Disclaimer: Please don't sue. I don't own POTO... All I own is an overactive imagination.
Summary: ErikRaoul slash.
Warning(s): homosexuality (that's what slash is people), and some bad language (but that's usually in the author notes), nakedness (not full, but I'm obsessed with Raoul currently).
Pairing(s): ErikRaoul
A/N: Okay, as promised another chapter!
Story Note: Not as action packed as I'd hoped, but it's got interesting twists! Ooh... the excitement.
o.o.o.o
Imaginary Friends
Chapter 12 – Betrayals
o.o.o.o
By: Lucifer Rosemaunt
o.o.o.o
Last time: Erik and Raoul finally talk. Raoul has an 'episode' induced from head trauma, the cold, and imaginary!Erik's meddling. Erik has his first full-blown dirty thoughts about Raoul. oo (Hell, with Raoul's clothes I'm having dirty thoughts too)
o.o.o
Erik checked Raoul's forehead for any sign that his temperature had changed in the past five minutes since the last time he had checked. Nothing. He let out a frustrated exhalation. Nothing had changed. Raoul's temperature was fairly normal, though his skin was a little clammy.
Erik adjusted the blanket around him. He wondered if he should get another one, but the room was already quite warm due to the fire. He told himself that Raoul was fine. Raoul was fine but he was not waking up. He did not even show signs of waking.
Erik tried to hold onto what hope he had. It was a good sign that Raoul did not have a temperature. It was good, right? Or was it bad since if Raoul had a temperature then it meant that his body was still functioning, still fighting? This clammy, half-warm body was worrying him.
He had been pacing for the past hour because of that worry. Earlier, he had stopped the bleeding and bandaged Raoul's head tightly. The wound had not been as bad as Erik had initially thought. Head wounds always had a tendency to bleed a lot. The small wound was the only comforting thing that had happened so far.
After that, he had quickly run out of things to do. He had never been patient. He did not think he would ever be, but he hardly had a choice this time. It was torturous to wait and see what happened to Raoul, to his Raoul. All he knew was that he should be able to do something. He should be doing something, anything but just waiting. He paced some more in front of the divan.
Looking over to Raoul, Erik could see the rise and fall of his chest even through the blanket, but he needed more reassurance than just the sight. It could be trick of his eyes. He needed some other kind of confirmation. Kneeling beside the divan, he leaned over Raoul's prone form and placed his head on Raoul's chest. He heard the steady heartbeat and felt himself relax just a fraction. Moreover, there was the comforting puff of breath that just barely brushed his face. He wanted to stay like this until Raoul awoke. He needed to hear that heartbeat and feel that breath for him to be able to wait any longer, but he knew that was nonsense.
Erik stood up and deliberately walked away from Raoul and the fireplace. He could not make it out of the room though. That would be too far. He looked at the paintings and tried to distract himself. There was the opera house, the Paris skyline, and Christine, but he could not see anything but Raoul. His eyes were drawn back towards the divan.
He hated the way he was acting. When had he ever been this pathetic? When had he ever fussed over someone else's health?
This was all Raoul's fault. The boy had grown up to be a dim-witted fop. Who told him to traipse through his tunnels? Who told him he could even try? He should have realized that it was dangerous. He should have realized that it was no place for… for dim-witted fops. Erik screamed in frustration. He looked over at Raoul who had not even responded to the sound. Erik screamed again for good measure. He was so frustrated that he could not even think of good insults.
He wondered how Raoul even managed to reach his home. It apparently had not been easy from Raoul's appearance, but Raoul was the first person to reach that far – given he had to swim through the lake to reach it, which was not the best way to go about it, Erik was a little proud of Raoul for having reached his home.
He glared at Raoul from afar. That pride was misplaced. It was hardly an accomplishment, and it had brought Raoul to this point of unconsciousness. It had brought Erik to this point of uselessness, helplessness; it was the same thing.
What could he do? He was torn between making a concerted effort to wake Raoul and allowing him to sleep. Maybe all Raoul needed was more sleep. Maybe all Raoul needed was Erik to be just a little more patent. Patient? Erik stalked towards Raoul with every intention to shake him awake, but stopped himself.
He just had to remind himself that Raoul was just sleeping. There was no need for Erik to wake him, not yet at least. Raoul was sleeping and should be left alone.
Erik turned around and walked away from Raoul.
This was Christine's fault. If she had not decided to regale him with stories of her day, stories that he had already seen, he would have been able to find Raoul when he had been in the tunnels. Her voice had such potential, but she frustrated him at times. Angel this and Angel that. Did the girl actually believe him to be an angel? Christine had kept him from Raoul. She was… she was completely unrelated to this situation. She had nothing to do with Raoul's current state.
At times like this, Erik would usually pound a melody on the organ, but that would mean he would have to leave Raoul alone. He could not do that. He walked towards Raoul again. Sitting on the settee that Raoul had once occupied, he forced himself to be still.
Being still meant having to think though. He did not want to think right now, but it seemed to be the only thing he could do.
There were so many questions that he wanted to ask Raoul that he felt he had a right to know. Perhaps not questions, he wanted to know everything about Raoul's past that he had missed. He wanted to know why Raoul had forgotten him. It was not like he could just ask him though. If Raoul did not remember him, then he would not remember why he had forgotten him in the first place.
However, he had not been hearing things. Raoul had said his name. He had called out to him. Well, he had told him to stop, but that was not the important part. The important thing was that Raoul had called out his name. Something had happened and whatever it had been, Raoul had called his name.
This was exactly the reason why Erik did not want to stop moving. He knew he would only think of that. He would become fixated with that small detail.
Erik watched Raoul trying to figure out what he should do. If the patron were gone for too long, then people would wonder where he had been. Would he have to claim another kidnapping? Did he want to let him go so soon? Erik could keep him here. It was an appealing thought, and it was not like Raoul could protest.
When Raoul woke though… if Raoul woke. If? Erik did not like that possibility.
Making his decision, he decided to wake Raoul up. He was ready to demand answers or even just discuss what had happened. Discuss? Erik scoffed. He did not discuss anything. He demanded. He ordered. But all he really wanted right now was for Raoul to be awake.
Erik reached out to shake him. Before he even touched him, Raoul moaned softly and turned onto his side. Erik pulled his hand back. He waited to see if Raoul would wake on his own. Raoul mumbled something in his sleep and turned onto his back again. He was still sleeping, but Erik was relieved that Raoul had shown signs that he could be woken. Now, all he had to do was help him the rest of the way to consciousness.
He was about to reach out again when Raoul began to shift uneasily. Erik watched raptly as Raoul proceeded to push the blanket off. He watched as Raoul's hand rested on his stomach before he moaned and dragged his hand upward lifting up his shirt.
Erik decided a few more minutes of sleep would not hurt.
o.o.o
Raoul did not remember how he had come into this situation, but he did know that he needed to run.
It was dark but there were flashing lights and bursts of fire. Everything was a blur as he ran as quickly as he could. He was being chased and casting a glance over his shoulder, he could not see whatever it was clearly. There were so many noises though. People were laughing and children were yelling. There were animals; horses were neighing. From what he could guess, he was running through a carnival. He veered left hoping to lose whoever was following him, but he could not seem to run fast enough.
It was overwhelming. The loudest noise though was his own breathing. It sounded unnaturally loud in his ears. But he could not seem to get a deep breath. His lungs were on fire and his legs felt so tired. His strides were not long enough.
And suddenly looking down at himself, he realized why. He was four years old again and the monster was getting ever closer. He tried to run faster. He tried with everything that was in him, but his legs were too small. He was too small.
Though somewhere in his mind, the adult Raoul was telling him that there were no such things as monsters, but with a monster chasing after him, the young Raoul could not bring himself to believe him.
Just when he thought he was going to be caught, someone lifted him up and began running for him. It was not very comfortable being carried while the other person ran, but Raoul had never felt so safe in his life. He did not know when he had ever felt this protected. He wrapped his small arms around the person's neck and closed his eyes in fear. He knew he could trust this person.
Making it out of the carnival, Raoul could feel the change of scenery almost shift around them. The lights were gone replaced by darkness. They ran through a strange city. Although they were out of the carnival, he could still hear people laughing and yelling, but it was different from before. These people were not laughing because of joy. They were laughing mockingly and yelling obscenities. Raoul could almost imagine a group of people pointing and laughing at him and the person who held him. He did not want to look behind them. He did not want to see the monster so he buried his face into the bony shoulder of the person who held him.
He could hear footsteps getting closer. Raoul held on tighter and he heard Erik's voice whisper to him, "Everything's going to be alright."
Raoul's eyes opened. This was Erik? He tried to lean back to see the boy's face – because he was certain now that this was a boy and not a man, but he was held so tightly that he could not move. He was forced to stay as he was. Looking behind them though, he saw Philippe.
"Raoul!" A young Philippe yelled.
Raoul marveled at how young Philippe looked. He had seen pictures of them when they were young and Philippe had not looked like this since the last portrait his family had taken when his parents were still alive. Philippe was chasing after them, but Raoul could not seem to call out to him.
The boy, Erik… Raoul did not know for certain. It had been Erik's voice, but when didn't he hear Erik's voice? The boy did not stop running immediately and Raoul thought they were going to lose Philippe when they suddenly stopped.
He was lowered to the ground and Raoul's eyes were trained on the young Philippe. He knew that he should run to Philippe. Somehow, he felt like he was being pulled to Philippe because that was just how it happened. He had to run to Philippe.
Philippe stood expectantly, and Raoul suddenly wanted to fight against that pull. He did not want to be forced to leave.
Instead of running towards Philippe, he turned around and for the first time this night, he saw the boy who had saved him. He saw him half in the darkness so that all he saw was the scrawny body of a growing boy. It was the image he had seen before. Before? Raoul shrugged off the thought. He was being watched and Raoul knew the other boy was waiting for something. Raoul just hoped he knew what to do. He reached out his hand to grab the other's hand and dragged him forward to go with him towards Philippe.
Raoul easily pulled the boy out of the shadows and upon seeing his face, he let go of his hand in fear. The boy's face was gaunt and his eyes showed a betrayal that Raoul felt guilty for making him feel, but Raoul had been surprised. Half of his face grotesquely deformed. The skin looked bumpy and inflamed. There was blood dripping down what looked like torn flesh. If Raoul were honest, it looked as though someone had tried to peel his face off and had only half succeeded.
Though Raoul had released his hand, he did not want to run away. He wanted to reach forward to him again, but when he tried, the boy seemed to get further.
"Be well," Raoul saw him speak and for the first time that he could remember, he connected Erik's voice to a body.
"Erik!" Raoul could hear his younger self yelling desperately, but Erik was fading into the darkness. "Erik! Erik!" Raoul felt tears streaming down his face and there were arms holding him back. He tried to pull away, but it was too late. Erik was gone.
Then everything went dark.
o.o.o
Raoul woke up slowly. The first conscious sensation he felt was a pounding headache. He gingerly reached up and pressed his fingers against his temples. He was slightly confused when his hands encountered a material.
He opened his eyes to his bedroom.
His bedroom?
The last he remembered was a fireplace. Well, there had been that weird dream with Philippe and Erik. The realization dawned on him rather belatedly that he had seen Erik. He had actually seen what Erik looked like. He touched his own face where Erik had been deformed. The look of betrayal on Erik's face lingered in his mind. He felt a stabbing pain of guilt.
For now though, he had to figure out whether the whole opera ghost's lair fiasco had actually occurred. By all accounts, he should not be home. He should be in the ghost's home in the sitting room with all the paintings.
It was not like it could have been a dream though. The wound and bandage on his head were proof of that. Unless he had hit his head and hallucinated the whole thing. That very well could have happened knowing his luck these days.
He looked down and checked his clothes. They definitely were not his. They were the ghost's, the masked ghost's clothes. Masked? Raoul could not believe he had not realized earlier. Erik's face had been deformed. The opera ghost was supposed to be horribly deformed as well. Could it be Erik?
Wait. What was he thinking? That had been a dream. He could not even be sure that that had been an actual memory.
Yet, there had been that familiarity. When he had finally seen Erik in that dream, he had recognized him. And his voice fit perfectly. Could he doubt that?
He could. He could not just assume that the dream had been a memory. Even if that dream were a memory, then he could not even be sure that Erik was the ghost. If he were, then wouldn't the ghost have said something? Wouldn't the ghost have recognized him?
This was too much thinking when he had a headache. He pulled the blankets over his head wishing he could just go back to sleep. At least there, it was less complicated even though he was being chased.
He also wished that he were still in the ghost's home. If he had woken there, he would have been able to ask the man directly if they knew each other. Could the ghost really be Erik? Raoul realized what if 'Erik' wasn't even the right name?
It could not be all coincidence.
Erik was his imaginary friend. He had just made up the name to go with the voice. Not to mention that right now, said imaginary friend was being strangely quiet. After the past few weeks, Erik had not shut up and now he was completely absent. Raoul wondered how he did not realize it sooner. The start of the morning usually started with Erik's all too cheering Wake up sunshine.
He heard the door to his room open.
"Vicomte?"
Raoul peeked from under the blanket. It was his butler. He pulled the blanket over his head again.
"I'm glad to see you are well."
Well, Raoul sighed. He had expected the butler to leave him alone, but this way he could start getting answers now. He pulled the blanket down and sat up leaning against the headboard. "Thank you. What happened?"
The butler frowned. "A rather mysterious man knocked on the door quite early in the morning. We were beginning to worry about you, even though you told us you would be late."
Raoul glared half-heartedly at the man. "I am a grown man."
"Barely," he continued ignoring Raoul's shocked reaction, "Well, said gentleman was carrying you. He stated that there had been an accident on the street and he recognized who you were. It was quite lucky for you."
"Yes," Raoul frowned, "lucky."
"Lunch will be served shortly. We felt it best to allow you some rest. Will you be going to the opera house today? Does your head bother you?"
Raoul grinned at the concern. He knew that the others were probably worried about him too. He wanted to go back to sleep, but he also wanted to find the opera ghost. He wanted to ask some answers. "I will be going today, and my head is fine. I'm sorry to have worried you all… again."
His butler smiled indulgently at him and nodded before he left.
Raoul's head only stung slightly from the wound. He was hardly bothered by it. The thing that was actually bothering him was the fact that Erik had not said anything to him all this time. He tried talking to him, but there was no response. Raoul was getting worried, which he knew to be illogical since Erik was just an imaginary friend, but too many things were happening too quickly. It would be nice if he had someone to talk to. Without Erik and Philippe, there was no one he trusted. He hoped that Philippe would be back soon.
Lunch was thankfully uneventful. As he was riding in the carriage, he felt himself slightly on edge. When he arrived at the opera house, he did not know what he was expecting, but everything seemed so normal. He talked with the managers who were still rather disdainful towards him, more now than ever actually, as the opera neared. He passed by Carlotta who gave him similar looks of disdain, but Raoul always blamed it on her arrogance.
"Vicomte," Christine and Meg ran up to him.
Raoul had started at her voice. Seeing them actually relieved some of the tension he felt. "Mlle. Daae, Mlle. Giry." He bowed.
Christine looked around giggling. Seeing that no one was really paying attention to them, she lowered her voice, "Raoul. Are you well? Whatever happened to you?"
Raoul subconsciously reached up to his head. "I am quite alright. It's only a minor head injury."
Christine frowned.
Meg commented, "Your fiancé must be quite worried."
Raoul looked around. He realized that the ghost would most likely be listening. At the thought of the ghost, he grew a little more anxious. He wondered if he was nervous about the ghost. He had never been nervous before, so why would now be any different?
It was probably why everything had seemed so normal. He had expected to run into the ghost the second he stepped into the theatre. He had expected at least some sign from the ghost, but maybe there were simply too many people around.
Raoul realized Christine and Meg were looking at him worriedly. "There's nothing to worry about. I haven't seen her yet actually."
"No!" They both exclaimed.
"You must go now," Christine said.
Raoul wondered why she was getting so worked up. "Why?"
"You must go see her," Meg explained, "I would be angry with my fiancé if something happened to him and he didn't inform me immediately."
"Why?" Raoul asked again. He really did not understand what was so pressing about a non-life-threatening injury.
Christine frowned at him exaggeratedly, "Just go and find her."
Raoul shrugged and allowed himself to be ushered back towards the entrance of the theatre. When he was certain they had left him alone, he redirected his destination from the front door to deeper into the opera house.
He wanted to find the ghost. Now that he was alone, he was certain that the ghost would show up soon.
o.o.o
Erik had watched the whole exchange, and unlike in the past, he did not follow Raoul. He followed Christine back to the stage. He had a renewed will towards his goal. Christine would be everything to him. Christine was the one.
His attention was waning though. It was not as though he needed to watch her rehearse. He had seen her do it for the past weeks. All that was left were the full run-throughs. He wanted to see what Raoul was doing, but that was the core of his problems.
He had barely been watching Raoul for a few minutes after Raoul first began to stir. He had wanted to keep Raoul with him, but that was not the problem. The problem was that he could not think of any reason not to keep Raoul with him.
If only the blanket had not slipped and he had not let himself leave Raoul uncovered, Raoul would still be with him. If only Erik had more self-control, he could be watching or talking with Raoul right now. But Raoul had been so defenseless. Not to mention the fact that Raoul had been showing entirely too much skin.
Erik had slowly walked to him eyes focused on his face. Raoul had stopped mumbling in his sleep. Erik took it to be a good sign since it meant that Raoul was actually sleeping. Before he had been unconscious, now he was simply sleeping like he had been trying to convince himself of earlier. It meant that Raoul would eventually wake up. It meant that Raoul would wake up. Period.
As much as he was tempted to, Erik could not have left the blanket where it fell because Raoul would only become cold. He moved closer intent to wrap Raoul more snugly.
Erik's hand rested atop Raoul's hand on his stomach. He swallowed through the lump in his throat, and he found himself staring at their hands. Raoul was warm. Erik's hand was apparently colder since he could see Raoul shiver slightly at his touch. Erik found himself thinking thoughts and actions he had never once considered before.
They were not nice thoughts. They were nice to Erik in a way that made his heart beat faster and desire pool low in his belly, but he knew Raoul would not appreciate it.
What little ability of thought he had left, he decided that he would send a note to Raoul's estate stating that the Vicomte would be absent a few days. He would let Raoul recuperate with him. He would keep Raoul for just a short while. It was for the Vicomte's health after all. So what if Erik would be able to spend time with Raoul uninhibited. So what if Erik had ulterior motives.
He pulled his hand off of Raoul's rather reluctantly and bent downward to grab the end of the blanket when he realized how close his face was the Raoul, how small the distance between their faces was.
Erik felt his heart beat erratically and his breaths shorten. His hand moved of its own volition and gently stroked Raoul's cheek. It was smooth. Erik had the strange thought of wondering if Raoul could even grow a beard. His lips quirked at the thought.
The same hand reverently traced Raoul's features – first the forehead, then the brow and closed eyelids. Erik shut out every other sensation but this touch. He dragged his thumb over Raoul's lips and they parted for him. Without thinking, Erik closed that small distance between them and captured Raoul's lips with his own.
Raoul did not respond, but Erik hardly noticed. He shuddered at the contact. He pulled away slowly. Letting out a breath, it took several moments before the reality of his action dawned on him.
He touched his own lips in disbelief. They tingled with only the memory.
He had kissed Raoul.
He could not breathe.
He had kissed Raoul.
Erik looked around in panic. Logically he knew that no one could have seen him, but what if someone had? What if they told Raoul when he woke? What would Raoul say?
Erik paced back and forth in front of the fireplace. His fingers were still on his lips. Still tingling.
What would Raoul say if he found out?
Erik could not believe what he had done. All his life, he had taken whatever he wanted, but now he had betrayed Raoul. He had promised the boy that he would protect him from monsters, but he could not even protect Raoul from himself. He said he would never betray him, but he had just now. He had taken advantage of him when he was ill.
Raoul could not stay here. He could not be allowed near Erik ever again. Not after he had betrayed Raoul in one of the worst ways possible.
Some part of him told him that Raoul had kissed him before. Erik knew that was hardly an excuse. That kiss had been another promise. That kiss had been chaste and innocent, and this kiss... Erik had not wanted to stop at just kissing him. There was nothing innocent about it.
"Does that mean we're married now?"
Erik laughed with no humour. He found himself wishing that had been the case, then at least these thoughts about Raoul would not be so confusing.
He knew now that there was no way that Raoul and he should ever see each other again. Raoul was no longer safe with him. Raoul would have to leave.
Therefore, he had picked him up and left to find a horse to bring the Vicomte home. Erik was acting in Raoul's best interest. He should have listened to himself sooner. He should have realized that fraternizing with him would only cause more problems, but he had been too stubborn to listen. Now, he had a new will to stay away from Raoul completely. He had a new reason.
When he brought Raoul to the estate, that will was tempted once more. Erik could see no other way to transport Raoul than by horse, and Erik had to hold Raoul to ensure he did not fall. Raoul had felt so good in his arms. It had felt so right, and though he had carried Christine once in a similar manner when she fainted, it had not felt like this.
It was different because holding Raoul for such a distance only made it that much clearer that he was a man. This was no woman who swooned from fear. There was only there barest hint of delicacy in Raoul, and Erik knew that all the aristocracy had a certain delicacy that indicated they had never experienced true hardship in their lives.
No, Raoul was not effeminate. Erik only felt lean hard muscle as he held Raoul. He felt the male form and though he had spent much of his life dreaming about a soft pliable female body beside him, this did not feel as awkward as he would have thought. He had only ever thought of Christine in such a manner. Everyone else was held with such low disregard; Erik had never thought of any male in this way.
There had only been two people in his life who he had ever given any consideration to sexually and emotionally. Raoul and Christine. As such, there had only been three categories of relationships in his mind. There were those he despised and would kill given any reason or sometimes no reason - though there were some people in this category who he might spare a second to reconsider such as Madame Giry.
There was Christine who he had wanted most of his life to have for himself. He wanted to give her the world and would give it to her if she only chose to stay with him. He wanted her love. He wanted her.
Then, there was Raoul. Before Raoul ever became the patron of the opera house, Raoul had simply been Raoul. Erik had not wanted anything from him. He perhaps wanted to see him, but Raoul made him think of possibilities, of firsts. Raoul had just been the little boy who was the first to show him compassion, the first to touch him kindly, the first to worry about him, the first to make a promise not to betray him, and the first to give him a kiss.
Erik's hand had strayed from the reins to touch his lips. They still tingled when he thought about it.
Raoul was this innocent child in his mind. Well, at least, he had been. Now, although he had reconciled that Raoul was no longer a child but the Vicomte and patron of his opera house, he did not know how to reconcile the new thoughts and feelings that this adult Raoul had somehow incurred. He could not do those things to Raoul. Not innocent young Raoul.
To protect him, to keep his promise, Erik would leave him be, and this time he would mean it. He had to mean it for both their sakes. Erik was supposed to have Christine. Raoul was supposed to have a happy life without Erik. He frowned at the thought, but Raoul had his fiancé.
So, Erik had brought Raoul home and had gone home himself. He had to prepare for Christine's lesson tomorrow.
He had spent the rest of the evening trying to think of everything but Raoul and his tingling lips. He was mostly successful. Even the next day, Erik watched Christine and forced himself not to think about how Raoul had not come to visit yet. How Raoul could have not woken up as he thought he would. How Raoul could still be hurting.
He trained his eyes on Christine and focused solely on her. She seemed so carefree nowadays. She ignored Carlotta and Piangi. She sang every line beautifully though Erik knew she could do better. She laughed and smiled with the Giry girl and the other ballet dancers.
Christine, his sweet Christine, was so suited for this life. She would be disappointed when he took her away, and though she would be afraid, he kept telling himself that fear could turn to love.
He wondered if a child's trust and courage could turn to something more, but Erik did not allow himself to dwell on that thought.
Then Raoul had come into his view and he felt his throat constrict. Only Raoul could do that to him. Only Raoul could make every other thought in his mind no longer matter. He ignored Raoul the best he could and focused on Christine but when Christine went over to talk to him, he found himself unable to not follow.
He sighed with relief knowing that Raoul was awake and well. He looked well enough, and the bandage on his head was clean. Once close, Erik could not seem to tear his eyes away from him, so he was glad when both Christine and Meg drove him away to tell his fiancé about his injury. Erik scoffed.
He did not believe Raoul when he said that there was no other woman. There had to be. It would explain everything easily, and it made giving up on him a little easier. He had initially considered killing the woman, but now, at least he knew Raoul would be happy with someone else. He would be able to build a family and a better life.
Erik wondered what he could have possibly been thinking when he wanted to keep Raoul. It had not been a well-developed thought, but Erik only knew of his desire. He had wanted to force Raoul into remembering him and make Raoul keep his promise for them to leave together.
He had been foolish back then to make a promise with a child, and he had been foolish now. How could he believe such a promise? How could he still hope for that?
Erik forced himself to stay with Christine though from the look of things, Raoul had not left the opera house. Erik knew that Raoul was waiting for him.
Their last meeting had raised more questions that the Vicomte would want answered. Well, Raoul would be sorely disappointed because Erik would initiate no contact between them. He had even closed both entrances to his tunnels that Raoul knew of. Raoul would be having no more escapades into the tunnels or his home.
Erik would make the effort to distance them. As such, Raoul would be given no special privileges from him any longer. He would have to be just like every other patron to come to this opera house.
Erik would no longer let Raoul fill his thoughts… at the very least, he would no longer act on them.
o.o.o
Raoul was tired of waiting. He really had thought that the ghost would have approached him by now. Instead of waiting though, he decided that the best course of action would be to go back into the tunnels and find him.
There was the danger factor. He probably would get lost again, but now he knew if the tunnel narrowed, he should run the other way and not headlong into the freezing cold lake. He was fairly certain that he would not get lost again. He was better prepared now too. Mentally prepared that was.
His resolve set, he rushed through the halls and checked to make sure no one was around before he tried to slide open the wall. It did not budge. Raoul looked at the wall. He was sure that this was the spot. He tried again but it did not move. He knew he had not gotten lost in the opera house. He knew he was where he was supposed to be.
Raoul wondered if the ghost was trying to send him a message. The ghost was ignoring him? Technically, Raoul and the ghost had not had much contact, but Raoul felt as though if he had wanted to speak with the ghost, it would not have been difficult to find him. Now, he could not open the wall. He considered going to Christine's room, but he had a suspicion that it too would be locked.
Maybe Raoul had been wrong about the ghost. The ghost may have been courteous while Raoul had been down in his home, but maybe he really had been annoyed.
Raoul shrugged the thought off. That did not seem right. The ghost had been gruff, but he had sensed no hostility. It was just his imagination.
o.o.o
Raoul would have liked to think he was being silly. He would have liked to think that the opera ghost was not avoiding him, ignoring, or doing both. But he could not.
He was in the opera house once again. And just like the past two weeks, he had not seen nor heard any sign of the opera ghost. On the other hand, the singers and dancers had a great number of new stories about sightings of the ghost. So many accidents had occurred in the past two weeks that Raoul was surprised he had missed every single one of them. At least Raoul knew the ghost was true to his word; no one had been injured.
Raoul was coming to the conclusion that the ghost could not be Erik. Okay, maybe he was not absolutely certain, since he still could not remember exactly what had happened in the past. He thought that more would be revealed to him in subsequent dreams or maybe his mind would have had enough hints to remember it himself but there had been no further revelations. There had only been silence and more questions. He did know that it had something to do with Erik. It had something to do with the voice in his head.
It had been two whole weeks with no word, and Raoul was going mad. He felt so stagnant. Time had been going incredibly slowly. He was trapped in some sort of limbo where his mind was stuck on the same unanswerable questions with the same conclusions. He had to ask someone. He had to force a meeting between him and the ghost. He was also waiting anxiously for Philippe's return home.
Philippe held the answers to his past, and he wondered why he had not realized it sooner. He had a suspicion that the ghost would also have some answers for him.
Raoul still did not know if Erik was the ghost, but there were still valid questions if the ghost were not Erik. Such as, why had he been so nice to him? Why had he been so courteous when every story he had ever heard of the man said that he would kill anyone who even had the barest of glimpse of him?
Raoul sighed and tried to push all those thoughts out of his mind. Tonight was the opening night for the opera Il Muto. He had arrived a little earlier than usual to meet the managers for an impromptu meeting they had set up.
Walking to the managers' box, he entered and greeted the two. They stood and motioned for him to sit down, but Raoul declined. They remained standing as well.
"What is this meeting about?" Raoul asked.
Andre and Firmin shared a look. Andre looked anxious, but Firmin just looked grim. Raoul did not have a good feeling about this.
"We just wanted to inform you that we have received an offer of another patronage."
Raoul nodded, "Well, that's good. The opera house could always use more money for costumes, props, and sceneries."
He had been receiving letters of the same sort of people who thought the Opera Populaire was the best place to invest their money. They were people who wanted to support the arts, but really wanted to share some of the acclaim. Maybe the managers' had not realized it, but Raoul did not want to deny another patron outright if they thought it beneficial.
"No," Firmin continued, "I do not think you understand."
Raoul looked at them suspiciously. Maybe he was starting to understand, but he hoped he was wrong.
"This man wants to be the only patron of the Opera Populaire."
Raoul tried to school his features, but he was certain that he was glaring at the two. He should have seen this coming sooner. The managers hardly liked him, but he did not think they would stoop to this level. "Well," Raoul bit out, "we have a contract stating that I am the main benefactor."
Andre meekly added, "We seek to pay out your contract."
Raoul did not even try to hide it. He glared openly at the two. He had felt hostility from them since the decision that Christine would be lead of Il Muto, but he had not sensed this plan. "And if I refuse?"
"I do not think you will be able to refuse," Firmin stated with certainty.
"Is that," Raoul stepped menacingly towards the pair, "a threat?"
Andre stepped back, but Firmin stood his ground. "It is merely an observation on my part, Monsieur. The one who has been threatening us of late has been you and your absurd ghost masquerade."
Raoul scoffed, "I am not masquerading as the opera ghost."
"I..."
Raoul cut him off, "And I will not release you from our contract."
He turned around and stormed out of the box. He did not think he could stand to hear anything else. They had told him all he needed to know. They wanted him out.
He could not believe what had just happened. He needed to hurt something. He needed to scream and yell. He needed… he looked around at the people staring at him. He needed air. He tried to tamp down on the anger since he was making a scene, but if his footsteps were louder than usual and his jaw clenched, no one tried to inform him. In fact, everyone make a conscious effort to stay away from the enraged Vicomte.
He walked through the front doors and took a deep breath of fresh air. It was not helping. He was not calming down. He looked around for something to ease his mind.
He just could not believe those managers. He could not believe their gall. After all he had done for the opera house... He saw the box office and cut in front of everyone currently in line. He ignored their yells of dismay. Some attendants nearby informed them that Raoul was the patron of the theatre and instead of disgruntled yells, Raoul heard whispers. He knew he would be in the news tomorrow but did not care.
"Vicomte, to what do I owe this pleasure?"
Raoul glared at the man behind the glass, "Are there any seats available for tonight's opera?"
It had been arranged that he was to sit with the managers, but Raoul could not stand the thought. He could barely think of them without going into a rage. There was no way he would be able to survive a whole opera with them so close without injuring them.
"Oh," the oblivious man stated, "Do you have a guest that..."
He trailed away when he finally noticed the glare that Raoul was giving him.
"I'm sorry, Monsieur," the man quickly remarked, "This performance has been sold out for months now. There are no other seats."
Raoul nodded before leaving. Of course, there would be no seats. That was the way that Raoul had planned it. Christine would be the prima donna everyone wanted to see, needed to see.
Raoul had promised her that he would watch the first performance. He wanted to offer his support, so there had to be a way to watch it. He walked to the mezzanine section and looked out into the crowd. He could not believe it. All the seats were actually filled. Or at least they appeared that way. He scanned the box seats and they too were filled. He could not see all the boxes, but Raoul knew that there would be no empty seat in the theatre tonight.
He glared in the direction of the managers' box and saw the managers speaking with Carlotta. Raoul wondered why she was not preparing but he shrugged it off as her complaining even to the very end.
He looked away in disdain. Then he saw an empty box. He was hopeful for a second before realizing why exactly the box was empty. It was Box 5. He sighed. He had wanted to force a meeting between the ghost and himself, but in his current disposition that meeting would probably not go very well. He did not want anything to go awry for Christine's first night of Il Muto. It would ruin the whole evening for her.
He left the seating area and walked aimlessly through the theatre. He needed to exert some energy, needed to divert his attention away from his anger. Walking was good. He heard the orchestra warming up, and he realized that he would be able to hear her from the hallways. If he just stood inconspicuously, then he could listen to the whole opera.
Raoul could not believe what he was thinking. He was the patron of the opera house and he was going to spend a whole opera standing in the hallway listening to dim echoes.
He did not want to disappoint her. She would only find a new way to tease him, but certainly, she would understand if he told her the reason he did not have a seat; not to mention the fact that he had said he would bring his fiancé today. Christine and Meg had looked so excited. It had been his original plan to say that she had suddenly come down with an illness. He could still say it now, but missing the opera would only give them more ammunition against him. He could only stand so much.
More importantly, he did not want to leave just yet because he wanted to wait until the very end and flaunt his presence to the managers. He wanted to show them that he would not quietly fade into the background.
Raoul walked out onto the balcony overlooking the entrance of the opera house. It was empty. Raoul frowned. Of course, it would be empty. Everyone was inside waiting for the curtain to rise. It would be starting soon.
He would just stay out here for tonight. He would always be able to watch the opera later.
At least, he had a lot to think about. He wondered if he wanted to be the patron of this theatre. There were other places that he could patron. They would be a lot less effort on his part. They would not take up so much of his life. Philippe would hardly care if it was what Raoul really wanted.
It did not explain why he was so angry. Raoul knew he could leave the opera house at any time. Christine was doing well. The ghost was ignoring him. It seemed to be a dead end. What he did not take too kindly was the fact that he was being forced from his position through underhanded means. It was an insult to him.
He did not know what he would decide, so he decided to wait until Philippe returned to discuss the matter with him. As long as the opera house was doing well, Raoul did not care whether he was the patron or not. He could let the insult pass if Philippe told him he was being unreasonable. Raoul was not one for confrontation. He could do it if angered enough, but it took more effort than Raoul was willing to give to such people.
He smirked. Maybe he could ask the ghost to make the managers' lives a living hell.
o.o.o
Carlotta had snuck into the managers' box before the opera began.
"Well?" She prompted.
"As well as could be expected," Firmin said grimly.
Carlotta frowned, "And what are you going to do about it?"
"The Comte is offering much more than the Vicomte currently. It would be a mistake to not accept his offer." Firmin explained.
"However did you find him?" Andre inquired.
Carlotta smirked, "We two are quite good acquaintances."
"Oh," Firmin nodded, "He is a fan."
She nodded, "You know his requisites?"
Andre began to list, "Christine Daae will only be given secondary roles since you, La Carlotta, will have all the leads after this production of Il Muto."
"But most importantly," Firmin added, "he will be a rather hands off patron. Exactly what we need."
"The Vicomte refuses to release us from the contract." Andre explained.
Carlotta frowned, "I believe that you can leave that to me."
o.o.o.o
End Chapter
Word count: 8,036
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A/N: Don't forget to R/R (Read and Review)!
Dun dun duuunnn. So much evil-ness. Not that much action here, but a lot has been revealed! We know who the real enemies are now (and you thought this would only be a character-based adventure with Erik and Raoul... no there is a plot somewhere here besides them finding each other). That took a while to write. I spent the past four hours when I should be working (my fault really) working on this. Hope you like it.
Chapter review: Poor Raoul stuck outside on the opening night of Il Muto. Erik stole a kiss! How great is that? I was going to have Raoul molested, but then the rating would have gone up, right? Let's keep this as a teen rating. Wouldn't want to go too far (though tempting as that had been). Oh and damn the managers who have teamed up with Carlotta. What more evil-ness are they planning?
Thanks to you awesome reviewers! You're all too fast!!! I can't write that fast. TT
Kytten – thanks for the review and the grammar tidbit. It's always good to hear suggestions (I didn't change it, but that's more due to laziness and lack of time than anything else).
Sakurafox666 – I think this chapter's more of a poor Raoul, though Erik is in this constant confused state.
courageouscoward – The best chapter ever? I don't know. Maybe I can top it.
trueblood – I usually lean towards evil!Christine as well, but I said one day I wouldn't bash on her, and this seems to be the day. Thanks for reviewing everything you've read. I know it's tempting not to. I could gauge your progress through my stories through your reviews. Too bad you had to hit an incomplete one. The wait is horrible:oP
Akaiba – I wanted to do a whole nursemaid!Erik too, but I blame it on his hormones. (Though I would take advantage of Raoul in such a state, but I'm evil like that.)
PuppetofDreams – Sorry for evil cliffhangers. This chapter's less of one though not really. At least we now know what the managers are up to.
xdark.flowerx – imaginary!Erik only has Raoul's interest at heart – well, and Erik's too. I'm glad you liked that part. Sometimes Raoul can be so dense.
Chibi-kaz – I don't think I've ever been compared to the Phantom… I think I like it. :o) More evil-ness to ensue.
whatevergirl – Raoul's always the damsel and we know Erik likes to worry over him.