A/N posted below.

Part 1

Chapter 8

The school year ended with Christian as the valedictorian and I was so surprised that he included us in his speech even though it merely lasted five seconds. He said, "Thank you, Anastasia and thank you also to our baby." I hated myself for crying just because of that. I was clearly in love with him still but it was obvious that we're just friends for the baby.

Of course, I was still sceptical. I didn't let my emotions overpower my judgment. I feared that Christian might change his mind and I'd be back to being sad. It will be very stressful for our son.

Although we didn't have our ultrasound yet, I was confident that he's a boy.

So for the summer Christian slowly earned my trust.

JUNE

I was four months pregnant and I refused to know the sex of the baby. Christian wasn't insisting either. It seemed that he'd be fine whether it be a boy or a girl. It was a sunny day outside and the rays intruded us through the glass walls. We were sitting down the couch and I was showing him the new story I wrote out of boredom and like any other times he would applaud me and claim that I would be famous if I just had the guts to share these.

The Crown of Beauty

by Anastasia Rose Steele-Grey

Beyond the green wide meadow where two butterflies lose themselves in a tango and a buffalo keeps watch, lies a kingdom underneath the brightest star. Its main gazer is the beautiful maiden.

Her eyes are as brown as the sand she'd step on to face the tranquil oceans. Her skin is as soft as the drizzles passing by. And her lips? Her lips are as red as rubies glowing in the dark. Despite everything she doesn't see it since she only sees her flaw: she doesn't have hair!

Jealousy eats her every time she stares at other girls. Hair with color gold, red, and even a shade of purple! Hair that is long, curly, or even frizzy! And she thinks, "I have none".

"Beautiful maiden, why are you sad?" asks one of her friends.

"I have no hair," she replies.

"You are still beautiful! The most beautiful of all!"

"Lies!" she screams on top of her lungs.

Then one day the castle announces: Here ye! Here ye! The prince is in search for thy bride! The beautiful maiden is too excited as she hopes to be the prince's other half. However all the hope melts to the ground when she stares at the mirror. All she sees a bald girl never beautiful.

Later that night she makes a wish upon the brightest star, "I wish to have the perfect hair!"

Suddenly there's a glow brighter than she could comprehend. It's too bright that the maiden has to cover her eyes! Behold! The brightest star is now a woman wrapped in light.

"What do you wish, maiden of the kingdom?"

"I wish to have a long beautiful wavy hair!"

The woman nods then warns, "Are you sure? Once I grant your wish there's no turning back. Your hair can't ever be cut!"

"I am certain!"

The woman of lights outstretches her arms to release golden dragonflies that form a circle above her head then rest to freeze into golden hair.

The maiden twirls with joy claiming she's finally beautiful! She looks up and the woman transformed back to the star she was. The maiden whispers, "Thank you!"

The day finally came and the prince is here to choose his bride. All women from the kingdom are standing in a line where a prince eyes from head to toe, scrutinizing the beauty of his future queen. When it's the maiden's turn she can't almost stop herself from skipping with joy. She's sure she'd be chosen. This is it!

The moment she'll be a princess!

To her dismay, the prince isn't impressed.

As the afternoon reaches its peak, the Prince finally decides. The maiden falls to her knees and cries out a sob. The new princess is a girl with no hair—a girl that is bald!

"Why her?!" she screams.

The prince says, "She's not like everybody else."

The maiden goes home and no matter which sharp object she uses her hair can't be cut. Then she cries out, "I should've loved who I was!"

"Wow! Ana, this is amazing! I do notice one thing though."

"What's that, Christian?"

"If you are writing fairytales then why are there no happily ever after's?"

"Because this is not Disney"

He raises his brow in confusion then I explain it to him.

"Disney actually makes it very happy. The truth is that fairy tale stories are creepy. For example, Cinderella: her stepsisters cut their heel just for the glass shoe to fit . . ." We spend the entire afternoon with him listening to the stories I know.

I tell him about how Sleeping Beauty was raped then gave birth while asleep. I tell him how the queen never wanted Snow White's heart, but her lungs and liver to eat. I tell him how Mulan killed herself when she returned from war to find her father dead, mother remarried, and the khan asking her to be a mistress. It was so bad she decided to die. I tell him the original versions—the much darker ones!

Who would've thought that the smartest boy will learn something from me?

JULY

"You guys come on! This is Malibu! You have to enjoy the beach!" Apparently the Greys have different summer destinations per year and right now we're in beach in California. The view is like a painting crafted in the renaissance and the laughter gives you an escape from all the negative things about life.

The isolation rule was still intact, that's why Ethan and Mia were the only ones with us. They were running along the beach while the two of us bathe under the sun. Oh, and Christian's reading a Science textbook while I write another story. Yeah, it seemed as if everywhere is a library for the two of us.

"Are you guys human beings? Come on! You're in a beach! Be human beings!" Ethan shouts.

Christian shouts back, "Change the way you dress! Be a human being!"

I laughed at that and Christian gave me a high five. Ethan just frowned continued chasing Mia. He shamelessly wore Borat's swimming attire only it wasn't green but it was pink. Sometimes I wonder how Mia can tolerate this.

Right, Love.

Christian suddenly touched my stomach and I felt my guard up. The baby was moving and he had that odd look. He was torned between confusion and happiness. He asked, "She is okay. I can sense it."

It seemed as if he's fully changed. I should trust him.

But no, he will still change his mind.

I continued writing instead.

AUGUST

Aside from writing children stories another hobby I developed was pottery. Well, I wasn't really good but at least I knew the basics. I bit my lip hard and concentrated on my work. The clay spun around and I was tracing the shape so that it would be firm.

"Whoa! Ana, you're so talented! That's actually great. It would look good on the lawn."

"Yeah, thanks," I sounded uninterested. If Christian was Science then I was art. If he was the fact then I was the opinion. If he were reason then I'd be the emotion. He'd use his brain and I'd use my heart which was probably why I lost my battles all the time.

He slowly watched the way my hands moulded the clay. I was comfortable now since I felt the essence of our friendship once more. He was back to the Christian I knew and loved but somewhere deep inside a voice warned me not to trust him.

My husband surprised me by pulling a chair and placed it behind me. He sat and his hands covered mine. He sang out of tune with a matching chuckle, "Oh my love, my darling, I hunger for your touch a long lonely time!"

I guffawed. "WHAT? Since when did you watch Ghost? You hated it!"

He ignored my appeal and continued singing, "And time goes by so slowly and time can do so much. Are you still mine?"

This time the pot's shape was destroyed and I splashed it to his face. All he did was laugh.

I didn't know how but we find ourselves dancing in my art room. With him singing with chuckles in between:

Lonely rivers flow to the sea, to the sea, to the open arms of the sea.

Lonely rivers sigh wait for me, wait for me, I'll be coming home wait for me.

~S.A.~

I just wanted things to be official so I changed my mind. I decided to do an ultra sound and Christian agreed. We were in the clinic and Christian was a bit shaky. He seemed to be pacing back and forth on the chair next to where I lied.

"Why are you uneasy, Christian?"

"I-I don't know. I'm nervous? I'm excited? I don't know."

I thoughtlessly grabbed his hand and smiled, "It will be fine." To my surprise, he laced his fingers with mine.

The doctor came out and talked about how she and Grace were so close. She'd talk about babies and Christian would correct her from time to time. He was an encyclopedia when he tackled, "50% of the cells are from the mother and 50% from the baby which meant that you're talking about the placenta. Actually doc, the sperm was the maker of it and it's also responsible for the umbilical cord."

The gynaecologist stayed professional and patient and she was like that until she put some cold gel around my belly and then we saw an image that made it more real than it already was.

We could see his nose, his feet, and oh heavens! The rhythm of his heart!

There were no words but only tears!

"It's a girl! You're going to have a girl!" the doctor announced.

I looked at Christian and he raised all waves of emotions within me when he's eyes were still glued on screen and he whispered, "Sierra. Beautiful Sierra."

He got my trust again.

Author's Note: So this was the summer for Ana and Christian. What did you think of it?

Thank you for your favorites, follows, and reviews. They are so much appreciated as it pushes me further to go into writing.

P.S. What did you think of Ana's new story? Another P.S. Unchained Melody was chosen because Ghost is one of the most meaningful movies for me. Last P.S. There is more to come in the story.

Reviews, please?

Thank you!

Margo.