Ana's POV

The Kavanaghs are here to visit with their son and their grandkids. They had to go home to Florida because Mr Kavanagh needed surgery, but they are back now and they are staying in Seattle for a while. They will be staying at Ethan and Mia's house. I'm taking advantage of their visit and enjoying a nice bubble bath in my bathroom with Natalie. I brought some of her toys in here and we are enjoying our Mommy and daughter time. Penny is doing some things around the house and told me that she can listen for the babies in case they wake from their naps.

"Which is the blue one, Baby?" I ask her.

She picks up the blue cup and shows it to me. "Dis one!"

"This one, good girl."

"Dis is da blue one."

I kiss her hair and rock with her in my lap. It's nice to just spend some time with her. We never really get to do this anymore. I used to take baths with Phoebe all of the time when she was little. And now she's getting ready for senior prom and high school graduation. I don't know where the time goes.

I hear voices in the bedroom. One is Taylor's and the other is my husband's. I didn't know they'd be home this soon. I quickly get us out of the tub, dry us both off and dress us in our bath robes. I do my best to towel dry Natalie's hair and I wrap mine up in a towel. I hear Christian groan. This can't be good.

I take Natalie's hand and walk into the bedroom to find Christian lying on the bed and Taylor looking through our wardrobe. "Taylor" I call to get his attention.

"Hello Ana, Mr Grey needs some pajamas."

"I'm fine, don't listen to him."

I walk over to my husband and notice that he is sweating. I feel his forehead and he is burning up. "You are not fine. You are running a fever. Taylor, how long has he been like this?"

"Ana….."

"Just a few minutes after the plane took off" he answers me. Before I can lecture my husband about staying in bed, he is racing to the bathroom to empty his stomach. Taylor walks over and stands next to me. "That's number six. He's caught the virus that we all had."

"Thank you for taking care of him, Taylor. I can take it from here." I take the pajamas from him and drop them on the bed. "Natalie, where did you go?"

I walk into the bathroom and the sight before me melts my heart. My husband is hovered over the toilet and our baby girl is rubbing his back and trying to comfort him. "Its okay Daddy."

"Ana…." He groans. I know the last thing he wants is for Natalie to see him this way.

"Come on, Baby Pie. Let's get you dressed and then you can go play with your cousins."

I quickly get her dressed in our bathroom and have Taylor walk her downstairs. "Go with Mr Taylor, Baby. Mommy will be down soon." Once they are gone I shut the bedroom door and prepare to deal with my sick husband. He is a terrible patient when he is sick, which lucky for me is not very often. I walk back into our bathroom and gently put my hands on him. He groans again. "Did you get it all out?"

"I don't know. Ana, I know I said I was fine, but….. Christ I'm so sick."

"You could've fooled me."

"Do I detect sarcasm in your tone, Mrs Grey? You know how I feel about your sarcasm."

I rub my hands on his back and his shoulders to sooth him. "Tell you what, you be a good patient, stay in bed and rest, and you can punish me when you are all better."

"A bribe?"

I shrug my shoulders. "A promise. Now come on. Bed." I help him up and have him lean on me while we walk into our bedroom. "Sit" I order him. This is actually a little fun. It's not every day that I get to be in charge. "Arms up."

"Are you enjoying this?" he asks me.

"Maybe just a little." I pull his shirt over his head and help him into a t-shirt.

"What about my pants?" he smirks at me. Damn, even sick my husband is hot as hell. I smirk back at him and shake my head.

"Not the time or place, Grey. Lay down."

He pouts but he does what he's told and lies on his side of the bed. I remove his shoes and socks, unzip his pants and drag them off. "Ana, come on just one time….."

"No" I cut him off. "No sex while you are sick." I put his pajama pants on and pull them up to his thighs. "Lift." He hesitates but eventually lifts himself just enough for me to pull the waistband up for him. Before I can pull away from him he grabs my hand and places it over his erection. "Christian" I try to scold him, but he makes it so difficult for me to be mad at him when he gives me that look. He rubs my hand up and down on himself and releases a satisfying sigh.

"I'm starting to feel better already."

"Is that right" I say, smiling at him.

"Just stay up here with me, don't go downstairs."

I manage to pull my hand away from him. "I need to go and check on the kids, and make sure the Kavanaghs have everything they need."

"The Kavanaghs?"

"Yes, they got in last night. I'll bring you some ginger ale." I lean down and kiss his forehead. He closes his eyes and groans again. "You'll be fine, just get some rest."

I tuck him in good and can't help but laugh. "Stop laughing at me."

"I can't help it. I'll be back up soon."

"I need my laptop" he calls after me.

"Not a chance. You need your rest." With that I leave our bedroom and shut the door.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy's POV

"Bath's ready." I walk into the bedroom and sit on the bed. Taylor had put us up at a hotel outside of Seattle to keep us away from the media. We are going to stay here for a while until Rebecca is ready to go back to Cambridge. It's luxurious with a king size bed and ensuite bathroom with a huge spa tub and glass door shower. Reynolds and some other guy are close by, I think his name is Carver. They are making sure we have everything we need. I gently take Rebecca's hand in mine when she doesn't budge. She has been sitting up in bed under the covers, wearing the same pajamas she had on when we left the hospital in Arizona. "Are you ready?"

"I should probably do this myself." She looks down and away from me.

"I want to help you."

She looks up at me and manages a weak smile, but at the same time she looks so sad. "I know. I just…. I don't think I'm ready for you to see….. see my bruises."

I hold her hand with both of my hands, bring it to my lips and plant a few kisses. "I want us to do this together. I want us to get through this together. Please…. let me help you. Let me wash your skin and wash your hair… massage your scalp while you close your eyes and relax, because you know you are safe with me. Please, let me take care of you."

She starts to tear up. "Why are you being so good to me?"

"Because I love you. That hasn't changed. I told you this." She nods and looks down again. Tears start to roll down her cheeks. "Before you were taken from me we were in a good place. We were getting back to being us." I grab a tissue from the nightstand and gently dry her tears. "I can't help but wonder if Carlos put these ideas in your head that are making you doubt us." I wait for her to give me some confirmation, but she stays silent. "He did, didn't he? He broke you down, Rebecca….."

"But he's right" she says, her voice is very high and emotional. "I cheated on you. You would never do that to me." I sigh and open my mouth to say something, but then I shut it again. "What?"

I open my mouth again and shut it again. Shit, this is hard. But I need to be honest with her, just like she was honest with me. "There's something I need to tell you."

"What is it?"

"I've been letting someone stay in our spare bedroom. A young woman."

She sniffles and tries to compose herself. "Why, who is this woman?"

"She's a waitress at a small coffee and sandwich café near our apartment."

She laughs, but it is more like a cry. "So, while I was being bullied and beaten into submission, you were…."

"No, no! It wasn't like that."

"What was it then, Ted?"

Fuck! I didn't want to tell her this now. But I have to. "After I left the café one night, my security and I witnessed her being attacked. We stopped it. I offered her a ride home, and I found out she was homeless."

"So… you took her in."

"Yes. We weren't using the second room for anything, except when your Dad was there, but I just let him have our room. I couldn't sleep in there without you." She looks down and I think I see her grin slightly. "Anyway, she's been a really great friend. She's learning to cook so she's been preparing meals. And she helped me with our searches."

"Searches?"

"We organized searches for you. A lot of people came out to help. A lot of people care about you. Look, um…. I need to tell you something. Something I did, and I'm not proud of it. The other night, I was drinking, I was drinking a lot, and she was upset about some guy."

"What did you do?" I hesitate. I really wish I didn't have to tell her this now. But she was honest with me when she screwed up. I need to give her that same honesty. "Ted? Just tell me, please."

"I kissed her…. and I took off her shirt….."

She shakes her head when I stop talking. "Okay. Anything else?"

"I had my hands on her, but I stopped it. I had spent the night getting drunk because I was missing you. I had a picture of us in my hand and I was staring at it. I got lost and allowed myself to believe it was you that I was kissing, and then I realized it wasn't. I was so freaked out. And she was just going along with it because she was hurting. We talked about it afterwards…."

"I can't blame you for turning to someone else, Ted. Especially after what I did."

"Two wrongs don't make a right. It doesn't make me feel less guilty. But… I want you to stop beating yourself up over cheating, okay? I forgave you so….. you need to forgive yourself."

"It's not just that. I brought this monster into our lives. It's my fault he took me."

"Don't…. please don't do this. This is not your fault. Yes, okay you made a mistake. But that did not give him the right to take you and hold you against your will." I climb off the bed and grab some more tissues for her. "Here." She takes them from me and dries her tears. I sit on the bed again, closer to her this time, and I place my hands on the outside of her arms. "Rebecca, I need you to let me in. Let me take care of you. Please."

She looks into my eyes and then finally nods.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

I must have dozed off. I wake up and immediately feel my head pounding. "Ow"

"Here, take these." Ana is by my side and she has Asprin and a glass of water. She also brought some more ginger ale and some crackers. I struggle to sit up and I take the medicine. After I sip enough water to swallow the pills Ana takes the glass from me.

"Phoebe…."

"She's fine. She didn't get the virus."

"I'm glad she was spared" I say while massaging the spot between my eyes. "How are the kids?

"The kids are fine. Monte has been fussy so we've been taking turns holding him."

"Why was Natalie crying?"

"You heard that?"

"Yes, I heard that. What happened?"

She shrugs her shoulders. "Nothing happened. She just has a hard time sometimes. She's tantrumed a few times and I had to put her in time out. She's asked for you a lot this week…."

"She misses me."

"Yeah, she misses her Daddy."

"I've been away from her so much. And you and the babies. Ana….."

"Shhh. Hey" she interrupts me. "Don't beat yourself up. I know Natalie is too young to understand, but you did what you needed to do. The girls needed you at the competition and Teddy and Rebecca needed you."

"Alright….. So we don't have any competitions coming up, and nobody else is missing. Mia….. God I wish she would wake up."

"Me too. Your parents have been spending a lot of time at the hospital." Ana rubs her hand up and down my arm. It feels soothing. Just her touch instantly soothes me. "The kids got to spend some time with Ethan. That made them very happy."

"Good, I'm glad they are spending time together. We need to make that routine for them." I take Ana's hand in mine and play with it. "And I need to spend time with mine."

"You will" she assures me. "But right now you need your rest."

"Ana…." I protest, but she interrupts me.

"I mean it. You will make time for us when you are better."

"I hate being sick." I know I'm whining but I don't care.

"I agree it's not fun. I went through this too, not too long ago. And my loving husband made sure that I stayed in bed and that everything and everyone else was taken care of. And that's what I'm going to do."

"Ana…." I try to get her to stay, but she climbs off of the bed and leaves. Fuck, my head still hurts.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy's POV

After much hesitation Rebecca allows me to help her undress. I know she is nervous, I am too. I don't know how I'm going to react when I see her bruises. But I need this. We need this. We need to do this together. I can't allow her to go through any of this on her own. We haven't really talked about all that had happened since the day she was taken. That will have to come with time. She's mentioned some details, like how she was kept in a cage and how he controlled her by beating her. I know he forced her to have sex with him. With everything she's been through I need to be mindful of when I touch her. I can't touch her unless she knows I'm going to. That's been a tough adjustment for me. She also thinks she killed him, but Taylor told me that when they found the cabin they did not find Carlos. His team is still searching for him.

We walk slowly into the bathroom together and I have her face me. "You can trust me" I tell her softly. "I'm here for you and I'm going to take care of you." She looks down and focuses on the floor. "Rebecca?"

"Becky" she blurts out softly.

"What?"

She looks up but doesn't look into my eyes. "I don't want to be called Rebecca anymore. The sound of that name just….." She cringes and shivers. "Please, call me Becky, okay?"

I gently take her hand and slowly bring it up to my lips. I plant a gentle kiss and her eyes meet mine. "Becky" I say and smile at her. "It's just you and me here. We're in this together, right?" She nods her head quickly and some tears spring out of her eyes. "We're safe here. Security is right outside and they're not going to let anyone in. But I need you to tell me the minute you start to feel scared. Alright?"

She nods. "Okay. And you…. I need you to tell me how you're feeling. Don't protect me from that, please."

This time I nod. She's right. This has to go both ways. "Okay. Are you ready?"

She nods quickly again and her eyes are once again anywhere but on mine. I make sure she sees my hands and I slowly help her remove her pajamas. She is wearing a button down shirt so I start by undoing the buttons. I look at her face as I gently remove her shirt, and then I look down. The first thing I see are bite marks on her breasts. She looks down and watches her shirt fall to the floor. There are bruises on her arms and some more bite marks on her stomach. I gently take her hand in mine and I squeeze. This makes her look up at me. "Okay?" She nods quickly. I gently place my hands at her hips and then slowly pull her pants down. She steps out of them one foot at a time while holding my shoulder for support, and I toss them aside. As I stand back up my eyes follow up her legs. She has some bruises and some more bite marks on her inner thighs. The back of her thighs are bruised, and even though she is wearing panties I can tell her behind is bruised too.

I try to stop the tears but I can't. They are dripping down my face. She is crying too. I gently put my hands on the outside of her arms and bring her toward me. She allows me to hold her, and eventually she wraps her arms around me and cries into my chest. I put my face in her hair and cry with her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

I wake up again and just stare at the ceiling. I have no idea what time it is or how long I've been sleeping. I still feel like shit. When I see the bedroom door open I try to sit up. I have a hard time so I just settle for propping myself up on a few pillows. I'm tired of this bed, but I don't have the energy to get up.

Ana walks into our bedroom and she is holding Natalie's hand. When Natalie sees me she leaves go of Ana's hand and runs toward the bed. She is still too little to pull herself up so Ana helps her.

"Hi Sweet Pea" I greet her as she crawls over and rests her head on my chest. I run my fingers through her hair and lean down to kiss her.

"I know we have rules, but I thought you could use some Natalie time. I've asked her to keep an eye on you."

"Did you now?"

"Natalie?" she asks her.

"Daddy, you need to stay in bed" she says to me. I can only laugh.

"I see. My girls are ganging up on me."

"You can watch a movie" Ana continues as she puts a disc in the DVD player.

"What are we watching" I ask as I continue to run my fingers through my daughter's hair.

"Pinnocko" Natalie answers. I know she means Pinocchio. It's a nice break from all of the princess movies she likes to watch. After Ana starts the movie she walks over to us and plants kisses on both of our foreheads.

"You both behave. I'll be back up to check on you soon."

"Real cute" I tell her. After she leaves, Natalie sits up and adjusts my covers so that I'm tucked in. "What are you doing?"

"You need to sweep, Daddy. Night night."

She tries to move away from me, but I'm quick and manage to grab her first. I push her down on the bed and tickle her ribs. I love her laugh. It is definitely infectious. I manage to forget for a moment that I've been sick for the past twelve hours as I continue to tickle her. I then lean down and blow raspberries on her belly. I stop and look down at her. She tries to move away from me again but I am able to grab her again. She squeals as I pull her toward me and hold her. "Ah, Sweet Pea. Daddy loves you so much." She continues to giggle. "Let's watch the movie." I somehow manage to get her to settle down and sit beside me by the time the previews are done and the movie starts.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy's POV

'Becky' is sitting in the hot bath and I am gently washing her back with a sponge. We haven't said much since I first helped her into the tub. I've managed to get her clean and I took my time washing her hair. Now she is just sitting with her arms wrapped around her legs, and I am washing her back. I'm not really sure what to say to her. Nothing I can say right now will make this better for her, but I'll do whatever she needs me to do to make her comfortable.

"What's her name?" she asks me. Her voice is barely a whisper. "The woman in our apartment?"

"Her name is Sarah" I answer her as I continue to squeeze the hot water from the sponge onto her back.

"Does she have a last name?"

"I don't know her last name."

She turns her head and looks at me. "What about the background check?"

"My father doesn't know about her."

"How does that work?"

She shifts so that she is facing me, which effectively puts an end to me running the sponge over her back. "I've told Reynolds, Michaels and Brunges not to say anything."

"Who are Michaels and Brunges?"

"After you were taken, Dad insisted on more security. When we're back in Cambridge you will have security with you at all times. I know you don't want that, but…."

"Okay" she interrupts me, and her voice is sweet. Wait, she is agreeing to this? "I mean, having someone around like that all the time can be intrusive, but if it means that I don't have to go through that again….." She stops and shakes her head. "I can't go through that again."

I gently lean over and kiss her hair. "I'll do everything I can to keep you safe."

"I know you will" she says softly and manages a soft smile. "When I was there….. in that hell…. the only thing that kept me going was that….. that I needed to see you again. I needed you to know what happened, that I was taken and that I didn't just run off. Carlos kept telling me that that's what it looked like, that I chose to run away."

"I didn't believe that" I tell her. "I promise Rebe….. I promise I never believed that. The police, they had to entertain that possibility but I told them that you were taken."

"You were blamed, weren't you? You were a suspect?"

"I don't want you to worry about me. I'm okay…."

"But…. you weren't okay. You had to deal with me being gone and the police… the first person they look at when a woman disappears is the boyfriend."

I look down and shrug my shoulders. "I handled it."

"I hate that you had to go through that."

"Baby, it's nothing compared to what you had to go through."

She shakes her head. "I'm not looking to compare our grief. I just….. I know you went through hell too and I don't want that to get lost just because you want to take care of me. I want to take care of you too."

I smile at her. My girlfriend really is amazing. "Having you here safe with me is all I need right now. Are you ready to get out?"

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana's POV

I walk into my bedroom and find the most precious sight. My husband and our baby girl are both asleep. He is lying on his back and her head is on his chest. I tip toe over to them and take a few pictures with my phone.

"Ana….." he groans.

"Oh come on, you know I can't resist. Have you been sleeping long?"

He looks down at our baby girl and then over at the television. "I think we both fell asleep a few minutes after the movie started. We should let her sleep." I nod at him and continue to smile. "What?"

I shake my head but can't wipe this goofy smile off my face. "I'll never get enough of this. You are so sweet with our kids."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

It's the next day and I'm starting to feel better, thanks to my incredible wife. As much as I hate being bedridden, she makes it bearable. She turned in early last night. We didn't have sex, much to my disappointment, but she laid with me and we watched a movie. She had to get up a few times to take care of the babies, but it was nice to just lie in bed with her.

Right now I am visiting with Ethan. Ana said he wanted to discuss something with me.

"You look like you've seen better days" he tells me. He's not used to seeing me walk around the house with my robe over my pajamas.

I take a seat at his bedside and we talk about the kids. Ana has said that she's seen a positive change in each of them since they started spending some time with him. "Christopher was upset that we had your parents take the dog with them, but I told him I would take him over there to visit" I tell him. My nephew loves that dog, but we felt she was better off with the Kavanaghs. "So, what did you want to talk about?"

"I know that you've taken on a lot, but I need you to do something else for me." I nod and wait for him to explain. "I need your help to find a good realtor, and put the house on the market."

I shake my head and rub my hand over my face. "Ethan, why would you want to do that?"

"Don't get me wrong. I appreciate that I get paid leave, especially because I haven't worked for you that long. But at some point it is not going to be enough to cover the mortgage. I need to start thinking about that."

"Ethan, I can't let you sell the house. Mia loves that house."

"I know she does. We haven't lived there that long. We can buy another house. Right now we are paying the mortgage on a home that we are not even using."

I run my hand through my hair. Throughout my entire adult life I've always had money. I've always worked hard to make sure that money was never a problem. So I can't relate to his situation. But I can help him. "As far as I can see you have two options." I look up at him. "You can let me help you with the mortgage, or you can sell the house to me."

"Don't do this…"

"Don't… what? Don't help you?"

"You've already done so much. How could I ever repay you?"

"I'm not asking you to." I run my hand through my hair again. "Look, there's nothing I can do for Mia right now. And it's killing me. It….. it kills me every day that there's nothing I can do to bring her out of that coma. But I can take care of her family." He looks away from me, but I see tears in his eyes. "I know you don't like to ask for help. I don't like to either. But I didn't stop you and Mia from helping me and my kids when Ana was in a coma. And I'm glad I didn't. I don't know what I would have done without you guys. So you might not like this now, but I am going to help you keep the house."

Ethan nods and takes some breaths to compose himself. It's tough seeing him like this. I reach over and pat his arm.

"Ethan?" I turn and see my sister-in-law Kate. "What's going on? Why are you crying? Christian, what did you say to him?"

Of course she would blame me. I roll my eyes and stand. "I'll give you two some time to visit."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Teddy's POV

Becky and I have spent a few days at the hotel. I know that it is best for us to stay hidden for a while, but I'm getting cabin fever. I know she is too. We both could use some time outside.

My parents are coming to visit us shortly, so Becky and I are going through the hotel's menu to see what we can order for lunch. When we decide on some salads and entrees I make a call to place the order. As soon as I end the call I hear a knock at the door. Becky is sitting very close to me and I feel her flinch, even though she knows that my parents are due to visit. "Are you okay?" I ask her gently. She takes a deep breath and nods. She reacted the same way yesterday when her father came to visit us and knocked on the door. I squeeze her hand before standing and walking over to the door. Reynolds is waiting for me on the other side when I answer.

"Sir, your parents are here"

"Thank you, Reynolds." My parents walk in and they both hug me. I kiss my mother's cheek. "Mom, Dad, thanks for coming."

Mom walks further into the room to greet my girl. "Ana" Becky says and they hug.

"Sweetheart, I'm so glad you're okay."

"Thank you" she says as she releases her.

"Um, Teddy told us that you prefer to be called Becky now?"

"Yeah, I… I prefer that." Dad and I walk further into the room but at a slower pace. "Mr Grey, Teddy told me what happened….. before I was at the hospital. You and Taylor came for me and you brought me there."

I look at my father and he nods. "Taylor had a team working on tracking you down, and they found out you were arrested in Arizona."

"Thank you. I mean….. that just seems so trivial, but thank you. Um, can we sit?"

I nod and take her hand. I hold my hand out and motion for my parents to sit on one of the sofas. Becky and I sit on the other while we wait for the food to arrive.

"I talked to your Grandmother" my father starts. "And, she'd be happy to have you come and stay at Bellevue for a while. Until you are ready to go back to Cambridge."

"Thanks Dad, but I was going to talk to her about it." Becky and I have been staying at this hotel to avoid the media, but Bellevue is so much bigger and it is safe. We'd be able to spend time outside without public view. My parents' home is safe too, but I thought it would be too much to stay there right now since Ava, Uncle Ethan and his kids are currently staying there. I talked to Dad about it first because I wanted him to understand why I wanted to take Becky to Bellevue instead of home. He agreed but I didn't intend for him to talk to Grandma.

"It's no trouble" he says casually as he takes Mom's hand and squeezes it.

"You know your father. He wants to take care of his family" my Mother says as she looks lovingly at Dad. He brings her hand to his lips and plants a few kisses. My parents' relationship is so solid and just beautiful. I really admire how they are together, and I hope that Becky and I can have that someday. Right now we need to work through everything that's happened this past year.

After we eat, Dad gets me to take a walk with him so that Mom can spend some time with Becky. I'm hesitant to leave. I haven't left her side since I arrived at the hospital in Arizona. Becky insists that she'll be fine with Mom. After all, Reynolds will be here. I kiss her cheek and follow Dad out of the room.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana's POV

Christian and I thought it would be a good idea to visit Teddy and Rebecca today. They've been cooped up at this hotel all week, I'm sure it's not healthy. They need to get out and spend some time in the sun, get some fresh air. Christian told me that they'll be spending some time at Bellevue, which will give them great opportunity to be outside more without the fear of media attention. I'd rather have them stay with us, but I understand it is not practical right now. Rebecca needs some time to heal and that will be hard to do with a house full of kids. Rebecca. I need to remember to call her Becky. That's going to be tough.

When Christian and Teddy step out for a bit, I take the opportunity to show her some pictures of the kids and the babies. I had brought my iPad because I figured it would lift her spirits. It works. She has a huge smile on her face as she scrolls through the photos that I've been taking over the past few weeks. The kids are always doing funny things and the babies are always making funny faces and laughing.

"I miss Natalie so much. She is such a sweetie. How is she doing?"

"She has her moments" I say jokingly and we both giggle. "She likes school, she plays really well with her cousins, she sits with me sometimes when I feed the babies, but I think sometimes she gets tired of having to share the attention."

She finishes and gives the iPad back to me. "Thank you, I really like seeing pictures of them. I hope I get to spend some time with them before we go back East."

"Of course. You and Teddy can come over anytime" I tell her. "I know that staying with us would be too much…"

"I hope you're not disappointed" she cuts me off.

"No" I say and quickly reach down to put my hand on top of hers, but I quickly pull it back because she flinches. "I'm…. so sorry."

"No, it's okay" she assures me. I think she's a little embarrassed. "Sudden movements startle me, I… you didn't do anything wrong."

"You've been through something terrible. It's understandable."

She nods and looks down. "I put Teddy through something horrible too."

"Honey, this is not your fault" I tell her.

"Part of me knows that, but part of me still feels responsible. I know I didn't ask for this to happen. But… " she looks down again and plays with her hands. "I know that you know that… I cheated on Teddy."

"I know. And my husband knows. And so do the authorities that worked on your case. My son respects you so much. He was never going to tell anyone. But he had to when the authorities questioned him."

"Ana, I love your son so much. What I did was really stupid and I have no idea why he's chosen to forgive me, but he has. He's been incredible through this whole thing."

"Yes he has" I say calmly, hoping that she calms down. "I'm really proud of him. He's handling everything so maturely."

"Teddy forgiving me is one thing. But I'm sure his parents have an opinion on the subject."

She looks at me and waits for me to respond. I take in a deep breath and let it out. "Okay. I'll admit I wasn't happy to hear that you cheated on my son. In fact I was furious that you would hurt him like that, especially after everything he's done for you. But I had some time to think about it."

"Have you come to any conclusions?" she asks me.

"I have. I tried to put myself in your shoes, but I realized that I couldn't because I wasn't in a serious relationship at your age. You're young and you're still trying to discover who you are, and that could be difficult to do when you're in a relationship. I'm not saying that what you did was okay, but making mistakes is part of growing up. And you and Teddy are still doing that."

"How old were you when you met Mr Grey?" I smile at the quick memory that runs through my mind, the memory of falling into his office. She smiles too and manages to laugh. "What, what were you thinking about?"

I can't stop smiling as I explain. "I met him when I was twenty one. I went to interview him for the college newspaper, and I clumsily fell into his office." We both laugh, which is a good thing because I need her to relax. "I was still young, and I made mistakes. So I guess I can sort of relate. It was tough juggling being a young wife and starting a new job."

"But, you didn't cheat on your husband."

"No, no I didn't."

"What mistakes did you make?"

I didn't expect to divulge so much to my son's girlfriend, but I decide to tell her some things in hopes that she can feel more at ease. "Well, like I said I wasn't in a serious relationship when I was young. I've dated some guys but Mr Grey was my first serious boyfriend. It took some time to adjust to having someone in my life that worried about me and felt jealous of other men in my life. I often pushed his buttons before I realized just how much it hurt him."

"What did you do?"

"I remember leaving the apartment one time to pick up some things from the market. I was wearing a really short skirt. I didn't think it was that short at the time, but I felt guilty as soon as I realized." I bite my lip as I remember that day. It was his birthday.

"No offense, but that doesn't seem too bad."

"It's not, but it really bothered him. And then on our honeymoon we were on a topless beach, and he didn't want me to go topless. When he went swimming in the ocean I decided to lie on my stomach without my top, but I fell asleep. When I woke up I realized that I turned over and I was lying on my back."

"Oh, oh my…. I'm sure he wasn't too thrilled about that."

"Oh, he was angry." I can't help but giggle, although it was no laughing matter when it happened.

"Thank you"

"For what?"

"For making this okay" she says. "I know it's not. And I know that I need to work hard to regain everyone's trust. And I'm going to."

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian's POV

I take my son to a private dining area so that we can have some time alone. Ana and I thought it would be a great idea to each spend some time with Teddy and Rebecca today and sort of give them a break from each other. From what I understand, Teddy has not left her side. If that were Ana, I would not leave her side either.

"Do you own this hotel?" he asks me.

"No, but I know the owner. I called in a favor so that the media doesn't bother us."

I order a coffee and my son orders a soda. We just had a big lunch in his suite so neither of us is hungry.

"How are you, Son?"

"I'm ready to get out of this hotel" he tells me. "Don't get me wrong, Becky and I appreciate being able to stay here. It's quiet, it's comfortable, and the media has no idea that we're here. I've been able to take care of my girl and make her feel safe."

"That's good. She looked a bit uncomfortable when we first arrived, but she seemed to relax during lunch."

He takes a sip of his soda. "She needs some time to adjust to being around people again. I even have to be careful when I touch her. I have to make sure she knows that I going to do it."

"But she lets you?"

"Yeah, she lets me. And she's talked to me a little bit about what she went through."

"But you're not pushing her…"

"No, God no. The doctors told me not to push or ask questions. They said that it should come at her pace. But I think when she's ready she should see a professional."

"I can ask Flynn to recommend someone."

"Thank you, and thank you again for talking to Grandma. I planned on doing that, I just…. I don't like to leave her side, even for a second. If it weren't for Mom being upstairs with her right now I wouldn't have left her…."

"Hey hey, I know, I get it." I interrupt him. "Relax, Son." He runs his hand through his hair and leaves his hand on his head. "Have you been sleeping?"

"I sleep… some. I mostly watch her sleep. I spend the time reflecting on the fact that she's back. You know? She's alive. I was hoping she'd be alive but in the back of my mind…. I knew there was a possibility that she wasn't. And it just crushed me."

I sigh and look at my son as he struggles. I know he was having a hard time with Rebecca's disappearance and that he was drinking. He was drinking heavily the night that I called him to tell him about Rebecca. We never really talked about that, but there is another crucial topic that I need to discuss with him. The drinking lecture will have to wait.

"Does Rebecca know about the girl in your apartment?" He looks at me with such tired eyes, and then they grow wide.

"How did you know about that?"

I smirk at him, even though I am angry as hell that he kept this from me. "You know it was only a matter of time before I found out. So who is she?"

He lets out a long sigh and shakes his head. "Dad, it's not what you think."

"What do I think?"

"You think I'm sleeping with this girl."

"Are you?"

"Of course not."

"I'm glad to hear that. So, why all the secrecy? Why didn't you tell me someone was staying at your apartment?" He looks down and shakes his head again. He doesn't want to tell me. "Is she in trouble?"

"Dad, the less you know the better."

"Not good enough. I need to know what is going on, Ted. What's her name?"

"Sarah."

"Sarah…. what? What's her last name?" He gives me a blank look. "Theodore"

"Look, I don't know, okay? That's the truth. I don't know her last name."

"What do you know about this girl?"

He taps his fingers on the table for a few seconds and looks down at his soda. "Dad, I'm just trying to help her. We saved her one night when she was attacked, and when I found out she was homeless I insisted she stay in the second bedroom."

"But you don't know anything about this girl?"

"No, but it doesn't matter. She's actually been a good friend through this whole thing. And I did tell Becky about her." I nod and take a sip of my coffee. "And I told Becky that I kissed her." I have to work really hard not to spit out my coffee. I manage to swallow.

"You what?"

"That night, actually. The night that you called me. I had been drinking…."

"Yeah, we need to talk about that too."

"Look, Dad, I know. I shouldn't drink. I know I'm underage, but I just felt so lost and so….. sad. I was really sad and hopeless."

I take another sip of my coffee and shake my head. "I hope you know that drinking doesn't solve anything."

"I know. I just wanted to drink enough to make the pain stop, even if it was just going to be temporary."

"And it backfired and you kissed this girl?"

"It shouldn't have happened. Sarah and I talked about it and we agreed that it was wrong. I was missing Becky and she was down about some guy. She knows that Becky is the one for me. She even helped searched for her."

"I don't like this, Ted. If she's staying with you I'd like to know more about her."

"Dad, I really need you to let this go. I know you are all about security and protecting your family, but I don't need to be protected from her. And if I do, I have an army of security guards back in Cambridge."

I keep my eye on him as I drink more of my coffee. It is hard to just let this go and let my son handle this. I know he is an adult, but he's still my kid. I need to keep him safe. He's not willing to tell me anything about this girl, so I'll need to hire someone that can.

Happy Holidays everyone! I'm very excited to be able to upload a new chapter. It took me some time to finish. I hope you enjoy it!