Kiss's 'Modern Day Delilah'

I still remember when I saw your face across the room
Told me to take you but the price of love would seal my doom
I know the way you made the others break
But lovin' me would be your first mistake

Same old ways, modern day Delilah
It's time you learned to give
Queen to slave, modern day Delilah

Listen
You lived your glory in a liar's haze you called the truth
The same old story of a social climb from wasted youth
You thought that you could bring me to my knees
But who's the one who's cryin' baby please

Same old ways, modern day Delilah
It' time you learned to give
Queen to slave, modern day Delilah

Just like the trigger on a loaded gun
You were the reason for the damage done
Too many lovers like a hunter's prey
Not today

Christine had been unusually quiet through the limo ride, and Erik wasn't sure if everything was okay. She had seemed perfectly fine back in the hotel, but now they were on their way, Christine seemed to hide under a black cloud. She was still up nestled up against him, thinking hard as she stared at a spot on the floor, speaking when spoken to, and Erik watched her seriously. Had it been the kiss on Erik's cheek? It had been ambrosial, the perfume she was wearing only adding to his imagination as he replayed the memory in his head. He was as distracted as Christine as they both sat in silence until Christine asked if he knew that she was leaving on the Sunday. He did know. It was four days away. Four days in which he had to pleasure himself with her company, four days to serenade her with his music, and four days of tormented bliss.

He had tried to tell Christine that he knew, but it must have come out wrong, as Christine looked away slowly, saying only one word. Erik had stared at Nadir, wanting to ask what was wrong with Christine, but Nadir didn't seem to know either, as they just ended up looking between each other and Christine as they monitored her. Why had Christine asked him that? Was she worried that she would never see him again? Hadn't he promised her on the yacht that he would protect her? Was she concerned about how he would take it? He had asked her, and she answered in the affirmative, and he had tried to play off the ill humors with a jibe about his hands and they way they constantly found themselves in her hair, to Christine's satisfaction, she had told him. She ignored the comment about his hands and told him brutally that she would miss him. Nadir had made some comment about Erik's private jet but Erik was choosing to ignore him as he looked deep into Christine's wide eyes, noticing the light dancing off of them, as well as her pink lips. Without thought, his hand had drifted along her jawline like a gentle wave. Christine's breathing got lighter as she tried to hold herself still, and Erik stopped as he reached her perfect chin which led to her shining, plump lips. She had been so timid, and Erik leaned in as the villain inside him convinced him as she would readily accept him into her bed. Erik couldn't help but listen as Christine grabbed his coat lapel, and Erik barely held back a groan as he enjoyed Christine's open neck and shoulders. He could smell honey, sweet and creamy, and beneath that, was the smell that had been on her pillow.

Nadir had interrupted the moment, thankfully bringing Erik out of his raw state, and after they both darted out of the limousine Erik apologized profusely, berating himself for such shameful, loathsome thoughts. She forgave him, as he hoped she would, and was beginning to learn that she always would, and they strolled carelessly towards Nadir. Erik let slip that he knew it was a party, and Christine seemed shocked, mocking Erik as she shook her fist, hunched over as she repeated what Erik had done only a few seconds earlier. He laughed, eager to see such a playful side of Christine. They had shared a private, silly joke about Nadir, and Christine laughed, full of mirth as Erik knew his life was perfect. Christine was his.

They had joined Nadir, speaking briefly with the security guard, and Erik tried to act normally before the man, but clearly reputation had come first and the man was terrified of him. Christine seemed unperturbed, but then turned solid as a voice spoke, and one that she recognized. Victoria Mayner appeared, looking as energetic as always. Erik didn't mind Victoria, it was just she was too boisterous. She was beautiful, but she was no Christine. Victoria approached Christine, hugging her suddenly like a child would as she forgot all formalities and focused on talking to Christine.

Christine was dazed, and Erik watched in amusement as Christine began to turn pink, sucking on her lips when she wasn't saying anything, and quickly blurting out everything in a long, drawn out breaths. Erik didn't like the way Christine had forgotten about him, and pulled her back to him by pinching her dress around her hips and tugging on it. The conversation soon turned back to Christine, and Erik shot Nadir several looks, but doubted if Nadir even knew what he was trying to convey, which was annoyance. But then he had listened, and found that Christine was praising him, to someone she didn't know properly, and it made him feel superhuman. They entered the elevator, and the conversation had soon turned to Erik and Christine's sudden relationship, but Christine had an answer for that too, and said that it only made their relationship more magical, and Erik had ignored everything around him and took the simple pleasure of smelling her hair again. It smelt good, like tea tree and mango, but then when Erik pulled away, he could smell the honey cream she was wearing.

The doors had opened, and everyone in the room that had been spread out in various groups, holding drinks and chatting, looked up, and Erik observed each of their faces. They seemed nervous, but curious. That was fine, he was eager to display Christine, but he was hoping that no-one would approach them.

Looking down at Christine, she seemed nervous too. She begged him not to leave her side, and he promised her. Was she scared of a few people? Or was she scared of how he would react to them? He had to stop that sort of thinking immediately, before that thought started spreading. He had started to plead her to let him take her away, to let him woo her somewhere else, but then a ghost from Erik's past appeared.

Erik cursed Carlotta's very existence the moment her slimy hands landed on his shoulders, her sharp nails digging into his suit. Carlotta had opposed how he had greeted her, insinuating that there was something more between them. Christine had angelically stood close to him, her eyes searching Erik's face for some grain of truth, and pulled herself away, cringing. Erik cried, was she imagining Erik and Carlotta lying together intimately? What was she thinking? Was she disgusted? Was she horrified? Why is it Christine always knew just what to say, and Erik always seemed to screw things up? He was supposed to be unreadable, not Christine. Poor, sweet Christine was looking at Carlotta as though someone had stabbed her in the stomach. Erik spun around, fattening himself on fantasies of Carlotta's snapped neck. She had stepped away coolly, out of the elevator, and dared to bring up his mask.

His thoughts had been drawn to Christine as he restrained himself from attacking the vile snake that stood before him, her wild eyes gleaming as everyone watched them. He would not lose his temper; he would not scare Christine any more than she already was.

Please, forgive me. He thought desperately.

Tori had thankfully stepped in, and Erik's only concern had been Christine, who was watching Carlotta, looking very small and defenceless. After a few unpleasant remarks were tossed about, Carlotta soon left, whispering something secret to Christine with a disgruntled look on her face, while Christine's eyes wavered, and flickered up to Erik.

No! Don't believe her Christine! Please! He screamed in his head as Christine gave the smallest of frowns, and left the elevator as fast as she could.

Christine stood a few feet across from him, watching Carlotta as her face turned sour, and Christine stood tall, staring daggers at Carlotta when she finally insulted her. Carlotta hadn't liked it, returning the look with contempt before revealing that Christine and Carlotta had previously talked. Erik couldn't believe what he had heard. How had Carlotta managed to get a hold of Christine? What had they discussed, and was that why Christine had been so on edge? Erik didn't want to believe Carlotta's words were true. Erik's resistance to the idea of Carlotta corrupting Christine's mind against him was wearing thin. Carlotta left, and both he and Christine looked at each other. He wasn't aware of anything else in the room, his mind spinning as thoughts of his past with Carlotta infested Christine's opinion of him. What if she found out everything? Would she be scared of him?

She'll run and you'll never see her again. You deserve this. You do not deserve happiness. His mother reminded him.

Christine looked up at Erik, her eyes glistening with sorrow as she stared at him, before collapsing into his arms and letting him hold her as she acknowledged her earlier conversation with Carlotta and tried to assuage his fears. It did nothing to help, as he still felt restless, wondering what Carlotta and Christine had discussed, and whether it changed her opinion of him. Christine said that they would talk about the incident after the party, but Erik wanted to discuss it now, and it annoyed him that he couldn't just pull her aside and interrogate her. But he had to console himself. This wasn't Iran, he didn't do that anymore. Nadir turned up with drinks, as everyone went back to talking, though still interested in Erik and Christine.

"I'm so sorry, never in a thousand years would I have imagined that Carlotta would turn up." He said in disbelief.

"Then perhaps you should shut up." Erik snapped to Nadir, not wanting Christine to get upset.

But Christine only stared at him, frowning. Erik sighed. "I'm sorry."

"I understand that you're upset about Carlotta, but Nadir didn't deserve that."

Erik grumpily turned to Nadir and mumbled, "Sorry, Nadir. You understand, of course?"

"Of course." Nadir replied, nodding. He turned to Christine, handing her a tall glass of champagne, holding onto his drink. "Now Christine, would you like me to introduce you to some people?"

Christine shyly looked up at Erik. He was reluctant to being instantly thrust into the spotlight, but if it would ease Christine's mind, then he would allow it. He offered his arm, and Christine joined him, smiling as they followed Nadir about the room, introducing her to the odd person. Erik knew every person here, and ignored them mostly, but Christine was only able to identify the most recognizable people, such as the singers and actors. Most of the people that she didn't know were mostly producers, or important businessmen, but Christine treated them all equally, shaking hands with each one of them, her other hand interlocked with Erik's. They all seemed to like her, commenting on her videos, and how they had seen all of the reports about them, and how they were just blown away by how romantic it all was. Erik wasn't impressed. It was just useless conversation to him, but Christine was brightening up, falling back into her cheery self as she asked about their jobs, and made some interesting comments that amused the other guests. Everyone seemed charmed by her, and Erik felt magnificent as Christine began to praise Erik again, still going on about her roses and everyone seemed to be looking at Erik differently.

Erik was only standing beside Christine, who was the main attraction, and several people had now surrounded them, making Erik feel very boxed in. Christine was fine, however, their interlaced fingers playing with each other in some strange game that Erik didn't understand.

"I liked those videos too." Said some teenage popstar with too much gel in his hair, sipping on a coke.

Erik tried to bring himself back into the conversation as he listened to Christine's soothing voice eagerly reply, "Yeah it's one of my most popular segments. I love all of their presents, and their drawings and letters really make my day."

They must have been talking about Christine's mail vlogs, which she did quite often. Erik had watched as her fans spilled their creative abilities in the most unusual things. She had mentioned in an earlier video of her admiration for a tv show, and fans had responded wildly, commenting on her video as they shared their love, and in the following mail vlog, Christine had somehow ended up with three shirts, one scarf, four show related toys and a ton of drawings of Christine and the show. Erik enjoyed those videos as well, and would have said something, but the pop star spoke again.

"I loved 'Gustave'. It was so beautiful. I downloaded it onto my phone and I listen to it all the time now."

Erik realized they were talking about her song, that was dedicated to her father. He sharply looked at Christine, but she seemed calm.

"I'm glad you like it." She said sweetly, but squeezed Erik's hand tightly.

"Are you planning on releasing an album?" The pop stared asked curiously. Erik remembered his name now. It was Nate Gorman.

"No, singing isn't really a priority right now." Christine answered, squeezing Erik's hand again.

He watched her as she still smiled at everyone, remaining perfectly calm. He knew she was grieving, and possibly angry, but she managed to keep it inside and carry on with her life, while he struggled to remember anger management techniques. How was Christine able to do it? What could he learn from this woman that he had never before? The conversation soon turned back to her videos, and Christine eagerly joined in, loosening her grip on Erik's hand, which allowed him to squeeze her back.

"Which one is your favourite?" She asked him as the others discussed her early videos.

Erik thought about it. His favourite was the video where she had gone exploring a forested valley in the Peak District called 'Padley Gorge'. She had been climbing over massive boulders, paddling through the stream with her jeans rolled up, picnicking on what looked like moorland. She had been exhausted by the end of the video, her knees scraped, ants in her food, her leg cramping as she tried to walk it off, and it had amused Erik to no end.

"I like them all but if I had to pick one, I would say 'Adventure Fail'." Erik said, grinning as he watched Christine's surprised reaction.

"You mean the one where I nearly died trying to escape a forest?" She recalled, groaning as she rolled her eyes. The other guests who had overheard laughed, and Erik looked up at them, slowly turning his head about the room. It was amazing how Christine was able to captivate an audience and bend them to her will. It was her own hypnotic voice, that just made everyone fall into this pleasant mood. She really was destined for greatness.

"Which one is your favourite, then?" Erik asked, squeezing her hand as he bit his lip.

"Ooh, I'm not sure. It changes from day to day. Sometimes it's one of the more technically difficult ones with special effects, like the fake movie I made for one of my videos?"

Erik recalled that video. She had been poking fun at some high adrenaline action movie, and joked that she could make a better movie, which she had in under 5 minutes. It was filled with incredibly cheesy jokes and terrible cliches. Erik had laughed whenever Christine pulled a silly face or acted playful in her videos. It was just Christine, being herself. Erik enjoyed watching her videos, as it allowed him to spy on Christine and a perfectly acceptable manner.

"But then on other days, I like the ones where I just talk."

"So, you planning on doing anything else while you're here? I want to see more of you two hanging out." Inquired Tori, munching on something that smelled foul in Erik's opinion.

Christine looked up at Erik, smiling as she answered, "I don't know. I'll have to wait and see."

Erik smiled, glad that no-one could see his face, as his eyes were closed as he quickly sent a thankful prayer to God. Christine had admitted to believing that a force greater than themselves had brought them together. If Christine believed that God had sent him to her, then he could only hope that it was to be her guardian angel. It was one advantage to having a mask, he could think and express whatever he wanted to, and no-one could judge him for it. Looking at Christine's optimistic face made him grin hard, and it was hard to believe that Carlotta had almost ruined their night. He squeezed her hand, and she laughed, shaking her head as she said,

"We've got four more days. I want to spend them with Erik, but I also really want to explore New York. But in either case, I'm just happy to be here."

"You should go to top of the Empire State building! You'd love the view!" A blond woman said enthusiastically.

"That is something I wanted to see!" Christine said conspiratorially. "I also wanted to go to Times Square, and hopefully meet a few of my followers, but I guess that's over."

She glanced casually up at Erik, pulling a fed up face, and then smirked.

"Oh, ignore the press. They can't find anything really worthy to report so they invest their time squabbling over the lives of famous people. What you need to do is learn how to use them. You've got to give them something interesting to keep them happy. Build relationships with some of them and they'll show you in the tabloids exactly the way you need to look." Suggested a tall gentleman that Erik knew to be a British tennis player. His name was Nick Lambert, and he had been getting chatty, and it was obvious that he liked Christine.

"That's a good idea," Erik said, trying his hardest not to look like a jealous child. "But I don't believe that would work."

"Why not?" Christine asked innocently. "If it will help keep them away then I think we should try it."

Erik looked down at her petulantly. "Didn't you say that they would destroy everything between us?"

"Yes, but what if I'm wrong? If we're ever going to be a normal couple then we need to make them understand that we are in control of our lives."

A few people laughed at the normal comment, and Christine peered around darkly, making them stop instantly. She turned back to Erik calmly and continued.

"So what do you think?"

Erik wondered if Christine knew how much those five little words meant to him. She wanted his opinion and was willing to listen to it.

"I think we should do what you think is best. After all, I have no experience with interacting positively towards the media."

Christine smiled, but a few people laughed. Erik looked up at them, smiling to himself, but he knew that he must have looked odd with the mask, and turned to look back down at Christine.

"We can figure it out later." He said, rubbing her knuckles with pride as the crowd around him smiled as they watched them both stare at each other.

"Alright." Christine said, smiling brightly.

"Okay folks, let's get some music going while we leave these two alone." Tori announced, turning around to wave people away, and Erik was grateful for the assistance. Perhaps Tori had matured somewhat since the last time he had talked with her over the phone.

Some dance music started playing, and the crowd dispersed, leaving them alone. Christine turned in towards Erik as she took both their hands and swung them back and forth to the beat of the song. Erik liked this sweetness of her but he couldn't help but think of Carlotta. Had she convinced Christine that they had been in a relationship? Was it her ploy to take Christine away from him? He needed to handle Carlotta without Christine knowing. He couldn't let Carlotta's vendetta jeopardize the greatest love he would ever know.

"I'm sorry our date went poorly. I was hoping my turn would go a lot smoother." Christine said, frowning.

"Do not worry about a thing, I will handle this." Erik said seriously.

"How, Erik? And on your own? I want to handle this together." She said as she stopped swinging their hands.

"I will not let any harm come to you. I promised you I would protect you."

Christine glared at Erik. "I can protect myself. I'm a big girl, Erik. Carlotta is bad news, I know that."

"Christine, what did she tell you about me. Has she changed your mind about me?" Erik asked pitifully.

Christine looked down at his chest, sighing to herself as she stared at her feet. "She can't change my feelings about you, Erik, no-one can. No-one but you."

Thank you so much for your amazing reviews. Your lovely messages have been amazing, and they're just what I needed to read after having such a hard few days! I'm so happy to be back, writing this story for you!

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