Hey everyone! I am sorry for the delay of this chapter. Where did my discipline go? Oh well. Hope you all like this chapter. Review please!
Disclaimer: Don't own the Phantom. So sad.
Chapter 14: First Impressions
Brielle stood nervously next to Conner, a restraining hand firmly clamped upon his elbow. The auburn haired man's chest heaved with each breath as he gasped for air while rubbing his neck. Unlike her he had inherited an explosive temper, easily ignited and quickly spent, and she worried, given the promise of violence in his eyes, that he would leap across the room and attack her guest once again.
She spoke before either one of the bleeding men could begin brawling again. "Erik I would like you to meet my older brother, Conner."
At her words, Erik's face went completely blank in shock. To her utter surprise a slow blush began to creep up the impossible man's neck, coloring his cheeks with embarrassment. He shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other as she stared at him, looking sheepish for the first time since she had known him. How wonderfully adorable, she thought fleetingly before pushing the errant thought to the side. What was she thinking of? The man was a boar. Only half an hour ago he had driven her to tears, after all. The hollow ache in her stomach from the encounter still rested leaden in her belly.
Looking back at her brother, she squeezed his arm and braved a smile. "Conner, this is Erik. He is the man that I found in the Opera and…"
"I know who he is Bri," Conner growled while glaring daggers at Erik as he dabbed at the blood dripping from his nose. "I am the one who dragged his sorry ass all the way here after all. And what the hell is the use of having a sister who can see the future IF SHE DOESN"T KNOW I AM COMING!" He finished with a bone shaking bellow.
Grimacing as the roar washed over her, Brielle stood perfectly still, her eyes steady though clouded with embarrassment. She shot a quick glance toward Erik, a blush quickly infusing her face. Speaking out the side of her mouth, she pinched Conner's arm. "Could you please not shout about er…well, about family matters in front of company?"
A frown wrinkled the skin between Conner's brows as he in turn glanced Erik's way, who by now had regained his composure and stood regally, despite his bloodied lip. Turning his head back towards Brielle, Conner's frown deepened. Straightening his shoulders, he mimicked Erik's cool empirical stature as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What's the matter Bri? Why, I do believe you are blushing! But the question of the hour is why?" he inquired suspiciously.
A cloud passed over Brielle's features at the mocking tone her brother was directing towards her. The implication that she had some reason to be embarrassed frightened her beyond words; she had long ago stopped caring what men thought of her and her abnormalities, or tried to at least. Such tactics were useful in guarding the heart from the greatest female weakness of all, Love. She had loved once and the loss of that love had nearly destroyed her sanity, sending her spiraling into a well of despair. The fact that she was embarrassed irritated her even more.
Placing her hands upon her hips in her characteristic battle stance, she squared off against Conner.
"Don't you dare take that tone with me Conner Sinclair! I am your sister, not your servant!"
"Bri when I said I would feel better if you had some protection here I meant for you to get a dog!" the man shouted, gesturing wildly with his hands, all the color draining out of his face in fury, making the freckles upon his nose stand out in relief.
At the sight of Conner's violent gesticulating towards Brielle, Erik took a hasty step forward, his eyes snowdrift cold and fixed upon the auburn haired man. The siblings stopped glaring at one another and turned with surprise at Erik's advance. The masked man looked prepared to knock Conner's face in should one of his hands fly too close to Brielle's face.
Seeing the murder in his eyes Brielle quickly stepped between the two men, flashing Erik a calming smile. The sight of her soft expression apparently soothed the dark haired man, for the frost left his glare and was replaced with the haughty indifference he normally wore. Assured that Erik no longer meant to kill her brother in some misguided attempt to protect her, Brielle turned back to Conner and poked the man in the chest. Lord, she was getting fed up with men and their macho preening.
"Where in the world did you learn such deplorable manners? It was YOU dear brother who were climbing through my library window. Erik was simply seeing to it that a burglar should not make it into the house. You should be thanking him for protecting this household not bellowing insults and accusations!"
Surprisingly enough, the glare faded from Conner's features as he contemplated her words while considering Erik with hooded eyes. Slowly he tilted his head back and closed his eyes as if pleading with God for patience. Raising one hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, he stood tensely through Brielle's biting words. He had seen with his own eyes that what she said was true. Her odd guest had been trying to protect her. Even, it seemed, from him. With a huff he opened his eyes, the glitter of violence fading from the stormy green of his gaze.
"Ah, damn if you aren't right," he began with a dramatic sigh, a smile slowly replacing his heated glare. His temper faded just as quickly as it had appeared, though suspicion still darkened his eyes to a deep forest green.
Running an awkward hand through his already wild red hair, Conner took a step towards Erik. "Thank you for protecting my lovely sister's honor, virtue, and horrible loud mouth. Had I been a true burglar I would have surely given up the trade after just one of your punches sir. You damn near took my head clear off my shoulders!" he said with a laugh as he rubbed his bruised jaw.
Offering his hand Conner crossed the room in three steps, Brielle following upon his heels. "Allow me to introduce myself properly, sir. I am Conner Riley Sinclair."
At Conner's advance Erik tensed, his delicately boned hands fisting at his sides, his lips thinning - preparing for another attack. A moment of strained silence passed as the two men stared at each other, Conner with his hand held out studying Erik intently, and Erik on edge, waiting for a blow that wasn't coming.
Brielle worried her full bottom lip between her teeth as she watched them study each other like two strange cats in an alley. A frown slowly began to form over Conner's features as his hand continued to hang in the air. Erik attempted to maintain an aloof expression, but the tension in his posture and eyes revealed his unrest.
Clearing his throat, Conner began to lower his outstretched hand. Brielle could feel an expression of disappointment flickering over her features. Though Conner usually had an easygoing and forgiving temperament, Brielle feared that under the circumstances, the damage done that night might be irreparable. How would the two ever get along with this being their first encounter?
Just as she was about to give up hope on them Erik suddenly relaxed his stance; reaching forward, he took hold of Conner's hand in a firm handshake.
"Pleased to meet you sir. Your sister has often spoken of you over the last few days. She speaks very highly of you."
Conner grinned at Erik before releasing the dark haired man's hand and crossing his arms loosely over his chest. "Ha, Brielle saying something nice about me! She must have been drunk. She knows perfectly well I am a scoundrel."
"Oh you are not Conner. Stop making up stories," Brielle huffed in response to his statement, her smoky eyes rolling skyward.
Quickly leaning forward Conner playfully swatted at his sister, but she evaded him easily, looking both irritated and bored by his silliness. "Aw, come on now lass you and Da both shared the opinion that musicians are frivolous and good for nothing."
Erik raised his head in interest at this point, surprise evident in his voice. "You are a musician?"
"Yes, a damned good one too! I play the violin for the most part." At the dumbfounded expression on Erik's face Conner laughed. "You look surprised."
"Well, I assumed that you being a relation to Brielle that…"
"That I would be something boring like a Doctor or scientist?" he asked, shaking his red head from side to side. "Brielle takes after Da's side of the family. I take after our mother's. She was an actress before she met our Da." He scratched his clean shaven chin in thought then.
"Though surprisingly enough, Brielle does take after Ma in one way don't you Bri?"
"Conner!" Brielle hissed.
"Our little Bri was the best ballet dancer in all of Ireland. Weren't you Bri! Though you would never know it by the way she acts."
Rubbing a hand over her eyes, Brielle sighed heavily. "Conner, it isn't polite to discuss personal facts with someone you just met. Besides isn't it about time I took a look at your nose? It could be broken you know."
"Is it true?" Erik suddenly asked, his eyes fixed upon her face, watching a wave of embarrassed color rising into her cheeks.
The heat of his gaze was like a touch across her skin; his eyes ignited a strange sensation in her belly, almost like a tickle. She didn't much like it. "Yes, I did dance for a time. But as I got older it became increasingly apparent that to continue in such pursuits was inappropriate. The arts are only acceptable for men, much like science. But I would rather be thought of as a bookworm than a harlot and so I chose science."
Brielle raised her chin dangerously high, her eyes narrowing at both men, quelling any further questions.
Conner grimaced at the look on his sister's face before turning to Erik. The red head seemed surprised to see that Brielle's threatening stance had little effect on the masked man. A fact which both impressed him and worried him.
"Uncle Cah-Cah-Conner" A high pitched squeal erupted from the hallway making everyone in the library turn to the sound.
Aria ran into the room her arms flung wide, making a beeline towards Conner. With a grin he crouched down to her level and swung her up into the air with practiced care. The child screamed with delight before latching onto his neck.
"Will y-you play y-your vah-vah-vio…" violin. The excitement clenched the girl's throat shut, making her words unintelligible. Aria ground her teeth together as her throat worked to expel the word that was stuck somewhere between her head and her tongue.
"Not tonight sugar. It is way too lat…" He trailed off as a look of disbelief washing over his features. "Damnit! That reminds me. Eh, Bri I will be back shortly; with all the excitement I forgot that I left my violin outside in the blessed snow!" With that Conner dashed out of the room, a laughing Aria bouncing upon his hip.
"I swear that he loves that violin more than anything else in the world," Brielle said with affectionate annoyance.
A comfortable quiet wrapped around Erik and Brielle like a well made quilt on a cold day. With a smile she turned toward her guest, but the smile quickly slipped off her features when she caught sight of the state his face was in. In the short amount of time the two men had been brawling, Conner had managed to split Erik's lip and inflict a bruise high on his left cheek.
Shaking her head Brielle crossed the room, her eyes settling upon Erik's bleeding lower lip. Her mind betrayed her once again when she noticed that even in his disheveled state he was devilishly good looking. Quickly tearing her eyes from his hard mouth, Brielle reached into her pocket and drew out a lace-edged handkerchief.
Erik flinched when she raised the cloth towards his face. Her hand froze in the air and she smiled at him. "You're bleeding." When he merely watched her in silence Brielle's face flooded with color. "Don't worry I have a very gentle touch."
"I am sure you do," he said quietly, his eyes burning with unexpressed emotion.
Biting her own lip in concentration, Brielle carefully dabbed at the blood on his chin. They were standing so close now that his every breath brushed her cheek. Though her movements were strictly medicinal in nature, she couldn't help but feel the intimacy of their proximity, of her touching his face.
A strange mood had come over him when her fingers brushed his jaw; she thought she caught a flash of something in his eyes, the echoes of a bleak sorrow not yet put away, and then there was nothing. His face became a mask.
Brielle stepped back slowly, snapping the thread of tension thrumming between them. "You are lucky you won't need any stitches. But I think you should put some ice on your face," she murmured in order to break the weighted silence. Erik merely inclined his head to show he heard her.
A triumphant shout issued from down the hall , heralding Conner's return with his violin. Brielle folded her bloodied handkerchief and retreated to the library door. "Well, I suppose I should put Aria to bed before Conner works her up into a frenzy."
"Good night then Brielle," Erik said quietly, his face once again impassive.
Brielle nodded and left the room quickly, her breath sawing out of her throat by the time she made it to the hall. His presence was beginning to have an increasingly strange influence over her senses - a dangerously strange influence. Placing a calming hand over her thumping heart, Brielle smoothed out her features and strode down the hall to collect her daughter.