The Phantom of the Opera: Chapter 11
Disclaimer: DC Comics owns "Teen Titans." Gaston Leroux owns the original story of "The Phantom of the Opera." Andrew Lloyd Webber owns the musical version. I own whatever I write/create. Don't steal and don't sue.
A/N: If some original characters in this story confuse you, please refer to my story "Book of Demons" for more information about them.
When there is something very special waiting at the end of a period of time, that time can be an eternity for all involved. Three months can go as slowly as three years, and it was so for the patrons and occupants of the Paris Opera House. For Robin, the three months spent recuperating from his injuries were maddening. He was desperate for Starfire, but she would allow no news of herself to reach his ears.
Even Starfire's nearly limitless patience was tested. Her dreams were once again shared with Raven, and every time they spoke either waking or asleep, Starfire asked of the opera's progress. For the first six weeks, Raven promised that it was coming along swiftly. As the end of the three months and the start of January drew closer, her answers grew more and more vague, a secretive smile always on her face.
The reason behind the impatience of most everyone else in Paris was simple. When the New Year rolled about, the Opera House always threw a grand masquerade ball. The interior of the Opera House was open to the subscribers and the employees, but throngs of people still would cluster and dance in the street to the music and singing they heard from within.
Costume designers, mask makers, and tailors collected their best sales of the entire year just before the masquerade. It was a time for celebration and renewal. Cyborg and Beast Boy were eager to try their hands at the ball, their confidence burgeoned by the peace that had fallen on the Opera House. They planned for buffets of food and wine, instructing Monsieur le Blood to find a suitably large number of cheery songs for the dances that would occur.
It was shaping up to be one of the grandest masquerades ever held in Paris. Two days before the Saturday of the event, Raven came to Starfire in person while she sat on the roof. As Starfire had asked her, Raven did not wear the mask when they were alone.
"Have you made plans for the ball?" she asked, sitting in the space Starfire had cleared next to herself. Starfire nodded, leaning casually to put her head on Raven's shoulder. "What will you be dressed as?"
"A bride." Raven smiled, but gave a soft sigh.
"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I know that I said we would leave when the opera was finished."
"Has it been finished?" Starfire asked, turning to look eagerly at Raven. The woman smiled and nodded.
"I would like it to be performed once," she explained. "Here—at the Opera House after the masquerade."
"But we're performing Faust after the masquerade," Starfire protested. Raven shook her head, smiling secretively once again.
"That will change," she said simply. "Come now—go back inside and make sure you're prepared for a wonderful evening at the masquerade." She stood up and offered her hand to Starfire. The young woman took Raven's hand and was pulled easily to her feet. She barely had time to see the mischievous smile on Raven's face before the other woman pulled her close and wrapped them both in her dark indigo cloak. The chill of the snow around them vanished immediately in the warm folds. Starfire put her arms around Raven's waist, snuggling her head just under Raven's chin.
"I'll only have a wonderful evening if you're there," she murmured against Raven's shoulder. Raven smiled, petting Starfire's long red hair.
"I'll be there," she said. "I promise."
"What will you be?" Starfire asked. "How will I find you?" Raven chuckled and shook her head.
"That's my surprise," she replied. "I'll find you, Koriand'r. It won't be difficult to see the most beautiful bride at the party." Starfire flushed prettily, hugging Raven tighter for a moment. "Now go on. I'll see you Saturday evening." She led Starfire to the stairwell, reluctantly parting from the young woman. Starfire opened the stairwell's door, but paused before closing it again.
She turned about, facing Raven with a bright smile. She drew closer and kissed the woman slowly. Raven's hands cupped Starfire's cheeks naturally, their eyes closing. It was a good deal of time before Starfire pulled away. She smiled at the faintly surprised look on Raven's face, putting her hand on the doorknob.
"Until Saturday," she said. "I'll save you my first dance." She went through the door and vanished down the stairs. Raven stood dumbfounded, one hand lifting to press fingers against her lips. After a moment, she smiled broadly. Humming quietly, Raven swept away into the shadows, all too eager for Saturday to arrive.
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The first thing Robin did when released from the hospital was blatantly ignore his doctor's orders. He had been warned that his heart was still weak, and he should still rest in bed for several days lest the muscle be permanently damaged. Due to the fact that he had been released late Saturday morning, Robin hurried as fast as he could to the nearest tailor. He was fitted for a new suit, and he purchased the last black domino mask the shop had in within its walls.
He went back to his flat, noting that an invitation to the masquerade had been delivered to him. The man tidied himself quickly, shaving the stubble that had sprouted on his chin and slicking back his now shoulder-length hair. The evening came upon him too quickly, and he demanded that his driver spur the horses on dangerously fast. Robin arrived at the Paris Opera House just as the first fireworks were shot into the sky.
All around him were skeletons, devils, ghosts, and angels. Masks of every shade danced around him, the cheers of those that wore the masks ringing in his ears. Music echoed out from within the Opera House, growing louder as Robin strode quickly up the stairs.
"Vicomte!" He spun about to find a pair of skeletons advancing on him. He took a step backwards, his eyes narrowing even as the skeletons began to lift their masks. Beast Boy and Cyborg were revealed, their smiles massive.
"Vicomte!" Beast Boy said again. "So good to see you! Have you healed well?"
"I'm fine," the man replied tersely. "Where—?"
"Oh, good, good!" Cyborg interrupted. "It's wonderful to hear that."
"Yes, it is," Robin snarled. "Now where—?"
"Speaking of where, you haven't happened to see where Mademoiselles Terra and Bumblebee are, have you?" Beast Boy asked.
"I don't know and I don't care!" Robin snapped. "Now tell me where Starfire is!" Beast Boy and Cyborg started, looking to each other for a moment. Their expressions cooled when they returned their gaze to Robin, and their voices were less than jovial.
"I'm not quite certain," Beast Boy said.
"She's been refusing dance offers since arriving, so I hope you had a prior engagement if you want the first dance of the evening with her," Cyborg murmured. "If you'll excuse us, we need to find our fiancées." They readjusted their masks and strode away, leaving the man standing alone. He growled low in his throat before storming into the crowd.
In his pocket, he carried a small jeweler's box. He patted his hip a number of times to reassure himself that the box was still in his pocket, his eyes scanning the crowd for any sign of Starfire. Based on what Cyborg had said, he knew that Starfire would most likely be amidst a large crowd as the center of attention. Robin saw many large clusters of people, but Starfire was nowhere to be found among them.
He paused when he heard soft murmurs of astonishment. His gaze turned to the large stairway, where many other eyes were trained. The couple he saw looked the very height of elegance, and though he loathed them both, he could not turn his eyes away from Chaos and Kali.
Chaos was dressed in a suit cut to her lithe frame. The white dress shirt was crisp, its edges clearly defined against the inky black of the jacket buttoned neatly over it. The cuffs of the jacket were large and ornately designed: golden fabric with blood-red flames curling upward. A cape flowed from her shoulders, the inlay of it designed with ornate patterns of gold and red. As Chaos strode down the stairs, the heels of her boots sounding quietly to let the music play clearly, the patterns seemed to move with the ripples of the cape and the flickering light. From beneath the fedora on her head, Chaos smiled, her focus on the woman on her arm.
Kali wore something that was entirely new to Parisian society: a kimono. It could be separated into white and black, but the design was far more complex. Pure white began at the neck and shoulders, and red thread outlined black designs of wind-blown petals. As the eye naturally traveled downward, the white color began to gradually darken. The petal designs grew lighter, though the red trim remained vivid and bright. By the bottom of the kimono, the shades had switched. The majority of the cloth was black, with white petals dancing in a breeze captured only by the artisan's hand. Kali's smile matched Chaos's, a few strands of her gray hair slipping from the braid that fell down her back to hang before her face.
The two women stepped from the stairway, and the crowd parted. From a closer distance, the final pieces of their costumes could be seen. Around both of their necks were identical necklaces. Gold chain held up a perfect circle of black diamond, and a single ruby was set in the center. As Kali and Chaos made their way into the meandering crowd, Robin shook himself from his staring. The first dance was soon to start, and he still had not found Starfire. He hurried up the stairs, ignoring the painful thumping in his chest all the while.
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Starfire had seen so many masks emulating the Opera Ghost's that she wondered briefly if Raven had slipped a mask-maker a design. That year, the Phantom of the Opera was a popular figure to masquerade as. Many of these figures had asked for Starfire's assistance in the first dance, but she refused every person—Phantom or not—that asked. It was clear to Starfire that Raven had not yet appeared.
There were too many subtle things that told her to wait. None of her hopeful dance partners had the same effortless grace. None of their voices matched the voice that she loved to hear. No eyes were the same. Even those that came close in shade could not equal the intense gaze Starfire had come to feel on her very skin. She continued to stand alone, waiting and listening to the small portion of the orchestra play as a band.
"Mademoiselle Starfire." She turned, drawing in a breath to voice her refusal. She choked when she saw Robin standing close behind her.
"May—may I help you?" Starfire asked, taking a reflexive step backward.
"I insist that you share the first dance with me," Robin replied.
"I'm sorry," she said while shaking her head. "I've promised someone else the first dance." Robin stepped closer to her.
"I insist," he said. "It's the very least you could do."
"I will not break a promise, monsieur," Starfire murmured coolly. "Not for you, nor for anyone else."
"You wouldn't break a promise for your fiancée?" He drew the jeweler's box from his pocket, flicking it open with one hand to reveal the diamond ring while reaching for Starfire's arm. A slender, long-fingered hand grabbed his wrist. Starfire and Robin both turned, Robin with a scowl on his face and Starfire in wide-eyed surprise.
The figure that stood before them was a mystery that Robin could not decipher. The suit—a mirror of his own—was cut for a man, as was the red-lined cape that fluttered down from the shoulders, but the pale face that he could see beneath the white domino mask seemed feminine. The long blue-black hair was tied elegantly back, a few strands falling artfully before equally dark blue eyes. The person smiled.
"Forgive the interruption." Robin shuddered and tried to wrench his hand away. The voice was similarly androgynous, and he hated the power carried in the smooth sound immediately. "I do believe the young woman has a fiancée already." The hand pushed Robin's arm away before gracefully moving to Starfire. She smiled and offered her left hand in return, and Robin noticed the gold ring on her finger.
"Monsieur le Vicomte," Starfire said sweetly. "This is my fiancée." Robin's jaw tightened at the smile and nod the masked figure gave to him. He stood scowling at the pair of them, refusing to return even the slightest polite gesture. The music grew softer; a signal that the first official dance was soon to begin. "I've promised the first dance to my fiancée, monsieur. If you'll excuse us." She and the masked figure made their way toward the stairway, leaving Robin behind.
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"Thank you." Starfire lifted her eyes at the soft murmur. The masked face was impossible to read, but the softness of the eyes beneath the mask was all Starfire needed. She smiled at Raven as they moved smoothly through a waltz.
"Whatever for?" she asked in a similarly soft voice.
"You introduced me as your fiancée," Raven said, a smile curling her lips. Starfire could see the traces of a blush from beneath the mask, her own smile growing. "I suppose…a method to be rid of le Vicomte?"
"I would introduce you to anyone in the same way," Starfire replied. Only her natural ability to follow a beat kept Raven from falling out of step. Her self-defeating theory was shattered by the firmness of Starfire's voice and the honesty in her eyes.
"Thank you," she murmured again, even more quietly than before. Starfire blushed, her entire being softening as she gazed at Raven. They continued to dance, though in silence. After a moment, Starfire took a deep breath.
"Will you come to my dreams tonight?" she asked in a whisper.
"I don't think I could do anything else," Raven said in return. She saw how Starfire's eyes remained fixed at a point just past her shoulder, leaning her head down slightly in an attempt to catch the young woman's eyes. "Are you all right?" Starfire nodded, but slowly.
"I…would like to dance with you more closely," she said. She frowned at the vagueness of it all, loathing for a moment her inability to explain. "Without this space between us." She nodded at the foot of distance between them—the proper space for a waltz. Raven smiled and nodded, Starfire feeling a flood of relief that the woman understood.
"My last dance is reserved for you," Raven said. "I promise we'll dance as you want." Starfire smiled, her left hand squeezing Raven's arm. Their swaying stopped in time with the end of the music. All around them, other couples applauded the music, and Monsieur le Blood bowed. Before Raven and Starfire could join in the applause—before the thought of letting each other go even crossed their minds—Robin appeared.
"May I have the next dance?" He took Starfire's right arm by the wrist and pulled her away from Raven. Before either woman could protest, another piece of music began. Robin led Starfire away in a waltz that was little more than a hurried stride. He stopped moving only after glancing back over his shoulder.
"Good," he murmured. He put his right hand on Starfire's side, squeezing the wrist that was still clutched in his left. "He didn't follow." The waltz he led them in fell closer to the proper beat, but his dancing was inexplicably fast.
"What?" Starfire asked, blinking. She tried to ignore how very terribly her skin crawled from Robin's touch, discomfort overriding all other thought.
"Your supposed fiancée. He didn't follow." Starfire forced her face to remain impassive against her sudden flash of anger.
"That is my fiancée," she hissed.
"There was no formal announcement," Robin replied. "Any man would want to show his prize."
"I am not a prize," Starfire said, her voice darkening further. Robin laughed aloud, forcing her to spin abruptly.
"You will be my prize soon enough," he said as he drew her back from the spin. "Marry me."
"I am already engaged." She stopped dancing and pulled away, the music drawing to a close in time with her movement. Robin's smile faded into a scowl, and he opened his mouth to speak. Before a word could slip past his twisted lips, footfalls sounded clearly from behind Starfire. The young woman turned, a smile appearing when she saw Raven striding toward her.
"My dear mademoiselle," the masked woman said. "Will you honor me with the privilege of the next dance?" Starfire nodded and let Raven take a gentle hold of her hand. Robin, still unable to identify the voice, stood with his scowl growing with every moment.
"It would be my pleasure," she replied. Without another word to Robin, they were away, moving smoothly through the other waltzing couples. Raven's touch was soothing to Starfire, and again she felt the urge to lay her head upon the other woman's chest. Smiling faintly, she looked up into Raven's eyes. The sight she found made every fiber of her soul cry out to make her body flinch, but she stifled the urge, merely drawing a quick, soft breath.
"Is it a terrible thing," Raven asked in a murmur, "to wish I hadn't healed him?" Crimson was shining in her pupils, the contrast between the dark blue of the iris all the more disturbing. Her mouth was turned down in a scowl, and Starfire knew the second set of eyes on Raven's face were open and staring at Robin, even with the mask atop them.
"Don't ask me that. Please." Raven's gaze shifted immediately to Starfire, the fiery red fading from her eyes at the tense expression on the young woman's face.
"Koriand'r?"
"I can stand him no more than you can," Starfire whispered. "But I don't want to wish him harm." She bit her lower lip, looking toward the floor. "I don't want you to hurt anyone." They danced in silence for a time, listening to the music only enough to follow the beat. The hand that Raven had placed so gently on Starfire's hip twitched and slid slowly up onto her side. Warmth spread soothingly from her hand, and Starfire closed her eyes. The small half-smile that curled Raven's lips was all at once reassuring and sad, though Starfire did not see it.
"I want to promise that I won't hurt anyone," the masked woman said, "but I can't."
"I know." Starfire let her fingers caress the curve of muscle on Raven's arm, eyes still closed. Raven put a hand beneath her chin and lifted gently. The touch made Starfire open her eyes and look at Raven, and she saw the smile on her face.
"Is it enough to promise that I won't harm anyone without reason?" After a moment, Starfire smiled and nodded slowly. The music drew to a close, and the two women stopped their slow dance. Hand still cupping Starfire's chin, Raven began to lean forward.
"May I cut in?" Starfire was snatched out of Raven's hands, dragged away before either of them could hope to reach out for the other. Even the action of turning her eyes away from Raven was taken from Starfire as she was roughly pushed and shuffled into place to dance once again. Whatever words she had in mind to say died instantly on her tongue at the sight of Robin. His face was a sickly white, and his eyes were wild. "You are staying with me."
"If I must dance with you, this will be the last," Starfire hissed.
"You are staying with me," the man snarled again. "Do you understand me, woman?"
"I will not." At the slightest movement of her body to move away, Robin's grip tightened painfully around her wrist and on her hip. His face tightened, his lips drawing back to bare his teeth. The half-hearted dance they had been moving in stopped immediately. "Let go of me!"
"You don't understand," Robin said, his voice wavering in an attempt at a consoling tone. The brightness in his eyes spoke more of something deeper that frightened Starfire terribly. "I'm the better choice."
"I don't care." Starfire wrenched away, stepping backward as she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. "I am engaged. I don't want to be with you." She took another step backward. "I want to dance with my fiancée."
"Look around." Robin gestured vaguely toward the crowd, ignoring the many eyes that were falling curiously upon him. "Your fiancée is not here." Starfire blinked rapidly, nervously turning her eyes away from the half-crazed man before her. The music had stopped playing, and the couples had stopped dancing. She could see a great number of masked faces and wary eyes, but she did not see Raven. A cold, insubstantial hand trailed its fingers up and down her spine as Robin took hold of her left hand.
"You will marry me," he said cheerfully. He retrieved the jeweler's box from his pocket. In a single smooth movement, he pulled the ring from Starfire's finger and flung it away. The tiny chime of gold striking marble rang out as he jammed the ill-fitting diamond ring onto Starfire's finger. He smiled, the touch of his hands on hers making Starfire shudder. "Come now—another dance for your real fiancée."
Rumors, while quick to spread within the walls of the Opera House, were part of the livelihood of Paris. The city was always abuzz with whispers and murmurs, and much of the current focus fell upon the state of Richard Grayson's mind. After his assault in the Perros-Guirec cemetery, his mouth came unhinged and he spoke freely and often of the fact that he was nearly killed by a demon.
Drunkards in gutters or madmen usually made such claims, but Robin made them with a vehemence that was unrivaled. Only his clout as le Vicomte de Wayne kept him from being thrown in the city's madhouse—Arkham Asylum—but only just. As he stood in the middle of the Paris Opera House, acting as he did, Robin did nothing but add truth to the rumors. For many minutes, the room was silent.
A blast of sound—the fanfare of trumpets—rang out from the top of the stairs. All eyes turned to find a great swell of darkness as the trumpets continued to play. The darkness split apart and collapsed, creating the shadows of the figure that was revealed from within its depths.
Red Death stood there, resplendent in scarlet. The clothes were cut to fit the plainly feminine form that carried them, and a long crimson train trailed regally onto the floor. The full-face mask beneath the plumed hat was crafted to emulate a human skull perfectly, and the bright white teeth were set in a smile. Red Death's face was truly a marvel, but there was a horror in the eyes. They shone brilliantly, red in the pupil and from lid to lid, but dark gold in the iris.
"Messieurs, Mesdames," Red Death said, "good evening." The voice rang out as clearly as the footfalls that followed it. Red Death started down the stairs, red and gold eyes sweeping back and forth over the gathered crowd. None moved, and few dared to draw breath. Red Death's voice was one that had been heard many months ago, and those that had heard the voice of the Phantom of the Opera would never forget it.
"Why so silent?" Red Death's arms spread wide, head tilting slightly. "Did you think I'd left you for good?" A low, long chuckle rattled past the grinning teeth. "Oh, I hope you've missed me. In my time away, I've made a little gift." A sphere of shadows appeared above Red Death's hand, unfolding to reveal a massive bound manuscript. "An opera for my opera house. It will be performed."
The anonymity granted by the sheer amount of skeletons present that evening was something Cyborg and Beast Boy were infinitely grateful for. Red Death threw the manuscript to Chaos, who snatched it from the air with one hand. After a moment, the death's head tilted forward in the faintest nod of recognition. Red Death began to turn away, but paused suddenly, red and gold eyes falling on Starfire and Robin.
"Let go of her." Shadows pried Robin's hands open and pushed him away from Starfire as Red Death advanced. A hand reached out to the side, and more shadows brought the gold ring into its grasp. Red Death examined the simple gold band, turning it over in slim, gloved fingers. "This is yours."
"Yes," Starfire murmured. Red Death's hand took a gentle hold of hers, lifting it to look at the ring that had been put on her finger. After a moment, shadows removed the ring with all gentleness and crushed it without remorse.
"That was not."
"No." Starfire shook her head slowly. Red Death's eyes fell again to the gold ring. It was turned over a number of times, slowly and carefully.
"This is from your fiancée." Starfire nodded slowly, watching as Red Death laid the ring flat in one palm. "Then—" Fingers curled closed around the ring. "—your fiancée will have to return it to you after retrieving it." Starfire nodded once more. "I will keep it safe until your fiancée comes for it." A smile slowly curled Starfire's lips.
"That isn't the ring I gave her, demon!" Robin snarled.
"You aren't her fiancée," Red Death replied. The red and gold eyes turned to stare into his, and Robin let out a howl of rage. He charged forward, hands outstretched for Red Death's throat. Red Death stepped abruptly to the side, flinging the crimson train into the air before Robin's feet could fall upon it. He ran into the void that appeared from beneath the fabric, falling into a deep pit from which his scream echoed. Before the sound could cease, the floor swung back in place as if it were nothing but a previously unknown trapdoor. Red Death's eyes swept over the crowd once more.
"Your chains are still mine." A step forward was taken. "I advise you to comply." Another step brought Red Death into the center of the room. "Remember—there are worse things than a shattered chandelier." The low chuckle that came next swelled and grew into laughter that echoed loudly in the silence. The shadows that Red Death cast on the floor grew and lifted up to encase the scarlet figure. Laughter still ringing in the ears of those gathered, the shadows vanished, and Red Death was gone.
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"Did I frighten you?" Starfire let out a soft sigh, glad that she could lay her head on Raven's chest. In their shared dream, they swayed slowly, dancing in the parlor of Raven's underground home. The piano in the music room played without a hand, Starfire catching glimpses through the open doorway of shadows pressing the keys.
"No," she replied. She squeezed Raven's hand reassuringly and lifted her head to smile at the other woman. "I knew it was you." Raven returned the smile, rubbing her fingers gently along Starfire's spine. "Thank you."
"For returning your ring?"
"For many things." Starfire leaned forward and pressed her lips against Raven's. When she pulled away, she looked at Raven's unmasked face and dark blue eyes. "What will happen to—le Vicomte?"
"He'll be found," Raven said simply. The answer was enough, and Starfire laid her head on Raven's chest. After some time, they stopped dancing, instead standing in each other's arms while the music played on. "Koriand'r?"
"Yes?"
"I love you."
"I love you, too, Raven." Starfire let Raven's arms wrap tight around her, reveling in the embrace. "I love you, too."
—to be continued—