haven't updated in a while i know!! school is eating me so badly right now...anyway well this chapter is a happy and humorous one..well i tried to make it funny in some bits but i don't think i'm really the funny kind of person. anyway..there's lots of...tension in this chapter and it's bound to lead somewhere right? :

disclaim disclaim disclaim...

Normal breathing patterns? Check. Steady heartbeats? Check. Complete set of limbs? Check. Well then, Christine, it's time to wake up. Come on, you can do it, just open your eyes. Everyone is waiting for you. Erik might even be there. The operation must have been a success if I can still coherently talk to myself like this. Okay, here I go, I'm opening my eyes now.

Slowly, Christine squinted her eyelids open. The soft sunlight gleamed brightly into her eyes and she had to blink a few times before she saw anything concrete. Directly below the window of light, blocking the rest of the morning rays like Adonis himself, Erik sat casually in his armchair, flipping through one of his music magazines. Christine bit back a smile. She was too caught up in her excited feelings of seeing Erik again then getting mad at him for ever leaving.

"Well, this is unexpected." Thinking that her voice would be a frog's croak, she was surprised at the clarity of her own voice after not using it for—how long exactly had she been sleeping?

Erik's eyes brightened considerably and it made the light behind him that much more realistic. He put the magazine on the side table without removing his eyes from Christine's.

"Seems more like déjà vu, don't you think?" Erik smirked at her and Christine giggled quietly, adjusting herself on the bed.

As soon as Christine was in a slightly upright position, their smiles had quickly faded as waves of their love and longing for each other swept across both of them, making the air around them almost palpable. Their eyes were intently locked onto each other and Christine could feel a door opening inside of her as Erik's eyes peered deeply into hers. A white, feathery light tickled her inside and she realized that their souls were touching.

Erik nearly jumped from his seat as he leaned closer to Christine. Her skin radiated electricity at their proximity and the moment was just like their first kiss all over again. Erik hesitantly came nearer to Christine's face with his eyes still locked on hers until they rested their gaze over her parted lips.

Their noses brushed together once and Christine couldn't wait any longer as she pushed her lips against his. His taste was the same familiar mixture of what a breeze at night would taste like and warm cinnamon apples during Christmas. Their lips moved perfectly together as little by little the tempo of their breaths hitched along with the fervor in their kissing.

Erik hesitantly slid his tongue in Christine's mouth and he reveled at its warmth and delicious taste of spiced strawberries. He placed his hand on her hip but Christine gasped in fright. Automatically, Erik pulled away from her lips and stared at her.

"My heart," Christine breathed. A flurry of emotions spread on her face and Erik couldn't decipher what she was feeling at the moment because there was a hint of fear but also exhilaration.

"What? What is it, Christine?" Erik said urgently, as he was ready to get up and page a doctor immediately.

Christine grasped his forearms and shook her head, wide-eyed. "No, Erik," she put a hand to her chest, smiling brightly. "My heart," she said again, "it's fine."

Erik could almost cry right then and there but he settled for kissing and hugging her. Finally, things were lighting up in his life.

Just then the door opened widely and an aging woman with black hair came through.

"Surprise!" Exclaimed the woman who had not yet registered what was happening and her eyes grew wide.

Christine disengaged herself from Erik's arms and timidly wiped her bottom lip with her fingers before sucking it into her lip. A man, with hair the same hue as Christine's stepped into the threshold beside the woman. Erik straightened up beside the bed with his hands at his sides.

"Mom? Dad?"

Erik gulped.

The woman came closer to Christine and hugged her warmly. She rubbed Christine's back and smiled brightly, wrinkles showing on her face. Her father stepped into the room with his inquisitive eyes on Erik's mask and for once in Erik's life he had felt smaller, like a child, with one look from a stranger. He put his hands in his pockets and shifted his weight uneasily on his feet.

"It's so good to see you, darling." Christine's mother said as she pulled away, wiping a couple stray tears from her eyes. Her father stroked the top of Christine's head and kissed her forehead so casually like he'd been doing all the time.

Her mother finally glanced at Erik who was across from them and tilted her head to the side.

"And who are you?" She asked sweetly. Christine's father put his hands on his hips in a very fatherly manner and addressed Erik with an air of authority. Christine bent her head lowly and bit her lip to keep from smiling.

Erik cleared his throat. "I'm Erik Destler, Christine's boyfriend." Christine's head shot up and she looked crossly at Erik's direction but he ignored her, smiling at her parents.

Shock played on both of their faces but it was Christine's mother who spoke first. "Oh, well, hello there, I'm Emmanuelle, Emma for short. I'm Christine's mother and this is Christopher, her father." Emma regarded Erik with kindness and never once glanced at his mask. Her skin was as white as Christine's but she was at least a head shorter than her. Her hair was shoulder length and black but up close, the strands of silver and white hair were visible. Emma had womanly curves—Erik realized where she got her figure from, but Christine took more after her father. Christopher was a tall man, wavy dark brown hair that was receding from his forehead. He had almond-shaped eyes the color of warm amber and the shape of his face was very much like Christine's: curved cheekbones but a nicely-pointed chin. Christopher looked at Erik with a very stolid expression and Erik couldn't read him at all though usually it would've been very easy to.

"It's very nice to meet you both." Erik extended a trembling hand over the bed and Emma slipped her small hand in it. When Christopher shook his hand, Erik winced unnoticeably.

"Mom, when did you guys get here? How did you find out?" Christine spoke up, confusion furrowed in her brow.

"Oh, Meg called us dear. We thought that she'd told you we were flying in. We got here as fast as we could when we heard the news. Oh, my poor baby." Emma stroked Christine's hair causing her to blush. Christine cast a sideways glance at Erik who was standing surreptitiously near the corner of the room. He was very uncomfortable because he felt like he was peering into the personal life of their family—something that he never knew about.

"Meg also said that you were out for a long time, Christine. How long exactly was that?" It was the first time Erik heard Christopher speak and his deep tenor voice reverberated in the room. It was a warm, kind voice but it also had the potential to be very strict and powerful.

"I-I don't know exactly," Christine looked up at Erik for an answer and both her parents followed suit.

"It's been pretty close to a week." Erik shoved his hands in his pockets as the three faces in front of him registered his answer with utter shock and disbelief.

"Well, she woke up a couple times but then I guess she didn't remember. She dozed off right away though."

"I think I want to try getting up now," Christine thought out loud, while attempting to brace herself on her arms. Erik instinctively dove in and let her lean against his side for support. Emma and Christopher both stepped back to give them space though there was some hesitation to Christine's father who moved to help her as well.

There was a quiet rapping on the door and Dr. Andres' head peeped inside the room.

"Did I hear a couple of lovebird fly in from Los Angeles?" he coaxed with a smile. Erik wondered in awe how the whole family was deeply connected with Christine's doctor. Christine smiled a hello to her doctor while her parents moved to greet him as warmly.

"They were just going out to give Christine some time to stretch out her legs." Emma answered Dr. Andres' unsaid question.

"I guess that gives us some time to catch up then! Christine, I'll be with you in a minute."

Braced by Erik's strong arms, Christine made her way out of the room and into the hallway. Usually it was bustling with a lot of people but with her fingers, she could count the number of people walking.

"What time is it?"

"A little past seven in the morning, Christine." Erik didn't even glance at his watch, instead he kept his eyes on her with an intent stare.

They walked a little bit farther down the hallway until Christine said that she could walk on her own. Erik was reluctant to let her go but the cute expression of frustration on Christine's face was too adorable. Then suddenly Christine punched Erik's arm.

"Ow! What was that for?" Erik rubbed his bicep and cocked a playful brow while smirking a little bit.

"Oh c'mon that didn't hurt one bit. Why did you have to drop the BF-bomb so early? You barely even know my parents and they barely even know you!" Christine looked up at Erik with so much as a child's pent up irritation and he was loving every minute of it.

"Let's face it; with my looks and your condition, we don't exactly have the luxury of a normal relationship. I was thinking that getting all the cards out seemed the right decision. Your parents deserve to know about me, Christine. Unless of course, I'm not that important to you than I thought I was." Erik pretended to look extremely depressed and this time Christine playfully punched him. Erik gave a wolfy grin.

"I guess you're right. It's just that—my parents are sort of the protective type—my dad, most especially. You have no idea how many debates we got into just to let me enter CU. I had to promise that Meg would be with me all the time and that only barely got me through. Sometimes I pity Meg for having her watch my back all the time." Christine spoke quietly, like she was speaking mostly to herself.

"Meg cares a lot about you and she wouldn't let anything happen to you."

"Yeah, I know."

"Neither will I." They stopped walking in the middle of the nearly deserted hallway and faced each other, their bodies very close.

"Erik, you left me once before."

"I know that it was a stupid move but please allow me to make it up to you, Christine. If you'll let me, I'll spend my whole life making it up to you." Erik looked deep into her eyes, attempting to regain the connection they shared back in the room when she woke up.

Christine could really feel their love growing stronger and stronger and it pressed them into their own little sanctuary where the living world was quiet and still, and their world was everything and nothing, loud but quiet, bright yet dark. They could feel something else too. The heavy, raw tension between their bodies was almost too overwhelming that Christine had to act fast.

"Will you do something for me then?"

"Anything." The color of Erik's eyes deepened considerably and it made Christine shiver

"Kiss me."

So he did and it was slow at first. He didn't know how much Christine wanted but as soon as she opened her mouth to him, all he could do was get lost in the feeling of her soft lips moving against his, her soft and warm tongue caressing the inside of his mouth, and the very quiet moans escaping her throats as they attempted to increase the friction between their bodies. Erik groaned against her lips as the front of her body pressed against his while Christine breathed into his mouth.

Reluctantly, they pulled away slowly. Erik wrapped his arms around Christine and she snuggled closer to him. It hardly occurred to them that they were standing in the middle of the hallway.

"You want to know something?" Christine whispered against Erik's chest.

"Of course, love." Erik kissed the top of her head in encouragement

"I can feel your arms wrapped around me, your lips against mine, and my heart racing fast for you."

Erik's arms tightened around her body and he murmured 'I love you' into her hair.

"You want to know something else?" Christine pulled away from his body to look at him directly.

"Mmh?"

"We're out here close to ripping each other's clothes off and my parents and my doctor are inside my room talking about their last trip in LA."

Erik chuckled and hooked his arm around her waist while they began to travel back to her room. When they got inside, Dr. Andres was just in the middle of telling a joke but already Emma and Christopher were laughing.

"Oh, Christine! Sorry I wasn't able to catch up. It's just that your parents apparently have a lot catching up to do." That got her parents snickering again and Christine could only imagine what they were talking about earlier. Dr. Andres got up from sitting on the bed and grabbed the clipboard from the desk near the window. He began flitting through the pages.

"I've already drummed up a schedule for your exercise program. Don't worry, this isn't bowling. There are breathing exercises and other types of physical therapy—just so that I can validate your improvement."

"Sounds good. If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the bathroom." Christine replied, already on her way to the bathroom. Once the door was closed, Christopher looked directly at Erik who tried to look indifferent.

"What are your intentions with my daughter?" He asked, taking the authoritative voice.

Emma shook her head but a playful grin played across her lips. It was amusing to her that even though Christine was a grown woman her father would still treat her as a twelve year old girl.

Nevertheless, Erik answered him politely. "I can assure you sir, that my intentions are pure and that I love your daughter very much." Erik was so elated with his profound feelings that he wanted to scream it all out loud.

"Aren't you a little too old for Christine?"

"With all due respect sir, I believe that she is old enough to make her own decisions, this being a right one."

"What makes you so sure about that?"

"Because sir, Christine is so serious about me that even Meg decided that it was time for me to meet you all or else she wouldn't have called you to come at this time. She's so serious about me that she wears my favorite cologne on her every time I see her. She's so serious about me that she isn't even stopping you from interrogating me right now because she wants to give you a chance to get to know me. Christine, please come out now."

The bathroom door squeaked open and Christine came out quietly, her expression in a state of wonder and desire. Christopher looked agape at Erik, too stunned to say anything else.

"I love you, Erik." Christine said so confidently that she emphasized every word.

Casually, Erik replied, "Well, I love you too, Christine."

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