I have a list I have to cover: Number 1, sorry it took so long to get back to this story! It took me a week to write this chapter even after I decided to come back to this story. Number 2, I finished this at 1:36 in the morning, I didn't proofread. I'm sorry. I'm sleepy, I want to go to bed. Number 3, Enjoy, I will be updating next chapter within the next two weeks.


We were sitting on the couch together, I was leaning against Erik, picking at my nails. He was reading the paper, and I was just there to answer any questions he may have. A thought came to my mind; I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to ask him…

"Hey, do you think Verain is part of the curse?" I asked, he gave me a shrug.

"There is a possibility. However, men like Verain have existed for as long as I can remember." Erik told me. I frowned, resting my head on his shoulder. He chuckled lightly then put a kiss to my head and turned the page.

"You're such an old man, oh my god." I said, poking him in the side. He jumped and elbowed me in the back lightly.

"Can you believe I was almost fifty when I met Christine?" He asked.

"Damn son! And that was before the freaking curse? Wait you're not going to like shrivel up into dust when I have a second daughter are you?" I asked. He laughed.

"No, I don't think so, and I certainly hope not to. I would hate to widow you at such a young age." He told me. This was strangely morbid and yet we were discussing it like it was an article in the paper he was reading.

"Let's change the subject." I said quietly. Instead we fell into silence. Which was alright. At an extent, now I was left with the worry of Erik dying after the curse was broke. I kept telling myself there was no need to worry. Why should I? It was a silly notion. I tended to dwell on things that were better left with a dismissive chuckle and never addressed again.

The sound of the newspaper rustling as Erik folded it and put it on the coffee table next to us brought me out of my thoughts.

"Can we go out?" He asked softly, making my heart melt. I smiled.

"Where do you want to go?" I replied.

"Elizabeth's grave." Erik spoke curtly and almost shyly.

"I'll have to call Margie; I don't know where she's buried." I told him, Erik pursed his lips slightly, almost reminiscent of a pout. I reached up and stroked his hair soothingly, he gave me a small smile I returned it and reached for the phone on the table. I punched in Margie's number and waited for her to pick up.

"Hello my love." Margie said as she answered, there was a small amount of background noise, sounding like the news. Wow both Margie and Erik acted like they were 50 (Erik kind of having a reason).

"Hi Margie, how are you?" I asked. We exchanged pleasantries. I wasn't sure if I should just drop the fact that Erik had left the asylum or not… Unless Nautia told her already. She probably already did.

"You know where Elizabeth is buried right?" I asked, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. Erik chuckled amusingly. I sent him a bit of a playful glare and returned my attention to Margie's voice on the phone.

"Oh, that's right! Erik left the asylum! Can you put him on the phone?" Margie asked, my small residual grin fell and I looked at Erik who was fiddling with the remote for the DVD player, I leaned over and gave him the one for the TV and gave Margie's request a couple seconds' worth of thought as Erik flipped on the TV. With a frown I gave the phone to Erik. He gave me a smile and took the phone.

"She looked rather bitter about that, Margaret." He told her, his voice filling with a type of dignity that he didn't use with me. I heard Margie laughing on the other end of the line. I stuck my tongue out at him and he grinned, giving me a wink that made my heart skip a beat, I crossed my arms over my chest and turned to snuggle into the corner of the couch, he leaned over and put a quick kiss to my lips, causing me to blush madly so I hid my face in my hands and groaned quietly. He laughed to himself as he listened to Margie speak.

"When will you be here?" Erik asked, my eyes popped open and I peered at him through the space between my fingers, my attention piquing.

"Okay, we'll go together then. See you soon." Erik said, my eyes were about the size of saucers I was sure. This was going to be the first time I had seen Erik and Margie together. He hung up the phone.

"Is she coming with us?" I asked, trying to sound nonchalant, Erik laughed and nodded, putting the phone back on the table. A spark of excitement coursed through me. I stood up.

"I'm going to go get dressed then." I told him, having only been wearing a pair of very short sweat shorts and a tank top. I also nearly gave Erik a heart attack when I walked into the living room that morning. I gave the weather a quick check, it was supposed to be cooler so I grabbed a pair of worn jeans and a t-shirt and pulled on some boots. I bunched up my hair and put a hair band around it and put on some make up. I heard the door open and my heart dropped down to my feet.

I walked out into the foyer and saw Erik and Margie hugging, she was laughing and crying and he was smiling. I realized that for some reason I was threatened by my own mother. Margie's eyes opened and she ripped from Erik's arms to me and wrapped me in a very tight embrace, greeting me with the same laughing and crying as she was Erik.

"I'm so proud and happy for you!" She said, hugging me tighter. I hugged her back. It was just that, Nautia was born out of wedlock too. Margie wasn't married, I wasn't sure if she was ever going to get married. I saw Erik looking at us from the doorway. I wasn't sure what to make of his expression. Uncomfortable or… curious? Margie let go of me and looked at Erik, then at me. Then back at him.

"Is everything alright?" She asked, Margie was in a sort of curious state. "I'm not disrupting any sort of flow am I?" She continued once Erik nor I said nothing. I snapped myself out of my little bitchy state. This was my mother! My aunt. She would never hurt me. And after all the crap Erik and I had already gone through, not to mention what we would have to go through for the curse to break. I was being very… petty. Possessive even.

"No, of course not! What kind of relationship would this be if you just being here interrupted any sort of flow we had?" I asked, taking her hand. She was my birth mother, my beloved aunt, and I loved her, curse or not, I wasn't going to get Erik get between us. Margie smiled, putting a kiss to the back of my hand.

"I'm sorry, my child. I shouldn't have expected anything of the sort. Now Elizabeth's grave is in a cemetery about five hours away. Do you have to work today, Lee?" She asked. I shook my head. She smiled and looked at Erik, he gave her a small smile. He was uncomfortable. This woman who got pregnant with me and broke his heart stood before him in the free world and he hadn't even thought about how it would be. Oh the phone she was just a voice. In the asylum she was just a visitor. Margie looked at me, almost for guidance, the roles we had played during this whole situation were reversed in this moment. She still loved him. I could tell. No wonder she hadn't remarried… I gave her an encouraging smile and took her into another hug, resting my head in the crook of her shoulder, my senses overwhelmed by her perfume.

"It's okay, just give him time, Margie." I told her. She laughed almost bitterly and nodded, then pulled away.

"Alright then, road trip?" I said with enthuse.

Oh God this whole thing is going to be awkward.

"Actually really quick, I'd like to use the bathroom; just a couple minutes." Margie said, walking off into the house. Margie and Mama had shared the house unlike Nautia and I, so she knew the layout I assumed. I turned to Erik.

"Can you at least try not to feel like she just killed a puppy in front of you?" I demanded quietly.

"Lee! She broke my heart, got pregnant-"

"With me, thank you very much! Without her screw up you would still be in the asylum!"

"Or I would be with her." Erik nearly barked.

"What am I not good enough for you, just second best to my own mother? Is that what you're saying?" I asked, crossing my arms over my chest in a much less playful way than before. I set him with a hard gaze. He stared at me on the spot, his mouth agape and eyes wide.

"No, of course you aren't Leamera! I love you. You know that. I love you more than the sun and the stars. You are my savior. If Alexander came to back right now and told me he'd break the curse and I could be with her I would turn it down." He said, softly, walking towards me, and rubbing my upper arms and pressing his forehead lightly to my own.

"This whole situation is just awkward, I should have thought it through when I agreed for the three of us to go together, I wanted to see her outside of the asylum, I wanted, thought, things were going to be the kindred between us now that we'd gotten everything out. This will just take time I suppose." As he spoke he took my face in his hands. I reached up and wrapped my hands around his wrists. He kissed me, soft and sweet, begging forgiveness. Then he pulled away and looked me in the eyes and I watched his deep ice blues look away from me to the door way behind me and my gaze followed, seeing Margie standing there. I smiled at her, trying not to make it look like one of those 'ha I got what you missed out on' smiles, but a kind one. She returned it.

Erik left me, staying near me but not holding on to me like his very life depended on it.

"So, are we ready to go?" I asked, trying to get past the fact that Margie had just seen us kissing, no one wanted to talk about what was going on.

"Of course, Margaret, Lee, shall we?" Erik asked, stepping back and gesturing towards the door. Margie nodded and took the lead.

"So are we going to stop for snacks? A road trip isn't a road trip without snacks." I said, following her outside and pausing to close the door.

"You do know we are going to a grave, of a woman whose death I am directly responsible for?" Erik asked, being much more gracious that he should.

"Oh crap sorry. I'm just trying to break the tension, I really am. I'm sorry." I told him as I turned to lock the door.

"I know. I just thought that perhaps you needed a small reminder." He told me, tenderly tucking a small lock of hair behind my ear. I looked at him from the corner of my eye, leaning against the side of the house, he had sent his gaze out to Margie's rental. Watching her wait for us to get to the car.

"I'd like to sit in the back if that's fine with you." He told her.

"But your legs, babe." I told him, the babe part slipping out without realizing it, he looked at me with a grin.

"I'll manage. It's going to be tense enough just being in the same car with her." He told me. I turned to him, touching his exposed cheek. I then stood on my toes and pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"Okay, but if you want to switch just tell me, alright?" I told him, sticking my keyring in my messenger bag.

"Alright." He replied, following after me. I smiled and walked down the sidewalk to the driveway. I opened the passenger door and got in, I heard Erik open the door as I was strapping in and Margie joined in. She checked the rearview mirror and then started the car.

"Off we go." She said.