I know it's been a very long time. I don't have any valid excuses… Life just happens. I'm so thankful for having such loyal readers, who stick around in spite of my misdemeanors.

Singing your Shades is coming to an end. My Christian and my Ana have lived through a lot, have overcome a lot of obstacles and have learned very important, very valuable things in life. It's bittersweet, but this is the last chapter. I'm working on an epilogue, but chapter 40 will be the last regular one.

I hope you love it!

CHAPTER 40

Music:

Take me to church. Hozier (inspiration)

The clock ticked second after second, the click of the passing hand resonating raucously in the thick silence of Christian's living room. He replayed all of the madness he had just lived through at the hospital just some hours before. His meltdown in front of his family; Elena's frightened face when he hurled all his hurt and rage toward her; the police, officers Johnson and McCarthy included, barging into Elliot's room and taking the bitch with them. He also remembered his father's eyes… the same ones that were quietly watching his every move right at that moment.

Christian ran his right hand over his face and through his hair, deep tiredness setting in his battered bones.

"I was going to talk to you after the brunch, mom, dad… but now we should be at the hospital with Elliot…" Christian said, abruptly standing then pacing the room restlessly. He looked pleadingly to them, his mother and father sitting stiffly on the sectional, his sister hunched in a ball on an armchair with her lost gaze unfocused on the muted tones in the silk Persian rug.

Kate had remained with Elliot at the hospital. Carla and Bob had gone back to the Fairmont. Ray had returned to Montesano and Ethan had reluctantly gone home after getting Mia somewhat calm enough to stop bawling her eyes out.

"Elliot…" Grace's voice cracked. She closed her eyes trying to compose herself. "Elliot will be fine, Christian. His doctors are continuing with their plan to keep him under sedation until tomorrow. Kate will tell us if something changes." She took a deep breath, letting go slowly as she anchored her hand between Carrick's bigger ones. "Now, we need to know what happened to our other son."

"Ok," Christian answered as a sour taste filled his mouth. He hung his head like a convict being led to the gallows. Ana stepped by his side, slipping her hand in his wordlessly. She was by his side and always will be. He looked at her; pain, guilt, and shame obscuring his face and drying his mouth. But the only feelings radiating from Ana were love and understanding. His features softened a little, his shoulders easing an inch. She was there, with him, forever.

"Son, what has Elena done?" Carrick asked tiredly. Worry lines covered his forehead as he looked at Christian. "And I don't mean what she has done to be involved in Jack Hyde's attack to my sons or Leila William's brutal assault… that, you will explain later." Carrick exhaled. "What I mean is… what has she done to you?" His eyes were kind, worried, anxious even, but not judgmental. Christian's shoulders sagged as he let go of a shaky breath. Ana squeezed his hand once again and accompanied him to a free chair, where he took a seat as she stood by his side.

"There's so much I have to tell you…"

"We're here to listen to you, darling," Grace said warmly.

Christian took a deep breath before speaking. "It all began the summer I went to work on Elena's backyard." He looked at his parents and his sister. Mia's morose face made his stomach churn. "I… she…" he hissed, frustrated and ashamed, rubbing his eyes with his thumb and index finger. "We began a sexual relationship."

A choked-up gasp stole Grace's voice, who sobbed into her hand as her suspicions turned into an ugly reality.

"She had sex with you?" Carrick's tone was louder, angrier. "Rather say she took advantage of you… How old were you? Sixteen?"

"I was fifteen." Christian didn't meet their eyes.

Silence took over the room; glassy stares and shaky breaths filling the spaces that were too strained to be filled with words.

After a few moments filled with a thick tension while everyone was trying to process the enormity of Christian's revelation, Grace whispered, "You changed." Her lost gaze now focused on her son. "After that summer… you changed. You were well-behaved; you kept up your grades…" Her eyes pleaded some kind of explanation. "But you also became more introverted. You were aloof… cold even," Grace whispered, silent tears running down her cheeks.

"She rewarded me with sex if I behaved," Christian answered gravely, still not meeting their eyes. "I… I was ashamed. But I didn't want it to end. I liked it… most of the time." Christian closed his eyes, shaking his head. "Anyway, I didn't want you to find out, ever."

"We would have helped you." Carrick shook his head, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I didn't see it like that back then," Christian tried to explain. "I was convinced she was helping me. For a long time, she had me fooled. I was completely brainwashed." He looked at Ana with glassy eyes. "Ana made me realize how wrong I was." Ana gulped wordlessly and kissed his forehead with a teary smile.

"But… your touch issues…" Mia talked for the first time. She was pale and her bloodshot eyes were wide. "I thought nobody could touch you that way before Ana."

Christian shifted in his seat uncomfortably. His skin prickled with cold sweat and his heart thumped forcefully against his ribcage. Ana gently squeezed his good shoulder and kissed his head once again.

"What aren't you telling us?" Mia pushed. Her lips trembled with anguish as her eyes never left Christian's.

"Mia…" Christian exhaled pleadingly. The look in Mia's eyes, haunting and glistening as a memory returned to her, told him much more than her words could.

"One day I went barreling to your bedroom because I wanted to show you a mug I had done in Art class at school…" Mia's face went paler, if possible, her voice shaky. "You were just out of the shower and yelled at me to get out, covering yourself with the towel… but I saw it."

Christian closed his eyes, his face contorting as if in pain, remembering that afternoon. Ana wrapped her arms around him.

"Mia, what are you talking about?" Carrick asked her, gulping heavily.

"I saw the marks." Mia closed her eyes, a single tear spilling down her cheek. "All over his back. And his wrists. Purple, angry marks." Mia choked on her last words.

"Mia, please, don't be sad because of me. I don't deserve it, and it wasn't like that…" Christian begged again to his sister, wishing he could wash away all her pain. He didn't deserve her tears and she didn't deserve all that heartbreak.

"What was it like, then?" Grace's strong voice burst out, more robust than she felt capable of, while her face was drowning in tears and her heart was breaking too. "She stalked you like prey, and then she fucked you and beat you? She took advantage of your touch issues and your insecurities…" Grace's eyes went wide and wild, unfocused as she looked at her son, almost panicked. "God, I gave you to her on a silver platter!" She fell apart, crumbling on Christian's chest as he took her in a tight embrace.

"Fuck, mom, it's not your fault!" Christian cried, burying his face in his mother's hair.

Carrick approached them after taking Mia with him, joining mother and son in a family embrace. Ana stood by their side, heartbroken and also silently crying. Carrick turned his head and looked at her with a warm, thankful expression over his obvious pain.

"We have so much to thank you for, Ana…" he whispered.

Ana shrugged one shoulder, biting the corner of her bottom lip wordlessly.

Grace looked at her as if a veil had been lifted from her eyes. "No wonder she hates you…" She said, thinking about all the times she had noticed the tension between the two women, but had thought nothing of it. "I've been such a fool… God, I'm gonna kill the bitch!" Grace sobbed once again.

"She's not worth it, Grace," Ana sighed.

"Come here," Carrick rasped, inviting her into the family bond, beckoning her with his arm.

She timidly accepted, approaching their open arms. Christian looked at her; pain, hope, and relief mixed in his wistful expression of crystalline eyes and parted lips. No words were necessary as a silent 'I love you' showed all over his face.

_§ § 0 § §_

"As long as Leila Williams talks, Elena is really up the creek," Carrick mused while sipping his coffee. "I will ensure her case doesn't hit any snags as it goes through the system. No matter what, she will rot in prison." His face was dead serious as he nodded, lifting his mug in the air as if making a toast.

After their emotional breakdown and a trip down to memory lane, they were all gathered around the breakfast bar, drinking coffee and munching on pastries that Gail had set out a while ago. Mia was sitting beside Christian, her left hand tightly grasped with his right one.

"Thank you, dad." Christian looked at his father, clear eyes shining with gratitude.

"Now, I don't want to talk about that bitch for a while, but… this Jack Hyde… why the hell did he want to kill my sons?" Carrick looked at Christian and Ana. His forehead was marred with worry lines and his eyes were inquisitive but kind.

Christian and Ana had only scratched the surface of the tangled mess of lies and manipulations that lead to Hyde's final crime. It seemed, though, that Carrick was ready for more.

"He wanted to kill me, not Elliot. He…" Christian let go of Mia and ran a hand over his face. "Elliot was an innocent victim; Hyde was after me." Ana shook her head; it pained her hearing him talk as if it was his fault.

"Is it something business-related?" Grace asked that time.

"No, it's not. It's a long story…" Christian sighed, shaking his head. "He was a sick bastard, but we never thought he could go that far…"

"Was he on your radar, son?" Carrick inquired again, instinctively leaning over the breakfast bar.

"Yes, he was definitively on our radar, dad," Christian confirmed.

"Now I understand why Taylor and Sawyer were so beside themselves," Carrick mused.

"They are beating themselves up for what happened," Mia further explained.

"Fuck, I will talk to them." Christian looked at Ana, who nodded wordlessly.

"So… Hyde?" Carrick asked again, more intrigued at that moment.

"He was my former boss at Everybody's." Ana nervously bit the corner of her bottom lip. "He saw me performing at college, and offered me a job right after graduation at the magazine. He also offered me the gig at the Coping Together masquerade ball…" She frowned, not having thought about it until then. "He wasn't a good boss. He was tyrannical and lazy. I even called him out about stealing the work of some of my companions along with my own article, but it was no use. He kept harassing me and behaving strangely until I finally quit."

Christian shook his head, cursing under his breath. "That sick fucker! I didn't like him one bit from the very beginning, so we ran a background check on him. We were suspicious of sexual harassment to his previous assistants, but we didn't have anything solid, just patterns that don't occur in a healthy work environment. He… he also had a connection with me." Christian kept quiet, bile rising to his mouth. "It seems he held a grudge against me, but I didn't find out until it was too late." He took a deep breath, exhaling slowly before speaking again. "He was one of the foster kids at the Collins'".

"The… the Collins?" Grace stammered, her right hand gripping the collar of her beige shirt. "What...? How…? Why would he do that? Why would he attack my sons?" Her voice strained as she tried not to crumble.

Christian exhaled loudly, his head shaking, tired and frustrated. "It's a whole other shitty story…"

"This is something that has been going on for quite some time, am I right?" Carrick looked between Christian and Ana.

They looked at each other, a look of understanding between them before Christian began explaining how all that situation had evolved. The moment that Jack realized that Ana was Christian's girlfriend; what they knew of how Elena, Leila, and Jose got involved with him; how they manipulated Christian with the fake images, and how they discovered the brutal attack of Leila from Isaac.

"He had been off our radar since that night and… fuck, we lowered our guard and look what happened!" Christian chastised himself, his fingers gripping his hair painfully.

"I understand Hyde was a sick bastard, and a desperate one, I might add, so he didn't have anything to lose…" Carrick began to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Now Elliot has taken the brunt of Hyde's delusions." Christian's voice was broken, etched with guilt.

"Son…" Carrick tried to reason with him, but Christian interrupted him.

"No, dad. I need to say this. I feel like all this is my fault. If I would have told you about Elena sooner, none of this would have happened. Even Jack, going after me, has hurt Ana, Leila, Jose, Isaac and now, Elliot. So… yeah, intellectually I know I'm not the one to blame, but I can't help but feel responsible for it all." He took a deep breath and looked at Ana, a mixture of hope and trepidation filling his face. "I also know that, with time and with your help, I will move past it." He looked down to his half-full coffee mug, a soft pink tinge coloring his cheeks. "Let me thank you all in advance, in case I forget."

Ana looked at him in adoration, her lips curling up with pride and admiration at the big step he had just taken by expressing his feelings to his family. They all hushed him with caring words and happy tears.

_§ § 0 § §_

"This is so badass!" Elliot laughed goofily, pointing to the thick, linear scar that crossed his entire left leg, almost from hip to ankle. "I'm like Chuck Norris and John McClane put together, but in a much nicer package."

Kate rolled her eyes dramatically, smiling emotionally right after with unshed tears. She cupped Elliot's face between her hands and planted a smacking kiss on his pursed lips while snickering. "You are waaaay better than them, babe."

"It's definitely much better than that bald spot you got in there, bro. Not cool at all!" He pointed at Christian with a cheesy grin.

Christian's hand instinctively reached to the left side of his head, noticing the shaved area and the tender scar marring his temple. He chuckled; relieved and thankful for the prompt recuperation of his brother. A few days had passed since Jack's attack. Elliot was still at the hospital but had been moved to the regular trauma ward. Christian didn't have to wear the tight sling, only a cloth one to reduce strain while his shoulder healed, plus he was barred from any kind of exertion with his left arm.

"I think those medicines make you high, Lelliot," he joked.

He knew what his brother was doing. Elliot didn't want him to blame himself for what had happened. He would get there, someday, but was having a hard time if the dark shadows under his eyes were any indication.

"You are like a badass Jason Borne, and we love you for it, Elliot." Ana was so thankful for Elliot's selfless behavior toward Christian. Taking his role as big brother, he was trying to alleviate some the emotional self-imposed weight that Christian carried by seeing Elliot recovering from what he perceived to be his injuries.

"I'm just thankful you are in one piece," Kate said emotionally.

"Oh, baby, come here." Elliot ushered Kate into his arms. "Don't cry; you know I hate it when you do. You can't get rid of me so easily, weeds are not killed by the frost," he chuckled, kissing her forehead. She responded by kissing him square on his lips.

Ana watched Christian's pained expression, shame obscuring his tired features.

"We're heading out, leaving you two alone for a bit." Ana stood up, sensing that Christian had had enough for one day. He took her hand and followed her without question, a tired, grateful smile on his face.

_§ § 0 § §_

Once at Escala, Ana drew a bath for both of them. She cocooned him between her legs, leisurely running her hands over his hair, brushing his thick locks and massaging his scalp, being mindful of his stitches. He groaned in satisfaction, tilting his head back, which was leaning against her chest.

"I love you, Christian." She encircled him in her arms and kissed the top of his head.

He turned sideways to look her in the eye. "I love you too, baby." His face was tired but more serene. His eyes were clearer and his lips suddenly turned up in a small smile. "Thank you."

"What for?" Ana combed his hair off of his forehead, letting her fingertips gently caress down his earlobe to his jaw and stroking his neck.

"For being here. For being you. For your unconditional support." His fingers also traced the side of her face.

"How can I not take care of my future husband?" Ana teased him with a lopsided smile. Her eyes subconsciously dropped to the gorgeous diamond on her left hand, widening a little as if she couldn't believe it was really there.

Christian looked at it too; then his eyes turned to her face. His smile was so big it could light up the whole city. "You truly are the light in my day." He turned around, framing her face with his large hands. "And I can't wait to marry you."

He drew his lips to hers in a slow, sensual kiss that made her breath hitch. They hadn't been intimate since the incident, but soon it morphed into something carnal and passionate. Christian knelt on the bathtub floor, grabbing her by her waist and putting her flush against him. He stood up, taking her with.

"Your shoulder, baby…" Ana shrieked when he tried to carry her out of the bathtub.

"You're a lightweight," he chuckled, nibbling on her earlobe. "I can perfectly carry you with only my right arm," he teased with smiling eyes. "Stop worrying and let me make love to my future wife."

_§ § 0 § §_

Ana walked into the cafeteria, shaking off her umbrella before placing it in the umbrella stand at the entrance. A beaming Claire was waving her hand enthusiastically, barely able to keep her butt on her seat.

"Claire, you look good girl!" Ana squealed as they hugged each other tightly.

"You too, Ana! How are you, girl? How are Christian and his brother?" Claire asked as they took their seats.

"They are doing fine," she sighed. "It's been a tough week, but they will be fine."

"I couldn't believe it when I saw it on TV… One night you were singing at your debut and the next day…" Claire shook her head in disbelief.

"It was awful." Ana's lips turned down in a frown.

"I can relate," Claire answered empathetically. "Well, actually I probably can't, because it's such a horrible situation, but you know what I mean." She smiled sadly.

"I know. I appreciate it." Ana took her offered hand.

"I can't understand for the love of God how in the world someone snaps and does something like that…"

The news of the incident had been all over the TV, taking into account it happened right in the middle of downtown Seattle and that it involved the entire Grey family. But the identity of the aggressor had not been revealed. People assumed it was some random madman, someone who had lost control of their vehicle, or had a heart attack and crashed. Although some talk-show guests speculated that it had to be some shady business deal going south.

Ana tried to think about something to say, anything to change the course of the conversation as a waitress came to take their orders, but she was too wired up to think.

"How's work?" She chirped way too gleefully.

"Oh, God! It's been complete chaos!" Claire exclaimed, waving her hands dramatically. "Jack's gone AWOL and we have been working non-stop, doing what we can. It's like everything is going to fall down like a house of cards at any minute; something smells fishy, but the bigwigs are keeping their mouths shut. Why did you have to leave, Ana?" She wined playfully after her rambling.

A feeling of dread sunk in the pit of Ana's stomach, making her feel nauseous. Her teeth sank in her bottom lip as her hands turned sweaty. She tried to dry them on her jean-clad thighs while Claire further explained what was going on at the office.

"What about Roach?" Ana asked in a small voice. "I tried to contact him a while ago to tell him about Jack, but he didn't ever get back to me."

"Oh, yes, Roach!" Claire slapped her forehead. "Guess what? It seems that Roach is secluded in a retirement home in Eugene, Oregon. The poor man has dementia. Apparently, he's been that way for years now, and Jack was the one managing everything under his name. People in the office bet he has run away with the money."

"Wow…" Ana managed to say. "At least he hasn't killed him," she muttered.

"What?" Claire squealed with a horrified face. "Can you imagine? What a horrible thing it would've been…"

Ana closed her eyes, shaking her head. She huffed; Jack had all of them fooled with his lies.

"Claire, I have something to tell you, but you have to promise me not to tell anyone," Ana said in a tentative voice.

"Is it something related to that big rock hanging of your left ring finger?" Claire answered playfully, wiggling her eyebrows.

Ana chuckled, eyeing her gorgeous ring, but sobered right away. "No, it's not that, but I promise you to tell you about it too," she smiled. "But listen, it's something big, and ugly, and sensitive, so I trust you not to tell anyone?" Ana looked Claire in the eye.

Claire's face turned serious and she nodded with a mix of expectation and sincerity. "You can trust me, Ana."

Ana sighed. "Ok, let me tell you the back story of Jack…"

_§ § 0 § §_

Some days later, Ana and Christian were at home enjoying a rare peaceful afternoon.

"So, I've been thinking," Ana said out of nowhere, throwing her pen on the papers sitting over her crossed legs. She looked sideways to Christian, biting the corner of her lip while fidgeting with her fingers on her lap.

He was sat on the sofa across from her; relaxed in his loose t-shirt, faded jeans and bare feet with his long legs stretched over the plush seat cushions.

"You've been thinking…" Christian repeated, amused, moving his laptop aside and folding his arms over his chest. When Ana kept fidgeting and looking at some undetermined spot lost in thought, he chuckled. "You can tell me, or not…"

Ana looked at him with a sheepish smile. "I've been thinking about Everybody's possession."

It had been a few days since Ana had met with Claire. Their lives were gradually returning to normal; Elliot was home and fast recovering thanks to an intensive rehabilitation program; Elena was in custody and Leila was also doing better, but she had not made her statement yet.

"Ok. What about it?" Christian moved closer, picking her up and putting her on his lap, straddling him, making all the papers scatter all over the sofa and on the floor. "Eyes on me," he smirked, pointing at her playfully with his index and middle finger.

She rolled her eyes smiling.

"I'm thinking… something has to be done. I only work two nights per week, leaving me with a lot of spare time. I have a shit ton of ideas that I'm sure will work."

"Do you want to take over Everybody's possession?" Christian asked, thrilled at the idea. "I will back you every step of the way and, of course, you can also count on my financial support."

"Umm…" Ana scrunched her nose. Christian couldn't help but kiss it. "I was thinking more about a cooperative, where all coworkers could have a say and share responsibilities and profits. It's just an idea… and I would have to talk with the rest of the staff…"

"Just an idea, uh?" Christian chuckled, raising an eye brow. "If I were to take a look at all those papers you have over there, I wouldn't find anything about cooperatives, right?" Ana pursed her lips, hiding her guilty smile. "Just what I thought." Christian lifted that seductive brow once again.

"Claire thinks it's a good idea." Ana put her arms around Christian's neck.

"I'm positive it's a brilliant idea," he answered truthfully. "I want to help you. Show me your ideas, your approach. We will put together a business plan your colleagues won't be capable to turn down."

"Thank you, baby," Ana smiled. "Do you really think it's not something silly?" Her wide eyes showed her trepidation.

"Of course not, baby. I know you can do whatever you set your mind to, Ana. You are brilliant, talented and determined. And, although you will totally be a damn hot businesswoman, I will try not to be blinded with your sexiness when you show me your plan," he chuckled against her ear.

She sighed, closing her eyes blissfully with the feeling of his breath on her skin. "I love it when you go all businessman on me," she teased, playing with the hairs at the nape of his neck.

"You want me to be a rude businessman, take all I want and how I want it?" His hands circled her waist and pressed her tight against him.

"Yes…"

"I want to rip off your clothes and fest on you all night long," he sucked on her neck behind her ear, making her gasp and moan.

"I want you to fuck me with your mouth, your fingers and your cock. I want you to fuck me hard and fast and then deep and slow… you know, that thing you do that makes us both go crazy…" Her breathy voice washed over his face, over his mouth.

"Yeah…" Christian groaned when Ana bit his chin. "Fuck baby, business plans tomorrow. Bedroom now."

_§ § 0 § §_

"Thank you for seeing me with such short notice," Officer McCarthy said as he shook hands with Christian and Ana.

"Thank you for keeping us posted, officer." Christian's tone was firm and polite, the same one he used in business meetings. "Please, have a seat."

Earlier in the day, Officer McCarthy had called Christian asking for a meeting with him to tell him about some new developments in Elena's case, along with information they uncovered about Jack. He immediately had asked Ana to head to Grey House and join him.

They sat side by side. The officer sat across them in the plush guest chair situated at the other side of Christian's impressive mahogany desk.

"Nice office you have here, Grey," McCarthy drawled looking around the room.

"Thank you, officer." Christian's smile was strained, anxious to hear was he had to say.

Andrea entered the room with a tray of coffee and some bottles of water, arranging everything on the desk before excusing herself.

McCarthy looked at them with practiced calmness, stalling for time to take the measure of their demeanor. "We have Leila Williams' statement," he finally said. Ana closed her eyes, relieved, lightly squeezing Christian's hand under the table. Christian nodded wordlessly, his face a perfect mask of serenity while he squeezed back Ana's hand. "She explained how her relationship with Hyde evolved over the years and how Elena Lincoln was involved in the last months. She explained how she was required to interfere in both your lives, per their request. Her statement mostly supports yours, and then some…" McCarthy whistled shaking his head. "Hyde was breaking so many laws, if he were still alive, he would be deep in a pile of shit up to his eyeballs. We are presuming that's probably why he lost it." He gulped his bottle of water. "He also had committed some administrative felonies, especially related to Everybody's Possession…" he dragged the last words as he read the name of the magazine off his worn notepad. Then looked at Ana.

"I'm aware of it. Claire, one of my former co-workers and a friend of mine, filled me in a few days ago," Ana explained.

"They don't know half of it," McCarthy waved his hand in the air, "anyway; again, this information also supports your previous statement."

"So, what's next?" Christian asked.

"The district attorney wants to gather as much information as possible about Elena Lincoln, so it might take a while until all of the charges applicable are filed against her. I can assure you that she is not to get out of jail until the trial, based solely on the brutality of the attempted murder of Leila and Elena's abandoning her in that apartment. And by the looks of it, she will be in the penitentiary for a long time after it."

Finally, Christian's shoulders sagged, relief flooding his body, washing away his mask of nonchalance for a moment.

"Thank you so much for your time, and the good news, officer," Christian thanked the man in front of him with a two handed handshake.

"We are available to you for whatever you need from us," Ana told him as they shook hands.

"You're welcome. Thank you both for your cooperation. Oh, and congratulations on your engagement."

They saw Officer McCarthy out to the elevator and were about to return to Christian's office when Taylor approached them from the security office.

"Ms. Steele, Sir. I've taken a look at the résumés you wanted me to check for the new security detail positions." Taylor held his usual military stance, but he didn't meet Christian's eyes.

"Good. Can you come to my office now? Ask Sawyer to join us too, please." Christian dismissed him and turned to his office.

"You're so full of shit," Ana admonished him playfully. "Poor Taylor!"

Christian smirked but didn't answer because Taylor and Sawyer entered the room, closing the door behind them.

"Ok, let me see…" Christian leaned over the edge of his desk, waving his hand as he asked for the files in Taylor's hand. He made a show of looking through them, squinting and rubbing his chin with his fingers. "This seems fine," he said, tossing the papers behind him on the desk. Ana took place beside him. "Do you think three men would be enough?" Christian asked.

Taylor squared his shoulders, clearing his throat before speaking. "I think you'll do just fine, Sir. I will make sure they are fully trained in no time."

"Sir, Taylor and I…" Sawyer began speaking but stopped abruptly with Taylor's death glare directed at him.

"Perfect, now we can move on to another issue…" Christian said nonchalantly.

"For God's sake, Christian! Put them out of their misery!" Ana chuckled beside him, slapping his arm with two white envelopes she had in her hand. "Sorry he's been such a jerk; he thought it would be funny. Here, these are for you two." Ana handed the envelopes to them.

Taylor eyed it carefully, turning it in his hands. A questioning brow arched as his face grew warier with each second. Sawyer broke the seal and carelessly took the contents out. His eyes roamed over the thick pentagram sheet; his palpable hurt morphing into relief. He looked at Taylor, tilting his head with an encouraging smile, nudging him to open his envelope. Gulping, he did, scanning the contents with a shaky breath. He looked at Christian, nodding wordlessly with a lump in his throat. Christian held his stare, nodding back.

"I need new security detail for our wedding because my two most valuable men will be attending as guests." Christian's voice rasped with emotion. "After all, I hope I can call them my friends."

"Of course you can, Sir," Taylor answered, his gruff voice cracking too.

"Congratulations!" Sawyer boomed with enthusiasm, opening his arms wide. He engulfed Ana in a tight hug and gave Christian a heartfelt handshake, noting an uncharacteristic wide toothy smile on the boss that was becoming more and more the norm with Ana by his side.

Taylor remained more subdued but no less emotional.

Once Taylor and Sawyer left, Christian leaned on his desk, sighing. Ana put herself between his legs, snaking her hands around him to play with the soft hair at the nape of his neck. Christian's hands went absentmindedly to her waist.

Ana took in his pensive expression. "What are you thinking?" She looked him in the eye, trying to decipher the mixture of feelings showing on his handsome face.

He looked at her; his clear gray eyes shining with the bright light coming from the midday sun. His features softened, dotting him with a boyish look.

Tightening his arms around her waist, his voice sounded clear, happy and confident. "I'm thinking… that I'm finally free."

§ § - THE END - § §

Thank you again for your time and your words of encouragement. Thank you too for your critiques. They made me a better writer.

I love so much this story and its characters that it's almost tragic to see them go, but everything led to its natural end, right? It's been such an adventure!

Now, please, let me read your thoughts.

See you at the epilogue! (wedding bells and all!)