Et Velle Et Perficere

Disclaimer: Don't own POTO… but I do own Croft Manor and Jeremy Harper-Matthews. Plus, the title for this chapter is a nod at As You Like It.

Please read and review…

Chapter 6: I Do Desire We Be Better Strangers…

Almost two weeks passed by rather swiftly for everyone at Croft Manor, and it was now the Friday before Christine's seventeenth birthday. Raoul, Meg and a number of other guests would be arriving that night to stay the weekend for Christine's birthday on Sunday. As it was, the guests would have a staggered arrival and Meg and her mother were the first to appear.

"Oh, Meg, I've missed you," Christine said as she hugged her.

"I've missed you too, Christine, you wouldn't believe how much Uncle Marcus can find to complain about his son. Lord, I'm glad to get away from it all."

"Meghan Giry," her mum shouted, "I will not have you talking of your uncle that way, not to mention, taking the Lord's name in vain. If we were at home, I'd ground you."

"Sorry, Mum," Meg called, rolling her eyes towards Christine.

"Don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady."

"How did she know?" Meg asked Christine, who laughed softly.

"Thirty odd years of being a teacher, I should think, Meg," Christine said. "Come on, there's someone I'd like you to meet."

Erik was watching from the top of the stairs as Christine beckoned him to come down and welcome their guests. He reluctantly made his way towards them as Christine introduced him. "Meg, Mrs. Giry, this is Erik. He'll be boarding with us at Garron Tower next year. Erik, this is Meghan and her mother, Mrs. Giry. Meg goes to school with me and Mrs. Giry is one of our teachers."

"Hello, Erik," they both said, and he nodded his head towards them, moving to stand beside, and slightly behind, Christine.

"Meg, I hope you don't mind sharing with me," Christine said.

"Sharing with you? Thank God… you wouldn't believe how my cousin Rachael snores…"

"Meghan," Mrs. Giry said, warningly.

"Well, I'll show you to your rooms, then. You know Raoul, he and his brother will be joining us and Mr. Harper-Matthews, too – he and Daddy seem to have hit it off. Mum reckons they'll be best friends before the evening's out – they already share in-jokes together so don't worry if you haven't a clue what they're going on about. Also, you haven't met Richmal but he'll be here – he's a friend of the family. There might be a couple of my parents' friends there, too, but I think that's all," Christine said as she moved up the stairs with Meg and her mother.

Erik looked up at her longingly – he had not been able to spend much time at all with her today due to all the preparations and he knew he would get even less time with her over the weekend to come. Christine caught his glance and smiled at him, causing his heart to flutter. She motioned for him to wait there and held one finger up that she would be back in a minute.

After she'd gotten Meg and Mrs. Giry settled in, she left them to freshen up and returned downstairs to find Erik where she'd left him. "I'm sorry, Erik, I know I've been neglecting you…"

Erik suddenly felt very selfish that she felt she was neglecting him when it was her birthday and her right to enjoy herself in the company of whomever she pleased. "Do not feel you have to spend time with me, Christine. I am aware that you have far more desirable company to choose from…"

"Erik, don't say that, please… you know that it's not true."

"I'm sorry, Angel. I forget that you have a penchant for spending time with degenerates," he said sourly.

"Jeez, Erik, whatever it is that is eating you must be suffering terribly," Christine laughed, bringing forth an unintentional smile from Erik. "Come on, let's see if we can't find something to do together until the others arrive," she said as she grabbed his hand and pulled him along with her.

Erik thought for a moment and smiled softly, "Slow down, Angel, have you any idea where you are going?"

"I'll know when I get there."

Upstairs, both Meg and her mother could hear a man's riotous laughter coming from the ground floor. Meg wondered if they had somehow brought the Black Butler with them. Mrs. Giry wondered what the bloody hell was so funny.

Later that night, after all the guests had arrived, everyone was seated in the main dining room eating supper. Michael was engrossed in a conversation with Jeremy while Sarah talked to Richmal and his wife, Francesca. Meanwhile, Philip was talking to his brother, Raoul, and Mrs. Giry. That left Christine, Erik, Meg… and Carlotta, Richmal and Francesca's daughter, to talk amongst themselves at the other end of the table. Carlotta also happened to go the same school as Raoul, Christine and Meg, though she was only a part-time boarder, and needless to say, there was no love lost between them. And neither Christine nor Erik was best pleased at the amount of attention she was giving him. In fact, Christine was downright annoyed and Erik was concerned that his angel was not happy.

"Tell me about yourself, Erik. I want to know everything there is to know," Carlotta said as she leaned closer to him, only resulting in making him move closer to Christine, however. He wasn't a very relaxed sort of person as it stood, even if it had been Michael who had leaned that close to him, he probably would have moved away – but this was different… Michael did not have the same interest in him as Carlotta did. In fact, Erik was quite sure that this woman was only doing this to upset Christine… and that did not wash with him at all. He knew that Christine was the only woman ever, even at their young age, whom he would allow – encourage even – to get closer to him. So, he was determined to keep his angel happy and Carlotta away from them.

"There is nothing to tell, Miss Sinclair," he replied shortly and quickly started a conversation with Christine to avoid anymore unwanted questions from the unctuous girl sitting on his right.

Carlotta, however, was not to be dissuaded… "Oh, come on, surely there is something to tell. What about your parents? Or you family? Tell me about them…"

"Excuse me, Miss Sinclair, but I would appreciate it if you would not interrupt me when I am speaking to this striking young woman sitting on my left. My parents are dead, thank you for reminding me… Now, if you don't mind, I was sharing a riveting conversation with Christine about the brand of dental floss she uses, excuse me again," he said, deadpan, turning back towards Christine as she started laughing uncontrollably. "Angel, your laughter is the most beautiful sound I have ever heard. Don't ever stop…" he said to her as she placed her hand on top of his on the table.

Carlotta was gobsmacked and Raoul was jealous. Meg, however, was highly amused at the exchange and the only one of the three not to be plotting revenge upon either Erik or Christine.

Saturday, the eve of Christine's seventeenth birthday, had gone by faster than she had expected. There had only been a minor few hiccoughs, in the form of Carlotta, to deal with and everything else had gone much to plan. It was now very early Sunday morning and everyone… most everyone, that is… was asleep in bed.

Erik crept, unnoticed, across the hall and into Christine's room, the room she was currently sharing with Meg, without knocking. He approached the large four-poster bed the girls were sleeping in and paused to admire his angel's breathtaking beauty. She looked so peaceful… But, if he were going to do what he had planned, he would have to disturb her, even if it were done so, begrudgingly.

He gently pulled back Christine's side of the duvet and lifted his angel into his arms. She was so light… and she barely stirred as he carried her through into his own room and placed her on top of the bed.

"Christine, little angel, wake up…" he said as he kissed the tip of her nose reverently. "Little one, I have a surprise for you."

She lazily stretched herself out, causing Erik to release an unintentional moan, and opened her eyes. "Erik?" she asked, "What am I doing in your room?"

"I have a surprise for you, sweetheart. I wanted to give it to you before the whole house started crowding around you and distracting you. I want you to receive my gift first, while it's quiet."

He held his hand out to her and drew her up to stand before leading her over to the corner by the wardrobe. "Here, Angel, for you…" he said as he threw back the cover of the object.

And there, underneath, was Old Dusty, though now totally undeserving of her name. She was newly dusted, newly polished and newly fixed – in complete working order. Christine gasped in amazement, she had not realised to what extent Erik would be able to fix her. "Oh, Erik, she's beautiful! I don't know what to say…"

"Your expression alone is worth all the work, Angel. Happy birthday," he said, smiling affectionately down at her.

"Erik," she squealed happily as she grabbed hold of him and squeezed him briefly, much to his surprise, "you're amazing. I love it… thank you so much."

"I assure you, you are very welcome, my dear."

Suddenly, she yawned, covering her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry, Erik, I must still be tired. What time is it?"

"About six, Angel," he said, lifting her again as her knees almost gave out beneath her and set her on his bed, this time tucking her under the covers. "Go back to sleep, sweet child, I'll watch over you in your dreams."

Much later, after Christine's birthday meal, everyone was celebrating downstairs in the lounge. Christine thought, wryly, that it looked more like a Hogmanay party than a birthday party but she wasn't too bothered. And, she didn't know half of the people in her living room, but, she was happy to go along with it. At least she got to enjoy her birthday during the holidays, unlike Meg, who made quite sure to remind her of that fact every year. Champagne all round, her father had said, but only one glass each for the under-eighteens. Carlotta, however, seemed to be swaying, perhaps more unintentionally than not, to the music coming from the stereo system. She was also, much to Erik's disinterest, choosing to talk to him than to somebody who was less offended by her presence. He was under the impression that his angel could find good in anyone, so, when she downright avoided Carlotta Sinclair, he knew immediately that he would detest the woman. And, he already detested the fact that she was acting as a sort of repellent towards Christine, so much so, that he hadn't had a conversation with her all night.

Christine, however, was privy to Erik's plight and decided she would go and save the poor man from his unwanted appendage. "Erik, there's a private phone call for you. You can take it in the sitting room."

Erik gratefully followed Christine out of the room and up the stairs to the first floor landing. "I thought you might want out of there," Christine said, smiling, "unless, of course, you have a sudden and uncontrollable attraction towards Carlotta Sinclair."

Erik scoffed, "My taste is not failing me so dreadfully."

"Good, you have not taken a total leave of your senses, then."

"More than that, Christine, I would have to be physically unconscious to show even the vaguest attraction towards that witch." And, he smiled at her affectionately, so pleased that she still found his company appealing.

Christine sighed, "I feel sorry for Richmal, actually. I don't know where Carlotta gets it from but it's not from him – he's a diamond. But, we shouldn't be talking about her like this, it's not fair…"

"Come, Angel," Erik said, attracted to her unfailing kindness, "It's time we pretended to have a conversation over the phone in the sitting room."

From the bottom of the stairs, a livid young woman stood, listening to them laughing to each other softly as they headed further up the stairs to the second floor…

Christine came down the stairs more bouncily than usual, happy that it was her birthday and that she'd gotten to spend a lot of it with Erik. She found that she had made a great friend in him and she hoped that they would stay in touch forever – even long after they both left Croft Manor for university and to start their own lives. He was not with her now… they had spent quite a while in the sitting room just talking, and when she had suggested they go downstairs again and rejoin the party, Erik had excused himself for a moment with the promise that he would follow her down shortly.

Unfortunately for Christine, she was confronted by Carlotta at the bottom of the stairs…

"Carlotta… are you not enjoying the party?"

"You stupid little cow," Carlotta spat out, "you're always so high and mighty… but now I know your secret…"

"What?"

"You're cheating on your boyfriend… with your brother," Carlotta laughed.

"What are you talking about, Carlotta? I don't have a boyfriend and I don't have a brother."

"You can't talk yourself out of this one… just wait until I tell everyone at school what you're doing. Forgive me if I'm wrong but incest is still taboo in this country as far as I'm aware…"

Erik was just coming down the stairs as Christine pushed passed him and ran back up towards her room. "What the hell did you say to her?" he barked at Carlotta.

"It's not my fault if the truth upsets her… Why don't we go back into the living room and have a drink, Erik? Forget about her, she's just a child."

Erik walked the rest of the way down the stairs and stood directly in front of her, folding his arms across his chest as he glared at her. "Don't you know that her innocence is attractive? Whereas, you are just a degenerate – noxious and depraved – I feel debased just knowing that you exist and I do desire we be better strangers. Now you have upset my angel, something I do not take lightly to. You will regret it, I assure you," he said calmly as he walked away from her, up the stairs again, to find Christine.

He found her in her room, crying against her pillows as she lay curled up on her bed. "Oh, darling," Erik said, sitting on the bed next to her and pulling her up against him. "Shh, come here."

He lifted her off the bed to stand and held her in his arms as he had done that night in the music room about a fortnight previously.

"Christine, shh, Angel," Erik said, stroking her lower back soothingly as he held her. "Don't let her upset you. We all know that even if she changed tomorrow and became a thoroughly decent human being for the rest of her natural life, she would not be a fraction of the woman you are at this one second, dear angel."

"Do you mean that?" she sniffled.

"I have never meant anything more," he said as he lifted a hand to stroke her face and collect her tears. Holding her face in his hand, he brought her chin up and found he had an all but sudden urge to kiss her. He didn't quite know what to do so he realised he would have to rely heavily on instinct and Christine's judgement.

He brought his head down close to hers and felt a shiver go up his spine as her breath brushed against his chin. She was breathing shallowly now, her tears having stopped, but, more significantly to Erik, she had not made any motion to pull away even as their lips lay only a scant few millimetres apart. He moved his head and brought his lips ever so slightly closer to hers as he licked his own to wet them, brushing his tongue deliciously, if accidentally, against her bottom lip.

Christine trembled excitedly and closed her eyes as he again moved ever closer, drawing her body flush against his. His heart was racing furiously now, knowing that there was nothing lying between them, nothing that could stop him from sampling the sacred and hidden delights of the angel's mouth. He closed the remaining distance slowly, drawing out the experience and the anticipation for both of them. Finally, he nipped her lips delicately with his, their first kiss lasting no more than a mere second and serving only to further draw out the expectation and to allow him his first experience of her.

Her soft lips more than stood up to his expectations of her and again he drew himself forward, this time to kiss her properly. He pushed his lips flush against hers and kissed her fully on the mouth, delighting in the feeling of her reciprocating. She was delectable, the taste of her something he knew could never be surpassed and he would most likely never feel again.

He did not seem to be capable of much rational thought anymore but he wondered, vaguely, how he knew what to do. Her hands were pressed against his chest and he could feel her fisting them in the material of his clothes. How can I be doing this to her, he thought, how is it that I'm causing an angel such pleasure? He felt an uncontrollable craving to take their kiss further and, again running on instinct, he sucked her lower lip between his and nibbled it softly, causing Christine to moan delightedly.

He backed her up against the wall and held her against it to make them as close as they possibly could be, forcing her to move her hands up and drape them around his neck as he kissed her more fiercely. She sighed as she felt him brush his tongue against her lips again, this time fully intentional, and she opened them briefly to do to his lip what he had done to hers.

After several long minutes of kissing, neither of them was eager to part but both knew they had to before they were missed, so Christine pulled back slowly. Both hers and Erik's eyes remained shut for many seconds afterwards as they basked in the shared intimacy they were experiencing. Erik was the first to open his eyes and marvel at the beautiful woman before him. She was exquisite and he felt every bit the handsome prince as he looked down at her beautiful face and thought on the reality that he had just been kissing her. They had shared their perfect first kiss together and Erik knew he would never feel such a pure high again, also knowing that it was something that boy would never be able to steal from him.

"Angel," Erik whispered reverently.

Christine opened her eyes lazily and looked up at Erik, one single joyous tear running down her left cheek.

Erik was crushed… he could almost feel his heart breaking… She had been crying, she was crying and he had taken advantage of her grief… He had become as wretched as everyone thought he was, as unworthy of her as he had always known he was…

"Oh, Christine, Angel," Erik sobbed as he released her from his hold, "I am so sorry, I can't believe I put you through that. You must truly hate me now if you didn't before. Please, try to forget it… I know you will be disgusted for a while but it will pass, I am sure. Oh, Angel, I'm sorry…"

It took Christine a number of seconds to realise exactly what he was saying and she looked at him, utterly confused. "What are you talking about, Erik? I don't hate you; I couldn't hate you. And that kiss, Erik it was amazing, not disgusting…"

"It's so sweet of you to try to make this vile creature feel better, Christine. You truly are an angel… But you need not lie to me, I know the horror I have put you through… I won't force you to look at me another second…"

"Erik, wait…" Christine called as he fled the room as quickly as he had come.

She couldn't help the tears of sorrow that followed his departure and she crumpled down to the floor in agony as she cried.

A short time later, having heard her crying, a bewildered Jeremy found his favourite charge lying in that very position as she sobbed against her knees. He immediately drew her up against him and held her as he tried to comfort her. "It's alright, Blue Eyes, cry it all out. I'm here… I've got you…"

Little did they know that someone had been watching the whole exchange from the very beginning to the very end and they would have their revenge. It might take some time but they would have their revenge…

© Copyright of CrawfordsBiscuits, October 2005

I know that this is only Chapter 6 and the whole kiss thing was a bit fast, but, chalk it up to the champagne and it will be resolved/tied-up in the next chapter.