Disclaimer: All things tied to the musical/book Phantom of the Opera are (regretfully) not mine.

AN: I know, I was evil for the cliffhanger, but it was still fun. (grins evilly) Anyway, please read the author's note at the end of the chapter; I would post it here, but it would ruin the chapter for you. Also, as this story draws to a close, I thought I'd drop a reminder that sequel is possible, but I'm not sure if anyone will read it. I have other plots in mind, but please let me know if a sequel is what everyone wants. I hear and obey. (bows) Enjoy!

Chapter 18: Stranger than You Dreamt It:

Marie didn't know what to think at this point. Had Erik just kidnapped her from the opening night of his opera? Was she really slung over his shoulder like a sack of stolen goods, heading goodness-knows-where?

'In all likelihood, we're heading towards his home,' she reasoned to herself, the gag in her mouth preventing her from asking where they were going. 'But why kidnap me? What's the point in all of this? It makes no sense!'

Indeed, it did not. Why would Erik take her, when, after all of this time, he had been busy pining for Christine? Was Marie his second choice now that he, in all probability, would never have a chance to romance Christine like he wanted? Was he settling for second best?

'Yes, like that's not a depressing notion,' Marie thought, tears springing to her eyes. 'The Phantom can't have the woman of his dreams, so he takes her older, plainer, talentless sister. My goodness, what an opera this would make!'

If she wasn't bound and gagged, she would slap him and demand an explanation. If he was settling for her as a second-class replacement for Christine, Marie had every intention of crying her eyes out as soon as she was free and alone.

'Right after his explanation, of course.' She closed her eyes. 'And it had better be a damn good one!'

Knowing Erik, it very well would be.


The Phantom could not hide the smirk on his face as he descended into the dark caverns beneath the Opera House. The young woman he'd flung over his shoulder occasionally squirmed and made sounds with her throat, but he could not understand her through the gag, which was there for that very purpose. He could not risk them being caught by Madame Giry or that fop, the Vicompt; those two always interfered in everything that he did to try and make himself and (though it seemed otherwise) Marie happy.

'Well, she may not be happy about this, but I'm sure I can bring a smile to her face later tonight.'

Giving a loud laugh, Erik walked into the cavern of his home, setting Marie gently on her feet in the middle of the room and shutting the hidden door behind him.


The sound of Erik's laughter filling the dark cavern suddenly made Marie very nervous about what might happen next. She silently prayed that he would not do something violent, but then remembered that he would never hurt her intentionally. After all, he was her friend…right?

'So why do I suddenly feel so scared?' she thought as Erik gently set her on her feet.

While she stood by the organ in the music room, Marie looked down at her bound hands and sighed through her gag. They did not hurt, but were slightly uncomfortable. Her hands were tied in front of her, so she could remove her gag if she wished, but it would probably be best to wait for Erik to do it himself when he was ready to do whatever he was preparing for.

She heard the doorway to the lair close behind them and heard him trigger the special stone slab that would hide the door from anyone who sought the Phantom's home. The sound of footsteps and the gradual illumination of the cave told of Erik lighting candles, for he remembered her dislike of the cold darkness that he lived in while alone. The thought of his consideration for her made Marie smile as he finished his task before coming over to her. Glancing up, the look in his eyes made her gasp.

Brilliant green was set on fire by flecks of gold, seeming to blaze from an inner passion that took her breath away. Time seemed to freeze as Marie stood there, staring at the incredibly handsome man that held her heart. The air of power and confidence was there, but much more powerful than she had ever seen it; the Phantom was in complete control of the situation, and he knew it. Never before had she seen him so tall and frightening. A gloved hand reached out and carefully pulled the ropes from her wrists, as well as removed the gag from her mouth. The movement broke the spell he had on her, and Marie could now see how the Phantom was dressed.

He was entirely dressed in black, except for the crisp white shirt he wore beneath a black silk vest. Black shoes, pants, cummerbund, belt…everything was in black, and he looked positively dashing in all of it. The only things that stood out were the white shirt and the white mask he wore on the right side of his face. His dark hair was perfectly combed back, and an arrogant, seductive smirk pulled at his lips, indicating that he knew how breathtaking he looked.

"Well, my dear?" Erik asked, looking her in the eyes. "Do I meet with your approval?"

"Yes," was all Marie could manage to whisper in reply.

"Good," he said, reaching out and taking her by the hand, giving it a gentle, but insistent, pull.

Following his tall form, Marie did her best not to step on his flowing cape as she trailed along behind him. He led her to a curtained-off alcove that she had always thought empty and was gently pushed inside by a hand on her back.

"Get dressed," Erik whispered as he waved a gloved hand towards the gown hanging on the wall. "Call for me when you are finished." With those words, he closed the curtain.

Startled at the sudden change in Erik's demeanor, Marie turned to examine the dress he had left for her. It was white, and elegantly made. In fact, it sort of resembled a fairytale princess dress that she had once seen in a book. It sported an undergown of shimmering white satin, and white-and-gold gauze-like material fit over an empire waist, the material flowing down over the white satin, creating the illusion of a golden fog. Thin strips of shining gold silk ribbon crisscrossed between the breasts and wrapped around to the back of the dress, the tops of the bodice along the breast also edged in gold ribbon. Elegant, thin gold braiding was sewn where the shoulder of the dress met the sleeves. In short, it was a simple, but beautiful, piece of work.

Wondering why Erik would obtain such a lovely evening gown for her, Marie put it on without questioning him aloud. If he wanted to tell her, he would, and asking questions would get her nowhere if he was unwilling to talk to her. She silently thanked him for not forcing her into a gown that needed a corset, but instead merely needed the laces to be pulled tightly to keep the dress shut and on her. Once dressed, Marie smoothed out the gown and called for Erik, who appeared so quickly she suspected him of waiting just outside the curtain. There was a white blindfold in his hand, and she looked at it with alarm. What exactly did he have in mind?

Erik sighed. "I would never hurt you, mon petite ange," he said, reaching out and stroking her face. "It is for your own protection and your own good, I promise." Marie nodded and stood still as Erik wrapped the blindfold across her eyes. Something else was put on top of her head, but she did not know what.

"Now, I am taking you to meet a very special man," he said, gently taking her by the hands once the cloth and other object were in place. "You are to merely nod whenever he is finished asking a question, and that will be all that is required. Do you understand?" She nodded. "Good. Now, let me lead you to him."

Without another word, Marie blindly followed him, his hands gently guiding her through the darkness.


The slow walk down the passageways was silent, yet full of questions. Erik could feel Marie's puzzlement in the way she gripped his hands and the way she twitched her mouth, but he would not tell her what was happening. He knew that if he told her anything, she would likely run from him or strike him, and that he would not allow. He had gone through a great deal of trouble and money to do this, and he could not afford to have this perfect chance destroyed.

They finally entered the dusty chapel in silence, where a man in a brown robe waited for them, his back turned towards the secret entrance. Erik cleared his throat, surprising the monk, but effectively getting his attention. As he signaled to the man to proceed, Erik tightly grasped Marie's small hands in his own.


The other man was speaking in Latin, a language Marie could recognize but not understand. Whatever he said sounded important, though, and whenever he finished asking her something, she nodded as Erik had requested. After all, Erik spoke and read Latin, and she trusted him when he told her to do something, especially when it regarded another language she was not familiar with. Oddly enough, Erik held her hands the whole time and clutched them as though he feared she would run off.

The rather one-sided conversation with the stranger was very brief, and before she could fully comprehend what was happening, Erik was kissing her. It was not a friendly kiss by any means, but instead was the passionate kiss she had always dreamed of receiving from him for the past several years. All too soon, it was over, and Erik had her right hand clutched gently, but firmly, in his own.

"Sign this quickly," he whispered into her ear.

Puzzled, Marie did as she was asked, and the sounds of paper being rolled up and coins being dropped into a person's palm reached her ears. Before she could ask anything, the sound of fading footsteps could be heard, and she could feel Erik leading her away from wherever they were standing.


It had gone as perfectly as he had hoped. No questions, no awkward glances, nothing went against the plan he had so carefully constructed. The precious document they had signed together sat in his pocket, a copy of it going with the monk to be legally filed away. As he led her back to his home, Erik practically yelled with joy as he shut the door behind him and threw the switch to hide them both from the world above.

"Erik?" She called for him…called to him.

"Yes, Angel?" he asked, coming up to stand in front of her and removed the blindfold.

"Erik, what just happened?" Marie looked up into his eyes, her own full of questions and a slight touch of fear.

"The answer is quite simple, my dear."

He could not help but smile as he began to remove his formal clothing, tossing the cloak, cravat, gloves, coat, vest, and cummerbund onto a nearby couch. Carefully reaching out, he caressed her face, savoring the feel of her skin against his. With his other hand, Erik reached into his pocket, pulling out a pair of gold rings and slipping them over the ring fingers of their left hands.

"We were just married."


Marie could only stare into space as Erik removed the wreath of flowers from the top of her head and throw it somewhere beyond her sight. She was pulled back to Earth as his hands slid to the back of her dress, loosening the laces and slipping the garment from her shoulders.

"Erik," she whispered as his arms wrapped around her body and swept her up.

"Shh," he hushed, carrying her into the room with the golden, carved wood bed.

After that, she remembered nothing but intense pleasure and love as they joined together in their wedding bed.


He could tell it was dawn, even in the darkness of his lair. Ever since his beloved Marie had first joined him down below in his home, Erik had done his best to keep track of time so he could have her back home before Madame Giry discovered she was gone. And it had all been worth it. Now that she was his wife and the center of his world, Erik wanted to see her in the morning light, to see dawn's golden sunshine fall on her as a light from Heaven.

His angel stirred next to him. He knew he had exhausted her the night before with his demands, but from the heated glances he had received in return, he knew she would not be angry with him…or at least, be angry with him for this. Still, Erik knew that he had much to explain to his beloved, things that had likely caused her heartbreak and pain since the day he had first declared his true identity as Christine's Angel of Music.

But he had never loved Christine, or at least, not in the way people thought he did. True, he had done everything in his power to keep the talented young girl at the Opera House, but it had been for her own good. All too often had he seen girls with promising futures go to waste because of them falling in love, getting pregnant out of wedlock, or simply running away when things became too difficult for them. Ballerinas came and went, as had several singers who could have become the new leads, replacing the horrible Carlotta and Piangi.

When he thought back on all he had done to keep Christine at the Populaire, Erik realized how his actions might have appeared to others. While he knew he merely wanted to watch over Christine and protect her from harm, others believed him to be obsessively in love with the beautiful young dancer-turned-singer. True, perhaps once or twice he had thought about her as a romantic interest, but had become sickened at himself even as he had considered it. Though not in body, she was a child in mind and spirit, and she would have been very wrong for him. Marie was far wiser and more experienced in the world. She knew all his secrets and had kept them close to her heart; there could have been no other woman in the world for him after knowing that she cared so much for him. Christine's innocence was endearing, but he needed a woman, one who could love him despite his facial appearance and his need of darkness. Christine could not live with that, he knew that now.

His longing to bring Christine down to his home was so he could show her a magical world that fit her childish innocence. Once she had seen the wonders of his home, he had hoped to convince her to stay so that he could make her a rising star at the Populaire. Unfortunately, Marie had prevented that the night he had planned to do so, convincing her to go to dinner with the Vicompt before he could appear. At first, Erik had been furious that she would even consider Raoul as a proper suitor, but was soon thankful that the boy was as naïve as Christine was. It had become a blessing in disguise, but he had still been angry that he had not been consulted on what was "Christine's own good."

Sending the notes to convince Raoul had been taken the wrong way as well. It had merely been the effort of a father trying to overly-protect his youthful child. Christine knew nothing of love beyond what she had read in Marie's fairytale books, and he feared what would have happened if she had gotten her heart broken by the young nobleman. Also, his notes promoting the young soprano had been in the best interests of everyone of the Populaire. Carlotta was no longer in her prime (if she had ever had a prime), and Christine would have been the perfect replacement to bring in patrons. On the other hand, though he was upset and jealous of the Vicompt, with his wealth, good looks, and charm, the boy was good for Christine and had the ability to provide a good life for her if she decided to leave the Populaire.

'Not to mention that stunt with Buquet did not help matters for you, either,' the Phantom thought to himself, clutching Marie closer to his chest as he pictured the horrible stagehand in his mind. In the end, that had been for the good of everyone, but he had primarily done it for Marie. The pig had tried one too many times to touch Marie, and after Erik had discovered the stagehand's never-ending lust for her, he could no longer stand the drunken slob anywhere near the woman he cherished.

And then, to later discover Marie's love for him! Oh, how he had wished to make things up to her, to show how sorry he was for making a mess of things by overly dwelling on Christine instead of her, the woman who loved him so! The result was that he had sent the angel gown and wings in an attempt to prevent Marie from wearing that revealing red costume he had seen her in. She had worn it, and had looked like a true angel from Heaven's gates. The moment he had seen her standing there, practically glowing in the candlelight, Erik had wanted to whisk her away. But the sight of the engagement ring on Christine's neck had triggered the Protector in him once more, and so he had snatched it away to keep his lovely Marie and sweet Christine from being taken away from him.

Holding his sleeping bride closer, Erik sighed. 'All I wanted was to end my solitude,' he thought, gazing down at Marie. 'I wanted Marie as a wife. Christine was to be as a sister or daughter to me, one who would sing my music and make it come to life as she grew to be a star as her sister watched from close by. I would have kept both sisters close to one another in so many ways.'

But he could not have both young women. Christine could not thrive in darkness; she was too fragile for that, and she would have faded away should she live down here. The Vicompt could take her to many places in the light, and all Erik had to offer was the love of a father and mentor, the eternal darkness in his home, and the cage of the Opera House as the only place she would ever experience. Marie would thrive wherever he was, and if it was in the shadows, then so be it. She could live in his darkness, which was why he had written such a passionate and dark opera for her, hoping that she would see the piece as his heart's calling for her. But she hadn't read deeply into the music, only seeing it as a message that he loved Christine. It was then that Erik had realized that he had to take matters into his own hands…and he had.

'Now she is here with me,' he thought, feeling her stir in his arms. 'My wife.' Erik watched in fascination as Marie's eyes fluttered open, her mouth stretching into a small yawn as she woke, the gold ring on her finger sparkling in the light of the candles. 'I will love her until Death takes me from this Earth.'

"Erik?" His eyes focused on her. "Erik, I…I have a few things I would like to…discuss with you."

"Of course, Angel," he whispered as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Come, I will make breakfast and then we will talk."


True enough, Erik fixed them a delicious breakfast of sausage and fried vegetables over toast, and a light mint tea. After the two of them had eaten, Marie listened to Erik's explanations pertaining to his actions, as well as the emotions behind them. She could see how anyone, including her, would get the wrong impression from his actions, especially when Erik had very little knowledge on how to act with people. Besides herself, Erik had not had much contact with human kind.

'Until now, I didn't even know that Madame Giry was doing her best to keep him from me!'

In fact, the ballet mistress had done her best to keep Erik out of the lives of all three of her daughters, not knowing that the eldest of them was falling in love with the man she sought to protect them from. It was rather amusing to think about.

'And now we have to tell her about us.'

The thought made her wince, which in turn brought Erik's attention towards her. Erik's face seemed to fill with concern for her and whatever she was thinking.

"What is it, my love?" he asked, taking her hands in his large ones.

Marie smiled, looking down at their joined hands. Her husband's hands…how many times and for how long had she imagined Erik as her husband, their wedding rings shining in the light of their underground kitchen in their home by the lake?

"I was just thinking…" she said, trailing off as Erik's thumbs began caressing the back of her hands.

"Thinking about what?" he asked, bringing her fingertips to his lips to kiss them.

Marie sighed as his lips met her skin. "I was thinking about what I was going to have to tell everyone about my marrying the Opera Ghost."

Erik simply smiled. "I'm sure we can come up with something," he said, a naughty look on his face.

Marie chuckled as he stood up and swung her into his arms before taking her back into their bedroom.


AN: I surprised some people, didn't I? Well, that was the whole point, so there. Thanks for reading, and please review!