Note: Alrighty y'all...here's the next chapter! I think I did this chapter justice. I really like how I described the one thing in this chapter. I hope you enjoy this chapter because I had such a fun time writing it...well not fun, but a great time seeing it in my head and feeling all the emotions. Enjoy it!
Chapter 28
Erik tore away from the kiss after he heard the sound of glass shattering and a surprised gasp. He shoved Jammes away from him and saw Ana standing there, shocked beyond belief.
"Ana it's...it's not what you think. This whore pounced on me I swear!" he managed to choke out.
"It looked like you were really fighting, Monsieur!" she said then turned around and fled in the opposite direction. Erik let out a menacing growl and turned towards Jammes. She shrank back into the dark, now clearly petrified.
"Please Monsieur, I was set up! I was forced to do it! Please don't hurt me!" Jammes whimpered.
"Who set you up?" Erik ground out.
"Monsieur...McKinley. He said you wouldn't hurt me!" Jammes said, tears escaping her eyes and making their way down her cheeks.
Erik cursed fluently and out loud. Yes, this had Alex written all over it. It would be something Alex would think up to break up his wife and her lover. "Damn." he muttered again running his hand over his face. He looked back at Jammes who was still cowering. "Mademoiselle, I shall let you go from here alive and unscathed under one condition. You will never spread horrible rumors about Ana again, do I make myself clear?"
Jammes nodded mutely and quickly ran off. Erik turned around and went back into the secret passageway that he had appeared from. He needed to visit his lair before he went to see Ana.
Jammes ran back to where she was to meet Alex's carriage. That would take her back to Alex's apartment. She climbed in, still completely numb that she had escaped the Opera Ghost with her life. She was so utterly surprised that she had forgotten to change out of her dance uniform. Madame Griolia would be quite mad that Jammes had walked out of the Opera house without changing, but Jammes could handle her wrath. She arrived at Alex's apartment and swept up to his study room. Not even knocking she entered, her surprise now turned into anger.
"Good evening my dear, I assume you have done your job." Alex said pouring some brandy into a glass then handing it to her. Jammes took a long swig before speaking.
"You asshole! You nearly had me killed! I was..." but Jammes stopped and dropped her brandy glass on the floor. Her hands went to her throat, clawing at her skin as if an invisible hand was there, strangling her. Her eyes were wide open with terror and she managed a terrified glance to Alex.
Alex just merely smiled. "My how the tables have turned. You should have worried about me, my dear. I kind of figured that Erik would let you go, that is why I laced your cup with poison." Jammes was now on the floor, her eyes slowly glazing over. "You, my dear, were a wonderful lay. But sadly our paths must separate. I repaid you fully and you did your service well. I thank you for that." Jammes' eyes were wide open with terror and they were completely glazed. Alex bent down and pressed his fingers to her throat. Feeling no pulse, he stood up and stepped over the dead dancer's body. Walking out of his study, he meandered down the hall to the servants quarters. Knocking on the door he waited until his butler, who also happened to be his valet, opened it.
"Yes sir?" his butler asked.
"James, there is a...thing upstairs that I wish you to dispose of. Can you see it done?"
"Yes sir." James stooped into a deep bow. Alex gave a small nod and walked off. He turned around suddenly. "Oh and James, have the bags packed. It seems we may be leaving for America tomorrow evening." With that said, Alex went up to his room and he drifted off into a calm sleep.
Ana reached her room and jammed the key into the lock. She gave it a cruel twist then rushed inside. Throwing the lock again, she went to her bed and plopped down. The image of Erik and Jammes kissing was running through her head, it wouldn't stop. She tried to get it out of her mind, tried to tell herself that Jammes really DID pounce on Erik. But it looked like he was kissing her back. Why did he does this to her? She felt as though her heart had been ripped out of her chest and then torn into tiny little pieces. The tears that she had tried to hold back, flowed freely down her face. She buried her face into her pillow and cried herself to sleep.
Erik was down in his lair, pacing back and forth trying to figure out what to say in his letter of apology. A simple "I'm sorry" just wouldn't do. It had to be heartfelt, one that touched not only her soul but her heart. In fact...Erik grabbed his bottle of ink and his pen and sat down to created the note that would hopefully change Ana's life forever. It seemed like hours before he finished with the note, his words hopefully conveying his feelings. He quickly glanced over the letter then tucked it away into an envelope and sealed it. Then picking up a blood red rose, he quickly tied the black ribbon around it's stem and grabbed the letter. Jumping into his gondola, he made his way towards Ana's room.
He arrived at her mirror five minutes later. The candles still glowed in her room and from her form on the bed, she seemed to be deep in slumber. Erik quietly depressed the mechanism and crossed the threshold to Ana's room. He silently made his way to her bed and knelt down beside it. There were tear tracks, dried yet still somewhat visible on her cheeks. Tendrils of her hair that seemed to have escaped, clung to her cheeks as well, still damp from her obvious state of crying. He took notice that she had been so upset that she didn't even bother to undress herself from her gown. It had to be uncomfortable sleeping in a corset. He went to where her changing screen was and picked up her night shift. Walking back to her bed, he undid her dress, corset, and stockings. He lifted her upper body up and slipped the night shift on. She had to be in a deep sleep, for she didn't stir an inch. Then, taking the discarded items, he folded them and laid them across the back of her chair. He went back to her bed and brushed her hair away from her eyes. His hand accidentally brushed against her pillow and he took notice to how damp her pillow was. Damp wasn't the word to best describe her pillow, soaked would have been more appropriate. Erik ached inside, knowing that he had caused her grief. He had caused her to cry herself to sleep and there was nothing he could do to take back those horrible few minutes. He pressed a kiss on Ana's forehead and laid the note and rose beside her pillow. Then getting up he walked back to the mirror and went back to his lair.
Morning came too swiftly for Ana, her dreams filled with nothing but utter sadness. Most of them involved Erik and Jammes in a passionate embrace. She rubbed her eyes, which were still red and puffy, and stretched her arms. Her hand brushed against something and Ana sat up. There, beside her pillow, was a rose and a note. Both, she assumed, were from Erik. She picked up the note, took it out of the envelope and took a deep breath before letting her eyes sweep across the letter.
"My dearest Ana,
No words can describe the pain I felt when I saw your stricken face yesterday. I truly meant it when that woman threw herself to me. I initially didn't fight her off for the mere fact that I was shocked beyond belief. But I knew what she was up to. In fact, she confided in me that your husband had set her up to trick you into believing that you weren't my only lover. It was all Alex's idea to break us up. Ana, I don't want you to be upset. Ever since Christine left me, I have been nothing but a shell of a man, yet you filled in that shell. You taught me that it doesn't matter what you look like as long as you have someone that cares about you. And Ana, I care about you deeply. When you aren't near me, I feel empty and alone. Please, find it in your heart to forgive my actions last night. I know it was not the best course of action and if I could take back those few moments, I would. Please forgive me.
Your obedient servant,
Erik"
Ana swore she felt her heart leap into her throat. It was one of the most beautiful apology notes ever accepted. Yet, somehow she knew that she could never forgive him. She had given him something that she had never given Alex and he merely discarded it. Her love for him seemed shattered and a simple apology note would not put it back together. She needed to talk to him, needed to get the lump that was in her chest off of it, she needed to tell him that she loved him. Yet, he said he merely cared for her. Deeply, yes, though he never mentioned the word love. She sighed, she was so confused. She didn't know what to do. She needed out of this place, needed to go some place where she could think about her decision.
"Good morning Ana." a whisper came from near her mirror.
"Please Erik, I...I am in not the best of moods. I wish to be along for a while." Ana tried not to let the tears well up in her chest.
"Ana, please. I know you read my note. I am truly sorry about what happened last night. I meant every word I wrote." Erik said, his voice becoming strangled.
"I know what you meant, yet I can't help that you didn't mean the part about caring for me deeply. I feel that you love me but you are afraid. You think I will be like Christine and leave you in your most darkest hour." Ana said, a little to bitterly.
"I am not afraid! I...I don't know what I feel Ana. These feelings are quite new to me, I mean it's not every day a woman looks upon my face and doesn't seem to be afraid of it." Erik stated plainly.
"And it's not every day I give my whole body to someone. It took a lot for me to give myself to you Erik and you barely noticed. You don't know how hard it is for me to give myself to another person after what Alex did to me. If you were in the changing room last night, you would have understood." Ana stood and went behind her changing screen.
"I realize that Ana...wait, what happened in the changing room last night?" Erik questioned her.
"Nothing. Nothing at all Erik." Ana said indifferently. Erik stormed behind the changing screen and saw that Ana had her back to him and was buttoning up her shirt. Her black skirt barely hanging off of her hips. He took her shoulders in his hands and turned her around.
"What...happened?" he emphasized each word.
"Do you know what it's like to be taken against your will? Or better yet, have to do something against your will knowing that it will live with you and haunt you daily? It's very scary Erik, and it shan't stop until the thing that is doing it is either killed or gone." Ana said, hinting to Erik in subtle ways. Erik looked at quizzically and then it dawned on him.
"Shit. He raped you...that's why you were so late." he murmured.
"Yes Erik he did. And you know what? I was hoping that you would show up or you would be in the mirror. I screamed your name praying to some unknown being that you would appear and kill Alex. But no, he just merely laughed and said you were getting your pleasure from some other whore. But now, well, now that doesn't matter. Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to go out." She grabbed her cloak and walked towards her door. Then she turned around and headed back towards her bed, picking up the rose she went back to the door.
"Ana you are not going anywhere! Ana, do you hear me! ANA!" Erik yelled, but his cries fell upon death ears. She just merely went through the door and locked it. Erik went to the mirror and went to his lair. He decided to follow Ana, where ever she was going, he would follow her and see what she was up to.
Ana rushed to the carriage house, the rose that Erik had left her in apology from last night was clutched in her hand. She walked up to the man who was in charge of the carriages.
"Where to mam'selle?" The man asked.
"I don't care, the graveyard or wherever just as long as I'm far away from here!" Ana said, digging out her coin purse and pushing five gold pieces into the man's hand.
"The graveyard it is. It will be a few moments until I hitch up the horses, but you are welcome to sit in the carriage." the man turned his back to go get the two horses.
Ana walked over to the carriage and helped herself in. She arranged her skirts and then just stared at the rose in her hands.
'How could he do such a thing?' she thought to herself. The image of Erik kissing Jammes, and rather ardently, still burned within her mind and made her want to weep. She had awoken this morning to a wet pillow and a note of apology and a rose. That's when she decided she needed to get away, to think on what had transpired the previous evening. The man finished hitching up the horses and jumped into the front. He gave a whistle and cracked the reins. The horses sprang forward and they were off to the cemetery. Ana switched her gaze from the rose to the scenery that passed by. She let herself drift on her thoughts and didn't realize they had pulled up to the cemetery some twenty minutes later.
"Do you wish for me to wait for you to return mam'selle?" the man asked her as Ana got out of the carriage.
"Yes please." she drifted towards the gates and opened them slightly. Slipping inside, she caught a glimpse of the carriage moving off the road. She sighed and began to walk, the rose still in her hand.
The graveyard held a quiet somber mood, one that matched what Ana was feeling. There was no sun out today, just a gray and overcast sky. Ana merely walked around, taking time to look at the gravestones and just letting herself think. She stopped and paused at one particular monument. It was a beautiful monument, one that seemed to belong more in a garden than in a graveyard.
It was an angel that had somewhat outstretched wings. They were open partly as if at any moment, she would take flight if her Maker so deemed it. Her face had a serene beauty to it, her features were impeccably well detailed. Whoever the sculptor was, they must have used a real person to make this monument. Her eyes held just the slightest tinge of sadness but happiness as well, her nose was utterly perfect, her cheekbones were high and her lips were curved in a peaceful yet happy smile. Not a wide smile, but a smile one might give to a little infant babe that lay asleep in it's crib. The angels robes were long, the sleeves touched her wrists while the hem of her robes covered her toes. Her hair was long, flowing down to her breasts and was tucked behind her ears. But the thing that caught Ana's attention the most was the fact that her hands were tucked inside of each other, a hole formed to accommodate most likely a bushel of flowers. Her head was tilted downwards to look at what she might be holding. Yet it was not over any grave, not dedicated to anyone, it just merely sat there looking beautiful and missing something.
Ana walked up to the angel and touched her stone hands. She looked from her own hands to the angel's hands. Then taking the rose that she still had with her, she slipped the rose into the angel's hands, rearranging the black ribbon so it spilled over her hands. She took a couple of steps back and looked at it. The rose and black ribbon seemed to complete the statue. "Oh Erik, if you knew how much I hurt inside. Yet when I look at this angel standing before me, I think of you. You are my own angel Erik, you were meant to save me from Alex. But instead you hurt me. I gave you all that I had, loved you with all of my soul, and you repay me by kissing another woman. I'm sad to say Erik, but I guess this is my goodbye. Take flight my angel, take flight and be free." A single tear made it's wet track down her cheek and she walked away, not bothering to wipe it away. When she had left, another person came out from one of the adjacent crypts where they had been hiding. Erik took one look at the beautiful angel that held his rose and then wept.
Okay guys, time to review! Please please please, don't criticize me on Ana being kinda like a Mary sue and giving up on Erik. The only reason she did was to show Erik that he would be missing something and she knew that Erik loved her, but it's taking him a while to realize it. They will get back together, but not right away. Alex still has a few tricks up his sleeve. He still has one spy left to get Ana, and for those of you who know...don't spoil it for the rest of them! And if you think you know, you are free to let me know! Second, I thought it was high time to kill off Jammes and with Alex's nature it seemed like something he would do. The angel that I described, I really did see in a garden while looking in the historical section of Charleston, SC. It was in front of this really old house and it looked like something that could belong in a garden and in a cemetery all at the same time. It was so beautiful that when I saw it, I knew that it should go into my story. That is why I had Ana go to the cemetery, that and the things that always changed Erik's life happened in the cemetery, Raoul defending Christine's honor then Raoul sparing Erik's life. Yeah...so that's just basically my points. Now please...review review review! Ciao!
