A/N: Thank you for the wonderful reviews. I love reading them… They make my day!

**I have a facebook page now, if anyone wants to friend me...Netzel Fanfiction

Sorry for the update delay. I've been out of town for a few days. My other story should be updated in a day or two, if you're following that too.

Thank you for all the story suggestions and requests. I've had some requests to bring Jake (from the Pick Up story) back for another story. I've always wanted to bring him back because I thought it would be so much fun. So I may have to work on that.

Ok...back to Late Nights….time to get Christian back from his New York Trip…enjoy!

I do not own the characters. They belong to E.L. James. This is just for fun

Ana POV:

Sunday Afternoon:

"Are you sure you have to go, baby?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. Phoebe has school and I have meetings all week."

"I could tie you up and keep you here"

"I think you tied me up plenty this weekend, Mr. Grey" I blush at the delicious memories.

"You didn't seem to mind, Mrs. Grey. Maybe when we're both back home, I'll tie you up again." He teases as he nuzzles my neck.

I smile fondly; remembering our weekend in New York. We did use the silk sash to my robe quite a few times. Everything was so wonderful; even though we didn't leave the apartment…it was perfect. Do I really have to go? Ugh…I have to get back. I have meetings at home. Christian has meetings here. And I have to get Phoebe.

"Tie me up again? I can live with that. Do you know when you're coming home?"

His demeanor changes immediately. I see the stress of the workweek ahead already taking him over.

"No, could be a few days, could be the end of the week. Fuckers better get their shit together. I'm not staying in here any longer than Friday."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll have it all worked out. I have to run. Gail is probably waiting for me in the lobby. I love you. "

"I love you too, baby" He gives me a soft kiss.

I turn to leave and he grabs my arm and swings me around into his arms. He holds me tight and kisses me sweetly.

"Thank you for coming here."

"It's the only place in the world I wanted to be. Thank you for a wonderful weekend"

He holds me tighter.

"You're going to be late, off you go" he playfully swats my butt and I'm off to meet Gail and Luke and go home.

~~~xxx~~~

Driving to the airport, I look over at Gail. She looks as exhausted as I do. I guess Jason and Gail made up for lost time too.

"Did you have a good weekend, Gail?"

"Wonderful. We had a fabulous dinner at Le Bernardin. I never thought we'd get a table in such short notice, but being Chrisitian Grey's personal security gives Jason a bit of celebrity status himself." She laughs. "Did you go anywhere special?"

I blush a bright crimson.

She nods her head and gives me a knowing smile. "I see"

We're arrive at Newark airport, waiting for our plane to board, I get a text from Christian

I think I'm in love with you and I'm glad you're my wife

I chuckle to myself. I must look like a grinning idiot. My Sweet Fifty. I text him back

You have the sweetest heart, dear husband.

My cell phone pings.

Baby, I have no heart

What? What the hell is he talking about? No heart? What brought this on? I text him back.

What in the world are you talking about, you have no heart?

My cell pings. I read his answer

I've lost my heart to you twenty years ago.

Sometimes I wonder if Christian has multiple personalities. How can a man be so domineering and sometimes downright scary to the people around him and then again, the sweetest man on the planet? I hope his weekend-sex high lasts him through the week. Somehow I know it won't.

~~~xxx~~~

Monday:

It's been a trying day at work. Everyone seems to be running behind schedule. It's irritating the hell out of me. Sometimes the creative process has to work within a timeline, that's just the facts of business. Is it fair? Not always. It royally pisses me off when an author is living the high life off their advance, and then doesn't produce. That's where my teams come in. We need get these manuscripts market ready and published.

I know I'm grouchy today. My mood is tempered by the fact that Christian is still in New York. I'm a bit jet lagged, traveling can really suck.

There's a knock on my door and Hanna walks in holding a wrapped box.

"This just came for you, Ana. It has a card"

I look at the box in wonder. It's the size of a shirt box. I have no idea what it could be.

"Oh, ok. Thank you."

I take out the card and read it.

A~

I want you to wear this when I get home

x

~C

I carefully unwrap the box and there's nothing in it.

I burst out laughing ...Oh Christian!

That lightened my mood.

~~~xxx~~~

Christian is stuck in New York with never ending business deals. He's called me earlier in the day and told me his trip has been extended until Friday. Seems he's taking care of a few issues he has on the East Coast, so he doesn't have to make the trip in a month again. I'm disappointed, but I understand.

I'm stuck at home with never ending begging from Phoebe.

"Please, please, please Mom"

"Phoebe you know how your father feels about animals in the house"

"But Mom, it's only temporary. It'll be gone before Dad gets home. He'll never know."

"Phoebe, you know how I feel about keeping secrets from your father."

"Mom, Jennifer's mother is working with the Animal Rescue Organization to find a home for him. It's just until they can get a Foster family in place"

"No, Phoebe"

"But Mom, it's time is up at the shelter, you know what they do to dogs that don't get adopted"

That's all I needed to hear. And against my better judgment, the words pour out of me.

"Friday afternoon, at the very latest. You have until Friday afternoon. Your father will be home on Friday night. The dog, his food, everything has to be gone"

"Thank you Mommy!"

"I'm not kidding…..gone, Phoebe. You father will be gone for two weeks and the last thing he's going to want to see is a dog. Friday afternoon...got it?"

She runs over to me and kisses my cheek.

"I got it Mom. Thanks!"

~~~xxx~~~

Tuesday:

I arrive home from work to see Phoebe sitting on the kitchen floor, talking to an adorable Jack Russell Terrier mix, who is lying on a small dog bed.

She's trying to encourage him to eat a small dog biscuit. Poor thing looks terrified, his ears are flattened back and he's trembling.

"It's ok Baxter. Eat this. It's yummy" Phoebe looks up at me, flustered. "Mom, he won't eat anything"

I walk over and crouch down to the floor to see the dog.

"Phoebe he's just afraid. Poor thing." I extend my hand to him to allow him to get my scent and know I don't mean any harm. He immediately cowers when I raise my hand up toward him. Wow, this little guy is timid.

"Hello Baxter. You are a cutie. You don't have to be afraid. We won't hurt you." I try to comfort him. He continues to tremble.

"Why don't we leave him alone and let him get more comfortable around us. When he gets hungry enough, he'll eat."

Phoebe and I have our dinner at the kitchen bar. The sound of our voices seems to have soothed the dog, as he is peacefully sleeping in his bed.

"Awe Mom. Look how sweet he looks when he sleeps. Can't we keep him?"

"Phoebe, your father does not want a dog. We already went through this when Teddy begged for one. This is a subject your father has not and will not budge on. I'm sorry, but I'm not interested in getting into an argument with your Dad over this. I've done that already. This dog has to go back before your Dad walks through the front door."

Phoebe looks defeated, but she knows what I'm saying is the truth, so thankfully she doesn't push it any further. Thank goodness for small miracles.

As we're chatting, Baxter gets up and walks around the kitchen. I notice he has a slight limp when he walks. Poor little guy, must have hurt his leg.

My cell rings. It's Christian

"Hey baby. How are my favorite two girls?"

"Missing you. How's New York?"

"Tying up some loose ends baby. After this week, I don't plan on any business trip for a long while"

"Will you still be home Friday night?"

"Yes, it won't be delayed this time. What's going on at home? How's Phoebe?"

"Phoebe is good. She's been keeping herself busy. Nothing much going on here." I hate lying, but he'll blow a gasket if he knows there's a dog here.

"Ok baby. I'll let you go. I'm very lonely here without you. I miss you"

"I miss you too" I look over at Phoebe, she's rolling her eyes and sticking her fingers down her throat. Wise ass kid.

"I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you"

"I love you too. Goodnight Christian"

I hang up the phone and give a stern look at Phoebe.

"Ugh, the two of you are nauseating!" She looks at me in mock disgust.

~~~xxx~~~

Thursday:

We've had Baxter for a few days. He's still very quiet. He's barely eaten anything. I don't think I've heard him bark at all.

He has such a sweet little face. I hope they find a good forever home for him.

Phoebe has been really attentive to him. She rushes home from school and goes right to him. He allowed her to leash him and take him for a walk to take care of his business.

I have to keep reminding Phoebe not to get too attached. Christian is due home tomorrow night and I have it arranged to have to dog picked up tomorrow afternoon before Christian's plane even lands. Gail is going to make sure there are no signs of a dog staying here once Baxter is gone.

Phoebe and I are talking at the kitchen bar, Baxter lying in his bed.

"Do you have all of Baxter's stuff together? His leash, food, toys?"

"Yes" Poor Phoebe. She looks devastated.

"Awe, Phoebe. He'll be alright. He'll find a good home, don't worry." I extend my arm onto her shoulder to comfort her.

"I just love him Mom. Can't we just talk to Dad about this?"

A voice comes from the kitchen entrance.

"Talk to Dad about what?"

Christian! I jump out of my chair and run over to him. He catches me and softly kisses me and holds me tight.

"You're home?"

"Apparently."

"We didn't expect you until tomorrow night"

"I finished early. Good surprise?" He looks down at me smiling.

"The best" I hug him tighter.

He looks up and smiles at Phoebe. Suddenly his lips form a hard line; all traces of his smile are gone. He's looking at the dog. Crap.

"What the fuck is that?"

"It's a dog" Phoebe answers. Nothing like stating the obvious.

"I know it's a fucking dog. Why the fuck is it here?" Oh boy. He's mad.

I better take it from here.

"We're only watching him temporarily. He is going back tomorrow afternoon. They needed to remove him from the shelter before..." I break down into a whisper "his time was up."

"Anastasia, you know how I feel about having a fucking dog in the house."

"Yes, I know, Christian. Please, don't be mad. He's very sweet. It's just one more night and he'll be gone" I run my hand up and down his back and stop it on his ass and lightly squeeze it. I have a few distraction tricks I've perfected over the years. All I have to do is get his mind off the dog and on to sex. He hasn't had any since Sunday morning, so this should be fairly easy.

I feel the tension in his body relax immediately. Thank God.

"Fine. Tomorrow that hairy little fucker is gone and I never want to see another filthy mutt in our house again. Understand?"

"Yes Sir" I whisper in his ear as I look down. Yeah, that ought to work in keeping his mind off the dog.

He bends down and very softly whispers in my ear. "You know how I feel about this and you disobeyed me. You will be punished tonight, Mrs. Grey."

Punishment? Yes, please!

"What are you two whispering about?" Phoebe asks the both of us.

"I, err, just promised your Dad that Baxter will be gone tomorrow" I answer. Christian lightly smacks my butt, as a reminder of my night ahead, I'm sure.

~~~xxx~~~

Friday:

Damn alarm clock.

I hit the button to stop the alarm. I hate that damn clock. Christian is still sleeping next to me. Poor man is exhausted. Traveled all day and made up for lost time with me last night. He decided to work from home today. We gave Gail and Taylor the day off.

I begin to drag myself out of the bed when I feel Christian arms drape over my body, holding me down.

"Are you sure you have to go in today? Stay home with me" He mumbles.

"I'm sorry. I really have to go. I wasn't expecting you to be home until tonight and I have two meetings I can't miss. I'll come home as soon as the meetings are done."

"If you must" he sighs and releases me from his arm's grip.

I crawl out of bed, take my shower and make breakfast for me and Phoebe. Christian comes in the join us and scowls when he sees Baxter lying on his bed.

"Oh stop it Christian. The dog will be gone this afternoon. Phoebe will be home in time for the Animal Rescue volunteers to get him. Since we gave Gail the day off, can you please just take him outside for a quick walk to take care of his business. His leash is right on the counter."

He scowls.

"This is why I don't want a fucking dog. More shit to do"

"Please Christian" I plea.

"Fine" He growls. So much for his sex high from last night.

Phoebe comes downstairs and immediately goes to Baxter.

"Hello Baxter. How are you today boy?"

Baxter's tail very slightly wags three times.

"Did you see that Mom? He wagged his tail."

"Of course, he wagged his tail. That's what dogs do" Christian interjects

"Not Baxter. He's very shy. Hasn't wagged his tail or barked the whole time he's been here. He barely ate anything."

"Well, look at the little fucker. He's pencil thin. Not smart enough to know to eat."

"Stop it Dad. Baxter is smart. He's just afraid of his new surroundings"

Christian grumbles. I admit I've grown quite fond of Baxter. I'll miss his sweet face, but it's obvious Christian wants no part of this dog in our lives.

"I have to run. Phoebe, Roger is waiting to take you to school, so get yourself together soon. Christian. I'll see you when my meetings are done"

I kiss them both and head my way out the door.

~~~xxx~~~

Christian POV:

It's good to be fucking home. Two weeks away is two weeks too long. I just wish there was someone home. I could go to GEH, but I want to be in my own house. The time away from home has caught up to me.

I go into the kitchen to grab a sub. Gail had made one for me last night before she left for the day. If it weren't for Gail, I'd probably starve. I close the refrigerator and look down. Fuck!

"I forgot about you, you hairy little fucker" I scowl at the mangy mutt lying on the dog bed. Stupid dog just cowers at me.

I leave the kitchen and walk into the Great Room with my turkey sub and some paperwork to review. I feel like stretching out while I work. Out of the corner of my eye, I see the little fucker meekly walk into the Great Room and stares out the glass doors facing the yard.

"Don't shit on my floor, little fucker. I'll get you leash. Just wait there"

I grab the leash off the kitchen counter and bend down to click the leash onto the dog's collar.

His head is carried low and his ears flat against his head. Completely submissive.

"Figures…only I'd get a submissive dog" I joke.

As I'm attaching the leash to his collar, I noticed some raised bumps on his neck. Fuck, don't tell me this dog has ticks. I separate his fur to look and see scars. Looks like something was cutting into his neck. What the fuck is that all about?

The leash is clipped on his collar and I take the dog outside and notice he walks with a little limp.

He takes care of his business and I walk him back into the house. I unclip the leash from his collar.

"Come on little fucker. Go back to your bed. You'll be out of here soon."

He looks up at me with sad eyes. I reach over to the coffee table to grab my sub. As I move my arm to get my sub, the dog panics and hides under the coffee table, trembling.

"Hey dog. I'm not going to hurt you."

The dog continues to shakes furiously under the table. That's when the penny drops. Shit.

"Someone hurt you dog?" What's this dog's name? Barney? Billy? No. no….Baxter..that's it.

"Hey Baxter. I'm not going to hurt you. You don't have to worry about me."

The dog's entire body is shaking as he continues to hide under the coffee table.

"When the fucker who hit me would come for me I used to hide under a table too. What did they do to you Baxter? They hit you, dog? When I wasn't a fucking ashtray, I would get kicked in the ribs. Hurt the most when the Mother fucker wore his steel tip boots. You get kicked too? Is that what happened to your leg? Did you get hit with something else? The weapon of choice on me was a belt. Fucker would grab my arm and beat me black and blue until I was curled in a ball on the floor. "

My voice seems to be calming down the dog, so I keep talking.

"You're skin and bones. Here, take some of this. You have to eat."

I take some turkey from my sub and place it on my palm in front of the dog. He sniffs the turkey and looks up at me.

"Go ahead, Baxter. Eat. I know what it's like. I went days without. You don't have to anymore. Eat this." I try to encourage the dog to eat the turkey.

He peeks up and sniffs the turkey. I nod to him, trying to encourage him to eat. He gently grabs the turkey from my palm and eats it.

"Good job. Here, eat more." I offer him more turkey. He sniffs it and gently takes my offering.

"Good boy." I gently pat his head. "You don't have to be afraid here. No harm will come to you."

~~~xxx~~~

Ana POV:

I rush home from work. I didn't want to call the house to see how Christian faired with Baxter. He was less than thrilled about the entire Baxter situation.

There's no sign of Christian anywhere. Did he decide to go to GEH and never told me? No, he would have called. He's not in his study, the kitchen or our bedroom. I'm just about to call his cell phone when I pass by the Great room. Christian is fast asleep, propped up on his side on the couch, his back flush with the back of the couch and sleeping on the couch next to him is Baxter.

It's the most adorable sight I've ever seen.

Christian begins to stir, opens his eyes and looks at me.

I raise my eyebrow at him and smile.

He looks down at the dog and smiles.

"The dog is staying" He whispers.

~~~xxx~~~

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