A/N: Hey, sorry it took so long and I'm sorry this chapter is so short. I was on a mission trip in Belize and I had writers block. I'm also focusing my attention toward Obsession. Hopefully I'll have another chapter up soon.

Chapter Five

Curiosity instantly filled me as I starred at the white porcelain. I thought it strange that someone would wear a Halloween mask on Christmas Eve. It was only half a mask: on the right side. But then, my eyes were drawn to the man wearing it.

He was dressed in a gray suit with a blood red tie and his body looked rather fit underneath. His broad shoulders blocked the doorway where he remained standing, and his head almost reached the top.

Now that I was done assessing his body, my eyes met his face.

The side not covered by the mask looked strangely familiar: the strong jaw, sculpted chin, full lips, high cheekbones, and a Roman nose. But none of that captured my attention like his eyes.

Those eyes held mine for centuries. They pulled me in and rejuvenated my senses. Never in my entire life would I forget those eyes. Never in my life would I forget the man they belonged to.

I don't know what came over me as my feet began moving, my eyes never leaving his. Once I got around the counter bar, I stopped and starred.

"Are you real?" I whispered with my wet face and red eyes.

"Yes," he croaked, the left side of his face full of uncertainty.

I ran.

I barreled toward him with as much speed as I could muster in such a short distance. He prepared himself as he outstretched his arms.

I ran into his open arms.

My arms gripped his neck and my legs locked around his waist as he held me while his own arms held my back. I could feel his breath on my shoulder as he wept into me. I did the same to his neck.

"Erik!" I gasped between sobs, stroking the back of his head.

"I came back," he muffled in my shoulder. "I came back."

"You came back."

He lifted his head from my neck and I followed. Neither one of us needed hesitation as we both leaned in and shared a long awaited kiss.

This kiss was different from our first; there was no urgency, no panic, no rush. His lips moved against mine in slow gentleness as if to take his time. We had all the time in the world now. My hand twisted in his short hair as I brought him closer to me. I needed to know this was real, to know for sure that he was alive in my arms.

Without breaking our kiss, I slid down into a standing position, still clutching onto him with dear life. There was no way I was letting him go now.

Soon, we both came up for air, but our proximity didn't falter as our foreheads glued together. His mask was uncomfortable against my skin, but I ignored it.

"I thought you were dead," I whispered.

"No," he huffed.

"They called your name at the football game." He probably had no idea what I was talking about, but I didn't care.

"No, Christine, they made a mistake." Although his eyes were filled with tears, I could hear the happiness in his voice.

I had to make sure he was telling the truth so I kissed him again. He responded just as eagerly even if it was short.

"How are you alive?"

"Let's sit down for a few minutes so I can explain this sick and twisted mess." He looked at me questioningly and I nodded in reply. Then, we slowly broke apart, but he picked me up bridal style and sat me down next to him in our booth. It was the first time I was happy to be there.

Before he spoke, he pulled me into his body, his arms surrounding mine.

"I don't know where to start," he said honestly.

"Why did they say you died?" I offered.

"We were on a raid one night and a soldier next to me stepped on a mine. I was hit with metal pretty bad on my right side and it knocked me out for a while." I put the pieces together and figured that was why he had the mask.

"Well, soldiers never leave a man behind, so since I was pretty much still intact, they carried me back to our base. Once I got there, I was in critical condition and I had two surgeons working on me. I had shrapnel in my arm, chest, and face, and they found a bullet lodged in my leg." Everything he had just explained was covered by his clothes or the mask, but I could see red, uneven skin trailing down from his jaw all the way past his collar.

"The doctors had little trouble with everything, but the scars will stay for the rest of my life. They said they couldn't do anything about my face, hence the mask." His eyes clouded over with an emotion I wasn't familiar with. Almost sadness, but with much more anger.

"But why did they think you were dead?" I asked again.

"One of the guys from the raid, Jim, saw me get hit. We knew each other pretty well, so he knew it was me even when I was hardly recognizable. He was asked who was lost in the fight by an officer and he listed my name. I guess Jim figured the blow of the mine killed me. I definitely looked dead."

Just picturing him bloody and mutilated made my stomach churn in disgust. It wasn't that I was disgusted with Erik, just the sight of blood made me queasy. To see Erik covered in blood would be my worst nightmare. It had been for the past month.

"I'm so happy you're alive!" I squealed in his neck.

"Me too, Christine, me too," he soothed as he rubbed my back.

It was still all too good to be true and I had to keep looking up at his face to make sure I wasn't dreaming. He was in my arms, safe. It had to be a dream.

"Ca-Ca-Can I get you two anything?" Cindy stood next to the booth, pencil ready, with tears in her eyes and a smile from ear to ear. She must have been watching our reunion from a distance.

"A double cheeseburger with extra fries and a large chocolate milkshake. Oh, and onion rings as well." I almost laughed at the enormity of his order. He must have been craving it for a while; he ordered so fast Cindy barely had time to write it all down.

"Anything for you Christine?" She looked at me with the kindest eyes. She knew this was what I needed, what I needed to save me.

"No, I'm completely satisfied," I said looking up at Erik, "just an extra straw."

"That's right, I promised to share my milkshake," Erik said with a beautiful smile.

"That you did, and I fully intend to take you up on your offer."

"So is this a date now?" he asked with a hopeful expression.

"The first of many." His face broke out into a smile again and the reaction was contagious.

"Oh my God! This is too romantic for words! Better than the movies!" Cindy cried in a teary mess.

Erik and I both looked up at her with expectant expressions.

"Oh, right! I'll bring you your order!" She then wiped her tears and ran to the kitchen.

For the next hour, we just sat and talked about anything. Erik talked about the friends he had made, most of whom still believed him dead, and he longed to write them and tell them he was safe. I learned that he didn't have to go back to Vietnam; the bullet to his leg stiffened it somehow. I didn't really see a limp, but then again all I was paying attention to was his face.

I wanted to see what was underneath, but I could tell Erik would be uncomfortable with it. Hopefully he knew how little I cared about his appearance.

Finally, our food was brought out by a blubbering Cindy. Erik's eyes immediately looked at the feast with impatience and want, but once it was set down in front of him, his face lit with excitement. I almost cracked up when he picked up his burger and devoured half of it in one bite.

"Hungry much?" I chuckled.

He tried to answer with words, but the food in his southern manners forced him to politely nod and moan in response.

Eventually, he swallowed and opened his mouth to speak.

"You have no idea what it's like to resort to eating dried up, canned food for practically half a year. This glorious meal is the second best thing I've seen in months."

"And what's the first?" I asked curiously.

"You, of course," he replied with a devilish grin while dipping down to sip our milkshake. I got the hint and used my straw at the same time.

"I almost forgot!" Erik suddenly exclaimed. "Merry Christmas!"

"Oh, Erik, it is a Merry Christmas!" I said in the cheesiest possible way I could. After all the depression I had been through, all I wanted to be was carefree again. Just like a normal person my age should.

A/N: Hoped you liked it. Review por favor!