All I Ask

by KT Webb

  He held the phone in his hand. Drew thought about the sacrifices he’d made for Aria Durant. She would never know everything he’d done to make her into the woman she was. The murders were only part of his efforts. It had all been for her, and it had all been for nothing. Drew fell to his knees, it was over. On the other side of the mirror, Erik and Aria ran down the passageway as fast as they could, knowing that Drew would either find a way to follow them or activate the bomb.

  There was nothing left for him to do. Drew pressed the button.

  Detective Pahl had officers create a perimeter around the Majestic Theatre. They’d cleared the area as well as they could. Without knowing what kind of explosives they were facing, it was impossible to know how much of a perimeter was necessary. The seconds ticked by in agonizing anticipation. At that point, it didn’t matter if they got a confession from Drew for the murders he was suspected of; they had him they had him for the bombs which was an act of terrorism.

  He argued with himself about whether or not they should try to breach the building from the roof. Andrew Overland wasn’t stupid. If he covered the doors, he’d covered every possible point of entry. He glanced at his watch, wondering just how long that monster would keep Aria and Erik his prisoners.

  An explosion sent him flying onto his back five feet from where he’d been standing. It was over. It was over because Andrew decided it was over. Aria and Erik were still inside, they were gone. The two young people who survived the first time the deranged young man tried to kill them had finally succumbed to his dark plots.

  Sirens wailed as the firemen responded. The building’s integrity was compromised, and all Detective Pahl could think was how thankful he was that it wasn’t a skyscraper. The first floor had collapsed within moments of the blast. No one could have survived an explosion of that magnitude.

  They were flung to the ground from the intense vibration of multiple detonations behind them. Thankfully, Aria fell onto Erik rather than onto the stone floor. They got back to their feet and kept running down the tunnel. Aria hoped silently that Andrew killed himself in the blast, then chastised herself for thinking something so terrible. Erik was hoping for the same thing without a single moment of regret for his line of thinking.

  He hoped they were far enough away that the risk of collapse had disappeared, but he didn’t dare stop running until they came out on the other end. Aria noticed that Erik hadn’t spoken to her since they got away from Drew. She knew he wasn’t pleased with the decision she made. Erik couldn’t be mad at her for choosing to live in a world where she knew he would be out there somewhere, fighting to get her back.

  After a sharp left turn, they arrived in a vestibule that must have been part of the subway system at some point. Erik decided they were far enough away from the Majestic to take a breather. He didn’t want Aria to overdo it and cause any additional stress to her body. As soon as they stopped, he gathered Aria into his arms.

  “That was the worst thing in the world for me to watch,” he whispered.

  Aria melted into his embrace, “It was the second-worst thing in the world for me to do. If I’d chosen you, he wouldn’t have hesitated.”

  “I know. But I never thought I could feel pain like the torment that shot through me at seeing you kiss him of your own volition,” Erik pulled away until they were face to face, “You told him you loved him.”

  “I had to save you, Erik. The only thing I could think of was protecting our child. How would I ever live with myself if I allowed this baby to believe that Andrew was his or her father? At least if you were alive, I knew you would never let me stay with him,” Aria explained.

  Erik nodded. He caught sight of the ring she somehow still grasped in her hand. Without a moment to second guess himself, he took her hand in his and carefully unfurled her fingers. The ring slid off the chain and into his hand. He knelt on the ground and took her left hand in his.

  “Aria Marie Durant, I can’t say that I ever imagined this day would come, but I can’t think of anything else I would want to do right now. I want to be with you forever. I want to spend my life proving to you that I am a man worthy of the sacrifice you were prepared to make.”

  Aria knelt down with him, “Erik Lloyd Overland, I want to spend every night in your arms and wake up every morning with you beside me. I want to show you that you are a man worthy of every moment of the life you’ve been so afraid to live.”

  “All I ask is that you love me and share your life with me,” he whispered as he slid the ring on her finger.

  “All I ask is that you stay beside me forever.”

  “So, will you marry me?” Erik asked.

  “Yes,” Aria cried as he kissed her deeply.

  Detective Pahl left the scene of the explosion with just one mission in mind. He had been in the position to share the news of a loved one's death on many occasions, but he’d never been this personally affected by a death. Aria and Erik had gone into that trap willingly. They wanted to stop Andrew from killing anyone else. It was the ultimate sacrifice for them to walk into that theatre, knowing that they may not walk out.

  Now, it was his job to make sure they didn’t die in vain. He was prepared to break the news to both Christine and Patrick, but he also needed to have Patrick get the evidence they would need to prove who was indeed responsible for the destruction that had come to an end at the Majestic Theatre. He dialed Patrick Butler and asked that he meet him at Durant Theater. He refused to give him any further information over the phone. Nothing was worse than giving someone terrible news when you couldn’t be there to help them process the information.

  Christine had been discharged from the hospital, so the couple was on their way to the theater with the instructions Patrick had been given regarding the vault. Deep down, they knew that if Detective Pahl wanted them to come to help him, it meant that Aria and Erik had not survived their encounter with Andrew. When they arrived, the Detective was waiting for them in the alley.

  “I’ve got some bad news for you as I’m sure you’ve already guessed based upon my request that you meet me here,” Detective Pahl hung his head, “Drew already knew. He was prepared for them. He’d wired the doors to explode and activated the devices as soon as Aria was through the door. He found the wire and destroyed it after warning me that barging through the doors would kill them and my men. We set up a perimeter and waited. I really hoped Aria and Erik would outsmart that asshole and walk through the front doors unscathed. Instead, the whole place came down. The firefighters are still doing their thing, it will be quite some time before we’re able to search for any remains.”

  Christine sobbed into Patrick’s shoulder. Of course, they knew there was a chance they would never see Aria again, but it didn’t make it any easier to process. Tears pricked at Patrick’s eyes as he held his girlfriend. Aria had become a part of their family. Neither had officially met Erik, but it was evident that he loved Aria and wanted to keep her from harm. Christine had been through too much between finding Karen’s dead body to losing her best friend. Patrick couldn’t imagine how she felt when his own heart hurt as much as it did.

  Detective Pahl let Patrick lead the way since he had the instructions for how to get into the theater and down to the sub-basement. With the door open, the theater seemed empty and sad, as though it knew what happened and mourned with them. Christine pointed out the direction of the basement. They headed that way just as someone appeared from the stairwell.

  “Aria!” Christine squealed through her sobs.

  The two women embraced while Erik hung back in the shadows. Patrick stepped forward. He knew the man had been badly scarred and that he was afraid to let anyone see the extent of the damage. Patrick was determined to show Erik that it didn’t matter to him in the least. Both Erik and Aria were alive, and their baby was still safe and sound. Patrick knew those were the things that mattered. He held out his hand for Erik to shake. The other man accepted it and grasped it firmly. Moved by the moment, Patrick pulled Erik in f
or a quick hug and a clap on the back.

  Detective Pahl was in complete shock, “How did you survive that? I watched the building come down. There was no way you could have made it out through any of the doors.”

  “Detective, I’ve been getting around New York City without using any doors for nine years. If you know where to look, you can find a way out,” Erik explained.

  Aria allowed Christine to cry on her shoulder. They were alive. They were alive, and Drew was gone. Nothing stood between them and the rest of their lives. Somehow, the only thought going through her mind was how she had shown Erik that All I Ask didn’t have to end with the lovers parted. He thought his life was over because of his scars, he’d condemned himself to the darkness. Erik convinced himself that the veil between them could never be lifted. He was wrong. His darkest secrets became his greatest strengths when it mattered most. Drew may have represented the life Erik thought Aria should live but didn’t understand the most important thing. Aria would have chosen a life in the shadows with the man she loved over a single second in the spotlight with a monster who hid behind the beauty of the mask that concealed his true nature.

  Aria Durant Overland and her husband, famed composer, Erik Overland, lived in the apartment above the newly renovated Durant Overland Theater. After all their hard work, the couple and their close friends had finally managed to put the finishing touches on the theater and were looking forward to reopening with a performance of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Phantom of the Opera. Aria and Erik were rushing around the apartment, trying to get themselves and their son, Alfonse, ready for opening night.

  “Alfie, don’t touch mommy’s lipstick!” Aria called as she chased her toddler across the living room.

  Erik watched with loving eyes as his pregnant wife waddled after their two-year-old. Soon, they would have to say goodbye to life above the theater. There was hardly enough room for them to live with a precocious toddler, they wouldn’t be able to bring another baby home without living on top of one another. Their daughter, Lena, was due to make her appearance in a few months, but their new home would be ready within a few weeks.

  After the truth was exposed about the heinous acts Andrew Overland committed, Erik finally came forward as D’Angelo. He had been terrified of how the public would react to his marred appearance. Aria told him to stop being ridiculous. Without Aria, he never would have found the strength to become the man he would have been regardless of his injuries thirteen and a half years prior.

  Aria finally caught Alfie and scooped him up. She covered his round little cheeks in kisses. His laughter peeled through the air. If he wanted to wear lipstick so much, he could wear it like that. She passed him off to his father as she breezed past to grab her sweater.

  When they were finally ready to go, the couple descended the stairs from their apartment and stood on the stage where their story took shape. Christine and Patrick were already waiting for them. Alfie wriggled free from his father’s arms and launched himself at his godparents.

  When they were ready to go, the couple descended the stairs from their apartment and stood on the stage where their story took shape. Christine and Patrick were already waiting for them. Alfie wriggled free from his father’s arms and launched himself at his godparents.

  Aria and Erik had been the witnesses for the Butler wedding. It took Patrick so long to take the plunge that it still seemed impossible that he’d finally married Christine. Now they were expecting their first child. Aria and Christine were due within weeks of each other. Their family was growing, and they couldn’t be happier.

  Erik put his arm around Aria and placed a hand on her swollen belly, “Can you believe how far we’ve come?”

  Aria shook her head, “It doesn’t seem possible.”

  He turned her toward him and pulled her in as tightly as he could with their growing child between them. Erik kissed her forehead.

  “Just don’t have that baby in the middle of the production, okay?”

  Aria giggled, “Cute. Hey, make sure you’re ready to catch if I do. I’m not leaving during the performance!”

  Erik kissed her lips, thinking about all the obstacles they’d overcome to reach that moment. Life had a funny way of changing everything they thought they wanted and giving them everything they really needed.

  “I love you,” Aria whispered.

  “That’s all I’ve ever asked,” Erik whispered back.

  About the Author:

  KT Webb is a multi-genre indie author with a twisted sense of humor. She feels most at home when creating fantasy worlds or crafting paranormal adventures. KT published her first novel, The Evolved, in 2014 and has since written and released eleven additional projects.

  When she isn't writing, KT can be found binge-watching Netflix, playing with her two children, annoying her husband, or snuggling her three kitties (Loki, Coal & Blaze).

  A Note from the Author:

  Thank you for reading All I Ask. This book took me entirely by surprise. I wrote it in nineteen days from start to finish. This story was inspired by my love of music, theater, and Gerard Butler. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

  As an independent author, I depend on the reviews of my readers to entice other people to read my work. It would mean the world to me if you would leave an honest review on Amazon.com and/or Goodreads.com.

  I love to hear from my readers;

  Email: kt_webb@hotmail.com

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