Ok, it's 11:30 at night so I'm just glad this is finally typed up, I've had it on my mind for a few days just haven't gotten to writing it. FINALLY! Anyway, yea sorry things are kinda fluffy and stupid in this chapter, but hey, it's a lot better than the way things have been going lately!
Song later in the chapter is 'So Close' from Disney's Enchanted. I've never actually seen the movie, I'll be honest, but I heard the song and thought it fitted Gabriella and Erik's relationship really good during the first. How he felt so happy with Christine, and while he was with her his feelings towards Gabriella were that he was close to feeling the way he felt with Christine, but it wasn't the same kinda thing. idk, I'm just trying to make a Disney song meaningful. Oh well =P
So thanks for the reviews so far, I've kidna been too depressed to really respond to anyone but I'm trying to get out of it so I can. I will eventually. And yes Neverland Child, we're all secrets here. Shhh! Ok well, R&R, and Enjoy!Anne watched as the sky began to lighten. She gripped onto Abastor mane as they trotted along the path, they'd been riding for hours, all night as a matter of fact. She sighed "Abastor, where are we going?" she asked. The grey stallion tossed his head and snorted. They were approaching what appeared to be an inn.
She expected them to keep going, but Abastor halted outside the inn and wouldn't budge no matter how much she kicked him on "Come on, there's nothing for me here. I wanna go home!" she told him. The stallion got down on his knees and Anne rolled her eyes and stepped off him "Well what's here then?" she asked him.
The stallion stood up again and walked towards the inn, stopping by the door and tapping his hoof "You want me to go in?" she asked him. Abastor threw his head and nodded yes. She sighed and picked up her skirts and entered the inn. It was very early morning, but the innkeeper was sitting at his desk writing. He looked up "Greetings, may I help you?" she asked.
Not knowing exactly why she was here, she took chance "I'm looking for a man named Jacob" she said "Has he been here?". The innkeeper nodded "Yes, he's here. Came in late last night. He should be in his room" he said. He told her what room to go to and Anne thanked him kindly before heading towards where she'd been directed.
Nervously she stopped outside the door, trying to collect her thoughts. What would he say when she told him. Finally she took a deep breath and knocked at the door. She waited a moment as she heard shuffling coming from inside, she realized guiltily that she'd probably woken him up since it was so early in the morning.
Suddenly the door opened a crack and Jacob poked his head out and looked at her, surprised. "Anne? What are you doing here?" he asked her. She felt guilty for waking him up so early, his green eyes looked exhausted and his short red hair was frazzled. Anne felt tears come to her eyes and she blinked them back "May I come in?" she asked. He opened the door fully and allowed her to come inside before he closed the door behind him.
The room was dimly lit, and the curtains were drawn blocking the early morning sunlight from coming in. Jacob lit a candle and brightened the room slightly "What are you doing out here Anne? Is something wrong love?" he asked her gently. She stood a few feet in front of him "Where have you been?" she asked him.
He walked over and sat at the end of his bed "I went home to Ireland to visit family. I would have been back in another day's time. What was so urgent you came here looking for me?" he asked her again. She swallowed back a sob but let tears spill over and fall down her cheek "Jacob I'm pregnant" she told him.
Jacob stood and embraced her "Oh Anne I'm so sorry, if I'd known.." Anne cut him off "No No, it's alright. You're here now" she said, holding onto him tightly. He stroked her hair "This is wonderful news, I only wished we'd recieved it after..." he murmured. She took a step back and looked up at him "After? After what?" she asked.
Quietly he went over to a small table next to his bed and opened a small drawer. He pulled out a small box and went and knelt before her "Anne, I was going to ask you when I returned to the opera house, but I suppose now is as good a time as any" he said. He opened the box and revealed a beautiful gold ring "Anne will you marry me?".
She smiled brightly, tears still flowing freely "Oh yes Jacob! Of course I'll marry you!" she said. He stood and slipped the ring on her finger before wrapping his arms around her and burying his face in her hair "Anne you make me so happy" he told her softly. She smiled "And you make me happy too" she said.
Finally they broke apart and Jacob looked outside "Shouldn't you be at the Opera Houseu now?" he asked her. She shook her head "No, my parents had me go home when they found out about our child" she said. She sat on his bed "What are we going to do?" she asked him. He sat next to her and she leaned against his shoulder.
"You'll stay with our parents for now, I think it's the best choice for you and the baby. And I'll work at the Opera House like I've been, but maybe ask for a raise. I can't afford a home right now, being only a stagehand, but I'll find a way for you love, somehow" he told her. She nodded and stood "We should return to Paris now" she said.
Jacob packed his things and checked out. Abastor was still standing outside and Anne ran to him and hugged the stallion around the neck "Thank you" she whispered to him softly. He nickered as Jacob walked up to him "Is he yours?" he asked. Anne nodded "He's the family horse. He led me to you" she told him. Jacob patted the stallion "Well thank you then for that Mate, you're quite a smart horse aren't ye?" he asked, his accent coming out slightly.
He went to the stables and brought out a plain chestnut horse and mounted. Anne got on Abastor's back and they rode side by side. When they reached Paris they bid each other goodbye with a kiss then Abastor trotted forward towards his home.
When they returned Kirsten was outside riding Just a Dream, when she saw Anne her face lit up and she galloped the little white pony up alongside you "Anne! Where did you go! Mama and Papa are worried sick about you!" she said. "And Daniel too! We were all worried!" she said. Anen smiled "Well don't worry, I'm here now and not going anywhere else" she told her.
Kirsten smiled and laughed "I'm glad, that means you'll be here to play with me! I was so BORED this morning without you here!" she said. Anne couldn't help but laugh, their discussion was interrupted by Daniel walking up to them "Anne! You better go into the house now, Father's very worried, I'll take Abstor" he told her.
Anne slipped off Abastor and gave him a final hug and kiss as Daniel tied a halter to the stallion and led him away. "You want me to come with you? Papa can be kinda scary sometimes when he's upset" she said. Anne shook her head "No, you go have a good ride. When you come back we can do something together alright? This is just something I need to do by myself" she said
She turned her pony around before smiling at Anne "You're very brave. See ya later!" she called as sheh and the pony trotted off after Daniel and Abastor. Anne took a deep breath then approached the house and entered the front door. As the door closed behind her there was a moment of silence before her name was called "Anne?", it was her mother.
"I'm here Mother" Anne called back, heading into her father's study where the voice had come front. Nobody usually entered her father's study, as Daniel and Kirsten had told her. Her father himself hadn't been in there since Christine's death, because his study was where he wrote most of his music.
Her mother was standing behind her father, who was seated at his desk hunched over and looking very upset. "Father?" Anne called gently, her father's head snapped up and stared at her. He immediately rushed to her and held her "Anne, my god Anne you had me so worried. Please don't leave again" he told her, nearly hystarical.
Anne looked over at her mother, who also seemed a little worried, but wasn't nearly as bad as her father was. She hugged her father back "I'm not going anywhere. I didn't intend to go anywhere in the first place" she told him honestly. He sat down in a chair and Anne sat in the chair next to him, while her mother sat behind the desk and put her head down, looking very tired.
"Where did you go?" he asked her. Anne sighed and began to tell him what had happened, how she's gone to see Abastor but somehow ended up riding out all night. She told him about seeing Jacob, and showed him the ring and how he'd proposed to her, and she's accepted.
Finally her story was over and her father simply stared at her for a long time, her mother smiled lightly at her before standing and leaving the room. After what seemed like eternity her father stood up and went over to her "He makes Anne happy?" he asked her, running his fingers through her hair. She nodded "Yes he does" she replied.
He smiled "Then you will marry him. And I will give him as much money as he needs to find a house for you" he told her. She smiled and stood, hugging her father "Thank you so much!" she told him, crying slightly. He rubbed her back "I wasn't there for you before, but I promise now I'll give you whatever you need or want" he told her. She kissed her father lightly on his good cheek before heading out of his study to go to her room and rest "I love you" she told him.
She turned and left him alone in his study as she made her way up to her room. When she got there she changed into a clean gown and went into the Library to read and rest for a little while. Soon Kirsten came and made her go upstairs to have another tea party, but Anne didn't mind, because for once, in what seemed like forever, things were finally going the way they should.
Gabriella POV
"Erik?" I asked him, stepping into his study. It'd been a couple hours since I'd left him with Anne, now he was sitting in his study at his desk, looking over some sheet music that was in a box. He looked up at me "What is it my love?" he asked. I went over and looked at the sheet music he was organizing "What are you doing?" I asked him.
He sighed as he shuffled some of the papers and began stacking them a certain way "Just sorting through some of my sheet music" he told me. I draped my arms over him "Need some help?" I asked. Before he could answer I was already looking through a box of very old looking sheet music "Gabriella don't go through that.." he stopped as I pulled out a piece of music "What's this?" I asked.
It was a song, obviously written by him, because the lyrics were written in his neat scroll. "What's this?" I asked him as he stood and came over to me, taking the sheet music out of my hands "It's... nothing" he told me. I snatched the music back "Obviously it's something if you're trying to hide it! What is it? Who's it for?" I asked him.
He looked away "I wrote it for you" he replied. I looked back at the sheet music "For me?" I asked him. He shook hs head "I'd been writing during those three months I vanished after the vicomte proposed to Christine. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't think of words to go with it. Then, that night you and I were on the roof before Don Juan Triumphant, I thought of the words, and I wrote them" he said.
I began examining it before handing it to him "Play it for me?" I asked him. He shook his head "I wrote it such a long time ago..." I cut him off "Please?" I asked pleadingly. He sighed and took the music to his piano in the corner. Putting the music out he sat down and quickly ran his fingers over the keys, getting a feel for them once again.
Finally he began to play the song, it was simple, very simply coming from him, then he began to sing
"You're in my arms, and all the world is calm, the music playing on, for only two
So close, together, and when I'm with you, so close, to feeling alive.
A life, goes by, romantic dreams will stop, so I bid mine goodbye and never knew,
So close, was waiting, waiting here with you. And now forever I know,
All that I wanted, to hold you so close.
So close, to reaching that famous happy end.
Almost, believing, this one's not pretend
And now you're, beside me, and look how far we're come,
So far, we are, so close.
Oh How, could I face, the faceless days,
If I should lose you now?
We're so close, to reaching that famous happy end
Almost, believing, this one's not pretend
Let's go, on dreaming, though we know we are
So close, so close, and still, so far"
And then, all too soo his song was over and he looked at me expectantly "That was beautiful" I told him, going and sitting next to him on the piano bench "Could you teach me how to play it?" I asked him. He looked at me and I put my hands on the keys, he put his hands over mine and directed my fingers to the right keys.
We both fooled around on the piano for a while, eventually we just started playing anything on it. I managed to play pop goes the weasle, and that was about all, while Erik played entire concertosflawlessly by memory. Finally we stopped and headed upstairs to our room. As I began to fall asleep Erik poked my shoulder "Darling?" he asked.
I rolled over so we were facing each other "What?" I asked him. He wrapped his arms around me "You won't ever leave me will you?" he asked. I smiled and shook my head "I'm not going anywhere" I told him gently. He sighed and fell asleep, and I wasn't far behind him.