I open my eyes reluctantly, squinting against the dim light in the room. I take a breath to tell Christian to turn off the lights and sleep instead of work for a change, but I can't seem to get my voice box to cooperate. A quiet voice across the room gets my attention and as I begin to realize I'm in the hospital rather than at home, I locate Christian sitting in a chair near a window, his back facing me as he talks on the phone. My head is pounding; I lift a heavy hand to my head and find it wrapped in a bandage of some sort. Gasping, my memory returns; better than that, it draws Christian's attention to me. His eyes widen and he jumps to his feet, fumbling to end his phone call as he crosses over to reach me.

"Ana," he breathes, looking relieved and worried at the same time. "Thank God you're awake."

I reach out for his hand, interlocking our fingers together. "Linc..." I whisper hoarsely. I remember standing in Caleb's room and Linc blocking my exit. I remember all the things he said to me. I remember the need to protect my son. I suck in a sharp breath, trying to sit up in bed. "Caleb!"

Christian gently pushes me back down onto my pillows, shushing me as he does so. "He's fine, baby," he says soothingly. "Perfectly fine. Not a single hair on his head is out of place."

Relieved, I manage a nod, exhausted from my panic attack. "Where is he?"

"With my parents," Christian answers, sitting beside me on the bed and draping an arm over my belly. "He's safe."

"What happened?" I ask. "After Linc hit me..."

Anger flashes in his eyes at the reminder, but I'm too tired to analyze it. "You don't need to worry about that," he says in a gentle tone that still brooks no argument. "He's in police custody and he's not getting out anytime soon." Or at all if I have my way.

"Christian, he has videos of you," I whisper urgently, feeling nauseous all over again at the thought. "Of you and..." I can't even say her name and it seems I don't have to; Christian is nodding.

"I know," he replies. "Taylor had a team search his car and the hotel where he's been holed up, and found all kinds of shit he shouldn't have. I'm taking care of it." He pauses. "What else did he say to you?"

I shrug. "He was using Caleb and me to get to you," I reply. "He wanted to make you pay for what happened with Elena."

Christian sighs heavily, nodding. "I assumed as much," he says tiredly.

"Does it even matter to him that you were just a kid when that started?" I ask tentatively.

"I seriously doubt it. The only thing he was ever concerned with was the fact that someone was fucking his wife. It's not even as though he loved her; she was a trophy wife—a status symbol to get him into the affluent society circles. As far as he was concerned, I was old enough to know better and he only found out towards the end of our..." His eyes dart away, searching for a word. "Arrangement. I've told you enough that at the time, I didn't see anything wrong with my relationship with Elena; I never questioned it until you came into my life." He presses my fingers to his lips. "Anyway, I've been waiting a long time for him to find some form of revenge against me; he's learned enough about me over the years to realize there are only two people I would go to the end of the world for. I tried, Ana. I tried to keep you safe—over and over. And I've failed every time. I'm so sorry."

"Don't do that," I murmur through my exhaustion. "I don't blame you." It seems he's blaming himself enough for both of us. I yawn and he cracks a smile. "Stay with me?"

He closes his eyes, relief washing over his face. "Always, Anastasia," he murmurs, standing and walking around to the bed that's pushed up against mine. He slides in behind me, pulling me against his chest and resting his hand on my belly. "You're tired now. But we need to talk in the morning."

There is something in his voice that should set off alarms in my mind, but I'm too tired to question it right now. All that matters is that my family and I are safe, that I'm in Christian's arms, and I'll never take anything in my life for granted again.

Taylor has delivered breakfast and while Ana still sleeps, I arrange our meals on a rolling tray and contemplate my unique situation. How often is it that a man is the one to tell the love of his life that she's pregnant? I almost want to hold onto the news a while longer, allow it to soak in some more. Of course I'm well aware that if I withhold such information from her, she'll probably follow through with one or two of Kate's more creative threats involving my balls. And it's not like I can keep it secret for much longer... Vaguely, I wonder how long it takes for morning sickness to kick in; that will be a dead giveaway for her.

"I smell bacon."

Grinning, I turn towards Ana as her eyes open. "Yes, you do," I confirm. "Along with pancakes and eggs—your favorite, as I recall, my dear."

She hums her appreciation. "Did you sleep last night?" she asks quietly as I push her tray over her bed, hitting the button to lift the top of half of the bed so she's sitting up.

I turn away, avoiding the question and wondering what gave it away. Well, I suppose it was fairly evident by the bags under my eyes and the gray tinge in my skin—a result of worry and exhaustion. Rather than resting, I spent most of the night just watching her sleep and convincing myself that she is here with me, alive and well, and the worst that could have happened inside that apartment didn't come to pass. Besides, every time I closed my eyes, I imagined every terrible scenario, including finding Ana's cold body in a pool of blood after being shot.

"Christian?"

Startled, I spin around, staring wide-eyed at Ana. "Sorry," I mumble, moving my own tray so I can sit beside her in bed and eat. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You're shaking."

Sighing, I stab a piece of pancake and try to push aside the could have happens. "I'm sure, I promise," I whisper, trying to give her a reassuring smile. "You just gave me a hell of a scare last night and I suppose I'm still a little shaken."

Her eyes close momentarily and I see an apologetic expression flit across her features, though I can't imagine what she has to be sorry for. There wasn't anything she could have done to prevent what happened. No, that's all on me... "I was afraid," she admits in a tiny voice. I ignore my breakfast to listen to her. "I didn't know what he was going to do, but he was angry enough that I don't think he would have hesitated to hurt us just get back at you."

"I know he wouldn't have hesitated," I say quietly. "We interrupted whatever his plans were; thankfully, he underestimated the lengths I would go to in order to keep you safe. Even though he managed to slip past most of our defenses, there were still a few he couldn't possibly know about."

"What about Sawyer?" she asks suddenly, looking wary when my expression hardens.

"Sawyer fucked up," I say darkly. "I'm still working out the details, but the bottom line is that he's proved untrustworthy. We won't be seeing him again."

For a moment, I think Ana might argue, perhaps defend Sawyer, but she only shakes her head and returns to her pancakes. Thankfully, she drops the subject and I feel the tension beginning to break; I don't want our next conversational topic to be discussed with that still at the forefront of our minds.

As she finishes her last bite of pancake, I turn towards her, and take a few deep breaths. She raises a questioning eyebrow at me. "There's something we need to discuss," I say quietly. "It's nothing to do with Linc or any of them, and I think it's outstanding news, but I'm not certain how you'll feel about it."

She looks suddenly nervous. "Okay," she mouths.

I smile, pulling her against me, needing her in my arms when I say my next words. "We've put each other through a lot since we met last year," I begin, "and with every corner that we turn, we seem to find new ways to simultaneously hurt and make each other insanely happy."

Her lips twitch. "Insanely happy?" she teases.

I narrow my eyes playfully at her. "Well, you do tend to make me insane at times and I'm fairly certain I have the same effect on you." She bites her lip against a laugh and I automatically reach up to pull it free. "Anyway, I need you to know that I'm yours just as much as you are mine, and nothing can or will ever change that. I hurt you before you left to stay with Ray in Montesano; even though you knew everything I said was a lie, I know my words are still affecting you. I'm sorry for all of that, Anastasia. For every word I said to you, I am sorry."

"I know," she says quietly, reaching for my hand. "Christian, I see it every time you look at me. I don't need any more apologies."

"Maybe not, but it's important for you to hear the words from my mouth before I tell you this..."

"Why?" she asks uneasily. "What do you have to tell me that has to be qualified with this sort of speech?"

Taking a deep breath, I rest my hand on her belly, though she doesn't seem to understand the significance. If I was smart and thought things through a little more, I would have realized I wouldn't be allowed to get through this conversation without an interruption. I very nearly yell at the nurse who enters the room; instead, I settle for a growl only Ana can hear. She actually giggles at me. Once Ana's vitals are taken and the nurse is satisfied, she ignores my glare and leaves the room. Ana turns to me expectantly, and again, I try to speak, but my mother is the next surprise arrival. I'm tempted to fit the door with a deadbolt lock just so we can have this conversation.

"How are you feeling, dear?" Grace asks, crossing the room and leaning in to give Ana a gentle hug.

"I'm okay," Ana assures her. "I have a headache, but I suppose that's to be expected. Though I am getting tired of hospitals..."

Grace chuckles, her eyes sparkling as her gaze darts briefly to mine. My heart stops briefly at the realization that my mother knows about the pregnancy. I shouldn't be surprised; of course Grace would have a look at Ana's charts... And before I can think of a way to communicate that I haven't yet been able to bring Ana up to speed, Grace speaks. "Well, you've got time to adjust," she says kindly, patting Ana's hand.

Ana looks confused. "Do I?" she asks cluelessly.

"Of course," Grace goes on good-naturedly while my tongue remains tied. "Though hopefully the next time you're here, it will be planned..."

"Um, maybe it's the head injury," Ana says slowly, looking between my slightly panicked expression to Grace's joyous one, "but I'm not really following."

Grace's hand flies to her mouth in realization and she looks at me with apology. I give her a tight smile. "I haven't been able to get into it yet," I say to my mother. "I was just about to tell her, actually..."

"Tell me what?" Ana demands.

"Well, I'll give the two of you some privacy," Grace says, looking as though she wishes she could turn back time. Don't we all...

Grace leaves the room before I can form a response and I feel Ana's demanding gaze on me. "Christian," she says, her tone sounding vaguely threatening. "What's going on?"

Sighing, I turn to her again. "I'm not entirely certain how to go about this," I say honestly, "but as the result will be the same no matter how I phrase it, so I'm just going to say it." I take her face in my hands, allowing some of my happiness shine through. "Ana, you're pregnant," I whisper.

She gasps in shock. "What?" she breathes.

I nod. "When you were admitted last night, the hospital staff ran some tests, including a blood test—standard operation when a patient arrives—and it revealed you're just over a month pregnant. Maybe as much as six weeks; they'll need to do a sonogram to confirm it."

"Pregnant," she repeats in a whisper. "Oh."

I swallow hard, unable to figure out what that tiny little word so full of meaning might be about. "Is that a good 'oh' or a bad 'oh'?" I ask tentatively.

"Um, I don't know," she responds, rolling our conversation around in her mind. Her brow furrows and I remain silent and unmoving while she thinks. "Good, I think."

I can feel my lips stretch into a huge smile. "Yeah?" I whisper hopefully. She lifts her gaze to meet my eyes and I can see so many emotions in them—most importantly, love and happiness. She nods. Yanking her into my arms, still aware of the IV she's hooked up to, I bury my face in her neck. "Good," I repeat. "So am I."

She pulls away just enough to kiss me and I groan, pushing her to lie back down so we can do this properly. For a minute, I forget where we are, why we're here, and just enjoy the feeling of knowing she wants this as much as I do. "Not exactly how we planned things," she mutters when we part. "But for us, it seems fitting..."

I huff a laugh, tracing her jawline with a finger. "Indeed it does," I agree wryly. I just look at her speculatively for a moment. "Does it bother you?"

Her brow furrows. "Does what bother me?"

"The fact that everything we do seems completely out of order. We were hardly together before we broke up the first time and you found out about Caleb. Neither of us really hesitated with the decision to live together. We were engaged, broken up, together again, and how you're pregnant, all without a wedding. Some people would baulk at ignoring tradition."

She raises an eyebrow at me. "Christian, if I was going to baulk about ignoring tradition when it comes to you, we wouldn't have gotten past the first night you brought me to Escala," she says, deadpan.

I laugh. "Yes, you're probably right," I agree. "This is our second chance, Anastasia. I have no intention of letting it slip by again. Before our next child is born, I want to marry you. Maybe we've flouted tradition in the past, but it's time to change that. I want us to have it all, no more uncertainty, no more apologies—just like we talked about the other night."

She nods. "I want that, too," she whispers, yawning again. Apparently the news that she's pregnant isn't enough to banish the effect of the pain medication for her head.

I smile indulgently. "Get some sleep, baby," I whisper. "I'll be here when you wake."

Once Anastasia is definitely asleep, I carefully slip out of bed, pulling her blankets to her chin and kissing her forehead. I just watch her in fascination for a few minutes, amazed at the turn our lives has taken in the last several hours. After so long of believing I'd never have her in my life again, Ana is here with me, once again carrying my child, though this time I knew about it before she did. I wasn't sure what reaction to expect when I told her, but she seemed as pleased as she could, all things considered. The pain medication has undoubtedly made her mind hazy and once it clears, I'll know for certain.

In the meantime, however, I have other business to attend to, and as much as I don't want to leave Ana, I don't have much choice at the moment. I step out of the room and find my mother standing across the hall, looking apologetic again.

"Christian, I'm sorry," she says. "I thought she knew."

"It's okay," I assure her, accepting her hug. "She knows now."

Grace nods uncertainly. "How'd she take it?" she asks.

"Better than expected," I admit. "I mean, we've briefly discussed having another child since getting back together, but we had different opinions on the matter. After all, she's only just had Caleb and I think going through the pregnancy alone is still a sore point for her."

"She won't be alone this time," Grace says firmly, glaring slightly at me.

I crack a smile. "No, she won't be," I say softly. "I wouldn't have been ready to be a father last year, but now that I have Caleb..." I roll my eyes at myself. "Well, there are days that I'm still not ready, but it doesn't matter. He's my son and I love him, and I'll love this baby just as much."

Grace looks as though she might cry. "I know you will," she whispers.

I glance around us, hoping to find something to distract me. I've never been particularly skilled in knowing what to do when women cry—especially the women closest to me—and this is no different. "Speaking of Caleb, where is he?"

Smirking, Grace glances over her shoulder, fully aware of what I'm doing. I follow her gaze to the nurses' station we're standing beside and find several people cooing over my son's car seat. As I get closer to him, I can see the grin on his face that tells me he is very much enjoying the female attention. If he turns out anything like me, that will fade when he gets older. There are only so many times you can watch woman after woman trip over themselves to get to you because of an attractive face or wealth. Ana is the only woman whose attention I've not rebuffed, but then again, while she clearly likes what she sees when she looks at me, I know she's more interested in what's inside me rather than my appearance or money.

Caleb squeals when he spots me and the nurses crowding around him do their own appreciation of my looks. Ignoring them, I turn Caleb towards me, lifting him from his seat, and sit down in a chair beside a desk. "Well, hello, baby boy," I whisper, returning his toothy grin. My eyebrows rise slightly when I spot an actual tooth beginning to push through his top gum. Two months ago, he could barely hold his head up straight; now he's gaining control of his muscles, he looks more like Ana and me every day, and I doubt it will be much longer before he begins to crawl. I suddenly understand the phrase children grow up too fast.

"How's he been?" I ask Grace, still looking at Caleb.

"A perfect little angel," she answers predictably. "Your sister would disagree, I think; Ethan came for dinner last night and when he was holding Caleb, he ended up covered in spit-up."

I laugh at the visual and I could swear Caleb winks at me, already accomplished at being overprotective of the people he loves. "Good boy, Caleb," I exclaim, noting my mother shaking her head at us.

"Mr. Grey."

I turn and find Taylor standing behind me. I sigh, not wanting to let go of my son just yet; at the same time, I'm not sure I should expose him to whatever reaction I may have to Taylor's information update. I suppose that means I'll just have to control my emotions. I'm capable of that, right?

"We'll be back, Mom," I say, nodding for Taylor to lead the way down the hall. "What now?"

"Mr. Lincoln has implicated his ex-wife as an accomplice in many of the charges he's facing."

I shake my head, bouncing Caleb in my arms. I was right; he has a calming effect on me. Normally I'd probably be shouting or wanting to punch something. "Which ones?"

"The car accident, for one," Taylor says grimly. "He claims that Mrs. Lincoln was the one who pulled Jack Hyde from the wreckage. She drove him to a Tacoma hospital in an attempt to keep the local PD from picking up on him so soon. The plan was to make him the fall guy, but once Hyde started to recover, he started to talk, and Lincoln needed to shut him up. Mrs. Lincoln is on surveillance delivering what seems to be a suitcase of cash to the jail the day before Hyde was murdered. He also says she stole your son's toy from your parents' house and gave it to him to mail to you. It was a scare tactic, but of course you worked that out already, I'm sure." I nod, still focusing on Caleb. All Taylor is doing at this point is confirming theories I've had for weeks. "Battaglia and Rodriguez were recruited in an attempt to make inside contact with Miss Steele. It seemed he assumed one or both of them could lure her away from you, but she's proven much stronger than anybody gave her credit for."

By anybody, he's including us. And he's right. All along we thought we needed to protect Ana from all of this, and all along she's handled it better than I have.

"Also, you'll be relieved to know that the evidence Mr. Lincoln had against you has been destroyed along with any possible copies."

I raise an eyebrow. "Really? How?"

"Sawyer took care of it," Taylor answers mildly. "It seemed he took Lincoln's break-in and threatening of Miss Steele and Caleb as a personal attack—he's become quite fond of them since he's been in your employ. He took care of anything that might have come back to harm either of them."

I get the impression Taylor is still fighting for Sawyer's job. It's a thought to revisit later, I suppose...

"Has Linc named anybody we don't yet know about?"

"Not as of yet, but we're not ruling it out."

Running my free hand through my hair while Caleb plays with my loose tie, I nod. "Keep me posted. I'm not sure how long they're planning to keep Anastasia here, but when she's released, I still intend to take her to the new house. I want that place more secure than the fucking Pentagon; this cannot happen again."

Taylor nods his understanding and for the first time, I realize he's also taking the break-in personally. In the time he's been in my employ, we've never had a breach of security this severe and that the fact that the people who were most effected were Ana and Caleb pisses him off nearly as much as it does me. With those parting words, I return to Ana, knowing she's probably eager to see her son. When I arrive, I find Kate sitting beside her bed and they're talking in low voices; Ana is frowning deeply while Kate is explaining something to her. Both women look at me simultaneously and I think the only thing keeping me from being burned alive by the heat in their eyes is having Caleb in my arms. Immediately, Ana's expression changes as she beam at the sight of her son and eagerly holds her arms out for me to place him in there. I don't hesitate, stepping back just enough to see her entire body relax in relief.

Ana holds Caleb close and I watch a myriad of emotions run across her face—relief, love, fear. She's replaying what happened yesterday evening and everything that could have gone wrong. I sit on the edge of the bed and carefully pull them both into my arms in an attempt to comfort and reassure her that they are safe now. Vaguely, I hear Kate make some excuse and leave the room.

The next few minutes are blissful as I hold my family. At this very moment, I couldn't be happier if I tried. I'll never let them go again, no matter the combination of my and Ana's stubbornness and refusal to give in to anything once we have our minds set on something. And soon it won't just be the three of us anymore; there will be one more person for me to protect and cherish.

"What are you thinking about?" Ana asks me softly.

I smile, pressing my lips against her hair. "How lucky I am," I whisper honestly. "How much it means that you're in my arms again and that you've given me something I never thought I wanted, let alone ever having it. I know I've probably said it a dozen times now, but you're my world." I rest one hand on her belly. "All three of you."

She smiles, her eyes drifting down to my left hand. Somehow I've forgotten that it's been wrapped in a bandage after punching Joe Battaglia. "Were you going to tell me about this?" she asks mildly. "Or even how you broke Joe's jaw?"

I swallow a smirk at the memory when I see her raised eyebrow. "Eventually, yes," I answer. "But it didn't seem nearly as important to discuss as other things did." I make a pointed glance at her flat belly.

"Fair point, well made, Mr. Grey," she says, making me smirk.

"Are you angry?"

She sighs. "Under normal circumstances, I would be, probably, but all things considered..." She pauses for a moment, thinking. "No. I'd have done the same thing."

My eyebrows shoot up. "Really?"

Nodding, she reaches for my hand and I happily let her take it. "I told you once before that you're not the only person who is possessive and overprotective in this relationship. I told you that if your mother hadn't slapped Mrs. Robinson, I would have done it myself—I still regret not doing it. But yes, if someone who you had befriended had betrayed and hurt you, even if they didn't really know they were doing it, I would have happily broken the jaw or any other bone of that person's body, and I wouldn't regret it for even a second."

Staring at her, I begin to realize what she's hinted at in the past about being overwhelmed by how I feel about her. I know Ana loves me. She tried to convince me of it less than an hour or so after I beat her with a belt in my playroom. If that didn't make her stop, I don't think anything will. Unable to speak, I lean in and kiss her slowly, deeply, pouring my entire sense of self into it. When I manage to pull myself away from her, she has a dazed look in her eyes and I don't think it has a single thing to do with the pain medication. I glance down and find Caleb watching us with interest, and for once, not causing a fuss to interrupt us. "I'd do it all again," I say quietly, looking back at Ana, "every single second, every word, every action, as long as it means I get to keep you two in my life."

She swallows hard, the meaning of my words, understanding that I'm including her leaving me last year in that statement. "I feel the same," she admits, then smiles wryly. "Though I think I'd forgo some of the drama..."

I smirk, leaning in to kiss her again. "Me too, baby. Hopefully this will be the end of it."

And as somebody else knocks on her hospital room door, I'm counting the seconds before she's out of this place and we can have some peace and quiet.