A/N: I've got about two more chapters written, this one included, and this story is far from over. Here's hoping my imagination doesn't do to this one what it did to all my other unfinished ones! As always, I do not own Phantom of the Opera or any of its characters.
She was putting the finishing touches on lunch when she heard it. The silence around her was broken by an unmistakable cry, and it could only belong to a baby. It couldn't be… She first checked the front door, then the back, but they were both empty of patients. Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and the doctor soon appeared, wide-eyed, in front of her. "What's going on?"
"What does it sound like?"
"I hear it, but I don't believe it! It's impossible!"
"Let's go and see!" Antoinette hurried down the hallway to Alyce's room, and once they reached the doorway, she stopped dead in her tracks. Erik had just placed the baby in her mother's arms, and already, she was searching for a bit of milk. He turned to face them, his eyes watering in the corners.
"She's hungry…" his voice was just above a whisper, and his eyes pleaded as if to say, "She's alive now. Don't make her go back yet."
"Antoinette, I could use your help in the kitchen." The doctor didn't take his eyes off of the infant as he left the room. Antoinette quickly followed, and between the two of them, a batch of formula was quickly made up and put into a bottle. Upon Antoinette's return to the room, she handed the bottle to Erik. He looked at it, confused.
"Take it, Erik. It's for the baby." He slowly took it, fiddling with the long tube. At one point, he held the end of it above his head to study it in the light, and a bit dripped into his eye. Jumping and holding back the urge to yell in pain, he glared at the tube and then at Antoinette. Fighting back a giggle, she took the bottle. "Like this, Erik…" She picked up the baby and gently placed the tube into the tiny mouth. Immediately, the baby began drinking, and Antoinette placed her in Erik's arms. The glare immediately disappeared, a smile appearing instead. Quietly, the doctor and Antoinette left the room once again.
The baby had long since fallen asleep and Erik was in the middle of singing softly when arms reached over to take the sleeping infant. Protectively, Erik pulled the baby away before looking over in the direction from which the arms had appeared. Alyce was sitting up, her face utterly confused and afraid. "My baby…" she whispered. Startled, Erik slowly handed over the little girl, who stirred slightly until she was in her mother's arms. "She's alive…"
"Yes…" At his tired voice, she looked up at him.
"Who are you? Where am I? Where's Cerise?" More panic entered her eyes.
"My name is Erik…you are safe now. Cerise…" his voice grew shaky then, and he looked down. "Cerise made sure you would be safe…she…"
"She died, didn't she?" He turned to face her then. "They killed her…"
"I'm sorry…I tried to save her…but she wouldn't come…I tried…" As he wept, she reached over and took his hand in hers.
"Thank you, Erik." She gave a small, sad smile. "Thank you for trying."
By the time Antoinette came to check on Erik an hour later, Alyce had decided to name the baby Cerise Rose. Brief introductions were made, and then Antoinette pulled up a chair on the opposite side of the table. "Now, my dear, where was it you lived before?" Despite her previous frustration and the lack of sleep, her voice was calm and soothing.
"I was living with my aunt just outside the city…my parents died when I was four…my aunt died almost a year ago, leaving behind a large debt…" She looked down, and Erik wondered if her matter-of-fact tone was a sort of mask to cover her real emotions, as if she didn't quite trust the two of them just yet. "I was brought to that…place of business by my aunt's landlord…to pay off her debt…he also owns that building…the baby is his…"
"No." Erik touched her shoulder. "He is not, and never will be, a father to Cerise Rose. He is dead after counting you and your baby as such. You need not worry about him anymore."
"How old are you, my dear?" Antoinette broke in.
"Twenty-one…I know I'm small…"
"That is hardly a flaw, Alyce." Erik spoke up, and as Alyce looked at him, it was as if she were seeing his scars for the first time. Slowly, she reached over to touch, but he turned his face away.
"I'm sorry…" her voice was quiet, and Erik felt his heart crack a bit more.
"Don't be. You do not need to apologize. Only get better." He stood then, and without looking at either of them, he walked out of the room.
"What did I do?" Alyce looked to Antoinette with pleading eyes.
"Nothing, my dear. Erik…has had a rough life….he's been hurt so many times. He won't admit it, but he's rather sensitive." Offering a small smile and a gentle hand squeeze, she continued. "Pay him no mind for now. He is right, however. You just need to rest."
"Thank you…for everything…" Alyce returned the smile, and as Antoinette nodded, the younger woman surrendered to sleep.
Erik paced the living room floor, his heart arguing with his mind. "Love her…" Cerise had whispered with her last breath. But you didn't know about Christine! You didn't know that I can't love Alyce! He wanted to yell at the memory. I told you I'd take care of her, and I am!
"Why can't you be satisfied with that?"
"Satisfied with what, Erik?" He whirled around to see Antoinette standing in the doorway, her arms crossed.
"I wasn't talking to you." He growled.
"Well that's obvious. Erik, why are you acting like this? One moment you're protecting her with your life, daring anyone to try to take her from you, the next moment you're walking away. Why?"
"You wouldn't understand." He turned away.
"You're right. I don't. I never did." He turned back around, but she had disappeared into the kitchen.
When Alyce awoke the next morning, Erik was once again sitting beside her bed. He looked as though he had been awake all night, deep red circles underneath his eyes. Cerise Rose stirred in her arms but continued to sleep, and both pairs of eyes lifted their gaze from her to meet each other. "Erik…what I said yesterday…I do apologize for upsetting you…"
"You don't owe me an apology, Alyce. I told you that." His voice was soft. Slow. Tired.
"You did. Even so…I do owe you something. You saved my life and the life of my child."
"No…you owe me nothing."
"But…you owe nothing to me, Erik. We are complete strangers. Strangers don't…go around saving each other without expecting something in return…Why would you?" Her eyes searched his until he lowered his gaze to the sleeping baby once more.
"I gave Cerise my word that I would take care of you. Plain and simple."
"You didn't know her either…did you?"
"Not before that night. But I knew enough…I knew just how much she cared for you. She…she died for you…how could I let her slip away thinking that you would be left alone?" His voice cracked, but no tears were left to fall. Instead, they came to her eyes as she slowly nodded.
"She did care…I couldn't believe how much she did…the rest of the girls would have torn me to shreds had she not been there to protect me…like…like my own mother had been…" As the built up grief spilled over her face and shook her body, Erik wrapped one arm around her and took Cerise Rose into the other. He began singing 'Masquerade', the same tune that had soothed him from the music box he'd left behind. Finally, she lifted her head, and after wiping her tears away, she continued as if nothing had happened. "Still, Erik…you could have made your promise…said what she wanted to hear…and then just gone on with your life. But you stayed…I…I just don't understand why…"
"I do not go back on my word, Alyce. Besides…there is nothing in my life that I can go back to."
"So…we share the same predicament then…both in hiding, staring at the same blank sheet that is our future…wondering, 'Where do I go from here?'"
"Yes…precisely…" His eyes filled with awe and relief as he took her hand in his.
"What are you running from? What did you leave behind?" At her questions, he stiffened, but her eyes and voice were filled with such tenderness that he found himself telling her everything…the gypsies, Antoinette helping him, growing up in the cellars of the opera house…even Christine. He was unsure just how much she was able to understand, however, for by the time he got to Christine's departure, all the tears he'd thought he'd already cried came pouring out. Now it was Alyce's turn to take Cerise Rose, and by now the baby was so tired of being passed around that she finally awoke with a loud wail. Alyce busied herself with feeding her child, but her mind never left the sobbing man before her.
A/N: I hate to leave this chapter with that bucket of tears, but I can't have my chapters too long. A few things I should note: 1. The description of the bottle is probably very different from what you were expecting. Back in that time period, instead of the top we're used to, baby bottles were just glass bottles with a long, straw-like tube in it. Think of a crazy straw, but not shaped and much more flexible. 2. This chapter contained probably the hugest example of me straying from the actual dream I had. In the dream, it was me in Alyce's shoes, having fallen back in time somehow. I didn't want that to be confused with 'In Dreams I Went', so I changed it. Coming up in a couple chapters is the end to my actual dream and the beginning of me actually trying to write it as all my other stories. 3. You may have noticed me switching between calling what Alyce is sleeping on a table and a bed. Yet another detail my dream seemed to skip over, as did I until I was typing up this chapter. There are two possibilities. Either Alyce was moved to a different room that first day she awakened, or the doctor had made up the table as a makeshift bed shortly after Alyce arrived. Take your pick as to which one of those you prefer, or if you think of something else, please let me know. Anyway, I'll try to post more tomorrow, so stay tuned and please review!
