[A/N: Date rape TW. Not much but y'know... gotta put this here to be safe :) Also single mom/family dysfunction TW. Please review, and let me know if I need to change anything (but do so politely with constructive criticism :) Enjoy!]

Chapter 2

Weeks later, Christine found herself making out with Raoul in the backseat of his (now fixed) car, just after their fifth date.

She pulled away for a moment. "Raoul, I must get going soon…" she whispered

He hushed her and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Just a moment longer," he murmured before attacking her neck.

"Raoul, I really must leave soon," she said a bit louder as she attempted to pull out of his arms.

He tightened his hold on her. "Five more minutes, darling, that's all I need."

"Raoul, let go of me!" she nearly shouted.

He immediately let go of her after her outburst, realizing he was seeming a bit sex-crazed. "I-I'm sorry, Christine… I didn't mean to… I thought… I mean, I didn't realize… You know what? Forget it. I can't make excuses for my actions. They are what they were; sexually-driven attempts to get what I subconsciously desired… I regret it completely, Christine, and I offer my sincerest apologies. Can you ever forgive me?"

Christine stared at him for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. That had almost been date-rape, but it was now obvious that Raoul hadn't meant it.

"I really want to be mad at you. I really do. I want to hit you with my purse and leave you with a black eye—"

"—rightfully so—"

"—but I honestly can't. Not after an apology like that. Most men wouldn't take responsibility for their actions like that—some would even blame it on me—but you… you're something special, Raoul, and I'm really lucky to have you… But I must warn you to keep your actions under control, alright?"

"Oh, I will, Christine. I swear I will."

"Good. Now, I really must be going," she said before opening the door.

"May I walk you to your door?"

"Whatever floats your boat."

Raoul got out and rushed over to her side before she could even get out. He took her hands and helped her up (although she didn't really need it at all) and shut the door for her.

"May I come in this time?" Raoul asked as they neared her apartment door.

"Next time," Christine replied hastily.

"You say that every time."

"It's a mess in there…"

"I repeat, you say that every time. I have trouble believing that someone who dresses so neatly could possibly be too disorganized to let her own boyfriend come inside."

"Boyfriend?"

"We've been on five dates and you've already referred to me as your 'boyfriend' more than once. Now, quit trying to change the subject."

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about."

"I call BS."

"So what? I don't care, and you're not coming inside tonight, nor will you ever come inside."

"I knew it."

"Knew what?"

"You're hiding something."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Who is he?"

"No one."

"Then you admit there's someone."

"No, there isn't."

"Are you cheating on me or are you cheating on him?"

"I'm not cheating on anyone."

"Who is he, Christine?"

"No one."

"Who is he, Christine?"

"No one."

"Who is he, Christine?"

"My son!" Christine exclaimed.

Raoul stared at her in silence. He could see now that she was crying.

"Are you happy now? Now you know why I won't let you in!"

Raoul remained silent.

"…Perhaps you should just go… I know you don't want me anymore…"

"May I see him?" Raoul whispered.

"What?"

"May I see him?"

Christine was stunned. "Y-Yeah, I guess so… By the way, Meg's in there too; she babysits for me from time to time."

"Okay," Raoul murmured as he gently took her hand again.

Christine pulled her key out and unlocked the door, quietly opening it.

"Hey—oh, you have Raoul with you…" Meg said when she saw Christine.

"Yeah," Christine said, her tone betraying everything to Meg.

"So he…"

"Yep. You can go home now."

"Okay. Text me later, alright?"

"Okay, bye."

After that, Meg left quickly and awkwardly.

"You can sit down anywhere you'd like. I'll bring him out to you," Christine stated before disappearing into one of the only other rooms in the apartment.

Raoul decided to sit down on the small couch in the small living room that connected to what passed as a "kitchen." He looked around, taking the sight of his girlfriend's house in. It was a little messy, but he supposed it was clean for someone with a kid. The apartment smelled like baby food and formula. That, combined with the types of toys that littered the floor, indicated to Raoul that the child was still an infant; not a toddler like he'd expected.

Surprisingly, he felt nervous. He knew he shouldn't feel anxious about meeting someone so small, who wouldn't even remember this day next year, but this was still such an important moment in his relationship with Christine. His reaction could change everything and anything. Besides, if all went well, he could end up as the step-father of this child.

He just hoped he didn't say or do anything stupid.

His thoughts were interrupted when Christine came back into the room, cradling a small bundle in her arms.

He'd been right; the child was most definitely an infant.

He sat up straight and scooted over when Christine quietly joined him on the couch. Raoul peered over her shoulder, trying to see the child's face.

He was a handsome little boy. His curly brown hair and slender nose definitely came from his mother, but the other features came from another man.

"What's his name?" Raoul whispered, so as not to wake the baby up.

"His name is Daniel," Christine whispered back.

Raoul smiled. "That's a nice name. It suits him."

Christine smiled back. "Yeah. He always seemed the gentle and quiet type when I was pregnant with him. He never kicked too much, and now he hardly ever cries, unless he needs something. I'm lucky to have him… So… I dunno, I guess I thought the name 'Daniel' fitted those characteristics."

"It does. And, in Welsh and Irish, it means 'attractive,' and this little fellow is definitely quite handsome."

She giggled lightly. "Quit trying to impress me," she teased.

"I'm not trying," Raoul replied with a laugh.

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."

"How old is he?"

"He'll be six months old later this week."

Raoul smiled. "Still little, huh?"

Christine nodded. "Mm-hm."

"May I hold him?"

"Yeah. Do you know how?"

"I'm sure I do. It looks simple enough."

Christine raised her eyebrows. "Alright, if you say so. But be very careful. Babies must be handled more carefully than glass."

Raoul nodded. "I promise I will be very careful, Christine. I wouldn't dream of dropping him, not even by accident."

Christine nodded and slowly began to move Daniel from her arms to Raoul's arms.

Once Daniel was in Raoul's arms, he began to squirm, which made Raoul tense up. Christine, however, gently stroked Daniel's cheek and whispered "shhhhhh" until he was still again.

Raoul smiled at her. "You're a very good mother."

Christine giggled slightly. "I like to hope so."

"There's no reason to hope for what you already are."

"I guess I'm doing something right… I mean, he's still alive… But I truly believe that's mainly his doing. He's such a good little boy. He really doesn't cry unless he's hungry or scared, since that's his only way to communicate, and Meg swears he's the easiest child she's ever been a babysitter for… I'm really lucky to have a child like him."

"He seems like a very good child… If you don't mind me asking, what happened to his father? Are you divorced or…?

Christine smiled slightly and shook her head with a sigh. "No. I've never been married…" She took a deep breath. "I was in my second year of college—I was going to be a psychologist y'know; I was going to help people out with their life problems and stuff—but anyways, I was totally 'in love' with this guy… Long story short; one bad decision led to another and I ended up pregnant, and the father refused to be a man and take some responsibility. I didn't care though. He was a douchebag and Daniel and I are much better off without him. But being pregnant forced me to drop out of college, so that sucks, but I'm okay... I work two jobs, but I'm okay… My family doesn't even speak to me anymore, but I'm okay… I'd rather have Daniel over anything else in the world… He's the only one that can't hurt me…"

Raoul noticed that she was trying really hard not to cry, but he didn't say anything. He wanted to put his arms around her and comfort her, but he couldn't let go of Daniel. He bit his cheek and thought about what he should do.

Finally, he figured it out.

"Christine, I want you to know that I love you more than anything in the entire world, and that I'm incredibly proud of you for how well you've handled all of this by yourself. I honestly don't know how you do it. You're the strongest woman I've ever known, and I know you're destined for greatness. Before I continue, I'd like you to lay your head on my shoulder, because I know you're about to cry and I'm currently unable to put my arms around you."

Christine silently took Daniel from his arms and did as she was told.

Raoul's arms now free, he gently placed them around his beloved. "The fact that you have a child does not repel me, like I know you thought it would. In fact, your story has only strengthened the love I already have for you. That love is not out of pity, but out of admiration for your strength and independence; for all the sacrifices you've made for the sake of yourself and your child. It's absolutely incredible to me. I know that I personally wouldn't even be able to do what you've done, and I'm sure I don't even know the half of it. I'm not even sure why you bother to even to speak to a barely-average guy like me. You're really incredible, Christine, and I admire that more than you can ever possibly fathom. But even more than that, I love you. I love you. And I've known that since I saw you at Starbucks that morning. Truth be told, I'd been coming to Starbucks just to see you for quite a while before I got your number, but that's another story entirely. The point is; I love you. A lot. And I really hope you love me too, because honestly, Christine, I think I want to marry you eventually. I don't know when, but I'm going to marry you. And I honestly don't know where I'm going with this anymore, but—"

He was silenced by a peck on the lips from Christine. "Darling, you're blabbering," she giggled, "But thank you. I'm okay now. Thank you. I love you."

Raoul grinned goofily. "Really? You love me?"

Christine laughed. "Of course I do. I've loved you for a long time, just ask Megan. I was just waiting for you to say it first."

His grin widened. "That's great, because I was afraid I was making a fool of myself with all that sappy blabbering about love and marriage… I mean, I meant every word, but I was afraid you might think it's weird…"

She giggled. "I think it's perfectly romantic. Never be afraid to sound cheesy or sappy around me; I enjoy it when you say cute things to me. And don't feel like you have to talk so sophisticatedly around me; that's how you should talk to co-workers and clients, not your girlfriend."

He chuckled. "Alright, I'll try to relax a bit more around you, but forgive me if I can't help but talk like that sometimes."

"It's okay." She rose, "I'm going to put Daniel back in his crib. I'll be right back."

While he waited for her to come back, he thought over what she'd revealed to him earlier. All of it had been rather surprising to him. What bothered him most, though, was that she was working two jobs. He didn't like the image of her coming home nearly every night utterly exhausted, and then have to take care of an infant for the rest of the night. And the fact that she couldn't even go to college to be able to get a better job was saddening to him as well. Well, he had a lot of money to spare; maybe he could…

"What are you thinking about?" he heard Christine say as she plopped down beside him on the couch.

"Huh—oh, nothing," he mumbled as he sat up a bit and place an arm around her, "It's just… Are you tired, Christine?"

"What do you mean?"

"Sorry—you work two jobs; are you tired when you get home at night?"

She chuckled. "Exhausted would be a proper word."

"So you don't enjoy it?"

"Of course not."

"Then I want you to quit."

"Huh?!"

"I want you to quit one of your jobs."

"Raoul, how the heck am I supposed to do that?! I need to make money to survive! I can't just quit!"

"Hush, darling, and let me finish."

She sighed and looked up at him, one eyebrow raised and her arms crossed.

"I want to pay—"

"Nope."

"You didn't even let me fin—"

"I don't need to."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"Fine, I'll listen, but I already know what you're going to say and I'm going to be contrary to it. Just warning you."

"Okay. I want you to quit one or both of your jobs. If you quit one, I'll match the loss of income, plus pay for your college tuition. If you quit both jobs, you and Daniel will move in with me, and I'll pay for your college tuition. Either way, you'll be less exhausted, and you'll be going to college to get your dream job."

"Tempting, I'll admit, but no thanks."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't accept charity. No donations are allowed."

"It's not like that, Christine."

"I don't care. Even if it's not, what happens if, heaven forbid, we break up? I'm not stupid; I know this fairytale has a chance of ending without a 'happily ever after.' We may be madly in love with each other now, but what happens if we can't stand each other next month?"

"That won't happen. You know how I feel about you and what my intentions."

"I do. I know you love me a lot, Raoul, and I love you, but there's no way I'm letting you pay my bills unless we're married, because at that point they'll be 'our' bills."

"Alright, what if I signed a legal document, stating that I must pay your bills, no matter the state of our relationship, until you are a registered psychologist, or until you yourself order me to stop?"

"Then I'd consider it. But I'm not making any promises."

"I will do it, Christine. I just want to make things a little easier for you."

"I know, and I admire your intentions… I just want to be independent, okay? I don't want to find myself dependent on another man's paycheck one day."

"That's understandable. But I hope you'll accept my offer. You can alter it, if you'd like. I don't care, as long as I'm doing something beneficial to you."

"Damn."

"What?"

"It's pretty much impossible to be mad at you, isn't it?"

He laughed and pulled her into a tight hug. "I do hope it is."