How did Elena and Grace end up as friends? This is a prequel to Investing Elliot and Making Mia. It backgrounds the very complex relationships between Elena, Carrick and Grace. Although my stories adhere as closely as possible to the FSOG Canon timeline there is an AU quality that deals with the secrets, betrayals and motivations of the characters that impact on Ana and Christian.

When he was sure that Carrick could not move Linc took his time moving back towards a cowering and tearful Lena. She kept her head bowed, not daring to look him in the eye. It did her no good. He backhanded her once more, the momentum throwing her into the corner of the door. In an out of body moment Carrick thought that she would have a black eye in the morning. Lena cried out in pain, her hand grasping the side of her face but this served to anger Linc further. He reached down and withdrew the belt from his pants, doubling it over in his hand before instructing her to turn around and hold the door frame.

Carrick impotently struggled against his bindings hoping for a moment that she would run, lock the door and wait for Linc to come down off his drug induced high but she didn’t. Her hands reached above her head and held the frame. She spread her feet and stood steady on the floor with her head down. He watched in horror as Linc drew his hand back and unleashed hell across her back, stripping the skin with each lashing. Was it 8? 12? 16? He couldn’t be sure. What he did know was that Lena did not utter a sound or move a muscle until it was over.