Disclaimer: I don't own a thing. I own my soul, eh…that's it. Anyway, this is so fluffy I should be ashamed. Let this be a lesson to all insomniacs. Start writing when you're sleep deprived and you start sounding like a Nora Roberts romance novel. SHEESH. Na, I'm kidding. Enjoy. Thanks to all who read and review, you keep me writing, confident that someone wants to read my melodramatic imagination.
Erik was alerted to the scream, it sounded inhuman and filled with such fury. He leapt up from his cramped spot and ran to get his cloak. What if Mme. Giry' s daughter was in some form of trouble! He'd never be able to stop the anger that would end up resulting in death to whomever caused Megan's pain. The child was unbelievably loyal, to a fault. And the only one with a smidgen of sense among them.
Quickly he bounded up the stairs, wondering why it had bothered him to climb them before. Maybe it was a temporary illness, or the will to not live anymore. But now that Megan's life could be in jeopardy he had to hurry. He cared not to whom he alerted in the Opera as he ran up to the roof, kicking snow with his boots as it melted and then stuck itself to the ground.
Megan held a woman in her arms, begging the woman to awaken. Erik had never seen Meg so distraught, her hysteria surely heard everywhere. The night air was so cold, he thought. Surely the child was near frozen to death…and as for the woman in her arms, she must have died minutes ago.
He crept up slowly, watching Megan hold the woman's body to her, the woman's head on her shoulder, covered by Megan's rage. "Megan.." he silently whispered, seeing agony overtake the woman-child known as Megan Giry, "You must stop this. Let me help you, Megan."
Megan's eyes opened fully, aware of who had spoken to her. She steadied herself…unsure of why Erik had come. Possibly thought I was Christine, she thought glumly. How ironic the being she had once feared, was the one to run to see about her screams.
She wasn't ready for the shock that crossed his face when she opened her arms and let Christine's head cradle itself in her lap. He immediately snatched Christine out of her embrace as if Megan had killed her, and then scurried away towards the angel.
"What have you done to her? You let her come up here? All alone! Megan, how could you!" Erik yelled, moaning as he saw Christine's lips part breathlessly, her lips turning from her rose colored pink to a blue, her head rolling from it's position in the crook of his arm.
Megan cried out, turning her head away as she watched her friend die in front of her eyes. "I was not aware she was up here until it was too late. Please don't yell at me Erik. If I known, oh god, blame it on me. I shouldn't had left her at home and not expected her to do something like this.." She whispered.
He had no time to answer her, for he raced down the roofs steps until he reached the rooms that were appointed Mme.Giry's office. He was hardly aware of Megan racing behind him, yelling at him to wait, unable to keep up with his fast pace.
Laying her upon Mme.Giry's cluttered desk, he began to rub her hands and face rapidly while Megan heated blankets near the fire. Megan became exhausted, but yet energized, ready for anything. She just prayed to the Lord above that Christine would pull through. She had to, or otherwise…well…she'd feel that she killed Christine by not getting her to awaken earlier on the rooftop.
Christine sighed softly, blinking, feeling like her entire body was on fire. She cried quietly, looking away from the sight in front of her. Erik, she thought….my angel, he saved me…why? I wanted to die, to free him of myself and the horrible thing I did to him and Raoul. Why couldn't he see that, why couldn't Megan see that. She shuddered and tried to reach with her arms to tug on his cloak, to make him aware that she was awake, and to order him out of here.
She wanted to die, had felt her self crumble from the moment she had left the cemetery. She could remember Raoul, in the sweetness of his temperament and nature, but Erik… oh, Erik…her love for him was so puzzling and complex it frightened her. She couldn't be what he deserved. He deserved a lionness, a woman with a fiery temper and someone who could understand his sad and tragic past and show him how much better life would be with her at his side. Why couldn't he had loved someone else, that woman? It made her weep even more so, just thinking of her.
Snow clung to his face, his cloak, and his mask, twinkling as it fell and melted. If her whole body was not engulfed in the flames of returning circulation, she would have reached up and madly taken the snow off of his face before it chilled him. But being unbelievably shy and afraid as she was, she never would have been able to. If only she could feel his hands now, she thought. They must be like doctor's hands, rubbing her feet and ankles. He paid no attention to where his hands were, although she was aware that if she hadn't been in danger he would have been afraid to touch her hair, much less her legs. He always cherished her as if she was some fragile china doll. Well, she thought sarcastically, he got one part of it right. I definitely feel fragile and as if I could break inside.
"Erik, please stop this…I am in such pain. Let me sleep…." She cried as Megan rushed to her side and put warm blankets around her.
"Oh Christine," Megan said pitifully, "I feel so terrible. Why didn't you tell me, Christine, why?" Meg whimpered, pulling her friends cloak down off of her head and smoothing Christine's pretty dark curls.
Erik sighed at the look on Megan's face and tried his best to ignore Christine's plea. Didn't she know that if she slept now, she would more than likely die? Why would she ever want to die-her beautiful heart could not perish from the earth, it meant that no heaven existed if she were to give up and die now. Her kiss had shown him that heaven forgave him for his bitter past, shown him what love really was. How could she give everything up so easily, when it had taken him years to get to that decision?
"Say something Erik! Anything. This cannot be a dream…" Christine was frightened by his silence, as she watched his eyes peer into hers. The sadness in them made her wish that she had died in the snow. His pain caused her such torment. How could she close the gap that laid so big between them? She was so frightened and scared. It would be much better for him, if she died now. He could find some other beautiful woman to love.
He was finally able to look away from her sad and beautiful wide eyes. Urgently, he handed the room keys to Megan. "Leave us…find your mother, child. She must be worried, horribly worried. By the end of the evening, I will return her to you. I must speak with her now, and you need not be here."
Megan's surprised face hid itself in shame. How could she come back to her mother now? She had failed her as well. Absolutely failed her, argued with her, broke her heart. And now to come back to her and prove that her mother was right about Christine? "If…you t…hink it best…Erik." She stuttered, giving one last look at Christine. "Forgive me, Christine. I am sorry. If I were a good friend, I would have known." She exited, going down to find a quiet place to think.
Christine smiled at that. "No, you were my best friend, Megan. I am ashamed at myself for involving you. Please some day, forgive me." Christine shuddered, looking around the office at the plain pictures of still life fruit, glancing at the orange glow of the fire as it reflected off of Erik's pearl finished mask. The silence between them grew thicker by the moment.
"You must hate me Erik. I've given you every reason." She finally spoke, moving in agony to put the woolen blankets around her body.
"Don't ever you dare speak like that. I trapped you in a gilded cage. What logic did I use? Why did you come back? To torture us? To relieve a memory filled with hate for me, and longing for your Raoul? To kill yourself so that I would know what a monster I am? That I caused your death? I cannot live in my prison anymore than you can in yours. Your visits to me made this monster happier than he could have ever imagined, and yet you wanted to taint those memories. Don't you understand that…"
He tapered off, standing in front of her and shedding his cloak, as his eyes conveyed anger. He reached out and almost touched and smoothed a tear from her face. If he was not so focused on her, he would have been crying himself at this point. He couldn't because he loved her so, for he'd blurt out how much he still cared and loved her, and he had no wish to have the child give up and die right in front of him.
"Understand what? I understand nothing and yet everything. I knew you never could see how much.. .oh, it's pointless now." She sobbed, "I've angered you and you won't see how sorry I am for failing to be what you and Raoul deserve. You were never a monster to me…that's your description, and not mine. Your anger frightens me, your yelling frightens me, but you underestimate me. When I kissed you, I…oh, you'll never believe me anyway. What's the point? I'll always be some little child to everyone, incapable of taking care of herself or ever being able to love someone so much she can't explain. I never meant to taint your memories. I merely taint everything I touch. I couldn't even be what my father wanted, don't you see? I couldn't be the diva for him, I couldn't stand on my own, I can't live without any of you and I don't know why! I don't understand what drives me anymore, only that...I am filled with terrible sorrow at the death of the child that once could have been something outstanding, something all of you wanted of me. I am sorry for causing such tremendous pain and for not one moment, causing joy to anyone else. I never repaid my debt to my father for loving me the way he had, for never being his dream. I am a miserable failure at every expectation that's been made for me. And, if I just end it, go to sleep forever, at least I could be with my father and make things right. Even for you. You deserve so much…"
Erik touched her shoulder with his ungloved hands, producing a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping away her tears as easily as he wished he could wipe away her pain. How could this child ever feel so much pain? It was almost as if her torment surpassed his.
"I don't deserve your adoration, child. I merely exist because you made me happy. I hoped you would return to …don't cry Christine. You lived up to every dream of mine. Even though I greedily wanted so much more. You cannot die, for you are like a rose in the snow. You are like sunlight, you gave me the sun on my tortured face when you kissed me. Yes, I know what your kiss meant. It meant that I could live. "
"You are not angry?" She asked shakily, moving to sit up on the wooden desk. She was surprised at his tenderness, his ability to touch her.
"I am angry at your rashness, yes."
"But yet you don't lash out at me. You don't hate me."
"You are apart of me. I cannot lash out at the beautiful part of myself, now can I?" His eyes almost smiled, remembering the times when he would tell her the fairy tales he had heard from Persia, how she had lain her head so carefully in his lap and let him rest his fingers in beautiful raven like curls.
"I am not beautiful, " she muttered, "merely fractured from what I originally was. But to at least be apart of something, something wonderful.."
"You are beautiful, even in your fragile state. You are everything your father wanted, don't you dare doubt that. You must promise me something, Christine."
She nodded, "Anything. Anything you want."
"Don't do this to yourself. Megan loves you like she was related to you. If you saw the pain in her eyes, you would know how much you mean to her. You must promise me that you'll live. For her….and for me.." He added himself as almost a whisper, merely moving his long and skinny fingers on her shoulders in a comforting gesture. "You must promise that you'll never forget…never forget what you meant to Raoul, and others. You forget that, and you'll never know what is beautiful about you."
She blushed, hiding her face, almost grazing his chest with her head. " I don't know how I can ever be what you ask. I meant something….to Raoul. He was a sweet and dear man. But his death taught me to gain confidence to manage my own life, and I'll be grateful for that gift he gave me. My father gave me the gift of love, of protection. After he died, I felt unsafe, and unwelcome to the world. What I wouldn't give to crawl back in his arms, for someone to be able to hold me like he used to…tell me that I was loved and would always be loved. I promise you that I will never leave this earth without a reason why."
"I will always be your friend, Christine."
Christine bit her lip unable to tell the truth. She loved him…..more than she could ever say, so terrifying and fierce. Yet he deserved to know. "I know that you will, you will always be the dark angel who promised me to live on a cold night. I am so sorry….I cannot be…." She broke off in tears, afraid she'd never be able to say what lived in her heart. Her wide eyes were bloodshot with tears, and her almost gray eyes looked exhausted. "Promise that you'll never think less of me, no matter what I've done. Please be my friend. When you were my angel, you were the only one I could speak to. I came back home, because it's where I could find my father's heart. I…will make my promise to always stay here. Here in my home, with my friend who understands me for who I should be inside." She smiled weakly. All the fear and terror that they had both caused in the past had melted away. She stared in his eyes, as he nodded. She was never more content than had she been at that moment. Even her fear about his face had seemingly disappeared when she saw the quiet compassion he had within himself still, even after all she had done.
"I promise."
"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" She asked out of self wonder. "Just until I sleep…I can't stand to be alone."
Her eyes were closed even before she had uttered the last word, her head falling on his shoulder. He stood in shock at her innocent gesture, until he put his arms around her and put her gently back onto the desk, wrapping her in the blankets so she would sleep comfortably. He pulled up a chair, taking one of her tapering hands and wrapping it in one of his.
He whispered softly to himself, before he too drifted off to sleep. "My Christine, you will always be loved."
Christine lost in dreams, but she couldn't help but show a childlike smile. She could keep her promise to Erik, as long as things stayed just as they were now.
OKAY, I KNOW IT WAS COMPLETE FLUFF, DON'T LAUGH AT ME, DARNIT!! REVIEW, FLAME, OR WHATEVER. I'M WELL DESERVING OF IT. BARNEY MUST ENVY THIS. LOL.
Erik was alerted to the scream, it sounded inhuman and filled with such fury. He leapt up from his cramped spot and ran to get his cloak. What if Mme. Giry' s daughter was in some form of trouble! He'd never be able to stop the anger that would end up resulting in death to whomever caused Megan's pain. The child was unbelievably loyal, to a fault. And the only one with a smidgen of sense among them.
Quickly he bounded up the stairs, wondering why it had bothered him to climb them before. Maybe it was a temporary illness, or the will to not live anymore. But now that Megan's life could be in jeopardy he had to hurry. He cared not to whom he alerted in the Opera as he ran up to the roof, kicking snow with his boots as it melted and then stuck itself to the ground.
Megan held a woman in her arms, begging the woman to awaken. Erik had never seen Meg so distraught, her hysteria surely heard everywhere. The night air was so cold, he thought. Surely the child was near frozen to death…and as for the woman in her arms, she must have died minutes ago.
He crept up slowly, watching Megan hold the woman's body to her, the woman's head on her shoulder, covered by Megan's rage. "Megan.." he silently whispered, seeing agony overtake the woman-child known as Megan Giry, "You must stop this. Let me help you, Megan."
Megan's eyes opened fully, aware of who had spoken to her. She steadied herself…unsure of why Erik had come. Possibly thought I was Christine, she thought glumly. How ironic the being she had once feared, was the one to run to see about her screams.
She wasn't ready for the shock that crossed his face when she opened her arms and let Christine's head cradle itself in her lap. He immediately snatched Christine out of her embrace as if Megan had killed her, and then scurried away towards the angel.
"What have you done to her? You let her come up here? All alone! Megan, how could you!" Erik yelled, moaning as he saw Christine's lips part breathlessly, her lips turning from her rose colored pink to a blue, her head rolling from it's position in the crook of his arm.
Megan cried out, turning her head away as she watched her friend die in front of her eyes. "I was not aware she was up here until it was too late. Please don't yell at me Erik. If I known, oh god, blame it on me. I shouldn't had left her at home and not expected her to do something like this.." She whispered.
He had no time to answer her, for he raced down the roofs steps until he reached the rooms that were appointed Mme.Giry's office. He was hardly aware of Megan racing behind him, yelling at him to wait, unable to keep up with his fast pace.
Laying her upon Mme.Giry's cluttered desk, he began to rub her hands and face rapidly while Megan heated blankets near the fire. Megan became exhausted, but yet energized, ready for anything. She just prayed to the Lord above that Christine would pull through. She had to, or otherwise…well…she'd feel that she killed Christine by not getting her to awaken earlier on the rooftop.
Christine sighed softly, blinking, feeling like her entire body was on fire. She cried quietly, looking away from the sight in front of her. Erik, she thought….my angel, he saved me…why? I wanted to die, to free him of myself and the horrible thing I did to him and Raoul. Why couldn't he see that, why couldn't Megan see that. She shuddered and tried to reach with her arms to tug on his cloak, to make him aware that she was awake, and to order him out of here.
She wanted to die, had felt her self crumble from the moment she had left the cemetery. She could remember Raoul, in the sweetness of his temperament and nature, but Erik… oh, Erik…her love for him was so puzzling and complex it frightened her. She couldn't be what he deserved. He deserved a lionness, a woman with a fiery temper and someone who could understand his sad and tragic past and show him how much better life would be with her at his side. Why couldn't he had loved someone else, that woman? It made her weep even more so, just thinking of her.
Snow clung to his face, his cloak, and his mask, twinkling as it fell and melted. If her whole body was not engulfed in the flames of returning circulation, she would have reached up and madly taken the snow off of his face before it chilled him. But being unbelievably shy and afraid as she was, she never would have been able to. If only she could feel his hands now, she thought. They must be like doctor's hands, rubbing her feet and ankles. He paid no attention to where his hands were, although she was aware that if she hadn't been in danger he would have been afraid to touch her hair, much less her legs. He always cherished her as if she was some fragile china doll. Well, she thought sarcastically, he got one part of it right. I definitely feel fragile and as if I could break inside.
"Erik, please stop this…I am in such pain. Let me sleep…." She cried as Megan rushed to her side and put warm blankets around her.
"Oh Christine," Megan said pitifully, "I feel so terrible. Why didn't you tell me, Christine, why?" Meg whimpered, pulling her friends cloak down off of her head and smoothing Christine's pretty dark curls.
Erik sighed at the look on Megan's face and tried his best to ignore Christine's plea. Didn't she know that if she slept now, she would more than likely die? Why would she ever want to die-her beautiful heart could not perish from the earth, it meant that no heaven existed if she were to give up and die now. Her kiss had shown him that heaven forgave him for his bitter past, shown him what love really was. How could she give everything up so easily, when it had taken him years to get to that decision?
"Say something Erik! Anything. This cannot be a dream…" Christine was frightened by his silence, as she watched his eyes peer into hers. The sadness in them made her wish that she had died in the snow. His pain caused her such torment. How could she close the gap that laid so big between them? She was so frightened and scared. It would be much better for him, if she died now. He could find some other beautiful woman to love.
He was finally able to look away from her sad and beautiful wide eyes. Urgently, he handed the room keys to Megan. "Leave us…find your mother, child. She must be worried, horribly worried. By the end of the evening, I will return her to you. I must speak with her now, and you need not be here."
Megan's surprised face hid itself in shame. How could she come back to her mother now? She had failed her as well. Absolutely failed her, argued with her, broke her heart. And now to come back to her and prove that her mother was right about Christine? "If…you t…hink it best…Erik." She stuttered, giving one last look at Christine. "Forgive me, Christine. I am sorry. If I were a good friend, I would have known." She exited, going down to find a quiet place to think.
Christine smiled at that. "No, you were my best friend, Megan. I am ashamed at myself for involving you. Please some day, forgive me." Christine shuddered, looking around the office at the plain pictures of still life fruit, glancing at the orange glow of the fire as it reflected off of Erik's pearl finished mask. The silence between them grew thicker by the moment.
"You must hate me Erik. I've given you every reason." She finally spoke, moving in agony to put the woolen blankets around her body.
"Don't ever you dare speak like that. I trapped you in a gilded cage. What logic did I use? Why did you come back? To torture us? To relieve a memory filled with hate for me, and longing for your Raoul? To kill yourself so that I would know what a monster I am? That I caused your death? I cannot live in my prison anymore than you can in yours. Your visits to me made this monster happier than he could have ever imagined, and yet you wanted to taint those memories. Don't you understand that…"
He tapered off, standing in front of her and shedding his cloak, as his eyes conveyed anger. He reached out and almost touched and smoothed a tear from her face. If he was not so focused on her, he would have been crying himself at this point. He couldn't because he loved her so, for he'd blurt out how much he still cared and loved her, and he had no wish to have the child give up and die right in front of him.
"Understand what? I understand nothing and yet everything. I knew you never could see how much.. .oh, it's pointless now." She sobbed, "I've angered you and you won't see how sorry I am for failing to be what you and Raoul deserve. You were never a monster to me…that's your description, and not mine. Your anger frightens me, your yelling frightens me, but you underestimate me. When I kissed you, I…oh, you'll never believe me anyway. What's the point? I'll always be some little child to everyone, incapable of taking care of herself or ever being able to love someone so much she can't explain. I never meant to taint your memories. I merely taint everything I touch. I couldn't even be what my father wanted, don't you see? I couldn't be the diva for him, I couldn't stand on my own, I can't live without any of you and I don't know why! I don't understand what drives me anymore, only that...I am filled with terrible sorrow at the death of the child that once could have been something outstanding, something all of you wanted of me. I am sorry for causing such tremendous pain and for not one moment, causing joy to anyone else. I never repaid my debt to my father for loving me the way he had, for never being his dream. I am a miserable failure at every expectation that's been made for me. And, if I just end it, go to sleep forever, at least I could be with my father and make things right. Even for you. You deserve so much…"
Erik touched her shoulder with his ungloved hands, producing a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping away her tears as easily as he wished he could wipe away her pain. How could this child ever feel so much pain? It was almost as if her torment surpassed his.
"I don't deserve your adoration, child. I merely exist because you made me happy. I hoped you would return to …don't cry Christine. You lived up to every dream of mine. Even though I greedily wanted so much more. You cannot die, for you are like a rose in the snow. You are like sunlight, you gave me the sun on my tortured face when you kissed me. Yes, I know what your kiss meant. It meant that I could live. "
"You are not angry?" She asked shakily, moving to sit up on the wooden desk. She was surprised at his tenderness, his ability to touch her.
"I am angry at your rashness, yes."
"But yet you don't lash out at me. You don't hate me."
"You are apart of me. I cannot lash out at the beautiful part of myself, now can I?" His eyes almost smiled, remembering the times when he would tell her the fairy tales he had heard from Persia, how she had lain her head so carefully in his lap and let him rest his fingers in beautiful raven like curls.
"I am not beautiful, " she muttered, "merely fractured from what I originally was. But to at least be apart of something, something wonderful.."
"You are beautiful, even in your fragile state. You are everything your father wanted, don't you dare doubt that. You must promise me something, Christine."
She nodded, "Anything. Anything you want."
"Don't do this to yourself. Megan loves you like she was related to you. If you saw the pain in her eyes, you would know how much you mean to her. You must promise me that you'll live. For her….and for me.." He added himself as almost a whisper, merely moving his long and skinny fingers on her shoulders in a comforting gesture. "You must promise that you'll never forget…never forget what you meant to Raoul, and others. You forget that, and you'll never know what is beautiful about you."
She blushed, hiding her face, almost grazing his chest with her head. " I don't know how I can ever be what you ask. I meant something….to Raoul. He was a sweet and dear man. But his death taught me to gain confidence to manage my own life, and I'll be grateful for that gift he gave me. My father gave me the gift of love, of protection. After he died, I felt unsafe, and unwelcome to the world. What I wouldn't give to crawl back in his arms, for someone to be able to hold me like he used to…tell me that I was loved and would always be loved. I promise you that I will never leave this earth without a reason why."
"I will always be your friend, Christine."
Christine bit her lip unable to tell the truth. She loved him…..more than she could ever say, so terrifying and fierce. Yet he deserved to know. "I know that you will, you will always be the dark angel who promised me to live on a cold night. I am so sorry….I cannot be…." She broke off in tears, afraid she'd never be able to say what lived in her heart. Her wide eyes were bloodshot with tears, and her almost gray eyes looked exhausted. "Promise that you'll never think less of me, no matter what I've done. Please be my friend. When you were my angel, you were the only one I could speak to. I came back home, because it's where I could find my father's heart. I…will make my promise to always stay here. Here in my home, with my friend who understands me for who I should be inside." She smiled weakly. All the fear and terror that they had both caused in the past had melted away. She stared in his eyes, as he nodded. She was never more content than had she been at that moment. Even her fear about his face had seemingly disappeared when she saw the quiet compassion he had within himself still, even after all she had done.
"I promise."
"Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?" She asked out of self wonder. "Just until I sleep…I can't stand to be alone."
Her eyes were closed even before she had uttered the last word, her head falling on his shoulder. He stood in shock at her innocent gesture, until he put his arms around her and put her gently back onto the desk, wrapping her in the blankets so she would sleep comfortably. He pulled up a chair, taking one of her tapering hands and wrapping it in one of his.
He whispered softly to himself, before he too drifted off to sleep. "My Christine, you will always be loved."
Christine lost in dreams, but she couldn't help but show a childlike smile. She could keep her promise to Erik, as long as things stayed just as they were now.
OKAY, I KNOW IT WAS COMPLETE FLUFF, DON'T LAUGH AT ME, DARNIT!! REVIEW, FLAME, OR WHATEVER. I'M WELL DESERVING OF IT. BARNEY MUST ENVY THIS. LOL.