Chapter 47 – If it feels like a sign from the universe…

A/N: This is the last chapter. The next is the Epilogue.

~X~

July 4, 2013

Darius felt butterflies occupying not only in his stomach, but also in his brain. Protective Pups was established. The incorporation papers were signed. The LLC was filed. Bank accounts for the business were established. Funds from Grey House were received and banked. Adrian's $50K for the business was received and banked. The purchase paperwork for 40 acres in Renton was finalized. It had a short escrow of 14 days since Darius paid by cashier's check. Darius's contribution to Protective Pups was $100K, and his training and Morse. Christian had the team valued and insured for $150K for the business and again for personal insurance. Darius's will was created. If anything happened to him, the business insurance paid to Protective Pups. His portion of the business went to Bee. His personal insurance paid half to Frederick Johns who helped him after his parents died and half to Anya. Morse was a business asset until the age of ten, but if anything happened to Darius, Morse would belong to Bee.

Tomorrow Elliot Grey and one of his project managers from Grey Construction would bring an architect with them. Darius purchased a set of blueprints for a log home for himself and Morse. The first floor had two good-sized bedrooms, an open concept living room, dining area and kitchen. A bathroom, and laundry room/mudroom finished the first floor. The second floor had an open area to the living room below. It had a large master bedroom with walk-in closet, ensuite bathroom with a large soaker tub and a separate shower. The second room on the second floor was Darius's home office.

The architect would determine where to build the log home with attached garage. Darius wanted an outside deck for living and grilling which overlooked grounds and trees. He also wanted a running track for himself and Morse, in addition to a private driveway and parking. The business needed the log cabin office, four sets of dog kennels to shelter 24 dogs each and runs, one small single kennel and good sized run for mating pairs, and indoor/outdoor training centers.

Each year a stud and two bitches would be acquired. Year five Morse and his ladies would age out, to be replaced by a new stud and bitches. Eventually Darius wanted to be breeding 12 sets of dogs per year. He hoped to sell puppies to the military and TSA, in addition to Grey Dogs. Darius hoped to sell each litter of puppies before they were three months old. He was well aware all the dogs might not sell…which is why he had training plans in place.

Darius was thankful to have Adrian and the Grey brothers. He would have a nervous breakdown if he had tried to establish the business on his own. GEH Mergers and Acquisitions estimated the average sale cost ($25K) for trained dogs. If he could train four dogs a year, Protective Pups would be a good career choice for him. As long as he stayed mobile, he could breed and train dogs for the remainder of his life.

~X~

Grey Dogs was established. They hired 12 trained handlers and purchased 36 dogs. Most of the trained handlers were ex-military. Stan Baker, the new director of Grey Dogs, visited Darius's business. He approved of the facilities for Protective Pups.

Grey Dogs purchased a previous dog training facility. It was located on five acres on the edge of Seattle. The dogs were trained for every venue – Grey House, Grey Annex, Escala, Grey Sound and Grey Manor. Darius sat on the interview panel for Stan Baker and the twelve handlers. It was his payment in kind for the establishment of Protective Pups. Darius didn't want to think about the cost of 36 trained dogs and the relocation of 12 trained handlers.

Senator Blandino helped Adrian work with Washington State Prisons to establish or support dog training facilities for trustees to train puppies for Grey Dogs. When the trustees were paroled, they could apply to Grey Dogs or Protective Pups for employment. Puppies from Protective Pups went to the trustee training program. Once they were obedience and crate trained, Grey Dogs would acquire them for further training or sell them to other handlers.

~X~

"Happy starting points," Anya gave Darius a handmade sign for the porch at the log cabin office. 'I believe in letting sleeping canines lie…until it's time to set loose the dogs of war.'

"You don't think that's scary?" Darius frowned at the sign.

"I think it's dark with a touch of champagne bubbles," Anya laughed. "I brought bubbly also…non-alcoholic bubbly."

"Damn…I hoped when you said bubbly, you meant some bubble bath," Darius faux pouted.

"When you have a master ensuite, with a big bath for two…we'll talk about that bubble bath with a bottle of real bubbly." Anya promised.

July 5

"You're tired," Ray observed Bee.

"Despite the nonstop Grey House transport from Seattle to Omaha, I am always tired when I travel." Bee smiled wanly at Ray. "Did you have a good time at the family barbeque yesterday?"

"I like your family. Your parents are very down to earth people. Your sister, Bianca and her family love you, so they have my approval also. It will take me some time to call you Bridge around them. I called out 'B' yesterday and your sister responded. How did your mother handle the 'I'm not moving back to Bellevue' announcement?" Ray cuddled his woman.

"Like a pregnant pole vaulter at an open field day…awkwardly." Bee grinned. "How did my father handle the 'please give us your blessing' request?"

"Embarrassed…I imagine he will ask you questions. I imagine your mother will ask me questions." Ray shrugged. "Since there is no where we have to be until dinner tonight, let's order a decadent breakfast and then fall into a carb induced coma until time to dress."

"Works for me," Bee sat up and stretched. "Please order me a stack of pancakes, double bacon, large orange juice and coffee." She slid on Brawn, heading for the ensuite. "Tomorrow I want to take you to the Henry Doorly Zoo. The Old Market the day after. The Lewis and Clark Scenic Overlook the day after. Plus Omaha and Council Bluffs are full of antiques and thrift stores. We'll have a good time rummaging."

"What do we do if we find something we can't live without refinishing?" Ray chuckled.

"We'll hire a U-Haul truck. We will let Ana know we don't need the jet. Then we'll plan a scenic drive to Seattle, stopping at every little antique and thrift store we see." Bee grinned. "I wouldn't mind taking you to Waubonsie…"

"Bless you," Ray laughed.

"Waubonsie State Park. It has an overlook where you can see Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri. It's great for mushrooming for morels after the rain. I would like to take you to the Lewis and Clark State Park. I wouldn't mind taking you to Palisades State Park in South Dakota. When the sun is setting, the walls around the river turn pink. It's pretty."

~X~

"My team and I have ten projects which Grey House may consider for funding. The first is wearable technology like Fitbit wristbands. Ones which are interactive with hospital or doctor electronic monitoring will grow exponentially." Barney and his two leads met with Christian and Ros.

Christian and Ros read the prospectus and set it aside.

"Mining metals from desalination brine," Barney presented the next technology. "Freshwater is one of Earth's limited resources. A significant portion of the world's agricultural production comes from irrigated crops grown in arid areas. Desalinating sea water is a potential source of increasing freshwater reserves. Desalination requires a lot of energy, and the concentrated brine impacts marine life. This technology takes the desalinated brine and mines it for valuable minerals such as lithium, magnesium, uranium, sodium, calcium and potassium. It's economic benefit offsets the overall cost of desalination."

Christian and Ros perused the prospectus and set it aside. Barney noted Ros had one stack while Christian had two separate stacks.

The next eight mini presentations included agricultural drones, smart wind and solar power, agricultural sensors for crops, genetic engineering for food, agricultural robotics, air and water sensors, livestock biometric monitors, and agricultural ecological systems. Most of the projects would be scientifically viable in 2015, testing and refinement by 2020, and financially viable by 2025.

Christian settled in for a read on the eight projects, asking Andrea to hold calls, and to arrange for coffee and lunch. He asked Andrea to notify Ana about his working dinner with Ros and Barney.

~X~

"What do you think?" Christian asked Ros.

"Pass on the wearable technology, brine mining, and food engineering. More research on agricultural robotics, ecological systems, and livestock biometric monitors. If we can find the right companies to acquire – I encourage investing in agricultural drones, agricultural sensors for crops, and air and water sensors. Our tech teams needs to upgrade the smart wind and solar power technologies we use and acquire companies ripe for takeover."

"I concur," Christian handed folders to Barney. "Your head engineer and head tech researcher have their work cut out for them. I'd like to see business plans by Labor Day."

August 19

"This little furball is Molly Merry McBain," Marge McBain, the dog kennel owner, led Darius to a single unit. "She's 23 months, papered and obedience and crate trained. She's a six generation papered bitch, sociable, steady and good with children and puppies."

Darius read the paperwork and asked for an introduction. "She's a beauty." He admired her rich caramel colored coat, with black saddle and black tipped ears with black snout. He shook hands with the little lady, and was pleased at her response to his directions. "Never bred?"

"No. We didn't sell her, as my daughter wanted her. However, my daughter fell in love with a man who is allergic to animals. She said we should sell her if someone wants her." Marge handed Darius a clipboard with a copy of Molly's papers, shot record, training records, veterinary report, etc. "Molly 23 months, so she's fully grown. Her first cycle was at 18 months. She didn't have a cycle at 21 months, so we estimate her next cycle is 24 months. She should be ready to breed right after Labor Day." She looked at Morse. "Is he to stand stud?"

"I'm hoping," Darius commented. "Morse is papered, and trained for explosives, weapons, drugs and cadavers."

"He has excellent color and lines. They should make pretty puppies." She offered her hand to Morse to smell. Then she knelt and offered to shake. Morse looked to Darius for approval. Once it was received, Morse shook.

"We've never needed to tie our girls down. We just give a lady and the stud a running pen with shelter, and two or three days to do the deed. If they are still enamored with each other at three days, I might extend the breeding time by another day. Usually our lady will get cranky after three days of breeding. They are tired, hungry and want to be left alone. I always arrange for food, water, and a warm bath for both right after the breeding period. I will be sorry to see Molly go, but we can't keep her. It just breaks my daughter's heart to see her here and not be able to hug and love her because of her husband's allergies."

"Price?" Darius was thrilled to pay $5K for Molly. He handed the owner the company debit card, along with one of his business cards. Marge McBain assembled the paperwork for him.

Once Morse and Molly were crated and Darius was ready to leave, the owner gave him three other business cards. "If you are serious about starting your own breeding service, you should talk to these people. We have worked with them for years. I checked online before you came. Canon Canines has a male. He is 24 months. He was purchased by a man who trains SARs dogs, but the man broke an ankle while hiking. He paid to board Devil until he was better. It will not happen. The doctor told him it's bone cancer. So Devil is available. He is a sixth generation papered stud. He has some championship lines. He has correct structure and is large, lean and athletic. He's steady, and socialized. Crate and obedience trained also. He's pricy…which is why he hasn't been sold yet."

"How pricy?" Darius liked the looks of Devil. He was a pure black German Shepherd, working class, and had an excellent stance.

"They need to recoup the funds for two years of care and for advanced obedience training. Devil has all his papers, shots, veterinary checkups and they paid for genetic testing."

"Please email them; and give them my cell number. I would like to see him, and perhaps take a run with him. I'd like to see the training they've given him," Darius commented. "The other two kennels?"

"Rhineland Runners have a female, Desiree – called Desi, 18-months-old, red and deep black pigment. She's a seven generation, papered bitch. Her ancestors placed well in their ring days. She's compact, but correctly proportioned for her size. Again, excellent temperament and socialization. She might make an excellent service dog for a girl or a woman after training. Her mother had large litters, approximately 8-10 puppies per liter. Rhineland Runners only breed their ladies from age two to age seven. Their studs breed from age two to age ten."

"Why are they selling her? She's a beauty." Darius accepted the printout for Rhineland Runners.

"Because of her compact size, she doesn't ring well. No standing in the ring impacts her breeding fee. The last one, Haas Hounds, is selling an 18-month-old male. He is a big boned, muscular and athletic. He might grow a couple more inches. He is long legged. He moves fast, but is responsive to command. He's social, yet protective. He's liver and black with beautiful amber eyes. His name is Echo, as he has a habit of following the family members to ensure they are safe. He's been protection trained." She showed Darius another printout. "Again, he doesn't ring well because he isn't full grown. They are selling him to reinvest in other studs at their business."

"I would like to see all of these dogs, with intent to purchase if the dog and I connect with one another." Darius left with a briefcase of paperwork, and headed to his next destination – a pet big box store to purchase three more large crates, and a larger supply of dog food, bowls, water, and leashes.

August 23

Darius drove through the gates of Protective Pups and directly to the kennels. "Oh my," Anya looked at Darius's pickup, filled with crates. "I gather your requisition tour went well."

"I bought these four – Molly, Devil, Desi and Echo. Molly is almost two. I intend for her and Morse to make pretty puppies after Labor Day. Devil and Desi will pair when she is old enough, which will be a little less than six months from now. I need to find a lady for Echo. However, he's 18 months old so I have a little time."

"How was my buddy, Morse?" Anya knelt, accepting his lick on her cheek. He laid his head on her shoulder and allowed her to hug him, pet him and tell him how much she missed him.

"Morse wants to play, but I need to acclimate our newest pals to their homes. Maybe tomorrow I can take them for runs and workouts." Darius sighed as he moved one crate to the end of the pickup, opened the crate, and slipped a leash into place. He began moving dogs into one kennel. For now, he put the dogs at the four corners of the kennel. He would not separate them into different kennels until he bred them. They needed socialization, not isolation.

August 24

Ana, Kate and Mia lounged on chaises by the sea wall. Christian, Elliot and Ethan chased one another around on jet skis.

"One more year," Mia sighed. "Ethan will graduate in May with his master's in psychology. Then he has a two-year internship before he can join a practice or establish one."

"Do you see marriage on the horizon?" Kate asked.

Mia shrugged more nonchalantly than she felt. "Perhaps after he graduates and before his internship he might have a moment to propose. Meanwhile, I'm working 40-60 hours a week at Le Fournil. I'm helping cater at least one engagement party and two weddings each month. I'm tired. I'm glad we're here tonight and tomorrow. Le Fournil doesn't know how to find me. I'll report back to work at five on Monday morning and bake croissants until my eyes cross."

"I'm taking four publishing courses this semester. I took eight hours of online classes in the spring, with six hours of continuing education. I managed eight hours this summer. This fall I will take twelve hours at UDub. Probably four classes on Tuesday and Thursday so I can work part-time. I'm passing on a conference over Labor Day weekend. I'm signing up for one over Veterans Day weekend in Boston, over Thanksgiving in Houston, on MLK weekend in New York and one on Presidents Day weekend in Las Vegas. The four of them give me 12 continuing education credits. Twelve hours next spring at UDub, in addition to twelve hours of continued education…I'll be ready to graduate with my associate's degree in publishing next May."

"I will have my MBA in May. Two classes Monday and Wednesday; two classes Tuesday and Thursday. Friday for practicum and labs. Two more semesters." Kate sighed and closed her eyes. "I'm thankful for our housekeeper and cook. I should give her a raise…or poach Gail from Ana."

"Don't even think about it," Ana threatened her friend. "I need Gail and I can pay her more than you can."

"But my sparkling wit and personality…" Kate started to argue.

"Will not sway her, or Taylor, or Sawyer. We have loyal staff who are more like friends and family than employees."

September 3

The Washington Warriors Complex held a grand opening for their two family living buildings. Forty families began moving in the fifteenth of August. Elliot and Mitch represented Grey Construction with Kate and Jose taking pictures. The Greys, Grey Security, Darius and Morse were present. Dr. Banfield, with Dr. T. and four of her residents and new interns, provided inoculations for children who moved into the housing units and whose parents lived at the RV campground. Washington Warriors, with donations from half a dozen big box stores, supplied 200 backpacks for children living at the housing units, and for children of veterans living in the RV campground. Box lunches for today's attendees were available through the two dormitory cafeterias.

The Seattle School District had a display to inform parents of bus routes for the complex. They accepted student enrollments onsite. UDub had a display to announce their latchkey program at the complex gymnasium. Work study students in the educational program worked the latchkey program. Work study students in the culinary program worked in the kitchens of the dormitories. Work study students in the construction trades program worked with Grey Construction to begin work on the tiny houses section.

Washington Warriors Complex acquired enough land for 200 tiny houses. Blueprints for the 400 square foot units included an attached single garage. Blueprints for the 600 square foot units included an attached double garage. Grey Construction projected the opening for Memorial Day 2016. Half of the 600 square foot units were handicap accessible with ramps for wheelchairs, wider halls, and shower which was wheelchair accessible. Countertops and sinks were wheelchair accessible also.

September 4

Darius directed the placement of furniture in the office cabin while Anya directed placement of furniture in the log house. Darius paid for the office furniture and supplies with the company credit card. He paid for the furniture and décor for the log house from his $250K stash. He moved it from Morse's bean bag to the floor safe in his home office. He buried the two soft sided briefcases at the bottom of a Grey Construction dumpster. The safe code was not one which would be easily determined. It was the last seven digits of Ease's cell phone.

Darius bought living room furniture from one store, dining room from another, home office from a third, guest bedroom from a fourth, etc. Because he paid cash, he had free delivery. He ensured Anya had half the walk-in closet, a dresser and nightstand of her own, and half the storage in the master ensuite. He ensured she had an office armoire and chair the same size as his in the home office. He ensured she had an equal sized bookcase also. He added two armoires to the home office. One for his mining gear and metal detecting. Once for Anya for a crafting center, sewing center, or hobby storage. When the furniture was delivered, he stored it in a 26-ft. U-Haul truck. He bought kitchen items from one big box store, bathroom items from another, etc. No one would realize he was spending as much money as he was. Elliot built the house with top of the line appliances. Darius ordered what supplies he could from Amazon. The rest of the food and supplies came from big box stores.

Once Grey Construction built everything, Eliot took Darius to utility companies to change the utilities from Grey Construction to Protective Pups. Grey House installed the server room and internet for the site. Grey House installed a CCTV unit in each of the kennels with four screens in Darius's home office and work office so he could keep an eye on the dogs. Grey Construction built a large log standalone garage to house Darius's RV.

Adrian brought three vehicles to Protective Pups. "Grey Dogs talked to these prospective sellers. They each have three dogs which Grey Dogs didn't buy. I didn't know if you wanted them, so here we are."

Before everyone left, Darius acquired Macy, Dixie, Ezri, Bette, Bonnie and Bane. He did not question spending several thousand dollars to acquire them. Each seller helped him relocate the dogs to their prospective kennels. They agreed Molly was preparing for her cycle. They estimated Darius be prepared for puppies in mid-November. They also warned he would have three ladies ready to bred after the first of the year and to be prepared. Ember, Bonnie and Macy would be two. Desi would be 21 months. They recommended he might consider a quarterly breeding schedule with two ladies each quarter. It was less taxing to have two litters each quarter than four litters twice a year.

Darius's turned the largest room in the log cabin into his work office. He had a hidden floor safe under his desk. One of the smaller rooms was a filing and a server room. The other was a small conference room. In it he had four white boards with pictures of dogs and names. Unpurchased puppies would be trained for explosives, SARs, security, or service depending on their temperament.

Anya's family, the Greys, Steeles, Welches, Kavanaghs and several of the senior staff at the complex hosted an impromptu housewarming for Darius. Everyone chipped in to purchase a riding lawnmower for him. Grace, Ana and Mia prepared sides. Theo and Carrick played rock, paper, scissors with Elliot and Mitch, and with Darius, Drew and Will to see who reigned over the gas grill. By sheer numbers...Darius and the dads won.

September 7

Anya brushed Molly before Darius gave her a warm bath. She fed Molly cheese cubes and cooked chunks of beef stew meat. She gave Molly cool water in a pretty metal flower-shaped bowl.

"I don't blame you," she said soothingly to Molly. "Those boys are exhausting."

Ten feet away, Darius snorted while continuing to brush Morse. He gave him water and beef stew meat chunks. "I'm sorry she snapped at you. Girls are like that…especially if you chase after them for three days and nail them every time you have the urge. Let's hope one of your dirty deeds took. I'd like to have new fur babies by Christmas. We'll keep them safe and warm for ten weeks and then send them off to their new homes. Your other lady love should be ready to play with you in January…which means fur babies by Easter." He fed Morse another chunk of meat. "These meat chunks smell good."

"Mrs. Chang cooked them special for the dogs, no spices and she boiled them in beef broth. She made some for you, in the form of beef stew and fresh biscuits. She also made you an applesauce bundt cake, with cinnamon whipping cream." Anya took a warm sponge and washed Molly's face and ears very carefully.

"Really? Well I vote for you to warm up dinner for us when I start bathing Molly. I'll wash and relocate Morse first." Darius led Morse over to the large shower stall with the adjustable spray hose and nozzle. He gave Morse a treat and ordered him to stay. Morse earned another treat for not moving when Darius wet him down. He earned another after Darius shampooed him, and another after Darius rinsed him off. Darius turned off the water and said, "shake", holding a towel up between Morse's fervently shaking body and himself. Once he towel dried Morse, he carefully washed his face and ears. He attached the leash and led Morse out of the shower room to the kennel. He gave him another packet of beef cubes, fresh water, and a warm blanket. "Sleep buddy, you earned it."

~X~

Amy thought she was tired at the end of medical school. She learned a new definition of tired from her internship at Northwest. Dr. T. and Anya gave her suggestions of ideas and actions to make her life easier. Anya recommended a locker organizer and a go bag in the trunk of her car with five days of clean clothes and toiletries. Dr. T. recommended short hair, and quality trainers. Anya recommended not drinking at the intern 'meet and greet'. Dr. T. recommended a disposable bottle of hand sanitizer, a small can of disinfectant spray, a portable package of disinfecting wipes and a daily vitamin. Anya recommended an app to record medical conversations, a suture practice kit, an IV practice kit, and a study book for the residency exam. Dr. T. recommended studying one question per day and taking one of the tests weekly until she could answer 98% of the residency test questions without mistakes.

Halloween

Anya started her fourth year of surgical residency. She passed her solo surgery, a tonsillectomy, with flying colors. She volunteered for the ER, wearing a Cookie Monster colored wig to coordinate with her scrubs. Darius and Morse, in tactical gear, visited the children. Darius had a messenger bag full of individual bags of goldfish crackers, mini granola bars, raisins, nuts, and fruit rolls. He had decks of card games and windup toys like ghosts, Frankenstein, a skeleton, the mummy, etc. He had 1000 treats and 1000 decks of cards or toys. He had five full bags which he stashed at the main Pediatrics Station to refill his messenger bag. He bought sandwiches and coffee from a Starbucks cart so he and Anya could have a quick dinner about ten o'clock.

Ray and Bee ran the donations table for Boo Bash. Most donations this year were cases of chicken soup, and cases of canned juices. Bee felt it was a bad omen. Christian and Ana wanted to attend Boo Bash, but Ana was so tired, she just wanted to go to Grey Sound and sleep through the weekend. Kate retrieved the fur coat from cold storage…which guaranteed she wasn't leaving the condo for the night. Sophie and Gail baked and decorated 24 dozen sugar cookies for Grey House security and for Christian and Ana. Mia cooked take and bake pizza for Ethan and handed out treats at the door while Ethan studied.

José and Sophia worked the Safe Streets event which was being held at the Washington Warriors Complex gymnasium. He ran a photo booth to take great pictures of the kids in addition to shots for Kavanagh Media. Mitch and Kellen worked Safe Streets also. He wore a pirate costume; she wore a wench costume. Mikey was in a playpen, dressed as a pirate also. He spent most of his time chewing on a cutlass-shaped teething toy. Their pirate's treasure chest was filled with gold wrapped chocolate nuggets, gold wrapped chocolate coins, colorful candy gems and decorated with a disarticulated polyresin skeleton in the chest. The kids who trick or treated their station, which was a fishing pool, loved the chest and the skeleton.

Veterans Day

After the closing speech at the ePublishing conference, Ana and Prescott made their way to the valet station. Ana struggled with feeling excessively tired this weekend. She hid out in her hotel room instead of networking during the cocktail parties. As they were waiting for Sawyer to bring the SUV around…Ana glanced around her surroundings. She gasped when she saw Elizabeth Morgan standing next to Jack Hyde's vintage Mustang convertible.

The woman looked directly at Ana, realizing Ana was staring at her. She tilted her head to one side, quietly observing Ana.

Ana felt gut punched and fainted.

"Ana!" Prescott tried to revive Ana but she was out cold.

~X~

"She fainted," Sawyer warned Christian. "They are examining…no, here comes the doctor."

"Mr. Grey," the doctor introduced himself. "Mrs. Grey's labs are back. She is a little anemic, and she has a sprained right wrist from falling. She also has a lump on her head, but no concussion. Otherwise, she's as healthy as she can be for her condition."

"Condition?" Christian glared at the doctor for speaking in riddles.

"HIPPA prevents me from discussing the issue. You need to talk to Mrs. Grey." The doctor led him to a private room near the ER where Ana was resting. Prescott stood guard outside.

"Christian," Ana hugged him, and clung to him when the hug ended. "Do you think you can get the footage of the hotel valet station?"

"Were you attacked?" Christian held a shivering Ana in his arms.

"No. You know that old adage about someone walking on your grave? That's how I feel." Ana admitted.

"Did someone threaten you?" Christian persisted in his questioning.

"I thought I saw Elizabeth Morgan standing by Jack Hyde's vintage Mustang convertible. I know they are both gone, but my head couldn't tell my heart fast enough. I fainted." Ana explained.

"So you seeing things is the reason you fainted? You've been tired lately. You haven't felt good since Halloween…" Christian's voice faltered.

"Yeah…about that…" Ana took a deep breath to fortify herself. "Remember when I spotted on our anniversary trip? We thought it was because of several rounds of enthusiastic sex? The doctor believes I was pregnant and the fetus implanted itself in my uterus. He said the birth control shot I got on August 16 failed…completely and utterly failed."

"But you had a light cycle after our anniversary," Christian frowned.

"It is possible for a woman to have a light cycle after she gets pregnant. You were traveling during my cycle in September and October. It was such a busy time with work, and classes and life. I never thought about it, but I skipped both of them. I would have learned about the pregnancy when I went to get my shot on Friday. I'm at least ten weeks pregnant. The doctor says we're having a baby in May."

"Ana," Christian gathered her in his arms and rested his cheek on her hair. "We have to talk about this."

"I won't let you hover, and fret, and order me to eat or order me to rest. Women have been having babies since the dawn of time." Ana protested.

"Yes, but…" Christian started to say.

"From 1915 to 1997, the infant mortality rate dropped 90%. I think we're safe," Ana closed her eyes and rested against Christian's chest. "Once my IV bag is empty, we can go back to the hotel, or go to the airport."

"I vote hotel tonight, and fly home tomorrow." Christian texted Sawyer and Stephan of their plans. He also asked Sawyer to get a copy of the video from the hotel valet station. He wanted to see the woman and car who unnerved Ana.

November 12

"Her name is Elaine Greenwood. She works for Boston Harbor Press. She's well preserved for a woman in her fifties. She physically resembles Elizabeth. I think the taupe suit and copper blouse carried the illusion. The car is hers, vintage Mustang. It never belonged to Jack Hyde. His car was a '65; hers is a '67. She purchased it five years ago at a vintage car auction and had it restored." Christian showed Ana the footage from the hotel, Elaine's bio page on Boston Harbor Press, and Elaine's social media page. The Mustang had a strong presence on her page, along with a vintage sailboat, and the spectacular view of Massachusetts Bay from Elaine's condo.

"I still feel…unsettled by her," Ana said.

"We'll put her on the watch list. It's possible you will encounter her again at future conferences." Christian assured his wife. "Please don't stress over her…it's not good for you or the baby."

"Speaking of baby," Ana grimaced. "When are we telling your family?"

"How about Christmas? We'll get grandparent, great-grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc. t-shirts made." Christian grinned. "Until then, we will keep our secret to ourselves."

"We'll know the baby's sex by then," Ana agreed. "We can do a gender reveal in the color of the t-shirts!"

November 15

"Does that picture mean what I think it does?" Anya called Darius before she started rounds at SCH.

"Yes, we've been having babies since midnight. Five so far. Molly might have a sixth one before much longer."

"What do you do with them after they're born? I mean, it's not like you cut the umbilical cord and clean them up. You don't give them Apgar tests."

"Molly does that – the cleaning and cord thing. Then I take the puppy and put it to nurse. I have eight little bands – one each of the main colors. I wrote down what color band I put on what number puppy. Later this morning I will weigh and measure them. Maybe I'll pick names once I know what sex they are." Darius paused. "I have to go…it's puppy time."

November 20

"What color do you have?" Darius looked over at Anya.

"Purple."

"I think she's a girl. I called her Myka. If she turns out to be a boy, I'll call her…him Mike. Purple is the smallest puppy in the batch."

"Or you could call him Miko. Mike's not exactly a good name for puppy." Anya tucked the puppy in next to Molly.

"I was going to bring them into the house, but Molly doesn't want Morse around. She snapped at him again. He doesn't know how to handle that. He's used to being loved, and petted, and playful. I have to wait until the pups are about eight weeks old before I introduce them. Meanwhile I'm watching her on CCTV."

"Well, I brought a large carnivore pizza. We can sneak meat off it to give Morse. He'll think he's loved again," Anya laughed.

"I'll crate him before bed," Darius offered. "That way if you wanted to share my tub, we won't have company."

November 27 – December 1

Kate slept from Seattle to Aspen. This weekend she wasn't hitting the slopes. She was hitting the books. During an extended class load at WSUV, she never felt this tired. This semester's projects were five-year business and expansion plans for Washington Warriors. She and Ana claimed the bedroom on the jet. Ana claimed she was tired from classes, conferences and work. Ana stripped down to t-shirt and panties, slid under the covers, pulled on a sleep mask and was asleep before the plane left the runway. Kate followed suit, only she accessed her quiet play list from her iPod, put in her earbuds and slept.

Elliot was tired also. Grey Construction cleared the property for the tiny houses project. The water, sewer, electrical and gas lines would be laid in the spring, along with foundations, driveways and sidewalks poured. Grey Construction bid on several buildings which were sold for taxes at a public auction. Now Elliot had one dozen buildings on his books which needed work. The three houses needed flipped and sold. Five apartment complexes needed refurbished and improved. The four office buildings needed refurbished and sold also. Elliot had Mitch and José for project manager, but he needed to hire or promote two more men as project managers. Four sites would keep Grey Construction spread thin during the summer when he didn't have construction trade work study students. He needed Christian's help to establish a good intern program which ran from July first to June thirtieth.

~X~

Grace watched Ana and Kate at dinner. They both looked tired. Grace smiled to herself. If they weren't announcing their pregnancies today, they probably would at Christmas. Grace mentioned it to Carrick, who blamed their tiredness on their class schedule. He promised to buy Grace a chocolate diamond tennis bracelet if she was right. She promised to buy him a box of his favorite cigars if he was correct.

~X~

"Christian…" Ana freaked out. It was eight o'clock. They were supposed to be on the plane at six. Two and a half hours to Houston, half an hour from airport to conference hotel. Plenty of time to check in at the conference…except, it was eight o'clock.

"Stephan called Taylor. Due to the fog, we're grounded until at least ten o'clock." Christian pulled her into his arms. "I say, let's sleep until we wake. Mom, Mia, Grandma Frannie and Aunt Gena left at three this morning to go Black Friday shopping in Denver. I vote to skip Houston."

"Thank god," Ana flopped back on her pillow.

~X~

"I told everyone you were reading and not to interrupt. I called the Christmas decoration place – they will be at Escala on Friday and Grey Sound on Saturday. I called Adrian and Andrea – they took care of the angel trees. The one for the women's dorm is at Hell's Belles. The one for the men's dorm is at Road Ryders. The one for the complex and campground kids is at Rory's Roadkill." Christian brought Ana a tray with a cup of turkey noodle soup and a turkey sandwich on a mini croissant. He brought her icy cold apple juice to drink.

~X~

"It's wonderful," Frederick Johns approved of Protective Pups. He was spending the Thanksgiving holiday with Darius in Washington. "Let's unpack those boxes I brought. It is some of your family's possessions which have been languishing in storage at my home since you left for the Marines."

Darius opened several boxes, well taped and well-marked with his name. Two boxes were filled with family photo albums. Another box held wrapped objects: a set of silver candlesticks which belonged to a grandmother, a quilt from another grandmother, a walnut dresser valet used by a grandfather, and an oak documents box from another grandfather. A carved wooden box with the name Mills held purple, gold and green beads and a feathered mask from his parents' honeymoon in New Orleans.

"Thank you," Darius was moved to tears.

"I thought since you now have a permanent address, you should have family treasures other than flags and military memorabilia for your Grandfather Mills and your father." Frederick replied. "I approve of Anya and her family. I worried you would never find another woman like Easter."

"Anya isn't like Ease…other than she is a strong, independent woman," Darius disagreed.

"She is indeed. So is her sister, Amy. I like the display of flags and military memorabilia in your home office." Frederick complimented Darius. "I like the house also. You've chosen well."

"I think so." Darius refilled their coffee cups. Breakfast had been pumpkin pecan waffles with ham strips. They were due at Drew and Will's house for Thanksgiving dinner at four. "I have to take Morse for a walk and check on Molly and the puppies. Care to join me? I'm building an appetite. Drew and Will always feed me well."

~X~

"Well hello there, little lady," Darius cuddled the smallest of Morse's babies. Myka was two weeks old. The other puppies, all boys, opened their eyes in the last day or two. Darius wondered if Myka's deep blue eyes would develop dark chocolate eyes. He washed the puppies with warm wet washcloths after he bathed Molly and cleaned her kennel. He laid down a clean warm fleece blanket, and fed her cooked beef stew meat before he returned the wiggly puppies to her. He placed Myka at the first full teat before he placed her brothers…just to give her an advantage.

December 6

Darius had a difficult week. The puppies were starting to see and hear which wasn't as much fun as watching them attempting to stand on their own four legs. 'Wee ones wobble, and then they fall down.' Their pretty blue eyes were beginning to get muddy. He started potty training, which he decided was never fun. He used potty training to acclimate the dogs to the wash tub. He wouldn't bathe them until they were a month old. He put them in the tub, gave them a treat, and used warm wet sponges to clean them up.

December 13

"I brought you extra towels," Anya indicated a stuffed 30-gallon trash bag. "They are all shades of brown, and laundered to remove any finishing products. Merry Christmas to the puppies."

"I bought new packs of tennis balls, to coordinate with their color bands. I weighed, measured and named all of them also." He reached for his journal. "Red – boy – four pounds today – one pound at birth – I named him Mesa. Yellow – boy – three and three-quarters pounds today – fifteen ounces at birth – I named him Mage. Orange – boy – four pounds today – one pound at birth – I named him Mack. Green – boy – three and a half pounds today – fourteen ounces at birth – I named him Milo. Blue – boy – three and a quarter pounds today – fifteen ounces at birth – I named him Morn. Purple – the one and only little lady – nine-tenths of a pound at birth – three pounds today. She was the runt of the litter. I named her Myka."

"Mourn?" Anya spelled it.

"Morn, like the blue character from Deep Space Nine," Darius explained. "Myka's from Warehouse 13. Once I decided on those two names, finding other four letter names was a breeze." He examined the pictures he pasted to each puppy's page of information. "Myka stood still the whole time I brushed her. She loved her bath. The boys all tried to eat the sponge I used to wash their face and ears. Myka didn't require a lot of treats like the boys. She has a very sweet disposition. I think her left ear is deformed. I need to arrange for the vet make a call here and examine all of the pups."

"What are you doing?" Anya noticed the six closed crates in the walkway next to Molly's kennel.

"Crate training, voice training, potty training, and leash training," Darius sighed. "Plus they've cut their teeth, and it's not fair to Molly to let them nip at her all the time. So I'm bowl training…soft foods like beef cubes or canned dog foods. I'm starting to wean them."

December 20

"How's my girl?" Anya picked up Myka and gave her love.

"She's teaching her brothers the importance of not biting their baby sister," Darius laughed. "She plays rough and tumble with them…but she's definitely a little queen. She's a picky eater…she doesn't like dry dog food. I give her some, but she likes the canned dog food or beef cubes better. I plan to have the vet check her digestive system when they all have their checkup in January."

~X~

A stretch hummer, filled with over a dozen Santa Claus clad men, opened the door to a Seattle Sights tour bus and began delivering three-foot-square or four-foot-square red flannel or red fleece Santa sacks of presents to children in the two vets housing buildings and to children who lived in the RV campground of the Washington Warriors Complex. Northwest Food Bank delivered baskets of Christmas food to the families.

Once they were finished delivering to the families, a second tour bus, filled with packages and filled backpacks for every female vet were delivered next. The backpacks were filled with female toiletries, writing supplies, and winter needs of stocking caps, gloves and mufflers, and packages of thermal underwear and warm socks. The front one/third pocket was stuffed with Christmas treats. Northwest Food Bank followed behind the Santas with 25 precooked turkeys and all the trimmings for a Christmas dinner to feed 300.

A fourth tour bus, filled with packages and backpacks for male vets was delivered last. The backpacks were identical to the women's backpacks, except for the male toiletries. Northwest Food Bank followed behind the Santas with 25 precooked turkeys and all the trimmings for their Christmas Dinner.

Volunteers were set to serve a Christmas Eve dinner for both dormitories of chili or beef stew, green salad, hot rolls and dozens of trays of Christmas cookies. Gifts would be given out at breakfast on Christmas morning. Then volunteers would cook and serve roast turkey and all the trimmings for Christmas dinner.

Christmas

The Greys and extended families went to Aspen for Christmas. Ana thanked their housekeeper, Mrs. Castle, for putting up the white, chocolate and gold Christmas tree. Ana gave her some recipes at Thanksgiving, along with the menus for a week, and a grocery shopping list. Mrs. Castle made and cured a dozen small loaves of fruitcake – which was a 2:1 ratio of pecan pieces and golden raisins to candied fruit. Ana left recipes for fruit and nut mega muffins, Christmas cookies, quick breads, and Christmas bark candy. Using Ana's recipe, Mrs. Castle put a dozen take and bake lasagnas in the freezer for lasagna night.

Christmas dinner would be standing rib roasts with horseradish sauce or au jus, mashed Yukon gold potatoes, whole green beans, whole asparagus spears, Cesar salad, cracked black pepper and Asiago cheese dinner rolls, and white chocolate silk cake garnished with fresh raspberries. Dinner was served with excellent red wine or cranberry spritzers.

This year's theme was t-shirts – the funnier the better. The rule was you had to wear at least one a day. Christian and Ana ordered blue t-shirts for everyone. Ana wrapped packages for days. Gail brought a rolling footlocker for Ana to store and ship packages to Aspen before Christmas. She loved making t-shirts with the announcement, 'Coming Attraction, May 2014' with a picture of Teddy's latest sonogram.

"What's this?" Elliot gingerly held a snack-sized baggie with a pregnancy test in it.

"Pregnancy test…" Grace sucked in air.

"Baby?" Elliot's stunned face caused the entire room to burst into laughter.

"Yeah…Big Daddy…sometime in June." Kate wrinkled her nose. "Which is why I haven't been drinking lately…coffee or booze!"

"Why is it in a baggie?" Elliot asked.

"Because I peed on it!" Kate rolled her eyes. "Nobody ask if I'm saving it for the baby's book. I took a picture of it. The stick can get thrown away."

"Do you know the sex?" Grace asked.

"No, but I think it must be a girl because all I'm craving is carbs," Kate groused.

Christian quietly handed out the packages to announce their surprise.

Grandma Frannie opened her package and let out a whoop. "Two babies!"

Carrick groaned. He needed to buy some chocolate diamond earrings to match that chocolate diamond tennis bracelet Grace won for their bet. It looked like he had to buy his own cigars…and some for Daddy Elliot and some for Daddy Christian.

Kate and Ana hugged each other. "Did you plan yours?" Kate asked Ana.

"No, my shot failed…completely and utterly let me down," Ana groused. "Did you plan yours?"

"No, I was stupid…I had my bottom wisdom teeth extracted after Labor Day. They gave me antibiotics with the pain pills. I was stupid on drugs and didn't have my wits about me. So, I've done this to myself." Kate groaned.

"Not without help," Grace overheard their conversations and hugged her girls. 'GRANDBABIES.'

~X~

"I left something special in your stocking also," Ethan shoulder bumped Mia. It was a three carat, oval cut, pink diamond, Harry Winston engagement ring with a rose gold eternity ring wedding band. Mia was speechless when Ethan slid it on her finger. It wasn't until he threatened to take it back to the store that she found her voice and was able to say, "YES!" to his proposal. Ethan produced his own kissing ball made of mistletoe and soundly kissed Mia until everyone blushed.

December 27

"They are fully weaned and eating puppy food only." Darius sighed. "I feed them in the morning and at night. Myka is three pounds. Her biggest brother, Mage, is a couple ounces over four pounds. They are becoming accustomed to leash work and crate time. I throw out the different colored tennis balls, and they only go after their own color. It's amazing. Myka…she's such a love. She likes her baths, being brushed, and cuddled."

"Thank you for my gift, but you know I can't wear jewelry to work." Anya's tennis bracelet had eight clear diamonds for the ladies, four black diamonds for the lads, and one of each stone for the puppies – ruby, topaz, orange carnelian, emerald, sapphire and amethyst. He gave her a pair of amethyst studs from Myka.

"Thank you for having Mrs. Chang cook ten pounds of beef stew cubes and roast a twenty-pound turkey for the dogs. Thank you for my Christmas present of Omaha steaks for us to grill." Darius pinned Anya to the mattress. "Don't keep me awake all night, pretty girl. I have dogs to feed, bathe, run, train…"

"Then shut up and kiss me…or you will be in the doghouse," Anya threatened him. "Just because I have the weekend off doesn't mean we can waste our time together."

New Year's Eve – 2013

Jason Benjamin Taylor married his lady love, Gail Jean Davis Jones at two in the afternoon on New Year's Eve Day in the Center for Urban Horticulture Greenhouse on UDub's campus. While they had time the week before Thanksgiving, they applied for their license. Carrick recommended a judge, but agreed to keep their quiet wedding secret. Gail's sister stood for her. Adrian stood up for Jason. Sophie was their junior bridesmaid/flower girl. Gail wore a white suit; Jason wore a black one. Their flowers were petite white roses, white jasmine and sampaguita. A wedding dinner/mini reception was held in their Cascade Suite at the Fairmont Olympic. They had an extra bedroom for Sophie and seven days to start their new life without worrying about anything Grey.

However, their lives would change after the first of the year…as Jason's ex, Erika, would become engaged before midnight.