Julianna tossed about restlessly as she attempted to gain some well needed sleep. Her mind was buzzing with new information from the Phantom, no, Erik's story. It didn't help that the inn that they had stopped at for the night, was hosting a party below. The sounds of laughter, music and glasses clinking, floated up through the cracks in the floorboards. Julianna groaned and wrapped her pillow around her ears, though it did little to block out the racket. Giving up, she threw the pillow against the thin walls and sat up, the bed creaking in protest at her sudden movement. The room that she had booked was small but clean, holding only a bed, a wooden table with two chairs and a waste bucket which sat beside the small basin. There was an almost burnt out candle flickering weakly on the table providing enough light to make a few shadows on the walls. Tiredly, Julianna rose and walked towards the basin. The cool, fresh water on her skin had a sharp bite, but it made her feel instantly better. She sat down on one of the chairs and immersed herself in thought, reflecting upon what Erik had told her.

*memory*

The wind howled around her as the horse she was riding galloped along the dirt path. Beside her, she could just hear Erik's horse's hooves hitting the ground. Since their departure from Paris, the two of them had not exchanged words, not that they were able to.

After an hour or so, they slowed the horses and led them down to a stream to drink and rest. Here the silence between them was broken as Erik began speaking.

"The obstacle which your mother and I could not overcome was a man named Jacques Dubois, your father."

Julianna nodded, she had been expecting that.

"Not long after Christine parted, on good terms, the dance school at which Antoinette had been employed, was handed over to the hands of a new owner, your father. Antoinette liked him immensely right off the bat and it wasn't long until she decided that Jacques would be a better match for your mother. He was wealthy, had a well-respected name as well as a title and land. He was also a charming, good looking man with excellent manners and terrific communication skills, and was in almost every aspect, the perfect suitor. The only problem was that Meg loved me, and only me."

"You speak highly of him, despite the end result," Julianna commented.

"It is hard not to. Only a complete fool would deny your father's charms. He and I were also friends at one point. Before Giry decided to pair him up with Meg, she used to invite him over for dinner occasionally as he had no nearby family and was often alone. He quickly became part of the family and spent more time in our company than not. We all liked him, and I was no exception. It helped that he took an interest in my scenic artwork and was able to hook me up with a manager of a gallery not far away. I should have known then that he was too good to be true.

"Regardless, he enjoyed our company as well, although he came to enjoy Meg's company specifically. When Antoinette has first brought him home with her for dinner, she had introduced me as a cousin of Meg's that she had raised and thought of as a son. The intention behind this white lie was to make our family seem as normal as possible because it would be improper for Meg and I to be lovers and live under the same roof if we were not married. Unfortunately, this forced Meg and I to put distance between ourselves, in the romantic sense, when he was around. Alas, thinking that Meg had no lover, Jacques fell in love with her and decided to pursue her after receiving Antoinette's blessing."

Here, Erik paused and led the horses away from the stream. Offering her a hand, Erik helped her mount her horse before following in suit. As they began walking along the dirt path, Erik continued, "Unfortunately, I had been called away out of France to meet with a conductor in Germany who was very interested in my works and so I remained clueless to the mess that had begun back home.

"I heard from Meg not long after returning that while I had been away, Jacques had confessed his love for her in the kitchen one afternoon. Unable to tell him the truth, Meg had simply said she did not share in his feelings. Unfortunately, Giry overheard and was furious. For several days the two of them fought and cried, Meg was adamant that she loved me and would only marry me, while Antoinette argued that Meg was throwing away the perfect life for someone who would never be able to walk in broad daylight with her. Needless to say my return home was not pleasant. Jacques, madly in love, was determined to win my Meg's heart no matter what, and with Antoinette's support, my love and I began to fight a losing battle. For a few months our family was divided and our home tense, then Giry fell ill, very ill.

"At first, Meg and I thought it was a small blessing. As Antoinette was sick, Jacques stopped pursuing Meg and joined us in effort to look after her. Then we realised the seriousness of the situation. Giry was not getting better, in fact, she was getting worse. We took her to the hospital, where she was treated and watched over, but the bills started to pile up. For the first month we were able to handle it, but then there was a fire that started in the bakery below us. I remember racing into Meg's room and carrying her out, both of us choking on smoke until we were out, safe in the chilly night air. That night we watched our life burn to ashes, along with all of our possessions.

"Jacques graciously took us in. He was still blissfully unaware of my relationship with Meg, and at this point, we both agreed it was far too late to tell him. With Meg jobless, and all of my works destroyed, Jacques offered to cover the medical bills for the next month giving the two of us some time to gather more money for the next month. Alas, at the end of the month, we were only able to pay half, Jacques once again graciously stepping in. That was when I began to get bitter. Instead of holding strong for Meg, I let my jealousy create a hole between us. I envied Jacques, this perfect man who had everything he could ever need, everything that Meg could ever need and I let my jealousy consume me. During the next month, I drank a lot, and made Meg cry too many times. Everything I did widen the gap between us, and in turn she went to Jacques for comfort. The naive fool didn't understand her reasoning behind it and thought that Meg was slowly falling for him at last. That's why, a month later, he proposed."

At this point, the two traveling companions neared a village, and Erik fell into silence, allowing Julianna to process what he had told her.

*end of memory*

Curiosity was killing her now. Bouncing off the bed, she grabbed her key and slipped out of the room. She walked a few steps across the hallway to the room in which Erik was staying and knocked on the door, which opened a few moments later to reveal the masked man.

"Finish the story," she pleaded.