Chapter 10

Decisions

Meg woke up alone in the big ridiculously swan-shaped bed in the Phantom's lair and frowned. Something was wrong because she had definitely not fallen asleep alone in there and the slow melancholy tune coming from the harmonium was not a good sign.

"I swear, if he says something along the lines of 'last night should not have happened'…"

"Last night should not have happened." Erik said about twenty seconds later after she had asked what on earth he was brooding about this time.

Meg slapped her forehead and felt like screaming.

"Erik," she began with forced calmness "I love you but I swear to God, if you keep going like this I will have to hit you. Hard. And I find it hard to believe you regret last night when you're sitting at your organ shirtless and you're practically showing off with the overly complicated thing you just played. Don't even try to tell me it's not an attempt to impress me."

He sighed and started looking for his shirt which he had thrown God knows where the previous night.

"You don't understand, Meg! Things won't be as you imagine them. If you're with me you'll be an outcast too. I will make you miserable."

"You're making me miserable right now. But you can remedy that by marching up there and taking things into these supposedly ingenious hands of yours because otherwise this opera house is going down. Albert can't manage on his own, he needs your help."

"What do you want from me? I cannot save the opera any more than I can save myself. Go and plead with your young handsome knight who is waiting for you up there, maybe he can."

This time she did slap him.

"How dare you! I have not so much as looked at him in a romantic way! I deliberately stood away from him, although I enjoy his company, just to show how devoted I was to you! You know, I've had enough of your whining. I'm going back up and if you're really that smart you'll spend the time you have alone rethinking your attitude. What exactly do you want? You have a girl who loves you a friend who's willing to risk his well-being for you and the chance to avoid punishment for crimes you would have been hung for! When you're ready, I'll be there. But you're right, I can't live like this. If you really won't change, I don't want to see you again!"

He had his back to her as she dressed, got into the boat and glided angrily away. An even more melancholy tune followed in her wake.

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It had been two days since she had left.

Erik tapped his fingers on the smooth surface of the organ, deep in thought. Surprisingly, he had gotten on his own nerves playing depressing music.

You see true beauty when you love…

The list of people he considered himself fond of was very short. But after much analyzing, he thought he saw what she had meant. He was a genius after all.

It was like this: Albert's humming as he wandered around with a hammer and a bag of nails was almost completely out of tune but it was so enthusiastic and cheerful it made you want to sing along just as out of tune. Which was a strange desire for a musical genius like Erik.

Mme Giry's lullabies when Meg had been young were sweet enough to bring tears to your eyes just as easily as Christine's best performances.

And when he remembered Meg's voice, he wanted to hear it. With all of its imperfections. He wanted it, exactly as it was.

Was it the same for her? Had she memorized every line of his face, every imperfection because they were as beautiful to her as the little faults of her voice were beautiful to him? The idea of her thinking of him with as much appreciation as he had just thought of her was more than just pleasant. Was it possible? True, her voice could not be considered ugly in any circumstances while the same thing could not be said about his face. But then again maybe she had more practice with love to overcome bigger things.

Could he do the same thing? Maybe he could listen to these amateur singers who now seemed pathetic to him and look for that hidden charm. And then he would find a way to show just that to the audience.

Well, it would be a better apology to Meg than any other.

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He grabbed a blank music sheet and set to work.

Erik had opened the note Albert had sent him trough Meg shortly after she was gone but hadn't responded in any way until now. At first he hadn't been in the mood and later… well, to tell the truth, he hadn't had the courage.

The note itself was short and to the point. There was no mistaking the meaning. And yet Erik had kept turning the paper over, looking for the catch, maybe a paragraph written in very small script or some kind of evidence that this was a joke.

The note read:

Dear Erik,

The people of Paris still consider you dead but your name has been cleared and the sympathies of the public seem to be with you. I think now would be a good time for you to come out of the shadows. I have a business proposal for you. I would like to offer you the position of music director here at the Opera Populaire. If our gamble pays off and the opera is successfully reopened, you will be paid a salary of 35 000 franks. In order for that to happen I will need your help in training our cast members. Find me and let me know.

Albert

Well, he had finally decided to find him. Albert was on the roof of the opera house that night. Erik watched silently behind a statue the young man who was slowly pacing with hands in his pockets and whistling.

What was it about this boy that you just couldn't avoid liking him? He was a talented designer but incurably naïve. How he had managed to keep his business running was a mystery. Maybe it was because there were always people around him willing to help forward his plans and do the things he was unfit for while all he really had to do was Mean Well. And he was so good at Being Good and Meaning Well that it overpowered any flaws he had.

Albert saw him just as he stepped out of the shadows and grinned.

"Finally. So, you're here."

"Obviously."

"Have you decided to accept my offer?"

"I have a question."

"Why?"

Erik frowned.

"Why what?"

"Isn't that your question? Why?"

"Oh… Yes. Why?"

Albert shrugged.

"It felt right."

Erik paced back and forth for a minute before stopping and fixing the other man with a rather dark stare.

"But I killed them. And you and your brother arranged this whole illegal and very dangerous staging to ensure that I get dry out of the water? Where is the catch?"

"You'll have to endure my cast's singing. Isn't that punishment enough?"

The corners of Erik's mouth twitched before he became serious again.

"Did you think that by showing me this "great act of kindness" I would suddenly realize that human beings are not such cruel and disgusting creatures and become a better man?"

"Something like that, yes." Albert confessed. "Did it work?"

Erik hesitated.

"I don't know. But… I will teach your… singers. If they can be taught at all. After that… we'll see."

"Fair enough." Albert shrugged. "There's still the problem with the score…"

"I'm working on something. But that leads me to another question…"

"Yes?"

"Meg."

Albert stared in surprise.

"Meg? What about Meg?"

"What are your feelings for her?"

"Oh, dear. I see." Albert laughed which caused Erik to look at him almost murderously. "Meg is my friend."

"Nothing more?"

Albert sighed.

"Look… I know you love her. If I didn't know that, I might have fallen in love with her myself. She's an incredible young woman. But I'm not like you. I'm too young and too carefree for so much drama. My great love is still somewhere in the future. Things are just not so… fatal for me. Besides… You're all she ever talks about; I don't think there's any mistaking her feelings."

The Phantom of the Opera blushing was a sight to behold, Albert thought to himself.

"I still don't understand you." Erik said shaking his head.

"You don't have to. I am what I am. I have always had a very happy life and I have always thought helping others achieve the same was a way of saying thank you."

Erik nodded slowly.

"And how can I say than you?"

"I would also love to find out what you're working on."

"As a matter of fact… you're welcome down. The costumes can use an extra designer."