With you, Beside you

"Have you come to taunt me?" Erik's sonorous voice rang in anger and wretchedness.
"Erik? I--"
"Does your husband know you're here?"
"You let me go!" I said, "You shouldn't be jealous. It's what you wanted." I tried to muster courage but I hadn't any. Not with Erik."Please, Erik," I felt tears fall down and I started to sob.
"What are you doing in my Opera House?" The voice came from everywhere and nowhere.
"I'm singing…" I muttered as he scoffed.
"Singing! In my Opera House! With the voice I trained!" I couldn't help but cry. Memories thrust themselves from the back of my mind to replay themselves.
"You let me go." I said and tried to leave. He had let me go. The door was locked. "You let me go…" I turned to the mirror. "Let me go! Open the door!"
"You're having his child?" The soft voice boomed. "Where is he?"
"In Germany," I felt myself answer willingly. Fresh tears streamed down my face. The voice wasn't there but he was. I felt him.
"You are unhappy." The voice stated softly. I wiped my tears away as the door clicked open and I felt him leave. The air got warmer when he left. I couldn't do this. I couldn't sing with him in the same House. I quickly dried my tears and ran out of the room and out of the Opera House where Firmin and Andre were yelling about where she was going. I went home and tossed myself onto my bed to forget about the entire ordeal. And for the first time that night in a year, I heard the Angel's voice in my head. And I welcomed it. The next morning I work up with someone playing with my hair.

"Euterpe, get off," I muttered as a voice chuckled. That wasn't my cat…I opened my eyes and turned my head a bit to look at who was beside me in my bed. "Raoul!" I exclaimed and threw my arms around him. I showered him with kisses as he laughed underneath me. "Never--" I pecked his temple, "Ever--" I kissed his right cheek, "EVER" I kissed his left check, "Leave--" I kissed his chin, "AGAIN!" I kissed his lips. He smiled in the kiss and I pulled away to give him air and not kill him. He stroked my cheek with him thumb.

"Does that mean you missed me?" He asked as I smacked his arm playfully. He had bags under his eyes and looked very thin. He pushed me off of him, only to rest on his side and put his hand on my womb. "How is little Philippe doing?" I smiled gently.
"He's still very young," I said pulling a strand of hair out of his eyes. "Raoul, what are you doing today?"
"Well, darling, there's an auction I would like to go to--"
"An auction?" I was dumbfounded. He came back to Paris this morning and he was planning on going to an auction.
"Yes, an auction, you know how much I love auctions," he said as I turned away from him. "Oh, come on, just for a few hours." I didn't answer. There is no way he was going to an auction and leaving me here today. I wouldn't have it. "Fine, fine, no auction." I smiled and turned to face him again. "What would you like to do, Christine?"
"Lets stay home. You look very tired, Raoul, can we stay home so you can read? We can go have dinner after words. Please?"
"You want to stay home?" He asked as if he didn't expect that.
"Yes."
"I suppose we could. But, why?"
"I told you," I said as I touched the dark bags under his eyes, "you look very tired."
"Kind Christine…" he said and kissed my lips gently. "We will do whatever you want." I grinned at him and got up off the bed, walked to the other side (where he was) and tucked him in, making sure the pillow was fluffy and the blankets covered him until the neck. He watched me under his eyelids, which I could tell were weighing heavier and heavier by each second that he was awake. I placed a kiss on his cheek and went over to the other side of the room where my books were.
I had sat there for about forty minutes reading different fairy tales when Raoul stirred.
"Christine," he said and I snapped up.
"Hmm?"
"C'mere," he muttered and I didn't pay much attention. I was absorbed with my book and I was still reading when I sat on my side of the bed. He sat up and peered over my shoulder. "What is that?"
"A book," I answered. He snatched it from my hands as I gasped from surprise.
"The Beauty and the Beast?" He looked at me as if I had gone insane, "What is this?"
"It's a book, Raoul. You know, for reading?" He threw the book down and shook his head at me. "A book of love," I added softly as he rolled his eyes. He pulled my hair back and began nibbling on my ear as I smiled.
"What are you smirking at?" He asked me as I shook my head.
"I'm not smirking." He stared at me.
"Yes, you are!"
"Just get back to what you were doing," I said as he chuckled but obeyed. He kissed the back of my neck and began pulling on my corset. He had it off in half a minute as well as all my other clothing. He happened to want to watch me, just watch me. He played with the living creature inside of me as well. He was fully clothed and I was getting cranky. He smiled and in a matter of seconds we were climbing the stairs to climax. Our love was innocent, even when it required making love. There was no hurry. No lust. Even if he was gone for months. There was no sexual desire between us. Just love, plain and simple. But love was never plain and simple, was it?

I felt Raoul get up an hour later after we had both fallen asleep. I watched him underneath my eyelashes. I watched his golden smooth body get out of the bed and pull a robe around him. He was created by Aphrodite no doubt. Beauty was his most powerful feature. He came back in less than 5 minutes.
"What happened?" I asked as he silenced me with a finger, pulled it away, set a kiss on my lips and lay next to me again only to urge us to sleep again. Raoul woke me up when it was almost dark outside. He was already awake and well dressed.
"Get dressed," he told me and went into my closet. He came out with a long mauve dress with silk hem and a very short and low cut front.
"Raoul, it's freezing cold outside," I said and got up from the bed completely bare. He watched me go over to him and into the closet. My closet was enormous, and thanks to the Chagny fortune I had many dresses to actually fill the closet with. "Hmmm…" I pointed a crème dress out to him but he shook his head. Then our eyes both met it. A silk dress that was entirely black except for the sleeves and crème colored lace on the bosom. The black dress was narrow at the waist and got wider at the hips. It was a long dress that accented every curve. I shot him a smile and he shrugged.

"Alright," he said as I smiled and shooed him away. He stared at me for a second then left my closet. The dress was dark and calm. The undershirt, which I put on first, was made of lace and cut off low. It was so thin that you could see the peach in my skin underneath it. I pulled on the dress next but it was tight around the stomach area. It still fit nicely. The puff bottom wasn't there today. Instead the silk was curled in waves. They separated themselves at my knees. I called Gabrielle in to help me with my corset.
"I don't think that's healthy for the babe, Madame," she said and I looked at my servant in a scowl. When she finished I made her go away. I let my hair down in the spiral curls that crawled down my back.
I was ready in 12 minutes time. Raoul smiled at me as I curtsied.
"You look..."
"Huge?" I offered as he frowned.
"I was going to say beautiful." He took my hand and we left the Chagny Manor. There was a carriage outside and the driver with his hood pulled up.
"Raoul, where are we going?" I asked as he let me onto the carriage.
"You'll see soon enough, Chauffer--" The carriage began to move. After a few minutes we arrived to my favorite restaurant.
"Le cuisson colombe?" I asked as he smiled and nodded. I hadn't been to this restaurant for at least 6 months. We ate in silence, as we always did. It was manner than Raoul encouraged. After eating we got back into the carriage. I had thought we would go back home, but when the driver took another road I quirked an eyebrow at Raoul. He smiled as if he were reading my mind and said, "Just wait," and I did. Soon enough after I realized where we were going and gasped.
"Oh, no." I whispered but Raoul didn't notice. We were going to the LAST place I wanted to go to. I wouldn't have mind any other day, but after yesterday…
"Raoul, are we going to the--"
"Opera Populaire." He said as the large beautiful architectural structure appeared before our eyes. What did he think he was doing? He wouldn't have let me come here but now here we were. I didn't understand.

"Raoul..." I whispered feircly.

"I know, there's no need to thank me," he said and got out of the carriage.

"I--I'm not really feeling very good, maybe we should go home. I mean, it could be...er...the baby!" He stared at me with a worried face then shook his head and smiled.

"You're just worried, but I spoke to Firmin and Andre, everything's fine. Our old friend is known to be dead."

I choked.

"What?!" I asked as he nodded with a smile.

"He hasn't been around for a while, they told me he had stopped bothering them when you left," I sighed. Firmin and Andre were optimistic. Erik wasn't dead, he was quiet. Well, he was now anyway, and unless I was going insane, I heard him yesterday. "Guess what Opera they're playing today," he said as I shrugged. "Il Muto".

Every year they played Il Muto, last year I played the silent role and Erik got very upset because of it.

Firmin and Andre greeted us at the door.

"Ah, Madame de Chagny." Firmin said and kissed the hand that I had extended. I had insisted to keep my last name but Raoul wouldn't have heard of it. It was insane, he had said, a married woman would always take the last name of their husband. He had asked me if I were ashamed of him, I had stormed out of the room.

"Messier Firmin, Messier Andre," I said as Raoul and I followed them to our box.

"Your usual box, Viscount, Box Five," My eyes were wide with horror as I turned to Raoul.

"No, Raoul, Box Five is HIS box." They all stared at me as if I were insane.

"She's ill," Raoul said as they laughed it off. When Firmin and Andre left I turned to Raoul angrily. "It's nothing, Christine, he's dead. He's now nothing but a memory."

Raoul always had a way of putting me in danger but assuring me nothing would happen. It was his fault that Erik had taken me anyway. He had insisted that I play in "Don Juan". I had known better.

I sat down next to him nervously. I felt his presence yet I kept my mouth shut. The Opera began with the three colorful characters singing about the "Lordship". La Carlotta wouldn't be singing today, they had found an understudy perhaps. It was difficult of course to find an understudy for her. They hadn't done a good job trying to find one, either.

"Christine, Christine..." A voice said in a sing-song tone. I felt my spirit start to soar as I sighed and let my eyelids fall.

"Christine!" Raoul called me as I opened my eyes and felt myself breathing wildly. He looked at me, worried. "You should sit." I had just noticed I had stood up again. I sat quickly.

I couldn't concentrate on the Opera. I felt Erik all around me. He never left me. In the fourth scene he sang "Angel of Music" to me.

"I'm sorry, Erik," I whispered softly without realization. Raoul laughed at the play. Erik had left. I cursed under my breath and stood up. "Er, bathroom..." I said and went towards my dressing room.

AN: Okay, yes, the chapter starts out in the Dressing Room and ends up in the Dressing Room, but in order for the story to not be very slow, I needed more Erik in it. I didn't like this chapter. Second chapters are like second dates. They tend to be horrible. I have a good third chapter though. Anyway, I was very happy (I mentally fainted) that I got 14 reviews in two days time. Am I rushing by writing a chapter every 2 days? Hmm...Oh, well.There was Raoul/Christine action in this chapter which I didn't completely adore, but Raoul isn't that horrible. At least he's not Joseph Buquet (from the movie version. -gags-)

I FORGOT TO MENTION that this PhanPhic is based on both the book and movie (seen the musical three times but I was 5-ish. Cannot remember a thing) Erik's name is Erik but he doesn't smell like death. If you've read the book you'll notice someone of it. I urge everyone to see the movie and read the book. I've seen it six times (Yesterday was my sixth time) and I love it. See the movie. IT BETTER WIN A GOLDEN GLOBE!!! Anyway...

--Long AN.

--I probably killed half the people who read this with boredom.

--TheAngelinHell

-- Chauffer means "Driver" in French

--Le cuisson colombe means "The Roasting Dove" in French.

I was trying to be fancy.

-sigh-

Questions? Complaints? Comments? Review.