Chp49 aspen is green.

Portland: Thursday morning. 3am.

Grace pov.

I am lying in bed, with Mikey in my arms. He is so afraid of losing me. Cary comes in and tell us to get up and dress. We are waiting in the wheelchairs, when he returns. The whole family has escaped the press and Hospital. We are the last ones.

Arriving at the airfield. We board Christian plane. I expect a short trip to Seattle. I need to get back to work. The plane turns east. I look out the widow as lights of Portland dim in the distance. "Everyone attention. We are going to my house in Aspen, it a little rough, but its big enough for everyone. Gail and Ben will meet us there. I would like to say a priest will be available at Aspen. We mourn are fallen friends and coworkers." Christian speaks.

"Christian when did you get a house in Aspen?" "the Closing was last night at midnight. Mom, don't worry, Security is tight." He nods to Taylor, who returns the nod. I can't help but worry. My children are targets of madmen. Mikey wanders over to look out the window. He curls into me. I find such comfort in him. I notice that Elisa is looking frustrated, I've seen her look angry at Mikey, and even Mia. I wonder what is going on.

The house is a large rambling farmhouse build ten years earlier by a rich stockbroker. The thirty acres of land is an oasis in the valley of overpriced mega mansions, and pretentious people. Christian is planning to tear down the house and have Elliot build a more harmonious building, modern but organic to the land. I find the current house, a soulless, confusing, collection of small room, and overdone wood work. It was obliviously build to impress, the problem is you have to be vain and shallow to get it.

The Girls sequester me in the Master suite. I try to change rooms. But Anna is having none of my excuses. She is the Lady of the house. I marvel at her ability to focus on the problem at hand. She finds solutions that leave everyone feeling good, and cherished. My own problem is the DNA test; I had done on Mikey. How do I tell them without destroying the family? Or more selfish how do I not lose my new youngest son. I what him, like I wanted all my children. My need to help my problem children is a driving force in my life.

The shadows chase along the wall rising every higher, with jagged outlines as the mountains shield the fast westerly setting sun. I relax, tomorrow the bandages get changed. An I wait. My Mummy gag of chasing the kids with out stretched arms. Moaning in my best horror movie. The whole thing is running thin.

I hear the door open as Carrick slides into me. cuddling me. we hear the door creak. I smile. "It's alright, come here" I sweep back the covers as Mikey lay in our arms. I stroke his forehead. My baby boy. "Mikey what do you remember, about the before the hospital and Luke.?" He shakes violently. I whisper words of love and caring.

Xxxxxxx

Mikey pov.

I am scared. I want the calm and peace of being a grey. The belonging. The feel of family. I fear losing the brass ring again. I huddle in the game room of the Aspen house. Wishing I was special, normal, not racked by doubts and guilities. Why did god make me smart and then destroy my mind? I focus on the wall counting the imperfections in the woodwork. I reach eight thousand. The sky as fallen to night. I feel afraid.

I creep my way along the hall, listening to the couples, my family, lose in sex. I want sex, but I never meet anyone I want it with. The pretty girls either runaway or pity me. treating me like a retard. Just because how I speak, or play with Lego's. my sisters never treat me like that. I am happy around Mia, Mary, Kate, Shawnee, and especial Anna. Anna is a bright light in the darkness. She is so able to find the right words, touch, and expression to sooth me. She has seen the evil men, a survived like me. Luke and Christian, Steve have seen the evil men, a become hard, angry, even evil at times. But Anna and me have become soft, calm, giving. giving the word Anna uses.

I open the door to mom's room, Dad is with her. I start to leave. "It's alright, come here" I crawl into her arms. She covers us with the blanket, I feel dad hand on my side. I am happy.

"Mikey what do you remember, about the before the hospital and Luke.?" I shake violently. As the deep emotions crush my chest, making the breath hard and painful. The before, the first brass ring. The bad times in the system, the pain and humiliation of being retarded, deformed, a forgot, waste of humanity. Her hold never lessens; she coos soft words. I am safe, loved, cherish. Accepted, yes accepted.

"I remember bits and pieces, like lost jig saw pieces." I whisper quiet. If the voice is low the demons won't hear me.

"Do you remember people or places?" the orphanages, foster home, the hospitals. The constant uncertainty of living, eating, the starving. The mental torments of uncaring people. What do I want to remember verse what I remember? The demons and ghost that tortured me.

"I remember Aunty in Brooklyn, and Sister Mary of the funny hat, Teacher Tania, and Emm." I have such flashes of their faces. The last time I saw them. The pain of me leaving.

"Sister Mary of the funny Hat?" I giggle. "Yes, she was a Sister, I can't remember the order, but she wore a funny hat like the one who fly's about the Sunday night." She giggles with me. "Yes I remember the TV show; I can't remember the order either." Grace speaks.

"Teacher Tania?" I remember her blonde hair in rainbow colors. With bright green eyes of intelligence, and discovery. The way the staff treated her with scorn and abuse. The happy sing song way she danced about the day room, reciting the periodic tables. The way she would stare at nothing for days after the electro-shocks of the evil men in white. Her body hanging from the window in her room, her dainty feet just not touching the floor. How sad I was she left me, alone in the dayroom looking at the beach.

"She was at the nut house looking at the beach. She died after they took her mind away." I shake at the memories." Mommy stroke my head and kisses my neck and hair. I like when she does this, I feel safe. she waits a long time to ask the next question. I feel dad's hand lightly stroking my elbow. Letting me know he cares. I sink into the cocoon of love.

"Emma?" I can't talk, I just burro deeper into her arms. Hoping the faces wouldn't find me. After a long time, I speak "She's dead, the evil man in green killed her with a snap baton."

"Wolcott?" "Yes, evil man in green. He killed her when he took me to the nut house in the pines." I don't want to see her face like I did the last time, bloody and lifeless. "Did you stay with her long?"

"Yes, 13 months. I played and ate, read and she read books to me. physic, math, chemistry, history, and science. I had a library card at the school. I would stay in the library every morning while she worked." I sooth at the happy memories. How nice she was my sister. "My sister Emm was cool, she's dead."

"Are you sure?" "Yes, I saw evil man in green kill her with a snap baton. Why?"

"I ran a DNA test on you hoping to find some clue to your ancestry. To help you find an identity. The lab screw-up the instructions and ran a Match. You have a Brother and a sister." I am joyous, happy. "Do you know who?"

"Yes, I know about your brother. Your sister was on the National Donor database; I have a lawyer working on arranging contact." I fear that it was Emm. I don't what to know, yet I do. "Could it be Emm, she could be coma, vegetable. I don't want to, shit, yes I do, I need to know."

"We will do it together. I want you to know if you decide to go with your brother. I will still love you, no matter what." I am confused, and suddenly afraid, don't she want me to be a Grey, to be family. Am I throw away again. I fear and cry. She sooth me.

"Don't you want me? to be Grey, Son, yours?" she strokes my hair. "Mikey, I want you to be a Grey with all my heart. I want you to be my son, my special man." I hear the special and think it just pity, no not pity, I hate being pitied. I roll into her getting face to face. I look hard in the shadows. "Special?"

"Yes, my special man. My loving, caring, thoughtful son. My Genius with a deep love of life and family. My son Mikey." I beam, it's not pity, its love. Acceptance. I'm home right here. "I will always be a Grey."

"do you want to know about your brother?" "Yes."

"Your brother is Luke." I am confused Luke is already my brother. Why would he not be my brother, we made blood pact. Blood brother we are.

"we already blood brothers?" "Mikey you and Luke are biological brother. You share the same father." I stare at her soft caring eyes; lost in the dep emotions she gives me. "I related to Anna and Mary?"

"No, they are related by their mother. Do you understand?"

I nod. "Can we tell him tomorrow?" "Yes." "Can I have pancakes! Lots!" "six" "Eight" "five" "no, ok, six, please." "Alright, why do you like pancakes so much?" "Every morning before school Emm would make them, with maple syrup or Apple syrup, or even peach syrup. With fruit and cream. With bacon or turkey sausage. Every morning. On Sunday we would go to the IHOP and eat different countries. (the old IHOP menu listed different type and style of pancakes by country. France was crepes, Germany was potato pancakes) I liked Germany the best." She giggles, I love when she giggles with me, even better when she laughs with me.

She sings me to sleep. I dream of happy days to come. Of Comic-Com, and LEGOLAND, the Zoo in the city and the one outside of the city (San Diego Zoos wildlife park). Christian promised we, just us car guys would do the car museum. Anna promised to ride with me at the Sea world place, with the dolphins and whales, and the Sea otters that look like me when I eat broccoli. Or so Mia says. The world fades in happy rainbows and flowers. I love flowers, the smell, touch, the happy colors. The lazy drift of time as they sway.