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

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 22: The Foreseeable Future

The armoire Ray and Ana were making for their customer in Vancouver was only about half finished when she and Ted came back from Seattle, so Ana understood her father's urgency in making sure it was done before Tuesday. Thankfully it didn't need to be stained since they were building it with dark cherry wood, but the remaining cutting and assembling was a two-man job that would likely take up the rest of Sunday and most of Monday. These types of last-minute rushes weren't very common, so when they happened they needed to be taken pretty seriously.

Ana was thankful for the distraction of working at the wood shop with her father. Ever since she came back from Seattle, she kept going back and forth in her mind about how she left things with Christian, and while sometimes she felt justified in her anger, other times she regretted everything she said to him. Had she been too hard on him? She knew he made those decisions because he was just looking out for her and Ted, but at the same time, she resented the fact he decided things about the two of them without consulting her first. She knew beyond a doubt she didn't want this to become a theme in their relationship.

The thing that probably worried her the most, however, was wondering if Christian actually wanted a relationship where he made all the decisions. Maybe he wanted someone who was more… submissive to him than she was?

Ana didn't think she would be able to bear it if that was the case.

Ana and Ray managed to finish the armoire about an hour before it had to be loaded onto the van on Monday, much to their relief. Ray was very apologetic about having to bring Ana and Ted home early from their trip to Seattle, but Ana assured him it was fine - she didn't mention to him the fight she and Christian had had, and she wasn't planning to. There were some things about Christian's life she wasn't willing to divulge to her own father.

Once the armoire was safely shipped on the dry van, Ana and Ray decided to just spend the rest of the day relaxing indoors with Ted. The three of them sat in the living room watching a sitcom, Ted sitting on the floor in front of them building something out of Legos. Ray loved seeing Ted building things with his toys, always joking that it meant he was poised to take over the carpentry business someday when he was older.

"…You're a bit quiet today, sweetheart," Ray said to his daughter, who sat curled up on the sofa adjacent to his armchair while staring mindlessly at the television. "I haven't really asked you much about your trip yet. How was Seattle?"

Ana felt her heart clench slightly. "It was fun. I know that Ted had a really good time - I don't think he's ever seen buildings that tall before."

Ray chuckled. "Yeah, I can imagine. So what did you do there?"

Ana went into what she, Ted, and Christian had done over the weekend, leaving out their argument from Sunday. Honestly, Seattle had been a lot of fun, and she recounted all the enjoyable times they spent at the Pike Place Market, Elliot Bay, and the International Fountain.

"Sounds like you had fun this weekend," Ray smiled. "How was Christian?"

"He was good," Ana nodded. "We stayed in his apartment, which is the penthouse suite of the Escala building. It's very pretty."

Ana tried to forget that that penthouse was where he had entertained his submissives, but it was difficult not to think about.

"I can imagine his place would be pretty fancy," Ray agreed. "Someone like him probably has all the swankiest things at his disposal."

Ana wanted to agree, but all she could muster was a weak smile. Ray noticed her expression and gave her a concerned look. "Everything alright, sweetheart?"

Ana looked at her father, and knew there really wasn't anything she could hide from him. She shrugged, deciding to tell him part of the truth: "I don't know… I guess there was just so much to take in about Christian's life in Seattle. It all got to be a bit overwhelming towards the end, and Christian and I actually got into a bit of an argument before we left."

"Really?" Ray looked concerned. "About what?"

"It's a long story, but he was trying to make some major decisions for me and Ted without consulting me first," Ana explained, watching as Ted played with the spaceship he had made out of Legos. "I didn't appreciate being ordered around like that."

"I can see Christian doing stuff like that," Ray conceded sympathetically. "He is the CEO of an international company, after all. I'm sorry you guys got into an argument about that, but if it's any consolation, I think him doing that is just his way of showing that he cares about you and Ted."

Ana couldn't help but scoff. "He basically expected us to move to Seattle with him."

Ray nodded, looking unsurprised by that revelation. "That doesn't surprise me. Do you know what you're going to do?"

"No," Ana grimaced. "I told him he and I needed to discuss it before we decided on something so significant, but he wasn't having it. I doubt we'd move anytime soon, though."

"And why's that?" Ray asked. Ana thought about it for a second before shrugging.

"Christian and I are so… different," she said, staring down at her hands. "He comes from a completely different world than me. He's used to five star hotels and designer clothes and personal drivers. Not to mention the women he used to spend his time with were on a whole different level than me. I actually met one of his exes, and she was this beautiful, stylish sub-" Ana cut herself off before she said 'submissive'. "-sophisticated woman. She was basically everything I'm not. How am I supposed to compete with that?"

"So you feel inadequate?" Ray asked, and Ana blinked at him, surprised. Was that really what she was feeling?

"I don't know," she said doubtfully.

"It sounds like you do feel that way sweetheart, but you have no reason to be," Ray said firmly, and Ana simply gazed at him. "I'll tell you one thing about men like Christian - they know what they want. Whether it's money or respect or even women, they know how to get it and they just go for it. If Christian wanted to be with one of those other women he used to spend his time with, don't you think he would be? Do you think he would have courted you if he didn't really want to be with you?"

Ana didn't answer, gazing off into the distance in thought.

"Guys like Christian probably have women falling on their feet on a daily basis," Ray went on. "And yet Christian wants to commit to you - a young mother of a four-year-old boy who lives hours away in a tiny mountain town in the middle of nowhere. If nothing else, that should show you how much that man cares about you and Ted... and I think you care about him just as much, Annie. I'm not saying you have to kowtow to his every whim in order to be with him, but just don't let his domineering tendencies ruin something good that could potentially happen between the two of you."

Ana still remained silent as she thought about what he said. For the first time in days, she had a sudden desire to see Christian again.

~Christian~

Christian felt miserable all of Sunday after Ana and Ted left. He understood that they had to leave because of a last-minute delivery from Ana and Ray's carpentry business, but deep down he knew she wouldn't have wanted to stick around anyway. He had to call up Mac at the marina and tell him that the boat ride he had planned for the day was now cancelled - he probably could have just gone sailing by himself, but he didn't think he could bring himself to do it, not when Ana was still so angry at him.

He didn't really understand why she got so pissed at him to begin with. Was the idea of her and Ted moving to Seattle to be with him really so abhorrent to her? He wished he knew what was going on inside her head, but she and Ted were back in Easton now and she likely didn't want to talk to him anytime soon. He hated being alone in Escala stuck in his own thoughts, so he decided to schedule an appointment with his therapist Flynn first thing tomorrow morning.

"Christian," Flynn greeted Christian with a warm handshake as he entered his office on Monday. "Long time no see. How have you been?"

"I've been good," Christian said simply, walking into John's office and taking a seat. John moved over to sit in his usual wingback chair. "I was hoping to talk to you about something today."

"By all means," John said with a kind smile, reaching over to pick up his notepad and pen. "It's been over a month and a half since we last spoke to each other - I'd imagine something of import must have happened to you within that time frame."

"Well, it has," Christian said with a small smile. "I've met someone."

Flynn looked relatively surprised. "Did you now? Based on your tone of voice, I'm to assume this someone isn't a submissive?"

"No," Christian shook his head. "She's a young mother who lives in a town called Easton."

For the next twenty minutes or so, Christian talked about how he had met Ana when working with Elliot at his construction site, and how he and Ana had gotten to know each other over the weeks he'd been staying in Easton. He also talked about this past weekend, when Ana and her son had come to visit, and Flynn seemed both surprised and impressed at the progress he had made.

"My goodness Christian, you certainly move fast, don't you?" Flynn chuckled incredulously once Christian had finished talking. "I'm happy for you, truly. It seems as if you have been waiting for somebody like this Anastasia woman to come into your life, and the fact that you have become just as committed to her son shows that you are ready for a future with the two of them. You're clearly at a stage in life where you are willing to settle down and perhaps even start a family - something you have previously expounded upon that you would never do."

"Yeah," Christian said, though he grimaced slightly. "I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon though…"

He then talked about his and Ana's argument before she and Ted left Seattle. He explained his confusion of how she reacted to what he had said, and Flynn listened silently as he took notes on his pad of paper perched on his knee.

"I see…" Flynn said as Christian finished talking and he jotted something down. "So if I am hearing you correctly, Anastasia had a strongly negative reaction when you asked her if she'd like to move to Seattle, and you don't understand why she did?"

"Well…" Christian hesitated, looking down at his feet. "I didn't so much as ask her to move to Seattle as I said that I couldn't wait until she did. Is there a difference?"

"I would say that there is. Am I to assume that phrasing was what made her angry in the first place?"

Christian didn't answer, confirming that theory. Flynn merely smiled.

"From what you have told me about Anastasia, Christian, she sounds like a very strong and independent young woman," he said. "You presenting the idea of her and her son moving to Seattle could easily have been interpreted by her as you trying to control her. Tell me - is she aware of your past in the BDSM lifestyle?"

"Yeah," Christian said morosely, gazing down at his feet. "She knows pretty much everything about my past."

"That is not a bad thing, Christian," Flynn said approvingly. "Honesty is an important foundation for a relationship, and the fact that you're willing to tell her things that you've refused to talk about in the past shows that you really do trust her. However, considering how new and different this relationship is for the both of you, both of you will likely have some growing to do before you're fully ready to commit."

Christian felt his heart sink into his stomach. "So you're saying Ana and I aren't ready for her to come live in Seattle with me?"

"Not necessarily - I am saying that you two are on the right path to having a deep and meaningful relationship, but there are certain things you two must face about yourselves before you move too quickly. Anastasia's reaction to you essentially telling her that she and her son will be moving to Seattle someday is understandable if she knows about your past as a Dominant. She is likely afraid that you are trying to control her in a way similar to that of a submissive."

Christian blinked at Flynn, feeling alarmed. "I would never do that to her!"

"But does she know that?" Flynn asked pointedly.

Christian hesitated a second. "Yeah," he said, thought he felt a twinge of doubt. Had he done something to make Ana insecure in his feelings for her?

Flynn leaned back slightly in his chair, steepling his fingers in front of him. "Let's start from the beginning…"

For the next two hours or so, Flynn and Christian talked about his and Ana's relationship. Flynn helped Christian realize he should have brought up the idea of Ana and Ted moving to Seattle in a different way, and that his usual "CEO/Dom" method of ordering people around wasn't going to cut it with Ana if they were going to pursue a healthy relationship together. Flynn suggested whenever Christian wanted to talk to Ana about something important, he should try to put himself in Ana's shoes - think about how he would feel if someone tried to make decisions for him the way he had done to Ana. Christian had to admit this whole therapy session definitely gave him some food for thought.

Finally, around noon, Christian met up with Taylor at the SUV and he slid into the backseat.

"GEH," he said once he was buckled in.

"Yes sir," Taylor said, pulling out into the street.

"Is Stephen in town, do you know?" Christian asked, pulling out his BlackBerry and typing something on it.

"He should be, sir," Taylor said. "Are you travelling somewhere?"

"I will tomorrow," Christian confirmed, glancing out the window. "Have Stephen prep Charlie Tango to depart tomorrow at eleven for Easton."

~Ana~

On Tuesday after lunch, Ray decided to take Ted fishing with him on Lake Easton, giving Ana a few hours by herself in the house. It was a kind gesture on her father's part, but her mind was filled with too many thoughts about Christian, so she decided to busy herself with housework. She tidied up the living room and put away Ted's toys before going into the kitchen to sweep the floors and wash the dirty dishes from lunch.

Ana filled the sink with hot sudsy water, put on a pair of yellow rubber gloves, and began to wash the dirty plates and utensils. While she didn't necessarily like doing these types of chores, she knew they needed to be done, and menial tasks like these helped occupy her mind and keep her from thinking about Christian too much.

She scrubbed a couple dirty plates in the hot water, feeling a soft breeze blowing through a nearby open window. The faint whirrs of a helicopter sounded in the distance.

Ana continued to wash the dishes, hearing the helicopter getting a bit closer. She supposed someone was flying over the mountains, which caused the sounds to echo all over the valley. It was odd that someone was flying all the way out here in the first place. Hell, the last time she had even seen a helicopter around these parts was when…

Ana suddenly stopped scrubbing, her heart pounding in her chest.

No.

It can't be him.

Without thinking, Ana suddenly ripped off her rubber gloves and ran toward the foyer, grabbing and putting on her shoes before rushing out the front door toward the road.

She saw the helicopter up in the sky, hovering near the valley about half a mile away. While Ana couldn't see from the distance what type of helicopter it was, she knew without a doubt it was Christian's.

Without thinking, she ran to her pickup truck.

The LCH building and the construction equipment were taking up most of the once-empty valley, but the helicopter managed to find a safe place to land on the far end of the flat grassy area. Ana sped her truck down the road before screeching to a stop on the side of the highway, hopping out and running toward the helicopter, which had now landed on the grass.

As Ana got closer, she saw a figure getting out of the helicopter. They seemed to notice her and began to head toward her - Ana immediately recognized the figure's copper hair and broad-shouldered stance.

Christian.

"Ana!" Christian shouted as soon as she was within earshot. The blades of the helicopter were still whirring loudly behind him, and he stopped in his tracks as she continued to rush toward him. "Ana, I wanted to say I'm sorry…"

Ana ignored him as she ran up and threw her arms around his neck, pressing her lips to his in an exuberant kiss.

Christian only hesitated a second before kissing her back, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting her up in the air. Ana giggled against him as he spun her around, and she felt her heart soar with happiness as she felt weightless in his arms.

God, I've missed him.

"Wow," Christian panted as soon as they separated, and he set her back on her feet. He grinned. "Does this mean I'm forgiven?"

"Shut up," Ana smirked up at him, feeling her cheeks flush with desire and happiness. She glanced down and away from him. "I'm sorry too."

"It's forgotten," Christian assured her, and he leaned down to kiss her once again.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that! Next chapter, Christian stays in Easton with the Steele's while he and Ana talk things out.

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