Grey Clouds On The Horizon

Memories

Ana's POV

I woke up in a bed that I barely recognized, in house that was unfamiliar and I was alone. Sitting up with a near full term round belly sticking out in front of me was no picnic with assistance, and I was lucky that Taylor heard me - or was it saw me - struggling to my feet. He reached behind my shoulders and helped me forward, notably careful not to touch me more than absolutely necessary to ensure I didn't topple over under my own front heaviness. As hard as we had fought to keep this baby inside of me, I was living for the moment that he was finally out.

"Are you alright, Mrs Grey?" Jason asked, offering her a robe when she shivered, which she took with a. whispered thanks and only wrapped around her shoulders. "Do you need anything else?"

She shook her head. "No, I'm fine. Where is Christian? Is he with..." Ana trailed off, and she was grateful that Taylor knew what she meant.

"Officially, Miss Stewart is 'out'." He made quotation marks with his fingers around the word. "And Mr Grey is with his father and brother downstairs having a few choice words."

Anastasia cringed, and inferred that Emilia was hidden away under lock and key somewhere not far away, and the Grey men were fighting. The thought of it turned her stomach and she fought the urge to vomit with a hand pressed to her mouth until the sensation passed. She could still taste the acid in the back of her throat, which she washed away with a glass of water that Taylor put into her hand. "Thank you, Jason. Should I be down there? Or am I better off staying up here?"

"Anastasia!" Christian called up the stairs. The voice he used made her question pointless.

She tiptoed to the balcony and leaned over only onto her forearms that rested upon the railing, wary that in her balance was even less trustworthy than usual. "Hey there." She waved to Elliot and Carrick with as much cheer as she could feign. There was no reason to be happy when these three went into battle.

"It's nice to see you, Ana." Carrick nodded, solemn and brief. Elliot said nothing and chose to look at his feet instead of above his head.

"Say your goodbyes now, because neither of you will be allowed back on this property." Christian seethed and featured towards the hall that lead to our front door.

Elliot groaners. "Shut up, man! Just stop fucking talking yourself deeper into this. We're trying to help you."

"Son," The eldest Mr Grey seemed as if he wished to reach out a hand and place it on his son's shoulder, but he did not. Instead he crossed his arms without much grace and stared his child down. "You are putting your wife, that young woman and her daughter on a sinking ship, Christian. This will not work. You don't get to buy everything you want even if you have all the money in the world. There are things that we all have to walk away from and you need to walk away from Emilia. She is not yours, she is barely more than a child."

"Her daughter?" Christian pursed his lips and pulled at the roots of his hair until I could feel how it had to burn on my own scalp. "Her name is Delilah and she is my daughter too. That is my baby and Emilia is going to be my wife so you need to stand down."

Pinkness rushed to my cheeks and I wanted to hide my face, but I couldn't show the pain in present company. This was a choice I had made, a sacrifice that was freely given, and I would not be weak. As much as I'd wanted to be part of the Greys and adored the idea of Kate being my sister in law, this was our family now, not theirs. A line had to be drawn of how far we could let them step before we pushed back.

"This isn't you. This is not the son that I raised." Carrick insisted, his voice pleading.

Christian raised his voice again. "I am EXACTLY the son that you raised! And do you know why? Because when Grace brought me home I was already damaged goods. I was already just as fucked up as I am today. This was always going to happen, Carrick! In fact, this may have been the best you could have expected of me. You know who I am. I am the son of a crack whore and you are the poor son of a bitch who was conned into raising me and for that I. Am. So. Sorry. but it's time you faced the facts that this is all I will ever be. I will never make you proud. This is me. If you don't want to be involved in what I'm doing and who my family will be then you know exactly where the door is."