A/N: I know in this story we're still in November/December but I do plan to eventually catch up so the events continue to happen in our current month and year.

Like I said before, I'm switching to first person POV for the secondary characters only. Ana and Christian are always in third person.

NOTE: The first scene starts with what happened before Ana went shopping with Kate and keeps moving forward in time to show Christian and Carla having a conversation while the girls are still out shopping. I hope this is not confusing. After that, the sequence of events is pretty straightforward.

Chapter Thirty-four

Earlier that morning

For Christian, it had been a refreshing—break away from the routine—kind of morning. He'd woken up late and Ana had surprised him with breakfast in bed. What a treat that had been. "This is the best breakfast ever," he told her and asked if she was eating too. She said she had breakfast already.

"Quit looking at me like that," she added sitting on the edge of the bed. "Like you're so surprised. You're not the only one full of surprises around here." She winked at him.

"Well, I gotta hand it to you. I don't think I can top this," he stated taking a bite of his eggs. This absolutely delicious. Especially the bacon." He winked at her.

Ana returned his smile. While he was sleeping, she'd fixed breakfast according to his dietary restrictions. The bacon on his plate was actually low sodium turkey bacon which tasted a lot like the real thing. "Glad to see you enjoying it. Kate and I are ready to go to Macys. Are you sure you'll be okay with me leaving you alone?"

Christian reassured her he would be fine and that she should get going. He was looking forward to relaxing some—no schedules to keep. "Where's the little guy? I'm looking forward to spending some time with him." Inwardly, he was thinking it would be challenging caring for Teddy without Ana present but he was not one to shy away from challenges.

"He's with my mom. I think she thinks he doesn't remember her. I keep telling her it's not that. Teddy has changed a lot since we lived here."

Christian pondered on that but did not comment. "Go on now. Have fun." Christian said as he finished the last bite of his pancakes. Ana pecked his lips and left, taking the tray back to the kitchen. He was prepared for encountering some resistance from Teddy, given how much he hated changes in his routine. But then was surprised to see him that his presence had the opposite effect. He could have sworn that Teddy became more cooperative with him being there. That's when he fully dawned on him that Teddy had truly come to see him as a comforting fixture in his life. At last, Teddy was happy to settle down with one of his Thomas the Tank Engine DVD's. While the movie played, Christian showered, looked at some of the photo albums in Ana's room and even had time to enjoy the luxury of sitting down to read a real newspaper-nicely delivered fresh off the press.

In the meantime, Carla had spent the rest of the morning straightening up the kitchen. Her arthritis-slowly but surely—had been making even the smallest tasks more difficult with each passing year. Most of the time it was Kate who worked in the kitchen but Carla liked to do as much as she could in an effort to exert a semblance of independence. She hated her limitations, hated feeling crippled. But most of all she hated not being able to support Kate by offering to take care of her unborn baby while she worked nights.

At last, she dried her swollen hands with the dishcloth and surveyed the kitchen, satisfied with her work. She then went into the living room to sit in the armchair across from Christian. They made small talk about the engagement party and the Christmas holidays rapidly approaching.

"Holidays come at the same time each year but they always manage to sneak up on me. First is Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Another blink of an eye and it's Easter. Another blink and we start breezing through the summer... and then it starts all over again."

"Exactly." Carla smiled. "That's exactly what I tell myself every year. Time goes by so fast." She paused to offer Christian something to drink. Juice or a Dr. Pepper. Christian chose the latter. "Can or glass? He chose to drink directly from the can and she quickly retrieved a can from the fridge which was literally two steps away. "Anyway, I hope you and Ana don't pick a wedding date too close to ANY major holiday," she added casually broaching the subject the one subject she'd been itching to discuss.

"Does that include Valentine's day?" Christian asked just to get her reaction. But really, getting married on such a day was just too cliché.

"Specially NOT on Valentine's day," she quipped as Christian sipped his soda. "Okay, son, tell me. What is your definition of love?"

Christian instantly warmed up to Carla calling him 'son'. Even though it was a little odd, it also made him feel welcomed, as though he was already part of the family. Ana's mother was a delightful woman, no wonder Ana always spoke so fondly of her mother.

"Love is about making the other person happy. It is ALWAYS about the other person."

Carla's smile widened. "Duly noted. You're quite the philosopher, aren't you?"

Christian said nothing. At this point, he wasn't quite sure where the conversation was going.

"Ideally, a good marriage happens when two people accept each other as they are. I don't expect that it will be easy. My folks have been married for thirty seven years and even though they love each other dearly, they'd had their rough patches along the way. But I think they had a good foundation from the start and that's why they're still married."

"Your mom and dad sound like a lovely couple." Carla smiled warmly.

"They are. They complement each other perfectly, they built their marriage on solid rock. The solid rock were their compatibility, their shared values and the strength of their love."

Once again Carla was amazed by the wisdom in Christian's words. "Do you think it's possible for two people to build their marriage on solid ground but then years down the line a corrosive element destroys that foundation?"

"Good question," Christian smiled. "I think that's possible, yes. However, I still stand by what I said. I think that Ana and I are building our future on a good foundation."

Carla nodded. Right then they got interrupted by Teddy. He went into the kitchen and started banging on the fridge. "What do you want, darling? Time for lunch, isn't it?" Carla followed him and started fixing lunch; namely Thanksgiving leftovers for her and Christian and Mac and Cheese for Teddy. Christian came in and asked what he could do to help. "Oh, no. You're our guest, please take a seat."

In no time, Carla has fixed everyone their meals. She and Christian took turns interacting with Teddy and engaged in small talk while they ate.

"I'm glad we've had this opportunity to get to know each other better," Carla said appreciatively.

"Thank you so much for having us on such a short notice." Christian replied graciously. "Carla, you have the most wonderful daughter, she certainly takes after you."

Carla smiled at the compliment. "Why, thank you."

"I mean it. Ana is a beautiful person, inside and out."

Carla's eyes sparkled as a new idea formed in her mind. "I wholeheartedly agree. However, can I ask you something rather personal?"

"Sure."

"You say my daughter is beautiful. My question is...and you said this to how many women before her?"

Christian thought about this for a moment. His folks taught him that honesty was the best policy and he wholeheartedly agreed with that. "There have been about fifteen other women including my ex-wife. But it has never worked out-except with your daughter."

"What do you like best about my daughter?"

"That's a hard question, cos' I absolutely love everything about Ana. But if you insist-the best thing about your daughter is her sense of humor and her loving nature. I know that's two qualities, but you really must have both. You need love and a good sense of humor to see you through the hard times."

…...

"Christian and I had a wonderful visit together," Carla said to Ana after she and Kate got back from their shopping expedition. She then turned to Christian. "Thank you so much for coming into my daughter's life. My Ana deserves to be happy." She added with tears of happiness in her eyes. "God bless the two of you and your life together."

"Does this mean I passed the Steele inquisition?" Christian joked.

"You passed with flying colors, son. The moment you said that you had told fifteen other women they were beautiful before my Ana came into your life...you confirmed what I've known all along. You are the right man for my daughter. You have a pure heart. I don't think that any other man would have answered the question like you did. They would have beaten around the bush about how much they truly loved my daughter, blah, blah, blah. But you were honest. And honesty is a strong foundation for a marriage. I have no doubt you will make my daughter happy...and you will keep her happy, I have no doubts about that."

Both Ana and Christian were blown away by Carla's response.

"That was beautifully said."

"Fifteen other women ugh?" Ana repeated with mock jealousy looking at her fiance.

"Rest assured my love, you were the fairest of them all," Christian replied pecking her lips.

LATER

Shortly after that, Teddy fell asleep on the couch Ana and Christian decided to leave him resting there as he might wake up if they moved him. So they piled pillows all around him so he wouldn't roll of the couch.

"I'm going to follow Teddy's example here and take a nice long nap, " Kate announced.

"I'm thinking we could also use a nap, don't we, honey?" Ana winked at Christian who readily agreed.

"Hmm, a nap? Yeah, right," Kate shook her head, smiling. "You too love birds better be light 'sleepers'... these walls have ears, you know."

Ana rolled her eyes at Kate in mock alarm and Kate mock pouted before making a beeline for her bedroom.

Basking in the memory of their love making the night before, Ana took Christian's hand and guided him to her bedroom. She surprised him by quickly locking the door behind them like a school girl secretly bringing her boyfriend into her childhood bedroom.

Christian followed Ana's gaze. The bed was a mess; Ana looked at the picture albums strewn across bed and back at him again. He shrugged one shoulder and gave her his best boyish look. "Did you know there's a picture of you in a bumblebee costume, knee high to a grasshopper, looking adorable and yet crying your heart out?"

"Oh. I didn't want you to look at those without me." Ana pouted.

Christian shrugged. "Easy solution. We can still look at them together," he said flinging himself across the bed and propping himself on one elbow.

"I think I was Teddy's age. Mom says I hated wearing the darn thing—it made me hot and sweaty." Ana picked up the photo albums and piled them on the floor next to the night stand. "Speaking of hot and sweaty, That's exactly how I'm feeling right now." she said in a sultry tone climbing on the mattress and crawling to him.

"Perfect cos' you still owe me the cherry on top." He teased. They'd started using the 'cherries on top' euphemism since Thanksgiving dinner when he'd watch her eat a bowl of cherries with great gusto. A second later she leaned over and they kissed. And just like that, they quickly undressed each other in between kisses.

"Hmm...last night-

"Last night doesn't count," he retorted. "It was pitch dark and we had to be super quiet. What's the fun in that?" He chuckled, pressing her pelvis against him.

And all she wanted to do was feel him, feel the head of his dick, feel the tips of her fingers around the fold. With hooded eyes, she traced her way to his fragile sacs and pubic hair. She felt a trickle of pre-cum spill over as she began to pump it which only added to her excitement.

Christian gave a hoarse groan of excitement and gently disengaged his fingers from his member, and in one seamless movement pulled her down to the bed underneath him. The move left her breathless.

"Ready?" He asked while she nodded appreciatively. He took a deep breath and exhaled. "Are you really ready?" He teased. She wiggled. "Good, cos' we don't have much time. Now spread those lovely legs of yours. Show how wet you are for me. Show me where you want my cock."

Arrogant Christian talking dirty was getting her panties wet...and he hadn't even touched her yet!

He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, giving her a taste of his power. "I'm going to take you hard, Anastasia and I want you to be prepared. I'm going to give you the best quickie ever."

"Yes!" Her voice came out breathy with anticipation. She cupped his face between her hands and returned the kiss as she spread her legs wide.

He settled himself between her legs and pushed them apart even further. "Very sweet, sweetheart, are you as sweet down there as you are up here?"She gasped as he suddenly licked her inner folds. "You're so wet...Ana, you taste like heaven." Then he leaned forward to kiss her lips and entered her hard and fast.

"Ahhh," she moaned. She closed around him urging him forward, wanting him so badly. He thrust deep and hard, panting fast and she met each one of his thrusts until they both met their release. "Ahhh."

…...

Later that evening

Throughout dinner Ana felt hot and bothered every time she gazed into Christian's eyes and saw him enjoying a bowl of fresh cherries, their lovemaking of the last couple of days forever present. She couldn't wait for everybody retire for the night so she could finally have her time alone with Christian again. It must be the magic of being away from their regular routine that was making her so incredibly horny, she reasoned. OR maybe it was that time of the month.

"Oh, God." She mumbled to herself and rushed to her bedroom at her first opportunity. She made a beeline for her purse, reaching for her birth control pills. She did a double take. Thursday's pill was still in the pack and today was Friday! She shook her head in disbelief. She never missed a dose, it must have been the change in their routine that made her forget.

"Ana...are you okay?"

She turned at the sound of his voice and made eye contact with Christian before lowering her gaze once again. "I forgot to take my pill last night." She didn't want to look into his eyes in case he was upset. Instead, she drop the packet back in her purse. Never mind her PMS. There were was no use in taking them now, she reasoned all it takes is to forget one time to mess up their effectiveness and they had already had sex without protection twice-last night and earlier this afternoon.

"Hey," he gently lifted her chin. He recognized the packet, he'd seen her take her pills before. "It's okay."

"You're not upset?"

"Upset?" He smiled. He wanted her now more than ever, he wanted to spill his seed in her again and again. "I don't think... I'm actually happy."

Happy? She held her breath and just stared into his eyes in wonder. The idea of having his baby became suddenly so real, so right. "Christian..." she breathed. "Do you believe in miracles?"

"Of course, baby. You're my miracle," he said softly taking her in his arms and kissing her forehead. "But I don't think God gives us limits on the number of miracles."

In the next moment, the playfulness in his voice subsided. Right now, his only regret was that now they would have to wait until AFTER Teddy went to bed to make love to her. For him, arousal had come fast and hard, making the fit of his pants uncomfortable. But tonight was going to be special, he promised himself. Tonight, he was going to make love to her all night long, slow and tender.

Together they left the bedroom hand in hand to say goodnight to Carla and Kate who had been taking turns watching Teddy.

"Poor little guy, he's tired," Carla said.

"Teddy. It's time for bed. Come." She guided him to put his toys away in the toy box. Thankfully, tonight he was quite mellow and agreeable. She and Christian exchanged a wink. Everything good so far. "Teddy, say night night to grandma and Auntie Kate." She repeated the same commands a couple of time but no luck, Teddy just went to the kitchen and banged on the fridge, wanting his nighttime bottle. "You want your bottle. Okay, here, you go."

"Goodnight, Teddy," Carla and Kate said in unison as Ana walked Teddy walked back to the bedroom bottle in hand.

Christian sat down to watch the late evening news while Ana bathed Teddy and put him to sleep. Carla retired to her bedroom and Kate informed him that she was on call tonight and had to leave in an hour.

"It must be hard working nights." Christian said to Kate. Especially in your condition, he wanted to add but decided against it.

"I'm used to it." Kate said with a shrugged and Christian had the feeling she didn't feel entirely comfortable with him. Maybe she felt intimidated by him and his wealth?

After Kate left for work, Christian returned to the Ana's old bedroom. By then, close to an hour had passed. He opened the door to find the room in near pitched darkness. She was lying under the covers. Naked, he imagined. He carefully locked the door behind him as to not wake Teddy.

"Hi," she whispered, watching him undress before her. A sliver of light illuminated his silhouette and his gorgeous manhood taking her breath away.

She pulled the covers away for him and in the next instant he was pressing a series of light kisses along her jaw and along her neck, making her feel as if she was floating on air. He then kissed the hollow of her throat with the tip of his tongue and every cell in her body snapped to attention and she bucked underneath him. His need for her exploded in her mouth. The thrust of his mouth dominating her mouth, the feel of his fingers sliding inside the folds of her pussy and the pressure of his thumb doing duty on her clitoris. Her little pussy lips were beginning to swell with pleasure, her vaginal juices flowing freely. He caressed her slit a couple of times and then returned to her clit with his fingers coated with her slippery juices. Now he applied a little more pressure to her clitoral massage. Her clit twitched and shivered when he rolled it between his fingertips.

Electric thrills raced through her entire body. After spending most of the day in constant arousal, her body didn't need much help. "Christian...please, I want you... now!" She demanded, her tone urgent and yet hushed.

"Sh-sh." "So impatient, Ms. Steele." He resumed his caresses, including her little slit. He rubbed gently from her clit to her vaginal lips, carrying slippery fluids back and forth, and also stimulating the piss-hole hidden between the folds of her clitoris and vagina. He then flexed the tip of his finger into the entrance of her sweet pussy and just leaving it there. Ana thought she was losing her mind with need. As he continued to stir her slit, her vaginal muscles started contracting. The contractions increased almost to the point of pain as his finger continued to tease her, lingering at the entrance of her tunnel.

"Christian!" She moaned.

"Hmm?"

"I didn't take today's pill either." She blurted out, in case he'd changed his mind and wanted to wait, he could still pull out at the last minute.

Just the thought of Ana's belly swelling with HIS seed sent him over the edge and he entered her smoothly, looking deeply into her eyes. The look on her face was tender, sexy, priceless. They stayed like that motionless, drinking each other in. She was entranced by what she saw. Raw passion and affection. Her heart pounded faster and faster. Dare she hope... for that miracle? Perhaps, the fact that she'd forgotten to take the pill was a sign? At last, he began moving and fucked her long and hard and she wrapped her legs around him to take him deeper. His erection was thick and filling her to capacity and yet, she wanted more.

"Please, come inside me," she whispered so sweetly. That was all it took for them both to come hard and long. And she cried his name, his seed spilling hot and eager, relishing every second of it and hoping with everything in her that it would take root.

"God," he rasped, curling into her as he shook from the force of it.

She pulled his hair until he came up and kissed her on he lips. He was still hard inside of her and shifted. And that small movement was all it took. A second climax ripped through her and he promptly swallowed her moans with another long kiss.

"Baby," he nipped her ear.

"Hmm...?"

They were now lying side by side with his semi-enlarged dick still inside her and with her legs wrapped around his torso.

"You having my baby would make me very happy." He murmured, smiling at the fact that he'd used the word 'baby' twice and stroking her hair. "Now or years from now." No mattered what the doctors had said it was still possible. If it didn't happen this time, it would happen eventually, he was sure of that.

Ana's eyes filled with tears. She wanted to have his baby so bad, her body still shuddered at the thought of his child inside of her.

In time, their breathing settled down, and they sank deeply into each other's arms completely sated. The divine feeling was indescribable, incomparable. Who would have thought that a smaller bed would turn out to be such a blessing? All night long, their bodies remained so closely connected he could feel her happiness through her small frame as he snuggled up behind her, spooning her and falling into a deeper slumber.

…...

Ten days later

ELLIOT POV

Today is the day of Christian's engagement party. I blink at the computer screen and realize I've been staring at the same sentence for the last ten minutes. I'm supposed to be writing a proposal but I can't stop thinking about tonight. There's no way I can show up at my brother's engagement party knowing that she will be there. I open my email and start typing a last minute message to mom telling her I'm sick with the flu or something.

As if on cue, my phone rings exactly two minutes later. I swear, mom and Mia share an intimate connection that borders on some kind of telepathic communication.

"Hey, what's up, sis?"

"I heard through the grapevine you were planning on skipping the party tonight."

"I think..." I clear my throat. " I may be coming down with something." I can almost see Mia's eye roll.

"You can't do this to Christian. I thought you two declared a truce."

I wonder what my sister would say if I told her the truth. I know. I should have seen this coming. But back when I hooked up with Kate I had no idea Christian would end up wanting to marry Anastasia. They were not even living together.

"Elliot, are you still there?"

"I gotta go. I have a meeting in five minutes," I lie. I feel like shit. It seems like skipping the party would only be postponing the inevitable. Sooner or later I'm bound to run into Kate. Thinking it over, I decide to get the fucking meeting over and done with and pretend we've never met. Yeah. I'll catch her by surprise, She'll be in shock. Then, later when I can talk to her in private I can offer her money or something to stay mum. No harm there.

…...

KATE POV

Tonight I'm wearing that same long evening dress with a slit to side I got from Macys. I ended up choosing the same style I tried on the day after Thanksgiving, the only difference being the color; the saleslady convinced me that black was slenderizing. I feel good in the dress, confident that I'm not showing in the least. Ana gives me a look of approval. She's standing beside me, getting ready to introduce me to her future in-laws; she's wearing a satin peach colored dress that hugged her body like a glove and flared just at mid thigh.

"So pleased to meet you at last," Grace and Carrick genuinely smile at me and Carla.

"You have a lovely home," Carla says politely. We're in the formal living room which is handsomely decorated with lavish Christmas decorations—wreaths, poinsettas, life-sized toy soldier figures. From where we stand, we have view of the staircase that leads to a grand staircase; the interior of the home is just as extravagant as the outside and I can tell she's just as overwhelmed as me. Even though Carla and and I were arriving at Grey Manor a full hour before the party goers was scheduled to start, we both feel like fish out of water.

The Greys keep on smiling. They charmingly announce they're taking us on a grand tour in few minutes. I find myself liking them. Christian's parents seem to be all about enjoying life and not so much about flaunting their wealth.

"That would be lovely," Carla says and I'm happy she's doing all the talking while I take in our surroundings.

Ana spots Christian and calls him over. Christian nods and holds up a finger, it looks like he's finishing up a conversation with a buff man-over six feet tall- who had his back to us. There's something very familiar about him.

A waiter offers us a flute of champagne and Carla takes a sip, smiling in appreciation. Oh, shoot! I shouldn't be drinking alcohol but the waiter disappeared. Where the heck did he go? I stand there and turn 360 degrees holding the champagne and looking for a place to set it down.

"Kate, have you met Christian's brother, Elliot?" I turn unhurried to the sound of Ana's voice.

There he is, smiling smugly at me...after all these months! The shock of recognition is immense, it's as if my entire body suddenly contracts into a painful spasm. I drop the flute of champagne, shards scatter everywhere.

Michael?

I shake my head in disbelief, maybe my mind was playing tricks on me? But no, no. It's him alright! The asshole who stormed into my life and vanished without a trace. Excruciatingly real and so unbearably close.

All eyes are on me as a couple of waiters approach to clean up the mess around me, and all I see is the menacing look in his eyes, warning me, demanding that I act as if we were being introduced for the first time.

"Pleased to meet you," Michael says extending his hand and I stare as if it's a ravenous snake. I mumble something in confusion. "I've heard so much about you." He says with a forced smile.

Suddenly my reactions were way too slow. "M-Michael?" I mumble. Something stung the back of my neck and a wave of dizziness washed over me. It's hard to move and with a feeling of surprise I realize I'm lying on the ground.