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

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 18: Home Again

Ana and Christian's second date was as wonderful as their first, with Gail making them a delicious Chinese stir fry dish which the two of them ate while cuddled up on the couch together in front of the TV. They were watching Thor on Netflix, but neither of them were paying much attention to it as they ate their food and talked. Ana was telling Christian about what had happened earlier that evening, when her father caught her trying to pack an overnight bag.

"It was so awkward," she groaned, and Christian couldn't help but chuckle over his fried noodles. "I was planning on talking to him about me staying the night here, but of course he had to pass by my bedroom door the moment I was standing over my suitcase with a pair of panties and a bra in my hands. I've never seen him look more uncomfortable in my life."

"I'm sorry, baby," Christian chuckled, unable to help feeling amused. "But at least you were able to tell him that you're spending the night here."

"Yeah, but not before he started lecturing me about safe sex and reminding me to keep my phone on in case there's an emergency with Ted," Ana rolled her eyes before picking up her wine glass from the coffee table. "Believe me, I was relieved when you came to the door to pick me up so he could end his little speech."

"I'm glad I was able to help," Christian smirked. "Incidentally, I think Taylor's getting annoyed at me that he and Gail have to stay over at Elliot's again tonight so you and I could have a little privacy on our date."

"Well, I'll make sure to tell him I'm sorry," Ana grimaced apologetically. "And I'll make sure Gail knows I appreciate her making us dinner again."

"She's happy to do it," Christian smiled, taking a sip from his own wine glass. "And Taylor knows that we're not staying in Easton for much longer anyway, so he's willing to stick it out for a few more days."

Ana felt her heart plummet, realizing that he was right. The LCH construction was nearly finished at this point, so Christian had to go back to GEH in Seattle. He was no longer going to be living next door to her anymore, and she felt her spirits sink at the thought.

"Hey," Christian said, noticing Ana's expression. He set his wine glass down before taking her hand in his own,. "I'm sorry for bringing up Seattle. That wasn't appropriate to do on our date tonight."

"It's fine, Christian," Ana shook her head, grimacing slightly. "I knew from the beginning you couldn't stay in Easton forever. I'm just going to miss you, that's all."

"Oh baby, I'm going to miss you too," Christian said sincerely, bringing his hand up to caress her cheek, giving her a small smile. "If I could, I would stay here in Easton with you and Ted forever, but I have work back in Seattle I can't ignore or pass off anymore."

"I understand. Your work is important," Ana nodded. "I don't want to stand in the way of that."

Christian didn't say anything for a moment, but he frowned as he brought his hand away from her face. "Ana, I don't want you to ever think that I'm choosing my work over you. Both you and Ted have become incredibly important to me over these past few weeks, and I would never jeopardize what we have going on right now with my work in Seattle. Please know that."

Ana couldn't help but smile. "I appreciate you saying that, Christian. Do you think Ted and I could come up and visit you in Seattle sometime?"

"Nothing would make me happier," Christian beamed widely at her. "So long as you and I are calling, texting, or Skyping every minute we're not together."

Ana couldn't help but giggle. "I don't even have Skype."

"I'll take care of that," Christian brushed aside easily. "If you and I are going to be seeing each other long distance, you can absolutely guarantee we're going to have some private bedroom Skype sessions with each other."

Ana blushed, unable to help feeling incredibly turned on by the thought of having Skype sex with him. "Sounds like fun," she murmured, biting her lip.

Christian smirked before taking his plate and Ana's and setting both back on the coffee table, "Oh, I'll show you fun," he growled, and he immediately lunged forward and pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss. Their mouths exchanged heated nips and licks, their tongues tangling together in a sensual dance, and Ana's heart thudded in her chest. Her appetite immediately shifted from food to something else more carnal as she brought her hands up to tangle in his hair.

"Bedroom," she breathed against his mouth, and with a smile Christian immediately scooped her up in his arms, getting to his feet. Ana squealed in delight as he rushed toward his bedroom, kicking the door closed behind him.

Saturday and Sunday at the jobsite were busier than ever with the whole crew finishing up the final stages of the construction. There were still a couple minor details to hash out, like Andy the foreman needing to do some final checks before Elliot ordered all the furniture. However, by the end of the day Sunday, the crew had actually finished the entire building's structure.

The LCH building project was officially over and done with. On Monday morning, everyone came to the jobsite to hear the announcement from Elliot:

"Thank you to everyone for your hard work and dedication over this past month," Elliot spoke through the megaphone so the whole crowd of people could hear. "I know it hadn't been easy, with some initial delays at the beginning and some pretty bad weather near the end, but we pulled through and managed to get the LCH building up by our deadline. You all have done a fantastic job, so please give yourselves a big round of applause!"

The whole crowd erupted in loud applause, some of the workers even whooping in celebration. Ana and Christian clapped along with everyone else, exchanging smiles with each other.

"Great job everyone!" Elliot grinned widely at the crowd of workers. "And of course, we have to give a big thank you to the people of Easton for accommodating us and allowing us to build on their land. The mayor of Easton, Mr. Greg Clayton, actually has a few words to share with you all today."

Elliot stepped aside and handed the megaphone to Greg, who was standing nearby.

"Good morning, everyone," Greg smiled at the crowd as he spoke through the megaphone. "On behalf of everyone in Easton, I would like to thank Christian and Elliot Grey, as well as all of Grey Construction, for building this beautiful new business in our town. We are all truly thankful the Grey's came to our town when they did, and for everything they've done for us in the few short weeks they've been here. As a thank you to them, our town is going to throw a little barbeque tonight around sundown. It'll be at my home, about a block away from The Angler's Head, and we'll have good food, beer, and music. It'll be a lot of fun, and you all are welcome - I hope you can all make it!"

Everybody cheered again, excited at the prospect of a having a party tonight. Ana grinned as she clapped along with everyone else, knowing that Greg Clayton always threw the best parties. His five acres of gorgeous grassy land had an idyllic view of the Cascade Mountains, and it was the perfect place for tons of people to gather for a fun summer outdoor barbeque.

"That sounds like fun," Christian noted to Ana once the applause died down.

"Oh, Greg's barbeques are the best," Ana grinned. "With the whole town and construction crew coming, it should be really awesome."

Christian smiled. "Well, we have the rest of the day free until his party tonight. Maybe you, me, and Ted could go do something together?"

"Oh, I was actually going to go help Greg set up for the party today," Ana said.

Christian looked surprised. "Did he ask you to help?"

"No, but that's just what we do for parties here in Easton. All of us in town come together and pitch in to help however we can." Ana gave him an amused smirk. "Did you think this was going to be like one of your fancy professionally-catered soirees back in Seattle?"

Christian chuckled, looking a bit embarrassed. "No, I guess not. I just didn't really think about it - is there anything I can do to help?"

"Well, I was going to help prepare the food. If you don't want to do that, you can always help set up tables and chairs if you don't mind some physical labor. My dad usually helps out with that stuff."

"Alright, I'll do that," Christian smiled. "As long as I get to spend time with you during the party, I don't care what I have to do beforehand."

Ana giggled. "I'm glad to hear it… and maybe afterward, you and I can have our own little private afterparty."

"Now you're talking," Christian growled, and Ana squealed as he pulled her toward him and kissed her on the mouth. Ana happily kissed him back.

~That evening~

Greg Clayton's party was in full swing.

His vast backyard had been decked out with dozens of picnic tables, chairs, outdoor string lights, and tiki torches thanks to Christian and some of the other men in town who had helped set up. Ana and many of the other ladies had helped all afternoon with the food - there were dishes upon dishes of potato salad, chips, veggies, grilled chicken, hamburgers, corn on the cob, and fruit salad. Everything was laid out buffet-style outside as people filled their plates with food, and all the townspeople chatted and mingled with each other as they watched their kids playing together out in the nearby field.

"Teddy looks like he's having fun," Christian chuckled, watching as he ran around playing tag with about ten other kids his age.

"He's going to sleep well tonight, I'll tell you that much," Ana smirked, popping a chip in her mouth. She and Christian were sitting together with a group of people at one of the picnic tables while Ray was off somewhere talking to his buddies. The light of the setting sun along the mountainous horizon cast a gorgeous glow across the entire party, making this summer evening look absolutely perfect.

"So is Ted in school yet?" Christian asked, taking a swig of his beer.

"He'll be starting kindergarten in September," Ana nodded. "I'm honestly a little nervous for school to start, but at the same time I think it'll be nice to have a few hours of peace and quiet in the house everyday."

"That'll be nice. Before you know it, he'll be out of the house for good," Christian smirked, and Ana giggled.

"Excuse me, everyone!" someone shouted above the noise of the crowd, and everyone quieted. Greg was standing in front of his house next to a large white sheet hanging down the wall, where a TV screen was being projected. "Everybody, look this way - Easton's on the news!"

Everybody cheered excitedly, and they all quieted as soon as the KOMO News opening appeared on the projection. Greg turned up the volume:

"Good evening, everyone. My name is Mike Richards with KOMO Seattle news, here to bring you the latest in current events. Tonight we have our very own Kate Kavanagh reporting on the tragic, but also inspiring, news out of Easton, Washington…"

The screen then cut to a wide shot of Easton, and a voiceover of Kate began talking about the devastation that had occurred over the past weekend when the storm hit. Ana's heart clenched as she saw the still-ravaged homes and buildings.

Kate then segued into Christian's role in Easton's recovery process, and the camera cut to Kate interviewing Christian on the jobsite from only a few days ago. Everyone in the party began to cheer, and Ana and Christian exchanged wide grins.

"My brother and I had been in the process of building a new business out here in Easton when the storm hit," Christian was saying onscreen. "The whole town was in ruin, and I knew I had to do something to help. There was never even a question of whether or not I should help - it was just the right thing to do."

Kate then went on to explain how Christian had paid for all the reconstruction efforts in town, which was estimated to be nearly a million dollars. Several other townspeople then gave interviews outside their storm-ravaged homes, talking about how thankful they were for Christian and for everything he had done for their town. Ana wondered if Kate was going to go into Christian's past with Elena, but thankfully the news segment ended before that.

Everyone in the crowd applauded wildly once it finished, and Greg, still standing near the front, held his bottle of beer in the air.

"To Christian Grey!"

"To Christian Grey!" everyone chorused. Ana lifted her bottle of beer into the air as well, smiling over at Christian before taking a sip. Christian grinned back, looking almost embarrassed by all the attention. Luckily, at that moment all the children decided to finish up their game of tag and run back to their parents.

"Hi Cwistan!" Ted grinned as he ran up to him and Ana. "We pwayed tag and I was it!"

"Wow, that's awesome!" Christian grinned enthusiastically. Ted made a move to sit down next to Christian at the picnic table, but Christian instead lifted him up and perched him on his lap. Ana giggled as Ted eagerly turned to Christian's plate of food and tried to pick up his hamburger.

"Teddy, how about I go get you a plate of food?" Ana said, getting to her feet.

"Oh no, it's fine," Christian grinned in amusement as he watched Ted excitedly digging into his meal. Ana rolled her eyes, giggling.

"I'll be right back," she said, and because she wanted to, moved around the table and pressed a kiss to Christian's cheek, causing him to smile at her. She then kissed the top of Ted's head before walking over to the buffet table.

She began filling up a paper plate for Ted when she heard someone approach her from her left. She looked over to see Paul Clayton approaching her, hobbling a little as his left leg was still encased in a boot.

"Hey Ana," he greeted her, his voice sounding a little flat.

"Hi Paul," Ana said. "How's you leg doing?"

"It's getting better," he said simply, and he paused for a moment. "So are you and Christian Grey dating?"

"What?" Ana blinked, frowning at him.

"I saw you kiss him just now," he said, unable to hide the bitter edge in his voice as he glanced over at Christian at the picnic table. "And you've been really affectionate with him all day. Are you dating him?"

"That's none of your business," Ana said, feeling her cheeks go red. "Why should it even matter to you?"

"You know why," Paul said, glaring at her. "I've always liked you Ana, and you and I have known each other practically our whole lives. But this random dude comes to town for like two minutes and you're already all over him!"

"I don't have to explain myself to you," Ana said coldly. "It's my life, and I can do what I want with it. You don't get to have some sort of claim over me simply because you've known me longer than he has. I like Christian, and I've made it clear to you over the years that I'm not interested in you like that. Why can't you just accept that?"

"Jesus Ana, you barely know this guy," Paul said, his voice rising in anger. "He's just some rich douchebag who likes to throw his money around to lowly peasants like us to make him feel good about himself."

"Are you serious?" Ana felt herself getting angrier too. "That 'rich douchebag' just single-handedly rebuilt our entire town and saved your life when you were trapped under that tree! Or have you forgotten already?"

Paul scoffed and rolled his eyes. "I would've gotten out from under that tree eventually. And it was Elliot Grey who actually saved me from it."

"Whatever," Ana shook her head, turning away from him to continue getting food for Ted. "You're just being a baby, Paul. I like Christian and he likes me, and you're just going to have to live with it."

"Yeah right. We'll see how long he likes you once he realizes he has to play Daddy for your son," Paul sneered. Before Ana could respond, however, someone approached them.

"Everything alright over here?" Christian asked, eyeing Paul suspiciously. He was carrying Ted on his hip, Ted hugging him around the neck, and Paul went red with anger as he stared at the two of them.

"Everything's fine," he muttered, finally looking away. "Ana and I were just talking."

"Paul?" Greg suddenly approached, looking angry as he stopped in front of his son. "Paul, what the hell are you doing?"

"He was just leaving," Christian said in a hard voice, fixing Paul with an angry look. "Right Paul?"

"Jesus son, how many times have I told you to leave Ana alone?" Greg snapped, grasping his son by the upper arm. "Come back over here and stop bugging her."

Paul reluctantly allowed his father to pull him away, and Ana, Christian, and Ted walked back over to their table. Christian was clearly pissed off and was trying to rein in his temper.

"Ana, I do not trust that guy to be around you when I'm not here," Christian said as soon as they sat down. Ted sat down next to Ana and immediately dug into his food. "How can I know he's not going to start harassing you the moment my back is turned?"

"Paul's just pissed off because he found out you and I are seeing each other," Ana grimaced. "I doubt there's anything he would do to actually hurt me or Ted. But if he tries anything, I'll kick his butt."

Ted snickered at the word 'butt', and Christian couldn't help but smile slightly at him.

"I hope you're right. If he confronts you again or makes you uncomfortable at all, I want to know about it okay? Promise me you'll tell me, no matter what - that guy clearly doesn't understand when no means no."

"I promise I'll tell you," Ana said sincerely, and Christian smiled at her.

"Good."

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that! Next chapter, we'll get to see Ana and Christian begin to navigate their long-distance relationship.

If you liked this chapter, be sure to leave a review! :)