Disclaimer: I don't own anything Phantom of the Opera or Twilight (though I wish I did). Only original characters belong to me.

AN: This is going to be a much shorter chapter, with just a quick bit of insight into Ellie's emotions and thoughts. Actually, it's more of a "filler chapter," because it doesn't quite fit into the later ones. I'll post the next one soon, though, so don't worry.

Thanks so much for reading, and please review!

Chapter 7: An Inner Tug-of-War:

In the days following my trip to Seattle with Erik, my emotions and thoughts were in chaos. My mind and my heart were constantly fighting each other, and I had no idea what to do about it. It didn't help that Erik was proving to be the most romantic, thoughtful man I had ever met, either.

Even though I was in my late twenties, I had very little experience with men. I had been so focused on myself and achieving the goals my parents (though mostly my mother) wanted for me that I'd never really gotten the chance to date anyone, at least until I'd met Erik.

From my teens onwards, I had been focused on graduating high school and college, then proceeding on to getting a job to support myself. After I'd managed to find a good job, life had been the same old routine: getting up, going to work, and coming home for the night, before starting the whole cycle over again. I hadn't had time for love, dating, or romance; I was too busy trying to make my own life to concentrate on anything else.

It wasn't like I was a cold, career-driven person, though. I had friends I hung out with, mostly girls and their boyfriends, but dating just seemed beyond my comprehension. I was relatively content with what I had, and knew that if I didn't put my heart on the line, I wouldn't get hurt.

Oh, alright, I admit it: I was scared. I'd been scared then, and I was scared now.

Back then, I'd been on the listening end of stories my female friends told me about their own personal love lives. With all the horrible things they told me, it was no wonder that I didn't really want to be involved with anyone, especially not when things could get nasty or (at worst) abusive. Since I wasn't the sort of person who enjoyed drama, my head decided that I shouldn't get involved in a relationship.

My heart, however, was another story. Like any girl, I longed to love and be loved in return by someone special. Heck, I even thought it might be good to get my heart broken once or twice, but the fear of being caught up in drama I didn't want tended to push all feelings and longings for romance aside.

Then came Erik; the tall, dark, handsome, mysterious Frenchman who turned my entire world upside-down.

There wasn't a woman on the planet who'd have second thoughts about dating him. After all, Erik was rich, kind, polite, and chivalrous, all traits that were hard to find grouped in one man. Even with the mask, he was one stunning sight to behold.

'So why am I making such a big deal out of this?' I wondered, staring out the window at the back of my home.

Because I had no idea what I was doing, or what I was in for with this relationship.

Right now, it seemed as though Erik was moving things forward a bit quickly for my taste, and according to my friends back home, that could be a bad thing. My friends had always said that a man who moves fast is only after one thing, and that was something I was not willing to "give up" any time soon.

"Either that, or he's a clingy sort of person, desperate for attention," one of my friends had griped about one of her former beaus. "They want someone to love them and take care of them, like a nanny or maternal figure."

Since Erik wasn't clingy, but genuinely loving and passionate, I didn't think this was his problem. Nor was he the sort to hurry and try to get a girl into his bed, otherwise he would have tried it on me already.

But then, why had he asked me to join him on a trip to Seattle, a trip that was still stuck in the back of my head? That had been after two months of dating, and honestly, I believed that going on a trip as a couple was for those already in a long, serious relationship, which Erik and I hadn't been in at the time.

That was why my feelings and thoughts were all tied in knots: it was just too much for little inexperienced me to handle, and after that trip to Seattle, I knew that my feelings for Erik had changed.

Before the trip, I had merely liked being with him and spending time with him. Our dates had been the usual, low-key stuff, gradually moving up from trips to the movie theater to evenings at his art-filled home. His kisses had been soft and sweet, with a small spark of passion in them that kept me coming back for more.

Now, a month after Seattle, I knew that things were different. I was starting to fall for him, and that both scared and thrilled me. Inside, my heart was saying one thing, but my brain was screaming something else altogether. It was starting to drive me crazy.

Being a rather sensible person, I tended to listen to what my head was telling me. With Erik, it said that things were moving too quickly, than we needed to take our time and that I needed to get to know him better. After all, how much did I know about the man?

Well, I knew he was from the French countryside, and had grown up rather isolated from other people. I figured it had to do with the scars on his face, which appeared to have come from an encounter with a wild animal. My guess was that he had chosen to stay away from others for fear of social ridicule, and probably come to Forks for a change in scenery and society. All of that seemed to make sense, but Erik always avoided my questions, so I'd learned to stop asking and just let things be, a fact my brain found hard to accept.

My heart, on the other hand, was the opposite. Whenever Erik was around, I could feel my pulse quicken, my cheeks flush, and a smile form on my lips. Sometimes, I had to fight the very sappy urge to sigh, which I knew was a sign that I was falling for him.

But what had my heart really cheering was that even after three months of dating, I hadn't gotten tired of Erik's company, nor he of mine. In fact, it seemed as though Erik enjoyed it more with each evening or date we went on. And I had to admit, I loved spending time with him, too. But with my attention torn between two arguing parties, I knew I had to get help when it came to love.

And who better to go to for advice than a few friends of mine?


Needless to say, Alice and Bella were surprised to hear from me, but they agreed to come over. Since Bella was married and Alice was beyond in love with Jasper, I figured they'd be the best people to turn to. Besides, they were close to my age, and I didn't feel comfortable going to Rosalie, or Sue Clearwater, who was a widow –the last thing I needed was to bring up sad memories for her.

So here we were, seated comfortably on my couch, with me sandwiched between Bella and Alice.

Ever sympathetic and sisterly, Alice reached over to take my hand. As usual her skin was ice-cold, but that wasn't surprising, considering where we lived. Besides, I'd gotten used to it –Alice was a hugger, and always greeted me with a friendly embrace. Cold hands were nothing new to me.

"Now, Ellie, what's wrong?" she asked, tucking her feet up under her.

I took a deep breath, gathered my courage, and told them about my situation. Both listened intently, and when I finished, I saw an amused smile on Alice's face.

"Did it scare you? When you met Jasper, I mean," I asked, looking at her, then at Bella. "Or when you met Edward?"

Alice shook her head. "I knew that Jasper was The One for me. Don't ask me how, but I knew."

Bella smiled awkwardly. "It wasn't that easy for me and Edward. When we first met, I thought he hated me for some reason, and it took us a while to work things out. But in the end, we knew we were drawn to each other, and saw how deep our love went."

Her head quirked to one side in puzzlement. "Are you having confusing feelings about Erik? Is that why you wanted to talk?"

I sighed and pulled my knees up under my chin. "I don't know what or how I feel. Part of me feels something strongly for him, but another part…"

Alice patted my shoulder in sympathy. "You're listening to your head more than your heart, Ellie," she said. "The problem is that you've got little to no experience when it comes to love, and having those feelings scares the hell out of you."

She was right, and I told her so. "The only things I have to go on when it comes to guys are the stories my friends back in Oregon told me," I said, rubbing my temples. "Some of what they've said has to be good advice, but the rest of it has to be angry venting, and I just don't know how to shift through that to find what I need."

Bella leaned over and put her arms around me. "You're making this more complicated than it really is," she whispered. "You're relying on what you've heard rather than experiencing it for yourself. Hearing and feeling are two completely different things. Let your feelings out more, and if your heart says to go on dating Erik, then do it."

"Sometimes the head is right, and sometimes the heart is," Alice said. "But the only way you'll find out which one is the winner is if you just go with it and see where love and life takes you."

Though I was scared to take their advice, I knew it was the best that I'd ever gotten. I had to just let things go and see where this whole thing with Erik would take me.

Inside, I smiled as my heart beat faster with just the mere thought of him. Maybe going with the flow wouldn't be so bad after all.


"She's in love with him," Alice said as she turned onto the main road towards home.

Bella looked over at her in surprise. "You're joking, right?" Then she remembered who she was talking to, and laughed. "Of course you're not. Did you See something when it came to Ellie and Erik?"

Her sister-in-law smirked. "I didn't need to; it's all over her face. She's falling hard for him, but her head keeps fighting it. Her mind is filled with doubt, and it's keeping her from going to the next level in their relationship. I think we gave her a nudge in the right direction, though. I Saw the two of them sitting in a very cozy position on his couch, so I'm pretty sure that things will be looking up for them."

"I hope so," Bella muttered, worried in spite of herself. "Ellie deserves to be happy, and so does Erik."

It was a pity that she and Alice couldn't tell Ellie the truth about their relationships with their husbands. Vampire romances were a bit different than their werewolf counterparts, but the "connections" that formed were the same: both knew when they had found their soulmates, and knew when to recognize the connection.

In regards to Erik, there was no doubt that he knew Ellie was his other half. Ellie, however, knew nothing about her boyfriend's true nature, and had to slowly build on her feelings the old-fashioned way.

Bella looked out the window and sighed. Hopefully, everything would work out in the end –for both of them.


AN: Review?