I woke up to find Christian drooling into my hair. I let him stay there, my mind reviewing every second of my vision of the call from Baen'thelas, my Progenitor father.
He'd called me in May of 2015. The calendar held to the refrigerator with a magnet had notes such as 'Teddy's play date with Nikki', 'Phoebe's polio shot', 'Auntie Ros comes to visit!' along with more serious annotations like 'Daddy in Egypt 19-23' and 'Mommy's important conference'.
Okay, so much for my plan to wait until I was through grad school to become a mom. Apparently, in 4 year's time, I'd have at least 2 kids already. Teddy, like my favorite president, and Phoebe, Greek for 'bright' and the name of the Titan of prophecy. Nice names, I could see why I'd agreed to them. I reminded myself that Christian didn't even have a bachelor's and he was the CEO of one of the most successful, fastest growing companies in the world. Maybe I didn't need to write a dissertation to get the world to recognize how smart I was, that I knew what I was talking about, and I could leapfrog straight to changing the world for the better.
Project Athena, not a big leap to what that was about. According to Greek myth, Athena had sprung fully formed from Zeus' skull when he fell on the ground and it cracked open. A literal brain child. Project Athena must be at least a phase in my quest to create a friendly, sapient AI. 2015 seemed a bit early to be working on it already, but Christian had crazy stupid resources and would lay the world at my feed if I asked. If I got my ass into gear and actively worked at getting an AI lab started up and began running experiments, I might just be working on artificial sentience within half a decade.
I lingered over his parting words, about humanity passing all the 'tests'. That implied a lot, but what? Given the Drake equation and the age of the universe, it was entirely possible that there was a thriving confederation of different intelligent species throughout the galaxy. But apparently membership had to be earned. Baen'thelas had heavily implied that Progenitors' missions were to nudge a non-member species into reaching the tipping point through creating super-children like me.
I wondered how many brothers and sisters I had on the planet, other products of Baen'thelas' mission, blessed with just as many powers as me if not necessarily the same. I hoped to meet them one day. I wondered how much more powerful and skilled Baen'thelas must be, and wondered why he'd picked Carla Wilks of all women to get pregnant. Could it have been specifically just so I would be born and meet Christian, and be ideally placed to help humanity pass its test? I suppose I'd have to wait to ask him if we ever did meet.
Satisfied I'd milked that vision for all it was worth, I refocused on the room. The clock said it was 8:17 a.m. Today was the day before graduation. Ray was coming up today, checking into a hotel overnight and then staying to help me move to Seattle before we left for our hunting trip on Monday. I'd planned to introduce Christian to Ray tomorrow at graduation, but I found myself eager for the two most important men in my life to meet ASAP.
I gently maneuvered myself out of Christian's grip, not afraid to use my super strength, albeit gently so as not to wake him up. I went to the bathroom and took a shower. I blow-dried my hair and heard Christian's thoughts come awake from the noise. Ah well, he got an extra 15 minutes of sleep. I had made sure to get the streaks of dried blood on my thighs from my cherry popping last night.
I walked nude out of the bathroom to see Christian grinning up at me from the bed. "Morning, angel," he grinned. His morning wood twitched, as if inviting me to come play with it.
"6 times, the last of which was 3 hours ago, and you're still ready to go?" I chuckled, not really complaining.
"I'm in a very good mood. The woman I love told me she returned my affections last night before she gave me the most mind-blowing orgasms I've ever experienced," Christian said lightly.
"Psychic sex, gotta love it," I grinned. "Oh, I had a vision last night."
"Oh? What did you see? Or are you not allowed to tell me?" Christian asked.
"Telling you doesn't affect the outcome, far as I can tell. My father calls me on a May afternoon in 2015 to give me some answers and advice. By then, we'll have a son named Teddy and a daughter named Phoebe and be living in some house with a view of the Sound," I recalled.
"What did he tell you?" Christian asked, even as I heard him taste the names of our first two children and find he approved.
"He's a Progenitor, some alien species meant to guide intelligent life down the right path through their children. He encouraged me to go forward with my AI research and said we may meet one day if 'humanity passes all the tests'." I stretched, noting with humor how Christian's eyes tracked my breasts going up and down. "My guess is that there's something like the United Federation of Planets from Star Trek, just that membership is a bit more complex than discovering warp speed travel."
"So you, and who knows how many of your brothers and sisters, are to help lead my people into a utopian future. If they're all half as talented as you, I like our odds," Christian grinned.
"You're biased," I chuckled. "And imagine if someone like me went bad. Like Moriarty, the anti-Sherlock Holmes."
"I do find that mildly terrifying," Christian confirmed.
"So, it's Wednesday the 25th. Ray gets into town today, want to meet up with him ahead of graduation?" I asked.
"Sure, Anastasia, only how will I ever look him in the eye? Your blood is still on my cock," he said, actually a tad worried Ray would kill him in a fatherly rage.
"That'll wash off in the shower. And I could have picked a lot worse for my first, if he's got a problem with that, then it's his problem," I shrugged.
"Fair point, Miss Steele," Christian nodded.
He got up to go take a shower, and I went hunting for my clothes from last night. My shoes, pants and shirt were easy enough to find. My bra had somehow ended up over the curtain rail, I needed to use telekinesis to grab it. The chopsticks I'd used to hold my hair back in a bun were at opposite ends of the floor. My panties were found under the hem of the bedspread, the side actually torn from where I'd taken them off too quickly.
Christian came out of the bathroom and I tossed him the ruined pair of panties. "Here, another souvenir. You might end up with a collection chronicling the milestones of our relationship. Just don't store them where they'll be easy for someone else to find."
"These are going right in my safe along with my checkbook," he promised.
Figuring wearing a bra and no panties was mildly ridiculous, I just wadded up my bra and stuffed it in my pants pocket. "I want to cook. Take me back to the apartment and you get to pick what we'll eat."
"Chocolate chip waffles?" he asked hopefully.
I recalled that those had been a birthday treat from Grace when he was little. "Give me a little extra time and you'll get real whipped cream," I promised.
"No wonder I marry you," he joked.
"You're taking the revelations of last night disturbingly well. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop," I confessed.
Christian walked up to me and cupped my face. "Anastasia, I love you. I didn't know what love was until you showed me, but I know in my gut that it's for real. And I already knew you were extraordinary. Now I simply know just how much. I'll continue to savor every second you consent to share your time with me."
I pulled him down into a kiss and we almost had round 7 before my stomach gurgled in protest. Chrsitian got dressed after a burst of laughter and we went down to the parking lot and the SUV, Taylor ready as always. When did he sleep? WHERE did he sleep? This actually bugged me the whole short drive to my apartment.
I let myself into my apartment, and Kate was oddly missing. Strange, on her days off she tended to stay in bed until the crack of noon. I got started on the waffles, and was just plating the first stack when Kate came back.
"My magnum opus! Oh, hi Christian. As the subject of the article, you may have the honor of being first to read it," Kate announced, handing a copy of the college newspaper to Christian. The headline article was 'Christian Trvelyan-Grey: Financial whiz, Fixer, Philanthropist'.
Christian read the two-page article that Kate had slaved for 2 weeks at crafting. "You have a good style, fresh and engaging. I'd definitely include a sample of this in your portfolio. Did you have to include the bit about becoming a trillionaire, though?"
"What? It's inspiring! Even the billionaire dreams of reaching for the stars… wait a minute," Kate paused, looking at me with narrowed eyes.
"Your virgin radar no longer giving off a ping?" I asked teasingly.
"You two did it?!" Kate asked with glee.
"7 dates and 16 days, a personal record, and one I have no intention of ever breaking," I said as I dolloped generous portions of the fresh-whipped cream onto the chocolate chip waffles.
"So, how was it?" Kate asked, wanting every detail down to position and the average length of each thrust.
"Worth the wait," I shrugged, not giving her anything.
"Christian, throw me a bone!" Kate demanded.
"Her powers made it… superior to any other form of sex," Christian said after a sip of coffee.
"Oh, so you told him about the psychic thing too?" Kate asked to confirm.
"Pillow talk, not just men who get loose lips," I mused. "Now dig in before this cream starts to spoil."
We dug into breakfast, which was delicious even by my standards if I do say so myself. I chuckled as Christian imagined a lifetime's worth of my home cooking. He made a mental note to up his number of sessions with Bastille once he was back in Seattle full-time.
"So, Christian, has Ana told you about all her visions yet?" Kate checked.
"He knows about our wedding, and the one I had this morning before I woke up about my birth father and a sneak peek of my life in 2015. I haven't told him the rest yet," I answered for him.
"You meet your dad?" Kate asked in shock.
"He calls me, and I'm not even sure he was on the planet to make the call. He told me he's an alien called a Progenitor who sires super babies on the local intelligent life forms to help nudge them down the proper path. Basically gave me the green light to focus on the AI research and implied we'd meet in person if humanity 'passes the tests'. Make of that what you will," I told my sister in all but blood.
"Trippy. But what about Roe v. Wade or my prize?" Kate asked.
"Haven't gotten around to it," I sighed.
"I'm listening, Anastasia," Christian prompted.
"Roe v. Wade gets overturned in 2022. Kate wins the Pulitzer in 2019. coin will be worth over $100k per 1 BTC in 2026. You and I are the victims of a drive-by sometime after we get engaged. And Ray gets remarried to some Native American woman I haven't met yet. Those are all my visions that haven't come true yet besides the wedding and the call with Baen'thelas," I laid out, hoping the gun violence would fly under the radar.
"Someone takes a shot at us?!" Christian demanded. And bless him, he wasn't worried about his own life, just furious that someone would dare try to harm me.
"I'm running a background check on the owner of the car as we speak. Actually, it should be done by now. Let me fetch my laptop." I went to grab the thing and opened it. I pulled up the compiled report from my comprehensive search of one Elizabeth Morgan. I got her date of birth, address, social, bank balance, the usual. When I reached her employment history, I froze. 'Seattle Independent Publishing – Personal Assistant to Editor Jack Hyde'.
No way this was a coincidence.
"Christian, let me touch you, please," I asked.
"Sure," he agreed easily, reaching out a hand to let me take it.
I read his mind and rewound to his time at the foster home. With the benefit of hindsight and an adult's perspective, I saw how jealous Jack was of the rich Grey family paying attention to Christian. How Jack had been violent and temperamental. A dark suspicion formed in my mind.
"Christian, I need you to buy Seattle Independent Publishing. And tell Welch he can and should hack Jack Hyde's phone and computer. We need to find some reason to get him run out of Seattle."
"Jack Hyde? What's he got to do with this?" Christian asked in confusion.
"It's not a coincidence that you both ended up in Seattle. He's obsessed with you, he wishes the Greys had adopted him instead. And the car the shooter was in belongs to his former PA, Elizabeth Morgan."
"You think he's the one who shoots at us?" Christian checked, his phone already out and issuing orders to his team to start a hostile takeover and green-lighting Welch doing illegal hacking to get what Christian wanted.
"I think he wishes he was you, and something happens in the near future to push him over the edge and want you dead," I said. "It's just a theory, though."
"A theory from you is good as certain in my mind, Anastasia," Christian mused.
"But, Ana. I thought you said your visions were 100% accurate. So nothing you do will stop the drive-by, or am I missing something?" Kate asked me.
"Christian survives the shooting to marry me, that's all I care about. The shooting itself may be inevitable, but I'm not going to make it easy on Jack Hyde. I'm going with my gut here, Kate, just doing what I feel I should do," I explained.
"That's all you can do," she nodded.
I was knocked out of my brooding about the future when a mind voice I knew better than anyone's entered my range. "Oh, Ray's early! Christian, finish breakfast and try not to look like you plucked me in the wee hours of the morning. Kate, not a word while he's here, not even a ribald joke. If you make this awkward, no food for 2 weeks."
"Yes, Ana," both nodded, honestly cowed by my threat.
There was a knock on the apartment door 5 minutes later. I had a cup of coffee just how my dad liked it ready as I opened the door. "Dad! You weren't supposed to be here until the afternoon!" I grinned, going in to kiss his cheek as he accepted the mug. I used active telepathy as my lips touched his skin and got why he'd arrived early. "Oh, sorry for not warning you about my celebrity boyfriend. Didn't think that one through about how you'd catch some of the heat," I apologized.
"My phone's been blowing up since last Wednesday when you did the Facebook update and all my friends who use the damn thing wanted to know if my little girl was really dating THE Christian Grey. Then the damn TMZ article came out last night and the freaking press vans showed up. I had to sneak out of my own house to get here," Ray grumbled, giving me a one-arm hug to let me know all was well.
"Well, Christian's rich. Obscenely rich, and set to get richer. As his girlfriend, I'm a celebrity now too. That makes you like a celebrity once-removed or something, since you have the dirt on me that all those paparazzi would sell their souls to be the first to get," I sighed.
"Know you're not with him for his money, unless he offered to buy you the Library of Congress or something," Ray chuckled. His eye was drawn to the only other owner of a Y-chromosome in the room. "This him?"
"Dad, this is my boyfriend, Christian Grey. Christian, this is Ray Steele, my father for all intents and purposes," I introduced the two.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Steele," Christian said, reaching out to shake my dad's hand.
Ray returned the shake silently and gave me a look. 'Is he a keeper?' he projected at me, knowing I'd hear him.
"I told him everything, Dad. I'm in love with him. I had a vision of you giving me away to him. He's going to be around for a long time," I answered Ray verbally.
"Well, in that case, welcome to the family, Christian. But I don't care how long you and Annie are together; if you ever make her cry, your body will never be found," Ray said conversationally.
"If I ever made Anastasia cry, I'd dig the ditch for you," Christian said seriously.
"Oh, and she finally read me into the whole psychic thing too, Ray. Me, her roommate of 4 years, as opposed to her boyfriend she had a first date with a week and a half ago," Kate spoke up, injecting some humor into the situation given Ray's casual death threat.
"Knew she'd pluck up the courage to trust you someday, Kate. Now, am I too late for breakfast?" Ray asked eagerly, licking his lips.
I made Ray his own plate and waited until he had his mouth full when I asked my next question. "So, I'm not the only one who failed to mention I was dating someone. Who's Esther?"
"She's a single mom from Hoquiam," Ray said in his own damn time after he swallowed. "She's a cop, we met through work. Two boys in high school. We've been dating for a couple months. I WAS going to mention her at some point, I swear."
"Spoiler alert, yes or no?" I offered.
"The fact she sticks around long enough to show up in one of your 'spoilers' tells me all I need to know," Ray chuckled. "But no, Annie. Let me keep some of the mystery alive."
"Why didn't you invite her to graduation?" I asked.
"We're not there yet," Ray shrugged.
I reminded myself that not everyone had the benefit of telepathy or I guess now empathy to know exactly how your partner felt about you. "Well, I'd love to meet her at some point. And her sons."
"Sure," Ray agreed easily. "So, Christian, I know you got a crapload of money, but how'd you get it?"
"I founded my own mergers & acquisitions company 7 years ago," Christian replied readily. "Basically, it's a company that buys and sells other companies. I seem to be good at it, hence the billions of dollars in my personal accounts."
"How'd you and Annie meet?" Ray asked.
"You can thank me for that one. I caught the flu and couldn't do an interview with Christian for the newspaper. Ana went in my place. They hit it off during the interview. Ana's actually going to work for Christian, did she tell you yet?" Kate spoke up.
"No, what job did you get, Annie?" Ray asked with a raised brow.
"Head Translator. Christian wants me to be his personal interpreter," I shrugged. "I'm going to be making over $1 million a year, and I actually talked down my salary."
"It had nothing to do with how I feel about you, the work really is that important, I can show you my payment history for interpreters if it'll convince you," Christian spoke up.
"I know, Fifty, relax," I said, laying my hand on his.
"Fifty?" Ray asked.
"Christian, in his own words, is '50 shades of fucked up', but I love each and every one," I told my two boys. "He calls me 'angel', he thinks I was sent from Heaven to make his life perfect. Turns out he's not too far off. I found out who my birth dad is. He's an alien."
"Well, it was that or the demigod theory," Ray shrugged. He didn't needlessly complicate his life, he swallowed what was put in front of him and moved on to the next. I admired that about him. "And that's not a nice thing to say about yourself, Christian. Care to elaborate?"
Christian took a deep breath. "My birth mother was a crack whore. Her pimp used to put cigarettes out on my skin. When she overdosed, I was alone with her for 4 days until the cops found us. Fast forward to when I'm 15, and I was seduced and raped by one of my mother's former friends, Elena Lincoln. She's into BDSM, and she manipulated me into signing a contract to be her Submissive. We were, for lack of a better word, 'together' for 6 years. She let me be her Dominant at the end before I broke things off with her personally. But she headhunted all the women I contracted to be my Submissives from that point on, and the police found out that each one paid her so she would introduce them to me. I've got a lot of shit to carry, but I'm working with my therapist on it. And Anastasia seems to just make everything better, time with her seems to just make me a better man and heal my soul."
"She has that effect on me too," Ray nodded sagely. "I won't say sorry, because it's not my fault, but it saddens me that you had to go through all that, son. But you'll get through it and be stronger for it."
"Thank you, Mr. Steele," Christian said, a hesitant smile on his face.
"Call me Ray. Or hell, Dad, since you'll be marrying Annie someday," Ray chuckled and sipped his coffee.
My cheeks hurt from smiling so hard. I shook my head and finished off my waffles. "So, Ray, want to play tourist for the day? Christian, anything to do today besides work?"
"I'm taking the day off," Christian shrugged. And as the boss, he could set his own hours and leave Ros and the rest of his team to keep all the plates spinning if he wanted. "There's actually a formal dinner tonight the university is throwing for all the staff and select investors like myself. Would you like to come?"
"Sure. How formal is formal, though? Should I go get a ball gown?" I asked.
"Could you stand for me, please?" Christian asked. He took a picture of me, including my face and body, and made a text with my measurements. "There, I just sent the information to Caroline Acton, my personal shopper at Neiman Marcus. She'll find something that suits you and I'll have it messengered here by tonight."
"You can do shit like that? Just pay someone to shop for you and then have another someone drive it all the way from Seattle to here?" Ray asked.
"Billionaire, Dad. And if he has his way, the world's first trillionaire. Christian gets shit done," I chuckled.
"Sure, we can fuck around for the day," Ray nodded. "There's a lot of gardens in Portland I'd like to see. And I guess we can go to a museum and pretend that makes me well-rounded. Get a nice lunch somewhere. Sounds like a plan."
"Mind if I tag along?" Kate asked. "I got nothing to do today myself."
"The more the merrier!" Ray declared.
I got dressed in proper clothes instead of what I wore before losing my virginity, Kate getting dressed for the day too while Ray and Christian chatted in the living room. Christian had brought up fishing, and Ray would happily talk for the whole damn day on his favorite hobby. We got to the parking lot and there was a brief moment of confusion as we worked out how we'd transport ourselves for the day. I finally argued that gasoline was a nonrenewable resource and we should conserve it, and had the four of us cram into the SUV with Taylor driving. Ray and Taylor got on like a house on fire, bonding over their time in the Army.
We went to the Portland Art Museum to start, joining the opening crowd on a Wednesday morning such as it was. We spent two hours admiring all the different pieces of art and discussing them. When we got bored, we left and got lunch at Cheryl's on 12th. After that, we spent the afternoon between the Portland Japanese Garden and Washington Park. Kate wasn't the biggest fan of nature, but she had fun talking with me and the guys while the rest of us weren't absorbed with all the beauty of the plants and landscape.
We returned to the apartment building, Ray gave me a hug and kiss on the forehead before taking his car to his hotel. Prescott came up to me with a garment bag, reporting that it had been dropped off by a messenger earlier. I accepted it and Kate, Christian, and I went to the apartment. I loaded Season 2 of HIMYM into the Blu-ray player. "You can watch this while I get ready. Fair warning, it might take a couple episodes at least. Sorry girls take so long to get ready."
"I am aware," he chuckled. "Take as long as you need."
I unzipped the garment bag in my room and blinked. It was a black cape gown, just my size, with a plunging neckline. The tag had the name of some designer I never heard of, but whoever it was clearly knew what they were doing.
I washed, dried and styled my hair, applied makeup and perfume, and finally got into the gown and one of the good pairs of shoes I got from Duchess on Monday. I looked myself over in the mirror and figured I wouldn't look too out of place on a billionaire's arm.
I came out to find Christian and Kate watching the show. Christian's jaw dropped when he saw me and my telepathy and empathy assured me that he was torn between worshiping at my feet or taking me right back to my room to tear my dress off of me. "Wow. Anastasia… you're a vision."
"Thank you," I grinned. "Now, let's get to the Heathman so you can get dressed yourself. Where's the dinner?"
"The Hyatt Regency," Christian recalled.
We got into the SUV and Taylor took us to the Heathman. I was understandably starred at, wearing a dress meant for the red carpet, but Christian kept holding my hand and I survived. We got to the penthouse and I spent a few minutes chatting with Taylor. Christian came out in a tuxedo, and I may or may not have whimpered.
Taylor drove us to the other hotel where WSU Vancouver was having their fancy dinner. He dropped us off at the door and had the valet park the car so he could stay as our shadow. Prescott parked more conventionally and joined Taylor's side by the time we reached the ball room. Seeing Prescott reminded me of my promise to her.
"Christian, could I have a second CPO?" I asked innocently.
He blinked as we stepped into the event room, filled with other men and women associated with the university. We were easily the most expensively dressed in the room. "Of course, but why?"
"Well, they could work in shifts, so I'm covered 24/7 without putting all the pressure on Prescott. And I recognize that there are some who won't be intimidated by Prescott for the sheer fact she's a woman, so a male CPO would provide that little extra bit of security. I remember all the CPOs from after signing the contract, is Luke Sawyer still available?" I asked.
"He should be, and if he isn't I'll just reassign him," Christian shrugged. "You're moving Saturday, and you'll be gone for a week with Ray. How about he starts when you start at GEH, June 6th?"
"Sounds good. Important question, do you expect Prescott to come on the trip with me and Ray? Because I was really hoping to spend some alone time with my dad," I asked.
"I pity the fool who goes after you AND Ray when you both are armed," Christian chuckled.
A man I recognized as the dean of the university walked up to us. "Mr. Grey, a pleasure to have you with us tonight! And if I'm not wrong, your date is a member of our graduating class! Miss Anastasia Steele, yes?"
"That's me," I nodded.
"If I recall, you declined the offer to be valedictorian. May I ask why?" the dean asked.
"I didn't want to get up and give a speech. I'm very much a wallflower," I blushed.
"I see. Well, public speaking isn't for everyone. Now, Mr. Grey, please allow me to introduce you to those who have been putting your grant to good use!" our host said eagerly.
Christian kept my arm tucked with his as the dean led us to a clump of professors and grad students from the agriculture department. I mostly watched and listened as Christian chatted with the academics, smiling and complimenting them on all their progress so far. When the mingling was done, Christian led me to the open bar.
"What would you like?" asked the bartender.
"What gins do you have?" Christian asked.
"Gordon's, Tanqueray, and Bombay Sapphire," she recalled quickly.
"Tanqueray and tonic with a twist of lemon, please," Christian ordered.
"And for you?" she turned to me.
"Pardon my asking, but are you deaf or hard of hearing? I see you're wearing a hearing aid," I inquired.
She blushed. "Um, born deaf. Got a cochlear implant when I was 9. Why?"
"If you'll humor me, may I practice my sign language with you?" I asked.
She blinked but nodded. "I'm listening," she signed.
"Rum and cola with ice, please add lime juice if you have it," I said with my hands.
"Coming right up," she replied before going to mix our drinks. She handed Christian his gin and tonic and me my Cuba Libre. "Thank you," I signed.
"How do you know sign?" she asked.
"Independent study. I'm still learning, sorry for any mistakes," I replied.
"You're good. Thanks for the practice, I usually only sign with my dad," she grinned.
"Have a pleasant evening," I finished before grabbing my drink.
"Can you accept tips?" Christian asked once we were done signing.
"Yes," she nodded.
"Do you get to keep all of it?"
"Um, it's split among all the event staff," she answered.
"How many event staff are working tonight?" Christian continued.
"9," she replied.
Christian nodded and pulled out his wallet. He took out 9 $100 bills and handed them to the stunned woman. "Thank you for helping my girlfriend practice her sign language. Have a good night." With that, Christian grabbed his glass and led me to our table.
"You probably more than doubled their pay for the night, you know," I chuckled.
"Worth it," he shrugged, not seeing the big deal for being so generous.
"I love you," I grinned, leaning in to kiss his cheek.
"Love you too, angel," he said with a smile.
It was a pleasant enough evening. The food was good, the drinks were free, and Christian and I had fun talking with some of the professors and their guests who approached us. Towards the end of the evening, one of my Comp. Sci. professors came up to us. "Ana! Good to see you! Sure I can't tempt you to stay and train to be my replacement?"
"Sorry, Professor Girmt, I'm not an educator," I chuckled. He'd been trying to groom me as a future professor since I took one of his classes in freshman year.
"Shame, you know your shit better than I do! So, where are you going off to? You're pursuing a doctorate, aren't you? It'd be a crying shame if you didn't!" Professor Girmt said, helping himself to an open seat at our table.
"I actually got a job unrelated to computers lined up in a couple weeks, but part of the deal was that I'd get a free ride through grad school. But I'm starting to think that maybe I should just cut to the chase and start up my own research lab," I answered.
"This wouldn't happen to do with your new boyfriend, would it? Hello, Mr. Grey, Dr. Victor Girmt," one of my favorite professors introduced himself to my date.
"It does, actually. Anastasia came to interview me for the college newspaper, and I got a small glimpse into her remarkable mind and talent. I offered her a job as my Head Translator, complete with full coverage of any educational expenses if and when she applies to a graduate program. Angel, what's this about starting your own business?" Christian asked me.
"Well, you dropped out of undergrad and look at you now. I know my shit, as Professor Girmt just said. Why spend 6-8 years writing a book-length essay to prove to the rest of the world how smart I am before I get started on what I really want to do? I can get a loan and start my own company, like you did," I argued.
"Anastasia, if you want to get into AI research and services right now, then you can do that right now. Just say the word and I'll buy a startup and you can do whatever you want with it," Christian offered right away, because he loved me and wanted me to have whatever my heart desired.
"Let me put in at least a year at translating. Then I can transition to running an AI subsidiary you get me," I grinned at him. "I promise to do my best to ensure it's worth the money. Actual products to offer, not just pure R&D."
"Do whatever you wish, Anastasia, I'm certain you'll work wonders at anything you apply yourself to," Christian grinned at me, confident in my abilities.
Professor Girmt chuckled from the side, reminding us he was there. "I can see you two care for each other plain as day, but this also might be one of the best partnerships in human history just in terms of how beneficial it will be to the species. I've known since the day I met her that Ana would go down in history for her contributions to society, she's too damn smart not to leave her mark. With your resources behind her, Mr. Grey… the world won't know what hit it!"
We made our goodbyes around 10:00 in the evening and Taylor drove us back to the apartment. Formal attire did things to both me and Christian, and we took great delight in tearing each other's clothes off each other once we reached the privacy of my room. Round 7 was had, along with 8, 9, 10, and 11. And the only reason we didn't have 12 or more is because I pointed out in the afterglow that we had an early day tomorrow. We fell asleep spooning and sated.
My alarm woke us around 7:30. Christian had to get dressed in last night's tuxedo, but he wasn't ashamed in the least. I made breakfast for us and Kate. "You are NOT to kiss me when you hand me my diplomas. I'd burst into flames in front of God and everyone, a true spontaneous combustion. If you do it anyway, I want it on the record I want my ashes donated to science to study the phenomenon," I told Christian in no uncertain terms.
"Yes, Anastasia," Christian managed through his chuckles.
Christian left to get changed and Kate had to arrive early because she was valedictorian. Knowing my period started today, I stuffed a tampon up there. I got dressed in nice clothes and put my gown on over the getup. I was adjusting my cap when I heard Ray knock on the door.
"Hey, Annie. Big day," he grinned, wearing his one ill-fitting suit.
"Yeah, worked hard to get here," I nodded. I could have handled a single major blindfolded, doing two was a bit to juggle even for me. I'd actually debated a minor or even a triple major in English just for fun, but I wasn't a masochist.
I got in his truck he'd had for as long as I'd been alive and we drove to the university, Prescott shadowing us in her brown Saturn. I was dismayed to see press vans parked in the parking lot. "Crap," I moaned, knowing that they weren't here for Professor Collins.
"Legally, you don't have to say a damn word to any of them, Annie. You can ignore them if you want. But your future husband is kinda a big deal, so you'll have to get used to this if you're going to stick with him," Ray comforted me as he held my hand supportively.
I braced myself for attention from strangers, something I'd actively avoided for most of my life, and got out of the car. Prescott took a silent vigil behind my shoulder as Ray and I walked towards the sports stadium.
The reporters and cameras were clustered near the entrance. They were asking everyone who came through if they knew me, Anastasia Steele. I overheard something that annoyed me and came up to where the local Fox News channel was interviewing one student. "Oh, yeah, Ana and I go way back! We're so close we even finish each other's–"
"Lies? We partnered for one project in Psych 207, Tyler, and I had to carry you the whole damn time. Just go inside and find your seat," I spoke up from behind him.
Tyler blushed to the roots of his hair and made for the doors.
"Anastasia Steele?" the reporter asked, honing in on me, his cameraman pointing the device at me.
"All requests for interviews are to go through the PR department of GEH. Have a nice day," I said simply before following Tyler into the stadium.
Ray gave me a hug before going off to find a seat to watch from, taking Prescott with him. I went down to the floor and to the section for students with surnames starting with 'S'. Technically my birth certificate said 'Anastasia Rose Lambert' after Carla's first husband who'd died the day after I was born. I'd had it legally changed as soon as I could so I could carry Ray's name. I sat down and tried to ignore how other students were outright staring at me.
"You're Anastasia Steele, right?" asked the girl next to me, a student from a different faculty I had never seen.
"Yeah," I nodded.
"Christian Grey's girlfriend?" asked her friend on my other side. Pincer attack, lovely.
"Yep," I nodded. I was going to be as monosyllabic as possible.
"How'd you two even meet?" asked the first girl.
"At his work," I shrugged. "Did the interview for the newspaper that came out yesterday."
"And you two are already public? Facebook and everything?" the second girl asked in disbelief.
"So it seems," I nodded.
They seemed to realize that I wasn't going to give them anything juicy and just talked to each other over my head like I wasn't there, disappointed I hadn't gossiped like a 'real' girl.
At 11:00 on the dot, the major staff of the university came onto the stage in their own regalia, along with Kate and Christian in one of his designer suits. His eyes found me in the crowd and his whole damn face lit up. He outright blew me a kiss. I blushed like a carnation but blew one back at him.
Kate gave her valedictorian speech, her theme 'What Comes Next'. She had everyone cracking up with her jokes and got a standing ovation at the end. Then Christian was introduced. He took the lectern, and I knew half the female population of the room and quite a few of the men were leaning forward to hear his every word.
"I am profoundly grateful and touched by the compliment afforded me by the authorities of WSU today…" Christian said. He went into the reason he funded the research of the environmental science department, his goal of eradicating third world hunger and really food shortages around the world. He mentioned his own struggles with hunger at a young age, in more detail than I expected from him actually. His speech is intelligent and I'm sure he wrote it himself, he's more than just a pretty face after all. He gets his own standing ovation, and I'm the loudest clapper in the crowd.
Then the long, LONG process of us students being called to collect our diplomas. It takes over an hour for me to reach the stage.
"Anastasia Steele, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Bachelor of Science in Computer Science," the vice chancellor called into the microphone.
I walked across the stage, accepted the two framed degrees from Christian, and shook his hand like I was any other student he was conferring diplomas to. "Congratulations, Miss Steele," he grinned at me, vividly imagining how he was going to 'congratulate' me later that night. I deliberately rolled my eyes at him, knowing that did things to him, and walked off the stage. I sat down at my seat and waited for the ceremony to end.
We all stood, shifted the cords on our caps to the other side, and the Chancellor declared us the graduating class of 2011. There was the obligatory cheers and tossing of the caps. I didn't join in, I had a diploma case tucked under each arm. I waited for my row to disperse and went for where I saw Christian chatting with the staff of the university. He stopped talking to them almost rudely fast to walk up to me. "I'm so proud of you, angel," he beamed, leaning down to kiss me breathless.
"Come on, Ray and Prescott will be waiting in the crowd. If I know Ray, he'll want a drink from the marquee, he hates jibber-jabber," I chuckled after returning the kiss.
"Let me carry those," Christian offered, and I happily handed over the two framed lambskins that showed I'd successfully graduated with a double major.
We found Ray and Prescott waiting by the exit and all walked out into the early afternoon warmth. The damn reporters were still waiting and came up to us. "Anastasia! Christian!" called a woman from a major network, being overly familiar like we're best friends when I've never seen her in my life.
"We're not available for comment today. If you value your employment, you'll leave us alone to celebrate my girlfriend's special day," Christian said in an icy albeit polite tone that was audible to every member of the press nearby.
That was enough for most of them to get the message and back off, but one guy with a smartphone up and recording, probably some kind of vlogger or something, walked right up to us. "Yo, Anastasia! How'd a nobody from Montesano lock down a freaking billionaire CEO?"
I flinched at how uncomfortably close he was getting and his words, which picked at all my insecurities. Christian noticed. "What is your name?" he asked coldly to our interviewer.
"Mike Newton," he said, like he expected us to recognize his name. I picked up from his thoughts that he actually had a 5-digit subscriber count for his Youtube channel and his independent reporting.
"Well, Mr. Newton, feel free to send me the bill to replace your phone." Then Christian reached out, grabbed the phone right out of Mike's hand, and tossed it behind his head to land on the roof of the stadium. Mike gawked at us as Christian led us past him towards where the drink marquee had been set up.
The marquee was packed with students, their families, and university staff. We got a complimentary glass of sparkling wine. Christian almost spit his first sip out. "This is vile," he said to me as we went looking for Kate.
"You get what you pay for, and this shit's free," I chuckled. I spotted Kate in the crowd. I was only mildly surprised to see Elliot had come and had his arm wrapped around her waist. The two blondes were joined by a third and I grinned. "Oh, good, Ethan's here!" I led my boyfriend, dad, and bodyguard over to the three of them.
"Ana!" Ethan grinned when he saw me. I let go of Christian's hand to give my unofficial big brother a big hug. "Congratulations, sis! You gotta come to Barbados with me and Kate to celebrate," Ethan said, beaming down at me, his green eyes twinkling. He's as handsome as Kate was beautiful. There was a reason he modeled on the side.
"Sorry, got a job lined up already, I'm not available that week. Ethan, in case Kate hasn't blabbed about all my secrets just yet, this is my boyfriend Christian Grey," I introduced the two men to each other.
"Mister Grey," Ethan grinned genially, holding out his hand.
"Mister Kavanagh," Christian said neutrally. He was fighting some irrational jealousy that we'd hugged, but the fact Ethan had outright referred to me like I was a second sister had helped allay most of his fears. They exchanged a formal shake.
"So, Kate was just telling me about the domino effect of her getting the flu!" Ethan grinned at all of us. "You went to interview Christian instead of her, and now you're with Christian, Kate's with his brother Elliot, and apparently I just HAVE to meet their sister Mia," he chuckled.
"I'm against my sweet little sister getting a boyfriend on principle, but you seem like a decent dude and it actually would be kind of awesome if we all ended up together," Elliot grinned.
"Maybe, but I'm not going to date a girl as young as my baby sister," Ethan shook his head with an eye roll.
"Says the man who sucked his thumb until he was 9," Kate said with perfect timing. "Come on, what's the harm of one date, just to see if you two click?"
"Speaking of Mia, we're actually picking her up from the airport at 3:30," Christian spoke up. "It's a madhouse here, why don't we all go get lunch?"
We agreed on a place and got our way through the crowd to our respective cars. We met up at the Observatory, which was actually one of the highest rated lunch spots in Portland. Christian might have bribed the host or called ahead or something, because we were led right to a table large enough for all of us despite the fact there was clearly a line. Prescott and Taylor stayed outside.
"It's all on me," Christian informed us as we got our menus.
"Just 'cause you're a billionaire doesn't mean you have to cover the bill," Ethan protested, honestly just not wanting to take advantage of Christian's wealth.
"No, but I want to. I'll make the cost back literally in a minute, so go nuts, really. Besides, it's a special occasion, not every day you graduate from college," Christian grinned, his opinion of Ethan going up.
"Ooh, they have an elk burger," I noted. "I love elk, tough to cook though."
"They're not in season, won't run into any next week, Annie," Ray pointed out.
"I'm well aware, Dad," I chuckled. As if I didn't have the seasons for every animal legally allowed to hunt in the state of Washington memorized.
I ordered a mojito, since rum was my liquor of choice. "So, can we bring Ethan to Sunday dinner? If he and Mia are bound to meet by the will of Katherine Kavanagh, might as well do it with parental supervision, right?" I spoke up after a sip.
"It'll be Mom's dream come true, each of us with a date at the table," Elliot chuckled.
"Do I get a say in this?" Ethan asked sarcastically.
"Come on, bro, you don't even have to flirt with her. You can come as my brother to meet the future in-laws," Kate nagged.
"Whoa, slow down, Kate. I thought you and Elliot only met last Friday!" Ethan said in concern.
"What's your point?" Kate asked, deliberately obtuse.
"My point is that you should be together at least a year before you even joke about marriage," Ethan said sternly, his 'big brother' face coming out.
"Next you'll be saying we'll need a prenup too. Forget all that junk that Daddy stuffed into your head, Ethan. When you meet the right person, you just KNOW, I swear. And Elliot's the one for me, I know it," Kate said seriously.
"The feeling's mutual, Katie Kat," Elliot said with a goofy, smitten grin.
I spoke up as Ethan just eyed the couple dubiously. "Kate and Elliot are adults, Ethan. If they want to fuck off to Vegas and get hitched tonight, they can and will and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Just accept your little sister is head-over-heels for a guy she just met and move on. And speaking as someone who loves her too and wants what's best for her, she can do a hell of a lot worse. Elliot's a good one."
"Aw, thanks, Annie," Elliot beamed.
Ethan took a big sip of his own cocktail. "Well… none of my business, I guess. And sure, I guess I can come to dinner on Sunday. What's this Mia like, anyway?"
"She just graduated from the Cordon Bleu, she comes back today. She's… I tend to use the word 'bubbly'. Seriously, she's like a bottle of soda after you shake it up. Always smiling, always full of energy, can't sit still longer than a minute, even at the ass crack of dawn on Christman morning. She's a wonderful girl, though I'll admit I'm biased. Lousy taste in friends, though," Christian spoke up.
"Mia doesn't have friends, she has allies and enemies in her never-ending campaign to dominate the social scene of wherever she's currently based," Elliot spoke up with a quick laugh. "Seriously, I overheard her having a sleepover in high school, that was some World War II level strategizing to end up Homecoming Queen and keeping track of which jock was dating who."
We had a good lunch, and then Christian and Elliot left to meet up with their parents at the airport and welcome their sister back home. Kate and I headed back to the apartment, Ray and Ethan hanging out with us. "Um, Ana, awkward question. Do you know that buff chick who's been following you around all day?" Ethan asked, eyeing Prescott's Saturn out of the corner of his eye.
"That's Prescott, she's my CPO. She's a necessary evil of being Christian's girlfriend, not to mention part of the GEH executive team," I explained as I opened the door of the building.
"A bodyguard? Really? Isn't that a bit extreme?" Ethan pressed as we walked up the stairs.
"Christian's a celebrity, and I know of at least one violent stalker he has. I feel safer with Prescott around. I even talked Christian into assigning a second to me, actually," I shrugged.
"Damn," Ethan mused. "You okay with all that?"
"He's worth it," I said simply with a grin.
I chatted with Ray and Ethan while I got a headstart on packing, Kate and I were moving out on Saturday after all. When that was done, I cooked us dinner and we settled at the couch to watch a movie. Given half the audience was male, Kate and I avoided our usual chick flicks for something with more action. Since my life goal was to create a sapient computer program, I of course had the whole Matrix Trilogy on Blu-Ray.
It was around Morpheus' and Neo's fight scene in the sparring program when I detected Christian's mind voice. I grinned and got up under the pretense of making more popcorn. When there was a knock on the door, I opened it to let in my boyfriend. "Hey, Christian. Did you drive all the way to Sea-Tac to greet Mia and then all the way back here?" I asked, already guessing the answer.
"I haven't checked out of the Heathman yet, most of my stuff is still here," he shrugged. We both knew that was a thin excuse, he could have sent Taylor or some other underling to gather everything and bring it back to Escala. "Do I smell popcorn?"
"We're watching The Matrix, feel free to join," I said, letting him in. He took off his suit jacket and loosened his tie, getting more comfortable. He sat down on the couch next to me and we slipped back into the movie after a quick round of hellos from Kate, Ray, and Ethan.
"I never got how the Oracle's powers worked," Christian admitted to me as we reached the scene where Neo met the old woman who liked to bake cookies and speak prophecies. "She's a computer program, how the hell is she psychic?"
"I actually spent a long time thinking about that myself," I told him. "I did some research, and the Wachowski's actually put a lot of thought into her character. For one thing, she's running on a computer, not an organic brain. She could be specialized to run game theory and predict the most likely outcome of any scenario. For another, she understands human nature. She can read you with a look and know your whole personality, how you'd respond to any given scenario. And finally, she appreciates the power of suggestion. It's like that thing when Neo breaks the vase, would he still have broken it if she hadn't said anything? Put it all together, and you realize that her every word and action is actually a manipulation, she's pulling the puppet strings of every human who visits her to try and guide them towards the future she wants to happen. Luckily for the humans and unluckily for the machines, the future she wants is one of peace between the two sides."
"Ana, please, stop psychoanalyzing fictional characters," Kate groaned. "She does this with every single movie or tv show we watch!"
"I DID just get a degree in psychology today, Kate. Trying to get into people's heads is kind of what I do," I snarked.
We finished the movie, and I hugged Ray and Ethan goodbye as they left for their respective hotels. I invited Christian into my room, and he must have gotten the wrong idea because he pressed me against the door to kiss me after I closed it behind us.
"We're not having sex tonight," I told him after he pulled back long enough for me to talk.
"What? Why?" Christian asked, like I'd denied him the meaning of life itself.
"Today's the first day of my period, we're not doing it until I get back from my trip with Ray," I said as I walked around him to sit on my bed.
"Anastasia, I'm not squeamish. I'm not going to be turned off by some blood and organic matter leaking out," Christian tried to argue.
"Maybe you're not, but I am. The thought of you just fingering me let alone sticking your cock up there while I'm oozing uterus juice makes me nauseous. Besides, the last two days were only safe to have unprotected sex because this was coming. It's probably for the best that we don't touch each other like that until I get back from the hunting trip and can meet with your gyno to get on some kind of birth control," I argued logically.
"You're pregnant at our wedding, though. And both Teddy and Phoebe are born by May of 2015. Why not just get a head start on making them?" Christian asked hopefully.
I raised a brow. "You really want to just fuck bareback right from the start and leave it up to fate? We've known each other less than a month, Christian, you already want to make me the mother of your children? What would you be saying if I hadn't shown you my vision of our wedding?"
"Doesn't matter, the fact is I have seen it. And there was nothing more beautiful than seeing you in a white dress and a bump knowing that our child, a baby half yours and half mine, was growing inside you. I know it's early days yet, but I love you, Anastasia. Kids were never part of my plan, but if I was going to have them, I'd want them with you. Plus, your vision guarantees we're already going to have at least one son and one daughter, so I've made my peace with the idea," Christian said with an intense look in his eyes. I could feel his sincerity with my empathy, he was being completely honest.
I gulped. "Um… well, period sex is still off the table. But once I come back from the trip… I guess we can skip that trip to the gyno. You really want to start trying right away, though?"
"I want to fuck you as often as you'll allow me to. And if and when you end up pregnant, I'll be with you at every appointment, help you paint the room, the whole nine yards. I can't wait to meet Teddy, and Phoebe, and all our other future children," Christian grinned down at me, reaching up to cup my face.
Okay, so we wouldn't be having vaginal sex when I was on my period, but I'd be more than happy to blow him.
The next day, I waved Christain out the door after breakfast. I assured him that the moving service was already paid for by Kate's father and scheduled to arrive Saturday morning. He finally agreed he wasn't needed and left to check out of the Heathman and move back to Escala. He did get our address in Seattle so he knew to stop by tomorrow evening, though. I spent the day packing, Kate not much help because she kept getting choked up and nostalgic over every little thing before she put it in a cardboard box. Me, I was finished by 4:00 and just finished off her half of the job for her. I left my PC rig plugged in, I'd leave it running as long as possible, but I had the bubble wrap all ready to prepare it tomorrow morning.
Jose knocked on the door at 6:30 with a bag full of Chinese food. We let him and his feast in and we all just reminisced over the last 4 years as we ate at the table. Jose cleared his throat. "So… you and Christian, huh?"
"Yeah," I nodded, taking a bite of my shrimp and broccoli.
"He seems… nice. Kinda intense, but he seems really into you, Ana. I saw that thing he did with Mike Newton's phone, that was kinda badass," Jose admitted reluctantly.
"Jose, we just weren't meant to be. I got a good feeling about Christian, so you better get used to him. I'd like you to stay my friend, but if you make things difficult I will cut ties and be done with it," I told him firmly.
"I get you, loud and clear," Jose nodded. "So, you still coming to the gallery exhibit?"
"Of course," I grinned, pleased we'd found an understanding.
Elliot showed up, claiming we'd need his muscles to move the furniture tomorrow. Kate bought it, or at least was happy to swallow that before all but sexing Elliot up right in the doorway in front of me and Jose. I honestly thought about getting a hotel for the night rather than listen to their lustful thoughts all night, but I grit my teeth, put in my ear plugs, drank some chamomile, and meditated my way to sleep while pointedly ignoring the mating ritual in the next room.
In the morning, we got everything loaded into the moving truck with the help of the workers and an overly eager Elliot. Me in my Accord and Kate in her CLK, we drove to Seattle and the Pike Place Market condo that Eamon Kavanagh had gotten for his daughter to make up for the fact he didn't even show up to her graduation. The movers did their assigned duty of getting everything out of the truck and up the stairs before leaving. Elliot stuck around to help us unpack all the crates and boxes. His burly brawn did end up being very helpful in holding up the flatscreen while he used a power drill to affix its frame to the brick wall.
The entry-phone buzzes and Kate goes to answer it. "Delivery, Miss Kavanagh, Miss Steele," came Christian's voice.
"I'm sorry, we didn't order anything," Kate says back teasingly.
"Let him up, Kavanagh," I rolled my eyes at her antics.
Christian shows up with two pizza boxes and a bottle of wine. It was Bollinger Grande Annee Rose, but at least it's a much more reasonable vintage of 1999 than 1911. "Happy housewarming," he grinned at me as Elliot took the pizza boxes from him.
"How'd you sleep last night?" I asked in concern, noting the bags under his eyes.
He sighed. "I forgot to play your lullaby. Had my first night terror since we got together. I'll survive, Anastasia, I'm used to them."
"I don't care if it's 3:00 am, if you need me to fall back asleep, just show up or call me and I'll come to Escala," I told him in all seriousness.
"Or you could just move in with me, that would sever the Gordian knot rather effectively," Christian grinned.
It was as sad as it was heart-warming that he was totally serious. "We'll get to the living together stage, Christian, just give me a little time to adjust before vanishing completely into your world," I told him with a kiss.
"If you'd prefer, I'll move in here," Christian offered, not getting my point.
I reached up to cup his face. "One step at a time, Christian. One step at a time."