AN: Yes, I will speed up Christian and Ana's meeting. Yes, there will be answers coming as to what happened to Ray and it does come into play in C&A's relationship. Also a reminder: Alex, Jen, Blackwell, Lisa, and Tank are from Annihilate Me/Unleash Me, Karla, Adam, Cassie, Angie, Marc(o) , Luke, Damien, Savi, and Mari are from the Rescue Me Saga, and Manni, Nula, and Christopher are mine. Ana is writing a story that is a mixture of what happened with Christian and what she wishes she had done differently. She has changed their names- hence Tristian (Christian) and Kayla (Kate) and others to come. Christian and Ana meet in 2003/2004, ages are posted in chapter 2 and I do have a pinterest page for this story (link is on my author page). I think that covers most of the questions I have gotten.
I thank you for your comments and questions because it does make me think of different things I can try, that being said, just because you think "it's dragging" doesn't mean that I will automatically change things. In this case, it did work for the story because the one or two scenes I had planned could just become references or flashbacks. I try to develop motives and reasons for my characters to be doing things, not have readers guess at them or assume due to cannon, whether author or fanfic created. I need to play that out because this is not just a clear cut story, there are layers to what happened and there our twists that will occur. I like to foreshadow things if possible, without coming right out and say what will later happen when possible. That being said, I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 8

It had been a week since Ana had moved to Colorado and she was happy to be getting accustomed to her new home and surroundings. She supposed that she was happy here, but it had been a long time since she had the freedom to do what she wanted and she wasn't sure if what she was feeling was happiness. It was something she'd have to talk over with the therapist that Savi had helped her to find.

In the meantime, she had work: PR for Angie's catering business, Marco's outdoor/adventure business, and even the club. She was also helping Angie put together a cookbook, Karla a poetry book, and editing a paper for publication for Savi. Plus there was the work she was doing for Nikki Fairchild and she was waiting to hear from the school board near her cottage if she'd be hired as a substitute teacher. In all it wasn't too bad. She had money saved from working for Kavanagh and income from the rental of Ray's house. It would be enough to get her by for a while, and she knew that if she wanted it she could also get a job editing for Wenn from the comfort of where ever she called home. But all of that was too much for her to think about at the moment.
It was little steps - little victories- that she had to concentrate on.
It was having a car and being able to drive the almost hour to the club and back, although she was going to stay in the living quarters there with Grant this time.
It was not being afraid to try to be herself with this new group of people and to learn from them.
It was being able to apologize to and, in turn, accept one from Cassie for what had transpired between them in aspen.
It was being able to handle the logistics of Ray's transfer to a long term care physicality here.
It was getting on a schedule and sticking to it.

In all it had been a week of small victories, but there was a major challenge she had to tackle at some point in the near future.
A challenged name Christian Grey…

Christian hit his head against the seat back, his frustration taking over the cabin of the airplane. "This has been a clusterfuck!" he finally spit out.

Taylor looked at him sidelong as he split his attention from the security report he was reviewing. "OK, Captain Obvious, you want to elaborate?"

"You're not funny, Taylor. Nothing about this whole damned week has been funny!"

"Oh, I don't know. I happen to think that Ms. Kavanagh throwing herself at you qualifies as hilarious." Taylor said dryly as he turned the page of the report.

"If you were in my shoes I don't think you'd be saying the same thing."

"Welch is still tracking the cell phone, and I'm waiting for Ray's doctor to call me back. He was out of town when he was transferred…" Taylor said, deciding it was best to get off the topic of, as he had dubbed her, Troll Bitch Jr.

"Do you think it was just a coincidence?" Christian wondered.

Taylor sighed: "I think something finally made Ms. Steele realize that she needed to kick Kavanagh out of her life. I think that she had help from Cross, and probably Wenn too."

"And their fiancés."

"Yes," Taylor agreed.

"I wish one or both of them would just tell me what I want to know!" Christian said punching the arm of his seat. Then at the look on Taylor's face bit out a "what?"

"Considering how overprotective you have always been of her, isn't it better that they aren't giving you the information easily? That they are protecting her?"

"Not if they think they need to protect her from me," Christian grumbled.

"No offense, Boss, but both of them know you. They know your reputation and how you run things. At least one of them saw you with Nula and no one since."

"Can we not go there?"

"We're going to have to sooner or later. Her divorce is final this week. That means that Manni and Mia are going to team up to try to get the two of you back together again."

"So not going to happen."

"So you say."

"Meaning?"

"If things don't work out with Ms. Steele, what do you plan to do? I somehow think a vow of celibacy is out of the question."

Christian flipped Taylor the bird as his phone rang and he pulled it to his ear with a terse "what?" a smile flittered across his lips as he looked over at Taylor: "he has a fix on her location. It shouldn't take us too long to reach her from the airport. Welch said it's some sort of club, he's going to send you the details when he pulls its records."

Taylor nodded: "and your plan of action is what?"

"Not let her get away," Christian told him. "She's not going to avoid me this time.
Ana is going to talk to me and we're going to figure out what the hell we both want, and if it's the same thing, I'm not letting her go again."

"And if it isn't?"

"Something tells me that won't be the case…"

Cocky bastard. Taylor thought as he shook his head and turned his attention back to the report he was reviewing. It was going to be a long night…

Samantha "Manni" Grey smiled as she opened the door of her home and let her best friend and business partner enter. "Well, it's done. The jackass and I are officially divorced," Nula said as she dropped her briefcase by the door.

"And you feel how about that?" Manni wondered.

"How should I feel?" Nula wondered. "It's not like we filed the papers yesterday and got it done today. It's been almost three years."

"So… are you planning to start dating anytime soon?" Manni wondered as they entered the sunken living room.

"Oh hell no! Manni we are not going there! I thought you were passed the whole: Finola and Christian need to be together phase!" she shot back as she collapsed onto a couch.

"I just think you two…"

"It was eight years ago!"

"So you're still counting?" Manni smirked.

Throwing a pillow at her, Nula sighed: "we went out eight years ago, broke up seven. I met the jackass a couple of weeks later. Whirlwind occurred, we eloped and I have looked back way too many times since," she listed and then quickly added: "and no. I don't look back at Christian. I look back and I wonder why the hell I married the idiot!"

"He's changed. You've changed…"

"And he's still hooked up on a memory!"

"Oh pish…"

"Pish? Did you really say pish?"

"Grace has us working on our language with Mia's baby coming."

"She's had you guys working on your language since before Christopher was born. Where is my godson by the way?"

Manni shrugged from her seat across form Nula: "he's with Elliot. He wanted to practice baseball and since I'm just a girl and all…"

"Right!" Nula said with a roll of her eyes. "So are we going to sit here and gossip or are we working on the details for Coping Together?"

"And if I say gossip?"

"Topic turns to you…"

"So what have the vendors said?" Manni asked earning a haughty laugh from her best friend…

Ana frowned as she took in her appearance in the mirror. The all black outfit wasn't exactly something she'd normally wear. The shorts were too short and she had the blouse opened so far down that she felt like she was showing too much cleavage. "You look hot," Karla said as she stood in the doorway of her old bedroom in the living quarters above the 'Masters at Arms BDSM Club.'

"I don't feel it. I feel naked," Ana sighed as she put on mascara.

"You wouldn't wear that on a date?" Karla wondered.

Ana shrugged uncomfortably: "depends on who with and where we were going."

"So the one you 'pushed away?'"

Ana looked back at Karla as she recapped the mascara: "wouldn't let me out of the bedroom, never mind the house, dressed like this."

Karla smiled at that: "that's a Dom for you."

"Karla…"

"Sorry. I know we're not supposed to discuss him."

"I just can't," Ana replied as she adverted her gaze and fiddled with getting the makeup back into the makeup bag.

"Are you sure you don't mind helping out? I mean you were only supposed to watch the twins and Mari and now…"

"Now I'm helping Grant with inventory. How much more trouble can that cost?" she wondered as she met Karla's gaze in the mirror.

Karla smirked: "around here you never know. Oh, and don't forget to wear your collar."

Ana held up the black leather collar embellished with a blank dog tag, a sign to members that she was under the protection of the owners of the club. "Do you think I'm really going to need it? I'm just helping to take inventory and stock the bar."

"You might. Adam said they got a call from some hotshot CEO's security people to set up a meeting for membership. It would be better if he knew that you were off limits. Besides the guys will feel better if you do. You're going to be cutting it close to opening and if someone comes in…"

"Right. Wouldn't want them to think I was on the market," Ana smiled as she handed Karla the collar: "Help me with it?"

"Sure…" Karla said, and then added as she clasped it: "the guys are overprotective. You probably won't even need it. Once you're done you can drive to the house and relieve Marc and Angie. They would've come straight here but Damien and Savi have a scene planned and Luke's dungeon master tonight. I'm not sure if Cassie's coming in. If she does she'll be up here…"

"It's fine Karla. Not like I haven't done stock before," Ana said as she pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. "I still don't think I look hot!" she complained causing Karla to laugh.

He stood in the shadows watching the club as he stomped out his cigarette. She was in there. His information was solid this time. She was there and he could get her with little trouble. He had kept eyes on her friends. They had considered him a threat not knowing who he was really after.
He had made mistakes in the past, but this time he would get her and own her…