Ana
„You love bath time, right baby girl, but now it's time to get you in your jammies so you can go night night." I tell my little darling who is not happy when I lift her out of the tub.
Just when I have managed to put her to bed and read her story Gail comes in.
„Ana, Kate is here to see you, I didn't let her in because she seems to be in an aggressive mood."
„Great... can you read the story to Arielle, I will see her outside." I mutter, kiss my daughter and leave the nursery while sending a quick text to Luke to meet me outside. I don't want Kate in my house and if she starts to make a spectacle I'll have him remove her from my property.
Outside, I find Kate pacing and when she sees me she points her finger at me.
„You just couldn't keep your fucking mouth shut!" She yells at me.
„Keep it down, Kate!" I snap back.
„No, you just had to run to your fucking Christian and spill your spineless guts to him. Why couldn't you just for once not run to him?"
„Because I'm not keeping secrets from him and because I needed to talk to someone. I would have asked my best friend for advise, but that for reasons I cannot grasp right now is you."
„Well, I hope you are happy to hear that Elliot left me, right now he is probably talking to Carrick figuring out a way to get a divorce without paying me anything! And it's all your fault." Kate all but screams at me, and I already regret not letting her in, because by now I'm sure the entire neighborhood can hear her, but I'm also done taking any crap from her.
„My fault, oh no, you did this all to yourself. No one has ever forced you to treat your husband like shit or just use him as a fucking cash cow!" I hiss at her, I'm so fucking pissed right now, I feel my heart racing.
„Ana is everything alright." Luke who has joint us asks and I can tell by his tone that he wants Kate to leave.
„Oh fuck off big guy, she doesn't need a babysitter." Kate snaps.
„It's fine Luke, Kate is leaving soon, just stay here. And you Kate should just stop. Go home, I don't want you here, I do not want or need anymore drama in my life."
„Yeah right, all you care about is to get back on moneybags dick so you can live your happy little boring life."
„You know what, I'm done talking about this. I'm trying to work things out with Christian, because I love him, I don't care for his money, his company or anything material, I care about him as a person, because had you ever taken the time to get to know him you would have seen that he is worth fighting for. But hell, you by some miracle managed to get yourself an amazing, loving, funny, caring and hard-working man and you treated him like actual dirt anyway, because the only person you have ever cared about is yourself."
„You ungrateful cunt! I allowed you to stay at my place when literally no one was talking to you except for that closeted fa..."
„Enough! If you say that word in my presence, we are going to have a problem Kate!" I hiss at this point I'm sure I have steam coming from my ears.
„God, don't be such a little saint it's disgusting..."
„Mrs. Grey, you need to leave." Luke, who also seems to have had enough says and she just laughs in his face.
„Fuck you, there is nothing you can do and we both know it."
„He is right, Kate... you need to leave, I don't want you here because frankly, seeing you behave this way makes me questions if the entire time we have known each other you just played a part to use me."
„Well, I couldn't afford a maid, but a stupid wallflower who cleans and cooks was perfect." She says and I turn around to go back inside.
„Yeah, just walk away bitch, I wish you would have broken your neck when I pushed you down the stairs." She yells and I spin around, I must have misunderstood what she just said, because if not I'm going to murder her.
„What did you just say?" I ask horrified.
„I knew he would come back to see the child and you would get back together, so when I saw you at the top of the stairs getting dizzy I took my chance, after all there was nothing for him to come back to with you and the little shit gone." She says and I lose it. She pushed me, she tried to murder me and my unborn child... she robbed me of holding my child after she was born, robbed me of the first weeks of her life... and that's it, with a scream I launch myself at her so we both hit the ground and I start pounding at her.
Luke
Fucking hell, Kate Grey just admitted that she tried to murder Ana. For a second I'm too shocked to react, so I miss Ana jumping Kate like a fucking bangee and then she is beating the actual fucking hell out of a screaming Kate. For about twenty seconds I just watch, allowing Ana to get it out of her system, but Gail screaming at me to stop her brings me back to the reality, so I try to grab Ana, but she is surprisingly strong and just when I have finally managed to pull her off the bloody mess that is Kate Grey the cops pull up in the driveway.
They look from Kate to me holding Ana back to her bloody knuckles and step up to Ana.
„Ma'am put your hands behind your back."
„Wait, this woman just admitted to the attempted murder of her." I jump in, but they are not listening and instead arrest Ana and call an ambulance for Kate who looks to have a broken nose and is missing a couple of teeth.
„Sir, please, this woman needs to be arrested, she just admitted that she pushed my boss down the stairs while she was nine months pregnant in an attempt to murder her." I say to the other cop and he finally starts to write things down.
When they have left I immediately call Taylor, he is going to love this... what a fucking mess.
„Luke, everything alright?" He asks and I fill him in, while I get into my car to drive to the precinct, while Gail is staying with Arielle.
About five minutes after my arrival I see Christian Grey charge towards me and he grabs me by the collar of my shirt.
„How the fuck could you let this happen?"
„I apologize, Sir... it took me about a minute to break up the fight, but the neighbors must have called the cops while Ana and Mrs. Grey were still arguing in the driveway.
„Fuck... where is Kate?" He asks and I see Taylor shaking his head behind Mr. Grey to tell me not to say it.
„I don't know to which ER she was taken, Sir, but Police is watching her."
„The fucking better be." He snaps.
„Christian, I want you to wait here while I go inside to bail Ana out." Grey's father says, which seems to piss Grey off even more.
„No!"
„Christian, you are too angry to go inside, you'll just make this worse, let me handle this. I have enough favors to cash in to make this go away, but I can't have you barge in there and make this situation even worse. Now, stay here." Carrick Grey says in a tone that makes it clear he is not to be argued with.
„Sir, the media has gotten wind of Ana getting arrested." Taylor lets Grey know.
„Fucking shit..." Grey hisses and is on the phone with Welsh within five seconds, yelling at him to shut this down immediately.
For the next hour Grey in pacing in front of the precinct and then finally the door opens and out comes Grey senior with Ana who looks visibly embarrassed, but Grey just runs up to her, lifts her in his arms and just holds her in his arms.
Ana
I have never been in a fight in all of my life and I also have never been this ashamed in all of my life. Did Kate deserve a good beating? Hell yes, but this is not me, I have never done anything like this and I was never this embarrassed by my own behavior ever.
As I walk out of the precinct I pray that the media isn't there, but to my great relief, it's just Christian, Taylor, and Luke and before I can do or say anything I'm in Christian's arms and that is enough to turn me into a sobbing mess. I had no idea just how much I missed being held by him until I was back in his arms and that along with the day I had is just too much.
„Hey... it's ok, I won't allow for you to get into trouble over this." Christian whispers into my ear.
„I don't care... I just missed you holding me in your arms so much." I admit and feel his smile against my ear.
„Me too." He says, but after a few more precious moments Carrick clears his throat and I swear I hear Christian actually growl.
„I'm sorry to ruin the moment, but we should be leaving. Ana, I would like for you to stay at Bellevue tonight, Gail is already there with Arielle, I might need to talk to you early or we have to meet with some friends of mine to cash in so favors to make this go away."
„Thank you, Carrick." I say quietly.
„You're welcome, now let's leave, it has been a long and frankly exhausting day." He says and so I get into the car with Christian, Carrick, and Taylor while Luke is driving back to my house.
At Bellevue Grace comes rushing outside as soon as we arrive.
„Are you hurt? Did they treat you alright?" She asks me.
„I'm fine, Grace... where is Arielle?"
„She is sleeping in Christian's room. I put one of my pajamas in the guest room for you."
„Thank you." I say and we walk towards the house, but as I walk up the stairs I catch sight of Elliot, who is sitting on the bench by the garage in the dark.
„I'll be there in a minute." I murmur and Christian follows my gaze and nods.
Slowly I walk up to Elliot and sit next to him.
„Looks like we both had a pretty shitty day." I say unsure of what to do.
„Yeah, pretty fucking shitty." He snorts.
„You know, I know this might not help you in any way, but she fooled me too... I really thought she was my friend. Just to think of how often I've defended her when Christian was telling me she is not a good friend to me... it's ridiculous."
„I wonder how he knew... he saw right through her." Elliot says and suddenly it's obvious to me.
„Subconsciously, she must have reminded him of Elena... and Christian always seems to have been good in reading people... probably because of his childhood and what Elena did to him." I murmur sad to think of all the things Christian had to go through.
„Maybe... fuck, I feel so bad, Ana... You know when I proposed to Kate, I thought she would change and then when I realized she wasn't changing... or at least not in the way I thought she would... I just held on to hope... I could have prevented this to happen, had I just opened my eyes years ago." He says sadly.
„Elliot, none of this is your fault. Kate was born with a sense of entitlement, she never had to do anything, she was handed all she ever desired on a silver platter by her parents. I remember when she turned twenty her parents gave her a Mercedes sportscar... and she didn't talk to them for a month because it was the wrong color, so instead of cutting her off or letting her know she is way out of line, they got her a new car in the right color. She has always gotten exactly what she wanted and then she wanted Christian and not getting him has driven her to be bitter, hateful and maybe even insane."
„I'm scared... I can't tell my parents or siblings... because I feel like I have to be strong now... but I'm scared shitless. Kate will go to jail, and I'm going to be a single Dad of three kids... what if they turn out like her... what if I'm not around enough..."
„Elliot, we are all here, you are not alone in this and I have no doubt that you will raise those three little angels into wonderful human beings. They might get some of Kate's traits, but she isn't all evil. There is nothing wrong with being strong-willed and tenacious if you learn how to be polite and kind at the same time. And when the time comes and they are older you can explain to them what happened to their mother... plus, I have a feeling you won't be alone for long... you are a great guy, so you'll find your forever sooner rather than later."
„I don't know about that... I mean, who would want a guy with three kids?"
„A woman who is just as kind, loving and caring as said guy. Now, it's getting late, how about we go inside, all have a drink to calm down and go to bed... because frankly, I cannot wait for this day to be over."
Inside Carrick tells me that Christian is already upstairs checking on Arielle, so we have a quick drink and I head upstairs to the guest room, have a shower and put the pajama on that Grace has given me, which looks hideous and is scratchy as hell. Still, I braid my wet hair and head to Christian's room to kiss Arielle goodnight before I go to bed.
When I knock he opens the door dressed in pajama pants and a t-shirt and looks at me with a smirk.
„Nice pj's."
„Don't laugh at me, they are hideous and itchy." I pout and walk to the crib where Arielle is sleeping peacefully.
„Sometimes all I want is to be this young again... without a care in the world." I muse and kiss her soft cheek, careful not to wake her.
„Sounds ideal... but then again, being grown up has its perks too." He says after a moment and we watch our daughter together.
„I'll contemplate that tomorrow... today I can't find anything appealing about being an adult."
„About tomorrow, I think it's best we push the dinner with Taylor and Gail to this weekend instead of tomorrow evening."
„Yes, that's a good idea, I'm not in the mood to do anything... Christian, do you think I'm naive when it comes to the people I allow into my life?" I ask.
„Years ago, I would have said yes, but now, no, you are not naive... you want to see the good in people, believe that their intentions are pure and sometimes that is just not the case."
„Is that why you always warned me about Kate?"
„Yes, I didn't like the influence she had on you, she always seemed to want to get you into trouble and a true friend doesn't do that. To be very honest though, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought she would try to actually harm you... I thought she was just trying to push my buttons. I just wish I would have seen..."
„No, don't even go there, this is in no way your fault." I interrupt him quickly, he has a way of spinning things around in his head so he ends up being the one responsible for someone else's doing.
„I know, I just want to protect you... it's a need of mine that will never go away, I'll always be there to keep you safe, no matter what." He says earnestly and I nod.
„I know... that's one of the things I love about you."
„Are there more?" He asks with his adorable shy smile.
„Oh, Mr. Grey, the list is endless... but I have to go to bed now. Goodnight, Christian." I say with a smile and walk towards the door.
„Ana, wait." He says and I turn around in the doorframe, while he walks towards me. I look at him expectantly and my eyes widen when he reaches for the hem of his t-shirt and takes it off while giving me a wicked grin when he sees my reaction.
„Here, I wouldn't want you to sleep uncomfortably tonight." He says and hands me his t-shirt.
„Thank you." I reply and have to restrain myself from running my hands over his chest and every inch of his torso. Baby steps, Ana! I remind myself, but then I cannot stop myself, get onto tiptoes and cup his face with one hand before I give him a soft kiss on his lips.
„Goodnight, Christian." I whisper against his lips and have to force myself to step back.
„Goodnight, Ana." He replies with his voice hoarse and with one last glance at him I turn around and head into the guest room, where I strip out of the pj's and my underwear, put on Christian's t-shirt and fall asleep with his unique scent surrounding me.
Next update will be Sunday 12/10/17...