Disclaimer: You know, this gets really old...I don't own them, Okay???
Okay.
The Fate of the Heart
*erik*
"... and I... ended up here. I don't know why, or how, but all I remember is the sound of a gunshot, Raoul screaming, and then everything going black. When I woke up, the only thing I could think of was getting to you. So the next thing I know, I was on the other side of a pillar, listening to you..." she looked up at him for the first time, "...weeping." He turned away, embarrassed and angry. "I'm sorry! I didn't know what to say. I didn't know... how you would react. So I stood there and watched you, and... Well, I guess you know the rest better than I."
He tried to let it all sink in. Tried to... but his anger was too much a part of him to let her story not hit him like... He felt the hot venom of fury rush through his veins.
He stood quickly, and strode with purpose to his bedroom. She followed at his heels, and he nearly knocked her over when he came out again. He paused, his heart fluttering; if he had hurt her, he would be as bad as Raoul. Flashing in front of his eyes, he saw a vision of her on the floor, a look of terror and fear on her face; another bruise on her body. One that he had put there; even the thought of it made him want to run to the syringe by his coffin. But he hadn't touched her, and his heart beat again. Anger rushing to replace momentary despair, he aimed his feet for the door once more. He had on his long cape, and before he could conceal it, he heard her gasp as she saw his lasso. "No!" she said firmly, but he ignored her, and swept past her.
He reached the door when she quickly jumped in front of him. "No." she repeated. He glared at her, and immediately felt guilt when he saw her flinch. But he wasn't distracted, and gently pushed her out of the way. But she grabbed his shoulder, and turned him around. "No." she said simply, cupping his face with her delicate hand.
He stopped cold.
*christine*
She reached out and cupped his face. He stopped dead, watching her with tense eyes. He trusted her completely, and she knew that she held his life just as she held his face now. His complete surrender shook her; with just that one gaze, she felt her heart returning to his. She could feel it become one with his, their beats synchronizing like their voices once used to do.
"Please don't do this, Erik. I have no desire to find out what I have done to Raoul. And I do not wish for you to suffer any more pain then you already have. All I wish is to stay here. With you. Where I know I'm safe. Please, Erik, let me just stay here. Don't make me relive the past." His eyes glazed over, and she wished instantly that she could bite back the words. Of all the things to say to this broken man; she had to bring up the painful past. "I'm sorry. That was low of me. But you of all people should know the... dangers of digging up the dead." She winced, but tried to continue. "I'm begging you, Erik. Please don't do this." But as she pleaded with him, she knew that not even she could control his hot anger. Decisions had been made; she could not change that now.
Resigned, she removed her trembling hand from his face, and whispered, "Please. Don't hurt him. Just promise me that. You can hunt him down, drive him mad, but please, Erik. Don't hurt him."
"Why shouldn't I?" he hissed. "After all, am I not given the right to protect the ones I love? Or has the world taken that right away from me too?
She stared helplessly as he swept out the door, anger radiating from his body. Trying to hold back her love for both men, she sunk to the floor, in a heap of confusion and helpless tears.
*erik*
He stared at her.
Coming back from his long and nearly fruitless journey, he hadn't expected her to welcome him with open arms. In fact, he almost expected her to be gone. But he pushed that thought out of his mind; she wasn't innocent enough to think that she could survive alone in her condition. Or maybe she was...
But that was all the more reason not to start loving her again. He had gone through the pain of rejection once. Surely that was enough for him. Yes, by the time he had reached the other side of the river, he had decided to stop loving her. For the good of them both.
And now, as he stared at her, huddled asleep on the ground, he could feel his soul reach out for this broken thing on his cold floor. It was his fault, if he had controlled his anger she would have been fine. But again he ruined what had been handed to him. Why did he always do that? It seemed like everything he touched turned into something like him: scarred, on the inside as well as out. He heard the whisper of words already been said: "This haunted face holds no horror for me now. It's in your soul where the true distortion lies." Her words still weighed heavily in his heart.
He scooped her up, careful not to touch her flesh. After all this time, even the thought of her letting him feel her cold skin sent his heart cascading.
*Christine*
She woke to find herself once again in a bed not her own.
Immediately, she sprung up, but was restrained by a hand at her side. She turned to see him sitting in a plush chair, looking tired and worse than he ever had. Moving more slowly so he couldn't object, she sat on the edge of the bed, facing him. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him trying to ignore the lack of clothes she wore on her thin body. If she hadn't felt so tired, she would have smiled. But now she had more pressing matters on her mind.
"Where is Raoul?"
*erik*
"Where is Raoul?" He heard her say.
Suppressing the impulse to rub his forehead, he took a deep breath and started his contribution to the story...
The Fate of the Heart
*erik*
"... and I... ended up here. I don't know why, or how, but all I remember is the sound of a gunshot, Raoul screaming, and then everything going black. When I woke up, the only thing I could think of was getting to you. So the next thing I know, I was on the other side of a pillar, listening to you..." she looked up at him for the first time, "...weeping." He turned away, embarrassed and angry. "I'm sorry! I didn't know what to say. I didn't know... how you would react. So I stood there and watched you, and... Well, I guess you know the rest better than I."
He tried to let it all sink in. Tried to... but his anger was too much a part of him to let her story not hit him like... He felt the hot venom of fury rush through his veins.
He stood quickly, and strode with purpose to his bedroom. She followed at his heels, and he nearly knocked her over when he came out again. He paused, his heart fluttering; if he had hurt her, he would be as bad as Raoul. Flashing in front of his eyes, he saw a vision of her on the floor, a look of terror and fear on her face; another bruise on her body. One that he had put there; even the thought of it made him want to run to the syringe by his coffin. But he hadn't touched her, and his heart beat again. Anger rushing to replace momentary despair, he aimed his feet for the door once more. He had on his long cape, and before he could conceal it, he heard her gasp as she saw his lasso. "No!" she said firmly, but he ignored her, and swept past her.
He reached the door when she quickly jumped in front of him. "No." she repeated. He glared at her, and immediately felt guilt when he saw her flinch. But he wasn't distracted, and gently pushed her out of the way. But she grabbed his shoulder, and turned him around. "No." she said simply, cupping his face with her delicate hand.
He stopped cold.
*christine*
She reached out and cupped his face. He stopped dead, watching her with tense eyes. He trusted her completely, and she knew that she held his life just as she held his face now. His complete surrender shook her; with just that one gaze, she felt her heart returning to his. She could feel it become one with his, their beats synchronizing like their voices once used to do.
"Please don't do this, Erik. I have no desire to find out what I have done to Raoul. And I do not wish for you to suffer any more pain then you already have. All I wish is to stay here. With you. Where I know I'm safe. Please, Erik, let me just stay here. Don't make me relive the past." His eyes glazed over, and she wished instantly that she could bite back the words. Of all the things to say to this broken man; she had to bring up the painful past. "I'm sorry. That was low of me. But you of all people should know the... dangers of digging up the dead." She winced, but tried to continue. "I'm begging you, Erik. Please don't do this." But as she pleaded with him, she knew that not even she could control his hot anger. Decisions had been made; she could not change that now.
Resigned, she removed her trembling hand from his face, and whispered, "Please. Don't hurt him. Just promise me that. You can hunt him down, drive him mad, but please, Erik. Don't hurt him."
"Why shouldn't I?" he hissed. "After all, am I not given the right to protect the ones I love? Or has the world taken that right away from me too?
She stared helplessly as he swept out the door, anger radiating from his body. Trying to hold back her love for both men, she sunk to the floor, in a heap of confusion and helpless tears.
*erik*
He stared at her.
Coming back from his long and nearly fruitless journey, he hadn't expected her to welcome him with open arms. In fact, he almost expected her to be gone. But he pushed that thought out of his mind; she wasn't innocent enough to think that she could survive alone in her condition. Or maybe she was...
But that was all the more reason not to start loving her again. He had gone through the pain of rejection once. Surely that was enough for him. Yes, by the time he had reached the other side of the river, he had decided to stop loving her. For the good of them both.
And now, as he stared at her, huddled asleep on the ground, he could feel his soul reach out for this broken thing on his cold floor. It was his fault, if he had controlled his anger she would have been fine. But again he ruined what had been handed to him. Why did he always do that? It seemed like everything he touched turned into something like him: scarred, on the inside as well as out. He heard the whisper of words already been said: "This haunted face holds no horror for me now. It's in your soul where the true distortion lies." Her words still weighed heavily in his heart.
He scooped her up, careful not to touch her flesh. After all this time, even the thought of her letting him feel her cold skin sent his heart cascading.
*Christine*
She woke to find herself once again in a bed not her own.
Immediately, she sprung up, but was restrained by a hand at her side. She turned to see him sitting in a plush chair, looking tired and worse than he ever had. Moving more slowly so he couldn't object, she sat on the edge of the bed, facing him. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him trying to ignore the lack of clothes she wore on her thin body. If she hadn't felt so tired, she would have smiled. But now she had more pressing matters on her mind.
"Where is Raoul?"
*erik*
"Where is Raoul?" He heard her say.
Suppressing the impulse to rub his forehead, he took a deep breath and started his contribution to the story...