A/N – We are getting ready for some travel! How will Erik and Christine handle what they just found out, and how will Erik react in a small space when Christine tells him of the dream? He's pretty shaken by what he considers to be his mistake, so we shall find out. Onward! Recap –

Erik hung his head, feeling so ashamed at the mistake he made "I will understand if you don't want me to touch you while we are away." Christine shook her head "No, Erik. I am your wife and have the desires of a woman. If I am with child, it is because it is willed from above. You will be with me through this event, and I am not going to delay you finding your family. Now, enough on this, my maestro. I love you."

Erik had retreated to the organ and was pushing the melancholy out of his system as much as he could. "How is she alright with this failure? She is alright with the possibility of having a child. I didn't want her sick or in a delicate condition while we traveled. I wanted to show her everything I could. If she's pregnant, we won't be able to do anything because she will be sick and in bed the whole time. She won't be good company, which will embarrass her to no end. All because of me! What if we have children that are deformed? It would be all my fault. What happens if they die? What happens if she dies from childbed fever or bleeds to death? I can't live without her, although a child would become my reason to live, my only reason. My life is nothing without her. Gods above and below, can I even do this?" Erik let out a deep sigh, and held his head in his hands, sure to his soul that his life was about to melt away "I need to find out what Darius says these seeds are. He is more knowledgeable than I am, which is why he noticed they were not the right ones. I wonder if the shopkeeper knew, or if the shopkeeper is just an ignorant chit. No, the regular shopkeeper is knowledgeable, I have had talks with him before. It must have been someone else. I need to find Darius." With that thought, Erik flew from his bench and in search of Darius, and possible Nadir.

Darius was easily found in the hall outside of Nadir's study, taking the lunch dishes down to the kitchens "Darius! I must speak with you, come!" Darius nodded, and followed Erik down and away from the study. "Master Erik, what is the matter? You look like you have seen a sight not of this world. is there something you require?" Erik shook his head "No, Darius. How did you know the seeds weren't the right ones? Did the shopkeeper give us the wrong ones? Please, I need to know." Darius smiled at his younger charge "Master Erik, the regular shopkeeper was not there, it was one of his children. They do not know as much as their father does, as I do not think they have taken the time to learn, which is much to the shame of the father, since the shop will have to close when he passes to the next world. The seeds did not have the right color on them, and at first I wondered if that was because they were taken at the wrong time. If they are taken too soon, the properties are not fully developed, so they are not as potent in their use. I opened a few, and found that they were not the seeds that you wished, they were something else. I looked a bit more, and saw that they were something from the south, not of the east as your cohosh plants are. These are seeds from the palmetto, which is known to have the opposite effect of what you wanted. Men have taken the palmetto for many years to help with problems related to aging when wanting to engage in acts in the bedroom." Erik reddened for a moment, realizing what Darius was saying "Some men have been able to beget a child on a young wife at ages more advanced than Master's, and have a healthy child. You may soon be blessed, Master Erik. If you wish, I know of another purveyor where I can find your cohosh, so that you may be at ease." Erik shook his head "If she is already with child, it will not matter, but I would like it if you would get some for the journey. If she is not with child, then maybe we can find some Lady's Mantle as well to help put her woman's time off until we return. Thank you, Darius." Darius made a small bow "Of course, Master Erik. I shall return shortly."

Erik returned to the main level of the house, and inspected the trunks that held their clothing and travel needs for the trip to Calais. He saw the trunks with the crest of the DuPage family that Anthony brought, and ran his hand over the embossed leather, tracing the outlines of the two lions and the thistle in the middle. He wondered what it would look like in full color "I will see it soon enough, and know more about the meanings. If this is my true family, maybe there is a way I can add something symbolic of Persia for my own branch. I know these people may be my blood, but how do I even begin to reconcile?" Erik let out another sigh, starting to feel apprehensive about meeting the DuPage patriarch, and even more so at the thought of having a family of his own. He knew there was no way to know if Christine carried his child until she missed her time, and thought about when her next one would be due "I need to ask her about that, and hopefully we don't have horrid embarrassment over it. I know women do not talk of these things with anyone, including their husbands. Perhaps they should."

Erik found Christine in the solar, humming to herself with her eyes closed, absorbing the sunlight. It made her look ethereal, like an angel. Erik walked to her, and kissed her forehead "My love, I need you to wake and speak with me of things that I must know before we leave." Christine took a deep breath, and stretched "Yes, my love. What is it you need to know? Why do you look as if someone has hurt you?" Erik shook his head, and sat by his wife, pulling her to his arms "It is not someone that has hurt me, but I feel that I have hurt you in my ignorance. I spoke with Darius, and the seeds that I had been using had the opposite effect of what was wanted. The ones I was given were to increase stamina and the potency of my seed, not reduce it. Darius is getting the correct ones right now, though it will not matter if you are already with my child. I need to ask you something about your woman's time." Christine lowered her gaze and turned bright red "I know this may be embarrassing to you, but I have to know. When is your next course due? Darius is getting some Lady's Mantle as well, so that we may be able to put your time off until we return." Christine thought for a moment "Erik, my time is yet two to three weeks away. They have not been regular as most women have, so there are times when they are further apart than others. If I take the Lady's Mantle, will it hurt a child within me if there is one?" Erik stopped short "That I do not know, we must do some reading, come." Erik took her hand, and whisked them to the library.

Erik found the book he was looking for, and showed Christine the seeds that he had been taking, and the ones that he had wanted "There is a difference in what they look like and do, Darius said that one of the shopkeeper's children was running the shop that day, and that they are ignorant to herbs and their uses, much to the disappointment of the father." Erik turned a few more pages "This is the Lady's Mantle. It has been used for many years to help women with their courses. It can help stay off the times in higher concentrations, and I do not see anything about it harming a child already in the womb. I think you will be alright. If you wish, you can hold off until we know of your condition for sure." Christine shook her head "I trust you Erik. I trust Darius as well. I will take the tea." Erik felt an immediate rush of relief at Christine's words, and took both of her hands in his "You do so many things that I never thought possible, and are so much stronger than I am while in the face of these unknown things. I should be kneeling at your feet for your surety and strength, as I am barely able to keep my mind and emotions together." Erik knelt, and pressed Christine's hands to his forehead "You can't possibly be of this earth, you are truly a divine creature. How I could make you mine, I will never know. Perhaps the Gods smiled on me, just this once to allow you to become my wife. I will forever be in your debt for wanting to send eternity with this." Christine knelt so she could be closer to Erik's level, even though he was still taller than her when they were both on their knees "Erik, I chose you from my own free will. Divine guidance had something to do with it, because I think there is divine guidance in all choices. I am yours because I wanted to be. You let me come back after my horrid actions, after I almost had you killed. You took me in, and continued to show me that you loved me. How you did that, I will never know. You were so angry that night down in the lair. It scared me, but your anger is what showed me how you had been treated your whole life, and it pained my heart to know that you had never seen the love of family, or known a moment of pure joy that wasn't overshadowed by terror or fear. I knew then I had to try and show you that there was more than what you had experienced. My heart broke when you sent us away, and it broke even more when I heard the mirrors being smashed. I knew when I heard the glass falling that I needed to follow you, to find you and make sure you were safe. That one action of coming ack to you is what has given me more in return than I ever thought possible. You are afraid of the unknown, as anyone would be. I am here to ease that fear. I love you Erik."

Erik had his head bowed, and was near weeping at the words of his bride. His heart lurched at the truth of what she spoke, and knew that he would never truly be able to be without her. Even if she was with child, he couldn't leave her behind at the estate while he went to Calais, that would truly break him "We may have to take the journey a little slower than Anthony would like, I won't put the strain on her of a quick travel. Perhaps I can get to know Anthony a little too, seeing as he is going to marry Meg, and our lives will be merged through more than one person with the DuPage family. I must speak with Anthony of what I want to do, so he can send word to his… our… father to explain the delay."

Erik ran back to the back of the house, where Anthony was beginning to have the trunks packed for the trip. Anthony heard Erik approach "My brother! It is a glorious day is it not? We are leaving in the morning, I am engaged to your sister, and we shall soon confirm all of our hopes of you being the missing DuPage that we have all desperately hoped to find!" Erik was stunned for a moment at the greeting, then quickly found his words "This journey may take longer than anticipated. There is a possibility that Christine is with child, and I will not have her strained by long travel hours. If it comes that she is not pregnant, then we can pick up the pace. Until then, I am going to decide how far and how fast we go." Anthony stopped what he was doing, and turned to Erik "You are adding to the DuPage line? Even if it is only a possibility now, I am to be an uncle again! Father will be overjoyed if we find out that she is with child on the way to him!" Anthony embraced Erik, and nearly picked the taller man up "You will know joy, my dear brother. Your life until now has had little joy in it, but you will soon know true joy in the arms of your family!"