Chapter 54 - For As Long As We Both Shall Live

After we’ve sat through the wedding rehearsal dinner hosted by my parents and attended by both our families, Ana and I have to head off in different directions. She is staying at my parent's place, sleeping in my old bedroom, while I am returning to Escala.

“It’s tradition that you don’t sleep under the same roof the night before, or get to see the bride on your wedding day until you see her walking down the aisle to you,” Mom insisted, when I’d mooted the idea of staying over as well. “And seeing as you want everything done in the time honored, traditional way, then I’m afraid you must head on back to your own place after the rehearsal dinner. You wouldn’t want to risk bringing bad luck on your wedding day, would you?”

As we say our last farewells before I leave, Ana hands me a small gift wrapped box.

“What’s this?” I ask. I shake it, but it doesn’t rattle, unlike the Seattle key fob that I carried round with me for ages.

“Your wedding present from me. I wanted you to have it before the wedding – you’ll see why when you open it. But you have to wait until tomorrow – promise?”

“Okay, baby, if that’s what you want. You'll be getting your present from me after the wedding. Do I really have to leave tonight?” I sigh. I hate leaving her like this.

“Unless you want to try sneaking past both our moms, Kate and Mia, I think it would be for the best. Anyway, it’s not long to wait until tomorrow, is it?” she tries to persuade me.

“I guess not. I can't wait to see you walking up the aisle to me, because I can't wait to say our vows and make you mine. My wife. Mrs. Grey."

 I smile, as I take her in my arms and kiss her soft cheek.

“Me too. I’m really happy with the words we chose in the end, aren’t you?” Ana presses me.

“Yeah, I guess I am. Doesn't mean I've given up on getting you to do as you're told when it matters,” I warn her.

“Let’s not go there, hmm?” she sweetly kisses my lips and then snuggles against my chest. “So, are you going to give me a hint about where we’re going for our honeymoon? I mean we’re going to be away for three whole weeks, so just a tiny hint maybe?”

“Not a chance. It’s a surprise. So you are just going to have to wait and see, aren't you?”

“But how can I be sure I've got everything I’ll need?”

“Trust me, it’s all been taken care of. And if it turns out there’s anything extra you need, we’ll just buy it. Simple.” I grin, knowing she’s been trying to find out where we’re going by questioning Taylor and Gail, but with no luck as they are both sworn to total secrecy.

“Has Elliot forgiven you for not having your bachelor party in Vegas yet?” Ana queries.

“He always knew he didn’t have a snowball's chance in hell of getting me to go. Has Kate forgiven you for refusing to go either?”

“Not really, no. She still thinks I only refused to keep you happy, when in reality I know I would have hated it – it’s just not me. Didn’t stop either of them trying to organize those stripograms for us, did it? Are you ever going to explain to me how both bookings mysteriously failed to turn up on the night?” Ana asks suspiciously.

We’d both gone out to different places on the same night for what was meant to be just a quiet meal, but Kate and Elliot had had other plans for our bachelor/bachelorette parties. The advance security sweep Taylor undertook revealed their infantile plans, which I immediately put a stop to. Purely for reasons of safety, of course.

“I don’t know what you mean,” I smile enigmatically.

“Come on you two. Time for Christian to leave. Ana needs her beauty sleep tonight,” my mom calls out to us from where she’s sitting in the kitchen chatting to Ana’s mom.

It’s nice to see how well they’ve gotten on. Anastasia’s family all arrived in good time to attend the rehearsal and dinner, and my parents insisted they should stay with them at Bellevue. 

Mom had been worried about how Ana’s stepdad Ray was going to react to the fact that Carla would be there with her fourth husband Bob, but it’s all been fine. Both men have been very civilized thankfully, but then Ray never says very much anyhow. He just quietly watches and takes it all in. I thought my family was complicated enough, but Ana’s is on a whole new level. Maybe it’s as well they don’t all live nearby.

The ladies have already said their farewells to me, before tactfully giving us a few moments on our own, but now they're calling time.

“Come on, Ana. Tomorrow will be here before you know it,” Carla calls out.

 It’s been kind of weird seeing Ana with her mom, because they look very alike, and as her mom is so young looking, they could almost pass as sisters. I think Ana probably is the more sensible of the two somehow though, as Carla seems scatty, and keeps getting emotional and bursting into tears, as she talks about her baby girl being all grown up and getting married. My mom has been very patient with her.

“Okay, okay, I can take a hint,” I call back, before whispering to Ana. “So, this is the last time I can wish Miss Steele good night and sweet dreams.”

“Yes,” Ana giggles. “This time tomorrow…”

“…You’ll be Mrs. Grey.”

“I like the sound of that,” she whispers.

“Me too.”

“Anastasia!” Carla calls out.

“I’m coming, Mom. Jeez, it’s like being a teenager again, isn’t?”

~~~

I don’t sleep well the night before my wedding to Anastasia, because I fucking hate being by myself in our bed. It’s hard to believe I used to think I couldn’t sleep with anyone. Now I feel bereft if I don’t have Ana’s soft, warm body next to me, or if I can’t bury my nose in her hair to inhale her unique scent when I wake up.  

The rehearsal went well, and everything seems to be as organized as it can be for now. Welch and Taylor have been kept extremely busy taking care of all the security measures for the wedding and honeymoon. At least Leila is no longer on the loose, and I think they’re relieved we kept the guest list to just family and close friends, as Ana wished.  

Gail seemed surprised and thrilled to be amongst the select few we invited, but Ana and I both agreed without hesitation that we wanted her included, so there was never any question of leaving her out. I also made sure there was a well earned bonus in her pay check this month, so she could treat herself to a special new outfit. Taylor will also be present, but he’ll be working of course.

 Mom has excelled herself, pulling out all the stops to make our wedding truly memorable, ably assisted by Mia of course. Mom insists she thinks it’s easier to organize a wedding in a month rather than a year, because the short time scale means decisions have to be made there and then with no prevaricating. It also helps that I’m more than happy to spend whatever it takes to smooth things along.

~~~

We have been blessed.  As dawn breaks on our wedding day, I can tell the weather is going to be glorious. Elliot comes over early to pick me up, and we head on over to Bellevue. As the morning progresses, the sun shines and the sky remains a cloudless perfect blue. 

The sun shines on the righteous – must be Ana’s influence. 

Mom won’t have to deploy any of the contingency plans she had in place in case it poured with rain - always a strong possibility in Seattle.

The morning seems to drag – I just want to get on with things, get on with marrying my girl, get on with beginning this new chapter in our lives. I don’t do waiting. I fucking hate all this hanging around, so I'm glad we arranged for the ceremony to be as early as possible to fit in with all the other arrangements. 

I wish I could just talk to Ana, but there’s no way I'm going to be allowed to get anywhere near her, so we’ve had to make do with sending a few texts to each other.

#I love you. I can’t wait to be your wife. Your fiancée A xox#

That message helped put a smile on my face.

#I love you too. I want to be your husband more than you will ever know. Always yours. Cx #

 I’ve resigned myself to the fact that the first I’m going to see of Ana’s wedding dress is when she walks down the aisle. I know Diane Kavanagh is upstairs helping to dress Ana and make sure everything is perfect, and I really hope she hasn’t produced something I'm going to hate, but it’s too late to worry now. I just hope it isn’t anything huge and over the top that will swamp Ana when she is so small and delicate. But come what may, Ana will look beautiful, I do know that.

Elliot seems to find my impatience amusing, and keeps goofing around, saying stupid things, which irritates the fuck out of me.

“It’s not too late to change your mind, little bro. Just say the word and I’ll just whisk you away from here,” he jokes. “I’m sure Taylor will do his best to protect you from the wrath of the women when they find out you’ve made your escape.”

“Fuck off, Elliot.”

“Perhaps Ana will change her mind instead, then that’ll save you the bother,” he jokes again, and I just glare at him.

“I think that’s enough now, Elliot. No one wants to tempt fate in any way.”

My dad is trying his best to be a calming influence, but that also irritates the fuck out of me too. He’s tried to make peace by assuring me that his suggestion of a prenup was in no way intended as any kind of a bad reflection on Ana. Whatever. I just wish the subject had never been brought up in front of her.

As everyone fusses around me, attempting to tell me what to do, how to act, I can feel myself starting to scream inside. The only person who doesn’t seem to wind me up is Ana’s dad, Ray, because he says very little.

“Come on, son. Let’s take a walk outside for a few minutes. Get some peace and quiet,” he suggests when he sees me getting more and more uptight.

So we stroll outside in the grounds, away from everyone, and it’s just what I need. I feel myself calming down.

RAY STEELE

 “Thanks, Ray,” I smile.

“I could tell you needed to get away. I understand. I’ve always been a pretty solitary kind of guy myself. That’s probably why Ana’s mom and I broke up, I guess. She’s much more of a sociable butterfly. She loves parties and all that kind of thing. So I guess she got fed up being stuck with an old party pooper like me,” he admits to me in a rare confession.

“But Ana chose to stay with you,” I point out.

“Yeah, funny thing is her character’s a lot like mine rather than her mom, even though I'm not her biological dad. Annie’s just like you; she’s never been one to like a lot of fuss or need crowds of people around her. So that’s why I think you two will be just fine.”

“Thanks. That means a lot to me, Ray.”

~~~

Finally it’s time to get changed into my black tux, silver vest and the silver tie that Ana has asked me to wear – I smile as I make sure it’s tied in a perfect knot. 

This tie has very special memories for both of us. It was the one I used to tie her wrists together when I fucked her that second day after I’d claimed her virginity. And I wore it to her graduation. And  she wore it in my playroom on my birthday. This tie has great memories for us, so I'm more than happy to wear it for her today.

Elliot and I head on down to where everyone is assembling outside ready for our wedding. I’m proudly wearing the cuff-links that were in the box that Ana gave me last night as her wedding gift. I love the design of our entwined initials, and I will always treasure them as a precious reminder of our wedding day.

 “You’ve definitely got the rings?” I check with Elliot.

“Yes, of course I have, seeing as you’ve already asked me that about twenty times,” he rolls his eyes as he pats his pocket to prove they are in there. We’ve chosen matching plain platinum bands, with our entwined initials engraved on the inside, the same as on Ana’s engagement ring. Entwined initials are becoming our theme.

As Elliot and I make our way in, Mom is already there, clutching a handkerchief. She stops me, so she can kiss and hug me.

 “You look very dashing and handsome. I’m so proud of you, Christian. Ana’s a very lucky girl,” she whispers emotionally, as she touches my cheek.

“No, Mom. I’m the lucky one,” I say, as I kiss her back.

As I glance round, I see most of the women have a handkerchief or tissue ready, and Carla is already weeping none too quietly, as her husband Bob pats her hand.

There are flowers everywhere I look, lots of pale pink and ivory roses. It all looks beautiful, a perfect setting.

Reverend Walsh is standing waiting patiently, and smiles at me. I think he was very relieved that the second time we went to see him we had stopped arguing about our vows, and he was very happy with the words that we managed to come up with between us in the end.

Then I hear the music start to play.

Everybody stands, and turns to look back. We’ve chosen the piano and cello rendition of ‘A Thousand Years’ that Mia suggested for Ana’s bridal procession, because that’s how long our love will last. 

A thousand years. At least.  

Anastasia is about to make her entrance.

She’s here.

We are about to be married.

 She is finally going to be truly mine.

I take a deep breath, as I turn to see her slowly walking in on Ray’s arm, with Kate and Mia walking behind her in their pale pink dresses.

Now the rest of the world disappears. No one else exists. There is only Anastasia, and there is only me.

Ana is a vision of loveliness. 

So beautiful, so amazingly beautiful.

And yet she’s looking anxious. I know what she’s thinking. She’s worried I won’t like how she looks. She wants to be perfect for me. She need not worry. As soon as our eyes lock and I smile at my girl, she knows I'm happy and I see her visibly relax.  

How could I be anything other than ecstatically happy? 

My beautiful bride is wearing the most exquisite wedding dress that couldn’t be more perfect if I had designed it myself. I stare mesmerized, as I take in all the details. 

It’s a simple fitted shape that shows off the curves of her perfect slim figure. It’s a very soft shade of ivory that suits her skin tone perfectly, especially as it sits off her shoulders, showing a modest glimpse of that wonderful creamy skin of hers, as her hair is all elegantly pinned up out of the way in a glorious mass of curls and ringlets. 

But the most wonderful thing about her dress is that I can see it’s made from a top layer of delicate lace over a silk gown beneath. My two favorite fabrics.  Her dress is absolutely perfect.

She is perfection.

As Anastasia reaches me, she turns to Ray, and I see she has a simple lace veil fixed in the back of her hair with a filigree hair comb. It’s the one that Grandmother Trevelyan insisted Ana should have for her wedding day as ‘something borrowed’, because it was what she wore on her own wedding day, and what she gave my mom to borrow on her wedding day too.

A Trevelyan family tradition.

I know Ana was really touched by the gesture. I’m so glad we agreed she wouldn’t wear her veil over her face, because I wanted to be able to see her eyes as she came to me. Those beautiful blue eyes that have always been able to see right into my soul from the very first moment we met, are gazing up at me now, filled with so much love.

Ray tenderly kisses Ana’s cheek, then he takes her left hand and passes it over to me, a symbolic gesture to signify that he is relinquishing her to me. I smile as I take her hand, then we turn to the minister, as he signals everyone to be seated.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered together here on this glorious day to witness the union of Christian Trevelyan Grey and Anastasia Rose Steele….”

“I solemnly vow that I will safeguard and hold dear and deep in my heart our union and you.

I promise to love you faithfully, forsaking all others, through the good times and the bad, in sickness or in health, regardless of where life takes us.

I will protect you, trust you, and respect you.

I will share your joys and sorrows and comfort you in times of need.

I promise to cherish you and uphold your hopes and dreams and keep you safe at my side.

All that is mine is now yours.

I give you my hand, my heart, and my love from this moment on for as long as we both shall live.”

I look deep into her eyes as I make my vows, and I mean every single word I say from the bottom of my heart – the heart that Anastasia has breathed life into. I carry on looking into her eyes, as she makes her vows to me. We are both spellbound by the intensity of our feelings.

“I give you my solemn vow to be your faithful partner in sickness and in health, to stand by your side in good times and in bad, to share your joy as well as your sorrow.

I promise to love you unconditionally, to support you in your goals and dreams, to honor and respect you, to laugh with you and cry with you, to share my hopes and dreams with you, and bring you solace in times of need.

And to cherish you for as long as we both shall live.”

When I place the wedding ring on Ana’s finger, it is the proudest moment of my life. The circle of her ring signifies the undying love between us that will last forever, until the end of time. 

Our marriage will be forever. We will love each other forever.

Once Ana places my wedding band on, it will never leave my finger ever again. It will remain in place forever more, because that is how strong our bond is. 

Unbreakable, unmovable. Forever and always. Until the sun falls from the sky, and the world no longer turns.

“I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride.”

“Finally you are mine,” I whisper, in the happiest moment of my entire existence.

I kiss the sweet soft lips of my bride, and then as we break apart to smile at each other, all I seem to be able to hear is weeping. I look up, and see that most of the women seem to be crying. My mom. Ana’s mom. Grandmother Trevelyan. Gail. Even Kate.  My dad seems to have something in his eye, too.

Then everyone starts applauding.

The love of my life is now Anastasia Rose Grey. 

My wife. Miss Steele has become Mrs. Grey.

“You look beautiful, Ana. Don’t let anyone take that dress off but me, understand?” I whisper. I gently trail my finger down the soft skin of her cheek as she nods. I want to be the one to peel off those delicious layers of silk and lace to discover what lies in wait underneath for me.

She is mine, all mine, legally, morally and in every possible way.

~~~

I can't wait for us to be on our own, but we have to get through our wedding reception first, and my mom has gone to such amazing lengths to pull it all together that we can't disappoint her by rushing off too soon.

So we eat some of the delicious food, we cut the impressive wedding cake, we dance with lots of the guests. 

I’m on my best behavior, so I somehow manage to refrain from getting too jealous when Ana dances with José. I’m even polite to Kate, despite overhearing her saying to Ana ‘if he hurts one hair on your head, he’ll have me to answer to’ when it was she who was encouraging Ana to be reckless regarding her safety with a stupid bachelorette party.

I do feel it necessary to seek out her mother Diane, feeling I owe her somewhat of an apology, having had several confrontations with her over her refusal to discuss Ana’s wedding dress design with me. I can see where Kate got her looks from – her mother is also a tall, willowy strawberry blonde.

“Mrs. Kavanagh, I have to congratulate you. Your design for Ana’s wedding dress is perfect, and far exceeds my expectations. It is stunning. You were listening when I was trying to tell you what would suit Anastasia.”

“Mr. Grey, I had already come up with the design long before we even spoke, because I just knew what would suit Ana. As I tried to explain to you, I do have many years of experience in designing wedding gowns, so I hoped you would trust me, as most grooms are more than happy to do. Although I have to admit it seems you have a pretty good eye for these matters, and it was very hard when you were so persistent not to drop any kind of hint that what you were suggesting was exactly what we were working on.” she begrudgingly concedes, as she smiles at me before heading off to speak to her daughter.

“Congratulations, Christian,” Flynn comes up and shakes my hand, and then speaks quietly so only I can hear what he’s saying. “I’m so pleased you successfully worked through your issues regarding the vows. I thought the words you both used were perfect, very moving.”

He understands better than anyone why I have this overwhelming need to protect and control Anastasia, and why I wanted her to promise to obey me. Flynn was better able than anyone else to help me work at finding a compromise in the sessions we had in the weeks leading up to the wedding.

“Yeah, I guess I can live with her promising to honor and respect me,” I smile.

“And the unconditional love Ana promised to give you is a wonderful gift as well, Christian. Anastasia clearly put a lot of thought into her vows, and I for one think it means far more than just repeating by rote the old traditional words,” he smiles reassuringly. 

The fact that he believes Ana is the best possible therapy for me helps when black moments of self doubt creep up on me, usually in the middle of the night. That’s when I play my piano, to help me think things through, and that’s when his quiet words of wisdom help to rationalize my fears. It’s why he suggested I promised to protect Ana in my vows, as a way of dealing with the whole issue for me. That’s what I can do for her, that’s why I vowed to keep her safe at my side. 

Always.

As Ana returns, Claude Bastille comes over to speak to both of us. Ana has been having some sessions with him recently, much to my delight, and he’s reported that she’s making good progress with her fitness levels. 

Claude is such a great personal trainer, because he has the knack of finding the best form of exercise for each individual; something they enjoy doing, that they are far more likely to commit to. Turns out Ana enjoys running, because she can use the time to think about the latest manuscript she’s working on. 

It’s quite amusing seeing Ana working out with him, because he is such a giant of a man compared to her. But he doesn't make me jealous. From the initial background checks I had run on him before I employed him, I know his tastes lie in quite another direction.

CLAUDE BASTILLE

“I’m going to miss kicking your sorry ass to the floor while you’re on your honeymoon, Grey, but I expect Ana will be putting you through your paces to keep you in shape while you’re away,” he says as he winks at Ana, causing her to blush profusely.

“It’ll be your ass hitting the floor when I get back,” I promise, as he laughs loudly. It is very rare for me to get the better of him when we spar, but I do like the challenge of trying.

I’ve hardly seen Mia all afternoon, which surprises me, as she has been so involved with all the wedding preparations.

“Do you know where Mia’s got to?” I ask as I look around, trying to spot her as Ana and I finally manage to grab a dance together.

“I think she’s busy stalking Ethan. I think she likes him. A lot, actually,” she informs me with a knowing smile.

“Ethan? Since when?”

“Since they had lunch together. Remember, I told you how I had to let her down and he took my place?”

I frown as I remember.

“So what happened to that Sean guy she was at the ball with?”

“Guess he’s history. It’s definitely Ethan she’s keen on, but he seems to be playing hard to get, for some reason. I think he’s worried about dating the sister of his sister’s boyfriend. I don’t really understand, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me,” Ana tries to explain.

“Hmm. Ethan will find he’ll have his work cut out if he thinks he can thwart my sister once she’s made up her mind. So, seeing as you know him, is Ethan basically a decent guy? Would Mia be okay with him?”

I’m not as jealous about Ana’s friendship with him these days, and I expect her to be honest about him. As my baby sister appears to have the hots for Ethan, I'd want to know if he’s any kind of a douche bag. 

“Ethan is a really nice guy,” Ana insists. “Do you think I’d have suggested he take her to lunch if I thought otherwise?”

“I guess not. Well, he’ll have me to answer to if he messes her around in any way,” I state, scowling at the thought of anyone upsetting her. I've always hated seeing my little sister cry.

“Mia is a fully grown woman, the same age as me, and I think she is more than capable of fighting her own battles, mister-overprotective-big-brother,” Ana rolls her eyes at me. “But it’s very sweet all the same to see how much you care about her.”

I’m horrified when my grandmother collars us as we finally try to make our escape, and starts rattling on about getting working on some great-grandkids for her. Babies? No way, not yet. Maybe one very distant far off day, but certainly not for the foreseeable future. Neither of us is ready for that, and I’m not sure in all honesty when I’ll be up to the task. What kind of a father could a fifty shades of fucked up man like me possibly be? No, my grandmother can hint all she likes, but she’s got a long wait before she’s going to see  that wish come true.

“Let’s go,” I finally tell Ana.

“I have to change,” she says, grabbing my hand to pull me with her, then frowns as I hold back. “I thought you wanted to be the one to take this dress off?”

“Correct. But I'm not undressing you here. We wouldn’t leave until… I don’t know… And don’t take your hair down either, although I suppose you'd better take your veil off.”

“But…?”

“No buts, Anastasia. You look beautiful. And I want to be the one to undress you. Pack your going away clothes. You’ll need them. Taylor has your main suitcase.”

Gail has packed everything for her, and Taylor has already stowed it away from prying eyes.

I’ve had a change of plan. When I thought I might not like her wedding dress, I was okay about her changing into her going away outfit before we left, but not now. I want her to wear her wedding dress for as long as possible, before I enjoy slowly unfastening all those little pearl buttons I can see running down the back of her beautiful gown.

Once we’ve endured the human arch to say goodbye and been thoroughly showered with rice, and Mia has miraculously appeared to be the one to catch Ana’s bouquet as she tosses it into the crowd, we finally make our escape as Taylor drives us away in the Audi SUV, headed for my private jet at Sea-Tac.

I’m really excited about what I have planned for the first stage of our extended honeymoon, because it will be another exciting first for both of us. I’m just hoping there won’t be any turbulence forecast for our flight, because I’m planning plenty of turbulence of my own.  

I shall be taking great pleasure in enrolling my wife in The Mile High Club. And I sure as hell don’t mean my club here in Seattle…

A Thousand Years : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgaTQ5-XfMM

I don’t own any of the Fifty Shades Trilogy or the characters therein. They belong to E L James. I’m just borrowing them for fun and not for profit. Please refer to the Legal’s page for further details. This work is not to be copied or reproduced in any way without permission.