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

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 27: With and Without You

About twenty minutes later Christian, Ana, Grace and Carrick all made their way out of the restaurant and toward their cars. There were sweet goodbye hugs between them - the interaction between Carrick and Christian in particular was much warmer than earlier, which Ana was happy to see. Grace even gave Ana a gentle squeeze as she hugged her goodbye.

"Darling, I have to say, I think it's wonderful that you adopted that sweet little boy," Grace said quietly so only Ana could hear. "Carrick and I adopted all of our children, and it's been one of the most amazing and rewarding experiences of our lives. If you ever want to talk about it, please don't hesitate to give me a call."

Ana nodded, emotion fill her chest as she smiled back. "Thank you Grace. I definitely will."

Carrick went up to Ana and gave her a hug too. "Thank you for breakfast, Ana. Despite Miss Kavanagh's interference, I did have a good time getting to know you a bit better."

"Me too, Carrick," Ana smiled, hugging him back.

They finally went their separate ways, and Ana and Christian walked over to his SUV. They both got into the car, and once the doors closed behind them, they both looked at each other before letting out a laugh.

"Wow," Ana giggled, leaning her head back on the headrest. "That breakfast was completely insane."

"I know," Christian laughed. "I almost feel bad for Elliot for sleeping with the most obnoxious girl in Seattle and taking her out for breakfast this morning. I never thought they would end up together, but something tells me that that relationship isn't going to last very long."

"Wanna take bets?" Ana asked with a grin, and Christian chuckled. He pulled the car out from the parking lot and began driving toward Escala.

"Despite Kate bogarting the conversation at breakfast, I think meeting with my parents this morning was a great idea," Christian said, glancing over at Ana with a smile. "I'm glad we did this."

"Me too," Ana smiled back. "And I'm sure Mia at least was pretty happy to spend the morning with Ted."

"Oh God, I bet you anything my apartment is covered in children's toys, finger paint, and glitter right now," Christian rolled his eyes. "Why I let them stay at my place for the morning is beyond me."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Ana giggled. "Your place could use a bit of color anyway."

Christian snorted. "Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes as they drove through the city. Ana gazed out the window as the buildings passed them by, and after a few minutes she glanced back over at Christian, who was gazing out at the road with a pensive frown on his face.

"What's wrong?" Ana asked.

Christian shook his head. "I'm just thinking," he said. "You and Ted have to leave later today, and I'm not sure when I'll get to see you guys again. I have to be in Osaka, Japan on Tuesday for a new shipping yard we acquired, and I'll probably be there for at least a week before heading straight to my New York office for a new building expansion, and then New Jersey right after that for a company acquisition. It might be at least a month before I get to come back here and see you and Ted again."

Ana frowned, feeling her spirits sink at the idea of not seeing Christian for that long. "That sucks, but we can make it work. We'll Skype and call each other, and I can give you some pictures of me and Ted to take along with you. It'll be fine."

Christian smiled, though there was a hint of sadness to it. "Thanks baby. I wish I didn't have to be so far away from you guys though."

"It is what it is," Ana said, reaching over to take Christian's hand in her own, and Christian laced his fingers together with hers.

They finally arrived at Escala, and Christian parked in his usual spot. They then got out of the car and into the elevator, where Christian punched in the code for the penthouse. When they reached the top and the doors slid open, Ted's squealing laughter immediately met their ears.

Ted's toys were scattered across the great room floor, and dirty bowls and utensils littered the counters in the kitchen. Mia was currently chasing Ted around as he wore a red superhero cape and had what appeared to be an upturned bowl on his head. Christian and Ana could only stare at the scene before them in shock.

"Oh, hey guys!" Mia said, stopping when she saw them, and Ted stopped too.

"Mommy! Cwistan!" Ted ran up to them and practically tackled Ana around the waist in a tight hug.

"Hey you two," Ana said, hugging her son as she gazed around the great room. "Wow, um… you guys had some fun this morning, didn't you?"

"We sure did," Mia grinned, and Ted immediately let go of Ana before running back over to Mia, who picked him up in her arms and lifted him up over her head as if he were flying. Ted squealed in delight as he lifted his arms up above his head.

Ana and Christian exchanged looks that were both amused and exasperated. "Um…is Gail around?" Ana asked him, glancing around at the toys strewn all over the floor.

"I think she and Taylor are in their apartment," Christian said "I'll go get her - she can help us clean up this mess."

"Please hurry," Ana said as Mia tossed Ted on the couch and he giggled happily before getting up and started running around the large room once again.

After they finished cleaning the penthouse and Mia went back home, Christian decided to take Ana and Ted out on his boat for lunch before the two of them had to go back to Easton. It was still a beautiful day out and many boats were sailing around Elliot Bay, and The Grace was easily the biggest and most beautiful catamaran on the water. Christian, Ana, and Ted had a great time that afternoon as they sailed around the bay, having a picnic on the deck while Ted went to the railing and tried to see the fish swimming underneath the surface of the water.

Once their perfect afternoon was done, it was time for Ana and Ted to head back home. Leaving for Easton was difficult, especially since they weren't going to be seeing Christian for at least a month. Hopefully this sort of thing wouldn't become normal over the course of their relationship, but she figured that if she and Ted could handle living in a completely different city, then they could handle him going away on business for a few weeks.

Early Monday morning, Ana woke up to the sound of a Skype call coming in from Christian, who she knew was currently in the air on his way to Japan. Ana was still half-asleep and in her pajamas as she answered the call at her computer, but she smiled brightly as soon as she saw Christian's face on screen.

"Hi baby," Christian smiled, noticing her sleep-tousled expression. "Oh I'm sorry, did I wake you?"

"It's fine, I was about to get up anyway. How's your trip going?"

"So far so good. We're hopefully going to land in Japan within the hour, but I wanted to Skype with you right before we did," Christian said. "I was getting a security update from Taylor this morning and I got some interesting news."

"Really?" Ana asked, curious.

"Yeah. Do you remember our old friend, Leila Williams?"

Ana immediately tensed, her half-asleep state gone in the blink of an eye as she frowned at Christian. "What about her?"

"Don't worry, it's nothing bad," Christian said quickly. "At least not for you and me. Apparently, she got arrested last night."

Ana raised her eyebrows in shock. "Wow, really? For what?"

"Fittingly enough, it was for violating a restraining order," Christian grimaced. "She was apparently stalking and harrassing this married man named Chase Borman whom she had met through work, and it got to the point where he filed a restraining order against her so she would leave him alone. She got upset, so she found out where his wife worked and approached her there to tell her that she was having an affair with her husband."

Ana covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide in horror. "Oh my God, seriously?"

"Yup," Christian nodded. "It was a lie obviously, but apparently it took several days for the police to confirm it, and it practically ended his marriage. Chase is now suing Leila for slander and harassment, and Leila caused a fit in front of the police station to the point where she got arrested and put in jail. Her bail is set at $6,500, but no one's paid it yet."

"Wow," Ana said, bringing her hand away from her mouth and shaking her head. "That girl is certifiably insane. At least it's not just for you though."

"I know," Christian sighed resignedly. "My legal team is going to get in contact with Chase Borman within the next few days to tell him about my restraining order against Leila. It might be able to help his case against her."

"That's a good idea," Ana nodded, but then she frowned. "Wait, how did Taylor know about Leila stalking Chase in the first place?"

"I've been having her followed since she confronted us in Easton," Christian admitted. "Taylor's in charge of the security team, and he stuck a tail on her so we could keep track of her movements. We knew that she had been fixated on this Chase guy for awhile now, but we didn't know it would escalate to this point."

"Well, I'm glad her crazy ass is locked up now," Ana said, grimaced humorlessly. "Honestly, I hadn't really thought much about Leila since she left Easton, but I hope I'll never get to see her again."

"You won't baby. And with any luck, neither will I," Christian smiled at her. "I think we've seen the last of her for the moment."

"So no other crazy exes of yours are going to come after me then?" Ana asked, smirking at him. Christian smiled, though there was an undercurrent of worry in his expression.

"Leila was the only crazy one as far as I know, but I could check up on my other previous subs to make sure none of them know about you or are targeting you at all," Christian said, reaching a hand up and tugging at his hair. "You're gonna make me paranoid about this, baby."

"Why? I was only teasing you," Ana smiled reassuringly at him. "If you want to keep tabs on your old submissives, that's fine, but I know how to take care of myself."

"But still," Christian looked concerned. "I want to make sure both you and Ted are safe, especially since I'm going to be away for a few weeks. Would you object to me sending a member of my security team to Easton just to keep an eye on you for a bit?"

Ana grimaced slightly. "Would you object if I said no?"

Christian didn't answer, though the reserved expression on his face made Ana smirk.

"Then I guess I have no choice, do I?" she said, and Christian smiled in relief.

"Thanks baby."

A sound came from Christian's end, and he looked past the webcam toward someone standing where Ana couldn't see. After a moment, Christian turned back to Ana. "Sorry Ana, it looks like we're about to land. I'll call you in a couple hours?"

"Sure," Ana smiled. "Have a good trip. I love you."

"I love you too, baby."

Ana couldn't help but smile to herself as she signed off.

~/~

The following day, Luke Sawyer, a trusted member of Christian's security team, moved into the vacated rental home next door to Ana that Christian had previously occupied. That morning he went over to Ana's house to update her about security, and Ana couldn't help but immediately trust him to protect her and her son.

"Thanks for coming by," Ana smiled politely at him, shaking his hand. "My son is watching TV inside, but this here is my father Ray."

Ray shook Luke's hand too, but he seemed a bit skeptical of how necessary this guy would be to them. As far as he knew, there wasn't any lurking danger around and a security guard simply wasn't needed. "You're telling me Christian's paying this guy to just sit on his ass all day and watch you and Ted?" Ray asked incredulously, pointing at Luke while glancing at Ana. "Forget that. Luke, do you know how to work a table saw?"

Luke looked a little taken aback. "Um, yeah?"

"Then you can help out at the carpentry shop," Ray said firmly. "We're building a new deck chair and table set for a client out in Spokane and we could use the extra hands."

Luke blinked, clearly surprised at Ray's demand, and he glanced over at Ana who was trying to back a laugh. "I, uh… I don't think Mr. Grey authorized me to do anything other than CPO work, sir."

"He hired you to protect Ana, but does she look like she's in any danger?" Ray asked, gesturing to her. "No, she doesn't. So until that time comes, you're going to make yourself useful around here. Got it?"

Luke still looked a bit confused as he glanced back over at Ana, and she shrugged. She wasn't about to argue with her father, and she honestly wouldn't have minded some extra help in the carpentry shop. "Might as well, I guess."

For the rest of the day, Ray and Ana had Luke in their carpentry shop and showed him how to work the table saw and automatic sander. Luke was pretty handy, so he was able to pick up everything pretty easily and even appear to have a good time learning more about carpentry. Ana was glad he wasn't put off by her father basically forcing him to work at their shop, but she agreed that it was probably better than him doing nothing all day.

The next few days were more of the same - Luke helping Ray in the carpentry shop, and Ana parceling her time between helping them and watching over Ted. She also Skyped Christian every chance she could, though it was difficult considering the time difference. They were about 16 hours apart, so a reasonable hour for her could have meant the middle of the night for him, or vice versa. While it was difficult, Ana was grateful for whatever time she got to spend talking to her boyfriend.

These small moments were all she was going to have for a month, after all.

After over a week had passed since Christian left for his trip, Greg Clayton announced another barbecue he was throwing at his house. Ana was grateful for the distraction, and so that evening she, her dad, Ted, and Luke all went over to the Clayton's.

"Taylor did mention a name to me right before I took this job," Luke said to Ana as the four of them stepped out of the truck and walked toward Greg's house. "Paul Clayton?"

Ana grimaced. "Yeah, he's Greg's son. He's had a crush on me for years and I've had to continuously tell him to back off - last time I spoke to him it got pretty heated, so I don't really know what to expect from him tonight."

"I'll keep an eye out," Luke assured her, but just as they walked around the house to the backyard, Ana immediately saw Paul standing and talking to a group of people. He was also holding hands with a petite, dark-haired girl Ana didn't recognize.

Well, that's new.

"Ana - Ray," Greg greeted them jovially, and he walked forward to shake Ray's hand. "Glad you all could make it."

"Glad to be here," Ray smiled.

Paul, noticing who had arrived, approached their group, still holding hands with the petite girl. She had short dark black hair with sweeping side bangs, a blue flannel shirt and skinny jeans. She wasn't unattractive by any means, but there definitely wasn't anything special about her either.

"Hey guys," Paul said, stopping before them. "I'd like you all to meet my girlfriend, June."

Everyone said hi back, and June smiled politely as she shook their hands. When she got to Luke, she blushed scarlet, and her smile went from polite to almost hopeful as she gazed into his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Everyone, this is Luke Sawyer," Ana introduced him. "He's, um… he's been helping us at the carpentry shop."

"Well then, welcome to Easton Luke," Greg smiled, shaking Luke's hand. "I hope you enjoy yourself at my barbecue this evening."

"Thank you sir," Luke smiled back.

"So Ana, where's Christian tonight?" Paul asked as soon as Greg and Ray took Ted and headed over toward the grill.

"He's in Japan at the moment," Ana said, "And tomorrow he's going to be flying out to New York."

"Wow, what does he do?" June asked, interested.

"He's the CEO of Grey Enterprise Holdings," Ana explained, a note of pride in her voice. "His company's based in Seattle, but he does work all over the world."

"That's impressive," June said, looking impressed. Paul looked less than pleased as he cleared his throat.

"Come on, sweetie. Let's go get some food," he said, tugging on June's hand, and they walked away without another word.

"Sorry about that," Ana said, turning to Luke and grimacing. "I hope you didn't mind me lying about why you're here."

"It's fine, Ms. Steele," Luke said reassuringly. "I understand. Besides, I actually do help out at your shop, so it's not a complete lie."

Ana laughed. "Very true. I'll be sure to talk to Christian so you get a raise for all the extra work you've been doing on the job."

"Thank you," Luke smiled.

"By the way, do you know when exactly Christian's leaving Japan and heading for New York?"

"Taylor said they'd be leaving around noon tomorrow, which is around six o'clock tonight for us," Luke said, pulling out his phone to check something on it. "They'll be in New York for the next five days, and the morning after the benefactor's gala they'll be heading straight to New Jersey."

"There's a benefactor's gala?" Ana asked curiously.

"Yeah, at the end of the week," Luke nodded. "It's just a fancy dinner and fundraiser event, as far as I know. Mr. Grey is expected to make an appearance since he's a benefactor to a lot of the larger businesses in the city."

"Is it by invitation only?"

"I'm not sure. Why?"

Ana bit her lip - an idea had started to form in her brain, and she was liking it more and more by the second. "Could you maybe find out? I don't know how possible it would be, but I was thinking I could fly out to New York and surprise Christian there at the gala."

Luke gazed at her for a moment before smiling. "You really want to fly out to New York City to surprise him?"

Ana nodded a bit nervously. "Is that crazy?"

"Not at all Ms. Steele, but it will probably take some coordination on my and Taylor's parts," Luke said, pulling out his phone again and texting something on it. "I'll have a word with Taylor about it and let you know."

He stepped away from her as he continued to text on his phone, and Ana watched him, feeling anticipation and delight filling her body at the idea of seeing Christian in only a few short days.

A/N: Hope you all enjoyed that! Next chapter, Ana plans her surprise.

If you enjoyed this chapter, please review!