Chapter 13 Will and Won't

The next few weeks consisted of April going out and shopping with Meg. Then some evenings, she would go down to see Erik and share a wine with him. But this particular evening was a bit different.

"Erik, please?"

"I don't want to," he said firmly.

"Please?" April took his arm and begged with her eyes. He looked down into them and immediately regretted doing so. He sighed. "Alright."

April smiled brightly. "Excellent! Now, go and change into something suitable for the public," she said eyeing his shirtless chest. He smirked at her, and then left through her mirror.

Whilst shopping, April had managed to find a beautiful green dress. She put on a cream colored corset and a thin slip, and put the dress over top. Eyeing herself in the full length mirror, she smiled. The dress fit her curves, and matched her eyes perfectly. She ran a brush through her curls and walked out her bedroom door.

Erik looked around his lair feverishly for something nice. Well, all he owned was black. Sighing, he chose black pants, along with a nice looking vest, black coat, and his cloak. It was, after all, the beginning of December.

April slowly walked through the winding hallways. She knew that it would take Erik some time before he was ready. Her hands were clasped together in front of her. Leisurely, she lifted up her left hand to examine the beautiful ring on her finger. She sighed happily.

She decided to walk around the Opera House a little; she never realized how big it was. There was just a dim light in the hallways, as it was evening. April went to the dancer's dormitories to see Meg. Lightly, she rapped on the door. Meg opened it.

"Hi Meg," she whispered, smiling.

"Hi April," her friend whispered back. "My, don't you look dressed up. Going somewhere?" A light blush appeared on April's cheeks. "It doesn't have to do with… your fiancé, does it?" she asked mischievously.

"As a matter of fact, it does," April told her. "We're going out to dinner." Meg looked rather surprised. "You got him to go out?" She nodded. "Wow," was all that came from her lips. "I'd better go to the foyer now, he'll be waiting," she said. Meg watched her friend leave.

April walked down the main staircase to the foyer. And, sure enough, there Erik was, waiting for her patiently. She smiled at him. He looked up at her, and smiled back. My God, she's beautiful… he thought to himself.

He held out his hand as she walked off the last step. She took it and said, "You look very handsome." He kissed her hand and said, "And you, my darling, are as beautiful as ever." Then he looked at what she was wearing. "April, don't you know that it's December? You'll fall ill if you don't wear a cloak!" he said. She sighed. "I know it's just that I only have one cloak, and it is way too small."

Erik pulled his own cloak off his shoulders and placed it around hers. "I won't have you getting sick," he said in a fatherly way. She looked up and smirked at him. "Thank you Erik." Then she tilted her head upwards and gave him a soft kiss.

Then the couple went out the front doors. The chilly air caused April to pull Erik's cloak closer to her body. They walked down a cobble stone road, and then got in a carriage. Erik took April's hand and she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"I reserved us a table," she told him.

"You did?"

"Yes, I figured I might as well reserve a table, and if you didn't want to go, I'd cancel it." She smiled. "And it's under the name of Destler." Erik smiled too.

The carriage came to a halt, and April and Erik stepped out of it. Erik tipped the man, and then held the door open for his fiancé. Once they walked up to the waiter, he said in a droning voice, "May I help you, Monsieur?" He looked incredibly bored; too bored, in fact, to even notice Erik's mask.

"Table for two, reserved under the name Destler," he said. April gently squeezed his hand. "Follow me, then, Monsieur, Madame," the waiter said, walking towards a table.

Once they were seated, the two looked at the menus. Erik glanced over the top of his to see April with a concentrating look on her face. He smirked, and then went back to reading over the meals.

They ordered drinks first. Erik, of course, had a wine. And April decided to have the same as him. Whilst waiting for their meals to arrive, the couple talked about the wedding.

"When do you want to have it?" he asked.

April thought for a moment. "I've always wanted a spring wedding. So, maybe in April?" she said, then immediately blushed. At first, she didn't realize that the month she wanted to have her wedding was her name.

Erik smirked at her, and then said, "April it is." She smiled, and then their food arrived.

An hour or so later, Erik and April were cuddled up on the couch in her room. A small fire was crackling and the orange light danced along Erik's mask. April looked up at him, then placed her hand on his cheek and slowly slipped the mask off. She felt him tense up for a moment, but then relax. Her fingers ran across his deformed cheek, and then she gently kissed it. Erik looked down at her. He put his hand on her cheek, then ran his fingers through her hair.

"I love you," he whispered before kissing her.

The clock chimed 11, and April yawned.

"You should go to sleep," Erik said, making to get up.

She took his arm and said, "Stay."

Erik's hands slid down her back. She closed her eyes as he began to unfasten the buttons of her dress. Once the dress was removed, he began unlacing the cream colored corset she was wearing. He kissed her bare shoulder, then looked up at their reflection.

He couldn't help thinking that the scene looked completely incorrect. A beautiful angel stood in front of him, with her green eyes glowing. She was in nothing but a slip. The angelic look of the reflection was then shattered because of his face. He stared at himself with hate. He looked like a monster; with his hands wrapped around her waist.

April saw the hatred in his eyes, and turned around. She touched his cheek and whispered, "There is nothing wrong with this. Nothing." He sighed. "Why can't you understand, Erik?" her voice sounded desperate.

He stared into her eyes. Nothing could change her mind, but, just maybe, she could change his. A small smile appeared on his lips and he put his arms around her. "Thank you," he whispered into her curls.

She let out a relieved sigh and smiled to herself. Once they let go, Erik looked back into the mirror and April turned around to face it. They looked at each other through their reflection.

April changed into her nightgown and lied in her bed next to Erik. He was staring at the ceiling, with his mask still off. She slipped her hand into his. When she did, Erik turned his head to look at her. She leaned forward and kissed him. He put his arms around her and held her. They just stared at each other.

"You know," April whispered after a while, "I have been to the Opera House before this." Erik looked at her. "Really? When?"

"I came eleven years ago, when I was ten. It was for school. It was a field trip. A very expensive field trip. Not very many students went."

"Well, what did you do?"

"The most I can remember was we had to write things down in a little note pad and draw pictures of things." April smiled. "I just happened to leave my note pad in a different room…"

"Madame, I - I left my note pad in the last room. May I get it?"

"Only if you hurry, Miss De'Ray."

April walked quickly to the previous room that they had examined. Her curly hair bounced along as she walked. The room was rather eerie without other people in it. She went straight to the chair she swore she left it on. It wasn't there. "Oh no, Madame Webber will be angry when she finds out I lost it." she said aloud.

She turned around swiftly, after hearing a rustling of fabric. "Wh - who's there?" she asked in a small voice. April slowly walked towards a very dark shadowed corner of the room. Her heart was pounding.

Then, she heard a small thud of something hitting the ground behind her. April turned back around to find her note pad on the ground. "How did this get here?" she asked in a dumb ten-year-old voice.

"I never did find out where it had gone, or where it had come from," April finished. She looked up at Erik to see a look on his face that she never saw before. "What is it?" she asked.

"I – I was… that was you?" he asked in a befuddled voice.

"Erik, what are you talking about?" April asked in the same tone.

"I took your note pad… and I was going to scare you… but you looked so young and innocent, I almost… couldn't. So, I gave your note pad back…"

April stared at him. "That was you?" she asked incredulously.

"Yes, I guess it was. Wow, I remember just how you looked. You had a cute round face and freckles. And your eyes…" Erik looked at her. "Your eyes… oh, how they entranced me. Your hair was just as curly as it is now." One of his long fingers fiddled with a curl. "But I felt foolish for thinking that a ten-year-old looked pretty, let alone beautiful."

"You – You thought I was beautiful?"

"You still are," he whispered, then kissed her deeply.

wow. It's been, like... three months since I last updated. Sorry guys! I've been so busy since school started! well, please leave reviews! you know I love them!

;-)