Disclaimer: I do not own Erik, or Meg, or Madame Giry, or any other characters from the ingenious mind of Gaston Leroux! Or anything by Sir Andrew Lloys Webber. Anne, however, she's mine...well, she resides in my head until her story is done.
AN: I apologize with this wait. Chapter 51 was originally far more beautiful than this but my ENTIRE word doc for "She Walks" disappeared including the almost completed chapter 51. So...I've worked on another fanfic and cried a lot because my work vanished. ( Thank goodness I post it all here though! ) Anyway, here it is! A little bit of an interlude but I will let you all know this: Elizabeth has been talking in my mind and she's got quite a plot planned for our beautiful heroine. She is open to ideas from our readers, however. So...for those that like to throw a wrench into happy endings/stories leave a review telling me about them! Regardless, Erik sings to you for reads/reviews/favorites!
Chapter 51
It was some time later when I realized that Erik had yet to open the gift I had brought for him. Dinner had been eaten, dishes cleaned and cleared, and now we sat wrapped in each other's embrace on the divan in the music room. I saw the box sitting on the piano across the room thinking that any gift I gave him would pale in comparison to the gift that he had given me. I stole a glance at the glittering diamond on my left hand my smile only getting bigger.
"I didn't know that you enjoyed the material things so much, Anne." Erik's voice sounded in my ear and I shivered.
"I don't, dearest," I replied looking up at him. "I'm just so happy at this exact moment in time, and I also remembered that you've yet to open the box that contains your birthday present."
"You've agreed to become my wife, Anna." He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine and I felt the familiar shiver run down my arms. "I need no other gift from you."
I stood up and walked to the piano where Erik's gift lay wrapped in its box. "Nevertheless..." I picked up the white box and handed it to him. "It's the season for giving." I watched as he took away the lid to reveal the black cloak beneath. I smiled and sat next to him as he ran a hand over the black material, his face clearly showing how much he liked it.
"Anne..." He whipped out the cloak looking at the dark red material underneath and the embroidery around the collar. "How long..."
"It doesn't matter," I interrupted. "I'd do it all over again." I pulled him to his feet and I fitted the cloak around his neck, fastening the clasp to make sure that it all fit. "It suits you so well, Erik." I smoothed out the shoulders and he stopped my moving hands.
"It is very fine, Anne. Thank you."
I blushed under his praise and moved the conversation along. "There is another gift for you, Erik. One I hope will make you very happy." I moved to the piano and ran my fingers along the ivories. "I...I've decided that I will sing one song for you in front an audience. The song and audience are up to you of course."
He came up behind me, his hands stealing around my waist and pulling me till my back was flush against his back. "I have a song already written for you, Anne. The venue shall be the New Year's Ball."
I gasped and turned to look up at him. "You wish me to learn a new song and have it performance ready in two weeks?"
"It is just one song," he replied smiling down at me.
"And in front all of Paris!" I hadn't realized when I came up with this that I would be asked to sing at such an event. "Erik...the managers will never go along with it. I'm sure that Madame Carrolton will be performing, and then there will be the Vicomtess..."
"Do you trust me, Anne?"
That was a ridiculous question and we both knew it but I could see that he required no answer. I sighed and laid my head against his chest. I chuckled softly realizing that I should have known that Erik would have had something like this in the works for a while. "Alright, Erik," I replied. "What song is it?"
He released me from his hold and reached over to the piano and handed me a small stack of papers. I read the title. "You want me to sing this?"
"I want none other than you to sing this, Anna."
I thumbed through the pages. "You have quite the view on my talents, Erik." I leaned against him and I felt his hand on my shoulder. "I suppose that we should practice now?" I looked up at him when he did not answer my question.
"Actually, it's almost eight o'clock and you have an Aunt that is most desirous to know whether or not you said yes."
I knew it! I knew it!" Meg had been dancing around the room and singing those three words over and over for the past fifteen minutes. Aunt Giry and I were currently sitting on the bed in mine and Meg's shared room. She held my left hand in hers looking at the ring a bright smile on her face.
"You are good for him, Anne."
I shook my head. "We are good for each other, Aunt. He's like none other I have ever. He completes me. It...it feels like a dream and he wants me to sing at the New Year's Eve Ball in two weeks."
"He what?" Meg stopped her dancing and looked at me.
"It's my own fault, of course. The other half of his Christmas was that I was going to sing one piece whenever he wanted me to."
Aunt Giry smiled. "I was approached a few weeks ago by the managers as to whether or not you sing. Forgive me, but I told them that you did. They want you to perform."
I blinked. "But they've never..." I stopped. "Erik," I whispered, realizing that he probably put the managers up to this. It was hard to tell whether or not this was a good thing, but I couldn't think about that now. Thankfully, this would be the only time that I would have to sing in public.
"So...when is the big day?" Meg plopped herself on the other side of me and proceeded to swoon over the ring. "I hope it's in the summer! Summer weddings are beautiful! At least I was told that the Christine's was."
I noticed that when Meg brought up Christine there was no hint of bitterness or sadness. I couldn't help but smile at the little ballerina who was slowly growing up. "Well...I was thinking that after the New Year's Ball we'd come up with a date. I'm all for a quick wedding." I blushed furiously as the words tumbled from my mouth. "I mean...I want a small wedding with probably only you two in attendance."
Meg clapped her hands like a little girl and promenaded around the room again. "Oh, I just can't wait! It'll be my first wedding!"
I smiled seeing how happy she was about the prospect of my wedding. However, my feelings dampened a little when I looked at my aunt who seemed almost a little less than pleased with me. "What is it?" I asked.
"You're sure, Anne? Erik has said that he doesn't intend to live forever in the Populaire now. You two could end up anywhere."
Ah, I thought. Ever the voice of reason. "I thank you for your worry but I find that living in a place where the two of us can make a life together...is one I look forward to with great anticipation." I looked at the ring on my finger and smiled. "I daresay though that this will have to be kept a secret. Walking around the
Opera House with this on my hand is sure to arouse a lot of questions."
Aunt Giry smiled. "Ah...another secret engagement."
"But one I can actively be a part of this time!" Meg flopped down on her bed. "What a day this has been!"
I looked at the clock sitting on the small dresser and nodded. "We've been up almost long enough to where today has become tomorrow." I stifled a yawn which the Ballet Mistress plainly saw.
"It is time the two of you were in bed. Anne has a very busy next two weeks and you will be up with me in the morning rehearsing."
Meg nodded solemnly and Aunt Giry left the two of us to get ready for bed. I slowly discarded the brown dress and returned it to its hanger in the wardrobe. My shoes came next followed by my hair. As I ran the brush through my curls I realized just how tired I was. My eyelids were heavy with fatigue and I became burdened with the realization that it was getting hard for me to stand. I sat down on my bed willing myself to stay awake as Meg began to prepare for bed.
"You really love him, don't you."
I was glad that Meg had put that as a statement as opposed to a question. Even in my wearied state, a smile tugged at my lips. "I think the word love doesn't even come close to what I feel for Erik." I gave up trying to stay awake as I stepped out of my remaining clothes and into my nightdress. I crawled under the sheets and Meg was soon laid down on her own bed.
"What's it like?"
I sighed softly realizing that it might still be a while before I got to fall asleep. "Being love is a hard feeling to describe Meg so I'll tell you what I can. I had once heard that it was like being forever with your best friend, but for me at least I don't think that is the case. Erik...well, he completes me. He loves me for me unconditionally and he wants me to be all that I can be. He makes me want to be better as a musician and that makes me want to be better in all aspects of my life. I'm not saying that it's going to be all moonlight and roses nor is it going to be filled with the two of us arguing because we're both two very different people. I hope it'll have a little of both." I stopped talking to realize that the room had gotten eerily quiet. "Meg?"
I rose up a little to see that Meg had drifted to sleep. I chuckled and turned down the lights and then snuggled into the sheets.
"Do you mean that, Anna?"
I gasped and sat up in bed. "Erik?" I asked to the darkened room. The lamp next to me came back to life and Erik stood above me. "Don't scare me like that," I whispered furiously.
He knelt down next to me and took my hands in his. "Anne...do you mean what you just told Meg?"
I smiled and held his face in my hands. "Engaged to be married only these few hours and already you doubt me?" I leaned into to kiss him when a thought crossed my mind and I withdrew from him. "Have you been listening this whole time?" He didn't answer me, but then he didn't need to. The answer was clearly written on his face. "Erik, dearest, you're going to have to stop listening on my conversations and just ask me if you want to know something." I gently scolded him and then leaned to kiss him. "You're going to be stuck with me for the rest of our lives one of these days and it's going to be a long eternity if you don't."
With his face looking up at mine I suddenly became very aware of the situation we were in. Erik was here and I was wearing very little and was not even decent. I made a move to grab my covers but he stilled my hands.
"Don't Anne. I'll go." He kissed me again and soon left. I smiled as I turned down the lights again and I laid back down, pulling up the covers around me. I couldn't help but think of what the future would bring during the next few weeks. Yes, I would be singing for Paris and I was nervous already. But hopefully Erik and I could leave this place together and begin our lives. I hoped that Mother was happy with me and the life that I was leading. As sleep finally came to claim me an unbidden thought crossed my mind about singing in two weeks. Christine and Elizabeth were sure to be there and for some reason I was afraid, very afraid.
