AN: Procrastination! Here's the next chapter, for all of the people who've left me such kind reviews! Please continue to do so, and I'll keep trying my best.
Disclaimer: Own nothing :(
Phantom 27
She had let the last tear run its course, never wiping at her cheek. Now the trail had dried on her soft skin, proof that something had happened, something very important. Those tears, and Erik's head cradled at her shoulder. Now that her tears were spent, she looked down at him, and realized his gaze had been directed at her this whole time. She opened her mouth a little, but didn't know what to say. What more was there to say between them? He knew how she felt, and he had sung such wonderful words for her ears alone. But he was watching her so intently, waiting for her reaction.
"I don't know what to do now." It was nowhere near as poetic and beautiful as what he'd said, but she was honest. The relief was still there, but she had no idea how to proceed. She feared she'd offended him as he released himself from her embrace. He looked away a moment and swallowed, as if he were also trying to find the right words.
"I'm afraid, Christine, that I'm at a loss, too." Was this the same man who'd dared her to defy his will? Who had terrified her? There was something new about him, as if he'd been reborn the moment he'd sung to her. This new honesty, she thought, suited him immensely.
Christine brought her hands up uncertainly to touch his uncovered face. "Please," she said softly. Though he inhaled deeply as he felt her fingers, this time he remained still for her. When her fingers danced across his cheek, she could not have imagined the painful happiness he felt at the touch. When her hands came to rest on either side of his face, she could not have fathomed his longing. But there were those eyes, speaking to her in a language she had yet to master. Those eyes...
She tilted her head up slightly, and moved her lips to his. It embarrassed her, this desire to kiss him again, but when he returned the kiss it seemed to fade. No, she was not sure what to do or how to proceed, but here they were. Kissing. She pulled away softly and opened her eyes only to discover he'd never closed his.
"You didn't close your eyes." She felt conspicuous, knowing she'd been watched as she'd given in to those warm feelings.
"No," he whispered. He took one of her hands and squeezed it, still looking at her. "I was afraid to."
"Afraid?" She seemed surprised that Erik understood the word's meaning. "Why?"
"Perhaps, if I closed my eyes, you would not be here when I opened them," Erik admitted softly. Christine felt the pressure of his other hand at her cheek, but kept her eyes on his. Those eyes that burn.... She wondered, how could she live unhappily now that she'd felt this tenderness from him?
Her face lit up in a half smile as she brought one hand over to cover his. "I'm here, Erik." She guided her head until it rested on his chest. "I promised you, didn't I?" she murmured, turning her head so she could hear his heartbeat. "I won't leave you."
Yes, Erik reminded himself, she promised. He looked down to see her curled into him. He was unsure, maybe even more afraid than he'd been before, but the feel of her willing touch was overwhelming him.
"Erik?" She spoke so quietly, slightly embarrassed. "Will you...just hold me?" She brought a hand up to grasp his collared shirt. "For just a little while?" Even if she didn't know what to do, she knew what she wanted at this exact moment. To stay close to him, just a little longer...
His arms held her as if she might break, and his chin rested softly in her mass of curls. He didn't need to tell her he would always, always be there to hold her like this. He knew that unlike that near-murderous night so long ago, Christine now held fast to him from the pure desire to. She was not comforting him, trying to calm his anger. Her touch was as selfish as his own had been – she wanted to be this close. The relief of possession was an entirely new emotion to Erik, but he welcomed it. She is my Eve, he thought to himself.
When Christine awoke, she was no longer in his arms. She was not in the den, either. Instead she was safely tucked into bed. And when she turned her head slightly, there he was, watching her from the chair with those curious eyes. She smiled shyly, unsure of what to do. "Good morning, Erik."
"Good morning, Christine."
She sat up. "Have you been here all night?" Erik's small nod surprised her. "Didn't you sleep?"
"I didn't need to." Erik watched her look at him curiously, but he wouldn't elaborate.
"But aren't you tired, Erik?" She turned her body to face him now. "The last few days you've hardly had any rest. I can't understand what gives you this kind of energy."
"You." The pause between them gave him time to stand and move to the door. "I'm preparing breakfast."
"All right," she whispered. As he closed the door behind him, the rose blush crept over her cheeks. What manner of man was he? She brought a hand up to cover her mouth. How could he, by simply uttering one word, make her feel as though he'd kissed her again? True, the pressure of his lips was absent, but her heart was beating so fast that she felt like it would leap out at any moment. Was this, Christine wondered, one of the more wonderful aspects of love?
"Good morning, Inspector." Thelma spoke cheerfully, handing Nadir his morning coffee and paper along with some files. Nadir sighed and nodded his head. Ever since he'd been trying to piece together the disappearance of Christine Daae, he hadn't been able to sleep well.
He'd exhausted his leads with Raoul. The poor boy knew little and had been driven to find her only after he'd seen that clipping of her in the newspaper. The only thing he'd been sure of was that he'd met her one rainy night and given her an old violin. It had even been this apparition that had told Raoul she had been in Europe and would be returning to Paris.
Who is this girl who appears and disappears like a phantom? Like...like..
"Erik," he murmured. What had transpired between those two? It still remained a mystery, but he knew he wasn't wrong. Somehow things were not as Erik had made them seem. He'd known Erik for years now, ever since that terrible night the boy had played that requiem, but he could not understand him.
A knock on his open door made him look up. One of the other investigators, Rogers or something like that, stood smiling.
"Nadir, I was just wondering if you were looking at the sports section in your paper." His words reminded Nadir that he had the paper on his desk. He shook his head. "Mind if I...?"
"No, of course not." Nadir shuffled through the paper and took out the sports section. He handed it to the investigator, but as Rogers took it, another section slipped out. Rogers bent over and picked it up, handing it back to Nadir after taking up the sports section.
"You took out the entertainment section, too. See you later, Nadir."
Nadir nodded in acknowledgment and sat back down, looking at the section he'd just been handed as his eyes narrowed in intent focus...
Erik had surprised her this morning, and she had been left aflame by his one word. Now that she'd regained her senses, she nearly flew out of bed. She took her time picking out the day's clothes and then fixing her hair. It was odd. She'd lived so long with him, but today she was nervous. Taking her pink ribbon in her hands, she tied up the thick french braid she'd made.
"Christine," he called out from the other room. Had his voice ever been so loud and sure before, when he called her name?
"Coming," she answered. With one last look into her vanity, she joined him in the den. Her eyes found him setting down a tray on the coffee table, a pile of books beside it. Erik watched her carefully, and swallowed as he knelt down. He held out a hand to her, and Christine followed his lead.
"I thought," he said softly, handing her a cup of tea, "I thought it might be pleasant to stay here and read with you today."
Christine watched, a little surprised. She took the cup and set it beside her. She gave it a little look. "Is this the same tea you've given me the past month?"
"No," he shook his head. "it's only Earl Grey. You need to rest after that performance, so you don't need to worry about singing today." She smiled softly as he spoke, knowing he meant it. Reaching behind him, she picked up a book and handed it out to him.
"Would you read it out loud to me?" She sat beside him, and her hands turned to the right section as she settled her head on his shoulder. "You said I should rest today after all."
Erik picked up the book, but looked at her as she came closer. He knew exactly where to begin reading, but he wanted to watch her a moment longer before he began reading the line she'd pointed to. before the line she'd pointed to.
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose garden...
There was a moment where everything had gone black in the detective's mind. Nadir set the entertainment section on the desk and brought a hand to his chin.
"No," he murmured. It wasn't possible...and yet, the photograph looked so much like...
He pulled open his desk drawer and produced an old news clipping, then a magnifying glass. No..this isn't him, he thought to himself. Erik would not break his promise to me...But there he was, clad in a black mask for the whole of the city to see. And then there was the girl beside him... the mysterious apparition.
"Christine Daae."
Damn Erik to hell for this...
They'd grown bored with poems, and had settled into the opening scene of Dr. Faustus. Christine closed her eyes as he read, wanting to remember everything about his voice from its tone to the reverberation of his chest as he spoke.
"Am I boring you, Christine?" He paused a moment to look at her. She smiled and shook her head. "Are you perhaps still tired, then?"
"No, I'm perfectly fine." She paused a moment. "Although...I was thinking about how odd life is just now."
"Odd?" He quirked an eyebrow.
"Yes, a year ago I couldn't have pictured this. Any of it. Love was...is..." She admitted this as if embarrassed, but Erik took one of her hands in his and brought it to his chest so that she could feel his heartbeat.
"I...never thought I had...the right to..." His tripping words were stopped, however, by the incessant ringing of his cell phone. They looked at each other a moment, and Christine nodded her head. Erik rose and went into the kitchen to answer it.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Erik."
Erik sighed with frustration at the Daroga's timing. "Daroga, I thought we'd made our peace already." What more could the nosy man want?
"I was only calling to congratulate you, Erik. I saw the paper this morning." The unspoken meaning in the detective's voice made Erik pause. Slowly Erik made sense of the man's words. Somehow, some mention must have been made in the newspaper.
"It was only once, Daroga. I won't..."
"Your singer is very beautiful, but she reminds me of someone," Nadir commented. Erik shut his eyes quickly. The flashes of light he'd seen as they'd performed had been cameras. And Nadir, who never read the entertainment section, had seen it. "Do you know why that is, Erik?"
Erik was at a loss. There was nothing to be gained in this conversation, only one very precious thing to be held onto. "No, I don't."
"Please, don't insult us both by feigning stupidity," Nadir responded harshly. "Come and meet me. At the park, off the Fifth."
"When?"
"Now. Right now." Nadir hung up, leaving Erik little room to argue.
What would he do? Of course, he had no option but to meet his old friend. Somehow, this affair had come to light, and now was not the time to further upset the Persian man. But what to say to her! He wanted nothing more than to read with her, be near her, but he had to leave. It was for both their sakes. He picked his keys up from the hook and stepped out of the kitchen. Christine heard him approach and looked up, head to one side.
"What's wrong, Erik?"
"Nothing..I think I ought to make a quick trip, though." He slipped on his coat. "I don't have anything to prepare for dinner. I completely forgot about it." He watched her raise an eyebrow, a small smirk on her face.
"That doesn't sound like you."
Erik nodded his head slowly, but said nothing. He unlocked the door. "I'll be back soon." He didn't know what would happen now, but he would come back. He would not lie to her.
AN: Thank Cymbidium for her quick, excellent work! Please, leave reviews and wait for the next installment. If there are lots of reviews, I will work hard at the story and procrastinate more on my exams :)
