Moving On In Circles

Ted's POV:

"Sawyer, there is something you can do for me, but I am not sure you are going to want to give it to me." I tell him. Sawyer sits in front of me.

"Tell me what it is" Sawyer instructs. The thing is that I don't know if it will have any answers that I am seeking. I am literally clutching at straws here.

"Firstly ..." Before I'm able to speak, we hear the front door open and close. Both our attention is now focused on the doorway, and there enters Taylor. It is as if he is supposed to be here. Taylor and Sawyer nod at each other. Then, Sawyer walks out, and Taylor takes his seat in front of me.

"So Ted, you want something that you don't think we are going to give to you. What is it? I suspect it has to do with Lily leaving last night." Taylor asks.

"Hang on, how do you know about that? And what exactly do you know? Aren't you supposed to be with my parents or at least were?" I question.

"I was with your parents, and they are extremely secure if you are concerned. Sawyer and I have just swapped duties. Your current need of a CPO right now, far outweighs that of your parents, which is why I am here." Taylor informs me.

"So what do you know?" I query

"Everything. I know Lily stayed in your bedroom, the letter, you storming into her house. Everything!" Taylor states in a causal manner. It is as if he handles this type of craziness every day.

"How do you always know everything?" I ask taken aback. I am quickly learning that I will never have any secrets.

"Now that would be giving away all my secrets. So Ted what is it you want?" Taylor asks to get us back on track.

"I want you and Welch to try and locate Lily for me. I can't locate her on her phone for some reasons. Secondly..."Taylor's expression is unreadable.

"I thought there was only one thing?"

"See maybe you don't always know everything, and it must be a Grey family trait, we always ask for more." Taylor laughs a little and shakes his head at me. "Secondly, I also want to look at Lily's background check."

"There is no such thing. Your parents, especially your father had known Lily's parents even before you were born. When Ros went to work for your dad, a check was done then. Your dad helped them adopt Lily and has known her entire life, so there is none. There was never a need to do so." Taylor tries to convince me.

"Yes there is" I rebuff.

"Then you are wrong:" Taylor says steadfast.

"No, I am not. There is no way that my father wouldn't double check on Lily, just in case, especially when I started to date her." I look at Taylor, and he isn't budging. "Taylor, please, I know that my father ordered a report. I know so because he loves me too much and would do anything to make sure I am safe. Just tell me approximately where it would be, and I will take the initiative to find it."

Taylor stands up and looks at me. He is thinking deeply. "Your father does a lot of work in his study here, and he keeps a lot of documents in the large cabinets in there. You are right when you say that your father loves you a lot. He has loved you since the day, month and year you were born." Taylor gives me a small nod and walks away. I look at him curiously but don't dwell on his riddles. I head off quickly to the study.

I go to open my father's cabinet, but it is locked. I look for the keyhole, thinking I may be able to break into it, but there isn't one. I look around and finally find a keypad. What on earth could the password be? I try some codes but nothing works. Damn! I bang my fist on the cabinet when I realize that Taylor has given me the password to open the cabinet. 'Your father loves you a lot, has done since the day, month and year you were born'

I put my birth date into the digital pad, and I hear a soft noise. The cabinet opens. I quickly start to search until I find the file. I sit down and read it, trying to find some answers.

# # # #

Christian's POV:

After a very life affirming weekend at ESCALA, Ana and I get into the SUV to return home to the sound. It is Monday morning, and the sun is shining. Not a cloud in the sky, in fact this summer has been brilliant. Perfect weather, my perfect wife back in my arms and my perfect son at home, where he belongs. I had originally planned to take Ana out to buy furniture for the baby's room, but it is our other child that needs our time on this day.

"Is there anymore word on Ted?" Ana asks concerned.

"No," I inform her honestly. Sawyer contacted Taylor when the situation with Ted and Lily transpired. Taylor requested that he be sent to the house rather than us leave to join Ted. A fact that annoyed me, but we agreed. Both Ana and I trust Taylor wholeheartedly I take a deep breath in. I know I need to talk to him and discuss what happened, father to son. Taylor told us that he spent all day in my study and studied the background check. I don't know what that would tell him. There is little in there that would tell him anything. Ana and I enter the house and are met by Taylor.

"Ted is in the study. He is physically well." Taylor informs us.

"He went back into the study this morning?" I enquire. How many hours does he want stare at a few documents for?

"No. He never left." I narrow my eyes, horrified at Taylor's statement. That means that he has been in there for 24 hours. Upon entering, we find Ted asleep with his head on the desk and the file on Lily still open.

"Ted. Wake up" Ana says going around and putting her hand on his shoulder. Slowly Ted wakes up. He looks devastated, tried and confused.

"What time is it?" Ted asks. His voice is husky and a symptom of his lack of sleep.

"8am." Ana tells him concerned. Ted stands up and goes over to his mother and gives her a warm hug.

"Do you want anything? Have you eaten?" Ana asks.

"I am not hungry. Do you both know that Lily is gone?" He enquires.

"Yes" I reply.

"Have you spoken to Ros? Does she know where she is?" Ted asks me anxiously.

"I haven't spoken to Ros. I do know that she and Gwen are on their way back to Seattle" When Ted and Lily started to date, we both agreed to leave their relationship out of Grey House. We have worked closely for years and have been able to remain professional, which we will continue to. I know Ted will want to talk to her and I won't stop him.

Ted sits on the couch and covers his face with his hands. Ana and I look at each other, desperately concerned. He has only seen her for a couple of months, and they are both extremely young. This reaction is rather intense, though I understand how he is feeling. I felt the same when it came to Ana. There is a knock at the door, and Taylor enters with coffee for Ted and I and cup of tea for Ana. It is a very much appreciated gesture. We sit and drink, but Ted doesn't offer up any information.

Ana gets close and whispers into my ear. "Talk to him, He needs a dad more than a mother right now." I nod as she gets up. She kisses Ted on the cheek and then walks out.

"Ted, I want to help you. I don't know what I can do to help, but if it is within my power I will. " I offer.

"Dad I just don't even know why she left?"

"What happened after your mother and I left on Saturday?" I enquire. Ted shuffles a little and I know already part of what he is going to tell me.

"After you and Mom left, everyone else hung around we had dinner together then they left. It was just Lily and I at this point. I offered for her to stay here so she wouldn't go to an empty home. She agreed when I reassured her it would be fine. That no one would be upset. We were both nervous. We knew that we wanted to be together, you know..." Ted stops and looks at me trying to judge if I understood what he meant.

"Ted, before Saturday night, had either of you, been intimate?" I question.

"No. The most we had done was kiss, hold hands that sort of stuff. We were both virgins"

"Were?" I query. A thousand questions run through my mind. Were they safe? Were they even ready?

"We started to kiss. Really kiss, it was terribly raw and necessary, and she asked me to take her upstairs. I took her into my bedroom and went to the bottom drawer of my bathroom and took the box of condoms out."

"You used them didn't you?" I ask. Ted looks at me confused. "I mean you did use a condom, you didn't just take the box out right?"

"Of course I used one Dad. I am not an idiot" Ted replies in defense. I take a long breath out, relieved.

"I know that Ted. I am sorry for my allegation. It is just that you are both so young. I just had to be sure that you were safe. That is all" I tell him to calm him down. "Please keep telling me what happened."

"Well sparing you the gory details. We did it. It was remarkable and glorious." Ted looks down to the floor. A stray tear runs down his face.

"Is that when she left?" I ask

"No. Afterwards, we lay in bed, and I told her I loved her" Ted confesses. I look at my son is surprise. I didn't know that was how he felt. I knew he would fall in love with her, but it seemed unusually soon.

"Did she reply?" I probe.

"She asked me to clarify what I said, and I told her again that I loved her. That she owned my heart. That I wanted her to live with me when we are in college, she didn't respond, but she smiled. I mean she truly smiled. She wasn't faking it Dad, she was happy at the thought. She moved closer to me and fell asleep. I did also. Everything was awesome." Flash backs of Ana telling me that she loved me for the first time hit me, me pushing her away and her leaving me for the first time. My heart breaks at the memory and for Ted. Is this why she left? Did she get scared?

"When I woke up and found the note, everything was shattered. Dad, how does everything go from perfect to catastrophic so quickly?" Ted scrunches his eye, desperately trying not to cry.

Ted's question resonates with me. This is exactly what happened to Ana and me at one time. "Ted, love is hard. You just have to do your best to keep it going and keep in mind that you may not always know what the other person is thinking. You just have to do your best, no matter what. Keep going for what you want."I advise him.

"I rushed over to Lily's place after I was finally about to talk to her on the phone. She hadn't left yet. I pushed my way into her house, past their housekeeper. You need to know that, you may get a call from the housekeeper. She was terribly upset"

"I will handle that. Don't worry about it" I reassure my son.

"When I arrived at Lily's house I found that she had already left. I was too late. I tried to track her through our iPhones, but she has blocked her phone. I came home, then Taylor arrived and he may have given me a hint on how to get this background check on Lily. Please don't fire him." Ted requests. I nod in agreement. I would never fire Taylor for this. I told him to let Ted see the report if it would help, even if it was to keep himself from going stir-crazy.

"Find anything interesting, anything significant?"

"No. Except you have the names and addresses of Lily's birth parents. Do her parents even know this piece of information?

"Yes. I shared it with them, but I do not know what they did with it." I inform him. Before Ted can continue, we are interrupted by a knock on the study door.

"Enter." I call out, suspecting it is probably Taylor or Ana. However, I find that I was wrong as Ros enters with Ana. "Ros, you are back"

"Yes. I came straight here, whilst Gwen has gone back to our apartment. Can I sit down?" Ros requests

"Of course." Ros sits in the single seat chair, whilst Ana sits next to our son. She puts her hand on his shoulder, protective of him.

"Ted, Lily called me and told me what she did and what happened. She has gone away for the next couple of weeks and will then go on to college. She is safe and is with a family member. She doesn't want you to worry about her. She knows that you would be worried."

"Can I see her? Can you tell me where she has gone?" Ted pleads.

"Not right now, and only when she is ready to see you again" Ros replies.

"But I don't understand, what have I done, that means she needed to go away and not want to see me?" Ted is flustered.

"Ted it isn't what you have done, but what others have done!" Ros starts to explain. "Lily found the new addresses of her birth parents, and she chose to write to them, without us knowing. She wanted them to know about her, about dating you and the other aspects of her life. She was so happy and excited about the state of her life that she wanted her birth parents to know what an incredible life they had given her. The only thing she wanted from them was to know that they were proud of her, and deep down she wanted to know that they had loved her. She never received any reply from her birth mother. She wrote a couple of letters to her, even had them registered, so we know she got them, but never a reply. Her birth father wrote saying that he didn't want any communication with her as he had his own family. This all came out a few days ago. Lily remained strong, but we knew that she felt dejected." Ros closes her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. I stand up and get her a glass of water from the mini bar in my study.

"Here Ros, drink this" I offer.

"Thanks. Lily called me after she left here during the evening. She admitted to me that she had been struggling. She had been feeling that she didn't deserve for people to love her, besides myself and Gwen. If her own birth parents didn't feel anything for her, or care to give her any time of the day, then why would other people. So Ted, last night when you told her that you loved her, it scared her. Lily didn't know how to feel, she was scared that you would stop loving her in the future if she accepted your feelings and loved you back. She ran because of her fears" Gwen uncharacteristically starts to cry. I have never seen her cry.

"I need to talk to her. Let me know where she is! Please." Ted begs.

"Look Lily needs time. Give her time Ted, eventually she will come around. But she is stubborn and needs to do this her way. So I am here to request you respect her wishes of time and do not try to call or see her" Ros is back to her old self now. Taking charge and laying down directions.

"I don't know if I can" Ted states.

"You have to, or you will push her further away" Ros exclaims. Ted looks in pain and is pulling at his hands as he looks down.

"Can I write to her? It will be her choice whether or not to open the letters?" Ted offers.

"Yes. I guess that will be okay. You can pass them on to me and I will forward them on to her." Ros offers. Ros leaves the house, herself looking distraught at the series of events which have occurred. Both Ana and I sit next to Ted and try to comfort him as best as possible.

Ted's POV:

At College – three months later

It is Monday morning, the week of Thanksgiving, and I am leaving on Wednesday evening to be home in time. It is early in the morning, and I have arrived home after an early training session. It was Dad's suggestions to get me a personal trainer here to relieve my stress and regain focus. I was rather hesitant, especially after a few sessions with his trainer, but I soon saw the merit in it. It hasn't made me forget Lily, but it has done a lot for my physical structure. During the hour that I train, I am at least focused away from other matters the rigors of school and class have also been a much valued diversion. So alas my academic performance has reached new heights, but all I wish is to talk to Lily.

I sit down, still in my sweats, and drink my coffee and eat breakfast. I pull out the same old pad of paper and pen that feature in my Monday mornings and write a letter to Lily. This forms the other part of my Monday morning. It has become a ritual and one I have kept up since I woke up that Sunday and found that she had left. At first, I sent these letters through her mother's but now I send them to her dorm at MIT. It wasn't too hard to get her address. I befriended Welch, during my summer work at Grey House, and he found her address for me as a personal favor and under the provision that my father or Ros never learnt of his contribution.

Originally I wanted to write to her every day to let her know that I loved and missed her, but she wanted me to let her be. I made a personal compromise and have been only sending a letter once a week. I know she gets these as O'Connor, personally delivers them to her dorm and even to her personally occasionally, but I do not know if she reads them. My father knows that I send them, but I am unsure about Ros. Either way they both decided to stay away from this situation and be professional about it all when Lily ran off. Both still work together remarkably successfully.

I check my phone, before having a shower to head off to class, and there is no text or new email of significance. My mother started maternity leave four weeks ago. Actually Dad threatened to drag her out of the Grey Publishing building if she didn't comply. I had to agree with dad on this one, she was already 36 weeks, and was certainly feeling the effect of the pregnancy. She needed to admit it to herself that she needed to care for herself and rest. My mother is now on pregnancy watch, she is now watched even more closely a fact that she is now finding it hard to overcome if she is in the bathroom too long someone checks on her.

I arrive early for my first class and enter the lecture theater. The room is rather bare. I open up my new iMac, a gift from my parents once I started college, and start an email. I email my father, knowing he will be with my mom. He won't leave her now.

To: Christian Grey

From: Theodore Grey

Subject: Only child syndrome

HI Dad,

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. Just wondering if I will be at only child still, by then, any developments?

How is Mom?

Love you both,

Ted

I pull open my introduction to economics book to where we are in the course. My focus is interrupted by dad's quick reply. It is 10am here, meaning its 6am at home, but he is an early riser.

To: Theodore Grey

From: Christian Grey

Subject: Sibling rivalry is yet to come

Hey Ted,

Your mother is doing fine, especially now that she is not working. She is resting and eating well. Dr Greene told us to wait if she goes past her date then they will induce her or do a c-section. Your stubborn mother won't consider a c-section. She prefers to deliver naturally as she did with you. She is sleeping next to me right now.

The GEH jet will be ready at the Boston Airport Wednesday evening after your classes. We are both ecstatic to have you home for our first proper Grey family Thanksgiving. The Whole family will be here, and your aunt Mia is flying in tomorrow.

Is there anything you need or want?

Love you,

Dad

CEO of Grey Enterprise Holdings

I think about his offer, and there is one thing I am interested in.

To: Christian Grey

From: Ted Grey

Subject: Since you offered…

There is only one thing I want and need. Convince Ros to talk to Lily about me going and seeing her. It has been months now.

Ted Grey.

Christian POV:

I re-read Ted's email. Taking his request into consideration, I would have thought by now he would have spoken to Lily, or they would have gone their separate ways, but alas they are still in stalemate. I am about to respond to Ted when Ana wakes and grabs my wrist.

"Christian!" Ana screams. I drop my laptop and shift to be able to help her.

"What is wrong?" I ask anxiously.

"It's the baby. I am in labor" She tells me. Excitement, fear, and panic hit me all at once.

A/N: thanks to everyone reading and reviewing. Cheers to Crystal 9034 for editing.