If you chose to skip the last chapter, the main events that happened were Erik and Saeed successfully went on their missions, Erik had the chip removed from his head, and Olivia was found overseas.

So this is it, my friends. A big thanks to Kelly for helping with editing and giving me inspiration along the way. Thank you all for your reviews and favorites. I hope you've enjoyed these characters and a story with maybe a slightly different feel/theme than some of my others. I leave you all with hope, because, after the last year or so, we definitely need it.

Take care!

Saeed was so worried about the criminal and legal situations that he didn't have much time to worry about Erik and Christine at a more personal level. Maybe he didn't need to. Christine always seemed happy on the phone. A little uncertain, maybe. But the sadness of the last months had finally left her voice.

Erik refused to talk about her for weeks. During their missions, they could sometimes discuss other topics. Their past was acceptable. Saeed would bring up some of their old conversations, about politics or history or science. "Remember when we were having a calm discussion about that year's elections, and the guy behind me starts screaming at us out of nowhere? I thought you might kill him."

Erik would nod or chuckle, sometimes contribute. They could discuss the mission, where they were going and how to enter safely, what they were trying to locate. Saeed let Erik take charge most of the time. He figured it might be somewhat therapeutic, allowing Erik to collect and the destroy the evidence that had been used to ruin his life and control him. Erik was relentless - almost a little scary with how single-minded he was about finding it all. Saeed stood back and kept watch.

As the evenings passed and the missions were fairly successful, Erik became more conversational and less hostile. Still, they could not talk about her without Erik glaring at him. Her security. How she was doing. How they were doing. All of that was off limits. If Saeed wanted to know about Christine, he had to directly speak to her.

Toward the end of their outings, he noticed an increased confidence in Erik's movements. Erik held his head higher, as though something within him had started to be repaired. Saeed even caught him daydreaming, staring out the passenger window, a softened glint in his eyes. Saeed suspected some things but said nothing.

Weeks later, they were at Saeed's house going through security videos to see if there was anything useful. They had already scanned through a couple of other stolen laptops and found nothing. These were the last tasks for now.

"Well, I think that is about it," Saeed muttered, leaning back and tiredly rubbing his hand over his face. "Thank God."

Erik was standing in the kitchen, hands folded behind his back.

Saeed asked, "Do you agree, or is there something else you want to look for?"

"I think that is all."

"Great. Well, you can get back to your life. Back to…" Saeed tapered off, not wanting to get glowered at.

To his surprise, Erik said, "I need work."

Saeed blinked. "Yes, I guess so. Any idea what you want to do?"

Erik shrugged and stared out the kitchen window over the sink.

"Well, you'll figure it out. You have time. No rush." Saeed was prepared to help them both. They deserved it, after all they had endured.

"I don't…I don't think I can be under anyone's thumb. I don't think I could tolerate it."

"You're saying that you don't want a boss? A supervisor." Saeed slowly nodded. "That makes sense. And you're perfectly capable of starting your own business. You have many skills. Brush up on them, and you'll be fine."

And, for the first time, Erik mentioned her. Maybe it was because he was confused, and there was no one else he could speak to. "She was very casual about it. She said I could do whatever I wished, whatever made me happy. But of course I want to support her. After all she has given me, I want to give her the world. But she insisted that she didn't care."

"Well, she knows that you've been through a lot. She doesn't want you to feel rushed. It's the same with me, I think. In the old days, I always wanted good things for you. Career-wise, I mean. I pushed you. And I still want you to succeed. But I…Christine and I also want you to feel in control of your own life." Saeed glanced down. "You have been unfairly denied that."

"But I want to support her. What would you both have me do? Sit around all day watching the damned television?"

Saeed gently smiled. "Then you will do all this for yourself. Look. Christine and I - we are the easier parts of your life. You don't need to impress us. We are here on the days that you succeed and the days that you fail. All you have to do is treat us well. And on the harder days – you'll be so happy that it is that way."

Erik turned back toward the window, hopefully taking it all in, understanding that love with only a few conditions was a wonderful gift. After a moment, he said, "I may have the name of another girl for you soon. I have had some dreams…"

Saeed nodded. These revelations always filled him with revulsion toward Raymond and his accomplices. But he knew it was important to remain unemotional, so that Erik would feel safe telling him these things. "Let me know whenever you want. I'll look into it." Another silence followed.

Billy wandered into the kitchen. He walked up to Erik and rubbed against his leg. Erik sharply glanced down. "Look at you. Saeed feeds you too much. You are a giant ball of dust. And you have gotten your fur all over my pants."

Saeed hid a smile as Erik knelt down and stroked the cat around the ears.

The worst was almost over. They could begin returning to their lives. And yet – nothing would ever be quite the same. At least not for him.

He had two more friends.

Lily called and asked if she would like to have brunch on a Saturday. After thinking about it, Christine accepted the invitation. She wanted to keep what few friends she had. And Erik said it would probably be safe.

Her hair was still wet when Lily rang the doorbell that morning, and Christine was quickly trying to towel it dry. Erik was hiding in his room. "Are you okay?" she asked, poking her damp head in.

"Yes, yes. I simply…"

She knew that Erik connected Lily to Raoul in his head, even if he tried not to. She also knew he didn't want to be seen by Lily. Christine gave him a kiss. "I'll be back in two hours. Call if you need anything. I love you."

He nodded, and she knew he trusted her. Outside of her and Saeed, other people still made him a little nervous. Especially people with ties to the Chagny family.

"Hey!" said Lily when Christine answered the door. "Do you mind if I grab a glass of water? I was going to bring a bottle, but I left it on the counter."

"Oh. Hey - I'll bring you one." Lily gave her a weird look, but Christine rushed into the kitchen and filled up a glass. She ran back out with her purse. "You can take it with you."

"Okay…How are you?" asked Lily as they walked to her car.

"Great!"

"You look great. You look…different. Like glowing." A pause. "You're not pregnant are you?"

"What?! No! Just happy." She thought back and was certain that she and Erik had been nothing but careful.

Lily probably caught her distant look of concern. "But you could technically be? You're with someone, aren't you? You have a boyfriend! That's why you're glowing."

She wasn't a good enough liar to deny it. "Yeah."

"Oh my Gosh. That's great! And don't worry. I won't run to Raoul and be like – 'Christine's got a new boyfriend!'" A pause. "But I've seen some recent pictures of him with girls. So I think he's doing great, too."

"Is he?" asked Christine, hopefully. "He's doing well?"

"Yeah. Checking out the campus and student organizations and stuff."

"That's good!"

"Yeah. But now I need all the details. Where'd you meet? Was it online? Like half my friends meet guys online. Except one went on a date and looked up the guy later and he was a like a former serial arsonist. Creepy, right?"

Christine could have attempted to make up a lie, even a simple one, but she didn't want to. Not with Lily, who had been nothing but nice to her. Nor was it time for the truth. She wasn't even sure Lily would believe that the world could be so horrible. "You know, it's been really complicated. And some bad stuff happened to both of us. I don't know if I can talk about it all yet. Maybe another day."

Lily was understanding. "Oh, that's fine. I was just happy for you. You know, that's…Well, let me know if you ever need to talk."

They chatted about other things. Christine's classes. Lily's upcoming vacation to Italy with Phillip. Lily also mentioned, "I don't know if you want to know this, but Raoul's father said something about you. I forget how you got brought up. But he was like, 'You know, she was a nice girl. I hope she doesn't hate us.'"

"Oh," said Christine, glancing down. "Well, it all worked out for the best."

"Yeah, I think they're going to chill out. Which is great for the boys and for me."

Overall, it was a nice visit over Eggs Benedict and orange juice. She didn't see Lily too often over the next months, as Lily was traveling and Christine stayed busy enough. Toward the end of summer, Christine received a text with a picture of a hand that had a ring on it. Christine congratulated her on the engagement.

She was invited to the wedding nine months after that. Of course, it was a very glamorous affair with people dressed in long glossy gowns, gourmet food, and an orchestra. Lily looked beautiful, like a model for a bridal magazine. The end of her lacy dress flared out gracefully around her, in what Lily had called the mermaid style.

That was where Christine saw Raoul again for the first time, as Phillip's best man. He was tanned and smiling, busy with his duties during most of the ceremonial parts or off posing for pictures. He came over to her table during the middle of the reception. She waved, and he took a seat across from her. "Hey! Finally had a chance to come say hello to you. How's it going?"

"It's going well," she replied. "Taking classes and auditioning. How about you? How's college?"

"College is awesome. Met some cool people in the dorms. Been to some football games. Some of the instructors are rough, but it's all pretty good." He looked around. "Lily mentioned you might be bringing someone. Are they here?"

"No, he couldn't make it." Lily had said that she could bring a guest with a wink, but of course Erik wanted no part of this.

"Oh, cool." Raoul hesitated. He was obviously a little curious. Christine braced herself for uncomfortable questions. "You're happy, though?" If he was hurt at all, he hid it well.

"Very happy. I'm glad you are, too."

They watched Phillip and Lily slow dance for a few moments, as "Stand By Me" played and the lights dimmed. Phillip and Lily were smiling and talking to each other in soft voices.

The newly-married couple was miles away from her now, in so many ways, but she still felt joy for them. More than anything, she hoped Lily would be happy.

"Phillip's going to have a surprise when he opens his suitcase in Bora Bora," stated Raoul, mischievously.

"What did you guys – You know what, I don't want to know." She glared slightly. "It better not upset Lily."

"It won't. I promise!"

A faster song soon came on. She and Raoul eventually got up to join the crowds of shouting, dancing people. It was a fun and joyful night.

But Christine also knew that she never would have quite fit there. She always would have been a little uncomfortable, a little on edge. Even after everyone was perfectly friendly toward her, perfectly welcoming, she was still happy to say her goodbyes and head home.

To Erik – who immediately asked, with wry humor and perhaps a touch of anxiety, as she pulled him down onto the couch with her – "How was that damned boy?"

It was all Saeed's idea.

She and Saeed were talking on the phone about having dinner together, with Erik, when he mentioned, "How would you feel if I invited Reese?"

"Well, I'd be fine with it," she said after a surprised pause. "I've love to meet her. But…"

"Erik."

"Yeah." She laughed. "I suppose you want me to see if he'll be okay with it?"

"Yes. If you would. Tell her she's very nice. I've…warned her about his appearance."

"What'd she say?"

"That she was insulted I thought she would care."

"Aw. Okay. I'll ask him."

Of course, Erik was aggravated at first. "Why must he complicate this? It is dinner."

"Because he doesn't want to hide us from his girlfriend," she replied. "He doesn't want…How to put it? He wants us all to be together."

"Who says he is hiding us? He can tell her whatever he wants."

"Okay. I'll tell him you don't want to. That's fine."

"Why must you blame me for this?"

She smiled. "Because you're the one who doesn't want to. I already told Saeed it was fine. If we don't go, he'll know it was you."

Erik groaned. "Oh, for God's sakes. We'll just go."

"We don't have to. Not if it makes you uncomfortable."

"We are going."

She knew Erik didn't want to be seen as weak for not going, for refusing to face the challenge. She was about to insist that it was okay, that they didn't have to go. But…maybe they could try. If it went poorly, they wouldn't socialize again for a while.

And she did it for Saeed, too. He was excited to barbeque for everyone. For years, he had been too paranoid to even have friends, afraid they might turn around and kill him. He must have been so lonely. Now he could begin to heal as well.

The evening of their dinner, she put on a dark-blue jean skirt and loose yellow blouse. Erik stared at her as she dressed and dabbed on lip gloss, and she guessed that his thoughts had wandered to nighttime. Good. Maybe he'd be in a better mood if he thought about that.

When they arrived at Saeed's, she greeted everyone. She shook Reese's hand and said, "Nice to meet you."

Erik stood back, without offering his hand, and stiffly said, "Nice to meet you."

Reese seemed fine, so Christine guessed that Saeed had warned her about Erik's personality around strangers as well.

Erik was somewhat quiet unless directly asked a question, such as how he wanted his hamburger grilled or how many hamburgers he wanted. While he didn't have a prosthetic yet, he did have a mask that cut off at the bottom and allowed him to eat. His lips were very thin, but that part of the disfigurement wasn't severe enough to cause more than quick glances in public. Thankfully, Reese didn't stare at all.

Reese and Saeed talked about their upcoming trip to the Grand Canyon. They were camping, hiking, and riding mules. Christine talked about how she was nervous about a chemistry class. Reese spoke about teaching.

"How do you like that?" Christine asked her.

"I love working with students. The administration and parents can be frustrating. I receive angry messages from some parents if their kids get anything less than an A."

"My dad pretty much didn't care as long as I came home from school alive," Christine replied with a chuckle.

Reese gave her a sympathetic smile. "Yes, I've seen that before, too."

After dinner was finished, Christine ran to the bathroom. When she returned, she saw Saeed washing dishes in the kitchen. "Can I help?" she asked, coming up beside him.

"If you want to put the condiments back in the fridge, that'd be great. Thank you, Christine."

Saeed's fridge was a little full, so the task took some time. She didn't realize it until she heard the voices – they had left Erik and Reese in the living room alone. Eyes widening, she paused to listen. Reese had asked Erik a question, and he was uncomfortably answering. "…some prior experience with cybersecurity. I will need to update my certifications."

Reese replied, "Cool. I have a brother who does something with antivirus software. Or he's in the industry. Let me know if you'd ever like to contact him."

No response. Christine looked in that direction with a bottle of ketchup in her hand, wondering if she should save him or let him learn to get a handle on small talk.

Reese continued, "Well, I think it's great that you want to start your own business. That'll give you a lot of freedom. I've been considering doing some private tutoring on the side."

A pause, and Christine feared that Reese was going to run into a brick wall. But Erik finally replied, "I had several of those."

"Tutors?" Erik must have nodded. "What was your favorite one like?"

"That was a long time ago. One would bring, eh, sweets every time he came. Candy bars. Donuts. Etcetera."

Christine hadn't thought to ask about things like this. She was careful with Erik and his past. She wondered then if she were being too careful.

Reese laughed. "So I should bring treats. Well, that's easy. Got it."

"He was not overly condescending. Perhaps that was more important."

"Oh, right. No, I can't stand people who talk down to children."

A silence followed. Christine met Saeed's eyes. He gave her a half-smile that told her it was time to return. Had he planned this? Reese smiled broadly at Saeed and seemed slightly relieved to see them come back. But Erik…Erik looked like he was about to jump up and pull Christine back down onto the sofa with him. She hid her laugher and sat right next to him, legs touching. Saeed quickly filled the conversation with a topic they could all enjoy – music. "So what do you like, Christine? I want to know what the young people like."

"Oh, I can enjoy a lot of things," she said. "Pop, some rock, musicals, classical. Um…"

"Classic rock?" asked Saeed.

"Sure. My dad listened to a lot of that."

Reese chimed in, "My father liked country western. That is all he would play every time we were in the car."

"And do you like it now?" asked Christine.

"I like some of the pop country okay. Saeed is more of a music connoisseur than I am. I'll turn on the radio during my commute or play something in the background, but I don't actively seek new stuff out as much as he does." Reese and Saeed smiled at each other.

"And Erik," Saeed began, knowingly. "Do you have an opinion on music?"

"Ninety-eight percent of it is garbage."

Saeed laughed, and Christine nudged Erik.

"I've heard you play really well," said Reese.

"I dabble."

"Erik!" Christine exclaimed. She looked at Reese. "He's brilliant. And don't ever let him tell you differently."

"Well, I'd love to hear you someday," said Reese, patiently.

Christine left it there. She wanted Erik to feel loved and valued. But she didn't want him to feel like he had to perform.

Reese changed the topic. "So do you guys think you'd ever enjoy horseback riding with us?"

Christine blinked. "Well, I've never done it before." She looked at Erik. "Have you?"

"I am afraid not."

Saeed chuckled. "Well, we can start you on the easiest horse and easiest trail possible."

"Oh, where's the fun in that?" asked Erik. "I might as well start on the roughest trail with the most insolent horse."

"Uh, not me," said Christine. "I'll start with the pony going around in a circle."

"Sorry, Reese," said Saeed with a raised eyebrow. "I don't think they can be part of our hobby."

Laughter followed, and the mood relaxed as the sun set. Christine felt a warm feeling of belonging. She hoped Erik felt it a little, too.

He didn't seem to become too antsy until around 9. He glanced toward the window, rubbing his fingers on the arm of the couch. Christine smiled. "Ready to head out?"

"Yes." Erik stood.

"Well, it was great having you both here," said Saeed. "We have to do this again."

"Definitely," said Christine. She looked at Reese. "It was nice meeting you."

"You, too! And, despite what Saeed said, you're welcome to ride horses with us."

"Thanks!"

When they were safely in the car, Christine asked, "How was that?"

"Tolerable."

"Harder to be around Reese? Because you don't know her?"

"She was…fine." Erik sighed. "I have always had to keep to myself. The more people know about me, the more they use their knowledge against me. So I am unused to giving answers to questions about myself. We will assume, however, that she is not an organized crime boss disguised as a schoolteacher."

"I hope not! Otherwise, Saeed is really in trouble."

"Indeed." Her hand was resting in her lap. Erik reached out and took it, keeping his eyes on the road. She squeezed his hand, feeling utterly content.

They were a normal couple coming back from dinner with another couple.

And yet they weren't that at all.

About five minutes later, Erik softly chuckled to himself.

"What?" she asked.

"While you were at your class the other evening, I completed a quick mission."

"You did?" Erik had finally deemed it safe to leave her alone sometimes. She knew he wasn't always with her, but she had thought the 'missions' were complete.

"I realized there was one place that Saeed and I did not check. For traces of evidence. The apartment where you escaped."

"Oh."

"I went back and did not find anything of importance. Except - guess what I found? In a corner."

"What?"

"That hammer."

"Oh my Gosh. Did you keep it?"

"Of course."

She chuckled. "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"I don't know. I was wondering if you needed to move on from all that. And simply be in the present."

"I am in the present. And I love it. But – I don't need to forget the rest. I mean, that's what got us here."

"I suppose so," he murmured. He changed the subject. "So you have an audition next Wednesday?"

"Yeah, just for a small role. We'll see."

"What if we go to the cabin for a couple of days? I will have the violin. You can practice without distraction or the fear of singing too loudly for the neighbors, although it really is a privilege for them to hear you. I…I would enjoy some time alone with you."

"I'd love that, Erik."

Already, she decided to make ham sandwiches and cookies to take with them. She would sing, and maybe Erik would, too. And they would enjoy each other in the evening, open to kisses and caresses, vulnerable yet fervent in the solitude. One of them would wake the other up in the middle of the night, and they would start again. In the morning, they would walk the dirt trails through the thick trees, when the birds and wildlife were active. No one would bother them, staring and asking how they met.

It was easiest to answer, "On the Internet." That had the tiniest grain of truth to it in an uncomfortable way. Still, she was no longer ashamed of that mistake. She had been a victim of depravity, and that had led her to another victim of the same. Her mistake had saved him, so she could never regret it.

As they drove, Christine felt this excitement bubbling up deep inside of her. To have him. And her home- she finally had a home. And their friends. And all these possibilities. Not certainty but so many possibilities.

She hoped Erik felt it, too. She hoped he felt both free and secure with her. And loved.

By the look in his eyes, which she had learned to read so well, the way he tapped his fingers against the steering wheel in time with the piano music on the radio – she thought that he was as least beginning to feel peace and freedom.

They would never allow anyone to steal it from them again.

The End