Chapter 11

(A/N-WOWZERS! It's truly been awhile! Sorry bout that, everybody! And a special thanks to Hollie for waking me up out of my funk to get me to keep writing! This chapter goes out to you, girl! I've been sooooo busy recently, and I"ve been mainly working on Fop Die and the new Peter Pan story I've been writing. For all you awesome fans out there reading the Pan fic, I'll have 3 new chapters up in a few! You all rock, and thanks again for reading!)

Previously on Shattered Illusions:
I awoke to Jacques violently shaking me. My mind was still muddled from the serum Erik had previously given me, and I was having trouble staying awake and focusing on Jacques.
"Wake up, Elise," he said, slapping me awake. That made my eyes open wide, as I grasped my cheek.
"What is it, Jacques?" I asked. I knew that I was to be paid for being sick and for making Jacques come up with a story.
"You are going to pay as soon as you are well. I don't want anything to do with you while you are ill. However, I will tell you one thing before I leave. I'm going on to Scotland, and I'll be back on one month's time. If you haven't gained the information I need by then, you will pay in a way that will make you wish you were dead. Oh yes. There are worse things than death, Elise," he said with venom saturating his words. "Oh, and by the way, Erik now thinks that what we were talking about was the fact that I've been trying to find you a husband, and that we were trying to see if he was worthy and so on and so forth. Yes, it is lame, but it'll have to do. This will work for both of us. You get hitched, and out of my hair, and I get the money I'll need in order to retire. And yes, I've seen what's underneath that mask, and it's not pretty. You'll be marrying a monster, Elise. You'll be taken in both mind and spirit by a monster." He laughed and left.
"The only monster that will ever have taken me will be you, Jacques," I spat out, and blacked out from exertion.
Chapter Eleven

Date: 11-29-1994
Subject: Jack
Time: 9:35 P.M.

Jack has left, and I am truly baffled by his explanation. He is looking for a husband for Elise? How could they ever find such a beast worthy of her hand? She's so beautiful; she's an angel. I was wrong to assume the worst of her. I will never underestimate her ever again. I will treat her the way she deserves to be treated, even if I don't deserve her. I never will.

I was awoken from my writing stupor to hear Elise yelling.
"No, Jacques! Please, no!" I jumped up from my seat and ran to her room.
"Awaken mon ange! Please awaken!" I pleaded, my heart breaking from seeing her so frightened and in so much pain. I was gently shaking her to awaken, and she would not. She was burning up, and was clearly having a nightmare. I lifted her into my arms and sat upon the bed, holding her and rocking her back and forth to try and calm her. Her arms flailed about, pushing me away from her and scratching at my face. My heart ached for her recovery and it would not come. Eventually, she managed to calm down, and snuggled up to me. I stiffened at the reaction she was giving me.
"Erik," she sighed, causing my heart to stop. I quickly got up and left her on the bed. I ran to my library, confused of the inner turmoil that was my mind.

Jacques would not stop. Like so many other time, he was there, holding me down, taking from me what was not his. I cried, and scratched his face, pleading for him to stop. He would not. Next thing I knew, I was there in those strong arms that could only be Erik's. I cuddled up to him, relieved, knowing I was safe. I breathed in his scent, of sandalwood and herbs and that manly musk of his.
"Erik," I sighed into his robe, and snuggled closer. I felt myself falling, and I awoke from my dream, alone on my bed.
"If only I'd be held by him out of a dream," I said to no one in particular. My body shook as I coughed some more, but it was less severe as it had been before. I sat up, deciding to go look for Erik. My head swam and I fell back down onto the bed. Taking more care, I slowly sat up. More coughs racked my body, but I got up anyways. I realized that I was in the nude again. I looked around and found a robe lying over a chair. Throwing it on, I stumbled out of the room. The hallways were swaying, and I fought to keep my balance. At the end of the hallway, I saw light underneath a door. It was the library, and I knew that Erik would be in there. Closing my eyes for a moment, trying to keep the room from spinning, I went to the door. As I reached for the doorknob, it opened of its own accord, and I stumbled into Erik. I reached up at him to try and regain my balance, finding myself falling. I grabbed onto his mask, leaving his face bared to my own. I screamed and all went black.

(A/N-Dun dun DUUUUUN! Please don't hate me everybody. It gets better. MUCH better. Don't worry...)