Part 13: Whose is the face in the mask?

After their audience of one had gracefully scrambled away, Erik led Willow back down to his lair

He showed her the different drawings and paintings, and, then she noticed a place curtained off from the rest. Before he had a chance to tell her no, as she was positive he would do had he known her intent, she passed through the red sea of soft silk to the other side.

She, however, had the complete opposite reaction that Christine had had.

She looked, and saw walls covered with hand drawn pictures of herself. Different profiles… she saw herself standing on the stage at the bar she had first met Erik at. She saw herself standing alone outside her house, legs dangling over the steps as she waited for her ride. She saw herself as she auditioned for the part of Christine, and she saw herself standing alone in a beautiful white dress, her face unadorned without it's mask. That picture alone left her with a clean profile on both the left and right side of her face… it looked… perfect. Too perfect. Is this what Erik wished she could be? Would he care about her any less if he knew what lay behind the carefully constructed façade that her mask had made?

"No, I'd love you the same regardless." Erik's voice interrupted her thoughts, and two things dawned on her at once.

One, she had spoken her thoughts aloud.

And two, he had said love.

It was the latter that shocked her into turning around and looking at him.

"What did you say?" She knew, just KNEW that she had misunderstood, and that Erik, THE Erik, The Phantom of the Opera, could not possess one ounce of love for her, regardless of the passionate kiss that had shared moments ago. She had kissed men before… before…

'But not like that', her mind softly chided, at the same moment, he repeated himself.

"No Willow, even if a deformity as great as mine were to lay under your mask." He walked forward, and said once more. "I'd love you regardless."

Her eyes shone bright from unshed tears, and she placed her hand over his. "I love you Erik." And she closed her eyes, leaning her face closer to his. He brushed his lips against hers, the merest of touches, but it sent trills through her body, leaving her shivering as he pulled back to look into her eyes.

"Do you really?" It was like he was giving her a second opportunity to back out of her declaration, but, she couldn't take back something that she meant with her whole body and soul.

"Yes." She smiled shyly at him and this time it was he who leaned forward for a kiss.

After they broke, he cradled both sides of her face in his hands and looked gently into her eyes. "I'd never see you as anything but beautiful, like you are." He stroked the unmasked side of her face once more, and then resisted the urge to pull off her mask.

She saw it flash through his eyes and placed her hand softly over his. "Soon Erik, soon, but, not before I say."

He looked at her, wondering how soon 'soon' would be. It wasn't that he had to know, there was just an insatiable curiosity that overwhelmed him whenever he saw her and her half covered face, and he could suddenly realize exactly why Christine had unmasked him, even though everything around him had screamed for her not to. Yes, he could finally forgive her for the unmasking, the first time. The second time, he knew why she had done it… he had seduced her to the point of no return, you might say, and it was her only option of getting out without dropping right there on the stage before him. His voice had that affect on her. She was so sweet, so innocent, so (Suddenly Amanda remembered that this is not an E/C story, and she cannot just come in through the door, so she really needs to get back on the subject of Willow.)

Erik pulled himself from the past to see Willow staring at him as if she were reading the past like an open book, and his eyes were the pages.

He blinked, and watched as she lost the flow of thoughts that had so obviously been playing through his eyes.

"I'll never be able to replace her…" She said softly, confirming the fact that she had indeed known what was going on in his mind. He hadn't realized he was so easy to read… maybe it only took the right person.

"I don't want you to replace her." He stopped for a moment, then spoke truthfully. "I don't want ANYONE to EVER replace her," Willow's eyes lowered, but he touched her chin, bringing her gaze back to his. "I want you to fill the gaping hole that she left behind. I stayed there, the same, while she slowly faded in the arms of another man. It tore me to pieces, and I want you to fix it."

She smiled very softly, and sand in a soft voice. "Say you'll share with me one love, one lifetime. Lead me save me from y solitude." How had Christine not pulled off his mask. She asked just what he wanted, offered everything he could ever wish for, and yet…

"Say you'll want me with you here, beside you. Anywhere you go, let me go too… Erik, that's all I ask of-" It was like he couldn't help himself. He watched as his hand came out, and watched it grasp her mask.

He watched himself pull it away, and then saw her face.

"DAMN YOU!" She shouted, and backed off. She turned and ran, grabbing one of his masks as she fled from his lair through the broken mirror.

Erik stood in shock, her mask in his hand, at what he had seen.

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