This story is rated M for some violence, coarse language, and minor adult themes.

It is not appropriate for readers under the age of 16 and should not be viewed by such.

Disclaimer – same as the other parts.


New York City, NY, USA – September, 2009

"Erik!" I knelt on the floor in the bathroom, trying not to cry. "Erik!"

After a few minutes, I heard his footsteps in the bedroom. "Kit? Kitten? Where are you?"

"Bathroom," I said, the tears welling in my eyes finally falling. I looked toward the door and saw him standing in the doorway, staring at me like he didn't know exactly what to do. "Don't just stand there, for God's sake – help me."

He swallowed visibly. "I know you're ill, Kitten, but it's no reason you have to take it out on me. I haven't done anything."

"That's exactly the problem!" He took a deep breath, and I was immediately ashamed. "Oh, darling, I'm sorry. I…I don't know what's wrong with me." As soon as I was able to leave the bathroom, he helped me to the bed and tucked me in.

"Now, you stay here – I'll bring you something around noon, all right?" Then he left, and I heard the door shut downstairs as he returned to rehearsals – Rent. He'd cast me as Mimi – with him playing not Roger, but Collins. I'd laughed when he'd cast Toby as Angel, teasing him that I'd always known he'd had a thing for Toby. I'd also panicked when he'd cast Sean as Roger, but he'd told me he wasn't worried about me kissing Sean – I was his wife now, and he knew I wouldn't run off with Sean.

I felt sick again about an hour after he'd gone, but luckily it didn't result in much. As I lay propped up against my pillows, reading, a sudden thought occurred to me. "I…oh, God, it can't be that." I picked up the phone and called downstairs.

"Yes, Mrs. Muhlheim?"

"Sophia, stop calling me that."

"Of course, Mrs. Muhlheim. What is it you need?"

I sighed. "I need you…this is going to sound a little strange, but I need you to run out and pick up…" I lowered my voice, not quite sure why. "I need you to pick up one of those things you got last week."

"Oh." There was silence for a moment. "Oh! Oh, dear, you can't be…you're so young…"

"And you're perhaps too old?" She quieted. "Please, Sophia, I need you not to tell Erik about this."

"My lips are sealed," she said, and after a few more minutes of deciding exactly how she was to get the required item, we hung up. I sat back, trying to read, but now not having any luck.

I couldn't be pregnant. He'd never believe me if I was. I nearly cried when I realized I could be – the restriction on his not being able to have children had been lifted when we broke the curse. He had no need for children when he was immortal – he needed no legacy when he was his own legacy.

About noon, I heard the door downstairs open, and someone came up the stairs. I held my breath, for the first time hoping it wasn't Erik – I didn't feel like having to tell him why I thought I was getting sick every morning. Luckily, it was Sophia – she was holding two small paper bags. "All right," she said quietly. "Now one of these is what you asked me for…I got two, just in case the first one fails. This other one is from Mr. Muhlheim – he said he promised you lunch, but he can't take a break from rehearsals." She smiled. "Apparently it's going badly down there."

"Lucky for me," I muttered, taking both bags from her. After she'd gone, I decided it was time to check – after all, if I had to make an appointment with my doctor, why not now? Checking the instructions, I waited the full five minutes, just to be sure. Holding my breath, I checked – it was positive. I wanted to cry – I wanted to call down and have Sophia send Erik up to hold me – I just didn't want to tell him yet. Instead, I called my doctor's office and made an appointment – they were able to fit me in later that day.

When I was leaving the building to go to my appointment, Sophia stopped me. "D'you want someone to go with you?" I shook my head mutely – I didn't want to tell anyone else. But she took my arm. "Look, he can get along without me for a few hours – that's why he's got Toby doing this job, too." She grabbed her purse and walked me outside, hailing a cab.

As we walked into the office, I looked at her. "Thanks, Sophia. You didn't have to come with me."

She waved her hand dismissively. "It wasn't nothing. You don't really think he'd want you to be going out all by your lonesome, now, do you?" I smiled at the floor – she was right, of course. He wouldn't want me here by myself – he didn't even like me leaving the penthouse without an escort lately.

After about ten minutes, they called me into a room, and a nurse came in and did some tests. After another ten minutes of simply waiting, the doctor came in. She did a couple more tests, then snapped off her gloves and looked at me. "Well, I have great news for you, Mrs. Muhlheim. You're pregnant."

As I returned to Sophia, and we left the office, I really did want to cry – whether out of joy or not still remained to be decided. Pregnant. Wonderful. Not only did I already know how Erik would react – he'd hate it – but now it was certain. My career was virtually over – at least on hold for awhile, while I had this baby and raised it.


I was watching television when Erik came home. "Kit!" he said, shutting the door. I didn't even turn. "Kit, honey, I brought dinner." I heard him set something down on the kitchen table, then his footsteps coming toward me. "Uh…Kitten? Is something wrong?" I shook my head, turning off the television. I could feel myself shaking. He sat down beside me and pulled me into his arms. "Are you sure? You're shaking pretty hard. What happened?" He kissed my forehead.

I looked up at his face – I couldn't tell him – but I knew I had to. "Erik? Darling?"

"Yeah?"

Staring into his eyes, I suddenly realized my problem. I was anticipating his reaction and molding my own around it. I should have been happy – I was carrying his child. I smiled for the first time all day. "I'm not exactly sure how to say this, so I'm just going to say it." I took a small breath. "Erik, I'm pregnant."

I had anticipated him being agitated, jumping up and screaming at the top of his lungs. Instead, he calmly released me and rose from the couch, pacing for a few moments. Then he turned to me. "I can't let you have it," he said quietly. "We have to kill it."

I was stunned. "Wh…what? Your…our…it's a child, Erik, not a weed!"

"I don't care," he said, as calmly as if he were explaining the difference between C-natural and B-sharp. "If it's our child, then that means it's half mine – and you know what that may mean."

"Listen to yourself! It may mean…it's not for certain!"

"Kit," he said, still calmly. "I forbid you from having that child."

I stood up, unable to understand how I found the strength. "You…you can't tell me that. It's inside me, Erik, not you. You can't decide what I do with it."

He shook his head. "No, you're right. If you decide to let it come to term, I can't stop you." He stared at me for a moment. "But I do have a right to decide what happens to it after it's born."

"They won't let you kill it. You may have gotten away with the others, but they won't ignore you murdering your own child."

He shook his head again. "Not what I intended. After it's born – while you're drugged up nicely and passed out, I can make it disappear in other ways." He started to smile. "Adoption. They won't even question it – I'm decidedly too old to raise children at one-hundred-seventy-one, and you're not quite old enough at twenty-two."

"I'm old enough to have it, I'm old enough to raise it."

He sighed. "Kit, you're barely more than a child still. Give it time – you'll be ready to raise a child. When you are, if I'm still around, we'll adopt…"

I stomped my foot – the childishness of the gesture was clear, but I didn't care. "I'm having this child, Erik Christian. I know you don't like it, but buckle your belt a bit tighter and deal with it." As his jaw dropped, I stomped off to the bedroom.