"He drowns in his dreams
An exquisite extreme, I know
He's as damned as he seems
And more heaven than a heart could hold
And if I try to save him
My whole world could cave in
It just ain't right; it just ain't right."
-Kelly Clarkson, "Beautiful Disaster"
Julianna awoke with a start early that morning. The first thing she noticed was Erik's warm body next to her, his arms wrapped around her small frame. But she couldn't remember how she got there. She knew Erik would never even think of taking advantage of her. Besides, they were both much too tired for any such activities.
She slowly tried to slip out of his embrace without waking him up. No such luck. He immediately opened his eyes a crack and mumbled, almost incoherently, "Where do you think you're going?" and grabbed her around the waist, rather violently.
Julianna laughed at his utter lack of propriety. "I'm getting up," she replied, gently removing his arms from her waist. "You probably should consider it yourself. We have a long day of traveling ahead."
"Oh," he said, embarrassed at his little slip. "I'm sorry … I forgot where I was for a second there." She must have thought his actions were extremely inappropriate. He truly was sorry though. He thoroughly enjoyed spending the night with her, even though all he did was hold her while she slept. He doubted he would ever get another chance. To share a bed with her, that is. Not that the ground served as a very good bed, but it was good enough.
"That's alright," she said, grinning. "How did I get down there anyway?" she asked. "Last thing I remember, I was sitting on a rock over there." Watching you sleep, she wanted to add.
"Well, you were practically asleep when I woke up and found you on that rock," he said, pointing. "I thought you would be more comfortable down here." He couldn't help but feel a little guilty. Julianna didn't even remember him coming to get her last night, and holding her while she settled into a deep sleep. What if she didn't want him to hold her, he thought. Or even sleep next to her, for that matter? He remembered, though, she wrapped her arms around him too. Even if she didn't remember it, she still did it. He sighed. He shouldn't have. He had no right.
"Thank you," she said. In truth, it was a lot more comfortable than those rocks. Sleeping anywhere next to him would be most comfortable. He was always so warm, and the sound of his breathing was like alcohol, without the side effects. It could numb you to the very core. And make all of your pain disappear in seconds. She didn't regret spending the night with him at all. Not one bit.
"You are very welcome," he replied.
She smiled warmly and took the last piece of the bread out of her saddlebag. She carefully split it, as evenly as she could. She sighed. She never was very good at splitting food evenly. She always wanted a slightly larger half. And because of that, she always, instinctively, made one half bigger for herself. I'm so greedy, she thought, giving herself a mental reprimanding. She handed Erik the larger half. "Here," she said. "Breakfast is served. Bon appetit!"
"Merci, Mademoiselle," he said, accepting the bread and laughing at her joke. This certainly wasn't the greatest breakfast ever, but it would do.
They quickly consumed the bread, and packed their possessions so they could continue on their way. Julianna saddled and bridled her horse swiftly, excited about finally going home. She hated to admit it, but she really did miss her house. And she'd only been gone for a few weeks this time. Childish, she thought to herself.
Julianna and Erik climbed atop her horse and began their journey to her home. For the first hour or so, Julianna's fractured rib hurt like hell with every step the horse took. Erik attempted to support her body with his, hoping to alleviate her pain a little. He found himself wondering why she didn't just give up, quit. He could hardly imagine the immense pain she was in. And she was going through all of this for him. Just so he could be safe from those damned prison guards. He felt responsible for her injury, too. He should have shot that son of a bitch who tried to kill him before he had the opportunity to harm Julianna. It certainly was partly his fault, at least. And he didn't like it. He didn't like being the cause of another's pain, particularly a woman, unless they truly deserved it.
After a while, though, he noticed that she didn't seem to be quite as tense. Perhaps she was becoming used to the pain. Accepting and embracing it; not fighting it. Either that or she was doing a very good job at ignoring it.
They continued to travel in silence for several long hours. The sun was high in the sky, and its powerful rays produced a sweltering heat. It's much too warm, Julianna thought. It's barely even spring. This extreme heat and humidity could only mean one thing. She looked up to the heavens, and saw exactly what she prayed would not be there. Huge, dark thunderclouds forming in the distance.
Erik glanced up at the sky to see what she was looking at. It seemed that just as he looked up, the sun vanished, and the forest was covered by a dark, menacing shadow. "Rain!" he exclaimed. "It's going to rain."
"Not just rain," Julianna said, somberly. "There's going to be a thunderstorm." It looked like it was going to be bad, but she didn't want Erik to know that they could be in danger. He would find out soon enough, anyway. "We should hurry," she said, urging her tired horse along a little faster. "Wouldn't want to get caught in the forest during a storm like this."
He noted the worry in her voice. What could possibly be so dangerous about this storm? Everything seemed so still, so calm. Then he heard the low rumble of thunder in the distance. "How far are we from your house?" he asked.
"Not far," she replied, kicking her horse hard in the side. Soon they were racing through the thick forest, dodging trees and jumping logs and small streams.
Erik held on for his dear life. Never had he gone so fast on the back of a horse. Erik noticed that the horse seemed to share the same fear that Julianna had of the quickly approaching storm.
Suddenly, the temperature dropped rapidly, probably twenty degrees. Erik and Julianna both shivered, glad for the warmth of each other's bodies. Only Julianna knew what was coming, and it truly frightened her. Usually storms like this occurred only out at sea. But they have been known to venture inland occasionally. She had the unpleasant misfortune of coming face to face with one on her father's ship. After the storm, the ship was completely ravaged, almost nothing left. They barely made it back to shore without sinking, and then they had to spend many long months fixing the vessel.
"Erik," she said, not slowing the horse's fast pace. "There's one of my guesthouses just over this hill. I'm afraid to say, we'll have to stop. We'll never make it to my house in time."
"In time for wha-" He never got to finish his question. At that precise moment, small pea-sized pieces of ice started to fall from the sky. You wouldn't think from their small size that they could do much damage, but the sheer force at which they were slung from the heavens was deadly.
Julianna and Erik tried to ignore the stinging pain of the pellets of hail, but it was very nearly impossible. Julianna spied her old stone guesthouse through the thick sheet of ice, and quickly directed her horse toward it.
When they reached it, Julianna and Erik rapidly jumped off the horse's back. Julianna opened the door and allowed Erik to step inside. Then she quickly led her horse inside. There was no way in hell she was going to let her horse suffer in this storm.
She hurried and closed the door to the old guesthouse, which had been abandoned for many years. Julianna remembered that she never really liked having guests stay with her. But I guess that was the purpose of the guesthouse. So they wouldn't have to stay in her house. She hadn't had a single guest over in many years anyway. She much preferred to live alone.
She glanced toward Erik, noticing a trickle of blood running down the side of his face. "Are you hurt?" she asked.
"Nothing serious," he said. "Are you alright?"
"I think so," she replied, suddenly noticing just how dark it was in that musty old house. She immediately lit some of the candles she brought along. The dim light at least made the house appear somewhat less gloomy.
She looked over at Erik, startled by the look on his face. His jaw dropped in surprise and his eyes opened wide. "What is it?" she asked.
"This is your guesthouse?" he asked, putting an emphasis on the word 'guest'. He had been more than surprised when she lit the candles. The house was huge. And he looked up to find a beautiful chandelier. And even though the wallpaper was old and peeling in places, the house looked as if it had once been a richly decorated residence. The furniture was fine handcrafted Victorian. And there were beautifully sculpted marble statues of angels and such. The house itself must have cost a fortune. And it was only a guesthouse.
"Oui, Monsieur," she replied. "This is one of my many guesthouses. Do you like it?"
"Julianna," he replied. "I've never been in a home so large. My parents were wealthy, from what I remember, and their house was nothing compared to your guesthouse."
Julianna frowned. "I am a pirate. Would you not expect me to have riches?" She didn't want him to think any less of her, but that was the truth. She had stolen many millions, quite possibly billions, of francs and other forms of money including jewels and doubloons, with the help of her father and their crew, of course.
"But so much?" he said. "Your actual house must be amazing." He smiled. She was just as much a criminal as he was, maybe even more. Her darkness just made him more attracted to her though. He knew in his heart that she wasn't the awful person that she seemed to be. She was very kind in fact. She most definitely wasn't a spoiled, rich girl. And she didn't announce that she was rich to the public either. She dressed as any commoner would. He liked that. Perhaps she wasn't content being so wealthy. She obviously didn't want people to know about it. Maybe them knowing would put her in danger. Probably that.
"Oh, yes, Erik," she replied. "You'll love it. It's got everything you could ever dream of."
"I bet," he said, sarcastically. She couldn't possible have everything he wanted. She hardly knew anything about him, except for what Christine told her, and he knew that couldn't have been much, given the short time they were together.
"Well," she said. "I'd think you would enjoy the several libraries I have, and the music room, which contains every instrument ever known to man, including three fine organs and many grand pianos. My father was sort of a collector."
He laughed. "That is too good to be true."
"Wait and see," she said, shivering in the cool air. "Are you cold, Erik? Because I'm freezing," she said, pulling out the blanket from the saddlebag.
"A little," he replied.
"Come with me," she said, leading him to the neglected living room. There she sat down on a dusty, old sofa, which had once been an expensive piece of furniture in its day. Erik sat down beside her, and she covered them both with the blanket. "Let's get some rest," she said, resting her head in the nape of his neck. "Just until the storm's over."
Erik allowed his arms to slip around her small form. "Just until the storm is over," he agreed, running his thumb across her cheek.
Well, there's Chapter 11. Hope you liked it. Sorry about the Novocain thing. I fixed it. lol. Really don't know when Novocain was invented. Sorry about the confusion. PLEASE REVIEW.