Chapter 12
When Erik awoke, he thought he had dreamt the events of the night before. It certainly felt surreal enough for it to be a dream. But no, when he awoke, he was greeted by the face of the woman he had loved all those years ago and even after her death. She was cuddled up under the blankets he had placed on her the night before and seemed to have gained more of her normal color. He just hoped she wouldn't try to run when she woke.
I should expect her to be anxious when she does. He thought. He reluctantly rose from his spot and stole one more loving look at her before leaving the room.
Ashley couldn't place where she was at the moment. She tried opening her eyes, but they refused to cooperate with her. The space around her smelled like exotic spices and she was bathed in a warm and comforting light. She felt like she was resting on a soft cloud and could hear the faintest music in the back of her mind. If this place wasn't heaven, then it was obviously better. When she finally managed to open her eyes, it took some time for her eyes to adjust to the surroundings. She awoke in the swan shaped bed in the Phantom's lair.
How did I… The memory of the previous night came back to her. She was about to jump into the Seine river hoping to return to her world but was stopped when Erik had found her and ended up slipping and falling in. After that, nothing. She swung her legs over the edge of the bed and got up and began making her way from the room.
She entered his lair only to find he was nowhere to be seen. She sighed and made to go back to bed. She heard someone's footsteps then darted back into the small bedroom and poked her head around the corner as Erik appeared and sat down at his organ.
Why am I here? She wondered nervously. She saw the boat on the other side of the room and thought if she was quiet enough, she could make it over and escape. She kept her eyes fixed on the Phantom as she stealthily made her away towards the shore of the lake. She desperately hoped he would turn to see her as she tried to escape and didn't want to think what he'd do to her in the mean time. As she approached the shore, she had removed her eyes from him so she could see where she was going. And when she turned back to look at him, he was gone. The hairs on her neck bristled when she couldn't spot him anywhere.
"What do you think you're doing?" She let out a small shriek when she heard his voice behind her and jumped away from him.
"Why have you brought me here?" She asked warily.
"I couldn't have you running away again if I returned you to the dormitories." He stated. Ashley was about to talk back but suddenly felt dizzy and stumbled slightly. Erik was by her side in an instant and lifted her into his arms just before her legs gave out. "You're still weak from last night. You need to rest."
"No, I have to get back." She protested wearily. "Christine and Meg will be looking for me."
"You're just as stubborn as you were as a child." He muttered and Ashley couldn't help but blush. "At least when you were fourteen you didn't talk back as much." Ashley looked up at him and saw a small smile forming on his lips and had the desperate urge to kiss him. But she restrained herself as best she could, still wary of his intentions. He brought her back to the bed and set her down on the soft covers then knelt down beside her.
"Erik, I-"
"Before you say anything, I have something to say to you." He said firmly. Ashley knew there was no point in arguing with him so she just nodded. "Ashley, your death was the most agonizing moment of my life. I knew how much you loved me and I loved you just as much, if not more. All this time I've been haunted by that day and I can never forgive myself for not protecting you. And when I saw you at the Masquerade, I thought it was your ghost coming back to torment me for my fault. However, for some reason, I had always had this strange feeling that you were nearby. On the night of Il Muto then I… killed Joseph Buquet, I followed Christine and the Vicomte to the roof. But before the boy could say anything, they heard a voice. The voice was singing a strange song no one had heard before. But the voice sounded frightened but managed to hold itself together and gradually calming with each word. I take it you were the one singing that night." Ashley nodded.
"I never meant for anyone to hear me." She clarified. "But someone must have heard me and decided to open the curtains on me and have me sing, without my knowledge, before an entire audience."
"You never did like surprises." He said feeling a bit of nostalgia. "And some months ago, I thought I heard you singing again."
"A few months ago?" Ashley asked.
"Yes. Back in September." Ashley thought back to September and remembered singing on the roof and even thought she had heard Erik's voice singing with her before she was flooded with memories of her death.
"I was singing on the roof the night before my show." She said. "I was singing and… I thought I heard you singing with me." He was stunned by what he heard. He did hear her. Much like the night before.
"When your voice disappeared, I had the urge to go to the roof. I somehow knew that if I went there you would be waiting for me, just like before." Ashley smiled at the mention of their special meeting place. The roof had always been the one place that belonged to themselves where they could have their singing lessons and just enjoy the other's company. "But when I arrived, no one was there."
"After I finished the song, I was assaulted by memories of my death." She explained. "As the visions passed before my eyes I collapsed and lost consciousness. When I awoke I was back in the dormitories in my bed. Christine told me she and Raoul had found me and brought me inside."
"I suppose that is a legitimate reason." He cleared his throat as he went on with his explanation. "After that day, when I heard you performing on stage, memories of when you sang here long ago invaded my mind. I was also working on my opera at the time so I didn't have the time to send any notes to either you or the managers for such insolence." Ashley felt her cheeks burn with shame hearing his words. Erik immediately regretted what he said and made to fix himself. "I didn't know who you were at the time. I just thought you were some girl they allowed to do as she pleased."
"Don't worry, I understand." She said. Erik sighed before he continued.
"I must admit, I did enjoy some of the songs you performed. But I wanted to finish Don Juan before the Masquerade to give to the managers. When I finally had the chance to meet the little brat who has been the freedom to perform without my consent, I was more than surprised to come face to face with the young woman I fell in love with." Ashley's face became redder at his words, only this time with embarrassment. "I didn't fail to notice you looked older than you did those years ago, but at the time I could only think about how I knew you were dead. I refused to believe you were standing there alive and well. That night I thought about you. My mind was trying to reassure me that you were not real while my heart was telling me otherwise. That you were alive and had been standing in flesh and blood before my eyes.
"That's when I went back to the opera house to confirm my suspicions of you. But when I reached the dormitories, you had left on your little journey to the cemetery. I had no idea where you had gone at the time but I somehow had a feeling you were there. But before I left to go after you, I had the urge to bring my violin with me, so I returned here to retrieve it. When I arrived, I immediately heard your voice and found you by the grave of Christine's father. I needed some indication that you were who you said you were, so I used my violin and played the song you first sang when you started here."
"Once Upon a December." She said.
"Yes. I remember how you said it was one of your favorites from your childhood." Ashley had barely any recollection of any moments from that time besides their meeting, the ball and their dance on the roof, and her abduction.
"It's funny. Because I thought what happened back then was only a dream, most of my memories are real fuzzy." She admitted. She looked down at her hands in her lap unable to meet his eyes. Erik reached his hand out to touch her cheek and turn her back to face him.
"I don't blame you for what you thought. If you hadn't been killed that day, you would still remember all we shared and all I taught you." Her eyebrows rose and it took all he had not to laugh. "I noticed that your voice had been neglected of the training I gave you." Ashley looked down in embarrassment.
"I can't help it." She said timidly.
"I'm aware of that. However, your voice isn't completely without discipline. When I heard you sing I could tell you were trying and showed some knowledge." She smiled a bit at his comment.
"My choir teacher in high school would drill proper techniques into our brains just about every class." She said half jokingly.
"Then she has my respect." His words were accompanied by a small giggle from Ashley. "It's been so long since I heard you laugh." Ashley stared at him with astonishment. But before she could say anything he had pulled her into his arms. She was a bit shocked at first but gradually relaxed in his embrace. "When you were here last, you would sing of love and joy. You'd sing of hope and dreams, no matter how impossible or childish they may be. But last night, you sounded broken, lost, sorrowful, and hopeless. I'm so sorry." Ashley could feel him shaking trying to hold back his sobs and nearly let a tear escape her eye.
"Erik, can you look at me?" He pulled back and allowed himself to face her again. Ashley could see his eyes turning red from unshed tears and felt that undeniable pull on her heart. When a tear began running down his unmasked cheek, she quickly reached her hand up and used her thumb to catch it then rest her palm on his cheek. "I couldn't hold it against you how you felt towards be over this time. You believed I was dead. I would have done the same if I thought you were gone." She brought her other hand up to the other side of his face, being careful not to touch the mask. "Over the past six years, that 'dream' I had was one of my fondest memories. I could remember every vivid detail from the sound of your voice to the warmth of your body wrapped around mine. Even as the years went by I could still remember how it all felt. I would even have my doubts that it was even a dream. But it was also that 'dream' that sparked my feelings for you. If I never met you, I would probably not have felt such strong feelings at all."
"Oh Ashley." He would never cease being amazed by this girl. She was truly a pure spirit that only is born once in a lifetime. As another tear ran down his cheek, Ashley lent forward and kissed it away. Erik thought his heart would burst from her loving gesture and could feel the electricity that coursed through him when her lips made contact with his skin. And he was not the only one who felt this charge. Ashley felt it as well and reveled in the feeling. She knew that she could never love another. Even in her own world, as the years went by, she could think of no one but the man before her now. After a long moment, Ashley began to sing…
Sweet love, sweet love, trapped in your love
I've opened up, unsure I can trust
My heart and I were buried in dust
Free me, free us
You're all I need when I'm holding you tight
If you walk away I will suffer tonight
She understood that with these words she would forever bind herself to Erik. If she chose him, she would give up everything she knew before. But those long years back home had driven her to her own solitude. Erik was all she needed. And if she was to lose him now, she didn't know what she would do.
I found a man I can trust and boy, I believe in us
I am terrified to love for the first time
Can you see that I'm bound in chains?
I've finally found my way
I am bound to you
I am bound to you
That's right. She was always bound to him. Even beyond this world, in her own, her heart always belonged to him. But she was also afraid of this love because it was her first and only true love. She wasn't sure what they would do. What if someone found out? What would happen to them then?
So much, so young, I've faced on my own
Walls I built up became my home
I'm strong and I'm sure there's a fire in us
Sweet love, so pure
I catch my breath with just one beating heart
And I embrace myself, please don't tear this apart
Ashley couldn't help but think back on the years since her parents' divorce. She had let herself pull away from everyone else and seclude herself to her own heart and mind for comfort. Only a few people were allowed into her heart. And Erik was the one who now held all of her and trusted with all she was.
I found a man I can trust and boy, I believe in us
I am terrified to love for the first time
Can you see that I'm bound in chains?
I've finally found my way
I am bound to you
I am bound to
Suddenly the moment's here, I embrace my fears
All that I have been carrying all these years
Do I risk it all? Come this far just to fall? Fall
It's true that there may be some challenges for them ahead, but Ashley could tell that they can accomplish anything now. As long as they were together, nothing could stop them. And if they fell, they would fall together.
I have entrusted, boy, I believe in us
I am terrified to love for the first time
Can you see that I'm bound in chains?
I've finally found my way
I am bound to you
I am, oh I am
I'm bound to you
When she finished her song, she looked back into the same crystal green eyes she had loved for so long. There were no more words that needed to be said between them. Their eyes spoke more than their words could and they could hear every loving and affectionate thought they silently whispered to each other. And the next thing they knew they were leaning towards each other until their lips were locked in a long overdue kiss. One of Ashley's hands rested on his shoulder while the other caressed his unmasked cheek and both Erik's arms wrapped around her and pushed himself up onto the bed and was resting right on top of her. Ashley could barely suppress a laugh at this bold action but was immediately silenced when he kissed her again. But it was short lived when Erik decided to pull away and rested his forehead against her own.
"As much as would like to stay here and ravish you to no end," Ashley's cheeks became a dark red at his words and he chuckled at her innocence, "I must return to the world above to inform your guardian where you are."
"My Guardian?" Ashley queried.
"Madame Giry." Ashley's eyebrows shot up.
"Oh, right. I forgot." She said feeling embarrassed. "She must be so worried. And what about Christine and Meg?"
"Don't worry my dear, I will handle everything." He whispered and kissed her cheek before getting up from the bed and walking out of the room. "And I expect you to still be in bed when I return young lady. You are resting today after that little stunt you pulled last night." Ashley smiled. She finally had her dark angel back with her and the life she thought was just beyond her reach was now in her grasp. Life can't get any better than this.
Madame Giry paced around her room as she contemplated what she just heard. Ashley seemed to have gone missing last night and has yet to return. Somehow she knew Erik had something to do with this.
"Something troubles you Madame?" She nearly jumped at the sound of Erik's voice and turned to see him materialize from the shadows.
"Erik, have you any knowledge of Ashley's whereabouts?" She asked frantically.
"As a matter of fact, I do." He said calmly. "That is why I'm here. She is with me."
"With you?" She nearly shouted. "Erik, what were you thinking? I told you to speak with her, not kidnap her in the dead of night!"
"I did not kidnap her Madame. She ran away last night. When I came to her room to speak to her, I found her missing and went after her. I found her ready to jump into the Seine River." Madame Giry's face turned pale. "She thought if she died again she would return to her world. But I managed to stop her. However, she did fall in by accident, but I rescued her and returned here."
"Then why did you not return her to the dormitories?" She questioned.
"I didn't want her running off again while I'm not looking, so I brought her somewhere she could not escape so easily. My home." Madame Giry wasn't pleased with this information, but she was, at least, relieved to know her ward was safe.
"And… did you manage to…"
"We worked out our problems. Everything is as it should be." He crossed the room and slipped an envelope from his jacket and handed it to the ballet mistress. "This goes to the managers." She took the note from him and tucked it away.
"When shall we expect her back?"
"By tomorrow. She needs time to recover. It was a rather stressful night for the both of us." He said then melted back into the shadows. Madame Giry smiled at the place he vanished into. It almost felt as if Ashley had never disappeared. She had not seen Erik so happy since that other time so long ago. She just prayed that nothing else went wrong for them.
The song used in this chapter was Bound to You from the movie Burlesque.
Another new chapter for you. So, I did see Burlesque a while ago and I love the song Bound to You. This was also a request for the song in the final chapter in the first version of this story and I was thinking about this song while I was writing the chapter anyway. So, Soon we'll be returning to the original story since we're getting close to the premiere of Don Juan! I also made some changes to then they're in Ashley's world too. Stay posted.