Oh my, your reviews forced me to think so much! Too much that I am even considering rewriting the chapters that are already written.

Again, all mistakes are mine.

Self-importance

When Isaac was asked what he'd like or want for his life, his answer was simple: truth and peace.

It was understandable.

When he was asked if he would considered being adopted again before the age of eighteen, all he did was shrug.

So, Anastasia immediately understood that when he said he didn't want anything other than that two, it really was all he want.

It was just that simple.

"My parents could adopt him," Christian said out of the blue as the SUV cruised under the cloudy Seattle sky. It was still early in the afternoon and they weren't going to do anything other than talk about their relationship and lay out their plans for the future. They really just wanted to get it done within the next day or so.

"Absolutely not!" She didn't even turn her head away from the window, and there he thought she didn't hear him or wasn't listening to him.

"What?" His head spun around expecting to meet her heated gaze that matched her tone, but all he got to see was the side of her head—she hadn't moved a bit. "Why not?"

"They are incapable of handling a heavily traumatized youth," she said, still staring out the window.

His brows knitted together tighter as he leaned forward and closer to her, attempting to see her face, instead of just the side.

"They've adopted me," he said with a light scoff trying but failing a little to hide his annoyance, stating the obvious.

"And look at how that turned out. How successful has it been?" She retorted with a sardonic huff.

"It turned out pretty successful," he didn't get the rhetoric tone or the sarcasm.

"If it did, then we wouldn't be in the current situation, would we?"

"Are you blaming them for what happened to us? You broke up with me!" He exclaimed, clearly aware of how much he sounded like a soap opera actor. Notwithstanding that he had been living like a reality star for the past half a year, with his entire life in public just because he needed to justify himself to everyone irrelevant to him.

Now he had to explain the whole 'suicide by hanging' scene to the public, this was just fantastic!

"No, I'm not blaming anyone for our relationship, nor am I even talking about us!" Her head finally turned around, glaring at him sharply. "I am talking about the fact that not only are they gullible but also, frankly, really failed at being parents to a traumatic kid."

"And, you know all about being parents?" He shot back argumentatively, ready to defense his parents whom he still saw as his life savers.

"No, that is not what I'm saying," she sighed, sensing a very unnecessary and easily avoidable fight coming their way like an avalanche. "Let me rephrase it."

He stared at her hotly waiting to fire back at her next argument point.

"The day your will or contingency plan was activated, your parents came over to Escala," and she proceeded to relay the events of that day to him. "I guess, it's understandable that they call me bluff before I showed them the album, but they're still accusing me and pointing fingers at me after seeing the evidence right under their nose. Everything was crystal clear and they just refused to believe it! Elliot and Mia both vouched against Elena, saying that she's bad news, yet they still chose her! So, forgive me if I am more than a little wary of your parents' ability to offer Isaac a comfortable and secure home."

Christian stared at her agape after her impassioned speech. He didn't know how to react to it or what expression to put on display, his current dumbfounded one would probably suffice for the tie being.

"I'm sorry," she apologized softly, breaking away from their eye contact. He didn't know that she held his gaze until he missed the blue orbs before his vision. He honestly didn't even know if he had been understanding the words until her apology.

"I honestly don't know you feel this strongly against my parents…"

"It's not about how much… I dislike them… or how many disagreements we've had, or my opinion of your parents. It's about… what's good for Isaac."

"My mother is a pediatrician."

"Christian," she interrupted him before he could speak his next sentence. "Do you honestly think that your parents could give him what he wants and needs? He saw your parents on a daily basis through Elena's connection, what makes you think he's going to trust your parents? They are very good friends of Elena's, what's stopping them from colluding with Elena? You've admitted yourself that Elena's played the same trick on you for six whole years, and your parents didn't suspect a single thing. How do you think Isaac's going to trust them given their history about gullibility? What makes you think he's going to believe that your parents can protect him and help him through the traumas?"

Christian ran his fingers through his hair roughly as he digested her words. They made sense. He didn't know if this had been her opinion all along since meeting them, because he swore that she didn't see them this poorly when they were dating.

Nevertheless, he wasn't their biggest fan either at the moment, so his defense only reached so far. He was only feeling affronted when she shot down his idea with such confidence, absoluteness, and speed.

"What do you suppose we do then?" He sighed in defeat. She did have a point, but he truly wanted to help this poor, unfortunate but extremely strong kid.

"If he wants to go back to Detroit and to the Colliers, we can fund him. That is if he accepts. If he doesn't care where he is, then I can ask my parents, or just ask someone he's grown comfortable with."

"I doubt he's grown comfortable to anyone other than Jack, but he jilted him. Knowing Elena," Christian swallowed, still having trouble comfortably. "He won't be allowed to make friends."

"So, my parents it is."

She whipped out her phone not wasting a second to find a suitable solution for Isaac, so he didn't end up in foster care and risk having a repeat of is early adolescence.

Christian couldn't get a word in, and he knew if he was going to open his mouth about his parents, she was going to have Taylor find the footage from the beginning of this year. Therefore, he wisely kept his mouth shut and listened to the one-sided conversation.

"Hi mom… mom?" She pulled away to check that she was actually dialing her father's number. She had tried her mother's and it went to voicemail after not being answered for too long. "Whatever, okay… finally one of you picked up," she rambled half to herself. "Is dad home?"

"Yes, your father's home. Ray!" Carla hollered, and Anastasia cringed and winced at the ear-piercing volume. She swore her parents were still stuck in the last century with the way they fumbled over their smart phones; but when it came to some other electronics, sometimes they were surprisingly intelligent. Perhaps that was the reason why she was so clumsy with the radio that she had left with a colleague of hers when she rushed to leave call," after

"Did you hear that?" Anastasia pulled the phone away and turned on speaker mode when all she could hear was noises as her mother carried the phone around the house looking for her husband. Christian chuckled and nodded, making her roll her eyes in exasperation.

Every other parents in their generation were coping better with smart phones. She swore that her parents were allergic to smart phones, which was why they were rejecting it so much.

"You're on speaker," Ray announced. That was after a long minute of fumbling and pressing on the wrong keys and listening to them fuss over the smallest changes wondering what had just happened.

"Oh, good. Finally," she took them off of speaker and raised the phone back to her ear. "I'm good. Christian's been taking good care of me and making me fat," she replied to her father's concerns. "I've gained weight already, mom,S" she whined when her mother demanded to know her diet.

"Are you sure you don't want to come stay with us for a bit?" Carla asked again.

Her folks were constantly worried about her since she had been discharged. Though, Ray less so compared to Carla. As an ex-Marine, he was just glad that his little girl came out alive with no permanent damage because he knew firsthand about the damages a bullet could do, but the recovery of the wound was an easy process that he wasn't all that worried about. He knew that Christian would be fussing over her like crazy, so he didn't have to add to the overprotective mix.

Carla, on the other hand, was a completely different case. Despite Ray'x constant reassurance, she was still worried sick that her daughter wouldn't be getting enough rest or food, or care. She would consider calling her everyday and if not for Ray putting a stop to it, Anastasia would be driven insane with her calls. Carla just wanted to be able to physically see her recover, it would put a mother's concern to rest. Still, all of those worry didn't stop her from continuing her enjoyment of the never-bursting bubble that she and Ray lived in.

"Okay, on to the purpose of this call," after fending off questions after questions about her health and wound, and at one point even having Christian take over so he could vouch for her as well as confess what he had done to aid her daily life; she was finally able to proceed with the call.

The SUV came to a halt before the apartment complex near Elliott Bay, the condo that they were currently staying at. Taylor opened the door for them and Christian helped her out of the car with her still talking rapidly into the phone explaining the situation as brief and concise as she could to save time.

Now come to think of it, perhaps they just might be the family. Ray and Carla were notorious for living in their own romantic world, they were always full of love. The love their share was so palpable that Christian thought he could see it everywhere in their house and touch the sparks whenever he was around them. They weren't bad parents either, albeit a few mistakes here and there over the course of raising Anastasia; she had grown up to become a remarkable woman, still. He thought they would be the perfect household, living in a rather quiet part of town in Montesano.

"Mom, can we take it one step at a time? I'm only living with Christian because I sold my apartment in Baltimore," and Christian made a mental note there and then to talk about exactly what she had sacrificed for him, "and, I can't possibly stay with Ethan forever. Besides, he insisted on taking care of me… no! It's different than moving in with him because we're not in a relationship!"

Christian could feel the sting from her words, but she was right, they weren't in a relationship; he didn't know what they were. Still, it was comical and entertaining for him to listen to this one-sided conversation, even though he still couldn't make out whether her parents had agreed or not.

"Mom, it's not the end of the world that I'm still single and sharing an apartment with another single man. We're just cohabitating," she rolled her eyes and bit back an explanation. "Mom, you do know that we don't need to get married to have kids, right? And, there are so many women out there my age or even older that are still single or not married but in a stable, committed relationship?"

"… but, you have a loving man with you, why not take him? He made a wonderful boyfriend four years ago, I'm sure he'd just be better this time around. I still don't know why you guys broke it off, but sometimes the time and distance makes the heart fonder. You should at least be thinking about settling down and having kids, everyone here does that in their mid-twenties…"

"Mom, I don't think you're supposed to be the one with baby fever after talking to the neighbors and visiting an orphanage. If you two really want some company, try Isaac. He only has to stay for two years."

"Ana, it's a lifetime's responsibility to adopt a child. Isaac is severely traumatized and we have no idea how to cope with children like him. I'd really like to help, but adoption is not an option at the moment. There are more than just one factor to consider when you make a decision like this, Ana. You don't just set a time limit. Thos kids at the orphanage, if Ray and I truly wanted to adopt, we could've picked one up there. The reason why we aren't open to the idea is because we aren't prepared to accept the life long responsibilities attached to having a child around. We only went to the orphanage to donate some of your old stuff after our neighbor took the ones she needs for her new granddaughter. It's not all rainbows and sunshines when it comes to raising a kid."

Anastasia groaned. She could understand that her parents were reserved and would more likely decline. Isaac was a delicate situation. It didn't make the Steeles cold-hearted or unsympathetic, but raising a teenager like a hands-on responsible parents require a lot of energy and commitment. They might be doing Isaac a favor by choosing not to adopt him. At the stage of their life, all they want would be basking in the joy of playing with their grandkids that they could just hand back if they started fussing. They just wanted a peaceful life that only included the positive side of having kids around but not the downside of it.

Carla went back to asking her daughter about her love life with her assumed son-in-law, who also conveniently didn't look all bad.

"Mom, you can just play with the neighbor's kids for now, and don't expect me to start popping kids out. You should be glad that at least there is a man that wants to stick with your daughter not thinking about ways to have him play family with me."

"When are you going to start popping babies out, then? Everyone in this community is having kids. The other neighbor's daughter is a year younger than you and she's already married with a son due very soon."

"If you keep badgering my ass about having babies then don't make a fuss when I tell you one day that I got knocked up and it's going to be born out of wedlock." That was meant to be a threat, but by the looks on Christian's face and the reaction from her mother over the phone, she could only deduce that the both of them didn't know that was supposed to be a deadpan; her poker face was too real.

When she finally hung up with her parents, Christian walked out of the spare bedroom with a pair of boxing gloves.

"Are these yours?"

"Yes."

"You still box?" He was suddenly thrown into the desire of wanting to spar with her and to watch her in action; she must be smoking hot and sexy.

"No, they've been in a box for over three years now. I would've told you to keep them in storage with the rest of your stuff at Escala if I knew they were in that box."

"Seems like you've got the whole set," he called from the guest room as he plucked out the rest of the gear.

"Yup, got them when I first started taking those lessons, but that didn't really go anywhere since I'm exhausted after working, so I'd eventually given up and quit going to the gym altogether. I only have two days to rest, and sometimes they're not even consecutive."

"The life of a doctor."

"Yup, spot on!" She nodded concurring, throwing her feet on the couch.

Christian walked up and sat next to her, he needed to ask about the phone call.

But, before they could continue their talk, Taco appeared.

He got up from the spot he was laying in the middle of the room to steal the boxing gloves the moment they were released from Christian's hand. He had been preying on it even since it was brought out. The couple watched him get into action and couldn't help but laugh at their daft dog's attempts to pick up two gloves at one go. They both knew it was going to end up on the floor in the guest room.

"So, what's the verdict?" He asked after Taco disappeared into the bedroom with one glove and another still on the floor.

"Tucks!" Anastasia laughed and pointed at the pooch that came sneaking back from the guest room behind Christian for the other glove. The dog wagged his tail even faster at the acknowledgement as he slowly lowered his head to the item, with a devious gleam in his eyes glaring at his owners, as if to taunt them that he was doing something bad. His eyes were saying 'watch me' as his teeth clamped down on the glove. "You told me he's trained and educated?" She lifted an eyebrow and pointed her index finger at the offending pooch who was now trotting back to the guest room victoriously, wiggling his ass along with his tail wildly all the way.

"He was probably tricked into obtaining that certificate. It's probably out dated anyway. Don't know if Flynn renewed it." Christian shrugged his shoulders as he watched their huge dog push and squeeze through the half-empty boxes at the door and sauntered proudly into the room. "Tucks?"

"Seems fitting. I've been calling him that in my mind for a while now, could be his new nickname. It's not like he cares what everyone calls him. He thinks everyone is looking for him whenever we have food, so he responds to all the calls. It sounds similar enough to him. Call it an endearment?" She shrugged her right shoulder so her injury wouldn't be as affected.

"Cool, we'll see if you can get him out of that shelter later when you don't have food or his leash and collar," he jabbed at the room behind him with an arrogant smirk. "Now, back onto the phone call, what did your parents say?"

Anastasia pursed her lips as she contemplated the best way to explain the reasoning to him before he stressed himself out and jump down her throat at her fruitless suggestion after learning about her folks' rejection.

"Um… they don't…" she hesitated on the wording. "They said no," then decided to outed directly, it was best not to prolong the inevitable and better to just face the consequences.

"Why?" Christian demanded. "They really only have to offer him a cover until he turns eighteen. If we give him money and provide everything for him, then your parents really don't have to do anything."

"Christian, it's not that simple," she took a deep breath, preparing herself for a long talk that would be about things that were completely irrelevant. "It's not about the money."

"Then what is it?"

"It's about the responsibilities."

"They don't have to be responsible for him. He's been doing well on his own for the past month and he likes that feeling of liberty and being free."

"That's not the point either. If my parents were to adopt Isaac, he becomes their responsibility by law; they are going to be his legal guardian. If Isaac got into trouble in the society, it would be on their heads. If Isaac doesn't behave, people will come to my parents and accuse them of bad parenting or lack of enforced discipline. It is my parents that will be subjected to the scrutiny."

Christian was still frowning with his brows creased. He still couldn't understand why they wouldn't step forward to help this troubled kid, but he knew if he voiced his next remark, Anastasia would explode on him. So, he wisely kept his opinion to himself and just stared at her, in hopes that his eyes could convey the confusion he was feeling.

"Adopting means he's legally a Steele, and my parents are his parents." Christian nodded, this was an understatement, everyone who could comprehend the law should understand it; it was almost like common sense. "Which is like having a teenage child." He shook his head once more in concurrence. "The only difference is, they would constantly be judged on how this kid should be raised and nurtured by the authority and the public, because he's a fragile kid and a high profile case. If they made a mistake and drama followed, then there's the risk of him going back into the system because the social workers deem my parents incapable of parenting him; the reasons are endless."

"So, your parents just don't want to risk their credits or I don't know, just don't want to take responsibilities and pay for potential consequences," he summarized. In the end, he was still voicing part of his opinions, so he had no idea how she would react to it.

"You can say that…" she nodded once and bit her lip as she watched him closely while he processed this confirmation.

"I mean no offense, but your parents just sounded cold-hearted and ignorant."

She sighed. It was one of the conclusions that she had expected he would come to. She didn't know what more to say to make him understand that adopting a child wasn't just about the paperworks.

"My parents just aren't at the stage for kids anymore, Christian. They do not have the energy and patience they once have."

"Then what is it about the baby fever that they are having?" It was a completely irrelevant topic but he thought it was related since he heard them talk about it throughout the phone call.

"At their stage in life, all they want is to see life as all sunshine and rainbows. They want to play with kids but be able to just hand them off to the parents once they're done spoiling them. My parents don't want to go through the roller-coaster ride that comes with investing fully in a teenager. Even if Isaac doesn't have a single baggage or flaw and is a perfect child, they'd still refuse to adopt him."

Anastasia had hoped that her speech could make him understand where her parents were coming from, but it did very little.

What she didn't realize or reflect on was the fact that perhaps she had been holding the Greys' past mistake against them, and her prejudice against them might be the reason why she ruled them out for adoption in the first place and never considered that they were much more resourceful and experienced than her own parents.

But, due to what had happened to Christian, it made Anastasia ignorant when it comes to his parents.

"Look, my parents had me at a considerably late age, and they didn't want to go through another pregnancy so they settled with a single child. Throughout my childhood and adolescence, they've never entertained the idea of having another kid; they told me that earlier. They are older than your folks in age, Christian, so it's understandable that they're in a different phase in life than your parents."

She studied his profile carefully, and watched his expression morph from showing a bit of understanding to confusion, then to a flash of anger, then finally settling on a mixture of uncertainty and irritation. She only hoped that the irritation wasn't directed at her.

Though, she knew of his notorious thin patience, so she wouldn't be surprised either if they were unintentionally directed at her.

"Okay…" she dragged the syllable out until she got his full attention. "I can see that I'm not making any sense to you right now. So, how about we pay them a visit in person and let them explain it to you. Or ask them if they could offer any kind of solution. How does that sound?"

Christian pondered for a few moments and concurred. He did want to talk to her dad, and it wasn't like his personal life wasn't a public record now anyway.

…

"Your dream car?" Ray jested again when he saw her getting out of the R8 that Christian insisted on driving. The SUV with Taco and the bodyguards was parked behind them, really closely to squeeze into the driveway. The sun was still shining bright despite being almost time for dinner as it was very late in the afternoon.

"I sold my car, daddy," she deadpanned. "I'm dirt poor at the moment."

That reminded Christian that he really needed to broach the subject of what exactly she'd done, soon.

"Taco!" Ray yelped, and his outstretched hand originally for Christian was now with a fist full of fur as he tried to pull the giant beast from giving him repeated bear hugs.

"Christian, it's been so long, how have you been?" Carla finally moved away from examining her daughter in the most thorough fashion. She rested her hands on his biceps and leaned up to kiss his cheeks, she had learned long ago that Christian didn't like to be touched, so she would confine her hugs. He was still uncomfortable around people in close proximity, not trusting them to keep their hands to themselves when they greet him in such a friendly manner.

"I'm doing well, all things considered, Carla." He replied with a polite air kiss before they pulled away. Then, he quickly latched onto Anastasia, seeking protection and solace, also a very legit excuse to touch her.

"Who are you hiding from? Tucks?" She giggled softly, laying her hands on his forearms that were around her shoulders, her back pressed firmly against his chest.

He leaned down and gave her a very reserved peck behind the ear on the sensitive spot, it was the point that would always make her shiver as wetness formed down below.

"Escaping from your mom's infamous bear hugs," he whispered in her ear.

Before she could retort, they were nearly swept off of their feet when Taco stormed past them and into the house, squeezing past their legs and almost breaking the door hinges.

That was then followed by Ray's booming laughters, as if he planned this with the pooch.

"Dad, remember that I told you about Christian and his cars?" She said aloud knowing that her father was not far behind them. Taco had rushed to the kitchen for food that Carla had saved for him.

"Yes, you want a Lamborghini." She turned around, forcing Christian to do the same since he still wasn't letting her go. "What! Don't stare at me like that," he protested, locking the door after the two bodyguards entered the house, heading straight for the TV that was turned on with some kind of sport program replaying.

"Then, how do you want me to look at you?" She deadpanned, earning a light chuckle next to his ear from Christian. "And, how in the world did you get the impression that I was talking about my sports car?"

"Are you not?" Ray asked lightheartedly, clearly not paying attention to her.

"Are you deaf?" She bantered with a groan as the back of her head hit Christian's chest, resting on it.

"You wanted a Lamborghini?" Christian peered down at her, she still had her eyes closed. Ray had made a beeline for the two off-duty security guards after he shrugged carelessly believing that he had successfully annoyed her daughter, leaving the young couple near the door. "Damn, should've deposit more than half a mil to that account back then."

Anastasia's eyes shot open as she fixed her gaze upward to his. "I never told you about that account, nor have I told you about the car!"

"You've briefly mentioned about wanting to get another car that Christmas in Baltimore." She thought back to what he was referring to, then recalled that was the first time she'd ate something he cooked, and it got her addicted to his cooking ever since.

"I wasn't even certain that it would be a car!" That was a blatant lie, but she just felt the need to make it clear for reasons even unknown to her; that account was supposed to be for her car since she created it.

"I remember seeing it in your eyes that it was indeed for a car."

She huffed.

"What's with the attitude?" He lightly brushed his lips over the shell of her ear, making her shiver. "Have I spoiled you too much?"

"So, you remember," she scoffed softly, mainly in an attempt to forget about the moist pooling at her core and the rising lust for the man.

"Of course I remember. I didn't suffer from amnesia." He smirked, knowing full well what she was doing and feeling smug at the same time for succeeding on his seduction scheme; though, she was going to be teased for a long time since she still wasn't cleared for intercourse, and he refused to engage in any other sexual activity just in case he got carried away.

"Christian, come over, boy!" Ray hollered from the TV, effectively ruining the couple's moment. "You never made good on your promise of that baseball game. It's been three years or was it four now? I'm holding you to it!" He called out, eliciting a giggle from Anastasia, she knew her parents loved Christian like their own. Even though, they had never voiced that to her, she knew that they wished for her and Christian to marry. "Son! Pry your hands off of my daughter and get over here!"

"I'm on my way!" Christian shouted back, his response filled with mirth.

The Steeles had always been a fun, laidback, and lighthearted household. He had always enjoyed visiting, it was a really different environment.

Though sometimes he did feel like this family was probably too limitless when they joked around. Granted, it was a tight-knitted family but he still couldn't get used to some of the borderless comments. It wasn't inappropriate per se, but just a bit awkward given the circumstances. And, he knew he wouldn't escape one of those grueling teasings today, especially after his very public display of affection with Anastasia.

Ray immediately accosted Christian the moment he appeared in his peripheral near the TV, demanding to learn more about his plans to keep that promise he allegedly made this elder man four years ago. Ray claimed that he made the promise to him when he was pursuing Anastasia.

"I honestly don't remember," Christian protested again, but that fell on deaf ears once more. Even Taylor snorted a laugh.

"Your bodyguard seems to have a different opinion," Ray would not rest until he had his fill of toying with the young man.

"When does he ever agree with me? He's as good as fired," Christian said dryly but he wasn't even looking at Taylor—his eyes were glued to the sports on the TV.

"I'll see to it," Sawyer announced, earning a kick on the shin from Taylor's heel. "You do realize that I work for him right? You weren't the one who vetted me."

"Oh yes, of course, only the best for Ana…" Taylor grunted dramatically, "but don't forget that your recommendation came from me!" He jabbed his thumb to himself proudly.

Christian snorted loudly at their banter, he had only got around the idea that it was perfectly fine to share some down-time with his only two securities well into his intensive therapy; mostly because they were the only men constantly around him during hie recovery. Still, they did share some relaxing moments between the three of them over a few bottles of beers.

After a very uneventful but delightful dinner affair, Taylor and Sawyer both disappeared into the only two guest rooms prepared for them, leaving Christian with the Steeles.

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