Chapter 15:Christian's POV

Tuesday, November 22 (or Wednesday, November 23, wee hours of the morning)

"Christian!" Mom gasped as they got out of the elevator. "I was so worried about you. Are you feeling OK, son? You really shouldn't have left the hospital like that, so soon after surgery."

"I'm fine, Mom," I assured her.

"Dr. Harvey wasn't happy at all to find out you'd left without being discharged," she continued.

"Grace, give it a rest," Dad muttered so only Mom would hear him, but I have better hearing than he probably realized.

By this point, both Mom and Dad had removed their jackets and Elliot had helped them hang them. "Did Anastasia go home?" Mom asked, trying to sound neutral or innocent or something, but it didn't work.

"No, I'm here, Dr. Trevelyan," Ana answered from the kitchen. When Mom glanced towards her, the disappointment in her face was easy to see.

"What's with the Dr. Trevelyan nonsense?" Dad asked. You've been calling us Grace and Carrick since you met us. That was months ago."

Ana ignored Dad's words. Instead, she responded, "I've cut a couple of slices of Gail's chocolate cake for you. Would you like some coffee?"

Mom scoffed like one of those snobby bitches that Elliot was talking about earlier. I'd never seen my dear mother act like this. It was so out of character for her. "It's past midnight," she said. "Hardly a good time for sweets."

"Is there ever a bad time for Gail's chocolate cake?" Dad asked innocently, but I knew exactly what he was doing, and I appreciated it more than he could know. "I'd love one, Anastasia. And yes, a cup of coffee would be very welcome."

"Can I have coffee too?" Elliot asked. "And since Mom doesn't want the cake..." Elliot didn't finish his sentence but simply took the plate of cake and took a big bite of it.

"Would you like another glass of milk?" Ana asked Elliot. She was no longer teasing, just being polite.

"Thanks, Banana, but coffee sounds good to me. Do you know how to work Christian's fancy coffeepot?"

"I'll figure it out," she answered.

"Is Anastasia your house maid too?" Mom asked, still with that fake innocent tone.

Dad groaned. "Grace..."

"No, I'm not," Ana answered. She didn't show a bit of the offense I knew she felt. "I just don't want to wake Gail. It is, as you pointed out, after midnight."

Elliot, in his usual carefree tone, told Mom, "You know, once you find out everything, you're going to regret the way you're acting right now, Mom." OK, his tone was normal for Elliot, but his words weren't. Elliot usually stayed out of every kind of family dispute if he possibly could.

Mom looked surprised. "Whatever do you mean, Elliot?"

Elliot shrugged and answered, "You'll find out. I hope." He glanced at me, looking a little uncertain. Yes, Elliot, I'm going to tell them. Tonight.

"Grace, why don't we have a seat in the living room," Dad suggested. He took Mom by her elbow and led her away from the kitchen, away from Ana.

I followed them into the living room while Elliot helped Ana with the coffee. Elliot was right, Ana didn't drink coffee and he did, so he knew how to work my machine better than she did. I think she preferred keeping busy at the moment though, so that was why she was in the kitchen.

"Grace, just please keep in mind what I said," Dad said quietly. I don't think I was supposed to hear him.

"Cary, it can't be that," Mom insisted.

"It can't be what?" I asked.

Mom glanced at me. "Nothing, dear. Just something your dad said in the car. Would it be OK for me to take a look at your shoulder before we start this... conversation?"

Way to change the subject, Mom. "Yeah, OK," I agreed. I'd noticed when she walked in that she was carrying her medical bag, so I'd been expecting this.

I'd been wearing only Elliot's hoodie all this time, and Mom helped me remove the sling from my arm, as well as the hoodie. I felt nervous because I was bare from the waist up, and I had the feeling back, so it hurt already. I didn't want Mom to touch me, but I braced myself for it.

"It's OK, Son," Mom said gently. "I don't have to touch your chest or back. Just the bandage, that's all."

I released the breath I hadn't realized I was holding. "OK, Mom," I replied.

She lifted the tape from the bandage and examined my wound. "The sutures look fine," she assured me. "The redness is to be expected. Are you in pain?"

I nodded. "I just started feeling it in the past fifteen minutes or so," I told her. "But I don't want to take any pain meds because I have to work tomorrow."

"Christian," Mom said in her admonishing tone. "You really need to take off work tomorrow."

"Yeah, that's what Ana said too, but I can't. We have to hire a new CFO, and we have two people flying in for interviews. And we're closed Thursday and Friday, so it can't wait. I'm sure both of those people want to get back home to spend the holiday with their families."

Mom sighed, but she didn't respond to me. She seemed satisfied with my wound, so she put a new bandage over it and taped it into place. "I have some pills you can take that won't make you groggy tomorrow. They're like extra-extra strength Tylenol. Stronger than anything over the counter. Will you at least take them?"

I nodded. "That sounds good, actually. Thanks, Mom."

She gave me the pills, and I swallowed them with the rest of my milk from earlier.

Mom continued with medical instructions. "Dr. Harvey wanted me to remind you to wear the sling for the next few days. Through the weekend, anyway. You can keep taking these pills, which I'm leaving with you. Don't take more than two of them in 24 hours, so you won't need them again until tomorrow night. Dr. Harvey also instructed to keep the wound dry. When you take a shower or bath, cover it with this." She handed me some packets of plastic things that looked kind of like Saran wrap.

"How the hell does this thing work?" I asked Mom.

"It's not hard to figure out, you'll do fine. A friend of mine invented these, and they work just like a bandage. Cover your bandage with it before you shower. The tape is already there, on the sides. Just remove the paper and press down where you want it to stick to your skin. It's waterproof tape, so it will stay in place while you shower. These things are ingenious."

"OK, Mom, whatever you say. Are there enough here for Ana too?" I'm sure her wound needed to stay dry too, even if it wasn't as bad as mine.

Mom looked angry, but she didn't say anything inappropriate. Instead, she answered, "You have two dozen here. And you only need to use it for a week. One week from today, you need to go back to Dr. Harvey so he can examine your wound and remove the stitches."

"Can't you do that?" I asked Mom. I really didn't want to have to go back to the hospital.

Mom sighed. "I'll talk to Dr. Harvey about it first, and then I'll let you know."

Elliot and Ana brought over the coffee then. I was glad to see that Elliot was carrying the tray with four cups on it, along with cream and sugar. Ana had no business carrying a tray full of dishes with her injured shoulder. She followed behind Elliot and busied herself by clearing the coffee table of our dishes from earlier. She took them to the kitchen, put them in the sink, and then returned to the living room.

As Ana approached me, I held out my left arm towards her. When she took my hand, I pulled her onto my lap. I needed her near me for what was about to happen.

Mom looked at Ana in alarm. "Be careful!" she told Ana. "Don't touch him!" Now Dad and Elliot were looking at Mom like she'd lost her mind, and this seemed to embarrass her, if only a little. She explained, more calmly, "He has a touch phobia."

Ana responded calmly, "I'm aware of Christian's touch issues." She settled herself on my lap, looked squarely at my mother, and added, "Elliot mentioned that you don't like to drink caffeine late at night, Dr. Trevelyan, so we prepared you some herbal tea."

Mom glanced at the coffee mug that Elliot had placed in front of her like it might contain some kind of poison or something. "Thank you," she muttered. But she looked anything but thankful.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Mom? Enough, OK? Whatever it is you think you know about my Ana... you're wrong. Dead wrong."

"But, Christian," Mom insisted, "Elena told me..."

"Stop," I said, and from the look on Mom's face, I probably sounded more like I was in my boardroom than with my family. Well, at the moment, that was probably for the best. "Do not mention that evil woman's name in my home again."

"Evil?" Mom sputtered. "Christian... Elena and I have been friends for years! We grew up together! And she's always treated you like her own..."

"Stop it!" I shouted. "DO NOT MENTION HER NAME AGAIN! And I am NOT her OWN fucking anything!"

Mom stared at me, wide-eyed. I'd finally managed to silence her. And then, her eyes just about bugged out of her head as she watched Ana's next movements.

Ana placed her hand squarely on my chest, directly over my beating heart, and said calmly, "Shhh... It's OK. Calm down."

I placed my left hand over Ana's and closed my eyes for a moment, taking her advice and calming down. But I could hear the conversation around me.

"Grace, remember what I said?" Dad whispered. "Brace yourself. Do you really think that would be happening right now if anything you believed was true?" I'm sure Dad was referring to Ana's hand on my chest, and he was just as shocked as Mom.

Mom's voice sounded much more uncertain than it had since she'd arrived. I could tell that she was not only shocked but also very moved by what she was observing. "But I just can't believe..." If she mentioned that bitch's name again, I thought I was going to scream. But instead, she changed directions. "She's touching him, Cary. On his bare chest. Are you seeing this?"

"I see it, Grace," Dad answered.

When I opened my eyes, I saw both of my parents and Elliot all staring at me in awe. Mom's face was a combination of awe and bewilderment.

"Ana can touch me," I told them. "Only Ana. I don't know why, but her touch comforts me. And I need her comfort right now because of what I have to tell you."

Dad spoke, his voice still full of awe. "Whatever you have to say, son, know this before you speak. I love you, Christian, and nothing can ever change that. I am extremely proud of you, son, and nothing can change that either."

Wow! This was some powerful shit. I felt fucking tears coming to my eyes, but damn if I was going to cry in front of my mommy and daddy. "Thanks, Dad," I told him sincerely.

"Now... please tell us what Elena Lincoln did to you," Dad said. I saw exactly what he did there. He took off his Dad hat and put on his Lawyer hat. Great.

"Cary..." Mom objected. If she'd been a lawyer too, she would have probably used the words, "Your honor, I object." Just fucking great.

I sighed, squeezed Ana's hand, which was still on my bare chest, and spoke the words I needed to say. The words that would both answer Dad's question and stop Mom's objections in their tracks. I'd been practicing this, so I knew exactly what I was going to say.

"Mom, Dad... when I was fifteen years old, and out of control, you did what you thought was the best thing at the time. You followed your friend's advice by putting me to work, thinking that hard labor would be a good way to cure me from my bad behavior. And it worked. My behavior changed. I stopped fighting, and I started getting much better grades at school. But what you don't know is that... your friend... she wasn't giving me chores to do, like she told you. After the first day, I never did any yard work or whatever she told you I was doing. I began a... umm... sexual arrangement with her."

OK, that part could have been phrased better. Maybe I should have thought this out better.

"What do you mean, 'sexual arrangement,'?" Dad asked.

I sighed. "I started having sex with her. But not... normal sex. I was a hormonal angry teenager who couldn't stand to be touched. She showed me a way to... umm... do it... without her touching me."

Mom's jaw was dropped open, and I wasn't sure she was breathing. She wasn't speaking, that was clear. Finally, she turned to Dad and said, "You knew! How long have you known?"

Dad took Mom's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "I didn't know, Grace. Do you think I would have known and not done something...? No, I didn't know, but I should have."

"No, don't do that," I told Dad. "Don't start blaming yourself."

"If you didn't know, then why did you warn me in the car?" Mom accused Dad. "You said that you suspected Elena had done something to Christian. You mentioned the word 'molestation.'"

Dad put his arm around Mom. "Grace, I listened to Christian at the hospital. He got angry when you mentioned her name. He called her a 'lying predator.' He even asked Taylor if she'd been the one to shoot them tonight. His behavior pointed towards... well, exactly this, unfortunately. I voiced my suspicions to you because I was concerned about how you'd take this news. I wanted you to brace yourself like I was already bracing myself.

Mom nodded knowingly. "I didn't believe you. But you were..." Mom stopped and slapped her hand over her mouth. Her tears were beginning to fall. "You were right! My God! Christian! I'm a pediatrician, for Christ's sake! How did I not see this?"

"Don't you start too, Mom," I said. "I don't want you two to blame yourselves for what happened. It wasn't your fault."

"Christian, how can I not blame myself?" Dad asked. "I should have spent less time in the office and more time with my family. Even when I was at home, I was holed up in my study working on cases. I failed you, son."

"You didn't fail me, Dad," I assured him. "She was very good at fooling you. She's a master of manipulation. I should know. She's been manipulating me for years. It's only recently that I have been able to see her for what she is."

"That's true, I can attest to it," Elliot spoke for the first time during this conversation.

"What exactly can you attest to, son?" Dad asked Elliot. "Did you know?"

Elliot shook his head. "No, not then. But a couple of years ago, Christian told me. When I called her a pedophile, Christian got mad and didn't speak to me for a week."

"I didn't see her like that," I explained. "Even after I ended our... arrangement, I remained friends with her. At least, that's how I saw it at the time. But really, it was just her way of keeping control over me."

"Oh, God! Oh God!" Mom repeated. "When we were younger... Oh God!" Mom's eyes were large again. She looked horrified at whatever she was recalling, and I thought I knew exactly what it was.

"What is it, Grace?" Dad asked in concern.

"Elena was into some strange behavior when we were younger," she explained. "We weren't really that close when we were growing up because she was a few years younger than me. But when I was in medical school, I returned home for a break. Elena knew that I was a medical student, and she came to me for advice. Oh, God!"

"Just spit it out, dear," Dad said patiently.

Instead, Mom turned to me and asked, "What did she do to you? Was it just... sex? As if that's not bad enough? Did she...? Did she... hurt you?"

I sighed again. Mom knew about Elena's lifestyle already. In some ways, I supposed it made the next part of what I needed to tell them a little easier. "Yes, Mom," I answered gently. "What you're recalling, I guess, is her...umm... lifestyle. She introduced me to that lifestyle."

"Lifestyle?" Dad asked in confusion, and Mom just turned greener.

"BDSM," I responded. "It's the way she was able to... umm... show me how to... umm... have sex. Without touching." Damn, this was hard. I knew I needed to tell them everything, but planning it and doing it were not the same thing.

"She beat you?!" Mom cried. "With whips and canes?!"

"If I needed to be punished, then yes, she did," I answered calmly. I didn't think they needed too many details about her punishments. Surely, they could use their imaginations.

"How did we not see bruises?" Elliot pondered, more to himself than to me.

"You were away at college for a lot of the time during the... arrangement," I explained. "And besides, she knew where to hit me. She knew I never take my shirt off even around my family." Until now, that is.

I glanced down at my naked torso, where Ana's hand was still resting comfortingly on my chest. Mom, Dad, and Elliot all looked there too. None of us needed to say anything. The magnitude of what was happening between Ana and me was not missed by anyone.

Ana had been silent this entire time, and she merely smiled reassuringly at me now, still not speaking. God, I love her. Absolute perfection. That's my angel.

"How long did this...umm... arrangement... continue?" Dad asked.

"Five years," I answered, still looking at Ana.

"Five years! Good God in Heaven!" Mom exclaimed. "And all that time... I was her best friend! I confided in her!"

I nodded. "Yeah, she was manipulating both of us. I'd had enough of being a submissive, so when I dropped out of college, I decided to quit that too. So then, she trained me to be a Dominant."

"Whoa, hold up, son, you've lost me," Dad interrupted. "I think I can figure out what you mean, but just to be sure... When you were fifteen, you became her... submissive? What did that entail, exactly?"

I wondered why he wanted details, but I figured, with it being Dad, he was probably looking for information he could use for legal reasons. I knew it was too late for that, but I humored Dad anyway. "I signed a contract that gave her control over me. I obeyed her all the time. When I was good, she rewarded me... with sex. When I disobeyed or broke a rule, she punished me... I think you've got an idea of how she did that. I'd rather not go into detail, if that's OK. But yeah, she used whips, cat of nine tails, canes, belts... you get the idea."

Dad nodded. "And you never tried to stop her from hitting you?" he asked. I could see that he was holding back his own tears. Shit.

"I had safe words that I could use if I needed to. But I didn't want to be weak, so I never used a safe word. The way she trained me... it wasn't normal BDSM."

"There's a normal BDSM?" Elliot asked. He wasn't being a smart ass, though. He was asking an honest question.

"Well, good point," I acknowledged. "There are a lot of different ways that people in the lifestyle practice it. As long as it's safe, sane, and consensual, then it's what I mean by 'normal' BDSM. I've learned a lot more about it since I ended my contract with Elena. Her training me not to use my safe word because it would make me sound weak was wrong. I can see now how abusive it was. But I didn't see it at the time, nor long afterwards."

"Her doing it to you when you were fifteen fucking years old was neither sane nor consensual," Elliot insisted.

"I agree," I said. "Now, I agree. But like I said earlier, she was really good at manipulating me. I trusted her. Even after she trained me to be a Dom, she was still controlling me. I just didn't see it at the time."

"A Dom," Dad repeated. "You mentioned that earlier. A Dominant. What does that mean, exactly, that she trained you to be one?"

"Well, again, I'll spare you the gory details, but she took on the role of a submissive, for a time, and she taught me how to take command over her. Then, she contracted me with women who were already in the lifestyle. Submissive women."

Mom's eyes were wide again. "She was your pimp!?"

I glanced at both Elliot and Ana, who were looking at me expectantly. "Exactly the same thing that both Elliot and Ana said when I told them. But I didn't see it that way at the time. The women weren't prostitutes. I didn't pay them."

"You didn't give them any kind of gifts?" Dad confirmed. His lawyer mind was still at work.

"I didn't say that," I answered. "I said I didn't pay them money. I did give them gifts. Jewelry and clothes and shit like that."

"How many women were there?" Dad asked.

"Over a five-year time period, there were fifteen of them, Counselor, and all of them signed iron-tight NDAs." Yes, I was being a smart-ass, and this was probably a bad time for that. Ana shifted in my lap and took her hand off my chest. When I glanced at her, she frowned at me. She clearly didn't approve of my smart-aleck comments.

Dad ignored my bad behavior, thankfully. "Were all fifteen of them adults?" he asked.

"Yes, Dad," I assured him. "The youngest was twenty-two at the time of our contract. Most of them were a few years older than me. All were in their twenties."

Dad seemed to visibly relax. "And everything you did with them was consensual?" he confirmed.

"Absolutely," I assured him. "They all signed contracts with me, and I only did what we agreed to in the contract. They all had safe words too, so even if it wasn't in the contract, if they safe worded, I stopped what I was..."

"Wait," Mom interrupted. "You... you hit them, too? With canes and belts and whips? Oh, Christian! My God!"

"Mom, it was consensual," I insisted. "Some women are into it. They wanted it. Some of them weren't satisfied because I didn't hit them hard enough." OK, maybe I didn't need to tell her that much.

"What?!" Mom exclaimed. "What the hell was wrong with these women?"

I glanced at Ana again, who was still being completely silent. Her hands weren't on my chest any longer, but she was still nestled on my lap, exactly where I wanted her. She glanced back at me, and we made eye contact.

"Those were Ana's exact words, too, when she learned about my lifestyle," I told Mom as I gazed at my perfect angel.

"So, Anastasia isn't... a, what did you call it? A submissive?" Mom asked, as if Ana weren't sitting right there.

"No, I'm not," Ana answered quietly but firmly without taking her eyes from mine. Then she was silent again.

"No, she isn't," I repeated, still gazing at Ana. "I tried to make her one. I wanted her to be my submissive. But no, Ana isn't a submissive. She doesn't have a submissive bone in her body, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I love her just as she is. I love her because of who she is. She's perfect."

Mom seemed to see Ana for the first time. "You really love her, don't you? My God! I thought... I thought... Oh God! Anastasia, I'm so sorry, dear! I was so rude to you. My behavior towards you tonight has been deplorable. Can you ever forgive me?

Ana turned to my mom and told her, "Yes, I forgive you, Dr. Trevelyan. You were under the witch's spell. I'm glad you've seen the truth, as ugly as the truth is. But I hope you realize that I love your son, and I have his best interests in mind. I would never hurt him intentionally. You don't need to protect him from me."

"I... I can see that, Anastasia. Under the witch's spell. Yes, indeed. My God! Christian! What else have I missed, son? And Anastasia, please... enough with the Dr. Trevelyan nonsense. Cary was right earlier about that. I'm Grace. I've always been Grace. Please, keep calling me Grace, sweet girl!"

"I will, as long as you start calling me Ana," she replied. "Only my mother calls me Anastasia, and she and I aren't close."

Mom nodded pensively. She told Ana, "Elena told me some horrible things about you. Things that were obviously lies, now that I know the truth about her. That woman really hates you. Why does she hate you so much?"

"Isn't it obvious?" I asked Mom. "Ana's the first girlfriend I've ever had. She's the first girl I've ever been with that your friend didn't have any control over."

"Stop calling that vile woman my friend!" Mom insisted.

"Stop saying her name," I retorted. "I don't want to hear her name again."

"Can we stop talking about her at all?" Elliot suggested.

"Not until we know what else we're up against," Dad answered. Up against? Did Dad know that Elena was trying to kill Ana? Or have her killed?

"I call her the "pedo-bitch," Ana said. Then, she looked a little uneasy. She was probably recalling what happened with Leila Williams earlier this evening, when Leila figured out that part of my past just from Ana's slip of the tongue. "But maybe we could refer to her as 'the evil one.'"

"'The evil one,' it is," I agreed.

"So... she really did embezzle from you?" Mom confirmed. "The story she told me was complete bullshit?" Wait, did my proper mother just say the word 'bullshit'? Yes, she did.

"She really did, Mom. And Ana discovered it. That was when her vendetta against Ana started."

"I thought it started when Ana kicked her out of Grey House and refused to let her see you," Mom replied. It was clear from her tone that she now knew that "the evil one" had lied to her about that too.

"You know about that?" I asked Mom.

"It really happened?" Mom responded. "Honestly, Christian, I'm not sure what to believe anymore."

"Believe me, Mom," I told her.

"I do," she said emphatically.

A thought occurred to me. I could show my parents exactly what had happened the day Ana supposedly kicked "the evil one" out of Grey House. I had the fucking video. It was one of my favorite things to watch in my down time, when I had any.

I multi-tasked by picking my laptop up from the side table where we'd put it after looking at Elliot's dating profile. I placed it on Ana's lap, and she helped me log into my GEH account. I typed my password with my left hand since I couldn't use my right hand. Meanwhile, I told my parents what I was about to show them. Then I placed my laptop on the coffee table, after Mom cleared away the coffee cups.

As they watched the video of Ana first being slapped by the evil one, and then grabbing her ear and telling her off, Mom made comments here and there like "That's not at all how she described it." Dad chucked at the funniest parts. Elliot just stared at Ana in amazement, making me feel possessive again.

After they'd watched the video twice (Yes, they wanted a repeat), Dad settled back into his role of interrogator. "So, how long have you and Ana really been together?" he asked.

"What I told the paparazzi this morning was the truth," I answered. "She finally agreed to be my girlfriend on Sunday morning." I didn't add the fact that she just lost her virginity to me last night. They didn't need to know that information.

"But you've obviously been... close... longer than that," Dad pushed. What was he getting at? Maybe I did need to tell him...

"We've been best friends for a couple of months now," Ana answered.

"Just before Ana and I left for Sweden with her dad," I added. "I had a... Well, this is another long story." Shit, I needed to tell them about my suicide attempt now, but this was so hard.

Dad saw my unease, so he said, "It's OK, son. Whatever it is, it's OK." He settled back and waited expectantly.

I nodded and glanced at Ana, silently asking her if she was ready for me to tell his part of the story. She responded by placing her hand on my chest again. She knew how comforting I found that.

"OK, so, when I first hired Ana... I wanted her. From the beginning. But I'd never... BDSM was the only way I knew. Anyway, it didn't matter, because Ana was totally professional. She made it clear from the start that she wasn't interesting in dating anybody from work. Including me, of course."

"So... all those trips you took together...?" Dad asked.

"Work. All work," I insisted. "Yes, we became friends. We did some sightseeing together. And fell in love, but neither of us would admit it. I couldn't. Like I said, BDSM was all I knew."

Ana added, "And I didn't understand what was happening with my feelings. I just knew that I couldn't date my boss, so it didn't matter."

"So, you never tried to... you know... seduce him?" Mom asked tentatively.

I'd had enough of that shit. "Seeing how she only lost her virginity a few hours ago, I'd say that would be a big fat NO."

"Christian!" Ana exclaimed. She jumped up from my lap. "Did you really have to..."

"I'm sorry!" I blurted, interrupting her. Shit! She was angry. Well, of course she was. I'd just told my parents and brother about popping her cherry last night. TMI, Grey!

"No, Ana, I'm the one who's sorry," Mom said urgently. She also stood up, facing Ana. "That question... it was so inappropriate of me. Again, it was El... the evil one. I just had to hear it from you, that what she'd told me was lies. Of course, you didn't seduce him. And my question was what drove Christian to blurt out your personal affairs. He tends to give away more information when he's angry, always has, and I knew it. I'm sorry, Ana. You sweet, sweet girl, I've been so wrong about you. I can see that now. Will you forgive me, again?"

I felt the need to grovel. "I'm sorry, too, baby. Really sorry. I shouldn't have told them that. Not that it was anything for you to be ashamed of or anything. I'm actually very happy about it, to be honest. But I'm sorry anyway. Do you forgive me, baby?"

Ana rolled her eyes in exasperation. She glanced at Dad and Elliot, who were both watching her a bit awe-struck. Yes, she is awesome, and she is mine. She shook her head, muttered something to herself that none of us could hear, and then turned to Mom. "Yes, Grace, I forgive you. She turned back to me and added, "And I'll deal with you later." With that, she had a seat on my lap again. "And for the record, I'm not ashamed of it. I just... it's personal. I didn't expect your family to know so much about my sexual life. But they're finding out everything about yours tonight, so I guess we're even."

Even? Not even close. I could never measure up to her perfection. "Umm... so does that mean you forgive me?" I asked tentatively.

"It means I will, eventually," she answered. "Besides, it's late, and I'm tired, and you still have things you need to tell your parents."

Oh, right. Like how I nearly killed myself. Yes, I still needed to tell them that part.

"There's more?" Dad asked. If Dad was surprised, I was fucked. Dad never showed surprise.

"Afraid so," I answered. "Remember that so-called vacation to England that I took after first seeing Ana and her dad to Sweden? I just returned a couple of weeks ago because of Jack Hyde."

My parents both looked at me expectantly. Elliot gave me an encouraging nod of approval. He was clearly proud of me for finally telling them the truth.

"It wasn't a vacation," I told them. "I was in a mental health facility because I damn near took my own life the night before we left for Sweden."

I stopped for a moment for Mom and Dad to process my words. They both looked confused.

"You... what?" Mom asked. "Are you saying... you... attempted suicide?" She totally didn't see that one coming. Of course she didn't. I'd never been suicidal, no matter how bad things had gotten when I was younger.

I nodded. "That's exactly what I'm saying. I used to have a playroom in this penthouse. A playroom is for... it's part of the BDSM lifestyle. That night, I went into my playroom, used some rope that I already had there, tied it into a noose, and I was going to hang myself. I almost did."

Now Dad's eyes were red. He was going to cry, and he wasn't going to be able to stop himself this time. Mom was already sobbing.

"What stopped you, son?" Dad asked. His voice was more full of emotion than I had ever heard.

"Not what, Dad," I corrected him. "Who. Ana."

"Ana?" Dad questioned.

"Ana," I affirmed. "Her gut told her I wasn't OK. She came to check on me. And she saved my life that night."

Shit, now Ana was crying too. And even Elliot had tears in his eyes. Shit, so did I. Dad took out his handkerchief and wiped his eyes with it. Yes, my dad is a proper gentleman who carries a handkerchief. He's where I got that habit, too. I took out my own handkerchief and mimicked my dad, wiping my own eyes. Then I used it to wipe Ana's. But my actions only made her cry more. I wasn't sure why.

"God, I love you, Christian," Ana told me. "I'm so glad I came by that night. I need you in my life."

Her words set Mom off again. She was now using Dad's handkerchief. Elliot had to get up and leave the room. I think he was going to the bathroom to blow his nose.

I continued talking, finishing this story. "I promised Ana that night that I'd get help. She knew by that point that I was in love with her, but she refused to date me until I got help. It's been two months, and she's finally giving me a chance. And I'm in a really good place now. I'm happy."

"Are you still in therapy?" Mom asked.

"Yes, Mom," I answered. "I had to cut the in-patient therapy short because of Jack Hyde, but I'm still seeing a therapist at least once a week. In fact, I have an appointment on Friday that Ana's going to join me for. It will be our first joint appointment. I have an excellent therapist here in Seattle named John Flynn. He's from England and was actually one of the founders of the clinic I was in."

"I've heard of John Flynn," Mom said. "He has a good reputation."

"Yeah, he's good. I trust him," I responded.

"Son, if I may ask...?" Dad said. He'd been quiet for a while, and I knew he was processing everything I was telling them. "What led to... you know? Why, of all the crap you've been through in your life, and you never were... you never did this then. Why now? Why did you almost... you know... now? You're a billionaire, son. One of the most successful business leaders in the world. Why would you... you know?"

"Dad, you can say it," I told him. "I attempted suicide. Well, almost. Close enough. I almost took my own life. That's a reality that I will never forget. And to answer your question, my life was empty. Yes, I had money, but it didn't make me happy. I was head over heels in love with a perfect angel who I thought I could never have. I didn't want to live. I didn't think I had a reason to live."

"I'm not a perfect angel, Christian," Ana reminded me. "Not perfect at all. But I do love you, with all my heart."

My mom stood up, and a moment later, she was kneeling in front of me. In front of Ana, who was still in my lap. There were tears streaming down her face, and she was still dabbing her eyes with Dad's handkerchief.

When Mom spoke, she had to pause every few seconds to control her tears. "Ana... my apology earlier was insufficient. You might not think you're a perfect angel, but you're good enough for me. Good enough for my son. And I'm eternally grateful to you, sweet girl. You saved my son's life. I will never forget that. My behavior towards you has been horrible, and I'm so ashamed of myself. But from this moment onward, you are my daughter. I know I haven't earned the honor of you considering me as your mother. But I hope, with time, that you'll see me more that way. I'm extremely protective of my children, even though, as you know, I've failed miserably to protect them. All I can do is keep trying, and now, that includes you, my dear."

Ana slipped off my lap and onto her knees, facing Mom, and she embraced her. They cried on each other's shoulders for a moment, until Ana winced and had to back away from the hug a little.

Mom exclaimed, "Oh, my God! I hurt you! I'm so sorry, dear!"

"No, it's OK, really," Ana assured Mom. "I'm just a little sore, but it really only hurts when I move a certain way. Not like Christian."

"Can I take a look at your wound?" Mom asked Ana. Yes, that was more like Mom.

Ana looked uncomfortable. "Umm... sure, but... can we go in Christian's bedroom?" Ana would have to take off her shirt, and she wasn't going to do that in front of Dad or Elliot.

"Of course," Mom responded. She helped Ana get up from the floor, and Ana glanced at me, I think to make sure I was OK, before she led the way to my bedroom. Mom followed behind her, saying something that I couldn't hear. I heard Ana respond. They both seemed OK. I sighed in relief.

Dad excused himself to use the restroom, so it was just me and Elliot for the moment.

"So, umm... I didn't want to say anything in front of Ana because she gets embarrassed so easily, but damn, bro. Those love bites on her neck are something else. Were you role-playing that you're a vampire, or what?"

Shit! I knew this was Elliot's way of trying to bring some comic relief by talking about something asinine instead of all the serious shit from the evening. But I'd forgotten about the hickeys I'd left on Ana's neck, which had been visible all evening, from the moment we got shot. She was going to be so embarrassed when she realized it. I only hoped Mom didn't say anything about them to her. I also hoped that no images of her neck made it into the media.

"She's going to kill me," I muttered to Elliot.

"Nah, she loves your dumb ass too much," Elliot reminded me.

I rubbed my eyes. God, I was tired. "So... how do you think it went?" I asked Elliot.

"As well as can be expected, considering everything you just laid on them," he answered. "At least Mom loves Ana now. As predicted, by yours truly. Beyond that... I'm not sure the gravity of the betrayal by her so-called friend has really registered with her yet. When it does, there's going to be hell to pay. We might have to bail her out of jail."

I snorted at the thought of my mother in jail. That was a difficult thing to imagine.

Dad walked back into the room. He smiled sadly at me. Actually, he looked pretty damned ashamed of himself.

"Dad, don't do that. None of this was your fault," I told him.

Dad shook his head sadly. "You know, son, when you asked me for your trust fund early, I thought I was doing the right thing by denying you. I was so certain that you needed that college degree, and that I'd be able to strong arm you into getting it. I thought you could wait until you were 25 to get your trust, just like Elliot did. But you proved me wrong, didn't you? By the time you turned 25, you didn't need your trust fund. You were already a multi-millionaire, and you reached your first billion a few months later. Now, that trust fund has just been sitting there, for over a year, just collecting more interest."

"Dad, why are you talking about that?" I asked him.

He sighed. "I have been a complete failure as a father. To both of you."

"Dad!" Elliot exclaimed. "Why would you even think such a thing?"

"Because it's true, son," Dad replied. "Elliot, when was the last time you had a steady girlfriend? Not just a good fuck, but a girl you enjoyed spending time with?" Holy shit, my dad just said the F word. He never used language like that.

Elliot looked like a deer in headlights. "Umm... Can we talk about Christian again?"

"Elliot's looking for a wife, Dad," I volunteered the information. "Ana helped him tweak his dating profile earlier tonight."

"Gee, thanks, bro," Elliot told me. I knew he wanted to flip me off, but he wouldn't while Dad was watching.

"Elliot, just to be sure... Elena Lincoln never tried anything with you, did she?" Dad asked him.

"No! Never!" Elliot answered. "Not that I'd give that old hag the time of day. Umm... no offense, Christian."

"It's OK, Elliot. I was a fucked up kid. I get it," I told him.

Dad sighed loudly again, getting our attention. He was looking at my shoulder when I glanced towards him. "So, you really think this was Jack Hyde tonight?"

"Yeah, and I think he was aiming for our heads, not our shoulders. Actually, I have a question about that too," I added, remembering my conversation with Barney from earlier today. "I don't have it here, but earlier today, my IT guy showed me a print out of a photograph from my childhood that he found on Hyde's personal computer. Was I in foster care before you adopted me?"

Dad looked confused, but he answered, "You were placed with a family before you came to live with us. It was a temporary home, while they were looking for a more permanent one. Your mother and I were the more permanent solution."

"I don't remember that," I told them. "But apparently, Jack Hyde was in the same home at the same time. The photograph is of the family, and both of us are in it. He's a few years older than me. Probably nine or ten years old in the picture."

"That's... creepy," Elliot said.

"It's worse than creepy," Dad responded. "Has he been stalking you all this time?"

"It looks that way," I admitted. "Not just me. All of us. He has photographs of Elliot and Mia, and articles from both you and Mom, from medical and legal journals."

Dad whistled. "Definitely worse than creepy. I take it you've increased your security?"

"Yeah, and I think I need to increase it for all of you too," I told him. "Hyde tried to kill us tonight. And Elena is also trying to kill Ana."

"What?!" Dad exclaimed.

"Yeah, she got one of my former submissives to try to shoot Ana. Anyway, it didn't work. But the evil one will probably try again. I have people watching her, though. I'm more worried about Hyde."

"So, it's true that he was trying to destroy GEH, not just take it over?" Dad asked.

"Yeah, completely true," I affirmed.

Ana and Mom returned just then, and I was happy to see that Ana was dressed for bed, in a long night gown covered by one of the silk robes that I'd purchased her.

"Grace helped me get ready for bed," Ana told me.

"That's good. I think we should all go to bed. Why don't you guys all stay here since it's already so late?" It was nearly 2:00 a.m. by this point.

"I was going to suggest just that," Dad answered. "I think we have a few spare clothes in the guest room just for occasions like this, don't we?"

"That's right, I'd forgotten," Mom agreed. "We made arrangements for this kind of thing when you moved in here, but we've never done it."

"I have," Elliot answered. "Lots of times." In fact, he had his own room. So did Mia.

"Good. Can we all go to bed now? I'm tired," Ana suggested.

And that's exactly what we all did. That night, Ana and I both had to sleep on our left sides because of our gunshot wounds. As I fell asleep, I hoped that tomorrow would be a better day than this one had been. Between two pointless CFO interviews, Barney Sullivan's revelations, Leila Williams' shenanigans at Ana's apartment, both of us getting shot in our right shoulders by almost certainly Jack Hyde, Katherine Kavanagh's shit at the hospital, my own mother's deplorable behavior towards my Ana, and now, finally revealing all to my parents, I was exhausted. It was going to be difficult to wake up tomorrow, and we had another busy day to get through before Thanksgiving.

With that thought in mind, I set the alarm on my phone, and settled in behind Ana for a few hours' sleep.

Author's Note: I know some of you Grace Haters out there are not going to be happy with how easily Ana seems to forgive Grace in this chapter. It will be revealed in the next couple of chapters that Ana is not going to be as easily won over by Grace as it might appear here. Keep in mind that they have just experienced something very traumatic, and Ana is TIRED. Plus, she knows how much Christian loves his mom, so she wants there to be peace between them. Also, I should add, I am NOT a Grace Hater. I think it's easy for us to point fingers and blame her for being so gullible, for not realizing what was going on. But Elena Lincoln is your typical child molester: someone who is very close to the family and trusted by them. She's been Grace's best friend for many years, and they grew up together. In society, she is not the kind of person that anyone would suspect of this kind of behavior. But now, all is going to be revealed. Hold on tight.