This Could Be The Chance To Ensnare Our Clever Friend
The sun shining through the window and resting gently on my face forced me awake. Thoughts and images from the night before, spent making love with Erik flashed into the front of my mind I refused to open my eyes, and decided that I would rather snuggle a bit closer to Erik and continue to allow my memories to possess my thoughts. I moved closer to his sleeping form, feeling the warmth radiate from his body and onto my own, but stopped suddenly as I heard a soft sound coming from the open window. My body tensed as my brain told my eyes to open, but for some reason they would not obeyed. Erik stirred slightly beside me, mumbling for me to go back to sleep and that it was still early.
My stomach clenched into stone as butterflies began fluttering around as if crazily trying to find a way to escape my body. I have to be dreaming…I am not hearing anything…it's a dream nothing more…I'll just open my eyes and look through the window…no one will be there…. The logic seemed to be there, but I had almost certainly heard the sound of boots on the porch. I repeatedly told myself that I was dreaming and my eyes finally succumbed to my mind and flicked open. I quickly got out of the bed, not caring that I was naked, and looked through the window.
My eyes fell upon the officers running towards our cottage, some carrying rifles, others baring torches. I couldn't suppress the scream that immediately took up residence in my throat, but I muffled it slightly with my hand on my mouth. But I was too late, the officers had looked up at my scream and saw me standing in the window. I turned only to see Erik standing beside me looking out as well. I stared, unblinkingly at him for some kind of instruction. Suddenly, he seemed to snap into action, flying over to the closet and pulling my favorite dress of it's hanger and also a corset before setting them on the bed and dressing himself.
We were both dressed in a flash. I allowed myself a moment to wonder how he had dressed as fast as I had when he had about twice the amount of layers as I did. He quickly swung his cape around his neck and it settled elegantly upon his broad shoulders.
We both jumped as we heard footsteps on the staircase in the hall. An officer could be seen racing towards us and for a moment, I feared he would reach our room before either of us could act. In a flash, Erik was sprinting over to the bedroom door and he reached it just in time, slammed the door, securing the lock. He stepped back from it with a huge sigh as the door was beat on from the other side.
Languidly, he walked over to the bedside table, slid out the drawer and reached into the darkness within. When his hand emerged, the light from the window behind me reflected off of a smooth white surface. It was then that our eyes caught. He stared at me and I felt tears forming in the depths of my eyes.
"Erik…no…" I whispered so softly that it was a wonder that he heard me.
"I must…I cannot face them as the man I am to you…I could never fight anyone if I wasn't wearing it…without my mask on, I have loved the most wonderful woman the world has ever known…the man that loves her would never kill a soul…but with my mask, I can become that same person who was once obsessive enough over love to kill countless people.." He laughed half-heartedly. "It seems the tables have turned…it is now with the mask, that I am the monster…ironic…"
"Erik…we can not fight them…we should go with them…at least we would be together…"
"Until they hang us in the gallows…"
"And then we will be together in the after life…always together…" The pounding on the door, continued relentlessly as they attempted to break it down, as it seemed, with little success.
"NO! I have worked too hard to gain this life…this LIFE! GABRIELLE! I love you and am not willing to give up on the life I have planned for us…not yet…I would rather fight for that than give up on life…it would be like suicide for us both…" He was beside me in an instant, his mouth incessant upon my own. After what seemed like a long time, he broke away, leaving me gasping for breath while he held his forehead flush against mine. "Gabrielle…I love you with all my heart…never could I imagine a better friend, wife and lover! You are the most gorgeous, radiant, and intoxicating woman and promise me that no matter what happens now, you will never forget the love we shared…and also never forget what a angelic creature you are…never allow anyone to lay a hand on you as your former husband did…NEVER…and NEVER blame yourself for crazy things that could never have been your fault…like your parents…You deserve so much better in life!…"
Tears began to flow relentlessly now in both his and my own eyes. I knew what he was doing; he was preparing for the chance of his death…and I didn't want to hear a word of it anymore. The thought of him lying on the ground, dead, blood from his injuries staining his stark white mask, crimson flooded my head and nearly made me nauseous. I shook the sickening image from my thoughts and looked at him with complete horror, shaking my head as he continued. "YES! Gabrielle, you must listen to me…nothing could have prepared me for falling in love with you…my life has been complete because of you…the memories and moments you have given me are more than I could have ever hoped for my scorned flesh and inner beast…you have taught me so much and I am indebted to you forever …and if that means that I should give my life for you, you already know that I give it…"
Finally my words seemed to return to me. "NO! ERIK! You have already attempted to give your life for me…I cannot allow you to do so again…"
"But I must! It is my job…as your lover…your angel…your HUSBAND…to protect you, and protect you I will…" I stared directly at his eyes, barely visible, staring through his mask and it was then that I knew it. I would never be able to change his mind on this. He was a man of strength and power and with no release, no sense of protectiveness to act upon, he might as well give in to death.
"Erik…I love you…don't leave me…" I attempted one last time to reach out to his soul and capture the part of him that might hear my plea, my voice cracking on the last phrase. I watched as he gasped in a breath sharply as if it was a painful thing to do. The pools of his eyes were as turbulent as the sea during a storm as he devoured the sight of me before him. He walked over to me slowly, all the while staring at my eyes and mouth. I couldn't resist allowing my eyes to slide shut as he moved towards me.
The sound of his footsteps on the wood floor ceased and I felt his hot breath on my face. I then felt the soft stroke of his lips against my face as he brushed them along the sensitive skin on my cheeks. Somehow, I couldn't help but think of his actions as torturous. The thought that I might never feel his lips upon my skin ever again, brought my senses back to me and I took his mouth with my own.
My hatred for the men banging on our door and moving outside, circling our house, looking for another way to us, grew at an astounding rate. What right did they have to deny us each other? Erik took a step back from me and then turned towards the door. My heart began to race and the tears seemed to join the pace my heart had set. He looked over his shoulder at me, tears gleaming from his cheeks as well. Suddenly, he was beside me again, enfolding me in his arms powerfully. I melted into his touch as I always had and desperately clasped on to his form, wanting to never let go.
A voice from outside our window intruded into our embrace. We both made our way to the window, and saw an officer standing just below. "No more running! You are surrounded and there is no where to escape to this time! You are hereby under arrest for 6 accounts of murder and your pretty little wife there for one account of murder. So, I suggest you come with us quietly or we will be required to take you by force. And I would like to point out Monsieur, that if you do plan on a fight, we will be forced to open fire and your beloved wife there, may be accidentally caught by a bullet intended for you…" Erik looked to be in a sort of terrified panic. He stared at me for a moment before tearing his gaze away and forcing it upon the officer.
"So, Sir…How do you intend to make us leave our room…we could survive up here for quite a long time…"
"Monsieur, you underestimate us…my men have already anticipated your reluctance to leave…and so you may soon begin to notice the smell of smoke coming from the other side of your bedroom door." As if on cue, the temperature of the room began to rise and the smell of smoke filled the air. Erik rushed to the door and took the handle in his hands. He let out a mix between a growl and a yell as the handle nearly burned his hand. He turned to me and gave me a look of complete terror. The smoke in the room was beginning to whirl around our heads and I began to choke on the grey smoke.
"Erik!" I cried out weakly, between coughs. I felt a hard hand on my shoulder, pushing me until my head was out the window. I breathed in the clean air with a gasp of relief. I looked behind me and saw Erik attempting to break down the door from our side, coughing all the while as well. Below me, the officer stood, watching me with a look of amusement in his face.
"Perhaps you should make your husband give up…even if you do escape your room, the entire house is on fire and my men guard the front door. There is no way out, my dear…"
Erik was at my side again, watching the man below, coughing painfully. "Erik…!" He looked up at his name escaping from my lips and kissed me once more. He then turned to the bed as his coughing fit began again and took a sheet off, lowering it out of the window.
"You have to climb down…I know they will be waiting, but you will die up here if you stay much longer…the smoke is growing terrible…" He then stuck his head out the window, hissing at the officer as he spoke with venom in his words. "I am lowering my wife down to you…can I trust that you will not harm her?"
"I can safely say that she will not be harmed until we reach Paris, where the gallows await the two of you…"
"ANSWER ME STRAIGHTLY! WILL SHE BE HARMED!"
"No Sir, we will not harm her …"
He turned to me once again. "Climb down my love…it is all I can do for you now…"
I descended reluctantly, my heart galloping with the nervous emotions that consumed me like the flames that consumed our house. Near the bottom, I began to grow anxious, wanting to reach solid ground, and I lost my footing. I screamed slightly as I began to fall towards the ground, but a strong pair of arms caught me just in time. I sighed out of relief and then with a sudden shock found that I had fallen into the arms of the officer. I screamed at him to let me go, but he would not. Growing quite angry at him, I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face before he set me down.
It was then that he walked forward and tugged on the sheet hanging from the window. It fell in a heap at my feet. My eyes immediately shot back up at the outline of Erik in the window. Now I realized what had happened; the officer had trapped Erik inside the burning building.
"ERIK!" I screamed with all my might. He was watching me with desperate eyes through the open window, but I thought I saw something else in them as well. What was it? I couldn't seem to place the emotion. Then it hit me like a ton of bricks…it was despair…he had known this would happen if he sent me down first. "ERIK!" I screamed again as the officers arms wrapped around my middle like vices. He was dragging me along, attempting to force me to leave, but I fought him with all the valor I could muster. He then pushed me forcefully in front of him, so that we were face to face, his mouth only inches from my own.
"MY DEAR…I suggest that you forget your husband as soon as he is out of sight…There will be other men…assuming you can hoodwink the head police men into not killing you…or taking you for themselves… anyway…why would you love a horrendous creature such as that when you are as beautiful as you are…I am sure there are many other men who would be just as willing to 'comfort' you…I know that I personally wouldn't mind."
Without thinking, I slapped him across the face and yelled back at him with even more force. "THAT 'horrendous creature' as you called him is more of a man than you could ever hope to be…but I don't expect a disgusting wretch such as yourself to understand much about true love…"
I hadn't known it at the time, but this officer in particular had a short temper and as soon as the words escaped my mouth, I regretted them. The look in his eyes spoke of anger and fury. He pulled out a pistol from his inner jacket and held it flush against my head.
From behind us an infuriated roar erupted from the top level of our cottage. The officer wrapped his arm around my waist and turned us both in one fluid motion, the gun still at my temple. There we both saw Erik, pacing back in forth in front of the window, like a caged tiger. He looked as if he was thinking of jumping, but a fall from such a height would kill him, and he knew it. Instead, he yelled back at the officer who was holding me.
"YOU SAID SHE WOULD NOT BE HARMED!"
"It was she who raised a hand to me…a woman like her would learn well from a good beating," I couldn't withhold the whimper that came from those words. Images of being lashed by Christophe flooded my mind and I could only assume that Erik had realized what these words brought into my head. He continued, "…I would think that a 'gentleman' such as yourself would have taught his wife how she should behave so he can be sure that she knows her place…after all…a woman's place is beneath that of a man's…one would almost begin to think that you allow this woman to think for herself…I would almost begin to doubt that she actually belongs to you…"
"YOU…YOU BASTARD!…HOW COULD YOU?…CAN YOU NOT SEE WHAT A REMARKABLE WOMAN SHE IS? I SWEAR, IF YOU LAY A HAND ON HER AGAIN…AND GET THAT DAMNED GUN AWAY FROM HER!"
"Sir…if you wish to make a last request before you die, I suggest that you do not raise your voice to me in such a way…"
I could see from where I was being held captive that Erik could barely quench his anger. As if he suddenly had realized what a horrid situation he was in, his voice was abruptly filled with a hidden plea. "I beg you, monsieur…treat her well…she is…she is an angel and should be treated as such…"
These words seemed to ease the officer's rage. "Fine…I shall not lay a hand on her…but after that I have no say in what happens to her…men will be men…" With that he returned the gun to his coat pocket. He then said to me, "Come!…we must leave now…"
I chanced one last look at Erik. He motioned for me to go, but could barely make the gesture because of the violent coughs that were wracking his body. I was beginning to have difficulty seeing him as the smoke billowed out from inside the house. There was a dense cloud of black smoke consuming the entire house and flames of bright yellow and vivid orange danced ceremoniously around it all. I watched as he tore the mask from his face, as the porcelain must have grown to hot to bare. He stared straight back into my eyes as if daring me to relinquish my love at this last sight of his unmasked face. I began to cry again and mouthed to him 'I love you' and seeing the satisfaction on his face, I turned to go.
I began to follow the officer, tears now pouring more rapidly, but the sound of crumbling and cracking wood made me swirl around so fast, it made my head spin. I watched as the house began to collapse in slow motion. I saw the look of surprise and shock cross Erik's beautiful features before the floor he stood on crashed into the blazing inferno, concealing Erik completely from my sight. I watched in terror as the flames danced to a different beat, rejoicing in the fact that they had finally been paid the blood that had so viciously craved. I searched the blaze for any sign of Erik emerging but none came. I couldn't allow myself to grasp the fact that I would never see him reappear from inside the flames and so as the officer grabbed my wrist, pulling me along after him, repeating the phrase 'he is gone' into my ear, I resisted with all the strength I had left. I dropped to my knees, sobbing and clawing at the earth, wanting to throw myself into the fire, if only to be with Erik for one more second.
"He cant be gone! He cant be gone! ERIK! ERIK!" Then it occurred me; if Erik was still alive in there, the sound of my voice as pained and desperate as it was, would have brought him crawling back. He would never think of his own pain before my own. Immediately, as that logic pierced through my dying heart, my entire body lost the will to continue on…continue life…and my entire body and soul went numb. My voice died within my throat and my heart ceased beating, I wasn't even aware that my legs were moving until I felt the officer lift me on to Erik's black stallion. I clung onto the mane of his horse, savoring the last enduring reminder of my beloved angel.
Author's Note: Never fear everyone...this is not the last chapter...I think I am going to continue this on for atleast...4 or more chapters...and I know I am going to get many of you asking 'Is he really dead?' and let me just answer you all now to save myself the trouble...the truth of the matter is...is suddenly distracted by phantom music playing from other room... Well, enjoy everyone!
