Title: Leave Me to Love
Author: i Megaphone (Formerly known as Fickle Girl)
Rating: T, for adult themes, language, and violence.
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from The Phantom of the Opera. I do not own the lyrics from Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera Musical. I do not own anything but the plot and certain characters.
Summary: Raoul and Christine have been happily married for sixteen years. The love they share has produced their only child, a daughter. When she goes to live at the newly rebuilt Opera Populaire, will history repeat itself?
Chapter Six:
Amalia sighed as she made her way back to the manor. She was sure that her parents would be worried about her lack of appearance. As she crossed the large lawn that covered the front of her home, she noticed the many people exiting the front doors in a hectic manner. This sparked her curiosity, and she took off running in a very unladylike manner. She sprinted up the front stairs, slamming into guests unapologetically. They gasped in shock, frowning at her. Amalia couldn't seem to care at all.
As she entered the foyer, she took in the scene that filled her vision. There were police officers speaking to guests that had not yet left. Many people looked terrified, wringing their hands and pacing back and forth. She could not see her parents anywhere. Had something happened? Were they hurt? These thoughts began to frighten her, causing a shudder to wrack through her body. A hand grabbed her arm, and she twirled around quickly.
A handsome man, dressed in official police clothes gazed at her with a look of triumph. He let go of her arm, apologizing quietly. "Mademoiselle de Chagny, we have been searching the grounds for you. Your parents are in their quarters, and are awaiting your presence. If you'd just follow me please," he explained with an air of authority. Amalia nodded, and accepted his arm. They made their way through the manor, reaching her parents bedroom.
"I shall be waiting for you; we have much to speak of. When you are done, please meet me in the study. This is official police business, so I would advise you to come alone." He noted her look of fear, and quickly added, "Mademoiselle, do not worry! You will only be answering a few simple questions. Please do not look as though you are approaching your execution!"
She smiled then, accepting the humor in his tone. "Monsieur, I did not catch your name," it was a statement more than a question.
A look of shock ran across his face, but quickly disappeared and was replaced by a smile. "Ah, I apologize for my rudeness, my name is Richard, Richard Deboir," he stuck out his hand, waiting for her to shake it. She was shocked by this, but took his hand anyway.
"Well, Monsieur Deboir, I shall see you again when I am done here. Until then," she sighed, moving toward the doors. She kept her back to him, and listened to his footsteps moving away from her. Shaking slightly, she knocked softly on the familiar door. A hushed voice told her to come in, and she did just that. What she saw caused her to gasp loudly.
"Papa, what is wrong with maman," she cried, rushing to her mothers side. She took in her mother's fragile state. Her face was pale, her hands cold. An icy fear ran through her veins; something was terribly wrong. Hearing no response from her father, she turned to look at him. The sight frightened her even more.
Her father, who usually had a calm and sweet demeanor, was currently looking murderous. He moved toward her swiftly, pulling her up to him. His grip was strong around her arms, and she cried out in pain.
"Papa, you're hurting me," she whispered while gazing into his eyes. He did not look like her father at that moment. She could not understand what was going on. She could not understand why her father was acting like a madman. It truly did frighten her. His grip on her did not loosen, but instead he began to shake her, speaking quickly.
"Where have you been? Your mother and I have been so concerned. The police could not find you. We were beginning to think he had taken you! Do you not recognize how dangerous our situation currently is? Do you not notice the way your mother worries? Can you not comprehend that you mean the world to us, and that if anything happened to you, your mother and I would die? Are you listening to me, child? Are you hearing these words that I am telling you?" He shook her with each sentence, wanting to make her see how grave their current state of affairs truly was.
When she did not react, he looked down and felt a stab dash through his heart. His daughter was quietly weeping. He instantly realized what he was doing, and let go of her. Pulling her into his embrace, he ran his hands through her locks. What had come over him? How could he have treated her in such a way? A wave of guilt washed over him; his reaction had been insane. She did not even know what had happened. He was a horrible father.
"Papa, I am sorry."
Her tiny voice ripped him out of his self hatred. He took in her red-rimmed eyes, her tear-stained cheeks, and her frazzled chestnut curls. He had caused all of these things. He had hurt his daughter, and now she was apologizing. Raoul felt even worse than he had a few minutes ago. He placed a shaky hand on her face, caressing her cheek softly.
"Darling, you do not have anything to be sorry about. It was I that overreacted. I should not have acted the way I did. You must understand, you mean everything to your mother and me. If anything ever happened to you...my love, we could not accept it. I could not go on knowing something dreadful had happened to you," he explained, cupping her face in his hands.
She smiled softly, and moved to the small sofa that sat against a large window. She motioned for her father to join her, and he obliged. She bit her lip, still feeling a bit shaken by the previous events that had occurred.
"Papa, please, you must tell me what happened. What could have caused maman to fall into such a state?" she begged, pulling his hands into hers. He squeezed them reassuringly and sighed.
"Mon chere, your maman received a great shock tonight. I do not know how to explain it, but something from her past, from our past came back to haunt us. I wish I could tell you everything, but it is your mother's secret to tell. I made a promise to her many years ago, and I cannot break it. When your mother wakes, she will decide whether to share it with you or not," he noticed the look on Amalia's face and laughed. She was shocked by this and scowled at him.
"Papa, do not make fun of me!" she cried reproachfully. He did not answer, but instead gathered her into his arms in the way he had when she was a small child. She smiled at the gesture, laying her head against his chest. The sound of his heart beating soothed her, and she soon began to feel dazed.
There was a loud knock at the door, which knocked her out of her serenity. She moved away from her father as he went to open the door. The hushed voice of a man filled the room, and she noted that it was familiar. She groaned when she realized who it was.
"Ah, Mademoiselle de Chagny, I see that you are still occupied. Unfortunately, I must take my leave soon, so our meeting will have to begin now," Monsieur Duboir explained, offering his hand to her when he reached the spot where she sat. She took it, and thanked him. Her father stared at them, and she realized that he did not know what was going on.
"Papa, Monsieur Duboir is here to question me about this evening. We shall only be a few minutes, I promise. I shall return to you and maman shortly," she said, quickly kissing her fathers cheek. He looked at her oddly, but nodded.
The pair reached the study, and Monsieur Duboir ushered her into a chair. He sat across from her, a pad of paper and a pen in his hands. She looked at him, realizing that he was quite handsome. The minute the thought ran through her mind, she chided herself. This man was an officer of the law; she could not go about thinking such inappropriate things!
"Now, Mademoiselle de Chagny, did you notice anything strange tonight," he asked, looking at her seriously.
Amalia shifted in her seat. Many strange things had happened on this night. She had met the most wonderful man. He was so mysterious and amazing. But a dashing fellow and a sensual dance were far too private to share with a stranger. Although, this man was a police officer and she was supposed to tell him the truth. With a sigh she relented, and told him everything that had happened.
He nodded every now and then, scribbling things onto his pad. "And you do not know who this man is," he questioned.
"No, I do not. As a matter of fact, I do not even know his name. But Monsieur, I hardly believe that he is the culprit. He was with me the entire time; there is no way he could have caused the commotion." He looked at her doubtfully, but nodded anyway.
He stood and walked around to help her up. "Mademoiselle, I thank you for your time. Your information was extremely helpful. Alas, it is getting late and I must bid you adieu," he gave her hand a feather light kiss, turned on his heel, and left.
Amalia huffed indignantly, falling to the chair below her. This night had certainly been eventful. And to think, she had thought her sixteenth birthday would go by smoothly.
She decided to retire to her room when something caught her eye. There, on the table behind her lay a red rose with a black ribbon tied to its stem. She looked at it curiously, wondering how long it had been there. Had it been there when she had entered the study? Furrowing her brow, she picked it up, gingerly pulling at the ribbon. It was then that she noticed there was something hanging at the end of the tie.
A pink engagement ring sparkled at her, beckoning her to touch it. Who did it belong to? And more importantly, who had left it?
A/N:
Wow, only one person left a review for chapter five. Thirty-six people did read it, so I guess that's good. I'm really starting to get into the story. I have a plot and everything, which is truly shocking for someone like me. I think I'll be able to get the next chapter up sooner than I had expected.
Reviewing inspires the muse. :)