A/N: Thanks for reading. Reviews are greatly appreciated. Enjoy!

A POV

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be hit by a semi? I'm sure that feeling and how I'm feeling now are one in the same. My head is throbbing while my throat is on fire. I've also got the sniffles. In short, I feel like shit. The sun's rays peering through the bedroom window aren't helping as I slowly raise my body up. There's an indentation in the bed next to me where Christian should be, but he's not. Where is he?

"She was actually very polite.", I hear my dad saying in the hallway. It takes me a second to remember that Christian and I stayed here last night after I fell asleep. Of course that sleep didn't last long and was soon replaced by Christian doing things with his tongue that I'm certain are illegal in several states.

"So she stated what outlet she was from?", Christian asks.

"Her name was Margot Hayes, and she was from the Seattle Weekly. She gave me her business card." My attempt to pull myself out of the bed and join them fails as it takes what seems like an eternity to put one foot on to the floor. I'm about to give up when Christian opens the door and observes my frail state.

"Baby, are you ok?" He rushes to the bed and drops to his knees, placing his hand on my forehead. "You're a little warm."

"What's wrong? Annie, sweetheart, are you not feeling well?", my dad asks from the doorway.

"I'll be fine in a bit." Lie! "A reporter was here? How did she know you lived here?" This should distract them from me for a while.

"Christian said the statement the two of you released listed your parents so finding my address probably wasn't difficult. She introduced herself, gave me her card, and then asked my thoughts on my daughter getting married. I told her that I couldn't be happier for the two of you but wish the press would respect your privacy more. She wasn't pushy and seemed to understand boundaries."

"Sounds like the guy from yesterday could take a page from her book. Any news on him?"

"I haven't heard from Colin or Welch yet, but I'm going to call both of them once we've had breakfast which judging from the way you look, you'll be having here in bed.", Christian says while sitting down on the bed next to me.

"So I don't feel a hundred percent? Big deal. It doesn' mean that I have to stay in bed. I was actually getting up when you came in." My dad and Christian both give me disbelieving looks as I once again try to get up. "Here I go." Nothing. "Watch me." Still nothing.

"Oh, I'll watch you all right, watch you lay back down and get some rest while I call my mom." Laying back down, I glance at my dad, giving him my best pout/puppy dog eye combination.

"Kiddo, I'm going to agree with Christian on this. Although I may not be a doctor, it's not difficult to see that you're not feeling well. Don't forget that I've treated you many a times when you've been sick.", my dad frowns. "I'm going to get you some orange juice while Christian calls Grace, but I have a feeling that she's going to say that you've got a cold." Christian kisses the top of my head and then follows my dad out of the room. I pull the blanket up closer to my face in an attempt to shut the sun out. Why can't it be one of those rainy days which I usually hate? Maybe if I sleep a while longer, I'll feel better.

"Ana?", Christian whispers.

"Yeah?", I mumble through the blanket.

"My mom's here to see you." I reluctantly open my eyes and see Grace standing next to him.

"How long was I asleep?", I ask.

"About thirty minutes. Your dad brought your juice in her, and you were already asleep so he left it on the table."

"Christian told me about yesterday, and it makes me angry that you had to go through that. What did that reporter think he was accomplishing in following you? Some people are rude and careless individuals.", Grace says.

"I'm not entirely convinced the guy was a reporter." That thought has crossed my mind, but I've tried to push it away since I don't want to think about who he might truly be or what he wants. "Back to Ana, what do you think is wrong with her?" I manage to pull myself up in the bed so Grace can get a better look at me. "Ray think it may be a cold, but what do you think?"

"Ana, describe how you're feeling."

"My throat is burning and my nose is stuffy. Along with a headache, I'm tired." Christian's going to be upset when I continue. "I was starting to feel this way last night, but I thought it was nothing.", I shrug.

"You being sick isn't nothing.", he scoffs. "It's a big deal."

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant that I thought I was just running on empty with the reporter incident. I'm aware being sick is a big deal."

"Let me check your temperature and have a look at your throat.", Grace smiles as she reaches into her bag and pulls out a thermometer and small flashlight. After she inspects my throat and takes my temperature, she tilts her head and nods. "Your throat is a little red, and your temp is bit high, but I'm going to go with your dad's diagnosis of a cold."

"What should we do?" Christian's making me dizzy with his back and forth swaying.

"Get plenty of rest, drink lots of fluids, and take some sort of pain reliever." Grace reads my mind and places her hand on his arm to calm him. "And stop worrying. Ana's got a common cold and will be fine."


C POV

"Mom, I'll never stop worrying about Ana. It's what I do and who I am."

"Try to ease up on the worrying.", my mom says. "I've got to be at the hospital in thirty minutes for my shift, but if you start to feel worse or need anything, call me."

"I will. Thanks Grace."

After I walk my mom out and say goodbye, I go back to the bedroom to make sure that Ana's still in bed. Her head is leaned against the headboard as she looks at her phone which she places beside her when she sees me.

"You were browsing to see what you could find on us, weren't you?"

"I was, but I didn't find much. I read the article which Thea Olson printed and found that two television stations have picked up the story as well. They simply repeated what the Times reported. Another thing which I saw or should I say didn't see was a story with any mention of our honeymoon. Be honest, on a scale of one to ten, how likely do you think it is that guy was actually a reporter?"

"Three. I'm only saying that because I don't have much to go on at the moment, but Welch told me on the phone earlier that he has Beth's last name which is Nolan so we should soon find out more on her. Colin called after I talked to Welch and said that he still doesn't know what could have happened. He's talked to every single person in PR and none of them owned up to leaking the story. It's beginning to gnaw at me that we have mole." My phone begins buzzing from my pocket. "It's Welch.", I say. "What have you got?" Welch tells me that Barney, our residnt computer whiz, was able to tap into the school's security system and narrow down the footage to the time Ana was harassed. "I'll be there." Leaving Ana while she's sick is the last thing I want, but I need to find that bastard as soon as possible.

"You're leaving?"

"Only for a little while. When I was walking my mom out, I asked Taylor to go to the pharmacy a few blocks over to pick up some Tylenol, sore throat spray, and kleenex. He should be back soon."

"Did Taylor stay here last night too?", she asks.

"He slept on the sofa. Your dad offered him the third bedroom, but he said that he would be fine sleeping in the living room. Gail's making some soup and is sending it with Sawyer. Taylor and I aren't going to leave until he gets here. I don't want you to get out of this bed."

"I feel too blah to argue with you."

"Music to my ears. We'll go back to Escala when I return." I move closer to her, she pushes me away with her hand. "What's that about?"

"I know you were about to kiss me, but you shouldn't since you could sick."

"Point well made, but it would be honor to get sick from you." Once again I go for her lips, and once again, she pushes me away. "Ok, I'll hold off on kissing you on the lips for now, but I need some sort of physical contact. I kiss the tip of my index finger and then touch the side of her face.

"Mr. Grey, sir, I've got the video ready to go.", Barney says when Taylor and I arrive at GEH. "See right there?" He points to the screen where Ana and Sawyer are walking around the corner. A few seconds later, I see him, the fucker whose ass I'm going to kick. He's asking Ana something, but my girl keeps walking only to have him follow her. "Have you seen him before?" I take in the image of the tall, dark-haired man, but he doesn't look familiar.

"No, but I plan on making his acquaintance soon. Stay on it. If there's any news, call Taylor since I'll be out of reach until Ana's better." As Taylor and I are leaving Barney's office, Welch strides towards us from the opposite end of the hallway. "You saved me a trip."

"I wish I had more to give you, but I was able to get some background on Beth Nolan.", he says while handing me a file. "I'll keep digging to see if there's more to her, but I thought you'd like to know what I've found so far."

"Thank you. The check on her may turn up empty, but I've learned that doesn't necessarily mean she's on the up and up."


A POV

"Ana, how are you feeling?", Gail asks as Christian and I arrive home. I always enjoy spending time at my dad's, but it's good to be home.

"My headache has eased somewhat, but I'm still feeling like blah."

"How about I make you some tea with honey?"

"I'd like that. Thanks Gail." I lean against Christian and settle down on the sofa where he covers me up with a throw. "Thank you to you as well Mr. Grey. You're so good to me." A few seconds later, Gail bring my tea into the room.

"Here you go. I'm going to be in the kitchen doing a few things, but let me know if you need me." I take a small sip of the hot tea which is soothing to my throat and then hand the cup to Christian to set on the coffee table.

"Are you warm enough or too warm?", he asks. "I can get another blanket or turn the air up."

"I'm fine. You kind of avoided talking about what Welch and Barney found when you got back to my dad's. Is there a reason for that?"

"They didn't find anything drastic if that's what you mean. I simply don't want to put a lot on you when you're sick."

"As sweet and thoughtful as that is, I'm not some fragile thing. So, tell me what they found."

"Barney got the video of the altercation with the guy, and he's going to try to get an id. I took a long look at the fucker but didn't recognize him. I tell ya when I saw him follow you, I felt all the blood in my body boil." He closes his eyes briefly to calm down and then prepares to move on. "Welch gave me what he's found so far on Beth. I skimmed over it on the ride from GEH. She was born in Seattle as an only child who became engaged to her high school sweetheart, Gavin Warner. Nothing stood out, but one thing I've learned is that doesn't necessarily mean she's on the up and up."

"She mentioned that she had been engaged, but her fiancé cheated on her. When she started talking about how he wanted her to give up her dream, I felt bad for her. I'm thankful that I have such a supportive husband." Christian's body suddenly goes tense. "What?"

"First of all, I want you to know that I am a hundred and ten percent supportive of you. That being said, I had a moment yesterday where I felt some insecurities about your schooling." What is he talking about?

"Did you want me to give it up?"

"God no. I'm happy and proud that you're taking this step and furthering yourself, but I was concerned that you would change along with your new lease on life and discover that you didn't want me anymore." Oh

"Yes going to school is adding on to my life, but I'm never going to not want you because you are my life. You're it for me."

"I know, but I also feel guilty for feeling like that and then having your dream threatened by that asshole.", he murmurs.

"I have to admit his harassment has made me reconsider whether I want to continue. How can I focus in class if I'm constantly looking over my shoulder?" He cups my chin in his hand and then stares into my eyes.

"Don't even think about giving up. I won't let you live your life in fear again. We'll figure something out.", he says. Our moment is interrupted by Taylor who steps into the room with an angry look on his face.

"Sir, I need to speak with you."

"Whatever it is, you can tell me in front of Ana."

"One of the security guys on the first floor at GEH observed a suspicious man lingering outside the building. Before he could investigate, the guy took off.", Taylor says. "Not long after that, a printout of the campus suspect's face was sent to all security personal."

"I think I know what you're about to say but go ahead and say it."

"It was the same guy."

Photos from the story are on the pinterest board. Search: sherrybabie/Need-You-Now