A/N: This is addressed to Deirdre of the Sorrows. I'm sorry if my whole 5 reviews per chapter gig annoys you. I, myself, dislike it but I find that a lot more people seem to review when you say this. Most people don't bother and it's kind of mean. As much as I enjoy writing for the sake of writing, I like the feedback- it encourages me. Please forgive me and continue to read the story.
Disclaimer: *looks at Erik* Do I have to? *Erik glares* Oh come ON, please?!?! *No change* Please? *sighs* Fine- I don't own anything... only Dawn...
-SOMEONE LIKE YOU-
...they don't ever complain
Erik brooded. He sat in his torn apart room and brooded. What a sight he made. Him in all black with a room of black and red behind him. The only thing that was not the color of death was the stark white porcelain mask upon Erik's face. Any painter would have given a large sum just to be there and paint. Paint the pain. Paint the hurt, the suffering, the rage, and destruction.
He was still in disbelief. How could she? He really was damned, wasn't he? They sent him that angel just to torment him. Just so they could laugh in his face as he fell so deeply in love with her. Just so they could torture him by ripping her away to give her to someone that did not deserve her, to someone unworthy of her, to someone who did not really love her. He was sure that the Vicomte did not love Christine as he did… Why did this have to happen?
His eyes closed with unbelievable pain as he recalled the night on the roof of the opera only months ago.
'Raoul, I've been there, to his world of unending night…'
'All I want is freedom, a world with no more night…'
He cried out as pain overtook him. How could he even think that Christine could love him? He was a hideous wreck! And she… she was a descendent from the heaven he both craved and damned. She despised him. And she hurt him so deeply. At times, he had wished he'd never known love. Because then it would be so much easier. He survived decades without the touch of love…
'Yet, in his eyes all the sadness of the world. Those pleading eyes, that both threaten and adore…'
She saw it too. He remembered her face when she spoke those lines. Her expression changed from blind panic to… fondness. She cared for him somehow… she must! But she only saw him as Erik her teacher, Erik the liar, Erik the Phantom. Why couldn't she see how Dawn saw him… as him. Not as his face. He was not his face. He was not the monster, they are!
All he wanted… all he ever wanted was love. And he'd been denied that his entire life because of his face. It wasn't his fault that he looked like Death! They turned from him, turned against him because of his face. And then when he reacted to his response to their cruelty, they dared to call him the monster. His life had all been torment. He hardly ever found kindness.
And now this had to happen…
Oh, Christine…
Why? He cursed the day he had heard her beautiful voice. He cursed the day he came to this wretched place. But most of all, he cursed the day he was born. He cursed himself.
-*-
He must have fallen asleep because he felt himself drifting to consciousness. A sound had awoken him. His eyes flew open as he looked toward the sound. Dawn was stepping over the chaos he had created. Her body carefully brushed about the mess, making sure she didn't trip over anything. She placed the tray she was carrying on one of the remaining tables she had discovered with her hands.
She glanced in his general direction before saying, "Eat."
Erik's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to protest but she beat him to it.
"Erik, you will eat this and I will sit here until you finish."
Carefully, she sat on the piano bench.
"How dare you order me about, child?" he snapped at her.
She sighed. "Erik, you were crying. You haven't slept for days, nor eaten anything. You will eat or you will wither away. You could die!"
Erik wished she had her eyesight now just so she could see his murderous glance. He would think that she would feel it but she sat there, not shifting about as Nadir had done.
"What if I want to die, little girl?"
Dawn grit her teeth, "You will find that I am quite stubborn." She paused before continuing. "You want to die? Fine, but remember, I'm the one who's going to have to dig your grave and drag your body about. Won't be pleasant, or easy… because I wont just leave you here to rot."
Erik's eyebrow raised. "Must you be so persistent?"
Her head tilted. "Must you be so depressing?"
Erik glared once more. "You should learn to hold your tongue!"
She glared back at him. "And you should learn to control your temper!" She paused. "Let me guess. You were in love. She betrayed you. Am I right?"
He said nothing.
"Well, I hate to break this to you but your heart isn't the first one to be broken. Yours isn't the first to writhe in agony. It can happen to anyone and usually does. This is what happened, isn't it?"
He still said nothing.
"Sometimes Erik, silence is more telling than words." Her expression softened. "Please eat, Erik."
Time passed with silence. Seconds, minutes, hours. It must have been two hours before Erik got up and sat before the table and ate the cold soup and soft bread. When he finished, he felt her approach. She gathered the dishes and started to leave. Before she did, she placed a comforting hand on his arm and squeezed it. He was broken out of his shock by the sound of the door clicking shut.
-*-
Please review because reading and then NOT reviewing... awfully rude. So, I wont demand an amount of reviews for my next chapter- but I will ask that you review for me.
ERIK: Just review so she will shut up...
CS: *glares*
Disclaimer: *looks at Erik* Do I have to? *Erik glares* Oh come ON, please?!?! *No change* Please? *sighs* Fine- I don't own anything... only Dawn...
-SOMEONE LIKE YOU-
...they don't ever complain
Erik brooded. He sat in his torn apart room and brooded. What a sight he made. Him in all black with a room of black and red behind him. The only thing that was not the color of death was the stark white porcelain mask upon Erik's face. Any painter would have given a large sum just to be there and paint. Paint the pain. Paint the hurt, the suffering, the rage, and destruction.
He was still in disbelief. How could she? He really was damned, wasn't he? They sent him that angel just to torment him. Just so they could laugh in his face as he fell so deeply in love with her. Just so they could torture him by ripping her away to give her to someone that did not deserve her, to someone unworthy of her, to someone who did not really love her. He was sure that the Vicomte did not love Christine as he did… Why did this have to happen?
His eyes closed with unbelievable pain as he recalled the night on the roof of the opera only months ago.
'Raoul, I've been there, to his world of unending night…'
'All I want is freedom, a world with no more night…'
He cried out as pain overtook him. How could he even think that Christine could love him? He was a hideous wreck! And she… she was a descendent from the heaven he both craved and damned. She despised him. And she hurt him so deeply. At times, he had wished he'd never known love. Because then it would be so much easier. He survived decades without the touch of love…
'Yet, in his eyes all the sadness of the world. Those pleading eyes, that both threaten and adore…'
She saw it too. He remembered her face when she spoke those lines. Her expression changed from blind panic to… fondness. She cared for him somehow… she must! But she only saw him as Erik her teacher, Erik the liar, Erik the Phantom. Why couldn't she see how Dawn saw him… as him. Not as his face. He was not his face. He was not the monster, they are!
All he wanted… all he ever wanted was love. And he'd been denied that his entire life because of his face. It wasn't his fault that he looked like Death! They turned from him, turned against him because of his face. And then when he reacted to his response to their cruelty, they dared to call him the monster. His life had all been torment. He hardly ever found kindness.
And now this had to happen…
Oh, Christine…
Why? He cursed the day he had heard her beautiful voice. He cursed the day he came to this wretched place. But most of all, he cursed the day he was born. He cursed himself.
-*-
He must have fallen asleep because he felt himself drifting to consciousness. A sound had awoken him. His eyes flew open as he looked toward the sound. Dawn was stepping over the chaos he had created. Her body carefully brushed about the mess, making sure she didn't trip over anything. She placed the tray she was carrying on one of the remaining tables she had discovered with her hands.
She glanced in his general direction before saying, "Eat."
Erik's eyes narrowed. He opened his mouth to protest but she beat him to it.
"Erik, you will eat this and I will sit here until you finish."
Carefully, she sat on the piano bench.
"How dare you order me about, child?" he snapped at her.
She sighed. "Erik, you were crying. You haven't slept for days, nor eaten anything. You will eat or you will wither away. You could die!"
Erik wished she had her eyesight now just so she could see his murderous glance. He would think that she would feel it but she sat there, not shifting about as Nadir had done.
"What if I want to die, little girl?"
Dawn grit her teeth, "You will find that I am quite stubborn." She paused before continuing. "You want to die? Fine, but remember, I'm the one who's going to have to dig your grave and drag your body about. Won't be pleasant, or easy… because I wont just leave you here to rot."
Erik's eyebrow raised. "Must you be so persistent?"
Her head tilted. "Must you be so depressing?"
Erik glared once more. "You should learn to hold your tongue!"
She glared back at him. "And you should learn to control your temper!" She paused. "Let me guess. You were in love. She betrayed you. Am I right?"
He said nothing.
"Well, I hate to break this to you but your heart isn't the first one to be broken. Yours isn't the first to writhe in agony. It can happen to anyone and usually does. This is what happened, isn't it?"
He still said nothing.
"Sometimes Erik, silence is more telling than words." Her expression softened. "Please eat, Erik."
Time passed with silence. Seconds, minutes, hours. It must have been two hours before Erik got up and sat before the table and ate the cold soup and soft bread. When he finished, he felt her approach. She gathered the dishes and started to leave. Before she did, she placed a comforting hand on his arm and squeezed it. He was broken out of his shock by the sound of the door clicking shut.
-*-
Please review because reading and then NOT reviewing... awfully rude. So, I wont demand an amount of reviews for my next chapter- but I will ask that you review for me.
ERIK: Just review so she will shut up...
CS: *glares*