"I have several tuxes, why can't I just wear one of those and be done with it," Christian grumbled as Ella opened the door practically pushing him inside.

"It's your daughter's wedding, the least you can do is get a new tux for the wedding, and you do not own a tux in navy blue, or am I wrong." He grumbled something incomprehensible under his breath. Ella raised an eyebrow at him, and he promptly lowered his eyes. It didn't matter how old he was, his mother was still his mother and would forever scare him.

"Sorry, I'm late, unexpected traffic." William kissed his wife on the cheek and clapped his son on the back.

"William?" A voice called from across the shop. He turned to look, entirely at a loss as to who she was. Ella, though knew precisely who that was, she would remember those beady eyes anywhere. Barbara Prestwick had clearly had a lot of work done, but those beady eyes of her could not be altered.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" William asked, looking at Ella, hoping she had some answers. She was not going to give Prestwick the satisfaction of letting her know she remembered her.

"Barbara, Barbara Prestwick." She looked a little too elated for someone who the object of her affection did not recognize.

"No, no way… what the fuck happened to your face?" William clamped his mouth shut, but it was a little too late. Ella and Christian both bit their lip to keep from laughing. "Erm, you remember Ella, my wife and son Christian." William quickly diverted attention from his faux par.

Barbara completely ignored Ella and zeroed in on Christian. "Oh my, Christian Grey, I don't think there is anyone in this country who isn't aware of you," Barbara said in a simpering tone that had Ella thoroughly amused. "Oh, I should introduce you to my grandson, he is hoping for an internship at GEH, he has his interview tomorrow."

"Really, applying for an internship at the company owned by the boy I was too stupid to abort." Ella was not going to let her forget those words.

"No darling, if I recall, her exact words were 'weren't smart enough to abort the bastard.'" William added.

"I was erm… a stupid teenager back then, those words should never have left my mouth, and for that, I am deeply sorry." None of them believed a word of it.

"I find that hard to believe, considering you have not even acknowledged my mother, who is standing right between the two men you've been fawning over." Christian retorted angrily. No one treated his mother like shit and got anything from him.

Whatever her response, it was cut short by the arrival of her grandson and the Grey's personal tailor.

"Gerald, I have brought them kicking and screaming for their final fitting." Ella placed a hand on each back, pushing her men forward. Barbara Prestwick was long forgotten as they moved to the private fitting area.

"Yes, I can see that." Gerald chuckled. He knew Christian, especially, was not a fan of these fittings.

"I believe I have lost a little weight, so you might have to take the waist in a little," William muttered proudly. Ella rolled her eyes, knowing the man had barely put on any weight to begin with. He'd gone on quite the health kick in the last few months after a friend suffered a near-fatal heart attack.

"You know Christian Grey." Barbara's stare slowly moved from the Greys to her grandson.

"No, I know his adoptive father, we were at school together." She murmured her eyes back on the Greys as they disappeared around the corner.

"Well, you can introduce me." He said eagerly.

"Not today." She whispered. What else could she say? If she was honest with herself, she was still bitter about the trailer trash pregnant teen landing William. Worse, the bastard turned out to be one of the most powerful men in the world. GEH was a global powerhouse her grandson would be lucky to work for.

"What do you mean not today, they are here you were just speaking to them. I might never get this chance. Do you know how many people apply for internships at GEH every year? Only ten percent get in, and most of them have an in." Eric looked incensed at his grandmother.

"Look, I've never liked Ella, she has never liked me, I doubt after she's done telling her son about me, you will stand a hope in hell of getting that internship. It sure as fuck didn't help that I called him a bastard."

"Dad is right about you, you really are a nasty piece of work." He retorted angrily, before storming out, the suit he had bought for his interview left on the counter.

"She turned around and found Ella on the phone laughing at whatever was said on the other end. Years of resentment boiling to the surface, resentment she could do nothing about if she wanted to continue to live the life she had become accustomed to. The Greys had enough clout and power to render her fifth husband's business a worthless one by the end of the week. Despite that, she continued to stare at Ella, she noticed the lack of weight on Ella's small stature, the odd gray hair at her temples, and despite the wrinkles, Ella Grey looked younger than she did.

Ella looked up to find Barbara staring at her, the contempt evident, not that it made an iota of difference to Ella's life. "What do you think?" William took a turn in front of his wife.

"As handsome as ever, even more so say if I do say myself." His latest health kick had done wonders for his overall demeanor.

"Good, with you looking like the day we met, I have to up my game." He teased, earning an eye roll from his wife.

"I think the eyes we have on us tells me I have to raise my game." William looked up to find Barbara Prestwick's eyes still on him.

"Fuck off." He snarled, shocking both women. Ella just stared at him in amused disbelief, while Barbara took one more look at them and left the shop. "You'd think after fifty years she would have moved on." He muttered just as Christian appeared in his tux.

"Now, look at you." Ella praised. "Honestly, nothing beats a tailored suit." She brushed her hand over the shoulder. Christian knew she was right, but he was not going to admit to it, not out loud anyway.

"Dad, are you okay?" Christian had been trying to get his attention for a minute, but he seemed miles away. They had decided to have lunch at the Mile High club.

"Yeah, just thinking about Barbara Prestwick. After half a century, she is still so bitter." He could not imagine living life holding onto something from his teens that made him that resentful. He took a bite of his burger.

"Who is she?" Christian had wondered, especially after her obvious contempt towards his mother.

"You could say she was my Katherine Kavanagh," Ella smirked. Christian's eyes widened at the revelation.

"That's rather apt," William mumbled in agreement. "I always knew she had a thing for me, but Barbara was such a horrible little shit to anyone she didn't see as useful to her, which was a lot of people. I was not about to be associated with such a thing, and worse, your grandmother would have castrated me if I had gone near her. One day Grace started talking about this girl who had come to the clinic; she was talking to Carrick about helping her finish high school. For almost a month, Grace just kept singing your mother's praises. How she had saved the clinic money, how much she could do with ten dollars, so one afternoon after school, I stopped by the clinic. I had heard enough about Ella to have an idea of her personality, a far cry from the likes of Barbara Prestwick, but I was blown away by her beauty as well. We quickly became friends." William took his wife's hand in his.

"It was obvious from the way he looked at me, he liked me a little more than I was ready for. Barbara Prestwick saw it too, and… her words cut deep. Your grandmother told me not to pay attention to her, as she was jealous. At the time, I could not figure out what she could possibly be jealous of. When I looked at her, I saw a beautiful, rich girl, the kind of girl William should be chasing after, not a pregnant plain Jane living in a run-down part of town." She played with the stem of her wine glass.

"Mom," Christian muttered softly. It hurt to hear his mother talk about herself in such a manner.

"I thought very little of myself, and it wasn't helped by the lack of any real parental figure when I was growing up. Meeting the Greys slowly changed my view of myself. By the time I had you, I had some belief in myself. Anyway, spending time with the Greys meant I saw her on occasion, her parents were close friends of Carrick and Grace. She came by with them often hoping to see William, and her nastiness was only made worse by William paying little attention to her and doting on me." Christian thought his mother sounded a little smug, and rightly so.

William chuckled. "Yeah, she hated that, especially as it was obvious I had a thing for Ella, and Ella was not the least bit interested." He stole a fry off his wife's plate.

"I was interested, I just had a lot on my plate and adding a boyfriend to that was one too many things to juggle." Ella leaned into him. "Anyway, it all came to a head one Sunday afternoon, you were around eighteen months old."

"Would that be the afternoon she made the comment about you not being smart enough to abort me." Christian groused, also stealing a handful of fries from his mother's plate.

"Yep, that was the afternoon. Barbara's parents, unlike the Kavanaghs, had their heads screwed on even if their daughter was a nasty piece of work. They dragged her out of the house, and we saw her on occasion, but she avoided us. I later found out her father had cut her allowance, taken her car, and apparently, the apartment she had her eye on her parents had vetoed. Her father bought her something she considered beneath her as punishment for her behavior that afternoon." Ella finished with a shrug.

"I hope to God she hasn't moved here, I really don't think I want to ever see that face again." This time Ella and Christian laughed freely. "I mean, could she not have found a decent surgeon. Amy Wolfenden has had work done, but you could never tell if you didn't know her." Christian nodded, agreeing with his father's words.

"I don't think she has moved here." Ella murmured. "From what I could hear, I believe she came with her grandson to interview for an internship at GEH. He was trying to get her to talk to you on his behalf, that conversation did not end well. He called her a nasty piece of work."

"Clearly, she has not changed." William poured himself another glass of water. He could really do with a glass of wine, but he was on a health kick until at least the wedding.

"I have to leave you two, I promised Ana I would pick her up today." Christian threw his garment bag over his shoulder.

"No new CPO?" William questioned, stealing another fry. Ella had ordered a large portion of fries knowing full well William and Christian would take a third of it.

"No, she really did not like the last one at all." It had been a problem ever since Sawyer left as her CPO and took over as head of security at GEH. He understood, he hadn't fared well when Taylor retired either. He had gone through seven CPOs before he found one he could tolerate. Eventually, Evan became just as good as Taylor in his eyes. "I will see you two later." He kissed both on the cheek, stealing another fry.

"Why did you just order dessert when you knew you wanted fries," Ella grumbled. She had told herself she wouldn't complain, but this habit of theirs was damn right, infuriating. God knows it was the one thing she and Ana hated most about their men.

"I didn't want fries, not a lot anyway." He jumped out of her range when her hand shot out. "Still got it." He quipped as he strolled out of the restaurant.

The drive to SIP was a familiar one, Ana had been running SIP for the last four months, Jack had taken somewhat of a backseat to the day to day running of his company to spend more time enjoying the fruits of his labor. It was something Christian had decided to do as well in about a decade or so. If Ellie and Phillip turn out to be anything like he and Ana, they might come back from their honeymoon pregnant, despite the depo shot. He certainly wasn't about to spend so much time working, leaving the doting grandfather role to Jack. That was not going to happen; if anyone was going to be the best grandfather, it would be him. He was brought out of his competitive musings by the car door opening.

Ana got in with a satisfied sigh. "Oh, you got your tux." She cheered. As far as Christian was concerned, everyone was too damn happy about Ellie getting married. She was too young, but every time he said that he was reminded, Ana was the same age when he married her. Worse, he had a great marriage, so he couldn't exactly tell his little girl her getting married at a young age was a bad idea.

"Christian, she is getting married this weekend, no matter how much you sulk, get over it." Ana looked more amused than angry.

"I don't see why they have to get married now. They moved in together less than a year ago, then got engaged four months later and now marriage. What's the hurry?" He grumbled then paled. "Oh, God, she's not pregnant, is she? I am too young to be a grandpa." He realized mere seconds ago he had expected grandchildren, but he was allowed to vacillate.

"For the love of all that is holy, calm down, she is not pregnant. Even if Ellie was pregnant, she is in a relationship, financially secure, and about to get married."

"You are not very supportive." He grumbled, earning an eye roll.

"And you are impossible." She retorted as the car pulled into their driveway.

It's no surprise when Theo comes running out, headed for his grandparents to hide. This time, it was an enraged looking Paisley Hyde who seemed to have been on the receiving end of whatever prank Theo played this time. "What did he do now?" Ana asked as she stepped out of the SUV.

"I caught him in my room about to do God knows what. Aunt Ana, I love you, but I am going to kill that boy of yours." Paisley warned, earning a chuckle from Christian, who quickly schooled his features when she turned her glare on him. She looked so much like her mother when she got angry.

"Paisley, honey, he is a sixteen-year-old boy, who is quite good with his hands, were he around your age, I'm sure you would have appreciated it." This time Christian didn't have a hope in hell of stopping his laughter. Paisley looked like a tomato at Ana's teasing. Everyone knew Theo had a crush on her, but the twenty-five-year-old was clearly too old for the boy. Ana suspected that it didn't matter to Theo or his father. Yes, this was the same man having a conniption because his twenty-two-year-old daughter was getting married, the double standards she thought.

"Maybe, you could teach him a few other creative ways to use those hands." Christian teased. If possible, Paisley's blush got even more noticeable.

"You two are just as bad as he is. Now I know where he got it from." She stormed away from the pair as they laughed.

"Shame, there is such an age gap." Christian mused out loud.

"Sometimes, your level of hypocrisy and double standard is outstanding. One Hyde isn't good enough for your daughter, but the other is good enough for your son. Honestly, Christian, sometimes I don't know what to do with you."

"I didn't say he wasn't good enough, I just think they are getting married a little too soon." She rolled her eyes at his response, knowing he was full of shit. No one was good enough for his girls, no matter who they were.

Ellie watched as her great grandmother Carol pulled Theo aside and had strong words with him. She had just turned one hundred years old, but you wouldn't know it. God knows, she was the only one that could keep Theo in line. No one had time to deal with his pranks this week, Ellie might just kill him if he tried. The bus arrived just as she was done. The entire Grey and Hyde clan and some friends were headed to Montpellier in the south of France. Ellie and Phillip's relationship had changed the weekend her father bought a vineyard there. She had gone with her father and a few people from GEH to look everything over and sign the necessary paperwork. The week together in such a beautiful place, and a little too much wine had turned their friendship into a sexual relationship. What she, in all honesty, thought was a little holiday romance turned into something serious when they got back. With Ellie still at Harvard, she didn't have much hope for anything more, but Phil had surprised her showing up at her apartment her first weekend back at college. He worked in M&A under Ros at GEH, and barely had time for much, so him turning up had been a good indication of how serious he was about her. They'd moved in together weeks after her graduation much to her father's displeasure. She knew deep down he loved Phil and thought the world of him, but she was still his little girl no matter how old she was.

"A thousand dollars on him having Phil kidnapped," Aurora whispered to Ariel.

"I will take that bet." Ariel laughed.

"Hey." Ellie glared at them. "It's not funny." She fumed.

"Who said we are joking, he tried it with us," Ariel added. Ellie wasn't sure if her aunty was lying or not.

"Just giving you a heads up," Aurora said just as Ella walked over.

"Is it true dad tried to have uncle Tom and Steven kidnapped." She asked her grandma.

"Don't worry, he will do no such thing this time." Ella's answer didn't help.

"I believe Sawyer is having an eye kept on Phil at all times," Cindy added nonchalantly.

"DAD," Ellie screamed. All four women looked at each other and burst into peals of laughter.

"And I'm the troublesome one," Elliot said as he shook his head at them though he could not help his smile.

"Oh, please, as if you will not ask him to help you kidnap the poor sap who tries to marry Aubrey," Mia said despite her eyes glued to her iPad.

"He will do no such thing." Cindy glared at her husband. "I thought you were already at the vineyard?" Cindy turned her attention to Mia after Elliot quickly moved away.

"I didn't see the point in flying out a day early." She said, her eyes still on her iPad. She'd planned the wedding and was still organizing at this last stage. The wedding was going to go off without a hitch, even if she had to kill someone to make it happen. The family alone kept her in business. When she looked around at the rest of Christian's kids, Jack's daughter, her own, Elliot's, and Disney's kids, she will be gainfully self-employed for a good long while.

Soon, they were in the air on a private charter to Montpellier- Méditerranée airport. "I don't know about you, but I am really hoping for a grandkid within the year." Jack murmured to Christian, who growled in answer. Both Elizabeth and Ana rolled their eyes at their husband's actions. Jack had done nothing but rile Christian up since their kids got together.

"Keep it up, old man," Christian warned. Jack was eight years older than Christian, but one would think he had decades on him with the way Christian talked about Jack's age.

"We both know I can keep up with you just fine. If I recall, I finished the marathon a good two minutes and fourteen seconds ahead of you." Jack retorted.

"Everyone is worried about Theo behaving when they should be worried about those two," Elizabeth mumbled, glaring at the two men. Ana had long ago given up on them and their childish antics. Of course, both men were protective of the other's family as much as they were of their own. Jack had fired an assistant who got handsy with Ellie while she interned at SIP, not before breaking the pricks nose. Phillip and Paisley had spent enough time in their home when Jack and Elizabeth were out of town working on getting other branches of the Independent Publishing houses up and running. The two women talked, occasionally stopping to listen to their husband's bicker.

After nearly twenty-four hours, the group arrived at the vineyard, to prepare for the wedding. Christian found himself on the patio, despite the early evening almost everyone was in bed. The near nineteen-hour flight and a stopover for refueling had taken it out of everyone. He was used to flying even longer distances.

"Hey, dad. Can't sleep." Ellie grabbed herself a glass of orange juice and joined him on the patio.

"Not with your mother snoring up a storm." He teased.

Ellie giggled. "I doubt that very much." She whispered.

"I remember when you would cry your little lungs out every time you saw me in a suit. I could not leave for work when you were awake." Christian remembered those days with fondness. "I ended up changing GEH's maternity leave policy for men. I gave them six months' leave after my experience. I was in a position to stay at home if my little girl did not want me going to work, most people aren't. Of course, I had some idiot who came into work a mere five weeks later. We started taking bets on how long his marriage would last. When he realized how badly it appeared, he took his bag and coat and run back home. Phillip told me he told his wife we couldn't find some paperwork and he had to come and print off his copy from his computer for us, not that he had run back to work leaving her alone with the baby when he didn't have to." They both laughed.

"If Phil tried anything like that, God help him," Ellie warned.

"You are your mother's daughter." Ellie Grace Grey had his hair and eyes, but she took after Ana in every other way, looks and personality. "Your mother did not give two shits who I was. I'm either getting my ass kissed, or people just seem to lose their ability to form coherent sentences around me." Christian smiled.

"You know, every time anyone talks about you and mom meeting, I feel as though I'm not getting the joke," Ellie complained. All she knew was that her mom went to interview him on behalf of a sick friend.

"Let me grab my laptop." Christian bolted up the stairs to his bedroom. Ana was sprawled out on the bed, snoring softly. He got back downstairs with his laptop. "Okay, here we go. I haven't listened to this in years."

'So, Mr. Grey, to what would you say you owe your success.'

"Oh my God, that is mom. This is the interview." Ellie's eyes lit up.

"Yep, the interview is not the interesting part. It's the conversation that took place after the interview."

Ellie chuckled after listening to the entire conversation. "How did you get mom to date you after that." Knowing her mother as well as she did, it was a real wonder.

"I didn't, your grandma put in a good word for me, and even then she only agreed because your uncle José had a show she wanted to make sure I attended." Ellie cracked up laughing.

"How did the date go?"

Christian sighed. "I was an idiot. I got it all wrong, but it taught your mother and me the wonders of communication."

"After weeks of groveling and doing better, we finally met and talked. I took her gliding and a weekend on the yacht. The rest, as they say, is history." Christian finished with a shrug.

"I can't believe you thought mom was dating Uncle J." Ellie laughed.

"Hey, have you seen the man, especially that hair." He muttered.

"Don't remind me, and what is so unfair, they barely have to do anything with it. Phil wakes up with his hair looking like that while mine looks like a bird's nest." Ellie complained.

"Hey, there is something rather endearing about bird's nest hair. I should know I wake up to your mother's every day." He said fondly. "Anyway, despite that mistake, Jack and Elisabeth were full of great advice."

"Wow, my in-laws saved your ass." She teased.

"Indeed, they did. For the love of God, do not tell Jack I said that." He pleaded.

"Too late." Christian groaned. "I am glad to hear you acknowledge my invaluable advice when you were screwing up your chance with Ana." Jack sounded as superior as he looked.

"And, I bid you goodnight." Ellie left them to it, their bickering was only going to get worse. She could hear them go at it as she made her way up the stairs.

"Say the word, and I will have you out of here faster than you can say I don't want to marry him," Christian whispered as they waited to walk down the aisle.

"I heard that." Paisley groused. "Uncle Chris, we both know just how miserable I can make Theo's life." She warned. She'd given Theo the silent treatment once, both he and Ana had to beg Paisley on his behalf. Christian even went so far as to buy her an Aston Martin instead of the regular company car. You'd think with both Hyde children working for him, they would kiss his ass a little, but no such luck.

"When it's your turn, and your father is acting like the nutcase he is…"

"I will have her back," Ellie said as Paisley walked out.

"You look wonderful." He said instead as Pachelbel Canon in D started.

"I do, don't I." She retorted, earning a chuckle from him.

Christian had no issues with Ellie marrying Phillip, he was a man that took after his father in every way, even that shampoo commercial hair. He had risen through the ranks at GEH through hard work, innovative thinking, and nothing else. He loved his daughter and treated her like a princess, but she was still his little girl, and no father would ever be entirely comfortable with their daughter getting married.

He would admit, the look in Phillip's eyes as he walked Ellie down the aisle reminded him of his own wedding day and seeing Ana for the first time.

The guest laughed when he was a little reluctant to let go of Ellie. "She is in safe hands," Phillip assured him with an amused look. Christian nodded and joined Ana, who just smiled, shaking her head at him.

"Now, you know how it feels, and you've got one more to go." Ray quipped.

"Daddy, quiet," Ana warned. Though, they could all tell she was slightly amused by the whole thing.

The ceremony went smoothly, Christian noted Ana gripped his hand a little tighter when the obligatory question every one feared was asked. He was not going to object, but by the way, every family member looked at him, it was evident they weren't sure. He rolled his eyes at them and watched Phillip Hyde suck his daughter's face off. "Now he's just doing that to annoy me." He grumbled.

"Oh please, I'm sure far worse goes on behind doors," Ana muttered, knowing full well she was not helping his already grumpy disposition.

Of course, no one would know he was the least bit grumpy when he toasted the couple. "The first time I met Phillip, he was four years old and had one hell of a crush on Ana." The room laughed as Phillip sunk into his chair. "When I think about it, I can't be the least bit surprised he married her daughter." The guest thoroughly enjoyed his discomfort while he sunk further into his chair. "That little boy turned out to be a man I am proud to call my son in law, before that he was as close to me as my own boy. I could not ask for a better man for my little girl. When I met the love of my life, I made such a mess of things."

"More than once." Elliot piped up, earning a slap to the back of the head from Cindy.

"Yes, more than once, but thanks to Jack and Elizabeth, I still got the girl. If like me, you listened to your parents, your marriage, though it will have its ups and downs, you will come through it unscathed. I'm not going to lie, it's a little painful to give my little princess away, but I know she's in safe hands. To Ellie and Phillip." The room toasted the couple.

"I will admit when that speech started, I was a little concerned," Ana admitted as they danced.

"O ye, of little faith. I'm hurt you think I would…"

"Really, Christian, you tried to have her run away seconds from her walking down the aisle." Ana raised an eyebrow at him.

"She told you, uh." He had the decency to look chastised.

"Of course, she did. I feel for Jasmine when it's her turn." Ana lamented.

"I'm not getting married." The daughter in question said as she walked past.

"Oh, thank God." Christian blurted out."She's nineteen, she could very well change her mind. I recall Ellie making you the same promise." Ana reminded him, although Ellie made that promise when she was seven.

"Mrs. Grey, please do not dash my hopes," He groused.

"As if I would ever do such a thing." He twirled her around the floor, his eye on occasion fell on Ellie, whose smile had not faded in the least. The most any parent wanted for their kid was their happiness, and Ellie appeared to be the epitome of happiness.

"We did well." He murmured.

"We did, didn't we." She agreed. The two swayed on the dance floor among family and friends. Despite giving away his little girl, he could not be happier, and it was thanks to the woman in his arms.