Warning: This chapter is rated "R" for extreme sexual content between characters. If it's not your "cup of tea" than please feel free to skip through the love scene.

Chapter ten: An explanation

Annabel, who stood outside of her daughter's bedroom, ran her long delicate fingers in a vertical motion on the door as if stroking it. She let out a sigh of mixed sorrow and agitation and with her free hand pushed her hair from her face. She felt sorrow for the loss of her husband, and of course being away from her son for such a long period of time, and a sense of agitation for her daughter. She wanted to feel angry with her, but she felt something much stronger than that, she was positively furious!

It was not that she did not understand the way her child was feeling, it was just that the way her daughter was acting was highly belligerent and rather irritating. She was no doubt making some random assumptions that had nothing to do with anything that was going on in the world right now. Granted this whole ordeal would be a bit if not very overwhelming to any young teenager. Not to mention that having some strange man (or boy) brought into your home, and then being told that you are related to them was no doubt a major shock to her.

Still, however Annabel thought that her daughter's behavior was totally unacceptable. There was absolutely no good reason in her mind for Christine's utter rudeness to their company no matter what the case was is or may be. She was sure that she had taught her child better; in fact she was quite certain that Christine should have known how to act towards company. She wagered that the young girl, or young woman as the case was at the moment was only acting out of her grief and all she needed was time to heal, think, and as always to adjust.

Then Mrs. Daae looked up at the ceiling and let out a deep sigh, she felt tears start to trickle down her cheek and as she wiped them away she muttered, "Oh Gaston." And then in a softer voice she said after taking a shuddering breath whispered, "oh Raja." And blinked her eyes in an attempt to clear the warm moisture that had begun to collect there and was now blurring her vision. As she listened to her daughter's seemingly tireless cries, she suddenly felt angry with herself for being angry with her daughter so. She was just so exhausted, from all that had been happening lately that she couldn't even think straight anymore. She knew that she was in no better condition than her daughter and she owed her an explanation.

But still she did not go into the room; she stood outside the door listening to her child's sobbing as if transfixed by the mechanics of the sound. She let out her breath slowly standing there for a few more minutes before at last knocking on the door. She received no answer, and not having expected one just went inside. The moment she entered the room, she felt the sight before her make her heart burst open so to speak. Her little girl was lying almost dead still on the bed and if it weren't for the sobs that racked her petite frame she would have been doing so. She was crying and crying and it was all Annabel could do to try and retain her tears in the presence of the poor girl who wept bitterly.

She went to the bed and eased herself down on it and the mattress creaked a bit with the pressure of her light and yet still audible weight. Mrs. Daae moved or rather inched closer to Christine and began to rub her back soothingly. The seventeen-year-old lifted her head and wrenched herself away from her mother, obviously not seeing the pain that that action caused her. "Christine…" Mrs. Daae said softly, her tone pleading with her daughter not to do this to her. Christine looked at her mother, at first with confusion and then with shock never had her mother begged of her.

As Annabel opened her arms Christine reluctantly moved into them and was stiff for a moment before snuggling into the comfort of her embrace and once again starting to cry. Annabel sighed and rubbed her back as she sang a soft lullaby:

"The silver moon, with her pale eyes.

She heals people as they cry…"

"Stop…" Christine murmured as she was not really in the mood to hear singing at the moment no matter how beautiful her mother's voice may have been. Then in a muffled tone she asked, "why mama? How could you?"

"How could I what love?"

"Betray Father!" Christine cried and Annabel shushed her tears away. As soon as she was calm she took a deep breath and began the explanation that she knew would change things between them for a very long time.

FLASHBACK

A sixteen-year-old girl with blue-black hair and chocolate brown eyes walked through the park with her head bowed in sorrow. Her father was gone to war again and she had to put up with the endless squawking of her three sister and mother by herself. Adrian was of no help at all in fact he picked on her constantly.

As she walked she bumped into a man with jade eyes who begged her pardon. When she gave it to him, she asked him what he was reading. He told her and for a few minutes waited for her to go on her way. She on the other head begged the man to read it to her and after a ten-minute argument reluctantly agreed to do as she requested. After this Annabel was asking many good questions, and Raja was so impressed that he offered to teach her and she accepted but on the condition that they kept it secret.

Thinking to amuse her he agreed, and for a year this deception went on without the knowledge of her family. As time went on she fell for the man and he for her. He was nervous for she was much younger than he but on the same token she was shy for truth-be-told he was her first real love. She had had many crushes before, and even a few boyfriends but she had only cared for them she had not loved them the way she did the Persian man. And one day she finally decided how to tell her family.

She came home and said, "Mama." And Tina Ronolds turned to look at her.

"Yes?" She said.

"I like someone."

"Who is it this time?" George said, looking up from his paper.

"His name is Raja. And he's Muslim." And Mr. Ronolds looked outraged.

"NO. I WILL NOT HAVE A HETHEN STEALING MY DAUGHTER FROM ME!!!" he shouted. And for the first time in her life her father hit her.

Annabel ran from the house in tears and straight to the park, where she found Raja waiting. She came forward and hugged him tight. He returned the gesture and before he could say a word she kissed him. At first he was surprised but then he kissed her back. She let him wrap his arms around her and he slowly kissed her repeatedly until she was lying beneath him. He groaned and cupped the heavy fullness of her breast and fingered her nipples so that she arched into him. His mouth found the full and rapidly beating pulse in her neck and sucked at it leaving hid little bruises where his mouth had been. He kissed her face and moved his hand lower to feel her flat belly. She smiled and cupped at his face bringing her mouth to his ear.

He reached to cup the back of her head his mouth traveling lower to kiss her belly. As his other hand made her body go weak with desire as it fed at her breast. Slowly he pulled off her shirt and sucked at her hard arching nipples as her mouth traveled to his firmly muscled abs down to the fullness of him. As she fed on his arousal he felt the pleasure consuming him and feared that he might release too soon and not complete his task. "Annie I love you!" he groaned in a husky voice.

He soon undid the buttons of her pants and as he entered her she gave a muffled cry and his soothed her with tender caresses and gentle words. He rocked in and out of her slowly, each out turn he proved his fingers deep into her hot velvet core. Each time as he began to slide into her she kissed him deeply. As he gave a push she cried out in ecstasy and allowed herself to release with him as they entwined their tongues and hearts forever.

- Three weeks later-

Annabel was shocked! She was pregnant with Raja's child! She cold not tell her parents about this! She snuck out night and went to the cottage where Raja was living. And knocked on the door, her lover kissed her and held her and when she told him the news he told her to stay with him and was overjoyed to hear of his impending fatherhood. For nine months they lived together and the final month came at last.

It had been a hard pregnancy and she had almost lost her life. She named the boy Nadir, or "Hero" in the Persian tongue. They stayed together for one week after the baby had been born but then her family found her and her father who had been drunk during her absence beat her and then after a brief struggle with Raja wounded him so badly that he could not stop them from taking Annabel away. And they had not seen each other since…

END FLASHBACK

As she finished the story she then noticed that she had begun to weep. Christine now felt terrible about what she had done and wrapped her mother in her arms and sang to her softly, knowing now how painful it must have been for her to admit such things as she did so. Annabel hugged her daughter and kissed her hair saying over and over, "I'm so sorry baby. I'm so sorry, I wish I could save you from this ordeal but I cannot…" and trailed off breaking down again. Christine now felt really bad for her and after assuring her that she was doing a good enough job of protecting as it was. She finished the lullaby that her mother had begun. Annabel was now so tired that she couldn't even see straight and as her child sang she closed her eyes with a moan and fell back on the bed in a dead sleep.

Christine on the other hand stayed awake for a long time, unable to believe what she had just put her mother through. And even after all that her only thought was to protect her from her own pain. She had to fix things with that boy in the morning and now she needed to close the gap with her brother. She lie back on the bed, shut her eyes and cried herself into a dream-ravaged sleep.

Well there's chapter ten! Hope you liked it! Review please and thanks to those who do!