A/N: Just a quick note.

Thank you to everyone who reads and an extra thank you to all the reviewers, each review is read and very much appreciated.
Real life is going to be insanely busy for me for at least the next two weeks so I am just giving a warning that there may be no updates during this time.
While I am not updating, perhaps you could have a look at my favourite authors and read their magnificent stories.
A special shout out to BannersandMash for all your assistance and encouragement so far and for providing stories that go beyond the standard fare and while still holding true to the essence of Christian and Ana, introduce us to times and places none of us have been.

Grace's POV

"Quick Melanie, something's happened" and my hand reaches for my big medical bag but it seems to move without me as Taylor grabs it and is racing with us up the stairs. At the same time I see John Flynn rushing back into the apartment and is right behind us as we burst into the room.

My heart stops as I take in Christian with tears streaming down his face and Ana collapsed in his arms when she thankfully moans, it activates my brain and I calmly say "She needs oxygen, nurse please" and to my shattered son "Son, lay her down so that we can put the mask on her, she'll be ok. What happened?" Taylor moves forward and gently unwraps Christian from Ana, somehow managing to do so without removing Christian's connection and obvious lifeline and Melanie is able to place the mask on Ana.

As the oxygen flows into Ana, we can all see her chest start moving and as I start taking all the necessary measurements I note with relief that while her heart is beating faster, it is steady and the oxygen flow is working to help her breathe.

I am at a loss as to what happened to cause the situation and Christian is in no position to talk, his eyes trained on Ana's face and finally as her eyes open he is above her and she weakly puts her hand up to pull him down to her shoulder, she looks annoyed at the mask but he finally breathes an audible shuddering breath and says "Oh Ana, I thought I'd lost you."

It's a hoarse whisper, said as Ana momentarily snatches the mask from her mouth, but we all hear it, "You said you loved me, there's no way I wasn't coming back to you."

"Yes I do" he smiles down at her and kisses her forehead. There is absolutely no trace of my CEO son at all nor of the broken man of a few moments ago but what there is instead is a feeling in the room that is bursting with love and gratitude.

Taylor smiles a genuine smile of relief at Ana and winks at me as he turns and walks away, nurse Melanie busies herself filling out paper work, John Flynn comes over and offers me a chair with a smile and I drink in the peace that filled me at her words.

He said he loved her!

Then I hear my CEO son coming back with a vengeance, "Put your mask back on and breathe until your chest isn't hurting anymore, then and only then, tell me what happened. You weren't breathing, it was like someone had punched you, like when you are winded and that was bad enough. Finally, you managed to draw a breath and I thought you were going to be ok but then you screamed in pain and blacked out. I thought you'd died on me." His emotions may not be showing on his face, where he is wearing his CEO control mask but his hand is shaking as he lifts it to move his hair out of his eyes.

I stop her removing her mask and say quietly "Before Ana tells us that, can someone fill me in as to what the antecedent was, what happened? So that we can make sure it doesn't happen again." As three pairs of eyes swivel towards Melanie I realise it is of a private nature and ask the nurse to leave, we can complete all extra paperwork later.

John explains that in order for the court documents to be filed against the evil three, Ana had to corroborate the evidence and in doing so, a lot of the feelings of abandonment had been revisited however he apologises, he hadn't realised that she was this close to a breakdown or he would have stayed and worked her through those feelings. His heartfelt apology is accepted with a nod by Ana although Christian is fixing him with a rather angry stare, John then explained that Christian had called him as she had broken down hence his return. Christian takes up the explanation caressing Ana's hand and hair as he does so saying that he had just indicated that he thought she was brave and didn't deserve any of the horrible things that had happened to her and she broke down. I watch ready to pounce with a sedative if Ana starts reacting the same way now but I can see her jaw clenching as she grits her teeth and her grip on Christian's hand tightens. I nod to Ana to indicate that she can remove the mask as she is breathing easier now and say "Just pop it back on if it gets hard to breathe, ok?" and she gratefully removes it.

"Firstly I am so sorry.." Ana starts and elicits a growl from both Christian and surprisingly John but she doesn't look at either of them and continues "It did feel like I was winded and my brain was just telling me it would just be easier to stop breathing and then I wouldn't have to remember all the horrid stuff, I could just disappear and it would be bliss".

I watch my son and the horror in his face is obvious to all of us and he clasps her hand harder and then she says looking up at him "But then you said 'I love you' and I realised I love you too. I couldn't leave you like your birth mother left you. As I had that thought, my muscles finally relaxed a bit and I was able to draw that breath of air. I must have over extended though because there was an excruciating pain from my side here" she says pointing at the area of her chest where her lung was damaged "and then I felt the ribs move and open up, what I did earlier this morning must have strained them. Anyway, the pain was so intense that I think that's what made me black out."

I can't stop the tears as they run down my face as Christian takes her in his arms, the look in his eyes when she said she loved him and wouldn't leave him like his birth mother was of such haunted love I can't imagine what horror this beautiful girl has been subjected to that she understands my son like she does and no-one else ever has.

I can make my peace with my past if I make sure that no other child has to endure the memories of these two and I see peace in my future if the two of them continue to understand each other in the way they do.

As I think this, I feel a squeeze of my hand and John Flynn is gesturing with his head that we leave and I nod, knowing that the two in front of us will probably not even notice our absence and I couldn't wish anything more for them in this moment.

Taylor's POV

Well fuck me but the boss has become more human in the last six days than I have seen him in six years. This is confirmed to me when I hear Grace say to the good doctor "John, do you know in 23 years of knowing my son, I have never, ever seen him cry. It didn't matter how hurt he was, he would not cry, he would not let anyone comfort him, I always wondered at the control of a child that could do that, how badly he must have been treated to never allow himself to cry again" and that stops him mid step and he looks at her.

"You know, I've never seen him cry either, no matter how deep the memory, no matter how hard the memory, no, I've never seen him cry either. Wow, that girl is awakening everything. Can I give you a warning? You'll need to be ready for him to go through the adolescence he never had and from the sounds of things, the adolescence Ana never had. They are both going to need handling as they get used to some sort of normal life, or as normal a life Christian could possibly have." As he says that Grace nods her head and he looks over her head at me and I nod too, the message was meant for me as well.

Great, now not only do I need to protect the one thing that can destroy him or if damaged could destroy him, there's a good chance I am going to have to deal with effectively two horny teenagers. I don't normally drive with earbuds in but I may just have to once Ana is mobile…

And another thing I am going to have to deal with is Ana's friends starting right about now as Elliot and Kate Kavanagh come stumbling out of the elevator giggling and messing around. I move to stand in front of them but Grace stands up quickly and kisses Elliot on the cheek and gives Kate a quick peck as well and asks them to be a little quieter.

"What do you mean? Is Ana still sleeping? Is she ok?" Kate asks concerned, "She was awake earlier, what's happened?"

Grace says quietly, "Remember, it is less than 6 whole days since the accident and so there will be good days and bad days, this is a bit of bad day. She overdid it a bit this morning and is on oxygen at the moment. We are hoping that she will stabilise again and be able to remain here and not go back to hospital. Christian is comforting her at the moment."

Miss Kavanagh then says something that does not endear herself to anyone as she rounds on Elliot "I thought you said he'd do anything to help her heal. Why is she on oxygen? Why is she crying? Did Christian do something to her?"

And I almost growl and perhaps I did because Grace looks at me in surprise and I decide I will be better off in the security room before I say or do anything considered unwarranted. As I go to walk away I hear Elliot say "I doubt Christian did anything to her, he told me this morning that she'd decided she wasn't going to wake him and she wanted to see the sunrise so had managed to haul herself out of bed and across the room. Did she hurt herself doing that Mom?"

'Yes dear, she managed to hurt her ribs and a deep breath a little while ago seemed to catch on the rib and cause a reaction similar to when someone takes the air out of you, like she was winded, but because of the lung damage, it had a bigger effect than would be expected. It was a frightening experience and the oxygen is helping her to breathe and Christian is just helping her calm down. Kate, there is no way in the world that Christian would do anything to Ana, trust me." The last statement is said in a rather disapproving tone and I am pleased, Miss Kavanagh needs to be put in her place if she is going to go around making statements or questioning like that.

"Well, are we going to be able to see her soon?" Miss Kavanagh continues sounding unconvinced at Grace's words and I watch Grace stiffen.

Grace says quietly, "I would suggest that perhaps Elliot could show you around Seattle for what is left of the morning and perhaps early afternoon and then you can come back and spend the rest of the afternoon and dinner time with Ana." She then turns to Elliot and continues " Elliot, we are having family dinner here tonight instead of at home so that you will have time to drive Kate home tomorrow. Does that fit your plans?" and from the look on his face at her tone, I can see that he is changing whatever plans that he might have had to fit and he nods and says easily "Sure, we'll make ourselves scarce now and see you later this afternoon."

I am impressed even more when he adds quietly to his mother "Is Christian ok?" and looks relieved at her beaming smile, I've seen an entirely new side to Elliot this last week and it is a lot more admirable than his usual demeanour.

His choice of companion however leaves me mystified and I stomp off to my office and back to the bank of security cameras. To be honest, with the good doctor's warning ringing in my ears, I am a little unsure as to whether I really want to look at the camera from the Boss's room right at the moment.

Christian's POV

"Yes I do." I do love her. I love her with all my heart. Just six days ago I did not have a heart and I did not believe that I deserved to love or be loved at all. It took thinking that I had lost her for me to say "I love you" and I didn't realise that I did, but I do.

How could I not? She is perfection in every way but when she says "I love you too. I couldn't leave you like your birth mother left you" I know she holds my heart in her hands to do with it as she wishes. How does she know that is my biggest fear? Ana can see right through me and that scares me no end. What will happen when she sees how rotten I am at the core?

I can't think about that, she loves me. She loves ME! I can't believe it, a feeling of peace just floods through me as she says those words and I need to hold her close, she is more than my other half, she is my whole. She is my everything.