I've been debating how to proceed with things, and since I have yet to come up with an actual... settled… decision, I'm just going to give you guys all the options and you can choose for yourselves! Because… waaaiiit for it… I finished this story! *happy dance* Yup, you read that right. I even got it up on Amazon (print and digital! Just search the title and Catherine Miller and it'll pop up).

Sooo, what does that mean for updates? Well, for one, we are obviously winding down fairly quickly here (but don't worry, we're not fully at the end yet), but if you don't want to wait, you can just go purchase it all for yourselves. Or, if you'd rather stick around here, simply review! I'll be putting review totals at the bottom of each chapter and if that goal is met, you'll once again receive the chapter as soon as I can get online to post it! Otherwise I'll be sticking with Saturdays.

Anyway, about this chapter in particular, a special thank you to mine beta, Honey Jenkins, because a certain very important scene would not behave itself and she was highly instrumental in getting it written at all.

Now, onward!

XXXVIII

Erik blinked at her, evidently a little thrown by her sudden change in topic. "You are a very strange girl, Christine."

Her eyes narrowed, assessing him as he so often did to her. His tone was perfectly placid, so it was difficult to tell if he was ever so gently teasing her, or he was complaining about that strangeness. "Thank you?"

She did so want to be polite.

And when he chuckled at that, a real, true sound born from amusement and not dark revelations, something within her lost its hold and she felt immediately lighter than before.

"I am sorry though," she repeated, despite his assurances that an apology was not required. "I shouldn't drag things up or ask any question that pops into my head. Not when they..." She shrugged, not wanting to continue. While she was glad to have the knowledge that Erik had not been abused so while he awaited his trial, the question felt invasive and rude now that she considered it. She should allow him to guide the amount of information he provided her, even though her impatience and desire to know him prompted her to hurry things along.

But that was wrong. And she would make every attempt to do better.

"That might be for the best," Erik confirmed, and she glanced up sharply, not fully expecting him to voice his agreement. But his eyes were affectionate as he regarded her, and she pouted as she stroked Boo's fur, disgruntled though he was by Erik crowding them. "Maybe then you should start packing and I'll keep Boo occupied so he doesn't worry."

Erik shrugged. "Whatever pleases you."

And he called her strange, when he was perfectly content for her to lounge about while he did all the work.

A thought entered her mind then, unbidden and making nerves tickle at her belly as she decided how best to approach it. She would not make the same mistake of simply blurting it out, but it was perhaps unrealistic that she could abandon all queries. That wouldn't do at all.

"Erik," she began softly, still smoothing her fingers through Boo's silken fur as she heard Erik move back to his chair, his knees obviously bidding him to do so, despite the plush nature of the carpets.

He hummed a little in acknowledgement, but did not prompt her further.

"Don't be cross," she pleaded gently. "You know I've been happy here and I'm not angry about anything anymore but..."

Erik eyed her shrewdly. "But?"

"My apartment. The rest of my things. Do you think... do you think I could go back and make sure I haven't left anything behind there? Something I'll need?"

Erik's lips thinned and she sincerely hoped that he understood. She'd been truthful when she'd said that all was forgiven, and she did not speak out of spite or to give him a reminder that she'd had a life outside of the one they now shared.

"You said that you did not require anything else," he reminded her, his tone rather odd. Hurt maybe? No, it was more accusing than that. As if she'd failed to tell him of something she'd needed or desired, and in his unending desire to please, he now felt as if she'd denied him.

It was all she could do to keep from rolling her eyes. "You brought my mama's quilt, Erik, and that was the most important. I just want to be sure before we... before we leave and it all gets abandoned."

Erik stared at her quietly for a long moment before he sighed deeply. "I shall have to accompany you," he warned apologetically, as if it would offend her to have him near in her previous residence. "I cannot risk that the police will hear of your whereabouts and move quickly."

She hadn't thought of that, and was grateful for his forethought. "You can just tell me when," she assured him. "There's not great hurry. I'd just like to double-check before we leave, that's all."

Erik nodded. "Not an unreasonable request," he assured her when she continued to give him a doubtful look.

It was a few days before Erik would risk the trip there, and though Christine started feeling anxious to simply move on with things, there was plenty to do that occupied her time. Erik assured her on numerous occasions that anything they did not take with them could easily be replaced—that only her favorite items and keepsakes needed to be packed away, but it seemed so terribly wasteful to leave behind an entire library, all the little things that were a reflection of Erik's tastes and preferences in a home.

But she was coming to realize that to take it all was simply impossible—not without the aid of professionals, and she somehow doubted that Erik would appreciate a sudden flood of movers taking over his home, whether or not they were about to forsake it.

Christine tried to ask about their travel plans, of any documents she might need to secure or foreign currency or the like, but Erik merely tutted at her. "It shall all be seen to, my dear," he'd told her more than once, and she'd flounce away in a huff and pack another of his books merely in protest.

She'd heard murmuring behind his bedroom door at times, and she presumed that Erik had a phone and was making arrangements, and she wished that he would just tell her as the not knowing was maddening. But she'd let him have his fun as he truly did look terribly excited at the prospect of their move, and if he wanted to surprised her...

She supposed it would not actually kill her.

Even if at times the suspense made it feel like it would.

But another thing was beginning to trouble her conscience even as she looked through her wardrobe, wondering which items to pick and what climate they were going to be embracing. Tropical places didn't have castles, did they? And she could hardly picture Erik in the light linens and breezy attire known in those warmer places, though the idea of him in a Hawaiian shirt did bring a smile to her lips.

Colder then, since it was winter. All her socks and boots and sweaters, and just her favorites of the summery things. She would trust Erik when he'd told her she could buy more when the time came, and she was growing more aware that she would have to limit the amount of suitcases to what they could manage themselves.

Perhaps she should remove a few of the books...

Her eyes strayed to the bed, and she worried at her lip even as she carefully folded a blouse and tucked it away in her suitcase. She'd forbidden Erik from going anywhere near that coffin, not when they'd had so many plans between them—there was no room for such morbidity now.

But that only left him with the option of the floor or her own bed, and while she'd assured him that it was big enough for two and he was certainly not imposing...

She felt odd about it. They had not done anything in the least unchaste, and in reality, he'd only been there a few hours each night when she was barely aware of his presence beyond the slightest of dips in the mattress. But the knowing was enough and she wondered what her papa would say.

He'd be disappointed.

And there was no getting around that.

And now she was moving away with him, fully and freely moving in with him, and...

Boo nudged at her hand before climbing into the suitcase, sitting there with mournful eyes as if she'd ever have any intention of leaving him.

"You're going too, you silly fellow!" she assured him, placing a kiss upon his fur before noticing a strange texture there. She leaned back so she could look properly, and she noted a black ribbon tied loosely about his neck, and a...

A ring dangling below.

She stared at it dumbly for a moment, her fingers inching forward to touch the delicate band, but Boo simply nudged at her with his nose and kept her from studying it properly.

Erik…

He couldn't possibly…

She looked up sharply and saw him leaning in the doorway of her bedroom, his arms folded casually as he watched her, his expression utterly passive.

"What is this?" she asked, not wanting to presume, yet her heart beat wildly at the prospect of what was to come.

"It appears to be a ring," he answered pleasantly, his voice holding not a hint of nervousness. She wished she had his confidence.

Yet even as she stared at him, she saw the tenseness of his shoulders, his posture carefully planned so as to make him appear as nonchalant as possible.

"A ring for... what?"

Erik hummed and took a step forward, and Christine felt Boo determinately pressing at her hand, urging her towards cuddles and attentions. Yet she could not tear her eyes from Erik as he came towards her, his eyes soft as he regarded her. "Christine," he began, his voice tender. "You love me, do you not?"

"Of course I do!" she said a little petulantly. "You must never doubt that." He could doubt a great many things from her, but her love… never that.

"And you have already agreed to accompany me."

"Yes, but Erik, I simply want to be certain I am not mistaking…" she worried her lip and stole a glance at the sparkling thing still tied to Boo's ribbon, "that is… that particular piece of jewelry… It is not just an ordinary gift. Unless you had meant it to be! If… if you just wanted me to have it for travelling and for us to look like we're… What I mean is…"

As she faltered and sputtered her way into trying to make him understand that he had to say the proper words—anything to ensure her that the gold band with the halo of sparkling diamonds was indeed selected for the sort of thing it seemed to be made for—Erik released a longsuffering sigh and shook his head at her, but even as he did so his look was oh so loving, so tender and eager.

"There are many things about my person, my home, and the manner of our beginnings that are not in the least bit traditional, but I would not have thought it necessary to explain to you the significance of an engagement ring," he said with a scoff, though a moment later his brow furrowing as if he struggled with some inner conflict. "Unless it is my posture that you find misleading."

Thus saying, he took to one knee and enfolded her hand into his, one thumb soothing over her knuckles as he was wont to do, whether to calm her nerves or his own at this moment, Christine couldn't tell.

Time seemed to slow, even as her mind reeled at what was about to happen, and rather incredulously she realized the absurdity of their positions.

They were not on a romantic date, with candles and a waiter lurking about with a bottle of champagne to toast their forthcoming union. He hadn't taken her to a garden where they'd picnicked and laughed until he'd surprised her with a ring.

They were simply in her bedroom, a suitcase by their side with Boo still holding the ring his hostage as he continued to blink at his keepers. But with Erik's hands so sweetly encapsulating hers, so steady and cool, his gloves forsaken, he showed not the slightest bit of hesitation or anxiety.

And it was perfect.

"There are no words I could practice or speeches I could invent that would convey everything I wish to say," he began as Christine's heart fluttered all the more with each line. "Yet even without such declarations, I think that you understand and can see how much I love you. Can you not, my Christine?"

She forced herself to nod, even as she tried to contain her tears, nothing quite feeling real even as he stared at her so fervently.

Erik smiled at her gently and he brought her hand to his lips for a brief kiss before continuing. "And if you are so agreeable, I wish to continue showing you every moment of every day how very thankful I am for you, and how every aspect of my life has become worthy of living again since I first saw you smile across that courtroom."

Christine swallowed thickly, tears beginning to prick at her eyes as she realized the magnitude of that statement. She'd changed him that day, no matter how some people might say that such things were impossible. She'd awoken some part of him that craved love and affection and… blessedly, he had seen that she was capable of both.

With him.

For the first time there was a flicker of hesitation in his eyes at her continued silence, and he addressed her cautiously. "Will you give me your answer, dearest, loveliest Christine?"

Her heart was full to bursting with happiness, but still she could not resist teasing him, even as she met his gaze with a playful smile, even as her eyes felt rather misty. "But you have not asked me a question!"

Erik grunted as if a great inconvenience was placed upon him, but as he had admitted himself, she understood him and she knew that he was not unhappy in the least when he gave her hand a firmer squeeze and asked her with a clear and unwavering tone, "Will you be my wife?"

Christine had always tried to maintain a careful distance between them—a small compensation for what decorum was lost due to their rather unique circumstances. There had been kisses—lovely, breathless kisses—and some of the tenderest and most enveloping embraces she had ever known, but she had tried to retain some semblance of boundaries between them. Her papa had raised a lady, and she knew her Erik to be nothing but the sweetest of gentlemen.

However, at the final pronouncement of his question Christine surprised even herself with a squeal that exceeded the shrillness of one or two famous sopranos, providing a most evident answer as she lunged into his arms and flung her own about his neck, laughing all the while.

Because it felt bright and real and she loved him.

And as her sudden unconcern for propriety meant that she peppered him with kisses until he stopped her with a deep and ravishing kiss in return, Christine found no room for fretting about being ladylike or Erik being overly shocked by her outburst.

Not when he kissed her with such abandon, obviously appreciative of her wild outburst all the same.

He had asked her.

He loved her.

And she would be his wife.

She had worried that when faced with the prospect, some part of her would hesitate, that she would know with certainty that it was all happening too soon, that they should wait and learn more about one another before entering such an important institution. And yet… when the words had been spoken and he had asked her…

Her heart had allowed no such indecision. No such doubt.

Not when he looked at her that way. Not when he spoke with such sincerity.

And isn't that what made a true proposal anyway? Not the setting or the carefully crafted asking, just tender emotions and a plea for the lady's hand by the man who loves her so completely.

And her Erik had given her that.

Eventually they broke away, and as she glanced down and caught her breath, she could not help but chuckle as Boo hunkered down in her suitcase, eyes wide and reproachful, evidently at both her giddy laughter and the subsequent kisses that had quite left him out of things.

But before she could soothe him, could assure him that this meant his minders would be married properly, Erik gently tugged at her hand until she looked up at him once more. "I would still have that answer from you, my dear," he murmured quietly.

Christine smirked. "That kiss was not answer enough?" She shouldn't tease, not about something so important, but she was just so happy and he made her so and...

Erik gave a little shrug and allowed his thumb to drift over the corner of her mouth, his head tilted slightly to the side as he studied her. "That might have been your way of sweetening your rejection."

Christine really did roll her eyes at that, but sobered when she noted how serious he was being. For all his bravado, for the way he had addressed her with such confidence, she could not forget that he possessed the same shyness and lack of certainty as when they had first met. Perhaps he was growing in the knowledge of his welcome, that his kisses and touches—appropriate as they always had been—were treasured things. "You silly man," she answered fondly. "I would be... quite honored to become your wife. I do rather love you, you know," she reminded him, that teasing lilt not quite leaving her voice even as she tried to force herself to become more solemn.

And then he was smiling at her, truly and honestly as he marveled at her. "An incredible thing, to be sure."

She wouldn't argue with him. Not today. Not when he tugged her forward and simply held her, his arms surrounding her so completely and she felt so very safe and loved within his arms.

He held her so for a long while, until her knees protested their continued place along the floor, and her finger suddenly felt remarkably empty. So with great regret she pulled slightly away, giving him an apologetic glance as she did so. "I think I should like my ring now," she told him, and he brightened considerably at that.

"Of course." His fingers were nimble as he plucked at the bow securing the ribbon about Boo's neck, and Christine could not help but laugh as Boo's rumbling purr sounded loudly as soon as his fingers brushed against the scruff of his neck. And because he was her Erik, and he was the sweetest man she knew, he stopped to pet their little fellow, grumbling all the while.

"Did you really think I would say no?" she asked him quietly, a smile in her voice as she watched their little scene.

Erik hummed noncommittally, one hand straying to return to the ribbon while the other was occupied as it smoothed over Boo's silky little body.

"Perhaps. But I thought if I enlisted an ally it might make you a bit more agreeable."

Christine snorted inwardly as she was quite certain she would have accepted in whatever means he sought to ask her, but she had to admit, watching Boo as he peered at her with those too-large golden eyes, the very color reflecting the nature of the ring dangling from his neck...

Suddenly impatient, she leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Boo's head, undoing the ribbon and drawing the ring away, but not before Boo had managed to capture the tie for himself, ignoring Erik's continued ministrations as he sought to conquer his new opponent.

Little legs beat furiously against it as glimpses of a pink mouth opened to bite through the silk, and Christine chastised lightly even as her eyes never did quite leave the ring she now held in her hands. "Do be gentle with it, Boo. I shall want to keep that."

She had sat down fully upon the floor and she ran her finger along the tiny diamonds that surrounded a much larger one, belatedly noticing the delicate scrollwork in the gold of the band.

"Does it meet with your approval?" Erik queried.

"Oh yes," she breathed, suddenly brushing away a tear. "Will you put it on me?" Perhaps that was supposed to wait for their wedding day, for the exchange of vows as a minister pronounced them man and wife, but for now...

Now it felt important.

Erik took the ring from her and smoothed it easily onto her ring finger, and such a sense of rightness filled her that she had to work to hold back the hiccoughing sob that threatened to be released.

"Christine? Are you well?"

She laughed yet again, a little brokenly, a little harshly, and she kissed him again—her sweet, perfect Erik.

For the ring fit perfectly—not a small feat for her slender fingers. "You assessed me, didn't you?" she asked when next she pulled away, her eyes overly bright and her smile wide.

Erik's own held amusement and perhaps he was just a bit sheepish as he confirmed it. "I would not want you to be without it. Not that you must wear it at all times," he was quick to assure her. "I will not be offended if you should not wish to…"

Christine placed her forefinger upon his lips, and though he looked at her rather bemusedly, she was far too happy to offer any apologies.

"I think it's right where it belongs. And I am right where I belong."

He reached for her hand then that held his lips still and placed a kiss upon her palm. "With me?" he asked her so quietly that she wondered if she was not meant to hear.

"With you," she confirmed. "Always with you."

Sooo… looks like our lovely couple is engaged! What'd you think of Erik's proposal? Special thank you to Jegsy Scarr for her suggestion of including Boo oh so many chapters ago… nothing manipulates the emotions like a little one blinking up at you!