Ana's POV

The smell of food burning jerked me awake the next morning and I made my way out of bed as quickly as I could, worried about a potential fire in the building.

I stopped short as I turned into the living room because rather than the fire I was expecting, there was Alex, cursing a blue streak as he tossed a smoking pan into the kitchen sink as he turned the water on full blast over it. He was cooking, didn't know he could do that. I walked closer to the kitchen, still going unnoticed by him.

"Everything okay?"

I never thought I would see the day when the unflappable Alexander Rush squawked. But that's exactly what he did once I made my presence known and then something even better happened. He blushed.

"Shit, I was hoping I would be finished before you woke up."

I tilted my head to the side and placed my hands on my stomach out of habit as I slimed at him.

"And what exactly is it that you're trying to do?"

He blushed an even deeper shade of red at that.

"I-uh-I was going to bring you breakfast in bed since you had such a rough day yesterday, thought you might want to relax for the day. But I obviously don't know my way around the kitchen."

He blushed even harder once he was done stuttering through his explanation and at the moment I was so glad that my skin was dark enough that my blush wasn't visible. He'd thought to make me breakfast in bed and the thought of him actually caring for me enough to do something like that left behind a flutter of something in my stomach, and it wasn't the baby this time either.

"Well, how about I help you out and we can have breakfast in bed together?"

He smiled at me, a real, genuine, pleasant smile.

"Yeah, I think I'd like that Anna."

I smiled at him as I made my way into the kitchen, grabbing two aprons as I made my way closer to him.

"Okay first things first, we need to keep our clothes clean."

Once we'd both donned aprons to cover our pajamas, I set to work directing Alex on how to make a simple breakfast of waffles eggs and bacon with a bowl of fruit that we were going to share. It was easy, being with Alex like this, with him finally relaxed and wearing something that wasn't a business suit for once. The conversation flowed easily between the two of us and there was no talk of my traumatic past, we were living in the moment and it was wonderful.

"How about we take this to my room, I have a TV so we can maybe watch a movie while we eat if you want."

That flutter was back with a vengeance at his proposition and he looked so damn earnest with the slight blush of his cheeks and in the way he nervously tightened his grip on the tray he was holding in his hands. I didn't even think about saying no.

"I'd love to."

"Good, great uh just follow me."

We made our way to his bedroom which stood on the opposite side of the penthouse from my bedroom. I expected harsh lines and lots of blacks and greys but I was surprised to find that his room was much more comforting and warm with earthy neutrals being the main theme of the room.

"Wow."

He huffed out a laugh.

"I'm glad you like it."

"It suits you."

And it truly did. Behind all the business suits and abrasive persona was someone totally different. I could visualize him in a board meeting in a well-tailored business suit and commanding the room but right here, dressed down in a t shirt and old, baggy sweats I could perhaps see the real Alex, the one that Cameron, Nick, and Jacob saw in their best friend, the one that his mother and sisters knew. He was a kind man who took care of the people he cared about and did right by those he vowed to protect.

"Here, you should make yourself comfortable, I know you like to have your pillows a certain way so that you can sit up comfortably."

He'd pulled back the blankets and piled pillows similarly to that way that I did for myself in my own bedroom.

"Thank you, Alex."

I made myself comfortable on the bed, adjusting the pillows so that mu back was well supported as Alex made himself comfortable next to me.

We ate in a comfortable silence until our plates were cleared and Alex set the dirty dishes to the side as we continued to watch the movie. I started to shift uncomfortably as the baby did what felt like cartwheels and apparently my kidneys were the landing pad and as if the gymnastics weren't enough they dealt a harsh kick that left me gasping and rubbing the spot with the hope of calming them down enough that the kicks didn't hurt so bad.

"Are you okay?"

I winced in pain again as the baby delivered another kick.

"Yeah, the baby's pretty big now so the kicks have some force behind them now and they're not letting up."

He reached out a hesitant hand.

"Do you mind if I...?"

I smiled and grabbed his wrist and placed his hand where the baby was kicking the most. I could see the look of amazement on his face as he felt the tiny foot hit the place where his hand was as he left his hand there as the next few kicks landed and then he did something surprisingly sweet. He leaned down so that his face was closer to my stomach.

"Hey little one, I'm sure you're having a blast in there, but do you think you could ease up a little bit, your mom's in a bit of pain."

And by some miracle the incessant kicking stopped immediately, and I sighed in relief.

"What is it that you have that I don't? I've been trying for the last ten minutes to calm them down."

He huffed out a laugh, hand still resting lightly on my stomach.

"I guess I just have that magic touch."

"Yeah, I guess you do."

We sat in silence for a while, Alex's hand still on my belly, feeling the baby roll around every now and then.

"It's so amazing. There's a human in there, it's hard to picture it but there is."

It was amazing, sometimes even eight months down the line I'd look in the mirror and just stare at the swell of my abdomen, still shocked at the fact that in a month's time, I'd have a baby to take care of, I'd be a mother to the person growing within me.

"I find it hard to believe myself sometimes, that I'm going to be a mother. This wasn't how I planned on bringing a child into the world and I wish they were coming under better conditions, but I already love this baby so much I can't even put it into words."

I could feel myself getting choked up but what I was saying was true, I'd be a better mother to my child than my mother was to me after my father's death.

"And that alone proves that you're going to be an amazing mother Anastasia, I could see that even when I was being a jackass to you. This is the luckiest kid in the world, having a mother like you."

This wasn't the first time that someone told me that they thought that I would be a good mother but for some reason with us sitting here in a darkened room with just the two of us, sitting closely with the innocent touch of his hand on my belly, it hit me differently. I don't know why but hearing it come from Alex felt like a confirmation of sorts, confirmation for what I wasn't sure, but the feeling was there.

"Hey, what are those tears for?"

I hadn't even realized that I was crying. He reached up and gently brushed the tears from my face.

"Talk to me, what's the matter?"

"Do you really think I'll be a good mother?"

"I really do. You care about people Ana, even people like me, I treated you horribly when we first met but you still found it in your heart to worry after me when you weren't sure if I'd eaten that day and you worried after Nate and Jacob the first day you met them. Marisa and Cameron talked about you all time even after you lost contact with them always told me how much of a caring person you were, how sweet you were. You are an amazing woman Ana, you have so much love to give even though you don't receive nearly enough."

I leaned over and pulled him into a hug.

"Thank you, you don't know how much it means to hear that."

He hugged me back firmly.

"It's the truth, you deserve to hear it."

Alex slowly pulled out of the hug but instead of taking his hands back, he moved them so that they rested on both sides of my face and he gently stroked my still wet cheeks as he stared intently at me.

"Tell me if I'm reading this wrong." He murmured.

I was confused at first but as his face moved closer to mine, I got the picture.

Our lips met in a chaste kiss, but sparks flew especially as he deepened the kiss further. He pulled away all too soon and he had an almost relieved look on his face.

"God, I've wanted to do that for so long."

I felt bold as I leaned forward and planted a quick kiss on his lips before retreating back into my own space, face burning.

"I want you Anastasia, I've wanted you for a while now, but I wanted to give you time so feel free to tell me to fuck off, but I want you to know that."

I felt the fluttery feeling come back with a vengeance, but it was quickly stomped down by insecurity. Does he really want me and everything that comes with me?

"Are you sure? I'm not alone anymore, you won't be getting just me."

He pecked me gently on the lips, a comforting gesture.

"I know what comes with you sweetheart, I know you come with a baby and that's just fine with me. I'm not saying that he or she has to call me dad, but I'd love to be there for you so you don't have to do it alone but it's up to you, we take this at your pace and do what you're comfortable with and if you're only comfortable with the baby only knowing me as Alex then that's fine too."

I hoped he knew how much this meant to me, that he was willing to accept all of me with no hesitation. The question was whether or not what he said would come to fruition in reality but there was only one way to find out.

Take a leap of faith.

"Okay. We can do this. Be together I mean, if that's what you truly want."

He laughed, an almost giddy sound and pulled me in once again for another kiss which felt odd because we were smiling but neither of us seemed to care about that too much.

"Baby, you are what I truly want."

**

We had a week to celebrate our new relationship before reality came and bitch slapped us in the face.

I felt like I was walking to my death as Alex along with eight bodyguards that I could see, walked me into the building where the lawyers that agreed to help me were located. I had Alex's hand in a death grip as we walked through the halls of the law office when Alex pulled me to a stop in front of an empty conference room.

"Guard the door, we need a minute. One of you go ahead and let them know we'll be a few minutes late."

One of the men, whose name I didn't know broke off from the pack as Alex pulled me into the empty conference room and set me gently in a chair before taking my hands in his as he knelt in front of me.

"Talk to me baby, what's going through that head of yours."

His gentle tone was enough for me to burst into tears.

"I can't do it, I can't."

"Shh, it's okay, it's alright honey. I know you're scared and I know this is a lot for you to deal with right now but this is something that has to be done, this is about your safety and the baby's safety, he has to go away for what he did to you. He's not in there, he doesn't know where you are, you're safe here."

I shook my head. I heard what he was saying but I just couldn't shake the fear I felt in my bones this wasn't going to end well for me, nothing ever did.

"Alex, I can't do this, he's going to be so mad."

"I need you to take a deep breath for me, there you go, in and out."

Once my breathing was back under control Alex dabbed at my face with a tissue.

"Anna, I never want to pressure you into doing something that you don't want to do but I just want you to be sure about this. If you choose to not go through with this, I'll protect you and the baby with my life as long as I'm living, no questions asked but I don't want you living in fear and looking over your shoulder every day for the rest of your life. You just say the word and we're out of here. But I want you to think about this. That monster shouldn't be roaming the streets, there could be some other young girl he has his sights on, some other girl that could end up dead because of him."

He was right. I didn't want to live the rest of my life living in fear like I do now, I didn't want to fear for my child's life or for the lives of those around me. I felt sick at the thought of him doing what he did to me to another girl. In all honesty I truly wanted to run in the other direction and never truly face my past the way that I would have to if I walked into that conference room but this was my chance to stand up for myself, to carve out my own path in life instead of following the path someone forced me down. I felt heavy, weighed down and beaten but I tried to straighten up, attempting to show confidence that didn't exist within me.

I sucked in a shaking breath before I locked eyes with Alex.

"You know, I wasn't the first girl?"

He looked at me, shock written across his face.

"I don't know how deep you looked into that account but there were girls before me, he killed them all. Told me how he did it and then used me as an example to see if I'd live or die. No one deserves that, no other girl should go through that."

"Jesus Christ."

"I'll do it, I'll tell them what happened, but Alex I'm so scared."

"It's okay to be afraid, it means you're human."

He didn't know it, but this had put some things in perspective for me.

**

Alex's POV

They wouldn't let me go in with her so I was stuck in the waiting room, pacing for the last two hours while Natasha and Phil interviewed Anna.

"Dude, sit down, you're making me nervous."

I whipped around to face Jacob.

"Fuck your nerves do you know what the fuck is being said behind those doors?!"

He huffed and stood.

"I'll let that one slide because I know you're worried about her but you freaking out isn't going to help her any so sit down and fucking relax."

I didn't have much choice after he forced me down into a chair and that's where I stayed, furiously jiggling my leg while I attempted to do some work. An hour later the conference room door opened and a red eyed Anna was led out by Phil.

I was on my feet and pulling her close in a hug in no time. Normally I wasn't one to show emotion of any sort in public but dammit my girlfriend was upset and I was going to fucking comfort her the people around us be damned.

She wasn't crying but I could feel the anxiety rolling off her in waves as she clutched onto my shirt.

"It's okay baby, I've got you. I'm so proud of you." I murmured so that only she could hear me.

"I hate to interrupt Alex, but these need your signature."

I looked up at Natasha and I could see the unbridled rage in her eyes. This motherfucker was going to rot.

I quickly scrawled my signature on the line of the document she held out, not bothering to read it.

"Thanks Nat, Phil." They both nodded their goodbyes and went on to do whatever it was that lawyers did. I kissed the top of Anna's head before I pulled out of the hug, keeping her close to my side.

"Let's go home so you can rest."

And rest she did. She slept well through the afternoon and into the night, never moving from the spot she'd claimed on my chest as I slept on and off with her. But at around three in the morning, everything went to shit.

I was awakened by whimpers coming from Anna, I could feel how tense she was from where she was laying. I quickly but gently shifted her onto a pillow and turned on the lamp. She was sweating buckets and her face was twisted in pain.

"Is the baby coming? It's too early!"

She didn't respond other than a pain filled sob.

I needed to see what was going on, not sure what to expect but there was nothing that would prepare me for the sight that greeted me. There was blood tons of it soaked into the sheets, her bottoms were soaked with it and I even had a good bit soaked into my own pants. Something was wrong very wrong.

I leapt into action, calling for Nate and Jacob as I hopped out of bed and frantically searched for my cell phone so that I could call an ambulance. Nate and Jacob burst through, guns at the ready but they quickly changed their tune and the blood sight that greeted them.

"Call a fucking ambulance!"

"Baby, it's going to be okay, I've got you."

"911 what's your emergency?"

"I need an ambulance to 1900 Parkwood Place, my girlfriends pregnant and she's bleeding!"

I could hear Nate and Jacob yelling out the address into their own phones.

"The nearest ambulance has been dispatched. ETA twenty minutes."

"That's too fucking long, she'll fucking bleed out by then!"

I didn't bother to hear what the operator had to say as I hung up the phone.

"The ambulance won't be here in time, got get the car, we'll have to drive there ourselves. Call, shit call everyone."

Jacob ran out to get the car as Nate and I picked Anna up as gently as we could, settling her in my arms as she clung to my neck.

"Alex please."

I quickened my pace to the elevator, thankful that I'd had a private one installed so there was no chance of us being stopped on the way down.

"We're taking you to the hospital now baby, you're going to be fine, I'm gonna get you some help."

I kept up my stream of talking as we got into the truck and sped off toward the hospital. God there was so much blood, it was covering the backseat and it was soaked completely through our clothes. I thought I knew fear, but there was nothing that prepared me for this.

And as if things couldn't get worse the sound of a horn blaring and headlights blinding me were the last thing that I can recall before there was only the screeching of bent metal and darkness. And the screaming, good God the screaming.