Erik pulled up to the tall iron gate surrounding his house and pressed on the intercom button. "Did you get her?" A deep voice sounded from the machine. That was Nadir, one of Erik's only friends.

"Yes." Erik answered.

"I wish there was another way." Erik heard. He ground his teeth.

"Well, there isn't. Now let me in." The gates slowly opened and Erik drove through. Once he had made it to the garage; he picked Christine up from the car. Nadir met him at the door.

"Get the baby." Erik said shortly. Nadir's mouth dropped open.

"A baby?" He nearly croaked. Erik sighed impatiently.

"Yes, Nadir, a baby, the kind that drools and spits. Do I need to explain the process of having and producing a baby? I thought we already had our man talk?" He retorted sarcastically. Nadir rolled his eyes and opened the back seat. He gingerly picked the baby up, holding Emmy awkwardly at an arm's distance away. The baby looked at the strange man and began to wail. Erik appeared out of nowhere and plucked the baby from Nadir's incapable hands. Erik cradled the baby and whispered reassuringly in her ear. The baby immediately stopped crying and looked trustingly in Erik's eyes.

"Wow, Erik, you're a natural!" Nadir chuckled. Erik turned and glared at Nadir, pure pain and hatred clouding his beautiful green eyes.

"Watch your tongue!" He spit back bitterly. "I am in no mood for jokes. If it has trouble being serious then I will remove it from you!" Nadir just shook his head, used to Erik's comments and a little ashamed to have caused him pain.

"Erik —"

"Forget it Nadir. It's fine." Erik interrupted, unwilling to hear Nadir's awkward apology.

Erik did not want to admit it, but Nadir's comment affected him more than he cared to admit. He had always wanted a family but then – but that was the past. He had more important things on his mind. Like Christine, and making sure she was at home, or as close as home as she could possibly be being confined to this house. He looked at the small toddler who looked to be about three years old. How could he have not realized that Christine had had a child? He had been watching and tracking her for months. Never had he seen this child.

Erik took a deep breath and closed his eyes before he unlocked and opened a door. The door creaked from never being used. While carrying Emmy he opened the curtains. Sunshine brightened the room to show a pink princess-themed nursery room. Tears pricked at his eyes. No, now was not the time to reflect on the past. He gently laid the baby in the cradle. Emmy stared at him with wide unblinking eyes. Erik softly sang a lullaby and within two minutes, Emmy was fast asleep. Erik sat in a nearby chair in case something happened to the baby. He was very worrisome when it came to that sort of thing.

The sunlight streamed through the window and softly haloed Christine's sleeping form. She dazedly rubbed her eyes and sat up. Where was she?

She looked around her room. As she did she was certain she had died and gone to heaven. The pillows and the bed felt like clouds. Her room was decorated with lavish yet tasteful furniture, the same stuff she would have picked for her own room if she could have afforded it.

As she propped herself up on her pillow the memories of last night came crashing down on her. Oh dear God, where is Emmy?" Christine prayed Emmy was alright.

She threw back her covers and raced to the door. She turned the handle to no avail. It was locked. If something happened to Emmy she would never forgive herself. She yanked and rattled and shook the door but it would budge. "Let me out! Please! Somebody help me, please!" She screamed in desperation. She pounded the door, tears streaming down her face. "Somebody help!" Her voice cracked with emotion. "Please." She ended in a whisper. She hugged her knees to herself and unconsciously rocked back and forth.

She heard hard footsteps getting louder and louder. She scooted to the middle of the room on order to be out of the way.

The door slammed open.

Erik had fallen asleep in the nursery and was, in his opinion, rudely awakened, by Christine's unintelligible shrieks and hysterical screaming. He looked at Emmy, still sleeping peacefully and wondered how on earth she hadn't woken up. He strode down the hallway, unlocked, the door, and threw it open. "What on earth are you doing?" He demanded harshly to the crumpled heap on the ground.

Christine lifted her tearstained face up to his, her brown eyes flashing like ambers with a sudden anger. He dared asked what she was doing. She had been kidnapped. What did he expect her to be doing? In a furious rage, she threw herself at him and attempted to beat her hands against his chest.

"Where is she? What have you done to her?" She cried in raw anxiety. He easily disengaged himself from her abusing clutch and held her arms tightly.

"If you are talking about the baby, she is still sleeping." He replied calmly.

She looked deeply into his eyes, searching for the truth. She was surprised to find no malice or anger in them.

He released her arms.

She unconsciously took a step back, in order to appraise her captor. He obviously had a toned body. He had not even flinched as she had attempted to punch him. His electric blue eyes were captivatingly beautiful. And as for his face, the right side was unbelievably gorgeous. Never in her life had she seen a more attractive man. Why on earth would he want to kidnap her? Maybe he was one of those extremely hot, but insane serial killers like in those movies they sometimes show on Lifetime; but his eyes held no glint of madness. Even now, as he was returning her gaze, his eyes held childish curiosity like he had never seen a woman before.

Only after a few moments did she realize that he was wearing a mask. The pure white leather mask molded perfectly into his face. As if he could read what she was thinking, he spoke. "Never touch the mask." She nodded mutely. At his uncomfortable expression she moved to add something.

"It adds a nice look. Not many people could pull it off, but you definitely can." Her eyes smiled at him warmly although her face was solemn.

"I assure you, I do not wear it for pleasure, madam." He snarled. Christine just grinned.

"They don't need to know that." Christine winked and elbowed him playfully.

Erik's jaw literally dropped. She was taking his whole mask and deformity situation lightly? And she was cracking jokes with him, after he had just taken her away from her home and friends?

At Erik's astonished expression, Christine had to laugh. She bit down on her lip. Erik found that adorable. Finally, Christine's laughter bubbled up from her mouth. Erik thought it was the most enchanting thing he had ever heard. He wondered what he did to make her laugh and how to make her laugh again. Erik quickly shook that thought out of his head.

Christine began to become somber. She had just tried to joke with her kidnapper. Just because you thought he was extremely attractive, and adorable, and held such sadness around him, you flirt with him. Nice. She reprimanded herself sarcastically. In the movies what happens next? A slap in the face? A gun to the head? A threat? A warning? Christine's bottom lip began to tremble, tears began to well up in her eyes but she blinked them away. She would not be weak.

But that didn't happen. Christine saw a shy hesitant smile revealing perfect shiny white teeth before he hid it in a gruff look.

May I please see Emmy…er…the baby?" She asked softly.

He gave a slight nod and left, leaving the door wide open. She ran to it. This was her chance.

"Are you coming?" She backed, startled, as he appeared seemingly out of nowhere. He led her to a room a little ways down the hall.

She looked around the room in amazement. It was decorated like a princess' room in a fairy tale. Christine had only dreamed for a room like this for Emmy. She gently picked Emmy up and held her tightly in her arms. Emmy giggled.

"Does she talk a lot?" Erik asked, unexpectedly. He was curious. She looked old enough to be able to, but she hadn't yet.

Christine looked at her captor in surprise. He seemed truly interested. "Yes, she can. She is 3 years old. She usually doesn't talk a lot in new places until she has adjusted."

Erik nodded. There was an awkward silence. "Brunch will be served in the dining room at 11 am. I will leave you to get dressed."

Christine's mind thought furiously. "This may be my opportunity. He will be downstairs, and I will be upstairs. It will take him a long time to even realize –"

As if he read her thought, she was beginning to suspect he could, he snatched Emmy carefully but with surprising speed out of her arms. He gave Christine a hard look. "I will expect you down soon."

After he left, Christine groaned in frustration. Emmy was the perfect leverage. Hopefully, he wouldn't use it to Christine's expense to do whatever he wanted to do.

She trudged to her room. She glanced at the clock she saw on the fireplace mantle in her room. She had enough time to take a short shower.

Christine stepped out of the bathroom and shivered, her hail piled loosely on top of her head with a ponytail holder, a small towel wrapped around her frame. The bathroom was amazing. There was an enormous Jacuzzi, big enough for many people. She couldn't wait to try out the bubble baths and bath salts she had seen on the edge of the Jacuzzi.

She entered what she guessed was now "her room". She went over to what looked like a closet and opened the doors. It was empty. Great. She went back to the clothes she had worn yesterday that she had thrown carelessly into a pile. She picked them up and sniffed them. Crap, literally. She threw them back down. She now had nothing to wear. Great. Maybe she could stay in her room. No, he would just get angry and she would still have no clean clothes to wear. Maybe she could go downstairs, in her robe of course, and simply ask him for something to wear. Yes, that is what she would do. That would be totally proper. Nothing was showing. At least, not a lot. The top of the towel was a little low, and the bottom was a little small, but other that that, it was fine.

She tiptoed downstairs wondering why she was tiptoeing down the stairs. She walked into a room with closed doors. There was a man with his back to her, muttering as he picked up a pot on the stove.

Nadir picked up the pot of Vermont syrup that was heating on the stove and turned around. The pot slipped from his grasp as he stared at Christine in shock. He cursed softly as the pot clanked on the ground, spattering the syrup all over the floor and lower counter. She was standing in the kitchen in no more than a towel. He kept his eyes focused on her face.

"Oh, oh my goodness." She said softly, bringing one of her hands to her cheek. "I am so sorry. Look what a mess I have made." Nadir smiled wryly at the poor woman who was nearly beside herself.

"It's alright. It was not your fault." He reassured her kindly.

"I was just looking for –" Nadir held up his hand.

"He is right outside those doors." He said pointing to another set of doors, across from the ones she had come in.

She murmured a quiet thank you and turned to leave. She was grateful he had not made any comments about her state of dress, or rather, state of undress.

Christine cautiously walked to the door and timidly walked inside.

Nadir chuckled. Erik was going to flip.

Erik was reading the paper, muttering to himself on the idiotic candidates for the upcoming election. "Fools, all of them."

He heard a crash in the kitchen. He was not surprised. After all, this was Nadir cooking.

Erik folded his newspaper and reached for his glass of water. He never could bring himself to drink milk. As he was taking a sip, a voice called out to him. He looked and promptly spit the water everywhere in a very undignified manner. Christine was standing in his dining room, in a towel.

Christine watched in concern as her masked captor started choking on his water. "Umm, I know this seems strange, but I have no clothes. I mean at least not clean ones." Erik just stared at her, not knowing how to act in this situation. Christine cleared her throat awkwardly and continued. "So I was just wondering if perhaps, you have something I might be able to wear for the time being." She finished weakly.

Erik could have punched himself. He forgot her closet wasn't going to be ready until this tomorrow. "Forgive me." He apologized. I will see if something of mine will work. Follow me." Christine nodded and trailed behind him like a silent ghost.

Erik went walking in his closet and picked out a faded Duke t-shirt and walked back out. "You may put your dirty clothes in a pile outside your door to be cleaned." He said as he handed her his shirt. "I will see you back downstairs in 5 minutes."

Back in her room, Christine breathed deeply into his shirt. It was a comforting smell. It was not cologne, but spices and unexplainable smell. Erik. Christine gingerly put the shirt on, afraid to wrinkle it. She lay down on the bed. She had been up for less than an hour, and already she was exhausted. The shirt filled her senses and lulled her into a peaceful beautiful sleep.

Erik sat back down at the dining room table. He glanced at Emmy who was sitting in a highchair next to the chair where Christine was supposed to sit.

Emmy's lip began to quiver. "Mama." She whimpered.

Erik frowned. He hated it when babies cried. "Your mama will be back soon."

Emmy shook her head. "Mama's dead."

Erik's jaw dropped. "What?" He asked to no one in particular.

"Mama's in heaven."

Cliffhanger! (chuckles cruelly) Just kidding! Reviews please! I need at the least, and I am talking the very least, 12 reviews before I update. Thank you all for your patience. I will try to update soon, but I am working on two other stories right now. Great thanks to all my fabulous reviewers. The people that are reading this but not reviewing…please review. I want to hear your comments desperately. A question for you all, do you think Emmy just gets in the way. I am planning something to happen, but I want your comments. Please email me separately from the reviews to give me any ideas/suggestions. Thanks again you all!

eternallyerik's