"Erik? Are you all right?" Meg peered over the edge of the bed and he stared up into her eyes. She was rumpled with sleep but still fully clothed.
"No, Erik is not all right." Falling off the bed had been a rude awakening from the most exquisite dream; though, the tight discomfort in his pants reminded him just how vivid that dream had been.
"I am fine, Cricket." He lied, sitting up with his back against the bed. Erik tried to ignore the nasty inner voice, returned with a vengeance and mocking his subconscious efforts at playing a Casanova. In the enveloping silence, Erik was still as he ever was: monstrous and alone.
Meg hung over his shoulder, her breath hot on his face, wisps of her hair tickled his cheek. His fingers ached to touch her; he wanted to, needed to even. She was inches away, all he needed to do was lift his hand but with the fear roiling in his gut, she may as well be miles away.
Erik dragged himself to his feet and sat on a low footstool, putting more distance between them. "I am glad to see you awake, Cricket. Are you well enough to return home?"
She was quiet as she took in her surroundings, Erik nervously watched her gaze settle on various pieces of furniture before she settled back into the pillows.
"We are in your home."
"Indeed." Erik moved to take her hand and tug her from the blankets. "And I should return you to your home now."
"What's the hurry?" Meg slid her hands under her thighs and out of his reach. He watched her face harden into stubbornness and he felt uneasiness displace the earlier desire.
"Your maman will be very worried." He said lamely.
She looked at him skeptically. "You're not wrong, but I don't think that's the reason you are in such a hurry to be rid of me." Her eyes lingered on his lower abdomen, not quite back to normal. If his face had been unmasked, she would've seen him blush.
"What other reason might there be?" His voice was flat, hoping it would deter further remarks about the state of.. him. Amusement flickered in Meg's eyes but she did not reply. She patted the spot next to her on the bed, inviting him to sit.
"I - really should not." Erik was struggling to remain a gentleman and walking right into the fire, or in this case, sitting next to it, was definitely a poor idea.
"Please, Erik."
Resolve wavering, Erik knew he couldn't deny her polite request. He sat down gingerly, careful that their bodies not touch.
"How did you know where to find me?"
Erik traced the patterns on the bed linens with his fingers, formulating his answer. "I had just returned from the solicitor and I heard you shouting at me- cursing me, from the gate."
"You have a solicitor?"
"Yes?" he looked at her quizzically, thrown off by the question.
"You followed me." It wasn't a question.
"Yes, in a manner of speaking."
"And you saw Desjardins accost me." Meg's voice sounded small, like she was trying to curl into herself.
Erik frowned, his hand stilled. "No, that I did not see. Not straight away."
Meg stared past him into some dark corner; he could see the pulse just below her ear pick up its pace. The silence was heavy as she processed the information.
"You saw the chase." It was only a statement but it felt like an accusation to Erik.
"I was in the walls trying to reach you."
"He almost - and you didn't stop it." Meg's voice was climbing in pitch with her growing hysteria.
"He almost what?" Erik felt his stomach drop.
Meg gestured to her ripped dress with shaking hands; Erik had failed to notice the ruined garment before. Her eyes filled with tears and her chest heaved with the panicked breathing.
"I'll kill him." Erik leapt to his feet, filled with murderous purpose and already planning a half dozen ways to prolong the perpetrator's end.
"Erik, no!" She grabbed his hand before he could storm away. "Please, don't leave me."
He froze in place, fighting the urge to leave Meg there and carry out what he'd intended to do before the impromptu nap. She squeezed his hand gently.
"Please." She whispered. The rage again drained away and he sagged onto the bed next to her. Erik pulled her shaking hands to his chest.
"Erik swears to you he did not know this." The words tumbled out in a rush, not understanding the desperation he felt to prove that he had tried to help. He knew it wasn't his fault, not directly, but it felt like it. "He heard the chase and chased too, from inside the walls, looking for a working trap door when Erik found you."
The tears silently spilled down her flushed cheeks and Erik reached up to wipe them away. "Please do not cry, Cricket. Erik cannot bear it." He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly.
"He might look for me there. I can't go home, please not yet." Her voice shook and his heart broke. He was unaccustomed to being someone's safe haven.
Erik lightly brushed his lips across her forehead. She couldn't stay down here but he wouldn't force her to return home. Morning was breaking up above by now and taking her back in broad daylight was too risky. She would have to wait until nightfall.
"All right." He murmured. "Hush, chérie, you are safe here." Erik lay back, drawing Meg down with him, still in his arms. She clung to him, still trembling. "Rest now, Cricket."
They lay together in the silence, Erik stroking her hair until the trembling subsided and she drifted off. He stifled a yawn and followed her, this time into a blessedly dreamless slumber.