Enjoy

Sins of the father

Chapter 21

Some Seattle Morning

Ana's POV

I'm up before the sun in my old bed and my old room, still the same way it was when I left it.

I'm a little jetlagged, as I make my way to the kitchen to put coffee on for Kate and tea for me.

The thin layer of undisturbed dust on the furniture gives away that my Ex-roommate is rarely here long enough to clean up.

We only went to bed a few hours ago. We were up late last night gorging out on pizza and ice cream while trying to catch up before exhaustion took over and I went to bed.

The memories I was successful with keeping at bay last night, finally flood my mind as I throw away the empty pizza box and the melted carton of ice cream.

Thankfully, the happy memories enter first.

The day we moved in was more Elliot, Kate, and I goofing off around the apartment than unpacking furniture. The few times Christian came over to hang out with me before I moved in with him enter next. Followed by me running through the door, upset about something he'd done. That memory seems to be on a loop as it plays over and over again, only I'm wearing different outfits.

I'm sure I didn't run back here that often.

Me entering the apartment to check my mail comes crashing in next with me turning to see Leila behind me pointing the gun at my head.

The fear of that moment is still palpable. I shake the memories away and will them to recede as I take out my cellphone to text Hunter. Noticing the time, I think better of it. Its nearing midnight in Singapore and I don't want to wake him.

"Why are we up so early," Kate murmurs, collapsing on the couch like a fainting starlet.

"I guess I'm on New York time," I tell her, handing her the cup of coffee I made her.

"New York time sucks."

She sniffs the steam from the cup and moans, enjoying the smell.

"I can't believe you," I say, eyeing her.

"What," she asks, looking at me wide eyed with long lashes batting like Bambi's.

Her blonde hair is up in a messy bun and she is without makeup. The pink Hello Kitty PJs she's wearing helps her pull off the innocent look.

"Don' give me that 'what' look when you already know what you did. I can't believe you told Elliot you wouldn't marry him."

She gives a high-pitched sigh, putting the large Besties Before Testes mug I got her for her birthday on the coffee table without so much as a sip of coffee.

"He's the one that doesn't really want to marry me."

"How could you say that, Kate? He asked you, didn't he? He picked out the ring and everything."

"He only did it because he felt obligated to."

"Now you're just being stupid. He knows how lucky he is to have you. Why would he feel obligated to marry you all of a sudden?"

"Because he found out I was pregnant."

"No," I shriek. She nods her head yes right before I pull her into a hug. "KATE. Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know. I've been in denial, I guess. I mean, I obviously didn't plan on this happening. But apparently, Elliot found out the night I took the test."

"What do you mean he found out. You didn't tell him?"

"I was working up the nerve. I finally told him yesterday. I was surprised at how well he was taking the news. I mean, the last thing a manwhore wants to be reminded of is sexual responsibility and baby making. Heaven forbid, he actually gets the girl pregnant. But he was all for it. I mean really all for it, Ana. He was as cool as a cucumber about it, which is not the Elliot I know and love. Me being me, I wasn't going to let that slide, so I kept on him about it. Finally, he confessed he'd seen the test in the trashcan. The next day, he proposed to me."

"And that's why you don't want to marry him? You think he's doing it because he got you pregnant?"

"How could I not?"

"Okay, I admit the timing is suspicious, but I don't question the motive."

"I do," she says. "My parents married because mom got pregnant with Ethan. I don't want to make the same mistake."

"Kate, your mom and dad love each other. And Elliot loves you."

"Maybe."

"He does, Kate. Maybe finding out that you're pregnant made him rush things a little bit. Maybe finding out he's going to be a dad made him grow up a little bit too. Sudden parenthood seems to have that effect on the Grey men. But whatever the reason, you have to know he loves you and he truly wants to marry you. Give the guy an A for effort."

"You're right. I'm overreacting. Maybe its my hormones."

"Oh my God, Kate. This is…you're going to be a mom. I can't believe it. I'm so excited. I'm going to be a Godmother… wait, no I shouldn't assume that. You might want someone else-"

"Ana, of course you are going to be his Godmother. Don't be silly. Who else would I want? I wouldn't trust just any basic skank with my baby."

"So, I'm on the higher-ranking skank scale?"

"The highest," she laughs.

"We have so much planning to do," I tell her. "I can't believe it. A wedding AND making room for baby."

"That's a lot to accomplish in a week," she gripes. "Can't you ask for an extension?"

"Not a chance. I didn't even want to be here now in the first place."

"I'm hurt."

"Oh, come on. You know I love you, but I'm really looking forward to being with Hunter."

"Does this mug mean nothing to you," she asks, holding up the large white cup so I can read the besties before testes words written in hot pink print.

"Of course, it does," I tell her. "It means I need to cut off the balls you have for bringing it to my attention."

"ANA," she squeaks out my name. Her mouth falls open before she breaks out in laughter.

I hear my phone buzz on the kitchen counter where I left it.

"No," I groan at the message that just came in from my new boss.

"What is it?"

"The case I'm here working on. The judge threw out the paternity test late last night. He's ordered a new one to be administered here in Seattle."

"Judges are assholes."

"This is just terrific. I planned on being out of here in a week."

"Well, paternity tests don't take that long."

"I'm sure their lab is backed up. We needed this case to be closed. That's why we're pushing it."

"We?"

"Never mind," I tell her as my phone buzzes again.

"Who is it now?"

"Christian," I answer, absentmindedly. I type a reply to him asking if I'm available for when the Greys meet his son.

"He's texting you now. What the hell does he want?"

"He wants me to be present at a meeting, but I've already approved who he's meeting with."

"My God. The man is already attached to your hip. How the hell does he even know you're here? Big mouth Elliot must have told him. I'm going to kick his ass."

"I flew in with Christian. It wasn't Elliot who told him."

"You flew in… with Christian? You two flew in together? As in 'together' together?"

"Its work related, Kate. Nothing more."

"Work related," she repeats. I can see the Kate Kavanagh inquisition wheels start rolling around in her head. I retreat to the kitchen to start breakfast. "But you're a social worker now. What business is that of his?"

"I'm not at liberty to say," I tell her with my head in the fridge in an effort to divert her attention. "You want eggs?"

"Sure," she says, lost in thought. "So, are you going to meet with him today?"

"No. I don't need to be there. I'm all yours, babe. How fresh are these eggs, anyway?"

"Hmm," she says, not letting it go. "You said you've already approved the meeting?"

"Kate, will you drop it please."

"I can't. I come from a media family. Sniffing out a story is in my DNA," she jokes, then slaps her forehead with the palm of her hand as a thought enters her mind. "OH. MY. GOD. The paternity test you're bitching about. And this approved meeting with Christian that's 'work related'. He's the WE you were talking about pushing the case closed for. Please tell me karma has finally bit him in the ass and someone is trying to take him to the cleaners for knocking them up."

"Katherine Eloise Kavanagh, I am surprised at you."

"What? Its not like its really going to be his kid. I mean, Elliot swears he's keeping it in his pants but that's bullshit. He's getting his jollies off somehow."

"I try not to think about it," I tell her. Doing everything I can to put the thought out of my mind now.

''Sorry, Ana. I forgot the don't mention you know what rule about you know who."

"Its fine. Its not like I can avoid it being back here anyway. I'm sure it's only a matter of time before I run into some brunette with a brand new red Audi A3 and wardrobe. There has to be someone, right?"

"True, but the guy is not that stupid to knock someone up. Just the hell he has to go through to disprove it is deliciously sweet for me."

"You are awful."

"Hey, he ran my best friend off. He gets no love from me."

"He's your soon to be brother in law."

"Maybe."

I roll my eyes.

"You are off base about him. You'll find out about it all soon enough. So, do me a favor and cut him some slack when you do."

"The way he has Elliot worried about him all the time. I don't think so. He is a selfish ass that can't even bother to return his brother's phone calls half the time. He just cuts himself off all the damn time."

"I think that will change."

"Its going to take a huge miracle to change him."

"Maybe just a little miracle will do."

…..

Christian's POV

"Good morning Gail," I greet her, sitting down with the morning paper at the breakfast bar. I don't know why I still have the damn thing delivered when I can easily access what I need on my computer. I suppose its a habit I picked up from dad.

"Sounds like someone else is awake," Gail laughs at the dinging alarm going off in the kitchen when Christian's bedroom door opens.

"I think he has my sleeping habits," I tell her, noting the time. It feels like I just put him back to bed. I haven't even slept yet.

Elliot's words kept playing in my head over and over again whenever I tried.

Yeah, because you're not as cute as you were back then. Christian Grey is a straight up asshole now, compared to when you were Christian Barrington."

"What the fuck did you call me?"

"Christian Barrington. It was your name when I first met you."

"Why the fuck would you say a fucked-up thing like that to me?"

"I didn't mean anything by it, Bro. I just remembered it was like the bear you were holding. A Bearington Bear. The damn thing had on a yellow rainslicker and matching hat."

"I don't fucking believe this. Was it the name of the bear or was it my Goddamn name?"

"Hey, I don't know. I could be wrong."

"Are you fucking with me, El?"

"Come on, Bro. It was a long time ago. It just popped into my head just now. I swear. Shit just flies right out of my mouth sometimes, you know that."

"Are you sure that's the name that popped up?"

"Shit, don't listen to me, Little Brother. I could just be remembering that damn bear you were holding. Mom and Dad would have mentioned it to you a long time ago. So, it must be me remembering that stupid bear. Forget I said it."

"Did mom and dad tell you that's what it was? My last name?"

"I don't know. I can't think now under pressure."

"Try."

"I think maybe I heard Dad say it. He was on the phone trying to rush your adoption through. I remember repeating it. He told me never to call you that again. He was upset that I'd said it in the first place. Dude, it must have been the damn bear. I think he thought I was teasing you."

"Is that what Dad said?"

"I think he did. I'm sure I remembered it wrong. Just forget I said anything. I was dumb to say it like that in the first place."

My son suddenly appears, pulling me from my thoughts. His hair a mess on his head and the superman slippers on his feet match his pajamas. His bear is missing. I'm guessing he must have lost him somewhere in his sleep last night.

"Good morning," Gail and I say in unison.

"Hi," he croaks out. He's clearly not a morning person.

"Let's have some breakfast," I tell him pulling out the stool next to me and wait while he climbs up and sits down.

"Where's your bear?"

"Still sleeping," he says.

Well at least someone is taking advantage and sleeping in.

"What would you like to eat this morning?"

"Burritos," he asks instead of telling me what he wants. "Like on the TV."

"Burritos," I repeat, looking at Gail who nods knowingly.

I'm unsure if I like the idea of him eating Burritos for breakfast, but I trust Gail to fix them appropriately.

Twenty minutes later, she returns with breakfast burritos filled with tiny bits of sausage and my spinach omelet built in.

"Gail, this is excellent," I tell her between bites.

Christian just nods his head enthusiastically before drinking some of his orange juice.

The nodding motion makes him spill his juice on his pajama top.

"I'm sorry," he says.

"Its fine," Gail and I both say, rushing to fix it for him. The fear in his voice over the simple accident is disturbing to the both of us.

He recoils from her when she tries to dry him, causing her to back off.

"I'm glad you both like them," she says with a smile, giving him the napkin to clean himself. Her eyes move from me to Christian and back again. I'm sure she's still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that I have a son. "When you're done, I'll come back and clear. Later, I can help Little Christian get dressed for the day if you'd like."

"I would appreciate your help," I tell her.

I check my phone to see what the weather is going to be like and the forecast is spotty at best. I nix the plans of going sightseeing today and decide we'd be better off staying home. There are plenty of hidden areas around the penthouse that have yet to be explored.

"How about we stay close to home today," I ask Christian as he finishes up his burrito.

"Kay," he says. "I can watch cartoons?"

"Absolutely. You can bring some of your toys down if you'd like."

"I can?"

"Absolutely, you can. This is your home. You can play where ever you'd like. Just not too close to the edge of the balcony."

I don't know why I told him that. Its not like him going over the side is even plausible with the way the balcony is designed. Still, the instinct for me to warn him is there.

He covers his face to hide a laugh and nods his head in understanding.

"Cuz I'm not Superman?"

"That's right," I laugh. "No leaping off tall buildings."

"Sir," Taylor gets my attention. "Welch is on the line with the information you requested last night."

I look over at my son still drinking his juice.

"I'll look after the little guy, Sir," Taylor offers, seeing my hesitation.

"Thanks Taylor," I tell him turning to Christian. "Mrs. Gail will be back to help you get dressed. I'll come find you when I'm done with my phone call."

"Kay."

….

"Welch, what do you have for me," I ask him, picking up my private line.

"Nothing on the surface, Mr. Grey. I've looked at the entire Barrington clan and so far, they are squeaky clean. But there are a lot of them to go through."

"You sound impressed."

"Its impressive, but it just stinks of something. Its like they've all been cut from cheddar cheese. No family is this perfect."

"Agreed. There has to be some mold on that cheese somewhere. And I'm guessing it occurred about twenty-nine to thirty years ago."

"I take it you want me to dig back that far?"

"Yes. I want you to keep digging until you find something. Focus on the senior Barrington: Hunter Barrington II."

"He has a son of the same name: Hunter Barrington III."

"I'm well aware of that fucker."

"He also has a brother and a sister that disappeared."

"Disappeared?"

"Yes, Sir."

"When?"

"It doesn't say, Sir. All the information about her has been blocked out, for many years it seems. No name. No date of birth. Nothing."

"Fuck."

"I'll get with Barney and see what he can do about accessing it. In the meantime, I'll dig farther into the Senior Barrington."

"I need to know his activity twenty-nine to thirty years ago. See if he made any frequent trips to the states, especially the Detroit area. Keep me informed."

"Will do."

"Unfuckingbelievable," I say to myself hanging up the phone.

I want to kill my brother for putting this shit in my head with that Christian Barrington bullshit.

He has me contemplating on going to places I have refused to go since I was four fucking years old if not for my dreams dragging me back there to that hell.

Fuck it. I won't get any peace of mind anyway.

I get up from behind my desk and move the panel on the wall that hides my safe. Quickly I punch in the combination and swing it open to reveal the two items inside.

Everything else of value has been moved long ago, except for the two banker's boxes that now sit side by side.

One has just recently been added for my son to look through when he's old enough and ready to know all about his mother. I've also included the file I kept on her those months she spent as my submissive. I debated adding it, but finally I came to the conclusion that its his right to know. I would hate for him to discover it some other way on his own.

The other box belongs to me and its just about as old as I am.

Its color is faded and the edges are worn.

The information inside is protected. I made sure of that. Although, I have never looked for myself. I don't really plan to now. I only need to retrieve one thing from this box: a picture of my mother with her full name on the back.

It is identical to the one that I still have in my childhood bedroom. It still hangs on the corkboard where I pinned it. That photo has her first name, Ella scrawled on the back in what is believed to be her own handwriting. Her last name had gotten torn off over the years.

I asked Grace about the photo when I was fourteen. That's when she told me about the box she kept for me. It has everything she was able to find out about my mother, including the original picture, intact with her full name on the back.

The day she gave me the box, I shut down. I refused to look at it. I stopped speaking for a solid month. Not even Mia could reach me.

It sent my family into a tailspin and once I came out of it, the details of my past were never spoken of again by anyone in my family. Until Elliot had to go and half ass remember the one fucking thing that could be a potential shit storm.

Now, I eye the box, hesitating to lift the lid.

I only need to retrieve the crack whore's picture to read her name on the back.

I need to know if she was a Barrington. If she is the missing sister that disappeared.

If in fact, Elliot was not mistaken in his memory after all and I am truly Christian Barrington, son of Ella Barrington.

Is she the mold on the cheese that was blacked out of the family history?

If she is their dirty little secret, then so am I.

I suddenly feel protective of her. A surge to seek vengeance on her behalf rises in me and I allow it to take hold.

Nothing fuels me like the need for revenge.

Author's Note:

I will update again soon after the Thanksgiving holiday. To those who celebrate it, have a safe and happy one.

Thank you for reading and reviewing.