Time does not fly by.
Six days. Six fucking days. Six fucking, long ass days. Six fucking, long ass days where I could not eat what I wanted, could not drink what I wanted, could not travel where I wanted, could not work the way I needed to and could not have sex with the sexiest man on the god damned planet.
Time does NOT fly by!
The saving grace to all of this is Gideon. He has been there most of the time, only flying out yesterday to Las Vegas to deal with a issue that came up that couldn't be handled over the phone. He is to return tonight, and hopefully he won't treat me like a invalid like he has most of the week.
"I am not treating you like a invalid," he said, not raising his voice, but remaining relatively calm and firm in his stance.
"Then what do you call it? I can't even go to the bathroom without you being there!"
"I am treating you like a Queen, if you must know."
Bastard. Okay, he was right. Maybe they are the same, and I know he's been extremely patient and kind, and is suffering. He thinks I don't see it, but when a man walks into a room, kisses you on the forehead, and then heads to the en suite quickly, trying to hide a tent in his pants, you know he is suffering.
I have tried to help him, offered, and made a few attempts to orally fix his tenting issues, but he has solidly refused. "If you can't, then I won't," he replied every time.
Today is my sixth day since leaving the hospital. I have had no headaches, but my needs have grown to inhuman proportions. Gideon and I have decided that tonight, at midnight, the chastity belts come off. And damn it! I better have earth shaking, star rocking orgasms all fucking night, because I need it!
"Ma'am," Stevenson says, pulling me from my thoughts and back to the present. "Your family is here."
"Thank you. You can show them in, please," I replied, getting up out of my patio chair. He ushered them through the glass door, and stood to hug each one. Mia, Elliot, Christian and mom and dad. No mates, partners, or others, just us. We each grabbed a seat round the firepit, and Mia started up some small talk.
She is so good about that. She makes conversations go smoothly by simply effortlessly cracking the tension. Watching her, and then looking at Christian and Elliot, I suddenly realized how old we actually are. You never think that. He's my brother, she's my sister... but you never really consider how adult we all have become. But that is what we are.
"I want to thank you for coming here," I started, sounding as if they weren't even my family. The doors behind us opened again, I turned around and saw Stevenson come through, nod at me, and then went back into the apartment.
Christian looked at me, eyebrow raised in query. That's about the most he's said to me all week.
"We have a lot to discuss, and I want to get everything out in the open. Tell you what has happened, what is going to happen, and it's hard enough to say it once, let alone repeatedly. So, I have asked you all here. John Flynn is here, in case anyone needs a break and needs to talk to a professional." Christian started to say something and I raised my hand, pausing him. "I am going to talk about what's been going on with me. But, and I want this to be clearly understood, I would like it if you spoke about what's been going on with each of you, but you don't have to.
"We are family, and we have secrets. Not all secrets have to be told, but, I am going to tell a vast majority of mine. Secrets and promises are what drove me away from you and from Seattle. Not that I didn't love you, because I do. You're my only family. I have loved you all so much, all my life. Being away hurt deeper then I thought it would. But it wasn't just me that I hurt when I left."
"What's going on, Little One," Mama asked, and I nodded, ready to talk.
"Before we start, there is wine, and soda over there, feel free to get what you want. I do highly suggest a glass of wine," I said, pointing to the patio kitchenette. While they were getting drinks, Stevenson came out carrying a small wicker basket and quietly stood next to me. Everyone returned to their seats, some watching Stevenson with a odd expression on their faces. "Last bit before we start, if you could please place your cell phones in the basket," I said, and Stevenson leaned forward offering it to them.
"Why the hell should we do that," Christian mumbled loudly.
"Because you are going to give me your fullest attention. Mom, if yours goes off, he will let us know." My mother nodded, dropping hers in first. Mia, with a shrug, plopped hers in carelessly, and Elliot and dad also followed suit. Christian was the only holdout.
"I am constantly in touch with my companies, and need this," Christian tried to say.
"Put it in the basket," I replied, my voice firm, my eyes narrowing.
"Or what?"
"You really don't want to go there, Chrissy." He stared at me, teeth grinding away, his eyes ice cold. Finally he shrugged and tossed it in the basket and Stevenson walked away. "Thank you for co-operating," I said with a tiny touch of sarcasm. He growled in response.
"Okay, now that that's taken care of, I guess I should start, eh?" I scooted myself up in my seat and took a long sip of my soda. "All right, so... last week shit hit the fan and we all got dirty. It is time to talk about... well, everything," I said, watching Christian freeze at my words. It is with every hope in my heart that he talks to me after today, though I could be burning that bridge right here and right now.
"Mia, I know that you probably know nothing about what happened at Christian's birthday," I said, looking at her and she nodded minutely. "And, Elliot, I know that you now know some of what has been going on." He nodded in return.
I inhaled deeply, gathering the courage to say what hasn't been said all of these years. "Okay... When I was sixteen, I found out something about Elena Lincoln. She told me that I had to keep it a secret, because bad things could happen if I didn't. After a year, I couldn't keep it anymore. It was hurting me to keep this secret, and when she found out I was going to say something, she told me, convinced me that if I told mom and dad, that... well that the state would come in and take us out of the home and they would lose custody.
"Staying here, visiting, it became too hard. To hard to see mom and her best friend joke at the kitchen table, or hear about Elena's latest idea for her salon, to watch events unfold when she came over for dinner or whatever. So, I left. It made it easier, even though it hurt to be away."
"But, Shana, you... visited. Often. And then you stopped. What happened," mom asked, and I had to take another deep breath to explain. God I wished I could have some alcohol, I thought.
"I flew in for Christian's graduation," I said, but the words came out as whispers.
"No you didn't," Mia said, puzzled. "You said you were sick."
"I know what I told you," I said, nodding.
"So... you weren't sick," mom asked, and I shook my head no.
"What happened," dad asked quietly, his word solid and stern, echoing back to his "Legal Voice".
"I was met at the airport by what I assumed was a new driver of yours. I fell asleep in the car on the drive to the house, but when I woke up, I was at Elena's house." I looked at Christian, tears sitting in my eyes. I have no idea how to continue, how to say what they need to know.
"Why didn't you tell us you were in town? Why didn't you come to the graduation," my dad asked. I suddenly had no way to know how to answer the questions.
"She couldn't," Christian said, standing up and coming towards me. He took my hand and held it tightly. "Elena is involved in an... alternate lifestyle. That is part of the secret she didn't want exposed. Shana knew everything, and her returning, scared the crap out of her. So, she had her picked up and brought to her house where she..." He paused, looking down at me, and I only nodded back, not knowing how much he knew. "She tortured her for three days, threatening to do harm to the family and most especially, to Mia." His hand gripped mine tighter, and I could only nod at his words. "Shana had to promise to not say anything, and that would keep Mia safe."
"How... how long have you known this, Christian," my mother asked, her words being forced through her teeth as she struggled to maintain some composure.
"I only found out about that at my party. But, my security chief found video of that weekend." I turned quickly, my hand going to my mouth in shock. He can't... No. No. No! No he can't! "I haven't watched it all," he said, wrapping his arms around me. "All." But he watched some... I stood, facing him, and he pulled me into a embrace. "I'm sorry you went through that. I am still angry you didn't let me go after her, but I will get over that," he whispered. I nodded, and my tears started to fall. I quickly found myself surrounded by the loving arms of my family and first the first time in a very long time, I felt free.
After the ice was broke, Christian explained what he wanted the family to know. I knew he couldn't tell them everything, and I would never have expected him to. Flynn came out and joined us not long after that, and about a hour later Stevenson came out with my mother's cell phone, letting her know the hospital was calling her. She and dad so that they could get to the hospital with Flynn left shortly after and it was "just us kids".
With the parents gone, there was another subject I wanted to approach with my siblings. That took another few hours, and then Stevenson came to the patio with a rather large box, still wrapping in birthday paper. I grinned when he put it in front of Christian.
"Listen, before you open this, you have to understand that this took a LOT to get." He nodded, looking at me with questioning eyes.
He slowly (too slowly for my taste) removed the ribbon from around the box, and then gently tried to remove the tape holding the wrapping paper in place. This treatment lasted about twenty seconds before Elliot jumped up and shouted, "Open it you old man!" And then he ripped the paper from the box, Mia giggling at the two boys as they started fighting over the wrapping paper and not the gift inside.
"I swear to God! You break it I am ripping off your balls," I shouted. They paused, looking at me, and then settled down, Elliot taking his seat and Christian opening the now unwrapped box.
"Holy fucking shit," he said when he peered into the box. He looked up at me, a huge grin on his face. "No fucking way," he said, and I nodded. "No fucking way," he repeated, and I nodded, my grin growing. "No fucking way! How the hell did you find one?" he asked as he carefully pulled it out of the box, Elliot coming forward to help. "No fucking way," he said again.
"What is it," Mia asked, her eyes glued to the object. It was a silver and white chest with two amber glass beads on top. Christian carefully opened the chest to show a bottle of Hennessy Beauté du Siècle Cognac and four glasses with a gold leaf trim. "Oh, just some alcohol."
"Not just "some alcohol", this is... the ultimate in cognacs. How the hell did you get it?"
"Nope, you don't get my secrets, little boy." He smiled and walked over to me, wrapping me into a tight hug.
"Thank you," he said, and the way it came out, I don't think he meant it was just for the cognac.
"You're welcome Chrissy. Happy Birthday."