Erik and I sat in silence for the rest of the night, words seemed to elude us. Neither of us went up to supper when it was being announced, we just sat in silence, in the dim light of Erik's cabin. I had cried for a few hours, and now I felt drained. After a while I had fallen asleep and I had figured Erik did as well, if he didn't fall asleep right away, he didn't protest my being in the already cramped cabin. I highly doubted he would.

The next morning I rose from the bed, although I didn't feel any different from last night, except I was hungry. The contents of my stomach had been empty for the whole time I had been on this ship, was it three days? Two? I couldn't remember the days seemed to run together after the accident. It was then that I had realized Erik was nowhere to be found and I panicked; perhaps finding Erik was just a dream, perhaps he was really dead and I was left all alone. I looked around the bunker, three men were sleeping in the three extra beds that were adorned around the room and it made me wonder how I got so lucky to get a bed to myself while… A smile appeared on my face, I wasn't in my room, so I wasn't dreaming that Erik had survived!

I slipped out of the room, trying my hardest not to wake the three other men. I backed out of the door, shutting it as quiet as one could shut an iron door and felt myself bump into someone. I turned around to see Erik standing there still looking disheveled, but he was still handsome as always.

"Hello." I mumbled as I wrapped my arms around him, I felt myself melt into the man before me as his arms wrapped around my frame.

"how are you feeling today?" He placed a kiss on the top of my head.

I shrugged and looked up at him "The same as yesterday." I looked at him and I was sure I looked a fright. I could feel that my eyes were puffy and I was sure I had been pale from the lack of food "Except I'm so hungry." I broke away from Erik and held my stomach.

He nodded "I was about to find you so we can go grab something to eat." He gave a one shouldered shrug "it's not much, gruel I believe, but it's something."

I laughed slightly "I suppose the Carpathia wasn't expecting visitors." I linked my arm in his as we both walked to a cold un familiar room. This ship was nothing like the Titanic; it had one large dining hall which the crew had called the 'mess hall' and their cuisine wasn't as spectacular, Gruel was served for breakfast and on the titanic nothing but the best would have been served for breakfast. I missed the fresh fruit already with a glass of tea.

When I had received my food, which I had to stand in line for, I scarfed it down with much satasfication. My stomach felt full and I once again felt tired, but I wasn't going to sleep the rest of the day away. When my grandfather had passed away, my mother slept for days, only came out to eat and then would go back into her own solitude. I wasn't going to do that.

After breakfast Erik and I made our way around the deck of the ship, once again in silence. I looked at the ocean and I threw it a threatening glance, although I knew it didn't falter one wave of the ocean.

"Erik?" I looked up at him after a while "May we talk?" I chewed on my bottom lip "In private?" I looked around and he nodded, leading me down the passageways and to his room "No." I shook my head and led him down a few doors to my room.

Erik laughed slightly as he made his way into the room "It's true, the beautiful ladies got the single rooms." He winked at me.

I smiled slightly and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling him down close to me "I want to talk about that night." I mumbled "I want to talk about what happened after I was put on a life boat against my will…" I shot him a look "I want to know if there was a boat waiting for the men on the other side, and I want to know why my mother wasn't in a life boat" I said tears welling up in my eyes.

Erik cleared his throat "Well, no, I mean…" he grumbled slightly and rubbed a hand down his vest "There was a boat on the other side; they were accepting men at least. Your father, Raoul and I hurried over as fast as we could, when we arrived they wouldn't let your father or Raoul on board." He looked at me, my eyes glossy "I was going to go down with the ship, naturally so I wasn't searching for a boat to board." He wiped a tear that had escaped my eyes "I spent the remaining time on board with your father and Raoul. He gave us his blessing, he said he had never seen you so happy before in your life. Although he hated to see the outcome of what happened when neither he nor I made it." He looked down at the ground, I wondered if he was going to cry. "Your father is a very humble man Christine, I only wish that I knew him longer." He shook his head and then looked back at me "Then we found your mother, she was sitting on a staircase that was close to being swallowed by the water. She said she had been looking for you for the better part of the night." He wiped another tear that seemed to escape from my eyes. "She was afraid, quite like you were afraid to die, but your father held her close and moved her to a higher and dryer part of the ship." He looked at me and sighed "I don't know what happened to them after that as I was instructed to work on the emergency flairs." He sighed and closed his eyes "It happened so quickly. The water rushed over me and I was being taken down with the ship, I thought of you, and I thought of what I was leaving behind and as I was ready to succumb to death, the ocean spit me back out, as if it didn't want me to leave you." He pulled me close to him, into one of the best hugs I had ever received.

I looked up at him and pulled my body away from his "So, my parents died together?" I closed my eyes, trying to prevent tears from falling, but it seemed to fail.

"Yes." Erik nodded

Tears flooded down my face, and a hand cupped over my mouth "My parents died together." I mumbled "My parents died…" I opened my eyes and looked at him "Together." I closed my eyes again, their smiling faces flooded my vision, they were together, and that had made me happy. I had pictured their deaths to be separate, but just as horrible. I only hoped that their bodies would be found, I would have loved to give them a proper burial. I opened my eyes and looked at Erik in the eyes, those deep oceanic blue eyes "They died together." I smiled slightly and inhaled slightly "That eases the pain." I looked at him and smiled slightly "It's comforting to know." I mumbled and looked at Erik's hands before I grabbed them and held them tightly. "I'm afraid to go back." I said after a while

Erik looked at me "What do you mean?" He brought up my hands and kissed the top of my hands

I sighed, Erik's lips felt wonderful against my skin although I was sure I still tasted like the sea "I-I'm afraid to go back on a boat, I'm afraid to go back and spend another two weeks out at sea. I don't want to ship to sink again." I swallowed hard and looked up at him "but I want to go home." I laughed and shook my head "I sound like a lunatic"

He laughed and nodded "Slightly. But I'll still love you anyway." He put my hands down and looked at me "If you don't want to go back, we don't have to."

I shook my head so violently that I had become dizzy myself "No. I want to go back. I want to." I grabbed at his hands as if I was pleading with him to let me go back to England, where I had belonged. America was no place for an English woman and no matter how much I wanted to stay earlier in my trip, it had all diminished by now.

He smiled and cupped my cheek "Of course, Love. Anything"

I smiled slightly and looked at him "You're too good to me Mr. Holloway, did you know that?" I looked up at him.

He pulled me into a hug tightly and I felt his chest rise and fall as he chuckled "Well, Mrs. Holloway, I'd have to say you're too good to me." He kissed the top of my head. "Let's say that you rest?" He stood up moving away from the bed "I have someone I'd like to look for."

I looked at him and reached for his hand "I don't want to leave your side Erik, When I woke up today, I was afraid that finding you was just a dream, a hopeful dream." I grabbed his hand after a few seconds of searching for it "Erik" I exhaled "After the ship had sunk I jumped out of the life boat to look for you" He looked shocked, a bit upset but he also had a smirk, something intrigued him about what I had done "Because I didn't want to be away from you. I don't want to be away from you again, I don't want to lose you again, Erik."

He placed a self assuring kiss on my lips, which had now turned chapped and still tasted of salt "I'll be back within the hour, I promise."

I nodded and watched Erik leave before I succumbed to sleep. I dreamed about my father; I dreamed about simpler times, it was when my mother was large with my brother and my father thought that he needed some much needed time with me before the new child came. He took me deep into the woods with a picnic basket that my mother had prepared for us. We had found a lovely meadow, full of green grass, flowers and the best part of all, it was my father and I. I remembered he had fashioned a kite for me out of our old curtains and a few sticks, that day we flew our kites, we ate lunch and we spent the entire day together.

"Christine."

I groaned and rolled over, my dress getting caught up within the sheets.

"Christine." The girlish voice said again, I had heard that voice before. Certantly it wasn't my childhood voice?

"Christiiiiinnneeee!" The voice cooed and I decided that it was time that I opened my eyes.

I was greeted to quite a surprise. The small child was so close to my face that she was burry, Her red hair was hard to miss, I smiled and wrapped the girl in a tight hug "Marabelle!" I smiled and let tears fall from my eyes. I looked up at Erik who was standing near the wall, his hands behind his back, but a smile plastered on his face.

"Why are you crying?" She questioned as she sat up on her heels.

I laughed slightly and wiped the tears away from my eyes and sat up, Erik came over as if it was his que and sat down next to me, holding my hand. I looked at him and smiled slightly "Because… Well it's not important! I'm glad you're okay." I looked at her "How are you parents? They are safe?" I almost regretted asking that question as her eyes filled with sorrow.

She looked at the bed linins and gathered a bunch in her hand "I haven't seen them. I believe that they have perished." She frowned and wiped at her eyes "I was up in first class, I shouldn't have been, but I was there!" Marabelle groaned before she had bursted into tears

I gathered her up in my arms, coddling her "Oh Sweetie." I sighed heavily and looked at Erik, her eyes filled with guilt. My hand rubbed the side of her head and I laid my own head on Erik's shoulder, who in turn laid his head ontop of mine. "Where are you going to stay Marabelle?" I prodded.

The girl sniffled "I 'unno."

I looked at Erik, and then it hit me like a ton of bricks. "Honey," I looked at Marabelle and then at Erik "Could you leave Mr. Holloway and I for just a second?" I questioned, and she nodded pulling away from me.

She reached the door and pointed a slender finger "I'll be waiting out here." She smiled slightly.

I smiled and nodded "Okay." I watched her leave the room, the large door shutting loudly behind her. I looked at Erik, my eyes gleaming with an idea "Erik…"

He shook his head "No, Christine. We can't…" he leaned in closer "Not with a little girl on the other side of the door." He practically grunted.

I laughed and rested my hand on his knee "No, not that…Not now anyway" I smiled and winked at him "Erik, Marabelle doesn't have a family; I can't have her going to one of those Orphanages." I looked at my hands "I've been to one," I looked up at Erik who looked utterly confused "Well, I've never lived in one but during the Christmas season my family and I used to go to the orphanages and hand out treats my mother and I would bake." I laughed slightly "My father played Santa Claus, a rather scrawny one at that." I laughed again and then shook my head "The point is Erik, the Orphanages are dirty, and they aren't for a girl like Marabelle." I looked at my lap "I'd like for us to adopt her." I stared at the chiffon skirt before I looked back up at Erik's surprised face "I know it's quite early in our relationship, let alone our marriage to have children, but…." I shrugged and sighed dreamily "There's just something about Marabelle."

Erik looked at me, the surprised look still played on his face "Christine…" he started but then he stopped. He seemed confused and words seemed to be lost on him. "You're crazy you know that right?" he looked at me and smiled slightly "Do you think we're ready to have a child?" He knitted his eyebrows together "Not just any child, a slightly grown child? She's what… seven?"

I laughed slightly and nodded "Yes, I'm quite ready to have a slightly grown child." I laughed slightly ad played with my skirts "are you?"

He gave me a one armed shrug and a small smile "I don't think one is ever ready to be a father at first, at least not to a seven year old." He chuckled "But if you're ready then I'm ready." He knitted his eyebrows together again and spoke after awhile "Yes, I believe it would be fine." He smiled.

I smiled and wrapped my arms tightly around the man "oh Erik." I whispered and felt his hand rub up and down my back. "Once again, you're way too good to me." I kissed him gently and pulled away quickly. I smiled mischievously as he slightly whimpered at the absence of me on his lips, He'd survive. "Marabelle?" I stuck my head out of the door and spotted the little girl.

The girl jumped up and wrapped her arms around my waist "Are you really going to adopt me?" Her green eyes sparkled, which made my heart melt. I'd give this little girl the world if I could.

I laughed slightly and ushered the girl inside. Erik strode over to the girl and I, kneeling down to get to Marabelle's height "Only if you'd like us to." He looked at her and smiled.

The little girl nodded fiercely, her hair bouncing around, making her look like she was on fire "yes!" she said excitedly and then calmed down for a second "I'm sorry I listened in on your conversation."

I chuckled slightly, my eyes welling up with tears "Oh Marabelle" I hugged her tightly "It's quite alright."

Marabelle smiled slightly before she looked down at her feet again "Do I have to call you mother and father?" she looked up at Erik and I.

I rested my hand on Erik's shoulder and he looked up at me, as if this was a topic that I should tackle on my own, so I did and I shook my head "No, you don't have to if you don't want to." I smiled slightly "But you may call us mother and father if you'd like. It's all up to you Marabelle." I smiled slightly.

She nodded "Alright, thank you Christine."

My heart swelled and I smiled, for the first time I had someone who depended on me to take care of them. I could only hope that I could do the best I could and secretly hoped that in due time, Marabelle would call me Mom; but I wouldn't press it.

Author's Note: I know in previous chapters I haven't written about how I am so thankful for your reviews! I have been cranking out these chapters like nobody's business; so far in advance (Writing this chapter while chapter 8 is currently up, I suppose I could take a break from writing to get the chapters caught up, but why? ;D) that the next chapters with Author's Notes don't tell you guys how appriticitave I am of all the hits this story has received and all the reviews! I promise one day I'll respond to each and every one of them :D I'd also like to thank you for putting up with some of the craaaaazy stuff I've been throwing out there, marriage three days into knowing each other, and now Marabelle being adopted; all of this without criticism lol! So I'd just like to say THANK YOU! All the hits, favorites, alerts and reviews make me smile each day!