Author's Note: I am so so so sorry! Gah! Real life got in the way and then I just kinda lost interest, I don't know why! I've learned my lesson, though, and I'll always complete my stories before posting at all! Thank you for sticking around and I hope you like this finale! See you on the other side with some other news.

Disclaimer: I'm not E. L. James, if I were, I wouldn't be posting, I'd be publishing.

"News?" she asks and I close my eyes and let a slow breath out. I wait a moment and then feel Christian place his hand on mine. I open my eyes and look directly into his.

"Mom, I'm pregnant."

I keep my eyes on Christian's, wincing slightly, waiting for my mother to start screamin; either with anger or excitement. When nothing comes, I look back at Christian's phone on his desk.

"Mom?" I ask, wincing more.

"I'm here," she replies, quietly. Too quietly. No one says anything for a moment and my heart starts to drop.

"Mom, say something," I implore her.

"Oh, Ana," she starts and I can hear the tears in her eyes. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," I just barely peep out.

"How far along are you?"

"About 11 weeks."

She lets out a sigh. "So that's not why you got married." I feel Christian flex his hand over mine.

"No, of course not," I tell her. "This was not in the plans, not yet, but it's happening and we've come to terms with it."

I look at Christian and he smiles at me before kissing my nose.

"You're so young, Ana. And you too, Christian! Oh, honey, I wanted so much more for you."

Christian's smile slips. He looks annoyed. What is she talking about? I have a gorgeous husband who is fully devoted to me, I live in a more than comfortable home, and I'm being fast tracked in the profession I always wanted. Not to mention, my husband can more than adequately provide for us and our family.

"Mom, I have everything I could ever dream of; what more could you want for me?"

Now my mom sounds annoyed. "I just wanted you to have everything! I didn't want you to make my mistakes!"

Ouch. I stare at the phone in disbelief. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Christian lean his head back, surely trying to reign in his temper. I know he's trying to hold back and let me handle my family however I want to, but this must be trying his patience.

"Gee, thanks Mom," I finally reply in a low voice.

"Oh, Ana, you know I don't mean it like that! You're the best thing to happen to me but having you so young definitely changed my life and made it harder in many ways. I don't want you to have to go through the same thing."

"It's not the same thing," I correct her, forcefully. "I'm not as young as you were; I've already finished school and I've found a job. Unlike you at the time, I'm already married. Christian also doesn't have a naturally dangerous job so I don't have to worry as much about his wellbeing."

I'm fuming. She's making this about her, like she does for everything. I grasp Christian's hand tighter and look him in the eye. He tries to regain his smile and nods his head, agreeing with everything I've said.

"Ana, you know how crazy I was for your father! Yes, you weren't planned but we would have gotten married at some point no matter what! Even with that, I've since wondered if your father and I would have lasted or if I would have moved on as I've done with my last few relationships. I thought you would have more time to figure out if this is the correct man for you before bringing a child into the mix!"

She's insane. Certifiable. I'm about to explode.

"Mom, I can't believe you're even saying this right now! You know I've never even been interested in another man! I've come alive since meeting Christian and he has too. We're different people and we never want to know a life without each other. Why can't you be happy for us? And if this is a real concern of yours, why didn't you mention this before we got married?! Why are you only bringing this up now? If you really thought I was possibly making a mistake why wouldn't you tell me before our wedding?" With each question I ask, my voice gets louder and louder until I all but shout my last sentence. My mom doesn't miss a beat.

"Marriages can be undone! You can get a divorce! You can't divorce a child!"

I lean forward and prop my elbow on Christian's desk, resting my forehead on my index finger and covering my eyes with the rest of my hand. She is exasperating and embarrassing. She really should just stop talking.

"We love each other more than anything, Mom. This is our one and only marriage and we are pregnant and happy." I lift my head and look at Christian who is looking at me with a shy smile. I continue talking to my mom though my attention is on my husband.

"We will make it all work. I haven't told you yet, but we have also purchased a house; a family home with a large yard. Christian will be a wonderful father." I watch his brows knit together, worried about my statement before I continue with, "We'll figure everything out together. No matter what. Our baby will not want for anything because they'll have two parents who love each other unconditionally."

"And your husband's rich," she comments, absentmindedly not unkindly. Christian looks out of the corner of his eye at the phone, one corner of his mouth turning down. I close my eyes for a quick second. My mother has zero tact. Before I can say anything more, Christian speaks up.

"Yes, Carla, I can and will provide for my family with ease but the important thing is that Ana and I are starting a family, with or without your support. I was hoping you'd join us in our happiness, but if you can't, I won't allow you to upset Ana like this."

I watch his jaw clench as he speaks. I hate that my mom is doing this, but Christian is right. I can't let her upset me like this. It's too much.

"Oh, Christian dear, of course I support you two. I'm just...shocked," my mom responds, having enough shame to sound embarrassed.

"And I'm disappointed," I get out in a low voice. I am disappointed, but I'm also not surprised, which makes me sad. I shake my head and continue before anyone else can speak.

"We have to go," I say with no emotion. "Our guests will be here soon. Bye, Mom."

I hit the end call button before she can respond. I close my eyes and tilt my head away from the phone. My mom can be so hurtful and I don't even think she realizes she's doing it.

A few quiet moments pass before I feel Christian's fingers under my chin, guiding my face in his direction. I keep my eyes closed, but, after a minute of neither of us talking, I open my eyes. He's staring at me, now searching my eyes with his mouth in a thin line.

"I'm sorry, Ana," he finally says.

I let out a long sigh. "It's not your fault, Christian."

"Maybe not, but I'm sorry she made you upset."

"Me? I feel sorry for you!" I say as his brows knit together in confusion. I shrug. "She's my mom. I'm stuck with her. You only have to deal with her because of me. I feel bad to put her on you...she said horrible things… divorce and about your money which you know," I break off mid sentence as his thumb brushes across my lips. He smiles kindly at me.

"I know you don't care about my money. And I don't mind having her in my life if I get to have you. I just don't want anyone or anything upsetting you, especially while you're pregnant." His hand trails down from my lips to my stomach, resting his hand across my belly. I smile at him, leaning forward for a kiss.

"One down, a lot to go," I sigh. He nods in agreement.

"Ana! It's been so long!" Mia squeals and rushes ahead of her family to give me an eager hug which I return.

"Mia, we just saw you last week," I hear Christian say behind me and I know he's rolling his eyes.

"Hey, sis!" Eliot is next and he picks me up in a big bear hug. Christian clears his throat and I look over at him in time to see his eyes narrowed at his brother. While Christian shakes Eliot's hand, I get a long hug from Kate before she also moves over to Christian.

"Oh, Ana! You're absolutely glowing!" Grace gushes at me as she steps up and I know I'm turning red. Don't people usually describe pregnant women that way?! I see Kate's head snap to me out of the corner of my eye.

Christian rushes smoothly to my rescue, saying, "It's the color. This dress was practically made for her." I look up and he's smiling at me. This dress does compliment my skin tone well, but could it be blip? Could I already be "glowing"?

We finish our hellos and head into the main room, where we offer wine to our guests except for Eliot who makes a beeline for the fridge to grab a beer. Christian and I strategically already poured our glasses of nonalcoholic wine so that we'll fit in with everyone else and it seemingly works as everyone is chatting and not focused on our glasses.

I hear the elevator ping open and nearly run over to attack my dad with a big hug as he exits the elevator doors.

"Woah, Annie, what's wrong?" he asks, his voice full of concern.

"Can't I be excited to see you?" I ask as casually as I can into his shoulder. Truth is, I'm still hurt from the talk with my mom and I'm starting to worry about how Ray will react. He got so enraged when he saw those articles about me being upset. I don't want him to be as disappointed as my mom seemed to be… or for him to piece it together and get mad at Christian all over again, but this time for leaving his pregnant wife alone.

I take a deep breath and step back. I smile at my dad's confused expression and link arms with him as I lead him to the main room. Christian has a beer waiting for him as we round the corner and the rest of the family greets Ray warmly.

Half an hour later, we're seated around the table with plates of Gail's delicious meal in front of us. Christian is at the other head of the table, standing, with his glass of nonalcoholic wine in hand. Everyone quiets down and we all grab our wine glasses or beer bottles.

"Thank you, everyone, for coming tonight," Christian starts. "We don't have family dinners like this enough, so thank you, especially to Ray, for making the trip." Christian raises his glass a little higher towards Ray who nods back at him.

"Ana has helped me see how rewarding it can be to spend time with family, so here is a toast to our family; all of us here and also Carla and Bob, who unfortunately couldn't make it tonight. Cheers!"

We all yell cheers back and clink glasses, excited to dig into the aromatic masterpieces in front of us. We're all quiet for a few minutes, savoring our fantastic dinner.

As I cut one of my shrimp into three, smaller pieces, I reflect back on the conversation with my mom. It wasn't completely unexpected but I did hope for more. My silver lining through all of this will be Christian's turn around. I can take everyone else giving me a hard time if I have his support. These last few weeks, he has been just as - if not more - excited than me for blip and blip's reveal. It's brought me so much happiness that I can't help but smile, now, thinking about it.

"Earth to Ana!" I suddenly hear Kate's voice and my eyes snap to hers and then around the table. Kate, Eliot, and my Dad are all looking at me expectantly. Down at the other end, Mia, Carrick and Grace are still chatting and laughing, though Christian is staring right at me with a small smile on his lips.

I shake my head a bit. "Sorry, what was that?" I ask Kate.

"Jeez, Grey, you completely spaced out. What's going on?"

"Sorry, I was just...lost in thought," I say but my smile grows. "So what were you talking about?"

I somehow make it through dinner without drifting off again. As Mrs. Jones clears the table and prepares dessert, Christian guides us all to the great room with our drinks. This is it. We're doing this now. I take a deep, unsteady breath; desperate to slow my rapidly beating heart. Christian grabs my hand and squeezes it before bringing me to him and spinning me so that my back is to his front. Our family is now all situated in the great room, everyone sitting on the sofas and chatting pleasantly. The time is here and I suddenly feel sick.

I already told Christian that he will have to do the announcement; I'm too nervous to say anything coherently right now. It's one thing to tell my mom on the phone but it's another to tell every single other member of your family while they're all looking at you.

Christian pulls me closer to him and readjusts his hand, so that mine is flat on my stomach and his is grasping my hand from behind; our entwined fingers on my belly.

"Everyone, if I may have your attention," Christian calls, effectively quieting the room. Everyone's eyes settle on us where we are and I feel my cheeks redden. Here we go.

"Thank you again for coming tonight and while we do want to have more family get-togethers, we actually asked you here for a different reason." I see Grace and Kate perk up at this point, interested for any more information they can get...and they're about to get a lot.

"We actually asked you guys here to help us celebrate," Christian says and I look up to see him smile at me and I can't help the face-breaking smile that creeps onto my face.

"Oh, Ana! Did you get another promotion?" Mia asks, clapping her hands. "You've been flying through there! You're going to be running even GEH before you know it!"

I smile at Mia and her enthusiasm. It doesn't get past me, though, that everyone else is still silent and staring at us. Eliot's mouth is actually hanging open.

"No, not yet," Christian responds to Mia. "She'll be running Grey Publishing soon enough though. But no, we wanted to celebrate with everyone and share this news with our family first." He pauses and sucks in another breath. "Ana and I are expecting."

There. It's out there. Everyone knows. But from the sound of it, maybe nobody heard it. It's so silent, I can hear the clock over the mantel tick. My breathing is shallow as I study my family in front of me. Mia looks confused. Eliot's mouth is still hanging open, his eyes on Christian. Grace's mouth is also hanging open but her eyes are filled with tears and focused on Christian's and my hands on my stomach. Carrick is sitting stoically, seeming to have not moved since we all came in from the dining room. My gaze is moving over to Ray when he breaks the silence.

"What?" he asks. He doesn't sound confused or mad. He sounds...disbelieving. I swallow.

"I'm pregnant," I croak, the words getting stuck in my throat. Christian's hand squeezes mine, giving me strength.

We don't have to wait for a response this time. The room erupts in yelps and shrieks from the three women. Grace and Mia are on their feet, holding each other while thick tears roll down Grace's face. Mia sports a huge smile and keeps squealing "I can't believe it! I can't believe it!"

Kate also jumped up but yelled 'I knew it!' right after my reveal. Her look of jubilation quickly disappears as her eyes jump between Christian and myself before settling on me. Her mouth sets in line with the corners beginning to point down. Oh no, she's finally put together why Christian and I were fighting.

I don't have time to focus on her as Mia dislodges herself from her mother and comes barreling towards us to wrap me in a fierce yet awkward hug, as Christian doesn't unwrap his arm from me.

"Oh, I'm so happy for you two!" she sighs before moving over to Christian. "You're going to be such a good father."

He finally takes his arm from me so that he can wrap them both around Mia. "Thank you, Mia," I hear him whisper to her.

"Holy shit!" I hear Eliot exclaim over the cries of the women, finally finding his words.

My attention is diverted to Grace who is now grabbing my hands and searching my face.

"Are you really? Are you sure?" she asks, more tears still welling in her eyes. I nod, not trusting my voice.

"How far along are you?"

"About 11 weeks."

She breaks down crying, having the exact opposite reaction that my mom had. I feel bad for a moment while I wish that my mom was more like Grace, but I'm distracted when she pulls me into a hug."Thank you, Ana. I cannot wait to be a grandmother! Thank you for everything." The tears start pooling in my eyes. I knew Grace would have this reaction but it always hits me hard.

I pull back and hold her hands. "You don't have to thank me. Christian and I are so lucky to have your support." And I mean it. Her support, especially after Carla's rejection, is making the tears overflow and streak down my face.

She squeezes my hands. "Always, darling. You'll always have us."

Us. I look over to the couch where Carrick is still sitting, staring at Christian who is now in a hug with Eliot. Do we have Carrick's support?

Grace steps aside to hug her sons and reveals Ray who was waiting behind her. I sniffle and try to blink away my tears.

"Daddy."

His face is etched in worry lines, his eyebrows knit together. He looks older, worried, and… disappointed? No. Please, no.

"You're making me a young grandpa, huh?" he asks, reconfirming my news. I nod.

He looks me over once more before stepping forward and folding me into a hug. I grasp him and let my tears fall. He sighs.

"You're young, Annie, but you're smart and you're a good person. I know you'll make this work. Congratulations, Annie."

I squeeze my eyes shut tight as more tears overflow. He isn't disappointed; at least not enough to berate me about it.

"Thank you, Daddy. We called mom before you guys came over and, well, it didn't go that well. It means everything to me that you didn't turn me away."

"I would never do that, Anastasia, you know that," he says. Calling me by my full name matched with his no-nonsense tone makes me move back to lock eyes with him. Gone are the looks of worry. His face shows nothing but confidence.

"You're a strong woman, Annie. You've been taking care of me for years now, no doubt a baby might be easier in a few ways." This brings a smile to both of our faces and I quickly wipe away my tears.

"It also brings me some peace to know that your husband will be able to provide a decent life for your family. I'm only worried about this being what you want."

"The timing isn't perfect, but I've come to peace with it. And we're actually really excited now; to start a family and put down some real roots in our new house," I tell him, my smile growing as I speak.

"Well, at least I'll be a cool grandpa," Ray says, making me giggle. "And I'll definitely teach them how to shoot a gun and fish and fix up cars.

"And what if it's a girl?" I ask. He looks shocked.

"Even better! A girl needs to know how to do all of these things! You only learned one of the three, but I think if I start teachin' early on, they'll get the hang of it."

"We have plenty of time to figure that out," I assure him. I'm not so sure Christian would be okay with our child learning how to shoot but this doesn't seem like something that has to be discussed any time soon.

We hug once more before Ray turns to my husband and begin either congratulating or reprimanding him, I'm not sure which since I'm wrapped up in a bear hug from the side as soon as Ray turns. I laugh as Eliot places me back on the floor.

"So you're knocked up, huh?" He has such a way with words. I roll my eyes.

"Very eloquently said, but yes."

He shakes his head a bit. "I can't believe Christian's going to be a dad. I didn't think I'd ever see him with a girlfriend, let alone a wife and a kid!"

"Not much I can say to that, but I think he's going to be a great father. He's kind and attentive and loving; he's going to be a natural at it. I… I really think so...atleast." I trail off at the end as I watch Carrick finally get up from the sofa and walk around to Ray and Christian. He shakes Christian's hand as Ray makes his way back to his beer. With his hand now on Christian's shoulder, they lean their heads together as Carrick talks to him. Thankfully, Eliot doesn't seem to notice my wandering eyes.

"Yeah, maybe he'll finally get that stick out of his ass," he laughs and I give him a closed lip smile and shake my head. They're always poking jabs at each other, some things will never change.

I get yanked away from Eliot so quickly that I trip over my feet trying to turn towards the pull and almost fall down. Kate has her hand securely wrapped around my wrist as she pulls me towards the hall where our bedroom is. I look back to see everyone staring at us, Christian with a slight frown on his face as he looks around his dad to see me. Kate doesn't stop until we're out of sight from the main room.

"Jeez, Kate. You could've just asked me to speak in private," I groan and rub my affronted wrist.

"Is this why you were fighting?!" she questions in a frenzied whisper. "Is this what you were disagreeing on and why he ran away to a different country? I could kill him!"

I raise my eyebrows at her, semi shocked at this reaction. I'm a grown woman; I don't need Kate acting like my knight in shining armor.

"No need for that. He was shocked when I told him I was pregnant and he didn't know what to do or say so he didn't say anything and he put some space between us. He messed up, big time, but we've gotten past that and I'd appreciate if you don't drag this out longer than it has to be."

"Don't draw it out? He left his pregnant wife! How can you just forgive him?" Her eyes are bulging and I can't help but feel exasperated. She's acting like I'm her little sister that she has to defend from the world. I cross my arms.

"I didn't 'just forgive him'. It's been weeks since it happened and he's proven to me how committed he is to me and our family. I love him. I'm not going to just give up on him because he made a mistake."

"But where did he go when he left? Did he even go on that business trip? How can you trust him if he won't talk to you?"

"Why do you always have to poke into my business?! There's a reason I didn't tell you what we were fighting about. And for the last time; I trust him implicitly. You've always wanted to find fault in him; you can never be happy for me. You can't be happy for my pregnancy or the fact that Christian and I were obviously able to get back to such a good place, you can only focus on why we were in a bad place to begin with. None of that concerned you so please don't insert yourself."

She opens her mouth to say more but shuts it quickly, her eyes narrowing over my shoulder. I can already tell who's there, but his arm slipping around my waist really gives it away.

"Everyone's ready for dessert," he says simply from over my shoulder. Kate and I don't respond. I finally look up to see Kate chewing on her lip, looking nervous for once.

"I'm not happy with you," she whispers, her eyes set on Christian. "I don't like how you treated her a month ago."

"Neither do I. I was an idiot. Ana is the best thing that has ever happened to me; I won't mess this up again." I look up at him but he doesn't look down. His eyes are locked with Kate and I know they're having a silent battle; Kate trying to decide if she should say something else while Christian is trying placate her in as few words as possible. I decide to break up their struggle.

"Let's have dessert." I grab Christian's hand and he dutifully walks with me back to the dining room table. I need this day to be over.

As we savor Gail's fruit tart with vanilla ice cream, conversation continues as if it never stopped, except now it's a little more lively. It's awkward to still be seated next to Kate now that we're trying to desperately look anywhere but at each other. I refuse to let her ruin my day. If I won't let my mom get me down, I'm not going to let Kate.

Everyone besides Kate seems to be in good spirits and are already theorizing if blip will be a girl or a boy. I'm staying as light and bubbly as I can but I see that Carrick has been rather quiet. I'll have to talk to Christian later about what their conversation was about.

I no sooner think this when a soft clinking noise comes from where Charrick is tapping his spoon to his glass. The table falls silent and turns to give him attention as he stands from the table.

"I wanted to thank Ana and Christian for having us over this evening. And also Gail for the fabulous food." Both Ray and Eliot call out 'hear hear" in agreement and the table chuckles with them.

"I also want to say thank you to Ana," Carrick continues, turning towards me. I feel like a deer trapped in headlights. I'm hoping I don't look like one though I'm sure I do.

"Since you've joined our family, we've been closer and we've seen Christian more than ever. We have you to thank. And I'll speak on behalf of everyone when I say, I cannot wait to meet baby Grey. Thank you for expanding the family. To baby Grey!"

He raises his glass and everyone follows suit, cheering "baby Grey!" in unison; me maybe loudest of all. I cannot believe my amount of relief. Carrick doesn't seem to think I did this on purpose and he's happy to hear we're starting our family. Out of everyone, I'd have to say Carrick has surprised me the most.

I very easily convince Ray to stay the night again instead of driving back home and he excuses himself to go to the guest room as everyone prepares to leave. Kate pulls be into an awkward hug before she leaves, whispering in my ear that we'll talk about this more some other time but that she's happy for me. For us. That will do for now.

Elliot pulls me into another huge hug for the third time today before following Kate into the elevator; a goofy grin still on his face: the one that's been there since we made our announcement.

Mia and Grace give me hugs and start talking my ear off about all the shopping we have to do and how we're running out of time. Christian shakes his head and asks them to dial down the theatrics, since he plans on spoiling me and the baby more than anyone, which causes Grace to be overcome with emotion once again and pull him into a hug which he freely accepts. I'm smiling at this sight when I feel a soft hand on my elbow.

"Ana, may I speak to you for a moment?" Carrick asks.

"Of course," I reply, and follow him back towards the kitchen. I can feel Christian's eyes on me until we round the corner. I lean slightly against the kitchen island and look up at him expectantly.

"Ana, I know I may have caused you some unease with that whole nasty business around your engagement, but I hope you know that I never thought you were with Christian for the wrong reasons. With your own child coming along, you'll see that you'll want to protect your child from everyone, even those who seem like god-sent angels." He smiles kindly at me and I try to smile back, though I can barely feel my face right now.

"That being said, I want you to know that I meant everything I said during dessert. I cannot wait to meet your baby and, selfishly, I'm even more excited to see what changes this will cause in Christian. This will be the best for him in the long run. I see how open and free he is with you, and I think a child will only help amplify that. I know you're probably tired of hearing this from Grace, but it really is a relief to see him with you. It's..." he pauses and breaks eye contact when he closes his eyes for a moment. When they open again, they are filled with warmth and gratitude. "It's nice to see him finally happy."

I take in what he says with small pout. They don't give Christian enough credit.

"Your family always has such high praise for how I've helped change him, but honestly, that is all Christian's doing. He was a little cold when we first met but, really, very soon after we established our relationship, he was already acting like the Christian we see now. I can't see how much he has changed as you can, but I can say that it was his doing and not mine."

"You're being modest, dear, but that's okay. I'm simply glad that you seem to bring out the best in him. Seeing him act his age has brought us such delight. And now, with a grandchild on the way, well I can't even express how overjoyed we are." The skin around his eyes crinkle with how large his sincere smile is. This has to be the most candidly we have ever spoken and I'm thankful for it. I smile back at him.

"Thank you, Carrick. It took us a while, but I think we're coming around to the idea as well." My smile expands as I speak. 'Coming around' is far too conservative; we're elated.

We walk back to the foyer where I've somehow earned another hug from Grace. With a final round of goodbyes, we wave to Christian's family as the elevate doors close between us. Hand in hand, we walk quietly to our bedroom.

"So what did Dad want to talk to you about?" he asks me as he closes our door and I slide onto our bed.

"Basically, he's happy that you're happy and he's excited to meet the baby."

His eyebrow raises.

"And he had to take you to a different room to say this?"

I shrug. "I also thanked me for helping you act your age and making you happy."

He nods, accepting this answer as he slides into the bed beside me, his arm wrapping around my side and turning me towards him.

"It went pretty well," he adds after a moment.

"I guess," I shrug. "You're family took it well. I was only worried about your dad, for no reason apparently. My dad accepted it pretty quickly. But...my mom and Kate…" my voice trails off, and I swallow, trying to keep the emotion from creeping into my voice.

His hand trails soothing strokes up and down my side.

"I'm sorry, Ana. I wish I could change their reactions for you. They will come around, I'm sure of it," he says with such confidence that I can't help but agree.

"I know Kate will. I think she's more upset with you than me." I look up in time to catch his look of boredom.

"I could care less what Kate thinks about me."

"She's my best friend, Christian. You should care."

He looks me over, choosing his words. "I care about you and how she treats you. I don't want to not get along with her, but as long as she treats you right, then I'm fine with her, no matter how she feels about me."

I feel my lips turn down in a small pout. Indifference isn't always a good thing.

He pulls me closer and I look up to his fac which is lopsided with a huge smile.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't happy our secret is out," he purrs as he buries his head in my neck, outlining me with kisses. "I can't wait for the world to know you're carrying my child...it's such a turn on. You're growing a combination of us. It's like a piece of me is inside you and I'd love to put more of myself inside you..." his voice trails off and I shiver with his salacious words.

We have come so far in the last five and a half weeks ago, I couldn't even imagine Christian acting this way, having been so destroyed with his initial reaction. We're in a better place than even before this all happened. Before, we were blissfully in love and ignorant of how bad things could get between us. While I'm sure we didn't hit the lowest point that we could have, I think we're both motivated to never get anywhere as close again. We have a more open and honest relationship and he's giving me all of himself. It's heaven and I'm determined to never have it end.

As we cuddle into each other with his hand on my stomach, I close my eyes with the serene knowledge that we can and will get through anything.

Author's Note: *Sigh* And that's the story. Although I'm posting this weeks after I wanted to, I hope you all enjoyed the ending to this story! This story has gotten way more response than I ever thought possible, so thank you all!

In other news, I'm going to start writing a new story! I've had an idea for Ana and Christian rocking around in my head for a few weeks now, so I'm going to start writing that and I promise I won't post until I'm basically done!

I'll also be doing more one-shots that I post in my one-shot collection story. I have one in mind, so please follow me or that story so that you know when new content is up.

As always, hope you enjoyed! Please review/follow/favorite and thank you all for being so patient!