Chapter 30

"Heaven ablaze in our eyes; we're standing still in time

The blood on our hands is the wine, we offer as sacrifice

This endless mercy mile, we're crawling side by side

With hell freezing over in our eyes, gods kneel before our crime

Come on, let's show them your love

Rip out the wings of a butterfly for your soul, my love."

-HIM, "Wings of a Butterfly"

Erik grinned at Julianna, mischieviously. "Well, who am I to deny you what you truly want?" he said, softly pressing his lips against hers. Julianna closed her eyes in pleasure, sliding her hand up behind his neck and pulling him against her. He realized her intentions immediately and began to kiss her harder, thrusting his tongue into her mouth. He was rewarded as she moaned softly into their kiss. Erik slowly pulled apart from her, cupping her face in his gentle hands. "Shall we go somewhere a bit more comfortable?" he asked softly, kissing her cheek.

"Okay," she said, playfully kissing his ear. "There's a bedroom across the hall that I believe is unoccupied," she grinned.

He smiled. "That will do," he whispered, tenderly caressing her cheek. He quickly slipped one arm behind her back and the other under her thighs, picking her up effortlessly.

Julianna gasped in surprise and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. She wasn't expecting him to try to carry her, but God, he was being so gentle. Treating her as if she were fine china. Most men wouldn't even bother. She loved how Erik always knew when she wanted him to be gentle or when she wanted him to be rough with her. Somehow he always seemed to know, and she showed her appriciation by pressing a tender kiss to his exposed neck. He let out a little breath of pleasure and began carrying her to the vacant bedroom. Julianna buried her face in his neck, inhaling his exquisite, unique scent.

Erik pushed open the door with his back, finding the room completely dark. The only thing he could make out was the vague outline of the bed, so he headed in that general direction. He gently placed Julianna on the dark-colored satin sheets and then layed down beside her, kissing her again.

Erik kissed the corner of her mouth, as it turned up in the hint of a smile. He smiled back at this amazing, beautiful woman, and then he kissed her mouth again, opening his and seeking entry with his tongue. Julianna opened her mouth, allowing him to gently explore with his tongue, then accepting hers.

He sat up and pulled off his shirt, then helped her with hers. Easing her back down, he took a firm nipple into his mouth, and suckled gently. She gasped as a shock of excitement coursed through her, feeling a warm, wet tingling between her legs.

Erik nuzzled and nibbled lightly, until she pushed toward him, then sucked in earnest. She moaned with pleasure, and he reached for her other breast, caressing its full roundness. After a few moments, he let go of her breast, and began kissing her neck and throat. Julianna shivered in delight and rolled on top of him, crushing her hips against him, pinning him to the bed. She could feel his violently throbbing erection straining against his pants, and she moved her hips against his a couple more times. He moaned loudly, feeling his control slipping away by the second.

Julianna bent down and kissed his chest and then his nipple, causing him to shiver with pleasure. Then she flicked her tongue over his nipple, taking it into her mouth and sucking hard. He moaned loudly again and rolled back on top of her, kissing her mouth, then running his warm tongue slowly over her chin, down the middle of her throat, between her breasts, and down to her navel. He pulled off her pants and panties, then continued downward with his tongue until he felt soft hair. Then his tongue found the top of her warm slit, and she cried out in pleasure when he reached a small, hard bump. When he stopped, she gave a small cry of dismay. "Erik... please..." she begged, grabbing handfulls of his pants, trying desperately to remove them.

Erik gently removed her hands, and then pulled off his pants, freeing his striving erection. Julianna sat up and took it in her hand, stoking gently. She bent down to take him into her mouth, but he put his hand on her shoulder to stop her. She looked up at him, confused, and he tenderly caressed her cheek. "Let me give you pleasure," he managed, voice husky with need.

Julianna couldn't bring herself to argue, being almost completely out of her mind with need for him. She just nodded her head, and he pushed her back down on the bed, kissing her mouth and neck greedily, giving her chills of pleasure. He cupped her breasts, hungrily moving from one sensitive nipple to the other. Then his tongue found her navel again, and he circled it with an ever-increasing spiral, until he once again reached the soft hair of her mound.

He moved over between her thighs, spreading them, and then he spread her folds back with his hands and savored a long, slow taste. She moaned, as he explored tenderly, teasing her with his tongue, and his amazing hands, reaching inside.

She began to move against him, crying out and tossing her head. He found the hard bump and began to work it, while her breath came fast, his own throbbing manhood eager for her. Then she cried out, and he felt a wetness, as she reached for him.

"Erik...ahhh...Erik!" she cried. She was beyond herself, beyond any knowing except for him. She needed him, need to feel his fullness inside of her. Then he was on top of her and she was helping, guiding him into her warm depths. He felt an inexpressible surge of pleasure, pulled out a little, then plunged in again deep, and she embraced all of him.

He pulled out, and then pushed in again, and again, and again. He wanted to draw it out, make it last. He wanted it to never end and yet he couldn't wait for it. With each powerful push, he felt closer. Sweat glistened on their bodies as the matched their timing. Breathing hard, they strained to meet at each stroke, and then, almost unexpectedly, the intensity peaked, and in a burst beyond them both, they reached the crest, coming hard together. They held on to each other for a moment, and then Erik collapsed on top of Julianna, exhausted.

Eventually, Erik rolled onto the bed beside of her, and she snuggled into his warmth. He stroked her hair tenderly. "Do you want to sleep for awhile?" he asked softly.

"Yes," she whispered gently, wrapping her arms around him. Suddenly she remembered that it was the middle of the day, and she had a sudden urge to get up. But that urge passed quickly. She had no reason not to sleep all day anymore. Their guests were gone, and she could finally be alone with Erik.

Erik smiled and pulled the covers up over their shoulders. Then he put his arms around her, resting his cheek on her forehead. It didn't take long for the two of them to fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.

A couple of hours later, Julianna awoke and slowly opened her eyes, surprised to find that Erik's warm body was no longer there beside of her. She sat up and looked around the room, which was still fairly dark, having no windows. The first thing she noticed was a single candle lit on the nightstand, dimly glowing in the darkness. Suddenly her eyes opened wide in shock as she spied at least a dozen beautiful, red roses, resting by the candle, bathed in its luminous light.

"Erik..." she whispered to herself, carefully picking up one of the roses, and bringing it to her nose, inhaling the sweet floral aroma. "Mmm..." she said. Erik must have remembered that roses are my favorite flower, she thought, running her finger gently over the flower's crimson petals.

Then suddenly, she heard the soft notes of an organ, forming a beautiful and mysterious romantic melody. She closed her eyes at the effect his music had on her. She was mesmerized, drawn to it, like a moth to a flame. This was the first time she'd heard him play. And to her knowledge, it was the first time he'd played since his last few days at the Opera Populaire.

She quickly got up, threw on her clothes, and tiptoed across the hall to the music room. She peeked in the door, and sure enough, he was seated at the organ, creating the most beautiful music she had ever heard. She was enchanted by his incredible skill as a musician, and she couldn't stop her feet from taking her closer.

Even though his back was turned, she sensed that he knew she was there. But just to make sure, she rested her hand gently on his shoulder. He immediately ceased his playing, but didn't turn around to face her.

Julianna bent down and kissed the back of his neck tenderly, and then put her arms around him, hugging him from behind. "I see you're playing again," she inquired softly.

Erik slowly turned around to face her, eyes overflowing with love and devotion. "I have reason to now, my love," he said, softly kissing her lips.

"What reason?" Julianna asked, tenderly stroking the side of his face.

"I thought all of my music had been destroyed," he said. "The same night my heart was destroyed, and that left me with no desire to play. Only a reminder of the pain." He smiled. "But ever since you showed me that Don Juan hadn't burned, I've been craving to play again. What did you think of that last piece I was playing?" he asked, excitedly.

"Absolutely beautiful," she said, kissing his cheek again. "Just like you..." she whispered.

"You're amazing..." he said, lifting her onto his lap. There she goes calling me beautiful again, he thought. That is one thing I'm never going to get tired of.

"By the way, Erik, thanks for the roses," she said, kissing his forehead. "They are very beautiful."

He smiled, overjoyed that she was pleased with his small gift. Of course, it was nothing compared to everything she'd done for him, but nevertheless, he was pleased that she liked the beautiful, fragrant roses. He gently kissed her neck. "I love you so much, Julianna," he whispered softly.

Julianna wrapped her arms around him and pulled him to her chest. "I love you, too, Erik," she said, smiling. After a few minutes of silence, she suddenly stood up, certain that she was crushing his leg. Besides she was too happy to sit still for any length of time. "Are you hungry?" she asked, remembering that it had been quite a while since either of them had eaten much of anything.

"A little," he replied.

"Well, come on then," she said, pulling him to his feet. "I'll make you something." With that, the two of them headed back downstairs toward the kitchen. When they got there, Julianna looked at him lovingly. "Erik, what is your absolute favorite food?" she asked. "I'll bet I have it."

He pondered her question for a moment and then replied, "Je ne said pas. I don't have a favorite food."

Julianna caressed his cheek gently. "Everyone had a favorite food," she said tenderly. She looked up at his face, finding it expressionless.

"I've never had much of anything," he said, quietly. "Especially food. Even my own mother," he spat, "would only give me what was necessary to survive."

Julianna stood there in shock. His own mother wouldn't even feed him. Julianna clenched her jaw in anger. It she ever had the chance to meet Erik's no good, unfeeling mother, she wouldn't hesitate to slap some sense into her. How much pain and suffering did she put Erik through, Julianna wondered, before he had the sense to leave? She wanted to know more... know everything about his life, but she knew very well not to ask him now. He was already angry enough. She could almost feel the hate and madness pulsing through his veins.

She immediately pulled him into her arms, and instantly felt his rigid muscles relax a little. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "Believe it or not, I do know how you feel."

He pulled away from her warm embrace. "I don't think you do," he said angrily. "Unlike you, I wasn't born perfect. So tell me," he said, raising his voice almost to the point of yelling. "Tell me how you and your pretty little face could possibly know what it feels like to be a monster!"

"Erik, I'm not perfect," Julianna said, calmly. "Far from it, in fact. And you are not a monster. You are a beautiful, amazing man."

"How can you deny what so clearly it the truth?" he growled, ripping the mask from his face and hurling it across the room.

"It's not," Julianna said, taking a step closer to him. She glared at him, but couldn't hide the concern she felt. "Erik you are not the only child that has ever been abused." She took another step closer. "Do you think I was never abused?" she said, forcefully. "I lived with pirates, for god's sakes! Do you think I was never beaten because I was a girl and I couldn't do the work the men required of me? As much as my father tried to protect me, he couldn't always be there to stop them from beating me until I was covered in bruises... or worse." Julianna stepped closer to Erik, until they were close enough to be almost touching. "My father never knew that they raped me, had their way with me. It wasn't until I was older that they began to respect me... fear me, even though I was only a girl. That's when I first killed a man." Julianna sighed and put her hand on his cheek, his stern expression softening. "You are not the only one who has been scarred."

Erik looked at her with pleading eyes. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, hoarsely. "I shouldn't have yelled at you. It was wrong of me." A tear slid down his cheek, and Julianna quickly wiped it away. "I don't deserve your love."

"Yes, you do," she said, forcefully. "You deserve my love more than any other man on earth." She frowned at his somber expression. "Don't you know how much I love you, Erik? I would do anything for you. I can't stand to see you in such pain. It hurts me so much. I just want you to be happy." She closed her eyes for a moment, as more tears slid down his cheeks. "Erik, I need to know the truth. Are you happy here with me?"

"You know I am," he replied, kissing her cheek tenderly.

"If you would rather be with Christine..." she began, but Erik cut her off, pressing his lips against hers, kissing her passionately.

When they finally broke apart, Erik looked at Julianna sternly. "I only want to be with you, my love."

Julianna smiled and hugged him, glad that he was no longer angry. She remembered the first time he'd gotten angry at her, and she remembered being frightened of him. She wasn't scared of him this time though. She knew perfectly well that he would never harm her. She trusted him with her life, and she hoped he trusted her the same. She knew he did. "Erik, I..." Then suddenly the doorbell rang, and Julianna and Erik both jumped in shock.

Well, there's Chapter 30. I am so sorry it took so long to get written and posted. I'm seriously almost never home, and the only free time I have is on Sunday, and then I'm usually doing my homework or something. Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter. Please review.