To dream.

Chrystal had ordered as many shots of burbon as she could when they finally got around to serving drinks. Little bottles littered the tray in front of her, she was thankful when she was able to finally throw them away. She grabbed her little blanket and lay back. The constant hum of the airplane's engines and the sweet refrains of Erik's voice created a lullaby that turned out hard to fight. The alcohol was also making her head muddy. She yawned and leaned her seat back. They were going to get one meal during this flight but it wasnt to be served for another couple of hours. She turned over and stared out the window at the sea of clouds.Soon enough she was fast asleep.

~*~*~*~*~*~*

Her eyes snapped open, the hum of the plane could still be heard, all seemed the same but something was...off. She looked around the seating area but none of the passengers were there!

Sitting bolt upright she got into the aisle and frantically looked around. She ran up to the cockpit, there was one pilot flying but he didnt seem to see her. She touched his shoulder but nearly screamed as his head fell off his shoulders. A fountain of blood exploded from his neck and she staggered back in terror and disgust.

She turned tail and ran back towards the tail of the plane but stopped as she felt the thin carpet squish below her sneaker clad feet. She looked down only to see that the floor was covered in blood! And the level was slowly rising. She panicked and ran for the bathroom. But the moment she yanked the door open bodies started to spill out, or at least body parts. She did scream then as a dismembered hand grasped her around the ankle. Lightening flashed around the airplane and she looked up towards the cockpit. A dark figure stood in the faint light of the plane. Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to back up. But in the next flash it was half way to her.

"I am a killer...a murderer. My hands are stained with blood. More then even you could understand." It's voice echoed around her.

She could feel herself choking on her tears. "Erik...Erik! Please....stop this! Stop this nightmare! I'm coming to you, for the love of god! Please!?"

His white mask was now visible even through the aura of darkness around him. "I cannot stop my dear. Death is a drug. The power of taking a life is intoxicating. Come...come join me in death...in eternal love...." His voice was so deep, so rich, the sins he spoke of were enticing even though her head screamed at her that this was wrong...so wrong. The blood was almost to her knees now and she ran for the exit door. She pounded on it and finally pulled the emergency lever. It opened into a darkened sky and she felt herself being sucked out. She screamed as she clung for dear life to the side. Her fingers were slipping from being slick from blood but she still hung on. Clinging to the door side so that she woudlnt be flung into the eternaly deep darkness of the skies.

She looked up back into the plane and nearly screamed again. Erik was standing there looking at her with his glowing amber eyes. "You would choose destruction instead of me?" She sobbed, "Erik, please make it stop...no more blood." He reached for her wrist and took it in a strong grip. He pulled her in with no effort and held her to his chest. "Shhh...ma petite. Shush." he whispered to her tenderly. "I would give it all up for you. Ma coeur, ma feu." He turned with her so his back was to the open door. "Je t'aime..." he whispered so softly she thought she might have imagined it. He kissed her softly on the forehead before taking a half step back. "I will bring you no more dreams of death. I wished you to know that I am not a good man. My soul is black and tainted from my sins and I will never receive absolution. Know this though. You will be my salvation." He caressed the side of her face before leaning back and falling out the door into the endless night sky.

She let out a cry and got as close as she dared to the door, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. But in the moonlight shining off the sea of clouds she could see the outline of black wings, and a black cloak. She sobbed in relief before darkness took her eyes and she could feel herself being roused to the waking world once again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Madamoiselle, Mlle! Are you alright?" She could feel a hand shaking her shoulder and looked up into an elderly stewardesses face. She shook her head to clear it and groaned.

"Sorry....Bad dream. Hopefully I didnt do anything too embarrassing?" She gave a weak smile and the stewardess's eyes softened. "Non, but you did worry your steat mate with your crying. OH!" She reached for a tissue and handed it to Chrystal. "Your nose is bleeding Mlle." Chrystal dabbed at her nose as the stewardess handed her her meal for the flight. "The Kosher meal correct?" Chrystal nodded and thanked the woman before diving into her fish and veggies.

The rest of the flight went by pretty slow. She pulled out an mp3 player that she had uploaded with "French for dummies" so she could brush up. The next 4 or so hours were going to be spent listening, pausing and repeating, listening pausing and repeating. it had only been fifteen minutes of this when she heard Erik's exhasparated sigh in her mind and she turned it off. 'I could be teaching you the language you know...' She froze in shock. Never had his voice been so...active as this. Nor had he offered comments before about her activities. It was always just singing. "Erik?" She whispered and she heard him chuckle slightly in her mind. 'You can just think what you wish to say you know. You wouldnt want anyone seeing you as mad for talking to yourself outloud.'

She nodded and took a deep breath. 'Why...how are you ...I mean. You'd never been THIS responsive before. Why now?' She could almost hear the smile in his voice 'You are coming closer to me. My power over you grows stronger yet.' She snorted. 'Oh ha ha. I think that you were listening to your musical one to many times.' She felt him shrug. It was a strange sensation but then again nothing had been normal with her since she was sixteen. That had been a good ten years ago.

'Alright. What were you saying about teaching me french?' She could feel his beaming smile. 'I'd be delighted to teach you, and what you dont pick up, I will happily translate for you when someone speaks to you.' She smiled. 'Thank you. I appreciate it.'

'Anything for you my dear. Anything.'