A/N: For those of you who REALLY want to know what Christine's secret is, I will tell you that it is revealed in Chapter 10. Yes, I am a cruel being who makes you all wait until Monday to find out. Mwahahaha! Thank you all for your lovely reviews, I greatly appreciate them. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Erik awoke slightly earlier than he had thought he would, but sufficed himself to standing on the balcony that branched off from the sitting room much like in his own apartment. It faced west, giving a spectacular display in the evenings, and a seemingly behind the scenes look at the dawn. He had watched the sun's rays start to chase away the last pools of shadowy night from the clear blue sky.
He felt a presence behind him and knew by the soft tread that it was Christine. She came up beside him and joined him in looking out at the morning, leaning her forearms on the rail in front of them. He eyed her carefully, memories of crumbling stone and screams of terror infiltrating his mind.
'Did you sleep well last night?' He asked, clearly hinting at something else.
'Yes, I slept fine.' She told him somewhat distantly.
'What happened between you and Nadir?' He pressed what he hoped not to be too hard.
'Hmm? Oh, he just gets a little snappy when he's tired or stressed. He sometimes says things he doesn't mean.' She explained cryptically. 'We all get that way.'
Erik hummed thoughtfully at this, not really getting the answer he had sought, but knowing it would probably not be coming today.
'I'm surprised Reza isn't up yet.' He observed, looking over his shoulder as if expecting to have the child suddenly appear there.
Christine groaned in her laugh. 'Give me a chance to wake up first.' She rubbed her face before looking up at the sky. 'You're right though. Generally he's up by now. I wonder if I should go check on him.' She looked behind her as well, eyeing his door worryingly.
As if on cue, it opened and Erik heard her release a pent up breath of relief at the emergence of their little friend.
'Good morning, Reza.' She sang to him, enjoying the way his still partially sleepy face lit up at the sound of her voice. Stumbling just slightly, he hurried to her, throwing his arms around her in a tight embrace.
'Good morning, Christine.' He beamed up at her with his rich brown eyes well-lit by the morning light. She tried not to frown at the growing fog within them. 'Good morning, Erik.' He turned to smile at the masked man, though keeping his hold firm upon Christine.
It was then that Nadir came in. He could not help the smile that came to him when he saw his little boy hugging Christine and beaming up at Erik. It was almost enough to fend off the frown that came at the closeness of his son's two idols.
'Father!' Reza called back into the house. 'You're here. Now I can ask Christine.'
Nadir approached, still happy at seeing his son's obvious joy.
Taking on a serious look, Reza looked up at her, releasing her to take her hands. 'Christine, I love you.' He professed for far from the first time. 'When I grow up, will you marry me?'
Christine's smile had started off in a humouring glow, but as the words hit home, it faded. This was noticed by Erik and Reza, the latter starting to fear what she would say. Slowly crouching down before the boy, she took his shoulders in her hands.
'Reza,' she started, but she simply did not have the strength. How could she lie to him? Pulling what strength she had, she found a way to answer him. 'When we grow up, yes, I will marry you.' She told him, pulling him into a hug.
'I wish time would move faster.' He complained.
'No, Reza.' She pulled him back to look him in the eye. 'Don't ever wish for that.'
'But I want to marry you now. What if you fall in love with someone else before I'm grown up?' He looked at her with all of the concern his childish mind could muster.
'Then I suppose you'll just have to battle for my hand, won't you.' She told him, playing at his level of belief.
Reza puffed out his chest proudly and nodded. 'I will…but,' he looked thoughtful for a moment. 'I suppose it would be okay if you fell in love with Erik.' He told her, looking between the two as Christine's face turned bright red.
'Reza!' Came his father's firm voice behind him.
'What? I think they would be happy together.' He defended, ignoring Christine's wordless shock and Erik's complete and utter disbelief.
'Yes, but that's for them to decide.' Nadir explained, hoping to dispel the situation before Erik's mind had time to think it all the way through. He knew Christine's already had several times over, given the deepening shade her face was turning.
'Reza, why don't you show me your toys?' She offered, leaping to her feet and hurriedly taking the child's hand as they went into his room, leaving Erik still standing in a daze.
Nadir came over to him after giving Christine a decidedly firm look as she avoided all eye contact. He watched as Erik slowly regained some kind of understanding of the world and turned to look out at the view.
Christine plopped down on the bed as directed while the child clambered on over beside her. He pulled a figurine off of his nightstand and placed it before her. He smiled from it to Christine eagerly.
'You have to clap, very loudly.' He instructed.
Christine looked at him confusedly before doing as she was told. After a good while, the little figure began to move, playing a little tune on his false violin. The music went on for a lot longer than she thought it would and when it stopped, Reza urged her to clap again. Repeating the process, she discovered that the automaton now played a slightly different tune.
'You see, it's magic!' Reza told her delightfully.
'Yes, I suppose it is.' She admitted, admiring the smaller, more intricate details of the toy.
Erik had come to stand outside the door when he heard them playing, pausing to hear if she would clap for the toy to get it to play. He could not help the smile that came across his face when he heard her clapping and laughing at the little creation.
'You love him now, don't you?' The child persisted.
'Reza,' Christine inhaled sternly. 'I like Erik very much, but I don't love him. He's a very good friend and I enjoy spending time with him, but don't love him.' She tried to explain.
'You're not afraid of him are you?' He asked, not letting her get out an answer. 'Because you could learn to love him.'
'Reza, fear cannot turn to love. That's not how it works. Why are you so determined to have me fall in love with him?' She asked.
'Because if you don't marry me, I want you to marry him. You'd be happy and he's the only other person I want you to love.' He insisted.
'Reza Khan!' She used his last name to add to her growing determination. 'I am the only person who decides who I love and who I marry. I will not have you or anyone else dictating how I live my life. I promised to marry you when we grow up, let that be enough.' She told him, putting her hands on her hips in finality.
'Yes, Christine.' The child admitted, bowing his head in submission to her.
'Now,' she told him, lifting his chin. 'What would you like to do?'
Erik, who had heard every word, now pushed the door open just in time to hear Reza's cry of delight at his presence. He was as yet undecided on how he felt about Christine's vowing she did not love him, but put it aside to enjoy her relieved smile of not having to look after the rambunctious child alone.
The day passed with the two of them looking out for Reza as they played silly little games and just generally enjoyed themselves. Erik taught the child a few simple magic tricks, letting him show them proudly to an always supportive Christine. She in turn taught him a bit of music, playing a small piano that Nadir had purchased many years ago. It generally sat untouched until Christine came because most in the household did not know how to play. She had to help him a good bit as his vision had faded considerably since the last time she had visited. Erik watched as she hid her sadness at this fact, but commended her on keeping her smile always shining brightly when Reza looked to her.
Erik had noticed how much she adored the child, but spending the day with them had only proven how much she loved Reza. She took care to always be happy and encouraging. She did everything to keep the child satisfied and his mind away from his quickly limited movement. He stumbled and wobbled a bit, but every time she would be there with a reassuring hand or even catching him when he fell forward a bit. On every occasion she would help him to stand and either pass it off as if nothing had happened or reassure him depending upon his reaction.
Before long it was evening and time to put Reza to bed. This was not as calm an experience as the previous night, however, as the child insisted upon playing make-believe. He pretended to be a prince, battling with one of his pillows to save the fair Christine. Erik came in on the end of this harrowing tale to find Christine clutching her hands to her breast dramatically as Reza finished his thrilling battle with the pillow.
'There, my lady, you are freed from the wicked dragon at last.' Reza told her, laying down his wooden play sword.
'Oh, thank you, brave knight. How shall I ever repay you?' She told him with a silly flourish. Erik had to suppress a laugh at her theatrics.
Reza paused at this, unsure of what to ask for. 'A kiss?' He offered rather than firmly asking.
Christine was a bit shocked by his answer, but put on a sly grin nonetheless. Taking his cheek in her delicate fingertips, she placed a chaste kiss upon the other. The look of surprise that came over him at her show of affection almost made her laugh, but she held it in for fear of embarrassing him, especially in front of Erik.
'Now, I think it's time my brave knight get some sleep.' She told him, once more taking on her faintly mothering tone.
Reza was about object, but a stern look from Erik silenced him calmly and he only nodded as she laid him back, putting his pillow behind him from its previously slain position in the middle of the bed. Tucking the covers up to his chin again, she tickled him lightly, making his grim expression brighten with laughter.
'Good night, Reza.' She told him, leaning over to kiss his forehead as she always did.
'C-could you kiss me on the cheek from now on?' He asked. He knew he had pushed his luck when her eyebrow raised at him.
'We'll have to see,' she told him, still keeping up her vaguely suspicious look. 'You wouldn't want it to lose its charm if I gave it to you too often, now would you?'
'No,' he looked down, admitting defeat. 'But it was nice.' He let a glint entre into his eye at this.
Christine knew that oddly mischievous gleam and looked at Erik accusingly. When he raised his hands defensively while also mimicking the offending shine in his eye and slight grin, she shook her head and turned back to Reza with a sigh.
'What am I going to do with you two?' She lamented tiredly, standing up to leave the room.
Erik followed her out after bidding Reza a good night, his grin still affixed upon his lips. He watched as she once again lounged on the couch before deciding to display a little bit of his mischief. Walking over to her, he presented her with a red rose from seemingly nowhere.
'What's this for?' She asked, taking the bloom from his pearl white fingers. He only looked down at her, mouth firmly closed in his grin. At her questioning look, she suddenly heard issue forth from the flower the most beautiful sound she had ever heard. Like so many of his other illusions, it brought over the observer the complete belief that it was real. Upon hearing the music, Christine's mind unquestioningly told her the source was the flower, but her own reasoning knew this to be untrue. Looking up to Erik's still lips and throat did not help with her mind's confusion.
Deciding it best to simply accept the illusion, she smiled at the melody and let it wash over her as she relaxed further into the couch. Erik took a seat, watching her intently, as the song continued. As soon as he sat down, however, her eyes flicked to him and did not waver again. She looked to him as he sang through the rose. Though she twirled the stem a bit, she watched him. He cocked his head at her curious behaviour. No one had ever denied one of his tricks before. He had always performed with seamless conviction that kept his audience suspended in the belief that it was real for as long as the show lasted. But Christine…she had somehow managed to tear herself out of the illusion to see the truth. He stared at her in confusion long after the song had ended.
'You didn't tell me you could sing.' She said, still catching her breath from the overwhelming power his voice held.
'Why didn't you believe it?' He asked, growing oddly uncomfortable.
She shrugged. 'I guess I gave up on magic a long time ago.' She looked rather sadly at the ruby petals of her velvety flower.
'Why?' He persisted, always curious what lay behind the dark shadow of her gaze.
'Well, when you've lost everything that mattered to you only to then be trapped in Hell for four years, you start giving up on childish fantasies.' She explained rather indifferently.
'You seem to do all right with Reza.' He pointed out, letting his earlier amusement at her acting skills creep into his smile.
'Mmm,' she hummed contrarily. 'Giving up doesn't mean forgetting. In fact, in my own experience, the instant you try to forget something is the moment it is forever sealed in your memory.' She smiled at the thought and witticism of her own words.
Erik was in awe of her. She was absolutely right, and he knew exactly what she was talking about. He could not believe he had found in such a pure angel a kindred spirit. How had she at least partially shared his experiences and yet turned out so very different from him? Where he was cruel she was kind, where he thirst for power she only wished to denounce her own. He realised she could hold full sway of a room by simply walking in, and yet he knew she would turn it all down to sit and play with an injured animal. For every one of his dark thoughts, she was light. And yet…she hid something from him. He could see it in her eye whenever she looked at him. It was dark and kept her foot in the shadows, chained so that the rest of her could not fly. He could also see the fear that if she admitted to her underlying darkness that the gloom would swallow her whole. He knew something of that fear, though he had long accepted it to simply being his life. He had chalked it up to being his existence and nothing more. He was doomed, but she did not have to be. He vowed to find out what she was so afraid of and put it away for her. She deserved to fly free, not be caged by fear and a darkness he had up until this point considered impossible for her to possess.
Unfortunately for Erik, he did not get to the bottom of Christine's mysterious darkness or the secret she held within it. He had no hints, no little slip ups to suggest anything of what she was hiding. He had to settle by enjoying her smiles and perpetual optimism when near Reza. The child brought out and unknowingly demanded the best from her. She smiled and laughed, dipping and indulging in his childish dreams and games. Erik joined them quite frequently, himself, only occasionally ducking off to his room to make the child some toy to amuse himself with.
Nadir watched all of this with a mix of utter despair and unrivalled happiness. He knew it was a dangerous mix, but what else could you feel when your son was dying and his only comfort was the attentions of two admittedly unusual infidels. It was not their religions that he was opposed to, Allah, no. He disapproved of Christine's shameless lying in the face of two of her dearest friends, and Erik's…character flaws. Though the man was progressing leaps and bounds in the company of Christine, he still had little in the way of a conscience and one damnable temper. He saw it flare behind the mask on those occasions when Christine would push a little too hard or point out one of his flaws that he would rather keep hidden. She saw right through him and it scared him, but he valued her too much to even consider raising a hand to her. If he snapped at her, she would only look at him with a burning stubbornness that sent sparks flying between the two. She was not about to back down simply because he disagreed with her. Obviously Erik was not used to this, as his arguments with her generally spun from some self-defensive tendency he was not often forced to employ. Upon such occasions, Nadir would watch as Christine turned away from the argument, not willing to give in but not caring to continue, and Erik would be left baffled by her refusal to back down. He would watch her, still fuming from her disagreement, but completely amazed by her resolve.
As the week passed, Nadir saw the pressure of Christine's secret weighing upon her heavily at her proximity to Erik. She still vowed not to tell him, but even she could see that the longer she waited the worse it would be. Nadir began to wonder if the fall out would be worse than the actual admission at this point. He marvelled at how much she must care about Erik's company to so firmly decide to hide the truth from him. Either that, or she was being uncharacteristically selfish and wanting to bask in his ignorance a while longer. They both knew Erik's finding out was inevitable, but the how was still up to her, provided she told him soon before fate decided to have a go.
It was on the last day of Christine and Erik's visit that he had hope of her finally telling him. Christine had told Reza after dinner that they would build a pillow fort in the living room. The child had been overjoyed, though he was not entirely sure what a pillow fort was –neither were Nadir or Erik, if they were being honest.
After gathering nearly every pillow in the house and a blanket or two, Christine sat Reza down and instructed him on how to build the cushioned fort. Erik watched, oddly fascinated by her building skills. When the walls -one consisting of the couch and another of a tea table- were constructed, Christine pulled the blanket over the top, creating something of a plush tent. Reza busied himself with crawling in and arranging a few spare pillows to sit on, while also removing a few to make windows to peep out of. He was incredibly excited by the whole construct, urging Erik to come join him as he peeked out at Christine who stood on the other side of one of the plush walls, hiding a fit of giggles unsuccessfully behind her hand.
Erik joined the child at the makeshift window, still taking in all he could of the structure of the little fort. His wonderings were soon put to an end, however, as play quickly dissolved the fort. The blanket removed, a great pillow battle ensued.
Christine took shelter behind one of the chairs as the boys –as that was what Erik had turned into in mere moments- pelted her ruthlessly with the cushions. She kept her stores piled behind her, biding her time. When her window of opportunity presented itself, she hurried to the other chair, allowing Nadir to take a pillow or two in her haste. Before long she was upon the boys, seeking her downy revenge. She took advantage of their disabled defences and pummelled them with her carefully hoarded ammunitions.
When at last her stores were depleted, she laid down in the pillows beside them, all three trying not to get stitches in their sides from laughter. Just when it had lulled a bit, Nadir threw the last strike with his meagre store of unintentionally received cushions. One went to Christine, which she took to the hip as she was lying down, and the other to Erik's face, though he blocked it effortlessly, batting it right into Christine's face.
Sputtering a little, she smacked him playfully with it whilst giving him a mock glare. Tossing it then onto the still laughing Reza softly she asked how he liked her fort.
'I liked that a lot. We should make them more often.' He told her through giggles.
'Yes, but we'll have to put all of the pillows back.' She warned, dispelling some of the enjoyment of the event.
'You can leave them out tonight, if you want.' Nadir waved passively.
And so, with much cheering from Reza, Christine decided to camp out on the pillows for the night with the child. Erik also volunteered, taking a sentry spot in one of the chairs. Grabbing the blanket, Christine curled up with the now weary Reza, holding him to her so that he would not get cold on the mostly tiled floor. Even with the barrier of more than a few pillows, she did not want him to catch a chill.
They laid like this, Reza falling asleep almost instantly in Christine's arms, though still insisting upon a lullaby. She was more than happy to oblige, and Erik similarly delighted to hear her sing once more.
As the hours passed, the moon rising high into the ink-blue sky and casting heavy shadows that did little to illuminate the room, Erik's superior eyesight showed him that Christine was still fully awake.
'You should sleep too, Christine.' He told her, a bit concerned over her childlike insistence of consciousness. 'I can take your place if you find the floor uncomfortable.' He promised, sensing her impending argument.
'It's not that. It's just that…' She stopped, unsure if she could trust her voice to continue.
'I'm sorry.' He said, sensing where this was going.
'He's such a good boy.' She told him, rubbing Reza's shoulder lovingly. 'He's always been so kind. If anything, he makes me happy.' She looked at the silhouette of Reza's peaceful face as he slept. 'Even before all of this started, he was always looking to me to entertain him. He finds comfort in knowing I don't look at him or treat him any differently.' She kissed the top of his head before humming a laugh. 'The first time he met me, he told me I was the most beautiful woman on the face of the earth. He was four. There was no possible way he could have known this or come anywhere near understanding what it meant. Ever since he first saw me he's looked at me with the same love and devotion.'
'Some things never change.' Erik smiled, enjoying Christine's reminiscent look.
'Nadir brought me here just a few days after I had been ordered before the Khanum. I was so nervous to be living here that I did not know what to do. Nadir took me in at a tough time. His wife and love of his life had just died and Reza was looking for any maternal figure to cling to. I became something of a surrogate mother as well as sister, though he insists his love is more than that. I think I took some of the pressure off of Nadir so that he could cope, but I was honestly just glad to have something resembling a family again.' She looked at Erik through the blanket of darkness. He knew it was near impossible for her to see him in such low light, but she still seemed to find his eyes and look deeply into them. He saw faintly glistening tears welled up in her eyes.
'I'm about to lose it all again, aren't I?' Her breath caught part way through it, making Erik long for nothing more than to tell her everything would be all right. He would not lie to her, though. Lies only brought trouble and more pain. He stayed where he was while Christine softly cried over Reza's head as she held him to her. Erik felt her pain, but resigned himself to stay where he was.
After several long and torturous minutes of this, Christine finally fell asleep, still holding Reza protectively. Erik watched as her misery lulled her into an exhausted sort of calm before she at last succumbed to sleep. He watched her with that odd fascination again while she slumbered. He did not know what it was about her, but he felt he could not take his eyes off her. She looked incredibly beautiful even unconscious and he wondered if she would mind him watching her this way. This thought struck him as strange as he usually did whatever he pleased without concern for how others may feel or think. Christine was proving to be an exception to that rule.
A/N: So much adorable. I love writing for Reza, he's such a cute child. I also love that Erik lets his guard down a bit around him. It sweet and sad at the same time. Hope you all liked it! I'll see you on Friday with a good bit of feels.