Disclaimer: I do not own POTO or Silver and Cold by AFI.
It's about over my friends, only this chapter and the next. I'm really sad to let it go, but now I'll have more time for my two other fics, The Lad with the Golden Nipples and Absolution which is a Labyrinth based fic. Well, here it is!
Erik watched her as she tossed the black rose into Raoul's grave. Unnoticed by any of the funeral attendees, he surveyed the grim scene from atop a sloping hill which loomed protectively over the sea of graves. Dressed respectively in black, including a black half mask, Erik blended perfectly with the dark night sky merely a shadow to anyone who might happen to glance at the hill.
His grey eyes followed Christine as she walked slowly towards funeral home; her head upturned facing the night sky, stretching her arms to the stars. He watched her closely as she once again entered the building, eventually lost in the crowd of mourners, all eager to get home. Erik stood silently on the hill observing as the gravediggers finally covered Raoul's coffin, confirming his death and transcendence into memory with a final pat of the shovel.
Having completed their morbid task, the gravediggers walked away from the scene quickly, their shovels resting on their shoulders. Erik waited until he could detect no human presence, his only company being the crickets and an owl hooting softly in the distance. He glided gracefully down the sloping hill, his footsteps unheard as he walked towards the freshly covered plot of earth stopping at the point where the grass meets the dirt.
Several moments of silence slipped by, Erik's eyes focused only on the gravestone which stood before him, reading its inscription over and over again.
Raoul Castovet
1987-2005
Loving Son and Friend
Taken From Us Too Soon
Erik sighed and shook his head in sorrow. Even though he had never really met Raoul and only knew about him from others, it was still a horrible shame when life was ended so abruptly for one so young.
He thought about the things that Christine had told him about Raoul, the good and the bad. During one of those times when she was reminiscing on their relationship, she had sighed and told him that they would have gotten along well. He wasn't so sure about that at the time, but now it seemed as if he never would know.
But what was it about him that earned Christine's love for so long?
'It doesn't matter anymore…' a voice inside his head told him, 'Raoul's dead and you have Christine."
Erik frowned, scolding his bold inner voice for saying such things. Deciding it was time to leave the dead in peace; he bowed his head in respect and disappeared into the shadows once more.
He was standing in a field of black roses the sky above heralding the coming of a terrible storm. She was gliding towards him, her long white dress flowing gracefully in the wind.
She paused momentarily to pick a rose from a bush and resumed her steady path moving closer and closer to him.
Christine… he whispered softy, his words carried by the powerful wind.
She said nothing as she stood in front of him, but held out the black rose, something never seen in nature, her blue eyes beseeching him to accept it.
He took the rose from her without a moment of hesitation and pulled her to him, closing the void which separated them. As he held her close, she closed her eyes and sighed, the very sound seeming musical to him. They had begun to sway slowly in time to the rhythm of a soft lullaby which emanated from her entire being.
Sing Sweet Nightingale
Sing Sweet Nightingale,
High above me…
Oh Sing Sweet Nightingale
Sing Sweet Nightingale,
High above me…
Tears began to form in his eyes as the bittersweet melody resounded in his ears, recognizing it from a long forgotten memory of his beloved Nanny softly singing him to sleep.
How did she know this song? He wondered as closed his eyes tightly; willing her painful song to stop but secretly wishing that it would never end.
Erik opened his eyes once more to look up at the sky which had transformed from the ominous clouds of a powerful storm to a myriad of color. Soft purples, blues, pinks, and oranges swirled together around a setting sun which illuminated the radiant colors with its dying light.
A tear of joy and sorrow trailed its way down his face and as he raised an arm to brush it away, he realized with a shock of horror that he wasn't wearing a mask.
Erik pushed her away immediately breaking the melodious spell of peace, his heart sinking at the look of confusion and hurt etched across Christine's face. He raised his arm to feebly cover his deformity and turned away, certain that Christine would run away in fear. A prick of surprise jolted his senses as she placed a warm, comforting hand on his shoulder.
I thought we had settled this! Erik heard her voice say inside his head.
He turned around slowly, not believing that she was still there and felt his spirit soar as he saw her smiling at him.
Once again she offered him the black rose, Erik having dropped it in a moment of shock. Once again he accepted it without a moment of hesitation.
I won't drop it again, Erik said to her wordlessly.
I know…
As he kissed her, the song of true love running through his heart, the rose which was once black changed slowly into red as it lay intertwined between their fingers.
"I won't drop it…I promise you…"
Erik opened his eyes slowly, uncertainly. Was it all just a dream? He realized with a heavy heart that which he had hoped to be true was just his imagination. His relationship with Christine was still unsure, still hesitant, still on the edge…
Must I always keep away from the edge?
He yawned and rolled out of bed, his room in total darkness as the seasonal rain showers hindered the sunlight for at least a month. The alarm clock which sat on his night stand read 10:25 in bright red letters, illuminating the smooth leather of the black mask he had worn the night before.
"Damn it all…" he cursed to himself silently, reaching for the mask and placing it on his face.
Another day of hiding from the world…
After he had dressed and gotten ready for the day, he exited his room and without even bothering to check if his father was in the kitchen, grabbed his car keys and left the empty house, locking the door.
The rain fell steadily down, a rumble of thunder in the distance, cars speeding past…
I... I came here by day, but I left here in darkness
And found you, found you on the way
And now, it is silver and silent, it is silver and cold
You, in somber resplendence, I hold
Your sins into me
Oh, my beautiful one
Your sins into me
As a rapturous voice escapes, I will tremble a prayer
And I'll beg for forgiveness
(Your sins into me) Your sins into me
Oh, my beautiful one
Erik drove fast, the rain beating angrily upon his windshield as the wipers fought in vain against it. He didn't know where he was going or why he was crazy enough to drive in such horrible weather, but one thing he knew for certain. He wasn't going to let go again.
Light, like the flutter of wings, feel your hollow voice rushing into me
As you're longing to sing
So I... I will paint you in silver; I will wrap you in cold
I will lift up your voice as I sink
Your sins into me
Oh, my beautiful one, now
Your sins into me
As a rapturous voice escapes, I will tremble a prayer
And I'll beg for forgiveness
(Your sins into me) Your sins into me
For the first time in his troubling and confused existence he had finally found someone who understood his heartache and his tears…someone who loved him. He would be damned if he was going to let something which was beyond their control wreck their chance at happiness, at what lie beyond the edge.
Cold in life's throws, I'll fall asleep for you
Cold in life's throws, I only ask you turn away
Cold in life's throws, I'll fall asleep for you
Cold in life's throws, I only ask you turn
As they seep... into me, oh, my beautiful one, now
Your sins into me
Oh, my beautiful one
Your sins into me
As a rapturous voice escapes, I will tremble a prayer
And I'll beg for forgiveness
(Your sins into me)
Your sins into me... oh
Your sins into me
Oh, my beautiful one, now
Your sins into me
As a rapturous voice escapes, I will tremble a prayer
And I'll beg for forgiveness
(Your sins into me) Your sins into...
(Your sins into me) Your sins into me
Oh, my beautiful one
AHH! You have no idea how hard that was to write! I'm sorry it's not very long…especially since I have been a bad egg and not updated in a while…meh…I'M SORRY! Blame my professors, if you must! Please review if you aren't too ticked at me! Love and Peace! Kupo!