Annie work up early on Friday at six o'clock and headed for the shower. She put her hair up in a shower cap and began to undress turning the shower on, steaming up her bathroom. She hopped in letting the hot water cascade down her overworked body. Trying to massage her shoulders to relieve the tension while rolling her neck from side to side, she started lathering her loofah and thought back to the past few days.

It was a very busy, stressful week that passed by quickly. Annie worked endlessly readying reports and presentations for Sonny and Cici so they would be ready for Friday's back to back meetings; since she'd be covering in the hospital.

The St. James' started moving in the very next day after they signed their paperwork.  Annie didn't see any of the family members all week, she was either too busy, out of the office, or they were too occupied setting up their offices. Annie was thankful if not relieved she didn't encounter Julien. She would be kidding herself is she didn't believe she was trying to avoid him at all costs, because she was. She even made an effort to come to work earlier than everyone else so she would avoid encountering him.

It took a lot of effort on her part to dodge any sightings of him. She always looked over her shoulder, or would make sure he wasn't waiting at the elevators, making sure to look ahead before approaching them. Her paranoia was causing a tension headache that started to form by mid-afternoon, nearly everyday making it difficult to concentrate.

She was attracted to him physically and mentally and was afraid she would finally succumb to his advances if they were ever alone. Annie didn't know if she was ready for that yet.

She's witnessed countless times when his grey eyes turned silver, stormy and even darker when he looked at her.  They always held a promising glint in them that put her on edge. Try as she may she couldn't get him out of her thoughts.

She felt like a coward, she was never one to hide or be fearful. She hated that she didn't know what would happen next. Being prepared for the worst was always something Annie knew well when it came to business and life in general. But the reality of it all was, she needed guidance and reassurance from herself. Nobody could give her advice or show her the right path. This time she needed to figure out her own future.

After work for the last week, Cici, Annie and Sheila have been picking out color schemes, flowers, viewing different cake designs, and dinner menu options for the upcoming wedding. With all the running around they've been doing, it was a little easier to forget her problems and concentrate on Sheila and the wedding.

It's been very time consuming and Annie was exhausted.  They weren't even close to being done, and on top of it all they still had to plan the bridal shower. February was just days away and so much still had to be done.

Annie turned her face up to the shower head closing her eyes, letting her tension run down the drain. After a few more minutes she shut the water off and stepped out of the shower, dried her body and wrapped the towel around herself. Slipping off the shower cap, she started applying moisturizer to her face and neck.

A loud yawn escaped her lips as she opened the door to her closet.  The shower wasn't enough to help wake her up like she would have liked. She grabbed her light blue scrubs and a plain white long sleeve cotton shirt. She put them on over her soft pink bra and lace underwear. Pulling her hair up in a bun, lastly she applied very light make-up.

Heading downstairs, she sat on one of the barstools in the kitchen and helped herself to the breakfast Winnie set out for her, of pancakes and fruit. She heard shuffling upstairs as her family started getting ready for the day. Annie refilled her cup of coffee getting up and leaving her plate still half full. She couldn't force another bite down her throat, not having an appetite to begin with. Taking a deep breath she headed to the garage toward her car heading for the hospital.
************
Julien was making his way down the hall to the breakfast room when he heard moaning coming from Phaedra's room. He frowned and stepped closer to her door listening in. She moaned again and it sounded as though she were in pain. Julien immediately knocked once in warning not waiting for an answer and stepped inside his sister's room. His eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw her in bed, laying to the side hugging her middle. Her features were twisted in pain and her eyes were tear stained.

He rushed to her side, "Phaedra, love, look at me! What is it, where does it hurt?" She looked up at him, dark circles evident under her eyes from the lack of sleep. She shook her head and curled herself further into a ball. Julien shook her slightly trying to loosen her up.

"Leave me alone Julien!" She shouted at him. She was irritable and very pale. Julien frowned at her, straightening his posture and crossing his arms over his chest. He stared her down until she looked away and mumbled, "I have very bad cramps, okay?  Now will you leave me alone..?" Her face flushed a bit with color.

Julien looked at her in confusion, cramps?

Then it dawned at him, it was that time of the month. 

He cleared his throat, "I'll inform mother." And walked out closing the door behind him.

His mother will know what to do.  He went in search of her and found her having breakfast with his father and Duncan. He whispered in her ear about Phaedra's situation not wanting the others to hear about her personal business. Kate quickly stood to see to her daughter.

Victor's eyebrows rose and his eyes followed his wife until she was out of sight. His eyes sought after Julien, his eyes questioning. "Phaedra is not feeling well and she asked for mother." He answered the unasked question. Duncan and Victor's faces etched with concern.

"Is it serious?" Victor asked putting down his napkin on the table.

Duncan stopped eating, visibly upset, pushing his half eaten plate to the side and sitting straight, looking from Victor to Julien awaiting his answer. "No. She just needed mother's comfort." Julien lied easily helping himself to eggs and potatoes.

Julien looked up at his father then Duncan, as he took a sip of his coffee, they seemed unsure, only slightly satisfied with his answer. Duncan looked toward where Kate exited, appearing like he wanted to follow her. Julien raised an inquiring eyebrow and thought it odd he seemed deeply effected by the news of Phaedra being ill...
*********
Julien decided to take his Porsche 911 to work instead of the Porsche sedan his father, Duncan and Kash occupied. He wanted to be alone with his own thoughts. He had been in a sour mood all week as they finally furnished all the offices and the paperwork was filed and organized into place.

Not seeing her since Monday did not help his situation. It has been a torturous and unsatisfying week. He sought Annie out everywhere he went, wishing she would appear suddenly, desperately needing a glimpse of her. He caught sight of her brother several times and Cici here and there but never Annie to his disappointment.

Julien was deprived of the sight of her beautiful face. Only she could calm him, she was the air he breathed and he felt as if he were suffocating without her.

A storm, an inferno was building inside his like a volcano ready to erupt. And it reflected in his mood. Day by day he became angry, desperate and unreasonable. His family didn't try to pry and ask what was wrong with him, assuming it was from the amount of work that needed to be completed.

He wondered if Annie avoided him on purpose. It certainly made sense since he knew she was visibly upset in the sushi restaurant that Monday especially after her conversation with her sister. She excused herself early and left without a backward glance, her stance rigid, the building tension evident in the set of her shoulders as she exited the restaurant.

Shaking his head in frustration he entered the T-building parking structure. He quickly found parking close to the elevators. He looked around the various cars parked but didn't see Annie's car anywhere. She usually was there before her family members and Julien made an extra effort to leave his home early in order to catch. He slammed his convertible's door so hard, the sound echoed throughout the parking level. He suddenly had the urge to break something, clenching his fists and storming off.
***********

It was six in the evening as Julien made his way into his grand home. He let out an exhausted sigh, rubbing his jaw noticing he had at least two days worth of growth on his chin.  As he slowly climbed the stairs he started to shrug off his suit jacket, putting it over his arm and loosened his tie slipping it off.

Nobody was home yet, the house was eerily quiet, his need to leave work early was strong as he felt the weight of the week upon his shoulders. Again, he didn't spot Annie anywhere throughout the day and as he left, he noticed her car wasn't parked in it's usual space, as if she never came in for work.

He didn't see any of the her family members either. Usually Patrick would drop by his father's office for coffee and a quick chit chat but not today. They must be busy he assured himself just as they were.

He was about to pass Phaedra's room when he remembered she didn't feel well, deciding to check on her. He knocked and knocked, hearing no answer or movement from the other side of the door. He began to worry now, a frown forming on his face. He turned the knob and the door easily swung open.

His sister looked to be in a deep sleep and if it were even possible her face was paler, a parched white, than when he saw her in the morning. She was still curled up like a ball to her side facing the doorway. He became alarmed as he came closer to her feeling her head and face. She felt incredibly cold to the touch and wasn't responding to him as he tried shaking her awake all the while calling out her name.

Julien bit back a curse.  Something was very wrong. 

He felt her pulse, it was weak.  Instantly Julien's survival instincts kicked in, his fatigue temporarily forgotten. He tossed his jacket and tie to the opposite side of the room, they hit the wall with a thump, lightly falling to the floor.

He quickly scooped her up in his arms and descended the stairs to his car. She needed a hospital fast before she went into shock or worse, died...
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Thanks for reading!
-Shaz