Chapter 16: Dead man Running

The look in Christian's eyes were evidence enough.

My pathetic self was willing to overlook the familiar brunette in our bedroom but could not ignore the face of guilt that he now wore. With my hands clasping our unborn children, protecting the sons he never wanted, I began to leave.

Unlike the first time, Christian remained rooted in his position. He stuffed his hands into those denim jeans and frowned at the spiral of the situation, as if there was nothing to be done to fix it.

I woke, slowly sitting up in my unusually large bed. In the darkness, I felt for Christian, my fingers splaying out and reaching through the ocean of pillows. They came back empty and immediately, my eyes opened in confusion. I squinted at the clock.

It was 3.40AM in the morning and yet, Christian was nowhere to be seen. I grumbled at the quietness in our bedroom and the coldness on his side of the bed. We had both gone to sleep at 7.30, my usual Christian prescribed bed time, but somewhere along the way he had gotten up. The chilly surface of a bed was testament.

Where was he?

Carefully, I swung my feet off the bed and draped the blanket around myself. The material was heavy, but smoother than silk. I went in search of my husband's arms, stumbling through the living room that was dimly lit. Passing through the kitchen, my stomach grumbled at the idea of food.

My inner goddess rolled her eyes at my perpetual hunger and I sighed, hating the next time I would have to get on a weighing scale.

The light from the office caught my attention and I redirected my course towards it. Christian sat at his desk, leaning back in his leather chair with his phone pressed against his ear. His eyebrows furrowed at whatever was being told to him but softened as he caught sight of me.

Careful not to make any noise, I climbed into lap and cuddled against his chest. The office was way too chilly for his little tshirt and I pulled the blanket around us both. Christian pressed his lips to the back of my head, his arm encircling me. "Welch, I will call you back."

"That wasn't necessary." I whispered into his chest, content to just have him close to me.

"It is to me, baby." Christian reassured me as his now free arm cradled my growing belly. "Anything keeping you awake?"

I pouted, "My husband's absence from bed."

Christian laughed a little, "I caught my usual seven hour sleep so I decided to finish up a little work."

I snuggled closer into him, turning a little whiny at having to share my Christian with the entire world. "Why does Welch keep bothering you? Doesn't he have a life?"

"Baby," Christian chuckled care-freely at my possessiveness. "I have a feeling his wife is asking him the exact same thing about me."

I sighed at the thought, "I can relate." Twisting so I could look at him, Christian changed the position of his arms to give my back maximum support."We both sleep better with our husbands in our bed."

Christian caught my pout with his fingers, brushing over them lightly. "I sleep my best with you in my bed, Mrs Grey."

His grey eyes were saturated with an intense contentment, drawing me in slowly as I pressed my lips to his beautiful pair. This was the warmth I had missed in bed, the feel of my husband's arms around me and his silk soft and warm lips against mine. Ruining our moment, my stomach began to grumble.

"Mrs Grey," Christian scolded as he pulled away, "It seems I have to raise the quantity of food to feed you at every meal." I smiled at him. He usually did that with me blindfolded. My stomach grumbled once more."Are you hungry, Mrs Grey?"

Teasingly, I let my fingers run down his chest as I bit my bottom lip. "Not for food, Mr Grey."

The playful side of Christian was surfacing and he stood with me in his arms. I whooped, locking my arms around his neck praying for actual sexual intercourse this time. Christian had often satisfied me and tired me out with everything sexual except the exact sex itself. But today, today, I will make sure that I get to enjoy his body.

I squealed as we made it out of the office. Surprisingly, Christian put me down on the cool marble of the kitchen table. I leaned back and thrust my chest out, "Are you taking me here, Mr Grey?"

With the smile that never failed to light my world, Christian shook his head. "No Mrs Grey, I'm feeding you."

I pouted and shook my head, wrapping my legs around Christian and drawing him into me. He placed both his palms on my thighs in restraint as he tried to resist my seduction attempt. "As much as I want you, Ana."

"Dr Greene cleared sex! You heard the woman." I hissed.

Christian pursed his lips then without another word, he gently dislodged himself from me and turned to the kitchen. " Mrs Jones made some carbonara earlier. How does that sound?"

Lately, my cravings have been showing and so have my repulse refluxes. Onion was huge on that list. "Any onion in it?"

Christian shook his head, "Not even a little, Gail stopped buying them." He turned with the bowl and lifted the metal foil, his face lighting up like a little boy's on Christimas, " There's little bits of bacon!"

I laughed and smiled at my adorable husband. "That'll do."

As if I was a rival company who just agreed to merge with his, Christian beamed at me and chucked the bowl into the microwave. He leaned back against the marble as the bowl turned in its heat, mimicking my primal desire for everything Christian.

I decided to launch a different strategy to get what I wanted. "How's the baby?"

His right eyebrow rose in question and curiosity, "Aren't you carrying our baby and don't we have two?"

I pursed my lips, "No, those are mine. Yours is sitting on your desk."

Christian's lips tweaked up at the corner, "It takes two to make a baby and in this case, we have two." He made his way slowly to my side, sneaking his arms around my waist to caress my belly. "Don't be jealous of my work, it helps alleviate the panic I experience from becoming a father."

"I really wish you spend more time with me." I murmured, my hands clasping around his. "I don't sleep well without you."

Christian tensed and instantly, I hated myself for letting my tone give so much away. Very carefully, he spun me around so I was facing him. I looked away like a toddler caught red handed. Gingerly, he lifted my chin so I would have no choice but to meet his gaze.

The grey in his eyes were burning with worry, "What is it?"

I did not want to get into this with him. Not here, not now, not ever. The last thing I wanted was for Christian to think I doubted him. I did not. These stupid dreams just kept coming back, as if warning me that I was about to lose him.

Christian pursed his lips, "Tell me."

I sighed, exasperated. "I had a bad dream." His eyebrows furrowed, as if not comprehending that I had bad dreams too. "They're not as bad as yours... I promise."

He relaxed visibly, "Is it about me?" I nodded. "What is it?"

Meekly, I looked away once again. "You're with your..." I sighed, not believing that he was making me say this. "Subs."

The change in the atmosphere was swift, his mood darkening instantly. "How long?" It was barely a whisper.

Thankfully, the microwave beeped to signify my food was done. "Oh! Food!" I cheered over enthusiastically, leaping off the marble top but into Christian's waiting embrace.

His lips moved to my ear, "How long?" He demanded, insistent.

"A few weeks." Before he could say anything, I turned around to hug him tight. "I'm sorry, Christian."

"It's not your fault." Christian whispered, nuzzling the top of my head.

We stayed there for a long while before I remembered the pasta that was probably turning cold already. "Food." I reminded him and he hesitantly pulled away to retrieve it.

"Christian, I wholly and completely trust you." I told him genuinely. He grabbed a set of cutlery and set the plate down on the counter. "Christian?"

"Eat please." Christian said with a soft smile, gesturing at the food.

Obediently, I climbed onto the chair with his help. "Christian?"

It was symptomatic of him as a sudden change of emotion took me by surprise. He now bore a look of... Animalistic... Desire. I gawked at him as he licked his lips. "Eat." He leaned casually against the counter with a sexy aura, "Then I'd like to take you to bed Mrs Grey."

I gasped. My inner goddess having been sedated for far too long stretched her arms and winked at me, preparing herself for the fullness I was about to experience once more.

"Can we skip this? I'm not hungry anymore."

Christian smirked, tilting his head back in this gloriously sexy matter as he shook his head, "Our babies, Mrs Grey, are priority."

I pouted at him.

Christian sighed with a soft smile as he reached for the bowl, leaning against the counter, he twirled a bunch of carbonara and offered it to me. "Eat, Mrs Grey, your reward will be duly given."

"Yes sir," I said, giving him a seductive wink.

I heard it just as he felt it. My ears were already in tune to the buzzing of Christian's otherwise silent phone. Accommodating, I reached for the bowl to feed myself, giving him space to pick up the call. "Welch may be in love you, by the way." I teased, digging into the bowl.

Christian sighed heavily, "I'd reject it but it's not Welch." Before I could ask, he tilted the screen and I was greeted with Elliot's smirk.

Why was my brother-in-law calling this early in the morning?

"Elliot." Christian hissed, his face fifty shades darker than grey. This had better not be a prank call or Elliot would be sure to get deeply punished for it. Christian's lips flattened as he listened to what his brother had to say.

It was a good two minutes before I heard the crackling of Elliot's voice stop. Christian raised his eyebrows, "Are you certain that it's not a prank? College kids pull this crap all the time."

Instantly, there was a bark and a high pitch squeal as I assumed Kate took over the phone. Something was very wrong and I quickly put my bowl aside. Noticing my reaction, Christian shook his head at me, beckoning me to finish my food. "No, her phone isn't on her and I wouldn't have appreciated you calling her this early either."

Kate had tried to call me? Something was very wrong. I was sure of it.

Immediately, Christian resumed his business-like approach, "Kate, rest assured that I'll do everything but meanwhile, I need you to remain calm and not give in to any threats. Keep me updated."

In the same second that he hung up, Christian dialed again before I could inquire what was happening. "Welch." He spat. "I need you to run a trace. Yes. Mr Elliot Grey is forwarding you the picture now." Christian squeezed his eyes shut and kept his phone, tucking it aside.

"Christian?" I could hear the panic in my voice.

His eyes flashed grey, a bright and annoyed grey.

"What is it?" I whispered, reaching for him and finding his shoulders tensed.

Turning, he took my hands in his gently, bringing them to his chest. "Ana, I need you to remain completely calm or I will sedate you."

At his words, my heart fluttered at a hummingbird's speed. But I nodded in agreement.

"Ana, Kavanagh is presumed to have been kidnapped." Christian said with the straightest face he possibly could, as if waiting for a response.

The pop of my mouth echoed through the quiet house and I could hear my own mind draw a blank. Kavanagh. Katherine Kavanagh.

NO YOU DUMBASS. My inner goddess snapped.

The only Kavanagh we had now was Ethan ever since Kate married Elliot. I grimaced as my head dived into a Sherlock Holmes style inquiration about who, why and when was Ethan kidnapped.

"Hey, hey." Christian cooed, his hands shifting to cradle my face as he tried to reach out to me. "I'll handle this, Ana. Trust me."

I did trust him. "Isn't Ethan in school?"

Christian nodded at me cautiously, surprised that I had yet to explode. "Kate just received an anonymous video of Ethan chained up to a pole in some dark place. I've just got Elliot to forward it to Welch."

Immediately, my mind sprung back to the time where I had to trace Jack's moves in order to figure out who wanted to harm Christian. This was not similar as the threat was directed to Kate, but then again, Kate was married to Elliot and Elliot was Christian's brother so we must be related somehow. The thought alone sent chills up my spine as I fought back the reality, my head still placing Ethan in his dorm studying.

"Hey, don't." Christian reached for me, encircling me into his warm arms as he kissed the top of my head. "I don't need you to worry about this. Firstly, it might be a lame college prank and even if it's not, we can meet the ransom. Secondly, Welch is on it and," He stepped back so he could look at me, "Welch always delivers."

There was truth in what Christian was saying. But even so, my heart was beginning to beat out of sync at the mere thought of Ethan in danger. "Kate… must have called… I better go… check…" My voice was weak, half lost in these dangerous conceits as I jerked my thumb towards the bedroom.

Christian's grip on me tightened and his gorgeous grey eyes smoldered, "Anastasia, I don't want you to panic over this. It may not even be a real threat."

"Can they reach Ethan?" I heard myself probe.

Christian sighed heavily, "Kate's been trying for the pass hour and when the call kept failing, Elliot suggested they bring my expertise in. He could've just fallen asleep after pulling the prank, I don't want you to think about this."

"How can I not?" My voice was barely heard as my mind began to drift to the last time I had seen Ethan. It had been ugly. I had beaten him up after Christian had been through with him. "We're more than friends." I said before I could reconsider my words.

I was annoyed at my lack of discernment as Christian's jaws clenched at my words, "I am aware of that fact."

"Ch-." I tried to clarify myself.

"No, it's alright. This is not the right time to be focusing on that. Come," He said with a welcoming smile, "I think you should have some rest."

"I don't even know how sleeping is a possibility right now." I hissed a little too coldly and wanted to hit myself when Christian pursed his lips in response. "I'm sorry."

"You're pregnant, my pregnant wife, and I'll appreciate if you come to bed with me and try to get some rest." Christian was brief and straightforward, his request came across like a command.

Knowing that it was too early in the morning and I was probably incoherent on many levels, I could not and would not fight my loving husband. Instead, I mustered my most angelic face and nodded at him, taking his hand in mine.

As Christian led me to the bedroom, I could not help but wonder about the state of my friendship with Ethan. After years of flying sky high, it had hit rock bottom and we had left it there since the day I confronted him. The idea of never being able to retrieve that friendship, to try to fix that, haunted me.

I had constantly told myself to stop thinking about Ethan and instead, focus on Christian. We had been newlyweds and I could not allow Ethan to occupy my thoughts. I had decided that Ethan would always be there and we could rebuild what was lost after my marriage with Christian stabilized. However, that decision was now turning into one I regret as I realized the possibility of never being able to fight for Ethan ever again.

In a heartbeat, Christian had swept me off my feet. Literally. I squealed at the unexpected gesture and quickly quiet down as he placed me back on my side of the bed. Kissing me on my forehead, he lifted the covers and tucked me in. "Are you not coming?"

"I thought you slept better with me in bed?" Christian smirked as he shimmied out of his pants. "Your request is my command, b-. Ugh." Christian grimaced as the buzzing sound made itself apparent.

Once again, Christian pulled it out his pants and pressed it against his ears. "Welch."

As Christian got briefed, I tried to get rid of the nerves by clearing Kate's panic attack from my handphone. Grabbing it off the bedside table, I unlocked it to find probably a million missed calls from Kate's phone, Kate's house phone and even Elliot's. Next, there was a whole row of threats from Kate to burn down my house if I did not pick up.

It put me on edge as I began to scan through them, her panic spreading through me from the words she had chosen to use. Kate genuinely believed that Ethan had been kidnapped.

Out of place, an MMS message on one of the iMessage conversations presented itself on my screen. It had been buried in between Kate's text messages. I squinted at the bubble, barely able to make it out. Finally, as I tapped it, my face paled.

I must have left my time stamp on because as I saw the picture of Ethan's beaten face holding today's newspaper, the unknown number began to type. I gawked as a some white dots appeared in a small blue bubble on the bottom left of the screen. Ethan had been kidnapped and the picture was evidence enough.

Right on cue, Christian put down the phone and sighed. "Ana, Ethan's been kidnapped."

My phone buzzed in my hand as the unknown number had finished sending the text.

"YES, MS STEELE, THIS HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH YOU."