Disclaimer: I own nothing...
A/N: So I literally fell off the face of Fanfiction world! I have been hulled up with my book release as it looms closer! Next week my first book comes out, so my world has been that, family and work. Forgive me, please! =)
Please mind mistakes and enjoy!
Beauty and the Beast – Chapter Forty
"No, no, no, Christian! No, don't you dare!" Ana's voice rang out through the apartment, followed by a chorus of giggling. "Christian!" she screamed between her protests and giggles. Ana felt like she couldn't breathe between the tickles of Christian's incessant attack and her laughter, but she didn't want this to stop. She loved being able to laugh so freely.
"Can you two behave and come out here!" Kate yelled out, her voice trying to act aggressive, but she failed when amusement filled her tone. Lately there seemed to be no negativity in the apartment, just copious amounts of love and happiness.
It had been just over a week since Kate had first walked into the room to find Christian on top of Ana, and it had literally be a daily occurrence ever since. It made a change from Ana dwelling or fretting over her looks, her love life, her career, everything.
"You heard the girl!" Ana managed, as Christian eased up on his attack and began kissing her. Ana slowly pushed up, still with him kissing her hungrily, and heard him moan out as she got free and stood before him. "Come on, Mr Grey. Our presence is needed; you can have me all to yourself later."
"Oh, and believe me, no one will dare disrupt us later," Christian said, as he finally stood up and took the lead by taking her hand and pulling her from the room. The moment they were outside they found both their mothers, Elliot, Mia and Kate standing around. Sawyer and Taylor were in the kitchen and Gail pottering around cleaning. "What's with the sudden gathering?"
"Well, we thought we could do something today," Elliot simply commented. "Ray and dad are off out on that fishing trip, Ethan's out of the country so we decided to congregate here."
"As usual," Christian stated with a tone full of sarcasm.
Ana put her hand on his shoulder to calm him down. She knew he loved spending most of his day with her, alone – a set back of a private relationship – but she had to help him get used to their new found status. They were now publicly together, and he had to face up to that.
"Okay," he sighed, letting his shoulders slump and decided to make a good go of this. He knew he had to share Ana, and he wanted to take her public and show her off as the beauty she was to him. "How about we go out for a big meal," Christian announced, but narrowed his gaze on Ana. "What do you say, baby? Fancy some Italian for lunch?"
Ana didn't feel confident about going outside. These experiences had been limited recently because even though she had taken her stand at the press conference, she still felt like all eyes were on. It unsettled her, and she felt like she couldn't get away from them.
But she didn't want to be hidden away. She wanted life back in her hands, controlled only by her.
She looked around, noticing that multiple people were literally holding their breaths. "Italian sounds perfect right about now."
"Oh yay!" Mia clapped her hands excitedly as the tension broke from the room. "I say we have a family movie night as well tonight. I mean, we haven't done that all together, and it'll be amazing to just chill out."
"Dibs on the sofa with my man," Ana joked and went and grabbed her purse from the stool in the kitchen area. "I have a thing for back rows at the cinemas. Sue me."
"Damn," Christian commented, another backlash of their secretive relationship hitting him. If he had just given in he could have experienced public dates sooner than this. "We are getting us a weekly date night, Anastasia, and that's final."
"Oh we are?" she giggled at him as he looped an arm around her waist and pulled her tight, "For now though, Mr Grey, you're committing PDA with a hungry family watching."
Christian shrugged as she giggled at him, "Who cares," he said and kissed her. "Now who's going in which cars? I fancy driving, so I guess we can all just separate in the garage." He looked over to Taylor, "You, Sawyer and Gail are coming too."
"Yes, Sir," Taylor nodded. He knew that Christian had seen himself, Sawyer and Gail as more family since Ana's attack and he valued it. He felt he did his job better with a stronger emotional connection. "I don't mind driving either."
"Okay so that's two cars," Christian commented, and turned to his brother. "Elliot, you want to drive an Audi?"
"My car not good enough?" Elliot joked with his little brother.
Christian put his arms out and shrugged again, "It's not an Audi." He shot Elliot a quick wink and smirked, "I just wondered if you wanted a go in one, or if we should just stick with two cars."
"You seriously think I'd pass up the opportunity to drive one of your cars, bro?" Elliot asked, the excitement beginning to creep into his tone, his eyes igniting with the sudden rush of endorphins.
"C'mon," Christian said, and grabbed the keys from the side, throwing a pair at Elliot and leading them all to the garage in the basement. Just like his brother, he kept his girl at his side, and lapped up the normalcy that seemed to be encroaching back into their lives.
The journey to the restaurant was lively, with Grace and Carla in the back of the car, the pair found it easy to tease about a future wedding for Ana and Christian. As mothers, they both wanted to see their children happy, but Ana and Christian were perfectly happy as they were. They didn't need a marriage license to make that real.
When they arrived at the restaurant, Ana was glad to flee the small space and walk inside and get their table. The sooner everyone else arrived the better! It wasn't that she hated the idea of wedding talk, but it conjured images in her head of her being an ugly bride. It was a stupid insecurity of hers, and she knew she would get over it, but she was still working on her self-esteem and one day she wouldn't even bate an eyelash at her scars.
Until that day she would live her days thinking only about her life, not her scars and keeping her mind busy with time with Christian and her family and designing the next best fashion collection that would blow everyone else out of the water.
Sitting in the restaurant, Ana found herself a little uncomfortable, but cocooned between Christian and Kate, she felt protected by a well manned fortress. With her mother and Grace opposite her, as well, she felt even more comfortable in her environment.
"Sorry to interrupt," a woman's voice came from Ana's shoulder and she turned around in her seat. "Oh it is you!" she exclaimed, a hand going to her heart as a smile grew across her face.
Ana looked at her baffled, "Excuse me, do I know you?"
"No, sorry for my rudeness, I know you're out, but I'm Claudia Fitzgerald," she introduced herself and extended her hand to Ana. "You're an inspiration," the woman continued as Ana took her hand. "I help women similar to yourself, and when I saw you sitting here I knew I just had to come over."
"Oh," Ana started to stammer, unsure of how to answer.
"You really helped the women I work with," Claudia continued with an air of confidence. "I just wanted you to know how amazing so many people think you are," she clarified. "You would make an amazing advocate for raising awareness that people with disfigurement are no different to others. You've prove that it doesn't run your life and that makes you an amazing role model to a lot of people. You wear such an aura of confidence that it is admirable."
Ana had to admit she rarely thought about her fresh scars. It wasn't until she looked into the mirror she was really reminded of them now. No one looked at her like they first had. No one cared for the markings on her face, down her neck and onto her chest. They all treated her like Ana, how she feared they never would again.
And the one thing that empowered most was the way that Christian looked at her. There wasn't an ounce of pity, worry, horror. He looked at her like she was the woman of his dreams, exactly how he always had. He gave her seduction and love, and happiness and hope. He made her feel unmarked and beautiful and he was the reason she got up in the morning with a bright smile on her face.
The morning sex always made sure it was permanent!
"Well!" the woman suddenly spoke up loudly, breaking Ana from her thoughts. "Take my card, and think about my proposition. I mean, it'd mean a great deal to me and the women in the group to see you in person, but I am by no means forcing you."
"No, no," Ana said and accepted the card. "I'd like that."
"Well, I'll hopefully hear from you soon then," Claudia spoke, happy with her feat, and then thanked them, apologised again and left them to it.
"Wow," Ana managed to say as she turned back to everyone stunned.
"I'm so proud of you," Christian whispered into Ana's ear as Claudia left them and their food arrived.
Ana just blushed, and felt another part of her come alive again. Every single day she could feel herself strengthening and soon she would be formidable once again.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Beauty and the Beast -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
"You really think I could be a role model?" Ana asked as her and Christian lay out on the bed in the afternoon sun. "I mean, after my attempt, I don't feel worthy of being seen as an inspiration."
"Why not?" Christian asked her suddenly, looking down at her.
Ana shifted, twisting in her man's arms so she was her belly facing him, "Look what I tried to do, Christian. When I think about that moment when I threatened to kill myself, I feel this rush of fear that I turned into a monster. I was so worried that the cuts would make me one, I forgot about letting myself turn into one."
"You're not a monster," Christian told her sternly, unable to adhere to her self-made accusations. "You were in a dark part of your life back then, but look how you've changed since then. Look at how you conquered so many obstacles. It is because of that, you are a role model. So what if you had a moment of weakness, you were warranted it. You were not thinking straight, but I told you once, I'll tell you again, you dropped the scalpel." Christian smiled at her, bringing his hand over to meet her fringe so he could push it out of her face, "You came back to me."
Ana's face illuminated then with the hope that Christian exuded with that one final, five word sentence. "Of course, I came back to you, Christian. You were the only thing on my mind the entire time I was there. I could only think about you loving me, and when I thought it was all lost, you proved otherwise. You loved me regardless, and you stole my heart from me unwillingly all over again."
"I'm glad," Christian murmured softly at her. "I can't live a day without you, Miss Steele, and the thought of it kills me. I want a long and happy life of waking up next to you."
"Well you saved me," she said and crawled up a little so her lips were hovering above him, their eyes caught in a locked lover's gaze. "I want to sleep with my hero every single night."
"It's a done deal," Christian said and reached up that tiniest bit to kiss Ana on the lips. He pulled away, a smile marking his lips, "Now let's get you food."
"Deal," she smirked, crawling off of the bed ready to leave.
"Christian!" Taylor cried out, his voice steady and booming. "Ana!"
"Seems we're needed sooner than we thought," Christian joked, not anticipating anyone turning up for another two hours.
Leaving the room, Ana still teasing Christian she found herself near enough walking into him as he froze just outside of the doorway. She didn't know why until she really forced him out to see and what she found made her feel sick. Sawyer was on the floor, bleeding out and unconscious while Taylor looked on in horror at Kaitlyn as she now stood with a gun pointed at them, a blooded knife in her hand, fresh crimson droplets still falling to the floor.
"Finally," Kaitlyn started to speak and looked at Ana, moving her gun off Taylor and onto her. "We need a chat and there will be no interruptions! Am I clear?" she asked and noticed Taylor moving towards her so she swung the gun back to him and fired. "Am I clear?"
Christian took Ana's hand as he watched his closest friend and guard fall to the ground.
"Yes," they both spoke in unison.