Christian's POV

"Home Taylor"

I check in with my Dad while Taylor drives us home from Grey House. He tells me that there hasn't been any change in Mia's or Ethan's conditions. Mia is in a coma, and the doctors continue to sedate Ethan while his injuries heal. I've only been to the hospital a few times this week. Most of my time has been spent at home. I just returned to Grey House today, my first day back since before my trip to New York. My family's misfortune has been in the media. Everyone knows about the car accident. My employees were giving me sympathetic looks all day today. I hate that. I just need them to do their jobs and then go home to their families.

When I arrive home I expect the chaos that comes with having six kids under the age of seven staying under one roof. For the most part these kids have been very well behaved since staying with us, but we can't expect them to be quiet. I hear some music and laughing coming from the main room. I follow it and can't help but smile as I take in the sight of my family, dancing and laughing to Taylor Swifts's Shake it Off. That is Natalie's favorite song right now. I stand and observe Ana, Natalie, Sophia and Penny dancing and having a great time. I love watching them be silly. Ava is sitting on the sofa with Maddie in her lap and she is moving her arms around to the music. Gail is sitting on the lounger feeding Monte.

When the song is finished I walk into the room and make my presence known. "Daddy" Natalie squeals and runs to me. I pick her up and hug her. "Hey Baby" I say to Ana as she walks over to me for a kiss. She helps me remove my suit jacket since Natalie insists on staying in my arms. I notice that the girls and the babies are already in their pajamas. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to help with baths."

"No, don't be" Ana says as she neatly sets my jacket over the back of the sofa. "We'd decided to do baths early tonight. Penny helped me." I look around for Penny and realize that she's left the room.

"Where'd she go?"

Ana looks around too as she walks around and straightens up. "I don't know. She's probably embarrassed that you walked in on us dancing. I keep telling her that it's okay for her to have fun while she's working."

"Daddy, I need to go potty" Natalie says in her sweet voice. I gently set her down.

"Okay, do you need help?"

"No"

I watch as she runs off in the direction of our downstairs powder room. "Where's Christopher?"

"Oh, I think he's tired of hanging out with us girls. Do you think you can spend some time with him?"

"Of course. I wouldn't want him to start dancing around and singing Taylor Swift songs." Ana playfully tosses a pillow at me and I catch it. "Where is he?"

"He's out on the porch with Sadie. My mother's keeping an eye on him."

I make my way out to the porch to collect my nephew. I find him sitting on the ground and laying on and petting Sadie. My mother-in-law is sitting up in one of the lounge chairs with a blanket wrapped around her. She is here for a few days to visit and to help out. "Carla"

"Hi Christian."

"How is he doing?" I take a seat on the lounger beside her as I watch my nephew. He's wearing his ninja turtle pajamas that Ana and I had given him for Christmas.

"He misses his parents. I went along with him to his soccer practice today, but he didn't have his Dad there to kick the ball around. He sat out for most of the practice. Some of the other Dads tried to engage him but he just wanted to sit and watch."

"Is that right?" I continue to watch him and wonder if that is something that I should be doing with him. I don't know anything about soccer. I would probably just disappoint him and embarrass myself.

"Maybe you can take him sometime" she suggests. "He'd probably like that."

"Yeah, we'll see. Why don't you go on inside? I can keep an eye on him."

I stay seated on the lounger for a few minutes after Carla leaves. I don't like when she suggests that Ana or I do anything different when it comes to parenting, but I guess it is a Mom thing. My mother does it too. I lazily stand and walk over to where my nephew is and I squat down to be closer to his level.

"Hey, Buddy. Why don't we go inside where it's warm?"

"Why does Sadie have to sleep out here?" he asks me sadly. I let out a sigh.

"We talked about this, okay? Aunt Ana is allergic to dogs. She can get very sick if she is around Sadie. Sadie is fine out here. She has everything she needs."

"I wanna take her for a walk."

Sadie perks up, forcing Christopher to stop leaning on her. Anytime someone mentions going for a walk it is like Christmas to any dog. She starts whimpering and stomping her paws around excitedly. I look at my nephew and he is so sad. How can I say no to him? I've never taken a dog for a walk, but how hard can it be?

"Okay. We can go, but we need to get shoes and jackets."

I see an instant change in my nephew. He's excited, and I can't help but smile as I walk with him through the house to get shoes and jackets. Once we are out on the porch again he shows me where we've been keeping the leash. I hook it to Sadie's collar and turn around to see my nephew holding something that looks like a gardening tool. "What's that?"

"It's to scoop the poop."

What? "What?"

"In case she has to go to the bathroom."

Is he fucking kidding me? We have to scoop up her poop? That's disgusting. "Well, you can be in charge of that." He laughs at me, but I'm serious. I don't mind cleaning up after my kids, or my nieces and nephews, but I draw the line when it comes to dogs. The only reason I've agreed to keep Sadie here with us is because Leticia had agreed to feed her and clean up after her.

Christopher and I venture out to the beach for our walk. I'm holding the leash and Christopher is carrying the scooper. He doesn't seem to mind it. He only has to scoop the poop once. While we are walking I ask him about soccer. I tell him that I've never played soccer, but I can take him to his practices and kick the ball with him. He shrugs his shoulders and tells me I can if I want to. I just chuckle at that.

When we arrive home I watch as he empties the scooper into our outside trash can. He then takes the gardening hose and squirts at the scooper until it is clean. I'm impressed. He's only five. I ruffle his hair as we walk into our enclosed porch. Sadie sits and allows me to unhook the leash. "Good Girl" I say before I stand and hang the leash back on the hook.

"Thank you Uncle Christian" my nephew says as he wraps his arms around my leg. I lift him up and playfully toss him over my shoulder. He wasn't expecting that so he screams and laughs.

"You're welcome, Buddy. We should get you ready for bed. Would you like me to read you a story?"

"Mmhm"

I walk into the house and find Elizabeth and Phoebe with Ana. Sawyer had just driven them and Leticia home from the dance studio. They say goodbye to Leticia since we'd agreed that she can work until eight every night. I get Christopher to wash his hands before he has the opportunity to touch anything. Ana gives me a look, and I tell her that I'll explain later. After Leticia leaves we send the girls up to shower since they are sweaty from dance. I tell Christopher to go up to his room and pick out a book. At last Ana and I have a few minutes to just enjoy each other. I take her in my arms and kiss her. But before either of us can deepen the kiss we are interrupted by Elizabeth.

"Excuse me, Aunt Ana?"

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

"Do you think you can wash my hair?"

"Of course I can. Let's go."

Ana walks with Elizabeth toward the foyer, but before she leaves the room she turns and blows a kiss in my direction. I reach my hand out and catch it. Ana and I will have to steal a moment later after all of the kids are in bed.

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Ana's POV

I was surprised when Elizabeth asked me to wash her hair for her. Up until now she hasn't really asked us for anything. She is very low maintenance and very independent. She gets herself up in the morning, gets herself dressed, goes to school, comes home for a short while, and then goes to the dance studio with her homework. Christian and I don't need to tell her to do her homework or brush her teeth. She just does those things. The only things she cannot do herself are her hair and preparing meals.

I tell my niece to start her bath while I check on the girls. Ava is reading some books to them in Natalie's bedroom. She tells me that she's okay so I leave her to it. When I'm back in Elizabeth's bedroom I let her know I'm there and she tells me that I can come in. I kneel beside the bathtub and get to work on taking out all of the bobby pins that are keeping her hair in a high bun. Her hair is very long and very knotted at the moment from being in the bun. I take my time washing it with her shampoo and conditioner. She is quiet and very down. "How was dance?" I ask her to see if she'll talk to me. She shrugs her shoulders.

"It was okay."

"Just okay? You seem down, Honey. Is something bothering you?"

She looks down and nods.

"Why don't you tell me about it? Maybe I can help."

"Miss Alana wants me to do a solo in the next competition?"

I pause while my hands are still in her hair covered with suds from the shampoo. "Really? That's fantastic. Your first solo with Miss Alana's studio. Honey, you worked so hard for this. I'm so proud of you." I continue to wash her hair and she continues to look down.

"Thanks, but I can't do it."

"Why not?"

"Mommy won't be there."

I let out a sigh. Of course she won't want to do this without her mother. But I can't let her pass this up. A solo from Miss Alana's studio is a real honor because she only selects one dancer from each group anytime they go to competitions. And she chooses the dancers that work the hardest and deserve the opportunity.

"Sweetheart, I know your mother won't be there. But I will be, and so will Uncle Christian and Phoebe. Where are they having the next competition?"

"Walla Walla"

"Okay, so we'll need to make a weekend of it. You have to say yes. Your mother would want this for you."

"I guess."

"You guess? If she were here she would be slapping you silly right now and you know it. We all know how hard you've worked this year to prove yourself to this studio. Honey, you have to consider this. Please. You haven't said no yet, have you?"

"No, not yet. I didn't say anything really. I was stunned."

I finish rinsing her hair and start to apply the conditioner. "Well I'm not. I've seen you dance and you are amazing. You deserve this, Sweetheart. I'm not going to let you say no without thinking about it."

After we are finished I hold the towel out for her and she steps out of the tub. I wrap it around her and leave her to dry herself. "Get dressed and I'll brush your hair for you" I tell her. She joins me in her bedroom and we both sit on her bed. I towel dry her hair for a bit and then I brush it for her. Phoebe's hair has never been this long. When she was little I asked her a few times if she wanted to grow it long, but she never wanted to. Her hair was usually down to the middle of her back, while Elizabeth's is down to her butt. I squirt some detangler and brush her hair until all of the knots are out. Christian joins us and leads Sophie into the bedroom. I help her climb onto the bed and she lays there and waits for her sister. "Can we tell him the good news?" I ask Elizabeth, but she just shrugs her shoulders.

"What good news?" My husband smiles his sexy smile.

"Our niece was selected to perform a solo in the next competition."

"Really? That's wonderful news. Why aren't you happy?" She looks down and shrugs her shoulders again. "Elizabeth? What's wrong?"

I put my arm around her and answer for her. "Well, she doesn't want to do a solo since her Mom won't be there."

Christian nods and pulls a chair over so that he can sit and face us. "I guess I can understand that. But I know that your Mom would be so proud of you for getting this opportunity. You know Miss Alana doesn't give solos to just anyone."

"That's what I told her" I say as I tighten my arm around her. "She chose you because she saw something special in you. And she's seen how hard you've been working. We're going to take some time and think about this, right?"

"Yeah" she says and leans her head against me. I kiss the top of her head. "Time for bed."

After Christian and I tuck the girls in I peak in on Natalie and kiss her goodnight. She's already asleep. Next I check in on Christopher. He is also asleep. We gently close his door and walk down the steps together. "Nice work, Mr Grey." I wrap my arms around his waist and he wraps one arm around me as we walk through the foyer into the main room. My mother has been keeping an eye on the twins in there. They are both asleep in their swings. She excuses herself and tells us that she's going to turn in.

Christian and I both fall backwards onto the sofa and I giggle as we both bounce from the impact. He puts his arm around me again and turns serious. "We can't let her pass up this opportunity."

"I know. We need to encourage her to do this. She'll regret it if she doesn't." He kisses my forehead and I rest my head on his shoulder. We sit like this for a while and he flicks on the television. It is rare for us to sit and watch television, but I don't mind. I just like sitting here with him. We don't get to have a lot of alone time. He flips through some channels and we wind up watching Sleepless in Seattle. I giggle again as we settle in and watch.

I don't know how long we sit together like this before the girls join us. As soon as I see Phoebe's face I know something is up. Christian can see it too. I know because he reaches for the remote control and powers down the television.

"Girls, is everything okay?" I ask them.

They both take a seat on the loveseat. Phoebe looks over at Ava and she has her eyes on her hands which are in her lap. She seems nervous about something.

"Ava and I need to talk to you about something" Phoebe says softly.

"Okay, we're listening" I say softly to match her tone. Whatever they need to talk about seems to be something heavy, something that Christian might not react well too. I instinctively put my hand on his leg as we wait for the girls to speak."

"Okay" Phoebe says after she sighs. "What we need to talk to you about is not easy, and we are hoping for some understanding and support, not anger." When she says the last part she looks directly at Christian.

"I am going to get angry if you don't tell us what this is about" he says in his no nonsense tone. I turn and shush him before I face the girls again.

"Dad, please. We really need your help. Please, can we count on you?"

I turn and look at my husband with pleading eyes. Whatever the girls need to say cannot be good, but angry Christian is just going to make it worse. He looks into my eyes and then looks over at the girls. He releases a breath and softens. "Of course you can."

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Phoebe's POV

I nod and wait for Ava. This is her news so she needs to tell it, no matter how hard it is. We've talked about it and I told her that she can't keep this a secret anymore. I promised her that I would be there for her to tell my parents, and again when it comes time to tell hers. I'm hoping my parents will be there for her too, otherwise this is all for nothing. I glance at Ava. She looks as white as a sheet. If she's having this much trouble telling my parents, I have no idea how she's going to tell hers.

She lets out a long sigh and closes her eyes. "Okay, here goes. I'm…..I'm pregnant" she drags out each syllable. Okay, the words are out there. The room is silent for a moment. You could hear a pin drop.

I look over at my parents and their mouths are shaped like an "O". I know this is the last thing they expected to hear. I look at Ava and her head is down. She is nervously rubbing at her fingers in her lap. A lot of time passes before anyone says anything. The first person to speak is my father.

"Excuse us, girls. Ana, could I talk to you in the kitchen?"

They both stand and start toward the kitchen, but Ava stops them when she stands.

"No! Please, please don't call my parents." She is almost panicking. I stand up and put my arm around her for support."

"Ava, we can't keep this from them" my father says, but he doesn't sound all that angry. I guess that's a good sign.

"Please, I'm not ready for them to know. Please not yet, oh God." She covers her face and appears to be losing it. Mom comes over and puts her arms around her.

"Okay, calm down. We should all sit down. Nobody's making any phone calls, okay?" Mom is able to get Ava to sit down again, and I sit next to her. "But we need to get you some water. You look very pale. I'll go." She looks at my father when she says the last part. He looks lost but he nods and drops his phone into his pocket. He sits down and rests his elbows on his knees, then rubs his face with his hands. He doesn't say a word. When Mom returns she hands Ava a glass of ice water and watches her drink some of it.

"Thank you" she says softly.

"You're welcome. Phoebe, switch with me. Go sit with your father." I do what I'm told and give my mother some time with Ava. I watch as she sits with her and takes one of her hands in hers.

I sit with Dad and he puts his arm around me. I rest my head against him and try to listen in on their conversation.

"How far along are you?" Ava shrugs and tells her that she doesn't know. "Have you been to the doctor?" Ava shakes her head and avoids eye contact. "Is Nathan the father?" She starts to soften her voice but I can still hear her.

"Yes" Ava says.

"Okay, so we know you are at least four months along." My mom is speaking softly and patiently. This is good. This is what I was hoping for.

"How long have you known?" My father asks me softly.

"I just found out a few days ago" I whisper.

"I haven't told anyone" Ava says to all of us. "I was afraid. This wasn't supposed to happen. I didn't plan it."

"We know you didn't, Sweetheart" my mother says as she wraps and arm around her. How about some tea? I think we can all use some. Christian, Phoebe do you mind?"

"Sure Mom." I get Dad to come with me so that Ava and Mom can talk some more about things she'd probably rather not say in front of Dad. When we walk into the kitchen I grab the tea kettle and fill it with water. I keep a close eye on Dad to make sure he doesn't make any phone calls. He seems stunned now. Or worried. "What are you thinking about?"

"She's young. You are both way too young to be going through this." I place the tea kettle on the stove and stand in front of him.

"I know. This is very scary."

"Peanut, this is why I didn't want you having sex at your age. And Elliot, that's why your Uncle Elliot gave Ava a hard time about it."

"I know" I say as I'm about to cry. I didn't realize how much this has affected me until now.

"Why are you crying?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just scared for Ava." He pulls me into a hug and holds me for a while. "Her parents are going to be so mad, and Nathan's parents."

"What about Nathan's parents?" he asks me as he releases me.

"Nathan got a basketball scholarship for UCLA. And we knew he would get a scholarship somewhere. What if they think Ava trapped him with a pregnancy?"

"They can think what they want. What about Nathan? Why hasn't she told him?"

"She didn't want to tell him on skype. And, she doesn't want to ruin his life. She wants him to play basketball, even if it means he has to leave her."

"That's selfless."

"I know. But, I don't think he'll leave her. Nathan's a good guy. He'll want to do the right thing. She's having a hard time Dad."

"So you thought she should come to us with this."

I look at him pleadingly, and then we hear the whistle. "The water's boiling." Dad steps aside to pour the water into four tea cups. "You're having some too?"

"Of course. I like a good cup of tea once in a while." He gathers the tea bags, sugar and a mug of cream and places them onto a tray. Before he picks up the tray he turns and faces me. "I'm not happy about my niece being pregnant. I think she's way too young to be dealing with this. But I'm glad that you had her come to us with this."

"You are?"

He nods. "Telling your Aunt Kate and Uncle Elliot is not going to be easy. They are going to be very upset about this." I look down and nod, and then I feel Dad's fingers gently lift my chin so that I look at him. "We'll help her. No matter what happens, Ava will not be alone in this."

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Ana's POV

"I feel ashamed" Ava says as she looks down at her stomach. "But then I feel guilty for feeling ashamed. This is my baby. An innocent baby. It's not his or her fault." She starts to rub and I start to realize that she has quite a bump.

"May I?" I ask her as a place my hand near her bump. She nods and allows me to feel. I cannot believe how much of a bump she has already. She's more than four months along. "How did we not see this?" I ask but then I realize that I've said it out loud.

"I've been wearing bigger clothes to hide it. But it's getting more difficult with the school uniform."

"You need to see a doctor, Ava. We need to make sure that you and the baby are healthy."

"I'm really scared, Aunt Ana."

I reach up and caress her face and run my fingers through her hair. "I know. I know you're scared. I was scared when I was pregnant with Teddy."

"You were?"

"Yes. I know it's not the same. I wasn't eighteen. But I was young, I was only twenty two. Your Uncle Christian and I were only married for a few weeks and we weren't ready to have kids yet. Far from it, actually. I was afraid to tell him. And I was afraid to tell my father."

"How did Uncle Christian react?"

I take a minute to think about my answer. I don't want her to think that he's a monster. "He was angry. He was scared mostly. It was completely unexpected. But we got through it. And so will you. We will help you."

"You will?"

I smile at her. "Don't look so surprised. Yes we will." I wrap my arms around her and she hugs me.

"Thanks Aunt Ana."

My husband and daughter join us with the tea. I take Ava's hand and we move over to the sofa by the coffee table. Three of us sit on the sofa while my husband sits on the coffee table. We each fix our tea the way we like it and take a few sips.

"We need to talk about what we're going to do" Christian says in a low serious tone.

"Christian…."

"Let me finish" he interrupts me, but his tone is softer. "We need to make a doctor's appointment. I think that's the most important thing right now. We need to make sure that you and the baby are healthy." He looks at Ava as he says this. "We'll find out how far along you are, when you are due, and you can find out the sex of the baby if you want. And then we need to talk to your parents, and Nathan." Ava looks down and nods. I know she is dreading that part the most. "No matter what happens though, I don't want you to worry because you won't be alone. Your Aunt Ana and I are going to help you." He takes my hand and squeezes it. I look at him and smile appreciatively. I put my tea down on the coaster and take Ava's hand into mine. I look at her and she looks surprised again.

"You guys really mean this."

"Yes we do." I tell her.

"Girls, finish your tea and head up to bed. You both need your rest" Christian says as he finishes his tea and blots his lips with his napkin. I take my last sip too and place my tea on the tray. Ava and Phoebe do the same. I take the tray back into the kitchen since Gail has already turned in.

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Christian's POV

"How do you feel?" I ask my niece. She still looks surprised that Ana and I are going to help her.

"Better than I should, probably."

"What do you mean?" I ask her.

"Well, last week I was the only one who knew about this. And that's the way it's been for months. And then Phoebe found out, and well now you guys know. I feel better about not being the only one who knows."

I feel myself smile, but I'm not sure why I'm smiling. I hate secrets. "I hate secrets, Ava. And you've been staying here a lot, and you've been keeping this secret."

"Dad, don't" Phoebe interrupts me.

"No, it's okay" Ava says. "I feel like I've lied to everyone. You probably think I was staying here to hide the fact that I was pregnant. I probably was, but I really do like staying here."

"Ava, you can still stay here whenever you want. But no more secrets." She nods as a tear drips down her face.

"Okay"

Ana comes into the room and sends the girls off to bed. We each take a baby from their swing, careful not to wake them and carry them up to our bedroom. Once we settle them in their bassinets we each brush our teeth, wash our faces and change into our pajamas, but no words are spoken until we are in bed. I pull her toward my front and spoon with her. "Pregnant" I say softly.

"I know. I can't believe this is happening." There is some more silence as we lie together. "Thank you for not going all fifty on our niece."

I rub my hand up and down her arm and kiss her shoulder. "I'm glad I didn't. Thank you for keeping me calm. She needs us, Ana. And…. I don't know where this is coming from but I want to be there for her. And that wins out over being mad at her for this."

"And if it were Phoebe?"

"Don't even joke about that" I say a little too angrily. "It better never be Phoebe."

"Well, keep that thought and imagine how your brother is going to feel."

I think about it for a moment. If it were Phoebe, Trevor would be a dead man. "So you think we should hire security to keep him away from Nathan?"

She slaps my wrist playfully. "Stop"

"I'm serious, Ana. Elliot might go after Nathan for this."

"So you would go after Trevor if he got Phoebe pregnant?"

"Most definitely."

"Oh, Fifty" she shakes her head slightly. "My megalomaniac overprotective Fifty. Let's get some sleep."

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