A/N: This is loosely based off of recent events that happened in the States a couple weeks ago. For those of you who survived the Polar Vortex along with me, I hope you can sympathize lol

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Love on Michigan Ave.

By Strawberry Pajamas

~ One week before Christmas ~

CPOV

Want to feel sexy this holiday season?
Desire more than just a simple kiss under the mistletoe?
The Santa Baby Lingerie Set - a sensual reminder of what Christmas is really all about!

Retail Price: $549.99

Christian couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in amusement as he read the sign posted to the front of a Nordstrom store mannequin. The life-sized doll was dressed up in a sheer little red number covering her torso and thighs accompanied by a red satin bra and matching thong. Fluffy white material trimmed the tops of her bra as well as the base of the sheer material, while a santa hat was perched on top of her head. She was posed in a position that was meant to look alluring - one hand on her slender waist while her right hip jutted out. Christian thought the entire get-up was just too ridiculous to be taken seriously, and couldn't help but bite back a laugh as he stared at it.

Christian was currently shopping at a Nordstrom on Michigan Avenue in Chicago - it was beginning to get a bit late and snow was starting to fall outside, meaning the store was rather empty as a result. He had been in this city for a few days now on business, and he was actually supposed to be heading back to Seattle tonight; however, after checking the weather report, it looked like he was going to be stuck here for one more night due to a heavy snowstorm hitting the entire Midwest.

Just great.

There was still so much work Christian had to do at GEH before Christmas next week, but since he was forced to be here for the next twelve hours or so, he figured he'd take the opportunity to shop around for Christmas presents for his family tonight, which he had neglected to do for the past few weeks now.

Christian knew he could have easily had Andrea or Gail do his Christmas shopping for him, but he felt his family deserved their gifts from him to be hand-picked - it would at least make up for him being a shitty son and brother for the past year. So far, Christian had bought a set of elegant fountain pens in a mahogany case for Carrick, a beautiful new Swarovski crystal jewelry box for Grace, and the latest pair of suede Louboutins for Mia. He couldn't really find anything for Elliot here, though, so he eventually decided to buy him two courtside tickets to a Wizards game once he got home.

When Christian was finally done with his shopping, he called Taylor on his BlackBerry to come pick him up from the mall - as he waited, Christian couldn't help but idly browse through some of the clothing racks there. In addition to the Santa Baby get-up on the mannequin, he noticed multiple sets of lingerie displayed on hangers around him. Though most of them weren't nearly as festive as the Santa Baby one, he still thought one or two of the black lacy ones would look sexy on a submissive…

If I even had one, that is.

Christian frowned to himself; he hadn't had a submissive for over three months, which was a pretty long time for him. The hiatus was mostly due to how busy he had been at work lately, but some of it was simply due to the fact that he had just started feeling rather bored with the lifestyle. The last sub he had was decent, but she failed to hold his interest for very long in the playroom. At first he thought it was just the girl herself that was the problem, but now he was starting to wonder if it was something else.

Something with me.

Elena kept insisting Christian just needed a new sub to alleviate his stress, but he honestly just didn't feel like he wanted one. He wasn't really sure what he wanted, but he hoped he would figure it out soon…

"Can I help you with anything, sir?"

Christian blinked and turned to see a cute salesgirl approach him. She had long, chestnut brown hair pulled back in a high ponytail, and a large smile spread across her beautiful face. She was a wearing a red short-sleeved blouse that was too modest for Christian's liking, but her black slacks and sensible heels seemed to emphasize her gorgeous legs, which seemed to go on for miles.

Christian's interest immediately piqued, and he smiled at the girl

"No, I'm good, thanks," he said after a moment, continuing to smile at her. She smiled back, and Christian felt his heart start to pound loudly.

Christ, she's beautiful.

"Okay - well, when you're ready to check out, I'll be right over there," she said brightly, pointing over to the register nearest to the doors. Christian could see through the glass doors, and noticed the snow was falling thickly across the darkened December sky.

"I'm actually ready right now," Christian turned back to the girl, not wanting her to walk away. "Sorry, I was just waiting for my driver to get here before I paid for my things. I can come with you now, though."

"Oh, okay - great!" the cute salesgirl smiled before beginning to lead him toward the register. "Right this way, sir."

Christian followed her, gazing at the back of her beautiful auburn head, before moving up and falling in step beside her. "What's your name?"

The girl smiled and blushed cutely, and Christian felt his heartbeat spike once again. "I'm Ana."

Beautiful. "Nice to meet you, Ana. I'm Christian."

She turned to beam widely up at him again. "Nice to meet you too, Christian."

APOV

"Psst, Ana!"

Ana looked over at her coworker Sara, who was standing near the information desk marking price tags on discounted items. Sara quietly beckoned for her to come over, and Ana did, glancing around curiously.

"Look over there," Sara discreetly pointed toward the lingerie section nearby, and Ana looked over to see a man standing and examining some of the fancier pieces. The man was tall with copper-colored hair and broad shoulders; he wore a nice-looking black wool coat which made Ana think he was probably pretty rich. He was easily the most attractive guy she'd ever seen.

"Oh he's a ten, for sure," Sara whispered, and the two women giggled like schoolgirls.

"He is really gorgeous," Ana agreed, her eyes still on the handsome stranger. He smile faded, however, when she noticed what section he was in. "Too bad he's shopping for lingerie - probably for his girlfriend, I bet."

"Ugh," Sara pouted, turning back to her task of marking discounted items. "Life is so unfair."

Ana continued to watched the man - he was carrying a shopping basket with several items in it, and she wondered if he was checking out soon. In that moment, she made a snap decision to go up and talk to him.

"I'll be right back," Ana whispered to Sara before straightening her blouse and starting to make her way toward the handsome stranger. She could hear Sara try to call her back, but Ana ignored her, heading determinedly toward her target.

What's the harm in just speaking to him?

Ana stopped a couple feet away from the man, her past year of working in a high-end retail store allowing her to speak with a professional and chipper voice. "Can I help you with anything, sir?"

The man turned to look at her, and the smile that broke out across his handsome face caused Ana's heart to practically stop in her chest.

Jesus, he's gorgeous.

"No, I'm good, thanks," he said kindly after a moment. His gaze traveled over her body, and Ana could feel herself blush; however, she couldn't squash the slight feeling of disappointment as she informed him she would be at the register whenever he was ready to check out.

I guess I won't get to talk to him right now...

"I'm actually ready right now," he said quickly, as if he didn't want her to walk away just yet. "Sorry, I was just waiting for my driver to get here before I paid for my things. I can come with you now, though."

Ana couldn't hide her excitement as she beamed at him. "Oh, okay - great! Right this way, sir."

As Ana began to lead the way toward the registers, she caught a glimpse of the heavy snowfall outside, and she wondered vaguely if this guy's driver would be able to make it through this blizzard. She didn't get a chance to ponder it much as Handsome Guy moved up and fell in step beside her.

"What's your name?" he asked, gazing at her. Ana blushed and smiled, feeling her heart pound happily when he asked that.

"I'm Ana," she said, hoping her voice didn't sound too breathy.

"Nice to meet you Ana. I'm Christian."

"Nice to meet you too, Christian."

The two of them finally made it to the register, and Ana moved behind the counter. "So you said your driver is coming to pick you up then? I only ask because I don't know if he'll be able to make it here through the blizzard - I heard it's supposed to get pretty bad."

Christian turned to look out the window, and frowned as he took in the heavy snow that filled the dark sky. "I'm sure it'll be fine."

Just as he said that, his cell phone began to ring with an incoming call. He quickly checked the caller ID before answering.

"Taylor, what is it?" he snapped.

Christian listened to the man named Taylor on the other end, silently pulling his black Amex out of his wallet and handing it over to Ana so he could pay for his items. Ana rung him up as she inconspicuously listened to his conversation:

"…What do you mean 'closed'?" Christian frowned, turning to look out the windows to the avenue outside. Ana noticed several snow plows with flashing orange lights pass by slowly in front of the store.

"How bad?" Christian asked, listening to Taylor's response. "…Well, how long do you think it's going to be?"

After a short pause, Christian lifted his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose, clearly frustrated. "Okay… I'll figure something out. Thanks Taylor."

He hung up the phone and turned back to Ana, who couldn't help but ask: "Are the roads closed?"

"Apparently," Christian sighed. "The snowfall's gotten to be really bad in this area, and so the city has blocked off a few of the roads. My driver isn't able to get to me from the hotel."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Ana said, frowning in sympathy. "Where are you staying?"

"The Waldorf."

Ana thought for a moment, remembering where that hotel was in relation to the store. "Hm… I think the Waldorf is only about twenty minutes away on foot, and you could probably get there in good time if you don't mind walking in this weather. Otherwise, I'd say you're going to be stuck here for a bit."

Christian gave her a small, charming smile that made her knees weak. "Well, there are certainly worse places to be stuck in a snowstorm."

Ana giggled, unable to hide her blush. "Very true."

Christian beamed at her, and Ana felt her heart beat like crazy. She wasn't accustomed to flirting with someone like this, but with Christian it felt natural. She couldn't remember feeling like this with anyone, not even her ex-boyfriend Paul.

Ugh, don't think about him.

Christian's playful smile faded after a moment into a concerned frown. "Wait a second - how are you going to get home? Did you drive here?"

Ana shook her head. "No, I don't have a car - I always walk to work. My apartment isn't far… in fact, it's actually only a couple blocks away from your hotel."

Christian stared at her for a moment before a small smile spread across his face. "When is your shift over?"

"Um… I'm here till close. Why?" Ana said, confused.

Christian's smile remained fixed to his face. "Well, Ana… if you don't mind, I think I'm going to hang around here for awhile and wait till your shift is over. I don't feel comfortable with you walking home all by yourself in this weather, and since I'm going the same way, I think it would be best if we braved the elements together."

Ana felt a bit surprised by his chivalrous offer, but at the same time she couldn't help but giggle at his forwardness. "You don't need to do that, Christian. I've suffered through Chicago snowstorms before - it's really not that big of a deal."

"I insist," Christian said firmly. "It's dangerous out there, and I would feel much better knowing that you got home okay in this storm."

Ana smiled and blushed once again. "Well… okay, thank you Christian. That's very kind of you."

Christian smiled back at her. "It's my pleasure, Ana."

CPOV

Christian couldn't believe his luck - he was going to get to see more of this gorgeous girl! While he initially thought this snowstorm was just going to end up being a huge inconvenience for him, it actually became an excellent opportunity for him to spend time with the beautiful salesgirl who had managed to capture his attention. While he knew they probably weren't going to see each other again after tonight, what was the harm in spending one little snow storm together?

Ana had a couple hours of her shift to go yet, so she and Christian ended up wandering around the store under the guise of her helping him shop for clothes. In addition to his other purchases, Christian needed to buy a hat, gloves and scarf since he was about to walk through a blizzard, so he shopped around the winter clothes section while he and Ana chatted. It was only simple small-talk, but Christian couldn't help but be mesmerized by the inflections of her voice and the adorable expressions on her face.

"So are you from around here?" Ana asked after they had talked for a bit, and Christian shook his head.

"No, I'm from Seattle."

Ana suddenly gasped, staring at him with wide eyes. "No way!"

"Yeah," Christian gave her an odd look. "Why?"

"I'm from Seattle too!" she said brightly, and Christian suddenly felt his heart clench with excitement, though he wasn't entirely sure why. "I was born and raised there! I've been living in Chicago for about a year now."

Christian grinned. "Wow, what a small world."

"I know," Ana giggled, and Christian suddenly wanted to hear that sound more. "That must be why I feel so comfortable around you."

"Good to know," Christian winked, and Ana blushed. "But even though I'm from your hometown, how do you know I'm not dangerous?"

"Are you dangerous?" she asked without missing a beat.

Baby, you have no idea.

"If I said no, would you believe me?" he countered right back.

Ana twisted her lips slightly before doing something unexpected - she whipped out her cell phone and snapped a picture of his face before he even knew what was happening.

"Wh-what?" Christian blinked, taken aback. "What was that for?"

"Insurance," she said flippantly, typing something on her cell phone. "I'm sending a picture of you to my roommate Kate in case I don't make it home in time, that's all."

Smart girl.

Christian stared at her for a moment before smiling slightly and letting out a reluctant chuckle. "You truly know how to flatter a guy, Ana."

Ana giggled, putting her phone away. "You're a stranger who wants to walk me home - I'd be stupid not to take some precautions."

"Very true," he said, his tone serious. "That is very smart of you…" He suddenly had a moment of inspiration: "If you'd still like some more reassurance about my character, though, you could always just Google me."

Ana gave him a skeptical look. "Seriously?"

Christian nodded. "Seriously. My name's Christian Grey - look me up."

Still eyeing him skeptically, Ana pulled her phone out again and typed his name into Google. After a moment, he saw her eyes widen as she saw what was no doubt a ton of images and articles of him that popped up.

"Whoa," she said quietly, scrolling through her phone and looking at everything on there. "That's you!"

"Yep," Christian smiled, and Ana looked up at him.

"I know you," she said quietly, and then shook her head. "I mean, I know of you. I've heard your name before. You're sort of famous in Seattle… I just didn't make the connection…" she suddenly grinned. "Wow, I'm being walked home by the Christian Grey!"

Christian couldn't help but laugh, noticing how beautiful she looked when she smiled. He wanted more than ever to see her do it again.

God, what is this girl doing to me?

"Yes, you are," he said, smiling at her. "And in return, you need to help him find a warm hat and gloves to wear so he can do it."

Ana laughed. "Well, let me see if I can assist you, Mr. Grey…"

~/~

For the next few hours or so, Christian and Ana chatted in a friendly way, getting to know each other as they shopped. While Christian knew he was very attracted to Ana (and she to him, judging by the constant blush on her cheeks), he was enjoying just talking to her in a friendly, non-sexual setting. He didn't think he had ever done something like this with a woman before besides Mia (who obviously didn't count), but he actually really liked it. He felt like he wanted to know everything about this Ana girl, whose full name he found out was actually Anastasia Steele.

Much more beautiful… and much more fitting.

"So, Anastasia," Christian said after a lull in the conversation. He had finally found a nice winter hat, leather gloves and a wool scarf to wear outside, and now the two of them were still wandering around the near-empty store. He didn't want this night to end. "What made you end up moving to Chicago?"

Ana's beautiful face fell slightly, as if recalling a bad memory. "A stupid decision," she said regretfully, shaking her head. "I was dating this guy Paul for a couple years, and about a year ago he had actually gotten a job out here. Since he and I were pretty serious at the time, I followed him, thinking he and I were going to get married someday…" Ana shook her head again. "Needless to say, that never happened."

"I'm sorry," Christian said, unsure of what else to say. He felt his heart clench with some unfamiliar emotion. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"There's nothing much to talk about," Ana shrugged. "He never saw himself ever getting married, which he decided not to tell me until after I had uprooted my life for him, so we fought about it for awhile before I ended up breaking up with him. I moved in with this girl Kate and I was able to secure a job here at Nordstrom… so I've sort of been on my own ever since."

"If you don't mind me asking, why don't you just move back home to Seattle?" Christian couldn't help but ask.Was she hoping to get back together with this Paul dickwad?

Ana smiled sadly. "That's the plan. Just as soon as I save up enough money, I'll rent an apartment in the Seattle area and maybe try to transfer to a Nordstrom up there. It'll be a few more months before I get there, though."

"You're dad can't help you at all?" Christian asked, remembering her mentioning being raised by her stepdad Ray.

"He doesn't really have a lot of money," Ana explained. "And besides, I'm far too stubborn and independent to ask for assistance from anyone. Something Ray and I have in common, I suppose."

"I'm sorry that you're pretty much stuck here," Christian said, mentally thinking of different ways to get her the financial help she needed. He would do it anonymously, but also give her some idea of who had helped her with her money problems.

"It's not so bad," she shrugged with a light smile. "I have a good job, and I've made plenty of friends here. They helped me a lot after my break-up with Paul."

Before Christian could say or do anything, Ana's phone suddenly started buzzing in her pocket. She took it out and checked the screen, suddenly smiling at it.

"Well, Mr. Grey, it looks like my shift is officially over." She looked up at him, putting her phone away. "Ready to brave the elements with me?"

Christian grinned, trying to hide the fact he was a little sad that their evening together was now over. "Lead the way, Ms. Steele."

~/~

Holy shit, it was cold out! The snow and wind whipped at Christian face, despite the warm winter hat and cozy scarf he was wearing. Ana was just as bundled up as he was, and he could actually hear her laugh despite the scarf muffling her mouth and the howling winds blowing.

"Wow, look at that!"

Christian glanced at Ana, and she was gazing upward at the sky. He looked up too, and noticed that the sky had turned an orange-ish red color, allowing the millions of snowflakes to fall from the sky above and shimmer against the light of the tall buildings around them.

It's actually quite pretty…

He and Ana began making their way down the empty Michigan Avenue, fighting against the wind and snow whipping them in the face as Christian clutched his shopping bag in his hand. Since most of the roads were closed, there weren't any cars around except for a couple plows. Many of the retail stores in the area were closing for the evening as well, but the artificial lights that still shone from the surrounding buildings through the snow looked oddly magical.

Christian turned to sneak a peek at Ana - even under the artificial lights of the city, he thought she looked stunning. Her pale cheeks had become reddened by the cold, and he could see snowflakes clinging to her long eyelashes and to the tip of her nose. His heart seemed to want to burst out of his chest, she looked so breathtaking - he didn't know what it was about this woman, but just spending the last couple hours talking to her had made him want her more than he ever thought possible. He realized he would do just about anything to see her again, no matter what the circumstances. He wanted her any way he could have her.

Christian was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't realize he had been staring at Ana… not before she had caught him looking at her. Instead of calling him out on it, though, she smirked at him before suddenly grabbing a handful of fluffy white snow from a nearby handrail, packing it into a ball and throwing it at his chest. Christian jumped back slightly when it hit him, and he stared at the spot on his chest where it hit before glancing back up at her with an evil smirk on his face.

"Oh, you are so dead."

Ana giggled before turning and running away, slipping and sliding on the slushy ground as she went. Christian chased after her, picking up a handful of snow and throwing it at her back. She squealed and laughed as he hit her, and the two of them took off down the street, laughing and throwing snow at each other as they went.

It took about twenty-five minutes for the two of them to finally make it to the Waldorf, and a couple blocks past it was where Ana's apartment resided. Christian, hoping to spend as much time with this beautiful girl as possible, chose to walk the extra distance with her to her apartment. The two of them walked side by side, close together so their shoulders occasionally brushed up against each other. Every time that happened, Christian's chest stirred, making him feel odd - he'd never felt this way about a woman before, and now he wasn't sure what to do. Ana was so sweet and loving - surely, she didn't deserve a guy like him.

No matter how much he wanted to be different for her.

"This is me," Ana said, stopping in front of a small brick apartment complex. Christian glanced at it for a moment before facing Ana.

"Well, I guess this is goodbye now," Christian said, unable to hide the sadness in his voice. "I'm not sure if I'll ever get to see you again."

Or if you'll ever want to see me again…

"If I ever make it back to Seattle, I'll make sure to look you up," Ana said sincerely, and Christian looked into her eyes, which also had a tinge of sadness in them. She smiled at him. "I've enjoyed spending tonight with you, Christian."

Christian wanted to respond with me too, but the moment he looked into her eyes, something stopped him. He could only stare at her, the blue of her eyes, the pink of her cheeks, and the alluring rose color of her lips…

Fuck it

Christian suddenly moved forward and kissed Ana right on the lips, which were cold to the touch. Ana gasped against him, opening her mouth slightly, which only allowed Christian to trace the edge of her lips with his tongue. For a second, he was worried she would push him away, but next moment he felt her responding to his kiss, her lips and tongue moving against his. Christian groaned, dropping his bag as he grabbed her by the waist as her arms went up around his neck, their kiss deepening. Both of them had forgotten about the heavy snowfall and the freezing air around them, far too wrapped up in each other to care.

This is heaven.

After what felt like an eternity, their kiss slowed down, and they eventually broke apart; their lips brushed up against each others lightly before finally pulling away. Christian was breathing heavily, and his heart pounded frantically in his chest.

"Sorry," he couldn't help but whisper after a moment, and Ana let out a small giggle.

"It's okay," she whispered just as quietly, her eyes gazing straight into his. Christian stared back at her, his arms still around her waist. He didn't want to let her go.

"Ana…" he whispered her name, and swallowed. "I know we just met, and… and we don't really know much about each other… but I want you to know, I had a great time with you tonight."

"I had a great time too," she whispered back, her big eyes blinking up at him with what was unmistakably desire.

Christian quickly closed his eyes, leaning forward and pressing his forehead to hers in a gesture of intimacy he was unaccustomed to. "I hope I get to see you again," he said quietly, his words sincere.

He heard Ana let out a short breath. "I hope so too."

Would she still feel this way if she knew about his past? While he knew BDSM wasn't what he wanted with her, he still felt he was too fucked up to attempt anything else with her, like vanilla. What if she found out about the real him, and then became too scared to attempt anything more?

Would this girl be worth the risk?

"Merry Christmas Christian," Ana whispered after a moment, and Christian couldn't help but give her a small, melancholy smile.

"Merry Christmas Ana."

One week later - December 26th

APOV

Ana couldn't believe she was here - finally, she was back home in Seattle! After so many months of being gone, coming back here was like putting on an old pair of shoes - comfortable and wonderfully familiar. She got to spend her holiday with Ray just like she had been hoping to do, but had resigned herself to the fact that she couldn't.

A couple days after her magical evening with Christian Grey - which had ended with a magical kiss outside in the snow - she got a call from her manager. Apparently, she had gotten a huge tip from an anonymous customer of over five thousand dollars! That much money in addition to the money she had already saved up from work gave her more than enough to start looking for an apartment in Seattle once again. As much as she had grown to love Chicago, her heart was in Seattle, and she couldn't wait to move back there. She actually ended up having a little extra money, and made the last minute decision to fly up to Seattle for a couple days to visit her dad for Christmas and share with him the good news of her upcoming return.

Ana wasn't so naive as to not know who had given her the anonymous donation. Christian hadn't bothered hiding the fact from her that he was incredibly wealthy, and she liked to think their little snow day outing last week had had some sort of effect on him. He told her he wanted to see her again, so perhaps this was his way of making that happen?

Ana now stood at the front doors of the giant building of Grey Enterprise Holdings Inc. which was in the heart of Seattle. She had just spent Christmas with Ray, and since today was going to be her last day in the city, she wanted to at least stop by and say thank you to Christian - the man who had made all this possible. He deserved that much, at least.

Plus, she hadn't heard from him in a week, ever since their kiss in the snow. She wanted to know if maybe he missed her too, or if…

No, Ana thought to herself, dispelling those bad thoughts. There was a good chance Christian didn't want to hear from her again, but she wanted to see him anyway. She would get to say thank you to him for the money, at least.

Since it was the day after Christmas, only a few surly-looking security guards were at Grey House today. Ana asked them if Christian Grey was in, and they gave her strange looks, clearly confused as to who she was and if she had clearance to see the big boss. Ana had figured this would be a problem, and she insisted that, if he was here, they call him up and tell him that Ana Steele was visiting. They were still reluctant to do that, but they eventually agreed to call up his personal assistant to let Christian know what was going on.

"…Ms. Parker said you can head on up," one of the security guards said after getting off the phone, clearly bemused "Grey's in his office on the top floor."

"Thank you," Ana said gratefully, and she began making her way toward the elevators on the other side of the foyer.

Once the elevator arrived on the top floor, Ana stepped out. The entire place looked sterile and white - and huge. Two large wooden doors were on the opposite side of the foyer, likely leading to Christian's office, and adjacent to the doors was a large front desk with a small blonde woman behind it.

"Ana Steele?" the woman asked as Ana approached, and she nodded. "I'm Andrea Parker, Mr. Grey's assistant."

"Nice to meet you," Ana smiled. "Is Christian in his office? I just need a quick word with him."

"You can head right in," Andrea nodded and smiled kindly at her. Ana smiled back before walking toward the doors.

The moment she stepped inside, Ana noticed the huge floor-to-ceiling windows on the opposite wall. Snow had begun to fall lightly from the gray, cloudy sky, making the Seattle landscape look all the more beautiful. Ana glanced to her right and noticed a large mahogany desk, behind it sitting the handsome copper-haired man she hadn't been able to stop thinking about for days. He was working diligently at his computer, and seemed unaware she had walked in.

"Merry Christmas."

Christian paused in his typing for a second before looking up, finally noticing Ana standing by the door. He looked a bit different than from last week - more tired and stressed out, as if he hadn't slept very well since he had last seen her. His eyes were wide, however, as he stared at Ana, as if unsure if she was really standing there.

Undeterred, Ana took a step toward him. "I'm sorry for dropping by so unexpectedly, but I was told you were here today. I just wanted to come by and thank you for what you did."

Christian didn't say anything, but rather he stood up from his chair, still staring at her. Ana didn't know how to interpret this, so she went on: "…I know it was you who gave me that money, and even though I told you I don't take assistance from anyone, I'm not going to be so selfish as to not tell you how much that money meant to me." She was beginning to tear up with emotion as she spoke, and Christian slowly began to walk around his desk toward her. "I now finally have enough money to move back home to Seattle and to visit my dad for Christmas, which is all I ever wanted. And it's all thanks to you. I don't think I could ever repay you for -"

She was suddenly cut off, however, when Christian practically ran the last few steps toward her and swept her up in his arms, pressing his lips to hers in a searing kiss. Ana was shocked, but after a moment began to kiss him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and feeling her heart pound with excitement.

He does care!

"...I didn't know if I would ever get to see you again," Christian whispered against her lips after a moment, as if reading her thoughts. Ana opened her eyes and saw his gray orbs boring into hers. "I wasn't sure if you wanted to see me again. I gave you the money as sort of a way to say goodbye to you."

"Do you want to say goodbye to me?" Ana asked, her heart suddenly clenching with anxiety.

"Hell no!" Christian said emphatically, and Ana felt a bit better. "I loved spending my last day in Chicago with you, and since I got back I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. But…" Christian hesitated, glancing down before shaking his head. "I just… I have a past, things I haven't told you about yet, and I'm just afraid that… that you won't..."

He began to stammer, and Ana gently lifted her hand and pressed a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. He gazed into her eyes, and she smiled lightly at him before removing her finger.

"We have plenty of time to learn things about each other, Christian," she said quietly, moving her hand up to cup his cheek. He leaned into her touch. "Whatever your past is, we'll talk more about it in time. For now, though, let's just spend time together and get to know each other more. I'm sure no matter what it is you've been through, I'll very much like the man I get to know."

Christian stared at her for a second before smiling, and suddenly his lips were on hers again, kissing her like there was no tomorrow. Ana kissed him back, smiling against his lips - the snow outside continued to fall from the sky, and deep down in her heart, she knew that this Christmas would always be the best Christmas she had ever had.

And it was.

~ THE END ~

A/N: Surprise Christmas oneshot! I never intended to write a new story, but this idea came to me one day and refused to let go. I hope you all enjoyed it!

Please review!