A/N: Please review. I know this bothers some people but it seems to be only when I whine do people review. Anyway, review. I do. So should you.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that appear in any of the versions of "The Phantom of the Opera". The lyrics that appear in this fiction are from Jekyll and Hyde, my obvious inspiration for this fiction. They do not belong to me. Though I wish every damn day that I had thought of it first. Really. Anyway, as previously stated in all other chapters... I only own Dawn and the plot idea.
-SOMEONE LIKE YOU-
...Safe in his eyes
When Erik woke, he could still taste the anger in his mouth. But a strange thing had woken him, something he had never heard much of before, laughter. Dawn and Christine were obviously awake and enjoying themselves. He paused for a second as a horrid thought dawned upon him. Were they laughing at him? Perhaps they were making fun of his ugliness, now that they both had mutual knowledge of it. He tried to suppress the unwanted fear as he freshened up.
The laughter floated out of the kitchen. With a deep breath, he opened the door. At both of their startled looks, he nearly fell into laughter. Both Christine and Dawn were covered from head to foot in flour! And both of them were flushed and disheveled. He had never seen Christine look more beautiful. She had this wild, free look on her face. But her blush deepened into that of embarrassment as she straightened and tried to make herself look more decent. But that just made Erik smile harder. Seeing Christine trying to look dignified while covered in flour was positively hysterical.
But as the humor faded, the tension grew. Dawn was stiff as she stared at the ground. She had said some things she hadn't meant. And he too, had said some things he hadn't meant. And somehow, they both knew it. He looked at her and wished that she could see him. He wished that she could see both the forgiving and the regretful look in his eyes. But in her blindness, she seemed to have developed a sixth sense because she looked at him and knew. And for the briefest moment, he could swear that she had seen him. And she smiled at him. And he smiled in return.
No apologies were exchanged or needed.
-*-
Later that night, Erik sat in his library reading Dante's Inferno when he heard the door open. He expected it to be Dawn, since she never seemed to sleep but he was surprised. It was Christine.
"Christine…" he whispered. His mouth went dry. "Child, what are you doing up so late?"
Christine smiled timidly, "I-I couldn't sleep… I had a lot on my mind."
He paused before he cautiously offered a listening ear.
"Actually," she said, "I was thinking… about you."
She blushed. He paled.
"What about?" he replied, trying to stay calm.
She sat beside him, fidgeting slightly. He knew that she was nervous.
"Well… we never really got to talk about… what happened."
He froze. Oh god, what did she want to say now? What more could she say?
"Christine, I-."
"No," she interrupted. "For once, let me do the talking."
Shock over came him. Christine never was the one who was in control. It seemed that Dawn was rubbing off on her all ready. He couldn't tell whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
"That night… was horrible… for the both of us. I betrayed you twice and both weigh heavily on my conscious. I betrayed your confidence by removing your mask. I didn't mean too but," tears formed in her beautiful eyes, "I've always been too curious for my own good. I never understood why you hid from me."
She paused and swallowed, pushing back the tears that threatened to spill. "I will not lie to you, Erik. Your face… it scared me. It still scares me…"
He closed his eyes in pain. He was alarmed when he felt her hand gingerly fall upon his. His eyes shot up to her, panic swelling in them. She smiled gently.
"But I want you to know it doesn't matter to me. You are still an angel to me. You are a man, Erik… but you've done something for me that no one else ever did. You believed in me. I haven't felt that since before my father's death. And your belief let others see me. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am…
"And you see me differently too. You don't just see my face. I know you see my beauty just like how I see your… homeliness. But… but you see beyond that. I'm not just a pretty face to you. Raoul sees me as a trophy wife, Erik."
She paused again and looked away. She mumbled something so low that he couldn't even hear it.
"What did you say, my dear?" he asked, touching her chin cautiously.
She looked at him and said, "I don't love him."
He pulled back. He didn't even need to speak his disbelief. Although he was wearing a mask, his surprise was in his eyes.
"I love him as a friend… a brother, even. And I don't want to marry him. But he just wouldn't take no for an answer. Could you imagine how damaging that would be for his reputation?"
She sighed before she shifted closer, boldly clutching his hand. "That night, I was so frightened. I had never seen that side of you before. And fear had driven me to betray you. That next morning, I felt terrible. I wanted to take it all back…"
She stared deep into him and Erik wished he could stay in this moment forever.
"What I'm trying to say is… you are not your face, Erik. You are everything to me. You are my dreams, my hope…" she choked on her words. "I want to make it right again. Please Erik, please give me a second chance."
Her eyes were so sadly hopeful almost as if she thought he hadn't already forgiven her. He could forgive her for anything as long as she kept looking at him like that. For the first time, he thought that she really could grow to love him.
"I will always forgive you, Christine…"
A tear ran down her face. Cautiously, he wiped it away. He stiffened when she turned into his soft caress. Their eyes met and something so pure passed between them.
Hope.
-*-
Wasn't that sweet? If you want more chapters like this, review. If not, I might just have to make Christine kill Erik, then Dawn kill Christine for killing Erik, then have Raoul kill Dawn for killing Christine. Really gory. You really don't want it to end that way, now do you?
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters that appear in any of the versions of "The Phantom of the Opera". The lyrics that appear in this fiction are from Jekyll and Hyde, my obvious inspiration for this fiction. They do not belong to me. Though I wish every damn day that I had thought of it first. Really. Anyway, as previously stated in all other chapters... I only own Dawn and the plot idea.
-SOMEONE LIKE YOU-
...Safe in his eyes
When Erik woke, he could still taste the anger in his mouth. But a strange thing had woken him, something he had never heard much of before, laughter. Dawn and Christine were obviously awake and enjoying themselves. He paused for a second as a horrid thought dawned upon him. Were they laughing at him? Perhaps they were making fun of his ugliness, now that they both had mutual knowledge of it. He tried to suppress the unwanted fear as he freshened up.
The laughter floated out of the kitchen. With a deep breath, he opened the door. At both of their startled looks, he nearly fell into laughter. Both Christine and Dawn were covered from head to foot in flour! And both of them were flushed and disheveled. He had never seen Christine look more beautiful. She had this wild, free look on her face. But her blush deepened into that of embarrassment as she straightened and tried to make herself look more decent. But that just made Erik smile harder. Seeing Christine trying to look dignified while covered in flour was positively hysterical.
But as the humor faded, the tension grew. Dawn was stiff as she stared at the ground. She had said some things she hadn't meant. And he too, had said some things he hadn't meant. And somehow, they both knew it. He looked at her and wished that she could see him. He wished that she could see both the forgiving and the regretful look in his eyes. But in her blindness, she seemed to have developed a sixth sense because she looked at him and knew. And for the briefest moment, he could swear that she had seen him. And she smiled at him. And he smiled in return.
No apologies were exchanged or needed.
-*-
Later that night, Erik sat in his library reading Dante's Inferno when he heard the door open. He expected it to be Dawn, since she never seemed to sleep but he was surprised. It was Christine.
"Christine…" he whispered. His mouth went dry. "Child, what are you doing up so late?"
Christine smiled timidly, "I-I couldn't sleep… I had a lot on my mind."
He paused before he cautiously offered a listening ear.
"Actually," she said, "I was thinking… about you."
She blushed. He paled.
"What about?" he replied, trying to stay calm.
She sat beside him, fidgeting slightly. He knew that she was nervous.
"Well… we never really got to talk about… what happened."
He froze. Oh god, what did she want to say now? What more could she say?
"Christine, I-."
"No," she interrupted. "For once, let me do the talking."
Shock over came him. Christine never was the one who was in control. It seemed that Dawn was rubbing off on her all ready. He couldn't tell whether this was a good thing or a bad thing.
"That night… was horrible… for the both of us. I betrayed you twice and both weigh heavily on my conscious. I betrayed your confidence by removing your mask. I didn't mean too but," tears formed in her beautiful eyes, "I've always been too curious for my own good. I never understood why you hid from me."
She paused and swallowed, pushing back the tears that threatened to spill. "I will not lie to you, Erik. Your face… it scared me. It still scares me…"
He closed his eyes in pain. He was alarmed when he felt her hand gingerly fall upon his. His eyes shot up to her, panic swelling in them. She smiled gently.
"But I want you to know it doesn't matter to me. You are still an angel to me. You are a man, Erik… but you've done something for me that no one else ever did. You believed in me. I haven't felt that since before my father's death. And your belief let others see me. Without you, I wouldn't be where I am…
"And you see me differently too. You don't just see my face. I know you see my beauty just like how I see your… homeliness. But… but you see beyond that. I'm not just a pretty face to you. Raoul sees me as a trophy wife, Erik."
She paused again and looked away. She mumbled something so low that he couldn't even hear it.
"What did you say, my dear?" he asked, touching her chin cautiously.
She looked at him and said, "I don't love him."
He pulled back. He didn't even need to speak his disbelief. Although he was wearing a mask, his surprise was in his eyes.
"I love him as a friend… a brother, even. And I don't want to marry him. But he just wouldn't take no for an answer. Could you imagine how damaging that would be for his reputation?"
She sighed before she shifted closer, boldly clutching his hand. "That night, I was so frightened. I had never seen that side of you before. And fear had driven me to betray you. That next morning, I felt terrible. I wanted to take it all back…"
She stared deep into him and Erik wished he could stay in this moment forever.
"What I'm trying to say is… you are not your face, Erik. You are everything to me. You are my dreams, my hope…" she choked on her words. "I want to make it right again. Please Erik, please give me a second chance."
Her eyes were so sadly hopeful almost as if she thought he hadn't already forgiven her. He could forgive her for anything as long as she kept looking at him like that. For the first time, he thought that she really could grow to love him.
"I will always forgive you, Christine…"
A tear ran down her face. Cautiously, he wiped it away. He stiffened when she turned into his soft caress. Their eyes met and something so pure passed between them.
Hope.
-*-
Wasn't that sweet? If you want more chapters like this, review. If not, I might just have to make Christine kill Erik, then Dawn kill Christine for killing Erik, then have Raoul kill Dawn for killing Christine. Really gory. You really don't want it to end that way, now do you?