I hate it when I find holes in my own story. Don't you?
I had written in the last chapter that Erik haden't been in full health when he last heard Emily's voice, when he had, in fact, been around to hear 'May It Be'. One day I'll have time to go back and fix all my errors.
I'm so sorry about the time it took for me to get this up. Not only was it slightly difficult to write, and with the move, but I was working on two of my original stories for fictionpress.
Ready for a shameless plug? If you like this, I'd love it if you read my stories there, also under PhantomessAbigail. Ghost and Michael. I'm currently working on two other stories to turn it into a 'Michael' series.
I would like to thank RubyMoon2 for help with grammar. Who knew how hard it was to choose from between 'effect' and 'affect'?
Disclaimer: Another song from my hymnbook. 'Behold! A Royal Army', first two verses. I wasn't sure about the chorus, but I don't want to mess with it, so I'll keep it as it is. The text was written by Fanny J. Crosby and the music by Adam Geibel. I do not own the Phantom of the Opera. Gaston Leroux does.
~~~~~
Emily sat in her dressing-room, finishing an entry in her journal, when there came a knock on her door. By the time she had answered it, though, no one was there. There was a note on the floor. She opened it and found it was not a note from Erik.
Emily Lamb,
Please forgive my asking such a personal question last night. It was terribly rude of me. Please accept another invitation to dinner in three nights as an apology.
James O'Hara
Emily set the note aside. She saw nothing wrong with that. She glanced at the clock in her room. She had to get to the stage.
*****
"}Behold! A Royal army,
With banner, sword and shield,
Is marching forth to conquer
On life's great battlefield.
It's ranks are filled with soldiers,
Untied, bold and strong,
Who follow their Commander
And sing their joyful song:
"}Victory, victory, Thru him that redeemed us!
Victory, victory, Thru Jesus Christ our Lord!
Victory, victory, victory,
Thru Jesus Christ our Lord!
"}And now the foe advancing,
that valiant host as-sails,
And yet they never falter;
Their courage never fails.
Their Leader calls 'Be Faithful!'
They pass the word along;
They see his signal flashing
And shout their joyful song:
"}Victory, victory, Thru him that redeemed us!
Victory, victory, Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!
Victory, victory, victory,
Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!{"
Emily walked off the stage. Carlotta came on in order to sing 'May It Be'. Emily sighed. One last scene, then she'd rest for a while, and then see Erik again on the roof.
She smiled on that thought. She was looking forward to seeing him again.
*****
Emily sighed as she stepped out onto the roof. She walked forward a few steps, and then looked up. The stars were beautifully bright that night, shining almost as bright as the moonlight. The air had a slight chill clinging to it, but Emily hardly minded it. Excitement welled up inside of her. In the very short time she had known Erik she had begun to consider him a friend. She could hardly wait to see him (or hear his voice) again.
She walked to the furthest edge of the roof she could reach, and looked out over the city. Though it was beautiful, she had to take a step back. She had a terrible fear of heights.
"Hello, Mademoiselle." An angelic voice floated across the air. Emily gasped and turned to face the owner of the voice.
And she gasped softly again.
She could never have guessed how tall he was. She had to tilt her head fairly far up to look into his glowing gold eyes. A full white mask seemed to glow in the darkness as well. Two white Opera gloves were covering his beautiful hands. Other then that, he was submerged in shadows.
"Hello, Monsieur." Emily greeted him with a smile.
"It was a wonderful performance, and you did very well."
Emily smiled. "Well, thank you. But how could you tell how I did from all those other voices covering mine?"
She sensed a smile. "I simply know."
"Oh." She did not argue.
"And how is your sister?"
"Emma? She's doing very well. She's at my Cousin Mary's house at the moment."
"Ah." He paused. "And how are you?"
"I am doing wonderfully." She paused as she remembered something. "I assume you are the one who gave the note to the managers?"
He chuckled. "I do have some.../influence/...with the managers."
"Oh? May I ask how?" Emily questioned.
Erik paused. "I..." Why was he hesitating to give his usual answer? That he helped build the Opera?
Then again, that would give away his age...
But why did he care?
"I simply do." Erik said.
Emily laughed. "Ah, I understand." She stifled more giggles. "You simply can do everything, can't you?"
"Perhaps." Erik said, with a smile in his voice.
There was a short silence. Not an uncomfortable one, as there were at the dinner with James, simply a silence that meant neither could think of anything to say, but it was alright that neither could speak, since they did not have to. It was enough just simply seeing each other again.
Both were watching the stars. They were twinkling, seemingly happily. The stars seemed to be smiling, blessing these two. It was almost as if they knew something Erik and Emily did not, something that would greatly effect them both. Something good. Something that would start that night.
A few moments later only one of them was watching the stars. This one was thinking deeply, trying to deny the things that would happen, things that were already destined to happen.
"You left so suddenly." Emily said. It took Erik a few moments to realize what she meant.
"Yes, well, I did not wish to burden you any longer."
Emily smiled. "You were no burden. It was nice having someone there."
"Then perhaps I should visit sometime?"
"That would be very nice. Emma would like that." Emily noted.
"Only Emma?"
Emily blushed and smiled. "Not just Emma."
Both smiled at each other. Time almost seemed to freeze. Then the thing that was destined to happen, happened.
First one droplet fell. Then another. Then another, and another. Four small droplets fell. Then two raindrops. Then seven. And then it truly began to rain-lightly.
"Oh." Emily said, surprised.
Erik walked forward a few steps, then took Emily gently by the arm and led her underneath the statue, where it was somewhat safe from the rain.
Soft thunder.
"Thank you." Emily said. She looked up at him. His eyes were giving off an odd warm glow.
"You're welcome."
A spell was placed over them. The moment froze. The rain seemed to disappear. Only two things existed. Only they did. Not the carriages down below, nor the people running, trying to find shelter from the rain, nor the rain itself. Erik's head almost seemed-for a moment-to incline downwards. Emily felt her chin tilt upwards. Erik looked down, deep into her eyes.
Surely it would not hurt, if just for a moment, just once...
His head inclined downwards slightly again and-
Bright lightning flashed. The rain drizzled down, now harder then before. Horses' hooves echoed upward to their ears, and the mumbled sound of voices. The moment was over, and for Emily, the feelings forgotten. They both stepped back.
"I should go home. Emma will be waiting for me, and she's afraid of storms."
"Yes." Erik said. "Here." He said as he removed his heavy, warm cloak from his body and wrapped it around her. At Emily's confused look, he answered- "My home is not as far away from here as yours is, and I do not need it. You may keep it."
"Oh- I could not-"
"You could. It is the least I can do." Erik smiled. "I do, after all, owe you my life."
Emily smiled. "Thank you."
"Of course. Good evening."
"Good evening." Emily said, and ran out into the rain.
~~~~~
I hope it wasn't too bad. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with this chapter. This hadn't been what I had in mind, but it's how it came out. I'm thinking I'll have to go back and rewrite a lot, when I find the time and patience.
If anyone has any ideas, they're welcome to share them. If there's anything you'd like to see, let me know. So far my ideas are basically long-term, and I need-how shall I put it?-chapter-fillers.
Please review.
Roses,
PhantomessAbigail
I had written in the last chapter that Erik haden't been in full health when he last heard Emily's voice, when he had, in fact, been around to hear 'May It Be'. One day I'll have time to go back and fix all my errors.
I'm so sorry about the time it took for me to get this up. Not only was it slightly difficult to write, and with the move, but I was working on two of my original stories for fictionpress.
Ready for a shameless plug? If you like this, I'd love it if you read my stories there, also under PhantomessAbigail. Ghost and Michael. I'm currently working on two other stories to turn it into a 'Michael' series.
I would like to thank RubyMoon2 for help with grammar. Who knew how hard it was to choose from between 'effect' and 'affect'?
Disclaimer: Another song from my hymnbook. 'Behold! A Royal Army', first two verses. I wasn't sure about the chorus, but I don't want to mess with it, so I'll keep it as it is. The text was written by Fanny J. Crosby and the music by Adam Geibel. I do not own the Phantom of the Opera. Gaston Leroux does.
~~~~~
Emily sat in her dressing-room, finishing an entry in her journal, when there came a knock on her door. By the time she had answered it, though, no one was there. There was a note on the floor. She opened it and found it was not a note from Erik.
Emily Lamb,
Please forgive my asking such a personal question last night. It was terribly rude of me. Please accept another invitation to dinner in three nights as an apology.
James O'Hara
Emily set the note aside. She saw nothing wrong with that. She glanced at the clock in her room. She had to get to the stage.
*****
"}Behold! A Royal army,
With banner, sword and shield,
Is marching forth to conquer
On life's great battlefield.
It's ranks are filled with soldiers,
Untied, bold and strong,
Who follow their Commander
And sing their joyful song:
"}Victory, victory, Thru him that redeemed us!
Victory, victory, Thru Jesus Christ our Lord!
Victory, victory, victory,
Thru Jesus Christ our Lord!
"}And now the foe advancing,
that valiant host as-sails,
And yet they never falter;
Their courage never fails.
Their Leader calls 'Be Faithful!'
They pass the word along;
They see his signal flashing
And shout their joyful song:
"}Victory, victory, Thru him that redeemed us!
Victory, victory, Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!
Victory, victory, victory,
Thru Jesus Christ, our Lord!{"
Emily walked off the stage. Carlotta came on in order to sing 'May It Be'. Emily sighed. One last scene, then she'd rest for a while, and then see Erik again on the roof.
She smiled on that thought. She was looking forward to seeing him again.
*****
Emily sighed as she stepped out onto the roof. She walked forward a few steps, and then looked up. The stars were beautifully bright that night, shining almost as bright as the moonlight. The air had a slight chill clinging to it, but Emily hardly minded it. Excitement welled up inside of her. In the very short time she had known Erik she had begun to consider him a friend. She could hardly wait to see him (or hear his voice) again.
She walked to the furthest edge of the roof she could reach, and looked out over the city. Though it was beautiful, she had to take a step back. She had a terrible fear of heights.
"Hello, Mademoiselle." An angelic voice floated across the air. Emily gasped and turned to face the owner of the voice.
And she gasped softly again.
She could never have guessed how tall he was. She had to tilt her head fairly far up to look into his glowing gold eyes. A full white mask seemed to glow in the darkness as well. Two white Opera gloves were covering his beautiful hands. Other then that, he was submerged in shadows.
"Hello, Monsieur." Emily greeted him with a smile.
"It was a wonderful performance, and you did very well."
Emily smiled. "Well, thank you. But how could you tell how I did from all those other voices covering mine?"
She sensed a smile. "I simply know."
"Oh." She did not argue.
"And how is your sister?"
"Emma? She's doing very well. She's at my Cousin Mary's house at the moment."
"Ah." He paused. "And how are you?"
"I am doing wonderfully." She paused as she remembered something. "I assume you are the one who gave the note to the managers?"
He chuckled. "I do have some.../influence/...with the managers."
"Oh? May I ask how?" Emily questioned.
Erik paused. "I..." Why was he hesitating to give his usual answer? That he helped build the Opera?
Then again, that would give away his age...
But why did he care?
"I simply do." Erik said.
Emily laughed. "Ah, I understand." She stifled more giggles. "You simply can do everything, can't you?"
"Perhaps." Erik said, with a smile in his voice.
There was a short silence. Not an uncomfortable one, as there were at the dinner with James, simply a silence that meant neither could think of anything to say, but it was alright that neither could speak, since they did not have to. It was enough just simply seeing each other again.
Both were watching the stars. They were twinkling, seemingly happily. The stars seemed to be smiling, blessing these two. It was almost as if they knew something Erik and Emily did not, something that would greatly effect them both. Something good. Something that would start that night.
A few moments later only one of them was watching the stars. This one was thinking deeply, trying to deny the things that would happen, things that were already destined to happen.
"You left so suddenly." Emily said. It took Erik a few moments to realize what she meant.
"Yes, well, I did not wish to burden you any longer."
Emily smiled. "You were no burden. It was nice having someone there."
"Then perhaps I should visit sometime?"
"That would be very nice. Emma would like that." Emily noted.
"Only Emma?"
Emily blushed and smiled. "Not just Emma."
Both smiled at each other. Time almost seemed to freeze. Then the thing that was destined to happen, happened.
First one droplet fell. Then another. Then another, and another. Four small droplets fell. Then two raindrops. Then seven. And then it truly began to rain-lightly.
"Oh." Emily said, surprised.
Erik walked forward a few steps, then took Emily gently by the arm and led her underneath the statue, where it was somewhat safe from the rain.
Soft thunder.
"Thank you." Emily said. She looked up at him. His eyes were giving off an odd warm glow.
"You're welcome."
A spell was placed over them. The moment froze. The rain seemed to disappear. Only two things existed. Only they did. Not the carriages down below, nor the people running, trying to find shelter from the rain, nor the rain itself. Erik's head almost seemed-for a moment-to incline downwards. Emily felt her chin tilt upwards. Erik looked down, deep into her eyes.
Surely it would not hurt, if just for a moment, just once...
His head inclined downwards slightly again and-
Bright lightning flashed. The rain drizzled down, now harder then before. Horses' hooves echoed upward to their ears, and the mumbled sound of voices. The moment was over, and for Emily, the feelings forgotten. They both stepped back.
"I should go home. Emma will be waiting for me, and she's afraid of storms."
"Yes." Erik said. "Here." He said as he removed his heavy, warm cloak from his body and wrapped it around her. At Emily's confused look, he answered- "My home is not as far away from here as yours is, and I do not need it. You may keep it."
"Oh- I could not-"
"You could. It is the least I can do." Erik smiled. "I do, after all, owe you my life."
Emily smiled. "Thank you."
"Of course. Good evening."
"Good evening." Emily said, and ran out into the rain.
~~~~~
I hope it wasn't too bad. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with this chapter. This hadn't been what I had in mind, but it's how it came out. I'm thinking I'll have to go back and rewrite a lot, when I find the time and patience.
If anyone has any ideas, they're welcome to share them. If there's anything you'd like to see, let me know. So far my ideas are basically long-term, and I need-how shall I put it?-chapter-fillers.
Please review.
Roses,
PhantomessAbigail