A/N: Howdy ya'll. Wasn't as long this time, less than a month since my last post. I am slowly getting better. But I can say that I had this written for 2 weeks now, just havent been able to post. My life isnt any less hectic, I still have loads of homework and projects and other activities on the weekends. Not to mention I just started my Christmas shopping on Saturday, and still have some left to do (but not too much, like one or two things so I'm not that much of a procrastinator. hehe)
And I would like to give a big thanks for LadyFlutter, my wonderful beta who edits my work even when she is crammed with her own things. I hope this chapter satisfies ya'll, I know everyone has been waiting for this one. I'll stop here before I spoil it And also since this post is so close to the holidays I would like to say Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and Happy anything else that you might celebrate. (Since everything is so freakin' "politicaly correct" now... all this its now a "nondemoninational" holiday crap really irks me... but i'll get off my soap box now and let you get on with the story!)
Also a big thanks to all my reviewers! Even the smallest note saying good job is incourging to read! And don't think I can't tell how many times a chapter has been viewed, and how many of those reviewed it! hint hint
Disclamer: You should know by now...
'What was I thinking,' Aslynn thought as she took off her new silk dress. 'Why did I kiss him in the first place? There wasn't really anyone following me, or was there? Or did I just imagine it? Damn, I feel like such a fool. I mean he didn't respond in any way after I kissed him. He didn't even show shock. So I guess that I was wrong about there being anything there. Obviously Erik didn't think anything of this kiss, if he even noticed.'
She folded her dress and put it in the dresser. After loosening her corset she pulled out the skin colored shirt Erik had given her. The shirt fell midway down her thighs, about at where her stockings ended. Too lazy to take the stockings off, Aslynn left them on, pulled her hair back with a ribbon and made her way over to the fireplace. After putting two logs on the small fire, she pulled down the down comforter and silk sheets on her bed and climbed in.
Maybe a good night's sleep will ease my thoughts. I just hope I don't end up dreaming about Erik. Gazing up at the ceiling Aslynn tried to clear all thoughts from her head, until she finally drifted off into a deep sleep.
The young woman awoke around nine in the morning. However, since she didn't have a clock in the room, and there was no sunlight to tell her what time it was, she rolled back over and went back to sleep. Luckily, her dreams weren't violent, nor did they have Erik in them. Instead Chris filled her dreams, which might or might not have been a good thing.
When she awoke again she was shivering. Even though the heavy blankets kept Aslynn warm, the air in the room was like a damp icebox. Growling to herself, she rolled over to face the fireplace. It took her a while to realize that the fire was out, hence the coldness of the room.
'When did the fire go out? I usually keep enough logs on to last until morning.' Aslynn pulled the blankets closer around her, and curled her legs up to her chest. 'I really don't want to remake the fire. It's too damn cold to get out of bed.'
After a huge bear yawn Aslynn finally rolled out of the bed, taking the lighter of the red satin blankets with her. The thick Persian run was cool, but warmer than the stone floor. When she reached the edge of the huge rug she tried to figure out a way to get to the hearthrug without stepping on the stone. No easy way around being cold came to her. Grumbling to herself, she quickly walked across the cold stone. 'Well at least I have something on my feet.' She thought, looking down at the white stockings. Once over to the fireplace, she rebuilt the fire and sat down on the cold marble hearth, while waiting for the flames to grow in size.
'What am I doing?' She thought desperately. ' I can't go out and face Erik today. Especially after what happened last night. God, for all I know he hates me now. Especially after he was so angry when Monsieur Garnier asked about his mask. I'm sure he's blaming it all on me.'
Looking up to the ceiling as if looking up to heaven she cried, "Why me? What have I done? Haven't I been through enough? Is Erik just another torture for me? What about Chris, why did you take him away from me? I was so happy! Now I'm not even with my family, I'm in the freaking 1800's!"
The fire was now starting to radiate heat into the room, so Aslynn moved to one of the two arm chairs that faced the fire. She curled up sideways in the chair and draped the blanket over her. Her thoughts flew in a whirlwind:
'Damn, I'm so sorry Chris. I wish you were here with me again. You understood me. You cared and comforted me. Now the only people I have are Erik and Monsieur Garnier. Monsieur Garnier is like a godfather who listens, and is there, but he's not like my real dad. Erik is… Erik is what? I guess he's a friend.' Aslynn stopped and considered that thought.
'What if I really am starting to see and think of Erik as more than a friend? Every time I'm near him I feel… different. His presence alone is enough to make me melt, let alone when I see one of his rare smiles. But it doesn't seem that anything is coming back from his end. It's almost like I'm going the opposite way on a one way street.
Aslynn stared into the fire pensively. 'But then there was that night on Apollo's lyre, on the roof. I could never forget that night. He was so kind and gentle. He even gave me a rose, my favorite flower. That night was when I started to really feel like Erik meant more to me. The way he looked at me… Maybe that was just the bliss of the moment.'
'And yetwe can argue about anything. Damn, we've gotten in countless disagreements, and his temper flares up very quickly. When he's mad, his anger fills the room with a deadly fire. Just his presence can scare me worse than most things. And then there's his wrath, and eyes. They can absolutely terrify me. I remember when I was first dragged down here; he was so dark and eerie… as well as seeing his mask for the first time.'
Aslynn watched the fire dance gaily in the fireplace. The blue flames licked the logs, while the red and orange tangoed. Her thoughts were brought back to Chris, and the times they would dance together. Maybe I'm just not ready to move on.
"Oh I really miss you Chris." she whispered, as wet crystals slowly started to form in the corners of her eyes. Gravity soon took its toll s the diamonds started to fall down her tan cheeks.
All of her frustration from the past weeks, as well as her sadness, was now flowing down in her tears. She was weeping for a good ten minuets until she was interrupted by an abrupt knock on the mahogany door.
Erik. Aslynn tried to dry her eyes before she called out, "What do you want?"
Though the door came a muffled reply. "It's six o'clock in the evening and you haven't been out of your room all day."
"I don't feel well, okay?" she lied; the truth was she didn't want to face the Phantom.
"You need to eat." was what the rich, deep, muffled voice coldly replied.
"I'm fine, really, just leave me alone." Aslynn called back, watching the flames. Her response wasn't heard by the Phantom, since he had already left the door and was walking towards the kitchen.
Pulling her self together, the young blue-eyed woman got out of the armchair she was situated in. She refueled the fire with another log, and lit the oil lamp next to the chair. She walked over to the vanity set and pulled a new puzzle book out of one of the drawers. On one morning before work she went back to the bookstore that she had bought her last puzzle book at.
Returning to the comfortable armchair with the puzzle book in one hand and a piece of lead in the other she sat back down. Once the satin blanket was wrapped over her legs again she flipped through the book looking for something challenging to keep her mind off of other things. Finally she found a demanding sudo and started to figure it out.
While rubbing her scalp, the woman stared at the math cube in her lap and was startled by another sharp knock. What does he want now? "Yes?" she called out.
"May I come in?" Erik requested.
Well, the there is no lock on the door, so nothing is stopping you."
Aslynn didn't hear the door open, or the Phantom walk in.
The young woman jumped when she heard the clatter of a spoon on the platter that was placed down on the table between the two air chairs. She re-gripped the piece of lead that had gone slack in her hand and let the puzzle fall from her lap to the ground. One the initial wave of shock passed over her; she turned her head away from the presence of the man standing to her right. The silence grew between the two bodies, as the only sounds came from the crackling fire and Aslynn's radically increasing breathing, from what she could make out to be uneasiness. Finally she spoke.
"What do you want?" she asked, trying to show strength and keeping her from weakening in the silent man's presence
"I brought you food, you haven't eaten all day, and you said that you didn't feel well." He said, his voice full of power and music. While he waited for her response, the phantom sat down in the empty armchair. He watched her as her head stayed away from him; her hair was pulled back with a loose ribbon. Some of her light brown hair was out of the ribbon and framed her cheeks.
The young woman felt Erik's eyes on her, waiting for a response. She honestly didn't know what to say. She was still hurt and embarrassed from what happened the night before. Changing her gaze to the fireplace, she noticed that it was burning low. Quietly she rose from the chair and walked over to the fire, and after placing a log on to it, she turned to face Erik.
When Aslynn moved to get up, Erik's eyes followed her. He soon glanced away when he saw the woman's white stocking covered legs, and the area of bare skin on her thighs. Above the lacy white line where the stockings stopped was her tan skin, soon covered by a long shirt. Her legs were well shaped, but he felt uneasy looking at her, especially since she was barely dressed.
Aslynn looked from Erik, to the tray with a bowl of soup, bread and a coup of a reddish liquid. Hearing her stomach growl she realized that she was hungry. "Thank you." She meekly said, drawling Erik's attention back to her.
Erik's eyes meet hers, and he saw how the corners of her eyes were red. Her cheeks were slightly puffy, as if she was weeping sometime before he entered.
"Will you put something on?" He harshly asked, still uncomfortable with the woman's appearance.
"What?" Aslynn asked looking down at her legs, "oh, yeah, sorry." She walked away form the fire to the dresser and pulled out a pair of black trousers. After pulling them on she went back to the fireplace and sat down in the armchair, looking at the food.
"I didn't poison it. It will help you feel better." Looking from Erik to the platter again Aslynn finally reached for the food. Quietly she ate the soup and when she was done she looked back to Erik, who was watching her.
"Why are you here? There must be something you want, to stay in here and all," she quietly questioned the phantom looking into his deep green eyes. He got up from the chair, never loosing her eye contact and walked over to the fireplace. The flames danced in his eyes as he took his hand and traced over his bone white mask.
Finally he spoke, "why did you do it last night?"
Aslynn couldn't tell if it was anger ringing in his voice, or something else.
"I'm sorry," she said in defense, thinking he was asking about the dessert incident, " I just wanted you to meet Monsieur Garnier, and visa versa. Both of you have been key figures in the past several week, months, whatever it has been. And," Aslynn rambled on but was cut off.
"No, not that. What happened latter?" Erik didn't want to straight up say 'why did you kiss me?' but he was dying from curiosity. All of the whirlpool of thought and emotions that have been spinning thought his head for the past night an day were getting to be too much. He couldn't even compose last night.
"I…uh…well…" she stuttered, looking away form Erik, "I don't know."
The masked man watched the woman, trying to read her. He remained silent until he finally spoke out again. In a low voice he said, "No, you do know, you just don't want to tell me. I've been around you enough to tell when you are not telling me everything."
"It was nothing, I just thought there could be something there. But I know now that there isn't," Aslynn spoke in a voice just above a whisper, and she wasn't talking about hearing someone walking behind her.
Erik though about what she said for a minuet, and then it finally dawned on him. I can't believe this. Does she really mean that she cares for me? I can't … she can't…
Slowly the masked man walked towards the young woman. When he was less than a foot away from the leather armchair he cautiously reached his gloved hand out. Within inches from her chin, he turned her head up to him, never laying a hand on her. When her deep blue eyes locked in with his, he drew his hand away. After exhaling a deep breath, he reached out again.
Gradually Erik brought his black, gloved hand up to the woman's cheek. His hand hovered just above her tan skin, close enough to feel the warmth radiate from her. Finally, he gently stroked her face, barely touching it.
As Aslynn watched the mysterious man reach out to touch her, she felt red heat rise to her cheeks. When his elegant fingers slide over her face she thought she was going to melt. Breaking her eye contact with those powerful green eyes, she closed hers. He touched her as if she was a fragile rose, whose petals would instantly fall off if he touched them.
Aslynn reopened her eyes when Erik had removed his fingers from her cheek. She found him with his back turned towards her, and with out saying anything he left the room.
Erik, that didn't help me at all, she thought to her self, watching the phantom quickly leave the room. I'm even more confused in side now! I thought I figured out that I wasn't ready to move on. But when he touched me, I felt like I was to just give in to his touch, melt away into nothing. I haven't felt like that when anyone, but Chris, has touched me.
Maybe he's scared of what could happen. She thought, getting up and heading towards the bathroom. He told me he lost someone he loved, or more like was rejected, so maybe he's afraid that will happen again.
As she though about this, she washed her face. After redoing her hair, she loosely tied her corset and threw on the white shirt that Erik first gave her when she arrived.
"I think I should go talk to him, and try to sort my feelings out." She told herself out loud, heading towards the door. There was only one candle lit in the hall, most of the dim light came from the end of the hall. When she entered the room over looking the lake, she noticed that it was darker than usual, the only candles and lamps that were lit surrounded the organ. She scanned the room with her eyes, but could not find the figure of a man anywhere.
He must be in his room, she wondered, heading down the next hall. This hall was just as dark as the one that her room was located on. No light came from the kitchen, but a little crept out of Erik's chamber. After taking in a huge gulp of air, Aslynn knocked on the heavy wood.
A soft noise came from with in, and finally the door cracked open, letting light flood out into the corridor. Aslynn was expecting to see Erik's masked face, but instead saw nothing. The door then creaked open more, showing the phantom sitting at a desk, his head in his hands.
"Yes?" He called, not looking up.
"May I come in? I want to talk with you." She asked, poking her head in the doorway.
"Yes." He grunted, still not moving from his position.
"Well," Aslynn said, walking in, glancing around. The last time she was in here was after she saw her funeral. She glanced to the open coffin on the floor, to the heavy black drapes that flowed down to the floor. She had to admit that this room wasn't the cheeriest room in Erik's house.
"I just need to get some things off my chest."
Straightening his wig, Erik finally looked over to the woman. She was so beautiful, even though she was wearing the clothes that he gave her. Her eyes weren't as red as before, and seemed to shine with an unnamed emotion. He rose from the chair, and walked over to Aslynn.
She took a deep breath and stared at a spot on the floor. "Okay, this is kind of hard to say. But what the heck, I'll try anyways. So, earlier, like last night, well it has been growing from before last night…" She rambled on, not hearing the phantom approach her.
"But I then I thought that I wasn't readying my feelings right, and that I wasn't ready to move on. Actually that was the biggest thing, I didn't think I was ready to move on…" She kept rambling, until the spot on the floor was replaced with two shoes.
She looked up to find Erik standing two feet away from her. She immediately lost what she was saying as she looked up into those two fiery green eyes. They both just stood there until Erik moved again, causing Aslynn to glance back down.
He was now less than a foot away from her, and Aslynn started to feel weak in the knees. She then saw Erik's elegant hand, now ungloved, reach down and pull her chin up to face him. He towered over her by at least a head. Before she could say anything else, Aslynn felt Erik's warm lips cover hers. A roaring fire soon spread though out her body, and she was sure that her knees were going to give out on her.
She was also in shock; she didn't think that this would happen. In order to keep her remaining strength, the young woman quickly pulled away from Erik. She watched as a wave of surprise wash over the phantom's face, which was quickly covered with anger and pain.
He stepped back, his lip curling up in his growing fury. He then whipped around and took large strides to the door. Before she knew it, Erik was almost out the door.
"Wait," Aslynn called out.
Hope you enjoyed it! Now just Review! sorry to those who reviewed last time if i didnt reply and you where expecting one... i just got to lazy...