A/N: Thank you for all of the time you each took to review. The reviews on the last chapter were mixed, but I appreciate every single one. Now…Let there be fluff!

Ch. 13 – Love Covers A Multitude Of Sins

As day broke over the horizon, a man and a woman lay in silent repose - his left leg under hers as she was on her stomach, he on his back. Her arm was draped over his bare chest, her head resting on his shoulder. His eyes opened and he smiled as he felt her body next to him. He reached up with his right hand and caressed the limb that lay across him, his fingers leaving goose bumps on her cool flesh. He breathed in her scent. But instead of roses and lavender, he smelled blood and the astringent odor of medicine. Reality set in quickly, the memories of the night before rushing back to him.

He had killed again for the first time in so long. Piangi was the last man to succumb to the Punjab lasso. He had felt deep regret at having to kill the man, but he had been standing in the position that Erik was destined to occupy that night. Sacrifices to conscience had to be made at times.

The men that he had murdered last night would never earn the slightest bit of remorse from him. His actions had been necessary to save the woman that he loved and prevent their brand of scum from walking the planet any further. His only regret was seared into his memory as a pair of wide, blue eyes staring at him in fear. Charles was an unblemished soul that had now been exposed to the vilest truths of the world. Innocence lost. Erik was distressed at the thought as he could not remember a time in his own life when cruelty was not present. He had never had the natural childhood full of naivety that Charles had been blessed to experience. Though he knew that he was blameless for the horror of his mother's abuse, he couldn't help but feel responsible for Charles's exposure to the darkness. It did follow him wherever he went.

Christine stirred, and a whimper of pain escaped her lips. Her open palm ran down his muscled chest sending a shock through his body. He had abandoned all thought of her son the moment she had begun to rouse. Small movements, her bare leg shifting a few inches against his own panted leg, her face turning slightly against his neck almost nuzzling him, her breath warm and caressing on his skin. Had they ever been this close before, he wondered. This intimate?

He dared not move a great deal for fear of breaking the spell of the moment by waking her fully. He turned his head slightly so that his lips found contact with the skin along the edge of her hairline. His only thought at that moment was, Love me Christine. Please love me this time.

He knew that the sweet seconds were coming to a close as her eyes fluttered open, her lashes tickling him. Fear gripped his heart as he considered what her reaction might be finding herself in this affectionate position. He waited for her to speak or push him away. Instead she tightened the arm that was encircling him, holding him in a secure embrace. He responded to her by turning on his side to face her more fully, anchoring her body to him with his own strong arm thrown over her waist. He had to remind himself to be careful of the wounds on her back.

She raised her face and they were but a whisper from each other, her eyes still a bit hazy from sleep. Before he could react, she placed a tender kiss next to his mouth, barely touching the skin of his lips. His arousal was instant though he had been able to control it up to this point. He searched her eyes for a sign that she was toying with him, but found only a look of adoration. His hand swept into her hair at the back of her head letting the tendrils run through his fingers. Gently he returned the kiss to her cheek, but unlike her, he did not stop there. He took her mouth with his, feeling the fullness of her lips. The kiss was delicate and soothing, a caress meant to express his love for her.

When he released her, he once again regarded her face, searching for a reaction. To his pleasure, her moist lips curved into a content smile that reached her twinkling eyes. He smiled back at her finding this comfortable exchange most satisfying. As she tried to snuggle closer to him, she winced in pain as the wounds that she had temporarily forgotten were irritated by the fabric of her nightdress.

"It will be necessary for you to lie still for awhile. We don't want the lacerations to reopen," he said. His voice was deeper than usual either from passion or from his having just awoken. He reluctantly began disentwine himself from her and sat up. Once again suppressing his urges, his hands went to her shoulders and slowly lowered the sleeves of her nightgown to expose her naked back to his eyes. The stripes looked as though they were healing nicely, no infection was noticeable. He replaced the garment and stood.

"You will stay in my cabin while you recuperate. I can have your things brought in here as well as Charles's cot." Seeing her concerned look he added, "Charles is with Stone. I will have him brought to you."

She quickly said, "Erik, you are my savior. If you hadn't discovered them…"

"Yes, I know love, but I did. It just wasn't soon enough to spare you this," he said, gesturing to her back.

Steeling his courage he said, "Before Charles is sent for, I need to tell you something. The boy saw me murder Harcourt. He was under the bed and he saw me kill the man." He was visibly pained to tell her this and she could see his distress.

"He will understand that you were coming to my rescue. He must have known what they were doing to me." Tears began to fall on the pillow as she thought of what her son had been forced to hear while he was hidden. "Oh my poor baby," she sobbed.

He dropped to his knees at her bedside and wiped at her tears, "I didn't know he was there, Christine. I was vicious. He will never forget what he saw me do."

Seeing that he was misinterpreting her sorrow and thinking that she blamed him for her son's unfortunate experience, she said strongly, "No Erik. You will not blame yourself for this. He will forgive you and he will understand. If you hadn't killed those men, God only knows what would have become of us! I will explain everything to him." She reached a hand to stroke his back, calming his fears. "You are our guardian angel, my wonderful protector. Please do not condemn yourself for this any further."

He heard the truth of her words and felt the guilt begin to slip away. "Christine, I…I will go fetch him." He had started to say I love you, but lost his nerve. He remembered the last time he had said those three words to her. It was still painful despite their closeness at the moment. He rose once more and pulled on a shirt. Exiting the cabin, he felt a bit nervous, but she had effectively placated him. He was now brave enough to face the child.

Stone opened the door to his knock, and upon seeing him, he stepped aside to allow Erik entrance. Charles still lay in Stone's bed, but he was awake. When Erik had come in, he had turned his face away to look at the opposite wall of the cabin. Erik felt the courage that she had instilled in him waning as he struggled with what to say or do. It was no good, he couldn't find the words. He turned to Stone and said, "Will you bring Charles to my cabin? His mother wishes to see him." He then turned and left.

"You hear that Charlie? You're Mama's wanting to see you. Let's get up now and go to her," Stone said enthusiastically.

Charles emerged from the bed and walked to the door. He turned to make sure that Stone was going to follow him, and continued on into the hallway. Erik had almost crossed his threshold as he turned his head to look down the passage and saw the two emerge from Stone's cabin. He left the door open and said to Christine, "Here he comes."

When Charles entered the cabin, he saw his mother lying on her stomach. Her nightdress had dark blotches on the back and her face was bruised. His lower lip trembled at the sight of her. He had known that the bad men had hurt her, but now he could see it. She reached out a hand to him, "Charles, come here." Her tone was firm, hoping that would give him some comfort that she still had strength in her.

He obediently walked to her and took her hand. "Charles, I know that you were very afraid last night and I know that you are afraid now. But the men that hurt me are gone. The Captain made them go away so that they would not hurt me anymore. The Captain, Erik, is a good man, Charles. He saved us. Do you understand?"

Charles looked at Erik, then back to his mother and he nodded. Erik felt relief course through his body. He wondered if he should dare try to approach the boy. As if sensing Erik's need, Christine said to Charles, "Please go and thank Captain Erik for rescuing us."

For a moment, Charles looked as though he were going to say that he did not want to, but then he walked over to Erik and said quietly, "Thank you, Captain Erik."

"You're welcome, Charles," Erik replied and squatted down to look the boy in the face. "I would never hurt you or your mother. You both mean a great deal to me." Unsure he drew Charles into an embrace and found that the boy clung to him hungrily.

Across the room, Christine regarded the exchange with tear-filled eyes. She wished that she were able to get up and go to them, joining in the beauty of the moment. Erik's eyes found her face and he smiled at her, silently expressing his gratitude for returning her son to him.