The brown eyed girl.
By LiltingBanshee.
Busy weekend, but I managed to scribble this down between things. Hope you like:)
meiqihk: Thank you, I´m glad you like it:)
Clayphan16: yep, he´s irresistable:)
Shdwcat27: Thank you:)
The first thing Christine registered when she stared to wake up was a feeling of being safe.
Slowly she opened her eyes and her gaze fell on Erik, who was sleeping peacefully.
Their entwined hands were rsting on their daughter´s chest, which rose and feel with her even breaths.
Christine felt tears form in her eyes, but for the first time in several hours they were not caused by a despairing feeling, but gratitude.
'How I love this man', she thought to herself. 'And the beautiful baby he has given me'.
She was lost in her thoughts for a moment when an alomost silent whisper captured her attention.
"Mamma?", Angeline whispered.
„Angel, I´m right here", Christine said and withdrew her hand from Erik´s to feel her daughter´s forehead.
The loss of Christine´s hand woke Erik up and the sound of Angeline calling for her mother made him fully alerted.
"Is she allright?", he asked Christine anxiously.
"I don´t know, she´s not responding to my touch. We better get the doctor in here", she said.
Erik was out of the bed before Christine could say anything more and returned with Monsieur Laurent minutes later.
"Madame, has anything changed?", he asked.
"I don´t know doctor, she has called for me twice, but she doesn´t seem to register my voice", Christine said now standing beside the bed.
The docto began to examine Angeline.
"Her fever is slightly down, Madame though still fairly high. But if she has asked for you, it could mean she is about to regain consciousness", the doctor seemed fairly optimistic and Christine felt a great weight lift from her heart.
After the doctor had left the room Christine stood looking out the window.
Erik came up behind her , wrapped his arms around her and placed a soft kiss on her neck.
"What are you thinking about my love?", he asked her.
"A lot of things", she answered. "About how my life has changed so dramatically in less than 24 hours. Yesterday I was enjoying my daughter´s lovely piano playing and my best friend´s party. Now I´m standing here, not knowing if I will ever hear my child´voice again.
I have been brought back together with the only man I ever loved, whom I thought I would never see again. To think that none of this would have happened if I had stayed home last night.
I ´m so exhausted Erik".
Enjoying his embrace she leaned her head back against his shoulder.
"I love you Erik, but if the price for our happiness is my daughter´s life... I don´t know if I can live with that ", she sighed.
Gently he kissed her cheek and as she lifted her head futher back he caught her lips with his.
Lost in the kiss none of them heard a person enter the room.
The sound of someone clearing their throat brought them back to reality. They turned to see Raoul standing sheepishly by the door.
"Ehhh, Christine can I talk to you?", he asked.
"Yes Raoul, just give me a minute", Christine said.
Raoul obediently stepped back into the hallway to wait and Christine turned to Erik.
"I´ll have to talk to him Erik. He deserves that much", she said holding his hands in hers.
"Fine Christine. I understand. I will go and ask Meg if we could have some breakfast, you must be starving", he said.
"Thank you my Angel", she said with a soft smile and he bent to kiss her before leaving the room.
Moments later Raoul came back.
"Christine, I want to apologise for my behaviour last night. I was completely out of line", he said.
"Yes you were", Christine said plainly.
"I´m just sp protective of you. I wouldn´t want to see you hurt", he said and looked to the floor.
"I know Raoul, and I´m deeply grateful for everything you´ve done for me and Angeline through all the years. But Erik would never hurt me, he loves me and I love him", Christine knew she was hurting him.
"You have always loved him Christine, the evidence was in your eyes and in the love for your child. I will go home today, but I want you to come back there with Angeline for her to make her recovery there. Erik can stay as well if he wants to", Raoul said.
"Oh Raoul all the things you have sacrificed for me, I can never thank you enough", she said and embraced him.
"Don´t worry about it Christine. I want to see you happy. Let me know when you will return home. When Angeline is well we will talk about what will happen from there on" He softly stroked his finger along her cheek before leaving her alone.
Christine was in awe of what had just happened. She had never dared to dream that Raoul would be so calm if this situation should ever happen.
She felt greatly relieved. With Angeline´s condition she could not have handled a fight with Raoul. They would of course need to discuss things futher, but for now she could relax.
She suddenly felt extremely tired and went to lie next to Angeline.
Stroking her child´s sweaty hair away from her face Christine thought her daughter´s skin felt slightly cooler. She could be imagining it, but for now she didn´t really care.
The sound of faint voiced rose her. Still wrapped in the arms of slumber she recognised Erik soft talking.
"Come on, just one more...", he said.
Christine felt slightly puzzled to why he would say that to her.
"I can´t...I´m so tired", the weak girl´s voice woke Christine up instantly.
"Baby?", she gasped.
Angeline turned her head on the pillow and brown eyes met blue.
"Hi Mamma", Angeline whispered softly.
Christine embrazed her daughter.
"Oh my sweet little girl, I was so scared. Don´t ever do this to me again. Do you know I would die if something ever happened to you!", Christine was crying now.
"I´m sorry Mamma. I will be fine and I will never do something like this again", Angeline said.
" Don´t think about that my darling. You just have to get well", Christine sniffed.
"Papa is helping me with that", Angeline said. "He brought me food".
Christine looked at Erik who sat in a chair next to the bed. He was holding a bowl of soup which he was feeding to Angeline. He smiled lovingly at his two girls.
"There is food for you too Christine", he said and handed her a bowl of soup.
She smiled thankfully at him and looked to her daughter, but the girl was sound asleep with a satisfied smile on her lips.
3 days later Christine and Angeline was back in Raoul´s house. Erik had agreed to stay as well.
Angeline was in her bed reading a book when Christine entered the room.
"How are you feeling my sweet?", she asked.
"I´m feeling fine Mamma", the girl said with a weak smile.
"Angeline, I need to know what brought you out on the balcony that night. I don´t want you to keep your fears to yourself", Christine said and sat down on the bed.
Angeline put the book away and looked at her hands.
"I was so shocked Mamma. The moment you said Erik´s name I knew he was my father. I saw it in his eyes when we spoke, but I never dared to hope it was true. Then you began to argue and I just felt so lost. I needed time to think so I ran to the balcony. I felt the cold, but I couldn´t go back inside so I sat down in the corner though I knew it was stupid. I don´t remeber anything from that moment until I woke up with you lying next to me and Papa reading softly to me with food ready for us", Angeline explained.
"Oh my darling, you never have to fear again, your father and I will be with you from now on"; Christine assured her daughter.
"I´m very happy for that Mamma", Angeline smiled.
"You should rest now my dear, I will come back later", Christine said and left the room.
Later in the afternoon Christine was in the living room. Erik was out and Raoul in his study.
One of the servant girl knocked on the door.
"Mademoiselle, there is a man for you at the door".
Christine curiously followed the girl to the door.
"André!" she exclaimed with delight. "How lovely to see you".
"The young man looked slightly nervous as he greeted her.
"Hello Christine. I have come to pay a visit to your daughter to see if she is recovering well. I... I couldn´t find any flowers here in the winther so I brought her..."
"...a music sheet", Christine finished for him. "She will be delighted to see you André. Let me take you up to her", she said and let him up the stairs.
When Erik came back to the house her went straight to Raoul´s study.
After knocking on the door he entered the room.
"Monsieur le Vicomte, can I have a word with you?", he asked.
Raoul looked up, a glimps of fear fainly washing over his face.
"Certainly Erik", he said a gestured to a chair.
"Raoul I want to thank you for what you have done for Christine and my child. I never really liked you, but I´m grateful to you for taking care of them", he said.
Raoul was surprised.
"Yo...you are welcome Erik. I never really cared much for you either, but I have enjoyed taking care of your child", Raoul said.
"I will be taking Christine and Angeline with me soon, but I will not deny you to see them", Erik said.
"Thank you Erik, that is very kind of you. I appreciate that. Now if you will excuse me I must get on with my work".
Erik left the room and Raoul felt tears burn in his eyes. The dreamlife he had lived until now was over, he would have to get on without Christine and the girl he loved as his own daughter.
Silently he cried to himself for his lost love and shattered dreams.
Christine sat near the living room window when she heard someone approach.
She turned and smiled as Erik came to her. He kissed her lips and lifted her into his lab.
"I love you", he whispered in her ear.
"I love you too, so very much", she answered back.
"What have you been doing today?", he asked her.
"I had a long talk with our daughter. She is very happy to have you in her life", Christine said and kissed him. " And so am I. Then I brought André up to see her. He is a very nice young man and Angeline was pleased to see him. He brought her a music sheet Erik", Christine giggled softly.
"I hope he won´t try to play with her heart", Erik said gloomingly.
Christine laughed out. "Oh look at you being the protective father all of a sudden".
Erik looked slighty hurt and Christine nuzzled his neck.
"Don´t worry Erik, I´m sure he has pure intentions with her. And if he doesn´t I will kill him myself", she said.
Erik chuckled.
"What did you do today my love?", she asked him.
"I bought a house for us", he said.
Christine nearly fell off his knees.
"You what?", she gasped.
"A beautiful little house not far from here. You will not be far from Meg and her mother...and Raoul", he said.
"Oh Erik", Christine felt tears running down her cheeks.
"Don´t cry my love. I thought it would make you happy", he said and brushed her tears away with his thumbs.
"Erik, I´m very happy. I´ve never been this happy before", she clasped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him forcefully.
"Does that mean you will live there with me?", he asked.
"I wouldn´t want to be anywhere else", she said.
"Christine, I love you more than anything in this world", he said and looked into her eyes.
"And I love you", she whispered.
He kissed her then, like he had never kissed her before. As the kiss grew deeper he stood up with her in his arms.
Without breaking the kiss he carried her upstairs to her room and they made up for years of lost love.
Right, that´s it for chapter 9, there will probably be one more to this story, so watch this space.
I have started on a new story called "Everything was so perfect", please check it out:)