A/N: WOW GUYS! Just wow... 112 reviews? Thank you so much aaaaall of you :D, you are awesome :D!

A great thank you to my amazing anonymous reviewers 123456, crazyverycrazy, Melstrife, ME, Balack88, vanilla and MmeButterfly :D!

Ashes Fan thank you for your wonderful support and I apologise for being evil xP (you know xD )...

SO... ON WITH CHAPTER 10 :)...

Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN PotO nor the main plot of the story.

Judging by the cover

Chapter 10: A new friend

"I will not sleep with you!" Christine repeated stubbornly "I won't..."

"She is so good. She definitely deserves an Oscar." Erik thought.

"Come here!" Erik caught her hand and made her follow him. He guided her to another door of the room and opened it. "This is my office. Would you feel better if I told you that I will sleep here?"

"But... there is no bed." Christine whispered uncomfortably.

"I'll bring one of the swimming pool's deck-chairs." He sighed.

"You mean that..." Christine hesitantly started.

Erik shook his head positively while wondering if she was indeed as naive as she showed.

"But someone may suspect its disappearance..."

Erik swore under his breath "This swimming pool is only mine. No one enters. The swimming pool for the rest is at the mansion's front."

She observed him suspiciously.

"Look, I just enjoy swimming in the morning but my cousins were complaining that I was waking them every single day. So, I made this one and I do not disturb anyone now."

Christine bit her lip. She was now convinced about Erik sleeping in his office.

Sleeping was not anymore a problem... the new problem was what they were going to do when they were awake in the room, since she couldn't forget his kiss.

She couldn't believe that a part of her had asked for his kiss earlier! That would be at least lunatic!

"Now that we talked about everything, I think I am going to work a little." Erik stated dryly "You can eat and rest. Okay?"

Christine nodded and moved to the bed. When she heard the office's door close she exhaled in relief and lied down.

...

"Oh! Sorry! I woke you...didn't I?" Antoinette said softly. "I wanted to tell you that we will have dinner shortly. I thought you would need a little more time to... prepare yourself."

Christine sat on the bed and looked at Antoinette who had leaned over her. "Prepare myself?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"Yes! It isn't a formal dinner, but you see Carlotta is here... and she will try, as always, to attract everyone's attention. And well... I want everyone's gazes on you, not that they won't be. But you know what I mean... Ha!" the girl stated cheerfully.

Christine smiled. She really liked Antoinette and at her face could see a person to rely on.

"Eeer...Where is..." she asked nervously looking around.

"Erik? Grandpa called mum, and asked to speak to Erik too." Antoinette raised her shoulders insensibly. "He may still talk. I warn you! He is not in a good mood. Oh, it's not your fault!" she explained as Christine's eyes grew wide. "Carlotta is responsible for this. You remember we've told you she had brought a man named Joseph Buquet with her. She insists that he is grandpa's personal visitor... something that cannot be true... that snake...uhh..."

Watching Antoinette pacing and babbling in the room like a little bee made Christine smile broadly. She slowly rose from bed. She had slept in her clothes and she felt uncomfortable.

She considered the girl's thoughts for a few moments. Antoinette was right... she had to be exquisite tonight.

"Mary has put your clothes in the wardrobe... I helped her! Those black dresses of yours are perfect. Erik entered the room at least five times to tell us to be quiet and not wake you." She wrinkled gracefully her nose. "I can say. He's overprotective..."

Suddenly she became serious "I want you to know that mother and I are really happy to meet you." She told Christine with an honesty that filled the latter's heart with warmth and guilt as she thought that sooner or later she'll be gone from their lives. "You know, we love Erik very much. He is like a brother to me and like a son to my mother... especially after all the things he'd been through... We were trembling at the idea of accepting grandpa's decision and marry Carlotta. I believe he has told you what that bitch did to him when he was young..."

Without waiting for an answer, she continued "He doesn't know that I know those things, but Justine, my sister, told me. I can talk with you about this, because you must already know them. Carlotta was trying to make him have sex with her when he was only fifteen. She was twenty five then and ready to get married." Antoinette made a disgusted face "I know that the age difference is not that big and that things might have been different if they were both adults. But Erik is different..." the girl sighed and Christine frowned "I really hate my uncles... meaning his parents. You cannot abuse your child no matter how it looks like, they tried to lie at the beginning that they didn't do anything to Erik, but the scars on his back do not lie. They... used to cut him with broken bottles of beer, whiskey or whatever they were drinking at that moment." she shook her head sadly "But of course we love him just the way he is... I am glad that grandpa sent them away."

Christine's jaw reached the floor, but hid her surprise immediately.

"Anyway, the point is that Erik refused to have sex with the spider. And you know something? I am sure that even though Carlotta says she loves him, in reality she only wants to make him pay for refusing her back then."

"Poor man..." Christine thought "But the truth is that I can hardly imagine Erik as the victim. He's so strong... so sure about himself. Perhaps that is the result of his parents abusing. God... no one deserves this kind of treatment. No matter how they look like." She sighed deeply.

"Of course, if there wasn't grandpa's health in the middle. The problem would have already been solved. And..." she paused abruptly. "You are definitely going to wear this dress, okay?" Antoinette shouted cheerfully changing the topic. "Black is your colour. Your skin is white and it makes the greatest contrast. You'll look like a sexy temptress..." she shouted in awe.

Christine blushed.

"Oh! I can hear footsteps. If Erik finds out I woke you, he will wring my neck. "

Christine stiffened as Erik entered the room and looked at the empty bed. "Antoinette! Didn't I tell you ..." he began strictly.

But Christine interrupted him "I was already awake when she came." She gave a gentle look to Erik's cousin.

Antoinette laughed and hugged her cousin "Ha! Did you listen to that big bro? From now on don't yell at me, otherwise I'll tell Christine to leave you." She laughed and didn't pay attention to the other two who clenched their teeth.

"Now that I got to know her better, I want her absolutely as my cousin, Erik. I actually came to warn her that Carlotta is going to appear at dinner in a 'fatal' attire." The girl winked at the couple.

"And if you don't go to your room now, I believe Carlotta would be the only one dressed." Erik warned sharply, but the girl simply laughed and left after kissing them both on the cheek.

"Sorry." Erik apologised. "I had told her to leave you alone."

Christine understood that her innocent lie hadn't fooled him. "It's really ok. I enjoy her company a lot." She stated honestly.

"Mmm... you are right. But sometimes she takes advantage of me." He chuckled. "You see she's the family's baby and no one refuses anything to her." he looked at his watch "You have half an hour to get dressed." He finally announced.

"Hmm... half an hour." She repeated. "I would like to use the bathroom first then."

Erik only stared at her back as she moved gracefully to the door.

A/N: so, how was it? just let me know :)...