It's time to review, Erik!
Erik: Alas, I am called to duty once again…
Araiona Dubois: Yes, it seems Fantine has taken a baby step over the line of sanity…
Erik: I feel another song coming on… You make me wanna la-la!
Haley Macrae: Aw, really, you should stop stealing from fictional characters… Well, I guess Gerry Butler isn't so fictional, thank heavens :) Hey! Erik! Where's my swishy cape?
Erik: I hid it! Muhahaha!
VagrantCandy: Oh, dear, I've been caught on a technicality once again… You are obviously a die-hard phan and I'm impressed that you know all of these things… Fortunately, the average phan does not possess all the knowledge that you have, so until now I have been able to get away with such things… Can I claim artist licence, perhaps?
Erik: You suck, you suck, you suck!
Pertie: Indeed, Fantine is very whacked.
Erik: You drive me crazy!
GerrysISUChick04: Yes! Hear that Erik? I'm kick ass!
Erik: Oh, you're going to get a bloated ego…
Elphaba: Now I feel a song coming on… It's not easy being green…
Erik: Oh, you are embarrassing! So, it's Elphie, then? Angel once tried to call me Rick, but I thought it made me sound like some trailer park kid with a bad case of acne working at a convenience store… My apologies to any readers out there with friends or family members named Rick.
VictorianDream: Yes, I know it was out of character… But that's OK cuz it's my fic and I'll make Erik do the Macarena if I want to! Muhahahaha!
Erik: That's not a good idea… Have you seen me dance? It's not a pretty sight.
Tadriendra and Achilles: Oh, but Tad, if I make them profess their love, it'll all be over too fast and then I won't get to update anymore… Oh, that's just too sad! Sniff.
Erik: A Greek mercenary? Hmmm… Achilles, I think I could grow to like you…
darklady5289: Wow, you just want me to get down to business, don't you? Hey Erik? How would you feel about me making you get jiggy with Fantine?
Erik: How would you feel about me pulling your eyes out of their sockets and force-feeding them to you?
The Dancing Egg: Aww, you're such a sweet egg…
Erik: Do eggs dance? I've never seen an egg dance before. I think it would be interesting. We could even make an opera about but instead of ballerinas we'd have dancing eggs! We could call it Egg Muto!
RowenaIsolde: Ah! The handyman's secret weapon! Duct tape! Sorry, that's Red Green… He's Canadian, too! However, not such a good specimen of a Canadian… He's a few furters short of a barbeque, if you get my drift. Oh, I see you're reading my other fics. Child of the Wilderness was alright but I personally liked Angel in Disguise better… Maybe because I had more fun writing it and seemed kind of original to the phan-world.
Erik: Hey! She's the one who wrote the torture-fic about me! She gave me twelve kids and one of them asked me where babies come from!
Mrs. Gerard Butler: Erik, you should not have threatened Fantine.
Erik: What would you do if some psycho female had a blade pointed at you?
Call the police?
Silent Phantasy: Oh, the humanity of it all!
Erik: These peeps sound like my kind of candy… Why didn't I think of inventing something like that?
Robika: A theme… Hmm… Theme, theme, theme… I ought to ask the Unrequited Lover about this, she could probably give me a whole list! Well, I guess some underlying themes would be lies and trust, though I probably wouldn't consider those major themes. Oh, I've got a new accent! G'day mate!
Erik: Popcorn! My dear, that's all you have to say!
Broadwaylove4ever: Aww, thank you! Hey, Erik! She says hi!
Erik: Well, I suppose I might as well be civil… Hi!
dulciluisa: Well, the good thing about Erik is since he's fictional his enchanting physique never changes…
Erik: Angel, never say anything about my physique ever again! (Shudders) You're giving me the creeps!
DarkSilverMaiden: Hehe… Furry woodland creatures! That's cute. I've never really understood soccer, either. All I know is putting the ball through the two posts is a good thing!
Erik: Hey, crepes! Wait… I'm not going to care for Fantine! You can all just forget about that!
Oh, Erik… Where's your sense of adventure? Well, I hope you all enjoy this chapter. Cheers!
XxXxX
Opening night for Don Juan Triumphant had crept up on Erik. A month had passed since the day he had found Fantine on the roof with Meg and Robert. Since that day, an even greater distance had grown between the two phantoms. Erik was suffering terribly, longing to return to the days when he and Fantine had interacted easily, when there was no tension or resentment…
"Back when she didn't know the truth of what I had done…" Erik thought.
The night Erik had caught Fantine on the roof, he received a visit from a rather irritated Madame Giry.
"Care to tell my why my daughter came bursting into my room today, crying out about the Opera Ghost, Lady Phantom, and her best friend, Fanny?" Madame Giry asked as she stepped into the Phantom lair.
Erik cast a glance at Fantine's door. She had gone to her room not long after he had brought her back, and she hadn't come out since.
"It's my fault, Madame," Erik said quietly. "I should have known that Fantine would go after Robert…"
"My future son-in-law? How does he have anything to do with this?"
Erik sighed. "Fantine seems to have developed a certain interest in Monsieur Romard. She was rather jealous of Meg. I found the three of them on the roof today, and it appeared that Fantine was going to harm your daughter. I prevented it, but Fantine revealed her identity to Meg. And I'm afraid she said some rather cruel things as well… I'm sorry… This should not have happened…"
Madame Giry sighed. "Had I only known that Fantine had such interests in Robert. I guess the possibility just never occurred to me. I thought she loved…" Madame Giry stopped.
"What?"
"Nothing… I shouldn't say anything…"
Erik sighed. Surely Madame Giry had meant to say that she thought Fantine was still in love with Albert, her former fiancé. After all, Fantine had given up a life in the world above for the darkness of the Phantom lair, simply out of love for the pitiful man… Simply because she thought he would be happier…
A month passed, with Erik feeling lonelier each and every day. Finally, one morning, he woke up and realized that that night was the opening night for Don Juan Triumphant. It was a night that he had been anticipating and dreading for weeks now.
Erik had not been able to find Fantine that day. She was not in her bed when he awoke, nor could he find her anywhere else in the lair.
Erik made his way to the surface and found Madame Giry. Madame had not seen her either. Erik checked the areas where she normally lurked – the catwalks, the Heavens, the roof, even in the rafters over Robert Romard's dressing room – but she was nowhere to be found.
The day wore on. Afternoon gave way to evening, and Erik soon found that patrons were beginning to arrive for the performance. Minutes after the doors had opened, the auditorium was packed. No doubt they all hoped to witness some scandal or horrific event, like the one that went down five years ago. Erik never ceased to be amazed by the collective morbidity of opera-goers.
It was twenty minutes before the opera was to start. Fantine was nowhere to be found. With a sad sigh, he retired to Box Five to watch the performance.
Fantine had left him. Again. Probably for good, this time. Maybe she had decided to return to Albert. If that was the case, Erik felt obliged to feel happy for them. Albert would have the woman of his dreams back, and Fantine could live the happy life that she deserved. Perhaps if Erik knew that she was content and at ease with her new life, the pain of not having her for himself would not be so intense.
At least she would be happy…
With tears blurring Erik's vision, he almost didn't notice the envelope lying on the seat beside him – the place where Fantine normally sat. He gazed at it for a moment, as though it were not really real, but just an illusion. In red ink, the name Erik was written on the envelope in flowing script.
Fantine's handwriting!
In a flash, Erik snatched up the envelope and tore it open. He pulled a letter out and unfolded it, reading the words:
Dearest Erik,
I do not even know how I should begin this letter. I suppose I am sending you this because you have the right to know that I am about to do something that goes against your wishes and disobeys your rules. You will probably hate me after tonight, for which I will not fault you. I am sorry for the lies that I have told, for the hurtful things that I have said and done, and for the grief that I have caused you. I intend to leave the lair after tonight, and spare you from being hurt by my actions ever again.
I just want you to know, I do not blame you for the events that took place five years ago. I forgive you, and my heart would be glad if you forgave yourself. You were right – I was weak for leaving Albert. But I do not regret that I am not his wife today. I realize now that I did not love him… Not in the manner that a wife should love a husband, anyway. And besides, sometimes I think that if you had not dropped that chandelier, I never would have met you… and I think that that would have been far worse than being a victim in the terrible accident.
I do not regret the time I spent with you, or the moments we shared with each other. I only regret betraying your trust and doing foolish things that angered you. I will think of you often, wherever I end up after tonight. And I just want you to know, I never truly loved Robert either. I pursued him only because I desired a man's companionship, and I knew that you could never want a monster's affections… You called yourself a monster, Erik, but in truth, the real monster was me.
Please do not forget me, Erik… And try to remember only the happy times we shared, and think little of what I am about to do tonight…
Leaving you with kind feelings,
FantineP.S. I have left one more gift for you in this letter. A kiss good-bye. It is yours. May you never again feel pain on my account.
Erik did not know whether to be happy that Fantine had forgiven him for what he had done to her, or sad that she was going to leave him. She didn't hate him! She even had… affections!
"I am about to do something that goes against your wishes and disobeys your rules…" The warning concerned Erik. What was she going to do?
Erik suddenly felt his blood run cold.
The opera was about to begin! He had to get backstage!
XxXxX
Fantine stood backstage, keeping to the shadows. She felt a warmth trickle down her cheek. Reaching up, she touched it…
It was a tear…
"Erik will hate me after tonight," she thought. "Though I doubt he could really hate me much more than he already does. Or as much as I hate myself…"
Fantine watched as the curtains parted and the opera began. Erik would be watching from Box Five. He would see what she was about to do. And he would hate her for every minute of it…
"This is the point of no return," she told herself. "It's too late for turning back…"
She closed her eyes and tried to force back the lump in her throat. "Erik," she whispered. "I am so sorry…"
XxXxX
Erik appeared backstage just as Robert as Don Juan began his conversation with Passarino. The backstage area was completely deserted. Erik looked around. A muffled whimper in the corner caught his attention, and he turned to see a dark form curled up alone.
Erik approached the form cautiously, and gasped when he came upon Meg Giry – bound, gagged, and stowed away where no one would find her.
Erik knelt quickly and removed the gag from Meg's mouth. The girl took in a gasping breath… and then the sobs came…
"Shhh…" Erik whispered. "Try not to make a sound…"
"M-Monsieur Opera Ghost," Meg whimpered. "L-L-Lady Ph-Phantom… sh-she did this! She's… she's going to hurt Robert, I know it!"
"I know, child," Erik said gently. "Please, I need you to wait here and don't make a sound. I'm going to stop Lady Phantom."
Meg grasped his arm as he went to stand up. "P-please, Monsieur le Fantôme," she begged. "Don't hurt her! Fanny may be different, but she is still my friend!"
"I'm not going to hurt her," Erik whispered. "No… For once, I'm going to tell her how I feel!"
Erik was gone as quickly as he came, like a shadow in the night.
XxXxX
Robert headed off into the wings after he finished his bit with Passarino. The next song was one he eagerly anticipated – his duet with Meg!
Robert was donning his cape when a dark voice from behind him made him freeze.
"I apologize Monsieur Romard, but you're fired…"
"What?" Robert turned just as the Phantom of the Opera whacked him over the head with a heavy prop piece. Robert fell to the floor. Hastily, Erik shrugged out of his coat and removed Robert's Don Juan jacket, secretly thankful that he and the boy were roughly the same height and build. He put on the jacket and removed Robert's black mask, replacing his white one with it. He was just putting on the cape when he heard singing from the stage.
"No thoughts within her head, but thoughts of joy! No dreams within her heart but dreams of love!"
Erik peaked through the curtain to see a woman with raven hair step out onto the stage. She was wearing a black mask on her face, similar to the one he wore now.
Definitely not Meg Giry…
"As talented as Fantine was as a dancer," Erik thought, "she should have considered a career as a singer. Her voice is beautiful!"
Erik was so busy listening to Fantine sing that he almost forgot his cue! Fortunately, he remembered himself and quickly entered the stage.
"Master?" Passarino addressed him with a bow.
Erik swallowed nervously. He really wasn't prepared for this. "Passarino, go away for the trap is set and waits for its prey…" Erik glanced at Aminta, or rather Fantine, who sat alone with her back to him. "You have come here in pursuit of your deepest urge. In pursuit of that wish, which till now has been silent… silent…"
Fantine froze. That was not Robert's voice she was hearing. This voice was so much… stronger… more passionate… And she was sure that she had heard it somewhere before…
"I have brought you, that our passions may fuse and merge. In your mind you've already succumbed to me, dropped all defences, completely succumbed to me. Now you are here with me. No second thoughts. You've decided… decided…"
Fantine looked at his face. He looked familiar. But where did she know him from? She recalled the night she had run from Erik after he had revealed to her that he was the one responsible for her accident. Her memory of that night was sketchy, as though it had only been a dream. She remembered going up to the roof, begging for Death to come…
He came… And He held her while He sang… This man before her now, whoever he was, sounded just like Him!
"Past the point of no return. No backward glances. Our games of make-believe are at an end. Past all thought of 'if' or 'when'. No use resisting. Abandon thought, and let the dream descend."
Fantine almost gasped as Don Juan moved behind her. He grabbed her, almost fiercely, and pulled her firmly up against himself. Fantine could feel her heart pounding as she felt the warmth of his body.
"What raging fire shall flood the soul? What rich desire unlocks its door? What sweet seduction lies before us?"
Don Juan let his hands slip away from her body. He gazed at her, those familiar eyes looking through her. Fantine's breath was coming out quickly. Those eyes beckoned to her, made her whole body ache…
"Past the point of no return. The final threshold. What warm, unspoken secrets will we learn? Beyond the point of no return…"
Fantine took a shaky breath. Did Don Juan realize how both his voice and his eyes affected her?
"You have brought me to that moment where words run dry. To that moment when speech disappears into silence… silence…"
Erik's heart soared at hearing her sing. She was gazing at him, almost confused. He realized that she didn't know who he was! No… She had to know him! She had to recognize him, or…
"I have come here, hardly knowing the reason why. In my mind, I've already imagined our bodies entwining defenceless and silent. Now I am here with you. No second thoughts. I've decided… decided…"
Were it not for all the people watching, Erik might have just grabbed her and had her right there.
"Past the point of no return. No going back now. Our passion play has now, at last, begun."
Fantine gazed at Don Juan. He stared at her… He seemed to be hanging on to her every word. Fantine had to push back a wave of sadness, for she knew that if this man could see beyond her mask, he would not be gazing at her with such desire burning in his eyes.
Fantine and Don Juan began ascending the bridge. She continued to sing to him… For him…
"Past all thought of right or wrong. One final question: how long should we two wait, before we're one? When will the blood begin to race, the sleeping bud burst into bloom? When will the flames, at last, consume us?"
Don Juan cast his cape aside as he slowly advanced upon her, his voice joining hers now.
"Past the point of no return. The final threshold. The bridge is crossed, so stand and watch it burn… We've passed the point of no return…"
Fantine sank into Don Juan's arms… She felt so safe… So secure…
So loved…
"I only wish it were Erik's arms around me right now," she thought sadly.
Fantine's eyes flew wide.
Erik?
She suddenly recognized his eyes! And his voice… It was not Death who had sung to her that cold, lonely night… It was Erik!
"Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime," Erik pleaded softly. "Lead me, save me from my solitude. Say you want me with you, here beside you…"
Fantine turned to face him. Erik gazed at her longingly.
"Anywhere you go, let me go too! Fantine, that's all I ask of–"
A heavy object hit Erik over the top of the head. Erik fell to the floor at Fantine's feet. Fantine found herself looking into the frightened eyes of Robert Romard. He held in his hand a wooden pistol… a prop from an opera performed years ago… He had hit Erik with it.
"It's… It's the Opera Ghosts!" Robert cried out in a shaky voice. He pointed at Erik's crumpled form. "H-he hit me over the head and… and took my place!" He turned his gaze up at Fantine. "Sh-she's stalking me! She's been trying to hurt my fiancée!"
Shocked whispers resounded throughout the auditorium. Fantine gazed at Robert, then turned her eyes down to Erik's unconscious form.
"He doesn't hate me," she realized. "He cares about me… Oh God, he really cares about me!" Fantine closed her eyes, shame filling her. "All these months… I have hurt him so badly. He deserves better than what I have to offer…" She took in a shuddering breath. "It hurts… But I won't be the cause of his pain anymore. He's better off without me. He's better off if I just stay away…"
Fantine met Robert's gaze, her eyes growing cold. "Robert… you're coming with me!"
She grabbed Robert around the waist and pulled him close. Hitting a lever with her foot, they dropped through the stage while the audience shrieked in terror.
XxXxX
Well, Erik?
Erik: I'm getting a strange feeling of deja-vu...
Wait... Aren't you going to say it sucked?
Erik: Well, I thought singing with Fantine sucked... And getting hit over the head sucked... But I liked the fact that I got to hit that Romard character, finally! He seems quite foppish... Not as foppish as the foppish Vicomte, mind you, but still very foppish... And I liked seeing the ballet rat tied up. Hehe... But then you made me save her, which sucked... I guess overall... You come out average...
Wow, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you actually thought about that commentary... Well, anyways, we'll see you all tomorrow!