Sweet Seduction

Chapter Thirteen: An Interrupted Tour

Raoul de Changy paced around his room angrily. Six months had passed since he'd been locked up in this blasted asylum. Well, it was pretty decent compared to the other option of jail. He couldn't believe the actor he had hired had let him down. That man assured him he wouldn't fail and was the perfect man for the job! Bullshit Raoul thought Look what happened. He got us both caught and forced me in this insane house. After his father heard about what happened, he decided enough was enough and took Phillipe's advice to heart, having Raoul committed by force into the insane asylum. Raoul hadn't really been in the insane asylum before. He'd spread the rumor himself that he'd been locked up, hoping it would reach his rival, that blasted Phantom and lure him and Christine into a little false sense of security. That way, they would never suspect he and Christine's so called "father" could possibly be working together. But, his plan failed, and the next day five burly men burst his door down and forced him into the "safe" padded wagon used to transport patients. Of course, if Raoul didn't stay here, he would be in jail instead. It was just choosing the lesser of two evils. Here, people were much kinder to the patients and less suspicious, and Raoul could sometimes bribe one or two new employees to do his bidding and keep him in contact with the outside world. If anyone ever accused him of anything, he could just plead his insanity and get off the hook. Just the same, he was still planning on getting his revenge. One of the employees he had bribed had informed him what Christine and that revolting monster she called her finance would be doing today. He'd made sure the man would be exactly where they were, and for almost a thousand francs, the man had ensured Raoul that the Phantom wouldn't be alive that very night. Raoul smiled at the thought of it. Sooner or later, he would be released from this hell, and then he could go find Christine himself and make her see who she truly loved.

Even if he had to force her.

"And these are the new sculptures we have crafted in addition to the traditional ones we've re-created from before the fire" Georges continued as he took Christine and Erik around on a tour. Erik, of course, had already seen all this before, but since Christine was forced to just wait while he and Georges had to take an unexpected business call in private, he wanted to make it up to her, and Georges happily agreed to guide them around on a private tour.

"My, they're fascinating" Christine said. She gasped happily "Oh, is that a fixture of Aphrodite and Eros next to box five?"

George nodded in approval "Yes, what a keen eye you have for art Christine. That is indeed the god and goddess of love next to that particular box. Of course, we still have to finish some minor details and of course, everything still needs painted, but it's wonderful you can make them out already"

"Oh, they're so detailed. It's gorgeous."

"In fact Christine" Georges said, casting a sly glance at Erik, who knew what was coming "I had originally wanted to place the fixtures of Orpheus and Eurydice in the architecture near Box Five. It's perfectly diagonal to the orchestra pit and stage, and with Orpheus being the god of music of course, my reasons seemed obvious. But your finance here absolutely insisted the fixtures of Aphrodite and Eros be placed here. He thought it would be more reasonable to place Orpheus and Eurydice over the stage and I must say, now that it's all said and done, I agree with him. You have quite the eye for sculpture old boy!" Georges joked good-naturedly

Christine smiled at Erik, who was starting to turn beet-red again. It was just like him to place the god and goddess of love near box-five. It was easy to see why Georges was completely oblivious to the hidden symbolism behind it, since Erik still hadn't told Georges about his past. He just thought it was a mere romantic gesture, since Erik often hinted how he wished to buy Box-Five as his own box when the place was functioning again.

Erik smiled "Christine, if you look up there you can see the hooks and open pit where the chandelier will hang"

"Ah yes, we're having the finest crystals sent in from London and Italy, and over five hundred men will be assembling it in the next two weeks. This one will be even larger in scale and far more ornate than the last one. Pity it had to fall, or pity 'The Phantom' had to crash it" he said teasingly

Erik stiffened up awkwardly

Christine asked innocently "Monsieur, have you ever considered that the Phantom could be real? After all, he's almost embedded in the history of this place, and the ballet girls swear he's real. They say they've even seen him"

Erik sent Christine a murderous look that seemed to say: stop skating on thin ice before Georges responded.

"Oh Christine, you must stop giving credence to such foolish rumors. This Phantom is just a myth, right Erik?"

Erik remained silent a little too long . Georges turned to Christine

"Surely you two don't believe it's true?"

Christine wasn't sure how to answer "Well, monsieur...Erik's far too practical to believe such nonsense,so he doesn't wish to offend me by being his usual skeptic self. But, I'm fairly certain any girl or woman who was once a ballet rat here, myself included, would tell you we used to believe in the Opera Ghost almost more than we believed in God"

She laughed cheerfully, trying to brighten the mood

"Of course, now that we're grown, we can see that it was all just childish nonsense the stagehands encouraged to see us scream. Of course, there all a lot of unexplainable thing that have occurred here. Perhaps he really does exist. I don't know, maybe it simply depends on what you believe."

Georges nodded

"Very well put madame...I mean mademoiselle. Speaking of which, when is the wedding?" he asked jovially

Erik rolled his eyes, starting to leave "Georges, Christine can inform you of all that. It's out of my hands"

Christine grabbed his arm, forcing him back over "Oh no you don't." She turned to Georges "I'm afraid my future husband can't be bothered with petty little bores, like our wedding"

He laughed "Well, men don't have as much patience or pay much attention to details as women do. He's no different"

Christine whispered in Erik's ear a little too loudly "Dear, I thought you were going to ask Monsieur Beaumont when the Opera House is re-opening, so we could work the date around it"

Erik turned to Georges, parroting "Monsieur Beaumont, when will the Opera House be re-opening? My wife wants to know so we can work our date around it. Ow!" he responded as Christine pinched him.

Georges laughed "Actually, Erik, I'd been meaning to talk to you about that. Christine, my dear, would you mind excusing us a moment?"

"Another meeting?" she sighed

Georges had a brainstorm "Christine, if you don't mind, while Erik and I discuss these business matters, why don't you see how you like the stage? Surely our Prima Donna will need to familiarize herself with her setting"

"Truly?" Christine asked

"Yes, just watch your step. Up the stairs to your left, in the orchestra pit."

She started to walk up the stairs, eager to see how, and if the stage had changed any.

Erik called after her "Why don't you sing us an aria when you're done"

"Splendid idea, Erik" Georges said

Erik sighed "That was a joke, Georges, We'll be here all night if she gets started" Truly though, he never minded hearing Christine sing, even if it did take all night

The asylum employee moved from his hiding place in box five. Finally, the two men were unknowingly right where he wanted them, and that precious Christine girl the Vicomte had blabbered about wasn't in the way. The employee wondered briefly if a thousand francs was worth killing someone over. Still, it was his morals or the money he desperately needed, and morals wouldn't pay the rent. He used the crowbar, silently detaching the fixture firmly applied to the balcony. Once it was loose, he gave it a good push, watching it fall to the ground before he left and knew he had been successful. Neither of the men would survive that
Christine was walking around the stage dreamily while Erik and Georges talked. The stage seemed bigger somehow, which meant sound would carry better on it. Erik and Georges knew what they were doing. She could just imagine, singing again, in front of the crowds of thousands in beautiful costumes, singing the beautiful arias Erik would write for her. Suddenly, a strange noise snapped her out of her daydream. A sound like the cracking of stone. Her gaze wandered up to above where Erik and Georges were standing, in box five. She thought her mind was playing tricks on her when she saw a man in.. a uniform up there, doing something at the edge of the balcony. She realized in cold horror what was happening. The fixture of Eros she had admired was coming loose and beginning to fall. She screamed with all her might

"Erik! Georges! Look out!"

Erik looked up in time to see the four-hundred pound fixture plummeting towards him. Before he knew what was happening, Georges was shouting and pushed him out of the way. Erik screamed "No!", but it was too late. The fixture fell, and the dust and plaster rose up like a cloud around him before he could make out what happened to Georges. Christine came rushing down, her skirt ripped and her hair torn free of it's tidy bun in her haste to get down there. She ran, sobbing into Erik's arms. He held her and tried desperately to find where his best friend and business partner was, only to feel tears welling up in his own eyes when he realized what had happened.