A/N: This chapter moved along a little more slowly than I'd hoped but I promise more action in the next chapter - and an appearance by everyone's favorite serial killer ;) As always please, please review and let me know what you think :) Thank you!

Anastasia Steele felt very useless. It was Saturday morning, the day of the big move. She stood in the kitchen of what was quickly becoming her emptied apartment with Kate and her latest beau, Elliot Grey. Elliot was quite handsome, with a carefree smile and a strong chin. She could see why Kate liked him, and while Ana knew that Elliot was in no way biologically related to Christian, she could not help but compare the two. Elliot held himself in that same confident manner, but managed to not seem so stiff and formal about it, it spoke to a confidence that Ana hadnt realized Christian might be lacking until she spent time with his brother.

The three of them drank wine from pastic cups and watched, rather pointlessly Ana thought, as 3 burly moving men removed the sofa and end tables from their living room. By that evening, Ana would be settling into her new apartment with Kate in Seattle. Shortly after that, Kate would be taking off on a family vacation to Barbados and Ana would be alone in her new city in her new apartment. The prospect did not fill her with confidence. She did not mind being alone, as a general rule, but being alone in a new space, in a new city, where she knew so few people yet, seemed...much lonlier right now than she'd anticipated.

She still couldn't quite believe how fast things happened after her last final was over with. She was still reeling from the fact that she, Ana Steele, was a college graduate. She did not have a job lined up yet but she had received calls about 3 different interviews at potential publishing houses so she was very hopeful. Kate, of course, had already landed herself a position at the Seattle Tribune in their broadening online media and reporting department. Kate was due to start the Monday after she got back from her trip. Ana only hoped her intervews in the week that her roomate would be gone would go well enough that she would have something to show for it by the time her friend got back.

"Earth to Ana...Ana, come in, Ana!" Kate's voice interrupted h er thoughts and Ana turned, embarassed.

"What? Sorry...I was..." She trailed off, flushing.

"Do you want any more wine?" Kate was grinning at her and held up the near-empty bottle for Ana to see, and Elliot laughed. It was clear they'd asked her a couple of times if she'd wanted a quick refill, but she hadnt been paying attention.

"What? Oh..No..Sorry.." She flushed deeper.

"Where'd you go just now?" Kate asked, voice laced with amusement. Elliot guffawed.

"Oh I think I know what, or rather who...is preoccupying Ana's mind." He winked at Ana laciviously and dipped to nibble Kate's ear, his arm slipping around the strawberry-blonde's waist.

"What happened after graduation?" Kate asked, for what felt like the thousandth time. Ana blushed and looked away.

"It's not important," She waved Kate off "I just...I dont think we're compatible. I dont think I'm what he wants" She answered as truthfully and as vaguely as she could. Elliot snorted at that and both girls looked up at him wth quizzical expressions.

"What do you know?" Kate grinned, poking him in the ribs. Ana pursed her lips together. In truth, she really didnt know how much the man knew about his enigmatic brother's particular proclivities. Her eyes widened and she looked at him. Before Ana had a chance to stop the man from saying something potentially damning, Elliot opened his mouth.

"All I know is..." He began, pausing for dramatic effect and leaning in toward both Ana and Kate conspiratorially. "I practically had to promise him my left nut as retribution if anything happened to you, young lady," He pointed at Ana, "to stop him from barging in here last night." He took a swig of his wine and puffed out his chest. Ana's eyes widened. And Kate looked at Elliot as if he'd sprouted wings.

"What?" Ana asked, "Why would Christian be worried that something was going to happen to me?"

Elliot looked at her seriously, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm not really sure, but something wigged him out and he was adament that you be safe. I've never heard him so worried about another person's safety in my life, if I'm honest." He admitted. Ana shook her head. Elliot was looking at her as if he too was tryign to figure out what his brother could see in her and i tmade her that much more uncomfortable. Christian had been worried about her? Was he worried because of what he had shwon her? Was it a guilt thing? Or could he actually feel something for her? That seemed so perposterous.

"Ana, he likes you, there's no doubt about it." Kate confirmed, smiling at her in reassurance.

"The question is, do you like him?"

Christian Grey was finished trying to work. Saturday was the day he was going to use to catch up on the work he had not done during the week, he had several new acquisition contracts to go over and approve, multiple financial reports to analyze, and more emails he needed to respond to than he cared to count, but his mind would not let him focus on his tasks at hand. It kept wandering, thinking back to Alice, to the fact that someone had broken into her home, attacked her, took her life. He kept imagining the horror of the moment, and what she might have gone through. Alice Porter had been such a vibrant, capable woman. And now she was just…gone. And Christian could not shake the feeling that somehow it was his fault. He had contracted with her. He was supposed to keep her safe. And he'd failed.

Welch had been able to provide him with limited details surrounding Alice's murder, but Christian's head of security was being stonewalled by his police contacts. Apparently, a new detective had transferred to Seattle PD, one Stella Gibson. She had originally arrived as a kind of outside auditor for the police department, but she had taken a special interest in Alice's case, and the cases of the other two victims, and she was insisting on a tight-lipped, by-the-book environment for her investigation. She apparently had Welch's police contacts terrified of disobeying her, and it made things more difficult for Christian. He craved information, needed it to keep himself sane, to keep his mind from working up its own scenarios and theories, and what-ifs. And thanks to Detective Gibson, he was working with a severe deficit of intel.

Adding to his stress levels, Anastasia Steele was still not taking his phone calls. A phone call to his brother Elliot Friday night had quelled his desire to rush down to Portland after he'd heard about Alice. His frat-boy-like brother had promised he would keep an eye out on Ana while he was there with Kate and, while Elliot knew exactly how to push all of Christian's buttons (and frequently did so just for kicks) Christian trusted the man to keep watch; at least for one night.

Besides, Anastasia was not taking his calls, and (as Elliot had none-too-kindly pointed out) he highly doubted she would be keen on him barging into her apartment uninvited after what happened Thursday. He'd been foolish in his desire for the girl, he'd rushed things, he hadn't had all the facts. And, as a result, he'd taken a beautiful, smart, innocent virgin straight into the lion's den. It was no wonder she'd run away, he must have looked like a monster to her. He was a selfish bastard, he knew that. Anastasia deserved so much better than him. He knew that. But he simply could not make himself leave her alone. Especially now, after what had happened. There was a serial killer….a killer who murdered 3 women in the two locales Christian frequented most often. In the two locales Anastasia had frequented most in the past week; two women in Seattle, one in Portland. And they had all beautiful, talented brunettes. Anastasia was a target, she fit the profile perfectly. It unnerved him to no end that she fit his specifications perfectly as well. He and this murderer had….similar tastes…and it made him queasy to think about it.

Christian's thoughts were all over the place. He hated that feeling. He checked his watch. It was 11:30, nearly lunch time. He knew that his brother, Katherine Kavanagh and Anastasia would be almost finished with the movers. If he hurried he could make it there to meet them, it wasn't weird to drop in on one's brother was it? He could just... No…no it definitely would not be welcome at this juncture, and he'd already screwed things up with Anastasia once. He needed to give her a little space. Elliot would make sure she was safe. Christian already had the address for her new apartment in Seattle. He knew what he could do.

Christian made two quick phone calls, arranging for a little welcoming gift to be delivered to Anastasia at her new address that evening. There. That wasn't weird. He could show her he could be normal...ish. He could give her his own version of hearts and flowers.

Ana was unpacking boxes in her new bedroom when she heard the apartment buzzer. The mover's had come and gone and now all that was left was for them to unpack their lives again. Elliot had gone home as well, to give the girls some time to get settled into their new digs.

"I got it!" Kate called from the front room somewhere and Ana continued with her tasks at hand.

Ana liked her new bedroom, it was not large, but she was at the heart of Seattle here, and it was cozy. This was going to be a new chapter in her life.

"Ana! You got a delivery!" Kate called again and Ana put away her arm of t-shirts into one of her drawers before going out to the living room.

Kate was grinning at her and holding a bottle of champagne in one arm. Tied to the champagne was a Mylar ballon in the shape of a helicopter.

Charlie Tango, Ana swallowed back the swell of emotion that was suddenly threatening to overwhelm her. Kate held a small red envelope in her other hand.

"I think somebody wants to welcome you to his neighborhood.." She teased, in a sing-song voice, holding out the champagne and envelope for Ana to take. She did so, retreating to the kitchen with the champagne and clutching the envelope to her chest. She knew Kate was watching her like a hawk, but Ana had to know what the note said. She set the bottle down on the counter, looking at the balloon again and smiling wistfully, before tearing open the envelope. Inside was a beautiful white and silver card, embossed with her name on the front.

Anastasia-

Congratulations on your big move. This is a new chapter for you, with new exciting achievements on the horizon. I know you will find success in whatever you choose to do.

I hope sincerely that there is room for me to be in your next chapter. Perhaps with this fresh start, you would consider giving me a fresh start as well.

Say yes, Anastasia.

-Christian

Ana read the letter to herself again for a second time biting her lip. Her insides were doing flip flops with a weird mix of excitement and fear. kate was looking at her expectantly.

Say yes, Anastasia. He'd written.

Did she dare?

Detective Stella Gibson stared at the wall before her, her finger stroking her lips pensively, her perfectly coifed blonde hair falling on her shoulders. She paced slowly back and forth, her eyes never leaving the photographs and notations plastered on the wall before her, her heels clicking softly against the cold tile floor.

Three deaths now… She mused. Three deaths made a pattern that her captain couldn't ignore.

First Melissa Brewster, then Amber Johnson, and now Alice Porter…All three women were found posed, nude, in their bedrooms. All three had been strangled, their bodies washed post mortem. All three had nearly identical physical characteristics. All three were successful, professional women. Melissa Brewster had been married, but Amber Johnson and Alice Porter had been single. The first victim was wealthy, lived in downtown Seattle with her trust-fund husband. Stella's captain had assumed her case to be open-and-shut, but none of the evidence had supported his theory that the husband had done it and the investigation had stalled.

Then came the second victim. Amber Johnson. Portland resident, WSU graduate working on her doctoral degree in anthropology; she'd been living with a roommate and fellow doctoral student in agriculture and climate change. The roommate told police the tow had been out celebrating a department grant the roommate's research team had been awarded that week. Amber Johnson was the piece that didn't quite fit the puzzle. She lived outside of the killer's preferred kill-zone, she was academic more than professional-oriented, but her physical appearance and personal qualities fit the pattern.

Then came Alice Porter, the most recent victim. She'd been discovered by her personal assistant, posed just like the others. She was a Seattle resident just like Brewster, though she lived im a more moderately-priced apartment complex on the opposite side of town. She'd been the only victim to live completely alone,

Stella studied the three women over and over, looking for any other connections they may have had to each other. Nothing, apart from their looks connected them. The victims did not know each other. They were dealing with a serial killer, of that, Stella Gibson was certain. And he seemed to be picking up his pace. If they did not act fast to progress the investigation, Stella had no doubt that another pretty young brunette would wind up dead.

She was still awaiting the final lab report from Miss Porter's autopsy, and the woman's laptop and work files had been confiscated. They would need to comb through her personal life if they were going to find anything that might lead to her killer. Melissa Brewster had turned up empty and the Amber Johnson investigation looked like it was heading toward a smiliar fate. Alice Porter was their break. And Stella Gibson did not intend to waste it.