A/N: A few of you have noticed a change in titles. I thought it would be easiest to keep it simple. This is the last chapter for Another Shade of Grey, Part One.

Now now, don't go getting all uppity like some of you are. Just, read it.

Another A/N will be at the end.

This story is my own, though I have borrowed a little bit from Silvia Day and EL James, taking a few words and a couple of characters out for a spin. NO ONE has permission to borrow Shana. So don't.

Gideon called Taylor letting him know what was going on while I grabbed my iPod and ID. I grimaced at him when he handed me my cell phone, but I tucked it into my sports bra.

"For an emergency only. I will be running, not talking," I warned, wagging a finger at him.

"I know, just extra protection, just in case," he agreed, his hands up in mock surrender. I nodded again, adjusting where I had tucked it in. I was going for a run in a large city. Even if I knew it like the back of my hand it didn't mean I shouldn't be cautious, I guess. At least that was his thinking, I am sure. After all, I would be running to clear my mind which meant that my focus would not be totally on the atmosphere around me. The fact that the cell phone had the extra protection of housing a GPS locator just helped to ease his mind a bit more, I am sure.

He walked me to the elevator where Taylor was waiting for us. He was in his running shorts and sleeveless shirt. "Don't worry, I have something on me," he said, obviously seeing Gideon's questioning look. I rolled my eyes and punched the elevator button and adjusted her watch. I had to focus on my thoughts and I wasn't going to pay anymore attention to either Taylor or Gideon. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath to begin to clear my mind.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and released a large sigh as I turned to face Gideon. "What?"

"Just, stay near Taylor, please?" I knew he thought I was acting like a petulant child when I rolled my eyes at him. "Shana."

"I will. But, I hold no promises if he can't keep up." He laughed at that and turned towards Taylor who was shaking his head.

"She's not kidding, G. She'll make me work on this run," Taylor said, oblivious to the fact that the elevator had arrived and I had stepped in. I saw Gideon turn to say something else to me, probably another word of caution and watched his eyes grow wide as the doors closed. I grinned, hearing Taylor's exclamation through the metal doors. "Shit!"

Gideon Cross owned a large amount of buildings in the greater New York area. Not just the city of New York, but in many of it's burroughs. Along with this came his ownership of a master key to the elevators. Especially the one he resided in. It came as no surprise to me when my car was stopped on the forty-third floor, the doors shut, so that Taylor could catch us with me. When the doors did open, Taylor was red faced, a grim plastered to his lips.

"Wore out already?" He growled, stepping in next to me. The doors closed and once again I was on the move to the ground floor.

"How far are we going," Taylor asked. I ignored him, setting my playlist up on my iPod. "Sha, look, I know what you're doing and I know what will happen. Just, look, I don't have a good feeling about this run."

"Oh? Been working on your degree in fortune telling?"

"Shana-"

"Look, just do your fucking job and chase after me. If you can't keep up, you can follow Christian." I snapped. I knew, the moment the words were out of my mouth that I shouldn't have said them. I knew that Taylor shouldn't be the target for my anger. I turned to look at him and saw his lips were clenched so tight they were mere lines on his face. His cheek ticced with the fact that he was grinding his teeth. "Sorry," I said quietly.

"Shana, just be smart," he said, his tone low and soft. I nodded and the car came to a halt, the doors opening to the lobby. Even though I was more then loose enough to begin the run, Taylor wasn't. I stretched with him before we left the building. My mind was already moving onto many circles, the first one, which was quickly going to be the last one, was a thought of my husband. He never knew this part of me. The part that has to run to think. Of course, many times in the past, I ran to think about him and how to beat him, deal with him, or deal with what was going on after him.

Having Taylor run with me felt good though. Stevenson could never keep up with me and had to contact a secondary, an ex-Olympian actually, who could. I wondered if I should have called him, just in case, but I refused to let Taylor's ominous feelings interfere with this run.

"Just keep up," I said as I bounded down the steps in front of the building, and headed for the park.

Central Park is a vast green land area in the city. 843 acres of land, to be exact. It is famous for some of it's landmarks, it's been in countless movies, and no one ever seems to be happy when visiting NYC unless they have made one stop at the park. Around the park is a running path that measures 1.58 miles. Some of the views from it are breathtaking. It's a one mile run to the park and how long I will be running there is anyone's guess. I cross the street and start the playlist. Imagine Dragons starts me off and I begin to lose myself.

The beat of the music starts the pace, and I can feel my heart pounding as my feet slap into the concrete. I weave through the traffic of people, making my way without pause. I grin as it seems all the traffic lights are attuned to me, being green when they should be, allowing me to barely have to slow down as I approach them. I arrive at the Park and enter at Terrance Drive. It is a ritual, of course, to run down here first, heading to the Bethesda Terrace so I can toss a coin into the Angel fountain before truly beginning to run.

I reach into the pocket on pants, a ridiculous pocket, I always think, because it is so small it can only hold a quarter or a condom... Okay, maybe not so ridiculous. I grab the quarter that I had in it, and toss it as I run passed the fountain, feeling my body adjust to a new speed. Being in the park, in a "safe area" without cars to worry about, I can increase my speed and release my mind. Queen begins to sing that the Show Must Go On and I agree.

I ran.

I ran without thought, without feeling, except the pulse of my body and the vibration of my bones as each foot landed hard onto the earth before bounding away.

I ran until I had no compulsion to have to stop.

I ran, feeling the rush of endorphins as my body and brain ached for more oxygen.

And then I began to run through my thoughts.

Someone in my company was stealing from me. They had been, for a very long time. The length of time doesn't help my mind search because longevity in my company is another reason many articles are written about me.

Don't get sidetracked.

Okay, facts. Someone has been making purchases in my name for businesses I would never buy. Businesses that were completely opposite in what I think of, or believe in. A pharmaceutical company that creates drugs to torture people? How the hell did that happen? If somebody noticed that... If that were picked up by the news organizations... And how the hell could I sell it without drawing attention to it?

I could try to turn the company around...

Don't get sidetracked.

More then one person has to be in on this. The buying and selling of companies is one thing, and Vegas, that is another thing. Could one person be handling the purchases and another the properties? And who would question that? That is how a lot of companies are run. But who is running mine?

I admit that I haven't been as focused on my investments in the last few years, but I have tried. Of course, no one knows that, really. No one knows that I have been in the office, but not there mentally. I just... got bored with it. I mean, how much can one person have if they weren't happy? I hadn't been happy for a long time. I had been... empty. I had worked and worked, bought and sold, saved and rebuilt until I was blue in the face. In the end, at night, I was alone.

I missed my family, I had no real friends, except Diane. And Taylor. And, some of the time, Gideon. But Gideon and I had gone our separate ways, and outside of business it was best we hadn't dealt with each other. I had hurt him when he had wanted more, and it had been the better for him when I had found out he was dating Eva.

Taylor, though one of my truest friends, when he went to work for Christian, I had cut him off. He was still there, but, it was best, for me at least, if I didn't talk to anyone who talked to the family. Who knew what was going on with them. He had assumed I didn't want to know. That I didn't want to care. He had been wrong. I did want to know. I did care. And that was why I couldn't. If I had, it would hurt too much. Being in self-imposed exile had been the best option to keep everyone safe.

Diane. She was my friend from the start. Not as long as Taylor, that is true, but she had been been there from the ground up. She remained during the lean times as well as the fat times. She never wavered in her commitment to me or the company. She, as much or maybe even more so then I, helped make the company become what it was today.

She had become so involved with everything, that sometimes people assumed she was the owner, and I her assistant. She would, of course, quickly correct them. When I was out of the country and a property came up, she would contact me and then purchase it. Nearly every purchase she had pointed to had been as good as mine. She was more then an assistant, her fingers in everything we were, just as mine were.

When a problem would arise, she would handle it if she could, or call me if she couldn't. She had even come up with the idea of the "incognito inspections" to keep me away from the public after Vegas hit the fan. She was smart, quick and the only person I had trusted to tell about Elena. With her help and some of her ideas, we started the projects geared toward my revenge. Granted, at times, maybe too many times, I had been so deeply involved in those that maybe I had let my business slip.

Then, of course, there were the portions of my company that no one really knew about. Oh, I think that maybe Diana did know, but there was the chance that she didn't. Either way I trusted her to not have to worry about it. And besides that, what was there to worry about? In life I was a cool, calculating, business savvy woman who just shacked up with the best equal (outside her immediate family) in all regards. In all regards save the one that I kept hidden.

Should I tell him? After all, it's half his now, I suppose. Or it should be. But then that would violate some of the current contracts. Hmm... sticky.

Don't get sidetracked.

Right.

I realized then that my lungs were burning and my legs were screaming for a reprieve. My mind wasn't clear, but my body was nearly at it's breaking point. I had been running beyond a pace for a normal jogger, but that's what I do. I realized as I began to slow down, that I had somehow run out of the park and was deep into downtown. Taylor, of course, was no where to be found. I grinned, coming up to a hot dog vendor and waited in line, my legs still moving. I couldn't stop moving. I wasn't done thinking. I hadn't come to an answer nor a solution. I ordered one hot dog, with everything, and two bottles of water.

Eating wasn't going to be the smartest thing to do, but I needed the carbs. I kept my legs moving as I ate the loaded hot dog. I don't know what it is about New York and their hot dog vendors, but damn! They are the best in the word, despite their critics. As I finished the dog, I was bumped into by some business man on his cellphone who glared at me as if I had the audacity to be in his way. I was tempted to run into him on purpose, but shrugged and reached for my phone.

Taylor was still MIA and I wasn't going to wait for him.

Well?

Where the fuck are you?

Didn't check the GPS?

WR THE FCK R YOU

Oh... capitol letters.

My phone rang, and I wasn't surprised. "Grey."

"Where the fuck are you? I'm not kidding Shana!" I rolled my eyes and looked up, grimacing when I saw the street signs. No wonder my body had demanded I stop. He was so not going to be happy.

"You may want to call a cab."

"Where. The. Fuck. Are. You."

"East 22nd and Broadway," I said with a sigh, my legs finally coming to a stop. He was angry, fed up, and wouldn't let me run now that he knew how far I had gone. How far I had gone without paying attention to anything or the fact that he was long since gone and forgotten.

"Oh you better be fucking kidding me! TAXI!" I winced as I heard his high pitched whistle through the phone. "You wait for me there."

"I know," I muttered, trying to remember who paid whose salary.

"I mean it Shana. You fucking wait for me." I agreed and ended the call. I decided that I would deal better with a pissed off Taylor with a fuller stomach and turned to head back to the vendor when I ran into another damned business man on a cell phone.

"What the fuck? Do I look fucking invisible to you?" I yelled as he turned around with a sneer. My eyes narrowed as I realized it was the same man from minutes before.

"No, actually. You look like you don't exist at all."

A/N: Hello again.

Yes, that is the last of this story. This part of this story I should clarify.

Don't ask me who the man is.

Don't ask me why I stopped there.

Don't ask me when the next chapter is coming.

Just know that many many MANY of your answers will be answered. And, a newer reader sent me a long list of questions the other day and many of their answers a (and yours) are there, in the past chapters, if you caught them. Many, however, are not.

Patience.

Thank you so very very VERY much for reading my story and loving Shana like you do. Like us all, she is not perfect. Thank you for liking her anyways.

~Killy