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

Disclaimer: I own nothing.


Chapter 29: The Tour

The next day, Ana talked with Jose Rodriguez on the phone and later Skyped with him at her computer, and she could honestly say she was sold. Jose was sweet and likable and charismatic, but not in the fake way that Carla and other music managers tended to be. She could tell both Jose and Ethan were good people, and they complemented each other in the best way possible.

She made sure to tell Jose that she wanted to take a break as soon as her tour was over with, and he seemed perfectly fine with that. "You've been putting out albums nonstop for the past five years, Anastasia," he had said to her with a smile. "It's completely understandable you want to take a break. And taking a break from making albums doesn't necessarily mean you have to take a break from music altogether. You can work with other artists behind-the-scenes to write new songs if you want."

Ana definitely liked the sound of that. Since she had written all the songs in her new album, she had developed a taste for writing some more. "I'd seriously love that."

Writing music instead of performing it sounded like a welcome respite, especially considering how exhausted she had become training for her upcoming tour. It was important she master the song and dance routine before her first concert in a couple weeks - it was nothing new for her, but it was still very stressful to have to deal with. She was thankful she had a large team of producers and roadies and crew members coming along with her on her tour to make all of this go as smoothly as possible.

~/~

About a week before Christmas was the Grey family dinner, and Ana was nervous yet excited for it. Christian had already informed his parents about Anastasia, and they were both delighted and shocked to learn that their son had a girlfriend who was a world-famous pop star. Christian asked them not to tell Mia and Elliot about her yet since he and Ana wanted to surprise them, and they agreed.

Christian and Ana now walked up to the front door of the Grey's house, Christian wearing a nice button-down shirt and slacks while Ana was in a modest blue a-line dress. Ana also wore a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses to hide her face in case someone recognized her. Christian rang the doorbell, and Grace answered the door almost immediately, smiling widely.

"Welcome home, sweetheart," she said to Christian fondly, and she moved forward to hug him.

"Hi Mom," Christian smiled, hugging her back.

She then turned to Ana with a hand over her heart, her smile becoming wider. "And, my goodness - you must be Anastasia."

"Yeah, I am," Ana smiled, and the two of them embraced. "It's lovely to meet you, Dr. Grey."

"Oh please, call me Grace," she said, a little breathlessly, clearly a bit starstruck. "Come in, come in. Make yourselves at home…"

She stepped aside so Christian and Ana could walk in, and Ana took her hat and sunglasses off. The Grey's home was spacious and open, but still contained an air of homeyness that made Ana nostalgic for her dad's house back in Seattle. She liked it immediately.

As Grace took their coats and Ana's hat, a man Ana supposed was Christian's father walked in from the kitchen. He smiled widely at them. "Hello," he said to Ana. "You must be Anastasia. I'm Carrick, Christian's father."

"It's nice to meet you," Ana smiled, shaking his hand. "You have a lovely home."

"Thank you."

"Mia and Elliot are both upstairs right now," Grace said, in a slightly more hushed voice. "They still don't know about Anastasia being your girlfriend, Christian. Should I call them down now?"

"Might as well," Christian said, grinning down at Ana. He wrapped his arm around her waist, and she smiled up at him.

"Elliot! Mia!" Grace called up the stairs. "Come downstairs! Christian's here with his new girlfriend!"

There was a patter of footsteps above them as a beautiful dark-haired young woman appeared at the top of the stairs. "Christian has a new girlfriend?" she asked excitedly. She made it halfway down the steps before she caught sight of Anastasia, and she suddenly froze, staring at her with wide eyes.

"Mia, this is -"

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Christian's introduction was suddenly cut off by Mia's ear-splitting scream, and she grasped the handrail with one hand as she collapsed on the steps in shock. "OH MY GOD!" she screeched, covering her mouth with her other hand, still staring at Ana as if she could hardly believe her eyes.

Everyone laughed as a blonde guy who must have been Elliot came hurrying down the stairs. "Mia, what the hell are you screaming about?"

He then froze when he noticed Anastasia standing there, and his eyes seemed to practically bug out of his head. "Holy shit!" he exclaimed, a shocked laugh escaping his lips. "Chris, your new girlfriend is freaking Anastasia?!"

"Yup," Christian said proudly, and he exchanged a smile with Ana.

Mia tried to pull herself back to her feet, and Ana moved forward to help. The two women hugged, with Mia practically crying with excitement over the fact she was meeting one of her favorite pop idols of all time, who also happened to be dating her brother.

"Oh my God, I love you so much!" Mia sobbed, and Ana chuckled. "Christian, why didn't you tell me you were dating Anastasia!?"

"We wanted to surprise you," Ana answered for the both of them. "Christian told me how big of a fan you were of my music, and we thought this would be a fun surprise."

"But how did you guys even meet?" Mia asked, finally pulling away and wiping her eyes. "I mean, I know that Christian was a CPO for someone high-profile, but…" her eyes suddenly widened with realization. "Oh my God, he worked for you!"

Everyone else laughed as Ana nodded. "Yup, he was my personal security for awhile. That's how we met."

"God, this is so unreal!" Mia said, shaking her head.

"I think you also happened to notice that I made a cameo in one of her music videos a few months back, " Christian said, and Mia gasped.

"Oh my God, that was you!" she exclaimed. "Holy shit, you were in her Fatal Attraction music video!"

"Alright, come on everyone, let's all move to the dining room for dinner and we can talk a bit more," Grace smiled, ushering everyone toward the other room. Christian and Ana held hands as they went, and Mia immediately went to Ana's other side.

"Christian, she is the best girlfriend you've ever had!" Mia insisted, and the others laughed. "So are the two of you totally in love?"

"Yes we are," Ana said, smiling up at Christian. He smiled lovingly back.

"Aww," Mia cooed, covering her mouth. "This is the best day of my life!"

All of them went into the dining room and sat down, Mia quickly taking the free spot beside Anastasia. Grace went into the kitchen, and a minute later emerged with a casserole dish of chicken carbonara; following her was a young blonde woman in a professional-looking blouse and black pants carrying a tureen of peas. Ana assumed she was one of the staff.

"Just place the peas over there Gretchen," Grace pointed to the center of the table, and Gretchen complied. Just as she set the peas down, she glanced up and noticed Anastasia sitting a few feet away - she suddenly gasped in surprise, causing the tureen of peas to wobble dangerously and almost spill over on the table.

"Whoa, careful!" Ana said, quickly reaching forward to grab the peas before the whole bowl fell over.

"Oh my gosh, thank you Anastasia," Grace said gratefully. "I'm so sorry about that. Gretchen, please try to be more careful when setting the dishes down on the table."

Gretchen looked horribly embarrassed, and with a flaming red face she nodded at Grace. "Um, y-yes ma'am. I'm… I'm so sorry, it won't happen again."

She determinedly avoided Ana's gaze as she walked back into the kitchen for the rest of the food. Mia couldn't help but giggle as Ana exchanged an amused glance with Christian. She and Grace finished serving the food, and once Grace was seated at the head of the table, everyone dug into the meal.

"Well, with Mia's screaming and Gretchen's butterfingers, it seems as if a nice quiet dinner has been thrown out the window already," Carrick noted, taking a sip from his wine glass. Everyone laughed.

"Well, with Anastasia being Christian's new girlfriend, I doubt we're going to have a dull moment here anymore," Elliot pointed out with a grin, and Ana smiled at him.

"I realize my being in Christian's life is going to affect all your lives quite a bit from now on," she said, glancing at everyone. "And once people learn the truth about Christian and I, the media will likely hound you guys for details about us. I hope you know, whatever happens, I'll make sure you guys are protected from celebrity news outlets and the paparazzi."

"Ugh, the paparazzi are the worst," Christian rolled his eyes in exasperation. Mia, however, looked excited at the prospect of media attention.

"Oh my God, do you think I could become famous too?" she asked eagerly, and everyone at the table laughed. "I could totally get a record deal!"

"How? You don't even sing Mia," Christian pointed out.

"So? Shawn Mendes can't sing either and he has a record deal."

Everyone at the table busted out laughing, including Ana - she enjoyed hearing people joke about musicians in her industry, and she liked that Christian's family were comfortable enough around her to do it.

The rest of the dinner passed by in the same manner, with fun laughter, good conversation, and delicious food. Ana couldn't remember the last time she felt so comfortable and happy around another group of people, and for one evening she felt like a normal girl, spending some quality time with her boyfriend's family.


~Two weeks later~

Christmas came along, but Ana didn't have much time to celebrate the holiday as she continued to train for her upcoming tour. However, she was beyond excited when Ray decided to come down to LA for the day to spend Christmas with her and Christian, and she was even more happy to learn his cancer was still in remission. The three of them just had a small dinner and gift exchange together at her home, and it was one of Ana's favorite Christmases ever.

Carla hadn't been a part of the holiday festivities, however, and Ana didn't really expect her to be. As was becoming habit for her, Carla didn't show her face at all in the weeks leading up to Ana's tour, leaving Trey and Vivian to pick up all of the slack of her managerial duties. Ana was also still talking to Jose about him becoming her manager once she got back from her tour, so she knew she had to speak to her mother at some point soon.

The night before she was set to leave on her tour, Ana decided to forgo the usual partying and drinking and bar-hopping that was so common for other musicians who were going off on tour, and just spent it alone with Christian at his apartment. A large part of her was dreading going away tomorrow, but mostly because she was going to be away from her boyfriend for such a long time. It would be torture to no longer be spending her nights with him anymore.

"Promise you'll come see me when I'm performing in San Francisco in March?" Ana implored him, her arms wrapped around his neck. They were currently standing at the foot of his bed, and Christian leaned forward to press his forehead against hers.

"Of course I will," he said, and he smirked slightly. "Incidentally, Mia is very excited to see you perform at that concert too."

"Well, I knew when she asked me for some free tickets, I had to give them to her on the condition you take one of them," Ana smiled coquettishly back. "I hope you don't mind going to one of my concerts with your little sister."

"It's a burden I'm willing to bear for you," Christian said solemnly, causing Ana to giggle. Without another word she leaned up to kiss him, and he eagerly kissed her back.

"I love you, Ana," Christian whispered against her lips, and she whimpered as he lifted her up in his arms and carried her over to the bed, laying her down. "I'm going to miss you so fucking much."

"I wish I didn't have to leave tomorrow," Ana murmured, closing her eyes as Christian trailed his lips along her jaw before going down her neck. "I wish I could just stay here with you in your apartment."

"In my apartment?" Christian asked with a grin as he continued to trail kisses down her sternum toward her stomach. "It might be a little small and cramped here. Especially compared to your multi-million dollar mansion."

"Given the choice, I'd stay in your apartment every time," Ana said, smiling. "It's where you live, and I want to be wherever you are."

Christian growled low in his throat - her saying that seemed to do something to him, and in a moment he had ripped off her panties and latched his mouth onto her clit, causing her to arch her back and keen with pleasure.

"Oh God, Christian!" Ana cried out at the sensations he was producing. A few moments later, he had pulled away and started stripping out of his own clothes.

"I'm going to give you a night you're never going to forget, baby," he said with a growl, his sensual promise causing Ana's whole body to tingle with anticipation. She smiled up at him.

"I'll hold you to that, baby."


Bright and early the next morning, Christian drove Ana to the music studio where her large coach bus was waiting to head out and kick off her tour. The sun had barely risen over the horizon, covering the pre-dawn sky with beautiful blues, purples and reds. Ana couldn't help but admire the beauty around her despite her half-awake state… she yawned as she sipped her to-go cup of coffee.

"I wish we didn't have to leave so early," Ana said tiredly as Christian navigated the early morning LA streets. "But I guess we have to if we're going to make it to Sacramento by this afternoon."

"Hopefully you can get some sleep on the tour bus," Christian said. Finally, he turned a street corner and the studio came into view. Parked out front was a massive coach bus with at least half a dozen people milling around it, including Vivian, Trey, and Kate.

There was also a sleek black Lexus parked across the street from the bus, and leaning against the front door was Carla.

Neither Christian nor Ana said anything as he parked the car on the street near her, but after a moment Christian spoke. "Are you going to go talk to her?"

Ana sighed. "I might as well."

"Want me to come with you?"

"No, that's okay," she said. "I'll be back in a minute."

She got out of the car and shut the door behind her, drawing the attention of Carla. She straightened up as Ana approached her.

"Hi," Ana said, stopping in front of her.

"Hi Ana," Carla said. Despite the early morning, Carla looked very prim and proper in a pair of high-heeled leather boots and a turquoise dress cinched at the waist with a belt. "Do you have a minute to talk?"

"Sure. What's up?" Ana asked. She noticed Carla was holding a large yellow envelope in her hand.

"I'll cut right to the chase," Carla said, clearing her throat slightly. "I know I've been gone for the past few weeks, and while initially it was because I knew you didn't want me around, it was also because I was starting the process of taking on a new client."

Ana raised her eyebrows in surprise, unsure of what to say to that. "Oh."

"Incidentally, this means that I'll be terminating my contract with you," Carla went on. "I hope this won't be an inconvenience to you, especially now that you're about to head off on your tour."

"No, not at all," Ana assured her. "I'd actually met someone who I'm considering hiring as my new manager. I was going to let you know about it eventually, so I guess now is as good a time as any."

Carla nodded. "I guess it all works out for the best then."

There was a short silence between the two of them. "So who's your new client?" Ana asked after a moment.

"She's this new up-and-coming indie singer," Carla said, reaching into the envelope and pulling out an 8x10 photo of a pretty brunette girl dressed like a hippie in a wide brim hat and John Lennon glasses. "Her name's Leila Williams. She has a few studio albums out, but she hasn't broken the Top 40 yet. I think I can get her there though."

"Oh yeah, I've heard of her," Ana nodded, gazing at the picture before handing it back to Carla. "She's pretty good."

Carla smiled slightly before taking the picture back. "Yeah, she is. She doesn't have the vocal talent that you do, but I think I can get her a decent-sized fanbase."

Ana blinked, surprised at her mother complimenting her. "Well, I wish you the best."

"Thanks. You too."

There was another short silence where Ana wasn't sure what to say. Was this really them saying goodbye to each other?

Carla reached into the envelope again and pulled out a packet of papers. "Here's the paperwork you need to sign to dissolve my contract with you. Feel free to look it over before signing it, and mail it back to me at your convenience."

"Thanks. I will," Ana nodded, gazing down at the papers before looking back up at her mother. "I'll look it over on the bus."

Carla nodded. "Okay."

There was another brief silence between the two of them, where Carla avoided Ana's gaze, and Ana finally decided to do something she hadn't done in years: she stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her mom, hugging her. Carla seemed surprised at this move, but a moment later hugged her back.

"Bye Mom," Ana whispered after a moment. She finally pulled away. "Maybe once I get back, you and I can have dinner together?"

Carla looked shocked at that offer, and was clearly unsure of how to respond to it. Finally, after a moment, she cleared her throat, her voice quavery yet sincere as she spoke. "Um… yeah. Yeah definitely, we should. I'd like that."

Ana gave her a small smile, and Carla smiled tentatively back. Ana doubted her relationship with her mother could ever be fully repaired, but this was a start at least.

With one last wave, Ana turned around and walked over to Christian, who was standing and waiting outside his car with a few cases of Ana's luggage. The two of them walked over to the tour bus as Carla watched; a few moments later, she got back into her car and drove off.


A/N: Thank you all so much for reading! Next chapter will be the epilogue - hope to see you all there :)

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