Chapter Fifteen

Morning Dreams

Better never to have met you in my dream

than to wake and reach for hands that are not there...

Sunlight hit Erik's face the following morning, causing him to stir. He did not know when he had fallen asleep but it had been one of the most fulfilling sleeps he had ever had in his life. He felt her warm breath caressing the skin of his chest and looked down to see his angel resting beside him.

She looked so serene and beautiful. He felt as if he should wake up any moment and be back in the cellar beneath the opera house, only dreaming of his love for this woman. Erik thought back and knew he had done nothing to deserve this and he was sure nothing would come close.

Needing to know this was not a dream Erik softly pressed his lips to hers, coaxing her to wake. She sighed against his mouth, her lashes fluttering. Blue clashed with green in an intense stare...and she smiled. For some unknown reason he had expected her to scream or blanche when the memory came to her of what had happened, but no, she was smiling.

"Good morning, husband," Christine murmured happily, snuggling closer to him.

"Good morning, wife," he said, causing a soft laugh to come from her lips. She stretched and suddenly the entire lenght of her naked body was being pressed against him. He groaned and Christine caught his eye. She blushed when she realized what it was that had caused him to groan but she appeared hesistant.

Erik watched her trail her fingers down the muscle on his chest. He could tell there was something she wished to tell him but she looked frightened for some reason.

"What is it, ma petite?" he asked. Christine shook her head. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Tell me," he commanded. She blushed.

"I-I was worried...that-that..."

"Worried about what?" he asked. Christine buried her face against his chest.

"That I did not please you," she whispered. Erik gently turned her face to him, pressing his lips to hers.

"Never believe for a moment, Christine that you could ever do anything that would not please me," he insisted. Christine smiled against his lips.

"Thank you," she whispered. He smiled and gently rolled her beneath him. Christine looked up at him and wondered when she would be able to tell him that she loved him. Not now, now they would focus only on pleasure.

xXx

"Christine?" Erik said. Christine turned to him from her position at the window.

"Yes?" she asked. He hesitated and she wondered what he wanted to tell her. Finally he took a deep breath.

"I have some music and my piano ready, if you would like to sing?" he asked. Christine's first instinct was to say no. The thought of singing brought back to many memories of the things they had both gone through at the opera house. But she could see by the look in his eyes that it meant a lot to him.

"Alright, Erik," she whispered. She was his wife now, it was her duty to honour and cherish him and make him happy. If her singing made him happy she would do so. She followed him out of her room and down to the music room silently, neither saying a word. He had the drapes pulled and only candlelight illuminated the room. Erik sat down at the piano and ruffled through some music sheets while Christine stood nervously by the piano. When he found the one he was looking for he nodded to her and began to play.

Christine knew the song immediately, it was one her father used to play to her before she would go to sleep. She had shared it with Erik when she was younger and apparently he had written down the score. The idea of her father brought tears to her eyes but she pushed them down, knowing that he would be happy for her.

When I'm alone I dream of the horizon and words fail me...

Christine trailed off when Erik stopped playing to stand and come to her. He instructed her to continue and she did so, wondering what he was doing.

There is no light in a room where there is no sun
and there is no sun if you're not here with me...

One of Erik's hands was at the small of her back and the other on her chin, tilting her head up slightly higher. His hand on her back gently pressed, causing her to stand straighter. She realized he was instructing her on how to stand while she sung, something he could only tell her to do when he had been the Angel of music. Now he could actually be a teacher to her in all sense of the word.


From every window unfurls my heart the heart that you have won.
Into me you've poured the light,
the light that you found by the side of the road...

His hands were on her waists, slightly below her breasts as he stood in front of her. Christine was finding it difficult to concentrate when the feel of his hands reminded her of what they had shared the night before.

"Use your diaphram to breath, Christine," he instructed, indicating what he meant. She did as she was told and noticed it was slightly easier to sing and keep her breath. She glanced at Erik as they continued and noticed he was not fazed in the least by touching her so, when he was doing something important to him it seemed everything else did not exist.

Time to say goodbye.
Places that I've never seen or experienced with you.
Now I shall, I'll sail with you upon ships across the seas,

Christine had no idea what this lesson was doing to Erik. He was glad he had decided to wear a cloak this day because his body was suddenly very much aware of the beautiful body next to him and what he had already shared with her.

seas that exist no more,
it's time to say goodbye.

The next verse was meant to be sung by a male to the woman singing with him and Erik easily picked up the words, standing close in front of his wife as the words spilt forth from his lips.

When you're far away I dream of the horizon and words fail me.
And of course I know that you're with me,
You, my moon, you are with me.
My sun, you're here with me

Christine looked up at Erik, who was so close she could feel his breath as he sang to her. His hands were on her waist and the feel of his warm body almost caused her to lose concentration. His voice alone, when he continued the song, had her in complete and utter ecstasy.

Time to say goodbye.
Places that I've never seen or experienced with you.
Now I shall, I'll sail with you upon ships across the seas,
seas that exist no more,

Christine pressed herself closer to her, resting her head on his broad chest. His arms wrapped around her and he rested his head on her chin as the next words were sung together and in perfect harmony.

I'll revive them with you.
I'll go with you upon ships across the seas,
seas that exist no more,
I'll revive them with you.
I'll go with you.

You and me.

Erik pressed a kiss to her temple and held her close for a long time, reveling in the fact that she was with him like this and that their song was so right together. He had grown up with music being his only companion, the one thing that never turned from him despite what he looked like. It had been both a mother and a father to him as a child who no one wanted to care about.

No one had ever had the capability to match him when it came to song, no ones voice had ever blended with his, he could simply hear them and know it was not right. But Christine was his other half. Her song made him whole, it completed that large part of him that had always been empty before. Her acceptance had finally made him feel like a man who was used to only being a monster.

Erik told himself that he was going to make her happy no matter what it was he had to do. She now was the only reason he was alive and if anything happened to her he would cease to exist.

xXx

"Is it not a beautiful afternoon?" Christine asked Anita, who was at the moment cleaning out Christine's old room. All of her things were to be moved to Erik's rooms and Christine had offered to help the other woman while Erik worked in his music room.

"It is, Madam," Anita agreed. Christine knew the other woman knew what she and Erik had done last night...and that morning and Christine had the feeling that she did not agree with it.

"Why is it, Anita, that you fear Erik, Anita?" Christine asked innocently. The other woman looked at her in surprise.

"Madam?"

"Why do you fear Erik? Is it the mask?" she wondered, deciding that if she could accept him then this woman would as well.

"I suppose, Madam...we all fear that which we do not understand," she replied. Christine said nothing although she knew what the other woman meant. It had been a long time that she never truly understood her Angel of Music, she was still getting to know him now, and they were married!

"Alright, let's bring this to the other room," Christine said, grabbing a handful of her dresses in her arms. She turned and started walking toward the door, expecting Anita to follow.

Christine cried out suddenly when a sharp pain entered her head was Anita's satisfied laughter...then darkness.