It's a Dangerous Game
Summary: Erik knows he is playing a dangerous game with Christine, but he cannot starve himself of her any longer, not when she wants him too; Erik/Christine, smut. Songfic to 'Dangerous Game' from Jekyll and Hyde.
A/N: If you have seen Jekyll and Hyde, you'll know how the scene in the bedroom with Lucy and Hyde goes, and this is kind of what I wanted to portray in this story, although Erik is not as rough as Hyde. But I warn you, there will be full smut here.
Lyrics: Erik is bold, Christine is italics, both are bold italics.
-x-
Chapter 14
The shock of a nurse telling Christine the news had not quite worn off. The soprano stood waiting for Erik, who was still in his own curtained room with the doctor. Christine ran a hand over her stomach, imagining herself in months down the line with a swollen belly. The thought made her smile. She was so lost in thought; she did not hear Erik come up behind her.
"Christine?" he said and Christine started, turning to her fiancé. He was standing there with the hood of his cloak down, his mask still on his face but out in the open for everyone to see.
"Are you alright?" Christine asked. He looked shocked, a little confused even. "Erik?"
"That man; the doctor. He ... he took my mask from me. He looked at my face and he did not even flinch. Christine, he looked at my face and said nothing about it. He touched it. He did not scream," Erik said with disbelief in his voice. He looked around him. No one was even looking in his direction in any sort of disgust. In fact, some people smiled as they passed. Erik could not believe it. Christine could not help but smile. She pulled Erik to her and kissed his lips gently, pulling him out of his disbelief. "No one is staring at me." He whispered against Christine's lips.
"I know, darling. We will be happy here, I can feel it," she said back. Erik could feel his insides flip with happiness instead of nervousness. He knew that he could be the husband to Christine he wanted to be if no one was interested in his face. Children would still look, they were doing it at that moment, but their parents did not bat an eyelid and Erik had never felt happier about his mask. "Come darling, let us go." Christine pulled her shawl around her shoulders and handed Erik his satchel before he offered her his arm. She took it with a smile.
"Let us find somewhere to sleep for the night, then we may see about permanent accommodation," Erik said as they followed the crowds of people out and off the docks, onto Coney Island. Into their new life, their new beginning. Nadir had been right. Coney seemed the place to be.
Many people had left the boat at the docks and Erik knew that, somehow, finding accommodation would be difficult. They walked around the island the best they could, their limbs tired yet their silence comfortable. Christine felt herself struggling to keep her eyes open, her head resting against Erik's shoulder as they walked. The masked man turned to her before he stopped, moving to scoop her up into his arms, holding her close to him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face against him.
"Are you comfortable?" he asked before he began walking again.
"Mm hmm," Christine said before she fell asleep in his arms. Erik smiled, nuzzling her forehead with his nose. He was tired himself but he would not make his angel sleep on the streets. Suddenly, a voice made him turn.
"Need somewhere for you and your lady friend, sir?" a man's voice said in the darkness. Erik turned to see a man shrouded in black, a top hat upon his head.
"Do you know of somewhere?" Erik asked, looking the man up and down warily. The man nodded and bowed his head to Erik.
"Indeed I do. My own residence. It ain't much, I tell you, but you may let your lady friend sleep," the man said. Erik stood his ground for a moment before looking down at his angel in his arms. His arms were tiring as he fought off sleep. They needed to rest.
"I have no money. No American money anyway," Erik said, a little deflated. The man shook his head.
"You may stay tonight free of charge. Tomorrow, we will see what we can do," he said.
"You are certain?"
"I am," he said. "Dr Gangle, at your service." He gave a low bow before he turned, beckoning the masked man to follow him. Erik watched him walk away and, taking one more look at the angel in his arms, made to follow him. Erik was led into a building, a run-down building but luckily still standing, and up two flights of stairs, Dr Gangle walking in front. The man moved to a door and pulled out a key, unlocking and opening the door. He stepped back to allow Erik to enter, the masked man taking in the room. It was nothing special. It was clean enough, a small kitchen to one side and a mattress on the floor with pillows and sheets. There was a door open to one side of the room and Erik made out a bathtub and a chamber pot.
"It's not much; good sir, but it will allow you to rest. We can discuss anything you wish tomorrow morning," Dr Gangle said.
"I cannot thank you enough," Erik said. Dr Gangle merely bowed his head and closed the door behind him. Erik was suddenly aware of his numb his arms were. He moved to the mattress and he laid Christine down on top of it, the movement making her eyelids flicker. Erik pulled his arms from under her and proceeded to remove her shoes and stockings, placing them to one side. Suddenly he felt Christine's hand on his, placing it down on her flat stomach.
"We are going to have a baby," Christine whispered, her eyes still closed. Erik sucked in a shaky breath, not believing what she had said.
"You are certain?" he whispered back.
"The nurse said so. I missed my bleeding," she said before she yawned. Erik smiled brightly and he removed his hand from her belly and replaced it with his lips.
"My beautiful Christine," he breathed. "I do not know what I have done to deserve you." But Christine had already fallen asleep, far too tired from their long journey to America. He smiled gently and felt his own body begin to shut down and he sank down onto the mattress next to his Christine, eyes closing almost immediately as tiredness overtook him and the world faded to black.
-x-
Christine awoke to rain battering down on the window behind the shabby closed curtains. She felt better, completely rested. Turning over on the mattress, she noted that Erik was not beside her until a clatter over in the kitchen area made her turn. There he was, heating water on the stove to make tea. She could not help the smile that adorned her face at how domesticated this was for him. There was the Phantom of the Opera making tea for his fiancée. Definitely not intimidating.
"Ah, you are awake," he said. "I thought I was going to have to wake you."
"What time is it?" she asked, sitting up on the mattress, the sheets falling around her waist. She ran her hand through her unruly curls and she yawned. Erik pulled a pocket watch from his waistcoat and he checked it.
"Almost two thirty, my dear," he said. Christine blinked. Two thirty the next afternoon? Surely she hadn't slept that long. "You seem rested though, I might say. You must have needed it." He turned back to the stove and proceeded to finish making them tea.
"How long have you been up?" she asked, getting up from the mattress, stumbling slightly in her still sleepy haze.
"A while. I went out to see about proper accommodation for us," Erik said. Christine smiled.
"Did you have any luck?" she asked. He looked at her quickly before bowing his head again, shaking it gently.
"I am sorry, Christine," he said. "But Dr Gangle ..."
"Who?"
"The man who let us have this room, he managed to find someone who would change my money for me. I now have American money. He said we can stay here as long as we need to. I will try again, my love. I promise. I have not looked far enough. I will find somewhere for us," he said. He moved to her, cupping her cheek in his hand. "We will be happy, our child will want for nothing. I will make sure of it." Christine brought her hand up to his, stroking it gently.
"I trust you," she said, placing a kiss to his palm. "Shall we have tea?" Erik nodded and moved to finish what he was doing. Christine moved to the window and looked out. Coney Island was certainly something else, although she was not really sure what. But it certainly was different from home. She let her hand slide over her abdomen, soon to be swollen with child and she let a smile appear on her face. Suddenly Erik's hands were on top of hers, holding her back against his chest, burying his nose in her hair.
"You are my angel," he whispered. "You being here with me, it is more than I could have ever asked for. And now this child, I feel like God is smiling down on me for the first time in my life." Christine sighed gently, falling back into his embrace.
"God has always smiled down on you, Erik. You just did not know it," she said. She turned in his arms and buried her face in his collar, breathing in the familiar scent of his cologne and simply the smell of Erik. He was a wondrous being, he just did not realise.
"I love you," he whispered.
"And I you, my angel of music," she said, before he caught her lips with his own. She let herself be kissed, simply holding him against her as he softly tasted her lips before he pulled back. He picked up her teacup and handed it to her. "Here, drink this. Are you hungry?" Christine was about to say no before her stomach growled loudly.
"I suppose I am," she said with a smile. Erik smiled back and gestured for her to sit at the rickety looking table in the corner before he got some food together for them. He had managed to find somewhere that morning to pick up essentials to keep Christine's strength up, for her sake and the baby's. He collected together some bread, meat and cheese and took it over to Christine.
"Eat. You have been rather pale since the journey," he said.
"I am well, Erik. I assure you," she said, patting his hand. "But thank you."
"I will have to find work tomorrow, Christine," he said as Christine began to dig into her food. "But I want to take you out tomorrow night, if you will allow me? Our first official outing as soon-to-be husband and wife." Christine felt her heart swell.
"I would love that very much," she said, a small blush staining her porcelain cheeks. "And I am proud of you for wanting to go. No one will care about your mask, I assure you, love."
"I am slightly worried but I shall try to overcome it. It has been years since I have been outside in public view with my mask on show," he said. "I pray people here are not too judgemental." Christine gestured to the seat opposite her and Erik sat, cradling his own teacup in his slightly cold hands as he drank from it. He cast his gaze out the window, over the rain splattered view. The streets were empty and the sky was dark, signalling more rain to come. But here he was, having escaped Paris, with the light of his life. He could not have asked for anything else.
-x-
Nadir Khan kept watch on the de Chagny house a few days before he had to go catch the next boat to Coney Island. He prayed the man would not to anything stupid and that Erik and Christine would finally be free of the Vicomte de Chagny. As he boarded the ship, he could only hope that Raoul would never know where they were.
God help them all.
Short, I know. I apologise. I have had severe writer's block so I think I am finally back on the bandwagon. Hope you like. You know what to do. :) x