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Now grab your tissues and get to reading….I have kept you waiting for this long enough. (Ps...there is a little smut light in here...watch out)
Chapter 49
Erik entered his house and immediately set out to look for Christine. He found her in the sitting room, standing in the middle as she looked at all the drawings and paintings of herself that lined his walls. She was so lost in thought that he knew she did not know he was there and he quietly watched and waited. She turned to the fireplace and stepped up to touch the small Persian money music box he had brought with him and a smile graced her lips as she caressed its fur with her fingers. Was she thinking of the dance they had shared that night on the balcony? That was certainly the only vision that came to his mind every time he looked at it.
Erik was sure he had made no sound or movement but suddenly she seemed to sense him there and turned her gaze upon him. He pushed off the door frame and took a step towards her but stopped as she held up her hands and began to back away.
"Stay away from me." She told him, her eyes once more clouding with tears. "I can't even bare to look at you right now. It was bad enough when you ordered me to abandon my son when you were some faceless Opera Ghost…but now…as his own father I am sickened by your demands. Do not force me to choose between you and our son, Erik. For as much as I love you…I will choose him!"
Erik was visibly shaken and almost became physically ill by the look of disappointment and revulsion she now gave him. He would completely deserve them too, if he truly had meant what he said, or at least what she thought he had been saying. Oh it was all too confusing and he had to straighten it out quickly.
"Christine…I do not wish for you to abandon our son…Charles." He found that for the first time he could say that name without the bile rising in his throat. Suddenly it was a good name, a fine strong name and one he was only too proud to now attach to his child. It then occurred to him that Christine had apparently named him after her beloved father, Charles Daae. "When I asked you to do such an unthinkable thing, I believed we were speaking of someone else entirely…not of our child."
Christine looked at him, hope playing in her eyes as she took a tentative step forward.
"Who did you think we were talking about? Who did you assume Charles was?" She asked.
Erik was not looking forward to this part of the explanation.
"I believed, quite erroneously, that this Charles was… your lover." He admitted, unable to meet her eyes.
"My what?!" She gasped, putting her hand on her chest in shock. "You thought that I was…that I had…" She couldn't even complete the sentence she was so angry. "You thought so little of me that you believed I would have taken up with the first man who came along?"
"Please, Christine, you must forgive me, I was so very wrong to have ever doubted you. But I was supposedly dead and you were alone for four years with a child to raise, you might have felt you needed to attach yourself to someone for protection and security." Erik said, trying to defend himself for his horrible mistake.
"If I were truly the kind of woman who required a man to shelter and provide for her in order to survive, I would have married Raoul three years ago and be a Vicomtess at this very moment!" She told him, knowing that this image would hurt him, and it did.
Erik turned his head to the side, not wanting her to see the look of hate and pain that flashed up at the mere thought. If that had been the case Christine would be a widow right now; that was for damn sure.
"I have no excuse other than my blinding jealousy over you, Christine." He told her in a low voice. "But what was I supposed to think…you would leave our lessons each night at the same time, eager to get home and when I followed you that time you canceled completely, I saw you with a man. He put his arm around you and you went inside the apartment…together."
"You saw me with a man?" Christine was wracking her brain, trying to make heads or tails out of what Erik was saying. Suddenly the light of recognition hit her and she gave a sigh. "Was that the day it was raining?"
"Yes, you ducked under his umbrella and he held you around the waist." Erik said, his tone now dark as he recalled the rage he felt that day.
"The man you saw me with Andrew." She explained, realizing how it must have looked to unknowing eyes.
"Andrew? And who exactly is he?!" Erik growled, now having a new man to hate.
"Andrew is the husband of Marie…the woman who takes care of Charles for me while I am at work. Andrew and Marie live in the same building, right across the hall. They are happily married and were celebrating their anniversary that night and that was why I had to be home early, so they could go out to dinner." Christine was now beginning to see some humor in all of this. Thankfully it appeared that Erik had not immediately assumed she had become a woman of lose morals, but instead it was what he had seen that led him to believe such things. Had she herself not used the phrase 'seeing is believing' many time in the past. Well Erik had seen….and he believed.
"So…you have no other man in your life…no one you love?" Erik asked, needing to hear the assurance from her own lips.
"No one but Charles-Erik…and you." She assured him, her face now brightening back into a smile.
"Charles-Erik?" He asked, his head coming up at the sound of his son's name.
"I named him after my father… and his father." She nodded. "We had never discussed baby names before, since you seemed dead set against having any. So I chose to name him after the two men I loved most in the world. I hope you are not disappointed by my choice…it was not as if I could have consulted you on the matter."
Erik was so grieved by this that he ran to her and took her in his arms as an act of apology.
"Please forgive me for not being there for you. It tears me up in side to think of you going through that all alone. I may not have wanted children at the time, but I would have been there for you, supported you in any way I could if I had only known. You must believe me." He begged.
"I know you would have. And I did so much wish you could have been there to hold my hand. But I was not alone, I had friends to help me. The Chagny family was very good to me and I don't know where I would be without them." She admitted.
"It boils my blood to know that boy was there for you when I was not. I should have been the one to rescue you, to provide a home for you and our child." He pulled her away from him and cupped her face in his hands. "I wanted to die when I overheard you telling Meg about how you had been left penniless and starving on the street. I swear that you will never know want again…anything you need, anything you desire I will provide it for you, my love. All that I have is yours until the end of time." Erik swore.
"As long as I have you and Charles and I never want for anything." She told him.
"Christine." Erik began, taking a slight step back as he looked down at his feet, afraid to meet her eyes. "I need to know…I must know…is our son like me? Did he inherit my…my face?"
Christine gave a sad smile and stepped forward, laying her hand on his cheek as she turned his head to look at her.
"Your son…is perfect in every way." She assured him, watching as a flood of relief washed over him, causing him to almost stumble from the sheer joy of her words. "He is so much like you, Erik. He has your eyes, your hair, your gift for music, you talent for drawing…" She looked up and indicated to all the pictures of her on the walls. "I see you were busy." She chuckled softly.
"I could not get you out of my mind…or my heart. Every time I closed my eyes you were there. Every time I played my music you were singing beside me. And every time I went to sleep you would come and invade my dreams…you were always with me, Christine. Always!" And unable to contain himself any longer he brought his lips down on hers in the most tender of kisses, relishing the feel of her as she pressed against him and encircled him with her arms once more. Yes, this was what he wanted…what he needed to make him whole once again.
"Erik…" She moaned, shutting her eyes as his lips once more began to wander down her neck. "I can't feel your lips with your mask in place. Please, take it off so I can have all of you." She begged.
Erik suddenly stiffened, his tender kisses coming to an abrupt halt as he pulled away ever so slowly, his eyes now filled with terror.
"Christine…" He began, but he did not know what to say.
"Erik, I have already seen your face. You let me feel it that night in the dark and then I saw with my own eyes what you look like…and I still love you." She assured him, grabbing him by his forearms and holding him in place for fear he would run from her. "I love you, Erik. I love your heart, your hands, your lips, every scar on your body and yes, I love your face as well. You were made for me, my darling. No one could love you more completely than I can. Please let me love you without your mask."
Erik was still frozen with fear, living out his own personally nightmare as she asked the impossible of him. He had just got her back, he couldn't lose her again by frightening her off with the sight of his face.
"The last time… you saw my face I was trying to…to kill you, Christine." He told her, and having to utter such a phrase brought pain to him once more. "You were… distracted at the time and I am sure you do not remember the dreadfulness of it all like you should, so please do not feel obligated to subject yourself to its horrors again."
"I saw noting to dread…nothing that would cause me to feel horror. I saw only the man I love…I saw you Erik. Now please, if you love me like you claim and meant what you said about giving me anything I desire…then take off your mask so I can look upon the face of my husband once more." She pleaded.
Erik was stunned at her sincerity, at her conviction and words of love. Could he do it…could she bear to look upon him without revulsion? He remembered Nadir's words from so long ago…that Christine could very well be the one who could right all the wrongs in his life, that she could be the one to love him unconditionally. Perhaps she was also the one who could look upon his face with eyes of love. Either way he knew he could not deny her this request. He had wronged her so much already, he could not now add denial to his list of transgressions. Very slowly he raised his hand to his mask, pausing for a moment before he pulled it away as he kept his eyes averted from her gaze. He waited…waited for the screams that did not come. He waited for her to back away, to hear her gasp in terror, but that did not come either. When there was nothing but silence he looked up at her tentatively, every ounce of happiness he might ever possess now resting on what he might see in her eyes. And what he saw took his breath away. Love…he saw love shining in her eyes as she smiled and looked at him…at his scarred and disfigured face.
"There's the lips I wanted." She told him as she leaned forward and claimed them as her prize, placing her hands on either side of his face as she kissed him with wild abandonment.
Erik was overtaken with love and relief as he dropped the mask on the floor and wound one hand around her waist and the other he fisted in her hair, pulling her even closer as he devoured her mouth with his. She was his completely now, his for all time and there was nothing and no one who would ever make him let her go. And he dared heaven and earth to ever try.
Erik could feel the fires of desire beginning to consume them and he reached out and scooped her up in his arms as he took her over to the large couch in the middle of the room and laid her down, never allowing his lips to part from hers. She moaned into his mouth as he let his hands find their way across her rib cage and come up to tease against her breasts, loving how she seemed to arch up into his touch. Oh how he had missed this, the feel of her writhing beneath him as his passion grew to an almost desperate need for her. He had denied himself this memory for so long, never daring to let his tortured mind recall these passions for fear they would consume him. But now she was here, she was his once more and all he wanted to do was revel in the pleasures of her body until his lust was sated.
But suddenly he felt her pull back, she was no longer urging him forward but instead pushing him away.
"Erik…no…we can't." She told him, her voice conflicted with resolve and regret.
Erik froze for a second before he ripped himself from her and stumbled backwards, turning his face away from her in shame. Was it the sight of him that had made her stop?
"I understand, Christine…no one can bear to look at me…no one ever will." He moaned.
"No, my love. That is not it at all." She told him quickly, sitting up and propping herself up on her elbows as she hurriedly explained. "It is Charles…I was supposed to be home hours ago! I can't even imagine what he or Marie must be thinking. I have to get back home, now!"
Erik looked both relieved as well as crestfallen over this announcement. Christine could tell it was taking all his willpower for him to consent to her wishes and she loved him so much for that. And though she also wanted nothing more than to have him make love to her right there on the sofa, her motherly instincts were kicking in and she felt she needed to return home to her son.
So getting up she walked over to him and placed her hands on his chest as she looked up into his eyes.
"I want you so desperately, Erik. But I am a mother now and I cannot abandon my responsibilities to my child to fulfill my own desires with you. Please tell me you understand, I just can't leave him home worried and afraid like this. He already thinks he lost you, he is terribly afraid of losing me as well and I do not want him to think he has." She was almost crying now just thinking of her child in tears at home. "You will come with me, won't you?" She asked hopefully.
"To your house…where Charles is?" He gasped.
Christine had hoped Erik to be as excited about the idea, but instead his eyes filled with fear and he automatically reached down and reapplied his mask in almost a frantic fashion.
"You…you do want to meet him, don't you?" She asked, suddenly worried.
"Yes, more than anything. But…what if I frighten him? What if he does not like me?" Erik said, the fear in his voice quite evident.
"He already loves you." Christine smile, reaching out to hug him to her as she laid her cheek to his chest. "I have spoken to him about you every day of his life and as a result he is so completely enamored with his father. He has begged to hear every story about you're a million times over and I have told him everything, every last detail."
"Everything?" He questioned, his back becoming ridged. "Every last detail?"
"Well, I did leave out the part about you having been an assassin." She had to admit. "But other than that…yes, every detail and he loves you no less than I do. He knows all about your face, Erik. He may be only three but he is quite intelligent and understanding for his age…I think he was born a genius just like you. In fact he already knows how to write his name and lace up his boots all by himself." She laughed, trying to lighten the mood.
Her jest worked and Erik began to chuckle as he recalled the playful argument that had prompted the pillow fight back in Persia.
"A genius is he?" Erik asked, looking down at her in amusement. "Are you sure that is not just a parent's pride talking?" He asked, finding it odd that such an alien notion to him would seem so right when considering it was Christine talking about their child.
"How about you meet him and then you can decide for yourself." She suggested, stepping back and pulling him forward as if encouraging him to go.
"Yes, Christine…I would enjoy that very much." Erik had to admit, even though his stomach was twisting in knots at the idea of meeting little Charles.
"I love you, Erik." She whispered, leaning up to kiss him quickly before she turned and headed for the door.
The two of them had just stepped out into the cavern, the underground lake shimmering before them when suddenly she stopped and looked around.
"Erik…where in the world are we?" She asked, turning in time to see the sly smile pass over his lips.
"I guess there are still a few things that we should talk about on our way to your flat." Erik laughed, taking her by the hand and leading the way.
The trip to her apartment took very little time, the streets were nearly deserted at such a late hour and thus they were not required to hang to the shadows in order for Erik to feel more comfortable. When they arrived at her door, Erik hesitated, feelings of apprehension mounting until they felt almost suffocating.
"Are you sure he will like me?" He asked again, before she could put her key in the door.
Christine could hear his trepidation and she stopped and turned to look at him reassuringly.
"I have no doubt in my mind that he will love you." She said, giving him a kiss to steel up his nerves. She then opened the door and stepped inside, pulling him in behind her and shutting the door before he could bolt. The first thing she saw was a distraught Marie sitting on the couch being comforted by her husband Andrew and immediately she worried that something might be wrong with Charles. But when Marie's countenance changed at the sight of her, she realized where the woman's concerns truly lay.
"Christine!" Marie cried as she ran towards her and hugged her tightly. "We were so worried about you. When you did not come home on time I sent Andrew to look for you and the people at the Opera House told him you had been kidnapped! I was so afraid that man who came looking for you the other day had returned or something. What happened? Where were you?"
"Oh Marie, I am so sorry to have worried you. It is a dreadfully long story and I will not go into details at this time, but sufficed to say…tonight has probably been the happiest night of my life." She disengaged herself from her friend and stepped over to where Erik stood, not having moved an inch since they entered. "I found out that my husband is still alive…I have my Erik back."
Marie, as well as Andrew, stood there for a moment in shock as they stared from the smiling Christine to the apprehensive Erik at her side. But within a heartbeat the two were advancing on them once more, but this time all smiles. Marie threw her arms around Christine once more while Andrew walked directly to Erik and extended his hand to him with an eager expression.
"So good to see you back in Christine's life. She has talked of you quite often and from all the drawings we have seen of you, Marie and I would have recognized you anywhere." Andrew said with a warm grin.
Erik tentatively reached out to shake the man's proffered hand, very unaccustomed to anyone showing such acceptance to him and his mask so quickly.
"Oh Christine, I am so happy for you and Charles! You will be a family again and I can stop worrying about you being all alone." She too turned and took Erik's hand, pumping it up and down as she expressed her pleasure in meeting him.
"Is Charles all right? I didn't worry him by being so late, did I?" She asked, her eyes drifting to towards the stairs.
"Andrew and I made up excuses, saying you were just meeting with your adoring fans, but you know how intuitive he is and I could tell he did not quite believe us. He only fell asleep a little while ago however; he was so determined to wait up for you." Marie explained, her face once more taking on a worried expression, but it faded quickly as she saw the look of love that crossed Christine's face as she stared up at her Erik. "But I am sure he will be just fine now that you are home and brought him a wonderful surprise."
"We should go, Marie, and leave these two to their reunion." Her husband said, taking her hand in his and leading her to the door. "We will come by to visit tomorrow and perhaps you can treat us to the whole story of how you two found one another again." Andrew laughed as Marie's head bobbed up and down at the prospect of hearing all the details.
"Thank you both for all you did and I am so terribly sorry to have worried you. I truly appreciate all you do for me." Christine said, receiving a final hug from the woman as she was pulled out the door by her still chuckling husband.
Once they were alone she heard Erik give a sigh of relief. She knew he did not enjoy meeting new people.
"They seem nice." He forced himself to admit. Although it had been very difficult to look at Andrew and not still see the face of the man he had come to hate the past few weeks. Even with a new name it was quite hard to see him as anything but the object of Erik's ire during the whole misunderstanding.
"Marie has been a god-send to me in caring for Charles so that I could work at the Opera House. Two better neighbors you could not ask for." She agreed.
"What did Andrew mean when he said they would have recognized me from the pictures…what pictures? Have you also taken up drawing?" He was very perplexed by the cryptic comment.
"Not me…Charles. He apparently inherited your artistic ability and you are his favorite subject to draw." She told him. "Wait here and let me show you." She then pulled away from his side and hurried up stairs.
While she was gone, Erik looked around; nodding his approval at the cozy little home she had made for her and her son. It was not fancy, but it was warm and he could imagine how the place surely rang with laughter and love. He walked over to the small piano in the corner and ran his fingers lovingly over the keys, careful not to press down for fear the sound might wake his son. His son…he still could not even believe the child existed. He had fathered a child with Christine. The whole idea was a cross between a nightmare and a blessed dream and
Erik was so afraid to meet the boy and see which one it might turn out to be.
Christine returned soon with a stack of papers in her hand, leading him over to the couch as she placed the sheets in his hand for his inspection.
"As you can see, he is quite the exceptional artist and he has captured you quite well, don't you agree." She said, pointing at the drawings with motherly pride shining in her eyes.
Erik looked at each one and his eyes grew wide at what he saw before him. His three year old son had done these? He could hardly believe the talent he saw laid out before him, the use of colors, the steady strokes of an artist and not at all what one would attribute to a mere child. Erik was beginning to believe her claims that Charles did indeed possess extraordinary intellect and his chest swelled with pride as he sifted through the pictures.
"He did all these?" He asked in awe. "All from your descriptions of me?"
"Every last one of them. Now can you see why it was so hard for me to forget you?" She smiled. "Yet even without these, I still could see you every time I looked at him. He truly does resemble you in appearance as well as your intelligence."
Erik had come to one of the last pictures he had done, the one where Christine was dancing with a man at the ball and he stared at the image, dumbstruck with what he saw. Seeing that it had startled him she quickly explained.
"Charles said he drew you without your mask on at the ball because you would have felt free to be without it that night. He truly has no fear or stigma about your face. I described it to him in great detail and he does not see anything about it worth being afraid of…it is simply a part of you, a part of his father that he loves."
"He drew us dancing together at the masquerade?" He asked quietly, never taking his eyes off of the picture.
"Yes, in his mind he cannot imagine me with anyone but you…and neither can I. Little did he know…or me for that matter…that I truly was dancing with you that night." She pulled back suddenly and looked at him with suspicious eyes. "Did you break my pearl necklace? Was that done on purpose?"
Erik found he had to look away as a sheepish grin spread over his lips.
"You cad! You did break my necklace." She squealed, playfully hitting his arm. "And the rose, you knew exactly what that meant! Oh you were terribly wicked to me that night. It will take me a month of Sundays to consider all the other things you did while pretending to be my Phantom man all this time." She did her best to sound upset but there was no way she could be, not now that he was there with her at last.
"Well I had to do something, you were dancing with that blasted boy and I distinctly overheard you telling him you loved him!" Erik said, defending himself from her accusing stare.
"I said I loved him like a brother, not like I love you!" She laughed, but she felt sorry for how he must have misconstrued the incident. "I am so sorry that you ever doubted my feelings for you."
"I was a fool, a complete idiot to have thought otherwise. You have the most loyal and innocent of hearts and I will never doubt again." He promised, leaning in to kiss her. But before their lips could meet there came a voice from behind them.
"Mama?" Charles worried little voice asked as he descended the stairs, rubbing his eyes as he came.
Erik froze as Christine got to her feet and rushed to the boy as he came to the landing, launching himself into her arms as he so often did upon seeing her.
"I am here, my darling." She soothed as she felt his anxiety expressed through the vice like grip he had around her neck.
"I was scared! You did not come home from singing and Marie was crying and I did not know why. I tried to be brave but you were not here." He said, his little voice choking on his words.
"Shhhhh, everything is fine now. I am home and I brought you a big surprise." She said, enjoying how he pulled back from her, immediately distracted by the prospect of a new toy.
"You got me something…what is it?" He asked wiggling down from her arms in anticipation.
Erik had stood up from the couch and watched as mother and son interacted. His whole body was shaking as he examined the boy in her arms…his son. He did indeed share quite a few characteristics with the child, his dark hair sticking up at a strange angle apparently from sleep and even from where he stood he could see the eyes that mirrored his so intensely. There was no mistaking the fact that this was his flesh and blood. The only thing that differentiated them was the near flawless features displayed on the boy that was in stark contrast with his horrendous deformity…and Erik wanted to cry out for joy because of it. He had vowed to love the boy regardless of his appearance the moment he had learned of his existence, but this was so much more than he had allowed himself to hope for. His son was truly perfect.
Christine knelt down in front of Charles and put her hands on his shoulders as she began to explain her surprise.
"Remember how I told you that your father had to go away, but that he did not want to leave you or me?"
"Yes. You said he would have stayed if he could." Charles agreed.
"That is right. Well, it turns out that he had not gone away as far as I had thought and he somehow found his way back to us." She told him, trying hard to put it into words that a three year old, even a genius like he was, would understand.
Charles then let his eyes turn as he glanced over at the figure standing by the couch that he had not noticed until now. He didn't stare; he only looked back at his mother with questioning eyes.
"Papa had come back?" He asked, not exactly sure he quite understood.
"Yes, he found me tonight at the Opera, he heard me singing and knew it was me and that I was singing only for him." She smiled, watching as his eyes once more drifted back to where Erik stood, still as a statue.
"And will he stay with us forever…he won't leave again?" The boy continued, trying to glean all the information his little mind desired.
"I don't think wild horses could make him leave us again." She laughed, touching his nose with her finger and making the boy smile. "Now…why don't you go over and give your father a proper greeting?" She suggested, standing up and guiding him forward with a gentle hand on his back.
Charles needed no prompting as he walked silently over to stand before the towering man in front of him, having to tip his head way back in order to see him properly.
"Good evening, father." He said in his most formal voice, reaching out his hand in greeting like a little gentleman.
Erik's knees buckled at that moment and he sunk to the floor, now coming face to face with those identical little amber eyes. The boy looked at him with such wonder and admiration that it shattered his already fragile heart into a million pieces.
"Good evening, Charles…it is very nice to finally meet you." He said, his voice so hoarse with emotion that it threatened to choke him. He reached out a shaking hand to accept the offer of greeting, but before he could the little boy pulled it back and threw both his arms around Erik's neck and hugged him fiercely.
"I missed you, Papa." He said into Erik's ear before he laid his head on his shoulder affectionately.
Erik was utterly destroyed by this and breaking down in sobs he pulled the boy to him and held on as if he would never let go.
Christine was crying as well, but her tears were joined by a satisfied smile as she watched the two men she loved more than life clinging to one another in love.
Erik's emotional reaction did not seem to startle the boy but he did pull away after a few moments and look up at his father with concern.
"Don't cry, Papa." He said, placing his chubby little hands on either side of his masked face. "I can play the piano for you if it will make you happy. I am learning to play just like you." He told Erik with a wide smile as he wiggled out of his hold and rushed over to climb up on the bench in front of the instrument.
Christine came over and took Erik's hand as he rose shakily to his feet, watching the boy's every movement as if it was sheer magic. He took Christine into his arms and held on to her tightly and she didn't know if it was for her benefit or to help him remain upright. He continued to cry, but silently now as if he feared any noise would shatter the moment he was living in.
But all his emotions seemed to calm as he listened to the music that was now being produced by the boy. Such tones and melodies that came from one so young completely took Erik's breath away. If he closed his eyes he could hear himself in each note, played much like he had when he was that age. He opened his eyes and began to walk over to where the boy was, his hand reaching out ever so slowly to touch his hair as if it were made of spun glass and would break. He stood there and just listened for a long time and then moved to sit beside the boy on the bench, placing his own hands up beside his as he began to play notes to match. Charles looked over at him with a big smile, and Christine could only imagine that one of her son's little dreams had just come true…playing piano with his father.
Soon the two were blending their song together so well you would think each note was written down in front of them and Christine settled in on the sofa and just listened. She recalled the dream she had about Erik teaching his son to play one day and how it had only been a fantasy back then…but now it was a reality. And just like she had imagined, the two of them were lost in their music and she was utterly forgotten…and she didn't mind a bit.
Before long Charles was becoming tired, his mouth opening and his little nose wrinkling as he yawned in sleepiness. He quit playing and climbed up into Erik's lap, forcing his father to stop as he settled in comfortably.
"Don't stop, Papa…please." The boy begged, stifling another yawn as he watched his father's fingers through sleep filled eyes.
Erik was not about to deny him and indeed played on long after the boy had at last succumbed to sleep and grew heavy on his lap. As the final note of his piece ended and echoed through the room he looked down at the little angel and wrapped his arms around him protectively. He then leaned in and brushed the stray hair out of his eyes and kissed his forehead ever so gently. After another moment of silent reflection he lifted the boy in his arms and carried him over to where Christine sat, she having watched every moment through shimmering eyes.
"Would you like me to go put him in bed?" She asked, starting to rise.
"No…maybe he can just stay here with for a little while." Erik suggested quickly, sitting down as he continued to hold him. The boy looked so small and fragile in his arms and he marveled at every feature and detail. Erik had never been so fascinated with another human being before…expect perhaps Christine.
Christine could see in his eyes that he was not ready to give him up and she felt a rush of love overtake her as she saw the way he looked at Charles, just like a loving father should.
"He can stay as long as you need him to." She agreed, leaning in as well and placing her head on his arm as she listened to the two of them breathing. This felt right, this was perfect.
"You were right." Erik told her softly, moving the boy slightly in order to free one arm so he could put it around Christine.
"Right about what exactly?" She asked, with a satisfied grin.
"Charles is a genius." He told her with all the pride in the world resonating in his voice.
"He gets that from you." She laughed.
"And he gets his kindness and temperament from you." He countered.
"Oh don't be so sure about that. He is very willful and stubborn when he wants to be, and just you wait until you try and put him to bed when he does not think he is sleepy. Then you will see exactly who he takes after." She told him, moving around in her seat so that she could look up at him as she spoke.
"Willful and stubborn?" Erik asked, raising an eyebrow. "Sounds more like you, to me. Remember all those sandwiches you gave to Kas against my strict orders?"
"I only did it because you forbid me to, you know." She told him slyly.
"I was fully aware of that." He laughed, leaning in to kiss her lips.
"We are seriously going to have to get you a house mask again so I can feel your lips whenever I want them, but until then, please take it off." She begged.
"What if Charles wakes up and sees me?" Erik sounded aghast at the idea.
"Once he is asleep he won't wake till morning." She assured him. "Besides, you saw the picture he drew of us dancing…he knows exactly what you look like.
"Well a drawing and the real thing are not quite the same and I do not want to scare him." Erik argued.
"You can put it back on later before he wakes up…please, for me?"
Once more Erik felt he could not deny her and reached up for the second time that night and removed his mask. The cool air on his skin was foreign as was the feeling of being exposed without his protective mask, but he didn't not begrudge it in the least as he watched Christine's eyes brighten.
"Much better." She told him, reaching up to caress his scared cheek, running her hands over the paper thin skin and jutting bones as if it were the most normal thing in the world. She then leaned up and kissed him, tracing each ridge and contour of his deformed mouth with her searching lips. "Are you sure you don't want me to go put him in bed?" She asked seductively.
Erik felt torn. On one hand he desired her more than life itself, while on the other he was holding his son with one arm and his wife with the other…he had never felt so content.
"Perhaps later…right now I would not trade this for the world." He told her, looking from one to the other as love filled his heart.
"Me either." She smiled once more snuggling into his side as she laid her head over his chest and listened to his heartbeat. She too had missed this, the closeness and the love. And soon the music of his heart and breathing lulled her to sleep and she could not remember the last time she had felt so safe.
Erik stayed awake for a long time just watching them, unable to shut his eyes for fear that he might awaken to find it had all been a dream. If this was not real, if he was only imaging it, then he never wanted to face reality again. But soon he too was blessed by the comforts of sleep, settling in but never letting go of his perfect little family.
Ahhhh, now I feel so much better….how about you? The family is back together and now all that is left is their happily ever after stuff.
Now I am all out of finished chapters…so the rest will now be coming as I write them – but I will endeavor to keep it daily…I will certainly try anyway, but at least you are no longer waiting for any big reveal. Ha ha.
So did you need the tissues?
What did you think of Christine seeing Erik's face again?
How about the smut light I tossed in there?
How did Erik do with the talk?
Did you like the Erik/Charles meet and greet?
Was Charles cute enough? So sweet he gave you cavities?
