Erik and Roxana woke to the smell of burning food.
"What the hell is that?" Roxana muttered, draped across his middle. He began to rub the sleep from his eyes.
"It smells like something burned." He said and she groaned.
"Ana must have tried cooking again." She said and he laughed as she got up. Suddenly, they both realized they were extremely naked. He averted his eyes uncomfortably.
"Sorry." He said and she shrugged.
"No use being modest now Erik." She said, laughing as she threw her dressing gown around her body. "I'd better go check on Ana before she burns the house down." Before leaving, she walked to the bed and kissed Erik's lips quickly.
"What was that for?" He asked and she shrugged.
"My show of gratitude. I needed that last night." She said and he nodded, smiling tightly as she left.
As soon as she was gone his hands were over his face as he groaned.
"What was that?" He asked no one. With a great sigh, he began to get dressed. He could hear voices coming from the kitchen.
"Sweetheart, it is alright! The point is you tried…" Roxana's sweet alto voice said.
"Madame, I have ruined breakfast." The child sobbed.
"No…no you haven't, see? The bacon is perfect as are the eggs." She said as Erik came into the room to find her holding the girl gently.
"It's just Carolina is sick and you have to eat and…and…"
"Ana, I know…calm down. You did great." She said, as the girl noticed Erik and fled from the room in embarrassment. She looked up at him and laughed.
"Sorry…no breakfast for us." She said, holding up the charred biscuits and runny eggs.
"It's alright. Poor girl." He said, taking a piece of bacon and trying to eat it. It was overcooked so it simply crumbled into pieces.
"I'm going to have Carolina teach her." Roxana said, getting up to clean the kitchen. He moved to help her.
"Good thinking." He said, taking over the duty of drying the dishes she washed and placing them in the rack. "What time are we supposed to go get Jamie?" He asked, looking at the clock on the wall. Nine-thirty. She sighed.
"Around eleven, I think, why?" He shook his head.
"No reason, just wondering…uh Roxana?" He asked, suddenly. She looked up at him.
"What?" She asked, noticing he was staring at her dressing gown.
"Um…are you wearing anything under that?" He asked and her dark eyes widened.
"No…I came straight down from your…why?" She asked suddenly, her eyebrows raised. He pointed uncomfortably to where the ties had come lose and she was nearly bursting out of it. She looked and immediately pulled it securely over herself. She laughed nervously and they looked at each other awkwardly for a moment and before either of them knew it she was settled on the counter, kissing him fervently and his hands were inside the dressing gown. Just as she reached for the clasp of his pants, they heard Ana's voice along with Carolina's hoarse one. Erik quickly set Roxana to her feet and she secured her dressing gown again as they walked in.
"What's wrong?" Carolina rasped, looking at their stricken faces.
"Nothing!" Roxana replied, maybe a bit too quickly. Erik cleared his throat, straightening his tie.
"Ahem." Carolina said, folding her arms and trying to hide her amusement.
"What?" He asked her and she pointed. Roxana looked and gasped. The clasp to his pants was hanging open, thankfully not too much. "Oh, I must have forgot." He said and Carolina laughed, coughing.
"Must have." She laughed. Roxana grabbed Erik's wrist and pulled him from the room and up into her own room.
"Damn…I'm sorry! I told you it wouldn't happen again." She said, shutting her door behind her as he sat on the bed.
"It already happened once," He heard himself say, "Who cares?" He shut up in horror, in complete disbelief of the words that had just left his lips. She turned to look at him and he wasn't sure if she was going to hit him or kiss him. She chose the latter and ten minutes later, they were both undressed again and out of breath from what they had just done.
"So what the hell does this make us?" He asked, holding her around her shoulders. She shrugged, burying her face into the muscle of his chest.
"I don't know…" She moaned. He sighed.
"Friends? Lovers? A real married couple?" He offered and she stopped a moment, looking at him.
"Erik." She said softly.
"What?" He asked, almost annoyed by her sudden change of mood.
"Our marriage is legal now." She laughed and he shook his head.
"I'll be damned." He said, and she sat up to look down at him as his arms came up behind his head casually.
"We're a married couple…who aren't quite in love but like to make love." She said. "It's a business arrangement with benefits." She added. He chuckled.
"Shall we sign on it?" He asked and she smacked him.
"One more question wife." He said and she looked at him, almost afraid.
"What now?" she asked and he grinned.
"What are the sleeping arrangements to be from now on?" He asked, wondering if they were going to share a bed. She bit her lip.
"Let's just take it one day at a time. If it so happens that we make love that night, then we'll sleep together." She said and he shrugged.
"Fair enough. Not that it matters…I like my space." He said, challenging her and she nodded.
"Me too." She fought back and got up to throw her chemise on along with her corset and a pair of stockings. For her dress, she chose one of light blue she hadn't worn since before she was married to Justin. It still fit with a little room to spare. Brushing her hair quickly, she threw a matching ribbon in it and look at herself. She looked seventeen again. A small half smile came to her face.
"Come on." She said, grabbing Erik's hand and pulling him out of the bedroom.
"My lady, I…" Carolina began, coming into the foyer as they were walking out. She smiled when she saw Roxana.
"We'll be back. We're going to get Jamie." She said and Carolina nodded as they shut the door. She turned to Ana.
"It looks like she's taken twenty years off and become her own age again." The woman said, her voice cracking a bit. Ana nodded.
"She's so pretty…" She said, smiling and returning to finish dusting the salon.
"Roxana!" Katherine replied excitedly, hugging the girl as she ushered both she and Erik into the house. "James is in the parlor with his grandfather." She said, laughing. Erik smiled politely at her.
"Mama!" Jamie cried, when he saw his mother standing there. He ran to her as she threw him up into her arms. "Ball!" He said, pointing to the shiny red ball he'd been throwing around.
"Lovely!" She said and sat down on the sofa with Erik as Jamie's grandfather chuckled.
"It's amazing Roxy. He talks now! He never would before, remember? They said he may be mentally impaired, but he isn't." Roxana smiled uncomfortably.
"Not that being mentally impaired would make him any less perfect." She said brushing the little boy's hair from his face. He reached for Erik, and began to play with his sleeve.
Thankfully, James had forgotten about his calling Erik Papa and hadn't done it since.
"You must bring him by to visit more Roxana!" Katherine said, sitting beside her husband. Roxana nodded.
"Yes, of course. He does love it here." She said clutching Erik's hand in her own. Just then, the sound of a door shutting drew their attention and Andrew appeared in the doorway.
"What do you want?" He asked, glaring at her and she stood, folding her arms.
"I am here to collect my son. Remember, he is your nephew? Your parents are his grandparents." She said and he grunted before leaving the room. Katherine sighed.
"Andrew has been in such a foul mood since last night. We can't figure out why though."
"God knows…" Andrew Sr. replied. "That boy could stub his toe and he'd be angry for days."
They all said their goodbyes as Roxana and Erik headed to the Chagny's. They found the Comte and Comtess there with their middle and youngest daughters. Alana and her mother were fighting.
"Mother! Please…purple is hideous. I want pink. Or blue." She said as Monique de Chagny scoffed.
"Purple is a color of royalty!" She said and Alana laughed sarcastically.
"Then you can wear purple Mother. Jesus, I've been engaged for less than a week and already we're fighting about bridesmaids' dresses." She said, looking to Christine for help. Christine only shrugged. Izzy sat, bored out of her mind staring at the ceiling but brightened when she saw Erik and Roxana.
"Monsieur Erik!" She cried, running and throwing her arms around him. He was almost used to it by now. Every time one of them saw him, they practically leapt into his arms. He patted her, though still uncomfortably, a bit easier. Roxana set James down and let him run to Izzy to play with her. Alana looked at Roxana.
"Thank goodness!" She cried, grabbing Roxana's arm. "Will someone please inform my mother that she's off her rocker?" She muttered, pulling her friend to sit with her on the settee. Monique threw her arms up in frustration and looked at her husband who laughed.
"Well? It's her wedding Mona!" He laughed, kissing her dark hair. She seemed lighter, younger, happier when beside her husband. Not so rigid and formal. It brought a smile to Roxana's face.
Raoul nodded at Erik and motioned to the door.
"Drink?" He asked.
"Damn straight." He said as they left the room, Erik turning once more to look at Roxana, who was sandwiched between Christine and the Chagny girl. No doubt they would be chittering all afternoon like a tiny herd of gossipy little birds. The Comte and Comtess decided to take a walk in the gardens since the weather was so sweet.
"Well aren't we the chipper little dove?" Alana said, eyeing Roxana's light blue dress and bow. "You almost look our age again!" She giggled. Christine nodded.
"The blue looks lovely on you!" She added. Roxana shrugged.
"It's time I came out of mourning, although it is a bit strange to look in the mirror and see a twenty-one year old again." She couldn't brush the tiny grin off of her face. It just felt so good to smile again. Alana looked at Christine as Rosie flew into the house, her cheeks flushed
"Who is it now?" Alana asked, looking at her sister. She sighed.
"What do you mean?" She asked and Alana rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on! You only get that look when you meet a boy. What's his name?" She asked and Rosie hesitantly said,
"Jacques."
Roxana and Alana looked at each other, trying to remember a Jacques.
"Uh Rosie? I don't know a Jacques." Alana said and Rosaline groaned.
"No, you wouldn't. He's not…his family isn't. They're not wealthy." She said and Alana's mouth dropped. She'd always took her sister for someone who would marry into a wealthy family, maybe even titled.
"Oh." Was all she could say.
"Mother would kill me." Rosie lamented and Alana nodded sadly.
"Yes." She agreed. Izzy looked up from where she and Jamie were playing together.
"Well, maybe someone should stand up to General Comtess." She said and Roxana stifled a laugh. "Don't tell her I called her that!" She said and Alana muttered,
"Hypocrite."
"Speaking of hypocrites, did you see the way Jacqueline kept throwing herself at Brett Reynolds all night?" Rosaline asked and Alana nodded.
"He was standing near Garrett and I all night and she came over and was hanging on him, piss faced drunk. She offered to let him drive her home and we all know what that means. He just took her over to her parents and let them deal with her. Mumbled something about stupid women. He seemed preoccupied all night anyway and Brett is never preoccupied. His philosophy is just to glide through life as if it were one big party." She shrugged it off and turned back to Roxana.
"So…explain to me why you are so happy?" She asked, and Roxana laughed.
"I am not happy. I am just wearing a dress with color in it. That doesn't mean I am happy or sad." She replied and Christine smoothed her skirt.
"True, but Roxana, you haven't stopped smiling since you walked in. Not that we mind because you have such a pretty smile." Alana gasped.
"It's Monsieur Destler isn't it? Something happened between you two!" She turned triumphantly to her older sister when Roxana was speechless. "You see how good I am? I should tell fortunes or something!" Roxana laughed.
"Even if something did happen, which it did not, I would not be telling you!" Alana looked from Izzy to Rosie to Christine and back to Roxana, who was still smiling
"Something did happen!" She cried, grabbing Roxana's hand and everyone huddled in. "We've got you cornered, so talk!"
"It's nice to see her so cheery." Raoul said to Erik in his study. Erik nodded.
"She's a good girl." He agreed. Raoul tried to clear his desk off, which was overrun with papers and books to study for his final exam to become a lawyer. "What made you want to be a lawyer, Chagny?" He asked, picking one book up and flipping through it. Raoul shrugged.
"Well I couldn't very well have been a violinist…father would never stand for that and I want to be able to provide for my own family without my father's help." He replied. Erik was intrigued.
"You play the violin?" He asked and Raoul reddened.
"Not so much anymore I am afraid, but yes I did for years. My sisters all took piano but I wanted to be different. That's when I met Gustave Daaé who began my tutoring…we found another tutor when he and Christine left."
"Well Vicomte, you are full of surprises." He said, taking a drink. "Let's pace ourselves this time, shall we?" He asked nodding at the glasses. Raoul nodded sheepishly. "Do you sing too?" He asked the boy who laughed.
"Not in public monsieur." He said and Erik nodded, fully surprised. "You thought I was just some idiot playboy didn't you?" He asked with a smirk. Erik nodded.
"You're damn right I did. I just thought you were taking advantage of your friendship by setting your sights on an innocent ballerina and I am truly sorry for judging you. I of all people should have known better." He said and Raoul nodded.
"It's over. Let's not harp on it." He said, not wanting to relive those months. He grinned when he saw his dusty old violin case sitting in the corner of the room.
"Anything at all…anything you want." Andrew said as he stood beside Meg at one of the most upscale local boutiques.
"Oh Andrew, I don't know. It's all so expensive." She said and he clicked his tongue.
"Nothing is too expensive for my girl." He said guiding her through the store. She settled on a silk scarf and he surprised her with a gold necklace with a little pink heart shaped gem on it.
"This is beautiful Andrew, but isn't it a bit soon to be lavishing me with gifts?" She asked, feeling this was all too good to be true. He sighed.
"Not if you believe you've found the right person." He said and pulled her in for a kiss when something caught his eye. A couple outside the store. The beautiful dark skinned girl and the tall man dressed immaculately. She was wearing light blue though, it couldn't be her, yet when she turned it was unmistakably her. She was carrying Jamie and when they thought no one was looking, he leaned down and stole a kiss. Andrew pulled away from Meg as if he'd been burned.
"Andrew, what's the matter?" She asked, when she saw his face. For the first time, she noticed a dark glimmer of rage.
"Nothing." He said moodily pulling her firmly out of the store. "Let's just go." He said, his voice darker. Meg bit her lip. Did I do something wrong? When she followed his gaze to the window there was no one there. It's me that's not right…what did I do? She thought as he put his hand on the small of her back.