A/N: I'm glad you all liked the last chapter! Hope you enjoy this next one :)

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 8: Back to Seattle

At around noon, Ana headed back to her house to meet up with Ray and Ted, and although Christian asked her to stay with him and Taylor for lunch, she politely declined. The two of them had had a rather deep conversation that morning, where Ana divulged where Ted had really come from and the circumstances that led to his adoption, and Christian suspected she wanted a small reprieve to collect her thoughts a bit. He understood, but he sincerely hoped she wouldn't start acting weird around him now. The two of them had connected on a deeper level after sharing their life experiences with each other, and Christian liked to think they knew each other better now than they did from only a few days ago.

Christian continued to work on GEH stuff for the rest of the day, waiting for Ros to call him back about that meeting she had with Robert Crenshaw. She finally called him around five o'clock that afternoon, and unfortunately she didn't bring good news:

"…He's insisting upon meeting you in person, Christian," she grumbled agitatedly. "That asshole didn't think I had the authority to sign off on his acquisition, even though I assured him you and I were both equally qualified to do so. He was really insistent upon getting approval from you, though, and so I'm starting to worry that we're going to lose his account if we don't comply."

Christian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You think I'm going to need to be back in Seattle tomorrow to meet with him?"

"I'm afraid so," Ros said apologetically. "I'm sorry for inconveniencing you like this, Christian. If you want, we can try to arrange a phone call or teleconference with him instead…"

"No, that's alright. I can be back in Seattle just for the day," Christian conceded. "That way the both of us can meet with Crenshaw, and I can personally berate him for treating my CFO like garbage when I'm away."

"I knew there was a reason I liked working for you," Ros said, and Christian could practically hear her smiling through the phone. "I appreciate it, Christian."

"Don't mention it," Christian said, smiling as well. "It's probably not a bad idea for me to swing back home and take care of a few things before coming back to Easton. There's only so much I can get done for GEH here."

"That's true. So how's the construction going?" Ros asked curiously. "Any issues so far?"

"None at all, actually - it's been going much better than I originally anticipated," Christian said truthfully. "The mayor of Easton appointed a local to help oversee the construction, and she's been doing a great job keeping everything on track. She reminds me a bit of you, actually."

"Oh, may God have mercy on you," Ros laughed, and Christian chuckled. "So with this local girl overseeing everything, you're okay coming back to Seattle for a day or two?"

"Definitely. I'll have a word with her and the crew to let them know what's going on, but I doubt it'll be a problem. I'll meet you and Crenshaw at GEH tomorrow morning to hash out specifics."

"Great - I really appreciate you doing this Christian," Ros said gratefully. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Sure thing. Bye Ros."

Christian hung up the phone just as Taylor came into the room. "Good news Taylor - it looks like you and I are heading back to Seattle tomorrow. Ros needs help dealing with something, and we should be back in Easton by Tuesday afternoon."

"Sounds good, sir," Taylor nodded, a hint of a smile on his face. "Good timing too, since Gail told me she'd be happy to stay with us in Easton for the remainder of our time here. We can just bring her back with us when we drive to Easton on Tuesday."

"Great," Christian smiled. "I'm just going to head over next door to let Ana know - I'm sure she'll be okay with overseeing the construction herself for the next day and a half. Do you mind calling the mayor and letting him know too?"

"Of course."

Christian slipped on his shoes and grabbed the rental home keys before heading out the front door toward Ana's house. He walked up the front porch and rang the doorbell.

He waited for about ten seconds before the door opened, revealing Ana on the threshold wearing flannel and jeans while holding Ted on her hip. The smell of roasted chicken and marinara sauce met Christian's nose, and he realized they were probably in the middle of making dinner.

"Christian," Ana greeted him, blushing slightly. Christian realized that she was probably thinking about that heavy conversation they had this morning, and perhaps felt a bit ill-prepared to see him again so soon. Christian suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.

"Hi," he smiled tremulously, and then cleared his throat. "Um… I'm sorry if I'm disturbing you. Do you mind if we talk?"

"Oh, sure," Ana said, smiling as she hoisted Ted up higher on her hip and stepped aside. "Please come in."

"Thanks," Christian walked into the house, and immediately noticed it had a beautiful rustic-looking interior. Toys and blankets were strewn around the living room, making it look very homey and lived-in, and Christian couldn't help but smile as he gazed around.

"Pardon the mess," Ana muttered embarrassedly, clearly a bit nervous to have him in her home.

"Oh please, don't worry about it," Christian said, smiling at her. "You have a lovely home, but I'll be out of your hair in a minute - I can see you're about to eat dinner."

"Hi Christian," Ray appeared around the corner from the kitchen, his shirtsleeves rolled up to the elbows and a wooden spatula in his hand. "You staying for dinner?"

"No, I can't - but thank you though," Christian smiled at him before turning back to Ana. "I just wanted to let you know that I found out I have to be back in Seattle to deal with something at GEH, so I won't be at the construction site tomorrow. Would you be okay overseeing everything by yourself for a day?"

"Oh," Ana looked a bit surprised. "Yeah, of course I can oversee the construction by myself. Thanks for letting me know about the change in plans."

"I think Andy has everything planned out for tomorrow, so I doubt there's much you have to do," Christian went on. "But if you run into any issues feel free to call me and ask."

"Will do," Ana nodded, smiling at him, and Christian smiled back.

"Christian, are you heading back to Seattle tonight?" Ray stepped out of the kitchen and walked toward him, brushing his hands clean.

"No, we're going early tomorrow morning. Why?" Christian said, looking curiously at him.

"I want you to come out with me tonight," Ray said firmly, pointing a finger at him. "Some of the guys in town are meeting up for a beer at the local bar, and you've been here for nearly a week. I want you to come meet everybody, and I won't take no for an answer."

"Oh," Christian said, surprised and flattered Ray wanted to go to the bar with him. "Thanks Ray, I'd love to come for a drink."

"Go easy on him, Dad," Ana chastised her father with a smile.

Ray laughed. "He'll be fine Annie. We're just going to have a couple drinks with the guys."

"Are you coming?" Christian asked Ana, and she shook her head.

"I'm going to stay home with Ted," Ana smiled apologetically, glancing over at her son who she was still carrying in her arms. Christian couldn't help but briefly feel envious of a four-year-old kid.

"We're all meeting up around eight o'clock at the bar on Main Street called Angler's Head," Ray said to Christian. "You'll be there?"

"Sure," Christian nodded before smiling. "Thanks Ray."

"See you then," Ray nodded before turning around and heading back into the kitchen, probably to go finish dinner.

"Sorry, my dad can be a little pushy sometimes," Ana whispered apologetically to Christian once he was out of earshot.

"It's alright - a night out at the bar sounds like fun," Christian grinned at her. "I should probably head back to my place though. There's some work I need to get done before I start packing for my trip."

"Of course," Ana smiled understandingly.

Christian turned to Ted, who was gazing up at Christian with large green eyes. Christian thought it was a bit odd seeing Ted now, knowing that he wasn't Ana's biological son, and upon closer inspection Christian could distinctly tell his facial structure and eye shape were definitely different from Ana's. However, Christian knew that those differences didn't detract from the love Ted and Ana had for each other, and it made Ted's sweet child-like innocence even more endearing.

"See you later, Ted," Christian smiled at the little boy. "Take care of your mommy, alright?"

Ted smiled widely, and nodded enthusiastically. Both Ana and Christian chuckled.

"Alright. Bye Ana," Christian said, turning toward the door.

"Bye Christian. Have a safe trip," Ana said after him.

"Thanks," Christian waved before stepping back onto the porch and closing the door behind him.

Christian finished up some more work for GEH before Taylor picked up a couple sandwiches from the local deli for their dinner. The sandwiches were pretty good, but Christian found himself seriously missing Gail's home-cooked meals, and he looked forward to when they could bring her with them back to Easton on Tuesday.

At around eight o'clock, Christian and Taylor headed out to the local bar Ray invited him to, the Angler's Head. The place was pretty much what Christian expected - a small hunting bar for all blue collar workers of Easton. The place was dimly lit, and had multiple deer heads mounted on the walls; Ray and several of his buddies were already sitting at the bar when Christian and Taylor arrived, and they all welcomed the two of them with raised beer glasses and cheerful grins.

Christian wasn't sure what to expect when going out tonight, but he had a surprisingly good time hanging out with Ray, Taylor, and all the other guys from town. Initially, some of them were a bit wary of Christian since he was the rich, out-of-town businessman building on their land; however, once he bought a round for everyone in the bar, they all seemed to take to him much more warmly. Most of them ended up sitting together around a table exchanging stories about their lives and work, and Christian found he had a lot in common with these men, whom at first he considered to be of a completely different world. It had been a long time since Christian had done anything like this, and tonight was turning out to be surprisingly fun.

While most of the men in the bar were around Ray's age, the bartender was actually a much younger man - his name was Paul Clayton, and he was apparently Greg Clayton's son. He was a ruggedly handsome dude with sandy blonde hair, and he mentioned several times over the course of the evening that he was close friends with Ana. Christian instantly disliked him, and would be sure to keep an eye on him in the coming weeks.

Christian and Taylor headed back to the house after last call, and once they were home went straight to bed. They only got a few hours of sleep before they had to get up bright and early, and Christian unfortunately felt a bit hungover from all the drinks he had last night. Still, he and Taylor packed up the SUV and hit the road at around six o'clock, hoping to reach Seattle by nine.

While Taylor drove, Christian decided to text Leila and let her know he was going to be in town for the day, suggesting she stop by his penthouse around seven o'clock tonight for an impromptu playroom session. He figured he shouldn't let his one evening in the city go to waste, but as soon as he sent that text to her he felt a bit guilty. It was stupid really, but he couldn't help but think about Ana, and a large part of him wished he could spend the day with her and Ted back in Easton. It was a fleeting thought, but Christian quickly pushed it out of his mind, knowing that a relationship with Ana wouldn't satisfy his needs the same way his playroom sessions with Leila could.

Sex and relationships had to be kept separate. That's just the way it had to be for Christian, and no exceptions could be made.

~Later that night~

Christian stood in the great room of Escala as he poured himself two fingers of whiskey, tugging off his silver gray tie with his other hand as he did so. It had been a long day at GEH, dealing with Crenshaw and about fifty other things that had cropped up unexpectedly, and he was completely exhausted as a result. He looked forward to this time when he could finally come home and take a load off.

Checking his watch, Christian felt his heart sink into his stomach as he realized Leila would be coming over in about five minutes. He thought that after being back in Seattle for a day he would feel eager to get a playroom session in, but honestly it just felt weird being back. Easton was such a stark contrast to his life here in Seattle, and even though all week he had felt like a visitor in Easton, being back here in Seattle didn't feel like the big homecoming he had initially thought it would be.

Christian took a sip of whiskey, and immediately thought back to his night out drinking with Ray and the other guys in town last night. He couldn't help but smirk slightly to himself.

The elevators suddenly dinged, and Christian looked up to see Leila step out of the foyer and into the great room, her high heels clicking on the marble floors as she walked toward him. She looked just as beautiful as when Christian had last seen her, with her auburn hair in soft curls around her shoulders, her lithe body covered in a slinky black dress, and her makeup done in a sultry smokey eye. Her gaze met Christian's, and she gave him a coquettish grin.

"Good evening, Sir," she said sweetly, coming to a stop a few yards away from him. She clasped her hands politely in front of her. "Welcome back."

Christian gazed at her for a moment or two before blinking. "Good evening Leila. Would you like a drink?"

"Thank you Sir."

Christian poured two fingers of whiskey into a second crystal glass before handing it over to Leila, and she clasped it in her manicured fingers. She then lifted the glass to her dark red painted lips and took a slow sip.

That small move would have normally gotten Christian immediately aroused, but for some reason he felt absolutely nothing. Was something wrong with him tonight?

"I was happy to get your text this morning, Sir," Leila went on, smiling lightly up at Christian. "I've missed our playroom sessions."

Christian said nothing, realizing he hadn't missed his and Leila's playroom sessions at all during his time away. His thoughts had been consumed by someone else the entire time - a beautiful young woman with clear blue eyes and a gorgeous smile. He suddenly felt wracked with guilt that he had another woman here right now.

He shouldn't have brought Leila here. This was all wrong.

"I'm sorry, Leila," Christian said after a moment or two of silence, shaking his head. He glanced away. "This was a mistake."

Leila didn't say anything for a moment. "...What?" she asked.

"I shouldn't have invited you here," Christian said, finally looking up at her. "I don't think we can continue with our contract anymore. I'm sorry for getting your hopes up."

Leila blinked a few times, her beautiful face falling into a devastated expression. "N-No, I…!" she sputtered, taken aback, before seeming to compose herself briefly. "I don't understand Sir… you invited me to come here tonight! Did I do something wrong?"

"No," Christian shook his head. "I'm sorry Leila, but I already said that this was a mistake. I can't do this, I…" he hesitated before shaking his head again, glancing down at his feet. "There's somebody else," he muttered honestly.

There was a short awkward silence where neither of them said anything, and for Christian it seemed to stretch out for an eternity. Finally, Leila let out a small scoff before turning around and setting her glass of whiskey down on a nearby end table with a loud clunk. With her high heels clicking on the marble floors, she swiftly walked back toward the elevators, not looking back.

Christian simply watched her go, wondering if he was making a completely idiotic mistake.

A/N: Thank you all for reading - hope you enjoyed that! :) Next chapter, Christian heads back to Easton.

Please review and tell me what you think!