Apov
I ran to my car, ignoring Christian as he called my name. Putting the key into the ignition, I wanted to cry when it wouldn't start. Over and over again I tried to start the car before I got out, leaving the key where it was and ran.
I knew Christian was not far behind me. He had walked this road many times before so he knew where I was going.
He had to be lying about Elliot. Why should I believe the one who has been gone all these years over the one who had been there for me.
Granted I didn't see Elliot a lot, he worked away most of the time and maybe came back once a month. He had been there for me on the end of the line though, that friendly voice when I just needed to chat. He had been mad at me yesterday though when I had told him after he touched my face, not to. I didn't feel anything like that for him, it was his brother who I'd loved, who'd held my heart and even now as he repeated the word "Our" with regards to Theodore as I turned into his street, my heart ached for what we'd once had.
"Yes, ours… Call Elliot" I panted into my phone before the ringing started and then continued, the call going unanswered.
"How," Christian asked, stopping me in my tracks. "I've seen photos of your child Ana, I've been gone over six and a half years, your child is a lot younger than that."
"You know nothing about him and the start to life he's had" I spat, spinning around to face him "What, you think I was out there whoring myself around just because you left. If you think that you know nothing about me either."
"Ana," he said reaching for my hand which I quickly pulled away.
"You abandoned me, Christian... If you had been around, you would never question who Theodore's parents are."
"I DIDN'T ABANDON YOU ANA" He shouted at me, every word said with frustration. Just like when he'd argued with his parents, his hands found their way into his hair, pulling tight.
I had seen him do this so many times before and despite something inside me wanting to soothe his pain as I'd always done, I was too angry to do that. So instead I spoke words that I knew would hurt him more, just like saying each one of them hurt me too.
"Yes, you did. Every time you went running to him, leaving me behind" I whispered. "You made a choice that night Christian and like always, you chose him."
Turning away from him, I continued to run. Going up the porch steps once I had reached the house, I banged on the door shouting both Elliot's and my son's names.
"Ana, Ana stop" Christian said, reaching for my arm before I spun around on him.
"No, ELLIOT, THEODORE" I screamed banging on the door again before turning to the driveway as if to go back to my car before I remembered it wasn't here.
So instead, I scrambled around on the floor, remembering and hoping that what Christian had told me of his mother leaving a spare key in the bottom of the pink flower pot was true. As it smashed to the floor, soil and the dead plant going everywhere, I found the key just as Christian's foot hit the door, the wood splintering under the force of it as it opened. I had never wanted to use the key Elliot had given to me, never wanting to step into this house again but I needed to, my son should be here, playing with his uncle while I made his birthday cake.
While I ran through the house, my footsteps were the only ones I heard. As I rushed back through the hallway, I noticed Christian still stood by the broken door, dare he not come in.
"Ana" he shook his head.
"Why don't you move" I spat at him, "Our son, he should be here, this was supposed to be where Elliot was bringing him after going to the park. We passed the park, they were not there…. NO" I called out, rushing towards a dresser on the other side of the room before dropping down in front of it.
My cry made Christian finally move as he came over to my side. Looking at him as I held my son's diabetic pouch in my hand I realised for the first time since he had appeared in my kitchen that what he was telling me maybe the truth as wherever Theodore is, this should be there too.
"Ana, I know I don't deserve your trust but please believe me when I say that Elliot is no longer here. I held his lifeless hand until we were pulled from the car, I watched my brother die and because of that when I was sat in a courtroom after losing both of you in one night, I did nothing to defend myself, I stayed quiet because I had nothing left to give."
"Christian."
"Please, believe me, Ana."
"Christian, I want my boy" I cried before running for the back of the house again, hoping that this had not been a mistake and Theodore and Elliot were climbing the trees and I had just missed them. As Christian joined me outside on the back porch, my phone started to ring.
"Put it on speaker" Christian said when he saw his brother's name displayed. Upon doing as he asked, I spoke.
"Hi Elliot, where are you," I asked, trying to sound as if I wasn't having a panic attack as we walked back inside.
The phone was quiet for a few moments, not even a breath could be heard until a voice came through the speaker, words said not in comfort as they usually were but this time with a sneer.
"Is he there."
"Is who here?" I asked seeing the immediate shake of Christian's head. I knew with the look of horror on his face that Christian wasn't telling me to lie and say that he wasn't here, he was shaking his head to tell me that the voice on the phone wasn't one he recognised, it wasn't his brothers.
"The con."
"What, what type of question is that. Can you bring Theodore home please, his cake is ready?"
"No, I'm sorry, I can't do that" he laughed.
"Elliot, please what's going on. You left his insulin here, Theodore will need it, you know that. Can you check the monitor on his pump please, tell me what it is?"
"Whoops," he replied, amusement filling his voice. He was laughing and I was having a meltdown, which made me pissed. "I'm so forgetful these days. His pump, is working, for now."
"What is wrong with you" I spat, "Where are you then, I will come and pick him up."
"Sorry Ana, I can't tell you that" he laughed.
"GIVE ME BACK MY SON" I screamed before it was Christian who spoke next.
"This is Jack isn't it, fuck, it has to be."
"What, who," I asked, my head spinning at Christian saying a name that wasn't his brother's. Whoever he was, he didn't answer as the phone went quiet for a few moments before with an evil chuckle he came back on the line again.
"Very good Christian. You don't know how happy I am to know that I've not been kept a secret from everyone. Did he talk about me often, he told me all about you."
"Please" I begged, not caring who this man was as long as he brought Theodore back.
"Please what, Ana dear, you want answers" he laughed. "I'm feeling rather generous today with it being my boy's birthday and all so I'll give you something... To answer your question, I'm Elliot's brother, Elliot's identical twin brother to be exact" he laughed.
"What," I whispered, feeling as if my legs were going to go before Christian's arm came around my waist to steady me. I ignored how it felt to be touched by him again, I had other things to think about. "PLEASE, WHERE IS MY BOY?" I sobbed before this man, someone who I thought was my only link to Christian started mocking me, pretending to cry too.
"What do you want," Christian asked him, his voice radiating with anger too.
"I want, all that is yours… I knew you would come back here at some point and she would immediately let you in so I settled for Theodore instead" he spat.
"Elliot, Jack whoever you are, please…. Please Theodore needs me" I begged.
"He's fine with me, his favourite uncle. I could've been his father Ana, I was there for you and him, more than Grey could've ever been… You want to know who I am, I was the one who was left behind…."
"No you weren't, that was me" I whispered as this man continued to speak.
"You see, listening to Elliot tell me about his life, his happy family, I was angry that we were split up as children and he got that life and I was eventually returned to our alcoholic mother. I wanted that to be me, to be a Grey. I wanted his life, the house he took me to while you spent all your time at hers and then when he asked me to come with him to your graduation, I saw what you and Ana had and decided to take that as well."
"Elliot didn't come to my graduation" Christian told him.
"He did, he stayed in the background, watched you walk across the stage to receive your diploma. Elliot wasn't in what you could call the best state so he didn't want you to see him there and later on it was me who encouraged him to make the call, knowing, hoping that with a few tweaks here and there to get both of you out of the way and not just him, all that I had planned would fall into place."
"You took him away from me, you took Christian" I cried. "What did I ever do to you."
"Nothing Ana, you did nothing until you started rejecting me, so now you need punishing too… Just be thankful."
"Thankful" I spat.
"Yes be thankful, that Theodore has done nothing yet to anger me otherwise I may have to punish him next."
"You, DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HIM" I screamed.
"Sorry I had no choice but to do that Ana, he's a little sleepy at the moment so I had to carry him, put him down for a nap."
He'd done something to my boy. Theodore hadn't needed an afternoon nap in years and only had one now if he was feeling unwell. Just the thought of him intentionally making my baby ill had my body shaking once more, my need to do something, to get help overriding my need to stay here.
"Speak to him" I whispered to Christian, calling out so that this Jack could hear that I felt sick and needed some air. Having no choice but to leave the house, having checked the landline phone on my initial runaround and finding it was dead, I ran next door to where the Potters lived.
I hammered on the door, hoping I didn't give the old man a heart attack in the process. As he opened the door, I apologised, running past him in the hope of finding a working phone.
"Ana dear, what is it," Marge Potter asked me, coming from the kitchen, wiping her hands on a towel.
"Elliot" I cried, my whole body shaking.
"He's not here. I've not seen his car parked outside the house in a long time" she replied, trying to calm me down.
"No, what," I said, knowing I had seen him a lot over the past couple of days. If he's not been here, then where. That was another question that would need to be answered but only when I could stop the stammer that my words had turned into when I had finally regained my voice.
"Calm down and take a deep breath, that's it girl breathe" Marge spoke calmly, calm which was something I was not. It did help though.
"Elliot's taken him, he's taken, Theodore. He's taken my son, Marge and he says he won't give him back."
The phone I had been looking for was thrust into my hand then. Immediately calling the sheriff's office, I breathed my first sigh of relief when Luke answered the phone.
"Luke, Grey house" I panted, my voice in-between a squeal and a squeak now.
"Ana what the hell's wrong, what's going on."
"He took him and he won't bring him back. Elliot Grey has taken Theodore Luke, only that's not who he is. Please get here, look out for his car, Luke he's left the insulin here."
"I'm on my way Ana" I heard before he shouted Kate's name.
"Luke, Christian's here."
"I know Ana," he sighed. "Stay there in case he comes back, I'll send Gerry to your home."
"Thank you" I whispered, my throat so hoarse from all the shouting and crying I had done. Placing the phone back into Roger's hand, I ran back next door knowing the old couple were following me. Just as I entered the house, it was Christian's scream that I heard.
"YOU KILLED MY BROTHER."
"Funny, it wasn't me who was driving the car that night. Now where has our girl gone, she's very quiet" Jack asked.
"That's what usually happens when you have a panic attack, now please, I will beg if you want me to, but please bring him back" Christian pleaded.
"No" was all he said before ending the call.
Christian turned, the phone still in his hand as I stood by the door. Rushing over to me before my legs gave way, he cradled me in his arms as I cried.
If you had told me a couple of days ago that I would be back in his arms again, I would have told you to go away. Now, as I sobbed, soaking his shirt in the process, despite the anger that I've felt at him since his return, I was glad he was here.
We tried to call the number back I had for Elliot who turned out to be Jack but it just rang out before on the next try it was like the phone had been switched off.
It wasn't long before wailing sirens approached and I just stood there, being held by Christian. I wanted to run around the town, scream my son's name and look for him but Luke had told me to stay put and for the moment that's all I could do.
It was Kate's voice that I heard first as she quickly approached before she skidded on the wooden floor nearly falling into the room. At any other time, I would've laughed but now, I just wanted to scream, to throw things and cry. None of those would find my son so I just listened as Christian told both Luke and Kate what had gone on.
"Jack who," Luke asked.
"I think it's something like High, Hind. Elliot only mentioned it once when they contacted him and after he just called them, them," Christian told him. "I found my adoption papers in the back of a drawer upstairs after Carrick and Grace had left, my birth certificate too. Maybe with the other papers that were there, there is Elliot's also, unless he has removed them…"
Christian had carried on speaking as he let me go and ran for the stairs with Luke in pursuit. While they were gone, I headed for the door, wanting to escape.
"Ana, you need to stay," Kate said as she followed me to the door.
"I can't just sit around and do nothing Kate, he left this here," I said of my son's insulin pouch which my mother had embroidered Theodore's name on it. "He's going to need it."
"I know Ana, Luke told Betty as we were leaving to put a call out that a child in the area is missing. Betty knows Theodore, she will give a perfect description of him. That was an endangered child alert, Ana, I need you to tell me what he was wearing and we'll need a recent picture of him because this is going to go further than a local area search."
"I feel sick" I moaned, running into the kitchen before vomiting in the sink. To think it needed to go as far as putting out an Amber Alert made my head spin. While I was trying and failing to wipe my mouth as I threw up again, my phone started to ring.
"Luke" Kate shouted. "Get your ass down here."
"I'm here, I can hear," he said before taking the phone from the top of the couch where Christian had left it and answered the call after telling everyone except me to stay quiet.
"Ell, Jack is that you."
"Mommy."
"Theodore" I cried. "Sweetheart, where are you."
"He's with me," Jack replied, laughing.
"I want to come home" I heard Theodore cry. "Mommy he won't bring me home."
"Mommy will find you, sweetheart," I told him, urging him to be strong like he's always been.
"Oooh, so certain Ana. You have no clue as to where we are."
"Stop this" Christian spat. "Ana, Theodore, they have done nothing to you."
"Maybe not, but they are the ones that are going to pay. I…"
"Why are you being so mean" Theodore shouted, "Take me home."
"Your boy's got spunk, Grey. Let's see how he acts when he needs the insulin that Ana has in her hand."
I froze at his words before looking around the room. He had to have cameras in here to know what I was still holding. Luke had come to the same conclusion too before he spoke.
"You know, Jack Hyde is it, it's rude to spy on people."
"Sheriff, I've seen you around, although I've been lucky enough to stay out of your way. You're looking well though for doing such a stressful job, the Mrs too. Katie, you never did let me buy you that drink."
"I'd rather drink my own vomit" she replied with disgust.
"You can have Ana's she's just got rid of some of hers."
"Why are you doing this," I asked again. "Theodore has done nothing to you, please I'll give you anything you want, just give me him."
"I wanted you but you turned me down repeatedly, pining for him instead. So I will settle for Theodore if I can't have the life Elliot told me about or you."
"Elliot's life was hell, just like mine was," Christian told him. "He was lying if he told you anything else."
"Now who's the one that's lying" he laughed.
"He's not, the Grey's were nothing but abusive bullies," I told him, pleading with him once again to return my son.
"It doesn't matter either way because Theodore is now mine and we all know whether you want it to be or not, that by the end of all this, you will be too."
The sound of silence greeted us again and looking at the others in the room, I just picked up a vase that I knew was Grace's and threw it across the room.
That didn't make me feel any better, the broken pieces wouldn't look out of place anyway as this house was a mess.
As minutes turned to hours I sat on the front steps of the sheriff's office, my body numb as I watched what felt like the whole town come and go. It was me who wanted to go, not back to that house which was being treated like a crime scene now, I wanted to go wherever my boy was. However, I was told I had to be close when a call came in again. I knew Christian was sitting beside me, I could feel him there but I didn't look at him, fearing he would disappear again too.
As day turned to night, knowing Theodore would be spending his first-ever night without his nightlight, his bear, without me, I screamed his name. My whole body shaking was the last thing I remembered before in the middle of a panic attack, I passed out.
Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it.
We have a lot more to come of this story as Ana and Christian search for their son and in the process become closer once again.
Until next time, take care.
Caroline.