A/N: Thanks for reading. Enjoy!
"I want to know who sent that book." Christian slams his phone down and closes his eyes. I've just walked down the stairs and am unsure whether I should make my presence known. He slowly opens his eyes which soften as I sit down next to him. "I hope I didn't wake Oliver."
"He's sound asleep." I look down at the coffee table where the "Are You My Mother?" book rests. I'm not sure what it is about that book, but it's had Christian on edge since he arrived home and learned about the book being delivered. "Are you finally going to tell me how one book can have you so upset?"
"I've told you how my mom found me at the hospital in Detroit?"
"Yeah.", I answer. "Grace has also told me how she immediately felt the bond with you."
"While she and my dad waited on the paperwork to go through with their adoption, I was in the care of a foster family, the Colliers. I don't remember much about them except that they were an older couple. Mrs. Collier would always read a book to me before bedtime. It was "Are You My Mother?" Mrs. Collier would call me Baby Bird which was a character from the book."
"You think whoever sent the book is connected to your life in Detroit?"
"I want to believe someone we know sent it and forgot to attach their name, but my gut is telling me it has to do with Detroit. The book and the outages are more than likely related."
"Let's think about this in steps. First, why would someone take the time and effort to cause the outages?"
"My guess, to send a message. Whoever is behind them is testing me. They want me to know they're capable of something like that."
"But no files or data were lost.", I say, trying to make the pieces fit.
"Meaning it's not about business. It's personal. That's where the book comes in. This person wants to let it be known that he or she knows about my past which is dark and a time I'd rather not remember. The extent of what's known is a mystery. Edwards who was working at the security post said the book was sent by a courier service. The guy who delivered it said the book was left at the desk of the courier building. There wasn't anyone around the book, only a hundred dollar bill and a note stating the book was for a friend although the sender wished to remain anonymous. It also gave our address."
"This keeps getting more and more unnerving. This mystery person knows where we live. A home is supposed to be a place where we can feel safe and at peace." I point towards the stairs. "It's where we're raising our newborn son. Christian, Oliver's safety and well being trumps everything." I see the emotional agony flood his face.
"You and Oliver trump everything. I don't know who's doing these things, but I'm going to find out. I won't let anything happen to the two of you." The sound of my sniffles is broken by Oliver's cries. "He's awake."
"I hope it's ok that I brought a guest." Olivia steps away from the door, allowing me to see the guest, Sawyer. He steps forward and smiles before I open my arms to him. Behind me, I hear Christian pad into the room.
"Who's hugging my wife and why?", Christian laughs. Moving closer to me, he places Oliver in my arms and then hugs Sawyer. "Well, don't just stand there. Come on in. Olivia, you too."
"Thanks.", Sawyer says. He grips Olivia's hand and pulls her into the living room with him. "I know you weren't expecting us, but I wanted to come and see you guys."
"Be honest. You only wanted to see Oliver.", I tease.
"I plead the fifth. Would it be ok if I held him?"
"Of course." Sawyer gently takes Oliver into his arms. "Hey little guy. I've missed seeing you. He's growing."
"He sure is.", Christian sigh. "Have a seat." The four of us sit down and admire Oliver who's oblivious to the fawning being done over him. Christian is the first to break his trance when he turns his attention to Sawyer. "How's your dad?"
"He's ok. I wish I could say he's wonderful, but he's just ok. Today was a rough day for him. He had a pretty bad headache this morning. It finally eased up enough so he could rest. My mom wanted to sit with him during his nap, but I was able to convince her to take a nap herself. She's been going nonstop. I don't like seeing my dad in his condition, and I don't like seeing my mom utterly exhausted."
"I'm sorry Sawyer. Is your dad's surgery still scheduled for tomorrow?", I ask.
"Tomorrow morning at nine. After my mom woke from her nap, she basically pushed me out the door and told me to take some time to myself. I suggested to Olivia that we come by and see you all. How are things around here?" Christian and I trade quick glances. "Uh oh."
"Is something wrong?", Olivia asks. The last thing I want and I'm sure Christian wants is to add to Sawyer's problems.
"Everything is fine.", Christian answers without a beat. Oliviar arches her brow at me.
"Things are fine.", I mutter.
"The two of you have terrible poker faces.", Sawyer sighs. "Obviously something is going on. Is Ryan not keeping up as my fill in?"
"Ryan's ok. Granted he's not as good of a security guy as you, but he's decent.", Christian says as Sawyer hands Oliver to Olivia. "Some odd things have been happening, and we're not sure the reason behind them. We're going to find out what's going on so there's nothing for you to worry about."
"I see what you're doing. You're avoiding telling me because you don't want to throw more at me. I assure you I can handle what's going on. I might even be able to help."
"You're on leave so you can help take care of your dad. He's your top priority.", I tell him. "Like Christian said, we're going to solve the issue we've got."
"Just because I'm on leave doesn't mean that I care about this family any less."
"He's just going to keep asking so you might as well tell him and me.", Olivia says. Christian takes a long, drawn out breath and nods.
"Sawyer, did Olivia tell you about the outage at the magazine?"
"Yeah. She said it didn't last long or affect any of the computers."
"Correct. We also had an outage at GEH. Once again, it didn't last long or cause any major issues. I started getting weird vibes afterwards, and those vibes only got stronger this evening when I arrived home from work. Ana told me about a book being delivered to the house. It was children's book, "Are You My Mother?" Before the Greys were able to officially take me in their care, I lived in a foster home in Detroit. The woman, Mrs. Collier, read that same book to me. Could all of these things just be coincidences? Maybe."
"But you don't think they are?", Olivia murmurs. "I'm sorry. You're new parents who should be enjoying your son, not having to deal with who knows what."
"What can I do to help?", Sawyer asks. "Just name it, and I'll do it."
"You're going to keep doing what you've been doing, being there for your dad. I've got my guys on the case, and you know they always get to the bottom of things.", Christian says.
"The fact that you're arriving home at a little past noon on a work day tells me you either wanted to have lunch with me or you've found out something about the book. I'm hoping for the first theory." Christian takes a step forward and kisses both Oliver and me.
"I wish it were for lunch, but it's not. I honestly don't even have an appetite. Have you had lunch?"
"I had a salad.", I shrug. "Shall you we sit so you can fill me in on what's happened?" He takes off his jacket and sits down in the recliner while I ease on to the sofa.
"After I threatened to buy the place and then fire every single emplopyee, the courier service agreed to hand over the security camera footage from yesterday. Barney found the time frame during which the book was dropped off. A guy left the book." Christian reaches into his briefcase and pulls out an envelope which he opens. He reveals a photo. "This is a photo that Barney printed off. I don't recognize the guy." He stands and takes Oliver while I take the photo. Standing in the middle of the photo is a man who appears to be in his late twenties or early thirties. His red hair is tied back in a ponytail. What's chilling about the photo is the grin on his face. It's one of those grins you see on the bad guy in a movie.
"Look at that grin. It's unsettling."
"This photo is nothing compared to the video. It shows the guy walking into the building and then placing the wrapped box and money on the counter which is unattended. He then turns his head upward towards the camera and grins."
"Why would he do that?"
"To taunt me just like he's been doing with the outages and the book."
"We have a face. All we need now is a name." Christian's eyes flicker alive. "You've got a name."
"Barney also got the tape from the parking lot. A silver car pulled into the parking lot a few minutes before the box was left. The same guy got out of the car. Barney was able to zoom in on the license plate on the car. He then ran the plate number and came up with a name."
"What's his name?", I ask.
"Jack Hyde."