I've taken to waiting for my reviewers to return…le sigh. I don't particularly adore this chapter, but enjoy it anyway.
Chapter One – News of the Angel and Devil
Persia 1875
Christine
I feel myself waking up and yet I do not want to give in to it, not just yet. I can sense that the morning is warm and dry, as all mornings are here, but not much more than that.
Still fighting to keep my eyes shut tight, I move a little and feel skin-on-skin contact, my shoulders, breasts, neck, arms and face all touching another's skin, warm and beaten. I finally let my eyes open and brush away the few strands of hair in my face, shifting a little so I can see.
I smile; Erik sleeps soundly, a departure for him, beside me, his chest rising and falling rhythmically, his hair, hairpiece and all, tousled and messy.
Trying not to wake him, I disengage from the tangle of our arms and bodies, rising up to a sitting position and then turning to leave the warm and comfortable bed. Knowing that I cannot possibly run through the whole of the house to my room without a piece of clothing on my body, I rummage around in the drawers of Erik's room until I find a silk robe that will adequately cover me.
Just as I am tying it, I hear Erik waking up, the sheets rustling as he moves. I turn to face him and I see his eyes light up, the gray-green glow in them turning to a fire. "Good morning," I say calmly but happily, walking to the mattress and sitting upon it, my legs hanging off of the side.
Erik says nothing, just gives me a look of love and appreciation, and I reach my hand out, placing it upon his perfect cheek and run my fingers along his skin softly.
We sit there in amicable silence, small grins on each of our faces, until there is sound from outside, a sharp rap on the door. "Erik?"
"What is it, Reza?" Erik calls back gliding effortlessly from the bed and finding his pants in a pile on the floor. Quietly, so only I can hear, he whispers, "Christine, where's my mask?"
"My father wants to speak to you," Reza says in response as I look around on the floor for Erik's signature white mask that I'd thrown to the floor the previous night.
"Oh, hell with it," Erik states firmly, his voice tinged with agitation. "I'll be right there, Reza!" Grabbing his black mask from atop the chest of drawers, he hastily kisses me on the cheek before grabbing his shirt from a chair and hurrying out the door.
Erik
"What happened last night?" Nadir asks me, his voice threaded with mockery. Adamantly ignoring him, something that I'm usually not one to try, I pour myself a cup of tea and drink it standing up, facing away from Nadir. "Erik, really, I won't get angry with you if I find out you're using my guest room as a home for your sexual escapades with Christine."
"You are one hell of a pain in my ass, do you know that?" I growl at him. The Daroga chuckles.
"Are you saying that now that you've finally got Christine in your bed I can't be happy for you?" I whirl around and stalk towards him.
"It's not like that, Daroga," my voice is sharp and firm. "She is not like that and neither am I; this you know." How dare he accuse me of merely wanting to bed Christine and nothing more? It's ludicrous, unheard of, and the last thing I would ever do to Christine.
"I'm just trying to be excited for you, Erik," Nadir says, rising from the table to place a friendly hand on my arm. "I know how much you've wanted this."
"Who's to say anything happened?" I snap, still agitated and offended. "It's none of your goddamn business what happens between the two of us so you might as well just piss off." I stalk off, but the ever-persistent Nadir follows anyway.
"Erik, what's bothering you?" he says as I sit down on one of the chairs on the deck, facing away from him. "You seem so coarse; I want to help, and I'm sure that Reza and Christine would too if they were here. Tell an old friend what's bothering you." I turn and give Nadir a fearsome look, anger boiling over.
"It's none of your bloody business, Daroga! God damn!" Smashing the cup of tea on the floor I stride into the house and nearly crash headlong into Christine.
Christine
Erik grabs my shoulders to keep himself from running into me and throwing us to the floor with momentum. We stand there for a moment in awkward silence until I speak up softly, "Erik? Is everything all right?" Erik's penetrating green eyes catch my own brown ones for a long moment before he pushes past me and storms off down the hall.
I wrap my arms around myself and feel my body trembling until a comforting pair of arms comes around me from the back. "There, there," the Daroga says gently, turning me around and looking me straight in the eye. "He'll come to his senses in due time."
"Nadir, I'm…I'm worried for him," I admit. "He was just fine until he left me this morning and now…I haven't seen him like this since…since…" I can barely say anything. "I haven't seen him like this for well over a month now, Nadir, and I'm scared that he'll hurt himself or one of us."
The Daroga's face fills with concern. "I do not put self-injury past him, Christine, but he wouldn't lay a hand on any of us, especially you. You are his sun and moon and no matter what he could never hurt you." I turn and look down the hall towards Erik's room, seeing the closed door and shuddering.
Silently I walk away from the Daroga and towards the door, opening it quietly and stepping inside, to see Erik sitting on the opposite side of the bed from the door, head in his hands. Closing the door behind me I hurry to him, sitting down beside him and placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Erik, talk to me. I'm right here for you." When he does not respond I place both of my hands on his wrists and pull his hands away from his face. "Please, Erik. I want to help."
Erik turns to face me, his back still hunched over, and looks into my eyes with his, full of some unknown sadness. I just look at him, and he looks at me, our gazes locked.
In a split second, the mood changes, and Erik grabs me full-force, pulling me against him, holding me like I'll disappear if he lets go. I wrap my arms around his chest and place my head on his shoulder, letting him hold me. "Oh, Christine," he murmurs into my hair, burying his face against my shoulder. "Oh, Christine."
"Erik, tell me what's wrong," I say gently, moving away and placing a hand on his cheek, the black leather of his mask soft and warm. "I cannot help unless you talk to me." Leaning in closer, I press my lips against his, as if it will transfer my need to help into him.
When I pull away, I see Erik's eyes are closed. "Tell me that you love me," he says softly, his voice barely a whisper.
"I love you," I affirm, "and I want to know how I can help you."
"I don't know what it is," Erik states quietly. "I'm so afraid that if I let things change after last night that I'll lose you." I bite my lip and rest my hand on Erik's knee for stability. "After all of this time…"
"Hush," my voice is calm and strong as I place a finger to his lips. "I feel it too. But things don't have to be different now. Nothing has changed." Erik looks at me incredulously. "I think I've come to realize," I say, my voice wavering a little, "that this hasn't just happened. I think…" I trail off, collecting myself. "I think that I have always loved you, whether it was childish fantasy or true adult love. I told you so last night and it was true. Ever since I left you that night...oh, it was so many years ago now, wasn't it?"
"We don't have to talk about that, Christine," Erik states firmly, sounding more than a little irate.
"But we do," I counter him. "We need to come to an understanding." Standing up, I turn and kneel down in front of Erik, looking up into his face. "You're afraid that things will change too much, and so am I, but if we continue to cover the past up like it never happened…"I trail off. I had been the one trying to stop the past from haunting me. Now I'm the one trying to halt that same process in its tracks. "Erik, this is something we need to discuss right now if we want any chance together. I'm willing to fight for that; are you?"
Silence consumes us for what seems like an endless period of time, until finally Erik gathers me up in his arms and holds me tight against him. "Oh, Christine I love you so much," he says, and I take that as a yes to my question. Smiling against his chest, I let out a squeal as we topple over backwards onto the mattress. Snuggling up against him, I lie content in Erik's arms, satisfied to know that the all of the running from the past just might be over.
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