Chapter 9

A/N: I think shorter chapter is the way I am going for a while. I hope they are working for you guys.

To the guest reviewers thank you so much, sign in and we can have a real conversation. Some of you leave the best reviews.

To Gloria79 (guest) stop hacking my computer, and reading over my shoulder, or keeping hacking and reading, just stop blabbing in your review, you'll see what I mean. Sign in I would love to talk to you. :)

Luvfiftyshades, skinsavant, & Frenchstyle you crack me up.

Vee I saw your review and I understand.

Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes for my parents. I'd like to report my mom is doing much better, my dad is a crusty old goat (love you daddy) but he's doing much better also, just with a lot more pulling and tugging. My sister and I are still feuding.

I have to clear something up…Paige has not touched Christian's chest in my story, he's always bound her hands, even during vanilla. When I said she was rubbing him in Chapter 1…I meant his dick, my bad, sorry about that, I will go in and clear that up at some point.

Narration: Ana's had a productive, but long day, and deserves a respite. Fun, food, family, and friends are the order for the evening.

~oo0oo~

Meanwhile at Kate and Elliot's

Ana

"Ugh," I sigh loudly. "What were we thinking taking a 2yr old and an infant out to run endless errands?" I say to the empty kitchen.

"Elliot!" I bellow as I hoist my bag laden arm to the counter and drop the bags dramatically.

"I sure hope no eggs where in any of those bags." Mr. Laidback saunters into the kitchen beer in hand.

"Would you put that down," I chide him playfully, "and go grab some bags."

"That's why I have Kate, Gail, you, and Sawyer, so I don't have to carry groceries." Taylor walks up behind him and smacks him on the back of the head NCIS style.

"Grab a bag, you lazy bum."

I stand there mouth agape. Off duty Taylor is another person altogether. He smirks as he passes me wiggling his eyebrows.

Good natured Elliot rolls with, "oh yeah, and Taylor here." He hitches his left thumb in Taylor's direction and winks at me. I just shake my head. I'm in the twilight zone.

"It's about time you brought my wife back." Taylor says trying to sound annoyed, but can't quite pull it off.

"We didn't expect to be gone quite so long." Gail stage whispers over a sleeping Ava; Kate is right behind her holding a grumpy Teddy.

"Good Lord, did you guys buy out the entire grocery store," now he does sound annoyed.

"What's the count up to El?"

"27, and I'm sure we'll have some drop ins."

"Oh God, we'll be up all night," I groan. "Gail, I can put Teddy to bed if you want to start down here, or vice versa, doesn't matter to me."

"No, I've got him Ana, why don't you sit down for a few minutes."

"I think I'll get the pasta pots started, and get the vegetables chopped. Don't worry about giving him a bath tonight, just wipe his face and hands, and get him into his jammies."

"Jammies? He's a boy for the love of God Ana." Elliot sets down his load of bags.

"What does his being a boy have to do with it?" I change my mind about knowing the answer to that and throw up my hands to stop the ridiculous explanation he's about to offer. "Whatever," I turn back to Gail and say, "his pajamas, thank you Gail." And give him my most dramatic eye roll with no fear or threat of a spanking for being rude. Suddenly my mood shifts. Everyone notices, as the room goes quiet for a fraction of a second too long, but shifts back to jovial just as quickly.

As Kate and Gail head off to deal with the kids, I turn and sigh at the amount of work needed to organize this mountain of food.

"Ok boys let's get to work." Three grown men stare at me frozen like deer caught in the headlights.

"What?"

"What do you expect us to do in here." Sawyer bravely speaks up.

"You want to eat tomorrow, you help tonight." I assert in my most authoritative voice and hand him an apron.

"Uh, I…I'm not putting that on."

"You don't have to put it around your neck, just fold it over and tie it around your waist, ya big wuss." I catch him sneaking a look over at Elliot and Taylor. "Don't worry Luke, they're both getting one also." He actually sags with relief.

"I swear you all are a bunch of cavemen." I say passing out aprons.

"I don't care if my clothes get messy, my clothes get messy everyday." Elliot pipes in.

"It's to protect the food from you, not the other way around. Now wrap it around your waist." I have to stifle a giggle at the three of them tying fruit themed aprons around their waists.

"Now El, can you get me your biggest pots, stock pots, dutch ovens, large sauce pans, that kind of thing. Sawyer you're on lemon cutting duty, so get a large cutting board, and Taylor you're with me getting everything put away." I feel like a General directing her troops. Kate was right, I've been so busy this evening I haven't given Christian any real thought. It's been easy to push him to the back of my mind.

Twenty minutes later Kate comes down and begins to help with prep, and I'm shocked. Kate in the kitchen is usually a recipe for disaster.

"Gail will be down in a minute, Ted was a little extra fussy and I guess fighting sleep."

"Oh, well I should get up there and relieve her."

"No, need, he's out like a light." Gail says as she steps in the kitchen sitting the baby monitor on corner of the counter.

"You guys look positively fetching," she says in her fakest sincere voice.

Hiding my amusement I ask Elliot if the water is boiling yet. Everyone turns to look at Elliot. He's got the goofiest look on his face.

"What!? You didn't say you wanted water in them."

"Yeah, cuz she wanted you to stand there and bang them together like a monkey."

"Shut up Lukey Lemons, just stand there and cut your fruit."

"Ok, ok, you are right Elliot," I jump in to separate the two grown 10yr olds boys, "I did not tell you to put water in them. I am sorry my instructions were not complete."

"Ana I'll start the pots, Elliot if you could would you take the liquor and put it wherever you guys store your booze." I mouth 'thank you' to Gail.

She walks over to the professional grade six burner stove with the 12,000 btu grill and the pot filler in the middle of the designer back splash. She's shaking her head and I know she's thinking what I am thinking. The two of them together can barely make toast, and if truth be told Elliot is a slightly better cook than Kate, and he can barely boil water. What do they need with this over-the-top, show stove that they probably have used twice, and that's counting this time.

As I look around the kitchen everyone is busy with one task or another, I feel good, laughing and working with family and friends, happy banter going back and forth, so very normal. And I know that if Christian were here Taylor and Sawyer would definitely not be so relaxed or casual, and I enjoy seeing them this way. And oddly enough I rather prefer that he is not here. I simply refuse to think about where he might be or who he might be doing. With a quick shake of my head I banish the thoughts from my mind.

"Kate, your phone is buzzing." I inform her.

"Shit, Ana you've got dog ears, I can't hear it." She jumps up from the counter. "Where's my purse?"

"I beg your pardon, I've got mommy ears, thank you," I retort affronted. "Luke, how are those lemons coming?"

"They're coming." He sulks.

A few minutes later Kate rushes back in like she's late to a fire.

"I've got to run out, work related." She goes over to Elliot and says something in private and gives him a soft smooch on the lips.

"Kate it's going on 11 o'clock, where are you going?" I demand.

"The news doesn't punch a clock Sweetie. I shouldn't be too long," And out the door she flies.

I catch Taylor and Sawyer surreptitiously passing each other a silent message.

"Does that happen often Elliot?" Taylor wants to know, way too cool, way too disinterested to really be disinterested.

"No, not often, but it has happened before." We let that hang in the air.

"Ok," I clap my hands together and rub them eagarly. "Let's get started on peeling 10lbs of potatoes." The guys actually groan. Gail and I smirk.

~o0o~

Kate

Shit, shit, shit….this is too juicy, too salacious, no reporter worth their weight, trying to make a name for themselves, would pass this up. Good God my phone is blowing up. I pull my Mercedes into a gas station. I need to check these messages before I get to my destination.

"More pictures." I mumble quietly to myself. "Damn was everyone at SkyCity tonight? The mogul is one stupid fucker. He deserves to get his ass kicked, literally and in the media. That's him, there's no denying that."

Since I know where Ana's been all evening, I know that whoever the bitch in this picture is, she sure as shit ain't Ana. Fucking prick, I could castrate the bastard. I just might. Let me get over to the newsroom so we can hash this out. If this hits the web it will devastate Ana.

~o0o~

Taylor

The hairs on the back of my neck are at attention. Why do I feel like Kate's running out of here like her hair is on fire has something to do with the boss? Obviously Luke feels the same way, I caught his message loud and clear. We need to be prepared for the fallout.

"Ana," I say quietly. I guess the tone of my voice, the low timbre fills her with foreboding, because the look in her eye is fearful and wary. She doesn't say anything but I have her full attention.

"I want to take this opportunity, with your family and friends present to say I am sorry, and deeply ashamed that I didn't tell you what was going on." I try to hold her gaze, but she drops her eyes and starts to shake her head from side to side. Closing her eyes she takes a deep breath. I think she's trying to marshall her emotions, so I wait. We all just watch her for a long moment. When she opens her eyes there are a myriad of emotions vying for supremacy, disappointment wins.

"Jason, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't angry with you, but most of all I am disappointed, hurt even, by all three of you. I know that there is a professional relationship that needs to be considered, but past that I thought you all cared for me as a friend as well." I see in my peripheral vision that Gail and Sawyer have dropped their gaze and are staring at their shoes. "I have had to do some real soul searching after I spoke with Gail yesterday and discovered you all knew. I know that you all had very practical things to take into consideration, Christian is your employer, our home is your home also, so betraying him would have meant major changes in your lives. Remember, I don't come from a background of wealth and privilege, so I get there were serious ramifications if you came forward. I can imagine having to watch me be lied to day after day was difficult for all of you. And since I found out you guys have been there for me in ways I am so grateful for, so I choose to focus on that. Ultimately it was Christian's behavior that put us all in this situation. Let's just move forward, and try and repair things as we go.

"You are a remarkable woman Ana." Luke reaches for her hand and looks straight into her eyes. "I am terribly sorry for letting you down, it will never happen again. I hope that you can forgive me some day."

A squeeze of his hand and a quick nod is all she is capable of at the moment. Ana lets go of his hand when Gail steps up and surrounds her in a loving embrace. I can't clearly make out what Gail whispers into her hair…but I think she said, 'you know we love you, right', just another series of short, sharp nods and she's off the stool.

"Hey Itty Bitty, are you ok?" Elliot, who has been leaning against the door jamb asks.

"I'm fine." It comes out as a puff of air on a whisper, she's hurting.

"I'll go and check on her in a few minutes." Gail offers.

"Where's that jackass of a brother of mine."

"You don't want to know," Is my only answer as I go in search of a beer.

~oo0oo~

Thanks to my amazing beta, fungirlygirl you rock.

Itty Bitty is the nickname Elliot gave Ana in lillian121's remarkable series.

All previous disclaimers still apply.