Disclaimer: I do not own any part of The Corpse Bride. This fanfiction is for entertainment purposes only.
Chapter Six: The Piano Duet
It had taken a few hours of wandering the streets of the Dead town, before he figured that, better or not, he couldn't leave Emily so unhappy.
He reasoned that it was pity for her. How could he add one more heartache on her already tragedy strewn existence?
Finding her turned out to not be difficult at all.
His feet seemed to lead her automatically to her, bringing him to the Ball and Socket Lounge.
Scraps was pacing outside of the establishment, holding Emily's bouquet in his jaws. When the dog saw his master, he jumped up the couple stairs and laid the bouquet on the ground, obviously expecting Victor to see Emily and fix things with her.
Victor sighed, reaching down and picking up the flowers and walking into the pub.
Emily was sitting at the piano playing a simple, somber melody with one hand. Despite the songs' simplicity, as Victor walked up behind her, he could tell that she was a talented pianist. The way she rolled her hand slightly to reach different keys betrayed years of playing.
"I… think you dropped this," he said, presenting the bouquet to her. When she didn't reach for it, he gently set it on the cushions that served for the piano top, before turning to go.
He stopped before he took a single step, sighing deeply and turning back to her.
"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I'm sorry I lied to you about wanting to see my parents. It's just this whole day hasn't gone quite, well…" he sighed again, sitting down on the piano bench next to her, "…according to plan."
Emily hadn't given any indication she had heard him, still playing a deep and somber melody.
Victor waited for her pause and played a simple, higher counterpoint to her melody, bringing a cheerfulness to the song.
Emily glanced at him, still obviously angry, then played another deep, soulfully sad chord.
He repeated it back to her in the higher notes, bringing his other hand up to the keyboard and adding a little more acoustic depth and complexity to the piece.
She glanced at him, but brought her other hand up and played the next part with even more sorrow and sadness, bringing the song back down and ending it on a slightly gloomy note.
Victor considered for a moment, allowing her last note to linger for a second before he continued the melody on the higher notes, speeding up the tempo and making it lighter, then paused, leaving an open intro for her, waiting for her to make her musical response.
She turned away from him and rested her head on her hand, pointedly ignoring him, but he was sure she was giving him a dirty look.
He sighed, then continued the melody making it even more complex. He played another chord and left another intro for her to join him.
Still, she ignored him.
Frowning now, he started a new chord, but was surprised when he was barely a few notes in and she joined him mid chord, bringing the lower notes of the piano into play as a counterpoint to his cheerful melody.
It was beautiful. The way only two people who love the piano can make it while playing a duet.
He smiled.
He had always been better at expressing his feelings via music, and, playing with her, he somehow managed to get his apology across as she first looked at him daringly, then smiled at him, continuing with the music, bringing her end into the higher notes.
He heard her gasp as her skeletal hand detached from the wrist, following the scale up as it 'walked' on two fingers across the piano keys and twirled in a circle on two keys before walking up his arm, across her shoulders, and onto his other arm.
He gave a light laugh as he caught it on one of its 'jumps' and brought it back to her.
She giggled softly, "Pardon my enthusiasm."
"I like your enthusiasm," he replied, putting her hand back onto her arm, not really minding the crack as it reconnected, keeping hold of it even after it was reattached.
A sudden clanging caused them both to jump, turning to see what the ruckus was about.
"New arrival! New arrival!" Ms. Plum exclaimed excitedly.
After that, everything got hectic very quickly. Corpses filled the pub remarkably quickly and in no time at all it was almost impossible to tell what was going on in the Lounge.
He did manage to hear Miss Plum pushing her way through the crowd, yelling, "Welcoming committee, coming through Coming through!" He saw her stop at someone and pat their hand. He was too far away to hear what she was saying now that she wan't bellowing, but he did recognize that orange coat.
"Mayhew?" he asked, more to himself than the man who owned that name.
He quickly stood up and walked over to him, exclaiming, "Mayhew! How nice to see--" he cut off and gasped when Mayhew turned around.
He was obviously dead, displaying the blue skin that all dead people appeared to have. Judging by the looks of things, he seemed to have been run over by a carriage.
Mayhew looked a little surprised to see him as well. Probably because he was alive in the Land of the Dead.
"I'm so sorry," Victor consoled him.
"Oh, yeah. Actually, though, I feel great," Mayhew replied, stretching and taking a deep breath.
"Hurry up, boys. Can you not see the gentleman is parched?" Paul said directing his bugs. They poured a glass of poisonous looking liquid and bringing it to Mayhew, who sipped on it quickly.
"Mayhew, I have to get back," Victor told him, "They all must be worried sick. How is everyone?"
"Well, they're still wondering where you slipped off to," he said pointing his glass at him. "Oh, and uh… Miss Victoria…"
"Yes?" Victor asked.
"Well, she's getting married this evening," his ex-coachman hedged.
"Oh good," Victor responded.
Evidently this wasn't what Mayhew had been expecting as he blinked and asked him, "You're not upset?"
"Why should I be? I told her to marry the man she loves," Victor told him. "She told me she's been in love with someone from the village for years."
"Oh, but this is a new comer," Mayhew informed him. "Lord Somebody-or-Other. She's not too happy about it either."
"What? But…"
"Yeah, with you gone and all… I guess they didn't approve and didn't want to waste the cake," Mayhew said, trying for a laugh, but failing miserably.
Victor looked down.
So he'd released her from their arranged marriage only to have her pushed into another.
He shook his head, walking out of the pub slowly.
He heard Emily asking him where he was going but didn't answer her, even though he knew he should.
He needed to think.
A/N: It was surprisingly easy to write the piano duet scene, but I know nothing on playing the piano, so please forgive me if I got the terms wrong. If you know the correct terms, leave a review telling me what they should be and I'll fix it. I included the duet because, even though nothing from it was different from the movie, I felt it was important to explain Victor's thoughts during it. If you've never heard their duet, you don't know what you're missing. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of music I've heard, and I love classical music. I was only disappointed that it wasn't longer.
Sigh
Oh well.