PREPARE FOR FLUFF!

FLUFF, FLUFF, FLUFF!

I need to stop speaking in caps now...

Random person: Get on with it!

oo0o0oo

Things never were the same after that fateful night, although very slowly and delicately, their connection was establishing again. Occasionally Tori would ask Erik to play something for her, or Erik would ask her to sing. Neither ventured outside of the house on the lake for a long time, sticking to their own sides of the house and generally giving each other space.

But every night they would talk together. At first, the conversations were a mere one or two sentences but, as Tori became more comfortable with herself, she began to tell Erik the stories of her childhood or what it was like being amongst the ballet rats 24/7. They laughed and joked about the rumors of the Opera Ghost, but Erik mostly listened, and only commented on Tori's stories. He never let loose anything of his own, feeling that it would overwhelm Tori more and cause her to go farther away from him. Or would she get even closer? The question subconsiously bounced around in his head, while his waking mind listened intently and digested Tori's stories.

The stories switched from being only at night before Tori would go to bed to anytime during the day. Erik added little sounds sometimes to her stories, and this made them grow closer together, alhough there was still little to no physical contact between them besides pats on the shoulder or things like that.

Finally, one day, Tori got to the topic of how her parents died.

"I was only ten years old, they...really didn't deserve to go like that...they both caught a disease that...had no cure and...they..."

She stopped to wipe tears from her eyes, sobbing a little. Erik's eyes widened, his mind racing furiously for something to make her stop crying. He quickly found a solution, being the genius that he was, and proposed it.

"Tori, would you like to go on a trip?"

Tori looked up from the ground, her eyes alighting a little.

"To where?"

"To your parents' graves. Certainly that'll make you feel better?"

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Tori paid the driver as she hastily got her cloak on. She was at the stables of the Opera House, a bunch of roses in her hands and her black dress on. Erik promised her that he would accompany her as he got his white mask on and his traditional evening clothes and cloak on.

Walking outside to where the carriage lay waiting, she barely registered the blacked out driver, cold air, and gloomy feel of the outside. She dimly noted that it had been months since she had been outside the Opera House.

She sat down and told the driver to go to her parents' graves. The horses started along at a trot, and Tori shifted to make herself comfortable.

A familiar voice pierced the cold air.

"Are you comfortable?"

Tori shook her head, trying to clear it. Erik had said the exact same thing when he first took her down to his home; truly she must be imagining it? But no, the voice repeated itself again, and she knew for sure that she was not imagining it. She looked up to find the driver peeking at her through his long black cloak.

She jumped a little, squeaking.

"Erik?"

Erik turned back to the horses, laughing a little.

"Yes, it is me."

"Wh-what about the original driver?"

"I knocked him unconsious. But don't worry," he added hastily as Tori opened her mouth to speak, "It was simply a hit to the head. He should come to in about half an hour."

Tori shut her mouth again, and they sat in silence as they left the streets of Paris and continued on through the rural countryside. Finally Tori spoke.

"Are you sure this is the way? It's not how I remember it."

"It's a shortcut."

"I see..."

Erik gave her another sideways glance, and Tori caught one corner of his mouth, curved up into a smile. "It's very cold out, isn't it? It's been a very long time since I was out of the Opera House."

Tori giggled a little. "The same goes for me as well."

Again, another silence fell, but this time it wasn't as awkward. It was a polite silence, one that was used for Erik and Tori to recollect their thoughts. Finally the carriage halted outside the entrance to a cemetery. As Tori climbed off, Erik explained that he would put the horses somewhere safe and then join her. With that he snapped the reins, and the horses drew the carriage around the corner.

A snake of trust slithered into Tori's mind as she headed down the main pathway through the graveyard. She knew him well enough that he wouldn't leave her here, out in the cold, surrounded by the dead. He wasn't THAT heartless: in fact, Tori doubted that he was heartless at all.

On her way to the back of the graveyard, where her parents' graves were, Tori read the names on the tombstones, using the names as landmarks to find her way back and also to find her way there. The last time she had visited her parents' graves was when she was fifteen years old: five years after her parents' died, and five years ago.

That adds up to ten, which is how old I was when they died, Tori mused.

Suddenly the specialness of this visit hit her. Everything added up perfectly, she was practically the girlfriend of the Phantom of the Opera, and she had been...you know. Exposed is a better word for it.

As she approached her parents' grave, Tori stopped to stare at the tree on which she had carved something in memory of them.

Let the angels weep for me.

"Well said," Tori muttered, tears coming to her eyes at the thought of how miserable she'd been. Miserable enough to bang her head on the same tree five times after she had inscripted the words, one time for every year of feeling out of place and alone. She spotted the few drops of blood that she had shed on the word "angel", brown with age. Out of tradition and for the sake of it, Tori tapped her head five times gently on the same place, being careful not to put any more blood stains on there or give herself a headache.

Afterwards, Tori turned to her parents' graves and cleared the last few steps near them so that she could stare at the graves. They were of considerable size, the caskets encased in a stone box. Tori sat on the step next to them, examining every little detail of the stone.

She heard a little swish of fabric, and Erik sat down next to her, examining the graves.

"Hello Erik..." Tori looked at him, some sadness in her eyes. "So...here they are."

Wordlessly Erik gathered her up, covering her up with his cloak and holding her close to his body for warmth. Tori snuggled next to him, no longer flinching or retaliating. The trust had returned, stronger that ever.

The realization dawned on her.

I really do love him. I love him more than anything. I'd go thorugh the hottest fires of Hell and back just for Erik.

Tori removed his mask and set it on the grave. They stared intensely at each other, Erik's eyes searching her face. Some fear passed in his eyes.

"Erik...you know I love you."

"You...do?"

Tori nodded, and their faces moved closer to each other, the fear in Erik's eyes replaced by anticipation. Finally their lips met.

It was absolute magic for both of them. Tori felt like she was flying, Erik feeling like he just might explode with happiness. His arm snaked up her back and entangled itself in her hair, and Tori's arm gently held his head so that he wouldn't pull away too soon. Erik pulled her closer and the kiss intensified just a little more. To this day, neither can recall how long they stood there, kissing each other for real for the first time. Sure, there had always been light kisses on each others' cheeks, but those were nothing compared to this moment. For a brief, fleeting second, Tori actually considered putting her toungue in his mouth, but discarded the idea, feeling that neither of them were ready for that yet.

Finally they broke off for air, Erik gasping a little. He gazed at her long and hard, total and complete love and adoration filling his eyes, along with a fire that Tori had never seen before. Her eyes were filled with the same emotions, although they weren't as intense as the feelings that Erik was feeling right now. He yanked her closer, squeezing her firmly, as if she would disappear if he let go. He relaxed his hold as he rested his head on hers and started to whisper softly into her ear.

"Tori, my opera is finished. I shall give it to the managers and let them perform it, with you in the leading role."

Tori kissed his cheek. "When will it be put on?"

"In a week. That should give you plenty of time to rehearse."

They looked at each other and smiled. Erik kissed Tori again for a shorter time than before, then stood up, bringing Tori to her feet as well. "Now let's go. I don't want you catching cold."

Tori laughed and hugged him, then started heading back for the carriage. Erik lingered a bit, watching her go, then turned to Tori's parents' graves.

"My best wishes to both of you. I will take good care of your daughter."

With that he turned and followed Tori swiftly through the graveyard, catching up with her about halfway down the path.