Okay gals and pals, my sincere apologies to you all for not updating. I know the feeling when you're waiting at the edge of your seat for a new chapter. So please forgive me. Okay so here is chapter 25 and this is where the drama begins. Please be patient with me and the infrequent updates that may happen, but I promise I WILL finish this story.

I don't own these characters. I'm just having some fun with them.

Anastasia

"Ana."

"Ana."

"Ana wake up!"

I wake with a start from Kate's voice coming from my closed bedroom door.

"What the hell Kate! Don't you have your own place?" I ask as I throw, my comforter off of me, and make my way to my bedroom door.

Pulling it open my eyes widen when I see Kate's face being blocked by an arrangement of a dozen red roses.

"What the fuck is that Kate?" I ask stunned. What in the fuck?

"You know for being a smart woman Steele, you should already know these are roses." She says sarcastically while she rolls her eyes as she walks past me and places the arrangement on my dresser.

Rolling my eyes I tell her, "Kate stop being a smart-ass, you know what I meant." I say, pulling the ends of her blonde tresses playfully.

"Well you set yourself up for that one, Steele." She says swatting my hand away from her.

"Who sent them?" I ask after Kate and I laugh at our child like behavior.

"Some Tom guy." She says eyeing me carefully as she holds the small card between her fingers.

My face automatically sours at the sound of his name.

"Why that face Steele?" Kate asks.

"He gives me the creeps." I shrug my shoulders as if it's no big deal, which is a total lie.

"How do you know him? But better question is, how does he know where you live?" Kate's reporter persona rears it's head.

"To be honest I've no idea how he knows." I say, looking at Kate as if she could hold the answer.

"Where did you meet him?" Kate asks, taking a seat on my bed as I rummage through my dressers.

"I met him at GEH, when Christian and I began our weekly lunches, to speak about SIP's contract, three weeks ago." I say as my mind drifts to that day.

I was going over to GEH to see Christian after I received a copy of the contract of SIP. I read three clauses, that I wasn't okay with and I wanted to know how I would go about changing them, or if we could just change the contract over all.

As I made my way inside, I spoke to the receptionist at the front desk who directed me to the elevator banks, after she eyed me from head to toe first.

Ignoring the way she was looking at me, I walked past her and towards the elevator only to bump into him.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry." He said as he held my arm so I wouldn't fall.

"It's okay." I smiled politely as I distanced myself from his closeness.

He smiled as he took me in, "You know I've never seen you here. Are you new?" He asked with a glint of... I don't know... I would've said curiosity, but it was more daring. As if whatever I would say would seem like a game to him. A game he knew he would win and I'd surely lose.

"No. I don't work here." I said as I turned to face the elevator.

"That's just too bad," He said frowning slightly, but just as it came it went. "I would've like the pleasure of working with you." He said giving me a side glance.

Taking in a deep breath I turned my attention to the guy that was standing to my left.

"I'm sorry. What did you say your name is?" I ask politely, but inside I'm biting my tongue from telling him to fuck off.

"Thomas. Thomas Hardy." He says, giving me, what I presume, is his panty dropping smile that does nothing for me, except give me the creeps.

"Well Mr. Hardy," I say as the ping of the elevator alerts me of it's arrival. "Nice talking to you." I say once I'm inside the opened elevator and jab my finger on the elevator panel to Christian's floor.

"Hope to see you again." He spoke, just as the elevator doors closed.

"How many times have you seen him Steele?" Kate's voice brings me back to the here and now.

"Probably six times in the past three weeks." I say as images of Tom run through my mind. Three at GEH and the fourth time, was when Sawyer and I were grocery shopping.

"Ana, have you spoken to Sawyer about this?" I turn around in time to see Kate's worried expression.

"No, Kate I haven't mentioned it to Sawyer. And to be honest I hadn't thought of doing so then, I just thought nothing of it."

"I don't know Ana, but I got the creep just by you telling me who he is." She says as she shakes of her goosebumps.

"It's probably nothing." I shrug once more.

Thirty minutes later Kate and I make our way downstairs to the kitchen where my dad and Sawyer are chatting about.

"Good morning sweetheart," he says giving me a kiss on the top of my head.

"Good morning dad," I say smiling. "How did you sleep?" I ask, walking towards the refrigerator, taking out the eggs, ham, and bacon to cook breakfast.

"Eyes closed and face up." He answers jokingly and I roll my eyes.

"You know, " I say giving him a playful glare, "you've been spending a lot of time with Kate." I say giving Kate a pointed stare as I try and fail miserably to be serious.

"Hey it's not my fault." Kate pouts playfully, only to smile at me when my dad pulls her in a fatherly hug and kisses her head.

"Sure, and Sawyer here is actually a forty year old virgin." I say straight faced, only to laugh when my dad's and Kate's eyes practically bug out as they stare at a bright faced Sawyer.

"That's low Ana." Sawyer mutters, shaking his head slowly as he glares at me.

Shrugging my shoulders I begin to cook, laughing on occasion as Luke, Dad, and Kate take turns bantering with one another.

Stopping momentarily to look at the three people who surround me laugh and smile brings joy to my life. For a moment, just a moment I think about all the books I've read that contain family ties or family bonds. I've never sat down and actually thought I have that in my life.

My father is my hero, Kate is my best friend, and Luke is my protector.

"Annie, will you be going over the Grey's today?" My dad asks as he and Luke are about to leave the table after having breakfast with me and Kate.

"Yeah, since Grace asked me to take my chicken pot pie that Elliot can't stop talking about." I smile at my dad as he shakes his head mumbling something about "where that boy can pack it" as he and Luke make their way towards my office.

After Kate and I have finished our breakfast, she helps me clear the table, by storing all the leftovers in containers and placing them in the refrigerator, as I wash the dirty dishes.

"So what are you wearing for the Grey's todays? I heard from Elliot his parents are thinking about doing an outdoor cookout." Kate says as she places the last container of leftovers inside the refrigerator and turns to look at me.

"I don't know." I shrug, "I was thinking of going comfortable. I mean it is a cookout nonetheless, so it's pointless to go over dress." I say as I finish drying my hands with a paper towel.

"I guess you're right." She pouts as she turns her sight towards the wide kitchen window.

"What's wrong Kate?" I ask noticing she's gone quite.

"Elliot should've been here by now." She says as she and I take notice of the time.

"He's probably busy doing something, which reminds me. I have to go work for a meeting at eleven, but I'll be back before two." I say as I hurriedly make my way upstairs to my bedroom and shower quickly, since I only have an hour to get ready.

Luke and my dad have offered to drive me to work, since my dad wants to stop by and look around in the security room at SPC, since Luke decided to inform Dad about the much needed update on our security system.

"Mr. Mendoza I sincerely apologize for the confusion, but if you remember correctly you did sign a contract, which says and I quote, 'To have twelve new chapters turned in by the end of the first week of the month.' Now Mr. Mendoza, once again I apologize for the miscommunication you seemed to have on that clause you yourself, Mr. Mendoza, put in place." I say as I speak to one of our authors here at SPC.

"Ms. Steele I'll have the new chapters in by next week." He sighs through the phone, "I've just been having some sort of writers block."

"Well Mr. Mendoza if you can't turn it in on time, I hope you realize the publishing date for this book is going to be later than we had anticipated."

Sighing once more, he agrees with the later release of his new book, and disconnecting the call when I tell him has has until Friday to turn them in seeing as today is Saturday, which should give him enough time.

My forhead hits my desk with a thud as I close my eyes from having such a migraine that could've been avoided, if Mr. Mendoza would've just accepted our clause that was in place.

My self soothing moment is broken by laughter coming from inside my office.

"Oh Annie, have you taken more on than you can chew?"

"Hardly Dad." I say as I raise my head off of my desk. "Why do authors tend to give themselves such a big deadline? Why do they choose to have such pressure on themselves to turn in a manuscript that contains twelve chapters in a month time? I just don't get it."

He laughs once more as he pulls my slouching form by my arm and off my chair. "Because Annie, they like to challenge themselves, but they don't see that when they rush to complete something it ends up not being up to their own standards. Sometimes quicker is not the way." He says as we walk out of my office and towards the bank of elevators where Luke is standing by waiting for us.

"I'll never understand, why they pressure themselves so much." I answer as we three step into the elevator and begin our descent to the underground parking of SPC, while dad and Luke set their gaze at me.

"Okay," I say as I throw my arms up, "I get it, okay. It's the rush of knowing the deadline is nearing and once you feel that pressure, you think it will help you make your best work."

Dad and Luke let out a throaty laugh at my expense.

Dad pulls me towards him, by placing his arm over my shoulders and kisses the top of my head. "And that is why we love you so much Annie."