VI. We've decided
"Men!" Meg snorted like a furious bull. "Always thinking they know what's good for you, and always missing the point, because all they can do is think with the hair on their chests!"
Christine gave her a little smile of amusement. She was not entirely pleased with the men venturing off on their own as well, but on the other hand… there was not much she and Meg could do, was there? Except being in the way, maybe. And those two were perfectly capable of taking care of themselves, and of each other. She hoped they would; at least she had asked them to do so. Of course she was worried about them, about both of them, but what could she and Meg do? Nothing, except await their return.
"Just do me the favour and agree with me", Meg muttered, scowling hard at her mother lining up the youngest ballet members at the other end of the large practice room.
Christine sighed softly. "Alright, I do. But Raoul doesn't have hair on his chest."
"Then he doesn't think at all", Meg declared. "Christine, what does that matter? He's still being nasty to us, and you still ought to kick him instead of kissing him the next time, or pinch him when he wants to snuggle, and for a few times in advance! Just for their arrogance!"
"It does matter to me what he looks like", Christine pointed out. "Just as Erik's looks seem to matter to you."
"Well, see who's talking! After all, who gave him that nice little red thingy on his neck?"
Christine felt the blood rise into her cheeks. "No, Meg, it's not like you think! Thank you for taking the blame, a moment ago, but I'll tell Raoul about it later on anyway. It was… an accident, you might say." With a glance at Madame Giry, she lowered her voice, although that would not have been necessary. "It was Niobe, acting through me." Embarrassment flooded her anew as she recalled those moments, and what she had done. Hastily yet softly, she told her friend about the events which had taken place during the previous night, leaving out nothing except that she had hit him. That had been a rather rash action, and she felt it had not been the behaviour adequate for her. Of course he had needed to be put back into his place, yet not by hitting him. And especially not by calling him a monster.
Meg listened attentively and only interrupted very rarely to ask a question. Finally, at the end of the narrative, she sighed. "Poor boy", she said sympathetically. "That must have hurt a great deal, first realizing that you did not truly want him, and then taking you up to Raoul."
Yes, and I hurt him some more… Christine bit her lip. "I wish he could find someone else. Someone who really loves him. This way, every kind word from me makes him happy, and he is grateful for every single one, for every moment of attention really, just like a dog, but still I reject him, and I can never give him what he wants." She sighed. "I wish there were someone who could." Remembering what Raoul had assumed, she added, "What is it between you and him?"
Meg shrugged. "Nothing much, really. I just like him." Then a sly expression stole onto her face. "And I like to fondle him a bit, sometimes."
"Meg! Really!" Christine tried to look stern, but she could not fight the giggle. The times when they had used to whisper about such things together in dark corners were not that long past.
Meg lowered her voice conspiratorially. "And he's one hell of a kisser."
"Honestly, Meg", was the only thing Christine could come up with in this situation. She tried not to think of last night's kiss.
Suddenly Meg's brow wrinkled into a grim frown. "Don't make me talk about him that way when I'm angry with him, or else I'll stop being angry with him! And I want to be angry with him, currently."
Christine sighed. "Meg, it's pointless! What could we have done to help them?"
"We could have helped", Meg insisted. "But no, they don't want us with them, and just because we're girls!"
"I wonder what they are up to", Christine said. "They're somewhere down there, and heading further down, but I have no idea what they're going to do. I can still feel Erik, but it's… dimmed, in a way. Gone hazy." She swallowed. "I only hope he is really strong enough to shield himself."
Meg was twiddling a loose thread from the sleeve of her dress between her fingers. "Look, I know he's the one among us who can defend himself best, but I'd still like to be there with him. Poor lamb, having to put up with all those horrible Lost Ones. I'd like to hold his hand." She gave a little giggle. "And your Raoul. I'd like to keep an eye on him, too."
Once again Christine sighed. "So would I." But calling the Phantom a lamb… That sounded just odd.
Still, when she considered it… she would like to give the pair of them a tight hug and take them somewhere far, far away, where no Lost One could ever find them.
Poor Erik, apparently being one of them himself.
"I wonder where he got that name", Meg said suddenly, just as her mother picked up a small boy by the collar and put him back into his place in the line.
"Who, Raoul?"
"Of course not! I'm talking about Erik."
Christine shrugged. "I don't know. The only thing he told me is that it's a name from his past. There's nothing else I've heard from anyone."
"You know what?" Meg suddenly whispered, leaning over to her. "I know you're probably scared and all, but so am I. And I think I'll go and help them. Are you coming with me?"
"You can't be serious." Knowing Meg, she probably was.
"Of course I am!" Meg shot her an indignant look, then her eyes flickered towards her mother, who was turning her back on them, busy telling off a pair of little girls for not paying attention. "We'll just sneak off and then go down. I know you can find them. And then we'll see what their faces will be like when we save them from some fix they have undoubtedly landed themselves into." Meg's grin could almost be called a smirk, and Christine wondered if the Phantom had already had a bad influence on her.
"I'm not sure this is a good idea, Meg."
"But I am!" Meg cast another glance towards her mother, whose attention luckily was very taken up by all the little children. "And if you're not going, then I'm going alone", she added stubbornly.
"No, you're not", Christine said wearily. "Because I'm coming with you."
Meg beamed at her. "I knew you would!"
"But still… I don't think it's a good idea."
"I do", Meg insisted. "I'll go and change back into our sweet Opera Ghost's things, then. Say, how would you like to try on some of my father's old clothes?"
