Hey Readers! I know that some of you feel that this is becoming too dark, but I have decided that this needs to be dark before we find the light at the end of the tunnel. My story is centered around Christian struggling with his Fifty Shades and with his Parenting. This chapter will be dark and sad since this is still building up. I appreciate your reviews so much and I hope you continue to read and see what happens. Happy Reading!

Phoebe's POV

It's Friday, day five of volunteering at the hospital, and five more weeks to go. My parents decided that this would be my punishment for going on the road trip against their wishes. Or rather, my mother decided. Somehow I don't think my father had anything to do with it. If it were up to him, my backside would still be sore even to this day. He hasn't punished me like that for some time now. Mom actually told me after my sixteenth birthday that he wouldn't be doing that anymore. I didn't believe it at first, since my Dad did make a promise to me once that he wouldn't. But then he went back on his promise after I saw Caleb behind his back. Wow, Caleb. I haven't thought about him in a really long time.

Volunteering hasn't been all that bad. I get to wear these cute comfy scrubs and sneakers. I'm also learning a lot with the small jobs that the doctors and nurses keep giving me. I wouldn't mind making a career out of working here someday as a nurse or a doctor. Maybe after this punishment is over I can ask my grandmother about it. I don't want to talk to her about it now. I don't want to give her the impression that I am enjoying my punishment. I'm not really, but I am getting more out of it than I thought I would. It is also helping me keep my mind off of Trevor and my Dad.

Trevor has tried to call and text me, but I'm not ready to talk to him. I am so embarrassed that he talked to Dylan about me, and even more embarrassed about what Dylan tried to do to me. I wonder if Trevor knows about that. I know I will need to face him at some point. But for now I am keeping my distance. I won't have to be in school for another seven weeks so I don't have to worry about running into him. Unless of course he finds out that I'm here and he tries to see me. God I hope he doesn't do that.

My Dad is another story. I live in the same house as him, but he has managed to avoid and ignore me. It hurts so much that he won't talk to me. I fall asleep every night with tears drenched into my pillow because when I'm alone, all I can think about is how much I need him to talk to me. Even if it means yelling and punishing me while he's doing it. Anything is better than him ignoring me. He's never done this before. I know I let him down but he won't even give me a chance to fix it. I have to wonder if he will ever talk to me again. Just thinking about it makes me tear up. I have to suppress it and get to work. I have just finished my lunch break so I am on my way back to the fourth floor where I was assigned to volunteer today. I didn't eat much of my lunch. Mrs Taylor had made a turkey sandwich for me and also packed some fruit. I ate the fruit but I ditched the sandwich. I'll make up for it tonight. I am so excited. We are getting dressed up and going out to a fancy restaurant for Teddy's twentieth birthday.

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Christian's POV

I have decided to work from home today since it is Friday and Ana stayed home. She wasn't feeling well this morning so she didn't go into the office. I made her stay in bed all morning and rest so that she will be relaxed and ready for our son's birthday dinner tonight. I know she won't want to miss it. I worked for about two hours and now I am in the main room with Natalie. I am helping her put one of her puzzles together. She is only two and a half, but she is so smart and so well spoken. I credit Ana with that since she takes her to work with her every day. We read to her all the time and encourage her to talk to us. Once in a while we need to help her with pronunciation. She doesn't do well with her "L"s but she is too young for us to be concerned about that.

When we finish the puzzle she throws her hands up in the air in celebration. Her face is beaming with excitement. I love her this way, so happy and so carefree. I'm not quite sure what age it is that we lose that, but I hope that Natalie holds onto that for a long time. I look at my watch and it is already one in the afternoon, which means it is time for her nap. It is always so difficult to pull her away from her toys and games that make her happy and tell her she needs to nap, but I know it is necessary, especially because we are going out tonight. I make a deal with her that we can work on the puzzle again after her nap. She happily agrees and wraps her arms tightly around my neck when I pick her up. I tickle her side with one of my hands and enjoy the sound of her giggles. I can't help but beam at her.

After I put her down I walk downstairs and I am met by Taylor. He has another bouquet of roses which are no doubt from Trevor. He's been sending Phoebe roses every day, and every day I've been throwing them in the garbage. Taylor had asked me about it only once, and I yelled at him explaining that I don't want Phoebe to have them and I don't want her to know about them. He has not questioned me since, but he still lets me know about the daily delivery of roses. I am getting so fed up with this kid sending my daughter roses. I'm not sure what happened with those two but I don't really care. He was the reason she went on this road trip, so as far as I'm concerned they can stay broken up.

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It is nearly seven and everyone is preparing to leave the house for Teddy's birthday dinner. Christian and Teddy are in the foyer waiting. Christian is wearing a dark gray suit while Teddy has settled on a navy blue suit. Taylor and Gail are also waiting. They will be accompanying them.

Ana walks down the steps holding Natalie's hand and they are met by Christian. Ana is wearing a lose, long navy blue dress, attempting to hide her small baby bump. Nobody knows about her pregnancy, but she and Christian had planned to tell the family tonight. Christian takes her hands and kisses her forehead. Ana lets him know that Phoebe will be down in a minute, and he grimaces. "Teddy, why don't you take your mother and sister and wait in the car?" he asks him with a stern voice. Teddy takes his mother's arm and Natalie's hand and they walk together out of the house. Taylor and Gail follow. Christian stands in the foyer with his hands in his pockets and watches Phoebe walk down the steps. His expression is unreadable. She is wearing an elegant long silver dress with a thick strap that only wraps over one shoulder. She is also wearing silver strappy sandals with a low heel. She did that on purpose since she knows her father does not like her in high heels. He always fears she will fall flat on her face. She stands a few feet away from her father when she reaches the bottom of the steps and waits for him to say something. Anything.

"You won't be joining us tonight Phoebe" he says in a low cold voice.

Phoebe's face falls and she immediately feels emotional. "Why not?"

Christian is unaffected by her emotional state and he remains cold and distant. "I made the reservation weeks ago, and I made it for thirteen people. You weren't here and I didn't know if you would be for tonight's dinner." Phoebe looks down and away from her father. She feels tears starting to form in her eyes. "Mr and Mrs Dovis are here and will prepare your dinner."

Phoebe suddenly finds it hard to breath. The first time in weeks he talks to her, and this is what he says to her. He excludes her from her brother's birthday dinner. Without another word he turns on his heel and leaves the house, without her. After he closes the door Phoebe rushes up the steps and just makes it to her room. She throws herself onto her bed and sobs into her pillow. She cannot think of a more hurtful thing he could have done.

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Christian climbs into the back of their family SUV with Ana, Teddy and Natalie and closes the door.

"Where's Phoebe?" Ana asks him.

"She will not be joining us." Christian's expression is still cold and he does not make eye contact with any of his family members.

"What do you mean she won't be joining us? Dad, it's my birthday?"

"Leave it alone, Theodore."

Teddy looks over at his mother and can see she is not pleased.

"This is ridiculous, I will go and get her." Ana starts to climb out the car but
Christian stops her.

"No, you won't." Christian glares at her and gives her a 'don't mess with me' look.

"Christian!"

"Phoebe is not coming, end of discussion" he says harshly. Teddy looks over at Natalie who is sitting in her car seat next to him and tries to distract her from their father's foul mood.

"This isn't over Grey" Ana says to him quietly and equally harsh.

They ride in silence as they pick up Rebecca. Taylor puts her wheelchair in the back of the car and Teddy helps her into her seat. She is wearing a long black dress with a slit up the side that stops at her knee. She notices right away that the atmosphere in the car is not very friendly and decides to keep quiet. She is aware of how things have been since Phoebe came home because Teddy tells her everything. She also notices that Phoebe isn't in the car with them. She takes Teddy's hand in hers and offers a small smile. He takes comfort in having her there with him and smiles back.

Once they are at the restaurant they are seated at a big table in the middle so that they can fit the entire Grey clan. They take their seats toward the middle. Teddy and Rebecca sit next to each other, Taylor and Gail, and Christian and Ana. Ana wanted to have Natalie sit between her and her husband, but Christian had already put Natalie on the other side of him. She is angry at him for excluding Phoebe, but she has to suppress that anger. It is her son's birthday, and the last thing she wants to do is make a scene in the restaurant.

Carrick and Grace arrive and greet each member of the family, and they are followed by Elliot, Kate, Ava and their one year old son Cameron. Ava is the first to ask where Phoebe is. Even though she is sore at her for not including her on the road trip, she is eager to sit next to her at this dinner and catch up with her. Nobody answers her question. She looks back and forth at her aunt and uncle waiting for an answer before Elliot puts his hand on her shoulder and directs her to take a seat. He can tell that something is up and he doesn't want to bring any more attention to it.

Ava sits across from Teddy and Rebecca and waits for the adults to be deep in conversation before asking about her cousin again.

"Why isn't Phoebe here?" she whispers to Teddy.

Teddy sighs and looks at his girlfriend before looking back at Ava. "I don't know what happened. She was getting ready to go, but I think Dad stopped her from coming with us."

"Why?" Her voice is not as low and some of the adults look over in her direction. The teens wait for the adults to go back to their conversations before discussing Phoebe again.

"Dad is angry with Phoebe. He's taking it too far" he whispers angrily. Rebecca holds his hand and rubs his back to try to get him to calm down.

The entrees come and the family is quiet as they eye the big portions of food that are put in front of them. They had decided on an Italian restaurant and they serve their food family style. The family passes around the large plates of clams, shrimp scampi, pasta pomodoro, lasagna, chicken parmigiana, penne vodka, and mixed vegetables. Once all the food is eaten Christian stands with his glass of wine. He has a smile on his face, which Teddy and Ana find odd. At first Ana does not know what he is doing, but after he starts talking she quickly realizes that he is going to announce her pregnancy. She doesn't want him to do it, not without Phoebe there, but she doesn't know how to stop him. Before she can react, the words are out of his mouth.

"Ana and I are having another baby"

The family gasps with excitement, forgetting for a moment that Phoebe is not there with them. Rebecca looks over at Teddy with both excitement and surprise. "Did you know about this?"

"No" he says. He is happy and sad at the same time. Happy that his parents are having another baby, but sad that his sister is not there to enjoy the news. He starts to feel angry again at his father for doing this. He purposely made the announcement without Phoebe. He looks over at his mother and watches his Aunt Kate embrace her. He can tell that she is not pleased either. Elliot congratulates Christian with a hug and pat on the back. Natalie just sits in her booster seat completely oblivious to what is happening. She is chomping on broken up pieces of bread.

Next the wait staff brings out the cake and sings their version of "Happy Birthday" in Italian. Everyone in the restaurant claps for him and Teddy's face turns a shade of red. Rebecca laughs at him and kisses his cheek. "Happy Birthday Baby" she says to him lovingly and puts her arm around him. She snuggles into his neck and he kisses the top of her head. Even though they are full from their dinner, most of the family members accept a small piece of cake to eat there at the restaurant. Christian feeds some to Natalie since she is tired and wanted to eat with her fingers. Ana watches and cannot believe how he can be so warm with Natalie and at the same time be so cold with Phoebe. She is at a loss with what to do. She is so angry that he excluded Phoebe from the dinner party. She knows that she cannot let this go.

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The family arrives home and walks into the house in silence. Teddy and Taylor help Rebecca into the house with her wheelchair. Christian carries Natalie since she had fallen asleep in the car. Ana and Gail are the last to walk in, Ana looking very tired.

"Mr and Mrs Grey, thank you for letting me stay here while my father is out of town" Rebecca says once she is settled in her wheelchair.

"You're welcome" Ana says to her. Christian nods and walks up the stairs to put Natalie to bed.

"I brought a piece of cake for Phoebe" Rebecca says to Teddy.

He smiles at her and leans down to kiss her forehead. "Thank you, I should spend some time with her before I turn in. But let me help you up the stairs first." Teddy lifts Rebecca into his arms and carries her up the stairs. Taylor follows carrying her wheelchair. Ana smiles at them. She is so happy that her son has Rebecca in his life. And she is so proud of the way he is with her. She thinks back to the conversation that Rebecca had with her earlier. She felt funny sleeping in the same room with Teddy in his parents' house, so she had asked her if she could sleep in one the guest rooms. Teddy wasn't thrilled with the idea, but he is respecting her wishes.

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Teddy knocks on Phoebe's door and walks in with the piece of cake. She is curled up on her bed and she is still wearing her silver dress. He feels so guilty for allowing this to happen. He knows now that he should have demanded that they turn the car around when he realized that Phoebe was being excluded. But it is too late for that now. He sits on her bed as Ana joins them too.

Teddy gets Phoebe to sit up he holds her as she cries. Ana sits on the bed too and rubs her back. They sit and comfort her until she stops crying. When she is finished, she pulls away and they can see that she's been crying for hours. Ana reaches up and caresses her cheek.

"We're so sorry, Baby. We had no idea this was going to happen" Ana says to her softly.

"What? That Dad was going to exclude me from dinner?" she sniffles.

"We would have never gone along with it if we knew he was going to do that" Teddy adds.

"What am I going to do? Dad hates me" Phoebe says as she wipes her nose with the back of her hand.

"Dad doesn't hate you" Teddy tries.

"Yes he does. He hasn't talk to me in weeks, and today when he finally did, it was to tell me that I wasn't going. That he didn't make the reservation big enough to include me." Phoebe has to stop talking so that she can take breaths. Ana rubs her back again and looks sadly at Teddy.

"Rebecca brought a piece of cake home for you" he says softly and shows her the cake."

Phoebe sniffles again. "Thanks, but I don't think I can eat that right now."

Teddy and Ana sit with Phoebe until she is able to fall asleep. Before she does Teddy tells her that she can spend the day with him and Rebecca tomorrow.

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After putting Natalie to bed and watching her sleep for a while, Christian leaves her room and approaches his. The door is shut. He tries to open it but it is locked. He reaches up for the key and immediately gets annoyed that it isn't there. He knocks on the door and proceeds to bang on it when Ana doesn't answer right away. When she does she stands in the doorway in her robe. He can see anger and confidence in her eyes. I miss the days when I could easily intimidate this woman.

"Why is the door locked Anastasia?" he asks her.

"Christian, what you did to our daughter tonight is beyond cruel. I know you are angry with her, but you have taken this way too far."

Christian looks puzzled. He shifts his weight a few times and looks down at his wife again. He is tired, and all he wants to do is curl up in bed and hold his wife, but it is not looking like that is going to happen.

"What do you want Ana?"

Ana throws a pillow at him. "Sleep in the guest room. I am not sleeping with you until you stop acting like an ass and work to resolve things with our daughter."

"Ana"

"Goodnight" she says sternly before she shuts the door and locks it again. Christian just stands there for a few minutes and stares at the door. He and Ana have had their ups and downs, but she has never banished him from their bedroom. He becomes angry, but he doesn't bang on the door again. Instead he turns and walks away from their bedroom and toward the stairs. He has never slept in their guest room and never plans to. He finds himself in his study and plops down in his chair. After about thirty minutes of reading emails his eyes become heavy and he can no longer fight sleep. He rests his head on his desk as sleep quickly finds him.