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Chapter thirteen

Christian woke before Ana did and he had never seen a more appealing sight than he did when he rolled away from the covered windows and came face to face with Ana. Her mouth was opened and her chest was slowly rising and falling under the covers. Her hair looked like a birds nest on top of her head and over her forehead, but Christian thought she was beautiful, and very appealing, even more so with the fact she was sleeping in his bed.

He took a deep breath and he felt his morning erection harden further, which made him become even more aware of the fact that the front of Ana's body was snuggled close to his. Pulling the covers back, he slowly moved to the edge of the bed and shuffled out, making great effort to make sure Ana wasn't disturbed. When he was fully out of bed, he went to the bathroom to pee and brush his teeth. When he was finished he checked to make sure Ana was still sleeping before he left his bedroom and went to the kitchen.

He frowned when he saw boxes of cereal sitting on the counter, then he realized that Elsa must have woken up already and helped herself to food. He was smirking when he put the boxes back into the cabinets, feeling an odd pleasing feeling that Elsa was comfortable enough to go through his kitchen and get what she wanted. It meant that she was comfortable being in his apartment and comfortable being around him.

He was smiling by the time he remembered it was her birthday, and then started frowning. He would have liked to eat a home cooked breakfast together, but it seems his daughter had already found a way to appease her hunger.

He turned to head to the entertainment room assuming that's where she would be, even though he had yet to give her or Ana a tour of the place, but then he heard her laugh coming from the opposite direction. Frowning, he followed a muffled conversation that led to Taylor's office and slowly pushed the door open to peek inside. He about laughed out loud when he caught Elsa sitting in a leather chair in front of the security monitors with Taylor sitting in the chair next to her. Elsa had the bowl of cereal in one hand as she pointed with her other hand, laughing at something on the TV, her legs curled up under her in the chair. Christian noticed that she was wearing the pajamas and slippers she obviously found in the closet that he had Gail, who he liked to call his house manager, bought and put away.

"Oh no, did you see that!" He heard Elsa say, laughing in between bites of food. "That cat slapped him in the face!"

The sound of her laughter made him smile and he was unconsciously pulled further into the room. Elsa and Taylor both looked up at him surprised, then both changed their expressions once they realized Christian was staring at them. Elsa grinned at him, putting her feet back on the floor, while Taylor looked nervous and uncertain. Christian gazed at both of them, and smiled before walking around the chair placed behind the panel of monitors to see what they were watching.

"It's funny videos that come in the morning. It's the cat edition," Elsa told him as she put another spoonful of cereal in her mouth.

"Hmm, funny," Christian said, not really interested. He looked down at Elsa and caught her staring up at him. She grinned at him when she realized she got caught. "What?" he asked, amused.

She shrugged, resting the bowl on her lap. "It's just weird."

Christian tilted his head to the side. "What's weird?"

"Looking at my father in the flesh."

Christian blinked and frowned, but didn't respond. He wasn't sure what to say, but the feeling he got wasn't one he enjoyed feeling. Shaking it off, he tried to think positive and find a way to bond with her.

"How about we head back into the kitchen and we'll make a nice breakfast? Or maybe I can get Gail to make you birthday pancakes?"

He loved the way her eyes lit up when he mentioned pancakes. "Ooo, yeah! That sounds so good." She stood up with her bowl in hand and began walking out of the room. She suddenly stopped and turned to look at Taylor, her grin still wide. "Thanks for keeping me company, Mr. JT." She giggled as she walked out of the room.

Christian looked at Taylor with a curious expression, watching as he straightened his tie and cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Mr. JT?" Christian asked.

"I've been told my initials are the same as Justin Timberlake's, sir."

Christian stared at him for a moment and then held his back in laughter. "That girl is something else, isn't she?" Christian commented shaking his head. "You'll need to add another security detail to the team. Elsa seems to be a little . . ." Christian paused as he tried to find the right word.

"Rambunctious?" Taylor supplied.

"That of many things," Christian replied. He was still shaking his head as he began walking out of the room. "Thanks, Taylor," he added before leaving the room completely.

Christian didn't hear his response if he gave one, he was too busy staring at Ana as she talked to their daughter. Ana was saying something to Elsa, pushing Elsa's long hair over her shoulder when she happened to look up and find Christian gazing at her from across the room. Christian walked closer to his girls and stopped when he stood about a foot away.

He glanced at Elsa before he said to Ana, "I just offered to have Gail make us pancakes," he murmured, staring at Ana as she stood in his shirt but stole one of his boxer briefs. A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He liked the way she looked in his clothes, and then suddenly thought how good she would look out of them too.

He was pulled back to attention when Ana said, "I know, Elsa was just telling me about this amazing birthday breakfast, though she didn't expound on who this Gail person was. Do you have a cook?"

Christian lazily shrugged his shoulders and walked around the island. "She's more of a house manager than anything else. She typically cooks, cleans, does laundry, and most recently helped design and purchase things for a certain somebody's room," Christian stated, winking at Elsa before he pulled down a frying pan hanging from above the countertop stove. "Ahh, speak of the devil."

Ana followed Christian's gaze to a woman with strawberry blonde hair pulled into a bun. She was wearing a gray pencil skirt and an ivory silk blouse, her legs and feet clad in dark gray stockings and sensible black kitten heels. Ana stared at the woman, studying her features and concluding she was actually an attractive woman. She placed her age around mid to late forties and looked in good health with a lean frame. For a moment Ana felt threatened that she'd have to compete with this woman for Christian's attention, but when she saw the friendly way Christian and Gail exchanged smiles, she felt foolish for feeling insecure.

Gail turned her attention to Ana and Elsa, just as Christian said, "Gail I'd like you to meet Anastasia Steele and Elsa Grey. Ana, Elsa, this is Gail Jones. She's the reason this place looks as good as it does."

Gail rolled her eyes and laughed, flicking her hand at Christian flippantly before turning to Ana and Elsa. "It's so lovely to finally meet you both. I've heard such amazing things about you two," Gail gushed, shaking both of their hands.

"The pleasures ours," Ana replied, smiling at the woman. Ana thought she seemed nice enough, though she wasn't sure how she really felt about her.

Gail turned her attention to Elsa, a large grin on her face. "Your father has talked non-stop about you, it makes for a nice change other than hearing about his business." Gail winked at Christian. "How did you like your room? Mr. Grey solicited my help in determining if the interior would be to your liking, Miss Grey."

Elsa gaped at the woman with wide eyes. "Miss Grey?" she asked, her tone sounding amused. "I don't think anyone has ever called me that before."

Ana rolled her eyes at her daughter, then turned to Gail. "Please, feel free to call us Ana and Elsa."

Gail smiled at them. "As you wish." She looked back to Christian. "Did I hear something about pancakes?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Yes," Elsa injected. "We talked about making birthday pancakes."

Christian suddenly froze at Elsa's comment. In that moment he had just realized that he had never heard Elsa refer to him as 'dad' or even by his first name. He pondered on the reason why, but he came up blank. He didn't know whether to approach Elsa with the issue or mention it to Ana to find out why she won't refer to him as anything other than a pronoun. And he wasn't really certain if he should be bothered by the thought or not.

"I assume it's your birthday then?" Gail asked Elsa, bringing Christian back into reality.

"It is! I'm fifteen today." Elsa was bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement.

Gail chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Well then I guess these pancakes have to be extra special then, won't they? After all you only turn fifteen once."

Elsa followed Gail further into the kitchen, practically hanging onto her every word. "But you only turn every age once," Elsa commented.

Gail began pulling things from the refrigerator. "That's right, but fifteen is special."

"Why?" Elsa asked.

Gail looked down at her with affection in her eyes. Christian wasn't even surprised Gail adored Elsa after so very little time. "Well, it's the last year of true childhood before some grown up responsibilities pile up."

Christian and Ana exchanged looks as Gail went into detail of all the things that Elsa would have to start worrying about once she turned sixteen, the biggest responsibility being a car. Christian smirked at Ana as he motioned to come closer. When she was standing next to him at the threshold of the kitchen, they both looked back to see Gail and Elsa occupied with making breakfast and their conversation. Christian chuckled as he led Ana back to his room. He closed the door when they were both inside.

"Well that didn't take very long," Christian commented.

"What didn't take long?" Ana asked.

"Elsa wrapping Taylor and Gail around her finger."

Ana laughed and nodded. "Yeah, she has a way of making people fall in love with her in a matter of minutes."

Christian stepped closer. "Another thing she has in common with her mother."

She looked up at him, her eyes turning a darker blue. "What?"

"Don't act so shocked, Ana. You know you had me wrapped around your finger the moment I met you." Christian came even closer to her until he was standing only an inch away. He curled his arms around her waist and pulled her body against him, making her gasp low. He leaned down and rubbed his nose against hers before he placed his lips gently against hers. He pulled back and smiled down at her. "Good morning."

Ana practically melted in his arms, loving the way his hands rubbed up and down her back. She smiled back up at him. "Morning," she breathed.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked.

"With you next to me?" She was looking up at him like the idea was outrageous, but then broke into a grin when he raised a brow at her. She laughed. "I slept amazing."

He grinned down at her. "Me too. I actually slept better than I had in a very long time."

She battered her eyelashes at him. "Why do you think that was?"

She started giggling when he gave her a funny look. Christian wrapped his arms tighter around her. "Oh, how I missed that wonderful sound."

"What sound?"

"Your giggle."

Ana slowly pulled back and peered into his eyes. "What else did you miss?" she asked quietly.

Christian continued to run his hands up and down Ana's back. "Hmm, I don't know. There's too many things to name." He smiled down at her with adoration.

Ana rolled her eyes and smirked at him. "What did you miss the most?"

Christian sighed and looked above her head as he thought about his answer. His eyes slowly moved back down to her and his eyes roamed over her face, taking in each curve, angle and edge of her face.

"What I missed the most? I think it's going to have to be those beautiful eyes of yours. I've dreamed about them, and I've seen many women with blue eyes, but none of them compared to yours. They're this shade that I can't describe, but I feel drawn into them. I feel like I can get lost in them forever and be the happiest man."

They gazed at each other, unspoken words passing through their eyes.

Ana was unconsciously gripping his shirt as she stared at his lips in desire. "I think I missed your lips the most," she breathed, reaching up to brush her fingertips against his bottom lip. "I missed the words that rolled past them. I missed the way the stretched into that beautiful smile of yours. I missed the way the made me feel as they brushed against my skin. The way they brushed against my lips and made me weak in the knees. I missed . . . I missed . . ." Ana's words caught in her throat as Christian leaned down and pressed his mouth against hers. She was pushed backward at the force of Christian's assault, but regained her balance as she wrapped her arms around his neck and Christian tightened his arms around her waist.

Christian probed at Ana's lips with her tongue, and she opened her mouth without resistance. She moaned into his mouth as his tongue rubbed against hers. The sound seemed to jumpstart Christian's libido and he became a starving man, wanting to drink every last drop of water offered. Lifting Ana's feet off the ground, he carried her over to the bed and rested his hips in between his legs as he continued to ravage her mouth. Ana moaned loud against his mouth when he began grinding his erection against her.

"You gotta be quiet, baby," Christian breathed against her neck, sticking out his tongue to lick the pulsing artery against her skin.

Ana moaned again and writhed under him. "Please, Christian. It's been too long, I want you so bad." She grabbed his face and pulled his lips down onto hers. She stuck her tongue deep into his mouth to taste all of him as she raised her hips to grind with his.

Christian rested his arms on either side above her head as he thrusted his pelvis just at the right angle in between her thighs. Ana held her head back in pleasure, her eyes closed tight as if she was in pain and let out a mangled moan sound in the back of her throat.

"Again," she breathed.

Christian did it again and again, feeling beads of sweat dot his back and forehead as he enjoyed the sight below him. He groaned low when he felt as if he was going to burst at the seams, but Ana distracted him when she suddenly sat up, pulled her clothes off faster than he had ever seen anyone remove clothes, and then reached out to remove his. He caught her hands as she reached for his pajama bottoms.

"Whoa, Ana, maybe we should slow down," he panted.

She shook her head, a desperate gleam in her dark blue eyes. "No. I want you right now." She looked up at him from under her lashes, her face flushed with her desire. "I can feel myself clenching in anticipation for you. I'm craving you," she whispered, grabbing his erection through his pants and squeezing tight.

The moment she touched him all his control deserted him. He pulled down his pants and removed his shirt, and laid his body on top of hers. He kissed all around her face, down her neck and chest. He pulled one nipple into his mouth as one of his hands gently squeezed her other breast. He couldn't resist letting his hand run down her body and letting two fingers to sink into her, feeling the heat and moisture beckoning him to dive in. He groaned in pleasure and anticipation as he pulled his fingers out and then pushed them back in. When Ana dug her fingernails into his shoulders he knew he couldn't wait any longer.

Unlatching his mouth from her breast, he leaned over her, pulled her legs up and lined himself at her entrance. He had just pushed his head inside when a pounding sounded from the other side of the door.

"Breakfast is ready!" They heard Elsa call from the other side of the door. There was a short pause before she added, "By the way, I didn't ask for a baby brother or sister as a birthday present!"

Christian moaned and reluctantly pulled out of Ana, letting his head fall in between her neck and shoulder as he supported his body weight on his hands.

"We will never be able to find the time to make any more babies with the girl constantly cock-blocking me," Christian groaned.

He heard Ana giggle under him, and leaned up to look at her. When she really started laughing, he couldn't help but laugh too, though he was silently dying inside.

After they both calmed down and Christian rolled onto his back, throwing his arm over his eyes, Ana sat up and brought her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and brushing her hair away from her face. She sighed and looked across the room, not really seeing what she was looking at. "Maybe it's for the best."

Christian lifted his arm away from his face and looked up at her. "What?"

Ana sighed again and lay next to him, turning on her side to face him. Christian followed suit, staring into her eyes as she stared back at him. "I just think that it would be best if we just—"

Ana stopped talking when Christian put his finger over her mouth. "Ana, I understand why you think we should take this slow, and I respect that. And I agree that Elsa needs stability and consistency, but how much longer do you think we have to wait, I mean we both want each other. Why prolong the agony? It's not like I'm asking you to marry me or I have the intentions of getting you pregnant right now or that I'm even asking you to move in with me. I just want to share how much you mean to me." He leaned down and gently brushed his lips over hers. "I love you, Anastasia Steele," he whispered against her mouth. "I don't think I ever stopped loving you."

Ana took a deep breath as she stared into sincere, silver-gray eyes. Her lips parted just before she lunged herself at Christian, pulling his face against hers with her hands clasped on either side of his face and meshing their lips together. Ana opened her mouth wider to allow Christian's tongue entrance just as she moved closer to him, pushing Christian onto his back against the bed and straddling him, never removing her lips from his. He ran his hands up and down her spine; one hand settled on one of her ass cheeks and gently squeezed it, making Ana elicit a moan of pleasure. The sound forced Christian back into reality and he opened his eyes, breaking his mouth away from Ana's.

Panting, he said, "We should stop now, Ana, before I lose all control. And I can guarantee if that happens I probably won't stop until tonight."

Ana raised a brow as a smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth. "Till tonight, huh? Wow, you must have a lot more stamina than I remember," she said trying to keep a straight face before breaking out into a fit of giggles.

Christian chuckled as he sat up and gave Ana a hooded look. "Oh, trust me, baby. There's a lot of things you probably don't remember." He removed her from his lap and stood up, completely naked, and then leaned down, placing his arms on either side of her thighs. "And I'm going to have a hell of a time reminding you." He smirked at her dumb-struck look, giving her a quick chaste kiss before heading to his closet.

Ana sat on his bed seeming speechless when Christian came back with dark blue jeans and a white t-shirt slung over his arm; he had already on a clean pair of underwear. He laughed when he saw Ana's expression. "Baby, you should probably get dressed and wipe that lost look off your face before our daughter busts in her finding you dazed and naked on my bed."

Ana focused on him and then rolled her eyes, stood up and grabbed their discarded clothes off the floor as she muttered unintelligible things under her breath. Christian only chuckled at her as he watched her move in circles as she looked around the room, assuming she wasn't really even sure what she was looking for.

"Where should I put these?" Ana asked holding up the clothes she and Christian wore to bed. "And I don't have any clothes to wear," she said, almost in a panic.

Christian walked over to her, taking the dirty clothes out of her hands. "I'll take care of these, you should be able to find something in the closet," he said, nodding his head toward the closet doors as he headed to the bathroom.

Ana watched as Christian disappeared into the en suite then turned on her heel and went to the closet. She silently thought about what Christian had told her. She hadn't thought about loving another man since she last saw Christian. Of course she had had a few flings with men during the time she and Christian were apart, but she didn't love any of them. And she wasn't really sure how to feel about Christian still loving her, and she wasn't sure if she still loved him. During the time she was pregnant with Elsa and she was all alone and felt abandoned by Christian and the Grey's, she didn't know if she still felt the same way about him. Of course she still had affection for Christian for the bond they shared and the child they created, but she didn't know how to feel about him at the moment. Other than lust and desire she hadn't considered if she still loved him or not.

And as she opened the closet doors and stepped in she hadn't considered that she would see a section of Christian's closet full of women's clothes. And all in her size. She stared at them for a full minute before stepping out of the closet and closing the doors. Did Christian buy those clothes specifically for her, or were they another's woman's clothes who happened to be the same size that he just kept? She didn't know which scenario offended her more, or which was more realistic. No man had ever given her a full wardrobe of clothes before.

"Something the matter, baby?" Christian asked from behind her.

Ana turned and looked at him, brows furrowed and gestured to the closet. "Soo, um, those clothes in there? The women's clothes?"

When she hesitated Christian took a step closer to her and reached out to hold her around the waist. "Yeah?"

She looked up at him with narrowed eyes. "Did you buy those for me? Or were they an ex-girlfriends?"

Christian took a step back away from her and scowled down at her. "You think I'd give you another woman's clothes?"

Ana blinked up at him. "Well, I mean, I didn't expect you to buy me clothes either. I didn't ask for them."

"I know you didn't, but I thought it would be nice if you'd have clothes here if you ever wanted to spend the night. Elsa has a full closet of clothes too."

Ana sighed and ran her hands through her hair. "Christian . . ."

"Ana, come sit down for a minute," Christian said, guiding her to the edge of his bed. After she sat down he crouched down in between her legs and held her hands in his. "You know I respect everything you've done, and I respect your position as the mother of our daughter, but, baby, you need to understand that I have a lot of money and I am going to spend it on you guys. Not in a lavish way, buying things you don't necessarily need, but I just want to provide for you guys in every way I can. And I want you to let me, okay? I admit I may have been a little hasty with my purchases, but next time I'll let you know, alright? I promise."

Ana sighed softly and looked down at their joined hands, rubbing her thumb gently over the back of his hand. Maybe she did make a big deal about the clothes, but she didn't want to drift too far from the person she was before Christian came back into her life. She wanted Elsa to grow up with the same morals she did, and she didn't want Christian's wealth to lead her down a path so many have fallen from. Though, she did think that now Christian was here, she would have to compromise, and neither of them could change the fact he had amassed a fortune. If he wanted to spend a little money on them every once in a while because it made him happy, she didn't think she could really deny him. And he did say that he would ask next time.

She looked back up at him with a small smile. "I guess I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

Christian smiled at her and kissed the back of her hand. "Of course you do. On some things." He winked and then laughed as he stood up and pulled her up closer to him. Wrapping his arms around her waist he pulled her close up against his chest and looked down at her, squinting his eyes in confusion after a moment. "Did you really think I would give you another woman's clothes to wear?"

Ana looked away apologetically. "I'm sorry, Christian. I think seeing all of those clothes overwhelmed me a little. And it was completely unexpected. Will you forgive me?" she asked, looking up at him with wide, contrite eyes.

He gazed down at her for a moment, his face blank, then broke out into a grin and gave her a swift kiss on her lips. "Of course I forgive you. Though, I just realized that we still have yet to learn a lot about each other."

"Yeah, I think you may be right," Ana agreed.

"Yeah . . .Anyway you should get dressed before Elsa comes banging on the door again."

Ana laughed as she made her way over to the closet again. "That wouldn't surprise me. She can be a handful at times," she said as she pulled the closet doors open and began looking for an outfit to wear. "Thank you for this, by the way, even though you didn't have to do it."

Christian came up behind her and watched as she scanned through the outfits hanging on the right side of the closet. "No problem, baby. I like that blue dress." He pointed to a knee length strapless baby blue dress.

Ana took it off the rack and held it up, then reached out and grabbed a light gray cardigan. She turned around and looked at Christian's expression for his approval. He smiled down at her and kissed her on the forehead.

"Looks great, but then again you'd look good in anything." He grinned down at her and kissed her on the mouth. "I'll let you get dressed and meet you out in the living room." With one last kiss on her mouth, Christian turned and left the room, leaving Ana to get ready for the day.

When Ana stepped out of Christian's room, she saw him and Elsa sitting at the breakfast bar; Christian was eating pancakes while Elsa stared up at him in adoration. Ana's heart melted at the sight and she began to wonder that even after all of the time that had passed and all the things she had to do without Christian by her side, if she really ever stopped loving him either. She took a deep breath and put the thought aside for the moment as she approached the duo.

"Mmm, the pancakes smell wonderful. Are those sprinkles in them?" Ana asked taking the seat on the right side of Christian since Elsa was on his left.

"Yes, they're confetti sprinkles Ms. G let me add. She said since it was my birthday I could have whipped cream on mine too."

Ana laughed. "And I take it you covered your pancakes completely in whipped cream and extra confetti sprinkles?"

"I plead the fifth," Elsa replied with a smirk.

Ana and Christian both laughed, and Elsa giggled along with them. "You know, you can't say you plead the fifth while smirking like that. It just makes you seem even guiltier," Christian told her. Elsa only shrugged and took another drink of her orange juice.

"So, what are we doing today?" Elsa asked. "Are we going back to grandma's house?"

Ana raised her brow at her daughter. "Did you want to go back home?"

Elsa shook her head. "No, I meant Grandma Grey, not Grandma Steele. You know, I should really come up with a nickname to keep the two apart. It might get a little confusing. How about for Grandma Grey I call her GG and your mom, Mom, I call grandma like I always have. And for grandpa, um I can call him . . ."

Ana looked over at Christian as Elsa continued going on about what she should call her grandparents, and she caught the way Christian tensed up at the mention of his parents. She knew he was still upset about the lie his sister kept from all of them, and she did understand why he was so upset, but she didn't want that to keep them apart. If Ana learned on thing about having a baby so young it was that family was very important, and even though it can be difficult to forgive them when you're angry at them, there was no way to avoid them forever. And Ana felt the sooner Christian could let go of his anger, the faster they could all move on and enjoy their time together.

"Ellie, babe," Ana cut off her daughter as she continued to ramble on, "I think I saw a game room down the hall with all sorts of things your father bought you. Why don't you go see what they are?"

Elsa's eyes lit up and went wide as she grinned. "For real? Ohhhh, is there Call of Duty? And Grand Theft Auto?"

Christian smiled at her excitement. "Why don't you go and find out."

Elsa squealed as she jumped off the bar stool, hugged Christian and ran down the hall, almost tripping over her own feet. Christian laughed as he looked over at Ana.

"What's a Grand Theft Auto?" Ana asked.

Christian chuckled. "A game you definitely wouldn't let her be playing if you knew what it was."

Ana frowned and scrunched up her nose. "Is it really that bad?"

He rolled his eyes. "You know the good games don't really hold their attention for too long, though I don't know if that's a good or bad thing." He took a sip of water.

"Hmm." Ana hummed, trying to figure out a way to approach Christian with the topic she wanted to discuss. "So, I'm sure your mother would like to see Elsa again, as well as—"

"No," Christian muttered, cutting her off.

"Christian, don't you think—"

"No, I don't think I'm being dramatic about this," he growled standing up and taking both of their plates to the sink. Once he settled them both rather roughly into the sink, he stared out the window, suddenly quiet and pensive. Ana sighed and pursed her lips, wondering how she can get him to see it from a different point of view. "You have no idea how it feels to be betrayed by someone who you thought would never hurt you. I mean, it never crossed my mind that Mia could be so vindictive and manipulative at such a young age."

He slowly turned around, his arms across his chest as he leaned his back against the counter and gazed at Ana. She slowly stood up and walked over to him, mimicking his stance as she faced him.

"You're right I have no idea what it's like to be betrayed like that, but I do know what it feels like to be alone and scared, with who I thought was my family abandoning me on the other side of the world."

"And that's the exact reason why I have no desire to go and see any of those people. They're the reason I missed so much of my daughter's life. They're the reason we're not married with three or four other little kids with a big house overlooking Puget Sound. I don't understand how you're so blasé about this, Ana. If it wasn't for them, our lives would be different right now."

Ana tilted her head and took a step closer to Christian, placing her hands on his folded forearms. "Christian, I really get why you're so angry, but you can't blame your entire family for Mia's mistake. And you can't keep holding a grudge over Mia's head for the rest of your life, either. I'm not saying you have to forgive her right now, but keep in mind that she did what she did because she loved you so much and just wanted to spend more time with you."

He stared down at her, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face after a few moments. "Why aren't you at all angry about this?" Christian asked softly. "Why are you so forgiving of her behavior? She's the reason you felt abandoned and alone. How can you just say it's in the past and move on so freely?"

"Because that's exactly what it is. In the past. None of us can go back and change it. We just have to deal with it, and I'd rather get it dealt and over with sooner rather than later. I spent a lot of time being angry with all of you in the first few years after Elsa was born, but as she got older I realized it was a waste of my time. I needed to just focus on her. Nothing was going to change the fact that I was a teenage single mother, no words could turn back time." She looked up at Christian with clear blue eyes, with a depth of wisdom few other women her age would have. Running her hand down the side of his face, over his stubble and his bottom lip, she whispered, "I just want to be happy. And I want the same for you and our family."

Christian pulled Ana into his arms, surprising her as he wrapped her in a tight grip. She smiled after a moment, loving the feel of his warmth melting into her skin and warming her from the inside out.

"I didn't know how I got so lucky the first day I met you all those years ago, and I'm just as lucky now that I have you back in my life." He looked at her with pure adoration and respect. "I don't think I have ever met a woman so intelligent, honorable or compassionate in my entire my life. Anastasia Steele, I love you."

Before Ana even had the time to think, Christian leaned down and glued his lips to hers, pushing her mouth open with his thumb on her chin and sliding his tongue in through her teeth. Ana all but melted at the sensation of having him so close and she had to hang on tightly to his shoulders to stay upright, otherwise she'd fall to the ground, her knees feeling like jelly.

When they pulled apart, Ana looked into Christian's eyes, and she thought back to how she used to look at him fifteen years prior. She smiled softly at him, and within that moment she realized deep down that things really had changed for her. Before Elsa's and Christian's accidental meeting, Ana wasn't sure how she would feel at seeing Christian again after so long. Would she feel angry? Sad? Betrayed? And then when she saw him in his office, the only thing she really felt was pure happiness. He was her happiness all of those years ago. He was her love. Though she still did love him, it was different. It evolved into something deeper than that. And she knew deep within her heart Christian Grey was the only man she could really ever love.

With a grin and sparkling blue eyes, Ana stared up at Christian and whispered, "I love you, too, Christian Grey."

Guys, I just want to take a sincere moment and thank you all for the prayers, support and extremely kind words. It's the worst kind of pain watching someone you've known your entire life slowly die before your eyes, but with the support of friends and family, it's just a little bit more tolerable saying good bye.

You guys are such thoughtful, considerate readers that I thought the best way to show my gratitude was to update. Now mind you, I think with my brain a little cloudy it might not be the best but I'm slowly getting my mojo back.

Either way I hope you guys enjoyed this, and if not I'm sorry. Hopefully by next chapter I'll get back into the flow.

Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. You guys keep me updating!