Disclaimer- I own nothing. If I did, I would be the happiest person in the world. The only thing I own is the situation.
By the way, I don't know if I've said this before, but this is taken almost entirely from the ALW movie musical, and Erik looks like Gerard Butler. Drools
Chapter 5- Pain
Madame Giry led Christine to her old dressing room, and lit the fire in the fireplace. "Christine, change into something warm, and then climb into bed, I don't want you getting sicker than you already are. I am going to go down to the kitchen and get some warm food for you. And Christine, don't call out to him, I don't want you to see him yet, not until you get your strength back."
"But Madame Giry, please let me see him, I feel fine. I can't bear to be away from him for longer than I have been already. It will kill me to know that he is so close, but I can't see him. Please Madame," Christine pleaded.
Madame Giry felt sorry for the poor girl, but Christine's health was more important than her happiness at the moment. "No my child, I'm afraid that I can't let you see him until you gain back the weight and get sleep. You were thin before you stopped eating, and you are dangerously and unhealthily thin now. I cannot allow you to see him. It would kill him to know that he is the reason for you being so thin and sickly. It would torment him. I cannot let that happen. I am sorry, child." And with that, she turned on her heel and went to the kitchen.
When Madame Giry left the room, Christine burst into tears again. She would not dare to disobey Madame Giry, but she could still cry and wish that she could be with him. She dropped to her knees, and through her tears, she whispered a prayer. "Dear Lord, help me become strong again. I know You sent Erik to me not only as a guardian, but also as my true love. Erik was there for me when no one else was, and I turned away from him. Help him to forgive me, please Lord. Help me make his life perfect, and please give me the strength I need to be with him. When I was a child, I prayed that you would send me the Angel of Music, and though you didn't send me an Angel with wings, you did send me Erik, and he is better than anything I could have hoped for. Thank you Lord, and please give me back my strength."
She rose from her knees and looked around her room. Almost everything was as she had left it on the night of the final performance of Don Juan. It seemed that the fire had been stopped before it reached the dressing rooms and dormitories. She went to her bureau and rummaged through the clothing inside. She pulled out a woolen nightgown and changed into it. When she had changed, she gave a longing glance at the mirror, wishing she could run to Erik, and sighed, then climbed into bed.
After about fifteen minutes, Madame Giry knocked on the door to the dressing room, and came in with Meg, carrying a bowl of stew and a plate of salad. Christine looked up gratefully and gave them both a sad smile. She took the bowl of stew and ate more than she had in a week. When she could eat no more, she placed the bowl on the bedside table. She looked up at Madame Giry who was smiling, and Meg who looked happy, but confused. Madame Giry stood and said, "I'll leave you two girls to talk. Meg, don't keep Christine up too late, I want her to sleep tonight. Sleep well girls. Come and lock the door behind me, so no one can come in from the outside, that is the last thing we want." The girls smiled at Madame Giry, and said goodnight, and Meg got up to lock the door.
She turned back to Christine who looked distressed, but still happy. Meg could not comprehend what her friend was going through. She looked at Christine and said to her, "Christine, I am so confused about this whole situation. Just weeks ago, you were happily engaged to marry the Vicomte, and now, a week after you left here to marry him, you came back saying that you don't love him, and love the Phantom. Forgive me for not understanding, but this is far beyond my comprehension."
Christine smiled sadly and said, "I know you couldn't understand what I am going through right now. I myself did not know how unhappy I truly was without Erik. When I left here, I thought I was going to be free from the man who I thought was a monster. In my fear of him, he became like something out of a nightmare. Once I left here, and my head cleared, I knew that he was no monster, and he truly was the Angel that my father promised to send to me. But my childish fear kept me from believing myself that I loved him. I wanted to love Raoul, but every moment I spent with him only made me wish for Erik rather than Raoul. Every time he would criticize Erik, I would grow angry, and every time he told me how glad he was that Erik was out of my life, I would grow sad. Raoul saw how unhappy I was, and would try to make me feel better by taking me to fancy parties, where all the other women would shun me and tell me how I didn't belong there. I stopped eating because I was upset, and I wished that I would die, because I realized how I had ruined not only my life, but Erik's life as well. Every time I would sit with Raoul, and he looked into my eyes, I saw nothing but his pale gray eyes. I remembered looking into Erik's eyes, and seeing not only his deep green-gold eyes, but also his soul. I could remember seeing his pain, and his love, and his fear. I was the reason for al of those emotions in his eyes. You must have no idea how I could have discovered all this in only one week, but somehow, I did. I finally knew that I had to break things off with Raoul and come back here only last night."
Christine finally finished telling Meg all the details that led her to come back to the Opera House. She became weary, and Meg told her to lie down. Christine realizing that the sooner she went to sleep, the sooner morning would come, lay down. She felt safe for the first time in weeks, knowing that Erik was close by. Smiling slightly, she closed her eyes and went to sleep. Meg got up and left the room, letting the door lock behind her. She still didn't understand how all this came about, but she could not pretend that she was unhappy about it. She had missed her friend terribly, and was very pleased that she had returned.
Meanwhile, Madame Giry had gone down into the chapel to pray and thank the Lord that all was right again. As she did every time she went into the chapel, she lit a candle for her late husband, Marquis. It seemed like so long ago since he had passed away, but the pain she felt was still raw. She missed him terribly with every breath she took. She could never forget that horrible night thirteen years ago.
FLASHBACK
(A/N) Tear jerker- get some tissues
It was a stormy night in April, and Madame Giry had just put her five-year-old daughter Megan to sleep. "Sleep my little darling, morning will come faster if you sleep." Meg pouted and said, "But Maman, I'm not slee- slee- sleepy," through an enormous yawn. Madame Giry smiled. "Lay down little one, morning will come." Meg sighed and turned over. "Maman? Can I say my God-Bless now?" "Of course you may." Meg sat up and said, "God bless Mamma, and Nurse Maria. And please bless papa, and make me a good little girl. Amen." "Good girl, now go to sleep Meg."
Meg put her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. With a sigh, she fell asleep with a smile on her face. Annette Giry smiled and tiptoed out of the room and went down the hall to the sitting room. The family lived in the Opera house, because Annette and Marquis both worked there. Annette was the ballet instructor, and Marquis was one of the three managers along with Gaston Leferve and Richard Poligny. Little Meg wanted to one day become a ballerina like her mother.
Annette had an odd feeling inside her heart tonight. She was worried about her husband. He was away on a trip with Richard Poligny trying to find new patrons, because the family that had been supporting the Opera House had moved far away, into another part of the country, and would no longer be able to support them. They had been gone for a very long time. With the storm raging outside and the Opera house so silent, she felt very uneasy. She sat in her husband's chair in front of the fireplace and began to read a book. Every so often, she would pause and listen to the storm outside and wonder if Meg was all right. She glanced up at the grandfather clock and sighed. It was getting late.
She stood and was just about to put ashes on the fire to put it out, when she heard a small noise, a noise like a hand being brushed against the wall. She froze in her place. With the next crash of lightning, she saw the small figure of a boy, a young skinny boy of twelve-years-old, with a mask on his face. "Erik, child, you gave me a fright! How on earth did you get in here?" "I'm sorry Madame, I didn't mean to frighten you. But you were so engrossed in your book that I didn't want to disturb you. I'll leave if you don't want me to stay."
Annette smiled at the boy in wonder. She had found him five years ago in a traveling circus. They had treated him terribly, and he wanted desperately to escape. He finally saw his escape the day that the ballerinas came to see the show. Annette felt pity for this poor boy, and she helped him escape after she witnessed him kill the man who was torturing him. He had known nothing of the world except for it's cruelties, and yet here he was now, as polite as a boy that had grown up the finest household in France. "Of course I don't want you to leave, Erik. I was just startled. I didn't hear you come in."
He smiled weakly, which caused the world of difference in his face. He was a tall skinny boy, with extremely pale skin that looked as though he hadn't seen the light of day in years. He had jet-black hair that caused a startling contrast with his pale skin. He had green-gold eyes that appeared blue in some light. His little body was covered in scars that were beginning to heal. "Of course you wouldn't hear me Madame, the storm is so loud. And I have perfected the art of walking silently." With that, another crash of thunder sounded throughout the Opera House, which caused the walls to shake. Erik jumped very slightly, which would have gone unnoticed by anyone but Madame Giry, whose eyes had been trained to spot things that no one else would see. She understood Erik's reason for coming out of hiding now. He was afraid of the storm. "Erik, are you afraid?"
His green-gold eyes flashed and his mouth grew thin. "I am NOT afraid of a silly thing like a storm. I am not afraid of anything." Annette looked at him sadly, and started to tell him something, when he interrupted her. "And I do NOT need pity. Just because of how I live and because of my face, I don't need to be pitied." "Erik, stop that right now. You are acting like a child" "I am a child," he shot back at her. "But you are smarter than any other child of your age I have ever met. And you should know that it is all right to be afraid. Everyone gets afraid sometimes. Fear is what keeps us alive and aware."
The young boy looked up at her with such pain in his trusting eyes. "Madame, you are the only kind voice I have heard since I was born. My own mother abandoned me once she saw my face. I brought shame to her. She gave me to the orphanage who then sold me to the gypsies when I was a year old. I knew nothing else since then. You are more than just my rescuer, you are like the mother that I never has." He grew embarrassed at confessing these things to her, and grew silent again.
Annette on the other hand was very happy to hear Erik talk about her with such fondness. She pitied him and hated his mother for abandoning him. "Your true mother was a fool. She would not even give you the time of day because of your face. She will never have the joy in her heart that I feel when I hear you play the organ or sing your music. She will never get to look in your eyes and see the wonderful boy that I see. I am honored to know that you think of me as your mother."
Erik smiled slightly, and then grew thoughtful. "Madame? This may sound silly, but will you read to me? Like I am a normal boy?" "You are a normal boy, Erik. And you should be able to call me Annette. Madame sounds so formal. I would be delighted to read to you." She selected a book of poetry to read to him. She sat in her husband's chair in front of the fireplace, and Erik sat on the floor next to her feet. She began reading a poem about angels. As she was reading, she saw Erik's eyes begin to flutter open and closed. When she had finished, she saw that he was fast asleep. She smiled down at him, and pushed some of his hair out of his visible eye. She pulled a blanket over him and stood to go to her own bedroom. As she stood up, there came a frantic banging on the door to her rooms. "How many disturbances am I to endure tonight?" she thought.
She then heard a strangled yell from outside. "Madame, Madame! Come quickly, something horrible has happened." Annette recognized the voice of one of the nurses of the Opera House. Erik sat up, with a terrified look in his eyes. Annette turned to him and whispered, "Go, quickly, before someone sees you." He bolted for an exit, and disappeared into the night. Annette went to open the door, and saw the soaking wet figure of Nurse Maria. Maria was white as a ghost. Maria, you are dripping! Come inside and tell me what has happened. And lower your voice, you will wake Meg."
The poor girl came into the house and said, "Madame, there isn't much time. My husband is already trying his hardest to help, but… b-but…" the nurse broke off into hysterical sobs, and not another word was clear to Annette.
"Calm down Maria, calm down. What has happened? Where is your husband? Who is he trying to help? Maria, tell me." Madame Giry looked shaken; the nurse had never lost control like this before. "Madame," she gasped, "your husband, Monsieur Giry… we believe he was attacked, he is so white Madame. He called out for you, we don't think he will make it through the night."
Annette sat down, unable to understand what was told to her. Her husband, Marquis? Injured? Dying? How can this be possible? Her husband was so strong; he could never be injured. She stood up quickly and ran to check on Meg who was still sleeping soundly. She then went to get her cloak. When she arrived back downstairs, she was ready for the worst.
Maria had re-composed herself by the time Annette came back. "Madame, would you like me to come with you, or would you rather me stay here, incase Mademoiselle Giry wakes up?" Madame Giry thought for a moment, and decided that she would rather have Maria stay here with Meg. She told Maria to make herself comfortable.
"Madame, you know where my husband lives, do you not? My horse is outside the servant's entrance, he will know where to go." "Thank you Maria, I must go now, take care of my little one for me." She left the apartment and ran down to the servant's entrance. She climbed up on the great horse just as a clap of thunder shook the sky. As the lightning hit, the horse took off at a gallop. As she drew nearer to the nurse's home, another bolt of lightning struck and lit up the ground. She saw for a brief moment an overturned carriage, broken glass, and a thick, red liquid that she knew must be blood that was swiftly washing away in the storm.
She climbed down from the horse and allowed it to go into the stable. She looked back at the over-turned carriage and shuddered. She knew to expect the worse. When she went up the walkway, another flash of lightening lit up the sky, and she had to shut her eyes and try not to look at the disaster behind her. She knocked on the door, and heard a faint "Come in, Madame." She stepped over the threshold, and walked into the darkened house. She saw that there was only one door open, and a light was shining from the room. She quickly went to the room, and gasped at what she saw.
Richard Poligny was laying on the couch covered in gashes and bruises. He was gasping for breath. Madame Poligny was standing next to him, holding his hand, and wiping tears from her eyes. The good doctor was in another part of the room, and she knew that her husband would be there. She didn't know how she knew, but she knew that he would be worse off than Richard. She slowly started walking to the doctor, when she heard a strangled yell, coming from her husband. "Annette, please, I need her." She began to cry silently, for God alone knew what she would find. The doctor stepped aside, and she looked into the face of her husband.
Nothing could have prepared her for what she saw, and she closed her eyes upon the sight of him. Marquis, her strong, handsome husband was so battered and bloody laying there. And worst of all, his eyes held no hope, and that to Annette was even worse than the sight of her once perfect husband, battered and broken. She re-opened her eyes, and saw the tears of shame in his eyes. "My love, don't cry, please, mon amour. It's not as bad as you think," she said to him in a whisper. "Annette, my love, the pain is unbearable. The doctor told me that it would be a miracle if I live through the night. I won't last longer than that; I know it. Don't cry for me, my love, you must be strong for our little Meg. Help her grow strong and brave like you. Oh my young love, it isn't as though I am going to be leaving you forever, I will still live on in your heart."
Annette couldn't help but wonder at her husband's brave statements. Even as he was dying, he still could be strong enough for them both. She knew that he was right, and tried to make him as comfortable as possible. She knelt down on the floor beside him, and held his shaking hand. The doctor came over to them and tried to give him some morphine to ease his pain, but Marquis would not allow himself to take the medicine. "Give it to Richard. Don't waste your medicine on a dying man. Give it to him, so that he may live."
The minutes dragged into hours, and the hours seemed to last for days. She knew that there was nothing that she could do to help him, and it was paining her to see him like this. Finally, he seemed to take shorter breaths, and his limbs began to shake. He was dying, and he puller Annette closer to him. In his final breath, he whispered, "How do I love thee, let me count the ways…" and with that, her perfect husband was taken from her. She wept for what seemed like hours, when the doctor lifted her from Marquis' broken body, and told her that she must be strong for Meg. Madame Poligny left her husband's side to embrace her. "My dear Madame Giry, Richard and I will help you in every way possible, and I know that Monsieur Leferve will help as well. We are all like a family, and we will never abandon our family. But the doctor is right; you must go to your daughter. Would you like me to come with you?"
"Madame Poligny, I couldn't ask you to leave your husband at a time like this. He needs you more than I. I thank you for your support, and I am sure that I will need it again in the near future." Annette tried to put on a brave façade, and with that, she thanked the doctor, and told him that she would send his wife home as soon as she got there. "Madame Giry, my lady, you may keep Marie with you for as long as you need her, she will be more than willing to stay with you. The Lord knows that you will need help for a while." "Thank you, doctor, that means a great deal to me. I must take my leave now, I must get back home to my daughter." And with that, she left the house where her husband died forever.
She somehow made it home, and went up to her apartment. Nurse Maria was waiting in the kitchen, and when she saw that Annette had come home, she knew that she would have to stay here for a while. She embraced Madame Giry, and told her that she would stay there as long as she needed her to. The next few days were a blur to Annette, but somehow, she managed to get through them. She knew that she would never forget her perfect husband. She knew that if she lost her bravery for a moment, she would only have to remember Marquis', and she would regain courage.
END FLASHBACK
Annette finished her prayers, and wiped her tears from her face. As she left the chapel, she smiled softly, and whispered one last prayer, "Marquis, I know you are up there watching over us all. Help me be strong enough for all three of my children. Meg, Christine and Erik."
A/N- I cried very hard while writing this chapter, but I felt that it had to happen. I wanted to show more background to the characters. Sorry no EC-ness in this chapter… hopefully the next one…