I do not own The Phantom of the Opera. Thank you for all the kind things you've said; they're basically the reason this story has gotten to fourteen chapters.
Christine hunted frantically for a way to get Erik out of Meg's way. It would be impossible for him to interact with anyone until he calmed down, so all she needed was an empty room she could use for a few minutes. There were too many vibrant, whirling people in the way; she couldn't get a good view. Scanning the vicinity hurriedly, the closest thing she could find was the coat closet near the entrance. Meg was mush closer now, so she would have to make due.
"Come here," she muttered while practically dragging Erik into the tiny room. She let out a deep breath and looked around at the interior of the closet. It was silent except for the sounds of her and Erik's soft breathing, and there was a light bulb that illuminated the space, she noted gratefully. Being shoved into a tiny, dark space wouldn't help any enraged person calm themselves. Christine leaned back slightly and felt fur from one of the coats prickle the back of her neck. The mostly dark colors of the coats, mostly blacks and browns, contrasted sharply with the dizzying colors of the masquerade, but the soft light from the bulb gave them a warm look. Christine reminded herself that Erik was the priority; he was the reason she was in there.
"Erik?" she asked carefully, prepared for the worst.
"What did he do?" he answered in a strained voice. All of her panic forgotten, the events from five minutes earlier rushed back to the forefront of Christine's mind. She'd just been completely horrid to Raoul. But he was mean, too, a small, childish voice reminded her. That doesn't give me any excuse to act that way in return, does it?
"He said he was sorry and...asked me to marry him," she replied hesitantly, emotion coloring her voice, "Really, he was perfectly polite..." It probably wasn't the most effective way to help Erik settle down, but she figured it was better than lying to him.
"And what did you do?" he asked in the same tight, tense tone. Shame made Christine look down and squirm uncomfortably.
She replied, "I ran away, and found you. I couldn't face him. He just looked so..." Biting her tongue, she searched for the right word. "Sincere," she finished, picturing the look on Raoul's face while she spoke.
Didn't he know that she had changed utterly since last time she'd seen him? He was free to find some pretty, sweet girl full of light to love who wasn't connected to the Phantom of the Opera. Didn't he understand that their paths weren't meant to cross again? If only he had realized it when they met at the opera house again; the two of them now lived in different worlds. They weren't children in the house by the sea anymore!
"I'm sorry," Erik responded, unsure of what else to say. He understood how Christine felt, but he was unsure how to express it.
"Can we go back now? Meg wanted to meet you, and-" Christine said anxiously. She cut off abruptly when she realized that Erik didn't know that she'd told Meg everything. She took a deep breath and began again. "I told Meg about you because she saw me dancing with you, and she wanted to meet you. When I came to talk to you after I saw Raoul, she started walking over and I pushed you in here because you were so angry. Will you talk to her?"
"Of course," Erik answered. He was much more relaxed now and eager to get out of the closet. Being surrounded by coats was not his idea of a good time. "Shall we?"
Christine took his arm, smiling, and the pair exited the closet. It wasn't long until Meg came directly up to them, and she didn't beat around the bush at all.
"What were you doing in there?" she asked, eyes wide. However, her features weren't accusing, just curious as to why Christine ducked into the closet suddenly and dragged Erik with her.
"We were just talking," Christine answered with an I'll give you all the details later look, "Meg, may I introduce you to Erik? Erik, this is my friend Miss Meg Giry."
"Nice to meet you," Erik and Meg both automatically said politely. Unsure of what to say next, there was an awkward pause as both assessed the other. Meg was fascinated by the beauty of Erik's voice; no wonder Christine had mistaken him for an angel! A beaming Christine was glad that there were no more secrets between her and Meg.
"Christine has told me a lot about you," Erik, surprisingly, broke the silence; usually he was diffident in these situations. He noticed how much Meg looked like her mother. They had the same warm brown eyes, and Meg's hair was the yellow blond color her mother's had once been.
Meg replied, "She's hardly told me anything about you."
"I'm sorry," Christine retorted, "but I'm not the one who can't be trusted to keep a secret for five minutes!"
Meg laughed, knowing the accusation was completely true. "You know I'll keep this one," she said.
Christine gave her friend a hug on impulse. "I've missed you so much!" she exclaimed.
Madame Giry noticed Christine, Meg, and Erik standing together, talking, and came to investigate. Meg didn't know about her or Christine's involvement with Erik...
"Meg," she said, jumping into the conversation, "when did you come over here? And who is this?" She nodded at Erik.
Meg answered, "You don't have to lie to me, mother. Christine introduced me to Erik." The ballet mistress shot a look at Christine, who knew they would be having a private conversation soon, but for now they stayed with Meg and Erik, the other half of their odd little family.