Lara Butler: Thank you for your encouragement, I appreciate your kind words. They were just what I needed to hear.
Daewen98: I'm glad you like it . I'm working on then next chapter as we speak and I hope you enjoy this one.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything! But I love it all
Chapter 4: The Lesson
Have I gone completely insane? Here I am following the Phantom of the Opera himself, through some dark passage way that leads to only God knows where, and not to mention I let him hold my daughter, Victoria found herself thinking as she followed the Phantom. He still held her hand in a firm, yet gentle grip as they walked. The deeper they went, the darker and colder it got, and Victoria found herself wishing she brought her cloak and a blanket for Emily. Speaking of Emily, Victoria noticed that when the Phantom first appeared, Emily wanted to go to him. And when he picked her up, she didn't cry or scream…She smiled at him.
Victoria was too lost in thought to realize that the hallway they were in was pitch black now. Stumbling on a rock jolted her out of her thoughts and reminded her how dark it was, and she wasn't too fond of the dark. Out of instinct, she whimpered and moved close to Erik. Erik chuckled to himself and gave her hand a squeeze of reassurance. From the even breaths he heard from Emily, he figured she had fallen asleep as they walked.
Finally, they reached the lake and there was enough light for Victoria to see a small boat on the water. She looked curiously at Erik who acted like he paid no attention and helped her into the boat. He silently handed the sleeping Emily over to her and leaned down to untie the boat before stepping in to guide them to his lair.
The ride was silent also, like their walk down to the water. Victoria sat in her seat, holding onto her daughter as she took in her surroundings. The dirty, dark walls held few torches to light the way, but she noticed that Erik knew his way even without them. She thought back to when he was guiding her in the dark, and found herself wondering how long he'd been down here to know his way like that. Near the end of their journey, she spotted a metal gate blocking them from going any further. She was about to say something until the gate began to rise, candelabras coming from the water and lighting magically.
Her jaw dropped in amazement. The Phantom's home was in one word, beautiful. It may have been very far underground, but the candles everywhere gave it a warm glow. Erik steered the boat closer to shore and stepped out when they were close enough. He tied the boat up and held out a hand to her to help her out. Her eyes shifted from his hand to his face, reaching her hand out and grasping his. She slowly got out of the boat with his help, to avoid waking Emily who was sleeping peacefully.
As she stepped onto the land, she smiled softly at Erik and said, "Thank you." He gave her a short nod and walked over to his organ. Her eyes followed his every move, admiring him. She'd heard much about him, as well as the things he did, but she held nothing against him. She slowly followed him and came up behind him quietly. He sat at his organ, his fingers resting on the keys as he listened to her footsteps.
"You're him, aren't you? You're the Phantom of the Opera…" she whispered, looking at the back of his head. He nodded slowly, not turning around. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to try to catch his eye. His head turned and looked into her eyes.
"I've heard a lot about you, monsieur Phantom," she said with a small smile. "Then you must know what a monster I am," he said quietly, turning away again. She frowned and sat beside him on the bench, shifting Emily carefully in her arms. "On the contrary, monsieur, I think no such thing. Surely you're no monster in my daughter's eyes for her to reach out to you as she did. And you are no monster in my eyes to treat her as gently as you did," she said, looking down at the sleeping baby in her arms. Erik turned and looked at Emily. He smiled and lifted his hand to run his fingers slowly through her hair. This caused Emily to sigh in her sleep and cuddle closer to her mom. "I was denied affection when I was a child, I did not wish to do the same to her," he said, looking up at Victoria. "It's been hard to show her the affection that she needed since her father passed away, but I've been there for her as much as I can," she said, blushing from his gaze.
"Um…Monsieur? May I ask you your name? I'm not certain if you'd rather me call you Monsieur Phantom from here on," she said with a small laugh. "Erik, my name is Erik," he said hesitantly, turning away from her. "Erik…" she whispered, testing the name on her lips. "My name is Victoria Beauchamp, but if you could call me Victoria please," she said smiling. Erik nodded and lifted his hands to rest on the keys of the organ once again. "Erik…? May I ask why you brought me here?" Victoria whispered, standing up again. "I heard you sing today. You were very good," he said quietly. Her jaw dropped slightly in shock of his compliment. "However, you still need some work. I brought you down for a music lesson," Erik said, playing the intro to 'Think of Me.'
She nodded her head in understanding and said, "Alright. I appreciate you willing to give up your time to give me a lesson." She heard him chuckle softly, "I don't have much to do down here, mademoiselle. Now come, I will show you when you can place your daughter so she will not be disturbed." He stood up and led the way to the bedroom, with Victoria trailing behind him. Upon entering the room, her eyes widened at the swan bed in the center. Running her hand over the head of the swan, she marveled at the intricate design on it. Erik took this time to gather some pillows and set them in the center of the bed.
"Put her here, she should be fine," Erik said, catching Victoria's attention. She turned quickly and looked at him, seeing the small place he had made for Emily through the corner of her eye. Quietly, she lowered Emily to the center of the pillows and stroked her soft hair before turning to Erik. "Shall we?" she asked, a small smile on her face. He nodded and led the way out of the room, walking back to his organ. Victoria followed him, stopping in the doorway to check on her daughter one last time before she turned and walked over to him.
"You need to concentrate when you hold that last note, Victoria. How many times must I tell you?" Erik said, annoyance eminent in his voice. "I'm trying, Erik! That last note has always been difficult for me," she exclaimed exasperated. Erik sighed and started the intro of the song again, "Try again, and this time, please concentrate." She groaned and looked at the clock, they had been going over the song most of the day and she was getting tired. She came to Erik at 10 in the morning, and it was now dinnertime. She sighed to herself and went through the song again, closing her eyes to concentrate.
"Flowers
fade,
The
fruits of summer fade,
They
have their seasons, so do we,
But
please promise me that sometimes you will think…
Ah
ah hah hah hah hah haaa
Ah
ah hah hah hah hah haaaa
Ah
ah ah ah ah ah ah ah, ahhhhhaaaa
OOOOOOO-of
me!"
"Perfect, my dear. That was absolutely perfect," she heard Erik say as she opened her eyes again. She looked at him and saw a genuine smile on his face, "You're improving." She smiled back at him and said, "Thanks to you, Erik." She sat down next to him on the bench and let out a sigh. "Are you this vigorous with your other students?" she asked with a small laugh. His face hardened there, a cold look coming into his eyes. "I only had one other student. And she betrayed me," he said quietly. She bit her lip and looked at him, "I'm sorry. I know it's not my place, but I don't see why a student of yours should have any reason to betray you. You're a wonderful teacher." He laughed bitterly, "She saw what I was, and it was something she did not want in her life anymore."
She was about to say something when she was interrupted by a cry. Emily had woken up and was hungry. "Emily…" she whispered to herself, getting up and walking to the room. Unbeknownst to her, Erik followed.
"Emily? Honey, what's the matter?" she cooed softly to her daughter, picking her up from the bed. Erik held out a handkerchief to her and she took it, wiping the tears off Emily's face. "She must be hungry. She hasn't eaten anything since this morning," Victoria said, rocking Emily back and forth, trying to calm her. "It is about time you returned anyway, I'm sure Madame Giry is wondering where you are," Erik said quietly, giving off the impression that he did not want her to go yet. She nodded and looked at him, "That is probably the best."
Erik nodded and led the way over to the boat, helping her inside as she tried to calm Emily. The small infant's cries seemed to get louder, a sign of her hunger growing. Victoria sighed softly to herself and dabbed Emily's tears with a handkerchief. Erik looked down at Emily as he guided them across the water and sang softly to her,
"Night
time sharpens, heightens each sensation
Darkness wakes and stirs
imagination
Silently the senses abandon their defenses
Helpless
to resist the notes I write
For I compose, the music of the night
Slowly,
gently, night unfurls its splendor
Grasp
it, sense it, tremulous and tender
Turn
your face away from the garish light of day
Turn
your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light
And
listen to the music of the night"
By now, Emily's tears had reduced to small sniffles. She lay in Victoria's arms, staring up at Erik as he sang. He gave her a small smile and continued,
"Close
your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams
Let
your thoughts of life you knew before
Close
your eyes, let your spirits start to soar
And
you'll live as you've never lived before
Softly,
deftly, music shall surround you
Feel
it, hear it, closing in around you
Open
up your mind
Let
your fantasies unwind
In
this darkness which you know you cannot fight
The
darkness of the music of the night..."
Victoria closed her eyes, smiling at his voice. He truly was an angel of music, and it wasn't until now that she realized it. She opened her eyes and looked down at Emily who was smiling and giggling. She looked up at Erik amazed, but couldn't catch his eye. He kept looking straight ahead as he sang,
"Let
your mind start a journey through a strange, new world
Leave
all thoughts of the world you knew before
Let
your soul take you where you want to be
Only
then can you belong to me
Floating,
falling, sweet intoxication
Touch
me, trust me, savor each sensation
Let
the dream begin, let your darker side give in
To
the power of the music that I write
The
power of the music of the night
You
alone can make my song take flight
Help
me make the music of the night…"
As he sang the last note, they reached the shore. Erik docked the boat before helping Victoria and Emily out. Emily smiled at him and held out her arms to him, asking him to hold her. Victoria laughed softly at Emily and handed her to Erik, who took her with a gently smile. "Who knew the Phantom of the Opera had such a voice," Victoria said, looking straight ahead as they walked back to her dressing room. He looked at her through the corner of his eye and smirked.
They walked the rest of the way in silence until they reached the mirror to her dressing room. She took Emily from him, resting her against her shoulder. "Thank you, Erik…For all you've done for me today," she said, looking up at him. He nodded and ran a hand through Emily's hair, "You're more than welcome. You do have another music lesson though, tomorrow night, 8:30. I'll come for you at that time, be in your dressing room. I shall inform Madame Giry for you." He opened the mirror for her and she nodded while stepping inside. "Wait, Erik. How does Madame Giry know…?" She asked, turning around to ask him, but only found the closed doorway.
Ah! I'm starting to get a little writers block! Must think of what else to write! ANY IDEAS ARE WELCOME GUYS! Tankies!