((OMG I'm so sorry an update took this long, soo much has happened and life just got in the way. Here is a well deserved chapter.

READ THE END NOTE

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!))

"Do I look okay?" I turn to the side looking as Christian who is finishing getting ready. He is fumbling with his tie.

"Do you really need a tie? It's just the family."

"Well, maybe I want to look presentable." He rests his hip against the counter and crosses his arms, his shirt collar flipped up. I laugh and take a giant step to reach him.

"Babe, you could show up in a brown sack and flip flops and they wouldn't care. I honestly think you are too dressed up for this." I reach for his tie.

"Just make me look presentable, Wench, it's a first impression all over again." I tug his tie loose and slip it off his neck. After I flip the collar down, I pat his chest and smile.

"There you go, you're presentable." I hear my phone go off with a text message and as I turn around, his hand connects with my back side.

"I've missed that." He winks before leaving me alone in the bathroom. After rolling my eyes, I look down at my phone, reading over the message from Gail.

Dinner is ready, kids are suspicious, family said they would be here soon.

I send a quick response back, asking for a notification for when the family gets there. I follow my husband's footsteps and find him in the kitchen a freshly poured glass of whiskey in his hand. I scrunch my face up. I've never liked that stuff and I didn't think Christian did either.

"Since when do you drink that?" I ask as he downs the glass. He scrunches his face up and licks his lips.

"I have no clue." He shrugs and places the glass down. "Ever since I got home, I've had at least one glass a night. Gail did tell me I never did that before the accident, but I seemed to have developed a craving for it."

"Oh. Okay." I pick up the bottle and read the label. I think we have an old bottle of this back at the house.

"I know you are getting tired of me asking this, but when are we going to leave?" Christian groans and encircles me in his arms. I slip my hands through his belt loops and open my mouth to answer.

The phone goes off.

"Now, I guess." I look down at the phone and, sure enough, there is a message from Gail telling me that the Trevelyan-Grey's have arrived.

"I'm nervous." Christian murmurs as Taylor turns on our street. I pull our intertwined hands up to my lips and place a gentle kiss on the back of his hand.

"There's no need to be."

"How are the kids going to react? How will my parents react? Is this the kind of information that should be a surprise? We told the office, full of people I have no relation to and probably couldn't care less about the state of my health, before my own family." I didn't think about it like that.

"The kids will be overjoyed, same with your parents. Everyone will just be happy to have you back." I smile and smooth my hand over his hair, loving the feeling of the clean strands beneath my fingertips. "I know I am." Christian remains silent and his grip on my hand tightens. Taylor pulls the car to a stop and kills the engine.

"Last time I was this nervous it was our wedding day."

"Well you aren't making a lifelong commitment tonight." I laugh and kiss his cheek. "Let's get in there." Christian smiles back and opens his door. I know he always insist on being the gentleman and open my door, but I don't want to take that time because I'm really hungry and I want the family to be together again.

I meet him in front of the car, and take hold of his sweaty hand again, and once we reach the door do I realize I was taking bigger steps than him and dragging him behind me. I take a deep breath and push through the door that leads right into the kitchen, praying that only Gail is in there.

"Gail?"

"Oh-"

"Shhh." I press my finger to my lips and slowly creep in, pulling Christian behind me. "Are they all in there?" She nods. As Taylor slips past us they exchange smiles. "I was just about to go offer some wine."

"Ok." Turning the Christian, I sigh. "We can go in when she gets back."

"You know, the more you make this a big production, the more nervous I am." He smirks and the butterflies that have been caged are finally released.

"Well, this is a cause for celebration." He pulls me to his chest, burying his nose in my hair.

"I love you so much, Anastasia."

"I love you too, Christian."

"Okay." Gail whispers, reentering the kitchen. "All is ready." Christian's hand tightens around mine, and with a racing heart I walk towards the door leading to our family.

I poke my head in the door and try to keep any shakiness out of my voice and tears from my eyes. I notice they left the head of the table empty.

"Hey, guys." A chorus of my name and 'mom' echo around the room. I look over my kids, my four beautiful kids, and across the table at Christian's side of the family. "I have something to show you."

Without waiting another second, I feel Christian's arm wrap around my waist as he finally comes out of hiding. Shrieks come from all the women, I'm surprised Carrick did fall from his chair and Phoebe is already on her feet and barreling towards her dad.

I can't hold the tears back now.

"Oh, my God, Dad!" She sobs. Christian's arms close around her and he kisses the top of her head.

"Hey sweetie."

"Daddy!" Kenneth is the next kid to collide with him. I rest my back against the wall, afraid I would fall without support as I watch everything unfold before me.

Everyone is crying. Christian holds all the kids close, Grace and Carrick are huddled with Mia, tears of joy shamelessly running down their faces, and Elliot is playing Mr. Tough Guy, holding Kate as she too celebrates my husband's return.

"Kids, let me go see Grandpa and Nana for a moment." He whispers and reluctantly they let go of him, only to gravitate towards me.

"He's back?" Phoebe looks up at me, mascara smeared across her red cheeks. Teddy's head is buried in my shoulder, Kenneth is wrapped around my leg, and Juliet sits perched on my hip, her lip quivering.

"Yes, honey, he is back."

I hold them all as close as I can and watch Grace break down into a sobbing mess in her son's arms. I see her lips move, but I'm sure no words are coming out. Carrick is patting his sons back. I notice Elliot stand and go collect his sister, waiting in line to welcome his brother back, and Kate walks, very clumsily, over to me.

"When did this happen." She smiles, dabbing her wet face.

"Last night." Phoebe's head pops up once again as she sniffs.

"You didn't come home last night!" Kate immediately burst into laughter. I pat my daughter's head.

"Be quite. Keep crying." Kate mouths the word 'details' and I nod, knowing she wouldn't leave tonight without them.

"Okay, I'm starving." Christian announces to the room, his arm slung over Mia's shoulders.

"Dinner is ready whenever you like, Mr. Grey." Gail smiles from the door way of the kitchen. And Christian nods, and everyone disperses back to their previous seat, more disheveled than before.

Christian takes his rightful place at the head of the table, and I take the seat beside him.

For the first time in what feels like forever, everything back to normal.

"Gail, this was the best meal I've had in a while. Thank you." Christian smiles and pulls Juliet out of her chair and into his lap. She kept one arm out for him all dinner long.

"Thank you, Mr. Grey. Can I get anyone dessert?" Carrick and Teddy politely decline, Grace asks for a super small portion, and everyone else accepts the offer. "I'll be right back."

"Well, son, where are you going to go from here, being back home and all?" Carrick places his napkin on his clean plate and folds his hands on the table.

"I visited the office today, Andrea helped me reset somethings, and everything seems to be running fine, so I think I'm going to take a few days off and stay home." He answers. Juliet's fist stop pounding on the table when her eye catches a shiny sharp object. I manage to snatch if away before her little fingers can wrap around it.

"That sounds like a good idea." Christian nods and remove Juliet's hands from his face.

"Daddy, we have to catch up on Power Rangers. Mom made sure to record them." Christian shoots me a look before nodding.

"How about we watch one tonight?" Kenneth nods energetically and digs into the cake as soon as Gail sets it in front of him. I watch Phoebe thank Gail for the plate of cake and slowly sink her finger into the chocolate. Before I can ask what she is doing, she swipes it across Kenneth's nose in a playful manner, causing his fork to clatter to the floor.

"You got something there." Teddy leans over and touches his own nose and the three of them start a small food fight. No one tries to stop them, we just sit back and laugh. I feel a hand creep over and take hold of mine, his thumb running back and forth.

I look over at Christian who doesn't acknowledge our children acting like animals, or the babe falling asleep in his lap. His eyes are on me.

"Thank you." He whispers and I feel tears form in my eyes from those simple words.

"For what?"

"For everything that has happened in the last nineteen years of my life. For this family. For loving me."

"Oh, Christian." Not now Ana. Pull yourself together.

"I don't see how I deserved any of this, or how I could ask for anything more. Everything is back to being as perfect as it can be. I love you beyond measure, Anastasia."

And there goes the water works.

((I AM SO SORRY IT TOOK A MONTH!! Okay how was it? I had writers block for so long and nothing helped fuel inspiration, but I knew I had to get this out for the holidays. Now that we have crossed this bridge, time to brainstorm new ideas (cue evil laughter), so think of this is as the midseason finale. No promises when the next chapter will be up, but I will get to working on it.

QUESTION!!! - What do you all think of the trailer and how the movie will be compared to the book? Personally, I can't wait.

Thank you so much for reading! xox ))