Christian saunters into the bedroom hoping to join his wife in the shower, but finds he is too late since Ana is already showered and in their spacious walk-in closet. He remains outside of the closet to hear her grunting and moaning as she throws aside dress after dress. He holds back for a bit, but decides to approach her when she grows distressed. He walks into the closet and sees her grab her head in frustration. Careful to not startle her, he slowly and gently walks up behind her and reaches his hands out, making contact with her bare shoulders. He starts to massage them and brings his face close to her ear.
"I much prefer the bra and panties" he says of her current wardrobe. "But you know how much I hate to share."
Ana sighs in frustration and moves away from him, causing him to drop his arms. "This isn't funny Christian" she scolds. "I am four months pregnant and already I am having trouble finding clothes that fit me. We have to meet your parents for dinner and I have nothing to wear!"
He keeps his tone calm and attempts to soothe her. He knows from experience that this isn't his Ana, and that her hormones are acting up. "Baby, it's going to be okay. Look, I've already asked Gail to press some of your old maternity dresses and work clothes for you. And we can go shopping tomorrow and buy some more."
This seems to work and Ana starts to show signs of calming down. "You did?" she asks in a quivered voice.
Christian smiles at her and approaches her again. He puts his hands on her hips and brings his face down and close to hers. "Of course I did. I told you I'll always take care of your needs." He kisses her nose, which causes her to lightly chuckle at herself.
"I'm sorry, I'm overreacting aren't I?"
Christian brushes his nose against hers a few times. "That's okay, Baby." He puts his hands on her small baby bump. "You have a very good reason. Our little miracle."
Ana can't help but smile at her husband. She reaches up and puts her arms around his neck. "Thank you"
"For what?" He leaves go of her bump and wraps his arms around her lower back, pulling her body closer to his.
"For being so wonderful. For putting up with me and these crazy hormones." She reaches up and kisses his lips.
"You're very welcome Mrs Grey, and…" he leans back and looks down at her body again. "I take it back. I much prefer you without the bra and panties." He leans down and kisses her and can feel her blush. He chuckles while his mouth is still on hers.
"What is it? she asks.
"I want you Ana, right now. Come, we can be a little late."
Ana tries to pull away from him but his grip on her is too tight. "Christian, we can't. Your parents will be waiting. Where are these pressed dresses that you speak of?" Christian is in a teasing mood. He starts to trail kisses down her chin and neck. "Christian!" She playfully scolds him and tries to push him away again.
"Are you saying no to me Anastasia?" he asks her seductively which sends shivers up her spine.
"Oh" she snorts and decides to give in. "I wouldn't dream of it Christian."
After he plants more kisses on her neck he lifts her up and she wraps her legs around him, kissing him while he carries her out of their closet and over to their bed. He lays her down and hungrily climbs on top of her, staring at her greedily before he resumes kissing her lips. He slowly pulls on her panties until he is able to remove them and proceeds to unzip his pants. Before she knows it he is inside of her. After the breakdown she nearly had in their closet this is exactly what she needs, her husband inside of her, thrusting in and out first slowly, and then faster. She starts to meet him thrust for thrust and he is the first to come. She follows, and they are soon collapsed on the bed together catching their breaths.
After some time has passed Christian leans up and over his wife and kisses her shoulder. "Feel better Baby?"
"Much" she turns her head and smiles at him. They sit up together and start to climb off the bed. "I have to get Natalie ready" she says, and the panic starts to build in her again with having to get ready to go out. Christian can sense the sudden change in her and quickly comes to her rescue again.
"I'll take care of Natalie, you take your time and get ready."
"She needs a bath" she says exasperated.
"I'll take care of it" he insists. "Why don't you start on your hair and I'll bring one of the dresses up for you?"
Ana smiles at her husband again, always cool and in control. "Ok"
"Ok" he repeats and leaves the room.
As promised, Christian returns to their bedroom with Natalie and two dresses for Ana to choose from. He lays them on the bed for her and gives Natalie a quick bath in their bathroom. When he walks back into the bedroom holding Natalie he is met with his gorgeous wife in a blue sleeveless dress with a navy blue sash that wraps around her just above her baby bump. "You chose the blue one" he comments with a smile.
"That I did." Ana sees that he is pleased and resumes getting herself ready.
Christian puts a diaper and t-shirt on Natalie and dries her hair while she holds on tight to her small plastic Ariel toy. Ana can't help but glance at them every once in a while as she curls her hair in front of the mirror. She enjoys every moment she can experience watching her big CEO husband cater to their kids. She watches him pick her up and hold her for a moment.
"You're very quiet Sweet Pea. Are you okay?" he asks her. Natalie just nods and then cuddles into his chest, still holding her plastic toy in her hand. He rubs her back and kisses her head. "You just like to cuddle Daddy?" He continues to hold her for a while and then puts her on the bed again to finish dressing her. He puts another shirt on her and a denim jumper that comes to just above her knees. He then starts to put white tights on her, but Natalie pulls her knees into her chest to stop him.
"Natalie, come on we have to finish getting dressed" he tells her, but he is only met with more uncooperativeness.
"No Daddy" she whines.
Ana looks over and sees what he is trying to do. "Babe, she can wear her socks with the lace. I put them out for her."
Christian looks over at Ana. "It gets chilly at night, I don't want her to be cold." He tries to put the tights on Natalie again, but she pulls away again and grows more upset.
"Christian, we can bring her blanket in case she gets cold. Those tights are for winter."
Christian does his best to hide his annoyance. "Fine" he says calmly. "I'll go and get the socks. Stay on the bed" he tells Natalie before he leaves the room.
Natalie looks up at her mother when she sees her walking over to the bed. "You look beautiful Mommy"
Ana smiles lovingly at her baby girl. "Thank you, Baby. You look beautiful too. Daddy did a good job dressing you. But we should do something more with your hair. Do you want me to put barrettes in your hair?" Natalie frowns and shakes her head. Ana could never understand how Natalie can be so girly at times, putting on toy bracelets and necklaces and letting her paint her fingernails and toenails. But she would never allow her to put anything in her hair. Christian walks back into the room and shows Natalie the socks. She smiles and takes the socks out of his hands. He watches as she tries to put them on her feet by herself, doing his best to hide his amusement so she doesn't feel made fun of. When she gives up she holds her foot out for him to do it and he happily obliges. He fixes both socks and neatly folds them over so that the lace is circled around her ankles. He then puts her shoes on and she is ready to go.
"Okay, now Daddy needs to get dressed. Do you want to hang out in here with Mommy?"
"Mommy!" she happily replies. He kisses her forehead and puts one of her baby dolls in her arms that he brought in from her bedroom. When he sees that Natalie is distracted with her doll, he positions himself next to his wife and gives her a good slap on her bottom before he walks into the bathroom for a quick shower.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/
Christian and Ana arrive at the restaurant with all three of their kids and Taylor and Gail. Taylor and Gail do not usually work on the weekends unless they accompany the Greys to events or family dinners. Christian pulls the chair next to his out for Ana and then puts Natalie in the booster seat on the other side of him. Phoebe takes the chair across from her parents and is seated between Teddy and Ava. Everyone is already there since Christian and Ana were running late. Christian looks around the table after greeting everyone and notices there are five seats open. He immediately realizes what is happening and cannot hide his excitement. Grace and Carrick notice his big smile that mirrors that of any child's on Christmas morning.
His realization is confirmed when Ethan and a bubbly Mia arrive with their kids. Everyone stands and they all exchange hugs. Christian and Elliot are definitely delighted to see their little sister. Phoebe and Ava are very excited to see their Aunt. After hugs are exchanged, the family is seated and salads and appetizers are brought to the table. They engage in light conversations and enjoy watching the little kids. Elizabeth and Christopher busy themselves with coloring while Natalie, Sophia and Cameron are being passed around to sit with their Aunts and Uncles. When the entrees are served everyone is back in their seats and Mia prepares to make an important announcement.
"Ethan and I are very delighted that everyone could make it on such short notice" she begins. "We have news that we'd like to share with you all."
All eyes are on Mia and she is absolutely glowing. Phoebe and Ava immediately assume that she is pregnant again, but they do not say it out loud. Christian puts his arm around Ana. He is pretty sure he knows about their good news. Grace and Carrick look on with warm smiles on their faces, and Kate and Elliot try to get Cameron to settle in his high chair so that he isn't disturbing the family's meal.
"Ethan and I and the kids have decided to pack up our lives and move to the rainy city." She holds up her glass of wine as a sign of a toast and takes a big sip.
"Aunt Mia" Ava says excitedly. "Really? You're moving here?"
"Really" she confirms and smiles lovingly at her husband. He smiles back and holds her hand under the table.
Ava and Phoebe both hurry out of their seats and attack their Aunt with hugs. After they release her she is met with both of her brothers again. She stands and hugs them both. "This is great Mia" Elliot says warmly. He hugs her tightly and then releases her. Mia reaches up and dries a tear from his eye.
"Geez, man up bro" she says teasingly. But he doesn't seem to mind. He is extremely happy with the news, as is Christian. He hugs his sister tight and kisses her hair.
"You have no idea how happy this makes me." He leaves go of her and can't keep the smile off of his face. His sister has been living in another state for so long. And now that she'll be in Seattle, he'll get to see her more than six times a year. "What are your plans? Where are you staying? Where are you going to live?" he asks her, getting right to the details as everyone else revels in the good news.
"Christian, please one question at a time" Mia says defensively.
"Christian, have a seat" Carrick lightly orders. "Your sister will get to all that."
Christian frowns, not used to being kept on the outside when it comes to planning things out. He would have liked to be a part of this. Instead, his sister had decided to surprise everyone except for their parents with her sudden appearance in Seattle and the news of the move. Had he known she was going through with this, he would have insisted that they stay with him until they get settled. Mia can see that he is pained by this and tries to put him at ease. She reaches out and puts her hands on his arm. "I know you don't like secrets, but I really wanted to surprise you. I hope you're not mad."
Christian changes his facial expression and lightly smiles at her. "You're right, I hate surprises. But this is a good one. Welcome home Mia." He leans down and kisses her forehead. He then walks to the other side of the table and reclaims his seat between Ana and Natalie.
Throughout the meal Mia and Ethan discuss their plans. They will stay with Carrick and Grace until they find a house that they like. Ethan will travel back and forth between Seattle and Los Angeles for a while since he will continue to work a few days a week. Mia has already found a location in Seattle for her boutique and has already started to plan that move. They will enroll Elizabeth and Christopher in school so that they can start in the fall. Christian insists on helping to locate the right school for them and doesn't take no for an answer.
Natalie starts to fuss and doesn't want to eat her dinner. Christian moves her food around her plate and shows her the portion that she needs to eat. He then looks over at Phoebe's plate and notices that she hasn't eaten much. He does the same thing for her and she doesn't argue. She picks up her fork and is reluctant to eat, but she doesn't want to cause any more problems between her and her father. She can feel his eyes on her so she forces a piece of her chicken into her mouth.
After a few minutes Natalie starts to fuss again. Christian tries to help her eat, but then she starts crying like she is in pain. He lifts her out of her booster seat and puts her in his lap sideways so that he can look at her face. Her mouth is open and tears have formed in her eyes. He lightly puts his fingers around her jaw to look at her mouth. "Baby, did you bite your tongue?"
Natalie nods and continues to cry. He tries to discretely remove a small chunk of food that is in her mouth so that she doesn't choke and then stands with her in her arms. He reaches down for the diaper bag and excuses himself from the table. Teddy also excuses himself. Ana tugs on Christian's arm before he walks away. "Do you want me to take her?"
"No Baby I got this" he says softly.
Teddy follows his father into the private family restroom and offers to help. Natalie is so upset to the point where nothing can console her. She sees Teddy and reaches her arms out to him. Teddy is surprised by this but takes her into his arms and holds her. She continues to cry while he rubs her back. "What do you think is wrong with her?" he asks his father.
"I don't know. She's been out of sorts all day today. She's wet so I'm going to change her while we're in here."
Christian sets things up while Teddy tries to calm his sister, bouncing his body and shushing her. Once he has everything set up, Christian takes Natalie and changes her. He puts her plastic Ariel toy in her hand but Natalie leaves go of it. Teddy picks it up and tries to give it to her again but she doesn't want it. He holds her hand and rubs his other hand through her hair while Christian cleans her up and redresses her.
"Dad, I think her head is warm"
Christian picks her up and gently plants his lips on her forehead to see if she feels warm. He kisses her and then looks down at her. Her cries have calmed into whimpers. "You're right, I think she has a fever. I'm going to take her home." He pulls out his blackberry and dials Dovis.
"Do you want me to come with you?" Teddy asks.
Christian looks at his son and puts his blackberry to his ear. Dovis answers on the first ring. Christian instructs him to drive out to the restaurant to bring him home. After he ends the call he answers his son. "No, I need you to stay with your mother and sister. I also need you to look over the check when it comes and make sure it is accurate. I'm covering everything."
Christian returns to the table to say his goodbyes. Natalie grips him tight, worried that he will put her down. He reaches down and kisses his wife, telling her he wants her to stay and enjoy herself and that he will see her at home. He also makes a point to remind Phoebe that she needs to eat more of the food on her plate and that he will know if she doesn't. Phoebe frowns and picks her fork up again. She forces a few more fork fulls before her father leaves the restaurant. After the waiters collect the dishes they take dessert and coffee orders. Phoebe decides to pass on dessert and tells Ava that she isn't feeling well. Both girls excuse themselves from the table to use the restroom.
Teddy moves to the other side of the table and sits next to his grandmother. He talks to her about Rebecca's surgery and recovery. Carrick moves and sits next to Elizabeth and Christopher. He is ecstatic that he will be able to see more of his grandkids now that they'll be in Seattle full time, and they'll be staying with him until Ethan and Mia find a place of their own. Ana and Mia move and sit with Kate and Ethan sits with Elliot. Mia has a sleepy Sophia in her lap and Kate has a wide awake Cameron in hers. They excitedly start to plan a full day of shopping. They are giddy like teenagers, and it starts to feel like they are in their early twenties again.
Dessert and coffee are served and the adults continue to enjoy their conversations. As instructed, Teddy gets the check and looks it over to make sure nothing is missing. His father has always taught him to make sure they pay for everything they have ordered.
When Phoebe and Ava return to the table, Ava informs her Aunt Ana that Phoebe had gotten sick in the restroom. Ana decides that it is time for them to leave and informs Carrick and Grace that Christian had already paid for dinner. Mia and Kate both roll their eyes since it is no shocker that Christian would do that, and Ana giggles knowing how much her husband hates eye rolling and what he would do if he were there to witness the impoliteness of it. She puts her hands on her little bump and takes a moment to appreciate how wonderful her life is right now, and how much more wonderful it will be when they add another Grey baby to the fold. Kate and Mia both look at her and giggle. Phoebe starts to feel nauseous again. "Mom" she says softly, and Ana immediately looks over at her.
"Okay Baby, we're going" she says as she is pulled out of her reverie.