Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Phantom of the Opera. Only original stuff is mine.
AN: Yes, I know, I'm evil for giving you guys a cliffhanger. But it keeps everyone interested and reading, so it's not all bad. Anyway, here is the next chapter, so enjoy reading and please leave a review! Thanks a bunch!
Chapter 20: Bound:
For a moment, everyone stood there in complete and utter silence. Shock was written on everyone's face, and the only sounds filling the empty air happened to be dripping water and harsh, deep breathing. Glancing around, I noticed, to my amusement, that the Count and Countess looked ready to either run away or faint where they stood. Even though the Count was well-armed, he still looked like a frightened mouse.
Meanwhile, Erik was a tall, dark, menacing shadow, which I found incredibly attractive. His green eyes were narrowed to slits, and I could easily tell that he was thinking a dozen things at once. I watched as Erik's gloved hands clenched tightly together, almost as though he were trying his best not to attack the ones who had intruded on our home and sanctuary.
'Though how in the world they made their way down here in the first place is beyond me,' I thought, shooting the Countess a glare out of the corner of my eye.
I had heard that she was a great beauty, but the vacant expression in Christine de Chagny's eyes was rather disturbing. She had the physical body of a young woman, but she apparently had the mind of a child. It was no wonder she didn't want to stay with Erik after he had brought her down here; she probably didn't understand what he was trying to tell her about his feelings, and in her fear of him, she had fled. She was far too young in mind and spirit to really understand Erik's passionate need for love and affection, and as horrible as it sounds, I was quite glad that she left him.
'After all, if she hadn't, I would never have met him and we would never have fallen in love,' I thought with a sense of triumph.
Raoul, the Count, appeared to be no better at having thoughts in his head than his wife, although if he did actually think, it was probably in the form of delusions of grandeur. He acted as though every maiden needed to be rescued, and that he should be the one to do it. Why did he not understand that I did not want to be taken away from here? Was he that much of a fool and a fop? I suppose he must be, if he was married to Christine.
I tried not to snort in contempt of the couple before me. 'They certainly deserve one another. He must have an unending amount of patience if he's married to Christine and happy to be.'
While I had been lost in my thoughts, the room had remained silent, both sides waiting for the other to make the first move. Christine was trembling behind her husband's back, and Raoul was doing his best to appear noble and brave in this situation. If the air hadn't been so filled with tension, fear, and anger, I would have laughed. As it was, I was doing my best to see who would move first.
This wasn't right. Right now, he and Aria should be alone in the house beside the lake, enjoying each other's company before she went off to make supper. Then, later tonight, he would ask her to be his wife. As it was, Erik felt as though he had stepped into his worst nightmare, and he desperately wanted to grab Aria and run as far away from here as he could. She might even thank him for it, too, since she didn't appear to be happy about their uninvited guests, either.
Inside his coat pocket, Erik could feel the weight and pressure of the wooden box holding Aria's engagement ring. Just the thought of her not being able to wear it angered him, so much so that Erik could feel his fingers clenching at his sides. If he could, he'd jump across the room and strangle the Fop Count with his own hands. Not that Aria would forgive him for it, but it was a tempting thought.
The sound of someone whimpering in fear broke the silence, and the next thing Erik knew, the Count was raising his sword. To Erik's right, Aria burst into motion, dashing in front of him to prevent the Count from harming his target. Alarmed and fearful for his beloved's wellbeing, Erik reached out and grasped Aria by the shoulders, pulling her back and turning her towards him.
"Unhand her!" cried Raoul in a foppish attempt to play the hero.
"Oh, Lord, it's like living in a horrible play, one that's been being acted out by silly children," Aria whispered, her voice music to Erik's ears.
Erik felt the corner of his mouth pull upwards into a tiny smile of amusement. If they had, in fact, been watching this scene as an observer, he would have been laughing. As it was, he could only smile just the littlest bit, his heart wishing for this moment to be over just so he could be alone with the woman he loved.
"Please let her go!" Christine cried out. "She has done nothing to you! Why do you insist on keeping her here in your darkness, in a place she does not belong?"
For a moment, Erik's heart froze. Was he really keeping her a prisoner here? She said she loved him, and he knew it was true, but was Aria willing to stay here with him? Could Aria endure living in a cave of eternal darkness and shadow with the man that she loved? Or would she grow to hate him as time moved on and she was unable to see the daylight ever again?
'But I would never deprive her of the sun,' Erik protested against the doubt creeping into his mind. 'I would never imprison her down here! She would be free to visit the surface anytime she liked!'
And yet, that did not seem like it would be enough for her. Aria might grow to despise him for having such control over her life, and if she grew to hate him, Erik knew he would die. The moment she took her love away from him, his heart would wither and fade, like a rose left to die in a desert. Even now he could feel that fear of losing her, and in his desperation, Erik pulled Aria tightly against him.
For a moment, his fear dissipated as Aria pressed her face into his shirt front. Through the thin material, he could feel her warm breath against his skin, and it was heaven to him. Her arms reached up, pressing her hands against his chest, the pressure of them comforting and delicious. It was like they were married already, and Aria had come running to greet him just as he returned from a long day of doing business up at the Populaire. Unable to resist, Erik pulled her closer to him with one arm as one reached inside his cloak. The sound of a pistol clicking into place stopped him mid-movement.
"Don't move," Raoul ordered, his voice full of authority.
Aria gasped and turned her head to look at him. She saw exactly what Erik did: a loaded and ready-to-fire pistol aimed at Erik's chest. The sight froze Erik's blood in his veins, and he felt Aria begin to tremble. They both saw the determination in the Count's blue eyes, and the firm set of his chin told them that he was going to carry out whatever mission he was currently on.
Behind him, Christine had her hands latched on to her husband's shoulder, almost as though merely touching him was keeping her safe from Erik's wrath. Once, long ago, the fear in Christine's brown eyes would have sent Erik to his knees, begging for her forgiveness at making her so terrified. Now, though, all Erik wanted to do was grab both the Count and Countess by their throats and toss them into the lake, making them pay for their interference in his personal business.
Not thinking, Erik's fingers reached for the Punjab Lasso he always kept hidden on his person, just in case. As a wanted man, he believed it necessary to keep his weapon of choice close at hand, especially when he went out into the world. From previous experience, Erik had learned that people tended to want to play the hero and destroy the Phantom, much like the Fop was doing now. The Punjab Lasso was an assurance of his ability to handle any sort of situation, should it arise.
'Except in this case,' Erik thought bitterly. 'Now Aria is in danger, and it's my fault for not putting enough traps up in the passageways!'
Soft, gentle hands grasped his, preventing him from pulling out the Lasso. Looking down, Erik saw Aria's beautiful, loving, deep brown eyes gazing up at him, begging him not to do what she thought he was doing. For a moment, Erik thought to disobey her silent plea; in his mind, he imagined himself throwing the noose around the Count's neck and snapping it in two, thereby saving Aria and keeping her with him. True, it would leave Christine a widow, but that meant little to him now. All that mattered was the engagement ring in his pocket and the image of Aria wearing it forever.
The grip of Aria's hands on his halted his thoughts, reminding him of what he had to lose if he committed murder in front of the woman he loved. If he killed the Count, Aria would hate him for the rest of her life, and Erik could not bear that. She would hate him forever, and he would undo all of the wonderful memories and moments that the two of them had built together.
'No,' Erik thought to himself as he looked down into Aria's eyes. 'I will not taint those memories with blood. No matter how much I desire the Count dead and out of our lives, I will not be the one to end it.'
"Let her go," demanded the haughty voice of the Count de Chagny.
"Please, Aria," pleaded Christine. "Let us take you back home, back to your father where you belong!"
Erik watched anger flare in Aria's eyes, and knew that she was about to say something that she could not take back. Instead of letting her give Raoul and Christine the tongue-lashing they deserved, Erik grasped her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him.
"Please, Angel, do not say something that will get us both killed," he whispered to her. She opened her mouth to protest, but he continued. "He has a pistol, and even though it only has one or two shots in it, I would rather not see you covered in blood, be it yours or mine."
His fingers drifted up and down her arms, caressing first her shoulders then moving down to grasp her hands. "You must go with them, my love," he whispered. "I would not have your death on my hands, for I would not be able to live with myself it I allowed you to be hurt."
Although his voice was comforting, Erik felt as though his heart were being torn from his chest. It was with this breaking heart that he watched Aria's eyes fill with tears, and he knew that she, too, felt this burning pain inside. They had only just found each other, and now it was being taken away by a pair of thoughtless, naïve children. Why was life so cruel to those who did not deserve it?
"I will go," Aria whispered back to him. "But before I do, will you promise me something?"
Erik gave her as much of a smile as he could muster in a situation like this. "There is nothing in this world, or the next, that you could ask of me, and that I would refuse you," he whispered, his voice full of the love and desire he felt for her.
Aria did her best to return his smile. "Promise me…that you will come for me, as soon as you can," she begged. "Promise me that we will be together again."
That was something he was all too willing to give. "I promise."
I felt safer knowing that Erik would do his best to come for me. He reached up and traced his finger along my neck, the sensuous touch making my knees feel like they would melt out from under me. Thankfully, they did not, for I was certain that the Fop Count would interpret that as a way of Erik harming me and would try to shoot him. I barely managed to keep myself on my feet when his hand pulled away, leaving me wanting more.
"I will leave messages for you in the chapel," Erik said, his lips not even moving as he spoke. "There is a loose brick near the bottom of the candelabra that holds the tribute candles for the dead. The cleaning staff never moves the candelabra when they dust the chapel, and the brick stands directly under the portrait of the late Monsieur Frederick Giry, Madame's husband. His portrait is clearly marked. You have but to go there, lift the brick, and retrieve or leave a note. I will come to check for your message every evening."
"I will do the same," I quietly replied. "My father will think I am turning into a devout Christian, for all of my visits to the chapel!"
I felt Erik's lips press against my forehead and sighed. It was time for me to go, though I did so with a heavy heart. Turning towards the Count, however, I knew that there was something I had to do before I left. The anger burning in the young man's eyes had to be dealt with, or else there would be bloodshed.
"Before I go with you, Monsieur de Chagny, I must have your solemn vow that you will not hurt him," I said in a firm and commanding tone. "You must swear to me, as a noble and a man of your word, that you will not harm this man." I stepped back and placed my hand on Erik's shoulder.
The Countess gasped in shock at what I was asking her husband to do. Meanwhile, the Count looked both angry and upset at my demand, but I knew he would do ask I asked. In the short time we had been down here together, I could read this man's character like an open book: if there was one thing he could not refuse, it was the request of a lady asking him for his word. It was clear that the Count took his position as a noble very seriously, and to have it in question was an insult both to him and to his family, something he could not allow.
'My God, he is a Fop,' I thought with annoyance. 'How Christine manages to put up with him is something I would very much like to know. Then again, I'd also like to know how Raoul puts up with her every day.'
As I watched the young Count frown in thought over my demand of him, I greatly pitied the employees of the de Chagny estate. While I was sure that both Christine and Raoul were a good master and mistress to work for, I knew that I would quickly lose my mind if I worked in that household. I silently hoped that they would both mature soon, for their own sakes.
"Very well," Raoul grudgingly complied. "You have my word as a noble and a gentleman that I will not harm…" He trailed off, not knowing what to call the man before him.
"Erik," I replied. "His name is Erik."
"That I will not harm Erik," the Count practically spat. "Now, quickly, let us get out of here, Mademoiselle. Your father is waiting for us."
I turned and gave Erik one last look. "I love you," I silently told him with my lips.
He nodded and slowly stepped back.
Watching Aria leave was the most painful experience he'd ever had to face; not even watching Christine leave with Raoul caused him this much agony. Now, five years after seeing the two young lovers sail out of his life, Erik was once again standing by as they left his home, though this time was far different. This time, they were taking away the one person he truly loved, and he could do nothing to stop them.
'I gave my word,' he thought silently fuming. 'Besides, there is a loaded pistol aimed at my chest, and I doubt my lasso will do much good at this point.'
In his mind, Erik had silently hoped that the Count would lead the way up through the caverns, thereby leaving only Christine to deal with in the matter of getting Aria away from them. However, the Fop was a bit cleverer than Erik had given him credit for: instead of walking ahead of them, Raoul stayed behind, keeping the firearm pointed in Erik's direction while Christine took Aria's hand and led her upstairs.
In his mind, Erik went over the layout of the passages. There were half a dozen ways for Erik to head them off and snatch Aria back, but he would not risk a stray bullet hitting his beloved, especially if Raoul decided to once again play the hero. Then there was the chance of Raoul trying to fight his way out with a sword, which would once again put Aria's life in danger.
'Stupid Fop,' Erik thought as the group disappeared down the corridor and out of sight. 'He and Christine could not have found their way through the caves on their own, so how did they get down here? I doubt that even Christine remembers how she got down here or escaped the first time they were both here, so how did they find the way down to my home?'
The only explanation was that someone had betrayed him to the de Chagnys. It was not Nadir, as the Persian had no connections to the wealthy couple, nor would he want to destroy Erik's chance at happiness, love and marriage. That left one other person, only one other who knew their way down to the Phantom's lair and could make it alive and unharmed.
"Madame Giry," Erik growled aloud into the emptiness of his house. The one female in the world he could trust (besides Aria), and she had handed over directions to his home without a thought. She had betrayed him in ways he never thought she would. It might be due to her love for Christine, but that was no excuse!
Once he was sure he was alone, Erik began to plot. 'First I will deal with the de Chagnys and get Aria back. Then, once she and I are safely married, I will deal with Madame Giry. Nobody betrays the Ghost and gets away with it! Nobody!'
AN: Sorry about making Aria go with the Fop and the Twit, but that's the way it played out in my head. Please forgive me! Thanks, and please review!