A/N: As always, thanks to my beta, Le Chat Noir.
Episode 39: Double Date
By: Elektra
Erik's room
Erik ducked a left fist, then a right. He had never come upon an opponent like this. She was wild, uncontrollable…
… and he couldn't bear to hurt her.
"Angel, stop!" he gasped as he grabbed Christine's tiny wrists and held them out. "You must concentrate better. You are punching blindly. First…" he took her hand in his, folding the little fingers over into a proper fist. "You do not want to hurt yourself. You want to make an impact on your opponent, not take the brunt of it to your hand."
Christine nodded.
"And do not forget your defensive stance." He held his arms up in front of him, bent at the elbow, fists ready. "You aim left with your right, and right with your left. You keep the opposing arm ready to block any strikes coming at you."
"Sounds easy in theory, not so easy when my life is on the line," Christine protested. "I doubt a mugger is going to care about proper stance."
"You do have a point. However, with enough practice, it will become second nature to you." He took a few steps back.
"Now, come at me. Try to knock my legs out from under. I want to see if you have the proper technique. You remember what I showed you?"
Christine took a deep breath and ran at Erik, her foot shooting out. He remained standing, unaffected.
"That was my shin, not my knee, and you are supposed to make contact using your dorsum - the top of your foot - not your toes or you will break them!" he commanded.
Christine frowned, moved a few steps back, then took a running leap and launched herself at him, catching Erik off-guard and sending him to the workout mats he had procured (illegally) from the college gym.
Before Erik could get up, Christine straddled his stomach and pinned his wrists. "This works better, don't you think?"
"FOOLISH girl!" Erik hissed angrily, causing Christine to be taken aback. "Your opponent could throw you off easily or turn it around on you!"
He yanked his wrists from her grasp and pushed himself up on his elbows, the change in position causing Christine to slide a few inches lower.
In frustration, Christine grabbed the material of Erik's tank top and pulled him closer. "HEY! I'm TRYING!" she snapped. "No need to get bitchy!"
"I… do not … get BITCHY!" he growled. "The truth is, little angel, you fight like a woman!" Erik retorted.
"Well, GOSH, Erik! Maybe because I AM a woman!" Christine snapped. "And I'm pretty sure you've noticed it, 'cuz that's not a stake I'm feeling every time we get cozy!"
Erik kept his jaw clenched as he coolly observed the position Christine was sitting in.
He slowly brought his golden eyes back to hers, causing her heart to pound within her chest.
She had made a sarcastic remark in her anger… but now… now his eyes were on fire at what she had implied…
"What do you want me to say, angel?" he spoke deliberately, voice low. "As much as I try to be a gentleman, a MAN I still am! I apologize if my body …at any time… offended you!"
Christine shoved his shoulders back to the mat. "That is SO not what I meant! I'm just saying I'm not some six-foot-something Hunter who's been doing this for 15 years!"
Christine let out a surprised yelp as she suddenly found their positions reversed, Erik pinning her hands above her head as he glared down at her. "Six!" he hissed.
"What?"
"I am six-foot-six! And I have been doing this for 16 years!" He brought his masked face closer to hers. "Now it seems I have you in a rather unfortunate position! What should you do?"
Christine thought fast, and quickly brought her knees up, catching him in the stomach and shoving him off before she jumped to her feet, defensive position ready.
Erik slowly stood up, a smirk upon his lips. "Very good. At least you learned something today."
"Thanks… but you're still a bitchy teacher."
"I am NOT bitchy!" he hissed as he took a step towards her.
"Yes, you are!" she retorted, closing the gap completely. She then smirked up at him. "And I kind've like it. It shows that you care."
Before Erik could respond, Christine pulled his face down and kissed him thoroughly.
"And now," she continued once they broke away, "I have to go to class!" She grabbed her backpack and headed out the door, leaving Erik staring hopelessly after her as he tried to catch his breath.
Meg and Christine's Dorm room – Saturday afternoon
Meg flipped through the latest copy of Dance Magazine, finding herself alone after Christine had headed off to the Science Centre with Erik. She had invited Meg, but Meg did not want to feel like a third wheel and had politely declined.
Others were free to knock on her dorm door, but Meg had made it clear that she was currently in no mood to be disturbed.
Though she rarely showed it, RJ's betrayal a few weeks ago was still fresh in her mind. She had, in fact, been in a funk ever since.
Christine, bless her heart, would always patiently listen to her ranting and raving, offer her a shoulder to cry on, and try to cheer her up.
It never lasted long enough.
Even though RJ had begged Meg's forgiveness – and no doubt she had the ghost to thank for that – she still could not find it in her heart to forgive him. Perhaps she was being petty.
Perhaps not.
RJ had been her first, her only, and he had betrayed her because she hadn't been enough for him. What made matters worse was the fact RJ was the one who had pushed for a physical relationship to begin with.
I should have been strong enough to say no. I should have realized then. The asshole threatened to dump me if I didn't put out! That alone should have set off the 'he's a total bastard' warning bells, Meg mused.
She sighed inwardly. Over a year of her life had just been wasted on a boy who couldn't care less. Why couldn't she find a decent guy like Christine had?
So what if he looked like a corpse? At least Erik treated Christine with respect.
Meg suddenly jumped at the sound of her cell phone ringing. Who would be calling her?
She grabbed the phone and frowned at caller ID. "What do you want, DeChagny?" she snapped as she answered.
"Yikes! Did I catch you at a bad time?" Raoul replied on the other line. "I was going to ask how Chrissy's been after all that shit she went through, but I couldn't get through to her phone."
"Sorry. Not feeling very talkative!" Meg snapped.
"What's wrong?"
"Raoul? I said I'm not very talkative." Meg answered, then suddenly felt the need to rant. "Why do guys suck?"
Raoul was startled by the outburst. "Um, well… in defense of my gender, not ALL of us suck."
"RJ's a damn cheater who can't keep it in his pants, and he expected me to be his little blow up sex doll and enjoy it! God… he wasn't even that GOOD in bed! Couldn't keep it up for more then five minutes! Didn't do any of the good stuff girls like either! I think Mr. Micro-Weenie only brought me ONCE in all the times we-"
"MEG!" Raoul sputtered. "A little TOO much info! I'm going to have to scrub my ears out here."
"And what's worse," Meg continued, oblivious to his protests. "If my mom marries his dad, he's going to be my step-brother! How SICK is that?"
Raoul shuddered silently, then spoke again. "Tell you what – how about we go somewhere? Might make you feel better… possibly… maybe… God, I really hope so."
"Oh hell… why not…" she muttered. "But if you think I'm going to sleep with you-"
"WOAH, hey!" Raoul interrupted. "That is NOT on my radar! I just figured you might like going out. Just as friends, Meg. I'm not looking to be rebound guy here."
"Well, I don't want to be rebound girl either, you know. Just 'cuz Chrissy isn't here."
"Chrissy and I haven't dated in a year. And I'm not asking you just because she's not there." He let out a sigh. "That's what I get for trying to be a nice guy. Never mind. I'll talk to you another time."
"WAIT… Raoul… I'm sorry." Meg answered apologetically. "I didn't mean to start spewing my hate-on for RJ at you." Her voice grew softer. "I'd love to go somewhere with you."
A wicked thought came to her. "How about the Science Centre?"
He was silent a moment, and Meg worried he had already hung up.
"I'll be there at three." Raoul answered finally. "And Meg?" his voice sounded painfully sincere. "I really am just trying to cheer you up."
Meg allowed a small smile to cross her lips. "Yeah, I know. Thank you. I'll see you soon."
"See you," Raoul replied. Meg heard the click of his phone, and disconnected.
The Science Centre
Christine read the information brochure before her:
BODY WORKS: The Exhibition of Real Human Bodies
She suppressed a shudder. Real human bodies… she reminded herself. Preserved for eternity. Bodies without skin. Just bones, muscles, tendons, nerves, blood vessels and organs.
Christine glanced over to Erik, who seemed fascinated as he studied the exhibit and read the information plaques.
"Um… Erik?" She started.
"Yes, Christine?"
She bit her lip nervously. "Was this supposed to be romantic?"
Erik studied her, surprised at the question. "Oh."
He took a deep breath. "Forgive me. I… did not quite… think of it that way. I simply thought it would be interesting." He shrugged his shoulders hopelessly. "I am afraid I fail when it comes to romantic."
Christine hugged his arm. "It's ok. If this interests you, then I don't mind." She glanced around briefly. "Of course, these guys are kind of creepy. They look like they're going to get up and walk any minute now."
"It would not surprise me," Erik responded off-handedly.
Christine looked up at Erik, back at the bodies, then hugged his arm tighter.
Martine glanced over to the masked man and his female companion as she pretended to take in the various displays before her.
She wanted answers, and she wanted them now. Why had he come after her with the Hunters if he was the one who had hired her in the first place?
Unless, of course, it had been someone else. But surely there could not be TWO masked men roaming about the city?
Could there?
Meg and Christine's Dorm room
Meg's mind went over the conversation she had had with Raoul not more then twenty minutes ago.
Nice work, Meggy. Piss off the guy who's just trying to be nice… Meg silently scolded herself. She paced across her carpet and caught her reflection in the mirror – her hair was a frizzled mess, her face pale, her clothing sloppy. Damn… I look like hell. She took a deep breath, and grew determined.
Ok. RJ is an ass and he's not worth mourning over! A hottie just asked you out and you're going to look halfway decent! So get out of your depression and dazzle DeChagny!
Meg quickly went to her dresser and pulled out a white baby-t and a pair of low-rise jeans. Comfortable, practical, and showed off her dancer's body without looking like it was showing off her dancer's body. She tossed the outfit on her bed and glanced at the clock. He would be there in thirty minutes. No… twenty-five now.
I'll be damned if I'm going out with Raoul DeChagny smelling like I just got back from the gym... even if I DID just get back from the gym.
She headed into the washroom and quickly tossed her current clothes in the hamper, hopping into the shower and letting out a yelp as the cold water hit her, having not allowed it enough time to heat up.
Ten minutes later, she was done.
SHIT… now my hair is wet! She hadn't considered that in her rush to be clean. Meg simply towel dried it, grabbed her anti-frizz mousse, scrunched, and decided to let it air-dry.
With the help of some baby powder to soak up the excess moisture on her skin - guys like the smell of baby powder, right? She wondered – Meg quickly slipped on her outfit, added a dab of makeup – not too much, she reminded herself – and waited.
Three o'clock sharp, there was a knock at the door. "Meg? It's Raoul. You good to go?"
Meg smiled. At least he's punctual.
She quickly grabbed her coat, opened the door, and headed out, arm-in-arm, with the most eligible – and handsome- bachelor in town.
It was enough to cheer any girl up.
The Science Centre – 30 Minutes later
Uncomfortable was not the proper word to describe the four people staring at each other in the middle of the Body Works exhibit.
"Meg?" Raoul started as he glared at the tall masked man holding Christine's hand. "What the hell is HE doing here?"
"I am here with Christine, DeChagny," Erik hissed. "I should ask what YOU are doing here with Little Giry!"
"It was HER idea!" Raoul replied. "I offered to take her out to cheer her up, and she wanted to come HERE for some insane reason!"
"Ok. Ok. Hold on a sec…" Christine began. "Meggy? Can we talk?" She indicated a quiet corner several feet away.
Meg followed her, leaving the boys fuming at each other.
"Chrissy, I can explain! I like Raoul. Seriously. I mean, he's hot AND he's nice. And he isn't expecting to get laid! And I wanted you to know how I felt without you freaking out on me, so when he offered to take me somewhere, I thought we could meet up with you," she rushed out in one breath.
"He's my ex, Meggy." Christine replied.
"I know! But that's just it – your ex! You have Erik now."
Christine took a deep breath, and spoke again. "How did you get to know him well enough to LIKE him?"
Meg cringed. There was the question. It deserved an answer. She only hoped Christine would understand it.
"Well, when you disappeared to find Erik back in the winter, we wanted to find you. We hung out a lot, trying to figure it out, and that's when I started to think about it. About him. I was still with RJ, so I couldn't really act." She then frowned, "Although apparently that didn't stop HIM from acting." she shook her head, "Anyway. That's how it happened."
She glanced over at the two men off to the side, and could have sworn she saw the hatred pour off them.
Meg quickly brought her attention back to Christine. "I mean, one of the reasons I got fed up with RJ's treatment of me was because Raoul was just so polite and considerate, and he wasn't even getting me in bed for it!"
"Does he know you like him?" Christine asked.
"I doubt it," Meg replied, then looked downcast. "I don't even know if I'm his type."
"Why not? You're a sweetheart." Christine smiled.
Meg looked back at her friend, surprised. "You're not mad at me?"
"Mad? No. I was surprised, mostly. Really surprised," she said. "But I have no romantic attachment to Raoul anymore. It wouldn't be fair to get mad because someone ELSE does."
"So it's ok then!" Meg asked hopefully.
"Yeah, it's ok. I just hope he reciprocates. He'll treat you a whole lot better than RJ did, and that's what's important." She took Meg's hands. "I want you to be happy, Meggy. If you think Raoul can do that for you, then by all means go for it."
Meg was about to respond when she was interrupted by fearsome yelling as Erik and Raoul looked about ready to rip each other's heads off.
"Will they ever get along?" Meg groaned as the two girls rushed back to their respective dates in the hopes of calming them down.
Martine watched the group before her. The two males – the masked one and the blond - were arguing, their dislike for one another so thick she could taste it. It was the type of negative energy she could draw her power from.
She chuckled quietly to herself as the two little girls tried desperately to get their men to control themselves.
She would have loved to stay and watch… if the masked man had not spied her off to the side. He stopped his momentary arguing and narrowed his golden eyes.
Ignoring the other three, he started to walk towards her. She looked around, wondering why he would dare approach her in public.
"Who are you?" he demanded as he finally stood before her.
She stared at him, incredulous. "You KNOW who I am."
"No, Madame, I do NOT. And yet…" he studied her. "there is something about you I find familiar."
Martine shook her head, eyes wide. "You're not him."
"Who?" he demanded.
Martine knew now.
The masked man who had come to kill her with the Hunters was NOT the same one who had hired her for the job in the first place.
She backed away from him, a small smirk on your face. "You find me familiar, do you?" she asked. "Perhaps this will refresh your memory!"
She muttered something incoherent under her breath.
Erik tried to make out the language only to find that it was an incantation.
Before Erik could register the effect her words might have, screams erupted from behind him.
Erik spun around to see the specimens slowly moving from their dais, Christine and Meg clutching at each other, Raoul standing in front them somewhat protectively as all three began backing away.
A rush of other patrons ran towards the exits once they saw what was happening, shoving and pushing anything and anyone out of their way.
Erik turned back to the woman only to see she was gone.
But now he knew.
She was the one he had been sent to execute a while back.
And she had managed to escape once again.
Christine desperately tried to look for Erik as one of the bodies made its way towards her, hands outstretched, soulless eyes focused.
Its exposed parts started to throb with life, creating a moist sheen over its once dried-out form.
She had become separated from Meg and Raoul, swept away by the others trying to escape. "ERIK?" she called out. "ERIK? Where ARE you!"
She moved away from the thing heading towards her, only to run into another thing. She cried out for Erik hysterically and was answered when a rope wrapped around the creature's neck and was pulled taut, causing the head to part from the body. The bits and pieces fall to the ground with a very wet splat.
Behind her now, she heard another splat.
Christine stumbled away as quickly as her legs could carry her, then fell to her knees in a desperate attempt not to retch at the stench that permeated the pile of reanimated parts.
"Angel?" She felt hands grasp her shoulder and immediately spun around into Erik's embrace.
"What… what was that? Why… why did it move? I thought you were KIDDING! Oh God! It MOVED! It was DEAD… and it MOVED!"
"Yes. That's been known to happen on occasion." Erik muttered as he stood up and glanced around slowly. Christine knew the Hunter had taken over.
There were three more creatures left, each of them soon meeting the same fate as the other two.
For a moment, Christine could have sworn she had seen one more heading off elsewhere. But where was it now?
And more importantly, where were Meg and Raoul?
"CHRISSY?" Meg cried out. "Where are you?"
"Chrissy!" Raoul's voice added to Meg's as the two backed away from the dead thing that came towards them.
Meg let out a startled screech as it grabbed at her. She made a desperate attempt to get away, but it held strong.
Without a second thought, Raoul grabbed a stanchion that had been used to rope off the exhibit and tackled the thing, forcing it away from Meg and landing atop it with a sickening squish.
He then proceeded to bludgeon its head as many times as he could until it finally stopped moving.
Wet. Sticky. Cold.
Raoul's clothing was covered.
It took a moment before the shock finally hit him.
He jumped to his feet, the foul stench assaulting his nose as he glanced down at himself."Ew… oh, Ewwwww! This is… the most REVOLTING, DISGUSTING thing I have EVER encountered!"
Meg slowly went up to him. "Raoul? Are you-"
"What the HELL was that?" he interrupted. "And WHY was it so damned JUICY? Shit! Of ALL the things that have EVER happened to me, THIS has to be the most fu-"
The sudden feel of Meg's mouth upon his interrupted Raoul's rant.
When they broke apart, Raoul could only stare at her, eyes wide, breathing halted. "Meg? What-"
"Thank you… for being my hero." she winked.
"Oh… well… um…" he looked around quickly, saw no immediate danger. "It wasn't such a big deal. I acted on instinct."
Raoul's adrenaline high was still in full gear, mixed with relief now as he did the first thing that came to mind – he talked.
"I've been told I have a bit of a heroic streak in me. Apparently my father was a war hero. I suppose it runs in the family. I was told my great-grandfather once-"
"Will you shut up!" came a harsh growl from a few feet away.
Raoul jumped at the voice and turned to face a newly arrived Erik and Christine, the former glaring at him with a scowl.
"You look like crap, DeChagny." Erik pointed out. "Smell like it too!"
Raoul came back to himself, having momentarily forgotten his current state. "Damn. How am I going to explain this to Phil?"
"Why don't we go back to Residence?" Meg suddenly perked up. "He can take a shower in our bathroom, right Chrissy?" She looked hopefully at Christine, a silent plea in her eyes. Oh please let me have a naked Raoul in my vicinity? Pretty please?
Christine had to suppress a laugh. "Sure. Erik can loan him some clothes and we'll toss his stuff in one of the machines."
Erik glared down at Christine. "You want him to wear MY clothes?"
"Well he's certainly not going to fit into MINE!" Christine protested.
Before Erik could say more, Christine had her arms around his waist, her hands in the back pockets of his trousers as she offered his backside a slight squeeze. "I'll make it up to you," she whispered.
Erik furrowed his brow. What, exactly, was she implying?
He would have refuse, but the pleading in those lovely blue eyes made him powerless to do so. "Very well," he muttered, and silently cursed his weakness.
When he turned to face Raoul, the handsome blond boy seemed as horrified as Erik was at the prospect.
"If you ruin my clothes, DeChagny, you WILL pay for it!" Erik then smirked coldly. "And I do not mean with money!"
Raoul suddenly grasped Meg's hand, and for a moment, Meg's heart leapt at the thought he was being romantic… until Raoul started to squeeze perhaps a little too tightly, a slight shaking in the firmness of the grip.
She watched his jaw clench as his eyes never left Erik's, his adam's apple bobbing repeatedly.
She only hoped Raoul didn't notice she was paying just a little too much attention to the rest of him as well.
Ravelle College Residence
Meg sat on her bed nervously, expecting her mother to barge in at any moment and accuse her of hiding a naked Raoul DeChagny in her shower.
Well… he wasn't hiding, exactly. But… he was there. She could hear the water going. In fact, it had been going for a good twenty minutes now.
Must have been a whole lot of squish in that thing, she thought as she recalled how Raoul had been covered in gunk after their run-in with the living dead things.
Suddenly, the water stopped, and Raoul's voice could be heard. "Meg?" he called out. "Uh… where are your towels?"
"Damn!" She cursed quickly, realizing she had forgotten to give him one before he had gone in.
She quickly went to her dresser and found the biggest towel she had, then knocked on the door of the bathroom. "Raoul? Uh… here. Sorry."
The door opened slightly, a wet-haired DeChagny poking his blond head out. She held the towel up and he opened the door just a little bit more to stick his hand out and grab it. "Thanks."
She nodded, quite sure she was smiling foolishly at him before he slunk back in.
He had opened the door just enough that Meg was able to sneak a look at what she could be getting herself into.
Oh yes. He would certainly be an improvement over RJ.
END OF EPISODE 39