Chapter 30 - Epilogue

Christian

(Phoebe 4 years old)

"I'm home!" I holler and drop my briefcase in the hallway. This has become my favorite part of the day, coming home from work to my wife. Well, coming home to her might be second on my list; the first one by far is when I am balls deep inside my beautiful wife.

"Hi, handsome"

"Hey, beautiful…" I stop dead in my tracks when I see them both sitting at the counter. Kate has a disgusted look on her face as she watches Ana eating a pickle that she just dipped in mustard sauce. Christ, our child is going to be born with a yellow hue. My wife has been craving mustard since she was just a few months pregnant.

"Well, hello to you too" Kate chirps. Slowly she takes the glass of wine to her lips and pulls the platter with cheese towards her. My cheese!

"Hi, Kate"

"Want some?"Ana asks with a smirk as she waves the pickle in front of my face, but honestly, she is being polite. My sweet, loving wife has become a little bit possessive about her food these last few months. She definitely won't share.

"No, thank you." Stepping behind the counter I kiss Ana passionately not caring that Kate is sitting next to us or that my wife tastes a little… different.

"Okay, this is my cue to go" Kate hops from the stool, blows me a kiss and walks over to Ana to take her in an embrace.

"Laters,"

"Bye, Kate!"

"So, what did you do today?" I bury my nose into my wife's neck and inhale the perfect scent. Ana and flowers.

"We wrote a letter to the stork and Phoebe even made me add travel directions," Ana says licking some mustard from her finger.

"She's so worried that the stork might deliver the baby to the wrong house, Christian"

"She will forget everything about the stork when she sees the baby," I say with determination.

"Help me off this stool and let's take a walk. Let's see if that kicks this baby into action"

I hide my smirk when I lift her off the stool. She looks ready to burst even though the baby isn't due for two more weeks.

"I could fuck this baby out of you," I say as we walk into the patio.

"So romantic" She sighs with a smile. She stops when we are halfway and leans back against my body. Automatically my arms wrap around her belly and I rest my chin on top of her head. I smile when I feel little blip kicking against my hand.

"He's busy"

"Hmm, hmm" She hums looking up at me. "You keep saying it's going to be a boy, but you should really be prepared, Christian" I pray to God every single night for it to be a boy.

"It's a boy" She nods and I feel her body getting heavier against mine. She's tired.

"I am already outnumbered and another girl like Phoebe will surely make me bald before I reach forty" I kiss the side of her temple, but to be honest, I really don't care whether blip is a boy or a girl. As long as he or she is healthy.

"Want to sit on the bench swing?"

"Makes me nauseous," She says with a little wince. "Let sit on the blanket"

"You had a picnic with Phoebe?"

"Yes, the best way to make her eat"

"Here, let me carry you" I feign a groan when I lift her, and she playfully smacks my chest. "You are just getting old, Grey" I revel in the feel of her body against mine and enjoy the peace and quiet for a moment as I carry her towards the picnic blanket.

She moans softly and winces when she sits down and her hands go to her belly. Immediately alarm bells are going off in my head and I reach for my phone in my pocket.

"It's just a twinge" She sighs giving me a tired smile.

"Big twinge or little twinge?" I ask looking closely at her face.

She shrugs, which doesn't really make me feel better. "A medium twinge" Her eyes meet mine and she grabs my hands. "Relax, they are probably Braxton Hicks" She pulls me down on the blanket and settles between my legs.

"Phoebe was really excited to go camping with my dad and Elliot; you should have gone with them."

"I am not leaving you so close to your due date, Ana," I say exasperated because we've already had this conversation and my answer was always the same. No.

"Kate could have stayed with me…and you heard Dr. Greene the other day; Blip is not ready to be born"

"Besides, do you really think I'd prefer to go camping with your dad and Elliot and miss out on a few nights of uninterrupted sex?" I rub my hand from her belly to her thigh. She is wearing a long blue, strapless maternity dress and not only does she make pregnancy look sexy, but it also gives me free access to my favorite parts of her anatomy. Perfect.

When I finally find my destination and my thumb brushes against the satin of her panties she moans softly and widens her legs slightly to give me better access.

I leave a trail of wet kisses from her ear to her neck and manage with a little wriggling to pull her panties off.

"Do you want me to make you feel good, baby" I whisper hoarsely in her ear. Her answer is a tiny nod of her head and another moan when I slide a finger inside her. With my other hand, I slide her dress down over her breasts start massaging her puckered nipple with my fingers. Her body tenses slightly but relaxes right after I start brushing my thumb over her sensitive spot while sliding my finger in and out of her.

When her legs start to tremble and she starts pulling on my hair I know she's close. "I…I need to feel you, Christian…"

"Just enjoy this baby…"

"No, together…"

I don't think I've ever unbuttoned my pants this quickly and with a little help she is soon straddling me and I am buried balls deep inside her.

"This is so good…" She breathes against my lips as she starts rocking her hips in a flowing motion. My hands settle on her hips and I help her move when I feel that she is getting tired.

"Faster, harder, Christian…." I try to get as deep as I can with each trust. She leans her forehead against mine as her breaths come in rapid speed and I know by the tightening of her walls against my dick that she is nearly there.

"Oh…my…G-god…"

"Let it go, baby…come on" I encourage her tweaking her sensitive nipple between my fingers. She comes with a loud 'fuck' and I follow her seconds later.

Minutes later we are still sitting in the same position when he stomach starts rumbling loudly.

"Jesus, Ana…"

She snorts against my neck. "Let's go inside." She says kissing my cheek. Gail left dinner ready."

"Gosh, I feel like an old person," She says as I help her up. I only smile, lift her up in my arms and carry her inside.

"I can walk, you know?"

"Hmm, but I love carrying you around"

She nods and nestles her head back against my chest.

"Oh, I met Sophie today," She says excitedly. "She's such a sweet and polite little girl, and Phoebe absolutely adores her"

"Is she still here?" It's been a while since I've seen Sophie so maybe I could peak my head around the corner of their apartment and say hi.

"No, Taylor had to take her home." She says sadly

"Go and freshen up, baby." I put her down and pull her towards my body. "I'll heat up dinner and tonight you get to pick out the movie"

She looks up at me and brushes her fingernails over my cheek. "You make me so unbelievably happy, Christian."

She pulls away after a kiss and starts wobbling away. "Chick flick tonight!" She squeals.

I laugh as I make my way to the kitchen thinking how much my life has changed since I met Ana, and even if she makes me watch chick flicks more times than I can count, I wouldn't want to miss it for the world.

I am heating up dinner when I hear a blood-curdling scream coming from the hallway. Every hair on my body stands on end as I run towards her. Ana is standing on the bottom stair; one hand is holding her stomach while the other is holding tightly to the banister.

"What's wrong?" I pant and grab her upper arms. Her eyes are wide and swimming with tears as she looks up at me.

"My water broke…but it's too early, Christian…ooooh my God!" I almost shit my pants when I see her bending forwards, her eyes now shut tight, her mouth set in a straight line.

"Calm down…breathe…in and out…phone…Taylor…" I am rambling but my panic grows when she lets herself sink down on the stairs.

"Call the ambulance…" She pants. "The baby is coming, Christian"

"It's not possible…we…Taylor…the suitcase…"

"Pull yourself together…" She says grabbing my shirt. "Taylor is gone! Ambulance!"

"Ambulance…yes…ambulance…" Jesus Christ, I am a mess. "Don't move…" She rolls her eyes and starts panting, both of her hands now holding on to her stomach. Christ. I really did fuck blip out of her.

I manage to pull my phone from my pocket and dial 9-1-1 while watching Ana, whose face is turning redder by the second.

"Yes, hello this is Christian Grey, my wife went into labor and I need an ambulance here now…" The dumb fuck on the other side of the phone asks me for her name and I am two seconds away from pulling him through the phone when Ana's moans turn louder.

"Ana...Grey, Anastasia Grey…that's my wife. Please, send the fucking ambulance!" I quickly rattle our address to the fucker and kneel down in front of Ana. I want to yell at the asshole when he tells me it will take them twenty minutes to get to our home, but I know I have to remain calm.

"The ambulance is on its way, baby…twenty minutes"

She shakes her head, tears streaming down her face. "The baby is coming now…"

"No…no…"

"Yes, Christian…" She sobs. "Listen to me…no matter what happens…don't let me pass out…I need to hold little Blip in my arms the moment he's born…please…"

I wipe the tears from her face with my thumbs. "Hey, everything will be all right…I promise you, baby, you will be the first one to hold little blip…"

"Don't let anything happen to our baby…" She sobs. "If something does happen to me, don't let our baby go…don't give him to someone else…" It breaks my heart seeing her nightmares come verbalized. I can't even count the times she woke up crying and screaming thinking that someone had taken our baby away.

"Promise me!" She grips the front of my shirt tightly.

"I promise, Ana." She seems to relax slightly but then her pants turn into an epic scream that has my insides leaping to my throat.

"Let's get you to the door, we can wait for the ambulance…it's almost here" Who the fuck am I kidding?

"The baby is coming now…I need to push, Christian…call Dr. Greene and Gail…"

I do as I am told. First Gail comes running into the hallway with towels, her eyes are panicked, but the moment she lowers herself in front of Ana, she is the picture of calm.

"Don't push, baby…please…just try and wait." She nods breathing in and out as they taught her in those classes. Fucking waste of time if you ask me. Before calling Dr. Greene I scoop her up and carry her quickly up the stairs to our room where I gently lay her on our bed. Gail kneels beside the bed and gently takes Ana's hand in hers telling her that everything will be all right and that she soon will be holding a perfect little baby in her arms.

"Dr. Greene, Christian Grey…Ana is in labor…and she needs to push…the ambulance…but it's too soon, Blip is too soon" I ramble feeling the panic taking over my body.

"Calm down…I am going to guide you through it" She says as cool as a cucumber. "Put me on speaker, Christian" Numbly I do as I am told and place my phone on the bed next to me.

"Hello Ana, this is Caroline Greene. I just heard that your little baby is in a rush and I want to tell you not to panic, okay. Everything will be okay"

"Okay…" Ana pants.

"Okay, Christian." She says her voice now businesslike. "I need you to look for me and tell me what you see."

When I lift Ana's dress it's like I am having an out of body experience. I help her bend her legs which are trembling and pull down her drenched panties.

"Talk to me, Christian. What do you see?"

"I…I see a head…the head is crowning" I am really trying to remain calm and keep the panic out of my voice, but watching Ana's reaction, I think I failed epically. Pull yourself together, Grey.

"I really need to push" Ana cries.

"Okay, Christian…don't panic" If it weren't for the fact that I can't find the words at this moment, I would verbally rip her head off.

"Okay…tell me what I need to do," I say taking a deep breath as I take another look under Ana's dress.

"Is someone there with you, Christian?"

"Yes…yes…Gail…our housekeeper" My eyes keep darting to Ana's face which is now covered in a sheen of sweat. This is definitely not how I saw Blip's birth going. No, we were supposed to drive to the hospital, Ana would be admitted and she would have our baby in a private suite. Then after Blip was born, I would pick up Phoebe so she would be the first one from the family to meet her brother or sister.

"Christian…this hurts…please, I need to push…" I don't know where Gail got the washcloth from, but it's just now that I see she is gently wiping it over Ana's forehead.

"I love you" I whisper leaning over and planting a kiss on her forehead. I stroke her wet hair from her face and give her a smile.

"Let's do this," I say.

"Yeah," She says through pursed lips. "Remember your promise" I shake my head and meet Gail's eyes as she gives me a sympathetic smile.

"Promise me!" She yells when a contraction hits her.

"I promise, I promise"

"Christian, how far along are the contractions?"

"Two minutes?" Gail shakes her head and holds up one finger. "Make that one" I add quickly.

"Ana, I need you to bend your knees and spread your legs further, okay"

She nods erratically biting her bottom lip. Jesus, I can't stand seeing her like this.

"Ana, on the next contraction I want you to push" Dr. Greene's voice comes over the phone.

"Thank God!" Ana groans.

"And Christian, when Ana is pushing, you need to apply pressure to the top of Ana's vagina" Say what?

"But I will be pushing the baby back in, right?" I am sure I see Gail suppressing a smile, but fuck, I am confused here. The baby is supposed to come out, right?

"The angle will help the baby's head pass easier." Dr. Green adds.

It's surreal when Ana starts to push and I see the baby's head coming out, but then before I can question it, Dr. Greene's voice comes through the phone telling me that with the next contraction Ana needs to push really hard.

Ana reaches down with her hand trying to hold mine and she squeezes hard. "I'm afraid" She cries.

"No, no, don't be. You and me, remember?"

She gives me the tiniest of nods, tears streaming down her face. "You will be holding our baby in your arms in just a few minutes, Ana…"

"Oh fuck! Another…contraction"

"Push real hard, Ana!" Dr. Greene encourages her. "

"Come on, baby." I encourage her, my eyes watching my baby's head stretching her opening.

My heart is beating erratically and the sound of her screams goes straight through me. "You are doing really well, Ana" My eyes flick between our baby and Ana, who now has her eyes tightly closed.

"T-the head is out" Mesmerized I start stroking my hand over my babies head.

"That's fantastic!" Dr. Green gushes calmly. "Ana, one more push and you will be holding your little baby…you are doing a terrific job"

"Okay…one more push, Ana," I tell her mentally preparing myself.

She nods, lip wobbling, tears sliding down her cheeks. She is holding on to the duvet with one hand, while the other hand is tightly squeezing onto Gail's.

It doesn't take long before she starts breathing heavy again. She looks at me and gives me a nod, her face becoming incredibly red. She doesn't scream this time and the tears have stopped, her eyes are glued to mine when she pushes for the last time.

"He's here!" I cry. The wet, slippery body falls into my hands and he immediately starts screaming. Thank fuck! My eyes are filled with tears when I listen to Dr. Greene telling me to be careful with the cord, lay him on Ana's chest and cover him up.

I can't hold back the tears when I see Ana's lips pressed against the baby's head, her eyes closed.

"Congratulations, Ana, Christian," Dr. Greene says. "I am going to stay on the line until the ambulance arrives"

With the biggest smile on my face, I crawl up to Ana's side and snuggle close to her. Her face is red and blotchy from the crying, her hair is sticking to her face, but I have never seen her looking so beautiful before.

She reaches for the baby's hand. "He's perfect…" She whispers. "Wait, did you see if it's really a boy?"

"I did, baby." I kiss her cheek, careful not to jostle her too much and then carefully bring my hand to cover his little back.

"Welcome, Theodore Raymond Grey"

(Phoebe 12 years old)

"Phoebe will you stop picking at your food"

"I am not hungry" Her fork clatters loudly against her plate and angrily she pushes her plate away from her. Teddy's eyes go wide while he takes a bite of his salmon.

"Phoebe…" I warn.

"We discussed genetics today in class." She looks over at Teddy and ruffles his copper colored hair.

"Teddy has your eyes, hair and even your height, and don't forget he's super smart."She says her eyes darting to me, and then she slowly turns her head to look at Ana. "And he has your eyes, kind personality, and gracefulness."

I feel Ana's hand sliding into mine. Her face is pale and I can already see the tears glistening in her eyes. We knew this moment would come. However, we'd hoped she would be a little older.

"I can't stop thinking that there is someone out there that looks like me, or is maybe even looking for me." She dabs the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand and takes a deep breath.

"I am a freak!" She shouts suddenly.

"You are not a freak!" Teddy rises from his chair and wraps his arms around his sister. "You are my sister and you look exactly like mom!"

"That's merely a coincidence, Teddy," She says gently pushing him away. "There are millions of people who have curly hair and blue eyes…"

"I want to find my birthparents" She states with finality. "I want to know if I look like my mother or my father. Do I have more siblings? But I really want to know why they gave me away. Didn't they love me?" Her voice breaks at the end and she hangs her head down.

"I am your mother" Ana whispers.

"Mom…you and Dad will always be my parents…"

"I am your real mother, Phoebe…and I am sorry that we didn't tell you sooner…"

"That's impossible…" Phoebe whispers, her hands now balled into fists.

"I am telling you the truth, Phoebe." Ana takes a deep breath and slowly stands from her chair and walks towards our stunned daughter. "I am your real mother, I gave birth to you, just like Teddy…the fact that you look like me is not a coincidence…"

"You gave me away? You didn't want me?"

"No…no…it's not like that! Please, Phoebe…"

"Then what? You got pregnant with me and decided your stupid career was more important than me?"

"Please, let me explain…" Ana is full on crying now and when she tries to take Phoebe's hands in hers we are all shocked when Phoebe recoils from her.

"Is it true?" She cries, looking at me. "Is she my real mother?"

I simply nod.

"I hate you! I fucking hate you!" She screams at Ana and runs off to her bedroom.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I've given Phoebe some time to cool off, but now she is in her room, stuffing clothes in a bag.

"I'm leaving"

"Sit down, Phoebe"

"No! I hate mom! How could she do this to me?"

"I said sit down!" She stills hearing the harshness in my voice and drops the bags from her hands.

In typical Phoebe fashion, she murmurs something under her breath and stomps off to her bed.

"Why did she give me away, dad?"

"She didn't, Phoebe…but this is something you need to hear from your mom. Because she is your mother and she loved you from the moment she knew she was pregnant with you."

"But…I don't understand. You told me that someone found me and took me to the hospital while Grandma Grace was on call…she called you, you fell in love with me and decided to adopt me."

"Phoebe…I found you near my car in GEH's underground garage because someone put you there intentionally. I was supposed to find you."

"Mom put me there?"

"No, sweetheart, no."

"Then tell me the truth!" She shouts. "We are going round and round in circles and I can't stand to see the pity in your eyes! Just tell me!"

"I was a little over eight months pregnant when I slipped on the stairs…" We both look at Ana who is now standing in the doorway, her arms crossed around her waist.

"My mother…Carla, she was there. The house I bought in Seattle was just finished and I was showing her around. You weren't due for three more weeks, but then I slipped…and I lost consciousness. Carla …she was the one who took you away from me…someone helped her."

"No…" Phoebe whispers. "You are making that up…"

"When I woke up three days later, she told me you had died and I believed her."

"I stayed with Grandpa Ray for a few weeks and moved back to LA, but not a day passed that I didn't think of you"

"You are lying" Phoebe whispers.

"No, Phoebe, I am not. I found out that you were alive after I met your dad. I never cared about my career. I promise you, I am telling you the truth."

"Did you look for me?" I feel my heart sinking into my stomach when she turns her tear-stained face to look at me.

"Yes," Ana replies before I can. "But I was never taken to the hospital. There was no record of your birth…"

"Here…if you don't believe me, here is a picture from when I was pregnant with you. There are also different documents in which you can see the state in which Carla kidnapped you." Ana places the picture on her bed and takes a step backward.

"If I would have thought she lied to me, I would have looked for you, Phoebe. I loved you so much."

"You look so happy…" Phoebe is looking at the picture and brushing her finger over Ana's face.

"I was happy…I couldn't wait to meet you…" Ana says taking a step closer and sitting next to Phoebe. I know she wants nothing more than to hold her, but she doesn't know how Phoebe is going to react.

"I look just like you..." Phoebe sniffs. "I look exactly like you, Mom. It's not a coincidence that we both have crazy hair" She giggle-cries.

With the picture still in her hands, she launches towards Ana and wraps her arms around her neck. "You are my mother…I am sorry…I don't hate you…you are the best mother e-ever…"

"Mom?"

"Yeah?" Ana is wiping Phoebe's tears from her face and I don't think I've ever seen her smile like this.

"Who is my biological dad?"

"He's dead" Instantly my eyes lock with Ana and I shake my head.

And somehow I just know and feel that this lie, no matter how well meant on Ana's part, is going to come back to haunt us.

(Phoebe 16 years old )

"Unacceptable!" I yell. I am coming unglued and my beautiful wife just stares at me, her hands holding her coffee cup. She is completely unaffected which pisses me off even more. Not that I'm surprised, because I don't think my wife is actually impressed anymore by my yelling after having been married 12 years, but it would be nice for a change.

"Why are you so bent out of shape, Christian?" I grip my hair and pull hard! Jesus Christ, it's a fucking miracle I even have any hair left. I thought 'the terrible two's' were bad, well I was fucking wrong! Because since Phoebe reached her teens I've landed in girly hell.

"Because it's our daughter's sixteenth birthday and she invited some dumb schmuck! And that's unacceptable!" I slam my hand on the counter and wince. Fuck! That hurt.

"His name is Storm" She deadpans. Then she reaches for my hand and kisses it with a little smile on her face.

"Well, that doesn't make it any better, you know! What person in their right mind names their son Storm? Is his sister is called Thunder?"

"He's an only child." She sighs and grabs her phone from the counter.

"And how do you know he is an only child?"

"Because I've met him" She shrugs not even looking up. "He's cute…" Cute? Cute?

"How old is Storm the Schmuck?"

"Seventeen"

"Seventeen?" I bellow. "A seventeen-year-old boy isn't cute, Anastasia. A seventeen-year-old boy is horny. All the fucking time! So my answer is no…Phoebe won't be inviting Storm over to her sixteenth birthday party! She is my little girl!" I am completely out of breath when I've finished my rant when I see my beautiful wife standing in front of me. I am momentarily distracted when I see that her robe is slightly open at the top, giving me a perfect view of her breasts. Focus!

"She will always be your little girl, Christian."

"Damn right" I mutter and press her body against mine.

"So, who is going to tell her Storm isn't coming," I ask smiling, hoping that I've won this little argument.

When my wife gives me that special "you are an idiot" smile, I know Storm is coming to my girl's party. But I wouldn't be Christian Grey if I wouldn't hold on to my stubbornness a little while longer.

"Storm is coming to Phoebe's party this afternoon. And you are going to behave like a total gentleman. You are not going to hurt him, yell at him, intimidate him or threaten to kill him" I'm not? It's distracting when she pushes her body closer to mine; her breasts pressing against my shirt. Stay. Focused!

"You are not going to call Welch to perform a background check either." She continues calmly. "I know Storm's mother and she is a lovely, hardworking woman, and honestly, Storm is a good guy."

"I don't like it" I pout. This usually works, because it seems my wife can't resist my pout.

"You don't say!" She giggles and glides her hands under my jeans, her warm hands now holding on to my ass. Her hands skim to the front where she effortlessly opens the button. Damn, she's good.

"Besides, you trust Phoebe, right?" Her hands are now inside my boxers massaging my dick.

"Hmm, hmm" I scoop her up and walk us to my study where I close the door behind us. There. No need for interruptions.

"Put your hands back there, baby" In less than two seconds I remove my jeans and boxers.

"You haven't answered my question yet, Christian…" I should be alarmed…that sweet sound of her voice…but I am too distracted by her skillful hands.

"Christian?"

"Yeah?"

"You are going to be nice to Storm, right?" I temporarily lose my breath when I see her falling down on her knees and take my dick in her hands, her huge, blue eyes looking up at me.

"Uh huh" I fall back against my desk while her tongue slides all the way from the bottom of my dick to the top.

"You are not going to threaten him, right?" Is she still talking?

"Baby…" I push my dick back into her hands, willing her to continue! She's fucking torturing me!

"Christian?" How does she think I am able to talk when she has my dick in her mouth and sucking it? Her hand slides between my thighs and I think I just went to heaven as she starts massaging my balls.

I hear a little 'pop' and cool air hitting my dick. Well, fuck! What now?

"Do you agree?" She says, her fingers still drawing little circles on my balls. Agree? To what?

She senses my confusion and her victorious smile isn't lost on me, but I really have other things on my mind right now.

"Do you agree not to threaten, yell, intimidate…" Is she seriously ticking everything off on her fingers?

"Yes!" I bellow cutting her off. "I agree to everything! But for the love of God, Anastasia…"

"Just making sure" She sing-songs. When she sticks her tongue out and looks at me from under her lashes, I know this won't take long, at all. Watching her on her knees, swallowing me, licking me, has me coming in less than 2 minutes.

"It was a pleasure doing business, Mr. Grey" After a little wink, she turns around on her heels and sashays her way out of my office, leaving me breathless and completely stunned.

The moment my blood pressure is back to normal, I smile. I never promised her I wouldn't talk to him…did I? Game on, Storm.

"Christian?" Fuck! Busted.

"Yeah, baby?" I give my wife the smile that she loves so much and saunter towards her. "Did I tell you how amazing you look in that dress, Ana?"

"Yes, yes, you did. Ten times I think, but flattery won't help you this time," Standing on her toes she brushes her fingers through my hair and kisses me in a way that makes my toes curl and my dick stand at attention.

"I know exactly what you are doing here, pacing the hallway" She whispers. "But don't forget we had a deal…"

"I only want to talk to him"

"Fine" She sighs. "But she is sixteen and a very sensible girl. Besides, I already had the talk with her"

"The talk?" I can practically feel my organs twisting in my body, giving me instant heartburn and a headache. The fucking talk?

"Jesus, Christian! You need to calm down! You are going to have a stroke!" I am about to reply that I have passed that point when Phoebe comes barging in.

"Oh my God, Mom! He's here!" She is jumping up and down, clapping her hands in excitement.

"Dad, please…" Her eyes are pleading with me and it's in that moment when I look into those gorgeous blue eyes, that I realize my little girl isn't that little anymore. She is a young, beautiful woman who has matured mentally, physically, and emotionally. And I know that Ana is right, our daughter is sensible and studious, but it is my job to protect her. Because even though I trust her, I don't trust him. Yet.

"I promise, I am only going to have a little chat with him. Five minutes"

"Okay," She wraps her arms around my shoulders and kisses my cheek. "I love you, Daddy"

"To the moon and back…"

I have opened the door before he's even had the chance to ring the doorbell.

"Storm!" I call out extending my arm. He's shocked! The poor guy's eyes are about to bulge from his head.

"M-Mr. Grey"

"That's me!" I clasp his clammy hand tightly and laugh inwardly when he winces. Pussy.

"Let's have a little chat, shall we Storm?" He swallows deeply, his eyes searching for who I assume is my little girl.

"Phoebe is helping her mother in the kitchen," I say. "Come this way."

I guide him to the most secluded part of our garden and I see him nervously shifting on his feet when I ask him to sit down on the bench. He's tall and a good looking dude, even though I would never admit that. He brushes his hands through his floppy dirty blonde hair and sits down on the bench. His hands clasped in front of him. He's probably praying.

"How did you meet Phoebe?"

"Through Mrs. Jones, Mr. Grey." Gail? Gail set them up? She's fired!

I just stare at him and raise my eyebrows, silently asking him to continue.

"My mother is a housekeeper at the Van der Berg's, Mr. Grey and I always help her with the grocery shopping. One day Phoebe was with Mrs. Taylor and that's how we met."

"And your grades?"

"Top off my class, Mr. Grey" I see something passing his eyes, but it's gone before I can grasp it. "I want to become a lawyer someday,"

"That's very ambitious, Storm"

"Have you applied to any Universities yet?"

"Yes, Harvard, but I am hoping to win a scholarship," He shrugs. "Tuition is very expensive" He adds. "But my aunt lives close to Harvard, so if I win this scholarship I will have enough to cover the full four years since I won't need to pay for room or board fees"

"Right," I say and when I look back at the boy I truly believe he is going to make it. He is determined.

"Did you have the talk with your dad about the birds and the bees?" I wince and I am grateful that there's no one close by to hear me asking him this. As for him, I don't think I've seen anyone turn so red before.

The silence stretches. "I don't have a dad" He is staring at his feet. "He left my mom when she got pregnant with me. I found him three years ago…" He takes a deep breath and levels his eyes with me. "But he doesn't want to have anything to do with me, he has his own family" Jesus Christ.

"I am sorry, Storm. But he doesn't deserve a son like you" He gives me a sad smile and glances to the right where Phoebe is standing, nervously wringing her hands.

The urge I felt to make this boy leave has gone and has been replaced with admiration. I extend my hand again, this time smiling. He reaches for it hesitantly with trepidation all over his face.

"Nice to meet you, Storm. And remember, you are not supposed to kiss girls until you are thirty."I give him a light slap on his shoulder and walk away to where Taylor is standing.

"Mr. Grey"

"Taylor, I need you to find out where that boy goes to school. There is a scholarship…"

"Already taken care of, Mr. Grey"

"Perfect"

(Phoebe 18 years old)

"Phoebe is on her way home"

"Why? What happened?" Immediately I rise from my chair and make my way over to Ana who is standing in the doorway of my office at home. Her face is filled with worry.

"I don't know. When I came out of the shower I saw a text from her saying that she just landed in Seattle and that we need to talk"

"Is Storm with her? And how the fuck did she get here? Commercial flight?" I bring my hands to my hair and pull at the ends. "And what about her security! Jesus fucking Christ! Did she ditch her again?"

"I don't know!" She cries out totally exasperated. "But something is really wrong, Christian. Her message was curt and cold" She takes a deep breath. "That's not like her"

We stand there both lost in our own thoughts when we hear a door slamming. Then there is another door slamming until we hear her pounding feet approaching my study. There is no knock, she opens the door almost pulling it from its hinges. Her curls are falling wildly around her face, which is blotchy and red from crying. But there is also anger radiating from those blue eyes that I love so much. We have a very pissed off Phoebe on our hands for reasons still unknown. But somehow, underneath the worry, I also feel anger. What the fuck is she thinking?

"Phoebe…what is wrong. Oh my God, have you been crying?" Ana wraps her arms around her shoulders, but Phoebe doesn't reciprocate the gesture. She just stands there.

"What the hell were you thinking leaving Cambridge without notifying us and then taking a commercial flight to Seattle?" I bellow.

She opens her mouth to speak, but I cut her off.

"And where the hell is your security? I swear, Phoebe Grace Grey, if I find out you ditched security again, I will have you transferred to a University here in Washington so fucking fast, you won't even know what's happening!"

"You wouldn't…" She whispers narrowing her eyes at me.

"Watch me…" I dare her.

"Whatever," She shrugs flippantly. "I have my own money,"

I laugh mockingly. "That's money your mother and I put in your account!"

"Whatever! You are not even my real father!" She creams, hands balled into tight fists, tears trickling down her cheeks.

I am momentarily stunned at her comment. Not once in all these years has she said this to me, and it hurts.

"Phoebe Grace Grey! Apologize to your father!" Ana whispers.

"Care to explain what this is Mom…" She completely ignores Ana's comment and shoves her an envelope in her hands.

"What is this?" Ana's hands are trembling as she looks from the envelope to our daughter.

"Read it" Phoebe folds her arms across her chest and presses her lips together.

"Who gave you this?"

"It doesn't matter," Phoebe whispers. "All that matters is that you lied to me. You told me that my father was dead when he is actually still alive and living in LA."

Ana pulls the documents from the envelope and starts quickly skimming it. Her face is as white as a sheet when she lifts her head to look at Phoebe.

"Who gave you this?" Ana waves the papers in front of her face, her voice trembling.

"Someone approached me at Campus this morning and gave me this envelope. He said he was a lawyer"

"Carla" Ana whispers and hands me the documents.

"Why did you tell me he was dead? Why did you lie to me? I had every right to know that my father was still alive!"

"He's not your father," Ana says softly.

"I want to know why you lied."

"To protect you…he's not a good person, Phoebe, and…"

"And don't you think I can be the judge of that? Don't you think it was about time you told me the truth? How could you keep this from me?"

Phoebe starts pacing the room, her fingers furiously rubbing over her forehead.

"I want to know everything about him."

"Phoebe…"

"I have a right to know!" She says gritting her teeth.

"Very well" Ana takes a deep breath. "You already know that his name is Thomas Newburg, however, he changed his name when he started his career as a singer. He took his mother's last name and became Thomas Laurent; she is originally from France but moved to the States when she met Thomas' father, who is a very well-known heart surgeon In New York. His parents wanted him to pursue a career as a doctor, but he didn't. He moved to LA where he was cast as a model for Hugo Boss. He quickly got bored while working as a model and decided he wanted to become a singer"

"Where did you meet? Was it love at first sight?" I watch as Ana closes her eyes and slowly starts shaking her head.

"We met at an Awards show; my mother introduced us. And no…it wasn't love at first sight, Phoebe. His career wasn't doing as well as he had hoped, so we came to an agreement. We would show up at events together to keep him in the public eye. His publicist would contact a celebrity photographer so he could sell the photos to the media and help his career. This isn't uncommon, it actually happens all the time. Celebrities' PR teams, managers or agents using paparazzi to build stories."

"We spent a lot of time together and then one thing led to another. We started dating"

"And then you fell in love, right?" Phoebe asks, her voice filled with hope.

"No. I thought I was in love…but I was simply trying to please my mother. She loved him and this was the first time I didn't disappoint her."

Phoebe looks momentarily heartbroken but quickly recovers herself.

"Did you tell him you were pregnant? Does he even know I exist?"

"Yes," Ana takes a few steps to where Phoebe is sitting, crouches down and takes Phoebe's hands in hers.

"He didn't want me"

"Phoebe…" Ana starts carefully.

"Please, Mom, tell me the truth."

"Thomas was an alcoholic, Phoebe. He was cruel, spiteful and callous. And no, he didn't take the news very well when I told him I was pregnant."

"What did he say?"

The silence is deafening as Phoebe and Ana stare at each other. Phoebe raises a trembling hand and brushes Ana's tears from her face.

"He started yelling and he…pushed me from the stairs."

Phoebe completely breaks down, her face buried in Ana's neck.

"Do you believe me when I say I was over the moon when I found out I was pregnant?" Ana forces Phoebe's head back, gently brushing her hair from her face.

Phoebe nods her head. "I loved you since the moment I found out, Phoebe"

"Where is he now?"

"He lives in LA in a care facility specializing in Korsakoff syndrome" I reply.

"Korsakoff is…"

"I know what it is…" Phoebe says looking at me. "Brain damage caused by alcohol abuse"

"I want to meet him," She says staring at her fumbling fingers. "I need this closure"

"Phoebe…no…you can't go…" Ana pleads with her.

"I need this, Mom…"

I give her a simple nod, pick up my phone to call Taylor and ask him to arrange the jet for Phoebe.

"The jet will be ready in one hour; Taylor and Sawyer will escort you to LA, but remember this, Phoebe; your expectations will not be met"

"I need to call Storm," She says in a whisper. "He doesn't even know I left Cambridge." She rises slowly from her chair and embraces Ana tightly. "Please, don't hate me, Mom"

"I could never hate you," Ana says cupping her face.

"Thank you for coming with me" Phoebe whispers fumbling with her phone in her hands. We have been sitting outside of the care facility for one hour, staring at the door.

"Anytime"

"Okay." She says taking a deep breath. "I'll be back in a few minutes" She reaches over and sweetly kisses my cheek. In return, I kiss the top of her head and motion for Taylor to open her door.

I watch her walking towards the entrance, her head held high, her shoulders squared. I feel concerned for her heart, and want to protect her from having it broken. Surprisingly, I don't feel jealous. Because no matter what he says or does, I am her daddy. No one can take away all my firsts I shared with her. I do worry that whatever expectations or hopes she has will not be met.

It is approximately fifteen minutes later that I see her walking out. Anyone who doesn't know her only sees a beautiful young woman. I, however, see my heartbroken daughter who is trying to be brave. Sawyer is following her closely, but as always, his face is unreadable.

When she is only a few steps away from me I open my arms. With a trembling lip and tear-filled eyes, she walks into my embrace. Gripping my jacket tightly I feel the sobs racking her small frame.

"Take me home, please Dad"

"I don't look anything like him," She says looking out of the window as we drive back to the airport.

"But I realized when I was watching him from afar that I actually look like you." She shrugs and briefly turns her head to look at me. "I pull my hair when I am angry or frustrated, and according to Teddy, I tend to get overprotective and unreasonable"

"Did you talk to him?"

"No, I didn't. When I saw him, I only felt anger about how he treated Mom and then I felt incredibly lucky to have you as my family. Mom must have been terrified, scared and she must have felt so alone, but I know she loved me from the moment she knew she was pregnant with me and I know that you loved me from the moment you held me in your arms." She wipes the tears from her face and then giggles softly when I hand her my handkerchief.

"I never wanted a relationship with him, especially after I found out what he did to mom. I was just curious if we shared any similarities." She says softly.

"Do you hate me?" She sniffs and covers her face with her hands.

"Come here" I quickly unbuckle her seatbelt and shove her in my direction. "Phoebe Grace Grey, I could never hate you. I loved you since the moment I first met you and I will love you until the day I die. And there is nothing that man inside that building can do or say to change how I feel about you. You are my daughter just as much as Teddy is my son."

"I am sorry about what I said this afternoon because you will always be my dad. No one will ever replace you."

"I love you, Princess Fee" I give her a little wink and pull her closer to me.

"I love you too, Dad, to the moon and back."

Author's note: This is it! The End of Irrevocable. I can't find enough words to tell you how grateful I am for your support, reviews, and thoughts! Thank you for taking this ride with me!

I have a few ideas that I want to write down, and I even have a story that I started writing months ago. But first I am going to take a long break. Again, thank you! You are truly amazing.

Love,

Alner