Chapter 28

"Cause she's bittersweet… she knocks me off my feet

And I can't help myself… I don't want anyone else

She's a mystery… she's too much for me But I keep coming back for more

She's just the girl I'm looking for."

-Click Five, "Just the Girl"

Julianna slowly opened her eyes, feeling Erik's strong arms draped around her, pulling her against his warm chest. It took her a little while to realize that she was actually awake and not in an incredibly amazing dream. Being with Erik always made her feel like she was in a dream. Everything was always so perfect, so surreal. She found it hard to believe that love as strong as theirs truly existed. But the incredible man that she held in her arms was proof enough that it was genuine.

She did realize that he wasn't perfect. He had quite a temper… and he could be pretty damn stubborn at times. And of course, there was his deformity … but that never really was an issue for Julianna. Besides, she wasn't looking for a perfect man. That would be much too monotonous and boring for her excitement-filled life.

She wanted someone mysterious, charming, exciting, clever … a man who could always shock her no matter how well she knew him; a man who hardly did what was expected; a man who wasn't afraid to be himself and show his sensitive side; a man who could always knock her off her feet and was never reluctant to tell her how much he loved her.

She smiled to herself and kissed Erik's chest lightly, hoping she wouldn't wake him. It was funny how she had never known exactly what she wanted in a man… until she met a man who was everything she could ever want and more. There weren't even words to express the feelings he awoke in her.

God, he's so beautiful, she thought, softly brushing her cheek against his bare chest. He moaned quietly in his sleep, but didn't awaken. Julianna gazed lovingly at his unmasked face, understanding how much pain that one small deformity had caused him.

To many, he was considered a monster, shunned and rejected all his life only because half his face was distorted. But in truth, it was the people that shunned him that were the real monsters. Erik had a heart of pure gold, while their hearts were black and cruel. They are the ones who should truly spend eternity in Hell.

What must it have been like for a boy to see only fear and disgust in the eyes of those who dared look upon his unmasked face? But it was that face that Julianna loved with all her heart… that face that was incredibly beautiful to her. Not even when she first saw Erik, did she think he was ugly. He was stripped of all his pride and glory, broken and waiting for the Angel of Death to take him, to set him free… and yet he still looked as beautiful as ever.

Being a pirate, Julianna didn't much believe in helping the helpless… or helping anyone, for that matter. She was more interesting in helping herself, not others. But she realized that if she had never helped Christine in that bar that night, she never would have met Erik.

She would have spent the rest of her life in isolation, consumed by her cynical thoughts, until her dying day arrived. And then she would have died alone, not having known the joys of true love… not having known Erik. Now she couldn't even imagine how harsh and merciless life would be without him. What if she'd never met him? Then she'd still be the empty, soulless creature that she was before. And she'd be alone.

She looked at the soft expression on his face as he slept, and felt such an intense, warm rush of feeling for this caring, sensitive man. She was embarrassed to think that she'd been feeling sorry for herself only moments before. She wasn't alone anymore. She had Erik. She loved the sound of his name, and her thoughts filled with him and her feeling for him. She loved him more than she ever thought it was possible to love anyone.

Julianna looked out the window, suddenly becoming aware of just how late it was getting. From the position of the sun, high in the cloudless sky, she guessed that it was nearly noon. She knew she needed to get up. She had guests who were probably waiting for their breakfast… well, lunch by now.

This was one of those times when she wished that she had a hired cook and a couple of maids. Ever since Erik had arrived, her time had been spent in other, much more pleasurable ways than her usual cleaning. She realized that since she was going to marry Erik, she was definitely going to have to employ some help.

Even though she was extremely tired… not to mention, comfortable in Erik's warm embrace, she decided to get up and make brunch for her guests. I could even bring Erik breakfast in bed, she thought. He should like that.

Julianna took one last glance at her beautiful, sleeping Erik, and then slowly pried herself from his strong arms, being careful not to wake him up. To her relief, he didn't stir… he just snored softly, still in a deep sleep. He must be tired, she thought. Especially after last night. Oh Erik, she thought, remembering the previous night. You are so amazing… my very own sex god. All mine…

She quickly slipped on a pair of pants and a shirt and headed downstairs, practically skipping in all her happiness and delight. Suddenly, Elaine popped out in front of her, and Julianna almost ran into her, eyes wide as saucers. "Morning, Julianna," Elaine said, slyly. "You're in an awfully good mood…"

Julianna cheeks reddened slightly. "Yeah… well, um…" she stammered, not being able to think of a suitable excuse.

Elaine smiled, mischievously. "Don't worry," she said. "I think I already know why…"

"Wha-?" Julianna started. "You do?" How could Elaine know? she wondered. She must be thinking of something else. She has to be, right? How could she know about the nocturnal activities of Erik and I?

Elaine winked at her, and Julianna realized that Elaine did indeed know. Was she just guessing or did she actually see or hear something that was evidence? Oh God, Julianna thought, blushing further with embarrassment. I hope not.

"We heard you and Erik last night," Elaine said quietly, answering Julianna unasked question. "It was kind of hard to ignore." It was Elaine's turn to blush. She didn't usually talk openly about the sexual relationship of other people, nor her own. But how could she disregard Erik and Julianna's moans and cries of pleasure she'd overheard last night? Elaine herself had never had sex that was that passionate before… and she doubted that she ever would.

Ha, I bet she's incredibly jealous, Julianna thought, smiling slyly. She finally found the courage to look straight into Elaine's eyes, and she found that it was true. Elaine was envious of the pleasure that Erik could give Julianna, and Julianna silently wondered if William was not so good in bed.

"Sorry about that," Julianna said, not longer embarrassed. "We're not used to having other people in the house."

"Well, you won't have to worry about that for much longer," Elaine said. "Adora is much better this morning; her fever is completely gone. William said that we should be leaving soon. Our servant and driver should arrive with our new carriage no later than this evening."

Julianna nodded, secretly relieved that they would be leaving soon. She much preferred the seclusion of being alone. Except now she wouldn't be completely alone. She had Erik to cure her loneliness, and she could cure his as well.

Even though she was glad her guests were leaving, she felt obligated to invite them to stay longer if they needed. It was the polite thing to do. To them, she wasn't a pirate; she was a noblewoman… the Lady La Vivion. "You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like," Julianna said, courteously.

"No, thank you," Elaine said. "We really need to be getting on to Paris."

"Well, in that case," Julianna said, "there's something I feel like I need to tell you… if you promise to keep it a secret."

"Of course, I will," Elaine said. "There's something I need to tell you, too… actually, a favor to ask of you."

"Alright," Julianna said, wondering what Elaine was possibly going to ask of her. "You go first then."

"Well," Elaine started. "I've noticed that you have no servants… but I think you could use a couple, if you want. I have a sister and a friend in Paris... both in desperate need of work and a place to stay. They're both completely trustworthy and diligent workers. And my sister is an excellent cook. Do you think maybe you could hire them to work here for you and Lord Erik?"

Julianna smiled widely, eyes lighting up. She wondered how she could be so lucky. Only minutes before, she had been thinking about where she was going to find some hired help. "Of course," Julianna said, relieved that she had one less problem to worry about. "We could definitely use the help. When can they start?"

Elaine smiled in relief. "Oh, thank you, Julianna," she said. "I'll send them right away once we get to Paris." Elaine looked at Julianna expectantly. "Now that that's settled, what did you want to tell me?"

"You should probably sit down for this," Julianna said, leading Elaine into the main living room. They both sat down on the sofa, and Elaine looked up at Julianna eagerly.

"D'accord," Julianna said, desperately trying to calm her nerves. "Erik and I…" she began. "We aren't married." She paused, looking for Elaine's reaction to her confession. She knew she had to tell Elaine everything… well, almost everything. She just couldn't live with her conscience. There was just something about Erik that made her want to be a better person.

Elaine just urged her to continue, seemingly unfazed by her words. "This house belongs to me," Julianna continued. "Erik is here because of a favor I did for a friend. I helped him escape from a prison. That's why he's staying here with me. He can't go back to Paris yet. He would be in a lot of danger. He hasn't even been here for a full week." She purposely left out the bit of the story that involved Christine. That would only make everything more confusing for Elaine.

"And you were pretending to be married so we wouldn't be suspicious?" Elaine asked.

"Yes," Julianna said, looking at the floor. "Pretending…"

"Oh my God!" Elaine exclaimed, excitedly. "That's so exciting!" She paused. "Wait… you said Erik was in prison? He doesn't seem like a criminal to me."

Julianna was shocked that Elaine wasn't mad at her for lying or scared that she was in a house with two felons. Elaine thought it was exciting. Of all things, exciting was not one of the things Julianna would have guessed for Elaine. This poor woman must have a dreadfully dull life. "He's not a criminal," Julianna said, trying to think of something rational to back up her statement. "He was an innocent man, and he was going to be hung."

"You love him," Elaine said, suddenly.

Julianna wasn't expecting Elaine to say anything even close to that, and she wasn't prepared for it. She was completely dumbfounded, and she realized she would have to tell the truth. If she lied, Elaine would surely be able to distinguish it. "Yes, I love him," Julianna said, tenderly.

"And he loves you," Elaine said, firmly. "As I said before, it's easy to see."

Julianna smiled. "I just have one question for you," she said, having a sudden thought. "How did you know that we weren't just acting?"

Elaine returned the smile. "You of all people should know… it's impossible to fake true love," she said. "It's like… when the two of you are together, you radiate so much love… pure, strong love. It's hard to overlook. I'm jealous of your love. It's so powerful. William and I love each other very much, but it doesn't even come close to the love that you and Erik share. Love that strong is dangerous… don't ever let him hurt you."

A tear trickled from the corner of Julianna's eye. "He would never…" she said, voice cracking.

"No, I wouldn't think so," Elaine said quietly. "You two really should get married, you know. I'd hate to see you without each other."

"He asked me to marry him," Julianna said, happily.

Elaine's eyes opened wide. "What did you say?" she asked, eagerly.

"I said yes," Julianna said.

Elaine squealed in delight and gave Julianna a friendly hug. "I'm so happy for you," she said, smiling widely.

"Thank you," Julianna said, returning the smile. She felt so relieved because she'd finally told Elaine everything she needed to know. She expected Elaine to be angry with her for being dishonest, but she wasn't. Elaine remained her friend, loyal and trustworthy. She actually understood the reason that Julianna lied.

"I would ask you to be my Maid of Honor," Julianna said. "I always wanted a big, fancy wedding … but that can't possibly happen now. It would be too dangerous for Erik. Besides, there really isn't anyone else to invite. I have no family living and neither does he, and we don't have many friends."

Elaine frowned. How could these two amazing people not have any family and few friends? They must have been very lonely, she thought, before they found each other. "It's probably best that you don't have a big wedding," Elaine said. "You don't want to draw too much attention to yourselves."

"You're right," Julianna said. "I suppose we'll just find a priest to come here and perform the ceremony. Your sister and friend will have to be our witnesses."

"I wish I could be there," Elaine said. "I guess I'll just have to send my gift with Danielle… my sister."

"You don't have to give us a gift, Elaine," Julianna said. "As you can see, we already have more than enough."

"That may be true," Elaine said, firmly. "But I'm your friend, and I'm getting you a gift, whether you want one or not."

Julianna grinned at Elaine's assertiveness and grabbed her arm gently. "Come on," she said, lightheartedly. "Let's go make something for lunch."

With that, they went to the kitchen and prepared a quick, light meal which consisted of les croissants et les tartes aux pommes. It wasn't the greatest meal ever, but it was easy to prepare. Besides, none of them were all that hungry anyway.

Julianna fixed a plate for Erik, filled up with croissants and apple tarts. She doubted he would eat them all. He was so thin, she didn't see how he could, but she wanted him to have as much as he wanted. Then she poured a cup of tea to take up to him, as well. "Elaine, I'm taking these up to Erik," she said. "You all can go ahead and eat."

Elaine nodded, and Julianna headed up the stairs to her room. When she got there, she found Erik still sleeping as soundly as ever. She set the plate and cup on the nightstand and layed down on the bed next to him, propping herself up with her elbow.

She gently caressed his cheek with the back of her hand. "Wake up, Erik…" she whispered, gently kissing the corner of his mouth. He stirred slightly but didn't wake up.

Julianna shook her head and smiled at him. He moaned softly in his sleep as she stroked his chest tenderly. She brushed her lips against his ear, whispering his name, and breathing her warm breath into his ear.

His eyes slowly fluttered open, and she was rewarded with a loving smile. She gazed into his impossibly blue eyes, and couldn't resist pressing her lips to his for a soft kiss. "It's about time you woke up," she said, kissing his jaw line. "I brought you breakfast."

She helped him sit up, and then she handed him the plate full of croissants and tarts. "Mmmm…" he said, appreciatively accepting the plate. "You spoil me, my love," he said, taking a bite out of one of the croissants.

She laughed softly. "I can spoil you more, hmm?" she said, getting behind him and rubbing his back as he ate. He moaned as her skillful hands massaged all the tension from his bare back and shoulders. He smiled in delight. He couldn't ever remember feeling so good.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Erik jumped in surprise, but then settled back down as Julianna continued to massage his tired muscles. "Come in," Julianna said, quickly making sure that Erik was covered.

The door opened quickly, and Elaine walked in. Erik's cheeks reddened in embarrassment, and Julianna grinned. She'd never seen Erik blush before. It was actually quite adorable.

"I just wanted to let you know," Elaine said, eyeing Erik's only half-covered body. "Our carriage has arrived. We will be leaving soon."

Julianna's eyes opened wide. "We'll be right down."

Well, there's Chapter 28. I'm so sorry I took so long to get it written and posted. Anyway, I hope you liked it. Please review.