A/N: Thanks to my beta, Olethros
Episode 12
By: Elektra
"What the hell are you doing here?" Erik demanded from his place on the ground. He was surrounded by furs and blankets to fight off the winter chill in his current place of residence – a barred trailer covered by a white tarp. Not exactly home.
Christine went over and knelt in front of him, hugging herself now that her coat had been taken from her, "I… I was worried. I … I found out the cops weren't really cops and-"
"Yes, I have figured that out myself!" he interrupted. "I did not need to worry about YOU as well!"
"I'm sorry. I… I just thought-t-t…" Christine tried to explain through chattering teeth, "Thought I… I could rescue y-y-you one day, instead of you always-"
Erik suddenly grabbed Christine and tugged her down next to him, pulling the furs over their bodies from head to toe, protecting them from the chill.
It was rather cozy.
"Where are your clothes?" she asked softly as she rested a hand against his bare chest
"Who knows," he replied. "They saw fit to remove them from my person… but they did allow me to keep my modesty," he muttered, referring to the only thing left on his person – his jeans.
She trailed her fingers over the shackles on his wrist. "God, I hate this. It's so wrong! Especially after-" she stopped, not wanting to bring up his unpleasant childhood.
"I doubt they knew of my past."
"No… I guess not," she replied, then her voice grew quieter. "Erik, how angry are you at me for going after you?"
"Quite angry indeed! You have put yourself in harm's way!"
"I'm sorry, I just… " she reached out to caress his distorted features, "I don't know what I would do without you."
Erik was silent as he met her lovely blue eyes. For the first time, he could see how much Christine needed him. No one had ever needed him. Yes, the Guild needed Erik's skills, his strength, his lack of conscience… but they could have cared less about HIM.
Erik wrapped his arms tightly around Christine and tucked her head beneath his chin. "I would have found my own way home. I am no stranger to such situations." Christine said nothing as she snuggled in as close as possible, their body heat keeping each other warmer than the furs alone.
Erik closed his eyes and released a deep breath, burying his face in her hair. Sweet Christine, your Erik will always find his way home…
The Next Morning
"You just had to go tell them who you were..." Meg muttered as one of their captors disappeared to another section of the trailer.
"I thought it would help!" Raoul replied.
"Yeah. Lots of help that was! Phil probably got the ransom call by now!"
"Oh will you two stop!" Jenna demanded as she glared at the two in front of her. "I'm actually GLAD your boyfriend told us his name," she smiled. "Gives us more money to play with."
She stood up and headed to the back room, propping the door open as she put together something to eat. "I'm watching you," she called out through the doorway. "Don't try anything funny,"
Meg kept her eye on the woman, as her back turned to them for a moment.
Raoul quickly crawled over to the table, glancing back to make sure his movements were not noticed. He reached up and grabbed his Blackberry, typing something in quickly before he returned it to the table and rejoined Meg. It was not a moment too soon as Jenna turned back around to keep her keen eyes on them.
Meg leaned closer to Raoul, her voice a whisper, "What did you do?"
"I sent our location to Phil," he replied.
"What if he doesn't get it?"
Raoul smiled, "He's a business man, Meggy. He has his Blackberry on him twenty-four/seven,"
Meg relaxed, resting her head against his shoulder as she entwined her fingers with his.
Christine opened her eyes and smiled sleepily at the man laying beside her. When her eyes focused on her surroundings, however, she realized this was not the bedroom she shared with Erik.
In fact, they were not even in a bed. They were on a pile of blankets and matted furs – surrounded by bars.
"Quick," Erik spoke up. "Move to the other side of the cage."
"What? Why?"
"Someone is coming. The last thing they need to know is the nature of our relationship."
Christine frowned, "Well why not!"
Erik took a deep breath, "Trust me."
Christine quickly did as he requested.
As Erik had predicted, Mike returned. He unlocked the door and walked in, smiling at the scene before him – Christine cowering from the living corpse on the other side of the cage. He crouched in front of Erik. "So, did you like your company? Shame she wouldn't let a freak touch her-"
Mike's words were choked off as Erik shot a hand out and wrapped it around his throat. His face remained stony as he squeezed harder.
Erik ripped the keys from the man's hands before tossing him aside as if he were garbage. Unlocking his shackles, he quickly jumped back to his feet and pulled the man up by his shirt.
"A FREAK you say?" Erik demanded, punching the man square in the jaw, "I much prefer the term MONSTER!" he smashed Mike against the bars. "I am, after all, not quite HUMAN!" Another punch bloodied the man's face as Erik hit him repeatedly, ignoring the red mess staining his hands.
He could have killed this man so very easily. Take out his anger on all those who had made his life a living Hell, take his revenge on the boys who had tied him up when he was a child…
"Erik!" Christine's voice broke through his red haze. "Stop!"
He turned his head to see her standing a few feet away, looking at him with fear in her eyes.
Erik threw Mike to the ground, ignoring the man who was now writhing on the cold floor and gasping for breath.
"Come," he ordered Christine, who looked away from the bloodied man as she followed behind Erik. He grabbed two of the bigger furs and stepped out of the cage before locking his captor inside. "We need to find the rest of my clothing."
"And Raoul and Meg," Christine replied as she took one of the furs from him and wrapped it around herself.
Erik turned to her, "They are here too?" He swore under his breath and started to walk on.
Christine grasped his shoulder. "Are you ok?" she asked.
"Why wouldn't I be?" he snapped, not in the mood for her coddling him at the moment. She simply looked down at his hands. Erik followed her gaze, "It's not mine," he explained of the red wetness on his deathly pale skin. He shrugged his shoulder away from her hand and wiped the bloody mess on his jeans.
"I know it's not," she replied softly, "That's why I was asking." She glanced away, "I saw the look in your eyes, Erik. It was only a moment, but I saw it. You wanted to kill him for everything anyone has ever done to you."
"Can you blame me?"
Christine took a deep breath and reached for him again. He moved out of her grasp, not wanting to be touched at the moment.
"I get it, I do." Christine continued as she twined her fingers together and followed along behind him. "I just wish I could make it all go away. All the bad memories, all… all the anger…"
Erik halted and turned to her, "You can't heal me, Christine. I have told you that before." He then slowly reached out to touch her face, but stopped when he saw his stained hand. He quickly pulled it back, hiding it beneath the fur cloak wrapped around him. "You can, however, temper me. Stop me from losing control." He glanced away, his voice growing softer, "You are very good at that."
Christine nodded, then reached out and slid her arms around him. After some hesitation, he slowly returned the embrace, careful not to let his hands touch her.
"We should find your friends." Erik continued quietly.
"Your friends too,"
"That is debatable," he muttered.
The sound of a police siren filled Meg and Raoul's ears. "Looks like Phil got my message," Raoul whispered.
Jenna looked nervous, "What did you do?" she demanded. "How did you get them here!" She jumped to her feet, waving the pistol at Meg and Raoul, "Where's Mike? Did the cops get him?"
"No. I did," a voice interrupted.
Jenna turned around, and froze at the creature that stood before her. "What the hell?" she gasped, the gun shaking in her hand.
Before she could pull the trigger, Erik rushed towards her and planted a fist against her temple, knocking the woman out cold. He then turned to Meg and Raoul and noticed the two of them trying to divert their eyes from his face without making their aversion obvious.
"Forgive me," he frowned, "I was unable to find a maskwhile I was locked up in a CAGE!" He eyed his duster, mask, and the rest of his clothing hanging on a hook. He ignored their muttered apologies and quickly covered his face. He then tugged on the rest of his clothing and led the group out towards the police cars.
Real police cars this time.
Everyone was highly relieved, but Erik's mind was plagued with questions - who had been behind this and why?
When he found out, the person would be very sorry.
"Erik?"
Erik turned around to see Nadir running out of one of the cars, Madeline following close behind.
For a moment, it looked like the relieved woman wanted to hug her son, but she hesitated, letting her arms drop to her side in defeat. "Erik… honey, are you ok?" Madeline asked worriedly. "Did they hurt you?" She let her eyes fall to his hands, still stained red from his attack on Mike. Erik immediately shoved them in his pockets.
Why are you playing concerned mother NOW? "I am fine, Madeline," he answered aloud. I beat a man to a bloody pulp and would have killed him if not for Christine, but aside from that, all is well… he thought darkly. He turned his attention on Nadir, "Near the middle of the grounds is a large tarp-covered cage. You will find a man there that will need medical attention."
Nadir simply nodded and headed off, leaving Madeline looking at Erik, and at the pockets of his duster where he had hidden his hands. She could say nothing, however, as she had once fired a gun that helped result in another human's death.
Then again, her ex-lover had not been human after all, had he?
Christine came up to Erik and hugged his arm, having found her stolen jacket and cell phone. She looked up at him, her voice quiet. "Can we go home now?" Erik nodded, and Christine turned her attention to Madeline, "Do you want to come over for supper? It won't be anything fancy. Just delivery." Christine heard a low growl emerge from Erik's throat and glanced up at him before turning back to Madeline, making sure Erik heard her next words. "I'm sure you were as worried about your son as I was."
Madeline nodded, "Nadir and I didn't know if he was all right, and the two people who took him were dead and…" she stopped and shook her head, deciding not to dwell on it. "And yes… I would love to join you for supper."
Christine smiled and turned to see Meg and Raoul a few feet away with a relieved Philip, who was currently playing mother hen to his little brother. "Pizza at my place, guys?" She called out. Meg and Raoul nodded gladly, happy to be safe and sound. Philip shook his head, declining the invitation. Christine wasn't surprised.
Once Nadir returned with the beaten kidnapper in tow, he handed the man over to the authorities and joined the group for dinner.
Populaire - The next day
"What do you know about this!" Erik demanded, tossing the Daily News at his new 'manager'. Loki skimmed through the paper. It wasn't exactly front page, but Erik's abduction had certainly been mentioned.
Unfortunately, things had not exactly gone as planned.
When Loki had hired the two men to impersonate police officers and arrest Erik, he had simply done it to gain public sympathy (Mr. Lowell Key would spin the assault in such a way that CAM's fans would fully understand his reasons for lashing out.) and to keep the photographers that Erik had assaulted happy.
The plan was to get the world to believe CAM had been legitimately arrested. Erik was to be 'released' on his own recognizance within a few hours, then all would be well. None of the photographers had dared to press charges yet. This was supposed to help avoid such a situation.
Loki had not realized, however, that someone would KILL his hired help and take Erik for their own.
Not that Loki was overly surprised, though. The Guild certainly had angered several otherworldly creatures, and Erik's position as the top Hunter and only Executioner was bound to have made him some enemies. Was it the trickster's fault that someone else had taken advantage of his brilliant plan? Not that he would ever tell Erik this, of course. Immortal though he was, Loki would rather not be hung from the rafters for all eternity.
"Well, publicity is always good, Mr. Ghost," he said to the masked man standing behind him as he folded the paper up once again.
"I hired you to keep the press OFF my back!" Erik growled.
"Ah, but they have not been … on your back, have they? No one has hounded you for interviews or any such thing." Loki turned back to Erik, holding up the paper. "I will help you find out who abducted you, lest they try again," he promised. After all, he could not have people undermining his publicity stunts and locking up his meal ticket every other day.
"Now," Loki's tone changed, suggesting he wanted to talk business, "About those photos I wanted you to take…"
Daaé-Garner Residence – the next night
Erik stood in front of the full length mirror in the bedroom – a mirror Christine had insisted on getting. He would have preferred not to have any reflective surfaces near him, but alas… she had won out. His fiancée had some rather creative ways to convince him to do things he would not normally do. He had never thought he'd have the pleasure of such a weakness.
Erik studied his reflection carefully and frowned, unimpressed with what he saw.
"For all Loki's spying, he has obviously not taken a very good look at me," Erik tugged off his shirt and turned around, craning his neck over his shoulder to take in the reflection of raised scars crisscrossing his back. "What woman would want photos of this?"
Christine smiled as she leaned back on the bed, "I'd like photos. Lots and lots of them."
Erik looked at her, "We have already established that you are an angel, thus far more accepting of things than most humans would be."
Christine laughed in response, "C'mon, you're in good shape-"
"…with the face and complexion of a corpse?" he interrupted, "Very attractive," he muttered as he held out one arm, the faint traces of blue noticeable beneath his pale skin. "Would you believe my pallor is pastier than the creatures I have dusted?" he asked. "And THEY are actually dead." He let out a derisive snort, "As if the mask isn't bad enough,"
Christine slid to the edge of the bed and pat the place beside her, "C'mere, my pasty corpse."
With a sigh, he sat down beside her.
Christine hugged his arm, "Look, you're no Johnny Depp," she said, "But if you take the pictures like Loki suggested, I'm pretty sure most people won't care about the mask, or the… pastyness."
She let out a startled yelp as Erik suddenly pressed her to the bed and slid over her, "And did you never care about the mask?" He asked softly. "At first, when you did not know what lay beyond it? Then later, when you finally DID find out?"
"Yes. I cared. At first I was curious, then when I found out, I was… startled … by it," Christine slid the mask off and let it fall to the floor. "I got over it." She tangled her fingers in his hair and brought his mouth down for a deep kiss. "But I get your point. I still think the photos are a good idea though."
He gently stroked her face, "And I still think you are the only woman who will ever have an attraction to me, regardless of such photos."
"So that's why you want to marry me," she pouted.
He met her eyes, his tone growing serious, "I love you far more than I will ever be able to put into words. THAT is the reason I wish to marry you."
She raised an eyebrow, "Go on."
"My sweet Christine – should I list everything?"
Christine smiled, "I have all night…"
66 Laramie Dr.
Martine stepped into the living room only to see Oren sitting with his back to her. Something seemed off. Unsettling. "Oren?" she asked gently, "Are you okay?"
"What did you do to my body?" He asked quietly.
Martine furrowed her brow, wondering at the sudden question, "I GAVE you a body, I did nothing to it."
"Oh, Martine…" Oren sighed, then turned to face her. "You certainly did something to my body. You took it without permission. You used it as a vessel for someone else!"
Martine stumbled backwards once she saw the coldness in his eyes. Eyes that were pure gold now, no longer green with golden flecks.
"You're dead!" she gasped out. "We KILLED you!"
"WE?" he repeated. "Yes, it did take three people, didn't it?" He stepped closer. "I wasn't even dead. Not really. Just… bodiless. That was no fun."
Martin swallowed nervously, racking her brain for a spell to keep him at bay. "Where's Oren?"
"Sleeping," he answered. "Now tell me, does it seem fair to you that I can only control MY body when HE is sleeping?"
"OREN?" Martine called out. "Wake up! Hear me and wake up! Please?"
His smile was cold, his fingers clenched around something sharp and wooden as he continued to make his way towards her. "I want to hear you cry, Martine. Plead for mercy! Beg for forgiveness, like the mortal vermin you are!"
"Orpheus!" Martine called out once more, but it was futile.
Nothing could help her now.
END OF EPISODE 12