back and forth now, check it out!"

Teddy and his friends have been at the park for hours, under the watchful eyes of his body guards, Robert and Lance, who kept their distance but keep scanning the park at all times.

"Hey Teddy, do they follow you everywhere, all the time?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, but I'm used to it. They're cool guys though, they don't hover."

"How come you have bodyguards?"

"Long story Sam, but it's because of my Dad."

"Is your Dad some kind of Big Kahuna?"

Teddy laughs at Sam's reference. "Yeah, you could say that."

"I'm getting kinda thirsty Teddy; you wanna go get some drinks at the snack bar?"

"Sure, let me ask the guys if they want anything."

After asking his friends what they want, Teddy and Sam head to the snack bar as they are followed by his bodyguards.

"I'm really glad you asked me to join you guys, I didn't want to spend another weekend stuck at home with Mom and Dad."

"Don't you like your parents?" Teddy asks.

"Yeah, I do, they are a little weird, but they're okay. It's just that I wanted to spend time with friends, you know what I mean?"

"Yep, I know what you mean. I like my parents too, but I rather spend time with Jimmy and Keenan, they're a lot more fun to hang around with, they're trouble makers you know."

"Only them? What about you Teddy?"

"What about me?"

"You're a trouble maker too, that's what Jimmy tells me."

"Ah, don't believe what he tells you, half of what comes out his mouth is B.S."

"Really, so you don't give your parents a hard time?"

"Nah, not really. My brother Phil is only five and he already gives my old man mini heart attacks. Every time he does something stupid, my dad's neck vein pops out. Mom is always chasing after him cos he's always running around the house breaking things."

"How about your sister; Phoebe, right?"

"Phebs, yup, she's just like Dad, very bossy, she gets away with everything. She's got dad wrapped around her chubby finger, she's spoiled rotten."

"And you're not?" Sam smirks at Teddy.

"Hell no, do you know how many times a day I hear my full name being called? Theodore Raymond Grey!" Teddy does his best Christian Grey voice imitation. "Mom does the same, but she doesn't swear like my dad though."

"Oh God, I know what you mean. Every time I hear my full name I know I'm getting punished for something. But it's my Mom who does the swearing, my dad is kind of quiet, Mom says he's too soft on me."

"My Dad could write his own dictionary on swearing. Mom hates it when he does it in front of us, but he can't help himself. My uncle Elliot is the same way, my aunt Kate smacks his head every time he does it, and he just laughs it off."

Sam smiles as she tells Teddy. "Your family sounds just like mine, crazy."

"You want crazy? My Dad gets angry at my uncle Elliot when he swears in front of us, then he swears at him for swearing at us!" Both laugh out loud. "Then, my Grandma gets mad at both and scolds them right in front of us, and they just take it, they stand there with their tails between their legs!"

"Man oh man Teddy, your family is crazy. My Dad keeps a swear jar, and every time my Mom swears, he makes her put a dollar in the jar for every bad word she says."

"Oh, I can top that. We used to keep swear jars in every room, and every time Dad spit a bad word out, Mom made him put in a twenty dollar bill."

"A twenty for each word, serious?"

"Yep, for each word; anyways, Dad will never change, so instead of jars, now all of us have five gallon jugs, and let me tell you, they are always full with tens and twenty's."

"Teddy, that's a fortune, what do you spend it on?"

Teddy snorts. "On nothing, we don't get to spend it. Mom makes sure that once the jugs are full, we take them to Salvation Army or the St. Andrews Mission Center. Dad says that he only swears on purpose so that we can donate more money."

After drinking their sodas, they both head back to the skate area where his other two friends are waiting for their drinks.

"What took you too so long Grey, I'm dying of thirst here!"

"Chill out Keenan, we only took a few minutes; the line at the snack bar was long." Teddy hands the sodas to his friend.

"Are you sure you weren't making googly eyes with that blond with the big boobs, you know, the one who flirts with you all the time?" Jimmy the trouble maker asks.

Teddy rolls his eyes. "Come on guys, she doesn't flirt with me, she's too old, she's dating that Eric guy from the YMCA, he's like, twenty two?"

"What do you mean she's too old, I thought you liked older chicks, didn't you tell us that you kissed that Sophie girl several times? She's like what, twenty and in college?"

All the while Sam is just listening and cannot help but ask. "Teddy, you've kissed girls already?"

"Heck yeah he has, his Dad's head security guy is Sophie's dad, she lives on his property when she comes home to visit. Pucker up Grey!" Jimmy puckers his lips and starts making kissing noises only to aggravate Teddy.

"Shut up Jimmy, that's not funny at all. Go away and mind your own business!"

"Jeez, Teddy, what's up your butt?" His friend Keenan asks, surprised at his reaction.

"Nothing, just leave me alone!" He walks away embarrassed while Sam fallows him.

"Teddy, wait up, where are you going?"

"Nowhere, just away from those jerks."

Teddy approaches the nearest bench and takes a seat while still sulking. "Those two have the biggest mouths, I swear."

"They were just messing with you Teddy; I don't think they meant anything bad." Sam bumps his arm with hers and smiles at him as he turns to look at her.

He notices what pretty eyes his friend has, and he wonders why he never noticed them before. They just sit for a while without speaking until Sam breaks the silence between them.

"Teddy, did you really kiss that older girl, Sophie?"

His cheeks turn a shade of pink. "Um, yeah."

"Did she kiss you or did you kiss her first?"

"What?"

"Did you kiss her first?"

"Why do you want to know Sam, it's kinda embarrassing you know."

"Sorry, my bad. None of my business."

Sam looks away; she does not want Teddy to see the disappointment on her face.

"She kissed me first."

"What?"

"Sophie, she kissed me first. I was only five the first time she kissed me." He turns to look at Sam.

"Only five?"

"Yes, it was my birthday, and she kissed me after she gave me my birthday gift. She kissed me on the lips very quickly. I guess you can say that was my first real kiss."

Sam smiles back at Teddy, but it is a sad smile.

"How many times has she kissed you?"

"Mmm, only three times."

"Were you still five then?"

"Nope, the second time I was about ten. She and her stepmom, Mrs. Taylor were taking care of us when Mom and Dad went out one night to some fancy dance. She came into my room just to talk, you know, about school and stuff. I just told her she was very pretty, and before I knew it, she just kissed me. That kiss was just a little longer than the first one." Teddy did not realize that he was running his fingers through his bronze hair.

"And the third time?"

"What?"

"You said she kissed you three times."

"Oh, yeah, the last time was just last year. She came home to visit her Dad for spring break, and as always, we went for a walk by the meadow. She likes to take long walks and talk about everything, she's very smart and I like hanging around with her. She told me that she wished her boyfriend was as nice and understanding as me. Anyways, she asked me if it was okay for her to kiss me, and I said yes." Teddy turns to look at Sam, to see if she is paying attention, she is. "The last kiss was the best, it was longer than the others and she opened her lips that time."

Sam does not want to hear anymore, she abruptly gets up and pulls her cell phone out, surprising Teddy.

"Shit, are you okay Sam?"

"Uhu."

"Sam, what's going on?"

"Nothing, I gotta get home."

"What? We've only been here a few hours, we can stay longer."

"No, I can't Teddy…Hello Dad..."

Sam walks away leaving a bewildered Teddy behind, but after a minute, he decides to follow her after she finishes her phone call. "Sam, why did you call you Dad? I told you I would give you a ride back home. What's wrong Samantha?"

"Nothing Teddy, nothing is wrong. I just want to go home. Go back to Twiddle Dee and Dum, they're waiting for you." Sam walks away from Teddy heading for the main entrance, leaving him behind scratching his head.

Not sure of what to do next, Teddy just turns back and heads towards his two friends who are oblivious to what just happened. It is then he hears his name being called on by Robert. "Theodore, is your friend Sam coming back with us?"

"Nope!" It is all he can answer.

…

…

…..

Back at the Grey house

…

"Christian, I think you need to talk to Teddy. He's locked himself in his room and he won't come out; I think he is upset about something."

"Did you try to talk to him about whatever is bugging him?"

"No, because when he got back from the park he was muttering something about girls being crazy and didn't even answer me when I asked him what was wrong. He just gave me that 'leave me alone' look and slammed his door shut."

"Hum, I bet it had something to do with that Samantha girl." He turns to look at his wife with a smirk. "He is right you know, girls are crazy."

"Oh for heaven's sake Christian, just go and talk to your son."

"Fine woman; but you and I, are not done yet." He smacks Ana's behind as he heads towards his son's room.

Christian knocks on his son's door lightly a few times, but gets no response.

"Theodore Raymond Grey, if you don't open this door I'll…"

The door opens before he finishes his threat, and he is greeted by sulking young boy.

"Teddy, is there something you and I need to talk about? Something you need to tell me?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay then, well, nice talking to you."

Teddy decides to vent right before Christian is almost out the door.

"What is it with girls Dad?"

"Excuse me?"

"Girls, what are they so weird?"

"Son, maybe you can explain better?"

"Samantha, girls, why do they do stuff that makes no sense?"

Christian decides to take a seat on Teddy's bed to make himself more comfortable. "Okay Ted, explain away. Does your mood have anything to do with your girlfriend Sam?"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Whoa, okay; I mean your friend Sam?"

"Yes, Sam!"

"What's wrong with Sam?"

"Hell if I know!"

"What?"

"I don't know what's wrong, that's why I'm so mad Dad. She makes no sense at all. She asked me all this questions, and I answered them. But then she gets mad, and I don't know why, then she leaves!"

"What questions did she ask you? What did you answer?"

"It doesn't matter Dad, she asked. Why would she ask me questions if she wouldn't like my answers?"

"Ted, you're not making sense here. Why don't you start with telling me what questions did she ask you?"

"She asked me about kissing. She wanted to know if I kissed any girls. So I told her I did."

Over the next ten minutes Teddy relays the entire conversation he had earlier during the day with his friend Sam. He explains as best as he can recall his previous kissing encounters with Taylor's daughter. Christian asks only a few questions as he lets his son tell the whole story. After Teddy is done venting, he drops back on his bed and covers his eyes with his arm.

"Dad, I just don't get it. I don't know what I did wrong. I like Sam, she's a good friend, even though I've only known her for just a few weeks. Why would she leave mad at me?"

"Son, you have a lot to learn about girls. And I'm afraid that it will take you a lifetime to learn that you still don't know diddley."

"What?"

"Look, from what I can tell, the reason that Sam left upset…"

"Not upset Dad, she was mad."

"No Teddy, she left upset, maybe a little mad, but mostly upset."

"But why, what did I do?"

"Teddy, did it ever occur to you that your friend Sam maybe likes you a little more than just a friend?"

"Huh?"

"Very eloquent son."

"Huh?"

"Teddy, I think you unintentionally hurt Sam's feelings. She probably likes you and maybe got jealous when you were telling her about your kissing encounters with Sophie."

"No!"

"Yes."

"No way."

"Yes way son."

"But, she, she's one of the guys. I don't think she likes me that way."

"Let me ask you this; if Jimmy or Keenan came to you and told you that they liked Sam, and wanted to kiss her, how would you feel about it?"

"What? No. No freaking way!"

"No? No what son?"

"They can't kiss her, no way!"

"Why not? She's a cute looking girl, and they, well, they're young, and okay looking. Well, maybe not okay looking, they both look like squirrels if you ask me."

"They wouldn't dare kiss her; I'd beat the crap out of both!"

"I see, you can't even think of anyone else kissing her, but it's okay for you to tell her that you kissed another girl, is that correct?"

"Dad, I, no, it's not okay, but she asked. Oh, man, I'm so confused Dad!"

"Listed son, let's go downstairs and make some hot chocolate, this is going to take a little longer than I planned. "

"Ugg, I'm so way confused."

"Hey son, before we head down, don't ever tell anyone, and I mean anyone in this house, about you kissing Sophie."

"Dad, she kissed me, all three times."

"Teddy, it doesn't matter who kissed who first, unless you want to live a long and happy life, Taylor must never find out about the other two times Sophie kissed you, ever, you understand me?"

"Taylor?"

"Yes, big, bad M…..F…Taylor."

"Jesus Dad, that alone is worth about a hundred bucks for the swear jug."

"Fine, just please don't tell your mother."

"Tell her what?"

"Good boy, you're a good son, you know that?"

"Yeah, I know. You're not too bad either. Just grumpy, controlling, moody, nosey…"

"Keep it up boy and I'll deliver you personally to Taylor, served on a silver platter."

"Ouch!"

"Come on Teddy, let's get us some hot chocolate, this will take a while."

"Kay."

…

…..

….

I hope you enjoyed this little story about a boy's journey in life. Teddy is only experiencing the angsts that all boys experience at a young age.

Please review, let me know what you think, and I am more than happy to consider suggestions or ideas for stories.

XOXOXO