Chapter 2

Christian stood in his closet as he methodically went through his clothes, deciding which items would remain and those which would be moved as he let his mind wonder.
It had been 29 months since he had lost his family and been plunged into a life with no meaning.

Shaking his head, he turned on his heel and moved to put the pieces of jewelry that would remain behind into their proper places, his hands brushing reverently over the cufflinks that Ana had given him as a wedding present. That was then, he reminded himself as he fingered his wedding band, only half aware that it was still placed on the wrong hand. He was now on the brink of getting both her and their child back- reclaiming his life.

If it had been up to him, he wouldn't be here now.
No, he'd be the one waiting on her doorstep to tell her that their nightmare was over.
He'd be holding her in his arms.
He'd be the one to bring them back.

But his mother and Flynn had thought it to be too much.
The incompetents in charge of her safety had refused to allow it- as if his showing up now that it was ending it would cause problems…. But he had agreed not to chance it this time.
The last time he had been this close to getting them back it had backfired.
They had arrived too late and the agent in charge had thought allowing to him to think his child had died was proper encouragement to get him out of the way.
That agent's badge now acted as one of his paperweights.

Shaking away the dismal thoughts, he decided it was time to focus on the future.
He had things to set up.
Clothes, books, and furniture to move.
A house to get ready and turn into a home.

Life would start again….

Ana watched Taylor wearily as they walked down the stairs and towards is rental car. "What no Audi?" she asked tensely.

"It's a rental," he replied with a shrug as he looked at her. "Go ahead and ask what you want to."

"Why you two? Why not him? Doesn't he… you heard our fight that last night in the apartment… does he still feel that way?" she asked as she wrapped a strand of hair around one of her fingers.

Taylor shook his head: "Flynn and Dr. Grey thought it would be better if he waited in Seattle for your return."

"You're really giving me that line?" she asked. "If he wanted…"

"Find, my contact told me that if he was coming it would take us almost another month to get you and your son home. He pissed off quite a few people the last two years."

Ana looked down at her hands: "does he know about Teddy then?"

Taylor exhaled and looked out at the horizon: "in a way."

"What does that mean?"

"We found you once. He was relentless. He was sure that you two could disappear with your child somewhere- that the money would buy you time and security and new identities till everything was over.
He even almost had me convinced…"

"I would've known if… he wouldn't have just found me and not…" she shook her head.

"We were a couple hours too late according to your neighbor. Christian stayed in the car.
Sawyer and I talked to the man- what the agent who moved you allowed him to tell us…" he shook her head.

"The day after Teddy was born?" Ana wondered as she leaned onto the car for support. "They moved us so quickly that I knew something wasn't right…"

Taylor sighed and looked towards her: "they told us that there were complications."

"There had been. They had to do an emergency C-section and there was a lot of bleeding…."

"Ana, they made it sound like the baby- at the least- didn't make it.
Sawyer cleaned out the house and I took Christian- he destroyed a hotel room that night," he said as Ana held back a cry with her hand as tears ran down her cheek. "He wouldn't believe it.
It took all my contacts and Carrick's to find out you and your baby were both alive.

They were pissed we had tracked you down and wanted Christian to realize the extent of what could go wrong."

"I used to dream that he'd find us. Be there when I had Teddy… I thought that some way he'd find a way to go around them… then I just stopped dreaming and hoping," she admitted as she looked around her. "I had to be pragmatic. Put Teddy first. Do whatever I had to so that he would be safe and healthy…"

"Looks like you've done a good job."

Ana let out a harsh laugh: "wait to you see the inside of the apartment," she said as she pushed away from the car's frame. "Let's get the food you told me about. Teddy is as moody as Christian when it comes to food… and frankly there isn't much up there right now."

"Ma'am?"

"Car repairs. Daycare. Upper respiratory infection and antibiotics… I would've made it to next payday somehow," she said squaring her shoulders. "He's never gone hungry, Taylor. I can't take pride in many things anymore, but I can in that."

Taylor only nodded as he started to pull things from the trunk. He quietly handed her a picnic basket and grabbed two duffle bags, at her raised eyebrow he smirked: "Gail sent some of your old things and well… I'll be acting as your CPO."

"We'll argue about that later," she sighed as she headed to the stairs.

"Yeah, you seem to have replaced me and Sawyer with younger models," he said gruffly earning a slight laugh from her.