I absolutely love Phantom of the Opera, and as such I just had inspiration for a little one shot on my Rily series. Hope you all like it.
Legal: I do not own Power Rangers or the associated characters etc. All I own is the plot. Phantom of the Opera belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice. Again I don't own it.
Rating: T – Just out of force of habit. There may be some adult themes, you be the judge.
Lily sat backstage at the theatre chewing her fingernails nervously. Kira was a friend of hers since the whole situation with Camille, and so when she was putting on a production of Phantom of the Opera and coming through Ocean Bluff, Lily had been her first idea when she needed another dancer at short notice. She had agreed of course, she loved dancing, but she couldn't have anticipated what was coming next.
"Lily, Maxie's broken her ankle!" Kira rushed out in a panic. "You have to take her place!"
"Kira, I've never sung a note in my life!" She gasped. "I'll mess it up, I'll..."
"Lily you'll be fine." Kira stated, clearly not listening to a word she was saying. "I trust you, I'm betting my career on you, you'll be fine."
She left before Lily could say another word. Somehow she'd gone from back up dancer to leading lady in the space of two minutes. She twirled her engagement ring on her finger nervously hoping for some inspiration, but finding no muse descending. One way or another she was going to be the lead singer.
She found herself being shoved onto stage in the final act. She couldn't even recall performing the other acts, so it was a shock to find herself staring over...
She strained to see. In the harsh lighting of the stage and the darkness of the viewing area she couldn't see anyone. It was then that the voice came from behind her.
"You have come here, in pursuit of your deepest urge!" He sang.
Lily turned to see the figure stepping out of the curtain. Despite the mask, she could tell who it was. It was Jarrod.
"In pursuit of that which till now has been silent." He placed a finger over his lips. "Silent."
She found herself frozen in fear, she had no idea why but she could only stand silently as he approached and began circling her slowly.
"I have brought you!" He thundered in a brilliant tenor. "That our passions may fuse and merge."
He came around where she could see him in costume. She knew she couldn't do anything without putting the audience in danger and let it continue.
"In your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped your defences completely succumbed to me." He continued, arriving in front of her, lifting her chin with his finger to look into his eyes. "Now you are here with me, no second thoughts, you've decided...decided."
He parted from her a little way and began his solo. Lily looked around desperately for an escape route, finding none.
"Past the point of no return,
No backward glances,
Our games of make believe are at an end."
Lily watched the dancers perform without any regard to the change of lead singer. She looked to th box her friends were in, but none of them seemed notice what was happening.
"Past all thought of 'if' or 'when',
No use resisting,
Abandon thought,
And let the dream descend."
He rushed over to her too quickly for her to react. She found herself unable to fight as he wrapped his arms around her.
"What raging fire shall flood the soul?
What rich desire unlocks its door?
What sweet seduction lies before us?
She shuddered as he ran his fingers up her spine before parting from her, holding her right hand.
"Past the point of no return,
One final question,
What warm unspoken secret will we learn?
Beyond the point of no return."
Lily suddenly found herself singing in a voice she never knew she had, booming through the hall in a brilliant soprano.
"You have brought me,
To the moment when words run dry..."
She looked around for RJ, finding him nowhere in sight.
"To that moment when speech disappears into silence,
silence,"
She looked again for the man she loved, hoping he was there to save her. Clearly this was one of Dai Shi's tricks, and she had no idea what its purpose was. She found herself erupting into song again.
"I have come here,
Hardly knowing the reason why,
In my mind I've already imagined,
Our bodies entwining, defenceless and silent."
She looked for RJ, tears streaming down her face hoping he wasn't listening. She didn't think of Jarrod that way, she didn't think of ANY man that way but him. She knew she must be under some spell and hoped RJ didn't think she was acting as she wanted.
"Now I am here with you,
No second thoughts,
I've decided,
decided!"
Without meaning to, she turned to face the Jarrod/Phantom and approached him.
"Past the point of no return,
No going back now,
Our passion play has now at last begun."
She felt a shiver in her spine as she circled the Jarrod/Phantom. Something stopped her from simply fleeing the stage and leaving this farce behind. She was locked in this nightmarish production like it or not. She and the Jarrod/Phantom approached stairwells at opposite ends of a bridge erected on the stage for effect.
"Past all thoughts of right or wrong,"
They began climbing the stairs, making their way towards each other. Lily felt her tears running more readily as this happened. She couldn't stop herself and hoped with all of her heart that RJ would understand that.
"One final question,
How long should we two wait, before we're one?"
The thought disgusted her. Leaving RJ for him? If it wasn't for the overwhelming force that had taken control of her, she'd have started vomiting at the very thought. She found herself arriving on the bridge at the same time as the Jarrod/Phantom.
"When will the blood begin to race?
The sleeping bud burst into bloom?
When will the flames at last consume us?"
Despite herself she found herself singing in synch with him. He approached purposefully and the same unseen force that compelled her to begin this show forced her to continue.
"Past the point of no return,
The final threshold."
She shuddered, though couldn't pull away as the Jarrod/Phantom pulled her into himself; embracing her tightly. The bridge they were standing on burst into flames as they sang.
"The bridge is crossed,
So stand and watch it burn."
She looked up into one of the side boxes, seeing RJ watching her in tears. He reached out as though hoping to grab her, but he was much too far away. Lily reached out for him, but couldn't reach as the tears stung her eyes. She was going to have to finish this piece.
"We've passed the point of no...re...BLEEEEEEEP, BLEEEEEP, BLEEEEEEEP"
Lily found herself mercifully wrenched from her sleep by the radio alarm clock and away from the horrible dream. RJ arrived back in the room, carrying a tray of breakfast.
"How are..."
His words were cut off as Lily launched herself at him, throwing her arms around him with the passion of the insane. She wept into his chest tears of joy as she felt his breath against her hair.
"Lily, what...?"
"I had a horrible dream." She interrupted him. "Just a horrible dream."