-1Disclaimer: We own none of the characters from Phantom of the Opera.

Author's Note: Christine… Naughty? Never! ;)

Chapter Six

Christine awoke late in the night, shifting uneasily as her corset was cutting off her air supply. She squinted in the darkness and watched as she gently released Erik onto the bed next to her. She sat up, moving to the edge of the bed, and moved her hands to her back to unbutton her dress. Clumsily, but quickly, she removed each button from its hole and slid the dress off her body and onto the floor, and then reached back once more to undo the ties of her corset. She cringed at how sore her ribs were, and stood as she drew in deep breaths. Damn society! The corset loosened and she pulled it off and let it fall carelessly to the floor as well, frowning down at it. Moving over to the bag once more, she took her brush out and ran it through her curls in the darkness.

Erik stirred in his sleep, his hand reaching out to feel for his wife to pull her closer, and he woke completely when she was not there. Sitting up quickly, he grunted in pain as he grasped his left shoulder and with his cat-like eyes noticed his wife brushing her hair. "My dear, is there a reason you're grooming yourself at this unholy hour?" He asked teasingly, his voice thick with recently shed sleep. He noticed her sides looked a bit red, and he stood up, ignoring the wave of dizziness that washed over him, to walk to his wife. Frowning, he knelt down before her and examined her ribs. "That damn corset..." He said, looking deeply troubled as he reached out to brush his fingers over a spot where it looked like a bruise may very well form. "I wish you wouldn't wear them..." He pressed a gentle kiss to her side, wrapping his arms about her waist.

Christine smiled down at him and set her brush back into the bag, and reached down to take his face in her hands. She pulled him up to stand and put her arms around her neck, taking a deep breath and cringing when her ribs ached in pain. She kept her arms up, however, willing herself not to hurt, and stretching her upper body out. "It's not as if I want to wear them. I must." She bit her lip and removed her arms, the pain becoming too much for her. "And you're not exactly supposed to sleep in them."

Erik nodded, aware of the pain she was in, and gently placed his arm about her shoulders, guiding her back to the bed. Only once she was laying down did he move to sit next to her, and very gently he stroked his fingers over her ribs, bending after a moment of thought to press kisses against them. What he had meant only as comfort, he soon realized could be taken in an entirely different way, and he flushed. I suppose I'm a bit new to this way of physical love...even if I do feel confident in her arms... Slowly he moved up, pressing his lips against hers and pulling her tenderly against him.

Christine smiled as she rested against her husband. "At least I know I won't have to wear one while I'm in our new home... Perhaps nothing at all." She grinned up at him and squeezed his arm. "How do you feel? Any better?" She ran her hand over his biceps. "Nadir and I were glad to know you filled your medicine. He said you'd been expecting another attack." She frowned. "Were you?"

Erik sighed at her words, rolling to face away from her and curling slightly. "I'm feeling fine now, Christine... just a little sore is all. And yes, I figured it was well on its way." He said shortly, not sure he wanted to have this conversation. For Christine to know how often he really did have attacks, even if they were minor... for her to know that over the last few years he had developed an innate sense for when an attack was going to come...Those were things he wanted never to burden his wife with.

Christine frowned and narrowed her eyes at his back. He'd never pushed her away like that before, and she was confused with his actions. Why would he keep something so important from her? "Erik," she said softly, "Why didn't you warn me? I need to know, I deserve to know, as your wife. All the more I can help you." She reached out to touch his arm. "Please don't feel you have to hide anything from me, Erik." She sighed and curled against him, her arm draping over his waist, and shut her eyes, preparing to drift on back to sleep.

Erik sighed, turning in her embrace and pulling her body close to his. Gently he rested his forehead against hers, trembling as he began to speak. "I've been having the attacks quite regularly for a year or so now... at least once a month, perhaps more often." He said, trying to sound as if this were nothing to him, although in truth he was quite frightened. "It seems that at least 48 hours before the attack, most of the time longer before... I can tell it is coming." He appeared thoughtful for a moment, as if trying to think of the words. "I...can almost feel something different about my body, although I suppose there are no obvious, physical signs. When I was... well, when you thought me to be..." He sighed heavily, "when I taught you through your mirror, I would know ahead of time if an attack was going to come, all the better for me to tell you I would be unable to tutor you that day... otherwise I considered my intuition a blessing in the way that I could be forewarned, then continued about my business until it happened...never aggravating it, you see... but never really stopping in light of it, either." He sighed, looking away. "I wanted so badly to shield you from this, my dear... but I suppose that thought was foolish of me. You are my wife now, and you must know that... these things happen quite often."

Christine's eyes filled with tears. She was so afraid to lose him, so deathly afraid that she clung to him mightily at that moment, burying her face in his chest. She wanted to be strong, but she couldn't find the inner strength, and she realized she never really had possessed much strength. She knew, that if Erik ever lost his life, because of these attacks, that she would die as well, that she could not live her life without her dark angel's wings wrapped protectively around her. She just wanted these attacks to stop. She wanted her husband to be healthy and live a long life beside her. She didn't cry now, though. She wouldn't. She just held him tightly, willing him to be back in full health straight away, even if it was foolishly naive to think that something like that could happen that rapidly. She smiled faintly. Erik had once told her that he was the greatest magician, that he could make anything disappear if he wanted to. She wished she could.

Erik blinked back tears at Christine's silent plea for him to be well. He could feel it in the way she clung so tightly to him... Erik, after all, had spent a large portion of his life a silent witness to those around him, learning to read people by their movements instead of by their words. Gently he pressed a kiss to Christine's brow, moving his lips to brush her ear. "I will not leave you, mon amour. I will fight death himself to stay by your side." Gently his fingers stroked through her hair, as he drew her as close to him as he possibly could, wishing that he could pull her within himself completely. "Oh...Christine..." He whispered brokenly as he burrowed his face into her neck. "I love you so..."

"And I, you," she replied, stroking his back and neck. She was amazed at how he knew why she had been scared. She was always amazed. He was incredible, and she was saddened by the fact that so little people knew of this genius. She cursed his horrible past, furious at how unfair Fate had been to him. She held him tightly. She would never let the world hurt him again. Although she was still worried about his health, his words had soothed her somewhat and she closed her eyes. She trusted him.

Erik gently brushed his fingers over her cheek before letting his eyes close. "Will we have dinner with your uncle tomorrow?" He asked, stifling a yawn. He was quite exhausted, but didn't want to sleep, didn't want to stop being aware of the wonderful woman next to him.

Christine kept her eyes closed and sighed, snuggling into him. She lightly shrugged in his arms. "I suppose so. I only have one more dress though, Erik. You only have two more suits. We must travel back down to the house on the lake and gather more things, which would be wise before the managers get down there. We practically already own the house, so we could begin moving things over to it." She shrugged again. "I'm too tired and sore to care right now, Erik."

Erik nodded, tired himself, and brushed a quick kiss over her lips. "Yes, we will return with Nadir to the underground home tomorrow to acquire our more important things... and we can also arrange to begin moving our belongings to the new home." He said, trying not to become nervous every time he thought about such a thing. Sighing he reached down, pulling the covers over their entwined bodies, and pulling Christine to him with a strong arm. "Good night, my love." He breathed, letting his eyes slide closed.

Christine murmured in response and held him securely before surrendering herself to sleep completely. Hopefully, tomorrow would be better.

Nadir woke the next morning, feeling quite glad that his sleep was left undisturbed through the night. Either they have learned to be quiet, or they slept through the night. He thought with a chuckle, as he quickly dressed and moved into the kitchen. It didn't take long for him to have a large pot of tea brewing and some food prepared; pancakes and hot scones. Moving through the house he knocked at the bedroom door, calling out. "Erik, Christine... I have prepared breakfast...Erik, are you well to get up, or should I bring it to you?"

Erik mumbled in his sleep, rolling over and not responding. Apparently the verdict was left up to Christine... or at the very least it was left up to her to wake him.

Christine shot up in bed at the knock, her hair falling over her face. "I didn't steal the cheese!" She shouted, and when her surroundings became clearer as she fell out of her dream, she flinched. She looked towards the door and frowned. "Cheese," she murmured, before grabbing the sheet from Erik and snuggling against the bed.

Nadir had to chuckle as he slowly opened the door and walked to the bed, mindful to be wary of where his eyes fell lest one of his friends weren't...decent. Thankfully Christine was covered in the sheet, and Erik was still in his suit, shirt unbuttoned. Gently Nadir reached out, taking Erik's arm and giving it a gentle shake. "My friend, wake up." He was startled when Erik only grasped Nadir's arm, cuddling it against his chest and rolling over, almost pulling the Persian man into the bed with him. "Erik, Erik... wake up!"

Finally Erik's eyes slid open, and he looked up with curiosity at Nadir, then down at his arm around Erik, then up at Nadir again. "Why Nadir, I never knew you felt this way... I would have been more sensitive to you... why didn't you say anything?" Erik teased, releasing his friend's arm and stretching.

Nadir chuckled, his face slightly flushed. "I see that you are feeling better, my friend? This is good. I have made breakfast. Wake your wife and come to eat... you must be very hungry, you skipped dinner last night, after all."

At the mention of dinner, a wave of guilt spread over Erik anew. He had spoiled dinner with Christine's uncle, after all... nodding to Nadir, he watched his friend leave the room, and he turned his attention to his wife. Gently he moved closer, brushing his lips over hers and gently shaking her in an attempt to wake the beautiful woman beside him. "Come my dear... it is time to wake... and I see you stole the blanket..." He feigned a look of hurt, placing kisses all over her face.

Christine pushed him away and turned onto her stomach. "Damn cat's in my room again," she murmured against the pillow. "I'll have to tell Erik." She squeezed the sheet in her hands and jerked it up, and the whole thing came up and over her head, but she was too asleep to care.

Erik laughed, pulling the sheet away and tossing it to the side. "Christine, my dear... wake up." He said, moving his hands to her sides and beginning to tickle her, a deviant smile on his face.

Christine was brought back to reality in a way she didn't much appreciate, but considering it was Erik, she wasn't angry. She slapped his hands away while squealing slightly, and then maneuvered herself atop him and pinned his hands above his head. "Ha! Queen of the mountain!" she announced with a radiant smile.

Erik laughed, squirming beneath her feebly and allowing her to feel all-powerful for a moment. Looking up at her with a serious gaze, Erik smiled. "Queen of everything in my life, mon ange." He said softly, before squirming a bit more.

Christine laughed joyously and rolled off of him. "Shall I don a corset today, my love?" she asked playfully as she bent to pick it up. "Surely I should put it on before I eat, because I'm so hungry I could eat a... a... Ayesha!" She grinned up at him and raised her eyebrows. "Or about two Ayeshas..."

Erik chuckled. "There is no need to eat my cat, Christine... Nadir has food prepared for us... and I personally would much rather you avoided the corset... I can say that it's from a medical stand point of your ribs being a bit wounded from sleeping in the corset... but in all honestly I like you without it for more personal reasons." He stood up, buttoning his shirt and stretching a bit. "After all, much faster to undress you..." He arched his eyebrow before continuing, "And also much nicer to feel your skin beneath your dress during the day than that awful garment." He winked, before grasping his mask and slowly sliding it in place.

Christine thought about it. Of course everyone knew you could very well brake your ribs by wearing the corset, but she couldn't imagine going without one. And Erik's seductive suggestion was making her body tingle, but she knew it would be improper not to wear the whalebone out in public. She quickly put it on, and tied it up quickly before throwing her dress over it.

Erik sighed, pouting as he ran a hand through his hair and moved toward her. "Be careful today then, my dear... I worry about you." He said gently, as he swept her curls away from her neck to place a few gentle kisses there. Forget about Nadir's food... I would be perfectly content to have my breakfast right here. He thought to himself.

Christine turned in his embrace, and looked up at him as if her world had been made of glass and had just shattered before her very eyes. "Why do you always kiss me and touch me when I have already put on my clothing? Don't you know how you make me feel, Erik?" She placed her hands upon his chest and slid them down to the waistband of his pants. "Of course you do... You feel it right now..."

Erik chuckled at her words, nodding and taking her questing hand in his. "Yes my dear, I know exactly how you feel..." He purred into her ear, licking a path from her neck down to her collarbone and nibbling there. "And I can't seem to help it... you make me feel so strongly..."

Christine's chest began to ache and she moaned desperately. "Erik, you fiend! Why are you doing this!" She shook her head and stepped away. "I can't stand it! You tease me constantly!" She took his hand and held it to her chest. "Do you feel my heartbeat! My God, Erik, I wish you could feel the ache in me!" She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him passionately, and began pushing him to the bed, suddenly driven by desire so strong it swept her away. "I want to make you feel this way," she murmured, determined, as she pushed him to lie on the bed.

Erik moaned, low and deep in his throat as he clutched to her body. "Yessss...please, Christine..." He gasped out, whimpering as he trembled against her. "Make me feel, Christine..."

Christine straddled his waist, not bothering to take off her corset or chemise, just simply pulling it up around her waist and moving straight to Erik's pants. She tore the button out of the hole and got them off as fast as she could, grinning for his lack of undergarments. She held onto his shoulders as she leaned down and kissed his chest, and up to his neck where she bit lightly. She lifted her lower half and settled onto him, moaning as she felt him deep inside her. "Yes!" She exclaimed, before beginning to move with him inside her.

Erik cried out sharply at the feel of her moving against him, and he clutched at her hips. "God...Christine...!" He strained against her, digging his nails into her and sobbing in need, his head thrashing.

Christine gasped and closed her eyes, an expression of pure desire upon her face. "Erik!" She continued moving against him, but reached down and seized his face in her hands. "Do you feel it, Erik? Do you!" She threw her head back and moaned, her hands moving from his face to grip his upper arms as she quickened her pace.

Gasping for breath, Erik could only nod as he moaned so deeply, unable to keep from shaking in the most extreme pleasure that he had ever felt. Nothing compared to this, nothing at all, and he arched his body, squeezing his eyes closed as he sobbed out her name. He wished to be touching her all over, making her feel these things, but his entire body seemed to be paralyzed from the pleasure pulsing through him. "Yessss..." He ground out, noticing vaguely that he was leaving scratches at the small of her back and her hips from his frantic clawing, but he couldn't seem to help it.

Christine groaned as her chemise fell to rest on Erik's abdomen, and she hiked it up once more, and then let her hand fall back to his chest. "Erik! I... Oh, I can feel it!" She shivered in delight, for she was so close now. She strove to make him go deeper than he'd ever gone before, and she moaned each time she thrust her hips forward. She shook and screamed. It was all spinning out of control too fast! She was tightening, she was falling off the cliff... She gasped and threw her head back, her curls falling to brush against his thighs. "Erik!" She cried.

Erik gasped and moaned, flipping Christine beneath him and thrusting into her several more times while he sobbed her name over and over, his eyes squeezed shut as he moved within her, thrusting deeply inside and releasing powerfully. "Christine!" He cried, shaking as he fell to the side, gasping for breath.

Christine was left gasping wildly, her eyes fluttering as she felt the after-affect of their lovemaking. Well... she'd never experienced anything quite like that before, but she smiled brightly as she regained her breath. She was very proud of herself for being so bold, so confident, and she was glad that she had finally given Erik just a piece of what he had given her. She looked over at him and turned on her side, placing a hand on his chest and smiling up at him.

Erik gasped for breath, his fingers tracing over Christine's bare skin as he tried to remember how to breathe properly. His mind was swimming and the lower half of his body felt numb. He knew if he tried to stand he'd fall right to the ground. Exhaustion poured over him and he nuzzled his face into Christine's neck, still breathing heavily as he tried to calm his racing heart.

Christine's eyes widened as she realized that she'd made him exert himself, and she sat up, looking down at him. "Erik? Erik, are you okay?" You idiot, he could've killed himself! She touched the side of his face and stroked his cheekbone lovingly. "Erik, I'm sorry!" Look at what your brazenness has done to him! He's going to have an attack! She placed her head on his chest lightly and listened to his heartbeat.

"I'm fine..." He insisted, lifting his head to smile down at her. His eyes were shining as he stroked her cheek lovingly. "Oh Christine..." He whispered, such wonder in his voice. "I never..." Tightly he gathered Christine into his arms, squeezing her close and placing warm kisses all over her face.

Christine beamed at him, biting her lip as if shy. She averted her eyes from his with a giggle and shook her head. "I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me." She ran her hands up and down his back, stroking softly as she thought about how amazed he had seemed with what she had done. Perhaps I should do it more often... When he feels better, she assured herself, though she knew the temptation would be great.

Erik chuckled, nibbling at her ear as he rubbed her shoulders gently. "I love you..." He mumbled, laying back and pulling Christine to lay on top of him. "I can't imagine not having you near me..." He stifled a yawn and rubbed a hand over his face.

Christine smiled playfully and kissed the corner of his mouth. "Then don't," she stated, raising her eyebrows. "You never have to be apart from me again." She grinned widely at the thought and kissed his cheek. "Now, I know I've had quite an appetite this morning..." She blushed. "But I'm still very hungry."

Erik smirked up at his wife, nibbling at her neck as he began to sit up. "Well, you can sate that hunger with me any time you like, my dear..." He whispered, his lips brushing against her ear. "But I suppose we should go eat breakfast with Nadir before he becomes suspicious..." He grinned and stretched, wincing from 2a very slight pain in his chest.

She put a hand to his chest and a very concerned look came over her face. "Erik? Are you quite all right? I didn't mean for my lovemaking to hurt you." She rubbed her hand over his torso and then cupped his face in her hands. "Are you sure you can handle going out and moving our things today?"

Erik nodded simply. "Yes, I can handle it fine, my dear." He insisted, grasping the hand that was on his face and bringing it to his lips. "You didn't hurt me in the least... in fact, I don't think I've ever felt better." He winked, leaning in to brush his lips over her cheek. "Come now, let us go eat with Nadir."

Christine nodded and stood, stretching out running her hands through her hair. She straightened out her dress and slipped on her shoes, and then turned to Erik. "Come here," she demanded as she pulled him closer and ran her hands through his hair, as well, fixing wayward strands. When she was satisfied, she nodded and grinned, and took his hand.

Erik was amused by her attentions, and when she had finished fixing his hair, he struck a decidedly feminine pose. "How do I look?" He grinned as he reached for his mask, and slid it onto his face with an ease born of many years of the practice.

Christine laughed and reached up to kiss his mask, and then pulled him towards the door. "Remember, my love, I'm still hungry." She opened the door and quickly swung Erik around to walk in front of her, once again blushing at the thought that Nadir had heard her... music.

Nadir sat at the table in the kitchen buttering a piece of toast and trying to pretend that his two friends weren't in the guest bedroom doing unspeakable things. Allah... I must give Erik credit... he's much more energetic than his age would imply... Looking up, Nadir watched as Erik led Christine into the kitchen and pulled out a chair for her. "Good morning Erik, Christine. Did you sleep well?"

Erik smiled at Nadir, stroking Christine's head for a moment before sitting next to her. "I slept wonderfully... and I think I can safely say Christine did as well?" He looked to his wife, smiling as he reached out to take her hand in his atop the table.

Christine grinned and looked down at her other hand in her lap as she spoke softly. "Erik and I have found a home, Nadir. We want to return to the house on the lake and collect some things, to begin to move." She looked across the table to Nadir, her brows raised with a hopeful smile.

Nadir grinned broadly, nodding. "Yes, yes.. that is fantastic! I can help you if you require it... and Erik, were you thinking of enlisting the help of Jules? I'm sure he can find us a wagon to use, and the lifting would be easy for him as well, what with his line of work."

Erik grew a bit uncomfortable at the mention of Jules, who Christine knew nothing about. She had met him only once, when he had given her the opium for Erik and mentioned the wedding dress... a time that Erik was uncomfortable with, and he wasn't sure how to tell Christine that so much of his money went to Jules' family... after all...how could they afford their own if he was caring for another man's?

Christine shifted in her chair and looked up at her husband expectantly, a sincerely curious look on her face. Knowing immediately that Erik was uneasy about something, she turned her head back to Nadir. "Perhaps I can persuade my uncle to help. Then again, we're going to accompany him to dinner so perhaps he would not like to see us all day long..." She looked down at her hand in her lap.

Erik reached out his free hand to tip Christine's chin up. "I'm sure Jean Claude cannot see enough of you... God knows I can't." The look in his eyes insisted that he would explain Jules later as he squeezed her hand. Turning then to Nadir, he smiled. "Yes, if you could contact Jules, Nadir...? That would be fantastic."

Nadir nodded, lifting a plate with eggs on it and setting it closer to Erik and Christine. "Yes, I will go to Jules' home right away, and tell him to bring his wagon to the opera, by the Rue Scribe entrance. If we move quickly we should be able to unload the home in only a trip or two, depending on how much you wish to bring to the new house." He motioned to the eggs then. "Please, help yourself."

Christine smiled and considered Erik's words in her head. Was it really wise to have Jean Claude with them all day long, considering what happened the previous day? Erik would try to behave his best for her, she knew, but she also knew his temper and feelings. However, they needed people to help, and she didn't know many who would, and unfortunately, neither did Erik. As she reached for the eggs, she spoke quietly, "What essentials must we take first, my love?"

Erik lifted some eggs onto his plate as he thought. "Honestly, my dear... I cannot think of much we need to bring with. I suppose clothing is a must... dishes and such from the kitchen, furniture... the piano..." A look of sadness came to his eyes then. "The organ, I'm afraid...must remain. It is built into the wall... I did not intend to ever need to be moving it again, you see." He sighed, then brightened a bit. "I suppose that means we could acquire a new one..." His mind began to fly at the thoughts of the grand organ he could have in the new home.

Nadir smiled to his friends, then began to leave the room. "I will go to Jules now... when you are finished with your breakfast meet us at the underground home." With that he gave a short wave and left the room.

Christine took one bite of her egg and then lifted from her chair, and stretched. "I suppose we should go to Jean Claude's before we meet Nadir and... Jules." She raised an eyebrow and then scooted her chair in, moving toward the mirror to make sure her hair was tamed.

Erik ate another bite of his own egg, frowning as Christine moved from the table. "Your hair looks fine, my dear... now come sit back down. And you've met Jules before." He stated rather quietly.

Christine moved to sit down once more, but didn't touch her food. She stared at Erik and shrugged. "I know I've met him before, but I don't know how he knows you. How did you meet? How long have you known each other? I mean, I know of him, but I hardly know anything about him." She frowned and folded her arms across her chest.

Erik sighed, taking Christine's hand in his and touching his lips to the back of it. "I met Jules long ago... before I knew you... in fact you were probably but a child when he and I met..." He chuckled at the thought, and then continued. "Jules does business for me, nothing more. He meets with people whom I am unable to visit myself due to..well..." He motioned vaugely to his mask with a grim expression. "Although...there is another matter about him that I'm not sure you will exactly like..."

Christine touched his mask lightly with a sad smile and then motioned for him to continue, gazing deep into his eyes. She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

Giving a sigh, he met Christine's eyes, squeezing her hand tightly. "When I first met Jules, I paid him for doing the errands for me... by and by I learned more of his private situations...more through reading him then speaking to him, of course..." He averted his eyes from Christine's gaze then. "Jules, at the time, had a wife and several children who needed to be fed and educated. Jules was incredibly poor..." Erik chanced a glance to Christine's face before lowering his head again.

"I offered, in a time of feeling quite hopeless, and also quite invincible financially, to pay for his children's schooling... he has seven children now, three in universities. One learning architecture, one in music... and five more going through other lower level schools... and as you can imagine... this is quite taxing on my money.. and now that we will be living away from the opera..." He sighed, "I fear I may not be able to collect my allowance from the managers, which was my main source of income... 20,000 Francs a month... it covered the schooling with a little left over for my own care... but now, with the new house, with the two of us... with possible children... Christine, I don't know where we will ever get money now..."

Christine gazed up at him adoringly. "You're taking care of his family?" She squeezed his hand and brought his palm to her lips to kiss. "Erik, you're so wonderful!" She smiled and lifted her hand to touch his uncovered cheek. "Do not worry, my love. The managers pay their diva well enough..." She looked down and then back up, hope and excitement shining in her eyes. "Erik! You could publish your music! We'd have enough money to feed the world if you did!" She cupped both of his cheeks in her hands now, grinning like a small child that had just seen an exotic animal. "With what I get paid and you publishing your music, we could have twenty children easily!" She giggled and sat back in her chair, taking his hands.

Erik nodded slowly not entirely sure if he liked the idea of his music being visible to the world... "Yes, I suppose some pieces could be published... but many would have to remain just mine... or just ours." He said, his voice soft and his eyes far away. "I do believe you are right, my dear...how did I become so lucky as to marry a woman of such intelligence as yours?" He teased, reaching out to Christine's plate and scooping a bit of egg onto her fork. Giving her a stern look, Erik raised the utensil to her lips. "Now eat." His tone was light, but his eyes told her that he would be quite unhappy if she went without a meal. "We will be doing a lot of work today, you need your strength."

Christine shook her head and covered her mouth. In a muffled voice, she said, "I have to fit into my costumes... into this corset. One meal is nothing, my love!" She grinned and tried to stand up once more from her chair.

Erik took hold of her arm and frowned. "For me, Christine? You've plenty of room to grow, you are in no danger of finding your costumes or clothing too small any time soon." A note of concern was in his eyes then, as he gently moved the fork toward her again. "Please?"

Christine eyed the egg carefully, frowning in distaste. She'd eaten eggs so often they were becoming quite a bore. She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, letting her hands fall away.

Erik smiled then, placing the food into her mouth, then setting the fork down to draw her into his arms. Gently he rested his head against hers, letting his eyes slide closed. "Christine, may I tell you something without you becoming worried or insisting that I must go back to bed?"

Christine murmured incoherently in response and wrapped her arms around him tightly as she nuzzled her face in his chest as a sign for him to continue.

His lips brushed her cheek as he began to speak. "I believe that I've somehow hurt my shoulder..." He drew back to rub at the offending joint. "I may have slept wrong or something... If it isn't too much trouble, could you see if you can work it out?" He asked, looking at her almost shyly.

Christine pulled back in his arms and grinned, and then frowned. "I suppose I'll just have to sleep beside you instead of on top of you..." She moved behind his chair and placed her hands atop his broad shoulders, and began to knead the tightness she felt there. She frowned as she became involved in her work, thinking about her recklessness with him. You must be mindful, Christine. She chewed on her lower lip.

A blissful sigh escaped Erik's lips as his head dropped forward, and after a few minutes he reached up to brush his fingers over hers. "Christine..." His voice was soft and trembling, and gently he took her hands and pulled her to stand before him. Wrapping his arms about her waist, he pulled her to sit upon his lap, and pressed his head into her chest, apparently exhausted as he closed his eyes. "Thank you, my dear... I shall have to insist you do that more often..." He purred, looking up to smirk at her.

Christine pressed her forehead to his with a grin and stroked the back of his head. "Anytime." She stood quickly, feeling she'd done enough damage to his poor body, and gazed down at him, her eyes inspecting his form. "Erik, you're clearly very tired. Perhaps you should stay in bed today. I know what we will need now and I'm sure the others can help me move it in. You and I can situate everything together later." She stroked his masked cheek and smiled sadly. "I don't want you to burn out on me... "

"No, no... I am quite well... it is only that I am not much for mornings." He insisted, standing as well. "I suppose we should get to the house." He said softly, taking her hand in his and drawing her close to press a kiss to her forehead.

Christine nodded and led him towards the door, an intense feeling of dread coming over her. She knew it was not wise to keep her uncle and her husband together all day, but they needed the help and she wanted to get to know Jean Claude. She hoped all would go well, but it was not for her to decide. She sighed and prepared herself for all possibilities.