Chapter Nine: Horrors that Fill Your Dreams


Erik's eyes widened as he stood before Javert. Everything around them faded to blackness and the old man sneered. "Look at you here," he chuckled. "And you thought you were rid of 'ol Javert." He laughed, a sound that made the Phantom cringe. "No no, little corpse, you're not rid of me, or anything for that matter. Just when you think that the past is laid to rest, it comes back to bite you." He moved closer, the smirk on his face reaching his eyes.

He was just as Erik remembered him: tall, round, perfectly grotesque. He was… a little too much just like Erik remembered him. It had been nearly forty years and he was exactly the same.

"That quick little mind of yours is working again, I see," Javert drawled. "Always were too bright for your own good."

"Where's Christine?" the Phantom demanded, his voice sounding raspy in his own ears. Fear, something he never let enter that angelic voice, now laced it.

Javert grinned evilly. "Oh she's being taken care of. Don't you worry about that!"


He'd turned to look at her and then stopped. Christine was shaking in fear now, begging and pleading for Erik to do something. Anything. He seemed to be in the same daze that Nadir was in. Mumbling to an unseen enemy that had him trembling ever so slightly.

"Erik, please…" she whispered, touching his hand carefully. "Say something… Come back." She reached her free hand up to his face, a jester that had become one of comfort between them. Now he pulled away, gasping like he'd been struck, and his knees gave way beneath him. She screamed his name as was at his side at an instant.

"No… please…" he murmured in what seemed to be a waking dream. His eyes were wide, tears gathered at the very corners and he shook now, just as much as she did.

"Erik, I'm here," Christine told him softly. "Please, my love…"

"He can't hear you."

Christine spun, seeing the old woman that had approached them before. "Who… Who are you?" she gasped. "What do you want from us? Why…would you do this?"

Dunicha smiled horribly. "You will see," she responded and seemed to disappear.

Christine watched in horror as Erik too faded into nothing. She screamed his name over and over again until everything around her shattered. She looked up at the sound of a familiar voice.

"Little Lotte thought, am I fonder of dolls or of goblins or shoes…"

"Raoul?" Christine gasped, looking around for her childhood friend. "Raoul? Where are you! They took Erik! Raoul! We have to find him!"

"Christine, why do you scream so?"

She turned again to another voice. "Papa!"

"Child… Did you find your Angel of Music? Or was he a demon?"

Flames erupted around the poor girl and she felt herself shiver despite of the heat. When she reopened her eyes she was standing in the middle of the underground lake. Erik, maskless and angry, stood between her and Raoul, who was strung up on the bars.

"You try my patience," he hissed. "Make your choice!"

Tears flooded down Christine's cheeks as her mind replayed the horror.


"Leave her be! She's not apart of this!" Erik shouted at Javert.

"Really?" the older man hissed. "Is she not? Well… Too bad. Such an innocent little flower, isn't she? Like someone else, don't you think?"

The darkness melted into a rooftop and Erik groaned. He knew this setting far too well. The voice that filled his ears was also familiar.

"Erik! I want you to take off the mask. Please take off the mask."

Erik felt himself tremble. "Please… no… Luciana, you don't know what you ask. Don't make me live through this hell again! If you ever cared the slightest for me, you won't force me through this hell again!"

Her voice, always that childish, arrogant voice, melted into something much sweeter to his ears. "Who is that shape in the shadows? Whose is that face in the mask?"

He felt her hand touch his cheek and he jerked away. "No! Please…"

The mask fell away and he saw her silent scream as he did in so many nights past. As he had on that very day. She stumbled and he reached for her, knowing even as he did that she would fall. Knowing as he did that he would be running from that place and onto a darker future. She did fall. And Javet's laugh echoed in his ears.


"It's been too long," Meg whispered. "I'm worried, Raoul."

The aristocrat frowned. "They'll be alright. Erik would sooner die than let something happen to Christine."

"Yes, but…"

"Then you are their friends?"

Raoul and Meg spun, eyes wide and staring at the scrawny girl that had appeared soundlessly behind them. She looked at them through big, dark eyes and repeated her question, frowning when they only continued to stare. "I want to help. Dunicha's a mean old lady. She hates everyone. Can I help you?"

Meg softened first, smiling. "What's your name?"

"Cali."

"Well I'm Meg and this is Raoul."

"Meg! How do you know that this child is not-"

"Woman's intuition," the ballerina answered with a wink. "Where are they, Cali?"

"On the other side," the girl said as she motioned a ways off. "But keep your mind focused. Dunicha will pollute it with dreams."


A/N: Brownie points to jilauren 1224! Dunicha is the (once) girl that tried to say Erik had raped her (yeah, sure… he was twelve, but hey… ) when really she had just been off with her non-gypsy boyfriend….

A/N2: Okay, just incase anyone is confused on what's going on, Dunicha has them under her control and they are each slipping into a separate dream… mostly nightmares. So they're still there and not actually in any alternate dimension or anything crazy like that, just hallucinating.

LostSchizophenic: Sarcasm noted. Yes, I'm perfectly horrible, aren't I:grins:

Golden Lyre: She didn't really go anywhere… Erik just couldn't see her… Poor Erik.

Lizzie Black: Nope, not his mother, but nice try! And you sure you haven't read the book? Lol. That's all right. You've got a good source, whoever it is. Dunicha doesn't really know about Nadir's past, just, as you said, pulled up some of the strongest memories, emotions, ect… that reside in him. Even after all of those years, his son's death would still pain him. And I've never read the HP books, sorry :) Yes yes, you see the little girl again, obviously. I like her. She's adorable. I need to sketch her out. Hehe… Thanks for the nice long review!

India Pyro: Javert is dead, it's a dream.

Mariah: Nope, not the old lady Erik knew. Sorry. And the lady would be ninety! Dang! Lol… Anyway, hope I explained a little bit, but there's still more to come so sit tight.

Lynx Ryder: I sent the spoiler over email to you :) Just didn't want to spoil it for anyone else that might glance through all the notes and not really want to know. Let me know if you don't get it or something.

jilauren 1224: Bravo on your guess:hands you a cookie: Totally correct. I thought I'd throw something obscure in there, considering they only give her name once.

FreakinIdiot06: Haha! Angry emails can be fun. I wrote an essay last year and posted it on fp . com and I got so many angry reviews screaming and ranting at me b/c they didn't agree with my political views. It was very entertaining! Flames only make me laugh. :)