A/N: *creeps in guiltily* I have no excuse for my lateness. I rediscovered the world of Tumblr and... My motivation sort of ran away from me. I also discovered the TV show called Bones, which I'm now thoroughly obsessed with.
If anyone's still reading this, I will be incredibly impressed with your ability to stick with a lazy writer.
Juliet realized that morning that she had far overestimated her abilities. Getting Erik back to his flat had been difficult and time-consuming. The carriage had been ordered to move at a crawl to avoid any prolonged discomfort for him. He had insisted he was fine and such procedures weren't necessary, but the doctor would hear none of it. Initially, Juliet had agreed with the doctor. Halfway to the flat at the plodding pace, however, she was agreeing with Erik's grumbling. She was happy to get him settled in his own space again, but she was concerned she would be late in getting Nadir to the orphanage. Being late would be a sure way to make Bridgette not be in any way inclined to take interest in Nadir's idea.
As soon as Erik set foot in his own flat, a ball of gray and white fur launched itself at his ankles. Ayesha wound herself around his legs, doing a combination of happy purring and chastising, how-dare-you-leave-me yowling. "I told you she missed you," Juliet laughed, stepping forward enough to close the door behind them. "I only ever got told off when I came here alone."
"I hope she'll forgive me if I don't greet her with a scratch behind the ears," he replied, shedding his cloak and hat with great care, "as I don't believe it would be in my best interest."
"No," she agreed, "probably not." She helped him over to his couch and made sure he was sitting comfortably. Ample paper was set within reach, as well as various food items if the mood struck him to eat. Being in such pain had reset his eating cycle somewhat, back to his erratic meal patterns before Juliet came into his life.
"You're sure you can't stay?" Erik inquired sadly, looking up at her.
"I really can't," she replied, bending down to kiss his forehead. "I have an important appointment I need to attend, but if it goes well I may well be back with good news."
His expression changed to a curious one. "Is there any chance you'll tell me what this good news might be?" The tone of his voice suggested he knew the answer was no even as he asked.
Juliet laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, word of honor that I wouldn't tell anyone unless the news is positive. I have to go. I love you."
"I love you too, Juliet," he said, settling his head back against the couch and closing his eyes. The last thing she saw before closing the door behind her made her smile; Ayesha leapt onto the sofa beside him and placed herself in his lap affectionately.
In her haste to arrive at Nadir's flat on time, she was breathless by the time he opened the door in response to her knocking. "Good morning, Nadir, I'm not late, am I?" she asked, trying to control her slightly heavy breathing. He was probably nervous enough; the nervous energy within her would be nothing but unhelpful.
If he was nervous, however, he didn't show it. A wide smile highlighted the beginnings of wrinkles around his eyes and he laughed. "As long as we don't get hopelessly lost," he chuckled, the orphanage was three blocks away with only one turn involved, "I think we should arrive in plenty of time." He checked his pocket-watch just to be sure, more of a show than anything, and offered her his arm. His carriage was ready and waiting at the curb, horse nickering softly and snuffling the air.
The sun was out in full force that morning, flooding the streets with warm light. Juliet welcomed it; the winter had been far too cold and long for her liking. She was eager for spring to fully arrive. It was her favorite season and she couldn't wait to show Erik the forest and ponds—the ocean as well if they had time for such a trip—as the flora and fauna came back in full exuberance and colors.
Absorbed in such thoughts, she realized she had made the ride to the orphanage silent. As they pulled up and Nadir slowed his horse, she apologized. "I'm sorry, Nadir," she said, "I seem to be absorbed in my thoughts today. I'm not very good company at the moment, I'm afraid."
"Not to worry," he told her, getting out and moving around to the other side to help Juliet down, "I find myself retreating into my thoughts today as well. We're both in good company then, I think."
Upon knocking at the door, Bridgette opened it almost immediately. "You're cutting it slightly fine, don't you think?" she asked, giving Nadir a scrutinizing once-over. Juliet pursed her lips and shook her head at her friend. She was purposefully trying to make the man as uncomfortable as possible. Apparently, it was the surest way to reveal a person's true nature, or so Bridgette said.
She glanced over at Nadir, an apology already on her lips, but he was still smiling. An open expression invited scrutinization if her friend so desired. "I'm very sorry, Madame Laux," he said, giving her a short bow. "I ran into some unforeseen hindrances in getting here. I hope you'll forgive me."
Bridgette blinked, clearly stunned. All three of them knew Juliet and Nadir weren't actually all that late and she probably hadn't been expecting him to apologize. More likely, she had been quietly hoping to get a rise out of him for such a blatantly incorrect accusal. Juliet hid a smirk behind her hand and ducked her head for good measure. Her hard-headed friend had just met her match.
"Yes, well," Bridgette pulled herself together, smoothing a stray hair away from her face. "Come in, my office is just down the hall." Juliet followed a short distance behind the pair, observing the change in body language. Nadir, who had been so nervous the day before and in the carriage on the way over, walked with a newfound sense of quiet confidence and openness. Her friend had lost some of her haughty coldness that masked her deep caring for the children in her orphanage and had a much less stiff gait. She smiled a little; at least so far, things were moving in the right direction.
She heard the faint sounds of children playing as they approached Bridgette's office. Fully expecting to go inside along with them, she was surprised when Bridgette laid a hand on her shoulder in restraint. "I think Monsieur Khan and I should speak privately on this matter," she told her. Juliet nodded her understanding and gave Nadir an encouraging look as the door swung shut behind them. She was disappointed she wouldn't be able to hear their conversation or know how it turned out until one of them told her, but she understood the reasoning.
There was a small armchair in the hall a short way down from Bridgette's office. Juliet sat down in it, sighing a little at the relief of being off her feet. It was only noon, but she had been dashing about in various parts of the city all morning. Resting her head against the back of the chair, Juliet closed her eyes. She didn't sleep, but simply enjoyed the momentary absence of stress from her life. Silently, she ran over the opening aria of Faust. The show would open in two weeks and the Opera House was a flurry of activity. They were also working on The Magic Flute, one of her favorites. Much of the opera was in her repertoire already.
At last, after she had run out of songs to run through and was getting nervous for the outcome of the meeting, the door opened with a soft creaking noise. Juliet was immediately on her feet, hurrying to the door to meet the pair. "Well?" she inquired, trying her hardest not to appear too eager.
Neither Bridgette nor Nadir said a word, their faces carefully emotionless. Her heart began to sink in her chest somewhat; had it not gone well? Had Bridgette said no? The small amount of anxiety that had settled in the pit of her stomach was short-lived as both of their faces broke into wide smiles.
"I knew she would make that face," Bridgette confided in Nadir, just loudly enough for Juliet to hear.
"Bridgette!" she cried, not so much indignant as she was relieved. "I take it the news is good, then?"
"Obviously there's some more paperwork to go through, but everything will have worked itself out within the week," Nadir said, dark eyes sparkling with joy. "I'm glad I chose a flat with an extra bedroom, even if I will have to buy a few new pieces of furniture."
Juliet couldn't help herself; she flung her arms around Nadir in a hug. "That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I'm sure father and I have a few extra pieces of furniture here and there, I'll look and see tonight."
When the hug ended, he shook his head humbly. "I couldn't accept charity," he told her. "I have enough money to buy a bed, an armoire, and a nightstand." He touched her shoulder gratefully. "I do thank you, though." Another grin lit up his face and he let out a laugh. "If you would like to help me, I suspect I'll need help decorating. That's never been my strong suit."
"Of course," Juliet said with a laugh. "Any time you want. Could you give me a lift back to Erik's flat? I should check on him before I go to rehearsal. I've got a few hours."
Though it was an overall longer journey by about ten minutes, the carriage ride to Erik's flat seemed much shorter. Likely, Juliet mused, it was due to both of their buoyant moods. Her heart was as light as it had ever been before the Don Juan fiasco, before Gaston had taken her life apart because she had fallen in love. Nadir was seemingly unable to stop talking, the words describing his plans for the future tumbling forth in a constant flow from his mouth. Such great amounts of chatter would have ordinarily annoyed her, but she let him go on.
At Erik's flat, Juliet turned to Nadir. "You're sure you can't stay for a little while?" she pleaded. "I'm sure Erik would like to see you and hear the news from you personally."
He shook his head no. "I have errands to run," he replied. "I'll see if I can stop by tomorrow, that is, if Erik wouldn't mind my company."
"With how bored he is," she said in sympathy for him, "I think he'll be glad for anyone's company." Getting out, she waved her goodbyes as the Persian clicked his tongue to get his horse moving again.
Opening the door, she was immediately met by Ayesha. Remembering the last time the feline had come to fetch her, her heart leapt into her throat. She ran inside, closing the door behind her. "Erik!" she called, scanning the rooms. She fought down an involuntary quiver in her hands. Let him be all right, she prayed, following the slightly agitated feline. I hope nothing serious has happened to him.
When Juliet found Erik at last, she couldn't decide if she should faint in relief or become angry. He sat at his baby grand piano, fingers lightly dusting the keys and coaxing sweet music to fill the air. The way he held himself suggested he was in quite a lot of pain, but also that he was absorbed in the music to a great extent. "Oh, Erik," she sighed, entering the room. "How long have you been in here?"
He stopped playing abruptly, flipping the composition book closed with as much speed as his limited mobility would allow. "Not long, only since..." he trailed off, having caught sight of the clock on the wall opposite him. "Mon dieu, have I been sitting here for nearly two hours already?" That would explain the pain in my back."
"Yes, I'm sure it would," she commented, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Ayesha scared the daylights out of me. She was waiting at the door when I got here and I thought..." She wasn't willing to voice the memory of finding Erik splayed out on his washroom floor. It had been terrifying at the time, even more so now because of her feelings for him.
Luckily, the comment passed without much pause for solemnity. Erik chuckled, fondly saying, "Little snitch. She's been bothering me ever since I came in here." From beneath the piano, the Siamese gave a loud meow of agreement. Juliet felt her brush past her legs on her way to make herself comfortable on top of Erik's feet.
"Sometimes I think she's smarter than you," she teased him.
"I would disagree, but I fear I would be in the wrong," he replied, turning enough to give her a kiss. As always when they kissed, a wave of electricity zipped through Juliet's body and made her feel more alive. "So," he said when they were forced to part for air, "do I get to hear the good news you've been keeping from me today?"
It took Juliet a beat longer than necessary to remember what he was talking about. Between Ayesha scaring her half to death and kissing Erik, she had somewhat forgotten her initial purpose. "On one condition," she said in response.
Erik groaned in mock agony. "You'll be the death of me with all of your conditions, cheri," he said in an overly dramatic voice, giving her a tiny smirk. "What's your 'condition' this time?"
"You've clearly missed your true calling, Erik," she jested in return. "Prima donna is in your true nature."
He clasped a hand to his chest. "Oh, how you wound me!" he exclaimed, purposefully going in agreement with her joking accusation.
"If you agree to lie down for a bit," she said once she caught her breath from laughing, "I'll tell you. Your back could use a bit of rest."
Erik pulled a face at being told what to do, but complied, getting to his feet with a muffled grunt of pain. He could walk without much trouble, but it was a slow process and he leaned into Juliet's proffered arm to speed the process along. Once he was sitting down, he looked up at her, a hint of hesitancy in his countenance.
"Juliet," he began, hands brushing against his thighs. "I really wouldn't ask unless I had to, but I ought to change my bandages. There are a few spots I'm not able to reach and—"
"—Of course I'll help you," she interrupted, helping him ease down into a laying down position on his stomach. "According to your doctor, it's what I'm here for, and I tend not to argue with doctors."
Gently, she unwound the binding cloth from his torso. Her hands hovered over the gauze. She didn't want to remove it and cause him pain. Sensing her hesitation, he said softly, "I trust you, Juliet." After grasping his hand reassuringly, she pulled the gauze away from the wounds. They had healed a little since she'd last seen them, but the deep slashes still caused her stomach to flip flop. With trembling fingers, she applied the salve that would prevent too much scabbing and stiffening of the cuts in a generous layer. Erik never said a word, but the flinching o his shoulders betrayed the pain he felt. When she was finished and had re-bound the strips of cloth over fresh gauze, she took his hand in hers.
Kissing each fingertip, she murmured, "Better?"
He smiled, squeezing her hand and chuckling quietly. "Always, when I have an angel to take care of me." A quiet beat passed before he said, "What was this news?" I get the feeling you'll never tell me, cheri."
"It's about Corbett Valois, one of your students," she said.
"Yes, he's made the most promising leaps in his violin-playing abilities of most of my students," Erik said, a hint of pride coloring his tone. "What is it? Is he all right?"
"He is now," Juliet replied after a moment's hesitation. Erik was proud of all of his students, but none more so than Corbett. It seemed he had been defiant, but painfully shy when he first started teaching him. Both his skills and his confidence had evidently made leaps and bounds.
"Did something happen to him?" Erik sounded concerned now.
"Erik..." She drew in a deep breath, knowing this was a subject with which he had painful acquaintance. "Did you know his mother is—"
"Not at all how a mother should be?" he interrupted her, a hint of anger seeping through his words. "I had my suspicions, mostly sprung form how he flinched if I extended my hand toward him to help adjust his posture. I didn't say anything, but I wish I had—nothing's happened to him?"
She dumped him at Bridgette's orphanage after hurting him quite badly," she said, the memory causing a slight rise of her ire independently.
Erik bristled, his gaze becoming dark. "She had no right to treat her only child that way," he said fiercely, "and if I ever see that woman again—"
Heading off a potential rise in anger—the doctor had told Juliet to keep him as calm as possible to facilitate better healing—she held his hand gently. "Nadir adopted him," she told him. "He managed to convince Bridgette he had ample qualifications to be a single father."
"When I met him, he had a young son," he said after taking some time to process the information imparted to him. "He seemed to me to be a fairly good father. I'm glad to hear it—Corbett could hardly be in better hands." It was the highest praise Juliet had heard him give the Persian. A wide smile spread across her face, seemingly outside of her control. As spring drew ever nearer, her life grew ever brighter.
OoOo Three months later oOoO
"Mademoiselle Juliet! Mademoiselle Juliet!" A giggling shout hailed her. She and Erik, whose wounds had diminished to scar tissue in the three months since, were taking a walk in one of the local parks. As soon as the weather had grown warm enough, it had become one of their favorite pastimes. The doctor had initially suggested it to ensure Erik retained full mobility in his back, but something about springtime entranced Erik like nothing other than music. Letting go of his arm, Juliet turned to greet an ecstatic Corbett.
"Hello, mon ami!" she said, opening her arms to receive him. He didn't disappoint, latching on with his usual limpet-like enthusiasm. His excitement prompted her to laugh as well. He had made leaps and bounds even in the short time he had come to live with Nadir. "What's that you've got in your hand?"
"A kite!" he stated happily, holding it out to show her. "Papa helped me make it. He said we could fly it today!" She remembered how easily the boy had slipped into calling Nadir 'papa'. At first, it had startled him and he hadn't exactly known how to respond, but he had fallen into his new role quite easily.
She looked up from the bubbly child to see Nadir coming toward them, hands in his suit pockets. Rather than looking older, as Bridgette had thought he might dealing with such an exuberant child, he looked younger and more at ease. She raised a hand in greeting to him, unable to stop herself from grinning as Corbett flew at him, brandishing his kite. "I'll leave you to it," she said in good humor, walking back to the pond, which shimmered beneath the bright midday sun. Lilies rocked back and forth in time to the ripples like lazy sailboats.
"Look how much happier Corbett is," she commented to Erik, threading her arm through his once again as they resumed their walk. "They're both so much happier now..." She was in the midst of recounting a story of one of her run-ins with Nadir and Corbett at the market and the hilarity which had ensued when she noticed the stony, sullen look upon Erik's face. "Erik, what's wrong?" she inquired.
"Do you have to ask?" he asked, his tone abruptly sharp.
A/N: Uh oh... *tense music plays* This chapter was supposed to have had their conversation in it, but it turned out to be way, way too long. I'm splitting it up and hopefully I'll have it up soon.
Note: In about a month, I'm going to Spain for a month with an exchange program. Because of this, I'm not sure if I'll be able to post at all in that time.