You Must Love Me
Written by: lysimarie
Author's note and disclaimer: I thank all of you for your kind comments….And I still don't own it…
Chapter 14: You Must Love Me
Last time on You Must Love Me: Two more days. I will find you Christine, and I won't let you go…I can't.
Her nerves were on end as she waited in the wings. Christine hadn't sung in public since her own high school days, and she doubted her voice then. She looked down at her clothes, a long patchwork skirt and a white v-neck t-shirt, her new tattoo slightly visible through the thin material. The current act was nearly over, and she allowed herself to look out from behind the soft velvet curtains. The entire school was present, and they were laughing hard at the comedy act. She smiled herself; the three senior class clowns had pulled together, and decided to do a free form dialogue, going with the flow. Christine had to admit, they were quite funny.
The auditorium filled with applause, and one of the teachers went to the stage. "Thank you Patrick, James, and Anthony. That was quite amusing. And now, it's time for the final act. Some of you know this young lady, and some of you don't. Her name is Ms. Kesselman, and she has graciously agreed to perform for you. So, without further ado, I present Ms. Kesselman." He said, smiling warmly.
The room was cast in pitch black, the curtains closed, concealing Christine from the audience as she began her song.
"Where do we go from here?
This isn't where we intended to be…
We had it all…
You believed in me…
I believed in you"
The curtains opened, and a blue spotlight revealed the singing beauty, her face holding a look of sadness with a smile.
"Certainties disappear…
What do we do for our dream to survive?
How do we keep all our passions alive…
As we used to do?
"Deep in my heart I'm concealing…
Things that I'm longing to say…
Scared to confess what I'm feeling…
Frightened you'll slip away…
You Must Love Me….
You Must Love Me…"
As the musical interlude began, she looked about the auditorium, seeing several girls wiping their eyes, and her family in the balcony smiling down at her.
"Why are you at my side?
How can I be any use to you now?
Give me a chance,
And I'll let you see how
Nothing has changed…
"Deep in my heart I'm concealing…
Things that I'm longing to say…
Scared to confess what I'm feeling…
Frightened you'll slip away…
You Must Love Me…
You Must Love Me…"
Christine felt the tears she had tried so hard to hold back slid down her cheeks. I shouldn't have done this…Not so soon to leaving him..
"You Must…Love…Me…"
For a moment, the auditorium sat in pure silence, everyone stunned by the beauty of the song that had truly come from her heart. Then, as suddenly as a pin drops, the entire audience stood, giving her a standing ovation. She gasped, completely shocked, and smiled shyly, backing away from the stage to the wings. She quickly made it down the stairs to the backstage, and headed to the empty greenroom, where she allowed herself to cry fully.
Since she had made it home, she wouldn't think of Erik, except for late at night when she couldn't sleep. And now, the full effect of what she had ultimately done caught up with her. She had left him, and now, she didn't know if she would ever see him again. If she did, she wasn't sure what she would do.
Little did Christine know, that moment could be happening very, very soon…
As she performed, Erik knew she was singing about him. He was in the very back of the auditorium, in a corner, hiding in the shadows. The captain felt his heart break as she sang of her love, and just as she finished, he saw the glistening streaks on her cheeks. It took all he had inside him to not run up there and take her in his arms, kissing away all of her tears.
When she disappeared, he left the room, and headed outside to the Black Rolls Royce Phantom, Austrian flags flapping from the two antennas. Inside sat three dark figures, waiting his presence. He sat before them, and gave the signal for Haans to begin driving. "Captain Sevellia, we only want our sister to be happy." The eldest brother said, finally breaking the silence.
"That's all I ever wanted Craig. All I ever wanted for her was happiness." He whispered, looking out the window. "Do you think she'll actually want to see me?"
"Captain, can I just say that I have never seen her happier than when I asked her about you. She told me everything, from how amazing your eyes were to what you smelled like. Any other time, she didn't look like Christine. She needs you. Whether she realizes it or not." Christopher added, a smile on his face.
Erik felt his heart smile as he listened to the Kesselman brothers tell him all about their little sister, from embarrassing baby moments to how she liked her coffee. For the first time in a while, he felt like a normal man sitting with his girl's family, not the horrible monster he had underneath the mask. He still didn't know why Christine or Staci could ever love him because of that, but he didn't doubt their love. No, he could never do that.
Christine entered her room after school that day, and collapsed on her bed. She clicked a button, and let her stereo begin to play loudly. No one was home, so she allowed herself to cry once more, the music covering her noisy sobs. I was such a fool! Why did I leave him like that? I should have stayed and explained my situation. He would have let me go. Why did I have to do this?
Realization had hit her finally, and she looked at her phone. Would he accept me back if I went to him? Could I leave home again and not know what would happen…all over again? She shook her head. If he wanted her back, he would have to come for her. And if he did, not only would she be shocked…Would I be willing to give all of this up again? Could I leave my family and my father in the state that he's in?
The curly haired girl sat at her window and sighed. She missed him and the children so much. The night of the ball when Arabella fell asleep in her arms and whispered "Good night mother.", Christine knew that she belonged there, and that she needed to tell Erik that she loved him. The sun was beginning to set over their back yard, and in a few hours time, night would be upon them, and tonight, she and her family were going out to dinner, and she needed to get ready.
Erik V. Sevellia was more nervous than he had been on his wedding day. Today, he was going to meet Christine's father, and ask the biggest question he could. Her three brothers were in his room prepping him for the Captain. A few people were watching him as he paced back and forth, and he began to wonder how long he could pace before he wore the carpet away. He looked up at Craig, Christopher, and Caleb who nodded slowly and smiled.
The Captain walked into the ICU, and asked for Jim Kesselman. He was pointed to the furthest room on the left, and he walked back, his stomach flipping nervously. He walked in the room, and saw the man Christine had described to his children and himself, only he was rather pale, and three IV's were pouring into his left arm. "Good afternoon Sir." Erik said quietly, his nerves getting the better of him.
"Captain Erik Sevellia. I never thought I would meet you. My daughter has told me quite a bit about you." The older man said, sitting up in his bed, motioning to a near seat for Erik to sit in.
He did so, and rubbed his hands together, warming them slightly. "I would like to ask you some questions before you begin young man, if that is all right with you of course." Jim said, looking out the window as a bird flew by.
Erik nodded, and removed his black velvet jacket, revealing a white and black pinstripe shirt tucked neatly into his jeans. "How old are you, and tell me about your children."
"I am forty-two years old, and I have six children. Adam and Avril are seventeen, Alexandar is thirteen, Alana is ten, Amiee is seven, and Arabella is five. Each one has their own individual quark, and I love them so much. They started school just before I left, and so far I have been getting updates from Arabella every night when she calls me. I want to be there for her, but I need to see your daughter."
Jim nodded, and looked at the masked man with approval. "Why do you think you need my daughter?"
"Don't you think that every one, at one point or another, needs at least too much perfection in their lives? Christine is that to me, and if I loose that…" he said, his voice fading.
"I understand. I felt the same way about Christine's mother, and I still do. Now, the boys told me you wanted to talk to me about something. What is it?"
Erik felt his nerves jump, and he stood at the foot of the hospitalized man's bed. "Mr. Kesselman, I have realized…that my family and I cannot be without your daughter. My children have gone into severe withdrawal, and I do not know what to do, but to bring Christine home with me. We all love her so much, and we don't want a life without her in it. Sir, the reason I am here is because I wanted to ask you for permission to one day marry your daughter. I do not want a life with out her, and…my children need a mother one day…."
Jim thought for a few moments, just to see how the man reacted. He did not look like the type of man that would take advantage of his daughter, and his daughter spoke of him when she came to visit. He had two choices: say yes, and make his daughter so happy, and loose her as she moved to Austria. Or he could say no, and ruin his daughter's happiness, and keep her around.
Part one of two. I wanted to give ya'll something today, seeing that I didn't get the last chapter up as fast as I wanted to cause FF was being mean. pouts Anyway, I hope ya'll like this lil bit, and I hope to have part two up on Wednesday.
Timeflies: I'm glad you liked the tattoo's! I was looking for an idea, and then spent about five hours looking for the perfect few that I wanted.
Lady Wen: You will soon find out what Erik's tattoo's are and what they stand for. I'm glad you like the Three Musketeers (aka Chris's bro's.) I'm modeling them after some of my good guy friends that I consider my own brothers.
Trickstersthiefgirl: And we haven't even gotten to Erik's yet. Trust me, they have a cameo coming up soon.
GerrysJackie: Remember, her mother is protective, and doesn't want her daughter to be hurt again, and by getting a new tattoo, she feels that she could be holding on to another dream that has already been crushed. Quite right about the children. They DO need her.
Nyasia A. Maire: So, so Happy that you liked the last chapter. I did too, even if it was a bit angsty. I promise that if I get my school work done early tomorrow that I will write the next chapter, and post it Wednesday.