Pillow Talk

So we'll piss off the neighbors,

In the place that feels the tears,

The place to lose your fears.

"PREGNANT?" Christine's once small voice, bellowed through the doctor's office. This was just supposed to be a routine check-up. She didn't expect them to check up on her unborn child. This was unbelievable, but urine doesn't lie. Most of the time.

"You're about seven weeks along, ma'am." The nurse stands to her feet, gathering the paperwork. "Doctor Rawlings will be in shortly."

Christine couldn't believe it. Another child was not in her future. She loved children, but Charlotte was enough for her. All her love has gone into that one child. How was she supposed to have another child? She didn't have the slightest of clues.

Moments later, an older blonde lady stepped in the room.

"Christine?" The former dancer wearily lifted her head to meet eyes with the doctor. "Ah yes, hello. I'm Brenda, Brenda Rawlings. Nice to meet you."

"I'm Christine... Daae." The doctor silently nodded along. "Is it true, Doctor? Is it true that I'm pregnant again, Brenda?" Brenda pursed her lips.

"It would seem so, my dear. You're about-"

"Seven weeks, yeah... I heard." Brenda sighed. "I can't believe it."

"I'm sure this is a lot to taken in at once. How about I send you home with some vitamins and you can talk it over with Erik?"

"Erik?" Christine tilted her head. "How do you know Erik?"

"I met him at a gala a couple of months ago. More of a fundraiser though, if you ask me." Christine couldn't help, but sigh. "Alright, I will let you go get dressed and sign out."

And so Christine did.

"What did the doctor say, Christine?" The masked man's voice echoed from the opposite side of the dinner table.

No answer.

"Christine?"

No answer.

"Christine Daae." Erik's voice lowered in pitched, but became louder in volume. His voice shook the plates on the table, only to get Christine's attention for only the slightest of seconds.

"Erik?" Her voice was small, her body turned the side, as her dinner remained untouched. "I'm sorry, I'm just very overwhelmed. I don't mean to ignore you."

"I know, I know. I was... I was just asking about the doctor's appointment."

"The doctor seemed to know who you are." Christine was cold. Her glare piercing through the loose fabric of Erik's shirt.

"And... Do I know her?" Christine shrugged her shoulder, leaving Erik without an answer. "Christine? Christine, are you listening to me?"

No. No she wasn't.

And before Christine could snap back into reality, the cries of her child wailed through the dining room.

"Charlotte? What's wrong?" Erik rose to his feet quickly. His panic and heart beat raising in correlation with each other. "Where is... Where is..."

"My knee hurts, Daddy! My knee!" Charlotte's hair was awry and cheeks cascaded with tears. Christine hadn't seen her daughter this upset since she lost her favorite Barbie on the bus. "Daddy, kiss it to make it better, kiss it!"

Erik knelt down, moving strays of hairs behind his daughter's ears. Pressing a light kiss to her forehead, wiping her tears with the pads of his thumbs, Erik sighed and brought his daughter in for a tight embrace. Christine reveled in the sight of Erik and Charlotte. Christine had never thought this day would come.

And soon, there would be another addition to this family. Christine's chest tightened in anxiety and hitched in fear.

"Did I make it better?" Erik lifted his head from his daughter's knee, her tiny hands wiping her eyes. "I hope so. I wouldn't want my angel to be hurt."

"All better, Daddy. All better." Erik smiled widely, carrying his daughter over to Christine. "Charlotte, we have to tell you something."

Christine's eyes widened. She was not ready in any way to tell the news of her pregnancy to anybody, especially her daughter.

"Now, Charlotte, we need you to be calm. Mommy, would you like to tell her or would you like me to do the honors?" Erik smiled. Christine gestured for Erik to continue. "Well, Charlotte, mommy and daddy are going to have another baby. In about, eight months, my angel, you're going to be a big sister or a big brother."

"I'm... I'm... I'm going to be to a big sister?" Christine nodded in agreement. "I'm going to be a big sister!" Suddenly, the room filled with an energy that the whole estate hadn't felt in months. Charlotte, as ecstatic as she was, wiggled out of her father's arms to run over to her mother. "Mommy, there's a baby in there?"

"There is, baby. There is a baby in me. You're going to be a sister."

One Month Ago

Erik was silent. His eyes fixated on the messy arrangement of music in front of him. He couldn't decipher it himself, but he's sure it sounded good. He had no idea, really. He wasn't pay attention, if he was being perfectly honest with himself.

"Hey..." Softly behind him, Christine's voice began to fill the small room. "Do you have room for one more?"

"I will always have room for you, my Angel." Erik scooted over, making room for the tiny dancer on the bench. "

"You've been down here a while, is everything okay?" Erik nodded.

"I've been thinking about something, in fact. Christine, my love. Could you humor me for a moment?"

"Hit me with it." Christine exhaled, preparing herself for the worst.

"I want to begin teaching again. Just graduate students, music though. What do you think?"

"I think that is a fantastic idea, Erik." Christine placed a chaste kiss on his uncovered cheek. They hadn't made skin-to-skin contact in so long, the cliche of electricity running through their bodies suddenly became very true. Erik turned his head, their lips connecting in such a way that the memories of years ago, began to resurface.

The rest between them was history.