A/N; Sorry I've not posted in a while; Christmas is getting hectic. I've decided to speed this story along a little to hopefully get me motivated into finishing it before the year's done!

Hope everyone's doing well; what's Santa bringing you this year?

D x

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Chapter Thirty Six

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Grey Mansion,

Grey Estate,

Seattle,

Washington

.

Luke lay with Isla on his chest, stroking his baby girl's hair softly and relishing in her smell. She'd been asleep for half an hour now, having cried herself to the point of exhaustion, and now that she was completely asleep he allowed himself to cry too.

How could anyone possibly lay their hands on his girls?

Slick's goons had intercepted Danni, Eddie and Isla on their way to their personal safe house and kidnapped them for leverage. They'd identified Luke and tracked his family all because it had been his car Slick's men had seen Jason and Teddy jump in shortly after Ted witnessed the shooting.

Slick's men had bagged his daughters and his wife up, beat them and then locked them in containers within his own building downtown. Isla had been threatened and leered at and beaten mercilessly considering that she was only a child. Eddie had been groped and threatened with rape. Luke's teenager couldn't talk about her experience yet, but he felt her flinch when he'd touched her shoulder earlier tonight.

Danni, for the most part, had been unharmed. She'd been physically beaten, but no one had threatened her with rape. Instead, they'd threatened her with the girls which was perhaps the worst punishment of all for any parent. It broke Luke's heart it he could no longer keep up his strong façade as he buried his nose into Isla's hair.

It was hard to remain calm but even harder not to hate Teddy for what his daughters had had to endure for that son of a bitch.

"I love you," Luke mumbled, stroking Isla's back softly.

Both girls had inherited their mother's Mediterranean good looks; olive skin, slim figures, dazzling smiles. The only thing the poor souls had inherited from him were his greenish eyes and his thick black hair. Poor Eddie had had a mono-brow since she was four.

They were his angels, however, the most beautiful little ladies he'd ever met and he absolutely doted on being their father. Not a second went by that he wouldn't want to sit in their company watching some girly make-up tutorial and play the blank canvas for his girls to practice their eyeshadow skills.

"Are you coming to bed?"

Luke turned slightly and spotted Danni at the door, shoulder against the wooden threshold as she studied him and Isla curiously.

"Sure," he tried to say, picking Isla up off his chest before sliding himself off the bed and tucking her in, "Ed?"

"Ed's in her room sleeping," Danni nodded, "I've just checked in on her."

"Good," Luke sighed, standing up and turning to his wife.

She looked as exhausted as he felt; her blonde hair tied up in a messy bun, wearing her shorts and a hooded top for pyjamas. She fixed him with a smile however, rubbing his arm as he walked past her out of Isla's room.

"It was good of Mrs Grey to let us stay here," Danni said, her hand still on his back as though she were guiding him to their bedroom across the hall.

Luke nodded, not able to say much anyway. It was true; Ana had done them a massive favour by letting them live here for the time being. It meant that the girls all had a safe place to find themselves once more. There were round the clock bodyguards, trained protection dogs and also a selection of cops who met Welch's approved list. This house was the safest place in the world right now.

Danni pulled him into the teal decorated room and had him sit on the large bed. She sighed, shaking her head as she gently stroked his wet cheeks, "I need you to man up," she said firmly, surprising him.

"Huh?" Luke frowned, watching as Danni walked away to the bathroom and came back with a flannel which she threw into his lap.

"You didn't marry a pussy, and neither did I," Danni stated, crossing her arms over her chest, "Stop feeling sorry for yourself and what's happened and focus on what you're going to do to rectify the situation."

"Shlick'sh dead," Luke growled, glaring at his wife as he dried his eyes, "It'sh dealt wiff."

"No, it's not dealt with," Danni pointed out, "Damen is still alive. I want to hear what you're planning to do about that."

"I'll kill 'im," Luke snarled, "For what he did."

"How are you going to do it?" Danni pressed.

"I'll find 'im. I'll cut 'im up, bit by bit," Luke promised, "An I'll bury 'im acrossh the count'y," he added, feeling his face heating up with anger and rage.

"And I'll be there, handing you the cleaver," Danni assured him, "We don't let people fuck with our family, do we?"

"No," Luke nodded firmly.

"You and me, babe. We're going to make that scummy cunt wish he was never born for what he did to our family, right?"

"Right," Luke snapped.

"I don't care what it takes; I want that fucker dead," Danni insisted.

Luke nodded again and then felt something snap at the front of his head, like a bubble of growing pressure being popped right above his eye. The tears had subsided, the woeful sorrow was over. All there was left was anger and hatred and lust for revenge.

Danni physically jumped when Luke launched himself up against her, pinning her curvy petite body against the wall. He'd barely noticed his breathing becoming angry pants, grabbing Danni's wrists and pinning them above her head.

"I will kill him," he reiterated as clear as day, his green-blue eyes burning into hers.

She laughed, using his tight grip of her hands to jump up and wrap her legs tightly around his waist, "I love you," she whispered against his ear, biting down on his lobe and tugging aggressively as he used one of his hands to unfasten his belt, "I fucking love you."

.

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Five days later…

Sunflower Building,

Seattle Medical Rehabilitation Centre,

Seattle,

Washington,

.

.

"How are you settling in, Ted?" Soph asked as she walked into his room in the rehab centre. He couldn't really remember getting here, having spent most of his days sleeping off the relentless course of medication being administered to him. From what he remembered, he was about an hour from home, close to Seattle University. Taylor and Dad were here somewhere too but they were in a different section, possibly in a different building because they didn't require half as much medical assistance as Teddy did. Dad was walking now and, apparently, so was Taylor.

Whenever he had visitors, Teddy found himself asking for the ugly marine but he was yet to receive a visitation from him. Mom had said that, every night before Ted regained consciousness, Taylor would sleep beside him and to an extent Teddy remembered it.

"It's okay," Teddy smiled, shifting as best he could in his bed and staring at the angel before him which was Sophie Taylor.

Angel was perhaps too weak a word, Ted realised as he watched her now. She was more heavenly, more pristine and beautiful than he'd ever remembered her being. He thought back to the naked childhood picture in the Secret Best Friend Lodge of Jason and Calvin paddling by some random lake. Teddy had seen Sophie in her father then, both sharing a strong jaw and lopsided smile, bright blue eyes and gingery-blonde hair.

Growing up, her hair had always been a talking point; Jason and her mother had kept it long and it had sat in beautiful natural strawberry scented waves. As an adult, however, Sophie had had it cut shorter. She'd also lost her childish freckles with the sun in Cambodia, her skin a glorious brown shade. Dressed in baggy harem pants and a tank top, Soph looked like a worldly traveller; an absolute dream to Teddy.

"Do you remember getting here?" Sophie pressed, studying the Get Well Soon cards to Teddy's left on the bedside cabinet.

"I remember the nurse. She was cute," Teddy coughed and sighed, looking around his new room. He'd be here for the foreseeable future. He'd learnt from the nurses and doctors that injuries like what they'd endured were individual. Taylor had damaged blood vessels, an artery and shattered the bones in his arm but was, apparently, on his feet and mobile. Dad had also damaged his arm but was in constant pain which limited how freely he could move.

The doctors weren't truly sure how long it would be before Teddy would be able to leave the Rehab centre but he was determined; he wanted to be home, he wanted this nightmare to be over and be with his family so badly.

He looked around his new room again and sighed sadly. It was smaller than his one back home but the lack of furnishings made it feel more empty and clinical. Gail had done her best to make it homely for his arrival and had brought him his own bedsheets and fleece bed throw. There were cards on his bedside cabinet but Teddy soon realised that the cards were from family and not friends; those low life idiots he'd socialised with had yet to reach out and offer him any form of comfort which sucked.

Teddy was realising that the troubled kids he hung with, the kids who he snuck into nightclubs with, got drunk with, did drugs with…they weren't actually friends. Surely if they were, they'd have tried to make contact by now. It was a thought which terrified Teddy; he had no friends.

"I brought you a plant," Sophie nodded, pointing towards the poorest excuse of a weed in a pot. It was sat on top of his chest of drawers and looked as though it needed some serious tender love and care, "It's a little shit looking just now but if you water it and keep it in the sun it'll get better. Mitt's big on gardening."

Ah…the boyfriend.

Teddy hated how decent a guy Mitt was. After all, he'd dropped everything to travel around the world to be with Soph and her family during this tough time. It sucked major balls to Ted because he could never be that good a guy.

"Tell him I'll look after it," Teddy smiled thinly and then winced as he shifted himself wrong, his stomach still incredibly tender, "How's your dad?"

"Well, he's writing," Sophie nodded, "And drawing. Just trying to work the muscles in his arm. There's some nerve damage but it's just around the wound itself so he's got the use of his hand. He's been incredibly lucky to still have his arm. Apparently a weaker man would have needed an amputation."

"Geez. Pays to have guns of steel, huh?" Teddy chuckled.

"Exactly. I heard Mr Grey's not been so lucky with his arm," Sophie sighed softly, offering him condolences as she set up his iPad for him.

Teddy nodded and forced a smile, "I don't believe it; I reckon dad'll defy the specialists," he insisted, trying to remain positive and optimistic because- shit shit shit!- he was the fucking reason his dad was losing the use in hid goddamn arm.

Mom insisted that dad had forgiven Ted, that dad would have died for Teddy if he'd needed to, but that didn't make Ted feel any less guilty. There was so much that his father wouldn't be able to do if he lost the use of his arm. Like riding his goddamn sports cars, flying, even just pulling out a wedgie.

"I better go see dad, actually. He's in another building," Sophie smiled, "Gail was helping him get comfortable though so I thought I'd leave them alone for a bit. You'd think as our parents got older they'd stop with sex, huh?"

"I used to believe that people over thirty shouldn't have sex full stop," Teddy laughed, "I tell dad all the time that it's gross. He's a dinosaur now."

"I'm sure that went down a treat when you told him that," Sophie laughed hard, shaking her head at him.

"Yeah, he wasn't happy with me that day," Teddy nodded, biting his lip, "He's not really ever been happy with me. I've got a lot of people to make it up to."

"I think you just need to be a better man," Sophie said softly as she picked up the cards on his desk one by one. "Ana and Mr Grey. Phoebe. Ryan and Nora. Reynolds, Mei and Craig. Gail and Dad. Luke, Danni, Isla and Eden. Welch and Miora. John and Rhian," she restacked them, "These people want to see you be the best you can be, Ted. I think if you put the effort into turning your life around and grasping some sense of normality and happiness then you'll do them proud. You'll do me proud for sure."

Teddy nodded, the pointed towards an unopened envelope on his dresser, "Could you pass me that?"

"Of course," Sophie said, grabbing the envelope and handing it to him. Slowly, because it hurt to move, Ted ripped the white encasing and slowly pulled out another Get Well Soon card. This one was more glittery, with a bouquet of multi-coloured flowers motif on the front, "Who's it from?"

Teddy opened it and felt his eyes water, "Uncle Elliot. And Kate. And Ava."

Inside was a little passage written in Kate's swirly bubble writing. Teddy struggled to read it with the tears pouring and obscuring his vision.

'We don't know what's happened, Teddy, but we're cheering you on. Get well, get help, get better. We believe in you, Tedster. We're here forever if you need us, never make yourself a stranger.

Aunty Kate, Uncle Elliot and Ava

x x x'

"Shit that's rough," Ted said, clearing his throat and trying to make light of the situation, "Shit."

"Dad says the Greys were under lockdown, too," Sophie said, "I wondered why I hadn't seen your Aunt Mia posting on social media for the last few weeks. She's had her internet access revoked by your dad until everything's cleared up."

"I…I never thought about the reprucussions on my aunts and uncle," Teddy admitted.

"I think, after the Jack Hyde fiasco no one seems to talk about," Sophie said with obvious disgust at being left in the dark about important matters, "your dad doesn't like taking risks. Apparently everyone had to report to Safe Houses where Welch has had guards watching them."

"I'm so glad Grandpa Ray, and Nana and Papa aren't here to see this clusterfuck," Teddy huffed, "What about Carla?"

Sophie pulled a face, "I don't think your dad made any plans to protect her. Or that's the gist I got from Dad; the pain relief is making him really sick and loose-lipped. Good thing Ryan changes the security passwords, huh?"

"I can't believe Dad's not thought to protect Carla," Teddy said, then laughed as painlessly as he could, "That's hilariously bad. All these years and he still hates her. Bet mom doesn't know."

"Probably not," Sophie laughed, placing Elliot's card next to the others just as Jesus himself walked into Teddy's room.

Teddy had to force a smile, "Hi, Mitt."

"Hello, Ted," Mitt said, clasping his hands as though he were praying and bowing his head, "I was just coming to see if you were ready, Sophie?"

Damn, his English was fantastic. And he dressed well too. And he probably didn't have to piss in a bag strapped to his leg like Ted did.

"I was just saying bye to Ted," Sophie smiled brightly at her boyfriend. Mitt. Fuuuuuuuuuuck.

"Are you going to be okay here?" she asked Teddy then, "You don't need us to stay?"

"Nah, I'll be fine. You go and see your dad. He surely can't still be christening his room with Gail, right?" Teddy joked and Sophie laughed.

"Hopefully," Sophie smiled, squeezing Teddy's hand before turning to Mitt and nodding, "Right, come on, baby. We can go see Dad and Gail for a bit then I'll show you the city."

"Wonderful," Mitt smiled brightly, revealing a beautiful set of white teeth. His chocolate brown eyes flashed towards Teddy, "See you soon, man."

"See you soon, Mitt," Teddy called, "In fact, Soph. If you're taking Mitt out in the city, use my name? The chef in the Space needle knows my family. Say you're my guests and you'll get the best seat in the house."

"Thanks Ted," Sophie grinned, turning to Mitt, "You'll love the Space Needle!"

And Ted watched on as the girl he loved left hand in hand with the man she loved, leaving him behind with a weed in a pot.

.

.

Meanwhile,

Oak-Leaf Building,

Seattle Medical Rehabilitation Centre,

Seattle,

Washington,

.

Christian was heavily guarded, more so than usual. He literally couldn't take a shit without someone knowing and hearing him but it was a necessity until whatever Esposito was doing was made clear. Welch was working that angle, however. Christian's primary task was to get back onto his feet and recover as best he could as quickly as possible.

"…so, you held a gun?"

Christian laughed and shook his head, listening to his brother for the first time in weeks. Elliot and his family had willingly gone into protective lockdown at the request of Christian's security team. Mia had not, particularly when the stipulations was that she cut all ties with Social Media for security purposes. She wasn't happy with that, particularly when her main source of income came from product placement and being 'a socialite'.

"Yeah, I did," Christian chuckled, watching the nurse who was getting his pain medication ready for him. About time too because he was starting to feel his arm burning and aching once more. God, he hated thinking about it; when he thought about his flesh bubbling he felt instantly sick. He tried desperately not to think like that but it was hard when the pain was present; it was a constant reminder to how severely burnt his arm had been, "And I broke into a building to rescue Luke Sawyer's girls."

"Fuck off," Elliot laughed, the pair able to speak freely on these phones Welch provided, "I don't believe you."

"I swear. Luke and Reynolds pretended to be these goons and they put a bag over my head. We snuck in and then Reynolds and Luke killed some guys and took their guns. Then we found the girls in these massive containers. Because I'm a shit shot, I had to carry Isla and hold Eddie's hand. True story, man. I'm a hero," Christian continued, the nurse laughing silently as she handed him his medication and Elliot was put on loud speaker.

"I saw that on the news! It said that it had been a gang attack," Elliot exclaimed.

"Nope; that was me, big brother. I hijacked a helicopter too and evacuated us while they shot at us," Christian said smugly, "Honestly; I don't know what I've been doing paying Taylor for. I'm clearly wasted in the business world; I'm going to apply for Special Forces or something. I've obviously got a natural gift."

"Bullshit, until the age of ten you were scared of blood," Elliot teased, laughing again, "Honestly man, it's good to hear your voice. I wasn't sure what was going on and Kate and I have been watching the news religiously trying to figure stuff out. Guess we're back to normality, huh? I saw that Esposito Senior blaming some random man for the murder of his son. Is everything good now?"

"No," Christian said honestly, waiting until the nurse closed the door behind her. He picked up his medication and swallowed dry, "It's not good Elliot. Sure, Slick's dead, but Jason and Ted swear he was killed on his father's orders. I don't know what to make of it. Welch is dealing with the legality of it all but it's their word against Esposito Senior and there wasn't anyone else there to witness it other than this Damen guy who pulled the trigger."

"Fucking hell, can't you guys just have one drama-free week?" Elliot mumbled, "Fucking hell, Christian."

"I know," Christian sighed, "It is dealt with because Slick's dead, but Jason and Teddy witnessed his assassination. I'm scared that they are still at risk."

"I thought you said that Esposito paid your medical bills?" Elliot reminded him.

"I know," Christian muttered, "That's why I'm so confused. And in his speech he mentioned Ted and everyone so surely that means he's no intention of gunning down my son, right? Because he and his family would be the first to be investigated."

"True," Elliot agreed, "Shit, I need to go, Christian. Work's calling. Can I call you back later?"

"I may be asleep later," Christian laughed weakly, "But I will speak soon. Love you, Lelliot."

"Love you too," Elliot replied, hanging up and leaving Christian in his room alone.

His room was basic but comfy and he'd the ability to move and walk around now. Later he was going to meet Jason in the Oak-Leaf communal living room to try and play one armed pool. Of course they'd be followed by their security detail but getting to play pool would give Christian just a hint of normality which he was desperate for.

He carefully stood out of bed and readjusted his running shorts. He looked like an absolute tool but he was comfortable and these shorts were loose so he could pull them up and down easily when needed with one hand. Ana had left him a few t-shirts, all baggy and two sizes too big but that, again, was perfect because it meant that he could nearly dress himself with his wounded arm.

Taking a leak then splashing some water on his face, Christian locked his bedroom door and headed through the corridors of the Oak-Leaf building. Teddy was in another building where there was more round the clock care, Ana had said so much when she'd come to help them move in. She'd stayed all morning into the afternoon but had a few appointments to make early this evening and she intended to see Christian's brother and sister in person and let them both know exactly what had happened and what was going on. Tomorrow, she would be back with Phoebe but for the rest of the day there wasn't much else she could help with. Ted had been asleep for most of the transition from the Canadian hospital, Jason had Gail to help him and there wasn't much Ana could do to help Christian because he was still incredibly sore and grumpy from the pain caused in travelling.

Christian spotted Jason, stood by the pool table sipping a root beer. He was wearing his pyjamas, Christian noticed, a set of tartan flannel shirt and bottoms. They looked too big for him and he was tugging his dick uncomfortably. Not that Christian felt any better himself, running a hand through his wavy copper curls.

"Nice threads," Jason commented, nodding at Christian's bare legs as Christian picked up the pepsi Jason had bought him from the vending machine.

"If my arm is fucked, I might as well flaunt my sexy calves," Christian joked, grabbing the cueing aid. They were playing one handed, each man with a sling, but the rehabilitation centre had equipped the communal room with handicapped activities. He knew there was swimming and also dance classes on a Thursday evening, but handicapped pool? That had made him laugh when Ana had encouraged him to get up and about and not linger in misery tonight in his room.

"How's your room?" Jason asked, rubbing some chalk on his cue tip whilst Christian tried to organise the balls.

"It's pretty decent. The wife brought my own blankets from the mansion," Christian nodded, "And I've got my iPad so I can stream Netflix. What about yours?"

"Same, really," Jason nodded, "Gail's pretty much decorated it exactly like our bedroom back home. She's colour co-ordinated the bloody lampshade. Apparently a white shade is too clinical and wont help my energy, so she bought a pale pink one. Gotta keep the zen or whatever."

"Seriously?" Christian laughed, "Since when was Gail into energy?"

"I don't know," Jason shrugged his one good arm, "She's always been a 'spiritualist', whatever the fuck that is. Lately she's been talking about energy and energy flow. Key to a happy marriage is just to let her make the nest she wants and try not to make faces."

"Fair enough," Christian shrugged, cracking open his pepsi with difficulty. He had to use the pool table to steady the thing and crack the ring with one hand, something he'd have done in mere seconds effortlessly if he had a second hand to hold it steady with, "How's Gail anyway? Was it a decent visit?"

"Yeah," Jason coughed, "Ah, she's great. Really great, actually. She's super," he said, his ears turning crimson red, "Good visit."

"You slept with her," Christian stated, shaking his head.

"We, uh," Jason shook his head once more, "Do you want to break first?"

Fucking prude.

Christian nodded and placed the cue aid on the table before lying his cue stick upon it. The feeling was weird and incredibly uncomfortable; Christian couldn't get his brain to quite work out a way of doing this with only one arm, even with the help of a cue-aid which propped his stick up for him.

He was about to attempt his first shot when suddenly he felt an excruciating pain in his arm which nearly buckled his legs.

"Motherfucker!" he squealed because, shit, that pain had come out of nowhere and rocketed straight to a solid ten on the scale.

He'd have ended up on the floor had Jason not grabbed the scruff of his t-shirt before he went down to the floor.

"Come on," Jason groaned, straining to hold Christian with one arm, "Chairs."

With difficulty, they walked together towards a little seating area and the minute he sat down, Christian burst into tears, "Fuck this hurts," he groaned, "Fuck, call the doctor."

"I have," Jason promised, having hit a nurse button in passing to the sofas, "It's okay though; you leant on your arm when you bent over. That's all it was," Jason pointed out, handing him the box of tissues from the table in front of them.

"Fucking hell," Christian mumbled wiping his cheeks, "Fuck."

"It's okay," Jason promised, looking over the shoulder as the living area door opened, "Hey there. Mr Grey's pressed on his arm and is in a lot of pain," he said to the nurse who'd come through to offer assistance.

.

Later that evening…

Ryan's Apartment,

Seattle,

Washington,

.

Ana had never been to Ryan's apartment before and she didn't honestly know what exactly to expect. Ryan was complete nerd; he'd all the new consoles, created his own electrical equipment in his spare time, collected figurines and magic the gathering cards, dressed in surfer shorts and novelty t-shirts all through the year…he reminded Ana of one of Kate's ex boyfriends in college; a hapless stoner who wasn't interested in growing up.

But Ryan was also a former US Ranger. Half his body was tattooed in respect to his experiences in warzones; red, black and grey coloured tanks, blackhawks, guns, boots, bullets, flowers, the words 'Sua Sponte' and 'Rangers Lead The Way' artistically coloured into the tracks of the tank and the shadow of the helicopter. It was beautiful, Ana had never really enjoyed tattoos but she did like Ryan's, particularly when he admitted that it had been his own drawing.

It was safe to say that Ryan was two men; the mighty soldier who'd fought for his country in one of the toughest branches of the military…and also the lovable geek who'd lay on his tummy with Teddy and play Batman with Teddy's legos on his lunch hour.

So far, it appeared he had a nice apartment, incredibly close to the Grey's own mansion. There was a carpark which she pulled up in, walking up a footpath around some pretty greenery. Ryan's was a groundfloor and she found it relatively easily, knocking on the dark blue door before stepping back and smiling; she was excited to see the man who'd saved her husband, especially now he was truly on the road to recovery.

Ryan answered the door relatively quickly, dressed in his surfer shorts and a black T-shirt with Peter Griffin on the chest. He'd had his hair cut and styled back to the subtle spikes he liked, looking a lot younger than he truly was.

"Mrs Grey," Ryan smiled and stepped aside to let her in, "Come in."

"Please, call me Ana. This wont take long; I just wanted to come and say hi," Ana said, stepping in and wiping her boots on the doormat, noticing it had Darth Vader on it.

"Please come in, Ana," Ryan repeated, "Could you take your shoes off? I do the Japanese thing."

Ana nodded and kicked her boots off before walking ahead. She turned to make sure Ryan was following and frowned when she caught sight of him straightening her boots and pointing them perfectly in line with the wall.

She didn't comment, knowing the man had very high functioning autism, something which hadn't been diagnosed until well into his adult years mainly due to the fact that as a child his 'odd behaviour' was written off as trauma from being between foster homes.

Ana found herself seated in an incredibly tidy room. Beyond tidy, actually; there was not one single thing out of place. The walls were white, the carpet was dark wooden oak, to the far side were beautiful French windows leading out to a patio where a hammock stood. It was all incredibly pristine and immaculate, totally different to Sawyer's place, and it was very open planned with the kitchen tucked in a corner behind a half wall.

There was one thing which caught Ana's eye however, hanging above her on the sofa.

"Is that a framed picture of Melissa McCarthy on your wall?" Ana laughed, nodding towards a single coloured poster of the comedian actress, "What on earth?"

Ryan was blushing and squirming by the kettle as he made them both cups of tea, "I got that from Reynolds for Secret Santa," he admitted, unable to make eye contact, "He also bought me a Melissa McCarthy phone case and socks. I have a ridiculous crush on her, you see."

"You do?" Ana asked in shock. It was funny to think he'd a picture of Melissa McCarthy and yet there was no evidence of his long term girlfriend Nora having ever been here.

"She's my ideal woman," Ryan shrugged, knowing exactly how Ana liked her tea as he brought two mugs over to the coffee table, "I just love her. In fact, I have all her movies in my Game Room."

Of course he had a Game Room.

It made Ana laugh a little; both Ryan and Christian had lost their mothers to addiction. Both boys had needed rescued from their mother's houses. Both men were exceptionally intelligent. Both men grew up and pursued stressful occupations, Ryan in the Military and Christian in the business world. But most importantly; both men had play rooms, only Ryan's was filled with games and consoles and Christian's was an S&M lair.

"But…why her?" Ana chuckled.

"Why not her?" Ryan challenged, "She's hilarious; I love her humour. I love her Sean Spicer sketches on SNL. I think she's gorgeous, and she has a nice voice and beautiful eyes and," he smiled, "I'm seriously in love with her."

"That's…possibly the weirdest thing I've learned about you," Ana smiled.

"Well, everyone has a celebrity crush," Ryan said as he sat down with a coffee and a cup of tea for Ana, "Thank you for coming round."

"Thank you for having me," Ana smiled and then leant in to hug him. Ryan sat awkwardly, not really sure what to do, but he didn't shove her off, "I'm so glad you're okay."

"I'm getting there," Ryan nodded, leaning back as she started to let him go, "I have a lot of work to do yet. Rehab. But it's going to be okay; Nora's moving in for a few months to help me get strong again."

"Brilliant, Ryan," Ana nodded, picking up her handbag and handing Ryan a Get Well Soon card as well as a Welcome Home card. She'd yet to tell the man that the Esposito's had paid for his healthcare, deciding to let the man heal up and enjoy being home for another few days before breaking that news to him. Unlike everyone else, Ryan had insisted he go to his own home to recover in peace. Grey Mansion was incredibly busy with the Sawyers and the Reynolds and now Gail, Ana and Phoebe moving back in, the man wanting to be with his girlfriend in peace. He had completely decked out his house, however. Everything was state of the art and ultramodern; he'd designed his own security systems which were unmarketable and so unknown to the best intruders. Heck, it was Ryan who'd created the security for GEH and the Mansion; the man was a genius.

Luke had once said that he'd created electric windows and doors which he turned on at night to deter would-be burglars. Ana wasn't sure if she believed Luke or not, but she'd learnt to never be surprised by Ryan's capabilities.

"It is," Ryan smiled, "How is everyone?"

"Everyone's doing well. Working hard," Ana nodded, "Ted's asking for you. I think he's hoping you'll maybe bring your playstation to the hospital so you could both play games."

"Seriously?" Ryan asked with a wide smile.

It had been years since Ted had actually wanted to spend time with the man who'd protected him since he was in diapers.

"Yes," Ana assured him, "Gail's expecting a visit from you too; she's missed you dearly. I think Taylor has too. Both Ted and Jason thought you'd died when they saw you being stretchered out of Escala on the news."

"Geez," Ryan chuckled, "I better head on over soon then, huh?"

"I'd say so," Ana nodded then looked at her watch, "Christian had insisted I come and show face, Ryan, just to let you know that my husband and I are here for you and will pay whatever you need to get yourself back to fighting strength. We'll never be able to repay you for saving his life, Ryan, but we'll try. Whatever you need; it's yours."

"Aw, shucks," Ryan chuckled, waving his hand, "It's my job to keep Mr Grey safe."

"There's a difference between keeping him safe and taking a bullet to the neck," Ana reminded Ryan, squeezing his hand, "Thank you for saving his life."

"You're most welcome, Mrs Gre-Ana. I'd do it in a heartbeat," Ryan assured her, "Thank you for checking in on me. I do appreciate it. I'll keep you up to date with my recovery."

"Please," Ana nodded and stood, "I'd better not keep you and Melissa McCarthy," she chuckled.

"Ah, you weren't keeping me from anything. I was literally sleeping in bed and watching The Heat," Ryan said as he walked her to the door, "You know? The movie with Sandra Bullock. Cop movie?"

"I watched it with Kate at the movies," Ana laughed as she pulled her boots back on, "Have you ever been to a movie premier of hers?"

"I wish," Ryan chuckled, "Maybe someday."

"Maybe," Ana nodded, waving goodbye as she headed to her car, Thompson waiting patiently to escort her.