Author's Note: Alright, here is the last of the spur of the moment chapters which I snuck into this fic. We will be back to our regularly schedule outline with chapter 22. Enjoy the tiny bit of smut at the end!

Chapter 21: Reverence

Christine peeked over the top edge of her book just as Erik pushed his way past the gate. His eyes widened at the sight of the mannequin floating out of the cavern and resting against the wall outside. He glanced at Christine but she promptly averted her gaze and busied herself with her book, feigning knowledge of the thing in the water.

She maintained her facade as Erik hopped out of the gondola and pulled it ashore. Still, even when he called her name and moved to his organ, she didn't dare to look at him. In her peripherals, he removed his cloak and unceremoniously tossed it to the ground, then plucked off his mask and wig, setting them on the bench.

Erik moved out of her field of vision and she thought for a moment that he was returning to the bedroom, but only a second later she could feel him. He stood directly behind her, she just knew it!

A shiver tested her stoicism but she was able to play it off by adjusting herself atop the chaise and clearing her throat. As she did so, a hand reached out and grasped her shoulder, keeping her in place and sending a spark of electricity to the tips of her fingers and toes. Nothing was heard except the pounding in her ears and her deep, steadying breaths that did nothing for her nerves.

What was there to be nervous about? She had done nothing wrong except rid her temporary home of a hellish creation that Erik knew she despised. But why did she feel so guilty? Perhaps chucking Erik's possessions into the lake was a bad idea and he valued the thing so much that he was angry with her.

Christine shakily flipped the page, having not read a single word on the previous one and did her best to relax her shoulders in spite of her otherwise rigid self. To her appeasement, Erik's hand slid away and he instead appeared next to her, kneeling at her side. He claimed her book and set it on the floor beneath the chaise before taking her hands in his, placing warm kisses across her knuckles.

"Christine, I–I do apologize for not ensuring my home was up to your standard of living. Please forgive me–"

"There is nothing to forgive, my love. It was a mistake that's all," she interrupted, not wanting him to believe that he had done anything wrong. After all, she was the one who told him to be quick when checking the place so it truly was her fault.

Erik shifted forward, lifting himself and settling onto the lounge next to her thigh. "I have frightened you again and it was not my intention. I merely forgot to dispose of her–" His eyes widened and he averted his gaze, focusing on their intertwined fingers. "I–I forgot to dispose of it."

Her? By God, did it have a name as well?! Christine did her best to not recoil as the pit of her stomach twisted and squeezed her eyes shut to stop the room from spinning. But it was no use, as instead, her head reeled and it felt as if she were about to faint.

It was overtly embarrassing. Why would a mannequin which she grabbed with her own two hands and threw away causing this in her? It hadn't frightened her since the first night she ever saw it; not even when Erik was forcing a veil atop her head, or when she saw it peeking at her from behind the curtain. So why was it making her so dizzy?

Wait…hadn't that book mentioned vertigo as a symptom of pregnancy? If she wasn't mistaken, it was most commonly documented in women with child. She wanted to smile but couldn't, not when Erik would surely think her insane given that they were just speaking of a mannequin.

"Erik, I do not want to speak of it," she said sternly, gripping his thigh to steady herself. Her fingers dug in deep and he hissed in pain, grabbing onto her forearm and removing her hand.

"Alright, my love, I will not mention it again," he whispered, moving her so she was laying on her back. He settled in next to her, kicking off his boots and wrapping an arm around her back. His palm caressed her cheek, soothing the winding in her mind and she was able to slot her eyes open without feeling faint.

Fear-stricken eyes inspected her face, roving over every inch as he stroked her cheek with his thumb. It pained her to see Erik so worried for her, though it was better than him being upset with her for tossing away his possessions.

"You are still sick," he said, pressing his lips to her forehead and reaching down to tuck the wool blanket over the both of them. "I should not have left you. It was foolish of me."

Christine shoved her face into his neck, breathing in the earthy musk he had collected along his journey. Her mind had stopped swirling once she was wrapped safely in his arms and she couldn't help but imagine him as her own personal remedy for her ailments. It was ridiculous, she knew it, but it was a nice conjecture.

"Do not worry for me. I am feeling much better, I promise," she assured him, brushing her lips along his jugular. "You mustn't leave me again, though. I've missed you far too much."

"Of course, never again. I promise," he said, tucking a stray curl behind her ear and kissing her temple. "I have good news, my love."

Christine pulled back slightly and asked, "What is it? Does it have to do with where you went today?"

"Yes it does," he confirmed. "I went above to meet with a man who recently moved here from Auxerre. Madame Giry arranged our meeting and I paid him handsomely for his secrecy and the chateau he has no need for any longer."

"We have a home?" Christine asked, hardly able to believe it. "But it's only been a couple of days."

Erik chuckled. "Well, Madame Giry always worked very efficiently. I could rely on her for anything."

Christine was at a loss for words. They had a home, a real home. Not a cottage in the middle of the forest or a gloomy basement below a burned down opera house. A home to host dinners with friends, to fill with music and laughter…children. It was the perfect place to have a family.

"When are we leaving here?" she asked, excited to see the likes of the thing. She knew Auxerre was a rather small community with plenty of churches as she passed through it on the way to Chagny. Perhaps it was one of the chateaus she had seen when she had enough strength to glance out the window of the carriage.

"Within the next day or two," he said, toying with the tie of the robe. "Or whenever you feel ready enough to travel."

"Tomorrow then? I have hardly unpacked anything, so I think the sooner the better."

"As you wish."

A comfortable silence fell over them and Christine snuggled closer to Erik, fitting flush against him and resting her head on his chest. Her mind wandered back to the book and she wished that she hadn't put it away so soon as it may have had even more information for her to read. How was she to even care for herself if she was pregnant? Would Madame Giry know what to do?

"Erik?" Christine whispered, interrupting the gentle tune he was humming.

"Yes, my dear?"

"Can I visit Madame Giry tonight? I know I am not supposed to leave here, but I could use the fresh air and I need to speak with her before we go," she said, hoping that he would not deny her request. Madame Giry was the closest to a mother she had and the only one who would truly be able to confirm her suspicions.

Erik sighed quietly and nodded his head. "I was hoping to have you all to myself, but if you insist, I will take you. There is no harm in it, after all, no one charged into our wedding."

Christine bit back laughter and sat up, intent on going to the bedroom to change, but Erik pulled her back down, grumbling about not being done holding her.

"Erik, if we are to leave soon, it's hardly appropriate for me to be nearly naked," she argued, gesturing to the thin silken robe she had snagged from the foot of his bed.

His gaze followed her hand and he frowned, muttering, "What a shame."

"What's a shame?"

Erik picked at a spot on the blanket, shrugging his shoulders and saying innocently, "Nothing at all."

"Would you prefer me to be in the nude for all of Paris to see?"

"I would never allow it. This," he growled, shoving her against the chaise and tearing open the front of her robe, "is all mine. You are my wife and only I will lay my eyes on your nudity." His thumb rolled over a nipple and her head fell back as she shuddered a moan.

Erik skated his fingertips along her abdomen and down past her navel, eliciting sharp tingles with his taunting touches. His lips pressed into the base of her throat, nibbling and biting at the skin there as his hand cupped her sex. He groaned obscenely when his middle finger slipped into her slick wetness and dragged the pad of it to her bud where he made slow, gentle circles.

"Mine."

"Only yours," she breathed, parting her legs in hope that he would take the invitation to do more. Maybe he would even use his mouth again…

A trail of wet hot kisses stretched from the center of her chest all the way up to the base of her jaw where Erik paused, his lips quivering against her as he worked his finger faster. She wanted to beg him to just take her and forsake whatever preparation he was taking his time to do, but everytime she opened her mouth, breathless moans were the only sound she could make.

"That's right, my love. Only mine," Erik murmured. His voice alone was nearly enough to send her toppling over the edge, but right when the familiar tingles started in her thighs, he retracted his hand and sat up. "Now let's be on our way, quickly."

"But–" Christine surprisingly managed.

"Once you are dressed, meet me by the mirror," he ordered, leaving her dazed on the chaise. After donning his mask and wig, he folded his cloak over his arm all the while ignoring her calling his name.

Christine was infuriated and rightfully so. How dare he leave her wanting after purposefully teasing her?! There was no chance that she was going to allow him to be so brazen as to nearly bring her to completion then squash it out like she didn't matter! It was her right as a wife to have her husband whenever she wanted and that's exactly what she was going to do. She stumbled to her feet and stamped over to him, yanking his upper arm to force him to face her. His eyes widened with shock as she shoved him onto the bench, needing to grip the edge of his organ for support before he toppled backwards.

"I've changed my mind. I want to stay here," Christine asserted, shrugging the robe from her shoulders and letting it pool to the floor around her feet.

Erik helplessly dropped his gaze, avariciously drinking in her nudity as he wet his lips. Eyes cemented to her sex, he insisted, "We must. There will be no time to visit Madame Giry otherwise."

"We will have to extend our stay then," she countered, straddling him and removing his mask and wig so she could see the man she married.

By the way he hissed through gritted teeth when she so boldly dropped her hips and pressed into his hardened member, it was obvious that he would need little to no persuasion to make love to her. His hands splayed across her bottom, squeezing the firm flesh as he ground his hips into hers. Suddenly, she was hefted upwards as Erik lifted the both of them from the bench which clattered onto its side beneath the organ.

"You are going to be the death of me," Erik purred, gently twisting his fist into her hair and bringing her lips to his but stopping short. "And what a marvelous death it would be."

With that, he kissed her deeply while walking down the steps towards the bedroom. Christine worked urgently on the few remaining buttons of his shirt, sliding it down far enough so he could easily remove it one arm at a time. Seconds passed and then she was airborne, landing with a squeak into the center of the scarlet bed.

Erik busied himself with removing his trousers, staring directly into her eyes as he freed his hardened length from its confines. She wanted him to take it into his hand so she could watch him pleasure himself just as he had on their wedding night when he commanded her to undress for him. But, instead, he joined her atop the sheets and buried his face in her neck, nipping below her jaw.

"Your beauty far surpasses anything I have ever seen," he panted, slipping his heated flesh into her slick slit and rocking against her. The sensation twisted in her lower belly and she was sure if he kept up the pace, she would find her pleasure in no time at all.

"You are flattering me," she said between gasps, locking her legs around his waist.

Christine groaned internally when he suddenly stopped, cursing herself for speaking anything other than begging him to take her. Why did she have to be so daft?

He lifted his head and grasped her jaw, holding her in place as he asked, "Do you think so little of me that you believe I would flatter you?"

"Not at all. I trust you completely," she said quickly, hoping that he would forget she had even said anything.

"Trust me when I tell you that you are the most exquisite creature I have ever laid my eyes on," he whispered, releasing her jaw. "Every part of you, Christine…every single part of you is perfection."

Christine exhaled sharply and a roseate blush bloomed across her cheeks, spreading down her neck and chest in large splotches. She prayed for them to go away before he could see them, but his eyes fell to her cheeks and he smiled.

"Your skin gives you away far too much," he said softly, kissing both of her cheeks then the tip of her nose. "It's always lovely, but even more so like this."

"Erik…"

"These shoulders are divine and your arms…flawless," he whispered against her skin, trailing his fingertips down one of her arms and entwining his hand with hers. "Such impeccable hands and by God…"

"Please," Christine said breathlessly, unable to take the torture of not having him inside of her.

Alas, he continued, drumming his fingers down her thigh and calf before wrapping his hand around her foot and rubbing the top of it with his thumb. "Your feet are crafted by God Himself, my love. And this is all yours, all of it. This is you and you are magnificent."

"Stop," she begged.

"Never," he said as he pressed a kiss to her chin. "I will not allow a day to go by without worshiping you. How am I to live if the woman I am completely and utterly in love with thinks I am merely flattering her at any mention of her beauty?"

"I believe you!" Christine cried, bucking up against him and digging her nails into his shoulders. "Please, Erik…please."

It was piteous the way she was pleading with him to take her when he was so sweetly deifying her, but the aching pain within her womanhood could be ignored no longer.

"So impatient, Madame Destler," Erik chuckled, reaching between them and pressing the head of his erection past her threshold and holding himself steady. "Is this what you desire?"

Christine nodded quickly. "More. I want more."

Without another word, Erik buried himself to the hilt, sinking his teeth into her neck and groaning deeply. The stretch in itself was delicious, but God, she could feel him pulsing inside of her as he tenderly rolled his hips. He was fighting off his own climax; she could tell by the way he shivered and panted above her, so she squeezed her hand between their bodies and found her bud, circling with two of her fingers.

"Oh, God," Erik grunted, tugging her calf up his back and plunging deeper. "Christine, please."

Understanding his plea, she worked her fingers faster, hurtling herself over the edge and crying out his name. She quivered beneath him as he growled and drove hard and fast, pushing her through her orgasm and immediately finding his own.

"Oh, Christine…I love you," he panted, spilling his seed in the depths of her heat with a lascivious moan. "I love you so much."

"I love you," Christine whispered, wrapping her arms around his back once he collapsed on top of her. He was heavy, but she rather enjoyed it when she was able to hold him like that. She placed a warm kiss on his temple as she ran her hand in steady circles on his shoulder-blades. Thankfully, he didn't move for quite some time and the only indication that he hadn't fallen asleep were the myriad of kisses he placed at the base of her neck.

"You are a treasure, my wife," he said, propping himself up and cupping her cheek in his palm. His thumb ran along her bottom lip, entrancing her. "So very beautiful."

A sigh fell from her lips as he slid his spent member out of her and moved onto his back, pulling her across his chest. She hooked a leg over his thigh and nuzzled into his side, breathing in the rich scent of his sweat and wondering if it would be too selfish if she asked for more. Erik never had an issue with making love more than once in a single day, but perhaps she would wait until later. After all, they were no longer visiting Madame Giry that night, so she could be patient.

"I was thinking about that all day, my love," Erik said.

"I may have thought about it once or twice while you were away," she admitted as she peeked up at him with a sly smile, though she had only thought about it while reading that sinful book he so recklessly left her alone with.

She would never admit to him that she knew of its existence, but maybe she would try to pack it away when he wasn't looking, just so she could gain more knowledge on her potential pregnancy. It was going to be only her and Erik very soon, and she was certain he knew nothing about caring for an expectant woman, so it was better to bring the book. There would be many places she could stash it away, even beneath the mattress on her side of the bed. It proved to be a valuable spot when she lived in the ballet dormitories to hide her sweets from the other girls.

Christine closed her eyes and listened to the rhythmic beat of Erik's heart, wondering if he was going to allow her to choose the decor or if the chateau was already furnished. Would there be enough space for a garden? A stable for Cesar and Beauty? An area to have her morning tea in the sun?

As long as everything isn't lined in gold and silver, she thought to herself, rubbing her heavy eyelids and stifling a yawn.

"Sleep, my Christine," Erik urged, turning onto his side and holding her tightly. Unable to resist the soothing warmth of his arms, Christine obeyed his command and submitted to a peaceful sleep.

/

Author's Note: Okay, fluff for days, I know, who is ready for some angst? I know I am ;)