AN: Thank you so much for your kind words, I really enjoy reading what you think so please don't be shy about the reviews.

This chapter might be longest I have ever written, but I don't want to keep the drama going, I couldn't wait to get to the "falling in love" part.

Let me know what did you think!


CHAPTER 4: AN OFFER

"Sir?" Christian Grey raised his head from his computer, his brows furrowed for being disturbed while working. Although he knew that Taylor wouldn't bother him when he was working without a good reason.

"Come in, Taylor. What is it?"

" met with for lunch today." He raised an eyebrow, surprised because he hadn't heard from Anastasia since they took her to hospital last week. He tried to figure out what happened, but Welch was adamant that it was a bad idea to snoop around in the patient records of the hospital his mother was working for, that it might be traced back to him and cause problems for his mother. He let it go because he already told Anastasia that she might come to him for help. His working nearly 24 hours a day and waking up with nightmares every night had nothing to do with Anastasia. Absolutely nothing.

"Why?"

"I don't know, sir. But Reynolds reported that looked thinner and paler, and she cried more than once during their meeting." Christian closed his laptop down with a sigh and rubbed his face. He wasn't stupid, after her mother's obvious distress over Anastasia's diagnosis and it being "about her ovaries", he had a pretty guess about what it was. She probably learned that she was unable to have children, he guessed that it also explained her rant about being alone forever. Which was absurd. If his guess was right, he didn't understand why she was so upset about the news. She never expressed her desire to be a mother and she was so young; she couldn't be possibly planning to have kids. She was around Mia's age and all she wanted was to drink and sleep around. Although, he didn't want to go down that road and imagine Anastasia with faceless men.

"Thank you, Taylor." Taylor looked disappointed when he nodded and left his office. He didn't know what to do, should he reach out to her? But he already told her he was there, and she chose not to contact him. But she was alone. Kate was married now, and he knew that Anastasia didn't have many friends. If she was that upset over the news, maybe she shouldn't be alone. But what would he tell her, he had no desire to reproduce, and he had always pitied the men who were busy taking care of whining babies and diapers. Not being able to have children sounded like good news to him, what good he could do to her in this state?

After contemplating it for an hour, he eventually decided not to. He didn't want to upset her further.


That Sunday, he tried his best to convince himself that he wasn't going to his parents' brunch to see if Anastasia would be there, but it was a losing battle, especially because he couldn't get her out of his mind. Gretchen informed him that the brunch was ready, but Mia wasn't there, Kate and Elliot were running late and his parents were in the study. He went upstairs, hoping to see his parents alone and ask about this mysterious lunch.

Raised voices greeted him when he entered the corridor leading to his father's study, though.

"Why can't you understand?!" His mother was practically shouting, obviously upset. Carrick's voice was calmer but still mad, also.

"I do! I swear I understand her difficult situation, but we already offered to pay for the donor and artificial insemination, which is not a small amount! She obviously can't afford to be a single mom, what kind of life she can provide to the kid if she can't even afford the pregnancy?!"

"It's now or never for her, you don't understand! You didn't see her, so hopeless and so much in pain and so alone... She doesn't deserve to lose her only chance at pregnancy because of money. It's not like we can't afford to help, YOU KNOW WE CAN!"

"Yes, we can, in theory. But we shouldn't have to. Honey, I understand your desire to make her dreams come true, she's a good girl and she's alone. But you can't save everyone."

"I know I can't. But I can save this one. What if it was Mia? She's not even working, if she was in the same situation, would you tell her to let go?"

"Of course not. But Mia is my daughter, it's my duty to provide and care for her. Anastasia is not. I'm sorry but I'm not supporting her in pregnancy or childcare. It's a life lesson for her to learn, things don't always go her way." He didn't hear his mother, because she just stormed out of the study, crying so hard that she didn't even bat an eye at Christian. He heard his dad slamming his door shut.

His heart was beating at his chest so fast that he felt like not being able to breathe for a few seconds. He tried to focus on his body and took a few deep breaths. So he was right, it was about having kids. But he was wrong about Anastasia, she wanted to have kids. And according to her mother, it was supposed to be happening immediately. He quickly skipped over the money issue, he would offer Anastasia a million dollars if it would help, he did it in one day without doing anything. But he was very disturbed by the fact that she was going to be a single mother. She was 24 for God's sake. He burst into his father's room with that thought.

"Christian? I assume you heard us." He nodded. He watched his father quickly drink the whiskey left in his glass, even though it wasn't even noon.

"Explain, please." His voice was commanding when he sat down on the sofa across from his father. And he listened in silence, as his father summarized Anastasia's situation. She needed to have surgery to remove one of her tubes as soon as possible and after that, she had a maximum of one year to get pregnant or she wouldn't be able to at all. She wanted to be a mother but she didn't have the means, so his mother and father offered to help her in the initial stages, but his father refused to help more. Christian understood his point, if someone couldn't afford a pregnancy, they certainly weren't able to afford to have kids at all. And he was correct, Anastasia wasn't his daughter, and she wasn't his responsibility. He could see how much it weighed on him, as he finished talking and just put his head in his hands.

"I wish I could help more; I do. But she's not my daughter. And frankly, I think it's too much help for someone we barely know. Anastasia is just your ex-girlfriend and Kate's friend, it's not like we've known her for a long time. Life doesn't turn out the way we want them to, she needs to learn this lesson and make peace with it." Christian frowned. Normally, he would agree. But when exactly did Anastasia's life go the way she wanted? She lost her biological dad when she was an infant, and her dad when she was a child. Her mother had no affection or concern for her, she had raised herself. She worked to put herself through bachelors and masters, she worked more than most of the people he knew. It didn't sit well with him, to just let her suffer because of something he had plenty of.

"I'll help." He said. "I'll just deposit her a million, it should do, right? How expensive babies could be?"

"Famous last words." His father added, chuckling humorlessly. "Christian, it's not ethical. She is a young promising woman, but you also don't know her well. I know you didn't want us to know but she told Mia that your relationship with her was purely physical. You are not responsible for her because you fucked her a few times." He felt the anger burst out inside of him, hearing his father talk about her in this way. Their relationship was so much more than a few fucks and he didn't appreciate his innuendo like she was a slut.

"Talk about Anastasia this way again and you and I will stop communicating with words and talk in a whole other way." Carrick raised his eyebrow.

"Isn't it true? Did you love her, truly?"

"That's none of your business." Carrick sighed.

"Christian, you have the same 'I want to save the world' mentality as your mom. It's remarkable. But you can't save the day like Superman and change people's lives like this. You'll take Anastasia's drive to provide herself with a better future if you just hand her this money. Besides –" He was interrupted by a knock on the door. Both men turned towards the door, seeing the beautiful brunette in question hesitantly enter.

"Hi Christian, Carrick." She said quietly and looked at Carrick with determination in her eyes. "Can we talk, Carrick, please?" Christian stood up and took the opportunity to assess her. He didn't like how thin and sad she looked. He wanted to write her a check right there if it was going to solve her problems. But he refrained and left the room, hoping that his father wouldn't upset her too much.


"I came with Kate and Elliot," she said, wringing her hands and barely speaking out loud. "Grace invited me yesterday. I just talked to her, and she told me about your decision." Carrick sighed and mentally prepared himself for talking about his point of view for the third time that day but he was surprised by her following words.

"You are one hundred percent right. My dad and I came to the same conclusion yesterday. I came today to talk to you both and to tell you that I can't accept your help." He was stunned for a minute, he was so sure that Anastasia would ask for more.

"Why?" He asked, his curiosity peaked now.

"My dad has some savings to help me pay for the main surgery, it's scheduled for next week. But that's about it. He said I could go and live with him, this way I won't need to pay rent and I'll need to only pay for food and bills. But it's not enough to raise a child." He watched as her eyes filled with tears but she took a few deep breaths to keep herself from bursting into tears. "Children are unpredictable. No doctor can be sure that the child I'll carry will be %100 healthy. What if I need additional healthcare during pregnancy and even afterward? Even if the child is healthy, how about clothes, food; education, etc? I'm not used to asking for help and I swear I didn't ask Grace for this, she came to me and offered to help with the artificial insemination. Even if I convince myself to accept this, I can't possibly accept it to be your family's charity case. Forgive me for being blunt but I think my child deserves better than to be a charity case, also." Her hands were in fists, tightly squeezing the top of her jeans. He could see that she was doing her best to not cry.

"Thank you, for your offer. It was very kind of you."

"Anastasia..." He reached out and patted her hand. Her speech was in line with what he had been preaching for days but his heart softened at her state, she looked broken, both physically and psychologically.

"Ana, we wouldn't see it as a charity case. You can still accept our offer about insemination. And you can apply for aid and government programs once you are pregnant, there are many-" She smiled sadly and interrupted him.

"A child deserves more. Not letting them be homeless and feeding them to a minimum is not enough. I wouldn't feel good accepting this much help from others and I'm afraid that this feeling would lead me to resent my child." He nodded. He finally saw what Grace meant when she told her that Anastasia was already uncomfortable accepting help. Christian also told him before, that she even tried to pay for a few of their meals when they went on dates together. He regretted the way he talked about her a few minutes ago, deeply.

"So you have decided to just don't do anything." She nodded, looking down on her lap.

"This is another thing that I want to talk to you. Grace told me about your history." He nodded, he already guessed she did. "Did you ever-" Her voice wavered, as she tried to breathe and not break down. "Did you ever resented her? Because she wasn't able to give you children?" He smiled, his love for his wife and children shining through his usually stoic face.

"She gave me three beautiful children. But I know what you're asking, and the answer is no. I didn't love her because I expected her to give me children. I loved the idea of having children because their mother would be her. And I promise you, Ana, you'll find a man that does, too."

"It feels like I won't." She whispered, still looking down at her hands. "I couldn't make anyone love me for nearly 25 years when they thought that I was at the prime of my youth and fruitful. You don't think that it's a message from God? That I don't deserve to be a mother?" It broke her heart, to see her so desperate and hopeless. He sometimes forgot how little these young people lived in this world, how little they knew.

"No, I don't think that at all." He saw that she tried to wipe her tears without letting him see.

"You know, I didn't believe in destiny until I saw Christian and Grace together." His younger son's name made her raise her head and look at his smiling face. "Grace always had been a good mother to Elliot, and she loves him so much. But I always thought that the way she had found Christian was fate. She saw him at the emergency service. She wasn't even working that day, she forgot some stuff in her office she needed. We stopped by the hospital, she went upstairs while we waited in the car. He was very malnourished, and he didn't let anyone examine him until he saw Grace. She always says that she knew that she was supposed to be his mother the moment she saw him. And I believe that. What I mean to say, Anastasia, maybe God isn't punishing you because you don't deserve a mother but maybe there is another boy, in the distant future, that needs you to be his mom." She burst into tears at that moment and he sighed, giving her a pack of napkins before telling her that he'll wait for her downstairs.


Christian finally got her alone in the afternoon, she slipped through the main door when she thought nobody was looking, but he was. He followed her as she walked slowly toward the small pond in his parent's backyard and sat down on one of the benches. Watching her wipe her tears made his heart ache, he quietly sat down next to her. She wasn't even surprised, she just smiled at him sadly, through her tears.

"I guess they told you, huh?" She said. "I can see the pity in your eyes." He shook his head.

"I'm not pitying you." She scoffed, rolling her eyes. He raised his eyebrow.

"Did you just roll your eyes at me, Miss Steele?"

"Yep. And there is nothing you can do about it, Mr. Grey." She smiled cheekily at him, a gesture that was so familiar that he felt himself grinning involuntarily.

"I was going to offer you a million." He said. Her eyes went big, her mouth opening in shock. "But then I thought about you not being able to accept a few electronics, and decided that you wouldn't."

"Damn right, I wouldn't." She murmured, and he smiled. He didn't notice how much he missed just talking to her until that moment.

"How about you let me be the donor of your child?" She turned to him in a flash, totally flabbergasted. "Don't think of it as me helping you. It would be beneficial for us both."

"H-How?!"

"You know that I don't do relationships. And I certainly won't want children from one of my subs. So I thought that it simply meant that I would have no children of my own. And I was okay with that. But Elliot getting married and talking about kids made me think about my future. I think your situation could be an opportunity for me. This way my bloodline will keep going."

"I- I don't understand." Her voice was barely a whisper. He sighed and took her hand in his, enjoying the warmth.

"I'm offering to be your donor. I'll claim no rights over the child, and I'll provide for them for the rest of their lives. You and them will want for nothing financially. I want you to take care of yourself and them, and that would be our agreement. We can even put in paper if it'll make you feel better."

"So you won't be their father?"

"No, Anastasia. You know me, I wouldn't make a good father anyway. Besides, you really want to be a mother so I do not doubt that you would make the best mother. Well, second best because I already got the best one." He winked at her. "I have no desire to see the child or play house. I'll be content, knowing that my bloodline is going on."

"It seems hardly fair." She murmured. "This offer also feels like a charity case. Because you could easily find someone else to be the mother of your child. Any girl would jump at the opportunity. You are just doing this to help me."

"I want to help you, I'm not denying that. But I think that it'll be beneficial for me, too Anastasia." He sighed. "It'll be nice to think, to know that there is someone in this world who is carrying my DNA and they grow up happy and capable. I can rest, knowing that I have at least this accomplishment." He didn't like being this vulnerable but knowing Anastasia, she wouldn't let it rest until she saw he was being truthful. And he was.

"What am I doing with my life? How's my future going to be?" type of questions plagued his mind since Elliot's wedding. This seemed like a really good accomplishment. Also, he detested having children because of two reasons, one, they destroyed the bodies of the women, and two, they shit themselves and didn't let their parents breathe. Anastasia would be saving him all the trouble of having kids. No effort, besides money, and he would be making sure his bloodline continued.

"I feel like my brain vacated the building. I wasn't expecting that at all." They sat quietly for a few minutes, holding hands. Each felt like there was a storm racing in their minds.

"What if you changed your mind? Not about money, I know you are very generous. But what if you want to take the baby from me after they are born? At some point?" He shook his head, he knew it wasn't even a possibility for him to want kids. He just knew himself. "You are a very powerful man, Christian. I wouldn't be able to stand in your way." He squeezed her hand.

"I won't want the child. And I would never do that to you. But you are right, about being worried about this. I'll talk to my lawyer and we will get his recommendations for you, too. You should have your own lawyer. We'll make them write an iron-clad agreement, to show that I absolutely have no rights over the baby."

"And your parents? I don't think Carrick likes me much but I think Grace would want to be a grandmother."

"I know." He groaned. "It'll be your decision, Anastasia. I personally think that having them around would be confusing for the child, how are you going to introduce them without me being around? But I also know that you have the heart of a plushie toy so you wouldn't be able to hide it from them." She slapped his arm, making him grin. "Your decision. You can sort out these details with them."

"The doctor told me that I probably won't be able to work after some point when I get pregnant. That'll be a lot of money." Her voice got low, almost embarrassed to talk about money. His grin went bigger, the girl had no idea how much money he made in one hour.

"Anastasia, you won't work after we sign the contract. You are very thin and your self-esteem needs a lot of help so you'll be focusing on getting better until you get pregnant. I assure you, I'll be able to provide you everything for the next 19 years." He turned to her but regretted doing at when he saw the way she was chewing her lip. The action went right through his dick, as it always did. His attraction to her never went away, he just got better at ignoring it in the past 7 months.

"I want to lash out and say you a few nice words but you are right." She sighed, leaning down and putting her head on his shoulder, squeezing his hand. "I can't eat, I can't sleep. I have been going from mad to sad, sad to hopeful in one second and it's taking its toll on me." He couldn't help himself, he turned himself and kissed her hair, her strawberry shampoo filling his nose and making him smile at the familiarity again. "I feel like I'm supposed to say no to you but you are handing me the best solution. Did you really think this through?"

"I did. You know I never make a decision before thinking about it. And this is a very serious decision. I thought about all the possible complications and I have solutions to all of them." He sounded so proud of himself, she chuckled.

"I'm afraid you'll change your mind. And it'll be too late, and you'll hate me."

"I could never hate you."

"Promise?" She looked at him from his shoulder, searching his eyes for a possible hesitation but he smiled and just hooked his pinky around hers, squeezed, and promised. She looked back down, getting comfortable on his shoulder and breathing him in. She didn't have a lot of time to think about him lately but she missed his smell, his wide shoulders, and the weight of his head on top of hers. They used to sit like this frequently on this piano.


He felt her fall asleep on his shoulder but he didn't have the heart to wake her up, he knew she wasn't sleeping lately, she needed it. And he didn't want to admit it to himself but he liked having her close like that. So he let her sleep. Just looking around, thinking, planning. He saw Kate rushing out of the house after some time, frantically looking around until she saw his raised, waving hand. He still didn't like Kate much but he saw such a good friend she was to Anastasia and how happy she made his brother so he eased up on her. She quickly walked to where they were. Her eyes traveled around them, probably to make sure that Anastasia wasn't injured. She sunk down in front of them and sat on the grass. Frowning. Christian raised an eyebrow, surely, she wasn't judging them for sitting like this? She sighed.

"I'm so worried." She whispered. "Will she be okay?" Christian answered whispering also, trying not to wake Anastasia.

"She'll be. Try not to worry this much."

"She has nobody else. Did you know that her mother tried to get her out and 'celebrate the news' by sleeping with a random man? Ana was in pieces, she could hardly breathe because she was in tears and that bitch dared to tell her it was good news." Christian tried to keep his anger in check.

"She sounds like a bitch."

"She is!"Kate agreed, before sighing again. He felt kind of uncomfortable in silence, especially because Kate kept looking at him, waiting for something. He didn't want to tell her about his offer, because Anastasia didn't agree for sure and it was something she should've told her friend. But he could also see how bad Kate felt.

"She has people in her corner, though. She has you." Kate smiled.

"She makes you want to put her in a box and keep her safe, doesn't she? She has this effect on people." He nodded, he couldn't put it into words better. Kate sighed again and stood up, leaving them to themselves and returning to the house.

It was almost evening when Anastasia stirred, Christian was contemplating waking her up because his arm was numb by then. She was apologetic but he quickly reassured her that he was okay and that she needed sleep. They both ignored the way everyone watched them when they entered the house to say goodbye. They also ignored the fluttering feeling in their hands when Christian walked Anastasia to her car, while they walked close enough to feel each other but not touching. He opened her door and told her to think about his offer, before waving her goodbye.