Like I've said before, we are not done with the drama surrounding the bitch troll and Ethan... so let the drama begin anew...
Christian
Watching Ana sleep I try to figure out a different way to get us out of the media attention. My PR team and security think it would be best to give them a short statement and the chance to take some pictures, so they are no longer trying to get the first shot of us as a married couple. Under any other circumstances I would agree, but I am not sure if Ana can handle it. She was so scared this afternoon, it was a shock to find her like that when I got into the car.
I thought about taking her away for a while, but that would only buy us some time and not resolve the problem with the paparazzi. After I had put her to bed I also talked to John. He thinks Ana is getting better, but that this is a long process and she is not willing to try medication, so it might even take much longer until she can live without getting panic attacks. I also asked him if it would be a good idea to bring in a second shrink to help her, but he wasn't sure about it. Of course, getting a second opinion could help, but it could also signal Ana that her condition is worse than she thinks, which in turn would make her anxiety worse.
I look at her again, so peaceful in her sleep, like an angel. And it is driving me insane that this is beyond my control. There is nothing I can do except for comforting her when it happens. Because her panic attacks happen randomly I can't make sure that she's never confronted with a situation that will give her a panic attack, nor can I just lock her here in the safety of our home... well I could, but she would kick my ass and I don't want my wife to be a prisoner in our own home.
My research on anxiety and panic disorders didn't help either. Apparently, some people get over it with the right therapy, while others have to deal with it for the rest of their lives. That is just not acceptable, but sadly, so far I have no idea what to do.
Ana stirs a little next to me and I see a slow smile spread over her face.
"You are watching me" she whispers and yawns.
"One of my favorite pastimes, Mrs. Grey"
"I like watching you, too. How long did I sleep?" she asks as she stretches.
"About two hours, dinner should be ready soon, are you hungry?"
"Not really, but Gail is cooking chicken pot pie and it's one of my favorites" she says, but I can tell that there is something going through her mind.
"Baby, what is wrong?" I ask and she sighs.
"Do you have to know me that well?"
"Yes, now what is going on?"
She shuffles closer and crawls onto my lap. "I'm sorry"
"Sorry for what?"
"For being such a shitty wife" she says and I frown.
"Baby, why would you say something like that?"
"Because it's true. As your wife it's my job to make your life easier, and now I am only giving you more stress. You've been back to work the first day and because of my stupid panic attacks you had to leave early and..."
"Ana, stop right there. What happened today is not your fault. You didn't invite the paparazzi to Escala and you didn't get a panic attack on purpose. Yes, I had to leave work earlier than I had planned, but when it comes to you and your safety there is nothing that is more important to me. So, just to make myself perfectly clear, you are my number one priority in this world and you are not a shitty wife. You make me so happy, Ana. Don't ever think anything else."
"You make me happy, too. I just don't want you to worry about me..."
"Baby, I'll always worry about you. It's in my nature."
"Do you think that media is going to leave us alone soon? I am not sure if I can go out as long as they are there."
I sigh and kiss the top of her head. "Baby, I've talked to my PR team and the security. They all agree that it would be best to give them a brief statement and the chance to snap some pictures of us. If you agree we will give them a short statement outside Grey House tomorrow afternoon."
"I have to talk?" she ask and I feel her tense in my lap.
"No, look at me, baby. I'll give them a short statement, all you have to do is stand next to me for about five minutes. Do you think you can do that?"
"And you think they leave us alone after that?"
"Well, they won't go away completely, but it won't be more than one or two paps at a time. We make a deal with them, they get a statement and some pictures and in exchange, something like this afternoon won't happen again."
"Okay, then I guess that's what we have to do." she says, but she doesn't sound convincing.
"Can we have dinner now?" Ana asks and I know that she is trying to distract me.
"I can try to come up with a better idea, Ana you..."
"Please, it's okay. As long as I don't have to talk I can do this."
"Good, do you have any plans for tomorrow?"
"No, I just wanted to shop some Christmas presents online. So far all I have are the concert tickets for Anya."
"Which concert?"
"Justin Bieber. Let's hope she doesn't want me to go with her."
"She better not, fuck that would be a security nightmare" I mutter and she giggles.
"Good thing that I am not a Belieber."
"A what?"
"Justin Bieber fans, they call themselves beliebers. Don't ask, I don't get it either."
"Okay, and since we are already on the topic, I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes."
When she does I pick her up in my arms carry her into the great room and look at the huge Christmas tree Sawyer and Taylor have bought. Knowing that my wife loves Christmas I have decided to buy a tree this year and that we can decorate it after dinner. Mrs. Jones has bought the ornaments while we were in Aspen, so I hope Ana likes everything.
"Open your eyes, baby"
"Oh my god! A Christmas tree, I didn't think you would like having one here, so I didn't ask. It's perfect Christian! Can we decorate it, now?" she asks beaming at me and I put her down.
"After dinner baby, and why didn't you think I would want a Christmas tree?"
"Well, you never had one and ... you kind of like the Grinch" she giggles and I try to look offended, but my lips quirk up.
"I am like the Grinch?"
"Yes, remember three years ago when I stopped by to give you the Christmas sweater I had bought for you?" she asks and I cringe. Christ, I hope she doesn't want me to wear one of those ugly things. I remember the fucking sweater she gave me, it was bright red with Rudolf on it and his fucking nose was blinking.
"Ana that thing was humiliating."
"Oh come on, it was fun. We have to go to my apartment before we start decorating the tree. I have some ornaments I want to put on the tree and of course we need the Santa hats I have." she tells me excited and I roll my eyes. Fuck, if it makes her happy I wear the fucking hat.
So, we have dinner and after that we take the elevator to her apartment. I follow her into her walk in closet where she takes some boxes out while I look around.
"Maybe, tomorrow we can start to bring the rest of your things up to the penthouse." I tell her, but find her frowning at a box.
"What is it baby?"
"This box, it's not mine." she says, opens it, gasps and puts the lit back on it.
"What?"
"Please call Taylor. To come down here." she says and I can feel the anxiety and maybe even fear radiating off her.
"Show me the box." I demand and she hands it to me. I open it look at the contents and close my eyes. Fuck, is this nightmare never going to stop, but before I can think about it we both here a noise in the apartment.
"Don't go." I gasps and wraps her arms around my middle clearly terrified. I want to look through the apartment, but I can't leave her here like that. She is on the brink of another panic attack. So, I wrap her in my arms and dial Taylor's number.
"Sir?"
"Taylor, I need you at Ana's apartment ASAP. Someone is in here."
"On my way. Stay were you are, Sir. Try not to make any sounds. Don't answer, we don't want the intruder to find you" he says. So, I wrap Ana tighter in my arms and hold her until Taylor comes into the closet.
"The place is secure. Did you leave the apartment door open, Sir?"
"No, fuck. Taylor, get the security tapes from the elevator. We need to get Mrs. Grey up to the penthouse, she isn't feeling well."
"Can you walk, baby?" I ask her and she nods and takes the box with her Christmas ornaments, while I take the other one.
Upstairs I ask Gail to sit with Ana for a moment and ask Taylor to follow me into my study.
"Here we found this in Ana's closet. Looks like this fucking nightmare is not over after all." I hiss and Taylor looks into the box which is filled with pictures of myself from the time when I was Elena's sub along with a message for Ana, asking her if she thinks she can handle me.
"Fucking hell." Taylor mutters under his breath. "Has Mrs. Grey seen these?"
"Yes, fuck Taylor. Someone is messing with us, someone who worked with Elena. My father was sure that all pictures and tapes the bitch had of me were erased."
"Sir, before we get into details with this, we need to get security for your family and Mrs. Grey's family back in place. Further, I would recommend to take the press conference tomorrow inside. Having it outside of Grey House is like putting Mrs. Grey and you on a silver platter for who ever this person might be."
I run my hands through my hair and nod. I can't take that risk, not if Ana could get hurt. "Taylor, we need to find this person. Are there security cameras in the hallways?"
"No Sir, just the elevators and staircases, but the un-sub must have taken one of these ways to leave the building, so we will find him or her. Sawyer is going through the footage as we speak. May I suggest to get your father involved, his PI might has some clues to help us."
"I will call him, for now look through the footage and get the security for my family back in place, put someone on Miss Kavanagh, too. Her family doesn't seem to give a fuck about her, so this makes her an easy target."
"Of course, Sir."
"Good, I need to check on my wife." I leave the study and find Ana wrapped in a blanket on the sofa, sipping what I assume is tea from a cup.
"Tea?" I ask gently and sit down next to her.
"No, Gail made me hot chocolate with tiny marshmallows, lots of cream and some cherries, want to try?"
"Sure" I take a sip, but it is sickeningly sweet and I shudder making Ana giggle.
"Are you laughing at me, Mrs. Grey?" I ask and enjoy to hear her giggle some more.
"I wouldn't dare, Mr. Grey."
"I think you do... often."
"Maybe." she says and I lift her up and put her in my lap.
"Ana those pictures in the box... I'm sorry you had to see them."
"It's your past... you can't change it. What really worries me is that someone had them and got into my apartment. What if the person releases them to the media?"
Fuck, I haven't even thought about that possibility. Damn it, we need to find who ever did this or this could end bad. Funny enough, it's not so much my reputation I am worried about, somehow I would recover if my former lifestyle was exposed, but it would also put Ana through public humiliation and Ray will probably demand for Ana to leave me. He isn't going to put up with my past, not when he has to fear I might hurt his daughter.
"Baby, maybe it would be best to release a statement that we didn't get married. If this gets out you..."
"No, do you hear me? Absolutely not! I am your wife Christian, and I am not going to leave you with this mess. I knew about your past when I married you and if it is leaked to the media we are going to deal with it together. And if you even think about telling them we are not married than you have to deal with me! And believe me you don't want me mad at you."
I can't help, but smile at her. She is the one person in the world I would never want mad at me. Mainly because I know that she rarely gets mad, she gets hurt if the people she loves do something to betray her trust or hurt her feelings. And I have learned a long time ago that when Ana is hurt because you did something wrong you can die of frost bites in her presence.
"Christian, I am serious! Stop grinning at me like an idiot. If you tell them we are not married, you can sleep on the couch until Christmas 2050!" she snaps at me and I chuckle, but stop when I see her lips purse and quickly press a kiss to her still pursed lips.
"I'm sorry, baby. I just want to protect you, if my past comes back to bite me, then people will assume that I am still in the lifestyle and that you are, too. I don't want people to see you like that, talk behind your back and more so I am afraid your father will try to make you leave me and..." I stop, why the hell is she smiling at me?
"Christian, no one can make me leave you. Not even my Dad. You are the most important person in the world to me and even if my Dad would want me to pick sites I would always pick yours. So, can we drop this subject?"
"Yes, I just don't want you to be objected to public humiliation and..." she holds her hand up to stop me and to my own surprise I snap my mouth shut immediately.
"Look, if those pictures are leaked no newspaper, blogger or what ever would print them anyway. You were what, 15 when they were taken? That would be like publishing child pornography. Even that they exist is a felony in itself. And what are they going to write anyway 'Christian Grey likes kinky sex' well in that case the only thing you have to worry about is that I am going insanely jealous because at least 50 percent of the female population is going to bombard you with offers."
"I guess that is one option, but there is also the possibility that people are going to think that I am abusing you and of course my business could suffer severely under news like that."
Ana is very open minded and the fact that she loves me is another factor that makes her see this as nothing too serious, but the truth is, that if they find something as juicy like this it could very well ruin me.
"Then we have to make sure that nothing gets out. Have you called your Dad?"
"No, I wanted to check on you first."
"Sir?" We both turn to look at Sawyer, who is at the entrance of the great room.
"Have you found something?"
"Yes, Sir. The intruder came in through the garage and took the staircase up to Mrs. Grey's old apartment. He was in there way before you arrived at the apartment and left through the staircase. From the looks of it I am sure he is familiar with the building, because he avoided every camera. All we have are shots of his back."
"Fuck, how could this guy get into the garage without the code?"
"That is the problem, Sir. The intruder had the code for the garage. This means he either lives here or he knows someone who does. In anyway as of now we are certain that the intruder has free access to come and go here as he pleases."
Damn it, fuck! I need to take Ana away from here. If that fucker can enter the building at any time it is not safe for Ana to be here. We already know that Bellevue is no option as Elena could get in way to easy...
"Tell Taylor to book us somewhere, I am not letting my wife stay here as long as we don't know who this person is. Ana pack what you need, we will leave as soon as I had the chance to look at the tape."
"Christian wait, I want to look at it, too. Maybe I have seen this person before."
"Fine" I snap and close my eyes to take a deep breath. "Sorry, baby. I didn't mean to snap at you."
"It's fine. Let's just look at the tape and then leave. I am exhausted."
We follow Sawyer into the security office and he shows us the tape. There is nothing even slightly familiar about the guy. He is tall, has a buzz cut and since I can't see his face there is nothing that would help to identify him. But when I look at Ana she is white as a ghost and is staring wide eyed at the guy.
"Baby what is wrong, do you know who it is?" I ask and she turns to look at me.
"Ethan" she utters finally.
What the fuck?