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

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 21: Living Situations

Christian felt that this weekend he spent with Ana and Ted was the best he'd ever had. All of Saturday, the three of them had gone wandering around Seattle, first in the Pike Market and then along Elliot Bay to see all the boats. Then a bit later they went out to Christian's favorite seaside restaurant SP's Place for some of the best clam chowder in the state. Ana and Christian indulged in a some imported draft beer, and Ana even allowed Ted to have a diet cola with his dinner, much to his delight.

Once they got back to Escala, Christian suggested they watch a movie in his media room, and Ana and Ted agreed. While Christian didn't exactly have any kid movies in his DVD collection, he did have a Netflix subscription and streaming service - Ana ended up finding a movie on there that Ted had already seen called Despicable Me, and Christian agreed to watch it with them. He made some popcorn for them to share, and when he went back into the media room and sat down on the couch, Ana and Ted immediately cuddled up to him. Ana snuggled into his side while Ted, perched on his mother's lap, grabbed a pillow and blanket before laying down across Christian's lap. Christian couldn't help but smile, wrapping his arm around Ana's shoulders and basking in the feel of watching a movie with his two favorite people in the world.

The movie was pretty cute Christian thought, but he ended up dozing off toward the end, and Ana had to wake him up after it had finished. Yawning tiredly, Christian helped Ana carry a sleeping Ted up to his room and tucked him in, and the two of them went to the master bedroom to change into their pajamas and turn in for the night.

Christian closed the door and looked over at Ana, feeling immediately aroused as she had pulled her t-shirt up over her head, revealing her white lacy bra. She reached behind her and unhooked it.

"I wanted to do that for you," Christian pretended to pout as her bra dropped to the floor at her feet. He walked forward and wrapped his arms around her naked waist, and Ana giggled as one hand slid up to cup her bare breast.

"Well, you can do the rest if you like, Mr. Grey," she gave him a coquettish grin. With a smirk, Christian knelt down and tugged her skin-tight black leggings and white lace panties all the way down so she was completely naked.

"Now it's your turn," Ana said with a smile, and Christian stood up again.

"I'm all yours, baby," he said with a grin, and Ana immediately moved forward to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him passionately on the lips. Christian lifted her up in his arms and laid her down on the bed, his sleepiness from before having completely vanished at this point.

~/~

The next morning, Christian woke up alone in his bed, relieved to have slept the whole night through without any nightmares. He stretched his arms up, feeling the aftereffects of his and Ana's lovemaking last night tingle throughout his body. He smiled to himself, but it was only a brief happiness when he remembered she and Ted were leaving later today.

Trying to push away those sad thoughts, Christian got out of bed and threw on his pajamas before making his way downstairs. Ana was sitting alone at the breakfast bar in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt while reading a newspaper and sipping a cup of coffee. She glanced up as Christian approached.

"Good morning," Ana said to him as he walked toward her and pecked her on the lips. "We made the news today."

Frowning, Christian glanced down at the newspaper she was reading, and saw that it was a printed copy of The Seattle Nooz from this morning. It was turned to a page with multiple paparazzi photos of Ana, Christian, and Ted at Pike Market Place yesterday - a couple of photos were of them walking together, one was a shot of Christian with Ted on his shoulders, and one was even when Christian giving Ana a purple flower. The headline read in big bold letters: CHRISTIAN GREY'S SECRET FAMILY?

"Great," Christian sighed, cursing silently to himself. "I'm sure my PR department has already seen this and have tried contacting me about it - I haven't really been checking my emails that much this weekend."

"Is this going to be a problem?" Ana asked, a bit hesitant. "I mean, from what I can tell they only have these pictures and a small article that speculates who Ted and I are. There's nothing concrete as far as I can tell."

"For now there's nothing concrete, but it could get much more complicated if they do find out who you and Ted are," Christian frowned worriedly, walking over to the carafe of coffee and pouring himself a cup. "My team and I will work to keep your names out of the papers for the time being. When the time is right though, we'll do a small press release about who you and Ted are and that you and I are dating."

Ana frowned. "What do you mean 'when the time is right'?"

"We'll figure it out," Christian shrugged, bringing the cup of coffee to his lips. "It's just best we have a plan of action so we can stay on top of this."

Ana, however, looked dissatisfied by that answer. "What if I don't agree to having my son's name being released in the papers for the whole world to see?" she asked tightly.

Christian stared at her, frowning in concern. "Is everything alright, Ana?"

"I'm just not okay with you making decisions like that for me and my son, Christian," Ana said. "I'd like for us to be able to discuss it first."

"There's nothing to discuss," Christian said firmly. "The paparazzi have already gotten pictures of you two, and even if my PR team can keep it from spreading around too much, it's going to eventually come out who you guys are to me, whether intentionally or not. Since I'm a well-known member of Seattle society, we're going to have to take precautions."

Christian's words only seemed to make Ana even more annoyed, however. "Well, thank you for making those decisions for me," she grumbled sarcastically. "It's not like I get a say in my son's life or anything. I mean, you've already planned out where Ted and I are going to live in the near future, so why not this too?"

That comment made Christian pause, and he stared at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Ana didn't answer as she stared down at her coffee mug. "Nothing. Nevermind," she muttered, not looking at him.

"No, not 'nevermind'," Christian said angrily. What was she so pissed off about? "What the hell did you mean by where you and Ted are going to live?"

Ana finally looked up at him, annoyance still simmering in her expression. "Yesterday while we were walking along Elliot Bay, you made a comment about how glad you would be once Ted and I moved to Seattle."

"Yeah?" Christian said, still confused as to why that upset her.

"You didn't think to ask me first if I would be okay to uproot my and my son's life in Easton and move to Seattle with you?" Ana asked pointedly. Christian felt a bit taken aback.

"Are you saying you don't want to live in Seattle with me someday?" he asked, his heart clenching. This long-distance relationship with her was tough enough already - did she really not see a future with him here?

"I don't know what I want to do," Ana said evasively. "Someday down the line I thought maybe we could talk about it and work out what we wanted to do. But that's not why I'm upset - I'm upset because you apparently had already made a major decision about my and my son's lives without consulting me first."

"So you're saying you don't want to live here in Seattle with me someday?" Christian asked, still unsure as to why she was so upset.

Ana huffed in frustration. "I'm saying that I want us to have a discussion about important things in our lives before you just decide things for me. I'd like to have a say in our relationship, Christian."

"You do have a say, Ana," Christian insisted. "But we both knew we weren't going to do this long-distance thing forever. What was there to discuss?"

"A lot of things," Ana stated. "It may seem all cut-and-dry to you, but to me and Ted it's a huge change. We've lived in Easton our whole lives - all our friends and neighbors live there, Ted is going to go to school there, and my dad and I run a business together from our home. Do you think it's so easy for us to just get up and leave all that behind?"

"I'm not saying you have to move to Seattle right at this moment," Christian said, his frustration growing. "Why are you fighting me so much on this? I thought you'd be happy at the idea of not having to do a long-distance relationship anymore."

"You just don't get it, Christian. How would you like it if I insisted you uproot your life and move to Easton for me?"

"What?" Christian asked, bemused. "You want me to move to Easton?"

"No I don't. But if I did, you and I would have a discussion before we decided on anything," Ana said firmly. "It's called communication, and it's necessary in a relationship. Can't you see that?"

"Fine, we'll communicate," Christian said, hoping to appease her. "You know how I feel about you, Ana - I want this relationship to work more than anything."

"I do too, Christian," Ana said seriously. "I'm not completely against the idea of me and Ted moving to Seattle someday. I just want us to have a discussion about it before you start jumping to conclusions."

"Well, if you're already considering moving to Seattle, then there's not really anything to discuss, is there?" Christian frowned at her. "Is it because you don't want to live here at Escala? I know that I used to bring my submissives here, but that's in the past and it doesn't matter anymore."

The look that crossed Ana's face immediately made Christian realize he had said the wrong thing. "Excuse me, what?" she asked, clearly trying to suppress her anger. "You brought your submissives here? To this apartment?"

Christian didn't say anything, knowing he had completely stepped in it.

"Are you serious?" Ana went on, clearly trying to keep herself from shouting. "You brought my four-year-old son into the same place where you entertained your little… pets?!"

"Well, it wasn't in here," Christian stated defensively, gesturing to the room they were standing in. "It was in only one room upstairs, and it's locked so there's no chance of Ted getting inside. It's totally fine."

"And you never thought to inform me of this?" Ana asked angrily. "God, Christian! I knew you had these types of relationships in the past, but I assumed you conducted them… elsewhere. Not under the same roof where you let my son sleep!"

"Ana, that part of my life is over," Christian argued back, his anger starting to rise as well. "You and Ted are my future - you know that. I don't practice that lifestyle anymore, so you have nothing to be angry about!"

"Nothing to be angry about? You didn't feel the need to tell me when you've made big decisions regarding me and my son without my knowledge," Ana argued back. "You decided I would be okay with releasing our names to the public. You decided I would be okay with you telling me where we're going to live in the future. You decided I would be okay with my four-year-old son staying in the same house where you practiced your BDSM lifestyle. If you wanted a girl who you could just make a bunch of decisions for, Christian, then maybe you should have just gotten yourself another submissive."

With that, Ana turned around and stalked up the stairs, leaving Christian staring after her in shock.

~Ana~

Ana felt the blood pounding in her ears as she made her way back to the master bedroom, her anger still simmering inside of her. She knew her snapping at Christian the way she had wasn't the best way to handle this situation, but she was too angry to care. How dare he try to make decisions for her and her son like that? She always knew he was used to being the man in charge, but was this going to be a theme throughout their entire relationship? He would just make all the decisions and she was expected to play along?

Ana was distracted from her angry thoughts by her phone ringing. It was her father.

"Hello?" Ana answered after a moment, trying to calm her temper.

"'Morning, sweetie," Ray greeted her warmly. "How's Seattle been so far?"

"It's been good," Ana said, clearing her throat. "Is everything alright in Easton?"

"Well, that's what I was calling you about, actually," Ray said. "That couple in Vancouver wants their armoire by Tuesday morning now, which means I have to rush to finish it up before then. It needs to be shipped out on the dry van by tomorrow afternoon so it'll make it on time. I know that you and Ted are still visiting Christian in Seattle, but do you know when you're going to get back today? I could really use all the help I can get."

"I'm not sure when we'll be heading back," Ana said, glancing out the window toward the early morning Seattle skyline. They were supposed to go out on Christian boat today, but considering their fight this morning, that didn't seem like much of an option. "Can I call you later and let you know?"

"Sure thing, sweetie," Ray said. "I appreciate you coming through for me at the last minute."

"No problem Dad. Love you."

"Love you too, sweetie. Give my best to Christian."

They hung up, and Ana continued to gaze thoughtfully out the window, thinking about what to do. A part of her wanted to rush home this minute, but she wasn't sure how Christian would react to her leaving right now, especially considering their conversation a few minutes ago.

"Was that your father?"

Ana turned to see Christian standing in the doorway, gazing at her. She hadn't realized he was there, and she wondered if he had heard the entire phone call.

"Yeah," Ana nodded. "One of our customers at the carpentry shop needs a rush on their project, and my dad wanted to know when I'd be home today to help him out with it."

Christian nodded, not saying anything. There was a brief moment where both of them remained silent, trying to think of what to say next.

"Well, I suppose I should go wake up Ted if you're going to be leaving right now," Christian finally said in a clipped voice, and Ana looked up at him. "I'll tell him there's not going to be a boat ride today since your dad insists you guys have to go back home."

Before Ana could say anything, Christian turned around and walked away toward Ted's room. She huffed to herself, feeling a bit annoyed at his refusal to talk to her, but also rather relieved she wasn't going to have to stay in this tense environment with him for much longer. She went to the closet and picked up her half-empty suitcase to pack, resolved to fact that she and Ted were heading home right now despite what was going on between her and Christian.

~Christian~

Christian stood and watched as Sawyer loaded the SUV with Ana and Ted's luggage while Ana made sure she and Ted had everything. Christian wished fervently that they didn't have to leave, but he wasn't sure what he could say that could convince them to stay. Ana was pissed at him, and Ray needed her back to work at their carpentry shop in Easton... Christian felt so helpless, and he didn't know what to say or do to make all this better.

Ted was standing beside his mother, but he looked back at Christian. Christian knelt down so he was eye-level with Ted, opening his arms, and Ted walked over to him before they embraced.

"Bye Ted," Christian muttered into the little boy's hair, his heart clenching with a powerful emotion. "I hope I get to see you and your mommy again real soon."

Ted didn't answer, but merely clung to Christian's neck with his little arms. Finally, they pulled away from each other and Christian got to his feet.

"C'mon buddy," Ana said to Ted, and he hurried back over to his mom, who picked him up and placed him in his carseat. Once he was all buckled in, Ana turned to look at Christian.

The expression on her face was one of uncertainty, as if she wasn't sure where they stood in their relationship as of this moment. Christian felt the same way, but what he knew beyond a doubt was that he didn't want to lose her or Ted. Tentatively, he walked up to her and took her hand in his own.

"Can I call you sometime this week?" he asked hesitantly, afraid she would say no. Ana gave him a small smile before nodding her head.

"Yeah you can," she said, and Christian smiled at her.

"Thanks baby."

Ana smiled back, and with that small bit of tension broken, Ana got up on her tippy toes and pressed a kiss to Christian's lips. It was just a small kiss, but it made Christian feel better that she wasn't completely rejecting him with her leaving.

Before Christian could protest, Ana had turned and climbed into the backseat of the SUV, closing the door behind her, and Sawyer then got into the driver's seat. They were soon pulling out of the parking garage and onto the street, heading back to Easton.

A/N: I know a lot of you are going to have some opinions about this chapter. Just know that both Christian and Ana have some things they need to face about themselves before they reconcile, which will be very soon.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think! Next chapter, Ana and Christian both work through what happened between them.