(Christian Pov's)
Christian is checking the landing markers through the bubble windows of Charlie Tango as he neatly touches her down on Escala's rooftop helipad. He looks to Taylor, giving him a nod and a slight smile. As they unclip themselves, he remembers the first time he buckled Anastasia into the harness. A slow grin spreads onto his impossibly handsome face, his memories so colorful now that he has her. As always, the intensity of his love for her takes his breath away, bubbling up with a joy he never gets enough of. He's still amazed that he has this capacity inside of him. She brings out the best in him; she's made him so much more than he was and he's so, so thrilled that she belongs to him. He cannot wait to see her, hold her, kiss her, possess her... He just hopes that she understands what she means to him. He tries to show her, but his experience with hearts and flowers is limited and, of course, he knows he can be difficult to live with.
His grin spreads further as he thinks about how much she tries his patience sometimes. She's like a breath of fresh air, he muses, before it dawns on him that the description doesn't quite fit. No, rather - she is the air he breathes. Satisfied with his summation, he jogs across the rooftop, hunched forward to avoid the worst of the helicopter blades' whir. As he reaches for the entry keypad, the building door bursts open, startling both him and Taylor. Sawyer is standing in front of them, breathing hard. The flush of the man's face along with his harrowed gaze puts Christian's body on high alert. With muscles bunching and adrenaline spiking, his honed instincts only take a second to kick in.
"Mr. Grey, she's gone! I just.... I was busy... I..." Sawyer stumbles over his words, horror distorting his usually impassive features.
"What? What do you mean she's gone?" Christian barks as his brow furrows. His tone is sharp, anger and shock most apparent, but there's a part of him that's hopeful he didn't hear that quite right.
"Sir, she cut the power and sneaked out the fire escape stairwell while I was on the phone to Welch." Sawyer holds Christian's angry stare, taking responsibility for the slip he knows could cost him his job.
Slowly the blood drains from Christian's face as fear starts to crowd his mind. All he manages past the claws of terror that have him in a firm grip is, "Why?"
Sawyer's eyes flicker with anguish, then pity. "She left a note, sir."
"Where?" Christian growls, as he strides purposefully past Sawyer. His heart is pounding, wild gray eyes grim and determined and filled with apprehension when he steps into the elevator. Before the doors have time to part completely he's in the apartment foyer where he starts an uneasy run through the great room, calling her name. "Ana, Ana?" Try as he might, he can't wrap his mind around the idea that she might not be there. Where would she go? Why did she give Sawyer the slip? Is she in trouble?
His mind reels with unanswered questions, the sense that his usual steely control is letting him down acute as he draws nearer to their bedroom. When he reaches their shared bed he sees it - a deceptively inoffensive-looking scrap of paper. He makes a grab for it, crumpling the paper with his fierce grip as fear blasts his senses.
(A/n: remember at the picture? Those are the letter that ana left go now ang check it hehe)
What the fuck? His mind balks at the implications. How can this be? What the fuck happened? Slowly he sinks to the floor next to the bed with the note still clutched in his hand. He turns his disbelieving head to the door, Taylor and Sawyer witnesses to the devastation of his heart.
The gray light in his eyes turns dull, as though the fire behind it had been snuffed. The agony is a mask molding his features as his world seems to fall away, replaced with the darkness engulfing his heart to protect him from the nonsensical pain. If there was one good thing that came from his horrific early childhood, it's the ability to steel himself against such grief.
"When did you last see her?" His question is directed at Sawyer, eyes cloudy and cold but his words holding a tense measure of severity.
"Sir, I picked her up from the hospital after she went to help Ray get settled. She came out looking pale and distracted. For a moment I thought she might faint, but I just figured that she was worried about her dad. I asked her where she wanted to go and she said to come here." He swallows nervously, looking down as he orders his thoughts.
"She went straight to your bedroom. I went to Taylor's study to call Welch and while I was on the phone the power went out. I hung up and went searching for Mrs. Grey. When I came in here I saw the note. I called you right away, but you were still in the air." For a moment his eyes slice away as he keenly feels the burden of the responsibility he let slip.
He continues, his voice wavering in the knowledge that the info he's sharing is affecting his boss deeply. "I..., I went back to the study to check the CCTV footage - the power was back up by then, the generator had kicked in. I saw her on the screen just for a moment as she exited the fire escape door into the parking garage. She had a duffel bag with her and appeared to be in a big hurry. That was the last time I saw her, sir." He purses his lips as if to brace himself for his boss's anger, but his gaze remains fixed.
"I rushed down to try and catch up but she was long gone by the time I got down there. I realized that she had tripped the power switch on the electrical board so I wouldn't see her escape down the stairwell on the CCTV system." With a quiet breath he releases the tale, relieved to be rid of it but dreading the sear of his boss's rage.
Christian cuts his stare away from Sawyer. "Taylor," he croaks, "find her. I want to know why." His tone is gruff with emotion, gravelly with misgiving, the weight of which is felt by both men facing him.
With a nod, Taylor turns on his heel, purpose elongating his strides down the corridor. Christian remains kneeling next to their marital bed, desperately trying to make sense of the mess. His world is turned upside down - again. Everything is out of focus. If he gives in to the fear, no amount of self-control is going to keep the panic at bay.
