A/N: I am absolutely floored by everyone's response to my previous Author's Note. I never expected any response to my note. I want you all to know how much I appreciate it.

I can't remember the last time I was as angry as I was yesterday morning. I had just gotten home from pulling a midnight at the hospital and I read all these guest reviews not only putting my writing down, but who I was as a person just because of the last chapter. It pissed me off more than it probably should. I knew some website wasn't worth getting me so upset, so I was more than ready to delete my stories and my account and leave it all behind. All of your kind words and a good, long sleep brought me out of my hissy fit and I decided to post the next chapter.

So again, thank you for being so kind during my miniature breakdown. Now, I am off to work again, this time working mornings. I'm sure today will be much better than yesterday.

Once they were finished with their dinner, Anastasia hopped down to rinse her dishes. Her stomach had gone sour the longer she sat and thought about the fight. She hoped that she wouldn't be up all night in the bathroom.

"Anastasia…" Christian's hand went to her shoulder and she shrugged it off.

"Don't. I don't want you to touch me right now." Anastasia told him, stepping away from him and heading towards the bedroom.

"What? Ana! Please…"

Anastasia stopped and turned toward her husband. "Please what? Please forgive you over another uncalled for outburst and pretend like everything is picture perfect when it's not? I'm not willing to play perfect family, Christian. My parents played that for far too long and were miserable. I just want to go to bed." Anastasia turned back towards the door of the bedroom.

"I'll come with you! I'll explain!"

"No, Christian. I can't even look at you right now. Go sleep in the sub room tonight." Anastasia told him, shutting the bedroom door and locking it.

"Please, Ana! Please let me explain! I can't sleep without you. I want to hold you." He begged through the door.

"I don't want you to touch me right now, Christian. I just want to be alone."

The door handle started to rattle. "I won't be able to sleep!"

"Then maybe you can catch up on all the work you pushed aside to deal with all that paperwork you said you did today." Anastasia spat, angry and tired.

"I have a key to this room, you know!"

"And if you use it, I will pack up and I will go stay with my parents in Portland. I am going to bed now, Christian. Your unborn child and I need our sleep!" Anastasia stomped over to the bed and pulled down the sheets. Once she slipped her shoes off, she climbed in bed, leggings and all. She just wanted to sleep and ignore her upset tummy and her painful chest.

"I love you, Ana." She heard him say through the door, but she turned her back towards the door and closed her eyes.

XxXxXx

Anastasia appeared from the bedroom the next morning dressed and ready to leave for work. She headed into the kitchen to ask Gail to pack her a muffin and she found Christian, Taylor, and Sawyer standing in the kitchen, too.

Her eyes met Christian's for a second and she saw that he had dark circles under his eyes. Her stomach twisted, but she turned to Gail and tried to ignore it. She loved Christian more than anything and hated that he was going through any sort of pain, but she was still upset with him.

"Gail, may I have a muffin? I'm going to eat it at work. Sawyer…I'm ready to leave if you are." Anastasia announced.

Sawyer's eyes darted over to Christian, but his eyes were set on his plate while he pushed around his omelet.

"Yes, Mrs. Grey."

XxXxXx

Anastasia sat at her desk, picking at her muffin, but she was too queasy to eat. She forced herself to drink her ice water to stay hydrated, but it even seemed to upset her stomach.

"Mrs. Grey…are you feeling okay?" Sawyer asked her when he came back from making his nine o'clock rounds and saw she hadn't eaten anything.

"Just morning sickness, Sawyer. It'll pass." She hoped.

She saw him turn toward the door and pull out his cell phone before the door closed and she groaned. She knew he was texting Mr. Grey.

Not two minutes later, a ping sounded and she saw it was a conference call from Christian. She hit the deny button. She didn't want to deal with him.

She heard her cell phone start to ring and she automatically silenced it. She tried to concentrate on the work she had that morning, but Olivia buzzed in.

"Yes, Olivia?" Anastasia asked, holding the button.

"Mr. Grey is on the line."

Anastasia's teeth grinded. She knew she wasn't going to make Olivia deal with it, so she gave in.

"Send him through."

Her phone rang. "Anastasia Grey."

"Ana! Sawyer said you weren't feeling well." Christian mentioned.

"I'm pregnant, Christian."

"I know…I just hate that you have to be so sick. Have you been keeping hydrated?"

Anastasia rolled her eyes. "You didn't seem to care how your pregnant wife felt last night."

Christian sighed. "Ana…we need to talk about this. I want to explain."

"I've got work to do, Christian. I'm not ready to listen."

"I miss you, Ana." Christian's words were pained.

She felt her stomach twist. She reminded herself to stay strong. "I need to go. I've got a meeting to prepare for." She placed the phone back on the base before he could keep her any longer.

XxXxXx

Anastasia holed herself up in the gamesroom that evening, using the desk to continue her work. She felt like she hadn't been keeping up on work since she had gotten married and decided to use their silence to her advantage.

There was a knock on the door and she turned in the office chair to look. She saw that it was Christian and she wasn't at all surprised.

He rubbed the back of his neck. "Um…Gail said dinner's ready…are you going to have it in here…or…"

Anastasia shook her head. "This chair is killing my back. I'll come eat in the kitchen." She stood up and stretched, hearing her back crack as she did so.

She saw a small smile form on Christian's face. She forced herself not to return it, even though she wanted to. She wanted to go up to her husband and kiss those lips, but she knew she would never get anywhere with him if she did that.

They ate dinner in silence and she allowed him to take her plate from her and give her a kiss on the cheek before she retired to the bedroom for the night. This time she didn't lock it, but left it shut. She took a warm bath and read for a couple hours before falling asleep. She wished they had a television in the bedroom. All the reading was making her eyes exhausted.

XxXxXx

The next day went about the same as the day before, but as Anastasia sat on the bed lotioning her legs after her bath, she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in, Christian. It's unlocked."

He stuck his head in and gave her a small smile before entering the rest of the way. He sat on the bed next to her and watched as she lotioned her right calf.

"What is it, Christian?"

"I spoke with Flynn earlier…and he suggested that I try to talk to you again and be completely honest with what happened." Christian mentioned, reaching out and rubbing in a small spot of lotion she missed on the side of her leg.

She placed the lotion bottle on the beside table and turned toward him, crossing her legs. "Okay, then go ahead. I'm listening."

"First, I want you to know that I am ashamed of my actions…or my words and of the thoughts that went through my head." Christian mentioned, keeping his eyes downcast.

"Alright, continue."

He gave a nod and took a deep breath. "When you said that it was our company…well…it really bothered me. Grey Enterprise is my baby…I built it from the ground up and worked my ass off to make it what it is…I love sharing my life and my money and my toys with you…but I never thought you'd want to actively take half of Grey House. It made me angry that you wanted it. I felt like I was openly giving you half of everything else and you still wanted more. After those thoughts, I was then angry with myself for feeling that way about you. I didn't understand why I was being so selfish about keeping it to myself...I continued to feel conflicted about it. I didn't like that you wanted it and I didn't like that I was feeling that way…does that make sense? I was so confused and angry…so I just said fuck it and spent the afternoon with my lawyer to draw up the papers."

"Christian…"

"Please let me finish."

Anastasia nodded.

"So, then I came home and tried to be in a good mood, but I was seething. I was angry at the whole situation. When you said you no longer wanted it, I just snapped. I knew the money thing bothers you most, so I used it against you. I am a terrible husband. I wanted to make you as angry as I was. I promise you, that I do not feel that way about you. I don't feel like you're after me for my money. I just wanted to make you angry. I mentioned the car when I realized you were leaving with the hope that it would keep you from leaving. When it didn't, I thought you were leaving me for good…that you no longer needed me or wanted me…so I brought up the rings to cut you to the chase. I wanted to put up a front showing that if you can quit so easily, then I could too. But I couldn't. I need you. I couldn't let you leave. You are my whole life, Ana. Without you, it isn't worth living. I know what I did was wrong…everything I said…I would do anything to take it back, but I can't. I know I'm a monster…I don't deserve you, Ana. I don't know where to go from here. I can't tell you that it's okay if you leave, because it would be the end for me. I can say I understand if you do, because I don't deserve you. I know it's wrong, but I don't want you to go…I don't know. Maybe, it's best if the baby is raised without me." Christian was in tears.

"Christian...can I talk now?"

Christian sniffled and nodded. Anastasia reached up to wipe a tear off of his cheek and he closed his eyes and nuzzled against her hand.

"I understand that GEH is your pride and joy. I want you to know that I would never expect to be put as co-owner of it. Everyone is allowed to have something in their life that they don't share. Like you said, you share everything else with me. I didn't mean what I said on Monday. I was looking for a way to get Olivia out. I am sorry for that. However, you should have come to me and spoken to me about how you were feeling. We need to learn to communicate better. I know you've been holed up in this ivory tower by yourself and never really had to deal with your feelings in a healthy manner. I am not going to leave you. I wouldn't still be here if I was. I think with continued help from Flynn, that we can grow to be better together.

"You wanting me to be as angry as you were is just emotional immaturity. It's something that teenagers do. I don't think you are a bad husband. You are certainly no monster. You are the most giving man I have ever met. I never want to hear you say that the baby would be better off without you, again. You are full of love and I know you'll give the baby all the love and attention he or she could ever want or need.

"I appreciate you being so honest with how you feel. It's a relief to know that you honestly don't think I'm a gold digger and I hope you feel relieved knowing I don't have any intention of being a partner of GEH." Anastasia reached out and squeezed his hand.

"I love you, Anastasia." Christian gave her a small smile.

She nodded. "I love you, too, but I think we should still take this a step at a time. I'm not ready to jump back in, acting like everything is fine."

Christian frowned. "I see."

She stood and he followed suit. "Can I tuck you in before I leave?"

She eyed him for a moment and then nodded. "Sure."

He pulled down the duvet and held it up so that she could climb in. Once she was settled, he covered her and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Goodnight, baby."

Anastasia gave him a small smile. "Night. I'll see you at breakfast, Mr. Grey."

A smile formed on Christian's face. "That sounds wonderful, Mrs. Grey."

XxXxXx

The next day they spent breakfast together before going off to work. Christian gave her space while she was at work, even though she suspected that he and Sawyer kept in communication all day. Secretly, she loved that Christian was constantly worried about her well-being, but she'd never admit that to him.

They ate dinner together and he drew her a bath. Once she was finished, she allowed him to dress her and rub her stomach before he put her to bed.

XxXxXx

They sat at the breakfast bar together, eating their waffles and fruit before work.

"Christian…I was thinking…tomorrow is my birthday…and I was wondering if it'd be possible to go visit my parents for the weekend..." When she saw Christian's face drop, she added, "Together, I mean."

His face lit up. "That's a great idea, Ana."

She smiled at him. "I just thought we should tell them face to face." She said, placing her hand on her stomach.

He grinned and reached out to rub her stomach. "Yes, I agree. I'll take care of everything this morning and we'll leave early this evening. Sawyer can bring you to Grey House and we'll take Charlie Tango."

Anastasia raised her shoulders in excitement and hopped down. "I'm so excited. I'll go pack!" She leaned up and kissed his lips. "Thank you, Christian."

"That kiss was thanks enough, Mrs. Grey." He answered, his eyes lighter than they'd been all week.

She gave him a shy smile before hurrying off to the bedroom to pack.