Thank you for reading and reviewing. I am not going to take the time to mention everyone by name, but I appreciate you very much.
Enjoy my lovlies.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Erik or Christine. They are the wonderful creation of Mr. Leroux – but ALW gave them depth and humanity – as did Kay. I do not own any lyrics that are used; they will be credited at the end of the chapter in which they appear.
I do however; own the plot and any original characters, which appear from the dark caverns of my mind.
Character portraits:
Erik – Gerard Butler (There is no other – not for me!)
Christine - Scarlett Johansson (with violet eyes, and a little more of a mature look)
Meckenzie - Emma Karwandy (from Butterfly on a Wheel)
Vince - Pierce Brosnan (slightly shorter)
Karen - Bette Midler (only about ten year's younger, seven inches taller, and long,brown hair)
Ms. Jennison- Samantha Bond (Miss Moneypenny from the latest Bond movies)
Mr. Lynch - Bruce Davison (Senator Kelly from the first X-Men movie)
All other original characters, you can use your imagination.
Enjoy.
CHAPTER 36
The next morning didn't go quite as smoothly as Christine had hoped it would. She ended up burning the breakfast she was preparing for her and Meckenzie, so they had to settle for a quick bowl of cereal.
The only explanation she could come up with, was that she was nervous about the upcoming events; not a bad nervous, but a good nervous.
She wanted everything to be perfect, who didn't; but she couldn't control every aspect of the day, and that was what was making her nervous.
"'Kenzie, honey, could you finish getting dressed on your own, mommy has to get her make-up on and finish getting dressed." Christine stated, "Erik has everything for the wedding in his car, so I don't have to worry about making sure I don't forget something."
Meanwhile, Erik had barely slept and had ended up pacing the floor at 4 am, counting the designs in his ceiling tiles, and playing several arias on the piano; by 7 am, he was feeling the effects of no sleep. He showered and shaved, and resisted the urge to drop back into bed.
He dressed semi-casually for church, charcoal grey wool slacks, pink shirt, plum colored sweater with grey mixed through it, and a charcoal grey tie.
His nerves were wrecking havoc with his stomach and he knew he couldn't keep any food down, so he passed on breakfast.
Thoughts were floating in his head about how he was going to be as a lover with Christine. He didn't doubt that he could perform, but she had experience to compare him to, what if he was found lacking?
At 8 am, the phone rang and Erik was relieved to here Vince's voice on the other end.
"You ready?" He asked.
Erik sighed, "Yes, more than you will ever know."
"I'm proud of you Erik, and I know that Keith would have been, too."
The mention of his father caused a moment of deep sadness to enter his heart. He would have loved for Christine to have meant his mother and father, they would have loved her so much.
"I miss them, Vince…" Erik whispered, "…I wish they could be here."
"They are."
The overwhelming peace that enveloped him at that moment was something Erik would never forget. In his minds eye, he pictured his mother, father, and brother standing on the edge of heaven looking down upon him.
They were smiling and laughing, letting Erik know that they had never ceased watching him as the years had gone by. His fathers voice was clear and calming in his ear, as though he were standing right beside him,
"We make our own history, son…you have, at last, begun to make yours…you just had let go…"
His voice faded off and Erik felt the tears falling down his face. He had let go of so much since Christine had come into his life. He had let go of his bitterness, his anger toward his parents and himself, his self-hatred, his unwarranted doubts, and his heart.
"You never gave up on me, did you?" Erik finally acknowledged to Vince.
"Never."
Erik smiled into the phone and offered a silent prayer of thanks for his uncle's constant and often, unappreciated presence in his life.
"We'll see you in an hour at church."
"Karen is all excited, we've been meaning to start making church a part of our lives, this was just the boost we needed to do so."
Erik hung up the phone, gathered his keys, the marriage license, and his wallet, and out the door he went. He stood on the sidewalk as the snow drifted silently to the ground, coating the dead grass with a pure sheet of white.
He didn't mind driving in the snow; he enjoyed watching the flakes as they painted intricate designs on the windows of his car.
He drove carefully over to Christine's and was greeted by two smiling and anxious young women. Mackenzie was wearing the winter coat he had bought her, white tights, mittens, and white snow boots. She carried her church shoes in her hands and smiled brightly.
"It's snowing! I can feel the flakes on my nose!" She giggled.
Erik scooped her into his arms and planted a kiss on her upturned cheek. She answered in like fashion and Erik felt his heart sore on the clouds; she would soon be his daughter in every sense of the word.
"Is everyone ready?" He asked, brightly.
"You bet!" Meckenzie chirped.
Christine chuckled at her daughter's excited tone and accepted Erik's tender kiss to her lips.
"I had a time this morning…everything that could go wrong, went wrong." Christine confessed as Erik drove carefully down the road toward the church.
"I know what you mean. I couldn't sleep; so I was up roaming the house at 4 am. I think I counted the swirling designs in my ceiling tiles at least three times, I played several arias on the piano and then just resorted to pacing the floor andwatching the snow fall on the patio." Erik stated.
Christine giggled, "What a mess we are."
Erik agreed with an amused chuckle of his own and pulled into the church parking lot. It was 9:20 and Sunday school was going to start at 9:45, so they had time to put their wedding attire in one of the service rooms, find Karen and Vince, find the Sunday school room, and seat themselves.
"This is a lovely place, Christine." Karen stated, quietly.
"I enjoy it. The people are so friendly and caring…I felt so welcome here, the moment I stepped through the doors on the first Sunday I came."
Karen could believe what Christine said. They hadn't even made it through the front door, when they had been greeted by several young couples.
They sat in the Sunday school room and Erik shifted in his seat as the room began to fill with young couples around their age.
The man that Erik assumed was the teacher of the class addressed the couples.
"Good morning."
Everyone answered with an ecstatic, "Good morning".
They opened in prayer and various announcements were made; and then the young man spied Christine, Erik, Vince, and Karen.
"Christine, care to introduce your guests?"
Christine practically jumped from her chair and leaned into Erik.
"This couple over here is Vince and Karen Trudeau." Christine announced.
The members all greeted them with smiles and many, "we're glad you came to visit", sentiments.
Christine waited for that to die down before introducing Erik.
"This beautiful man beside me, is my fiancé, Erik Trudeau….we are going to be married in the sanctuary this afternoon at 2 pm."
Many of the women started whispering and smiling, and Erik could only assume that Christine had talked about him in their presence at an earlier time.
"Hello Erik, it is an honor to finally meet the man we have heard so much about." The teacher stated. "My name is Brad Fuller, that beautiful woman in the corner behind you, is my wife, Leesa."
Erik nodded and smiled, a little leery of all the eyes on him, but he felt no curious stares or condescending eyes on him.
"Thank you, it is good to be here." Erik smiled.
The class went on and Erik was amazed at the vast participation of the class in discussing the scripture verses, and debating about their relevance in today's world.
"Thank you, I learned a great deal." Erik stated, as he shook Brad's hand at the end of class.
"I'm glad, it was nice having you in class; maybe next week, you can join in the discussion." Brad answered, "Here is a book you can study - if you find time on your honeymoon, that is."
Erik caught the teasing tone, and he smiled at the young man. He had never mingled well with people, but he found it was so much easier among this setting. These people did not even stare questioningly at him; they just accepted him as he was.
"Christine, he is very handsome, just as you said he was." Beth stated, giving Erik another look.
"I know!" Christine whispered.
She showed them all her engagement ring and invited them to the wedding. Many of them said they would be there.
TBC