a/n This took a little longer to get up than I would have liked. I saved it as the wrong type of file, so I completely had to re-write this chapter. I think that's good, though, because it kind of sucked before.

The next chapter or two will move a bit quickly, because it's going to take place over several months. Peace out, and congrats to DarkestDreams on finally finishing When Fate is Denied. If you haven't read it, head over and check it out—it's an amazing piece of work. If you're wondering where the title for this chapter came from, it's okay. If you know, the I give you kudos—you can actually understand Carlotta.

CHAPTER 9—MY LOVE RETURNS IN SPLENDOUR

Christine had never been as uncomfortable in her life as she was while Nadir administered a physical examination later that day to discern if she was indeed pregnant. Afraid to see her own doctor, as he would most definitely tell Raoul if she was pregnant, she had asked Eva what to do. Eva had suggested Nadir.

"He knows a great deal about medicine," she had said. "He can tell you if you're pregnant or not."

So she took Eva's advice and was lying on her back with Nadir poking and prodding about her privates. After a minute, he placed his hands on her knees. "You can put them down now," he said. "I'm sorry if that was uncomfortable for you."

Christine smiled weakly. "So?" she asked.

"So." Nadir sat down on the end of the bed. "Unless I am very much mistaken, you are approximately one month pregnant."

With a small sob, Christine slumped back on the bed. Nadir reached out for her hand, squeezing gently. "Everything will be fine, Christine," he said soothingly. "Soon your husband will be gone. By the time he leaves, you should be only just beginning to show. With as much as you'll be eating, he'll only think you to be gaining weight."

There was a knock on the door and Erik entered. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed Christine lying on the bed with a sheet draped over her legs, Nadir clutching her hand. Nadir laughed at the look on his friend's face. "It is not what it seems, my friend," he said. "Christine…" He trailed off, and then looked at her. "You should tell him." And with a last encouraging smile, he left.

Erik watched him go, and then looked back at Christine. "What is it?"

She reached out a hand to him, and he came to her. Sitting beside her, he stroked back her hair. "Christine?"

Taking a deep breath, she said softly, "I'm pregnant."

Erik's eyes widened. "You're—" He looked away from her for a moment, then back. "It isn't his?"

"It can't be. He makes sure that I don't get pregnant." She tightened her grip on his hand, feeling tears in her eyes. "I know he'll be gone soon, but… Erik, I'm so scared."

As she looked into his eyes, she felt more loved and treasured than she ever had in her life. His warm arms wrapped around her, and she felt so safe and cared for that she wept. She clutched his arm, sobbing. "I love you so much," she whispered.

He pulled her up to cradle her in his arms, rocking her back and forth. "Everything will be fine, my love," he said gently. "You'll see. Everything's going to be fine. He'll never have to know. When you have the child, I will keep it safe and watch over it when you aren't with me. We'll love our child, Christine." He kissed her forehead as she cried. "We'll love each other."

"I'm going to leave him," she sobbed. "I don't want to be married to him anymore, Erik. I don't want to be his wife anymore…"

She was lost inside herself, then, as he held her to him. He whispered words of comfort that she did not hear, but that somehow calmed her. As her tears subsided and she resurfaced to the world he was in, she looked up into his beautiful eyes and prayed that their child would look like him.

In the months that followed Christine was upset by the fact that Raoul was the most wonderful husband he had ever been during the entire time they had been married. The only thing that kept her from telling him about her pregnancy was a letter she had found in his desk that had been sent to him by Sonia Moretti. Her fears were confirmed—Sonia was in fact pregnant with Raoul's child, and he had not said a word about it to her. He was lying—he seemed the perfect husband, but he was every bit as unfaithful as she was.

The night before he was to leave, Christine sat across from him at the dinner table. He was staring up at her, and she looked up to smile at him. "What?" she asked, laughing nervously.

"Is there anything you want to tell me, Christine?" he asked.

It was all over his face—he knew. Terror filled her for a moment, but then she remembered that she had something to bargain with. "No," she said. "There's nothing I want to tell you. Why? Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

He looked at her for a moment before returning to his dinner. After a moment she said, "Oh, there is something." She set down her fork and dabbed at her mouth with a napkin before saying, "Eva and Nadir are going to leave to travel Europe and Russia in a week. I'm going with them."

Raoul looked back up at her. "When did we decide this?" he asked.

"We didn't decide this, Raoul," she said. "I did. On my own. You're not going to be here, and I'm sure you don't want me in Vienna to interfere with business, so I'm going with Eva and Nadir." She glared daggers at him from across the table, silently daring him to stop her from going.

For a long moment, neither of them spoke. Then he nodded. "Do what you will. Just be careful."

That night they lay in bed, neither of them speaking. Under normal circumstances, they might have made love then fallen into a blissful sleep. Tonight, each knew that the other knew about their infidelity. After a while, she spoke.

"When are you getting back?" she asked.

"Six months."

"Will you write to me?"

"Yes."

Christine did not know why she was crying. The words slipped out of her mouth, unbidden. "I know everything, Raoul."

He did not answer. He had already fallen asleep. The tears came hard now. She was finding that she did not want to be here when he awoke the next morning. She rose from the bed and dressed quickly, scrawling a note as she did so.

Dear Raoul,

I have decided to leave early. It will be hard enough to see you go in the morning, so I hope you will forgive me for leaving now. I want you to know that, whatever happens, I love you. Be safe. Write to me often. I shall miss you.

Love always,
your darling Christine

She hoped he would understand just as much as she prayed that he would forgive her. She called for her maid to help her carry the bags she had already packed downstairs and load them into the carriage.

An hour later, she was standing in front of Eva's, praying someone would wake to let her in. After about ten minutes, Corinne, the maid, opened the door, looking puffy-eyed and slightly cross. Christine smiled apologetically. "Is anyone still awake?" she asked.

"I believe Count Dusek is still awake, ma'am," Corinne said sleepily. "He hasn't been sleeping well the past few days."

Christine left her bags at the door to be brought up later and headed toward Erik's room. She snuck the door open and poked her head in. He was sitting at his desk, hunched over a sheet of manuscript paper, quill scratching as he wrote furiously. Creeping up behind him, she slid her arms over his shoulders and down his torso, kissing his neck. He jumped slightly, but smiled when he realized that it was her.

"What happened to coming tomorrow?"

"I don't want to see him right now," Christine said softly. "I think he knows. Not that I'm pregnant, and not that I'm with you, but I think he knows I'm being unfaithful to him. I don't know how, but…" She straightened up. "Would you mind terribly if I slept in here?"

"No," said Erik, reaching for her hand before she could pull it away. "I sleep better when you're with me."

Christine smiled and reached into his closet for something to wear to bed. She pulled out one of his dress shirts and put it on quietly as not to disturb him from his writing. Collapsing on the bed, she looked at him for a long moment before asking something that had been nagging her for some time.

"Why do you always wear your mask, Erik?" When he turned a confused gaze on her, she said, "It doesn't bother me. I love your face."

At this, his one perfect, sculpted eyebrow went up. "Really."

"Yes!" She got up on her knees and crawled to the end of the bed. "No one else in the world has your face, Erik." She hopped down and went over to kiss him. She gently peeled the white porcelain from his face, cupping his cheek when he tried to turn away from her, wincing. "I love you, Erik," she whispered. "I love everything about you. I love your voice, your soul, your eyes, your face… Everything."

Instead of commenting on this, he turned his gaze to her attire. "Isn't that my shirt?" He tugged at the bottom of the white dress shirt. "It looks better on you."

She giggled and kissed him again, and he rested a hand on her stomach as he kissed her back. Suddenly he pulled away. "What was that?"

Frowning, Christine looked at him oddly. "What was what?"

"That." He took her hand and placed it on her stomach. For a moment, she thought he was crazy, then she felt it, too—a tiny flutter against her palm.

"Oh, my God," she whispered. "I think—Erik, I think it's the baby. It's kicking me."

"Kicking?" He carried her to the bed and lay down next to her, putting his head to her stomach. He smiled. "That's mine," he said quietly. "I did that. I put that there, Christine." Running his hand over her again, he looked up at her. "Do you know what? I think I'm going to like being a father."

And for some odd reason, she began to giggle. She giggled, and giggled, and giggled until she was breathless. Erik had by then crawled up beside her to rest his chin on her head. Snuggling into his warm arms, Christine inhaled the scent that was Erik, tracing her fingers over the buttons of his vest. "You know what else I love about you?" she asked somewhat randomly.

"What?"

"Your clothes." She giggled again. "The first time I saw you I thought you looked so handsome, all dressed to the nines in your fancy vest and cravat and the jacket and the pants." Another giggle. "I like the way your pants fit."

There was a moment of silence, and then Erik burst out laughing. "In my entire life, I've never had someone compliment me on the way my pants fit." He shook his head, still laughing, and rose up to change for bed. Christine burrowed underneath the covers and peered over the edge of the comforter at him as he undressed. He tossed his jacket onto a chair, removed his cravat, and unbuttoned his vest. Reaching for a hanger, he draped the vest over it. As he unbuttoned his shirt, he seemed to sense her gaze and turned to look at her. "Are you alright?"

Christine nodded. "I love you," she said in a muffled voice. She held out her arms. "Come here and I'll finish undressing you."

"Not tonight," he said, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "It's late and you need your rest."

She pouted. "Will you at least sing to me?"

He appeared to be thinking for a moment, but a wicked grin soon crossed his face.

"No more talk
of darkness,
Forget these
wide-eyed fears.
I'm here,
nothing can harm you -
my words will
warm and calm you.
Let me be
your freedom,
let daylight
dry -your tears.
I'm here,
with you, beside you,
to guard you
and to guide you."

As she drifted off, Christine sang softly with him.

"Say you love me
every
waking moment,
turn my head
with talk of summertime . . .
Say you need me
with you,
now and always . . .
promise me that all
you say is true -
that's all I ask
of you."

When she opened her eyes, the room was dark and Erik was next to her, cradling her head on his chest. She looked up at him. His eyes were closed. She remembered Corinne saying that he had not been sleeping well and how he had told her that he slept better with her in the bed. A small smile crossed her face and she leaned up to kiss his lips gently before drifting back off.

a/n Whew! I almost forgot to do my English, but I got 'er done! I have no idea when the next chapter will be out, but there's an extended weekend coming up. Hopefully I can do a chapter or two then. Love you all! Leave me reviews! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO