Author's Note: Yeah... if it's not obvious in this chapter, there will be no RxM. Sorry to those of you who liked the idea of Raoul and Meg, but I've gotten about 6 PMs and 4 reviews saying no Meg and Raoul. Thanks for my 7 or so reviews on chapter 6! I really appreciate it. And now...
IceQueen13345
Facade
Chapter 7- A Sinister Secret
~o0o~
Erik's tears entwined with Christine's, their foreheads pressed against one another's. Her hand was still upon Erik's malformation, her fingers running up and down the marred skin. It was hideous, she could not deny, but still she could see... him. She pulled away from him, her eyes locked with his.
Erik slowly reached for the mask she held in her hand, and she let it free of her grasp. "How do you stand it?" He said between his soft sobs, covering his face with the mask.
Christine wiped a tear from Erik's cheek, "Because it is you, Erik."
"I am a monster," Erik turned away from Christine, ashamed of his abhorrent distortion. "And you an Angel far above me."
"I am not an Angel," Christine insisted, moving her hand to Erik's back, "do you forget where you found me? A brothel, Erik! I was condemned to being a woman of the night, I lost my purity to men I hardly knew the name of." Tears rimmed her eyes, "you are the Angel. To endure such pain you must have felt. Please, Erik. Turn and face me."
Erik's eyes closed, and shame filled him. How could he allow his guard down? That stone wall of safety had been torn down in a single moment. Christine would be his undoing. He looked at her- her tearstained face, sparkling eyes. She was so beautiful. Every essence of her filled with primitive lovliness and innocence. His fingertips brushed underneath her chin, and he felt more hot tears run down his face. "Christine," he whispered softly to her, his seductive voice soothing her. He leaned down a bit, and kissed her gently on her lips, feeling her react instantly.
Her hands moved to the back of his neck, her fingers running through his hair as he kissed her sweetly and slowly. Christine pulled away slowly, staring into Erik's deep green eyes, which were glittering with tears. She gave him a sad smile. Erik examined her, "What is wrong?"
Christine looked down, shaking her head a little, "I was just thinking... I met someone earlier this evening. Someone... I met before, at the brothel."
Worry read in Erik's eyes, "What do you mean? Who?"
"A man named Raoul." Christine answered slowly, "I do not know his business at the Opera."
"What did he do to you?"
"Nothing... today."
Erik looked at Christine, and she saw anger lacing his eyes, "At the brothel, what happened with him? Did he hurt you?"
"Not much more than the others..." When Christine saw the disbelief in Erik's expression, she sighed and sat down, "Yes." She said breathlessly, "He hurt me. Erik, you could not imagine what it felt like. He- "
"This, on your arm," Erik sat beside her, staring at a large, purple bruise on Christine's upper arm, "was he the cause of this? And all of these marks on your neck?"
Christine rubbed her arm, flinching, for it was still very sore, "Yes, he caused these. I suppose- "
"And he is here? In my Opera?" Erik growled fiercely, and there was such anger in his voice Christine almost fear it. "I will murder him," Erik mutter beneath his breath.
"No, Erik, please," Christine cried. "Do not do anything you will regret."
"I will hardly regret this," Erik snarled.
Christine looked up into his hard eyes, "Please." She took a few steps toward him.
Erik sighed, and let her lean into his chest, his hands sliding across her waist, "Do you have any idea what you do to me, Christine?"
Christine gave him a devious smile and looked up, kissing him briefly on the lips, "Yes I do."
~o0o~
The next day...
Raoul's mind was far from easy. All that was on his mind was Christine, and he cursed himself for it. She was meant to only put his needs aside, to pleasure him. But now, to think of her warm touch and soft, tender skin made him feel aroused. Raoul cursed under his breath. He had been to many brothels many a time, so why did Christine captivate him now? What made her different from all the other whores? All Raoul knew, was that he once again was seeking for a woman's flesh, something that a man could never keep at bay for long.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Raoul stood and opened it, seeing the face of Meg Giry to greet him. "Meg," He said, almost hoarsely. To his horror, Meg was wearing her costume for the Opera they were working on at the present, Hannibal. She wore a few shreds of clothing on the upper half of her body, but only enough to cover her breasts. Still, the top half of her costume was cleavage-barring. She wore a skirt, it was short, showing most of her thighs. Raoul tried to move his gaze and meet her eyes.
Meg smiled, "We just finished a rehearsal. I thought I might come down to see you, if you are not preoccupied."
Raoul drew in a sharp breath, moving out of the doorway, "No, no, please come in. I am happy to have the company."
Meg entered, and sat down on a chaise across from where Raoul had taken a seat.
"Did rehearsal go well?" Raoul asked, clearing his throat and trying to keep his gaze at her eyes.
Meg nodded, "It did. I am beginning to become rather tedious with Hannibal- we performed it last year as well. And Carlotta's been simply horrible these last few days."
"Ah, yes, I believe I heard La Carlotta sing yesterday," Raoul said, unable to tear his gaze from Meg's cleavage. "She, ah... had an interesting, um, voice..."
Meg shifted, knowing exactly where he was looking, "Yes... she's horrid, isn't she?"
"Yes."
There was silence then, and Meg looked about the room, feeling immensely uncomfortable with Raoul's stare upon her. At last, she spoke, her voice edged with a sharp tone, "Raoul, please. May I ask why you continue to stare at... me?"
Raoul looked up, shifting, "Forgive me."
Meg nodded, and began to say something. But she lost her words, when Raoul came over and sat by her. She looked down, feeling terribly embarrassed. She could feel his eyes upon her, and suddenly she knew that she was wanted. She felt wanted. A desire rose inside her suddenly, and she tried to protest to it, hating herself for feeling this way. But she could hardly contain herself. She lifted her lips to Raoul's, kissing him. She felt his hands wrap around her waist, and her blonde hair tumbled onto him.
Raoul was overwhelmed with a feeling of desire, no, not just that. But lust. He pulled Meg's shirt over her blonde head, until she was completely topless. His hands ran over her breasts, and he brought his lips to her nipple. One of his hands, however, was on Meg's arm, gripping her with such force that she squirmed around to try to free it. But he was far too strong for her. She could feel her arm begin to bruise, and her breast ached terribly. He bit at her navel, making her cry out in pain.
Conscience came to her then, and she squirm away from Raoul. "Please," She said, attempting to catch her breath, "we mustn't." She reached for her costume, but Raoul came on top of her then, his eyes burning with passion.
Meg let out a whimper of fright, for Raoul was nude now, and she knew she would soon would be as well. "St-stop!" She cried, just before Raoul kissed her again, forcefully now, and his tongue explored her mouth roughly.
His hand ran down her thigh, and he squeezed on her upper thigh, his fingers soon exploring between her thighs, making her cry out in pain. She writhed beneath him, like a hunted animal beneath a trap. She was a strong little thing, Raoul realized with a flourish of anger as she hit him with all her might, taking every opportunity to scream.
But that would not matter in one moment, Raoul decided, and with force and speed, her pushed into her. Warm liquid came flooding from beneath her thighs, and Raoul felt the crimson liquid stain all over him. She was bleeding.
Her scream was so pain-filled Raoul almost jumped off of her, for she screamed directly in his ear. Tears flooded down Meg's face, and she called out in pain again.
Raoul only pushed deeper into her, kissing her again and causing her to cry out once more. But soon, he pushed out of her, collapsing beside her.
Meg's whole body shook with pain and fear, and she sobbed silently.
A few moments later, she and Raoul were both dressed again; and no words were said. But just as she was about to leave, Raoul grasped her arm with a forceful grip, "I would not dare to tell anyone of this, if I were you, Miss Giry," he commanded through gritted teeth.
Another tear found its way down Meg's cheek, and she merely turned and walked away. Everything had gone wrong.
~o0o~
Christine loved going up to the Opera. Now, she was walking in the main area, near the front door, seeing the people buzzling about to go do their jobs. Nobody seemed to take heed to her as she walked cheerfully through the Opera. She adored the Opera- everything was so beautiful. Christine made her way to the stage, seeing a few of the chorus girl practicing their dance.
She heard someone clear their throat behind her, and she turned to meet a pair of sparkling blue eyes. A girl looked back at her; she was blonde and a bit taller than Christine. She blinked confusedly, "I'm sorry," She said in a sweet voice, "Do I know you?"
Christine shook her head, "No, Mademoiselle, I am merely visiting the Opera. My name is Christine Daae."
The girl smiled, but something in her smile seemed false, as if it were somewhat forced. "I am Meg Giry."
"A pleasure," Christine said softly. "Do you work here?"
"Yes, as a chorus girl."
Christine looked down, "Forgive my impertinance- do you know of a man named Raoul? I..." Her voice trailed of a bit, "I met him before. I wondered if he worked at the Opera?"
Meg's face twisted in a peculiar expression Christine could not describe, "Yes, I have met the Vicomte De Chagny. He is a new Patron at the Opera."
Christine mustered a smile, "Thank you."
"You are welcome. If you will excuse me, I must get to rehearsal." Meg said coldly.
"Of course," Christine moved aside and allowed Meg to pass her. There was something strange about her, Christine thought to herself. But she did not think about it for too long, she began to make her way back down to the lair. She wanted to see Erik.
When she arrived amongst the candles and the familiar lake, she did not see Erik at first, but when she turned the corner into the small area she found him seat before his music box. Erik looked up at her and smiled, "Christine."
Christine sat near him, tilting her head sideways, "Do you know of a chorus girl by the name Meg Giry?"
"Indeed."
"Would you tell me of her?"
Erik thought for a moment, "She is obedient. She has lived here at the Opera for all of her life. There is not much else I know of her. Why do you ask?"
"I met her," Christine said, "She seemed... preoccupied. Frightened, perhaps." Christine shook her head, feeling foolish for even asking.
Erik stood, "I took the liberty of packing your bags."
Christine frowned, "May I ask why?"
"My friend has returned. He wishes me to meet him at the manor. I thought we might stay there for a few days." Erik replied.
~o0o~
At the manor...
Erik pushed open the heavy front door of his manor, allowing Christine to enter first before him. She came in and looked about the elegant hall. She heard a shuffling about on the first floor, and heard a muffled "Erik?" from the next room.
A man exited into the hall, and he stopped before Christine, staring at her. He had dark hair, and it was a bit shorter than Erik's. He had brown eyes and tan skin. He was tall and muscled, similar to Erik, but he was a bit shorter, and not quite as muscled. He looked quite similar to Erik, and now he watched her with fascination. "And who might you be?" He asked silkily.
Erik set down Christine's bags and made his way over to her, his arm resting on her waist, "This is Christine. Christine, this is my friend Nadir."
"Why do you say 'friend' so coldly, Erik?" Nadir said, grinning. "I rather thought you'd be happy to see me." Nadir moved his gaze she Christine, and he gave her a gracious nod, "A pleasure, Miss..."
"Daae, Christine Daae," Christine replied.
Nadir smiled kindly, "Daae." His gaze moved to Erik, but he still spoke to Christine, "I see you have been to Erik's, ah, other home."
Christine nodded, "Yes... I enjoy it there."
Erik coughed, "Yes, well, shall we go into the foyer?"
The three of them made their way into the foyer, and Christine took a seat next to Erik, Nadir seated across from them. Nadir raised an eyebrow, "And have you been gracious enough to show your friend what lies behind your mask, Erik?"
Erik grimaced, "I have."
Nadir grinned, "Wonderful. And what do you think, Christine? A monster, isn't he?" He laughed playfully, and Erik could not help but smile in return.
Nadir suddenly grew serious then, and his eyes cast upon Christine, "Has he told you, yet, of he came to have it?"
Erik's smile evaporated instantly.
Christine looked from one man to the other, "I... had thought he was born with it," She said uncertainly.
"Oh, no," Nadir replied darkly, "He was born quite handsome. It happened when we were children- "
"That's quite enough, Nadir," Erik snapped.
Nadir nodded, looking to the ground.
Christine looked at Erik, "What happened? How did you- "
"Please, Christine," Erik interrupted, trying to keep his voice soft. "Not now."
Nadir began to differ the subject, "Now, Christine. You say your last name is Daae? Have you any relation to the Swedish Violinist?"
Doesn't that ending SUCK?! Uggg I really hate myself, because 1) it's a really short chapter and 2) everything went way too fast in this chapter. But I simply can't think of a way to make it better. That's my problem, I either go really fast or really slow. Hope you guys read on nonetheless :/ Like I said, I am sorry! I will try to make the next chapter better, I promise! :)
IceQueen13345
