A/N: Thank you all so much for reading my story! I hope you enjoy the epilogue.
Epilogue: Aftermath
~9 months later~
"I can't believe it's finally over."
Those were the six words Ana whispered to Christian as the two of them were ushered down the wide main corridor of King County courthouse. Carrick led them along, and trailing behind were the rest of the Grey family, including Ray, Taylor, Sawyer, Boyce, and at least half a dozen security guards. They reached the front lobby, where the security guards walked ahead to open the front doors to the courthouse, and they all stepped outside as a group.
Immediately, a crowd of photographers and reporters converged on Christian, Ana, and the others, shouting questions as cameras flashed and reporters tried to shove their microphones toward Christian's face. The security guards who had opened the doors for them had to work to keep everyone away, and Taylor and Sawyer both called orders for the photographers to back off. Christian, who's hand gripped Ana's protectively, managed to walk forward while ignoring the questions being shouted at him:
"Christian, how do you feel about the verdict?"
"Hyde was found guilty of all charges - would you like to comment on that, Mr. Grey?"
"What will you do now that the trial's over?"
Christian had anticipated media coverage of this trial, but now that the verdict had finally been given - where Hyde and Elizabeth both got life in prison with the possibility of parole in 36 years - he still hadn't expected this much chaos. Ana had warned him that there would be a media circus once the verdict was read, and Christian now realized she was absolutely right.
The past nine months of Christian's life were a roller coaster, to say the least. Hyde and Elizabeth both pleaded not guilty on all charges, despite the fact both had been caught red-handed by multiple people, including the police. They claimed that Christian had been the mastermind of this whole operation, and they had all been working together to kill Elena but Christian threw them under the bus at the last minute. It was a flimsy argument at best, especially since several Seattle PD officers had connections to Hyde and were implicated in this case. The trial was pushed off for several months, however, giving the media ample opportunity to speculate what was going to happen.
The police corruption in this case had led investigators to two officers, one of which was a female cop who had been friends with Elizabeth when she worked as a PI. This officer had allowed Elizabeth to illegally go into the Seattle PD's private records and alter Elizabeth Daniels' case file in order to fool Christian into thinking she was someone else. Detective Broderick was the other cop implicated in this case: he had agreed to hold off on investigating the Elena Lincoln murder due to Jack's suggestion, which had led to Sawyer become suspicious of him. Both police officers were fired and brought up on charges of conspiracy to commit murder, and although their trials were still upcoming, Christian and Ana weren't too worried. Those two cops were just pawns in Jack and Elizabeth's grand manipulative scheme, which meant they weren't that important.
Media on both a local and a national scale had latched onto Christian's story of being framed for murder at the hands of a corrupt police force, and for months an endless barrage of news reporters, interviewers, and photographers would hound him for a big scoop. Christian never gave them anything, but he had to fight the urge to physically attack these people whenever they got too close. He and Taylor ended up having to double up on security for both him and Ana so they could go about their lives as normally as possible.
The only reason these past nine months had been even remotely bearable for Christian was because of Anastasia. She had been Christian's rock throughout this whole ordeal, staying involved in all the court proceedings while offering her own insight whenever she could. She had to give her testimony about what had happened the night she was kidnapped, and while that in and of itself was difficult, Jack's lawyer had to cross-examine her, where he basically accused her of making the whole thing up. That more than anything made Christian want to get out of his seat and punch him; however, Ana stuck to her story and didn't get flustered, and Christian couldn't have been prouder of her.
Christian and Ana now moved through the crowd of reporters and got into the backseat of the Escalade Carrick was ushering them into. Christian and Ana sat down beside each other on the wide leather seat before immediately embracing, allowing the happiness of Hyde's guilty verdict finally wash over them.
It's finally over.
"I love you," Christian murmured in Ana's ear, and she smiled, a tear slipping down her cheek.
"I love you too."
"Break it up, lovebirds," Elliot said in amusement as he and Mia got in the seats facing them. Christian and Ana broke apart. "There's plenty of time to do that over at Mom and Dad's house."
"You know, I thought it had been a bit presumptuous of Grace to plan a celebratory party for after the trial today," Ana smiled. "But now I think a party is definitely in order."
"Everybody knew that Hyde and Elizabeth were going to be found guilty," Boyce pointed out as he and Sawyer slid in the car beside Ana and Christian. "I'm just glad the judge finally reached a verdict and didn't let the case drag out for another nine months."
"You can say that again," Christian said sardonically.
Once everyone was in the car, Taylor got in the driver's seat and began to navigate it down the road, slowly pulling through the crowds of reporters flooding the front of the courthouse. It took almost ten minutes for them to finally pull out into the street, but once they were in the clear, they headed straight for the Grey Estate in Bellevue.
~Several hours later~
"I'd like to propose a toast."
Carrick raised his glass of champagne in the air, and everybody else followed suit, smiling happily at one another. "To my dear son, Christian. He never gave up, even when the odds were stacked against him. Today he beat the justice system, exposed corruption in the Seattle Police Department, and put two dangerous murderous psychopaths in prison. Congratulations!"
The others all echoed "Congratulations" before taking a drink. Everybody currently stood outside on the back deck of the Grey Estate - it was a beautiful sunny day out today, so everyone could enjoy their delicious food and drinks out by the pool. Grace had truly come through with a professionally catered meal and an outdoor bar, and due to the wonderful news Christian and Ana had gotten today, they were all in a great mood as they chatted happily with one another.
"Grace, your home looks amazing," Ana complimented Grace, smiling at the beautiful layout of the estate's backyard. The pool and deck had just been remodeled and looked like something out of a hotel resort, with white patio furniture on a raised marble deck beside steps leading into the large rectangular pool with a cool swim-up bar right at the water's edge.
"Oh thank you dear," Grace smiled. "I'm glad you think so. The renovators took longer than expected for the backyard since we also decided to redesign the rec room too, but I'm glad they finished in time for the party."
"I was actually thinking we'd build a pool and deck for our new place, baby," Christian said, wrapping his arm around Ana's waist and smiling at her.
"I'd like that," Ana grinned back, looking thoughtful. "Were you thinking an indoor or outdoor pool?"
"Doesn't matter to me," Christian shrugged. "We could have one of each."
"That's a bit excessive," she giggled. "I know we bought twelve acres of land, but I want to make sure our house has the essential rooms first."
Ana hadn't anticipated moving in with Christian so soon in their relationship, but her living situation had changed quite suddenly a few months ago when Kate got a new journalism gig down in Portland and moved out before Ana could make other arrangements. Ana couldn't afford to pay rent by herself, so she took up Christian's offer to move in with him at Escala. Neither of them really wanted to stay there long-term, however - considering all the awful stuff that had happened in that apartment - so Christian suggested they have a fresh start and build a new house on Elliott Bay. Ana had initially hesitated to agree to such a commitment, feeling it was too much too soon, but eventually Christian was able to persuade her when he agreed to let her help him pay for the expenses. Since then, the two of them had had a great time planning out their future home together.
"So how's the new house coming?" Carrick now asked, walking up to stand beside Grace. "Has Elliot's crew broken ground yet?"
"Not yet. We're still technically in the design phase," Ana said. "We wanted to wait until after the trial to start building the foundation, and now we can start construction as soon as we finalize our design."
"Hopefully this time next year, we'll be living together in our brand new home," Christian smiled down at Ana, who smiled excitedly back.
"Yes, just you and me… and a Jack Russell terrier puppy named Pongo."
Everyone laughed. "We'll see," Christian joked, sounding skeptical. "Maybe we can get a fish tank."
"I'm so excited for you two," Grace smiled at them. "Building a house together is such an incredible experience! Although it is going to be a lot of time and work. Ana, are you going to take a leave of absence during the construction?"
"I don't think so," Ana shook her head. "Preston-Gates Publishing has been booming lately, and I've been taking on a lot more responsibilities. Every single day it feels like we're expanding our clientele."
While some people may have felt it was sad, Ana didn't feel bad at all that Seattle Independent Publishing had closed their doors forever. Ever since Jack and Elizabeth had been publicly arrested and brought up on murder charges, SIP struggled to stay afloat as they tried to disassociate themselves from those two. However, the pressure and negative media attention ended up being too much for the company, and SIP closed their doors about six months ago, leaving Ana and many others without a job. A couple of the senior-level editors decided to start a new publishing company representing the clients dropped by SIP, and about a dozen other former employees - Ana included - decided to join them in their venture. Ana was brought on as an actual editor this time, not just an assistant, and while it was scary being part of a new start-up, it also felt exciting and made her eager to prove herself.
"Ana's doing an amazing job at her new company," Christian smiled down at her. "I actually want GEH to invest in it, but Ana shoots me down every time I bring it up."
"You've only just re-established yourself as the CEO," Ana chastised. "I don't want the world to think you're using your newfound power and influence to grant favors to your girlfriend."
Everyone laughed as Christian rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Whatever you say, baby."
At that moment, Mia, who had been inside, stepped out onto the patio with a baking sheet of cookies in her hands. "Hey Ana, can you come inside and taste test some of these cookies for me?"
"Sure Mia," Ana smiled.
"Hey I want cookies!" Elliot piped up, but Carrick nudged him in his side, silencing him. "Oh um, yeah… uh… I'll try some later."
Ana was a bit confused by that interaction, but decided to ignore it as she followed Mia inside into the kitchen. Mia had apparently been trying out some new cookie recipes, including a peanut butter macaroon and a chocolate chip cookie with Snickers bar bits in it.
"Oh my God these are amazing, Mia," Ana moaned after biting into the chocolate chip Snickers cookie. "Seriously, you're gonna have to keep these away from me."
"Thanks Ana," Mia smiled. "I knew I couldn't go wrong with Snickers. Do you mind helping me plate them up before bringing them outside?"
Ana agreed, and the two of them each filled up a plate of cookies before carrying them back outside onto the deck where the others were.
What the hell?
Ana only took a few steps outside before coming to a stop, frowning in confusion. She had expected everyone to still be mingling, but instead they were all standing sentinel by the pool and facing Ana and Mia in a sort of semi-circle: Carrick, Grace, Taylor, Gail, Ray, Sawyer, Boyce, and Elliot were all silent as they stood there, hands folded in front of them and each of them fighting back smiles. As Ana stood there in confusion, Mia silently stepped toward Ana and took the plate of cookies out of her hands, setting them down on a nearby table before moving over to stand by Elliot.
"Guys? What's going on?" Ana asked, glancing at each of them.
Nobody said anything, but Ana saw movement from her left. She looked over and finally noticed Christian walking toward her, holding a beautiful bouquet of white roses.
Ana could only stare at Christian in shock as he walked forward and stood in front of her before handing her the bouquet. She silently accepted it, her heart pounding in her chest when she realized what was happening.
Oh my God…
"Ana," Christian said quietly, his eyes shining in sincerity as he slowly got down on one knee. Ana felt her eyes fill up with tears as she brought a hand up to cover her mouth. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long time, and now that the trial is finally over, I wanted to ask you the question I've been dying to ask since the day you agreed to be my girlfriend. Will you marry me?"
He reached into his breast pocket and produced a black velvet ring box, opening it to showcase a beautiful square-cut diamond ring. Tears slid down Ana's face when she saw it, and her heart thudded in her chest as she finally brought her hand away from her mouth.
"Yes of course," she sobbed, her smile threatening to break her face in two.
The others began to clap and cheer, and Elliot gave an appreciative whoop as Christian got to his feet. He slid the ring onto Ana's finger - a perfect fit.
"It's so beautiful," Ana cried, smiling down at it before looking back up at Christian. "I wasn't expecting this today."
"I promised myself I was going to propose to you the day Hyde's guilty verdict was read," Christian explained, taking Ana's hand with a loving smile. "And as it turned out, that day happened to be today. Are you happy?"
"I'm unbelievably happy," Ana grinned up at him. "And now we have two wonderful memories to commemorate this day. I love you so much, Christian."
"I love you too, baby."
Christian smiled again before leaning down and kissing Ana on the lips, and she kissed him back, still holding her beautiful flowers in one hand as her other hand went up to cup Christian's face. The others now congregated around the two lovebirds, cheering happily at the beautiful moment they had witnessed.
It was a perfect end to this perfect day, and one none of them would ever forget.
THE END
A/N: Thank you all so much for reading my story up until the very end :) If you enjoyed the epilogue, please leave a review!