This is a filler chapter.


Chapter 19

The next day, Ana felt refreshed and she started the day with determination to get the working day done so she could go and see a bit of the city.

Ana was pretty sure that Christian and Ros caught on to her reason for rushing through the day, but they let her be and hurried it along as well. It payed off in the end and they all finished their meetings at 3pm so they had the rest of the day to themselves.

They were on their way back to the hotel before they went off and did their own thing again.

"What are your plans Ana?" Ros asked her.

"I think I might take a walk through central park but keep it brief so I can spend the day there tomorrow instead. I might check out some museums that I come across, the empire state building maybe. Oh and I want to check out the public library here, I hear it's the thing of dreams." Ana almost gushed.

Christian chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything less." Ana felt her cheeks warm a little.

"Empire state is a good shout. The view is magnificent. I'm meeting an old friend later and we've got reservations at some she said that we have to try out. Then we're going to see Hamilton on Broadway!" Ros said with glee.

Ana's brows rose in surprise. "Broadway? Wow. How did you manage to get tickets so last minute?" She wondered.

"We've known about this trip for a while, so I booked them when I first found out about it." Ros explained. "You have no idea how excited I am for it."

Ana smiled at her enthusiasm. She'd never seen Ros so animated about anything unless she was arguing with someone. "You'll need to tell me all about it." Ana said. "What about you Ben?" She asked him.

"I think I've done all the touristy things so I'm just going to head to my friends' club in Brooklyn and I'm meeting up with some college friends."

Ana nodded while Ros shuddered about 'New York clubs.'

"You Mr Grey?" Ana asked the man who had been just listening to their conversation up until now.

He shrugged. "I have no solid plans right now. I'll just go where the wind takes me. But I think you should visit Washington State Park as well. While central is great, I think Washington is a lot better and I think you'll like it." He suggested lightly.

Ana thought for a moment. "You think? Okay well I still want to check out central park so I'll just go there briefly today and tomorrow I can spend the day in the Washington one."

"Sounds like a good plan to me." Christian said.

"Don't you get bored in a park?" Ros wondered.

"Not really. I like that sort of thing anyway so it's perfect for me."

They arrived back at the hotel and walked into the lobby. "Well, if I don't see you then have a great time exploring Ana." Ros gave Ana a tight hug. "Don't talk to strangers." She called as she headed in a different direction to the elevators, once again.

"You too!" Ana called.

Ana and Christian found themselves in the elevator alone again. Ana wondered if the others were making themselves scarce on purpose.

The elevator was silent for a few seconds before Christian hesitantly spoke up.

"Ana, I know you're capable of protecting yourself and all, but this is New York and it's pretty damn dangerous here especially for a young, pretty woman like yourself. So if you get lost or find yourself in an uncomfortable situation, please call me. The thought of something happening to you out here – a place where I bought you, fills me with absolute fear. You have my number; you have Taylor and Sawyers' numbers so please don't hesitate to give any of us a call. I can't imagine I'll be so busy that I can't answer your call, so you don't need to worry about that." He was looking at her with such intense eyes that Ana's breath stuttered.

She was hypnotised. She had to swallow a few times and took a deep breath before she replied in a quiet voice. "Of course, I will. I appreciate your concern; it really means a lot, but I will be as vigilant as I can be. I know it can appear like I don't have a backbone at times and I'm too soft, but I can protect myself. My dad taught me self-defence when I was a kid."

The intense look in his eyes remained. "I know you can but still. Just promise me that you will call if you need help."

"I promise I will." She said. Christian released a breath he didn't realise he'd been holding as she uttered those words and the tension somewhat left his shoulders but the nagging worrying feeling was still in the back of his mind.

If he had his way, he wouldn't let her go out alone. He would offer to go with her, but she was her own person and he didn't want to just barge in on her own time. He also thought that might cross some boundary. Anyway, who was he to tell her she can't go and explore on her own? She seemed perfectly happy with hanging out by herself, so as much as it worried him, he sucked it up and tried to put aside his worries.

"Good. Thank you." He breathed out. "Pinkie promise?" He asked, lips twitching as offered his pinkie.

Ana's face split into a grin and they hooked pinkies.

Despite Ana's reassurance that she would call if needed, Christian just couldn't let it go. He knew she would be going around mostly on foot and she obviously didn't know the area so the things that could happen to her were endless. So, in the end he decided to send Sawyer to just keep an eye on her but to keep out of sight. Christian just couldn't just leave her be.


Ana got changed into some blue jeans and a very cutesy style blouse with some converse. She was going to be doing a lot of walking today, so she needed to be comfy. She bought a sweater in her bag just in case she got a bit chilly and she packed a water bottle and two books.

Stepping out of the hotel, she plugged her earphones in and put on some music but at a very low volume. The music would paint a nice picture as she walked and would add to the whole experience, yet she would still be able to hear the sounds of the city.

Ana decided to head to The Met first since it was pretty close and to get there, she'd have to walk through central park which was perfect.

It was a warm day in NY and the streets were bustling with people and cars. She headed into the park and just gaped at everything silently. There were people everywhere. It was like stepping into a different world. The city was littered with skyscrapers and fancy buildings and then there was this little place of paradise right in the middle of it.

There was just so much greenery. Flowers were in full bloom and they were so beautiful. She wanted to pluck one but she refrained. The grass was littered with people having picnics, playing games and just having a good time. Ana spied a few people on their own, just sat reading a book and she smiled to herself. For some reason every time she saw someone reading a book alone, it filled her up with this happy feeling. She saw a little bit of herself in all of them.

Ana decided to pause her music so she could take it all in. She walked past the zoo where she could hear excited chatter, a lot of laughter and a few shrieks. As she tried to get a glimpse of inside the zoo, she felt something furry around her legs and looked down.

To her surprise, there was a dog dancing around her feet. "Oh my gosh!" She exclaimed. Glancing up to see who it belonged to, she spotted an older woman with sunglasses on who was rapidly approaching her with a dog leash in her hand.

"Toby! Leave that woman alone." The woman got closer and started to apologise as Toby still ran around in circles around her. "I'm so sorry. The leash somehow came off and he just made a break for it. Toby! Come here boy."

Ana chuckled. "It's no bother at all. He's adorable. Is it okay if I pet him?"

"Oh yes, sure. Go for it." The woman said a little surprised.

Ana crouched down and managed to stop his running and rubbed his light brown head. "Hi Toby." The dog just panted happily in response with his tail wagging away. Ana giggled. "You are so cute." Ana glanced up at the owner. "What breed is he?" She didn't really know much about dogs or their breeds, but she thought she might as well ask.

"He's an English Cocker Spaniel. Do you have a dog?" The woman wondered.

"No." She smiled. "Growing up we just didn't have time to take care of one and right now, I just don't have the time for a dog. Maybe one day in the future when I'm a bit older." Ana mused.

"I think you should. They make for great friends. My husband died a few years ago and it's just been me and Toby ever since. We're best buds." The woman smiled affectionately at her dog. The woman patted her thigh and Toby turned away from Ana and ran straight for its owner, letting out one single happy bark.

Ana stood up straight. "I'm sorry for your loss but Toby seems like a great little guy. I mean look at him. He's staring at you like you put the moon and stars in the sky." It was true, Toby was just standing there, tail wagging as he stared up at her face.

The woman laughed. "Always nice to have someone look at you like that. Even if it is a canine." She said amused. "I'll let you get going. We're sorry for interrupting your day."

Ana shook her head quickly. "No don't be! It was a welcome interruption." She smiled at the woman and after goodbyes, Ana resumed on her walk.

Put your Records on was playing through her earphones and she decided to forgo the sunglasses so that she was able to see everything in all its vibrancy. She didn't want to miss out on anything.

Ana walked to Gapstow Bridge and she stopped to just look out into the pond. The bridge itself was covered in greenery and all around it were flowers of all colours. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen. She could even see some skyscrapers peeking through the trees which as a stark contrast, but it was just so New York. She would love to see the sunset or sunrise from here one day.

There were some kids who ran around in circles around her, chasing each other and it made her miss her childhood; being so innocent and carefree. She was a very nostalgic and sentimental person and once upon a time she hated that especially when she was a teenager but now, she was proud of the person she was because it made her enjoy and appreciate life a lot more.

This park was wild; every corner she turned there was something new going on. It was like multiple little worlds all in one park right in the centre of Manhattan.

Ana heard about how sometimes there was literature readings in the park, and she wanted to put that one her bucket list for next time. She snapped some pictures of the different statues; she knew her dad would appreciate them and stopped for a few moments at Conservatory Water, watching the boats sailing on the pond. Quickly taking some pictures she resumed her walk to the Met and arrived around 10 minutes later.

After paying the entrance fee, she went straight for the British Galleries exhibition. She'd been told by Andrea that you needed at least a good 3 hours at The Met and it was very easy to get side tracked inside but Ana didn't have that kind of time so she had planned out which exhibitions she was going to check out beforehand; most of them being the European ones.

Internally, she ooh'd and ahh'd at all the architectural impressive rooms, the paintings, the statues. She did do a whole degree in British Lit and she'd always been captivated by British history, so this was right up her street. She spent a good amount of time walking around the museum, taking it all in and learning so many things. As she headed out, she popped into the shop and found a mini sculpture of a man thinking and she bought it thinking that it would be the perfect gift for her dad. He had a certain appreciation for sculptures and statues. One day she wanted to come back and explore every single exhibition and piece of art this place held.

It was Friday night in NYC and trying to get into any restaurant and bar would be futile, so she decided to forgo fine dining and eat something at a café or deli she came across. She had taken the subway to Greenwich Village – which was surprisingly easy to navigate - wanting to explore some bookstores and she stumbled upon McNally Jackson Bookstore Café. Could it be any more perfect she thought as she headed in.

The first thing that caught her attention was all the paperbacks suspended from the ceiling. She'd never seen anything like it. The place was surprisingly very well-lit for a bookstore, with the low hanging lights in between all the books on the ceiling. She spoke to an employee and she was told that she could choose a book and head to the café area to sit and read it.

Browsing a random aisle, she chose a book she'd never heard of and walked over to the café. Each heading in the menu was accompanied by a quote from a book about said header. Reading the quotes, she felt giddy. They were small things, but they meant a lot to her. This place may be heaven on earth. She decided to order a latte; she thought the caffeine may re-energise her and she had more time to enjoy herself, not being bogged down by tiredness.

Sitting down, the waiter bought over her cream cheese bagel and an almond croissant. Andrea and Emily would be proud. For the next hour, she got lost in the pages of Khaled Hosseini's And the Mountains Echoed. Most books she read were romance or tragedy cantered but this book was about siblinghood which Ana had never been able to relate to, but it was a very welcome change from her norm. Before leaving, she bought the book wanting to finish it.

Before she headed for the public library on 5th Avenue she popped into a little hidden bookstore called Three Lives & Company. Now this was a typical bookstore that she was used to with its dimmed lighting and people in various aisles quietly reading the blurbs of books. It was very vintage looking, and this was the type of place she would go shopping at when she was a teen, not some clothing stores. She didn't want to look around too much, fearing that once she did, she wouldn't be able to stop and get out of here in a reasonable timely manner but then her eyes fell upon 1984 by George Orwell and Christian came to mind.

He did mention that he wanted to start reading books and Ana thought this book might be the perfect starting point for him. She had a feeling he'd like it so, without further thought for fear of overthinking it, she bought it for him and resumed her journey to the library, getting back on the subway. It smelt funky in the train, but that was just part of New York wasn't it?

Ana had been to plenty of library's in her lifetime, but nothing compared to New York Public Library. The architecture, the books, the smell, it was absolutely glorious. She'd been wrong before; this was heaven on earth. Not sure if she was allowed to take pictures, she snapped a few discretely because who knows when she'll be back, and she wanted to remember this. She wished she went to college in NY so that she would have been able to come here and stud – or just study anywhere in the city. No wonder so many great pieces of literature were created here. Ana felt like even she'd be able to write a book if she was here for a prolonged time. It was just that inspiring.

Spending a few hours in her paradise reading bits of rare books and manuscripts, she eventually had to force herself to stop and leave. She couldn't spend the whole night here. Stepping out, she realised the sun was just about to set and she headed for the High Line. It was a bit of a walk, but she decided to do that anyway so that she could see the sunset as she went instead of being stuck underground and not being able to see a thing.

On her trek, Ana was about 90% sure that Sawyer was tailing her. Throughout the whole afternoon, she'd been very vigilant and aware of things going on around her especially when she was walking through the streets. She thought she had seen someone she recognised multiple times from the corner of her eye but she had never gotten a full glance. And of course, she had never seen Sawyer in anything but a suit so him being in normal clothes threw her off as well.

But as the streets were calming down, it became pretty obvious to her, so she came up with a plan to confirm her suspicions. Walking at a brisk pace, she made sure there weren't any people directly behind her and abruptly stopped and turned on her heel pretending to walk back the way she came. Her eyes flew up and she snorted quietly to herself when she saw Sawyer quickly duck into a shop to avoid being seen.

Snickering to herself she turned around and resumed her walk to the high line; decided to let him be. So he was definitely tailing her and had been the whole time. Surprisingly enough, Ana wasn't really that troubled by it. It was obvious Christian had asked him to keep an eye on her. And while she did roll her eyes at his protective nature – even after all the reassurance from her – it did make her feel some type of way that he cared enough to do this. Ana supposed that it was his own weird way of showing that he cares. And with it getting late now, she was sort of glad that Sawyer was there.

She watched Criminal Minds. She knew what could happen.

Arriving at the high line in record time due to her fast walking, she walked until she found the perfect spot to see the sunset. It was a very cool vibe around here with the old train line. She took bites of her pretzel that she bought from one of the numerous food vendors and decided to call Kate.

"Ana, hey." Kate greeted her, breathlessly.

"Hi Kate. Why are you panting?" Ana asked curiously.

"Oh no reason." She said nonchalantly.

Ana's eyes narrowed a little suspiciously as she watched the sky paint pretty colours over the skyscrapers and the Hudson River. "Tell me. If you're busy, I'll call later."

"No, now's the perfect time. I'm not busy. I'm home. Alone."

That put Ana's thought that she had interrupted her and Elliot's lovemaking session to bed. "Mhm."

There was silence for five seconds. "Fine." She said dramatically. "I was cleaning the apartment. I was just vacuuming and why does no one ever mention that it takes the life out of you?" Kate complained.

Ana's brows hit her hairline. Kate? Cleaning? She couldn't remember the last time Kate cleaned the whole apartment. She wasn't a slob, but she usually only did her room (barely) and the kitchen. "Are you okay?"

Kate huffed. "I'm fine Steele. Just felt like cleaning, okay?"

"Right." Kate never felt like cleaning, but Ana decided to put it to rest for now. She'd assess the cleanliness of the apartment when she got back. It was clearly a sore subject for Kate; her pride of never doing 'big' cleaning getting in the way.

"So, what are you doing? Are you having fun?" Kate quickly asked.

"Yeah. It's so great. I've spent most of the day exploring. Right now, I'm at this place called the high line and I'm watching the sunset." A guitar started strumming somewhere behind Ana.

"Ooooh. Sounds like fun. What have you done?"

Ana proceeded to tell Kate all about her day and vice versa, chatting away while the sun went down.

"Guess what?" Ana said after a pause.

"What?"

"Sawyer's following me around."

"Sawyer? Christian's security guy?" Kate asked bewildered.

"That's the one. I'd say he's been following me since I left the hotel." Ana said casually as she watched a little girl run at full speed into her father's legs who laughed and picked her up, swinging her around while she shrieked and giggled in joy.

"Huh?" Was all Kate could manage. Now she was confused.

"Before I left, Christian asked me to call him, Taylor or Sawyer if I needed help or got lost or something like that and I had to promise him that I would. He was really worried about me wondering around alone. He seemed satisfied when I promised him but clearly it wasn't enough, so he got Sawyer to keep an eye on me. I caught Sawyer in the act a few minutes ago. It was pretty funny the way he ducked and hid." Ana smirked to herself, remembering it.

Kate was silent again. "And that doesn't bother you? That he had you followed?"

Ana shrugged even though Kate couldn't see. "Nope, not really. I mean it's a bit overboard, I can handle myself you know and maybe Christian doesn't believe me or think I'm capable or whatever but at the end of the day, it's New York. One of the most dangerous cities for a young girl. So, I feel safer knowing that Sawyer's there." Ana explained.

"I would be so annoyed." Kate mused.

"Yeah. But I guess that's just Christian. He's overprotective but he means well. I can't argue with it, if the intention was to keep me safe, you know? I mean I would have liked it if he'd just asked me if Sawyer can come along."

"That would have been better actually." Kate reasoned. "You're a better person than me Ana. it doesn't matter what the intentions were, I would have still blown a gasket for having me tailed." They both laughed.

After a few more minutes of speaking they hung up and Ana sat in silence just gazing out at the view. The sky was very nearly dark now; the tiniest bit of orange left on the horizon. She put her sweater on to ward off the evening chill and decided to head back to the hotel. Friday night, alone in the city wasn't the safest place to be and it would be very busy with people celebrating the arrival of the weekend.

She was going to get a taxi back, but now that she knew Sawyer was always ten steps behind her, she opted for the subway. It made her feel like a true New Yorker. She watched people on her train ride. The carriage she was on, was quite quiet and she knew Sawyer was on the next carriage. A few people were listening to music, just gazing out the windows with this certain look in their eyes. Some were reading. There was even a middle-aged man dressed in a suit standing to her right holding a bouquet of roses. She wondered what the story was behind that. The smell of pizza was overwhelming, and she glanced to see a teenage boy holding a box, while typing on his phone. So many different lives and so many different stories, all on this one little carriage.

Entering the hotel, she was surprised to see that it was pretty quiet. There was a restaurant and area used for breakfast down here but as she passed it, there wasn't really many people there. Everyone must be enjoying other establishments.

An idea occurred to her and she smirked to herself as she sat a little out of the way of the main lobby, on a chair. She sat facing the desk so she could see everyone as they walked by to get to the elevators, and she waited patiently, crossing her legs casually.

She didn't have to wait long. Sawyer strolled in a few minutes later looking like he was whistling to himself. His eyes scanned the area which Ana thought was just habit and he saw Ana but looked away before doing a double take. He abruptly stopped and his face was panic-stricken for a hot second. Ana waved at him with a happy little smile and she nearly laughed out loud when Sawyer's face took on a pink twinge.

Instead she just chuckled as Sawyer slowly walked over to her, squaring his shoulders and clearing his throat. He was going to try and play it off, Ana thought.

"Hi Sawyer. Had a good evening?" Ana asked lightly. She had to work to keep the amusement out of her voice.

"Hi Ana." She had convinced him to call her Ana when Christian wasn't around. They weren't close, but they were friendly. "I had a great evening. Yourself?" For being such a mysterious and buff guy, Sawyer couldn't lie for shit.

"It was great actually. I went to central park, the met, a couple of stores, the library and the highline." Ana was proud of herself for her acting.

"Oh really? That sounds like fun." Sawyer asked. It was like he had to think hard about what he was going to say next.

Ana hummed, scrutinising him. "Mhm. Very fun. Though you should know since you followed me around all afternoon."

Sawyer ran a hand through his hair and Ana briefly wondered if he got that from Christian. "You knew?" He exclaimed.

"I thought I saw someone I recognised a few times, but I wasn't sure until after the library."

"I'm sorry Ana. Grey asked me to keep an eye on you. He was so worried about you being out alone in a city you've never been to." He apologised.

Ana waved her hand dismissively. "Sawyer relax. I figured as much. I didn't mind, I felt safer when I figured out you were there so thank you I guess. I'm pretty sure you had better things to do than follow me around so I'm sorry you had to do that."

"Nah, don't worry. I didn't mind. You're quite interesting to watch and I got to do a little bit of exploring of my own too so…"

"Interesting?" Ana laughed disbelievingly.

"Yeah." He didn't elaborate so Ana left it at that.

"Will you do me a favour?" Ana asked. Sawyer nodded. "Don't tell Christian that I made you. I want to tell him and see his reaction."

Sawyer nodded slowly. "Sure, no problem. If I told him that you knew, he'd kill me." He shuddered.

Ana rolled her eyes lightly as she got up to walk to the elevators. "No, he wouldn't. Don't be dramatic."

Sawyer walked with her and they both got on, leaning on opposite walls. "Okay maybe not kill but he'd be pissed. He didn't want you to know because he was scared that you were gonna be angry at him for doing that without your permission."

"Yeah I thought about that, but I know he meant well so I'm not mad." She shrugged. She eyed him. "You know for an ex-FBI agent you weren't very good at being discreet."

Sawyer laughed embarrassedly. "I'm usually better trust me. But I guess I just wasn't trying as hard to stay hidden because I didn't think you would notice. You're surprisingly crafty and you didn't let on once that you saw me."

"Maybe I could be an FBI agent." Ana joked as they both chuckled.


A few things to say: I've never been to ny and I only know what i've researched.

Not much christian but he'll be in the next one a lot.

I have no upload schedule. It takes me longer to upload because the chapters have been longer. Please let me know if you would prefer shorter chapters or longer ones.

I've been getting a lot of reviews saying that this story is too slow. That is the point. I wanted a story where its more about their friendship and the journey of their relationship. If you want a faster progression then there are plenty of fics on this site for exactly that but this story isn't for that. p.s they wont be getting together anytime soon and they are both too morally good so wont do anything while still being employer/employee.

thank you :)