Ana's POV
We arrive at the hotel on our second night in Disney. I can tell the kids are tired and ready to turn in, but I could use some time to settle down from the events of today. This is the first time I've been on my feet all day while pregnant, and it's becoming abundantly clear that I'm not in my thirties anymore. My body is screaming at me for putting it through such extraneous activity.
As we walk through the lobby, Christian pushing Natalie in her stroller, my arm wrapped around his waist, Phoebe and Teddy walking ahead of us and some of our security walking behind, I can't help but smile. I can see why people say this is the happiest place on earth. Despite my current discomfort, I am content. I love the smell of this hotel. When I think of Disney I think of this smell. I can't describe it, other than the fact that it makes me feel tingly all over with excitement. I truly feel like a kid myself.
As we wait for the elevator, I get lost in thoughts of today. Natalie's smile never left her face. My baby girl. She was so happy to be wearing her Cinderella dress. We had her stroller with us since she's still very little, but she insisted on walking for most of the day. She wanted the princesses to see her dress when she met them. They were so great with her, talking to her and making a fuss about how beautiful she looked. It was very difficult to get her to nap. Christian told her we would leave the park if she didn't sit in her stroller and nap after we had lunch. She grew very upset and there were some tears. Luckily, that only lasted for a few minutes. That was the only time the smile left her face. She didn't want to nap because she was afraid she would miss something, but Christian made a promise to her that he wouldn't let that happen. And he made good on that promise. We spent the two hours doing things that Teddy and Phoebe wanted to do that Natalie wouldn't enjoy. Once Natalie was awake, I took her to get her changed and then we took her to see more characters and princesses.
The elevator arrives and I hold Christian back. "I could use a cup of tea. Do you mind?"
Teddy and Phoebe turn around and hold the elevator. "I can take the girls up" Teddy says. I smile, grateful to have such a thoughtful son. Teddy takes the stroller into the elevator along with security and we wait for the elevator doors to close. Dovis stays and keeps an eye on us as Christian takes my hand and leads me to the cafeteria.
"You doing okay, Baby?"
"Yes, except this pregnancy is really kicking my ass today."
He smirks at me, leaves go of my hand and moves his hand to my back. "And a very fine ass it is." His hand slowly makes its way south and then squeezes. I can't help but smile at the gesture. My husband will never change. I prefer it that way.
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Christian's POV
I lead my wife to the cafeteria to get her a tea. I know she needs it to calm herself down before she can sleep. Her body must be aching. I plan to massage her feet as soon as we are settled in our room and Natalie is asleep. I can't really do much more with a toddler in our room. That will need to wait for when we are in Miami.
I have Ana sit at a nearby table while I pay for and prepare her tea the way she likes it. I also pick up a few of the freshly made Tollhouse cookies. Phoebe loves them. My mind wanders to the events of today. I'd say it went really well. I was nervous about bringing Natalie to Disney at such a young age. When we brought Teddy and Phoebe for the first time, Teddy was seven and Phoebe was five. They weren't in diapers and they weren't on naps, so it was a bit easier to plan our days. The part that wasn't easy was controlling their behavior. Phoebe went through a stage when she was five where she would test Ana and me. Small things we would tell her to do like finishing her dinner, getting dressed, and holding our hands while in public she would make a fuss about which resulted in punishment. But I'd refused to ever swat or spank our kids in Disney because I don't want them to ever associate Disney with punishment. I'm glad I've been able to stick to that. When the kids acted out we would sit on a bench and wait for them to change their behavior before moving onto something fun. Because we were in Disney, that was a big incentive since there were a lot of fun things to do that they didn't want to miss out on.
We didn't have to do that with Natalie today. There was only one slip up when it was time for her to nap. She was very unhappy about it since she didn't want to miss out on anything. She started to cry when I threatened her with leaving the park, so I sat her on my lap and explained to her that we would wait and do all of the fun things when her nap was done. I kept her in my lap until she fell asleep and then put her in her stroller.
We used her nap time to do things with Teddy and Phoebe that weren't appropriate for a toddler. Collins kept an eye on Natalie while we took in attractions that Ana was allowed to do. With her being pregnant, we had to be careful to read the warning signs to see which rides she should avoid. I accompanied my kids on Splash Mountain and Thunder Mountain, but I stayed with Ana for some of the other things they wanted to do.
When Natalie was awake, we grabbed some snacks and found a spot to watch the afternoon parade. There were a lot of people that had the same idea so it was difficult to enjoy it, but my baby girl was all smiles and laughs. I had her sit on my shoulders so that she could see. She loved every bit of it. The music, the characters, the dancers and musicians, I had a hard time getting her to keep still since she was on my shoulders. She kicked at my chest a few times, but I know she didn't do it intentionally. She was very excited. I bring my hand up to my chest where it is sore from most of her kicking with her right foot. It sure smarts, but it is worth it if my baby girl had a good time. After the parade we managed to meet with more characters and princesses. She got to meet Jasmine, Belle, Snow White Ariel, Rapunzel and of course Cinderella. That was the best moment since she was wearing her Cinderella dress today. We took some great photos.
I bring Ana's tea to her and am awarded with her beautiful smile.
"Thank you"
"Anything for the mother of my children." I bring her hand up to my lips and kiss it a few times. "And the love of my life." She stands and I kiss her lips before I wrap my arms around her. "Ready to tackle bedtime, Mommy?" I lean my forehead against hers. I start to feel really tired, so I can imagine how tired she is.
She giggles. I love that sound. "I love you so much" she says softly.
"I love you too." I kiss her again, and I don't care who is watching. Let them. I love this woman with every fiber of my being. After enjoying a few more moments of our bubble, I take her hand and her tea and lead her to our hotel room.
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Christian's POV
We arrive in our hotel room, which is adjoined to Teddy and Phoebe's. Our security is in the surrounding rooms. Two of them watch the rooms overnight to make sure nobody can get close to us, two of them watch our rooms during the day, and the rest of them accompany us as we go about our day. Taylor and Gail are with us during the day, but they often wander off and do their own thing. I prefer it that way. I don't want this week to be all work for them. We have plenty of security here with us.
Ana and I walk into the kids' room and find Phoebe and Natalie asleep on the first bed. Phoebe is lying on her side and Natalie is curled up in front of her. They look adorable. Ana has her camera with her and she takes a photo. I can tell by the look on her face that she is thinking the same thing that I'm thinking. We have the greatest, most adorable daughters in the world. The flash startles Phoebe and she starts to blink her eyes open.
"I'm sorry, Honey, I didn't mean to wake you" Ana says softly. I know she couldn't resist taking a photo. We've taken so many today. We need to do that more often. Phoebe sits up and then notices that Natalie is right next to her. My baby girl must be exhausted after the day she's had. She insisted on walking most of the day because she wanted to show off her dress. I walk over and start to lift her into my arms, but Phoebe stops me.
"No, it's okay. She can stay in here tonight." I, of course am hesitant. I'd feel much better having Natalie in the same room as me since we are away from home. I'm afraid that she will wake up during the night and be scared. I shake my head but Phoebe doesn't take no for an answer. She is definitely my daughter. "Come on, Dad. We'll make sure she's okay. You and Mom probably want some time alone."
Teddy comes out of the bathroom. He just had a shower and he is just wearing shorts and a towel wrapped around his neck. I'm not sure when he finds the time to work out but it is obvious that he does. "She's right, Dad. Natalie will be fine with us."
I look at my wife and can see pure exhaustion in her face. It would be nice to have a night with just the two of us. I know Ana won't be up for sex, but maybe she will be in the morning. For tonight, we can have a bath and then I can massage her feet while she falls asleep. Ana's eyes will me to take our kids up on their offer. I nod and see a smile spread on her face.
"Okay" I look down at Phoebe. "You don't mind sharing your bed?" She shrugs her shoulders and smiles, which is her way of telling me that it isn't a big deal. "Okay, I'll get her things and change her." I kiss my wife on the way out.
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Ana's POV
Christian and I really do have the greatest kids. I know Natalie will be fine to sleep in here. I give Phoebe a hug before she goes into the bathroom to shower. I look down at my sleeping baby and wish she wasn't asleep so that I could give her a wash. With all of the people we were around and the attractions and rides, I feel all grimy myself. When Christian returns I mention it to him and he agrees that we should try to clean her even though she is asleep. When Phoebe is finished in the bathroom we take Natalie in and wash her the best way we can without putting her in the tub and without waking her up. I am amazed that she is still asleep. She must be exhausted. This helps me relax because if she slept through us washing her, she may just very well sleep through the night.
Christian dresses her and tucks her into bed next to Phoebe. Phoebe is sitting up and using her laptop. And here I thought she was exhausted. She is just typing away so I'm sure she is sending an email to either Ava or Trevor. Teddy is also sitting up in his bed using his iPad. Christian has a smile on his face as he grabs the 2 small bags that he brought up from the cafeteria. He gives them to each of our kids and they are all smiles when they see what is in the bags.
"Thanks Dad" Phoebe says. She kneels up on the bed and gives him a hug. Phoebe loves Tollhouse cookies, especially the fresh baked ones that are sold in every Disney hotel. Whenever we've vacationed in Disney, he would buy one for the kids every night if they both behaved during the day. There were just two times that I can remember when Christian didn't award them with this treat, and Phoebe was devastated. She had cried so hard and it broke my heart. Teddy was disappointed as well but he didn't cry. He also didn't pout in our presence. He knew better. But I'm his mother. I knew he was just as upset about it. Christian and I believed in awarding good behavior, but no matter how upset we and our kids were we didn't cave or give in when they misbehaved. It was tough, but I know it was the right thing to do. I don't think our kids would be as great as they are today if we spoiled them and just gave them what they wanted, especially after bad behavior. Teddy and Phoebe are older now, but I can see in their eyes that this small gesture means a lot to them. Especially Phoebe.
I look at Christian and can tell he is pleased with himself. I know that he is still struggling with some demons when it comes to our daughter, but he is working it out. He took her to the Nurse's Ball. He signed the permission form allowing her to volunteer at the hospital. He bought pointe shoes for her because he knew she wanted to learn. He's accepting her relationship with Trevor. Just over a month ago he wanted her to feel pain for what she did. But now, I'm not sure what he is thinking.
After the kids are settled we say goodnight. I can tell Christian is hesitant to leave. He looks down at our baby girl as I wrap my arms around his arm. "She'll be fine" I say to him softly. I am so tired. I just want to get washed and go to sleep.
"If she wakes up during the night, come and get me" Christian says to our kids. I can tell that they want to roll their eyes, but they don't. They get that defiance from me, I'm sure.
"Don't worry, Dad. Natalie will be fine. Go on, get out of here." Teddy orders us out of the room and I can't help but laugh at Christian's facial expression. He is practically being banished from the room. I'm with Teddy. I pull Christian's arm, and with much reluctance he follows. I close the door behind us. Geez, what is he afraid of?
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Christian's POV
Ana and I are sitting in the warm bath. The back of her head is rested on my shoulder. She could easily fall asleep in here. She is so relaxed. I wish I could relax. I don't know why I am so anxious. My kids are in the room right next to us and our rooms are surrounded by my security. I try to control my breathing, but Ana picks up on my anxiety.
"What is it that you're worried about?" she asks me.
I have a hard time answering her as my head remains rested on the back of the tub and my eyes are fixed on the ceiling tiles. "I don't know" I say as I continue to think about what to say. "I guess I'm afraid Natalie will wake up and be scared if she realizes that she's not in her own bed and we are not there with her."
"Phoebe and Teddy are with her" she tries to assure me but keeps her head on my shoulder. "She won't be scared with them. She'll probably wake up and laugh when she sees that Phoebe is in the bed with her."
"She'll wake up and laugh and she won't go back to sleep" I say and can hear the irritation in my voice. I need to tone it down a notch. This gets Ana to sit up and turn so that she can look at me.
"Our baby girl is exhausted. She didn't wake up when we washed her, so I doubt she'll wake up during the night." She leans up and kisses my jaw. Even in my overprotective neurotic state I can still enjoy the feel of my wife's lips on me. "Speaking of exhaustion, time for this Mommy to get to bed."
I help her stand and then climb out of the tub before she does. I'm always worried that she'll fall so I hold her hand as she climbs out. I wrap a towel around her first and then grab a towel for myself. I lead her out of the bathroom and over to the bed with another towel in my hand. I have her sit up while I towel dry her hair, just enough for her to sleep without soaking her pillow. Once I'm satisfied, I retrieve her pajamas and boxers for myself and then sit on the bed. She gives me a greedy look, which surprises me. Just ten minutes ago she said she was exhausted.
She doesn't take her eyes off of me as she backs away from me, using her hands to slowly scoot herself back so that she is sitting in the middle of the bed. I put our clothes aside and slowly crawl onto the bed so that I am sitting in front of her. She brings her hand up and uses her index finger to gesture me to come closer. I happily oblige. I lean over her as she lowers herself and our lips meet. It is like fireworks in my body. I continue to kiss her lips and then move down to her jaw and neck. I slowly remove her towel so that I can cover more of her body with kisses. I make my way down to her stomach and take my time kissing her baby bump. My wife is so sexy when she's pregnant. I continue my trail of kisses and can feel her writhing. She fists the sheets as I plant kisses on her left thigh. I stop and smile up at her before I start planting kisses on her right thigh and make my way up her body. I grab her thighs when I reach her sex because I plan to prolong the torture and need her still. She continues to grip the sheets and says my name a few times. I have to shush her since I'm not sure how thick these walls are. "Not yet, Baby" I whisper to her, because I know what she wants. I start to lick and suck again and I know she is getting close. I move up and fill her. Oh, this feels so good. I love being inside her. I look at her face and am pleased with how satisfying this is for her. I start to move in and out, picking up the pace. She says my name again and then explodes beneath me. I give one last thrust before I come and join her in bliss. We lie together for a bit, both sated.
I kiss her cheek and then sit up, gathering her pajamas and my boxers. We can't sleep naked in case one of the kids needs us during the night. We both get dressed and I have her lie down on her side of the bed. I pick up her left foot and massage it, watching her face as I do it.
"Feel better?" she asks me. And I realize that I do. All of the anxiety I had an hour ago about Natalie sleeping in the next room is completely gone. It's amazing what this woman does to me.
"Thanks to you" I say to her with a smile. "You are too good to me, Mrs Grey."
"Me? You're the one massaging my feet."
I bring her foot up to my mouth and kiss the pad beneath her big toe. "And kissing them" I say with another smile. This makes her giggle. What I would do to keep her giggling.
Ana's POV
Christian and I are in bed and he is massaging me feet. How did I get so lucky to have this wonderful man in my life?
"I watched you when you surprised our kids with Tollhouse cookies."
"Did you now?"
"You were very pleased with yourself."
Christian smiles and keeps his eyes on my foot. "If I can bring smiles to the faces of my wife and kids, I consider that a great accomplishment."
He kisses my foot again and then gently bits my littlest toe. I writhe as I feel the sensation in my groin, and he knows it too. I can tell by the lascivious smile on his face. He puts my foot down and takes the other into his skillful hands.
"Can I ask you something?" I ask him.
"Of course."
"Your beef with Phoebe, how is that going?"
He doesn't look up at me right away, and I can tell he is thinking about it. He continues to massage my foot as though I haven't asked the question, and for a moment I don't think he's going to answer me. I wait for him, knowing that there's no point in trying to pressure him. That would only be counterproductive. He sighs and then glances at me for a moment while he answers. "Ana, I don't have a beef with our daughter."
I raise my eyebrows, scrunch my lips up and nod my head, and I know he can see that even though he is looking down at his hands on my foot. "Does that mean you no longer want to cause her pain for leaving?"
I hear him sigh harder, which tells me this is the last thing he wants to be talking about right now. But I don't care. I need to know. "Please tell me."
The rhythm of his fingers slows for a bit, and then picks up again when he starts to speak. "No, I don't want to cause her pain. It makes me sick that I even wanted that in the first place." He looks up at me and I can see the fear in his eyes. Oh my poor fifty, what is he afraid of? "I'm no longer in that place, but I am scared. I'm scared that she'll leave again. And I don't think I could take that."
He has a frown on his face, and I start to feel guilty for bringing it up. I sit up and move so that I am closer to him. I get him to look at my face and I try to assure him with my smile. "She knows she messed up. She's not going to leave again. But…. when she goes to college, we'll have to make our peace with where she decides to go."
"Where ever she goes, we will visit her very often. I don't care how far away she is."
I purposely roll my eyes at him and bite my lip, and I'm awarded with his sudden smirk. His voice becomes very seductive. "My dear Anastasia, I did vow to never spank the kids while we're in Disney, but that vow does not extend to my naughty wife." I purr at his delicious threat, and his face is now only an inch away from mine. He kisses me and then has me lie down so that he can continue to massage my aching foot. "If you weren't so tired, I'd already be making your beautiful posterior fifty shades of pink."
I giggle at my Fifty and am once again awarded with his beautiful smile. "I've always admired the special bond you have with her. Ray and I were close, but what you and Phoebe have runs deeper than that. I know you would do anything for her. I think that's why it hurt so much when she left. And I think that's why you're scared."
Christian nods and keeps his eyes on my foot. "I would do anything for her. Even talk about boys and sex and her period with her."
I giggle again because it's true. "I don't know too many fathers that are willing to do that for their daughters."
"What, Ray didn't have the sex talk with you?" He looks at me with his panty splitting smile. He is so smug.
"No, of course not. Can you imagine? No, he decided to pretend that sex didn't exist. I guess he thought I would figure it out on my own. And I got my period after we had that special 'girls in one room boys in another' talk in school."
"Phoebe wasn't so lucky."
Christian's POV
After making sure Teddy is up, I check on Phoebe to make sure she is getting ready for school. Ana is away on a publisher's conference, so I am on full kid duty for the next two days. I knock on her door but she doesn't answer. I am immediately annoyed since I expect my kids to answer anytime I call or knock for them. I knock harder and yell her name so that there is no way for her not to hear me. When I stop knocking I swear I can hear her whimpering. I grab the key from the top of her door and immediately unlock it. I need to know what is going on with my eleven year old daughter. When I see her, my demeanor changes. She is still in her pajamas and it is obvious that she's been crying.
I have her sit on her bed and I put my arm around her to hug her. I rest my chin on the top of her head and rub my hand up and down her arm. I can tell she is trying to stop her crying. She sniffles and wipes her nose with the back of her hand, a habit she no doubt picked up from her mother.
"Baby, what's wrong? Are you sick?"
She shakes her head and continues to wipe her nose and eyes with her hand. I reach over for her box of tissues and put one in her hand. Maybe she misses Ana. Her mother doesn't go away very often. It's usually me that has to travel, but I always make sure to cut my trips short. I hate being away from my family. I wait for her to calm down before I question her again.
"Please, Peanut, tell me what's wrong."
"I want Mom."
Of course she wants her mother. The one thing that I cannot give her at the moment. "Baby, Mommy had to go to Chicago for work. She's coming home on Sunday." This makes her more upset and she starts to cry again. I tighten my arm around her and kiss her head a few times. "I'm sorry Baby. What can I do to make you feel better?"
She doesn't answer, so I just continue to hold her until she stops crying. When she does, she pulls away and takes some more tissues to her face, blowing her nose and drying her tears. I rub her back because that usually helps when she is upset about something. I decide to try again.
"Can you tell me why you were crying? Maybe I can help."
She is reluctant to talk to me. This is a first. What can't she tell me? This is so frustrating, but I know that I need to keep my cool. I cannot lose my temper with her when I need her to open up to me. She is way too fragile for that. I continue to rub her back and wait for her to answer.
She works on calming her breathing while she dries some more tears. I hate seeing her like this. I can't imagine what could be upsetting her. Is it someone at school? Is somebody bothering her? Did she get a bad grade? Whatever it is, surely it can't be something worth getting this upset over. Finally my patience pays off as she starts to talk. "I'm bleeding."
I start to feel panic. Bleeding? "Where are you bleeding? Show me."
"No!" She flinches and moves a few inches away from me.
No? Why is she saying no? And why does she seem embarrassed? Suddenly it hits me. "Baby, were you in the bathroom when you saw that you were bleeding?" I keep my voice calm since this is such a sensitive subject. She nods her head but she doesn't look at me. This starts to make sense now. "Were you using the toilet?" She nods again and she becomes irritated.
"It's on my underwear. Daddy, do I need to go to the hospital?" She becomes upset again and there are tears in her eyes. My poor baby girl. She really has no idea. I do my best to keep the smirk off my face as I pull her toward me again and keep my arm around her.
"Baby, it's okay. We don't need to go to the hospital. There's nothing wrong with you."
"There isn't?"
"No" I kiss her head again and rub my hand up and down her arm. "Sounds to me like you got your period."
She pulls away slightly and looks up at me. "My what?"
"Your period" I say it again and almost don't believe it. Fuck, she's only eleven years old. She'll be twelve next month, but still. Ana was planning to talk with her about this when she turned twelve, and we received a notice from school letting us know that they would be talking to the kids about it sometime in November. Phoebe's cycle had other ideas and has decided to make an early appearance.
"I don't know what that is" she says as she looks away from me. How do I even begin to explain this to her? I know I need to say something, but I don't want her to know too much. Not yet. I want my Ana. "Daddy?"
I snap out of it and look at my daughter. She's so young, my little girl. This shouldn't be happening to her already. But it is, and she needs me. "Peanut, Mom was going to talk to you about this after your birthday. We didn't expect this to happen until after that. I don't want you to worry. There is nothing wrong with you, I promise."
"Then what is it? Why am I bleeding?"
I look at her again and I'm met with curious eyes. I sigh and then try to explain this to her the best way I can. "Every month for about five days you will bleed like that. It happens to all women. It's called your period. And it happens because you are growing up and your body is changing. Do you remember when Mom and I talked to you about how babies grow in the mother's tummy?" She nods to let me know that she understands. "Well, you bleed like that because you don't have a baby in your tummy. But your body is starting to mature now so that it is ready for when you are old enough to have a baby. Does that make sense?" She nods again but this time it is slowly. I don't want to tell her too much. I want her to be able to talk to Ana about this. She needs to be able to ask her questions about her body and how it is changing. But for now, she has me. I need to be here for her. "Do…. Do you have any questions?"
"What do I do? Just bleed and let it ruin my clothes?"
I have to work hard to suppress my amusement. Of all of the questions, that is the one she asks. "No, Peanut. I need to go and get something from my bathroom. Will you be okay for a moment?" She nods. I kiss her head again before I leave to retrieve something of Ana's. When I return I show her a bag of pads that Ana keeps to wear overnight. Ana can talk to her about wearing tampons. I draw the line there. "Here, you can have these. Keep them in your bathroom and a few in your school bag. You can wear these to keep your clothes clean."
She takes the bag from me and reads through some of the things written. She looks reluctant. "You'll probably have more questions. When Mom comes home, she will talk to you more about this. And I'll try to answer your questions too." She nods again and looks over at me.
"Can I stay home today?"
"Why, is your stomach bothering you?" I forgot to even ask her that. Ana's been lucky in that she never really had cramps during her period, but Mia had them bad. Mom would allow her to stay home from school because the pain was so great. I'm relieved when she shakes her head.
"No, I'm just nervous about going to school like this. What if other people find out?"
I am at a loss. I can't let her stay home from school every month when she gets her period simply because she's afraid other kids will find out. But maybe I can make an exception, just for today. After all, she just got her period and didn't have her mother here for comfort and support. I look at her pleading eyes. I hate it when she looks at me like that. It makes it very difficult to say no.
"Okay. You can stay home. Change into some clean underwear and pajamas and meet me downstairs for breakfast."
I'm met with a grateful smile, and I'm grateful myself for getting through this. I had the whole puberty talk with Teddy a few years ago, but that was different. That was easy for me, not so much for him. It is much more difficult when it is my little girl. Speaking of Teddy, I look at my watch and realize that I need to get Dovis to drive him to school.
"Daddy?" she stops me before I can leave her room.
"Yes Peanut?"
"Don't tell Teddy" she says and looks at me nervously.
I offer a light smile. "I'm not going to tell anybody. But, is it okay if I tell Mom?"
She nods. I would have mentioned it to Ana anyway so that she can start preparing for what she will say to our daughter. But I'm relieved that I have her blessing to do so. I'm sure I would be doing her a favor by telling her mother so she wouldn't have to.
Thank you for the continued reviews and support. I appreciate it greatly! I know I won't please everyone and not everyone will agree with my decisions. That's okay. I'm still writing and love being able to explore and share this story on fanfiction. Happy Reading!