A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and support! Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 25: Meet the Family

~Saturday morning~

"We're almost there, baby."

Christian, Ana, and Ted were all riding in the backseat of Christian's Audi SUV as Taylor drove them to Bellevue. Ana and Ted had arrived at Escala Friday evening, and this morning the three of them were going to be joining the rest of the Grey family for brunch over at Grace and Carrick's estate. It was just going to be a casual get-together, but Christian could practically feel the anxiety radiating off of Ana as she stared out the car window, watching the homes and buildings they passed.

"God, don't remind me… do I look okay?" Ana asked nervously, straightening the hem of her short dress. It was a hot summer day today, so Christian thought she looked perfect in her lace embroidered black summer dress, bohemian beaded sandals, and her long wavy chestnut hair hanging loose around her shoulders, pushed away from her face with a pair of sunglasses on her head.

"You look fantastic, baby," Christian assured her, smiling as he took her hand in his own and squeezed gently. "I've already told you, you have nothing to worry about."

Ana grimaced at him, though she didn't say anything as she reached over toward Ted sitting in his carseat opposite her and straightened his shirt, making sure he looked nice. He was wearing a cute blue polo shirt and khaki pants, which was perfect for today's weather, but Christian had the distinct impression Ana was trying really hard to impress. She didn't need to, though - Christian was sure his family would love both of them.

Taylor finally pulled into the long winding driveway of the Grey Estate, which loomed into view beyond a small copse of trees. Christian's parents lived in a gated community, along with all the other wealthy doctors and lawyers in the upper echelon of Seattle society, and their home was a sprawling estate that made Ana gape in shock.

"Oh my God, you grew up here?" she squeaked out, still staring in awe at the house before her. "This place is a palace!"

Christian chuckled as Taylor parked the car off to the side. Christian opened the backdoor and helped Ana and Ted get out of the backseat. Just as they closed the car door behind them, a noise came from nearby.

"Christian!"

A woman had walked out the front door and stood on the porch, waving at them with a smile on her face. She was a very pretty middle-aged woman with shoulder-length brown hair, blue capris, a loose white button down shirt, and a long gold necklace. She was holding what looked like a mimosa in her hand as she smiled widely at them all.

"Hello Mother," Christian smiled at the woman as she began to walk toward them.

"Darling, I'm so glad you could make it," she approached them and hugged Christian tightly with one arm. She pulled away and smiled brightly over at Ana and Ted. "And you must be Anastasia and Ted! I've heard so much about you."

"It's nice to meet you, Dr. Grey," Ana smiled politely, holding out her hand to shake. Grace waved it aside, handing her glass to Christian before pulling Ana into a warm hug.

"Oh please, call me Grace," she said sweetly, and Ana couldn't help but smile, hugging her back. Grace stepped back and held Ana at arm's length, giving her a onceover. "My, Christian wasn't exaggerating - you are absolutely gorgeous!"

Ana blushed as Christian laughed. "Mom, stop embarrassing her."

"Oh, hush now darling… and you must be Ted," Grace smiled down at the little boy, and he grinned happily back. "It's wonderful to meet you, young man."

"So is everyone here now?" Christian asked, glancing toward the house.

"Your father is upstairs in his office finishing up a call, but he should be down soon," Grace said. "Elliot and I are sitting out on the back patio by the pool, Gretchen's finishing up the food, and Mia and her friends are mixing up the drinks."

"What? Mia's friends are here?" Christian looked crestfallen, and he glanced over at Ana. "I thought it was just going to be the family."

"I'm sorry, darling - Mia's friends have been out of town for the last few weeks, and so I guess she couldn't resist inviting them over for the day," Grace said, accepting her drink back from Christian. "I doubt they're going to stay for much longer, though - they were talking about going out shopping this afternoon. Would you all like to come inside?"

Christian, Ana, and Ted agreed, and they followed Grace toward the front door before walking inside. Ana had to keep herself from staring at the opulent entryway with a large sweeping curved staircase leading up to the second floor indoor balcony. The whole house was very white and pristine-looking, much like Escala was, but the Grey Estate had a homey-ness and warmth to it that Christian's penthouse seemed to lack. Ana couldn't help but like it.

Grace led them down the hallway to a large open concept dining room and kitchen area. A young blonde woman in a white button-down uniform was busily cooking brunch at the stove, and she glanced up when they approached.

"Dr. Grey, everything should be ready in about twenty minutes," the woman said to Grace politely.

"Thank you, Gretchen," Grace said to her.

Gretchen glanced over at Christian and smiled sweetly. "Hello Christian."

Christian didn't respond, though his hand holding Ana's tightened ever so slightly. Ana, feeling a sudden dislike of this Gretchen girl, moved closer to his side, bringing her other hand up to rub his forearm.

"C'mon you three - let's go say hi to everyone else," Grace said, and they all made their way toward the patio door leading into the backyard.

The back patio was just as beautiful and opulent as the rest of the estate - a sprawling stone patio led down several wide steps toward a large inground pool and jacuzzi. There was some patio furniture surrounding a firepit off to the side of the yard with a large canopied gazebo covering it; several young women were sitting there, chatting with each other. Elliot was standing off to the side of the pool wearing nothing but a pair of swim trunks, pouring himself what looked like a margarita from an outdoor wet bar. He looked up and grinned widely when he saw who was here.

"Ana - Ted!" he exclaimed, setting down his drink before walking toward them. "I can't believe you made it!"

"Didn't Christian tell you we'd be here?" Ana asked just as Elliot wrapped his arms around her in a big bear hug. She giggled as she hugged him back.

"He said you were coming, but I didn't think he was telling the truth," Elliot let go of Ana before smirking at his little brother. "I figured he would've screwed everything up by now."

"Shut up, Lelliot," Christian smirked at his brother, who just grinned back. At that moment, the three young women who had been sitting on the patio furniture got up from their seats and approached them; Ana noticed they were all very skinny and beautiful, each of them wearing a designer bikini with a cover up.

"Hi you must be Ana," one of them said with a bright smile. She had beautiful olive-colored skin and short black hair, and her bikini and cover-up were both bright pink. "I'm Mia, Christian's little sister. It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Ana smiled, shaking her proffered hand. She then gestured to Ted beside her. "And this is my son, Ted."

Mia's eyes seemed to bug slightly as she smiled in delight. "Oh my gosh, you have a son?" she asked, sounding shocked as she gazed down at Ted. "I had no idea! It's so nice to meet you Ted."

Ted, looking a bit shy with all these strangers around, simply smiled back.

"I'm Marianne, and this is Lily," one of the other girls said to Ana. She was a tall Asian girl with long jet-black hair and a bright green bikini, and Lily was a busty blonde with a fake tan and a white sparkly bikini. The lingering look Lily was giving to Christian made Ana instantly dislike her.

"Nice to meet you," Ana smiled politely at them, and she casually moved a bit closer to Christian's side, gently squeezing his hand that she was still holding. Christian glanced down at her and smiled.

"Mommy, can I go swimming?" Ted suddenly asked, bouncing excitedly on his little feet. The adults all chuckled.

"Maybe after brunch sweetie. Your swim trunks are in my bag, which I left in the car."

"Taylor can grab it for you," Christian said, nodding at Taylor who was standing behind them. He nodded before walking back into the house. "Why don't we all sit down for a bit and have a drink? My dad should be here soon, and then we can all eat."

"Okay," Ana agreed, still feeling a bit nervous as she followed Christian and Grace over to some of the empty lawn chairs beside the pool. Elliot suddenly ran over to Ted and swooped him up into his arms, causing the little boy to squeal and giggle happily. Everyone else watched in amusement as Elliot began to jog across the patio with a squealing Ted over his shoulder, a wide grin on his goofy face.

"Oh Elliot," Grace shook her head to herself, smiling indulgently at her oldest son. "I'll never understand why that boy plays the field so much when he's so clearly made out to be a dad."

"I've always seen him as more of a fun uncle," Christian said, and Ana and Grace both chuckled. The three of them sat down in the lawn chairs just as Taylor returned with Ana's bag.

"Thank you Taylor," Christian said as he set the bag at Ana's side. Taylor nodded at them politely before walking away.

"Would you guys like something to drink?" Grace asked, gesturing to the outdoor wet bar. "Mia and her friends made some margaritas and mimosas, but we also have water, lemonade, soda, and sparkling water."

"Sparkling water sounds good," Ana said.

"I can get that for you, baby," Christian said. He pressed a quick kiss to Ana's cheek before making his way over to the bar.

"…You know, I could hardly believe it when Christian told me he had met a girl he wanted to introduce to me and his father," Grace said, and Ana looked over at her. "Now that I've met you, I can understand why he's been so happy lately."

Ana couldn't help but smile widely, her cheeks blushing pink. "Thank you, Grace - I've been really happy with him too. To be honest, I've been really nervous about meeting you guys this weekend. I had no idea what you would think of me and Ted."

"Oh darling, please don't worry yourself over that," Grace insisted, reaching over to pat Ana on the hand. "You and your son both make Christian very happy, and that's all that matters. Now, I want to know more about what you do, dear - I hear that you and your father run a carpentry shop together…"

~Christian~

Christian was supposed to be fetching drinks for Ana and himself, but he couldn't help but gaze over at his beautiful girlfriend holding a conversation with Grace beside the pool. Ana was smiling and talking about something that clearly animated her, and after a moment the two of them laughed. Christian's heart warmed at the sight of his girlfriend and mother getting along so well.

"Hey Christian."

Christian's spirits immediately sank upon hearing Lily greet him. He glanced over at her disinterestedly. "Lily."

"I haven't seen you in awhile," she smiled coquettishly, crossing her arms in front of her chest and tilting her head slightly. "How've you been?"

"I've been good - spending a lot of time with Ana and Ted," Christian said, turning back to the wet bar and pouring drinks for him and Ana. Lily let out a small huff.

"You could at least try to be nice and say hi to me," she insisted. "Marianne and I were hoping to talk to you a bit today - we're both leaving soon to go shopping out in Montlake."

"Then goodbye," Christian said firmly. Before Lily could respond, however, the patio door opened and a man stepped outside.

"Dad," Christian greeted his father with a smile, moving past Lily to walk toward him. Carrick had taken off his usual suit coat and was wearing just a button-down blue shirt with the collar open and sleeves rolled up. He glanced over and smiled when he saw Christian approach.

"Hello Christian - it's good to see you," Carrick smiled, greeting his son with a hug. "When did you get here?"

"About ten minutes ago," Christian said. "Mom said you were taking a call up in your office."

"Yeah, I've been working on a will dispute case that's getting pretty nasty," Carrick grimaced, shaking his head. "But today shouldn't about work. I want to meet this new girlfriend of yours."

Christian smiled as he gestured over to where Ana sat chatting with his mother. "That's Ana over there, talking to Mom. And that's her son Ted over there with Elliot."

Carrick glanced over at Elliot, who was pretending to run away as Ted chased him around the pool. He raised his eyebrows. "Oh. Ana has a son?"

"Yeah. Mom didn't tell you?"

Carrick shook his head. "No, she didn't." He looked like he wanted to say something else, but thought better of it - he looked back over at Christian before offering him a small smile. "I can't wait to meet them."

Christian smiled before leading him over to Grace and Ana. "Ana - this is my father, Carrick," he said. Ana looked up at them with a smile. "Dad, this is Ana."

"It's nice to meet you," Ana smiled, holding out her hand, and Carrick shook it.

"Nice to meet you too, Ana."

Just then, Gretchen stepped onto the patio to announce that brunch was ready.

"Excellent," Grace smiled, getting to her feet, and Ana followed suit. "Come on, everyone - we can all get our food and eat out here together under the gazebo."

"Hey," Ana approached Christian and slipped her hand in his as the others made their way to the door.

"Hey," Christian smiled down at her. "Hungry?"

"Starving," Ana said. "Did you get my drink from the wet bar?"

Christian didn't answer for a moment, realizing he forgot to get her water. Ana giggled.

"It's okay, baby. I forgive you."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Christian smiled, kissing her on the forehead before they followed the others inside to get their food.

~/~

Brunch was an enjoyable affair, aided by the fact that Mia's friends decided to leave early for their shopping trip, meaning now it was just the Grey's, Ana, and Ted. Their meal consisted of a delicious assortment of eggs benedict, bacon, sausage, hash browns, fruit salad, and multiple varieties of toast. They all sat down together under the beautiful canopied gazebo beside the pool, and the conversation was lively and spirited - most of it coming from Mia, who was practically fawning over Ted.

"Oh my gosh Ana, he is so cute," Mia grinned, placing a hand over her heart as she watched Ted sitting across from her. "You have to let me take him shopping!"

The others laughed. "Christian warned me you'd want to do that," Ana smirked at Mia, and she grinned guiltily. "Maybe the three of us could plan a shopping trip sometime?"

"Oh my God, yes!" Mia squealed, looking delighted as she clapped her hands. "I know exactly what I want to buy for you guys!"

Carrick suddenly coughed, and he brought his glass of orange juice to his lips, taking a sip. Christian couldn't help but notice his father was being unusually quiet today - he had been very kind and courteous when he spoke to Ana earlier, but for the most part he let the others lead the conversation. Christian wondered if his mind was on that legal case he was working on.

"Ana, I know that you and Christian met when he had been staying in Easton for that construction job, but have you and Ted visited him here in Seattle yet?" Grace asked.

"Yeah, actually, we came here a couple weeks ago to visit," Ana said, looking over at Christian with a smile. "It was lovely - we toured the city a bit, saw the Pike Market district, and went out to eat at the Mile High Club. We had a great time."

"Maybe this weekend, I can finally take you guys out for that boat ride," Christian said with a smile. Ana blushed slightly before smiling at him.

"That sounds wonderful."

Carrick set down his fork before getting to his feet. "I think I'm going to get some more ice from the freezer," he said to the table at large. "Christian, do you mind giving me a hand?"

Christian felt a bit surprised, but got to his feet anyway. "Sure Dad. I'll just be a minute, baby," he said to Ana, who smiled at him.

"Okay."

Christian followed his dad back inside and into the kitchen, where Gretchen was cleaning dirty dishes at the sink. Carrick dismissed her, and she obediently walked out of the kitchen toward the servant's quarters.

"What's up Dad?" Christian asked, knowing his father wanted to talk to him privately. "Did you want to talk about that case you were working on?"

"No," Carrick said, looking a bit awkward as he scratched the back of his head. He turned and walked over to the freezer, where the bags of ice were stored. "It's nothing though - nevermind."

"Come on Dad, what is it?" Christian insisted.

Carrick took a bag of ice out of the freezer before walking over to the counter. "I guess I was just wondering how much time you'd spent in Easton with Ana and Ted, that's all."

Christian continued to frown at his father. "Why?" he asked suspiciously. Why did his dad have to pull him inside away from the others to ask him that?

"I just want to make sure you know what you're getting into," Carrick said reasonably. "When Grace told me you were bringing your new girlfriend over for brunch, I was looking forward to meeting her. But today, when I saw that she… well…"

"That she what?" Christian asked, his anger and indignation growing. "That she has a son? Why should that even matter?"

"I'm just trying to look out for you, Christian," Carrick insisted. "I realize this is a delicate topic, but I am a lawyer, and I've seen countless cases like this before which never end well. Ana's a single working mother, and I'm sure money and resources are tight for her and her son…"

"I can't believe I'm hearing this right now," Christian said, glaring incredulously at his father. "You seriously think Ana is just using me for my money?"

"Of course I'm not saying that, Christian…"

"It sure sounds like you're saying that," Christian snapped. "What the hell makes you think Ana's just a gold digger? Has anything she's said or done today made you think that? Of course, you wouldn't know since you've barely spoken three words to her."

"Christian," Carrick began, but Christian interrupted him:

"You know what? I don't want to hear it," he said. "I fell in love with Ana because she's an amazing and beautiful person, and Ted's been nothing but a wonderful addition to our relationship. And if, for even a second, I thought Ana was only in a relationship with me for my money, I would end it in a heartbeat. But I'm not an idiot, Dad - I am extremely careful about the people I bring into my life. Did you really think I wouldn't be careful, especially after my experience with Elena Lincoln?"

Carrick didn't say anything as he stared at Christian, his expression unreadable. Finally, he lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender. "Okay, Christian," he said calmly. "Forget I said anything."

"Yeah," Christian said aggressively, turning to leave. "For Ana's sake, I'm going to pretend this conversation never happened, but that doesn't mean for a second I'm going to forget what you said."

He walked back out onto the patio and headed toward the others, trying to rein in his temper before Ana could see him looking so pissed.

A/N: Hey everyone! I'm actually going to be going on vacation with my family for the next few days, so I'm not going to be writing at all during that time. Expect a short delay until the next update.

Thank you all for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please leave a review!