Hello again faithful readers.

I have to say, this was the most difficult thing I have ever written.A million thanks to my Super Friend and Super Beta Debbie Hannon.We both worked on this chapter for several days, and it about did us in.Without Debbie, this chapter would not have been written.There were several instances where we both had to take a step back and take a break from writing for a while as it was emotionally draining throughout. We both shed quite a few tears writing this, and then again reading what each other wrote.

So—major, major tissue alert.

As always, reviews are appreciated, abuse won't be tolerated.

I do not own FSOG.

Kate POV

"Sadly, the rumors are true...GEH PR spokesperson Alicia Meyers has just confirmed that Anastasia Grey, CEO of Grey Publishing and wife of Christian Grey, CEO of GEH, passed away Friday from injuries she sustained in a car accident. Mrs. Grey was driving to Montesano to visit her father, retired Army Sergeant Raymond Steele, when a tractor trailer ran a red light, hitting Mrs. Grey's vehicle, killing her instantly."

I had to take a deep breath and steady my nerves before I could go on- I couldn't show my true feelings right now to anyone, especially on camera.

"According to Ms. Meyers, Mr. Grey was out of town on a business trip and was not aware of his wife's passing until he arrived home Friday night, where he was met at the airport by his father, Carrick Grey and his personal bodyguard, and was informed of the tragic news. The family is asking for privacy at this time so they may cope with this terrible tragedy. This is Kate Kavanaugh reporting live from the steps in front of Grey House."

The cameraman stopped shooting, and I handed him the mic and walked back to the van. I need to get out of here as soon as I can before I lose it. I need to keep myself under control so nobody will suspect me of the shit storm that will be raining down on Mr. Grey in the very near future.

When I got into the office this morning I asked my boss if I could take my vacation now and postpone the trip to Germany for a month. He told me he would take care of rescheduling my assignment, and to call him if I needed anything. He knew Ana was my best friend and knows how all of this was affecting me. All he knows is that Ana was killed Friday in a car accident—I didn't tell him anything else.

As I am pulling out of the parking garage on my way to my apartment my phone rings and I see that it's Erica.

"Erica…"

"OMG I just saw the news conference. How…what…."

She couldn't string a sentence together. "Erica lets meet somewhere and I will fill you in on what I know. Can you meet me at my apartment? I just left my office and am headed there."

"Yes. Give me an hour or so" and she hangs up.

I take a deep breath and let it out slowly. I haven't had a chance to look at the thumb drives yet so I have no clue what the PI found about the whore-I know the other thumb drive is all the damning footage from Escala of the 2 of them. I don't know if Ana watched much of it…she saw the live show so I can't imagine she could stomach watching any of the videos. I don't know if I could even stand to see any of it either.

I unlock my door and drop my briefcase on the floor sit on the couch and let the tears fall. That will undoubtedly be the most difficult story I will ever have to report. I really need a glass, no-make that a bottle of wine right now. I called Sawyer and told him I was going to stay at my place tonight and be back in Montesano Tuesday morning. The funeral is Wednesday morning and I don't think I could make the drive from Seattle Wednesday morning. I need to call a few of Ana's close friends and let them know when it is—Ray wants to keep it small so he is not publishing where or when it is—he doesn't want to turn it into a media circus.

A few minutes later Erica buzzes to let me know that she is downstairs so I let her in and brace myself for another emotional moment. Even though she only met Ana a few weeks ago, they seemed to have developed more than an attorney-client friendship. I know Erica was beyond disgusted at the way he treated her about the baby, and was really shocked when Ana told her about the cheating.

A minute later I hear a knock on my door and I get up to let her in. I can tell by the look on her face that she is close to tears and after I close the door I reach out and hug her, and we both start crying.

After we cried it out a bit we both sat down on the couch, and after a few minutes Erica asked what happened.

"It was like the PR person said—Ana was almost there and decided to stop for gas, and when she drove through the green light at the intersection, a semi ran the red light and hit her. They questioned the driver and checked him for DUI, but he was clean. Apparently he thought he could beat the red light. I don't know if they have charged him with anything yet…I haven't asked about that.'

"How is Ana's dad handling it? What about her mom?"

"Her dad is taking it hard—Ana was his only child, and he not only lost her but also his grandson. Her mom abandoned them when Ana was a baby—Ana doesn't remember her at all. I don't know if Ray has any contact with her or not—Ana never talked about her."

I looked at Erica and then asked her about the guardianship and trust fund papers I found.

"Ana decided to name you guardian if you were willing to accept the responsibility. I filled out all the papers and gave them to her for both of you to review and sign. It's a simple process-all that needed to be done after he was born was to file them with the courts. She was also taking most of the money in the checking account and putting it in a trust fund for him as well. She was keeping enough for herself to where she could relocate and take her time looking for a job. She wasn't planning on going back to work for a few years—she wanted to devote her time to raising her son." She paused for a minute then looked me in the eyes "Were you aware that she had chosen his name already?"

"No—I didn't know. She never said anything to me."

"She was naming him after her dad and you—Raymond Kadyn Steele. Raymond is for her dad, and Kadyn is for you…"

I looked at her in total shock "Wait! I saw that on the trust papers—I thought that was her dad's name!"

"No. It's the baby's name. She wanted him named after the 2 most important people in her life. She wasn't giving him Grey's name either. I had the trust papers filled out so we could get it opened, and then she had me start on the guardianship papers…I didn't put his name on those before I gave them to her because I think she wanted to talk to you and her dad about all of that first…she didn't want to hurt her dad's feelings by not appointing him as guardian."

That started another flood of tears down my face. "After Ray and I saw the papers we talked about it, and he was fine with me being named guardian. He knew at his age it would be more difficult for him to raise a child." She nodded at me and then I continued "Erica we also found 2 large cashier's checks in her briefcase—what should her dad do with those? They were in her maiden name."

"It was Ana's money to do whatever she wanted—she closed the account, which was in her maiden name nonetheless, before the divorce was filed so it was not part of their estate. Ana told me that Ray put her on both his checking and savings accounts a long time ago, so he can deposit the checks into that account and do whatever he wants with the money. It can be considered a gift-There is nothing Grey can do about it."

"I also have 2 thumb drives from Ana. One has all the footage of him and the slut and their time at Escala, and the other is from the PI that Ana hired to look into her. She picked it up Friday on her way out of town so she never looked at it and I haven't had a chance yet to look at it either."

Just then her phone goes off and she walks into the kitchen to take the call. "I need to get back to the office, but please call me when you have the information for her services… I would like to attend if her dad wouldn't mind."

"It's Wednesday morning in Montesano at the Montesano Presbyterian Church at 10:00, and graveside service is afterwards…there is a reception at her dad's house immediately after the graveside service. The Grey family will be notified tonight about the services tonight…Grey will be allowed at the funeral and cemetery but not at the reception. Ray already read him the riot act that if he started anything he would be hauled out of town by the police. I know Ray would not mind if you attended, so if you can make it, pleased do."

Erica smiled at that, and stood up and gave me a hug. "I will see you Wednesday morning then. Call me if you need anything."

After walking her to the door, I grabbed a bottle of wine and my laptop and fire it up, sticking in the thumb drive from Escala and waiting for it to open.

Taking a sip of wine, I click to open the video links on the thumb drive dated this past Monday. Watching in sheer horror, I am beyond disgusted as I watch the whore on her knees in the elevator at Escala giving Grey a blow job, and then watch them as they move to the kitchen counter an fuck each other's brains out. I gasp when I see Ana as she walks down the hallway, watching the entire scene unfold in front of her, and then watches and they finish and he takes his whore into their bedroom. I have to wipe the tears as I see Ana's face, frozen in horror, seeing the man she loves committing such heinous actions against her, knowing that the bastard has denounced his child that she is carrying while he has been screwing this slut.

My heart breaks for Ana even more, now knowing what this piece of shit is capable of. I gulp down the rest of my wine and reach to refill it, but instead grab the entire bottle; closing the video link and pulling out the thumb drive…I cannot stomach watching any more.

Grabbing my note pad and the thumb drive from the PI, I plug it into my laptop and let out a deep breath wondering what the fuck I am going to see on this one. I resolve once again, to let the world know the real Christian Grey…the Golden boy of Seattle isn't going to be worth a tinkers damn when I am done.

There are several individual files on this thumb drive, so I click on the one labeled pictures.

Holy fucking shit!

This file is nothing but pictures of Christian and the whore—pictures of them entering a hotel together, pictures of them having sex on the balcony of their hotel room, and even a few pictures of them in an elevator-you can clearly see their faces and what they are doing, as Christian has his hand up her skirt while hers is wrapped around his cock that is sticking out of the front of his unzipped pants. From the date and time stamp of the pictures I am guessing these must have been from last week when he was in Chicago.

Jesus—was there ever a time or place when they didn't fuck?

I close the file and look at the other files, each with different labels: Life/Family; Harvard/BDSM; Employment; Videos;

Not being able to stomach any more videos at this moment, I clicked on the one labeled "Harvard/BDSM" as it has piqued my curiosity.

OMG! This is a summary of her time as a sub while she attended Harvard… It lists her regular Doms and the clubs she frequented, and how much she was paid for each "session"…no wonder she was able to graduate Cum Laude…one of her Doms was also one of her professors at Harvard.

I click on the document labeled "Interview" and see that it is a statement from an unnamed college roommate, explaining how the whore paid for law school by subbing to some of the wealthy Doms in Boston. Her roommate claims that the slut met Christian Grey in BDSM club in Boston a few year back, and explained how persistent he was to get her personal information after their scene that night, and how she used that bit of info to start working on a plan to get her claws into him and his bank account.

She knew everything about Grey, what he liked and how, and since she knew he was so desperate to get her to come to Seattle and sub for him, she was going to use that bit of knowledge to entice and seduce him. The roommate said after her experience with him in the club that night, and how good he was, there was no way he would ever be able to walk away from the BDSM lifestyle for good—it was a part of him, and she knew she could lure him away from his wife with a subtle taste of what was to come—give him just enough to make him remember how good their scene was that night. Her plan was to refuse to enter a BDSM relationship in the beginning, but slowly gravitate towards one, using the promise of a BDSM relationship to get him to marry her, then she would be set for life. She really enjoyed the lifestyle, and had no problem returning to it if the price was right—the price being the new Mrs. Christian Grey.

She didn't care that he was currently married—she wasn't going to let that stop her from "bagging the elephant" as she referred to him, as well as his dick.

OMG She was nothing but a fucking gold digging whore! She sold herself for money…she is nothing more than a fucking prostitute—cut and dried.

It's all there in black and white…the bitch targeted him, and didn't care about the damage she left in her wake. My note pad has several full pages already, and as I flip to a clean sheet I start to make notes of who I am going to share this information with in the coming weeks. I promised Ray that I wouldn't do anything until after the funeral, and only if I had his blessing. I will make sure it is raining hell down on Christian and his bitch.

I close the interview file and see the file labeled "videos." There are 3 videos, and I open the first one labeled "Fairmont." After a few minutes I realize that it's the footage of them in the Fairmont here in Seattle—the first time he cheated on Ana. She told me about the lipstick stains on his boxers and shirt, and the disgusting condom wadded up in his pocket.

I watch them during dinner, seeing the subtle looks he gives her, and I see her smirk at him a few times during dinner.

She knew what she was doing.

I then watch as they leave the dining room and walk into the bar and take booth in the far back. There is no sound, but I can see them engaging in conversation. She reaches for her phone and knocks it on the floor, and the look on his face as she bends over to pick it up catches my eye. He is staring at her ass as if he has seen a ghost. I rewind the video a bit and watch again as she knocks her phone off the table.

Holy fuck—she knocked it off on purpose-she deliberately wanted to expose her back to him, taking a little too long to pick up her phone, giving him long enough to stare at her back or ass.

Something caught his eye for sure.

They sat there talking for a few more minutes, and judging from the expressions on both of their faces and their body language, their conversation turned serious. Then suddenly she leans

over and whispers in his ear, rubbing her hand on his crotch, and I can tell he is shocked at what she said and what she did. Then all of a sudden he whips his dick out and she crawls under the table, and goes to town on him.

WTF did she say to make him lose it like that? Whatever it was it worked, because she definitely got what him to do what she wanted.

I watched the waiter give Christian a note while he has hands between her legs, and a few minutes later after he obviously got her off, they get up and walk into the back room of the bar. The video then switches and picks up as they walk in the back room I am treated to another Christian Grey porn video as he fucks her on top of one of the tables.

I'm never eating at the Fairmont again I think to myself

It picks up again when they walk back out into the bar, and I see Grey and the waiter grin at each other.

Grey then sends a text, and a few minutes later Reynolds appears at the table and hands some documents to him…I am sure they are NDAs. Grey doesn't order dinner without making the waiter sign an NDA first. They both sign them, and he hands her one and keeps another.

They sit and talk for a few minutes, and then Grey throw some bills on the table and walks out, and the video ends as he exits the hotel and climbs in his vehicle.

Then it hits me—Grey has no idea this video exists. This could get leaked, and he would have no clue who leaked it. The footage from Escala he would know it was someone on his security team, but this video was from a bar in a public place—he would have no idea who had access to it…my mind is going 100 mph right now.

I wonder just how the PI was able to get this video.

Surely Grey would have had his lackey hack in the security system at the Fairmont and delete it that night…he wouldn't have been stupid enough to do something like this in public, and then not cover his tracks.

This PI can find anything though—he has a network of people all over the world, and can find out anything about anybody in 24 hours. I got his name from a journalist I met on assignment in London last year—all he told me is that he is expensive, and to never ask how or where he gets his information. You tell him what you want, give him as much info as you have, and he delivers it to you.

Ana didn't care about the cost—she just wanted the dirt on this bitch ASAP. Whatever she paid him, she definitely got her money's worth.

I pop out the thumb drive and turn off my laptop. I can't handle any more of this right now—I will read the rest of the information after the funeral. I started a list of what information and pictures I was going to send to and to whom, and I wanted to be sure to get Ray's blessing before I did anything. I have no problem destroying Grey, but Ana is Ray's daughter, and he should have the final say on what I do. I have no intentions of showing him any of the videos and pictures, but I will share the information I have on her.

I finish off the bottle of wine and go run a bath—after seeing and reading all of that I feel so dirty.

When I get out of the bathtub I call Ray, and tell him I will back tomorrow morning to help get ready for the reception Wednesday. I also told him that Erica would like to attend Ana's funeral if he didn't mind, and he was fine with her attending. Luke is still there—I think the 2 of them are helping each other deal with everything.

I then called a caterer in town and asked if they would be able to cater the reception with such a short notice. They said being a week day they would be able to handle it with no problems.

I called Hannah and gave her the information on the funeral, and asked her not to tell anyone. Ana was loved by everyone, but had only a few close friends. She didn't let people in because they usually had ulterior motives—most of the women wanted to be friends with her so they could get close to Grey, and most of the men wanted to get close to her so they could get her into bed, so she just kept everyone at arm's length. Other than me, Hannah was the only person Ana really trusted, besides Erica.

Ray wanted to keep the service small and private, and the more people who knew about it would cause it to turn into a circus. He planned on publishing an obituary in the paper Thursday, and asking in lieu of flowers, to make a donation to the Montesano Public library in Ana's name.

After I talked to Hannah I decided to order a pizza and watch TV and call it an early night. I really can't handle much more right now.

Carrick POV-Monday afternoon

I watch the GEH press conference on TV with Grace and I wonder how long it will be before the real truth comes out. Even with Christian's vast resources, and no matter how good his PR department and security staff is I don't see how they will be able to keep it quiet. I am sure everyone on his security staff knows about the affair, and even with them signing NDAs I don't think it will stay quiet. Besides, he stupidly carried on with her at Escala and when he was out of town, and surely someone, somewhere saw them together and will be more than happy to sell the information to a gossip magazine. It is inevitable.

Grace had to be sedated after she saw the pictures on his phone. There were videos as well, but there was no way I was going to even think about watching them…the pictures were disgusting enough, and I sure as hell didn't need to see a video of their "encounters."

I have tried to understand why he did this to Ana, and I just can't come up with anything that makes sense, aside from a complete breakdown. He was cheating before he found out about the baby, so that isn't what started it, so I wonder if he fell back into that BDSM shit, or this whore tempted him back it the lifestyle. I can't stand to look at him right now, so talking to him about it isn't going to happen.

When I left yesterday I called Flynn to go to the house and check on him and see if he could get Christian to talk. I told him about the accident, but didn't mention the affair or the pregnancy. Elliot and Mia asked about Grace—we had to sedate her after she saw the pictures and realized what was going on. I told them she is just upset about losing Ana and the baby…it's not my place to tell them Christian's business, but when the shit hits the fan they are going to be blindsided.

God, what a fucking mess.

Just then my phone rings and takes me out of my thoughts. I don't look at the number and just answer it "Carrick Grey"

"Carrick, this is Ray Steele."

I suck in deep breath before speaking "Ray. I'm so sorry. We are all beside ourselves."

"Thank you, Carrick. I'm calling to give you the information on Annie's funeral…I took care of the arrangements yesterday, and wanted to pass them on to you."

I walk out of the living room into my office before speaking again "Oh. I thought Christian would be taking care of that…"

"No. He had nothing to do with it. I spoke with him yesterday and informed him of a few stipulations regarding the funeral. Carrick, we both know what was going on, and why Annie was on her way to my house, so I'm going to tell you the same thing I told him. Your son will be attend the funeral and burial, but he will not be speaking at either one, and he will immediately leave town as soon as the burial is over. He is not to bring a motorcade of security with him, or any press or medial of any type. I will not allow this to turn into a media circus while he pretends to be the grieving husband. You and the rest of the immediate Grey family are invited to both services, as well as the reception at my house, but HE is not welcome there. He has agreed to these terms, and I expect you to honor my wishes. I want this to stay small and private, so I am not releasing any information to the public about the services. You may invite a few people, but not many…use your best judgement on who you tell."

I was shocked into silence and it was a few seconds before I found my voice again "Isn't that a little harsh Ray? Ana was his wife and he should be allowed to speak at her funeral…"

"Your son lost his rights to call Annie his wife when he started fucking that whore—Annie and my grandson are dead because of him-he's lucky he's not 6' under right now" he growled at me before continuing "I told him I would give you the information, as long as you give me your word that you will not tell him anything until the night before. Do you agree? Do I have your word that you won't say anything to him until tomorrow night?"

I take a deep breath" Yes. Ray. You have my word. I will respect your wishes."

"OK then. The funeral is Wednesday morning at 10:00 here in Montesano at the Presbyterian Church, and burial is at the Wynoochee Cemetery immediately following the funeral. Your son will quietly leave town from the cemetery immediately after Annie has been laid to rest, or the police will forcefully escort him out of town…your son is also aware of this. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I understand. Look Ray, I want to apologize…"

Ray cuts me off before I can finish what I was saying "Do not insult me by apologizing for that bastard. If you don't have any questions or anything else to say, I have things to do."

I can't think of anything to say so I thank him and give him my word again that I will not inform Christian until tomorrow night, and hang up.

I let out a deep breath and feel a headache coming on.

I can't say that I blame Ray for anything…If someone had done to Mia what Christian did to Ana, I would be as angry as Ray , and would be out for blood as well.

I know there are people who will want to attend the funeral, but I don't know how to go about notifying them without breaking my word to Ray. I decide to call Taylor and ask him how to go about handling this without giving out the information beforehand, and I am also anxious to find out if he has the report back from his contact in Boston.

He answers on the 2nd ring "Yes, Mr. Grey. What can I do for you?"

"I have a few things I need to talk to you about—the first being Ana's funeral.' I then go on to explain the conversation I just had with Ray and how to handle getting Christian out of town without being followed, and then asking him who should be notified of the services and keeping the information from leaking out.

"Mr. Grey I will handle the logistics of getting your son out of town, as well as notifying those about her funeral. I will not let the situation get out of hand—I give you my word. Gail and I will be attending the funeral as guests—I will not be part of his security detail that day. What else did you need?"

"Have you heard back from your contact in Boston?"

"I will have his complete report by Tuesday night or Wednesday morning, and I will pass it on to you as soon as I receive it. As I told you yesterday, I have washed my hands of your son, and I will not be a part of the cover up we both know is coming. This is his fuck up, and he and Reynolds and the PR department can deal with it. I gave him mine and Gail's 2 weeks' notice yesterday, as well as telling him what I thought of him. I am only reviewing policy and procedures with Reynolds so he can take over for me, but as far as security and protection, I am no longer involved in that aspect of his security. I am just bidding my time for 13 more days until I can get away from here. I hope you understand."

"I understand, and I don't blame you at all. He is my son, and right now I cannot stand to look at him. My wife is devastated, and feels responsible as she thinks she failed as a mother. He has no idea the destruction he has caused in so many lives because of his actions and selfishness. I am sorry you are caught up in this nightmare too."

"Mr. Grey I will stay in touch with you regarding our plans for the funeral, and I will also let you know who I inform about it as well."

I thank him and hang up, reaching for the bottle of scotch behind my desk and pour myself a generous amount as I grab 2 aspirins from my desk and wash them down.

I have a bad feeling that a massive shit storm is on the way, and we are all going to be caught up in it.

Elliot POV

Mia and I have been trying to comfort my mom since last light. Something serious must have happened at Christian's house to upset mom to the point of having to be sedated, but nobody will say anything. Dad just said that she is upset over losing Ana and the baby.

I hear my dad's phone ring, and I hear him say Ray's name, but then after a minute he walks into his office before he starts talking again. WTF is going on. Why is everyone being so secretive?

Unbeknownst to my dad, when Christian and I were kids we discovered that we could perfectly hear everything our dad said in his office through the vent in the coat closet next to his office. I walk down the hall and quietly open the closet door and step inside putting my ear up against the vent—he put his phone on speaker phone so I could hear every word of both conversations.

Holy fucking shit. Christian was cheating on Ana? What the fuck is wrong with him!

After Elena and all the shit from his past, Ana still stayed and didn't abandon him.

I don't know any woman who would have been able to handle all of that and still stand by her man.

That dumbass ruined the best thing that ever happened to him. There is, and never will be anyone as fine as Ana, and he threw her away for what? A piece of ass that no doubt was after his money and whatever else she could get from him, just like all the whores from is past.

Fuck Christian, what the hell were you thinking... or wait, you weren't…you were thinking with your dick, you asshole!

I can feel the tears running down my face- I cannot imagine what Ray is going through. ….I can't imagine the pain he is feeling, losing his only child and grandson.

Wiping my face to make sure there are no more tears left, I turn and walk out of the closet… I don't think I can handle hearing any more.

I am sick to my stomach, I feel like throwing up... I am so disgusted with him that I don't know how I am going to keep from beating the shit out of him when I see him next. That mother fucker better keep away from me if he wants to keep breathing.

Ray POV Wednesday morning

I wake with a heavy heart today, knowing that I will be burying my daughter and grandson. Today makes it real. This is something that no parent should ever have to do…no parent should ever have to bury their child…it isn't supposed to be this way.

Kate got here Tuesday morning and we began making the arrangements for the reception here Wednesday afternoon. She called a local caterer and made arrangements for them to take care of the reception, and then cleaned the house while Luke and I took care of the lawn and ran to town and got a couple shade tents and set up tables and chairs under the tents and on the porch. The caterer will arrive and set up while we are at the funeral so it will all be taken care of when we leave the cemetery.

I pull up at church just before 9:00 and sit there for a few minutes before going in. I see the hearse behind the church, and I know they are inside preparing Annie's casket. I wanted some

time alone with her, so I asked Kate and Luke to wait a few minutes before driving down in a separate vehicle.

I haven't been to church in several years, but when Annie was living at home we went almost every Sunday.

The minister is waiting for me at the front of the pews and he takes me to the back room to see Annie, and then closes the door, leaving us alone.

"Oh, Annie" I say before I feel the tears start to fall as I stand there staring at her—she looks so peaceful, almost like she is sleeping. Her hands are crossed across her chest and they placed a red rose in her hand.

I pull out the ultrasound of my grandson and place it under her hands…he needs to be recognized too.

I fall to my knees and break down sobbing as the realization hits me that my child is gone.

After a few minutes, I feel arms around me as Luke and Kate kneel beside me, and we hold on to each other, drawing strength from each other to stand up and walk out.

People begin arrive and fill up the pews. and even though I didn't publish the funeral information, some of the local residents still found out. I see some of the kids Annie grew up and went to school with, as well as some of her teachers from all 12 grades. I felt bad not publishing the funeral information, but I didn't want the damn media and paps showing up and turning this into a circus. I spoke with the Chief of police last night and he has his officers all around the church and cemetery, dressed in plain clothes, to keep away the media and unwanted guests.

A few minutes later Carrick Grey walks up to me and asks for a private word. I nod my head and we walk outside, away from everyone.

"Ray, Christian would like some time alone with Ana."

I nod yes and tell him to come around the back. I ask the minister if he would escort the Grey family to see Annie. Carrick turns walks back outside to the car where Grey is, to take him to see Annie.

He steps out of the car, and as I make eye contact with him, he hangs his head in shame as he walks away with his dad.

I walk back inside and sit down with Kate and Luke.

CPOV

I step out of the car and see Ray's eyes boring holes straight through me. I feel nothing but shame, and I am unable to hold his stare, so I hang my head and follow my father.

The minister is waiting for us and leads us down a short hallway and stops in front of a door.

"Mr. Grey" and opens the door for me, and closes it behind me.

I stand there, unable to move, just staring at Ana. I can't breathe. My heart is racing.

Finally I find the strength to take a step, then another. I find myself standing next to her, my Ana, looking down at her beautiful face. The tears are running down my face and I can't stop them. I did this. It should be me laying here in this casket. Not her. She didn't deserve this.

I see the red rose in her hand, and then I notice something under her hands…I pull it out and realize it is the ultrasound of my son.

I just stare at it. This was my son. Ana was 15 weeks pregnant when this was taken. I can't take my eyes off it. My son. It was so real now. My eyes scan it several times, and then down in the bottom right hand corner I see something that shakes me to the core.

"Baby Boy Steele."

I fall to my knees and let out an unearthly keen...a sound so full of heartache and sorrow that I know others hear me outside the church. I know that I am truly a monster, and that I destroyed the one person who truly loved me.

As I knelt at my wife's side and wept out my misery, my keening wail turned to heartbreaking sobs of anguish, then slowly turning into whimpers of pain.

I would never hold her and kiss her again. I would never feel her cuddle up to me in bed, or hear her sweet giggles float through the air. I would never see the mother that she was destined to become, or see her hold our child for the first time, or hold my child myself. I let the monster inside of me out. I destroyed the love of my life... and our son. And for what? Nothing was worth the pain that I had caused…to Ray, my parents, myself, to those dear to Ana. Nothing was worth seeing her lying so cold, so very cold and still. She was gone, and it is my fault. She wasn't even giving our baby my name, and I could not fault her for it. I did nothing to deserve having a child to carry my name. I had driven her to hate me, and I had no one but myself to blame.

I then did something I rarely did; I prayed. I begged God to be merciful, to care for my Ana and my son. I prayed that she find the happiness that I could not give her, because I know that there would be no mercy coming my way. This is purgatory, and I don't think my soul can ever be cleansed enough to leave.

Just then there is a knock on the door and my father comes in "Son—it's time."

I stand up, place the ultrasound back on her heart, bend down and kiss my Ana's forehead, whispering to her how sorry I am, and that I will always love her and our son, and then I allow my father to lead me out of the room and into the church where the rest of my family is sitting.

I sit down next to my mother. I am numb. I cannot hear or feel anything.

Ana's casket is brought to the front of the church, and everyone comes up to say their final goodbyes before the service begins.

After everyone is seated, the minister walks to the pulpit and starts speaking, but I cannot hear him…It's like my head is under water and I am looking through an opaque piece of glass.

Several minutes later Ray walks up to the pulpit and thanks the minister, then clears his throat and begins speaking:

Thank you all for coming today to honor my beloved daughter, Anastasia Rose.

Annie was truly a gift from God. I cannot begin to tell you the joy that she brought into my life. I met her when she was just days old, and I instantly fell in love with this beautiful baby girl with the most incredible blue eyes I have ever seen. She was my little princess, and as she got older, she became my fishing buddy too—she couldn't wait for the weekend to climb in the boat and spend the day with me. I have so many memories of sitting in the boat with her on the lake-I would be fishing and she would be reading. As she grew older, her love for reading grew with her. She always had a book or three open, knowing exactly where she left off in each one. When she went away to college, her love of reading never stopped. She majored in Literature, graduated with honors, and her love for books continued to grow. She was so excited when she got her first job at SIP as an assistant to an editor. She knew she would have to start out at the bottom and work her way up, but she didn't care. She was doing what she wanted to do, what she was passionate about, and that made her happy. I could not have been more proud.

My Annie taught me a lot of things…the most important being the ability to love unconditionally. Everyone deserved love, she said.

She also taught me that, most of the time, she was right. Even at eight years old she was right. There was no arguing with her. Have you ever lost an argument to an 8 year old?

She also taught me how to cook something besides microwave dinners and grilled cheese sandwiches with canned tomato soup. But you know, when she was feeling down, that's what she wanted—she called it A Daddy Special Dinner—a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of tomato soup. I would fix that for her, and just like magic, her problems were gone.

Annie was a doer-she was always helping out whenever and wherever she could. She would babysit the neighbor's kids, or help another neighbor pull weeds. All the money she earned was put into two accounts—most of it went for college, and the rest was for new books. She'd save her money for weeks to buy a new book, being incredibly proud of herself when she saved enough to finally buy it.

Annie was the kindest, most generous person you would ever meet. She always put others before her. I remember one winter I bought her a new coat that she had been hounding me for, and the first day she wore it to school, she came home without it. I asked her where it was, and she told me she lost it. I knew she wasn't telling the truth—Annie could not tell a lie to save herself. I sent her to her room without dinner, and after a while I went upstairs to her room and asked her again what happened to her new coat. She looked down at her hands, and then finally told me she gave it to a girl in her class. When I asked her why she gave it away, she told me that the girl didn't have a warm coat, and since she had 2, she gave her new one to the other girl. I fixed her A Daddy Special dinner that night, and I had crow.

After she graduated from college she moved to Seattle where she met her husband shortly after starting her new job at SIP. The Grey family welcomed her with open arms, and she loved them all. Grace Grey treated Annie like she was her own daughter—she loved her from the first moment she met her. Grace was the mother Annie never had.

Thank you Grace.

Recently Annie had just received the most amazing news, and was driving to my house so we could celebrate together…she was pregnant with her first child—a little boy. I was thrilled when she shared not only the news of her pregnancy, but when I found out she was naming my grandson after me I was honored and proud-honored that she gave him my name, and proud to share it with him.

Annie will be missed; not only by me, but by everyone who ever had the chance to know her. She was a truly wonderful young woman, and she would have been the most loving, caring mother.

Annie was my light, but she burned bright for only a short time. Some are bound to die young. By dying young a person stays young in people's memory.

I love you Anastasia Rose Steele Grey. And I love you, Baby Raymond. You both will be forever in my heart.

The minister hugs Ray as he leaves the pulpit and asks everyone to bow their heads in prayer:

Life is a precious and wondrous gift.

We come today to commemorate and honor Anastasia and her unborn son Raymond, whose life would have been so precious to all of us

As we mourn these lives that are no longer with us, as we ache from a void that has been created in our hearts.

We lift up our sadness and grief to you.

Lord, we ask that you would comfort us in our pain, and bring us an abundance of your gentle healing mercies.

In Jesus name we pray,

Amen

The minister nods at Ray, and we all stand and walk down the aisle of the church through the front door and outside to the lawn. I see Roz and her wife Gwen, and as they walk up to me I can see tears in Roz's eyes and she speaks softly to me "Christian, I am so sorry. I don't know what to say." Being aware of my touch issues, she gently touches my arm and walks away, telling me she will see me at the cemetery. Fearing that someone might try to reach out and touch or hug me, I walk away to the car where Reynolds is waiting, but before I step in I turn and see several people standing with or hugging Ray, including Jose and his father and Sawyer and Kate…I noticed they were all sitting with Ray during the service, too. They were Ana's family too. Sawyer looks over and sees me, and I can see pure hate in his eyes, so I decide to get in the car to avoid any type of confrontation here.

Several minutes later I see the hearse pull out from behind the church, and all the vehicles fall in behind as we travel to the cemetery.

Ray, Kate, and Sawyer are directly behind the hearse, followed by me, then my family, and the rest of the procession. My father drove this morning, and Taylor drove alone with Gail. He has not spoken a word to me since he handed in his resignation Sunday.

15 minutes later we pull into the cemetery and drive through until I see a shade awning with several chairs underneath—Ana's final resting place.

The hearse pulls up, and I see 6 men walk to the back of the hearse to lift out and carry Ana's casket-Luke, Jose, Jose Sr., Elliot, my father, and Ethan Kavanaugh. All the men in her life she loved and trusted-I was not one of them anymore.

As they set her casket in place, we all take our places up front, and everyone else gathers around as the minister begins speaking:

"We have gathered to mourn the passing and also to celebrate the life of Anastasia and her unborn son Raymond.

We have come together to grieve and to give thanks for their lives. For the next brief space in time, we will cry and laugh simultaneously. As human beings we are the only creatures gifted to feel such a range of emotions at the same time. It is good that we can do this together.

Whenever a death occurs, those of us who remain behind enter a space in time that is quite out of the ordinary. Whether we recognize this or not, this is a sacred time—a time that holds potential for healing and insight and understanding that does not come readily in ordinary time. With the death of someone we have known and loved, something in each of us dies too. We are reminded of the frailties and the gifts of our relationships. We become more aware that we live in fragile human bodies. We may come to know a heightened consciousness of what is precious and true. Indeed, with the passing of a loved one, we encounter our own mortality.

It is here, together, where we may intuit the meaning of Paul's words when he affirms that "Neither life nor death can separate us from the love of God." So I welcome you to this time out of ordinary time. I invite you to pause, to let settle in that 2 precious lives have passed from among us. We can use the gift of our worship and our memories to bring comfort and peace and joy as laughter to one another as we remember Anastasia."

The minister takes a step back, and after Ana's casket is lowered into the ground, one by one everyone walks up and places a single red rose on top of her casket, saying their final goodbyes, after which the minister says one last prayer:

"O God whose beloved Son did take little children into his arms and bless them

Give us grace, we beseech thee, to entrust Anastasia and Raymond, to thy never-failing care and love, and bring us all to thy heavenly kingdom;
through the same thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who live and reign with thee
and the Holy Spirit, one God ,now and forever. Amen."

After a moment he adds "There will be a gathering of family, friends, and loved ones at Ray Steele's house immediately following. "

After everyone has left, I find myself unable to move, unable to walk away from her. I can't leave her here in the cold ground, alone. The tears flow freely down my face. They didn't do anything to deserve this. I destroy everything and everyone around me. It should be me in the cold ground, all alone.

After several minutes pass, my father and brother walk up next to me "Come on, Christian." my father gently says, as he takes my elbow and leads me away from my Ana. He and Elliot walk me to the car where Reynolds is waiting to take me home.

It will never be home again, not without my Ana.

As Reynolds goes to close the door, I see Taylor walk up and lean into the car "Reynolds will be driving you home, and he and Ryan will be on duty tonight with you at the house. Gail and I are going to Ray's home to pay our respects …we lost someone dear to us, too" and then he closes the door in my face without waiting for an answer.

Taylor POV

I close the car door in Grey's face and walk away. Standing there, watching him as they lowered Ana's casket into the ground, I felt a rage that I have never before felt. I cannot feel sympathy for him—he did this…he caused all of this grief because he is a selfish bastard. There is no excuse for his behavior. He should be in that casket…not Ana.

I see Carrick walking back to his car with the rest of the Grey family, and I call him over to speak with him in private. I don't want to do this at Ray's house.

He walks up and I hand him an envelope "This is from my contact in Boston—you should look into her current employer."

He opens the envelope and scans down to where he sees her employment history. He looks up at me in total shock before saying "I will take care of her, Taylor-mark my words. I will ruin her" and he walks back to the car where his family is waiting, and drives off towards Ray's house.

I let out a deep breath, and walk to the car where Gail is waiting for me.

Christian Grey and Camile Davis have no idea of the cataclysmic hell that is coming their way…