Ana - Two weeks later
"Bye Claire, see you on Monday." I wave at Claire who is sitting behind the receptionists desk at SIP and leave the building to find Luke Sawyer standing outside.
"Hi Luke, do you mind giving me a ride? My car made some weird noises this morning and I'm afraid Wanda is going to die on me in the midst of traffic." I confess and he smiles.
"I'll fetch my car, please wait here, Ana." He says and true to his word he parks at the curb just two minutes later. I hate to admit it, but I think Wanda is no longer fixable and with the baby, I'm in desperate need of a safer car. Ethan offered to help me find one, but I just don't have the money to spare... at least not for a safe car, there is just so much other stuff I need to buy first.
"I have called Taylor, he has a friend who is going to tow your car to a garage and have it checked."
"You didn't have to do that."
"My job is to keep you safe and to be honest, each time you get into that car I break out into a sweat." He says making me laugh. Christian wanted to sell Wanda for me, but I asked him to let me keep her. It's my first car and a gift my Dad gave me, it just has too much sentimental value.
"I think your phone is vibrating, Ana." Luke interrupts my thoughts and I fish it out of my purse. When I see Christian's name flashing on the screen my belly flips and my palms get sweaty, but I answer the call.
"Hi." I murmur, mad at myself that my voice sounds so weak.
"Hi, it's good to hear your voice." He says and I close my eyes for a brief moment when I hear his voice.
"Are you back?"
"No, I'm still in Aspen, I'll be back Sunday evening though. Ana I would like for us to talk. I have a new therapist here in Aspen and she thinks it would be beneficial for us to have a session together."
"Is she coming with you to Seattle?"
"No, but if you want to, I can have my jet waiting for you tomorrow morning to get you to Aspen. We can fly back Sunday late afternoon."
"Christian, I don't think an overnight stay at your place is a good idea."
"I can book you a suite at a hotel, you can bring your Mom or Kate get pampered or shop a bit, all I'm asking for are two to three hours tomorrow afternoon. Autumn, my therapist will be there the entire time and I have a housekeeper here who will also be at the house, so we won't be alone tomorrow." He says and I think about it for a moment. He is trying and I have to make an effort too, after all we will have a child together in just a few months and I know I can't just shut him out of our baby's life forever.
"My mom has to work tomorrow and Kate is going on a weekend trip with Elliot, but I would like to see you... so yes, I'll be there."
"Thank you, Ana. I'll send you the details of your flight schedule once I have everything arranged. Do you have any preferences for your hotel suite?"
"I've never been to Aspen, Christian. A normal room at a hotel close to your house will do, I don't need anything fancy."
"I'll make the arrangements. My housekeeper will prepare lunch for us, is there anything you can't eat?"
"Oh umm... I have a list with things I am not allowed to eat on my phone, I'll send it to you, and please no fish. Just the smell of fish makes me nauseous."
"No fish then."
"Good, so ... see you tomorrow. Bye."
"Bye Ana."
I hang up and deflate into my seat. "Everything alright, Ana?"
"Yes, I'm going to Aspen tomorrow to meet with Christian and his new shrink."
"OK, I'll pick you up to take you to the airport." He says and I just nod. This is it, in less than 24 hours I am going to see Christian again.
Christian
I hang up and beam like I have just won the fucking lottery. I was sure she wouldn't come here, that she would tell me to fuck off, but she agreed.
"Told ya." I hear Autumn behind me and I flip her off.
"I need to make some arrangements, she doesn't want to stay here." I tell her.
"Does that upset you?" She asks and I think about it for a moment.
"No, she doesn't trust me right now, I have to earn her trust again. So, I can understand that she doesn't want to spend the night at my house. I'm just happy she agreed to come at all. It's not like she has to."
"No, but I do believe she is trying to act in the best interest of your child. Now lets go through this again. What are the rules?" She asks and I roll my eyes.
"I can't force her or demand for her to be with me again. I have to listen to what she is saying and I have no right to take over her life just because she is the mother of my unborn child." I mutter petulantly.
"But..." She points out.
"But I can tell her that I won't allow her to shut me out of our child's life."
"Because?" She says and I glare at her.
"Because it is not just her child and as the father I have as much rights to be a part of my child's life as she has." I repeat what she has told me. Still it feels wrong, because I want them both in my life and I am afraid that making any demands will push Ana away from me.
"Good, so I'll be back tomorrow around 2 pm, don't over think this too much, Christian. Ana decided to come, that's a good sign and I do believe that once you have cleared the air you can work on either building a healthy relationship or strong friendship to raise this child together." She says and leaves.
To keep myself busy I start to make arrangements for Ana and once it's all done I send her an e-mail and give the food list she has sent me to Mrs. Roberts.
I'm just about to get me a glass of wine when Sawyer calls.
"Sir, I had Miss Steele's car towed to a garage, the mechanic just called, the car needs a new engine, breaks and what not, it's no longer road worthy." He says and my first instinct is to tell him that I will buy a new car for Ana, but I restrain myself.
"Have him fix it, Ana loves that car."
"Sir..." He wants to argue and I sigh.
"I know even fixed it's not safe, but she loves the car. I will talk to her, if she agrees I will buy her a new car, but for now get that piece of shit fixed."
"Will do, Sir." He says and hangs up.
Shit, this is why it is so hard for me not just to barge in and take over. I know Ana is well paid in her job, I made sure of it, but she has little to no savings, so she won't be able to afford a new car, all the stuff our baby will need and whatever else she needs right now. It would be easy for me to deposit money into her account or just buy whatever she needs and have it send to her place, but I know now I can't do that without talking to her about it first. This is why I want to have this conversation with her.
I want her to know that I'm excited about the baby, that I have already set up a college fond and made plans to move, because even if she doesn't give me second chance, I want our child to have a real home when it stays with me. Escala is great as a bachelor pad, but it's not a place to raise a child. So, I have bought a house at the sound, with a huge meadow and enough space for ten kids to run around and have a great time. Of course, I want it to be our home, but if Ana doesn't agree, I want to gift the house to her and build a home for me on the neighboring plot, so our child can just come next door if he wants to see me.
No matter what will happen, I will make sure that I am a constant in the life of my child and Ana's life. Maybe then she will see that I can be the man she deserves and we can move on into a happy future.
Ana
When Luke pulls up in front of Christian's Aspen home I feel a little sick. This is it, I can no longer avoid seeing him and I know this conversation is not going to be easy.
"We are here." Luke says as he opens the door for me and I get out. I don't know why, but today I have chosen an outfit to show off my belly. I usually hide it with wider clothes, because I don't want the office gossip to circle around me, but for some weird reason, I want Christian to see that I am carrying his child.
I get out of the car and Luke leads me to the door. I knock and an older woman with kind brown eyes and a big smile opens the door.
"Hello dear, I'm Mrs. Roberts. Come in." She says.
"Hi, I'm Ana." I reply as I get in and she leads me into the open living space until we are in front of a fire place.
"Mr. Grey and his therapist will be with you shortly, can I get you something, dear?"
"Um... maybe a lemon soda with a little bit of mint in it."
"Helps with the nausea?" She smiles and I nod, so she walks away while I sit down on the sofa.
"So, you must be Ana, I'm Autumn, Christian's therapist." I hear a female voice behind me and turn around to find a beautiful, tall African-American woman with long deep red curls.
"Yes, hi it's nice to meet you." I get up and we shake hands.
"Christian will be with us in a moment, he had to take a phone call and I thought it would be good for us to talk first. Let's sit." She says, so we sit down again and I try not to show that I'm nervous.
"It's okay to be nervous, between the two of us, the big guy is ready to piss his pants." She says with a wink and my mouth drops open.
"I guess, I should warn you, I'm not one of those text book shrinks who jumped straight out of psychology 101." She says and it makes me smile.
"I happen to believe that most shrinks are nothing but expensive charlatans." I reply and she smiles.
"Some are, and I like that you are feisty, Christian needs a woman who kicks his ass into shape when he starts to get overbearing."
"He is a Dominant." I murmur.
"He likes kinky sex and control, but that's it. What he needs is a woman who is not afraid to call him out on his bullshit. If you allow him to walk all over you neither of you will be happy."
"But that's just the thing, I can't stand up to him, because the second I do I fear I'm being dragged into his playroom to get punished. That is not the life I want to live and I don't think he wants to or maybe even can change. That nasty old bitch lured him into this lifestyle and now he needs it." I puff out frustrated and she sits down next to me.
"Ana, you are right when you say that he was lured into the BDSM lifestyle or to be more exact, he was lured into that woman's very twisted version of a lifestyle that is not bad at all if practiced correctly and with love and respect for the partner you take part in the lifestyle. Believe me, I know what I am talking about, because I am a part of the lifestyle." She says and I stare at her.
"You see BDSM and a normal loving relationship are not two separate things. My wife Megan and I we like to switch roles just as we need it, but our sexual preferences are not what defines us as persons. We live a normal life, have two beautiful children and at the end of the day are just a normal couple who sometimes likes it rough between the sheets. Christian has done a lot of research on the lifestyle, I have invited him to visit a club here in Aspen and he now realizes that there is a lot more to the lifestyle than he was taught by the woman who abused him when he was not old enough to consent to any kind of sexual relationship. And I'm telling you the same thing I have told him. This meeting is not about the two of you running off into the sunset together with just one therapy session. We are here to start to build trust and understanding between the two of you. Like it or not, this child you are carrying will need both of you, so you have to find a way to either be together or build a friendship, because this child doesn't deserve to grow up with parents who don't talk."
I know she has a point, but I don't know if it is even possible to build a friendship with Christian... much less so a normal relationship.
I'm just about to answer when I hear footsteps coming from behind us. I turn around and there he is... Christian Grey.