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

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 14: Anger

If someone had told Ana earlier this week that she would be spending her weekend away with a man she had just met and who had been accused of murder, she probably would have thought they were crazy. And yet, despite everything, she had agreed to spend Saturday and Sunday with Christian at Escala. Kate had texted her to let her know she would be at Reggie's all weekend, so Ana didn't feel guilty about staying at Escala for the next few days. With everything she and Christian had been through over the past day and a half, she knew that she could trust him, and she felt comfortable staying with him this weekend while Kate was off doing her own thing.

Ana and Christian had also agreed not to have sex yet, which Ana was thankful for since she didn't want to deal with the pressure of giving up her virginity. It's not that she didn't want to have sex with Christian, since she was very much attracted to him (and him to her as far as she could tell), but with it being her first time, it was just a lot of pressure to deal with. Now, without expectations of sex, she could actually look forward to spending the next few days with Christian, and based on the expression on his face when she agreed to stay with him at Escala, Christian was excited about it too.

On Friday night, Christian and Ana spent time together in the media room watching the movie Captain America. Ana had seen it already, but she was happy to watch it again with Christian, who said he'd never even seen a Marvel movie before. They sat cuddled together underneath a blanket, and Ana's head rested on Christian's shoulder as they munched on a bowl of popcorn. They paid attention to the movie for the first forty-five minutes or so, but after that they disengaged from the film for a bit to kiss and grope each other like two high schoolers out on a date.

Of all the movie-watching experiences Ana had had in her life, she liked this one the best.

They ended up falling asleep together on the couch in the media room, and they didn't wake up until late Saturday morning. Christian seemed confused he had slept in so late.

"I usually don't sleep this well," he said in a surprised voice, blinking open his eyes and rubbing them blearily. "I never sleep through the night, much less on a couch of all places."

"Your body probably needed the rest," Ana muttered, yawning. She had fallen asleep on his shoulder, with his arm resting along the couch behind her head.

"Or maybe because you were here beside me," Christian smiled, nuzzling into her hair, and Ana couldn't help but giggle softly. "What do you want to do today?"

"I don't know. Maybe first we get dressed and eat breakfast," Ana suggested.

"Good plan," Christian agreed, and he kissed her forehead before helping her to her feet.

Once they had gotten changed, both of them went to the kitchen, and Ana ended up making breakfast for the both of them - scrambled eggs and hashbrowns with sausage links, and coffee and orange juice to drink. After their delicious meal, Christian suggested they go back to the media room and find a game to play, and Ana eagerly agreed.

They ended up finding a few games, including an old chess board, and spent the next couple hours or so having fun playing various board and card games. The two of them chatted the whole time - Ana talked about growing up with her stepdad, and Christian talked about his own family, including his two siblings who were also adopted like him. Soon, the day turned into night again, and Ana and Christian finished up their evening watching another movie while cuddled under a blanket on the couch.

On Sunday morning, Christian woke up Ana before the sun had even risen and said he had a surprise for her. The surprise ended up being gliding in the outskirts of the city: Taylor was able to sneak them both out of the Escala building and into Christian's SUV before driving them out to the airfield. Once there, Christian explained to Ana that he had been gliding for years, and her excitement was palpable as Christian buckled the two of them into their seats. The small plane then began pulling them down the runway before lifting them into the air.

After their amazing gliding session - where Ana insisted they go back up in the air two more times - they headed back to Escala with Taylor. However, the day was over halfway done now, and thoughts of Monday began to loom. Christian disagreed with Ana about whether or not she should go into work tomorrow, where Jack Hyde would be.

"It would look suspicious if I didn't go to work tomorrow, Christian," Ana insisted. "I already missed Friday."

"Who cares how it looks? We know that Hyde is dangerous, and you need to stay as far away from him as possible," Christian said angrily. "Who knows what he's capable of?"

"I and about fifty other people at SIP work alongside him every day," Ana pointed out. "What could he possibly do to hurt me in the middle of a workday?"

"I don't know, and I don't want to find out," Christian said seriously. "We know what Hyde's done, and what he's capable of - your safety is extremely important to me Anastasia."

"I know," Ana said quietly, and reached forward to take his hand in her own. "How about this: Taylor or one of your security guys can take me to work and be stationed outside SIP all day, just in case. I'll shoot them a text every hour to check in or to let them know if I need help."

Christian grimaced, looking marginally comforted at that prospect, though he clearly still didn't like the fact she was going to go to work. "I don't know Ana…"

"Look, I know it's not necessarily safe to go to SIP," Ana admitted. "But if I take precautions beforehand, maybe I could take the opportunity to find out some more information about Jack or Elizabeth while I'm there that could potentially help Luke with his investigation. It's worth a shot."

Christian didn't say anything for a moment or two before letting out a sigh. "I don't like this."

"Me neither," Ana admitted. "But I want to do this if it helps clear your name."

Christian frowned as he gazed down at her, and next moment he had taken her in his arms, holding her close before pressing his lips to hers in a long, romantic kiss. Ana felt him conveying all his feelings for her into his kiss, and Ana couldn't help but kiss him back in the same manner. She knew he was scared for her, and honestly she was scared too, but this was something she knew she had to do.

Christian finally broke the kiss and leaned his forehead against Ana's, his eyes still closed, and Ana's heart pounded in her chest. Despite the fact they agreed not to have sex this weekend, Ana knew she would love nothing more than to give herself to this wonderful man someday soon.

~Monday~

"You're sure you have my phone number?"

Taylor had pulled the car up to SIP, staying on the opposite side of the road and over a hundred yards away from the building so as to remain conspicuous. Ana, who sat in the passenger seat, nodded.

"Yes, I have your number, and I'll remember to check in with you every hour."

"Good," Taylor nodded back. "Be careful in there, alright?"

"I will," Ana agreed. "And remember to keep Christian updated too."

Taylor gave a wry chuckle. "He'd probably throttle me if I didn't."

Christian had wanted to come along with Taylor to help keep watch outside SIP, but Taylor insisted it was too dangerous. If Jack or anyone else recognized Christian, it could blow their cover and cause a lot of problems. It would be best if it was just Taylor staking out SIP, and Christian eventually agreed, albeit reluctantly.

Ana opened the door and stepped out of the car, glancing back at Taylor. "See you later."

"Have a good day, Ms. Steele."

Ana closed the car door before heading across the street toward SIP's front doors, hitching her purse up over her shoulder as she went. She walked at a normal pace, but her heart pounded a frenzied rhythm in her chest, causing her hands to go clammy. She felt extremely nervous to go into the same building of someone she now knew to be a murderer, but she forced herself to keep putting one foot in front of the other.

She stepped through the front doors and was greeted by Claire at the front desk. Ana greeted her back, but didn't stop to chat as she made her way toward the main office where her desk was.

Ana set her things down on her desk and powered on her computer, glancing nervously over toward Jack's office. From where she stood she couldn't see if he was at his desk, but the light on indicated he was there.

Oh God, he's actually here.

Ana took a deep breath as she sat down in her chair and logged onto her computer, knowing she would have to check in with Jack soon as was part of her morning routine. She first glanced over her emails and forwarded a few to the editors they were meant to go to, and once she couldn't stall anymore, got to her feet and walked over to Jack's office, her heart hammering.

He sat at his desk as usual, but he wasn't working on his computer. He had his head down and his palm on his forehead, elbow propped up on the desk. His other hand gripped the edge of the desk, his knuckles white as if he was gripping the wood tightly. He looked deep in thought.

Ana cleared her throat, and Jack glanced up. She might have been imagining it, but he looked almost gaunt, like he hadn't gotten a good night's sleep in days. His face was pale, and dark circles had formed under his eyes; his pupils seemed to pierce her own as he stared directly at her. Ana swallowed, her heart pounding in her throat.

"Good morning, Jack," she said politely, clearing her throat. "Would you like a cup of coffee?"

Jack didn't answer immediately. He stared at Ana in silence for a long moment, making her uncomfortable. "Good morning, Anastasia," he finally said, ignoring her question. He gave her a smile, though to Ana it almost looked creepy. "I hope you're feeling better today."

"I am, thank you," Ana said quietly. "So… a cup of coffee?"

"Yes please," Jack said, still with that same weird smile. "Black, as usual."

Ana nodded before wordlessly turning and heading toward the kitchen, taking a deep breath before letting it all out. Jack was behaving rather strangely it seemed, but Ana couldn't be sure if something was actually off with him, or it was her own imagination.

Ana fetched Jack's cup of coffee and set it on his desk in front of him before heading back to her own desk. When she sat down, she looked up and noticed Jack had gotten out of his seat and walked to the doorway of his office. They locked eyes, and Jack's gaze stayed on Ana for a moment or two with an unreadable expression on his face before he grasped the door in his hand and slowly closed it with a quiet snap, locking it after a moment.

Feeling an odd chill settle in her chest, Ana turned back to her computer, unsure if she'd be able to focus on any work today.

As expected, the workday dragged by. Ana was constantly on edge, regularly glancing over at Jack's closed office door to make sure he didn't come out. She texted Taylor every hour just as she promised, telling him all was fine and she was okay. She didn't relate to him her concerns about Jack's odd behavior, though she knew she might have to eventually. A part of her honestly hoped it was all in her head.

I wish I had stayed at Escala with Christian.

Ana was careful never to go anywhere alone throughout the day, even to the bathroom. Whenever she walked somewhere else to the office, she could sense someone walking behind her, and when she would turn around, she noticed Jack there. Without a word, he would quickly veer off in a different direction when he saw her looking at him, pretending to go do something else. It was weird, and it constantly put Ana on edge.

The afternoon went by painfully slowly, but finally five o'clock rolled around, and Ana felt almost desperate to get out of here. She logged off and shut down her computer before grabbing her coat.

"Heading out?"

Ana almost jumped as she turned around, noticing Jack stood right behind her.

"Jack," Ana greeted him, her heart pounding nervously in her chest. "Um... yeah I am."

Jack gave her a rather creepy smile, the dark circles under his eyes seeming to become more pronounced than before. "I'll walk out with you."

"No, that's okay," Ana said, her mind screaming for him to get away. "I'll be fine walking out by myself."

"But I insist," Jack said firmly, taking a step toward her. He reached forward and grasped Ana's wrist in his hand, squeezing tightly, and Ana felt her heartbeat skyrocket.

I need to get out of here.

The others in the office were all heading out the door, none of them noticing Jack and Ana by her desk. Ana was preparing to yank her hand free and scream for help when she heard her name:

"Ana?"

Hannah had approached her desk, obviously ready to leave for the day. Jack immediately dropped Ana's wrist, and Ana moved away from him; her coat in hand, she quickly picked up her purse and hurried over to Hannah so the two of them could leave together.

"Is everything alright?" Hannah asked quietly as they walked away, glancing over her shoulder at Jack. "Did Jack do something to you?"

Ana shook her head, still feeling her heart pound in her chest. "I just want to get out of here."

Hannah didn't say anything as the two of them walked across the front lobby and out the door. Ana immediately noticed Taylor's car where he had parked earlier this morning, and she said a quick goodbye to Hannah before hurrying across the street toward it.

"Ms. Steele," Taylor greeted when Ana opened the passenger side door and got inside. He frowned, noticing her pale face. "Is everything alright?"

"It was Jack. He…" Ana hesitated, shaking her head and closing her eyes. "Just take me back to Escala. Please?"

"Of course," Taylor said, turning on the ignition.

Ana took a deep breath, steadying her heartbeat as Taylor drove away. Something was clearly going on with Jack, and Ana realized it was too dangerous to go back to SIP, despite her insistence to Christian this morning that she would be okay. Jack was clearly unstable, and she felt too afraid to be around him anymore.

Ana was now resolved to not go back to SIP until this was all over with. She would stay where it was safest… at Escala, with Christian.

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed that! Next chapter, Ana goes back to Escala.

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