Erik: Hehe… The authoress is away at her retreat… Which means I, Erik, the Phantom of the Opera, get to do her updates! Actually, she doesn't know I'm doing this… As a matter of fact, she left a vaguely threatening note saying that I better not touch her PC while she was gone, or I'd live to regret it… Well, perhaps I will eventually regret it, but seeing the look on her face when she comes home will be well worth it! Oh, we're going to have so much fun! First of all, I'm going to show Angel just how A/N's should be written! For instance, she always forgets the disclaimer! So shall we do that first, then? Alright, I don't own me or any characters associated with me… Now, onto answering the reviews…
MJ-Skywalker: Now, when you say "the madness that shall not be named" I'm assuming you mean the authoress… In that case, you are absolutely right. And yes, chocolate chip cookies would definitely help. No, I am not one to accept hugs, but a pat on the back followed by a brief massage would be welcomed. That, my dear, would make you a friend.
MasqueradingThroughLife: Yes, I like you… And the authoress will be happy to hear that you liked the last chapter… She's been suffering from a low sense of self-worth for years now… And she will probably try to assault me for telling you that…
darklady5289: You'll make me walk around barefoot and pregnant? I'm not quite sure how you'll accomplish that, but it sounds like it could be painful… Alright, I'll keep my sexist comments at a minimum, then. Yes, I understand what you mean about the short chapters. The authoress has been slacking there. But I have reviewed this next chapter and, though it may suck, it is quite a bit longer. I guess we just have more to suffer through now.
VagrantCandy: I agree with you wholeheartedly… Chick flicks are so unrealistic… No one is like that in real life… But I do not have a sensitive side! And if I do, I am so good at hiding it that it might as well not exist at all.
Lady Golodwen: I appreciate the candy… Really? The site's doing that? The authoress is going to be upset… Really, really upset! And Christine did not break my heart! I broke up with her! Check it out! She kissed me and I told her to get lost! Let it be known, it was me! I did it! Muhahahaha!
Emma and Hollom: Ah, you two again… You want me to let you in on a secret, Hollom? Chicks dig the tortured-soul kind of character… I swear, I can make a dozen phan-girls swoon simply by saying this… "Christine, I love you…" I don't know why… I guess when girls see how emotionally shattered a guy is, they just want to make him feel all better! So goes life!
Jedi Knight Padme: Well dear, while you have me locked in this closet with you for "Seven minutes in Heaven," I shall reply to your review… In real life, I have no interest in the character of Fantine and I hope to God that the authoress does not make me marry her! Canadian Phan-Girls, is it? Ah yes, loved by young women in every nation! You know, why don't we skip all of Titanic right to the end to watch Jack-Fop's chilly demise? It's the only part I ever liked anyway. Split-personalities? Don't worry, it's nothing I'm not used to… The authoress changes personalities every three minutes!
Tadriendra of Mirkwood: Firstly, you're welcome for the birthday massage… Secondly, I do not need a baby-sitter… Thirdly, I am not in love! This is some story out of Angel's screwy imagination! And no one ever held my hand! And… Huh? You're keeping Legolas under your bed? What is it with girls these days? If they don't have fictional men in their rooms, they have them in their reviews! Every single one of you are insane!
Mominator124: Alrighty! A question! And one that I can answer. If you go back and read chapter two, you'll see that Fantine wears a dress. That's right… a dress! A rather nice black one, as I recall. The thing is, nobody ever really saw the new O.G. Oh, they got her notes and received her threats and saw the little disasters she brought about, but not her. So everyone assumed that it was the original Phantom, rather me. Clear as mud?
Carkeys: Update? Alright, you're easy to please.
the Unrequited Lover: Ah, good, you liked it. The authoress will be glad to hear that. She was getting concerned. You'll notice above what mentioned about her low self-esteem. Oh, she is so going to slap me for telling you guys that! And of course I'm better than Robert! It doesn't take someone with my intellectual capabilities to see that.
cylobaby: Hershey kisses? Now that's a kiss I'll accept! Oh, you're going to give the authoress a bloated head telling her you think this story is the most… all that stuff you said… in the phan-world… So that'll remain our little secret, OK?
Haley Macrae: Oh, the authoress is going to be so upset that she missed this, you're all being so complimentary today! S'More poptarts? Never had them. But as an artistic genius, I am always willing to try something new.
Starrylibra: Hello, love… Reowrrr… What a minute! Mini-Phantoms? Hey, let's not put the cart before the horse, here!
Araiona Dubois: Yes, I imagine the authoress is having the time of her life at that retreat… It's a rehearsal retreat actually… She is going to be made to sing for endless hours all weekend. Ha! Even I wouldn't be able to make that voice sound good! And I do agree with you… The last chapter was sweet… Precisely why I thought it sucked… But thank you, it was good to hear from you again.
LadyArika: Ill-thought-out attempts? Hey, they were very carefully planned and executed! I just didn't count on there being a heroic little fop to mess it all up! And as long as the authoress is gone, there will be no more Erik-Torture with cheesy romance movies! As a matter of fact, we're watching The Leprechaun tonight! Ha, so there!
Well, now that that's all out of the way, onto the chapter!
XxXxX
Erik rolled over in his bed, pulling the blankets over his face. He had slept heavily the night before, and yet he was still tired. How long had it been since he had last been tired? Not long enough…
Erik recalled that night two weeks earlier when he had kissed Fantine. Oh, it had not been much of a kiss. A mere brush of the lips really. But he had liked it. And he wanted to kiss her again. But fear of rejection held him back.
The last two weeks had been pleasant. Erik and Fantine spent everyday together, sometimes wandering the opera house or lounging about lazily in the lair. Once, a group of teenage boys broke into the theatre, no doubt looking to steal or vandalize. Oh, what fun that had been! The boys were greeted by two imposing, shadowy figures at the top of the grand staircase. Erik had to commend Fantine on her maniacal laughter, which he was certain caused at least one boy to soil himself. The boys had run from the theatre shrieking like women. Erik had not laughed so hard in his entire life.
All the time and energy he spent with Fantine left him feeling exhausted. He needed to sleep more often… Needed to eat more often…
She made him feel almost human…
Erik was thinking about getting a few more minutes' sleep when he felt a weight on his chest. He opened his eyes to see Fantine's masked face smiling down at him.
"Wake up!" she demanded, shaking him. "Do you know what today is?"
"Torture-Erik Day?" he groaned, pulling the blankets over his head again.
"No," she laughed, rolling off of him and lying on her side next to him, propping her head up on her elbow. "That was last week when I beat you at fencing, again, and you got mad and I pushed you and you tripped and fell into the lake… Remember?"
"Trying to forget…" Erik mumbled into his pillow.
She looked at him critically. "You honestly don't know what today is?"
"Days mean nothing to me, Fantine… It's another day, just like yesterday, and the day before that… What could possibly be so special about this day?" He met her gaze and was startled by the odd look she was currently giving him.
"Dear Lord," he prayed silently. "Please tell me it isn't her birthday!" Even Erik, who had had almost no experience with females, knew that forgetting a woman's birthday was quite possibly an unforgivable sin!
"Erik? It's Christmas Day!"
He stared at her stupidly.
"Don't tell me you forgot! How could you forget? It's probably the most celebrated holiday of the year!"
Erik sighed. "Forgive me, Fantine… I've never been a very Christmassy peace-on-earth goodwill-to-men sort of person…"
Fantine furrowed her brow. "But surely you and your family celebrated Christmas just like any other–"
"Please!" Erik interrupted, his voice harsh. "Do not speak about my family… Do not ask about them either… They are dead as far as I'm concerned, just as I always was to them! We didn't decorate our house with lights and candles, we didn't eat cookies or sweets, we didn't tell stories or sit up by the fire, and we certainly didn't say that we loved each other! So you'll pardon me if I don't go to the trouble of remembering what day Christmas is!"
Fantine averted her gaze from his angry, hurt eyes. "I… I'm sorry, Erik… I had no idea…" She knew that he had most definitely been shunned by society… But to be shunned by his own family? This poor man had known nothing of human companionship!
And yet, he was a most wonderful companion to her…
Erik glanced over at her again. Her eyes appeared so sad. He cursed himself for speaking angrily with her.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"No, don't be," she offered a small smile. "I just… I wish that life hadn't been so cruel to you."
Erik felt his heart jump at her words. Here she was, in the same terrible predicament that he was in, and all she wished was that his life had been better?
What she lacked physical beauty, she certainly made up for inner beauty!
Fantine was silent a moment longer, then she gazed at him again, the spark of excitement returning to her eyes. "Come on, get up now!" she prodded. "I have a Christmas present for you!"
Erik buried his head in the pillows. "No…" was his mumbled reply. He was too tired to think of anything but sleep.
Fantine pushed herself up onto her knees and looked at the man sprawled out on the mattress beside her. "Monsieur Erik," she said sternly, "are you going to make me drag you out of bed?"
"As if you would…" he ended his sentence with a sleepy yawn.
"Oh, wouldn't I?" she grinned mischievously as she moved over to the foot of his bed. In one quick motion, she threw off the bed covers and grabbed him by the ankles, dragging him off the bed protesting loudly.
"Fantine!" he whined. "I'm tired! Will you not let me sleep a while longer?"
"You're forgetting rule number four," Fantine reminded him. "Phantoms don't whine!" She pulled him to his feet. "Come, now! Get dressed!"
Erik grumbled as he did so and met her in the sitting room, where she stood holding a wooden box. She sat beside him on the couch and put the box in his hands.
"Open it! Open it!" she cried excitedly.
Erik lifted the lid from the box and found a neatly folded piece of white cloth inside. Unfolding it carefully, he found a beautiful embroidery of a red rose laying delicately upon an organ's keyboard. There was such detail… the rose looked so real. No doubt this work took a great deal of time and care.
"Do you like it?" Fantine asked hopefully. "I made it myself."
"It's beautiful…" Erik breathed. He ran his fingers over the intricate work.
No one had ever given him a gift before…
It finally occurred to him that he didn't have a gift for her.
Unless…
"Wait here," he said, slipping off to his room. When he returned, he had a small gold box in his hand.
"This is for you," he said, handing it to her. She lifted the lid of the little box to reveal a gold ring inside. Not just any ring. Christine's ring.
"Oh, my…" she glanced from Erik, to the ring, back to Erik again. "I… I can't accept this…"
"Why not? It's a gift."
"But… but Erik… I… I don't deserve this…"
"Yes, you do," Erik said, taking her hand and slipping the ring onto her finger. "It's yours…" She examined it, watching how the light played off of its gold surface.
"It's lovely, Erik. Thank you."
Erik still held her hand. She met his eyes, and then looked away shyly.
Yes… She was so very grateful that her mask hid her blush…
"Well…" Erik said, standing up. "I have things to attend to."
He headed for the door. He stopped dead in his tracks when he felt her hand grip his shoulder. He turned to face her. "Yes?"
There was a strange look in her eyes. He furrowed his brow. She stood up on tiptoe and her lips brushed his unmasked cheek. They trailed along his jaw, until they finally reached his mouth.
Erik's hand moved to her waist, pulling her up against himself. Fantine opened her mouth and let him inside. He eagerly pressed her up against the cold wall, lifting her until he supported her whole weight. Her arms entwined around his neck as she pulled herself closer to his lips. One hand strayed to his mask and ripped it off, her fingers stroking his twisted flesh.
Erik breathed heavily. No one had touched that side of his face before. She caressed it as though it were nothing! He suddenly found himself wanting to see her too. He allowed one hand to slide from her waist to her back, up her spine, over her collarbone until his fingers finally touched the edge of her mask. He lifted the cool porcelain from her face and set it down on the desk beside him. Then he lifted his hand to cup her scarred cheek as he pressed his mouth firmly against hers, kissing her hard and long.
He lifted his mouth from hers at last. She was gasping for breath. Erik noticed that she looked rather dizzy. Sweeping her off her feet, he carried her over to the couch and laid her down. He sat by her side until her head stopped spinning. When her head had cleared, Erik leaned down and let his lips brush her scarred cheek. "Merry Christmas, Fantine," he whispered. He got to his feet and headed for the door.
"Erik… Don't leave me, now…" she begged from where she still lay on the couch.
He turned, the shadow of a smile on his lips. "I will never leave you, Fantine…"
With a slight bow, he turned again and exited the room.
XxXxX
Erik: How very sweet... Excuse me while I hurl... I have no idea when the authoress is going to update again, so I hope you all liked that... It'll probably have to last you the weekend... Well, ladies, this has been an interesting experience... See you soon. Oh, the authoress is going to be so mad at me, muhahahaha!