FIFTY SHADES: UNFINISHED LOVE

Author's Note: AU/OOC. Elements will be taken from the books and the rest will be creative license. Christian is a little more open and attuned to his need to change if he wants more; Ana's bolder but has a few shades of her own.

Background: Ana and Kate have recently moved to Seattle after graduating from WSU. Their commencement ceremony is approaching and Kate is set to do a special edition of the WSU newspaper for graduation.

Disclaimer (standing disclaimer for the rest of the story): I do not own these characters or the series, they are merely borrowed. Changes to storylines will be my own. Enjoy!

CHAPTER 1 – THE CHASE

She was the purest beauty, but not the common kind.
She had a way about her that made you feel alive.
And for a moment, we made the world stand still.

-We Owned the Night (Lady Antebellum)-

(Christian's POV)

I, Christian Grey, did not have casual sex.

Not once have I ever had a one-night stand nor have I ever desired to have one. They were impulsive, irresponsible, and uncontrollable. They were meant for the weak: men who didn't have the willpower to keep their dicks in check. Without limits, without contracts or agreements, it was too risky. Someone would take things too far and someone would wind up hurt. And fuck it if that wound up being me.

But the moment I met Anastasia – Ana – I knew I had to have her. My usual iron-clad control had been shot to hell in an instant, and all I could think about was her. Her wide innocent blue eyes, pink pouty lips, soft creamy skin, silky brown hair…

From the way she was dressed I normally wouldn't have given a girl like her a second glance. We were in a bar popular with the younger crowd so it was flooded with college students beginning their weekends. Elliot had been in the city working on a project and had dragged me here; otherwise I never would have come on my own accord. But in typical Elliot fashion he was now nowhere to be found leaving me to grumble and sulk on my own.

Ana was dressed as a typical campus co-ed: jeans and an ill-fitting campus t-shirt in classic college-font. Her hair had been pulled into a messy half up-do, loose pieces of glossy strands framing her face. There had been nothing too remarkable about her on a passing glance. The blonde girl she was also with was definitely more the type I would have taken a moment to admire: tall, slim, and poised with an air of confidence around her.

However, it was while glancing around the bar yet again for something that could possibly hold my attention for more than a few seconds when I caught another glimpse of her: those big blue eyes betraying the mask of indifference on her face, an intriguing look of discomfort and annoyance despite being surrounded by her peers. Looking as though she'd rather be anywhere else but there – where she was fettered by immature drunk goons pawing at her in every direction – I was hooked.

Her gaze had been scanning the bar much like my own, and in a peculiar moment as our eyes locked I felt my entire body tense. A solid wall of something slammed into my chest, knocking the wind out of me. And then, immediately, suddenly, unexpectedly – this urge, this sudden need to get to know her was all I knew. I was drawn to her like nothing I had ever felt before and it was the most terrifying feeling in the world.

The blue of her eyes had been so crystal clear: so pure, so innocent. Beguiling… Enchanting… Mesmerizing. All words that could describe this beauty before me.

I couldn't stop myself from watching her and I came to the conclusion that she had only come here with the blonde. The same blonde who repeatedly flitted back and forth between their table and the bar, batting her lashes at anyone with a dick and a credit card. Ana however remained in place, unwilling to play the same typical college-girl game. No boyfriend in sight.

A few boys managed to stumble their way to her table throughout the night; instead she seemed to turn them away flustered and annoyed at their intrusions. Interesting, I thought. I would have thought a young girl like her would have welcomed the unsolicited attention. At the very least, a few free drinks for the night.

After spending the better part of the evening watching her I finally stood up. I shot back the rest of my drink before ordering two glasses of wine and walked over to her table. Her acquaintance had just walked away with a burly looking man both grinning mischievously at what I could only assume was going to be a quick fuck in the bathroom. Classy. I took this as my opening.

Approaching the table I cleared my throat and her head snapped towards me as if she knew it would be me. She let out a gasp before her cheeks turned a delicious shade of pink. Oh, what I would love to do to see that shade of pink all over her body.

"May I?" I asked nonchalantly, setting the glass down and sliding it in front of her before taking a seat.

Too stunned to speak, she gave a quick nod of her head before glancing down at the glass. Shakily, she picked it up and I watched intently as her lips pressed against the glass, the cool clear liquid dripping into her mouth and down her throat. I watched as she swallowed, adjusting my pants discreetly before taking a seat. I didn't know if I should be concerned at how readily she accepted that drink without a second thought or excited by her eagerness to please me.

"M-my friend should be back shortly." She stammered, avoiding the intensity of my gaze. I used my best stare hoping to make her combust on the spot; I wanted her like jelly in the palm of my hand.

However, with her finger, she traced the edge of her wine glass absentmindedly before glancing around the bar as if I wasn't even there.

Look. At. Me.

"Then perhaps I should keep you company until she returns." Settling into my seat, I tried to suppress my look of confusion at her imperviousness to me. My grin returned as her cheeks once again took on that delicious shade after she realized I wasn't going anywhere.

"You don't have to. I'll be fine… not that you care… do you know Kate? Everyone seems to know Kate. That must be why you're here. Were you wanting to talk to her?" She was already reaching for her phone before she finished talking, presumably to call Kate, but I reached over to stop her.

Placing my hand over hers there was this moment – an actual suspension of time I kid you not – where it was only us. Two people alone in our own universe, her creamy white hand sat neatly underneath mine.

All I could see was her – an errant strand of her hair falling onto her face, her blue eyes peering shyly through thick full lashes, her lips slightly parted as she struggled to breathe. Immediately I craved her, in a horrendously impulsive way before I could realize what I was thinking. And with absolutely no sense of control, I leaned over and earnestly pressed my lips against hers.

A timid whimper escaped her lips before she began to reciprocate. Her kiss was shy and gentle; mine firm and wanton. It was a perfectly normal moment in time – just a boy and a girl sharing a kiss – before the loud shrill of a voice came screeching into our haven.

"Oh. My. God. Ana you slut!" The voice screamed, the clacking of heels approaching the table.

Flushed, and this time a crimson red painting her beautiful face, she placed her hands on my shoulders pushing just hard enough to put some space between us. Even more shocking than how deliciously edible she looked blushing from head-to-toe was that I didn't lose my shit just now. Instinct was nowhere to be found; instead of my usual violent reaction to being touched, I just… sat there. I felt a sensation I wasn't quite sure how to identify: it was uncomfortable, though not painful like I would have expected it to be. It didn't burn or make my skin crawl. It was just… not nice.

The few times over the course of my life that someone had touched me – a fight or a push in a crowded area – I had been filled with a terribly blinding rage that left me seeing red and unable to control myself. But just now with her, this strange and innocent creature, her tiny hands on me did nothing to infuriate me. Instead, I found myself wanting her to do it again. Wanting her to touch me.

"Who's this? You're such a skank!" The girl continued to stumble over her words, the burly man she left with earlier no longer at her side. Turning to me, her eyes immediately went wide and I flinched at the recognition on her face. "Oh. My. God. Christian Grey!" Her squeal attracted the attention of the nearby tables fleetingly before they returned to their own drunken stupors. "I'm Katherine Kavanagh. I'm interviewing you on Monday for the graduation edition of the WSU paper!" She gushed, eagerly reaching over to shake my hand. Even though classes were officially over for the semester, as a favor to a business associate, evidently Katherine Kavanagh's father, I had agreed to do this graduation edition of the WSU newspaper as a prelude to commencing their degrees next week.

Clearing my throat I shook her hand back mindful of my manners, despite wanting to get rid of this distraction and back to the delectable girl furtively trying to evade my gaze. All I could think about was continuing that kiss before taking Ana back to my place and doing all kinds of things that would have had her blushing for a week.

"This is so crazy that we would run into you! What a small world!" Slinging her arm around her friend, Kate continued to yammer on, her words slurred and loud. "This is my roommate, Anastasia." She mocked as the girl winced at the formality of her name.

"It's Ana." She replied meekly.

"Yes, Ana, my roommate. She is the biggest party-pooper in the fucking universe. We've just moved here to Seattle and all she wants to do is go home and be her same boring self!" She sneered, though Ana merely shrugged her shoulders.

"Kate, maybe we should go home." Ana began, starting to gather up their coats and purses. "Sorry for her, she's had too much to drink." Slipping off her stool, she wrapped her arm around her friend as they began to head for the door.

"I'm fine, god Ana! Lighten up, let go!" She pulled her arm roughly, causing Ana to stumble backwards. I was quick to catch her, just in time before she went crashing into a group of frat boys standing nearby watching with amusement in hopes for some girl-on-girl action. Back off fuckers. "Maybe if you got some, you wouldn't be so fucking wound up! You could sleep with the guy… oh god what was his name… anyways the guy I was with earlier. He was alright." She shrugged before bursting into a fit of giggles. "He wasn't great, but got the job done." She howled as Ana stood there mortified.

"She's not usually like this." Ana mumbled, glaring vehemently at her friend. "Only when she's drunk, or being a total bitch." She hissed, her patience quickly waning. "Please, ignore tonight. She really is great at what she does and I'd hate for this dire moment to ruin her interview on Monday."

"Dire?"

"Yes. It means 'awful' or 'dreadful.'" She explained, waving her hand dimissively.

"I'm aware of its meaning." I mused, her eyes widening as she risked a quick glance towards me.

"Sorry, I wasn't implying you were dumb or anything. I don't think you're dumb otherwise you wouldn't be some big hotshot. You have your own company for Pete's sake. It's just sometimes I use words and people don't seem to understand so I always have to explain myself, it's because I read so many books… oh gosh… shut up, Ana." She grumbled, cheeks reddened, this time tugging harder on her friend's arm to get out the door. "We really should be going; it was nice meeting you Mr. Grey."

"Please, call me Christian." I said reaching for her arm. Surprise once again floors me. I never let anyone call me by my first name. "And please, stay."

"Yeah, stay, Ana." Her friend mimicked. "I'm not ready to go home, if you want to you can but I'm staying!" She pouted dramatically, turning around and immediately garnering the attention of a group of eager boys all too willing to talk with her. "Don't wait up, Anastasia, have fun being… you." She smirked with haughty amusement as the group chuckled in response.

Furiously turning on her heel, her face flaming with humiliation, she stormed out of the bar without a second glance back.

"Wait!" I called down the semi-noisy street, party-goers darting in and out of bars.

She must've thought I was talking to someone else because she continued walking. How dare she ignore me.

It only took a few long strides before I was behind her and gently tugging on her arm to get her to stop.

"Wait." I said once more, my voice not as loud – or as frantic – as before. "Anastasia." I breathed, her name rolling sweetly off my tongue, a feeling of relief as I took a moment to catch my breath.

"It's Ana." She huffed in annoyance before remembering her manners. "Sorry, just nobody calls me by my full name unless you're Ray and I'm in trouble. It's too long and-"

"Beautiful. A beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

I wonder if she always reacts so strongly to compliments as her face flamed up once more. Are you this responsive to everything? Surely a girl as stunning as her was used to hearing words of praise for her beauty.

"It was nice meeting you, but I should really be going home. It's getting late. I should just call a cab… oh god I don't have any cash." She sulked out loud. "Do cabs take credit cards? I've never really taken a cab before, at least not by myself… I've been living on my own for four years, you'd think I'd know something like this. I just never go out and Seattle's so new and different." She continued to ramble, though the lack of eye contact had me wondering if she was talking to me at all or merely stating her thoughts. "Maybe I'll walk, how far away is it from here to-"

"Let me take you home." I interjected quickly, finding it ridiculous that a girl like her would even consider walking home alone at such a late hour. Not only was it dangerous, it was completely unnecessary since Taylor was already waiting at the curb. "I have a car and driver waiting; it won't be a problem at all."

Warily, she raised an eyebrow at me. "No offense, but the likelihood of me getting in a car with you – whom I've known maybe all of five seconds – is pretty slim. I might as well take my chances and walk home."

"Don't be absurd. Your friend is interviewing me on Monday. Do you really think she would be interviewing me if I was some crazed lunatic? Trust me. I'll make sure you get home safely."

Rolling her eyes, I realized how frustrating – and what a turn on – it was to see such blatant disregard. No one ever dared such a disrespectful habit towards me knowing who I was in this town. I wielded power in everything and I was far too respected, yet here this shy and timid college co-ed had the gall to do just that, and it made my dick twitch with excitement.

"I'll be perfectly fine Christian. Good night." Rounding the corner, she tossed her hair over her shoulder before crossing the street. The way my name rolled off her tongue made me suppress a groan of appreciation. I enjoyed hearing my name from her lips very much.

Following behind baffled by this woman, even more so by my need to follow her, I couldn't help but shake my head. I am Christian Grey CEO, and I always have an abundance of admirers willing to literally bow down to my every whim. But here in now, in nowhere-college-town, I was chasing after a normal girl who seemed immune to me entirely. She couldn't care less who I was or what I looked like; it was just another Friday night as if I were just some guy who tried to hit on her and she was quick to dismiss me. Like this was common for her.

After a few blocks she finally whirled around with a scowl on her face. "If you're going to kill me, I should let you know that my father is ex-army and there's a greater chance that I would kill you before you had the chance." The seriousness and annoyance in her voice was cute as hell; I couldn't help the grin spreading across my face at this beautiful girl challenging me to a death match. We stood at an impasse – her scowling and trying to appear intimidating; and me unable to control a smile – a facial expression I rarely wore.

"I'll be sure to remember that Ana. But I assure you, I have no intention of killing you. I just want to ensure you arrive home without incident."

Sighing with derision, she waved me along before clomping down the street. "Well you might as well walk beside me then so it's not so creepy. People might think you're following me home."

Satisfied, I fell in step next to her as we walked in silence. It was a few more blocks before we finally arrived at her apartment complex, a red brick stone building in a decent neighborhood. Twiddling her keys in her hands, she risked a glance towards me.

"Well, I guess this is it. Thank you for walking with me, though you didn't have to. Please, give Kate a chance on Monday; I'm sure she'll be mortified in the morning when she realizes what a hot mess she was in front of you. Especially after spending months trying to get that interview."

"Ah yes, Miss Kavanagh. Quite the tenacious woman she is."

"Kate is pretty good at getting what she wants." She shrugged nonchalantly. "Anyways..." And without an awkward attempt at a handshake or anything, she turned around, unlocked the door and disappeared inside the building.

Though I'm certainly a stranger to the dating scene, a complete novice in truth, I knew enough that there was usually a moment at the end of the night where there was the potential for a goodnight kiss or an exchange of numbers. Instead, as unpredictable as this entire night had been and the enigma that is Anastasia, she had simply walked away without so much as a second thought. Like I had done her a service by accompanying her and I was now dismissed. All those stupid girly movies Mia had made me watch with her growing up now seem like a complete sham. I feel duly cheated.

Shaking my head in confusion, I turned around knowing Taylor had been tailing us in the SUV. I'm sure Taylor was just as confused as he watched me walk around leisurely, chasing after this girl like a love-sick teenager.

I, Christian Grey, did not pine after girls nor did I follow them around like a puppy dog. I was a billionaire for fuck's sake, and I shouldn't be wasting my time on these menial endeavors. Shaking my head once more to clear the fogginess that was clouding my judgement, I slipped into the car and barked at Taylor to take me home.

This night needed to be over.

A/N: Please leave a review! :) For more, also visit my two Pinterest boards that accompany this story (see profile for link).