A/N: Okay, I am sorry to disappoint some of you. I know that you want Erik to stay with Gabrielle, but I also know that the same amount of people want Erik to be with Christine. Unfortunately I can't please everyone, so the people who are mad about where this story is going, I apologize, but I encourage you to keep reading for you might end up enjoying this story!
-Jaimie
Chapter 15
Erik woke up and looked at the clock that read 7:38. He rolled over to his other side surprised to see that he was the only person in the bed. Where is Christine? He asked himself. He got out of bed, put on his pajamas, robe, mask and slippers and left his bedroom. He quietly walked to the bedroom he told Christine to use and knocked quietly on the door.
"I'm awake." He heard Christine say from the other side of the door. He opened it slightly and looked around. She was sitting on the bed and looked up to see Erik.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
"Thinking." She answered.
"Why did you leave me?" He asked.
"I realized what a terrible thing we did last night. You have a wife and a child on the way. We shouldn't be doing these dreadful things. If you weren't married it would be different, but you are. I have grown up a lot since the Adrienne was conceived. I am now 30 years old I was only 23 then." Erik listened knowing that what she said was morally correct, but he knew that she didn't want it that way and he knew that he wished it could be different, but he still loved Gabrielle. He glanced back at Christine and remembered her bruised cheek.
"If that's the way it has to be. Just know that I will always protect you." He said and suddenly swept out of the room. Christine sat looking at the spot that he was just standing in confused. Where did the subject of protection come from? She asked herself.
Erik washed his face and hands. He looked up and saw himself in the mirror. How can a monster be caught between two women? He punched the wall and left the bathroom. He stood in his bedroom and thought about his plan. He walked over to the wardrobe and pulled out a suit. He dressed quickly anxious to get the day started and walked over to the wall. He pushed on a gas lamp hanging on the wall and watched as a small drawer came out of the wall. He reached in and saw his hidden belongings. A picture of his mother and some of her trinkets along with a large amount of rope. He pulled the rope out and cut some of it with his pocketknife. He made it into the form of a lasso. He pulled on it to make sure the knot was tight and tucked it away in his pocket.
Christine and Adrienne were sitting at the dining room table eating breakfast when Erik appeared. He sat down and remained quiet as his breakfast was served to him. He was deep in thought about his plan.
"Ahem!" Christine said and Erik looked up.
"Your daughter said good morning to you."
"Oh, I'm sorry, good morning darling." Adrienne smiled and replied
"Good morning Papa."
"Did you sleep well?" Erik asked. Adrienne nodded and went back to eating. He looked over at Christine who was giving him a strange look.
"What?" He asked.
"You're hiding something." She said.
"I am not."
"Yes you are. You always act that way when you are thinking of something and then when you're asked about it you lie." Erik chuckled.
"I am not."
"Whatever you say then." Christine replied. Erik chuckled some more and glanced at his pocket watch.
"I do know that I need to leave." He said rising.
"You've barely eaten anything." Christine protested.
"Have I ever eaten anything?" Erik asked. Christine stared at him knowing that what he said was true, he never was a big eater. Erik started to leave the room and stopped.
"Don't go home tonight. I will be home late and I will go to your flat and pick up some more of your things." Christine stood up and said,
"Wait while I get the key." She ran up the stairs and returned in a minute.
"Here it is." She said handing it to him.
"Thanks." He replied. He walked over to where Adrienne sat and kissed her on the cheek.
"See you tonight darling." He said.
"Goodbye Papa." She replied smiling at him.
"See you late tonight." Erik said to Christine and walked out the front door. Christine turned to Adrienne and watched as she ate. She noted how much she looked like Erik. She had his black hair and dark eyes, the only thing she didn't have of his was his face. Adrienne looked at her mother who was staring at her.
"I am done Momma, can I go into the music room and play on Papa's piano?"
"Does he usually let you play on his piano?" Christine asked not wanting to upset Erik.
"All the time."
"Well then it's okay with me." Christine replied. Adrienne jumped down from her chair and ran into the other room. Christine remained still until she heard Adrienne playing and then she took off toward Erik's study. Christine closed the double doors behind her and began snooping. She opened the drawers to Erik's desk. Inside she found a large book with numbers written down. She examined it closer and realized that it was a record of his finances. She instantly turned to the last page that was written on. She glanced down at the last number and gasped covering her mouth in shock. 13,135,136.04 francs!
(A/N: Ok folks, I did some math, Erik was making $540 from the opera house a month. This is francs converted over to dollars, so the 20,000 francs equals $540. Now I added some money that I made up from Erik's current business and the amount of francs that he currently has equals out to be about 487 thousand dollars which is an unheard of amount in 1897, so basically Erik was one of the richest people in France! Now back to the story!)
Christine stood looking at the book for another second and then closed it. She carefully put it back in the desk where she found and dug around for anything else that appeared interesting. She found sketches and letters from clients, but nothing of major interest. She walked over to the wall and examined it for she knew that Erik always had secret hiding places. She felt all over the walls searching for a button or lever. She finally felt something over by the bookcase. It seemed to be a handle that camouflaged into the wall. She pulled on it and a little door in the wall opened up revealing a locked, coded safe. Christine had no idea what the password was, but figured it didn't matter because she already knew how much money Erik had. She quietly closed the wall and quietly left the study.
Erik stopped at his newest construction site. He looked upon the building that was to be flats and saw Jacques working hard like he always did. Erik watched the man until Jacques made eye contact with Erik and then climbed off the ladder he was on. He walked over to Erik and greeted him.
"Bon après midi, Monsieur D'Avignon." Jacque greeted Erik. Erik tipped his hat a bit and asked,
"How are things Jacque?"
"Just fine, Monsieur." Jacque answered.
"That's not what I hear. According to Mademoiselle Daae, you are a drunken mess." Jacque blushed at Erik's comment and replied,
"No, I am not a drunken mess. I like to drink after work with some of the men, who doesn't? But I don't get drunk every time." Jacque replied.
"Hmmm…I was just wondering if I hired a drunk or not, but you say you're not so I will take your word for it." Erik lied.
"You may get back to work now, and have a nice day." Erik said. Jacque smiled,
"And the same to you." Erik watched as Jacque went over to a fellow worker and they began talking about the building. Erik turned and went back to the carriage which took him to his office.
That night at 5:00 Erik put on his cloak and hat. He left his building and walked to the nearest saloon. He discreetly looked in the windows until he spotted Jacque with three other of his employees. Erik went in the bar with his head tilted down beneath his hat until he reached the back table that was close enough to eavesdrop on Jacque.
"I do hate working so hard for so little pay that they give us." One of the workers said.
"I agree. But Monsieur D'Astier is so nice and I enjoy working for someone so well mannered, but our other manager, Monsieur D'Avignon, he is a strange character, I wonder what he's hiding underneath that stupid white mask that he wears." Another employee chimed in.
"Well, I have heard that Monsieur D'Avignon is one of the ugliest creatures on earth when he takes that mask off. Supposedly he made a pact with the devil and he's being punished with a terribly ugly face." Jacque said.
"Jacque, no one can make pacts with the devil, you're full of shit." One man said. The others began laughing and the other employee said,
"Jacque, when you begin to feel the alcohol you really are an idiot!" The others started laughing and soon Jacque began laughing with them.
"I knew it couldn't be true when I heard that ridiculous story, but I do believe that he is truly ugly under there."
"No doubt about that. So tell me Jacque, how has this woman you're with been?"
"Oh Christine. She's unbelievable, usually women are so quiet during wild sex, but this woman invented wild sex. She's like an animal. Likes it real violent too. She loves it when I get drunk and then give it to her because she likes it when I slap her around and threaten to kill her. It works, the little woman does whatever I say when I see her."
"I wish my woman would do that, but I don't have to hit her to get what I want."
So he admits to abusing Christine, terrible bastard, too bad he doesn't know what's coming to him. Erik thought to himself, but his thoughts were interrupted by a waitress shouting at him.
"Monsieur!" Erik's head jerked up to see her but not enough to where she could see his face,
"What do you want?" Erik asked rather rudely but quietly so not to make a scene.
"I asked what you wanted to drink!" The woman answered.
"Just a glass of cognac." Erik answered quietly again and then added,
"And make it quick." The woman rolled her eyes and walked back to the bar. She walked up to the bartender and her lover.
"One glass of cognac and make it quick." She said.
"What was that Marcelle?" The bartender asked.
"That's what that piece of work over in the corner said." She replied.
"Well for that I am going to take my time." He said slowly reaching for a glass as Marcelle began to laugh. When he finished pouring the drink he handed to Marcelle who took it back to Erik.
"I thought I told you to hurry." Erik grumbled at her taking the glass greedily.
"I couldn't hurry the bartender." She answered.
"You could have made it yourself." He replied.
"Monsieur I am not employed to make your drinks around here." She said and then turned around and walked away.
"Asshole." She said under her breath. Erik continued to listen to Jacque's conversation and watched as he became drunk until he grew violent with his friends. Jacque then rose up to leave and Erik finished the rest of his cognac in one gulp. He also rose to follow Jacque out of the bar. Once outside, Erik watched as Jacque began to head in the direction of Christine's flat. Erik broke into a run and tackled Jacque to the ground.
"What the?" Jacque said looking up to see Erik looming on top of him.
"Monsieur D'Avignon, what are you doing?"
"I didn't employ you to attempt murdering Christine and my daughter!" Erik said under clenched teeth.
"I never,"
"Oh save it Jacque, I heard the whole thing." Jacque then stared at Erik with wild eyes and slowly reached in his back pocket and removed a knife which was stabbed into Erik's side. Erik growled in pain and with one swift movement pulled out the lasso and choked Jacque until his neck snapped and he died. Managing through the pain, Erik pulled the lasso off of Jacque and put it back in his pocket. He then slowly walked away from the scene until he reached the main street. He bent over clutching his side and soon hailed a cab.
Christine stared at the clock, it was 10:12 and Erik still wasn't home. She put Adrienne to bed an hour ago and waited up for Erik nervously. She finally heard the door open and she stared at the front door to see Erik come in. He was clutching his left side and his hand was full of blood. She instantly jumped up.
"Oh Erik, what happened?" Christine asked worried. She ran to him and took his hand away from his body.
"I, I was stabbed, by robbers." Erik answered. Christine slowly walked with him upstairs to his bedroom. Erik lay down on his bed while Christine pulled his clothes off of him.
"Let's get you cleaned up." She said going to the wardrobe and pulling some pajamas out. Ten minutes later Erik was dressed and bandaged.
"I will lay with you tonight until we can get a doctor here tomorrow morning." Christine answered. Erik looked at her through tired eyes and slowly nodded his head as he drifted off to sleep. As soon as he was sleeping, Christine pulled off his mask and draped a blanket over top of him.
The next morning Erik woke up in pain. He clutched his left side and looked over to see Christine sleeping in a chair next to his bed. He quietly and painfully rose out of bed and walked over to her. She opened her eyes,
"What are you doing out of bed?" She asked.
"I need to go to work." Erik said.
"Oh no, you get back into bed, I will go down and get a doctor and tell Jean everything." Christine said getting up. Erik's pain became sharper and he realized he didn't want to argue, his pain was too great. He sat down on the bed slowly and finally lay down.
"Stay there until I get back." Christine said leaving the room. Erik closed his eyes and allowed the pain to pull him into unconscious sleep.
Jean was in frenzy at the office. Erik wasn't there and he kept reading the main article of Le Epoch. It was about Jacque's death. He heard a soft knock on the door,
"Come in!" He shouted. Christine timidly walked in.
"Oh Miss Daae, what do you want? I am in a major crisis, one of my employees was killed last night and Erik is not here." Christine suddenly had a hunch that Erik lied to her and killed Jacque.
"Which one of your employees, Monsieur?" She asked quietly.
"Oh Jacque DeFavre." Christine's face went white. He promised her that he would never kill another human being again, and now look what he did. She wanted to be protected, but never wanted anyone killed.
"What is it that you came for?" Jean asked.
"Just to say that Erik is ill and won't be in today." Christine said running out the door suddenly. On the street she hailed a cab and went back to Erik's house. Once there and inside she ordered that Lucie get a doctor and ran upstairs to Erik's bedroom. Erik was sleeping deeply when he was awakened suddenly by Christine shouting,
"Damn you Erik D'Avignon, I asked you to protect me, but not kill anyone!" Erik's eyes popped open and he stared at her.
"What?" He asked.
"Don't play innocent with me, I know you killed Jacque, it's in the newspaper!"
"Christine calm down."
"I will not calm down, I don't feel a bit sorry for your pain and you shall rot in hell for all the lives you have taken. You can be the best person in the world, but you just can't break your old habits. Face it Erik, you're not a part of the fair and you don't kill for the little Sultana at Mazenderan, you have made yourself into a man, it's all over now!" Christine shouted at him. Erik realized what she said to him and horrible memories flooded into his mind.
"Get out." He said quiet but dangerously.
"Gladly." Christine answered leaving the room and slamming the door behind her. Michele watched Christine leave the room and quietly went to Erik's bedroom door and quietly knocked on the door.
"What?" She heard a shout from the other side. She timidly opened the door and said,
"Sir, this just came for you." She said handing Erik an addressed envelope with the DuBois seal on the back.
Gabrielle walked to the front room where her mother was entertaining a guest. She couldn't believe that her mother made her come out to see her when she wasn't ill at all, but to meet one of her new rich friends. Gabrielle entered the room to see a man about her age sitting on the sofa chatting idly with her mother. Catherine looked up to see her daughter and introduced her guest,
"Gabrielle dear, may I present Raoul Vicomte de Chagny. Raoul, this is my daughter Gabrielle D'Avignon."
A/N: Oh a cliffnote, I know but aren't you all wondering why Gabrielle and Raoul are being introduced? No, they are not going to get together, it's something better than that! Please leave your feedback! Thanks!
-Jaimie