A/N - Hey all! Thank you for the reviews on the last chapter :) I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas! I don't know how long this is going to be, but I wanted to upload something before the New Year so hopefully it is satisfactory!

A massive massive MASSIVE thank you to my girl, Taylor. Your reassurances on this chapter and whole story gave me the confidence to finish it so soon. You're the best :)

Chapter 10

"I swear, this is the last time I'm going to ask you this. What the hell is going on?"

She looked over in his direction to see him stood by the open car door, one hand leaning on the top of it and the other stuffed in his pocket. He looked even worse than she felt. He looked defeated and tired and...worried. His eyes didn't contain the same light that they had just a few hours before and his body wasn't being held up with the confidence she'd learned to know so well. And it did something to her to see him like that, she just couldn't quite figure out what. It was unnerving. She hadn't realised she'd been staring too long in silence until she felt Jay squeeze her one last time before letting her go.

She broke her gaze and turned it to Jay. She sucked in a shaky breath, all of a sudden feeling very vulnerable.

"Take me home?" She whispered. She didn't trust her voice right now.

"Whatever you need, Angel." Her throat tightened at the softness of his voice. She will not cry. Not now. Not again. She reached forward and took his hand, pulling him down close to her. She leant forward to whisper in his ear.

"Too many emotions. I can't take much more, Jay." She pulled back and looked into his eyes. She watched him search her face before nodding, pulling away and turning his back to her. She saw him take in a deep breath, and watched his posture change to one she knew all too well.

Taylor's POV

He searched her face, making sure that he'd understood her correctly. He had. She'd had enough. She needed him to be strong for them both and get her home where she could work through everything in her own way and in her own space. She didn't need her daddy right now, she didn't want any more emotion. She wanted Taylor. The man who showed no emotion. The man she knew could give her what she needed and fast. He felt like he'd failed. He felt like he'd failed her, and he felt like he'd failed her Father. She'd always needed him or her Father in times like these. To whisk her away when things got too overbearing and hold her tight until she was better.

He turned and took a deep breath. He reminded himself that she'd asked him for this, and that in a way was her needing him. She'd been alone for nearly three years and he had to trust that she knew what she needed. So he straightened his posture and donned his impassive face. His head turned to look at Grey, who was again stood staring in shock not knowing what the fuck was happening. He had to force himself not to chuckle remembering that no one had answered his question. Again. He'd never seen him so out of control and he didn't seem to be taking it too well. Great. And I'm the one who has to deal with his bullshit. He thought to himself before making his way to the car.

"Mr Grey, are you ready to leave?" He said as simple as he could. Grey seemed to be speechless so he just carried on. "I'll need to take Ana home, should I drop her off first or would you like me to do that after?" At Ana's name, Grey suddenly snapped out of whatever funk he'd been in to mumble his answer.

"We'll take her first. It's only right." He then stumbled into the back of the SUV. Jay took a step and held onto the open door.

"Ana, time to go." He said with the same bland, gruff tone he used everyday and he silently complied, sliding into the backseat next to Grey. He shut the door and then moved to the other side of the car to get into the drivers side, starting the car and beginning their journey back home.

Ana's POV

Damn it. She had to get herself under control, she'd broken down too much this weekend already. But she felt dirty from touching that vile woman, she felt tired from all of the emotions and worst of all, her presence this weekend has totally disrupted Christian's and his families lives. But she couldn't just walk away. She would if his parents were anyone but Carrie and Gracie, but she just can't. She knew something bad had happened between Elena and Christian, even without his reactions she could tell that that woman was no good. She didn't know what she could do to save her loves ones from this woman, other than to start with the basics. Christian. That beautiful, broken man.

"Ana, time to go." She was brought out of her thoughts by Jay's emotionless voice. It was like a breath of fresh air right now. He was in control. She trusted him more than anyone alive and he would get her home. He was in control. She repeated it in her head over and over as she made her way inside the SUV, every time she felt a bit of her anxiety lift.

She sat as still as she could, her eyes watching as Jay moved around the car to slide into the drivers seat. She didn't want to meet Christian's gaze but she could see him clearly out of the corner of her eye. He was completely stiff, she could see the muscles in his thighs twitching from the strain he had on them. How the hell could she handle this? Obviously not in the car with Jay here. He did work for the guy after all and she didn't want to jeopardise that. She took a deep breath and decided to just face this head on. She turned her head to meet his gaze and gasped. He was say there, looking at her with an emotion she couldn't quite place. But it was intense. She reached forward and took his big hand in both of hers that was clenched next to his thigh. At her touch, he let out a big breath and she saw, and felt, the muscles in his body relax.

"Will you come back to my place?" Her voice was nothing but a slow, unsure whisper. She saw his eyes widen, but she wasn't quite sure if it was from shock or something else. "Please? I'll need some time alone to shower when we get there but then it's just me and you. We can talk." He seemed to think about it for a good few seconds, all the while looking into her eyes. She wasn't sure what he was looking for but he must have found it because he answered with a quick nod of the head. It was then that she remembered...Kate.

"Taylor, where is Kate?" It was still early, had she just left her best friend?

"She left last night with Mr Grey to his apartment. She is still there and safe. Sawyer is on duty. Your things are in the bag at your feet." She didn't know how he did it. She was sure he stayed with her most of the night, so how did he manage to do and be everything she needed?

"Thank you." He just nodded his head in acknowledgement. She reached down to the bag and found her phone in her clutch from last night. She sent a quick text to Kate, apologising for her absence and then politely asking for the apartment for the day. She got a reply almost straight away, and she could relax knowing that she was safe. The apartment was hers all day and night. She was apparently staying with Elliot again.

By the time she'd sent a quick 'thank you' to Kate, they were pulling up at her apartment. Just as Jay was about to get out of the car she put her hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"Can I have just a minute, please? I'll meet you in the lobby." She said softly to Christian who nodded in a daze and got out of the car.

"Ana, he can't just walk off like that." Jay said, not looking at her.

"Oh, please. You know that he's safe, I wouldn't be living here if it wasn't." She didn't get a reply. "Jay...look at me." She whispered, squeezing his shoulder. When he didn't answer she did the first thing that came to mind. She climbed between the two front seats to curl in his lap, her head resting on his shoulder. "Please, Jay. I need my daddy right now." She whispered so quiet that she thought he wouldn't hear her. She was wrong. He sucked in a deep breath and his arms went around her and pressed her to him tightly. "I don't think I have the strength." She mumbled. He knew exactly what she was talking about.

"If anyone has the strength to have this conversation, it's you Rosie. It shines from here..." He pointed to her heart. "Just like your Father." That was all she needed. That bit of reassurance. She could do the rest herself.

"Go home to your woman, Jay. Send someone else to sit here. You can't be close to this, you know that." She lifted her head and looked him in the eyes. "Thank you...for everything." She leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose. Unexpectedly he pulled her in for another hug, kissing her multiple times on the forehead before pulling away.

"Go." He whispered. She pulled away, reaching into the back of the car for her bag and jumping out of the drivers side of the SUV.

She felt Christian's eyes on her as she made her way into the lobby of her apartment building. She didn't say anything when she reached him, just took hold of his hand and pulled him towards the elevator. Shit. The elevator. She pressed the button for the elevator and turned to him. She waited until she had eye contact, she had to be sure.

"Can I trust you not to touch me in there?" It was just above a whisper, no one else in the lobby had to hear her. He searched her face before replying.

"At all?" She was confused, and then she felt him squeeze her hand. Oh. She gave him a small smile just as the elevator doors opened. She stepped inside, pulling him along with her and not releasing his hand. She reached forward and punched in the code with her free hand and they were off. As soon as the doors closed she felt a tightness in her chest. It was such a small space and anything could happen. She was pretty certain that she could trust him. Hell, Jay must if he was willing to risk his life for him. But she'd learned to be so wary that she just couldn't allow herself that yet. And that was the tightness in her chest. They were both silent, both stuck in their own heads that they didn't have words for each other. They stayed that way until the doors opened. She released a big breath, and was aware that Christian did the same. She looked his way and saw that his cheeks were flushed, did he hold his breath all the way up here? Or was it something else? She didn't stop to ask, she just pulled him out of the elevator. She didn't want to release his hand but she had to in order to unlock and open the door. She moved so that her back was flat to the door and pushed it open with her body, allowing him entrance. She didn't mean to be keeping tabs on his where abouts, it was just a natural instinct.

"Please, make yourself at home. I shouldn't be too long I just...have to shower." She didn't want to get into the reason why she needed a shower so she didn't say any more. He was stood in the open space between their living room and kitchen. It was a big space, but somehow he filled it well.

"Take all the time you need, I'll be right here." He gave her a shy smile and moved to sit on the couch. She saw him pull his phone from his pocket and immediately start typing away. Right. That's that then. Moving into her bedroom she threw her bag on the bed to deal with later and made her way through her closet to her bathroom. Once there, she turned on the shower and stripped of the clothes that Mia had so generously lent her. She didn't hesitate, she walked straight under the spray of water and stood still until she was well and truly drenched. It was only then that she started her routine, only scrubbing her body a little harder than usual until she felt totally clean and herself. Yes. This was exactly what she needed.

Not wanting to make Christian wait longer than he already had she quickly jumped out of the shower and headed back to her closet. She dried her body and applied the same coconut oil she'd done the night before, it just smelled so good. Knowing that she wasn't going out for the rest of the day she just pulled on a pair of black leggings and a long sleeved black jersey dress. It wasn't quite her pyjamas, but it was comfortable enough and her scars were covered. She quickly towel dried her hair and put it up in a messy bun. She was now looking at her reflection in the mirror. This was where she was comfortable, where she'd made home. She could do this. She was in control. She took a deep breath and made her way back to the living room. Back to Christian.

And there he was. Sat in the exact same place she'd left him, still typing on his phone. No doubt working. She looked at the clock in the kitchen to see that it was just turning one o'clock, and they still hadn't eaten anything. This was probably the first time ever that she'd missed breakfast since she was 13. She coughed, causing Christian to jump and her giggle.

"It's lunch time, are you hungry?" He looked her up and down and she saw something briefly flash in his eyes, but it was gone too fast for her to catch it.

"Sure, I'll order us something." He said, already turning back to his phone.

"No you won't." This brought his head back up to look at her in shock. "I'm capable of cooking us some lunch. How do subs sound?" He seemed to be debating something in his mind for a while before he suddenly stood.

"Perfect, thank you. Can I use the bathroom?" Okay, weird.

"Sure, it's just down the hall, second door on the left." Again he moved with less confidence, and she watched until he was out of sight.

She'd made the subs in record time and Christian was still not back from the bathroom, so she busied herself making a pot of tea. After that was made and he was still not back she started to worry. She made her way around the breakfast bar and down the hall to the bathroom. She quietly knocked on the door. No answer.

"Christian?" No answer. "Christian!" Suddenly the door flew open and there he stood. He'd removed his blazer and was now stood in front of her in jeans and a tight black T-shirt. Her eyes were stuck on his chest. She couldn't tear them away. The black fabric clung to his muscles in a way she'd never noticed on any other man. And with her running the school, she'd seen a lot of muscled men. A cough brought her gaze up to his face that held a smirk. Shit. He'd seen her staring! She felt her cheeks flame before she turned around and walked back down the hall.

"Lunch is ready." She called over her shoulder.

After they'd devoured lunch and got rid of the dishes, they were both sat on either end of the couch in silence. She didn't know what to say, how to start this conversation and she was sure he was feeling the same way. She started with the first thing that came to mind.

"So...Carrie and Gracie are your parents. Small world, huh?" He didn't answer her question, he asked his own.

"How do you know?" His voice was quiet, but controlled.

"Know what?"

"About Elena. And me." Right to the point. Well, at least they were on the right track now.

"I don't know anything." She looked him directly in the eyes. "Last night was the first time I'd even seen that woman." This seemed to shock him but she just carried on with her conversation. "I knew the minute I looked at her that she was pure evil, but I didn't know why. I still don't really, I can only guess." He looked really nervous and kept running his hands through his hair.

"And...what's your guess?" He kept her gaze, but she could tell it wasn't a confident one.

"That she...molested you." She whispered it. Her throat was too tight to speak any louder without it breaking. She saw what she was looking for in his eyes for a split second before he spoke.

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" So, he wasn't giving anything away easily. She respected that seeing as she didn't fully trust him herself.

She decided to just lay everything out and go from there. Maybe her honesty would help Christian open up to her some.

"In the marquee when she first approached the table, I saw how she looked at our joined hands...how she looked at you. I couldn't place it at first, I just thought that she was curious. Then she looked at me and I saw it in her eyes. I saw the darkness, and the evil. She had the same look that my Mother and her husband had in their eyes. She just needed to be gone. You have to understand that I've never had so many people that I love in one place before with someone with that look in their eyes and I just needed her gone. So then she was gone. But when Gracie said that she was her friend, I knew I had to make her stay away. Hence us leaving to the study. It wasn't until Gracie said that thing about you working for her that it finally clicked. It was you. She'd hurt you. In my mind I was trying to find a reason why you'd want to hide her abuse from your parents for this long and that's when I made my last assumption. She'd molested you. Then, I saw it plain as day in her eyes this morning." She was looking into his eyes whilst telling her story.

She knew that she was right. But she was shocked when she heard the next few words coming out of his mouth.

"It wasn't like what you think. I wanted it, and she made me better." He was now looking at his hands fisted in his lap.

"They're her words." His head snapped up to hers.

"What?"

"You heard me. What you just said. They're not your words, they're hers."

"I'd probably be dead right now if it wasn't for her. I was heading in a downwards spiral and she brought me out of it. She gave me a way to control my emotions and control myself." He was getting angry, she could hear it in his voice and see it in his eyes. Good.

"They're not your words either." She saw him clench his fists tighter. "Do you know how I know?"

"And how's that?" He growled. Okay, now she was getting fucking angry too.

"Because every time I did something wrong after my Father and Jay saved me, I expected to be hit. I didn't think that I'd be able to learn from my mistakes if I didn't get a punishment. I'd heard and felt it so many times in my life that it became who I was. When I didn't get punished I let guys win in fights at the school, just to feel the pain. But when my Father and Jay figured out what I was doing they stopped that. They realised that I needed structure and I needed stability and that's why I am like I am today, why I have bells on the back of every single fucking door in my apartment and why I have to know every single detail going on in my life to feel safe. Were you given that opportunity? That opportunity to find a way to deal with your emotions that were healthy? Because I can tell right now from looking into your eyes that you haven't. You still speak her words, you still think that what she did to you was right. You have the best fucking parents in the world and you think that the only way you could have dealt with your issues, the same issues I've got by the way, is to be molested for god knows how long to the point where you think it's right?!" By the end of her speech she was on the floor pacing. When she didn't hear anything from Christian for a while she looked up. And gasped. There he was. Sat staring at her with his eyes filled with tears.

He looked so...afraid.

A/N - Wow...that was so much bigger than I was expecting! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter and will continue to read my story :) Don't forget to review! ;)

Lots of love…

Daisy xoxo