Christine shut the door behind her, a mischievious grin upon her lips. She carried a basket wrapped carefully with a clean blanket.
"Erik?" she called out, glancing over at the cat Ayesha slinking behind the sofa in the front room. There was no answer, of course, which meant that he was absorbed in his music once again. Good, Christine thought to herself as she placed the small basket on the ground. Kneeling beside it, she removed the blanket and with a mother-like tenderness, scooped up a sleeping puppy. She softly kissed its forehead before arranging the blanket in the basket as a bed for the small animal. It gave a tiny squeak and nuzzled closer to Christine, having no intention of going in the basket again.
Christine chuckled softly and settled onto the couch, the puppy in her lap, curled up amidst her skirts. Grabbing her book off a side table, she began to read, occasionally stroking the soft little bundle. Ayesha kept her distance, peering around the corner at the new guest.
A little while later, a door shut in the distance. Christine smirked to herself, continuing to innocently read.
"Christine..." Erik entered the room, stopping short when he saw her, a bundle of light brown something on her lap. "What is that?" He peered closer at it, jumping back when he saw it breathing.
"Hello, dear. It's a puppy". She remained absorbed in her book, holding back a smile.
"A what?"
"A puppy! You have Ayesha, I have my puppy".
That night was like any other night. Erik was kissing Christine fiercely atop their bed a tangle of bodies and sheets. His hands went to the tie of her nightgown... when a squeal interrupted them. Christine jumped up, almost hitting Erik in the process.
"Christine", he moaned desperately. She ignored him and went off to fetch the source of the noise. She soon came back, cradling the puppy with the basket in her other hand.
Setting the puppy in the basket and then setting that on the bedside table, Christine settled into bed again. "There you go, Rose", she murmured softly to it.
"You named it?" Erik looked at her in annoyance, already pulling her close again.
"Of course I did! It's no different than Ayesha", she retorted as he kissed her deeply, beginning to slip her nightgown off her shoulder...
Another small but powerful squeak resounded throughout the bedroom. Christine once again got up, much to Erik's annoyance.
His annoyance was furthered when she scooped Rose out of the basket and set her down on the bed between them.
Erik gave up, knowing he had no way against that wretched furry beast. He turned on his side, facing away from Chrisitine. It was the first night in a year that he had not slept with his arms around Christine, and he was quite sore about it.
Christine smiled to herself, placing the now-sleeping puppy back in it's basket on the table. Her arms came around Erik, body pressed against him.
With a sigh, Erik turned back to Christine, holding her. "I love you, Erik," she whispered softly, afraid he was mad.
"You know I love you, my dear".