Welcome to my newest story. This one is going to be shorter than my previous story and will have between 20 and 25 chapters. There is no cheating and it's about them finding their way back to each other. It's a what if kind of story that shows how one simple decision Ana has made changed everything for her and everyone close to her. Enjoy! New Chapters will be up every Sunday...

Christian Grey was sitting at his office desk and tried to focus on his work and not the fact that in just four days he had to be the best man at his brother's wedding. It wasn't that he wasn't happy for his brother and Kate. In fact, over the past four years, he had become a friend to Kate, they had bonded over the fact that they both lost her. One moment Kate had a best friend and he had found love and then she was gone and left a deep void in both their lives.

He had moved heaven and earth to find her and then one night when he was just about to call Welsh again to yell at him for not being able to find Anastasia he received a phone call. It was her, just hearing her voice had given him so much hope that things would work out, that she just had needed some time to herself, but that wasn't true. Because with ten little words she had left him... stop looking for me, I don't want to be found.

Even now these words hurt him more than anything else that had happened to him. She hadn't even given him the chance to reply because the line went dead after that and even though he had not stopped looking, he was not able to find her and after over a year he had given up. He knew she didn't want to be found and in his desperation, he had realized that Anastasia was lost to him. She had left him and wasn't coming back. It was a bitter truth he had to accept.

He had tried to go back to his old lifestyle, encouraged by Elena. But then he remembered Anastasia's dislike of her and he had started to question why Elena was always pushing him to stay in a lifestyle that wasn't making him happy anymore. And with that, he had realized that through him being a part of her lifestyle she was keeping a steady hold on him. It forced him into keeping secrets and distancing himself from his family. It made him closer to her, but it wasn't what he needed anymore. Ever since he had to live without Anastasia he was desperate to feel loved and the only other love he had ever felt came from his family.

So he ended his friendship with Elena, gifted her the salons and went to his family for support. And while he felt their love, he also felt guilty for still keeping secrets and one night almost two years ago while he was playing cards and drinking whisky with his father, grandpa and brother he broke down and told them everything, told them about Elena, her seduction of him, the lifestyle, what happened between Anastasia and him, and how he feared that while she had initially forgiven him it had been his lifestyle and loyalty to Elena that had driven her into running away from him.

It was needless to say that his father as a lawyer focused on the seduction of his fifteen-year-old son and so the demise of Elena Lincoln slowly started to unravel. It was like a domino effect, with him confessing the truth at the beginning and Elena being arrested and charged with nine different cases of child molestation to her being sentenced with a life sentence and no chance of parole. For a while, he had felt guilty for being quiet for so long, but through therapy and endless hours spent with talking to his family he understood that it wasn't his fault, he was a victim just like the other teenagers Elena had unbeknownst to him seduced.

Now, he didn't just put his time, money and effort into feeding the world's poorest, but also into helping abused children and sometimes when he gave public speeches he questioned if Anastasia knew what he was doing, if she was proud of him for finally seeing the light and leaving the darkness behind him.

He would never know... that was the bitter truth he had to swallow. She was gone from his life, had left him without a goodbye the morning after he proposed to her... and that was a day that was still haunting him.

4 years prior

„You won't give me an answer?" Christian asked when the car pulled up at SIP.

„Christian, I need time and I want to talk to Flynn. It's not a no, but it's so sudden, give me a few days, please." Anastasia said looking with a smile at the man she loved.

„Alright, I can do that. I'll see you tonight."

„I love you." She said as she got out of the car. He watched her until she was inside the building and then told Taylor to drive to Grey House.

At 5:30 p.m. Taylor pulled up outside SIP again and Christian was waiting to pick Anastasia up. But when almost fifteen minutes had passed and she wasn't reacting to his texts or calls he and Taylor got up and went inside the building where the security guard was making his rounds.

„Excuse me, I'm looking for Anastasia Steele." He had asked him and the guy frowned.

„She left about four hours ago to go to the airport with Mr. Hyde for the conference they are attending."

Anger... rage... confusion, all of these feelings came to his mind when he realized that Anastasia had gone to New York with her sleazeball of a boss. On Monday she had asked him and he had said no, her reply had been a simple ok, so he had thought that issue had been dealt with and didn't need any more interference on his part, but she had lied to him, agreed just to not make him react and now she was in New York with a guy who wanted her and had a less than stellar track record when it came to his assistants.

„Taylor get the jet ready, we are going to New York, find out where Ana and Hyde are staying." He snapped and sent Ana a text telling her to stay in her room until he was there to get her. In his head, he was going through all kind of ways to punish her and to murder Hyde in case he had tried anything with his girl.

When he finally arrived in New York seven hours later he was still furious. If he couldn't trust Anastasia how was he supposed to marry her... how would they build a future together when she was lying about things and going behind his back?

Arriving at the hotel they were staying he went straight up to Ana's room and knocked for several minutes at her door, but she wasn't there or maybe she was and just didn't want to open. So, he went to Hyde's room, knocked and met by Hyde a minute later.

„Grey what the..." before he could even finish the sentence Christian had grabbed the man by his collar and was shaking him like a rag doll.

„Where is Anastasia?"

„What... I ... I don't know, when we arrived here she said she wanted to go out explore the city, I didn't need her for the night so I let her go."

„Taylor, swipe his room!" Christian snapped.

„Good Lord, man, she is an adult, she doesn't need a babysitter." Hyde snapped.

„Shut the fuck up, I know what you have done to your previous assistants." Christian hissed back.

„Sir, she is not here and there is nothing unusual in the room." Taylor announced and Christian let go of Hyde.

„If you have hurt one hair on her head, I'll bury you." Christian said full of rage and walked back to Ana's room.

„Open the door, Taylor."

„Sir..."

„Just do it." Christian snapped and so Taylor managed to open the door and they went inside, but there was nothing, Ana and all of her belongings were gone... vanished without a trace.

After talking to the manager, they finally got their hands on the security tapes of the lobby. It showed Ana and Hyde checking in, in the early evening and going up to the elevators. Two hours later, just minutes before Christian had arrived Ana had left the hotel again. She just walked through the lobby and outside out of the view of the cameras.

And that was the last time Christian had seen his love. He had no idea why she had left. Both rooms showed no signs of a struggle. She didn't look hurt in the videos... she just left and disappeared without a trace...

Christian shook his head, trying to focus on his work when Andrea walked inside.

„Sir, there is a visitor for you."

„I don't recall an appointment for this afternoon, Andrea." He replied irritated.

„Well, it is not an appointment, Sir. But there is a standing order that was never revoked."

„What the hell are you talking about, Andrea... who is this visitor?"

„Miss Anastasia Steele is here and asked to see you, Sir." She said and Christian's eyes widened.

„What? Where is she?" He asked and got up.

„In the waiting area..."

„You left her out of sight! Get her in!" He yelled at Andrea and she hurried out of his office and a minute later the door to his office opened again and his breath caught in his throat when he saw her. She was truly here, dressed in a yellow sundress, denim jacket and, high healed sandals, her long hair pulled into a ponytail she looked so beautiful and he just watched her as she walked into his office and then came to a halt in front of him.

„Hello, Christian." She said softly and he could both hear and see the uncertainty in her voice and eyes.

„Ana." He whispered and his urge to just hold her overwhelmed him and he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly in his arms.

When he finally put her back to her feet he looked at her and a million questions came to his mind.

„Where have you been?" Was finally the first question he had to ask.

„It doesn't matter... I have decided to return to Seattle, I received a job offer I couldn't decline and I thought it would only be fair to let you know that I am back." She said and sounded so oddly different almost detached, as if she had rehearsed what she was saying over and over.

„No, you can't just come back and not give me any answers."

„Christian... I was young and naive and completely overwhelmed... I'm sorry that I hurt you. I truly am sorry, which is why I came here today. I should have talked to you, should have listened... anyway. I wanted you to know that I'm well and that you don't have to look for me anymore. Thank you for seeing me." She said and turned around.

„No! Don't leave, please... do you know about the wedding?"

„You are getting married?" She asked and looked heart broken for a second before her face went back to impassive.

„Elliot and Kate's wedding, not mine. They are getting married in four days. Have you contacted Kate?"

„No, I had no idea... please tell them I'm happy for them and wish them all the best for their life together." She finally replied sounding calm and collected, but somewhat robotic.

„Where do you live?" He asked and a small smile came to her lips.

„I bought an apartment at Escala." She said and he frowned.

„You bought it?"

„Escala is one of the safest buildings in Seattle, Mr. Grey." She said now with a clear smirk.

„Oh really, Miss Steele... I had no idea." He replied with the same smirked.

„I have to go now, I have appointment in an hour. Goodbye Christian." She said and left before he could hold her back.

She drove in her Aston Martin DB9 to the office building that would soon be home to the newest branch of the publishing house she had been working for, for almost four years now. And soon she would be the senior chief editor there, but also responsible for all the operations. She was so grateful for this job and all the opportunities she had gotten at a time where she thought about taking her own life to end the pain. Work and the person she now called her best friend had saved her life back then and she would never forget that.

In the evening when she was relaxing on the couch at her new apartment, she sipped a glass of wine and smiled when her phone rang.

„Hello, Gideon..."

Let me know what you think of it so far...