So here's the next chapter! Enjoy. :D
When Isabella Swan woke up the morning after the first performance of Cats, her eyes fluttered open to see a single red rose on the empty pillow beside her. She was instantly awake, sitting up entirely too fast and making herself dizzy in the process. She slowly reached out, taking the crimson flower delicately in her fingers. A single black satin ribbon was tied into a bow around the stem. She sucked in a breath - was it possible that her Angel had given this to her?
A loud banging sounded on her door. Her head snapped up just in time to see the door fly open.
"Bella! How could you oversleep? It's past lunch and we still have to prepare for tonight's performance!" Alice rushed to her, pulling Bella off her bed.
They rushed to get ready and raced out through the halls. Night slowly descended and people began to arrive. Every man and woman present scanned the vaulted ceilings, hoping for a sight of the infamous Phantom of the Opera. Every seat was filled tonight, as it would be for every show afterwards. When Jacob Black had refused to pay the Phantom, it caused Edward to expose himself. Now the Opera House was more crowded than ever.
Without attempting to, Jake had brought an incredible amount of business in when he had refused Edward's wishes.
Jake was pacing in the hallway just outside Bella's door - she was inside, dressing for her performance in Cats. His exterior was calm and collected - aside from his tight fists, that is. But on the inside, he was seething. This Phantom fellow was causing a hell of a lot of trouble! Jake was being forced to compromise his Opera House and its productions because of this…opera ghost. But enough was enough! He'd do this the right way, his way. Setting his jaw, Jacob walked to Bella's dressing room. He took out his master key and quickly turned it in the lock, trapping the girl inside the room.
Victoria would sing 'Memory' tonight, no matter what the Phantom said. Bella would stay locked inside her room until after the performance when Jake would unlock it back. A slight smile formed on his lips. This was his and Jasper's Opera House now, and things would start going the way they planned.
Jacob told James to inform Victoria of the recent change in casting. The man grinned and rushed off to La Diva's dressing room. She smiled smugly when she was told, and began to preen. Finally, she thought, my full potential is being recognized!
Victoria then went out onto the stage to assume her new role, the one that should have been hers all along.
Meanwhile, in her own dressing room, Bella tried the doorknob once again. But it wouldn't budge. Panic began to grow deep inside her as she struggled with the locked door. With a tear trickling down her cheeks, she thrust her whole weight against the door, trying to open it by force. No! What was wrong with her door? Why wasn't it opening?!
It was impossible to unlock it from the inside, only the outside. She was going to miss the show! Who could possibly hate her enough to do this? Now frantic, she began to scream and beat on the door for help.
"Hello? Someone unlock this door! Please! Help, I'm locked in!" she screeched, crying.
But everyone was at the show, even Alice. And even if Alice came, she wouldn't be able to unlock the door. Bella was stuck until either Jasper or Jacob decided to unlock it. She sank softly to the ground, weeping.
---
Edward watched from his usual vantage point in the shadows of box five as the performance progressed, making sure that no one saw him. Suspicion grew inside of him; something was wrong. Bella didn't enter the performance until later but he couldn't help but feel that something was amiss - Victoria was entirely too happy. When it was time for his Bella's part, he watched that sniveling woman, Victoria, step proudly up and sing the first few lines of 'Memory'
Furious, he jumped up - knocking the chair over behind him - and stalked out of box five. Anger, swift and lethal, consumed him. This was her fault, Victoria's. So fast that he was nearly invisible, he raced down the corridors.
Logic fought with fury inside him. He wanted to tear that woman to shreds while she stood on that stage, but if he did the Opera House would be shut down, and Bella would never be able to sing again. Nostrils flaring and knuckles white from his tight fists, he struggled to control his emotions, to keep from doing anything rash. But if he killed her after the performance…
He made his way backstage and waited for the performance to be over. He would keep his word; he would destroy her since she took Bella's part.. When the final curtain fell and the audience was leaving, he heard Victoria laughing, walking to her dressing room.
"I was wonderful, wasn't I?" she said to James, not really wanting an answer. "I'm going to be the star again, not that little twit!"
Edward waited in her dressing room, submerged in shadows, and watched as she shut the door behind her and locked it, leaving her alone with the furious vampire. When he heard her smug chuckle, he couldn't hold back anymore. Before she even knew what was happening, he had sunk his teeth into her neck. Since he didn't have fangs, he had to tear the skin to get to her blood. His hand covered her mouth so her scream would be muffled. He put all his anger into that attack.
His senses took over and all rational thought was obliterated. All he knew was that he tasted human blood. It satisfied more than animal's blood that was for sure. She went limp in his arms, her sightless eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. With a sudden bout of clarity amid the madness raging inside his mind, he stopped.
He pulled away silently and looked at his dead prey. Her fiery-red hair hung limp, no longer in it's bun, her vacant green eyes staring upward. Then he felt something that he'd never encountered before.
Regret.
He had not only taken her life, but drank her blood. He had no objections to killing, but he vehemently restrained from human blood. This new emotion was strange to him, foreign. But it was strong. He quickly stood up and unlocked the door. Edward took one last look at Victoria's dead, bleeding body and left her, now filled with a deep depression.
Bella heard something turn in the lock and she jumped up. "Is someone there?!" she called, hoping that she still was able to perform her part. "Hello? Mr. Black? Mr. Hale?"
Whoever it was stayed silent as they unlocked the door. As soon as the door was unlocked, she pushed it open, wanting to see who it was that saved her. She burst out of the room to see a Jacob's retreating back quickly turning the corner.
"Wait!" she called, rushing after him. She still wore her crimson ball gown that she had changed into for the performance, and now she held the heavy skirts up as she ran. "I haven't said thank you!"
When she turned the corner, he wasn't there. Puzzled, she glanced around. She now stood just to the right of the still busy stage. Props and costumes were being moved and put back in their correct places. That was when she heard the scream. Everyone froze.
"Victoria's dead!" screamed a girl, running onto the stage with wild eyes, chest heaving. "The Phantom's killed her!"
Immediately the Opera House erupted into chaos. Thankfully the audience had already left so this could be kept quiet for a short amount of time before the newspapers knew about it. Maybe they could pass off her death as heart-attack if no one saw the body. Hordes of people rushed to Victoria's dressing room, half in worry and half wanting to see the gory sight. That's when Alice suddenly grabbed Bella's hand and pulled her away from the running people.
"Bella! Where have you been? I've been looking everywhere!" Alice cried, concerned.
"Someone locked me in my dressing room!" she said.
Alice just stared at her blankly. "I guess I should have looked there, then. Sorry. But Victoria performed your part and apparently the Phantom didn't like it."
"This is all my fault," Bella said weakly, leaning against the wall. "I'm the reason why Victoria's dead."
"Bella, stop it. You're not the reason she's gone. It's the Phantom's fault!"
The Opera House's coroners were paid to keep deaths quiet that happened here. Victoria would have a proper burial since she was a once-beloved performer. It would take place tomorrow in the morning. James sat staring in shock at the temporary coffin that they'd placed her in.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Later That Night - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
A soft knocking on Bella's door woke her. A wild thought raced through her mind - maybe it was her Angel. She wasn't awake enough yet to think about the impossibility that he would knock on her door instead of just simply sitting on her bed like he usually did.
She was dressed in only her sheer nightgown. Standing, she went slowly towards the door, slightly confused. Why would her Angel knock on the door when he could just come inside like he always did? She quickly unlocked the door and pulled it wide open. The man who stood there was certainly not her Angel.
"Mr. Black?" Confused, her brow furrowed as she stared at him. He was dressed in a simple white shirt and black pants. His head was hung as he stared at the ground; when he heard the door open he looked up. His dark eyes were full of determination. But instead of saying what he had came to say, his eyes moved over her body.
Until that moment, Jacob Black had thought of Isabella Swan as a girl. He was a man with a man's needs and he had no time for children. But now, as he looked at her lithe, shapely form, he realized that she was no where near a child. Her nightgown was sheer enough that he could faintly see the dark circles of her nipples and the curves of her supple skin. His eyes traced the slender line of her neck and the skin that disappeared into the neckline of her nightgown. Her soft brown hair fell over her shoulders like a soft waterfall. The gown only came to her knees and he saw her pale, beautiful calves and ankles. No. Bella Swan was definitely not a child. She was a woman.
"I came to, uh, apologize for my behavior earlier," he muttered. There was no need to tell her that he had been the one to lock her in her room earlier. Then she'd never agree to what he wanted. "I'm sorry for my rude behavior before," he said. Her chocolate eyes stared back at him intently. Despite himself Jake felt sweat start to form on his palms. Could it possibly be that he was nervous? Over a girl? I'm possible.
Jake had always been considered a "ladies man" ever since he had turned eighteen. Women had wanted a taste of him and his tanned muscles, but he had never cared enough to become anxious. But this was no ordinary woman, this was Bella.
At that moment, he vowed that he would have her, no matter what he had to do to get her. He would possess this woman with the goddesses body. And soon.
"As an apology for my heinous conduct, I would like to take you out," he proposed, smiling in a way that he knew melted women's hearts. "Jasper and Alice will accompany us, of course."
Bella's face lit up. Could it be possible that he remembers me? She thought, hopefully. "I would like that," she replied shyly, unable to hide her elated smile.
He took her hand gently in his and kissed the palm.. He heard her suck in a breath. "And I would very much like you to be the bright, shining star in this Opera House now. I don't know why I didn't see how talented you were. I was foolish, forgive me." She nodded and he smiled. "We shall go wine-tasting tomorrow. Be ready by nine in the morning. I look forward to it."
With that, he took one more glance at her enticing body before turning to leave. He grinned - he had her right where he wanted her. She would be the new star instead of Victoria. Bella was his only choice. Licking his lips, he thought about how her naked body would feel under him as he buried himself deep inside her. He had been blind and foolish for not seeing her beauty. But now he knew, and he would have her. Whatever Jacob Black wanted, he got.
Bella went back to her bed in a daze. Had he finally remembered her? Was that why he asked her on a date? But whether or not he remembered wasn't nearly as important as making him remember. She took a deep breath and snuggled back under the covers. Tomorrow she would try to jog his memory.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - The Next Day- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Bella danced around her room, proud. Her angel hadn't come to her that night, unfortunately. She missed the singing, not that he didn't wear her out the night before her performance, making her sing higher than she ever thought imaginable. He kept chanting:
"Higher, Bella, I know you can, higher."
The voice that was velvet, that was nothing but pure milk chocolate melting in her mouth, hadn't come to her last night.
And that, in the slightest, made Bella upset. Was it silly to be upset? Of course, he was just a figment of her imagination, it was just a dream, and last night she had dreamt of the last days of her and Jacob's friendship.
"Bella, Jasper tells me you and Jacob are joining us tonight!" Alice said jubilantly, as she danced her way gracefully into Bella's room.
"Yes, he invited me." Bella said, trying to contain her high pitched squeal of pure glee. There was no performance tonight, mostly because of the death of Victoria. How tragic. James was a mess, he was just lost, he said he would not go on without Victoria. What he meant by that was probably suicide. Perhaps they'll find them in the maids quarters - where he liked to fool around with the new maids - with a noose around his neck, and his legs dangling carelessly...
Bella chastised herself by biting her cheek hard. How could she think such a horrible thought?! James would pull through, he has to, he's the best tenor in the Opera House. Beside her Angel Voice.
Behind the two way mirror, Edward stood, watching his Bella in deep contemplation, her face full with emotion. She was thinking about Victoria, Edward was sure of it. Of course he could read her thoughts, but it was more of a feeling before he even entered her thoughts.
'Perhaps they'll find James in the maids quarters, with a noose around his neck, his legs dangling carelessly. Bella! How rude!'
Her thoughts were always scolded. She musn't scold herself for thinking the truth, he thought. What she thought was perfectly fine - she was all that was pure in the world, and she was his, Edward's, the Angel Voice's, the Phantom of the Opera's.
He chuckled to himself - a barely audible laugh - he couldn't believe how many different personalities he had acquired in these short years. It has been only a decade since he's been here, and already he's had acquired two new names. Of course, not counting his own. Nobody called him Edward. Nobody. Perhaps Bella, in due time.
"You're excited, aren't you? Bella?" Alice asked tentatively.
"Of course," was all Bella would say. She's thinking of me, Edward thought. He smiled to himself as he walked down the small dark corridor, leaving the girls to their girl talk. It was not important to him because, of course, she would choose him in the end.
"Tell me, how did he ask you?" Alice pondered, her eyes glazed with gossip.
"He came to my room last night, late... He had asked me to forgive him, and that he was sorry for his behavior, then he told me about the date that he'd like me to accompany you and Mr Jasper with him. After that he said that I shall be the star of the Opera House now, and, that is about it," Bella said, twirling around and looking at her beautiful form in the mirror.
"Oh. Were you in your night gown by any chance?" Alice asked. Bella looked up, a blush crept into her face.
"Do you reckon that is the only reason he's asked me?"
"Oh, no, no." Alice paused, " I just wondered. You see, Bella, your night gown is very...see-through." Alice said, trying not to embarrass Bella but also being quite truthful.
"Oh, dear God! Please don't tell me!" Bella ran to her bed side and examined the night gown, it was actually very transparent. "I'm so ashamed, I must have looked like a tramp."
"I'm sure you didn't," Alice assured her, then she began rocking on the balls of her feet.
Hours went by, girl talk, lunch. Rosalie made them come out of Bella's room for tea and talk. Rosalie had to have a date conversation with Bella, proper etiquette, and all of that. Emmett was less than pleased with this. He liked Jasper, he was sure of the match for Alice and Jasper. He disliked Jacob immensely - he couldn't stand him. He was so arrogant, and pretended to be nothing but the owner of the world. He wasn't. He did not own his family in anyway, that included Isabella.
Alice and Bella returned to her room. Alice was ready, her hair neat and had small spiral curls in the short stack of her ebony locks. Her make up done as she called au-natural. French, she loved to use the expressions. Alice was in a sparkling red cocktail dress, something she had borrowed from the Opera House, she was sure Jasper wouldn't mind. After all, he said to dress very expressively, and that she should wear something sparkling. She intended to follow his instructions down to the period.
Bella wore a midnight blue dress, it was long and went all the way down to her mid-calf. There were white sparkling flowers all over it. The gown was spaghetti strapped, and she wore a silk silver-black shawl around her shoulders. Rosalie's request. Meanwhile, Alice's dress tied around her neck, and she was made to wear nothing around her shoulders.
Alice began to bounce on the balls of her feet to the heels. She was impatient.
"Something wrong Alice?"
"Continue getting ready, I've heard Jasper." Alice paused, "be quick about it, please." With that Alice was out of sight. Bella took her beautiful brunette locks and put them in a delicate French twist, her beautiful waves still visible through the twist.
"I'm ready." Bella said, she walked out of her room. The shawl was around her shoulders in such a way that it made her more alluring rather than covering her bare shoulders. Jacob stood next to Jasper wearing the same exact suit. They smiled in unison, and Jacob's teeth shined brightly against his russet skin. His hair neatly kept back out of his face. His face was so angular, Bella had never noticed.
"You look beautiful, absolutely stunning." Emmett said as he handed her a warm coat. Bella smiled and nodded a thank you.
"He's right, Isabella. You're quite beautiful."
"Bella." Bella corrected. He called her Isabella, why? It was always Bella - oh, right, he didn't remember her.
"Shall we?" Jasper asked as he grabbed Alice's arm, Alice smiled brightly against the pale shade of pink on her lips.
"Mm-hm," was all that escaped Alice's small mouth.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - The Winery- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"Do you enjoy wine, Bella?" Jacob asked. Bella looked up after her third cup of peach wine. She smiled.
"Yes, its quite good. Doesn't burn like scotch or brandy," Bella answered. She was silently scoffing. She had tried to make him remember everything that happened when they were younger. He'd asked so many questions - where are youfrom? When did you come to live with the Cullens? What did your parents do? How old were you at the time?
"Do you even remember?" Bella asked rudely, abruptly, and harshly. Alice set down her second cup of red wine.
"Bella," she scolded. Bella ignored her.
"Do you not remember a little girl by the name of Bells Swan; the little girl who was twelve, almost thirteen when her father died? You were in the house! You were the reason he dropped over dead!" Bella said. She stopped herself - it wasn't his fault, it was hers. She was the one who shocked her father so.
"Bella...I." Jacob couldn't form a single sentence. It was all coming back to him. Yes, he remembered. He had blocked it from his memory but now it was returning.
"We were such good friends, Jake." Bella paused, using his friendly name to his face, "I.. I've got to go." Bella began to stand up. She wobbled, and almost fell over. Jacob stood up and grabbed a hold of her elbow to steady her.
"Please, Bella, let me get a carriage to drive you home, I wouldn't feel right letting you walk home by yourself." Jacob said. Jasper had a worried look on his face. He seemed as if he was feeling the same feelings of aggression that Bella was. Alice looked down.
Had she been expecting this? Bella asked herself. Probably. Bella had been getting noticeably aggravated around her second glass of wine.
"Fine." Bella said, waving a good-bye to her friend. She was still slightly dizzy, and she couldn't contain herself any longer. She had never kissed Jake, never. Not even a simple friend-kiss on the lips. No.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - Meanwhile With the Phantom, Edward- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"I cannot possibly assume she wants me in her room. She's never said 'oh angel voice please come out to me in the open," Edward scolded himself. How could he assume such...vulgarity. Surely it was vulgar to come into a woman's room unannounced. Of course it was.
Mother raised you better than that, Edward, he thought. He laughed to himself abruptly. He could not remember his mother! He remembered barely anything from his past life. Only Rosalie. Rosalie was his childhood friend. He had been dying and at a young age too - eighteen.
(A/N yes, we know he was originally bitten in the book at seventeen, but we didn't want him to be that young.)
He was dying of some disease they called the Influenza. Nothing was known about it though his father had discovered it. His father, Carlisle Cullen. Yes, Rosalie wasn't only his friend, but was also his brother's girlfriend.
That was when Edward's father took him to a healer. Although his father was a doctor, he could do nothing for him, and in his time of desperateness, took him to a witch doctor. The doctor offered him something - immortality. Carlisle took it for Edward. Edward couldn't remember anything anymore. It was blurry, his father and Esme still loved him the same.
But Edward couldn't cope with the choice his father had made for him. He hadn't wished to be a Vampire. Never, in a millennium.
He sighed, remembering his past had hurt. He picked up the rose he had set on her pillow,sitting down on her bed and continuing to think.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - With Bella- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
As he helped her out of the carriage she took his angular face into her hands and kissed him roughly, smiling to herself as she stumbled into her house. Jacob stood there, smiling dumbly - he couldn't believe Bella kissed him. She was so tipsy, he'd bet if she was that type of girl he could have taken full advantage of her right then and there. But intoxicated or not, Bella wasn't that kind of girl.
Bella stepped into the house, quietly and carefully. Rosalie and Emmett were sleeping, she was sure of it. It was, after all, a late night. Bella walked into her room and could not believe her eyes. Before her was an unimaginably beautiful man sitting on her bed, holding a single rose. And not just any rose, a red rose. A crimson rose with a black satin ribbon. Bella stared at the glorious man before her.
Clearly she had been drunk and passed out. Surely Jacob had taken the liberty to take her to her room. She knew that the kiss was just a dream. She only hoped she didn't puke on him in the process.
The godlike man rose to his feet and smiled at Bella, the mask taking up more than a quarter of his face.
"Isabella," he greeted. He wasn't sure how to address her. Was Bella too forward, was Sweet too vulgar? Was Isabella just right?
"Angel?" Bella asked. She was confused and utterly convinced that this was a dream.
"They've many names for me, Bella. Monster, Angel of Music - your personal preference. The Phantom - their personal preference. And then, there is my real name." Edward stopped short, handing Bella the rose. She took it, her eyes remaining on his slightly maroon-red eyes.
"How do you know me?" Bella asked. Edward smiled at her, his perfect crooked smile, a smile that Bella had never seen before. It was luminous, it was beautiful, it was heavenly. Nothing like a monster.
"I come to you at night, my sweet. I sing to you and you sing to me. I am your Angel of Music. I am the Phantom of the Opera." Edward said, slowly. He moved with caution when approaching Bella on this subject. She was very confused.
"I'm dreaming. I must be." Bella said. Edward laughed lightly at her confusion.
"Since you are dreaming, would you like to come see a palace, Bella?" Edward asked. Bella looked over at him, her drunken eyes drooping, and she smiled.
"What is your name, Angel?" She asked, grasping his cold hand with her warm one. The cold was dangerous to her right now, Edward thought. She was intoxicated, and if she were truly that intoxicated, her temperature will be decreasing. It was better not to allow any physical contact.
"My name is Edward, my sweet." Edward said, putting on the leather gloves he wore often to keep hand prints off of any surface of her room.
He grasped her hand delicately, and took her into the door way of the two-way mirror. She smiled at him, thinking that she was dreaming, as Edward entered her mind. He smiled, and laughed to himself, the sound not audible to Bella's ears - he didn't want her to feel self-conscious.
"Ready to see your palace, my Bella?" Edward asked. She nodded. He took her down into the dark catacombs of the Opera House. It was time to show her. Even if she thought it a dream, it was time.
We hope you enjoyed this chapter and that you'll review. Finally, Bella knows that Edward's her Angel AND the Phantom, even if she is drunk currently. ;)
So Please Review!
~ForbiddenWords & Ori~