Chapter 2
Elphaba walked quickly and quietly down the passage. All was quiet. "I must be in the cellars." she thought. She went down a short flight of stairs, and came to the edge of a black, glossy lake. In the distance, she could hear singing. "Those who have seen your face draw back in fear. I am the mask you wear. It's me they hear. Your/my spirit and my/your voice in one combined! The Phantom of the Opera is there inside my/your mind!..." It was Christine and a man. The man had a beautiful voice! Elphaba felt suddenly tired. She went back over to the steps and sat down. She leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes as the couple finished their song. After a minute or two, she drifted off the sleep… Elphaba awoke an hour later to the sound of splashing water. She jerked awake and stood up. A man in a boat was rowing towards her shore. He alighted, and froze when he saw Elphaba. She got a good look at him. He was a foot taller than her, it seemed. He had short, brown hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and long, slender fingers. A white mask was covering the right side of his face. He was wearing a black dress shirt, black slacks, black dress shoes, black gloves, and a long, black cloak. After a minute or two, he brushed past her. "Follow me." he called over his shoulder. Without really knowing why, Elphaba obeyed. He walked briskly, and she had to hurry to keep up with him. He led her up several floors, and they finally reached the roof. He walked out into the middle of the roof, and she followed. He turned sharply to face her. "Who are you?" he demanded. Elphaba's mind went blank for a minute. His voice was intoxicating. It sounded like he was singing, but he wasn't. "Who are you?" he asked again. "E-Elphaba Thropp." she stammered. "W-Who are you?" "Erik Destler." Erik moved closer to her. Elphaba's heart was beating furiously. She didn't know what, but something made Erik seem extremely attractive. Maybe it was his pure, angelic voice. Maybe it was the sense of mystery that surrounded him. Maybe it was the way he held himself. Or maybe it was the passion in his beautiful eyes. No matter what it was, it had rendered Elphaba senseless. Erik's presence alone had pushed all thoughts of Fiyero from Elphaba's mind. "Why were you at the edge of the lake?" he asked quietly. "I wanted to talk to Christine, so I went to her dressing-room. She wasn't there, and the mirror was ajar. I followed the passage, and I heard you two singing…" Elphaba trailed off. Erik chuckled quietly. "You're a curious thing, aren't you?" "Yes?" "Curiosity can be a sin, you know." Elphaba didn't answer. Erik moved closer to her, and gently placed his right hand on the left side of her face. "You're an innocent little virgin, aren't you?" he asked softly. He was smirking. Elphaba slowly nodded. "Why do you ask?" "You're very attractive Elphaba." Elphaba's heart skipped a beat. No one had ever called her attractive before. Erik placed his left hand on the right side of Elphaba's face, and gently pressed his forehead against hers. "You can leave now if you want to." His hot breath felt good on her cheeks. "And why would I do that?" Elphaba asked. "Because, if you don't, you'll find that I can be very seductive." "Oh really?" "Really." "Prove it." Elphaba felt reckless. Erik smirked. "If you insist." He pulled away from her. He was silent for a minute, and then began to sing. "Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination. Silently the senses abandon their defenses. Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor. Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender. Turn your face away from the garish light of day. Turn your thoughts away form cold, unfeeling light and listen to the music of the night!" Elphaba had closed her eyes when he had touched the right side of her face, and she had kept them closed while they talked, and while he sang. She became entranced in his voice as he continued. "Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams! Purge your thoughts of the life you knew before! Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar, and you'll live as you've never lived before! Softly, deftly, music shall caress you. Hear it, feel it, secretly possess you. Open up your mind! Let your fantasies unwind in this darkness that you know you cannot fight! The darkness of the music of the night! Let your mind start a journey through a strange, new world! Leave all thoughts of the life you knew before! Let your soul take you where you long to be! Only then can you belong to me!" At that point, Erik came up behind Elphaba and wrapped his arms around her waist. She gasped sharply as he pulled her back against his chest. His lips were right next to her right ear. He smirked again. His hands roamed freely over her body as he continued singing. "Floating. Falling. Sweet intoxication. Touch me! Trust me! Savor each sensation! Let the dream begin! Let your darker side give in to the power of the music that I write! The power of the music of the night!" Elphaba let go completely. She sank into Erik's arms with a soft moan. He scooped her up in his arms as he finished the song. "You alone can make my song take flight! Help me make the music of the night!" Erik caught Elphaba's hat as it fell, and gently placed it on her lap. Without a second thought, Elphaba gently pulled off his mask, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed his lips. Erik tensed at first, but when he realized that Elphaba wasn't repulsed by his face, he relaxed, and gave in to the intoxication of her lips against his. The right side of Erik's face looked like he'd received a third-degree burn. The skin was pink, raw, and deformed. But Elphaba didn't care. She still found him extremely attractive! After about a minute, they pulled away, and Erik put his mask back on. Then Erik carried Elphaba down to Christine's dressing-room, down the stone passage, and to the edge of the lake. He laid her down in the boat, sat down opposite her, and started rowing. Elphaba laid back with her eyes closed. She could feel Erik's eyes on her. A thousand different emotions coursed through her. She decided to express them. Elphaba softly began to sing. "Kiss me too fiercely. Hold me too tight. I need help believing you're with me tonight. My wildest dreamings could not foresee lying beside you with you wanting me. And just for this moment, as long as you're mine, I've lost all resistance and crossed some borderline! And if it turns out it's over too fast, I'll make every last moment last as long as you're mine!" Erik's heart was filled with passion as he watched Elphaba, and listened to the words that she was singing. When she stopped singing, he decided to express himself too. He sang, "Maybe I'm brainless. Maybe I'm wise. But you've got me seeing through different eyes! Somehow I've fallen under your spell, and somehow I'm feeling it's up that I fell!" Their voices rose as they sang together, Elphaba's soprano mixing with Erik's tenor. "Every moment, as long as you're mine, I'll wake up my body and make up for lost time!" Erik looked at her tenderly and sang, "Say there's no future for us as a pair…" Elphaba joined him again as they finished the song. "And though I may know I don't care, just for this moment, as long as you're mine, come be how you want to, and see how bright we shine! Borrow the moonlight until it is through, and know I'll be here, holding you, as long as you're mine!" They reached the shore where Erik's house was built as they ended the song. Erik leaned over Elphaba and looked down into her eyes. There was intense longing and passion… and something else too that Erik couldn't identify. "What is it?" he asked gently. Elphaba shook her head. "It's just… for the first time… I feel… wicked!" She gently pulled off Erik's mask again, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down on top of her, and kissed him passionately. Erik moaned into her mouth. Elphaba gently ran her hands down his sides, silently begging for him to claim her. Erik gently pulled away and stood up. He stepped out of the boat, turned around, and scooped Elphaba back up into his arms. His mask was now lying on Elphaba's lap with her hat. Erik carried her inside, and took her to what used to be Christine's bedroom. Christine was gone. "She must have swam across the lake." Erik thought. He didn't care, though. He had Elphaba now. He laid Elphaba down on the swan bed. He picked up her hat and his mask, and laid them on a nearby chair. He took off his cloak and threw it over the back of the chair. Then he climbed into the bed beside Elphaba, and covered them both up. Elphaba kissed him again as he stroked her face. "Are you comfortable?" Erik asked softly. "Yes." "Are you warm?" "Yes." "Good." Elphaba snuggled close to him as they both closed their eyes. At the same moment, they let go and slipped away into a world of passion and love together…