Your unwavering support really took me by surprise! I am so glad that so many people are sticking with me. I will try to get the next chapter out next week but I am aiming for more frequent updates just to push myself to finish this story quicker.

Starting Over Together

Their talk was paused subsequently after Taylor's call, and they moved on to preparing lunch. Although, Christian still forbade her from doing much but she was able to to some simple cutting and other light works, leaving all the heavy stuff for him. She even managed to cook a dish, even though it was under the tight scrutiny of Christian Grey, who would yell at her for even thinking about picking up the pan, even with two hands. He said the frying pan was too heavy for her, and he wouldn't even let her carry the oven tray even if there was empty.

Anastasia didn't know whether to feel suffocated or amused by his overprotection and overreaction about everything she was doing.

At last, they were finally able to sit down for their meal. Taco, like every meal, sat next to the table, and as close to the dishes as possible. He would even nudge their arms away as if they were blocking his perfect view to the food on the plates.

"We'll go see Isaac and talk more?" He asked, checking their agenda after lunch.

"What are we doing after lunch, then?"

"Tidy up," he deadpanned.

"After that?"

"I need to check in with Ros."

"Okay, then maybe I should think about my career."

Christian sighed, swallowing back an apology that was surfacing. They agreed to talk later, so he wasn't going to bring it up.

Taco moved under the table sensing the atmosphere growing heavier, and more importantly, there was no food coming his way any time soon.

He jumped up when the couple shifted in their seats and moved their legs a little. Taco emerged from beneath the table making his presence known, as if to remind them that he still had a stomach to fill; but, none of them had any time to pay him any attention as they ate their lunch in silence.

When Christian loaded their dishwasher, she headed to their bedroom. She knew that he would have work to do, and she wasn't expecting anything less. Though, that only reminded her that she needed to reconsider her career.

At this point in her life, she had very minimal saving, with no apartment of her own and no car to drive; she truly felt like all of her previous efforts to fight for and secure an independent life had been fruitless. Possibly due to her impulsive decision to sell everything and use them for Christian, even though she was sure that José had found it absurd and inconvenient that she insisted on paying the insignificant portion, when he could've easily covered all.

"Your boyfriend's company is thriving!"

Anastasia had no idea what her best friend was talking about at the moment. She had picked up a call from Kate at some point during her reflection of the decisions that she had made in the past four years. She didn't even know what they were talking about, but she knew that they had been communicating without a glitch.

"He hasn't even gone back to work full-time."

"But, apparently, people realized their mistakes and realized that they've all misjudged him."

"You now as well as I do that public opinions don't change with a snap of your fingers; and even if they do, people never act on it."

"Oh, but this time is different. I guess my articles worked."

"Admit it, Kate, you just want to gloat on your success."

"I published those articles anonymously, Steele. I didn't take any credits from its success. No one knows that I am Kaetlyn. Still, in the end, it worked!"

"Secrets don't stay hidden forever, Kate. Especially in journalism and the media world. I thought you told me that's a general rule."

"It is, but we'll see when someone exposes me. I'm not coming out on my own."

"Whatever. How's everything?"

"You want to ask about Malcolm, I know; stop hiding. We're still going strong, do you want to hear the latest scene?"

"Kate, I'm horny as fuck right now, and it's not helping that I'm living with Christian. So, please don't give me any kind of imagery that will only make me think of porn."

"You're not cleared for sex?"

"Not for another month. I have to wait two months to go back and check because my breast tissues are damaged."

"But, can't you do other things?"

"Even if I can, Christian will think he's going to hurt me accidentally if he gets carried away."

"How much have you two talked about? If you're ready to move on to having sex with him."

"We haven't talked, at all. Started it but got interrupted. I'm just horny these days around him, and alone with him, so I'm imagining a lot of things; like that excuse I just gave you which came from my imagination."

"Then, maybe we should talk about something else. Like, what are you going to do once you're fully recovered?"

"I don't know. I'd like to get back to work and everything, but I don't dare plan anything in detail because nothing goes according to plan and life won't stick to that plan without a hitch."

"Wise woman… seems like the events in the recent years has you viewing life from a different angle."

"They certainly has put things into perspective for me. But, now I'm lost as ever!"

"Maybe you should start with what you want to do with your personal life? Do you want to stay with Christian? That's like the basic."

"Yes, I do. I mean, I have tasted my own medicine when I made the decision to break up with him all those years ago."

"Then, professionally, what do you have in mind?"

"Return to work."

"As a doctor or as a researcher?"

"Both, but I don't know if I want to stay in Seattle, because it hasn't been holding pleasant memories for me since I left for Baltimore. I feel like I'm a guest in this city now, and I used to feel so at home."

"Where do you think your home is then?"

"I'd probably change my answer after talking to Christian, but right now, the East Coast. Baltimore has more of a brighter memory than here."

"Then, I think maybe you should decide your future with Christian together. Just consider everything before making a final decision."

"Yeah… thank you for making me think logically, Kate. It's been really helpful."

…

Christian walked into the bedroom after talking to Ros extensively over the phone in the guest room to find Anastasia laying on her back with her feet up against the tall headboard, staring at the ceiling, lost in thought.

They still had a couple of hours before they were expected at the police station to meet Isaac, and he wanted to talk to her, to address some of the more urgent issues—like what their plans for their near future looked like.

He was pensive about interrupting her, but he guessed that she had probably sensed his presence, because she spoke first.

"You want to talk?"

"Yes, I want to know what you have in mind about our next step. Or, maybe just yours." He came over and took a seat at the edge of the bed, and laid down so their heads met in the middle of the bed.

"Do you want to stay with me?"

"Yes."

"Are you staying in Seattle?"

"Yes." Again, he didn't elaborate, he wanted to hear what she wanted to say without disrupting her thoughts.

"How long do you plan on staying in this condo?"

"Until we can find a permanent settlement."

"I don't know how long I can suppress my guilty conscience for living here knowing who it belongs to."

"Baby, perhaps you don't understand it thoroughly. Them," he was referring to the Rodriguez, "helping us, and spending money on us, is like a heavy investment. What they're getting out in return may not be in monetary terms but more in a way that we have a bond or a long-term working relationship. All we have to do is to reach out and help them in their times of need and help with favors they asked to the best of our abilities. We don't necessarily have to go out of our way as they didn't either to help us. What they've spent on us was nothing to them considering that they gained our friendship, which could be much more valuable sometimes than having cash paid back. Trust me, money is the last thing José Sr needs right now."

"So, how long are you planning on staying here? Living in this apartment rent free," she asked after a while to let his speech sink in. It did little to nothing to sooth her conscience but she knew if she was going to stay with him, then she should start to make peace with her guilty conscience… just like she needed to probably accept the Greys' efforts to make amends with her.

That was if she wasn't getting ahead of herself, and they would actually bother.

"Until my company gets back on track so we can afford a house of our own."

"Have you… considered moving to somewhere that is not Seattle?"

"No. Does this city makes you feel uncomfortable?" He inquired after shaking his head negative in slow motion. "I mean, I can understand that the past half a year has been beyond stressful for you, because of my selfish need to keep everything. Maybe you finding me the way you did on the Fourth of July has traumatized you. What am I saying, it most definitely would."

"It doesn't make me uncomfortable, per se. But, aren't you kind of haunted by the memories and the history that Seattle represents?"

"I am only haunted by Escala. I won't be going back there, but the city… I still find solace in this city. Why do you ask? Do you want to move away?"

"I guess I can understand where you're coming from. You have been in Seattle despite your name being in the limelight. Maybe to you, this whole storm only led you to become stronger under the protection of your physical shell you've surrounded yourself with."

Christian stared at the side of her face and studied her features carefully, he had already anticipated this topic might come into their conversation at one point. He wanted to tell her that she shouldn't be running away from her demons, but on second thought, who was he to judge her? This woman shielded him from the fucking tsunami that was the scandal and kept him unharmed.

So, he guessed all he was asking was some time so he could be prepared to move. Still, he wanted to try and persuade her first.

Some might deem this selfish, but he thought this was only exploring all of the options.

Time was the only essence absent for her to come to terms with the city, and she might change her mind about it in the future, but Christian was still open to the idea of moving around once his company had become stabler.

"To me, it's just that, I used to feel so at home here. So at ease and peaceful," she stared at the light brown ceiling, unblinking as she voiced her true feelings in the utmost honesty. "But, over the four years that I was in Maryland, each time I returned ended up in a disaster. I hope it was just me enlarging those bad memories, but what foregrounds in my mind are always memories of me flying back for you only to find you in an accident, or that you aren't even in Seattle; or to sign on your will. You know that if it wasn't for you, there is no reason for me to make trips back so frequently. My parents live in their own bubble and Ethan has his own life."

She scoffed out all of her pent up frustrations, twisting her head slightly so she couldn't see him in her peripheral. The more she vented the more she could feel her emotions rising from deep within her.

"Now I really feel like a guest here. Maybe it was because of the fact that you're no longer Seattle's elite bachelor or I'm no longer your girlfriend, because when I stepped into Grey House, I felt so foreign like I was just another stupid, lost college graduate wannabe that wanted to snatch a piece of GEH. That ay perhaps be the trigger of those distant feelings. Then, when I failed to come back from Baltimore for your birthday, I was trying to convince myself that with your lack of response to my text, I had been too forward; and, maybe you don't want me there. I really was convinced until I saw your death note, the one addressed to me. That was when I knew that I was wrong about you, but that also subconsciously made me believe that I might need to get out of Seattle for a while because all I could recollect about this place was gray and suffocating; and Maryland is always sunny and bright like paradise."

She didn't know that she was shedding tears until she was jumped started by his thumb brushing lightly against the corner of her eye to wipe the tear stain dry. She turned her head in his direction, only then finding out that they were extremely close, the tip of their nose almost brushed against each other's.

Christian didn't say anything but only ran his hand over her hair continuously as he thought about her words. He couldn't come up with a response at the moment. All he could get out was the fact that she didn't wish to remain.

Instead of panicking like he would in the past, he forced himself to stay calm and think twice before speaking, not jumping to conclusions. The problem was, it was just not an option for him to leave Seattle at the moment.

"Where do you want to relocate to?" He settled on asking. It was needless to share his perspectives regarding the misunderstanding on his birthday. He now knew that it was her wish to attend but something must've detained her, and that was all he needed to know.

"Baltimore, Maryland." Her reply came out in a whisper as those glossy blue orbs stared into his gray ones.

He nodded indicating that he had heard her, not that he was exactly happy to hear the answer.

"Can we compromise?" He requested, shocking the both of them.

She held his imploring gaze apprehensively and nodded her head, biting her lip nervously at what awaits her.

"Can you give me a few years until I get back on my feet and my company is stable enough for me to leave Seattle, and we will move to the East Coast."

"How long is a few years?" She questioned tentatively. She wouldn't dare make a judgment about how long it might take him to get back on track because she knew if he could've become a billionaire a year ago if not for everything, then she was confident that he could find a way to stand back on his feet and reclaim the title of the prince of Seattle and the most accomplished businessman of the decade.

"I will give you a definite answer once I return to the office and examine everything. You will have a number to work with after my evaluation. I will get this to you within the first week upon my return full-time."

He vowed, and she believed him. He had never broken his promise to her, so there really was no reason for her to not trust him to keep his words this time.

"Okay, I can live with that."

He smiled, and slowly, she mirrored his expression. Shifting up, he captured her lips in a short but promising lip-lock, sealing his promise to her.

"You can negotiate the time with me once you got it. Bottom line is, we are not separating, not doing long-distance, ever again!"

She giggled softly at his brief display of mild insecurity. Then, she nodded, mutely.

"Good. As much as I'd like to continue this talk with you, we have to get going."

"Gotta finally meet the kid in person."

…

At the police station, they could see Taylor and Sawyer already arrived when they got out of the car. It still felt strange for Anastasia to not see someone next to Christian wherever he went. Thankfully, their new apartment was close to Escala, which wasn't going to be a problem when Christian eventually returned to work for have Taylor pick him up.

On the way, they passed Pike Place Market, and it brought back all kinds of fresh memories to her, it made her think of the time when they planned to spend a Christmas together here only to end up in Baltimore. It still turned out to be one of the best Christmases that she had had but she could still remember their very first official date here.

They never got the chance to recreate those scenes like they wished.

Fortunately for them now, they were now living really close to Pike Place—anytime they had spare could be the perfect opportunity for them to mingle in the market place once again, recreating their adventures on their very first date. The part where they were dodging everyone's camera phone was still vividly imprinted in her mind. She could still remember Christian actually posing for some of them or join her in a picture bomb for some couple.

That was some old times that she truly missed.

They walked into the room where Isaac was and saw him splayed out on the couch in the room that was actually meant for visitors.

"Why are you keeping him in police custody?" Anastasia couldn't help but ask when she saw the condition of the room. It was the summer so with the cooler, the room felt nice, but it was a simple visitor's room, and she couldn't imagine where the kid would actually be staying at. "He's not done anything wrong."

"Then, where do you propose we keep him, young lady?" An officer mocked, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed before his chest, smirking arrogantly at the couple.

"I'd say treat him to a hotel room, since it is you all that failed him in the first place." She was ticked by the tone and overall stance of that man, and it bothered her.

"Us?" He scoffed loudly at Anastasia's snarky response. "Oh, and what did you think we should've done?"

Anastasia huffed and turned around, ignoring the man when Christian tugged on her elbow suggesting that she ignore him since he really wasn't worth a fight over. He knew the Seattle PD wasn't the only corrupted police department in the United States of America, because he had experienced firsthand how those people could be like in Detroit.

Her temper was the only thing that troubled him, though. She wasn't like the kind of person to quibble over insignificant details, at least the girl in his memories wouldn't.

"Isaac, your visitors," the officer announced with an eye roll and closed the door behind the four of them. Anastasia really hated his attitude.

"Is she the one that wants to see me?" Isaac nodded at Anastasia. He had threw his feet up on the small table before him and a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. He appeared nothing like a sixteen year old kid that got abused, but rather a juvenile delinquent.

Everyone looked at one another in confusion at his question.

"If you are the one that wants to see me, you really don't need to have a hoard of bodyguards following her. I'm not some juvie," he puffed out a smoke and flicked the ashes on to the floor.

The couple couldn't help but cringe at the smell of it given that both of them hated it when people smoke around them. However, they couldn't stay in a non-smoke environment everywhere they went.

"What makes you think it's just me?"

He shrugged but didn't speak.

"I'm not the only one here to see you," Anastasia answered, biting the bullet knowing that she probably would be deemed like a fool in juvenile standard at the moment.

"What do you want from me? I've got nothing. They took my card."

"Your card?" Christian spoke.

Isaac rolled his eyes and tossed out the cigarette butt somewhere in the room, smoke still coming out of it as it burned till the end. He moved to sit up so he could free up a seat or two on the couch. Opposite of it was another identical couch that was empty.

"Have a seat, strangers," he moved to the corner and gestured to the rest around the room. Taylor and Sawyer moved to take a seat at the couch opposite of him, and Anastasia moved to sit at the other end of the same couch as Isaac, while Christian pulled another table stool that was unoccupied by his feet and perched on it.

When no one spoke in the room, he surveyed all four of them once again before leaning forward to pick up the pack of cigarettes lying on the ground next to the sofa. Then, picked up the lighter. He then placed it in between his teeth and wrapped his lips around it, bringing the lighter to the tip, he lit the tip as he inhaled at the butt. Once he saw the red spark, he pulled the lighter away and breathed in through his nose to take another pull at the cigarette before taking its entirety out of his mouth using his index and middle fingers.

"What do you all want? If you want an inquisition, get on with it. Look, I don't know any of you and I don't have any prospect in life right now. All that I have has been taken away by your guys."

"Our guys?" Christian and Anastasia frowned in unison. It wasn't like the other two men weren't allowed to talk or anything, but they prefer to observe while the couple interacted with the young boy.

"Aren't you with the police or some kind of authority?"

"No, we're not," Anastasia answered flatly. "Does the name Christian Grey ring a bell to you?"

"Sure, it does." He may appeared nonchalant but for a nanosecond, he froze up and both security guards had seen it.

"Do you know him?" Christian asked in a third person's perspective.

"Not in person. I've never seen the dude but apparently Elena and Jack has some kind of obsession over the guy."

"What kinds of obsession?" The couple shared a glance before Anastasia continued.

"Listen, lady, I don't give a rat shit about Grey, or whoever he may be. It really doesn't concern me that the cunt and her side kick holds some kind of grudge against this dude, and I really couldn't care less about everything."

"Then, what's your problem?" She countered, she thought it must be relieving for him to swear aloud like that without someone always looming over him.

"Why do you care?" He snorted rudely. "Wait, are you a social worker?"

"Me?" Anastasia squeaked. "Do I look like one?"

Isaac shrugged again. "Doesn't matter."

"Well, I'm not, but I'd still like to know more about you."

"Me?" He mimicked her earlier reaction.

"Yes, you," Anastasia bit back a giggle. "Where were you in the past four weeks?"

"Do you want me to go back to her?"

"Elena's dead," she was going to add a term of endearment but she didn't know what Elena would call him so she was afraid that she might trigger some kind of bad memories for him.

"So I've heard."

"But you don't believe it."

"For all I know, she might be behind all of this."

"You think she orchestrated all of this for what?"

"So, she can get me back because she found out that I've ran away."

"Honestly, kid," Christian spoke from the side. "She doesn't give a rat shit about you, either. The only reason she's adopted you is because people will not look too closely at what people do inside their own home. Since you're legally her son, no one will know what she's doing to you and if you are found out, it could be written off as a parent disciplining her son."

"You think this is called discipline?"

"Trust me, I know what you've been through."

Isaac rolled his eyes at that statement, obviously he didn't believe it.

"She used to do it to me when I was your age, kid," Christian confessed in an attempt to make him believe. "If you're not her son, then she'd be preying on other boys. Frankly, you're just that unlucky son of a bitch who got caught up in this whole fucked up mess."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm that Grey dude that you couldn't give a rat shit about, and I wouldn't want you to give a shit about me either. Elena used to do this exact same thing to me."

"Abuse you?"

"Yes, abuse me. I was her victim for six years."

"You're a dumb fuck."

"Yes, I am," Christian glanced at Anastasia and he was glad to see that she was amused, even though it was taking him a lot of self-control to not snap at that kid for being disrespectful. He had to remind himself that his idea of respect was nurtured by Elena, which was a sick and twisted standard to begin with, so he should get used to the norm. "I'm glad that you aren't. Anyway, she was losing control over me, so she is beginning to seek her new prey. For some reason, she found you."

"I think I know why. You're adopted right?"

"Yup."

"You were born in Detroit aren't you?"

"How did you know?"

"I eavesdrop when Elena talks with Grace," he dropped all formalities that he was 'taught' when he was under Elena's custody. He found it absolutely useless and it only makes him sound pretentious and fake; just like that blonde barbie bitch.

"So, you know about me but you don't know who I am?"

"I'm sure I've met you at some of those prestigious, wasteful parties but I wasn't allowed to look at people in their eyes or even look up from the ground. You should know this."

"I do," Christian nodded simply. It wasn't the same when he was with Elena, and he knew that. He wasn't brought around by Elena pretending that he was her kid. He only knew that it was alluding to BDSM.

"She found me in the Colliers, in Detroit."

"Who are the Colliers?" Anastasia asked when she saw a shadow of understanding flash across Christian's face.

"The same foster parents that Grace found me in," Christian answered. He, himself actually wasn't familiar with the name but he could only deduce that it was one of the foster parents that had fostered him when he was young.

"Jack and you were there at the same time."

"Jack?" At that moment, Elena's words surfaced. Christian finally understood what she meant by 'they knew each other since infancy', even though infancy would be stretching it because he knew he must've been a toddler when he was at the Colliers.

"Yes, Jack Hyde. That bastard promised me money, taught me how to hack. I was so naïve to actually believe that he'd help me."

"What do you mean?"

"He visits me very often when I was in Detroit and told me that he's some kind of computer genius. Then, he demonstrated it by showing me how to mess with the security system of some poor shipyard in Maryland."

All four of them perked up at that.

Could that be possible?

"He said it was an international port so it isn't popular in America, and so he won't get in trouble and be found, and yada yada."

That's it!

The security breach was indeed just someone fucking with the system. Christian was now very certain of it, but Anastasia still hadn't completely connected the dots.

"Then, he told me that there's going to be this Elena woman coming to visit me and then adopt me and he also promised to teach me how to get money. That woman was nice before I was adopted. She asked about my studies, calls me often and kept up with all of my daily lives. Then, once I was adopted, it was like bam! Shot straight to hell."

"I can imagine," Christian mumbled.

"Are you sure that she's dead?"

"I shot her," Sawyer piped up offering the young kid some peace of mind for his sake. "Right through the skull, she's as good as dead."

Isaac stared at the two buzz-cut opposite of him. He knew that they were security officers for the couple, he had seen his fair share of those guys when he attended those events with Elena. He didn't know what they were for but he just knew what they were. He now finally believed that the wicked witch of the west was rotting somewhere, just not in this world.

"She got the easy way out," Sawyer admitted sheepishly, he was still beating himself over it. "I should've aimed somewhere different."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because she shot me at the same time," Anastasia stepped in. She never blamed anyone for her injury and this was the first time she had learned that Sawyer was feeling guilty about it. "They fired their guns at the same time, and I'm sure he just wants to get one step ahead of her and stop her from shooting me, but… they shot at the same time."

"Where'd you get shot?'

Anastasia pointed at where her heart was, that place still felt tender and she wouldn't be patting on it like some proud mama for a while.

"Ah… okay…"

"Either way," Christian interjected to stop Isaac from staring at Anastasia's chest. "She's dead, and we want to know-"

"What to do with me," he finished for him. It wasn't what Christian had in mind, but that also worked. After all, they were here to mainly see how he was doing and what he knew about Elena.

"Not what I was going for, but sure."

"Well, I was going to go back to Detroit and resettle there. Took Elena's debit card. Survived on it for a month now."

"When did you leave?"

"The same day she left for you two."

"Was this planned?"

"The shooting? I don't know. She got a gun a couple months before and I thought about using that thing to shoot her, but she has kept it well locked and hidden, so I've never found it. I know that the Fourth of July is supposed to be her hearing."

"It is."

"Yeah, so I gathered that she'll be out of the house for longer than normal, so I thought I'd just leave on that day. She'll be on her nerves anyway."

"She ambushed me in the middle of the night," Christian informed him.

"I left in the morning after I woke up. Shoulda bring more stuff with me if I knew that she's going to be dead."

"Kid, if you're going to use the card everywhere you go, you're really not going to stay out there by yourself for long, ya know? That's how they found you. They tracked the card to find you," Christian tipped.

"Yeah, well, that's some useless advice. Cuz I ain't making out of here any time soon. I'm going back to the system."

"You are?" Anastasia gasped.

"Yeah, little lady. What do you expect? I'm only sixteen. Jack took my money with him and ran like the coward he is."

"Where's he getting the money from?"

"Elena. He launders her money and takes a percentage as payment."

Isaac then talked about his life in the Lincoln household and what exactly he's been doing in Detroit these past four weeks. Then, Christian and Anastasia briefly explained him the mess. The only thing he seemed to care about was money, and he was like those disinterested troubled kids that couldn't focus on anything else other than the fact that he got betrayed and tricked in his entire life.

Though, unlike most kids who would retreat into a recluse and live in the corner by himself, he put on this fearless façade and acted like he didn't give a damn about anything. He spoke in a way like he was without a care to the world and everything around him.

"It was like he's totally succumbed to faith," Anastasia sighed once they were on their way home at the back seat of the SUV that Taylor was driving with Sawyer driving their car back.

However, Christian was still reeling in on the revelation about Jack's involvement.

Reeling in on the conversation about how they could help him. Anastasia wasn't the only one that wanted to help this teen desperately. It wasn't everyday that after you've been through everything, when realization struck, it was how lucky he had been because it could've been worse, but the fact that he had been lied to all his life!

Thank you so much for the views, reviews! I was so blown away by the reception of the previous chapter.

Teaser? Drop me a review.

X