A/N: Hi guys. This is going to be my first full-length 50 shades story, so you might have to bear with me a bit - i'm not totally comfortable with the characters just yet. I do take a lot of creative license here - the story is a bit AU/OOC - but hopefully I am still able to stay true to the essence of the characters. The timeline also does not go in order, but hopefully, it's all explained as we go on. Happy reading!

Standing Disclaimer: I do not own these characters. They belong to E.L James.

There I was again tonight, forcing laughter, faking smiles
Same old, tired place lonely place
Walls of insincerity, shifting eyes and vacancy
Vanished when I saw your face

I stared at my reflection in the full-length mirror I had long ago made a habit of stowing away in my closet, my eyes widening noticeably as I took in my own appearance. I wasn't an extraordinary looking woman – in fact, most days, I couldn't even look in a mirror without finding a handful of things I wanted desperately to change about myself. But surprisingly, tonight I felt none of that self-hate and consciousness I was normally prone to. No, tonight, I felt radiant. Glowing, even.

My dress, the one I had refused to wear on instinct when Kate first showed it to me clung closely to my body like a second skin, its deep red color paling my skin in comparison beautifully. It stopped mid-thigh, almost too short to be decent, but paired with Kate's tan pumps, made my legs look more incredible than they ever had before. At Kate's insistence, my hair was curled loosely in waves around my face and my eye lids were shaded in hues of browns and golds, bringing out my otherwise dull blue eyes and making them look ethereal. I almost couldn't believe the woman standing in the mirror was me; If only I'd had Kate around in high school, I might have saved my dad a few thousand on medical bills and myself a whole lot of misery and self-loathing.

I turned to Kate, my best friend, roommate, and confidant for years now, who was shuffling behind me, patient and anxious all at once to hear the final verdict on what was essentially my make-over.

She raked her eyes over me once more, making sure everything was in place, but stopped as she reached half-way down my body.

"Wait right here," she told me before running into her room, her heels clacking loudly on our wood, her black-laced high-low dress flying behind her.

She came back seconds later and hooked a chunky, beautiful gold bracelet around my right wrist.

I pulled it up to my face to examine it closely; it didn't move out of place. It covered my wrist perfectly, concealing both my scars and my tattoo.

I found myself short on words and big on tears – not entirely a new phenomenon my life – but found some for Kate anyhow, "Kate … thank you. I love it."

Her eyes glowed in return, and I knew that if there was anyone in this world who could recognize the gravity of my seemingly simple words, it was her. She jumped excitedly in her place and hugged my closely, careful not to mess either one of our hairs.

"Oh, I'm so glad, Steele. Besides, I owed you one for agreeing to come to this thing with me," she pulled back smiling wide, fixing my hair once more and I admired the girl standing in front of me. Kate was my best friend, so sure, I was biased, but I was fairly certain there wasn't a woman on this planet that would even dare compare to the beauty standing in front of me. While it had taken hours of prepping and plucking and tweaking for me tonight to even be able to look at the mirror with any inkling of appreciation, Kate was an effortless kind of beautiful. With her long strawberry blonde tresses, her Pilates-toned body with curves in just the right places, her enchanting green eyes and seraphic smile, Kate managed to look both elegant and sexy at the same time. She was the kind of woman who left guys tongue-tied in mere seconds.

"What is this thing, anyway?" I asked, taking one more glance at myself in the mirror before grabbing my clutch that had fallen to the foot of my bed and following Kate out to our living room. I remembered Kate telling me it was a charity event of some sort, one of those high-end for millionaire kind of things her parents normally attended but couldn't this year, but that was all.

Kate, neurotic as always, made the final checks around the house – making sure all windows were locked and lights were shut – before gesturing at me to follow her out the door and to the elevator.

"It's this charity called Coping Together," she said, fishing the invitation out of her silver clutch. Once secured in her fingers, she began reading it and I giggled, rolling my eyes at Kate. Leave it to her to spend all day dolling up for a charity without even bothering to check what the cause was for. For all we knew, we could be raising money for the Hand-Jobs Across America Foundation, and I almost snorted aloud at the thought.

My laughter halted immediately, though, when I glanced at Kate's suddenly worried expression. She cleared her throat, her wary eyes trained on me, "It's a drug rehab program for teens and parents with young kids."

My stomach flip-flopped uncomfortably at her words. "Oh," I said meekly, "sounds like a good cause."

I felt Kate's fingers wrap tightly around mine, and I turned to face her, her eyes guilty and slightly panicked. "Are you okay? I'm so sorry, Ana. I should have check. We don't have to go if you don't –"

I cut her off as we landed at the lobby, and squeezed her fingers before letting go and stepping out. "Don't worry about it Kate, its fine. And of course we're going! We didn't spend hours trying to look this good just to sit on our asses and watch He's Just Not That Into You for the trillionth time."

She looked reluctant, her green eyes gauzy with worry. "Are you sure?"

I nodded, "Absolutely."

As we started walking towards her car, I began giving myself a pep-talk – they were almost a ritual of sorts for car-rides with Kate whenever she forced me to go out.

You'll be okay, you will be just fine. No one besides Kate there will know you. No one will judge you. It would all be alright. If you just sit at your table and let Kate do all the mingling as always, you can blend into the background until it's over, and then you can come home, pull on your sweats and hide in bed until tomorrow.

You can do it. Just breathe, Steele, just breathe.

I leaned back in my chair, my feet already aching from my pumps despite the fact that I'd spent most of my night right here, in this very chair. The venue of the charity gala was beautiful; I'd always thought Kate's parent's house was as beautiful as it got, but this house – or, perhaps mansion was a more appropriate word – was somehow even more glamorous, and I hadn't even seen it from the inside. Just the tent in the backyard had left me breathless.

Unlike me, Kate hadn't spent very much time at our table – she was busy hopping around tables, chatting up old friends and making new contacts; it was what she did, what she was good at. In fact, it was that aspect of her personality that led us to becoming such close friends over the years – her over-friendliness made up for the lack of my own social skills. If Kate Kavanagh wanted to be your friend, you best believe you would be. On the other hand, if you got on Kate's wrong side, for whatever reason, you'd better get used it because she didn't change her mind easily.

I swept my eyes across the dance floor, checking once again for Kate. I knew she wouldn't leave me here abandoned, even if she did find a guy to take home tonight. But I still couldn't help the growing paranoia that always crept up regardless.

I found her on the dance floor not too far away, dancing with a tall, broad and frankly, quite handsome man. His blonde waves sat perfectly coifed on his head, and I could tell, even from where I was sitting, that his smile was dazzling Kate to no end. She even looked a bit … smitten? That was odd. Kate didn't do smitten.

I continued to watch, forking a bite of the cake a waiter had just brought around into my mouth as Kate laughed hard at something the man had said, her fingers running down the length of his arm flirtatiously. Oh yes, Kate Kavanagh was definitely smitten.

I forked another bite of cake into my mouth, the rich chocolate melting on my tongue like an éclair, and I almost groaned out loud. This was delicious – perhaps the best thing I'd tasted all night, and that was saying something.

I dug in for another bite, my fork mid-air when I heard a deep, throaty chuckle from my side. Startled, I whipped my head, and felt my heart do a million tiny flip flops in my chest. Unbeknownst to me, sitting next to me and apparently studying me as I stalked my best friend on the dance floor and devoured chocolate cake like it was the last thing I'd ever eat, was the most heart-stoppingly, mind-bogglingly gorgeous man I had ever seen … ever. He sat tall in his immaculate navy blue suit, his left leg perched on his right knee, his long index finger slowly stroking his bottom lip. His eyes were grey and sharp, but dark at the same time. Inviting, smoldering … beguiling. His copper hair was messy and unruly, like he'd spent the night running his hands through it.

He was easily the most beautiful man I had ever seen. And he was laughing at me.

I immediately pushed the cake away with my fingers and sat up tall in my seat, feeling my nerves attacking me from every corner.

"I haven't tried the cake yet, is it really that delicious?" he asked, a wry smile on his face, his eyes lingering on mine before nodding towards my now-abandoned plate.

"Well, it was …" I murmured, feeling almost mortified. Why was he talking to me? Who was he?

More importantly, how the heck did he manage to come and sit next to me without my noticing? I know Kate told me this all the time, but I really needed to become more acutely aware of my surroundings.

His smile grew, and he extended his hand towards me, "Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Christian Grey."

My eyes widened in recognition at the name. He was a Grey – part of the family who was throwing this gala tonight. His parents, an elegant and regal couple, had stopped by at my table not too long ago when Kate was around for a minute, thanking the both of us for attending tonight.

"I'm Ana … this is a beautiful event. " I mumbled, grasping his hand.

I almost gasped when our palms met, an electric charge zapping beneath my skin, making my blood sing, pulling me towards him. He let my hand go immediately, a small frown forming on his face. Did he feel it too?

He looked deep in thought for a minute, his stormy grey orbs studiously staring at his hands that now sat limp in his lap, before shifting his gaze back towards me, his eyes untroubled once again. "Thank you. My mother spends quite a bit of her time planning it each year. However, I fear you've been looking a bit bored all night Ana. I thought I might give you some company."

I felt my face blush, my skin heating in response to his intense stare that returned the electric charge feeling, except this time I could feel it not just in my hand but everywhere else, too. "Oh, you don't need to do that. I'll be fine, my friend Kate should be getting back soon, anyway …"

He chuckled, cocking his head towards the side as he gestured towards Kate and her mystery man. "Oh, I don't think Ms. Kavanagh will be free anytime soon. Not if my brother has anything to do with it."

Ms. Kavanagh?! Oh! "You know Kate?"

He nodded, bringing his intense gaze back to my face. "Just met her tonight," he said dismissively, and then stood, pushing his chair back.

My heart plummeted. He was leaving already? I knew this beautiful, gorgeous man owed me nothing – the few minutes he had wasted chatting with me should last me precisely a life time. Besides, surely there were more important people he needed to socialize with – people he actually knew. But still, I couldn't help the surprising pang of disappointed I felt as I opened my mouth to thank him for his time.

His words, however, came before mine. "Would you like to get out of here, Ana?"

I stared at him with wide eyes, my mind blanking completely. For someone who had spent years writing and reading literature, it was a bit ridiculous how often words escaped me when I needed to actually speak them aloud.

Christian's eyes knit together in confusion, and I realized I'd waited a minute too long to answer his relatively simple question. I felt my blush creeping up my neck again – as if it ever had a moment to recede in the first place – and my stomach flipped in delight when his lips spread into a smirk, his enamoring grey eyes sparkling in the night.

"I'm sorry … out?" I blurted. Jeez, just forming cohesive sentences around this man was becoming a challenge. I sounded like a buffoon. For the hundredth time since he began talking to me, I wondered what the hell he was still doing here and how he hadn't dismissed me completely and wholly as mentally disturbed or slow yet.

But at the same time, for once I found I didn't care. Maybe he was sticking around because he got a kick out of just how accidentally weird I was, or maybe he simply felt obligated because I was a bored guest at his parent's party … whatever it was, I didn't care. I was enchanted by the man standing in front of me; at this point, I was almost ready to follow him anywhere. But for now, out would do.

"I'm sorry, I should have been clearer since we already are technically out," he said, gesturing towards the marquee we stood under. "But I meant outside of the tent. I've spent entirely too much time with these highbrow 'intellectuals'" he said, making air quotes with his fingers as he scoped the party-goers around him, a sneer on his face, "and they're all starting to get on my nerves."

I nodded, standing from my seat and grabbed my clutch, taking out my phone, "Okay, just let me text Kate really quickly."

He looked oddly relieved at my words, and stuck his hands in the pockets of his suit as I quickly typed out my message.

*Taking a walk outside, text me when ur ready to go. - A*

I chucked my phone back in my clutch and looked up at Christian, smiling at him as he led us out of the marquee and to the backyard. Within minutes, I realized my heels would present a problem as I kept sinking into the grass, and told Christian to wait for a second as I leaned against a tree to slip them off.

His right eyebrow rocketed to his hairline as he watched me, his eyes widening in alarm. "What are you doing?"

I shrugged, feeling self-conscious at the look he was giving me. Jeez, the way he was looking at me, you'd think I was humping the tree not just leaning on it to take my heels off.

"Stiletto heels," I said, picking them up off the floor and hanging them in the air for him to see. "I'll either ruin these shoes completely or fall and make a complete idiot out of myself if I continued walking on the grass with them." Not that I hadn't made an idiot out of myself throughout the night already, I thought to myself.

He nodded, though looking severely confused still. With my heels off, I could finally appreciate my surroundings and I did. The Grey's backyard was surreal. Expansive would be an understatement, though I couldn't for the life of me imagine why just two people would need this much land. Most of it was grass, green to perfection, with rose bushes lining the sides as make-shift fences. A stony pathway in the middle, lit up by small iridescent lamps, led to the dock, where two boats were moored next to a beautiful little boathouse. The Seattle skyline twinkled in the distance behind it, throwing glittering silver patterns across the water. It was like a real life postcard.

I don't know how long I was rooted in my spot for, admiring the view, but when I looked back towards Christian, his eyes were fixated on me. His intense stare chilled me to the bone, but managed to fill me with warmth and tingles at the same time. It was disarming, to say the least.

"This is beautiful, Christian. It's serene. Makes me almost like Seattle." I joked, relishing how soft the dewy grass felt beneath the soles of my feet. God, I hated wearing heels.

"Where did you live before?"

"I lived in the Portland area when I went to WSU with Kate. I loved it there." I told him, my smile growing when he gave me a dubious look. It was the one I always got when I told people I preferred Portland over Seattle.

"There is no way you liked it better than Seattle…" He started arguing but I cut him off before he could go any further. I had a well-prepared retort for this.

"But I did – I mean, maybe it was the fact that I was in college and relatively care-free," I almost snorted at my own statement. Okay, I was never actually care-free. Kate had always referred to me as mom because of my compulsive worrying ways, but he didn't need to know that. "And I didn't have a full-time job like I do now, or very many responsibilities. But I definitely loved living in Portland more. I mean, don't get me wrong, Seattle's beautiful and glamorous but it doesn't have that charm that Portland did."

He thought about this for a second, his face pensive, and I realized that, unlike me, Christian Grey rarely said something without fully thinking it through. Maybe I could learn a tip or two …

"I guess I can see what you mean," he finally said, smiling at me as we approached the dock. God, his smile was like a force of its own. It was incredible. "Do you know of Alberta Street?"

"Know it? I practically lived there. It's a little more mainstream now than it used to be a few years ago but my best friend Jose is an artist and he practically spent every free minute that he had there," I told him, noticing that his eyes had darkened slightly at the mention of Jose. How odd.

Distracting me, Christian came to a complete halt as we reached the wooden dock. "The wood hasn't been sanded down in a while, you might get a splinter or two …" he murmured, looking between the dock's large planks and my feet.

"Oh! That's fine, I'll just put my shoes –"

My sentence was cut-off as Christian lifted my into his arms, bridal styled. I could feel every inch of my skin heating up and my stomach clenching deliciously as he walked the short five steps to the side of the dock and set me down.

"You didn't have to do that, I could've just put my shoes on," I muttered, shifting myself into a comfortable position before letting my toes hang into the water.

He sat down next to me, crossing his legs over one another before leaning back on his palms. Illuminated just by the celestial lighting, Christian's face looked younger, almost more relaxed. I wasn't sure how old he was before, but now I'd peg him down for somewhere in his mid-twenties.

He looked towards me and winked, "I figured we'd save some times. Besides, those," he said, eyeing my heels, "do not look comfortable, or safe for someone who has been drinking. I didn't want to risk you tripping into the water and ruining that beautiful dress."

I rolled my eyes at him, noticing a slight change in his as I did so. In fact, I'd noticed it throughout the night at various moments – almost like his eyes would go rigid and cold for a fraction of a second before he pulled himself out of it. It was almost frightening.

"I wouldn't have tripped …" I muttered petulantly, though unconvincingly. One look at my track record and anyone would know I was likely to trip and drown in the water, but it was a bit uncanny that he could already guess as much. "Besides, I haven't been drinking. I've had one glass of champagne all night."

"So, did you graduate a few months ago with Ms. Kavanagh?" He asked after a short bout of silence as we stared at the picturesque scenery in front of us, and I couldn't really comprehend why he was interested in my life at all. In truth, my life was as dull as it got.

"I did, just two months ago in May."

"And you've already found a job? That's quite impressive for someone your age in the current economy."

I shrugged abashedly. It was, especially for someone with zero connections outside the ones I'd managed to make myself throughout college, but I'd worked hard for it. There were few people I knew who had as many internships and extracurriculars on their resume as I did, and luckily my hard work had paid off.

"I guess I was one of the few lucky ones." I said, feeling distinctly uncomfortable talking about myself.

"What is it that you do, by the way?" He continued his line of questioning, except this particular question I actually enjoyed answering.

"I'm an editorial assistant for SIP. It's a –"

"A publishing company, yes I've heard of it," he finished for me, surprising me. Not too many people had heard of my place of work – I almost always had to add an explanation. "I'd venture to guess that you like to read, then?"

"Like would be an understatement," I giggled, "it's what I would do all day every day, if someone would just let me."

He cocked his head, the moon shining just right on his chiseled face. "Anything in particular?"

God, was he really interested in this? It almost seemed so. "The classics, mainly. Although I prefer British literature to American."

He seemed to take a moment to take this in too, just as he did with everything else I said.

"And what do you do?" I asked him, before he could think of another question to ask me, and his expression in return was almost comical. He was frozen for a second, seemingly stunned and I sent a silent prayer up that he wasn't a part of the mafia or a thug or anything of that sort.

He shook his head infinitesimally, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "I work in the world of mergers and acquisitions." He said, but that seemed to be all he was offering me. And in truth, those words meant nothing to me.

Before I could rake my brain for another question to ask him, my phone beeped from my clutch, breaking us out of the bubble we'd somehow found ourselves in, leaving us both looking a bit startled.

I checked the time before opening the message. Whoa! We'd been out here for over an hour and a half. Christian seemed to be realizing the same as he squinted at the watch adorning his wrist.

*Ready to go. Meet me out in front in 5. – K*

I stowed my phone back in my clutch before reaching for my shoes. As nice as it was to be carried by Christian earlier, I don't think I could handle that kind of mortification knowingly this time. "That was Kate. She said she's ready to go."

Christian stood, and waited until my shoes were on securely before helping me to my feet. I felt the same damn charge tingle under my skin again and hoped he was feeling it as well because otherwise, I was becoming certifiably crazy.

He shoved his hands into his pocket the second I was stable and standing, and a mixture of utter confusion and relief passed across his face.

"You don't have to bother walking me up – I'm sure I can find my way …" I began telling him, suddenly feeling inexplicably awkward and responsible for his sudden mood-shift.

His head whipped in my direction at lightning speed, his gray eyes bright. "Don't be silly, of course I'll walk you."

Whoa… His voice and demeanor had changed, certainly not match the person I had just spent over and hour talking to. This was much colder and distant. He led me across the dock and we took the stony pathway this time, having opted for the grass on the walk down at my insistence. We walked past the marquee, just a few guests remaining inside the tent now, and towards the valet.

There, still attached to Christian's brother – this time by her lips – stood Kate. The two were leaning against the car, totally oblivious to the rest of the world, and I took the moment to bid my goodbye to Christian.

It just hit me then - save for maybe whatever was brewing between Kate and his brother - Christian and I didn't exactly run in the same circles, and it was unlikely that I would ever see this almost illegally gorgeous man ever again. I suddenly felt my mood plummet, the aching in my stomach growing, though this time not from butterflies or tingles or whatever it was that I felt earlier.

"Thanks for showing me around, Christian," I said, turning to him and extending my hand towards him. "It was nice meeting you."

He exchanged the pleasantries, and I wasn't sure if I was imagining it or not, but he seemed almost just as averse to saying goodbye. I reluctantly walked away from him and towards Kate.

I coughed discreetly once close enough, hoping to get her attention and she peeled herself away from Christian's brother. She held up a finger, telling me to hold on just a second as I watched her exchange numbers with the other Grey brother. He whispered something in Kate's ear, and she giggled loudly. God, Kate was so smitten; I could barely even recognize her!

I took the keys from Kate's fingers, able to tell from her glossy stare that she was in no condition to drive and helped her around the car.

Before I could get into the passenger side, I felt a long, lean hand rest on my shoulder and turned, finding Christian standing close behind me. His expression was unfathomable as he grasped my hand – and then kept it there. The charge kept humming.

"I really enjoyed tonight Ana, more than you know." He suddenly seemed deep in thought, his eyebrows knitting together. "I would … I would like to take you out tomorrow, if you're available."

I felt my breath leave my body. Was this extraordinarily beautiful man actually asking me out?

I felt a little dizzy, and I think he could tell. His arm came to grasp my shoulder lightly, a slight smirk on his face. My mind was exploding with yes's, a hundred, thousand yes's but before I could voice them, I became distracted by a woman who lingered in the back, giving me a look that left me feeling bereft and cold. She looked elegant, and a bit older. Her platinum blond hair was pulled back in a beautiful chignon, revealing her face. She was quite beautiful, but something about her didn't sit right with me.

Sensing my stare and hesitance, Christian turned to see what had caught my attention, and I felt him go rigid next to me. When he turned back, his eyes were cold – colder and meaner than I'd seen them all night – and I suddenly remembered just how many times this had happened tonight.

Christian was charming, attentive, interesting, and beautiful – there was no question about that. But in this moment, he wasn't any of those things. In fact, he was a bit terrifying, and even though there were few things I wanted more than to see this man again, in this moment, I just wanted to run into Kate's car and hide away. He had no way of knowing this, he had just met me tonight, but I wasn't good in moments like these – I was too indecisive, and far too panicky.

Realizing that I hadn't answered his question, I quickly mumbled something about being busy to Christian and slipped into the car, avoiding his intense gaze.

I snuck a glance as I started the ignition; he had taken a few steps back now, his expression a mixture of confusion and anger and … hurt?

It only took me the 30 second drive from the driveway to the entrance gate before I was already regretting my decision. Christian, beautiful, enchanting, charming – and sure, a bit capricious – Christian Grey had asked me out and I had turned him down. For how long will my fucked up anxiety and nerves hold me back? When will I finally get strong enough to power through them? I mused, my mood going bad to worse at this point, wishing Kate wasn't knocked out in the passenger seat so she could talk me through this like she always did. I had the sudden urge to bang my head against the steering wheel.

Why didn't I just say yes? Why, why, why?

My thoughts will echo your name
Until I see you again
These are the words I held back
As I was leaving too soon
I was enchanted to meet you

A/N: That's a wrap on chapter 1! Reading 50 shades, I always saw a few problems that Ana saw within herself that went completely unexplored; Flynn mentioned it once but that was it. In this story, that's what I'm hoping to shed some light on, while giving it my own twist. On another note, I am looking for someone to help me beta this - someone w/ a good understanding of the characters who can edit this because I am terrible at proofreading my own work. Hope you all enjoyed this. I'd love to hear from you guys on whether I should continue with this or not!

Song: Enchanted, Taylor Swift.