I groaned as the light began to filter back into my vision. My side was throbbing, but I could no longer feel the sharp burn of pain. I blinked a few times, trying to understand my surroundings.
"Anastasia?" I heard a soft voice ask as a warm hand slipped into my own. "Would you like some water?"
I nodded, watching as Grace Grey came into focus. I was lying in a white room on a comfortable bed. It looked like a bedroom, not a hospital room. She floated around the room, her blonde hair swept up in a classy chignon. Even taking care of an injury, she was dressed in a white collared shirt and gorgeous linen pants. I was envious of her grace.
"Where am I?" I croaked, taking a small sip of the water.
"We are at our house, darling. After tonight, it was the safest option for you. Don't worry, I'm a certified, practicing doctor at Seattle Grace Hospital and I was able to stitch you up very quickly. The knife only went in about an inch, and it was a small blade, so the scarring should be less than two inches. You were lucky though. Two inches over and it would have cut your femoral artery," she explained, perching on the side of my bed and still holding your hand.
"What about my friends?" I asked, suddenly panicked as I thought about the sheer look of terror in Kate's eyes.
"All safe, thanks to Elliot. He put them in good hands," she said, giving me a soft squeeze, her blue eyes alight with pride. "It's a good thing we decided to hire a bartender who happened to have excellent aim with a shot gun."
"My stepdad was in the Marines," I explained. "Where are they?"
"My father was in the Army, my mother was too, for a while actually," she said. "We managed to get in contact with Katherine and Ethan's parents who are looking after them, including Jose."
"Thank you," I said, extremely grateful.
"No, thank you, Anastasia. My son could be dead if it wasn't for you," she said, close to tears.
She stood and kissed the top of my head. "Get some rest, sweetheart. You'll be back on your feet in no time."
"Mrs. Grey, um, did anyone die?" I asked, scared to know the answer. Her face hardened.
"One patron passed, but if you're asking about the two men you shot, they are in the hospital. No one died at your hands," she said, leaving the room. I shuddered a deep breath of relief, and tried to relax back into the bed.
I woke up sometime later, to the sound of someone's voice.
"Oh, Ana!" Kate exclaimed, crying as she hugged me gently. I began to cry as well, letting out all of the pent up fear and emotions. We were crying out of sheer relief. We sat embraced for what seemed like hours.
"I'm so glad you're okay," I said when I finally found my voice.
"Me too, Steele. Me too. Jose and Ethan send their love, by the way," she said, wiping her eyes. "I don't really know how you are supposed to recover from something like this, but my parents wanted to let you know that they will set you up with a psychologist or whatever you need."
I smiled. "Please tell them thank you for, Kate."
"Anyways, my parents want me home, but I had to come and visit you," she said, standing.
"Could you help me to bathroom please?" I asked, unsure if my legs were sturdy enough yet.
"Of course," she said, helping me stand. It didn't hurt as much as I thought and Grace said it was just a deep scratch. I walked back to the bed by myself, still moving slowly, though.
"Love you Steele," Kate said blowing me a kiss from the door. "I'll see you at home in a couple of days. Call me when you go back- I don't want you staying there alone."
Before I could protest, she was gone. Someone else knocked on the door, and I was surprised when a short, black-haired girl entered the room.
"I'm Mia, Elliot and Christian's younger sister," she said, placing a tray of food on my lap. I mentally ran through the file in my head and was shocked there was no mention of her. "Mom sent me up with this. You need to eat at least one slice of toast and take an iron pill. You lost quite a lot of blood."
"Thank you so much, Mia. I really appreciate it," I said, realizing how hungry I actually was.
"How are you doing, Anastasia?" Carrick asked, appearing in the doorway.
I swallowed. "I'm surprisingly okay."
He smiled. "That's excellent to hear. We are all really grateful for what you did for Christian last night. And for how you handled yourself with a gun."
I shook my head. "I don't like violence."
He chuckled. "Well that didn't' seem to stop you. Anyways, Grace and I were thinking that we should offer you a different place of employment, one that's much safer than a bar."
I glanced up at him surprised. "What do you mean?"
"You're extremely loyal, even to people that you don't know that well. We would love for you to remain under our employment, but Grace would cut slit my throat if I offered you a position at the club. How would you feel about becoming my temporary assistant? I would give you a glowing recommendation when you decide to leave," he said, still standing at the foot of my bed.
"That would be incredible," I said, shocked. "Do you need a copy of my resume or anything like that?"
"Grace found one in your bag. I apologize for the breach of privacy, but we needed to check your wallet for identification," he said. I glanced at Mia and she glared at me before leaving the room. Carrick watched her go and sighed. "I won't lie to you, Anastasia. Mia was expecting to be offered the job, but since she refused to go to college, I refuse to hire her."
I didn't know how to respond to that and I just nodded. "When do I start?"
Carrick smiled softly. "Meet me at Grey and Sullivan on Monday at 9. Grace said you should be on your feet by then, considering the severity of your wound."
I nodded and went back to eating. I had a feeling Carrick offered me the position out of guilt and curiosity. If it helped pay the bills, I wasn't going to complain. But I needed to write a letter to Luke soon, and I needed to figure out who decided to shoot up the bar.
Grace entered the room a short time later and checked my vitals and re-dressed my stitches. "It's healing very well, Anastasia."
"Please, call me Ana," I said. "Thank you for taking such good care of me."
She grinned. "Only if you call me Grace. And it's my pleasure. Although, it was Christian who started responding to your injury first. We managed to stitch you up before the ambulances even arrived. He would like to come in and talk to you, if that's alright. He's unsure if you would resent him or blame him for the injury."
I balked at that. Grace chuckled and patted my leg. "I'll let him know it's okay to talk to you then. That's just how my son works, Ana."
Grace left and Christian entered the room. "How are you feeling?"
I smiled. "Relieved, and rather comfortable. These pillows are heavenly."
He smiled, looking younger than he had minutes ago. "Thank you for saving my life, Anastasia."
"I don't regret it," I said. "My stepdad would be rolling in his grave if he knew, though."
Christian's face became stoic. "Grace said he was in the Marines."
I nodded. "So was my birth father, but he died before I was one. Ray was the only father figure I really knew. He had to make sure his little girl was able to take care of herself."
Christian smiled. "I think he would be exceptionally proud of you."
I bit my lip. "Christian, I have to ask. Who wanted to target the bar?"
He sighed and ran a hand through his unruly bronze hair, his grey eyes flashing with barely concealed anger. "One of the patrons pissed off a local gang and they came for retribution."
I knew it was a lie and I raised my eyebrows. "Christian, did Ryan tell you how I managed to convince him to hire me?"
He shook his head and I continued. "He pulled a gun on me, but it wasn't loaded and the safety was still on. I could tell all of that from one cursory glance. They weight distribution was off. I also know that the shooting was an assassination attempt. But if a patron was their target, there would be more collateral damage."
Christian continued to gaze at me and I decided to drive the point home. "They didn't shoot at me to kill me. They fired warning shots in my direction to get me on the floor, because they didn't know who I was. This was premeditated and they knew you would shoot from in front of the bar. They knew how you would react and that all of you would be heavily armed. They tried to kill, you, Christian."
He stared at me. Running a hand through his hair and exhaling, he sat down on the bed. "Grace and Carrick come form military families. Guns are part of that life, and since we have reached a certain level of fame, it's necessary to have protection on us at all times. We have a lot of enemies, Anastasia, as you saw last night. However, it cannot be public knowledge that this was an assassination attempt."
"I wasn't going to tell anyone," I said. "But if I'm going to keep working for your family, for my own protection, I need to know how often I can expect something like this to happen."
Christian looked surprised. "Most people would sell the story."
"I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not most people," I said narrowing my eyes.
He sighed. "This is the third time the bar has been shot up and our club has been set on fire and someone was stabbed there."
I nodded, trying not to let that information shock me. I had no idea why these incidents weren't in my file, as they should be part of the public record.
"We make hefty donations to Seattle Police Department every year in order to keep things like this off the front page. It would reflect badly on Carrick's practice and my business," he explained. Good, I thought. He knows that illegal and legal business practices don't mix. "I need to get going, but I am indebted to you, Miss Steele. Thank you."
I stayed at the Grey's house for another night at Grace's insistence. I didn't see Elliot, Christian, or Mia for the rest of my time there, but Carrick and Grace were lovely hosts. I didn't want to admit that I enjoyed their company or that they were some of the most generous and gracious people I had ever met, but they were. I had to remember what they were capable of, especially after Carrick brought up the loss of one of his good friends, Stephen Morton, who died in a boat accident. I knew he was talking about Ray's undercover identity and it tested my acting abilities to remain sympathetic and not break down in tears over someone I had to pretend I didn't know. Carrick explained more about my duties as his new assistant- fielding calls, organizing meetings, and keeping the law firm running. I was surprised Carrick was willing to entrust some of those activities to me, considering they didn't really know me. It had to have been my loyalty to them.
Grace drove me back to my apartment, and I found myself wanting to see her again. She invited me over for dinner on Saturday evening.
"Hey Steele," Kate said from the kitchen. "That big box by the door came for you, by the way."
"Thanks Kate," I said, heading into the kitchen to grab a pair of scissors.
"Wine?" she asked, holding up a bottle of Chardonnay.
"Yes please," I said. "When did the box arrive?"
"Maybe two or three hours ago," she said pouring wine into two glasses. "I ordered a pizza by the way. I didn't think you'd be up for cooking."
I smiled at her, thankful for her thoughtfulness. She followed me back out into the living room to watch me open the mystery box. I kneeled down slowly, pleased there wasn't any pain from that shift in position. I opened the box and started laughing when I saw what was inside.
"Pillows?" Kate asked confused.
"These are the same pillows that the Grey's have," I explained pulling out two of the plush pillows.
"That's sweet of Grace," Kate said, picking one up. "These are really nice."
"They're not from Grace," I said, picking up the small envelope form the bottom of the box. I opened it to reveal a small note.
Anastasia,
I realize this pillows are in no way worth the same as the sacrifice you made, but I hope they speed up your recovery.
Christian
Kate plucked the card from my hands and raised her eyebrows when she saw who the sender was. I ducked my head as I started to blush and picked up the two pillows before retreating to my room. I set the pillows down on the window bench and tried in vain to remember if the file mentioned Mia Grey. Something was off already, and I quickly sent a letter to Luke notifying him of the shooting and the absence of Mia from the FBI's official record.
I rejoined Kate in the living room when I heard her answer the intercom and buzz up the pizza delivery guy. We spent the rest of the evening watching The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, laughing and drinking our way through the bottle of wine.
I woke up early the next morning and wrapped my stomach in saran wrap before stepping in the shower. Grace was right- it was a very thin, short incision. Much smaller than I had expected it to be. I stole a page from Grace's book, deciding to wear a white button up shirt and navy pencil skirt. Sighing I stepped into nude heels and packed my purse with my iPad, phone, and lunch. Kate waved to me, still sweating from her workout as I left the apartment, giving myself enough time to be able to drive through downtown Seattle during rush hour. That was the one main downside of the job.
I pulled into the underground garage, unsurprised that every car parked was some sort of luxury vehicle. I stumbled slightly in my heels, wincing when I threw my arm out suddenly to steady myself against my car. Slow movements were key. I strolled through the parking lot to the elevator and let it take me up to the top floor.
"Hello, can I help you?" A blonde receptionist asked.
"Um, I'm Anastasia Steele," I said, about to continue before the blonde girl nodded and jumped to her feet.
"Welcome to Grey and Sullivan, Miss Steele. If you'll follow me, we'll get you set up with an ID badge and someone to oversee the official signing of your employment contract," she said, walking through the office to a glass conference room. She offered me something to drink and I shook my head no. "My name is Olivia Edwards by the way. If you need anything, a lunch buddy or anything, please don't hesitate to ask."
"Thank you," I said, genuinely happy to fine someone so welcoming.
"This is a boys club. There are a few female lawyers, but they don't respect any other women unless they are on equal footing. It's ridiculous. I'm scheduled to sit the bar exam in four weeks and they refuse to even acknowledge me," she said, obviously upset. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that. I really need this job!"
I chuckled. "Don't worry, Olivia, I'm here because I need this job too. And I completely agree with you. Call me Ana, by the way."
She smiled and left the room. A well dressed man in a suit entered the room and shook my hand, pulling out contracts for me to sign. I was shocked at my salary, but I had a feeling Olivia made just as much. Carrick slipped into the room and placed an ID badge on the table.
"Welcome, Anastasia," he said happily, gesturing for me to follow him. The floor was surprisingly noisy as we walked past desks and more glass meeting rooms and offices. "This is the floor for the founding partners and senior partners. We believe in an open concept as not to segregate people from one another. This job can be extremely taxing, but being able to look up and chat to another lawyer easily helps with the morale and promotes collaboration on particularly difficult cases. I do however, have an office."
I took note of the sharply dressed men talking and chatting, some in deep conversations in the conference rooms, others huddled around desks in the middle of the room.
"This is where you'll be working," Carrick said, gesturing to a desk placed right outside of the side entrance to another glass office. There was a glass partition about six feet in front of the desk, creating a kind of hallway to Carrick's office. There were two chairs and a coffee table and I had a feeling I was supposed to babysit people before they took their meetings with Carrick. "Olivia will be in close contact with you, patching through calls, alerting you if there are people who need showing back to my office or to one of the conference rooms. The computer is set up with our calendar system. Honestly, I'm not to picky about your assisting style, so feel free to call me if you have questions. However, I do have an irrational hate for post-it notes, so please only resort to them if you cannot reach me for any reason."
I chuckled. "I think I've got it all. I'll let you know if I have any problems."
I sat down at the desk, my back to the expansive window. I turned the chair to check out the view and smiled to myself when I saw Grey House sitting right across the street. Christian liked to keep his father close. And I had a feeling it was that way around.
The phone rang, causing me to jump, and I quickly grabbed a pen and a legal pad before answering. "Grey and Sullivan, Carrick Grey's office. How may I help you?"
"Hello, this is Boyce Fox. A number of my clients have filed individual complaints against the owner of Shades of Grey. I understand that the owner is Carrick Grey," a commanding voice said.
"Please hold, Mr. Fox," I said, quickly checking the laminated paper explaining how to hold a call and which number to press to get Carrick's line.
"Anastasia?" Carrick asked.
"Uh, I have a Mr. Boyce Fox notifying you of a number of complaints that have been filed," I said, nervously.
"Oh yes, today is Monday. Can you write down the names of the lawyers and the clients please? Just say I'm out of the office on a personal day. I'm afraid almost all of the calls today will being notices of complaints," he responded.
"Of course, Mr. Grey," I said, realizing that I should endeavor to be as professional as possible. I hung up and switched lines again.
"Thank you for holding Mr. Fox. If you don't mind, may I please have the names of your clients? Mr. Grey is out of the office, taking a personal day as you can imagine, especially after what he witnessed on Friday night. I'm sure you understand," I said, laying it on thick. The man on the line cleared his throat and I smirked at his vocal gesture of nervousness. He gave me the names and I created a list under his name.
Another call was patched through as soon as I placed the phone back in the cradle. I followed Carrick's instructions for every call that was patched through after that. Some were genuine, some were angry patrons wanting to yell at someone. I was losing my patience with the last category.
"Excuse me, sir, but I will not be subjected to this abuse," I said raising my voice after he called me a useless whore. "Mr. Grey is out of the office, no doubt trying to recover from the same trauma you experienced! If you want to sue someone or yell at someone, sue the City of Seattle! The bar followed every law when it came to the number of exits and occupancy for a fire! There are no precautions in place if a shooter enters any building. Apparently, that's necessary in this day and age- imagine if this happened in a school! If you want to yell at someone join the gun control protests on Capitol Hill!"
There was silence on the other end of the line, and I hung up, angrily, glancing up at the stares and impressed expressions of the other lawyers on the other side of the glass. Carrick was leaning against the doorway of his office, looking impressed. I was surprised by his reaction- I was certain I would be fired after my little outburst.
"I think you may have found your calling, Anastasia. Why don't you go ahead and take your lunch break now. I'll introduce you to my senior partner after lunch. I think you might be too advanced for this job," he said, strolling back into his office before I could even respond. The other lawyers were still staring and me and some were even smiling in encouragement.
The response for this story has been absolutely amazing and I want to personally thank each and every one of you for taking the time to read this story! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story as well!
Fun Fact: Boyce Fox is an actual character from the original FSoG Trilogy! Not just a random name from my imagination!
