It's approaching three in the morning and I've been sitting in this chair since I got Teddy home and into bed a couple hours ago. He's fast asleep, his dreams undisturbed, and I only hope they remain this way. I know mine won't be nearly so peaceful throughout the foreseeable future.

I have no idea where Christian has gone. Last I saw, he was on the phone with god knows who. Taylor and Sawyer are outside my apartment along with a team of security who seems to be settling in for the long haul. For the first time in my life, I have no qualms about being surrounded by a group of men I don't know. Over the last few hours, I've had the exact same thought running through my head that tonight could have turned out so much differently. Teddy could still be missing. Or worse. And of course, those thoughts take me right to the person who had him in the first place. I've had some pretty dark thoughts over recent months about what I would do if I ever got my hands on Lucy, but they don't hold a candle to the ones I'm having now. Messing with my marriage and fucking my husband for months on end is one thing, but the bitch kidnapped my son. If I thought I could get out of the apartment, I'd find where she was being held and only one of us would come out alive. And it wouldn't be her.

"Ana?"

I close my eyes, my jaw is tensed, and I really don't want to do this right now. Christian has given me ample space and time to get my thoughts in order, and I know what's coming next, so it's time to make some really difficult decisions. "What, Christian?" I ask in a whisper, not taking my eyes off my son.

He enters the room and stands at the foot of Teddy's bed, his gaze drifting between me and Teddy. "How is he?"

"Fine," I say shortly. "Tired, confused, but not hurt, thank god."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him nod. "Can we talk?" he asks reluctantly.

I nod myself, leaning over to kiss Teddy's forehead before standing up and leading the way out of the room. Christian pulls the door almost closed, and we head out into the living room where we sit on opposite sides of the couch. I wait until he's settled before beginning. "Well?" I whisper, unable to even look at him.

He sighs heavily. "I don't even know where to begin..." He's looking at me beseechingly like he's waiting for me to give him some sort of guidance in this conversation. When I only look at him passively, he finally takes the hint that I have no intention of helping him through this. "Lucy will not be going anywhere for quite a while," he says grimly. "Her bond is set high enough that no one will even consider bailing her out."

This is only a very slight comfort. "And why did she have my son?" I ask, staring straight at him. I know full fucking well he has some sort of answer and I also know he's going to try keeping the truth from me. To protect me, of course.

His face crumbles slightly at my question, a flash of anger that I know isn't directed at me crossing his face. "Are you sure you want to know?" he asks, his tone radiating fury. I tilt my head to the side, cocking my eyebrow in response. He runs his hands through his hair. "The reason she gave the police is that she took Teddy from school so that she could start getting to know her future stepson."

I'm staring at him, my brain and mouth unable to form any response. Christian is watching my reaction closely, waiting on my response. "Her future stepson?" I question, not intending to make it sound as accusatory as it comes across.

"No," Christian is saying quietly but firmly. "Ana, I never made her think that she and I—"

"I don't care," I interrupt. And I really don't at this point... I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I'm taking Teddy out of that fucking school. Clearly he's not safe there."

Christian nods his agreement and sits back against the arm of the couch, watching me closely. "Ana," he says quietly, "did you mean what you said at the police station?"

I look up at him sharply and he actually flinches. "Don't ask me that right now Christian," I warn him harshly. "You will not like the answer."

His shoulders slump in defeat as he nods. He probably thinks I said what I did in the heat of the moment—which is true, but I meant every word. This was too much, more than I was ever prepared for, and I might have been pushed much too far this time. The jury is still out on that one... As it is, though, it's taking every ounce of self-control I have to be in the same room with him without exerting some form of physical violence towards him. He knows he fucked up. He knows how pissed off I am with him. My anger extends towards Lucy as well, of course, and the bitch better hope she and I never meet, but it's because of Christian that she's been brought into our lives at all.

"For what it's worth," Christian begins thickly. He's not crying, but I don't think he's far from it. "I am sorrier for all this shit than you will ever know. I'm sorry it happened. I'm sorry it took so long for me to get back here to you. I'm just sorry. And I know it's not enough and that it might never be enough."

I nod in acknowledgment of his words and though I didn't want to discuss our relationship right now, the words are rushing out of my mouth before I can stop them. "Why now, Christian?" He looks at me blankly, not understanding the question. "Teddy and I have been in London for seven months, but only now have you done something to fight for me. I know you better than you think I do and I know you could have flown here without blinking an eye, but you didn't."

He rubs his eyes before answering. "You want the honest answer?" he asks. I nod once; he sighs. "At first it was because I didn't believe you'd actually left me, despite taking the majority of your belongings and leaving behind your wedding and engagement rings. That lasted about a month." He's speaking so matter-of-factly and I know it's because he won't be able to get through this otherwise. "Then I had this belief that you'd come to your senses and come back to me. When that didn't happen, I realized I'd fucked up the best thing that has ever happened to me. I spent a lot of time angry at myself. I'm still beyond angry at myself. There was a very brief period that I was angry with you for daring to leave me. That ended when I was stupid enough to say that aloud to Elliot and he punched me in the face."

My mouth drops open and I have the insane desire to burst out laughing. "He punched you?" I ask incredulously.

He nods, a hint of a smile on my face at my amusement. "Knocked me flat on my ass," he confirms. "He hasn't done that since I was about sixteen. I was too shocked to even think about hitting him back and just let him help me up before letting him tell me exactly what he thought about our situation. Even though nobody actually knew what I'd done to make you leave, they all assumed it was my doing. Elliot was no exception. He told me I needed some grand romantic gesture to convince you to come home. He then took the opportunity to tell me I had no right to be angry with you and that all you've ever done from the beginning is support me and how much of a shit I am for doing anything to chase you off. He wasn't wrong. About any of it. As for the grand romantic gesture..." he gives me a lopsided smile, "I'm still working on that one."

"Go on," I say quietly, trying not to smile at the thought of Christian arranging a grand romantic gesture for me. Whatever it would be would be something I'd remember for the rest of my life. Whether it worked or not would be debatable.

He sighs, realizing I'm not going to be distracted by his usual panty-dropping smile. "Once I turned the anger solely on myself, I made the decision to see Lucy for what I intended to be the last time. I needed to cut all ties to the person who helped me destroy my marriage if I had any hope of getting it back. Like I told you already that went badly. After that I kept closer tabs on the security team Taylor hired—out of his own pocket, mind—to keep an eye on you and Teddy while you were here in London."

I blink rapidly. "Taylor hired...?" I repeat

Christian nods. "Yes," he confirms. "I wanted him and Sawyer and Ryan trailing you at all times, but Taylor had already gotten the team together." He shrugs. "Taylor also wants to speak with you in private at some point, to apologize for that team not being around when you needed them most. He tried handing in his resignation over it. I refused to accept it, of course; I know if it had been him on duty, this never would have happened. Yet another thing to add to my list of fuck-ups."

"I don't blame Taylor," I tell him plainly. The silent implication of who I do blame hits its mark when Christian winces.

"I know you don't," he answers. He sighs before continuing. "Anyway, I knew I didn't have a chance of getting you back until I managed to work on my own shit. I certainly couldn't have come to you the way I was after last seeing Lucy—I was a mess, emotionally, physically... All of it. Not a minute went by when I didn't think of either you or Teddy. I started seeing the new therapist Flynn referred me to, and I still see him once a week at least. Between the two of them, I got my thoughts and emotions in line."

"When did you sell Escala?" I ask him quietly. I've wanted to ask him since Kate first told me, but I haven't found the right moment. Apparently I've found it.

He raises an eyebrow, silently asking who told me about the apartment.

"Kate," I reply.

"Ah," he says, rolling his eyes. "Of course. I sold the penthouse before I went to Lucy. I hardly hesitated over the decision; as much as I loved the place, there are so many years of dark memories wrapped up in it."

"There were good memories, too," I remind him. "You and me. It's where you proposed initially. It's probably where Teddy was conceived... Wasn't all bad."

He smiles sadly. "True," he agrees. "But it's also where you left me the first time. It's the place where Jack Hyde nearly got you—if you hadn't disobeyed me that night you went out drinking with Kate, he would have. It's where I took on fifteen submissives. It's where I was during that video that has all but ended our marriage..." He drops his gaze from me. "The memories that mattered most to me happened in the big house on the Sound. You and me and our son. It should have been the place where our other children were conceived. Without you, Ana, that place is nothing. Without you, nothing in my life has any real meaning to me."

"Did you ever bring Lucy to the house?" I ask, trying not to let his words affect me like I know he wants them to do.

"No," he answers firmly. "Never. I did a lot of fucked up shit in that five months, but I never brought her into our home or our bed."

I hadn't even considered the thought of him fucking Lucy in our bed. If I'm to maintain any semblance of strength, I have to believe he's telling the truth, at least about that. "And before today—yesterday, I mean," I say, glancing at the clock on the wall. "Did she ever meet our son?"

Christian hesitates.

My mouth drops open. "You. Fucking. Bastard," I growl at him. "You introduced that slut to our son?"

"Ana," he says quietly. "Please, listen."

"That's why he went with her!" I say loudly, giving no regard to the fact that my son is asleep down the hall. "That's why he didn't put up any goddamn fight when she went to take him from school! She was Daddy's friend!"

There is absolutely nothing he can say in defense of his actions and he knows it. My curiosity is begging me to ask when this meeting occurred, but I'm having trouble wrapping my mind around what I'm being told. If I hadn't made up my mind about what to do in terms of my relationship with Christian, this would have decided it for me. Before I realize it, I'm on my feet, unable to take anymore, and I head down the hall towards Teddy's room—I need to see with my own eyes he's okay and sleeping peacefully. In a flash, Christian is behind me, his hand reaching out for my arm. I'm forced to stop as he turns me to face him, his gaze begging, but all I can do is stare at the hand that's clasped around my upper arm not quite hard enough to bruise, but hard enough to make it uncomfortable. He looks as well, seeing his fingers turning white and immediately releases me, instead putting his hands on either side of my face.

"Ana, I didn't introduce our son to her on purpose," he tells me quickly, probably knowing that at any second I'm going to regain control over my muscles and slap him. "I swear to you it was an accidental meeting."

Despite my exhaustion, I cross my arms in front of me when he drops his hands and glare at him. "When?" I demand.

He sighs in what seems to be relief that I'm going to hear him out. "The week you went to your mother's," he says softly. "For her birthday. I took Teddy out to lunch and Lucy happened upon us. She introduced herself to Teddy, Ana. After that, I told her in no uncertain terms that my son was off limits to her and we left. That was it. It never happened again. If that is why Teddy left school with her, he's got one hell of a memory."

"Why are you even bothering with me, Christian?" I ask suddenly. "Lucy was perfect for you, wasn't she? Looked like me, acted like me. She's probably a hell of a lot better with high society mingling than I ever was. You told me you thought you loved her. So when I left, why did that suddenly make you realize you were doing something that was wrong?"

Christian stumbles back a couple steps until he hits the wall, staring at me open-mouthed. "You really don't know?" he asks faintly. My brow furrows. "Fuck, Ana! You're everything to me. You always were. I didn't go back to Lucy because you're the one I want. You know that saying you don't know what you've got until it's gone? Well, it's true. If you want the god's honest truth, Anastasia, yes, there were times when I thought about some sort of future between Lucy and me. But after you left me, I started to realize no one can ever replace you. You're the mother to my son, my best friend, my first love..." He sighs heavily when I don't respond appropriately to his words. Am I supposed to swoon or something? "Ana, I don't know how to explain it. All I know is that I've finally realized again that you are the only woman I want for the rest of my life," I've heard this before, "and I'll do anything to prove it," and this, "please just tell me what it'll take."

I shake my head. "Christian, I meant everything I said yesterday," I tell him tiredly. "I meant that I love you and I want to be a family again, but I also meant what I said at the police station. I can't handle this anymore. Every time I think I've adjusted to everything that comes along with being with you, something else comes crawling out of the woodwork. I've spent the last seven months trying to get back everything I lost when you had your affair and in one weekend, you come in and use all your Christian Grey charm on me and convince me we can have everything again, and next thing I know, everything is fucked again. I'm tired, Christian. I need distance right now."

His mouth hardens in a thin line. "You think I'm leaving the two of you after what happened tonight?" he growls.

I roll my eyes. "I don't give a fuck where you go right now, Christian, but I'm going to bed." With that, I leave him in the hallway and head into Teddy's room to curl up beside him in bed. I can see Christian's shadow through the open door, still slumped against the wall. Too much has happened and I can barely wrap my head around it. The longer I lay here with my son in my arms, I expect to feel the tears begin anew, but I have none left to shed. I suppose I've done so much crying over the last seven months I've actually dried myself out.

Huh. Didn't know that was actually possible.

I eventually manage to fall asleep, my dreams filled with images of the family I once believed I could have. One that consists of me and Christian and Teddy and maybe another child. A girl perhaps that looks like me, since Teddy is his father's carbon copy. I know they're just dreams now, and eventually they'll become nightmares, haunting me until I can't handle it anymore.

It feels like hours before I'm able to find my way off the floor of the hallway. Just over twelve hours ago, I believed with every last fiber of my being that I might actually get the happily ever after I never thought I'd deserve. Our problems were far from fixed and I knew there were issues we still had to work out...

She told me she loved me. She told me she wanted us to be a family again and all she needed was a little more time. And now... She fucking hates me and I fucking deserve it. I brought Lucy into our lives and the bitch kidnapped my son. I never would have thought her capable of this. During the five months that we were seeing each other, Lucy was nothing but sweet and funny and a joy to be around. Other than the obvious, she wasn't one to surround herself with drama. We never fought, she never displayed any sort of psychosis, but this just proves I didn't know her in the slightest. The woman I nearly threw away my marriage for, the woman I thought I wanted to be with... What the fuck was I thinking?

More than once tonight I've wanted to head towards the police station where Lucy is being held. Taylor is standing outside the apartment right at this moment to prevent that exact thing. It pisses me off to admit, but he's probably right to do so: the only thing that could come from me being in any room alone with Lucy right now would be landing myself in jail as well. Perhaps once my temper calms I could convince Taylor to take me to the police station by assuring him he could remain at my side the entire time. Any lingering good feelings I once had for Lucy are long gone right now, leaving behind anger and hurt and questions of what she thought she might accomplish my kidnapping my son. It was done with the intention of getting my attention. Maybe she believed if she had Teddy I might come running to her; she was always under the impression that the only reason I stayed with Anastasia at all was for the benefit of our son.

Suddenly I'm exhausted and I get off the floor, intending to check in on my wife and son before heading for the guest room for the remainder of the night—Ana said she didn't care where I go, so I assume she won't mind. If she did, I'd be willing to camp out in the hallway; like I told her: I'm not leaving them alone after what has just happened. The obvious threat—Lucy—has been apprehended and removed, but that doesn't mean this is over. That's clear the moment the apartment door opens and Taylor enters, looking around until he finds me. He doesn't look pleased.

"Is anyone in any immediate danger?" I ask tiredly, rubbing my eyes.

Taylor's eyebrow rises. "No," he answers.

"Is anyone hurt?"

"No."

"Then it can wait until I've gotten a couple hours' sleep."

Without further acknowledgment, I retreat down the hall. I know he won't call after me, especially since he believes he's in the shithole with me, and I usually wouldn't take advantage of that, but I really do need a little bit of rest. Teddy's bedroom door is ajar, so I push it open, locating both my son and his mother fast asleep in his bed. I want nothing more than to crawl in beside them—there's room in the bed—but I know Ana won't welcome me right now. Instead, I pull over an armchair in the corner of the room, find a blanket and pillow, and set myself up so I'm falling asleep watching them. For the first time since I said goodbye to Ana after our lunch together, I feel peaceful.

When I wake up, it takes me a minute or so to work out where I am, why I'm there, and why I feel as though I haven't slept in weeks. I lift my head enough to keep from waking the little boy sleeping in my arms and find the full grown man sleeping in the armchair beside the bed. It dawns on me suddenly what happened yesterday and the warm fuzzies I was initially filled with to find Christian standing guard all night are gone. I hold Teddy more tightly in my arms, trying not to think of how close I'd come to losing him yesterday, all because of the woman my husband chose above me. I don't care what he says; that's what he did when he started the affair. Now after all this time, he wants me again. How am I not supposed to feel this is about convenience? He couldn't even articulate why he wanted me back rather than running to her again. And given what she did yesterday, not to mention her surprise arrival at Christian's German hotel room, she's not exactly gotten over him. She'd probably jump at the chance to be the next Mrs. Christian Grey. Who wouldn't?

Teddy squirms in my arms and makes a whimpering noise. For a moment I fear he's having a nightmare of some sort. I then realize he's wrapped so tightly in my arms that he's uncomfortable. Immediately I loosen my hold. Glancing up at the armchair, I find Christian's dark eyes trained on me and if I didn't know any better, I'd say he's holding his breath as though he believes if he stays still enough, I won't see he's awake.

We stare at each other for what feels like an eternity until he takes a deep breath and opens his mouth to speak. He hesitates, though, and almost immediately closes his mouth, then stands from his chair. Christian approaches the bed and leans in. I stiffen the closer he gets, but relax when all he does is smooth back Teddy's hair and place a kiss on the boy's forehead before leaving the room. I relax, feeling exhausted again. Why is it that being angry with Christian always drains my energy?

I sink against the bed again, reveling in the warm weight of my son in my arms. I have no idea what time it is, but a glance out the window tells me the sun is rising. As much as I don't want to let what happened yesterday affect our lives, I've already made the decision that Teddy will not be going back to his school. If I have it my way, he won't be leaving my sight until he's fifteen. Briefly I debate getting him a private tutor and having him homeschooled; there is no doubt in my mind that Christian would support my decision one hundred percent and would make it a point to take it ten steps further by hiring a team of security guards to ensure Teddy's safety all day, every day. But I know I can't do this to my son. I know how it feels to not be allowed to leave my home without running it past a committee only to have Christian deny my request to make a quick trip to the grocery store. I'll just have to keep myself on guard for my son. Maybe Christian will hire somebody to keep a closer eye on things around here...

The first step in this is to inform Thomas I won't be coming into work today. I untangle myself from Teddy, somehow managing to not wake him, and head down towards my bedroom in search of my cell phone. I've got several text messages, missed calls, and a couple voicemails. Most of them are from Christian and I wonder briefly how I didn't realize he had tried to contact me before his plane left New York to come back here. One of the text messages is from Thomas, checking in, seeing if we've had any luck finding Teddy. I quickly type out a reply assuring him Teddy is home safe and sound, he wasn't harmed in anyway, and I won't be coming to the office today. Once it's sent, I drop the phone on my bed and head towards the closet to find a fresh set of clothing before I head into the shower. My phone buzzes less than a minute later. It's from Thomas expressing his relief that Teddy is safe and telling me not to worry about work for the next couple days. He really is rather sweet; I think most bosses might tell me to take the day to be with my son, but be at my desk on time tomorrow morning. I would feel guilty about ending things between us if it weren't for the fact that all my emotions seem to be on extended vacation after yesterday.

After my shower, I dress quickly and check on Teddy before heading out in the apartment in search for something to eat. To my surprise, Christian and Taylor are sitting at my dining table talking quietly. I clear my throat to announce my presence and both men shoot to sit upright, an unidentifiable expression passing between them.

"Can I get you anything to eat, Jason?" I ask, not quite ready to start inquiring into whatever they were talking about.

"No, thank you, Mrs. Grey," Taylor responds quietly.

I nod. "Christian?" I say as I enter the kitchen, realizing it won't do Taylor any favors if I piss off his boss this morning by ignoring him.

"No, thank you, Ana," Christian answers in the same tone.

Moving around the kitchen, I'm aware that the men are watching my every move, though probably for much different reasons, and by the time I've gathered the things to make Teddy's favorite breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon, Taylor is excusing himself from the apartment, leaving me alone with my husband. I do everything possible to ignore Christian as he leans against the wall in the kitchen.

"How'd you sleep?" he asks softly as I begin to flip pancakes.

"Better than I thought I would," I answer honestly, not looking away from the stove. "How about you? I can't imagine that armchair is comfortable to sleep in for any real length of time."

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him shrug. "I wanted to be nearby," he explains simply.

I nod, knowing exactly where his thoughts were last night. Yesterday has the potential to cause all three of us nightmares and Christian wanted to be close in case Teddy or I woke in the middle of the night needing comforting. At the same time, he was staving off his own nightmares and achieved that by sleeping near enough to us that if he woke, he could immediately see that Teddy and I were both safe.

Teddy is still asleep when I finish breakfast and I don't want to wake him, so I hand Christian a plate and gesture for him to sit at the table before I join him with my own plate. We eat silently for a few minutes and though I know neither of us has much of an appetite, we keep on doing just that to keep our hands and mouths busy. Every time I glance at him, he's staring broodingly at his food, picking at it between thoughts. I'm curious about what's going on in his mind, but at the same time, I'm not in the mood for the patented Christian Grey brush-off if he's not in a sharing mood.

Finally, I break the silence. "I won't be going to work today," I tell him, taking a sip of my orange juice. He looks at me, his eyebrows raised in question. "I need to be with Teddy today and there's no way in hell he's going back to that school."

Christian nods, sighing. "I'm probably pushing my luck, but I have to ask," he begins. "I don't suppose this was enough to convince you to come home or at least somewhere nearby..."

I glare at him. "Don't," I warn him. "I haven't changed my mind about a thing. Now more than ever I need distance from you." I sigh when his face falls in disappointment. "Look, we said a month before we would see each other again. I'd like to hold to that; I need time to think about what I want and what's best for Teddy."

"So that's it?" he demands. "Even after what happened to Teddy, you're not going to admit that you need my protection?"

My mouth drops open. "Your protection?" I repeat loudly. "Christian, it's because of you we nearly lost our son! How do you think you can protect us when you're the one bringing the dangers to our doorstep?"

His jaw tenses and I brace myself for a fight. "I'm not leaving either of you here alone," he says sternly.

I roll my eyes. "What are you going to do, then, Christian? I'm not going back to Seattle yet. You've got a fucking empire to run. It's not like you can just bail on that to sit around watching us all day long." His gaze wavers very briefly and I've now got a heavy feeling in my stomach. "Tell me you didn't..." I beg.

"Didn't want?" he asks.

"Christian, what did you do this time?"

He eyes me cautiously before sighing. "Nothing yet," he admits. "But I have looked into the possibility of working from London for the foreseeable. And I may have looked at a couple apartments."

I stare at him in disbelief. "You did that last night?"

"Not exactly," he says evasively. When I continue to glare, he jumps from his chair, begins to pace and runs his fingers through his hair. "I told you I had meetings yesterday before you and I had lunch. That's what the meetings were about." He shrugs as though it's nothing for a man to consider a move to another country on a whim.

Haven't we been through this? My subconscious is particularly exasperated this morning. When was the last time he did anything on a whim? You don't think he's had this planned out from the get-go?

"And?" I ask resignedly.

He shrugs again. "And I found an apartment as well as a place for me to set up an office. I've wanted to expand to England for a few years anyway, so now's as good a time as any."

Somehow, I'm not surprised by this. In fact, my only surprise is that it's taken him this long to make a decision of this sort. I can't deny the thought that he'll be close by has its appeal. Teddy would see him much more often. I'd see him much more often, even if I haven't quite worked out whether this recent event with Lucy might be the last straw in our marriage. I have to decide whether the future of my and Christian's relationship will be anything other than amicable for our son's sake. At this point, I honestly don't know if I can go back to my life with him. I can't remember the last time we had a few months without some sort of drama and I'm tired of it. Drama is all part of having Christian in my life and there will always be something going on, but it will be my decision how much I have to actually deal with it.

"Ana?" he says hesitantly.

"Yes?" I respond.

He sighs heavily. "There's something you need to know," he says reluctantly. "And I want you to know it before you find out from somebody else. We've already discussed my tendencies to keep things from you until it's too late and I've promised to do whatever it takes to change—I have to start somewhere, right?"

I'm hanging on his every word, trepidation filling me at his words. Something I need to know. By the sound of it, it's something I won't react well to; the only time he uses that soft, patient tone is when he has bad news of some sort and wants to break it to me gently. "What happened?" I whisper.

"Taylor brought something to my attention this morning," he begins, reaching into his back pocket for a folded piece of paper. "He's currently investigating it more deeply and neither of us will rest until we find out exactly what's going on." Slowly, as though it's causing him pain to reveal this to me, he hands me the paper. "This is the sign out sheet from Teddy's school. The police had it in their possession, but didn't hand it over until Lucy was in custody. It's probably a good thing they did; that list would have thrown them off Lucy's trail, which is what I think she was hoping for."

I nod faintly as I unfold the paper and begin to scan the names until I reach the bottom line. Under the column for the student's name is Theodore Grey. Beside it is the time at which he was signed out, an hour before I was notified. That's another issue that needs addressing. The third line has a printed name, and I swear my heart stops beating when I read the name: Elena Lincoln. Beside it is a signature.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me," I say, staring at the paper.

"It's not Elena's handwriting," Christian interjects. "It's Lucy's. Obviously the protocol of requesting identification wasn't followed, or it would have raised several red flags. I don't know right now how Elena is involved with this, or if she's involved at all, but I promise you, I will find out."

"They know each other?" I have no idea why this is my first question, but that's what comes out.

Christian squirms in his seat. "Lucy is involved in several of the same social circles as Elena. And my mother, for that matter. And before you ask, yes, Elena knew about me and Lucy." Why am I not surprised... "I'm not proud of it, but I did confide in Elena."

I should be shouting at him again. I should be angry and hurt, and probably a million other emotions, but I'm not. I'm not sure if this is a good sign or not. Glancing at Christian, he seems a little disconcerted at my lack of response as well. "Have you spoken to her?" I ask evenly.

Christian's brow furrows at my question. "No," he says as though it should have been obvious. "I told you, Ana. I'm done with her. I'm letting Taylor and his team handle this. Believe me, baby, I want nothing more than to demand answers in person from both her and Lucy, but it's more important to me right now to regain your trust. I don't know how else to do that."

To say I'm shocked at his words would be the world biggest understatement. Only a year ago, if something like this had happened to us in Seattle, Christian wouldn't have hesitated to confront the people he suspected to be involved, whether I wanted him to or not. He wouldn't have rested until he got to the bottom of exactly what was going on. He would have left Teddy and me alone for hours at a time until he regained his control, but here he is, telling me flat out he's allowing someone else to take control of the situation because he needs to be with us. The gesture is a huge one for him. It's almost enough to melt my heart.

I drag my attention away from him when I hear Teddy leaving his bedroom for the bathroom. There's a sudden need for me to put distance between myself and my husband, so I stand, ignoring the surprised look on his face at my lack of response.

"I'm going to check on Teddy," I murmur as I pass him. "And I'm going to have a very long conversation with him about going places with strangers..."

A/N: Sorry about the delay in updates. Between a cold I can't shake, internet issues, and real life obligations, I just haven't had time. I'll try to update more often, but no guarantees. Thank you to everyone who has read and/or reviewed. More soon!