I do not own FSOG, FSD, FSF, any of its characters of affiliates. They belong to E. L. James and I will not profit from this.

Ana

I sit on the couch while my husband sits on the armchair almost ninety degrees away from me. We're in the family sitting room, the most comfortable room in the house, we don't use at all to entertain unless it's our family of course.

He looks nervous as I sit back trying to relax with my wine. We usually cuddle at this point, talk more in-depth about our day, just trying to keep the lines of communication open but tonight Christian isn't even sitting beside me and I admit it stings.

"Ana, you're not stupid." He says quietly, he must've found something interesting on the carpet as his eyes are glued to one spot.

"What do you mean?" I ask, my voice betraying me and showing how nervous I am, sometimes I really can't hide away my emotions even when I want nothing more than to do that.

"The last six weeks, I've been… distant."

I suppress a snort though I don't know how. I want to yell at him, ask him for an explanation but it seems like that is what I'm about to get so there's no point.

"Six weeks ago I got a phone call from Assistant District Attorney Brad Harrison." The name rings a bell, so does the title but I can't quite think from where, I've met a few attorneys over the years mostly at Charity Galas of sorts. "He called to tell me that someone he prosecuted was looking at parole from prison."

It slowly dawns on me. There is only one person Christian cares about being in prison, the one and only notorious Jack Hyde.

"And?" I whisper, my throat constricting and my mouth dry.

"He was released today."

I count myself lucky that the carpet in this room is dark as I drop my wine glass, the deep red liquid splattering everywhere but I make no move to clean it up.

"He's out?" I ask, my voice nothing like my own. Fear having already crept through every vein in my body.

"Yeah. I did everything I could Ana I…"

My hand shoots up, stopping him from doing or saying anything.

"You've known for six weeks he might get out and you never told me?" I ask him, tears building in my eyes. He never tells you anything! My subconscious hisses. He hasn't changed in ten years why would he tell you?

"Yes, I'm sorry baby, I thought I could do something to stop it happening!" He says desperate for me to understand but I really don't take in his words. I'm too busy thinking about what he said before. Jack Hyde is out of prison.

Christian

I don't say anymore. I can see my wife is completely stunned and a variety of different motions flicker endlessly from one to the other across her face, her fear, anger, betrayal, nervousness and anxiousness as plain as the eye can see.

"Couldn't I have spoken at a hearing or something?" Ana asks eventually, I don't know how many minutes have passed but it feels like a lot.

"I spoke."

"But I was his victim, Mia and I …"

"We all were, and I wanted to fix it Ana, I wanted to make sure he stayed in prison so you wouldn't have to worry about this!"

"Well I'm worrying now!" She yells jumping to her feet, the anger becoming the overriding emotion. "I could have prepared for this possibility if you'd just told me sooner! I could have come to terms with the fact he might get out but you deny me that by making a decision concerning me without me! What happened to always talking, trusting?!" She's beyond angry, she's furious. Her brow is crinkled, her powerful and deep blue eyes narrow and glaring at me. I sigh, I'm a dumb ass sometimes.

"I know Ana, but I thought I could do it…"

"Well you couldn't." She retorts, she has every right to, I screwed up. "And now he's out there, free."

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Couldn't you have thought about all of this before this happened? Did you think I'd forgive you straight away for lying to me or hiding this away from me? Don't you think I deserved to know as soon as you did?" I can see her pain, the anger fading just enough for me to see it.

"You did and I'm sorry."

"I'm going to bed." She says turning towards the door.

"I'll be up in a little while…"

"I don't want to see you right now Christian, please… sleep in a guest room tonight." Her voice cracks at the end and she hurries out of the room as quick as she can. She's crying and my heart breaks a little in my chest knowing she doesn't want me to comfort her at all. I should have told her but I vowed to protect her, sometimes it isn't possible but there was a chance here I could, if the parole board decided he could serve the next five years she wouldn't have been feeling any pain and would have never known there was a chance this could happen.

Ana

Once in the bedroom I throw myself onto the bed and let out everything I was holding in downstairs. The past ten years haven't gone without it's drama's and neither has it gone without Jack Hyde creeping into my thoughts every once in a while but this… this feels like I'm living in one of my nightmares, those I have when I've had a particular stressful day especially if Christian's away on business.

I cry and cry until I can't cry anymore. Once I'm done I head into the bathroom stripping my clothes as I walk towards the shower. I need to feel the water cascading onto my skin at a scalding hot temperature. I cry some more in the shower, so I wasn't as cried out as I thought. I'm feeling so many emotions right now that I can't pin point on one to focus on it for the time being. I suddenly feel like Christian does when he's out of control.

The sliding door of the huge shower slides open letting in a blast of cool air. I spin around to my husband naked looking like a lost puppy or the Puss in boots off Shrek. Yeah, the way he looks right before he does something painful to someone, my subconscious chips in but I push her away to focus on my husband who takes me into his arms letting me cry into his chest.

It isn't until I pull enough a way to look up into his eyes I see he's been crying with me. I know he's in turmoil just as I am, he probably, knowing my husband the way I do, feels like he's failed me and our children by Hyde getting free.

"It wasn't your fault." I say having developed a way of sensing what he's thinking just as he's always been able to with me.

"I'm trying to believe that." He chuckles weakly. "Come on, let me wash your hair."

I let him get to work knowing that him working the strawberry and pomegranate shampoo into my hair is relaxing him as much as it is me. Once he's done we step out together and collect the big white Egyptian cotton towels from the cupboard and wrap up tightly in them. Christian holds around me, my head lying on his bare chest.

"Take me to bed Christian, make me forget." I whisper against his skin.

Without a word he takes my hand and leads me into our bedroom.