Author's Note: WOO! I'm back! Sorry for the long delay; I have been working full time since the end of May and I haven't had the energy to write. My goal is to finish this story by the end of the month, which I hope to do so. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :) ~DP
Sophia's POV
7:00pm
The day before the performance was here. Over the last two weeks, I had shut myself away and practiced the song, holding back from singing the high notes until the performance. I was at my hotel room, getting my make-up and jewelry together to take to my dressing room. Erik had told me that my dressing room was ready, so if there was anything that I wanted to bring before the performance tomorrow, I could. There was still no sign of Drake, and he hadn't tried to contact me since the attack. I put a pair or sapphire earrings and a pair of ruby earrings for each dress, with a ruby necklace to match the red dress. Unfortunately, I didn't know what I was going to do for the blue dress. I only had the sapphire earrings. I closed the make-up box with my jewelry inside of it, grabbing a few other things for the dressing room, and leaving the hotel. After I got into the car to head to the park, I reflected on the day before.
Earlier in the week, I had been called as a character witness in the divorce hearings for Erik. The lawyer asked me various questions pertaining to Erik and Emma, their relationship and they treated Christine. The lawyer asked I believed Emma would be a fit mother if custody was granted to her. I told the truth, telling the lawyer and the judge no. When the lawyer questioned for my reasoning, I declared in open court that I was Christine's biological mother, and that I knew that Emma had been abusing her throughout their ten year marriage, particularly increasing during the months that I had arrived back in New York and Christine began to spend time with me. Erik shot a look at Emma from across the courtroom, a look of rage written all over his face. He had known, or at least suspected, the abuse and my testimony had just confirmed it. When asked if I was planning on invoking my parental rights after the divorce was final, I said yes. I also said that Emma would never see my child again.
I wasn't sure if I should have used the words that I did, but I knew that I didn't want Emma anywhere near Christine after the divorce. Unfortunately, the divorce wasn't final yet, so Emma could still see Christine for as long and as much as she wanted. The car came to a stop outside the park service entrance and I got out, carrying my make-up box in one hand and my performance shoes in the other. I went through the stage door of the concert hall, wandering through the backstage corridors, looking for my dressing room. I could hear dancing rehearsal on stage, and as I passed by Emma's dressing room, I heard crying and breakable things being shattered against the wall. I turned around, recognizing the cry and seeing that the door was open slightly. I peeked in, seeing Christine balled up in the corner, her face red and her arms bruised from hands gripping them. Emma was standing over her, and she picked her up by the collar of her shirt, her hand drawn to smack her across the face.
I dropped the items that I held, bursting into the room and grabbing Emma by the hair. I yanked her back, causing her to drop Christine to the floor. I had taken her by complete surprise. Her eyes were wide and full of shock. I pushed Emma out the door and against the wall of the backstage corridor. When she tried to fight back, I pinned her to the wall, put my hand to her throat and squeezed, listening as she gasped for air. I turned my head slightly, seeing Christine behind me, peeking from behind the doorframe. "Christine, you need to go to your father's office. If he's not there, lock the door until I get there. Do you understand?" She nodded, and took off in a dead run away from the situation. I turned my attention back to Emma, slapping her across the face, quickly followed by a backhand. "How dare you lay your hands on my daughter? I should kill you where you stand." When she started to shake her head, I loosened my grip only slightly, keeping her against the wall. "You will not come near her again. From now on, she will be with me or with your soon-to-be ex-husband. If I see you near her, you better have made your final arrangements." I soon felt a hand on my shoulder, turning my head and seeing Isabella behind me.
"We've all committed sins, Sophia," she said in a low, gentle tone, coming between us and guiding the hand that was around Emma's throat back down to my side. "None are worse than abusing your child, no matter if you are the mother or the step-mother. We don't need to do this here. She won't come near Christine again." When Emma's coughing subsided, she opened her mouth to protest. Instead, Isabella shot her a look, and Emma's protests ceased. "You won't see her near Christine again," she repeated, staring Emma down. She regained her composure, going into her dressing room and slamming the door. I let out a low breath, looking down at my hand.
"Isabella, I am so sorry," I said softly. "I didn't mean –"
"Any mother would do the same to protect their child, even though I do not condone what Emma has done." She bent down, picking up my things and handing them to me. "Go, be with your daughter. I doubt I can smooth things over now, but I'll try." She departed into the dressing room, quietly shutting the door. I went to down the corridor, finding my dressing room and placing my things inside. After I closed and locked the door, I made a beeline for Erik's office, running so fast up the stairs that when I bumped into him, we collided and fell to the floor. I sighed, rubbing my arm as he stood up quickly, helping me up. He kissed me, giving me a quizzical look.
"Is Christine okay," I asked breathlessly, holding onto his arms. "Please, tell me that she's safe."
"She's fine. She's upstairs with Gangle. What happened?"
"I was looking for my dressing room, and I heard her crying. I saw Emma's dressing room door was open and I peeked inside. I saw Christine cowering in the corner and Emma was about to smack her across the face. I went in and pulled her away…I nearly choked her to death. I told Christine to go to your office and if you weren't there to lock the door until I got there. I nearly killed Emma. If it wasn't for Isabella, I may have."
He pulled me to him, hugging me and rubbing my back soothingly. "It will be all right. Christine will be with you tonight. Are you okay with that?"
"Yes. I want her to be with one of us until this performance is done and the divorce is final. Where are you going to be tonight? I want you to stay with me tonight."
"I have some things to take care of tonight, but I'll come to the hotel afterwards. I promise that I won't be too late."
I nodded, kissing him before we went upstairs to get Christine. She ran to me when we opened the door, hugging me tightly and thanking me for helping her. I ran my hand over her long, curly locks, soothing her before I took her with me. I wouldn't sleep that night. Not until Erik was there.
Drake's POV
2:00am
Four weeks. Twenty-eight methadone treatments and I was finally starting to feel like myself from ten years ago. However, that night from four weeks ago was a blur. I only remembered bits and pieces. I was in Sophie's room. We were fighting. I saw red. There was blood on my hands, hers and mine. I left. I looked down at my hands, staring at my knuckles and the scabs and scars that graced them. I sighed, ordering another drink as someone came into the bar. I ignored it at first until I heard her voice and she came into the light.
"Evening, Bernie," she said so cheerfully, going up to the mob boss that I owed money to for the heroine and kissing his cheek before sitting at the bar. I glanced at her only for a moment, noticing that her hair was wrapped up in a bun and she was in jeans and a tank, her skin glistening from being wet. I turned back to my drink, but I was sure that she noticed me. "Coffee, please, and I'll just take it black." She turned as he poured her a cup, blinking in surprise. "Drake."
I turned to face her, sipping at my drink. "Emma…how nice it is to see you." Her eyes widened; she sensed something different about me. "Yes, I'm sober. Twenty-eight days. I'm still working out the kinks for drinking though."
"Wow…congratulations," she said, thanking the boss for her coffee as she sipped at it. She picked it up and moved down to sit next to me. "So, do you know where you are?"
"I believe I'm in Hell," I replied, pushing my drink away, rubbing my eyes. "I can't remember what happened past four weeks ago, and it's driving me insane. Sophie fired me. That's pretty much all I remember."
She bit her lip discreetly, sipping at her coffee. "You honestly don't remember?" When I shook my head no, she set her coffee down, taking my hand. "You beat Sophia to a bloody pulp when she fired you. Not only that, but she quit paying for your hotel room prior to her firing you. You nearly raped her at the class reunion, which was the last straw for her. She couldn't take it anymore. As for where you are…" she released my hand, sipping at her coffee again. "Around here, it's called Suicide Hall. Or at least that's what it was called in Coney Island's heyday. It was a nice little place where people didn't have anywhere else to go. Just a place where you could step off the side of the pier and quietly vanish."
"It seems like you know a lot about it," I said softly, staring into my glass.
"Me? I come here to swim."
This town is coarse and cold and mean
It's hard to keep your conscience clean
Faceless in the crowd
Anything's allowed
And so I come here each night and day
Come to wash it all away
Sink into the sea
Blue and cool and kind
Let it set me free
Let the past unwind
Leave the hurt behind…
She leaned in close, her chin resting on my shoulder. "Bernie didn't want me to say anything, but I'll go ahead and tell you because you're my friend. Your payment's due."
I swallowed, realizing what she meant. "I know, but how am I supposed to pay it? I don't have a job, and I'm pretty sure that most of my money is gone."
"There is one way that you can pay for it," she said, finishing the rest of the coffee. I turned to her, deciding to humor her idea. "I'll pay your debts off if you take Sophia away. The performance is tonight at 8:00 after my 7:00 show. If you can convince her to leave with you tonight, you won't have to worry about paying off anything in the city ever again."
I laughed lightly. "Emma, she won't go with me. She hates me."
"You two should have never come back to New York in the first place. This place was never a place for you, even though Sophia seemed to fit right in. Here's what you do. You go to the show tonight, and lay your cards all on the table. Just…just take her and go. Because you know what will happen if he hears her sing again. She'll be lost…as well as he."
"What are you saying," I said, standing up from my chair as she stood as well, trying to get ready to leave.
"You know what I'm saying."
Fly across the sea
Put us out of mind
Close your eyes and flee
Let yourself stay blind
Leave this place behind…
After that, she bolted, running out of the club. I chased after her. "Emma, I've bested him before," I shouted, slamming the doors open and trying to follow the fading footsteps. "I'm not afraid of him! He's not Superman, you know?! If he had the courage to meet me face to face, man to man, I would –"
I felt my body slamming against a wall of an alley down the street from the club, and all I saw was dark and a shadow. Then I saw his mask.
Erik's POV
I could have sworn that Drake was starting to piss himself when he saw me. His knees were buckling as he backed away from me. "Not afraid of me, you say," I asked in a menacing voice, approaching him slowly. He continued to back away, pointing a shaky finger at me.
"S-stay back," he told me, backing himself into a corner. "I'll kill you if you come near me. I promise you!"
I lunged at him, but he barely escaped my grasp. My cape blew in the breeze as I turned to face him. "You insolent boy! Do you really think you can win her over again? She will never let you come near her. She loathes you."
"She loved me once," he said to me, circling me. I watched his movements closely, being mindful of my surroundings on the off chance that he would attack me. "I still love her. I know that I can win her back. I can win her back from you. Your music may speak to her, but her heart will always follow me!"
"You think so? You really think so? Follow you and all of your…charms? Just like she did before? That was a long time ago, Drake. And we were playing a different game."
Look at you
Deep in debt
Stinking drunk
Pitiful
Shall we two make a bet?
Devil take the hindmost
When I sang this to him, it seemed like he grew some balls. He straightened up and approached me, although it was slowly and cautiously.
Look at you
Foul as sin
Hideous
Horrible
Call the stakes
Deal me in
Devil take the hindmost
I smirked, adjusting the jacket of my suit. There was no way that he was going to win this bet.
Our Sophie shall choose tonight
Let her choose
Is she yours or mine?
Draw the line
If she sings
You lose tonight
I won't lose
You leave from here
Fine
Disappear
Fine
And if she won't
If I win
All your debts
Wiped away
Very well
Let's begin
Devil take the hindmost
We shook on the bet. He lunged at me afterward, grabbing at my shirt to pull me down to him. I grabbed at his shirt, wanting so badly to just deck him.
Our old game
It's been changed
Every roll, riskier
All the rules, rearranged
You think you have the odds
You think you're in control
You think you've fixed the dice
Well I will gladly roll
I'll bet against the house
I'll even double down
Fate has redesigned us
He let me go, walking around me. I did the same, smoothing out my shirt and adjusting my mask.
Fortune's on my side
I won her long ago
I won her from you then
I'll wager even now
I'll win her back again
And when the game is done
Cut the deck
Let us play
You and I
Once again
In the end
Either way
Devil take the hindmost
Now Sophie will choose at last
Is she yours or mine?
"You've a child," he said to me, walking past me before turning to face me. "Your bond's secure."
I scoffed, and then I realized it. He didn't remember the basis of his fight with Sophie when she fired him. I turned, grinning fiendishly. "Are you sure? Are you so sure?"
"What do you mean?"
Such a child
Strange to see
Talented
Musical
"Huh?"
Is she more her or me?
Which one do you find most?
He stopped for a moment, and then he lunged at me, throwing a punch, screaming, "You lie! She wouldn't do that to me!"
I laughed at his attempt, dodging his blows until I grabbed his arm, pushing him away from me. "She did and we have a beautiful daughter. I have held her, and embraced her. She is mine!"
I call your bluff
The game is on
And we will see
Who wins out
Once and for all
Deal the cards
Let them fall
Choose your hand
Try your best
He who wins
Wins it all
Devil take the hindmost
I gripped him by the throat and pulled him to me, choking him. I didn't kill him, even though I wanted to. For her, and all that he had done to her. "If she walks, you leave together. Pockets full and debts paid. If she sings…" I let him go, shoving him against the wall of the alley before disappearing into the shadows. "You leave and you leave her alone."
Devil take the hindmost…