I'm a little late with this chapter. Sorry! Life is not giving me much time these days. But don't worry... I'll finish this story if it kills me... because I get the feeling if I don't then you guys will! D Enjoy!

Chapter 18

We returned.

I felt giddy and light-headed again. I realised I was acting the part of a giggly schoolgirl. It was hardly a mature approach to the situation, but at least it didn't appear to matter to Erik, who led me down into the catacombs once again without another word, grasping my hand gently so as not to lose me in the labyrinth. I was glad of his light, and also the fact that, this time, I was wearing proper shoes, because I was so thrilled by what was happening I didn't pay attention to where I put my feet half the time.

The thrill and awe I had experienced on seeing his underground home for the first time was still present when I entered once again and swept my eyes across the vast chamber. A few things had changed, I realised instantly. One was the flowers, which were scattered elegantly around in tall vases. Every single one was a rose, I realised, and not one petal was anything other than the deepest red. Instinctively I reached out to touch the nearest bouquet, and found the petals wonderfully soft against my fingers.

The second thing I noticed was the statues. I remembered, on last coming down here, that they had been covered by white cloths. Now they were revealed… beautiful, reverent sculptures of angels, their flawless wings folded against their backs while they prayed. At first I was charmed by them and their magnificence, until I saw the expressions that had been expertly carved onto their delicate features. I couldn't remember ever seeing the face of an angel so… heartbreaking. Their hands weren't raised in worship… but in desperate entreaty. For what, I didn't dare imagine. I could almost see the tears streaming down their stone cheeks.

"Christine."

The sound of Erik's voice interrupted my thoughts and I shook them off, remembering why I was here and who was with me. Glancing up, I realised with some embarrassment that Erik had been carefully watching my reaction to everything. Blushing, I tried to smile through it and, thankfully, he didn't press me to tell him what was wrong. Instead he touched my arm gently.

"I'll be back in a moment."

Nodding silently, I watched him leave the main chamber, pushing aside one of the large drapes and going into a much smaller room beyond it. It was tempting to follow, but I resisted for now. Avoiding looking at the faces of the stone angels, I went to the piano and picked up the music that had been laid out. The sheets were fresh, but they couldn't have come from a music book, and it slowly dawned on me that Erik must have written it. Softly, I began to hum the tune… feeling thrilled that it was Erik's composition I held in my hands. The words were written in French, and I understood a little of what was written… certain phrases leaping out to me…

"What do you think?"

My breath hitched in my throat, as if I had been caught in the act of doing something very wrong. But when I looked back at Erik, who had appeared at my shoulder as quietly as a ghost, he didn't seem upset. In fact he looked pleased that I had been studying at his music.

"It's beautiful," I said, meaning it wholeheartedly. "It sounds familiar too," I added thoughtfully.

Erik nodded, and removed the music sheets from my hands. "Perhaps this will refresh your memory."

With this, he seated himself at the piano and began to play, his fingers moving fluidly across the notes, drawing sounds from the huge instrument that seemed too exquisite to be real. And when he began singing I felt as though he had reached into my body and pulled at something deep and hidden there… something that combined both pleasure and pain in one delicious blend. My breathing became ragged and my limbs seemed to lose their energy. I remembered when I had heard this. Erik had sung this piece for me before… only now it was sweeter, more crystal clear. Once he had used it to sing me to sleep… and now, it was doing something utterly different to me that set every nerve in my body tingling.

By the end of the song I was shaking all over, on the verge of tears. Erik rose from the piano and without a word gathered me to him in a warm embrace. Apparently the music had effected him too… I could feel his heart beating wildly against his ribs as my head pressed against him. But he controlled himself far better than I did, running his fingers soothingly through my hair and kissing my scalp through the dark-brown curls.

The feeling of his lips was too much, and I turned my head up, desperately seeking his mouth with my own. I kissed him with what I could only describe as hunger… an all-consuming appetite that refused to be appeased, and which Erik returned with equal fervour. His arms tightened around my shoulders and mine around his waist, fingers curling into the fabric of clothes as we sought desperately to be closer to each other until I could hardly breath from the tightness of his embrace, and found myself not caring in the slightest.

This need… this urgent desire… it was both terrifying and thrilling. It dominated my body and eclipsed everything else. My entire world had shrunk to the size of this underground chamber. There was nothing beyond it except an empty blackness that I wanted nothing to do with. This was what mattered. What was happening now between me and Erik… this was everything.

We parted, if only to catch our breath for a second, and watched each other from little more than an inch away. I was staring directly into the eye-sockets of the mask, into the blue-grey depths of Erik's eyes, watching something burn there.

"Erik…"I whispered breathlessly, even though I had nothing really to say.

Whatever I had seen burning in his eyes faded just slightly… retreated somewhere inside him, although I knew it was still there somewhere… waiting patiently for the right moment.

"There's something I want you to have," he said, moving away slightly.

"What?" I asked, instantly curious.

He smiled and shook his head, indicating that he wouldn't say. But he gestured to one of the drapes, though not the one he had just been through.

"Go in there. Get yourself ready. I have something special planned."

I wanted to tease him… play with this strange, cryptic attitude he had suddenly adopted. But he looked so serious that I thought twice about it and asked him plainly: "What is it?"

But again he shook his head. "Don't ask questions, my dear. You'll see soon enough." And once again he gestured to the opening. This time I didn't risk questioning him and obeyed quietly, intrigued by what exactly he had planned for me. Pushing the heavy drape to one side, feeling the tasselled edge tickling the back of my hand, I went into a much smaller room that was almost completely bare, except for a simple wooden bed in one corner with a candelabra shedding light from a small table beside it. It looked like a room for a monk except for one detail. On the bed there was a long white box, the kind I knew must contain some kind of dress. My fingers shook as I removed the top and reverently unfolded the garment inside.

It was white… that was the foremost thing about it. Pure white and made from the smoothest silk I had ever felt. It shone in the light from the candles as I held it up. The waist was a corset, I could feel the hardness inside the fabric meant to give the wearer the right shape… and the skirt itself flowed down in soft layers, all beaded with tiny pearls and ending in a short train at the back that would just drag along the floor, but only barely. The straps at the shoulders were of a thin, lacy material that also lined the top of the bodice.

It looked like a wedding dress… so much like one that I almost dropped it in sudden panic. What was it that Erik had planned? Surely he didn't intend to… I mean… I was only seventeen. I wasn't even allowed to get married yet, was I? And for all the deep emotions I felt for him, I certainly didn't feel ready for this.

But even as I stood there, heart pounding wildly, I couldn't help but acknowledge the beauty of this creation I held in my hands. Something inside me ached to put it on… to wear it. A part of my mind reasoned with me calmly… it's only a dress. It's not as if you've been proposed to, for goodness sake. Well, that was true. Traditionally you were proposed to first, then came all the fuss about the wedding dress and such. Besides… just because a dress is white doesn't automatically make it a wedding dress. True again. People wore white dresses all the time and they weren't getting married. You're being paranoid. Yes, I probably was, I admitted. Nothing to panic about really. And besides… Erik had asked me to wear this, and I didn't want to disappoint him.

Carefully I placed the dress on the small bed and looked around. If Erik really did have something special in mind, I wanted to look my best. There was a door, the only door I had seen in this place and when I went through I saw that it led to what looked like a bathroom… albeit an odd-looking one, with everything from a toilet to a little hand basin in the corner. The 'bath' was sculpted out of the floor, with two large taps hanging over the edge. I had no idea how, but one of them yielded hot water, and soon I had a lovely warm bath run. When I sat in it, I felt like I was in a Jacuzzi, minus the bubbles.

Once out of the bath, I found a soft white towel laid out on the bed and quickly dried myself. Then I looked at this dress. It still made me a little uneasy, and the feeling intensified as I put it on. There was no mirror in the room, but I knew what I must look like. A veil and a bouquet would have completed the image. But I pushed these thoughts out of my head and concentrated on getting ready.

Luckily for me, I had a small mirror in my make-up bag. I set it on the little table next to the candelabra and began to carefully apply my make-up, not overdoing it and making it as natural as possible. I didn't want to go overboard and look like I was desperate to impress.

Once I was ready I spent at least ten more minutes trying to work up a nerve to go out into the main room. I was still nervous about being seen in this dress, even by Erik, but I knew I couldn't possibly hide in here all evening. And besides… something was happening next door that awoke my curiosity. First there was the smell… of food. Delicious scents wafted through and had my mouth watering so much I was desperate to know what had been prepared Obviously Erik's little surprise was a romantic dinner, and I felt myself blushing even with no one there to see it.

Second was the music…

I emerged slowly, curious and also self-conscious. Fortunately, Erik had his back to me for the moment, and that gave me the opportunity to see what was happening. A small table had been set out, carefully laid for two. There were steaming plates of food there, from which little wisps of steam arose. The music I couldn't find the source of. It was as though it were coming out of the air itself…. soft, sweet piano music that was in keeping with this place.

As was I now, I observed, looking down at myself once again.

Erik still hadn't turned and, finally working up some nerve, I cleared my throat to alert him to my presence. He turned and I actually saw the way he completely halted in every aspect as his eyes fixed on me. He was wearing a smart dinner suit, not a tuxedo I noted with a little relief, and looked impeccable, even with his lean frame. I could tell he was taking in my appearance too, but he seemed to take so long about it, and I felt the colour rise in my face once again as his gaze seemed to intensify with every passing second.

In a desperate attempt to achieve some reaction, I put my hands behind my back and gave a modest little shrug. It seemed to work, because Erik let out a sigh that sent a tremor up my spine.

"You look so beautiful," he said with so much longing in his voice I wanted to walk into his arms right then. But he held out his hands to me and I took them, smiling with slight embarrassment at the look in his eye. He put me at ease by bending down to place a lingering kiss on my mouth. We shared another smile before Erik helped me to my seat.

The candlelight reflected off silver dish covers, and I watched as Erik, with no small amount of flair, lifted the one in front of me. A small cloud of steam rose from underneath, along with an even stronger scent of the food. The meat, tinged slightly with the blood, looked like lamb, and when I cut away a piece and placed it in my mouth it nearly melted against my tongue. A hint of rosemary lingered on my taste buds. I opened my eyes, realising for the first time that Erik was watching me intently.

"It's delicious," I said, prompting a small flicker of pride to cross his smiling mouth. Then he picked up a wine bottle that had also been set on the table and poured me half a glass, the rich red liquid splashing against the delicate crystal. I was hardly a great connoisseur when it came to wine, but I had a feeling, as I raised the glass to my lips, that this was not the cheap stuff my father bought. I took a small sip and felt a warm rush of fruity flavours against my tongue. I looked at Erik over the rim and gave a small smile as I set the glass down and returned my attention to the food once more. As with the music, I had no idea where this delicious meal had come from, but I didn't feel inclined to ruin the magic of the evening by asking.

While we ate we talked. And in this atmosphere, in this place… I found courage to say things I had not dared before. I actually risked asking questions.

"Why did you come to Rome?"

He hid his reaction to the question well, but I could still sense his surprise, however small, at the unexpected curiosity. Even more surprisingly, however, was that Erik actually answered.

"A few reasons. The lure of the culture perhaps… and it seemed like the best place to stay." He shrugged gracefully and took a drink from the crystal wineglass before raising his eyes to look about his home. "After wandering for so long I felt it was time to settle."

"'Wandering?'" I echoed enquiringly.

"Yes… just wandering. All over the world. I'm surprised I remember half the places I've been in my lifetime."

"What did you do? While you were travelling, I mean."

"This and that," he said evasively, and I took this instantly as a sign not to press him to tell me. So instead I asked a different question.

"Do you miss France?" Looking over at me, he frowned slightly and I blushed a little. "I know you're French, remember?"

He softened a little at the reminder and my sudden shyness. "I remember. And the answer is no… I don't miss France. There's nothing there for me but memories… ones that I'm very happy to leave there… undisturbed."

Again, another warning to drop this topic quickly and, not wanting to ruin the mood of the evening, I took the hint. But apart from these searching questions buzzing in my head I felt incapable of making conversation. Good conversation anyway. Maybe it was the situation I found myself in, an anticipation of what the evening might bring. But Erik saved the evening for me by telling me stories… though sadly not about himself. At some point our limited conversation turned to my equally limited knowledge of Rome, the architecture, the history and finally the mythology. I commented on the statues of the gods and goddesses about the city, and remarked how little I knew about them. And so Erik told me the myths, and told them with such dexterity that I almost believed they really happened.

My favourite story was Cupid and Psyche. This story I did know, however, but I let Erik tell it anyway, just to hear him weave the beautiful tale into my mind with his voice. The beautiful mortal Psyche was so adored by the men in her father's kingdom that she incurred the jealousy of Venus, the Goddess of Love, who sent her son Cupid to make her fall in love with the ugliest creature on earth. But instead Cupid fell in love with her, and eventually devised a scheme to marry her, visiting her only by night, in darkness, so she would never know his identity as the God of Love.

When the story was finished, and the meal with it, Erik stood up, and held out his hands once again. I allowed him to pull me gently to my feet and lead me off to one of the other rooms, one I hadn't been in before. When he looked back at me I saw something in his eyes that made my heart skip, not in panic this time but a strange kind of excitement. The room beyond was dark and as we entered I barely had time to take in the surroundings, in particular the large bed at the far side of the room, before the black drape fell over the doorway, and we were plunged into utter darkness.

Erik let go of my hand, and I reached out to try and find him in the blackness.

"Erik… where are you?" I whispered, unable to raise my voice in that place, as if it were a sin to do so. But the hint of panic in my tone was unmistakeable. "Erik?"

"I'm here, my love," said a voice behind me, and I felt a pair of arms wrapping around me. I leant back against him in relief and held onto him tightly. As I did, I felt his mouth touch my bare throat and move slowly and tenderly up and down the flesh. At the same time his hands began to move, tracing the sides of the silk corset and finally coming to rest behind me – at the top clasp between my shoulder blades. He grasped it purposefully…

"Erik…" I began, but faltered.

"Ssh… it's alright," he whispered reassuringly, right into my ear with that soft, sweet voice.

"But…" I was glad he couldn't see my face, because I could feel the heat rushing to it. "I've never… I mean, I'm…"

"I know, Christine… I know. Don't be afraid."

But I wasn't afraid, I knew. Just strangely nervous. My whole body was trembling in anticipation of what was about to happen as I felt Erik slowly undoing the corset and it began to slip from around my body. I could feel how much I wanted this, and it was a little scary, but it was what I wanted.

"But why like this?" I asked softly, referring to the darkness around us, through which I could not even make out shapes and shadows.

But I felt Erik's mouth against my temple, the nose of the mask in my hair… and his lips brushed my skin as he spoke. "We'll be just like Cupid and Psyche, my love. The union of Love and the Soul… in darkness…"

He went on, speaking softly and soothingly to me as his fingers and lips moved fluidly over my body, leaving delightful tingles on my skin. And I listened, captivated, to every word. Eventually he turned me in his arms, and in the darkness guided my hands to his own clothes, allowing me to unfasten the buttons, slip the jacket and shirt away from him. I felt his bare skin… the coldness of it, and again I realised how thin he must be… but I didn't care anymore. He was right. All I needed was to know that he was here and that he loved me. What else really mattered other than that?

He kissed me deeply, lovingly and then picked me up in his arms. I felt myself being carried, and then lowered with infinite care onto soft, smooth sheets that felt heavenly against my bare skin. But nothing compared to the feeling of Erik's body against mine as we lay together, his mouth exploring the exposed flesh of my body, sending delightful tremors of pleasure up through me. I was lost in him… in his voice, his body and the depth of his passion and my own. He pressed himself tightly to me and I felt him shuddering from the pleasure too, losing some of that calm control now in the face of this surge of overpowering emotion. We were both plunging over the edge with no one to pull us back and we clung to each other as we fell, writhing in pleasure as a thousand different sensations raced through us and ended in a climax that shook me right to the core… shook me so violently that I felt the tears pour down my cheeks. I couldn't breath… I felt like I was going to die.

But I didn't die… I lived. I awoke from the dream into the reality, surrounded by blackness and the arms of this man I had given myself to.

"I love you," I whispered, almost without realising.

There was the slightest pause, and then Erik's mouth closed over mine once again.

"I love you."