Erik's POV

The door was locked, locked and mocking the both of us. We had come this far, and I wasn't about to let a lock stop me from saving my angel. I tugged on it several times in hopes that it would just break off…As if it would! Nadir left my side for a few moments and came back with a few of his tools. I was becoming agitated as the moments lingered. He would play with the lock, and assure me that he was close to getting it off the door, then, his plan would fail and he would start again. It was nerve wracking, for all I wanted was to hold my angel in my arms once again!

"Hurry up, Persian!" I snapped. "You're taking forever."

"I'm going as fast as I can…"

A few more seconds, and then, Nadir sighed in relief when the lock finally came off the door. We were just about to throw it aside, when we heard the doors to the barn opening. We didn't think anything of it at first, but when we heard a familiar female voice, we knew danger was coming our way.

"What do you mean the little beast won't eat?!"

Carlotta! She was coming this way! Quickly, Nadir shoved the hay back over the door and we both struggled to move the cart back over it. When we thought it was good enough, we dodged towards the nearest stall to hide. I had been right! It was Carlotta! She came walking around the corner with Raoul and two other men at her side. Nadir and I kept our heads down as we watched them move the cart aside.

"We will be rid of her for good tonight," Raoul began. "Marcus will be here soon enough. Fifty thousand francs is what he's giving us for her. Once she's sold, we'll split up the money and go our separate ways."

Anger was taking over my entire body! They were going to sell my Christine to some man?! How dare they! The world was a cruel place, for this man could want to do many things to her. He could use Christine for his own pleasure, or prostitute her to other men… The list could go on and on, but one thing was certain, they weren't going to sell her as long as I was here. Nadir and I kept our heads down, all sorts of plans running through my head. I was going to wait until they were down beneath the barn, then, Nadir and I would get them from behind. It was perfect, and would have worked, if Nadir wouldn't have forgotten to place the lock back over the trap door!

"Where's the lock?" I heard Carlotta whine. "Don't tell me you forgot to put the lock back on the door when you were here a few hours ago, Raoul!"

"Of course not," he argued. "I didn't forget!"

Both Nadir and I looked at one another, and then, I looked down at his hand. The foolish Persian had the lock in his grasp!

"You idiot!" I mouthed.

"Obviously there is someone here…" Raoul stated.

"Search the place!" Carlotta ordered. "Don't leave a single stone unturned."

Once more, Nadir and I looked at one another. We only had a few seconds to figure out a plan before we were found. From his belt, Nadir pulled out a knife and handed it to me.

"No," I whispered. "What about you?"

Nadir rolled his eyes and pulled out another knife from his coat. The Persian, he was always prepared for a good fight. My hands shook around the handle of the knife as we waited to be found… I hoped that I wouldn't be found, but as the sounds of footsteps got closer and closer I knew that not being found wasn't an option.

"Kill all you want, Persian," I whispered. "But the fop is mine!"

And then the moment came… The two men came around the corner and found us, but we were ready. We both shot to our feet and attacked. Chaos ensued as we tore our opponents apart, stabbing any patch of flesh we could get our knife on. This did not come without cost, for as much as I had the upper hand, the man I was fighting was much stronger. After a few moments, the man tossed me up against one of the stalls, my back aching upon contact. I may have been strong, but the injuries I had suffered at the hands of Raoul had weakened me. From the other side of the barn, I heard an ear curdling cry. I wasn't sure if Nadir or his opponent had died, but someone surely had. The man was hovering over me now, his knife raised and ready to finish me off. The knife he was holding was my knife, for he had grabbed it from me. Knives clearly weren't my weapon of choice, for I was not a trained killer like Nadir.

"Say your prayers, freak…"

I closed my eyes and was ready for death, but when I heard a loud scream, I opened my eyes to find Nadir stabbing the man. When the man fell to the side, Nadir helped me up.

"Are you all right?"

I nodded. "Yes, thank you…"

"Ah, so the monster is alive…"

When we heard Carlotta's taunting voice, we turned to find her standing there with Raoul.

"There is nothing that can kill me," I growled.

"Nonsense," Raoul said, stepping forward and pulling out his small pistol. "Put a bullet through you and you'll bleed just like anyone else."

"We came for Christine," I said. "Hand her over and we will leave here without killing you both. Fail to do so and you will die a terrible death."

"No," Raoul said. "Here's my offer. You two turn around and leave this place without anymore threats. Fail to do so and I won't think twice about killing the Persian man, and then, I will bring Christine up here so she can watch me kill you."

Nadir looked at me and I looked at him. We both knew that we weren't getting out of here without murdering the both of them.

"Oh, and I know what you're thinking," Raoul began. "There are two of us and two of you…Fair, is it not?"

Raoul snapped his fingers, causing three more men to appear.

"Now this seems more interesting…"

When Nadir looked at me again, I knew he wanted me to head back to our things. I had packed my lasso, and that was what was going to get me through this. The moment I began running back to our belongings, I heard Raoul's gun go off, and hoped that it had missed its target. I could hear the sounds of screaming and fighting going on in the background, knowing that Nadir was holding the men off. When I was back at my bag of belongings, I rummaged through it, hoping to find my lasso as soon as possible. I was just pulling it out, when I felt a heavy boot step down on my hand. I groaned and looked up to find Raoul standing there with his gun pointed at my head. But that wasn't all…No, he had Christine in his arms. My angel! She looked so weak and ill. Her clothes were torn and her complexion was pale. She didn't even look like my angel any longer.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't put a bullet through your head?"

I stood up slowly and kept a firm grasp on my lasso.

"If you wanted to kill me in cold blood, you would have shot me by now."

Raoul smiled. "You are smart after all…"

"And yet, you're still pointing your gun at me."

He then pointed it at Christine. "Perhaps you want me to put a bullet through her head?"

"No," I cried. "Don't…. Just put the gun away and I promise to give you the fight you've always wanted."

When Raoul tossed Christine aside, she landed on the ground and was completely lifeless. It broke my heart to see her lying there and it made me want to kill this man even more.

"Well, let's go, demon…" the moment he spat that, I ran to him. The man had dropped the gun and pulled out a knife. For once, we was playing fair…Or so I had thought. My first intention was to get the knife out of his hands, and I worked hard at attempting to do it. The knife slashed my shoulder and the side of my neck, but I didn't stop. Eventually, I got the upper hand and tackled him. I wrapped the lasso around his neck and pulled on it as he struggled to get it off. He gagged and I continued to pull, right up until I heard his neck snap. The world came off of my shoulders at the point, for it was all over. I took a few deep breaths to calm me down before running over my angel. I lifted her lifeless body into my arms and carried her to the other end of the barn where Nadir was. At his feet were the bodies of the men and Carlotta…

"Are you all right?" I asked.

He nodded. "You?"

Besides the small slashes, I was all right.

"I'm more concerned about Christine."

"You're right, let's go…"

I prayed to Christine's father that he would watch over his daughter and protect her. When we arrived at the hospital, I carried Christine inside and handed her over to the doctors. After getting bandaged, I paced the waiting room. Nadir had gone home for Mandy and returned with both her and my son. I smiled and raised my child into my arms.

"My little Gustave…"

The child made me feel a little bit better, and when the doctor came out, I was ready. I followed him to a room where my Christine was. She was awake but seemed exhausted. The doctor told me that she would need to stay for a few days, but would be all right. Satisfied, I entered and approached my angel. When she saw me standing there, she seemed surprised and smiled.

"Erik? Erik? Is that really you?"

"Yes, my angel…"

I kissed my son on the cheek and leaned down to place him in Christine's arms.

"Christine, I want you to meet our son, Gustave…"

Christine had tears in her eyes as she looked down at our son for the first time.

"Oh, Erik…He's beautiful…"

We were a family at last… And when I kissed her, I knew everything was going to be all right.

5 years Later…

After Christine came home from the hospital, things turned around for us. We were one big happy family and a week later, Mandy told us that she was going to have a baby. Everyone was excited over this, for not only would Nadir have his first child, but this child would be a brother or a sister to Gustave. I could not have any more children, and neither could Christine. Eight months later, Mandy gave birth to a little boy she and Nadir named Reza. He was beautiful just like her and stubborn like his father. Five years later, Christine and I were standing on our porch watching Gustave and Reza run after each other in the yard. They were the best of friends and I knew nothing would ever break them apart.

Christine nuzzled her head into my chest. "Could we sing tonight, Erik?"

I smiled. "Of course, Christine, anything for you."

"Did I ever tell you that I love you?"

"Only a thousand times each day," I chuckled.

"I love our life…"

"So do I, angel, so do I…"

And as the sun set over the horizon, I scooped my son up into my arms and kissed him. This was the perfect life…My angel, my son and mel… This was how it would always be.

THE END! Happy ending, see? Please switch over and read my new story "A Memory Stirs," You won't be disappointed, I swear! Thank you to everyone who has read this story and took the time to review. I wouldn't be writing if it wasn't for you all, you keep me going, and keep the ideas flowing through my brain. I love and adore you all! I hope we all meet again soon in another story!