Chapter 25 – Wedding Crashers

Thursday morning, Ana sits quietly in the kitchen with her cup of tea. Donning brown slacks and a stylish pink frilly silk blouse, she looks tired and worn. Mrs. Taylor enters the kitchen, looks at Ana, then at her watch, then back at Ana. It's six in the morning.

"Ana, you're awake," Gail gapes, stating the obvious.
"Yeah, thought I'd go in to work early today," Ana says with sleepy eyes.
"Are you well?" Mrs. Taylor asks with sincere concern.
"I'm fine, Gail. Just need to finish my tea," Ana answers.
"Omelet today? Pancakes?" Gail prompts.
"No thank you – I'm not hungry," Ana says. Mrs. Taylor tightens her mouth and then turns on her heel to start up breakfast for the rest of the house.

A short time later, Christian enters the kitchen surprised to see his wife up and dressed so early. He is still in his pj pants.
"Ana," he says with a frown.
"I'm going to work. I don't know if Sawyer or Draper are ready to take me in yet," she croaks with a tired voice. Christian looks at his wife with a pained look in his eyes.

"Ana, why don't you stay home today? You look like you haven't had any sleep," he says, concerned.
"Neither have you. I heard you playing on that piano last night," Ana frowns. He sighs.
"I'm sorry. Look – I'll stay home today if you do," he bargains.
"Actually, I'd rather be at work. I need to keep busy so I don't get upset," she says, as her voice quivers slightly and the cracks in her armor began to show.

"Ana…"
"Christian, just let me deal with this in my own way, okay? We'll talk tonight," she vows in a murmur.
"Alright," he concedes. "But promise me you'll eat something," he adds with stern eyes.
"Fine," she replies with a less than willing expression on her face. He smirks at her.

….

That afternoon, instead of having lunch, Ana opts to blow off some steam.

Ana stands firm in a fighting stance wearing pink boxing gloves, an MMA t-shirt and workout pants that go down just past her knees. She's in the middle of a boxing ring with a man in dreadlocks holding up two punching mitts. Claude Bastille is a longtime trainer of Christian's and has been training Ana for the past couple of years.

"So I need a jab, left hook, bob and weave," he instructs. Ana nods. On Bastille's cue, she starts to swing.
"Damn, Ana! Look at you! You go girl!" he lauds while dancing around with her in the ring. The force of her punches grows stronger each time.

"Yes! Keep going!" he encourages her. She doesn't let up. There's something inside of her that's driving her to stick every single blow.
"Woo! My arms are definitely going to hate me later for this, Mrs. Grey! You got it!" he calls out to her through the pounding of her gloves against his mitts.

"Very good," Bastille says as he cues her to cease the blows.
"Now roundhouse kick – do you think you can throw that in with a jab and two hooks?" he challengers her. Ana nods confidently.

….

That evening after the children are in bed, Christian and Ana meet up at their regular spot in the great room.

"Do you have a picture of him?" Ana says in barely a whisper. Her eyes look tired and worn. He nods and takes out his cell phone from his pants pocket. He pulls up the photo and hands her the phone.

Ana's eyes awaken as she views the picture. It's a beautiful innocent baby boy wrapped tightly in a hospital receiving blanket wearing a light blue hat over his dark hair.
"He's beautiful. He looks just like her…before the surgeries," Ana breathes. Christian nods, lacking emotion.

"This is Teddy's and Phoebe's baby brother – little CJ. I had to convince myself of that over and over again in my head today. It's good to finally put a face to a name," she murmurs. Christian frowns at her.
"CJ?" Christian winces.
"Yes. Has a nice ring to it. Too bad CJ's mother's a bitch, though," Ana scowls. Christian chuckles.
"Yes, that she is," he says.

"Something on the inside keeps telling me to stop pretending that everything is okay – because it's not. But like I said before, this is not that baby's fault. I may hate his mother immensely, but I can't despise that child," she says softly.
Christian reaches over and takes his wife by the hand.

"I may not look it but I'm having a very difficult time with this. This whole thing doesn't sit well with me," Christian reveals.
Ana looks at her husband with sincere compassion.

"So – we're moving her out of her apartment next week. She'll have a house in Magnolia," Christian tells her. Ana narrows her eyes.
"Look, we're making her as comfortable as possible so we don't have to deal with her in the meantime," he explains. Ana rolls her eyes.

"Evidently she already has money! She paid for all of those identities! So why are you forking over the cash for her? Didn't you already pay for her medical school?" Ana argues. Christian closes his eyes, not keen on the current topic of discussion.

"Never mind – don't answer that," Ana withdraws, know that this is probably more for the baby than it is for Candice.
"As soon as we can get Candice out of the picture, we can get that baby into a safer environment. We're still building our case to get her behind bars. It's our only hope to rid her out of our lives for good," Christian speaks to her in a soothing tone. Ana slightly eases.

"Is Welch close?" Ana asks.
"He's coming along, but I don't know how long he'll need," he says.
"I guess I'll tough this out for a little while longer. I know she's done so much wrong and something will finally stick. It just pisses me off that she's going to be living in the lap of luxury with that child and she's deceived everyone in order to get to where she is," Ana says with a frown.

"Let's not worry about her any more tonight. I want to give you a bath and take you to bed. You didn't get any sleep last night," he murmurs lovingly. The tension on Ana's face slightly dissolves and she follows her husband to their bedroom.

….

Friday morning, Ana walks into the kitchen and sees Gail stirring up a small pot of cream of wheat.
"Good morning, Ana," she beams.
"Hi Gail. I need you to do me a huge favor this afternoon," Ana prefaces.
"Sure. What is it that you need?" Mrs. Taylor says sweetly.

"I have a big delivery coming to Escala today. I was wondering if you could um – set everything up for me," Ana says nervously as a blush begins to surface across her cheeks.
"Absolutely. What's the delivery if you don't mind me asking?" Mrs. Taylor inquires. Ana swallows.
"You'll know exactly what to do when you see it," is all Ana is willing to disclose.
"Very well, then," Gail grins.

Friday evening, Christian and Ana are finishing up dinner alone at Escala.

"You still haven't told me why we're here tonight instead of at home with the kids," Christian grins sensually at his wife. Ana smiles shyly.
"It's a surprise," she teases.

A short time later, Ana leads Christian up to the playroom with a blindfold covering his eyes. He is grinning in excited wonder, pleasantly curious what his wife has planned for them this evening. She unlocks the door and leads him to the center of the room. She slowly guides him to turn at an angle and when she is satisfied, she removes the blindfold from his eyes. As Christian takes inventory of his surroundings, his smile slowly fades away.

On the walls, he sees brand new belts and canes. These items have long been absent from this playroom, so it is quite strange to see some of these implements make a return. Christian turns his head to look at Ana so fast that the movement could have caused him whiplash.

"What's this?" he squints with confused eyes.
"Don't be silly, Christian," Ana smiles nervously at him. He frowns at her.
"Ana – why are these things in here?" he asks with a serious expression. Ana's stomach is now in knots.
"Stuff for the playroom. I thought that I could work up to those things. I like the paddles," she says in a soothing voice.

"Do you think that I want this?" he says in barely a whisper. Ana hesitates before giving him her reply.
"I know you miss it. Don't you – the canes and the belts? Maybe we can try the whips later on down the line," she contemplates out loud.
"Ana…" he sighs in frustration. He turns away from her and quickly runs a hand through his hair.

"Christian – I want to at least try. You've been way to easy on me these past few years. I'm your wife. I want to learn how to take the pain for you," she pleads. He spins back around and gapes at her.

"I wont do it! I'm not using any of that shit on you, Ana!" he shouts at her. Ana's heart sinks.
"Wh…why not? Didn't Candice take the pain for you?" she shakily murmurs.
'Oh. So that's it,' Christian thinks to himself. He gives his wife a look that could only be described as extreme pity. The look he gives her sinks her spirit. Suddenly, Ana begins to weep and falls down to her knees, covering up her face over her lap. Christian immediately drops down to the floor and holds her.

He lets her cry it out for the next few moments. After she calms, he speaks.
"Ana, I'm not that man anymore. Don't you see? You've changed me. You changed my world. I don't want to do that shit anymore. I used to want to inflict extreme pain on dark-haired women back then – and you know why. Baby…you freed me from all of that. And please believe me when I say that there is nothing that Candice has that I want. Stop trying to measure down to her. If anything, she should want to be like you. You are everything that I want," Christian whispers in her ear. Ana finally has the strength to look him in the eyes. When she meets his gray gaze, she experiences his undying love.

"I'm such an idiot," she sniffles.
"No – no you're not. You're confused. I am too. I understand," he murmurs with love and patience. Ana sniffs again.
"I wasted all of our money on those things," Ana lightly chuckles through the tremors.
"It's fine. We're rich," he boyishly grins at her. Ana playfully slaps him on the arm and he mouths 'Ouch.'

"So I brought us here for nothing," she says, discouraged.
"Oh, no you didn't Mrs. Grey. We can find plenty of other things to do in here – you know that," he says with an arched eyebrow. She sniffles and giggles shyly at him.

"What do you want to do, then?" Ana asks with eager anticipation. He thinks for a moment, then smiles.
"How about a scene? There's something that I've been thinking about for some time that I want to try with you," Christian says with a renewed excitement that has him bordering on giddy.

"Alright Mr. Grey. How and where do you want me," Ana purrs.
"The standard position. Go ahead and get ready. I'll find those jeans that you like me in so much," he says in a tone that could bubble up cold caramel.

….

Two weeks later, Ana's home playing with Phoebe on the floor of the great room just before dinner. Her phone rings. It's Christian.

"Hey – are you on your way?" Ana says immediately after picking up.
"Um…yes. But I need to warn you about something," Christian prefaces. A frisson of fear rises up in her.

"What?" she says.
"I have CJ with me. He'll be staying with us until Monday night," he says in a low voice.
"What?" Ana gapes.
"Candice has to fly to Arizona to see her mother who's in the hospital. Welch is going with her," he says.
"Oh," Ana soberly replies.

"Maybe we can put CJ in Ted's old crib and set it up in one of the other guestrooms," Christian proposes.
"Yeah, sure. I'll have Sawyer help me set it up," Ana says agreeably.
"Good. I'll be home shortly. Oh – one more thing. Let's not tell Ted that CJ is his brother. We don't know what'll happen in the near future," he says.
"Okay," Ana murmurs in understanding.

After Ana hangs up, a pang of nervousness hits her. 'Christian's not-so-love child is staying here,' she reflects.
"Oh well, Phoebe. Look's like you'll be meeting your new baby brother sooner rather than later," Ana mumbles to her smiley 18-month-old.

When Christian comes home, he walks into the kitchen holding a baby carrier with a blanket over it. Ana stops chewing on her pasta and her fork is suspended in midair.

"Baby!" Ted cries out, immediately recognizing the item that is father his holding. Ana's scalp prickles.
"Ba-ba! Ba-ba!" Phoebe vocalizes from her highchair.
Ted jumps out of his seat and meets his father in the middle of the kitchen floor.

"Is that a baby, Daddy?" Ted asks. Christian tightens his lips together and Ana is frozen in place in her chair.

"Yes. This is CJ," Christian says, slowly pulling back the blanket. Inside is a very tiny sleeping baby boy with a head full of dark curly hair. His sweet innocence tugs on Ana's heart.

"Did he eat? Is he breastfeeding?" Ana finally breaks her silence.
"No, he's on formula. I think he ate two hours ago," Christian guesstimates with a squint.
"Put him in this chair and go ahead and change for dinner. I'll keep an eye on him," Ana says with a straight face. Christian narrows his eyes at his wife, surprised by her volunteering.

"Christian, I've got it. I've had two just like it," Ana chuckles lightly.
"Okay," he sighs with a slight smile. Christian places the child in the empty chair besides his wife and leaves the kitchen.

At night after Ted and Phoebe are in bed, Ana sits in the great room with CJ in her arms feeding him a bottle. Christian enters the room and sits right beside them. He watches his wife in both amazement and confusion as she holds the child as if it were her own.

"CJ's a good baby," Ana murmurs.
"Yeah, CJ. You're such a good little boy. Too bad your mom's a bee-yoch," she coos under her breath. Christian grins and stifles a laugh. Ana suddenly tilts her head over to the side and looks at her husband.

"He looks nothing like you," she says plainly.
"I know," Christian responds with a sigh.
"Do you think he could be someone else's? I know he pretty much looks just like his mom, but I mean…there's no trace of you in him at all," Ana whispers.
"Welch took her in for the genetic test and the results say that he's mine, so," Christian says with a shrug of the shoulders.

"I mean – she's a known hacker…"
"Ana – stop," Christian chastises, cutting her short. Ana briefly closes her eyes, pained.
"You didn't willingly have sex with her, Christian. She drugged you. A while back, I had lunch with Kate and she brought up the possibility of rape. Do you think…"
"Ana," Christian says, now exasperated with his wife. Ana ignores him.

"I know we talked about her potentially extracting sperm from your scrotum. But what if she had sex with you while you were passed out? Isn't that rape, Christian? I know this isn't the usual circumstance," Ana explains herself.

"I told you – I thought she was you and that's all that I remember. I probably had sex with her thinking that she was you. I was drugged, Ana. Her voice sounded just like yours as if she studied you for some great length of time. If she's guilty of anything, it's for drugging me and tricking me. I had to willingly have sex with her in order for her to get pregnant," he explains in an irritated tone. Ana's scalp prickles at the retelling of the story.

"Can't she go to jail for drugging you?" she murmurs reluctantly.
"Yes, but for how long? I want to make sure she's put away for a very long time, which is why Welch is putting a strong case together. We'll hand it over as a package to the detective and the prosecutor and she'll be out of our lives permanently," Christian says confidently.

"Well, I hope it happens soon, for this little one's sake," Ana breathes.

….

Monday morning, Ana and Gail are in the kitchen when Christian enters, carting the infant in his carrier. Christian places the carrier on the breakfast bar and grabs his travel coffee mug. Ana looks at him, confused.

"Christian, what are you doing?" Ana says with puzzled eyes.
"I'm taking CJ to Grey House childcare," he replies.
"Mr. Grey, you don't have to do that. I can look after him," Mrs. Taylor says in a soft voice.
"No Gail – thank you," Christian declines the offer.
"Why not? Why can't he stay here with Ted and Phoebe?" Ana interjects.
"I already told you why. I don't want us getting too attached to him. He may be put up for adoption soon," Christian says firmly. Ana closes her eyes and drops her head, but she gets it. Mrs. Taylor on the other hand has an expression on her face as if she wishes that her boss would reconsider his decision.

"So, you're actually taking him to your work? How are you going to explain CJ to your employees?" Ana frowns at her husband.
"I'm registering him at the center under an alias. I'm telling whoever asks that he's a child of a relative who must work out of state for the next few days," Christian recites as if he's studied the alibi at great lengths. Ana closes her eyes and shakes her head in shame.

"What?" Christian frowns at her.
"I just find it ironic that you have to register Candice's son under an alias," Ana smirks. Christian smirks back but doesn't comment on the irony.

A short time after Christian leaves with CJ, Ana is finishing up her oatmeal when her phone rings. The phone number on the screen is unrecognizable, but she answers it anyway.

"Hello?" Ana answers
"Is my baby there?" the woman on the other end snaps. Ana frowns and shifts back into her chair.
"Who is this?" Ana says.
"You know who this is! Where is my child? I hope you haven't touched him! He's not yours!" the woman snarls. Ana gapes at the phone.

"Oh Candice, it's you. How did you get my phone number?" Ana asks bitterly.
"Don't worry about it! I'm calling to make sure that you don't lay a finger on my child! He's only there to spend time with his father!" Candice barks. Ana stifles a snort. 'This bitch is bat shit crazy!' Ana thinks to herself.

"First of all, shouldn't you be more worried about your mother there in Arizona? Second, your child is with Christian! They left for work a while ago! And if you have any issues, I suggest that you don't call me and deal directly with Taylor and Christian – got it!" Ana seethes back. And at that moment, Ana is grateful that Christian did not leave CJ there at the house.
"Good!" Candice says in what sounds like the beginning of a tirade, but Ana immediately hangs up and blocks her number on her iPhone.

Ana is livid, and it's at that moment that she vows to never become attached to baby CJ.

….

It's the first Wednesday in April. Candice sits up in bed as the bright sun illuminates her beautiful new home in Magnolia. Her mother in Arizona is on the mend after being discharged from the hospital a few weeks back. Now, Candice can turn her focus back to her desire to putting her dream family together with Christian. But how? How can she yank Ana out of the picture?

CJ is napping in his nursery so Candice takes the liberty to relax in bed and cruise the web on her iPad. She pulls up the Times and brushes up on some of the current events. She then clicks on the society section and an article immediately catches her eye. A smile overtakes her face. 'Eureka!'

Candice jumps out of bed and looks out of her bedroom window. A guard is currently keeping watch over her yard. She then makes the trek over to the front room to peer out of that window only to see a surveillance van parked in front of her house. Christian's henchmen have her on lockdown and it's a feeling that is similar to being imprisoned. Candice takes a seat on her plush sofa to collect her thoughts. A short time later, she reenters her bedroom and retrieves a cell phone hidden deep inside her closet. She turns it on and makes a call.

"Hello?" the person answers.
"Shelly P!" Candice greets excitedly.
"Oh my God! Ca…Miranda?!"
"You can call me Candy now, Shel," Candice chuckles.
"Oh, good! Where have you been, lady? I've missed you!" Shelly sings.
"Well, you won't believe it, but I'm back in Seattle. And guess what? I have a baby now!" Candice cheerfully reveals.

"What?! Oh my goodness! That's fantastic! What did you have? Is it with your guy – the rich one?" Shelly floods her.
"I had a beautiful little boy two months ago with the love of my life. He bought us a gorgeous new house in a very swanky community," Candice brags.

"Wow Candy, you told me that you've never failed…and boy oh boy, you weren't joking!" Shelly praises her good friend.
"Well, I'm not all the way there quite yet, but I'm definitely on my way. That's why I want you to come to Seattle this week to visit me and your little nephew. I need you to do me a huge favor," Candice says.

"This week? So soon?" Shelly says in a puzzled tone.
"Yes. I need you here Friday night," says Candice.
"Friday? But that's only two days from now," Shelly sighs, confused.

"I know, I know. Sorry for the short notice, but I need you to help me close the deal with my son's father. I'm going to buy you a ticket to fly here on Friday. You're going to pick up a rental car at the airport. I'm also going to need you to get an infant's car seat. You'll need to leave the seat in the trunk. Can you do that for me, Shelly?" Candice runs down in a calculated tone.

"Geez, Candy! Why do I have to do all of that?" Shelly says in shock.
"Just trust me. I need you to do this exactly how I am telling you," Candice says with a sense of urgency.
"Okay, okay…I'll do it," Shelly relents.
"One more thing. I'm going to need you to wear a long black wig – something that I can put on when you get here. And a long spring trench coat. Okay?" Candice adds.
"Okay…I'll do it," Shelly agrees.

"Great. I'll call you from this number around the time you're scheduled to land. I'll need to tell you exactly where to park when you arrive at my house," Candice informs her.

….

Early Saturday afternoon, Candice is touching up her makeup in the bathroom mirror. She is wearing a beautiful light blue dress and her shoulder length hair is pinned up. Moments after she finishes her makeup, she slides on a very long black wig.

Candice walks out of the bathroom and enters the front room where her friend Shelly is cradling baby CJ in her arms.

"You look absolutely beautiful! I just hope that you lose that crazy wig," Shelly laughs.
"Oh, I will once I get to where I'm going. I just need to get past the guards. I'm going to need you to help me wrap up the baby against me and put the trench coat on over us," Candice says.

"You're going to drive the rental car with the baby like that?" Shelly gapes at her.
"Just until I get up the road to the gas station. Then I will put him in his car seat," Candice reassures.
"Alright – well good luck my friend! Hopefully you'll be back with some good news!" Shelly wishes well.

"It won't be immediate. It will take some time for the family to accept us," Candice says wistfully.
"You have to do whatever you have to do," Shelly encourages her friend.

….

St. James Cathedral is a beautiful classic religious structure in the heart of the city. The renaissance architecture boasts a very rich history. Mia initially wanted to get married at her parents' home, but her plans soon changed when her fiancé Ethan brought her here to this place one day. Mia instantly fell in love with the church.

The beautiful blushing bride sits nervously in a chair in front of the vanity mirror while the stylist finishes her hair. Mia is wearing a fitted strapless Vera Wang white bridal gown covered top to bottom in very intricate lace flowers. Standing by her side is the mother of the bride wearing a sophisticated light pink dress, and the bridal party, all looking stunning in light pink taffeta dresses. Among the beautiful ladies in the bridal party are Kate, Martha and Ana.

"Did the flowers get to the reception?" Mia panics.
"Mia…honey, calm down. Everything is taken care of. You just worry about your vows and saying 'I do'," Grace soothes her daughter.
"You look beautiful Mia. My big brother is one lucky guy," Kate says, leaning over in the bride's ear. Mia smiles an emotional smile.

"I remember this day for myself just like it was yesterday," Ana says fondly.
"That dress Kate's mom made for you was absolutely sensational," Grace recalls.
"Do you think it was wrong that I didn't ask my future mother-in-law to make my wedding dress?" Mia nervously interjects.
"Mia, no. My mother doesn't care about that. It's no big deal. Your dress is beautiful," Kate reassures her.

"Oh my God…I'm so nervous! Don't get mad at me guys, but I think I'm going to have to use the bathroom, and it's so hard to get in and out of this dress," Mia says ashamed.
"Oh honey, its fine. Why don't you have your maid of honor help you to the restroom? We'll be right here when you're done," Grace says in a gentle voice that soothes the anxious bride. Mia stands and her best friend since childhood takes up her train and escorts her to the restroom.

"Poor Mia," Martha beams lovingly.
"She just wants everything to be perfect," Ana smiles.
"It will be. Oh, shoot – I think I left my mother's earrings in the glove box of my car! I'll be right back," Grace says just before she quickly darts out of the bridal parlor.
"We can't forget the 'something old'," Kate laughs. The other women chuckle. The 'something blue' would be Mia's satin blue Jimmy Choo's hidden underneath her gown. The 'something new' is the beautiful heart necklace that her father Carrick gave her. And lastly, the 'something borrowed' is Ana's platinum gold decorative hair comb that's currently holding Mia's signature black bob over to one side. The comb is adorned with fresh tiny white flowers.

"I'm sure Ethan is freaking out just like Mia," Ana murmurs discretely to Kate and Martha.
"Ethan is probably the most laid back guy you could ever meet," Kate beams.
"Yeah, but this is his wedding day," Ana smirks. Kate and Martha nod adamantly in agreement.

"I can't wait to see Ava and Phoebe as little flower girls," Kate gushes.
"Teddy was so excited when Uncle Ethan asked him to be his ring bearer," Ana glows.
"My gosh, I can't wait to see the handsome guy out there in his little tux!" Martha swoons.

In the hallway, the waiting bridal party hears the clacking of high heels. Ana instantly thinks that its Grace returning to the fold, so she continues gazing at the beautiful floral arrangements in the parlor.

"Oh my God, Ana – is that…" Kate murmurs, tugging Ana's arm and calling her attention to something outside of the open door. Ana sees a woman in a light blue dress with an infant carrier in her hands looking lost. Ana's once content expression morphs into extreme disgust. It's Candice.

Suddenly, Candice looks inside of the parlor and sees Ana angrily gaping at her. A slow satisfactory smirk forms on Candice's face. In a surprise move, she enters the parlor.

"What in the hell are you doing here!" Ana growls at her.
"Me and baby Christian came to see his aunt get married," Candice says matter-of-factly.

"Oh," Kate says with a look on her face that could kill everyone in the room. Martha and the rest of the bridal party hearing this revelation for the very first time nearly drop their chins to the floor. Candice places the infant carrier on a nearby table and approaches Ana.

"You need to leave!" Ana growls each word slowly, with once blues eyes now flaming red.
"We don't have to go anywhere! We are family too!" Candice says with a look and tone of defiance.
"You are not welcomed here! I'm going to say this one last time! GET! OUT!" Ana shouts with a vein now present on her forehead.
Candice is unshakable. She doesn't even break a sweat. Slowly, she saunters closer to Ana and looks her dead in the eye.

"Fuck. You. Basic. Bitch." Candice murmurs, carefully pronouncing each word crisply dead smack in Ana's face.

The space appears to be moving slow motion. The eyes and mouths of the women in the room slowly begin to form large, perfectly round O's. Ana's right hand slowly forms a fist and eventually connects a jab to Candice's face. Likewise, Ana's left arm works in concert and connects a hook to her right temple. Gradually, Candice tumbles to the ground.

Suddenly, a commotion breaks out in the bridal parlor. Women in pink dresses are yelling and scrambling about.
"Beat her ass, Ana!" Kate can be heard shouting amongst the chaos. Martha quickly slides off her shoes and runs out of the room. Moments later, Grace renters the bridal parlor and witnesses several ladies holding Ana back and Kate standing in between her and Candice, who's still lying on the floor.

"What's going on?!" Grace shouts out in horror. Moments later, Christian and Taylor come barging into the parlor with a barefoot Martha trailing behind them.

"She hit me!" Candice cries out to Christian, covering her bloody nose. Christian angrily yanks Candice off the floor and Taylor quickly grabs the child carrier from the table.
"Christian! What's going on?!" Grace cries out to her son in frustration.
"Mother, I'll be right back," he says in a restrained tone and he tugs Candice towards the door. Suddenly, Candice resists.

"Wait! Is that your mom! Wait a minute! Christian Junior is your grandson!" Candice calls out to Grace as Christian lifts her up and carries her out of the room.

The women in the room gasp in shock. Ana's anger rapidly transitions to hurt and shame and she quickly runs out of the room in the opposite direction, shielding her tears. Kate and Martha dash right after her. Grace stands in the middle of the room, completely blown away by the scene that just took place.

Seconds later, Mia and her maid of honor reenter the parlor. The bride scans the room and notices that three of her bridesmaids are missing.

"Hey…where'd everyone go?" Mia gestures her hands in midair as she looks to her paralyzed mother.

A/N: Faithful Readers – I've added a disclaimer to the intro about the potential sexual assault subject matter in this story. Therefore, those who are new will be reading at their own risk.

I apologize for not placing this disclaimer on the story beforehand, but this was/is a work in progress. I also would like to apologize to those of you who have personally been affected by rape. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

If I were writing for a living, I would have editors and others proofing and vetting what I wrote before I put it out there for the masses. I don't have that here. I proof my own work and put it right out there for you not knowing how you will interpret it. I try to cover up any potential loopholes, but I am not going to catch everything every single time. That's where your reviews come in. You are my eyes and ears. Depending on your feedback, sometimes the story can take a turn and I end up throwing my original storyboarding out the window. If there is something that you really want to see in these last few chapters, please review or PM me about it. Many of you experienced this with the first story I wrote. Some of you wanted to see Ana with Flynn and you got it.:)

One last takeaway:
I love to write.
I write to escape reality.
I have a very active imagination.

You will come across some things in my stories that may not make any sense to you. I will explain what I can but sometimes there won't be a valid explanation. If you enjoy my musings, great; if not, that's okay too. My stories are going to have an element of "far fetch-iness" to them.

I thank you for your feedback, good and bad. Please let me know what you thought of chapter 25. – ST2