Love of a Stranger
Ob1MegOb1
Chapter 33
(1 month later)
(Jasmine)
I was sitting on the bed Alexander in between my legs. He had begun to coo and gurgle to show his feelings on things. And right now I think he was very content laying here and attempting to grab my finger on his own. Then again as I heard the music from the piano downstairs I wondered if it was something else.
"You're happy because you hear father's music don't you?" I said smiling. A little gurgle answered me back. I laughed to myself as I realized that he was already so familiar with all of us for only being a month old. Then again he had been hearing his father's music since he was in the womb…I wonder if that had anything to do with it as well.
There was a knock on the door and I heard the footsteps of Nadir come in. "Hello," he said so dignified, "I just wanted to check up on everybody."
(Erik)
I sat there patiently waiting for the next string of notes to come to me. Ever since that night we had talked Jasmine had done nothing but encourage me to compose. And so here I was composing.
(Jasmine)
"Nadir you don't always have to be on alert," I said laughing as I heard him take a seat across from me.
"You'll have to excuse that," he said nervously, "I'm afraid after so long being cautious has become quite a habit.
(Erik)
A month had gone by and dare I say I actually was beginning to think my hopes had been answered. Maybe that was why I had felt so inspired all of a sudden. But in the back of my head I knew to stay alert. We had been lulled into a sense of peace before and I had paid the price for that. I wasn't about to let anybody else pay as well.
(William)
A month of staring at the ceiling, and still the doctor didn't think I was well enough to go back to my normal routine. I had known I was going to get here eventually I just wished it hadn't come when everything was moving so fast around me.
I turned as Aunt Ev came into the room to check on me as usual. "Ev," I said calmly as I decided I was going to do something. I had been planning this for a while I just hoped all parties would understand why later on. "Could you get Nadir for me? And then bring him back with you because I want to talk to both of you."
"What is it William?" she asked me curiously.
I looked down grasping my hands together before I said, "There's something I have been wanting to do for a while. It's almost a gift you could say for Jasmine and Erik. But because I am bedridden I cannot fulfill it like I would like. So I need you and Nadir's help please." She looked at me for a few moments before nodding her head. As she left the room I let out a sigh and decided it was a good thing I was deciding to go through with this.
I reached over to the drawer next to my bed and pulled out two objects from its depths. I fingered the objects in my hand staring at them. Yes…a gift for the two of them. I just hoped they would view it that way.
I turned as Ev and Nadir came back in through the door. "Alright William," she said softly, "what is going on?" Slowly I extended my hand that held the objects to Evelyn. After a moment of examining she let out a small gasp.
(Erik)
I turned as the door to the study opened and Jasmine came in carrying Alex in her arms. I gave a small smile as did Alex when finally met eyes with each other. "He was restless upstairs, and I think its because he could hear you playing down here." She gently extended him to me and I took the small bundle smiling as I did.
(William)
"Where did you get these?" Ev said a look of shock on her face.
"Not easily," I muttered softly, "and not cheaply I might add."
"I though these had been lost after they had passed away," she said her voice breaking.
"It took some hunting but I eventually found where the gendarmes sell items that they confiscate. And from there, I just needed to earn the money to purchase them. Which I did and now I have them."
(Jasmine)
I was glad to hear happiness in his voice as he held Alexander. As of late he had begun to suffer from nightmares again. Actually ever since the night Alex had been born they were beginning to become a frequent thing. And in his normal fashion he would just shake them off and attempt to move on. But I felt there was something else going on and I wished he would talk to me about it.
Nadir had acted very nonchalant when I had asked him about it a couple of weeks ago. He assured me that these bouts of nightmares were normal for him and that they would eventually pass. But that had been a couple of weeks ago…and yet they still persisted.
(Erik)
She was thinking about something else…I could see it written all over her face. We had gotten into a few small arguments about my lack of sleep the last few weeks. Mostly due to nightmares unfortunately but after all this time I still hated telling her about them. She had heard the worst of the things that had happened to me in my life but still…it was hard even for me to talk about those past events.
(William)
"Are these what I think they are?" Nadir asked curiously.
"Yes they are," I said confidently. And from there there suddenly grew wide with realization. "The only thing is that I don't know anybody that we could trust do it. And because I am confined to this bed its not like I can just go and try to find one."
"Have you considered that they might not want this?" Nadir said calmly. "That both of them have come to terms with the fact that it can never happen."
(Jasmine)
"Nadir is on alert as usual," I said as Erik softly played some notes with his other hand that wasn't holding Alex.
"It was his job for so many years I'm not surprised," he said softly. "It only took me a year to take my defenses down and even now they still aren't completely and they never will be. Not until Paul is completely dealt with."
I sighed, "So it is Paul that you are worried about."
"As I should be," he said a little irritably. "He tried to kill you, Rebecca, and me. He succeeded in killing his fiancé, your cousin, of course I am worried about him."
I flinched a little as he brought up Elizabeth's death. Something I had tried to avoid thinking of this past year. Mostly because I could still remember so clearly how vengeful I had been then. It had scared me to feel that angry and quite frankly murderous. My face must have shown my thoughts because he stopped playing and gently took my hand.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, "I didn't mean to bring up Elizabeth. I know that's still hard to think about."
I smiled gently squeezing his hand, "I know that you are fearful of Paul. I just wish you would tell me these things instead of us arguing about it in order for it to be dealt with."
(William)
"I know that Jasmine said to me once that it could never happen," I said reluctantly. "But that doesn't mean we can't try to find someone." I sighed looking at the objects in my hand again, "God forbid if anything were to happen to Erik it would be Jasmine and Alex who would be mistreated and cast out. Alex forever a bastard and my sister a whore and it would make things hard for them.. This would resolve that so that even if something were to happen they could still continue on having normal lives despite it."
Nadir stared at me for several seconds before nodding his head, "Very well then." I looked up at him surprised to say the least. I had expected a lot more resistance from the both of them. "Tomorrow I will go into town and inquire into finding somebody discrete. You're right there is always somebody out there it is just a matter of them being found," Nadir said thoughtfully.
And then I looked to Ev to see if she agreed as well. "I can start getting small little things prepared," she said softly, "once you find somebody."
"I think we need to come to an agreement on something first though," Nadir said. "If for some reason I cannot find anyone, anyone at all, we are to cease this and just move on. No matter what those two will find a way to thrive and we need to respect that."
I wanted to argue with him so much but I knew deep down he was right. If we couldn't find somebody then it wasn't worth it. "Alright," I agreed. They both nodded their heads proceeding to go out the door when little Rebecca came bounding in.
"I want to help too," she said confidently even though I knew she had no idea what we were planning at all.
I smiled motioning her over, "I will give you the biggest job of all. You need to keep this a secret. That means you need to help keep us all from mentioning the secret in front of Erik and Jasmine."
She looked at me a disgruntled look on her face, "But Jasmine always said that secrets were bad."
I laughed…she would think that. "Yes but this is a good secret not a bad one. I am hoping it is going to make Jas and Erik very happy."
(Jasmine)
After we had talked in circles around each other again I noticed it was very quiet in the house. "Is it just me or has it suddenly gotten very quiet?"
Erik sighed, "I forgot to mention to you…I think your brother is plotting something. He was very cautious when he talked to me this morning. Very abrupt almost."
"Oh," I said teasingly, "not used to him scheming with out you?"
He nudged me playfully and I smiled as I heard him sigh. "Now I am beginning to wonder if he has the whole household involved too." His touch almost had a nervous feel to it. Like he was scared of what my brother might have in store. Alex gave a little cry of disgruntlement though breaking us both out of our reveries.
(William)
So everything was set just like I hoped it would be. Nadir did have a valid point though. They both might totally fight this idea altogether. Especially Erik and considering how cynical he tended to be about all of this I wouldn't be surprised.
But it was a preventative measure that needed to be taken in my opinion. And I knew if they loved each other and their son as much as I thought they did they would have no objections to it at all.
(Jasmine)
"Its time for him to be fed," I said gently taking Alex from Erik's arms.
"Yes well I think its time we had dinner," he said sighing. "I will go get William's portion and take it up to him while you feed Alex."
"Fine," I said playfully, "try not to interrogate him too much alright?" I could just imagine him rolling his eyes as he walked out of the study.
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