A/N: Thank you all for your reviews and support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter 26: Making Amends

Christian and Ana left together, making their way through the foyer of The Plaza and out the front doors, neither of them speaking as they moved along. Both of them were worried about Carrick or Grace following them out, but it seemed like they were in the clear as they made it outside the front doors and onto the curb. Ana's hand still clutched Christian's, and she felt him squeezing her hand back in a way that told her he appreciated her being by his side through all this.

Christian flagged down a nearby cab, and he and Ana climbed into the backseat. "The Avalon," he said to the cab driver. The driver pulled into traffic, and Christian leaned back in the seat, letting out a sigh as he closed his eyes. Ana turned and looked out the back window, watching as The Plaza disappeared from view.

"I think we're in the clear," Ana said, turning back around in her seat. Christian didn't respond, his eyes still closed. "You alright?"

Christian blinked open his eyes before looking over at Ana. "Yeah, I suppose so," he said, grimacing slightly. "I sort of expected this behavior from my dad, and I was stupid enough to agree to us coming tonight. I can't help but feel partly responsible for causing this disastrous evening."

"What are you talking about? This isn't your fault, Christian," Ana insisted fervently. "I don't know what your dad's problem is, but this is all on him and nobody else. You did nothing wrong!"

"I guess a part of me was hoping we could try to work out our issues over dinner tonight," Christian confessed, looking uncomfortable. "That was definitely my mom's goal. But I guess my dad's hatred for me outweighed my mom's desire to keep the family peace."

"I don't think your dad hates you Christian," Ana said, though even she could tell she lacked conviction in her voice. Honestly, she had no idea what Carrick thought of his sons, but for Christian's sake she hoped their relationship was salvageable. Even if this evening hadn't really gone as planned. "Maybe he's just upset about your brother leaving the family business after you did."

"I still can't believe Elliot did that," Christian shook his head in disbelief. "He and Mia both tried to convince me to stay when I announced to the family that I was leaving GEH. I had no idea he actually wanted to leave too."

"I guess you taking the leap to finally leave the company was what gave him the strength to do the same," Ana said, scooting over so she could lay her head against Christian's shoulder. "You inspired him."

"I don't know if I would go that far," Christian said, looking down at Ana with tenderness in his expression. He kissed her over her hair. "You inspire me, though."

"I do?" Ana smirked up at him. "I inspire sarcastic comments from you, perhaps."

"No, it's true – you really do inspire me, Ana," Christian said sincerely, and Ana could tell he was being serious. "Before coming to work at Kavanaugh Media, I was a lot more like my dad… cold and aloof, and prone to snapping at people whenever I felt they weren't pulling their weight. That was definitely my reputation around the office before you came around. But after you came back from your sabbatical and I was working in the same space as you, I actually enjoyed coming into the office and interacting with people. I could see how warm and passionate you were about your job… and it made me better at mine, without a doubt. You've changed me for the better, Ana, and the fact that you're willing to give an asshole like me a chance tells me that I must be doing something right."

Ana stared at Christian, her heart clenching with love and another powerful emotion. How was she so lucky to have found this man? Her animosity toward him at the beginning of their acquaintance felt like a completely different lifetime ago.

"I love you, Christian," Ana said sincerely, looking into his eyes. She smiled. "And you're not like your father… though I might agree about the asshole part if you make derogatory comments about my weight again."

Christian chuckled, love also shining in his eyes. "Duly noted."

Ana and Christian went straight back to his place, and Ana was perfectly fine with that, even though she knew she didn't have a change of clothes or had done any planning for tonight whatsoever. They had understandably been distracted by Christian's parents showing up and inviting them for that disastrous dinner, but she was just happy to be spending the night with Christian again since they had first slept together. This night felt long overdue, to say the least.

The moment Christian's front door shut behind them and he pressed her up against the wall, capturing her lips in a heated kiss, Ana knew she had no regrets. She was right where she needed to be.

~/~

The following morning, Ana woke up naked in Christian's bed with the man himself spooning her from behind. It was so relaxing, cuddled under these soft cotton sheets that smelled of Christian's woodsy cologne, and with her sexy naked boyfriend holding her tight – it was like the dinner last night never happened, and they could stay in this blissful existence forever. Ana yawned, blinking open her eyes and looking at the bedside clock, noticing that it was almost seven o'clock.

"You're gonna be late for work, baby," Christian mumbled from behind her, yawning and rolling on his back as he slowly woke up.

"And you're already late for your workout," Ana muttered back, rubbing her eyes before sitting up. "I already decided I'm gonna take a personal day today. After all the crap that happened with Jack and Kate yesterday, I'm sure Max will understand."

This seemed to wake up Christian a bit more. "Really?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows as he smirked at her. "Miss Steele is playing hooky today? What a rebel. What is she gonna do on her day off, I wonder?"

Ana smirked back at him. "Oh, y'know… thought I'd maybe catch an R-rated movie. Smoke a cigarette with the bad kids out behind the bleachers. The usual stuff."

Christian laughed. "Well, before you get to your busy day today, perhaps we could spend the morning here and cook a nice breakfast together? I don't mean to brag, but I make a pretty mean waffle."

"Mm, sounds amazing," Ana smiled, scooting over to cuddle up against his side, and Christian wrapped an arm around her. "I happen to love waffles."

"Then prepare to be wowed, Ms. Steele," Christian murmured, leaning over to capture her lips with his own. Ana willingly kissed him back; a part of her wanted to protest, saying she needed to call the office, but her objections evaporated as soon as Christian began nibbling along her jaw.

"I consider myself sufficiently wowed, Mr. Grey," Ana moaned, tilting her head back as she absorbed the sensations of his lips on her skin.

"These past few days have been absolute torture without you, Ana," Christian trailed his lips down her neck, starting to kiss the soft skin of her breasts. "After experiencing the most amazing night of my life with you and then having to wait a whole week before I could touch your body again… I didn't know if I would make it."

"Me neither," Ana whispered, whimpering as his lips captured her nipple. "But we'll never have to know again, will we?"

Christian smiled against her before kissing down her body toward her center. "No, baby – we most certainly won't."

~/~

It was nearly an hour before Ana and Christian got out of bed, and Ana was finally able to step away to call the office and say she wasn't coming in. Of course, it was Nadia who answered the phone, and while Ana tried to be vague about her reasons for taking PTO, Nadia clearly knew the real reason. After several minutes of giggles and light teasing, Nadia assured Ana she would clear everything with Max for her… as well as implored her to not have too much fun with her boy toy today. Ana couldn't help but roll her eyes at her friend, but was grateful for Nadia's support of her relationship nonetheless.

Ana didn't have any clean clothes here, so she opted to put on one of Christian's large white button-down shirts that covered her to about mid-thigh. She didn't bother to put on any panties, and Christian took full advantage of that fact.

"Christian!" Ana giggled as he grabbed her butt. She had been standing at the kitchen counter, gathering ingredients to start making waffles, when Christian practically attacked her from behind; he grasped her waist and pulled her toward him so her butt was pressed against his front, and he began playfully gnawing on her neck. "Oh my God – stop!"

"But you taste so good, baby," Christian grinned against her, nuzzling into her the crook of her neck. "I want you for breakfast."

Ana giggled again, feeling blissful happiness wash over her. "I can't believe we get to do this every morning now. How did I get so lucky?"

She felt Christian soften slightly behind her as he tugged her around to face him. With a warm and loving look in his eyes that Ana felt she could melt into, he leaned down to capture her lips in a sweet kiss, lightly cupping her cheek as he did so.

Their beautiful moment was broken too soon, however, by a loud knock on the door.

The two of them practically jumped apart, looking toward the door in surprise. It was way too early for visitors, and Christian didn't even buzz anyone into the building. Was it a neighbor coming by? Or was it someone else? Ana glanced at Christian, but he looked just as surprised as Ana.

She was suddenly aware of what she was wearing.

"I'm not wearing pants," she mouthed at him, her eyes wide. Christian, who was fully clothed in pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, looked down at her bare legs with an amused smirk.

"My sweatpants are in the second drawer. Go grab some while I answer the door," he said quietly, nodding toward his bedroom. Ana immediately scurried off.

She went to his dresser and found his folded sweatpants in his second drawer, like he said. Any one of them were going to be way too big on her anyway, but she found a gray pair with a drawstring – she pulled them on and cinched the drawstring as much as she could around her waist before tying it off. These overlarge men's clothes made her feel like a little girl playing dress-up, but they were the best she could do. After rolling up the ankle cuffs so she could walk properly, she moved back over to Christian's bedroom door and stepped out. She froze

Christian had opened his front door... and Carrick was standing on the threshold.

He was by himself, and he looked more dressed down than he did last night, wearing a dark green collared sweater and blue jeans with loafers. The expression on his face was just as stoic and unreadable as it had been last night, however, as he gazed at his son.

Ana suddenly wanted to disappear back into Christian's bedroom and pretend she wasn't here, but Carrick and Christian both glanced over when she had opened the door. She blushed, giving Carrick an awkward grimace as she stepped into the main room. It was pretty obvious why she was here this early in the morning and dressed in Christian's clothes, and she felt embarrassement creep up her neck.

"Ana," Carrick greeted her, not bothering to smile as he nodded at her.

"Hi Mr. Grey," she said, deciding to keep a polite distance as she fiddled with the sleeves of Christian's shirt. She wasn't sure why Carrick was here, but she doubted it was for a good reason.

"I was just asking my dad how he got into my building without me buzzing him in," Christian said to Ana, clearly trying to hold back his anger as he turned his glare back to Carrick. "And if he could please find his way out."

"Christian. I just want to talk," Carrick said to his son, his voice surprisingly measured. "I wanted to apologize to you for how I acted last night over dinner."

"Okay. You've apologized. You can go back to The Plaza and report back to Mom that you've done what she asked," Christian said angrily, gesturing toward the hallway out the door. "Now go, please."

"Christian, be reasonable," Carrick argued back, looking angry. "I'm trying to do the right thing here. Can you just take a few seconds to hear me out?"

"Funny. I thought that's what last night was supposed to be about," Christian argued back, his tone still hostile. "But it didn't end up that way because you decided to drag up all of our family issues and ruin our night!"

Ana could see Christian was getting worked up, so she quickly moved forward and placed a hand on his arm. His stiff posture seemed to soften slightly, and he met her gaze, a silent communication. Truthfully, Ana didn't know why Carrick was here, and she didn't necessarily want to see him during her and Christian's morning together. But he had made the effort to come down here to speak to them, and she figured they could at least hear him out.

Christian gazed at Ana for a moment or two before finally looking away, sighing. He vaguely waved his hand at Carrick to indicate he didn't care what the hell he did before making his way toward the kitchen, not saying a word.

Carrick looked at Ana before tentatively stepping into the apartment and closing the door behind him. Ana thought he still looked as stoic as he did last night, but there was also something else in his expression. Was it nervousness?

"I just wanted to say that one of the reasons your mother and I came to New York, Christian, was to tell you what's been going on," Carrick said, taking a few steps toward the kitchen, but stopping in the living room. Christian ignored him as he busied himself with pulling out bowls and utensils to make the waffle batter. "We're still in the planning stages at the moment, but I've decided that, within the next couple years, I'm going to retire from GEH and step down as CEO."

This seemed to catch Christian's attention as his movements froze. He didn't look away from his hands for a moment before finally glancing over at Carrick, his expression flat. "Bullshit."

The word was spit out with venom, which took Ana aback a little. Carrick seemed to expect that reaction, however, as he grimaced.

"It's not bullshit," he said. "I'm retiring. I felt it was the right time."

Christian, however, rolled his eyes before turning back to the counter. "You mean Mom felt it was the right time," he corrected him tersely. "She always said you work too much. But I'm saying it's bullshit you came to New York just to tell me that."

Carrick was silent, and something unsaid hung in the air around them, making all of them on edge. Ana had a feeling she knew what Carrick was getting at, but she didn't want to vocalize it. She wasn't really sure how Christian felt about it, so she remained silent.

"…You really think telling me you're no longer going to be at GEH is going to get me to come back?" Christian finally asked after several long, tense moments. "I quit being your Director of Marketing because I didn't want to be in that role anymore. I have a life in New York City – I have a home, and I have Ana. I'm happy here. Why can't you just respect that?"

"I don't want you back at GEH as the Director of Marketing," Carrick responded, gazing at his son. "I want you back to take over my role as CEO."

The shock that came over Ana was immediate, and Christian seemed to feel it too: the spoon he was holding in his hand dropped on the counter with a clatter, and both he and Ana could only stare at Carrick in disbelief.

He actually wanted Christian to come back as the new CEO? The man had essentially driven his son away from the family business - what the hell was he thinking, asking him this? Ana glanced over at Christian, and he was just staring at his father in disbelief before he let out a loud laugh.

"Oh, that is really fucking rich," he laughed, shaking his head in mirth. "Seriously. This has to be a fucking joke."

"It's not, Christian," Carrick said firmly, undeterred as he stepped toward him. Christian finally stopped laughing to fix his father with a glare.

"Well that's pretty convenient then, isn't it?" Christian asked sarcastically. "Your visit to New York just happens to coincide with my recent troubles at Kavanaugh Media? And you happen to have an amazing job offer for me? You're just swooping in like my guardian angel... how naive do you think I am?"

"I had nothing to do with what went on at Kavanaugh Media," Carrick insisted, and the conviction in his voice seemed to silence Christian. "But yes, I was aware something was going on at the company with Kavanaugh's daughter and that you were caught in the crossfire. Ever since you left GEH, I've been trying to find the right time to come to New York so I can talk to you, and this incident felt like the best opportunity."

The skepticism on Christian's face was obvious. "You wanted to come to New York to talk to me? After your behavior last night at dinner, forgive me if I don't believe you."

Carrick pressed his lips together, his face falling back into that stoic expression. "You've spent enough time around me to know I was never good at this sort of thing," he said after a moment, his voice a bit stilted. "Saying how I feel… being anything but a boss to you and your siblings. I was always harder on you, Christian, because I saw myself in you: I saw your true potential in the business world, and I wanted you to reach that potential. Not just in marketing, but as the future head of the company. I've always known beyond a doubt that you would thrive in that role… but I also know that, ultimately, I was the reason you left GEH. I have to live with that every damn day of my life. And for that, I'm sorry."

Carrick's admission practically floored Ana, and based on the expression on Christian's face, he was feeling similarly dumbstruck. After a beat of silence, Carrick turned around and walked back over to the door, placing his hand on the doorknob before glancing back over at Christian.

"I'll respect your decision if you choose to continue at Kavanaugh Media, or at some other company in the future," Carrick said, his expression a bit hard once again. "But I hope you'll at least consider coming back, Christian. GEH really hasn't been the same without you."

With that, Carrick opened the door and walked out of the apartment, the door closing behind him with a quiet snap.

A/N: Oh boy, that was unexpected. What are your thoughts? Please review!

Next chapter, Christian makes some big life decisions.