Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera (the musical/opera or the book) or any of the music or any of the characters. I do not own Love Never Dies or any of the music or characters from that show. I only own my OC Sylvia.
Foreword: Okie-dokie! So, to start this chapter off, I would like to dedicate it to grapejuice101, for a few reasons; IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY! =D Happy birthday, this is my gift to you! Also, you've helped me out a lot with this story so thanks again! And you're also a very loyal reviewer! Hope you enjoy it!
Chapter Eight
Erik arrived back at Phantasma, head spinning. He couldn't believe he'd just made that bet; of course he'd win, but it, of course, still made him nauseous. The sky was a smoke grey and some mist clinging close to the ground. He was making his way to find Sylvia when he ran into none other than Christine and Gustave. He paused where he stood as they did the same, a few feet parting them.
" Erik." Christine said quietly. Mentally, he briefly wondered how she actually knew his name, and then suspected Sylvia had told her. He gave a polite nod, neck strained and jaw clenched. " I'd… I would… I would like to apologize to you. For the way I acted all those years ago. It has come to my realization that you truly love my sister and that she truly returns your love. I'm going to accept that you two are now family, and that it now means you are my family. I am truly sorry." The tone of her voice was sincere yet hesitant at the same time. Erik knew she was still trying to accept it all, but by the look on her face, he figured she might be trying.
" And I'm sorry I screamed. I guess I may have judged you too soon." Gustave said quietly. Erik let out a small smile.
" I accept your apology. Both of them. I appreciate them both greatly." Erik told them sincerely with a nod. Christine smiled a tad as well and nodded.
" Thank you. Also, I believe Sylvia was looking for you, she said she would be backstage getting ready."
" Oh, may I go help her?" Gustave asked politely, at which, Christine smiled.
" Of course, dear." Christine told him, and he turned and ran off, excited to be able to help his aunt. When Christine turned back from watching Gustave running away, Erik had disappeared, just like all those years ago. Just like a ghost. Like the Phantom of the Opera.
OOO
Sylvia was on her way towards her dressing room when she saw Gustave weaving his way through backstage. She smiled at the sight of him and stopped as he rushed over to her.
" Hello, Gustave. What are you doing back here?" She asked. Gustave reached up and took her hand.
" Mother told me I could come back here to help you get ready for the performance. Of course, if you don't mind." He added on, smiling up at her. Sylvia grinned and nodded at him.
" Of course! Come, my dressing room is just down the hall."
OOO
" Gustave, could you hand me those earrings? The sapphires on the left?" She asked, gesturing to a box in the upper corner of the desk. He reached out, sitting in the chair and took them, placing them in Sylvia's waiting hand. She smiled at him and turned back to the mirror, putting the earrings in place. She smoothed out the skirt of her white dress. She wiped a bit of the red lipstick that had gone astray from the curve of her lip and smiled, turning to face her nephew. " There. How do I look?" she asked. Gustave looked up at her and smiled.
" You look so beautiful. So very beautiful." Sylvia grinned and kissed him on the top of the head and placing a hand on his cheek. She loved him so much even though she'd only met him a short time ago. She felt like she knew him already. He was playful and adventurous and funny and fun; all the things she had been when she was his age. " Like a queen in a book." She grinned and lifted up her skirts and waltzed around to the other side of the desk, holding her chin high, pretending to be a queen. The two laughed as she stopped by the other side of the chair, crouching down to come eye level with him.
" You too are beautiful. So very beautiful. Once this performance is through, we'll spend some time just us two. Won't that be fun?" She promised, smiling at him He nodded and the two heard the sound of the door opening.
Raoul stepped through the slightly crooked door, shutting it behind him. He wore a well-fitted tuxedo, his golden hair was carefully brushed back again and his white silk bow tie slightly askew. He turned and faced the two in the room, and Sylvia stood. He stared at her, the way she was dressed and the way her make-up had been put on. She was no longer the innocent little girl he'd played with as a boy. She was the beautiful, confident woman that he'd met again at the Opera Populaire ten years ago.
" Father, Doesn't Aunt Sylvia look lovely tonight?" Asked Gustave. Raoul smiled at Sylvia, nodding.
" Indeed she does… As lovely as she looked the first time I showed up at her dressing room door." Raoul said, remembering that night, the night she'd been kidnapped from the stage. However, she had looked beautiful despite the occurrences. Sylvia gave a small smile and looked him over.
" And, Raoul, look at you! You look just like that handsome boy in the opera box! The one that always encouraged Christine and I and showed up at every performance. The one who never gave up on us." She smiled at him. Raoul looked down at his son, placing a hand on his shoulder.
" Please, Gustave, if you don't mind, go and wait outside a while." He sang, smiling lovingly at the boy. Gustave stood and looked up at his father, who was walking with him towards the door.
" But when's Aunt Sylvia going to sing? I don't want to miss it!"
Sylvia saw the look on Raoul's face and sensed that he wanted to talk with her. She walked over to Gustave and smiled, gently ruffling his hair, which caused him to smile and laugh a bit.
" Go and wait backstage, my dear. Soon your father will fetch you there." She sang as Raoul opened the door. " You, your father and your mother can watch from the wings." With a happy nod the boy walked from the room. Raoul began to shut the door and Sylvia went to sit in her chair, continuing to fix her hair. She looked over at Raoul and smiled at him, finally noticing his bowtie. She stood again and walked over to him.
" Your bowtie is a bit crooked, Raoul." She teased him, straightening it out for him. " It reminds me of the time you attempted to teach us how to tie them. It was a miserable attempt." The two laughed a bit as she returned to her chair. Raoul felt his smile slowly dying away and he looked to his feet. He had to make sure that she didn't sing, that she left with him.
" Sylvia, I… I must apologize profusely to you." Said Raoul quietly, running a hand over his face. Sylvia's own face scrunched in confusion as she looked up at her life-long friend.
" Apologize? What for?" She asked.
" For what I did ten years ago. For that night when I left you with that man, the night that you disappeared." He explained. " I shouldn't have left you, I should have immediately gotten you and taken you with Christine and I. I had been selfish and cruel and I can't believe I let you of all people suffer. And for ten years. By leaving you there I subjected you to ten long years of suffering." Raoul told her, voice quavering. She stared up at him in shock, mouth hanging open.
" Raoul, I wasn't suffering." She told him. " You have no need to apologize, you have to understand-"
" I do understand, Sylvia. You may not, but I do. I feel horrid for not seeing you for ten years. Ten long years!" He grasped both her warm, delicate hands in his as he crouched down before her, looking up into her blue eyes. She looked confused and worried yet so beautiful at the same time. He couldn't let her stay here. " I've missed you. I've missed seeing you, I've missed your smile and missed hearing you laugh and sing. And I'm so sorry for my actions and what I've done." He grasped her hands tighter, hanging his head for a long moment that was encased in silence.
" Though I've no right to ask you to, there's one thing more I'd have you do…" He sang as he looked up at her. " If you love me as I love you…" He murmured the last part almost so quietly that Sylvia thought she could have imagined it.
" Raoul, what is it?" She asked, turning in her chair to face him, running her thumbs comfortingly over his knuckles, seeing the pain and sadness etched into every inch of his familiar face.
" Don't sing the song, dear." Raoul insisted as he stood a bit. Shock overcame Sylvia's face.
" What? Raoul, I'm going to sing-"
" You have to know something is terribly wrong, dear!" Raoul told her, grasping her hands tighter.
" Raoul, this song means everything to him, to me, I'm going to sing!" Sylvia told him, voice shaking a bit. He suddenly removed his hands from hers and walked towards the large mirror, staring at it uneasily for a moment.
" That Hell-spawned demon! He's had us playing his game all along, dear!" Raoul spat darkly, coming to stand behind her chair, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
" Please, Raoul, listen to me, you still can't be thinking like this!" Sylvia sang, tears coming to her eyes as she grabbed his hand. He crouched down on the other side of her and looked at her with sadness as a few tears began to roll down her face.
" You need so much, it's true… And I've denied you… You need the man you knew back here beside you." He lifted his hands and placed them on her cheeks, wiping tears off her fair skin and pink cheeks with his thumbs. " You need the man you knew back here beside you!" He gave her a small, loving smile. " You'll have him back, I vow! Just ask it of me! But we must leave here now! If you still love me…" He sang, placing his hands on her shoulders, smile slowly fading. He leaned forward and pressed a long kiss to the top of her head before pulling her into a tight hug.
Sylvia was shaking. She was confused. Raoul was telling her that he would no longer be the jealous man he'd become that night at the Opera House and that he would change. But she would have to leave. She couldn't leave.
" Raoul, I can't leave." She told him, resting her chin on his shoulder. He rubbed her back and then pulled away, holding her shoulders.
" Listen! Please! I have passage for four to Schoenberg on the Atlantic Queen. It leaves tonight; let's be on it! For both our sakes… and Christine's. And Gustave's." He begged he looked out one of the windows where the sheer white curtains had been drawn back. " Leave this place behind." There was a moment of silence as Sylvia stared at the floor.
She just needed time to think. She knew she wouldn't leave, she never would. But she was beginning to feel sick again and her head was feeling jumbled. She looked up at Raoul.
" Go find Gustave and Christine, wait with them. Tell the stage manager not to disturb me, I need some time." She told Raoul, removing her earrings. He nodded, obviously happy to oblige, and he pulled her into another warm, tight, long hug, which she returned, closing her eyes tightly. Erik stood behind the mirror, watching. His heart was pounding. She couldn't actually be considering leaving, could she… could she? Raoul released Sylvia and headed to the door, sending her a smile before walking out.
When he was gone Sylvia wrapped her arms tightly around herself and felt herself beginning to shake with tears. She dropped her head to her desk as she lifted an arm to wrap around the back of her head. She let herself cry and didn't notice when Erik stepped into the room, the curtains billowing around him. He looked over to the desk to see his wife sobbing. Quickly walking over, he knelt beside her, wrapping an arm around her trembling shoulders. She looked up at him and wiped at her cheeks.
" You know his love is not enough. You know he isn't what you need. You know you're made of finer stuff. I think on that, we're all agreed." He sang to her gently, rubbing her shoulders. He took her hands in his and she felt comforted by his familiar fingers caressing her hands. He helped her stand and brushed a curly strand of hair from her face.
The lights in the room were dim, creating shadows on his face and making his dark attire blend in perfectly with the shadows of the room. Sylvia looked up at him as he left a hand on her cheek.
" It's time to leave him in the dust! It's time to be who you should be!" He released her hands, keeping strong eye contact with her, backing up towards the mirror. She never broke her gaze from his and watched him intently, hypnotized by him like she always had been. " It's time to do now as you must and set the music in you free!" She shut her eyes and took in a deep breath before releasing it and she felt her entire body relax.
As her eyes opened she looked at Erik, who was beginning to smile at her.
" In moments, mere moments drums will roll! There you stand just like before!" He sang to her grinning happily, gesturing to the mirror as if it were the stage. " The crowd will hush! And then in one sweet rush," Sylvia found her heart fluttering the way it had always done just before a performance. She rushed towards the mirror and stood in front of it almost as if she could still see the audience. " I will hear you sing once more!" He couldn't wipe the loving grin from his lips as he took a beautiful necklace off the table and walked up behind his wife.
" And music, our music, will swell and then unwind!" He brought the necklace around her neck and clasped it together, letting it rest at the back of her throat. Sylvia stared at the beautiful piece of jewelry that clung to her neck. He moved her hair from under the chain and then placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around to face away from the mirror.
" Like two strands of melody at last entwined!" He sang with all the passion in the world, extending a hand towards her as she then walked forward as if silently commanded to do so and sat down in her chair. " Fulfill us, complete us! Make us whole! Seal our bond forever more!" He lifted the earrings from the tabletop and took her hand, gently placing the jewelry in her palm. His hands enveloped hers as he closed her fingers. " Tonight, for me, embrace your destiny, let me hear you sing," She stared up at him, eyes once again locked with his. She could see and hear his love for her in his voice and in his eyes, and that amazed her. " Once more!"
Erik began to back away into the shadows again, his hands sliding from hers, but her hand was left extended towards him as she kept staring at him as he disappeared into the shadows. He had always managed to put her in a trance-like state with only his voice, it was one of the things that amazed her about him.
Once he was gone she quickly brought her hand to her chest. She opened her palm and looking at the sparkling sapphires that sat there like crystallized teardrops.
" Five minutes, Miss Daaé!" The stage manager called out. She blinked rapidly, shaking her head.
" Twisted every way, what answer can I give?" She questioned herself, shutting her eyes. She wanted to say yes to the two of them; to her husband and to her brother. But she couldn't. She had to choose one.
" Sylvia, Sylvia… don't think that I don't care…" She could hear Raoul's voice singing.
" But every hope and every prayer rests on you now!" Came Erik's voice.
Looking up at nothing in particular she took her earrings and put them back in place, decisions still buzzing in her head.
Afterword: And there's the chapter! Okay, I was gonna make it longer, but I need to go find a website for the lyrics to 'Devil Takes the Hindmost reprise' otherwise I'll have to listen really closely and fail at writing it or not to it at all :-/ Which would suck cause it's a pretty awesome song!
ONTO THE REVIEWS! =D
halloween princess: Yes, it would appear that men are possessive XD Especially these two! I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you liked the update! Thanks again!
Gamerlady123: I'm glad you liked Devil Take The Hindmost, it was really fun to write! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Thanks again!
grapejuice101: Again, happy birthday! =D And I'm glad you liked it! Hope the whole 'Erik puts her into a trance' scene was good! Thanks again!
AmberRedRose: I'm glad you've been excited for the chapters! I'm still totally in love with your Hangover story XD Anyway, thanks again and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Phantom's Ange: Hmmm, since you mentioned the 'Raoul maybe has feelings for Sylvia' I've been thinking the same… maybe he does. Maybe he had feelings for her at one point but then realized he loved Christine, but still has those residual feelings underneath. Very interesting concept! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
skittlesgirl99: YAY I'M EVIL! =D Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
PhantomFan01: You can feel her internal conflict however. Raoul just had to come in and be all 'please, you know we're family!' kind of thing, didn't he? XD I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for the review!
Funnygirl00: That's awesome! =D I'm actually going to see it in October, so I have a few months to wait. But I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I hope you liked the chapter! Thanks again!
And thank you to all who have added this story to their alerts or their favorites!
Okay THIS IS IMPORTANT. O.O I have put a poll up on my profile to ask what people might want me to do for another story. I've given three ideas I've had up and I'd appreciate it if you'd vote! Also, to those who know about my Doctor Who fanfiction, it isn't up on the Poll because it's a definite story, the first chapter is almost done. The poll may close on Thursday, but I may extend it. Vote please and thank you!
Reviews would be loved! I'd like to know how I'm doing and such! Thanks again to everyone who read/reviewed/added to favorites/alerts! It means the world to me! Reviews please and thank you! Thanks again!
~Mary
