Persephone's Angel

Solace

Chapter Fifty: Solace

--* It had been a few days since I brought the book Le Fantome de l'Opera to Erik, who had read it all within two night's time. Nothing seemed the matter with him, and, life went on, but, one day, I got struck by deja vu; Erik wouldn't let me into the latter torture chamber. "What's wrong with it, my love?" I asked, holding a gallon of pink paint and a paint brush; to brush on another coat of paint. Erik smiled to me and took both the gallon of paint and brush from my hands, standing behind me and massaging my shoulders.

"I just want you to relax, you've been working awful hard lately, and you deserve a break." He explained, I smiled and laid my head back, onto his chest; I sighed.

"Oh, my lovely Erik, I've been taking entirely too many breaks; besides, the girls need a play room and you said yourself that it was safe in there." Said I, looking up to him, he sighed and I attempted to pull away, but, his hands became tight on my shoulders and kept me stationary. I turned my head to him, with furrowed brows. "Honey, what's the matter?"

"Don't...just...take a nap, relax. I'll even give you a massage if you so fancy it" he said with a smile; as I stared at him I saw something was off, something was wrong.

"Erik, what's--no, no who's--in that torture chamber?" Asked I, his hands still tight around my shoulders.

"No one" he replied, but, his eyes were shifty; he was lying to me!

"Erik Renoire Destler, you better tell me the truth" I growled, Erik sighed and smiled to me.

"Or what? I get my music sheets taken away?" He asked, I smiled and pinched his cheek endearingly.

"Or you're sleeping on the couch" I replied; he grinned.

"Okay" he replied, smiling. I narrowed my eyes.

"No instruments" I hissed, he turned to me.

"Okay" he answered; I paused and he smirked.

"No sex" I said and he laughed.

"I thought that was implied with the 'sleeping on the couch' threat" he answered; I sighed.

"Fine, then, no me." I said, crossing my arms and cocking my hip.

"What do you mean, 'no you'?" He asked, walking into the kitchen with me following.

"I will leave, for a month." I replied, Erik grinned, he, no doubt, thought that I was bluffing.

"Where will you live, in that time?" He asked, getting a glass of water.

"Have you forgotten of my room in the second cellar?" I growled; he nodded in remembrance, Erik had grown softer and more comical since the children arrived, and, it wasn't necessarily a good thing.

"Do whatever you want, my love, but, the last time you looked in that torture chamber without my permission was when you had nightmares for weeks about Monsieur Devere." He paused and walked over to me, regaining seriousness. "I'm trying to protect you, angel." He said, laying his arms around my waist and smiling softly; I sighed and smiled to him, laying my head on his chest.

"Why did you lie to me?" I asked, holding him close.

"Like I said before, to protect you, my love." Said he, I nodded and looked up to him; he glanced down to me.

"Don't do it again" I said and he chuckled, kissing the top of my head.

--* That night, history however, repeated itself. I snuck out of bed with the excuse of needing a refreshment to which, Erik nodded and turned over, falling back to sleep. I tip toed through the house and to the Louis--Philippe room (which was now the girls' room); up the miniature stairs I went and I flipped the switch for the gas light for the inside of the torture chamber, I pushed back the curtain and, it was even more gruesome than before!