So here is the long and quite eventful Chapter 9. After a somewhat short, filler chappy I thought I'd reward you with an obnoxiously long one! We get to officially met Rudolph (or in our case, Rudy) in the chappy. He's a cutie… This chappy took some time to write but I really like it! It gets the story going on a whole new level and almost every important character is in it- Elisabeth, Joseph, Sophie, Rudolph, and, of course, our beloved and oh so sexy Death!! I hope you like it!

Chapter 9

10 years later

The following decade passed with little consequence for Elisabeth and her growing family. While things never got worse, they never seemed to get better for her, either. The day in the hospital was the last day Elisabeth was able to hold onto her son for as long as she desired. As soon as Rudy was brought home, Sophie decided that she knew what was best and decided to raise him. Elisabeth tried with all her might to try and convince her mother- in- law that she, as Rudy's mother, knew what was best for him and should raise him. Elisabeth was forced to watch her son grow from a distance.

On top of the fact that Elisabeth never saw her son, she also never saw Death. The day Rudy was born was the last time she saw him. The times when she never saw him made her feel as if she had truly lost her mind. Was she truly seeing and speaking to Death? Or had she truly gone mad?

Elisabeth was walking through the house late one night. She was prone to walking around at night in hopes of being able to watch her little boy sleep. Her bathrobe slid on the floor behind her as she quietly tip-toed down the carpeted hall to her son's room. As she got to the door, she saw a dim light shining from under the door. She heard Rudy talking quietly with someone. She leaned in closer, placing her ear to the cream door. It was a man's voice. She was hoping that Joseph had listened to her and was talking to Rudy. He had left his mother a note under her door about Sophie hurting his feelings and making him cry. Elisabeth had told her husband of this and he had promised to talk to Rudy. Smiling, she kissed her hand and placed it on the door, and after a moment she turned and headed back to her room.

The next day, Elisabeth was walking past Rudy's bedroom and saw that his door was open. She paused and looked inside. Seeing her son sitting at his desk, hard at work, she quietly knocked on the door.

"Hey," she said, softly, as Rudy looked up from his work and turned to look over his shoulder.

"Hi, mom," he said with a smile. It was rare that they had time together, much less, time together without his grandmother hovering around.

Elisabeth peeked her head in the room and looked around. "Your grandma?" she whispered.

"Gone," Rudy said with a smile. "She went into town for something."

"Oh thank God," Elisabeth said with a dramatic sigh.

Rudolph burst into peals of laughter as his mother came into the room and sat on his bed. He dropped his pencil and turning his back on his homework, he turned to his mother. It was an occasion when they spent time together, and he lived for each of these moments. His mother was the most beautiful person he had ever seen and he adored her. In all he did, he hoped to earn her praise or gain her approval. She was his soft place to fall when he was with his strict grandmother and professional father. However distant she was, he still loved her more than anyone else.

"So what are you doing?" Elisabeth asked him. She never knew what to say. All she ever wanted to do was watch him, touch him, hug him.

"Oh," he said, looking over his shoulder at his work. "Grandma Sophie wants me to learn French."

"Wow," Elisabeth said. "How many languages do you know now?"

"German, Hungarian, English, Russian, and now French," he said proudly.

"Well, you officially know more languages than me!" his mother said running her hand through his blond hair. "I only know German, Hungarian, English, and Russian. No French for me."

They both started to laugh. How nice it was to be able to talk freely with one another. Just being mother and son not the trophy family of one of the up and coming politicians of Austria.

"So what were you up to last night?" Elisabeth asked with a coy smile. She had hoped that Rudy and Joseph were able to bond a bit last night.

"What?" Rudy asked looking at his mother.

"Oh, well I was coming back from the bathroom last night," Elisabeth lied. "And I saw your light on and heard you talking."

"Oh, that," Rudy said looking down at his hands. "I was just talking with a friend."

Elisabeth, confused, asked, "A friend? At two in the morning?"

Rudy just nodded his head as if there was nothing suspicious about him being up in the middle of the night having a conversation with a friend.

"Rudy," Elisabeth pressed. "Don't you think you're a bit old to have an imaginary friend?"

"But he's not!" Rudy exclaimed, looking up at his mom. "He's real! He comes into my room every night and we talk."

"Oh really?" Elisabeth said with a raised eyebrow. "And what exactly do you talk about?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Lots of things," he paused. "Tod likes to talk about you, actually."

Elisabeth just stared at her son with wide, horrified eyes. She could feel her heart pounding in her throat and she had forgotten how to breathe. God, no… it couldn't be…

After a moment, Elisabeth collected herself and asked, "What was his name?"

"Tod," Rudy said, matter of factly. "Well, technically der Tod but he told me to just call him Tod. He says that you two used to be really good friends."

Elisabeth just stared at her son. How could this have happened? She hadn't seen or heard of Death in ten long years. Suddenly he reappears in her life and befriends her son? What was he trying to do? She had warned him to stay away from her son and he had obliged… until now.

"How did you meet Tod?"Elisabeth asked, slowly.

"Well," Rudy began, looking as if he was trying to remember. "It was a few months ago. I had a nightmare and was calling for you but I guess you didn't hear," he paused and looked up at his mother who had began to look upset. "It's alright mom!" he said as he went over to hug her. "Well, after a few minutes, he came into my room and said that you couldn't hear me. I asked who he was and he claimed to be my friend and that if I ever needed anyone I would only have to call out his name and he would come and stay with me! Ever since then, we've hung out together every night!" he ended with a smile.

Elisabeth sat where she was, in shock. Death was coming into her home every night and talking with her son. What was going on?

"Sweetie," Elisabeth said, taking a hold of her son's tiny hands. "I want you to not see him anymore."

"What?" Rudy asked. "But mom! He's really nice and he's not bad!"

"Rudolph!" Elisabeth cried. "I don't want you to see him again. He's…" she trailed off. What was she going to say? 'He's Death, don't go near him. He may kill you?'

"But mom, you're friends with him."

"No," Elisabeth said, coldly. "No I am not. I may have been once, but believe me when I say that you cannot trust him," she looked at her son, savoring the moment. Suddenly, she and Rudy threw their arms around each other and simply held onto each other. "Oh, Rudy…"

"Don't worry mom," Rudy said into her brown hair. "I can take care of myself."

"What are you doing?"

The mother and son broke their embrace and turned to the doorway. Sophie stood with shopping bags in both arms and a scowl on her old, weathered face.

"Rudolph, get back to your work!" she yelled to the ten year old boy.

Rudy quickly jumped back from his mother and sat back at his desk, continuing his French. Fed up with the way Sophie treated her son, Elisabeth decided it was time to finally put an end to it and confront her mother- in- law.

"Sophie!" she said as she jumped up from the bed and began to march up to Sophie.

"And you!" Sophie said to Elisabeth in a venomous tone. "What do you think you're doing? Who told you that you could come in here?"

Elisabeth opened her mouth to answer her.

"Get out!" Sophie shouted as she pushed Elisabeth out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

Elisabeth, fuming, stomped down the hall to her room. This was ridiculous. Rudy was her child not Sophie's. This had gone on long enough. She was going to put an end to this tonight.

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The knocking at the door made Elisabeth look up from her writing.

"Elisabeth," Joseph said through the door. "Open the door."

Elisabeth just rolled her eyes and continued writing until she heard another knock.

"Elisabeth, I know you're in there. I want to talk to you. I haven't seen you in days."

Getting up from her desk, she slowly walked across her room, her slippers lightly tapping on the ceramic floor. She stood before the door for a moment, taking a deep breath. Putting her hand on the cold, golden doorknob, she turned it and opened the door. The minute the door was open, she turned and walked back to her desk.

"Thank you," Joseph said as he entered her room. He followed Elisabeth to her desk and stood behind her. "Oh Sisi," he began as he ran his hand through her braided hair. "Work is painful right now. This nation is in so much debt. And France! Don't get me started with the French. Ever since I became governor, it's been nothing but suicides and scandals and threats." He slowly began to give her a kiss on the cheek. Elisabeth shook him off and stood up, and said, spitefully:

"Why don't you go to your mother? I'm sure you'd like that better than being here with me."

"Sisi, don't," Joseph said.

"No!" Elisabeth shouted as she walked away from him. "You let Sophie torture Rudy. I tell you that he has been crying over what she does to him and I ask you to talk to them both and you do nothing!"

"Elisabeth!" Joseph said, hurt.

"Joseph, don't start with me! I'm not even able to see my own son! He's not her son! He's mine! I ask you to help me and you do nothing! You always take her side!"

"Sisi, stop it!" Joseph yelled back at his wife.

"No, I won't stop it!" Elisabeth said as she walked back to Joseph and her desk. "He's only a child and can't defend himself from witches like his grandmother. I'm putting an end to this tonight. It's either her or me. If you don't want to lose me you had better choose wisely."

"What?" Joseph began.

Elisabeth picked up the paper that was lying on her desk. She took a final look at it and placed it firmly in her husband's hand.

"An ultimatum," she said, looking him squarely in the eye. "I want to be able to spend as much time with my son as I want. I want to make decisions regarding his education. And I want to be able to go where I want, when I want. It's time to choose. Either it's your mother. Or me," she finished turning away. "Now get out. I want to be alone."

"Sisi," Joseph whispered, advancing towards his wife's back. This was unlike her. He had never seen her this mad before. She had always remained calm and collected in times of strife. She never lashed out in this manner.

"Go!" Elisabeth cried before he could touch her. She remained where she was, back turned, head bowed, eyes tightly shut, until she heard the door shut behind her husband. When she heard nothing but silence, she fell onto her bed in tears. This was not the life she had planned for herself. She had dreamt of a life of love and adventure, travel, new experiences. Not a life of rules and regulations, horrible in laws, and no pleasant human contact. She wanted to escape. To get away from everything. She wanted to free herself from the world that had her bound so tight.

"Elisabeth…" a beautiful voice, she had not heard in a decade, sang out her name. She looked up and scanned the room. The room had become black as night and had a deathly chill to the air. Standing above her was her Dark Prince, more beautiful than ever before. He sat on the bed beside her and lifted her up with cold, black gloved hands and held her in his arms. He began to quietly sing her name as he wiped the tears from her face, leaving small streams of ice on her flushed cheeks.

"Oh Elisabeth," Death said quietly, running his hand down to the small of her back. "All this pain and suffering will be over. I can take you to a better place," he said looking down at her.

Elisabeth stared up at her der Tod. How she wanted to leave. Escape from everything this world had thrown at her. With him, she could be free…

"Elisabeth," Death whispered as he took hold of one of Elisabeth's small hands and laid her on her bed. Leaning over her, he breathed, "I love you…" Slowly, he began to lean in closer and closer. His lips were a mere inch from Elisabeth's when she realized what was on the verge of occurring.

"No!" she shouted as she pushed Death off of her. Death pulled back and stared at the woman in his arms. "I want to live," Elisabeth said to him as she pushed her way passed him and stood up. "I can free myself. I don't need anyone's help. Not even yours," she added over her shoulder.

Knowing that he hadn't lost yet, Death jumped up from the bed and walked over to the woman he loved. When she felt him standing behind her, Elisabeth turned to look at her Prince. Her eyes were transfixed upon his icy blue orbs. Slowly she realized that he had a single hand extended towards her, beckoning.

"No!" Elisabeth cried as she shied away from his hand. "I don't want you!" she shouted at him. "I don't need you… I don't need anyone," she spat. When Death didn't leave her, she screamed into his face, "Get out!"

He stared at her for a moment longer, smiled a wicked smile, and slowly disappeared into the darkness. But Elisabeth knew that that would not be the last time he would haunt her.

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