A/N: Thank you for all your reviews and support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 12: Halloween

"Do I seriously have to go out looking like this?" Christian groaned.

Ana giggled, giving her husband an amused onceover. "Yes, dear husband, you do."

It was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon on Halloween, and, thanks to Ana's constant begging, Christian had agreed to take her and Lucia out trick-or-treating in the Bellevue neighborhood this afternoon. Unfortunately, that also meant he had to dress up in a costume along with her and Lucia.

"I feel ridiculous," Christian moaned grumpily. He was wearing a pirate's costume of Ana's choosing, complete with a ruffled white shirt, brown vest, black pants and knee-high boots. He even had an eyepatch and a three-point hat that looked very authentic, but Ana still found to be highly amusing. She managed to bite back her laughter as she smiled at him.

"You look great, baby," she assured him before gesturing to her own outfit. "Plus, we match! This'll be fun, I promise."

Ana was also dressed in a pirate costume, though hers was a bit different than Christian's: her black knee-high boots had a small heel to them, and on her head she wore a red bandana instead of a pirate's hat.

"I still don't have to like it," Christian frowned, adjusting his vest as if it was making him uncomfortable

"Everyone's going to be wearing costumes tonight, Christian - even the adults," Ana promised when he still didn't look reassured. She moved forward and wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hands automatically went to her waist. "You really do look great, baby."

"Thank you," Christian gave her a small, reluctant smile. "And you look pretty cute yourself, Mrs. Grey."

Ana giggled. "Don't you mean 'aye aye matey'?"

"No, I don't," Christian deadpanned, and Ana laughed.

"Oh, you're no fun."

Christian rolled his eyes, a small smile once again breaking out across his face.

"…Mr. Grey? Mrs. Grey?"

Ana and Christian looked up to see Gail walking down the staircase, smiling as she carried Lucia in her arms. Lucia looked utterly adorable in a little green and red parrot costume, and the huge smile alighting her tiny face made it clear she was as excited for tonight as Ana was. Even if her four-year-old brain wasn't entirely sure of what they were going to be doing, she seemed to be just excited to be wearing her silly parrot outfit right now.

"Hi sweetie," Ana cooed happily as soon as she saw Lucia. She and Christian approached Gail as Ana took Lucia out of her arms. "Aren't you just the cutest little parrot ever?"

Lucia giggled, and both Ana and Christian smiled at each other.

"Gail, she looks amazing," Ana praised happily, and Gail smiled.

"Do you mind taking a few pictures of us before we head out?" Christian asked Gail, handing her his phone. Gail stared at it for a second, surprised.

"Oh, um… of course, sir. I'd be happy to." She suddenly beamed widely at him before taking his phone from him. She held it up as Christian wrapped his arm around Ana and Lucia, bringing them all together so they could smile brightly at the camera.

"Say cheese!" Gail said before snapping a couple pictures of them. Ana and Christian were both smiling at the camera, but Lucia seemed unable to focus on anything in particular. Despite that, Gail was still able to get a decent-enough shot of her face, so the picture still looked good.

"Your mom's gonna love this," Ana said, smiling as Gail handed back the camera and they looked at the screen.

"She's not gonna believe it's real," Christian said humorously, taking the phone from Ana's hand. "I don't think I've ever dressed up in a Halloween costume before in my entire life."

"Another first, Mr. Grey," Ana winked, and Christian couldn't help but laugh. Ana glanced over at Lucia, still in her arms. "Don't you think Mr. Christian looks handsome, sweetie?"

"Hands-sum!" Lucia exclaimed happily, and Christian and Ana both laughed.

"Why thank you, Lamb," Christian smiled, leaning over and kissing her on the cheek. She giggled, and the strong affection he had for Lucia immediately filled his heart. He could hardly believe that only a few short months ago, he didn't even think he had a heart that could contain any sort of love or affection for anyone - yet here he was, standing in the presence of the two girls who meant more to him than he could possibly say. He'd be devastated if anything happened to either one of them.

"Are we ready to go yet, Captain Grey?" Ana asked jokingly, moving over to the kitchen to grab her things as well as the bucket Lucia was going to use for holding candy.

Christian sighed, still with a small smile on his lips. "Aye aye, matey," he said, somewhat resignedly.

Considering the fact it was almost November, it was rather chilly today in Bellevue, with the afternoon bringing in overcast clouds and cold winds. Thankfully, Christian, Ana, and Lucia's costumes were relatively warm, and Ana had the foresight to bring along Lucia's coat just in case it got too chilly. Lucia didn't seem to mind the cold weather, however, since she was distracted by the multitude of kids dressed up in costumes walking from house to house, receiving candy while laughing and talking happily with each other. Lucia, like how she often was when she didn't know how to act, merely stood quietly and stared at everyone around her as if transfixed.

"I figured we could start right here," Ana said once Taylor had dropped them off and helped them unload their things. She pointed at the nearest house. "Your parents' estate is a little less than a mile down the road, so I figured we can stop once we get there, and that way Lucia can trick-or-treat at all the houses in between."

"I don't know, is a mile going to be too long for her?" Christian asked, trying not to sound too worried.

"Don't worry - it's not even a mile," Ana assured him. "And if Lucia get's too tired, one of us can just carry her. It'll be fine."

Christian grimaced, still seeming a bit worried as he glanced down at Lucia. "Alright then… ready to go, Lamb?"

Lucia's only response was to bounce happily on her toes and reach up to take Christian's hand in her own. Christian smiled down at her before leading her up the walkway to the first house - her tiny legs scurried to keep up with his, and her candy bucket swung from her other hand.

Ana beamed as she watched the pair walk away, and she couldn't resist taking out her phone and snapping a couple pictures of the adorable scene before her.

The first house they went to could've gone a lot better - Lucia was far too shy to say anything to the old lady who answered the door, even with Christian and Ana's gentle coaxing. The woman at the door was very kind, however, and gave Lucia a piece of candy anyway. Christian had managed to get her to say a polite thank you before they moved to the next house.

The next few houses got a little easier. Lucia was still extremely shy talking all these new and strange people, but she slowly began to figure out that speaking to them got her praise from Christian and Ana as well as free candy. She also seemed braver saying trick-or-treat to strangers at their doorstep when Christian was holding her in his arms and she was eye-level with the adults.

"Tick o' tweat!" Lucia said confidently when a middle-aged woman answered the door, holding out her half-full bucket of candy. The woman smiled kindly at Lucia.

"Well, hello there," she said sweetly, picking up a bag of candy that was sitting on a table off to the side. "Are you a little birdie, sweetheart?"

Lucia shook her head. "Pay-wot!"

Christian, Ana and the woman all chuckled at how cute she was being. "Oh, how adorable," she smiled, glancing at Christian and Ana's costumes. "And pirates too! The three of you go together."

"Her idea," Christian nodded toward Ana, though he had a smile on his face. Ana and the woman both laughed.

"Well, it was worth it - your daughter looks very happy," the woman commended them.

Christian and Ana exchanged a glance, unsure of how to respond to that. The woman seemed to notice their hesitation and her smile faded.

"Oh, I'm sorry - is she not your daughter?" the woman inquired politely.

"Sort of," Ana said truthfully,

"Lucia's our foster child," Christian explained. "My wife and I have been taking care of her for the past few months now."

The woman's eyebrows shot up, clearly shocked by that. "Really?" she said, almost taken aback by that information. She looked between them for a moment, as if wondering if they were joking. "Wow," she said after a few seconds. "Good for you."

Ana and Christian glanced at each other, feeling a little uncomfortable by her praise. "Um… thank you." Ana said after a moment, blushing.

The woman smiled at them after a second. "I'm sorry - I work in public office and I've sometimes had to deal with foster families. It's nice to see a young couple such as yourselves use the system to take care of a child rather than taking advantage of it for government stipends."

Christian almost had to laugh at that - the weekly government stipend that had been offered to (and refused by) him and Ana was laughably small compared to what he made in just an hour.

"Well, Lucia here needed a home," Ana went on, looking over at the little girl in Christian's arms. "And despite everything she's been through, we still love her and want her to be happy."

Christian could hear the sincerity in Ana's voice, but he knew she was uncomfortable talking about such a personal topic with a stranger. He made the decision to quietly steer away from this conversation.

"Baby, we should probably get going," he said to Ana, checking his watch. "My mother's waiting for us."

"Oh - right," Ana nodded, turning back toward the woman. "Sorry, we should really be going. But it was nice meeting you."

They said goodbye to the woman, who was sweet enough to put an extra piece of candy in Lucia's bucket, before they all walked away toward the sidewalk. Ana and Christian were silent for a few seconds as they walked along, Lucia still in Christian's arms.

"That was awkward," Christian stated bluntly, and Ana couldn't help but giggle.

"A little. She was nice, though," she said fairly, and Christian shrugged before nodding.

"Yeah… but if anyone else assumes Lucia's our daughter, maybe we should just let them assume she is," Christian suggested. Ana thought for a second before nodding.

"Sure."

For the next twenty minutes, the three of them continued trick-or-treating along every house up until they reached Christian's parents' house. Thankfully, none of the people who answered the doors made much small-talk, and Christian, Ana and Lucia made it to the Grey Estate in good time.

Grace was the one who answered the door, and she laughed in delight the moment she got a good look at her son.

"Oh my goodness!" she laughed, pressing a hand to her heart in delight.

"Trick-or-treat," Christian grinned, hoisting Lucia up on his hip. Ana and Grace both laughed.

"Oh, my dear, you look fantastic!" Grace smiled, looking over all of them. "You all do! Oh my goodness, I have to get some pictures of you…"

She ushered them inside, and Christian gently set Lucia down on her feet as soon as they were within the spacious foyer. Grace went in search of her camera, and at that moment, Mia entered the room.

"Oh my God!" Mia laughed as soon as she saw the three of them. "You guys look amazing! Oh, Lucia looks so cute as a little parrot…!"

Grace reentered the room with her camera, and after taking at least two dozen pictures of them posing in their costumes, the whole group moved into the great room for tea.

"So where's Dad?" Christian asked as they sat down on the large sectional. He finally took off his pirate hat and eyepatch and placed them aside.

"He had to work late at the office - something about a new case," Grace explained, settling herself down at Christian's side. They all watched Lucia eagerly sit down on the carpet and dump out her bucket of candy on the ground.

"She really is adorable, Christian," Grace said to her son, smiling as she watched Mia sit down with Lucia on the ground and help her go through her haul of candy. "I've never seen her look this happy - or you, for that matter."

"Oh, I think I've been this happy before," Christian turned and smiled at Ana, who blushed and beamed back.

"Of course you have, dear," Grace said, smiling between Christian and Ana. She reached over and patted his hand. "I've loved seeing you become a happier person since you met this wonderful woman, but there's just a certain kind of joy one gets from having a family to come home to at the end of the day. Though it can sometimes be difficult to raise a child, it's also wonderful and fulfilling, and there's no better feeling in the world seeing them grow up and watch them become the people they were always meant to be."

Ana and Christian looked at each other, their eyes conveying some unspoken message. They simultaneously turned to look down at Lucia, who was giggling happily as she sorted through all her candy. Christian felt an odd sensation settle in his chest, and he somehow knew Ana was feeling the same thing as him. It was hard to explain, but it was as if he had finally come to a decision regarding Lucia…

It was what he had always known deep down inside his heart, but hadn't wanted to admit to himself for a long time.

He just hoped Ana felt the same way.

Later on in the evening, Christian, Ana and Lucia were back at Escala - Lucia had been completely wiped out from trick-or-treating this afternoon, and she slept throughout the ride home. Ana had managed to wake her up long enough to change her out of her parrot costume and feed her dinner, but pretty soon she was out again, and Ana and Christian decided to just put her to bed early.

"She is so sweet," Ana smiled down at Lucia's sleeping form, and Christian put his arm around Ana's shoulders as he gazed down at her too. "I think she had a lot of fun tonight."

"Well, I believe it had a lot to do with all the candy she got," Christian said humorously. "It's probably a good idea if we only let her have a couple pieces a day from now on."

"Agreed," Ana nodded, still staring down at Lucia. She hesitated a moment or two before speaking again. "I think we should adopt her."

Christian didn't say anything for a moment, but he slowly moved his arm off of her shoulders. Ana gradually turned to look up at him, and Christian turned to gaze down at her.

"You do?"

Ana nodded, looking a bit nervous. "Yeah… I've been thinking a lot about what your mother said tonight, about raising a family and stuff, and I realized… I want us to have that with Lucia. I know it might be kind of soon for us to consider something like adoption, and I realize that she's not biologically ours -"

Christian cut Ana off, however, by taking her face in his hands and pressing his lips to hers in a searing kiss. Ana was surprised for a moment before melting into his kiss, moving her hands up and tangling her fingers in his hair. After a few seconds, Christian slowly broke the kiss, staring down into her eyes.

"Let's do it," he said quietly, a smile on his lips.

Ana stared at him for a second, her blue eyes wide with shock. "Really?"

Christian nodded confidently, a smile still on his face, and Ana let out a small squeal before practically leaping into his arms, wrapping her arms and legs around his body in a tight hold. Christian stumbled backward slightly, wrapping his arms around Ana and trying not to laugh with Lucia sleeping so close by.

"Baby, we need to be quiet," Christian whispered, chuckling. Ana ignored him as she pressed tiny kisses all over Christian's face - his cheeks, chin, forehead, and even eyelids. Christian grinned widely as he carried Ana out of Lucia's room and toward the master bedroom.

"I love you so much, Christian," Ana whispered, finally ceasing her kisses to press her forehead to Christian's with a smile on her face. Christian simply pressed a tender kiss to her lips, conveying his own deep love and devotion to her and the decision they had made regarding their family.

"I love you too."

Christian woke up in bed the next morning, naked and spooning his beautiful wife in his arms. The two of them ended up making love multiple times last night in celebration of their decision to adopt Lucia - Christian couldn't explain it, but it felt like a weight off his shoulders knowing Lucia was going to finally be theirs. Once she will legally become their daughter, he and Ana could keep her safe.

And at the end of the day, that's what Christian needed for the people he loved the most - assurance of their safety.

Ana slowly began to rouse from her sleep, and Christian couldn't resist rubbing his hand along her naked waist. She groaned and stretched in response.

"Mm… 'morning," Ana said sleepily to Christian, blearily blinking open her eyes and smiling at him.

"Good morning, baby," Christian whispered, smiling lustfully down at her. Ana's eyes shone with love and arousal, but just as Christian leaned down to kiss her on the lips, his BlackBerry buzzed with an incoming text. He sighed before reluctantly reaching over to the end table to check his phone.

"Is it work?" Ana yawned, sitting up while tugging the duvet up so it covered her chest.

"No, it's my mom," Christian said, staring down at his phone screen. "She wants us to come by Bellevue again this morning. She didn't say why, though."

"I think you left your pirate hat there by mistake," Ana giggled. "She probably wants you to come by and get it."

"Right - 'by mistake'," Christian said sarcastically, and Ana giggled.

"Oh be quiet - you know you loved dressing up," Ana poked his arm, smiling at him. "Plus, we can tell your parents about adopting Lucia in person. I'm sure they'd love to know."

Christian smiled widely at the thought. "Yeah, they would."

Over the next hour or so, Christian and Ana quickly showered, dressed, and ate a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast and fruit salad. Throughout the morning, Christian couldn't help but feel a pervading sense of calm - the decision he and Ana had finally made to adopt Lucia made him feel at peace with the world and his life. Just the thought of finally becoming a real family with Ana and Lucia made him happier than he ever thought possible, and he couldn't wait to tell his parents the good news.

Ana and Christian left Lucia home in Gail's care before they headed out to Bellevue. They talked the whole way there, mostly about the steps they were likely going to have to take in order to start the adoption process. After they talked about it with Grace and Carrick, they agreed to get in touch with Lucia's social worker Colleen and figure out the proceedings.

They finally arrived at the Grey Estate, and both Ana and Christian stepped out of the car after they parked. Just as they were going up the walkway to the front door, however, the door opened to reveal both Grace and Carrick stepping out onto the porch.

"Christian - Ana," Grace greeted them. "Is Lucia with you?"

Christian and Ana glanced at each other. "Um… no, we left her at home with Gail. Why?"

Carrick moved beside his wife, looking a bit strained. "Maybe we should go inside to talk about this."

"Wait, what's going on?" Ana asked, glancing between Grace and Carrick in confusion and worry.

"It's a legal matter I need to discuss with you guys," Carrick said. "Please, we should go inside to talk about it."

"Dad, just tell us what's going on," Christian said, his voice urgent. "Is something wrong?"

Carrick sighed before exchanging a resigned look with Grace. "It's Lucia," he said finally, glancing back over at Christian and Ana with a distressed look in his eyes. "A man claiming to be her father came forward last night and is now demanding custody."

Christian could only stare at his father, the blood draining from his face.

A/N: Oh no, a cliffhanger! Whatever shall we do?

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