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Chapter 25

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The next time she awoke the sun was indeed blazing through the windows announcing the new day. She gave a yawn and a slight stretch of her toes as she opened both eyes to see Erik propped up and leaning on his elbow as he watched her, his eyes reflecting the love they had shared the previous night…several more times!

"Good morning, my wife." Erik said, savoring the words.

"Good morning to you, my husband." She replied with a smile. "Do you ever sleep, Erik?" Christine asked, realizing how few a times she had actually caught him in the act of doing so.

"I must confess that in your presence I sleep very little, Christine." He chuckled. "But do not fear, the mask covers the dark circles and bags under my eyes quite efficiently."

Christine wanted to laugh back at his joke but realized that was the first time he had ever spoken of his mask in a semi positive manner. Could Erik at last be coming to terms with his disfigurement? She hoped so as she reached up to caress his exposed cheek. She noted that his mask was back to being tucked under, exposing both of his lips to her. Her hair pin was missing again but the leather was stiff enough to hold its place. "We may have to do some adjusting to your mask so that I will not have to run and find a hairpin every time I wish to kiss you."

"I will give it some thought and come up with something. I would not wish to deny you the feel of my lips if that is what you truly desire, Christine." He assured her.

"Oh, I desire, Erik. Trust me when I tell you that I desire." She laughed, reaching up to kiss him eagerly. Erik returned the kisses at first but then with a low and regretful moan he pulled back.

"We need to stop, Christine." He said, his voice ragged but determined. "If we keep this up I will be forced to take you again, and I feel that it may not be healthy for you if I do so."

"Healthy?"

"We have made love three times last night, I believe it would be prudent to allow your body some time to recuperate. To heal." He explained.

"How much time?" She questioned, not liking the sound of that.

"A day should suffice." He gauged.

"A day…a whole twenty four hour day? How am I supposed to keep my hands off of you for a whole day? What cruel forms of torture are you currently inventing here?" She asked playfully.

Erik blanched at her choice of words, and did his best to hide his discomfort. Things would be perfect if it were not for that ticking time bomb called his past. She had learned more about him in the last few days than he had ever told anyone in his life…and yet he knew his stint as the Shah's assassin was something he never wanted her to find out about. That and his addiction to the drugs that the Shahbanu had so conveniently provided him to fuel his rage and hate for her pleasure. The best way to keep this knowledge from her would be to get her out of Persia and away from anyone who knew his secrets. But how? The palace was now a disaster and he could not see his way clear to sending her away without him. He would just have to work extra hard to complete the palace and then leave with her.

"Erik, is everything all right?" She asked, noting his sudden silence.

"Yes, fine." He quickly assured her. "I was just thinking about the palace and all that needs to be done to complete it."

"The palace? Do you have to leave to go work on it today?" She asked, a pout coming to her lips.

"No, Christine." Erik assured her with a big smile. "I am not going to leave your side all day." He promised.

"Really?" She looked up at him with excitement. "Although that is really going to add to the torture of not being able to touch you." She concluded.

"Now I never said we could not touch each other…I only restricted the act of love making." He pointed out with a devilish grin on his face.

"Oh…well I guess that is different." She squealed as she pushed forward and caught him in her arms, rolling him over onto his back and smothering him with her eagerly accepted kisses.

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An hour later the two finally rose from the bed and quickly washed the sheets themselves so that there would not be any evidence left behind that Christine had only hours before surrendered her virginity to Erik, and not the first night like the Shahbanu believed. After the two had bathed and dressed they headed to the living area to find some food to quell their rumbling stomachs. They ate and talked and were thoroughly enjoying their early afternoon when something occurred to her.

"Erik, last night Nadir said you didn't need to put down your last name on the marriage certificate. Why was that?"

"I…I do not know my last name, Christine." He confessed. "My mother never told me what it was, and since I had no wish to be associated with the family who cared nothing for me…I never asked."

"Erik, is it wrong of me to want to strangle your mother? I mean, would it upset you to know you married a woman who is very spiteful towards those who have wronged you?" She looked a little sheepish but there was a fire in her eyes that Erik seemed to enjoy. "I am afraid I can be very protective when it comes to those I love…and I will fight tooth and nail to protect you from anyone wishing you harm!"

"I can see I married a little wild cat." Erik said, touched by her words. "You would dare to slay dragons for your Erik?"

"Dragons.. lions.. a bear or two perhaps and of course…barbarians!" She assured him with a laugh.

"Really….would you care to demonstrate your techniques for conquering said barbarians right now?" He asked with a very wicked grin, one that sent shivers down her spine and caused her to rise from her seat and back away in fits of giggles. Sensing the mood of the situation, Erik also stood and advanced on her.

"You stay back, Erik." She warned, holding her hands up in mock fear. "I do not even have a pillow to defend myself with."

"Unarmed and helpless…just how I like you." His voice almost a low purr and Christine turned and began to run away with a squeal of delight.

Swift like an attacking jungle cat, Erik caught her around her waist and lifted her up into his strong arms as she gave a shriek. This game they were playing was both fun and dangerous. Erik had been the one to impose the no sex rule for the day, but if they kept this up, Christine decided she might have to defy him on the matter; much like she did when defied him by taking Kas lunch every day.

As if on cue, the front door burst open and Kas came barreling into the room, his sword drawn and his eyes wide. Christine gave a cry of fright, but Erik didn't move a muscle, almost as if a man suddenly appearing with a sword was an everyday occurrence. Erik stared at the man with a look of annoyance, not bothering to release his hold on Christine or put her down.

Kas stood still as a stature for a few seconds and then immediately dropped to his knees and bowed so low his forehead actually touched the floor.

"Forgive me, sire….I didn't know …I thought." Kas stuttered, his words a jumble over the fear in his voice.

"I assume you have a very good reason for entering my chambers uninvited?" Erik asked, his voice low and harsh, but also tinged with a bit of surprise. He had completely forgotten that Kas would have surely arrived for guard duty that morning, not knowing what had transpired the night before or that Erik had chosen to stay in with Christine all day.

"I…I did not know you were here, my lord." The man said, not daring to lift his face.

"That is not a reason that pleases me. In fact, the idea that you came in believing my consort was here all alone displeases me very much." He eyed the man sternly, waiting on his next words to decide if he needed to kill the man or not.

"No…please…I came to my post, like always, but when you did not come out I assumed you had left for the palace site before I arrived." He now dared to look up then, but averted his eyes as he was met by Erik's cold stare. "Then I heard a cry of alarm from the girl…I thought that she might be…I mean…I had no idea it was you."

"So you came to rescue her from a would-be ravisher?" Erik found he was now rather enjoying this mix up. He of course was not about to let the frightened Kas know this. "Well, since you can now see that it is I who will be doing the ravishing…I think it would be wise if you took your leave. Go home, your services are not required today."

"Yes… of course…I… please forgive my misguided intrusion." He begged, standing and bowing several times as he backed his way out the door.

Once the man had shut the door, Erik could not hold his low chuckle in any longer. Christine did not seem as amused, and her look of frustration coupled with the fact that she still trapped in his arms, made Erik laugh even harder.

"I do not find this amusing at all." She huffed, crossing her arms in anger. "The very least you could have done was put me down while he was here."

"And why would I have wished to do that? I rather like holding you in my arms." Erik countered, pulling her to him tightly.

"Because I may not understand Persian, but it is quite obvious that Kas now believes we were…well…you know! I can only imagine what that poor man is thinking at this moment. I will never be able to look him in the eye again when I take him his lunch!"

"Good! Perhaps this will put an end to your foolish idea of feeding him every day and actually obey my wishes for a change. The man has a wife of his own, he certainly does not need mine worrying about his care and keeping." Erik said, that hint of jealousy rising in his voice.

"Oh is that what you want?" She said, at last wiggling free from his clutches and returning her feet firmly to the floor. "A weak-willed and subservient wife, one who will cower before you and cater to your every wish?" Her words had started out more as a joke, but suddenly she found she truly wanted to know his answer.

"No indeed, Christine." He told her in a soft voice, stepping closer as he took her face in is hands. "I want no other kind of wife but what you already are. Perfect in every way; from your protective nature right down to you willful and defiant spirit. I do not want a wife to be my servant…I want a wife who is my equal."

All of Christine's bluster vanished then and she reached out to embrace him as she placed her cheek to his chest.

"And I do so want to be that wife for you, Erik. I promise that I will spend my life making sure you never regret your decision to marry me." She told him.

"As if that could ever be possible. Marrying you is my one and only redeemable quality, the one act that might truly save me from damnation." He said in all seriousness.

"And you will marry me again once we are out of Persia?" She asked, needing to hear his confirmation.

"Yes, I promise to make an honest woman of you in the eyes of all France, Christine. To do so however I suppose I will be required to procure a last name for us. When the time comes, I promise I will either discover what my original family name was or find us a brand new one. After all, a name may not be required for a marriage in Persia but I am certain one will be expected in Paris."

"And you really plan on taking me to Paris?" She asked, more excited about the idea now that she knew Erik would be going with her as her husband. "Do you have friends in Paris or a place to live?"

"I have no friends in this world other that Nadir, and then there are times I have my doubts about him…or more likely he has his doubts about me." Erik said solemnly. "And though I currently have no residence in Paris, it was where I was born and I am sure a domicile will be easy enough to come by. I have amassed a great deal of wealth here in Persia, enough for us to live like royalty for the rest of our lives. You need never worry about money again, Christine. I will lavish you with Parisian fashion, deck you will jewels and spoil you with French chocolates until you become pleasingly plump." He laughed.

"What if I were to become plump for another reason…" She suggested, her meaning left hanging in the air unsaid.

Erik stiffened at her insinuation. This was something they had not discussed … for it had honestly never crossed his mind!

"Are you referring to children, Christine?" He asked, taking a step back from her. "Of the possibility that you might become with child?"

"It is a very plausible scenario, especially considering what we did last night… several time I might add." She pointed out.

Erik blanched at the thought, he had not considered that! Christine could very well be pregnant already, highly unlikely but still quite plausible.

"And you would embrace this idea?" He asked, testing her out.

"Of course I would." She said, her voice a mixture of excitement and conviction, but then her face grew troubled. "Wouldn't you?"

Erik turned away from her then and walked to the piano and placed his palms on the top as he leaned in for support.

"No, Christine…I would not." He said in a low and sad voice. "I would not wish for any child I sired to face the horrors of this world."

"Erik…why?" She asked, taking a few steps forward before she stopped short. Her hand flew to cover her mouth as she suddenly realized his meaning. Any child that he sired…Erik feared that their baby might inherit his deformity. Could that actually happen? Was it a true concern? "Oh, god." She whispered as the full force of the fear gripped her.

"Asking for his help in this matter would be fruitless, Christine." Erik told her, hearing her quiet plea. "I assure you that he in no way cared to help me in my plight, so why would he show an ounce of concern for any child that I might father?" He let his head drop in anger and defeat.

"Erik, there is no way of knowing if…I mean it might not happen. Was anyone else in your family stricken with your deformity? It might not be something that can be passed on." Christine said, frantically trying to calm her frenzied mind.

"During my years as a child, I saw only my mother and while she was harsh and cold, I am forced to admit that she was at least pleasant to look upon. My father or any other members of my family, I have no idea about. So, yes Christine, it is very possible that this is something that can be passed on as a horrible family legacy. I know that my pathetic existence was kept as a closely guarded secret."

"But perhaps if…" Christine began, but Erik's desperate voice cut her off.

"NO, Christine! There is no perhaps, no buts…I can't live that way again!" His shoulders began to shake violently as memories of his childhood came back to him. "I cannot live with the knowledge I had condemned an innocent child to a life like I once had, Christine. One where he is scorned, mocked and feared all because of a face that he did not deserve and cannot change. I lived, if one can call that living, alone in a small room in the back of the house on the top most floor until I was nine years old. I saw only one person in all that time, Christine. Only one…my unhappy mother. Only she ever dared to be in the same room with me and that was simply because she was obligated to bring me food and drink since I was not allowed to leave that prison. I could never figure out why she ever bothered to keep me alive…she obviously hated me for being so hideous while she had been so beautiful. I am sure she thought of me as a curse and a punishment for some horrible sin in her past, because daily she would remind me that I had ruined her life. She was as much a prisoner as I was…and I cannot bear to have her fate be yours as well. I can't do it Christine…I simply can't! I won't!" His voice had rose to an almost frantic level and all Christine could do was stand there with both her hands over her mouth as her tears began to fall.

They stood there for a long time, unable to face one another. Finally Erik calmed down and broke the silence.

"Would it wound you greatly not to have children, Christine?" He asked, his voice betraying his deep seeded fear. "Would I not be enough family for you to be happy? I swear I would fill your hours with so much love and devotion that there would be no time for you to mourn the lack of a child. Can you accept your life bound to me if there cannot be children? Do you still want to be Erik's wife?"

Christine suddenly broke from her dazed trance and rushed to his side.

"Oh Erik, of course I still want to be your wife!" She said, taking him in her arms and holding him tightly. "I will always love you, no matter what. It will just take some time to get used to the idea, that's all…I just always thought I would be a mother someday. It is what most little girls dream about." Christine took a deep breath and swallowed hard, as she mentally folded that dream up neatly and locked it away forever. "But if you are unable to resign yourself to the idea of having a child…then I am content with concentrating all my happiness on being your wife." She tried her best to smile at him when he looked down at her.

"You would do this…for me? You would sacrifice your dreams to please your Erik?" He asked in disbelief.

"You are my one and only dream, my love. The only one I will ever need." She leaned up and gave him a long and lingering kiss. "You will just have to get me a cat is all." She said thoughtfully. Her efforts to alleviate the tense situation were rewarded when she saw Erik relax slightly.

"You may have all the pets you desire, Christine." He promised, as hope seemed to rise inside of him once more. "I swear I will never let you be lonely…never leave your side or make you regret our lives together."

"I believe you, Erik. And I will do my best never to give you reason to regret as well."

Erik swooped her up in his arms and took her over to the lounge and sat down, keeping her securely on his lap.

"And what kind of cat would you like…a Siamese like the Shah has. I could easily spirit that particular one away with us when we leave Persia if it pleased you. Or we could get a kitten when we reach Pairs? Anything you want, Christine… anything!"

"I think it best to leave the Shah's cat here…it may not enjoy the trip. We will find a new one that suits our tastes when we get to France. I am sure they will have a very nice selection there." She laughed, enjoying Erik's happy mood once more. Not having a child was going to be a bitter pill to swallow, she knew this…but for the love of Erik she would hide her disappointment for the rest of her life.

Erik took her left hand in his and held it up, eyeing it thoughtfully.

"You need a ring." He said at last. "A large diamond ring to show the world how much I love you, how much I value my wife."

"Wouldn't that be counterproductive considering the fact that Nadir said we needed to keep our marriage a secret here in Persia?" She reminded him. "Besides you already bought me a splendid piece of jewelry, my ruby necklace. Which, by the way, I am told is a symbol for fire and passion. Did you know this when you bought it for me?"

Erik's sly smile and averted eyes told her the answers before he could.

"I chose it just for that reason." He confessed.

"Then I will always consider it to be the symbol of our union, not any ring. You can buy me a ring once we are married in France if you wish, but in my heart that necklace will forever represent our love." She smiled.

"You are truly too good for me, Christine." He said in amazement.

"Are you sure we have to wait a full day?" She asked, seductively as she ran her finger down his chest, enjoying how he took in a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"Don't tempt me, woman." He said with a low growl.

"What? Me….tempt you? Why Erik, whatever do you mean?" She said innocently, bursting into fits of giggles as he gave a low growl and suddenly leaned her back onto the lounge, covering her with smoldering kisses.

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Nadir was walking down the hallway when he saw Kas coming towards him, the man looking very pale and nervous.

"Kas…is everything all right?" Nadir asked, stopping in front of the guard.

"I…I almost got myself killed." He admitted in a shaky voice.

"How so?" He asked suspiciously, instantly knowing that Erik was somehow involved.

"I didn't know that the dark Angel was still in his chambers, and I burst in when I heard the girl scream." He said.

"The girl screamed?!" Nadir asked, suddenly very concerned.

"Yes, I heard her cry out, so I burst in thinking she was in danger and that is when I found that the dark one was still there, he had not gone to the palace site today."

"And the girl…was she all right? Did she seem harmed in any way?" Nadir persisted, fear gripping his chest.

"No…he had her held in his arms, but she seemed well." Kas said, thinking back.

"She was not crying or seemed frightened?

"No, she seemed surprised when I came in…but she did not seem afraid." Kas admitted.

"Then exactly why did you feel your life was in danger?" Nadir asked, his mind more at ease now.

"Because of what I saw…that I may have dared to see something that the Angel of Doom would not wish for others to know about, and put me to death for it." He told him, his eyes wide with fear.

"What exactly was it that you saw?" Nadir asked with great curiosity.

"Like I said, he had the girl in his arms and he said …well…he claimed he was going to ravish her!" He leaned in and whispered in a fearful voice. "Do you truly think he would do such a thing to the poor girl?"

Nadir did his best to hide his smile, as he placed his hand on the man's shoulder.

"I dare say he would, young man…but don't worry, I have a strong suspicion that the lady will not object."

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Oh you just have to love a confused Kas.

So what did you think of this one? Please stop and tell me.