Author's Note: I bet you guys weren't expecting this:D I'm sure some of you thought, "Oh no, another six month wait?" Well, if that's what you were indeed thinking, I'm sorry to disappoint you. I think you will like this Chapter, though.
First, the Thanks for all of you who reviewed Chapter Eight, despite it's shortness:
Theresa T. - Ah, Theresa! You're lucky. You get the first thanks in this Chapter - so hopefully you'll feel important enough that you won't mind the obvious cliffhanger. - You get to find out where Erik is now:P Sorry for making you wait.
WriterOfWill: Sorry for surprising you with that Chapter so much - you knew this one was coming, you did read it in a Scottish accent yesterday, remember? Maybe that'll help you with your cheer, I don't know. Don't think too long, though. Chapter 10 will be up in less than a week. O?
oMAo: I know this Chapter is just as suspenseful, but I don't think you'll have to be as anxious with this one...
Carrie: I'm pretty sure this Chapter is longer... hehe ENJOY! I miss ya. XD
atheshar: I'm still alive! P I agree with you, Erik is much more careful with Katherine than he was with Christine. He doesn't want his heart broken. No one wants Erik's heart to be broken!
oi-vey: Reviews are good! Sorry for the shortness of the last Chapter, and I hope you like this one. Speaking of Gerard Butler icons, I have some nice, recent photos that I should post on Caleida. Don't hesitate to review the next chapters - there shouldn't be much of a long wait between this one and the next one, and then the following.
HiddenOperaAngel: Ouch, a flame! Well, sort of. Hehe, thanks for your review, new reader! The point of stories is the whole "interesting" factor. It has to be interesting, or else it's just bad. XP Anywho, about Erik, I know he isn't much of a softy in the book or the movie, but I think that his anger faded after Christine's kiss, even though she didn't choose him. I doubt he wants to be bitter and cruel all his life... he is more of a soulful character than anything else. About Madame Giry, she isn't very bitter anymore, because she knows something we don't! I'm glad you like Katherine! Enjoy the chapter... Don't hesitate to review.
PhantomLover05 - Cliffies seem to be one of my weaknesses. Hope this one's not as cliff-y. Enjoy, and don't forget to review!
Lasiriyea - Glad you love the story, thanks for your review. Hope you like this one. -tacklehug-
karou-ken: Hello, new reader! I'm glad you like the story, I updated as soon as I could. And don't worry, the next one is nearly half done.
And now, ladies and (gentlemen? -sweatdrops-) ... I give you, Chapter Nine of Dreams of A Masked Phantom. Enjoy.
KATHERINE SMILED.
No matter how quiet Erik tried to be, her ears heard every swish of his cloak. Despite this, her ears were not tuned well enough to hear him mutter over and over about how he should find a way to prevent the cloak from swishing so. She did wonder, however, what was running through his head.
Erik, slightly preoccupied with his cloak, did not understand what was unfolding before him. He could do nothing more to follow Katherine, considering he had not expected her to walk in the other direction. She was, after all supposed to follow him.
'Did my voice lose its power,' He wondered solemnly, 'has it been too long?' He shrugged. He had no choice but to follow her. Curiosity had caught up with him, evidently.
Down the stairs they went, as the sun gleamed into nearby windows. The corridors began to twist and turn, but Katherine knew exactly where she was going. Six months was just enough time to memorize the corridors of the Opera house, considering also, the fact that Katherine had done most of her wandering at night.
Katherine finally made it to the main staircase leading outside of the Opera House. She heard Erik move off to the side, into the darkness. This puzzled her slightly. However, in about thirty-second's time, she completely understood why.
Madame Giry was making her way up the staircase. When she saw Katherine, she looked at her curiously. She spotted that Katherine was wearing the slippers she had given her, and smiled. Most of the suspicion that had welled up in the Madame disappeared as she saw the slippers. Instead of inquiring directly and harshly, Madame Giry spoke quite softly as she reached Katherine.
"Going for a walk?" she asked kindly. Katherine was surprised at the Madame's tone, but simply dismissed it as the summer heat. It had finally gotten to Madame Giry.
Katherine tried her best not to show her surprise. "Yes," she said, "out to the garden that's behind the Opera House."
Madame Giry sighed, with a slight far away look playing in her eyes. "Ah, yes," she said, "That is truly one beautiful garden. But isn't it a little late for such an adventure?"
"I think not," Katherine replied, "for the sun hasn't set just yet." Madame Giry smiled.
"The sunset looks quite beautiful from the garden," she said, "I wouldn't let you miss something that magnificent!" She placed a hand on Katherine's shoulder and smiled again, "Goodnight then, Katherine."
"Goodnight," Katherine replied, this time clearly noticing that the smile on Madame Giry's face did not completely refer to an anecdote, but it also showed that she knew something Katherine did not. For the moment, she wanted to ask what it was, but thought better of it.
'It has to be the heat,' Katherine thought, 'there's no other explanation for it!' She smiled.
Moving to the large doors of the Opera House, Katherine stopped. A hand reached out of the darkness just as she touched the handle. She looked at it, her eyes following the rest of the arm that the hand was evidently connected to.
Katherine looked at the Ghost – the Ghost who had began to seem like just a dream... She only saw his eyes – his mask seemed obsolete compared to how his eyes blazed, how they stared into hers. His gaze pierced whatever walls she had built up in all of her years.
They did not speak. They did not move. Time and all aspects of it seemed to cease completely. Katherine once said, much later into her life than at that very moment, that it seemed as if centuries had passed between their gaze. Dreams and thoughts disappeared. It was only his gaze – it seemed to her like the only thing she had ever known.
Erik was also speechless. Unlike Katherine's thoughts, however, Erik's did not disappear. He searched for something to say, but couldn't think of one word. His heart was caught in his throat.
That was because neither of them had ever felt something so powerful.
A soft breeze enveloped them, and time again began to move. They did not notice that they had opened the door together. Katherine was the first to notice it. She looked over at it, and just as Erik began to open his mouth to say something.
Katherine only looked back into his eyes and whispered, "Sh," She took his hand and led him out into the world he had not seen for so long.
The sun had not set yet, but it was getting ready to. It had turned the darkest color of red it possibly could. It did not seem cruel to Erik as it had once. The sky itself was enveloped in a crimson color he had never seen, joined together with dark blues. In some sense, the sky itself had turned into a rainbow.
Katherine, still holding Erik by the hand, led him around to the other side of the Opera House, where the garden was. There were few people on the streets, so he had no reason to hide from anyone. He was still too curious to care about much else but where Katherine was leading him.
It was a short walk to get to the other side of the Opera House. They reached the fence of the garden. It had a rather large padlock that required a key.
Katherine huffed slightly. She let go of Erik's hand and began looking for the key under various rocks by the fence. She searched and searched, but could not find one. She stood back up and looked at Erik, who was laughing slightly at her.
He put one hand into his cloak and pulled a key out of one of his many pockets. He handed it to her.
Katherine couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, but she didn't want to ask, at least not now. Her thoughts were set on doing something she had never done before.
She put the key into the padlock and struggled with the key. The padlock was very old and obviously required the correct number of turns in a sequence. No matter how she turned the key, the padlock wouldn't budge.
Finally, Erik came from behind her so he could have a turn. He did not look at her, but scrunched up his face, trying to remember the combination of turns. Suddenly, he began turning the key. Katherine paid attention to each and every turn.
First, the Ghost turned the key eight times to the right, then three to the left. Next, the key went around for more times to the left, another nine in the same direction, two to the right, and one to the left. Once he stopped, you could hear every little gear processing the sequence, making sure it was right. Katherine stared, surprised, listening to the jingling melody, until, finally, the padlock opened with a rather loud click.
"Heh," laughed Katherine, as Erik opened the fence and stepped aside for her to walk in. She waited until he had closed the fence again, and took his hand. She stood in place, though, and they looked at what the garden held.
Second Author's Note: -bows- Sorry for the Cliffy. There won't be much of a long wait for the next Chapter, as long as I'm not bombarded with homework and the like. Please let me know what you think! Review, review!
I'm off to finish Chapter 10. Cheers.