Thank you so much for your reviews! I'm so glad that there were readers who could relate to some of the situations and characters! The snippet I gave for this chapter will be in the next. This one became too long and I decided to seperate it at the point I felt would work well. Enjoy and as always let me know your thoughts. I included a small POV of Kate and Elliot to ease into their story and see what people think.

Chapter 10: Full Circle

Kate put her hands on her hips as she looked at the mess she had to clean up and it made sense to wait until morning but having Elliot over, she wanted to give the impression she could keep her own damn apartment clean. For a seductress that she usually was, he made her nervous as shit.

"You two did damage huh?" She heard his voice as he rounded the corner. She began to pick up the empty sushi cases and the wine glasses.

"Rough night for everyone it seems." She commented back as she approached the kitchen. He followed behind her with the rest of the garbage from the living room surprising her. "You don't have to." She stood and shook her head at him.

"It's fine." His blonde curly hair falling messily into his face and she could just remember what it felt like having him kiss her. Holy shit, he was just eye candy and plain delicious.

"I can show you to the guest room." She kept her voice void of any emotion. Like he really cared what she had to say anyway or any of them. She heard the things they all said about her behind her back including him and his parents. Oh, she sleeps around. Her poor father, what he must think of her partying ways. Her father didn't give a shit. She was his best advertiser, the best seller for his business, and he loved her regardless. Sure, she could see him look at her with sadness sometimes but at least she was happy. Keep lying to yourself. He followed her up the stairs where the guest bed sat in the loft part above the kitchen. If it wasn't an open space where everyone could hear her have sex, she would have totally snagged this room. Her leg bounced nervously as she stood watching him pull back the comforters.

"Oh, sorry." She whispered out as he began to take off his clothes.

"Don't be. It's not as if you haven't seen it before." He flashed his grin that made her want to push him onto the bed in her usual aggressive fashion but she restrained herself. If anyone could hurt her, it would be him and there was no fucking way in hell she was going to allow that. Idolizing him for years to have him take her virginity and then never talk to her again. Still, she saw what she always saw, his overwhelming confidence and yet that serious glimmer in his eyes that showed his intensity, his struggle. His best friend had done enough damage a year later. She smiled at him before heading for the stairs.

"Kate. Can we talk about that night?" Her heart sank and she stared at what she imagined to be God laughing at her.

"I'm really tired and honestly there is not much to say. It was a long time ago." She couldn't turn around. Those blue eyes held more power over her than the beats and energy of a club.

"I do think I should say sorry." Well, that was a start. Why didn't you call? Did you really just have to leave me and forget it ever happened? Do you really have to be a douchebag and judge me all the time? She stopped herself before she became too angry to control the brain to mouth filter that kept her thoughts to herself.

"Like I said, it's fine." He sighed in what she could only sense as frustration and she walked down the stairs and into her room. There was no need to dig up old wounds although if things actually ever worked out between Ana and Christian; those wounds would be hitting her directly in the face.

Covering himself with the comforters, Elliot watched as Kate turned the lights off. He had so much he wanted to say to her, to apologize for. Really, he just felt the need to shake her. Going out to clubs, doing drugs, and fucking around seemed to be her current lifestyle from what he had looked up at least. It wasn't hard to find as it generally was the talk around Seattle. His group of friends, although most were now married, always loved to bring her up. What guy wouldn't? She was the sexiest person on the earth. If he could ever label anyone that, it would be her. Her eyes were the most hypnotizing blue and paired with her blonde hair and plump lips, she was the epitome of a pin-up doll. She knew it. Her makeup always played up her eyes and her lips; she wore clothes specifically to show off her curves. He wasn't going to lie and say he didn't jack off to pictures of her sometimes. Sensual and sexually suggestive pictures of her weren't hard to find. He hated the way she portrayed herself though because he specifically remembered her when she was a sophomore in high school. He was a freshman in college and he had returned to their private school for an alumni assembly. She had won the contest throughout the school for best speech in which she was asked to present at the assembly. Still somewhat awkward looking although her eyes still did their damage back then, she stood at the podium with full confidence. Her smile was bright and she just looked so damn happy. He remembered feeling jealous; his parents were always caught up with Christian and his shit. They worried about him becoming even more detached and then they worried when his anger seemed to calm. He couldn't even think of how may shrinks they tried to send him to. Elliot though succeeded in everything, in his classes, socially but even his successes couldn't draw the same attention the failures of his brother could. Still today, they continually worried about him. Kate, though, everyone noticed her back then and it wasn't for her looks it was because she was bright, intelligent, and extremely funny. Her speech was given on the responsibility of the growing media and how she was going be a journalist specifically dealing with politics.

"Politics intrigues me, it keeps my attention, and I am one who is not so easily entertained." He'll always remember the last line of her speech. It was true and perfect for her and now she was a blogger for fashion and nightlife in Seattle. Yep, sometimes he just wanted to shake the shit out of her.

"Fuck." Christian groaned as he opened his eyes. The bright lights stung forcing him to close them again.

"Here." He heard Ana's voice and he opened to see her holding a glass of water.

"What time is it?" He asked and his hand shook as he brought the glass to his mouth.

"It's 9 in the morning. Here's some aspirin. We were able to get you to take some when you got here last night so it's fine to take again." She held out her hand and he took the aspirin before he watched her stand from the bed. Heading into the bathroom, he heard the shower being turned on and she walked back out.

"You need to shower. I'll order breakfast and then we can sit and talk." She spoke sternly and he just realized that she was fully dressed and her hair was curled. It was then that he noticed the rigid Ana standing before him not the relaxed one he had grown so accustomed to. He slowly climbed out of the bed and headed into the bathroom where she had laid out some clothes for him. Taylor must have brought some by. Stepping onto the Carrera marble, he closed the glass door and stood underneath the water. He thought of the entire scene from the day before and then the scenes from the bar especially the ones when he finally realized the true evil of Elena Lincoln but even then he still couldn't think of himself as a victim. He was fucking strong god damn it. Rubbing his temples, he cleared his mind of her and focused on what he would have to say to her. Thank God there was one rational person in this relationship. People would seriously contemplate how he runs his business if they saw him now although the most successful were usually suffering. He climbed out and dried himself off, putting on his clothes, and then brushing his teeth with the toothbrush he had kept there. Ana sat in the tan claw-foot chair by her window with coffee when he came out. She pointed her hand to her bed where a tray sat for him with food and it smelled fucking delicious. The scent of sausage and something sweet, most likely pancakes, made his stomach growl with hunger. He sat on the bed and ate as she continued to look through her magazine. Her legs were crossed, her back sat straight and she refrained from looking at him until he finished. He felt like a child waiting for his punishment.

"Feel better?" She asked him nicely.

"Yes, Thank you." He replied noticing the quick change in expression.

"Good because you're going to need to be clear headed for this conversation." She smiled but her voice was cold and her eyes just glared at him. "I'm sorry about yesterday. Taking my insecurities out on you was unfair and it created an awful situation for us both. If you walked out because of anger I understand. Elena Lincoln is where we have a problem. I have a strong suspicion that you have lied to me about her. Now, I need you to tell me the truth about her and anything else that you have been hiding from me." Her hands lay gracefully in her lap and if he ever thought Elena scared him, he was wrong. The way Ana smiled at him after she spoke made him fear her more.

"Elena and I had a relationship when I was 15 until I was 21. I was an angry and uncontrollable teen and she used sex as a way to teach me how to control it." He saw her expression soften at his admission but he held his hand up to let her know there was more. There was nothing more to hide and what for? If his life didn't involve her, it would be empty regardless. "I was her submissive and she was my dominant. We were involved in the BDSM lifestyle and up until the night that I met you, as was I."

"She turned you into a submissive when you were fifteen and you have participated in that lifestyle since?" He nodded his head at her and she took a deep breath. "You do understand that any sexual contact with you when you were that age was wrong right? She is a pedophile and even if you don't believe it, legally she would be labeled as such."

"But honestly, I wouldn't be where I'm at if it wasn't for her? She taught me how to control my emotions and her husband used to hit her."

"Christian, don't ever use personal pain to justify hurting someone else. You don't see me using my abuse from Tom as an excuse to abuse someone else. Do you understand how that justification doesn't work?" She was breaking everything down one small bit at a time for him as if she understood that he was still attached to Elena.

"Yes."

"Okay. Also, let's just completely rid the justification of your current position being owed to her. You are where you are because you worked hard for it and because you are intelligent." She spoke softly that time and her voice had grown warmer as she looked at him searching to see if her thoughts were registering. The way she spoke, he could believe anything she said, and as he thought about it- it rang true. Besides her initial investment which he paid off ten-fold, he had worked his ass off to get where he was at.

"Okay, so on to this lifestyle. What did you do?" He looked down at the plate of food hating to have to tell her about it.

"I'm a dominant. I would take a submissive woman for the weekend. She would sign a contract that outlined my expectations, and anything she wouldn't do."

"Sexually?" She questioned and he nodded again at her.

"Everything was done with consent?"

"Yes, but I took my frustration and anger out on them." This he knew had become the reason he had failed to enjoy it for the past year. It was the realization that what he might be doing was wrong but letting go of the lifestyle had been his biggest fear up until now. Now, it was losing her.

"The way Elena did with you?"

"I guess so."

"Have you had a sub since we've been together?"

"God no, Ana." He felt her breathe a sigh of relief.

"You met her last night didn't you?" She gave him a knowing look.

"Yes, at the bar. Nothing happened between her and I but I did tell her about what happened yesterday." Fuck, she looked as though she was about to cry and he almost was on his knees ready to beg her to forgive him.

"Details?"

"No, Generals. We tried and it didn't work." She shook her head at him as she gazed out of the window. "I'm so sorry Ana. Walking out on you yesterday was a horrible decision. I never should have told her anything and I realized last night that what she did was wrong." She turned back to him offering him a weak smile.

"I'm really happy about that. I know you're sorry. I can see it and I know that in your right and sober mind you wouldn't have shared personal information about me. I need time to process this all. I'm not judging you and I don't hate you." She came closer to him on the bed and her hand stroked his cheek. "I just need time okay. I'm not leaving you but I think right now we should just be friends." He closed his eyes and leaned his head more into her hand. Never in a million years did he believe he would be at the mercy of another woman again. He didn't know if he could just be friends with her but the alternative of not having her around at all terrified him more.

"What about the benefit tonight?" He let her hand drop and he stood regaining some of his dominance in the situation.

"I'll be attending with Kate but we can sit together if you would like." He nodded before he walked over to her door. She had obviously made up her mind and he wasn't about to completely push her away with anger or frustration. Any anger he felt was misplaced anyways, he had just yet to figure out what or who exactly he was so angry at constantly. She followed him to the door and for a moment they both stood there struggling with the new dynamic. He bent down and kissed her cheek before opening her door, taking one last look as she smiled weakly at him, and he closed it feeling completely and utterly lost.

The click of the door shutting had her on her knees. Her body shook roughly as she sobbed into her hands. It was all she wanted to do since he told her about Elena and for once she felt severe hate for someone. Not even Tom gained this amount of a rise out of her but Elena did and she hated it. Taking advantage of an already broken boy and then for six years making him believe that was the only way to care for someone. It all began to make sense now. She had no room to talk. She thought the only way to love someone was to distance yourself so you didn't hurt them. Somehow, she had forgotten that with him. The whole morning revolved around ending it with him making him apologize and to see that it was genuine but all she got was an increased amount of overwhelming information. She couldn't leave him to her, clearly that's all he knew and she would never want to be grouped with Elena. The tears fell from her eyes and then to her hands onto her jeans where she watched the flow of her hurt stain her jeans with a dark spot and then eventually fade. She wished to believe that would be the same path her pain would follow. God, being friends with him was going to be more painful than anything but if the only person he felt he could call when he was upset was Elena then she was going to offer him the friendship he deserved. She lay back on her rug and stared at the ceiling wondering if the past month had been the worst or best thing to ever happen to her. She had a feeling she wouldn't know for years.

The flashing lights were beginning to give her a headache not to mention the stares she kept getting from the other attendee's for the Support the Arts benefit. Her cheeks had begun to hurt from the simulated smile she had been wearing but she did feel great in her dress. A perfect shade of light pink with rucched capped sleeves and the mid-thigh length in the front that turned into a full length gown as it rounded to the back gave her the perfect mixture of sexy and elegance. Kate had never worn a brighter smile than the one she wore when she saw her walk out of her bedroom. Maybe that's where the stares were coming from. Christian hadn't arrived yet and he hadn't texted so she figured he was on his way. She wished they could've talked before the event as she was being bombarded with questions about their relationship. As Kate slipped away for a moment to find her father, Ana made her way around the room to greet everyone when she seemed to notice that everyone was treating her differently. Some looked at her with pride, some looked at her with pity, and most of the men were staring at her like she was a prized piece of meat not the porcelain doll they usually eyed her with. The most unnerving part was the fact that none of them censored themselves around her anymore as they usually did, like she had finally grown ears worthy enough of their unaltered conversations. Elena stood across the room wearing a smug smile and Ana just smiled and waved. There was no need for her to gain any satisfaction tonight. After awkwardly finishing a conversation with Mr. and Mrs. Draper, she noticed Kate waving her over in panic. Keeping her pace unhurried and graceful, she walked over to Kate who immediately grabbed her wrist and dragged her into the bathroom. Finding the handicapped stall, she pulled them both in before locking the door.

"Kate, what is going on?" She looked like she was about to tell her that all the books in Seattle had been burned.

"Everyone knows Ana." Ana stood confused and Kate's heavily black lined eyes dropping her stare to her hands.

"Everyone knows what?" Kate twisted her hands together nervously before looking up at her again.

"They know about what happened with you and Christian last night, I mean as in you not being able to have sex with Christian and stopping him in the middle of it." Her chest immediately constricted as the information registered and she struggled to get a full breath in. Shaking erratically, her hands found her knees as she bent over to try and calm herself. Now was not the time to break down. Breathe. Breathe. God, none of it was working. Her dress felt suffocating, the room felt extremely warm, and the overwhelming butterflies returned almost bringing her to her knees.

"Ana. It's an anxiety attack. Bring your head down by your knees." Kate spoke calmly and Ana did as she said not caring that her hair was probably touching the bathroom floor. The blood pulsing in her ears drowned out any other noise. Her reputation that she had worked so hard for, the one that she had worked hard to keep was ruined. The air of their thoughts and judgments were strangling her completely. Kate kept her hand at Ana's back rubbing softly when they heard the sound of heels hitting the floor.

"That poor Christian. Who wouldn't know what to do with that? What a waste." Ana could feel Kate squeeze her hand harder and she looked up to shake her head. She didn't need a scene added to this.

"I know. I always knew she was a prude. She's not so perfect after all." They both began to snicker at their comments. Ana tried to pull Kate back but it was too late and she sank back into the corner of the stall as Kate flew out.

"Oh, fuck off both of you before I fuck your husbands. That's if I can get in there before your nanny Angela." And with one swift sweep, her anxiety left her and she began to laugh. The two woman offered sighs of disgust as they left the bathroom and Kate took one look at Ana before she began to laugh too.

"Why are you laughing?" Kate breathlessly got out in between their laughter that had them both sitting on the floor in the bathroom. The last place either of them ever thought they would find themselves. A freeing and deep laugh left her mouth as tears streamed down her face not in sadness but relief.

"I was hiding in a stall about to pass out because of the thoughts of them. They cheat on their husbands with their personal trainers and I'm the one who's being talked about." She began to laugh harder finally freeing herself of the suffocating drapery of etiquette she had been wearing for years. Kate laughed even harder as she scooted next to Ana and laid her head on her shoulder. Ana's dress fell around her exposing her legs as Kate's navy blue dress covered hers.

"I can't believe you said that to them." Kate chuckled.

"Ehhh, they all see me that way anyways." She waved her hand and Ana let her head rest on Kate's.

"Are you really okay?" She asked as they were finally calming down.

"Honestly, yes. It's so odd that I finally feel a huge weight has been lifted and it's because they no longer see me as perfect. This thick cloud of pressure has just evaporated. I always put them on this obscene pedestal and now I realize that I have given them more power than I ever should have. I feel free." She spoke with an eerie sense of calm as she stood and held her hand out to Kate. "C'mon, let's leave. I never really cared to come anyway." Kate's eyes widened as she grinned in excitement.

"Oh, hell yes." She hooked her arm through Ana's and they walked back out into the room where they made their way to the entrance when Christian walked in. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Elena approaching from the Grand ballroom.

"I'll meet you in the limo." She whispered to Kate who nodded her head and Ana walked over to Christian who wore the most miserable grim expression as he saw her approach. Grabbing his arm, she pulled him into the empty conference room to the side.

"Taylor, do not let her in here. Do you understand me?" He smiled at her briefly before his look became serious again.

"Yes, Ma'am."

She closed the door and turned to him as he sat in one of the chairs.

"Ana, I'm so sorry about Elena. It's all my fault." He started to ramble and she surprised him as she sat on his lap and took his face into her hands.

"I'm not mad. What keeps you attached to her?" He looked at her in confusion. "Do you keep Elena around because you know she'll never leave you?" He tried to push her away but she held his face with firm hands.

"Christian, look at me." She could see the anger at the accusation but this needed to happen. Her fingers stroked his cheeks softly as he finally began to calm down. "Can you feel that? The way that I touch you, the way that I look at you, and the way that I feel about you? Can you feel the difference? I care about you more than she ever will and I will never hurt you like she has. There have been people who have always genuinely cared about you, who will never give up or leave you. I just… I need you to open your eyes first though." She put her forehead against his as she let the words sink in. It was when she felt his tears fall onto her chest that she knew he had met his realization. Pulling him close, she let him collapse into her chest, relishing the feel of his stubble against her skin. She loved him and although they were just friends right now, she knew they would find their way back to each other eventually. They both just needed time to find themselves before they could find each other. As he pulled away she smiled at him.

"I'll deal with Elena. You no longer have to. Go and wait with Kate in the limo. I'll be out in a minute." She stepped off of him as he stood and he looked at her curiously.

"Where are we going?"

"We are going to spend time with the people who actually care about us and matter." She shrugged as he looked at the floor. Neither of them were fixed yet but as with anything, it would take time. Grabbing his hand, she led him out where Elena waited and god bless him he didn't even look at her. She let go as they approached the entrance and she made her way over to Taylor and Elena. Making sure that Christian had left, she nodded at Taylor who followed him out.

"What the fuck did you do to him now?" Elena hissed and for the first time Ana offered her a genuine smile.

"There is no reason to make a scene." She spoke with confidence. "Thank you for doing the predictable action of sharing that personal tidbit of information Christian gave you last night. In all sincerity, thank you."

"Excuse me?" Elena stepped back and eyed her trying to find what angle she was playing at. There was no angle; tonight had changed both her and Christian for the better.

"You hold no power over him anymore." Fear hit Elena's eyes for a couple of seconds before her anger appeared.

"He'll come back. He always comes back." She argued back looking weak and desperate.

"Not this time. Thank you for making it so easy to get him back. I'm sure inside you are so overwhelmed with happiness that you helped us both tonight." Ana stepped forward so that her lips could almost touch her ear. She held her shoulders high and raised her chin to show her confidence and strength. "He has everyone he needs now. You are no longer wanted or thought about. A small speck to begin with and you no longer exist." And with that, she left Elena standing alone with her insecurities, evil, and a failed plan. She received no satisfaction from starting the rumors which completely satisfied her.

Christian was waiting on the curb by the limo for her as she approached. Standing in true Christian fashion as he leaned against the window, he straightened as she neared him.

"Everything okay?" He questioned looking exhausted.

"I think so." She replied as they climbed into the limo.