Chapter Six

A Love Resurrected

"That was a very good practice, filles!" I exclaimed and my voice echoed around the rehearsal room. It had been a long day at the school, I taught more than five classes, and I felt exhausted.

"Merci, Miss Giry!" A young student of mine exclaimed as they all slowly packed up their things and started leaving the hall.

"Now, remember to work on those pirouettes. See you tomorrow!"

"Au Revoir!" I heard a chorus of young girls say back to me as I left the hall towards my dressing room.

I entered the small room and started to let down my hair from the bun on top of my head. I sat down in front of the mirror and saw the familiar white rose that I had put inside a vase from the opening a month ago. My mind went to Erik and how he has found his way back into my life again. It has been a very hectic month, I feel like I've been swept back into the Palais Garnier and my impassioned feelings from when I was a young girl. I couldn't deny that my feelings for Erik have resurfaced in a very strong way, especially after last night; The way he took me in his arms and was about to kiss me without remorse.

It was almost like he was… in love with me.

That couldn't be. Could it? All these years I have felt nothing but Erik's cold shoulder and how could I forget the night that I kissed him for the first time and showed him my true feelings. And he rejected me, shutting me out, like he always did.

"Don't waste your affection on someone who doesn't deserve it." His words still echoed through my mind, even after eight years. Even with his rejection I knew he was just afraid. He had just been set aside by Christine for Raoul… or at least so he thought. Christine never stopped loving him; Philippe is a living testament of that.

I groaned in frustration and cradled my head in my hands as I thought of Benedict as well. Were my feelings for him waning? I have not seen him regularly this past month, with everything that has been going on, but the moments I have… it hasn't been the same. I've realized that my heart doesn't beat as fast when Benedict holds me as when Erik does. All the time I have known Benedict he has never made me feel the way Erik, with a simple almost kiss, made me lose control last night.

But could that simply be my young fantasies of a young girl coming back again or is it something real?

And yet, Benedict is the only reason my heart is still intact. When Erik left, he left me with a damaged heart. I fell into a very deep depression for a year, especially after I saw Philippe being born. Something ached inside me because something was missing… or someone. Erik had become such a huge part of my life that when he was gone with no intentions of coming back, he had left a hole that I could not fill. The years went by and it started getting easier, it almost felt like a mourning period, trying to forget him and erase him from my life. My Mother tried to set me up with different gentlemen, even Christine, but it never really worked. Until about almost four years ago, I started dancing again in this Ballet School and met Benedict. For the first two years he tried courting me but I always rejected him. I guess I just wasn't ready but after sometime, he started chipping away the ice around my heart. Until one night, he kissed me, softly and woke up in me that part I had forgotten or hidden away. He made me know what loving someone who loved you back felt like and I couldn't just forget that.

A loud knock on the door broke through into my thoughts. It must be Benedict. I quickly wiped tears away that I hadn't realized I let fall.

"Come in!" I exclaimed and I heard the door open.

"Hello, Meg." A familiar voice sounded and a chill ran up my spine. I quickly turned around and looked up at the man who was staring down at me.

"Raoul? What in the world are you doing here?" I asked, genuinely surprised, he had never set foot in the Ballet School. He closed the door behind him and looked at me with cold eyes. A sudden, terrifying thought came into my head.

"Are Christine and Philippe all right?!" I quickly panicked as I got up from my seat and faced him. Why else would he be here?

"Calm Down, Meg, they are fine. They should be the least of your worries." He answered menacingly, as he started walking around me, almost like a tiger circling their prey.

"Then what are you doing here, Raoul?" I asked firmly and unafraid of him.

"I came to ask you a simple question… Where is he?" Raoul asked, narrowing his eyes at me. My heart started beating erratically but I tried for it not to show in my face. I, of course knew who he meant but I wasn't about to let him know that.

"Where is who?" I asked, trying to sound genuinely confused. He sighed deeply and inched closer at me.

"Don't lie, Meg. You're not very good at it. Where is he? I know you know!" He raised his voice.

"I don't know who you're talking about!"

"The Phantom is back! And I know he went to you because you are the only person he would trust." I slightly jumped at his outburst. I could almost scoff, he didn't even know Erik's real name yet. Even after all this time, Raoul has been chasing a nameless ghost.

"The Phantom?" I scoffed, wanting to make him madder. "I haven't heard from him in eight years. I cannot believe that you're still obsessing over him even after all this time!" Raoul walked toward me and put his face inches from mine.

"I will not STOP until that monster is dead!" He threatened. "Now, you will tell me what you know, Meg; Even if it is the smallest information."

"I don't know anything! I didn't even know he was back! And, you know what; even if I did I wouldn't tell you!"

"If I find out that you know something—"

"What!? Are you going to kill me?" I challenged him back. He stared intimidatingly into my eyes, his eyes looked almost black. I was about to move my hand to look for the dagger I hid in the drawer behind me when Raoul quickly took me by the neck, turned me around and slammed me against my vanity table. I was about to scream but he stifled it with his hand hard against my mouth, he pushed my back against his front and he forced me to look at him through the reflection of the mirror in front of me.

"I won't kill you Meg. I will do… much, much worse." He whispered in my ear and I smelled his disgusting breath that smelled like alcohol.

"I will finish what Claude Laurent started many years ago." My eyed widened. He knew about that? All these years and Raoul knew that bastard Laurent almost raped and killed me, looking for Erik. That means Raoul didn't care if Laurent had killed me in that alleyway years ago. He just desperately wanted to kill Erik; he still is desperate.

"And I promise you Meg, you won't enjoy it. I am not your Phantom." He squeezed my neck tighter.

"Now, if I find out that you know something about his whereabouts, I will eliminate everything and everyone you ever cared for. And after I am done with them, I will take care of you… personally." He let me go, throwing me against the table hard. I let out a gasp trying to get my breath back.

"Is that a threat?" I said breathlessly, my voice almost shaking, but I wasn't going to let him know that he was scaring me. I looked up at him and stared at him through the reflection in my mirror. He simply grinned like the devil he was.

"No, Miss Giry that is a promise." He said finally and quickly turned around and left my dressing room.

As soon as he left, I let out a gasp and started crying. I have never felt this terrified of Raoul Di Chagny before. No, that wasn't Raoul anymore… the Raoul I knew no longer existed.

The man has gone mad. Who knows since when?

...

I entered my home, Raoul's threat weighing me down. I looked over my shoulder the whole time, wondering if I was being followed. Not even Benedict accompanying me made me feel at ease.

"Meg, are you all right? You seem shaken." He asked me in a worried tone inside the carriage he owned.

"Don't worry, Ben. I'm fine." I gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, which I know disappointed him, and entered my home without looking back.

Now, I just wanted to go to sleep and forget about Raoul's words. A sudden sound shook me to the core as I walked inside my living room. The piano was playing and a beautiful melody filled the whole room. It was soft, sweet and it can be said to be almost nonexistent at first but then it suddenly rose in volume until it became a majestic sound. As I saw Erik's back to me as he passionately played his beautiful composition, I quietly sat down on my upholstery, getting lost in his enchanting music, like I always have since I was a child. I could almost cry in knowing that this would be the first time Erik has played my piano since he arrived at my home. Could it be he finally found his inspiration again?

He finished playing and sighed in satisfaction.

"That was beautiful, Erik." I whispered and he jumped slightly not expecting me to be there. He then smiled and fiddled with his hands a little. A nervous trait he has, I've learned, whenever he feels self-conscious.

"It's a new song, isn't it?" I asked and he simply nodded. "What's it called?"

"Lumière Du Soleil." He said as he sat down beside me.

"Sunlight? That's a peculiar name."

"It has a deeper meaning for me." He whispered as he looked me in the eyes. He was about to say something more but he looked down to my neck and his eyes widened.

"Meg, what happened to you?" He asked and quickly took off the scarf that was around my neck covering the bruises Raoul gave me. It appears they were becoming more visible and coming out of the sides of the scarf. I felt his warm hands around my neck and his eyes in a panic. I wasn't planning on telling Erik about Raoul's threat but it was impossible to hide anything from him now.

"It was… Raoul. " I whispered and saw his face change instantly.

"What!? What did he do to you?!" He exclaimed as his temper rose quickly.

"He threatened me—"

"I'll kill him!" He quickly rose from the seat and started heading to the door. I swiftly ran in front of him and blocked him from the exit.

"NO! Erik, he doesn't know where you are! He was trying to find out if I knew anything about your return. I, obviously, told him I did not. He didn't like my answer and… threatened me that if he found out I knew anything he would take away everything and everyone I cared for." I couldn't stop my voice from shaking. The feeling of Raoul's hands around my neck was still quite clear in my mind and the way that he looked at me darkly would haunt my dreams for the next few nights.

Would he have killed me in that dressing room?

Erik must have noticed my shaking because his anger disappeared and he slowly inched towards me. It seemed he was indecisive if to put his arms around me or not.

"I should have never brought you into this, Meg." He whispered to me in regret. "I've put you in danger, again."

"And I would gladly put myself in that danger, again and again." I quickly responded to him not wanting him to think that he was a burden to me, because he wasn't.

"I know you would. But you shouldn't have to." He answered me in a whisper and his eyes looked at me deeply. I know there was something he wanted to say to me with that stare, I just couldn't decipher it.

"Raoul seemed desperate for answers." I told him, breaking the silence; His eyes were starting to stir that familiar feeling in me that only Erik could make. "He doesn't seem to know really anything about where you are." I walked around him, heading back to the living room, trying to calm down my heartbeat.

"Good. I thought that outing as "Mr. Leroux" would have backfired on me."

"It seems it didn't." I sighed and sat down, trying to calm myself, a storm of emotions raging in me.

"Meg." Erik whispered in a soothing voice as if noticing my anxiety. He sat down beside me and I cradled my head in my hands.

It was like I could smell Raoul's filthy breath still on me and the tightness of his grip around my neck. The memory of the terror I felt of his strong hold around my neck, leaving me gasping for air, made my eyes water and my body tremble. I had not felt that helpless since eight years ago, in an alleyway, where Claude Laurent and his men almost took away something I was saving for only one person. I woke up for many years from nightmares of that night; my Mother would come inside my room and try to calm me. It wasn't until I made my peace with the things of my past that I was able to fully let all of that go.

I let everything go but the man who sat beside me now.

But now, it was like all of those nightmares came rushing back and I was the young girl in that alleyway again, helpless and useless.

"Meg, I will not let him do anything to you, I promise." Erik whispered to me as I felt his arm on my back, hesitantly, not knowing really what to do. "He won't hurt you again."

I leaned on him, wanting him to not be afraid to embrace me and also needing to feel a secure set of arms wrap around my body. Thankfully, Erik did not disappoint. As soon as I felt his warmth engulf me, my tears started to fall and my shaking intensified. I let out my entire storm on his neck, needing the release, and he held me tighter, his insecurity from before gone.

"I promise you." He whispered again, passionately. He cradled me for what felt like an eternity and I felt myself wishing it was. I didn't want Erik to ever release me. I longed for him to hold me like this forever. He slowly let me go and put his fingers gently on my chin, raising my head up, making me look at him. We were inches away from each other; I could feel his breath on my cheek.

A familiar longing crept up inside my chest and the love I felt for this man woke within me again like a long forgotten spring. The memory of his lips on mine seemed like a lifetime ago and I wanted to feel them again. I needed to feel them again. As if sensing my longing, Erik inched his lips towards mine and as soon as I felt his upper lip touch mine I lost control of myself. I gasped as I captured his lips and I let myself melt in his arms. He cupped my neck and deepened the kiss, making me moan in approval.

This kiss was so different than when I showed him my feelings eight years ago in that sewer. There was no hesitation from him at all, he responded with a security that made my desire almost ache for more of him. I wasn't fighting for his affection; he was giving that to me and more; So much more. I was overwhelmed by his passion; it was almost as if he longed for me as much as I have longed for him.

He started to push me back slowly, making me fall back completely against the long, furniture under us. He started to kiss my neck gently and softly over the bruises on my neck. As I felt his body on mine, I could almost shake with the anticipation of more of him. I've wanted him like this for so long, his love to rain over me like a flood. Not to see his back but to embrace him completely. Years and years of pent up love for him was just pouring out of me and I couldn't stop it.

He wrapped my legs around his waist and I knew that I wasn't the only one fighting my desire. He kissed me with the same urgency and longing that I kissed him. And I welcomed it, needing the escape and the warmth of safety, but more than that… I just needed him. After all these years, I've only just needed him.

His hands softly started lifting my dress and I felt his warm hands on my bare leg and I melted even more to his touch.

"Meg…" He whispered in my ear just like he used to in my dreams when I was young.

Suddenly, a loud knock on the door froze our movements.

"Meg!" I heard Benedict's voice from the other side of my door. Erik and I didn't move, not really knowing what to do.

Benedict knocked a few more times, waiting for my answer. It seemed my cold farewell made him worried because he would never come up unless I told him to. Another few knocks and then it seemed Benedict gave up, thinking I was asleep, and left.

After long moments of waiting to see if Ben would come back, Erik looked down on me as if wondering what I was going to do. But the spell had been broken. It broke through… whatever it was that was happening between us. Reality came knocking, literally, as if reminding me that I couldn't let myself get carried away, I had Benedict.

"Erik…" I simply said and he immediately knew what I meant. He started to straighten himself up and then I quickly rose up from my furniture, putting a much needed distance between us.

"Oh, god, Erik… I'm sorry. I… I don't know what I was thinking." I quickly said, pacing back and forth in my living room.

"You mustn't apologize, Meg."

"Yes, I must. I got carried away when I know you were only trying to comfort me. But I kissed you and—"

"And I gladly responded."

"I know. We both got swept up in the moment. We didn't know what we were doing." I quickly said, knowing that was a lie. I knew what I was doing and I knew what I wanted.

"I knew exactly what I was doing and I knew exactly what I wanted." He told me in a whisper that captivated my attention. His face was still flushed in desire as I am sure mine was.

"What are you trying to say?" I whispered to him, sensing that he was trying to say something more.

"Meg…I've wanted to do that for eight years."

His confession shocked me and it made my body react in various ways. At first, numbness, then my heartbeat intensified and I couldn't breathe. I must have heard wrong. Didn't I?

"What?" I asked. I must have seen so dumb to him but I had to hear it again.

"When I left your room eight years ago and escaped to Persia, I believed my thoughts would be invaded by Christine and what we shared that night. And although, I will never forget that night and forever cherish it… that wasn't what has kept me going all these years." Erik explained calmly and stood up from the furniture. He stared deep into my eyes as if trying to convey what he was trying to say not only with his words but his whole body.

"Every night, I would dream the same thing; A kiss that a young, blonde girl gave to me in one of the darkest moments of my life. You remember that?"

"How can I forget?" I whispered. That kiss has also filled my dreams for a very long time.

"All I could dream and think about was of how you saw me and had loved me for so many years and I was blind to it. I couldn't believe how you saw me as a man, a good man, capable of so much goodness that the world would be the better for it." He said with a small grin and I couldn't help but smile back.

"You remember that?" I asked in surprise. I recalled saying that to him the last night we saw each other. He actually remembered it after all these years? And here I thought they fell on deaf ears.

"Of course I do. It was the first time anyone ever said that to me… the only time. And for eight years, I tried to see myself as you saw me. And when I finally was able to do so, I knew that the woman I loved wasn't Christine… but you. You've always loved me, who I really was. While Christine loved The Phantom of the Opera, you loved Erik, the man behind the mask."

A silence overtook the room as I looked at him, my eyes widened in shock. I honestly did not know what to say. How many times did I dream this moment when I was younger? Longed for it? Hoped for it? And now, it was here and I didn't know what to say.

"I am doing all of this for you." He said as he walked closer to me and gestured towards his face.

"The surgery? You're doing it for me?" I asked in wonder.

"It started out that way. I wanted to live with you in the light of day, with no fear, because that is what you deserve from me. But now… I'm doing it for you and my son." I couldn't help but smile at that; my plan to make him change his mind forgotten.

"You love me?" I asked in tears I hadn't known I had let fall.

"Yes." He answered me with a small smile. He crept closer until he was mere inches from my lips.

"I love you, Meg Giry." His whisper made me shiver in a delightful way. He leaned his forehead against mine. We stayed there for some time, as we took each other in. I was still wrapping my head around Erik's confession. But reality quickly set in and Benedict's face came into my mind as clear as day, as if clearing the mist in my head.

"Erik… I can't." I whispered and he sighed, as if knowing that I was going to say it.

"I know." He answered and slowly let me go. I walked two steps back and tried to put distance between us.

"I've wanted to hear you say that for a very long time. And if I was the same young girl that I used to be, I would tell you that I love you too. But I'm not that girl that you left eight years ago. I waited for you, Erik, but I decided to move on with my life and I found Benedict. And I can't ignore what he means to me and how he makes me feel. He was there when you weren't Erik and I can't just leave him to be with you. He deserves more than that from me." I said firmly, in a final way. I saw him look down at the floor, as if lost in thought, and then he took a deep breath as if determined about something.

"Meg, I know that I broke your heart and I have to put it back together. And I want to because I want you. I don't want to love anyone else. This is why I will wait for you for as long as it takes."

"You will wait for me?"

"Yes, like you waited for me."

Erik walked over to me and kissed me on the cheek, the same way he did when he left my room so long ago; like he didn't want to separate his lips from my cheek. He then walked slowly away and left me with a deep longing in my heart as I took everything that has transpired tonight. I was not really sure about anything about what has happened; the only thing I am sure of is one thing:

My love for Erik has come back to life in an undeniable way.