--- I don't know why some of you got Ch - 24 twice(?). Ghosts perhaps? Sorry if it was confusing.
This one's a bit fluffy, but then Erik needs a little fluff every now and then. If you read this, please review for me, even if it's a short one. I'm trying to figure out why my reader numbers are down.You may not realize how much it means to receive reviews form you. I know you read lots of these, but this is my first fanfic and It helps me to become a better storyteller.I love Erik and Gabrielle and I want you to too! For those of you who review on a regular basis, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to do so! - Leesa
- Leesa
Re-cap: Erik revives Gabrielle after hunters find her passed out in the freezing woods. She tells him that being in love is a lot like composing his music.
Ch 25 – Loose Lips
"Love," Erik, snorted distastefully, "whatever that is."
I sat with my hands folded in my lap, looking up at him pensively. I didn't know what to say to him. Love was something one could not explain—it had to be experienced.
An uncomfortable silence arose between us.
Erik bent down to retrieve the bottle of oil he had dropped on the carpet and put it back in its rightful place on the dressing table.
"More tea?" he asked as he reached for my cup.
"No thank you. If I drink any more of it, I'll spend most of my night visiting the water closet. From the throbbing in my ankle, I'd say that wouldn't be a pleasant experience."
"Yes, well, I do see your point." Erik placed the cup on the table, next to the teapot.
He reached over to brush a damp strand of hair from my face. He looked concerned.
"Keep it propped up on the pillows Marie placed under the covers for you. Would you like me to fetch some laudanum for you?"
"Laudanum, what is that?"
"It's an opiate for pain. It will also allow you to rest."
"Ah, yes, one of the 19th century's gloriously addictive cure-alls. I suppose I could use a bit of the stuff seeing that I am in an enormous amount of pain, but not too much—don't want a monkey on my back you know."
"A monkey?"
"The clinging animal of addiction." I explained
"I see." He turned to the table and plucked the thermometer from its place inside a water glass. "Here, I want to check your temperature again to see how you are fairing before you give way to slumber."
I opened my mouth like a little bird and allowed him to place the instrument under my tongue. Satisfied that I would be all right for a moment, he left to get the medication.
There was a whirling in my head and my ankle hurt mightily. I was beyond weariness and wanted nothing more than to sleep for a long, long time.
Erik returned quickly with a small amber vial in one hand and a box in the other. He set both items on the bedside table.
"Alright, let's see how much your temperature has improved since Marie last checked it." He removed the thermometer from my lips and held it toward the lamp.
"38.6, much improved, Gabrielle. How are you feeling?"
"Rode hard and put up wet, which is Americana-Western for really, really bad. Even though I am warmed, I still feel very cold; it's as if this blasted shivering won't stop."
Erik seemed to comprehend my colloquialism. He pulled the cork on the vial and poured out a tablespoon of the laudanum. "Take this. You should experience relief quickly."
I leaned forward to meet the spoon, taking the medicine into my mouth. The stuff tasted beyond foul. I nearly spit it back at him. Instead I closed my eyes and swallowed hard.
Past the lips and through the gums, look out tummy, here it comes. I recited silently to myself.
"In a matter of moments your pain will be but a memory, temporarily, that is." Erik promised.
"I've heard stories about how good these old meds were. Woo-hoo, Alice in Wonderland, here I come," I laughed weakly.
Erik smiled at my sudden spark of exuberance. "I'll be sure to hide this from you then," he cautioned while wiggling the vial at me.
I motioned toward the bedside table, "What's in the little box?"
He picked it up, his long graceful fingers curled around the little box as heheld it out to me. "While I was in London, I happened upon a trinket that I thought you would like."
"A gift for me? Oh Erik, it's not necessary, really…" I protested, feeling rather guilty.
"Nonsense, it is a gift."
Curiosity got the best of me. I took the jewelry box from his hand and opened the hinged lid. Nestled on scarlet velvet was an exquisite bracelet of white gold orange blossoms. In the middle of each blossom was a small, round, ruby. My mouth gaped open as I looked from the box to Erik and then back to the box.
"Well, do you like it?"
"Oh, Erik, it's beautiful! Rubies! And look,they're set in white gold , my favorite…how did you know?"
"A fortunate guess," he shrugged.
Amazing man. For one of the few times in my adult life, I was speechless.
"Erik, I…I can't believe you bought this for me, it's extravagant."
"That matters not. I saw it in the window of a jeweler in the city and thought of you. Most of your personal belongings are lost to you now. I imagine women from your century still enjoy good jewelry?"
"True, but, this is an enormous surprise—please don't misunderstand, it is a lovely surprise, but I've upset you so lately, I hardly deserve a gift."
"Pffst," he waved me off with a flip of his hand. "Go ahead, put it on," he urged.
"Oh, ok." I was still stunned by his generosity. I lifted the delicate piece from its box and draped it over my left wrist. "Would you mind clasping it for me? The laudanum is beginning to do its thing and I'm afraid my coordination isn't too swift."
Erik squinted to see the tiny clasp in the lamplight before locking the mechanism and securing it to my wrist.
I held my arm out toward the light. It was a stunning piece. "I forget that women of this time period are smaller boned than where I come from, which is good news for someone with small wrists and ankles like me. Unfortunately, the rest of me doesn't match them," I laughed.
"A pretty trinket for a pretty mademoiselle," Erik said. I wasn't sure if my blush was a reaction to his compliment or the medication.
"I am deeply touched, Erik. I can find no appropriate words to express my gratitude, so I'll simply say thank you."
My eyes were misty when I bent forward to place a kiss on his lips. Our gazes met and lingered momentarily. Perhaps we were nearing a truce in our battle of wills.
I exhaled heavily and plopped back into the pillows.
"I see the drug is taking effect, but you are shaking. Are you still feeling the cold, Gabrielle?"
"In spite of my rising temperature, this chill will not go away."
He frowned, "What else can I do to make you comfortable?
"Torch the bed?" I joked.
"I do remember this special program I once saw on television. It was about how to survive in the wilderness should you find yourself stranded in inclement weather, like lost in snowstorms, avalanches and such. People would share their body heat by stripping naked and cocooning together. Somehow bodies transfer more body heat if they are naked rather than clothed, but they must stay ensconced in a sleeping bag or blankets."
Erik looked as if he wasn't sure if I were pulling his leg or not. However, I could see that my suggestion piqued Erik's interest.
"If you believe that such a method will help you, Gabrielle, I will be happy to assist. Nothing would please me more than to share my body heat with you if it will cease your shivering."
God, it was a tempting offer.
"The experts on the Discovery channel say it works."
"Very well then, I'll undress and join you under the covers." Concern, not lust, shone in his jade eyes.
A sudden attack of shyness took hold. A chasm had formed between Erik and me since he had left for London. What if the damage caused by our misinterpretation of each other's intentions was irrevocable? Yet here he was, offering to be my personal body warmer. What a most gallant gesture. I am sure nothing about the idea appealed to Erik's carnal side whatsoever.
The white shirt he wore was already unbuttoned from when he was reviving me in the tub. Off it came. He then sat on the edge of the bed and removed his trousers, socks and boots. Only his underwear remained. I stared at Erik and secretly marveled at the long neck that sloped down to solid shoulders and a well muscled back. In spite of the scars, his body was still a magnificent sight to behold.
I suppose I'm plenty warm now, I thought, as I began to feel flushed.
Staying mostly under the covers, I wiggled out of my heavy flannel nightgown and tossed it to the end of the bed, pulled the covers back up to my chin, and waited.
Erik turned to face me. "Well, shall I join you?"
"Erik, I need you to get something for me from the armoire first."
"Certainly, what is it you…"
"I'm feeling a tad too naked. Would you be a dear and bring me a pair of my unmentionables, those things I call panties? They're in the top left hand drawer—I hope you don't mind."
I hoped my request hadn't embarrassed him. Victorian folk didn't like to talk about such things as garments that touched a person's most intimate body parts, but you never knew with Erik. He could be surprisingly pragmatic about such things.
Dutifully, Erik walked to the armoire and opened the drawer. He peered in at the selection of modern underwear that I had packed for my New York trip. Finally, he said, "Any preference dear?"
"Oh, no, any one will do, you pick."
He held up a tiny red silk number for my approval.
"Those?"
"Why not?"
"Never mind, just bring them here."
He walked back to the bed and handed the garment to me. "Really Gabrielle, I don't know why you bother with these at all."
"Gimmie those," I snatched them from his hands and slipped them on under the covers.
"Now Monsieur Dupuis, come to bed and keep me warm." I invited, pulling back the covers for him to slip under.
With his white mask firmly in place, and little else, Erik turned down the bedside lamp and took his place next to me under the mound of down covers. Darkness made it impossible to see anything, but that proved to be no obstacle for a man who could see in the dark.
Erik reached out and touched my face gently. "Come to me, Gabrielle."
I met his embrace and he wrapped his arms around me protectively. The feel of Erik's warm, muscular, physique against me sent a new wave of shivers through my body—not the sort caused by cold, but by pleasure.
There was no denying it; Erik stimulated me both mentally and physically. Perhaps if we could break through the barriers of life past and present, we could find happiness together.
The laudanum was working its magic on me. No longer could I feel pain, and I was getting mighty woozy. I settled against Erik with a sigh.
"Are you warmer now my dear?" he inquired. His deep voice tickled my ear. "Umm humm, much warmer, yess," I slurred slightly. "And the pain went bye-bye too."
"Very well then," he chuckled. "Rest now Gabrielle, all will be better come morning."
"You promise?"
"I promise."
Slowly, softly, he began to hum a tune I recognized. I guess he had heard it on my IPOD during one of his listening sessions and liked it. The song was Savage Garden's Truly, Madly, Deeply. I let the words float through my mind while he hummed:
I want to stand with you on a mountain.
I want to bathe with you in the sea.
I want to lay like this forever.
Until the sky falls down on me...
Erik began to sing:
And when the stars are shining
brightly in the velvet sky,
I'll make a wish send it to heaven
then make you want to cry
the tears of joy for all the pleasure
and the certainty…(Harnisch, 1997)
A stream of conscious thoughts began to spill from my loose lips, interrupting him.
"Erik?"
"Yes darling?"
"Do you think I'll ever fit in here, in your world?"
"It is quite possible, yes."
"Erik? Do you think you'll ever get used to my idiostync, idiosrync—oh pooh, my weirdness?"
I think I heard him stifle a weary laugh.
"Gabrielle, do not worry about such things now. For me to judge you as being weird would be like, what is it you say, the kettle calling the pot black?"
"Erik…"
"Shush now and go to sleep darling," he cooed in my ear.
"I only wanted to tell you that…I love you."
- O -
You reviews have been great. Please keep them coming! As always, props to Amy, my beta.
The survivalist part is true. So if you survive an avalanche or get caught stranded in a blizzard, do it with someone hot, like Erik.
- Helpful hints from your author, Leesainthesky
Truly, Madly, Deeply, Toby Harnisch/Savage Garden © 1997