A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews, I hope that my sentences are starting flow better throughout the story; I have been paying extra attention to that. On another note, not to complain, but there are 8 people on my alert list already and I have only received 3 reviews for my last chapter. I really am sick of begging people to review but really, it's only common courtesy. I don't care if the review says,
"The story sucks." Or "Great Job" or "Blah!" Or anything….just leave something so I know that it is worth the time to continue this story! Now that my little tangent is over here's the next chapter.
Chapter 5- A Moment Too Late
Madeleine heard a slight tap on the door and answered it quietly for Erik and Christine were still asleep at this early hour in the morning. On the doorstep was a gentleman with a little hat.
"Good Morning, Mademoiselle. Any mail to be sent?" He asked.
"Actually yes, I do." Madeleine answered quietly. She pulled Christine's letter out of her dress pocket and handed it to him.
"Thank you Mademoiselle." The man said tipping his hat to her and walking back to the mail coach. Madeleine shut the door and looked around at the quiet house to make sure that Erik wasn't anywhere around. Giving out a sigh of relief she went back to preparing breakfast.
Erik woke an hour later at 7:45. He looked around his drab room compared to Christine's and thought about how after they were married he wouldn't have to sleep in this ugly room. The walls were just plain white with only one window overlooking the side yard and his bed was just a single bed made for a single person. He thought. Dismissing the depressing thought, he quickly got out of bed and put on his mask, Persian robe, cap and slippers. (A/N: for those of you who have seen the musical, this is the little outfit he wears during "Stranger than you dreamt it." I love this outfit, I think it is so cute…now back to the story!)
He made his way down the back hallway to the back stairs that led to the kitchen. Walking down the last step, he spotted Madeleine making breakfast.
"Good Morning, Master." She greeted him.
"Good Morning." Erik replied.
"I made you some tea." She said presenting him with a small mug. Erik took it from her and thanked her sitting down at the small kitchen table.
"Madeleine, I have a favor to ask of you." Erik said. Great! Madeleine thought. Probably another secret favor except this time from the other person. These people have serious problems and need to get their emotions straightened out together instead of hiding everything and going through me!
"Christine would like a new wedding dress and since it is bad luck for me to go shopping, I want you to go with her today." Erik said.
"Yes, Master." Madeleine answered. All she wanted was to be a maid, not a chaperone or a messenger or someone they could confide in. Madeleine went back to finishing up breakfast as the young Christine emerged from the stairs fully awake and refreshed.
"Good morning Christine, my love." Erik said cheerily while sitting at the table waiting for his food.
"Good morning." Christine responded taking a seat across from him.
"I have some news. Madeleine is going to go shopping with you today for a new wedding dress." Erik said smiling. Christine flashed a fake but convincing smile back at him and said.
"Sounds great." Too bad he doesn't know that I'll be wearing it at my
wedding with Raoul. Christine thought to herself. She knew that it was deceiving on her
part towards Erik, but she couldn't help it. For Erik was every bit deceiving against her
if not more and he deserved every bit of it.
Madeleine presented them with their breakfast and they ate in silence.
Christine greedily ate her food for she was very hungry for not eating much in the past
few days. Erik noticed this and said,
"I see that your appetite has picked up. You must becoming more
accustomed to the changes and more accustomed to me." Christine smiled faintly at him
and continued eating.
An hour and a half later, Christine and Madeleine were leaving through the front door into a waiting carriage.
"Take care of my fiancée." Erik said to Madeleine. Christine who had her back turned to Erik rolled her eyes after his comment.
"Yes, Master." Madeleine answered. Erik grabbed Christine's arm and pulled her back toward him turning her around to face him.
"Goodbye my love." He said kissing her cheek.
"Goodbye." Christine said walking away from him. Erik waited for the two women to get in the carriage and watched until it was out of sight. He then walked out of the house and the opposite way into some trees across the street where another carriage with a man standing next to it was waiting.
"Great job keeping yourself hidden Louis." Erik said to the man. The man bowed and said,
"I always do a good job. That's how I met you all those years ago during the Opera House construction. Because I did a good job."
Erik laughed a light laughter and said,
"Well, let's follow them." He jumped inside the carriage while Louis rode in the front driving the horses. They moved quickly and soon caught up to Christine and Madeleine's carriage. They followed them around the town of Nice and waited across the street from all the tailors that Christine went into making sure that she wasn't going to escape.
Three days passed and Christine finally received her perfect wedding gown fit to perfection on her small frame. She stood in her room trying it on and dancing around in it thinking of how wonderful it will be when she gets to wear this for Raoul. She sent the letter 3 days ago and was expecting him in 2 days to come. Smiling to herself, she thought how in 2 days she will be happily making her escape to Paris with Raoul. She spent the following two days trying to get all of her possessions together for her escape.
The letter took longer than it was intended to get to Paris. Raoul finally received it the day of the wedding. Instantly leaving for the 2 day journey to rescue Christine, she was already dressing in her wedding gown and crying the entire time. Raoul wasn't coming for her and she felt betrayed by him and Erik for forcing her to live the rest of her life in misery.
"Oh I know that it is not what you want, but all I can say is make the best of it." Madeleine said sympathetically putting Christine's veil on top of her head. Madeleine decided to check on the time and ran out of the little church dressing room and into the main part of the church where Erik and the priest were waiting.
"Is it time?" Madeleine asked. The priest nodded his head and she hurried back to the dressing room where Christine was slumped in a chair.
"Christine, come on now, this is it." Madeleine said walking over to her. Christine didn't move. Madeleine put her hand on her head,
"I know you don't want to do this, but there really is no other choice." Christine flung Madeleine's hand away, jumped up from the chair and stormed out the door. She walked down the church aisle staring at Erik's gleaming white mask.
I hate this and I hate him! Why didn't you come Raoul, you were supposed to be here and I was supposed to be in your arms right now! Christine's head screamed the whole time she walked toward Erik. There was no hope now, and no going back. This was it. She would be known to be his obedient prisoner wife and bear his children wishing that she were with anyone else but him and tonight she would have to sleep with this wretched human being. Christine finally made it to the end and stared at Erik's smiling face. He grabbed her hands and smiled at her mouthing the words, "I love you." She nodded her head at him waiting to get this over with.
The priest produced two gold rings. One of them was the one that Christine used to wear of Erik's and the other was bigger and matching. Erik put the ring on Christine's finger and she did the same to join them together as one.
When the ceremony was over and Erik kissed her, Christine couldn't hold back her emotions any longer. She cried and sobbed like she did the night Raoul left Erik's house on the lake. Erik looked troubled. The whole way back to their house was spent in silence with Erik listening to Christine's sobs and sniffles.
"Christine, I don't know what to say…I wish that I wouldn't have made you marry me. It was a mistake." Erik said feeling completely with guilt. He knew that this time he was wrong. He knew it for the very first time. Christine remained staring out the window and crying. Erik put his arm around her to comfort her but she didn't feel at all comforted.
When they arrived at the house, Erik looked at his sad, new bride and said,
"You can go to your room now. You don't have to stay with me now if you don't want to." Christine smiled faintly and knew her new role as a wife. She knew that being married meant that they were joined together to spend one lifetime together. They could no longer be separated. She wiped away the last of her tears and followed her moral value by saying,
"It is our room now. We are no longer two different people." Erik looked back at her not expecting this.
"Christine, I already made you do something you don't want to do. I don't want to do it again. We don't have to sleep together." As much as he yearned to sleep with her, he could not make the woman she loved do something like that unwillingly.
"Erik, I am married to you now and the only way for me to learn to love you is to be with you always." Christine's mind kept telling her that being with Erik was wrong, but something was happening with the rest of her body. She always dreamed of her wedding and the wedding night. She waited 18 years for this and if it was to be fulfilled with this horrible man, than that was her fate and a tiny bit of her wanted to be with this dangerous man. She walked up to her room beckoning Erik to follow her. On her way to her room she decided that she would not be joined with Erik tonight, but just sleep in the same bed with him like every husband and wife did.
Christine stepped into her room and lit several of the lamps while Erik stood in the doorway watching her. He really didn't know what to make of his presence and remained puzzled until Christine boldly said,
"Go change into your pajamas and come back in here so we can go to sleep." Erik guiltily looked at her and turned around to go back to his own room. After he changed his clothes, he sat on his bed for a little while longer debating whether he should sleep with Christine or not because he knew she really didn't want it that way until he heard a soft knock on the door. He got up and opened it to see Christine in a little white nightgown covered by a little white robe.
"Aren't you coming to bed?" She asked.
"Uh, yes, uh…Christine, really I can sleep in here." He said stuttering. Christine was torn between the decision herself, but quickly decided that it was only right and natural for her to sleep with Erik.
"Come on." She said walking away from the room. Erik stood there for another minute before walking down the hall to her room. Looking in through the doorway he saw her pulling back the covers getting ready to get in. Erik took in a deep breath and walked over to the other side following in the same manner that Christine did. When both of them settled into bed and blew out the lamps, Erik laid wide awake. He waited his entire life for this moment and now that it was here, he couldn't stand the guilt.
Christine laid on her side with her back toward Erik. Suddenly thinking that the poor man didn't take off his mask, she turned around and saw it on his face. Putting her hand on his good left cheek, Erik put his hand to his face on top of hers.
"What are you doing?" He whispered in the darkness.
"I wanted you to take off your mask when you are sleeping."
"Why?"
"Because there is no need to wear it and you should feel comfortable." Christine replied. She crept her hand toward the right side of his face and grabbed it without Erik's hesitation. Turning back around, she accidentally kicked Erik's leg.
"Ow!" He said.
"I'm so sorry." Christine replied feeling quite embarrassed. Suddenly she began to laugh little tiny laughs until Erik began laughing too and they began laughing together. Having a great time laughing together, Christine could not come into reality that she was laughing with a monster.
"I guess we are not used to sleeping with someone else." Erik said still laughing.
"Maybe not, but I think soon we'll be used to it." Christine said laughing also. Stopping her laughter, she grew bold and suddenly leaned over and kissed Erik's good cheek.
"Goodnight my husband." She said laying back down and closing her eyes. Erik smiled to himself at her words and repeated them over and over in his head until he finally was able to whisper,
"Goodnight Christine."
A/N: Okay, I have done my part to update, it's now your turn to review! Thank you!