Christine dans Deux
An Alternate Multiverse - A Phantom of the Opera Story
Nyasia A. Maire
© 2006
DISCLAIMER: See Chapter One
Chapter Thirty-Seven – A Bump in the Night
It is evening and night is rapidly approaching. I see a servant lighting torches with a taper further down the hall. Realizing that my father is probably waiting to hear of my conversation with Christine, so I approach the servant.
"Excuse me."
"Yes, Monsieur Erik?"
I am pleasantly surprised that the man knows who I am.
"Would you give a message to le Comte for me?"
"Of course."
"Please tell him that I will speak with him at breakfast. I am retiring for the evening."
The man repeats my message, douses the taper and after a slight bow, heads down the hall.
I must check on my beloved. Her fading worried me more than I had let on to anyone. Although I had attempted to make light of it to Christine, each time we separate is indeed a difficult thing.
Quickly walking through the darkening corridors to the room where my beloved lies, I compose a short prayer asking I find Christine peacefully asleep. I look up and down the corridor. No one is visible to take note of my entering the room so I slip inside.
The room is very dark as the drapes are closed. I quietly make my way across the room when I unexpectedly bump into a chair and send it skittering across the floor. I stand there a moment silently cursing my clumsiness and rub my abused shin when I hear something. I immediately go completely still. After a moment, I realize the sound is a giggle.
"Oh! So I amuse you now, do I?"
"Indeed, sir. You give me cause to smile quite often. And, it serves you right for entering a lady's chambers without receiving her permission first."
My beloved's voice touches me with its husky caress from across the room. A match flares as she lights the wick of an oil lamp, which sits on the night table next to the bed. She lowers the blue and green shade onto the lamp. She rolls to the middle of the bed and waits. The pale light bounces and swirls about the chamber as the flame flickers. The blue-green hue lending the room an underwater quality. I move closer to the bed and Christine presents me with a delicious sight. She lies on the bed clothed only in her long flowing tresses of chestnut curls. Her smile radiant, she holds out her hand to me.
I cross remaining distance between us and sit on the edge of the bed. Taking her hand in mine I inquire as to how she is feeling.
"I am well. Fully recovered, my love. And, I am ravenous!"
"Well, I believe a visit to the kitchen will alleviate that."
She laughs lustily and pulls my hand to her breast.
"The kitchen does not contain the sustenance I require. I require you, my love."
"And I you, beloved. And I you, but I do not wish to see you fade away. I was truly worried I might lose you again. Christine, I need you here with me. I need you to take care of yourself for me."
She uses my hand to caress her breast. An immediate fire begins to kindle within me.
"Christine, promise me you are recovered enough. That you are strong enough. I need to know that my desire for you will not hurt you. It would destroy me if …."
She makes a shushing noise and stares intently into my eyes. She raises my hand to her mouth. Her eyes sparkle with mischief, lust and love. Her mouth opens and she sucks two of my fingers inside. Her tongue flicks around my fingers then she pulls them out with a small pop. Her eyebrow arches and she runs her tongue along the edge of her lower lip. I feel a shiver of goose flesh travel down my spine. The shiver sends hundreds of thrilling shocks throughout my body. My desire for her is swiftly passing from a pressing need to an urgent demand for her attention. A sigh escapes my lips.
"You are maddening!"
"Very well, I promise you. Your love will never harm me. It cannot. Your love brings me the strength to endure the moments we are apart. I love you, Erik. Come, my darling. Come to bed with me."
She smiles up at me and I hear the truth of her words. I return her smile.
"I love you, Christine."
She places my hand in the shallow valley between her breasts. I feel the steady thump of her heart beating under my hand. After a moment, I realize my body's pulse matches hers as I feel the pounding of my pulse in the hardness she has taken into her hand. I can resist no longer. My hands run free, savoring all of her. I feel the silkiness of her hair, the softness of her cheek, the tautness of her nipple and the hot magic of her wet excitement. She moans and I bend taking her nipple into my mouth. We love one another in exquisite slowness. When we finish, I pull the blankets up and cover our nakedness from the cold.
Later, we whisper words of love and hopes for our future together. We tell each other silly secrets and hold one another close. Even later, we fall asleep in one another's arms.
Sometime during the night, I awaken. I reluctantly leave the warmth of the bed, draw open the drapes and quickly return to my beloved's side.
The first light of morning peeks into my eyes and awakens me. It is very early. I look upon Christine's face. She is so peaceful. The sunlight silhouettes her head and casts an auburn halo around her. She snuggles closer to me. Suddenly, I gasp as her sleeping hand wraps about me firmly. She squeezes once, sighs and settles back into sleep. Even when she is asleep, she wants me it seems. I think her love and desire for me have been a constant from the moment she first saw me. A lonely, heart-broken man sitting wet, bedraggled and weeping on the floor of her den. The pleasant pressure of her grasp drives the memory from my mind. I find myself responding to her hand, my hips guiding my arousal into her curled fist. My hands respond to the beauty of her body with caresses that sample all she offers me. I plant kisses along her neck, over her breasts and back up to her face. Her eyes open and she smiles. Our lips touch, meet and the world falls away.
"Where are we? Where am I? Who are we? Who am I?"
Thoughts swirl and tangle in the darkness. I no longer. She no longer. Now, only we. I feel as she. She feels as me. We feel all. Slowly, light returns. We remain locked in a kiss, the force of which has combined our essence into one.
I feel my love for her flow from me into her through the force of our kiss. My love for her is wondrous and the passion of our kiss ignites my body. She sets me afire. Her body awakens and I feel conscious purpose moving her hand as she grasps and squeezes me. Our mouths open, our kiss deepens as our tongues caress. We moan filling one another's mouth with the sounds. I roll onto my back pulling her on top of me. Our mouths release. She sits astride my body, her grasping hand guides me to her wetness and she lowers herself onto me. And so begins the rolling of her hips and my upward thrusts. Now it is my hands' turn to grasp her. I hold a breast in each hand and taking care to caress the outside curve of each breast. I know she likes this best. Her hips cease rolling. She lifts and lowers herself onto me in time with my thrusts. My body surrenders to the joy of making love to her and then my mind surrenders to her. As she surrenders to me, body and mind. The surrender is complete. All barriers between us gone. Our minds joining just as our bodies join. The pleasure of two becoming one in body and in mind. I cannot tell where I end and she begins, nor do I care. We simply are. We surrender completely to one another and become more together than we ever were alone. I receive a gift I have never known before. I behold her love for me. More than that, I feel it. Just as she sees and feels mine. I shall never forget the totality of this love. She for me and me for her. This is not the simple joining of two halves of a circle, but two vines grown into one curled tightly about one another into a never-ending ring. We climax as one. I feel her and she mine. The last vestiges of the black barrier between us dissolve. All is now visible. We see each other. I know her. She knows me. No doubts. No fear. What we began with a caress now complete. We are complete. No wall, no fog, no blackness divides us. We have fused and merged. Our love decided.
When at last I open my eyes, I see a sight incomparable. Her eyes shining with tears of joy and I know mine are the same. Words are unnecessary. We have said everything, told all.
We gently hold each other our passion spent for the moment, but our minds still joined.
Quietly, she sings,
"Past the point of no return
The final threshold
The bridge is crossed
So stand and watch it burn
We've passed the point of no
Return."
Then I sing,
"Say you'll share with me
One love
One lifetime
Lead me, save me
From my solitude
Say you want me with you
Here beside you
Anywhere you go
Let me go too
Christine
That's all I ask of you."
We share a deep kiss.
She sings,
"Say you love me
Every waking moment
Turn my head
With talk of wintertime
Say you need me with you
Now and always
Promise me
That all you say is true
That's all I ask of you
Say you'll share with me
One love, one lifetime
Say the word
And I will follow you."
Then we sing together,
Share each day with me
Each night, each morning."
She sings,
"Say you love me."
I sing,
"You know I do."
We sing,
"Love me
That's all I ask of you
Anywhere you go let me go too
Love me
That's all I ask of you."
I kiss her and she returns my kiss with the sweetest lips any man could ever taste.
"That is how that song should be sung." She tells me.
"But, mon chére cœur there is no drama, no heartache. No one cares to see love requited."
"I did not say the song was a performance. I meant that is how it should be. How it is for us." She stops and realizes I was teasing. "You? Erik? You teased?"
She hugs me and I feel her sheer delight.
"So, you must be a good influence on me."
"I shall endeavor to remain so, sir." She laughs.
I notice the sun has risen considerably above the horizon. My father's warning returns to me.
"I must go to my room, mon chére cœur. I will not have people speaking cruel words about you, especially not since I know you will feel it and be hurt by it. Since we are to be married on December 25th we only need wait a short time. Six weeks. Then we need not be concerned with the whispers. We will be married and we can gaze upon each other's nakedness as often as we like. And we can spend each and every night together." I sigh. "So short a time and yet it feels as if it is forever."
She laughs at me and gives my bare buttock a gentle slap.
"Sir, you would compromise my reputation?" She lifts the sheet to cover herself.
"Never, milady! I would slay one hundred nay one hundred thousand if any dare blaspheme your virtue."
"Well rather than have us drown in their blood, I suggest you make haste and withdraw to your own chamber, sir. Ah, parting is such sweet sorrow!"
I smile. "Lady, methinks you misspoke. That line is mine!"
"Oh yes, you are my Romeo! Now, scoot! I shall take a nap and let whomever your father sends wake me. I shall see you for breakfast, my dearest. Go, Erik. Before I change my mind and damn them all and love you here forever and a day!"
Her words spoken lightly, yet I feel the truth of them, so I grab my clothes and beat a hasty retreat.