Shorter chapter this time, shorter flashback too. I'm going to focus more on the present for a little, with flash backs intertwined.
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Chapter Ten
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The heat through the windows was stifling. Even with the air-con on, it was ridiculous how sunny it was in California. They'd made fantastic timing, better than they'd all really anticipated that they would make. Ana had driven the first portion of the way, Luke volunteering in Oregon to do the next few hours before Ana took the wheel a few miles outside of San Jose, California. He'd looked utterly spent, maybe even a little sicky as he'd stumbled through to his small single bedroom with Flick in tow.
The road had been smooth and Christian had sat beside her most of the way to keep her company, chatting away about their adventure and the children and how much kisses and hugs Phoebe's children would get the moment their grandparents got hold of them.
They were heading towards Bakersfield when Jason came to join them up front, scratching a really bad bedhead with Flick trembling at his feet. Ana smiled at them both, "Morning, Taylor."
"How long was I out?" Jason asked as he sat down, "Wow, are we in Cali?"
"Yeah," Christian smiled, "You were out cold so we left you to sleep."
"Comfiest bed I've ever had," Jason admitted, sitting near the couple with a soda.
The RV originally only had two large bedrooms but Christian being Christian had made a point to have it customised. Jason had lost a foot in his room and Ana and Christian, who's room was bigger to begin with, had lost two metres so that Luke could have his own space. Christian had hydraulic beds also fitted which meant that they all had extra storage for the space lost and so far, it was working well.
"Memory foam," Ana explained, looking back at Jason briefly before focusing on the road, "How are you feeling?"
"A little rough if I'm honest," Jason admitted, "Really rough actually. I wondered if you could pull over at a service station soon. I could use a comfort break."
'Comfort break'.
Ana had to smile; Jason was nothing if not terminally polite. Whereas Luke would yell 'I gotta take a dump' and Christian, after so many years of marriage, would just say 'I need to shit', Jason had went 'comfort break'. Gail had trained her Marine well; Ana couldn't imagine he'd always been so prim.
Christian had instilled a 'No shit' rule in the RV because he didn't want to deal with the aftermath of pooing in a mobile home. He'd just decided they'd pull over when someone needed to go, which Ana didn't really agree with if she was honest. She'd gone herself when they last stopped but Jason had been asleep then so they all knew they'd need to stop for him eventually.
"Sure. There's one fifteen minutes ahead," Ana smiled, "I can't believe how warm it is here."
"California always has a special place in my heart," Jason said with a fond smile, "San Diego was where I spent my years in the Marine Corps, where my daughter was been born, where I met Sawyer, where I'd taught Gail how to surf," he explained, "Lot of nice memories here."
"I always thought Phoebe would move back home," Christian chuckled, "once she'd gotten the Navy out of her system? I'd just never imagined her settling down with her own children."
"I'm so glad she did," Ana sighed, "Honestly, Phoebe is my sane child. Teddy's probably already looking to upgrade his wife for a younger one and Maxwell converted to Islam for his wife. Phoebe, at least, did it the normal way. The stress-free way. Honestly the relief," she shook her head, "Not that I've got a problem with Maxie converting. I just wished he hadn't had to do it so far away; I miss him."
As if by magic just then, Maxwell's name pinged up on the screen embedded into the dashboard. Ana answered with a gleeful squeal, "Maxie?"
"Nana!"
Ana laughed, recognising the strong Arabic accent of her Grandson, Khalid. He'd a deep voice, husky for a child, unlike his brother Samir or his sister Mariam.
"Hey Khalid!" Christian called, "You're on Loudspeaker with Nana and Uncle Tay. How are you?"
"I am fine, Papa!" Khalid replied before growing angry, "No, Sammy I am going to tell them! I got the good report card! Altarajue, 'ana 'aqdam!"
The fact her babies could jump from English to Arabic in seconds astounded Ana; they were all so very clever. In the background, she could hear poor little Samir whining.
"La! Khalid! La!" Samir called, sounding so fussy and huffy that Christian rolled his eyes. It was a familiar tone; he took after his aunty Phoebe.
"I think you should let Miriam tell them, if you boys are going to be fighting over it. Sammy, let Khalid tell them. You told them last time." Fatima intervened, strict on disciplining the boys so they didn't become tearaways like Max and Ted had been in their younger years.
"Nooooooooooo," Sammy whined, and Ana was sure she heard something being thrown or knocked over.
"Samir Grey. Time out. Now. Khalid, you speak."
Christian, Ana and Taylor laughed to themselves, hearing Fatima scold the boys for bickering. Khalid was eight, Samir only five and Mariam, the eldest, was nine and they all fought like dogs. There had been many nights this last December where 'Santa' –Christian- was called by both Maxie and Fatima with the threat of cancelling Christmas.
"Nana, Papa and Taylor," Khalid started, "We are going to see Uncle Ryan and Aunty Nora in Australia! Daddy said that you should come too."
Australia.
Ana could feel Taylor tense a little; Australia was where Sophie lived. Although he wanted to go eventually, he wasn't all that well and it would maybe be hard for Sophie to see him.
"Maybe, Khal," Christian said, "We're going to see Aunty Pheebs first and then we'll think about where next. Are you looking forward to seeing Ryan and Nora?"
"Yes I am! Nora makes cakes," Khalid replied, "And Ryan is a funny man."
"He sure is," Ana agreed, thinking of dear Ryan fondly.
Jonathon Ryans was truly a part of their family now, for everything he'd done for Maxie growing up. He'd gone well above and beyond the bodyguard level and had become Maxie's bestfriend amidst the bullying, his biggest supporter at his sporting events and possibly the weepiest guest at his college graduation.
Because Ryan had never had children, Maxie meant more than the world to him.
"I better go. It is dinner time and mommy and Daddy are fasting," Khalid said, his way of speaking always making Ana smile. All three of Maxie's children spoke English as a second language and often didn't use conjunction words, "Daddy will eat my soup if I do not hurry!"
"Goodbye, buddy!" Christian called.
"N'night, Khal," Taylor copied.
"NANA LOVES YOU ALL!" Ana yelled, hearing Sammy and Miriam, Fatima and Max, all in the background yelling goodbye.
When Khalid hung-up, Ana sighed, "Why does my baby live so far away, Christian?"
"I don't know, but you missed that service station for Taylor," Christian pointed out.
"Oh, shoot!" Ana cursed, looking at Jason, "I'm so sorry!"
"It's okay, but I really need to go," Jason nodded.
"I need the bathroom too," Christian admitted.
"Piss or shit?" Ana asked, after too many years of marriage to beat around the bush with him anymore. She'd seen her give birth, she was open to poop and pee.
"Shit, obviously," Christian said sarcastically, "Or I would have just used the toilet to pee."
"And why can't we just use the toilet?" Jason asked through gritted teeth.
"Because I'm not cleaning shit out of the tank." Christian mumbled.
"You wouldn't do it anyway; you'd pay someone!" Jason growled.
"Yeah, well," Christian mumbled.
"Stop bickering both of you. Just hold it. We'll be at a service station soon," Ana promised, shaking her head at both Christian and Taylor, "It's like travelling with the kids."
She pulled in to the next available stop, a petrol station where she could thankfully top up the car as well as let the men out to the bathroom. All the while, Ana was thinking about Maxie's relationship with Ryan and how much the former Ranger truly had impacted on all of their lives for the better.
"Here we go, boys," Ana chuckled as she parked, turning off the engine.
"Me first," Taylor called, sitting behind Christian so he had a head start off the RV. Ana laughed, watching her husband hot on his tail.
"Me first; I'm the boss!" Christian complained, struggling to run after the former Marine. Even so gaunt, Jason was still the fitter of the two men. He'd already made the dash across the garage yard and was opening the men's door before Christian had even gotten to the pumps.
"And I'm about to shit myself," Taylor called back, closing the door and locking it in a hurry.
"Fuck sake, Taylor; you're fired!" Christian shouted with a huff.
Ana just rolled her eyes and finished putting fuel in the truck, paying at the pump before going in to check on Luke. Flick had decided to go outside for fresh air and a pee, stretching his little legs before jumping back into the RV behind Ana.
"Luke?" she called as she slowly opened the man's bedroom door, finding him sound asleep under his blankets. Ana sighed, lifting Flick up onto his bed before leaving the SEAL to rest. She went into the shop and bought a few snacks for the road, getting Phoebe some Hershey chocolate since Ana knew how much she loved the damn stuff. It was all she ever wanted to eat…
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A lifetime ago….
Grey Mansion,
Grey Estate,
Seattle.
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Babysitting the Greylets was going to be a piece of piss, Luke had thought. Maxie had been home for three months now and was slowly adapting to life with his amputated leg. He'd had his second birthday in the hospital a week after his meningitis diagnosis so the Grey Parents intended to give him a little party once he was a little more settled at home again. He was frustrated though at the fact his siblings could move so freely and he could no longer join them as they ran around the garden. It was hard for everyone to see him become fussy and clingy as he watched Ted and Pheebs playing together on their scooters; something he'd loved to do before his sickness.
The doctors had told Ana and Christian that Max was just too young for a prosthetic leg fitting because he'd grow out of it quicker than they could create and source one. Christian had already spent a lot of time trying to find one himself from private companies but The Good Doctor Grace had explained to her son that until Maxwell was a little older they'd struggle to find a medical professional who would be willing to give a child so young a prosthetic so soon after an operation, even with Christian's billions. That hadn't sat well with the boss but because it had come from his mother, he'd begrudgingly accepted it. It was just such a fucking shame to see how miserable Max was waiting for the Doctors to tell him something which everyone already knew; he was more than ready to really start rehabbing.
Phoebe was three and wouldn't be four until the end of the year but had always been a very independent girl. However, when Maxie became ill, she'd taken a serious back step in her milestones. She was becoming a serious picky eater again, throwing tantrums, and had gone back on her potty training which was probably the biggest pain but Luke had two daughters himself so he was more than qualified to help her in the absence of her own parents and the Taylors this weekend.
Teddy was mature enough to play by himself at the age of six, and he was a big help with Maxwell like a good big brother, and tried to play games which Max could take part in himself. Teddy didn't get on with Phoebe but that was probably a gender thing.
Or maybe it was a Phoebe thing.
After all, Phoebe had spent an hour crying for Taylor after he, Gail, Ana and Mr Grey had left for a weekend break.
"Phoebe, Princess, Taylor's not here," Ryan tried, sitting on the floor at her level as she continued to be annoyingly fussy.
"No! Tay!" she shouted and dropped to her bum to sob in the middle of the kitchen floor. She'd already ripped off her clothes in protest when she realised her Daddy was gone and after a twenty minute tantrum looking for Christian, she'd turned her attentions to the love of her life, apparently, Jason Taylor.
"Just ignore her, Ryan," Luke instructed, making the Greylets dinner, "She's just being silly because I wont give her a Hershey bar for her dinner."
"Tay!" Phoebe demanded still like a broken record, her little Ana-like face crimson red and stained with tears from this hour long tantrum for her father and her Tay.
"She knows Taylor will give her what she wants," Luke explained, "She's not asked for Ana or Gail. Just Christian and Jason because Christian and Jason would give her chocolate for dinner because she's their princess. Honestly, Ryan, she's fine. She's just at the picky food stage. She was fine till I said I was making pasta."
"Huh," Ryan whistled.
He and Nora didn't have kids and probably wouldn't have their own because of Ryan's ASD so to see a child at meltdown Level 5 must have been a shock.
Luke had invented the Meltdown Level guide for his own two daughters. He and Danni used it frequently to assess how pissed off their kids were. It was a tried and tested measure and it meant Danni could text Luke a heads up on his way home from work if Eddie or Isla were at Meltdown Level 7.
Level 1; Child didn't get to sit in the front of the car.
Level 2; someone ate the child's last cookie
Level 3; the child was put on the naughty seat
Level 4; the child was being grounded
Level 5; the child was being grounded with no computer
Level 6; the other child has wound up the other to a ridiculous level
Level 7; Justin Bieber died, so did the child.
Phoebe was currently at level 5 with a little mobility to level 6 so Luke wasn't overly fussed. He dealt with high drama, spoilt crying girls all the time; his own daughters could make mountains out of molehills.
Like that time Luke needed to pee and one of them was in the bath so he'd interrupted 'Me Time' according to his own four year old who then screamed for Danni to 'Chuck Daddy out'.
The joys of being outnumbered.
The pasta was almost done so Luke turned around and knelt on the floor in front of Phoebe.
"Right. We're having pasta for dinner tonight because Maxie asked for it," Luke said firmly, "Are you going to be a big girl and put your clothes on and have dinner with us or do you want a time out first to calm down?"
"N-no! Tay!" Phoebe choked, getting into a state.
"Use your words, Phoebe. Do you want dinner now or do you want to calm down?" Luke pressed evenly.
"Dinner now," Phoebe choked, blowing her nose when Luke held a tissue to it for her.
"Okay then. Let's get you cleaned up," he said calmly, taking her hand and walking to the living room where Ryan, Max and Teddy were watching Wrestling, "Pasta is almost done, Ryan, just grilling the cheese on top so can you plate up? Phoebe is just getting dressed."
"Sure, Luke," Ryan mumbled, engrossed in the wrestling with Maxwell snuggling in to the Ranger.
Luke just rolled his eyes and took Phoebe first into her room to get the dress she'd ripped off her body in protest, then into the bathroom to wash her face.
"There we go," he smiled, wiping a cool flannel over her face, "There's my beautiful Princess Phoebe," he grinned.
Phoebe smiled widely then went back to trying to be mad as Luke sat her on his lap for a cuddle, "Now we'll get you dressed and you can have some dinner. If you try a little bit, you'll get a treat."
"One bit," Phoebe nodded.
"I want five spoons," Luke said, "Five good spoons and a bit of garlic bread and you can have a treat for being a big girl and trying new food."
"Hershey?" Phoebe grinned big, apparently forgetting about her Daddy and her Tay.
"Maybe," Luke winked and Phoebe nodded quickly, letting Luke dress her again before running to be at the dinner table with the boys. Luke sat down opposite Ryan who was helping Maxwell. The youngest Greylet was enjoying his pasta, gobbling it up and stealing an extra slice of bread from Teddy.
After dinner, Luke let Teddy pick a movie for watching in his bed, picking Pokemon or something. Phoebe decided that Luke was a damn good substitute for Daddy and Taylor so she had decided she wanted to stay up a little later, snuggling into him and reading a book with his help. She'd fallen asleep and Luke had yet to take her to bed.
Across from his side of the Sofa, Ryan was teaching Max some Makaton thing. As a SEAL, Luke knew a lot of different hand actions, but this was capturing his interest. They knew the youngest Grey had problems with his hearing now and he wasn't really communicating like he had before the illness, often complaining about his 'sore ear'. Ryan had been teaching the little tyke a few hand gestures to get him interested in finding alternative ways of communicating. Apparently, in his foster homes as a kid, Ryan had been mute for most of his younger years so he'd learnt basic ASL and Makaton to communicate with his carers.
"Well done," Ryan grinned, giving him two thumbs up.
"Thanks," Maxwell replied, laying his hand on his lower lip.
"You two are weird," Luke laughed, shaking his head as he shifted his hold on the sleepy Phoebe in his arms when he noticed the iPad on the table buzzing, "Ryan, that's a video call from Ana; she wanted to check in after dinner. Make sure we've not burnt the mansion down."
Ryan laughed, "Could they not just enjoy their trip to New York with the Taylors?"
"She's probably hammered," Luke shrugged as Ryan answered with Maxie on his lap.
"Hey, Mrs Grey," Ryan smiled that adorable Boy Scout smile.
"Mommy," Max waved too, "Me with Wyan an' 'Ook."
"I know you're with Ryan and Luke; are they behaving?" Ana said with a slight slur to her words. Yup, she was hammered.
"Yup an' Pee-bee is a-sleepin'," Maxie said, then did one of those Makaton signs for Ana.
"I'm teaching him sign language," Ryan explained, Luke seeing he was blushing slightly.
"Wow, Maxie-Waxie!" Ana cheered, "That's so cool! You'll have to show me and daddy when we come home."
"'nd 'ail too?" Maxie asked curiously.
"And Gail too," Ana smiled.
"Mmm, hu-uh," Maxie replied then pointed at Ryan, "Mommy I go get Weg."
"A leg?" Ana translated, "We spoke about this, Maxie, you'll get a leg soon. Just a few more months."
"Oh, he means that I made Maxie a leg," Ryan said with an embarrassed expression, "As a birthday present."
Luke frowned and looked at Ryan curiously, "What?" he asked but Christian and Ana had already bet him to the questions.
"Christian, come over here," Ana slurred, "Ryan, what do you mean you made Maxie a leg?" she asked and Luke could hear the shock in her voice.
"Well I made a 3D printer last month," Ryan explained, as though creating a 3D printer was just trivial. Maybe for Ryan, it was trivial. The guy had single handily invented the entire security system for GEH and the Mansion. His intelligence was truly beyond limits, in Luke's opinion, but making a child a leg?
"And?" Luke heard Christian press.
"Well I downloaded a prosthetic leg template from online, bought some ABS plastic and imputed the template and had it print me a leg. Sort of. Since I made the Printer, it's only little and it's going really slowly. Should have it done in a few days though," Ryan shrugged, trying to act humble, "If I had a more advanced printer, I could make him something better but they cost-"
"Ryan. Take my debit card right now and buy yourself and the house 3D printers," Christian interrupted, "I mean it. Do it right now."
"Sir. They cost-"
"Don't argue Ryan. If you can print my son a leg, I would forever be in your debt. I mean it," Christian said firmly, "Has he tried that on?"
"No, it's still printing right now," Ryan said firmly, smiling down at Maxie, "I measured him up as best I could and so hopefully it works. It's red so far."
"Wike Iwon Man!" Maxwell declared.
"Yes, like Iron Man," Ryan agreed, "Hopefully it'll work. Best case scenario, it fits perfectly until he grows and I can print him a new one. Worst case scenario, I muck up the template and he ends up with a peg leg while the experts spend months fixing him up one," Ryan smiled.
"I mean it, Ryan. Buy a printer now," Christian said assertively, "The medical professionals will take months to even get him fitted. This would mean so much to us Ryan, honestly. Ana's crying with Gail right now."
"Aw, Sir," Ryan laughed, "It's honestly no big deal. Anything for Maxie, right?"
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Present day…
Phoebe's Bungalow,
Imperial Beach,
San Diego,
California
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It took only a few hours to hit San Diego and Ana was able to successfully follow the Satnav to Phoebe's house. With a triumphant sigh, she pulled up and parked the RV at the bottom of Phoebe's street before completely securing the vehicle.
Phoebe lived in a beautiful residential street along the coast. It was a dated little bungalow by the coast, with beautiful gardens for the kids to play on, a neatly cared for flowerbed and access to the beach via a sneaky little gate at the back.
Teddy lived in a massive, ultra-modern home with the latest gadgets everywhere as supplied to him through his job at Oculus. He even had mood lights in the toilette and also a built in television. It was bizarre.
Maxwell lived in a building not too unlike Escala, only it was three floors in the heart of Dubai. He owned several other properties globally too, choosing to invest the millions he'd accumulated due to the Oil and Gas industry, and not squander it on posh cars and the Dubai Fevered lifestyle.
Both her boys were very like Christian in that sense, preferring sleek, modern, minimalist decor. Phoebe was more like Ana, thankfully, and loved wooden decor, inspired by family life with photographs and trinkets which held memories and meaning to her.
"Are you coming, Luke?" Jason asked as he finished pulling his trainers onto his big paddle feet, "Luke?"
Ana frowned and went through to Luke's little room and found him still past out in his pyjamas, snoring softly with Flick cuddled against his chest, "Oh Luke," she chuckled, pulling the bedsheet over him and Flick, stroking the little chihuahua's hairless butt before leaving and closing the door, "Luke's sound asleep. I'll leave him the spare key and lock the door so he's safe."
"Perfect," Christian smiled.
Her husband was looking remarkably well, Ana thought, as though he'd lost a little weight from his tummy. He was wearing a pair of navy blue shorts and a grey polo shirt tucked into it, aviators on and his hair was as perfect as always. Beside him, like always, was Taylor who was wearing a pair of pastel blue shorts and a white polo which was miles to big for his skeletal frame.
Seeing the two men waiting outside in the hot Cali sun reminded Ana so much of her youthful days with her husband and his bodyguard. It was hard to not lump the two men together, heaven knows they were practically one and the same at times.
"Smile, boys," Ana instructed, taking the first photo of their holidays so far, "Good, I'm so excited to see my baby," she squealed, holding Christian's hand tightly whilst Jason walked behind them and enjoyed his time in the sun.
"Me too," Christian grinned, kissing her cheek, "It's going to be great. I can't wait to see the grandkids and Stanley too."
"Maisy and Milo look so big now!" Ana grinned, having Skyped Phoebe and the kids only three weeks ago. Phoebe had twins, a trait which must have come from her husband's side of the family; two beautiful copper haired five year olds with the most piercing grey eyes Ana had seen. They were gorgeous, like their granddad, and impeccably behaved compared to her other grandchildren.
"Should we knock?" Jason frowned when they approached Phoebe's white picket fence. God, Ana loved how settled Phoebe was, "We are a day early."
"No let's surprise her," Christian grinned, opening the gate and heading around to the back of the quaint little bungalow, careful of Maisey and Milo's outside toys. They walked towards the back garden where Phoebe had finally had those large bay windows installed in her kitchen to give those in the house a killer view of the ocean.
"Gosh, these look good," Ana said approvingly, peeking into the windows with Christian. Jason didn't feel so comfortable peeking into the windows so he'd opted to sit on the kids swing and wait for Phoebe to be surprised, "Look, Christian, the kitchen door's opening!"
Ana's grin suddenly turned into a confused frown when a very large, bear like man walked into the kitchen butt naked, a large erection bobbing as he did so.
A very Un-Stanley like male. Stan was blonde and tubby. This man was built like a tank, dark haired with a bandage on his side.
Who the fuck was this naked man?
"Who the fuck is that? That's not Stan, is it?" Christian frowned and Ana realised he was struggling to see.
"No, it's not," Ana growled, "I always knew Stan was gay," she said in disbelief because her precious Phoebe would never have an affair, Ana knew that for a fact. Her daughter was the golden child; the child with a normal love life and family life. The Stereotypical nuclear family.
This unknown naked man said something over his shoulder, a playful crooked smile on his lips as he did so. He was very handsome, Ana though with an eight pack on show, a large erection and big beefy thighs, but she couldn't believe anyone, Gay or straight, would cheat on her beautiful daughter. It was so bloody stupid!
Who was this naked male?!
Two seconds later, Phoebe rounded the corner, dressed in a lingerie set, her hair all ruffled and very much just fucked. She was Ana's double, and Ana recognised the look of disarray from her own lovelife.
But…that would mean…
"I'm going to be sick." Christian mumbled as he slumped onto his bum so he didn't have to see anymore, "For fuck sake."
"She's having an affair?!" Ana snapped in utter horror and disgust.
What the fuck, Phoebe?!
Ana despised cheating in her family, so much so that it had resulted in one of the biggest fall outs she'd ever had with Teddy. Luke had felt the repercussions of an affair too, and Phoebe had seen the SEAL lose his way. Surely she should know better?!
"Is that...Jace?" Taylor frowned when he eventually walked over and had a look. He tried not to look at Phoebe, thank god, but he was able to identify the male, "Yeah that's him alright. That's my nephew."
"She's cheating with Jace Taylor?!" Ana shouted right in Jason's face before turning around and knocking violently on the window.
The couple jumped with fright, having moved onto kitchen fucking apparently, Phoebe's leg up around Jace's hip as he took her against the wall.
With a startle, Jace went straight into attack mode, grabbing a mug from the counter and launching it at the window as a warning. It hit the sink tap and shattered into little pieces, causing Ana to duck by instinct.
"Jace that's my mom!" Phoebe exclaimed furiously, pulling up her panties and handing Jace a kitchen towel as Ana stormed into the kitchen through the by windows, guns blazing, "Mom what the fuck?!"
"Don't swear at me, young lady!" Ana shouted, "You're cheating on your husband!"
"Is this really happening?" Phoebe laughed in disgust as Jace left the room, flashing Ana, Jason and Christian a glimpse of that oddly perky butt for a man.
"I cannot believe you, Phoebe. I expect this from Teddy; not you," Ana yelled, "What about the Twins? And poor Stan"-
"I'm not with Stan anymore!" Phoebe exclaimed, lifting her hands up in exasperation, "Oh my God mom! What do you think you're doing here! It's a day early for crying out loud!"
"What do you mean you are 'not with Stan'?!" Ana shouted furiously, "He's your husband. Where is he?"
"We're divorcing!" Phoebe yelled, a temper like Ana's, "God sake mom, this is why I never tell you anything!"
Ana felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Phoebe was her sensible child, the most settled all through-out her life. To find out she was divorcing...and she hadn't told her parents...Ana was physically hurt.
Jace came back through, wearing a pair of surfer shorts and nothing else, apparently unable to find wherever he'd thrown his top. Ana glared, watching as Jace rubbed Phoebe's shoulders supportively.
"I'm going to get dressed," Phoebe snipped, storming off through the bungalow, slamming every door in passing.
"Can I make you a drink, Mrs Grey?" Jace asked Ana, moving towards the fridge.
"Is it safe to come in?" Christian called behind them, looking completely bewildered.
"Yes please. Our daughter is getting a divorce. She's not living with Stan and she's sleeping with Jace," Ana summarised for him, "We've raised too harlots, Christian!"
"Hang on a minute," Jace snapped, pushing his large chest out. He really was like looking at a younger version of their own Jason Taylor, only dark hair shaved into an incredibly tight buzzcut, "You forgot the part where Stan cheated on her while she was deployed," he pointed out quickly, "Phoebe's done nothing wrong."
"Stanley cheated on her?" Christian piped up now with a frown, becoming the overly protective father figure once more, "That fat prick cheated on my daughter while she was fighting for this goddamn country?"
Jace nodded then looked at Ana with true Taylor sincerity, "We're not in a relationship, Ana. I'm still in the Rangers but I got hurt so I'm on leave. This was just supposed to be a dirty weekend for us both," he said bluntly, "Nothing more. The kids are with Stan's parents. She's getting them tonight when I leave; you were supposed to be here tomorrow."
"I can't believe this," Ana groaned, "I can't believe we walked into this chaos. This is supposed to be a goddamn holiday not an episode of Jerry fucking Springer!"
"Jerry, Jerry, Jerry!" Luke fucking Sawyer decided to chant, apparently having woken up from his nape and chucked on shorts and an ugly Hawaiian shirt, Flick scuttling in behind him.
"You're not helping," Christian hissed at him, Jason shaking his head at Sawyer firmly.
"What's going on?" Luke frowned, staring at Jason, "Why's Jace Taylor in Phoebe's kitchen?"
"Phoebe's divorcing Stanley. Jace came to, uh," Jason said, trying to pick the right words to describe their daughter's activities in her parent's presence, "Jace came to help around the house."
"My ass," Luke laughed, "Christian might be blind, but I can see the love bites on Jace's chest."
"WHAT?" Christian snapped, Ana watching as protective Fifty made an appearance. No one, not even the Pope, was allowed to touch his daughter. He'd never truly gotten over the first time he'd seen Phoebe with a man. The fact that that man was Jace, made things harder for him.
"Sawyer," Jace and Jason groaned together.
"Well it's true; they're all over his abs," Luke chuckled, looking up when Phoebe came in, "Hey, Pheebster."
"Hey Uncle Luke," Phoebe sighed, wearing a sundress now, "How are-oh my god is that a RAT?!" she exclaimed and Ana watched as she climbed up Jace's body to escape Flick's beady eyes.