APOV

One day of classes I had missed after the interview and I refused for it to be two. That one day was only so extra security procedures could be implemented both at home and the university.

As far as I was concerned, I didn't see anything different with security, it felt the same as before all of this happened as they kept their distance or stayed out of sight.

The only difference I did notice when I was walking to the auditorium where I planned to speak to all groups today, was that many stared.

Thankfully my focus went from everyone around to my phone when it rang.

"Hello."

"Hey Boo, where are ya."

"Where do you think I would be on a Tuesday during term time," I asked Luke, unable to control my smile especially at his following words.

"At the salon, having your nails done, hair. You could have a pedicure too."

"Luke" I laughed. "You more than anyone should know what happens if you try and touch my feet."

"So very true" he groaned. "I think I was walking funny for a week. I was only trying to tickle your feet after you soaked Christian and me with the hose" I heard him say as I greeted Ashley and Darla, another girl in my group who were heading the opposite way.

"Are you not attending the class?" I asked them.

"Of course, Professor, I've left my work in the car," Ashley replied.

"Ok, don't be late."

"Who was that," Luke asked as the girls continued in their direction and I continued in mine.

"Some students of mine."

"Oh right. You're not getting trouble from anyone there are you."

"No, I've had many people stare since I arrived not long ago but apart from the girls, no one has said anything to me. I have nothing to hide Luke and neither does Christian. Our child is a part of us both and they will not be hidden" I told him.

"I agree, now I have a problem. Something I want to speak to you about before you start your day."

"And what's that," I asked him, taking a seat on the small wall just outside the auditorium doors.

"Do you remember when we were kids."

"Vaguely" I teased. "It's so so long ago."

"We're not that old Ana, well you might not be. I feel ancient now, thanks."

"What were you asking about" I laughed.

"Christian asked me to be his best man."

"Did you expect him not to?" I asked.

"No, and I would've been pissed had he not done so. No, I'm kidding, I wouldn't have been if he had wanted Elliot but instead, he asked me."

"Elliot's his brother, yes Luke but as that saying goes, friends, best friends especially, are the family we choose. You're his brother just as much as Elliot is, being a best friend also gives you that added advantage above everyone else."

"Which brings me back to my problem."

"Which is," I asked.

"When we were kids and we told you, no boy would ever get near you unless he had our approval, that if Ray couldn't when you got married, one of us would give you away."

"Yes," I replied, smiling as I thought of how protective of me they were then and how nothing, despite the years we were parted, had changed in regards to that.

"Well, Christian can't give you a way to himself and with me being his best man..."

"That leaves Grandma" I stated, having already asked her yesterday when it was just the two of us at home while Christian was with Taylor and someone called Welch sorting security out.

"Grandma's going to give you away," he asked.

"She is that, and I can't wait."

I looked down to my hand, my finger which now wore two rings. One made of platinum which shined with diamonds and the other just as pretty, made of fibre, Barnard's fur. Both were special to me even though I know one won't last that long. Barnard would only be too happy to let Christian make another in the future though, I would only have to ask.

I could sense the relief in Luke's voice that he hadn't let me down. He'd needn't have worried though as I know whichever part, he plays in my wedding he will always be by our side.

His words of support were what was running through my mind when I stepped out onto the stage of the auditorium, one filled with students of all classes that were teaching all aspects of agricultural. When the questions came after, those too made me smile as they were about the slides my students, in particular, had already seen and had now been shared with all and where we go forward from here.

Bigger, is where we go, taking a larger area of barren land and making that flourish, something the original albeit generous budget wasn't able to do. Speaking of my plans with Christian to look for some areas in the States as well as expand overseas, the budget had been expanded to whatever was needed. Only I knew that though and it would be released as to when needed, otherwise, I could see some here at this university, some in other departments seeing available money and spending it on useless things like new uniforms for the cheerleaders even though they only had them last year and not essential things like growing food to eat.

Walking back to the car after my last class, I could sense my CPO's were close. I had nodded to Ryan in the security office that I was leaving for the day as I passed and it didn't take him long to follow. When I arrived at my car though, at this time of day mine was not the only one here. Ashley was here and by the look of it she was on her phone having a heated conversation with whomever she was speaking to.

I nodded to her when she noticed me, pretending not to notice how red her face was. My focus went to my own phone then when it started to ring.

"Good evening Mr Grey."

"Hello, beautiful" he replied.

"Not that I'm complaining but I didn't expect to hear from you yet," I told him.

"I know, I'm waiting on a video call from the Philippines so I'm going to be late getting home this evening."

"Ok, why don't you call me when you're free then and not the other way around."

"I will baby," he said before I turned when I was spoken to.

"Goodnight Professor Lambert" Ashley spoke quietly, walking past me as if she was heading back to the building.

"Goodnight Ashley, do you have an evening class," I asked, wondering if she had taken on the beauty class she originally wanted to do.

"No Professor, the work I left in my car this morning, I've forgotten again, it's still in my locker along with the assignment you set today. I want to get started on it tonight."

"Alright, I will see you in the morning" I replied before going back to Christian. "Sorry about that."

"It's ok, you're still at work. Who was that?" he asked, just as Luke had done earlier.

"One of my students," I told him before getting into my car.

"Have they been giving you any trouble, Luke said that some were staring at you."

"No, I think some are expecting the press to invade campus again, there's always some who love the drama. With security ramped up, unless you have a staff or student pass, you're not getting on campus."

"Does that mean I can't meet you after work again?"

"No, you're fine. I have a pass just for you saying VIP. I will give it to you when I see you Friday night."

"Friday, it's so far away" he complained making me laugh.

"I know it is but we did have an extra day together."

"I know Ana, I just miss you when I'm not with you and when I am the time seems to fly by. I've been looking at something."

"And what is that," I asked.

"A property, one for after we're married as it needs a bit of work."

"Where is it," I asked nervously, wanting nothing more than to live with him, wake every morning with him but I was worried about leaving grandma on her own.

"Not far from where you are" he assured me. "Don't worry, I will travel, you won't have to unless it's the short distance to grandmas or the university. There is room for Grandma to come with us, a cottage also should she want her independence that once it's been renovated would be perfect. I suspect though with how much she loves her home, she would rather stay there so that's why I found somewhere close."

We both heard a beep then, Andrea's voice following over the intercom to let him know that his video call would start in a few minutes. Telling Christian, I would speak to him later, I ended the call.

Back at home, I spoke to Christian that night after dinner, spoke to him while I was in the middle of the alpaca enclosure. Like always when I was in here recently, I'd taken photos of the animals, Mike and Sully especially, a record for me to show already how much they had grown. It was in here that I also watched Barnard closely because like every day since the coyote had paid us a visit, he was on guard.

"What is it boy," I asked when I had finished speaking to Christian. I would speak to him later like I always did when we were apart, once I was in bed.

Barnard, of course, couldn't answer me with words but with the whines, the spit aimed towards the corner of the property, he wasn't happy about something.

Stroking the back of his neck to reassure him, I left the enclosure heading in the direction of where Barnard was looking. Picking up a broken piece of fence post that Christian had removed over the weekend in case I came face to face with a coyote or some other visitor, I walked along the fence line, seeing nothing.

The area beyond my property was mostly open fields, empty now the cows had headed in for milking. There was a line of trees on the east side and as I looked along them as far as I could see, just like with the field, I could see nothing out of place.

Maybe he's still on edge from our visitor, whatever it is though, he's not normally like this.

"Problem" Grandma asked me.

"I don't think so. Barnard's on edge but I can't see anything out there" I called to her.

"He's been like that all day" she admitted, entering the enclosure. "Maybe he's warning anything that may be out there not to come close."

"Maybe" I admitted.

Barnard's emotions if you could call it that, his lack of hormones since he was gelded has meant he's been all over the place sometimes. Maybe he's still adjusting to it, still trying to get a handle on how he's feeling inside. Whatever it is, he's not happy about something as even with Grandma speaking to him now, his focus is still on the area where I was.

"Is that where the coyote got in?" Grandma asked of the section I went back to which Barnard was still staring at.

"Maybe, Christian did replace this whole area" I replied, turning my back on it as I joined Grandma in the enclosure.

I stayed outside until the animals were safe and secure for the night, Barnard finally relaxing enough to have some fun with the others. When it was me tucked up safe and secure in my bed, it was Christian's voice down the phone that lulled me to sleep, just like it does every night.

….

CPOV

A voice through a phone, why could that one voice play on my mind so much.

It wasn't the voice of my beloved that I was thinking about, although she is on my mind, in my thoughts every second of the day. No, it was a voice that I'd heard when I was speaking to Ana, one that I'm sure I've heard before but couldn't place.

Thoughts of that voice disappeared from my mind when a grim-looking Taylor entered my office, followed by an even grimmer looking Welch.

"What is it," I asked, waiting for one of them to speak.

"Sir," Taylor spoke up. "We've been looking into who released the information on Ana, sorry Professor Lambert..."

"No Taylor, if Ana has told you to call her that, then please do so. I will only get in trouble if I try and forbid it."

Wrapped around her finger Taylor mumbled under his breath with a smile. I didn't correct him though as I happen to agree.

"Thank you, sir," he said, words that I should hear this time. "As I was saying, we've been looking for who released the information on Ana, her mother in particular and this is what we've found."

He put the file he'd brought in down in front of me, each page as grim as the next. The many husbands she's had, the poor souls dragged into her games, her lies only to be left with nothing once she'd moved on. She had a police file as long as my arm, charges of theft and extortion to prostitution too. It was the last page that gained my attention most, the look on their faces matching mine.

"Is this right?" I asked them.

"We believe so, Sir. We struggled to find the information initially as she'd changed her name again but there was no marriage to match it" Welsh replied.

"I need to get to Ana," I told them both as once again my helicopter was needed and again they were coming with me.

….

I was as agitated as Ana had told me Barnard has been for the past few days. Willing first the helicopter to fly faster through the rain that now fell and then the car to speed as we headed towards Ana's home where I knew she would be at this time of day.

We entered the parking lot of RoseAna's just as the last car was leaving, the closed signs now being changed on the door. Parking around the side beside Ana's car which was still warm, I entered the kitchen, startling both women inside.

"Son, you scared me" Grandma spoke, her hand over her chest.

"I apologise, I needed to come and see Ana, see both of you."

"What is it," Ana asked, as I wrapped her in my arms, having missed her so much in the few days since I had seen her.

"Son, what's wrong," Grandma asked also, seeing how tightly I was holding her granddaughter.

"Do you want me to" Taylor spoke up from the doorway, being gestured inside by grandma, Welch too.

"Please" I replied.

"Welch and I have been looking into where the story came from that was released, looking for your mother to warn her to stay away" Taylor stated.

"What, Christian?"

"I didn't want her upsetting you again Ana, she's already caused you so much pain. I didn't want her interfering with our future."

"Have you found her?" Grandma asked, her voice tinged with anger, hatred for that woman.

"In a way" Welch spoke up.

"I don't understand" Ana whispered.

Taylor walked forward, handing Ana the papers he had shown me in the office, ones I'd thought I had left behind in my haste to get here.

I watched as Ana read through the papers until she got to the last page, her eyes widening just as mine must have done.

"What is it dear," Grandma asked her.

"Is this right?" Ana asked, a question I had asked myself in the office.

"Yes, we've checked and double-checked. I've read the police report and was able to see in that, the final photo of her too" Taylor told her wincing.

"These papers say that Carla Stuart is deceased, she died of a drugs overdose three years ago."

"If she's gone then who knew those details, who else knew what went on," I asked Ana.

"Christian" Ana whispered, her body shaking in my arms. "The only other person who knew what happened was her husband at the time, Stephen Morton, husband number three."

Thank you for reading.

I'm not sure if that's classed as a cliffhanger, a little one maybe. I will have the next chapter up as soon as it's finished, hopefully later this week.

Until then, take care.

Caroline.