Okay, before I forget, I need to do a poll here. There's a chapter coming up in a while that may change the rating of this fic to M. If I have enough people opposed to such a change, however, I'll censor said chapter and keep it T. Just vote in your review, please!
Oh, and Erik goes through some bipolar-ness in this chapter, just bear with me, por favor.
"Alyssa? Alyssa, where are you?" Erik called, searching for her desperately. He'd hadn't been asleep for very long, so where could she have gone? Why wasn't she answering him? Erik knocked on the door of the small bathroom and opened it when there was no reply (horrifying images of what could have happened to Alyssa in there ensnaring his thoughts), but she was nowhere to be seen. Quickly he turned and let his eyes sweep over every corner of the room, but he found no trace of her.
My god, where are you? He nearly lost his composure, but managed with the last of his strength to convince himself that she had to be fine.
...Well, almost managed.
"Where are you, Alyssa?" Erik tried to take a deep breath to calm himself, but instead sprinted into the labyrinth, calling for her as loudly as he could.
Alyssa let out a sigh of relief as she heard his footsteps growing more and more distant. She was huddled behind a curtain in a place where she knew she wasn't supposed to be, next to an intricate mannequin whose brown curls were tickling her neck. She irritably brushed the synthetic hair away, looking sadly at the figure's pale, beautiful face. For some unfathomable reason, seeing it made Alyssa more depressed than she'd ever felt, and not being able to tell why further worsened her mood until she was quite miserable. What did you do to Erik? she silently asked the mannequin. Why does my heart feel broken every time I look at you?
After a brief moment, Alyssa sighed, her breath coming in a trembling gasp, and she crept out from behind the curtain. "Erik!" she yelled. The sound of rushed footsteps hurried toward her, and soon Erik emerged from the labyrinth.
"Where the hell were you?" he asked, immediately wishing he hadn't cursed at her. A sigh of alleviation passed his lips, and he ran to her, his breathing heavy and panting. "I thought something had happened... Oh my god, Alyssa..." She moved closer to him and hugged him, feeling more than a little guilty at having worried him so much, and he held her fiercely. When at last she stepped away, he noticed something shine on her hand.
He reached out and caught her wrist before it even hit her that he had moved. "What's this, now?" His tone was hard and menacing, and Alyssa tried to pull away when she realized what he'd seen. On the fourth finger of her left hand, a ring.
"Erik, please! I... I can... I can explain!" Alyssa pleaded, finally succeeding in wrenching her hand out of his grip. I had just wanted to... try it on? God, you'd never believe that. She took the ring off and held it out to him, holding it at arm's length while she stood back, but he didn't take it.
"You were in that room," he growled, taking a step toward her. "Why?" Alyssa cringed at the rage that he radiated, all of the sudden feeling very frightened. He strode over to the curtain and pulled it aside, revealing the wax figure of Christine. Holding back the despairing emotion that he felt, he rounded on Alyssa. "Why did you go in there? I've told you before not to ever...!"
"I was... I was merely curious!" He advanced toward her slowly, a demented rage in his eyes that Alyssa had hoped never to see again. "Please, Erik, I'm sorry!" she cried, stepping away from him. A hint of doubt clouded his eyes for a brief second, but it was gone in an instant and the anger returned.
Alyssa nearly tripped over herself in her haste to get away, her mind completely taken over by fear. Oh, shit, what's he going to do? When she hit the wall with her back, she panicked, knowing she was cornered. Erik took another step closer, and she suddenly lashed out, striking him across the face with her palm, hard enough to make him pause for a moment. Shocked with what she'd done yet at the same time glad that she'd bought herself time, Alyssa ducked into the darkness of the labyrinth without giving it a second thought.
She didn't need a light anymore, since she'd long since memorized how to get through, in case of an emergency. Quite like this one, actually. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her, trying in vain to be as quiet as possible in case Erik was attempting to follow her.
He'll probably find me, anyway, she thought helplessly, turning another corner and feeling her way in the dark before setting off at a run again.
Erik picked up the veil that had fallen to the ground, and carefully placed it back on the head of Christine's figure. The ring... where did that girl drop the ring? He looked frantically around, afraid that it was lost, and saw it lying on the ground, just an innocent piece of silver with diamonds. "Christine..." His voice trembled as he took the mannequin's hand and lovingly slid the ring onto its fourth finger, lost for a minute in his mind.
Then, suddenly, he was jerked rather roughly back to reality. "Damn!" he cursed, rising to his feet in shock. Oh my god... I... oh my god, Alyssa! Erik, you bastard! You demon! What the hell were you thinking? You have to find her! God damn you, she's alone at night in the city! Who knows what could happen to her?
Horrified at the possibilities, Erik threw on his cloak and rushed through the mirror frame. He listened intently for a moment, and thought that he could hear the faint sound of receding footsteps. Without giving it a second thought, he started his pursuit.
At last Alyssa reached the end of the labyrinth, panting as though she'd run twice as far as she actually had. She pushed aside the false part of the outer stone wall, hid it again, and hurried away. Neither knowing or caring which way she should go, and only aware of the fact that she had to get as far away as possible, she began to walk down the sidewalk at a brisk pace. Occasionally she would glance back to see if Erik was following her, but each time she saw nothing of him.
Loud noises coming from a tavern up ahead made Alyssa slightly uneasy and nervous about going on. She wondered if it would be best to turn around and head back to the opera house, but the memory of Erik's rage convinced her. With only a moment of hesitation, Alyssa continued walking, her mouth set in a determined line.
The intense worry and concern that Erik felt tripled once he had made it outside. He tried to breathe as normally as possible as he replaced the false wall over the passageway entrance, and luckily succeeded. Dammit, Erik, you idiot! What the hell were you thinking? Why did you have to chase her away? Now she could be anywhere! You insufferable idiot! He looked around frantically, praying with all his might that he would find her.
All at once, relief flooded him as he saw what was unmistakably his friend walking down the sidewalk. He let out a breath that he'd been unaware of holding, trembling and overwhelmed. Thank god... I could have never forgiven myself if... if... He refused to even let himself complete the thought, but instead sprinted across the street so that he could watch her without being spotted. He frowned as he saw her nearing the bar at the end of the street.
"What are you thinking, Alyssa?" he whispered to nothing in particular. He eyed her closely, concerned, as she turned once more to look for him.
"Excusez-moi, monsieur," a man spoke as he bypassed Erik, who turned in confusion. As soon as he realized that the man was merely being polite, and not trying to get his attention, he turned his focus back to Alyssa.
Just in time to see a pale arm reach out of the darkness of an alley next to the bar and grab her.
Alyssa had not time to scream before her body was pressed against the body of her assailant's and her lips were captured by his. She struggled, feeling panic completely take her over, but couldn't get away from him. His tongue forced its way into her mouth, and she tasted the foulness of the alcohol.
No! Alyssa cried in her mind, squirming violently. Her fighting only earned her a sharp blow to the head, the power of which was enough to stun her for more than a few seconds. The man held her close to his chest with one hand, but the other reached up and, to Alyssa's horror, began to unbutton the buttons on the front of her dress.
Erik stood for a moment in complete and total shock when he saw her get pulled into the alley. Several swear words were running through his mind, some he even happened to be making up on the spot, but he instantly pushed them away and came to his senses. "Oh god... Alyssa!" The cry left his mouth before he had even realized it, but he ignored it and ran quickly toward the dark space between the buildings. A car swerved and honked at him as he dashed by, but Erik paid it no heed. All that mattered was getting to Alyssa.
The hands were still working frantically over Alyssa's buttons when she felt something grab her shoulders and roughly wrench her out of their grip. Unable to fully piece things together (an after-effect of the lump on her head), she was aware for a moment of a cloak coming between her and the man, shielding her from torture.
Enraged again, Erik curled his fingers around the drunkard's throat. A horrible madness filled his eyes, one that even Alyssa, who thought she had already gazed at the worst of his anger, had never seen.
"Wait, Erik! Stop! You'll kill him!" she cried as her mind cleared, and she triedto get Erik to let go of the man he was strangling. He merely nudged her out of the way and tightened his grip.
"If there is one thing in this world that I truly despise, monsieur," he growled, his face close to the drunkard's, "it is a man who forces himself upon an innocent girl who wants nothing to do with him. It's unfortunate that you weren't aware of that before tonight. That unlearned lesson has cost you your life."
Suddenly Erik felt two delicate arms wrap around his neck from behind. "Please, Erik!" Alyssa begged desperately. "Don't kill him, please! It's not worth it!" He felt her tears on the nape of his neck, warm and yet cold to his skin.
Against his better judgment, his fingers fell away from the man, who collapsed on the ground. Erik straightened up, but couldn't walk away just like that. The man needed to be punished for what he'd done to Alyssa.
Swiftly Erik grabbed the man's collar and pulled his face close, forcing him to look into his gleaming, dangerous eyes. "You're lucky mademoiselle is so forgiving. She'd choosing to save your life. If it were up to me, you would be lying cold and lifeless on the ground. Let this be your lesson." His fist then collided solidly with the man's skull, knocking him to the ground and rendering him unconscious.
Slowly Erik turned back to Alyssa, whose wide, tear-filled eyes were focused on the man's body.
"He's not dead. Merely uconscious," Erik informed quickly. Alyssa nodded, still sobbing softly, then she slowly came to her senses and started to refasten her buttons, which had been all but forgotten in the confusion. But her fingers could only fumble helplessly over them, numb and shaking.
After a few moments of watching her with complete indifference, Erik took a step closer to help. She recoiled once, then allowed him to button her dress. Neither of them said a word the entire time. It was a relief for Erik, though, to see that she still had on her chemise. The drunkard hadn't had time to rid her of that defense. However, Erik's face was nonetheless devoid of emotion as he lowered his hands.
She's like a scolded child... So afraid... "Come." The tone he used was harsh, and though he immediately regretted it, he refused to let it break his mask of composure. He led her away with an air of indifference, ushering her along with a fold of his cloak. He held the material softly around her with his arm, but it could have been a whip for how much she tried to avoid it.
Alyssa stared at the ground as she walked, not daring to look up at Erik's face. She felt both ashamed and horrified of the incident. Sure, the man had assaulted her, almost raped her, but Erik had been so close to taking his life.
Well, I guess I always somehow knew, deep down, that he was capable of killing... Alyssa thought. But still, that was scary. It was like I didn't even know him!
Effortlessly Erik pulled the false wall to the side, and Alyssa stepped silently into the passage. He followed her inside, carefully concealing the corridor, then stood and stared at her dark figure. For a few long minutes, neither of them said a word or made any movement.
"Look," Alyssa spoke at last, her voice shaky, "I know I shouldn't have gone into that room when you told me not to, and I'm really sorry, Erik. It's your home, and for me to not respect your wishes was really stupid. I'm... sorry." She hung her head, then half-raised it again as she continued. "But when you get angry like that, you totally freak me out. I mean, damn! It's like you're going to freakin' kill me or something!" She had begun to cry again, and all of the sudden Erik found that he couldn't take it anymore. He reached forward and gently folded her into his embrace.
"Sshh. I'm sorry, Alyssa. You're right, I overreacted. I'm sorry. And I should have known that forbidding you to go into that room would have only enticed you. I'm... so sorry." His voice was soft and mesmerizing again, and Alyssa grasped his shirt with a trembling hand.
"Erik, he... it was so sudden. He just reached out and grabbed me, and I didn't know what to do! And I... god, if you hadn't been there, he would have... Oh my god..." Alyssa elapsed into new tears, clinging tightly to him, and Erik gave her a reassuring squeeze, letting her cry freely against his chest. He waited in silence until she had calmed down enough to step away from him.
Wiping her tears off of her face, Alyssa let out a shaking breath. "Thank you... again, Erik. I'm really, really sorry about earlier, and I hope you'll forgive me. But thank you so much for saving me. I owe you again."
Erik gave her a small smile and started to lead her back to his home. Her arms barely let him go for a second the whole way, she hung onto him as though he was an anchor saving her from hell itself.
"My dear, I think you should get some sleep," he advised once they were both standing in his main room. "Such trauma at this time of night... And if you would like, I will sing for you once you're ready."
Alyssa shifted her weight from foot to foot, and Erik knew that he wouldn't like what she was about to say. "Um, that's okay, Erik. You don't have to tonight. I mean, you don't have to at all, I just... I don't want to make you sing every night like this. Just... it's okay. Thanks, though." She gave him a tight-lipped smile and walked up the steps into her room, attempting to slow herself down but still noticeably faster than usual.
...Great. Good job, Erik. Now you've scared her... You idiot! What were you thinking? You better pray that it's only for tonight that she'll act like this. With a helpless sigh, Erik rose to his feet and entered his room. Just as he expected, Alyssa was asleep, and he crossed the room to stand beside her, his eyes full of sorrow and regret.
How could I have been angry with her? he wondered as he lightly traced a finger along her jaw. This harmless angel... This sleeping beauty. I can't believe I lost my head like that! Dammit, Erik, you have to be more careful with her, or she'll never love you. Erik sighed once, his gaze never leaving Alyssa's face. Someday, my love. I swear to you that someday I will make myself a man worthy of your love.
If by happenchance he'd actually spoken those words aloud, and if Alyssa had been awake to hear them, something very different might have happened. Provided that he was able to convince her that he was speaking the truth, she may have been ready to tell him that, in her opinion, he already was.
Wow. Reading back on that, I noticed that I worded some of those sentences rather horribly... I hope it wasn't too bad for your guys! So just vote on whether or not this story should stay T or become M... and once again, if you'd like to see some of the fanart for this story, I now have the URLs and I can give them to you guys finally.
Oh, and the next update might take about 4 or 5 days... a week at longest, this coming chapter's been the hardest so far to write...