No new reviews, so discouraging. Oh well, I'm still going to write. It helps me wind down at the end of a long day. Cheers.
They went down once more to his home. Claire had no clue why the murder of that man had brought no anger or fear. She wanted to feel those emotions but was unable to find them. When they reached the underground lake he hesitated. Claire was puzzled.
"I can not take you any further until you have seen my face." Claire had often wondered what lay behind his half a mask. She knew what she had to do. Though it pained her to see him so distraught at the mention of removing his disguise, she reached for it. Her face brushed the coldness of his disguise. Her other hand, which had been up until this point grasping his hand with a ferocity, let go. She wanted all of her attention on this life altering task. A look of fear crossed his face.
"Trust me," she whispered and found the crease that would show her the man behind the mask. She gently started the removal. The first thing that became clear to her was the left side of his nose. It was sunken in so badly it was hardly a nose at all. His eye, unlike the other, was slightly sunken into his head. His skin looked burned. Right below his hair line a jagged scar ran from ear to the top of his brow. It looked painful and permanent. Claire watched as he reached to the side of his head and removed part of his hair. A wig hid a mass of veins, clearly visible beneath the skin. Claire felt her heart go out to him. She did not recoil in fear.
Instead of saying anything she gently let the mask fall to the floor. Erik turned in his head in shame. Claire took his head and brought it back towards her. Her hand stroked his deformity, no disgust or pity in her touch. For the first time since she'd met this man he began to cry. They were silent tears that seemed happy and relieved. Claire felt her own tears but held them back. One of them had to be strong. She stopped stroking his face and came closer to him. Her body pressed against his. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he encircled her waist. He rested his head on her shoulder.
"You're beautiful," he whispered, "How can you stand to look at a beast like me?" Claire laughed weakly and ran a trembling hand through his hair.
"Because I treasure everything about you, even the imperfections inside and out," she reassured him. She felt him grip her tighter.
"How can someone so young understand so well?" he asked. Claire smiled and he lifted his head from her shoulder. They were now staring at each other, the first time without his mask. All she felt for this man was a deep understanding and love.
"Just like you, I also have my imperfections. More then anyone will ever know," she replied. He seemed satisfied with this answer. Yet, she still couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't trust her answers completely. Claire leaned in to kiss him but Erik turned his head slightly.
"You shouldn't have to kiss this," he said, his voice full of sorrow, "My own mother couldn't bring herself to kiss me." Claire took her hand and turned his head towards her.
"But I want to kiss you," she said and quickly captured his lips in hers. At first he was stubborn and wouldn't give in but little by little Erik became hers. They stood there in each others arms for only seconds, their lips locked together, but it felt like forever. The kiss ended and Claire gently placed a gentle kiss on the left side of his face. She then reached down and picked up his mask and handed it back to him. He took it, grateful to have the comforting material back on his face. He took her hand after putting the mask back on and led her towards the boat. He got in first and led her to the center where he gently helped her down. She looked up at him in that moment, the dead expression back on his face. He moved the boat towards his lair and an unknown fate which Claire couldn't even begin to imagine.
