So, the place Erik and family go to is real. It's actually an amusement park that's been around since like, 1840s, I think. Lake Compounce is my favorite amusement park. It's right in my home town, too.
On another note; here is a testament to the extent of my insanity; Last night, one of my mom's friend's church showed the 1925 Phantom of the Opera. I went as the Phantom. Seriously. I had on black shoes, pants, vest, cape, hat, a white shirt, black tie - I even managed a deformity under the mask (you know those little scraps of fake skin they sell in Halloween stores? Well, there was one that was a face. It's amazing what some fishing line and a little spirit glue can do to help you look as creepy as possible...) Anyway, yep, I think it's safe to say, I'm beyond obsessed at this point. But, oh, well. It happened with Lord of the Rings, too, so I guess it's to be expected.
Back to the story, now!
The Lake
XxX
Erik held up his arms.
"Jump in, dearest," he laughed smiling up at her. "I'll catch you."
Arabelle smiled nervously. She knew how to swim, but the water was over her head, about up to her papa's chest. Closing her eyes, she reached out trustingly, and jumped.
Erik's arms closed around Arabelle's body as she hit the water with a splash, laughing and smiling.
"Very good, dearest," he smiled. "Now it is Mama's turn."
Christine was standing on the dock, looking incredibly nervous. It was quite obvious she didn't want to get in, but she wouldn't leave her family, and she trusted Erik.
"Jump, my love," Erik called. "The water isn't very deep. See? I'm standing on the bottom."
They'd come to the park an hour ago. It had been Christine's idea to go to the Lake Compounce park for the day. It seemed like the perfect place to relax and have a quiet day together. Even Nadir was there, watching from somewhere along the beach. Erik had tried several times - unsuccessfully, unfortunately - to get his friend into the water.
"No thank you," the daroga had said. "I have no desire to get soaking wet on my one day off this month."
Erik had left it alone after a few more tries, and focused on his family.
Christine took a deep breath, and sat, then slid into the water, yelping.
"It's cold!" she gasped.
Erik moved through the water, and wrapped an arm around her.
"It's not so bad," he whispered.
Before Christine knew what was happening, a smirk flashed on Erik's face, playful and mischievous, and then she was underwater, pushing back up, her hair soaking in her face, gasping.
Slowly, she parted the strands, and glowered.
With a laughing cry, Erik pushed away.
"Go to shallower water," he told Arabelle. The girl could swim, but he didn't want to take any chances.
As Arabelle made for the shallows where she could stand, Erik dove under the water, and swam away from Christine, who chased after him.
When Erik came up for air, Christine shouted, and pounced, but Erik ducked down and swam off, his mind screaming laughter.
Just a little more. A bit closer to shore, so she can stand if she panics.
He came up one last time, then dove back down, staying down long enough that Christine began to turn where she stood, uncertain of where he would come from.
Something stirred just behind her, then two arms were around her waist, pulling backwards, and she shrieked before she realized who it was.
When she turned in his arms and saw Erik, she growled, and splashed at him, laughing, then threw herself on him, knocking them both under the surface of the lake.
They came up laughing, and Erik kissed her deeply, holding her close against his chest. His breathing was slightly heavy, and he was content just to hold her. He looked to the shore, and just above the waves, Arabelle had convinced Nadir to help her build what was starting to look like a sand castle. He saw her laugh and smile up at Nadir, but he couldn't be jealous; for one, it was his fault she wasn't laughing with him, and two, it wasn't the same adoring, loving smile Arabelle gave him. Only Erik ever saw that special smile of hers, and it made his ego just a little bigger.
"Let's sit for a while," Christine suggested.
Erik smirked. "Tired already, love?"
Christine shook her head.
"Cold."
Erik laughed, and scooped her into his arms, walking toward the beach.
-
-
"You can't catch me!" Arabelle laughed, running barefoot around the grass.
Erik shook his head, and chased after her, smiling.
When he caught up with her, he grabbed her waist, swung backwards, and flopped down in the grass, Arabelle in his arms. They were both panting and laughing, and Arabelle snuggled against Erik's chest.
"You caught me, Papa," she smiled, closing her eyes.
"Yes," Erik sighed. "As I've promised, dearest, I'll always catch you."
Arabelle kissed the bit of his cheek not covered by the mask, and buried her head in the little space beneath his chin. She was happy, curled in her papa's arms.
"Dearest," he whispered, rubbing her back. "Look up. See the cloud?"
Erik pointed to a cloud that looked like a short-eared rabbit.
"It's a bunny!" Arabelle laughed, her gaze following Erik's finger.
"Yes," Erik smiled, rubbing her arm. "It is, dearest."
"Arabelle, Erik, come eat, now," Christine smirked as she stood above them. Arabelle laughed and jumped up, hugging her mother.
The lunch was simple, and Arabelle was chattering almost constantly about the swimming, and her sand castle.
"...and then Uncle Nadir lifted me up, and I jumped onto it, and it went PWOOSH!"
She swung her hands wide to imitate sand blowing up.
Erik laughed. He'd seen it happen while he and Christine were still in the water. To be honest, he'd been a bit concerned that she'd hurt herself, but, as he'd seen a while ago, his little angel was perfectly alright.
"I imagine that was fun," Christine smiled.
Arabelle nodded.
"It was, Mama."
Erik smiled, and mussed Arabelle's curls.
"You are an adventurous little one, aren't you?" he laughed, pulling her into a hug.
Arabelle smiled, and leaned into Erik's side, returning the embrace.
Erik sighed, and tightened his hold slightly. He loved this. It had been five years, but he would never get used to the wonderful sensation of a child trusting and loving him so completely - his child, no less! It was one of the many things he'd longed for for half his life. He finally had it, and he would never tire of this.
"Papa?" Arabelle asked from her place in his side. "After we eat, can we go in the woods?"
Erik smiled. He knew this would come. She'd been eyeing the woods since they'd arrived.
"Of course, Arabelle, my lovely," he nodded. "But you must stay close to me, understand? Can't have you getting lost,ange."
Arabelle nodded.
"Yes, Papa."
The moment she was done eating, Arabelle was on her feet, running around the table to amuse herself while she waited for Erik to finish. Once he had, he stood, took her hand, and they wandered off into the trees.
"They really are that close," Nadir marveled.
"They have been since Arabelle was born," Christine sighed, smiling.
"Amazing, isn't it?," the Persian mused. "He always used to think there was no way anyone would ever actually love him - pity him, maybe, but love him? No, he never dreamed this would be his fate. You know, after you left, he told me he'd known it would end that way - with him alone - the moment the viscount came on the scene."
Christine looked after Erik and Arabelle. They were almost gone. She felt awful. She hadn't known Erik had been expecting her to refuse him right from the start. Could that have been why he told her to go with Raoul? Why she'd almost never gotten to know this wonderful life she had now? Had she really given him such cause to think that she would never love him?
But he knew different, now, didn't he? Ridiculous. Of course he did. She'd done her best to show her love for him over the last six years. She wished she could have realized, and admitted her love for him sooner, but she'd barely been more than a child, then. Being away from him those long-ago three weeks had helped her to realize she'd loved Erik, all along.
"It was Erik," she whispered. "Always Erik I wanted. I just didn't know how to say it. Now I do."
-
-
Erik laughed as Arabelle danced between the trees. She looked so happy among the trees. She belonged in the woods, like a fairy child; his own little changeling.
A redeemed monster, and a light-hearted pixie, he mused, smiling. Quite the pair we are.
Arabelle bounced all around the path, darting from side to side, running about like an excited little puppy.
"Hurry, Papa!" she laughed, jumping ahead and twirling.
"Dearest, slow down, you'll wear us both out," Erik chuckled, pushing up the hill they were on.
Just seeing Arabelle's energy was almost enough to tire him. But it was something he would not miss the little moments with her for anything.
Arabelle stopped, then, standing in place, once more in her dark green dress, head tilted to the side, a bit of worry in her eyes.
"Papa?" she muttered, walking back to his side and looking up at him. "Are you going to have one of those attacks again?"
Erik cringed. She was not even five years old. She'd barely been two the last time he'd had one - that she would have seen; while he'd been ill the past winter, he'd suffered one, but it was small, and had gone almost unnoticed in the dead of night while Christine slept beside him; he'd taken two of the hawthorn tablets, and that was the end of it - how could Arabelle remember?
"No, dear-heart," he assured her softly, gently cupping her face. "I'm alright, Arabelle."
"Okay, Papa," Arabelle responded, blind faith making her agree. She trusted her Papa's word more than anything.
Erik sighed, looking down into her upturned, faithfully smiling face. He couldn't help but love her. She was so trusting, so willing to accept what her parents - particularly Erik - said as fact, without any proof that they were right.
She continued back up the hill, but not as fast as before, Erik noticed. She was so sweet...
"Papa, look!" Arabelle breathed, stopping in her tracks and pointing. Erik paused and looked in the direction his daughter indicated, and saw, about ten feet into the woods, a great stag, with a doe and a fawn around him, bending to eat the grass.
The buck stood guard while its mate and young ate peacefully.
"Papa, that's like us," Arabelle whispered, looking up at her father, and taking his hand. "Can we get closer?"
"No," Erik replied quietly. "We'll frighten them away, dearest. If we stay where we are, they will stay. We don't want to frighten them, Arabelle, do we?"
Arabelle shook her head, then turned her attention to the deers.
The little fawn had wandered closer to them, and slowly, her heart in her throat, the little girl reached out a hand, and the baby deer stretched it's neck to sniff at her hand. It gave a tiny cry, and jumped playfully back to it's parents, who bounded off, the fawn close behind them.
"Wow, Papa," Arabelle breathed, her eyes wide as saucers.
Erik smiled, and rubbed her arm.
"Yes," he agreed. "That was wonderful. Let's get back, sweet one. I'm sure Mama and Uncle Nadir miss us."
Arabelle nodded, and smiled back, taking her father's hand, and letting him lead her down the hill, and out of the woods to where Christine and Nadir sat.
"Mama, Mama, we saw deer!" she laughed, running forward and hugging Christine's waist.
"Did you?" Christine smiled.
Arabelle nodded.
"I'm glad you had fun, Arabelle," Christine said. "It's time to go, now. Perhaps we'll come back?"
The last sentence had been directed at Erik, and he could see the hint of concern in her eyes. She was worried about him.
Erik smiled.
"Yes," he agreed. "We will have to come back, soon."
The ride back was pleasantly quiet. Arabelle leaned against Erik's side, his arm wrapped around her small shoulders.
The carriage rolled over the cobbled streets, Bristol, Connecticut, their home, passing by around them.
Arabelle snuggled closer to her father, smiling and closing her eyes. She was asleep in a moment.
Erik bent and kissed the top of her head, smiling himself.
"You're so close," Christine sighed.
Erik smirked quietly.
"Are you jealous?" he asked, eyes glinting mischievously
Christine huffed quietly, pretending to glare.
"No," pouted, not looking at him to avoid bursting into laughter. The look on his face was absolutely hilarious. He'd taken off the mask, and was giving her a look so entirely pretend. There was a laughing gleam in his eyes, and before she could do anything about it, he had pulled her into his arms, kissing her lips, her jaw, throat.
Christine gasped, and responded in kind, though both kept as quiet as possible. After all, their daughter was sleeping, right on the other side of the carriage. It would be incredibly awkward and hard to explain, should she wake up to them, in their current position.
When the carriage returned home, Erik leaned across, and scooped Arabelle into his arms, smiling as she shifted closer to him in her light sleep.
She woke when they reached the front door, and Erik gently kissed her forehead before setting her down.
Christine smiled at them both, and turned toward the kitchen.
"I'll make us dinner."
-
-
As they lay together late that night, Erik sighed contentedly. Christine looked up at him, and smiled lovingly.
"Did you enjoy today, Erik?" she whispered in the dark.
Erik beamed softly at her, yellow eyes glowing in the dim moonlight.
"Yes," he replied. "Though I'm sure Arabelle enjoyed it worlds more."
Christine nodded tiredly against his chest, snuggling and nuzzling into the dip in the center.
"I love you, Erik," she sighed, her voice muffled against his soft skin.
"And I you, Christine, mon ange," he replied just as quietly, fondly stroking her hair.
"Today was wonderful," Christine murmured, yawning.
Erik laughed quietly.
"Yes," he agreed. "Yes it was, my love. I am glad you enjoyed yourself."
"I did," she breathed, burying her face even further into his thin, precious chest.
Erik watched her for a while, as she blinked slowly, her eyes half closed. He realized again just how much he loved her; how incredible she was. Oh, he loved her so much. She was his world, and he still counted himself unproportionatly lucky in finding her. He'd always thought he would lead a solitary life until the day he died. Now, however, he knew he was loved. His sweet Christine was curled into his chest, barely awake, smiling softly still.
He bent, and gently pressed his lips to her forehead, whispering one last time for the night that he loved her.
Christine was nearly asleep. Erik's gentle 'sleep, beloved,' was all that was needed to push her over the edge into the realm of dreams, her precious husband following only moments later.
XxX
Wow, this took forever. Well, I hope you all liked this, and it shouldn't be too long of a wait for the next one; it's almost done. Review, please!
XxX
Wow this took a long time. I actually had a good deal more of this written up, saved it, but for some reason when I tried to finish off, and save, it logged me out and took away just about all I'd written since the last save. Which bugs me to no end, but, there again, the more I think about it, that part didn't fit. I like this end better.
Anyhow, I hope you all liked it. Review, please!