CHAPTER 53

(CHRISTIAN)

I am sitting in Escala alone, I had some extensive time with John Flynn today after my appalling behaviour this morning, and he has given me some tips and exercises to work on to try and help me deal with balancing Ana's independence with my need for total control.

He didn't need to tell me, to make me see how wrong I have been. I figured that one out all by myself. John said that was progress on my part, as previously I wouldn't have even considered what I was doing was unacceptable. He also said the fact I had accepted Ana's decision, and I had given her the space she wanted, was also progress on my part and a positive step. I however, don't see me accepting the fact that my wife needed to leave me as anything other than negative. I am grateful that Eva stepped in when she did, otherwise I dread to think what would have happened and how far out of control the situation could have got.

I throw back my bourbon and rest my head back and close my eyes. I am desperate to talk to Ana and apologise, not to mention beg her to come home but I will honour her wish to have space from me, as much as it destroys me inside to do so as it's no more than I deserve.

John said I need to think how I would feel if I was put in the position Ana was in. If someone was micromanaging me and going ape shit every time I stepped out of line. It made me think of what Gideon had said to me earlier, 'Would you stay with you?' he had asked when I asked him if he thought Ana would leave me. I feel the dread and panic rising in me and my chest tightens at the thought that Ana has had enough and that I have driven her away, again. Eva assured me that Ana loves me and isn't contemplating leaving me permanently, but just wants a little time to herself, but I can't help worrying that now she taken that step and has gone, she won't be back.

As I sit there in the muted light I think about my wonderful, beautiful wife, the woman who stole my heart and who told me that I was worth loving. I snort at that, worth loving? The way I treat her I'm worth shit, I don't deserve a damn thing.

She was the woman who broke down all my defences and walls, with her gentle kindness and love, and she was the first person I ever allowed, willingly, to touch me. I think of how she was willing to try to be my sub and participate in a lifestyle which is intense when she had no sexual experience at all, and how as a result I nearly lost her completely after she left when I hit her with the belt, and how realised at that point that I needed her more than my lifestyle and I fought to win her back. How time and again I've let her down, how I behaved so badly when she discovered she was pregnant with our son and even accused her of sleeping with Gideon. I eventually managed to win her back again only to let her down again when she lost our baby and I couldn't hold it together and ended up having to be sedated for my own safety when she needed me to be strong for her.

As I sit there reminiscing and wallowing in all my past stupidity I perceive movement out the corner of my eye and I lift my head up and I draw in a sharp breath as I see her standing there. At first I think I am seeing things, she isn't really there and it's just my imagination because I want her to come home so badly, but then she smiles at me.

I reach for my crutches and struggle to my feet and make my way towards her, as I do so she starts to walk towards me.

"Ana, baby I'm so sorry" I gasp.

I stop in front of her I want to take her in my arms and never let go but something stops me, I wait for her response and I grip my crutches tightly and fear cascades through me, is she here to tell me we are finished, is this is it, the end? My throat tightens and I feel like I can't breathe, as the pain at the thought of that surges through every part of me. I watch her closely, desperately trying to read her to find out if I have finally, completely destroyed us.

"Let's sit down," she says quietly.

I nod and immediately move back to where I was sitting before and Ana takes my crutches from me and places them down before she sits down beside me and takes my hand between her two and strokes it gently.

"Christian we really need to talk about this. I can't live like this anymore, you are suffocating me and I need space to breathe. The way you have been behaving has put me under a lot of stress and I won't put up with it anymore. I have always made allowances for you and your more overbearing side, because of your need for control due to your past issues, but you can't keep behaving like this, but what really hurts is the fact you seem to think that I don't care about our baby…"

I see her struggle and her voice cracks with emotion as she pauses what she is saying and I am shocked, I don't think that at all, I could never think that, I know in my heart she will be an exemplary mother, she put our unborn son first when I behaved like an asshole before, so I have no doubts that the baby she is carrying is her number one priority, but then I stop and think and as I go through my behaviour recently, I realise how it must look from her point of view, I open my mouth to speak but quickly stop when I realise she has more to say, so I stay quiet until she has finished, she swallows hard and looks straight at me with a look of steely determination.

"You should know that I won't do anything to put our baby at risk, as the guilt I still carry from the loss of our first child makes me determined not to do anything to put this one at risk". She says almost accusingly.

I nod, I need to make this right, and I grip her hand tightly as I begin to speak.

"I know baby and I am so, so sorry, I had something like an epiphany when I saw you sobbing on Eva's shoulder, it made me realise what I'd put you though and let me tell you, you have no reason to feel guilty". I look at her earnestly, willing her to believe me.

"I went to see John Flynn for an emergency session and he has given me some exercises and things to work on, he said I should talk to you about it so you can tell me when I overstep the line, I promise you baby, I'll do whatever it takes to fix this, I will change, I will try and give you the space you need," I stare into her eyes, pleadingly, desperately.

I watch as she nods at me, and smiles at me. "Ok" she says quietly.

I sag with relief at that one simple word, at this moment that one word means she hasn't thrown in the towel and given up on me. I wrap my arms around her and hold her tightly to me.

"Thank you baby, I swear to god I won't let you down again".

Ana pulls away and stares at me, "Christian you haven't let anyone down. You just let your insecurities get the better of you at times".

She strokes my cheek and I close my eyes and lean into her touch.

"Ana" I say, I need to know if she really was going to leave me.

"Hmmm," she replies and looks at me questioningly.

"Eva said you felt like throwing in the towel this week and that... you... you seriously thought about... leaving me".

I stop the words catching in my throat as I can't bear to say them and I fear what Ana's answer will be.

She looks down briefly and sighs and my heart sinks, then she looks up again and speaks.

"Christian, you have to realise you were driving me insane, the way you behaved when you found out I had been to see the prosecution team about the trial was totally ridiculous, I just went to sign some papers and go over the evidence with them a final time, but the way you over reacted anyone would think I had gone and confronted Garrett, Jack Hyde and Jose personally, then the way you over reacted even more about it when I pointed that out to you and wouldn't see reason, it was unbelievable. I was at a complete loss I had no idea what to say or do to make you see reason".

I nod and bow my head in shame, as I recall that day, that certainly wasn't one of my proudest moments.

Ana takes another deep breath and I look up at her once more, and by the look on her face I know what she is going to say next and I shift uncomfortably in my seat.

"What really pissed me off though was when I had that meeting with one of my authors, and I forgot to mention it," she begins.

Yep, there it is, that was even by my standards one of the stupidest things I have ever done.

"Christian, I was in a meeting with my author and I switched my phone off so I could give him my full attention, not to spite you or to ignore you. I was at work; I was in no danger, nothing bad had happened. Do you have any idea how I felt when you came charging in the way you did? You embarrassed me and my author and you embarrassed yourself. You made yourself look completely ridiculous, I felt so insulted because you make me feel like you don't trust me when you behave that way, and I really thought we had got beyond that".

I nod, I knew I had not only crossed the line that day but totally obliterated it. Taylor had tried to reason with me, when he had established that Ana was safe and just in a meeting, but I hadn't listened as I was so furious that she was ignoring my calls. Luke had just stared at me as if I was totally insane when I had bulldozed my way in and as for Ana, she was furious at the way I had totally humiliated her in front of one of her authors. The worst part was, I could see myself behaving like a complete deranged idiot and yet I just couldn't stop.

"I don't like it and won't be micromanaged Christian, and then after today's latest tantrum, which to be fair to you in the big scheme of things, considering what you have done recently, didn't even register on the stupidity scale; but for me that outburst you had was the final straw and yes, I did seriously consider saying enough is enough, but I didn't, and you know why I didn't?" she stops and looks carefully at me.

All I can think of, is her words that I had pushed her so far, that she was considering leaving me, I shake my head, I can't say anything to her, hearing her say out loud what I did, and what that did to her. I am just so appalled at myself for what I have put her though, I feel myself spiralling downwards until I realise she is speaking again, I lift my head and listen to what she is saying.

"I didn't, because I love you too much," she says.

She pulls the hand that she has been holding throughout towards her puts it on her stomach, on the tiny barely there bump and I feel my breath catch.

"We won't leave you Christian, I promise you that, but please for all our sakes, you have to stop and think and stop over reacting because what you are doing is stressing me beyond belief, not mention completely pissing me off and that in turn isn't good for our baby".

I nod soberly, the relief I am feeling is huge. She isn't leaving me; once again she has forgiven me. I look at her; really look at her and I wonder what on earth I have done to deserve this wonderful woman.

"I promise you baby I won't, I swear I will try and curb my over reaction to situations. Will you help me? Will you tell me if I am stepping out of line? John said we need to communicate about it and you need to tell me when you think I am over reacting, so I can modify my behaviour accordingly, but he also said you need to try and remember to let me know when you are going places and doing things so that I don't panic when I can't reach you".

I stop and wait and watch as Ana considers this and she nods.

"That's fine, I can do that and I admit sometimes I forget to mention things and I will work on that, but you also have to remember I have Luke with me the majority of the time so you would know immediately if there were any issues and I thought Luke reported to Jason my movements? Perhaps, before you start to panic you ask Jason if he knows what is happening, you always used to do that, but since I have been pregnant you seem to have lost all reason and you just immediately jump to conclusions".

"I know" I say in agreement, "I promise you that I will try harder," I add.

"That's all I ask, and besides if anything did happen, you would be the first person I would call – you do know that don't you?" she says.

I sigh, "I know" I say again this time more quietly.

Ana stands up and smiles at me. "Let's go to bed" she says holding out her hand to me.

I stare at her in astonishment, "I... I thought you were staying with Gideon and Eva? You wanted some space?" I stammer in confusion.

"I was, but I got my rest. I got my space and my peace and quiet, I've had time to think things through and talk things over with Eva and I decided that I needed to come home to you, to talk to you to sort things out and to let you know how much I love you," she stops and smiles at me.

I am immediately on my feet and pulling her into my arms.

"Oh Ana, I don't deserve you," I whisper to her.

Relief has surged through me and now I just want to hold her close, but she pushes away from me and looks at me straight in the eye.

"You do, never think that Christian. You are a good man and everything you do, you do out of love, it's just that you don't always go about things the right way," she says and presses a gentle kiss on my chin.

I lower my head and press my lips to hers, kissing her chastely on the lips but the passion bursts between us and I am soon kissing her passionately.

"Come," I whisper hoarsely and after reaching for my crutches, I lead her towards our bedroom.

"Oh I want to!" Ana replies with a wicked grin.

As we make our way to the bedroom, I feel myself getting harder by the second, I don't want to rush this though, I want to take it nice and slowly and seduce her properly, when we finally reach the bedroom, I close the door and turn towards my beautiful wife.

I step closer and press small kisses on her neck and she moans lifting her head so I get better access to her, I hesitantly remove my hands from my crutches and place them on her shoulders, then they move down her shoulders and towards the buttons on her shirt, I undo them one by one and gently ease the shirt off and down her arms, I undo the skirt she is wearing and pull it so it drops down and pools at her feet, and I press my hand against her stomach and caress her bump lovingly.

Ana's hands move to my hair and I hear her moan as my hands continue to explore, I am so hard now it hurts, but I ignore my discomfort and continue to try to seduce my wife, which is hard when I am also relying on my crutches most of the time to stay upright. I struggle as I try to pull down Ana's panties and she helps me and then steps out of them, she is now totally naked waiting for me, my eyes greedily takes in every inch of her and I nod towards the bed.

"Lie down baby" I whisper and as she turns I grasp my crutches once more and follow her to the bed.

"I think you are wearing too many clothes" she says to me and she stands up once more and reaches for my T shirt, I hold myself still as she peels it off and then reaches for the button on my jeans. I watch as she deftly unfastens them and pushes them down, I draw in a sharp breath as her hand brushes against my painfully hard dick she notices and touches it, I gasp I want her now.

"I want you" she whispers and her hands move over my back pulling me towards her, urging me closer, at one time I would never have tolerated this, but she has changed me, I love and crave her touch.

I know she wants me she is desperate for me, she breathing is fast and shallow but I intend to prolong this.

"Lie down on the bed baby" I say and she nods and does as I ask, I let go of my crutches and follow her down on to the bed.

I lie down beside her and move down her body pressing kisses on her stomach as I go, I reach the tiny bump and press a gentle kiss to it, and my breath catches as I do so. I move my hands over her body and I touch her, as reach between her legs she obediently parts them so I can get better access, and I push my fingers inside her, she arches her back and gasps, she is so ready for me. I have to use every ounce of self control I have not to just take her, fuck it, she wants me and I sure as hell want her.

I manoeuvre myself so I am between her legs whilst ensuring I am not lying my full weight on her, I grab myself and I position myself at her entrance and in one swift movement I am inside her, I sigh I love the moment I enter her, the feel of her around me and as I start to move slowly, she meets me thrust for thrust, this is where I belong, we are made for each other. I silently vow that I will never risk losing this woman again, I will do whatever it takes to make sure I never make her feel that she would be happier for us to be apart.

I feel her building beneath me, her gentle moans are getting louder and she is gripping me, her breathing is getting more ragged, I can feel my orgasm building too, I am in danger of chasing my release but we are so in tune with each other my release depends on hers and vice versa.

"Come for me Ana, give it to me" I breathe harshly into her ear and obediently I feel her tighten and quiver around me and she grips me tightly.

"CHRISTIAN" she calls out my name as she comes and that does it for me, I am exploding violently inside her, I stiffen at that moment and holding myself deep inside her, I call out, my eyes closed tight and my head is thrown back.

"FUCK, GOD DAMN IT ANA" I call.

I roll us and I pull her into my arms as I don't want there to be any distance between us, she clings to me moaning as she lies on top of me, our legs are tangled around each other and I'm still buried deep inside her.

"I love you" I whisper to her and she responds squeezing me tightly.

"I love you too Christian, so, so much" she whispers.

Those words soak into me and I know I will never again do anything to threaten what we have.

oooOOOooo

(ANA)

"Are you ready Ana?" I hear Christian calling me.

I walk confidently into the great room and smile at my husband who is standing there looking his usual gorgeous self. He has one hand shoved in the pockets of his suit trousers and the other is gripping one of his crutches as he is waiting patiently for me. Jason and Luke are hovering and they both nod at me as I walk in, pushing my phone into my purse.

"Ready?" he asks, reaching for his other crutch as I walk towards him, I nod and press a kiss to his cheek.

"As I'll ever be," I reply.

Today is the first day of the trial and I am quite nervous yet eager to get going and get things done and over with. I want this awful period of our lives finished and dealt with.

Christian nods at me and I wrap my arm around him as we make our way slowly out to the car. I watch as my husband grips his crutches as he walks. He has made astonishing progress and I know he has surprised all the doctors with just how well he has done, but I know Christian, and so I also know that it is all due to his stubborn single minded determination to get back on his feet. He now limps slightly as he walks and he gets tired really quickly so it takes us longer to walk anywhere, as he walks slower to pace himself for any distances he has to face, which is all a legacy from the Charlie Tango crash which is going to be dissected over the next few days but the fact that things could have been far worse, give me reason to be happy despite these inconveniences Christian now suffers and we hope eventually he will manage to walk unaided without his crutches, that is the ultimate goal.

As we climb into the Audi I take a hard look at Christian, he is showing the world his usual impassive expression not giving a clue as to how he is feeling inside, but the fact he is now gripping my hand overly tightly, tells me he is worried.

"What's wrong Christian?" I ask him gently.

He turns and looks at me, "Nothing I'm fine" he replies lightly.

I shake my head, "Christian, this is me you are talking to, I know you better than anyone else, you may have that blank mask of indifference on your face but something is worrying you, you are hanging on to me as if your life depends on it, now talk to me," I stop and wait.

I watch as his shoulders slump and he sighs, "I can't hide anything from you can I?" he says and smiles wryly at me.

I shake my head, "No you can't, now come on Grey spill," I say.

He sighs and he pinches the top of his nose between his eyes, "I'm fucking terrified Ana", he admits.

He turns his head towards me I see the fear in his eyes.

"I am going to be in the same room, not only with the men who have caused you such pain, but with the man who terrorised me as a child, and considering how I've reacted previously when I have seen him I'm scared how I will handle it," he stops and I lean towards him and wrap my arms around him.

"Christian, you will be absolutely fine, because he can't hurt you anymore" I say encouragingly.

I had actually thought about this fact myself, that day in his office when he first saw Garratt will be imprinted in my memory forever, which is why I have arranged for John Flynn to be waiting for us when we get to the court.

"Your family and friends are all going to be there to support you and John Flynn has cleared his schedule and will be there for you throughout the trial, and when I am not giving evidence, I will be right beside you too," I say.

Christian nods "You have thought of everything as usual" he says.

I shrug, "well, one of us has to," I say sarcastically.

Christian finally smiles genuinely, and he pulls me close, "God I love you so much" he whispers.

oooOOOooo

When we arrive at the courthouse, we are met by the prosecution team who brief us on the way they are going to call this.

"Right then, we are going to get the security detail to give their evidence first get the specifics out the way, show the footage we have and get everything out there and laid out, showing all the facts then we will have Mr Cross give his evidence, then you come in and tell your side Mr Grey, what you went through and what happened, and finally Mrs Grey you will take the stand and tell your recollections of that time and hopefully that will be the proverbial icing on the cake, the facts of the matter complete with the human impact of what happened – the defence have tried numerous times for a plea bargain, because they know they don't stand a chance," the young lawyer tells us confidently.

"Absolutely not," Christian says emphatically, The lawyer's face drops and I stare at him incredulously.

"Christian?" I ask.

He turns to me, "Ana I won't have you sitting through everything, listening to and reliving everything that happened before you take the stand, and I won't put you through that sort of stress". he stops and waves his hand emphatically to emphasise his point.

I close my eyes, here we go, I was expecting some sort of over protective meltdown despite Christian's promises that he wouldn't do this anymore.

I open my eyes and sigh, "Christian, look at me and listen to me," I say patiently, and as the lawyer stares at my husband in shock at his refusal to co-operate, Christian turns towards me.

"Please Christian don't do this, I will be fine, this is the best way to do things, he knows what he is doing so don't fight this, just listen to him" I say.

Christian stares at me and I know he is trying to control his himself. I wrap my arms around him and whisper a single word in his ear.

"Yellow" I whisper.

After we had talked things through we had agreed to use a safe word system for when I think Christian is letting his insecurities get the better of him, it's a terminology he understands and responds to. We agreed upon 'yellow' for when he is starting to lose it and let things get out of control and 'red' for when he needs to back down and shut the hell up.

He grips me tightly and I feel him take a deep breath, he buries his nose in my hair in inhales deeply.

"Are you sure you're going to be ok with this?" he asks eventually.

"Yes Christian, I will be fine" I say reassuringly.

He pulls away from me and turns to the lawyer, "Ok we'll do it your way, but if my wife gets distressed in any way at all, we stop and we change it," he says.

The lawyer nods, clearly relieved that he has Christian on board. He discusses a few more things and I look around and I see Raul, talking with Jez, Jason, Luke and several other members of the security team who are all going to give evidence, they are all dressed smartly and looking confident. As I look around the door opens and I gasp in shock at the person entering the room, Christian hears me and immediately turns to me and speaks.

"What is it baby, what's wrong?" he asks me anxiously.

I nod towards the door "Over there, look," I say.

Christian follows my gaze and I feel him stiffen as he sees Welch. I let go of Christian's hand and walk over to Geoff Welch, as I need to speak to him.

"Mrs Grey" he says politely, he offers me his hand I stare at him for a moment and then accept his outstretched hand.

"Welch" I say stiffly.

"I am a witness for the prosecution, I couldn't in all good conscience not come and speak in person even though I provided a statement," he explains.

I snort derisively, "It's a shame your conscience wasn't so influential, when you allowed those men access to Charlie Tango, and when you spectacularly failed to do the job my husband paid you to do," I say derisively.

I pause because the room has gone deathly quiet and everyone is staring in our direction and have heard everything I have said, I flush as I realise I was a bit louder than I had anticipated, I don't say anything more because I know if I do I will probably say something I will regret. I feel Christian behind me and he touches my arm.

"Come on baby" he whispers to me.

As I turn I see Gideon has joined us and is talking to the security team. I walk over to him and slip my arm around his waist, he turns and hugs me and presses a kiss to my cheek.

"Hi Gideon" I say quietly.

"Hi, ready to do this thing?" he says with a smile.

I nod, "I am," I say confidently, "Where's Eva?" I ask looking around.

"She is already in the courtroom with Ray, Kate, Elliot, and Carrick," he says nodding towards the door. "I think Gail is here as well," he adds.

I smile and turn to Christian.

"You see? All the people who have come to support you? Just remember that when you feel unsure," I say quietly to him.

He smiles shyly at me and then nods in agreement.

A few moments later and we are told to go into the court room. As we walk through the doors I see all our family and friends sitting waiting quietly, I see John Flynn seated directly behind the chair where Christian will be sitting. As Christian sits down and fumbles with his crutches, John leans forward and pats his shoulder encouragingly.

I take my place beside Christian and I grasp his hand, he looks at me and smiles at me, but I see it is forced as it doesn't reach his eyes and they are filled with fear, but I return the smile and then glance around the court room on the opposite side I see Jose, Jack and Tony Garrett all sitting side by side with their defence team. I am forcibly reminded of Stephen Morton and Elena a few months ago and I shiver.

Christian's arm immediately goes around me, "Are you cold baby?" he asks anxiously.

I shake my head, "I'm fine" I reply.

I look up at him once more and I see all his emotions hidden as the impenetrable CEO mask fall into place.

The proceedings start with the opening speech from the Prosecution and before we know it the security team have all been questioned and their evidence has been shown and logged, the defence offered a half hearted cross examination of the evidence, but it was a complete waste of time as the highly trained security force, most of whom are ex military handled the questioning without batting an eyelid and made the defence look a little silly at times, plus the CCTV footage and written evidence all spoke for itself.

By the time a recess was called the only other person related to security to be questioned was Welch. We all trooped into a side room where refreshments and food were waiting for us. I wonder who had organised this, but then I spot Gail organising the catering team and I immediately have my answer.

All too soon we are back in the court room and the next person to be called is Welch. I feel Christian stiffen significantly as he watches him take the stand. I know this still hurts Christian, the betrayal of the man he trusted to keep him safe, wounded him deeply. I glance over to the three defendants and I see Tony Garrett glaring at Welch and I smile, it appears he also feels betrayed by Welch's actions.

Welch is sworn in and the prosecution begins their questioning.

"Mr Welch can you tell the court your job description of your last employment?"

Welch looks up and speaks clearly and confidently. "My name is Geoff Welch and I was Chief Security Advisor for Grey Enterprise Holdings, I reported directly to Mr Christian Grey, it was my responsibility to ensure the safety of Mr Grey and his family. I was also responsible for the security surrounding Mr Grey's properties and assets," he stops and glances at Christian sadly.

"Can you tell me why that employment ceased?" the lawyer asks.

Welch nods, "I was fired by Mrs Grey after she felt I had failed in my duty to be aware that Mr Grey had been involved in an incident where his helicopter had crashed, and I had failed to keep her and Mrs Taylor – the wife of Jason Taylor who was travelling with Mr Grey at the time, informed of events as they unfolded".

"Mr Welch was it an oversight on your part or were you being deliberately evasive when it came to informing Mrs Grey?" the lawyer asks.

Welch lowers his eyes and he looks genuinely remorseful, "I was being deliberately evasive, I was fully aware that Mr Grey and Mr Taylor had been involved in an accident, I knew that Charlie Tango – that was Mr Grey's helicopter, had crashed, I knew it had been sabotaged, and I knew who had sabotaged it, I knew all this because I had arranged it so that the helicopter was left unguarded and the perpetrators were able to gain access to it to tamper with it".

He stops speaking and you can hear a pin drop in the court room, the lawyer speaks again asking him another question.

"Who was it who gained access to the helicopter Mr Welch and do you see them in this courtroom?"

Welch nods, "Yes" he says, and points to Tony Garrett.

"The man in question is Tony Garrett, he asked me to do it," he says.

"Mr Welch, can you explain to the court why you would betray your employer in such a way?" the lawyer asks.

Welch nods, "Tony Garrett is my half brother, it's all a mess, a huge mess. It goes right back to when Mr Grey was a child in Detroit, I was one of the officers who arrived at the apartment Mr Grey shared with his biological mother when he was taken into the care of Child Services. My brother also knew Mr Grey and his mother, he was Mr Grey's mothers drug dealer, he gave her the crack cocaine she was addicted to, and made money off her by pimping her out for sexual favours. He was responsible for everything that was bad in Mr Grey's life when he was a child, before he was adopted. When Mr Grey's mother died of an overdose, he believed she owed him for the drugs he had given her" he pauses and licks his lips.

"Years passed and I gained employment with Mr Grey and I didn't even realise at first he was the small boy I had helped rescue from the apartment all those years previously. My brother got in touch with me, it appeared he had been following Mr Grey and he believed that now Mr Grey was a wealthy and successful man he owed him for the debt his mother had left and he believed he was entitled to Mr Grey's money. I went along with my brothers plans, I didn't have any choice as he was blackmailing me over an incident which had occurred back in Detroit where I had shot an unarmed boy, it had been his eye witness testimony that had got me out of trouble and he was using that as leverage over me" he pauses again and takes a drink of water.

"For the record, I had no idea that he would take things so far, and when he got involved with Jack Hyde and Jose Rodriguez and it became apparent how far he had gone, I wanted nothing more to do with his warped plan. By that point I had been relieved of my position within GEH by Mrs Grey and my brother approached me to help him get access to Mrs Grey. He had decided that he would attempt to kidnap Mrs Grey and hold her to ransom. I refused to help him and informed Mrs Grey of the potential threat he posed and of his plan. I deeply regret everything I was involved in and wish to put on record my sincere unreserved apology for my part in this entire sequence of events".

Welch stops and looks over towards me and to Christian. I look up and Christian is staring resolutely ahead no emotion showing on his face whatsoever, the way he is controlling himself and the way he is totally motionless is really quite eerie. It's like he has retreated to somewhere in his mind, but his grip on my hand and the fact I sense the tension rolling off him, tells me he is in turmoil inside and is doing everything he can to prevent his true emotions from showing.

"Thank you Mr Welch, can you explain the role Mr Hyde and Mr Rodriguez played in this situation?" the lawyer asks.

"I can, Mr Hyde, knows Mr Grey from way back as well. When Mr Grey was in the Child Services system, he was in foster care in Detroit for a short time before he was adopted by the Grey family, this was the period where the Grey's had made it clear they wanted to adopt him, and Child Services were trying to discover if Mr Grey had any living biological family, who would be willing to claim him. The foster parents Mr Grey was placed with were also taking care of a young boy who had been removed from his mother, due to her issues and that boy was Jack Hyde. It appeared from what we learned about him, he held an irrational grudge against Mr Grey due to the fact that, he believed the Grey's had over looked him in favour of Mr Grey when they were adopting, but what he failed to realise is, he was never actually up for adoption as his mother was working towards getting her life back on track and regaining custody of him. Later on in a twist of fate, Mrs Grey, who was then Miss Steele, became an employee of Mr Hyde at Seattle Independent Publishers and he became obsessed with her and she refused his unwanted sexual advances to the point of getting him fired for sexually assaulting her. He later discovered that Mr Grey was interested in her and she was interested in him and this rekindled his irrational grudge against Mr Grey which intensified after Mr Hyde discovered that Mr Grey had bought SIP. The way he saw it was, Mr Grey had stopped him getting a new home and family as a child and as an adult he had returned and taken away his job and the woman he was interested in.

"Objection, the witness is surmising how Mr Hyde felt about Mr Grey" the defence lawyer states.

Before the judge can speak, Welch turns and responds, "No I'm not, he told me that himself".

"Overruled" the judge says and the defence lawyer sits down again.

"What about Mr Rodriguez" the lawyer prompts.

Welch shakes his head and sigh's, "Mr Rodriguez was an old friend of Mrs Grey - then Miss Steele, and it appears that he wanted the relationship to progress and become more than just friends, which was not reciprocated. When Miss Steele married Mr Grey, Mr Rodriguez appeared to take the news quite badly, he made contact with Mr Hyde and they fuelled each others grudges and obsessions. Mr Rodriguez was simply drawn into the plans when Mr Hyde came into contact with my brother". Welch stops speaking.

"Thank you Mr Welch no further questions" the lawyer says, the defence lawyer stands up and stares at Welch.

"Mr Welch isn't it in fact true that you were the mastermind behind this entire plan and you seconded your half brother to help you?" he asks.

Welch shakes his head, "No, it is not and I can prove that – I recorded all my conversations with my brother where he blackmailed me into doing his bidding and where he tried to coerce me into getting involved with his kidnap plan, and I have given those recordings to the prosecution team".

We watch as the defence lawyer looks dumb struck for a moment, this has clearly came as a shock to him and it appears to have blown his defence case to pieces. We have shown all the CCTV evidence and messages which made our case compelling, but we were unable to use the covert footage we had gained of Welch talking with his brother, but it appears Welch was one step ahead on that and recorded the conversations himself and I didn't realise that they had been put forward as evidence. The defence lawyer looks frantically through his papers and blanches as he obviously sees evidence corroborating what Welch has just said.

He stares at the papers in front of him then looks up, "No further questions" he says.