I'm so, so excited now! One more review till I hit 100! And the one to get me there will get a special prize that I'll reveal at the end of this chappy! Let the blood bath... begin...
So re-capping: Erik confessed his love. Awww... Now the question is, will he confess it to her? Oh, and I don't own Romeo and Juliet, Monsieur Shakespeare does.
It wasn't until late in the afternoon the next say that Alyssa finally opened her eyes. She sat up slowly, every thought focused intently on her muscles stretching, and she stifled a yawn with a delicate hand.
"Ah, good afternoon." Erik walked in cheerfully, and Alyssa blinked in confusion, feeling a sharp pain jolt through her head as she did so.
She rubbed sleep from her eyes and yawned a second time, then asked, "Afternoon? Isn't it-"
"Morning? No, my dear, you slept through that hours ago," Erik informed, looking slightly amused. Alyssa threw the blankets off her legs and slowly stood up, still stretching as she did so.
"Why didn't you..." She paused and yawned once again. "...wake me up?"
Erik laughed, mostly at the emotions he felt while watching her shake off the shadow of sleep. "You looked so peaceful, and besides, I wouldn't have gotten away without at least a couple minor injuries, right?" He caught the glance that Alyssa sent him. "I'm only joking. But you were so tired last night, I felt it was best to let you regain your strength. At least you feel better now, right?"
"I... guess so..." Alyssa took a small step foward and suddenly swayed dangerously on her feet. Erik reached out and grabbed her arms a second before she fell.
Gazing into her eyes worriedly, he asked, "Alyssa, are you all right? You're not seriously ill, are you?"
"My head's pounding," Alyssa murmured. "I'm okay, just a massive... headache..." She queezed her eyes shut and opened them again. Everything seemed a little blurry, and her eyes started watering slightly. "I don't know if I'm sick, but it... ow." She massaged her temples with two fingers, trying to ease the pain.
Concerned, Erik put a hand to the back of her head and held her forehead to his left cheek for a second. "Oh, god. You're burning up, Alyssa." He helped to support her as she wobbled over to the bed.
He stood back once she was settled, deep in thought. "I'll... go make you some tea or something to make you slep, or ease the pain, or... something. I'll be right back, but will you be okay alone for a moment? I know I'll only be in the next room, but it would be painful to call if you needed me, and you don't want to strain your voice."
Alyssa smiled sleepily. "I'll be fine, Erik, I'm not a child. It's just a headache, after all." Erik nodded and swiftly left the room.
God, this was a bit sudden, Alyssa thought bitterly. I was, like, fine just yesterday. Gr, stupid headache. She stared at the ceiling and sighed once, and a ticklish cough suddenly crept into her throat. She rubbed her neck, desperately attempting to dispel the urge so that Erik wouldn't have another cause to worry about her. Her endeavor backfired, though, and she doubled up, her knees almost to her chest from the force of her coughing fit. She prayed that Erik hadn't heard it, that at that precise moment the teapot had begun whistling.
At last he entered the room, carrying a small tray that he set upon the nightstand beside her. "Are you all right?" he questioned, trying to hide exactly how concerned he was. "That sounded like a painful coughing fit." (Dammit, he did hear, Alyssa thought to herself.) Erik extended his hand and set it upon her brow, then frowned. She was still as warm as ever.
"Here, drink some of this." He picked up a small bottle from the tray and unscrewed the cap. "It's one of my own draughts, something to help the fever go down." Alyssa gratefully accepted the silver spoon, swallowing the sickly greenish-brown liquid as quickly as she could. It tasted absolutely vile, but luckily went down her throat easily (unlike most cough syrups), so that the taste was fleeting.
Erik couldn't stifle a laugh at the expression on her face, as hard as he tried to do so. "I apologize, Alyssa, I should have warned you. Here, this one will help you sleep. Be forewarned, it tastes worse than the last one." Alyssa gingerly took the second spoon, giving him a pitiful glance before drinking it down. She shuddered at the disgusting flavor, but knew that it was for the better. Erik waited until she was ready, then placed the steaming teacup in her hand, chuckling quietly. "This will taste better, I promise."
It didn't take long for Alyssa to drain the cup, and Erik placed it back on the tray once she had. "Now try and get some sleep, my dear," he murmured. "Unless, of course, there's anything else you need?"
Slowly and lazily Alyssa shook her head. "No, I'm okay, thanks. I mean... unless you wouldn't mind... oh, forget it."
"What? You can tell me." Erik detected the shyness in her gaze, and found it incredibly loveable for some strange reason.
Alyssa hesitated, then muttered, "Would you... sing for me? I don't know why, but there's something soothing about your voice. It's just so... calming."
With a small smile, Erik agreed. "If you insist, my dear." He paused for a brief moment, then took a deep breath.
"Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination
Silently the senses abandon their defenses..." He sang in the softest, most lulling voice he could manage, tempted to smile as he watched Alyssa's eyes blink more frequently in their struggle to stay open.
"Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender.
Turn your face away from the garish light of day,
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light...
And listen to the Music of the Night..." Erik's voice grew quieter as he continued to sing, since Alyssa was dangerously close to sleep. When at last her eyes closed and didn't open again, he tentatively leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair off her shoulder. He unknowingly bit his lip softly, almost wanting to cry. Such a beautiful angel.
As much as he didn't want to leave, Erik knew that her chances of staying asleep (and therefore in comfort) would be much higher if he wasn't in the room. He stood up and reluctantly walked away, humming the melody of his song absentmindedly.
Erik sat in his armchair in the main room, and saw a book on the small table beside him. He reached over and picked it up, and opened it to the inside cover to find that it was the playwrite for Romeo and Juliet that he had given Alyssa. Amused, he flipped through a few pages until he came to the part where Romeo and Juliet were speaking to each other late at night from the balcony to the ground.
"The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars at daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven would through the airy region seem so bright that birds would sing and think it were not night," Erik read lazily, a soft smile crossing his face as his mind began wandering. "See how she lays a cheek upon her hand! O that I were a glove upon that hand, that I might touch that cheek!"
Falling silent, Erik read on with his eyes only. He found himself soon envisioning Alyssa atop a balcony far above his head, amazingly brilliant against the black velvet nighttime sky. She smiled down to him, and within moments was standing beside him, her eyes half-closed as her face came closer... closer...
Then his vision changed, he was truly daydreaming now. He waited behind a corner, telltale footsteps letting him know that someone was approaching. A coy smile crossed his face, he knew it was Alyssa. As soon as he could, he grabbed her wrist, twirled her, and dipped her backward in his arms. There was a second in which she looked at him, surprised, then she smiled and quickly met his lips, her arms looping around his neck and bringing them closer together.
Yet as much as he longed to, Erik knew that he couldn't ever do something like that. Alyssa had been hurt before by love, and she seemed almost afraid of it now. If he acted upon his feelings, Erik feared more than anything that she might grow more distant.
Oh, how terrible it is that I have to keep my emotions a secret from you, Alyssa! ...But I don't want to hurt you. I would never do anything to hurt you. I... love you. Maybe someday, if God is a merciful as most claim, I will be able to tell you, but until then... until then, my angel, I must treat you no differently than usual.
Suddenly Alyssa groaned from his room, interrupting his thoughts unintentionally. Erik stood up and speedily approached the bedside, and she sat up and grinned at him when she saw him. He returned the wordless greeting, then once again felt her forehead.
"A little better, I'd say," Erik mumbled, pressing his cheek to her, more for the sake of feeling her skin against his than for comparing tempuratures. Alyssa kept her mouth away from him, taking great care to keep her sickness from spreading.
"You probably shouldn't get that close," she warned, using her arms to put distance between them (an act that Erik obviously didn't care for). "I don't want you to get sick, too. That'd kinda suck. I mean, no need for us both to suffer."
After a moment during which he swallowed his unexplainably depressed feelings, Erik sighed and muttered, "Pity the one to suffer had to be you." Alyssa merely shrugged in response.
"It's okay. At least I have someone with a kick-ass voice to sing me to sleep. God knows that if you were sick, I wouldn't really be able to do shit for you." She laughed once, then all of the sudden she realized what she'd said. "Oh my god, that came out wrong. I didn't mean it like... your voice is, like... boring or anything! I just meant that it was soothing, and relaxing, and can, you know, put me at ease and... stuff. Oh god, I'm so sorry, I really, really worded that horribly, I-"
Erik shook his head slightly and put a finger over her lips. "It's all right, Alyssa. I know what you mean." He drew away slowly and sat at her feet, his fingers still feeling the ghostly softness of her mouth. "Thank you for your concern, though. It means a lot, truly."
Alyssa smiled, her eyes shining. "Hey, can I get another lesson on the organ?" she asked abruptly. Erik nodded, surprised though he was, and helped her stand up (even though she claimed many times that she could do it herself). He carefully supported her and led her over to his organ in the main room.
"Do you remember what I last taught you?" he inquired once she was seated, and Alyssa nodded. He grinned and gestured to the sheet music placed at eye level on the organ. "Then see if you can at least play the right hand part for this song. The left we can break down and attempt later."
Staring at the paper intently, Alyssa hesitantly began to play. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as her fingers pressed the keys. Erik followed with his eyes, comparing the notes she played with the ones he'd written.
"No, that one is a C, not a D," he corrected once. "Play from the last measure." Alyssa sighed and began again, this time getting it right. She concentrated on nothing but the music, everything else around her losing color and sound. That is, everything except Erik.
Finally, the song was over. Alyssa, her breathing deep, leaned back and stretched, grimacing at her stiffness. Her hand was throbbing from playing so much after not doing anything for a couple weeks. Erik, observing how she tried to flex her hand and knowing how she felt, took her hand in one of his own and gently massaged it with his fingers.
"I know how it feels," he murmured, his eyes focused on the task at hand. "Your hand must be in pain, non?" Alyssa nodded, and Erik continued to work on her aching palm with his skilled fingers. "But you did very well. You've learned fast, faster than most would. I'm impressed."
Alyssa smiled. "Thanks. Why did that song seem so long this time, though?"
"Because it is fairly long. And I'm sure being sick didn't help." They both laughed, and Erik realized that he had stopped massaging Alyssa's hand, even though he had not let it go. He pretended he hadn't noticed it, though, so that hopefully Alyssa might not think of it, either.
Unfortunately for him, she did. Clearing her throat just a little bit, she slowly pulled out of his grasp. Erik instantly relinquished his hold on her, as though he was as surprised as she was.
"Sorry," Alyssa apologized, "I just kinda need my hand back." Erik smiled sheepishly, both wishing that he could entwine his fingers in hers again, and wishing that he hadn't, since it caused her obvious discomfort.
All of the sudden,the pounding in Alyssa's head came back in full. She groaned and rubbed her temples, but found that it did little to help. Erik stood up and -without thinking- lifted her surprisingly into his arms. Alyssa let out a small sound of shock, which he ignored as he carried her to the bed in his room and set her down.
"I'll go get you something to make you sleep again. You just relax, and I'll be right back." Without another word, he hurried out.
Alyssa opened her mouth as though she was going to say something, but closed it and playfully rolled her eyes, falling backward into the pillows and sighing once. It was the first time she'd been awake while Erik held her that way, and for some reason she felt very compelled to say something about it. Not that it bothered her, exactly. She just needed to bring it up, it refused to be put into the back of her mind.
Strange, she thought. Why can't I just forget it? Alyssa frowned for a second, deep in thought, and suddenly a shy grin broke out unexpectedly on her lips. Stranger still was the fact that, for the life of her... she couldn't say why it did.
Okay, about the prize. My 100th reviewer gets...(drumroll please)...the pics I took of Gerry at the convention! YAY! So let the blood bath really begin! Oh, and please review the chapter, not my anecdote. Though those thoughts were appreciated (and amusing), too.
And actually, anyone who wants those pics can just ask me, and I'll email them along... or something. So please, please review (the chapter) and I'll be sure to update soon! Oh, and for those who asked, Gerry was at the convention because he was promoting a new movie of his (with David Wenham, who is also one of my actor hotties FARAMIR! so that rocked!)...