Note: This chapter has M content in it, so beware.
"Good afternoon, Reza. Is that for me?" Erik said when he had opened the door and saw the little boy holding a large plush bear in his hands. Reza giggled and shook his head.
"No, it's for... what was her name?"
"Rose."
"Oh, yes, it's for Rose."
"Well come in then it's very cold outside today. Did you come here all alone?"
"No, my father and I was on our way but he has forgotten something so I walked the last bit myself. He will be here soon I think."
"Ah, I see."
Erik closed the door behind the little boy and helped him when he wasn't able to open his coat by himself.
"Would you like to drink something?" Erik asked as he hung the coat on one of the pegs.
"Can I first see Rose? I am very curious."
Erik laughed. "Sure. Come, follow me. But she is sleeping so be a little quiet."
"Okay."
He opened Rose's bedroom door and Reza tiptoed inside. Erik smiled and followed him. Reza gasped when he saw the small baby in the cradle. "She is so cute!"
"She is, huh?" Erik said with a smile as he looked down to his daughter.
"Can I give her the present?"
"To a sleeping baby?"
Reza's face froze as he looked at the man and Erik laughed softly and carefully lifted Rose in his arms.
"Shall we sit in the living room?"
"If you want to."
"Hey, I'm asking you." Erik said with an amused voice.
"I... uh...I," Reza stammered, which resulted in Erik laughing.
"It's okay. Come. The living room has a nicer couch. You can hold her there if you want to."
He smiled at the boy to inform it was alright and Reza followed him to the living room. He sat down next to Erik and looked with big eyes to the baby girl in Erik's arms. "I don't think I can hold her." Reza said softly.
"Of course you can. At first I thought I couldn't hold her either, yet now she is here."
"Are you sure?"
Erik nodded. "You've held your sister too, right? And you brother? So why wouldn't you be able to hold Rose?"
"Because mother and father have a lot of children and you only one so if something happens to her it will be more bad." Reza said as Erik handed Rose. The masked man laughed when hearing that remark. "It's horrible to lose a child no matter how many you have, Reza."
"How can she be so small?" Reza asked astonished as he looked down.
"I don't know. She was even smaller when she was born."
"Where is Christine?" Reza suddenly asked looking up at Erik again.
"She's resting." he answered calmly.
"Why?"
"This morning Raoul and Meg had also visited, so she is very tired now."
Reza sighed with a sad face, "Okay, but can I see her today? Father said I should congratulate her also."
Erik chuckled again. "I'm sure you can."
When Rose opened her eyes Reza smiled at the baby, but gasped when he saw her eyes. "Erik..." he said as his gaze kept fixated on the girl's eyes, "Is it true what father said?"
"What did he say then?"
"That she is blind."
"Ah, about that. Unfortunately he is, Reza."
"Are you sad about it?"
"Yes, Reza, I am."
"I'm sorry, Reza said in a soft voice when he watched the man's sad expression.
"It's alright. I can't be sad about it all the time, can I?"
"No, but still... I had hoped she would be healthy."
Erik smiled when he heard that.
"She is healthy, Reza. I am happy she is; only her eyes don't work."
Rose suddenly started to cry and he saw Reza's expression twist.
"Do you want Rose back?" Reza asked quickly.
"Sing to her. She'll turn quiet again."
Reza stared blankly at the man next to him.
"Come on, we haven't been working on your voice for nothing, have we?"
Reza shook his head with a soft 'no' and then opened his mouth.
Hush now, my baby
Be still love, don't cry
Sleep like you're rocked by the stream
Sleep and remember my lullaby
And I'll be with you when you dream
Drift on a river
That flows through my arms
Drift as I'm singing to you
I see you smiling
So peaceful and calm
And holding you, I'm smiling, too
Here in my arms
Safe from all harm
Holding you, I'm smiling, too
Hush now, my baby
Be still, love, don't cry
Sleep like you're rocked by the stream
Sleep and remember this river lullaby
And I'll be with you when you dream
It was a matter of not even one song and Rose was quiet again.
"See? I told you it would work."
Reza had a triumphing smile on his face and played with the girl's fingers, feeling her hands held him tightly. "She's cuter than Rohan, or Kira." He said with a smile.
"She is?"
"Yes, Rohan does nothing except crying all day and night, and he always wakes Kira with his crying, and then she joins. It makes me crazy."
"Mmmh, how old were they again?"
"Kira is two and Rohan turns one in a few weeks."
"Ah, I see. Then help remember his birthday, or else I might forget."
It was just then that the doorbell rang again.
"I'll be right back." Erik told Reza and went to the door to open it to see the man he was expecting.
"Good afternoon Erik. Would you mind if I came in, it's freezing out here."
"Of course, come in. I just put up some tea; it should be ready in a few minutes."
Nadir stepped inside and Erik closed the door for him, the sound of the lock clicking back in place was reassuring to him somehow.
"Ah, great! Isn't Christine bothered by the cold?"
"Not when I keep her warm." Erik answered with a grin and Nadir laughed. "Fair enough. How is Rose?"
"She's doing well. I think she is very happy."
"That's very good to hear. Have you already thought about what the doctor had said about that research?"
"Yes, we really consider it, well, I do, but Christine ..." I sighed, "She's still not over her depression. I cannot discuss this with her when she sounds so disinterested."
"Still not?" In his voice Erik heard real concern "Mmh, maybe you should let her talk with someone who has experience on this subject. Maybe parents who have raised a blind infant."
The masked man nodded, maybe it would help.
He hurried to the kitchen when the kettle started whistling and took it off. In the living room he heard Nadir talking to his son and when Erik entered again he saw Rose was already holding the large teddy bear tightly at a paw. "She loves it, Erik!" Reza exclaimed excitedly and Erik could only awe at the sight. "Well, I am glad she does." He said and sat down in a chair and watched the spectacle from a distance. "She has grown a lot since the last time I saw her." Nadir said, and Reza threw him an odd look. "Have you seen Rose before, father?"
"Oh yes. I came by once, on an evening when you were already in bed."
"But I don't understand. How can she have been even smaller than she already is?"
"You have been this size once, too, Reza."
"No way!" the boy answered firmly. "That is impossible!"
"Or is it?" Erik asked and watched the boy's puzzled face with a grin on his own.
"So, has she been keeping you and Christine up a lot during the nights?"
"Actually, no. She is very quiet. Especially since we put her in our bedroom for the nights."
"Oh, really? Then you can praise yourself lucky. Dear God, our children sometimes drove us crazy." I laughed. "Yes, Antoinette told us the exact same about her children." From the corner of his eye Erik suddenly saw Christine enter the hall. He excused himself and rushed up to her. Seeing her face pale made his concern about her grow. "Christine, are you alright?" he asked as he moved close to her and kissed her fingers. "Yes, Erik. I feel fine."
"Are you sure? You look so pale."
"I... I had a bad dream."
"Mmhh, well, Reza and Nadir are here. Will you join us? I think a bit of joyful company will do you good."
He looked into her beautiful eyes to see doubt and hesitation but then, at last, she nodded.
He smiled happily, "Thank you, dear." He said as he kissed her deeply, and she giggled as she pushed him away. "Wait! Let me first put on something decent."
He kissed her fingers again. "Of course, sweetheart. I'll see you in a moment?"
"Yes, you will."
His smile was broad as he returned to his company. "I have some news for you, Reza." He spoke to the young boy, "Christine will join us in a few minutes."
Reza had given the baby girl to his father and was now bouncing on the couch. "Really?! That's great!"
Erik chuckled. He saw Nadir gave him an interesting look and soon Christine arrived, a bit taken aback by Reza's enthusiasm. "Christine congratulations! I have been wanting to tell you sooner but Erik didn't let me. And the baby is very beautiful too and I gave her a plush toy and she really likes it. "
He gave a wide smile at the end of the sentence. Christine laughed nervously and Reza's smile disappeared. 'This is not Christine' he thought and sat back down quietly, observing her. Also there was something sad in her eyes and the young boy sensed the smile she gave wasn't real. It made him uncomfortable somehow and he shifted a little. He wanted to tell Erik what he had just seen, but when he looked at the tall man he eyed her with concern as well. Reza let go of his breath he had been holding in relief, he wasn't the only one who had seen it, was he? He glanced over at Rose, whose bright blue eyes somehow attracted his attention instantly. Then he glanced back at Christine, who was being given a cup of tea by Erik. He wondered if Christine would give him biscuits like she always did, but by the sad expression in her eyes he doubted it and he buried his head in his father's arm.
"What's the matter, Reza?" Nadir asked surprised. When Reza looked up he saw his father look at him with surprise. "Nothing." The boy said quickly and straightened up on his spot.
"Oh, I know what he wants." Erik spoke devilishly. '"Reza would like a biscuit, am I right?"
"Yes, please."
Erik stood and the small boy mimicked his action. "Wait, I'll go with you!"
When Erik gave Reza the biscuit in the kitchen his eyes accidently locked with the young boy's and he saw the burning of a question in those dark brown eyes. "Erik... you ... you saw too that Christine is sad, right?"
The man swallowed, not sure what to reply. He could lie, but when he looked into those eyes he saw a deep concern nestled inside and he felt unable to not speak the truth. "Yes, Reza, I know she is sad."
"Why is she sad?"
"Because..." Erik sighed and looked down for a moment. But it was when Reza looked up he saw the tears in the man's eyes, and it startled him. "She is very, very sad about Rose."
...
"Sir Destler, could we speak in private for a moment? There are some things I need to... discuss with you."
It was Rosemary, the understudy to the current soprano, and also a horrible attention seeker. She was one of the only people in the opera Erik wished to be sacked. Unfortunately, the managers thought differently of her, praising her and always trying to get her in the highest roles. Luckily Erik had his reasons to not cast her as the lead singer, one of them being that her pronunciation was horrible, especially her Italian was. And since he was still the most powerful man in the Opera because of his knowledge of the arts nobody dared to disobey him, not even the managers.
Erik let out a sigh when she asked him to speak in private and let himself fall into one of the many comfortable chairs in the auditorium, his eyes closed as he thought. I couldn't bail out this time, it was lunch break. He was tired, very, very tired. Christine's depression had worsened, and Rose had been awake every night for the last week. He had been awake for most of the night's time, trying to get her back to sleep, and it was becoming hard for him to focus on the rehearsals at work. Every morning before work he would bring Rose to Nadir or Raoul and Meg in fear Christine might do something to her, purposely or not. After work he would do food shopping in Paris and when he returned home he would pick his baby girl up again. 'How sad', he thought absently.
"Hello? Sir I asked you something."
He opened his eyes with a soft gasp and nodded reluctantly. Erik followed to wherever they were going and was surprised to see they were going all the way to her dressing room. She entered before him and he closed the door behind him.
"Tell me, what is it you wanted to talk about?"
Though Erik did notice she locked the door, he thought nothing of it then, his mind clouded by exhaustion.
"Don't worry dear, just a little privacy." She said and smiled comfortably at him, making him feel more uncomfortable than he already felt. He leaned against the wall and waited for her to just tell him what she needed to tell.
"I wanted to ask you if I could, by any chance, get the part of Violetta." She smiled again, something in her eyes glimmering, and she came close to him, her hands stroking his arm gently.
"Why should I give you the part? The current diva is much better." Erik said coldly, irritated by having this discussion again and trying to keep her hands away for they were going to different places.
"Because I can give you something you'll enjoy very much."Rosemary replied and suddenly her hands moved down and caressed lightly, her lips touching his softly. He gave a deep groan and closed his eyes by the sudden action; ashamed to admit he hadn't been touched like this in a few weeks. But then Erik broke away when he realized what was going on. "Are you crazy?! I am a married man for God's sake!" He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and gave her a vulgar look.
"I know," she whispered, her hands moving around his neck, "And I also know your wife just had a child." She smacked her lips on his again and Erik somehow kissed back, needing this pleasure. She moved his hands to rest on her breasts and moved them around a little, he then felt her caressing him again and my body responded to that deep touch.
"It must have been quite a while since you have been intimate with her." She whispered between our kiss and I groaned deep in respond.
"My, my, you have quite a gentleman," she said with a grin as she felt his arouse, "but I knew you had when I lay eyes on you for the first time."
Erik felt she caressed his face and kissed her again. Though he knew he shouldn't he couldn't help but continue. Her lips broke away from his and she let out a sigh as she continued rubbing him, hearing his breathing quickened as she increased speed. "You are really handsome you know that?"
Her other hand slid down as well and when he opened his eyes a little he saw she was looking down at him, her hands busy with undoing the few buttons of his trousers. Erik moaned loudly when the pressure of his pants gave way and his eyes rolled back into their sockets, his head falling back against the wall with a soft thud. "Yes, I knew you'd enjoy that." That teasing voice. How he wanted her to end this.
"You...must...stop..." Erik whispered helplessly, feeling her hand going up and down his length fully now, that felt so good. "But you're enjoying it, aren't you? You missed this kind of pleasure." she whispered seductively in his ear.
"Tell me, when was the last time your wife pleasured you like this. It must have been a long time ago by that look on your face."
"She's very tired because of labor." He answered, his hand automatically wrapped around hers when he wanted her to go faster, but she took it off.
"Na-uh, I am the one who gives."
He groaned for mercy, something he rarely did, and his head leaned to the right. "Oh God..."
He felt he couldn't stop himself and soon kissed her again without giving it any thought, and she shared his passion, starting to rub against him.
"Seeing you having all the fun, makes me jealous," she whispered, licking his left ear in a tease and somehow he felt his knees nearly gave way from that kind of touch. Though he had had many passionate nights with Christine, he knew it was usually him who pleased her; it was almost never the other way round. Little did he know his body was able to get so much pleasure from other places.
"Should I grab a stool for you?"
"I'm good." He whispered huskily and didn't see she was smiling, just claiming her mouth, her neck, everything that was within reach of his lips, driven mad by the lust in his body. Suddenly his hands squeezed her breasts, evoking a moan from her throat, but also his and he explored her more, his hands running up and down her body. "You are horny, are you?"
"I wouldn't put it that way." Erik spoke between gasps and focused on only her neck again.
He felt her mouth opening to him and took that opportunity, though he knew he should fight against it. "Can we end this?" he asked, his hand moving back to where she was busy. "Now already? I was hoping you would ride me..." she said innocently.
"This is worse enough; if Christine finds out I'm -"
"Then we won't let her find out." Rosemary interrupted by placing a finger on his lips and he groaned because of the sudden change of rhythm she made. Her leg glided around him and instinct made him pull it up, pulling her close to him. She moaned when his warm lips found her neck again and sucked her flesh gently. "Oh, Erik, please, take me..." she moaned in his ears and he nearly gave in to that talk, but rejected her soft cries and moved her hand back to him, probably indicating to her he wanted an end, and he wanted an end. A cry escaped his lips when she suddenly bended through her knees and took him inside her mouth, sucking hungrily. Erik felt the world spinning when his eyes shot open and he closed them again as she continued, loud groans that coming from his throat as she worked him to a climax. Christine had never done this; she always said the thought alone embarrassed her already. He had not dared to beg her for it, respecting her choice. Maybe someday he could convince her though.
"Oh Christine..." Erik growled loudly as he found his release, the words flowing over his mouth without even thinking.
Rosemary eased her movements and then stood up, as he tried to catch his breath and was about to say something when he was suddenly smacked against the cheek. "You really are a filthy man, sir."
She said angrily and he opened his eyes to see her angry expression, a confused one struck his own face and he felt his cheek burning under his fingers. "I am filthy? You are the one who went through her knees." he shot back, quickly buttoning his trousers again, realization of what he just had happened dawning on him. "You're the one who is literally giving herself away for a role. Don't tell me this is how you convince the managers too."
"But you are the one who is shouting his wife's name while messing with another. You're the one who cheated."
The strong man grasped her wrists tightly before she could get away. "Because you took advantage of me and the situation I'm in, you filthy whore!" He nearly shouted and threw her on the ground, she looked startled at him by his outrage, and a vague memory of Christine in his lair flashed before his eyes.
"I'm going to tell everyone about this, including your stupid wife." she spat and his eyes shot flames as he reached down and grasped her throat tightly. "Leave my wife out of this!" he growled and looked into her eyes; an emotion of only fear in her own. "And don't you dare to tell anyone about this."
He didn't let go of her, not even caring about her gasps for air. Only when he noticed she wanted to say something he let go. "I'll ... b... qui...if" she wasn't able to finish her sentence because of her heavy breathing. "What?"
Erik waited impatiently till she had found her breath again, she was rubbing her throat and he saw tears running over her cheeks as he stared at her in the mirror.
'Good', he thought simply "I... I'll be quiet, if you give me the role."
"No ..." He turned around in one smooth move, and she flinched by that gesture already. "I have a better idea." He said in a low voice and yanked her up and held her tightly, squeezing her arms till purple bruises started to form on the skin. "You are going to leave this place. I don't care if you have nowhere to go. You quit and you leave and if you even dare to think of what just happened... well my dear, I can tell that it won't end well for you." He squeezed her so hard at the end of the sentence that she burst into crying.
"Do you understand?" He asked, not caring. She was sobbing too hard to talk properly and he tightened his grip more, his jaws clenched on each other from rage and tension. "I said do you understand?"
"Yes... yes, I understand." She sobbed helplessly and he roughly let go of her. "Good."
Erik stood again, and watched her rub her arms to ease the pain before he walked to the door and unlocked it. When he opened it he looked into the hall firstly to see there was no one there.
"Pack your stuff I want you out in ten minutes." He turned around to look at her again. "And don't you dare to tell anyone about this, 'cause you'll regret it dearly." and with that he stepped out of her room. He walked through the Opera without destination, soon stopping at the bathroom door and entering. When he looked at himself in the mirror he doubted his reflection was real. He felt sick, sick from exhaustion, and sick from what he had done. He washed his face with cold water and was about to leave when a wave of nausea hit him and he quickly turned around to throw up.
…
"Christine, I'm home again!" I exclaimed when I got home again. The situation I was put in tired me and I had tried to finish the rehearsal as quickly as possible. I didn't get a response and when I came into the living room I saw Christine snoozing on the couch. I decided to wake her up and she blinked a few times before she looked at me.
"Hello, sweetheart." I whispered, and kissed her cheek, feeling Rose struggle a little in my arms as I bend forward to do so. As I looked at my wife I was immediately reminded of what I had done and had to stop myself from throwing up again.
"Hey, Erik..." she whispered sleepily and rubbed her eyes as she sat up.
"For how long have you been asleep, dear?"
"I don't know."
I was silent, cuddling Rose to me and waiting if Christine would say anything… but nothing happened. She just sat there on the couch, not trying to make any contact at all.
After a long time I sighed and said I would lie down for a moment. I wasn't able to cope with what had happened today anymore, and also Christine drove me to the edge of my nerves.
Before I went to bed I first put Rose in her cradle in her room. I looked at the sleeping baby and gave her one last kiss before I retreated into my own bedroom. I took off my shoes and cravat and lay on the bed, folding my hands behind my head I started to look to the ceiling, my mind wandering and soon I felt warm tears run past my cheeks.
I am not responsible for Erik's actions. The song Reza sings is from the movie 'The Prince of Egypt' It's called 'River Lullaby'. I recommend listening to it because it's really beautiful. I always get the urge to cry when hearing it. (just kidding, I am crying like a baby whenever I hear it)
Oh, and Violetta is the main character in the Opera 'La Traviata'. People who have seen the Charles Dance version of Phantom will remember the part where Carlotte hands everybody a glass of champagne and then the last glass is stuck to the plate? The song they are singing at that moment is called 'Brindisi'... it's from La Traviata.
I also recommend you look up the song 'Un Di Felice' (one happy day). It's one of the best duets ever (especially when José Cura sings it!)
I hope I didn't make too much commotion with this chapter ;)