After Félicie left for class, grateful to have a bit of time to herself, she finally sat down. It was surprising just how exhausting pregnancy (she might as well call it by its name) could be. That small admission was all it took to open a floodgate: a million questions and thoughts came rushing to her mind. The most pressing of all of them at the moment was the fact that she had to tell Louis. That, of course, was if she kept it. There were ways to… well, not keep it. That thought scared and appealed to her more than it should. She finally had some stability in her life: her new work, Félicie, Louis. A baby was certainly not a good addition to the mix, especially since she wanted to keep working. But then, a baby. She had imagined herself as a mother countless times in her youth, and the most idealistic part of herself could not help imagining the pitter patter of tiny feet running and playing all around the Opéra, being loved by both its maman and papa. A little boy, looking just like Louis – that she could imagine.

She finally got up, still somewhat dizzy, and went to prepare, but not for class. She had asked Louis to spare her for the morning and was planning to go see a doctor to confirm her suspicions. The appointment was quick and confirmed what she suspected, and she was able to return to the Opéra in time for her second lesson of the day. Thankfully, it was the youngest group of students: new girls very recently accepted into the school. They still had basics to learn, and today would be just that. It was just as well since this was something she had done countless times and did not require her full mental presence.

After her appointment and during the lesson, she had grown more enamored with the idea of a baby, especially imagining Louis with said baby in his arms. Louis had invited her to have lunch at one of the cafés by the Opéra, and they were walking arm in arm when they saw a woman they knew as Mme Albert with her two children. It was rumored she had had an affair with a member of the Senate who had refused to acknowledge the child but had continued seeing her, which had resulted in the younger boy. Louis looked at the woman with disdain when she passed them on the street, giving her a cold greeting. Regarding Odette though, he was his most charming and attentive self, but she was ambivalent again about telling him and having a child. They spoke of their respective days and classes, but Odette could still not bring herself to tell him her news.

"You know, ma chérie, you seem a million miles away today," remarked Louis, "Is there anything wrong?"

That pulled her out of her reverie and back into the conversation. He was looking at her with concern and questions in his eyes. She smiled reassuringly at him (those eyes of his were the death of her) "never mind me, Louis," she said, "I'm just tired." She did not feel ready to share the news with him.

She immediately regretted the words that had come out of her mouth, though, and sure enough, when she looked at his face it was the picture of worry. "Are you alright? You have been quite tired of late. Would you like me to take over your lessons for the afternoon? Am I overworking you, Odette?" The words came out of his mouth in a quick succession.

The rest of their lunch was spent by Odette reassuring Louis that nothing was wrong, and subsequently getting more doubts about what to do. If he worried that much about her even if he didn't know she was pregnant, how would he react when he found out? After the fire, people had started treating Odette differently: they made way for her, gave her their seats on public transportation, offered her their arms for support, and worst of all, looked at her with pity in their eyes. She had avoided Louis for years because she had not wanted to see that look in his eyes as well. He of all people had known who she was from the first time they crossed paths, she had seen the recognition in his eyes all those years ago. Thus, she had decided that she would avoid him like the plague. If he knew and could appreciate what she had been, there was no chance of his not pitying her, and that was unbearable to her. Had she not been in the accident, she might still have been dancing when he became Maître de Danse and they might have been something closer to equals. When Félicie had arrived and things changed, she realized that he did not look at her with pity, but admiration for what she had done and lived.

Things were not quite perfect on that front, she knew. He did tend to get overprotective of her sometimes and insisted on treating her as frailer than she actually was. She remembered the first time they had made love: he had been so careful, treating her as though she would break! It had been quite frustrating and thankfully had quickly been left behind. If she continued with the pregnancy, they would have to speak very seriously about his telling her what or what not to do.

Next chapter up. Do review and I'll have the next installment ready soon :)