Chapter 33

The cold look in Erik's eyes made me hesitate. But I had to set things straight.

"He's… OK, this is going to sound so weird and you're not going to believe me."

"Try me." he said sharply.

I took a deep breath.

"OK… Darren is your little brother. Well, I say little brother, but he's actually older than me. And he's more like your stepbrother."

"This is… Theresa's stepson?" Erik said, after staring at me for a moment. I nodded.

"Yes. And don't ask me how he got our address; I didn't give it to him."

Erik stared at me and then down at the letter.

"Dear Christine. I hope I got the right address and you are the hot Christine who I met a couple of days ago. If not, sorry about the letter, whoever you are who ends up reading this!" he read aloud.

I snorted and Erik glanced at me. I shrugged and took the letter back.

"He's probably just curious." I said.

"He thinks you're hot." Erik said calmly. I laughed and threw the letter onto the table. Erik was frowning slightly and I sighed.

"Erik, you're being paranoid. He's your little brother. And I'm not about to go running off to London because I think he's nicer than you."

"You think he's nicer than me?"

"No! I didn't say that." I said defensively.

Erik was about to reply when the intercom went. I went up into the Entrance Hall and pressed the button.

"Hello?" I said as Erik came up the stairs behind me, still glowering.

"It's Nadir."

"Oh, hi! Come on in." I pressed the gate button and a few moments later Nadir knocked at the door. Erik opened it and Nadir smiled at us both.

"Hello. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"Only Erik's extreme paranoia." I grinned as we went back down into the kitchen. Nadir glanced at Erik.

"Paranoia?"

"I am not being paranoid." Erik said calmly. I laughed.

"Yes, you are!"

Erik clenched his jaw and Nadir looked to me for an explanation.

"You know Darren Waters?"

"Theresa's stepson?"

"That's the one. He flirted with me a little, and now he's written a letter and Erik is getting worked up about it."

"He flirted with you?" Erik said, hotly. I rolled my eyes and filled the kettle with water as Nadir sat at the table, clearly enjoying himself.

"For about five minutes."

"And then he writes you a letter?"

"Erik, he's your brother!"

This apparently didn't seem to matter as even the fact that someone had spoken to me was enraging beyond belief. I went to the cupboard and took out teabags as I said,

"You have nothing to worry about, Erik. So he wrote a letter, big deal. It's not like he's shown up on the doorstep."

"If he does-"

"You'll be nice, because he's your brother." I told him firmly. Erik was about to speak again but I decided that the easiest way to stop him talking was to seize a Jaffa Cake from the cupboard and stuff into his open mouth before he could speak. He started to choke, coughing and spraying crumbs everywhere. Nadir snorted with laughter and I grinned.

"Serves you right. Now please get over this before I have to kill you with biscuits." I told him firmly, scooping sugar into cups. Erik wiped his mouth free of Jaffa Cake and looked at me. I looked back, folding my arms across my chest.

And then Erik leaned down and kissed me. When he pulled back I smiled sweetly.

"Knew you'd see things my way." Nadir eyed Erik in amusement as he sat down.

"She's tamed you well."

"She's done nothing of the sort." Erik replied testily. I smirked, my back to them as I poured tea. Nadir and Erik began to talk comfortably about current events. I only half-listened. Part of me was thinking about the letter, the other about what Samantha had said about getting out more.

Was she right? Well, probably. I did seem to spend all of my time here and in class. But I loved being here, so that was good, right? I didn't know…

I was broken from my thoughts by the ringing of my mobile phone. I picked it up quickly as I placed tea in front of Nadir and Erik.

"Hello?"

"Only me."

"Hi Meg. What's up?" I said, picking up my own tea and sipping it.

"What, a girl can't call her best friend for no reason?"

"You always have a reason, Meg."

"True. OK, I was just wondering if you wanted to meet for coffee tomorrow."

"OK. What time? I have a class in the morning." I said.

"Shall we say one?"

"Sure. Oh, and do you have my black shirt? I can't find it in my suitcase." I asked, sitting down.

"Yeah, I'm wearing it right now."

"Meg!"

"Hey, it's a nice shirt. Don't worry; you can have it back tomorrow. Laters!"

I stared at the phone and pulled a face at it. Erik smirked.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Just Meg being, well… Meg." I pushed the phone into the pocket of my jeans and glanced over at Nadir.

"How long are you staying for?"

"I'll be at the hotel for another week. After that, I don't know. I always supposed that I'd move back to England eventually." He said, "Perhaps somewhere further south, towards Kent. I quite like the idea of being able to go to France on a whim. Have you ever been to France?" he asked me.

I smiled and tilted my head.

"Once. School trip. Really not fun."

"Why not?"

"Because I can't speak French and had to fulfil that age old stereotype that speaking very loudly will make people understand." Nadir laughed and Erik smirked. I grinned.

"It was so embarrassing! The only thing I can say is je ne sais pas francais."

Erik took a deep breath to hold back his laughter and I elbowed him in the ribs.

"Quit it! It wasn't that funny." I told him. Nadir snorted and I stood up. "Fine. Laugh. See if I care. I hope you can cook your own dinner Erik and you can enjoy sleeping alone tonight, because I'm going back to my room!"

"Christine, I was only joking." He said calmly. I looked at him haughtily and he sighed and kissed me. I considered and then said,

"Well… I suppose I can forgive you."

"How very gracious of you." He said, slightly sarcastically. I smiled sweetly and looked at Nadir.

"Staying for dinner?"

"If you'll have me, I certainly will."

"OK. Let me see what we've got." As I checked our food supplies, Nadir said,

"How was London?"

"Oh, it was really good. We did all the touristy stuff, seeing the sights and everything. We had a lot of fun." I said, making a list of food we needed. "Is chicken alright for dinner?"

"Sounds wonderful." Nadir smiled.

When Nadir had gone we went to the library. I settled down in my chair with Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It had always been one of my favourite books and I rarely had time to read these days, so it was a bit of a luxury.

I was slightly distracted however by Erik. He was pretending to read the newspaper, but I saw him keep glancing at me. Eventually I closed the book and looked at him.

"What?"

"I didn't say anything." He said, a little defensively.

"I know, but you're thinking it. What's wrong?" I asked, putting the book in my lap. He didn't reply and I sighed.

"It's about the letter, isn't it?"

"How did he know the address? Did you give it to him?" Erik asked. I shrugged.

"I don't know. I didn't give it to him, but it's not that hard to find someone's address. Nadir managed."

"Why is he writing? That letter isn't exactly informative."

"He's probably just curious. He's suddenly acquired another brother without knowing it, that would make anyone wonder." I pointed out.

"But why write to you? Why isn't it addressed to me?"

"Because he already knows me. I don't think he even knows your second name."

He didn't reply. I got off my chair and knelt by his, putting my hand on his knee.

"Erik, stop worrying. I've never met anyone who panics about things as much as you do."

"I don't panic." He said sorely. I smiled.

"OK, fine. You don't panic. But you do get a little worked up over stupid things. I barely spoke to Darren for fifteen minutes. Just because I talk to other guys doesn't mean I like them."

"You talk to other men?" he seemed a little shocked. I smiled.

"Yes, Erik, I'm not a total recluse. Guys from class, my friends, Meg's friends… talking to them doesn't mean we're flirting. You need to stop worrying. Because, like it or not, I'm not going anywhere. You're stuck with me."

He simply stared at me. I sighed.

"Besides, you're forgetting the most important thing."

"And what is that?"

"I love you, dummy." I told him. He smiled slightly and I smiled back. "Just remember that. There's no need to be overprotective. I'm a big girl, I can handle it."

"I know you are. I just… I'm afraid of losing you. Whenever I've loved anyone they just seem to… leave." He admitted. I was a little surprised. He wasn't usually the type to open up just like that. I took his hand in both of mine and kissed it.

"You won't lose me. I promise. No matter what happens, I'm never going to leave you. Never."

"Never? That's a long time to stay." Erik pointed out.

I looked at him. His eyes were fixed on mine. I shook my head.

"Never. Is that OK?"

"It is." He smiled. I grinned and kissed him.

"Good. Now, I'm going back to my book."

Meg was late to the café the next day. I ordered a coffee and sat down at one of the tables to wait for her. I had been there for a few minutes when a boy said,

"Christine?" I looked up and smiled. It was Michael, the guy who had won the best male performer in the showcase.

"Michael! How are you?"

"I'm good, you?" he grinned.

"Also good." I replied.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"Yeah, my friend Meg."

"In which case, I'll be quick. I'm having a party next Friday, at my house. There's loads of people coming, it'd be cool if you came." He said. I nodded.

"Sounds good, I'll see if I can make it."

"Great! Here's the address. Invite anyone, we're trying to fill the place out." He handed me a piece of paper with the address. I smiled.

"I'll try and be there."

"I'll see you then, maybe. Oh, got to run." A car drew up outside the café and he headed for the door. As he went out, Meg came in. she sat down and smiled.

"Hey. Cute guy, who was he?"

"That was Michael, from the showcase. Invited me to a party next Friday." I waved the paper at her and she snatched it.

"Great, we can go together! I've barely seen you for weeks."

"We just spent the weekend together."

She waved it away.

"We're still going. It'll be fun!"

"Yeah… yeah, let's go. I keep being told to get out more." I said, decisively. Meg grinned.

"Great! What are you going to wear?"

"Meg, it's a week away. I'm not deciding right now." I said, drinking some coffee. Meg sighed.

"Oh fine. But you're not taking this away from me; I'm going make sure we look great!"

"Are you going to invite James?" I asked. She nodded.

"Probably. I take it you're not inviting Erik?"

"Crowded, noisy, teenage party? He'd never talk to me again." I pointed out.

Meg smiled and ordered a coffee. When she came back she said,

"Did Erik like his novelty hat?"

"I'm still trying to persuade him to wear it." I admitted. She laughed,

"Good luck. If you manage, make sure to get a picture!" I laughed at that and said,

"I'll do my best."

As we drank, I asked her,

"Meg, do you think I need to get out more?"

"How do you mean?" she asked.

"Well… I was talking to my Dad's counsellor yesterday, and she reckons that I should be trying to get out more. Because I'm pretty much at the Manor all the time, and when I'm not there I'm in class."

"Yes. Hence party. Don't worry about it, Christine. You're happy, right?"

"Of course."

"There you go. Anyway, I don't trust counsellors."

"How come?" I asked. She pulled a face.

"When Mum and Dad got divorced, it was at the same time as three other kid's parents got divorced at school. We had to go to these group sessions, to help us cope and I was the only one who didn't bawl my eyes out."

"Really? How old were you?" I asked.

"Eight. But I figured it was better for them to be apart. At least that way they wouldn't keep yelling all the time." She pointed out. I considered that for a moment.

"Wow… so you coped pretty well."

"Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I wasn't overjoyed, but who wants to live with people who hate each other?"

"But your parents always seem to get on pretty well." I said. Meg nodded.

"They do, now they're not together. They get on nicely when they see each other. All in all, it works out pretty well."

We fell silent, each lost in our thoughts. Eventually Meg said,

"Well, that killed the mood." I snorted in laughter and she grinned. I smiled.

"OK, let's do something girly. I feel the need to spend some money."

"That's my girl! Let's get something to wear for the party."

"Meg, you have loads of clothes."

"And yet I still have nothing to wear." She said, jumping out of her seat.

I often find myself forgetting exactly how much I love Meg.

A/N: Another chapter up! And I'm still enjoying the delights of my POTO DVD. Because I just discovered all the hidden extras on the second disc of my double disc edition! There's a whole new song that I didn't even know was there" And we get sexy, sexy Phantom singing it as well… yum.

Anyway, thank you all so much for the fantastic reviews! You guys really know how to cheer a girl up! Although it did amuse me that half of you didn't remember who Darren was. I got banned for having songfics up, you see, which is why it took me so long to update.

Et-spiritus-sancti: You asked about Ayesha. To be perfectly honest I have NO idea where she comes from. I just happen to see the name around a lot and thought 'hey, why not?' If someone could explain where Ayesha comes from, please leave a review!

Rydia02: You came to England? COOL! Well, not really. Since I live here and see it everyday. Yes, it is ridiculously expensive here, it's crazy!

Anyways, got to go. Please review, love you all.