Author's Note: First and foremost, I want to apologize for all the lame filler chapters! Let's all be honest here- filler is boring to write and even more boring to read. No more of that, I'm on the tail-end of this story and I'm going to finish strong. Please read, review and most of all, enjoy!

Christine turned to see Erik, just mere steps behind her. His chosen mask for the night was stark, bone white. Familiar golden eyes gleamed at her from that false face, shining in the dark like a cat's. The girl's pulse jumped and she took a step back from the fountain to face him fully.

Erik stood there, silent, looking at her curiously, standing only half in the shadows. He had followed her, true, expecting her to venture into the gardens in search of that relic to the past they'd shared: the stone fountain. The dim lamps surrounding the clearing cast her in a gentle glow- Erik had not thought it possible for her to appear even more beautiful to him, but again he had been proved wrong.

They stared at each other for several long moments, both well aware that they were alone, finally, for the first time in months- nevermind the few minutes they'd shared in New York on the roof deck of the Hilton; here there would be no interruptions, and all that hung between them would finally be said.

Taking first action, Erik stepped forward. "Were you looking for this?" He asked, slipping a gold Shaliman coin from his suit pocket.

Christine held out her hand for it, and took a closer look. Yes, it was the same coin she'd left in the fountain, years ago. This was no ordinary currency, but a special coin that Erik had had pressed for her thirteenth birthday; on one side, an ornate heart, on the other were two small doves.

She said nothing.

"You seem to have a habit of leaving my gifts behind." Erik said, his voice low. "The coin, the crystal bead necklace. And this." He drew out the Tiffany necklace he'd given to her in Paris.

Before Christine could raise a hand to stop him, Erik had secured the silver chain about her throat. He took a step back to have a look at her. Yes, she was as beautiful as ever. Pehaps more so.

"I'd left the coin in the fountain after making a wish." Christine said, so quiet that Erik had to strain to hear her. Her mind was swimming again, struggling in a tumultuous sea of memory and unclear emotions. "I'd seen you with a woman, I didn't know who she was, but I made a wish. I wanted you to look at me the way you looked at her. I wanted you to love me."

Her statement, simple as it was, tore at him. Had he been cruel not to acknowledge her past infatuation? He would have been crueler to act on it, surely, to exploit the feelings of a young girl, the daughter of his friend.

Erik moved to her, and lifted his hands to rest over the curve of her bare shoulders. "Christine. Enough of that, do not recall the past any longer. I know you loved me then- tell me, do you still love me now?"

"I don't know!" The exclamation burst from Christine's throat before she could form her thoughts, and she struggled out of his hold. "How could I love you, after the way you ignored me in Shalimar, the way you used me in Paris? Time and again you have come into my life, upsetting everything, expecting me to attend to your whims- as if you are king wherever you go. You're not a real king, Erik, you never were!"

Erik gritted his teeth. "Why do you say these things?" He demanded, cut by her words. "You say I ignored you in Shalimar- I say you were a child, what would I have been if I'd taken you? You say I used you in Paris- how, when you tempted me so? I did not use you, Christine. You know I did not- not when I would have asked you to be with me." He took a deep breath to calm himself, slightly. "Perhaps you were hurt that the news of my daughter took my attention from you in Paris and that's why you ran from me, but putting my child first is something I will never apologize for." His voice softened. "Christine, please. Tell me what it is you want from me."

"I just wish you would have stayed away." She cried. Christine put her hands to her face. "I've never felt this way before and I can't stand it! It's tearing me apart inside, one moment I want to be with you and the next I hate you- it's confusing and I can't take it anymore!" Christine grated; it was not that she wished to be cruel, but the strain of her emotions, all experienced for the first time, was taking its toll. She was exhausted and breaking.

Erik took a step closer. "So there is no more love for me?"

"None! I wish none of this had ever happened! You're not the Erik I remember, you've been so cold to me-"

He took hold of her arms and shook her, hard, letting her feel his own breaking frustration. "How else should I behave, when the woman I love hates me?!"

She pulled from him. "What?"

Erik released her and began to pace, not caring what he said, so long as he wasn't forced to keep his feelings locked inside any longer. "You've just made it quite clear how horrible a man I am. How awful I was for ignoring the advances of a child, how cruel I was for needing time to recover from the shock of learning I could be a father. I hadn't meant for you to feel pushed to the side, Christine, but during that time I had to put everything second to the baby; that's why I didn't go after you when you ran, because Nicole was first in my life then and she will be first in my life from now on."

He stopped and took a deep breath. "I know I said that I wanted you here so that we could part peacefully, and for a time I did believe that- but I followed you here tonight to see if there was any hope that you would put aside the past and start anew with me, but it's obvious that you're far too bitter."

Christine stared at him, speechless at his accusation.

"No answer? Scream at me all you like, Christine. It won't change the fact that you still hold the past against me." He sighed then, as the weight of the night fell on his shoulders. "I asked if any love remained for me, and I have your answer. That's all I wanted. Good night."

Before she could find the words, Erik had gone, disappearing back into the dark.

Erik made his way out of the gardens and found a doorway that led him into the main corridor. From there he neared the hall that hosted the night's celebration, but Erik moved past it. He wasn't needed there any longer, the party was already in full swing; a quick glance inside and he found most of the guests dancing or eating, with the music reaching a fast, full rhythm. Elita and Kumar were dancing together in a circle, as were Belinda and David. Smiles and laughter pervaded the air.

In the shadows of the corridor, Erik glowered and felt his body still burning with anger towards Christine. She was so eager to paint him the villain for the way things had ended between them in Paris, but did she give no thought to how he saw the situation?

He'd had the bomb of surprise fatherhood dropped in his lap- who could blame him for the initial shock, confusion and frustration he'd felt in those first few days? Then, Shaliman customs paired with his own sense of right and wrong on the subject of marrying Elita, at once warring with his new-found love for Christine! It had almost been a blessing to him that Christine had left, for her absence had allowed Erik to focus on his daughter.

Once Nicole's paternity had been proven after the birth, Erik had set to work on building up a life that would center on his daughter. He'd remodeled the guest room into a nursery room for the baby, opened provision accounts for her schooling and future needs and rooted out the barriers in his life that had for so long kept him from the one thing he'd both desired and feared: love.

He loved Nicole more than he could say, but his heart still missed Christine. Perhaps he would always miss her.

Erik was angry, but all at once he felt the truth descend upon him- he and Christine would never be. How could they be, after the way he had raged at her? Well, he thought, with sudden determination, I will have to learn to live without her. If she cannot move on from our past and into the future with all it entails, then we were not meant to be. Goodbye Christine, my love...

Erik strode through the corridor, purpose in his every step. There was no hesitation as he drew back a curtain and stepped through the doorway that lead into the harem.

His presence was greeted with immediate hushed whispers.

"Sire, welcome!"

"Sire, do not speak- the baby is asleep."

"It is wonderful to see you, Great One."

He nodded and greeted the few junior courtesans who remained within the harem. They were still in their training, and had been assigned the task of watching over the child rather than attend the celebration that was taking place just down the corridor. If they were unhappy with their charge, they knew better than to voice it to him.

Erik allowed his lips to quirk, realizing the irony that these junior courtesans were perhaps only a touch older than Christine had been when she'd been taken to America. They fluttered around him like butterflies in their colorful robes, beautiful and gentle. "Where is the baby?" He asked the nearest one, a pretty girl with interesting grey eyes.

She smiled at him, eager as the others for his attention. "We have her right over here, my lord." The girl led him to a chaise lounge, where Nicole slept surrounded by silk pillows. "She is a wonderful baby, so sweet-natured. She has only been asleep for the past hour or so."

Erik nodded and reached down to stroke Nicole's back. "Yes, she is a wonderful girl." He frowned for a moment and pulled his hand away. "Her...her parents wish to see her, and as you know my brother and I are the only men permitted into the harem, so I volunteered to bring the baby to their room." Erik was inwardly counting the days until his return to France, so that he could do away with the lie of David being Nicole's father.

The courtesans nodded eagerly and quickly moved to place Nicole into his arms.

As the weight of the tiny body settled against his chest, Erik felt his tension from earlier dissipate. Nicole calmed him.

He held the girl to his shoulder and thanked the young women who had watched over her, then started on the way back to his own private chambers.

Erik entered quickly, barely taking notice of his surroundings, heading towards his bedroom. Gently, he laid Nicole down in the center of his bed and put a pillow on either side of her to be sure that she wouldn't roll too far from the center.

Not wasting any time, Erik changed out of his suit and removed his mask. He made quick work of splashing his fully bare face with cold water, and glared at himself in the mirror. You're such an idiot, he thought. Why do you persist in...love is not for you, Erik, not that kind of love, anyway. Learn to be happy with what you've been blessed with. You have more than you deserve with Nicole.

Nicole drew his attention away for a moment with a strange cooing sound in her sleep. Erik strode back into the bedroom in time to see her roll onto her back; he smiled and moved onto the bed, though he knew he wouldn't sleep. He took Nicole into his arms and rested her against his chest as he reclined back against the headboard, content to just hold her for awhile.

He slowed his breathing and allowed his nerves to settle as Nicole shifted against him and curled in closer. For a moment Christine's face flashed in his mind. No...this is all the love I'll ever need...

Erik spent the night trying to convince himself that he could live without her, but his heart called him a fool and a liar.