Disclaimer: I do not own the Phantom of the Opera or any of the characters in it. Gaston Leroux does.
Time Goes By
Chapter 10- The Calm Before the Storm
A/N- You have no idea how sorry I am that it took forever to update. Well anyways here is this new chapter. I hope you all like it. I worked really hard on it, just to let you know. Oh yeah and this chapter will be Erik focused so almost all of the dialogue that comes out of Erik is really his thoughts, he will speak a couple of times though. So read carefully! Enjoy!
The Greatest thanks once again to my AMAZING beta Pink Spider11!
Silence bestowed upon Christine and Erik. For what seemed like hours neither of them spoke. Finally Christine asked,
"Erik, darling, are you sure that you are okay?"
Erik looked up. His face stiffened, but managed to say in a barely auditable voice,
"Yes, dear"
Christine intently fixed her gaze upon Erik. There was an expression on his face that she just couldn't figure out. Was it anger? Confusion? Sadness? At the moment, it was almost as if they were in two separate worlds. What could she have done to make him like this? But then again, Erik's emotions changed as fast as the weather. He would come around eventually. So Christine continued to stare out the window in a state of tranquility.
Erik could not believe what he had just seen. He trusted Christine; she wouldn't just leave him like that, right? But even then, Erik wouldn't be surprised. Who could love such a repulsive creature anyway? Memories haunted Erik of his younger days at the traveling circus. He couldn't possible relive that. He remembered everything. He remembered Javert, publicizing Erik's gruesome face to the public whenever he obtained the chance. He remembered the gypsies tormenting him and calling him Don Juan because of his face. He wouldn't possibly be able to be a good husband to Christine. She deserved much better than him.
As the ride progressed, more and more thoughts bothered Erik about Christine. Erik looked up at her, hoping to catch a glimpse of his beautiful fiancé, but instead seeing a tense face deep in thought. Erik, once again, took it for something that it wasn't.
He began to think again.
"Is Christine afraid of me, of my face?" Erik lifted his hand up to his mask, and ran his fingers around its frame. He felt every turn, and crevice in the mask.
"No." He told himself. "Christine loves me and I love her, I am not going to doubt her again."
The carriage stopped. They had arrived. Erik still had an uneasy feeling about "this" but was reassured, once he felt Christine's hand grasp his.
"Erik this is beautiful!"