Chapter 31- Suspicions

A/N- Dear readers, I know I give writers everywhere a bad name for what I have done to those who have read my chapters loyally. This past year has been rather trying on me, I've had two jobs, and senior year of high school was not easy for one in the running for a future in university (Which has been gratefully granted). I apologize from the bottom of my heart to anyone who was greatly distressed by my year long delay. I now pursue the next chapters of this story, and hope that you can find it within yourself to forgive me my selfishness as a writer. Please review these next chapters, and I hope that I have not lost any ability to write in my failure to continue. I hope you enjoy these.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Phantom of the Opera, or any of it's original characters.


"Shhh…" Erik warned. If she could have stopped herself she would have, but Kristen could not contain her laughter. She enjoyed ridiculing the hopelessness of those who thought they stood a chance as the next cast to perform at the Populaire.

"Thank you very much Miss, I will get back to you as soon as auditions are over." Madam Giry announced to one of the younger opera singers, and probably one of the worst. She shook her head in contempt. The opera was doomed. Not only were they lacking of a cast, but uncertainties towards the return of Ms. Daae also plagued the aging heart of the ballet mistress. This was not an easy road to walk down, and the past twenty five attempting French men and women were less than satisfying. To top it off, she heard Kristen's snickering. She sighed with regards to the immaturity occurring in box five. Had Erik not the power to hold closed the mouth of his wife to be?

"I think she heard me" Kristen whispered to Erik, who was by now sitting in one of the chairs situated in his famous and supposedly 'haunted' box five. No doubt the sight of her enjoying the stupidity of the activities below was more amusing to himthan watching the actual stupidity below.

"No wonder, had I been five cellars down I would have heard you." he said. She let the curtain sway to a close, the light from the auditorium fading from the box. They were now enshrouded in darkness.

"Will they never find people with enough talent to perform in your operas?" Kristen wondered, taking a seat beside him.

"It is doubtful" he replied. "The cast they had before were not spectacular, but they were capable. What you see down there Kristen, is the desperate attempt of an old woman who severely fears the fall of her career." She slowly exhaled,

"Did you bring me here only to watch the auditions?" she asked. He didn't reply. Why did he bring her here? He wondered to himself. Perhaps it was his longing to have a companion with him in that lonely box. She wondered how much longer she could continue to accept silence as an answer. She lifted herself on the seat, now sitting on her right leg, her dress pouring over the seat around her. She kissed his unmasked cheek. With no light, she could barely see what she was doing, and he was aware of that. He stood, and was about to lift her from the very seat she sat on, when one of the most destructive sounds he'd ever heard began to fill the theatre. Instantaneously his hands moved up to protect his skilled ears, and she in turn did the same. Who in the name of hell was down there screeching like that? Like nails on a chalkboard.

Kristen peered through the cover of the red curtain, to see yet another lady on that stage, bellowing out her last chance at an opera career. She saw Madam Giry lay down her fountain pen, and close her notebooks. That was it. There would be no more.


Meg was ignorant to Nadir's whereabouts, as she sat in the same dark rotunda, pondering her emotions, and glancing to the spot of her first kiss. For the first time, she felt as though everything she feared before was demolished with that simple contact of flesh. The heavy sorrows which plagued her heart, were replaced by the notion that she was going to be ok, as long as her mother didn't find out. And it was with that thought that she completely broke down. Her mother. That woman, who had criticized her for knowing nothing, would probably try to prevent her from knowing anything. Nadir told her he had business toattend to within the theatre regarding the finishing construction work, but where that was was a mystery to her, and right now more than anything she longed to be near him again.

Silence filled the spacious room, she remained seatedwith her eyes closed. A woman in her position should have been smiling, but now she knew what it must have been like for young Juliet in Shakespeare's play, she'd once held the character so high above herself, and now she felt herself stepping right into the shoes of the fictional 14 year old.

"What are you doing here?" Madam Giry inquired of her daughter, as she stepped into the grand entrance.

Meg was startled. She nearly jumped out of her skin at the very sight of the woman who threatened her existence with Nadir. "Oh, Maman, you frightened me."

"You should be resting." Antoinette said, "You are not fully well yet. Come with me, you should be in bed."

Meg stood, and followed her mother to their quarters. There was no use in fighting with her, not right now. It would be a stupid thing to make her mother angry at her right now, when so much stood in the hands of Madam Giry.

Meg suffered through her dinner, she could barely eat. The only thoughts occupying her mind were that of Nadir.

"You're unusually quiet Meg." her mother stated.

Meg swallowed her tea biscuit with difficulty upon those words. Her mind scrambled for the right words, "I am just so distraught over Christine, don't worry Maman." she conveniently offered.

"Don't worry about Christine" Madam Giry said, "As soon as she returns to her position as leading lady, she will be happier. Who knows, perhaps she will even attract a new suitor. Of course, all of this is pending on whether Erik will agree to continue training her."

Meg's eyes widened, "Erik? you're not thinking of reuniting the two?"

"We have no choice Meg," said Giry, "The Populaire is already hopeless as it is. There is no composer nor teacher like Erik in all of France."

Meg grew frantic with worry, although she made great effort to conceal that from her mother. She returned to her meal with not another word towards Christine, or Erik.

It didn't take long for night to consume the world around them. It seemed as though her mother would never fall asleep, but time proved her wrong. Meg tip-toed passed Madam Giry with the utmost silence, and left the dormitory in her nightgown, something she wouldn't normally do, but she had to warn Erik, and Kristen.


"What is going to happen to the Populaire?" Kristen voiced quietly, her head resting against Erik's shoulder as he carried her back to their home below the ground. He insisted on carrying her, as he would not have his lovely fiance walk six or seven flights of stairs in her delicate condition.

"I cannot answer that Kristen," he replied, as they neared the fifth cellar. Their descent into darkness was a peaceful one, silence was the greatest friend to them now as nothing could have been worse than the squeals coming from that stage.

Upon walking through the doorway he gently put her to her feet, and held her in a soft kiss before allowing the beautiful red curtain to block the passage. She looked up at him with admiration. She'd have that mask off before the clock would be allowed to strike another moment, when Erik turned towards the curtain, and Kristen did the same. Footsteps, cautious and careful ones, were coming their way.

"Get in the bedroom Kristen," Erik said. He would not take chances with his wife to be, or child. Anyone could have been coming down that passage. Kristen hesitated. She didn't have the heart to leave him there alone to face whateversnuck down that corridor, until she saw the look in his eyes, the worry. She immediately turned and fled towards further protection.

Erik walked to the curtain, collecting his infamous lasso along the way, and opened thefabric to reveal a startled young girl with blond hair standing just beyond the other side. She let out a startled gasp, and Erik let down his guard.

"Meg," he said calmly, "I could have killed you."

Meg swallowed hard, "I know," She said, "Where is Kristen."

"I'm here," Kristen came out of the bedroom, "Meg, what on earth brings you all the way down here at this time of night?."

"It's urgent. Kristen, I must speak with you…" She looked up at Erik, then back to Kristen, "In private, if it isn't too much trouble."

Erik watched the both of them, astonished. What was this?

"Erik, would you mind it terribly if we spoke in secret?" Kristen asked, figuring it was just some small thing from the young ballet dancer.

Erik shook his head, and walked towards the organ, "It is no business of mine what women talk about when they're alone." Although he was hardly ignorant of that, as he'd spied countless times on the perverted conversations of the ballet rats in their dressing rooms. He hardly believed Meg and Kristen would speak words half as obscene as the ones spoken within the confines of a dressing room.

Kristen emitted a small laughter. She was so pleased that he was capable of humor at a time like this, even if it was only in the smallest degree. She quickly took refuge from male ears within her and Erik's bedchamber, and sitting upon the lovely swan bed, she inquired of Meg's reasons for being down there. The happy air was about to change.

"I have some rather unsettling news." Meg said.

Kristen's ears seemed to move in their haste to know. "What's wrong dear Meg?"

"Maman is having difficulty finding new people to perform within the populaire."

Kristen laughed behind closed lips, "I know, I heard them auditioning, they were horrible!"

"No, no! It isn't funny. She's hysterical! She wants Christine to return to the stage as the leading lady!"

Kristen frowned with wonder, "That sounds perfectly fine to me." She said.

Meg shook her head, "You don't understand yet, she wants Erik to return to coaching her!"

Kristen froze, in shock. Meg had never seen eyes grow so wide. Kristen had not once contemplated this reallyhappening, not once. "You can't be serious"

"I am serious! And I… oh Kristen, everything is falling apart!"

"You what?" Kristen asked, and it was then that tears began brimming the delicate eyes of the young ballerina.

"I… I don't want to see anything bad happen to you and Erik. I was so happy for you when I found out about your expecting a child. Kristen smiled softly, and hugged Meg lightly.

"Erik loves me, and I love him. If anything is strong enough to break that, then love does not truly exist." After Kristen's words, Meg turned her head towards the entrance, and sighed.

"I think…" she began, but found it difficult to continue. "Kristen, if I tell you a secret will you promise not to tell any one else?" she asked.

"A secret?" Kristen responded with interest. The lightheartedness of this conversation was such a nice contrast to the unending negativity plaguing the people of the opera house.

"I think I, well, I don't really know what it feels like to be in love, but I…"

"You have feelings for someone?" Kristen asked in excitement. "WHO!" She could not contain her curiosity, but the news that Meg was possibly in the midst of a relationship was purely joyful. She could almost feel Erik's eyes on the bedroom door… or curtain.

Meg blushed, and looked down at the silk sheets beneath her. "If my mother found out, it would be ruined."

"Are you intimate with someone?" Kristen asked. Meg shook her head,

"Not completely." She said.

"Who"

"N…" she couldn't finish. Kristen frowned. That was less than a satisfying reply, with barely any room for guessing, when she began to think. No one's name began with an 'N' besides the very name of….

She slapped a hand over her mouth to cover a wide smile.

Meg's eyes widened slightly at the look Kristen was giving her, "Nadir?" Kristin whispered. Meg closed her eyes tightly, seemingly embarrassed. "Oh Meg, that's wonderful! That's… you know he and Erik have known each other for quite some time, they…"

"He told me everything" Meg interrupted, "And I also happen to know that my mother knows him as an assistant to 'The Phantom', and a foreigner. I can sense it now, she will never approve, never never ever!" She said, like a panicked little child.

"She doesn't have to know Meg" Kristen assured her, "You are old enough to take care of yourself now. The Populaire probably won't get anywhere with the way things are turning out, if that happens you can…. I don't know, run away with him.""You know, I also thought you two looked at each other a bit strangely." Kristen teased.

"Are you going to tell Erik?" Meg asked.

"About you and…"

"No, about teaching Christine."

Kristen fell silent once more. Why that topic had to have been brought back up for discussion was beyond her. "I don't know," she answered, "We've had such a hard day already, I wouldn't want to ruin the happiness that managed to catch up with us near the evening. He's such an anguished man, Meg, he deserves to forget everything that happened before Christine left him that night. I don't think that seeing her on a day-to-day basis will be good for him."

Truthfully, Kristen didn't think it would be good for her either. She would forever have that question in the back of her mind of how much he still may feel for her. She also knew that no marriage can last on a foundation of insecurity, or distrust. "I suppose I should tell him though, before someone else, like your mother, does that job for me. I think you should go back though, if your mother finds you out of bed she might worry. She could be up searching for you right now, and I would hate to have more visitors this night." Meg nodded in agreement, and stood from the bed. "Go find Nadir, maybe he's still awake" She said with a fine smile. Meg quickly left the bedchamber,

"I'll see you tomorrow Kristen." She said. On her way out, she kindly bid Erik goodnight, and he replied accordingly.

Once the curtain was closed, and the two were left alone once more, Erik could not help but look up to his beautiful companion, and inquire as to what went on.

"I swear, I heard you shriek louder than the last one who auditioned up there."

She gave him a slight smile, and walked over to the organ where he sat, and placed herself beside him on the bench. Then she gentlysighed and put her hand to his face, removing the mask. She swore to herself she would someday smash that thing to a million pieces if he continued to wear it inside their home. "Meg told me some quite personal information involving herself and another."

"She's taken a lover." he assumed.

She nodded while placing the mask upon the instrument. She figured that there was no room for secrets between them, even ifthe secretswere innocent little ones. Erik would want to know about this one any way, since it involved one of his best friends. "You have to promise not to become radical when I tell you who he is." she said.

Erik frowned, and waited.

"She and Nadir, have found a rather close connection to each other." she said, andprepared herself to stand from an earth shattering response. Instead, she received nothing but laughter from him, a silent, low laughter, almost dark.

"You're out of your mind. She told you that?" He asked.

"She did" Kristen said, "I hope you can believe it, I…"

"I have no doubts, my love." Erik said, "It's just that her mother won't like this one. If I know Madam Giry, she'll lose control of her rationality if she finds out… Is that all the Meg came to tell you about?" he asked.

----

Meg Tiptoed up the last flights of stairs before reaching the main floor. She made it an effort now to pass through the rotunda whenever she could manage. She would never look at that room the same way again. She silently ran up the next flight of stairs from there, and was prepared to progress to her mother's quarters, when she heard a noise behind her.

"Meg?" It was Nadir. She smiled.

"How is the construction?" she asked.

"It's construction," he told her, and brought her to him in a hug. She delightedly returned this gesture, "how have you been?"

"Worried," She told him, "I should not even be out of bed right now. I just know my mother will not approve of us" she told him.

"She will have to approve of us, she has no choice. She cannot control your life. If she doesn't approve then… we'll think of something."

"You can take me back to Persia with you." She joked, and he smiled. She was adorable.

"Someday, soon, or not, perhaps that will happen." He kissed her forehead, in perfect timing. Christine stood in the doorway facing them, with a hand over her mouth.