Here is my sequel to 'Putting Down Roots', a follow up story has been requested by every kind reviewer, thank you. I did worry, you know, about crushing the perfect life he had. But heck did you not think it was too perfect? Ana is not a vet, I think we have that sussed already and there will be a lot of changes, as this is not Fifty Shades of Grey, yes, some of the characters are the same, the settings and something of that type of lifestyle is still there, but not as harsh nor as all consuming for Christian. However, the changes are mine and mine alone. Now, I hope you like this and let me know if you don't, as you know I do not have proof readers and I am dyslexic and I do have grammar issues and yes, I am British so write with a British eye and use the British Language, sorry I do try to Americanise my writing, but fail miserably, but do not let that stop you from reading it...


Wow reviewers don't read it if you want to troll this story without giving it a proper try, one chapter and I have ruined putting down roots, well sorry I write you read if you don't want to read I am still writing... end of my rant... troll x


WHEN THE BOUGH BREAKS...

Chapter 1: Wet and dry:

Ana's POV:

I will kill Kate Kavagnah and her new besty, neither of them know nothing about the real world and neither of them actually know anything about having to earn enough money to live their everyday lives on, nor what it means to actually work for an actual living wage, because if they had to, if god forbid they lost their trust funds and have to manage on just their wages and tips, like I have too, they would be truly screwed? Yes, I am very cranky and with good reason too. I have to thank Kate and Mia Grey, the new, the loud and the worst flat mate ever, for my lack of sleep. The reason for Ana being in a bad mood is down to the two of them and their new fuck buddies, oh so uncouth Anastasia, I say to myself. I'm cranky; I'm a bitch, I'm definitely tired, which leads me to being prone to start howling at the drop of a hat, and I am fed up of being a no fun invisible tenant, and today is no better and all because of them. Last night was the final straw and why? I'll tell you why...

They were both at home last night when I got back, me with my aching feet and legs from a hard double shift at work, only to find both were squirreled away in their rooms, my dinner had been eaten and there was nothing left but the dirty dishes waiting, no doubt, for Cinderella Steele to do them. God forbid they would do them. I am starving so make myself toast. As I sit and eat, I do note that both of their rooms need some serious soundproofing, that much I do know.

Anyway, when I got back in from work, at a little after two this morning, their rampant shenanigans, were well underway, their bedroom Olympics, sex decathlons, humping games, lordy lord, if you come up with a better name for what they were doing, then run with it, because they were not making love, they were either bucking bulls in a rodeo or riding the beast with two backs, and I should know because I heard every oh argh and f-word know to man and beast, had they got a beast in their bedrooms? That was a strange thought that entered my mind a time or two, because if they hadn't, that was what it sounded like, a caged beast.

I'd eaten my toast, having failed miserably to block out the very loud sexual happenings in each of their rooms, unless they are both watching porn on their fifty inch flat screens, with the surround sound on and yes, that theory also had possibilities too. I couldn't go to my room as my small closet of a room, is sandwiched between theirs. So, I'd have stereo sexing. What I didn't know was, was who were their partners, I had an inkling Elliot 'the stud' Grey was in with Kate, Mia though, her date was a mystery man.

She wasn't quite as bad as Kate on the drag-them-home booty calls, yet, but she is getting there! Then as I sat sipping my tea, one naked butt walked from Kate's room across the lounge, Elliot's butt, yup I would hazard a guess actually, having seen it enough in the past few weeks, it is his. It is then followed by another almost naked butt from Mia's room, I recognised that butt too, its Kate's brothers butt, seen that a lot loo over the past few years. As butt one looked in the refrigerator, butt two stood behind butt one waiting his turn, their silhouettes set against the refrigerators light were very amusing, as they helped themselves to my munchies. Both unaware I was even there.

That fact alone had me in a fit of giggles, imagine if you can, or wish too, seeing two sets of drunken siblings each finding out that they were in fact dating their others sibling? Well, I had the ring side view of the chaos about to unfold, in a comfy seat, where I sat and watched the men's naked, or nearly naked backsides, whilst they were after sex fridge raiding, yes, I had caught both Ethan and Elliot unawares of the others existence, both were standing there wondering whom the other person was.

Poor Elliot, he was livid and about to rip Mia's buddy a new one, when he realised he had come out of Mia's room and not mine, the cheeky sex addict, thinking I was as loose as those two, poor Elliot was only that livid when their equally nearly naked girlfriends popped their heads out of their doors asking for their wine and ice cream and realisation set in I was not the one howling at the moon, but his sister Mia was. I roared with laughter as the realisation set in and told them to ignore me and to carry on the show, so they did, and then they made up and they then drank plenty more beer and wine, and into the wee hours too. I went to bed as they were now in stopping in the lounge, but sleep did not come easy to me last night.

So, this morning after just four hours of patchy sleep, I decided to get up and look for another job, one with more sociable hours, instead I found the boys crashed out on the lounge floor, they had it seems, played twister whilst drunk, I did not even try to detangle their legs, I instead hurriedly covered them and their man bits, which were gross and I tried, but could not wake either Kate nor Mia for love nor money to help me, they were four dead drunks and yes, I did check for a pulse, before I then went to make my first cup of tea of the day, a much needed beverage on the best of days, today was not one of those days, because I got to the refrigerator to find no milk and there were no darned muffins left either, but I did see and read Kate's barely illegible note pinned to the door, begging me to do the dratted interview for her, and that if I did it for her, she'd love me forever and I'd get a pass on my rent for months!

I haven't got a full time job and she knows I am short of funds, and she also knows that I won't accept charity, or fall behind with my monetary commitments, so this is her kind way of 'helping me out' I guess not all of us have homes bought by Mommy and Daddy to live in? I mentally smack my head for that snippy remark, because Kate has been great, and wouldn't give a jot if I didn't pay her any rent at all, as it is, what I pay is peanuts, as it has always been. Mia, well I haven't asked what her arrangement is, as it's not my apartment.

She too is loaded and is only playing at this work thing she is doing, and is just having fun being out of her parents place for the first time, she left home okay, and landed on us, she needs a maid and a housekeeper she is a slob, I do wonder why she is here, because her parents don't live too far away and she could still live with them and have use of their servants, heck her brothers live near too, but apparently we are fun and she likes hanging out with us, well Kate anyhow.

I work most of the time they are home anyway, so I don't see a lot of them at the weekends, because Friday and Saturday night are the busiest shifts at 'Bar None', and the tips are pretty good too. Mia and Kate keep each other 'occupied' as they were brought up in the same circles; they know the same people, they go to the same stores, hair salons and spa places. Yada-yada, I yawn as the tiredness is quickly coming to get me. I have not been a great friend to Kate, I have very little time to go with her to any of her favourite places, because I have to admit since graduating I have been loaded down with simple life chores, mainly looking for a job that utilises my degree, one that pays my bills and I have enough left to start paying my student loans back. I am also rewriting my epic novel when I get a spare hour or so.

I had too after those two made a trashy novel out of the already trashed by my tutors, Russian romance novel and I lost the only other copy I had, I figure it's not lost per sae, but out there somewhere in cyber space, but I will be darned if I can find it, it's not where I left it and I blame Mia. Don't get me wrong, I like Mia, I really do, though hearing my ranting I doubt it sounds like I do, but hell she talks and talks and is like a preppy cheerleader most of the time. She has very fudged boundaries of what is and is not acceptable as a roommate, she is the one who lost my saved novel, when she ordered take out, using my old laptop. She says she didn't delete it, but I know she did.

I will give this new arrangement a few more weeks, as she needs time to adjust to sharing, she has only been here for three weeks proper, but she'd had a practice run at moving in before Kate's decision to offer up her third bedroom, the second largest room I might add was mine, she had the smaller room during her handful of stopovers and feeding sessions before that, whilst her brother was in his three week coma thing, I slap myself, yet again, for my catty remarks about the rich bitches ignoring poor Ana, it was my idea for the swap around, so I shouldn't moan about my own idea biting me in the butt, now should I? I figured as she and Kate 'entertain', they need the en-suites with the bath tubs; I don't have company, so I took the smaller room, with the simple shower room. Just call me Cinders and I slap my bitchy self again. Good god the lack of sleep makes me a tad more than simply cranky, I am bitchy too.

I am getting lost in my thoughts and straying from the reason I am now heading toward Grey House in the sudden deluge of rain, rain that like my bad mood and tiredness, hit me one block after I left home, I am going to see Mia's gorgeous billionaire brother, Christian Grey, at his place of work. I looked neat and tidy before I left, though drowned rat and cold are what best describes me now, that and tired, fed up and hungry, the greedy mob who are still sleeping off a wild night, ate all my darned muffins, and so I went without breakfast too.

As a consequence of their hangovers, I am now doing Kate's interview, and interview that was planned weeks ago, and well before Mr Greys accident too, in fact it should have been for our graduation edition of the student rag, however he has agreed to do it now, but this time for Kate's lifestyle column! I have to laugh, because she is not getting the choice assignments just because her daddy owns the paper, not until she has put in some serious journalistic effort in, she is currently working in one of the minor local rags, which her father owns.

She has to prove to him she is good, and she is trying hard too, she is making the flower shows, the student concerts, the bake sales and the hero dog stories she has covered, sound like they belong in a national, she hates it and her dad, because poor Eamon, is not giving her an inch of leeway. So this is her, or was, her big way into the bigger news paper in the group, alas Christian cannot rearrange her appointment, as he is going to Paris for several weeks, to see to his offices there. So Mia offered me up as her next best thing, really, if I was the best she had then she was screwed. I am worried about seeing him again, he was in a bad way the last time I saw him, but Mia says not to worry, he's wonderful.

Christian, she said, has been very quiet and much changed since his nap, she says however, that he is a very nice different, and has been since he woke up after his accident, an accident I know very little about, I didn't need to know his personal details, anyhow. I am rarely home to listen to the new besties go at it, putting their comical world to rights. Instead, I have been cramming the hours in at the new bar across from here called Bar None, I like it there and it will do for the time being, it pays the bills, until I get the chance to interview for an internship, in I hope, at least one of the three other major publishing houses here in Seattle that I have applied to. I had refused Grace and Mia's offer of an easy get in, at Grey Publishing, unlike those two, Kate and Mia, I do not want to use my connections, flimsy as they were, to get a great job handed to me on a platter, or what has been the point in going to college and university, working hard and aiming to be the best, only for my would be co-workers not seeing those hard worked for capabilities and instead have their fingers pointing at me and crying nepotism?

I am here now at Grey House, looking up at the massive building and poor little me, I look like a poor drowned church mouse surrounded by lions and tigers, all waiting to eat me as a snack. I pull together my wet coat and head in, I have her darned notes and her recorder and I head up to see the man I think I have seen twice, once in hospital and once when he was going in the apartment, just as I was leaving, it was a very quick hello goodbye thing, as I was on my way to work. I think he is a nice man, at least he seems to be, from what I hear said at the dinner table. I know Elliot and Mia love their brother, both the old and new, but other than that, I am not interested. I share and apartment with his loud and messy sister and his brothers naked butt is always at home eating my food, so adding in another Grey is not necessary, plus, my sanity couldn't stand another loud Grey sibling.

I am escorted to a security office and I am given my day pass and I sign all sorts of paperwork, but because I have to change everything from Kate's name to mine, it takes time, which annoys both the security guy and me, and now I am running late, another guy in a nice suit takes me up in the elevator, where he hands me off to another smartly dressed man, who takes me up the rest of the way. He looks familiar, but then again they all look the same, with their neat buzz cuts and nice tailored suits that he could be anyone, and it's not just the men, the women are all drones too, with their blonde tied back hair, worn so tight incidentally, that it pulls their faces into a uniformed shape too. Which goes nicely with their gray work attire and stupidly high heels. Who, but a hooker and my roommates can walk around in four inch; strike that, five inches in some cases, shoes that would cost me three months worth of tips at Bar None?

"Mr Grey will see you now Miss Kavagnah."Derr, brains are not required to work here I guess then blondie. I get another smack upside my head, okay Bitchy Ana is very snarky today, and I blame the Kavagnah's and the Greys.

"I'm here for Miss Kavagnah, my name is Anastasia Steele. I have explained all this to buzz cut one, two and him there, number three." She takes my coat and stashes it away, like it is infected with Ebola, shit woman its wet, and not a darned bomb. I think, but do not say aloud I hope? Another 'Stepford Wife' comes out of an office and shows me to a massive set of wooden doors.

"Mr Grey will see you now Miss Kavagnah..."

I smile and think what the funk, can none of the over dressed Babies get my name right? Perhaps they simply need to take down their hair and release their brains from all that facial tension; they look like a smile would crack their faces? I smile and push open the door, and oh no, oh my god no, please not now, I trip over, as my sodden and wet through Uggs stick to the marbled floor and my foot somehow comes out of the top of one, oh Jesus H Christ, what an impression I make and first impressions are important they say, well mine say loud and clearly 'dork alert, clumsy dork here, drenched dork, a dork who has left a puddle of Ana shaped proportions, on his pristine floors, where that same dork has splattered herself the floor. Dork suits me very well.' and I then pray to god for the ground to open up and swallow me whole.

"Miss Steele, we finally meet at last. How are you, here let me help you up. Are you okay?" He holds my hand and I stare. Okay, he's still beautiful.

"Hu, what, I am sorry I am Anastasia Steele, not Kate Kavagnah?" He smiles as I bang my head on the floor in frustration, dorkus interuptus, please kill me now.

"I called you Miss Steele, or would you prefer Nahna?"

I look up again to see him smiling at me and yes, he has the same beautiful face I remembered. Though now he is clean shaven and not bruised at all, he has achieved quite the improvement in just a few weeks. In fact you'd not know he'd been in an accident were it not for the leg and the arm in plaster. His face has a few superficial scars about his right eye, and his left cheek has a scar, which if he were to grow a beard you would not see.

"I would prefer Ana, just Ana. I am sorry about the confusion, but your staff had me wondering who I was? Can I ask, do you employ deaf mutes, because none of them knew took note of my darned name, despite me telling each of them apart from the last blonde robot, that I am Miss Steele and not Miss Kavagnah, and I am sorry that all slipped out? Sorry, but I am tired, sorry you didn't need to know that either, how very unprofessional of me, but I am sorry I didn't get much sleep and sorry for apologising over and over, I am sorry, I am not being very professional now am I, sorry?"

"You don't have to apologise, however Miss Steele, I have to ask do you want to stop down there?" As I shake my head, then god help me, what do I do? I only splash his expensive suit too. Darn it, the sheer number of improprieties or indiscretions I am busy committing is rising by the minute.

I blushed red, as he pulls me up and I land in his chest, right, do I apologise again, but he was the one pulled me up hard and he did it so quickly, that I lost my footing and fell against his chest, oh heck, did I hurt his chest? I remember he'd had a collapsed lung, I think it was his lung or did he have a heart attack, either way my head must have hurt him? I touch his chest again to make sure and he smiles as he looks down. Okay, I am defiantly not acting professionally at all, and that touching thing was I think, an indiscretion too far?

"Why are you tired, where you out into the small hours Miss Steele?"

"I was, at the bar, Bar None, do you know the one, I mean sorry, Bar None, actually its over there." I point in the general direction of my place of work.

"You were out until early this morning, were you drinking and having fun with your boyfriend?"

"No, no I was not."

"I'm sorry I was prying forgive me please?" I look up and he seems genuine in wanting forgiveness, I am the one who needs it not him, I am the one being snarky, not him, the poor man has been ambushed by a lune.

"Do you want to know why I am tired really Mr Grey?"

"Yes, I would Miss Steele, you have intrigued me."I look and I see the beautiful colour of those gray pools of lust looking at me, and god help me am I melting? Nope, that's just me dripping over his floors; I'm soaked to the darned bone.

"Your siblings were playing truth or dare into the wee hours, hence me being here now and not Ms Kavagnah she is a little 'tired' she was actually comatosed, shit, I mean sugar, sorry I mean holy hell she was drunk, sorry." He laughed.

"Really it's fine I was in a coma, I assure you, you did not offend me. Can I ask why did you not join them, or did you?"

"No, no I did not, I didn't want to be the darned third wheel, and for this I was apparently a kill joy, but as I'd been on my feet all night, you see I'd pulled a double shift over at Bar None, the Thursday girl ran away to Vegas to get married, the stupid fool so I worked her shift too, and I wasn't drinking with anyone Mr Grey, I was working. Anyhow, when I got home, I was intending to eat my very early breakfast, late dinner whatever, and go to bed, but they ate my dinner, or someone did, I have a feeling it was your brother, the human garbage pail, so I had to make do with toast, alas as I was finishing off my tea and toast, when world war three kicked off, when your brother found out your sister is seeing Kate's brother Ethan, then imagine if you can, or if you really need to, seeing it in the flesh and believe me, it is far worse in real time, the four near naked people pushing and shoving by the light of the refrigerator, it was not a pretty sight, afterwards they made up, they drank and played board games and played their music, loudly."

"I don't wish to think of them at all thank you. Miss Steele, you are shivering, good god, are you wet to the skin?"

"It is raining Mr Grey. Sir, rain does that, it tends to be wet and cold at this time of the year too."

"Have you no car?"

"No, I don't Sir, my piece of shit car Wanda, she died a million deaths. She now rests in a scrap yard for the useless and no longer drivable, unloved cars of Seattle." I am adding some more to my indiscretions list, because I swore too.

"I read that somewhere. You know, about you calling your bug Wanda?"

"Oh hell, you have read that darned book, haven't you?"

"I have, and we had quite the romance Miss Steele."

"It's Ana, just Ana, and yes those two, they really had fun at our expense."

"They did, it was all good fun. Now, I have had all Kate's questions emailed to me and have sent them back to her. Now, please let me get you some dry clothes?"

"What, then why am I here if not to interview you, what the hell is she playing at? Wasting your time and my sleep time too, I am working again later; she is going to pay for this."

"Ana, you are shivering and you teeth are chattering too, you will get a cold, or worse still get a bad case of the flu, please dry yourself off?"

"I think I will be fine thank you. I am only wet, not dying; besides, Mr Grey, I left my towel and change of clothes in my nice warm bedroom."

"Okay, and Ana, it's Christian, if I am to call you Ana, then I insist on you calling me Christian, okay?"

"Okay, Christian, but please do not worry, I will get myself off home and dry off, you can only get as wet through as I am, wet through is wet through, I think once wet to the bone, you are incapable of getting wetter than wet through Christian."

"A good point well argued Ana, but there is no need to go home, please let me show you to my bathroom, in there is a shower, some clothes which are, unfortunately mine, help yourself. Pass me the wet clothes and I will have them dry-cleaned." I gasp.

"Why can I not just go home, I mean its only down the block? I don't need to shower here, in your office, I mean, you have to get naked to shower, and I would be here in your office, you a stranger would have a naked stranger in your office. Crap, all that came out wrong I meant..."

"...I know what you meant, and I can assure you, the only action this office and my bathroom have had, that involved a beautiful naked woman was in the book Ana."

"I have read those scenes too, they were, a little erm, hot and wild, but that's not how I am, that Ana is not this Ana stood dripping on your floors Christian, far from it in fact."

"Ana, I was just telling you that to help calm you down, obviously it had the adverse affect, I am sorry Ana, but I do not ravish women in my place of work. Ana, you are safe, my staff are discreet and just outside, Ana, please get yourself showered, then warm and dry?"

"I was simply worked up and tired, again I'm sorry, and I have made a hell of a lousy impression. I do need to get dry, as it now feels extremely uncomfortable and I am sorry, but the floor is wetter than me now and needs clearing or it will ruin, and because I am cold and I am really sorry for this, but I now need to pee too."

"Good, that it seems is the problem solved then, you need the bathroom, which is through there, you can also have a shower, which again is in there, so get changed and then you can then have your interview with me for the junior editor's position at Grey Publishing, and then during lunch we will discuss the rights to your story, Putting Down Roots. I have to admit I did like both versions, I think if you do a re-edit, using both versions and of course, use different names then I can guarantee it will make the best seller list. Now, go through get changed and do it now before you do get a cold." He is what and I am what, I am being interviewed, crap...?

"What the hell, how, I mean how, sludgesickle, what do you mean interview for the position? I never applied here for an internship. How, I mean just how did you even get the original copy of my dratted book, I lost it. My resume, it has gone to all the other publishing houses, I did not send it to yours for a good reason, and so I know I cannot have applied here?"

"I have a snoopy sister who says you are just what I am looking for, and I value my peace and quiet, she is rallying for you to work here with me or better still she wants me to offer to publish your book, she sent it to me, the original version and my mom gave me their version, both, as I said were and are very good. Now get in there and do what you have too, and Ana do you realise we have spent ages arguing about this?"

"Yes I had, do you know what Sir, you are very Bossy and demanding, you are you know, just in case none of those gray Barbie's out there have told you that, I am telling you before you think of employing me, you are very bossy?"

"I have been known to be Anastasia, in the past... For now though, I need to talk about our future."

"Oh, okay I guess?" I know I gulped as he said that.

"Yes, as in a job and a book deal. Unless you need to discuss what you whispered in my ear as I slept, that too would raise a discussion and a half, Ana?"

"Oh heck, you heard me, you were meant to be in a coma and I was, I don't know, I was just saying that you were stunning, even with the bruising, in case you know you were worried about your face, and I did say a prayer for you Christian." I am going to regret saying that, I know I am, his eyes are looking at mine like a starved wolf, and I am the deer he wants for dinner.

I head into his bathroom and I am not a little wet, the rain has managed to soak me straight through to my skin. My underwear is soaking wet too. I look through his 'wardrobe' and take a pair of his Hugo Boss man panties, a pair of gray jogging bottoms and one of the many white shirts he has hung up, they feel like an angel has breathed on them, they are so soft and nice, and his white shirts, they really pop white, as his rails of clothes all have their own spot lights. His closet is bigger than my bedroom at Kate's, I did have Mia's room, but whilst they worked, I swapped it around on my day off and organised both of their darned closets and did their washing, and now I am off in gaga land because he went there with the darned stunning comment, phooey, I am so not getting this darned job. I wrap myself in a towel and hand him my sodden clothes. My Uggs have seen better days, but they will last until I get a full time job. Kate and I can share clothes, but not shoes, Mia has tiny child sized feet, so I can't borrow a pair from her either.

"Here, my clothes, they are wet through, and Christian I am so sorry."

"Thank you, take your time, I have ordered breakfast, tea or coffee? I would guess English Breakfast tea?"

"I like tea yes, I drink coffee too. I will be as quick as I can thank you." I need this because I only had a cat lick wash this morning too.

C POV:

I take her clothes and Luke, he smiles as he takes them. I am sure they have seen better days.

"Luke replace them all including the uglies, they call boots uglies Luke?"

"No Mr Grey, they are called Uggs and are Australian in origin, they are sheepskin fur lined boots, women love them, clearly theses are well worn Mr Grey, I will phone the order through to Ms Acton, does she need anything else?" He looks at the clothes and smiles. I don't want to push my luck and get her whole wardrobe full of suitable clothes. I hold back. Smile and remember Ana's stomach groaning, had she not eaten?

"Yes, can you ask Andrea to get Ana and I morning coffee, only Ana would like tea, can we have breakfast sent up too, her belly rumbles were louder than T, and he is loud, most of the time?"

"She is very unsure of herself; I would say Elliot's description of shy book worm geek is not too far off the mark Mr Grey?"

I nod as he takes out the soiled clothes and her soggy bag, which has seen better days. She is very different from anyone I have ever met, and just what the doctor ordered, and my mother is never wrong.

I'll have to see where this meeting takes us, I hope she accepts the job I really do, and the book deal too. It changed my whole world and I have a lot to thank her for, I only hope she lets me help. Both Kate and Mia say it will be a hard sell of my career; as she is very proud and strong willed, but then again so was my Ana. I wait for our meeting to start; we have a lot to discuss. She's coming out of my bathroom... Here goes nothing...


Well tell me what you think? read review and let me know... I expect haters as it is not putting down roots, but I don't know where this is going yet... I know its going to be a romance and I know its not a hop in bed and get married straight away story...