The light beamed in early the next day waking me up almost instantly. My eyes were heavy and swollen, my face felt puffy and I was all around tired. The birds chirping outside were making my head pound, something I wasn't ready for this early in the morning. My stomach churned which was enough motivation to get out of the bed. After I returned from the bathroom due to a false alarm, I noticed the bed was empty and I suddenly started to worry. Erik wasn't due back in court for another couple of days, I was positive he didn't know where anything was in London, being from Southampton and all.

"Erik?" I stuck my head back out of the bedroom and waited for a response "Erik!" I called again, my heart pounding. Did I scare him off last night? "Erik where are you?" I called again and padded out of the room and to the grand stairs. "This isn't funny Erik!" I rushed down the steps and made it downstairs, where I heard noises in the kitchen. Was I being robbed? If I was they certantly heard me and wanted to be out as quick as possible. I passed the couch and grabbed the solid brass lamp that my mother had purchased in France. I listened closely as I made my way towards the kitchen; the clanging stopped and all was silent "Hello?" I bravely called out, my voice cracking and my stomach churning with fear, not vomit.

The door to the kitchen suddenly swung open and within the same time span I closed my eyes and swung my lamp, colliding with the intruders head. Until I heard a thump on the floor I kept my eyes closed and when I opened them; I opened them to someone who did not have the face of a burgurlar, but the scarred face of my husband. I gasped and dropped the lamp as I kneeled down, rolling Erik over on his back "Erik!" I shook him violently "Erik, wake up!" I begged. "Erik! Wake up right now or I swear to god-"

"You have a mean swing." Erik mumbled putting a hand up to his head "Jesus Christine, where'd you learn to swing like that?" he laughed slightly and sat up.

"I'm so sorry!" I threw myself onto him and enveloping him in a hug pushing him backwards "So so sorry!" I gasped slightly putting my hand up to my mouth "Oh!" I stood up and pointed at Erik "Stay!" I rushed up the stairs and grabbed a piece of cloth from my sewing room and placed it under the faucet. I rushed back downstairs, tripping on the last few steps before I made it back to Erik "You're bleeding."

Erik nodded and held up his hand "yeah, I see that." He chuckled. Tears fell down my face as I got on my knees and started to wipe his face off "Don't cry Christine, I'm not angry or upset; Just slightly confused and terribly impressed." He winced as I placed the wet compress on his forehead. "Why did you hit me, Christine?"

I looked at him as if he was stupid "Well…." I said in a sing song tone "I woke up, thought I had to throw up, so I ran to the bathroom." I paused and looked at him, "False alarm of course but when I returned I noticed that the bed was empty. I thought you left me after what had happened last night and well, I was scared." I swallowed "So I came downstairs to see if you were here, I was calling for you but you didn't answer and so I suspected you left, then I heard a noise in the kitchen and I assumed the worst and thought you had left and that there were burglars in the house." I laughed slightly "it all seems so silly now." I wiped at my eyes and lifted the cloth off his forehead to look at it "What were you doing in the kitchen exactly?" I questioned, licking my finger and rubbing some blood away from the gash on the left side of his forehead.

I thought I had seen him blush for a split second "I felt bad for making you cry yesterday, so I thought I'd make it up to you by making breakfast." He pointed into the kitchen "Crepes with fresh fruit and a crème filling that I found in your mothers cookbook."

I looked at him and smiled "Look at you!" I playfully shoved him smiling slightly "cooking me breakfast!" I grinned slightly and then looked at his forehead "I think it might scar." I frowned looking down at him "look at this, you make me breakfast and I almost kill you!"

He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me down on top of him "It's no big deal, Christine. It's not like I don't have any." He mumbled and entangled his fingers in my hair.

I pulled away slightly and looked at him "Erik, You're very handsome." I ran my hands up and down his chest looking at his white shirt, which had a few buttons undone "I fell in love with your personality, your face just happened to come with part of the package." I smiled and traced over the scars gently with my finger "I love them, they make you, you. They make you unique and they make you mysterious." I smiled slightly and looked at him "They hold a story that is painful, Erik. They show a part of you that you'd rather forget." I pressed my forehead against his "But I'm here, for a long, long time and I love every single part of you." I smiled and kissed his nose before I stood up and made my way into the kitchen. In fact, I hated the stories that Erik's scars had told, I hated that it happened to him, but in reality I loved the outcome. I loved to kiss them and listen to Erik exhale softly, as if I was kissing away the pain, I loved tracing them with my finger and watch him get chicken skin. I loved the way they twitched up when he smiled, and when he looked amused, they completed him. Sometimes, when I watched him sleep at night, when I had been unable to rest, I wondered if he'd be with me without those scars. Those scars I was thankful for, for they gave me Erik. I rinced out the cloth and came back into the sitting room where Erik was still laying on the ground "Erik," I leaned over and started to clean up the blood that had dripped down his face and into his hair, which had grown out a bit. I had found it rather sexy.

"Hm?" He closed his eyes as I gently passed over his scars

"I have to tell you something, something I should have told you before." I swallowed hard and looked at him "For the longest time now, or for at least two weeks," why was this so hard? I never had to tell anyone I thought I might be pregnant before, it was new to me and I was nervous "Well…" I paused again "I just, I don't want to hurt you if it's not true." I closed my eyes and grabbed his hands "Ithinkthatimightbepregnant" I mumbled.

"Pardon?" He sat up, the cold cloth hitting my skirts, almost instantly soaking through the fabric of my skirts.

I closed my eyes and laughed slightly "I don't know why this is so hard to tell you."

"Well, just tell me. I promise I won't think of you differently."

I exhaled and opened my eyes and looked into his "good, because I think I might be with child." That was easier to say.

Until Erik had passed out and was now lying unconscious on the floor.

Again.

And both times they were my fault.

I laughed slightly at the revelation and gently shook him "Erik? Erik, love…" I laughed slightly and bent over him "Erik!" I whispered loudly in his ear.

His eyes popped open and he turned his head to look at me "You're making me a… father?" tears pooled in his eyes as he looked at me. I nodded slightly, this was the reaction I was afraid of. What if I wasn't making him a father? What if it was a false alarm, the newspaper and the doctor said that it was a very unpredictable test, I sighed slightly before putting a smile "I—I never thought…." He sat up, almost hitting my forehead with his and rubbed his face, obviously rubbing away the tears.

I touched his arm lightly and looked at him "It's not for certain. I didn't want to tell you quite yet, but after everything last night" I shrugged "I felt like I should."

He pulled me into a tight hug "Either way, you've always made me the happiest I've ever been in my life. If you're not with child, it will not change my opinions about you and it wouldn't weaken my love for you, Christine." He rubbed a hand up and down my back.

I smiled slightly and closed my eyes; Erik really was perfect. He had attempted to make the perfect breakfast for me, until I had knocked him out, and he seemed really happy for that split second before he passed out, and even if I wasn't pregnant, he'd still love me anyway. There was nothing wrong with that.

I woke up bright and early a few days later, mostly to get Erik ready for his second testimony at the courts. This time however, I wasn't going with him as it seemed my presence being there embarrassed him in his testimony. He had warned me that this one was going to take a little longer than expected and that my trip into town should be an event filled one.

For most of the day in town I spent at the local shops, bought some food for the supper that night and even coaxed myself into a new dress for myself and a splendid tux for Erik. I couldn't help but stop at the toy store for Marabelle, wondering if she had received her trunk yet. Erik had sent it first class but poor little Marabelle lived all the way in Ireland. Sometimes I cursed myself for letting the little girl go too soon without checking my facts first. But Marabelle seemed at ease with the woman so it didn't put me at alarm.

I couldn't help but wonder if Marabelle would keep in contact with Erik and I, and I couldn't help but wonder how her family were able to stay at the ports for about a month waiting for the little girl. Perhaps they were second class, able to do things such as that or maybe they slept on the streets waiting for the girl. The thought sickened me and I decided that browsing in the toy store wouldn't be too bad of an idea.

I browsed the toys for a while before I came upon a cute white sixteen inch teddy bear with a red stripped hat and a matching shirt that made its way to where the bear's knees would be. He had tiny brown eyes and a cute little nose. I loved him and whenever Erik and I had a child, weather it be now or later, would love this teddy bear too. I picked him up off the shelf and cuddled the bear, he was soft and I could see my child putting lots of love into him. I looked on the shelf for another one, but it seemed as if this particular teddy bear was made for me, for the child that was a possibility, for the future child.

I smiled looking down at the teddy bear I called 'sleepy' and took him up to the cash register to pay.

The final day of the inquiry came, and unfortunately it happened to land on the day I was to check back at the doctors. I decided to wear my new dress, which was slightly snug but beautiful the same. It was almost an exact replica of the striped one that I had lost. Except instead of black pinstripes these were a rose color, and absolutely lovely.

"Excuse me," I said as I walked up to the counter of the doctors office "I was told to come here to get my official results."

The lady at the desk looked up and smiled slightly "Very well" she stood up and lead me to a room in the back "The doctor will be with you shortly. We're not very busy today." She smiled slightly and made her way out of the room.

I mumbled a thank you as she left the room quickly and waited.

And waited.

And waited.

And finally he entered the room "Well, Mrs. Holloway." He swallowed hard and looked at me "We did the blood test quite a few times and we turned up with the same result each time, along with the result of your questionnaire. You are indeed pregnant." He held out his hand "Congratulations."

I smiled slightly and shook his hand before I thanked him and practically ran out of the office. I was right, I was pregnant. A tiny person was growing inside me, and I couldn't have been happier.

The moment I told Erik the news over supper and Oreos he cried, of joy, of happiness of whatever was rushing through his mind at that moment.

After all we had been through, after all the tears that were shed, we felt complete, and it was wonderful.

Authors Note: I searched high and low for how to find out if you were pregnant in 1912; I only came up with the blood test as mentioned previously. I figured I'd throw in a 'questionnaire' for Christine to answer as well, but I feel that back then they would have let it ride out and see if the lady were to grow. But for the sake of the story, they did it this way :P Also, the white teddy bear with the red and white striped hat and shirt is modeled after my own teddy bear named sleepy. So in a weird sense of the way, it's a shot out to something that's not here xD