I walked downstairs to Erik's favorite room, his drawing room. He was painting a picture of the clearing in the wood. I walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at me and I told him, choking on my words,
"I have to talk to you," he breathed deeply and said,
"Christine...why dont you change your clothes and meet me in the lounge in 10 minutes? I bet you would like to change out of that nightgown,"
I nodded and walked up to my room and into my walk in closet. I chose a lavender satin dress that fell to my ankles with a low neckline and sleeves that went tight just down below my elbows. I placed the gold cross left to me by my grandma around my neck and examined my reflection. I looked good to break this news. I walked downstairs and saw Erik in black lounge pants and a white shirt that was open down the front. I sat next to him and he caressed my face and held me in his arms. I felt so safe, yet like I was lying. It took him a while to start talking. He said in a soft, airy voice,
"Did you want to talk to me about something? Do you need anything?" I told him,
"No, I need nothing but your conforting arms around me while I go through this crisis,"
"What crisis? Are you okay?" I shook my head and he hugged me tighter.
"I-I Erik, you wouldn't understand," He turned my head up to face him and he told me,
"You can tell me anything. I will always understand, Mia Angela,"
"I-I...Erik, I'm one month pregnant. I know it must be his, because he was the only one who ever...you know..." my voice died off and he said,
"What do you want to do?"
"I will not kill the child,"
"Then we will keep the child,"
"You will help me raise a child even though it does not share your genes?"
"It is a part of you, and therefore something I love. It may share his genes, but I can still be a father,"
I smiled and buried my face in his chest. I was so happy.
"I want you to be the father, Erik,"
he stroked my hair and said nothing. He was the father. I don't care what genes the baby has, Erik was the father.
Chapter 12
5 months later
My stomach was showing and Erik acted as if he really was the child's father. Sometimes I even forgot that he really wasn't. He would always rush out to get something that I was strangely craving (balogna, pepperoni, parmasean cheese, etc.) but not before making sure either Jaclyn or Naiomi was watching over me carefully. Naiomi told me that she had once delivered the Countess's baby so she was ready and would be able to deliver mine. I was happy that she could do that. Jaclyn helped me with everything. Erik insisted that I would sleep in his room from now on for he was afraid that "he" would come back for me. I slept every night safe in his arms. Erik still recived a large salary and paid a doctor to make a house-call once a week to check on the baby. Even though the doctor insisted that I did not need him once a week, Erik insisted and said that I should always be in tip-top shape. He would now more often paint or draw a woman with a baby in her arms, sometimes a girl, sometimes a boy, depending on his mood. The paintings were so beautiful. I always loved his art, but these had to be his most beautiful paintings yet.

2 months later
The doctor came around 3:00 with a sonar machine (A/N: I really don't know if they had sonar machines then, but even if they did not, they did in my phic) and told me that he was going to take pictures of the baby. He asked me if I wanted to know the gender of the baby and I said no. I wanted to have a surprise. He placed the camera on my potruding belly. He moved it around and he said,
"Yes...the baby is in position to be birthed. I am sure that it will be born within a week. Be ready, Miss,"
I nodded and looked at Erik who had popped his head into the door and looked quite scared
"A- week?"
"Yes, haven't you noticed it, your fiancee has been pregnant for eight months, Monsieur," the doctor said in a brisque voice. Erik stared. I just smiled.