AN: Good Morning Everybody! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Kate, Mia, Grace, Sawyer, Elliot and someone who works for Elliot are all coming out around eight to spend the day organizing and planning how we are going to set everything up and where things will be on the property. It will be good, as long as everyone can stay focused on what we're doing and that we have to have it all organized today for next week. However, I still have time and since I slept in till six I am running now and running later then I'd like since more people are out driving at this time to get to work on time.
When I run up to my house Elliot and Kate are waiting outside the gate in his truck, he's snooping and looking for a way to break in while she lounges up on the hood of his baby.
"You're early," I pant.
"You're sweaty," Kate smirks. "Let us in?"
I enter the code into the key pad and let Elliot drive in while Kate walks with me up onto the porch.
"Way to live life, Little One," Elliot laughs. "Top notch security, acreage on Bainbridge, waterfront; how about you let me in on how to pull this off after vanishing for a couple years?"
"It's all my own money, from selling and trading things. It's just me," I shrug.
"How come I didn't notice the gate on Tuesday?" He asks.
"I was home so it was open, and the fact that you didn't notice it is all on you."
"Is Leia here?" Kate asks.
"No, she's at the clinic but Sunday I can take her out so we can all go shopping. She really liked you guys, even Elliot," I tease.
They join me in the kitchen while I get breakfast, Kate joins me while Elliot goes off to snoop since Christian wouldn't let him on Tuesday. I don't care, I have nothing to hide and all the important stuff is locked away where he can't find.
"What's in the basement?" He shouts out.
"A living room, two guest suites and bathroom that all opens out onto the back porch and yard," I shout back.
"This place is huge!"
"I know!"
Kate watches me close as I eat my still abhorrently huge breakfast, but I'm always hungry after my run so breakfast is Elliot sized. She just seems, reads, as though she is really concerned for me and my safety. I know she is, if she has been through this before she would be reading into the running too much, as if I am exercising to lose weight but I'm not. I can't lose more weight but I need to work on muscle still and my timing has been lagging.
"Are you good? I mean, the running thing and all that?" She finally asks.
"Yeah," I swallow my last bite of pancake. "I make sure I take in at least as many calories as I've burned off when I run at breakfast. It's the only exercise I do in a day."
"Okay, I just don't want you to not be okay. Speaking of, there's going to be a lot of alcohol here next Saturday. Are you going to be okay?"
"I'll be fine and Lucy will be here since her husband and Christian are friends. I'll be more focused on Leia and Christian to probably worry about any of that. Thanks though, for the concern."
"Have you talked to Christian yet? Told him you don't drink anymore?"
"How did you?"
"The gala, when you spit the wine back out. I put two and two together, I'm proud of you. Everyone is."
"I still am expecting someone to yell and be mad at me, it hasn't even been a month yet and I'm on edge about everything."
"I'm not, Christian's not, Mia's not, Elliot's not, none of our parents are; we're all just happy you're home and safe. You're family."
"Thanks, I'm going to run up to shower and dress. The gate I think is closed so if anyone arrives to be buzzed in the code is your birthday."
"Mine?"
"Yeah, you're my sister."
I run up to my bedroom and shower as fast as my muscles allow, change into a white tank top, jean short overalls, and red converse. When I make it back down everyone is here and has drinks thanks to Kate.
I can hear Grace and Elliot talking down the hall from the kitchen in either my music room or art room. I find them in the art room as they look over all the pieces I have on the walls. The one I am working on for Christian is up on the easel in the middle of the room. If you look at the art starting on the right wall and follow it top to bottom and go around the room it goes over all of the different stages I've been in the last couple years, even back before I knew Christian.
"You really are a wonderful artist, Dear," She smiles.
"Thank you Grace, so do we want to go on a grounds tour first before we go into detail or organize what areas we need and I'll take you to those?" I ask.
"I would love to walk the property and decide from there, hopefully Mia will finally change her shoes."
"Why? What did she come in?"
"Six in heels the size of a pencil," Elliot chuckles.
"I have shoes if she needs something."
We head out, Mia opting to tough out the walk in her stilettos which is rather entertaining whenever I look back at her. We're heading down to the dock and boat house which means stairs made of rock for a decent amount of it. It's not very helpful to her current footwear but at least she is walking between Elliot and Sawyer in case she decides to fall on her face.
"The company doing the water obstacle course inflatables will come out on Friday," I tell Grace. "I was thinking we could also set up a food and drink station in the boathouse, just locking the bedroom."
"Sounds wonderful dear, this place is incredible and you have your own bay here almost, it will be wonderful. Christian always loved these courses as a kid, it will be nice to have for him this year. Everything you're doing for him is incredible, you have a big heart," Grace smiles.
"I want it to be happy, perfect. I missed last year and that was my fault so I need to make up for this year."
"You don't need to make anything up, you're here now and that is all that counts."
We get down to the dock and I already had the guys from the company come out and they know how to set it up and know how many of these giant inflatables can fit in the area. Over on the left of the dock is a pebble beach and cove cut into the rock, that's where we'll set up a bon fire at night for the few who will be staying into the night.
Different clearings are going to be for different activities and they we're sectioning off a part of the woods I never go in and they're making a paintball field because Christian loves paintball and why not. That's all on Elliot for the set up since I don't care much for it and I've never played that game.
This party was never going to be a adult like party, it is definitely young-adult or teenager but it will be fun and I know that Christian will love it. Everyone who will be coming to it will have something to enjoy while here. Grace and I have made sure that there will be something here for all age groups, to entertain them and Christian.
I set up a sandwich bar on the counter for everyone for lunch, and so I can spend some more time with Grace, Mia and Kate while the boys go off to talk technicalities and all that fun stuff. I want to get to know everyone and have them know me when I am not a frail and broken scrap of human. Sure I may still be broken but I'm not fragile anymore. I'm in a good spot in my life to be able to have a relationship and reach out to people.
Mia asks me to play since I haven't played for her before, I've played for Grace a few times before I ran off but Mia was never around. We go into the music room, leaving the door open in case Kate or Grace want to come and sit in here with us. I play her some of my original pieces but don't tell her that I am the one who wrote them, if the people I am playing for don't know I wrote the pieces they're easier for me to play.
"Who's that? Like who's the composer?" She asks.
"Me," I squeak.
"No way! You have to make a birthday song for Christian! I bet he'd be so happy he'd cry, it'd be so romantic!" She squeals.
"Making him cry would be romantic?"
"No, well, yes but only because of how you're making him cry. You don't have to, I just think it would be a really good idea. Do you know what you're getting him yet?"
"No, and Kate is coming shopping with myself and Leia on Sunday if you'd like to join us. I know how much you love shopping," I offer.
"Leia?"
"My foster daughter, soon to possibly be real daughter."
"Does Christian know?" Grace asks from the door with Kate.
"We're talking about it and he's hung out with her and me on a number of occasions. She really looks up to him and asks about him and he does the same. We haven't talked fully about it but we're both skirting around it since we're dating and nothing is serious."
"If nothing's serious why did I go with him to the — Fuck, Kate!" Elliot groans. "That hurt, why'd you kick me?"
"Shut up if you want to stay on my good side," She smiles up at him.
"I surrender," He holds his hands up. "I came in to ask her to reconsider the tree house idea, I found a good grouping of trees to make the most epic one you can imagine."
"Fine, if you want a tree house at my house that bad, go for it. If it doesn't pass a safety check though I will not allow Leia in it," I roll my eyes.
"Yes, I'll start next week and finish it before the party. Trust me, and you can't see it till it's done," He runs off.
"What did I do?" I look at Grace and Kate.
"Neither of us have allowed him to build on on either of our properties, I think you just made his day," Kate laughs.
"Great. Should I be worried?"
"No, just expect something out there. I'm sure that Leia will love it almost as much as Elliot."
Christian arrives while everyone is leaving and he's confused, I just tell him that I wanted to spend time with his family and all that since I'm back and don't have a job right now. He's still pushing for me to accept a job at GEH even though he hasn't told me what he is going to have me do for him in the office.
"So, you know the job argument?" He asks while we peruse take out menus.
"I am aware of the job discussion," I roll my eyes.
"I have an official contract and offer for you in my briefcase if you want to look at it."
"Does it actually tell me the position?"
"Yes."
"Fine, show me."
He pulls a booklet of papers, mostly his ridiculously long contract, and sets in on my lap. I read the papers over and over again, not sure if I am reading this right since I haven't had an adult job since getting my degree or anything else since I left Portland. It's clear though, in black and white on the page: Creative Head. It means I'd be an executive working with Christian and Ros and all the other executives who have years of experience on me.
"You think I can handle this?" I look at him.
"I know you can, so sign on?" He tries to give me puppy eyes.
"Leia will be coming home soon, and if I start a new job."
"How about you start in September, when she goes back to school. We can work your schedule to pair with hers, and this summer you can work part-time from home and come into the office for meetings and she can come in too."
"You drive a hard bargain Grey," I smile.
"But?"
"Hand me a pen," I hold out my hand only to be tackled to the ground.
AN: Thank you for all your kind words and support, keep them coming.
The schedule for uploads is changing, I move back to the city on Saturday and school starts back next week. I am going into my third year of post secondary and have eight courses this semester. I will try and upload every day but starting on Saturday it will be once a day or even every other day depending on my schedule.
Thank you for understanding, have a good day and I will see you tonight.
-Mouse