WAAAAH OMFG SHE RETURNS! I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAACK! Okay guys I have no idea if this is for sure but I will have you konw that I have been shit loads busy, I WAS ACCEPTED AS A CREATIVE WRITING MAJOR UNDER BIG TIME AWARD! I won't tell you where but now that it's summer I hope that I'll have time to update more often and finish this story, sadly there is only a few more chapters left. tear. But hhahah I'M BACK AND HERE IS A LOVELY CHAPTER FOR YOU. Read and have fun happy belated birthdays to you guys.

Christina's POV

Warmer then an embryo safe within the egg, that was all I could think of to describe this feeling. I was safer then any embryo was though, an arm around my waist so tight and snug that if I moved I feared I'd fall into oblivion. And for the first time in what had felt like an eternity, I awoke without the familiar feeling that I had eaten too much and was no longer able to hold it down. My mind was swimming when I felt a brush of lips against my ear and I moaned in response, turning over and finding Erik's gorgeous eyes looking down at mine before he chastely kissed my forehead and brushed my cheek with his artist's hands.

"Good morning mon ange."

"Aye and a good morning it is. Now give me back my pet name. It is not yours to take and use on me so likely love."
"Hmm. No I think I'll keep it for this day at least. After all you just stole my pet name." Suddenly I realized my blunder and scrunched my nose up in distaste with a chuckle. "Oh God those words did not just escape my lips. Uh Erik get up I'm hungry and you haven't made me breakfast yet." I tried to make a recovery from my sudden loss of normal biting sarcasm and wit but it was only met by Erik's deep chuckle and a nip on my ear.

"Why don't you make breakfast for a change? After all it is Christmas." He said snuggling under the covers like some giant lumpy pillow. Under normal circumstances I would have found it inconceivable that he could hide that 6'2 physique in the covers, but our bed was big enough for not only Erik and I, but Riegal who now rested at the foot of the bed, and a few guests if we chose to have a pillow fight. Sadly enough that wasn't something thought highly of in the 19th century.

I had shot out of bed within seconds of his announcement, a surprise running through my body so intense that I burst out laughing. In an amazing chance of pure ecstasy I was in the air and flying towards the dresser pulling out a robe and wrapping it around myself, throwing my long hair back and fingering what was left of the colored braids. But it amazed me how I didn't feel regret but actually chuckled with satisfaction. I was growing up, I was pregnant I was married and for the first time in a long time was happy. It felt right that these things should be left behind for another life. I still had my memories and suddenly I turned my glance down to my wrist to still find the tattoo there and the others I knew would always be there. I had lost myself in my thoughts suddenly and when I looked back up at the tall mirror, Erik stood behind me with his eyebrow raised and his mask in his hand not yet on his face.

"Heh don't worry I was just… thinking."

"You've been doing a lot of that lately."

"It's nothing to be worried about, it's just, last year this time I was spending Christmas vacation at-"

"I know. Come on I thought you were hungry." Erik had placed his mask on once more when I turned to frown at him, brushing his face with my hand. But just as soon as my hand had reached out he had grabbed it and tossed me over his shoulder in one fluid movement most unceremoniously. It was like I was some small doll, being a whole foot or more, smaller then him. A loud growl came from my throat, or as close to a growl as a human girl could make, and my hands were slapping at his back while I kicked and squirmed. It was to no avail though. And behind me Riegal was running in circles and knocking against the walls with his tail, probably waking the entire house.

"Erik! Erik put me down. God Damn It Erik put me the fuck down, look you've got me swearing again!" Erik only chuckled before slapping my backside in the most extreme of ways. Thankfully we had reached the kitchen and he sat me down in a chair with a cocky grin on his face. The glint in his eyes was alarming if not down right frightening.

"And now, you're first present for the morning. I have taken the liberty of assuring that your guests were out of the house before the hour of nine and gone till the hour of one."

I made a motion of looking at the grandfather clock we had brought with us from the lair and it read 10 o'clock. Of course I didn't bother to think that we had been alone in the house for a whole hour as much as I thought that he had woken me up a whole four hours earlier then I usually woke up. "Why do I suddenly feel very apprehensive about today?"

Ignoring my sudden interruption of his speech Erik continued, "It is now 10 o'clock and your breakfast a waits. After which I hope to open the Christmas presents and possibly, well we shall leave that for later." He said.

My eyes suddenly bulged and I found myself snorting at how untimely that had come and the lack of suave it had involved. It seemed like the married Erik wasn't as ready for things as the unmarried Erik was because he was blushing. I broke out laughing and picked Riegal up, sitting him in my lap while I watched Erik busy himself about the kitchen. A few moments later and the kitchen was a sauna of sweet aroma's and tastes. Erik had already set everything out for us and now it seemed that he had cooked the entire contents of our small kitchen. Before me was a pig stack of cookie-dough and chocolate chip pancakes. Maple syrup had been set out ahead of time and now Erik was cooking up a storm of food if I even needed anymore. I think the twelve or more pancakes sitting before me was more then enough.

"Erik slow down I've been sitting here watching you cook for at least half an hour, forgetting the fact that you threaten life and limb when I try to help, and you've cooked enough food for the court of King Arthur, plus-" I only got a wink from him before he was back to his business.

An hour later and Erik had finally sat down with me while I disgustingly devoured the entirety of our enormous meal. Riegal was even helping with the large portions of bacon. But not even I could finish this meal. After an hour or so I was doubled over in my chair clutching my stomach and laughing while Erik cleaned up after me. I had amazingly eaten all the contents of our breakfast save the small bits that Erik and Riegal had been able to sneak away from me without my hand slapping at their wrists.

"I thought you said I made too much and yet I find I don't have any leftovers for tomorrow."

"And if you knew anything you'd know I hate leftovers."

"Come on I've had enough of your pregnant talk and I want to spoil you to no end if only to insure you don't leave me."

Erik had quickly picked me up from my seat and walked me towards our library only to stop in front of the double doors and walk up behind me. Slowly I felt the warm caress of silk wrap around my eyes and tie in back, I could hear Riegal at my feet in a calm state and Erik grinning in my ear. "No peeking now or you will spoil the surprise and you wouldn't want that mon ange."

I heard the doors open and felt Erik take my hand in his and he steadily guided me into the library, leaving me alone in the dark of the blindfold to open the drapes. The silhouette of light shining through the small silk that was evidently gold and just as I was about to remove the silk myself Erik closed the library doors and did it for me with a grin. I gasped in surprise suddenly feeling very small and outside of myself. Erik had gone through the lengths of filling the entire library from top to bottom with books when before it had only been the lower shelves. In front of the fireplace was a Christmas tree unlike any other and below it was a scattered variety of papier-mâché covered boxes and bags. The fireplace even had three evenly placed stockings with our names, including Riegal's, inscribed in a different type of filigree for each. The fireplace was lit and a warm fire was crackling onto the plush arrangement of satin pillows and blankets. Erik had thought of everything and even arranged for a warm place to sit together in front of the fireplace at even level with the fire.

"God Erik… is there anything you don't do perfectly?"

"Well that has yet to be debated." He chuckled and then guided me towards the fireplace, setting me down and placing a blanket over me. On the mantel place below the fire was even a small tray of hot chocolate and cookies for us, though I doubted if I would be able to eat any more food for the next few hours. Riegal had disappeared to the upper lever of the library before he finally came back down and curled into a ball of fur at the front of the fireplace.

"Erik… Christ…" I wasn't able to say anything for a first time in a long time, and silently I just stared at the fire and at him letting my head fall into his lap. He gently stroked my hair, fingering the braids before the fell away back into my hair, and just as he let go of them I took them up and silently undid them. They fell into the rest of my hair, their once vibrant color starting to die away into the fiery auburn hair that I had been born with.

Erik's POV

I watched as she did this, watched while she silently closed her eyes and started to dream away again. Once those eyes had been milky and white, once she had been blind and it was hard to believe that we had been through so much and yet I knew that I wouldn't change a thing.

"You're thinking about home aren't you?"

"I suppose, this is our home now. If anything I was thinking about you all those months ago." I said, still stroking her hair.

"You make me sound old, like we've been married for twenty years instead of ten months."

"If anyone is old it is I."

"Nonsense my father was 40 when he married my mother and a tad older when I was born. If you're young enough to still produce and old enough to know better then you're the perfect age."

"Are you saying your father wasn't either of those?"

"Heh, no I'm just saying he was never the smartest man alive."

"Come on you have presents to open."

I gently leaned over and started to grab the array of presents that I had left for her under the tree, and I noticed that right away her calm and almost startlingly cold demeanor faded back into one of pure childish joy. Like a monster she ripped open the first present and for the rest of the day we enjoyed ourselves just lying in the library until the others came back. I never thought I could enjoy myself, sitting silently and just playing with her hair. There was no singing and no talking after the presents had been opened. It was just the two of us sitting in a comfortable silence, one that I never wanted to end.

Three months later (sneak peek)

"Christina… Christina look at me you need to push alright."

"No… oh God Damnit Erik Destler I'll never let you touch me again I want a divorce." I screamed out after another wave of pain shot through my body and I felt hot tears pour down my body. Kate had refused to let Erik into the room as I gave birth, saying that it was improper for a man to be in the room with a lady during such time. Personally I think it was a smart move because if he was here I would have been biting his head off.

"Alright here it comes…"

ahahah look at that with my return comes my gift for terrible cliffy's. I hope you all enjoy this lovely chapter it took me the whole of my school year to write. AHAH, and I didn't even re-read it before posting because I was so anxious to get it up. I also have a new star wars story up too. So yeah hope you guys all enjoy the update. God it's great to be back and feel that need to write fanfic's instead of doing work that I should be focusing on.