A New Masquerade

Gabrielle's Eyes:

One thought alone dominated my mind. Erik. He had been hunted once more, this time betrayed by a man that we had at one point counted among our friends. It pained me beyond belief to think that someone who had once helped me rescue my love, was now making wholehearted attempts at killing him. I knew that once I found Erik and he returned to us, nothing would ever be the same. Raoul was no longer an empty threat… he was dangerous to me, my children and Erik. We would have to defend ourselves and all that we loved against Raoul, all the while continuing our marriage masquerade.

I was at the back entrance to the Opera before I even knew it. My feet knew the path oh too well. Muscle memory had long since taken over when my mind had abandoned my body, to worry over Erik. I could feel the effects of Raoul's blow still upon my head, and although there was still some dizziness, I didn't allow it to control me.

It took less than a minute to find the hidden entrance, deep within the stable's shadows. Once I did, my heart raced, and my feet joined in, anxious to maintain the exhausting tempo that my pulse had set. I ran. All my heart was behind my steps, leading towards the inner chambers of the Opera. Within moments, I burst into Erik's underground labyrinth at a full out run. It was a struggle to withhold the ecstatic words that had threatened to leap out of my throat, but I knew that however happy I may be, speaking had the possibility of startling him, and so I remained silent.

My silence echoed within the empty chamber. Unbelievingly, I called out to him. Silence was my only answer. He was not there and by the looks of it, he had never been there. Exhausted and defeated, I began to make my way out of the chamber that had once been his home, towards the main entrance of the Opera House. My head was throbbing, now that my adrenaline had vanished and I struggled to walk in a straight line. Testing the tender bump on my temple with my fingertips, I found it to be way too large for a normal bruise. No, I had nearly received a concussion. It was almost astonishing to once again be reminded of how brutal a man's full strength could be, when used in anger. I found the Opera's main doors to be open. Ignoring any and everyone who asked me what I was doing, I trudged on throughout the building's interior. Erik was not here, but he was not at home either, which was a petrifying thought indeed. I did not want to return home, and face the possibility that I would not find Erik this day, nor perhaps the next. Leaving this place seemed like I was giving up on my search and although I was beginning to feel ill, I would not give up on him. He had never given up on me.

Not knowing where I was headed, I continued to climb stairwell after stairwell, passing through door after door, until I had finally opened the last possible door left open to me. I found myself on the rooftop, overlooking the city of Paris. The sun was just barely above the horizon and I knew I had at least another hour until the time of day could be considered dawn. I walked to the edge of the rooftop, leaning upon the barriers that served as a protection from a treacherous fall that would certainly lead to death. The dizziness began to overtake me, and I stumbled back from the ledge, suddenly petrified of the view from such an extraordinary height. Retreating from the edge, my foot caught upon the bottom of my mantle and I stumbled to the ground, yelping at the sudden pain of my hands and knees colliding with the cold, hard stone floor.

Tears threatened to fall, but I forced them back, not wanting to be sobbing in addition to feeling miserably off balance. Suddenly, I heard a voice, that for a moment I thought was an illusion.

"Gabrielle!"

I tried to get up but, finding I could not, I craned my head in an attempt to see the source of the voice. Through my foggy mind and my throbbing heart, I saw Erik jump down from a large statue of a winged angel looking towards the heavens. He was now fully dressed and his cape flared out behind him as he landed without a sound, gracefully on his feet.

"Erik. ERIK!" I couldn't help but give in to my tears. He is here after all!

"Gabrielle…what is going on he-…what happened to you?" The initial shock suddenly transformed into distress as he ran over to me, and placed his hand on the top of my head.

"Oh Erik,…Who cares?…what matters is I have found you…you are safe, alive and undiscovered…THAT is all that matters right now…"

"I told you once, I will take care of myself…but no, what matters is the fact that you are hurt, and cant seem to stand!" Erik was kneeling beside me, both his hands, cradling my face as if it were a golden egg.

"Please Erik…let's not talk about it now…take me home…we'll talk later about what happened in your absence…All I want right now is to get home to our children…with you back where you belong…"

"Gabrielle…Please…what happened to you?"

"Hush…later, my love…"

He gave me a skeptical look, before he complied, taking hold of my arms and pulling me into a standing position. Still dizzy, I sagged against his body, and attempted to walk along side of him. I staggered again and again until he finally scooped me into his arms and carried me out of the Opera house. At the smooth motion of his walking, and the his sweet fragrance surrounding me, my eyelids began to droop. The last thing I remember before sleep overtook me, was Erik's masked face looking down upon me, right before he placed a kiss on my head.

I awoke suddenly as the sunlight streamed into the bedroom. Looking at the clock, I found that I had not been asleep long. I began to sit up, but just as quickly had to lay back down. The dizziness had passed but I had a pounding migraine. Damn it! Raoul, anger and liquor obviously don't mix well… Fortunately, I didn't have to wait long. Erik came into our bedroom a moment later.

"Gabrielle…what are you doing awake? You should sleep more…" he said, closing the curtains on the window, covering the room in blessed darkness once more.

"Don't tell me what to do…" I snapped, trying to sit up once more, but I felt ill at the movement and had to lay back once more. He was beside me in a flash.

"Gabrielle?" he demanded.

"Oh, calm down, love…I have a bad headache, that's all…" The darkness had begin to calm me and I realized how harsh my words had been, "sorry for snapping at you…I know you are only concerned…"

"Forget it even happened…" He said, running his hand across my forehead in fluent, soothing motions. I closed my eyes, savoring the feel of his touch. He brushed a lock of hair off of my temple and his sharp gasp made my eyes flick open. "Gabrielle!"

Seeing the mix of anger and distress flash in his eyes, I looked away, not wanting to talk about what happened with him when his temper was at it's peak.

"Gabrielle!" He said slightly louder, in his most commanding voice.

"I'm fine, Erik…"

"Then you obviously haven't seen your bruise in the mirror."

"Oh Erik…I do not wish to start a conflict now…wait until my headache passes…"

"What do you mean start a conflict?" He said, obviously enraged, but respectfully keeping his voice in check for the sake of my migraine.

"Please…do not make me talk now…"

"Gabrielle…you have stalled for far too long! I am your husband and I wish to defend you…"

"As you can see, I already received the injury and am in no need of defense anymore…and if you were to make a confrontation about it now, things would only be worse than they are…I mean, he didn't know what he was doing…we was upset and drunk…"

"WHAT!"

I clamped my mouth shut, realizing I had said too much and Erik knew the majority of what had happened.

"DAMN HIS INSOLENCE!"

"Erik please…don't act upon your anger…calmly, tell me what you know and I will fill in the rest…"

"But he HURT you!"

"Yes, Erik…He did…but…I would have been far more pained if he had actually captured you and given you to the police…So now…tell me what you know…"

"What does it matter? When I was still in this house, you were in no danger…"

"I was in danger of losing you…now tell me and I will tell you what occurred after you left."

"GABRIELLE! I am telling you, it does not matter! I was a coward! I fled, and in result you were beaten! I swore that I would never allow you to re-experience such a thing…and I have failed you…"

"You have not failed me! Nor could you ever!"

"Please…do not defend my cowardice. I was pitiful and weak…I didn't even remain to protect you or my children…"

"You did what I would have made you do, Erik! Do not play these mental games with yourself…you acted correctly…now…please…tell me what happened so that I know the extent of the danger in which we were in."

"What's the use? You'll only worry yourself more…"

"Please…" I said lowering my voice, to break through the barrier of protectiveness towards me that he had long since formed around his heart, "tell me…"

"Fine…" He said, looking away for a brief moment. "I was downstairs when you were talking to Angelique in her bedroom and I heard Raoul go over 'the plan' with the police. At that point, I could safely assume that they were talking about me, and therefore, knew that there was no safe way for me to remain in the house while they scoured it. I quickly went upstairs, planning to tell you what was occurring under our very noses, but I reached Angelique's room in time to see the men force you and the children into the room and lock it. One guard stood watch while the others began their search. I was enraged. I wanted to kill Raoul right then for caging you and the children like animals… but I knew I would be found and although the lone policeman was no match for me, all of them combined could bring me down. I didn't for one minute think that you or the children would be harmed and although I was concerned, I knew I could do nothing for you all if I was captured and so I left for the Opera House…planning on hiding out there until it was safe to return. From the rooftop, I would be able to watch the police station and I would see the men returning. But then, you found me…thankfully…"

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

"Gabby!" He placed his palm against my cheek and turned my face towards his, "I could not live with myself if I had allowed any harm to befall you or our children…"

"I know that Erik…but without you, imagine how vulnerable we would all be…you needed to save yourself…for us, if not for yourself…"

He sighed deeply, all but saying that he knew I was completely right. "So…what happened to you!" He said with a tinge of sorrow in his voice.

"Erik…please…do not-" I whispered, hoping to bring the flicker back into his eyes with soft words, before being cut off by his harsh tone.

"No! I despise what my past is doing to our future! I have decided that I will take no more of this! I will not allow my past to haunt us all…so tell me what happened!" I saw a glint of fear mixed within his malice and only because of the fear, did I begin to tell him what happened.

"At some point during the evening, Raoul had too many drinks…when the police obviously didn't discover you anywhere, he got angry. I don't blame him…well, at least not as much as I blame the liquor…regardless, he came storming into the bedroom and I lashed out at him, provoking him, no doubt, he then…hit me…across the head and I fell to the ground, as he demanded that I tell him where you were hiding. He then yelled at me more, asking if I would even tell him if I knew. I responded truthfully, no. He hit me a few more times and then turned his anger towards Angelique. It was then that Michael, the stable boy, tackled Raoul to the ground…one thing lead to another and now Raoul is locked in his bedroom…."

I could see the rage coursing through him like poison. I watched through the darkness of the room as his chest rose and fell in harsh breaths. I sat up and placed my hand on Erik's shoulder.

"Erik please, do not blame Raoul for this…"

"Who am I to blame then?" Erik's voice rang out, thunderously as he stood up, skillfully escaping the magnetic effect my touch had upon him.

"I admit, I do hate what Raoul has done to our family, but we are not the only ones suffering…and we have to remember that…"

"Do not lecture me on suffering…" He retorted, his back to me.

"Please…all I mean is that we have to take into consideration how Raoul feels throughout all of this! We cannot receive loyalty from him, by mere threat…we know that now…We must begin to think strategically…what does he want…"

"Come now, we both know very well what he wants…" he hissed, his hand waving off the my words.

"You know what I mean…how can we benefit him…"

"Gabrielle! I will not live my life in service to him!" He turned to face me, his eyes ablaze. "If you care that much about his emotional welfare, maybe you should be his!"

I sat in silence, staring at Erik with astonishment.

"How could you say such a thing?" I asked, almost inaudibly, laying back down and turning my head away from him.

I heard his sorrowful sigh and then his soft steps coming towards the bed once again. "You know I didn't mean that…" he said in his most apologetic tone, as he laid down on the bed next to me. The mattress sunk slightly at the addition of his weight. "I should have never said such a thing…you know that those were words fueled by anger…nothing more…" He hand came up do meet my neck and began stroking it gently.

"Of course I know that, Erik…but something made you say them…and I am beginning to wonder myself why I still feel like I must protect Raoul…"

"He was once a good man…even I befriended him at one point and time…You must allow yourself to accept that he is not the man he once was…" Erik's hand clasped my shoulder and turned my body back to him. He wrapped his arms fiercely around me, holding my body close to his, placing his head on top of my own. "Loneliness can ruin a man…make him do…horrible things…it takes more than you may think to bring him back out of it…Some never do come back to reality and innocently continue to live in their own fantasies."

"Is that what it was like for you when you were living in the cellars?"

"At times…but I came out of it…You came into my life…Raoul needs that too, but I cannot help but wonder if any woman will ever hold any glory in Raoul's eyes, since he has only known greatness…Christine and yourself…"

"Oh Erik…I do hope he finds someone to love, and soon…I am done with this charade! I want nothing more than to grow old with you, watching our children become successful in their own lives…I want no more of this drama!"

"I know love…maybe this party he is so desperate to have will be beneficial to us as well…"

"What do you mean…"

"We must find someone for Raoul to fall for…"

"But Erik! All of Paris believes that he is married to me!"

I felt Erik's lip form into a sneer. "Indeed…but if he can truly fall in love with someone, minds can be changed and deceptions can be arranged as well…"

"Coming from the king of deception…the phantom himself…" I joked softly.

He chuckled slightly, "The only question is who…"

"That is a much harder problem to solve…"

"Perhaps…I will see what I can do…"

Just then, our conversation was interrupted by the sound of footsteps pounding down the hallway. I made a quick motion to Erik telling him to hide, not knowing who it was, or what they wanted. He made to protest but I gave him a stern look, and he quickly complied and stepped behind the door, concealing him from view just as the door flew open harshly.

Raoul stood in the doorway, breathing harshly and looking frazzled at best. He seemed angry and so when he took a step towards me, I flinched out of instinct, still feeling the effects of his anger upon my temple. He looked at me curiously for a moment before he spoke somewhat calmly.

"Good morning…I, uh…trust you slept well?" I stared at him blankly, but he did not notice the awkwardness, as he placed a hand to his own temple. "So…I woke this morning only to find myself locked in my bedroom and…well…I…I cannot believe that you would do such an odd thing, but I can find no other explanations and…well….Gabrielle, how dare you take such liberties when this is my house that you live in?"

My mouth fell open in astonishment. "ex…excuse me?"

He looked at me oddly. "Am I missing something here?"

"Do you not remember last night?" I said, somewhat in disbelief that, because of a simple drink, he could not remember striking me so fiercely.

He seemed to grow agitated. "Well, no…but I am not feeling well this morning, so I assume that I got sick last night and went straight to bed…why do you ask?"

I was about to respond when Erik slammed the door shut, revealing himself. Raoul spun around, looking like he was about to have a heart attack.

"Why does she ask? How dare you!"

Raoul gritted his teeth and stared Erik in the eyes. "I knew you couldn't be far off…you never are where Gabrielle is concerned…"

"Well, that's my prerogative, is it not?"

"I suppose it is, however, I am simply here to retrieve information, not to 'pester' your wife and so I would appreciate a moment alone to speak with her."

"After last night, I will never leave you alone with her again...not even for a split second!"

Raoul froze, sensing that he was missing a vital piece of information. "Well…I…I am afraid that I am missing something here…what happened last night?"

I watched as Erik's hard exterior softened slightly. "You do not remember?"

"Honestly? No." He responded looking ashamed at being so uninformed about his own actions.

Erik sighed and turned his back to Raoul. "Why don't you ask Gabrielle yourself then…?"

"I was trying to before you so rudely interrupted…" Raoul responded a little to harshly. Erik whirled around and took a hold of Raoul's jacket collar. Raoul began to fight, but Erik had the upper hand. I made to get up, but Erik was heading towards me and the look in his eyes told me to remain where I was. Erik then shoved Raoul's head down by me. The look in Raoul's eyes was of complete fear and bewilderment.

"LOOK! LOOK AT HER HEAD! DO YOU SEE THE BRUISE!" Raoul's fear dissipated slightly and was replaced with horror as he looked at my temple. He was so close to me! I mentally begged Erik to allow Raoul to get out of my space. Thankfully Erik let go of Raoul and he scurried away from me, a new kind fear in his eyes.

"What…What HAPPENED!"

"Raoul…," I said calmly, "You were drunk…you set the police on Erik…" He looked like an animal caught in a hunter's trap.

"No!"

"YES!" Erik hissed, obviously not feeling a whole lot of compassion for Raoul.

"Raoul, listen to me," I continued coolly. "You were drunk and angry…"

"NO!"

"RAOUL! Please! I know you didn't know what you were doing…I know that…but you were threatening my daughter as well as your own…and that frightened me…Raoul…you were a monster last night…and I don't now if I will ever trust you the same way again…I am sorry…but you need to work something out, because this war between you and Erik cannot continue…I was in DANGER Raoul! Please…understand that what I am telling you is for your own good as well!"

"No! I would never hurt you…or the girls…even if intoxicated…!"

"You may tell yourself that…but the bruise upon my beautiful wife's poor head claims otherwise!" Erik hissed, allowing no chance for Raoul to mistake his self-control for sympathy.

"I…I have to go…I…I cannot…I…I have to leave….Excuse me…I have to go…" Raoul fled from the room as if the devil himself were on his heels.

Erik turned to me slowly and walked over to where I sat on the edge of the bed. He placed his palm across my cheek and turned my face up to meet his.

"I love you!" He kissed me deeply and I felt everything inside of me melt at his mouth making contact with my own. He pulled away and looked into my eyes. "What kind of life is this for a woman such as you…?"

"Oh Erik…all will be well someday…but now, you need to go find Raoul…"

"Excuse me!" He looked as if he was about to burst out in a rage.

"Erik…we cannot have him out when he is in the state he is in…please…go look for him…"

For a moment he looked like he was about to protest but I was stunned when he simply nodded and left me after placing a final kiss upon my lips. I could only hope that some remnant of the friendship they once shared for so brief a time would come back during their private meeting.