A/n-Thank you so much for all of the lovely reviews. You guys rock!
Chapter 20-Independent
"Oh my gosh, we have so much to do! Cake tasting, dress fitting, decorations, shopping, hair, makeup, flowers...we need to go to the mall right now, and I know this fabulous wedding store…"
Ana giggles as Christian rolls his eyes, sauntering over and slinging an arm around her.
"Mia." He states. "Ana and I have already talked about everything, we just want to have a casual wedding, can you please calm down? We don't even have a date." Christian explains, a bit exasperated.
Mia huffs, crossing her arms and pouting. "So, you're telling me that the Christian Grey just wants a small wedding, how would that look in the media?"
At this point, Grace kindly interrupts. "Mia darling, I know you're excited about the wedding. I am too." She says, lovingly gazing at Christian while reaching out to caress his cheek, and Christian smiles back. For once, he's done something to make Grace proud.
"but," Grace continues, turning her attention back to Mia. "We must let Ana and Christian decide how they want their wedding. I am, personally, thrilled that they want a casual wedding. You're right, it won't attract much media attention, but I think that's the whole point. After everything, I think we should lay low for a while, and it's their wedding darling, their big day."
Mia huffs again, acting like a spoiled child, and Ana benevolently smiles at her stubborn sister-in-law. "You can still choose the menu though, and the decorations, and of course, I'd love to go dress shopping with you." she chirps as Mia's face instantly lights up, like a storm disappearing into a sunny day.
"Really?"
"Yes, of course."
"Thank you!" Mia squeals, throwing her arms around Ana and nearly knocking her over.
While Mia's busy hugging Ana and conversing with Grace, Carrick quietly enters the room and clasps his hand on Christian's shoulder.
"Son, can I talk to you for a minute?"
Christian furrows his eyebrows, but nonetheless nods his head, heading into his Dad's office while sitting down and crossing his legs.
Before Christian can ask what's going on, Carrick begins, "You're a wealthy man, my son."
Christian raises an incredulous brow, neither agreeing nor denying.
So?
"You know that some people might want to take advantage of your wealth…" Carrick proceeds after Christian remains silent for several more seconds.
Suddenly, Christian understood where this conversation was heading.
"Dad." He grits. "This better not be what I think it is." Christian threatens, narrowing his eyes.
However, Carrick remains un-phased.
"I'm just saying, I think it would be smart for you to get a prenup."
There, he said it.
"No, absolutely not. No Prenup ." Christian states, standing up, the way he would in a board room.
"Christian, you only knew Ana for 4 months, and the difference in your backgrounds...I'm just trying to look at this through a lawyer's perspective." Carrick explains, and Christian glares at him.
"How can you say that, dad?" Christian spits.
"How can you say, or even imply, that I don't know Ana. How can you even imply that Ana is after me for my money, what she did for me on the news, and exposing Elena, how can you say that?" Christian hisses, his voice rising with every word.
"Christian, I'm just saying, 4 months isn't a long time…"
"YOU'RE THE ONE THAT DOESN'T UNDERSTAND ANA! SHE NEVER WANTED ANYTHING EXCEPT ME, AND I WILL NOT BETRAY HER BY GETTING A PRENUP!"
Carrick stands up as well, raising two hands in surrender to calm Christian down. "Christian, I know you're in love, and people in love can behave stupidly sometimes, I'm trying to look out for you, as a lawyer I have seen cases like this…"
"I DON'T NEED A LAWYER! ANA AND OUR LOVE DOES NOT NEED A LAWYER!" Christian roars, slamming his fist down on the desk.
Suddenly, the door burst opens, and an angry Grace steps in with a worried looking Ana besides her.
"What on earth is the matter?" Grace demands.
Carrick darts his gaze away. "I...um...I was suggesting the idea of a prenup to Christian…" He murmurs, risking a cautious glance at Ana.
Christian keeps his eyes on Ana, mentally conveying to her that she better not get any ideas, but he can see the wheels turning in her head.
"Ana, don't you even dare." He warns darkly, reading her thoughts and narrowing his eyes.
"Do you have the papers?" Ana asks, ignoring Christian, and Carrick raises an eyebrow.
"In a matter of fact, I do." Carrick states, and Ana nods.
"Dad, I swear to God…" Christian mutters, going into full CEO, you-better-not-fuck-with-me mode and standing near Ana.
But before Christian can say anything, Carrick reaches in his desk and pulls out a folder as well as a pen, handing it to Ana.
"Ana…" Christian warns again, trying to snatch the pen out of her hand, but it's too late, Ana has already clicked open the pen and scribbled her name down on the dotted line before even reading the document.
Ana bites the inside of her cheek as she hands the document back to Carrick who nods, satisfied, and she warily regards Christian, knowing he's going to become fifty-shades-thermonuclear-mad.
Christian gives Ana a pointed stare, turns, and without saying another word, walks out.
"Christian! Hey, aren't you going to stay for dessert? Mom made pumpkin pie!" Mia calls, still clueless about the ordeal that happened in the study.
"No, why don't you save the pie for dear old, dad." Christian snaps, yanking his coat off of the rack and storming out.
"Christian! Wait!" Ana scurries after him while flashing Mia an apologetic smile.
It's autumn outside, and pedestrians huddle in their rain jackets and light winter coats as they scurry by.
Ana risks a glance at Christian in the driver's seat, brooding, and decides to break the uncomfortable silence growing in the car.
"You're mad." She observes, and Christian scoffs.
"No shit."
"Are you mad at me, or Carrick?" She gently probes.
"Both." Christian answers.
"I don't want anyone to think that I'm after your money." Ana pleads. "And if signing a document would prove that to your father, then I'm happy to do it."
Christian lets out a bitter laugh. "Did you even read, no, scratch that, did you even glance at the document he gave you?"
Before Ana can answer, Christian continues. "No, you didn't. You just sign whatever without thinking it through, and while I don't doubt that the document you signed is anything but a prenup, how can you be so reckless? You didn't even discuss it with me! I'm your fucking fiance! I thought good relationships were all about communication, but I guess we fail at that. Here I am, trying to pour my heart out, and you can't even talk to me." Christian doesn't realize he's on a tangent and his words are like glass shards right through Ana's heart.
Hot tears sting Ana's eyes. "I'm sorry…" She whimpers.
Christian, however, is nowhere done being angry. He feels betrayed by everyone, mostly Carrick. It feels as if his love with Ana is now ruined by a stupid piece of paper. He knew Ana didn't want his money, and prenup or no prenup, he would never doubt her love for him, but the fact that she thought he needed that piece of stupid paper hurt him, and that hurt fueled his anger.
"Stop with the fucking waterworks." Christian growls even though his heartstrings tugged at seeing her cry.
Through the rear-view mirror, Taylor gives a disapproving shake of the head at Christian's outburst.
XXXXXXXXXX
Christian downs a glass of whiskey as he pinches the bridge of his nose.
Was the way they viewed money really going to be a problem in their marriage?
Pouring himself another glass, Christian stares hard into the distance, gazing out at Seattle's skyline, and his mind travels back to two days ago, when they had just arrived home from Paris.
"Christian, I want to talk to you about something."
"Sure babe, what's the matter?" He asks while Ana curls up next to him.
"I want to find a job...I know I'm still in school, and I know right now you're paying for my school, but one day, I would like to be able to pay you back. I know we're married now, and you keep on saying it's our money, but please, this is important for me."
Christian frowns, remembering the rest of the conversation.
"But I don't want you to work and go to school at the same time, why can't you just allow me to pay for your tuition? I have more money than sense, and you're my wife now, so no, you're absolutely not going to work and go to school at the same time. It's too much."
And of course, Ana's response didn't make him happy.
"Christian, why can't you understand my need for independence? I know you're stinking rich, but I don't want to just sit home and become some bored trophy wife."
"You're going to university, you're not some bored trophy wife."
"Christian, I know that, and I'm not saying that's what you want me to become, but I need to be able to support myself, plus there's something else…." Ana trails off.
"What?"
"Well, when I was living on the streets, um...in order to survive, I needed to steal some food, and I never got a chance to pay them back.
"Ana." Christian sighs. "You don't need to pay them back, I'll give you the money."
"But I don't want to use your money. I'm the one that stole, and plus, I don't want to buy your birthday present and anniversary gifts every year with your money."
"Ana, you don't have to buy me anything…"
Christian downs his second glass as he lets out an exasperated sigh. Of course, after that conversation, Ana probably just wanted to prove to him even more that she was capable of handling things herself, which is presumably what provoked her to sign the damn prenup, and it's not that Christian thought she wasn't capable. He knew how smart, and hardworking, and brilliant Ana is, it's one of the many reasons he loved her, but he just couldn't get over the hurt he felt when Ana signed the prenup. It's as if she was telling him she didn't need him. And Christian knew Ana didn't need or love him for his money, another reason why he loved her so much, but still, the hurt was there, and it was real.
Christian was use to having to prove his worth in terms of money. When he fought with Elliot, instead of apologizing, he brought him a new car, Grace or Mia, some form of jewelry, Carrick, a boat. Money was Christian's way of handling things, and before Ana, it was the only way he knew how to say I'm sorry, please forgive me.
The sun has begun to set, and Christian's phone rings.
"Hi mom." Christian picks up the phone with a sigh, and Grace can tell he's upset.
"Oh Christian, darling, are you alright? How's Ana?" She inquires as her heart goes out to her hurt, confused boy.
"I don't know mom, I got in a fight with Ana." Christian chokes out a sob.
Grace softly smiles. "It's normal for couples to fight, do you want to tell me what happened?"
Christian buries his head in his hand. "She keeps on insisting on being independent, and I yelled at her, but I don't understand why she's so interested in getting a job. I don't want her to work. She doesn't have to work." Christian whines, and he can hear Grace smiling on the other end.
"Christian dear, you need to try and be patient, I can understand Ana's need for independence. She doesn't want to rely on a man her whole life, I was the same way with your father who, by they way, I'm still very upset with."
The sun has completely set and long shadows have stretched across the room when Christian finally hung up with Grace, and with heavy footsteps, he heads up to the library, determined to make things right with Ana.
XXXXXXXXXX
Ana hears a soft knock on the library door and Christian's voice. "Knock, knock…"
She pretends to ignore him as Christian cracks the door open and gives her his best, I'm-sorry-please-don't-be-mad-at-me smile.
Ana quickly smears away the rest of her tears. She doesn't want Christian to know she's been crying this whole time.
Ana didn't understand. It was only money, money that she did not care about, why was Christian so adamant about no prenup, and he even yelled at her.
Christian never yells at her…
"Look who's being the child now?" Christian lightly teases, bending down and placing two fingers under Ana's chin, gently tilting her head up, but she shakes her face away from his grasp.
"I don't want to talk to you." She states, crossing her arms and turning away.
Christian sighs, sitting down and wrapping an arm around his stubborn girl. "I know you're upset. I'm sorry for what I said earlier."
Ana continues to ignore him, trying to keep her emotions in check, and Christian brushes away an escaped tear with his thumb.
He can be so gentle and sweet sometimes.
"I'm sorry for snapping at you, I hope you know I didn't mean it. I'm mostly hurt because of Carrick, and I took it out on you, for that, I apologize, although I'm not very happy that you signed the prenup either." Christian confesses.
Ana's heart thaws, just a bit, and Christian continues.
"Grace called, and I talked with her for a long time. She helped me figure out why you want a job so badly. I can't say I'm thrilled, but I understand you don't want to rely on me, and if you truly want to, you can get a job, I can't stop you."
"You're letting me get a job?" Ana asks in disbelief, and Christian nods, offering her his heart-achingly shy smile.
"Yes baby, although now I can't have you barefoot and pregnant." Christian somehow manages to pout and sound very serious at the same time, and Ana snorts with laughter.
"Barefoot and pregnant?" She giggles, and Christian nuzzles her hair.
"Yes." He whispers, happy to finally see her smile, and knowing that his lame, little joke was what made her smile made Christian only feel that much prouder.
XXXXXXXXXX
(a month later)
Ana wipes down the table at her new job, Juniper Grill, as her co-worker Carol comes skipping over.
"Ana, you have a table, and he requested you as his server." She says, a mischievous glint alive in her eyes, and Ana smiles.
"I'll be right there." She informs.
Ana's smile, however, disappears when she sees the man sitting by the window, dressed in a grey suit.
"Christian, what are you doing here?" She hisses, and Christian places his hand over his heart, feigning hurt, and gives her his innocent puppy dog eyes.
"You promised me you wouldn't interfere with my career." Ana continues to quietly hiss, and Christian raises an amused brow.
"I'm not interfering with your career, I'm going out to eat. I heard this place has excellent service." He says, very matter-of-factly, and smiling his panty dropping smile as Ana rolls her eyes.
"Fine, what would you like to eat, Mr. Grey?" Ana asks, her voice dripping with sarcasm, and Christian's smile widens.
"Hmmm, I'm awfully hungry…"
"Don't you even start."
"Why not?"
"Because we're in public! Christian! You're making a scene." Ana whispers-yells.
"Ok, ok, I'm just teasing." Christian relents, raising two hands in surrender. "Can you get me a dinner with grilled salmon and broccoli on the side."
When Ana brings out the food, she's still angry. Christian knew what he was doing! He knew he was just causing her attention, attention she didn't want.
Ana sets the plate down and abruptly turns to leave, but Christian catches her wrist.
"Is this how you treat all your customers?" He whispers, gently pulling her towards him.
"No, just you." Ana spits.
Christian's lips twitch up. "Hmmm, if you keep this attitude up, I might have to give you a spanking when we get home." He whispers, his voice sultry and low, and Ana can't help it as her stomach tightens.
"Do whatever you want, I'm done talking to you, Mr. Grey."
Christian chuckles as he lets her go. He'll get her back eventually.
Ana's mouth drops open when she finally picks up Christian's check. He has just left, and there's a five hundred dollar tip on the table.
Not interfering with her career my ass.
"You have some explaining to do, Christian!" Ana demands the minute she steps into Escala.
Christian smiles a breathtaking smile as he leans against the counter.
"Explain what?"
"Why did you leave a 500 dollar tip?"
Amusement dance in Christian's eyes.
"I'm a wealthy man Ana, and I must say." Christian drags his words out, still smiling and Ana's heart softens seeing him in such a playful mood. "That I quite enjoyed the service."
Ana rolls her eyes. "Christian, stop with the sexual innuendos. The point is you're interfering with my career. First, you come in and make a scene. Secondly, you leave an outrageous tip so I wouldn't have to work for the next month or so. I told you, and told you, that I want to learn how to be independent, why can't you understand that?"
Christian sighs, running his hands through his hair. "Ana." He explains. "I know you want independence, and I let you get a job, but why can't you just accept my need to provide for you? I make more than enough money, why can't you learn to live with that?"
"Because I never got a chance at freedom, and I'm not saying being with you inhibits my freedom, but I never had a normal childhood, and I was always under someone's control. Please Christian?" Ana pleads, and Christian sighs.
"I guess." He mutters, sounding like a petulant child even to his own ears.
Ana softly smiles, knowing that this matter is officially put away, but she knows Christian's still upset, and she wants to comfort him.
Walking up, she wraps her arms around his waist, her small 5'7 figure fitting within his 6 foot frame, and she inhales his masculine scent, a combination of clean linen and fresh grass.
"Don't be mad." She murmurs as Christian leans down and kisses her hair.
"I'm not mad." He argues, and Ana smiles, standing on her tiptoes and whispering in his ears. "You did promise me a spanking, Mr. Grey."
Christian's lips twitch up as a slow smirk spreads across his face. "Hmmm, I did?"
"Yes." Ana whispers, pressing a brief kiss to his lips. "Something about my attitude…"
Christian smiles as he all of the sudden hoists her up and spins them around, sitting her on the kitchen counter and leaning in to nuzzle her hair, all of his anger forgotten about. "Hmmm Mrs. Grey, there was this one, little thing, you did seem to be quite feisty today." He murmurs, working his hand over her body, pinching and squeezing, until he finally reached her pussy and stoked her through her jeans.
"By the way." He whispers, his hand sliding back over her abs and down her back where he gently pinched her ass. "I like you feisty…"
A/n-ok, so hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter. I always liked the playful banter between Ana and Christian in the original FSoG and appreciated Ana's strong, independent nature. I think it's one of the many things that speaks to people in EL James incredible novel, so I wanted to include a little bit of that in my story as well, what do you guys think?
Secondly, I try really, really hard to update every week, but right now real life is crazy with relatives coming over and work and getting ready for college, so if I don't update exactly on time next week, please know it's NOT that I'm abandoning this story, but simply because I'm overwhelmed, so I apologize in advance if the next update is a couple of days later than it usually is (I'll still try my best to update on time though)
Much love, XOXO, Lauren.