Here's another chapter for all of you. Short, but I managed to get one out for you. Let's see how Lucas and Brigitte's relationship goes. Thank you all for reading, reviewing, following and favoriting!
Day after day Brigitte and Erik did their lessons. Lucas came to call on Brigitte a lot, usually for a morning stroll or to take her out for breakfast. Erik, who had nothing better to do, sometimes followed them around, peeking in on their conversations. They were usually about Brigitte's life, Lucas' early years and his plans for the future. He planned to be a banker and settle down in southern France with a family in the countryside. He often plucked a pink tulip from the florist to give to Brigitte, before paying the florist.
"What are your plans for the future?" Lucas asked.
"Well, I don't know yet. My career as a ballerina ended, but now that I've starting singing, maybe I'll travel the world singing all over. Though I still would want to settle down with a family of my own, I wouldn't really want to until after I travel. I don't know." Brigitte told him. Erik followed staying in the shadows. Throughout these walks with Lucas, he was also learning a bit more about her, too.
"Do many suitors call on you?" Lucas led Brigitte to a bench in the park. Brigitte sat down and replied, "Well, no, actually. I've never had anyone to call me."
"No one? Not even a boy when you were a little girl?" Lucas' eyes widened.
"Why does that surprise you?" Brigitte smiled and laughed a bit.
"Well you're just too incredibly sweet and beautiful not to be noticed." Lucas replied. Brigitte blushed and replied, "Thank you." Erik rolled his eyes. He recognized Lucas from the city. He was a flirt with every woman in town. He often went to the cabaret and bar and left with a different woman every Friday night. He was a handsome man with a notable name, with lots of money and the facade of a gentleman. Lucas was no 'gentleman', nor was he even respectable in Erik's opinion. He just wasn't. Women hung all over him, and he often spent his money at the cabaret or the bar, therefore he wasn't as rich was he told Brigitte. No, his parents were, but he was not. I have to tell Brigitte. Before she gets her heart broken. Erik decided.
So the next day at their lessons, Erik was packing up when he decided to bring it up.
"Brigitte, I've noticed that you've been spending quite a bit of time around Monsieur Lucas, yes?" Erik asked her, as he sat down beside her.
"Well yes, he comes to call on me nearly everyday." Brigitte blushed.
"You need to stop this relationship." Erik didn't mean for his voice to be so harsh, but it was to both of their ears.
"What? Why? He's a decent man. You don't see men like him every day." Brigitte turned to him.
"Yes, I do. I see men like him every Friday nights who go into bars and cabarets and stumble out drunk with a woman they don't know. I see men like him every Saturday who are busy flirting with every attractive woman that they come by. I see men like him everyday who use Monday thru Thursday to act like the respectable gentlemen that they should be. I've seen him, Brigitte. I go out at night more than you know. I see him. He does what I described every day. You need to break off this relationship right now. You're going to get hurt." Erik urged her. A look an disappointment and a spark of anger darken Brigitte's usually playful green eyes.
"How could you even think of him like that? Why do you think you have the right to judge him? You don't know anything about him. Lucas is a wonderful gentleman. He's kind and sensitive. I don't see what has made you think like this." Brigitte stood and looked at him, waving her arms all around.
"I do know more about him than you do. I know he's been with other women, even while being with you. Brigitte, I am no fool. I know what I am talking about." Erik persisted, trying to keep his flaring temper out of the situation.
"Oh, I know why you're telling me this!" Brigitte yelled. "You're jealous. That's it. You're jealous of him, and how much time I'm spending with him. If you want me to spend more time with you, all you have to do is say! You don't have to go around telling me lies about such a wonderful man." That was when Erik snapped. He stood and started yelling back, "I have seen men like him! I know more about this cruel world than you'll ever know in your entire life! You know nothing of what this world is like. You've been caged in and sheltered all your life. It's about time that you get your head in the real world, Brigitte! I know what I am talking about!" Brigitte was stunned by his words, but didn't show it, as she screamed back, "Just because you had a bad childhood and a bad early life does not mean that the whole world is like what you've experienced. There are kind people out there, Erik! Kind people, who want to cherish you and love you. But you've never experienced it! You've never experienced love before, so you haven't known everything about the world!"
"I've never had anyone to love or to love me! But I've seen love, true love, fake love, long lasting love that's lasted until death had done them apart, I've seen love that's lasted a day. I may have never loved or been loved, but I still know more about true love than you do." Erik huffed, as he grabbed this things. "Go on and keep a relationship with the boy. It won't last a week! Just you watch! Your love life will slip through your fingertips faster than your childish mind will think and you'll be left in tears. I will not feel at all bad when it happens."
"You won't feel bad, because it won't happen!" Brigitte told him. They marched off in their separate directions. Brigitte hurried inside past William and slammed the door to her room. While feeling angry, Brigitte also felt confused and disappointed. Why was Erik acting the way he was? Lucas was a fine gentleman. Brigitte let herself fall on her bed, as she faced the ceiling. When dinner came she wasn't hungry and skipped it, which stunned the entire staff. Brigitte had always had an unladylike hearty appetite, which they found amusing, and now she didn't want anything to eat. William, who was particularly worried about Brigitte tried to sent a tray up, but it came back untouched, but with a note that read: Thank you William, but I'm not hungry. Thank you for your kindness. Hopefully I shall feel better by breakfast. You ought to have something large ready, for I'm fairly sure that I will be famished. Brigitte. William smiled, despite her not touching the food. The note made her sound like herself.
When Erik got back to his lair he threw his art things on the table, careful not to mess up his in-process masterpiece, before starting to throw rocks at the walls and in the lake. Why won't Brigitte understand that Lucas isn't who she thinks she is? Erik angrily threw another rock into the lake. He watched it sink until it was out of sight. 'You're jealous. That's it. You're jealous of him and how much time I'm spending with him.' The phrase echoed in his mind. Was it true? Sure, he had felt a little left out when Lucas started spending more time with Brigitte. Sure, she seemed to enjoy the boys company more than his. Sure, she seemed even more happier with Lucas in her life than when it was just Erik. Was he jealous? Why should you be jealous? You don't deserve an angel to love anyways. The voice screamed in his mind. Erik shook his head, trying to rid the thoughts. He turned away from the lake and moved to his chair by the fireplace. The glow of the fire the rested on Brigitte's painting made it even more beautiful.
"Oh, Brigitte." Erik breathed. Her eyes and her smile seemed to mock him. He watched the flames, as they mesmerized him. The flames once again looked like Brigitte dancing and twirling on stage. Erik headed over to his organ and began to pound it with all of his force and power. The sound came out forced, but beautiful. It was a sorrowful song. But Erik still wrote everything down. It could come in handy, he didn't know. Perhaps for the future?
The next week Erik and Brigitte skipped their practice. Though they didn't see each other, they wouldn't have if one had come and the other hadn't. Erik was inside his lair composing and Brigitte was inside reading a book, therefore if one would have come, the other would not have been present. In all truth, they both felt lonely without each other. The music couldn't take Erik's mind off of Brigitte, and no book could keep Brigitte's attention. It was a Friday night and Brigitte decided to go out to eat, to give the staff a break. Monsieur Alain was out of the country at the moment, so it was just Brigitte. She ate a vegetable mix and when she left, it was late. Brigitte took her mint green cloak and encircled it around her neck. She headed out into the dark street. Only the light of the street lamps and the lights inside restaurants and buildings made the street glow. The sky was dark with few stars in the sky. It was a half moon and it was a warm night. Brigitte was about two or three blocks away from her home, when she saw something. The cabaret was loud with playful music and singing coming out of the building. Brigitte headed a little closer, planning to keep going. But movement distracted her. The doors opened, and a man came out. He was obviously drunk, his suit was wrinkled and his hair looked unkempt. He straggled out and behind him was a woman, obviously from the cabaret group. She wore an un-modest outfit, had her hair pinned away from her face and her face was filled with make-up. The man pulled her close as she giggled and they kissed. The man raised a glass bottle to his lips and took a swig, spilling a great amount all over his suit, the woman and the street. Brigitte was disgusted. The man and the woman kissed again and that was when the man turned towards the light, revealing his face. Lucas! Brigitte was shocked. He didn't look like the same man. Tears pooled her eyes. Brigitte didn't bother to confront him, because he wouldn't have understood her. He was clearly drunk. Brigitte hurried away, tearing spilling down her cheeks. Erik had been right. He had been right all along. And she had been wrong. Brigitte was running through the streets, trying to brush away her tears and the sight of Lucas all over the woman, when she bumped into two men.
"Well, well, well. Look what we have here." the tallest man smiled. Brigitte trembled and tried to back away, but she ran into the other mans chest.
"Please," Brigitte begged them. "let me pass."
"Come on now dear, it's Friday night." the tall man smiled. Brigitte felt the man that she had ran into encircle his hands around her waist. She tried to fight him off, but he was a strong man.
"Hey, Bernard, it's my turn. I found her first." the tallest man yanked Brigitte against him. Brigitte struggled and felt a hand come over her mouth when she tried to scream. He forced a kiss on her lips, before he covered her mouth again with his hand. She felt his breath on her neck. She tried with all of her strength to push him off, but he was even stronger than the other man. Brigitte felt him half carry, half drag her over into an alley. His nose and his lips connected with her neck and she heard him sigh contentedly. She kicked him in the shin so hard that her foot hurt but it didn't even phase him. She felt him his hand on her waist, as it crawled up her side.
"Leave the woman alone." a voice ordered. It was cold as steel.
"We're just havin' a little bit of fun. Come on, you can have her after I'm done." the tallest man offered.
"Take your hands off of the woman." the man ordered, once more. The shorter one muttered a curse word under his breath and stalked off. The taller one forced another kiss on Brigitte and inhaled the scent on her neck, before his hand brushed her waist, and he threw her to the ground. He stalked off, a bit of a contented smile on his face. The man hurried over and asked, "Mademoiselle, are you okay?"
"No, no, no. I'm not." Brigitte tried not to cry. She couldn't believe what had almost happened, or more so what did happen.
"Brigitte?" the mans voice was husky and hoarse. Brigitte looked up to see that the man had a white mask that covered half of his face.
"Erik." Brigitte scrambled away from him. He had seen what had happened, how the men had been all over her. She felt two firm bony hands on her waist as he yanked her back.
"What happened? Tell me everything!" Erik ordered. But Brigitte simply cried. Erik scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to his lair. He placed her on the couch and came back out with a cup of tea and some croissants. He stoked the fire, before turning his chair around to face her. He scooted closer and sat down. Her eyes were red and her dress was soiled in dirt. Her hair was falling in her face. She looked like a mess. Brigitte sat with her feet tucked under her skirt and she rocked a bit back and forth, big tears running down her cheeks. He sat down and pleaded, "Brigitte, tell me." She immediately started to cry and she sobbed, "You'll despise me!"
"Well, that will take a little work, but we'll see." Erik told her, handing her his kerchief that he carried. She wiped her eyes and started, "You were right. You were right about everything. Lucas was exactly who you said he was. I was foolish enough to not believe you and blind to not see Lucas' facade. I feel so stupid."
"Well, thank you for telling me that, but I meant what did the men do to you?" Erik replied, slowly.
"Well, I was running back home and crying. I ran into them. And well, the one holding me when you came, well, well, he forced a couple kisses on me, and he put his lips to my neck and ran his hands on my waist." Brigitte sobbed at the mere memory. "I feel so dirty." she whispered. Erik sat beside her and took her in his arms. What the men did to her filled him with rage. He wanted to go out and find them. He wanted to kill them at the thought of them touching Brigitte. But Erik forced himself to breathe, despite him wanting to spit fire.
"Know something, though, my little Brigitte, that none of this was your fault. Not one single thing. I know that you wouldn't lead them on. But I do have to say, that I lied to you." Erik told her.
"What did you lie about?" Brigitte whispered, looking into the fire through her blurred vision.
"I said that I wouldn't at all feel bad for you when he broke your heart. But I lied. It was a moment that I was angry and I said something that I did not mean. I knew that I would be sad for you when the time would come. So, for that, I am sorry. But I could never despise you, Brigitte. Never." Erik told her. She nodded her forgiveness and cried. For an hour, Brigitte wept in his arms. By that time, she had given herself a headache and she was almost asleep. Erik carried her back to where she was staying. He hid behind some bushes and saw as William let her in.
So there you go, I hope you enjoy! Please read/review/follow/favorite! ~ Savannah White