Ana - Three months later

„Look at you, little darling. You look so pretty today and today is a big day because your Daddy will come home today and you'll get to spend the entire weekend with him. Isn't that exciting, baby girl?" I ask my daughter, but she is more occupied with the soft ball she has that has a tiny bell inside of it and makes noises.

I still can't believe how much has happened in the last three months. Christian and I have been officially divorced for two months now, he was allowed to leave the clinic to attend the meeting that settled our divorce with Carrick as both our lawyer. I even talked to Dr. Harper and went to visit Christian later that afternoon with a bottle of chilled Bollinger. At first, he looked like I had lost my mind, but when I told him that I wanted us to toast to a new beginning he smiled opened the bottle and we clinked glasses.

I'm pretty sure there are not many couples celebrating their divorce together by getting drunk of Champagne and just talking about the good times they had, but for us, it seemed fitting. It felt like letting go of the past and every fucked up thing that had happened before. I know it's not the magic cure for our issues, but to me, it feels like I no longer have to fix something that has been utterly broken but instead can start from scratch and build something new.

Last week, when I went to visit Christian he told me it feels the same to him. Even more so, because now he cannot relax over the fact that I'm his wife and won't leave, so he has to actually work on himself to make me and everyone else see the change in him and I have to say I do see the change in him and it makes me so happy for him.

When it was clear that he would be able to leave the clinic within a week, we all thought he would go back to Escala or the house at the sound, but he surprised all of us when he asked Grace and Carrick if he could live with them for a while, because he didn't want to live alone. To say that they both have been delighted would have been an understatement. His entire family feels so very bad for not seeing what was going on that I feel it will be good for them to live under the same roof for a while.

Kate is still very cautious around Christian, I guess with the trial against the man we knew as John Flynn coming up she finally believes that Christian didn't lie this time, which is good because Elliot was getting really upset with her.

As for the upcoming trial, I'm not sure how to feel about it. Of course, I want him to be trialed and punished for what they have done to Christian and all the young kids they have exploited as well, but at the same time, no amount of punishment will ever be enough for him. I'm not a cruel person, but part of me wants him to die a slow, painful death and each time he reaches the brink of death he is brought back to life just to go through the same hell again, one time for each child they have lured into their fucked up world.

I'm also very sad for Rhian. She had no idea her husband was such a monster. I went to see her and the boys recently and she told me she would move back to California to be close to her family. She has her parents and three older brothers there, so at least the boys won't have to grow up without a male role model in their lives. Still, I felt so bad for them, especially because she doesn't have a job and no savings, because everything belonged to John, so I have created college funds for the boys and gave her some money to help her until everything is settled.

I'm distracted by my daughter's delighted squeal when she manages to make her ball ring longer than usual and smile at her.

I can't believe she is almost six months old, but it's true and just the other day she managed to crawl for the first time moving forward, because much to everyone's amusement and her utter frustration Arielle's first attempts of crawling have resulted in her actually moving backwards, which made me laugh and her in turn cry, it wasn't an upset cry, my little girl was pissed that something didn't go the way she wanted to, so she had to let the world know by screaming at the top of her lungs.

A little later we are in the car on our way to Bellevue and I have to shut the radio off because there is yet another report on the upcoming trial. As soon as John had been in police custody, it had been like watching a house of cards fall down. Their clientele tried to leave, cover there tracks or flat out denied everything, but it was to no avail. By now there are lawyers, politicians, actors and many more of Seattle's and Washington States high society trying to bargain for a plea deal, which neither of them will get since John has been forthcoming with information to spare him from the death penalty. It was and still is horrifying to see how many people have been involved in this over the years. And tracking down the victims is even harder. Some have moved on, some are still in the lifestyle and sadly quite a few of them have committed suicide over the years.

Leila has stepped forward to act a key witness in John's trial. She has lived through his manipulation and somehow managed to break free of it, so even though she has a past of mental illness, the district attorney believes that she will be a reliable witness and what's more so, one the jury will have sympathy with given what she has been through because of him and Elena.

As for Elena, I hope she rots in hell and is punished for everything she has done for all of eternity. That is just what she deserves and even though Taylor never gave me any details and the police miraculously found evidence that she has left the country, I know she is dead and that gives me peace of mind.

When I arrive at Bellevue I see that Mia and her family, as well as Elliot and the kids, have already arrived, while Kate has decided to stay home, which might be a good thing, because the last thing Christian needs is her bad attitude right after he got home.

I barely have managed to unbuckle Arielle from her car seat when the door opens and out walks Christian with a huge smile.

„Hi Ana." He says and kisses my temple before he takes Arielle from me and almost makes my heart stop when he playfully throws her into the air and catches her, which makes our little girl belly laugh.

„Again princess?" He says with a big smile and I cover my eyes with my hands. I know he would never drop her, but still, seeing him throw her over his head gives me anxiety.

„You can look again, Ana." He says amused.

„Ok... sorry, but watching you throw her gives me anxiety."

„But she loves it?"

„I know... I just have a serious case of mamma bear." I giggle and grab Arielle's overnight bag.

„So... I know you might have plans for the weekend, but I was thinking of taking Arielle to the zoo tomorrow, do you want to join us?" He asks.

„Sure, why not, which time?"

„Around nine am, I'll pick you up." He says and points to Audi I have never seen.

„Yours?"

„Safest family car that is available right now... it got delivered today. It has enough trunk space for Arielle's stroller and everything else... more safety features to ensure it is safe to transport her in... you know, just a great car." He says and I have to giggle.

„I guess, I have to trust you on this... as you know, I know nothing about cars." I say.

„I can get you one too."

„Which means you already ordered it." I say and he tries to avoid my gaze.

„Maybe..."

„I was looking for a new car anyway, I'll take it but you have to put the bill in my name."

„Ana I can afford it."

„So, do I... my car, my bill." I insist.

„Ok, help me out here, because I don't want to piss you off, does this mean I can't buy anything for you?"

„Nothing as expensive as a car. If you want to buy me a soda or hotdog at the zoo, that's acceptable."

„Duly noted... so I can still feed you." He says and seems to be satisfied with that when I nod.

„Good... even though we might have to take a picknick with us, my mother has gone overboard and has been cooking massive amounts of all of my favorites."

„Isn't Elliot coming over?" I ask and he laughs.

„True... but you haven't seen the buffet in the dining room, it might even be too much for him."

„She just wants to look after you."

„I know... they feel guilty, we are going to have more family sessions with Dr. Harper. Makes me feel like shit to know they are blaming themselves." He says and we sit down on the stairs that lead up to the house.

„Try to put yourself in their shoes... what happened to you started because Grace invited Elena into her home... that's a lot for any parent, but you'll work through it as a family because you love each other."

„I know." He says and it makes me smile to hear this because he finally understands that his family loves him.

„I asked Taylor for a meeting... I want to know everything that happened with Flynn and especially Elena... is she really on the run?" He asks and I take a deep breath.

„I don't know anything and I don't want to... but she has been dealt with... permanently." I say and for a second he just looks at me and then I can actually see the relief wash over him.

„Good... I was hoping you would say that... come, let's go inside... I may have gone overboard too and stopped at a toy store on my way here." He says and I shake my head smiling.

„You do realize that our daughter will end up spoilt rotten before she can even talk."

„No, she won't, but I want for her to have a happy childhood... I want her to look back one day and only have fond memories of her childhood." He says and it's bittersweet to hear him say this because I know he wants this so bad for Arielle because of his own horrible past.

„I want that too." I say and we get up and go inside, where I just watch him play with our daughter.

„It's heartwarming right?" Mia says when she comes to sit next to me.

„Yes... he looks so happy and carefree, it's all I ever wanted for him." I say and she takes my hand in hers.

„You know... I'll be honest, when you went through with the divorce I was very mad at you. I thought you were abandoning my brother in his time of need... but you never once did. You are still there for him and I really hope you can find a way back to each other."

„I still love him, Mia... that never went away. But I'm also learning so much about myself right now. It's a learning curve and I feel like we both needed to separate ourselves from each other to heal. We both still have a long way to go but hopefully at the end of it we'll find each other again because I've come to the conclusion that I don't want my life to be without him. „ I let her know and she smiles.

„That's good because Arielle is so cute, she needs to have some siblings." Mia says and that makes me smiles, I know I might be biased, but my daughter is simply adorable and I would love to have more children in the future.

„Well, I want two more at least."

„Well, now that Christian has reversed the vasectomy completely..."

„Wait, what?"

„Shoot, Elliot told me to keep my mouth shut... but well, Christian had the procedure done last week when Elliot took him to see his doctor. I was not supposed to tell you, because Christian wanted to tell you eventually... you know when you guys are back together... but yeah, he really wanted to take care of that because he too wants siblings for Arielle." She says.

I just look at Christian and smile, I wasn't sure he would actually go through with it, but hearing that he did makes me happy and it feels like it is just one more step in the right direction and away from a past I don't ever want to recall...