A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 8: Analysis

Christian walked down the hallway and headed back toward the kitchen, his mind still dwelling on Anastasia and her 'detective board'. He almost wanted to laugh about it… she really was quite a mystery to him. Ana had seemed very sweet and trusting when he first met her last night, but now he could see she was resourceful and shrewd, clearly eager to help him solve this murder and clear his name. She was quite confusing to Christian, and he couldn't decide if he liked it or not.

He now walked over to the breakfast counter and sat down. He was about to start on the egg-white omelet that Gail had placed in front of him when he heard the elevator suddenly ding with someone's arrival. On instinct his heart started pounding with nervousness, but he calmed down a bit when he saw his father enter from the foyer.

"'Morning son," Carrick smiled as he approached. He was dressed in his usual suit and tie, a leather briefcase in hand. "How are you today? Hope you have some coffee left."

"I'm good, Dad. Gail can get some for you," Christian said, nodding at Gail who immediately went to fetch a mug. "What are you doing here?"

"You emailed my team late last night about a new NDA you wanted written up by this morning," Carrick said, taking the seat adjacent to Christian and placing his briefcase on the counter beside him. "I have it right here, although I am curious as to why you needed it so soon."

"It's a long story," Christian grimaced, cutting into his omelet. "But thanks for getting it to me so quickly."

"I also wanted to talk to you more about the investigation," Carrick went on. "I know that you've been feeling pretty hopeless lately, but if this case is going to go to court, I think you have a solid defense since the investigation hasn't been able to prove any motive on your part…"

Carrick continued talking about the investigation for the next few minutes, and Christian didn't say anything. He knew he had to tell his father about what had happened last night, but he wasn't sure of the best way to bring it up.

Apparently he didn't have to, since a few moments later Anastasia walked into the kitchen from the hallway, having gotten dressed in a pair of white skinny jeans and a pink v-neck t-shirt. She was talking on the phone:

"…I'm sorry, but I really don't think I can come in today Claire," Ana said, a forced strain in her voice. "I woke up with an awful migraine this morning and I don't think I can drag myself out of bed. Can you let Jack know I won't be in?"

Ana continued to speak on the phone to the girl named Claire for another minute or so, not paying attention to the others in the kitchen. Christian glanced at his father, who looked dumbfounded at the appearance of this random girl walking into the room as if she lived here.

Ana finally hung up the phone and walked toward them. "Sorry, I was just calling into work," she said to Christian before looking over at Gail with a bright smile. "Good morning Gail."

"'Morning Ana," Gail smiled from the stove. "Can I make you an omelet?"

"Sure, that sounds good," Ana said before turning to Carrick with a smile. "Hi."

"Um… hi," Carrick said, glancing over at Christian with a confused look. Christian had to bite back a laugh.

"Dad, this is Anastasia," Christian introduced. "She's who I needed the NDA for. Anastasia, this is my dad and the head of my legal team. He's been helping me with this whole Elena Lincoln murder case."

"Oh," Ana said in surprise, and she smiled as she reached over to shake his hand. "I didn't realize Christian's dad was also his lawyer. It's nice to meet you."

"You too… I'm sorry, who are you?" Carrick said, still frowning as he shook Anastasia's hand. "How exactly do you know my son?"

"You haven't told him yet?" Ana asked Christian, raising her eyebrows in surprise.

"I was going to loop him in today along with my tech guy Welch, but I guess now's as good a time as any," Christian said, looking over at his father. "Anastasia came by Escala last night with some emails she found between her boss and Elizabeth."

"Elizabeth?" Carrick asked, eyes widening in shock. "As in Elizabeth Daniels?"

"Her last name is actually Morgan," Ana piped up, and Carrick looked at her. "But it's the same Elizabeth. She works in HR at my company, and she and my boss used to date. When I found those emails on Jack's computer, I realized he and Elizabeth were both involved with the Elena Lincoln murder, which I'd heard about in the news. I felt the best solution was to print them all out and bring them straight to Christian."

"And you have these emails?" Carrick asked, turning to Christian eagerly. "Could I see them?"

"Yeah, they're in my office," Christian said. "How about you, me, Ana, and Taylor go into my office right now and give Welch a call? We can all talk about this new information and figure out our next steps."

"Sure, that sounds good," Carrick agreed.

He and Christian both got to their feet, and Ana soon followed, shooting Christian an eager grin before leading the way down the hall toward his office. Christian was momentarily surprised by her excitement, but considering the fact she had made a makeshift detective board in his guest room, he realized she found an honest enjoyment in being a part of this investigation.

Christian supposed if this murder case was affecting anyone but himself, he would be able to find some enjoyment in solving it too.

~A few hours later~

The call with Welch went longer than Christian had expected. Carrick read over all the emails and agreed to fax them over to Welch. Welch said the emails were definitely something to go off of, and the fact that they now had more information on Elizabeth's true identity was a huge plus. Welch promised to get as much information about Elizabeth Morgan as soon as he possibly could by the end of the day.

Ana sat in on the group call with the others, listening intently and answering any questions Welch or Carrick had that Christian couldn't answer. She listened intently and asked questions when necessary, and the pensive frown she had on her face the entire time made Christian wonder if she had some ideas of her own on what to do next.

Once their call ended, Christian dismissed Taylor and Anastasia, leaving him and his dad alone. Carrick rubbed his chin, clearly thinking about everything they discussed.

"I hope as much as you do that this all works out, son," Carrick said after a moment, finally looking over at him. "I just want to be sure you know what you're doing, particularly with this Anastasia girl. You know what happened the last time you trusted a random girl blindly like that."

"I know Dad," Christian assured him. "And trust me, I was very skeptical of Ana when she first arrived here last night, but I really do feel she honestly wants to help with this investigation. She agreed to sign the NDA, at least."

"That's good. And I agree with you, Anastasia does seem sincere, but we can't be too careful," Carrick said, getting to his feet. "When I first saw her walking into the kitchen this morning, I thought she was one of your… what do you call them… submissives?"

Christian frowned in annoyance. "Jesus Dad. I'm practically on Seattle's Most Wanted list, I wouldn't even think about finding a girl to hook up with at a time like this."

"I know, I know," Carrick conceded, raising his hands innocently. "Even so, Anastasia seems like a very nice girl. I'm glad she was able to come across those emails between her boss and Elizabeth, and she was smart enough to bring it straight to you. I'm hopeful that her information will be what finally clears your name and puts this whole nightmare behind us."

Christian nodded, but didn't say anything. Honestly, despite the hope Anastasia had brought to him last night, he still had a hard time seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. GEH was still suffering because of this investigation, and it would likely continue to suffer for months or even years down the line. Christian doubted his name and reputation could ever overcome the label of 'murderer', even though he hadn't done anything wrong. Being falsely smeared in such a public way rarely ended well, and could bring even the strongest of men to their knees.

Hell, it brought Christian to his knees in less than a week, and even now he struggled to get back on his feet. Who's to say he would ever truly come back from this?

Carrick finished gathering up his things, and Christian walked him back out to the great room before saying goodbye. Once he was gone Christian walked back down the hallway, his mind wandering listlessly, before he stopped in front of the door of what used to be his playroom.

The door was still locked, so Christian knew nobody was in there, but it didn't stop him from just standing and staring at the door. He wasn't sure why he still kept that room locked… it's not like he had anything stored there to hide from the world anymore.

Without pausing to think, Christian moved forward and pulled his keys out of his pocket, finding the one for the playroom almost immediately. He unlocked the door and stepped inside, flicking on the light.

The scent of wood polish still lingered around the empty room, though it was much less pronounced than it used to be. Christian hadn't really been in here since he and Taylor had cleared it out after the police searched it, leaving nothing but the four poster bed and the disassembled Saint Andrews cross behind.

Christian slowly walked over to the wall facing the four poster bed and leaned against it. He almost found himself missing the control this room afforded him, helping him make sense of his life when things would become too chaotic. Now that being a Dominant wasn't really an option for him to find control again, he could no longer find the sort of peace BDSM used to give him.

Would I ever be a Dominant again?

It was impossible to know, at least at this point in time, but Christian had a hard time imagining himself ever coming back to this lifestyle, especially considering how Elizabeth had used it against him in such a devious and destructive way. How could he ever come in this room with a new submissive and pretend that the past never happened?

Christian briefly considered the possibility of moving somewhere far, far away from Seattle, and he couldn't help but smile wryly at the thought.

"Hey, there you are."

Christian turned, seeing that he had left the door wide open, and Anastasia walked through. He felt his heartbeat skyrocket.

"Ana," he said automatically, straightening up. "Um… what are you doing?"

For a brief moment he forgot that this was no longer his playroom and that there weren't any incriminating BDSM instruments in here anymore, but he still felt strange seeing her walk in here so casually.

"I was just looking for you," she said, walking toward him. She held up the NDA Carrick had left on the breakfast counter. "I read over the NDA and signed it, just like you wanted."

"Oh," Christian said, accepting the papers she handed him. "Thank you. I appreciate it."

"No problem," she said kindly. She then turned her gaze to the room around her, taking in the red walls and bare four poster bed. Christian felt sick to his stomach. "Cool room," she said conversationally. "I like the red walls. Is this an old storage space?"

Christian felt his stomach contract as he swallowed nervously. "Something like that."

"So hey, I had an idea," Ana suddenly said, changing tack as she faced Christian again. "About the investigation."

Christian gestured to the NDA. "You signed this, didn't you? You're free to leave whenever you want now. You don't have to stick around anymore."

"Yeah, well, I do want to stick around and help," Ana insisted. "I mean… that is, if you want me to. I have an idea about what we could do to find more information before your guy Welch finishes Elizabeth's background check."

Christian couldn't help but smile slightly, feeling almost glad that she didn't want to leave just yet. "Well, I suppose since you're taking the day off of work today you're free to do whatever you want. What's your idea?"

"I think we should go to Elena Lincoln's house and search for clues."

Christian's smile dropped almost immediately at that suggestion. "No. No way, we are not doing that."

"What? Why not?" Ana said, her eager look now dropping into confusion. "Your friend Elena obviously knew my boss Jack, and he apparently murdered her in her own home. He probably left some sort of clue that the police missed or overlooked. We should investigate ourselves so we can have some solid evidence to help clear your name."

"Ana, I'm currently the police's number one suspect for Elena's murder. I haven't been able to leave this apartment for days," Christian said. "I get recognized everywhere I go. Not to mention there's probably going to be police officers trolling around Elena's home since it's a high-profile crime scene."

"The murder's a week old already, the house is probably only blocked off by police tape," Ana brushed off. "And you have a spare key to her house, don't you? We can wear disguises to sneak in, take a quick look around, and be out of there before anyone even knew we were there."

Christian frowned. Truthfully, he had thought about searching Elena's house for evidence, but he was reluctant to let Anastasia come with him in case she potentially found Elena's BDSM dungeon or Domme paraphernalia. Ana didn't know about his and Elena's past relationship, and although Christian was confident Elena didn't keep any souvenirs from their time together, he still felt uneasy about her being exposed to that world.

Ana, noticing Christian's hesitation, held out her hand, palm up. "Look, if you don't want to go, I'll just go myself. Can you give me the key to her house?"

"You're not going by yourself," Christian said firmly, and after a moment he let out a resigned sigh. "I'll go with you to Elena's house, but we're bringing Taylor with us to keep an eye out. We won't stay longer than we have to, and at the first sign of trouble we're out of there. Alright?"

"Alright," Ana smiled, dropping her hand. "I'm glad you agree. I really feel like this is the right thing to do."

"Let's hope so," Christian said reluctantly.

"Oh come on. Sneaking out to investigate an open murder case… what could possibly go wrong?"

She shot him one last grin before turning and walking out of the playroom. Christian watched her leave before shaking his head, smiling to himself as he followed her.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that! Next chapter, Christian and Ana go to Elena's house to go searching for clues.

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