Fifty Shades Darker

Ana drops to her knees and tells Christian this is not what she wants. Ana tells Christian about her own fears and feelings of inadequacy. She reassures him that she is not leaving, just trying figure out how she feels and what she needs. Christian finally begins talking, telling Ana about how scared he was, for both her and Leila. He tells Ana that he loves her, that she is his lifeline. He places Ana’s hand right over his heart, where he previously forbade her from touch. The two kiss and begin to undress. Christian begins to cry.

Ana apologizes, telling him she would never leave him. She asks for his forgiveness. She wants to know what secret he is hiding that he thinks will make her leave him. Christian looks at her, his expression desolate, and tells her, “I’m a sadist, Ana. I like to whip little brown-haired girls like you because you all look like the crack whore—my birth mother” (444). Ana’s head spins as she struggles to process what Christian just admitted. Her feelings of inadequacy win. She thinks that he really needs the whips and canes. The couple discusses whether Christian can be satisfied without sexual violence. Christian tells Ana that the hurt of losing her made him realize that she is more important to him than the BDSM lifestyle.

Ana then recalls the picture of the woman in his childhood bedroom. She realizes that must have been his birth mother. She says she is exhausted and asks if they can talk about all this tomorrow. She tells Christian she is not leaving him. Then Christian asks her to marry him.

She giggles; then, the giggles turn “into full-scale hysterical laughter” (449). Christian is not amused. Ana tells him that his timing is terrible. She tells him that her answer is not a no, but not a yes. He tells her he wants to spend the rest of his life with her.

The two get off the floor and decide to get a snack. They begin to tell each other what they did after they parted ways in the apartment. Christian gets huffy about Ana going out with Ethan, so Ana turns the conversation back to him and Leila. Christian tells her that he got Leila into a bath. She does not take that well, storming off. She begins to sob, realizing that Christian undressed, washed, and redressed his ex-submissive who had just pointed a gun at her.

Ana cries herself out and then falls asleep tangled in bed with Christian. She wakes at 3:00 am, still tangled with Christian. She climbs out of bed for Advil and a drink. Standing at the large windows, she thinks about all that happened the day before, including a marriage proposal. She thinks about him wanting to hurt women who look like his mother. A cry echoing from the bedroom startles her. She runs down the hall and discovers Christian tossing and writhing in bed. She wakes him.

He tells her he wants her. Ana kisses him back, but then the events of the day crash over her. She whispers, “Christian. Stop. I can’t do this”; he continues kissing her neck. She says, “No, please. I can’t do this, not now. I need some time, please […]’” (463). Christian does not stop. Instead, he asks Ana to touch him as he continues to kiss her, moving down her body. He asks her if she wants to. She says yes.

After, Ana asks about his nightmare, he tells her about the physical abuse he endured at the hands of his mother’s pimp. He also tells her about the hunger and neglect he experienced. Ana asks to see Dr. Flynn. Christian agrees, and mentions having kids someday.

Ana wakes in the morning to realize that it is already 8:45 and she will be late for work. Taylor takes her to work, but Jack snaps at her about being late. He tells her to make coffee and get to work.

Ana has a rough morning, punctuated by emails from Christian. José calls and asks if he can deliver all the pictures Christian bought and stay with Ana for the night. Jack continues to point out flaws and bark orders at Ana throughout the day. Christian also reminds Ana that she should use her Blackberry for emails as the SIP emails are monitored.

Ana goes to lunch and begins to process how she feels about Christian, Leila, and all the complications in their relationship. She wakes from her reverie to realize that she is late again. Jack is not at his desk when she returns, but pops around the corner demanding answers. Ana lies, saying she was in the basement running copies. Jack tells her that she needs to stay until he leaves for New York at 6:30.

Ana continues her day, interrupted briefly by a call from Mia, Christian’s sister, asking if she can come to his birthday dinner. Ana wonders what to get him for his birthday.

At 6:15, Ana has everything ready for Jack’s trip. She goes to the staff room to grab a snack, only to find Jack blocking her exit. He looks at Ana, licks his lower lip, and asks if she will comply.

Ana freezes and then forces herself to remember her self-defense classes. She remembers that she must keep breathing and keep him talking. Ana tries to distract him, saying that his cab will be there soon, but he just smiles and moves closer. Ana asks if HR could help since there seems to be an issue, but Jack just moves closer, telling Ana that she owes him for the job. He accuses Ana of being a spy for Grey. Then, he tells her that he can expand her job description to keeping him happy in exchange for keeping quiet about Christian’s interference with SIP.

Ana’s mind reels, and he continues moving forward. Jack places a hand on her, telling Ana that she obviously wants him. Ana places a hand over his, pulls his pinky back, and knees him in the testicles. She darts out of the break room, down the hall, out of the building, and straight into Christian.

She collapses into his arms and quickly tells him what happened. Taylor and Christian get Ana into the car then Taylor goes into the building to confront Jack. Christian calls his IT person to wipe Ana’s emails from the server; then, he calls Roach, the manager of SIP, and tells him to fire Jack. Christian watches as security escorts Jack out of the building. The couple then returns to Escala. Ana and Christian have Mrs. Jones’s chicken pot pie for dinner then discuss the encounter and the possible visit from José. Eventually, Christian agrees that José can stay with them.

Ana wanders through the house as Christian does some work. She finds the playroom unlocked and goes in. Looking at all the devices, she wonders what some are for and if they will ever go back in there. Christian finds Ana and tells her about the mystery objects. He tosses Ana over his shoulder and takes her to bed. After sex, they fall asleep together.

They wake and have sex again and then have breakfast. Ana wonders what work will be like with Jack gone. She decides to take her new car to work. As Ana pulls in front of the office, Christian reminds her that they are meeting with Flynn that evening. Ana nervously walks into work, finding a note from Elizabeth from HR telling her to go to her office.

Elizabeth tells Ana that Jack abruptly left the company. She asks Ana to take over as acting editor in the interim. The offer takes Ana by surprise as she has only been there for just under two weeks. She calls Christian immediately after the meeting to ask if he did this. He tells her no and that he would never do such a thing. Ana spends the day reading and prepping for an editor’s meeting. Ethan shows up, then Mia. Ana tells them to go to lunch together since she cannot get out of work. Ana pops into a gift shop to buy Christian a birthday present.

Ana and Christian reunite and nervously head into Dr. Flynn’s office. Dr. Flynn and Ana have a private conversation in which Ana expresses her doubts about meeting Christian’s needs and dealing with Christian’s past trauma. Flynn tells Ana that sadism is not an accepted term in the psychiatric community. Flynn’s opinion of Christian’s growth is that it is real and that needs and desires change. Ana tells Flynn that “part of me thinks that if he wasn’t this broken he wouldn’t […] want me’” (559). Flynn tells her that is some terribly negative self-talk. Flynn presses Ana about this insecurity, but Christian interrupts.

The couple leaves Flynn to go to dinner. José calls asking if he can drop off the portraits. Ana tells him that she is staying with Christian, but that he can crash at Christian’s house. Christian begins to direct Ana through traffic, but his constant criticism of her driving causes her to pull over and demand that he drives. He agrees. They arrive not at a restaurant, but at a house.