Chapter 11

Ashley couldn't tell if she was being followed or not, but all she knew was that she wanted to keep as far from the shadows as possible if so. She didn't want Erik following her if he did decide to pass his judgment on her after all. She didn't try looking back to the opera house, knowing if she did she would turn around and go back. She just kept running as far as her legs would carry her, keeping under the light of the street lamps so she could see what was around her.

She pulled her hood over her head as she broke into a sprint. She ran as long and as far as she could until she finally collapsed from her exhaustion. Her lungs on fire, her throat sore and her legs feeling like lead weights. She took that moment to look around and figure out where she was. As she looked up, she saw a large cathedral standing proud and tall out in the middle of a cleared space. Notre-Dame. Ashley released a soft chuckle.

"Funny how I would end up here." She said to herself. She tried pushing herself up to her feet, as difficult as it was, and reluctantly made her way towards the intimidating building. As she approached the large wooden doors, she took one last look around her, scanning the darkness around her for any sign of her masked stalker. Feeling safe enough, she pulled open the door and stepped inside.

Erik returned to Madame Giry's room after his failure with Ashley. When he explained what happened, she couldn't help but feel both pity for the both of them and frustration by the whole of the situation.

"You're only going to cause the two of you more pain at this rate." She said. "I can only imagine what she is thinking."

"As do I." He said. "But when I finally had the courage to go to her, Christine had taken that chance away. How could I have let her go so easily?" He sank down into his seat and hung his head. "I don't know what I can do for her."

"Go and find her. You have to speak to her now. If you don't…" She wasn't even sure how to finish that sentence. But Erik understood that he couldn't put off speaking to her any longer. He stood back up and made for the door.

"When I left her she was asleep. I'm sure she'd still be in bed at this moment." He said before quickly exiting the room and racing through the dark corridors back to the dormitories. But when he entered the room, he felt something amiss. And, sure enough, he found Ashley's bed was empty and her chest was open, missing her cloak.

No. His shook his head violently as he stared at the empty bed where his lost angel had slept only moments ago. No! She can't leave me now! He fled from the room and didn't bother searching the opera house for the girl. He arrived at the stables and found his horse César and climbed onto his back. I'm not losing her again! And he took off into the night in search of the missing girl.

When Ashley entered the cathedral, she couldn't help but marvel at the size of the place. The closest she had ever seen to this marvelous building was from Google pictures and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but that was nothing compared to the real thing. But she had to admit, it did look a lot like the movie. She almost half expected to find Quasimodo hiding behind one of the columns like she was Esmeralda.

"I've seen one too many Disney movies." She said. After a few more steps, she found a statue of the Virgin Mary and just stood before it. Ashley was never a religious girl, in fact the few times she did go to church were forced by her parents, but she knew little tidbits. She sighed as she gazed at the statue.

"What brings you here so late at night?" She turned to find a man dressed in white church garments standing some ways away. He was staring at her, patiently waiting for her to explain. Ashley let her shoulders sag and removed the hood she forgot was still on her head.

"I needed a little sanctuary, I guess." She said non-chalantly.

"Well then, you've come to the right place." The man said. Ashley sat down on one of the benches and let herself recline a bit.

"I'm not really familiar with the whole religion thing here, but I just had the feeling to come here." She admitted.

"Is there anything you wish to speak of?" She sighed.

"It's complicated." She said. She glanced back over to the man in white then closed her eyes. "The man I love believes me to be dead and thinks I'm some sort of ghost here to haunt him."

"That is a complicated situation." Ashley let out a chuckle.

"There's nothing I can do to make him see." She pushed herself up from her seat then began walking again. "I guess I just need some time to think things over."

"Then I shall leave you to your thoughts." Without another word he left. When Ashley was completely alone she allowed her defenses to lower slightly. As she walked through the cathedral she felt an eerie sense of peace. She looked up to find the rose window in her path. She began to wonder if maybe it was not in her right interest to remain in this world. She didn't belong here anyways. Why stay?

I don't know if you can hear me
Or if you're even there
I don't know if you would listen
To my humble prayer

I know I have been an outcast
And do not speak to you
Yet I see your face and wonder
Were you once an outcast too…

She began singing not exactly sure why but just knew she had to.

God help the outcasts, lonely from birth
Please show them the mercy, they don't find on earth
Lost and forgotten, they look to you still
God help the outcasts or nobody will

"I ask for weath…" she could almost hear the people say seeing the invisible shadows of those in the church, "…I ask for fame… I ask for glory to shine on my name."

"I ask for love I can't possess… I ask for God and his angels to bless me…"

I ask for nothing, I can get by
But I know so many less lucky than I
God help the outcasts, the poor and down trod
I thought we all were the children of God

She felt her resolve begin to break and tears streamed down her face.

God help the outcasts, the children of God…

Erik had been searching for hours with no luck. Paris was still a large city and there were too many dark places one girl could hide in. But Erik was all too familiar with the shadows and if she was hiding there, he would know. No, knowing her, she would stay where she can see. But even in the light there was no sign of her. He was beginning to panic when midnight finally struck and hoped that his lost angel was safe somewhere.

"Ashley, where could you have gone?" He wondered then continued his search.

When Ashley left the church, she knew what she had to do. The last time she left this world was when she died. So, perhaps if she were to die again, she would be returned to her world again. There was nothing left for her in this world anyway, so why stay? Her only regret for leaving would have to be her friends. Christine and Meg were her dearest friends in this world and even Madame Giry had seen her as a daughter in a way. But she couldn't stay and continue to be haunted by these demons from the past.

"It's the only way." She said to herself. "Forgive me, my love." She pulled up her hood and began walking in the direction towards the Seine.

Reaching for you,
I know you're out there somewhere
It's too dark, I'm so cold,
I know I had to come here

Every broken dream,
That I leave behind,
Keeps me going on,
Keeps me running blind

Calling your name I here only echoes,
Searching the rain I see only shadows,
You've got to show me your face
Voices, I hear them calling behind me,
Phantoms of you are burning inside me,
You've got to give me a sign

Erik almost thought he could hear someone singing. The words were broken hearted and dark. It had to be her! He began riding, not exactly sure where the voice had come from but followed it none the less.

Ashley, please wait for me. He thought. After a while he found himself in front of Notre Dame, but the voice was gone. Speaking of which, the voice was very close sounding when he heard it. Like the voice was speaking in his mind. I must be going mad. But then he remembered a few months ago when he thought he heard her voice the first time. He remembered singing back to it and having it reply to him. Maybe if he sang back to it he could hear it again then let it lead him to her.

Fading, slowly
You're drifting into darkness
I can't see, I can't think,
I need to keep on searching

Every memory,
Every thought of you,
Is inside of me,
Tells me what to do

Ashley stopped midstride and thought she could hear Erik's voice singing the lyrics back to her. She turned around back where she came and could feel his presence close by. But he was singing the song with her. She knew she had to get out as soon as possible. But she couldn't help singing more as she made her way towards her destination.

Calling your name I here only echoes,
Searching the rain I see only shadows,
You've got to show me your face
Voices, I hear them calling behind me,
Phantoms of you are burning inside me,
You've got to give me a sign

She frantically searched the shadows for any sign of the Phantom and knew he could be anywhere by now. There was so little time to escape now and feared what may happen if he caught her.

Can you hear me?
Am I only wasting time?
Are you near me?
Are you only in my mind?
Are you? Are you?

Erik heard her voice again and took off in the direction it was coming from. He had the terrible sinking feeling that she was about to do something dire and needed to stop her. At least he was slowly closing on her now.

Calling your name I here only echoes,
Searching the rain I see only shadows,
You've got to show me your face
Voices, I hear them calling behind me,
Phantoms of you are burning inside me,
You've got to give me a sign

Ashley had finally reached her destination. The Seine River. She knew there wasn't much time now, she could feel it. She ran onto the bridge crossing the river and leaned over the side to look at the freezing water below. She knew this was going to be painful since the water was probably going to be at least ten degrees colder than the actual air around her now on top of if she ever resurfaced. She swallowed hard before climbing onto the edge, using a lamp post for support. She took another look at her reflection in the water and closed her eyes as she prepared to jump.

"Stop!" She froze when she heard a melodious voice behind her. She turned around slowly to find Erik standing on the other side of the bridge breathing hard and covered in sweat. Ashley hugged the lamp post as if it could protect her from the ma before her. "What do you think you're doing?"

"What do you think I'm doing?" She asked coldly. "I'm doing what you've set out to do."

"And what is that?" He questioned.

"I'm disappearing. You came after me because I ran away from you. You were going to come after me because I disobeyed you and wanted to punish me for my insolence. Well, let me do that favor for you!" She moved closer to the edge again.

"Stop!" Erik shouted again and, surprisingly, she did. "Don't do this."

"Why shouldn't I? I don't belong here! I should never have stayed this long. I should just go back to where I came from. Back to my world. Back to… that world…" Her voice trailed off as she thought of her home. The way was in her grasp, but did she really want to go back? Back to that world of broken promises and fractured dreams? No! It was her home and still is. There's no other choice.

"You're being ridiculous! What makes you think death will bring you back to where you came from?"

"Because that's what happened when I died the first time!" She shouted. "When I was shot; when I died, I woke up on the other side. But I had no memory of my death. Only of that first night when you…"

So she survived all this time? It definitely seemed impossible when one thought about it. But if she was still standing here now, then it had to be true.

"Come down from there." He said coaxingly. "You don't have to do this." Ashley just laughed and shook her head.

"Yes I do." She said sadly. "You don't believe in me. So why should I?"

"Because I know you wouldn't have the courage to jump anyway." He said. "Ashley would never take her own life. So I know you wouldn't either." He was right. Ashley may think about jumping from the bridge, but she could never truly do it. The thought of death scared her. Sure, she faced death once already, but she had no memory of it at the time. "Ashley," She jumped when he used her name to address her, "just come down from there and let us return to the opera house." He managed to move himself closer to her and held out his hand for her. Ashley just stared at him a little longer, staring into his eyes trying to find any hint of deception. She couldn't find anything that hinted betrayal. She slowly extended her hand towards him, ready to take it.

But as she leaned a bit more, her foot slipped on some ice and began falling backwards towards the river. "Ashley!" He ran to the edge and reached for her only to be met with nothing. Then he heard a splash. "No. No!" He ran off the bridge and moved towards the river's edge. He removed his cloak and jacket then jumped into the river after her. He struggled to stay under the frigid water but he had to find her. After a moment, he caught onto something and pulled it towards him. His arms wrapped around the object and pulled the two of them to the surface. When they broke the surface of the water, he was relieved when he found Ashley was what he was holding in his arms. He swam over to the shore and quickly removed her cloak only to replace it with his own before replacing his jacket onto his form.

"Ashley?" He lowered his head to her chest and could hear a faint heard beat. He moved towards her nose and mouth but found she wasn't breathing. "I'm not letting you leave me like this." Me plugged her nose and opened her mouth then began breathing into her. After a few tries she turned onto her side and started coughing up the water in her lungs.

Thank God. He thought. After a few coughing fits, Ashley returned to an unconscious state but was shivering fiercely. Erik gathered her in his arms and just savored the fact that he was there to save her. Now he just had to get them back to the opera house before they both died from hypothermia. He carried her away from the river and towards the dark alley where he left César. He was glad that he decided to take his horse with him otherwise it would have been very hard getting them back. Somehow he managed to get the two of them onto the horse and began the journey back home.

When they arrived back at the opera house, he didn't bother bringing her back to the dormitories. He decided it best if she returned with him to his home where he could watch her. When he arrived at his underground lair, he quickly brought Ashley to the bedroom and rested her in the swan-shaped bed and wrapped her in as many blankets he could. She was very pale and her lips were blue. He knelt beside her and gently stroked her hair. After about an hour she began to stir.

"Wh-where am I?" She whispered not even opening her eyes.

"You're home Ashley. My home." She turned her head towards him but still couldn't open her eyes.

"Erik?"

"Yes. I'm right here angel." He touched her cheek and she instinctively leaned into his touch.

"Am I dreaming?" She asked.

"No, you're not dreaming. I'm right here and I'm never letting you go again." He said and let a tear escape his eye. A small smile crept onto her face.

"All these years… I never stopped loving you…" She said, "…you were the only one… I could ever truly love." Her head went slack and her breathing slowed as sleep claimed her once again. Erik's hand never left her face as he watched her sleep and let her words echo through his mind.

She still loves me. After all these years. He hadn't felt so happy in his entire life. Be felt his own exhaustion overtake him and he fell into unconsciousness still kneeling beside his sleeping angel.


The songs used in this chapter were God Help the Outcasts from Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Running Blind by t.A.T.u.

So this is one of the new chapters I mentioned before. I actually only just found some new albums by t.A.T.u with new songs. However there were some songs I already have in one of the ones I found so I just collected the ones I didn't have. Running Blind is from the album Happy Smiles and it's one of my faves. I was also on a bit of a Hunchback of Notre Dame kick while I was working on this as well. So, I hope the chapter was alright for you.