A/n-Ok, so I owe everyone an explanation and a HUGE apology, I know I haven't updated this in more than two months, and I'm so, so, sorry. College has been really busy and I'm taking 20 credits this semester since I'm trying to double major. I'm really sorry for not updating, but I promise I'll do better since I've finally gotten use to a heavy workload and hopefully can write some more. Also, thank you everyone for your undying support, this group truly is amazing, and although I don't have time to reply to each one of them, I can't tell you how much all of the kind and positive reviews mean. Also, please ignore all grammar errors… Love, Lauren.

Chapter 10-A New Contract

"Hey," Christian slides behind Ana, brushing a piece of her fringe back. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

He feels Ana's body briefly tenses as she turns around, laying her head on his outstretched arm. Looking in her clear, artic ocean, deep blue eyes, it hits him square the gut. She was goddamn beautiful and strong. Even after everything, what Jack did to her, taking care of Phoebe and Teddy, him beating her with the belt, she can still manage to survive, to see the best in this world.

"I was thinking…" Christian's lips twitch up, "we can try something different this weekend."

It has only been five days since the incident with the belt, and Christian's gut clenched every time he thinks about how hard he whipped her, how she still has to slightly wince when she sits down, how heartbreaking her sobs were, how he even left her initially. However, since they were still doing the contract thing, he couldn't do anything to fix it, but this weekend, he was going to do things differently. He was going to treat her right, gentle, be slow, kiss away all of her tears, vanilla, roses, whatever she wanted. It didn't even have to be sex, he just wanted to hold her.

A shadow passes through Ana's eyes, and Christian's gut twists. Ana tenses once more, her body ready to draw away. "Will it hurt?" she asks softly.

"Wha…" Christian's speechless for a second. "Hurt?" he sputters.

Ana shrugs. "Yeah, you said you want to try something different, is it anal or something?" she murmurs, glancing down at her knotted fingers.

The knot only tightens in Christian's stomach. Christ, after everything, that's what she thinks he wanted to do, to use her?

"Ana." Christian calls, tilting her chin up with his finger, and his arms come around her when he sees bright tears brimming her eyes.

Jesus.

Christian was hoping she wouldn't ask questions, he wanted it to be a surprise, a good surprise. He wanted to surprise her with a date night, but how can he do that when she thought he was going to beat and use her again?

"It's not anal." He murmurs against her ear. "It has nothing to do with sex or the contract, I was just thinking…maybe you would want to go out with me or…."

At her astonished face, Christian quickly adds. "or it really doesn't matter, we don't have to do anything, I was just thinking, there's this fair, and I know this restaurant, we can go home and watch a movie, but I completely understand if you don't want to do anything, I thought…."

Christian stops talking when he feels soft fingers gently brush against his cheek. "Christian," Ana's lips twitch up, and now, there's definite relief in her eyes. "Of course I would love to go out with you. I'm sorry, I thought…"

Now it's Christian's turn to smile, but it quickly disappears as he sobers. "It's ok beautiful, after everything I put you…"

Before he can finish his sentence, a gentle finger is placed over his mouth, and Ana's smiling at him. "You don't put me through anything I don't want to be put through." She whispers.

"The belt…"

"Christian."

Christian didn't know how she did that, how she could stop his thoughts with one word, sometimes it was like she was the Dom, the way she stopped his worries, the way she could read him, the way she so easily dispelled every self-doubt and insecurity of his.

"Christian," Ana's still speaking softly, as if to not startle him, but her voice was also firm, not argumentative. "I already told you, I forgive you for that night. You were angry, I get it, ok? Stop blaming yourself."

Christian expels a long sigh. "I know, I just…feel like such shit for…I even left you afterwards. I never should've left…I never forget about aftercare, not until…"

"You're here now."

A smile touches Christian's lips, and changing topics, he rolls over, planting a kiss on Ana's head. "So is there anything in particular you want to do? Movie? Ice-Skate?"

Ana stifles a laugh. "Since when did Christian Grey go ice-skating?"

Playfully, Christian rolls his eyes and sighs in mock exasperation. "Do you have to challenge everything?"

A mischievous glint enters Ana's eyes. "Where would all the fun be then?"

Christian grins. Gosh, he loved her, loved her easy-going spirit, loved their banter, loved her heart, her soul, loved her laugh, her eyes, her collarbone, the bend of her elbow, he purple, chipped nail-polish, her soft lips, the tip of her nose, the shell of her ear, gosh, he just loved her.

Suddenly, Ana sobers. "Christian…" and Christian immediately detects the hesitation in her voice.

He frowns when he sees her lowering her eyelashes, a submissive gesture. "I…what are we going to do about the contract? I'm still your submissive right?"

Gently grasping her chin between his thumb and forefinger, Christian tilts her head up. "It's whatever you want, kitten."

Ana becomes quieter, her voice barely above a whisper. "I…I…" and Christian's heart breaks for her. All of the stuff she's been through, and she's still trying to please him.

Gently tracing the outline of her jaw, her chin, her ear, Christian reaches into his bedside drawer, and taking out a blank check, he signs it.

"Ana, here's a check, I left the amount blank. Use it for whatever you need, whenever you need it, no matter how much. You are not bind to me in anyway. This money is rightfully yours, I also hope you'll keep your apartment, like I said, you earned it."

A warm smile spreads across Christian's face when Ana doesn't say anything, just staring at him. Internally, Christian knew this will be hard for her to accept, if he could even get her to accept it at all. She was so goddamn independent.

Folding the check, Christian tucks it in Ana's hand who still haven't said anything. "Think about it ok? You're still in school, and Phoebe and Teddy are still young."

Swallowing, Ana needs to clear her throat, and she clears it again as Christian grins and kisses her forehead. "I know it's a lot, but I don't want you to feel obligated to me for anything. I want you to be happy, and you can't be a sub the rest of your life, following someone's order. It was so wrong how you got into the lifestyle, Jack, everything about it, and before you argue with me about the money, I can promise you whatever amount will only be worth pennies to me, I want you to have it. I can't think of someone who deserves it more. As for the lifestyle…" Now, it's Christian turn to clear his throat. "I hope that we can always remain friends because I care about you deeply, but there's a very good chance that your happiness is not meant to be with me. Now, if you would truly, freely want to remain in the lifestyle for no monetary gains, I would like to rethink the entire contract before we come to any conclusions."

"Christian…." Bright tears spill over Ana's eyes as her fingers tremble, and Christian gently catches a drop of moisture with his finger. "Don't cry, sweet girl."

"I can't take this." A sob catches in Ana's throat.

"Just think about it, ok?" Christian gathers her in his arm, letting her rest her head against his chest.

Ana sighs, still sniffling. "What did I do to deserve you?"

Christian nuzzles her hair. "Shouldn't I be the one asking this question?" He asks, placing a kiss on her neck and Ana smiles.

They lay like that for a couple of minutes before Ana rolls over, "I should go check on Phoebe and Teddy." She says and Christian lets her go with another kiss on her cheek.

XXXXXXXXX

Christian and Ana walk hand in hand as they stroll around the fair. Phoebe is sitting on Christian's shoulder as Teddy is holding Ana's hand.

"Christian?" Phoebe requests, and Christian smiles up at the little girl.

"Yes princess?"

"I want that bear over there!" Phoebe points to a tent with a big, giant teddy bear twice the size of her.

"You do?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Well," Christian says, casting Ana a grin. "We'll see what we can do."

It was Saturday, and just like Christian promised, they didn't have kinky sex. Instead, they were doing date night like he suggested. Ana still hasn't said anything about the check or their current relationship, and Christian suspected she needed more time, but this, strolling around a small fair set up, having Phoebe and Teddy with them was exactly what he wanted. Everything came so easily and nothing was forced. There wasn't any pressure or stress of having to perform sexually, although Christian liked being a Dom, this was nice in its own way.

He loved that Ana could just relax and didn't have to worry about pleasing him. She looked so beautiful with her hair gathered up in a messy bun, and her long, flowing dress trailing behind her. Her smile was carefree and happy, and Christian can't help but feel like he's falling.

With Phoebe still on his shoulder, he walks over to the vendor and points to the teddy bear Phoebe wanted.

"How do I get that?"

The vendor, a middle age man with mocha hair and brown eyes smiles. "10 darts, 10 balloons." He says, pushing 10 darts in front of Christian, and with a twinkle in his eyes says. "I have to warn you though, no one has been able to get it tonight."

Christian lifts Phoebe off his shoulders as she giggles. "You can do it Christian!" She cheers, and Christian grins.

Rolling his shoulders back, Christian shrugs his arms, loosening up his muscles and making a show as Ana watches him with an amused smile.

10 minutes later, Christian has tried three times and still haven't hit a single balloon as he lets out a frustrated sigh and Ana laughs as the vendor smiles kindly. "Not as easy as it seems, huh?"

Phoebe reaches her arms out to Christian again, wanting to be held. "It's ok Christian," She says, and Christian grins sheepishly. "Sorry Phoebe, seems like I'm not a good thrower." He was just about to ask the vendor if can he buy the Teddy bear when Ana steps up.

"May I?"

Christian shrugs, and with a grin, buys another round of darts.

Thunk, Thunk, Thunk.

Christian doesn't miss the widening of the vendor's eyes as Ana hits every single one of the balloon.

Turning back around, Ana tosses Christian a sexy half smile. "At least one of us can throw."

The vendor also grins, handing Ana the big, fluffy Teddy bear and winks at Christian. "She's a keeper."

Christian smiles back warmly, picking up Ana's hand and pressing a kiss to her knuckle. "I know."

Phoebe is dragging the teddy bear behind her and Teddy is also fighting over it as Christian pulls Ana closer to him, whispering in her ear. "I've better be careful around you, huh? I didn't know you had such a good arm."

Ana laughs, a sexy, throw her hair back laugh. "You will do well to remember that, Mr. Grey."

XXXXXXXXXX

Ana presses a gentle kiss to Christian's mouth as he grins, pulling her onto him.

"What was that for?" He asks, still grinning. He looked so young and handsome in the dim glow of the bedroom light, his face relaxed, hair messy, happy.

It was the first time after the belt incident that Ana voluntary kissed him, and Christian didn't want it to end.

"For date night, I've never been on a date before. It was wonderful." Ana's slightly blushing, and Christian can't help but pull her on top of him, pressing another eager yet gentle kiss to her lips.

"I'm glad you liked it, I liked it too."

"So…" Ana's blush deepens, "I've been thinking about the contract and your offer…"

Christian raises his eyebrows, trying to act nonchalant as his heart jumps up in his throat. Dear god, he wanted her, but he didn't know if he deserved her, deserved that smile, that giggle, her laughter, her spirit, her soul. He wanted nothing more to than just hold and protect her. He hoped she would at least take the money though.

A small smile ghosts across Ana's face, her cheeks bright red. "I still want to be your submissive." She whispers, and Christian's smiles although his smile is tainted with sadness.

"Are you sure?" he asks, reaching up to caress her cheek, he passes his thumb pass her throat, feeling her pulse, so fragile yet alive.

"Yeah, I know…uh…I trust you." Ana whispers, her voice barely a squeak.

"And you're not doing this for money?" Christian asks, sobering. "Because Ana, you know I will provide for whatever you need right, even without the contract?"

"Yeah." Ana's blush deepens. "I want to be with you." She whispers.

Christian grins. "Ok, I need to get something set up, do you mind going to the living room and waiting?"

"What?" Ana's getting confused. "Christian, can we talk this out, what are you doing?"

Christian smiles, brushing his finger over her cheek. "You'll see kitten, now scoot.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Ana's sitting in the living room, still confused when Christian appears in the doorway, a sexy smile hanging by his lips. He's still dressed from earlier before, wearing a pair of khakis and a dark, blue sweater.

Ana arches her eyebrows as Christian grins.

"Stand up." His command is firm yet there was an underlying note of tenderness to it.

When Ana does as she's told, Christian comes around and places both hands over her eyes.

"No peeking." He murmurs in her ear as goosebumps travel all the way down Ana's spine.

"Ok, we're almost there." Christian says, still guiding Ana as they stood before his bedroom. He gently leads her in, still making sure she's not looking and his heart warms when he hears she giggle. "What are we doing Christian?" Ana whines as Christian smile. "You can open your eyes now." Christian finally says.

Ana gasps as she opens her eyes. Strings of light hang from the ceiling, illuminating the bedroom in a soft glow. There's a glass of Champaign in an ice bucket and two glasses beside it. In the background, a song is playing, but what catches Ana's eyes is the bed. Christian's bed is nicely made with rose petals scattered over it, the bright red petals contrasting against his deep blue sheets.

"Christian." Ana doesn't know what to say as Christian walks up to her, gently grasping her chin between his thumb and forefinger.

"If anything serious does happen between us, I want to set something straight. You won't be my submissive, you'd be my partner, we'd be equal. I should've done a lot of things at first, should've been gentle, should've…" Christian trails off and gives a shrug. "I guess this is my way of saying I'm sorry and I hope I can make it up? Gain back your trust?"

"Oh Christian." Bright tears brim Ana's eyes. "You've always had my trust, you never lost it." Gazing around the room once again, Ana shifts on her foot. "So are we…is this…vanilla?" She asks, voice no more above a whisper.

Christian grins, and bending down, presses a kiss to her nose. "Only if you want to."

"I'm scared." Ana confesses, hiding her face in his chest. "I won't know what to do with my hands, I've always been restrained."

Pressing another kiss to her head, Christian tightens his arms around her, holding her tight. "Don't be scared, you can just hold onto me ok?"

"Ok." Ana whispers.

Slowly, Christian's hand weave around her, unzipping her dress as he lets the flowy fabric fall to the ground, and he quickly chucks his clothes on the ground. Bending down, he plants soft kisses along Ana's neck as she squirms, and his hands slowly explore her body, soft, gentle caresses occasionally mixed up with a squeeze.

Soon, her bra and panties are off also, and Christian grins as he kneels before her, burying his head in her pussy. Ana gasps as his tongue finds her clit and he gently sucks, gripping her hip bone to keep her still as Ana weaves her hand through his hair, slightly tugging.

"You taste so good. *kiss* can't *kiss* get enough of *kiss* you."

"Christian…" Ana whines as Christian grins up at her.

"A little impatient are we?"

With one fluid motion, Christian grips Ana's thigh, and standing up settles her on his lap as he sits on the bed. "I want you to be on top this time." He whispers.

Christian's eyes, dark and full of lust, quickly changes into worried when he sees Ana's eyes fill with tear. She's retracted her hands, and she tries to move off his lap when Christian gently stops her.

"Hey, hey." He murmurs, hands stroking her back. "Shhhh…tell me what's wrong?"

"I…never…been on top…I don't want…to…don't know how…."

"Hey." Christian's voice distracts her, his hand is still on her back, the pressure grinding her. "Is that why you're upset? You don't want to be on top?"

Ana nods her head, more tears dripping down her cheeks. "I've never…I feel more comfortable on the bottom…you're being so gentle…I…I…don't know how…"

"shhhh…." Christian whispers, wiping away some tears. "No need to be afraid darling, you can do nothing wrong, not now, not ever, ok? If you really feel this uncomfortable with topping, then we won't do that ok? I just thought you might want to, try something different, but we won't ok? Not until you're more comfortable with everything.

Rolling over, Christian kisses her lips, "Do you want to continue?"

Ana sniffs. "Yeah, sorry I ruined the mood, everything was so perfect…"

Smiling, Christian bends down and kisses her again. "You didn't ruin everything, plus we'll have to make this one up then…" and Ana can't help but giggle when he winks.

"Better?" Christian asks when he's on top of Ana, his leans on his forearms to keep most of his weight off of her as he kisses her, and Ana wraps her arms around him as he gently rolls into him.

"Much."