Christine's POV
Over the next few days, Erik paced around the house, tending to me, Gustave and the daily duties of our home. I feared for him more than anything, and I soon began to see the exhaustion in his eyes. My husband refused to rest, rushing around relentlessly to fulfill every single chore I usually completed on a daily basis. This had been Mr. Gumpertz's very plan.
"Erik?"
I called out his name one evening, only to have him rush in, his clothes disheveled and wrinkled.
"Yes, Christine?" he frantically asked. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing-only…"
"Yes?"
"I was wondering what you were doing? It's late."
"Um…working. I don't have nearly enough time to do it during the day, so I have to resort to doing it after all the day's work is finished."
"No, you don't." I argued. "You should be here, with me, in bed."
"I wish it were that easy."
"It is."
"Just rest, Christine. I'll be with you as soon as I can."
"Erik, could you just do something for me?"
"Anything."
"Lay with me for a few moments?"
Erik ran his fingers through his hair, and groaned.
"Oh, Christine, please, I have work to do."
"Please, Erik. Rub my ankle for me? It's so sore."
This caused Erik to finally give in and lay with me. I curled up beside his body, and sighed into his shoulder as his musical fingers began to gently rub my sore ankle.
"Better?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you."
It was silent for a few moments, until Erik finally spoke again.
"Tomorrow I have to go into the city. There are forms that need to be dropped off."
"Take me with you."
"Don't be silly, Christine." Erik argued. "I shouldn't be gone for more than a few hours."
"I'm not kidding, Erik." I looked up into his eyes, and caressed his misshapen face. "It's been nearly six years since we arrived here, and never once have you ever taken me out of Coney Island."
"The city is not a place for fragile creatures like you, Christine." he strongly assured. "It's not any better than Coney Island. No, this is where you belong."
"But what about the sites outside of Phantasma? What about the Statue of Liberty? What about the theaters?"
"Theaters?"
"Yes, I heard there are theaters on this street-Broadway is it? Oh, Erik, they say it's a wonderful thing."
"Christine, enough! You will not be going into town with me tomorrow."
But I didn't stop, I continued as if I hadn't heard a single word.
"…and what about the automobiles? I've never ridden in one before, you have! You get to ride in one every single time you go into town."
"Christine!" I could hint the frustration in Erik's voice as he tried to stop me from continuing.
This had upset me greatly. Erik treated me like a prisoner, a Phantasma song bird who was to do nothing but spend the remainder of her days locked away in Coney Island. There was an awkward silence, and I rolled over, my back now facing Erik. I pouted into my pillow, staring endlessly out our bedroom window at the evening sky.
"You've changed." I finally pouted. "You're not the same man I fell in love with."
"Excuse me?" he snapped. "Not the same man?"
"The Erik I fell in love with would have given me anything my heart desired."
"Like I don't? I give you everything, Christine! I give you the earth, moon and stars! Phantasma bows down at your feet every night that you perform!"
"That's not what I mean, Erik!"
I turned back to face him.
"Phantasma has nothing to do with this! But to you, it's everything. Phantasma is running our life, and I don't want it to be that way. I don't want to be caged up, and that's exactly what I am. You have the freedom to walk around and leave Phantasma as you please, and yet, you've never taken Gustave and I with you."
"Right." Erik angrily sat up. "I'm your captor, is that it, Christine? I try and keep you and the child safe, and it gets turned around like I'm your captor."
"Erik, one day out with you is all I want. We could take Gustave to see the Statue of Liberty, we could have a nice lunch in the city-"
"Christine, enough! I said no."
"What's so terrible about the world, Erik? Just because the world stares at you and laughs doesn't mean they will stare at us."
Erik pounded his fists into the mattress, and stood up, fiercely kicking over a basin that was sat on the floor.
"You have no idea what the world is full of, Christine! New York has just as many bad spots as France! There are brothels on every corner, prostitutes at every turn-and your theaters? Ha! They're nothing more than nickel peep shows! You want to see a beautiful side to New York, stay in Coney Island."
"I'm sick and tired of Coney Island, Erik! I'm sick and tired of seeing dancing ladies, hearing carnival tunes and the shrieks of screaming people on the coasters….Just one day, Erik. Surely there are beautiful sites in New York too? Don't lie to me."
It was then that our son came walking in, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.
"Mother? Papa? I heard shouting. Is everything all right?"
Erik scooped Gustave up into his arms, and sat down on the end of our bed.
"Yes, son, everything is all right. Your mother just didn't like it that I was going into the city tomorrow."
"The city?" the boy's eyes widened. "Could mother and I accompany you? Oh, please, papa? Please?"
Erik looked at me one final time, before looking back at our son.
"All right. I know a few special spots."
Gustave threw his arms around Erik's neck, and hugged him.
"Thank you, papa."
"All right, Gustave, back to bed with you now."
My son said goodnight, before leaving Erik and I alone again. Afterwards, Erik tucked me in, and kissed me on the cheek.
"Get some rest, Christine, I have work to do."
"Stay with me for a while longer, Erik?"
It was then that our grandfather clock struck midnight. Erik, not believing the time, took out his pocket watch, only to find that the grandfather clock was indeed telling the truth.
"Well, I guess another night's work went to waste."
He grunted and mumbled curses beneath his breath, as he undressed and redressed into his night attire. Afterwards, he crawled into bed with me, and I wrapped my arms around his body.
"What kind of work have you been doing?" I curiously asked.
"Well, you were the one who suggested drawing new attractions for Phantasma."
My heart sank into my throat.
"Yes, right, I did didn't I?"
"Well, then there is no reason to ask about my work, is there, love? I'll have a series of drawings done and then I'll let you decide what to do with them."
"Me?"
"Yes, I would like your honest opinion about them."
I knew the time would come when I would have to snatch them in order to give them to Mr. Gumpertz. That was a day I was not looking forward to.
"Christine, are you still angry with me?" I heard him ask. "You've been acting rather strange the past few minutes."
"What? No, I'm not angry-I'm just exhausted, I guess."
"Exhausted?" he teased, reaching down to rub my ankle. "No, love there is no reason for you to be exhausted. You've been laying in this very bed for days."
"My ankle has kept me up."
"Then I apologize. I should apologize, shouldn't I?"
"What ever for?"
"Oh, Christine, I was the one who put that prop together. It was Erik who nailed that staircase in place. I was certain everything was sturdy-Oh, I'm slipping, aren't I? I used to be a perfectionist…."
Erik was in tears now, but I couldn't let him blame himself for something that wasn't his fault. It was Mr. Gumpertz who had done this, it had been he who loosened the boards-I just knew this.
"Erik, don't blame yourself."
"But how can I not? It should have been Erik who fell, not his angel, not his wife. Now because of my stupidity, rehearsals have been put on hold with just a few more weeks before the opening night. If anyone is to blame, it is me."
"No, it wasn't your fault." I snuggled my face into his chest, his heart slowly lulling me to sleep. "You know I'd do it, if I could."
"Do what?"
"Make your heart better."
Erik slightly chuckled, and began running his fingers through my hair.
"And how would you ever do such a thing, Christine? My condition is caused by deterioration of my heart. How would you ever fix it?"
"By giving you my own."
"What?"
"I'd do it, you know, if it were possible."
At that exact moment, Erik placed both his hands against my cheeks and forced me to look up at him. His mismatched eyes were tearing, and full of concern.
"I would never let you, Christine. In order for you to give me such a gift you would have to-to-"
"I know, Erik, and I would do it. I would poison myself, if only to be able to give you my heart. You deserve it after all the pain I've put you through over the years. You would be able to live on-"
"Christine, enough, please!" Erik begged, kissing my forehead and rocking my body against his own. "Never, ever bring that up again. Please, it's all I ask of you."
"Wouldn't you do the same for me if I were in the same situation? I know you would, Erik. You would give me your last, dying breath."
"I-I don't want to talk about this anymore, Christine. It's late, and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow, we should rest."
And that's exactly what we did. We didn't say another word to one another, only slept.
The following morning, I rolled over to spot Erik standing at his wardrobe mirror, dressing himself. It was still dark outside, but Erik didn't hesitate a single moment once he noticed that I had woken.
"Morning, love." he turned around, his fingers adjusting his cravat. "You should dress."
When I tried to maneuver myself out bed, Erik stopped me.
"On second thought, let me help you." he scurried to the wardrobe closet, and pulled out a white and blue sundress, before coming back to our bed to help me into it.
"There you are. Here, let me help you to your feet."
Erik picked my body up, and placed my legs onto the floor. Once the weight of my body was back on my ankle, I cringed at first, slightly limping towards the door.
"Christine, if you're not up to this, we don't have to go."
"No, I'll be all right." I assured. "Let's get Gustave up."
Erik pulled out his pocket watch.
"Indeed, our ride shall be here within the hour."
As much as I tried to walk down the hall on my own, Erik assisted me the remainder of the way to Gustave's room. I expected to open the door and find him already dressing and ready to go, but when I opened the door, I was greeted with an entirely different site. Instead of seeing him dressing, I found him still asleep in his bed, his stuffed bear clung tightly to his chest, and his thumb stuffed in his mouth. It was the cutest thing ever, but I knew how much Erik despised that Gustave still sucked his thumb, if only in his sleep. When Gustave was just a toddler, he used to suck on his toes, a gesture that always churned Erik's stomach. Erik despised it so much that he quickly worked Gustave out of his bad habit, only to have him resort to sucking his thumb. Over the past few years he had stopped doing it during the day, but every now and then I would find our son sleeping with his thumb stuffed into his mouth-exactly like he was doing now.
"Oh, for God's sake-" Erik moaned as he entered behind me and found Gustave still in bed. Though, I was expecting him to shake him awake, but instead, Erik softly rubbed Gustave's shoulders that were covered beneath his blankets.
"Son, son, wake up."
Gustave groaned, and pulled the covers over his head.
"Gustave, wake up! We're going to be late."
"Five more minutes, mommy."
But Erik didn't listen to him, and pulled the blankets straight off his back. When this happened, Gustave awoke, and tired to pull his covers back over his body.
"No, Gustave," Erik warned. "Get dressed."
Erik went into Gustave's wardrobe, and pulled out a white shirt and a pair of tan shorts.
"Come, Gustave, our ride is going to be here soon."
My son went to work, groggily placing on his clothes piece by piece.
"I'll get us some breakfast." I said, heading to the door.
"Not today, Christine. I'll make us a stop at the bakery."
As soon as my son heard this, his eyes shot open, and he hurried with getting dressed.
"Bakery? Could I get a chocolate muffin?"
Erik placed Gustave's cap over his head, and patted the top of it.
"We'll see, Gustave. Now go put on your shoes."
Gustave ran as quickly as he could out his bedroom door, leaving Erik and I standing there. Erik shook his head, and tended to make Gustave's bed.
"That boy runs on sugar. All you have to do is say doughnut and you'll have his full attention."
It was then that I heard a beep from outside, only to glance out the window and see a black automobile with a driver sitting in the front pulling up to our house.
"Is that our ride?" Erik questioned upon fluffing Gustave's pillow.
"Yes, a nice one too."
Erik peered out the window, and smirked.
"Yes, a Rolls Royce. My usual ride. Come along, Christine, it's best not to make him wait too long."
Erik escorted me out to the main room where Gustave was placing on his shoes.
"Come on, come on." Erik replied, grabbing his closed envelope of forms.
Once outside, Gustave ran down our driveway towards the awaiting car. He didn't even open the door to let himself in, he simply jumped over it and landed in the back seat.
"Gustave!" Erik was locking up when he turned and saw how rude our son was acting.
The driver of our car got out, and opened the back door to let me in. I simply thanked him, and crawled in beside Gustave. I had never sat in a car before, and I was already enjoying it.
"Thank you." Erik said to the driver, scooting in beside me. "Stop at the bakery before leaving Coney Island, if you would."
As our car began moving, Gustave excitedly bounced up and down in his seat.
"Gustave, sit still." Erik warned, leaning over me to press Gustave down in his seat.
"This is so much fun, papa! Can I drive? Pleeease!"
"No, absolutely not. Now sit still before you fall out."
I couldn't help but giggle, and interlace my fingers with Erik's gloved ones. I felt like royalty, and even though I wasn't, Erik always made me feel like I was. Our ride first stopped at the bakery, and Erik stepped out to go inside and order something for us. Gustave desperately wanted to go inside, but I knew things would be better if he and I stayed in the car. Erik emerged a few moments later carrying a small, white box. Once he was back inside, we were off again, enjoying sweet pastries as our ride continued to the city. It was marvelous. The air was warm, with a nice, cool breeze blowing through the air. We went over a large bridge that had the bay flowing below it, rode past neighborhoods and warehouses. I had never seen so much of New York before. But, like all things, everything comes to an end. Our ride ended when we reached a large strip of theaters.
"I shall be showing my family around today." Erik said to the driver as he was helping us out. "We shall be back before dark."
"I'll be here." he promised.
I had never seen so many old theaters before. They were lit up, with posters of flap dancers and beauties plastered all over their walls. Gustave tried to pull me towards them, but Erik was more concerned at the moment with getting his forms delivered. Erik had been right about the peep shows. There were plenty on the strip that were we walking on, but we just avoided them, and stuck to walking on the other side of the street.
"The ferry for the Statue of Liberty boards just down there." Erik pointed to a dock that was a short distance away. "Why don't you and Gustave go and wait for me there. I just have to deliver my forms."
"Oh, Papa, let me come with you!" My son pleaded.
"No, Gustave, you and your mother go and wait for me down at the docks. Mr. Murdock does not like children."
Before parting, Erik kissed me on the lips and patted Gustave's head.
"I shall be with you soon." he then looked down at Gustave, who still had chocolate from his muffin smeared all over his lips. "And wash your mouth off, Gustave. You look like Hansel who's just ate the candy cottage in the woods."
I walked with Gustave down to the dock, and took a seat on a nearby bench, wetting a napkin with my saliva to try and clean Gustave's mouth.
"Oh, mother! Look!" Gustave turned his back towards me to face the Statue of Liberty that was on Ellis Island.
"Yes, Gustave, I see it. As soon as papa rejoins us we'll go."
"All the way over there?" he excitedly asked.
I nodded.
"Yes, and all the way to the top of it."
"And we're going to the park too?"
"Yes, Gustave. You heard your father."
While we were sitting there, Gustave found entertainment in chasing the seagulls around that had landed on the docks. They would fly up high to get away from Gustave, only to come back down and be chased again. About an hour later, Erik came walking towards his, his paperwork gone and ready to spend the remainder of the day with us.
"Come along." he said, scooping Gustave up into his arms. "The ferry is boarding."
The last time I had been on a ferry was when Erik and I first came to New York nearly six years ago. Today, however, it was to reach the Statue of Liberty. People had stared at Erik then, and they were still doing it now. Even when Erik wore his flesh colored mask, people still knew that there was something wrong with him. It was as if it looked fake against his face. Erik and I had placed ourselves towards the back of the ferry to stay away from the crowds, but even now, people were still staring. Gustave was standing on the railing, and I was standing beside Erik. Every few moments, I saw his eyes move towards his back, and I too peeked to see what he was looking at. Sure enough, there were people staring at him.
"Does it bother you?" I questioned.
Erik pressed his eyes closed and turned back around.
"One could only imagine."
"Don't let it bother you, Erik. They can all go to hell for all I care."
"I'm sorry that I draw attention to you. People must find it odd that someone like you could love someone like me."
I interlaced my fingers with his own, and pressed my body against his.
"Never."
"They probably think you're my prisoner."
"Then let's make them believe otherwise."
I then pressed my lips against his own, lingering, to ensure that everyone knew he and I were lovers.
"Ewwww mother, papa, not out in public."
Erik chuckled, and picked Gustave up from the railings.
"Someday your son will be saying the exact same thing to you, Gustave."
"Son?" he questioned. "Where do babies come from?"
"Um…Er…ask your mother."
I nudged Erik in the chest, and patted Gustave on the head.
"Gustave, when you find the love of your life, you'll have children."
"But how?"
"The stork of course." Erik stated.
"Do you actually want me to still believe in that story, papa? I never believed in it when you told me two years ago."
"Another time, Gustave." Erik argued. "When you're older….much, much older."
"How much older is much, much older?"
By this time, our ferry had docked, and Erik changed the subject by lifting Gustave up onto his shoulders.
"Come now, let's get a move on."
Sometimes I believed that Gustave was too fast and exhausting for Erik. When we entered the statue's doors, Gustave went running up the stair case, trying to reach the top, pleading Erik and I to hurry up. I was concerned about Erik's heart, and stayed beside him as we slowly made our way to the top. I must have warned Gustave time and time again to slow down, but he was too excited to do so. But the view was worth every step. When we reached the top, we could see all of New York, even Phantasma. It may have looked like a tiny ant colony, but we could see it. If there was anything I wanted to do, it was to spend the remainder of my life sightseeing with Erik. Going down the stairs were easier than our trip up them. It was nearly lunch time by the time the ferry had dropped us off on the docks, and of course, Gustave was getting hungry. We were like one, big, happy family as we made our way to Central Park. Gustave swung from our arms as we walked along, giggling and being together.
For lunch, we stopped at an ice cream cart and ordered ice cream cones. The park was absolutely beautiful, flowers lining our path, with other families having picnics, and flying kites. Erik always used to tell me back in Paris how he wanted a wife he could take out on Sundays for walks in public. I had always felt terrible for him, but now that we were actually doing it, I knew he was just as happy as I was. Gustave pranced around like the happy child he was, pointing to every animal in the Central Park zoo, running towards their habitat to have a closer look. Erik and he were so much alike. Erik too would stand there with Gustave, leaning down to his level and point to each animal, explaining more about it to our son.
By the time the sun had started going down, our child was so exhausted that Erik wound up carrying his sleeping body the remainder of the way back to where our ride was going to meet us. The theaters were lit, giving the strip a golden glow within the darkness. I wanted to do this again soon, I wanted to come with Erik every time he had to deliver his forms, this would be a new tradition. Once we were back inside the Rolls Royce, our driver drove us out of the city back towards Phantasma. Gustave was still fast asleep, and I brushed my fingers through his golden locks. And as the bright lights of the city got farther and farther away, I looked at Erik and snuggled into his shoulder….Today had been a perfect day.
Another chapter done! Only a few more to go. All I ask, is that you save what ever anger you're going to be feeling over the next few chapters until the last chapter. please. The next few chapters are going to be a bit brutal, but I promise that you are all going to love the ending...I promise with sugar on top. Ok, enough ranting. Please review!
