PART  2 OF HUNTER’S WAY

I see that Caro is really serious. “Caro baby, do you mind if I sit down first?” When we had come out of the kitchen, her glare had me “nailed” to the floor and I really didn’t know what to expect so I just stood.

“Sit down, Sebastian and cut the crap, damn it. Start talking!” I love it when she talks to me like that. “Caro, to answer your last question, the reason why I didn’t say anything was that I wanted it to be a complete surprise to you.  I finally know what it is that I want to be when I grow up.

After everything that I have been through, seeing myself progress because of your help and faith in me, I decided that I want to help people just like me and even worse. Caro, I want to become a physical trainer and open my own training facility.” I wait for her to say something but she continues to look at me with an expression on her face that I have never seen before. Is it approval? Is it doubt? Say something, Caro. Finally she blinks and tears start to roll down her beautiful face. She says, “Oh, Sebastian, I think that is a wonderful idea. We can take the money that Liz left  us because it is our money, and start your or should I say, our business”

 “It doesn’t end there, baby. That is just Phase I. There will be 3 or 4 more phases. The building will house  several office/medical complexes which will include a motivational speaker platform with seating for possibly 250 people, a mental health counseling complex, a physical therapy area for those individuals who cannot exercise on their own but who can benefit from a trained therapist’s assistance, a children’s care center with trained personnel and an indoor pool with separate whirlpool equipment and last but not least, a spiritual center with a full time spiritual counselor on hand 24/7. As a matter of fact, eventually, the entire facility will be open 24/7. Individuals don’t pick the time to need help. My plan is to bring in motivational speakers once a month like I heard from that one lady who truly inspired me. Just because someone tells you that you can’t do something, I want them to know that they can at least make the effort if they just try. Are you ready for the name of our complex, Caro?”   “Hunter’s Way.”  Caro throws herself on me and sobs uncontrollably. She cries so hard until I find myself realizing what we can accomplish and I start to sob as well. We hold each other until we are settled down and just enjoy the aftermath in each other’s arms.

“I have another surprise for you, Caro. I can drive.” “WHAT?”, she screams. “How do you know? How long have you been withholding this from me? I told her that I just found out this afternoon. I had called Mr. Anderson from Anderson’s Driving School and he took me out. I let her know that I had done quite a good job.

As I am talking to her about this latest feat, the telephone rings. I answer it because Caro is still trying to reel in what I have just told her. “Hello, Hunter residence.” “Oh, hello, Ms. Coakley. She says that she has wonderful news for me and asks me is this a good time to discuss this. I tell her yes it is and said that if she would like to come over and meet Mrs. Hunter, now would be a perfect time. She agrees and says she will stop over on her way home in just a few minutes.

I explain to Caro and immediately she jumps up, runs to the kitchen and starts preparing a late afternoon snack for our approaching guest. This woman, my wife, my Caro, is beyond amazing.

Ms. Coakley says that the property owner accepted my offer and that he wanted her to present me with an offer. It seems as though he is moving out of the state and he needs to liquidate all of his properties. He had purchased it with the intention of erecting a private golf course but decided that he wanted to leave the area. He told her to offer me the remainder of the property which included approximately, ten more acres at half of what he wanted for them and if I couldn’t come up with the cash or financing, he would sell it to me on land contract with whatever I could put down and a balloon payment due in 10 years.

Caro didn’t give me a chance to even think about it. She jumped up and asked Ms. Coakley, “Where do we sign?” There is no way that we are going to turn down this offer with what we have in mind.”   

“Do you mind if I ask what you are going to name your facility, Mr. Hunter?” Again, Caro doesn’t give me the opportunity to answer as she proudly states the full name. “Hunter’s Way Health and Wellness Center, Inc. and our mission statement is simply ‘We are here to help you improve body and mind and soul. This is Hunter’s Way.”

“Oh, Mrs. Hunter. How perfect is that? I love the idea and I will be your first member so mark it down that no one is to join first but me. Deal?” We agree and all of us enjoy a good laugh.

Caro is so excited that she insists on contacting an architect immediately. We contact one who has an excellent reputation in the Long Beach area, and make an appointment for next week. I smile at my Caro and say to her, “I’ll drive, baby.”

SEVEN YEARS LATER

Our complex has taken off like a jet and we have even paid off our mortgages early. We have been able to complete all of our phases due to the fact that all of the major insurances companies have put us on their list of approved health and wellness facilities and doctors refer their patients to our facility on a regular basis. Several doctors have told us that this is something that has been needed for some time. One said that “we try to heal them as best we can; however, we need them to make the effort to try and heal themselves. Your programs teach them how to make the attempt to do just that.”

Anyone is welcome to use our facility, whether they can afford a membership or not. We have free memberships for those who can’t pay. We have also added a restaurant to our facility so that homeless people can get meals with no charge and individuals who can afford to pay, pay only what they want to donate. It has really worked out well as we get several sizable donations from churches around the area on a regular basis.

We contacted the powers that be to get permission to name the road that we have constructed leading back to our facility, Hunter’s Way Drive. Permission was granted with no problem. Our   mailing address is now 7777 Hunter’s Way Drive. (7 in the bible means “completion and rest.”).

We had several cities contact us to build our facility in their cities, even some out of state which we are starting to work on now. We already have completed ten in our state alone and are now venturing out to other states.

We built our 8,000 sq. ft. dream home on the ocean where we can walk out to our beach area and ride the waves as much as we want, weather permitting. We are even teaching our two sons how to “ride the waves.” Caro has to take it easy for awhile due to the fact that the doctor has put her on restricted activities until she gives birth to our triplets. The three witches plus one, Nicole, Jenna, Alice and the plus one who is Ches’s wife, have really proven to be true besties.

 She told me that she has two years to have any more babies because at age 50, she is done. We would like to have at least 7 so that means after these 3 are born, we will need to get busy right away. The doctor said that she is as healthy as a horse and we could have as many as we can afford. I don’t think that will be a problem as we are on our way to amassing a quarter of a billion dollar fortune.

Caro has opened her own publishing company which is very successful. She wanted to use our   name so she named it Hunter’s Publishing House, Inc. It is on the same property that our health and wellness center is. She has been able to boast the fact that she has 5 bestselling writers. She is still the amazing wife that she has always been and now I can say what an amazing mother she is.

I still have my limp although very slight. I had taken my own advice and was able to stretch my muscles to their maximum which enabled me to walk 90% better. The guitar lessons that I took have proven to be beneficial in more ways than one. Learning to play has improved the mobility in my arm and hand and I am able to play well enough that I serenade our dinner guests. I have even had an offer to go on tour with a band. Leave Caro and these babies? Yea, right! I really like having my family jewels intact and I am really not in love with the song, “Twist and Shout”.

After making sure that all staff  is set for the balance of the afternoon, evening and the night shift, I pick up the boys from the Hunter’s Way Child Care Facility and head for home. I am so glad that I don’t need that hashish shit anymore. I stay so busy that there is really no need for it. I think back to when I started my own therapy for those horrible nightmares that I used to have. I was so impressed with my therapist and how he helped me not to have them anymore, I brought him on board as my head therapist who teaches some of my other staff in his method.

“Hi honey, hi Sebastian, hi Chester. Did all three of my loves have a good day today?” We all said in unison, “Yes, mommy.” We laughed and were all shooed to get washed up for dinner. After dinner, the boys rid the table and carried the dishes into the kitchen for our live-in housekeeper to load up and finish with the cleaning chores. Even though we had help in the housekeeping department, we still wanted to teach the guys that they had to help as well.

After family time, which tonight was sitting around the outdoor fire pit and telling our made up stories, it was time for them to go to bed. We tucked them in, kissed them good night and retired to our room. Caro seemed to be a bit more tired than usual. I asked her if she was feeling okay. She didn’t answer but gave me a familiar look. Oh my, Caro, is it time? As though on cue, she let out a moan and grabbed herself as if she was supporting her belly and said in an almost yell, “It’s time.  Get me the hell to the hospital. NOW.”

I jumped up, yelled at Mrs, Walker on our way out, that we were headed to the hospital and to please call the hospital and let them know to be expecting us and to give the nannies a call in the morning and have them be prepared to move in with us. Arrangements had already been made for this day so it was just a matter of letting them know that it was time.

By the time we get to the hospital, Caro is yelling that “The babies are coming….hurry, please, Oooooh, hurry, they are coming.” She had to be in labor for longer than she thought. The attendant met us at the ER door, got her on a stretcher and was out of there before I had time to kiss her. They wheeled her into the closest treatment room where the ER doctor was all gloved up, ready to give her a pelvic exam. He took one look and yelled, “Get her to the delivery room, STAT! She’s crowning. Let’s move it people. Call Dr. Judson and tell him that we are not going to have time to wait for him but he should get here ASAP”.

I’m thinking, how in the world is this happening so fast? The two boys took their good ole time but these three mean business. They want out and want out now. I’m walking, half running as fast as I can to keep up with the stretcher but they try to let the elevator doors close on me. I scream, “Like hell. We are in this together.” The ER doctor said “let him in, I am not about to fight with this man. He has that look. Mrs. Hunter, I hope you don’t mind.” All poor Caro could do was moan and groan. “Okay, Caro. No more I spit out. This is it.” Caro gives me a look like a wild bear protecting her cubs and yells at me, “My decision! I’m the one going through this and if I want more babies, then damn it, I will have them. Got it?”

“Oh, Caro. I just don’t want you to go through this pain again. That’s all I meant.” I know what you meant, Sebastian but we are going to have two more. That’s it…OHOOOO, one of them is coming. The doctor took his “baby delivering stance” and said it’s here. He grabs the baby by its head while the nurses grab a blanket from under the stretcher to wrap the baby in until they can get her to the delivery room. The doctor says, one down, two to go. Hold on Mrs. Hunter, you are doing fine. It’s a girl. Dad, you doing okay?”  “I’m an ex-marine who served in Afghanistan. Do I really have to answer that question?” The doctor chuckles. “Just asking, the ER doctor says.  I don’t have time to treat a fainting father.” I had to laugh at that. The elevator stops and they rush her out. The doctor asks me if I am going in the delivery room with her. I tell him yes.   Dr. Judson is almost running as he enters the delivery room.  The first thing that they do is to cut the cord and start the process of taking care of our newest child. I look at our daughter and tell Caro that she is just beautiful. Sweat is running down Caro’s face like someone poured a bucket of water on her. She has quieted down some and looks up at me. Damn, I love this woman. “Good job, baby”, I tell her. Dr. Judson is all scrubbed and tells the ER doctor, “Thanks, John. I’ll take it from here. How is she doing?” The ER doctor tells him that she is a warrior and doing great.

Dr Judson asks her if she wants an epidural. She tells him “No, thank you. I can do this. If I got through the birth our daughter naturally, I should be able to squeeze out the other two.” He looks at me, smiles and says, you have a strong woman here.” I beam with pride and tell him, “I know.” 

 “Doctor, here comes another one, the nurse bellows.”  “Okay, get ready troups. Here it is. Mr. Hunter, you have another girl.” Oh, wow, I think. I’m wondering if we are going to have all girls. I really don’t give a flyin’ leap. Just so they are healthy. Just as I am assessing the situation, the doctor says to me, “Okay, Mr. ex-marine, incoming. Here he is. A boy this time.” Caro, says, “Thank God. Are you sure he is the last one?” Everyone started laughing. “Caro, my love, we have 3 boys and 2 girls and they are all just beautiful.”

They take the babies, clean them up, weigh them and hand all of them to their mother, the two girls in one arm and the little boy in the other arm. All of a sudden, I feel warm tears streaming down my face. I am happier than I have been in my entire life. I have a big family who I love so much and who will all love me. What did I do to deserve this? And think, we are going to have 2 more. We have already named the babies. Elizabeth, Mildred, Shirley and Mitchell.  

The doctor brings me back from wherever I was and tells me that all of the babies are healthy and weigh enough to be able to go home when my wife is discharged. I look at Caro and ask her how she feels but she is out like a light. I gently take the babies, one at a time, give them three kisses each on their forehead, and hand them to the nurse. I ask them where they are taking my wife after I kiss her 3 times. After they give me the room number, I go to the waiting room to start making the calls.

When my wife wakes up at 8:30 in the morning, she has all three babies in the room with her and I have had Mrs. Walker bring the boys up to see their mother and their siblings. Caro takes one look around, motions the boys to come closer to her bedside, gives them a hug, kisses them and tells them that they are going to have to help take care of the babies because we are going to have at least two more and everybody is going to have to learn how to help. I think as I see my family, this is the true meaning of what love is all about.

I look at my Caro, smile and say, “Whatever you say, Mrs. Hunter. Whatever you say.”

This is a continuation of J.Harvey Berrick’s books, The Education of Caroline and The Education of Sebestian. I loved them so much that I felt I wanted to take them just a bit further. I borrowed most of the characters from Ms. Harvey Berrick’s novels. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did. Here I present to you, both Caroline’s and Sebestian’s POV.
Caroline
As I am preparing to meet with my publisher, I am thinking how far my husband has progressed on his long road to recovery. He has an easier time mellowing out now. Sometimes, I think he mellows out too much. I push the thought of him accepting the offer of hash from his friends, to the far corners of the back of my mind. I think to myself that he would never do that, seeing how the effects of alcohol and Lord knows what all, affected his parents, especially now that we are expecting our first child.

There is no doubt in my mind that Sebastian is going to be the best father ever. His parents taught him how and my talk of my own mother. The true example, however, (whom he did have the opportunity to bond with when he was just 8 years old), would be my loving father. Of course, I think that he has a natural ability as well.

I just wish that he could find something to do that would satisfy the urge in him to be able to contribute to society. I know that he misses the U.S. Marines. Being a marine gave him a sense of accomplishment as well as utilizing his brilliant brain and constantly keeping it active. Maybe, when I think that the time is right, I will broach the subject.

“See you later, tesoro. After my meeting with my publisher, Nicole, Jenna , Alice and I are going to meet for a quick lunch and then to the mall. Jenna is dying to buy a new wardrobe and begged us to come with her.” “Have fun, baby. You deserve some down time and I can’t think of better people to spend it with than the three witches. Just don’t get too tired. Remember, you are now two.” He winks and blows me a kiss. Damn I love that man. I just wish he could do something other than sit and watch the water.

SEBESTIAN:
Whew. I didn’t think my beautiful, sexy, sex addicted wife would ever leave. Little does she know that I have a filled afternoon as well. Not 10 minutes after she leaves, does my first appointment show up. Mr. Anderson of Anderson Driving School is here to do a bit of rehab driving training. He knows that I can drive, but as I explained to him, I am not real comfortable getting under the wheel of a vehicle with my leg being injured to the degree that it was. I need to see how it goes, make the determination whether I will need to have my pedals adjusted, have a special device installed for the steering wheel, or find out if I will even be able to drive at all. I want to be able to drive my wife and child and I want this to be a total surprise to her. Who knows, first the car and then the bike, maybe? We shall see.
After my try-out, I am feeling on top of the world. It is as though I have never missed a beat from behind the wheel. I won’t need any adjustments to the pedal because on these newer automobiles, they are manufactured with the pedals that automatically adjust with the touch of a bbutton. Same with the steering wheel and the steering column as well. I am good to go, Mrs. Hunter. I shake hands with Jeb Anderson and thank him for all of his help. No need to retake a test or to even have my license renewed. I just need to get a Handicapped Parking Tag so that I can park close to where I am going and if things work out, I shouldn’t even need that for long.

I get out of the car and limp up to the house and it might be my imagination, but it seems as though my limp is not as pronounced as it was earlier. Yeah, I’m wishful thinking again. Keep on Hunter. You will get there.

I get home just in time to heat the soup, get the sandwich and macaroni salad out of the fridge that Caro left for me, as well as the big hunk of chocolate cake. Damn, she must think that I can really put the food away, which I do in record time. My wife is amazing.

Just as I am finishing lunch, the doorbell rings. I hurry to the door so that she won’t have to ring the second time, open it and introduce myself to our Realtor who Caro doesn’t know a thing about….yet! “Hi, I’m Sebestian Hunter.” “Hi, Mr. Hunter! I’m Penny Coakley from Yevol Realty.” “Yes, Ms. Coakley. Come on in. As I explained to you, my wife is not here and I know that this is strange, however, I want this to be a complete surprise to her. I motion to the chair in our small living room and ask her to take a seat. I explain to her what it is that I am looking for and she says that it will not be a problem.

We discuss the financing end of what I need and she, again states that it would not be a problem. She informs me that from the information that I provided her over the phone, I am eligible for around $75,000 in VA benefits and with the money that I have saved up, I will only need around $100,000 of the money that Liz left to Caro.

She asks me if I am ready to go property hunting. On the way over, she explains that she accidently ran across the perfect setting for what I want. I listened as she describes it to me.

It sets on over 1 ½ acres of land with a view of the ocean. Sounds perfect. Let’s go see it. As soon as I see it, I make the decision that there is no need to waste Anna Coakley’s time any further. This is it. I tell her to take me to her office so that we can write it up.
I am home just in time to beat Caro. I am so excited that I can barely contain myself. She starts to busy herself in the kitchen and I tell her that we have something too important to wait to discuss. She gets a worried look on her face and I tell her that this is happy news. She immediately relaxes.

I asked her how her shopping spree went and she starts bubbling about what a wonderful time they had and she in turn asked me how mine went. I mirror exactly what she said to me about “a wonderful time” and she just stares at me. “You had a wonderful time watching the water?” “I guess you could say that, Caro.

I then tell her about the property that we bought. She lets loose with ton of questions, “What are you talking about? Where is the property? What are you going to do with it? How much did it cost? Why didn’t you talk to me about it?”

I start laughing and ask her which one of her questions does she want me to answer first? She looks at me and says, “I don’t care, just start talking and it better be good!”

Sorry for the “cliffhanger” but I think you will like the ending.

Be sure to come back for more of Sebestian and Caroline as well as Christian and Ana in just a couple of days.

All of these characters belong to E L James and are borrowed for the purpose of entertainment to those who can’t get enough of the Grey’s.

TAYLOR

After our early morning run, I get the same ‘hair standing up on the back of my neck’ feeling that I had experienced for the last 3 days. I am always aware of our surroundings but with this heightened internal alert system going off inside my body, I am even more so. I continue scanning our route, only now, I am suspicious of even the little old ladies walking their dogs. Grey senses something is amiss but chooses to ignore it. I guess he thinks I’m tired of hearing him say that I’m overreacting. Well, he’s right, I am tired of him saying that but since I am his personal protection, ‘think what you will, Grey’. That is the reason why you pay me the big bucks.

As soon as we get back to GEH, I call Welch and arrange for an “invisible escort” to tail us in the morning and explain to him that I’m just getting this eerie feeling that someone is watching us. Welch tells me that he’s “on it” and he will report back to me as soon as he finds anything out and yes, he will keep this “under raps” from the boss.

About an hour later, Welch texts me that everything is in place and that I am to text him to give him our route. He informs me that this is going to be so under cover that I won’t even know that we are being followed. After Welch’s text, I start to relax….somewhat.

As soon as I finish reading Welch’s text, my phone rings the familiar tone that alerts me that it is the “ice queen”. “Yes, Andrea.” “Taylor, I am preparing the statements for the finance department and I notice that there is a lot of activity on Mr. and Mrs. Grey’s credit card and in addition to that, the amounts are staggering. Do you know anything about this?” I tell her that I will be right out. I hang up the phone and it rings immediately. I check to see who it is as the ring is just a normal ring. “Unknown” pops up so I answer it only to discover it is the “bitch troll” as Mrs. Grey calls her. Why the hell is she calling me? “Hello, Taylor, this is Mrs. Lincoln. Please don’t hang up on me. I have been trying to reach Mr. Grey but he is not taking my calls and I really do need to talk to him.”  My reply to her is, “Okay and how does that involve me?” “Well, I was wondering if you could give him your cell so that I could speak with him?” What the hell is wrong with this woman? The boss was right, she’s just like a pit bull that won’t let go. “Mrs. Lincoln, I really resent you calling me to get to Mr. Grey.  Did it ever occur to you that if he wanted to speak to you, that he would have taken your calls? I might be overstepping my bounds, but you need to get on with your life and leave Mr. and Mrs. Grey alone. Just to make it plain, do not Ever. Call. Me. again!!!! How in the hell did you get my number anyway? You have really crossed the line and that will never happen again. Answer me, Elena, how did you get my number? “Elena? Now who is crossing the line? It’s Mrs. Lincoln to you! If you must know, Mr. Grey had you call me long before he met that little gold digger Ana, for the purpose of a change of plans that we had made and I just kept it. It has been years ago, and just for the record, I know that you and Gail, that female servant, have never liked me but you people are beneath me anyway, so it really doesn’t matter what you think of me.” “Good, then we don’t ever have to worry about you calling us again, and I suggest that it would be in your best interest to stay away from the Mrs. Christian Grey if you don’t want her foot in your ass…..again.” I then throw the phone down on the desk before I disconnect so that the noise is extremely loud in her ear. Before I disconnect the call, I hear faintly, “fucking bastard”. My point has been made. I disconnect and head in to see the ice queen.

After I explain to Andrea that all charges are legit, I head back to my office to try to settle down a bit before Grey has me on the run. And it isn’t even noon yet. What a way to start a day. I sure as hell hope it slows down. ‘Right, Taylor, dream on!’

ANDREA

“Good morning, Mr. Grey’s office. This is Andrea. How may I help you?” The voice on the other end is seemingly very polite and asks to speak to Mr. Grey. “May I ask who is calling?” The pleasant voice on the other end of the receiver says, “Oh he wouldn’t know me by name, ma’m. I am someone who he knew from a long time ago.”  “I see, however, sir, Mr. Grey has to be informed as to who you are before he will take any calls. Is this personal or business, sir?” The voice on the other end states that it is very personal and that it is very important that he talks to him, his voice becoming a little more insistent at this point. I tell him apologetically, that it is not possible for him to speak to Mr. Grey without an appointment and I will have to have his name, social security number, and how he knows Mr. Grey. I inform him that I am taking appointments for the first part of next year and as soon as I get the required information, I will give him a call to verify his time to see Mr. Grey. ”Would you like to make an appointment, sir?”

The once pleasant voice, now becomes very loud and almost angry. “I’ll call you back.” And with that, he slams the phone down. I immediately ring for Taylor and inform him of the strange phone call. After the attempt on Mr. Grey’s life, we are all a little jumpy and more protective of the boss. Taylor thanks me and lets me know that security has been increased.

TAYLOR

Hair raising on the back of my neck time….AGAIN. I immediately make my way to Welch’s  office and inform him of what has happened and instruct him to call a meeting of the security team together. Welch agrees and immediately sends out an urgent e-mail. The meeting is set for Sunday as that is the soonest that he can get security replacements in place. The Grey mansion, Escala, GEH, Grey Construction and Grey Publishing all need immediate protection. Sawyer and I will handle the personal protection for the boss and his wife. Damn, I hate trying to protect in the blind. I have no idea what is going on or what other sick bastard is trying to do the boss in.

The next morning which is Friday, I am all suited and ready to run 5 or 6 miles with the boss, depending on his mood. Ana wore his ass out last night so he will probably only do 5, if that. How do I know that? Because they were in bed or at least in the bedroom by 7 last night and he sent me a text informing me that I could have the rest of the evening off. That was just perfect because I have wanted to take Gail for a cruise in my new ride. She loves that vehicle.

The boss is in pretty good spirits as he bids me, “Morning Taylor”.  “Sir.”  The boss notices me looking around more than usual this morning and asks, “Something wrong, Taylor?”  “I’m not sure, sir. Probably not.” No sooner than “probably not” has come out of my mouth, I saw the shadow of a rather large male duck behind one of the vacant buildings and I know that someone is tailing us because we take a different route every morning which means that he has been watching us for some time to have figured out where we would be and when. Grey didn’t see the shadow because the male subject waited until we were past him and the only reason that I saw him was because I turned around when I got that tingling feeling on the back of my neck. I ease my hand inside my jacket and unstrap my shoulder holster so as Grey wouldn’t notice. I had full confidence that Welch’s people were on it so we kept running. 

A few minutes later, we hear sirens. I turn around and see flashers just about where I saw the shadow. I inform the boss that I think we should turn around and back track because something has gone down. “Taylor, what on earth are you talking about?” “Mr. Grey, please sir, do as I ask. Your life may be in danger. Something strange took place today and for the last 3 days, I have been having this eerie feeling, so if you will just do as I ask sir, I sure that we will be just fine.

“Dammit, Taylor. Somebody better be trying to blow my fucking brains out or your fucking head is going to roll.” I want to laugh but the situation is just too serious. The boss, however, does as I asked and we jog back to where the flashers are.

Welch’s team has vehicles with sirens as well as flashers and because they are licensed security, they are allowed to have both. As we approach the stopped vehicle and slow down to a walk, I tell Grey about the strange phone call that had come in earlier. He looked at me like I had two heads and growing two more on top of those. “Didn’t want to concern you with it sir, until we did a little more investigating.” “I will say one thing sir, the ice queen is about as tough as nails when it comes to protecting you from anyone that we don’t know. Boy, she’s tough”. “When we get back to Escala, I will expect a full debriefing, Grey spits out.” “Yes, sir”, I say.

We get to the vehicle where Welch’s men have a man in handcuffs and at gun point, questioning him. You can tell that the poor bastard is scared shitless because he has literally pissed his pants. The sun has been up for about 20 minutes and traffic has started rubbernecking to try to see what was going on.

Hope you have enjoyed part one of this saga, Grey fanatics. Didn’t want to leave you hanging but I also didn’t want to spoil the thrill of a shock. Part 2 will be posted Friday. Until then, try to guess what happens next.

All of these characters belong to ELJames. I have written this for the enjoyment of those who can’t get enough of the Grey’s and that includes me, too.
Christmas at the Sr. Grey’s
TAYLOR
After the annual Christmas Dinner is completed, which was prepared by Mia and by the way, was beyond delicious, food cleared and dishes done by the men this time, we gather in the huge room which I call the Grey Gathering Place, and open our gifts. Boss and Ana have really gone all out with the gifts that they have purchased for everyone. All of the women got chocolate diamonds in matching bracelets, earrings and necklaces while the men all received matching tie pins and cuff links, in chocolate diamonds……. except for me. Then Elliot hands his little sister an envelope that is decorated with all types of French cuisine drawn on it. Mia takes the envelope and reads what it says on the outside.

“Consider this to be a little acorn from which a mighty oak will grow. Merry Christmas, Mia. With love, Elliot, Christian and Ana”. For the first time since I have know her….actually probably the first time in her life, Mia is speechless. She looks at her brothers and sister-in-law, who she refers to as her “sister” and very meekly says, “Thank you, you three”. She carefully opens the envelope, pulls out a check, 2 gift certificates and a note. After she reads the note, she squeals like she normally does when she is overwhelmed with joy, runs up to them, barrels into all three of them like a miniature full back and starts hugging them and sobbing, really sobbing, hard. Her parents look at the three of them as if to say, ‘What on earth did you give to her?” As a matter of fact, everyone in the room has the same expression on their faces. Dr. Grey is the first one to say anything. “Mia, darling, are you going to share with us what your gift is or are we going to have to suffer until you stop crying, which from the sounds of it, might be sometime next week?” Everyone starts laughing and Mia starts wiping her eyes and her nose which is running quite heavily by now. Her dad hands her a box of tissues and wraps his arm around her shoulder while she composes herself. Finally, she is able to speak. “Everyone, my brothers and sister have given me the gift of a lifetime. She holds up a check for a million dollars from Christian and Ana, and two gift certificates from Elliot. The check is for me to purchase land and equipment to start my French restaurant and the gift certificates are for Elliot to build my restaurant to my specifications and for me to hire anyone whom I desire to assist me in designing it. The value is one million dollars”. The room breaks out in loud applause and whopping. The sobbing starts all over again, except this time Mia is joined by all of the women in the room. Why do women cry when they are happy?

While I didn’t dwell on it, I just wondered if Grey was going to give me the usual bonus later on after we got home, which I have already planned to share with Sophie. While everyone was ooohing and ahhhing over their gifts, the boss and Ana walk over to me and hand me a neatly wrapped gift. Ana notices the surprised look on my face and starts giggling.

“It’s for your office door”, she says with a chuckle. The boss looks at her and smiles as if trying to stifle a laugh and Gail sits and just looks impassive. I take the gift and thanked them sincerely, knowing that if it is for my door, it too has probably got chocolate diamonds imbedded in it. Boss tells me not to open it yet and all of a sudden, I feel as though I am the butt of a joke which pisses me off because I am no joking matter and the boss knows that.

As if on queue, the room suddenly quiets. The boss stands by the piano and the entire gathering, gives him their attention. He looks at me and calls me by name. “Taylor”. I reply, “Sir?”

You have been on my personal staff for almost 5 years. During that time, you have proved to be a most valued and trusted employee. You have proved that you are willing to risk life and limb to protect my wife and me and not even give it a second thought. I know that there have been times when you have wanted to take me out yourself, just to stop me from playing my piano in the middle of the night, keeping you awake. However, you were still able to get up and run with me or work out in the gym by 5:30 a.m. If need be, without any sleep at all, you were suited up and ready to “roll” with me, regardless of the time. I know that you got so angry at me one time that I thought we might have to come to blows and we both remember what that was all about. There was the disagreement that we had about you “packing” and you threatened to “walk” if you couldn’t “pack” so that you would be able to protect us, which, by the way, turned out that you were right. It was this last incident that made me realize just how fragile life is and the fact that one person is so willing to lay down his life for an employer, is just beyond belief. As you know, I am a man of few words. You have accepted me and all of my crazy ways without question. I, on the other hand, have noticed some things about you, my friend and I say that because, you are not just my personal protection, but my friend as well. I trust you with my life and that of my wife and those of my children as well. All of that being said, it gives me great pleasure to present you with a gift that I know you have always dreamed of having. It is just our way of saying, thank you, Taylor for all you have been to and done for us. Anastasia.” Ana then looks at me and tells me that I can now open my gift. Talk about being speechless. I cannot believe that the boss has actually let me know how he feels about me. Good gracious. Will wonders never cease. I look at him and say, “Just doing my job, boss”.

I open the gift that is supposed to be for my office door. It is a set of the State of Washington license tags that read “TAYLOR”. I look at my boss and he says, “They belong on what is in the circle in front of the house. Everyone get your coats and head outside.” He tells me to wait until everyone else is out of the house. He then tells, me, “Let’s go, Taylor”. Those who have exited have made two lines that I am expected to walk through. As soon as I step out of the door, I can’t move another step. All I can do is stare. There at the foot of the steps leading up to the Grey Sr.’s mansion, is a beautiful, 2013 black shiny Bugatti Veyron 16.4 vehicle. The only thing that I can think to say is, “Do you know how much these vehicles cost?” I could not believe that I said this out loud to my mega billionaire boss. Everyone starts laughing. My boss says, “Well, yes, Taylor, Ana and I bought it for you so I do know how much it costs”. I could feel myself turning all shades of red for asking such a stupid question that everyone thought was so funny. The next stupid thing that comes out of my mouth was, “For me? You have got to be kidding me.” The boss simple says, “Well that’s whose name is on the tags. You know that there are plenty of vehicles at your disposal at Escala, but we thought that you deserved one of your very own. One that is Taylor’s exclusively”. It’s all ready to go. Bullet proofed and low jacked so we can always find you. Why don’t you put the tags on and take it for a spin with Gail, but don’t forget to come back and get us. We will be ready to go in a couple of hours. I finally get my wits gathered and say something that sounds reasonable. “Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Grey. Thank you so much. Thank you”.

As I am putting the tags on my brand new vehicle, I am remembering that the boss had me make him my Power of Attorney after I was grazed by the bullet. That is how he was able to get the tags. Tags in their proper place, I open the door for Gail who is as proud as a peacock to be riding with me in such a fine vehicle. She rolls the window down and gives a queen like wave as everyone starts laughing. I start up the engine and hear the familiar throaty roar which sends me to another planet. I can’t believe that Ana and Grey think so much of me. It is overwhelming.

I explain to Gail as we pull out of the driveway, exactly what she is riding in. I tell her to open the glove box and take out the instruction booklet so that she can become familiar with its bells and whistles. She does as I ask and along with the book, she pulls out an envelope. She asks me what it is and I tell her that I don’t have any idea, maybe a spare key but she should open it. She opens the envelope and says, “Jason, listen to this”. ‘Taylor, I know that you always share your bonus with Sophie. I didn’t want this year to be any different, just because you got the car of your dreams. Please accept your annual bonus of $10,000.00. Grey”. “Oh, Jason”, Gail says as she starts to weep. There goes that crying because of happiness, again. Women. To tell you the truth, I have to wipe away my own tears and I don’t even try to hide them. Talk about being overwhelmed. This is a double portion of overwhelmness.

History from Google
Though the Bugatti brand goes back a century to the dawn of the automotive age, it had died out during the World Wars of the twentieth century. The name was resurrected in 2005 to build one unmistakable model: the Veyron. Though Bugatti has only made about 400 of these amazing vehicles, it has managed to create several special editions, not to mention the ability of the buyer to configure the car how he or she prefers. Any way you sliced it, a Veyron would set you back a minimum of $1.5 million.
Every configuration of the 16.4, as the production version of the Veyron was called, starts with the curvaceous two-tone body. The small, arched grille is similar to the horseshoe-shaped grille found on Bugattis of old, with the oval “Bugatti” emblem in the center. At the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Sang Bleu made its debut in honor of the company’s 100th anniversary. The convertible’s striking appearance comes courtesy of blue carbon fiber and polished aluminum. The Grand Sport open-topped roadster is limited to 150 examples total, of which this $2-million plus one-off edition is one.
BACK AT THE GREY’S Christian
As we walk back into the mansion, Dad puts his arm around my shoulder and tells me, “You have been extremely generous, son. If you need me to, I will be more than happy to contribute to the cost of that car”. I look at my dad and feel a rush of love come over me. This man allowed me to be pulled back from the threat of death, took care of me until I became an adult, showed me all of the love he could muster, and showed me by example, how to be a caring man and he still wants to assist me with an expensive gift that I give to someone who I care deeply for. I turn around, give him a hug and tell him, “No thanks, Dad. I can well afford what Ana and I did here today. I realize that there is no sense in having money if you can’t share it with those you love. I really appreciate your offer, though. Dad, do you know how much Ana and I are worth? I make approximately $125,000 per hour. At this point, I am the second wealthiest man in Seattle and among the top 25 wealthiest men in the world. I am so grateful to be able to live the type of life that I am living that I can’t help but share my wealth with others. I love you, Dad. Now let’s go enjoy our family. And Dad, thanks”.
~~~~~~~
When we get back to Escala, I ask Ana if she thinks Mia and Taylor enjoyed their Christmas. Ana says, “I doubt it”, she giggles. “As a matter of fact, I think that Taylor is going to sleep in his car and leave poor Gayle sleeping alone.” I throw my head back and start laughing. I tell her that Taylor wants to keep his family jewels so he will probably end up back in her bed, even if it is in the wee small hours of the morning. We both laugh. I ask Ana if she is ready to turn in and with a smile, she nods. I take her by the hand and lead her to our room. I put my beautiful wife to bed, crawl in beside her, put my arms around her and hold her close to me and say to her, “It’s been a good day, Anastasia. It’s been a good day”. We then bid each other good nite, the only way we know how.

All of these characters belong to ELJames and are written for our enjoyment and to “carry on” the saga of Christian, Ana and the rest of the Grey’s, Taylor’s, Gail and whomever we want to introduce.

Christmas Eve

All of us are preparing to go to the All Pilgrim’s Christian Church. I ask Taylor if the instruments are loaded up. “Yes, Sir”, he answers. Mom and Dad are going to be totally surprised at what we have planned for them.

Elliot, Kate and Ethan, are picking up Mom, Dad, Mia, Gramma and Grampa Trevayln, Carla and Bob in my large Audi SUV that he picked up earlier from Escala and Taylor will drive the rest of us, including Gail and Ray. I want Gail to come along so that she and Taylor can spend most of the holiday season together.

We get to the church about the same time as the rest of the family and still Dad and Mom don’t suspect anything. We go into the church and the minister looks at me. I nod at him and he takes his place behind the pulpit. Taylor has already set up the instruments while the family is visiting and greeting each other and no one is paying any attention to him except Gail.

The minister starts to speak.”Brothers and sisters, this may seem a little unusual, however, it was a special request from Mr. Christian Grey. Mr. Grey, I have taken the liberty to invite the workers in for this special treat that I am sure we are about to enjoy. I hope you don’t mind”. “Not at all”, I say as I get up and walk to the front, followed by Elliot and Mia. The two of them take their places, Mia sits at her cello and Elliot stands with his guitar at the ready. I stand at the pulpit and start to speak. “Exodus 20:12 says: ‘Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee’. (KJV).
“Mom and Dad”, I continue, “this is our tribute to you who have taken us in when we were left parentless in this world. You loved us as though we were your very own and showed us what the love of “real” parents is. I know within my heart of hearts that Elliot’s parents’ prayer was for him to find parents who loved him unconditionally the way they would have, should they had lived. God sent him the two of you. Then there was the little skinny neglected child that literally was starving to death, me, and I, too, had no one to care for me. My birth mother’s prayer was for me, too, to find someone to love and care for me. This is evidenced by the note that she left for whoever found me. God sent me the two of you. Still not feeling as though their little family was not complete, along came Mia who stole everyone’s heart. Her mom being unselfish and caring, knowing that she couldn’t care for her, made her petition that she would find someone to love and care for her. God sent her the two of you.

Yes, mom and dad, you deserve to be honored in every way that is possible. Your three children love you more than life itself and even though some of us, me mainly, might have been a challenge, (which drew a chuckle from the audience,) know that our love for you and what you did for us, shall be never ending. As our tribute to you and so that you and your goodness and kindness of your heart, shall never be forgotten…..ever. We dedicate this plaque in your honor which the pastor has allowed us to hang in the vestibule for as long as this church stands. When it will no longer be able to hang here, arrangements have been made for it to hang in a wing of the main library that will be dedicated to you in a special ceremony to be held in the spring. We now dedicate the musical part of the program to you who taught us that music is from the soul of God as is our love for you”. I walk over to the organ, raise my arm to direct my sister and brother so that we start together. We start a melodious medley that reflects our feelings, ending with the Hallelujah Chorus with me pulling out all of the stops on the beautifully sounding pipe organ so that we sound like a full orchestra.

When we have finished our musical tribute, we each reach down and pick up the three bouquets of three dozen multi-colored roses each, walk over to our parents, hand them to mom who is by now sobbing uncontrollably in dad’s chest, and individually we say, “We love you mom and dad. Thank you . Merry Christmas”. This is the first time that I have expressed my love and emotions to my parents. It feels strange, however, I feel good about finally being able to do it…..finally.

We start back to our seats and notice that there is not a dry eye in the place with the exception of Taylor who has the strangest look on his face. Not impassive like usual, but almost like he is shedding a tear and trying to force it back but not being very successful. Dear God, he is crying…..Taylor is actually shedding a tear and hugging Gail who doesn’t even try to hide her sobs. Elliot, Mia and I hold each other in a loving hug before we take our seats. Ana and Kate are having their own little hugging and crying fest as are the staff that came to watch.

The pastor stands up again and before he dismisses us in a word of thankfulness to God, makes the announcement that we are to meet in the Lake View Cemetery. Transportation will be provided to all of those who want to attend another brief ceremony that has been arranged by Mrs. Christian Grey.

I look at Anastasia as if to say, “What is going on, Ana?” She just looks at me with tears still streaming down her beautiful face. So that we can all be together, we pile into the church bus and travel to the cemetery. Ana and I are sitting in the front so we see what looks like flood lights in the area where my birth mom is buried. As the driver pulls to a stop, Ana stands up, and announces that she wants to share what she has given to her husband for Christmas. No one makes a sound as she walks back to her seat next to me and holds me back as everyone else gets off. The pastor directs the passengers into a large circle around something that looks like a statue covered up. Finally, Ana lets me get off, holding my hand and leading me toward the light that has dimmed but sheds enough light so that those in attendance can see where they are going.

She takes the portable microphone which the pastor hands to her, and addresses me. “You have cared for everyone you could since you have been an adult. You have always been concerned that you couldn’t take care of your birth mom as the little 4 year old that you were. As a tribute to you and Ella, my husband, I present this to you hoping that you will see that Ella is now, finally being taken care of.

The pastor, Taylor, and Elliot remove the large tarp that is covering the statue. While the tarp is being removed, the flood lights gradually brighten. When the tarp is completely removed, the flood lights put on a show the likes you have never seen. All you can hear are loud sighs and oohs and ahhhs.

It looks like the heavens opened up and shone down in all of its glory, just in that one area. There in all of its beauty, stands a huge shining white angel with a wing span that is 10 feet wide and it looks like the wings are folding around a woman in a protective stance and the woman has her arms folded around a little boy, holding him, seated at the foot of the beautiful angel.

All I could do was to stare. Tears started rolling down my face as I think that my beautiful wife would do this for me. I grab her, give her a loving, holding hug and whisper, “Thank you, baby. Thank you for having Ella protected. It is another chapter in my life that is closed.
We all climb aboard the bus after the pastor says a prayer of protection and thankfulness for all of us, head back to the church and get in our own vehicles and head to the Grey mansion for the exchanging of our gifts and the traditional Christmas Eve meal.

After everything is over, we all head to our various homes and places where we are staying…..some in hotels. Tomorrow we will celebrate Christmas again at the Grey mansion.

Ana and I get ready for bed but not in our usual way. “Ana, I really would like for us to make love but this day has been so emotional that all I want to do is to hold you and reflect on everything that has happened. It has been a good day, Anastasia, it has been a good day”.