Chapter 37: Skyfall

Author's note!

Quick little update. This chapter serves more as a BREATHER from all the crazy drama and whatsnot. Just take a breath with this one while I study for my exams.

"Tosh?" I heard the shock color my tone as my high school classmate descended upon our little scenario. Tosh looked brilliant as ever, slightly less ripped than Christian but his boyish features had taken on a more masculine edge to them. I felt myself flush.

"I was wondering when I would be seeing you." Tosh said, running his vacant hand to swipe back his dirty blonde hair from his face.

That only directed more blood to my cheeks. "You... Knew?"

"Of course." He shrugged. "As Mr Grey has said, I'm one or his family doctors and I do read the news..." He winked at me, "and of course the gossip magazines."

I was impressed. "You're a doctor now?"

He nodded at me with his bright grey eyes gazing into mine, exactly how I remembered them. Christian was going to be so pissed. "After High School, I got a scholarship from Mr Grey here to get my medical degree in Harvard."

"Harvard?!" I gasped. Tosh had always been naughty and playful, the class clown, and he was tragically bad at Biology. Never would I have imagined him to enter into Medicine.

Christian cleared his throat. "Right, I pay you for a reason."

"Christian." I hissed, not at all pleased with his cold stance.

"Of course, sir." The smile on Tosh's face vanished, replaced with one that oozed professionalism. He lifted his case and straightened his tie.

Smiling at him, I stepped to the side to let him pass. "Her name's Leila." I told him.

"No, Ana." Christian's irritated voice grumbled in my ear. "The doctor's for you." I turned to give him a puzzled look. Leila had been the one who fainted, not me. He glared back at me, "Flynn will see Leila."

At his name, John stepped towards Leila and offered her his hand. "Where shall we do this, Mr Grey?"

"The library would be alright." Christian retorted, gesturing for Taylor to lead the way. Yet, his eyes remained upon me, scorching me.

"Why do I need a doctor?" I squeaked under the intensity.

"I need to assure myself that you're okay." Christian explained rather monotonously, but I could make out worry in his voice. "Tosh, please."

"Yes sir." Tosh nodded, coming towards me and pointing for me to sit on the couch.

As he took out his equipment, Christian suddenly became loquacious. "So, how do you two know each other?"

Noticing that Tosh was focused on his handiwork as he pried across my skin to check for any signs that his eyes were attuned to, I decided to speak for the both of us. "High school, Christian." He raised an eyebrow. "How do you know Tosh?"

He chuckled sardonically. "His family are my family's doctors, his dad was my personal doctor growing up."

"Why do you need doctors? You have Grace."

"Professional opinion, Ana." Tosh piped up, just a voice but no interaction otherwise.

"Exactly. Sometimes the love you feel for your family clouds your better judgment." Christian explained. "And besides, Tosh's family is remarkable and well known."

"So you paid for his scholarship... Why?"

Tosh laughed, "Couldn't afford it, Ana."

Christian followed suit with a chime of his own, "Lets just say his dad wasn't about to invest a whole chunk of money in a son that didn't seem interested in succeeding in life."

That only made me choke and burst into a fit of giggles. I whacked Tosh playfully across his arm as he brought his stethoscope to my chest, "Sure sounds like you! You were always teasing me!"

Tosh stuck his tongue out at me, " You were fun to play with." And with a soft smile, he added, "We had fun."

That only induced another round of flushed cheeks on my part, drawing Christian's attention. "What sort of fun is this?" He asked, crossing his arms.

"I'm not going to tell him." Tosh whispered at me, loud enough for Christian to hear. He knew he was getting me into trouble!

" You're still the same playful bastard!" I smacked him once more, shaking my head disapprovingly.

"Answers." Christian growled.

I sighed as Tosh returned to professionalism. Christian lowered himself onto the armrest of the chair. "Tosh was my first boyfriend, Mr Grey." Christian's eyes widened marginally and his jaws tensed. Oh no. "It didn't last long, really. Tosh was just a non-committing kind of person."

"Ana's a lovely girl, but I'm a free bird." Tosh shrugged as he flashed the torchlight into my eyes. Then, he began to keep his equipment back into his case.

"You're still single?" I asked, purely out of curiosity. He seemed like a really good catch.

"You're not." Christian made this about me, as if reminding me and Tosh that I belonged to him. "You're engaged." Yes, Christian, yes.

I glared at him. He was being so rude.

"Yes Mr Grey and it's a lovely ring." Tosh said with a sweet smile as he rose to his feet. "Ana's perfectly fine, though I'd suggest keeping her home for a while longer just in case the shock turns into hysteria."

"I'm not in shock!" I pointed out, knowing Christian would use Tosh's professional advice to keep me somewhere only he could access me.

Tosh threw me a condescending look, "I'm a medical graduant from Harvard, Ana."

"Talk about feisty." I stuck my tongue out at him. "Go flaunt your degree else where, Tosh!"

"With pleasure." He winked at me. "Keep in touch, Ana."

"Thanks for coming, Tosh. Send your father my regards." Christian stated matter-of-factly, beckoning for Luke to attend to Tosh.

Before I could let this blast from the past go, I reached for Tosh and threw my arms around his neck. Reflexively, Tosh hugged me back. This reminded me of high school, how every time the other girls picked at me, Tosh would be there holding me. I wondered how we ever let ourselves lose contact.

"You can have his business card later, Ms Steele." Christian snapped, I felt his hands come upon my waist as he jerked me back from Tosh.

Tosh gave Christian a sympathetic smile. "Bye Mr Grey, Bye Mrs Grey." He winked at me once more, making me flush.

"Wait, what about Leila?" I failed to realize that this made me sound like I was making excuses for Tosh to stay.

Christian pursed his lips in undisguised annoyance, "The only doctor she needs right now is Flynn, so Tosh, you may take your leave." Tosh nodded at Christian and then smiled at me, leaving with Luke.

"What, would you like to follow him too, Ms Steele?" Christian was sour, whiny on a small level.

I turned to smile at him, his insecurities and jealousies could compete with mine. "Christian, you know I love you."

His eyes softened and he reached to cradle my face, "Did you love Tosh?"

I sighed at him. This man was relentless. "No, I didn't. My first relationship wasn't really..."

"FIRST?!" Christian gasped. "TOSH?"

I swallowed. My brain should learn to filter thoughts more effectively. "Yes?"

"If I had known... I would have never funded him at all." He said with a straight face, completely seething with anger.

"Why did you fund him… really?" I narrowed my eyes at him in scrutiny, not completely buying his earlier story.

"What I said was true. I did see someone in need of help and went forward to help." Christian shrugged, brushing it off easily. "And it's hard to find a trustworthy family. I thought it in our best interest to make absolute sure that the line of doctors continue."

"That's really nice, Christian." I cooed, brushing him gently on his bicep.

He sneered, "Now that the cat's out of the bag, I may just pull him out of that medical course at Oxford that I so recently put him into."

"Christian you're being irrational. You don't see me angry at all your previous subs." I sneered at him, waving towards the room which contained one of them. That seemed to make him deliberate for a moment. Trying to steer his thoughts in the right direction, I added, "Because it's the past, it's all in the past."

Christian nodded, grateful that I could see his past in such a manner. "But Ana you're all mine... How far did he..." His eyes turned distant at the thought.

"Kiss on the lips." I shrugged.

"Your first kiss?" Christian clarified.

"As I know it." Watching his gaze turn dark, I grazed his bottom lip with my tongue. "But nothing near your standards, Mr Grey."

He growled a low sexy growl. "I best remind you." His firm arms came to snake around my waist as the sexual tension sparkled and fizzled between us once more. His eyes glinted with lust as he licked his lips, "I could take you right here on the table, Ana."

"Mr Grey, Flynn has requested for you." Luke interrupted, untimely.

Christian shot him a lethal glare.

"Go on." I told Christian. "Play nice."

"You're not coming?" Christian's tone was coloured with surprise.

I raised my eyebrows. "You want me to?"

Christian's eyes were confused as he locked with mine, holding my hand against his chest. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I trust you, you know... Not to do anything stupid." I felt myself touch a sore spot before I could realize what I had said.

Christian sighed. "I'm not going to touch her for the rest of our lives, Ana." When I thought he was mad at me, he reached for me and clasped me within his embrace. "I want to keep you happy."

"You will." I trusted this man and one day, my gashing wound would heal completely.

I felt his hands caress me on their way down, Christian took my right hand in his and pulled away slowly. "Ana," he breathed, the look of love so saturated in his grey eyes that I had to remember to breathe. "Let's do this together."

With my breathing still choppy, I could only drag out a nod. Smiling his thousand watt smile, Christian led me past a winking Luke and towards the room of doom. As the love of my life squeezed my hand, I was absolutely certain that no obstacle could stand in our way. No matter what baggage came with either one of us, we would pull through.

Skyfall; Adele