Author's Note: Sorry it has been a while since my last post, I think 3 weeks! I was hoping to post last Thursday, the 2nd becuase that marked one year that I have been working on this story. Can you believe it? A whole year! And I am still working on it. Hopefully the next post will be up sooner. I had most of this done over a week ago, and sent it of to my beta, but she hasn't sent me any word on it, soI just figuredI would post to keep ya'll from waiting to much longer.
I would like to thank the wonderful Kay Blue Eyes for helping me with some of this. Way back in December or so I had an idea for what I was going to do when I got to this chapter, and she helped me figure out the medical part of this.
Also ahuge thanks to my reviewers! I got morelast time which made me very happy, butI still know that there are some of you out there who still don't review! Ah, I'll get on you more next time. Anyways, I'll stop rambling, and let you get on with the show!
Disclaimer: Honestly, I do not own the Phantom of the Opera
"I'm sorry mademoiselle, but Monsieur Garnier is in no health to take visitors." The doctor told Aslynn, a deep concern showed on his weathered face.
The young woman just stood there for a second, taking in what the doctor had said. "What…" she started, but stopped herself, realizing that the man wouldn't be used to her modern day speech. After pausing she continued, "Why is he unable to take any visitors?"
The middle aged man's hawk like eyes studied the young woman. Confusion and concern flooded her beautiful sea like eyes. Sighing and pushing his spectacles up his nose he finally said, "Well, Mademoiselle, let us step inside and I will explain. Charles, is that okay?"
The butler nodded and led the doctor and Mademoiselle O'Neil to the red and gold sitting room. The hawk-like man sat down in an armchair and gestured for the woman to sit. "You are the woman who works for Monsieur Garnier, am I right?" he asked, studying the woman like a predator studies its prey.
"Yes, and I thought I was going to be working today." she replied back, with a certain edge to her voice.
"You might still be able to work, but I wouldn't recommend staying here to long." he said, a sly grin spreading across his face.
"Sir, you still never said why Monsieur Garnier is unable to see me." she briskly said, starting to feel nervous at how this strange man was studying her.
"He is ill, and I'm afraid that it could be fatal," he said, getting up from his chair, and moving over to join Aslynn.
'No shit he's ill,' she thought to herself, moving away form the invading man. She then asked, "What does he have?"
"The scarlet fever, it seems. Such a shame too, to have this happen." he replied sliding closer to the woman.
"How could he get sick so quickly, I just saw him Friday evening?"
"The disease attacks quickly, I'm so sorry. I know he must have meant a lot to you." he cooed, resting his hand on Aslynn's leg.
Instantly Aslynn shot up. This man is getting a little to close for my liking, and he's hitting on me. Ug, I can't believe he just touched me.
The doctor smirked as he watched the young woman jump up and walk a bit away. His eyes never left her slim, curved body. When she turned around he watched as her bosom rapidly rose and fell as her breathing accelerated. He then got up and walked over to her. Aslynn turned away as he approached. She heard him stop, but then he advanced again. His foot steps were heavy, unlike Erik's cat like, silent steps.
The man stopped right by her ear. His sly voice whispered like a snake into her ear. "What are you afraid of? I can pay just as well as the old man can, and I am sure that I have much more of a fight in me than him."
Disgusted Aslynn pulled back and turned around. "How dare you think of me as Monsieur Garnier's hoar! I have more dignity than to sleep with a man for money, especially one who is old enough to be my grandfather!" she snarled back, her voice rapidly grew in crescendo with every word.
The Dr. continued to approach Aslynn as she backed away. When she was pinned against the wall he sneered, "Oh, so you work for free then. I'm sure you wouldn't mind a night with me then."
Aslynn's tempter rose very quickly, and her hear was soon beating like a war drum in her head. She could feel a hateful fire pump furiously inside her, and finally the tension was about to be unleashed. "Hell no! I don't go around fucking me, how dare you accuse me of it. DAMN YOU!" she yelled, exploding with anger. The middle aged man started to back away. "Don't you freakin' go anywhere, I am not done with you!" and with that, Aslynn quickly brought her hand across his face with a hard force.
Clenching his jaw in pain, the doctor stepped back. "Charles," Aslynn called out, glaring at the man, whose cheek was red and swelling up from where her rings impacted with the skin.
Soon the butler was in the room, looking curiously at the scene. "Yes mademoiselle?"
"Could you tell me where Louisa is?" she asked in short breath, her words running together because of her temper.
"She is in the kitchen with the chief." Charles kindly replied, opening the door that lead to the side of the manor where the kitchen was located.
"Thanks you," the frazzled woman quickly said, leaving the room with out looking back.
'I can't believe he thought that I am a slut! Do I dress like one or something? I mean I've been wearing more clothes in this freakin' century than I usually wear at home. Or is it common for a widowed man to have a younger "escort"? I think my living with Erik has rubbed off on me. I seem to have my usually temper evolve to what his is. Yeah, I guess Erik can erupt very abruptly.'
As Aslynn as running ideas though her head she ran into Louisa.
"Oh! I'm so sorry Louisa! I didn't see you." She apologized, rubbing her head.
"That's fine ma'am." She gently cooed, readjusting her plain dress. "You look quite flustered, what ever is on your mind? It must really be something, running into me."
Aslynn flushed, "yeah, I was just coming to find you… I guess you could say for an escape. You're one of the few other women that I know."
"Oh dear, come inside the kitchen and tell me."
The middle aged maid ushered Aslynn into the kitchen, and had her sit at a small simple table. The morning sunlight streamed in through the windows, making a halo effect on Louisa's reddish, copper colored hair. There was a cleanly shaven, rounded man who was messing with something on the stove, humming a tune. He had a hat on, covering most of his salt and pepper hair, and was clothed in black ands that were covered with flour. With a pot in his hand, the pudgy man turned around when he heard the women enter the room.
"Ah, Louisa! Back so soon?" he asked, gesturing with a spoon and the pot. When seeing the other woman, the chief bowed and added, "Ah, now who is this fine lady? I am Gareth, master chef and food expertise.
"This is Mademoiselle O'Neil." Louisa told Gareth, looking around for a plate. "Ma'am, would you like something to eat,Gareth made some wonderful pastries this morning."
"Sure, and I would prefer if you called me Aslynn." she said.
The middle aged woman nodded as she gave Aslynn a plate filled with pastries. She then turned to Gareth who was back to work on some sweet smelling dish. "Can we have a moment?"
Looking to the flustered young lady, then to Marie, he nodded, "There was some spices I needed to fetch out of the herb garden anyway." Bowing again, the chef left the kitchen, humming another bright tune.
"So what has been on your mind," Louisa gently asked joining Aslynn at the table. "It isn't the man you're living with, Erik if I'm not mistaken?"
"Oh no, Erik and I've… it's not him." Aslynn said, a new shade of blush rose to her cheek. "It was the doctor that was here to see Monsieur Garnier."
Concern flooded into the maid's earth brown eyes. "What passed between you?"
Taking in a deep breath, Aslynn told the woman sitting across from her what had happened and how she reacted to the strange doctor. Louisa would gasp at several parts, but waited until the end to fully express herself.
"The nerve of that man! And to think he calls him self a doctor." She exclaimed, her hands gesturing violently as she talked.
"I know, I didn't want to spend anymore time near him, that's why I can in such a state to find you."
"Oh dear me," the copper hair woman sighed, "So how is the gentleman you live with treating you?"
Aslynn flushed a vibrant shade of red, and before she could reply Louisa went on, "I hope he treats you well at least. We were all very worried for you here, after he dragged you off like that. I watched from the window as you left, and he seemed so angry, I could hear his deep, almost menacing voice from here. He didn't hurt you, did he?"
"No, he didn't. It took him awhile to cool down, but it probably didn't help that I … I mean… what happened is… err… later when we got home… no, I mean… he just…"Aslynn nervously rambled on, not sure how to say what happened, with out revealing too much.
The maid leaned forward in her chair eager for this fresh gossip, as many French women would be, and asked, "What happened?"
Aslynn started to ramble off again, never getting to the point, so Louisa finally started to figure it out. "I could tell that you cared for him, when we lightly discussed it the other day. Also Monsieur Garnier told me how you looked at him when he arrived, with such aw and care shining in you eyes. He told me you had a new aurora around you when he entered, like the look of someone who had just recently fallen in love."
A wave of shock splashed over Aslynn's face as Louisa convicted her of being in love with Erik. The thought had crossed her mind briefly before, but never had she admitted it to herself. Letting her expression return to normal, she wondered, 'Is it really that obvious?'
As if she had asked out loud, Louisa added, "It is visible for me to see, because of the way you talk about him, and how you try to avoid bringing certain things up."
Finally Aslynn was able to speak, "I just didn't think that you could read me better than I could read myself."
"Love is not always recognizable, and I think your case is you kept on denying it. And I must say, he is an interesting character, not one I think most of us would find it possible to care for." The copper haired maid told the younger woman. She could see that Aslynn was still getting over the initial shock of realizing her feelings.
"I just am afraid…not of him… but… oh how do I say this? I still miss my late fiancé." She quietly said, looking down from the warm brown eyes that were watching her.
"Loss is something hard to deal with, I've seem my share of watching people recover, and recovering myself." Louisa softly said, turning to look out the window. The rays of sunlight lightly danced on the table in front of them. "It takes a while for the heart to fully heal."
A calm silence grew between the two women, leaving only the sound of birds chirping out side. That was until a man cleared his throat behind Aslynn.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have something to give Mademoiselle O'Neil." The butler said, handing the startled women a slip of parchment from Monsieur Garnier. He handed the startled young woman a slip of parchment.
Cautiously Aslynn opened it, revealing a handwritten note in black ink. Her blue eyes skimmed over it before asking, "May I see him?"
"He said not to, that is why he wrote. He doesn't want to get you sick." Charles replied, glancing over to Louisa.
"Oh," she softly replied. Thinking to herself she tried to remember what she had learned about the scarlet fever from her past biology classes. Oh shoot, I know I have learned something about this fever. It's only transmitted by… mosquitoes…no that's yellow fever, this is scarlet. Shot, think shot… booster shot! That's it! All kids get a booster shot before kindergarten to prevent measles, mumps, and I think scarlet fever. So that means that I received a booster shot. So would I still be immune to it? Well, I never have had the scarlet fever, and it's rare for adults to get it, especially after having a booster shot, so I think I am still good.
"If I knew that I wouldn't get sick, do you think he would let me see him?" she asked with a pleading look in her eyes.
"Let me see," Charles replied turning to leave, pausing he added, "Come with me." Aslynn nodded and said goodbye to Louisa.
The butler led Aslynn up the marble staircase and to an elegant cherry door. "Wait a minuet here, mademoiselle." He said, knocking on the door. He soon disappeared into the room. After a moment Charles returned and beckoned the young woman in.
The room was dark, with a filtered, dim light coming from the dark blue drapes that covered the south facing windows. In the middle of the room was a king-size bed, made out of the same cherry that the door was. Almost hidden in the vast bed was Monsieur Garnier.
When the young woman reached the side of the bed, she pulled up a chair and sat down. The weathered man turned his head to look at her. He looked absolutely terrible. The rash which gives scarlet fever it's name was present on his face. His skin was red and swollen, with nasty, deep red bumps scattered across his face and down his neck. Around his lips was the only clear area on his visage, but it was unnaturally pale. The flesh around his lips was yellow and almost translucent, and his lips had lost most of their color. Aslynn noticed that under his jaw looked swollen, in the area that the glands are located.
"Charles told me that you said that you wouldn't get sick," M. Garnier said in a strained voice, interrupted by several coughs.
"I shouldn't since," she stared but quickly realized that she can't say the whole booster shot thing. Think quickly she added, "Since I had the fever when I was a child, and you only get it once, if you ever get it." She said, knowing that whether or not it was true, he wouldn't know. Thank god for modern science.
"I see," he rasped, after pausing he continued, "Did you read the note I wrote?"
"I skimmed over it."
"Ah," he whispered, coughing again. "Well I just wanted to tell you that you are almost like a daughter to me, even though we haven't known each other long. You have some of the most courage I've seen in a woman, and you are a very special person."
"Thank you," Aslynn replied, blushing at the complement.
"I also wanted to apologize for the other night. I didn't think Erik would have been as protective as he was, and easily distressed." He said, his voice weakening with every word.
"Its okay, Erik and I worked things out. We have a bit more trust for each other now." She replied, a sad look in her eyes as she watched her employer struggle to talk.
"I'm glad for you. I can tell that he is different, not just in appearance. The way he looked at you when we entered the room. He almost seemed afraid, behind the admiration and fire that was in his eyes." Monsieur Garnier rasped, with coughs breaking up each phrase.
"What do you mean by that?" Aslynn questioned, looking into the sick man's eyes.
Garnier tried to smile, but the rash hurt so much it was more of a grin. "Ah," he said his laugh turning into a painful cough. "It is the same thing with you. I am surprised you do not understand yet."
Aslynn realized what he was saying, the same thing that Louisa told her. Man, they must love talking about me in this household. "Louisa and I talked about this."
"Good for her. Be careful with him, not that I think he will hurt you or anything, but like I said, he is different." The man wheezed, taking Aslynn's hand. "I want you to be happy, and have a loving family."
"But you're practically like my father!" The young woman started to protest.
"Sh, I am afraid my time on earth is almost up. You will still have Erik though. Don't lose him, for I am afraid if you do, you might get lost." He said in a whisper, trying to keep enough strength in his voice.
What does he mean by 'don't lose him, you might get lost?' Aslynn wondered to herself. He hasn't really spent that much time with him to know Erik that well. Maybe he's just rambling on because he is sick.
They both remained silent for a while until Monsieur Garnier spoke again. "Let me sleep now, I am weak and tired."
Aslynn nodded, small diamonds forming in the corners of her eyes. As she got up, he added, "Thank you for seeing me. It gives a dying man comfort to see the ones he loves."
Unable to hold the small crystal back, it gently dripped down her cheek. "Yes, I am glad that I was able to see you. I'll miss you." She gently said, kissing his red forehead. "Good-bye."
"Remember what I said," was the last thing that monsieur Garnier said before closing his eyes and falling asleep.
"I will," she whispered, wiping another tear away from her eye. She watched the sick man fall asleep and turned to leave when his breathing died down to a slow steady pace. "Good-bye."
Charles set up for the driver to give Aslynn a ride to the Opera House after she ate lunch. She had been very silent since her meeting with the master of the house, and he was worried for her. Everyone in the Garnier Manor had come to care for her as if she was a member of the house.
"Would you like me to send word as Monsieur Garnier's health changes?" Charles asked.
"Sure, um… I can't tell you the address of where I live, but slide it under the front door to the Opera House if there is any word. Erik would be able to get it for me if there is any news." She replied, with a blank look in her eyes.
"Yes ma'am," he said, helping Aslynn into the buggy.
"I'll return tomorrow afternoon to check in." she said, before Charles closed the door. He nodded and told the driver where to go.
Erik was just getting ready to head back into the Opera House when he saw a carriage stop in front of the grand building. Remaining hidden in the shadows he watched as a young woman got out and started to the side of the building. It's too soon for Aslynn to be back, he thought to himself as he followed the woman in the shadows.
When he was a few feet behind the woman he realized that it was Aslynn. He reached out to touch her on the shoulder, causing her to whirl around. Her eyes were blood shot as a dangerous fire grew. She brought her hand up as if to hit the man, until she realized that it was Erik.
"Holy crap dude! You scared me to death!" she said in short breath, as the rage in her eyes died down. "Do not do that again. I almost hit you."
"I doubt that you would have been able to him me, my dear." Erik slyly replied, leading the way to the back door. "Why are you back so soon?"
Aslynn remained silent as they walked inside. She turned her head down and away from Erik's vibrant green eyes. Since she did not reply, he asked again, "Why are you back so soon?"
"I… I got done early today," she lied, hoping that he wouldn't catch it. If he did, he didn't say anything about it.
As they continued making their way back to Erik's lair, Aslynn remained unnaturally silent. She kept her look away from him, and mainly stared at the floor. Finally Erik couldn't take it anymore. "What's wrong?" he asked.
"It's nothing, I just… don't feel well." She lied again. I'm not up to telling him about Monsieur Garnier yet.
Erik studied her curiously and could read her lie. This is the second time she's lied to me today, why is she acting like this? He decided not to push it anymore now; being that he wasn't good at helping with emotions. I'll find out later. Maybe if I just let her be for a while.
I hoped ya'll enjoyed it, a bit more depressing that other chapters. Now please let me know what you think! and review