Author´s note: Thank you for all the nice reviews! I´m glad you like my story. Personage of the Underverse: Wow, that dream sounds scary. Maybe it means that you shouldn´t go to the zoo for a while... or else choose a different costume for Halloween. I love Gerry (aka Olivia): An interesting interpretation. I can only say: Well, it´s possible. And of course you´re all right in saying that havinga few bad dreams isn´t quite as bad when Erik is coming through the door to comfort you. But then... well, just read on and you´ll see where it may lead.
16) A bit alarming
Even still partly asleep Meg noticed how warm and content she was, like a cat curled up into a ball in front of an open fire. She was vaguely aware that there was a strong arm around her waist and another one she was currently using as a pillow. Opening her eyes slowly she saw Erik lying next to her under the blanket. Looking at him her heart grew even warmer. She loved him so much. Smiling she placed a kiss on his chin, the only place she could reach directly when he wore his mask.
Being a light sleeper Erik woke up at once. "Good morning, my dear.", the girl whispered lovingly. "Good morning.", he muttered, straightening up to take in her entire form. She truly resembled a princess, with her cheeks rosy and her blond curls shining like golden threads in the sunlight. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?", he asked in awe. It was still hard to believe that this gorgeous creature was his.
Meg blushed. A moment later her eyes wandered downwards and she could hardly keep herself from bursting into laughter. "It´s practically common knowledge that you´re a man who likes to leaves places quickly, but that´s slightly ridiculous.", she remarked teasingly. Erik threw a brief glance at his own appearance and chuckled, a little embarrassed. The blanket had slipped from his shoulders, revealing what he had already known: He hadn´t taken off a single piece of clothing before falling asleep in this warm comfortable bed next to his Meg. Only his shoes were lying on the floor. His clothes were more or less crushed, a very unusual situation for a man as tidy as him. At least his mask had remained at exactly the right position in his face.
"I shouldn´t have slept here.", he said uneasily, cursing himself for his lack of discipline. He made a fruitless attempt to smooth his shirt by running his palms over it while continuing: "I´m sorry if I have disturbed you.". Meg smiled brightly. "But no! I´m glad you stayed.", she told him. "Otherwise I might not have slept at all." She threw a quick glance out of the window and stated: "The sun has barely risen. We cannot get up yet." Last night had been so full of terrible dreams that she very much felt like sleeping a little more.
Yet it seemed that Erik had other plans. "When does your mother normally wake up?", he asked, his eyes glittering mischievously now that he was sure he hadn´t disturbed his beloved´s sleep, but even improved it. The girl shrugged. "In an hour. Maybe one and a half…", she replied uncertainly. She could only guess how late it was, so it was impossible to be more precise with her answer. He was delighted to hear that. "So we´d still have time for… you know…?" The girl grinned and nodded, feeling excited and also a little naughty.
Erik was quite insecure at first. They had never been together in Meg´s bed, so close to where her mother would hopefully sleep for as long as Meg had predicted. This was why the first kisses he gave her were loving, but not exactly passionate. After a few minutes of anxious listening, however, he grew more self-confident and deepened the kiss. Meg responded by rubbing her body against his, instantly waking up a certain part of him.
Hastily Erik rolled the girl onto her back, gazing down at her lustfully. The curves of her breasts were visible through her plain white nightdress, and he let one of his hands brush over them lightly. Meg´s breathing sped up. Yet it wasn´t caused by excitement anymore. Instead, fear crept up her spine like an ugly spider. ´He´ll do it again.´, it hissed. ´He´ll hold onto you and he´ll take you, and there´s nothing you could do about it.´ Seeing him towering over her, feeling his hands on her body - it was so similar to her dream last night… and even more to the day when he had come to her dressing room. She was paralysed.
Erik noticed how tense her body had suddenly become. It was as if something had frozen her from the inside. "What´s wrong with you, Meg?", he asked softly. Had he proceeded too quickly, possibly hurting her with his fingers? He moved them away, letting them rest next to her head instead. "I… I don´t want this.", she whispered, feeling even more trapped beneath his body with his hand so close to her head. What if he wanted to gag her again? "Please let me go!" He looked at her, puzzled. Let her go? He hadn´t even been holding her in the first place. "Please!", she begged him, and he left his position, settling down at least a foot away from her. The words she spoke didn´t make sense. Still he had the impression that he knew them, as if she had said them once before.
Then everything fell into place. ´Let me go, monsieur…please!´ were the words that had appeared countless times in the worst kind of his nightmares, the ones in which he tried to force himself on Meg again, sometimes even succeeding. Obviously she had the same dreams, which also influenced her behaviour when she was awake. This was what kept her from sleeping. And everything was his fault. No wonder that she hadn´t told him about the contents of her nightmares!
He couldn´t help wondering whether this had happened before. He imagined her waking up, screaming ´No, Erik! Please don´t do this to me again!´. Had she perhaps even met him the next day, pretending that everything was as usual, enduring his caresses while feeling like throwing up? If he really knew he as well as he had thought, why hadn´t he noticed anything before this outburst?
Erik stared at the completely distraught girl helplessly. By now there were tears in her eyes. She had to be very afraid of him. When he touched her shoulder cautiously she jumped, and he pulled back his hand, sighing in resignation. "Shall I better leave you in peace?", he asked bitterly. "I don´t know.", Meg answered miserably. Five minutes ago she had longed for being touched by him, and now she felt very strange: A part of her wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible, and another part wanted him to take her into his arms and comfort her. But she couldn´t have both things at once, could she?
"Perhaps it´s best if you go. I need some time for myself.", she finally said. Her teeth were chattering. She had to calm down; at the moment she couldn´t think straight. He nodded slowly and stood up. "Of course you can have as much time as you need. I apologise for whatever I may have done.", he told her seriously. Then he picked up his cloak and fedora and made his way to the door. "Just don´t forget that I love you.", he muttered, opening it. Erik didn´t dare look back at her or wait for a reply. The last sound he heard before closing the door from the outside was Meg´s barely suppressed sobbing.