A/N: So, this is the chapter that had many wondering what Ray had to say… You might be pleased to know this chapter does not end on a cliffie. You are welcome!
Several points of view in the chapter…
RayPoV [No Rest For The Weary]
"Mom, mom, help, no! Get off me!" Annie's strangled scream rips through the house.
I shot up in bed. Not even 0400 this time. If I didn't know better, I would think Ana was fighting an attacker. I can tell she's covering her mouth to muffle her cries. Her night terrors have gotten worse. It takes every bit of my willpower to remain still and let Annie sneak out of her room, creeping down the stairs and scurrying outdoors to her little house.
But I also know the shame of possessing fear so potent, you wake up in bed, soaked in a pound of your own sweat and piss. I'm not sure exactly what that walking dead fucker did to her, but I know it's terrible and if I ever discovered the stark details I would end up in jail or hell. I know what he did to those other little girls. I might as well be in hell already.
I hear the washer lid close with a dull thump. I'd oil the hinge of the back door if I didn't depend on it as a final alert system after Annie figured out how to avoid the two stairs which creaked. I count the steps it takes her to get to the shed; she should be there by now, stretching and working out and trying to beat the wood dust out of her dummy in time to whatever angry playlist she's settled on.
Annie's little shed is her escape, built by Annie, Christian, Taylor and yours truly. It's a remarkable feat of engineering. She has a functional tiny home in our backyard. It even has power, a small cookstove and running water. Christian wanted to hook up a satellite dish but, thankfully, Annie put her foot down. She could live out back if she wanted. And I never realized how much I would resent the hell out of it once she used it to escape from her problems. And me.
Maybe I've always been taciturn, but I would listen if she wanted to confide in me. If anyone knows the importance of secrecy, it's me, to my bitter cost. I offered to take her to see someone to discuss her feelings, but Carla had long ago poisoned Annie to the benefits of psychiatry. I guess having her neglected child talk to a school counselor would've further cramped her style. Wouldn't do to expose the toxic environment Carla subjected us to on a daily basis.
And every day I become more terrified that Annie is going to up and leave this town, and me, behind. She doesn't think I realize that she's been studying ahead for years to graduate early. Taking college courses and workshops. I blame Carla for this, too. She damaged her reputation beyond repair and left Ana to take the brunt of her victims' reprisal. Who wouldn't want to escape the condemnation as if being pursued by hounds from hell?
And perhaps I've been a little selfish too, staying out here in the sticks; unfortunately, my record precedes me. One small altercation ruined my life, though it was done for a good cause. However, in saving one life, I destroyed my own.
That's why I'm not Christian Grey's biggest fan. Don't get me wrong; there are probably some parents who would be thrilled to pieces if their child was friends with a multimillionaire. Carla would. Not me. All I see is Janna with a broken jaw, torn dress and her panties around her ankle. It wouldn't be the first or last time an entitled rich prick decided to take liberties with a local girl. It was just the first time I'd witnessed one not taking no for an answer.
By the time the red haze cleared, Janna had painstakingly put herself together the best she could, and sirens blared in the background. The police had arrived before the ambulance. I shouldn't have been shocked that Horace was taken away on the stretcher while my wrists were placed in cuffs. But I knew soon after Janna gave her statement, everything would be set to rights.
That was the first time I had my trust shattered. Though she gave her statement, Horace's mother visited the station, and as soon as you could say Ben Franklin, Janna had recanted her statement. My public defender threatened to quit. I wanted to throttle the bastard, but I could see the fear in his eyes.
Within days, my once promising future was dimmed; I'd lost all my scholarships, no-one would hire me, and the stress from my arrest and the subsequent quasi-shunning had killed my father, leaving my mother widowed.
Strangely, the "case" seemed to go dormant. I was released after a brief bench trial which seemed more like an allocution, as while I admitted everything I had done, my statement regarding frat boy's assault was thrown out with a warning that perjury was a crime. I got the message. The fix was in, but it wasn't as bad as it could've been. I was able to go home, and return to my life such as it was.
Mama needed me so much. Without Pops income, times were tough. He had life insurance, but it only covered his burial costs and the expenses were racking up. I needed a job and fast. So, I didn't look too hard into the mouth of the gift horse when recruiters started calling. On paper, I was a great prospect, until they got to criminal history.
The Marines quickly snapped me up. I had the proper stature and they knew they wouldn't have to teach me how to react in a crisis. I could send money home. Rebuild my life. All was good for a while. Perhaps not quite the life I had striven for, but I couldn't turn back time.
Now there's Christian Trevelyan Grey, richer and far more entitled, not that he acts it, but it's always in the back of my mind, Janna's tears followed by her betrayal. Money may make the world go 'round, but for victims caught in its wake, that spin can be madder and deadlier than a twister. I would've done anything to protect Ana from another, far more potentially devastating, storm.
Grey used to show up so often, I frequently found myself wondering didn't he have a home and an empire to run? What could he possibly see in this small patch? What was the draw? Then I saw the glances he would throw at my daughter when she wasn't looking. Worse, I noticed those looks were reciprocated. But it wasn't until he fastened that bracelet on her wrist that'd cost some poor sod over a month's salary that I saw red.
I had to intervene.
TaylorPoV [OPERATION SNAFU]
Worst part of my day is calling Kierns for Sitrep. Kierns has been planted in Montesano to keep an eye on Annie while she's there alone. Without Grey.
"The subject. Sir, she goes nowhere. She rarely leaves the house," Kierns says lowly. "And, respectfully, I don't blame her. It's like something out of The Scarlet Letter, only with Hester Prynne doing a lark and leaving her daughter behind."
Fuck! Could it get any worse?
"Do they pose a threat to her?" I ask instead. Grey was concerned about this, worrying himself insensible since Ray sent him away from his house with a flea in his ear. Ray was fighting an uphill battle, but, as a father, I understood his dilemma.
"Not physically, I think," he replied hesitatingly. "But you know kids. They see their parents don't like someone, it's open season. Especially if they can count on adults to look away."
"If things escalate or become physical, I'm directing you to use necessary force to intervene," I ordered tersely. Situation was worse than I'd anticipated. I had hoped that Anastasia's ordeal would've earned her a longer grace period. Grey had shared a few snippets from the messages Annie had sent him, specifically one where she shared her hypothesis that Morton had molested at least one young lady in Montesano, though she had no way of identifying which one it was.
I had inquired only in regards to physical threats. There's no telling what kind of psychological trauma that small-minded populace could visit upon Ana. And they've got the colossal nerve to wonder why so many kids want to escape their small towns. Once Ana graduates, Grey plans to furnish select graduates with vouchers to purchase bus tickets so they can join in the exodus.
He's certain that Ana will skip town as soon as she finishes high school. I'm not so sure things will pan out like that, but if fantasies of Annie ripping off her cap and gown directly after her graduation ceremony and sprinting to his getaway car like a runaway bride help keep him sane, who am I to judge?
Kierns has been posted in Montesano for weeks, just watching Annie travel back and forth to school, to the market and home. One day the report changed as she had made a stop at the post office. That's how stultifying her life was. She a fucking teenager for chrissake. This environment was unhealthy. Toxic.
The problem with the town wasn't that the people were evil. Not really. It was just that the town was so small, in a choice between whose pie won at the county fair and widespread adultery, rumors about fornicators would win. And unlike a bigger city where the whispers would eventually be dispelled, Montesano matrons place them on life support. No-one's ever gonna let Annie live this down.
I was depressed by the phone call, so I couldn't imagine living there, day after day. She must have been putting on an act most of the time. The only time she seemed happy was when Mr Grey was there, teasing her and giving her shit. What I really liked is that while she took it, she dished it out even better. With very little effort, she could run verbal circles around him.
Kierns never sees anyone talking to her, and she doesn't reach out either. Not when being rebuffed is likely to be the least punitive reaction to any overtures.
ChrisPoV
[Business Class & flashback to confrontation behind the house]
After making my excuses to Ana, I met Ray in the back of the house. Ray had a very angry look on his face. He'd obviously been pacing. He startled me with his furious glare.
"So you thought you were gonna take my daughter, huh? Is that what you do? Troll high schools for trim? Don't want a woman your own age, you want somebody who you can train and snaffle young?!"
I was so stunned, I couldn't speak, as Ray continued his surprising tirade. His attitude came completely out of left field.
"Rich, smart guy like you. I looked you up. I've never seen you in a picture with a woman. Is that because you want a child? Is that it?" he accused. "Well not mine, you bastard. Yeah, you saved her, you did your civic duty, and we're all so very glad and thankful you did, but I think it's time you leave before you turn her head," he demanded, as he finally stopped pounding a hole in the ground.
I had never felt so insulted in my life. I couldn't believe it. Sure I loved her. I was focused. My entire life was centered around making her happy and keeping her safe. I had never touched her in any inappropriate way. I didn't even suggest doing anything untoward with her. It's not my fault that she's not interested in any of the young bucks this two-penny town had to offer.
While there was still a part in the back of my head that felt intensely guilty that, yes, when I first saw her, I did become a tad obsessed, after writing letter after letter and exchanging our most deeply held secrets and thoughts, she had become my dearest friend. Sadly, I realized that I had never really had one. What we have between us is totally innocent, at least on a superficial level. Even Taylor with his young daughter approves of this situation. He was supporting me in it, helping make me a better person.
I recognized that I needed to be a better person for both Anastasia and myself. Yet, here stands Ray, who could barely protect her, who couldn't save her no matter how low or how much the cost. He should know what it's like to have to go that extra mile even though he knew that he'd lose everything. And yes, he did lose quite a bit of scholarship opportunities, but he did the right thing. That girl he saved, she lived to lie another day. God only knows what her rapist would have done. And if she was greedy enough to take hush money, then that was her prerogative.
But until this moment I always considered Ray an exemplary man. A man to emulate. Instead, he was one who jumped to conclusions based on evidence unseen. Part of me wanted to choke the life out of him while punching him like the brawler I used to be. Then again, another part of me, the guilty part, understood that maybe he could see the hunger in my eyes.
That he did know that my gaze did rest on his daughter lustfully, but intentions and actions are completely different. Did he actually expect me to tell him the bare naked truth that since I met Anastasia, I've been trapped between the choice of watching my balls calcify or jerking off until my biceps resemble Popeye's until she was legal and chose me?
Still, he was treating me like I was Morton, may he rest in hell. Ray had caught me on the back foot. Wasn't it enough that I was good? Did I have to keep away from Anastasia like he was demanding? Frankly, he didn't have the legal right to do anything but kick me out of his fucking house! An almost instinctive monster of fury clawed its way up my throat. I tensed, wanting to rip him limb from limb.
Soul-deep agony bloomed in my chest, only pride kept my eyes open when I wanted nothing more than to shed fierce tears. I had respected this man and he was threatening to tear my world asunder. I wanted to say no, that he couldn't keep her away from me. But the words would not come. And that's when I knew I had to go, because I had it in me to hurt this man and if I did, I knew that Ana would never respect me. She would fear me. If I didn't lose her one way, I would lose her another, and I couldn't handle that.
I carefully pushed out a breath through my clenched teeth, then inhaled deeply, trying to cast off the tension that held my body in its grip. Could I recede from her life and focus on those things that were most important for now? My business is becoming far more successful than ever. I'd almost attained the billionaire mark, much earlier than the trajectory would suggest, perhaps because I wasn't interrupted by the needs of subs that I never should have dealt with in the first place.
Having more weekends free opened me up to more opportunities. And I have to admit the lack of sex made me hyper focused on my business, like that boxer with the eye of the tiger. My satisfaction from making a deal, to me, achieving greatness was almost orgasmic. And I needed that, as I feel like I haven't had sex in years.
I was angry but I'd live, though I realize my quality of life will suffer. Besides, it's not like Ray could keep us completely apart; he would have to explain that to Ana, and there's no way I'm following the doomed path he's laid out for me. He's depending on me to be the bigger person, but fuck him. I'd hate to say it, but technically, Ray isn't even Ana's legal guardian.
And he expects me to go in that room and break my friend's heart. My Ana? To hell with that. I'm not making it easy for him. Let him deal with the fallout. No, I only have to give Anastasia some justification. Something plausible.
Europe and Asia seem a great enough distance. I rapidly reallocate my focus, though the bottom line is that these business ventures will accelerate my entire business plan. I'll be striking while the iron, heated by my incandescent rage, is at its most pliable. I could divert my energies into making myself an even bigger success. If he's frightened of the money and power I possess now, I would show Steele real terror. I dropped out of Harvard and built GEH with only my wits and determination to guide me.
Although I am going to have to increase my security staff if I'm going to be forcing it to straddle two continents. I think both Taylor and Gail would murder me if I took him with me for such a long time. Besides, I might need someone at the homestead to make sure that Annie doesn't get herself in any trouble. Someone to watch, someone to protect. I might have to look into some younger security. Someone who can blend in.
"You're wrong to accuse me. If I wanted to hurt her, I could have done it a thousand different ways before leaving Texas. I'm not going to deny that your daughter is beautiful, smart, and any man with sense would want her," I admitted, trying to be the bigger man, but it was so fucking hard.
"Who the hell do you think you are to say that shit to me? I just told you that you're not going to buy my daughter," he raged.
"And I'd never insult you or your daughter by making the attempt. Not that I believe she could be bought, sold or given away. Your daughter is my friend, and yes I care about her. I love her. I desire her too, but I would never hurt her in any way. And that's exactly what you're asking me to do. Newsflash: I won't," I said calmly. I could tell my composure pissed him off more than if I had yelled.
"I know something's wrong with you, something shifty in your past. Yet all people seem to know is that you and your siblings were adopted and that you're obscenely wealthy. I know how rich guys operate. You think you can have anything because you have money. I've got to admit, I'm curious about what your cash has already bought. After all, what have you ever been denied that you've wanted? I watched you put your brand on my child's wrist. You didn't even respect me enough to ask. It may as well have been a ring. But I'm here to say not her!"
Was that it? The straw? A fucking bracelet I saw online and bought because it reminded me of her eyes? In the scheme of things, that bauble was a trinket. I almost felt sorry for him.
"You're not hearing me, Steele. You seem to think this is something I've done on a whim. A rich 'prick' as you say. I've seen the world, you know. And nothing, no-one has ever called to me like Ana. You act like I want to just sweep her away right now, at this very moment, as if she doesn't love you. Like I don't respect that. Or want to protect her future just like you do. As if she doesn't have high school to finish," I reasoned, because one of us had to be reasonable. Hopefully, Ana doesn't come searching for me, thinking I've fallen into the toilet. We've been out here a long time.
And that's when I found out Ana's other secret. Ana had almost graduated from high school. She had been so afraid of Carla that she was taking classes upon classes, including some at college level, just so she could break away. Her teachers, understanding that she was never meant for this place, had assisted her. Ray wasn't just fighting me, he was fighting fate, and Anastasia was already gone.
Ana's coltish body and pouty lips were slowly giving way to lithe lush curves, making it hard for me to be around her. I'd already scheduled multiple overseas trips which were great for the bottom line, but I missed her. When I'm in my right mind, I can pretend I don't want to spirit her away. Perhaps I wouldn't feel so desperate if she was just forbidden fruit, but now Ray sees me as some kind of lecher. He all but threatened me with police action. You'd think he caught us skinny-dipping. It was just a bracelet, for fuck's sake!
I miss her more and more every day. We still chat online, email, and I've been sending her postcards, but I want her to see these places first hand someday, not just be forced to explore them through the pages of books.
If I had known Ray was watching me like a hawk, perhaps I would've been more careful. Or tried to be more convincing, so he would know Ana was safe with and from me. I'm sure if Ana looked, she would see right through me. She's smart enough.
One day I'll be able to abandon my purely platonic facade. I want all of her. The reality of our separation has begun to chip away at my pretense. It started with a small thing. A look. A brief, casual touch. There's still that current. I knew I needed time away from her, but there's a world of difference between time away and banishment. Now, there's an ocean between us.
GEH upper-level executives believe I've gone overseas to explore new territory, like some medieval knight of old. Little do they know I'm Don Quixote, mentally tilting at windmills, counting the days and spinning my wheels, hoping I don't become frantic enough to do something rash. Ana is unhappy there. They're messing with my baby, trying to steal her joy. Peasants. Pissants.
Before leaving, I contacted my lawyer. Someone who could talk me off the ledge, but now I have more worries than solutions. Carla remains Ana's only legal parent, and she's incommunicado, albeit by design. Ana lives with Ray who may as well be a man off the street as far as the law is concerned. Once Carla divorced him, she stripped away even the barest illusion of her daughter's respectability. And that undermines her security. Evans told me Ana's best bet would be to seek emancipation.
According to him, there were three ways for Anastasia to become emancipated: getting married, joining the military, or obtaining a court's permission. Though my eyes may have lit up a bit at the first option, I imagined how I'd feel after she kneed me in the balls for making that suggestion.
The second option was a bust. No way was Annie joining the ranks. Now, the third solution seemed the most sensible, considering the circumstances. And I knew just the judge. That asshole judge, the one who sent Anastasia off to hell with her fun-loving mother with nary a fare-the-well, owed her. BIG.
Next, I needed to set up some other protections for her, lest they claim she has to remain in this unacceptable state of limbo. Every day, I'm afraid they're going to cut their losses and place her in foster care, and then Ray would lose her anyway. At this point, Ray can't legally make medical decisions for her or even sign a fucking school permission slip. She couldn't even put him on her student loan application. Carla's still considered her next-of-kin. Ana's basically emancipated already, only with none of the damn benefits.
Carla was due for release in a few months. As an early Christmas present to myself, I arranged to have her stay in the substance abuse clinic extended. It only cost me a community garden plot for in-patients. I'll keep resetting that clock until Ana is emancipated. I don't want Mrs Morton (she's still legally bound to that perverted creep) to be able to get her hooks into Ana again.
Ironically, as I cross the international date line, my net worth creeps from nine figures to ten. Somehow I'd thought I'd be spending that groundbreaking moment in my personal history with Ana, not alone, running away with my tail tucked between my legs. What I wouldn't give to be under Ana's mocking gaze as we debate conspicuous consumption and income tax reform.
RayPoV
At around one o' clock in the afternoon, I called Taylor. He answered the phone a little more brusquely than usual, but I still preferred dealing with his coolness than the Arctic reception I would get from his boss.
His silence continued.
"I'm calling about Annie," I said in a low voice, but I could almost see him standing to attention.
"What about Ana?" he inquired.
"It's been weeks, man. She picks at her food like a bird, she barely sleeps. She exhibits all the signs: hyper-vigilance, stress, irritability… I have several photo albums of her throughout the years. That girl could sleep like the dead no matter where she was, through anything. Now a mouse farts and she's wide awake. I don't know what to do," I confessed.
"Shit!" he bit out. "Do you think it's PTSD?"
"It may not be PTSD yet, but it's on the downhill stretch. But…"
"What? Spit it out!" Taylor said impatiently.
"I may have made a mistake," I replied in a low voice. "I said some things to Grey I shouldn't have."
It hurt to get the words out, but they were true. I liked Grey. I liked him with Annie. But out of my fear and frustration, I'd made him out to be the Boogie Monster. But the boy, and he was a boy, no matter how many millions he had, was not the villain in my personal narrative.
"That supposed to be an apology?" Taylor mocked.
"No. It's me saying I think it's time your boy comes home."
I could almost imagine his wry grin over the telephone line. I'd eaten my share of crow before I'd dialed.
"She could do worse," I admit.
"There is no better," Taylor retorted. "I've seen that young man change his entire life around just on the strength of your daughter's letter."
"Bet the picture she sent didn't hurt," I chuckled. "But they're so young. So were Romeo and Juliet. My Annie's loved all that literature shit since forever."
"I think we could facilitate a better ending," he countered. "She centers him."
"He lends her strength. Can't fight fate. I shouldn't have even tried."
"Hoorah."
"Christmas?" I proposed.
"Seems like," Taylor conceded.
"Carla could barely boil water. Give me an MRE any day. But my Annie? You'd think Betty Crocker, Rachel Ray and Martha Stewart had a kid. She especially loves the holidays. She strips the pantry to bare bones," I bragged.
"I hope Christian receives his present on time," And gripes. "International shipping is a pain."
"I took care of it weeks ago, Annie. It'll be fine," I said for what seemed like the thousandth time.
"OK," she said, doubtfully. She'd only given out a handful of presents so far. A couple to teachers, and even sent one to Carla. I won't pretend to understand that, but she smiles at me every time I mention it. Our presents for each other are in the trunk, along with every supply Ana swears we'll need to prepare Christmas dinner.
I'm taking her away for Christmas this year. Her last Christmas wasn't the best and I'd like to take her somewhere we can make happy memories.
She's quiet on the drive, thoughtful. Checking over the grocery list she set up for our feast. Even though it's just the two of us, she cooks for an army.
"So, what's the cabin like?" she asks.
"Well, it looks like a log cabin," I replied. "Big enough for you to cook and me to steal bites of everything."
Honestly, I had no clue what the cabin looked like, I only had directions to get there. Taylor had taken care of the logistics. My only mission was to get Annie there in one piece.
We stopped in the grocery store nearest to the site. Annie went to town! I was almost afraid she wouldn't leave any food for the other customers. I nodded apologetically to the poor man behind me when Annie all but snatched the last two cans of cranberry sauce off the shelf. Normally, my daughter is the kindest person you'd ever meet, but when it comes to grocery shopping, she's cutthroat. And don't let her whip out the coupons.
Back on the road, Annie was muttering to herself, possibly planning her cooking schedule. I chuckled internally at her chatter. This is the most enthused she's been about anything in months, though I believe part of it was just getting out of Montesano.
As I pull my truck into the allocated parking space, Annie looks up and the "cabin" is not like any cabin I'd ever seen. It was like someone had taken a mansion and slapped logs on it for siding.
"Dad, can we afford all this?" Annie whispered, taking in our surroundings. It was a winter wonderland.
"We're good for it," I replied. "At least you'll have a big kitchen to cook in."
"I guess," she replied faintly, getting out of the truck to begin grabbing groceries.
As she walked the the back of the truck, we heard the sound of another vehicle crunching the gravel-lined lot. A huge, shiny black SUV parking alongside my truck.
The door opened and I heard Annie gasp as she dropped one of the bags she was holding. I looked over, she had bitten her lip and her eyes were open wide, shining with tears.
"Chris?" she whispered. "Chris!" she squealed, running toward the poor boy with abandon.
TaylorPoV
Once Annie sees Chris, she comes running at him headlong, jumping into his arms, burrowing right into his chest. I thought I would see a murder, but he pulled her in even tighter, sniffing her hair and spinning her around.
"Chris, Chris! You're here. I can't believe it!" she exclaims over and over, shaking her head in disbelief and wonder.
I wanted to shake my head too. Who would've thought? I wish we could bottle her effect on the Boss. I was still replacing a cell a week. But at least it was an improvement from two to four. This was unbelievable, I wish I had photo proof.
RayPoV
Annie used to be a hugger when she was small, but Carla put paid to that real quick. She didn't want a child hanging off of her. It reminded her she was an adult, a parent, and a person with responsibilities… She wanted nothing that reminded her she was a mother. Then she took off with Morton and demanded that Annie let him be a father to her.
But I'd never once seen Annie this happy. Even when things were good. Then and there, I promised myself I would never let my pride interfere with Annie's happiness again.
E/N: I know I'm setting myself up to be pilloried, but life happens when one makes other plans… That said, I have several WIPs on the hopper, so bear with me, 'Letters' is still in the forefront. I actually lost sight of it attempting to suppress my creative flow. In other words, when other plot bunnies made themselves known, I denied them and tried to focus on 'Letters' — Let's just say for me that was not a good idea.
NEW STORY ALERT(S):
THE GUARDIAN
Ana didn't answer Jack's call. FSF AU
WATERMARK
Anastasia's first great love leaves an indelible, irreplicable, permanent mark. So does her second. FSoG AU
