Keep Me Close

Recovery

Erik POV
She was coming home today. She was coming back to me, back to our home. Our new home.
I had purchased a new home, no longer would we live in the darkness of the basement of a theater but instead a home that sat in the sunshine near the beach. I knew she would love it, she was like me, someone who loved the darkness, but the side of her mother that longed for light and sunshine still was there. The house was a dark blue with a large porch on the front wrapping around the entirety of the bottom floor. There were a a garden in front where Noel and Madame Giry had come a week ago to help me plant the roses and delilahs that provided some color to the home. I had tried to help but was swiftly kicked off gardening duty by Madame Giry after I had killed three garden snakes. Apparently they were harmless creatures that wouldn't hurt me. I wasn't taking any chances.
It was almost summer time, the air changed from spring to the heat of summertime. I was sweating making sure everything in the house was in place.
"Erik, you really must stop fussing... you have moved that curtain at least eight time in the last twenty minutes" a annoyed voice of Nadir said from the armchair.
"Maybe I wouldn't be fussing Daroga so much if you would help me tightly up a bit" I said referring to the fact that I had done almost all of the heavy lifting during moving in while he had just watched telling me I had been doing everything wrong. What a friend... Nadir has been spending a lot of time at the house now that he had moved to New York. He accepted a job in the hospital Lily was at as a doctor. As much as I hated to admit it, it was nice having the old bat around again after all these years. We had caught up on many late nights talking until the sun would rise. The endless games of chess over tea, he was the only man to have ever beaten me. I never could figure out how. When I would win it was often because when he would get up to use the washroom i would rearrange all his pieces. He would always catch me.
"She's here" I said hearing a carriage in the distance.
"How on earth do you-" I cut him off,
"Have you forgot I can hear everything that happens around me?"
"I hear nothing" there was a knock at the door. He just looked at me as a gestured to myself as a genius.
"Of course" he said looking back to his book ignoring me.
I walked to the door swiftly and ran my fingers through my hair and straightening my waist coat. I swiftly opened the door to see Madame Giry holding onto my daughter. She smiled at me meekly before slowly walking into my arms. I hugged her gently being careful not to hurt her or touch her scars from the burns.
"I missed you Father" she mumbled into my chest. I kissed the top of her head and Madame Giry entered the house.
"Welcome home my love" i said. She stopped hugging me for a moment.
"You mean... we live here?" She asked with hope. I nodded and her smile grew to be ecstatic. "Yes, I told you i would figure something out with our new living situation. I thought this would be in a word... ideal" I said gazing at her.
"Its perfect Father" she said grabbing me again. I softly kissed the top of her head. The rest of the night went on as normal, Nadir left after helping me get he settled in hr new bedroom. However, she refused to stay in there alone so she spent the rest of the day and evening with me in the new music room in the basement. The basement was fully furnished and I had my grand piano and pipe organ that were once in the work shop in there along with all my books and compositions filling the walls of bookcases. Lily sat contently on the couch reading a book, she had finished three alone today.
"Father?"
"Yes mon amour?" I asked stopping my playing.
"I need some new books. I'm beginning to grow out of all these fairytales. I hold them dear to me but I would prefer something else." She said closing the book and wincing in pain a but as she sat up. I rushed to her side hearing her wince only to have her wave me off.
"Im fine Father, I'll be back to my old self in no time." I didn't believe her. I knew this indecent had changed her, even in a few hours i had noticed how much more quiet and self conscious she was. She kept pulling down her sleeves and making sure none of her scars and burns were showing. It pained me deeply to see her do this. I felt as if I was watching myself in a mirror...
"I need some new dresses, it's chillier here with the sea breeze. I don't wish to freeze to death" she lied to me. It wasn't cold at all here. She was simply trying to cover herself.
"Don't lie to me my child. I invented the game of cover up." I said standing from my stood and approaching the couch to sit next to her.
"I hate them..." she said looking down at her scars.
"They will eventually fade my love. Time heals all remember that" i said taking her hand and kissing it. She looked at me with her eyes beginning to water. She leaned forward so I was holding her up.
"You are beautiful no matter what my angel" I whispered softly into her hair. She softly began to sob,

Heart beats fast
Colors and promises
How to be brave
How can I love when I'm afraid to fall
But watching you stand alone
All of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow

She hugged me tighter but her sobs quieted at the sound of my voice. She instead laid back down and watched me as I held her hand tightly to my chest.

Authors Note

Thanks for reading everyone, the next chapter will be a bit lighter than this. Please comment, vote and share!