Perhaps he simply wasn't meant to have happiness. Why else would it have taken such a horrible turn? One would've thought he would've learned his lesson at this point.
Time passed and things slowly but surely became better and easier. The triplets were growing quickly and they seemed healthy. That was all that mattered to the two. But there was one issue that bugged Christine more than she'd like to admit.
They couldn't just live underground for the rest of their lives and neither could the triplets. But she knew that her husband was very much a stubborn bastard. If only Jeanne and Emilie could speak.
She was sure that the man would cave if she had them pleading along with her. Gustave was out of the question. He was much too relaxed of a child. He would be utterly content anywhere.
Despite her desires to stack the odds in her favor, she understood that this conversation was better for private. Especially if it could potentially turn into an argument between them as she so feared. So she sent the triplets up to spend the day with their aunt Meg, even if that relation was in name only.
It was easy to find her husband. All she had to do was follow the sounds of the organ being played. The music was actually pretty slow and almost sweet, so he was potentially in a good mood at the moment. That was far more promising than trying to deal with him while he was angry about something or other.
Christine approached him and carefully looped her arms around his shoulders. She leaned forward and nuzzled her face against the crook of his neck. She'd ensured that she'd gone the extra mile of placing a tiny kiss just below his ear. It would hopefully help butter him up.
"Erik? I think we need to talk about something, dear? Could you please stop playing for a few moments?" She questioned, her voice sweet and soft.
He hesitated, his fingers poised over the keys. He seemed to be debating something silently in his mind. She had to remind herself that men seemed to dread that particular statement and all it's variations for some reason. He slowly turned around and wrapped his arms around her midsection with a sigh.
"I suppose we can, though I do hope that it won't take very long. I'm finally getting somewhere with this song." Erik mused and she did her best to not be offended.
She knew better. This was just how he was when he really became drawn into his work. Most of the time she found it endearing. But today was not one of those days, unfortunately.
"It shouldn't, provided that you are willing to hear me out at the very least." Christine countered, arching a brow at him.
She could almost see the dread forming in his eyes. His mind must be running wild with everything that she could possibly bring up. She was proud of herself for a brief moment. It wasn't often that she could manage to throw him off so visibly.
"Oh...I shall try to do that..." He finally uttered, sounding more like he was trying to convince himself than he was trying to convince her.
Oh well, that was more than she could realistically ask for. Christine took a deep, steadying breath before she continued. She would need the patience of a saint to get through this conversation. She could already feel that.
"We should move above ground. It's better for the children and better for us." She cursed herself for blurting it out like that. But really, she couldn't come up with a better way to say it.
Sometimes it was best to just put things out there rather than trying to sugarcoat them. Not only that, but he really hadn't reacted all that well to her trying to sugarcoat things in the past. Such as things revolving around her pregnancy.
"No. Absolutely not." Erik snapped, wrenching away from her as if she had burned him. He paced back and forth, resembling a caged animal.
Christine sighed, shoulders drooping slightly. She had been prepared for an argument, but she hadn't been prepared to be shut down entirely.
"You'd really deny your children of a chance for a normal life?!" She shot back, hoping that she could get his attention with a low blow.
She nearly regretted it when he flinched before whirling on her. But she couldn't regret it fully. Not when he was being like this. Sometimes he needed to hear such things, as much as she hated that.
"You and your girls could have a normal life, yes. But my boy never will." Erik sneered, ripping the mask off his face and gesturing to it.
She was pretty sure he would've simply held Gustave up or dragged her to him if he was present.
She understood what he was getting at for the most part. But she was offended that her husband thought so lowly of her. As if she'd ever allow her son to believe himself unloved. She wasn't Madeline. She wasn't his mother.
"He's my son too, Erik. I'm not like her. I am not going to treat him like an outcast nor am I going to let him believe that he's some sort of burden." Christine informed coldly, her voice closer to ice than anything else.
Her anger grew when Erik simply shrugged her off, like her words had little meaning to him in that moment. If anything, it only angered her further.
She wasn't stupid. She knew people were cruel, but there were also decent people as well. It was often harder to find them, but they most definitely existed.
"Say what you might, Christine, but I'm not changing my mind. This argument is pointless." Erik sighed wearily, as if he had any right to behave as if she was the one being difficult.
She gritted her teeth for a moment, slender hands clenching into fists. She hated that he had cornered her like this. She hated that he had left her with no other options. But she could never hate him.
She loved him too much. Unfortunately, she had to do what was best for her children as a mother. No matter how much it broke her heart and his as well.
"Fine. You stay down here. But you will be down here on your own." Christine uttered, turning on heel as she stormed away.
She couldn't turn back. Her will would crumble if she turned back and she couldn't have that this time. She could only hope that he would come find them and come find them sooner rather than later.
She wasn't entirely sure how she would actually manage to get them a place to live, but she was sure that Raoul would help her. Even if she loathed to ask him.
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Erik stared after Christine, lower lip trembling. She hadn't even turned back. It was really that damn easy for her to walk away, despite their children. She hadn't even tried to understand where he was coming from.
He wasn't going to chase after her this time. He wasn't going to because she would be back. He was sure of it. This was all just a ruse, a way to try and force his hand. When she realized that he wouldn't be caving, she would give it up and they could continue being a happy family.
He sat down at the organ and forced himself to try and continue. But it was harder than he intially realized it would be.
If she didn't come back, he wasn't sure he would be able to continue. With anything.
