Disclaimer: I tried to kidnap the Phantom, but failed. Therefore, I own nothing.

AN: This is kind of a "filler chapter" where we get to see some emotional things before the real plotting begins. Therefore, I hope people enjoy reading it and will review once they're done, whether they liked it or not. Thanks!

Chapter 12: Emptiness:

Without Erik there beside me, the rest of the ball was horribly long and boring. I desperately wanted him there to dance with or to have a decent conversation with to pass the time, but he was gone. Haleigh had told me that she had written to him and said when and where to meet with me, but not to remain afterwards. She explained that if he were seen here, at the same event I was invited to, my mother and father would likely cause a huge scene. Now I had to spend the entire evening watching my friends dance and talk with their partners while I mourned my absent love.

Feeling depressed, I realized I had reverted back to doing what I had done before meeting the man of my dreams. Instead of dancing with a handsome masked man, I was now compelled to sit like a wallflower, have a plate of food or a cup of punch in my hand, and watch everyone around me twirl and laugh around the dance floor. All around me were couples dancing, laughing, and enjoying themselves while I wanted to sink into the floor and die. True, I had spent the previous half of the ball dancing with a few gentleman friends, but they had mostly done it as a huge favor to Haleigh; in truth, all of the men I had danced with were courting another lady or engaged to be married. It might seem scandalous, but most of the town knew that I was not the sort of person to "steal" men who were already spoken for, so there was nothing to worry about.

Finally, the night was over. I watched Mama and Papa say goodnight to their friends, so I decided to have a private conversation with Haleigh. She gave me an encouraging smile before kissing my cheeks in farewell, Jerry giving me a sly wink as he took my hand and shook it. Just as I was about to join my parents, Haleigh leaned forward to whisper into my ear.

"I'll think of something tonight, then send over an invitation for you to spend the day with me tomorrow, alright?" she asked as she gently squeezed my arm, her green eyes full of sympathy and kindness.

The look she gave me was comforting and exactly what I needed at that point. I nodded to her before going up to my father's side, letting him lead me and Mama to the carriage and handing us both in. The door quickly shut and I soon found myself in deep thought over what could possibly be done to help me and Erik with our elopement. I had no idea how such a thing could be planned, as I had no example to live by. Packing up all that I valued would be hard, as someone was bound to notice that things were being bundled up and tucked away. I also knew that Mother liked to sneak into my room to "borrow" hairpins, handkerchiefs, perfume, ribbons, and other small things, though why she needed my things when she had her own puzzled me to no end. However, since that was one of her habits, she would likely notice if anything were out of place when she entered my room to take something back with her to her own vanity.

Sighing, I decided to let Haleigh work out the details, as she was far cleverer than I was. Instead, I closed my eyes to rest during the ride home.

Pacing through the rooms in her home was getting Haleigh Winters nowhere, fast. Funny, that saying never really made sense to her, and was quite amusing, when she thought about it. Haleigh quickly gave herself a mental slap, effectively stopping her train of thought. Now was not the time to become distracted, even at this time of night. Pushing all other thoughts away, Haleigh went back to pacing the upstairs hallway of her Southern plantation.

It was after midnight, which meant that the children were asleep in their little cribs. She could also hear Jerry snoring away in their master bedroom, the occasional snort escaping his lips as well. However, her husband's snores were not the reason that she was up at so late an hour; she was used to the noise, and it didn't bother her as it would most women. No, tonight Haleigh Winters' mind was occupied with how to make one of her closest friends as happily married as she was.

For years, Haleigh had watched Clara be passed over by man after man, everyone turning away from the incredibly shy girl who thought herself unattractive. Haleigh knew that Clara was quite pretty, and had a good, kind heart, as well as the Southern charm that most girls in town seemed to be born with. However, the male half of the population seemed oblivious to it. Haleigh believed it to be that most people compared Clara to her mother, Mrs. Savoy, and didn't think Clara as even remotely pretty.

Camilla Savoy was quite the beauty still, even after all these years and having two children. Tiny and petite, Camilla seemed to radiate power, class, and humor wherever she went, putting her daughter into the shadows. It was likely because of her mother's dominating presence that caused Clara to shrink and fade in any situation, especially when she was alone with a man and had to make conversation. So, being the meek person that she was, Clara allowed the other eligible girls of the town to have the men that she found attractive or was attracted to. The poor, poor girl…

Giving one last sigh, Haleigh turned and headed back towards her room, intending to get at least some sleep before inviting Clara over in the morning.

After arriving home and slipping out of my dress, I practically flew into my nightgown and collapsed into bed, praying for dreams about Erik. My wish was granted, and I dreamed that the two of us were married and living in a lovely cottage by the sea, with a set of rose vines climbing up either side of the doorframe. It was such a charming and delightful dream that I did not want it to end.

When I awoke the next day, I put on a white dress and was silent during breakfast with my parents. Philip was still sick in bed, and I did not want to speak to Mother or Father, so I just ate my bacon, toast with jelly, and drank my milk without saying a word. I only replied when spoken to, which, to my relief, was not very often. Imagine my joy when the meal was over and a note from Haleigh arrived! I quickly tore open the envelope, read it, and told Penny to let my parents know where I was going, saying that I would be at my friends' home for the entire day.

Putting on a hat, I was glad that neither Mama nor Papa minded my being gone all day. After all, Haleigh was a mother, and all my parents would think was that I was helping my friend take care of her three babies, the eldest not even a full year old yet! It was probably what my clever, red-headed friend was counting on, which made her house the perfect place to hatch a plan for my elopement.

I bid good day to my parents and climbed into the coach, ready for whatever Haleigh had planned.

"Who's a big girl?" I said, tickling Lena as she lay in her bassinette. "Look at those cheeks!"

I was currently seated on a couch in the tea parlor in the Winters' house, enjoying some quality time with my friend and her three tiny ones. Lena looked up at me with the biggest doe-brown eyes, her brown hair forming a small curl in the middle of her forehead. She was the image of her father, I could tell. The boys, Wesley and Wyatt, though, were still too young to see who they resembled most. Presently, they still had the blue-grey eyes that all babies have until they were several months old, and their hair was a mixture of their father's brown and their mother's red locks.

Giving the baby girl a smile, I briefly turned my gaze to the twin boys asleep in another bassinette, the one big enough for the both of them. Honestly, how Haleigh managed to give birth twice in one year amazed me; if I had been in her place, I would be sure to try and wait between pregnancies! And yet, being the remarkably strong woman and mother that she is, Haleigh took the whole thing in stride, not complaining as much as most women would have.

Beside me, my friend laughed. "Honestly, Clara, you're going to spoil her!"

I merely smiled and turned my attention back towards the little girl in front of me, who was busying gurgling and squealing at me as she clutched my finger. I had always wanted a family of my own, picturing myself with a little girl in my lap as I brushed her hair, or a boy who would love to show me how much he had learned from his father that day. With Erik, I had begun imagining that our children would have his green eyes and his love of music, as well as his wonderful voice.

The thought of Erik made me still in my playing with Lena. Would I ever get the chance to have children with Erik, or would I be doomed to live alone and unloved the rest of my days? It was a heartbreaking idea, but one that could very well come true if I did nothing about it. Speaking of which…

"Haleigh, have you thought of an idea yet for how Erik and I could elope?" I asked, twitching my finger around when Lena began to fuss about the lack of attention. The baby giggled again and began to chew gently on the tip of my knuckle.

My friend sighed as she pulled herself away from her twin sons. "No, dear, I'm afraid I haven't," she said, looked unusually disappointed in her abilities. "I stayed up all night, and can't think of a darn thing!" Haleigh shook her head, her curled red hair bouncing as she did so. "Honestly, I'm a horrible person for not coming up with a thing!"

I couldn't help but give a small laugh. "Well, you certainly didn't have to think of something right after the ball!" I said, smiling. "Besides, you had just spent the evening dancing and talking with friends; I'm surprised that you didn't collapse in bed the moment you got home!"

"No, that was Jerry," she said, winking at me as she sat next to me on the couch. "Still, I feel as though I've failed you in this."

"You haven't," I said, firmly. "Besides, there's really no rush in this as of yet. There's no one interested in me, and Father has refused to arrange or permit a marriage between me and a man older than forty years of age."

"Which Erik isn't," Haleigh lightly teased. "He doesn't look a day over thirty!"

"He isn't," I said, smiling. "Well, not much over thirty."

"A perfect man, then," she replied, patting my hand. "Now, what do you say to tea, cakes, and cucumber sandwiches? Jerry's going to town, so it's just the two of us and the children today."

"It sounds lovely," I said, truly meaning it.

Since the day the Savoy's had dismissed him from their home, Erik Rousseau had retreated back to his former habits of isolation indoors, his only friends his books and his music. He secluded himself within the room that served as both library and music room, only his servants entering to bring him food and dragging him upstairs to rest. Erik threw himself into reading, and once that had become too little as a form of amusement, he turned towards composing.

And yet, when he read his books, he thought about whether Clara would enjoy that particular novel or not. When he tried his best to create a new opera, the music would not come. Thoughts of Clara and her loving gaze filled his mind whenever he tried to write, and it broke his concentration. Memories of the time they had spent together, particularly on the night he had proposed in the rose garden of her home, flooded his heart and soul with both love and pain. He had not felt this broken since that fateful night in Paris, a time that seemed so long ago.

"Sir, maybe you should go to town for a while," Marcus' voice said, cutting through the haze that had formed around Erik's mind.

Sitting up abruptly, the musician's fingers slammed down on the piano's ivory keys, releasing a chaotic melody that jarred the senses. Muttering curses, Erik stood up, slamming the cover of the instrument into place before stalking over to the window and looking out.

"And what would a day in town provide me?" he snapped, pressing clenched fists upon the windowsill. "Everything reminds me of Clara! No place is safe for me to go without me thinking about her!" From behind him, he could hear Marcus sigh.

"I know it's gotta be rough without Miss Clara, but staying inside all the time isn't good for you," the elderly butler replied, his voice soft. "You need to go outside to take your mind off of things, if only for a little bit. She wouldn't want you to waste away here in this darkness." As the older man left, shutting the large wooden door behind him, Erik reflected upon those words.

His entire life had been spent fleeing into the shadows when things went wrong or heartache struck. He had fled into the darkness of despair after his mother had sold him to the gypsies for a few copper coins. The opera house had been his sanctuary of darkness, music, and art after Madame Giry had freed him from his cage, and that tiny room he had hidden in after the disaster of Don Juan was where he had constructed a new life for himself as he awaited passage to the Americas. Darkness was all he had ever known except for after he had met Christine, and then…

"Oh, Clara," he whispered, closing his eyes and losing himself in memories.

Clara, his light and love, the one person that made him feel whole and normal in a world that had previously shunned him. She had seen his face, had touched him, cared for him in sickness and in health, and had never once run from him in terror. In every way, he thought of her as his wife; all that stood between them were her petty, stupid parents, a ceremony before a priest or judge, and a signed piece of paper.

"Soon, my love," Erik whispered into the glass of the window. "Soon we will be together, and nothing will stand in our path towards happiness."

For now, that vow was all he could give her. And for now, it would have to be enough.

AN: Okay, this was a lot shorter than previous chapters, but I kind of ran out of steam at this point. I promise that it will get better after this, I just got a little sidetracked by the release of Pirates of the Caribbean 2. I will post a new, longer chapter soon, I promise! Please review to help inspire me!