Why?
A/N: Im back! Bare with me for this one the Phantom will come in again in the next chappie ok? ;D Enjoy!
She ran for it, ran as fast as she could fearing that he would finally snap and come after her with his lasso. She stumbled blindly through the dimly lit corridors running into spider webs and shaking them off before reaching the upper levels of the Opera House through the mirror in Christine' s room. She tripped over the doorway and landed hard crying out slightly and picking herself up quickly not daring to look back.
She had just tried to take his mask, why had he reacted in such a manner? The more she thought about it the more she realized her mistake; she should have never attempted to take his only defense from the world. She was curious really; she had just wanted to see what he hid from the world so carefully. Clearly it had been an error she would regret as she ran from the soprano's room and headed towards the staircase.
The place had been cleaned by the workers renovating the place; most of the debris s on the floor had been taken as well making it easier to move around, the dust removed as well. She felt guilty for leaving the Opera House so quickly without it being renovated, but it was either that or risk it with the Opera Ghost, something she would rather avoid at the moment.
She ran into the door of the Opera House with a loud cry, she was being reckless really; her vision was clouded over with tears as she yanked the door open and slammed it shut behind her running outside and slipping on the snow. She fell for second time that day and landed on her back groaning in pain and cursing at the snow as she picked herself up once more. She stood shakily and turned to look back at the Opera Populaire, part of her was screaming to run back and finish what she started, to at least stay till everything was up and running. But the other part kept remembering the murdering gaze the Phantom had thrown her seconds before he told her to get out.
She thought back slightly panting for breath; he had seemed so calm seconds before he snapped. He had actually leaned in slightly to her touch, they had been so close, and she had to go and ruin it.
"I'm sorry," she whispered to him although she knew it was impossible for him to hear, she turned and ran for the gates diving under a hole that had been dug as she hugged herself, her cold breath showing in the air as she looked around.
Jack lived a couple of streets from the Opera House and without second thought she ran for his house. She glanced back once more at the Opera House before leaving it completely, he would be better off without her anyway.
She left with those thoughts as she ran through the empty streets; the night was on her side shielding her in the shadows from the stray person out this late at night. She reached her destination after a couple of grueling minutes under cold weather as she knocked on the door desperately wishing to be inside and out of sight as soon as possible as the lights flickered on from one of the top windows.
After some agonizing seconds of waiting Jack opened the door rubbing his tired eyes and sighing expecting Lucy to be bothering him again.
"Look I told you already, the freak is up at night it's no use trying to go and get her-" he started before he opened his eyes to look at the person they had been planning to rescue over the past few days. Monica looking up at him teeth chattering as she stood outside his house before being pulled in quickly and into his arms as he closed the door with a slight kick.
She welcomed the warmth of the hug instantly clinging on to him needing more of it as he stood in shock refusing to let her go fearing she would be gone once more. He placed his head over hers as she buried her face in his neck longing for warmth as he sighed in content caressing her black hair.
"How did you-" he started before being interrupted by her soft voice.
"He told me to leave," she replied as he tensed slightly, so he just let her go? He wondered what was going through the Phantom's mind, why hadn't he killed her? She knew he was alive surely that was something that he couldn't allow to leak out. He shook his head, never mind the Phantom, what mattered now was that she was away from that hellhole and back to safety.
"Jack tell Lucy to leave already! We're going to the damn opera house at dawn!" another voice yelled startling the pair as Monica jumped and turned to look at the staircase.
"Whoa…how did you get away from him?" Jack's friend asked as a smile came upon her face, she hadn't genuinely smiled in a long time, except for when the Phantom played his music...the way he became entranced with it, the way his fingers danced across the keys…
Her thoughts screeched to a halt, why was she thinking of the man when she was far away from him? She shook the annoying thoughts away as she let go of Jack slightly and turned to look at the interruption with a smirk on her lips.
"Nice to see you too Logan," she told him as he closed his mouth which had been hanging open in shock. Logan was tall much like Jack with spiked black hair that ended with blood red tips at the end which he did himself. He was well built due to the fact that he was constantly working out; he had grey eyes that could make anyone cower when they locked onto theirs. He had stubble over his cheeks and chin showing that he had no time to shave over the last few days as he ran a hand over his strong jaw in confusion.
All in all he was a good looking man, much like Jack, not that Monica cared at the moment, she was just glad to be free from the Opera Ghost.
"Might as well call Lucy and tell her you're here," Logan told them as he descended the stairs and caught the cellphone Jack tossed at him. After a few moments Lucy picked up on the other line as Monica moved away from Jack and looked out the window. It had started to snow once more, she had made it just in time as a snow storm picked up outside.
Jack standing behind her eyeing her to see if anything had changed with her. She was wearing what the Phantom had given her the first day she had been with him, and that bothered Jack, why was she wearing the Phantom's shirt? It caused something to seethe within him; surely she hated the Opera Ghost by now, so why oblige him and wear his clothing?
"Yeah she's out of the damn Opera House…" Logan's voice echoed in the distance, Monica was blocking out everything around her looking at the snow falling outside and accumulating on the ground, she found herself singing in her head a tune that the Phantom constantly played, she found it strange that the man was on her mind that much. She decide to set him aside and forget, after all she was never going to see him again right?
Her mind being brought back down to earth when a pair of arms wrapped around her waist. She turned to see Jack looking at her in worry.
"Something on your mind?" he asked her as she shook her head and turned form the window to look at Jack.
"No, look I'm sorry I came over so late and woke you two up…but I didn't know where else to go and my house was too far from here and it was getting late and-" she ranted on and on until Jack calmed her placing a finger over her lips as she looked up at him, she found it rather strange that she wasn't blushing with such a gesture.
"Hey, calm down ok? We got your back, your safe no one can harm you," he told her brushing a strand away from her face and looking directly at her, again she failed to blush. She simply nodded and looked down.
"You can stay here over the night, in the morning we'll drive you over to your house deal?" he told her as she looked up at him, he was handsome sure but something was missing, something wasn't right.
After getting some new clothes, well a shirt at least from Jack he left her to sleep in his room heading downstairs to stay on the couch. She thanked him for the millionth time as he closed the door behind him as she slipped out of the Phantom's shirt and out of the black leather pants and boots. She pulled over Jack's shirt and got on the bed lazily. It felt different from the swan bed where she had stayed over the past days, she felt like she was sleeping on a cloud when she was with the Phantom.
She didn't know what he had used as a material for the bed but it certainly felt different from the beds they had today. She groaned slightly tossing and turning several times not finding her place as she lay completely still and looked out the open window to the grey sky outside.
She sighed softly thinking of her last moments with the Opera Ghost; it had felt so nice to have him finally show another side of him, for him to accept her touch. She sighed once more once she remembered her mistake and the events that followed after.
"Some way to repay you, eh?" she said out loud thinking of him before she finally found it in herself to sleep without the lullaby of the organ. She tossed and turned several times over the night never sleeping soundly and waking up several times.
She woke to an alarm…but not to the Angel of Music playing his piano. No, this was different, Jack was shaking her slightly completely dressed and waiting for her. Logan stood behind him looking down at her in amusement as well as she got up and rubbed her eyes while stretching slightly. The bright rays of sunlight flooding through the window making her eyes wince, she was so used to the dark of the lair by now that seeing sunlight was painful.
She changed into the same outfit that she had arrived in much to Jacks disappointment and rage, the damn Opera Ghost would pay if he ever saw him again. They got in the car neither of them saying much the whole way there as they finally arrived at her house.
She reached under the welcome mat for her spare key as she opened the door, she wasn't greeted by loving parents or siblings, instead her Rottweilers bounded towards her barking and wagging their stumpy tails in excitement as she smiled brightly at them. Her house was bigger than the living places of most that was all due to her aunt being filthy rich and taking a liking to her. Her parents had died a year ago and her brothers had all moved out leaving her alone in Paris.
She didn't mind really but it did get rather lonely sometimes, of course she had her two dogs for that, Alucard and Dante, the names were rather amusing to her seeing how they were both two of the things she loved the most, but that was a story for another time.
She turned to look back at Logan who leaned on the side of the car twirling the keys in his hand as he looked up at her and winked teasingly, the man could make any woman melt with that look; it annoyed him that she was immune to his charms.
Jack stood at her doorway waiting to bid her farewell as she walked over to him and leaned on the doorway.
"I'll check in with you later ok? Lucy will drop by later to see how you're doing," he told her as he leaned in and kissed her quickly pulling back and walking back to the car where Logan was waiting for him. Monica felt nothing with the kiss, she should have at least felt something, and yet her emotions were blank.
She closed the door and leaned on it after they left sliding down with a sigh as her two dogs trotted over to her and each placed they heads on her lap in sympathy. They knew when something was bothering her and now was one of those times.
"Shhh, I'm fine baby don't worry about me," she cooed at one of them once they whimpered at her as she scratched them behind their ears as they bounded up once more and sprinted all over the house earing themselves a smile from their owner. They always shad their ways to cheer her up that never failed, as she walked up her stairs towards her room she got the feeling that it would be a long week.
She took a shower and changed into more comfortable clothes and fell back on her bed, both of her dogs bounding up on it as well and settling at the foot of the bed as she fell into a deep sleep, not as peaceful as before when she had been at the Opera House but peaceful nonetheless.
She woke the rest of the week in the same manner, a frown on her face upon failing to hear the music of the organ flooding through her mind. She sighed as she dragged herself out of her bed and headed towards the bathroom.
It had been over a week since the whole incident at the Opera Populair and she was trying to forget it still. She ran a hand through her hair pushing it back as she looked at herself in the mirror.
"God you look awful," she told herself sighing and looking back down deciding on heading out for a while, staying indoors wasn't helping her forget nor was it helping her calm her tense nerves.
She walked over slowly to her wardrobe and changed without really thinking where she was going or what she was going to do. She was dressed all in black, black vest over a white shirt, black skinny jeans and boots, a black fedora topping the look off. She sighed not really bothering to look at herself as she walked out of her house and headed downtown.
She took the long way to get there and she arrived just as the sun was setting, she cursed herself for living so far from the city but at the same time she was thankful, she could get away from all of the noise and lights.
She parked and got out of her car as she walked along the streets looking at shops through their clear glass windows and at the couples that passed by hand in hand smiling at the gift of simply being together.
Monica sighed and tipped her hat a little lower, "Paris…the city of love," she whispered to herself before a scowl appeared on her expression. The city of love and there she was alone looking for something to get her mind off of things.
She pulled out her phone and checked the time as she started to walk once more before ramming straight into someone; she stepped back and dropped her phone due to the collision. Someone caught it however before it even hit the ground as arms steadied her before she too lost her balance and fell. She looked up and instantly recognized the man.
"Well what a coincidence mademoiselle," he told her tipping his own hat to her as she smiled for the first time in a while, it was the head renovator at the Opera House, she had gotten to know him well in her time there.
"I believe this is yours," he told her handing her phone back to her as she took it grateful that it wasn't broken, "I was just on my way to a magnificent café a couple of blocks from here, would you mind accompanying me?" he asked as she thought about it. She had nothing better to do anyway.
"Of course," she told him taking the arm he offered to her as she walked side by side with him through the streets of Paris, the sun now set. They arrived at the café and Monica couldn't believe she had never been there. As soon as they walked in the strong scent of coffee hit her nose as she took a deep breath simply enjoying it as they walked over to the farthest table and sat in the corner, a small blonde waitress walking over in joy to take their orders.
"I must confess the men have certainly missed your company mademoiselle," he told her looking up to her as the waitress came over to them again and gave them their orders. Monica looked up to the renovator as well, Nikolai, she recalled now as she remembered his name.
"Sorry about that….let's just say that I'm not welcome there anymore," she told him sipping her coffee feeling it burn her lips and run down her throat as she looked outside at the snow on the sides of the sidewalk and on the rooftops.
"Ah I see, that explains why you have stopped playing your music," he told her as she choked on the coffee and nearly spit it out. She put the cup down and coughed lightly as Nikolai looked at her with concern.
"Are you ok mademoiselle?" he asked her as she finished her coughing fit and looked up at him.
"I'm fine thank you, what was that about my music?" she asked him shifting in her seat slightly uncomfortable now as he leaned back in his and recalled where he had left of.
"Oh yes, well ever since you were last there, the music that used to play in the Opera House stopped," he told her as she shifted once more and pretended not to have too much interest in the subject, she motioned for him to continue with a nod, "the men recalled you had told them it was a CD player you had downstairs, we tried to find it again since it brought peace to them when you played but we never found it, we figured you had taken it," he told her as she nodded again.
She reached for her cup of coffee and drank it once more before looking up at him with a controlled expression, "my apologies if my leaving upset some of them…" she told him in deep thought keeping her expression blank, "tell me this…how long has it been since I last played anything at all?" she asked him.
He sighed thinking back before answering, "A week or so," he replied as she felt her blood run cold. It had never been her who played, nor had it been a CD player. It had always been the Phantom who played on the organ every time she went up to help the renovators. He played throughout the day and didn't stop until she got back.
He hadn't played in over a week, and that was horrifying to her. If there was something she had learned from the man was that he always played on his organ, he couldn't go a day without playing it…but week? What the hell was wrong with him?
"Have you found anything out of place in my absence?" she asked again playing with her cup as the renovator looked at her again, he could sense concern in her voice but thought otherwise as he thought back once more.
"The men found that a pillar in Box 5 is hollow, but we recalled you saying not to touch anything in that box so we left if alone, we also found dead rose petals on the stage…other than that, I fear we have found nothing more mademoiselle," he told her as she nodded and leaned back in her chair as well.
"Are you having anything else this evening miss?" the waitress asked as she stood behind Monica who jumped slightly at the blonde's voice. She looked down to her coffee cup and noticed she had already finished it. She shook her head at the waitress as the blond nodded and walked away.
Dead rose petals…dead.
Monica stood abruptly for her seat startling Nikolai who sat across from her and jumped at the sudden movement from the girl he had come to know over the last days.
"I-I have to go," she told him pulling out her wallet and placing some money on the table as she started to leave only to stop to his voice calling after her.
"Will you be coming back?" he called after her as she turned to look at him slightly.
"Perhaps," she replied waving goodbye as she rushed out the door and headed over to her car. She got in and drove over to the Opera House. Upon arriving she pulled up just outside the main gates and stared at the monumental building, everything looked dark inside, the lights were all off.
She knew he was inside, the nerve of the man to stop playing. He never stopped playing. As for the rose petals, he probably left them there to scare the renovators off…not that it had worked. Her mind had a million scenarios going on explaining the Phantom's strange behavior.
Was he sleeping enough? Was he eating enough? Had anyone discovered his hiding place? Had he tried to scare anyone away yet? Was he alright?
All of those thoughts halted as Monica bit her bottom lip and stared at the Opera House debating whether she should risk her own life to go in and see if the Opera Ghost was alright, or ignore him and his strange behavior…he would be alright in a while right?
She turned her car off but remained inside debating with herself, should she really risk provoking him with the mere sight of her again? Surely he wouldn't be too glad to see her…but the thing that got her to worry, the thing that got her to drive all the way to the Opera House was something more important than that….he wasn't playing his music.
That reason and that reason alone got her to get out of her car…and it was for that reason that she descended the Opera Populair to look for the man she couldn't get out of her mind….
REVIEW! Dont you bastards dare put it on alert or favorites without reviewing...it gets on my nerves and you make me cry ;D so dont do it...or else :D