Everything was so perfect.
by LiltingBanshee
Author´s note: OK, I´m going to change the rating for this story, mainly bacause of language - for now;) I´m not sure it´s that bad, but just to be on the safe side.
phantomfan1911: Thanks, this is probably quite dark as well, but there might be light at the ending:)
Shdwcat27: Yep, the boy seems to have a special talent for that;)
Wandering-Phantom: Thanks, keep hoping;)
Ok, Chapter 4...
Sarah´s 13th birthday came around and Erik and Christine decided to have a civilized night out as a family.
Sarah was thrilled and had a happy glow around her all day. They went to a good restaurant and to the cinema. Afterwards they came back to Christine and Sarah´s apartment to have cake and tea.
Christine was putting away the dishes in the kitchen and Erik was tucking Sarah in in her room.
Erik was sitting on Sarah´s bed watching her as she stood by her desk admiring her presents.
There were lots of things. Clothes, CDs, new dancing shoes, books and jewellery. But one present was very special for Sarah.
She ran her hand carefully over the soft leather cover. Her father had given her a book with the sheet music of all her favourite pieces from his productions.
Not just any kind of sheet music, but the original handwritten copies he had made over the years.
On the top of the music book Erik had placed a blood-red rose with a black ribbon tied around it. Sarah was very touched by that.
It was something he used to give her mother when he was proud of her.
Sarah had always had great respect for the dried rose that hung in her mother´s bedroom. The rose Erik had given to Christine the day Sarah was born.
Sarah placed the rose back on the desk and turned to her father.
"I really love that book Daddy, I´ll start playing tomorrow", she smiled.
"I´m glad you like it princess. Now you better get to bed, it´s late and it´s a school day tomorrow", Erik said and lifted the bedcovers for Sarah to get under them.
Erik came into the kitchen as Christine was finishing wiping off the table.
"Is Sarah asleep?", she asked quietly.
"Totally out. I think she was exhausted", Erik smiled.
"Would you like another cup of coffee or anything?", Christine offered.
"No thank you Christine, I should probably head off. I have an early start tomorrow", Erik said.
"Ok, I´ll see you to the door then", Christine looked slightly disappointed.
Christine leaned up and hugged Erik as they stood in the doorway.
"Goodnight Christine, thanks for a great night", Erik said as he released her.
"Thank you too Erik, Sarah really enjoyed it", she said.
"I can´t believe she´s really 13 now. Seems like yesterday she was running around in her nappies", Erik chuckled.
"Yes, she´s growing up so fast", Christine said.
An awkward silence settled between them as none of them knew what to say.
"I should go", Erik said after a while.
"Yeah...", Christine said, but neither moved.
Erik looked at her and she raised her eyes to meet his.
Before he knew what he was doing he bent down and touched his lips to hers.
At first she didn´t respond and he was afraid she might slap him, but then he felt her move her lips under his.
Carefully he put his hand on her neck and caressed the soft skin under her hair.
He deepened the kiss and felt her accept the soft caress of his tongue against hers.
He pressed her against the doorframe and felt his body react to the contact he had been deprived of for so long, but suddenly she began to push him away.
"Erik... please... stop", she whispered.
He placed a line of soft kisses to her neck. "Christine... I need you".
"I can´t Erik. Please, we can´t confuse Sarah like this", Christine said and wriggled out of his arms.
Erik tried to regain control of his body.
"Ok, I´ll leave Christine. Goodnight", he said.
"Goodnight Erik", she almost whispered.
Christine leaned her forehead against the closed door. She felt the blood boiling in her body.
'Why did I do that!' she screamed at herself in her head. It had taken all her willpower not to let him take her right there in the hallway, but she knew she couldn´t.
She couldn´t do it to him, to Sarah or to herself. And there was Raoul... she still hadn´t decided what part he was to play in her life.
Confused she went to bed and slept unpeacefully with thoughts whirling round in her head.
Sarah was alone in her classroom reading a book before her next class. She heard some people enter the room, but didn´t bother to look up from the book.
"Hey Destler, I saw your mother having dinner with a man the other night", Sarah recognized the voice of Amber McAteer and sighed.
"Oh yeah?", Sarah said, still not taking her eyes off of her book.
"It wasn´t your Dad", Amber said gleefully.
"It was probably just a friend", Sarah was pretending not to care.
"She´s cheating on your Dad!", Amber wasn´t backing off.
"No, she isn´t!", Sarah said defendingly.
"She is! And no wonder with that face your Dad has!", Amber was on top of this.
"My mother doesn´t care about my father´s face!" Sarah felt anger rising in her.
"Oh come on! Who would want to be married to such a freak!" Amber said triumphantly, happy to hear her friends giggle.
Sarah didn´t know what happened, but she flew out of her chair and lashed out at Amber.
Christine dropped several things in her attempt to find her ringing phone in her bag.
"Hello", she breathed as she finally found it.
"Mrs. Destler? We need you to come to the school. There has been an incident with Sarah", a voice said.
Christine felt the blood drain from her face. "What? Is she allright?", she nearly whispered.
Christine ran through the hallway and saw Sarah sitting outside the Headmaster´s office.
She kneeled infront of her and took in the sight of her child.
Sarah´s hair was a mess, she had dried blood beneath her nose and her lower lip was swollen and cracked.
"Sarah! Dear God, what happened to you?", Christine asked as she smoothed the hair away from Sarah´s face.
"Nothing Mum... its was just... nothing", Sarah trailed off.
"This is nothing?", Christine shrieked. "Sarah, tell me...", she was interupted by the Headmaster´s door opening.
Out came a woman that Christine recognized as Mary McAteer. Beside her was her daughter Amber, who looked just as messed up as Sarah.
"Mrs. Destler, what kind of monster have you raised? Look what she did to poor Amber!", Mrs. McAteer hissed at Christine as she passed them.
Christine looked confused as the Headmaster came out.
"Mrs. Destler, Sarah. Would you please come inside", he said.
"Mrs. Destler, you should know that we don´t tolerate this kind of behaviour at any time. It is normal for teenagers to quarrel, but we will not have any violence!", the Headmaster emphazised strongly.
"Mr. Brown, I assure you, Sarah has never beahved like this before. She must have been provoked", Christine said trying to defend her daughter.
"According to miss McAteer she simply asked about Sarah´s feelings regarding you and your husband´s divorce. She was showing concern for a fellow student and Sarah reacted very wrongly. I understand this must be a hard time for her, but as I said we can not tolerate any violence. I see no other option but to suspend Sarah for a week. I´m sorry Mrs. Destler", Mr. Brown said.
"Yes, I understand. Thank you for your time Mr. Brown", Christine said as she stood up and grabbed Sarah´s hand.
None of them spoke during the car ride home. All Christine did was handing Sarah a wet tissue to wipe the blood off her face.
When they entered the apartment however, Christine found her voice.
"Sarah, would you care to explain this incident to me? Because I´m very confused", she said sternly.
"No...", Sarah tried.
"Sarah, you´re not a violent girl. You´re such a loving person, but how could you do this to Amber, she just asked how you were feeling for God´s sake", Christine said.
"She didn´t just ask Mum, she provoked me", Sarah sighed.
"I know our divorce is hard on you and you´re very touchy at the moment, but you can´t just beat up people when you feel like it!" Christine was raising her voice.
"I really tried to control myself, but she wouldn´t give up!", Sarah cried. "She said she saw you in a restaurant with Raoul. Were you out with him when I so conveniently was staying at Emily´s house the other night?". Sarah asked accusingly.
"Yes, Sarah I was having dinner with Raoul the other night, but that´s not any of yours or Amber McAteer´s business", Christine snapped.
"It´s not any of my business?", Sarah shrieked. "Not any of my business that my mother is going out with someone who´s not my father?". Sarah was on the verge of tears.
"Sarah, he´s just a friend!", Christine did not want to discuss this.
"A very special friend ideed. Special enough to stay out with till way past midnight? I called to say goodnight to you when I was staying with Dad a few weeks ago, but you weren´t in. Were you still with him then?", Sarah spat.
"Maybe, I don´t remember Sarah", Christine said. She knew it had gotten late that night but nothing had happened. Yes she had kissed Raoul, but then she had sent him home.
"I don´t blame you", Sarah said. " It must be hard to be married to a deformed man, when you can have such a good looking man as a suitor".
"Sarah would you stop! This has nothing to do with your father´s disease!", Christine was not having any of this.
"Doesn´t it mother!", Sarah was loosing it. "Then why did you suddenly want a divorce? Did you just stop loving him? Is the sex with Raoul better? Or is is as Amber said – you just didn´t want to be married to such a freak?", Sarah hissed.
"Sarah!", Christine gasped. She couldn´t believe what she was hearing.
"He gave you everything! A good life. A career. And his eternal love! And you just ripped his heart out and stepped on it and went on to the next man in the line. You´re nothing but a useless whore!", Sarah screamed.
The slap was like a bomb being dropped.
Sarah´s hand flew to her cheek and Christine´s eyes widened in shock.
She had slapped her child!
She had done the one thing she had promised herself never to do.
"God Sarah, I´m so sorry!", Christine said and reached for her daughter.
Sarah´s eyes were hard. "Do not touch me!", she gritted through her teeth.
"Sarah please...", Christine felt tears running down her cheeks.
"Don´t come near me! I hate you", Sarah spat as she started walking to the door.
"Sarah, sweetheart. We can talk about this", Christine was panicking.
"You will never see me again! Never!", Sarah said with a coldness in her voice that scared Christine.
As she heard the door slam he lowered herself to the sofa.
'You hit your child', she thought.
'But she called you a whore!'.
'Yes, but you HIT YOUR OWN CHILD!' Christine put her hands over her ears attempting to shut her thoughts out.
Curling up on the the sofa she sobbed until she had no tears left in body.
Ok, hope you liked it, please review:)