Author's note: Internet unreliability continues. So please forgive any inconsistencies in my replies or chapters.

A reminder that, as stipulated in the books, Ana's biological father was Franklin A. Lambert.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Their guests start filtering in as the allotted time approaches. Apparently enjoying his role as host immensely, Christian shows family and friends – Ana had eventually persuaded him to let even José attend – into the living room, then makes sure they have a drink and access to snacks before moving to the next.

Having been ordered by her husband to take it easy after their exhausting day shopping, Ana barely moves from the sofa, only standing to greet people as they arrive. When everyone is settled, Christian looks over the eager faces of their guests and waits until they quiet down before saying, "Thank you all for coming. Ana and I wanted to make sure you understand how grateful we are for your support through her illness. If you're here tonight it's because you're important to us." Then moving to Ana and offering her the remote control for the widescreen TV, his voice is heavy with emotion as he smiles at his wife and concludes, "And because we'd like you to meet our son."

A collective murmur of appreciation hums around the room, as everyone suddenly understands what "movie" they've been invited to watch. With no spare seats, Christian sits on the floor at Ana's feet, his head resting on her lap for the show. Just as excited as she'd been earlier in the week, watching the 3D/4D ultrasound while holding Christian's hand, Ana delightedly points out the few highlights; four intact limbs, ten fingers and toes, a reliable heart, the proof that they're having a son, and an adorable face with perfect features made vivid by modern technology. Not a word is spoken for the duration; Ana's chosen soundtrack "Godspeed", by the Dixie Chicks, the only sound in the room.

When it's done, freezing on the photo of their literally (thanks to the color of the 3D image) golden child apparently peacefully sleeping, it's Grace who finally breaks the relative silence, wiping tears from her face as she simply says, "Please…again."

By the time fatigue is taking hold of her, Ana has lost track of how many times the video has played, or how many hands have eagerly felt her abdomen every time the baby moves, thankfully remembering to also acknowledge her. It's Carla who notices her daughter's need for rest and suddenly takes control, politely letting people know that movie night is over. With a permanent half smile at his mother-in-law's bossiness, Christian makes sure that everyone goes away with a copy of the ultrasound.

After saying goodbye to the last of his guests, he returns to the living room, only to be met by Carla holding one finger to her lips for silence. Then he sees her, his angel, asleep reclining on the sofa with her feet up and one hand resting on her mounded belly. Smiling, Christian quietly asks, "Bob?"

"Already in our room. Thank you, for letting us stay here. I know you can afford the best hotel for us, but I'd much rather be here with my baby girl."

Smiling, Christian says, "I figured." Then offering the crook of his arm, he adds, "I'll walk you up."

Carla hesitates, saying, "Ana asked me to be careful of…she says you don't like to be touched?" When Christian tenses, she quickly continues, "She didn't explain further; just didn't want me to make you uncomfortable."

Shrugging off his ingrained mistrust, Christian smiles and assures her, "I'm not." Taking Carla's hand and putting it inside his arm, he leads them both towards the stairs as he says, "In the past, it was true that being touched on the torso was a crippling fear of mine, and hopefully one day I'll get brave enough to tell you why. But your daughter's love has cured me even of that. Thank you, for Anastasia."

Struggling to maintain her composure, Carla's voice is strained as she reveals, "I wish I could take credit for her, but she's her father; his grace and compassion are evident in everything she does."

"Not everything." Frowning a little in confusion, Carla waits for an explanation and Christian says, "She has your strength."

It's too much for her, and Carla has to wipe tears from her eyes before continuing. At the door of the guest room, she turns and says, "Thank you, for that. I'm so glad she found you."

"Me, too. Unless you get up even earlier than I do, Gail will be in the kitchen when you wake. Just let her know what you'd like to eat."

"Thank you, Christian. Would it be impolite to ask what sign of affection, if any, you can tolerate?"

Finally uncomfortable, despite having genuinely enjoyed what, for him, should have been an excruciating amount of people in his home, Christian forces a smile and says, "How about we try for a kiss on the cheek and see what happens?"

Apparently, Ana also inherited her courtesy from Carla, because the older woman is careful to only touch her lips to Christian's cheek, not even resting a hand on his arm. "Goodnight, Christian."

"Night, Carla."

When Christian returns to the living room, Ana is still asleep. She looks so peaceful that he's loath to move her. Instead, he perches on the coffee table, mutes the television and watches the footage of their son one more time. It's a relatively new feeling, this dull ache deep in his chest, but he's learning to love it, because he knows it means that he would do anything for this little man; not yet born and already loved by so many people. Thinking back over the evening brings up a different pain, and he suddenly, desperately needs a shower. He's leaning forward, head in both hands when Ana gently asks, "Christian? Baby, are you okay?"

Since she knows him well enough that there's little point denying his unease, he reveals, "I'm fine, just…you know; the touching thing."

With a compassionate smile, Ana opens her arms to him as she says, "Yes, I don't suppose you've ever been hugged that much in your entire life before."

Moving to her, dropping to his knees and laying his head on her lap to receive her comfort, marveling that her touch can erase the lingering taint of all the others, he says, "Certainly not in one night. Is it too late to whisk you away to that deserted island?"

One hand caressing through his hair, the other soothingly stroking his head and neck, Ana says, "I'm sorry, darling, but I think they'd probably hunt us down now. No way are our mothers going to miss out on being grandparents."

It's enough that Christian manages to summon a weak laugh and agree, "Yes, you're right. And I'm pretty sure I saw Ray wipe away a tear or two, as well."

Ana's voice is hushed with awe when she says, "Yeah. I don't recall ever seeing him cry before." Unable to bend down over her swollen belly, she noisily kisses her hand and then bestows the grateful gesture on his cheek as she continues, "Thank you, for arranging a car and driver. I'd have worried about him driving here and back in one day. And for letting Mom and Bob stay here. You're amazing." When his only answer is a modest shrug of his shoulders, Ana nervously licks her lips and asks, "So, how are you feeling about our guests staying here overnight?"

Christian chuckles and says, "I checked three times that the playroom is locked."

Ana also laughs and says, "No, I mean…does it bother you for…you know?"

Lifting his head to smile at her, Christian says, "Oh; for 'you know'. No, it doesn't bother me for that. Besides, she'll be in an adjoining room for two weeks soon, so we'd better get used to it."

Just the chance that they might get to have sex, when she'd thought it unlikely tonight, stirs desire within Ana; a powerful and steady flame, that she knows will be answered by a similar heat in Christian's body, and she asks only, "Here?"

His eyes alight with passion, Christian incredulously asks, "You'd let me fuck you on this sofa, with your Mom just upstairs?"

Hoping that he won't, Ana nevertheless means it when she promises, "I would, if you wished it."

Christian eyes her speculatively for a moment, one hand idly caressing the outside of her thigh, then he suddenly stands and helps Ana to her feet as he says, "Fortunately for you, I've never cared for an audience. We'll fuck in the shower, like civilized people."

At a safe distance from the jet, a smartly-dressed duo are standing by a shiny black Range Rover; the man doing a fair imitation of a brick building and the woman only slightly less muscular. She holds out a manila folder to Christian and greets them in what sounds like an affected posh accent, but almost certainly isn't, "Good afternoon, Mr. Grey, Mrs. Grey, Mrs. Adams. I'm Lea, this is Nigel. We're your protection for the duration of your stay. If you have your passports ready, we can officially welcome you to Cambridge, England."

Christian accepts the folder even as he hands over everyone's paperwork and says, "Thank you. You're up to date?"

Lea's darted glance at Ana confirming that she is, the woman says, "Yes, sir. We're aware that the destination is a surprise. We've checked the route and don't anticipate any problems."

Opening the door, even as Nigel heads around to the driver's seat, Lea says, "Shall we proceed?"

The interior of the already luxurious vehicle has been converted to pamper the discerning billionaire; plush reclining leather seats, personal DVD players, fold-out tables, Wi-Fi and charger jacks for the mobile entrepreneur, and a minibar between each row of seats with a small selection of snacks and drinks. Lea takes a moment to explain everything before making sure her precious cargo is secured within. Carla is still gushing over the luxury as they leave the airport; Lea handing over the paperwork for a cursory inspection by an official at the gate before she returns everyone's passports and says, "First stop is in about forty minutes. Not much on the way but farmland, I'm afraid. But it's a pleasant enough view. Or you can doze and I'll wake you when we're nearly there, okay?" When she's received a nod or a smile from all of them, she motions for Nigel to drive on.

Secure in the car as it smoothly joins the traffic leaving the airport, Carla – seated in front of Ana and Christian, but where she can easily see Ana for conversation – comments, "This is a bit unnecessary, don't you think; two bodyguards? We're on vacation, after all."

Ana feels Christian tense beside her, so she squeezes his hand in reassurance and explains, "There's a chance that the press will leave us alone while we're here, Mom, but it's only a slim chance, and Christian has never been willing to take risks with my safety. It's entirely necessary." Smiling a little to ease the sting of her message, she adds, "Just sit back and enjoy yourself. He also always makes travelling fun. What's in the minibar?"

As ever, easily distracted, Carla eagerly unveils the concealed treasure between the seats and discloses all the contents, cooing over the sparkling wine and thanking Christian when he offers to open it for her. Ana watches in amusement as her husband charms her mother; opening the half-bottle and pouring a modest glass for Carla, then making sure he and Ana have a non-alcoholic drink before offering the toast, "To family."

Ana wonders if he's teasing her Mom, but Carla only looks delighted at the idea and eagerly echoes his blessing before taking a sip. Glad that they're getting along, she's still grateful to Lea when the woman takes it upon herself to entertain their unofficial chaperone. With his mother-in-law distracted, Christian leans over to kiss Ana's cheek and whisper, "Thank you."

Realizing that he's talking about her defending him against her Mom, Ana quietly says, "I meant every word."

Then appraising her for a few seconds, Christian asks, "Tired, baby?"

As if his question is a command, Ana feels the effects of trying to get enough sleep on a strange jet, chartered to accommodate their guest in comfort, and admits, "A little."

Pushing the button that slowly reclines her seat, even as he takes the remains of her drink from her hand, Christian says, "Then sleep, sweetheart. You've got a big day ahead of you."

Unconcerned, because she trusts it will be for her benefit, Ana smiles and asks, "Still a surprise?"

Again leaning over to kiss her, this time on the lips, Christian says, "Yes. Sweet dreams, baby."

Ana wakes as they enter a charming town, looking like something from another era; predominately red brick walls and shuttered, multi-paned windows with brightly colored flowers in the window boxes, even a few thatched roofs. Lea is apparently still chatting with Carla, and Ana wonders if her Mom has taken breath since they left the airport. As the fugue of sleep fades away, she hears, "And it's where they filmed the TV show Dad's Army. Do you know it?"

"One of my ex-husband's favorites, though I never really got into it."

Lea shrugs and says, "What about Lara Croft? Elveden Hall is the mansion used in that one, and it's only a few miles from here."

Carla shrugs and says, "No, sorry. I don't really watch much British TV." Ana bites back her giggle at the fact that her Mom now has an idea that Tomb Raider is the same as the farcical comedy that Ray so enjoys.

Christian is, of course, tapping away at his Blackberry, presumably working. Seeing that she's awake, he puts the phone away, smiles and explains, "Thetford. This is where we'll be staying tonight. We'll stop here now and check in, so you can freshen up before we get to our final destination."

"And you're still not going to explain what's going on?"

Beaming at her, he says, "Nope. Still trust me?"

Secretly very excited, because she knows that he'll make it enjoyable, Ana cheerfully shakes her head and lies, "Not even a little bit."

She sees the flare of passion in his eyes, before he quickly quells it, though his tone retains a hint of promise when he cautions, "Lying again, Mrs. Grey?" As if remembering that they're not alone, he more loudly asks, "Is this the sort of thing you taught you daughter, Carla; lying to her husband?"

Sensing that this is a game, Carla's grin is barely contained as she says, "No, it most definitely is not."

Still looking only at Ana, Christian's cheeky grin is appearing when he asks, "What do you suggest we do about it?"

Her eyes sparkling with mirth, Carla says, "Well, the few times she was naughty as a child, I'd send Ana to her room. But that never really did anything, as she would just read and forget why she'd been sent there in the first place."

As if giving the matter serious thought, Christian says, "Hmm…I've got a better idea. When we return here this evening, you'll be blindfolded."

This entire game a little too close to others they've played – ones not suitable for nosey parents – Ana blushes and darts a nervous glance at her mother before hedging, "I might trip."

Clearly enjoying her discomfort immensely, Christian smirks and says, "Now, baby, you know I wouldn't let that happen. Just accept your punishment like a good girl."

He practically purrs the last two words. Thinking it's incredibly unfair that he can seduce her like this when she's three feet away from her mother, Ana trusts him enough to limit any remaining protest to a groan, and she says, "Okay; blindfolded. But if I fall, you're both going to feel very guilty."

Apparently satisfied, Christian lifts her hand to his lips for a moment, no doubt deliberately letting his teeth skim her knuckles, and again says "Good girl," sending Ana's body into turmoil as sudden, hot need for him pulses through her veins.

The car pulls up outside an inn almost too perfect for words; a light pink blush to the rendered stone walls, black slate tiled roof, hint of a lush garden behind the granite and hedgerow fence, and an unassuming sign in an elegant script that reads Wereham House. Ana is already in love with the inn and the town as Lea escorts them to reception while Nigel stays with the car.

The place appears deserted and Ana asks Christian, "Did you book every room?"

Grinning, he says, "Not quite. Apparently the British are reluctant to kick people out of their rooms, even for several of our American dollars."

Smiling, Lea interjects, "Well, that was your mistake, sir; should have made it Pound Sterling. Isn't that right, Carolyn?"

The tastefully presented woman behind the desk smiles and says, "Absolutely. Would have turfed our guests into the street for real money. The Grey party?" At Lea's nod, she hands over keys as she says, "There are snacks and drinks in your rooms. Unless you inform me otherwise, dinner will be served at seven. I'm Carolyn; my husband, and also your chef, is Andy. You'll meet him at some point. I hope you enjoy your stay."

Lea escorts them to their rooms and asks Christian, "Twenty minutes?"

There's a slight edge to Christian's voice when he says "Yes," and shuts the door, so Ana isn't very surprised when arms encircle her from behind as she's surveying the small but charming room. His front snug against her back, his erection prompting against the top of her butt, Christian gently pushes her hair out of the way to kiss her neck. Pleasure coursing through her, Ana breathlessly pleads, "Uh, darling? Baby pressing on bladder."

Christian groans and immediately releases her as he mutters, "Son, you're killing me."

He doesn't sound too upset, so Ana laughs and says, "He's not doing it on purpose."

Pouting his frustration, Christian opens the en suite door for her as he complains, "I'm not so sure."

Finally at ease with her husband, even in these private moments, Ana leaves the door open as she pees and says to a now out of sight Christian, "You think he's holding a grudge for all the times we've had intercourse?"

From the bedroom, Christian snorts, "I would."

By the time they've both used the bathroom and Nigel has retrieved their luggage, there's not enough time even for a quickie and they're back in the Range Rover, heading to the mystery location. Travelling through the back streets of Thetford, Ana suddenly says, "Wait! Please, stop."

Pulling over as quickly as he safely can, Nigel asks, "Something wrong, ma'am?"

A little embarrassed when she realizes that they might think her reason trivial, Ana points to the red pillar box nearby and sheepishly explains, "I've read about them, and I know we have some in the States, but I've never seen one."

Catching on, Lea smiles and asks, "Do you have your camera handy?"

It's Christian who suggests, "How about a photo with you and Carla?"

Minutes later, in an even more jovial mood after a ridiculous pose either side of the pillar box, they head off again past quaint houses and ancient inns with names like King's Head and Deer's Leap, into the English countryside. Dark clouds threaten, but the weather holds as they travel through increasingly wooded terrain, with occasional glimpses of large estates through the trees, and Ana ponders aloud, "Do you think any of these are for sale?"

Clearly pleased with her interest, Christian smiles and asks, "You like it here, baby?"

"Oh, it's beautiful. I've only imagined places like this from books. It's as if what I've always thought of as fantasy has suddenly become real."

As usual, their hands are joined. Christian lifts her hand to his lips for a moment and says only, "Good."

Worried that he may have made an incredibly extravagant impulse buy, Ana asks, "What have you done?"

Christian laughs and says, "Nothing, babe. But, maybe by the end of the evening, you'll have real reason to want a vacation house here."

There's no point trying to get him to disclose his secret, so Ana doesn't even try, instead silently sulking, and hoping that it won't be long before they reach their destination. Her mood isn't helped when he softly laughs at her expense, clearly enjoying her impatience.

A few minutes later, Nigel slows and turns off the highway onto a lane; the road sign, Shadwell, giving nothing away. They drive past a lovely old red brick building with a slate tile roof and Lea reveals, "The old Post Office, now a private residence…actually, I think that one is for sale." When seconds later they drive over a narrow bridge, she reveals, "The River Thet. We're nearly there."

Suddenly, the view clears onto open meadows both sides of the lane and Ana, now eagerly peering out her window, sees a church up ahead; mottled light-gray stone with a red tiled roof, and she asks, "Is that a residence, too?"

"No, ma'am. That's St. Andrew's."

A smug Christian then reveals, "Our destination."

Incredulous, given that he's not shy about proclaiming himself to be an atheist, Ana exclaims, "You, in a church?"

Christian laughs and says, "One day you'll accept the fact that I'll do anything to put a smile on your face."

Still oblivious as to his secret purpose for bringing her here, Ana is almost in tears at this simple statement and says, "I'm going to cry before the end of the day, aren't I?"

"Buckets, baby." Then looking at Carla, who's smiling on both of them, Christian adds, "But you won't be alone."

As Nigel parks the car, Ana asks, "Mom, do you know what's going on?"

Also visibly struggling to contain her emotions, Carla says, "Only part of it. Christian needed my help to get started. I hope you like it, sweetie."

Suddenly, irrationally nervous, Ana doesn't realize what she's doing until Christian leans over and eases her bottom lip from her teeth before kissing her and pleading, "Trust me."

It's all Ana needs, this reminder that everything he's done is for her, so she smiles and vows, "I do."

When Christian laughs, she's at first confused, until he points out, "Appropriate words, given our location."

They're met at the door by a young curate, Keith, who is obviously known to Lea. He greets them and leads the way to a back room. On a weathered, wooden desk is a large book of church records; from its appearance, probably the original. Finally getting an inkling of why they've come all this way, Ana is actually holding her breath as she reads the line of information Keith points to; the baptism record of Edward Lambert, born 1783, only son of Edward and Hannah. Too stunned to do anything other than eventually draw a ragged breath, Ana hears Christian quietly explain, "It's the best I could do at short notice. I've traced your father's family back this far. I want you and our son to know where you came from."

Ana shakes her head and asks, "But…you've only had a couple of weeks…how?"

"Actually, I've been working on this for a while. You know my fondness for research. When even Carla didn't know much about her in-laws, I did some digging. A framed portrait of your family tree should be ready by the time we get home. The name Lambert goes back all the way to the fifteenth century in Ireland, but this is what we've confirmed so far; Edward and Hannah Lambert are your great, great, great, great, great, great grandparents."

The way his brow furrows in concentration as he counts off her lineage on his fingers makes Ana's heart swell still further with love, until it feels fit to burst, and she practically throws herself at him as she says, "Thank you."

Christian easily catches her in his embrace, grants her the lingering kiss she then silently begs for, and finally asks, "Good surprise?"

As one, Ana and a teary-eyed Carla say "Wonderful surprise," prompting joyful laughter from the three of them.

With Keith's permission – though he adds the stipulation that they not use a camera flash inside – they then go snap happy, taking pictures of the book, church and surrounds. Glad that Christian has bullied her into wearing only comfortable shoes as her pregnancy progresses, Ana is nevertheless a little footsore when they return to the Range Rover as the light is waning. On seeing Ana kick off her shoes, Christian pats his lap. Smiling her gratitude, Ana reclines her seat and puts her feet in his lap for a soothing massage. He's barely had time to ease the pain when they're approaching the outskirts of Thetford and Christian instructs, "Pull over."

Nigel nods and does so, glancing in the mirror for the reason why. Christian leans over and grabs one end of Ana's scarf, gently pulling it towards him as he grins and reminds her, "Your punishment, Mrs. Grey."

Her lips automatically parting in quest for oxygen, as her heart rate and breathing accelerate in response to his seductive tone, Ana again nervously glances at a smiling Carla and protests, "I thought you were joking?"

"Carla, did it seem like I was joking earlier?"

Making Ana almost uncomfortable with how much she's enjoying this "game", Carla says, "No. No, it didn't. Just do as you're told, sweetheart."

Again choosing trust, Ana shrugs and sits up to let Christian blindfold her, muttering, "You better not let me walk into a wall or anything."

Carefree, Christian laughs and kisses her angry lips, then says, "Tempting, but I don't think your mother would approve." Ana guesses that he's then talking to Nigel when he says, "Okay."

Only a few minutes later, the car again stops. Ana assumes they're outside Wereham House. Without her sight, all she can do is wait for someone to help her. She smells Christian's delicious scent when the door opens onto a very chilly evening. He silently helps her into her shoes, then takes both her hands and warmly says, "Come on, baby; one more surprise for the night."

Suddenly realizing why he'd been so intent on incorporating what has been foreplay into their day, she smiles and says, "I should have guessed you had an ulterior motive."

She can imagine his smug grin when he chuckles and kisses her cheek, then promises, "Always, baby."

Christian carefully leads her, with occasional verbal instructions, through a few doors, then bids her stop before moving behind her, keeping reassuring contact with her at all times. Gently pushing her forward a few steps – not something she could endure with anyone she trusted less than her husband – he then puts his lips by her ear to whisper "My eleventh reason why I'll make a good parent," then removes the blindfold.

A few feet in front of Ana – helped to stand out of her wheelchair by a young, well-dressed man – is an old woman…ancient, even. She's still beautiful though, and achingly familiar. Behind her are about forty people, of varying ages, all looking pleased to see Ana and wearing name tags that she can't quite read from this distance. With a kind smile, the woman says, "Welcome, Ana. I'm Ann Lambert; your great-aunt." With a wide, graceful sweep of her arm, she encompasses all assembled, saying, "And this is your family."

Just the facts: All place names exist. The particular St. Andrews church mentioned (there are many in the UK) is at Brettenham, Norfolk, beside a lane off the A1066. There was an Edward Lambert born there, but I don't know that the original parish records would be in the church, but I thought this was cuter than Ana and Christian visit an office. Thank you, for reading.