AUTHORS NOTE: I hope that you will follow this, as a lot happens in this chapter. There is a slight time jump here and the key events will unfold and be told as a series of flashbacks.

I just want to say thank you for all the comments and reviews people are leaving. I never in my wildest dreams expected this story to be received as well as it has. Also, a massive thank you to all the lovely guest reviews. I'm not used to seeing so many positive guest reviews – I'm more used to the other ones which never see the light of day! I ask all these people to sign in so that I can thank you personally as I do really appreciate your kind words. Thank you all once again for taking the time to read and comment and for sticking with this as I write it.

Anyway, that's all here is the next chapter - Enjoy!

CHAPTER 33

One Week Later…

I open my eyes and stare up at the ceiling the events of the last week have left everyone stunned and have changed the dynamic of the Grey family for ever.

"Hey baby, are you awake?" I turn my head and smile at Christian who is watching me carefully.

"Yeah" I say as I turn towards him and shuffle closer to him. His arm which was loosely slung over my stomach tightens around me as he pulls me towards him and he leans down and places a kiss on my head.

"Are you ok?" he asks as he searches my face. I smile at him and nod.

"I am" I say with a sigh.

"You don't sound too sure about that" he retorts and I give him another smile.

"I am, honestly I am… It's just… Eva and Gideon are flying back to New York today" I say. Eva and Gideon have been here for over a week and it has been wonderful having them here and I really don't want to say goodbye again.

"I know but things are different now" he says.

I let out a small snort, "Aren't they just!" I say dryly.

My mind immediately flies back to the unbelievable events which unfolded last week…

"Well it seems you were totally right about Kate; she was just trying to get Christian and Elliot to react first to give her article more credence. When that never happened, she had nowhere to go and she has disappeared without trace," Gideon says over breakfast two days after Elliot had released his statement to the media about his divorce. Eamon had called us and told us that Kate had abandoned the idea of the article and had left Washington. Where she has gone nobody knows not even her family but all I can think is good riddance.

"Of course, I was" I say with a grin and Christian lets out a small snort of laughter at that.

I glance at Eva who is sitting quietly drinking her coffee. "So… you two are heading home then today?" I ask and Eva glances at Gideon and then nods.

"I guess so" she says, I know she wants to stay for longer, as much as I want her to stay.

"You should come to New York and stay with us" Gideon says.

Christian nods, "We will, we are going to Ohio tomorrow and I'm meeting my biological grandmother, and then hopefully we will…" he stops in mid-sentence as Taylor strides into the room.

"Sir, I'm sorry to disturb you, but Mr Grey is here and it appears that he is very distressed" he says.

Before we can say anything more, Elliot is barging his way in clutching an envelope.

We all stand up and the first thought that goes through my mind is 'what has Kate done now?!'

"El?" I say carefully.

"Elliot, What's wrong?" Christian asks as he looks at his brother with obvious concern. Eva and Gideon stay silent but they are also watching Elliot carefully.

I look at him, his eyes have almost a wild look in them and he looks at Eva and then at me before making a bee line towards me and grabbing me he hauls me close and hugs me tightly. Then as quickly as he came, he releases me and moves towards Eva and repeats the gesture. Eva freezes and I see Gideon step forward ready to push Elliot away and I realise that his gesture may have unnerved her. But she quickly rallies and responds to his hug.

"What's happened?" she asks him gently as he releases her and he just shakes his head.

"Elliot what's going on?" Christian says as he looks at his brother with utter bewilderment.

"Let's sit down" Gideon says. I can see he has calmed down slightly now that Elliot has moved away from Eva.

"I… I'm sorry" Elliot mutters as he looks down at the envelope still clutched in his hand.

"Is it Kate, has she done something else?" I ask and he looks up at me in surprise.

"What? No… no it's not Kate" he says as he realises that would be the obvious conclusion we would draw after everything that has happened recently.

"No… I got the letter from my birth mother" he says as he holds up the crumpled envelope.

He glances at Eva and then at me, before making the decision and pushing the envelope across the table towards me.

I pick it up and look at him questioningly, I glance at Christian who is staring at his brother unsure of what to do or say to him.

"You want me to read it?" I ask and Elliot nods.

"Yes" he whispers, his voice croaky with emotion. He clears his throat and waits.

I shrug and open the envelope, looking inside I see a sheet of paper and another envelope which was obviously the one the letter came in, along with a covering letter from Miranda at Finding Family. I place that and the envelopes on the table in front of me and unfold the letter. I take in the small neat handwriting and begin to read, feeling slightly awkward at reading something so personal to Elliot.

'Hello,

Where do I start? By now you should've heard from the lady at Finding Family and she has told you that I don't want to meet you. Please do not take this badly as I have always thought about you, and on your birthday every year I say happy birthday to the only thing I have which I kept after you were taken away. That was a photograph I took of you before they came to take you.

I was 16 years old when I had you, I was a child and I couldn't give you the life you deserved. My parents were mortified that I had shamed them and I was ashamed that I had allowed myself to be used so comprehensively and believed the lies that your father told me. Your father is not a good man and I don't just say that out of bitterness for what he said and did to me, as at the time we were both as responsible as each other. But I have good reason to believe that he has treated other women in the same way since. I was just the first of many.

I was 16, I had a boyfriend his name was Bryan and he was my world. We planned to take on the world after we left school… he was my soul mate. That may sound childish as I was so young but we grew up together and we knew each other inside out. Bryan was killed in a car accident. His parents were driving and they were also killed. Bryan was two years older than me and he had a younger brother who was the same age as me. We were united in our grief, and as a result we became close. We were both grieving - he for his parents and brother and I for the love of my life and we were both vulnerable. We took comfort in each other, he told me he would always be there for me. Then I discovered I was pregnant with you and that is when he changed, he didn't want to know and refused to acknowledge any responsibility for you. He left the area and went to live with his uncle. His name is Francis Lambert, and…'

I stare at the name and my head whips up and I look at Elliot in shock and then I look at Eva who is watching me.

"Ana?" she asks.

I hold up my hand and go back to the letter just to confirm what I have read and as I do so I continue to read.

'…it appears that he is also the father of two ladies who are married to billionaires and he did the same thing to their mothers as he did to me. So, you also have two half-sisters out there. I told the lady from Finding Family that my family didn't know about you and that was partially true. My husband knows all about you and always has, but my children don't. I hope you understand that after what Francis did to those two ladies, I didn't want anything else to happen and for the spotlight to be shone on me and my family. I'm sorry if that upsets you but I saw how the media reacted and how those ladies had to stand up and fend them off. I wouldn't want that to happen to me or my family, as the media seem to be quite interested in Francis now because of them and the fact he is in trouble with the military. We are simple people who live happily in anonymity and we do not want the media spotlight focussed on us. So, all I ask is that if you do choose to make contact with your father you do not involve me in any way.

I hope that you have had a happy life and that the people who adopted you were good people who gave you all the love you deserved. I'm sorry that I can't be of any further help to you and I do sincerely wish you the best of everything and I want you to never doubt that I loved you. I did and it was in that love for you that I made the decision to give you a better life and as I wasn't in a position to give you the life you deserved, I had to give you to people who would and could. Finally, I don't know what your name is now, but I called you Bryan after the man who I loved with all my heart and who was also taken from me.

Thank you for reading this and my sincerest love and best wishes to you now and always.

Sadie x'

I look up once more and tears are filling my eyes after reading that, I swallow hard and look towards Eva.

"Baby?" Christian says as he moves closer to me and wraps his arm around me.

I shake my head, "Eva you should read this as it affects you too" I say.

I see the confusion on her face as she takes the letter and begins to read. A moment later I know which part she has reached as her eyes widen, her jaw drops and she splutters out a loud exclamation.

"Fucking hell!" she says and I can't help but smile at her reaction as that was pretty much what I was thinking when I saw that name. I glance at Elliot who is watching her reaction anxiously and he also smiles weakly at her exclamation.

"Will someone tell us what is going on" Gideon says as he looks from me to Eva and then to Elliot.

"Yes, what's happening?" Christian says.

Eva looks at me and we both look at Elliot who takes a deep breath.

"It appears from what my birth mother has said that Frank Lambert… as in Frank Lambert, Eva and Ana's biological father is also my biological father".

Eva and I watch as both our husbands face's drain of all colour and their jaws slacken at this news.

"What?" Christian says disbelievingly.

Eva hands him the letter and he quickly reads it.

"Shit" he mutters and his hand goes to his hair and he runs it through it.

"Let me see" Gideon says as he holds his hand out for the letter which Christian quickly passes to him…

"Are you listening to me?"

I am brought from my thoughts by Christian who is watching me closely.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about everything that has happened, you couldn't make this stuff up!" I say.

I look closely at him, "Anyway, less of all that how are you doing?" I ask as I know I may have received life changing news but the events which followed Elliot's disclosure are also looming in our lives no matter how much Christian is trying to pretend it isn't.

He smiles at me and leaning down he presses a kiss to my lips. "I'm fine" he replies simply.

I know that this probably isn't the case and he is just putting a brave face on things, but it makes my mind go back to last weekend when Christian met his biological paternal grandmother…

"We're here" Christian says as he nudges me.

I open my eyes and stretch before looking out of the window and I see the plane is now on the ground. I think of Christian meeting his biological grandmother and my mind goes to Eva who is spending time with Elliot while we are here in Ohio.

"Sorry, I must have nodded off" I say as I stand up and gather my things.

"Don't apologise baby" Christian says as he wraps his arm around me and pulling me close, he kisses me.

We leave the plane and see Alex and Edwin on the tarmac waiting for us. They both smile brightly as they see us emerge from the plane.

"Hello Ana" Edwin says kindly as he wraps me in an affectionate hug before turning to Christian with his hand outstretched. Before I can respond I am pulled into another warm hug and I am greeted by Alex.

When all the welcoming greetings are complete, we are taken to a small house in a very rural looking area. I love it immediately as it reminds me a little of where I grew up in Montesano with my dad. I see Christian looking around but unlike me he looks a little bit awkward and out of place here. I reach for him and slip my hand into his.

"Are you ok?" I whisper and he squeezes my hand and nods.

We are ushered inside and as we walk in; I see a very frail looking lady who is attached to a tank of oxygen and has a tube and mask on her face. Her breathing gets even more laboured as she struggles to get to her feet to greet us and I realise this must be Betty, Christian's biological grandmother.

"Don't get up" I say as I leave Christian's side and rush to help her. Alex joins me as she clasps her hands around mine and greets me warmly. She looks past me and I turn and encourage Christian to come forward from the spot he is rooted in. I feel her hands grip mine and she stiffens as she looks at Christian.

"Oh, my goodness" she says as she wheezes and struggles to breathe behind the mask. "It's just like looking at Liam" she adds as tears start to build in her eyes. She lets go of my hand and opens her arms to Christian.

I watch as Christian lurches forward and he carefully pulls her into his big strong arms and closes his eyes as he hugs his grandmother for the first time.

Eventually when Betty pulls away Christian gently helps her to get settled in her seat once more and his attention becomes fixed on the oxygen tank.

"How did the appointment go in Chicago?" he asks warily and I roll my eyes that these are his opening words.

She pats his hand affectionately, "Thank you for arranging that for me, but he didn't tell me anything I didn't already know" Betty says her words stilted between her laboured breaths.

"So, what's the prognosis?" Christian asks, although looking at Betty it is obvious that she doesn't have long left.

Betty smiles at him and touches his face with her hand, "I have emphysema Christian and I only have 35% lung function left… I have been told that it isn't good, I have probably a year at the most" she gasps.

Christian rears back shaking his head, "NO" he shouts and I quickly reach for him to try and calm him down, crouching in front of him I reach for him.

"Christian, calm down" I say quietly as I wrap my hand around his arm. He pulls me close and buries his head in my hair inhaling deeply and I run my hand up and down his back.

Everyone is looking at him warily and after a moment he realises and looks around. "I apologise" he mutters, "I… it was a shock hearing that… I've only just… I'm sorry" he stammers.

Betty reaches for him, the compassion clear in her eyes, "Then we make the most of what time I have left" she says firmly.

Christian nods and we watch as he settles himself next to Betty and he takes a deep breath to calm himself down as she pulls out endless photograph albums filled with photographs of Liam and many of them also have Ella and Christian as a baby and young child in them. He pours over them and asks questions and he intently study's each one as Betty gives him her memories which go with them. I smile at Alex and Edwin and we quietly leave the room and leave them to it.

"Is he always like that when things go wrong?" Alex asks me and I nod.

"Sadly, yes. If situations are out of his control, his fear takes over and he just reacts and lashes out. To be fair his over reactions are much better now, when we first got together it was awful... he was much worse".

Alex nods, "So… he is a bit of a control freak then?" he asks and I smile.

"There is no bit about it, he is a total control freak. It's how he copes; I have learnt to live with it because I love him but I will put my foot down when he is being too unreasonable. But you have to remember he was trapped in an apartment with his dead mother for a number of days, he was abused and his whole life was out of his control. He was taken away from his mother and it has shaped the way he deals with life. Those early experiences have had a lasting effect on him. This is going to be hard on him, knowing he has limited time with Betty. That is why as soon as he knew she was ill he wanted to fix it. He wanted to take control and make things better. He has now learnt that despite his best efforts it is one of those situations which are out of his control, he reacted and now he is accepting it and he will get over it" I say with a shrug.

"You handle him well" Edwin says and I smile.

"I have learnt through trial and error what works and what doesn't. I've also learnt to pick my battles over the years we have been together" I say with a grin.

"Is your home nearby?" I ask Edwin as I look out of the window.

"It is, if you look over there to the left do you see that small building and those trees?" he asks and I look to where he is pointing and I nod.

"That is my home, and the trees are what is left of the orchard" he says wistfully.

"It's lovely here, it reminds me of where I grew up" I say.

Alex smiles, "Where was that?" he asks.

"Montesano" I reply.

The day progresses and we have a light lunch with Alex and Betty before we reluctantly leave to go to Edwin's home. We are staying there overnight before heading home to Seattle tomorrow.

When we arrive we see Taylor wandering around the grounds and he nods at us as we arrive.

Christian gets out of the car and looks around, "I don't remember this and yet…" he murmurs.

He starts to walk and Edwin smiles, "He's heading towards the orchard" he whispers to me.

We follow him and eventually we find ourselves in an orchard.

"This is beautiful" I say as I look around. The wind is blowing gently through the trees and the rustling sound is oddly comforting.

Edwin shakes his head sadly, "It's nothing like it used to be, but I'm getting older… there used to be twice as many trees" he says.

We watch Christian as he walks around the orchard peering up into the trees. "Ana look!" he calls and I quickly walk towards him as he is pointing upwards.

He wraps his arm around me and leaning towards me and pulling me close he points and I follow the line of his gaze as well as the direction he is pointing.

"There see, you can see the apples forming on the tree" he says excitedly.

I can't see anything but Edwin nods, "You are right, although they can't be described as apples yet as the blossom has only recently just finished" he says.

We eventually manage to get Christian out of the orchard and we head inside the small simple house. Edwin shows us to the room he has prepared for us and he looks at us nervously.

"It's not much…" he begins but I quickly interrupt him.

"It's perfect" I say kindly as Christian looks around the room.

"I'll leave you alone for a few moments" Edwin says and he leaves and closes the door.

I turn towards Christian, "Are you ok?" I ask and he nods.

"I am, it's strange… under normal circumstances I would be feeling awkward and out of place but this feels… right," he says.

I wrap my arms around his waist, "That's because it is, you have been here before" I say and Christian snorts.

"Not for about 30 years" he says and I was very young. I have no memories of this place and I'm essentially in a new place because of that and yet it feels familiar" he says.

I look out of the window and take in the countryside, "It's beautiful here" I say and Christian comes up behind me and wrapping his arm around me he pulls me back into his chest.

"It is" he agrees.

Just as I am about to reply, there is a knock on the door and Edwin comes in. He looks ashen and I immediately know something has happened.

"Christian… Ana" he begins and his voice cracks.

"What's wrong?" I ask immediately on alert.

"Alex just called… it's Betty" he says.

"What about her?" Christian says stepping forward.

"She… I'm so sorry Christian, but she has passed away" he says.

I gasp in shock, "But we were only talking to her earlier" I say disbelievingly.

Edwin nods, "When she fell asleep…" he begins and Christian nods.

"She said she was tired and I told her to have a nap" he mutters.

Edwin nods, "Well, she slipped away while she was asleep, Alex went to wake her and he couldn't. he called for medical assistance and they confirmed that she's… she's gone" Edwin says.

I grip Christian's hand and I feel that he is trembling.

"No, no, no, no" he moans and I turn and pull him close. He grips me tightly and clings to me.

"It's not fair, I've only just found her" he says.

"I know, I know" I say. Not knowing what to say for the best.

"I need to go back" he says and I nod.

"Of course, you do" I say and Edwin nods and he offers to drive us back to Alex's home.

When we arrive, there is a doctor there and people from a funeral home. Christian pushes away from me and strides into the room.

"What happened?" he demands.

Alex grasps his arms and shakes his head, "It seems she decided it was the best time to go" he says his voice cracking with emotion, it is clear he loved Betty dearly.

"What do you mean?" Christian asks.

"After you left the room, I went to her to get her settled for her nap and she told me that she could die happy now that she knew for certain what had happened to Ella and her grandson. I told her not to talk like that but it seems to me that she had met you and told you everything about Liam and Ella so she felt she could go" he says.

"But I've only just met her. It's not fair" Christian says and I step forward and grasp his hand.

"Christian" I say and he turns towards me and I see the pain and grief in his eyes.

"I only just met her, it's not fair" he repeats.

"I know, but look at her Christian she was suffering. She was very ill" I say wondering if I am saying the right thing, I glance at Alex and see him smile and nod.

"I guess" Christian mutters as he looks towards the activity going on around his grandmothers' body. "Be careful with her" he snaps at the funeral home workers and the doctor and they all nod. I'm certain they recognise him and are unsure of what to say or do or if they should acknowledge that fact…

I am brought back to the here and now as Christian is nuzzling against me and slowly he shifts so that he is on top of me and he nudges my legs apart with his knee. I don't hesitate and immediately grant him access.

His mouth and hands are everywhere and I feel just how aroused he is by the very solid part of him digging into my stomach.

"Christian" I moan as he takes my breast in his mouth and runs his tongue over my nipples.

"Ssshh baby" he mumbles and he carries on touching me, kissing me and making me want him even more. His mouth moves from my breast to my stomach and his tongue licks me as he makes his way down my body.

"Christian" I say again as his head disappears between my legs. I feel myself building as his tongue probes me and I know he can feel it.

After a moment I come in a rush and my knees close around Christian's head. I feel him smile against me as he releases himself and moves up my body. A moment later I feel him push himself inside me, I gasp as he pushes himself inside and starts to move.

"Christian" I moan.

"I know baby, I know" he whispers in my ear and then his mouth finds mine. I can taste my arousal on his lips and he continues to move, setting a slow sensuous yet determined pace. I meet him thrust for thrust and he moans and grunts as he continues to drive into me.

I have no idea how long he continues but I feel him start to swell inside me and his movements become more urgent and I know he is chasing his own release. I wrap my legs tighter around him pulling him closer and he moans loudly.

"Ana" he says and I just grip him tightly and continue to kiss him.

"Oh fuck!" he says after a few more moments and then he stills and holds himself inside me as I feel the explosion of the wet warmth deep inside as he finds his release. I look up at him and smile as I see the look of total ecstasy on his face.

He relaxes and looks at me with a look of utter contentment and love.

"I love you" I whisper to him.

He runs his hand through my hair and then leans down and kisses me sweetly.

"And I love you too, with all my heart" he replies.