HaHa this was a rather quick update, and I love you guys! 74 Reviews? You guys are too kind! Okay, now let's have a race. Next one to review and be my 75th reviewer gets a million hugs and my everlasting gratitude! And I'll try to think of something nice to do for you later on! Wow, I can't believe you guys! You all rock! Anyway, here's the chapter, not much goes on here... unless you count major fluff! I love fluff, but anyway, this story isn't over, and major foreshadowing (that's a new term we learned in English!) in the next chappie!
Disclaimer: I do not own PotO, no matter how much I wish I did!
And by the way, the lyrics below are to the tune of "Wandering Child," and it took me my whole lunch period to write them... so I hope ya'll like them, tell me what you think!
"Jane,"Erik whispered, kneeling beside her. She groaned, but did not open her eyes. Erik, as the master of all locks, took off the handcuff around her wrist. He stood up and gathered Jane into his arms. She groaned but laid her head on his chest, and her eyes opened.
"... Erik...? Are you okay?" she asked quietly as her mind cleared enough for thought and speech.
"Yes, Jane. I'm fine."
"No, you're not. You... you were shot in the arm, and still you carry me! Put me down, Erik." Jane struggled feebly, but Erik held her tightly.
"No, Jane. You are in no condition to walk. I can carry you. I am fine, so please, don't worry about me. I'll carry you whether you like it or not, so, if you want to help me, then kindly stop moving," Erik requested, as he gave Jane a gentle squeeze. Jane gave up and rested her head against him and allowed herself to be carried. It took Erik a while, but they finally came to his home.
He took Jane to her room and laid her upon the bed, for she had fallen asleep in his arms. Tears resided in the bottom curves of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Suddenly, a song came to Erik's mind, from the deep depths of his soul, and he let the words pour from his mouth.
"Jane, my love, my heart beats in sorrow
What have you done to deserve this?
Abused and harassed for one man's pleasure
Saved only by your own kiss...
Though you were unaware of it
I offered you all I could give
But my feeble protection has failed
And I don't deserve to live!" Erik sang, and Jane's eyes slowly opened. She gazed at him for a second, then spoke; she hadn't heard his song.
"Erik, I'm sorry," she breathed, "You told me not to enter the labyrinth. I thought you were in trouble. I... I'm sorry." Erik placed a finger over Jane's lips to quiet her, and shook his head.
"I am the one who should be sorry. I shouldn't have left you here alone. The fault is no one's but my own." A single tear leaked from each of Erik's cerulean-green eyes. He filled the space beside Jane and hugged her tightly, holding her upper body as she sat on the bed.
"But it isn't your fault, Erik," Jane whispered in his ear, "If anyone is to be blamed, it is the Ratcatcher. Don't blame yourself." She shifted her body so that she was leaning on him without putting all of her weight on him, and suddenly, she began to silently cry.
"What happened, Jane? What did he do to you?" Erik asked. He wasn't sure whether or not he was ready to hear the answer, but he felt that he needed to know for sure.
"He... hit me, and..." Jane's voice trailed off, and she shuddered, her actions and silence telling Erik what her words dared not. He read the hidden, vile message in her movements, which spoke to him as eloquently as speech, and yet, he needed to know for sure if her body language told the right story.
"Did he... take your innocence?" Erik inquired softly, and Jane, her eyes downcast, nodded, and she burst into fresh tears and fell against him. Erik, as much as he had expected the answer, was still shocked. He drew his arms around Jane, holding her much more tightly than he intended. He felt warm drops of water run down his face, and he realized that he was crying with her.
"Oh God, Jane... I'm so sorry, I... what have I done?" He buried his face in her dark hair, but she raised her head and looked him in the eyes.
"What have you done? Please, Erik... Don't blame yourself. It isn't your fault, I told you already." Jane grasped one of his trembling hands, her eyes soft, albeit a little scared. "The Ratcatcher is the only one who did anything wrong. If it weren't for you, I-"
"Would still be above in the Opera Populaire, surrounded by your friends, unaware that I or the Ratcatcher even existed," Erik finished, avoiding Jane's gaze. "Jane, I brought you down here. If I hadn't, then none of this would have happened."
Jane stared at Erik, and felt her heart throb with sadness. It was true. If Erik had never brought her down there, then nothing would have happened, but that meant that she also would have never met him, and she would not have fallen in love, or gotten singing lessons, or been comforted, or... kissed by him. Slowly, Jane reached out and tilted Erik's face toward her own.
"If you hadn't brought me down here, Erik, then I would never have felt the love for you that I do now. If I had the chance to go back in time and choose to either come here with you and have everything happen, or be back in the opera house... I would choose to come here." Erik looked at her, disbelief in every line of his features, but then he met her eyes. He knew, in that brief moment that their gazes intercepted, that she was telling the truth.
"Oh, Jane," he breathed, encircling her in his embrace. Jane could feel his need for her love coming through his every pore, and she held him back. Erik could feel the strength with which she hugged him, and it was rather surprising, considering her petite figure. He glanced at her eyes, and saw the utter exhaustion in them. She needed to sleep, and Erik knew it. He took a deep breath, and then softly began to sing.
"Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation
Darkness stirs, and wakes imagination...
Silently the senses abandon their defenses..." Jane raised her head up slowly to look at him, her expression one of disbelief and shock.
"You... were you my... my Angel of Music?" she asked incredulously, and Erik nodded. Jane blinked once, still stunned. Erik explained to her that he had not wanted her be scared, and he hadn't wanted her to try and escape, in case something happened to her. He told her that, since she had been afraid of him, he had come up with the whole masque of her Angel. Jane sat in silence, waiting until he was done.
"So it was you the whole time?" she questioned. Erik nodded, his throat now seeming dry, too dry for words. He looked away from Jane, feeling slightly guilty now for his trick. Jane, however, snuggled closer to him and shut her eyes peacefully.
"Well, I will admit that I do not appreciate being lied to, Erik," she began, but Erik had not time to say anything before she continued. "But, since it was all to keep me safe, I suppose we can put it behind us..." she paused for a second. "I love you, Erik."
Erik had not the emotional strength to answer her, too unfamiliar with the sensation of hearing one confess their love for him, so he did the only thing that he could. He kept singing.
"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..." Jane's breathing was slow and even, and Erik knew that she had fallen asleep. He smiled despite himself and rested his head on her hair. He felt drowsiness slowly possess his mind, and he drifted off into peaceful sleep.
The Ratcatcher struck her across the face, and a fiery pain throbbed from there. She tried to struggle, but he hit her again and again, until she was too weak to do anything. Then he walked over to her and put his coarse, disgusting arms around her... Jane winced as the subconscious part of her mind relived that horrible experience, and suddenly something, a realization, hit her. She could feel arms around her at that very moment.
"No!" she shouted, twisting away. Erik was instantly awake, and he grabbed Jane's shoulder before she tumbled off the bed. She looked at him fearfully, but her fear melted away into nothingness when she recognized him.
"Jane, are you alright?" Erik asked, pulling her close to him. "What happened?"
"I had a... nightmare. About the Ratcatcher..." Jane whispered, her body shaking with fright at the memory. Erik held her tightly, and she eventually stopped shaking. She looked up at him, her eyes glassy, though no tears fell. He used one of his hands to press her head against his chest, and he began to sing again.
Jane listened to his song and enjoyed the feeling of his heart beating in her ear. She felt exhaustion flow through her, and closed her eyes, sound asleep. Erik looked at Jane, and a single tear leaked from his right eye and ran down his cheek.
"Why, God? Why did she have to suffer? Why did she have to go through that, God? Why?" Erik asked the quiet air around him. More tears fell from his eyes. He titled Jane's face upward, and kissed her softly on the forehead.
"Why did she have to pay
For the sins which are... mine?" Erik half-sobbed, half-sang, giving Jane's sleeping form a gentle squeeze.
She's... so beautiful... She doesn't deserve to be held down here... She should be able to go home, where she belongs... Yes... Erik, you... have to let her go... Erik shook his head and tried to ignore the troubling thoughts, but he knew that they were true. He could not deny it, or ignore it, no matter how hard he tried. Jane didn't deserve a life of isolation, like he did. She deserved to go home, to be surrounded by friends and family.
"But... I love her..." Erik muttered to himself absentmindedly, looking sadly at Jane, who had not woken.
Yes, Erik... but do you love her enough to let her go, like Christine? She could be so great, just like her mother wanted her to be... You shouldn't get in her way... You have to let her go...
"Oh, Jane," Erik whispered, cradling her body and trying not to wake her with his tears. Erik felt one of Jane's locks of hair brush against his right cheek, and realized that he had not put his mask back on.
"And yet, she still said she loves me... Oh, Jane." Jane stirred, and Erik turned away and dabbed at his eyes with the corner of his sleeve. He didn't want her to know he'd been crying. When he glanced back at her, he got another look at her various injuries. Well, I'll let her heal before I take her back.
Jane groaned inwardly, then smiled at Erik. "How long was I asleep?" she asked, her hand at her mouth to stifle a yawn.
"About ten minutes," Erik answered, "You should get more rest."
"My body is exhausted, but my mind is too... awake," Jane murmured, her eyes now bright.
"How do you feel? Do you feel alright?" Erik questioned, his hand grasping hers gently as he searched her eyes.
"I have a headache, but I'm fine, other than that," Jane mumbled, laying her head against Erik. He held her tightly for a moment, loving the feeling of her warm breath on his neck, but she needed more sleep, and Erik wasn't going to try to keep her awake for his own pleasure.
"Jane, I'm going to go get you something for your head," Erik spoke at last, trying to get up. Jane reached out and grabbed his arm, her fingers curled around his joint in a vice-like grip.
"No, Erik. Please, I'm fine. Don't go... I'm okay, really," Jane protested softly, pulling him back down to sit with her again. She leaned on him gently so that he couldn't get up. "I don't need anything... except you."
Erik pulled Jane close to him, and started to sing once again. Jane listened to him sing and slowly drifted off to sleep.
When he was certain that she had lost consciousness, Erik slid her body onto the pillows and stood up. He leaned over and lightly kissed her on the forehead before drawing himself out of the room so that she could sleep peacefully. Erik wandered down his hallway until he came to one of his storage rooms.
Generally, Erik used these rooms to store his food, but he also kept a few medical objects in there as well, just in case he ever needed them. Erik had to sort through quite a few crates, but eventually he came upon what he was looking for. He quickly gathered all of the bandages that he had into one box, along with some rubbing alcohol. Carefully, he carried the box to Jane's room and sat down beside her.
Poor Jane... What has she done to deserve what the Ratcatcher did to her? Why did she have to go through that? Why?
That never would have happened if I hadn't brought her down here in the first place... it is all my fault... Oh God, Jane, I'm so sorry! Erik suddenly moved forward and grabbed Jane by the shoulders, forgetting that she was still asleep, and he hugged her. She opened her eyes slowly, then smiled.
"Hello, Erik," she chuckled, "Haven't seen you in a while." Erik, noticing the sweetly sarcastic tone in his voice, nodded and grinned, but held her tighter still. He then remembered that he still had to dress her wounds, and he let her go.
"Jane, can you sit up for a second?" he asked, and she obliged. He bent over and picked up a few bandages, the straightened up and tied one around the numerous cuts on Jane's arm, talking to her as cheerfully as he could the whole while.
"Alright, Jane, this might sting a little," Erik cautioned as he carefully poured some alcohol on a particularly deep cut. Jane gasped but squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her teeth. Erik held her hand tightly, his eyes wide.
"Are you okay?" he questioned, concerned. Jane opened her eyes and nodded, smiling as much as she could in her pained state.
"Stings," she murmured, and Erik kissed her softly on the cheek. He took her hand again and slowly brought her knuckles to his lips. Jane smiled, then deftly moved forward and kissed him, passionately and full on the mouth.
Fortunately, this time Erik was prepared. He put his hand behind Jane's head so that they would never part, and he closed his eyes, savoring the sensation. Time slowed down, so that their kiss seemed to last an eternity, and yet it was not long enough. When at last they pulled apart, both Erik and Jane felt that it had ended too soon. Erik gazed at Jane, then slowly and tentatively leaned down and kissed her again.
For Erik, the kiss was a mixture of different things. It was wonderful, for he loved Jane with all his heart and was more than ecstatic to be even near her, and yet it was horrible, because every time their lips met, he was reminded of the fact that he couldn't keep her; he had to let her go.
But how will I tell her that? I can't, not yet anyway... I'll tell her later, when she has to go, Erik decided. Jane reached up and lightly touched his right cheek with her fingertips, and slowly her touch became a gentle caress. One hand moved behind Erik's head and began to toy with his rich, dark hair. Erik himself held Jane still against him, his fingers gently massaging her scalp, and, judging by the way she melted into his touch, he knew she enjoyed it.
"Jane, I love you," Erik breathed when at last their kiss ended.
"I love you, too," she whispered, laying softly against him. He rested his cheek upon the crown of her hair and inhaled deeply, loving her sweet scent. Something troubled him, though. It was the vile and rancid smell of the Ratcatcher.
How dare he! How dare that... bastard harm so innocent and lovely a creature! How dare he hit her... How dare he... touch her... Oh, Jane... Erik kissed her over and over again, making sure that she knew just how much he loved her. He loved her with all of his heart and soul, with all of his mind and body.
"Jane, do you think that you should maybe try to eat?" Erik asked after a while, "Not all energy is gotten solely through sleep." Jane thought about it. She was incredibly hungry, but she didn't want to move from Erik's side, nor did she want him to move from hers. At last, she agreed, and Erik stood up and gently scooped her into his arms.
"How does your arm feel?" Jane questioned, noticing that he had bandaged it.
"It's fine. You're very light, so it isn't a challenge at all to carry you, Jane. Don't worry." Jane blushed slightly at the compliment, and she looked away from Erik so that he couldn't see her face redden. He knew that she had blushed, though, because he could feel her arms quickly grow increasingly warm, and he smiled.
Erik set Jane down in a chair at the table, then went back to the storage room to get something for the both of them to eat. When he retrieved it, he brought it back and arranged it on the table, then took the seat across from Jane, after filling wine glasses for both of them. For a while, they both ate in silence, their thoughts focused on one another. Erik knew that he had, at most, one or two more days with Jane (if that), and that enraged him, though he didn't show it.
Why must I be the one cursed with this hideous face? he wondered furiously, Why must I be the one denied love and compassion? If I had a normal face, then I wouldn't have to live down here, and I could stay with Jane! If I had a face like everyone else, maybe... maybe Christine would have been mine.
Damn this accursed face! Damn it! Erik's eyes flashed with a heated anger, and his grip on the wine glass tightened. A split second too late, Erik realized that the glass was too fragile, and it shattered between his fingers.
"Erik, are you alright?" Jane asked once she recovered from her shock. Luckily, Erik had already drained his cup, so there was no wine spilled. Erik looked at the broken glass and then at Jane, and the anger vanished from his eyes.
"I'm fine, Jane. I'm sorry... I didn't notice that I was holding it so tightly," Erik apologized, meeting her eyes only at the last word. He suddenly felt a lump come to his throat, but he swallowed it down. "So, are you finished?" Jane nodded, and he stood and took her hand. He led her down the hallway to her room, his arm firmly supporting her from around the waist (for she seemed utterly exhausted again).
"Jane, you have to sleep," Erik ordered, laying her down gently on the bed. When she was settled, he laid beside her and began to sing in her ear.
"Nighttime sharpens, heightens each sensation,
Darkness stirs, and wakes imagination..." he sang, and almost instantly Jane's eyes closed as she fell asleep. Erik ran his fingertips lightly up her arm, and then over her shoulder, and he had a sudden desire to...
Erik sighed and got up from the bed, turning his back to Jane's sleeping form so that he couldn't see her. Mentally cursing himself, Erik got up from the bed. What right did he have to lay beside her, anyway? None. He didn't have a right. Erik bared his teeth in the thought of himself making an effort to taint her purity without her consent, and left the room in a silent hurry.
Oh, Jane... my love... I have to let you go tomorrow... Yes, tomorrow. I can't deny the possibility of another desire, one I cannot control... I have to get you out of here -away from me- before that happens... Erik wandered into his room and sat at his desk. Grabbing a piece of paper and his pen, he began to scribble picture after picture of Jane, pausing only long enough to stack one finished portrait to the side and grab another paper to work on.
In one picture, Jane was beaming, wearing a beautiful white gown that rested comfortably off her shoulders. In another, her eyes gazed at him, full of love and joy. In the one Erik liked best, her lips were locked onto his; she was cuddled in his arms, and their eyes were closed peacefully.
Erik sighed. There was something, a minor detail, about that last sketch that filled him with a million different feelings. The picture was drawn from the left side, so that if anyone were ever to see it, they would not guess that the man holding the young woman in his arms had the face of a monster.
"Oh, Jane," Erik breathed, tears springing to his eyes, "I don't want to let you go..." He dragged himself over to his coffin and laid down. This was where he should be. In his coffin, all alone, waiting for death... not with Jane, basking in her beauty. Only humans deserved to do that. Not demons...
"Angels do, though," he countered, trying to convince himself that maybe, maybe there was a chance that he did belong with Jane.
Not angels in Hell... Nice try, Erik, but no reward, the pesky voice in his head spoke. Angels in heaven do, not angels in Hell... Just let her go, and live your life just as you should. You were born a monster, you will die a monster. Nothing will ever save you from that fate.
Erik sighed. Of course, the voice was right. The voice was always right... right? To keep his sanity, Erik forced himself to think only of music until he fell asleep.
Oh, and in response to your concern, Gabreil'sGirl, I pomise that I absolutely WILL NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, make Erik do something like that! It's just... against every last one of my personal beliefs -shudders-. And no worries, I get really really defensive with Erik, too... every last one of my friends has been threatened (by moi) because they called Erik something nasty... anyway, thank you for reviewing!
HaHa Ready... Set... GO! Review, Review, Review! LOL But you guys are all so awesome. I'll have individual Thank-Yous in the next chappie, I just had to reassure Gabreil'sGirl before my conscience killed me! HaHa but anyway, I'll update soon... if you guys review soon! LOL Hope ya'll liked the chappie! You guys are the best! Oh, and tell me what you think of the lyrics!
One more thing before I forget! If any of you out there have AIM, please IM me! My screenname is smaug77785 and I always love meeting new people! If you are ever on IM and you feel the need to talk to a 14 year old, IM me! Again, the screenname is smaug77785 ... IM me, please!