Anastasia doesn't know what to do or how do to do it. It's been a few days since her run-in with Hyde and their encounter has been playing on constant repeat since that evening. A part of her wonders if she would have told Sawyer who was in the stall, everything would have gone away, but she knows that it's too good to be true. It's obvious that Jack is working with others. She knows that there is a good chance that he alerted them before he spoke to her and that no response from him would mean giving the go ahead to kill her parents. She couldn't risk it. She'd never forgive herself if something happened to her parents just because she took the cowards way out.

She also knows that she hasn't been acting like herself, but she's trying her hardest. Christian has been quizzing her all week over it and she keeps telling him that the pregnancy is making her feel off… that her stomach is extremely woozy. The excuse has worried Christian though and twice, she's had to talk him out of taking her to the ED. She's got to get her shit together or come up with a better excuse.

She's thought long and hard about how to get the money from Christian. She has the fifty-thousand sitting in her savings, so at least the amount she has to ask him for is only half the amount Jack wants. She hates to lie to Christian and she hates to bring her parents into this, but this is the only way.

Deciding that this is the only way to convince Christian to give her the money without him asking too many questions, she decides she's going to tell him that her parents are in financial trouble. If she tells him that they're at risk for losing the house, then she knows he'll give her the money. Her parents are like family to him and he'd never want anything bad to happen to them.

It makes her heart ache knowing that she's not only going to lie, but play on his heart strings on top of it.

What if Christian calls them himself?

That would be devastating if he took it upon himself to call them. She needs to come up with a reason why he can't call them or wire the money to them himself.

Deciding that waiting until Friday to talk to Christian gives her the best chance to get the money and give it to Hyde before he finds out, she stows her plan for the time being and decides to iron out the wrinkles while she lies in bed later.

"Ana, are you sure you don't want to stay at mine, tonight?" Christian is on the phone while she sits on her couch, mulling Monday over once again.

"I'm really tired, Christian. I haven't been sleeping the best since I've been sick. I'm just going to drink some tea and go to bed early. I'll see you tomorrow, beau." She needs time alone tonight to get her story straight.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow. If you need anything, please call me."

"I will, Christian."

"I mean it, Ana. Anything at all. Even in the middle of the night."

His comment makes her grin. "I know you do. I'll be okay, Christian, but I promise to call you if I need anything."

After they hang up, her small grin pulls down into a frown. Christian is such a sweet, genuine soul and she has to lie and manipulate him into giving her his hard-earned money. It makes her feel like a piece of trash. She doesn't deserve him.

Anastasia sighs.

She needs to remember that she's doing this to save her family. She isn't keeping the money for herself. It's for a good cause. It's going to keep her family safe and alive. What if he comes back for more?

She can't bear to think about that right now. She has to hope that this money will be enough for the bastard to leave them alone. Hopefully, after he has the money, she can go to the police over the ordeal and have him taken into custody without her parents being hurt.

XxXxXx

"Christian?" Anastasia stands at the entrance to his office. It's Friday afternoon and she knows the time has come to lie through her teeth. You're doing this for your family. Just remember. For your family. She continues to run this through her head, hoping that her disgust for herself will not show on her face. She's never felt so guilty in all her life. She's taking advantage of her best friend and his money. She always swore she'd never do either, but this is a special circumstance. There isn't anything sinister about this… at least on her end. She's doing this for the good of her parents.

Christian looks up and smiles when he sees his girl standing at the door. "Hey, baby. Come on in."

Giving him a forced smile, Anastasia slips into the room and shuts the door behind her before making her way toward his desk. As she sits, she tucks a tendril of hair behind her ear- a nervous tick- and Christian notices.

"What's wrong, Ana? Why are you so anxious?"

She wets her lips and clears her throat. "We need to talk."

"Talk? Did I do something wrong?" Christian is worried. He can't think of anything that she could be angry about.

Quickly, Anastasia shakes her head. "No, nothing like that. It's my parents… well, kind of."

"Has something happened? Are they hurt? Sick?" Christian reaches for the phone and Anastasia hurries to cover his hand with hers, keeping him from picking up the receiver.

"No, nothing like that. You know how Dad has been having a dry spell with clients at work… well, Mom called me and said they were in some trouble with the house. She said if Daddy ever found out, he'd be so angry with her…" It rushes out her mouth in one breath.

"Woah, woah. Slow down." Christian makes the time out sign with his hand, begging her to take a breath. "What's happening with the house?"

She looks down. She can't look him in the eye while she lies. "Mom said that it's in foreclosure. Unless they can pay off the house, they're going to lose it. She doesn't want Dad to know that she called me. He's too prideful."

Christian frowns. "Won't he know when the foreclosure is no longer an issue?"

"She's taking it one step at a time. She's trying everything she can to save the house, then she'll deal with Dad."

"Why didn't she call me? She's practically a second mother to me." Christian is hurt that Carla didn't come to him first.

"I think in her mind, if she told you, you'd tell him. I guess she thinks you're more likely to keep quiet if I tell you myself." Please. Just offer to pay and be done, Grey.

Christian frowns, trying to swallow back his hurt. "You know I'll help in any way I can, love. Just give me their account number and amount and I'll do it right now."

"You can't wire it to their account. Dad will get a text message as soon as you do."

Christian sighs. "What do I need to do?" He doesn't like all this secrecy. It feels wrong to do this under Ray's nose. He's a good man and Christian doesn't want him to feel betrayed by his own family. Christian can't bear the thought of the Steele's losing their house, though. He needs to protect them and keep them in their family home. It's only right. He knows he'll have to kiss Ray's ass for awhile after this, but their safety and security is number one priority right now.

"Fifty grand. Move it to my account. I'll pay it off." Anastasia's heart is beating so hard against her chest, she can hear it in her ears. This was so easy. She knew that Christian would agree, but she thought she would have to come up with more of an explanation.

Her stomach sours.

He trusts her so much, he doesn't feel the need to ask questions. She's a deplorable human being.

Christian is silent for a few seconds, staring at Anastasia. She looks so ashamed of herself. She shouldn't be. "Ana, look at me."

Anastasia's head shoots up to look him in the eye and she realizes there are tears in her eyes. One falls, and she wipes it away quickly and sniffles.

"Hey… there is no reason to be so upset. You shouldn't be ashamed of asking for help. Everyone needs help now and then. This will all be over soon and everything will go back to normal." He knows that this pregnancy has her more emotional and her parents issues should be the least of her worries.

She nods and rubs her eyes, letting out a light laugh. "Yes, I suppose so. Thank you for the help." Like he said, everything will be over soon and everything will be back to normal soon. Hopefully.

"You're very welcome. I'll have Andrea move the funds right now."

XxXxXx

Anastasia couldn't say no to staying at Christian's this time. He's done so much and trusted her even though she's been lying right to his face. She couldn't deny him and she didn't want to. She wanted the security of being wrapped in his arms for the night. She didn't know how the next day was going to go and did her best to savor every second with him.

When Saturday morning rolls around, Christian isn't as easy going as he was the day before.

"Just let me go with you!" Christian doesn't understand why Anastasia wants to go to the bank by herself.

"There's no need, Christian. You've done so much already. It'll only take a few minutes. It's just down the street. You just relax and I'll be back soon."

"Why won't you let me go?"

"Because you're overworked… and, well, I was hoping to come home to my naked boyfriend warming up the bed for me." She wiggles her eyebrows a little and leans against him, using her sexuality to her advantage.

He groans at the thought of what's to come. "Yea?"

She hums. "Oh, yea. I'll hurry and be back before you know it."

Christian sighs, giving in. "Fine."

She won. Grinning, she grabs her handbag… her largest to carry the money in… and heads toward the elevator.

"Sawyer is waiting in the garage for you."

SHIT!

"Okay." She tries to act normal as she makes her way into the elevator. Once she enters the code, instead of selecting the parking garage, she hits the 'L' button, that goes to the lobby. "Taxi it is." She mumbles to herself. She hopes that she can get to the bank before Sawyer calls to ask if she's coming down.

It only takes her a quick minute to grab a taxi and another two before he's pulling up to the bank. She hasn't gotten a call or text from Sawyer or Christian, so she's hoping she's still in the clear. She knows it's going to take them a few minutes to get the money together and she'll be holding her breath the whole time she waits for it.

Anastasia called the bank last evening to verify that they had the funds in their vault and to give them a heads up that she would be coming to withdraw such a large amount.

As she walks in, she knows that she'll draw too much attention to herself if she goes to the teller line, asking for such a large sum of money. Instead, she stops at the concierge desk and asks the young redhead to see the Assistant Manager, Danna Solano.

"May I ask your name, Miss?"

"My name is Anastasia Steele."

The redhead's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Evidently, Danna Solano mentioned Anastasia's name.

"I'll get the assistant manager for you. Just have a seat in the waiting area, please, and she'll be right with you."

Anastasia gives her a nod and turns to find a seat. As she sits, she watches the young girl and sees her murmuring into the phone. She hopes that they don't find this withdraw too suspicious. Last night, all she had to do was mention Christian's name and Ms. Solano went from asking questions to becoming quite chipper, mentioning how wonderful it is to do business with Mr. Grey's company. Of course it is. Grey House practically brings in trucks full of cash every week.

She sits in the waiting room, her ankles crossed, her feet bouncing impatiently. From the back, she sees a woman step out of her office and give her a smile. It's a beautiful latina with her hair up in bun, light makeup, and a two piece suit-skirt. She screams professionalism and Anastasia hopes that it doesn't mean she'll have to jump through hoops and sign a bunch of legal paperwork before getting the cash.

Standing, Anastasia meets Ms. Solano halfway and shakes her hand.

"Ah, Ms. Steele, nice to meet you. Please, follow me. Right this way."

The Assistant Manager has a seat at her desk and Anastasia sits across from her.

"Is there anything I can get you? Some refreshments?"

She shakes her head. "No, thank you, Ms. Solano. I'm alright."

"Please, call me Danna."

Anastasia smiles. "Call me Ana."

"Thank you, Ana. Now," Danna pulls some paperwork from a manilla folder and places it in front of her. "You're wanting to withdraw one-hundred thousand from your savings, is that correct?"

"Yes, ma'am. As I explained last night, there is a Porsche I have my eye on for Christian, and since I don't have a credit card that has that sort of limit, the dealer wouldn't allow anything, but cash."

Danna shakes her head and rolls her eyes, obviously annoyed with the fictitious dealer Anastasia made up. "Car salesmen...I swear… it doesn't matter how luxurious the brand. They're all the same. He should know the Grey name well enough to know you're good for your word."

Anastasia gives her a small grin. "You would think."

Danna's grin matches hers. "Congratulations, by the way, on the new baby." Her eyes glance down at Anastasia's stomach. "I think it's sweet that you're buying him a daddy gift. So many people spoil the pregnant mommy, but most don't think about the daddy." Anastasia had lied and said that it was a surprise for Christian as a congratulation gift for becoming a daddy.

"Thank you, we are so excited for this little one to come." Anastasia pats her stomach affectionately. Please hurry up.

"Now, I just have a couple of things I need you to sign. This first one, we have to have everyone who takes out more than ten grand out at one time sign, just as a promise that it's not going toward any money laundering or anything illegal and then we'll have to have you sign for the withdraw out of your account. We've already pre-counted the money; it's sitting in a safe box until I go get it."

That's it?

Anastasia is relieved. Her smile widens and she nods. "Sounds great."

She places her large handbag on the desk and takes out her wallet. She selected her largest one, hoping it'd be big enough to hold all the money. "You can put the money in this handbag here."

Anastasia's phone vibrates, but she ignores it. Oh, shit. Not now, Christian! She's been caught.

As she's signing the paperwork quickly, Danna's phone rings and she answers.

"Danna Solano's office…Oh, hello, Mr. Grey!" Anastasia cringes at her words. "Yes, she's here. We're almost done. Yes, you can talk to her."

Handing Anastasia the phone, she shrugs. "Sorry. I hope this doesn't ruin the surprise!"

"Hello?"

"What the hell, Ana?! Why. Why would you-"

"Calm down, Christian. I just wanted to go by myself. I didn't need Sawyer. This is family business and I want to keep it that way. Like Ms. Solano said, we're almost done. I'll be home in a few."

"Why do you defy me? You make everything so hard."

Rolling her eyes, Anastasia sighs. "Because I'm an adult and I'll do as I please. I know you're angry I didn't take security, but I know you love me enough to forgive me."

Christian is silent for a minute and she can practically see the small grin forming on his lips. "Yes, I love you more than anything, Ana."

"And I love you. I'll see you soon, babe."

"We're still going to talk about this."

"Oh, I have no doubt, Grey."

Anastasia hands Danna the phone and watches her hang it up. She did it. She can't believe she diffused the situation so calmly.

So close.

"Alright, give us a couple minutes and we'll get you out of here quickly so you can buy that car."

Nodding, Anastasia agrees. "Yes, that'd be lovely."

While she waits, her phone vibrates again. Looking down, it's a number she doesn't recognise, but she knows she has to answer.

Putting the receiver to her ear, he begins to talk.

"I see you've done as requested."

"What now?"

"The underpass at 5th and Bentley. I don't want to see any phone calls being made and I don't want anyone to follow. You'll walk out of the bank, drop your phone in the trash can outside of the front entrance and get into your car. There is surveillance on the place, so don't try anything stupid. Am I clear?"

"Crystal." She mouths into the phone, trying not to grind her teeth.

"That mouth…"

Anastasia hangs up on the asshole. She doesn't want to hear anymore.

She takes a few deep breaths and tries to control her shaking hands before Danna comes back. "You can do this, Steele. You got this. Quick and painless."

The door of the office opens, startling Anastasia, but when she turns, she's happy to see her handbag full.

"Alright, Ms. Steele, I think we're all set. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Actually..

"Yes. May I borrow your cell phone?"

Danna looks taken aback. "My cell phone?"

Nodding, Anastasia tries to come up with a plan. "I'll give it back to you, I just don't want Christian to see the number of the Porsche place pop up on mine. You'll have it back in an hour or so."

Danna doesn't look convinced.

"Christian is so paranoid about people getting to me now that I'm pregnant with his child, he's constantly checking our phones and our emails. He thinks someone might try to kidnap me and I don't want him to find out about the present."

"A couple hours?" It's obvious that Danna does not want to give it up, but she knows she shouldn't upset the significant other of a VIP customer.

Anastasia nods. "Tops. I'll have it back to you. You can even keep it locked. I just need to be able to dial a number on emergency mode." Just do it.

"Alright. I suppose I can do that." She hands Anastasia the bag and the phone and Anastasia drops her own cell phone in the bag and keeps hold of Danna's in her hand.

"I look forward to doing more business with you in the future, Danna. Thank you for making this such a quick process."

"Likewise. I'll be seeing you soon. Enjoy your day."

Anastasia's legs feel like gelatin as she makes her way out. It takes all her energy and concentration to put one foot in front of the other and walk out like nothing has happened.

As the cold air hits her face, she takes a deep breath and looks around. There are a lot of people on the street and any one of them could be working with Hyde. She can feel herself being watched and it gives her goosebumps.

Her hand tightens around the phone until her knuckles go white and she can feel the sweat her palms have created against the phone. She's hoping that whoever is watching won't come looking in the trashcan to make sure it's really hers.

Clearing her throat, she tries to walk nonchalantly down the stairs of the bank and tosses the sweaty phone into the trash. Please let this work. If she's gone too long, she's hoping Christian will track her GPS and find her before Hyde can hurt her too badly.

You got this, Steele. You can do this. Quick and easy.