"Honesty is more than not lying. It is truth telling, truth speaking, truth living, and truth loving."

-James E. Faust

Christian POV

I clear my throat and everyone turns around towards me. I feel Ana grip my hand tighter and I squeeze back a little to give her some reassurance.

"Everyone, this is Ana. Ana this is my family." I look at Mia first, she would usually have started babbling or at least made some kind of noise by now but she is silent with wide eyes. Elliot has his eyes squinted like he's trying to figure out what's going on and my mom and dad share a side glance with each other but I'm not sure what to make of it.

"Hi it's nice to meet you all."

"Ana has made us all dinner so why don't we go enjoy..." Everyone nods their head and starts moving towards the dining room. "You all sit down and Ana and I will go grab the dishes" I offer/tell.

When I head back in to the room I see that my mom and dad have taken the heads of the table, Mia and Elliot have taken one side leaving a side open for Ana and I. I place the tray down with the food items and Ana places the different drink options around the table. I pull out Ana's chair before sitting down myself.

"Oh my God Ana?!" Mia asks once Ana sits down and she gets a good look at her.

"Yes?" Ana replies cautiously.

"Gala Ana?" Ana nods her head. "Oh my God! I thought that was you. I was looking for you! Did you get the photos? Where have you been? You look so different? What have you been up to? Wait, what's going on between you two?" Mia looks between us and then around the table. Everyone else is confused by Mia's outbursts. She huffs. "Ana is the girl I bought to Coping Together, remember?"

"It's okay if you don't remember I was really quiet that night."

""Of course we remember you. I remember Christian made a record in paying for your dance." Mu mother speaks up in a tone that I am not familiar with.

"Yes, it was a lot of money but it was well worth it." I say looking at Ana who blushes slightly.

"I'm sorry to cut the reminiscing but can we eat, this looks delicious?" Elliot asks.

"Yes, please, I hope you all like it but if not I'm sure we can get something else."

Elliot digs right in and everyone else follows making their plates. I make Ana's plate for her first and then make mine. I couldn't get any tastes while she was making it so this is the first time I will try anything and the first time I will have anything that she cooked since our weekend in California.

Everyone lets out groans reveling in the deliciousness of the meal.

"I take it you all like it?" Ana asks cautiously. I notice that she still hasn't even reached towards her food yet.

"Are you kidding? This is amazing. You made this all yourself?" Elliot asks with a mouthful of biscuit. I see Ana relax a bit.

"Manners." My mother scolds.

"Yes, although Christian did help with desert."

"Where'd you learn to cook?"

"All over. My dad was in the military so I was kind of an Army Brat but we lived on family friendly bases so I learned from the people in the neighborhood."

"Are you going to eat?" I wisher to Ana.

"Oh, yeah, sorry I guess I was just nervous but I doubt I will eat all of this." She says finally picking up her fork.

"Anything you don't finish I will, okay?"

"Okay."

"So, tell us more about yourself. You pretty much disappeared after the dance." Mia asks.

"Umm. Well, I'm 23. I- I don't know what do you want to know?"

"What do you do?"

"As far as work, I'm currently unemployed but I'm thinking about joining some charities or something so I'm not really just wasting my time." She says thoughtfully. Maybe she can ask my mom for some recommendations.

"That's very kind of you." My father notes.

Dinner keeps going with idle chatter and getting to know each other until Ana brings goes to get the pie sticks. "I hope everyone likes apple pie. And Christian helped make these."

"Did you watch him closely?" Elliot asks eying the platter.

"Yes, Elliot, I did. Don't worry they're safe." Everyone lets out a chuckle to my expense and even I manage to crack a smile.

"You know Ana, we could open up a restaurant with all of our culinary skills."

"I don't think I'm that good. I just make comfort food."

"Comfort food is the best food."

"I would eat there." Elliot says with a dramatic slouch indicating he's full.

"Had enough to eat there bro?"

"Oh yeah. You're gonna get fat having this little lady around."

"How exactly are you around?" My mother blatantly asks Ana. I can see that she is a little taken back by that question and I am by my mothers tone. I'm surprised no one has figured it out yet seeing as the rings are on her finger but then again, I have been holding her hand most of the time so unless you're looking for them, you wouldn't know they were there.

"Ahem." I clear my throat. "I guess now is as good a time as any." I start to say and everyone looks at me expectantly. I'm not really sure what they think I'm about to say. "Thank you, Mia, for bringing this incredible woman in my life by inviting her to the coping together Gala. We have been together almost since then" I hear a large gasp form Mia, "It hasn't been easy but we are here today as husband and wife."

It takes a second for the information to kick in but when it does Mia lets out a shattering squeak/scream combination.

"Your married?! You didn't tell me?! Where was the wedding" she gasps, "No where is the ring?!" Mia comes barreling over to the empty seat next to Ana and pulls her hand. "Wow. Bro! Oh my God, am I dreaming? Is this real? This is the most beautiful ring like evver!"

I look to my brother who has his jaw on the floor but he recovers when he sees me looking. "Is this for real?"

"Absolutely." He comes over to me and I stand. He shakes my hand first and then pulls me in to an awkward bear hug and says congratulations to me.

I look over to my mom and dad. My mom looks tense and I can't really read my dad right now.

"Can we speak to you?" My mother asks tensely before walking out of the room not waiting for my reply. My father looks at me before getting up and following my mother. I kiss Ana gently on her temple before following after my parents.

I see my study door open and walk in to see my father seated with a hard expression and my mother pacing the floor.

"Really, Christian?" my mother speaks as soon as I close the door.

"Grace." My father

I'm taken back by her question and don't really know how to respond so I just keep standing near the door. Is she upset with me for keeping Ana a secret or that I got marr-

"No, Cary, I will not allow for another woman to weasel her way in to my sons life and take advantage of him."

This statement snaps me out of my thinking and takes me completely by surprise.

"Mom, this isn't the same thing." I try to state as calmly as possible.

"Oh really? Some stranger off the street happens to meet Mia and a few months later you two get married? That's suspicious, don't you think?"

"No-"

"I mean does she even have a job? What kind of family does she come from? Do you know?"

"Yes, I know. My wife has a very small but reputable family. And even if she didn't I would love her all the same." I say truthfully. I didn't even put together that her dads company was what it was or find out that she was technically a millionaire until just a short time ago.

"Love?" My mother asks incredulously.

"Yes, love. We married because we love each other." I say starting to get riled up at her assumptions regarding my relationship but reining it in because of my respect for her.

She walks over to me slowly as if walking to a small animal or child before placing her hand on my cheek in a gesture that should have been comforting but instead has me on edge. "You don't know what love is yet." She says simply.

I pull away from her and back up to put some space between us. "You don't even know Ana. That woman sitting in there is one of the strongest people I have ever met. I love you mom, I do and on some level I can understand your reasoning for acting like this but I will not just stand here while you criticize my wife and the love we have for each other." I say angrily and slightly raising my voice at the end. "And what about you dad?" I look over to my father who has been uncharacteristically silent; I honestly expected a wrath from him and not my mother. He opens his mouth to say something a few times but nothing comes out. "You guys just need to get to know her. She's an amazing woman." I smile slightly just thinking about her. "She is one of the kindest people ever, always thinking about others when she has the right to be worried about herself, she's smart and nice-"

"Yeah, sure, she seems like a nice girl but you know what I thought that woman was nice too and apparently, I was wrong!" she practically screams.

This is getting nowhere. I can understand to a degree why she feels the way she does but she doesn't understand and I don't think she's making an effort to do so. I need to get out of here before this turns in to an all out screaming match. If she doesn't want to understand right now, that means she won't and there's no reason for me to even be standing here right now.

I storm out of the study and hear my dad start to talk to my mother. I don't even have words for how I feel right now but betrayed, hurt, and disappointed come close.

Ana and my siblings, who have now taken residence in the living room, look up when they see me come in and Ana stands probably sensing my tenseness. By the time she has stood up fully, I cup her head in my hands and kiss her with all I have. Her hands rest on my chest but she isn't pushing me away so I keep kissing until I hear my mother clear her throat behind me and I reluctantly pull away.

Ana looks down shyly taking notice of all the other people on the room now. I turn towards my parents still seething slightly. I see my mother staring daggers at Ana and instinctively put Ana behind me slightly.

"I think it's a good time we head out." My father says. "It was really lovely to meet you Anastasia."

"Please it's Ana. It was really nice to meet you as well." She says politely looking at both my parents. I'm not sure if she is aware of the look my mother is giving her but if she is, she doesn't show it.

"Elliot. Mia. Are you coming?"

I look behind me to my siblings who are now standing and can tell that they sense something is going on here.

"No, I want to stay and get to know Ana" Mia practically whines, "Elliot you can take me home right?"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stay too so that's fine."

I look back towards my mother, whose obviously not happy with their decision, and she turns to go to the elevator.

"I guess that's my cue" my father tries to joke. "again, it was great meeting you and congratulations. I'm happy for you both." My father says with a smile and a pat of the arm before leaving. I'm still not sure where he stands so I don't know if he was being genuine or not but it was still nice to hear.

I turn towards Ana and give her one more chaste kiss before sitting down and slightly pulling Ana down with me. She rests her legs on mine and looks up at me with concern. I try to smile but I'm sure it domes out strained as she sighs and puts her head on my shoulder.

Elliot and Mia are still standing and staring at us.

"Oh my god! You guys are sooo cute! I want to know everything! Obviously you two met at the gala but what happened after that?" Mia asks perching herself across from us.

Somehow Elliot managed to sneak off and is now back with a plate of left over apple pies. "Mia stop badgering them. You gotta ask the important questions." He says seriously like he's scolding a new reporter. "Watch and learn. Ana would you consider leaving my brother to marry me and cook for me?" He states deadpan and I glare at him.

"Hmm.." Ana seems to mull over the idea. "As tempting as that sounds Elliot, I love your brother too much to leave him."

"Awe damn."

"Now how did you two meet?" I ask Ana and Mia.

"Well it was my last weekend of freedom and I decided to live it up. So, I went to Neimans and was trying on dresses when Mia commented o. The dress I was wearing."

"Yeah, and then you called rushing me about something that day and right before I left I remembered Derrick ditched me and since Ana here didn't say she had anything to do, I invited her." Mia smiles.

"Well thank you, Mia. As I said before, you're the reason Ana and I met and I couldn't be more grateful."

"Awe." Mia says dramatically fanning her eyes with her hand.

"Yeah, who would have though CEO Christian Grey had a soft side." Elliot smirks.

Author's Note:

Thanks for the responses to my last question. I took all of the responses in to consideration and I won't make a POV decision now but I will let you know that they won't jump around as much as I feel they have so far.

Also, don't kill me. I love Grace, I really do but I thought that it would be fun to write her a different way than what I'm used to, so I did.

Thanks for reading! Please review, comment, ask questions, etc.