AN:
To all of my sweet followers who said FRIENDS: This is my absolute favorite show. I own every season on dvd and could probably quote every scene. BUT I actually had The OC in mind when I was thinking of this scene. Which means only one person gets a shout out: CGnAS Fan! You were the only person to even mention The OC. If this was a homework assignment I would give you a star sticker ;) On to the story now..
The Thursday after "I Love You"
CPOV:
"Grey." I answer gruffly into the phone.
"Christian, is that any way to speak to your mother?" I groan inwardly. I love my mother to death, but I am just not in the mood to speak to anyone right now.
"Sorry mom. I didn't see the caller id before I picked up the phone." I use as an excuse. I only answer differently when Ana calls and I know it's her because she has a separate ring tone. I hear my mother sigh.
"That is quite alright dear. I was just calling to invite you to dinner tonight. I haven't seen you in a long time. I know it is last minute so I understand if you have prior engagements." She says that last sentence with the mother guilt trip voice.
"I'll be there mother. Actually, I would like to bring someone. Is that okay?" I hear her gasp. I have never in my life brought a girl home to meet the parents. I want to show Ana off to everyone though. I want everyone to meet the girl I love. Ugh, there is that stupid word again.
"Of course!" I can basically hear her smile through the phone. "Does this someone have a name?" Sneaky little..
"Yes, she does. Her name is Anastasia. She is very important to me. What time should we be there?"
"Oh Christian how wonderful! Be here around 6. See you tonight, Love you."
"Love you too, Mom." I say while hanging up. I, Christian Grey, am bringing a girl to meet my parents tonight. I honestly never thought I would see the day. I also cannot believe I love someone. A beautiful, breathtaking, woman who I haven't seen since that night. I decide to call her and ask her to dinner at my parent's house.
"Hello?" She answers after a while.
"Hey baby."
"Christian, hey." She says. Who else would it be?
"Expecting someone else?" I ask curious to who she was expecting. I hear her heart stopping giggle come through the phone.
"No. I am grading papers in between classes. I was a little preoccupied and it took my brain a second to get back to the now. Sorry." She says while still giggling. It causes me to chuckle as well.
"Well, I was calling to see if you wanted to go to dinner at my parent's house tonight. What do you think?" The line goes quiet. Dead quiet. "Ana?"
"Your parent's house?" She says timidly. Is it too soon to meet the parents?
"Yeah, it is just a casual dinner…" I say trailing off. Now she has me nervous. Is she thinking about ending things with me and she doesn't want to meet my family because of it?
"Yeah, sure. Ethan is taking Will to a baseball game tonight so I am free." She talked to Ethan today? Why didn't she tell me she was free tonight? I push that aside and think about the fact she just agreed to meet my parents. I am smiling so big right now.
"Wonderful. I will pick you up at 5:00. My parents don't live too far from you. I have some news to share with you as well. I think you will like it." I say with giddiness to my voice.
"Okay, see you at 5:00." She hangs up before I have the chance to tell her I love her. I am craving to hear her tell me she loves me. I know she does… Does she? Have I misread her and she doesn't love me? No, all her actions and words support that she loves me. Maybe it is just too soon to say it.
I am on my way to pick up Ana at her house. She only lives about 15 minutes from my parent's house, but I wanted to share my news with her before dinner.
I knock on her door and when she opens it... lets just say I had drool coming out of my mouth. She is wearing a beautiful cream sleeveless shift dress. It has a navy blue antique print at the top and bottom. It makes her look extremely tan. Her thick chocolate hair is pulled back into a bun on top of her head. I finally make eye contact with her and I notice she is eyeing me in the same way. I pull her into me and breathe her in. She always smells so divine. I pull away to give her a full kiss on the lips.
"Hey baby. You look beautiful, as always." I tell her. She blushes at the complement.
"Come in. I can't wait to hear your news." She leads me inside. She offers me a glass of wine or beer, but I decide against it. I sit down on the couch and she sits in the chair next to it. We never sit apart. What is this nonsense?
"Okay, spill." She says twisting her fingers in her lap. I take a deep breath in and slowly release it.
"I ended my business relationship with Elena, the woman I slept with at 15." I expect her to jump for joy, but she just stares impassively at me.
"That's good news." She says shortly. I'm a little confused over her reaction.
"Ana, what is it?" I ask. I feel my heart start to sink. Shouldn't she be jumping for joy?
"Just your business relationship?" I can't tell someone I'm ending our friendship. She is like the only one I've ever had. I thought I would just ignore her for a while and she would leave me alone. Isaac, her assistant, said she was out of town at the moment. So I made sure my lawyers left everything with him for her return.
"I – I am not sure what to say right now. I assumed that if I ended my business relationship with her I would not have any reason to be in contact with her or her me; therefore, effectively ending the friendship as well." She stills has on an impassive face. "Talk to me, please Ana." She gets up and walks over to me. She sits in my lap and wraps her arms around me.
"Thank you." She says. Thank you? So we are okay? "I know ending any type of relationship with her must have been hard. Thank you for doing that for me. Most importantly, thank you for doing that for Will." It hits me hard when she mentions Will's name. Will. Will, the sweet three year old that lives in this house. The little boy I wish was my own. The innocent little boy who is so curious about the world that he asks a million questions. Innocent. Little. Boy. I would kill if anyone ever hurt him. I get it now. I feel like I want to hurl. Was I really so weak that I let someone push themselves on me? I feel small petite hands cup my face. I see Ana's mouth moving, but I don't hear any words except the last few.
"..you okay, love?" She is looking at me. Her eyes are showing that she is scared. I must look like shit to have scared her. I lean in and nuzzle her neck. As always, she smells so wonderful. I breathe in and let her know what just clicked in my mind.
"I get it now. I heard you before, but now I completely understand. I would die a million deaths if anything ever happened to you or Will. I promised I would keep the both of you safe and I plan to keep that promise. No more Elena, ever. I promise Ana." She is hugging me to her so tightly.
"Oh, Christian.." She trails off. I can hear the emotion in her voice. I lean up to look at her and before I get a chance she kisses me. It is sweet and passionate, but not as long as I would have liked. I always seem to want more with this beautiful woman. She pulls away and I finally notice the tears that are threatening to fall from her bright blue eyes. She smiles at me and I am once again rendered speechless from it.
"Thank you. You have no idea what this means to me." She says as she hugs me again. I wrap my arms around her. When I do, I catch sight of my watch and realize we better get going.
"Come on, baby. We better be on our way." I stand up and help her up as well. We make our way out the door.
The whole ride to my parent's house is silent. My ever talkative girl is so quiet as she stares out the window. I place my hand on her knee and she looks over at me while we stop at a stop sign.
"It is going to be fine Ana. I can guarantee my parents will love you." I give her my shy smile that I reserve only for her. She smiles and it doesn't reach her eyes. Why is she so nervous? She has met a man's parents before.
"What is bothering you?" I ask her. I don't like this quiet Ana. While I am staring at the road, I can feel her staring at me. Finally, she speaks.
"I'm nervous Christian. I.." she stops and takes a deep breath. She looks back out the window. "I really want your family to like me. I'm not telling you this for you to get upset. I want you to understand how much this means to me." She takes a pregnant pause… pregnant. I would love to see Ana pregnant with my child. I wonder what she looked like with Will. Beautiful, I bet. Think about this another time, Grey. She finally speaks again. "I knew Ethan's parents before I started dating him. I knew they liked me and I knew they loved me before I was with Ethan. This.. me meeting your parents is so much different. I want them to like me. What if they don't? Will our relationship end?" She really is nervous about this. It also makes my heart swell at what she is saying. This is extremely important for her. I want to reassure her that everything is going to be okay.
We pull up to my parent's house and I park the vehicle. I reach over and grab her hand. "Ana, if my parents do not like you, which I highly doubt, our relationship is not ending. You are the most important person in the world to me. No one is going to stop me from being with you. I love you, Ana." I say as I lean over and give her a full kiss on her lips. Oh, how I would love to lengthen the kiss, but I know we are probably being watched right now. I pull away and look towards the house. Sure enough, my mother is standing at the door.
I help Ana out of the car and we make our way to my mother. My mother pulls me in for a hug before setting her sights on Ana.
"Mother, this is Anastasia, my girlfriend." That just slipped out. I look over at Ana who looks over at me. She looks impassive as usual. She turns back to my mother and holds out her hand.
"Hello, Mrs. Grey. It is a pleasure to meet you." My mother pulls her in for a hug. That really catches Ana off guard. I give her the 'I told you so' look.
"Please, call me Grace." She says while pulling back from Ana.
"Only if you call me Ana." She smiles her brilliant smile at my mother. Always the charmer. God, I love this woman. We make our way inside to the living room. My dad stands from his "man chair" as he calls it and walks over to us.
"Hello dear, I am Christian's dad. Please call me Carrick." My dad beats me to the introduction. Ana smiles at him and I see he, just like I am, is instantly hooked.
"So wonderful to meet you. Please call me Ana." We make our way to the dinning room. My dad is at the head of the table, with my mother to his right. Ana is to his left with me right beside her. I notice there are two more place settings. Just then I hear Mia run down the stairs. Her eyes light up at the sight of Ana.
"She's here! She is really here!" She screams while running around the table to hug Ana.
"Mia, calm down and let her go. You are going to squeeze her to death." She is so over the top, but that's Mia.
"Hi Ana, I am Mia, Christian's little sister." Like it wasn't obvious. Ana smiles her warm smile once more and greets her as Mia makes her way to her seat.
"It is so nice to meet you Mia." Ana states sweetly. I look over at her and if it is possible, I just fell more in love with her. I hear my mother clear her throat and look up to see her eyes glistening.
"Shall we eat?" She asks while staring at me. We all offer a yes and the plated food is brought in. A small salad, with herb crusted tilapia, with roasted potatoes, and a serving of broccoli. It smells divine. Once we all have our plates and the questions start to roll.
"Ana, what do you do?" My father asks.
"I teach at Seattle University."
"Oh really!" My dad exclaims. "What do you teach?"
"I teach forensics/law."
"Do you like it?" My dad - so damn curious about if people like what they do.
"I like it. I like helping the students love the material. When their eyes show understanding and awe over something we are discussing, it is pretty magical."
"But you only just like it?" I give my dad a look. What is his deal?
"I like it. I'm not in love with my job." My dad leans back and gives Ana a curious look. I must admit I do the same thing. Mia joins in on the conversation.
"What would you rather do?" Yes. What would you rather do baby?
"I'm actually not sure. I am going to finish out the summer semester then figure it out from there." She gives Mia a smile. The dinner is going smoothly and we all converse and laugh with each other. I can tell my parents adore Ana. It just makes me love her even more. Again, is that possible? I am in the middle of telling the story about our first date, when we hear a phone ringing. Ana looks towards the living room where the noise is coming from. It's her phone that is ringing. She excuses herself to answer it. I know she is worrying something might be wrong with Will.
"She is so adorable Christian." Mia says while looking at me with love.
"I know. She is pretty special." My mother once again gets teary eyed. At that moment, Ana walks back in and sits down.
"Everything okay, baby?" I ask just curiously.
"Yes, it was just Ethan's mom. She was calling to check on Will, but I told her he was with Ethan." She smiles at me and digs back in to her food. I look up at my mother and she is looking at Ana strangely, with a tilted head.
"Ethan and Will?" My mother asks. Ana looks up mid chew and takes note of my mother's appearance as well. She swallows her food and looks at me, then back to my mother.
"Will is my son. Ethan is his father." The room falls silent. My mother tilts her head back right.
"Kavanagh?" How does my mom know them? Ahh, Ethan works at Seattle Grace. Why didn't I think of that before?
"Yes, ma'am. You must know him from the hospital." Ana states and it is still quiet around the table.
"I do. I have seen pictures of all three of you, actually, in Ethan's office. I just didn't place you until now." Why does Ethan still have pictures of Ana? They have been divorced for a year now. I wish that fucker would move on already. I glance at Ana and see her visibly gulp. I then look at my mother and father. They look dissatisfied at Ana. Why does it matter if she has a child? I decide to speak up.
"Will is the sweetest little boy I have ever met. He is madly in love with pancakes and swims like a little fish. We will have to bring him over one day to swim. I just know you will love him." I state while looking at my parents. I didn't even realize I reached over and grabbed Ana's hand. She is stroking my knuckles lightly.
"We would love that!" Mia exclaims. "How old is he? I must go shopping for him!" I chuckle at the fact Mia thinks she must shop for everyone and everything. Ana smiles sweetly at her and responds.
"He is 3 years old. You do not have to buy him a single thing. He is spoiled as it is."
"Non-sense. Every boy needs an awesome Aunt to buy them really great toys." Mia claps her hands and smiles brightly. "Maybe we can go swimming this weekend. It is supposed to be beautiful out." My parents do not look pleased over this. I go to ease their worries again when my mother speaks.
"How old were you when you had Will, Ana?" She asks while taking a bite of her homemade tiramisu. This is so uncalled for.
"Mother." I warn her.
"Christian, its okay." Ana says beside me. "I was 20 years old."
"So young. I knew Ethan was young to be a doctor since he completed college a lot earlier than most." What does that have to do with anything?
"Yes, our boarding school offered college classes during the summers and school year. So we were finished with our basics by the time we went to college." My father was next to speak up.
"You must be quiet smart, Ana. That is very impressive." She blushes and thanks him. That gorgeous blush.
"Why didn't it work between you and Ethan?" My mother asks. Before I have a chance to chastise her, Mia does.
"Mom! That is none of our business." I am appalled by my mother. Why does any of this crap matter to her? Ana looks so uncomfortable and I can feel my rage boiling underneath. Yet, she surprises me with what she says next.
"Ethan and I didn't work out for personal reasons I do not plan to share. While it was an extremely hard time since my marriage was ending, I would do it all over again if it leads me to Christian every time. Will and Christian make everything I've gone through worth while." Ana says while looking at me with so much love in her eyes. I know mine are shinning bright with love as well.
"I'm sorry, Ana." That was my mother speaking. Her words break us out of our eye-love fest and we both swing our heads toward her. "That was much uncalled for. I just never thought the first girl Christian would bring home would have a child, one whose father I work with. I can see how much you mean to Christian and him you. Please accept my apology. We would love to have all three of you over Saturday to swim." Grace smiles her genuine smile while looking Ana straight in the eyes to relay that she means every word.
"Apology accepted. From one mother to another, I completely understand being protective and questioning when it comes to your child." Ana smiles her award winning smile and I am in awe. She is so forgiving and so kind. I still cannot believe this amazing woman wants me.
We decide to move into the living room for an after meal drink. My dad, mother, and Mia have been asking questions non-stop about Will. It seems they are genuinely excited to meet him. The atmosphere has become joyful again. Ana is sharing a story about Will and I swimming a while back when we are interrupted by heels clicking on the floor. We all look towards the living room entrance and I feel my body tense up. Ana squeezes my hand and I look at her with apologetic eyes.
"Elena, darling!" my mother jumps up to hug her. "We missed you at dinner, but so glad you still made it by." I can feel Elena's stare on me while I concentrate on Ana. Recognition hits her eyes and she visibly tenses. I just know this will not end well.
Whew, long chapter! I wasn't expecting to write so much but it just happened. Hope all of my sweet followers like this chapter. Can you only imagine what will happen in the next chapter? I thought I would throw a little protective/curious Grace at dinner.
ALSO, I must share this once again. If you plan on leaving a rude/nasty review, please don't. I will not accept rude/nasty reviews or messages. I ask that you please do not waste your time or mine.
I look forward to reading all of your sweet reviews and kind words. You may never know how much they truly mean to me.
xoEW