Hi, it's Holly, the other half of Holly and Chelsey. Yeah, yeah, I know I never do these Author's notes, but Chels is usually the one that takes care of posting the chapters. Just wanted to let you know I DO EXIST:-) Just wanted to let you all know that we're posting a new story soon, so be sure to read it when it goes up! We hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 11

Hours later, Christine lay on the bed, her thin chemise sticking to her sweaty pregnant body. It wouldn't be long now--she could feel it. She was fed up with the contractions; tired of enduring them hour after hour. Her voice had gone hoarse hours ago from her screaming. Erik was knelt at the end of the bed. "Is it time yet?" she said, exasperated.

He had stayed with her the entire time, watching her pain, feeling helpless, as he could offer no more than a hand to squeeze. The whole night had felt so surreal... This was just supposed to be a simple visit. But nonetheless, their child had decided it was time to come out.

"Because... Erik," she continued, "I don't think I can take much more of this! I need to push!"

"Yes, Christine, it is time. Please push, as hard as you can." Christine obeyed; she pushed until she could not stand to anymore. She collapsed against the pillows, her breathing labored.

"Well done... Again, now, if you please."

With one last push, Christine felt the baby leave her. She collapsed against the pillows of Erik's bed, her skin pale; sweat pouring off of her. She drew ragged, uneven breaths as she closed her eyes and waited for her baby's cries. When they filled the room, she thought them to be the most beautiful sounds she had ever heard. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she made a move to sit, her breaths still labored. She looked down at Erik who was cutting the umbilical cord as he cradled the screaming baby in his arms. Right then, nothing else mattered: not Raoul, or her social status, or her marriage, or her worries that she would be an unfit mother, or what would become of her… of her child… When Raoul returned home… Nothing. Nothing except the sight before her. For the first time since before her father died, she was happy. Truly, truly happy.

A girl. She had given birth to a baby girl. The baby was so small; she could only weigh four to five pounds at the most… But there she was, her face beat red from crying, still bloody from being in her mother's womb, and Christine had never seen anything so beautiful. And the way Erik looked at her as he held her in his arms. She was in love with them. Both of them. She realized it right then and there. Love… It did exist; she had been so stupid to think it had not.

Erik held this new life carefully in his arms; she seemed so fragile, so delicate, he feared she would break. He looked up to Christine as tears of joy filled his eyes. He could not believe that he and she together could create something so pure, so beautiful, so perfect.

He pressed a small kiss to the child's forehead before asking Christine, "Do you want to hold her?"

"Yes..." Christine said, her voice shaking, holding out her arms hesitantly.

Gently, he handed the baby girl to her mother. As a tear rolled down his face, he reflected on what he'd said earlier. About how he had hoped that everything would work out fine in the end. Looking at the woman he loved, holding their daughter, he knew it had. He would not think about their other unsolved problems, not now.

"She's so little..." Christine whispered, holding their daughter close to her chest, not wanting to ever let her go. It came so naturally, holding the baby. She hadn't thought that it would. Tears rolled down her cheeks; she knew that this baby was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life. She had never been as thankful for anything in her life as she was that their baby had been strong enough to survive outside of the womb. Though, Christine felt so sorry that she had been born so early; as tiny as she was, she knew that as long as she was breathing, the baby would be alright, therefore Christine was alright.

Erik watched them a bit longer. "I must clean her off, dear," he said finally. She reluctantly set the baby in his arms. Erik gently cleansed her amazingly soft, pale skin, and cradled her to him lovingly for a moment before passing her once more to Christine, as he knew that she did not want to be separated from her for too long.

"She's so beautiful..." Christine whispered; she still couldn't believe she was hers... theirs.

"I agree. She's among the most beautiful people in the world," he said softly. He knew he sounded daft, but he did not care.

"I think we're a little biased..." she said, looking up at him and smiling. He returned her smile.

"I think that's alright, in this case."

She looked back down at their little girl, whose tears had slowed. "I love you," Christine whispered down at her, kissing her forehead. Erik smiled warmly at the two little women, one of which was partially his.

"Are you tired, or hungry, dear?" he asked after a pause.

"I'm tired but I don't think I'll be sleeping anytime soon," she said, tearing her eyes away from the baby (somewhat reluctantly) to look up at him.

He nodded. "Well, I am quite tired myself," he admitted quietly.

"Then you should sleep."

"I suppose I'll go to the library, then... Goodnight... Call if you need me." He did not wish to intrude upon their precious moment.

"Why are you going to the library?"

"Well, there's hardly room," he said awkwardly, referring to the figurative sense, as the actual bed was quite large.

"You can sleep in your own bed, Erik..." she said, smiling at him and patting the bed.

"I suppose, if that's suitable to you," he said quietly. He swiftly changed into a clean nightshirt and slide under the sheet on the unused side of the bed. Christine looked down at their daughter to find that she had fallen asleep against her chest. Slowly, Christine lowered herself so that she was laying down, the little girl on top of her. They did not have a cradle, so she hoped that this would be suitable; she wasn't really sure. She draped the covers over her and closed her eyes. "Erik?" she whispered, checking to see if he was still awake.

Erik was already half asleep when he thought he heard his name. But he wasn't sure, so he remained silent.

When Christine knew it was safe to say he was asleep, she whispered, "I love you, Erik..." She knew she had never meant to fall for him this hard, but she had; it had just taken her that night and being separated from him for so long for her to realize it.

Erik had heard that loud and clear. He had to fight to strong urge to sit up, to let her know that he had heard, to kiss her lips and hold her. But, sensing that she had more to say, he said nothing.

"I'm dreading when he comes back... I don't want to lose you again... I'm sorry for hurting you, Erik..." she felt tears roll down her cheeks; she knew he was asleep and couldn't hear her, but she had just needed to tell him, even if he would never know her feelings.

Erik's head was spinning. He'd received everything he'd ever truly wished for in one night, both being things that he never thought he'd obtain: love, and a child. He thanked God that he had been awake to hear her confession. He stayed still and silent.

Just then, the baby decided to wake up; she started to bawl unexpectedly. Christine still had tears rolling down her cheeks, and she knew that Erik would be waking... Quickly, she wiped the tears from her eyes, but more started to fall. She cursed herself for being so weepy lately.

Slowly, as if he was just waking up, Erik turned toward the two others in his bed, concealing the joyous smile that was previously on his lips. Christine sat up, clutching the baby to her chest and sushing her softly. "You can go back to sleep, if you want," she said, turning to Erik

"I shall wait for you," he replied.

"I think she's hungry." Christine had been a little nervous about breast feeding; she lowered her chemise and was grateful when their daughter quickly began to nurse without much coaxing on Christine's part. At first she winced as the baby sucked on her tender nipple, but soon became a little more relaxed. She knew it would take her a while to get used to this.

He watched a moment, then turned his gaze away modestly, not wanting to seem animalistic and dirty, and ruin her love for him. You must take more care now. You would not want to lose what has taken so long to gain, he thought to himself.

"I've been thinking of a name for her..."

"Have you come up with one yet, dear?"

"I was thinking Brigitte... It means strength."

"That sounds lovely. What of her middle name?"

"Amelia... Loved."

"Very nice, dearest. A good choice," he said, fighting to contain his joy.

"Thank you," she smiled at him. Brigitte had made her so happy... He had made her so happy. She looked down and realized that Brigitte had finished eating; she covered herself back up.

"Do you want to hold her?"

"Surely," he said, accepting the baby from her. He kissed her tiny forehead, and sang softly to her before she'd fallen back asleep. "Goodnight, Brigitte, my little angel," he whispered, quietly enough that he believed Christine had not heard. He handed the sleeping child back to her tenderly.

Christine smiled at what she had just heard; it had made her think now, more than ever, that he would be a wonderful father. She cuddled the baby close to her, hoping that the familiar feel of her mother's body would help little Brigitte sleep soundly. "I wasn't ready for her to come yet at all..." she whispered, turning to Erik.

"No?" he said, slightly unsure of what to say.

She shook her head "I don't have anything for her... Nothing ready." she was a little worried by this, and unsure of what she was going to do.

"I'm sure you will manage," he said soothingly.

"We will manage." He smiled genuinely at her, slightly overjoyed.

She smiled back. "She makes you happy."

"Yes, quite." he replied. He looked away a moment, and finally asked, "Christine, was it true?"

"Was what true?" she asked, slightly confused. He ignored the question.

"I heard what you said..." he said quietly, meeting her eyes.

"Oh..." she muttered, feeling flustered. "Oh... You don't have to say anything... It's alright."

"What do you mean?" he asked, in disbelief.

"You don't have to tell me you feel the same or anything..." she mumbled, her cheeks growing pink.

"Christine, what the devil are you talking about?" He stared at her face, as a blush crept into it. "Do you not know that I love you?"

She blinked. She certainly hadn't been expecting that. "Wh... What?"

"Christine!" he exclaimed, nearly laughing. "Did you not believe me, that night many months ago, when I told you I loved you? I have told you that I do not say things that I do not mean."

"I know but I thought... I thought... It doesn't matter." She leaned in and kissed him, careful not to disturb the sleeping baby in her arms.

It was the most blissful event of his life, even more so than when they'd had sex. The kiss was filled with love: pure, simple, mutual love. When the kiss broke (though it lasted quite some time), he did not pull his (still masked) face away from hers; he wanted to be as close to her as possible. He kissed both her cheeks, as tears of pure joy and relief began to spill. "Christine, I love you more than anything. How could you possibly believe otherwise?"

"You just seemed so bitter..." Tears of happiness had began to trickle out of her own eyes.

"I know, and I apologize," he said through his tears. "I was trying to make myself forget... I didn't want to, but I knew I must, if I was to go on living even a partially happy existence. But then, you returned to me. I was so taken aback by the horrid timing of it all... I just did not know of another way to react. I am so sorry, my love," he said, caressing her cheek.

"I'm sorry too... I know I hurt you..." She looked away, unable to meet his eyes.

"Yes, but that no longer matters," he said, guiding her chin back to him and kissing her lips softly,

"I love you..." she whispered, her tears flowing freely down her face.

"I love you, Christine. I believe I always have, and I always will. I never stopped."

Christine could think of nothing she could say to express the sheer joy she was feeling right now; she leaned in once more and kissed his lips with all of the passion she had inside of her. Their tears mingled at their locked lips, which only made him cry more. Finally, they each pulled away, and he lie back down, the look in his eyes begging her to join him.

She snuggled close to him, leaning up and kissing his cheek, her lips lingering upon it for a moment, before she rested her head on his chest.

Tentatively, he pulled his mask off before whispering, "Goodnight, Christine, mon amour."

"Goodnight, Erik," she whispered back, before closing her eyes... For the first time since the afternoon she had last been there, she slept peacefully.