Chapter 5 Countess de Merci&

Rebuilding the Opera House

Isabelle woke up finding that Erik was preparing the boat. She got dressed, walked down to meet Erik. She got in the boat and they left. After a while Isabelle found herself back in the room she was in yesterday. She saw the doorknob turn and it opened. She saw two men.

"André, what is?" Firmin asked.

"Gentlemen, what are you doing here?" Isabelle asked.

"Countess, what … I mean it's an honor.'' André answered back.

"Who?" Firmin asked.

André looked at him as if he was crazy.

"My name is Countess Isabelle de Mercy. The daughter of the Count de Mercy." Isabelle responded

Then Firmin was shocked. Isabelle smiled.

"Countess what you doing here?" André asked

Isabelle walked a little closer to the two gentlemen and smiled.

"I was just exploring the opera house. It seems that it might be repaired does it not?" Isabelle said.

With nothing else to say. "Yes it does but…"Firmin said.

"But what gentlemen, do you have the money to fix or don't you?" Isabelle asked with intrigue.

"Um, no we don't." André said.

"I still don't know who she is." Firmin admitted.

Then the mirror slid wide open. Firmin and André were wide eyed to see what came out. It was indeed Erik a.k.a. The Phantom.

"Ah messieurs what a pleasure to meet you here again." Erik said

He came and walked next to Isabelle and placed one arm around her waist.

"My dear do you know him?" André asked.

"Yes I do know him, and I believe that I will be repairing the opera house so that people can come and watch opera." Isabelle said with much confidence in her voice

"I believe it can be saved and get une nouvelle chandelière messieurs…" The door opened again and Raoul came walking in. Isabelle and Raoul saw each other.

"Oh mon dieu. Raoul I can't believe it's you." Isabelle said.

Everyone in the room except Erik was lost.

Christine walked down a cold and unwelcoming hall. She looked at some paintings. It seemed she did not know what she was getting in to. She heard a voice which sounded some what familiar. She came to a door and she heard Stephane talking to someone but she wasn't sure who it was.

André, Firmin and Raoul were agreed to rebuild the opera house and to actually pay Erik his salary. Isabelle and Erick walked to the stables and took a black horse and rode home.

"You didn't tell me that you were a countess." Erik said while breaking the silence.

"First of, you never asked and secondly I didn't think it would be important." Isabelle said.

Isabelle was getting tired. She leaned back against Erik chest and closed her eyes. Erik kissed the top of her head. After a while they arrived at Isabelle's home. Isabelle opened her eyes and leaned a little foreward. The horse came to a stop and Erik dismounted the horse. He lifted his arms up to Isabelle's sides and lifted her off the horse and walked to the door.

"I think that the opera house will be beautiful again." Erik said. It almost seemed he had tears in his eyes.

Isabelle kissed his lips. "Your welcome." She said. She held his hand. "I have surprise for you" She led the way she brought him in a room. She opened the doors, there in the room was a beautiful organ was in the middle room. Erik was shocked. It was the most beautiful organ he had ever seen. He was speechless. He let go of her hand and went closer to the organ. Isabelle came to his side and stood next to him. He turned to her, he to her and rapped his arms around her and held her. She raised her face and kissed him.

"Thank you Isabelle. C'est très gentil." He said.

"Your welcome." She responded.

The day came to an end. For the past hour Isabelle and Erik were enjoying pure bliss over their new romance.

"I could never get tired kissing you my love." Erik said between kisses. Isabelle lay underneath him feeling protected and safe around him.

"Good, because I don't want you to feel that it is dull." she said.

He smiled at her, gave a laugh and kissed her deeply and hungrily. She felt heat, passion, sadness and a little fear within his kisses. She couldn't resist him. It seemed that passion and lust ruled over them.

After a while, Isabelle woke up to an empty bed. She got out of bed, she found his blouse and she slipped it on. Her hair was loose and it seemed to be curlier than normally. She got out of the room and she heard music being played. She opened the door and she saw Erik playing the organ and writing music. She had a little smile on her face. She walked to him, she wrapped her arms around his neck. Once he felt her behind him, he pulled on her arm spun her around, then she fell on his lap. He had one hand supporting her back and the other was caressing her cheek. They stared in to each others eyes for the longest time. He kissed her lips almost teasingly.

After a few months later the opera house was rebuilt. Firmin and André hired back Madame Giry, the entire crew and ballet dancers came back. Since Piangi died, they lost their leading tenor, Carlotta absolutely refused to sing. At that time Christine was married to Raoul. Knowing Raoul, he didn't want Christine to sing anymore. André and Firmin asked to see Isabelle and Erik.

They were in their the main office. Isabelle was waiting for André or Firmin to ask her a question.

"Isabelle, we are entirely grateful for you to rebuild the opera house." André said with all the flattery we could gather up.

"We just have one little problem. We don't have a leading soprano, so we were wondering if you would sing." Firmin continued.

Isabelle was shocked. She could barely speak. She could only give a nod of approval.

"Gentle men, I need to think about it." She blurted.

Twenty minutes passed she walked out of the carriage and she walked into the graveyard it seemed that every time she goes in the grave yard her happiness seems to leave her. As she was approaching her parents crypt she saw Stephane.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked.

"I'm paying my respects to your parents, and to do this…" He replied. He walked behind her and put a clothe on her mouth she tried to struggle but she became limp then she passed out. He carried her to carriage. Then they drove off.

Flash Back

Isabelle walked down a dark and gloomy hall, tears spilled down her face . She turned 14. It was nine years since her parents death and she lost that mysterious man that she called an angel.

"Isabelle, child he won't come back from staring into the night." Her nanny said.

"But I feel him, it's like he's right with me." She replied.

She heard footsteps approaching her door or passing by. She wasn't quite sure which one it was.

She opened the door and walked to the garden. Nothing felt the way it used to be. When she walked in the garden, she inhaled the sweet perfume of each flower. She took her time for every step she finger tips would slide on the flower petals.

"You look like a playful angel." A man in the shadows said softly.

Isabelle lifted her head and saw Stephane, he came back from a long and boring week with his family from celebrating his eighteenth birthday.

"I thought you were coming back next week?" Isabelle replied curiously. She walked closer to him.

They were close to each other. He leaned in and kissed her lips. He placed his arms around her small waist and he pulled her in a little more closer.

"I missed you to much, and besides I wanted to with you." He replied, with his fingers he started undoing her dress.

"What are you doing?" she asked, she tried to understand what he was doing but this wasn't him.

"Shh, this won't hurt." He replied.

She started to panic she somehow was able to get out of his grasp. And she slapped his face and hard. That wasn't the brightest idea she had, fury enraged her and he slapped her hard. She started breathing a little faster. She had fear written in her eyes. He placed her on his shoulder. She tried to struggle out of his grasp, he tightened his hold. He carried her into the newly made mansion, carried her up the stairs, he walked down the hall until he arrived to her room. He kicked the door opened, turned around with his free arm he shut the door. He placed her on her feet. She was breathing extremely hard. She was trembling. She was frightened.

"Isabelle you have no clue how much I missed you." He replied.

Isabelle knew that he was lying, she could smell alcohol on his breath and she smelled a strange perfume.

"Stephane please leave. Come back when your sober." She snapped back.

Isabelle knew that Stephane was sometimes out of control. No matter how he was like during the day, he changed emotions rapidly and became very dark.

Stephane gave her this look, the look as if he was ready to kill her. He headed out the door and slammed it shut, she winced as the sound filled the room. She knew that she was not safe. The next few days after he left, Isabelle felt incredibly sick and she knew that Stefane had something to do with it. So she left the wine country and headed to Paris where she grew up and lost her parents.

End

I hope you guys like it. Please review, no flames please.