KitsuneRW: Thanks so much for the cyber cookie. My first one ever! You're so sweet!
To stave off the interesting threat of an attack by Priestess of Anubis' army of Chipmunks in Battle Armor, here's another quick update. The chapter's kinda short, but hopefully it'll keep me safe from attack until tomorrow's update. :)
Chapter 13
The whole way home, Nicole felt like she was on Cloud 9. Not only had she managed to bring her dream to reality, but a far greater connection than she could ever have hoped for seemed to have occurred between herself and Erik. She truly felt as though she had found her soul mate. As she walked the short distance from the church back to her château, she analyzed why she thought they should be together.
She began her analysis by going over his physical features. Despite the scars on the right side of his face, the left was devastatingly handsome, and in a strange way, she actually found the mask kind of sexy. The sight of his strong physique and slender build was enough to make her quiver.
On further thought, she found the main reason she was so drawn to him was his passion for music, his voice which melted her whether he spoke or sang, and his strong need and desire to be loved. Nicole had always been one who had to feel needed and wanted to feel complete, and Erik filled that need of hers, and then some. She had a feeling he'd never take her for granted because to do so would cost him the one thing in life she knew he wanted more than anything else, and that was to be loved despite all of his scars, mental and physical.
When she got into bed that evening, she vowed to herself that she was going to work on bringing Erik out of his shell and into the real world, showing him that the world wasn't only filled with the cruelty he'd always experienced. She wanted him to be a part of her world, to show him that the world really could be a beautiful place, and though she knew it might be a difficult task to undertake, recalling the look on his face each time she caressed his cheeks gave her the resolve and devotion to accomplish that task.
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Erik laid awake in bed for quite awhile, staring at the ceiling. For the first time in his life, he was unable to sleep because he was actually happy being who he was. His mind kept playing all the tender moments he'd experienced at Nicole's hands, and part of him was afraid that if he went to sleep, he'd wake up and discover the whole thing was a dream.
He could still feel the tight hug she'd given him that afternoon even after he'd stormed out on her. His skin could still feel her gentle, loving touch. He could also still feel her lips on his forehead as she leaned over and gave him a kiss. Yes, he could definitely label this day as the best one of his life, and he owed it all to Nicole.
As he laid there, focusing on and reliving all the good aspects of the day, he forced any bad thoughts out of his mind. He didn't want his normal self-pity or self-doubt to taint these precious memories. He, too, decided to analyze what it was about her that affected him so, beyond the fact that she was the only person he had ever known who actually wanted contact with him of any nature.
He found her physically attractive. Though her long, brown curls and petite figure reminded him of Christine, and the fact that she was extremely musically inclined, that was where the similarities ended. While Christine had been affectionate because Erik had forced her to with an ultimatum regarding Raoul's life, Nicole had been affectionate purely of her own accord, and for that, Erik found he wouldn't trade Nicole for the world, not even if Christine showed up at his doorstep and professed her undying love for him.
He decided then and there that he would work on courting Nicole, perhaps eventually persuading her to stay with him in his world. He knew he had been fortunate to find Nicole, and he wasn't about to let her go. He would do everything in his power to strengthen the bond that had formed between them that day. As his mind repeated his new resolution over and over, he finally found himself tired enough to sleep. When sleep came, so did the dreams. His subconscious was kind enough to let him relive all of the day's glorious moments with her, and a smile crept over Erik's face as he slept.