AN: As this story is mostly done, I decided to upload more than one chapter today :)

Chapter 2

It all happened very quickly from the day they found out Ana had won, to the day they hopped in the taxi for SeaTac.

On Friday evening they drove to the largest bookstore in town and spent hours flicking through endless travel guides in an attempt to find just one which seemed to include everything they needed. They stood together in the travel section for forty-five minutes before Christian quickly eliminated six of the seven books in Ana's hold and promised that they had made the right decision.

They sorted out their passports and had them ready in nine days, and while Christian researched routes to take across the country and different attractions he desperately wanted to see, Ana wrote lists. Christian received new lists each day. Sometimes they were simple lists placed on his desk when he was reading manuscripts. Other times, they were lists Ana expected Christian to have trouble understanding, so she spent lunchtimes lecturing him on topics like why it was important to pour Lubriderm into smaller, separate containers rather than to bring the whole bottle.

Until they packed their bags into the taxi in her driveway on the morning they left, Ana had been on edge. As soon as she was seated in the car next to Chriatian, her anxieties seemed to float into thin air, and she finally relaxed as best she could.

Christian had bought a new camera, and it was like the third wheel. He wanted to take photos of everything, and he was incredibly pedantic about caring for the camera. He took a photo of the taxi that drove them to SeaTac. He snapped away at signs that pointed to the airport. He even took photos of their suitcases on the side walk of the terminal.

"Ana, just stop for a second," Cbristian called as he dragged his suitcase behind hers.

Ana stopped in her tracks and spun around, breathing in the last of the Seattle air they would inhale in the next month. "What's wrong?"

Christian grinned. "Nothing. I just want you to go and stand under the sign."

Ana scrunched her features up as she looked around curiously.

"Which sign?"

"The SeaTac sign."

Ana raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

Christian's smile was so wide that Ana swooned at his expression. "Because I want to take a picture of you before we leave."

She shook her head wildly. "Cbristian, no."

He took the handle of her suitcase from her grip and wheeled it to next to his as he lifted the large black camera to eyelevel. "Yes," Christian defied. "We need to know what you look like in case you get lost."

Ana huffed. "People are watching, Christian."

"Ana, just go and get under the sign."

With a forced, awkward smile, Ana stood under the sign that read 'Seattle Departures', feeling the eyes of every passerby on her as Chriatian snapped away. Again.

The same thing happened when they arrived at JFK. When Christian instructed Ana to get under the much larger sign, she told him she would rather take a photo of him, and as Ana told her to move back because the light was casting a shadow across her face, a friendly lady with dark skin offered to take a photo of both of them.

Ana shook her head at the lady's kind offer. "No, that's fine, we-"

Christian grinned widely and handed the camera over. "That would be great, thanks so much!"

Christian ushered Ana to stand below the sign, his arm winding around her waist as they both smiled at the camera. The lady decided to take another in case the first was of poorer quality.

When Christian whispered lowly, 'Smile, Ana', Ana knew she had made the right decision in being his friend.

They didn't sleep on the flight for two reasons. The first was that Ana took the opportunity to open her planner and share with Christian every bit of information she had collected about Ireland, using pictures and charts. Christian listened intently and then shared his own information. He taught her Gaelic terms he had picked up in college and she laughed. He told long, interesting Irish folktales and he described the landscape he was so excited to see. Ana's heart pounded at his romantic attitude.

It was cute when they first sat down, but soon the family in front of them became the primary reason for Christian and Ana not getting any sleep.

"If I have children, they will be strictly disciplined to avoid situations like these in public places."

Christian chuckled at Ana's remark, looking at the clouds through Christian's window. A six hour flight wasn't too bad when Ana and sunshine assaulted his visual senses.

"If you have children? You don't want kids?" Christian asked casually.

"I don't know," Ana sighed. "They're messy and frustrating..."

"It wouldn't be so bad," Christian commented with honest belief. "It would be a shame if you never had kids."

Their conversation dwindled at his statement, and Ana turned her head to look out at the clouds floating by them. The only time she had ever been on a plane was to fly to and from Vegas, and those were night flights, 'to see the lights', José had said. She'd never seen clouds or sunshine from high above.

"I can't wait to have kids."

Ana turned to Christian, his verbal thoughts bringing her out of her stupor. She must have looked fairly lost and confused, because his features contorted in curiosity and he asked, "Have you ever held a baby?"

Ana shook her head, her body relaxing as Christian met her gaze.

"The feeling you get-it's just amazing. It feels more wonderful than any other sensation in the world. Especially tiny babies." Christian grinned. "I remember holding my nephew Avery when he was a week old. He was wearing a tiny little singlet of white cotton and when I rested him against my chest and laid my palm across his back I just felt so...powerful. I can't imagine how it would feel to hold your own baby."

Ana swallowed. She didn't know what to say.

"You've never mentioned that you have a nephew."

Christian squinted as the sunlight reflected from the clouds and bounced through their window. "My sister's son.."

Ana joined the dots in her mind. "That picture on your desk in your office, is that him?"

Christian grinned proudly. "Yep. He's a cutie."

The smile that broke out on Ana's face was elegant and charming, and Christian wished they had more than the friendship between them.

"Christian, I thought that was you!"

Christian laughed softly, trying not to interrupt the sleeping business man beside him on the aisle seat.

"Seriously! He looks just like you!" Ana remarked. "I have looked at that picture so many times and I could have sworn it was you."

Christian grinned at the thought of Ana admiring his youthful photograph. "We do look alike. Sometimes when I'm out with him people assume I'm his dad. Especially now that he's older."

"How old is he now?" Ana asked with a tilt of her head.

"Avery is two and a bit." Christian noted. "His dad left my sister Mia when he was ten months old, and Avery hasn't seen him since. I doubt he remembers his dad."

Ana bit her lip in sorrow. "That's awful."

Christian nodded, his features saddening. "It's going to be strange when he gets older and people start making comments about him being my kid. Then his mom will have to start answering questions."

"She's a single parent?"

Christian nodded. "She's amazing, though."

You're amazing, Ana wanted to whisper. Perhaps she'd take his hand, too. But they were just getting back on track. She couldn't ruin something when they had twenty day of togetherness.

"It's great that you can be there for him when he doesn't have anyone to play the male role in his life."

Chriatian nodded. "I love doing it." He was obviously remembering the boy, because Christian smiled again, the sun from outside brightening his features. "He's such a sweetie."

Just when Ana's crush on this new, fatherly Christian started to brew, the kids in front of them hollered loudly and Ana cringed. Children and babies were definitely not on her radar. In fact, they were light years away from even reaching the circumference of her radar.

They landed twenty minutes after scheduled time, and after they had collected their bags, been through customs and collected their too-small car, they were driving towards Dun Laoghaire, just south of Dublin.

For a first impression of Ireland, the drive they took towards their first place of accommodation was breathtaking. They had never seen so much green. The land looked healthy, and Ana wished for a second that her life was different, that her surroundings at home were more beautiful than the bleak reality. She loved Seattlw and her life there, but Ireland was gorgeous.

Before going straight to the Bed and Breakfast they were booked at, they decided that a meal of celebration (and necessity) was in order. Ana has barely eaten any of the plane food out of disgust, and so they chose a tiny little Irish pub on their drive towards Dun Laoghaire.

Christian held the door open for two women exiting the pub, and Ana couldn't help but notice they were brunettes. She assumed Christian noticed as well, because he smiled widely and winked at Ana.

They were both relieved to step into the warm little pub. November was a cool month to travel Ireland, and Ana was glad she had taken Christian's advice to leave her most of her skirts at home. Christian had advised Ana that pencil skirts were not ideal for wearing on long drives, and he had persuaded Ana by making a comment that no one would know her there. And so, Ana daintily hoisted herself onto a bar stool in her new skinny jeans as Christian ordered them drinks. She had a feeling she was going to like Ireland.

When they pulled into the long driveway of their first Bed and Breakfast, Ana's hand pressed against her chest at the sight of the sweet cottage.

Ana gathered her registration pages, day planner and handbag and made her way inside to reception leaving Christian to unpack the bags from the car.

As Ana stepped inside the door and searched her surroundings for some sign of a reception desk, a beautiful older woman, not unlike Christian's mother in appearance stepped from the doorway of what Ana assumed was the kitchen. She didn't seem to notice Ana standing in the hallway and with a dishrag in hand, the woman cried out through the door Ana had just stepped through, "Hello Mr and Mrs Steele!"

"Oh, no, I'm Anastasia Steele and that is Christian Grey."

The aged woman turned around with a grin, the fast turn of her body causing the rosary beads around her neck to bounce. Christian hadn't seemed to notice the woman, and Ana spied past the lady that Christian was speaking to a man by the garden.

"Oh, darlin' are you one of those women that prefers to keep her name? Good on you, I say. Steele...That's American, isn't it?"

"Yes, it is." Ana offered a bright smile. "Christian's just getting our bags out of the car." Ana nodded towards the driveway and the woman turned to take Christian in, She turned back to Ana with a grin and wink.

Ana shook head and blushed. "I'm sorry but I just have to tell you that he's not my husband."

"He's not?" The woman raised her eyebrows.

"No. We're just friends."

The sixty-something year old bit her lip, the shake of her head causing Ana to blink. "Oh, honey, you're going to have some problems."

Ana raised her own eyebrows as the lady made her way down the hall.

"Excuse me?" Ana asked as she followed behind.

"Well, darlin', how did you win yourself this little trip?" Her Irish accent was strong, and Ana listened carefully to catch each syllable.

"In a raffle at my church. It was a national raffle once all of the tokens were collected and my name was lucky enough to be drawn."

"You're a Catholic aren't you, love?" the lady asked as she opened a locked drawer with a key to pull out the registration diary.

"Yes." Ana nodded.

"Well, darlin', your church and it's greater father church has organised the accommodation for you. We're the first stop on this list aren't we?"

"Yes, tomorrow we're driving to Waterford. I understand that the accommodation was organised, and I for one are very thankful for that." And she was. One of the reasons Ana has been so excited to leave for Ireland was the prospect of having everything so neatly organised.

"Yes, Anastasia, but you see the little home stays you and your friend are lodging in are run by strong Catholics, that's why they've picked every bed and breakfast on that little list. What you've got yourself there are a few Catholic retreats."

Ana's eyes travelled over the list.

"Well, I haven't been the most faithful of followers in recent times, so I will look forward to this oppor-"

"Oh, darlin', you're not really gettin' it. You're booked for one room, and only married couples can share a room in these places. Strong Catholics, I tell you. If any of the hosts on that list find out you're not married, they aren't going to accept you lodging in their homes, and you're going to have to find other accommodation. Even here, I can't have you sleepin' in the same bed! If my husband found out he'd shoot the both of you!" the woman exclaimed with wide eyes.

Anas face flushed. "Oh, gosh, we wouldn't be sleeping together at all, and we would be fine with having separate rooms. Actually, that would be our preference. That's what we thought we were signed up for. Single rooms would be wonderful."

The lady laughed at Ana's obliviousness. "Darlin', we ain't got any single rooms, and you'll be lucky to find any home stays that do. Most are going to hand you a key to a room with a double bed. You're booked for one room, and unless you want to pay for another room."

Ana's features were panicked. "So you're saying we can't stay at any of these homes on the list unless we pay for our own separate rooms? We can't afford that."

"No, darlin', what sayin' is that maybe you should head on out there and tell your friend you've decided he's your husband. If he doesn't agree, you're going to have to tell him to open his cheque book."

Ana gasped. "I can't do that!" She could hear Christian speaking outside, his laughter and American accent strong.

"Well, all I'm saying is that most of these hosts on the list are going to be notified that he's your husband, and unless you want to add few grand to your holiday cost, you're best to keep it that way."

Ana brought a hand to her forehead. What would Christian think? Was this going to be a complete disaster?

"What will we do tonight?" Ana asked, her breathing quickening.

The woman flicked through her planner. "I have a few vacancies for you both to have separate rooms at no additional cost, and I'm nice enough to understand your situation. Most strong Catholics won't, and they won't give it you for free. This is a very busy travel period and you won't have such luck in other Catholic bed and breakfasts, especially the busy ones on this list. And you're best to stick to the story rather than find other accommodation in mainstream hotels, because everything that is above standard will already be booked up or incredibly expensive."

The thought of staying in a cheap motel sent Ana running out to the car.

Christian was engaged in conversation and Ana stood by her anxiety growing by the second as she waited for Christian to finish up. With a nod and quick smile to the elderly man with the shovel, Ana walked to the other side of the car where they would be assured privacy from the gardener she assumed would be the one to shoot them if he found them in bed together.

"Christian, we have a problem."

His grin softened. "What's wrong?"

Ana cast a glance to the woman at the counter. She could feel the woman's eyes on them as Ana peered nonchalantly over Christian's shoulder. The emotions coursing through her were anything but blasé.

"You know how I won this through my church?"

"Yeah?" Christian questioned.

Ana opened her planner to pull out the most important form. "Well apparently all of the bed and breakfasts on this list are Catholic."

Christian raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"

Ana lowered her voice with her gaze. "They don't accept unmarried couples sleeping in the same bed."

Christian chuckled. "But we have separate rooms."

Ana swallowed. "No, we don't. My church payed for us as a married couple with one room, and we have to pay the additional cost of the second room if we want to stay. Christian, we have to pay at every one of these places."

"Is this a joke?" Chriatian smiled, casting a glance at Ana.

Ana shook her head, the paleness of her cheeks alerting Christian to the fact that she was completely serious. "No, the lady at the desk just told me."

"We can't afford that!" Christian gulped.

"I know." Ana sighed in frustration. "She says we should just stick to what they have us booked as." Christian's eyes widened and Ana couldn't tell if he looked pleased or irritated. Mostly, he just looked confused. "She also said it's going to be hard to find accommodation in clean places. Christian, what are we going to do? Everything is so disorganised!"

Ana's breathing started to quicken, and Christian softly grasped her forearms over the thick green pea coat she was wearing- the same one he had kissed her in two years ago. "Okay. I have an idea. How about we pay half of the accommodation. So every second night, we get separate rooms if they look like they have vacancies. It will half the cost, but it won't be for the whole trip."

Ana blinked as she stared into Christian's eyes. "But we're going to pretend we're married every second day?"

"Yep." Christian nodded surely, confident in his plan. "It's no big deal, Ana. It's just like when you were in college and you claimed you were a child to not pay the full price of a movie ticket."

Ana murmured something that sounded like 'I never did that', but Christian ignored it when she whispered, "So every second night we're going to share a bed?"

He imagined it. He remembered how breathtaking her kisses were. But she was so gentle and sweet that he needed to help her relax as much as she could. He needed to make her feel comfortable.

"Unless you want to be a big spender, yeah..." he grinned.

Ana swallowed and released a deep breath. "Okay."

Wheeling their bags into the cottage, the elderly lady greeted them again.

"Hello, Mr. Steele! Are you enjoying Ireland?"

AN: I hope you are enjoying this story! Everything is happy now, but don't worry, drama is coming!

Please review if you like it!