A/N: Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read and review, I'm not begging here but keep reviewing and I will keep writing. Not sure where this story is going to go, it has taken on a life of its own.

Seattle life

Anna was slowly settling into her new life in Seattle. It had taken her awhile to learn where everything was and she still had not explored much of the city. She had learned to navigate Philadelphia growing up there it wasn't hard, and then had learned to find her way around Chicago pretty well by the time she had left there again. But Seattle was a different story and a little harder to get around but she was getting there. She was beating on the steering wheel now of the small cherry red rodeo that Carter had bought for her to get around town in, stuck in an early morning traffic jam on the 405. She had the route from the apartment complex that she was staying in just off the east side of Lake Washington to Children's in downtown Seattle. It was a pretty drive and she had learned how to judge a little bit better, how much time it took for her to get from home to work. Doug had helped her get if figured out taking her the day before she started in the morning showing her just how backed up traffic could get. She had only been late once and Doug had laughed at her when she came running into to the hospital since then she had not made that mistake again.

She sung along now with the radio as the traffic crept along slowly but surely, she was getting there, with a latte in one hand she moved the car over into the lane that she needed to exit to get to work. She pulled into the doctor's parking lot and walked into the hospital with that smile on her face.

"Ah, good morning there Doug," Anna said as she tucked her stuff into a locker.

"Good morning to you to there Anna." He said looking at her, "settling into a routine now?"

"Yeah you could say that I am." She replied pulling on her lab coat. "I didn't think that I would learn to love this place like this, but the weather isn't half bad, the drive to work is long but beautiful, and there's coffee just about everywhere you look."

"Ah, I see you have settled into Seattle life just fine." He smiled at her. "Maybe you could have dinner here with Carol and I again one of these nights. The girls really like you and I know that Carol would love to have you over again."

Anna just smiled softly as she placed her stethoscope around her neck, "yeah I would like that. Just let me know when." She said as she headed out the door and off to work.

Two weeks later……..

Fifteen more minutes of work and she would have two days off now. Doug said that she was going to be stuck with the night shifts but so far all she had was mostly days and a couple of swing shifts. She had plans to meet Doug and Carol at their house for dinner tonight. She tried not to watch the clock as she finished up with her last tiny patient and headed back to the locker room and lounge to gather up her stuff and head out. She was going to go back to her apartment grab a quick shower before heading over there. She was not due to their house until seven. They were having a late dinner tonight, and then tomorrow they were going out on the lake for lunch and some boating. Anna had never been on a boat and she was looking forward to getting the chance to go out and have some fun. She let herself into her apartment; she really liked the place that Doug and Carter had found for her. The rent was not outrageous, it was just big enough for her with enough space for just one person, and that was all she really needed. She looked at the fireplace in her living room that was a nice touch that she was happy to have. She checked her mail before heading into the bathroom to shower. She let the hot water fall over her body, after the day she had she needed it. Not that it had been a terrible day, just extremely busy for her.

She got out dried off and had just finished changing her clothes when the phone rang. She walked over and picked it up. "Hello?"

"Did you think you could hide from me forever Anna?"

"Max." She said softly as the fear started to set in her heart beating faster. She walked over and checked to make sure the door was locked and dead bolted.

"Ah now is that anyway to talk to your husband?" She heard him ask.

"Well that's just a technicality that I haven't had the chance to rectify yet." She said into the phone walking over to the window to see if she could see him near her apartment. As she scanned the parking lot, she did not see him or anything out of the ordinary.

"Well if you're smart you won't either, you will get your ass back home where it belongs." He said to her.

"Max, I'm not leaving where I am at." She said trying to be firm. However, she knew that was not going to get her anywhere with him.

"Oh Seattle can not be treating you that well." Max said hoping to scare her a little more; he could tell that she was nervous talking to her, "pacing that apartment right now looking to see if you can see me hiding in the parking lot Anna. Please you should know me better than that. Do you think that I would be sitting out in the open where you could see me?"

"No," she said softly, "I am not pacing either now."

"Well no not now your not, but you were." He said, "I'll find you, getting your phone number wasn't that hard so finding out where you are staying shouldn't be that hard either. Moreover, I know your little rich boyfriend went back to Chicago. What are you going to do now that your protector isn't there now?"

"I don't need protecting Max." She said now, "You are not going to bully me anymore."

"No you need protecting from yourself and that's my job." Max said to her. "I'm coming to get you Anna don't forget that and I expect a warm welcome from you when I get there and then you and I are heading back to Philadelphia where you belong."

"You wont' be getting a warm welcome from me, and I am not leaving with you or anyone else for that matter." She said now finding some courage.

"Yeah you will baby just wait and see, you will be home before you know it." He said to her before he hung up the phone. He was not going to tell her when he was coming keep her on her guard for a few days and maybe then, he would show up. He wanted to watch her for a few more days and get a feel for what she did, where she went so that when he made his move he would not make it at the wrong time.

Anna put the phone back down and grabbed her purse locking up her apartment before heading over to Doug's. She burned rubber a little more in her rodeo than she normally would, but even though she tried not to show it on the phone she was terrified. She had no idea how Max would have found her in Seattle, how he would have known to look there of all places, it's not like they had told anyone where they had gone, Carter wouldn't have blabbed where she was staying to Max or given her phone number out. Anna almost could not help but wonder if Max had not hired a private eye to look for her, to turn over rocks and find her no matter how well she had been hidden.

Anna got out of the car but only after looking around and driving past Doug's house probably about 10 times. She was not sure why she had done that. It might have been insane but for some reason she could not shake the feeling that someone was following her even though she was not sure. She got out and almost ran for the door, knocking a little harder than she normally would have.

'Hi Anna," Doug said as he opened the door and could see the fear now in her eyes. "What is wrong?"

Anna got inside, "Max called tonight after I got out of the shower." She said her wet hair still sitting on her shoulders. "I don't know how he got my number. I didn't call him, Carter wouldn't have told him, I have no idea how he's found me."

"Whoa there," Doug said leading her into the kitchen and setting her down at the table, "Max called you here in Seattle?"

"Yes," She said her hands now shaking.

"Okay, we'll figure this out." Doug said looking at her. "There's got to be something that we can do. You don't' need to worry we are not going to let him find you."

"It's too late he already has." She said still shaking now, "he said that he's coming to get me and that he's taking me home one way or another and I really don't want to find my way inside a pine box."

"You won't." Doug said, "We are going to work this out and if you have to stay here for a few days then you stay here. If not we put you up in a hotel for a while until this blows over. Keep you in a crowd of people not alone. And we will call Carter and let him know what's going on."

Anna sighed, "See this is what I didn't want. Everyone is putting their lives in danger trying to keep me out of danger. You have to think of Carol and the girls. My husband is dangerous and I don't want the girls or Carol to be in his line of fire."

"We are going to help you Anna." He said touching her hand as Carol walked into the kitchen seeing that Anna was there now. "Nothing has changed. You are still our friend and we will get this sorted out. You are safe when you are at the hospital, no one can get to you there. The security is great there and we will alert them to Max so they know what to watch out for. There are plenty of places that you can stay but the apartment might be out for a few days, at least not there by yourself because he could do anything between your front door and the parking lot."

Anna just shook her head, "disaster seems to follow me wherever I go." She said now keeping her voice, "why won't he just crawl under a rock and die, or at least leave me alone. I am getting tired of this. Tired of it, it is getting older by the minute. You would think that he could find something else to occupy his time with. This is as bad as some cheesy movie, where the woman is constantly running from a nightmare psycho."

"Well you are running from a nightmarish psycho." Doug said, "but this isn't going to end like any of those bad crime movies or shows, you are going to walk away from this a stronger person and he's the one who will end up losing in the end okay Anna, you just have to have faith."

"Faith," she said looking at him, "I can try but I don't how much faith I can have, it is getting to be pretty thin here."

Doug just patted her hand, he would do what he could to keep her safe but until Max decided to make a move the ball was in his court. Doug did not like the fact that his hands were tied right now, especially with Anna's safety and well-being riding on this, but he knew that it would not be long before Max got impatient and made a move. Hopefully he would get impatient and Doug would get lucky Max's next move would be stupid enough and preventable just enough to send him down the road, with a nice chunk of jail time and Anna would walk away divorced and unharmed.