A week has gone by since Phoebe's return. Christian has purposely avoided contact with her, getting up early for breakfast and not joining his family for meals. He's spent hours of each day buried in his work at Grey Enterprises and returned late in the evening as the family prepared for bed. Ana had managed to convince him to have a session with Flynn.

They arrive at John's office and take their seats on the couches while the therapist takes his seat behind his desk.

"What can I do for you today?" he asks them kindly. They are quiet for a few minutes since neither of them answer.

Ana looks over at her husband. He is frowning and not looking at her or at Flynn. She decides to speak first. "Our daughter came home last week."

"That's wonderful news" John beams. "I take it her return has caused some conflict."

"You might say that" Ana offers. She looks over at Christian again and he still doesn't say anything or make eye contact. "It was extremely difficult not knowing where she was. When she came home, the first thing I felt was relief, relief that she was home and in one piece. And then I felt angry. I was angry with her for leaving and putting us through that."

"What did you say to her?"

"I slapped her pretty hard. And then I shouted at her. I've never yelled at any of my children like that. Afterward I felt really guilty and all I wanted to do was hold her and tell her how much I love her. I was afraid she would leave again. But I waited until the morning. Teddy was there and he kept an eye on her while she fell asleep."

Flynn nods and then looks over at Christian. "Christian, what about you? What did you say to her?"

Christian glares at Flynn and doesn't offer an answer. Ana looks over at her husband and has tears in her eyes.

"Um, he hasn't said anything to Phoebe. He's been avoiding our daughter."

"I see" he says as he writes some things down. "Christian why are you avoiding your daughter?"

Christian shifts in his seat and crosses his leg over the other. "I think it's better for everyone that I keep my distance for a while" he says calmly.

"Christian" Ana scolds with so much emotion in her voice. She brings her hand up to wipe her nose before Flynn walks over and hands her a box of tissues. Rather than take his seat behind his desk again he stays in front of it and sits on the edge in front of the couple.

"Why do you think that would be better for everybody?"

"Flynn, you know how I get when people defy me." This time Christian's voice is more harsh.

"You want to punish her" he offers.

"I want to belt her" Christian shoots back. "I want her to feel pain for what she has put me through. And I know if I face her now I won't be able to stop myself from hurting her like that."

"Christian you don't mean that" Ana says tearfully.

"Yes, Anastasia. I do. I cannot face our daughter until I get that shit out of my head."

"And how do you plan on getting that shit out of your head?" Flynn asks him.

"I don't know. All I know is I'm too fucking angry to face her now."

Flynn looks at Christian and thinks about what he's going to say next. He looks over at Ana and watches her use more tissues to dry her tears. He looks back at Christian and offers an alternative. "Have you and Ana thought of another way you could punish her?"

Christian shakes his head and doesn't look at Flynn. Ana looks over at him. "I have"

Christian and Flynn both look over at Ana and she explains her idea to them. She would like Christian to be there with her to discuss it with their daughter. He is reluctant to face her, but Ana promises that she will not let him do something he'll regret.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Ana and Christian wait in his study for Phoebe to join them. When she does, she is reluctant to walk further into the room to face both of them. This is the first time all week that she has seen her father. He is sitting behind his desk and Ana is standing in front of it. She looks like a scared child that has been called to the principal's office. Christian remains behind his desk and has resolved to let Ana hand down the punishment.

"Phoebe, your father and I have decided on your punishment. Why don't you have a seat?" Phoebe gingerly sits down in one of the chairs that face the desk. Ana walks over and sits in the one next to her and positions herself so that she is facing Phoebe. Phoebe chances a quick glance at her father and then looks back at her mother. "We talked to your grandmother, and for the next six weeks you will be volunteering at the hospital. This will be Monday through Friday nine to four. And then you will be able to attend your dance classes.

"You're still going to let me dance?" She asks almost too quietly for them to hear, but they both do. Christian still doesn't say a word.

"Yes, there is no reason you should give that up. You will continue your dance classes and you will volunteer at the hospital during the day. Dovis will drive you around every day.

"Not Sawyer" she pouts.

Ana looks over at Christian and he doesn't change his expression. "Dovis will drive you" she repeats. "You will be volunteering, so you won't be compensated. And you will need to do what you are told while you are there or else there will be consequences. Understood?"

"Yes Mom." She looks over at her father. "Does that mean you will talk to me now?" Christian still doesn't change his expression and he doesn't say a word. "Please Dad"

"Ana I have some calls I need to make" he says coldly. Phoebe grows upset as Ana gets her to stand and leave the study with her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

The next day Christian is home with Phoebe and Natalie. It is Sunday and Kate had invited Ana out for lunch. Teddy is spending time with Rebecca. Christian is working on his laptop in the main room so that he can keep an eye on Natalie while she plays with her toys. When he walks out of the room to take a call, Natalie sees it as an opportunity to sneak upstairs to see her sister. She is not allowed upstairs without her parents, but she hasn't been able to spend a lot of time with Phoebe since she's been home. She knows where Phoebe's room is, so as soon as she reaches the top step she runs until she is outside of Phoebe's door. She is able to reach the doorknob and opens the door to find Phoebe sitting on her bed reading a book. Phoebe is happy to see her and helps her climb onto the bed.

Phoebe and Natalie spend a few minutes talking about her princesses and a few of the Disney movies that she watched with their parents until they are confronted with their angry father. He steps into the room and immediately loses his temper.

"Natalie, what did I tell you about coming up here on your own?" he yells. She grabs onto Phoebe with her little hands and Phoebe wraps her arms around her to protect her.

"Come on, Dad. She came up here to see me" she tries to reason, but Christian ignores her.

"Let's go, Natalie" he says harshly.

"She can stay in here with me" Phoebe tries again. "I can keep an eye on her while you work." She continues to hold onto Natalie as she whimpers into her shirt.

"Natalie, I am going to count to three, and if you are not standing in front of me by then I am going to spank you."

Natalie starts to cry in Phoebe's arms. She probably doesn't know what spanking is, but Christian's temper alone always frightens her.

"Dad, she's only two. You can't spank her" Phoebe says as she glares at her father. At this moment she doesn't care that her father is angry with her. Her main focus is looking out for her sister.

"One" he starts. At this point Phoebe knows that he won't back down, so she releases Natalie and tells her to go with their father. She lowers her onto the floor and Natalie reluctantly walks over to Christian. She is still afraid of him since he has an angry face and he's been yelling. He meets her halfway, picks her up and carries her out of the room, leaving Phoebe to cry for her sister. She is worried that Christian will punish her just because she wanted to visit with her.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian carries Natalie into her room and changes her diaper. Natalie is still whimpering since Christian was yelling at her. After he cleans her up he lifts her and sits her on his lap so that she is facing him. He doesn't yell at her this time but his voice is stern.

"Natalie, you know the rules. Are you allowed to come upstairs by yourself?" Natalie shakes her head. "Use your words" he demands.

"No" she answers him softly.

"But you came upstairs by yourself anyway, didn't you?"

"Yes" she answers again and starts to cry lightly. She doesn't like when her father talks to her this way. She knows she's in trouble.

"And then when I told you to come to me you didn't. I need you to do what you're told, understand?"

"Yes"

Christian sighs and wipes some tears from her face. "Natalie I'm sorry that I yelled at you. I love you very much, but I need to punish you for disobeying me." With that, he lifts her off of his lap so that she is standing in front of him, and he swats her bottom three times. Natalie cries after he does it, which makes him feel very guilty. He lifts her back onto the bed and puts a clean diaper and clothes on her. As he does it he is reminded of the words Phoebe spoke just a few minutes ago. Dad, she's only two. You can't spank her. Swatting is hardly the same as spanking, but he did swat her pretty hard. Once she is dressed he holds her in his lap for a while to get her to calm down. She tries to wriggle out of his lap but he holds onto her. He doesn't want to let her go. She is still crying when Ana arrives home and walks into her room.

"Momma" she cries for her and puts her arms out. She starts to wriggle again since Christian is still holding her. Ana walks over and lifts her out of his lap. She looks down at Christian to find out why their baby girl is crying, but he doesn't offer up an explanation. Ana continues to hold Natalie and rub her hand on the back of her head to get her to calm down.

"Baby, what is it?" she asks her softly, but she just continues to cry.

"I punished her for coming up here by herself" Christian says softly, unable to hide his guilt.

Ana glares at him as she continues to soothe their daughter. She knows exactly what he did and she doesn't approve, but that is a discussion she will need to have with him later. Right now she needs to calm their two year old so that she can put her down for a nap.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Christian leaves Natalie's room since Ana dismissed him. He didn't argue. He knew there was no point. Natalie was upset with him and she wasn't going to calm down as long as he was there with them. As he reaches the bottom step he is approached by Dovis with a bouquet of flowers that was just delivered.

"What is this?" he asks disgustedly since he didn't order any flowers.

"They are for Phoebe, Sir"

Christian takes the flowers and the card from his security and dismisses him, but not before demanding that he refrain from telling Phoebe about the delivery. He walks into the kitchen and reads the card. The dozen pink roses are from Trevor. They are Phoebe's favorite.

Phoebe, I will send you a dozen roses every day if it means you will talk to me. Please, I miss you. I need to know what it is that I did so that I can fix it. Please give me that chance. Love, Trevor

Christian grimaces. He roughly tears up the card and disposes it in the garbage. The flowers follow along with a trail of wetness once he dumps the vase on top of them. "Gail" he calls out. She emerges less than ten seconds later. "Please take out the trash." Gail takes note of his foul mood and does as he says without hesitation. Ana joins him after Gail leaves the kitchen.

"Christian, we need to talk"

Christian lets out a sigh and decides to humor her. "Fine. Talk." He stands leaned against the kitchen island with his arms crossed.

"Why did you have to punish Natalie? All she wanted to do was see her sister. I know you are mad at Phoebe but did you really have to take it out on our two year old?"

"Ana, I did not punish Natalie for visiting Phoebe. I punished her for disobeying me by going upstairs on her own."

Christian walks into the main room and Ana follows. She watches as he unlocks the liquor cabinet and pulls out the bourbon. "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Ana questions him.

"Of course it is" he says. He walks back into the kitchen and grabs a glass. Ana watches as he pours his drinks and chugs it.

"I want to talk about what you said in the session with Flynn" she says nervously as she crosses her arms and avoids eye contact with him.

"Which part?"

"The part where you said you wanted to belt our daughter."

Christian pauses for a moment and then takes another sip of his drink. He looks at Ana's eyes and can see pain, anger and fear. Fear of him? "Ana, that's how I feel. I am so angry with her and I want her to feel pain for causing that."

"It scares me that you feel like you have it in you to hurt her that way" she admits and looks down again.

Christian raises his glass. "Fifty Shades, Anastasia." He takes the final sip and slams the glass onto the counter. It's a miracle it didn't shatter with the amount of force he used. Ana flinches and has to fight the tears that are starting to form.

"What is happening to you? You are becoming so cold, Christian. I thought we were passed all of that darkness." Christian regards his wife and can tell that she is on the verge of falling apart. He doesn't like to see her this way. This is his biggest weakness. Seeing his wife and kids upset always gets to him. After a few beats he slowly walks over to his wife and takes her into his arms. At first she tries to fight him off, but Christian finds his patience and continues to try to hold her. Eventually she gives in and cries into his chest. He reaches up and rubs gentle circles on her back. He doesn't say anything to her. He just holds her for as long as she needs it. When she is done crying she pulls away and reaches up to dry her nose with her sleeve. "We need to fix this Christian. You need to be able to stand being in the same room with her without wanting to hurt her." Christian looks at her with confusion on his face. She has more faith in him than he has in himself. "Please eat dinner with us tonight. You haven't had dinner with us all week and we need this."

"Ana…."

"Please" she begs. "You don't have to sit next to her. You and I will switch places. You will sit between Natalie and Teddy."

"What if Natalie doesn't want to sit next to me?" he asks sadly.

Ana sighs. "Christian, she's two. She doesn't know how to hold a grudge. If anything I think she'd be upset if she didn't get to sit next to you."

Christian manages a grin at the thought. He's always sat between his kids at the dinner table. When Natalie came along he couldn't sit next to Teddy anymore, but since the girls were more picky about eating it was necessary for him to be next to them to ensure they had enough to eat. Tonight will be different though. He'll sit next to Teddy and Natalie. He'll have to see if he is able to be in the same room as Phoebe without unleashing his fury on her. He nods. "Okay. What are we having?"

Ana dries some more tears and manages a smile. "Since Gail is here today she's going to help me with dinner. We're making spaghetti and meatballs."

Christian closes the gap between them again and kisses her forehead. "Okay. I have some work to do, but I will join you for dinner, Mrs Grey."

Ana smiles and watches him retreat to his study.

/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/

Dinnertime is quiet as the family of five enjoys the spaghetti and meatballs. Christian helps Natalie a few times since it is the long spaghetti and she is unable to twirl it on her fork and spoon. He hasn't said a word to Phoebe. In fact he hasn't even made eye contact with her. He is not paying attention to how much she is eating, which is something he's never done. He is unaware that she's been pushing the food around her plate and not really eating much. Ana however does notice and calls her out on it.

"Phoebe, eat up, we've got plenty of food."

Ana looks at Christian and waits for a reaction, but she is disappointed. His focus is mainly on Natalie. Phoebe continues to move the food around on her plate. Teddy is already working on seconds when Ana brings another bowl of spaghetti to the table. Christian stops helping Natalie for a few minutes and allows her to eat some of her meatballs on her own. He works on his own food for a bit before he goes back to helping her. Ana looks at Phoebe's plate again and grows annoyed.

"Phoebe, aren't you hungry?"

Ana looks at Christian again and still doesn't get a reaction.

"No Mom, not really. I had a sandwich for lunch."

Ana looks at her with confusion. "You did? Did Mrs Taylor make it for you?"

"No, I made it myself" she says, but she is lying. The truth is Phoebe hasn't really been eating all that much. "May I be excused?" she asks.

Ana looks over at her husband again and can see that he isn't paying attention to their conversation. She lets out a long sigh. "Yes, Phoebe, you may be excused." After Phoebe leaves the table Ana looks over at her husband with disgust and shakes her head, but he doesn't look back at her.