Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera or August Rush. Just borrowing some attributes of the stories and combining them.
Summary: One fall night Erik and Christine, complete strangers, meet on the bridge in Central Park. They spend the night together and hope to be together again. But Christine's fiancé, Raoul, takes her away and she never gets to say goodbye to Erik. After a few months she realizes she is pregnant and decides to keep it. After an accident she believes the baby is dead, but Raoul secretly put the baby up for adoption. Twelve years later, Lyla Reynolds goes out to search for her parents. She finds herself in the middle of the Big Apple and doesn't know anything about her surroundings. There are obstacles and complications that arise. Will she ever meet the two people that gave her the music?
A/N: Here is the first chapter of Music Within and I hope it keeps you wanting to read more. If you have seen August Rush before you will know that Raoul is going to be playing many characters. He is Christine's fiancé and he is the antagonist throughout the whole story. I am also going to take a try at writing in third person. Let me know what you think. Well here it is and I hope you enjoy the first chapter.
Music Within
Chapter 1: Strangers
Christine Darden leaned against the moldy, drug infected sink of the girl's bathroom in one of the common dance clubs in New York City. She looked into the mirror that hung above the sink and dreaded her decisions.
She always wanted to sing, but never because she wanted the money or the fame. She wanted it because she loved to stand on a stage and sing her heart out. She wanted to be appreciated for her amazing voice not just happy that there is something to dance to.
Raoul Chaney, her fiancé, brought her to this point. He wanted her to follow in her dreams, but this was never part of that. He told her that all big singers started off this way and would be found by a big managing company.
Little did she know that Raoul just wanted her to get famous and rich so that he could get all his debt paid and have extra money to play with. And while she is busy working her ass off he can have fun with the skankiest woman in the bar.
Christine stood in the bathroom for five minutes before hearing a loud, obnoxious knock from the door.
"I'll be right out." She yelled over the blaring stereo music that took place before she started up her band. She wiped her eyes free of shedding tears and blew her nose before going to open the door.
Raoul stood there looking annoyed. His usually perfect blonde hair now stood up in places as if he had just tried pulling his hair out. His blue eyes looked angry and his thin lips were frowning in disappointment.
"What are you doing? You should have been on the stage five minutes ago." He said as he grabbed her arm and hauled her towards the band. "There are special music managers in the crowd that will want to book you. They're not going to like that you are late for your own performance."
They reached the steps that led to the stage where her band stood ready. She climbed the stairs and with each step she hated what Raoul made her more and more.
She got to the top of the stairs to see a guy with black hair greased up messily holding an electric guitar at the ready. Another guy sat near the back behind a drum set. He had long stringy hair that reached his shoulders and he had a thin beard. Christine's best friend stood closest to her holding another electric guitar at the ready and she had long blond hair that was pulled back in a high ponytail.
"Ready guys?" Christine asked Meg, Mark and Rory before reaching the microphone stand that stood in the center front of the stage. They all nodded and with a large smile that she didn't feel she started to rile up the audience.
"How is everyone tonight? Good." She said with a cheerful voice that received a lot of woops and cheers. "Here is one of my favorite songs, hope you enjoy." She said before turning around to nod to the members of her band.
The guitarists started plucking the strings and the drummer started tapping the many different drums before him and Christine stood ready to sing her heart out, even though she wasn't going to enjoy one minute of it.
xXx
Erik Daines looked into the clean, large mirror before him and smiled genuinely. He loved the man he became, a famous violinist that plays many other instruments and composes as well.
His mother adopted him when he was ten and immediately noticed the gift he had. She gave him the best education and when high school was over she helped him get into Juilliard, the school he admired. Juilliard had taught him more than he could learn in books, they taught him he could be anything he wanted to be.
Ever since he graduated Juilliard he has become the number one instrumentalist in the world. He was invited to every Juilliard concert to play his music and everyone knew who he was. Among his many talents he did have a trademark that people knew him from.
The mask. The clear white mask that covered the right side of his face was intriguing, but no one dared to ask what lay beneath. The only people that knew were Annabelle, Erik's mother, and Erik himself. He had been born with the deformity that covered that side of his face, but ever since Annabelle brought him home from the orphanage he didn't mind it as much.
She made him believe that nothing was wrong with his face and that she loved him no matter what he looks like. He still wanted something to cover it so she agreed to allow him to make a mask.
No matter the faces or the whispers that accompanied the sight of him, he never cared and believed in what his mother told him.
"Darling, you are on in two minutes." Annabelle said as she walked into the large dressing room he occupied. She wore a simple black dress that went down to her ankles and she had her light brown hair pulled back in an elegant bun. Over the years her smooth young looking skin turned to tired, wrinkly skin that she tried to cover up with makeup. "Oh, you look very handsome." She said as she looked him up and down.
He wore a clean, new black suit with a white shirt and bowtie underneath that covered his broad body. The white mask fit perfectly on his clean shaven face and his black hair was combed back neatly.
"Thank you, Mother." He said with a smile and brightness to his ice blue eyes.
"You're welcome. Now you better hurry, don't want to be late for your performance." She said as she ushered him out of the room and towards the concert stage.
When they reached it the cellist was standing to make his bow and appreciate the applause. The conductor stood to announce the next performer.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I now introduce one of Juilliard's own, Erik Daines." Everyone started clapping harder while the conductor sat down again.
Erik made his way onto the stage with his violin in hand and stood in front of the orchestra to play his solo performance. Once everyone was done clapping and had taken their seats again he set the violin under his chin and took the violin bow and slowly started to graze the strings to begin his aria.
xXx
Christine was singing a song her band had come up with together. It was a pop song that people would like to listen to not something meaningful. She would sit in her loft and write for hours until she got something that meant something to her. Meg, Mark and Rory enjoyed it, but Raoul would shoot it down saying no one would want to listen to it.
She looked out in the crowd and saw Raoul standing in the back by the bar drinking a beer. He was watching her possessively and it made her cringe. When the song they started ended, she turned to her friends to instruct them on what to do.
She went back to the microphone and without an explanation the music started and she began to sing the song she created weeks ago. A song that explained her feelings and the life she was living. The life Raoul had put her in.
"I'm tired of being what you want me to be
Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface
Don't know what you're expecting of me
Put under the pressure of walking in your shoes
Every step that I take is another mistake to you"
She stood singing her heart out and watching as all the people in the crowd looked on, feeling the emotions she poured out in her singing. She went into the chorus with a rocky, powerful voice.
"I've become so numb, I can't feel you there
Become so tired, so much more aware
I'm becoming this, all I want to do
Is be more like me and be less like you."
She felt a rush of triumph. At that moment she heard something that was beautiful, something she admired. On the queue to sing the next verse she sang softly so she could still hear the beauty of music coming from somewhere else.
"Can't you see that you're smothering me?
Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control?
'Cause everything that you thought I would be
Has fallen apart right in front of you.
Every step that I take is another mistake to you.
And every second I waste is more than I can take."
She suddenly realized what instrument was playing. It wasn't a guitar or a drum, nothing from her band. It was a violin.
xXx
Erik stood on the magnificent stage playing his violin for the hundreds of people in attendance. He looked out to see many people smiling and others whispering to each other of how beautiful it was.
In the middle of the aria he suddenly heard something, something that would never fit in this atmosphere. It was electric guitars and drums playing a rock/pop sound. It was strange and new.
When he heard a woman's voice he almost collapsed from the intense emotions penetrating his heart. The woman felt the words she was singing and her voice soared uncontrollably. It was a beautiful voice, a voice that he would probably never get rid of.
With the different tune going through his mind his hand holding the violin bow began to move faster and in a different tempo. Without him realizing it he began playing something entirely different from what he started. He played the same tune of the song that popped into his head.
He followed the noise in his head, the tune, the strain, the poise. Suddenly his fingers were racing and flying over the neck of his violin and the bow was moving vigorously over the strings.
When the song in his head ended so did his violin. He broke away and looked to the ceiling as if the noise came from heaven.
He was brought back to reality when everyone started clapping and cheering happily. He looked to the people and saw everyone was starting to stand and give him a miraculous ovation.
He brought the violin to his side and bowed gracefully before getting off the stage and walking back to his dressing room.
He had no idea what came over him, but it was something beautiful. When he reached his room, he saw his mother standing there.
"You were wonderful, darling." She said as she came forward to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"Thank you." He said out of breath as he had just ran to the room and hoping to get a moment of privacy found his mother waiting instead.
"Well, I have to go. I have that meeting at seven tomorrow morning. If I don't get some sleep now, I never will." She said as she grabbed her purse off the leather couch and gave him another kiss on the cheek. "Have a good night, son."
"Night, Mother." He said as he watched her leave.
After changing back into his jeans and black t-shirt, he put his leather jacket on and left the concert hall. He had to clear his head and the one place he could do that was the bridge in Central Park.
xXx
When the night was over, Christine and her band, along with Raoul, of course, went to Rory's apartment for a party.
During their performance Raoul had had conversations with three different agencies that wanted to book them. That was cause for celebration.
Christine didn't want to celebrate though, she wanted something different. She wanted to figure out why she heard a violin in the middle of her song. She sat on Rory's couch drinking red wine while everyone around her danced to the loud music and drank alcohol in red plastic cups.
She decided to leave and clear her head. The loud music and crowded room was making her dizzy and she just wanted to escape. When she left the building she started walking through traffic infested streets and crowded tourist attractions. When she reached Central Park, everything started to slow down and she could breathe again.
As she walked she thought about her life. The only reason she was with Raoul was because their families had known each other for years and they were set up on a date two years ago. Raoul was romantic and sweet when she first started going out with him, but when his parents died he changed. In the will he found out that his parents were in a lot of debt and they didn't have any money left for him.
He started to break down and become controlling. He must have believed she was the only good thing for him so he tried to get her in a good place so she could support him.
She always knew that he was using this whole music career thing to make money. Even though it was her hard work that gave them the money he was going to use it to pay off his parent's debt and then alcohol for his frying brain.
She was thinking about him through her whole walk and how sad he had become. She wanted to break up with him, but something was keeping her from doing so.
Ducks quaking and the splashing of water took her from her mind and she looked up to see the cobblestone bridge that sat over the pond in the park. It was always so beautiful to stand on the bridge and look down at the nature of the water and moss that stuck to the bottom of the bridge.
She started heading towards the top when she saw a man had already gotten there first. She started to turn around and walk away so she could give the man the privacy he wanted, but then the man spoke.
"You don't have to leave. It is a public bridge." The man's voice was lulling and musical. His voice was the first thing that drew her to him.
She kept walking forward until she stood next to him and looked out at the scenery. The full moon lit up the sky and the whole park so she could see everything around them. The pond beneath them glistened and the trees around them were already bare of all their leaves. The different colored leaves lay on the ground beneath covering all the grass and rocks.
When the man turned his face to look at her she looked at him too and saw the white mask on the right side of his face.
"I'm Erik." He said as he brought his hand out to shake.
"Christine." She said back as she shook his hand politely. She knew who he was; she recognized the masked face from the New York Times newspaper. She read that he was an amazing violinist and that he was performing a new composition of his own at one of Juilliard's concert halls.
Erik looked at the girl before him, her brown curly hair, deep brown eyes, and pale complexion. She wore a summery silk halter top and low ride jeans, showing three inches of skin between the articles of clothing. She wore flimsy flip flops and her toe nails were painted a light pink. What he noticed first was that her eyes widened at the sight of his mask. He was used to that reaction, but he also believed that her reaction was for a different reason.
"What's on your mind?" He said inquisitively.
She looked into his eyes surprised. He had noticed her leering astonished at meeting an amazing instrumentalist. "Sorry. I didn't mean to stare."
"I'm used to it. The mask can be a shock to most people." He said as he leaned against the side of the bridge and looked out at the sky and moon that shined.
"Oh, no, it's not your mask I was staring at. I recognized you from the article about the Juilliard String Quartet." she said explaining herself.
"Oh." He said with a nervous laugh. "Sorry, I saw that face you made and I automatically thought that you were looking at my mask in curiosity." He turned back to face her and continued. "I actually just came from that concert."
"Really. I wish I could have attended, I was singing at this dingy bar downtown." She said disappointed.
"You sing?" he asked interested.
"Yes, I try to write songs also." She said. Her face had fell at the thought of Raoul and the night she had just spent singing songs she didn't like and that didn't mean anything to her, except that one song.
Erik hadn't noticed that face because he was leaning down to pick up his violin case he had left on the ground by his side. He lifted it to place on the edge of the bridge and opened the case to reveal his beautifully elegant violin.
"That's beautiful." She said dreamily. She almost reached out to touch it, but collected herself.
He took the piano out and put it at the ready and said, "Sing" before playing the violin in a slow, lulling tune.
She was reluctant to sing for this guy she had just met, but for the first time in a long time she felt her audience wanted to hear her, wanted to enjoy the quality of her voice. She fingered through the songs she had registered in her brain and she found one she had written years ago that was very special to her.
"Think of me, think of me fondly,
when we've said goodbye.
Remember me once in a while
please promise me you'll try.
When you find that, once again, you long
to take your heart back and be free
if you ever find a moment,
spare a thought for me."
Erik stopped playing suddenly, mesmerized by her voice and the feelings coming forth.
Christine stopped singing when he stopped playing because she recognized the tune of the violin.
They stared at each other, confused and surprised. Erik recognized the voice that he heard during his performance and Christine remembered the violin from her performance.
They felt the connection, the jolt of electricity running through each other. They walked closer until there was no space between either of them and Erik brought his lips down to hers in a sweet kiss. When their lips touched they felt a jolt of electricity that immediately made them separate.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." Erik said as he started to back away.
Before he could get out of reach Christine grabbed his shirt and pulled him back to her lips. She felt as if their lips fit perfectly, like a soul mates kiss. Raoul's kisses had never been like this, they were rough and demanding. Erik's kisses were pleading and slow, waiting for her to make the next move.
This felt right…this felt perfect…. This felt…..
xXx WARNING! If you don't like the M rating content don't read on.
The door slammed open and as if they were a tornado they slammed the door shut and began making their way to her bedroom leaving a mess behind them. Their lips still locked together, they stumbled over side tables and almost tripped over the rug, the cat meowed after almost getting trampled and when they reached the bedroom door Christine only wore her bra and panties and Erik was only wearing his pants. In their frenzy to getting to the bedroom they had time to remove some clothes.
She turned so she could open the door and once it was open she pulled him into the room and slammed the door. She was thankful that Raoul decided to keep his apartment until the wedding, so now he won't come to her apartment in the middle of the night.
Erik had her by the hips and tossed her lightly on the bed before lying on top of her. She unbuttoned his pants and let them slide down his muscular legs. She pulled down his briefs also and marveled in the magnificence of his package.
Raoul was small and it took a long time to become satisfied with him. She would sometimes even fake an orgasm just to get him to have one and get off of her.
With this she wouldn't have to worry about pleasing herself. He could probably get her to finish in less than a minute without foreplay.
His hands started caressing her smooth skin and when he reached the lace that covered her breasts he quickly unhooked the clasp that sat in between her mounds and let it fall freely. Next were the panties. He took his time rolling them down her long legs and throwing them aside before admiring the beauty of her figure.
She had perfect, perky breasts and a slim waist. Her legs were long and smooth and at the top there was a nice bush of brown curls covering her maidenhood. He couldn't help himself and he brought his mouth to her breasts to taste. She put her hands on the back of his head to hold him close and she moaned noisily at the sensation.
"You are gorgeous." He said as he finally looked up into her eyes after gazing at every inch of her creamy skin and tasting it.
She pulled his head down to meet her lips to his. She brought her hands to his back and caressed the muscles and soft skin. She started to kiss his shoulder and wrap her legs around his hips so they were positioned correctly.
With one quick thrust they were one. She moaned into his shoulder and smiled at the feeling of him inside her. She had never felt this way before. Her eyes were wide open with the shock of his size and the feeling of her muscles surrounding him tightly.
She felt amazing. She was so tight and her muscles were already starting to contract around him. The feeling of her lips on his shoulder was like heaven. Hearing her satisfied moan was even better. Everything felt so right.
He started to thrust back and forth and he made the sensations long and fast. She was gasping loudly into his ear and he was moaning from the feeling of her tightness around him until she cried out from her orgasm and clenched him tighter.
With that sensation he came with a shot of his seed inside her and collapsed on top of her sweaty body.
Both of them blissfully happy, lay their holding each other, neither of them realizing what they had just created.
xXx
Song Christine sings in the bar is Numb by Lincoln Park.
Song Christine sings on the bridge is Think of Me by Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Please Rate and Comment!
Let me know if I should go back to first person writing. I feel more comfortable writing first person, I think I might be more descriptive that way. I don't know. Let me know in your comments if I should go back to 1st person.