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End Credits - EDEN
Ch- 29: The Wedding.
APOV
I go over the wedding traditions I'm wearing as I stand beside Ray near the beginning of the aisle waiting for my cue to walk. The latest one being the beautiful sapphire and diamond studded platinum anklet from Christian. Twenty one intricate butterflies are woven together to form a breathtaking jingling anklet along with a heart melting note.
Something blue and white for the bride.
One butterfly for each year that I've missed you, because believe me baby, I've missed you every fucking day of my life. Even to my five year old self you were the prettiest in this ugly world.
Now, come on quickly walk down that aisle wench, I can't wait to make you mine (officially).
Love, Christian.
Tears had sprung to my eyes as I remembered the day in the orphanage garden, so many years ago. Can I love him anymore? Yet every single moment he does something, says something, that shakes me to my core, makes me love him more and more than I already do.
I run my fingers softly over the hairclip.
My something old.
Connected to the hair clip is the veil that Grace had worn on her wedding. The dress was designed around the veil.
My something borrowed.
On cue Coldplay's Magic plays overhead as Elliot and Kate, the Best Man and Maid of Honor link arms and slowly make their way down the aisle.
Next are Mia and Christopher. As Mia loops her arm around Chris's, he leans don to give her a sweet kiss. The crowd cheers at them while I simply give in to the face splitting smile that overtakes my face. According to Christian it has taken them seven years to realize there's more than just lust there. Considering the love he has for his baby sister, I'm not really surprised he knows all the sordid details.
Just as they reach the end of the aisle, the song changes to Halo by Beyonce.
"It's time, baby girl." Ray coughs to hide the gruffness in his voice.
"Oh daddy," I sigh leaning up to place a soft kiss of his cheek. Looping my arm into his, I step forward.
CPOV
I don't think I even tried to stop the awed gasp that escaped me at the sight of Ana.
My Ana.
My light.
My love.
My life.
The only thing I can process as she is passed to me from her father, is how fucking precious she looks. No not beautiful, not sexy, not pretty, not the myriad of the words that are usually used to describe brides. She just looks… precious.
Soon her hands are clasped in mine and I look into the bluest eyes ever. Eyes shimmering with love, adoration, devotion and some tears. Emotions that I know are mirrored in mine. I reach forward and place a kiss right below her right eyes, where a lone tear had gathered and was about to fall. Goddamned tears. I hate it when she cries.
"Not today baby", I chastise her softly, placing me forehead on hers. In that moment the whole world ceases to exist. It's just me and her, in our little bubble, grey eyes holding onto blue ones.
A throat clearing from the justice makes me jerk away from her. Collective laughs reverberate through the crowd.
I clear my throat to get rid of the stupid lump lodged there.
"Before you, I thought fate was a load of bullshit." That earns me a glare from the officiate, but considering we aren't in a church… I roll my eyes and move on. "But then one day, you walked back into my life. You walked back in after twenty whole years of missing you. You walked back to my life then splashed it with color, filled it with laughter. Made me think, made me feel, but most importantly you gave me hope. That maybe I'm not broken, just a little bent. I promise to love you faithfully and unconditionally, I promise to hold you, to protect you, to shield you from every storm that comes our way. I promise to be your rock when you need to hold onto something. I promise to give into every one of your mid night cravings. I promise to try not to suffocate you with my overbearing ways. But most importantly I promise to cherish you and show you every day for the rest of my life, just how grateful I am for you, to you and to the little one on the way. I love you."
Even though I know it's against the rules, but I can't help but lean forward a place a kiss on her lips. Lips those are super soft due to the tears streaming down her face.
Wiping her eyes with some kneelex from Kate, Ana takes a deep breath and faces me again.
"You were my knight in shining armor since I was three. You protected me, held me, and guided me through one of the roughest patch of our lives. I promise to love you unconditionally and faithfully. I promise to accept you. All of you. Even the broken and bent parts. I promise to hold your hand when you are suffering like you held mine. I promise to never let you go. I promise to fight beside you and fight for you. I promise to stand beside you and heal you. I accept you."
I don't even try to hold back the tears streaming down my face. The one thing that I've forever craved is to be accepted. Accepted as who I am, not who I'm supposed to be. Christ, I love her.
"By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."
"About fucking time", I growl under my breath. Sweeping an arm around Ana's waist a hold her face hostage with my other hand, sealing my lips over hers. What was supposed to be a chaste kiss, hardly remains chaste, my restraint forever nonexistent when it comes to her. My tongue darts out to caress hers. Fuck me if my knees don't threaten to buckle right then and there.
The officiate announces, "Gathered friends and family, I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Grey."
Collective hoops, cheers, laughter and catcalls from the gathered guests force me to pull away.
I can never get enough of this woman.
APOV
The next hour is a blur of hugs, kisses congratulations and small talk being exchanged.
Through it all Christian keeps his hands on me. Touching me in some way or the other. Whether it's his whole arm around my waist, or his fingertips trailing down my arm or just his general vicinity.
Its. Driving. Me. Fucking. Crazy.
As if sensing my thought, Christian leans down and whispers, "Good things, baby." I refrain from growling at him when he smirks that goddamn smirk and winks at me.
Soon, the DJ announces that its time for our first dance. Christian detaches himself from my side and steps up to the DJ booth, a mic to his mouth.
I hold my breath in anticipation because I don't know what song we will be dancing to. He kept it a secret, saying that he needed to do this. The raw anguish in his voice had stopped me from protesting. As did the various other distractive antics… hmm… that man had stamina.
"Mom, dad," he begins, "without the two of you, I don't know where I'd be today, what I'd be doing today. Thank you for loving me, for putting up with me and for never giving up on me. Even when I was being a pain in the ass. A royal one. I want a marriage like yours, full of love, laughter but most importantly, happiness. Call it superstition, but I can't come up with a better way to celebrate that hope than dancing to you your wedding song and making it mine."
Tears spring to my eyes at his thoughtfulness. As does Grace's. She runs down the length of the room and envelopes him in a loving hug.
"May I have this dance, Mrs. Grey? I smile a shy smile. "Of course you may Mr. Grey"
We start twirling on the dance floor, locked in a loving embrace as Frank Sinatra's 'Take me to the moon' starts playing overhead. I smile up at him as we share our first dance, letting him lead me all around the floor. As the song comes to an end, I steal a kiss from Christian before we're instructed to take our seats at the bridal table.
"If I may have you attention please," the whole descends into expectant, comfortable silence. Elliot clears his throat before beginning. "I honestly don't know what Christian was thinking when he asked me to be his Best Man. When I was researching on how to make this speech, gosh woman, reign in those gasps. My little brothers getting married to his little lady, of course I did my home work." He glares at Kate, as the surrounding crowd laughs. "So where was I? Oh yes. They said to keep the grooms ex-girlfriends out of the speech. The line had quite the opposite effect. My brother married his first fucking girlfriend. Pun intended."
"Elliot" Christian growls.
He gives Christian the most innocent look he could conjure up. I simply laugh. Once upon a time, mentioning Christian's past…err… conquests would have left me flustered and jealous as hell. But now, especially after yesterday, not quite. All I feel is anger. Not wanting to ruin the moment I urge Elliot to go on.
"Thank you little lady." He continues as I giggle at his antics, "As I was saying, I don't think I've said or expressed this enough but little brother I do love you. With all my heart. And both you and Ana deserve all the happiness in the world. But more than that, you guys deserve each other. So enjoy each other, cherish the highs and survive the lows, for little brother you have no idea what you have gotten yourself into."
Christian stills for a minute before leaning down and brushing his lips over my ear, "I know exactly what I'll be getting into."
Placing a kiss there, he takes off to give Elliot a hug.
The next few hours are a blur of activity and anticipation. My body is shivering with goosebumps forming every time I think of what is to come after the reception.
I'm passed on from person to person, dancing with Christian in between. I meet Grace's parents along with some of Chris's… err… my cousins. God, I really haven't processed the whole extended family thing, used to only having Ray my whole life.
The person in question pulls me into his arms, just as the last dance of the night is announced. "Hi, dad" I smile up at him, as I place my hand on his shoulder. "hi." The gruffness in his voice has lessened but has yet to dissipate completely. "I just…" he trails off, trying to control his emotions. Ray has never really been the touchy feely kind and I could see him visibly struggling with his words.
"I just, I want you to know that I'm proud of you. I'm proud of the person you've become. You will forever be my little girl but I'm glad you have Christian. The kind of love and devotion you two have is very rare, if not nonexistent. So yeah, I'm proud of you and your choices. I love you forever."
Just as the elevator doors pings open, Christian leans down and scoops me into his arms and places a fiery kiss on my lips, tongue and all. Breathlessly I pull back. "What are you doing?"
"Carrying you over the threshold."
Stepping into the foyer, he greets an awaiting Taylor with a nod of his head. "All set for tomorrow?" Christian asks him.
"Yes, sir." I wait for Christian to put me down as he proceeds to ask Taylor whether the apartment's been checked or not.
When he doesn't I murmur, "Christian put me down." I try wiggling from his hold.
"Oh no you don't baby," is the only warning I have, before I'm slung over his shoulder. Squealing, I rain my fists down on his back, which only earns me a slap on the ass in return.
A man on a mission, he strides into the master bedroom and dumps unceremoniously on the bed. He is on me before I can draw in my next breath. The kiss is hot, possessive and everything that a lust induced kiss should be. Christian suddenly leaps away from me. "Fuck, I shouldn't be this rough with you."
"What, why?" I ask him bewildered.
"I might have hurt you, hurt him." I get up to stand in front of him. I love how he can be sweet, soft and affectionate with me, yet be rough, hard and fast with me at the same time.
"He?" I ask, biting back my smile. I feel his fingers trailing on my back, pulling the zipper so the dress falls to the floor. Turning around, I watch his gaze slowly move up my body, taking in my wedding present to him. His chest rises with a deep inhale as his eyes seems to lose focus somewhere between my stomach and my neck. I let him look for a few more seconds before I coax an answer from him.
"Christian?"
"Hmm?"
"You said 'he'. How do you know the baby isn't a girl?"
With that question, his eyes quickly meet mine as he grabs my waist and tosses me onto the bed. Again. He lowers himself onto me.
"I don't know if I can handle more than one of you. You drive me crazy enough as it is. Plus a man knows this kind of shit." I throw my head back and laugh as he straddles my waist.
I'm quickly flipped over on my stomach as his knees brace him on either side of my body. I feel the strings on the corset being loosened as I rest my head on my cheek, finally taking in the room. There are hundreds of candles, blazing all over the room. The window looks out to a twinkling Seattle down below, the soft glow created by candles making it seem softer, more picturesque.
His lips press between my shoulder blades. Then lower, as my corset is loosened completely. Once my back is completely exposed, I'm flipped over so I can see him. He sits back on his knees between my legs, taking in the sight of me, and I see his chest shudder with his inhale. As if it's the first breath he's taken in hours.
"Are you okay?"
"I still remember the second time I had laid my eyes on you." His eyes hold mine with a gentleness I don't remember ever seeing from him. And I want to ask him what he means, but I wait, because I know he's going to give it to me. I see his throat roll with a swallow, his lips parting slightly as his eyes commit me to memory with the most profound look he's ever given me. "I just never seem to get enough of you. Every time. Every. Fucking. Time. I look at you, and I feel like I'm back in my office."
"How do you do that? How do you make me love you more than I already do?" I ask as the tears spring in my eyes. I reach my hand out, needing to feel him.
Needing that constant contact now more than ever.
His hand touches mine and he laces our fingers together. "I could ask you the same thing."
I blink, sending the tears down the side of my face. He releases my hand and grabs my foot. One shoe is removed then the other. I watch him run his fingers up the inside of my leg along my stocking until he reaches the metal clips of my garter. And after his declaration to me seconds ago, I think this is going to be gentle. I think his next moves with be unhurried and tender.
Until I see the tremor in his hand as he brings it up to rake through his hair.
He pushes off the bed and starts ripping his clothes off, not giving a shit about buttons or zippers. He's frantic, like a man deprived, watching me frozen on the bed.
Hungry.
Greedy.
He's normally so controlled, so calculated with everything he does. Especially sex.
His movements are precise. Well-orchestrated. Practiced. And I love that side of him. But when he's chaotic like this, when he can't seem to settle himself enough to remove clothing properly, this side of Christian drives me insane.
"I don't think I've ever needed to be inside you so badly before. Fuck," he pants as he drags his rigid shaft up my leg. He puts a hand on each of my thighs, digs his fingers into my skin, and shreds my stockings away from my body. My garter and panties are removed, tossed off the bed and disintegrated like everything else that isn't him and me in this moment. His hands dig into the skin of my hips as he lifts them off the mattress and, in the same motion, thrusts into me.
"Christian," I cry out, digging my nails into his shoulders.
He pushes my knees against my chest, lunging so hard into me my teeth chatter.
"You're finally mine. I've waited so long for this."
I nod through a moan, closing my eyes and murmuring breathlessly, "I was always yours".
"Officially, baby. You're officially mine."
His hands massage my breasts as his thrusts become possessed. Fingers pinch my nipples and my eyes flash open when I feel the slide of his tongue over one hardened peak.
I thread my fingers into his hair, fisting it when he bites down. "Oh, God," I cry as he buries his face between my breasts.
"Say it, Ana." He lifts his head, capturing my mouth and stealing the words from me. "Beg me. Fucking beg me."
In this moment I'd jump off a cliff had he asked me to. I don't hesitate. I never will. "Please, Christian," I say against his lips, hearing him react with a soft moan. "I need you. Please."
His arms brace himself on either side of me, flexed and fully extended as he begins thrusting forward in a slow, steady rhythm. We keep our eyes on each other, never breaking contact. He runs his hands over every inch of me. His lips follow. Then his tongue. He drags his shaft on my skin each time he pulls out, the heaviness of it slicked with my desire for him. He gives me his words, sweet and filthy, as he moves in me.
I'm clawing at his skin, wanting to somehow embed myself beneath his surface as he brings me to orgasm over and over, denying himself his own release to focus on me. He grinds into me, his deft fingers rooting themselves into my hip bones as he bottoms out with punishing thrusts. My body breaks, bowing in submission as a wave of pleasure surges through me. He presses fluttering kisses on my neck. My breasts. Between my legs. My fingers tangle in his mess of hair as my body arches off the bed into another rolling climax. I don't think I can take anymore as he crawls up my body, chin and lips wet, prowling over me like a lion.
I grab his face, making our foreheads touch as he slides his shaft between my legs.
He enters me, brushes against my mouth with his, and says, "Mine."
"Yes."
"My wife." He lunges forward, then back.
"Yes." My response is softer, barely above a whisper, and I feel his body tense against mine.
"Anastasia." My name escapes his lips the moment he loses all control. Sweat drips from his forehead to my chest before he collapses on top of me, sealing our bodies together.
And we stay like that, long after our breathing steadies.
He is my love.
He is my life.
He is my everything.
"I really, really, really love you." I whisper.
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