Shifting Colours Part 4: Casa del Grey
Title: Shifting Colours, part 4
Author: celticlonging
Fandom: Fifty Shades trilogy
Rating: PG, because it talks about Christian Grey
Warnings: None
Word Count: 1891
Inspiration: gehayi and ketmakura's sporking of Fifty Shades Darker
Summary: Three of the Mendozas arrive at the Grey house to begin the investigation.
Author’s Note: I don’t own anything from Fifty Shades. From now on, the story doesn’t follow the Fifty Shades timeline.
Kevin would never have admitted it, but he was feeling a bit nervous. He and Toby had helped their dad with a job for the Agency before, but this time they were apparently dealing with someone who might have a very powerful and dangerous Gift.
At the charity ball, he hadn’t liked Christian Grey at all. He liked him even less now.
We’re just Dad’s cover, Kevin thought to himself. We don’t have to do anything. I’ll be polite to Grey if I have to talk to him, but that’s all.
He glanced over to the back seat of the old SUV, where Toby was asleep. Their father had told them what was happening, what his part in the operation was, and why he needed them to accompany him.
xxx
At the Agency - a week earlier
To everyone’s surprise, it had been Carrick who had thought of a way to observe Christian.
“He is very suspicious of people he doesn’t know. I know for a fact he does background checks on all his employees. If you want him in an environment where he behaves naturally, I suggest my house. It wouldn’t be at all unusual for Grace and I to invite him - and Anastasia - to our house for a few days. We would invite Elliot and Kate as well, and I doubt they would be surprised if an old friend of mine who was at the charity ball was in the area.”
“I think I know where you’re going with this,” Robert said dryly.
Carrick nodded.
“Are you comfortable with having a member of the Agency observing your son?” enquired Blake. Normally he would be the one to think of methods for observing and handling potentially dangerous people; Robert could see intrigue in Blake’s colours that Carrick had thought of a good way to watch Grey. Carrick was not a member of the Agency, but he certainly did have some good points and Blake was always open to suggestions.
“I’m not comfortable with it, but if it’s the only way to see if he’s Gifted then…” Carrick spread his hands wide.
“If Christian is as suspicious as you say he is, then wouldn’t a guy randomly turning up at your house and saying he’s an old friend of yours and was at the ball make him a bit…well, suspicious?” Helen asked. “Sorry I couldn’t think of a better word.”
“Maybe. But if we invited him to our house for a meal or two or perhaps out to a restaurant, he wouldn’t see anything unusual. In fact - and I don’t mean any offence, Robert - he probably wouldn’t look twice at you, let alone consider you a threat.”
“No offence taken, Carrick,” Robert said with a grin.
“What if he was with his family?” Blake shifted slightly in his chair. “Would your son consider that unusual? According to your file, Robert, your two older sons have helped you with jobs before. Might they be willing to do so now?”
“They might be; I’ll have to ask them. My youngest son is a minor.”
Blake nodded in understanding: the Agency never involved minors in their operations unless it was absolutely necessary. “I see. Is there anyone who can stay with him, or keep an eye on him?”
“I’ll see if his uncle is available.”
xxx
“We’re here,” Robert said as he parked the car. Kevin heard Toby yawn loudly, but he didn’t turn to look at him. His attention was fixed on the Greys’ house.
At the charity ball, he hadn’t paid the house itself much attention. He’d been too focused on the food and the dancing - not to mention what was happening with Grey and the girl in silver. The house didn’t look as impressive as he thought he’d remembered it was: in fact, despite its size and the roses around the door, it looked the exact opposite of sophisticated and classy.
“It looks…different in the daylight,” Toby said after a while.
Kevin barely held back a snort. Different isn’t the word I’d use. Someone clearly likes Elvis a little too much. He knew better than to say that in front of his father or the Greys.
As they got out of the car, stretched, and retrieved their bags from the boot, the front door opened and a black-haired young woman in a light green dress came down the steps.
“Hello, you must be the Mendozas!” She kissed all of them on the cheek. “I’m Mia Grey. Did you have a good journey?” Without waiting for a reply, she said “Come on in!” and practically danced back inside the house.
Kevin and Toby looked at each other, shrugged, and followed their dad inside.
The house was even tackier inside than it was outside. There were antique rugs everywhere (one would have been enough, thought Kevin) and the walls were white with gold decorating. Kevin looked down at his jeans and denim jacket, and felt even more out of place than he had at the ball.
Robert’s warm, calloused hand landed on the back of his neck and squeezed reassuringly.
“Good afternoon!”
The Mendozas turned around and saw a blonde woman in her fifties approaching. “I’m Grace,” she said, shaking Robert’s hand and kissing his cheek. “Carrick’s told me all about you.”
Was it Kevin’s imagination, or did Grace nod her head slightly on saying those last words?
“And you must be…Kevin?” Grace asked, turning to him.
“Yes,” he replied, smiling. A visibly relieved Grace shook hands with him and then Toby.
“Mia will show you to your rooms, and we’ll have tea and biscuits ready for you when you come down. I imagine you’re in need of some refreshment! Please take as long as you need.”
xxx
When Kevin came downstairs (in a green shirt and his smarter jeans) he found his father and brother were already in the living room. He wasn’t surprised to find the room itself was large and had more than one couch. The colours of the living room - blue, brown and cream - were actually quite nice.
Robert and Toby were seated opposite Mia, a man with curly blond hair and a young woman with a pretty face and long strawberry-blonde hair. On seeing Kevin, the blond man got to his feet and walked towards him.
“Hi,” he said in a warm and friendly voice. “I’m Elliot Grey.” He held out a hand to Kevin, who smiled and shook it.
“I’m Kevin; nice to meet you.”
“Hi, I’m Kate Kavanagh.” The young woman shook hands with him next. She was trying to seem relaxed, but Kevin wasn’t fooled. Kate’s eyes were filled with anxiety.
“As Mum would say, Kate is my young lady,” Elliot said jokingly, making Kate laugh and nudge his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Kevin saw his father hide a smile.
“Ah, good! You’ve all met!” Grace came into the room, carrying a tray; balanced neatly on the tray was a white and silver teapot with matching cups, a small coffee pot, and a plate of biscuits. “Now, who would like tea and who would like coffee? Oh, milk and sugar!”
She hurried out of the room and back in again with a small milk jug and a bowl of sugar. Once everyone had the drink of their choice, they settled back on the couches and sipped carefully at the hot liquid.
“You guys look familiar,” Elliot said. “Were you at the charity ball?”
“Yes, we were,” replied Robert, putting his cup down on a saucer.
“I’m afraid I missed the chance to introduce you.”
Everyone looked up as Carrick came into the room.
“Looks like you missed the chance again, Dad!” Elliot laughed. He looked as though he could be Carrick’s biological son rather than his adopted child.
Suddenly there was a loud knock on the front door.
“That’ll be Christian and Ana. I’ll go and let them in.” Carrick quickly left the room.
Kevin was no Sensory, but he felt a tension in the room that hadn’t been there before. Kate’s shoulders had risen slightly and Elliot appeared to be forcing his smile to remain on his face.
Christian Grey entered the living room with his girlfriend in tow. His eyes travelled over the Mendozas; the expression on his face was a mixture of surprise, curiosity and disdain. Kevin felt himself bristle; he glanced at Toby and saw his brother’s eyes had narrowed.
“Christian, you remember Robert, don’t you?” Carrick asked as he came in behind them. “From the ball?”
Grey nodded curtly. “I do.”
“These are his sons, Kevin and Toby.”
Grey nodded again. He was definitely displeased to see them there.
What’s the matter, you don’t think we’re good enough to associate with you? Who am I kidding? Of course you don’t.
“Kevin and Toby, this is my son Christian and his girlfriend Anastasia.”
Without waiting for his girlfriend to say anything, Grey pointed to one of the spare chairs. “Sit,” he commanded; Anastasia obeyed immediately.
Kevin barely stopped himself from clenching his fists.
“I’ve made a reservation at The Walrus and The Carpenter* for tonight,” Carrick announced. “It’s the best seafood restaurant in Seattle. Is anybody here allergic?” He looked nervously at his guests. “If anyone is, I can always make another booking.”
“We’re OK,” Robert replied. Both Ana and Kate said they didn’t have a seafood allergy.
“Please can I have a biscuit?” Ana asked suddenly. She sounded like a child asking permission from a strict parent.
The plate of biscuits was closest to Kevin, so he picked it up and walked over to her. He held out the plate and said: “There you are.”
Without warning, he felt as though he shouldn’t be giving her biscuits, that he didn’t have the right to even speak to her. Kevin went back to his seat, a confused frown on his face.
What the…Where did that come from?
Grey was glaring at him, his eyes as friendly as a cobra’s.
xxx
Kevin smoothed down his shirt; he thought he looked reasonably respectable for an evening out at a restaurant.
He opened the guest bedroom door to find his father and brother outside. “I’m ready,” he said. “Shall we go?”
“I got a text from Mark Nicolson.” Robert adjusted the collar of his shirt. “He says I’m to give him a call as soon as possible; he’s been in contact with Officer Emily Rayne from the Seattle Police.”
“Leaving it a bit late, isn’t he?” Toby asked.
“I’ll call him first thing tomorrow. You two need to be there when I do it.”
“Did you notice anything, Dad? I can’t see anything that hints he’s Gifted.”
“We’ll talk about it when we get back from the restaurant.”
“Don’t speak to them.”
All three Mendozas looked in the direction Grey’s voice had come from.
“I don’t want you talking to them or flirting with them. Do you understand?”
“I wasn’t flirting with them…” Ana’s voice held a pleading note.
“Well, don’t. I don’t like it, and I don’t like other men talking to you. You are mine.”
The door to a nearby room opened and Grey stalked onto the landing, holding Ana by the wrist. He glowered venomously at the Mendozas before tugging Ana towards the stairs.
To be continued…
*Yes, that’s a real restaurant in Seattle. I looked it up.
Author: celticlonging
Fandom: Fifty Shades trilogy
Rating: PG, because it talks about Christian Grey
Warnings: None
Word Count: 1891
Inspiration: gehayi and ketmakura's sporking of Fifty Shades Darker
Summary: Three of the Mendozas arrive at the Grey house to begin the investigation.
Author’s Note: I don’t own anything from Fifty Shades. From now on, the story doesn’t follow the Fifty Shades timeline.
Kevin would never have admitted it, but he was feeling a bit nervous. He and Toby had helped their dad with a job for the Agency before, but this time they were apparently dealing with someone who might have a very powerful and dangerous Gift.
At the charity ball, he hadn’t liked Christian Grey at all. He liked him even less now.
We’re just Dad’s cover, Kevin thought to himself. We don’t have to do anything. I’ll be polite to Grey if I have to talk to him, but that’s all.
He glanced over to the back seat of the old SUV, where Toby was asleep. Their father had told them what was happening, what his part in the operation was, and why he needed them to accompany him.
xxx
At the Agency - a week earlier
To everyone’s surprise, it had been Carrick who had thought of a way to observe Christian.
“He is very suspicious of people he doesn’t know. I know for a fact he does background checks on all his employees. If you want him in an environment where he behaves naturally, I suggest my house. It wouldn’t be at all unusual for Grace and I to invite him - and Anastasia - to our house for a few days. We would invite Elliot and Kate as well, and I doubt they would be surprised if an old friend of mine who was at the charity ball was in the area.”
“I think I know where you’re going with this,” Robert said dryly.
Carrick nodded.
“Are you comfortable with having a member of the Agency observing your son?” enquired Blake. Normally he would be the one to think of methods for observing and handling potentially dangerous people; Robert could see intrigue in Blake’s colours that Carrick had thought of a good way to watch Grey. Carrick was not a member of the Agency, but he certainly did have some good points and Blake was always open to suggestions.
“I’m not comfortable with it, but if it’s the only way to see if he’s Gifted then…” Carrick spread his hands wide.
“If Christian is as suspicious as you say he is, then wouldn’t a guy randomly turning up at your house and saying he’s an old friend of yours and was at the ball make him a bit…well, suspicious?” Helen asked. “Sorry I couldn’t think of a better word.”
“Maybe. But if we invited him to our house for a meal or two or perhaps out to a restaurant, he wouldn’t see anything unusual. In fact - and I don’t mean any offence, Robert - he probably wouldn’t look twice at you, let alone consider you a threat.”
“No offence taken, Carrick,” Robert said with a grin.
“What if he was with his family?” Blake shifted slightly in his chair. “Would your son consider that unusual? According to your file, Robert, your two older sons have helped you with jobs before. Might they be willing to do so now?”
“They might be; I’ll have to ask them. My youngest son is a minor.”
Blake nodded in understanding: the Agency never involved minors in their operations unless it was absolutely necessary. “I see. Is there anyone who can stay with him, or keep an eye on him?”
“I’ll see if his uncle is available.”
xxx
“We’re here,” Robert said as he parked the car. Kevin heard Toby yawn loudly, but he didn’t turn to look at him. His attention was fixed on the Greys’ house.
At the charity ball, he hadn’t paid the house itself much attention. He’d been too focused on the food and the dancing - not to mention what was happening with Grey and the girl in silver. The house didn’t look as impressive as he thought he’d remembered it was: in fact, despite its size and the roses around the door, it looked the exact opposite of sophisticated and classy.
“It looks…different in the daylight,” Toby said after a while.
Kevin barely held back a snort. Different isn’t the word I’d use. Someone clearly likes Elvis a little too much. He knew better than to say that in front of his father or the Greys.
As they got out of the car, stretched, and retrieved their bags from the boot, the front door opened and a black-haired young woman in a light green dress came down the steps.
“Hello, you must be the Mendozas!” She kissed all of them on the cheek. “I’m Mia Grey. Did you have a good journey?” Without waiting for a reply, she said “Come on in!” and practically danced back inside the house.
Kevin and Toby looked at each other, shrugged, and followed their dad inside.
The house was even tackier inside than it was outside. There were antique rugs everywhere (one would have been enough, thought Kevin) and the walls were white with gold decorating. Kevin looked down at his jeans and denim jacket, and felt even more out of place than he had at the ball.
Robert’s warm, calloused hand landed on the back of his neck and squeezed reassuringly.
“Good afternoon!”
The Mendozas turned around and saw a blonde woman in her fifties approaching. “I’m Grace,” she said, shaking Robert’s hand and kissing his cheek. “Carrick’s told me all about you.”
Was it Kevin’s imagination, or did Grace nod her head slightly on saying those last words?
“And you must be…Kevin?” Grace asked, turning to him.
“Yes,” he replied, smiling. A visibly relieved Grace shook hands with him and then Toby.
“Mia will show you to your rooms, and we’ll have tea and biscuits ready for you when you come down. I imagine you’re in need of some refreshment! Please take as long as you need.”
xxx
When Kevin came downstairs (in a green shirt and his smarter jeans) he found his father and brother were already in the living room. He wasn’t surprised to find the room itself was large and had more than one couch. The colours of the living room - blue, brown and cream - were actually quite nice.
Robert and Toby were seated opposite Mia, a man with curly blond hair and a young woman with a pretty face and long strawberry-blonde hair. On seeing Kevin, the blond man got to his feet and walked towards him.
“Hi,” he said in a warm and friendly voice. “I’m Elliot Grey.” He held out a hand to Kevin, who smiled and shook it.
“I’m Kevin; nice to meet you.”
“Hi, I’m Kate Kavanagh.” The young woman shook hands with him next. She was trying to seem relaxed, but Kevin wasn’t fooled. Kate’s eyes were filled with anxiety.
“As Mum would say, Kate is my young lady,” Elliot said jokingly, making Kate laugh and nudge his shoulder. Out of the corner of his eye, Kevin saw his father hide a smile.
“Ah, good! You’ve all met!” Grace came into the room, carrying a tray; balanced neatly on the tray was a white and silver teapot with matching cups, a small coffee pot, and a plate of biscuits. “Now, who would like tea and who would like coffee? Oh, milk and sugar!”
She hurried out of the room and back in again with a small milk jug and a bowl of sugar. Once everyone had the drink of their choice, they settled back on the couches and sipped carefully at the hot liquid.
“You guys look familiar,” Elliot said. “Were you at the charity ball?”
“Yes, we were,” replied Robert, putting his cup down on a saucer.
“I’m afraid I missed the chance to introduce you.”
Everyone looked up as Carrick came into the room.
“Looks like you missed the chance again, Dad!” Elliot laughed. He looked as though he could be Carrick’s biological son rather than his adopted child.
Suddenly there was a loud knock on the front door.
“That’ll be Christian and Ana. I’ll go and let them in.” Carrick quickly left the room.
Kevin was no Sensory, but he felt a tension in the room that hadn’t been there before. Kate’s shoulders had risen slightly and Elliot appeared to be forcing his smile to remain on his face.
Christian Grey entered the living room with his girlfriend in tow. His eyes travelled over the Mendozas; the expression on his face was a mixture of surprise, curiosity and disdain. Kevin felt himself bristle; he glanced at Toby and saw his brother’s eyes had narrowed.
“Christian, you remember Robert, don’t you?” Carrick asked as he came in behind them. “From the ball?”
Grey nodded curtly. “I do.”
“These are his sons, Kevin and Toby.”
Grey nodded again. He was definitely displeased to see them there.
What’s the matter, you don’t think we’re good enough to associate with you? Who am I kidding? Of course you don’t.
“Kevin and Toby, this is my son Christian and his girlfriend Anastasia.”
Without waiting for his girlfriend to say anything, Grey pointed to one of the spare chairs. “Sit,” he commanded; Anastasia obeyed immediately.
Kevin barely stopped himself from clenching his fists.
“I’ve made a reservation at The Walrus and The Carpenter* for tonight,” Carrick announced. “It’s the best seafood restaurant in Seattle. Is anybody here allergic?” He looked nervously at his guests. “If anyone is, I can always make another booking.”
“We’re OK,” Robert replied. Both Ana and Kate said they didn’t have a seafood allergy.
“Please can I have a biscuit?” Ana asked suddenly. She sounded like a child asking permission from a strict parent.
The plate of biscuits was closest to Kevin, so he picked it up and walked over to her. He held out the plate and said: “There you are.”
Without warning, he felt as though he shouldn’t be giving her biscuits, that he didn’t have the right to even speak to her. Kevin went back to his seat, a confused frown on his face.
What the…Where did that come from?
Grey was glaring at him, his eyes as friendly as a cobra’s.
xxx
Kevin smoothed down his shirt; he thought he looked reasonably respectable for an evening out at a restaurant.
He opened the guest bedroom door to find his father and brother outside. “I’m ready,” he said. “Shall we go?”
“I got a text from Mark Nicolson.” Robert adjusted the collar of his shirt. “He says I’m to give him a call as soon as possible; he’s been in contact with Officer Emily Rayne from the Seattle Police.”
“Leaving it a bit late, isn’t he?” Toby asked.
“I’ll call him first thing tomorrow. You two need to be there when I do it.”
“Did you notice anything, Dad? I can’t see anything that hints he’s Gifted.”
“We’ll talk about it when we get back from the restaurant.”
“Don’t speak to them.”
All three Mendozas looked in the direction Grey’s voice had come from.
“I don’t want you talking to them or flirting with them. Do you understand?”
“I wasn’t flirting with them…” Ana’s voice held a pleading note.
“Well, don’t. I don’t like it, and I don’t like other men talking to you. You are mine.”
The door to a nearby room opened and Grey stalked onto the landing, holding Ana by the wrist. He glowered venomously at the Mendozas before tugging Ana towards the stairs.
To be continued…
*Yes, that’s a real restaurant in Seattle. I looked it up.