~~~{~@ Disclaimer: Ok, first disclaimer for this story. None of the characters
(except Meagan) are mine. I'm going to make up the names of some dancers in
the Corps de Ballet, but everything belongs to either Gaston Leroux or Andrew
Lloyd Webber. The characters were ORIGINALLY Gaston Leroux, and those are
the ones I use. The title of the story and of the chapters are Webber's. Neat, huh?
Ok, that's it. Have fun.
P.S. Bet you were wondering when I'd get to that, weren't ya?
P.P.S. This is the only disclaimer I'm doing, it takes away from the story.
~ Lady Serenity @~}~~~
Down Once More
By: Lady Serenity
Chapter Three: Stranger than you dreamt it...
For the next half hour Meg and Christine talked while Erik
continued to amaze young Meagan with his magic tricks. Everything from card
tricks to finding things behind Meagan's ear. At one point Meagan had reached
up to take off Erik's mask. Christine held her breath. Erik simply took Meagan's
hand and explained that the mask was magic, and if she took it off, he would
disappear, as would the card tricks. Meagan nodded solemnly and Christine
was able to breathe again.
She and Meg had just resumed their conversation when she heard
Erik say, "Meagan, do you see those boxes over on the mantle?"
Meagan nodded, "Oui."
"Do you know what's in those boxes?"
Meagan shook her head, her black curls bouncing.
"I'll tell you. In one box is a grasshopper and in the other is a
scorpion. Will you get those boxes for me?"
Meagan hopped up and trotted over to get the boxes. She had to
stand on tip-toe to reach them, but she succeeded and brought them back to
Erik.
Erik took them from her, "Good. Now, which one to you like?"
"I like grasshoppers. Scorpions scare me!" Meagan stuck her tongue
out.
Christine remembered Erik's words to her that fateful night and
went pale, "The grasshopper jumps jolly high! * " She got up to stop her
daughter, but she fainted before she got two steps.
Erik leaped up and ran to Christine's side, "Christine! I curse myself
for not telling her I disarmed the dynamite after she left!"
Meg put her hand on Erik's shoulder, "Will she be all right?"
"Yes, in a minute," Erik went off to get a cold cloth and Meagan
began crying. Meg wrapped her arms around the little girl and rocked her
back and forth, "Shh. Your mother's going to be all right. She's fine, don't
worry."
Erik returned with the cloth and wiped Christine's face with it. Her
eyes fluttered open, "The... grasshopper hasn't been turned?"
Erik smiled, "No, no my dear. The grasshopper will not turn. I
disarmed it after you left that night."
"Oh, good." Christine took her daughter's hand, "You may turn the
grasshopper, dearest."
Meagan frowned, "Turn? What do you mean, Maman?"
"Take, I meant take, ma chere," Christine corrected herself.
Meagan grinned, "Goodie!" She let go of her mother's hand and
took the grasshopper from its case, "Isn't it pretty, Maman?" Meagan said,
admiring the green and gold of the little metal insect.
Christine got to her feet and looked down at the grasshopper, "It is,
isn't it?"
Erik closed Meagan's hand around it, "It is yours to keep."
Meagan's face lit up, "Really and truly?"
Erik nodded, "Really and truly."
~~~{~@ ~*~ @~}~~~
After Christine and Meagan left, Erik took Meg by the wrist and
began to lead her out of the room. Meg looked confused, "Where are we going?"
"On a grand tour of our home!"
Erik stopped in front of a closed door, "This is my music room, my
dear." He opened the door and Meg walked in.
"Oh my!" She gazed in awe at the huge organ. "How beautiful!" Meg
looked at the piles upon piles of music manuscript paper. She went over to the
organ, "My I?"
Erik nodded and Meg ran her fingers over the organ keys. The
sound wasn't the 'plink, plink' like M. Reyer's piano, but rather a deep,
soulful, sound. "It's beautiful," Meg breathed.
Erik smiled his lopsided smile, "Thank you. Now, to my room!"
A look of shock came over Meg's face, "Yo- your room, Erik?"
"Yes, I wish us to have no secrets."
Meg breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, you're going to SHOW me your
room. I thought- oh, um, never mind." She blushed a deep red.
Erik blushed as well, "Er, no..."
There was an uncomfortable pause before Erik turned and left the
room, Meg trailing behind him. He stopped in front of the door, "I must warn
you, you might find my room rather curious..."
"Curious?" Meg asked.
Erik grinned, "Some have called it that." With that, he opened the
door.
Meg gasped, speachless. In the middle of the room was a black
coffin, the lid propped open. In the corner was a smaller organ. There were
posters from various operas hung on the walls. Meg noticed there were no
mirrors. She looked around, taking it all in, "Very curious indeed." A line of
worry creased her forehead.
Erik frowned, "What's wrong, Meg."
"Nothing."
"No, you look worried. Something is wrong."
"Well... it is a long standing tradition that once a member of the
Corps de Ballet is married, she must stop dancing. And now that I'm..." Meg's
voice trailed off.
Erik laughed, "Is that all? I shall write a note to the managers telling
them your situation and requesting that you remain in the Corps."
Meg's smile reached from ear to ear, "Oh thank you Erik!"
Erik scowled and Meg frowned, "Now you look worried. Did I
say something?"
Erik glanced at her, "What? No... it's just..."
"Yes?"
He chuckled, "I realized I have no last name to give you."
Meg brightened, "Then I shall give you mine!" She reached up and
gave Erik a quick kiss on the cheek.
"What was that for?"
Meg shrugged, "I felt like it. That is the kind of thing husbands and
wives do, do they not?"
"I suppose so..."
"Erik... I know we were not married under the happiest of conditions
but I want to at least give the illusion that we are a happy couple. Am I wrong
in wanting that?"
"No, you are not."
"Good. Then we are going to the Galla Ball next week!" Meg exited
Erik's room, leaving him standing there.
"The Galla Ba- Meg!"
~~~{~@ "Here I have a note..." "Let me see it! Please..." * The grasshopper line is
straight from the book, I believe that is the correct quotation. If I'm off, tell me.
Oh, there was a lot of room for me to shape Meg's character, so I gave her some
of my characteristics. Her love of scetching (That comes in later, you didn't
miss anything, so don't worry), her rather uncanny ability to turn a sentence
into something nasty... that kind of thing. So please, don't flame my version of
Meg! Oh, and I know Christine's feelings for Erik are deeper than she would
care to admit. This phic isn't about her, so I haven't focused on that. It's about
Meg, Christine isn't a big part. In fact, don't expect to see her more than twice.
Sorry to Christine fans. Enjoy the rest of the story. *
~ Lady Serenity @~}~~~
(except Meagan) are mine. I'm going to make up the names of some dancers in
the Corps de Ballet, but everything belongs to either Gaston Leroux or Andrew
Lloyd Webber. The characters were ORIGINALLY Gaston Leroux, and those are
the ones I use. The title of the story and of the chapters are Webber's. Neat, huh?
Ok, that's it. Have fun.
P.S. Bet you were wondering when I'd get to that, weren't ya?
P.P.S. This is the only disclaimer I'm doing, it takes away from the story.
~ Lady Serenity @~}~~~
Down Once More
By: Lady Serenity
Chapter Three: Stranger than you dreamt it...
For the next half hour Meg and Christine talked while Erik
continued to amaze young Meagan with his magic tricks. Everything from card
tricks to finding things behind Meagan's ear. At one point Meagan had reached
up to take off Erik's mask. Christine held her breath. Erik simply took Meagan's
hand and explained that the mask was magic, and if she took it off, he would
disappear, as would the card tricks. Meagan nodded solemnly and Christine
was able to breathe again.
She and Meg had just resumed their conversation when she heard
Erik say, "Meagan, do you see those boxes over on the mantle?"
Meagan nodded, "Oui."
"Do you know what's in those boxes?"
Meagan shook her head, her black curls bouncing.
"I'll tell you. In one box is a grasshopper and in the other is a
scorpion. Will you get those boxes for me?"
Meagan hopped up and trotted over to get the boxes. She had to
stand on tip-toe to reach them, but she succeeded and brought them back to
Erik.
Erik took them from her, "Good. Now, which one to you like?"
"I like grasshoppers. Scorpions scare me!" Meagan stuck her tongue
out.
Christine remembered Erik's words to her that fateful night and
went pale, "The grasshopper jumps jolly high! * " She got up to stop her
daughter, but she fainted before she got two steps.
Erik leaped up and ran to Christine's side, "Christine! I curse myself
for not telling her I disarmed the dynamite after she left!"
Meg put her hand on Erik's shoulder, "Will she be all right?"
"Yes, in a minute," Erik went off to get a cold cloth and Meagan
began crying. Meg wrapped her arms around the little girl and rocked her
back and forth, "Shh. Your mother's going to be all right. She's fine, don't
worry."
Erik returned with the cloth and wiped Christine's face with it. Her
eyes fluttered open, "The... grasshopper hasn't been turned?"
Erik smiled, "No, no my dear. The grasshopper will not turn. I
disarmed it after you left that night."
"Oh, good." Christine took her daughter's hand, "You may turn the
grasshopper, dearest."
Meagan frowned, "Turn? What do you mean, Maman?"
"Take, I meant take, ma chere," Christine corrected herself.
Meagan grinned, "Goodie!" She let go of her mother's hand and
took the grasshopper from its case, "Isn't it pretty, Maman?" Meagan said,
admiring the green and gold of the little metal insect.
Christine got to her feet and looked down at the grasshopper, "It is,
isn't it?"
Erik closed Meagan's hand around it, "It is yours to keep."
Meagan's face lit up, "Really and truly?"
Erik nodded, "Really and truly."
~~~{~@ ~*~ @~}~~~
After Christine and Meagan left, Erik took Meg by the wrist and
began to lead her out of the room. Meg looked confused, "Where are we going?"
"On a grand tour of our home!"
Erik stopped in front of a closed door, "This is my music room, my
dear." He opened the door and Meg walked in.
"Oh my!" She gazed in awe at the huge organ. "How beautiful!" Meg
looked at the piles upon piles of music manuscript paper. She went over to the
organ, "My I?"
Erik nodded and Meg ran her fingers over the organ keys. The
sound wasn't the 'plink, plink' like M. Reyer's piano, but rather a deep,
soulful, sound. "It's beautiful," Meg breathed.
Erik smiled his lopsided smile, "Thank you. Now, to my room!"
A look of shock came over Meg's face, "Yo- your room, Erik?"
"Yes, I wish us to have no secrets."
Meg breathed a sigh of relief, "Oh, you're going to SHOW me your
room. I thought- oh, um, never mind." She blushed a deep red.
Erik blushed as well, "Er, no..."
There was an uncomfortable pause before Erik turned and left the
room, Meg trailing behind him. He stopped in front of the door, "I must warn
you, you might find my room rather curious..."
"Curious?" Meg asked.
Erik grinned, "Some have called it that." With that, he opened the
door.
Meg gasped, speachless. In the middle of the room was a black
coffin, the lid propped open. In the corner was a smaller organ. There were
posters from various operas hung on the walls. Meg noticed there were no
mirrors. She looked around, taking it all in, "Very curious indeed." A line of
worry creased her forehead.
Erik frowned, "What's wrong, Meg."
"Nothing."
"No, you look worried. Something is wrong."
"Well... it is a long standing tradition that once a member of the
Corps de Ballet is married, she must stop dancing. And now that I'm..." Meg's
voice trailed off.
Erik laughed, "Is that all? I shall write a note to the managers telling
them your situation and requesting that you remain in the Corps."
Meg's smile reached from ear to ear, "Oh thank you Erik!"
Erik scowled and Meg frowned, "Now you look worried. Did I
say something?"
Erik glanced at her, "What? No... it's just..."
"Yes?"
He chuckled, "I realized I have no last name to give you."
Meg brightened, "Then I shall give you mine!" She reached up and
gave Erik a quick kiss on the cheek.
"What was that for?"
Meg shrugged, "I felt like it. That is the kind of thing husbands and
wives do, do they not?"
"I suppose so..."
"Erik... I know we were not married under the happiest of conditions
but I want to at least give the illusion that we are a happy couple. Am I wrong
in wanting that?"
"No, you are not."
"Good. Then we are going to the Galla Ball next week!" Meg exited
Erik's room, leaving him standing there.
"The Galla Ba- Meg!"
~~~{~@ "Here I have a note..." "Let me see it! Please..." * The grasshopper line is
straight from the book, I believe that is the correct quotation. If I'm off, tell me.
Oh, there was a lot of room for me to shape Meg's character, so I gave her some
of my characteristics. Her love of scetching (That comes in later, you didn't
miss anything, so don't worry), her rather uncanny ability to turn a sentence
into something nasty... that kind of thing. So please, don't flame my version of
Meg! Oh, and I know Christine's feelings for Erik are deeper than she would
care to admit. This phic isn't about her, so I haven't focused on that. It's about
Meg, Christine isn't a big part. In fact, don't expect to see her more than twice.
Sorry to Christine fans. Enjoy the rest of the story. *
~ Lady Serenity @~}~~~
