Opera Ghost
Chapter Twenty Eight

Dan pounded relentlessly on the trap door, but somehow it had locked and he was unable to get through. He barely had enough time to open his mouth to utter a warning before Jessalyn was dragged away from him. Claudine desperately tried to stop him.

"Daniel it's no use. Let's just go while there is still time," she begged.

"Are you crazy? I just can't leave her here!" he protested, pulling on the latch with all his might.

"Jessalyn is risking her life to save us…" Claudine tried to reason.

"She doesn't have to do this, to sacrifice herself. It's stupid," he said between clenched teeth. He turned to see that Tony and Lucas and already descended into the tunnel below the cellar. Claudine tried once more tugging on his shirt, but he pushed her off. "I won't leave her," he sighed, exhausted from his efforts.

Claudine stopped tugging and stepped back from him. There was silence for a moment, before Dan tried to open the door again. "You really care for her, don't you?" she asked. Dan looked back at her and saw remorse and sadness in the young woman's eyes. Sure he had flirted with her before, but he hadn't thought anything of it. He had imagined she felt the same way, but apparently he was wrong.

Dan nodded. "I was a complete idiot not to realize it until now." He knew that he had hurt Claudine and Jess. He couldn't blame Claudine for being infuriated with him. Claudine moved forward and wrapped her arms around him. Dan fell into the warm embrace for a moment and felt her lips tremble slightly as she kissed him on the cheek. Perhaps she wasn't ready to let him go.

"Then go to her," she whispered "You don't have much time." She pulled away to go into the second trap door, urging him on with her eyes. Daniel glanced around in the darkness, crowded by dusty barrels. There had to be another way not out, but in.

Erik held Jessalyn tight against his body furious at her betrayal and at the same time still afraid that if he let go for one second, she would slip away from him forever. She was now refusing to look at him in, out of spite as she kept her head turned away. Frustrated, he shook her as if he was still a child with an uncontrollable temper.

"Stop…"she whispered raggedly.

"No. How dare you listen to that fool!" he spat. "What does he know of the love I have for you?" He reached up to touch her face and she grimaced in disgust.

"Let go of me!" she shouted, throwing her arms back and forth until he gave up resisting. She backed away and collapsed into a chair, looking at him finally. Her eyes were full of shock. She kept glancing at her hands, and then at his resting by his side.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Your hands," she breathed, terrified. "They smell like death." He watched her pull her knees up to her chest, the unique strong build of her body seeming to fade and grow frail and weak before his very sight.

Erik sighed. Nothing had changed. He turned his back to her, half in anger, half because he could not bear to look on her face, so contorted with fear, any longer.

"I can't love you, Erik," she said. "And there is nothing you can do to change my mind…or my heart. I'm sorry…" She choked on tears, which gave him the faintest hope that she didn't truly mean what she was saying. "But that's the way it has to be."

"No, it doesn't." Erik said, still not wanting to look her in the eyes. "I know that living with me is not as ideal as you could imagine, but I will make you the happiest of women," he countered.

"No, we are literally from two different worlds. If it wasn't for what I've discovered these past months, I would still think you were just a fictional character. I want to believe," she stopped, sighing. "I wish you could have your happy ending, but some things just aren't…"

"Stop, you don't know what you are talking about," he interrupted.

"How do you know?" she challenged back angrily.

"No more excuses," Erik replied hollowly, turning back to look at her. He wouldn't be sensitive to her tears any more. He could be threatening, if he had to. "Christine, how can you think of leaving me for him? Haven't I been patient enough, waiting all these years? Waiting for you to come back to me. Life with me is not so bad, is it? Yes, it is different but I can offer you everything you've ever dreamed of. Anything in the world, not just shelter and wealth, but everlasting love and compassion without limits. Even immortality."

He expected her to be silent and speechless at his offer, but instead she sat up boldly, though tears still ran down her cheeks.

"Then say you love me, and say my name," she demanded. Erik stepped back, placing his hand on the wall behind him. He couldn't believe what she had just said. Was it just that easy?

"I must know if you have fallen in love with me, or do you still think I'm Christine? Are you still in love with her?"

Her question hit him like a brick to his head. Of course I love Christine, I'll never forget her. He looked at Jessalyn closely. Her chin was square and her eyes not that exact shade of bright crystal blue. It was true that her hair was darker and lay flat against her shoulders instead of curling wildly around them. She filled out a dress that Christine's body would have appeared lost in. She spoke up, with spirit in her voice even when she was frightened, never in a hollow whisper. Her voice had an edge, not a clear bell tone quality. Though she may have turned away in anger, or winced if she felt threatened by him, she never refused to face him because she was consumed by pure horror. Even when she had knocked off his mask and screamed, her face afterwards had expressed pity and grief and had not grown pale with terror.

Christine?

His neck felt suddenly tense as he ran his shaking hand through his hair. "All I want is to be loved for myself," Jess pleaded. "That's all anyone wants, even you Erik."
He watched her rise to her feet.She wrapped the fingers of her right hand over her left one, where she had kept his gold ring. It looked like she was going to take it off, and he would be rejected once more. Sorrow and regret filled him and he thought of all the awful things he had done. No wonder she didn't love him. He hadn't given her the chance to learn to love.

But her hand remained still and then dropped to her side. She gave up and fell back onto the loveseat, not having the courage to break his heart. Why?

You don't deserve her.

"No," he said placing his hands over his ears. He then marched over to her and set beside her. He could no longer restrain himself anymore as he wrapped his arms around her torso, feeling her warm shaking body against his. He cradled her as if she was a child and she didn't struggle. "I love you…." he whispered, reaching up his hand to cup her chin bringing it inches away from his jaw, "Jessalyn…."
Then he kissed her. At once he felt his ghostly lips spring back to life again, as they enclosed around her soft mouth. He kept his mouth around her lips and could feel her open as she breathed into him. He brought his right hand to her hair, stroking her hair tenderly. Her breath inside him was intoxicating, as if he could breathe again. She began to close her lips and Erik brought his around her bottom lip, slowly offering her several tender kisses before he dared to pull away.

"I love you, Jessalyn," said another voice.

Erik pulled away, still keeping one arm around Jessalyn's shoulder and snapped his head back. There stood in the center of the room, that detestable boy. His fists were red and his knuckles bloody, one hand lifted to the level of his eye in defense.

"Dan," Jess gasped.

"How did you get in here? I thought you would have scampered away with the other rats," Erik challenged.

"For the lover of trapdoors, you have certainly lost track of how many are in your house, sir," Daniel explained. "And besides, you were careless and left the torture chamber door open again."

Erik stood up, pulling Jessalyn along with him. "If you are so clever, monsieur, to find your way back into my home, perhaps you would have enough sense to leave."

"I thought I'd stay. You'll need witnesses for your false wedding anyway." Dan mocked confidently, advancing. Jess swung herself between them, even though Erik still kept a firm grip on her hand.

"Please, Dan, do what he says," she asked.

"Leave! I need no witnesses for this ceremony!" Erik shouted.

"No matter how much you trick yourself into believing she'll marry you, she won't love you. If anyone should know that it's you," Dan tried to reason

"You are wrong, sir. You have no idea what compassion and devotion I will lay before her. In time, she will learn to love me." Erik shot back.

"Stop lying to yourself. She will hate you for it, if you force her to live down here!" Dan took another step forward.

"Stop it! Stop it both of you!" Jess screamed.

Dan circled around them cautiously. "This isn't just a matter of pulling her from the world above to live with you. It isn't even about her courage to sacrifice her life for all of us. You'll rob her of everything. Keeping her away from her family, who will be heartbroken if she doesn't come home. It will be her funeral you are sending her to, not her wedding."

Erik boiled with rage. "You fool, how dare you assume anything? What do you know of the passion I've inspired in her. You who study books and films of fiction, who are engrossed in the fantasy which you believe is my life. You are the coward, not even worthy of my lover's affection or friendship." Erik paused in his fury of insults to turn away, disgusted. "You understand nothing."

Jessalyn was crying again. She brought her free hand up to her face and covered it. "Why must you two argue about me as if I weren't here, as if I were just a prize? Only I know how I feel. I make my own judgment and my own decisions. Me, me!" she sobbed now taking her fists and wailing it to the floor. "How could you do this to me?" she shouted glancing at both of them. "You claim to love and care for me, but God damn you both, you are tearing me apart!"

Erik and Dan were both silent for a moment. Erik let go of Jessalyn's hand as she slumped to the ground. He wanted Daniel to make the next move; knowing whatever he would say would hurt her more.

"I'm sorry Jess, but this isn't about deciding between us. I didn't mean it that way." He got down to his knees to reach her but Erik stepped forcefully toward him, causing him to jump back. "This is about you, your life. You have to leave here; you'll die if you don't."

"Don't listen to him," Erik snapped. He charged toward Daniel, stepping over Jessalyn's form with one stride and shoving Dan. He hit him with such force that he went sprawling backward and didn't stop till he hit the other wall. Erik pounded his fists on a nearby table. "I am tired of waiting!" he shouted as his temper flared beyond his control. "I've waited for over a hundred years. I love you, Christine. I want you, and I won't wait any longer."

He glared at Jessalyn, feeling his face burn. "Make your choice."

A/N: Speaking of waiting, thank you all for waiting and importantly your positive responses and attitudes towards this story I really wanted to finish this sooner but you can't always get what you want. I can tell you there are lest than 5 chapters left, so hang on. Thanks again to my beta and to all my readers and fans.