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

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 10: Escape

The door shut with a quiet snap as Jack stepped into Elena's house, gazing around at the once-opulent foyer, now having been stripped of all personal effects. It now sat bare and empty, looking almost sad with how little had been left here ever since…

Well, ever since he had last been here.

Jack hadn't ever planned to come back to this place, but Elena had kept something of his that he needed to retrieve, and he didn't really have much of a choice but to return to the scene of the crime. Elizabeth refused to leave the apartment, and since his useless assistant called in sick this morning, he decided to bite the bullet and come by today while everyone else was at work. Thankfully, no cops hung around here anymore to ask questions.

Jack headed down the hallway, the hardwood floors creaking under his feet as he walked along. When he reached the living room, he stopped in his tracks, gazing around; this place remained just as empty as the foyer, though he had a strange feeling he wasn't alone. However, that might have been because of the eerie-looking bloodstain in the center of the floor.

Fucking cops can't even properly clean up the place.

He stared down at the stain for a moment, his nose scrunched up in disgust, before he turned and made his way toward the east wing. He made a beeline for the drawer he knew the file was in.

He opened the drawer and frowned, seeing the _G folder on top of all the papers already inside. He could have sworn Elena had placed this toward the bottom, hidden away from view.

Jack picked up the folder and opened it, ensuring the photo was still inside. He turned and gazed around the empty living room, his senses suddenly on high alert. He couldn't explain it, but he had a strange feeling he wasn't alone in here.

Perhaps ghosts of the past really do linger here.

Sweeping his eyes one more time around the area, Jack finally turned and made his way back toward the front door, the folder and picture clutched in his hand.

"Is he gone?"

Ana tried to move her head up to peer through the window from the shrub she and Christian were still crouched behind. Christian quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her down.

"Stay down," Christian hissed. "He could still be inside."

Before Ana could respond, they both heard the distant sound of the front door slamming shut. As one, Christian and Ana both peeked up over the shrub and gazed through the window.

"I think the coast is clear," Ana said, about to stand up once again, but Christian stopped her by her wrist.

"Let me call Taylor to confirm, and then we'll go in," he whispered. He pulled out his phone as Ana crouched back down beside him.

"Taylor, we think Jack left. Do you have eyes on him?" Christian asked as soon as Taylor picked up.

"Yes sir, he just walked through the gate and onto the street," Taylor said. "He's heading back to his car, a black Lexus."

"Follow him," Christian said immediately. "Go wherever he's heading, and try to get his license plate number."

"Yes sir," Taylor said. "What about you and Ms. Steele?"

"We'll wait for you here."

"No. I have to insist you don't stay at Elena's house," Taylor said firmly. "I won't be parked out here to keep a lookout, and if a police officer comes by and catches you at the scene of the crime, you both could be arrested."

Christian's heart sank, realizing he was right. "What do you suggest then?"

"Both of you get off the property and go for a walk," Taylor said. "Get as far away from the house as you can on foot. If you head over the bridge toward the university, you'll get some better crowd cover. Just keep a low profile, and I'll geo-locate your phone once I get back."

"Will do," Christian said. "Thanks."

"Be safe, sir."

They both hung up, and Christian turned to Ana. "Come on, we have to get out of here."

"What? No, we should stay here and keep searching for clues," Ana insisted, but Christian got to his feet, taking her by the arm and pulling her up too.

"It's not safe to stay here without Taylor keeping a lookout," Christian said firmly. "We have to get off this property right away and keep a low profile. We'll just walk a few blocks away, toward the university."

Ana looked upset as she glanced toward the patio door. "Okay. Let me just grab the picture and we can leave."

Before Christian could say anything, Ana hurried toward the patio door. Christian quickly followed her.

"Hurry up," he said as Ana made her way into the house and toward the east wing "I don't want to be caught here if a police officer happens to walk in."

Ana walked up to the drawer where she found the picture and opened it. She froze for a second or two, staring down into it, before turning back toward Christian, her eyes wide. "It's not here anymore."

Christian frowned before walking over. Ana turned back to the drawer and started digging through it.

"I could have sworn I put it on top of everything," she said worriedly, still digging through the drawer. She finally stopped, looking back up at Christian with extreme worry in her eyes. "I think Jack took it."

Christian's stomach dropped, somehow knowing she was right. "That must have been why he came here."

If that picture really was of himself and Jack as children, Christian realized it must have been important evidence of some sort. Did Hyde want to get rid of it, or was it of some significance to him?

Ana turned back to the drawer and continued digging through it, fruitlessly searching for the folder. "It's not there Ana. We have to go now," Christian insisted.

She ignored him, still searching through the drawer, and Christian moved forward to put his hands on top of hers, pausing her movements. "Stop. Please Ana, it's not there anymore. Hyde took it."

"It was our one clue," Ana said helplessly, looking up at Christian in distress. "It was the one thing we found that could have been important evidence to this case, and now it's gone!"

"But you and I saw it, and we know it exists," Christian reassured her. "Also, we know that Hyde feels it's important somehow, otherwise he wouldn't have taken it. That's more than we knew before we came here."

Ana nodded, looking slightly mollified. "Yeah."

"Come on, we need to head out of here now before anyone else shows up," Christian said, closing the drawer. "Taylor's following Hyde to wherever he drove off to, and he'll give me a call once he gets back."

Ana nodded again, and she allowed Christian to take her hand. He helped her gather up her things before leading her back toward the front door.

~/~

Slipping out of the house and back through the gate onto the road was thankfully pretty easy. The neighborhood stood still and quiet, and apart from some old lady walking her dog in the distance, they didn't see anyone else around. However, that didn't prevent Christian from feeling on edge as he gazed at the large suburban houses surrounding them.

"The bridge is this way, I think," Ana said, pointing north. "Let's go."

She and Christian began to walk together down the sidewalk. Beyond the trees in the distance, Christian could see the waters of Portage Bay, and he knew the bridge across the water was nearby.

"We should walk a bit faster," Christian said, glancing over his shoulder to ensure they weren't being followed. "We need to get as far away from Elena's house as we can."

"We need to act like we're just taking a leisurely walk like normal people. Speed-walking like a bat out of hell would look suspicious," Ana pointed out. "And it would help if you stopped looking shiftily over your shoulder like that."

"Right," Christian said, turning back so he looked straight ahead. He reached up and grasped the brim of his hat. "Think I should keep this on?"

"Yeah, it looks good on you," Ana smiled, glancing up at him. "Although I think I look kind of conspicuous in this hat and sunglasses."

Before Christian could say anything, Ana slipped off her sunglasses and hat, and immediately stuffed them into her messenger bag. "How's this?" she asked, combing her fingers through her long chestnut hair.

"Perfect," Christian smiled at her, and she grinned back.

The two of them remained silent as they walked along, and Christian resisted the urge to continuously glance over his shoulder to check for cops or photographers. He was actually thankful for the baseball cap covering up his hair, and the bill which could provide a shield for his face if he kept his head down.

"So…" Ana said after a minute or so of them walking in silence. "Any theories as to why Jack wanted to hide that picture of you two as children?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Christian shook his head. "Honestly, I'm just shocked that he and I had been in the same foster home in Detroit. What are the odds the two of us would both end up in Seattle?"

Ana frowned, looking thoughtful. "Maybe it's not a coincidence? I once heard from someone at the office that Jack moved to Seattle about five years ago, but it wasn't for work - he didn't get a job until about a year after he arrived. I don't know where he came from, but what if it was Detroit? What if the reason he came here was because of you?"

"So you think he's stalking me?" Christian asked, raising his eyebrows. "I mean, he murdered Elena and planned it so it would look like I killed her… the guy sounds like a complete sociopath."

"I can believe it," Ana grimaced. "On some days at work, Jack would get irrationally angry over the smallest things, and he'll start screaming his head off. I can't believe I never put it together before."

Ana paused, still looking deep in thought, and Christian couldn't help but feel his heart go out to her. "These past couple days must have been rough, with you realizing your own boss is a cold-blooded murderer."

"Honestly, I still can't seem to process it," Ana admitted. "All I know is that I want him to pay for all the hurt he's caused… to you, and to Elena, and to all the people at my company who've had to put up with him these past few years."

"What we have to do is find irrevocable proof that Hyde was the one that murdered Elena," Christian said, frowning in thought. "Those emails you found could help our case, though with the entire police force in Hyde's pocket, there's a good chance those emails would 'mysteriously' go missing. Finding Elizabeth could also help us, but she's been off the grid for over a week now. If we can definitively establish Hyde killed Elena and framed me, then we'll have a better shot at proving my innocence."

"That picture I found would have been a good start, but now it's gone," Ana said sadly. "What should we do now?"

Christian thought for a few moments. "My mother has a ton of pictures of me when I was a kid. I could ask her if she has any from when I was in the foster home with the Collier's?"

"That's a great idea," Ana grinned at him. "And maybe ask her if she remembers anything from when you were in that foster home with Jack and that couple."

"I can't imagine how she would remember anything from that time, but it's worth a shot."

The two of them continued to walk in silence for another minute or so, both lost in their thoughts. Christian saw the bridge up ahead, and just as he and Ana stepped onto it, a large group of what looked like college coeds began crossing the bridge from the opposite direction, laughing and joking around with each other. They were coming straight toward Christian and Ana, and Christian immediately became nervous they would see his face and recognize him; he quickly lowered his head so his face stayed hidden behind his baseball cap.

The college kids were still several yards away when Ana suddenly grasped Christian's arm and pulled him toward the stone wall of the bridge, facing out toward the water.

"Put your arm around my waist. Now," Ana whispered from his side. Christian had no idea why she wanted him to do that, but complied nonetheless. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close, both of them facing the bay as the group of college kids passed by without a glance.

Christian realized what Ana had done, and he felt grateful for her quick thinking. To anyone who saw them, they just looked like a normal couple canoodling while admiring the scenery together, and he had managed to keep his face hidden in the process.

"Good thinking," Christian said quietly as the last person passed them by. He glanced over his shoulder toward them. "I don't think anyone recognized me."

"That was the plan," Ana said, looking over her shoulder as well. "It's a social rule that nobody looks directly at a couple doing PDA. I felt we could use that to our benefit."

"Very smart of you," Christian said, turning to look at Ana with a smile on his face, his arm still wrapped around her waist. "You're sure no one will look at us doing a public display of affection?"

"Probably not, considering no one else is on this bridge anymore," Ana pointed out, smiling up at him.

"In that case, why don't we just stay here for a minute? I don't think anyone will bother us here."

"Okay," Ana said, her cheeks blushing slightly.

Christian took his arm off her waist, wishing he didn't have to, before turning his gaze back out over the water. In the distance he could see a couple sailboats drifting leisurely along the bay.

"It's so nice out," Ana commented after a moment, a light breeze drifting through their hair.

"It is," Christian agreed. "It's been days since I've even stepped outside my apartment. I'd almost forgotten how nice a simple summer breeze felt."

"That must be awful, not being able to leave your own home," Ana said sympathetically. "I'm glad you were able to come out today, though."

Christian turned his gaze over to Ana. "Me too."

Ana met his eyes, her blue irises filled with an emotion that made Christian's heart pound. He couldn't quite explain the feeling currently filling his chest… Ana had come into his life in such an unexpected way, and unlike the rest of the world, she didn't look at him like he was a despicable human being.

If she had found out about my past with Elena, would she still look at me like that?

Christian honestly didn't want to know.

"Do you really have to go back to your apartment after all this?" he asked after a moment, still gazing into her eyes.

Ana blinked, her cheeks still red. "Um… yeah, I think I do. But don't worry, I'll be back soon enough."

Christian nodded. "I know. I've just enjoyed having you at my place this past day or so, that's all."

Ana didn't say anything, but she continued to look up at him with those big blue eyes. A whole plethora of emotions seemed to cross over her face, and Christian could still feel his heart pounding loudly in his chest. He couldn't say he had much experience with women beyond the submissives he used to contract, but right now he wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss Ana, to feel her lips pressed against his.

She continued to gaze up at him, and Christian decided to throw caution into the wind.

Fuck it.

Slowly, Christian leaned forward until their lips were inches apart, and Ana raised her face up slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he kissed her, the taste of her lips sweet and delectable. Christian moved his hands down so they wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer, and Ana reciprocated his eagerness by placing her hands on his biceps. Christian opened his mouth and deepened their kiss, his heart soaring; he felt he could continue kissing her for the rest of his life.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he slowly pulled away. Christian saw Ana blink open her eyes and gaze up at him again, the slightly dazed look in her eyes making Christian's arousal spike.

Christian wanted to say something, but before he could, a car pulled up behind him. They both turned to see a familiar black Audi pull up and park on the side of the road.

"Taylor," Christian said, turning back to face Ana. He realized his hands were still on her waist, and he reluctantly took them off. "We should go."

Ana cleared her throat before nodding. "Okay."

Christian wished he could say something else, but didn't know what exactly. Instead, he placed his hand on Ana's lower back and led her over to the car.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Ana goes back home and gets a surprise.

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