Chapter Seventeen

A couple days later, a week away from New Year's Eve. The ballet was to be performed the next night, marking the last performance before the New Year commenced. Leah had been walking around her room many times a day to build her endurance up to where it used to be. She was angry enough that she had to miss this ballet, she was definitely not going to miss the next one.

Leah was in the process of making the circuit around her room again, while Jim watched, lounging on the end of her bed. Leah's steps grew more confident as they grew less unsteady, and she could go longer without getting as tired.

"Jim," Leah said to him as she rested for a moment. "Are you going to let me out of this prison of a room to go to the ballet tomorrow night?"

"Oh, I suppose so," he said offhandedly. "If you promise to be good."

Leah made a face at him and he grinned. "What time would you like to go down?" She asked him.

Jim sat up straight. "I will not be going, I'm sorry," he told her. "I have some appointments tomorrow night that I cannot miss. You'll have to tell me about it the next day."

"Oh," She frowned a bit. "Alright then. I guess I can go down by myself."

"I would rather you go with somebody, I do not want you alone in here, or down the hallways."

A knock on the door surprised them both. Jim got up to unlock it, as Leah was across the room and wouldn't be able to get to the door quick enough. Leah leaned against the wall as Jim opened the door. Now familiar with almost every movement of his, she recognized a bit of anger in his tense shoulders. He stepped back from the door and allowed Victor to enter.

Leah was amazed. The last time she saw the Tenor, he was an unconscious mass of bruises and lumps. His fair skin was back to normal and he was able to walk, though rather stiffly. His hand was still bandaged tightly, but Leah saw that as a good sign. If the bones were crushed beyond repairing, the doctor would have removed the unnecessary bandages.

Victor smiled when he saw her, looking as relieved as she felt. He slowly walked further into the room and stopped near a table.

"Good afternoon," he said, his voice rough and quiet.

"Hi Victor," she said back.

Victor turned to Jim, who was watching them both. "Would you mind if I had a moment alone with Leah?"

Jim turned to Leah and spoke to her instead of the Tenor. "I will go get us something for dinner. I will be back in a few moments." In that short speech, Leah knew he was telling Victor that he did not trust him to be alone with her, and reminding him that it was Jim who was with her every moment of the day. Leah was not sure whether to be angry or flattered. She decided to be neither and nodded to Jim, who left quickly, not quite shutting the door behind him.

As soon as he was gone, Victor looked back at Leah. "I am happy to see that you have recovered," he said sincerely. "I had heard terrible things. I heard them calling for a priest," he said with a shaky voice. "The doctor told me you were near death. That nothing could save you. What happened?"

"I don't know," Leah replied honestly. "Everybody is reluctant to speak to me about when I was sick. But I pestered Madame Giry for a while and all she told me is that they were trying to break down the door. Jim had locked and barricaded it and was not letting anybody in. Next thing they knew, my fever had broken." She shrugged. "I suppose it does not matter, I am alive, that is what really matters."

She walked towards him, her steps as slow as his. "And how are you feeling? The last time I saw you, you….were not looking well," she said delicately.

He held out his arms, looking down at himself. "As you can see, the bastard did not leave a permanent mark. I am told my hand will be better in a few days' time."

"Oh Victor, what happened?" She asked him.

"I am not too sure," he said, scratching his head. "I remember leaving you in the hallway, heading for my room. But before I could get there, something hit me from behind." He shrugged. "Next thing I knew, I woke up in some kind of dungeon. A man was standing at the other end of the room. He saw that I was awake and started to speak to me." He shook his head. "I cannot remember all of what he said, but I know he mentioned you."

Leah held back a shudder. "Did…did he have blond hair?"

"Yes he did."

"I knew it. Nobody but the Phantom would have done that to you." Leah rubbed her chilled arms. "Did he say anything else that you remember?"

"If I do not stay away from you," he said. "He will not worry about 'keeping me whole' next time."

"He left me a note, after I had found you," Leah told him. "He said that what he did to you was just a warning." She reached out to him with shaking hands. "Oh Victor, I am so afraid." He took her in his arms and tried to ease her shivering. "I was so angry after what happened to you, it was my fault. It was my fault what happened to me as well. I fought back and he hurt me badly. I almost died Victor," She paused to swallow, her voice growing teary. "Everything is my fault, and I am scared. I have been scared since I woke up, though Jim does not know. I do not want him to see how afraid I am."

Victor smoothed down her hair and rocked her gently. She took a deep breath, "He is going to come back," she said. "I know it." Her voice grew soft as she remembered. "I heard the fury in his voice as he was screaming at me to get back in the boat," she said, and Victor tightened his arms around her. "I can still hear his threats, as if he is standing next to me and whispering in my ear."

Leah stood up and took a step back from him. She wiped her face with a handkerchief from the table and obliviously traced her thumb over Jim's initials. "I am afraid to sleep," she admitted.

"But why?" Victor asked quietly. "There is always somebody here when you are asleep. You are safe."

Leah laughed bitterly. "I am not safe. I am especially not safe to those around me. He will hurt you all to get back at me, and then, when I am alone, he will come back. He will always come back," she said, her eyes distant.

Victor walked forward and put his hands on her shoulders. "Leah, everything will be fine, the managers have extra security now, three men to patrol the hallway outside your room alone, not to mention the rest of them out there. They will keep you safe." He lifted her chin to look in her eyes. "Now," he said, changing the subject. "Are you going to the ballet tomorrow?"

Leah nodded and cleared her throat. "I would very much like to watch it."

"Is Jim taking you?" Victor said his name reluctantly.

"No, he has other appointments."

"Alright then, I shall be your escort. I will come and get you shortly before it begins." He stepped back to look at her completely. "And I expect you to wear something other than night clothes," he said and she chuckled weakly.

"I will be sure to dress appropriately," she replied.

Just then, the door opened, admitting Jim who was carrying a covered tray. He set it down on the small table near the bed and walked back to the door, holding it open and looking pointedly at Victor.

"If you will excuse us," Jim said to the Tenor. "Leah has to take her medicine now."

Victor turned to Leah. "I will see you tomorrow night," he said and walked away. He paused at the door and muttered something to Jim that Leah could not hear. Jim closed the door as soon as the other man had cleared the doorway, and audibly locked it.

Leah sighed, but did not say a word. She slowly made her way over to her bed and sat down near the table and chair. Jim sat down on the chair moments later. He uncovered the tray and set a plate in front of her, containing actual food. Leah looked at it, and looked up at Jim, her eyebrows raised in question.

"The doctor said that if you can keep this down, you will not be forced to live off of soup anymore." He poured dark tea into her mug and caught the face she made out of the corner of his eye. "But you still have to drink this for a few more days yet."

"Blech," she said, ignoring the mug and starting on her dinner. She had almost forgotten how chicken tasted, and the potato was just the way she liked it.

Jim let her eat in silence for a minute before finally asking her, "What is happening tomorrow night?"

"Victor is taking me to the ballet." Jim opened his mouth to say something, but Leah went on. "You even said you wanted somebody to go with me. If you do not like it, you should not have scheduled appointments for tomorrow." She stabbed her fork into a wedge of potato for emphasis.

"I know what I said, Mademoiselle," he said, a little amused. "But forgive me if I am not fond of your choice of escort."

"Well then," Leah crossed her arms. "Next time you should ask me, and spare yourself the grief."

Jim made a face at her, and, the subject closed, they finished their dinner in silence. Leah tried to put her full mug on the tray, but Jim pushed it back at her. "Leah," he said, exasperated, "This is for your own good. It will make you better, faster."

"Have you tried drinking this?" She asked him, holding the mug out towards him. "It is awful."

Jim took the cup from her and drank a bit of it. "There, happy now?" He turned away from her and scrunched up his face in disgust.

"I saw that!" Leah shouted.

Jim turned back to her, smiling guiltily. "Saw what?" He asked innocently.

"I told you this tea is not fit to drink, medicine or no." Leah again pushed the mug away from her.

"Alright, alright," he said, fending her words off with his hands. "If I go and fetch something from the doctor to sweeten it, will you drink it?"

"Not likely," Leah said defiantly.

Jim crossed his arms. "If I get you something for dessert as well? Would you drink it then?"

"Maybe," Leah said. "I promise nothing."

Jim left, taking the tray with him. Leah yawned behind her hand, refusing to acknowledge her tiredness. She picked up the book she had started a few days ago, and finding her place, continued to read while waiting for Jim to return. After a few moments, she felt her eyes wanting to close. She sat up straight, leaning against the headboard, and took a sip of the now-cold medicine to wake her up.

She washed her mouth out with the cold water in another mug, and put her book down. She looked around her room for something else to do and her eyes settled on her sewing. Perfect. Sewing needed plenty of concentration. She crawled to the end of her bed and leaned over, grabbing the skirt that needed to be mended. It was sitting on a pile of papers and Leah winced guiltily. Jim was being kept away from his work at the Opera and the work he did at his home, just to take care of her.

Leah moved back up to the head of her bed and found the place where she left off. While her sewing kept her fingers busy and her body awake, it regretfully left her mind free to wander. Her thoughts were determined to go back, to go down to the half-remembered hours spent in the dark and cold. She physically turned her head, trying to turn away from her thoughts. She focused instead on the ballet the next night. She still could not remember which ballet they were going to be performing. Leah hoped Angie had a good role.

Leah kept her mind wandering on safe topics, keeping herself distracted until Jim returned. He set a small plate in front of her with a piece of chocolate cake on it, setting one in front of himself as well. "The cook had some extra time this morning," he explained. Leah looked suspiciously at a steaming cup he set next to her plate.

"And that?" She asked.

"That is for afterwards. The doctor made it taste better, I promise."

Leah narrowed her eyes at him but the cake in front of her tempted her more than she wanted to provoke Jim. The chocolate was delicious and Leah felt she could agree to drink a whole pot of tea afterwards. Though she was not going to tell Jim that.

Once their plates were scraped clean, Jim insistently pushed the tea closer to Leah's hand. "It tastes better, I swear." He said to her.

Leah drank it back all in one swallow and dropped the mug back on the tray. She took a sip of water.

"How was it?" Jim asked her.

"It was not bad. Different though," Leah said truthfully. Jim packed up their plates while Leah went into the bathing room to change into a clean nightdress. She dropped her laundry into the pile and stopped in the doorway.

Leah put a hand one her head, feeling dizzy. She stepped into her room, her vision blurry. "Jim?" She said. "I don't feel so well."

Jim walked quickly towards her and caught her as she fell. "I am sorry Leah," he said as she tried to focus on his rapidly darkening face. "This is for your own good…"


Leah woke late the next morning to a cool cloth being patted on her forehead. She mumbled something incoherent and turned her face away from the cold dampness of it. The hand with the cloth persisted and irritatingly woke her further from the pleasant murkiness of sleep. She cracked open her eyes and saw nothing but a blurred outline of someone leaning over her.

She heard Jim's voice and her eyes focused enough so that she could see him as well. "Leah? Are you awake?"

"Did you drug me?" Leah's accusation was slightly slurred.

"Why did you not tell me you weren't sleeping?" Jim asked back, not answering her.

"I did not want you to worry about me more than you were," She said, closing her eyes again. "I was fine."

"Fine, ha." Jim scoffed. "Nobody can go without sleep for any length of time."

Leah shrugged and Jim tapped her shoulder, making her look at him. "And I will continue to drug you until you can sleep properly on your own."

"Jim, no," Leah protested. "I do not want any more drugs, I do not want any more medications. I am feeling much better. I want to go back to practice before I lose any more muscle tone and shape."

"Leah you were too skinny before, I have managed to get you to gain a little weight back. You are looking much better than you were before this awful business happened. Besides, the doctor said you should be up and ready to go back down to practice the day after tomorrow." Jim took pity on her and spoke softly. "I will not give you anything to make you sleep, if you promise that you will tell me next time something is wrong."

"I will," Leah told him. "But it does not matter, I would not have let you drug me again," she said with narrowed eyes.

"If it meant that you were sleeping properly, I would have drugged you no matter what you wanted," Jim replied in the same tone.

Leah pulled herself into a sitting position and wrapped her arms around her knees. "Then," she said slowly, thinking. "The day after tomorrow is when I will be considered healthy again. It will not be considered proper for you to spend the night in my room anymore."

"Trust me," Jim laughed. "It will not matter. Your virtue is already quite tarnished."

"What!" Leah shouted.

"Er, yes," Jim said, embarrassed. "When I locked everybody out of your room. It does not matter that you were unconscious and near death, it was considered inappropriate. And that I spent every night here with you and without a chaperone does not help."

"But," Leah stammered. "But we have not-"

"You know that, and I know that," Jim said softly. "But that does not matter when it comes to popular opinion."

"Oh," Leah said weakly.

"But," Jim continued. "If you wish, I can move into the next room. It is connected to yours by the bathing chamber. I will ask you to keep the door open, so that if anything does happen, I will hear and come running."

Leah nodded slowly and sighed, resting her chin on her knees.

"Are you hungry?" Jim asked her.

"A little," Leah replied.

Jim nodded. "Good. I will go get our breakfast."

Once he was gone, Leah stood up and walked over to her mirror. Using a chair for balance, she began doing exercises and stretches to warm her sleep-stiff muscles. Wobbling a bit, she cursed her poor balance and pushed away the chair. The sooner she regained her near-perfect grace and balance, the happier she would be.

She stretched her leg far out behind her, holding it until she could not bear it. Leah leaned against the vanity, resting. She felt pleasantly sore all over and decided to have a long soak in the tub, once Jim left for his errands, that is. In the edge of her vision, Leah saw something off about the vanity. She looked down and saw that one of the drawers was slightly open.

Thinking Jim had been looking in there, she opened it further, curious. She saw nothing, and opened it as far as it would go. Leah reached inside and felt the back of the drawer.

"Ouch!" She pulled her hand out quickly. Two of her fingers were bleeding, there was something sharp stuck in her drawer. She reached in again, carefully this time and recognized what felt like two sharp pins stuck into the wood. She pulled them free and brought them into the light. There was a small piece of paper stuck to them and Leah pulled it off, her stomach growing cold.

She dropped the needles back into the drawer and unfolded the paper.

'Love can be a wonderful thing. I love you so very much, my sweet. But love can hurt as much as it can heal. I can hurt you far more than you could ever imagine. I could also take care of you and love you more sweetly than any living being on this planet. Do not make me hurt you again. Love can be a dangerous thing.'

There was no signature, but Leah did not need one. She flipped it over and saw that the Phantom had written a date on it. It was written the day before. Breathing fast, Leah crumpled the note between both hands and dropped it back into the drawer, slamming it closed. She walked back to her bed and sat down. She curled up on her side and closed her eyes tightly, wanting to forget what she had read. She refused to let him intimidate her. She stayed that way until she heard the door open. Leah sat up quickly and stretched, as if she had been lying there the whole time.

They ate quickly, not speaking very often, both with something on their minds that they were not saying out loud.

The day passed by quickly. Jim only made Leah drink one cup of the medicinal tea, this time sweetened only with sugar. After lunch, the stagehand left to run a few errands, and Leah got her chance to soak in the tub. She relaxed in the hot water, her favourite bath oil flavoured the air with the smell of roses. She scrubbed her hair until her scalp tingled and her body until her skin was pink from her efforts. She drained the tub and added more clean water to soak in.

The water relaxed her sore muscles and relaxed her mind. She was drifting, not really thinking of anything. She sang to herself, whatever lines floated into her thoughts. She sang parts from La Belle et le Bête and the play came to mind. She smiled, thinking of her 'debut' of sorts, and her cheeks flushed when she remembered how the play had ended.

"Don't stop now, you were doing fine," Jim said from behind her, clapping.

Leah fell off the stool and sank until the water was up to her chin. Glaring at Jim over the side of the tub she said angrily, "What are you doing? Get out of here! I thought you were out doing things."

"I was," he said, not moving. "I finished and came back. I did not want to interrupt you. You have a lovely voice."

"Thank you, but please, go away," Leah said. "It is bad enough what people think about us, without you coming in here while I am undressed."

Jim walked forward, ignoring her angry shouts. He crouched down and looked her straight in the face. "You are looking much better," he told her. "The dark circles under your eyes are gone and you are not so pale." Then he stood up and left the room, closing the door behind him.

"Infuriating man," Leah grumbled to herself, and pulled out the plug, draining the water. She climbed out quickly and dried herself off, wrapping a robe tightly around her damp body. She rubbed the cloth over her hair, drying enough that it would not drip. She walked into her room, shivering at the drop in temperature.

Without looking at Jim, she quickly went to her closet and took out a simple skirt and shirt. She was tired of nightgowns, and did not want to dress up for the ballet quite yet. She changed behind her screen and hung up her towel and robe to dry.

Leah sat down at her vanity table and began running her brush through her long hair. It was very long and very tangled, but her patience for her hair was much greater than her patience for other things. The familiar task was soothing and once more, her mind drifted along, unaware of anything around her.

Leah brushed her hair until it was nearly dry, falling in shining waves to her waist. It framed her face nicely, the darkness of it making her face seem paler than it really was.

"If you sit there admiring yourself any longer, you will miss the ballet," Jim teased.

"Hmm?" Leah blinked and looked around, brush in hand.

"Nothing," Jim said, chuckling.

"What time is it?" Leah asked him, getting up from the vanity.

"It is late," he said. "Come have something to eat before you get all dressed up."

Leah wandered over to the table and picked at her food, not very hungry. She pushed her food around on her plate until Jim took it away from her. "If you are not going to eat, then do not pretend to, go do something else," Jim said, his blue eyes twinkling.

Leah rummaged through her closet, looking for a particular dress. Madame Giry had ordered her some new clothing when she had moved into her room. "Those that do not live in the dormitory can have their own wardrobe," She had told her. "I took the liberty of ordering you some new things."

Her hand brushed the dress she was looking for, and she pulled it free from the closet. She changed behind the screen and smoothed her hands over the fine fabric, liking the feel of it. It was a nice change from the nightgowns she had grown accustomed to. The gown was a deep red, the neckline coming up to just under her chin, encircling her neck. There were no sleeves, but the dress came with a matching shawl to be worn over the shoulders. The skirt was wide and long, and would cover the matching satin shoes.

Leah stepped away from the screen and walked towards the middle of the room. She noticed Jim watching her and spun around, giving him a good look. "What do you think?" She asked, finding her shawl and pulling it on.

"You look very nice," Jim said after a moment. "Makes me wish I was taking you tonight," he admitted and Leah flushed. She sat down in front of her vanity mirror and began working on her hair.

"I have been told that the managers are throwing another ball for New Year's next week," Jim said to her. "Would you do me the honour of joining me there?"

Leah, hands full of long hair and pins, turned on her seat to look at him. "Of course I will. You said that you would take me to the next one anyways."

"I know," he said. "I wanted to make sure you would still go with me."

"I would be delighted if you escorted me to the ball," Leah said formally.

Jim smiled softly.

Leah finished putting her hair up and her make up and stood up at the same time as Jim. He pulled on his coat and turned to look at her for a moment longer. "I have to be going," he said, his voice quiet. "I will probably be back before you. I hope you enjoy the ballet."

"I am sure I will," Leah said, slipping her feet into her shoes. "I have not actually watched a ballet for quite some time now. I almost forget how it looks from the audience."

Just as Jim reached the door, somebody knocked from the other side. Jim hesitated while reaching for the latch, but pulled the door open quickly. Victor was on the other side, looking very well-groomed in a black suit and tie. The Tenor and the stagehand looked at each other for a tense moment, before Victor looked past Jim for Leah and Jim turned away.

"Ready my dear?" Victor asked and Leah nodded. The Tenor stepped back into the hallway and Leah stopped by Jim.

"I will see you later tonight," she said softly.

Jim leaned towards her and spoke in her ear. "Have a good time, do not strain yourself too much."

Leah patted his cheek. "I am just going to watch a ballet, I hardly call that strenuous. Do not worry, I shall be fine."

Outside her room for the first time in many days, Leah took Victor's offered arm and they walked down the long hallway towards the stage.

"I keep forgetting to ask," Leah said after a minute. "What ballet are they performing?"

Victor chuckled. "You were sick, weren't you? It is the Nutcracker ballet tonight and tomorrow night." He sighed quietly.

"Oh," Leah looked up at him. "I forgot that you missed out as well. You were to be the lead, weren't you," she said, not a question.

He shrugged. "We both missed out, but no worries. There will be more ballets. Plus plays and operas and whatever else the managers want."

The stairs were long and they stepped down to join the mass of people heading towards the auditorium. Victor leaned closer so Leah could hear him. "The managers told me that he saved us seats. To give us 'some consideration after our unfortunate mishaps,' or some nonsense like that."

Victor led them to seats near the front, but far enough away to see the whole stage easily. The orchestra was playing quiet music to warm up while everybody settled in their seats.

Leah sat down and pulled her shawl tighter around her shoulders. She had never noticed how chilly the room was before.

"Would you like my coat?" Victor asked her, noticing her movement.

"Oh, no I am alright, thank you."

Victor leaned intimately close, his breath tickling the bit of neck not covered by her dress. "You look beautiful tonight, my dear," he said.

Leah felt her cheeks grow warm and she fought down her blush. Victor noticed and sat back, smiling knowingly. The lights faded and the orchestra quieted. The audience members stopped talking and fell into an anticipating silence.

The curtains parted and the song started and Leah lost herself in the music as usual.