Christine rested a hand on her stomach, caressing it slightly. She only had the smallest of bumps , but she knew she'd become as large as a whale later on. After all, she was carrying twins. Surely she'd be much bigger than a woman who carried only one.
She didn't dare ask Erik if he would still find her beautiful as he was in quite the mood. He'd been in a mood almost constantly ever since they'd found out that it would be risky for her. He was only calm and loving when she made absolutely no reference to her pregnancy.
She remembered when she'd tried to ensure that he wouldn't do something stupid if she were to not make it through the labor for whatever reason, he had completely shut her down and changed the subject.
He refused to acknowledge any of her attempts to bring him back to what she was asking of him so she eventually gave up, seeing that it was useless to try at the time. Perhaps if she went about it in another way, she'd have more luck. She rolled over in the bed and wrapped an arm around him, nuzzling her cheek against his shoulder in an attempt to get his attention.
She was relieved when he rested his hand on her arm, stroking it lightly with his thumb. She took a few minutes to enjoy the calm before the storm as she had no reason to fully believe that this work fully.
"Erik...?" She murmured, finally gathering the courage to break the silence. She didn't receive an answer at first and this worried her. If he was going to be this difficult right off the bat, then the chances of this working went down dramatically.
"Yes, dear?" Erik finally grunted, his tone playfully grumpy. Instead of soothing her nerves, this heightened them. She felt guilty now. He was in a good mood and this would ruin it. However, she'd have to suck it up. This was important and they couldn't act like it wasn't a possibility just because he didn't like it.
"...If I die, I want you to move on. I want our children to have a mother and I don't want you to be alone." Christine uttered, only wincing when she realized just how blunt she was. Far more blunt than she ever intended to be. Hopefully poor Erik wouldn't freak out on her over it.
Much to her surprise, she received a low, rich chuckle in response. He was choosing to treat it as a joke and that infuriated her for one brief moment. She couldn't find the words and perhaps that was for the best.
"Very funny, my dear. With my past I'm more likely to go before you. Hell, I hope I do. I need to take my throne in the fiery pit." Erik drawled, his tone playful. This only made her mood worse for once. She wanted him to take this seriously.
"Erik. I mean it. I want you to move on. While we're on the topic, I also want the children to be saved if it comes down to me or th-." Christine couldn't finish her incensed statement because she was interrupted by Erik pushing her away. He proceeded to climb out of bed, putting distance between them as if she'd burned him.
"No." Erik snapped, not saying any more than that. He wouldn't even look at her, his head dipped down slightly as he braced his arms against the wall in front of him.
"Erik...please, be rational." Christine sighed. There was no point in trying to argue any more. Now it was time to get him to calm down a little. She'd pushed a bit too much and she'd asked too much, especially in the same breath.
"Shut up, Christine. Just shut up. I won't move on. I sure as hell am not choosing the children over you. You're my wife. I don't give a damn how much you may hate me for picking you over them. I know damn well that I won't be able to handle losing you." Erik snarled, pushing off of the wall. He stormed out of the bedroom a moment later.
Christine yelped softly and hurriedly got out of bed, following after him. She called his name a couple times but he continued down the stairs, never acknowledging her or looking at her.
She managed to grab his sleeve near the bottom of the stairs, tugging on it. She hated how it made her feel like a child rather than his pregnant wife. There was an annoyed grumble as whirled around to face her, stepping off of the last stair. He didn't speak, opting to stare at her. His eyes were like molten gold and they burned through her.
"...Erik.. Where are you going?" She asked softly, hesitantly. She was almost scared to know now. She knew she shouldn't be given his speech and the fact that they were married. But... so much had changed since then.
Erik sighed and cupped her cheek, stroking it tenderly. It was a stark contrast to the anger that still remained in his eyes and posture. However, when she looked closely, she could see the hints of pain hidden under it. He leaned in and just barely brushed his lips across her own.
"Out. I'm going out. I'll be back later." Erik uttered, pulling away from her completely. He headed towards the door and opened it, lingering slightly. He seemed to be debating something, but she wasn't entirely sure what.
"Alright.. I love you." Christine murmured, her tone never raising above a whisper. She feared that it may tremble if she spoke normally. There was another pause and she almost feared that he wouldn't return the sentiment.
"I love you too. More than anything." Erik sighed, finally opening the door. He slammed it behind him, the action shaking the whole house. It was sincere as it always was. But it wasn't comforting because it didn't sound the way it usually did when he said such things. It sounded different. Too different for her taste.
He sounded defeated and worse than that, resigned to the fact.