A/N: I know, I know, I'm bad about updating, but hey at least Phantress of the Opera is done!
"To my daughter Meg and my future son-in-law Damien, may they live a long happy life together." Madame Giry toast. It was a happy day at the Giry residence. Madame Giry was hosting a dinner party for her daughter and some of Damien's family and a few of Meg's closest friends had been invited. Christine of coarse had been invited, but was unable to attend because she was 8 months pregnant with her third child. Even Erik had been invited, but of coarse he did not come.
Meg knew Erik was angry at her, for stopping him in the library, but she had to. She hadn't spoken to him since that night and every time she tried talking to him, his door was locked. When Madame Giry wasn't home Meg would start banging on his door and scream at him. She was angry at him for being cold one minute and loving the next. She hated how his emotions would switch right before her eyes.
After he had left her in the library, crying, Meg went to a nearby chair and sat down; thinking of all the things that had happened to bring her to this very moment. She thought of when she had first heard Erik's voice and when she had comforted him that night when Christine broke his heart; that was the same night that Meg began to fall in love with the infamous Phantom of the Opera.
"To my beautiful soon-to-be bride, she has made me the luckiest and happiest man in the entire world. Meg, I promise you that I will love you forever." Damien kissed her on the cheek making her jump a little. She had been so lost in her thoughts. She blushed, being embarrassed from not listening to the toast, but it was easily mistaken for a different kind of embarrassment. Every one was smiling so Meg put on a fake smile.
"Well enough of all this chattering. Let's eat." Madame Giry demanded and soon a dozen maids came out with varieties of food. The main course was seasoned duck that everyone enjoyed and the desert was a delicious chocolate cake. Everyone loved it and had a good time.
"Madame, once again you have out done yourself. Thank you for the exquisite meal." Damien kissed Madame Giry on the hand. He then turned to Meg kissed her on the cheek. "I'll see you in two weeks and I promise to come to you first thing when I arrive back in Paris." Damien was going on a business trip to London. He was settling some last minute affairs and was also secretly getting ready their honeymoon home in the countryside of England. He wanted to surprise Meg for she had never been to London, or England, being that she lived at Opera Populaire for so long. She had always talked about visiting London one day and what better way would there be, than to give a trip to England as a wedding present.
"Be safe, Damien." Meg whispered in his ear, hugging him.
"I promise to write to you as soon as I can. I love you and try to stay out of trouble." He yelled back as the carriage began to leave.
Erik was watching all of this from his window. He could see the pure happiness on the Count's face. He had heard the toast and chatter while friends and family ate dinner; that was held in the dining room. He had been invited, but knew it was more of a kind gesture than a real invitation or so he thought. He refused to talk to Meg, his heart breaking as he listened to her pound on the door screaming and crying at the same time, commanding that he let her in.
He felt foolish for what he had done in the library and wished he could say that he regretted it, but that would only be lying to himself and his heart. He had been awake looking out the window, when he had heard Meg's door open, her soft steps on the carpet walking past him. He had seen through the crack, the light of Meg's candle. And like a moth being attracted to the light, Erik had followed; him being the moth, Meg being the light.
With one look of Meg he knew he couldn't pretend anymore. He knew he needed and wanted her, but strangely it wasn't just lust that made him follow Meg, it was also love. He knew that he would have made love to Meg, instead of just satisfying his needs like he did with whores.
It had now been a couple of hours since the party and as expected Meg and Madame Giry had already been in bed. He was surprised that Meg was still up from such a long day, but he was even more surprised to see her heading towards the stables. Erik hid in the shadows listening to Meg's conversation with the stable man. "I know it is late Armand, but this would be a huge favor, if you would just take me to Paris."
"Alright." He said reluctantly. "Go get your cloak and whatever else you need, I will be ready in about ten minutes."
"Oh thank you." Meg whispered before heading back to her room. Erik stayed hidden in the shadows so that Meg did not see him spying on her. Once he was sure he was out of eye and ear shot, Erik made his move. He waited for Armand to finish getting the horses ready and that's when he knocked Armand unconscious. Erik dragged the man into a nearby stable. He placed some hay over his body and dashed for his old black cape. He looked like he did years ago when he had taken Christine to the cemetery.
When Meg return she climbed into the carriage, not even noticing that it was a different man from the one who was taking her to Paris. She then said, "To Opera Populaire, but try not to wake Mama." Erik only nodded. As they were riding into Paris Erik thought he had heard Meg sing quietly:
You'll be in my heart
No matter what they say
You'll be here in my heart
Always
She then whispered, "Always." Erik's chest tightened. She was thinking of the night on the roof.
Meg was oblivious to everything. She could not see the carriage she was sitting in, she could not see the man that was obviously not Armand. She could only see the past. She could only remember the heart break she felt as Erik and Christine poured out their love in song.
She remembered holding back the tears that threaten to spill. She felt like the same dagger that Erik had struck into his stomach, had struck her heart. She had begun to curse Christine and Erik when she had remembered what he had said to her before the performance; I will always be watching over you even when times become rough.
She hadn't known what he had meant until the chandelier fell. She knew that he had planned this. When the chandelier fell Meg followed her mother, but was then told to stay there. She stayed as long as she could before the mob began to push past her. She knew right then that she had to save Erik's life or give up her own. She pushed away all thoughts that entered her head. She was on a mission and love and fear gave her the strength to continue on. No thoughts within her head. As she journeyed to his lair she held onto her golden necklace with a cross pendent, singing over and over again:
I will protect you
from all around you
I will be here
Don't you cry
When she had reached the lair, he was gone. Hope disappeared in an instant; hope of finding him alive and well. She didn't know what she had expected to find when she had reached the lair: Maybe Christine kissing Erik passionately, maybe Erik forcing her to become his wife, maybe the two of them singing like they had done on stage. She had just hoped Erik was safe. And finally the tears streamed down her face, she realized that she had been rejected. Once again Christine had won. Christine was chosen not Meg. Meg began to wondered, was my hair not soft enough? Were my eyes not cute enough? Was my face not pretty enough? Or maybe it wasn't my appearance maybe it was my singing? Was I not a good actor?
Meg knew that Christine had always been better than Meg in many ways. She had been the praised one, while Meg was put aside like a forgotten toy. "Madamoiselle we're here." Meg hadn't even realized the carriage at stop or that she was in Paris. She looked at the sight before her, not believing that she standing before the place she had sworn she would never return to.
"Thank you Armand, I'll be a couple of hours. Go rent yourself a hotel to rest in while you wait." Erik only nodded. Meg slowly climbed up the steps to the once grand entrance of Opera Populaire. She knew the door was locked so she decided to enter the way she had always entered; through a door that was hidden in darkness. It was a door unknown to many. It was used so the ballet and chorus girls could sneak in without having to deal with Madame Giry. Even Meg had used it.
Once Meg reached the inside of the opera house, she couldn't believe her eyes. It was so dark and gloomy and everything was destroyed. She began to climb over beams, being careful of where she stepped. All her life she had known this place as place where dreams were made, happiness was found, but now all of that was destroyed. Meg closed her eyes trying to picture her old life. She could hear the sound of ballet slippers lightly kissing the ground, the sounds of laughter and whispers among the chorus girls. She could hear the screeching of Carlotta. Meg didn't know where she was going. She was only following where her heart led her and she began to sing, her lips moving on their own:
I follow the night
Can't stand the light
When will I begin to live again
One day I'll fly away
Leave all this to yesterday
What more could your love do for me
When will love be through with me
Why live life from dream to dream
And dread the day when dreaming ends
One day I'll fly away
Leave all this to yesterday
Why live life from dream to dream
And dread the day when dreaming ends
One day I'll fly away
Fly, fly away...
She then found herself at the edge of the lake not believing that she had come all the way below the opera house. She was about to turn around to leave, but his voice called her:
I am your angel of music
Come to me; Angel of music
Listen to your heart, Meg
She then realized the gondola in the water as if it was waiting for her. She climbed in and began to row towards his lair. No thoughts within her head, but thoughts of joy. No dreams within her heart, but dreams of love.
When she reached the artistic domain, she had not expected to see Erik playing the organ. There were candles all around and every where on the floor were rose petals. She climbed out of the boat mesmerized by the sight. Everything was as beautiful as when she had first seen his home. Everything was back in its former glory, nothing was broken. The organ's keys were fixed and the mirrors had been replaced. It was once again filled with riches and treasures.
She slowly walked up to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned around and looked deeply into her eyes. Gently, he took her hands and pulled her closer to him. He then wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his head on her stomach. He sighed and began to sing:
If I never knew you
If I never felt this love
I would have no inkling of
How precious life can be
And if I never held you
I would never have a clue
How at last I'd find in you
The missing part of me
He looked up at her. She was silently crying. He gently brought her down on her knees and began to wipe away the tears, stroking her lovely face. He then began to kiss her face, she closed her eyes. He continued to sing:
In this world so full of fear
Full of rage and lies
I can see the truth so clear
In your eyes
So dry your eyes
And I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you
Meg opened her eyes and took off his mask. She began to stroke his twisted face and sung:
If I never knew you
I'd be safe but half as real
Never knowing I could feel
A love so strong and true
I'm so grateful to you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Lost forever
If I never knew you
Erik stood up, still looking at her. He sung:
I thought our love would be so beautiful
Erik helped Meg off her knees as she sung:
Somehow we made the whole world bright
He then picked her up in his arms, and begun to carry her to the bedroom, his heart beating rapidly, loving her every second:
I never knew that fear and hate could be so strong
All they'd leave us where these whispers in the night,
But still my heart is singing
We were right
Meg:
If I never knew you
If I never knew this love
I would have no inkling of
How precious life can be
Erik:
There's no moment I regret
Since the moment that we met
If our time has gone too fast
I've lived at last...
Both:
I thought our love would be so beautiful
Somehow we'd make the whole world bright
Meg:
I thought our love would be so beautiful
We'd turn the darkness into light
Both:
And still my heart is singing
We were right
Erik gently laid Meg on the bed, as if she would shatter into a thousand pieces. She smiled seductively that made him shiver. He sang:
We were right
And If I never knew you
I'd have lived my whole life through
Meg:
Empty as the sky
Both:
Never knowing why
Lost forever
If I never knew you
For a minute all was quiet for the both of them. Neither of them could speak. Speech had disappeared into silence. They could only hear each others breathing, the world had seemed to disappear and for a moment there were no such things as weddings or engagements, rings or promises; only one another. Erik looked deep into her eyes not knowing if he should do what he had longed for, for too long. As if Meg had read his mind, her shaking hands wrapped around Erik's neck pulling him on top of her, giving him permission. "Erik." She whispered, right before he passionately kissed her.
"Meg, I want you so badly, I need you." He whispered into her ear, lightly tracing her neck with his fingers. She could only nod, not having the voice to speak. He kissed her gently on her forehead, and then descended down to her right cheek and soon after that the left. He placed his lips on the corner of hers, teasing her for more. She turned her head and pulled him closer, begging for more. He slipped his tongue inside of her mouth, doing an erotic dance with hers'.
Meg slowly began to undo his shirt, knowing with each button she undid, she was coming closer to the final threshold. Finally Meg reached the last button, but she paused. She looked up at Erik, his eyes reassuring, giving her the strength she needed. Finally she undid the last button, not believing what she was doing. As if he read her thoughts he whispered in her ear, "Abandon thoughts and let the dreams descend, Meg." She looked deep into his eyes again, only nodding. He began to undo her dress slowly, only stopping to kiss her on her neck. Finally all that was left were her undergarments; her dress, corset, and petticoats lay on the floor with Erik's shirt.
Erik rubbed his hands all over her body; the only thing that stood in his way was thin cloth. He kissed her neck and then moved down to her breast. Her buds were now in full bloom. With one motion Meg laid naked before Erik. She blushed from the intensity of his gaze. They had now past all thought of right or wrong. "Erik." She whispered again. Erik could wait no longer. He knew they were both passing the point of no return, but he had lost all reason. He had come in pursuit of that wish till now had been silent.
Meg fumbled with his trousers, trying to hurry as fast as she could. His trousers fell off of him, showing her his swollen manhood. She looked at it hungrily, wanting it to consume her. A raging fire was flooding her soul; trying to consume her already. It was now too late, no going back now, no backward glances. She closed her eyes, imagining their bodies entwining, defenseless, and silent. She opened her eyes to find Erik staring at her. She knew it was time. It was time to cross the bridge and stand to watch it burn. She had decided.
Erik gave her a burning kiss on the lips, looked down upon her body, worshiping it. He kissed her on her forehead and entered her. Breaking the wall the stood between girlhood and womanhood. They had now past the point of no return.
A/N: Ok I'm not going to get all in detail of everything, because I know nothing, except what I have read in books. Sorry to anyone who had been looking forward to this part.
