Chapter Twenty Eight: Change
Disclaimer: OK. I saw THE ILLUSIONIST and figured I'd do a fic with a person like that in it. That and I like Magic and it's different than my normal stuff.
Snow danced on the delicate winter air like the ballet girls danced on the wooden stage during a production, elegantly, without flaws, and beautifully. The usually cobblestone streets were frosted with snow, and it began to pile up on rooftops and on stoops.
Erik and Diane seemed to always have dates on the roof once the snow had collected, probably just to remember that their meeting on the roof nearly a year ago was when the two first started to actually communicate on a level.
There was never a moment that Erik let Diane forget that he loved her, and that he couldn't love anyone but her. She was always going to have him love her, even if she didn't want him to. But she knew she would always want him to.
What Diane found to be the best part of their relationship, was the fact that Erik didn't pressure her to do anything. He would ask what she wanted, and if it wasn't the same; she would usually get her way.
The biggest thing though- was that Erik knew that she wasn't going to sleep with him, not yet. She didn't want to build another relationship purely on sexuality. She wanted it to be deeper than that, and it was. He knew her; he knew her mind, her heart, her wants and her fears. Diane's relationship with Erik was deeper than her relationship with Siegfried ever was.
It was kind of hard to believe that Diane and Erik hated each other almost a year or so before. Neither one thought that they'd find love in the other, the kind of love they wanted, and the kind they needed.
Erik needed a woman who was patient, and who could mother him, should he need it. He needed someone just as stubborn as he was; and who knew how he felt, but most of all; he needed someone understanding. Someone who wouldn't care about his face. He found it in Diane.
Diane needed someone kind, who would work with her stubbornness, and who wouldn't dream of hurting her the way she was hurt before. A man who loved what made her special, and who would love her daughter like his own. She found him in Erik.
Both needed someone who was an outcast, just as they were. Who would rather shy away from big events with a lot of people, just to sit around together, reading poetry and books. One was meant for the other, and they understood why they'd been so hurt in the past. So they'd treasure each other like they do.
Also, as the winter came, Diane had acquired a liking to graveyards. But only when they were drenched in snow; she didn't know why thought. She supposed it was because they were so pretty when covered in snow, the dreariness was lessened by the snow; and when she wasn't with Erik, Mia, or William, she was at the graveyard.
That didn't mean though, that Erik didn't sometimes tag along with her for a date. He too, liked snow-covered graves.
One afternoon, Diane decided to go to the graveyard alone. The sky was cloudy, and looked as if there was going to be a snow-downpour later that day. That would be nice, especially the way Paris would look after the snow.
The snow crunched under her boot as she walked, admiring the way the headstones looked under the snow, especially the bigger, fancier ones. The sculptures of angels looked especially nice, their features highlighted by the snow. She truly wished she'd grown up around snow; it'd have been nice to experience the feeling of winter every year.
"Wandering Child…so lost…so helpless…yearning for my guidance…" She knew the voice, it was Erik. She smiled to herself and turned to where the voice was.
"Hello Erik..." She said quietly as he glided away from his hiding place behind an angel headstone, and approached her. It was annoying that he was a whole head taller than her, but she figured it was because he was a man. That- or she was short. No matter what it was, it didn't matter; she couldn't change it anyway. "Do you often follow me?"
"For protection" He playfully snapped. "You seem to always get into some sort of danger when I'm not around." Diane smiled and stood on her toes to give him a kiss.
"You're such a lovable jerk." Erik savored her kiss, as if it was the last one she would give him. If he knew Diane like he knew he did, she'd do something dangerous and it might very well be.
Diane adored the way he savored every minute she was with him, everything she did with him he savored, it was because of that she knew that with him; she'd be happy. She wouldn't ever be beaten again, neither would Mia. They were both perfectly safe with him, and it was that, that they loved the most.
He saw her look cold, and even though she didn't say anything; he knew she was, so he gave her his cape to wear. It warmed her right up just as it had the other night he'd given it to her. The night on the roof.
Erik savored her because he knew that she would be able to give him the one thing he wanted more than Christine, the one thing she knew would make him happy.
She could give him a family to cherish.
Their kisses slowly lengthened; the two found a snow-covered cemetery a very romantic spot, causing them to taste the sweetness that is true, undeniable, love.
William had a feeling something was different. Ever since Diane's show with the water tank; there had been something different about her; but it was such a foreign thing that he wasn't even entirely sure what it was.
She'd been in a better mood; she was no longer sulking, worried or paranoid. She was happy; and as happy as that made him, he couldn't help but question the nature of her sudden change in mood.
Of the late, she'd been spending an awful lot of time away from the opera. Sure, she'd disappear every now and again before, but it was more frequent now. Mia would stay behind though; because she had to be schooled.
He'd decided to follow her one of the days she went to the cemetery herself. Some would call it stalking, but William called it protecting her from potential harm. But little did he know- she had a protector, she had someone to keep her from harm, and it wasn't him.
He rode behind her cab at a distance on a white horse, cliché but it was a white horse. Perhaps he felt he was her prince, so he had to get a white horse. It wasn't like he was being cocky or anything; he truly was concerned.
William was in love with her, and he'd do anything to protect her. Even if she didn't love him back, he wanted to keep trying. To keep persisting at trying to win her into his heart, but he had to learn that a heart cannot be won, it simply goes where it wants.
Not only was he protecting Diane and trying to win her heart, but he also had heard rumors about the "Phantom of the Opera" of five years ago. He probably would never have made the connection- had Carlotta not told him about the half-mask.
Since then, he was worried that Erik was going to hurt Diane just as he hurt Christine and Raoul. He was protecting Diane from being stalked by a monster.
He kept a good distance from her when she went into the cemetery, hiding behind large headstones and sepulchers. He followed her all around, and what he saw broke his heart.
She was in the arms of Erik, smiling at him, and kissing him. Erik held her and made sure Diane was comfortable in his arms, as she was. It angered William, so much so that it was at the point where he took out his sword and attacked Erik without any warning.
He got in a good hit, he was able to hit his arm and rip through his fluffy white shirt.
"William!" Diane scolded, falling to Erik's side and trying to stop the bleeding. But Erik was angry at William now, so he too took out his sword and started attacking him. Diane watched as the two men clashed their swords, sending a ring that echoed through the graveyard. "Stop it the both of you! You're behaving like children!" But her anger fell on deaf ears, the two men were angry at the other; for two entirely different reasons. William because he was jealous of what he'd been trying to do for two years, and Erik was able to accomplish in one year. Erik- because William started it. "Stop it!"
Erik got in a hit too, slicing William's arm and causing him to bleed just as much as Erik had been caused to. They stood on strong but small headstones and clashed their swords, sure- it was demeaning to the soul that inhabited the stone, but they were fighting.
William got off the headstone and made his way to a bigger headstone, one shaped like an angel in flight, fighting with one hand and holding onto the right wing with the other.
"Stop it!" Diane tried again but no dice. "Stop before you both get killed!" Erik was able to get a hit in on William's shoulder, causing him to yell out in pain and slash Erik across the chest while he was lost in his momentary triumph. "Erik! William! Stop!" still no obedience from either one. They were fighting like two little kids, and Diane had to be the adult out of the three and stop it; although that proved to be a bit of a challenge.
By the time both men were nearly exhausted, they were both cut up very badly, and bleeding almost twice as worse. But they kept fighting, and would keep fighting until the other was dead.
Finally, feeling very annoyed at being both ignored and fought over, Diane Stepped in and grabbed William's sword in mid-air. The thing was- Erik didn't see her until it was too late.
She'd moved her hand to grab his sword too, but instead of grabbing it; it had hit her and sliced her hand open, causing her to gasp; drop William's sword, and wince.
William was at Diane's side just as quickly as Erik was; both of the guys fussing over her sliced hand, but soon the worry that William felt for Diane cemented into rage toward Erik. Immediately, he gave Erik a very dirty look, and pushed him away from Diane.
"I can't believe you!" William shouted, stepping over Diane as he pushed Erik away from her. "You can't touch anything without destroying it!" Erik was angry, yes, but he couldn't quite make any movements other than falling back when William shoved him. He wasn't sure what paralyzed him; it could have been the aftershock of accidentally hurting Diane, or something. He didn't know. "Get the hell out of here!" Erik scrambled to his feet, and ran. "Get the hell out! Go! Freak!"
Diane watched in awe, paralyzed also by William's change. But the second the paralysis wore off, she smacked him across the face with her good hand. "Why the hell did you do that?"
"He tried to hurt you." He spoke with a rock-hard voice, grabbing her bicep and pulling her towards the white horse.
"No he didn't William and you know that!" She argued, freeing her arm and backing away from him.
"Are you nuts? I just saw him!"
"William I don't care. It was just an accident and you know it was! You were all ready to hate him the minute he and I became friends. Whatever problem you have with him- you'll just have to resolve because I love him." William saw that her voice was colder than it had ever been; she never felt such a cement of anger towards him. She was shaking.
"You told me you weren't going to love him!"
"Oh yeah like I planned to fall in love" She snapped sarcastically. "It just happened William, Erik loves me and you'll just have to make peace with him." William grabbed her arm again and once again tried to put her on the horse.
"I'm not going to let him hurt you like Siegfried hurt you! That freak isn't going to ruin you anymore!" But once more, she freed herself.
"Ruin me? Erik saved me! Countless times! If it wasn't for him, I'd have died on a number of occasions. He promised to protect me from Siegfried. You're so blinded my jealousy that you can't see that he isn't Siegfried, he's better." William reached for her again, but missed and she took off running in Erik's direction.
Erik was patching up his wounds. His sandy blond hair in his eyes, his face unmasked, and he was completely topless. Since his biggest wound was across his chest.
Tears fell down his not-deformed side of his face; he wasn't upset because he was called a freak. Not because he'd technically lost the fight to William, and not because he was hurt.
He cried- because he hurt Diane.
It was his fault; he sliced her hand and hurt her. He felt terrible about it; and it made him cry harder, but still silently.
Why'd he hurt her? He was so awful! He keeps hurting people he loves, he hurt the first woman to love him back. He would never get over the way he hurt her, he wouldn't ever forget the look she had in her eyes when he sliced her hand open with his sword.
He was caught off guard by the sloshing in the water, and when he looked up, he saw Diane, thigh-deep in water, trudging up to him.
"Diane…" He sighed quietly, "You shouldn't be here, I could hurt you again…"
"Don't believe William Erik, it was an accident. I know you wouldn't hurt me." She was so sweet, so nice, and so gentle, he couldn't stand it.
"Why do you say something like that?" he sadly hissed, standing up from where he was sitting and walking away from her. "I cut open your hand, I made you bleed; it was my fault." Diane approached him from the front, and showed him her sliced hand. (After the water in the lake had washed away the blood,) he saw it was just a very tiny cut.
"It's not that bad Erik; it's just a tiny little scratch. I get worse cuts than this just walking down the stairs." He didn't smile, he still felt guilty for hurting her the way he did. He swore he wouldn't hurt her- and he did. "I know it was an accident, and it's not a big deal. Erik…" She tried to get him to believe her; she tried to get him to understand that it wasn't that big of a deal. But he was still angry at himself for what he did. Even if it wasn't a big deal.
"I don't think you and Mia should come here anymore, I'll just end up hurting her too-" but just as he ended his sentence, Diane caught his lips and brought them into a kiss. A kiss that he savored just as he had the others, but probably more so, since he felt she shouldn't be with him anymore.
"Erik…I love you, and it's just a little cut, not only that but it was an accident." She said to him, brushing the hair out of his eyes, so she could peer right into his soul. "Its nothing to get so upset about and the fact that you feel this bad about such a little cut; shows that you're a wonderful man Erik." He didn't know what to say, all he could think to do was watch her gentle face, then give her a kiss. She was an understanding woman, and he loved her for that.
Once their kiss pulled apart, Diane brought her hand up to his deformity, and held it. Just as her magic made her special, Erik's face made him special. He loved her magic, and she loved his face. The thing that made them different from the rest of the world, made them unique in each other's eyes.
Erik valued her touch, bringing his hand to her's, only to gently press it to his face so he could continue to feel her warmth.
"…I love you…" he whispered quietly, her touch still captivating him. Diane watched him, than did something that actually caught Erik a little off guard.
He saw her untie the strings on his cape that kept it around her neck, and let it fall to her feet.
He felt her slide her hand away from him, and unbutton her white shirt, but three buttons down- just as her breasts were being exposed- he stopped her.
"Are you sure…?" she nodded then stood on her tip toes to kiss him.
"…I'm sure…" she whispered once she pulled her kiss away, he watched as she finished off the buttons on her white shirt, and it fell to the ground.
That's it! I've been waiting like- forevur to do this chapter! Mostly because I've had it rolling around in my head for a while.
Omega I love how shexi he looked in my brain! It was so hawt! n.n
It actually turned out a lot longer than I initially planned.
The chapter title is from the song CHANGE from Queen of the damned, I worked like- sixtee bazillion titles and none of them worked. This one did tho
The chunk of dialogue that Diane and William had at the end of the fight scene was actually from Edward Sissorhands, when Jim was a jerkface supreme and pushed Edward.
