Author's note to address some concerns voiced in reviews: There will be a HEA for Ana and Christian, but there are going to be things to deal with, especially their insecurities. The issues that come up will be played out with input from the other characters, esp the Rescue Me crew (due to Marco's back story and sims. with Christian) Since there are concerns due to the new characters, I will be using them less than I originally had planned, but will still be using them as catalysts of changing directions, misunderstandings (C&A jumping to conclusions about the other), communication, and facing up to things they haven't wanted ( as well as Gideon being protective of Ana, causing at least one of the above because he thinks that Christian should "work for it" in terms of getting her back) but these are all so that they can get to that HEA.
Also there will be one character that I've created- Samantha "Manni" Grey.
And yes, ten years is a long time. They have been apart for that long, but I never said that they weren't in communication (the how and why have to do with those payments Gideon is looking into.)

As to when the "break" happened in relation to the trilogy, I will say that the difference occurred at the point of the belt incident. Christian didn't let Ana run out without "aftercare," instead, he "forced" her to stay (by that I mean talked her into staying/wouldn't let her go in the state she was in) during aftercare they talked; he admitted he was wrong for doing the spanking in his mindset and she admitted she forgot to safe word (basically the discussion from after the gallery opening without the five day span in between).

Reminder: Story name will be changing to Laters, Baby: A Love Deferred.

Chapter 3

"Oh. My. G-d! Kayla was right! You are trying to take over my life," I gasped as I pulled my hand away from his and shot to my feet.

"No, that's not…" he exhaled in frustration. "I just want you to know that you have options.
You don't have to leave town or…"

"Or you? That's what this is really about, right?

"I was going to say your job.
But yes, I'd prefer if you don't leave me either."

I shake my head: "did you really buy the publishing house," I asked, watching as a curse passes his lips. "I should've known!"

"I was in the process of buying it before I met you. You can ask Renee if you don't believe me."

"Then why ask me where I was applying?" I demanded, feeling like the walls were closing in on me at the same time that my world was crumpling beneath my feet.

"Maybe I didn't want you to work for a failing co.?" he challenged, his only outward sign of any emotion was the way his hands pulled at his hair while one knee jingled up and down.

"It was my decision to make, Tristian."

"That's my point, Baby. They ALL are," he said in a deceptively soft voice as his eyes shot up to meet mine.

I can only shake my head in disappointment as I wonder why she had to be right as I forced myself to look away from his compelling eyes. "Then why can't you understand that I need to do this. Explore what else life might hold for me?"

"I thought you were happy," he exhaled like a petulant child.

"I was… I am… I just- Tristian, look at my role model. Mom's on husband number four and who knows how long it will actually last!" I tried to explain as I swiped at tears haphazardly and sat back down next to him: "I just… she lost my biological father so young… she never got to be a young woman who stood on her own two feet," I continue as I reach out to him, both physically and emotionally. "Sometimes I think she resents me for that."

"Are you saying you think if you don't go you'll end up resenting me and whatever we do and can share?" he asks in disbelief.

"What I'm saying is I don't know! I do know that I never want to- or for you to be a regret."

I watch as he shies away from me both physically and emotionally and shutters fall over his eyes. "The saddest words of tongue or pen…"
"Are what might have been," I finish automatically.

He only swallows and gets to his feet. "Either way there will be regrets."

"I… I have to do this. Please understand."

"I suppose I do," he sighs as he looks anywhere but at me as his hands pull at his hair: "I just need you to understand something as well: as much as I love you, I can't make promises."

"What does that mean?"

"I honestly don't know what you want me to say.
This isn't an ultimatum, just me trying to be honest- when you're ready to come back I might not be waiting here for you!"

"LISA! What the hell!," Ana exclaimed as she came into the open concept living area from the bedrooms to catch the younger blond reading the story that had been saved as a word document and up on the laptop while it hibernated.

"I'm sorry, I was just gonna check my e-mail," Lisa admitted sheepishly.

"And you, what? Just started reading? Damnit, Lisa, you of all people know about reading someone's unfinished work," And complained as she pushed the petite blonde out of the way and made sure that the document was saved and then closed out of the program before powering down.

"But, Ana, it's good. Like fantastically good- and this is from a girl who does zombies and not romance!"

"First of all, you don't 'do zombies.' You right about human emotions- emotions that just happen to belong to Zombies," Ana said shaking her head at her oft repeated refrain, before becoming cross again: "As for this story, all it is, at the moment, is a very rough first draft that I'm not sure I'm going to do anything with," she all but spit out as she stalked into the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, well aware of the fact, internally, that she wouldn't be so upset if it had been any other chapter that her friend had stumbled across.

"But you have to… there's all that emotion… and the voice…" Lisa protested.

"I have a MA in Literature too, Lisa. I know about all of those things! I was en editor- and not just any editor. I was the one who edited your work before you self-published! Before even Jen read it!"

"Why are you so angry, Ana? It's just a story- a well written one, yeah, but…" Lisa prattled on and realization dawned. "Oh my G-d! That wasn't all fantasy. That's about…"

"Drop it! I don't want to talk about some story I may or may not continue," she huffed as she slammed the filled kettle onto the stove.

"Ok. Ok, I'll back off. I really didn't mean…" she apologized as she watched Ana move around the kitchen and took down two mugs for them.

Sighing Ana hung her head, ashamed at her overreaction: "I now you didn't. It's just that after being friends with Kate for so long I forget what it's like to have someone who is on your side and not out for some unknown agenda."

"Why the hell did you stay friends with her so long?" Lisa wondered. "I never understood that."

Placing teabags into them, Ana sighed: "I would've walked away years ago, but I thought that I had to stay. That she was the only reason that I had my job and my apartment. And I honestly still would've walked, even knowing that I wouldn't have gotten a good recommendation because my supervisor just saw as the boss's daughter's pet project but I also let her convince me that she was the one covering Ray's bill when I should've known better," she explained, only letting a few insecurities bled through a thick veil.

"But I thought…" Lisa started as Jennifer came into the room, a bemused expression on her face. "There's been a change of plans. Alex is moving negotiations to NY," she explained.

"Oh?" Ana asked with a Mona Lisa style smile on her face as Lisa squealed with delight: "I thought he and Tank were going to be gone for at least the rest of the week!"

Jen smiled at her: "well, they're not. Apparently, the guy we're negotiating with likes his privacy, so having to negotiate in his home for security reasons isn't making him happy, and since he has some other items he can take care of here, they're coming back to finish negotiating," she shrugged as she shifted her stance: "but that's not the only change in plans. Ana, we're having you fly out today, ok?"

"I… I um… I told Marc and Angie that I wasn't coming till next week and I'm taking over the lease on their place."

"Wenn has apartments in the area that you can use temporarily," Jen reassured.

"Of course it does!" Lisa laughed with a good natured roll of her eyes, as Ana looked at the two women pondering what to do. Think, Ana, it might not even be him. Do you really want to give Kate more time to track you down and cause trouble? Exhaling, she shook her head: "All right, let's see what we can do to make this work. I mean, I also need to figure out the driving situation- I haven't driven regularly in almost 10 years, even if I do still have a valid license. I had planned on taking lessons when I got out there…" she admitted while she was trying to convince herself that it wasn't him who would be coming to town. It wasn't like he was the only business man in Seattle that Wenn could be doing business with…

"Call and see what arrangements need to be made on our end," Jenn pushed gently as she pulled out her phone to make a couple of calls.

"OK," Ana replied as she headed to the bedroom she was using, her shoulders dropping slightly as she sat on the bed. Wrapping her arms around her stomach, she reminded herself that once she was in Co. and away from sabotage she'd get in touch with him and apologize. She'd ask him if maybe it wasn't too late. After all, neither of them her exactly waited for the other- but maybe—just maybe, if she was lucky they'd be able to try again.
If not… well, she'd live with her regrets. It wasn't like she had a choice but to do so, anyway. In the meantime, she'd continue to pen their happily ever after.
At least with that, she'd have control to do one of the things she had said she wanted to ten years ago: she'd be learning to stand on her own two feet…