AUTHORS NOTE: Thank you all for your continued support, things seem to be returning to somewhat normality here in the UK and while at work we are still hideously short staffed (much like the rest of the world!) things are slowly improving. The last three chapters and this one was all originally just one but it got too long and unwieldy hence the very fast updates over the past few days as I've split it up and edited it a bit.

I don't normally respond to guest reviews, however; I've always been respectful of the polite ones and the reviewer 'Reds77' is one of those guests. So, forgive me as I am going to take a moment to address the points Reds77 has made as I cannot respond privately as they didn't sign in. The comments Elliot have made regarding feeling dismissed as a child are confirming what was said way back in chapter 29 by Grace when she was thinking and Elliot first announced he wanted to find his birth family. I wrote: 'It is easy to dismiss Elliot as alright as he is so easy going and light hearted about everything and with that thought it hits me that it appears it is not only Christian I have failed'. (This story has been full of these little flippant comments made and then down the line acted upon, and this is one of those I will also say if you cast your mind back to chapter 55 comments made then will also factor in this particular chapter).

This is also my way of interpreting Elliot's character in canon, he has always basically been searching for attention. He is adopted and if you read the entirety of that thought Grace had, you will see that he was told he was adopted and then basically left to get on with it. He spent his youth searching for love and attention and is now revelling in the fact that he has roots and the love and attention of people he is connected to. His failed marriage to Kate is making him more protective towards Megumi as she genuinely adores him and unconsciously, he is gravitating towards Sadie as despite her initial rejection she shows him the attention he craves and he is slowly developing a bond with her. Megumi's thoughts show that her observations of Grace is that she is dismissive and it is always Elliot who makes the first move. It's all pretty complex stuff and that has been the whole intention of this story, something I made clear from the start. The family, who you are and where you come from is fundamental to everyone and your formative years are also fundamental in shaping the adult you become. When those links change or things happen like what has happened in this story it has ramifications which spread out like waves when a stone is dropped in a puddle and affect not only the people concerned but all those around them and the wider family. That is what I am trying to show. Also, Reds77 was the only reviewer to comment on the insular attitude between Ana, Eva and Elliot which I'd created. This is (hopefully) all going to link in when we have the family meeting. Finally, my intention wasn't for Ana to be badmouthing Grace and ignoring Christian it was more pointing out the levels of bad parenting which they all had endured. From Gideon's hideous childhood with the narcissistic Elizabeth, Ana's own experiences with Carla, Eva's mother Monica lying to her for her entire life, and how Grace and Carrick who appear to be model parents also made mistakes – and we know they did as a lot of them were pointed out in the early chapters. You will see in this chapter she hasn't ignored Christian's feelings. I hope that clarifies everything.

CHAPTER 86

A silence spreads out between Ana and I and I can see Ana is anxious to go to Christian and check on him.

"Go on I know you want to" I say and Ana smiles gratefully at me and without a word she stands and leaves the room.

I hesitate a moment and then follow her, as I'm certain Ana and Christian need to talk after Ray had pointed out to us how insular we had all been recently. It certainly wasn't my intention and I know neither Ana or Elliot were aware of how we were behaving was interpreted by those around us. The only way I can describe how we are together is that we fit. The bond is undeniable, and strong between us and we simply got carried away with it. I hate the fact I have possibly shut Gideon out as he is quite simply my world and he is as necessary to me as I am to him, and the thought I have made him feel second best while I have established the bond with my siblings makes me feel physically ill.

I arrive outside Christian's study and Ana is just disappearing inside, I hesitate a moment and then follow her in. Christian and Gideon are sitting on the sofa and Ana is now in Christian's lap and he is hanging on to her like a life raft, his eyes are closed and his nose is firmly buried in her hair. I am guessing the conversation with Grace didn't go well by his reaction.

Gideon looks up and his eyes soften as he sees me.

"Come on Angel" he says simply and he leads me out of the room.

"What happened?" I ask as soon as we are outside.

Gideon shakes his head and leads me up to our room and we sit down on the bed and he sighs.

"Grace wasn't overly keen on the idea of the family meeting. Christian has managed to persuade her that it is in fact a good idea and that it is something everyone needs to do to clear the air but from what was said she really believes that Megumi is only with Elliot for his money – like Kate was, and nothing Christian said would move her from that assumption. He tried so hard to get her to give Meg a fair chance but Grace is in full momma bear mode and it is clouding her judgement. This family meeting could really go either way and Christian knows it, it could bring the Grey family together or completely break it apart, and that realisation has messed with his head".

"Shit" I whisper. "But Grace isn't without her failings, she totally failed Christian when he was a child. When Ana and I went to see Grace and Carrick and it all came out about everything they had done and in Grace's case hadn't done it was obvious she had made some serious mistakes".

Gideon nods, "That is why she is behaving like she is doing now. She knows she made mistakes, she is over compensating for them now and in the process at risk of alienating her children completely. Observing the situation as an outsider… because that is essentially what I am, Grace knows she made mistakes and after everything that has happened over the past few months she is terrified that she is going to lose her children. She is focussing on Elliot and Megumi because she saw the car crash that was his marriage to Kate and because Elliot and Megumi got together so quickly she thinks it's going to happen again and she is determined she isn't going to let that happen".

"Do you think we should be present at that family meeting?" I ask wondering if we would be intruding by being there.

Gideon nods adamantly, "Yes I do, firstly because Christian has asked me to be there and I assured him I would… we have become quite close, ironic really considering what we initially thought of each other when you and Ana first discovered you were sisters. But I have promised him we would be there, plus I think from what Elliot said earlier he is going to need his sisters there as support when he unburdens himself of everything that he is feeling".

"There is another thing…" he says carefully after a moments pause.

"What?" I ask, wondering what else has happened and concerned at Gideon's wary expression.

"Grace isn't happy about the interview you three are planning to do, as far as she is concerned she doesn't want to draw attention to your biological link" he says.

I frown at that, "Why? This is the perfect way to cut Kate off at the pass. It stops her doing something which would be far more detrimental if she found out about us" I say.

Gideon holds up his hand, "I don't disagree, and for what it's worth, Christian said much the same thing to Grace when she voiced her views. She seems to think it is causing trouble and isn't needed".

I put my hands on my hips and glare at my husband unable to believe what I am hearing, "Not needed!?" I splutter angrily.

Gideon wraps his arms around me, "I know, I know. Christian has put Grace right on that respect and now she grudgingly agrees but she still made it clear she believes you three should leave well alone".

"Why? She can't alter the fact that Elliot is our brother, she can't alter the fact Ana is our sister? Yes, it's a bit weird that Elliot is also Christian's brother but the very fact he was adopted means that can't be helped, what is her fucking problem?" I say and then it hits me, "She is thinking that something dirty and salacious is going to be made of the link isn't she, and she is embarrassed? She thinks that the very fact Christian and Elliot are brothers and the fact Elliot and Ana are brother and sister and Ana is Christian's wife is going to be twisted and made to look dirty and sordid. Doesn't she realise that is why we are doing this? So we can put the facts out there, because I am certain that if Kate did discover the truth that is the route she would go, to get her revenge on the people who she sees as betraying her".

Gideon nods, "As usual you have hit the nail on the head, that was exactly what Grace's fear was, and she said as much. I have to hand it to Christian though, he told her pretty much exactly what you have just said that if Kate got a hold of this information she wouldn't hesitate to exploit that angle and that it would be far worse if that is how the link between you three came out and that is why we are doing what we doing to prevent that. It didn't seem to make any difference though".

I rest my head on Gideon's shoulder, "Shit" I whisper quietly.

Gideon wraps his arms tightly around me and holds me. "Don't let it worry you Angel, you three know this is the way to go. For the record Carrick was totally on board, he thinks the family meeting is an excellent idea and he thinks the interview is also the way to go".

I lift my head and look up at Gideon, "Really?" I ask and he nods.

"Yeah, he did. He told Christian he would talk to Grace and bring her round on everything".

My eyes widen at that, "I would never have expected that, Carrick was always the asshole" I say.

Gideon smirks and lets out a small snigger, "I think he has learnt the lessons from before. Christian said that his dad has totally changed since he had that massive talk with him and cleared the air over everything that had happened. Also, after you and Ana confronted him about his attitude that time, he now sees things in a much more rounded and pragmatic way since then and while he still thinks like the lawyer he is – which came across loud and clear with his opinions on the interview, he also manages to take that lawyer hat off now and see things as the parent he is. I think Grace is still eaten with guilt over her failings when Christian was a child and she knows there is no excuse for what she did – or didn't do. Everything that has happened is bringing everything to the forefront of her mind again and all those feelings of guilt are once again surfacing and she is over reacting and over compensating for her past failings, and now that it appears Elliot also has issues something which she was probably unaware of, it will probably make all her insecurities and fears of losing her children worse and may even cause the very thing she fears most if she doesn't change her attitude towards Meg".

"So, she knows what El said?" I ask.

Gideon shakes his head, "No, but Christian alluded to the fact that Elliot wasn't happy, but I think Grace took that as him not being happy about her comments about Megumi" he says.

"And Grace just carried on calling Meg a gold digger and making things worse" I say.

"And making things worse" Gideon agrees.

oooOOOooo

(ANA)

I am sitting silently holding my husband in my arms. I am steaming angry but at this moment I am hiding how pissed I am as Christian clearly needs me and that is my main concern at this moment. As soon as I walked into that room and saw the look of fear and devastation on Christian's face I knew the conversation with Grace hadn't gone well. I also know he is heaping blame on himself for everything that Elliot had said, but when he had finally begun to talk and tell me how Grace had reacted to the idea of the family meeting, not to mention the interview I was stunned. That shock had quickly evolved into anger and it is a good job Christian needs me so desperately at this moment because otherwise I don't think I'd be able to control my feelings and I'd be driving over to Bellevue and giving Grace a piece of my mind.

I need to think of a way to snap Christian out of this tailspin he has got himself into and it comes to me in a rush, Mia.

"Christian" I say quietly.

He moves slightly but doesn't ease up on the death grip he currently has me in, pinned to him on his lap.

"Christian, have you called Mia?" I ask.

He responds by moving his head and looking at me, he shakes it and sighs. "No, not yet" he says.

Taking advantage of the slight release in his grip I pull my arm free and pat his. "Then I think you should, she should be brought into the loop as the last thing we need is Mia feeling left out again, especially if Grace speaks to her before we get chance to" I say, then inwardly cringe at how accusing that sounded.

Christian thinks about that and nods, and still hanging on to me with one hand he reaches for his phone.

He pauses and looks at me, "Is this family conference a good idea?" he asks and I nod adamantly.

"Yes it is, and you know it is. It is clear everyone has something they need to say and the way your mother is treating Meg needs to be addressed, it is totally unfair of her to assume that Megumi is anything like Kate. Whether that assumption is due to her resentment at being left out of the wedding or goes deeper I don't know. It may be all linked to her fear of losing her children now you and Elliot have your birth family in your lives, but whatever it is, it needs to be addressed and sorted or the only thing that will happen is everyone will grow estranged and the resentment will grow. Elliot is going to defend Meg because he loves her and it is clear she loves him. This is needed and needed badly".

Christian listens and nods, "You should know, mom also isn't on board about the interview, you, Eva and Elliot are planning. Dad thinks its needed but mom looks at it as creating more trouble. Dad is going to talk her around though as he can see why it's needed".

I roll my eyes, Jesus Christ what is wrong with that woman? It's like she has had a complete personality transplant recently.

"Ok, good to know but not a priority at the moment, calling Mia is more important at this moment" I say.

Christian nods and places the call pressing the speaker button so that I can hear what is said.

"Hello" Mia says as she answers.

"Mia, it's me… Christian" he says and with that unnecessary greeting I know just how much that conversation with Grace has got to him.

I hear a giggle, "Yeah I guessed that much when your face lit up my phone" she says. I let out a small snort of laughter at that and thankfully Christian also smiles.

"Mia, I need to talk to you about something. I'm sure you're aware of what happened at the party. Well, Gideon had this idea of getting everyone together to sit down and hash out everything and clear the air once and for all. I wanted you to be there, in case… in case you have anything you need to say". He pauses and waits for Mia's response.

We hear a sigh, "Yeah, Meg was so upset and mom was bang out of order with what she said to her. Meg told me and it's fucking ridiculous how mom could even think that let alone say it – Meg signed a fucking pre-nup for gods sake! She had a row with El over it, because she instigated it and called a lawyer and got one drawn up and presented him with it".

Christian looks at me his eyebrows almost in his hairline he is so surprised at this revelation.

"Wait, she signed a pre-nup? Then why the fuck didn't she say so and shut mom up once and for all?" Christian says.

Mia sighs again, "Because she feels like an outsider, mom hasn't done anything to make her feel welcome into the family. Admittedly she did right at the start when she first came to Seattle but the closer she got to El and the more mom saw how El was totally in love with her the colder mom got. I feel bad for her, mom is so convinced that they married too soon, and the fact they eloped and she wasn't involved makes her think Meg is… I don't know… brainwashing El or something and things really aren't good. So, Meg kept her mouth shut to keep the peace because she didn't want to cause any more trouble between mom and El because… because if you ask me, I'm fairly sure the way mom is behaving is pushing him towards Sadie more and it won't take much for that rift to widen and for him to turn to Sadie completely".

"I see" Christian says simply and he looks up at me a look of complete devastation in his eyes.

"Mia" I say making myself known.

"Oh hi Ana, I didn't realise you were there as well, am I on speaker?" Mia asks.

"You are, sorry we didn't make that clear. We all know you are close with Meg and with Lucy for that matter… do you think that is also eating at Grace?" I ask.

"Mmm I'm not sure, maybe. Sadie and Lucy really don't have that much to do with mom and dad. They will come when mom invites her – but I think mom only does that to be polite. They don't talk, personally I think they should, I mean they have El in common and as such could be really close but mom views Sadie as a threat. She really isn't though; she knows she has no rights or claim to him she just wants to be his friend. I think that's also why Sadie just keeps herself to herself, she doesn't want to cause any trouble between El and mom. I guess because Lucy, Meg and I are so close mom could also see that as a bit of a threat, I didn't really think about it too closely until now though but I can see why she would think that. I mean we do spend a lot of time together and Lucy helped me out big time with the party organisation. I know you all thought I was going to have another hissy fit when Lucy came on the scene, I mean it wasn't my proudest moment the way I behaved when I found out you and El were brother and sister… I'm still ashamed of the way I behaved back then. So, when it became apparent El had yet another sister, I know you were all worried about how I would react, but she's brilliant and I love her and she is like my sister too. I think that has made mom even more worried though".

I am astounded at Mia's maturity and astuteness, long gone is the self-centred airhead who was only concerned with things if it affected her personally.

"Mia, you definitely need to be at the family meeting. Your insight could be what is needed to make Grace see sense and realise what she is doing is creating a rift between her and Elliot".

Mia giggles, "Oh I wouldn't miss it for the world, to be honest with you I'm shocked at mom's behaviour towards Meg. It's almost like she has made up her mind and Meg is the enemy. Dad is far more accommodating, and he was always the one to behave like an asshole in the past".

"Mia, there is something else you need to know" Christian says. The tone of his voice makes the relief surge through me, listening to Mia and hearing that someone else clearly believes Grace is wrong has helped him to process the events of earlier quicker.

"Oh, what?" Mia asks.

"Kate is sniffing around again and we believe from her actions recently that she may have got the information that Elliot, Ana and Eva are related. We all know how spiteful she is and if she makes that information public she will be sure to give it an angle which makes it look terrible. So, Eva believes an interview should take place and the link made public and aired giving us the control over how it is spun. Mom isn't happy about it but dad realises it is necessary – what are your thoughts?"

There is a long silence and we wait, eventually Mia speaks. "Kate is a bitch, there are no two ways about it. She treated El like shit; she was no mother to Ava and she was horrible to you Christian. I have no idea why you were friends with her Ana. She was a two-faced cow as well; I heard her bad mouthing me and then when she saw me a few minutes later she was all smiles to my face. She wouldn't hesitate to make the biological link sound sordid and nasty. My thoughts are she wants revenge on El for standing up to her and dumping her ass. She also wants revenge on you Ana and on Eva for the way you two stood up to her so this would be the perfect thing to use… so yes you need to do the interview and you need to do it soon because if you think she is on to the link she won't wait to get the facts as she is only intent on trying to get revenge on everyone. She tried before didn't she? Tested the water with her little stunt but her dad got wind of what she was doing and warned you all. Now though she really has nothing to lose, she isn't a respected journalist. From what I've heard she is barely making a living, she has alienated everyone around her and it's only really the bottom feeder new sites on the internet who are paying her any attention. If she feeds them what she thinks she knows it will be horrific".

"Well, don't sit on the fence Mia tell us what you really think" I say with a laugh.

Mia giggles again, but then there is a long silence before she speaks again, and when she does there is no levity in her tone. "I know it's a horrible thing to say, but I hate Kate… plus her selfishness it reminds me too closely of how I used to behave and its not a nice feeling" she says soberly.

"Mia, you were nothing like Kate, you don't have a nasty bone in your body" I say firmly.

Mia snorts, "I made you cry didn't I when I behaved like a bitch" she says.

"Mia, that is forgiven and forgotten, don't bring that up again. We talked it out, hopefully we can talk out everything else which is going on within the Grey family as well" I say.

"Yeah, ok… but back to the point yes I will definitely be there. If only to support Meg and El as they will need it. Let me know the time and place and I'll be there" Mia says firmly.

"Thank you Mia" Christian says.

"No problem, look I need to go as I'm going out with Lucy soon and I need to get ready" she says.

Christian smiles, "No problem, have a good time and don't try and give security the slip" he says.

"I don't do that anymore" Mia huffs and Christian grins at her reaction.

They say their goodbyes and Christian sets his phone down.

"Well, it's clear what we have to do" he says.

"Aint it just!" I reply and I wrap my arms around Christian once more, relieved and happy to see him back in control as he should be.