Ok we have ANOTHER winner! This time the prize goes to 'EMCLucky13' for her marvelous suggestion for Erik's last name. I hope you all enjoy her submission as much as I did. I thought it was very fitting and touching! And you KNOW how I am a sucker for the 'pheels'!
I guess that is all I have to report…so read on!
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Chapter 50
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Erik woke slowly, trying to decide if he even wanted to. He was having such a lovely dream that he found he did not wish to leave it and wake to his usual lonely life. But as his mind began to clear he realized that his left arm was unusually stiff and sore and there was movement to the right of him. His eyes flew open to assess the situation, his body ready to leap to his defense should it be an intruder and not simply his cat Ayesha like he hoped. Instead he saw two small amber colored eyes looking at him with a wide smile. The boy then put his finger to his lips and gave a nod to his right.
"Shhhh, Mama is still sleeping." He whispered.
Erik turned his head and looked down at his angel, still curled up in his arm and leaning next to him. The sight of her made the events of the past evening come flooding back and he gave a deep sigh as he realized that it had not been a dream at all…it had all happened. He had his Christine back with him and she loved him! He turned his head to look at the boy once more and found he could not stop a smile coming to his lips; Charles was just too adorable not to smile at. His hair was still askew from sleep but his eyes were wide and bright as he stared up at him with that endearing grin.
"Good morning, Charles." Erik whispered back, watching as his son's smile grew even wider, if that was at all possible. He could only imagine that the boy smiled often, having had such a different upbringing than he had endured.
"Good morning, Papa." Charles answered back. He then cocked his head to one side with a questioning glace – a trait Erik decided that he must have picked up from Christine. "Or do you want me to call you Father?"
"You can call me whatever you like." Erik told him, reaching out his hand to gently touch the boy's cheek, caressing it very lightly as if he was afraid he would break. Either Papa or Father sounded so much better than many of the other titles he had been given over the years.
"What did you call your Papa?" He asked, still searching for the correct response.
"I…I never knew my Father." Erik was forced to admit. He had never given him much thought before, he always having been a nameless and faceless ghost from his past. But suddenly he found that he could think of nothing else, now that he himself had been bestowed with the weighty title. Did he even know how to be a father? The closest he had ever come to having a paternal figure had been Giovanni, but it was not like he could go back and ask him advice on the subject now, for the man had most likely died years ago. This thought saddened him but he was brought back to reality by the boy's voice once more.
"Just like I did not know you?" Charles asked, his smile giving way to a look of brief sadness, but it quickly faded, returning to his happy state. "But Mama told me all about you and now you are back so I can ask you everything I ever wanted to know."
Erik smiled at this; he could only imagine what sort of questions the boy might have. And Erik found he had quite a few of his own.
"What kind of questions?" He asked, amazed at how eager he was to fulfill the boy's curiosity. He suddenly regretted his inquiry as the boy shot forth a whole laundry list of questions.
"Where were you when you were gone, can I ride your horse César, will you teach me to play like you do, will you take me to the opera one day to see Mama sing…" He then paused for a breath as he reached up his hand upwards. "…and does your face hurt?"
As he asked the last question, Erik felt his small little fingers touch the exposed side of his mangled cheek, making it all too clear that he was not wearing his mask! Erik now recalled having taken it off the night before at Christine's request and he had apparently fallen asleep before he had put it back on. Oh damn! Charles had seen his face! He was in fact looking at it at that very moment, touching it even. Erik's first instinct was to leap off the couch, to run and hide as the oh-so familiar fear gripped his chest… but something held him back. It could have been the gentle weight of Christine's loving form leaning against him, bringing him such feelings of peace that they overrode his panic. Or perhaps it was the fact that even though Charles was now staring directly at him the boy was not crying or screaming… only smiling. But whatever the reason, Erik remained rooted in his spot, unmoving and unflinching as the small chubby fingers continued to examine the mountains and valleys of his scared flesh.
"No..." Erik answered, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. "It does not hurt."
"Good." Was all he said as he let his hand fall back to his side. "I am hungry, do you know how to make breakfast?"
Erik was so stunned by the little boy's acceptance of his face that he simply continued to stare at him in awe. Charles acted as if the abomination he called a face did not matter at all, being more concerned with eggs and toast than the mangled countenance of his father. First Christine and now Charles…was there no end to the surprises he was apparently to be blessed with? A sudden knock at the door signaled that perhaps they were not quite over yet.
Grabbing his mask that lay to his right he secured it in place as he felt Christine stir beside him, waking at the sound of guests as well.
"Who could that be?" She asked in a sleepy tone as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. When she did focus a radiant smile spread across her face as she leaned down to kiss Erik's exposed cheek. "Good morning, my love." She told him.
Suddenly Erik had no interest in seeing who was at the door and he pulled Christine towards him as he did his best to kiss her lips more thoroughly. A little giggle from Charles broke the moment however.
"You two kiss like Andrew and Marie." He laughed, covering his mouth and pointing at the two of them.
Erik and Christine looked at one another in a way that made it clear that the boy would have to get used to such displays of affection since there was no way it was going to stop. But then the knocking came a second time, more insistent than before and Christine was motivated to disengage from Erik's embrace and walk to the door. Thinking it was probably Marie coming over to hear the whole reunion story she was prepared to beg her to give them more time alone, but when she saw who it truly was she let out a squeal of delight.
"Nadir!" Christine said, throwing her arms around the Persian once more as she pulled him inside. Right behind him was a nervous looking Darius and Kas, they too stepping inside as she let go of Nadir and shut the door.
"I am happy to find you in such good spirits this morning, my dear." Nadir said, looking from the radiant girl over to Erik. "I take it that your evening was…enlightening?"
"Yes, Daroga, we worked everything out if that is what you are asking." Erik said with a sigh as he stood up, thrilled as he watched Charles stand up on the sofa cushions beside him and take hold of Erik's hand for protection against these strangers who were now invading his house. "And may I formally introduce to you all…my son, Charles." He looked down at the boy with fatherly pride. "You do not need to worry, these men are my friends." And even though the words were alien to him, he meant them with all his heart.
"It is indeed a pleasure to finally meet you, Charles." Nadir said, a warm smile spreading over his face as he looked first at Erik and then down at the shy little boy that was peeking out from behind his arm. He bent down and extended his hand to the child, doing his best not so seem imposing or frightening.
Charles stared at the Persian's hand and then looked up at Erik for direction. When he gave the boy an approving nod he seemed to gain courage and reached out to accept the greeting.
"You talk funny." Charles told him, with all the tack a three year old possess.
This made almost everyone laugh, causing the boy to once more shrink back behind Erik.
"I suppose I do, Charles." Nadir told him kindly. "I come from a land far, far away called Persia and there we speak a whole other language."
"Persia!" Charles squealed, now looking up at him with excited eyes. "That is where my Mama and Papa met…in Persia." He told Nadir.
"I know, young man, I was there to see it." Nadir laughed, reaching out and tussling his hair slightly.
Once more Erik found himself reaching out to remove Nadir's hand from off of what was his, but it was not done with malice and the Daroga did not seem to take offense. It would take Erik a while to overcome his instinctively protective nature, but Nadir was patient.
"You are Nadir…aren't you!" The boy said as he jumped up and down on the couch. "Mama told me the story about how you and Papa rescued her from the three bad men."
This made Nadir smile, looking over at Christine as if he was flattered that she had spoken of him to her son.
"And do not forget Darius, he was there too, remember." Christine said, reaching over and giving the blushing man a hug. "I have not had the chance to properly greet you again, my friend." She laughed.
"It is indeed a pleasure to once more be seeing you as well, Christine." He said, hugging her back shyly but seeing Erik's narrowing eyes he quickly released her.
"And Kas!" Christine cried happily, now embracing him as well. "So it was you who came here the other day looking for me! Marie did a fabulous job of describing you, but I just couldn't believe you would be in Paris."
"Yes…I come to bring letter you sent to Queen Leyla. She sends greetings to her good friend." He told her in his broken French, but it made Christine light up anyway.
"I can finally speak with you, Kas!" She said excitedly, hugging him once more.
"I learning…and I thank you for all the lunches you gave in Persia." He told her with a smile.
"Well now that all the reunions are out of the way…what are you all doing here?" Erik asked, truly wanting nothing more than to be alone with his family once more.
"We went down to your place this morning to see how things were going and when we found you both gone, we got worried. You had left your hat and cloak behind and I know how much you enjoy going out in the daylight without them. We hoped we would find you both here…and looks like we guessed correctly." Nadir said, taking the garments from out of Darius' hand and placing them on the chair beside him.
"I suppose we did leave in quite a hurry last night." Erik admitted, remembering Christine's insistence on getting back to see Charles as soon as possible. "Did you manage to get those two young lovers back up safely?" He asked, remembering the job he had entrusted to Nadir the night before.
"Yes, both Raoul and Meg were thankful for the escort, and quite entertaining on the way back up. The Vicomte spoke to the managers and got them to calm down, reassuring them that they need not call out the police on you for kidnapping their new star diva. You may have misjudged that boy after all, Erik." Nadir told him, entertained by the cold stare he received for his words.
"Not bloody likely!" Erik growled, still not finding much about the Vicomte that generated any affection.
"Erik! Watch your language in front of the child." Nadir hissed, nodding his head towards Charles who was listening to everything with rapt attention.
Erik did indeed look startled as he stared down at his son, realizing he would have to make quite a few adjustments if he was going to be expected to set a good example from now on. This could seriously become difficult.
"Come with me, Charles and let us see about getting you some breakfast." Christine said with a slight giggle, as if she were reading Erik's thoughts. She picked her son up and set him down on the floor as she leaned up to kiss Erik's cheek. "It will take time to adjust, but I am sure you will do just fine." She told him quietly with a wink.
"Why can I not stay with Papa?" Charles whined as she led the boy to the kitchen.
"Because your father has to speak to Nadir and the way they tend to talk to one another it would be better for you if your ears were not there to hear it." She laughed as they disappeared into the other room.
"I see she has forgotten nothing." Nadir said with a chuckle as he looked at Erik with a goofy grin. "So now that you are a father and a husband again, what do you plan on doing?"
"I…" And then Erik was forced to stop. He had no idea what he was going to do. He had never let himself think that far in advance. For the last few years his life had simply been a slow and pointless journey to his ultimate goal…death. And then when he found Christine again, his only thought was to get her back, it had never occurred to him what he would do with her once he had. Now throw in the addition of Charles and he was completely at a loss. But one thing that Nadir had said struck a cord and he focused on that. "Technically, I am not Christine's husband anymore, Nadir. Not legally anyway, even if in my heart I never thought of her as anything else but my wife. I promised her a wedding here in Paris and I believe she deserves exactly that."
"I see, and how exactly do you plan on accomplishing this amazing feat?" Nadir said with a skeptically raised eyebrow.
"With your help of course. After all it was your infernal ineptitude that requires us to do the job over again here in France." Erik said, in mock accusation.
Nadir's eyes grew narrow as he shot Erik a look of death but he did not argue the point.
"What do you need us to do?" He asked with an exasperated sigh.
Christine was just setting Charles down at the table with some biscuits and marmalade when Erik came into the kitchen. He stopped short and looked at his lovely Christine and son for a moment, lost in the domestic bliss of the picture before him.
"Do you want a bite, Papa?" The little boy asked, holding up his gooey biscuit to him, his cheek already smeared with the jam.
"No, but thank you for the offer, Charles." Erik grinned as he watched the boy shrug and bite into it once more. He then walked over to Christine and took her in his arms. "I need to leave you for a little while." He whispered into her ear, taking a moment to breath in the scent of her hair.
"Leave? Why?" She asked, panic rising in her voice. "I just got you back, why would you want to leave?"
Erik closed his eyes…why indeed? But he knew if he wanted to legally make this woman his wife once more he needed to part with her for at least a few hours.
"I promise it will not be long. I must go take care of something with Nadir. It is of vital importance or I swear that I would not leave your side. Can you trust me on this?" He asked, pulling her back to look at him as he stroked her cheek.
"Please tell me it is not something dangerous. It is not because of Jamal is it?" She asked, now realizing exactly why her Phantom had behaved so strangely over the mention of her encounter with the Persian Prince.
"No, I have already taken care of that problem some time ago." He told her, his lips curing into a sinister grin as he remembered how he had frightened him onto leaving the country before. When Christine gave him one of her head tilting looks he elaborated. "I merely paid him a short visit and encouraged him to leave Paris, that is all." He chuckled, sensing that he might have to explain more later on, but for now she was satisfied with his answer. "No this is something else entirely and it is not at all dangerous. Simply important."
"As long as you promise to come back to me promptly, then I will have to be satisfied with that and let you go. But please do not be long…I have some very important plans for you this evening." She told him, sliding her hands up his chest in a seductive manner. "After someone has gone to bed that is." She finished giving a nod and a wink at the boy who was too engrossed in his breakfast to be listening.
Erik gave a low moan as he shut his eyes in joyous expectation of her promise. Oh he had some ideas of his own he would be only too happy to share with her…but later. Now he had a wedding to plan.
"Then I will not tarry and get finished as quickly as possible." He promised, leaning down to kiss her soundly before pulling away from her warm embrace. He then stepped to the table and addressed Charles. "You be good for your mother today and I will see you later, little man." He said.
"And maybe we can play the piano again?" He asked hopefully, his eyes full of hero-worship for the man in front of him.
"Perhaps. But if not I promise we will tomorrow and every day after that." He assured him, winning a smile of approval from the boy.
And with one last look at his beautiful bride, he headed out of the apartment with Nadir, Darius and Kas in tow. After a quick stop next door, the three men left the building entirely.
Erik had quite a list of things that needed doing and he was now grateful for the help of his three friends. He gave his instructions to Darius and Kas who took off together to fulfill their assignments while he and Nadir headed in the opposite direction.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Nadir asked as the two men stopped in a deserted alleyway in the garment district. "I could easily go in and get it for you." He offered.
"No…I need to do this myself. Besides you would get the wrong one or the wrong size." Erik told him sternly. You can do this, he told himself. He would do it for Christine.
"Very well." Nadir gave in, walking out of the shadows and into one of the higher priced clothing stores, with Erik right behind him.
Once inside the two men both felt very out of place. There were women's clothing all around them, but thankfully not one customer in the place. A tall thin man with a very pointy nose came out from the back and greeted the two men.
"Welcome to Che' Pierre's. What can I do for you gentlemen today?" He asked, sizing up Erik and Nadir as if to decide if they could afford the prices he charged.
"We are looking for a wedding dress." Nadir told him, allowing Erik to hang back, pretending to be inspecting the garments on one of the racks.
"Well you have come to the right place." The man smiled, gesturing towards the back of the store. "We keep our formal items this way."
Once more Nadir led the way as Erik followed from a safe distance.
"And is this dress for your lovely bride?" The man continued.
"No…I am not the one getting married. It is my friend here, but you see he is a man who is easily recognized by those in higher society and if word got out that he was buying a wedding dress it could reach the ears of his fiancé and since he wishes to surprise her, he has chosen to remain incognito. That is the reason for the mask. So if you will indulge his rather eccentric behavior, I can assure you that he will make it well worth your time and effort." Nadir explained in hushed tones.
"But of course, Monsieur. Here at Che' Pierre's we are the epitome of discretion." The sales man assured him, looking over at Erik with new eyes…ones filled with greed over the hope of a big sale. The man called in several women and instructed them to quickly bring out a selection of wedding attire for the two men to inspect, offering them both a seat where they could easily see all the choices.
Nadir found it quite amusing to watch Erik deliberate so long and hard over the choosing of a dress. Even if it was a very important dress, Erik treated it like it was a matter of life and death that he found exactly the right one. The store manager kept trying to offer glasses of wine or snacks of cheese and crackers to them, and while Nadir was only too happy to accept, not once did Erik allow himself to be distracted from his goal. It was over an hour and at least a dozen dresses later that Erik believed he had found the right one.
With the store clerk happily counting out the bank notes he had been given, Erik and Nadir left the shop with the perfect dress carefully tucked into the large box. The next stop was the jewelry store and the scenario went much like it had back at the dress shop, with Nadir laying down a fake story about his rich, eccentric friend and then Erik taking forever to pick out what he deemed the perfect ring.
When both purchase made, it was now time for them to part ways with each other as the next jobs were to be handled separately, as Erik headed back to the Opera House. It was Sunday after a production and he knew that the theater would be deserted all day, making it the perfect place for a wedding. Placing the box in her dressing room, Erik went to work on setting the stage. Finding props and items he needed was not difficult since he knew exactly where they kept each item left over from past productions and soon he had managed to transform the stage into a picturesque setting for a wedding.
He was just putting the final touches on things when Darius and Kas returned, slipping into the building just as Erik had taught them. The two men carried a large box gingerly between them and set it down where Erik instructed.
"Let me see it." Erik demanded, anxious to see that they had followed his instructions. When the box was removed and the three tier cake was revealed, he let out a sigh of relief…it too was perfect. He did notice quite a few cake crumbs on Kas' jacket and after raising an eyebrow at the man he looked down and quickly brushed himself off with a nervous smile.
"The bakery offered free samples while we waited." Darius explained, not wanting Erik to think they had sampled his cake on the way there.
"Did you deliver the messages I asked?" Erik continued.
"Yes, we told them to arrive promptly at two." Darius assured him.
"Great, now you may go back to the flat and get dressed. Do not be late." He warned, giving the men a stern look.
Once they were gone, Erik stood back and inspected his work, pleased with what he saw. Christine had requested a fancy wedding with all the trimmings, and while there was a chance that was just something she said at the time back in Persia, he was not taking any chances. So with one last look at his masterpiece he headed down to his lair to get ready.
Christine was sitting on the couch with Charles as the two played a finger game with a piece of looped string, passing the time before Erik would return. When there was a knock at the door, she found herself anxiously rushing to open it, hoping it was him. She was slightly disappointed when she saw Nadir instead, but she did her best not to show her frustration. But Nadir was too wise for her.
"I know you were hoping I was Erik, but I assure you that I am here to take you both to him." He laughed, stepping inside.
"Take us to him?" Christine asked. "Why will he not be coming back here?"
"I am not at liberty to say, I was only instructed to see that you and Charles were brought to the location of his choosing. I certainly hope you do not mean to disobey and get me in serious trouble?" He asked, feigning a look of fear.
Christine had to laugh at his acting skills, knowing full well that Nadir did not care one lick if he angered Erik, in fact she knew it was probably his favorite pastime.
"Heavens no, we certainly would not wish to bring the wrath of the Opera Ghost down upon our heads." She agreed, laying the back of her palm to her forehead. "If we did, a disaster beyond our imagination might occur."
"Most assuredly." Nadir laughed. "Erik asks that you and Charles be dressed in your best and that you wear your ruby necklace." Nadir instructed, taking out his pocket watch and looking at it thoughtfully. "And we have just about an hour before we need to be there, so I suggest you make haste."
Christine was now quite excited, wondering what Erik had planned and she quickly ushered Charles upstairs to get dressed.
"Mama, what is an Opera Ghost?" The little boy asked as they headed to his room.
Exactly an hour later the three of them stood in front of the Opera House, a very confused Christine giving Nadir a puzzled look.
"Why did you bring us here? The Opera House is closed today." She informed him.
"Nothing is closed to the Phantom." She heard Erik's voice say from somewhere nearby, his tone one of amusement.
"Papa?" Charles questioned, spinning around in circles as he looked for where the voice was coming from.
Suddenly out of nowhere Erik appeared at the side of the building, beckoning to her with an outstretched hand. Her heart skipped a beat as she stared at him all dressed in his evening finery and looking so tall and ominous. She took hold of Charles' hand and led him towards the man she loved.
"What are we doing here?" She asked.
"Are we going to hear Mama sing?" Charles asked as well, looking at the large building he was now going to enter.
"Perhaps, we will just have to see how the evening goes." Erik smiled, taking them all inside a secret door that seemed to blend seamlessly with the side wall. Once inside it was pitch black and Christine felt Charles grip at her side in fear. But almost as if he sensed his son's apprehension Erik reached down and scooped him up in his arms and whispered words of comfort into his ear, calming the boy instantly. Christine knew the effect that Erik's voice could have and she found she envied her son just a little for the attention he was receiving from his father. I will have to remind him tonight that I need some attention too, she thought with a wicked smile.
"And exactly what has you grinning like that, my little minx?" Erik's voice whispered quietly in her ear, although she knew he was still several feet to her left. She had forgotten that he had very good eyesight in the dark as well and felt herself blush at what she had been thinking. "I can see that we share similar thoughts, my dear. And I look forward to exploring such ideas with you as well."
Christine was very glad that his words were meant to be heard only by her for she would truly have died of embarrassment had Nadir overheard.
The four of them traveled down a long hallway in the dark until they came to a wall that easily gave way to Erik's command and opened up onto the back of the Opera House stage. Christine gave a gasp of shock as she saw what was laid out before her. Everywhere there was flowers, live ones as well as fake, all surrounding a splendid arch in the center of the stage. Off to her right there was a table set up with candles all around a beautiful three tiered cake and a large bowl of punch with glasses and serving-ware to the side. But what surprised her the most was the group of people standing around with wide grins on their faces as they watched them approach. She saw Meg standing with Raoul, Madame Giry was there as well along with Philippe, Kas and Darius. Next to them was a beaming Marie holding on to Andrews arm in excitement, all of them staring at her and Erik as they exited the secret door.
"Congratulations!" Meg was the first to say as she rushed forward and embraced her friend.
"Congratulations for what?" She questioned, still stunned by the display in front of her. What was going on?
"This is your wedding day, my darling." Erik was quick to inform her, setting Charles down and watching him run over to speak with Marie as he took Christine's arm and pulled her to the side so that he could explain in private.
"My what?" She gasped, turning her head once more to stare at all the smiling guests.
"Back in Persia when we were originally married you said you would happily wed me then as long as I gave you a fancy wedding when we got to France. Well…we are both in France and I wanted you to have your day to remember."
"Oh Erik!" She cried, leaning in to his chest as tears sprung to her eyes. "I didn't need all this. I have you and that is all I want."
"You will always have me, until the end of time. But this is what you deserve. The white dress, the cake, the guests…all of it." He smiled, pulling her way from him long enough to place an innocent kiss on the tip of her nose.
"Don't you think that since I already have a child that wearing white might be a tad inappropriate?" She laughed, before her eyes turned mischievous. "Not to mention my endless string of lovers."
Erik groaned as he pulled her to him tightly once more.
"Please do not torment me by using my foolish words against me, Christine. I can never beg your forgiveness enough for the blasphemy towards your good character." He said, his voice full of regret.
"I am sorry, I will not tease you again and I have completely forgiven you for it. I love you too much to hold any sort of grudge." She did however look up at him with stern eyes. "Just do not let it ever happen again. Never doubt my love and devotion to you."
"Never my love. Never." He assured her, leaning in for a true kiss. "And as for the white dress…you will always be pure and innocent to me."
Christine was rendered speechless once more as she gazed up into his eyes and realized that he meant very word. He truly was the love of her life.
"Ehem." Nadir said, clearing his throat loudly as he stepped over to the two of them. "Erik, if we are going to start on time I think it might be appropriate to let the bride go get dressed?" He smiled.
Erik nodded, however right now all he wanted was to see Christine undressed, but he forced himself to release her from his hold and took a modest step back.
"If you will retire to your dressing room, my darling, I think you will find the appropriate attire for the occasion waiting for you." He told her, placing his hands behind his back so that they would not be tempted to touch her any further.
"We are really going to get married again?" She asked, still not quite believing it was true.
"Legally and binding no matter where we are to go from here on out." Erik nodded, liking the look of excitement in her eyes.
"But Erik…do we have a last name to give this time?" She asked.
Damn! Erik had not thought of that. He had never bothered to search out his family name once he came to Paris because without Christine it did not seem to matter to him anymore. But now that they were about to stand before a judge and speak their solemn oaths of marriage, he found he needed that piece of information desperately. Or perhaps not….
"Christine, would you be opposed to us simply choosing our own last name? If I promised to legally register it with the government so that there would be no question that it was ours by right?" He asked hopefully.
"I would not mind in the least." She assured him with a warm smile. "But what name would we take?"
Erik looked around and caught the attention of Darius and Kas, signaling for them to come over to where the three of them stood. Putting down their glasses of punch and excusing themselves from the group they approached questioningly.
"Because you three were instrumental in helping get Christine and I together back in Persia as well as reuniting us here in Paris, I would hope that you might be willing to take on one last task towards our happiness. We would like to bestow up on you the privilege of choosing for us our new family name…assuming that this idea is pleasing to my bride." Erik asked, looking from the three stunned men to Christine.
"I think it is a splendid idea!" She smiled, turning to them in expectation.
"I…we…don't know what to say." Nadir spoke for the three, his mouth hanging open as a pinkness came to his cheeks.
"Say you accept and that you have a name. If the man you acquired to marry us is the punctual sort then we do not have much time." Erik said, his voice ripe with impatience, yet his tone revealed his humor.
Nadir, Kas and Darius all took a few steps backwards and huddled together, whispering to each other in Persian, making it impossible for Christine to understand them even if she had been able to overhear. If Erik, who seemed to have extraordinary hearing as well as eyesight, was paying attention to their words he was not showing it, instead focusing his full attention on the woman before him.
At last the three men returned with satisfied looks on their faces. Erik turned and looked at them, almost impatient for their revelation.
"Upon reflection, the three of us have decided that your last name should be, Aaban." Nadir informed them with a look of satisfaction. His smile grew even wider as Erik nodded his approval and got a sly grin on his face.
"Aaban? I like the sound of it very much, but what does it mean?" She asked, realizing that most Persian words held a deeper significance.
Erik looked down at her with eyes of love and smiled.
"Translated, Aaban means 'name of the Angel'." He explained.
A slow smile spread over her face as she too nodded her acceptance.
"I think that it is perfect." She told the three men, reaching out to slip her arms around Erik as she looked up at him. "Mr. and Mrs. Aaban. I rather like the sound of that."
"Then it is settled. And if you will be so kind as to go and change, we will make it official…Mrs. Christine Aaban." Erik told her with all the love in his heart.
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OK, put on your Sunday best and don't forget to bring gifts (anything black will make Erik happy) because you are all cordially invited to the SECOND wedding of Erik Aaban and Christine Daae! I am already tearing up…I always cry at weddings!
So how did you like the morning after with Erik and Charles?
Erik's meticulousness in planning the wedding.
His relenting and inviting the Chagny boys to the wedding?
His new last name?
