AUTHORS NOTE: Originally posted on the site 31st March 2013.

This 'One Shot' story has been given a complete overhaul, hopefully removing all typo's and errors I missed the first time around, but the main story remains intact and is a final farewell to Christian & Ana and the extended family I created in 'Family Values' (which was originally the stories – The Lost Baby, Growing Pains, Older and Wiser & Three is the Magic Number which I amalgamated) and this follows on from that story.

I do not own Fifty Shades of Grey or its original characters by E L James.

oooOOOooo

GOODNIGHT MY LOVE

It is wonderful having the family around, those are my thoughts as I am sitting looking around the crowded table. My eyes rest on my beloved husband, he is an old man now at 87 but still a force of nature and he still likes to have control, but he has learnt over the years to relinquish that control, but he still likes to have his say.

He is in deep conversation with his grandson, Theo's son and he is also called Christian Grey. Theo took over GEH and at 61 is now grooming his son to take over the helm, and 'Little Christian' as we all call him is the proverbial safe pair of hands. It is nice to know the empire which my husband built will be carrying on with the next generation, it is also kind of nice to know that the name of the man at the top will once again be Christian Grey.

I tear my eyes away and look around the table, my heart breaks that my eldest daughter Phoebe is missing, if there is such a thing as a black sheep of the family Phoebe was definitely ours. After falling into a pit of depression after suffering a miscarriage, one day out of the blue she just walked out on Harry, the man who had doted on her and who had forgiven her repeatedly. He had tried to help her, tried to care for her as we all did, but depression is such an insidious condition and we all tried to help but Phoebe didn't want to know, and despite all our efforts she turned to drugs again and ended up overdosing in a seedy apartment. Phoebe's demise hit Christian hard, as it was a little too close for comfort for him, I will never forget that day when Harry called and told us, seeing my strong husband sink to the floor weeping and shaking, it was too much to bear, you never think you are going to bury your children. A part of Christian died that day.

I miss Phoebe terribly and I regularly wonder what I could have done to prevent what happened to her, I often wonder if I failed her as a mother. Christian inevitably blamed himself for what happened to her and how she met her end, we both have a lot of regrets as far as Phoebe is concerned.

The voices speaking and laughing around me pull me out of my maudlin melancholy and endless regret, and I look around at them all.

Isobel is here, I am so pleased she managed to come, she was always destined for a career in law enforcement, but nobody could predict the heights she would reach. We don't even know exactly what she does; all we know is that she is something huge in the FBI and that other agencies have repeatedly tried to head hunt her. Isobel is all grown up but she is and always will be Christian's little girl, as he will always be the number one man in her life, married to her job Isobel doesn't do the relationship thing, but she always makes time to call and talk to her daddy once or twice a week. At this moment though she is in deep conversation with Helena, Theo's wife, a lovely girl and a much better pick than his first wife, Susan. I knew she was wrong for my boy as soon as she came on the scene all she was interested in was the Grey name and the money. Thank god he managed to ditch her reasonably in tact. My eyes settle on my eldest son Theo he has made such a success of his life and it was always inevitable he would take over the reigns at GEH, but now at 61 he is ready to take a back seat and pass the legacy on, he is talking to his baby brother, my little miracle, Alex, there isn't a day that goes by when I don't remember his twin brother Matthew who was never allowed to live his life, but Alex survived and he has made a success of his life, he went to work for Elliot and now owns Grey Construction after Elliot left him the company in his will. That was a sad day, when Elliot died, but he had a good innings and died peacefully in his sleep, Kate knew nothing of her husband's passing, it's heartbreaking to see Kate now, the once strong and opinionated Kate now just a shell, she is in a nursing home which Christian pays for, she in the late stages of dementia and doesn't know anyone, Ava and Zoe go and visit their mother but they know it will only get worse.

I look at my grandchildren, the next generation of Greys, the world is theirs now, and it is their time to shine and they have all made such a success of their lives in their different ways. None more than Damien, Phoebe's son, determined not to follow his mothers example, he followed his step father Harry into law and now is a well respected lawyer in his own right. He is a bachelor, I'm not sure why he never married, he is his own man though we are all so proud of him.

"Grandma did you hear me?" A voice to my left attracts my attention; I turn and look into the smiling face of my namesake, 16 year old Ana, Alex's daughter.

"Sorry darling, I was miles away," I say dragging my attention back to the table and the conversation. Christian looks up at me and smiles.

"Everything ok baby?" he asks.

I nod and blow him a kiss. I turn my attention back to Ana. "Sorry darling you have my full attention now, what did you say?"

"Mom and I were wondering if you wanted to come shopping with us at the weekend?"

I glance at her mother, Alex's wife Dee who shrugs apologetically, she knows that even after all this time I'm not a shopping fan, but Baby Ana as we all call her is a self confessed shopaholic and it has been her life's mission to drag me out on practically every expedition she goes on. I can't say no though, I love spending time with all my grandchildren, I glance up at Christian who is watching the conversation with amusement.

"Do we have any plans Christian?" I ask.

He shakes his head, "No baby, if you want to go shopping with Baby Ana, then go" I find it amusing he calls me baby still after all these years and it is it is a standing joke that Ana also shares Christian's pet name for me.

As the evening wears on the family start to drift away, and Christian and I are finally left alone, I snuggle up to him on the sofa.

"It was great having everyone here tonight wasn't it" he says quietly as he pulls me close to his side.

I nod, "Yes especially Isobel, we see her so rarely these days it was a lovely evening," I say looking up at my still strikingly beautiful husband, even at 87 his gorgeous grey eyes still have that intense look which melts my heart.

I frown as he sighs deeply, he sounds troubled which concerns me.

"What's wrong?" I ask sitting up.

"Nothing, I just feel really tired tonight, every muscle feels heavy, I must be getting old!" he says with a grin.

I slap his arm, playfully, but as I look up into his face, he does look a little pale, I touch his face, "Go to bed then if you are tired" I say.

He nods, "I think I will, are you coming baby?" he asks.

I nod and he holds out his hand to me and we head to our room.

As I am drifting off I hear his voice, "goodnight baby."

"Goodnight my love" I reply.

I open my eyes and something feels different, I feel Christian's arm around me as normal but something isn't right, it feels too heavy and cold, I turn and I touch my beloved husbands face, it is cold and looks waxy.

"Christian" I say panicked, "Christian, wake up, wake up now" I say shaking him, but I know in my heart he won't, tears start to fall down my cheeks, I grab my phone and call Theo, I can hardly speak as he answers.

"Theo...please...I need you" I gasp.

"Mom, what's wrong?" his worried voice comes to me.

"Your father...your father...please Theo," it's all I can manage but from my voice I think he knows what has happened.

"Ok mom stay there, I'll be there as soon as I can" he says.

About an hour later and the house is full again, everyone is back, Isobel is wandering around like a zombie, Alex, Theo, Harry and Little Christian are talking together and making arrangements. They know what to do, I feel lost, I feel like part of me has been wrenched away and I am floundering. But part of me has been wrenched away, Christian was my heart and soul we had been together 60 years, a lifetime...life, and now his life has gone. I slip from the family room back to the bedroom and sit with my husband looking so peaceful I stroke his once copper, but now snowy white hair.

"Why did you leave me Christian?" I ask as tears start to fall again.

Theo appears, "Mom we need to move dad's body," he says gently.

"NO" I scream now nearly hysterical, "You can't, I promised him I would never leave him, and you can't take him away from me" I see Theo look helplessly towards Dee and Helena, who have appeared and who walk towards me. I feel them lead me away I feel so helpless I am in a fog, and I almost feel like I am a spectator looking in on events happening around me.

The events that follow just seem to go on around me, I am lucky to have my family who seem to take care of everything, I just do as I am told and go where I am needed, the funeral is a blur, I stand there, I see the faces of all my loved ones around me, but the person I love most of all is of course missing, I am just going through the motions, the one person who could make all this go away I will never see again. I watch as the coffin is lowered into the ground and I feel like my heart is breaking in two, this is it, he is really gone, my husband the love of my life is dead, the thought destroys me. I manage to hold it together until I get home, everyone is wandering around looking at me with a concerned expression.

oooOOOooo

It has been a week already, how can I go on for god knows how many years like this, only half a soul? I wander out into the garden, and sit looking out over the sound, I remember the first time Christian brought me here and showed me the view and asked me if I wanted to look at the view for the rest of my life.

"Why did you leave me?" I shout out to nobody in particular, suddenly I feel strong arms around me.

"I'm here baby," I turn thinking I am going out of my mind, as the familiar voice comes to me, I don't believe it, Christian, he is there, holding me in his arms.

"Christian? You are really here?" I can't believe my eyes, "I don't understand" I stammer.

"Baby, it's your time too," he says gently, "I have come to fetch you," he smiles at me.

I fall into his arms and close my eyes almost immediately the pain and grief I have been feeling disappear, I am feeling light and young again, I hold on to Christian as a bright light envelopes us, I must be going mad, I see familiar figures walking towards us, leading the way is Grace and Carrick and now I realise what is happening, I too am dying.

"Ana" I turn to Grace she is holding a baby in her arms.

"Grace?" I say staring at the baby she is holding.

"Come and meet your son, Matthew" she says, Christian leads me towards her and I take the baby from her arms.

Everything feels calm and safe and there is no pain, no fear and no doubts, I am where I belong.

THE END