After Erik and Meg bought the rings, nothing much changed other than they always wore a band (or two in Meg's case) of silver around their left ring finger. There was the small matter of Erik not sleeping in his casket anymore, but that and the rings were the only things that really changed. Wait one more thing, Meg was pregnant with Robert's child… but the drama had blown over and Erik had stepped into the role of doting soon to be father.

Meg's Fifth Month:

"Oof," Erik groaned as he picked himself up off the stone floor that he contacted a moment earlier. The beat of Meg's feet echoed slightly as she ran into the bathroom. After glancing at the clock (5 o'clock in the morning), Erik sleepily made his way into the kitchen to prepare the tea he knew Meg was going to want. Her nausea had mostly gone away, but her moodiness and cravings had increased. So had her need to pee in the middle of the night or ungodly hours of the morning… many times, causing Erik to fall out of bed as he did this morning. He was amassing a large amount of bruises too.

After a bit, Meg came into the kitchen and snatched the cup of tea out of Erik's hands, two lumps of sugar and extra cream as usual. "Good morning Meg." Erik said in an attempt to lighten the sour expression on Meg's face. She only harrumphed in response. "What is the matter dearest?"

"I have to urinate in the middle of the night, my hair looks utterly repulsive, I am gaining more weight that I have never have in my entire life and I am starting to get lines on my stomach and thighs! THAT IS WHAT IS THE MATTER!" she shouted the last part a bit louder than she needed to.

"Surely it cannot be as bad as you make it out to be." Erik offered gently.

"And are you the one who is pregnant and blowing up like a hot air balloon?" She hissed. Erik just sighed and shook his head.

Meg's Sixth Month:

"ERIK!" Meg's excited shriek filled the underground home and Erik dropped his current composition and tore into the kitchen where Meg was standing with her hands on her belly and a strange look on her face.

"What the hell is wrong Meg?" Meg squealed excitedly and waddled over to Erik, even though it was Meg's fifth month she was a bit bigger than Christine was, then again, Christine hadn't been huge in her pregnancy. Taking his hand, Meg placed it on her swollen belly and Erik felt something hit against his hand.

"The baby is kicking," he breathed and his hand was bombarded with the baby's feeble assaults. A sense of unease overcame him; he knew that the baby was kicking more often than it should be. Then again perhaps the baby was destined to be a dancer like its mother.

"Yes and-" she grunted, "Hard too." Erik chuckled a little but Meg wasn't laughing. "Is it funny that I am in pain? Do you think it's funny?" Her voice was high pitched and hysterical, tears began to well up in her eyes, "I thought you loved me. You are awful." She hiccupped and "ran" into what was now their room with Erik close at her heels.

Throwing herself onto the bed, Meg buried her face in the pillows and wailed loudly. Erik groaned to himself, he had forgotten how moody Meg had been and could be. He wasn't sure if he could deal with it for another four months.

"Meg," a small sigh escaped Erik's lips as he sat down on the bed and stroked Meg's hair. "No I don't think that it is funny you are in pain and you know that I don't." Meg answered with a sniff. "Meg, darling, please get up. You need to eat so this baby is a healthy one."

Out of nowhere, Meg threw her arms around Erik's neck and kissed it and his face over and over. When she was done she crawled into Erik's lap and rested her head on his shoulder only to burst into sobs again.

"What is the matter now?"

"I am so fat and moody and I am always yelling at you!" She wailed. "Erik I'm sooooooorry," big fat teardrops fell out of her eyes and soaked into Erik's skin.

"Mon chéri, you are not fat, you are pregnant, and you are not always yelling at me."

"But I'm bigger than Christine was when she was nine months."

"Do not fret, who do you see around that cares how large you are?"

"You?"

"Non," Erik shook his head, "I could not care any less how big you are. You are still Meg Giry, my one love, and shall always be no matter how you look."

"Do you mean it?" Erik nodded and kissed the top of Meg's head. "I love you Erik."

"I love you too, now let's go eat."

"Do we have any pickles?"

Meg's Seventh Month:

"Erik is it always so hot in here?" Meg had on her thinnest dress, which just so happened to be her nightgown, and she was fanning herself with a heavy silk fan she had found in a costume trunk somewhere in the lair.

"You think that it is hot?" Erik asked incredulously, it had not only been two days ago that Meg had found the lair to be so cold that she wore two of her heaviest dresses, a housecoat, and then stayed in bed with two extra blankets on top. And still she couldn't get warm!

"Ye-" Meg cut off and gasped sharply, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Meg, are you alright?" Erik got up from the bench where he was composing and knelt down by Meg's chair across the room where she had been reading a book before she had suddenly gotten so hot.

Meg shook her head. "What is wrong dear?"

"The baby is kicking – really hard. And – I don't want to be – pregnant any more!" She responded haltingly, "I am so big. Do – do you think it – is normal?"

Erik paused for a moment before responding, "Honestly?" Meg nodded. "Honestly I do not know but do not fear, I shall not place you in harms way. If need be, to prevent a premature birth, you will go on bed rest." Meg groaned. "For the baby," Erik chided gently, although in his mind he added the thing he had been thinking for quite some time. Or possibly even babies…

Meg's Eighth Month:

The bed creaked as Meg tossed and turned, causing Erik to groan. "Meg, can you not sleep as you did last night?"

"No," she grunted and lay on her back before rolling to her left side and facing away from Erik. "It is quite uncomfortable."

Erik ran a hand over his unmasked face in exasperation, he was doing quite well putting up with Meg's… pregnancy problems… but he could only do well on a good nights sleep.

"I am sorry," Meg whispered quietly, resting on her right side with her left leg thrown over his, she found that she could sleep better some nights in this position; luckily this was one of those nights.

Again, Erik ran his hand over his face, only this time he was ashamed. "Darling, it's okay."

Meg snuggled up against Erik and rested her head on his bare shoulder, tracing the muscles of his chest lightly with her finger causing tremors to race up and down Erik's spine. "You are such a great person Erik." Erik laughed slightly. "I mean it," Meg said reproachfully. "You put up with all my moments and I love you all the more for it," she kissed him softly causing him to smile a bit. "Now I am comfortable, so good night."

"Good night Meg, sweet dreams."

Meg chuckled, "Let's just hope this baby doesn't have any nightmares."

Dreadfully short I know and I apologize. Gender suggestions? Names? Help wanted.
Much love
kat
PS please review! I want to hit 100 by at least chapter 25 or I hope to anyway...