"this a fucking grand idea,erich." erich says to himself as the flat black rolls royce makes the turns onto the long and winding road. the trees line both sides and make the echo of the already loud engine deafening. erich is fairly sure the doctor or whomever bought the car in 1960 never pictured it looking and sounding like it currently did. he hadnt driven the car in a long time. not since the last time he saw the person he was driving towards. he both wanted to fit in with the opulence that was the area selene cassadine lived in,and annoy the fuck out of people with an exhaust note that set off car alarms as he passed. he didnt even know why he was doing this. first seeing ada again carried a lot of bitterness. things were said that maybe shouldnt have been said...maybe they should have been said before. in that scenario,erich didnt mind. he felt he was in the right. now...well,the situations were similar,but far different. erich distinctly felt he was in the wrong here. he saw the house and briefly considered just driving by. but selene probably already heard the car. besides,erich said he would come over. he still wanted to be a man of his word. well,as much as he still could. he parked the car on the side of the street. he didnt want to block the driveway. for all he knew,she very well could have someone living there who needed to park. he let his head fall on the steering wheel briefly before flipping the toggle switch for the ignition. the car door creaks as it opens and rattles when it shuts. its a rolls royce,but really just the shell of the car. the interior was gutted years ago.
with a deep breath and closing of his eyes,erich pressed the doorbell button.
"maybe she moved and gave me the wrong address." he says softly. he picked a hell of a time to be sober too.

ooc: being a good daughter is always the most important thing.

there she was,as real as anything could be. "hey,miss selene." erich said had to stop himself from slicking his hair back. it was his go to thing to calm the nerves. if he got pomade on anything in selene's house...well,it was best not to think about the outcome. erich gives a little nod and wipes his feet before entering. "little dean keep you up,or is he being a good baby?" he asks when inside. there may be words later,but it was best to start off on neutral ground. they both could agree on the baby topic.

"cant imagine where he gets THAT from." erich laughs. while it was true that selene could be rather particular,there were certain things that erich would not tolerate either. the most minor? mayonnaise on anything. he'd refuse anything further and never go to the establishment again. so dean probably could be handful. erich almost wanted to see the baby,but didnt hear him. so he didnt want to wake him. now,if he disliked selene...he'd wake the baby and then leave shortly after. at the offer of a drink,erich gave a little nod " if you have dr pepper,perfect .if not? anything non diet will do. that sh..stuff gives you cancer." erich says,not wanting to swear around their son. with his luck,dean's first would could be shit. which,while funny. may rub some the wrong way. he also wanted to make sure selene knew she was getting sober erich. she and dean deserved that much respect.

"i fucking hope he takes after you." erich says quietly and rather bitterly. forgetting to not swear around a baby. he didnt like this. he didnt like it one bit. it was all he could do to not ask for something stronger to drink. he was determined to face this in its entirety. he wanted dean to look like selene, he didnt want to see himself in his son. he didnt want to see his father in that innocent child's face. erich made an impressed face at selene having a butler. while having a staff wasnt exactly unknown to him. karoliena and erica both lived in castles with entire staff..it still felt more impressive seeing it in the usa. "anything is fine." erich calls after the butler. he'd be a terrible communist if he just accepted help.

erich starts to sit,but pauses. "i can see him?" he says as if he really expected selene to deny him this. he didnt,of course. none of his feelings really had changed for selene. he still loved her,but in a different way. it was love but without the lust. "i'll wait for him to wake up." he finally says while waving his hands. he didnt want his mere presence to wake the child. selene had probably heard enough crying as is. "my nose.huh? everything else is you? we probably make a danged fine combination." he grins. erich may have a bias,but so far, all children that were his were beautiful. even micah.

"blue eyes,eh? the grandfather,or perhaps one of us was thinking about dustyn." erich jokes with a shrug. dustyn was rather famous for his blue eyes after all. "fine,it was me. " erich admits with a chuckle." hey,sometimes one needs a little delay." he laughs a little and lets the laugh die off. erich almost wanted to go wake dean up. without him being awake,it was just he and selene here. and a butler...which if erich knew anything about murder mysteries,which he didnt. he'd keep an eye on that butler. "ive been..ok." erich says in a slightly higher pitch than normal. was she opening the door for him to explain what happened? no..she probably was really just asking what she said. selene wasnt one to imply things,she was far more direct than that. still,erich decided to take the step down that path. "i'be been doing better than ok,in a way. as you can see,im drinking soft drinks now. never thought i'd see THAT day. doing the father thing when i can. i am sure you can identify,parenting is a weird gear to shift into." he tells her,looking around her home and then back to her. "how have you been?" he asks with a slight hesitation. he was very interested and concerned. no matter what had went down between them,it'd break his heart if she hadnt been doing well. at the mention of his award,erich lets his head fall back with laughter. "oh my god,you saw that?! i only go to those silly things for the drinks,food,and to steal whatever isnt nailed down. you need a lightbulb? got a whole trunk full of them. also about 4 irons from the rooms at the hotel. i guess it's nice to be recognized and all. we had an album up for an award. but instead,people lust after me. " he sighs dramatically and says in an exhausted tone, "tough life,but someone has to lead it. drove erica mad,i'll tell you that."

erich laughs warmly when selene suggests telling their son that she doesnt particularly like blue eyes. it was just the sort of thing she would do and innocently wonder why it was an issue. "they could change though,i seem to remember karoliena's daughter having blue eyes that later become like a dark grey. lets hope for dean that they do." erich finishes with a grin. erich would later think to send selene a pair of raybans for dean. just in case those eyes didnt change. when his drink arrives erich looks up and nods his thanks. he wondered a lot about this man. did claude know or care who he was? did he perhaps know details of erich's life? did he possibly spit in the drink of this greasy bastard with the noisy car? erich slightly shrugs. he's had worse things than that in his mouth. like the time someone made grilled cheese with mayonnaise instead of butter. you can tell the difference. you.can.tell.

it hurt to hear selene say she was happy for him. he had felt so much guilt and then to know there was no bolt from the sky going to strike him down. there was to be no punishment for,what erich felt was,lying to selene. but at the same time,the tone in which she said it,said everything. it was truly how she felt. " thank you.that takes a bit off my mind." erich replies and visibly relaxes a little. maybe there was a life where dean and his sister would know each other.

erich listens as she speaks,his eyes getting wider in some parts,narrowing comically in parts where he was disparaged by the family. then,widening again when she said that she loved him. he didnt like that her explanation of what happened, basically let him off the hook. after she spoke,erich drank from his glass to wet his lips that had suddenly become very dry. he made sure to place the drink back on its coaster,nobody gets drink rings on selene's stuff. he learned that even applied to her office. he eventually stopped bringing drinks when he visited her at work. what she said made total sense. her work and waiting fortune were there long before he was. he knew selene well enough that feeling hurt by what she did would be like feeling hurt that a cat killed a bird in your yard. its what is natural. he would have joked about being dumped so that selene could be moderately more wealthy,but he didnt. it would be insulting to everything selene just said. after taking another drink and returning it to the coaster,erich spoke. "i... totally understand. you have to do what is right for you,the people working under you,and now..dean. it would be uncharacteristic of you to not react as you did. certainly cant be upset about that." he replies with a bittersweet smile. her unapologetic way of being who she was had been something erich adored. he had to still adore it,even if he was on the other side of it. erich sighs and brings his lands to his lips in a praying gesture as he speaks. "i loved you too,miss selene. i still do,not in the same way,obviously. but you know. wanting the best for you. even if things went the way they did and dean wasnt ever created.i would still want to be sitting here and having this conversation with you. " erich would have said more,but it would have felt like self justification and or worse,look like he was trying to make her feel bad. she probably knew him well enough to get what he was aiming for. he did pick up what she finished with and look around for jeeves,or whatever the name was. he leans sort of closer to selene and quietly repeats,"you hope not?...the label a front for a quote unquote olive oil company or something?"
this did concern him. while a label could bring in lots of money,why would she think this?! when corporations fail,dont the highers ups float down in golden parachutes?

"oh karoliena adores you." erich grins. "cant imagine why..." he muses with a wink. if selene could play bass,the pair could be switched and nobody would realize it. karoliena grew up much the same way,but actually was disinherited from her family. "erica misses you and is dying to hold dean. the woman loves a baby." erich laughs and takes another drink. "you know,you are always welcome to visit everyone. it might be weird at first,but if this visit got over the initial weird,any thing can."

Erich poorly stifled a laugh as selene covered her mouth. the gesture was adorable in the fact it was so unexpected. dean was far away and asleep,but she was still concerned. again,a swearing baby would be funny. it'd certainly pop the monocles at the country club."i kinda hope they go brown too. the chuck berry tune is handsome BROWN eyed man." he says before humming the tune. erich still looks sort of uneasy about claude. for a man whos life was entertainment,he was a rather private person. so he'd assume house staff would be plotting something. plus,he saw that weird show with gretchen and erica where the butler was a demon of some sort. "ill have to partake of his drinks at a future date. what is the age one isnt considered a deadbeat for drinking around kids?" he asks her,as if selene's parenting book would have a defined age where it is ok. erich was many things,he accepted this. he was probably be lousy to dean,but he wasnt going to be the sort of weekend dad where a pack of cigarettes is rolled up in his sleeve and hes drinking a miller lite. for one,erich doesnt smoke cigarettes and two,he isnt that fond of beer either. he also seems kinda trashy enough without fitting the stereotype more.

"oh come on,i didnt steal from you? i didnt steal your heart a teeny bit?" erich asks,holding up his fingers and squeezing them very close,but without touching to demonstrate the teensy bit. with things going as they had,it was easier to make light of the relationship that was no longer there. he also didnt want to bring up the ada subject. but it was unavoidable. especially now that the two women could possibly see each other in the future. maybe. ada was deathly afraid of selene and was a bundle of anxiety on a good day,so maybe they never would meet. "well..." erich starts,now finishing his drink and looking up to try to meet claude's eye . "can i please have some more." he asks,sounding a lot like oliver twist. it was impossible to say that phrase and not sound like a British orphan. "guilt. lots of guilt. i felt that i lied to you,even after it was clear your werent coming back. i didnt want to come here and that be the case. i certainly didnt meet up with ada with plan of restarting that. it was supposed to be just to see marlena,which i sort of fought against doing." he says with a slow nod. he had learned a lot from that meeting with ada. mainly that children were independent of their parents. if selene had not wanted him to see dean,he'd respect her wishes,but he wasnt going to refuse seeing him if she did ask. he had come to that conclusion when the birth was known. it wouldnt have mattered if selene had left him for any reason.

erich crosses his ankled and nods slightly with a smile when selene thanks him. while he certainly believed selene could've started something else all on her own. he also doubted she would be that patient while the business lost money for years until becoming stable. love lasts is an almost childish way of looking at things. would any sort of love take one partner being miserable? he certainly couldnt offer her better. his style of work had an iron ceiling and he'd reached it. selene running an indie label? laughable. though she perhaps could have taken over studio60. maybe. he wasnt sure how those things worked outside of 80's movies. "we burned bright,but burned short." he smiles in assessment . regardless of how it ended,this one was a relationship for the blooper reel.

"ah,that makes a bit more sense,and is a bit of a relief. i dont know about you,but i've always suspected dahlhouse had something going on. i'd like to say more,but the Q weirdos took the fun right out of suspecting companies of human sacrifice." erich says with a crossing of his arms. it used to be fun to be like dale gribble,now...like everything,that had been ruined. "sounds real game of thrones or something. i never watched the show. but i guess its a concern at the top. i can offer a grandparent for dean that you wont need to be concerned about. i am sure randy would just adore dean." erich says with a smile. erich wasnt sure if selene ever met the man erich called dad. so he adds, "randy is jaynes actual dad. randy is...sort of like how i am to dustyn blue." he tries to explain a very complicated situation simply. "the entire city is filled with grifters. well, aside from me." erich giggles mischievously but gives a few enthusiastic nods. "i...would like the co parenting thing. though i will tell you:i dont know what to do with a boy. so this will be an adventure for the three of us. i..well,it will be an experience i am sure. erich says. he was flattered selene even wanted him involved in this regard. but he was nervous that he was going to let her down. he was a people person when it was required for his work,on a personal level...he wasnt so sure.

"i will inform them right away. so expect a small and boisterous woman on your doorstep hours after i leave. the rest will probably arrive soon after." erich says,obviously meaning erica. she was very excited to see the new baby and it was far easier for them to travel than selene. erich wasnt sure how airplane pressure worked on babies heads. it could be deadly,so no son of his was going in an airplane until their head firmed up. "how would you feel about marlena meeting dean..and you for that matter. i think she's still fairly oblivious to what makes a baby. so being siblings is a conversation for later." erich says,finally come to grips with what this coparenting thing will mean. a lot of people are going to be seeing a lot more of each other for a long time. he also did like seeing selene excited about the prospect of friends she didnt work with or pay.

it did hit erich that he actually had more experience with babies than selene did. he didnt lose ada and marlena until quite awhile after she was born. with everything that happened,he sort of blocked those memories away. needless to say,he wasnt going to be scared to hold dean. or even change him. the hard part would come much later when dean became more of his own person. he was fairly certain that marlena's eyes remained blue,but her mother also had blue eyes. erich looked up and whispered "thank you" to claude. it also hit him how weird it would have been if things didnt go like they did with he and selene,if they ever lived together,this would be how it would be. the duke was fun for an excursion,but there was no way she was going to live there. erich agreed with selene with a tip of his glass. she was correct. nothing was going to change what went down. it also closed the door completely on that chapter. "to get poetic. one of those if you love something,let it go. sort of things. i may be using that in the wrong way. but you get it. it isnt like i make my living off writing or anything." he chuckles and sighs contentedly. there was closure and it was good closure. possibly the best outcome possible. even at the very end of things, they never had an actual fight.

erich waves his hand at selene's irony. "oh pish posh. you're likable. in your way." he adds with a little laugh. she could be a bit much for people,but there was a lot to like about selene. he figured other people would see it too. " i think gia died or went to prison or something. all i know is suddenly i work for someone else. i guess they are good people. they honored the clause in my contract that says i get a shed on top of their building. unsurprisingly,erich had terrible business sense. he had a lifetime contract with studio60. and until cassie summers became the hess collective's manager,he was barely even getting paid. he just thought it was funny to demand a shed. "i have heard there is a rampant coke problem in the industry. im glad you keep a lid on it. i think the people you travel to and order around really appreciate that personal touch you give. the only people i ever see at my label are the legal department. i think i've paid for about half of their lawyers' yachts at this point. gotta keep those lazy bas...jerks on their toes." he stopped himself again. now if dean started calling people bastards,now THAT would erich's son. now that selene mentioned it,maybe he was needed for certain things. "well,i guess you could grasp the theory,but the practice of aiming....well, that might be above your pay grade. we'll get some cherrios and dean will be sniping those little rings in no time. " erich says brightly to her. maybe he could do this after all. he paused for a second to take a drink and nodded after coming to a conclusion in his head. it made sense,at least for a while. "you know.." he starts,now rotating the glass in a circle with his fingers. "maybe i should dry dock the duke for a bit. he's been needing repairs for ages now. i've got a place in walden. be closer in case dean needs me, or if marlena needs me." he suggests. this also displays that he and ada do not live together. "take responsibility and all that....but if i get peed on by dean..well,i will shoot you over an invoice. it costs a lot to look this trashy."

erich looks over at selene and looks skeptical. " selene. you use the good china when no one else is around,dont you? though maybe you have two sets." he adds with a laugh. he had the china that the duke came with. so thousands of white plates with the duke's picture on them. many had been lost over the years during drunken skeet shooting matches. "even i wont use paper plates."erich replies in his most thurston howell the 3rd from gilligans island voice. "it isnt worth the trees to make it. what would the lorax say? " he exclaims. he had an odd sense of environmental care. no paper plates,but his the car he drove here gets 5 miles to the gallon....and doesnt have a catalytic converter. "i guess here might be best. i dont want dean on the duke yet and im not sure the politics of bringing ones ex to the the current's home. they live down in new york city. " erich says with a little bit of distaste. he was rather wild and free. the city was just too...confining. it would be nice to have the kids together. once dean was older ,they could go to the summers' castle to visit. erich assumed selene didnt know many other people with kids. so dean may not have many potential friends. lucky for dean and his mother, erich knew plenty.
" we will tell dean later that marlena is is his sister. we'll have to keep any eye when he gets older. if he takes a fancy to karoliena's daughter eris...it aint the south." erich says with an exaggerated twang.

"now you tell me!" erich exclaims,dramatically putting his hands in the air. "all those times drinking with you and i could've known the seedy under belly?! instead,we had to laugh and goof around about stuff." while not exactly the gossip erica was,there were things erich wanted to know. was lincoln dropped as a child or possibly inbred? did selene know the real answer about the joshua pee thing? WHY DID hayden throw that chair? who the fuck is joey starzz?!!? the answers could be right there,mere feet from him. erich only knew a few secrets and most of those were darker than he cared to recall. such as the reason why he and billy loathe each other. erich points at selene a nods with a chesire cat smile. "i knew it. what is good china for anyway? it should be used. i think my parents had a set. i know we did have silver. it made me feel protected from werewolves as a kid. a silver butter knife had to be as deadly as a silver bullet." he says with a shrug. he was obviously a strange child. being obsessed with his neighbor,the famed randy,didnt help. the man was an exploitation film directer in the 70's,so his home was filled with monsters and gore props.

the conversation would come a little later,when both dean and marlena were a bit older. the eris conversation would only come up if needed. there was a lot to unpack there,but around the time THAT would be a concern,dean would probably be aware that aunt cassie and aunt karoliena had to have had some help with those kids..the half a baseball team amount they seemed to have." i think for a few years. i guess we could could just mess with marlena and say dean is her brother. but her mother and i sold her to you. i tell you,that would keep her in line." erich tells selene with a nod. what was the fun of children if you couldnt mess with them a little bit? it was entirely possible the two kids just would know. marlena and eris seemed to pick up on something cosmic there. "i hope he sort of takes to me. i...have less than a warm relationship with the man who's genes i share. " erich says simply. he hopes he doesnt think the same thing as selene with the word viewing. to him,it conjures the funeral use of the term. he didnt think selene and ada would ever be in the same room together. to his knowledge,ada was petrified of selene. erich wasnt sure how she really felt now that selene was certainly not a mythical being ,but someone very real and very connected the both of them,as long as there was a both of them.