Chapter Sixteen: A Simple Answer
Through the next two days, a routine was established. By day, Christine would go above and rehearse with the company, and by night she remained in the house by the lake. And during those two days, they had many discussions, although one could almost call them arguments, over Erik meeting Madame Giry.
It was on the third day that Christine finally had enough of Erik's dodging her. Between the discussion and the fact that Erik was keeping his distance from her more and more, Christine was starting to feel a bit edgy. Deep down she understood why Erik was being so careful at times not to touch her, and why he was making sure she actually went to bed in her room at night, but she missed the feeling of awakening in his arms. And it made her crave the day when he would stop pushing her away, as she knew it would end after they were married.
But now, after Erik's latest dodge, the ice was about to break.
Christine purposely followed Erik as he went into his laboratory, "Erik, we are running out of time here. We leave in five days, right? If you don't meet Madame Giry soon, Meg will not be able to come to the wedding, and she really is the only one I asked to be allowed to bring."
"Yes, I understand, but Christine, I don't know if Madame Giry will consent even if she does meet me!"
"How can she not? You heard what Meg told you, her mother does not think you are some kind of monster. I don't either, and neither does Meg, so why keep dodging the issue. If you meet her, at least we will know one way or the other!"
Erik spun, the anger flashing in his eyes. Christine so rarely raised her voice to him, and on such a touchy subject as this he was finally close to snapping. "Did it ever occur to you," he started, his voice menacing enough to make Christine take a step back, "that perhaps the reason I've been putting it off is I do not want you hurt when Meg is denied anyway? Don't you realize by now that I would do just about anything to keep you from being hurt? Or has that boy's worries finally gotten to you?"
"Don't bring Raoul into this Erik," Christine replied, her lip trembling slightly, "he has nothing to do with it. This is about your fear of meeting Madame Giry. I don't fear you. If I did, do you think I would be here, standing up to you? Or did you miss the part the other night where I told Raoul that I knew you would never hurt me?"
"You really think I am afraid?" Erik asked, turning away from Christine.
"Yes, I do. I know you fear things just like the rest of us. That mask you still insist on wearing even though I've told you that I don't need it here does not protect you from hurt. It merely shuts people out, Erik."
"This is not about the mask, either, Christine."
"No, it's not. It's about fear. It's about your fear to open up to people."
"Think long about it, Christine. You do not want to open up that subject."
"And why not? Erik, not everyone is going to reject you!"
Erik spun back around, and slowly stalked his way to Christine. She stood stock still, her own anger still coursing through her with no thoughts of being afraid at the pose he took when he was finally right next to her. It was a pose she'd seen often, the stiffness that usually proceeded his angriest rages.
"My whole life, Christine," he began, the malice still in his voice as he remained still in an attempt to keep his anger in check, "my whole life, I think I can count on one hand the number of people who really and truly accepted me for who I am without prejudice. And the number of people who did that on first meeting is even smaller. The unfortunate side effect, of course, is that curiosity generally makes them betray me in the end. And then they ask to see. The few people who have accepted me upon sight of this face is the smallest number. Even you, it took time to accept, accept the truth of what I am, and you can not deny that."
"No, I can't deny it Erik, any more than I can turn back time and change my first reaction. I was still very much a child then, Erik. I know I am still very much a child now in some ways, but I'm trying to be what you need. Because you are what I need. But you continue to judge the world based on a portion, how do you know who is going to accept if you do not give them the chance. You said yourself that Madame Giry has seen your face. She has not turned you in. She knows you are here. Why not give her a chance?"
Erik stared silently, and he knew she had just played the one hand that he could not logically argue against. The stare lasted for several tense moments before Erik's hands relaxed from the fists they had balled into in the heat of the argument, and his eyes softened with them. "Very well, I will meet her."
Christine sighed in relief, and she smiled in victory. "When?"
"Your dressing room, after tonight's performance. I'll be waiting inside."
"Then you won't be in box five?"
"Oh, I'll be watching, I'll just leave shortly before the end so that I make it there before you," Erik assured her.
Christine nodded her agreement.
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Meg, of course, had been ecstatic when she heard that Erik finally agreed. Christine once again sang as Marguerite since Carlotta was still recovering, and as they went into the final scene, Christine chanced a glance at box five, and saw Erik's movement toward the pillar.
After the performance, Meg rushed up to Christine and gave her a rather tight hug. "Maman is coming, do you think he made it back there?"
"Yes, he left a bit before the end so that he would be there," Christine answered.
"But how do you know?"
"I saw him, briefly enough to see him moving," Christine responded as she heard the cane hitting the floor a bit behind them.
"You!" Giry yelled to the dancers. "A disgrace! I can tell you have not been putting effort into your practicing. Janelle, you ran right into Megan, and Chloe, your pirouettes tonight were atrocious! Go change out of your costumes and get into your practice clothes, for we practice in fifteen minutes!"
A groan went up from the group of dancers, and they left in a huddle as Giry made her way to the two girls standing in the middle of the right of way.
"Well, are the two of you ready?"
"Yes, Maman," Meg replied, and the three made their way to Christine's dressing room.
"I must say, Christine, this beau of yours keeps odd habits, does he not? Waiting almost four days to agree to meet me after you ask if my daughter can accompany the two of you on a journey of that length."
"I apologize for that, Madame Giry, it's just he's a bit nervous about meeting your standards, is all."
"Well, we shall see about this," Giry mumbled as they reached the door, and Christine opened it and stepped in, the first thing she saw was Erik sitting on the small divan. Christine stood aside and allowed Madame Giry and Meg in, then closed the door behind them.
Erik stood the moment the three women entered the room, and other than the short gasp from Madame Giry, the room was silent.
"Madame Giry, my fiancé Erik Laramie. Erik, Madame Giry, Meg's mother."
"A pleasure to meet you, Madame, Christine has told me a great deal about you," Erik bowed elegantly.
Madame Giry nodded to Erik, and then spared a glance to her daughter. Meg shrugged helplessly, and Giry turned back to the man before her. "And why should I trust you with my daughter, Monsieur Laramie?"
Erik's eyes widened behind the mask as if he were startled by the impertinence of the question. "Madame Giry, I assure you I have no ill intentions toward your daughter. Christine wishes her to be at our wedding, and I merely wish Christine to be happy. Having a friend at our wedding seems such a small request, and if it is my power, I want her to have that."
Giry scrutinized the masked face before her before her next question, "You live near the Opera then?"
Erik's hand twitched, yet his face remained placid, "Yes, fairly close you may say, although I prefer to be here. The company has, at times, put on some beautiful pieces, and of course, with the right singers, they become even more so. I've almost begun to think of the Opera as my second home."
"Indeed," Giry replied simply. They stood watching each other, and the only detectable movement was that of a small twitch of Erik's hand. Finally, Giry nodded, and then she turned and walked the few steps to stand before the two girls.
"I understand why you were both so nervous, and that is all I am going to say on that subject, since no more should need to be said." She glanced quickly back at Erik, then returned her attention to the girls. "Meg, tomorrow is Saturday, which means late rehearsal, so we shall go and get you a new dress for the wedding."
Both girls burst into smiles, and Meg launched herself at her mother and threw her arms around the older woman, "Oh thank you Maman, thank you thank you thank you!"
Madame Giry returned her daughter's embrace briefly, before backing up, "Now, you need to change out of your costume, and get into your rehearsal clothes. Coming here with me is no excuse for you missing practice. I'll be along in a minute."
"Yes Maman," Meg returned, and then with a quick squeeze of Christine's hand on her way, she saw herself out.
Once Meg was out of the room and the door closed once more, Madame Giry looked between the two other people in the room. After a moment, she made her way back to stand before Erik once more. "I will only say one thing, and I'm sure it will be sufficient. Take care of my daughter, and Christine, for if anything happens to them, you can be sure I will tell what I know. Keep them safe, and your secret remains so, Monsieur."
Erik watched her for a moment, then nodded his head, "Of course, Madame Giry."
The two stared at each other for a moment longer, and then Madame Giry moved to stand before Christine. Her stony gaze made Christine want to squirm, but she managed to stay still until Giry spoke.
"You know what you are getting into, I take it?"
"Yes, Madame Giry," Christine answered.
"And it does not matter?"
"No, it does not. Love does not ask for conditions before being born in our hearts."
Giry nodded, and glanced once more between the two. Facing Christine once more, she whispered, "No matter what he may have done in the past, no matter some of the trouble he may have caused, he still does have a good heart. I think you will be good for him, my dear." And with that, she turned away from the couple and made her way out of the room.
As soon as they were alone, Christine moved into Erik's waiting embrace.
"You were right," he said.
Even though he could not see her face, Christine smiled. "Perhaps then you'll learn to listen to me more often?"
She lifted her head from his shoulder so he could see the playful smile on her face. An answering smile came across his lips, "Perhaps I might."
"See that you do, mon amour. Now that we got that obstacle out of the way, there is only one more thing."
"And what is that, my dear?"
"The fact that Carlotta has a broken leg. The managers asked me this afternoon if I could continue to play Marguerite until she returns."
Erik swore softly under his breath, "A broken leg can take months to heal! And we are due back in Rouen in a week, it's not possible. What did you tell them?"
"I asked them the schedule, and Monsieur Firmin said he would have it for me tomorrow."
"Then we don't know if there will be a break anytime soon?"
"I doubt it, we just had a resting period, remember?"
"That was a few months ago, wasn't it?"
"Two a year for the Opera house, and you know they sell better at Christmas."
"Yes, and those two may not have a dab of musical sense between them, but they do know money," Erik raged, and turned from Christine.
"Erik, please, I have no intentions of staying here through Christmas. When Monsieur Firmin shows me the schedule tomorrow, I shall just tell him I can not do it."
"And that is suicide to your career!"
"Damn the bloody consequences, Erik! There is nothing that is going to keep me from that church."
Erik spun around at the words he was unaccustomed to hearing from her. His eyes widened in shock as he realized he hadn't known she even knew those words. And then he chuckled and drew her back into his arms.
"What's so funny, Erik?" Christine asked as he placed a feather-light kiss on her forehead.
"You know, I find I rather enjoy our arguments."
Christine looked at him as if he were speaking Greek. "Please, explain that."
"You're learning to stand up to me. I find I like that."
"Oh," Christine replied, the confusion still lingering in her voice.
Erik chuckled again as he placed another tender kiss on her forehead.
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Author's Notes: Yes, I KNOW I promised that wedding Chapter for Christmas, and you can blame it all on my estupida computer! I was writing and writing and writing, and . . . um . . . forgot to save (Yikes!) and lost about 20 pages total, which was the next few chapters, and the wedding. So you'll have to bear with me, I'm hoping now to have it by New Years.
And you would have had this chapter yesterday, but ff.net did NOT want to co-operate with me!
Fordgirl: At first, I wasn't sure, but I looked your hometown up, and it's not all that far from here, so now I had to really laugh that I may very well have been there as a child! My parents and I used to go to the shore points all the time when I was little.
Claire Starling: No, I haven't seen Dangerous Liaisons, but that quote is in Kay, page 361 Erik mentions that very few people go to the opera for the quality of the music, they go to see and be seen. I am glad that you're enjoying the story, though!
Everyone else: Hope you like this newest chapter, and more is coming very soon!
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