Life went by a little smoother for Mike and Cristina after their talk on Cristina's couch. After several months of being careful, taking things slow, Mike finally popped the big question, asking Cristina to move in with him, leaving behind the little apartment she had become attached to. She had been a little reluctant, worried about how things would play out, but she was practically staying with him so much that it only seemed practical. Eve and John Morrison had given up some valuable time to come out and help them move.
Maryse was still attempting a reconciliation with Mike, and as jealous as it made Cristina, she trusted Mike at his word when he said he wanted nothing more to do with the French-Canadian Diva. Eventually, she gave up, moving onto Dolph Ziggler, who had broken up with his girlfriend to be with her. Mike didn't care; whatever kept her off of his and Cristina's case was all right by him.
Sometimes Cristina would travel with Mike to some shows in the area and in his hometown, where she met his family. They had all pulled Mike aside and let him know that Cristina was a huge improvement over Maryse and to never let her slip through his fingers. Backstage, Cristina was pretty well liked by the Divas, with exception of Maryse and her little clique.
Professionally, Cristina was doing well. Her Within Temptation interview had gone so well that she had received an offer from Kerrang! magazine. She didn't think twice about taking the opportunity, knowing full well it only meant big things for her in the long run. It hurt her to leave the publication where she got her start, but she never forgot about the huge opportunities they had given her so shortly after she had arrived, and she made it clear to her boss, who understood what a huge opportunity it was for her.
Next year, Cristina and Mike were going to Italy. She had decided to take him to meet her family. A huge part of her couldn't wait to see the look on Andrea's face when Mike showed up on his doorstep with her. Her mother was pleased to hear that she had found herself a man, and was already asking details about the wedding, about when she was going to receive grandkids. She never told her about the miscarriage; and with the exception of Mike and Eve, she never told anybody about it. The trauma was still there, but as time went on, she began to feel better and better about things.
Eve Torres got engaged to her boyfriend; Cristina was set to be a bridesmaid at the nuptials, whenever they set a date. It was exciting. Mike was glad to see that more and more, Cristina was coming out of her shell. It wasn't long before Cristina went out with the girls and had fun. But, in a way that was a stark contrast to Maryse, she actually texted Mike if she was going to be late, or if she went somewhere different. She was always home by at least one to curl up with him in bed, where she always seemed to sleep peacefully beside him.
Life at Kerrang! magazine was great once she arrived. She had gotten to interview a lot of hard rock/gothic/symphonic/death metal bands and people considered her to be somebody who "got it" when it came to music criticism. Her pay had spiked, her taste in music had expanded, and it seemed like life couldn't get any sweeter.
So why was she standing in the bathroom, pacing a trench in the floor?
"Si poetrebbe pensare che ho imparato la lezione l'ultima volta," Cristina murmured under her breath. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Well-rested, nice and tanned, Cristina saw some muscle was beginning to form from all the jogging she did with Mike. She continued to pace. "Dio, io sono cosi stupido!" she called out. Mike was on the road; he wouldn't be home until Tuesday; she still had another two days to wait for him.
Two more minutes. She continued to pace. Mike was doing well, still a humble man who had no idea that he would ever make it as big as he did. She liked to watch him on the television every week, laughing at his brash statements and cheering him on against his opponents. Life was wonderful; it was beautiful. The best part was that everything was happening to her.
Mike surprised her from time to time with things on his travels. He brought her back some beautiful things from France and Scotland. But she never asked for anything, nor did she expect it. She had a sneaking suspicion that Mike appreciated that, and just got to enjoy doing things because he wanted to, not because he had to make up for something.
One minute.
The wait was excruciating. And with every second that passed, it just felt like eternity. On and on it went. Finally, she was down to the last ten seconds and it went by like minutes at a time. When the ten seconds were up, she picked up the pregnancy test off of the bathroom counter and took a look.