A/N: Just a quick note to let everyone know that there's going to be a change in chapter postings this week. I'm going to be away on my usual days, so you get them early.

On with friends' reactions...


Her unmarried friends stared at her in open astonishment. "Congratulations, Katherine," Jane said, finding her voice first. "You're going to be a wonderful mother! I should have known this would be coming!" She sent a glare at Michaela. "And you thought it would be something terrible, like she wasn't happy in her marriage!"

Startled, Katherine blinked. "You what? Why would you think that?"

"You thought the same thing!" Michaela fired back at her cousin defensively. "You were every bit as worried about her as I was!"

"Girls!" Mrs. D'Arcy admonished. "Are we really going to simply stand here and leave Katherine on her feet?"

As one, Michaela and Jane rushed forward. In a matter of seconds, they divested Katherine of her coat, gloves, and hat. As Michaela carried the items off to put away, Jane herded Katherine to a seat in front of the fireplace. Mrs. D'Arcy laughed at the proceedings with a shake of her head. She took a seat opposite of their visitor.

"Pip and Erik must be absolutely thrilled to pieces!" Jane declared as she settled into a seat next to her friend. "Have you thought of names yet?"

"Jane, dear, its not proper to call a man you are not married to by his Christian name," Mrs. D'Arcy chided.

"I'm sorry aunt," Jane said quickly. "'Mr. Ombra' just seems to be extremely formal for a friend." She shook her head with a soft laugh. "'Ombra'. Do you realize what that means? Its Italian for shadow or ghost. We'd be calling him "Mister Ghost. Which I'm sure Michaela could hardly do without laughing."

"Katherine, you're looking very pale. What's wrong?" Mrs. D'Arcy asked in concern.

Looking over at her friend, Katherine tried to frown in disapproval. "I'm just not sure what they have told you about my husband, Aunt."

"We told her the important details. She did, after all, see a masked man in her home," Micheala pointed out quickly, as she rejoined them. She leaned against the back of Jane's chair. Her eyes were flashing a warning at Katherine. "We told her how Erik was born with a deformity of the face, which is why he wore the mask."

Katherine breathed a sigh of relief. "Of course," she said. "I'm sorry for being concerned. My husband wishes, above all else, to be left in peace. He has not been treated well, due to his face, and dislikes it being well known. It seems that the more people who are aware the less chance there is of him ever finding the happiness he deserves."

"My dear, it is sad that such is the case, but I'm afraid you are right," Mrs. D'Arcy told her. "You must lead a very quiet life being married to a recluse." She smiled and waved her hand dismissively. "Now, enough of that. Have you considered what you will name your firstborn?"

Biting her lip, Katherine shook her head. "What about 'Erica' if it is a girl?" Jane suggested. "And if it is a boy, perhaps you could name him after Erik, or maybe Henri, for your father. I can't believe Erik doesn't have something planned already! He is the genius and master of plans,isn't he?"

Taking a deep breath, Katherine dropped her hand. "Jane, please, don't," she said softly. "I haven't thought of any names. And-and Erik hasn't suggested anything."

"Your husband doesn't have an opinion?" Mrs. D'Arcy asked, frowning in concern. "My dear, all husbands have an opinion!"

Micheala threw herself into a chair. "You should be happy Katherine!" she said. "Why do you look as though you're about to die?"

"Micheala! Tact!" Jane scolded.

Katherine glanced cautiously at Mrs. D'Arcy. "Aunt, I'm not sure what they may have told you about my marriage," she began carefully.

Mrs. D'Arcy frowned. "Katherine, all I know is what Jane and Michaela have told me," she said, sending a stern look at her daughter and niece. "Are you in some sort of trouble? Is there something you aren't telling me?"

Flinching, Katherine hesitated. "The deformity to his face," she said, "Erik has been adamant that he doesn't want children. He's so afraid that they would be born with the same deformity as he has, or worse. He spent a week not speaking to me when I first told him the news. We haven't spoken of it since then."

Her hand moved to her stomach. "Well, he's simply going to have to reconcile himself to it now," Mrs. D'Arcy said firmly. "There are things that must be done to prepare for this. If it is born deformed, you both must be prepared to deal with the fact. Even if it is not, there are many things to be done for the survival of a healthy child. When will the child be born?"

"Five months," Katherine answered quietly.

"You're four months pregnant and you don't have anything planned?"

Cringing, Katherine nodded again. "Yes?"

"Its worse than I thought," Jane said to her cousin in a low voice.

"Erik has been...preoccupied with other matters!" Katherine explained defensively. "Its...its not going well and I really don't want to talk about it, Aunt!"

Leaning forward, Mrs. D'Arcy patted Katherine's hand. "Then, we will not speak of it, further."

Michaela cleared her throat. "So, not to change the subject or anything here, but the New Year's Ball is tomorrow evening," she said, her tone bright. "Father apparently knows more people than I thought here and has somehow arranged for us to go. Now we just have to figure out what kind of costumes we are going to wear."

Happy for the change of subject, Katherine laughed. "If you had come a bit earlier, you might have been able to persuade Erik into designing you something," she said. "He did for me, and one of our maids has done all of the sewing. He's keeping the entire thing a secret, and the servants are all on his side. I haven't even seen it yet."

Mrs. D'Arcy smiled as Michaela launched into a diatribe about the unfairness of the weather that had kept them in Savannah longer than they had planned. "Perhaps a simple mask will do, Michaela," Jane suggested, interrupting her cousin. "Not everyone will be quite as elaborate as whatever I'm sure Erik has planned for Katherine."

"A mask? That's all you have to suggest? Our first venture into New York society and you want me to wear only a mask and an evening gown? I would never be able to show my face here again!"

"That's kind of the point of a mask."

The rest of the group laughed as Michaela floundered for an appropriate response to that come-back. Katherine leaned back in her chair, feeling more relaxed that she had for some time.


Over an hour passed, with Michaela and Jane doing everything in their power to keep things positive. Mrs. D'Arcy became serious, contemplating Katherine with a concerned frown. Katherine found her spirits perking being back with her friends, realizing for the first time just how much she had missed them in the past two years.

It would have continued to go well but then Michaela snapped her fingers. "Hold on a minute. Why is Erik having trouble with his music? He's a musical genius! We all know it!" she said. Her eyes narrowed. "Katherine. You always said that his inspiration came from Christine Daae because he loved her. Does he still love her?"

Startled by the sudden change in subject, Katherine hesitated, but then decided she'd already told them everything else. What was one more truth? "Yes."

Silence followed that one quietly spoken word. "Katherine Hemway, what have you gotten yourself into?" Mrs. D'Arcy asked, looking lost and confused. "You've married a man, knowing full well that he loved another woman? Why would you set yourself up for that heartache?"

Any bleakness or sadness that had been in Katherine's eyes vanished as she lifted her chin. "I never said he didn't love me as well," she said, her tone sharp. "He has simply loved Christine de Chagny more deeply and for far longer than I have known him. I never set out to compete with that, and I know he loves me as much as he is able."

The door opened and a maid stepped in with a full tray. "Oh, good! Tea!" Jane said, clearly looking for something neutral. Mrs. D'Arcy remained as silent Katherine as the tea was set in front of them. Michaela and Jane struggled to keep up the normal small talk in front of the clearly curious maid. "Thank you. That will be all."

As soon as the door clicked shut, Mrs. D'Arcy opened her mouth to speak, but Katherine did so first. "Aunt, I do have to justify my choice of husband to you," the young woman said, her tone steely. "I knew there would be very few people who would approve if they knew everything. I told you all of this because I expected as my closest friends you would be able and willing to help me."

"Help you?" Michaela asked with a frown. "How could we hep you?"

"Well, its more like I need your help with the small details. I've requested the head of the opera house here in New York to invite Christine de Chagny to New York to sing here, and she has accepted."