Christine lived the next few days in a haze. She refused to go out into the garden. She ignored a request from the Khanum, though really it was Erik who had done so, claiming she was too sick to come. She spent whole hours simply lying in bed, or sitting in her favourite wicker chair staring off into the distance. The only time she came at least partially back to this earth was when Erik would speak to her, but those times did not last long as he was increasingly busy. He would come visit her and try to pull her back to some form of reality, but there were moments when he felt on the verge of begging her to return.

Finally, after almost a whole week, she came back to him. He had mentioned something about wishing to return to his music –which he had been neglecting for some time- when she at long last looked at him. It took him a bit by surprise as she had been looking somewhat through him for quite a while now, but his shock quickly turned to relief when she smiled at him.

'Would it be alright if I listened? I would love to hear how you play.' She looked at him with timid hopes. She did not wish to seem pushy, but she truly was curious if he sounded as her father did. Something told her Erik would be a brilliant musician.

'Of course, it would be an honour to play for you.' He told her, offering his hand as he rose. This gained him another of her precious smiles. He eagerly held her hand as they made their way to the door. 'Perhaps you could even accompany me. I know your voice isn't what it used to be, but Christine, you alone shall ever sing my music.' He told her, grasping both her hands and looking deeply into her grey-green eyes.

Just as he opened the door, however, all happiness left his features. Nadir was standing there, hand poised to knock the now absent door.

'Erik,' Nadir did not sound surprised by the man's presence in Christine's apartment, but seeing her so…aware was a bit of a shock. 'The Grand Vizier has fallen from favour. He's being banished to a home outside the city. The Princess has gone with him.'

'What? Erik, did you…?' Christine's hand flew to her mouth. She took an involuntary step back from him.

'Why did she go?' Erik ignored Christine's retreat and shaken expression.

'Because she loves him.' Nadir told him, still suspicious as to how much the masked man knew about the whole thing.

Damn, Erik thought. Apparently he said it out loud as well because Christine gave him a sharp look.

'It isn't punishment if she still loves him.' He vainly explained to her. 'He has not lost everything, so I can never win.' He lamented, not seeing the dark fear that was creeping into his darling companion's eyes.

'Do you think this is a game?' She asked, growing uncertain of him.

'You, yourself, said it was.' He told her.

She bit back her words of denial, knowing it was true. She had once believed it to be all a game, a silly show, but now she saw it for what it was: a death match. And Erik would do anything he could to ensure he would win. She had known he was not…perfect or particularly normal in his process of thinking, but this. This was just too much. What he had planned for the Grand Vizier was too dark and dirty for her to fathom. Realising that this was who he thought himself to be, she swallowed down her sad disappointment and tried to see him as what she knew he truly was. If he could only see the good in himself, it would all be different.

'There is a saying: Mind your thoughts because they become your words. Mind you words because they become your actions. Mind your actions because they become your habits. Mind your habits because they become your character. Mind your character because it becomes your destiny.' She told him flatly. She watched him as he grew frustrated in trying to understand it all. He was battling his two natures, she knew, and he did not know which to choose. One was what he wanted, the other was what he knew he needed. He wanted the Grand Vizier to pay for all the insults he had thrown at him, but what he needed was to be good for Christine. He wanted both so strongly, he knew he would have to make a choice. Was his pride worth losing Christine?

Turning with a growl of aggravation, he breezed past Nadir and disappeared almost instantly.

'You're toying with fire, you know.' Nadir nodded after Erik.

'No, I'm toying with a man. That's all he is, Nadir. He's not a monster, or a mystery, or a magician. He's a man. But he was never taught how to be, and that is why he struggles.'

Erik could not help but feel the pressure building over the two days as he remained absent from Christine's company. Her words still rung loudly in his head. He could see what he now knew to be disappointment in her eyes every time he closed his own. That girl was like a poison, leaching into his every fibre, yet he could not condone it or begrudge it. Something about it seemed almost a comfort, to have her there with him always, yet not near enough for him to hurt. For he knew that was what he had done. He had hurt her.

That darker voice in the back of his mind asked why he cared. What did it matter to him if her perception of him was off? It was not his fault she was foolish enough to look for something better than the twisted wretch he knew himself to be. But still…

He could not keep all of those heavenly compliments out of his head. All of the wonderful things she had said about him. Every detail of him was laid bare to her and she had smiled upon every one. She chose, however, to ignore the darkness. Part of this was his fault for always hiding it from her, but every time she came near, he only wished to show her the best parts. He held a magnifying glass to the little flame of good in him, hoping she would believe it to be greater than it was. He wanted her to like him so badly that he pretended to be someone else. Yet, with her, he had never felt truer.

This conflict tore at him. How could he not believe when so many had called him terrible? How could one singular voice, no matter how angelic and beautiful it may be, outweigh a lifetime of insult? And yet, it was her silver tones that made him feel…happiest. He would give it all away just to hear her compliment him. He would be a slave to her if she would only smile at him. He would do anything just to feel her touch. Oh, what agony her cupping his jaw had been. He could have crushed the world in his hand trying to hold himself back from her. He would have devoured, corrupted, and forever stained her if Nadir had not come in. It had taken all of his strength not to lay claim to her as she gave herself over so freely. He had been so close. Her lips, those preciously rose petals, mere inches from his own. He longed to know that feeling, but feared what would become of them both if he did.

It was partially for this reason that he left a note outside her door and disappeared before she could see him. He hid in the shadows, letting their cool secretive hands wrap around him as he watched her. She was still so beautiful, though she was growing ever thinner. He was starting to see her ribs in her chest. Before long she would be rivalling him in emaciation.

Christine knew better than to look for Erik as she bent down to pick up the note he had left at her door. That man knew how to hide, and if he did not wish for her to see him, then he would not be seen. She gave a brief sigh to his dramatics before reading his admittedly elegant handwriting.

Christine,

I am going on a brief trip and hoped that you would be gracious enough to look after my pets. I know they like you and I will only require you to stop in today and tomorrow as I anticipate returning late that evening. I apologise for the suddenness of my request and hope you will understand. I promise to try to make it all up to you somehow upon my return.

-E

She could not help the grin that came to her face as she read the last letter. Memories of their game floated back into her head. How foolish she had been back then, and how silly he had behaved around her. To think that nothing had changed would be even more ridiculous, but in some ways nothing had. They still argued over the most mundane things, he still kept his past hidden from her, and she still wished to call him hers though she knew it to be an impossible venture.

She did as she was asked, though. Honestly, she was quite happy to have an excuse to see the animals again. Noir had missed her so dearly, and Fred was healing very well. She still had yet to name the cat with the bandage over her eye, but was thinking something along the lines of Ayesha. She knew the name meant life, but she simply enjoyed the ring of it for the sleek little Siamese.

The day passed quickly, slipping effortlessly into the next and as Christine returned to Erik's apartment later that evening, she was surprised to find Nadir sitting on the divan, waiting. Looking around, she saw Noir and Fred, but no Ayesha. Putting her hands on her hips she scowled at Nadir.

'Where's Ayesha?' She demanded sternly.

'Who?'

'The cat. The one with that bandage over her eye.' Christine explained, still unhappy.

'I shut her in the bathroom.' He nodded guiltily towards Erik's bedroom, knowing the washroom was adjoined.

She rolled her eyes and sighed at his silliness. 'There's nothing wrong with her, you know. In fact, she's really quite nice.' She scolded him as she went to go fetch the poor creature.

'You know cats don't like me.' He warned as she remerged, cat purring softly in her thin arms.

'Well, perhaps if you didn't shut them in bathrooms, they would like you better.' She nodded sharply at her own correctness.

'Why are you here, anyways?' He asked at length.

'Erik asked me to look after his animals while he was away. He said he would be back late tonight.' She explained, walking over to Noir to feed him some fruit.

'So he told you he was going. Did he happen to say where?' Nadir pressed, growing concerned.

'No, why? Do tell me you didn't let him get in trouble. I warned you-'

'The Grand Vizier is dead, Christine.'

Silence reigned supreme and strove to suck all air and life from the room as it laid its weight upon everyone in it. Even the animals grew quiet. The two humans merely stared at each other, Christine in disbelief, Nadir in worried dread. Slowly, it all began to rush over her.

'No,' she muttered, shaking her head. 'No, he wouldn't. He promised me he wouldn't.' She began to protest, tears springing to her eyes as she took a few involuntary steps back.

'Christine, it is childish to hold him to something so flimsy as a promise. He's a grown man, he can make his own decisions and mistakes.'

'He said he would never lie to me.' She was starting to dip back into that world between worlds, her eyes growing distant.

'How can you trust him?' Nadir practically roared, trying to make her see reason.

'Because I-' She cut herself off as his eye widened. He knew what she was going to say. She seemed to realise it and shook her head hard as she looked down. 'No, no, I can't. I made a promise to him. I can't. I can't put him through that.' She turned away.

'Christine,' Nadir felt his heart go out to her. He knew the pain she felt. He had been so blind to her suffering. He had been so focused on Erik's budding feelings that he had completely ignored Christine's. Of course she realised it first. Erik did not understand or possibly know the word used to describe what he felt, but she did. She had known another's affection, though the relationship was different. Of course she had figured it out. And now she was afraid to bind Erik to it. Who could bind someone like that only to be forced to let go in a few weeks' time? No, she would hide it to spare him. She would suffer so that he would not have to. This was a devotion Erik would probably never understand.

Nadir was just taking a step towards her to hopefully comfort her, when the door opened. They both looked to see a mildly shocked Erik. He seemed tired, but did his best to hide it when he saw Christine.

'Erik, I thought you would be home much later.' She was hoping to sound cheery, but her growing concern over Nadir's words rang heavily in her voice.

'I came back early in hopes of surprising you.' He eyed the Daroga nervously as he hung up his cloak. He did not like the way the man was watching his every move, or the way Christine looked to be on the verge of tears.

'Erik,' she started, brow creasing as the pain of the word echoed through her tone.

'Did you kill the Grand Vizier?' Nadir asked, getting straight to the point while also moving to stand slightly more in front of Christine.

Erik looked from the Persian's stern expression to the one of bordering fear on his lovely angel. He paused, seeing the hurt he had brought to her beautiful face. He wanted nothing more than to wipe it away with one brush of his hand. To hold her to him and whisper a thousand sweet words in her ear while nestling his cheek into her soft curls. But he could not. Not now, and probably not ever.

'Answer me!' Nadir demanded at Erik's pause.

'No.' He answered at last. 'No, I did not kill him.' He slumped down into one of his chairs. He felt one half of the room take a breath before he placed a clean and gleaming dagger on the coffee table. He knew Christine's heart must have fallen at least half as much as her face did at the sight. 'I didn't get the chance to. Those damned assassins beat me to it.' He lamented, looking away from the fear he was sure was growing in her eyes. He had seen enough fear and terror this night. He did not wish for more.

Nadir left her side and came over to lean a bit on the other cane chair. 'Go on.' He urged.

Erik could have cursed the man's name. He knew what he was doing. He wanted Christine to see, to know what kind of monster she had befriended. Perhaps it was for the best. He had resigned himself to this fate when he had decided to leave. He should have known better than to hope for anything other than what was happening now.

'I went to the house having been promised the killing strike, but I was too slow in my leaving, and this delay cost me. The fools opened too many veils and by the time I got there, he was already dead. I left quickly, but in my haste I ran into the Princess. She knew the moment she saw me what had happened. She screamed. God, her scream cut through me. It can still hear it, going on and on and on.' He clasped his ears as he bent forwards, reliving the endless torture.

Nadir let the man weep, reliving more than just this night. Despite everything, he still pitied him his torment.

'You promised,' came a whisper beside the desk. Nadir looked to see a traumatised Christine staggeringly walk to stand beside the weeping being in the chair. 'You promised you would stop all of this. You promised.' She sounded like a child. The Daroga reflected on how Reza used to walk into the living room, complaining he could not sleep. He had never known Christine that young, but now she truly looked like one no older than five.

'Oh Christine,' he wept. 'How could I ever beg your forgiveness? I've deceived you into thinking I am someone I am not. Christine, this is me.' He finally looked up.

She shook her head no matter how fiercely he repeated his insistence. 'No,' she said, suddenly growing up into the woman they both knew so well. 'No, this only a part of you.' She reached up and smoothed back his hair gently. His eyes shone like he were looking at a heavenly being above him. 'I'm sorry for making you think I didn't already see it. I'm sorry for making you hide.'

Nadir had never actually seen someone find God. He had known that people found their religion all of the time. Some were born into it, but the real miracle was witnessing someone find it in another being or event. As he watched Erik gaze up wonderingly into Christine's eyes, he knew he had found the God he had been looking for all his life. At that very moment, Nadir knew that there was no hope left for this world if Fate still chose to play its hand. It would be the end of times soon enough if nothing changed. Right in that instant, Erik was surpassed admiration of beauty, longing for possession, and even instinctual protection. He had combined them and surpassed them to make something there would be no coming back from. From here on out, it was all or nothing.

A/N: Thank you Childatheart28 and Saphirabrightscale for favoriting/following this story.