How could I be so stupid?

by LiltingBanshee

Author´s note: Thank you for all your reviews, this is rather short, but I still hope you like it;)

Music composer employed with the Opera Garnier, Erik Destler, was yesterday involved in a rather interesting argument at the Louvre. While he was holding a young girl, whom he claimed to be his own daughter he was screamed at by wife Giselle Bertrand while an unknown you woman attempted to comfort the crying child.
Could there be trouble in paradise for the celebrity couple? And who was the dark haired woman who quickly left the museum with the young child?

He crumbled the paper, threw it angrily away from him and tiredly ran a hand through his hair.

Christine was alone in the house. Her father was at work and her mother had taken Alana with her to see one of her old friends so she was spending her free time getting a bit of housework done.

Over a week. Over a week had gone by and he had heard nothing from Erik. She stopped in the middle of changing the sheets on Alana's bed to wipe away some angry tears. No! She would not cry any more tears for him; he had obviously made his choice!
She straightened the covers of her daughter's bed and put the stuffed animals back on the pillow. She grabbed the bundle of laundry to take it down to the basement to put it in the washer. When she reached the hall the doorbell rang and she drooped the bundle on the floor with an annoyed huff.

"You could have brought your key Mum" she muttered as she went to open it.
She flung the door open, expecting her daughter to jump up in her arms, but what she saw made her jaw hit the floor.

"Erik?" she gasped.

He stood there, wearing his long black coat to protect him from the cold and looked as sexy as ever.

"Hi Christine, may I come in" he asked with a little smile.

Too stunned to say anything she just moved aside and gestured for him to enter. He nearly stumbled over her laundry and grinned at her. "Did I interrupt you in something?" he asked.

Finding her voice again she shook her head. "No no , I was just doing a bit of cleaning, I wasn't exactly expecting company. Speaking of company, what are you doing here Erik."

He took hold of both her hands and squeezed them gently. "I have come to talk to you. I wanted to see you in person, because what I want to tell you could not be said over the phone."

"Oh yeah?" she eyed him skeptically.

"Christine my dear, we need to talk about our family situation" he said.

She felt her heart sink. 'He wants to make arrangements for Alana. He's going to stay with Giselle' she thought sadly.

"I told you that over a week ago, have it really taken you so long to reach a decision?" she snapped.

"No Christine, I made my decision the day after we had our little talk, but it has taken me a week to get the media to keep at least some distance to me. We did make a rather public display of our argument that day" he said gently.

"Well, you could just have let Alana go that day. There was no reason to pick her up and announce your presence to her!" she said angrily.

"Christine, don't fight with me again" he said and brought her hands to his lips, which made her feel tears burn in her eyes. "There was no way I could have let her go, just like I can never let you go."

"What do you mean Erik?" she sniffed.

"Christine, I have been the idiot of the century and I fully understand if you will never be able to forgive me. In my eager to please everyone and make sure no harm came to them I managed to hurt the two persons I love most in this world. I devoted myself completely to my work with everything it demanded of me, but while I did that I denied my family of my presence. What kind of man am I Christine?" he choked, tears running down his cheeks.

"You're a good man Erik, you didn't want to hurt them…" she tried

"But what does it matter when I hurt you in the process. And not only you, our daughter as well. For God's sake Christine, I have a child! You have given me a child, something I never dreamed I could have and I just abandoned you! A teenager alone with a child" he put his arms around her and she went willingly into his embrace.

"You tried Erik" she mumbled into his chest.

"But not hard enough. I still allowed her family to control me" he said.

She raised her face to look at him and he cupped her cheeks gently. "It stops now Christine, I can't do it anymore" with that he leaned down and covered her lips with his.
"I love you" he whispered into her mouth. "With all my heart, and I'm here if you'll have me."