Christian's POV – Tuesday 28th June

It took a lot of convincing but when the phone call came from Roach to tell Ana that she had another week off as SIP investigated procedures and made changes in line with their new management (a situation which was under embargo so that he couldn't tell her who the new owner is luckily), she finally agreed to the extra week and is out on the balcony painting with a smile on her face, I love that I can see the security cameras and watch her joy.

I wish we could have stayed in Aspen but with the compromised security and the fact that I have some major deals needing to be concluded, not the least of which is SIP, we had to return and Ana actually seems happier here compared to in the hotel. Her statement that it was nice to be home and her excitement at putting up the art we'd bought together gladdened my heart as I hope against hope that I don't do anything to break us. I want her here forever but right at the moment, I want to make her feel safe again.

To that end, Welch has stated that we do nothing about Elizabeth Morgan at the moment and he's put her under surveillance and everyone associated with her, I shake my head, thinking about the amount of surveillance we are undertaking at the moment, it rivals that of a decent intelligence agency and I hope that despite that, we aren't missing any important threads.

While I am deep in conversation with Ros in relation to our Taiwanese deal that I have been neglecting a little, Taylor appears to say that Welch has arrived with some extremely important information. His physical presence worries me, the last couple of times his attendance has resulted in life changing information and I wonder if this time will be the same it isn't more than a few minutes later, sitting in the security office with Welch and Taylor as the tapes start to roll and Taylor and I lean forward to hear the voices better and my suspicions are confirmed.

I sink my head into my hands as I listen to the voices.

"What do you mean they saw the camera?" a female voice screeches out.

"Shhh, speak quietly otherwise they'll be in here kicking you out. We couldn't hide it completely, the lens had to be visible to be able to pick up the action and they didn't see if for five days so we nearly made it through the whole time. It was well hidden except that he went and put out flowers and candles like a bitch. I thought you said he was like you, none of this lovey dovey shit and who knows, the lenses were hidden from the overhead and bedside lights, we made sure of that, I don't know how she saw it, I can only assume the candle light reflected otherwise she shouldn't have seen it."

"So how did you go? Is there anything for me? What did the cameras capture? I know you didn't see anything in real time because you, being a fucking idiot, are in here, but what was recorded, did Elizabeth bring it in? "

"The worst thing is we didn't see anything, he was just about to fuck her for the first time in any of those rooms on the whole trip so I don't know when they do it, it appears that they certainly hadn't done it in the bedroom for the whole time they were there. They were quite boring, baby-bird hasn't changed, just eating and keeping to himself, he's older now so he was working but not interacting with anyone but her and whenever she was there, she was painting or reading in the library, they make quite a pair. Are you sure he is into any of what you told me? Have you been leading me on this whole time? Why did you say that if we were able to gather evidence that we'd be able to use it against him?"

"You are a fucking little piece of shit, yes he's into it, you are such a tricked up piece of work, you think you have all the moves but nothing and no-one compares to him, you have always been a pale imitation of him, no matter how I tried to guide you."

"Are you saying he came before me? That you were trying to make me into him?"

"No asshole, you came first and you were something and then he came along and I knew what I'd been missing all along. No-one has been good enough after he came into my life. You wouldn't learn, you just weren't as good as him. You never will be. I tried to teach you but nothing at all you've ever done is good enough. You are a pale fucking imitation but you were good enough to keep around when he went to university and later when he decided to move onto younger brunette models and left me behind to just source them for him. You were ok but you will never be him."

There is an audible frustrated growl, "I can't believe it…. I fucking can't believe it…. BabyBird has always gotten what I wanted without having to work for it…."

"Shut the fuck up, he has always worked and hard, he didn't always get it right but he learned his lessons, he followed instructions and always moved forward, he understood when someone knew more than him and learnt and took whatever lesson and made his learning better, you on the other hand just never listen. Like last week, you had one thing to do but instead of just putting some sort of tracking device on her, you had to try and fuck her in your office, what were you thinking? You could have had all sorts of information on them and not have to rely on these cameras. But no… and now you are in jail, they have figured out about the cameras and will be tracking you down like the animal that you are and we have nothing, just nothing is that what you are telling me? Other than he decided to do hearts and flowers. Hmm, I wonder whether it was their actual first time they were about to fuck from what you say, I can't imagine him doing that every time. He's a hard bastard although he's become soft since this little Ana shit has been in his life, twisting his brain."

"Well what are we going to do with Elizabeth now? She's free out there, she came in to bring me the tapes but she was looking ansy like she knew we hadn't collected any information and was scared. I am happy to do away with her, she has too much information on me."

There's a barking laugh and then, "Oh you are a heartless bastard, I knew I liked you for some reason even though you are an idiot."

There's no mistaking the voices and my skin crawls on the basis of what I have heard and also that I will need to provide protection to Elizabeth to ensure that she doesn't end up dead before we can figure out why Jack planted those cameras and one line bothers me, why is he calling me "Baby-Bird"? Again I get the feeling that I am missing something about him, something on the edge of my consciousness.

Then the feeling explodes in my brain as Welch says "I was able to dig these photos up from Detroit, it seems you have some joint history with Jack Hyde" and something grabs hold of my heart and squeezes, it is obviously a photo of me soon after the crack-whore's death and standing in the background is a sullen looking child that is most definitely Jack Hyde.

"BabyBird…. BabyBird" I repeat as Welch and Taylor look at me, "Why does that ring a bell but not loud enough for me to hear it?"

"With all due respect Sir, you were aged four at the time and had just come out of a terrifying ordeal, I doubt you can remember every second of your childhood" Welch says.

While he is correct there is something disturbing about this picture, "He's not my brother or anything is he? What did you dig up, who are these people."

What Welch says next surprises me even more, "This was a foster home you lived in for a couple of months before you were adopted."

I look at him like he's grown another head, I just can't remember being anywhere but with the crack-whore's body, the hospital and then with Grace and Carrick and I leave the room clutching the pictures to find Ana, I need her goodness as the pictures before me are dragging me backwards towards the abyss and she is the only one that can save me from falling over the edge, my steps quicken when I see her sitting on the chaise simply contemplating the skyline, her paint brushes placed neatly on the easel and a smile on her face.

"Babes, what's the matter?" Ana says, concern lacing her voice as she looks at me and despite my surprise at the endearment, I simply shake my head and pick her up and curl her into me on my lap, her arm snakes around my body and she holds me as much as I hold her, my nose in her hair, my body wrapped around hers as I absorb her and start to calm.

"Here look at these photos, what do you see?" I finally say quietly, relinquishing the photos to her.

"Oh goodness, this looks like Jack." Then her voice goes quieter and she asks with a sad voice "Is that you? When was this taken?"

I shrug, "Sometime after the crack-whore died and Grace and Carrick adopted me, apparently I was in a foster home for a while and Hyde was there too." I pause, this gap in my knowledge bugging me more than I can understand, and I continue, "But I just don't remember this."

Ana's eyes rim with tears, "Oh Christian, how could you remember this, that would have been a really awful time for you, you'd only ever been with your mother and the horror of that and her death, honey, I'm surprised your mind hasn't blanked more of what happened at the time out, why don't you just ring your mom and ask her to come and tell you about it. We can go out there if you want."

I sit for a while and when I have finally calmed, I realise that Ana is making sense, "Are you sure? I'll ask her to come here and she can check on you as well, I don't want you going there, at this point I know I can keep you safe here and every time we go there, something else happens, I'd rather sit here with you. Thank you for being my safe spot." That last statement garners me an eye roll and then she snuggles back into me as I call my mom who then proceeds to tell me off for disappearing and not telling her where we were and for turning off my phone.

However as soon as I ask about being in a foster home, she asks if I'd like her and Carrick to come over and I nod and then realise I am on the phone as Ana giggles against me and I reply in the affirmative and squeeze Ana at the same time, grateful for her presence not only on my lap but in my life. If Grace was my angel saving me at age four, Ana is more my angel now, able to drag me back and give me guidance when my past life comes back to haunt me.

I'm pleased to see that Mia hasn't arrived with my parents as I want Ana to hear the story too, I know this is another one that I don't want to have to share twice and so when they arrive, we move into my study, my parents sit on the couch on one side of me while I keep Ana clamped to my side. Her body a reminder that I am safe with her whatever information my parents give me and I need it as mom's hand flies to her mouth as she takes in the photo in my hand.

"Oh Darling," her voice is a shadow of its normal strength, as she looks at the photo and the tears well in her eyes, "This is nearly a month into the foster period with the Collins' family, they were such lovely people but they like everyone else, couldn't get close to you except to feed you and at night when Mrs Collins read you your favourite book." She pauses and looks at me, utter pain etched in her eyes, "Oh look how thin you were and how scared you looked and with that dirty blanket we couldn't take out of your hands."

Carrick is holding mom's hand and I can see she is shaking and then her face hardens as she points to another person on the photo, "Oh that boy there, he was so nasty to you all the time when we came for our visitations, he was always trying to steal your blanket. The Collins' said that he kept being bypassed by adopting families as he was nine and often considered too old and too angry to adopt. He was building up quite a deal of resentment to newer fosters especially when they were adopted and he wasn't and with you, as soon as we arrived and we looked past him to see you, he threw a tantrum saying we should adopt him. He didn't know that you had already been approved for us and we tried to explain but how can you explain to a nine year old that is awfully hurt as well. The next time we came he tried again and right at the end when we were looking for your favourite book, no-one could find it and they thought he'd taken it but couldn't prove it so we left without it."

Of course, she is pointing to Jack Hyde and my brain is straining trying to grasp some memory, and suddenly there it is "Oh I remember Mrs Collins, she used to cook really nice food and to be honest, it might have been ordinary but I hadn't had decent food in years and I loved it. Thank you, you are helping me fill in a gap I didn't know I had." We continue chatting for a while, my parents telling me what we did during visitations and what they can remember from what was a harrowing time for them as they waited to see if any blood relatives would claim me and then when this is exhausted, I suggest that perhaps mom can check Ana as she managed to rest and recuperate well during the last week.

Mom checks Ana over saying that she is coming along so well that within the next week, she should be able to lose the cast as long as she doesn't overdo it and the look of joy on Ana's face matches how I feel except that I don't know how I am going to keep her safe next week when she goes back to work and I don't know how she does it but she squeezes my hand and smiles at me and I know she understands as she says sweetly, "I'll make sure I don't overdo it and I am sure Christian will be on Ana watch, if it means that I can be rid of all of this."

After a leisurely lunch where we chat about the lovely things we did in Aspen, I pull my dad aside and tell him about the cameras and the fact that I will be having security sweeping all premises including their house, Elliot's house and the girls' unit to ensure that nothing else has been compromised. I also ask what legally we need to do with the information I heard today, it is adding to the case against both of them but also concerning because I don't know what she is trying to do. It sounds like some sort of expose and I will need Barney and everyone on the lookout to nip things in the bud, find out who of her contacts were in the media and shut it down before anything makes it out.

Carrick promises he'll do what he can and then tells me that Elliot and Kate will be back on Saturday and we'll be able to see them on Sunday for Sunday family dinner and I decide that if I can, I'll have Ana into the hospital on the Friday so that she is free to move easily on Sunday, the lack of cast has me excited about the possibilities and I need to plan for a fantastic weekend, this other situation needs to be resolved so that I can have Ana relaxed and able to enjoy what I can do for her.

We re-join mom and Ana, my two angels sitting side by side and smiling at me and I can't wait to resolve as much as I can this week so that Friday and the weekend are totally free to spend with Ana.