Fatal Flaw

Epilogue Chapter

"Which one should I open first...?" Asked Christine excitedly as she stared at the pile of gifts underneath the tall, deep-green Christmas tree.

"This one." Replied Erik, handing her a rectangular box with a white bow tied around it.

She took off the bow, opened the box, and came face-to-cover with a white Bible, its cover engraved with "THE HOLY BIBLE" in gold letters.

"I love it!!!" She squealed as she gave it a hug.

"I'm glad. You need a new one... Your old one is falling apart." Erik said with a smile.

"Yeah... Thank you, Erik!"

"It was no trouble. I should be thanking you, actually."

"Thanking me for what, dear?"

"For introducing me to Christianity! It has really changed my life for the better."

She smiled up at him, leaned towards him, and kissed his right cheek. They both grinned happily as she pulled away.

"I think you should open one now." The curly-haired girl said to her husband.

"Is that so...?"

"Yup!"

"Alright, then. Which one?"

    The two took turns opening gifts until only one, cream-colored box meant for Erik remained. He reached for the cube-shaped package, and upon picking it up, realized that the top had holes poked in it.

"Christine...? What's inside of this box?" He questioned, his voice heavy with curiosity.

"You'll see." She responded as she flashed a small smile at him.

He already had his suspicions, but he wanted to confirm them.

"Can I shake it and guess what's inside???" He asked as he held it near his ear.

"NO! NO NO NO ERIK DON'T!!!" Christine exclaimed as she reached towards him.

He chuckled and set the box on the floor in front of him.

"Don't worry, Christine. I wasn't going to."

"Good..."

    He untied the ribbon and lifted the lid from the box. When he did so, two large, light blue eyes stared up at him. A tiny kitten sat inside of the box. It let out an equally tiny mew, and Erik picked the small animal up.

"...Do you like him? He's a Siamese, as you can tell." Christine said with a giddy smile.

The unmasked, un-wigged man held the creature in his hands and watched it. The fluffy little guy wouldn't stop looking at Erik's face, which caused him some slight uneasiness. The kitten mewed again, and Erik didn't move a single centimeter. After a few seconds, it suddenly decided to scamper up his right arm in order to get a closer look at his deformity. Erik sat as still as a statue and felt something furry rub itself against the right side of his face. He turned to look at it and once again locked eyes with his new friend, who had begun to purr. The kitten blinked, and Erik smiled at him. Christine "awww'ed" as the man placed the cat on his lap and petted it.

"I very much like this cat." He admitted as said cat nuzzled his hand.

Christine giggled before commenting,
"I can already see him becoming part of the family... the third Destler."

"Indeed..... Does he have a name?"

"Nope."

"Well... Would it be alright with you if we named him after your dad?"

She pondered the question for a bit.

"Sure. That'd be fine, I suppose."

"Are you sure? I can come up with something else, if you like."

"No, it's okay, really!"

"Gustave... I think it suits him."

"I think so, too."

Christine reached over to Erik and grabbed his left hand, since his right was occupied at that time. She stared at her traditional, gold wedding ring and sighed happily.

"What time is it, my love?" She inquired.

He let the cat stumble around on the floor and reached for his pocket-watch.

"11:01."

She withdrew her hand from his in order to cover her mouth, which was open due to a large yawn.

"I'm tired. Would you pretty please carry me upstairs?"

"Of course."

She held both her new Bible and the kitten as Erik scooped her up and carried her to their room. He set her down at the doorway and she walked to the bed to place the kitten on the soft comforter and The Bible on her nightstand. He remained at the threshold and watched her with a content expression. When she turned to look at him, he motioned for her to come. She obeyed, and he silently pointed to the ceiling of the doorway, where a branch of mistletoe hung. As a smile graced her lips, she was pulled forward and given a simple kiss. After returning it, Christine deepened it. Unable to stop herself from displaying to Erik her love for him, she crashed her tongue to his, displaying an abundance of emotion through her actions. He held her closer and enjoyed the affection before she pulled away in order to gently press her lips to his right cheek.
    They climbed into bed and silently said their nighttime prayers. Then, Christine lay with her back facing Erik, expecting him to hold her, which he did. Her cuts and bruises had healed, and so had the scratches on his face. He finally had a woman to hold as he slept, and he was no longer lonely.

"Merry Christmas, my love." She said with closed eyes and a smile.

"Merry Christmas." He answered with the same expression.

    Gustave was curled up in a tiny, furry ball at their feet, purring and on the brink of unconsciousness. All three of them eventually fell asleep, content and happy to be a part of each others' lives.

(Wow... "Fatal Flaw" is officially over... *sniffle* I NEED A TISSUE. *sniffle* *sniffle*
I hope you've been blessed by this story, and I pray that God would be with all of you.
Thank you for reading, it is very much appreciated. You guys are awesome! My apologies if the last few chapters were rushed... I just entered high school and had to hurry it up before I got too busy (and I set myself a goal to finish it before my birthday). If ya'll have any questions about my story, just send me a private message. If I don't reply for a while, please know that it's probably because I'm busy with school. :) Alright, guys.....
Goodbye, and God bless.)