Title: The Devil We Know
Summary: Christine Daae is the daughter of a recently deceased mafia boss. Suddenly, she finds herself toted as an up and coming gang leader, learning from the Phantom, a man who is feared by even the most powerful in the field as a notorious hit man. Will Christine find the strength to carve her own path, disregarding both darkness and light? Raoul's in it too. I guess.
Disclaimer: Phantom isn't under copyright any more, is it? I don't know. But the book belongs to Leroux and the musical belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber. Regardless, Erik, Christine, and Raoul aren't my original characters.
Author's Note: This chapter is the result of Sara dogging me to get this story done. So, if you enjoyed it, thank her. She wants to read the sequel already and I can't blame her. It sounds awesome in my head. Helpful music for this chapter includes: Only You by Portishead and Endlessly by Muse.
Chapter Sixteen: Full Circle Makes You Dizzy
Erik's gloved hands tightened around the steering wheel as his sleek, black car sped down the freeway. It was nearly one in the morning, and his was the only vehicle around, so he had free reign of the road, which was safer considering his vision was hazy red with anger.
He knew he couldn't handle the situation with his mother while blinded by rage. Taking deep breaths, Erik fought to clear his mind of anything but the most calming thoughts. Christine's smile was one of only images he could stand at the moment. The beautiful, tender smile she gave when worrying about him or the sly, sexy one she wore when thinking up new ways of making him beg.
She had a multitude of other types of smiles, one for every occasion, but those were the two he missed the most. Those were just for him.
He had a firm hold over his temper by the time he parked in the shadow of a modest bar located in the old, run down section of the city. The two story building was made of red bricks dulled from weather and time, the sidewalk in front of the bar cracked with age. The few windows that the building had were tinted so dark Erik couldn't see through them. He hated walking blindly into an enclosed space full of possible threats.
Walking passed the entrance with careful, steady steps, he neared the alley between the bar and the adjacent building. It was a narrow space, barely wide enough for him to enter, and he found no side exits or windows. One less way for his target to escape.
He backtracked to the entrance and burst inside. Two men seated at the bar glanced up with the bartender and stared at Erik in blank shock for a moment. He smirked at them and said, "I'm looking for Madeleine. Let's try to be civil, shall we?"
The men exchanged furrowed glares before fumbling for their guns. Erik was a faster draw and shot each through the head before they could reach their weapons.
The group of men at the pool table in the back froze, alerted by the noise, then snapped into action. Sighing with exasperation, Erik strode toward them, a gun in each hand as he emptied a quick burst of fire from each. The four men in the back part of the bar dropped to the ground lifeless as Erik lowered his guns and surveyed the area.
A small, wooden stairway led up from the back corner of the bar to the second floor of the building. The narrowness of the stairs made him hesitate: it would be a perfect place to bottleneck an enemy and catch them by surprise.
The room was a strange mix between a bedroom and a torture chamber. There was a big, four post bed with canopy and sheets completely done in black, but across the room fixed to the wall were what appeared to be manacles. There was even a sort of hospital examination table, complete with leather straps.
This wasn't exactly what he'd expected, but it explained a little about what she was doing in town. Their family did seem to gravitate to the service industry.
Erik entered the room with his gun held loosely in his hand, ready to shoot without warning. So when he found the room empty of the person he was looking for, he holstered one of his guns to rake his hand down his face and sigh.
There was a soft clicking of heels on the wood floor and Erik quickly ducked forward, avoiding the whistling blade of a knife that slashed at his neck. He dodged to the side and whirled to face his sudden attacker. Madeleine thrust forward again, swiping with the knife at his stomach, but he stepped back and the blade caught nothing.
"What are you doing in my room?" She demanded, dark eyes wild under the dim ceiling lights.
Erik coughed out a harsh laugh, glancing at the strange tools and restraints throughout the room. "Your bedroom is a little twisted, Mother."
"My life has been a little twisted since you were born," she snapped, hand steady and knife poised to strike again. "But you know my profession. These are just the tools of my trade."
She noticed how he tensed when she spoke of her job and a grin unfurled across her lips. Nonchalantly, she gestured with her blade to the manacles affixed to the wall. "You never know what a client will want. Sometimes pain is preferable to pleasure. Surely your little mafia boss has a taste for pain. How she must suffer having to see your face everyday. Definitely a masochist."
"Perhaps I should give her some pointers?" She ventured, a sly smile tightening the skin of her smooth, pale face.
Without warning, Erik extended his arm straight out and aimed the gun at his mother. Deliberately, he inched the barrel upward until it pointed directly at her heart. Only through sheer force of will was he able to keep himself composed.
Still, Madeleine gazed at him unblinkingly, her eyes focused on the mask covering the right side of his face. Her dark stare bore into him. She could see straight through his fake professionalism. She knew his scars. What made him react.
Her sight shifted from his mask to the barrel of the pistol only a few feet away. The lopsided smirk on her face curled her lips at the corner. Her eyelids drooped slightly as she peered up at him through mascara-spiked lashes. One, thin eyebrow rose higher than the other as she spoke in a cold, condescending voice. "Well? Why drag this out any longer than is necessary? I'm sure Christine is waiting for your return with baited breath."
The twitch in his hand was so slight it would have been unperceivable to anyone not paying attention. The action made the barrel of the gun lower a millimeter before he easily righted his grip. But the correction came too late, and the look of amusement on Madeleine's face told him she knew. "Oh, dear. She doesn't know you're here, does she?"
"You killed Elizabeth, you killed Gustav. And I'm sure, when you realize Christine's not going to do what you want, you'll kill her too. I can't let you do that." Erik's frown deepened as he struggled to keep from revealing too much through his body language. "You are my problem to solve, always have been. I was just too blind to see it."
"You're a joke, Erik, a horrible joke, and your hideous face is the punch line. No matter how much I abused you, you never stopped begging for more." Madeleine's eyes glanced to a spot over his shoulder briefly before returning to his face. "I'd love to reminiscent some more, but it seems my back-up has finally arrived."
A sudden noise from the staircase brought him spinning around just in time to see a man charging toward him with a strange gun in his hands. Erik recognized it immediately as a standard firearm for less than lethal capture. A tranquilizer gun, most likely loaded with a potent barbiturate to knock a man unconscious.
The man fired one shot just as Erik dodged out of the way. The tranquilizer pellet whistled passed his face almost inaudibly. He returned fire with his pistol, hitting his attacker square between the eyes. The man's eyes rolled back in his head as he tumbled down the stairs.
Before Erik could right himself to face his mother, a quiet firing noise sounded from behind him followed immediately by a sharp stinging in the back of his neck. He slapped the spot with his hand as if killing an annoying bug, and glanced down at the small, harmless metal pellet resting in the center of his palm. He stumbled back a step as he tried to raise his gun, his arms growing heavier as the drug started to course through his blood.
His pistol slipped out of numb fingers and clattered to the floor as he swayed on his feet. "Damn… who keeps… tranqs... these days?"
His knees gave out next, but he didn't realize until he was gasped for breath staring up at the rafters.
His mother towered over him, her usual expression of polite amusement twisted in a sneer of disgust. She gripped the capture gun loosely in one hand and rested her other hand on her hip. Erik found it hard to focus, her image blurring and focusing as he fought against the inevitable. "You have no idea how hard it was to obtain these guns, Erik. You'd think they'd be easier to get because they're non-lethal… but that's not exactly true."
"The dosage's the thing you've got to worry about," she quipped as she examined the gun happily. She ran her finger down the cool, gray metal of the barrel. He was writhing on the ground, fumbling clumsily for his pistol that lay just out of reach. Madeleine pursed her lips as she kicked it farther away from him. He groaned in protest, but words seemed to escape his mind like grabbing at water with his bare hands. "There really is no margin of error allowed. The human body is so… easily damaged."
Whatever he was trying to say garbled in his throat as the drug rendered him unconscious.
Christine awoke from a light sleep an hour after Erik said he was going to grab something from the car. He was still gone, which confused her sleep-ladled brain for a moment. Rubbing her eyes, she glanced around her darkened room groggily, her curly hair tangled from the pillow. "Erik? You in here?"
There was no reply from the shadows, though if he was hiding he probably wouldn't give away his position by answering her. Still, she was sure he wasn't playing tricks. The man barely seemed to have a sense of humor at all, God help her if he started coming up with his own material.
She trudged out of her room and padded down the stairs. As she approached the living room, the repetitive tune of Tetris filled the air. Nadir was sprawled out across the three-seat couch with his shoes off, tapping on the buttons of a Gameboy as the theme repeated. Christine rolled her eyes and cleared her throat. "Hey, Nadir. Have you seen Erik?"
"Oh, hey. He was down here about an hour ago. He left." He glanced at her and an appreciative grin crossed his face as he continued playing his game. "Nice 'jamas, by the way. Did you put those on for my sake? Because I don't mind if you walk around naked."
"That's great. I'll be sure to mention it to Erik when I find him." She stomped back up the stairs to get dressed. When she returned in some jeans and a T-shirt, Nadir was just finishing with his shoe laces. "You coming with me?"
"Of course I am," Nadir grumbled, checking his silver wristwatch. "Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"Yes, I do. But I think Erik might be doing something crazy right now because of what I told him." Christine bit at her thumb nail nervously. "Did he tell you anything before he left?"
"Yup. Said he was going to go kill his mom."
Christine's jaw dropped and her eyes grew large. It took her a few choking stutters before she could manage to find proper words. "What is WRONG with you! Do you know where Madeleine is right now?"
"Um… no, but you could try calling Meg or Madame Giry. They know her better than I do. Which is to say, at all."
Christine hurried into the kitchen to retrieve the wireless phone. Even though it was about 2 A.M., Madame Giry's was probably lively and open for business. She dialed in the number to Meg's cell phone and waited for her to answer. Meg picked up on the fourth ring, just when Christine was about to hang up and try the main phone. The loud music and noises from the bar competed with Meg's voice as she spoke, "Yeah, this is Meg, whatcha want?"
"Meg, it's Christine. I need help. Erik's disappeared and I think-" her voice cracked with a dangerous mix of panic and anguish. "I think he might be hurt. He's done something stupid and I don't know what to do-"
"Calm down, take a deep breath!" Meg seemed to realize just how desperate Christine was. After losing her last family member, she relied on Erik, Nadir, and Meg equally as her emotional supports in different aspects of her life. To lose one of them now would devastate her. When Meg heard Christine's ragged breathing subside, she said, "Is Nadir with you?"
Christine walked back into the living room and fixed her eyes on Nadir, who was standing near the front door with his arms crossed. "Yes, he's right here."
"Okay, good. Does he know what Erik's doing?"
"Erik's gone after Madeleine."
The sound of Meg dropping the phone made Christine flinch away from the ear piece. A few seconds later, Meg was back. "He went alone?! Everyone knows Madeleine has a bunch of guys working for her, just for safety's sake."
"Do you know where I can find her?"
"Is something going down tonight? Do I need to be there? Because if she tries anything, I'll slice her open with a rusty razorblade, Christine."
Christine laughed once, but quickly covered her mouth. "You'd do that for me?"
"Oh yeah, definitely."
"You're a good friend." Christine said, "But you're crazy as shit. Now tell me where I can find Madeleine, Nadir's getting antsy."
In the end, Christine gave the phone to Nadir to get the directions, while she ran upstairs to get dress. She had no idea what she would do when she got to Madeleine. She had no firearm, since Erik still hadn't given her gun back, she couldn't call the police for obvious reasons, and her bluffing skills were horrible.
She returned downstairs to find Nadir hanging up after a few minutes and tossed the wireless phone onto the couch. "We're going."
As she walked with him to his car, she said, "I don't know how to tell you this, but I don't have a gun or anything. Erik took mine away."
Sighing heavily, Nadir unlocked the car and slid into the driver's seat. As she climbed into the passenger seat beside him, he said, "Don't worry about it. I've got a spare in the trunk. You can use that. Plus, you know a little self-defense, right?"
She nodded and he smiled in reply as he started the engine. "Good. Leave the hard shooting to me. You just focus on defending yourself if someone comes at you."
"Time to wake up."
Erik gasped back into consciousness, lunging forward as if to sit up, but restraints at his arms, neck, and legs kept him in a lying position. His head spun as he struggled to remember where he was and why he was tied to an examination table.
Madeleine loomed over him with a scalpel in her hand and a wicked smile curling her lips. Her wild, black hair fell in waves over her eyes and down her shoulders, giving her a deranged look. In her other hand was a very familiar, white mask. "You're as ugly as ever."
"You're… not exactly… at your best either…" He managed though his voice was hoarse and quiet. A look of pure hatred crossed Madeleine's face before she could control herself and she gripped the handle of the scalpel as if she wanted to stab him with it repeatedly.
"You ruined my life," she hissed, lowering the blade toward the disfigured half of his face. "My perfect life. I could have had it all- but every time, you came along and ruined it. This face… if it were gone, everything would be fine, don't you think?"
The florescent light from the ceiling lamp glinted off the blade of the scalpel and for a moment, Erik felt a surge of uncontrollable panic overwhelm him. He struggled against the leather bindings until his skin bruised and chaffed, but they held. He didn't yell, but disgruntled groans escaped his throat as he worked against the restraints.
When his struggling subsided enough to just random trembles, Madeleine lowered the blade down to his mangled skin. The first incision welled with blood instantly and her intensely focused expression was interrupted with a wicked smile. "I forgot how much blood is in the human head."
She continued hacking at the skin, removing small pieces of the red, disfigured flesh. More blood dripped in steady streams down his face and neck. The biting, mind-numbing pain of it made him dizzy and nauseous. He briefly lost consciousness, and Madeleine took the opportunity to pause in her work to wrap a ragged towel around his neck. No reason to dirty her floors.
Nadir parked his car a few buildings away after driving around the block to scout the exterior of the bar. No one was standing guard outside the worn down, old building, but Christine did notice Erik's black car parked in the narrow alleyway on the side. She inhaled in a hiss and squinted to see better in the darkness. Leaning over the space between the driver and passenger seats, she asked Nadir quietly, "What was he THINKING parking that close to the bar?"
"No clue, actually. He's always been a little reckless. Good to know he's sticking to a style that suits him." Once they climbed out of the car, Nadir kept scanning their surroundings intently as he fished his spare gun out of the trunk. He loaded it and handed the small, semi-automatic pistol to her. She held it firmly, trying her best to keep it hidden against her shirt as they walked across the street. He grinned over his shoulder at her. "Man, Erik's gonna kill me for bringing you here."
"If he's not already dead, you mean," she grumbled, following behind him impatiently.
Nadir paused outside the front entrance of the bar and pressed himself against the door, one hand on the doorknob and the other holding his pistol up, ready to shoot. He motioned with the gun for Christine to do the same on the other side of the threshold. She quickly took her position, back to the brick wall near the door, safe from stray bullets.
Nadir's lips moved as if to count silently to three, then he shoved the door open and stepped inside, gun out instantly. He swept his arm through the air as he scanned the room for hidden assailants. Two men were dead at the bar, one still slumped in his seat. Walking cautiously to the back pool table, Nadir found four more victims. All had been shot.
Without putting away his gun, Nadir walked backwards toward the front door. He motioned to Christine with his free hand and she hurried inside, shutting the door softly behind her. Nadir craned his neck to whisper close to her, "Six men, killed by gunfire. Probably Erik's doing."
"Did you check that staircase yet?" Christine pointed to the dark, narrow stairway leading up to the second floor of the building.
"Stay here until I give you the signal."
"What's the signal?" she asked, confused. Exasperated, he practiced a beckoning gesture with his hand, as if he wanted her to come forward. Her eyes grew wide as she realized what he was doing. "Oh. Okay, got it. I'm ready."
Rolling his eyes, Nadir strode to the stairway and glanced up. There was a body sprawled upside down near the middles steps, its limbs twisted from the fall. A single bullet hole decorated the dead man's forehead, a trickle of blood running up into the man's hair. Nadir moved slowly and quietly up the stairs, nudging the body to the side as he went. He peeked into the second floor room and then swiftly darted back into hiding.
He beckoned Christine to the bottom of the stairs where he had retreated. She rushed over and he grabbed her by the shoulder, bracing against her heavily as he murmured, "He's up there."
The tension in her body dissolved instantly and she exhaled in relief. "He did it? What are we waiting for? Let's go-"
Nadir's strong grip on her shoulder kept her from dashing up the stairs. "No. He's not alone. Madeleine's got him tied up on some kind of… operating table. And she's got blood on her hands."
A cold stillness settled in her stomach and crept through her whole body. The pistol in her hand almost slipped from her fingers as the numbness stole over her. Nadir leaned close to lock gazes with her, his eyebrows drawn together in concern. He tapped his hand against her cheek lightly to get her attention. "Don't you start. We don't know how bad the situation is yet-"
"How can it be good? She's got him, Nadir, and if we don't do something-"
Nadir grabbed Christine by her upper arms and held tight. "Christine, if you don't get a handle on your emotions right now, you're going to do something stupid and get us all killed for sure."
He waited for her to take a breath before he continued, "We can do this. I just need you to stay in control of yourself. Act like a mafia boss. And do exactly what I tell you."
"What do you think you're doing?" a calm, female voice demanded from the top of the stairs. Madeleine spun around to find Christine climbing the last step. She hastily pressed the blade to Erik's throat, dancing around the table to keep distance between her and Christine.
"Put your hands up," Madeleine ordered angrily. When Christine hesitated, Madeleine applied pressure to the scalpel and a blood welled up against the skin on Erik's neck. "Show me you have no weapons, or I'll sever his Carotid artery."
Christine held up her hands, her borrowed pistol in her right and nothing in her left. Madeleine smiled knowingly and nodded her head toward the gun. "Put it on the ground slowly and kick it away."
Christine obeyed and the gun skittered across the room to the corner. Christine moved the in the opposite direction of the gun further into the room. Her eyes dropped to Erik's unconscious form before she met Madeleine's gaze. "How did you catch him?"
Madeleine watched Christine sidled along the wall, as if she was trying to stay as far away from her as possible. Smirking, she held up her tranq gun in her free hand. "Oh, he was easy to fool. A bit of "the old switcheroo", as it were."
Christine stepped back in surprise, fumbling as she stepped sideways and almost falling. "Is that-"
"You know, you're very dumb compared to your mother." Madeleine stated, eyeing her without expression. "I was expecting you to be… more impressive, what with the blood of both Gustave and Elizabeth running through your veins."
Madeleine aimed the tranquilizer gun at Christine. "Congratulations. You and Erik both defy biological explanation. I have no use for such a weak, little girl. Say hello to your mommy for me."
The gunshot exploded, echoing off the walls of the room and Christine flinched involuntarily as she dove to the floor. Madeleine dropped her gun to place her hand against her stomach where the bullet exited. She turned slowly to find Nadir standing behind her, near the stairs, his gun still aimed at her from the first shot.
Christine scrambled to her feet, the moment stretching on as the scalpel in Madeleine's hand cut into the flesh on Erik's neck. Faster, she needed to be faster-
Another shot sounded and this time the bullet tore through Madeline's skull, the impact sending her reeling backward. She fell to the floor lifeless, the blade still clutched in her fingers.
Heart ricocheting against her ribcage, Christine stumbled across the room to the operating table where Erik was pinned. His face was fully exposed, the disfigured left side bleeding from the gashes and cuts Madeleine had made with the scalpel. Christine unwound the rag from his neck to examine the damage. There was a cut on his neck, but it wasn't very deep.
"Christine?" Erik's voice was a blessing to her ears, even if his voice was hoarse. "What are you doing here?"
Nadir replied before Christine could find the words. "She's saving your ass, damsel-in-distress."
"I told you not to let her follow me." Erik snapped, but the effect was lost as his voice was weak from blood loss. "There's a knife in a holster on my thigh. Use it to cut me free."
Nadir took the knife and got to work on the leather straps while Christine dabbed at his face with the rag. Erik leaned into her touch, eyes closing briefly as her cool skin caressed his face. Her smile wavered, almost turning into a sob, but she fought to keep her emotions under control. There would be plenty of time for that later.
She couldn't believe her hearing when he said in a weary voice without opening his eyes, "I'm glad you came."
Before she could respond, Nadir returned the knife to Erik's holster and announced loudly, "We're good to go! Come on, up you get-"
Erik struggled to sit up, but his muscles gave out and he flopped back onto the table with a groan, eyes glassy with fever. Christine reached around him and Nadir helped get him standing. They both supported him as he walked down the stairs, but his strength was dwindling fast. Christine spoke as she grimaced under half the weight of Erik, "Nadir, he can't drive like this. How are we going to get his car out of here?"
"You wouldn't happen to know stick, would ya?" Nadir grunted, his hold on Erik slipping as they led him to the entrance of the bar. Christine shot him an irritated look and he grumbled, "Didn't think so. My keys are in my left, butt pocket. You drive my car back to your house, I'll take Erik and his ancient automobile and meet you there."
Christine fished the car keys out of his pocket as Nadir did the same with Erik. They reached the entrance and Nadir kicked open the door only to come face to face with Raoul and his gun. "Freeze! Put your hands up!"
Nadir and Christine exchanged looks over Erik's head as they continued to hold him upright. Raoul held his gun even tighter as he pointed it at Erik. "I said, put your hands up, all of you!"
"Raoul, what are you doing?" Christine asked, exasperated. "Can't you see we're a little busy?"
"Christine, this is for your own good. Now, let him go and come over here." Raoul said, his gun still aimed at Nadir and Erik.
"I will not!" She said, standing up straight, even though her back hurt from helping to lug around a 38 year old, semi-conscious man. "If you're going to arrest my friends, then you'll have to take me too. And trust me, my lawyers won't make it easy on you."
"See, this is what happens when you trust a cop, Christine," Nadir said, glaring at Raoul angrily. "Wait until I tell Firmin. See how he likes having a two-faced cop as an underling. I'm sure he'll have plenty to say about that."
"You stay right there! Don't move!" Raoul ordered before looking at Christine. "Please, I don't want you to have to go through this. You aren't a bad person. Come with me. I'll tell the other officers that you were my informant-"
"Don't you dare lie for me, Raoul." Christine snapped. "These are my friends. I've already made my choice. Accept it. I know I have."
"We were friends once," he pleaded, his voice rife with emotion as he held his gun trained on Erik. "Don't make me do this to you."
Christine stepped forward, releasing Erik momentarily. Nadir struggled to compensate for the lost support as Christine reached her hands out slowly to Raoul, careful not to frighten him into attacking. She doubted he could ever shoot her. He let her hand brush against his face and she looked into his eyes. "I'm not making you do anything. This is your choice. Do what you have to."
She moved so suddenly, he was unprepared to retaliate. Her other arm slammed up into his elbow causing him to drop his gun. While he was recovering from his shock, she wrapped one leg around his ankles and shoved him hard with both hands. He fell to the ground, unable to regain his balance and she jumped out of the way, hurrying to retrieve his fallen gun.
Raoul stared up at her from his spot on the pavement as she pointed the gun directly at him. "However, don't expect us to wait around while you call for back-up. Honestly, did you think I wouldn't notice you were alone out here? Geez, everyone's sloppy tonight."
"Must be something in the water," Nadir grunted, shifting his hold on Erik, whose head was lolling on his neck. Christine nodded to Nadir, and he sidestepped Raoul on his way toward Erik's car parked around the corner.
Once they were out of sight, Christine smiled down at Raoul. "Now, let's see. Am I going to have to shoot both your feet to keep you from chasing me? Or are you going to roll over like a good boy?"
She motioned with the gun as she ordered, "Face down on the ground, forehead to the concrete. I'm taking your gun and if I see you getting up before I'm in my car, I will shoot you."
He obeyed, begrudgingly and she walked toward Nadir's car down the street, glancing over her shoulder every few steps to check on him. Once she was safely in the driver's seat, her hands started trembling so violently she had trouble getting the key in the ignition. It wasn't until she was halfway home that she remembered she was still clutching onto Raoul's gun like a life-line.
"I don't see why you're making me do this," Erik grumbled as Christine tugged him across the empty cemetery a week later. It had rained heavily all that day and the grass was slippery from it. The sky overhead was gray and cloudy, but it seemed that the worst of the rain had already passed, allowing them to visit the graves without getting soaked.
"It's the least we can do. I mean, we did skip the funeral." Christine raised her eyebrow at him as she continued to walk in front of him, hand wrapped around his tightly to keep him from bolting back to the car. He was wearing his form-fitting, leather gloves, so she couldn't feel the temperature of his skin, but one look at his face told her he was just as healthy and irritable as ever. He had gauze and bandages completely covering the half of his face that Madeleine had injured, so he was maskless until it was healed.
"Come on, I think the headstone's around here somewhere-"
"Christine, are you listening to me?" Erik sighed, knowing full well she was ignoring him. "This is like spitting on Madeleine's memory. She'd hate it if she knew we were doing this."
"Well, it's a good thing she's dead then, right? Ah hah, found it!" Christine let go of his hand to loop her arm through his and propel them both toward an imposing, black marble tombstone. Roses and doves were carved in relief onto the shiny, black surface. The flowing script read simply: "Madeleine, full of life" at the top of the stone. "It doesn't say anything about her being a mother or anything."
Erik shrugged, putting his hands in his overcoat pockets as he stared down at the grave. There were no flowers near her headstone. As he stood stiffly, Christine knelt and placed the single, white rose she'd brought with her. She straightened to stand at his side, wrapping her arms around herself. They gazed in silence at the dead woman's memorial until Erik finally spoke. "Nadir told me you were very skilled at getting me to safety."
Christine glanced at him sidelong to find he was staring straight at the tombstone, the muscles in his neck strained under the skin. She grinned as she brushed the windblown hair from her face. "I think that's the sorriest thank you I've ever received."
His serious expression remained steady as he turned to her. "Why didn't you just stay home, safe with Nadir? The thought of me putting you in danger…"
"Shut up," she said, irritated. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she reached out to grab his tie, jerked it until he was eyelevel with her. "Now you know how I feel asking you to go out and put yourself in danger just to do a hit for me."
"That's my job-"
"Yeah, I know that." She let go of his tie abruptly. "Doesn't make it any easier when you're in danger. So, just give me this one."
She fiddled with his collar and tie, trying to straighten it back into place and avoid looking him in the eyes. "Besides, you'll probably have to safe me a few more times before we're dead. I figure, maybe it can be a back and forth thing. You save me, I'll save you, that sort of-"
She felt his fingers thread through her hair and he angled her head until she was looking up at him. His eyes were just as dark as the black marble of the headstone as he gazed at her with an expression of relief and love. His lips found hers softly, stemming her nervous flow of words with a desperate kiss. How did he ever live without this? She was as necessary to him as water, blood, air…
When Christine pulled back, panting for breath, she clung onto his heavy overcoat to steady herself. She struggled to grasp onto a thought, her brain swarming with emotion. "We should really… go back… Nadir waiting… in car…"
With his free hand, Erik cupped the side of her face, his thumb caressing her bottom lip idly. With a lopsided smile, he leaned in for another kiss, murmuring, "It's just Nadir. He can wait."
She really couldn't argue with that.