A/N: WHEW! Sorry for the delay in posting but I swear I just needed a moment to breathe – this is bar none one of the most emotional and worrisome summers I've ever had. It is magnified when you're dealing with an employer who is less than supportive (illness, surgery & two deaths = a lot of time off from work) – I've been seriously reconsidering my employment, among other things.

Those of you who've been through it also know that death sometimes brings out the worst in family members – I've had so much drama I couldn't see straight – and every time I sat down to write what wound up on the page was less than my best and I was so incredibly dissatisfied, I've re-written this chapter no less than five times and while it's not perfection it's much much better than it was. Thank you for your kind words and patience.

Chapter 12 – You wanna play rough? Oh-Kay!

EleanaPOV

"I get it – you hate me, how long are you planning on keeping me here?"

I'm met with silence.

"How does this begin to work for you? – You'll never get away with it." I try but it's hard to sound brave when you're lying in your own waste and have been for days it's an exercise in futility, I don't even know how long I've been here, I can't seem to keep my eyes open.

I woke to find myself being violently hosed off while bound and for all intents immobile, with the exception of being able to drink water from the small troth my face rests on the edge of, it's filled with water that I have to lap like a dog – this is so humiliating. Could this really be the end for me? I know why I'm here, I let my guard down, the way that girl has Christian so confused had me all out of sorts. I have to find a way to get to him, we can be wonderful together, I know he didn't mean the things he said to me and did to me, he will figure this all out and come for me…they'll be sorry.

"I know you don't want to kill me, so what do you want – you're no killer I know that." I get no response, so I drink some of the water, this time it's a little bitter and in seconds I know why, I can't keep my eyes open – I've been drugged. Is this it?

CPOV

"I'm really looking forward to today – I guess that's evident in the fact that Katie and I decided to spend the night here last night so we could have a full day together with you guys."

"Glad to have you, glad you suggested it, and even more glad that the two of you found each other."

"What can I say, I've been bitten by the bug…I love her Chris."

"I know, I'm well acquainted with that look, I see it in the mirror every day." I say with a chuckle. "I'm happy for you El, Kate is a good person." A month ago I would have bet my life that those words would have never passed through my lips, but it's true – Kate Kavanaugh has proven herself to be an excellent friend to my Ana and for that reason alone is worthy of my respect and admiration, the fact that she appears to make my brother so happy is simply the icing on the cake.

"Yeah she is, I didn't understand why someone so accomplished and driven seemed so sad and broken until I met her father – dude is a colossal prick that treats his kids like accessories – he doesn't even make eye contact with Kate when she speaks – but that's okay she has me now. It made me appreciate Dad so much more, Mia is a handful and yet I've never seen him lose patience with her and he treats her like she's the most precious thing in the world, I mean dude is the president, vice president and every member of the Mia fan club – and I used to think it was ridiculous – but now I truly understand just how important a father's love and attention is to a daughter."

"El you must be in love if you never even considered what the term 'daddy issues' meant until now."

"Well I get it now…that's for damn sure. Kate is this amazing woman and her self confidence was in the toilet – I was in awe of her and she didn't even find herself worthy of going on a decent date. I will spend all of my energy to make sure she knows just how incredible she is."

I'm blown away by my brother's declaration – who would have thought that Seattle's resident man whore could fall so hard so fast – I love it.

"Okay – so today's theme is 'Breakfast and a Movie' – we" he motions between the two of us "will be preparing breakfast and enjoying the meal in the media room – while watching a film to be chosen by the ladies."

"Who the fuck are you? And what have you done with Elliot ManWhore Grey? And Ana can't pick the movie, she'll have all of us in tears and on depression meds if she does."

He laughs his ass off and then starts to give me instructions so that I can help him.

"Where did you learn to do all of this."

"Some stuff I learned from Mom and Gretchen, some was just trial and error. Not all of us can afford a full time staff and…" I cut him off right away.

"El, you're a fucking millionaire, many, many times over multi-millionaire if you would – you choose not to have a staff." He scoffs at this, but it's true – El keeps his wealth close to the breast, he doesn't do quantity, but is a quality guy. He's very confident and comfortable in his skin…and denim.

"The other day when Mom and I were at lunch – she mentioned that she wants to have a family dinner soon including our girlfriends, did she talk to you about that?"

"No…well the day after you guys had lunch Elena's place burned to the ground, so I'm sure it slipped her mind, she called me that morning – she seemed kinda sad in spite of everything Elena put this family through."

"You know how she is, she has a heart the size of the Sound and once cared a lot about that horrible bitch. I think it's hard for her to reconcile that a monster was an invited part of our lives for so long. Bottom line she blames herself for not seeing things clearly at the time. If she was sad at all it was because she doesn't want her to get away with all the damage she's done. I was hoping they'd find her in there burnt to a crispy crunch…I wanted you to have closure and it burns my ass that she could get off scott free."

"I get how Mom is feeling – we would love to come to family dinner, I need to spend more time with Mom and Dad – I want them to truly understand that I don't blame them for anything, pedophiles are extremely cunning people, and you couldn't find people more trusting than our parents. This isn't a trait to be ashamed or feel regret over."

###

I cannot believe that I was a part of this fantastic spread. Elliot and I made a hearty meal for our ladies and spent the morning and afternoon, eating, watching a movie – the girls chose Serendipity and I liked it because the guy got the girl in the end, but I felt sorry for that chick who played the fiancé he left at the alter – funny thing is it's the same girl that had a baby with Tom Brady and got dumped in real life.

We took a long walk around the waterfront, shopped in the market and grocery store and high tailed it back to Escala so that Elliot and Ana could make a feast fit for kings and queens.

"I'm glad my brother met you."

Kate seems to be taken aback by my icebreaking comment as we sit out on the patio half watching the view and half watching our mates in the kitchen through the open loggia doors. We're sipping on Jade Martinis which contain no vodka – yeah go figure, but I'm a team player.

"Thank you Christian, that means a lot coming from you. And although I really miss living with Ana, I've never seen her happier – you are an amazing boyfriend."

"Thank you, she makes it easy; before Ana, I had never been close to anyone but El. He's the best friend and brother any person could have, he's also a very sensitive guy – he doesn't love often, but he loves deeply and sincerely. I like seeing him happy."

"So do I. I love your brother very much Christian."

"I know."

We clink our drinks. Absentmindedly I wonder what El and Ana are talking about.

###

APOV

"Christian is lucky to have you Ana." This makes me blush, this means a lot coming from Elliot given how close Christian is to him.

"Thanks Elliot, I feel like the luckiest girl on earth, because your brother is an incredible person and I love him more than I ever thought I could love anyone." After a beat I give him a sly grin. "But enough about us, I've never seen Kate so enchanted with someone and I'm so happy that you came along to take care of her heart, she's a fantastic person."

"That she is, I'll do everything I can not to let her down."

This makes me almost tear up, but if I start the water works now I won't be able to stop. It's fitting that we watched Serendipity because this thing…us…the four of us was very serendipitous and I believe meant to be. I am glad every day that I saved myself for Christian and that he is the remarkable man that he is, I'm thrilled that my best friend is finally experiencing what it feels like to be treated well and I'm glad that we met both Christian and Elliot at the exact right time in their lives and that they were open to love. If anyone would have told me six months ago that I would be standing in a penthouse kitchen with my boyfriend's brother making puffed pastry stuffed with salmon, spinach and crabmeat – I would have thought they were mad. But here I am and in spite of all the ugliness that exists outside of these walls – life is very good. I'm even optimistic about my dad wanting to make amends, though right now I don't believe we will have the closeness and trust that once existed for some time, but I'm no longer as angry and I'm hopeful that someday soon the hurt will dissipate.

Monday

RPOV

Sound of office phones ringing and people mulling about.

"Please state your name for the record."

"Raymond Michael Steele."

"And where do you reside?"

"12011 West Valley Drive in San Francisco, California."

"With whom do you reside?"

"My wife Carla Wilkes Steele and my son Raymond Michael Steele, II."

"Are the other members of your immediate family?"

"Yes, I have a daughter Anastasia Rose Steele who resides here in Seattle, Washington."

"What is the nature of the information you wish to provide to law enforcement officials today?"

"I am here to report serious crimes including, insider trading and collusion, sexual assault, solicitation of sexual assault, aggravated stalking and solicitation of first degree murder."

"Please continue."

"Ten years ago I was the founder and proprietor of StandardBearer dot com. I produced online standards for cell phone manufacturers – and I was also instrumental in working with TIA (The Telecommunications Industry Association) to develop eighteen and twenty-five bit ESNs (Electronic Serial Numbers) blocks for sale and distribution to manufacturers both here and abroad.

The telecom industry was not a stable one and I was looking to expand my base and possibly leave the dot com realm altogether. I met a young entrepreneur at a trade conference by the name of Hyden Jackson, and while he seemed young and unpolished he was also brilliant and enthusiastic and seemed to be right on the pulse of the tech industry and our business relationship began to grow.

About six months after we met he convinced me that I should sell my shares in StandardBearer and move onto production, because sustainable manufacturing industry was the way to go – the whole "put America back to work speil" so I listened, not only because I thought the idea had merit but because he seemed so sure of his intelligence."

I pause because it's now or never, I'm about to admit to a crime – a crime I knew I was committing, but there's nothing left to do at this point – it's the only way to save my family, including Jaiden and myself.

"At the time it was clear to me that he had inside information and that if I were to use it I would be committing a federal crime. We both made a lot of money from the deal and it was cleverly covered to avoid detection by the FTC, though I don't know the inner workings – I just know the stock was sold with knowledge of an eminent downturn. I made more than one hundred million dollars as a result of using that information. Hyden informed me he left out certain details to protect my interests, what I realize now is he didn't want me to know exactly what he was doing so that he could hold it over my head forever."

"Why didn't you contact authorities when you knew there was insider trading involved? And why have you come forward at this time?"

"I was concerned about dot com trends and the fiscal security of my family and myself. I participated in insider trading because I made money doing so – because I could build a life for my family that I felt they deserved and because I had gotten away with it. I am coming forward now because Hyden Jackson is a very dangerous man – I was set up from the beginning and he intends to continue to use what he has on me as leverage against me and most importantly because he is a danger to the safety of my family, especially my daughter Anastasia and her boyfriend Christian Grey."

The two agents in the room have shocked facial expressions – they clearly weren't expecting this kind of revelation. No, you smug bastards this is not run of the mill. Can you hear me now?

"When my daughter and her business partner Katherine Kavanaugh…"

"Wait! Your daughter's boyfriend is Christian Grey and her business partner is Katherine Kavanaugh, daughter of media mogul Eamon Kavanaugh?"

"Yes." You sanctimonious prick.

"When my daughter and Kate started their business in Seattle a few years back – I made the mistake of introducing them to Mr. Jackson, because he's based here in Seattle and I felt he could be helpful with setting up their office in terms of IT and security, and while it was clear at the time that he was infatuated with Anastasia I had no idea that she had become the object of his obsession.

Unfortunately at his insistence I encouraged my daughter to give him a chance, because in spite of our illegal actions I had no reason at that time to believe he was a danger to her, greedy yes, but not a danger. When I broached to topic with Anastasia she was emphatic in her disinterest, but agreed to go on one date as a courtesy to me.

After the date he began to call me incessantly and began to demand that I encourage her to reconsider as she had told him that their relationship should remain professional and that she was focused on building her business at this time and did not wish to become distracted by romantic attachment. She explained to me that she didn't want to damage the professional relationship he had with either of us – as his company had become their largest client. She appreciated his friendship and business but had no intention of seeing him outside of work, a fact which I relayed to Mr. Jackson that he appeared to accept.

What I did not know at the time is that he had insinuated himself into their lives and began showing up in their offices under the guise of professional friendship, often pressuring them into social interactions like drinks after work for the whole crew. I believe the fact that my daughter was not dating anyone and actually dedicating her energies to building a solid business and professional reputation gave him some sort of hope for the future. None of us knew at that time that he was stalking her – having installed bugs in their offices, tracking devices on her, Kate's and the office manager's cars and eventually the kitchen of their townhome, which he accessed after he brought home an inebriated Kate having plied her with alcohol at a happy hour my daughter left after consuming half a beer which was her polite routine whenever she felt compelled to attend one of these outings for which he refused to take no for an answer."

They appear shocked as if they're watching a bad movie. I would probably have the same expression – but who could make up this shit.

"About six months ago he started to ratchet up the pressure to influence my daughter again. I told him at that point that I didn't think she was interested and he should just let her be. He hit the roof and began threatening me – he sent me proof of my insider trading and reminded me about an encounter I had had with a woman in Colorado slightly more than ten years ago."

"So he was blackmailing you? You had an affair?"

"Yes and no. Yes he was blackmailing me and no, I did not have an affair."

The agents regard me incredulously and I explain the nature of my connection to Debra Morgan and my daughter – and play the recording of my encounter where she came clean about the set up at the bar, her pregnancy and Hyden's involvement in it all – because I own the shitty apartment she basically conned me into buying where the recording took place, it's not illegal, because we were both technically at home.

"So, the rape you spoke about at the beginning of your statement was perpetrated against you?"

"Yes. And as she said on the tape Mr. Jackson has video and photographic evidence of the encounter. I have no memory of the events other than being in the bar and waking up the next day. I heard from her a few months later and she told me she was pregnant, and I've been supporting her ever since. Jackson had planned all along on using this as added incentive to control me and the failed condom and pregnancy was just the icing on the cake. Until a few months ago when he started talking about that other thing to me in addition to the insider trading I had not considered that the girl had been a set up. I told him about the encounter in what I thought was confidence and he assured me I should just forget it and go on with my life. Even though I suspected Ms. Morgan was likely a set up I had no idea he knew about my daughter Jaiden, I never told him about her subsequent tracking me down – she called my office the day she told me about the pregnancy, telling me that while I was drunk and flirting at the bar I had given her my business card, it seemed plausible at the time, giving her a card but not the flirting. I flew to Colorado to demand answers from Ms. Morgan, thus the tape."

"I didn't understand what was going on with him or why he seemed to be losing it until he made it clear that my daughter had treated him poorly, which I now know was a complete fabrication. He informed me that she was involved with Christian Grey and out of panic and a desire to keep my secrets hidden, my marriage intact and myself out of jail, I tried to intimidate my daughter into appeasing him and I may have ruined my relationship with her forever. After she cut off all contact with me I had no choice but to come clean to him and explain that I had zero influence in her life – by this time because of his erratic actions, past brushes with the law and the discovery of the bugs and tracking devices by Mr. Grey's security my daughter obtained a permanent restraining order against him and it was at that time that he began threatening me with exposure unless I killed Mr. Grey."

The agents appear floored by my revelations.

"What do you want out of all of this Mr. Steele?"

"I want both of my daughters safe and Mr. Grey out of harm's way. I want leniency for my crime. I need Mr. Jackson to go away. I considered killing him for that reason, but I couldn't bear leaving my family forever. I made a terrible, greed filled mistake all those years ago and treated my daughter like she was property to let out, but I love my family – and in almost thirty years I've never even looked at another woman, I've loved my wife since the day I first laid eyes on her. I just pray she and my children can forgive me."

"Do you have anything to add?"

"Not to the story itself, I just want to know how to proceed. Mr. Jackson is expecting me to deliver Mr. Grey to him on a platter. No harm will come to Mr. Grey, but I would like to get him on record and put him away for a very long time. I know he has proof of all of his criminal activity – he's very meticulous, but I was able to find out that he has two safe deposit boxes and he has at least three safes in his home and business."

I hand over the information Grey provided me that went in support of the petition for the restraining order and explain it's contents.

"I have asked my daughter and Grey to meet me for lunch tomorrow and they chose Canlis. My original plan was to have them meet me there while I met with Jackson in the industrial park in a warehouse I leased. I…I planned to kill him there, but I wanted to make sure that both Anastasia and Mr. Grey were in a public place to make clear they had no knowledge of what happened."

"You do realize it could have appeared that they were still complicit and simply following along to alibi themselves don't you? There's nothing that says they would not have been suspects."

"I didn't think about that, no. I'm not well versed in planning ambush murders, so my plan may have been somewhat flawed."

This earns a smirk from smug bastard number two.

"I still want to meet with Hyden, under the guise that I've lured Grey to the warehouse to deliver him to him and record him anticipating Grey's arrival and murder. I could also get him to admit everything – everything from the very beginning, and then he can be arrested, the entire place has been wired for sound and I've set up a room that at first glance will look like it's ripe for an abduction and murder. It won't take much for him to start running his mouth because he's extremely immature and insecure, he would relish the idea of lying in wait to kill Grey."

"What you're suggesting is a sting…that…that would take…" smug bastard number one starts but I interrupt.

"What I'm suggesting is that you save my daughter and a very important businessman from harm. I've already borne most of the expense and all I need is law enforcement listening in nearby and a commitment to the arrest and prosecution of a severely dangerous and disturbed man. I believe I have shown good faith in that I have not secured legal representation nor asked for a deal up front. My primary concern here is the safety of my daughter, I don't care what happens to me as a result of my crime."

"Mr. Steele, would you wait in the corridor while we speak privately?"

"Yes, of course."

APOV

"Uuugh…typical." I say, not even trying to hide my irritation as I walk into Christian's study.

"What's wrong baby."

"I just listened to my voicemail…my dad wants to stop by tonight for a drink. He said he has to cancel lunch for tomorrow…business concerns."

"Are you okay with that baby? We can do whatever you want."

"Honestly Christian I would just rather get this shit over with. I should have known that I wouldn't be a priority. I texted him to come on over. No need to ruin our lunch hour tomorrow."

"I know you have your reasons for your feelings baby, but I honestly believe that your dad is trying to make amends, but I believe whatever Hyden has on him seems insurmountable. We were unable to confirm it as it was buried, a long time ago – but based on the patterns we uncovered it's clear there was a serious FTC violation, likely insider trading, right around the time your dad sold shares of his dot com. What's interesting is that the trail dead ends with Hyden…not your dad."

"Are you saying what I think your saying Christian?"

"Yes."

"So my father had knowledge of insider trading, but somehow has no footprint in the deception because Hyden likely used the information to convince my dad to sell to some shell, but then flipped the shares somehow taking most of the profit, while distributing a windfall to my dad."

"Only he did it all electronically – so that it looked as though there wasn't just one buyer. Barney thinks it was probably some type of algorithm or who knows he might have even hacked e-trade; made your dad's trades, paid him off and snatched back the sales and profits before statements were issued – it's almost like the money never existed, it would look like a market fluctuation all he needed was about two weeks and patience to monitor the money. This explains how they got away with it undetected, online trading was in it's infancy then, no way could they have gotten away with that today."

"And my father has no idea that there was never even a trace of the crime – and has been allowing Hyden to blackmail him for years. Why would he take his word for it?"

"Because he's not a criminal Ana, he committed a crime, but it was likely an impulse in reaction to information Hyden gave him that caused him to panic. That along with Hyden's bad influence and the lure of that kind of money. The temptation or desperation was probably just too great."

"Christian stop making excuses for him! He crossed the line. He should have never put his family at risk, he broke the law and he should pay."

"I agree with you, don't you ever think otherwise baby. And it's true that it's a line that should never have been crossed, but so few people ever have the access to the line – it's almost impossible to say what one would or would not do in that circumstance. It is a crisis and test of moral conscience that many many people fail."

"What are you trying to tell me Christian? Have you ever…"

"No. Never. But I have had the opportunities, many times, I just chose a different path. What I'm trying to tell you Anastasia is that the right set of circumstances can easily lead to the wrong decision when millions and the possibility of financial ruin are at stake – Hyden played on his fear that he would fail his family. Your father made a mistake baby, but that does not negate everything about your lives that was real."

He takes my face in his hands in looks into my eyes.

"It. Was. Real. Your family? Real." Kiss.

"Your parent's marriage? Real." Kiss.

"You and RJ? Real." Kiss.

"Your dad's love? Real." Kiss.

"Your father fucked up. Big time, but your family was real Ana."

###

"Mr. Grey, Ms. Steele. Mr. Steele is here."

"We'll be right out Taylor, please offer him a seat in the great room."

"Sir." Taylor says as his exit.

"Christian. I…I didn't mean to question…"

He places his finger on my lips.

"I know you didn't – it was a reasonable question considering my defense of your father. I know you believe in my integrity baby."

He places a chaste kiss on my lips.

###

My father looks like he hasn't slept in years. I instantly feel my heart lurch for him, I want to help I want to change everything he's gone through. I've missed my dad and I love him with all my heart; I guess it was a combination of my talk with Christian and profound sadness at the loss of our relationship, but the moment I looked into his eyes...my eyes the anger that lingered left me.

I walk to him as he stands from the sofa and I embrace him, and he dissolves into tears. I have never seen my father cry.

After several moments, during which Christian excused himself to prep drinks and my father composed himself enough to speak; the three of us sit in our great room and my father opens up.

"The first thing I want to say to you Annie is that I love your mother, you and RJ with my whole heart and that has always been true."

"I know Dad." I brace myself for the emotional blow that is sure to come.

"Today I spent the majority of the day at the Seattle field office for the FBI, where I spoke with agents from both the FBI and FTC. I did not seek or include legal counsel in my discussion; I confessed to insider trading and implicated Hyden Jackson in that crime as well as others including soliciting Christian's murder."

My heart stops and I gasp. Tears are now flowing freely and I am unable to speak – Christian is his usual impassive self.

"I have accepted one hundred percent of the responsibility of my actions, I did not seek a deal. I only requested their assistance in setting up a sting to catch Hyden conspiring to kill Christian and they agreed. "

"So the warehouse you leased is where you're meeting Jekyl tomorrow?"

Wait. What?!

"You knew Christian?!"

"Yes and no. My security is very thorough and your father's threat to kill me triggered covert surveillance automatically, it is written into the rider of the contract I signed with my security specialists and is required by my insurance carrier. The warehouse was a concern, but your father is after all a manufacturer. They reported it's lease and the subsequent contractors who provided services there, I did find it interesting that all of the super sophisticated surveillance was being installed – but in a production environment surveillance is not unheard of."

"Christian, you should have told me."

"At the time there was nothing to tell. Besides there was never an attempt on your father's part to lure me there or anything of that sort. He did however contact Hyden last week and tell him he would be meeting with me and luring me there…"

I gasp. Why does he keep this stuff from me? If I weren't in shock I'd be pissed the FUCK off right now! Inside I'm screaming, but I'll deal with this later.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because right after he did that he called both of us and asked that we meet him for lunch in a public place…together." He says with emphasis on the last word.

The realization hits me like a ton of bricks.

"You were going to kill him." I say barely above a whisper, as my father adverts his eyes.

"And you wanted Christian and I away from the warehouse and in a public place where we could easily be seen – so that in spite of the troubles we've had with Hyden that are a matter of public record we would potentially have hundreds of witnesses that we were nowhere nearby when he was murdered."

Oh my god!

"My plan was to turn myself in as soon as it was done, but I couldn't bear the thought of being without my family. I've made mistakes Annie, and I've compounded them by failing to tell the truth – but please know that I love you, your mom and RJ from the depths of my soul and I would lay down my life for each of you. I'm sorry that I tried to use you to control the Hyden situation, you were right and I was so wrong – I only hope that one day you can forgive me."

"Of course Dad, of course I forgive you. I hope you know that we love you and would have lived in a cardboard box with you, it was never about the money for any of us."

"I know that Annie, but a man wants to give his family the world and everything in it. It can be a distraction and it's very easy to decide to do the wrong thing when you're convinced your family might suffer as a consequence of the straight and narrow."

I give Christian a knowing glance, causing him to flash me a reassuring smile and turn my attention back to my father.

"I think I get it and I'm not here to judge you, but you have to talk to Mom and to RJ, he's not a little boy anymore. This is going to be a very important lesson for him."

"I know." He says in a whisper that tells me there is so much more to the story, but for now I won't push him.

"Sir?" Taylor walks into the room with two men.

My father looks pale as a ghost.

"What is it Dad?"

"Agent Michaels, Agent Goodwin? What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Steele, when we asked you to leave the conference room so that we could speak – we contacted the US Attorney's office requesting expedited warrants. We then placed a call to Mr. Grey's office and explained that we had received a credible threat against his life and asked if we could come here this evening to explain the details and he agreed."

"Christian how could you not tell me this?"

"Baby you were working and you literally had just gotten home, walked into my study and we started talking about your dad. This is not the first time this type of thing has happened, thus the need for your security." He says with a wink. "At the time I had a suspicion that it was Jekyl but I wasn't sure."

"Mr. Steele we would like to help with your problem with Hyden Jackson and it's possible that you could wind up with fines and weekend jail time for six months or less if you plead guilty and allocate to the crime you committed and testify in open court as to Mr. Jackson's crimes. As for Mr. Jackson he was taken into custody thirty minutes ago and his offices, homes, safe deposit boxes and vehicles are being searched at this time."

"Oh thank god! How long can he be held on insider trading?"

"Ms. Steele, he's being held on a number of charges actually including violating your restraining order. He was surveilled trying to gain access to the townhome you share with Ms. Kavanaugh, but that's actually the least of it. When we contacted the US Attorney we were informed of the wiretapping warrants that were issued almost a year ago under suspicion of FTC violations and other crimes – generally the recordings are reviewed in the event of suspicious trading but Mr. Steele's deposition and the subsequent warrant application triggered a review of recent recordings revealing a plot to kill Mr. Grey so we acted immediately. It is very likely we will uncover other instances of blackmail and the like – it appears your father was not his only victim by far."

"I...I don't know what to say…"

"Annie, it's going to be okay. I have so much to tell you still, believe it or not…there's more…"

Jaiden

I haven't seen Mommy in a few days now. Yesterday I took her bank card to the store and bought food for me to eat like she showed me, I guess she must have found a new boyfriend. One time she was gone for almost a week, but this time she didn't call me like she normally does – I'm only supposed to answer the phone when she rings it twice, hangs up and calls right back – that's our code. I washed and dried my clothes at the laundromat two doors down, they're used to seeing me there, Mrs. Wilkes taught me how to wash clothes, she's a nice lady.

Last night I had my dinner, finished my homework, took my bath and got myself dressed for bed. I had ironed my clothes for the week and put together my lunch stuff. I'm starting to get scared a little, but I'm a big girl like Mommy says and I can take care of myself. I wish she would call me.

Today I was scared at school, it looks like I didn't do a good job combing my hair. I can't tell anybody I'm home by myself, Mommy would go to jail and I would go to bad strangers who can hurt me. I can't tell anybody. I walk down the hallway to our apartment, but I know she's not there the music isn't loud. It's always loud when she's home.

Tonight I'll put the meatloaf dinner with mashed potatoes in the microwave, it's my favorite one.

A/N: I know this one is a whopper - the ideas kept swirling.

Jade Martini = Midori, Pineapple Juice & Malibu Coconut Rum (shake rum and Midori over ice until well blended - add pineapple juice and stir to blend pineapple shaken will foam too much if shaken.) ENJOY!