Natalie curled up in the shadows of upper riggings of the stage. Earlier she had managed to convince Erik that it was for the best if he didn't come to tonight's performance. She hadn't mentioned that his demands were being ignored, but if he wasn't here, he wouldn't find out. However the show was Il Muto, which meant in the movie, Joseph Buquet was supposed to be killed, so Natalie was up here as a precaution. If Erik came up here, she'd be able to spot him and prevent the murder. But she wasn't supposed to be up here, which is why Natalie was hiding.
Actually the show turned out to be quite good, minus the fact Carlotta was singing. Natalie couldn't believe that so many people came to listen to her squeal. Natalie shifted in her seat, but lost her balance and fell. Not down to the stage, but to the platforms where the scene shifters worked, maybe 5 feet or so. She got up and quickly tried to scramble back to her hiding spot, but before she could get up, a hand grabbed her. "What are you doing up here?"
She turned and saw Joseph Buquet. "I, uh, got lost," Natalie stammered. "I was just leaving."
"Not so fast," he snarled. "What are you really doing up here? Causing mischief? Helping the Phantom?"
Natalie laughed nervously. "The Phantom? Why would you think I'd be helping him? I don't even know the Phantom. I've never seen him," she lied.
"Oh really? Then pray tell where do you disappear to every day in rehearsal huh? Nobody ever sees you during the day, it's like you vanish off the face of the earth. You're in league with him."
"Me? Oh no. I just like exploring that's all. And this place is so huge it's so easy to get lost. In fact, that's how I wound up here. Now if you'll excuse me, I really must be going…"
Buquet forced her back around to face him. "No," he said. "Do stay. You may be helping that damned ghost, but you're really very pretty." He reached up and began to stroke her hair. "And I'd hate to let such a pretty girl go to waste. Especially one that comes up here so willingly."
Warning sirens began going off in Natalie's head. She tried pulling away but his grip on her was too tight. Buquet grabbed her dress strings and began trying to untie them. Natalie looked around frantically but there was no one there to help her. She was alone. But she wasn't totally defenseless. Thinking fast, Natalie kneed him in the groin, causing Buquet to double over. She turned to run, but he managed to twist his fingers in her long hair and drag her back to him. "Feisty one aren't ya?" he growled. "I like it."
Natalie began hitting his chest, but to no avail. "No!" she cried. "No!"
Erik ducked out of sight as soon as he had switched the bottles. He was infuriated that Carlotta was given the lead, so he swapped her throat spray with one of his own concoctions. One that should ruin her voice for the night, forcing the managers to give Christine the role. Not that it really mattered. That damn boy was in his box, and none of Erik's usual tricks had scared him away.
He had promised Natalie that he wouldn't come, but he just couldn't stay away. He knew that the managers wouldn't obey him, and if he let it slide once, they'd never listen to him. That and he wanted, no needed, to see Christine again. Needed, Erik reminded himself. He loved her. High above the theater, he began to pace, waiting for his mixture to destroy Carlotta's evening in the spotlight.
"No!" he heard a very familiar feminine voice exclaim. "Let me go!" Erik looked up and saw Joseph Buquet ripping Natalie's dress off of her as she tried in vain to escape. But Natalie wasn't nearly as strong as the much larger man and was helpless.
Erik knew that Buquet had considered himself a one-man Opera Ghost hunting team. If he could just lead him away from her. But how could he without being discovered? Looking around the theater for any ideas, Erik once again found himself staring at the Vicomte who was in his spot and he came up with a plan. "Box Five was to be kept empty," he boomed. The rest of the theater fell silent, and Buquet paused to look around.
But Carlotta didn't let the quiet last long. She tried to pick back up where they had stopped, but Erik's potion had kicked in, and she began to croak like a frog. With chaos down on the stage below, Buquet turned his attention back to Natalie.
His original plan having failed, Erik started to run as Buquet pressed his mouth against Natalie's in a forced kiss. Apparently she bit his lip, because Buquet pulled away with a cry of fury. Natalie then proceeded to spit in Buquet's face. "You little bitch," he roared, pulling her dress away and revealing her corset. When Buquet reached for that, Erik skidded to a halt behind them.
"No!" Erik shouted. Before anyone could react, Erik had slipped his Punjab lasso around Buquet's neck, and the scene shifter was hanging above the stage. A hundred screams mixed with Natalie's as his body crashed down.
"Natalie? Natalie are you alright?" Erik asked. She pulled her dress around herself then turned and ran. "Natalie!" he cried before giving chase.
The two wound their way through the opera, climbing higher and higher, until Natalie disappeared through the door that led to the roof. Erik dashed through right behind her, but the rooftop was empty. Panic engulfed him. Had she jumped? "Natalie?"
A strangled sob came from one of the many statues. So she was here, she was hiding. But hiding from who? From him? Before Erik could find out, the door opened again, forcing him to disappear as well. To his surprise, it was Christine and Raoul. This couldn't be good.
Erik was right. Christine thought he had killed Buquet because of her. Erik really was a monster in her eyes. And that damn boy was there, full of promises, full of hope, full of light for Christine. It was no surprise when they kissed and exchanged those dreaded three words. Erik watched in horror as his beloved Christine told Raoul how much she loved him. When they left, Erik briefly considered following them, but another sob stopped him.
Natalie wrapped her arms around herself to try and stop shaking. She doubted it was from the cold even though it was snowing outside. On the other side of the statue she could hear Christine crying as well, except she had Raoul and Natalie had no one to comfort her.
She couldn't believe Buquet was dead. Natalie had gone there to stop his death, and instead she had caused it. Before tonight, she had never truly believed Erik was a killer, but when she saw the crazed look in his eyes, Natalie realized he was capable of truly terrible deeds. And it scared her.
Back in school, Natalie had read Macbeth. One of the characters had been constantly washing her hands in her sleep, trying to cleanse herself of her involvement in a murder. At the time, Natalie had laughed. Now, however, she saw that she was doing the same thing. But she knew it would never change anything; she couldn't bring him back.
"Natalie?" She looked up and saw Erik staring at her, concern in his eyes.
"You killed him," she said numbly. "I knew you were a lot of things, but I never once thought you were a murderer."
He reached out, but Natalie shied away. "I don't know what you want me to say," he said exasperatedly.
Just then, they both looked up. They could hear Raoul and Christine singing, pledging their love. Jealously flashed across Erik's face. He looked as if he was going to go after them. Natalie shot up and stood defiantly in front of the door. "I want you to say…no, I want you to swear that you will not hurt anyone else here. Even Raoul. One murder was too many."
"I promise. But I was just trying to protect you."
Natalie took a shaky breath. "I know. But that didn't mean you needed to kill."
Again Erik reached out, as if to comfort her. Natalie's eyes widened. "No!" she cried. "Don't touch me!" He immediately recoiled. Betrayal was written across his face, and Natalie knew she had crossed a line. She had dehumanized him into an animal, just like every other person on earth.
Erik turned on his heel and fled, leaving Natalie totally alone. She burst into tears. She hadn't meant to hurt him, but all she could see was Joseph Buquet's blood on his hands.
With a crash, the chair toppled over. Erik was throwing anything and everything he could get his hands on. Music was scattered everywhere. His home was a disaster. He should have known better. He should have known it was too good to last. He should have known no one would ever accept him. Once again, Erik was feeling the sting of rejection. Every time he was willing to trust someone, it blew up in his face. Every single time. He should be used to it by now, especially after Christine this morning. And yet, somehow, the loss of Natalie hurt him more than losing Christine.
Natalie wasn't sure how much time had passed until Meg and Madame Giry found her. She was cold, wet, and covered in snow. They brought her inside and wrapped the shaking girl in blankets. "What happened?" Madame Giry asked. Natalie glanced at Meg before staring hard at the floor. The ballet mistress sent her daughter away before repeating the question.
"I…I had a bad feeling. I knew something bad was going to happen to Joseph Buquet, and I knew that the Phantom was involved. Don't ask me how I know, I just did. I thought maybe if I was up there, I could stop it. Buquet found me and he tried…he tried…" Natalie swallowed hard, unable to finish the sentence. "The Phantom stopped him. He…he killed Buquet. He saved me, and then I treated him like a monster. I'm despicable." She hung her head and let the tears fall. "He was just trying to protect me."
"So what are you going to do now?" Madame Giry asked.
Natalie stood up. "I'm going to go find him. I need to tell him how sorry I am. I know he might not forgive me. And I understand if he can't. But I can't live with myself if he thinks I think he's an animal."