12
Disclaimer: I don't own POTO, duh! But I do own any OC's I do not own Meg or Erik. Sadly..
Sebastian found Meg crying in the dormitories after they all had left. He held her; and asked what was wrong. She was so hysterical that she couldn't tell him. She'd never seen Erik so angry; he was a completely different person. She'd grown attached to the angel of music; the one that had tutored Christine Daae since she was seven, and the man that had given her somewhere to run to when her mother had changed. He'd kept her from starving to death; and she helped him to forget Christine. Sebastian sat with her on her bed; stroking her hair and trying to calm her down. That was not the first time she saw his face; it was just the first time he'd yelled at her.
It was as if his mask was a line to his sanity. His mask and his mind were one; if his mask was on his face; he was a gentleman, someone whom Meg could confide in. But without the mask; it was as if he was a different person. He'd lost all sanity; all rationality; and all feeling. He didn't think anything through without his mask; that white piece of plastic that covered his birth defect; was more than just a cover up.
Sebastian took her out of the Populaire; and into the streets of Paris for a treat. He'd bought her a piece of cake from the bakery; and calmed her down enough to talk to him.
"Is this about that friend you were visiting?" He asked. Meg was quiet; but then nodded. "Did he hurt you?"
"No." He had not hurt her physically; shoving her did not hurt badly; but what hurt most was the fact that he did not trust her enough to let her see his face. "I thought he was my friend, but he did something that wasn't what a friend should do."
"What did he do Meg?" Sebastian asked. Meg explained that he'd pushed her; and started screaming at her. But she did not tell him why; or who. "Meg, I don't think you should be around someone that hurts you. If he was really your friend; he wouldn't have done something like that. Do you understand Megara?"
"Yes." She wasn't happy about it; but Sebastian was right; Erik was not someone she should be around; but she couldn't help but miss being with him.
-----
Erik sobbed. He'd lost Meg because of his insanity; he'd hurt her and she wouldn't ever return to his home. His face; that was why he lost the two women he loved. He'd pushed them both; and yelled when it was not necessary. He should not have acted as he did. He rose from the steps leading up to his organ; and walked into the bedroom; where Meg's doll sat neatly on the pillows. He sat on the bed; took the doll; and hugged it. Tears sliding down his pale face; and dripping onto the doll made from odds and ends.
-----
Meg went to ballet practice. Practicing was all she was able to do in her free time since she was no longer able to visit Erik. She pushed herself to her best; making up for all the practice she'd skipped out on while with Erik. She danced until she was unable to feel her legs; until she didn't even feel the pain of all the dancing. Sebastian got her to stop; and to calm down about what Erik did.
"Come on Meg." He smiled. "Let's go somewhere. I've gotten a lot of extra money from dancing and helping with the chandelier; so I can treat you to almost anything." He had his hands on her shoulders so she wouldn't dance while they talked.
"No Sebastian. I've got practices to make up for. I've got to learn the steps for the new opera-"
"You've learned them." He told her gently. "You've mastered them, and you could dance them in your sleep. Come Meg. You've got to enjoy yourself. Don't let what your friend did control your life." Meg nodded and went with Sebastian. He was such a good friend to her; but she couldn't help but wonder how Erik was doing.
-----
He rested on the silk bed with the doll Meg had left behind. It was her first doll since her father died; and she'd left it behind. But it wasn't a surprise; she hadn't planned on leaving. She had also left a few dresses and her bag. He had let himself fall; just in time for Meg's curiosity to get the best of her; and make her see the face behind the mask. Apologizing to Meg would be hard; she had not done wrong.
What it was that made her want to see it while he was so absorbed in his music? He asked himself that for hours; but he'd always known Meg to act on impulse. She came to him when her mother struck her, of all the places, and she had gone to visit him when Joseph Harden brook tried to force himself on her. Erik longed for nothing more, than someone to be with him; but he'd pushed them both away.
No. No he wouldn't let Meg go; she meant too much to him to slip away; he would go to her apologize; and hope that her angelic heart would forgive him. He stood; grabbed his cloak and was off.
----
Erik searched for her all through the opera house. He could have sworn people heard him; but he knows no one saw him. He began to wonder how he would apologize to her; he planned on telling her he was sorry; that he wasn't thinking, that he would never do it again. It sounded like a normal apology, saying things he did not know if he could go through with, he didn't know if he would ever yell at her for looking at his face, he did not know if he would never repeat what had happened. All he could do was learn to control his anger when it was brought out by Meg Giry.
But when he looked over the rafters to see if she was on stage; his heart shattered again.
Meg was hugging Sebastian.
----
Actually; Sebastian was hugging Meg, and it wasn't the kind of hug that Erik thought it was. It was a friendly "Don't let bad things keep you down" Kind of hug. Meg felt better after going with Sebastian, but she still missed being with Erik. Sebastian was good, friend, company.But Meg had a special, secret, place for Erik in her heart. She understood his pain; but was hurt herself when he didn't trust her enough to let her see his face. It wasn't as horrible as she remembered it; it was something about him that was beautiful. Not in the traditional since, but when she saw it the first time; she'd never seen anything like it before. But; when she saw it again; it wasn't terrible; it wasn't ugly; it wasn't anything like everyone remembered.
----
His heart shattered into a million pieces. Sebastian had taken Meg while Erik was unable to have her with him.He heard Christine and Raoul's song all over again; the pain of everyone in Paris stabbing him in the heart returned; Erik turned and ran. Trying to keep himself from falling off the edge and into madness. While running; a stage hand recognized the mask; and started screaming that the Opera Ghost was back. Erik panicked; grabbed the rope and strangled the man to death. Imagining that the stage hand was Sebastian; he took yet another life.
----
It was at night; while Meg was trying to sleep, Erik was talking to her in her mind.
why him..? Erik's voice asked. I wanted to apologize; but I saw you with Sebastian.
"no.." Meg whispered in her "Sleep", hoping he could hear her. "Sebastian...is just my friend..."
Liar. You want to be Just like Christine, they start out as your friend, next thing you know; I'm back in the basement, alone.
Meg shot up; covered her ears and ran. She looked as if she lost her sanity. "Go away!" She saw Erik drop down from the rafters, and stood dangerously close to her. She wanted to leave; but he grabbed her arm and stole her away to his home. Where he would never let her leave.
