Erik placed his hand on Christine's shoulder. "Christine, I know you already told me this, but I would feel better asking again. Do you want me with you, or at least close by when you speak with Raoul?"
Dr. Gangle interrupted. "The Vicomte did not return with Meg, Sir. She is alone and asked for her mother."
"Alone?" Christine echoed.
Erik nodded at Gangle. "Can you please give us a minute?"
Dr. Gangle bowed his head and walked away.
"Erik, why would she return without Raoul? Why would he stay away?" She shook her head in frustration. "Damn him! He cannot be allowed to keep my life on hold any longer!"
"Calm down, love. I'm sure he won't stay away long." He then looked away. "I am going to have to speak with Meg."
"Do you want me to come with you?"
He hesitated but then shook his head. "I have to do this alone. I don't want to humiliate her any more than she already has been and frankly, I owe her an apology."
She caressed his visible cheek. "Please, no matter what she says, do not blame yourself. Promise me, you won't allow her to make you feel responsible. I won't have her dragging you down again. Your soul is pure and whole."
He gave her a weak smile and then kissed her hand. "I love you."
"I love you too." She smoothed out the lapels of his jacket. "Will you come by after you have spoken with her?"
"It could be late. What about Gustave?"
"He'll be asleep, but I'll wait up for you."
He wanted her not to worry. "You should be getting your rest. You have an important audition coming up, not to mention a performance tomorrow night."
"I'll be ready for tomorrow night and I'm not going to let an audition that may never come to be, run my life. If you want me to rest easy, then you'll come by and tell me what happened, okay?"
He nodded. "I should have known better than to argue with you."
"Yes, you should have." She smiled and kissed him quickly on the lips. "Remember, I love you, for all that you are and all that you strive to be."
Erik needed to hear that. He squeezed her hand and then, regrettably let her go.
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Erik went to Meg's room first but found it empty. He then went to Madame Giry's former office. When he saw the door gapping opened, he knew he had found her.
"Meg?"
She turned around slowly.
"Mr. Y…. Or is it Erik? Maybe you've taken to calling yourself the Opera Ghost again? Tell me, what have I missed?"
"You came back." He stood defensively. He wasn't sure who he was facing after all this time.
"Your letter was much too much to resist. It's funny but you have always had a way with notes, haven't you?" She didn't wait for a response. "Where is my Mother?"
"She isn't here…. Meg, I owe you an apology."
"Apology? I'm the one who left you stranded without a headline act. I want you to know that I'll work day and night to make sure we make up for lost time."
"Meg, I had to replace your act."
She stared at him but spoke calmly. "I know. I saw it. You had to have something in its place but now that I'm back…."
"You're out, Meg. Sally is in the role now and I have Christine ending the show with an aria."
"Christine?" She looked confused. "Why would you do that?"
"It's the right thing to do for the park."
"But you don't need her any longer. I'm back to stay."
"Meg, I know what was going on between you and some business dealings involving the park. I want you to know that I never knew anything about it. Had I known, I would have stopped you at once. Nothing was worth such a sacrifice and I will not tolerate that sort of behavior, regardless of your intentions."
"Erik, you never asked me to do it. I did it. I found a way to make myself indispensable. Mother couldn't do it. Lord knows, Christine wouldn't do it. I could and did. It's as simple as that."
"But that was never an option!"
"When we arrived at Coney Island, you worked for side shows and showed your face to people who laughed and screamed. You hated it, yet you kept doing it because we needed the money. No one asked you to do it. You helped us and now I found a way to help you."
"Meg that was not never what I wanted."
"What did you want? Was it my golden performances? You never so much as watched one rehearsal or offered up one correction. I could have streaked naked on the stage for all you cared. You called me the Oh La La Girl. What did you think people would expect?"
"It was a silly title to get the American audiences interested. It had nothing to do with your character. It was for the music."
"Music? Would you have even thought of having Christine sing those songs and be called that infantile name? No, not your precious diva. And look what happened, Sally gets a new act and Christine gets beautiful arias and Meg gets forgotten..."
"Meg, listen to me..."
"Where was she, Erik? She didn't have to sacrifice anything, did she? Not for the park, or for the employees, or for her dear old friends from long ago. She is here now benefiting from all our sacrifices. I understand being married to Raoul may not have been what she bargained for, but she left. She chose to marry him. I made choices too and I was willing to live with the consequences. What makes her so different?"
"Why are you so angry at Christine?"
"Because she has always taken everything that I have wanted."
Erik shook his head. "You are a dancer, not a singer. That's in your blood."
"I wanted acclaim. Christine became the diva. I wanted a new life, Christine married the Vicomte and he took her away. I wanted to be your friend, but you cast me aside, all because I wasn't her. I wanted someone to want me for me and Raoul just used me as a stand in for her."
"Meg, I thought you were afraid of me. I didn't want to make you uncomfortable. I remember how you acted when you heard stories of the Opera Ghost."
"That was before I traveled overseas with him. You are not a ghost. You are a man. A man who put us first and never asked for anything. Yet you kept yourself from us too. I wanted to know you and I wanted you to know me. I thought being on a stage could get you to notice me, but it wasn't enough. So, I went further. I did what I had to do to protect our livelihood. Surely, you would notice me for that."
"I was wrong to ignore you like that. I never wanted you to be harmed. You deserve a good life."
"And don't you think I should decide what makes a good life for me?"
"Meg don't think such things. You deserve more. You always have. You are not a whore."
"But I am, Erik. I wear the title gladly. I would do it all again, if I knew it would help you."
He stared at her in shock. How could this be little Meg Giry? "I never asked for that kind of help, nor would I have ever welcomed it! This is a reputable place. I did things I am not proud of but that was in the past. I did it, so no one else would have to. I did it, so I would never have to do it again and now I am finally free of that life!"
"But don't you see how alike we are? I would do what you did too, to protect what we have. Do you think Christine would do that?"
"Why do you keep bringing this all back to Christine?"
"Because it's always been about Christine, Erik! She never loved you then! But I do! I love you. I love you for the man you really are, bruises, rotting flesh and all! I am just like you, scars and all, only mind aren't visible. She isn't like us. She never could be."
She came towards him, as Erik backed away.
"She may claim she loves you now, but that's too little too late. You're too smart a man to fall for it. She needs you now because she has nothing left. Her perfect life is in shambles and she had no choice but to seek you out. No one turns their face away from you now, do they? You are a rich, successful man of respect."
Meg scoffed. "She wears the masks, Erik. She always has. God, how I love the irony! I loved you last year, and the year before that, and the year before that, and the year before that. Where was she, Erik during all the years that I loved you?"
