"You are dead, Erik!" Nadir nearly shouted. Erik realized that the other man was right. With him 'dead' the servants had no loyalty to him and they would not be afraid of any consequences for spying on Christine and the rest of the household. He looked helplessly at his friend.
"I have to see her..." he whispered brokenly. Nadir sighed.
"Erik..."
"Just look at her, know she is alright," he whispered, almost pleading.
"If someone were to see you-"
"No one would see me, I just made my way into Delauney's home and no one was even aware I was there. I am going."
Nadir watched Erik walk out of the room and prayed that what this man was doing was not risking his entire family.
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Erik knew that Christine would be staying in their chambers and so that is where he went. It was still raining and in only a matter of a few short minutes he was soaking wet. He stood on the balcony that was attached to his rooms and peered inside the slightly dark chambers, praying to get a look at Christine. He just needed to see her; he could not believe how long it had been. He saw the chamber door open and his wife stepped into the room. He immediately noticed her eyes, how sad and haunted they looked, even when she smiled and said good night to Sienna before closing the door. She was still just as beautiful as he remembered and he felt several tears fill his eyes. He watched her undress all the way down to her chemise and lay down in their large bed, pulling a pillow close to her and hugging it. With tears still in his own eyes he watched her begin to sob into the soft fabric of the pillow.
At that moment he would have given anything to go to her and wrap his arms around her. He realized what a mistake coming there had been. He should have waited until after he got his revenge on Delauney. If he had done that he could have continued to believe that Christine was a strong woman and she would do fine without him. But this Christine was one crying for the husband she believed had died right before her eyes. What would her reaction be when they were finally reunited again? He watched her put her hand on her stomach as she thought about their baby and he would do anything to be there for their child, anything. Sighing he made his way away from his love, promising both her and himself that he would make Michael pay for what he had done to them.
Anthony watched Sienna as she walked quietly through the garden, smiling occasionally when she would find a very beautiful flower. To Anthony none of the flowers could compare to the woman walking among them. She looked radiant in the early morning light, like a dark haired angel that had graced the earth with her presence. He knew what his feelings for her were but for some reason he could not say them to her aloud. He wanted to marry her and he could not find it in himself to tell her...he was afraid she would not want to marry him. She turned her head and saw him standing there looking at her. She smiled and walked towards him and Anthony waited, wishing he could pull her into his arms and kiss her...make love to her...
"Anthony? Is everything alright?" she wondered, not liking how silent he was being. He smiled and nodded, leaning forward and kissing her cheek. But when he pulled back Sienna turned her head, causing their lips to meet. Anthony groaned softly and pulled her close, kissing her with everything he had in him. She moaned softly against his mouth, her love for him growing stronger every day. She knew that she would allow him to make love to her without protesting but she knew that Anthony did not think it was right when they were not married. But it felt so right...
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Erik ignored Nadir's warnings that it was far too dangerous to be going to see Christine, even if she did not see him. But after having one glimpse of her he could not get enough. He loved her so much and it was slowly killing him that he could not be with her. That was why he made his way through the darkness to see her, catch a glimpse of the woman who had captured his heart and still had not let go. Tonight he planned on once more going to Michael's home as he had been doing for the past four days and he desperately needed to see Christine before he did so. If only she knew that she was the only thing in his life that he truly loved and cared about. No one and nothing else mattered.
As he approached his home he noticed that the balcony was lit from the blaze of a single candle. He frowned and concealed himself more firmly in the shadows as he silently approached. Then he saw Christine leaning over the balcony, looking out onto Rome, lost in her own thoughts. He stayed slightly back, not wanting her to see him. The candle illuminated her small form. From the small light he could see that she was wearing a thin chemise, her hair tumbling down her back. He could just make out the beginning swell of her abdomen and he looked at the sight for several long moments before Christine's humming slowly flooded his ears. She began to softly sing and the words were very familiar to Erik but he could not exactly place it. It sounded like an opera: it spoke of love found and then lost, of the heartache of losing someone you love. Then Erik recognized it. It had been one of the songs sung in the opera Erik had brought Christine to after they had first been wed, on the night she had been attacked at the carriage while he was talking to Natasha. She still remembered the words...
"Oh, Erik..." she whispered, her voice broken as she ended the song. Erik felt something tight squeeze at his heart and he had to look away from her for a moment. Then she broke down and began to cry and Erik felt his resolve beginning to snap. He hated seeing her so miserable because of him. He could not believe that she was still mourning him, it had been what seemed like ages since his supposed 'death' and she was still weeping for him. Perhaps it was so hard for him to believe because for so long he had not believed that he was worthy of someone's love, someone like Christine, everything he could ever want in a woman and more. He watched as she shivered and wrapped her arms around herself and continued her quiet sobs. Christine put her hand on her abdomen and she completely broke down, her legs collapsing beneath her. He had to stifle his small outcry when he heard the sound of her hitting cold stone, followed closely by silence. Knowing that he could regret his actions later he scrambled up the balcony to find his wife lying unconscious on the floor. With frantic hands he picked her up...then became still.