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54. Conversation

If she thought she was going to see Erik that night again, she was mistaken. Christine had to call Erik telling him that she was all right before sitting on the seat again and staring out the window, making small conversation with Raoul until he fell asleep.

The nurses had to give him a drug to help him fall asleep after the doctor came in for a third time. He had thrown things around the room, desperate for the doctor's diagnosis to be untrue. It pained Christine to see him that way, so anxious for what he said to be a lie. A cruel joke.

If only it were that easy.

Philippe didn't arrive until seven in the morning, Christine saw him come in, seeing as how she had not slept a wink, watching over Raoul, making sure he didn't start screaming at the nurse and doctor when they went in.

Before he went in, he talked to the nurse, always nodding; when he went in, Christine hardly recognized him as the same man that had gotten married months before. All joy was replaced with worry, but then relief at once when he saw his sleeping brother.

"Philippe," she said softly as he came in.

"Christine," he said just as softly, so he wouldn't wake Raoul. "I didn't think you would come."

Christine stood from the chair and approached him, whispering, "Of course I would come."

Philippe shrugged. "I thought that with what happened at the wedding, maybe you two weren't speaking to each other."

"We weren't," Christine admitted. "But things changed." Christine changed the subject. "I saw you talking to the nurse. What'd she say?"

Philippe nodded. "She told me about everything. Driving drunk?" He shook his head. "I never expected this to happen to him."

"Don't try to yell at him or anything," Christine told him. "I did enough of that."

He sighed. "Look, Christine, I can watch him now, you can go home if you want."

Christine shook her head. "Don't be silly, I can stay."

Philippe only took her sweater and put it in her arms. "You have bags under your eyes. When was the last time you got a full night of sleep?"

"You mean five hours isn't enough?" Christine asked jokingly.

Philippe shook his head. "It isn't a joke." Then sighed. "How's college?"

"Good," Christine admitted. "I only have a couple of classes now since I almost finished my credits. This summer I was thinking of getting in a theater workshop. My teachers put in a good word for and I was thinking of joining the chorus."

"Chorus?" Philippe asked. "You could do better than that."

Christine shrugged. "I don't wanna get ahead of myself."

"I understand," he said. "You working?"

"Yeah, a pub, like, three blocks away from here and a bookstore near the college campus."

Philippe gave an imitation of a smile. "Christine, I hope you know what you're doing." Then he gave a heavy sigh. "You still with your boyfriend? You know the one Raoul had a bitch fit over?"

Christine smiled. "Yes." Then she comically cleared her throat while brushing back a lock of imaginary hair from her face, flashing her ring in his face. Finally taking a clue, Philippe took her hand, looking at the ring. "Hello, gorgeous!"

Christine laughed at Philippe's imitation of the guys from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. "Oh, darling, what a beautiful ring! Diamond, gold, I am jealous!"

Christine continued laughing. "You better be. He's my prince charming and he's mine."

"My dear, you've bagged yourself a rock star."

Christine could not hide her grin.

Philippe's voice then turned serious. "He's not one of those lunatic ones that would put black and white make up on and start wagging their tongues?"

"No," Christine said, almost giggling.

Philippe winked. "I've seen some of his videos. Meggie showed me some of the videos. I think she recorded the Phantom of the Opera. Bought the CD."

"Really?" she asked.

"Almost the whole stock."

"It's good to know that he won't be out of a job anytime soon."

Philippe captured her in a hug. "You're like a little sister to me, you know that? I'm glad you're happy."

"I am," Christine admitted. "More than you know."

"Remember, Christine you should laugh more than you work."

"New motto?"

He laughed as he released her. "I should use it for the company. What do you think?"

"No comment."

"That bad, huh?" He laughed to himself so loudly that Raoul stirred. "Look, you should go home, I'll watch him. I'll let you know if anything should change."

Christine nodded. "Thanks. I'll go eat breakfast and do all those things that normal human beings should."

"Here," Philippe reached into his pocket. "have it on me, as a thank you for watching him."

Christine smiled and took the mone form his waiting hand. Philippe always got the last word with her. "Thanks."

After breakfast, Christine ran errands until the afternoon when she finally reached her apartment. She had thought that she was going to finally rest when she reached her home, then she received Maria's phone call.

"Hey, chica, where are you/"

"Home," she said as she sat on the couch, taking her shoes off. "I just got here."

"Dustin invited us out for drinks, you wanna come with?"

She groaned inwardly. Going out wasn't on her agenda for that day. "No. I have to talk to Erik."

"And how is the delicious stud muffin?"

"Good, but I don't think I would use 'muffin' to describe him." She smiled. "We're engaged."

A gasp followed by yelling. Since half o fit was in Spanish, she couldn't' understand it. Then, "Oh, my God! I'm so happy for you! Oh, Dustin!" She yelled away form the phone. "She's engaged to the stud muffin!"

Christine laughed.

"Okay, now you have to get out of the house!" Maria said excited. "I have to buy you a shot!"

"No way," Christine said, wrinkling her nose."Those things are foul and horrible-"

"Great then!" Maria continued. "Twenty minutes it is!"

"But, I-" Christine groaned when she heard the Maria hang up. "This is going to be a long night," she said to herself.

After two shots, each bought by Maria and Dustin, Christine was exhausted. She never should hold her liquor down.

Erik's call asking her to meet him at his house couldn't have come at a better time.

She quickly left to the house after making sure that she was sober enough that she could drive.

Erik answered his front door with a kiss. "I had to see my fiancé."

Christine laughed while they kissed.

He shut the door. "What's so funny?"

"Fiancée," she said. "I guess that it's new to me."

He smiled and Christine continued through the house, already going to the living room as was the custom when she went over.

"So," Christine said as she approached the room. "Why'd you want me to come over?"

"For this." He grabbed her hand and spun her around to face him, meeting his lips to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck, melting into his embrace, his hands went to the small of her back, making her nerves tingle.

His lips crashed against hers and she could only try to keep from smiling. Everything was so perfect.

He tried to pull away but he only managed to with great reluctance on Christine's part.

"Were you drinking?" Erik asked.

Christine sighed. "Maria wouldn't let me leave until I had an engagement shot. She's crazy."

He laughed. "Is she?"

Christine smiled as she slid her arms around his waist. "Wants to be the maid of honor. Dustin, on the other hand, says that he'll get a tux ready for plan B."

"What's plan B?" Erik asked as he led her to the living room.

"Plan B is if I chicken out, then you'll marry him."

Erik stopped and stared. "You're not serious, are you?"

"No," Christine said giving him a small kiss. "But he is."

Erik just rolled his eyes.

"Don't worry, I won't get cold feet. I love you."

He smiled then wrapped his arms around her. "I love you, too." Then he let her go. "Come, I made you sweet tea."

"Yay!" Christine said happily.

When they were both on the couch and situated, he wrapped his arms around her and began watching television.

Not that she was actually paying attention to it, she was too busy listening to Erik's heartbeat and his steady breathing. Once in a while, he would take her hand and stroke it with his thumb gently, which Christine found quite soothing.

"Angel?"

"Hmm?" Christine wasn't capable to form words at that moment.

"Are you sleeping?"

"No," but her tone said differently.

"Why did little Giry call yesterday? What happened to de Chagny?"

And there it was. Most likely the real reason he invited her over."

Christine sat up and sighed. "He-"

"He didn't do anything foolish again, did he? Because if he did-"

"No," Christine interrupted. "Not what you mean, anyway. The reason Meg called me was because, well, Raoul- he got into a car accident."

Erik frowned.

"He was drunk and he ran into a pole. The doctors say he's really lucky to be alive." Christine took a deep breath. "The doctor, well, the one I saw- well, when I patted his lef, he said he couldn't feel it so the doctors checked it out and they found he's paralyzed, from the hip down. They don't know if it'll be permanent or not."

Christine watched him the whole time, not one emotion displayed across his face. Not pity, not joy, nothing. That was until she finished.

"Well," Erik said slowly. "I guess his hand will get very lonely."

"Erik!" She slapped his shoulder as hard as could, which wasn't a whole lot. "Oh, my goodness, that was so cruel!"

He put his hands up in an attempt to shield himself from another insignificant attack, while trying to keep from laughing.

"That was so mean!" Christine turned from him, like she was in kindergarten again. "That was really uncalled for!"

"I couldn't help myself, angel, forgive me."

"And after he gave us his blessing," Christine said, still mad, half-lying. "You know he was happy for us."

"Really?" She could hear the skepticism in his voice.

"Yes, really," Christine said. "He said that he was happy for us."

"Oh, angel," Erik said, trying to hide his laughter. "Forgive me. It was very cruel of me."

She only crossed her arms.

"Do you want me to apologize to him? Although I don't see the point, you were mad at him, weren't you?"

"Yeah, well, we made up." Christine told him. "We're friends again."

"Did you know that when you're mad your nose flares a little?"

"No, I did not," she said coldly.

"You even blush a little," he said softly against her ear.

"So?" Christine asked, not turning.

She could fell the warmth of his body against her back. "I find it incredibly attractive," he told her as he removed her hair from her neck and began kissing it."

How dare he use her weakness against her?

She closed her eyes and smiled, suddenly she wasn't so mad anymore. "You're not being fair."

"Oh?" He asked as he slid his hands under her shirt.

"Really unfair," she whispered.

"I didn't know you had a weakness, dear," was all he said.

"Erik, tomorrow is Monday."

"Meaning that today would be Sunday."

"I have classes tomorrow."

"At eleven."

"But I have to work tomorrow and I need to rest for it," she bit her lip as she felt that familiar feeling wash over her anew. "A-and at the rate we're going, I don't think we'll get much sleep done tonight."

"You're quite right," he said as he turned her around and kissed her lips. "But I'm not going to stop."

"Erik-"

He took her wrists and pressed her down into the couch, deepening his kisses. "If you're so worried then quit."

"But I can't quit," she protested. "I'll loose my apartment."

He bit down on her skin tenderly. "Then move in with me."

Christine froze and her hands stiffened. Move in? "Wh-What? Move in? Are you serious, move in with you?"

He nodded as he looked at her.

She got up so fast that Erik almost fell on top of the couch holding on to thin air.

Christine started pacing back and forth, the moment that Erik and her were about to share, gone. "Aren't we moving a little fast?"

He sat up and examined her closely. "Do you think we're moving too fast?"

Christine didn't know what to think. "I-I don't' know. I guess I've always thought of a relationship as things going slower, you know: engagement, marriage, moving in and children."

He leaned back against the couch, his arms on the top of it, he looked incredibly handsome doing so. "Well, we haven't been exactly going by the rules. We made love way before we were engaged."

"Yes, but we were in love," Christine defended, a hint of blush tinting her cheeks.

"And we aren't now?" Erik asked.

Christine stomped her foot. "Of course we are, it's just that- I guess that I've wanted things to go slower. I've always thought of it all happening in ten years, not a year and a half."

"Angel," Erik said seriously. "I don't have ten years."

Christine frowned. "What do you mean? You're not dying, are you?"

"No, no," Erik said hastily as he stood, taking her hands. "I'll wait an eternity for you, Christine. I would wait until the end of the world but I need you." He kissed her lips a little. "When I wake up I the morning, all I want is for you to be there." He smiled. "I want a morning like Paris, do you remember?"

Christine smiled. "Of course I do."

"When I woke up that morning and I saw your there sleeping- it was beautiful. You were beautiful, even with your frizzy hair and drool coming out of your mouth."

Christine laughed and he placed his hand on her cheek.

"I just watched you there for hours, I watched as you breathed in and gave your little sighs." He smiled sadly and put is hands to his side again. "Now all I get is a letter or a quick kiss-"

"Erik, I'm sorry-"

"I want to be there when you first wake up, when you fall asleep, I want to see you get ready for the day- Hell, I'd chain our ankles together if I could."

Christine laughed and kissed his hands as he once had. "Erik, I'm sorry, I didn't know, if I had-"

He put a finger to her lips. "You need not apologize. There's a reason I asked you to marry me. I want you to be my wife, to be there for you. To-" he placed his hands on her cheeks and kissed her as he spoke- "love you, to dedicate every waking moment to pleasing you."

"And I want to do the same for you, Erik," Christine swore. "Always." Christine smiled. "Well, then there's only one thing left to ask."

"What's that, dearest?"

"Will you help me pack?"

Please let me know if you all like it or not. Thank you all again. Twist of Fate should be updated soon.