Chapter 11

It was Christmas day and Christine had the perfect gift for Erik.

It was something she had thought about all week. After her drunken night with Erik, he had stayed out of the penthouse for the majority of the following day, hiding from her. The time alone provided her with much time to think. Usually, when she was left alone, she thought about mysteries. She thought about Erik's past, about why he had decided to keep her here, or why he had said something odd last Tuesday. She thought about things she did not have answers to.

But today, she thought of an answer instead of a question; an answer she had denied herself for a much longer time than she was willing to admit.

She was falling in love with Erik.

More than that, she was falling in love with Erik, and she wanted to do something about it. She was ready now, and though she knew he felt the same, she had to tread carefully.

There was so much about Erik that was distrusting, broken. She knew if she were to outright admit her feelings, he would probably throw her out on the corner, accusing her of lying so that he would set her free. She had to present her feelings in a way that did not seem like a ploy to get what she wanted. She had to disguise them as...as a gift.

She remembered Erik's story from the previous night, and her mind was made up. On Christmas day, she would give Erik his kiss. She would give him the kindness, the love he deserved, that he had been denied for so long, and although she doubted it would heal him, she hoped it would at least alleviate the pain.

She would take it all from him if she could, drink it from his lips and take the pain away.

The days leading up to Christmas felt entirely too long. She had never been this excited for Christmas in her life, not even when she knew that her papa had purchased her Broadway tickets for a show one year and she to wait until Christmas to discover which one it was. Every moment she spent with Erik felt as though she was a magnet being pulled to him, every fiber in her being begging her to allow herself to press against him once more.

"Not yet," she would think to herself every time her hand would linger a bit too long on his shoulder, or the side of her body would be a bit too close to his on the couch.

When Christmas day finally arrived, Christine woke before Erik for once, cleaning herself up and putting on a dress. By the time she felt presentable, a bit of makeup applied to her face and her curls tamed, Erik had set an array of wrapped boxes under the tree.

"Erik," she gasped, taking in the sight of them. "You didn't have to get me anything."

"Of course I didn't," he replied simply before stepping towards her, placing a warm cup of coffee in her hands, made just the way she liked it. "I wanted to, though."

She beamed at him before setting her coffee down on the side table, not wanting to sip from it when she still had her present to give. She unwrapped the boxes, finding several tasteful clothing pieces, a book of sheet music for her favorite musical, and a special copy of Pride and Prejudice, the cover decorated with ornate gold paint.

"You shouldn't have, Erik," she breathed in wonder.

"I will do as I please," he retorted, the corner of his lip tugging up defiantly.

She set all of her gifts on the coffee table, careful to make sure every garment was folded perfectly. She stood from the ground, taking a deep breath, finding her hands shaking slightly.

"Christine?" he whispered, his voice laced with concern.

She swallowed deeply before raising her chin, asserting her confidence. She was not afraid. She was not afraid…

"I have a present for you, Erik. It's...it's not much. It's not nearly as much as you deserve, but I'm hoping you'll appreciate it, and I'm hoping it'll show you how much I…" she stopped herself, choosing her words carefully. "How much I appreciate you," she finished. "And how valued and worthy you are," she added.

He was confused by her speech, wondering why she was speaking so profoundly at nine in the morning. She sat down next to him on the couch, perhaps a little too closely.

"Please close your eyes," she asked gently.

He obliged hesitantly, nervous to give up his sight, to give up control, but he wanted to trust her. He so desperately wanted to trust her.

She took one last deep breath before moving in and placing her lips on his.

Erik pulled away the moment her lips touched his, eyes frantic. "Christine." he rasped.

"I'm - I'm so sorry, Erik, I thought you'd - " she was not able to complete her sentence before he swiftly moved in, pressing his lips fiercely against hers, their teeth clicking. She tangled her hands in his hair, finding it oddly soft, almost feeling...artificial? She did not think about it for long, though, because he opened his mouth, letting his tongue gently trace her lip, and she opened hers, granting him entry. She moved against him desperately, their ragged breathing and lips meeting the only sound filling the room as he pulled her tight against him, arms entwined around her waist. She had found her way onto his lap somehow, her chest now pressed completely against his, and he could feel her gasping for air. She could not bring herself to stop long enough to breathe, though, her pace frenzied as she sought out more of his mouth, more of his caresses, more of her lips explored by his tongue and more of her body touched by his hands, more.

He held her hand as she cupped both his soft cheek and the hard porcelain of the mask, guiding her left hand to budge the mask slightly, exposing more of his mouth. She noted how his thin lips seemed to become larger at the left corner where his mask had been, almost as if they were bloated, and she found she liked the variation in texture, sucking on the inflamed portion. His tongue mingled with hers and she felt a certain hardness press against her just where she wanted it, and when she gave out a helpless moan, he abruptly pulled away, rising from the couch and crossing to the other side of the room. He faced away from her, adjusting his pants and smoothing out his shirt. When he looked back, she was still breathing heavily, her lips plump and swollen and he could hardly stand the sight of them.

"Erik, I -"

"Enough. You do not...you do not have to give me more than you have given me. You do not have to lie. This is more than enough to last me a lifetime, Christine. This is more than I ever would have expected from you, more than I ever would have asked," he choked out, blinking back tears - of gratitude, of sorrow, of longing, neither of them were sure.

She nodded her head weakly, wanting to protest but knowing he would not believe her, not yet. She would have to convince him of her love in other ways, more subtle ways, slowly feeding the idea into his mind until one day her confession made more sense. She stood up from the couch, meeting him at the end of the room. She knew this was likely too much for him in one morning, but she could not bring herself to care, not when his eyes were with shining with tears and his posture was slightly hunched in that way that made him look so vulnerable, it shattered her into pieces. She put her hand on his unmasked cheek once more, pulling him down slightly, and she stood on her toes to reach him. She pressed her lips on his forehead softly, before wrapping her arms around his neck and whispering in his ear. "That one is to save for later."

He let out a quiet sob, and they held each other until Christine could no longer keep steady on her toes.

A/N: Huge thank you to a-partofthenarrative as always for editing :) and obviously, a huge thank you to everyone that left a kind review. You guys don't know how much your enthusiasm and support helps me. Thank you 3