Chapter 23
Ashley's head was resting against Erik's shoulder as they rode the bus to Londonderry. About fifteen minutes after they began moving, Ashley had felt the day begin to weigh on her and fell asleep. Erik didn't mind in the slightest. He enjoyed gazing at the sleeping girl beside her. She looked much like she did as a young teen when she slept and would sometimes shift a bit and cuddle closer to him. He gazed out the window of the bus and watched as various street signs and buildings and trees pass by. Would she miss her world when she came to live with him? She managed to adapt quite well when she came to stay not too long ago, but this was her home after all. Maybe he could let her come back every now and again. Yes, that sounded reasonable. He would completely cut her off from her home. Perhaps he would even allow her family to visit them as well. He certainly owed Christine for helping him find his angel again. Ashley's eyes opened slightly and she let out a large yawn.
"And Sleeping Beauty awakens." He teased. Ashley was too groggy to retort him.
"How long was I sleeping?" She asked rubbing her eyes.
"I would say about half an hour." He answered. She looked out the window and saw an exit sign pass them.
"I'd guess we're only… another twenty minutes from our exit." She said. "We're exit four. That lets us out in south Londonderry."
"And where would we go from there?" He asked.
"Well, I don't think we can do anything tonight. It's late and the middle school may be closed." Erik smirked.
"My dear, I'm sure I can get us into the building just fine." Ashley laughed.
"Oh, how could I forget that you are the ominous Opera Ghost monsieur?" She said mockingly. She let out a soft shriek as he began tickling her mercilessly. "Stop it Erik! I give!" He stopped but kept his arms wrapped around her and leaned his forehead against hers.
"Ashley, I've been thinking," Ashley looked up at him as he spoke, "I know that you want to come live with me in my world. But would you miss this world?" Ashley thought for a moment. It's true, this was her home, but this world held many unhappy memories. But, then again, not all those memories were bad. There was still so much to love about this world. So, would she miss it?
"I guess… a little." She said timidly. Erik lightly caressed her cheek.
"It's alright to say so darling." Ashley felt her cheeks burn. "I was thinking that… perhaps you could still come back, even after we return." Her eyes widened at his proposal.
"You would really let me come back?" She asked.
"Of course. I wouldn't keep you from your home if you wished to return." Ashley smiled broadly then threw her arms around his neck and kissed him fiercely.
"Oh thank you Erik! You're the greatest!" Erik couldn't help but laugh at her excitement. He placed a hand on her head and patted it as she remained clinging to him. "Oh!" She pulled away suddenly. "I almost forgot. I should take care of something before we head over to the school." She pulled out her cell phone and went through her contacts until she found the number she wanted and pressed the call button on the screen. She held her phone to her ear and listened as it rang.
"Hello?" Asked a woman on the other line.
"Juliet?" She asked.
"Yes, this is she." Juliet answered.
"This is Ashley White." She said.
"Hey Ash. How's it going?"
"Going great. Listen; can you do me a huge favor?"
Gary watched as the last of the sun's light disappeared over the horizon as he made his way back to Londonderry. It's true, he should have honored his agreement with the Phantom about relinquishing his daughter to him, but he made that deal out of his surprise to see him in this world and his confidence that Ashley would listen to her father over the word of a madman.
"He obviously made this deal knowing she would not refuse him." He muttered to himself. "That monster can have my daughter over my cold, dead body!" He picked up his phone and began dialing a familiar three digit number.
The bus finally reached the town as night completely fell. They had stopped outside a grocery store on the east side of town. As Ashley and Erik disembarked from the bus, Ashley pulled her hood back up and began searching the parking lot.
"What are you doing?" Erik asked.
"I'm looked for someone." She said. "When I was on the phone, I was asking one of my friends for a favor. I was hoping she would be here when we got here." Just then, as the bus pulled away, she saw a woman, only about a year older than herself, running through the lot towards them. "There you are!"
"Sorry, it took me a while to get them." She said breathing heavily. "Here." She held out a plastic bag And Ashley took it graciously.
"Thanks Julie, I knew I could count on you." Juliet nodded then looked over at the masked man standing next to her.
"You going to introduce me to your boyfriend?" She said teasingly. Ashley blushed.
"He's actually not my boyfriend." She said.
"Oh?" Ashley raised her chin and held up her left hand revealing her ring.
"He's my fiancé." She said and Juliet's jaw dropped.
"You're engaged? But you're only twenty! You didn't get her pregnant, did you?" She automatically turned her attention to Erik with a ferocious look in her eye.
"I beg your pardon?" Erik said astonished. Ashley quickly jumped between them.
"Juliet! Chill, I'm not pregnant!" She said trying to calm her friend. "It's just a long, complicated story." Juliet seemed to calm down and moved back a bit.
"I just want to make sure you're in good hands kid." Ashley smiled at her friend.
"Don't worry." Ashley took Erik's hand in hers. "I couldn't find a better man." Juliet didn't seem convinced, but she would have to trust the younger woman's word on this.
"So, do you have a ride?" Ashley paused.
"My car is still at school. We took the bus from Boston." Juliet's hand flew palm first to her forehead.
"Need a ride?" She asked. Ashley looked over at Erik and he just shrugged.
"Sure."
"Where to." Ashley's face became devoid of all previous mirth as she answered.
"We need to go to the middle school."
As they arrive at the school, the building was nearly completely dark. Every light in the school was off except for a few emergency lights.
"Are you sure you can't explain why we're here?" Juliet asked.
"I'm sure." Ashley said. "If I did, you wouldn't believe me anyway." Juliet kept her eyes on Erik, felling that there was something about him that neither he nor her friend would dare explain.
"Okay. Just be careful Ashley. If something happens…"
"I will make sure she is safe miss." Erik said and entwined his fingers with Ashley's. "I won't let any harm come to her." She was still wary of him, but when she saw the look that Ashley was giving him, she somehow understood that if she could trust him, she should give him a chance.
"Alright. But I'm going to hold you to it." She said before climbing back into her car and driving off.
"We need to get into the school and find the choir room. I'm not sure if we'll find anything, but it's a start." Ashley said and led Erik towards the building with hopes of setting all their problems to rest.
"Now, you're telling us there's a dangerous criminal here in town?" Asked a gruff sounding man on the other end of the phone.
"That's what I'm trying to tell you sir." Gary said over his head set. "He abducted my daughter while she was in Boston and they were headed to Londonderry."
"Do you have any idea where in town they could be headed?" He asked.
"If I'm right, they may be headed to the junior high school." He answered.
"Why would they be going there? Is there something you're not telling me sir?" Gary sighed.
"I met this man once before, and he has made this attempt on my daughter's life once before many years ago. I managed to subdue him before, but this time, I fear may be more difficult." He swallowed before continuing. "You have to understand, this man has become obsessed with her and plans to do something terrible. The police in Boston tried to apprehend him but he got away. When I figured he would come here, I hoped that the Londonderry police department would be behind me." The man on the other end sighed.
"If you want, I can have a patrol car pass by the school and check it out." He said wearily. "Will that help?"
"Anything you can do." He answered.
"Sir! The alarm at the junior high school has just sounded!" Another officer on the other end shouted.
"What?" The gruff officer cried. "When did this happen?"
"Only a few moments ago!" The other officer said.
"Prepare a squad to check it out!" He called back then turned back to the phone. "It seems this criminal you spoke of may be there already."
"I will join you there shortly. I want to make sure my daughter is safe." Gary said before hanging up his phone. "Ashley, everything will be alright."
Juliet walked into the police station after receiving a phone call from the police chief for her to come in. She was only an intern at the station since she was going to school to become an officer of the law, but she enjoyed getting a look at the inner workings of her future career. As she entered the foyer, her boss was standing a few feet away.
"Ah, Juliet. You have just been granted an opportunity." He said.
"What sort of opportunity?" She wondered.
"It has come to our attention that a deranged criminal has entered our town and is believed to have broken into the middle school just down the road." Juliet flinched at this information.
That's where Ashley is! She thought.
"I would like you to join the other officers in apprehending this madman and rescuing his hostage. Her father had just called us with the information on his whereabouts only moments ago." Juliet felt like she would be sick. Ashley was her friend and she was in the hands of a villain! She knew she shouldn't have trusted that man! She steeled her resolve and looked her boss in the eye.
"When can I begin?"
It didn't take long for Erik to disable the alarm system when they got inside. But since it did go off, they had very little time before the cops came. Ashley practically sprinted to the music room she once occupied while she attended the school. When she found the right door, she took a short moment to reminisce about the time gone by before reaching for the knob and opening the door.
"There should be some clue here to help us get back." She said. "Any clue would be helpful."
"Who's there?" They heard an older woman's voice call from the next room and Erik instinctively pushed Ashley behind him.
"Show yourself!" He growled. Suddenly, a woman in probably her late fifties with dark hair and brown eyes poked her head around the door's frame. Ashley immediately recognized her and jumped out from behind Erik.
"Mrs. K!" She said happily as she approached the woman.
"Ashley? What are you doing here?" She asked warily eying Erik. Ashley noticed this and sighed.
"I need some help." She said grabbing her former teacher's attention. "I need you to tell me how to return to the other world."
"What? Why would you want to go there?" She asked.
"Because, if I don't, Erik and I will be separated again. Possibly forever." Mrs. K stared at the man behind her and noticed the mask. Realization hit her like a frying pan over the head.
"The Phantom of the Opera." She whispered. Erik gave a mock bow.
"A pleasure, I'm sure." He said.
"But they told us you were dead!" She shouted. Ashley looked at her suspiciously.
"Who told you this?" She questioned.
"Your father." She said. "They said the police shot him dead and rescued Ashley that day."
"Then you were miss-informed." Erik said venomously. "The one who was shot dead was Ashley. Why she is still alive is unknown to us, but she gave her life to spare mine. Obviously that fool wanted everyone to think me a villain who kidnapped this young girl. But Ashley was already mine before then." Ashley lifted her left hand bringing it close to her chest and the ring became visible to the older woman.
"My God." She said breathlessly.
"I love this man. I always have. And after I figured out the truth, I will stop at nothing to stay with him." Mrs. K looked into the young woman's eyes and saw a fire she never witnessed in her before. Back when she taught her in her chorus class, she always perceived her as timid and preferred keeping to herself. Sure, she did interact with a few others, but she usually was very quiet. But now, she thought she was facing a complete stranger. This wasn't the same Ashley she knew all those years ago. This Ashley was stronger, determined, albeit a bit more stubborn than before. She certainly changed in those years.
"Very well." She said. "I will help you." Ashley let a small smile crack on her face.
"Thank you." She said gratefully. "You have no idea how much this means to us."
Ashley stood outside the front of the school staring up at the star filled sky. Mrs. K had promised to help them, but she was still nervous about asking for it. After all, she said it was a slim chance that she could find out how to return them to the other side. But her biggest fear at this moment was her father catching up to them. She knew that if he had the police in Boston on his side, he would get the police here to help him. However, as she stared up at the infinite sea of glittering specks above her head, all those thoughts disappeared. Soon, she'd be staring up at a different sky. She didn't know how long it would be until she would return to this world, but she knew that as long as she looked up to the stars, it felt as if she was gazing at the same sky.
"What are you thinking about?" Her thoughts were shattered when she heard Erik call to her. She turned to see him fixing his shirt as he moved towards her.
"I was looking at the stars." She said. "They look the same. The skies in both our worlds."
"I know. Our worlds are not that different." Ashley smiled. "Do you still worry about your father?" Her smiled faded.
"Yes. But I know that we can make it through this." She said letting the smile return to her face. "We've fought long and hard to be together. There's no way we can let ourselves fall now." It's true that she was still scared they would fall, but she couldn't afford to let herself think so negatively. They were so close to their freedom. She looked back to the sky as she began to sing.
In a perfect world
One we've never known
We would never need to face the world alone
She turned back to face Erik and began moving towards him.
They can have the world
We'll create our own
I may not be brave or strong or smart
But somewhere in my secret heart
She took both his hands in hers and gazed into his eyes.
I know
Love will find a way
Any where we go
I'm home
If you are there beside me
Like dark turning into day
Somehow we'll come through
Now that I've found you
Love will find a way
She took one of his hands and placed it over her heart. Erik could see the overwhelming love shining in her eyes as she sang and could feel himself compelled to join her.
I was so afraid
Now I realize
Love is never wrong
And so it never dies
He reached up with his other hand to brush her hair from her face and allowed his hand to linger at her cheek.
There's a perfect world
Shining in your eyes
Ashley allowed herself to lean into his touch.
And if only they could feel it too
The happiness I feel with you
They'd know
Love will find a way
Any where we go
We're home
If we are there together
Like dark turning into day
Somehow we'll come through
Now that I've found you
Love will find a way
I know love will find a way
Ashley leaned forward to rest her head on Erik's chest as Erik wrapped his arms around her. As long as they had each other, they could face the cruelty of the world with courage and love. Ashley did feel bad about leaving everyone behind, but it wasn't going to be forever. Erik said he would let her come back every now and again if she wished. And, perhaps, she could bring others to their side and see their home. Yes, love would find a way.
"FREEZE!" They heard someone shout and turned to see a mob of police officers before them, all pointing guns at them. Erik held fast to Ashley as if he alone could shield her from them. "Release the girl and surrender yourself! If you resist, we will have no choice but to use force!" Ashley clutched his shirt as she stared at the many people trying to separate her and Erik. Then she remembered that fateful day when they were caught on the roof. Just when they thought they were safe, they were captured and her facing defeat.
"No." Ashley whispered. "No, not again."
"Ashley!" Her head snapped in the direction of her father's voice and saw him standing just behind the barricade. "Release her now and I will let you go free! You can return to whence you came unharmed!"
"You cheating bastard!" Erik roared. "How dare you go back on your word? You promised to set her free!"
"Don't preach to me monster! After all, I know you only made that deal with me because you knew Ashley would not give up a chance to sing on stage! Well, I suppose that makes us even now."
"Even? Ha! Ashley was mine long ago!" Gary's jaw clenched. "I was even going to allow her to come back to this world when she wished, but now I'm not so sure I would want her to if you're going to interfere like this!"
"Shut up!" Gary bellowed.
"Dad, please don't do this!" Ashley cried. "Don't make the same mistake!"
"I won't." Ashley saw his gaze shift and she turned to see a group of officers ambush them. Two grabbed Ashley when four grabbed Erik and pulled them from each other. Ashley desperately fought to get back to him but their grip was too strong. Erik was forced to his knees as the mob closed in. Gary moved towards his daughter. "This time, I'll make sure he can't touch you again." He made to touch her cheek but she jerked her head away and shot him the coldest glare she ever gave anyone.
"Never touch me." She growled.
"He's turned you against me." He muttered. "Just like your mother did." Ashley made to lunge herself at him but the two officers holding her restrained her.
"Never compare him to her! Erik is a good man! I love him!" He watched his daughter continue to fight and saw the fire burning in her eyes. This wasn't his little girl anymore. All because of him. He turned his attention to Erik. He stared at the mask he wore and wanted to know the face that belonged to the man who stole his daughter. He walked up to him and knelt before him.
"Why don't we get a good look at your face, shall we?" Erik's eyes flashed with fear and rage at his words and began struggling more. Gary reached for his mask and pulled it away. As he gazed at his face, he felt horror, disgust, and revulsion at the sight. Many of the officers were also quite astonished at the sight before them. Erik looked passed the judging eyes and to his beloved lost angel. When he saw her eyes, he only saw the pure and innocent love that she held for him. She had stopped fighting and only stared, horrified at what her father had done. "My God! Ashley, how could you ever love this?" Ashley merely raised her chin as she answered his question.
"Because I learned long ago to look with my heart. When I did, I got to know the most wonderful man I have ever met. Obviously you can only see with your eyes, so you don't understand the true beauty that lies inside." Gary looked back at the man before him and could only see the terror that was before him.
"Chief, this man cannot go free." He said to the police chief.
"Understood." He said and stepped forward. "Prepare to open fire!" Ashley's heart nearly stopped. They were going to kill him!
Oh, dear God no! I can't lose him! She found a new strength and elbowed one officer in the gut then head butted the other in the jaw, freeing herself from her captors, and ran into the line of fire. Juliet saw her friend come running and panicked.
"No! Don't fire!" But before the others could act, they had begun firing. Erik watched with a traumatizing sense of déjà vu as Ashley stopped in front of him and shielded him from the bullets. Three times. Three times she had been shot to death and three times he lost her. But this time, she may not return from the dead. She fell to her knees and sat almost limply before him. He waited for her to fall to the ground in a pool of blood just as before, but she didn't fall. She just sat there.
"Ow!" She shouted as she brought both hands up to her chest. "That hurt like bloody hell!" The entire squad looked to one another in confusion. She wasn't dead. After all the bullets that she took, she should be. The guards holding Erik loosened their grip and he managed to slip away and moved to her side.
"Ashley?" He saw the bullet holes in her chest but saw no blood. What was going on?
"Erik, remember that thing I told you to put on?" She said. He nodded dumbly at her question. She smirked then ripped the top of her shirt revealing a black vest. The officers broke out in confused chatter.
As they walked from the music room, Ashley pulled out the bag she received from Juliet. She peaked inside and smiled broadly.
"Erik, come with me." She took him by the hand and led him down the hall towards the restrooms. "I have something for you." She reached into the bag and pulled out a black vest.
"What is that?" He asked.
"That's not important at the moment, but we may need these very soon." She placed it in his hands. "I need you to wear this under your clothes. Don't ask why. You just have to trust me."
"But why do we have to wear these?" He questioned.
"Trust me, you may just find out." She pulled out another black vest and pushed the door to the "women's" room open. "Just go in there and put it on. You have to trust me on this." And before he could ask she disappeared behind the door.
"The vests." He muttered.
"Bingo." She said. "These are Kevlar vests. A simpler term would be bullet-proof vests." She ripped the rest of her shirt open and revealed the multiple pieces of metal imbedded in the vest. "Bullet-proof, but not pain proof. I may have some bruises."
"Where did you get those?" The police chief questioned.
"I'll just say that I have connections." She said vaguely. Juliet was slightly relieved when she didn't mention that she provided her with the Kevlar. "I wanted to be prepared for our final showdown." She rose from her spot then stared down her father. "Dad, six years ago I fell in love with a man no one believed could be loved by anyone. He has held my heart for that long. If you killed him tonight, I would have most likely died from grief. If you killed me, he would have most likely welcomed his execution. But let me tell you now. If you separate us, my heart will continue to follow him. I found a way to him before; I could find that way again." Gary just stared at his daughter. She stood tall and had a steadfast determination in her eyes. He let his gaze wander back to Erik for a moment then back to her.
"Ashley, how can you-"
"I've heard enough from you." She said. "You know, I was feeling bad about leaving. But now, I can leave without regrets." Erik stood tall and placed an arm around her shoulders. "I love you dad, but it's time you stopped seeing me as a defenseless little girl. I'm twenty years old and can determine for myself what's best for me." Gary sighed. He knew she was right.
"You're right." He finally said. "You are old enough to make your own choices. I just want you to be happy."
"Then you need to trust my judgment and my decisions." She said. "You can start with us." She looked up at Erik with a bright smile and earned his own small smile in return.
"I guess I don't have a choice, do I?" Ashley shook her head.
"Not really." Gary sighed.
"Fine. You win Phantom. I can't exactly win if my daughter is fighting against me."
"Because she knows what she wants." He remarked. "She's always known."
That's what I was afraid of. He thought.
"Sir, should we apprehend him?" The chief asked. Gary took another look at the two and shook his head.
"No officer. I don't think he's a threat to her, or us." He said and turned away. "They can go." He began walking away.
"Dad!" He turned to looked at Ashley. When she saw him turn she smiled at him. "Thank you." He smiled sadly and nodded before continuing his departure. The police soon began to file out as well leaving Erik and Ashley alone.
"Well, I must say, this was an interesting day." Erik said.
"Makes you think about what the rest of our lives will be like." Ashley said. They watched as the last of the police filed into their cars and drove away then turned their attention back to the school. Ashley somehow had a feeling that after tonight, whatever they had to face in the future would be nothing. Looking back on everything from the first time she met Erik up till now, she never would have expected her live to end up like this. She thought she was going to get through high school then move on to college and have a career and just live her life. And to think this all started because of a dream she had six years ago…
The song used in this chapter was Love Will Find a Way from Disney's The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride.
Now, in this chapter, I wasn't exactly sure if I was going to put a song in or not. But, at the time I was remaking my Disney playlist on my iPod by finding the songs I had on my previous one and making it all up (and adding some new ones as well). Then, I remembered how from the second Lion King movie there were some songs I enjoyed, and Love Will Find a Way was one of them. Now, I don't really go for the pop songs they make of the Disney songs, I like going for the original versions. And when I heard the song, I just began seeing the scene play in my mind so I had to put it in. Plus, I thought it would be a little funny to have Ashley get shot then revealing she was wearing body armor. And, as for how they get back to Erik's world, I decided to let the readers draw their own conclusions. Let yourself imagine how they get back. So, the epilogue is next. I hope you enjoyed the story.