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

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 24: A Proper Goodbye

Christian got a text from Ana at about six o'clock the next morning, saying she and Ted were coming over in about half an hour. Christian had been up since about five-thirty and had gotten a little work done by this point - he texted her back to let her know he'd be ready, curious as to where they were going. He quickly showered and changed out of his pajamas into blue jeans, hiking boots, and a flannel shirt.

His doorbell rang at exactly six-thirty, and Christian answered the door to see Ana and Ted standing on his front porch, both of them dressed similarly to him.

"Good morning," Ana smiled at him. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and as usual there was not an ounce of makeup on her beautiful face. "You look nice. Ready to go?"

"Yup. Are you going to tell me where it is we're going?" Christian smirked, grabbing his keys and wallet before stepping outside and closing the door behind him.

"It's only about a mile or two outside of town," Ana said as she smiled sweetly at him. "C'mon, I'll drive."

Ana led Ted and Christian over to the truck, and she picked up Ted to put him in his carseat while Christian got in on the passenger side. Ana then got in the driver's seat and started the ignition, pulling out to the road and heading down the highway. They were silent as they drove along, and Christian simply gazed out the window toward the sunrise peeking up over the Cascade mountains - pinks and yellows swirled together with low-hanging clouds along the beautiful, tree-lined horizon. It was truly a spectacular site, and Christian felt remiss to leave all this behind when he had to go back to Seattle later today.

Ana finally slowed down the truck and pulled off of the highway into a side road made of dirt and gravel. They were in a lush, grassy area with trees lining the sides of the road, and after about a quarter mile Ana turned left beyond a small copse of evergreen trees.

They had pulled into an even smaller dirt road made of two tire tracks leading to a brownstone mausoleum. Behind it, Christian could see a vast expanse of gravestones.

Ana parked the truck near the mausoleum and turned off the ignition. "Do you have your present, Teddy?" she asked her son, unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Yeah!" Ted said from the backseat, and Christian looked behind him to see Ted holding a small plush bear.

"You coming?" Ana asked Christian, reaching into the backseat to grab a brown shopping bag there.

"Oh um, yeah," Christian quickly unbuckled his seatbelt and stepped out of the truck. He wanted to ask what they were doing at a cemetery this early in the morning, but a part of him knew exactly why they were here. He felt it was best not to say anything.

Christian followed Ana and Ted through the cemetery, walking past a multitude of gravestones before finally arriving at one in particular. It was a tall, slim piece of white marble with an opulent-looking cross carved out on top. Words were etched into the face:

Here Lies Hannah Borowitz

August 16th 1988 - October 12th 2007

Beloved mother and dear friend, forever in our hearts

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."

Matthew 11:28

They were here to visit Ana's late friend and Ted's biological mother, Hannah. Christian couldn't help but notice her date of birth on the gravestone was today's date, August 16th. It would have been her birthday today.

Christian remained silent as Ana and Ted walked forward to place their gifts at the foot of Hannah's grave. With Ana's urging, Ted stepped forward first and shyly set down the teddy bear at the base of the gravestone. Ana then reached inside her shopping bag and pulled out a framed picture and a plant pot containing a beautiful bouquet of carnations. She walked forward and placed them right beside the bear - the picture was propped up against the tombstone, and Christian saw that it was of Hannah and Ana in their caps and gowns at their high school graduation.

Ana stood staring down at Hannah's grave for a moment or two, not saying a word, before finally turning back around. Christian saw that her eyes were glassy with unshed tears, and he instinctively moved over to take her into his arms. Ana willingly melted into his embrace, burying her face in his shoulder as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Christian simply held her, rubbing his hand along her back and resting his cheek on top of her head. He felt his heart constrict with pain at the thought of her grief over her dead friend.

After a few seconds, Ana sniffled and pulled away slightly, offering Christian a small smile. "Sorry," she muttered, bringing her hand up and wiping away her tears.

"Don't be," Christian said sincerely, his arms still wrapped protectively around her. He wished he could take away her sadness and pain, but there was very little he could do aside from just hold her.

"She would have been twenty-four today," Ana said, turning to glance back over at Hannah's grave. "Every year on her birthday, my dad and I take Ted to her grave and give her flowers and a teddy bear. This year, I thought it was a good idea if you came along with us instead."

Christian smiled. "I'm honored," he said sincerely. "I wish I could've known her when she was alive."

"I do too," Ana smiled, keeping her arm wrapped around his waist as she turned back toward Hannah's grave. "She really was an amazing person. If she were here right now, she would be shocked I was even standing here with a boy - I was always the shy one when it came to guys, and she was the exact opposite." Ana went silent, thinking for a few seconds. "Actually, if Hannah knew you when she was alive, she probably would have tried to hook up with you. So nevermind."

Christian couldn't help but laugh. "Don't worry, baby - I only have eyes for you."

"Good."

Ana and Christian stood gazing down at Hannah's grave for a couple more minutes, neither of them saying a word as they kept their arms wrapped around each other's waists. Ted had wandered off on his own, plucking a few blades of grass from the ground around the gravestones. A light breeze now blew through the cemetery, causing their hair to blow back slightly; the sun had almost completely risen over the mountaintops at this point, casting a bright yellow glow across the gravestones and giving them long shadows along the grass.

Ana rested her head against Christian's shoulder, and he felt at peace with the world.

~Ana~

Soon after they had visited Hannah's grave at the cemetery, Christian had to go grab his luggage from the rental home before heading back to Seattle on his helicopter. Ana and Ted went out with him to say goodbye before he left, and Ana had to practically restrain Ted from jumping onto the helicopter after Christian. The two of them stood back a ways as they watched Christian start up his helicopter and rise up into the sky, waving at them through the window as he went. Pretty soon, he had disappeared over the mountaintops and was gone.

Ana and Ted went back home to see that Ray was cooking breakfast. He glanced up from the stove when they walked in.

"Good morning, you two. Did Christian go back to Seattle?" he asked.

"Yeah, we were just out by his helicopter to say goodbye," Ana said, taking off her shoes before moving over to help Ted with his.

"I heard you guys leaving pretty early this morning. Did you do anything else?" Ray asked, stirring his scrambled eggs and sausage bits in the pan.

"It's Hannah's birthday," Ana said simply. She removed Ted's shoes, and he immediately ran off to the living room where his toys were.

"Oh, it's the sixteenth already?" Ray asked, frowning over at Ana. "Shoot, I completely forgot it was Hannah's birthday today. Why didn't you tell me so I could go with you guys to pay my respects?"

"I'm sorry Dad. I thought it was something Ted and I could share with Christian this year. I didn't mean to exclude you."

"No, it's okay," Ray sighed, turning back to the stove. "I can drive out there a bit later today to visit her. I suppose it's my fault for forgetting."

"I'm sure Hannah would forgive you," Ana smiled fondly. She walked over to her dad in the kitchen and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly from behind. "She loved you, you know. You were the only father she ever had."

"Jeez Annie, you wanna get all sappy before I've even had my coffee?" Ray chuckled, smiling over his shoulder at her. "I miss Hannah too darling, but I know she lives on through the memories we shared with her, and through her little boy. I'm sure she would be eternally grateful for what you've done for Ted, Ana."

"Now who's the one getting all sappy?" Ana grinned, and Ray chuckled again. She hugged him one more time around his middle before letting him go. "Breakfast almost ready?"

"Only a few more minutes," Ray said, turning back to the stove. "Why don't you get the orange juice out of the fridge?"

"Sure," Ana smiled. For some reason, she was feeling lighter than she had felt in awhile. Since she had come back from visiting Hannah this morning, she felt more at peace with the world - she was honestly glad she had brought Christian along with her today, and she felt confident she had made the right decision when she opened that part of herself to him.

~The next day~

Elliot Grey had come to town.

He and a few members of his construction crew had driven several moving vans all the way from Seattle carrying the new furniture and shelving for LCH. They were likely going to be here all day facilitating everything being moved into the building, and while Ana would have preferred Elliot's brother to be here instead, she decided to head down to the valley to say hello to him.

"Ana!" Elliot greeted her jubilantly when he saw her walk over to him from her truck. Behind him, several men were unloading large boxes from the backs of the dry vans. "Great to see you again! You've come for the better Grey brother, I see."

"Very funny," Ana smirked, giving him a friendly hug hello. "It's good to see you again, Elliot. I don't know if you heard, but Christian was actually here yesterday."

"Yeah, he mentioned something to me about that," Elliot nodded. "Guess he couldn't wait to see you again - looks like my little bro's got it pretty bad for you."

Ana couldn't help but grin, inordinately pleased. "I know the feeling."

The two of them began to talk for a few minutes about the new LCH building and where all the furniture was going to fit inside. Elliot was telling her about how the front lobby was going to be arranged when a green truck suddenly pulled up on the side of the road and parked right behind Ana's pickup truck. She frowned at it.

"What's Greg Clayton doing here?" she asked.

"Oh, I called him earlier today to let him know I was coming with all these moving vans," Elliot said. "I didn't realize he was going to come down here though. Am I breaking some sort of regulation?"

"I doubt it - Greg just likes to check in with people," Ana smiled, but her smile faded as soon as she saw Paul Clayton step out of the passenger side of his father's truck. Ana hadn't spoken Paul since the barbecue a couple weeks ago, and now he was no longer in a boot, meaning his fractured ankle was healed now. That didn't offer much comfort to Ana at the moment, however, as she saw Paul looking right at her as he and his father approached them.

"Elliot, glad to have you back in Easton," Greg greeted Elliot with a smile, shaking his hand.

"Good to be back, Greg," Elliot grinned back. "How goes it this morning?"

"Not too bad... Ana, I didn't know you would be out here too," Greg smiled over at her.

"I just came by to say hello to Elliot," Ana smiled back. "I won't be in your way too long. I was going to head back home soon anyway."

"Oh no, please don't leave on our account," Greg insisted. "Feel free to stick around as long as you'd like. In fact, Paul…?"

Greg turned to his son, giving him a pointed look. Ana glanced between the two in confusion, and Paul cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Um, right," he said before turning to Ana. "Ana, do you mind if we talk for a second?"

Ana dearly wanted to say no, especially since she was fairly certain he was going to apologize for what happened at the barbecue, but with Greg and Elliot here she felt she didn't have a choice. "Sure."

He led the way over to his truck and Ana followed him rather reluctantly. They were now out of earshot of Greg and Elliot, and Ana felt briefly worried that Paul was going to have her get in the truck with him, but thankfully he stopped just short of it before turning toward her.

"Ana, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for how I confronted you at my dad's barbecue a couple weeks ago," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking down at his feet. "It was… rude and inappropriate, and I shouldn't have done it."

"No you shouldn't have," Ana said coldly, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "I accept your apology, now can I go?"

"Wait," Paul said quickly, looking up at her. "I mean it, Ana - I feel bad about what I had said to you. I may not like the fact that you're dating Christian Grey, but I should have respected your choice to be with him instead of me."

"Just cut the shit, Paul," Ana snapped, glaring at him. Paul blinked, taken aback. "I'm sick and tired of you constantly professing your feelings for me. I've been telling you for years that I don't feel that way about you, and yet you still persistently flirt with me no matter how many times I ask you to stop. I don't know how many times I have to tell you I don't like you for you to finally back off. I don't like telling you 'no' any more than you like to hear it, but if you're going to keep pushing me like this then I don't really have a choice but to keep doing it!"

Paul looked alarmed at her diatribe, clearly shocked by her words, and he didn't say anything for a moment or two. "Ana, I'm… I'm sorry."

"I'm sure you are," Ana bit out. "You know, Paul, despite everything I think you would have a lot to offer a girl. But you're never going to find the right person if you focus all your time and energy on pursuing someone who's told you time and time again that they're not interested. You're just wasting your time - and mine."

Paul stared at her for a moment or two before grimacing, looking upset. "Jeez Ana, I told you that I'm sorry and it won't happen again. What more do you want to hear from me?"

"I want to hear you stick to your word. I'll truly believe you're sorry when you stop putting yourself in a position to be constantly apologizing to me," Ana said firmly. She didn't bother waiting for a response before she turned around and walked back over to Elliot and Greg by the vans, not sparing Paul another glance.

"Hey Ana. Did you and Paul talk?" Greg asked once Ana approached them.

"Yeah we talked," Ana said. "But I think I'm going to head back to my place right now - it was good seeing you guys again."

Elliot and Greg both hugged her goodbye and Ana walked back toward her truck, not sparing another glance in Paul's direction. While Ana knew she should want to move to Seattle for the right reasons, a part of her would be happy to move there with Christian just so she would never have to put up with Paul fucking Clayton ever again.

~/~

Thankfully, the rest of the day passed by normally, and Ana and Ray were able to get some work done in the carpentry shop that afternoon. Ted was spending the day over at the McCallister's with a few of his friends, and he wouldn't be back until after dinner - while he was gone, Ana decided to take a few minutes to herself up in her room so she could Skype Christian.

She powered up the laptop on her desk and clicked onto Skype. She sent Christian an invite for a video chat, and after a few seconds he appeared onscreen. He was sitting in his home office at Escala, and when he smiled at her, Ana couldn't help but feel warm tingles fill her body. She smiled widely back.

"Hey beautiful," Christian said. "I was just thinking about you. How are you today?"

"I'm pretty good. Ted's over at a friend's house for the day, so it's nice to have a little peace and quiet around here," Ana giggled. "I'm sorry, I should have asked if you're free to Skype right now. Am I interrupting something?"

"You're not interrupting anything, Ana," Christian said sincerely. "Even if you were, I'd always make time for you, no matter what."

Ana smiled, blushing slightly. "Glad to hear it, Mr. Grey."

Christian chuckled. "So how has your day been today, Ms. Steele?"

"Definitely better now," Ana grinned. "Your brother actually came to Easton today for his furniture delivery, and when I went to go visit him, Greg and Paul Clayton happened to stop by…"

Ana began recounting her uncomfortable conversation with Paul today, and while Christian was silent as she spoke, the hard line of his jaw gave away his true feelings.

"God, that guy doesn't know when to quit," Christian said in a hard voice when she was done, and he shook his head. "How has he not figured out yet that you don't want to be with him?"

"I don't know. I just hope what I said got through to him," Ana grimaced. "I know that Greg's been trying to talk some sense into him, so maybe that's helped too."

Christian didn't say anything, but it looked like he had a few choice words about Paul Clayton he wanted to speak up about. After a few seconds, he took a deep breath and smiled, changing the subject: "I actually got some good news today, so I'm glad you called. I spoke to my parents earlier, and they both said they'd love to meet you soon. I was thinking maybe this weekend, you and Ted could come up to visit me in Seattle again and we can all have lunch at their estate? My brother and sister are coming too."

"Oh," Ana said, her heart suddenly pounding. "Um… wow. We're meeting the whole family?"

Christian's smile faded. "You don't want to?"

"No! No, I do," Ana said quickly. "It's just that… I've never had to meet a boyfriend's family before. It's kind of a scary thought."

Christian smiled once again. "Don't worry baby, my family will absolutely love you. And they'll love Teddy too - I guarantee my sister Mia will want to go shopping for him within the first hour of meeting you guys."

Ana smiled, though she still felt a bit nervous. "Okay."

"They'll love you," Christian stated firmly. "You have nothing to worry about, baby."

Suddenly, a buzzing sound came from Christian's end and he glanced down at his phone. "Oh, I'm sorry - this is my CFO Ros. Can I call you back Ana?"

"Of course," Ana said. "We can talk later. Love you."

"I love you too," Christian smiled. A moment later, the video call ended.

For several moments, Ana just sat staring at her computer screen, a million thoughts swirling around inside her head. Despite Christian's reassurances, she was unable to tamp down the nerves she suddenly felt at the idea of meeting Christian's perfect family in just one short week.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that! Next chapter, Ana and Ted go to Seattle to meet the whole Grey family.

Please review and tell me what you think!