When I open my eyes I'm looking up into Sawyer's face hovering over me. I'm lying down on the floor in the music room.
"What the fuck are you doing?" I growl at him.
"Sorry, sir," he replies, standing up. "You passed out and Taylor told me to come here with my kit. How are you feeling?"
"I'm feeling fine," I snap at him as I sit up. Sawyer was a medic in the service and he's our personal first responder if there's anything that might require medical attention. "Where's my wife?"
"Right here, Christian." Ana comes from behind Sawyer and sits down next to me, Teddy in her arms.
"What's going on?" I ask her.
"Teddy started crying, so I went to his room. I saw you were gone and was going to look for you after I took care of him. Then I heard you scream. I picked him up and came running here and saw you on the floor by the piano. I called Taylor and he called Sawyer. Christian, what happened?"
I look at the two men and tell them, "Thanks, guys. That'll be all."
"Sir, I'd really like to check you a little further," Sawyer insists.
"I told you, I'm fine," I snap again.
"Christian, let him check you. Just to make sure. For me, please?" Ana looks at me pleadingly.
I look at each of them and see the concern in their faces. Shit.
"Oh, all right," I concede, "Just make it quick."
"Yes, sir," Sawyer replies and proceeds to perform a cursory check of me that seems to satisfy him. "Thank you, sir. Everything seems to be okay." We both stand up and this time when I dismiss them, they leave.
"What happened?" Ana asks me again. Teddy's fallen asleep in her arms so I suggest that we put him back to bed and talk about it in our bedroom. She agrees and takes Teddy back to the nursery.
We're back in bed, me lying on my back with my hands behind my head, her on her side with her head propped up on her hand. I tell her the story from when I left our room, right up to my blacking out.
"What do you think's happening?" she asks quietly, a minute or two after I've finished speaking.
"Honestly? I think someone's fucking with my mind." I turn on my side and put my head in my hand so that our positions mirror each other. "And you know what? They're not fucking getting away with it. What do you think of spending the weekend at Escala? I'll ask my folks to take Teddy."
"Christian, I don't think running away is the answer."
"I'm not running away. While we're gone I'll have Taylor scour this place top to bottom to make sure there are no hidden doors or subterranean passages that we don't know about. Someone's getting into this place and playing tricks with lights or mirrors or speakers or something. That's got to be what's happening and I'm putting an end to it."
She looks at me somewhat dubiously and then she flips onto her back and puts her hands behind her head.
"What?" I ask, "You don't think that's a good plan? Or can't you get away this weekend?"
"No, it's not that. It'll be tough but I can shift a few things around if you want to leave this afternoon. It's just that, maybe this isn't about something physical. What if something's out there that's trying to communicate with you?"
"Oh, come on, Ana, this is like a bad episode of The X-Files! Don't go all Mulder on me."
"I'm not going Mulder on you, Christian, I just think you should keep an open mind."
"I am keeping an open mind. If it turns out there are no secret passages or hidden entrances in the house, then I must be hallucinating and you are free to commit me to the looney bin."
"No one's committing you anywhere, Christian." She sits up and looks down at me. "Look, I'll clear my schedule and try to leave the office early this afternoon. Check with your folks and see if we can drop off Teddy this evening and pick him up some time on Sunday."
"Will do, Mrs. Grey," I say as I sit up and embrace her. "Now how 'bout some plain vanilla before a weekend full of kinky fuckery?"
"Oh, Mr. Grey, you have such a way with words," she replies sultrily as I push her back down on the bed.
On the way to the office I give Taylor his instructions for checking out the house. I want to know if there's any possibility of someone being able to enter the place without using the normal entrances. He's to check for hidden doorways, passageways, even airducts. If he doesn't find anything with a visual inspection, he's to get the architectural plans from my brother and make sure everything matches with the house. He has the next two days to do this.
I also want him to check for the installation of any kind of projectors, speakers, or microphones that can be remotely controlled. It's not outside the realm of possibility that this is someone's sick idea of a joke. If I find out that that's the case, whoever is behind it will be in for a special kind of hell.
Late morning, I get a call from Ana telling me she can get away around three. I call mom to ask her about Teddy and she's all for it, even asking us to join them for dinner tonight. That'll be a nice start to the weekend we have planned.
The day flies by and pretty soon I'm back at the house; Ana's running a little late but that's okay, we have plenty of time. Gail and I start getting things ready; she and Sawyer are coming with us while Taylor stays here to supervise the house inspection.
Ana arrives and we wait for her to change and gather a few things, then we're on our way to Bellevue. Mom's already standing at the door when we drive up. She only has eyes for her grandson; we're just the delivery people. While I suppose most couples are comfortable leaving their babies with their parents, I'm especially grateful that my mom's a pediatrician. It gives both me and Ana extra peace of mind when we leave him with them.
Teddy's the star attraction at dinner. Mom never threw away any of our stuff so the high chair she used for all of us is going through its second generation; my son is sitting there like he's lord of the realm, with mom and Mia as his maidservants. Dad, Ana, and I are trying to carry on an adult conversation but it's pretty hopeless as long as Teddy's here.
After dinner we sit out on the patio, enjoying wine, conversation, and the beautiful weather. I debate telling my parents about the events back at the house but decide not to. They don't need the added stress or, worse, concern for my sanity. I've put them through enough.
Finally, we're ready to leave for Escala. I'm really getting pumped; Ana's been giving me signals all evening that she's ready for action. Sawyer drove Gail to the penthouse while we were having dinner so he's the only other person in the car besides us. We haven't even exited the driveway when Ana and I are all over each other like horny teenagers.
It's a fun ride across town. I'm the lucky recipient of a blow job, and while tit for tat didn't used to be my style, Ana's completely changed me and I bring her off several times with my expert oral skills. We manage to get ourselves somewhat presentable just as the Audi pulls into the Escala garage.
Once we're upstairs, I tell her to be in position in the playroom in ten minutes. When she goes off to get herself ready, the first thing I do is check the piano here. The keyboard cover is down and I breathe a small sigh of relief. I take it as a sign that I've finally gotten away from the all the drama at the house.
We haven't had a playroom session in a few weeks and I've been looking forward to this one ever since I jacked off last night, probably even before that. I hear the door open and close upstairs and I know that she's ready for me. Taking my time, I go to our bedroom to change into my playroom jeans. While I'm changing I plan our scene for this session. It's late so it won't be long but it'll certainly be good. Shackles. Yes, she'll definitely be shackled.
My eyes sense the morning light and open to the familiar sight of the Seattle skyline. Anastasia and I are entwined on top of the sheets, naked as newborns. I look down her body and notice the lingering pink on her ass. Oh, that looks so delicious! My dick thinks so, too, and he starts poking her smooth, taut abs. She's still sleeping so I reach down and nestle him between her legs. We're ready when she is!
And then it hits me – no piano notes! I look at the clock and it's almost five-thirty. Holy shit, I slept through the night! No voices, no dark-haired ghosts, nothing! This convinces me more than ever that there's some trickery going on at the house. I'll call Taylor for a report later this afternoon to see if he's found anything.
Ana starts stirring and I get in her face so when she opens her eyes, I'm the first thing she sees.
"Good morning, beautiful wife," I murmur.
"Good morning, handsome husband," she whispers back.
She disentangles herself and takes a good long stretch on the bed. Seeing her arms extended like that, I seize the moment to grab them, bring them together, then quickly get a pair of handcuffs from the nightstand drawer and cuff her.
"What are you going to do now, Mrs. Grey?" I ask as I sit up and admire her naked body.
"Oh, Mr. Grey, haven't you learned by now that I accept any challenge you make?" she says as she quickly sits up and lowers her arms around me so I'm encircled. Then I'm totally shocked when she actually rolls me over so she's on top.
"Now what are you going to do, Mr. Grey?" she smirks.
"Oh, Mrs. Grey, I guess you haven't learned either," and I roll over so she's on the bottom. I reach down and check; yep, she's soaking wet and my heat-seeking missile finds its target. Ahh, yes, morning sex with my wife. Mmmmm, so good.
Later at breakfast we plan our day. We'll do a couple hours of office work, just to make sure no crises are on the horizon, then we'll walk down to the Pike Market district and play tourist. After lunch we'll come back here and I'll check on Taylor's progress at the house. Then maybe we'll get down to some seriously kinky fuckery.
I'm feeling relaxed like I haven't felt in several weeks. Between our playroom session last night and the great morning with my wife, my life seems like it's getting under control again. I talked to Taylor and he hasn't found anything amiss at the house but he's not finished with his investigation. He's got the blueprints for the house and Ryan is helping him so he hopes to finish by early tomorrow afternoon. He's also gone over the security tapes for the last forty-eight hours and has seen nothing unusual.
In spite of his findings, I'm feeling optimistic. If there really is nothing defective at the house, it's more indication that something unhealthy is going on with my mental state. And the fact that I slept through the night here is even more supportive of that idea.
Saturday morning I again wake with the daylight. Another night of uninterrupted sleep! This weekend getaway keeps getting better and better. Yesterday afternoon we had an absolutely awesome session in the playroom, then we took a short nap on the big bed. After that, we decided to actually have a date night, so we walked to a sushi place, then to a movie theater where we saw Man of Steel. I love that our penthouse is right in the middle of so many things to do.
Looking out the window, I see it's good weather for taking out the Grace. I shake Ana awake and tell her to get dressed while I go rustle up some breakfast. Gail's already in the kitchen when I get there so I tell her some pancakes and sausage will be fine.
Out on the water, life is truly beautiful. Ana's learned her sailing lessons well so we really don't need Mac but he's along just in case any bad weather comes up. Also, he keeps an eye on things when my wife and I are otherwise occupied. I head down the Sound and pretty soon we're sailing along the coast near our house. We're close enough that I can barely see the building beyond the edge of the cliff. I'm blinking in the sea spray and then I see her. She's standing on the edge, her long dark hair hanging down, but I can't make out the features of her face.
"ANA!" I shout at the top of my lungs; she's below and I want her up here as quickly as possible. "ANA, GET UP HERE!"
She comes running up and I point to the cliff, "Do you see…." but when I turn to where I'm pointing the woman is gone. Shit! I take out my iPhone immediately and call Taylor.
"What is it?" Ana asks.
"Just keep an eye on the cliff by our house and let me know if you see anyone," I order her. She gives me a funny look but does what I tell her. Taylor answers my call and I order him to search the grounds by the cliff and call me back.
"Did you see anyone?" I ask Ana.
"No," she answers, "who was I supposed to see?"
"A woman with long, dark hair."
"Are you serious?"
"Dead serious." My phone rings and I answer immediately. Unfortunately, after listening to Taylor's report, I have to conclude that I must have been seeing things. Maybe I'm not as relaxed as I thought.
"What's going on, Christian?"
"Taylor didn't find anyone."
"That doesn't mean no one's there. It's a big estate; she could be hiding anywhere."
I take a few deep breaths and stare up at the cliff. "You're right. She could be. Or I could have imagined it."
"I don't think so, Christian. I'm sure you saw someone. And we'll get to the bottom of this when we get back to the house. For now, let's enjoy our sail." She takes my hand and I look down at her; my beautiful wife, she believes me.
"You're right. Shall I call Mac to take the helm while you and I go below?" I say with a wink.
"Excellent idea, Captain," she winks back.
Back at the penthouse I get a detailed report from Taylor. There are no secret passageways or hidden chambers. He didn't find any hidden speakers or projectors or anything like that. But he did come up with something interesting and I'm looking forward to Ana's reaction when I tell her about it.
We decide to spend the evening at home. Gail's made a pork roast for dinner and while Ana and I eat, I tell her about Taylor's findings.
After going over the blueprints and checking them against the building, he decided to do some research on the history of the house. The previous two families who lived there only stayed for about five years each. I remember meeting the people we bought the house from briefly during negotiations and thought they were letting it go so cheaply because of the economy, maybe because of job loss and inability to afford the payments.
But the prior owners had also sold rather cheaply and this was before the economy tanked. Taylor was able to talk with the wife on the phone and she told him the house gave her the willies. He made it very clear that those were her exact words. She didn't really want to say any more about it.
Monday, he's going to follow up with guy I bought the house from and see if he can find out the reason he sold. He also asked if it was okay for Ryan to spend the night in one of the guest rooms at the house, to see if he hears or sees anything. I gave him my approval.
"So he thinks the house is haunted," Ana states after listening to all that.
"He didn't say that," I correct her, "He only reported what a previous owner said."
"Well, I think it's a distinct possibility."
"There you go again, going all Mulder on me."
"I'm not going Mulder on you, Christian, I'm just willing to entertain the possibility that there may be more to this than meets the eye."
"And I'll agree with you on that, I just don't think that that 'more' is anything from the outer limits. I'm a rationalist; you know that."
"Yes, I do know that. I'm just saying, keep an open mind, that's all."
"Oh, I always have an open mind, Mrs. Grey," I say as I pull her towards me. "And right now I'd like an open wife," I murmur into her neck. "What do you say we go try to make a baby?"
"Christian, we've been fucking like rabbits; don't you think we've made one already?"
"No harm in making sure, Mrs. Grey." She giggles as I pick her up and carry her to our bedroom.
Sunday makes the third morning in a row that I don't get the two-thirty wakeup call. Three nights of uninterrupted sleep. I'd gotten so used to nightmare-free, full-night sleeping since being with Anastasia that I didn't realize how much it bothered me to have my sleep disrupted again.
After breakfast we have a final session in the playroom before getting ready to pick up Teddy and have lunch with my folks. They're happy to see us; as much as they love their grandson, I'm sure their energy levels need replenishment after almost three days with him.
Back at the house, Taylor greets us at the door. While Gail and Ana get everything settled, he gives me an update on the house. Ryan actually slept in the music room last night; he heard and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Taylor also searched the grounds again, looking for anyone hiding but found no one. I thank Taylor for his and Ryan's efforts.
At dinner, I give Anastasia the updates. After discussing it, we both come to the conclusion that it must be stress. Except for the brief delusion I had while we were sailing, I didn't see or hear anything the whole time we were at Escala. Our current plan is that if the hallucination returns, I'll just play along with it. I'll take notes and discuss it with Flynn in my next session.
After dinner we sit on the patio for a while, drinking wine and enjoying the evening. Before bed we do a final check of emails, making sure we're not blindsided on Monday morning by any unexpected developments in our respective companies.
And it's my lucky night! We play one last game of hide the sausage before drifting off into what I hope will be dreamless, uninterrupted sleep. Yes, dreamless and uninterrupted, damn it.