"Well I've seen hell and back
I've hidden in the dark
With no one there at all
I've scraped us back to life
I've laced up both my boots
So try and twist the knife
We are steel; we don't feel anything at all."
-Charlotte Martin, "Steel"
Erik woke up to the sound of birds chirping and leaves rustling in the warm spring breeze. He never remembered actually falling asleep. The last thing he could recall was resting with Julianna on this old sofa while the storm passed. I must have fallen asleep, he thought, remembering a time when he could easily go without sleep for nearly a week. He looked around the room, expecting to find Julianna somewhere close. She was nowhere to be found.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Julianna had been preparing them a small lunch, so they would have something to eat before continuing their journey. She didn't find much in the way of food. There were a few shelves of canned vegetable and such, but most of them had gone bad over the years. She did find some meat broth in a jar in the basement that seemed to be unspoiled. She found it hard to believe that vegetables would spoil before meat broth, but she was certain that the broth was safe to eat, so she decided to make some soup.
She heated the broth on the old stove and added some of the canned vegetables that were still good. She also found some non-poisonous mushrooms growing outside, and she added them as well. It wasn't the greatest soup ever, but the smell was heavenly.
She immediately noticed Erik's presence behind her, as he quietly tried to sneak into the room unnoticed. "Did you sleep well?" she asked, gently, not turning from her task of stirring the soup.
"Oui," he replied, placing a hand on her shoulder. " But how did you know I was behind you?" he questioned. "I was being very quiet." That was the first time anyone had ever known he was there when he was trying not to get noticed. He was exceptionally stealthy and quiet, as well as very cautious. He'd had many years of practice. It shocked him that he had finally gotten caught.
"I don't know," she replied. "I guess I felt you there … your presence, that is." She turned around and smiled at the amazingly handsome man before her. "Something that my father taught me. To always be completely aware of your surroundings … even if you're in no danger."
It's not as easy as you make it sound, he thought. It takes years of practice and diligence. It's like a complicated art. You can never fully master it. Yet, you and I both have come close, he thought. His thoughts roamed back to his little sleeping escapade on the couch. Why hadn't she woken him up? He felt like he needed to know. "Why didn't you wake me up?" he asked. "When I fell asleep?"
She grinned at him, and her eyes seemed to glow for a second with the fond memory of watching him sleep. It had been the hardest thing for her to get up and leave him there, but she couldn't wake him. He just looked so … "Peaceful," she said. "You looked so peaceful and comfortable. I just couldn't …" She truthfully couldn't have woken his sleeping form if her life depended on it. He just looked so incredibly beautiful as he slept.
He appeared to have accepted her answer, because he started poking around the room, looking for anything of interest. He dug through old newspapers clippings and letters addressed to people he didn't know, but nothing interested him much. Suddenly, he sniffed the air, taking in the heavenly scent of food cooking. Why hadn't he noticed it before? She must have been cooking the whole time. And he didn't even notice. Probably because he was too busy inconspicuously observing her, not what she was doing.
"What are you cooking?" he asked.
"Soup," she replied. "Why?"
"It smells delicious!" he exclaimed.
"Why thank you, Erik," she said, pouring the finished soup into two fancy, crystal bowls. She placed the two bowls on the dining room table, and looked up at Erik. "Would you look for some spoons in the kitchen, s'il vous plait? I'm going down to the cellar to see if there's any wine."
"Bien sur, Mademoiselle," he replied. "Of course."
With that, he went to the kitchen in search of spoons, and she went down to the cellar to look for a bottle of wine. She found a bottle that her father had made years ago. It was aged to perfection. She quickly grabbed it and headed back upstairs. Erik was waiting there for her. He'd found two beautiful silver spoons, decorated with dazzling jewels. Julianna immediately found two crystal wine glasses, and poured the wine.
"Eat up," she said, pulling out his chair for him.
"Shouldn't I be doing that for you?" he said, knowing perfectly well that the man was supposed to pull out the chair for the lady. Even though he didn't much care to be with people in a formal environment, he knew quite a lot about what was considered proper manners, mostly from the many books he'd read.
"In my house," she said, intensely, "I make the rules. I strongly believe society's rules are highly overrated."
"You are not the only one," he said, smiling. She had a point. Who came up with all that shit anyway? Obviously, someone who had a lot of time on their hands.
She smiled back at him. "Eat," she said, sitting down at the opposite end of the table. They continued to eat in silence for several minutes. When they were done, Julianna cleared the table, and started washing the dishes.
"I can do that," Erik said, suddenly appearing behind her. "You go pack up your things. I'll wash the dishes."
She was surprised at his assertiveness. And she found that she liked it a lot when he was assertive. It was kind of sexy, in a way. "D'accord," she said, drying her hands on an old towel. "If you say so."
Julianna looked back at him for a moment. He looked so adorable washing dishes. But she noticed, he definitely knew what he was doing. He handled each of the delicate dishes with extreme care. She could only imagine what his elegant fingers would feel like touching her body. She shivered at just the thought, and silently reminded herself that he was Christine's. He could never be hers.
She unwillingly tore her eyes from his enticing hands and went to pack the saddlebag. God, I'm messed up, she thought. I get turned on by watching someone wash dishes. Well, not just 'someone.' It has to be Erik. Only Erik and his sexy dish washing…
After they finished cleaning up and packing, they ventured back out into the warm sunlight. The damage the storm had caused was painfully apparent. The grass had been completely flattened and covered by a thin layer of ice marbles. Even the trees didn't look so well. Most of them were at least moderately damaged, twisted and broken. Only the strongest of them still stood tall.
Julianna and Erik looked around in horror at the immense damage and destruction. Erik sighed. Julianna must have known how dangerous that storm was, he thought, remembering the worry and anxiousness in her voice before the storm. Once again, she'd managed to save his life.
"Let's go, Erik," she said, with a hint of sadness in her voice. "We're only twenty or so minutes away from my house," she said, with a bit more enthusiasm.
She climbed on her horse, and then helped Erik up behind her. Traveling was slow, because the ice covering the ground made it harder for her horse to walk steadily. But even though the conditions were harsh, they did manage to make good time. In nearly twenty minutes, they caught sight of Julianna's house as they came to the top of a small hill.
Erik stared in awe at the huge house before him. It was nearly big enough to be considered a castle. Beautiful stained-glass windows contrasted the outstanding stone walls. And gardens filled with the most exquisite and rare flowers surrounded the manor. Statues of gods and angels ornamented the gardens, along with perfectly crafted fountains and extraordinary shrubbery.
Erik was immediately drawn to the house, if you could even call it a house. It had a delightfully haunting appeal. Though the gardens were beautiful, the house itself seemed only to harbor ghosts. And the swirling mist that surrounded the grounds only did more for the haunting effect.
As Julianna and Erik rode through the exotic gardens, Erik felt like he was in a dream. He held on to Julianna tightly, and gazed around in wonder at all of the beautiful, haunting sights to be seen. Never before had he seen anything so incredibly spectacular. Well, there was one thing. The Opera House in its finest. But it hardly compared to the beauty his witnessed at that moment.
Erik eventually managed to find his voice, as they proceeded through the gardens. "It's … beautiful," he choked out, truly touched by the finery.
"I know," Julianna replied. "Thank you. Sometimes I forget just how breathtaking it is to see all this for the first time." She smiled. "It's hard to keep it looking so nice all by myself."
"What?" Erik said. "By yourself? You have no servants? Surely you can afford them, no?"
"Oh, no," she replied. "It's not that I can't afford them. I just don't want them. I don't like people messing around with my things. And," she added, "I don't like people knowing too much about who I am. It's a bit dangerous, if you know what I mean."
He nodded. He did know what she meant. She could never fully trust her servants. If there was ever a price on her head, surely they would turn her in for the money. She couldn't take any chances. And now, neither could he. "But how?" he asked. "How do you take care of all this on your own?"
"It's hard," she replied, "but necessary. This house was my father's life's work. I keep it for him."
Erik just shook his head. He couldn't even fathom the work she had committed to. I wouldn't be able to do it, he thought.
"Well, here we are," she said, pulling her horse to a stop in front of the grandest doorway Erik had ever seen. The two oak doors were adorned with intricate carvings of flowers (mostly roses) and brought to life with colorful jewels, including emeralds and rubies. It was a truly beautiful entrance into a truly beautiful house.
Julianna and Erik climbed off of the horse, and while Julianna tied her horse to a post, Erik marveled at the amazing house in front of him. He looked to Julianna, and then back at the house. Then back to Julianna. She could understand how he was feeling now. The same way anyone feels the first time they see her home. Not many people had, but those that did … well, they looked just as awed as Erik did at that exact moment.
She gently put her hand on his shoulder, just wanting to be able to touch him without causing too much damage to the Christine/Erik relationship. She knew he loved Christine. She could see it in his eyes. But she could also see something else…
Erikbeamed at her and took her hand in his. "Are you going to show me in, or not?" he whispered into her ear, placing his free arm around her tiny waist.
Well, there's Chapter 12. Hope you like it. I hope I get more reviews than I did for that last chapter. Reviews are greatly appreciated. They inspire me. LOL. Anyway, please please please tell me what you think. : )