Author's Note: Hey Guys! Its been a while! I'm back bringing you an update from my favorite power couple. Please leave reviews as motivation to get the next chapter up for you guys as well! Emjoy!
Christian POV
I pull my phone out of my pocket to send Taylor and Sawyer a text to meet me in my office. I can't believe I've just agreed with Ana to keep Sawyer on the books after him lying to me about her and after he let her get hurt. I technically didn't tell Ana that I would keep her on as her security guard, so maybe I could move him to something less important. I think over it for a second, but decide that Ana wouldn't be okay with me doing that either. I hear a knock on my door and look up to see Taylor standing in the entrance with Sawyer. "Are you ready Mr. Grey?" Taylor asks me. I'm still thinking through my options, but decide I'll humor Ana and do as she's asked me to. If she is comfortable with Sawyer then I'll feel okay with leaving her when I have to. I can't imagine her having to learn to trust someone completely new after what has happened with her.
"Yes," I say forcing myself to leave my thoughts half-finished knowing that I will still want to fire him if I overthink it. "Come in Sawyer, have a seat," I continue. Taylor and Sawyer both walk into my office and take a seat opposite my desk and wait for me to begin the conversation. "Sawyer do you know why I wanted to speak with you this evening?" I ask him sternly.
"Yes Mr. Grey. I know I let you and Mrs. Grey down. I suspect this is when I'll be terminated," he says making reluctant eye contact with me. I can see the pain and disappointment in his face as he admits his faults to me.
"Explain to me the whole situation Luke. Explain to me your thoughts," I push him. I need to know for sure that he felt he was doing the right thing for Ana.
"Yes Sir. Early in the week Ana had thrown up a time or two and complained of slight dizziness and headache. I asked her to let me notify you, but she said it was likely a stomach bug and she wanted to wait it out. That Tuesday she passed out at work Sir. I'd had enough of Ana… Mrs. Grey blowing off my concerns so I demanded that she either went to the doctor or she let me call you. She agreed to call her doctor who told her to come in, but that it was probably nothing. We went to her appointment that day and that's when she found out that she was pregnant and that she likely passed out from not eating enough. I came home that night and did lots of research to ensure I could get her enough nutrients to prevent it from happening again. I consulted with Mrs. Jones to switch her meals to things that would improve her health as well as the baby's. Wednesday she was feeling much better other than being tired. She told me she was in for the night so I left her to rest on her own. I was notified by the security alarm that the foyer had been breached by the unsub Sir. He was almost to Mrs. Grey by the time the alarm sounded so I ran and tackled him to give her some time to get to the safe room. I began yelling for her to run, but she must have been asleep Sir because she never got up. That's when he pulled the knife out of his pocket and stabbed me before knocking me unconscious with the butt of his gun. I tried to keep him away Sir and I know that trying isn't enough, but I didn't want to see her or the baby get hurt. I take full responsibility for her being taken Sir, but I want to notify you of another issue as well. Sir, Prescott was supposed to be our on-call person for the evening to watch the elevators and to run patrol. She was asleep when I found her after the whole altercation was over with. I'm not telling you to deflect blame, but I want you to know that I don't think you can trust her with Mrs. Grey's safety either. When I woke up, I had Gail tending to my chest and trying to wake me. I called Taylor as soon as I knew what happened Sir and you know the rest. I understand why you've come to this decision; Mrs. Grey deserves much more than I gave her and for that I am deeply sorry," Sawyer says giving me a full description.
I'm at a loss for how I feel about hearing the whole story. I know how persuasive Anastasia can be when she really wants something and I can tell that she played Sawyer to get what she wanted. I'm also surprised to hear of what Prescott has done and I can tell Taylor is as well. There is no doubt in my mind that Prescott will for sure be terminated for sleeping through her post. If Prescott had been awake in the first place, Jack would have never been able to get into our apartment. "Sawyer, I appreciate you taking the time to explain the full story to me. I want to have a conversation about expectations here on out. As you know Anastasia is with child and that means she gets double the security. I will not have her safety be placed in jeopardy ever again. I do however understand how difficult Ana can be when she wants things. I need to know Luke that you will confide everything in me that involves her safety," I tell him.
"Mr. Grey?" Sawyer asks me confused.
"Despite my original thoughts of termination, it appears that Anastasia is very fond of you. You are the only person on her security team that she feels that she can confide in and that she is okay with being left alone with after what has happened to her. Here are the rules Sawyer… you will continue to run point on Anastasia's security team. You will pick out someone with Taylor to replace Prescott. After hearing about her lack of respect for my wife's safety, she will be terminated today. You will also pick out two more additional security details with Taylor to create a strong barrier between her and anyone that can harm her or our child. You will report all secrets from Ana to Taylor who will help you determine what needs to be shared and what can be kept quiet. I would like you to continue to accompany Mrs. Grey to the office as well as any appointments regardless of whether I am able to attend or not. Do you have questions?" I explain fully to Sawyer.
"No Mr. Grey. I appreciate your understanding on this situation and I guarantee that I will never trust Mrs. Grey's life in anyone's hands other than the three of us in this room. Thank you Sir for the opportunity to make things right," Sawyer tells me. Taylor nods at him to dismiss him from his chair. He does as he has been indicated and stands to leave the room.
"Sawyer, one more thing," I start. "You will accept payment for all your medical bills created from protecting Anastasia and you will accept a raise for taking on additional responsibilities of both my child and more security to direct," I finish.
"Mr. Grey that's very generous of you, but it's not necessary. I'm just happy to have the opportunity to continue serving you and Mrs. Grey," he says smiling before leaving.
"Taylor, make sure the increase happens with Andrea and make sure his bills are paid as well. I need you to pull Prescott and terminate her immediately. Schedule interviews for security this weekend so I can try to return to work by the end of next week," I say giving him a list of things to work on for the evening.
"No! No more! You won't break me!" I hear Ana screaming from our bedroom. A quick look at Taylor and we both take off running for my bedroom. I dash through the doorway to find Ana sitting up in bed sobbing with Sawyer holding her gently.
"What's wrong Ana?" I ask sliding into bed taking Sawyer's spot that he's offered up to me.
"Nightmare Mr. Grey," Sawyer answers me.
"Is that true Ana?" I ask running my fingertips down her back gently. She says nothing but nods slightly. I pull her into my chest and try to steady her. I realize then that she's naked and I frown knowing she was just in Sawyer's arms. I can tell he knows I'm angry, but he ignores me and waits silently for orders with Taylor.
"He was burning me again," she finally whispers. "I couldn't make him stop." I pull her into my arms and nod for Taylor and Sawyer to leave. I turn off the lights and pull her into my chest trying my hardest to calm her down enough that she falls back to sleep. A few minutes later I feel her breathing even out and know that she has drifted off to sleep. I place my hand on her stomach and sleep holding her the rest of the night.
Ana POV
I wake up and the bed is empty and cold. I'm not sure where Christian has wandered off to, but I hate that I'm waking up surrounded by pillows instead of his arms. I sit up in our bed and take a moment to make sure that I'm steady enough on my feet without him. It's getting easier to move around without relying on him to get me there. I haven't been as dizzy and the headaches are almost completely gone. I make my way around the apartment searching for Christian. I'm headed towards his office when I hear his voice. I can tell he is having a heated argument with someone as I get closer. "I don't care what it takes! We need to keep this under control and she can't find out about this until it's over with," I hear him shout.
"Sir with all due respect she needs to know that her safety is in jeopardy. You asked me to run her team please let me do what I think is best for her. You know how she is Sir. Ana doesn't listen to anything you tell her to do. If she knows she's in danger then she will stay closer to the security team and I can do more to keep her safe," Sawyer replies.
"No Sawyer! I won't tell you again. Ana can't know about this until we've got everything under control again. She's already having nightmares. I will not put her under undo stress in her condition!" Christian roars. I've had enough of standing in the hallway listening to them bicker and I'm tired of being left out of important information. I take the last few steps into his office to find Christian and Sawyer facing each other both red faced.
Sawyer notices me first, "Good Morning Mrs. Grey. How are you?" he asks me before stepping to my side to offer me his arm. I place my arm through his and he leads me to a seat in the corner of the room so I can sit comfortably.
"Good Morning Anastasia," Christian says coming towards me and offering me a gentle kiss on my forehead. "Sawyer you are dismissed," Christian says redirecting his attention to Sawyer.
"Actually Luke, I'd like for you to take a seat. I have a few things that I would like to discuss with the both of you," I say quickly casting glances between the two of them. Sawyer does as I have asked him and takes a seat next to mine. Christian heads behind his desk and sits facing the both of us waiting for me to continue. I can see by his frosty eyes that he's on edge, but I'm on edge too. I didn't just fight through living hell to be treated like I'm overly fragile now. "What is going on between you two and what are you both hiding from me?" I say frankly. I look to Christian first, but his look is impassible. I know that I won't get anywhere with him so I turn my attention to Luke. "Sawyer, you know that I respect you and I'm asking you do the same for me. If I'm in danger I can't keep myself safe if I don't know what I'm facing. I'm planning on returning to work on Monday and I need to know what I should be looking for," I begin to reason.
"Hell no Ana! You are not returning to work already! You're still in pain Ana!" Christian shouts at me.
"Christian, I can't stay home forever. You have work you need to get back to and I have lots of manuscripts piling up. Sawyer will take me and he will stay in my office with me while Ryan and Granger watch my office and my floor. I will not be staying home any longer than this weekend though," I tell him not even waiting for a response. "Tell me what I'm missing now Christian!" I shout.
Christian turns his eyes to Sawyer who nods at him as if in encouragement before Christian turns his eyes back to me. "Ana, please just remember that I promise you are safe. I need to hear you say that you know that between Taylor, Sawyer, and I that you and this baby will be kept 100% safe," he pleads.
I look from Christian to Sawyer and then back again, "I understand. I know that you three will keep the both of us safe. What's wrong Christian?" I ask panic setting in. My heart begins to race in my chest and my mouth dries out. Shit this must be pretty serious.
"Ana, when we rescued you out of that warehouse building Jack was shooting at us. Taylor returned fire and all of the gunfire stopped. Taylor, Sawyer, and I rushed to be with you, so we had the police clear the scene. Jack was found injured and they took him to the hospital to seek treatment for his bullet wound. We just found out this morning that last night he escaped from the hospital. This note was given to Taylor this morning by the front desk," Christian confesses handing me a note in a plastic bag. Recognition hits me as soon as I see the writing… Jack's writing.
'My Dearest Ana,
No matter where you go, no matter who you pay to protect you, I will be there to find you. Nothing will be able to protect you now! You better watch your back. I'll be lurking around every corner waiting for my moment to end your life. Good luck running… I love a game of cat and mouse.
As soon as I've finished reading the letter my eyes shoot up to Christian's. I can't seem to articulate any words at this point. My worst nightmare is coming true, Jack is alive and he's planning to come back for me. I shakily put the letter back on the desk and put my head in my hands. "Ana?" I hear Christian call out to me. I still can't decide what to say to him. I'm afraid for my life, but also tired of not being able to go out and live it at the same time. "Ana, listen. You and the baby will be safe. We have stepped up safety protocols and I promise you that you won't ever be left alone," Christian encourages me. He comes around his desk and kneels beside me. He grabs my hand and places a kiss on it before enveloping me in his arms.
"I can't live in fear that at any moment he will find me and kill me. He can't know about the baby either. We have to brief the security team and let them know that this pregnancy needs to be 100% classified. If he finds out I'm with child he might make that his main objective," I say starting to think through multiple plans.
"Mrs. Grey," Sawyer begins, "Taylor and I already briefed the security team and everyone knows that your pregnancy must remain hidden. We are going to discuss a plan to keep you safe. I will agree to let you return to work, but when Mr. Grey is away on trips you will remain home. I can't risk you going out with half our security team gone."
"I agree with Sawyer except you won't be at half security. When I leave, I will leave Taylor here with you Sawyer," Christian says addressing us both.
"No! I will not let you leave without any form of protection. If Jack realizes he can't get to me he may decide to come after you instead!" I shout.
Before we can even begin to argue about it Sawyer speaks up. "Mr. Grey, Mrs. Grey we need to focus on catching Jack. No one will be left alone until he is found," he finishes.
The room goes silent for a few minutes each of us trying to rein our emotions back in. I'm trying to stay calm to keep the baby safe, but I'm overwhelmed. The light bulb lights up in my head. I know the perfect way to capture Jack! "Christian, what is the number one thing that Jack wants?" I ask him.
He looks at me confused cocking his head to one side. "I'm not sure what you're asking me Ana," he says.
"Christian he's after me, wants to kill me. I know the perfect way to catch him," I begin. "Let me lay my plan out for you guys. We share with the team at work that I am coming back for full duty on Monday. We make sure to make it as public as we can while still believable. We will have Sawyer and Ryan go in the night before and stay in my office so it appears that I enter alone and that I have no protection. Jack won't be able to resist coming to finish the job at SIP especially knowing that I have minimal protection," I finish looking between Sawyer and Christian proud of my scheming.
"No way Ana!" Christian yells. "I'm not going to allow you to offer yourself up as bait. I don't even want to think about him being so close to you. If he gets one swing on you Ana he could kill you or our baby!" Christian shouts. I've never seen him this mad before.
"She has a point Mr. Grey. If we don't catch him soon it's likely that he will disappear. We may not get another chance at him." Sawyer says keeping his eyes on Christian. Christian begins pacing his office before finally stopping in front of Sawyer again.
"Sawyer you need to make sure he doesn't touch her. Not one single finger can touch a strand of her hair. I need your word!" Christian shouts icily. Sawyer just nods his head and heads to the door to brief the rest of the security team on the upcoming plan. Christian comes to me and wraps me in his arms. "Ana, I'm so sorry that you have to deal with this. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe from him," Christian says holding me tightly.
Sawyer POV
I make my way into Taylor's office and push the button on his desk alerting all security that they are needed in Taylor's office. Within a few moments the team begins assembling into the conference room located within the security room. I stand at the head of the table waiting for everyone to make their way inside. Once everyone has made it and is seated, I begin to describe our next steps. "Alright guys I want to keep this briefing as concise as possible so let's get started. We have a plan to draw Jack out of hiding and I want to walk you guys through that plan. Starting tomorrow, Ana will call Roach and let him know that she is returning to work full time on Monday morning. We will have it added to the office memo and we will make it appear that it was accidently spread to the press. They will begin circulating that Ana will be returning to work on Monday. Sunday evening myself and Ryan will go into hiding in Ana's office overnight to be there for protection on Monday. Granger you will drive Mrs. Grey to the office on Monday morning with Alvez hiding in the back of the SUV out of sight. You will drop her off at the front door and will announce you will be back for her at lunch time. Ana will go straight to her office where Ryan and I will be to protect her although it will appear that she has no protection with the press and anyone else watching. We will have the rest of you stationed around the area hidden among the street crowds and in businesses close by. I need to reiterate that we have to blend in 100%. If Jack makes one of us out of the crowd, we could lose him forever and we need to get him off the street to protect Mr. and Mrs. Grey as well as baby Grey. As a reminder this pregnancy needs to be kept 100% quiet until he has been caught and we all need to be watching Mrs. Grey closely for any signs of distress. She is at a high risk of miscarriage if she cannot control her stress levels," Sawyer finishes. The staff all look around to one another but remain quiet.
"What about Mr. Grey?" Taylor speaks up. "Where will he be during all of this?"
"Its your job Taylor to ensure that he stays at the office until this is all over with. If Jack sees him approaching Ana, he will flee," Sawyer answers him. Taylor nods his head but says nothing else. "Alright team, start making your preparations, make sure to load your weapons to full capacity and make sure to have back up. We cannot screw this up. This is our one chance to end this for the Greys." He finishes. Everyone nods and gets to their feet and files out of the office one by one going to prepare for Monday.
