Chapter 5

Erik did not leave his room for a week. Daniel's wife was nice enough to bring him his meals each and every day but he refused to leave that room. The absence of their daily routine was stifling. He missed waking up to see her stretching in the drawing-room, her eyes bright and lively. He missed the way she perked up and made sure to listen every time he revealed something of his past. He missed the way that even when she was doing work, she had a smile on her face and not a care in the world.

He still refused to admit that he was in love with Meg but he would admit that he cared for her, and would he have remained in the house any longer he would have fallen for her. Which is another reason that fueled him to leave, even if Meg had come back he could not let himself fall for another woman. He was still recovering from Christine's rejection and he wouldn't set himself up for one from Meg. He anticipated that if he were rejected by Meg, it would have been even more catastrophic than that from Christine. He had taken the time to get to know Meg, they molded their schedules to each other, learned how to live together without really making a relationship out of it. He could not bear the thought of telling Meg he loved her and her not feeling the same.

And why would she feel the same? He could not even trust her with his name. He couldn't even trust her with his face. She had seen dark visions and short glimpses of his face, she had not stared at it for a long time. He couldn't see her being comfortable with his mask being off all the time. How could someone get used to that?

The food Meg made tasted bland, all the same. Nothing was the same ever since he left. She had admitted to herself just that morning that he left that she was in love with him. The way their schedules were fit to each other, she had felt no need to return to society, she was perfectly content in the house with him and now he was gone. Her stretches and routines were not the same since there was no accompaniment. She missed spilling anything that came into her head out of her mouth and having him sit and listen.

She had realized that it would've taken time for him to get over Christine, and she had been willing to wait. Ten year age difference or not. She had grown to appreciate the way he went about things, meticulously planning every move os it worked to his advantage, especially with his music. Each note fit together so perfectly, it flowed as if it were nothing to move his fingers over the keys, never missing a note.

She didn't even mind the mask. She would've preferred it if he had trusted her enough to take it off. But, again, she realized it would take time for trust to register with him, he was abandoned by everyone he had ever trusted and now someone was so willing to trust him she could see where he would be hesitant. The times when she had seen his face without the mask, she had not been appalled or disgusted. She felt shocked. She had felt the pull to touch it, to study it, she wanted to know more about it. She accepted it.

And now she was in Christine and Raoul's home, being dressed up against her will for a ball they were having to officially announce the engagement to the public. The powder blue dress she wore accentuated her curves perfectly, and the scooping neck framed her ample bosom. The long and billowy skirt concealed the pink toe shoes she wore, she had not gone out to get any other clothes yet. Adding on a few pieces of jewelry and fixing one of her loose curls, she exited the bedroom where she was staying and descended down the staircase.

Raoul and Christine's home was gigantic. The foyer alone was the size of the first level of her aunt and uncle's house, and the ballroom at the back of the house was double the foyer. She took the left staircase, avoiding the group of people taking a tour of the grand house off the right staircase. She adjusted the bodice, failing to make her breathe any better, and entered the grand ballroom. Everything was decorated and lit up, and Meg would have thought it was marvelous if it were any other time. She still held on the little hope that she would find the Phantom again and they would pretend like nothing was wrong but in the back of her mind, she knew it wasn't going to happen. She sighed sadly and approached the drink table, grabbing a champagne flute.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help but notice, you're not Meg Giry from the corps de ballet at the Opera Populaire are you?" A young gentleman asked Meg, she nodded her head silently. "Forgive me if I seem forward, but I've been wanting to meet you for a very long time. I'm Isaac Clause."

"I'm very pleased to meet you." She plastered on a smile and held out her hand. He kissed her knuckles lightly.

"I wanted to meet you mostly to tell you how talented I think you are. To be honest, I only went to the performances for the ballet. I'm fascinated by the grace and fluidness of the movements."

"I'm flattered, Monsieur Clause. We work very hard to perfect our ballet."

"Please, call me Isaac. And I'm sure, but you make it seem so effortless."

"You flatter me, Isaac," She blushed. She had to admit, she was flattered. He was a very handsome man, nearly a head taller than her, cloudy day gray eyes, and petite features with dark hair, and a little stubble on his cheeks. He reminded her a little of the Phantom although, the Phantom stood about one and a half heads over her, and his eyes were a grey-green that transfixed her.

Meg and Isaac spent most of the rest of the night together, dancing and talking, Meg had no one else to talk to, and she didn't want to seem unsocial so, she stayed around Isaac. She caught Christine and Raoul's approving looks often but she promptly ignored them.

"Unfortunately, I must take my leave but if you would be so kind as to grant me permission of calling on you again,"

"Of course. I'm staying here with Christine and Raoul. I had a very lovely night, thank you." She smiled, he took her hand brushed his lips against her knuckles again and left.

Meg was in denial about the fact that she had enjoyed herself with Isaac. And she was attracted to him in the slightest bit. But she was not ready to just move on like that, she still loved the Phantom, and had not come to the terms that she would never see him ever again. Tears brimmed in her eyes again as she thought about it. She couldn't bear to think that she'd never see him again. Things had been going so well at the house and then Christine and Raoul showed up. Raoul had met with the police commisionary and He, Christine, and the managers decided not to press charges against him, thankfully. She asked the maid to help her out of her dress and corset, put on her nightie and climbed into her big bed. This was simply not comforting like sleeping in her uncle's house was. Something about that home was cozy and familiar. She hated dwelling in her own self pity so much, feeling so bad for herself but she couldn't suppress the emotions any longer like she had been all her life. She had finally found someone she was comfortable with, who she could see herself spending the rest of her life with, and now he was gone.

She went to bed that night, with the hope that Isaac could be the stepping stone she needed to get past all of her turmoil.

The next day, Isaac called on her again, taking her out into the city of Paris

Every day, Erik missed her more. He finally left his room, and ventured into the town to see what was there to offer. He found out he was staying in Pantin, France, a city just outside of Paris. There was a small chapel near Daniel's house, and next to it was a small restaurant. Down the road there was a bar and a wide variety of shops for the women and men alike. It was a small town with everything someone wanted to do in the middle and homes scattered along the edge of the town behind dense forests. The homes were small, but made for families. It was a quaint place and Erik felt comfortable.

He appreciated how people weren't so hung up on looks in this town like they were in the big cities; like in Paris. That day when he went out, everyone bade him a 'good morning' and smiled, albeit nervously, but smiling nonetheless. They did not sneer an reject him. He still felt like hiding but it wasn't a burning urge like it had been before. They reminded him of Meg. So tolerant of his deformed face, as if they didn't notice it at all. She always looked at him the same way she looked at everyone else and he wondered how. Even his mother detested him and couldn't love him, how could a complete stranger be nicer than his mother had his whole life?

As he pondered this, he kept walking but eventually bumped into something. . . Or rather, someone.

"Oh, hi Matthew." Jacob greeted him cheerfully. "I've been meaning to ask you why you wear that mask, but dad won't let me. He says I should leave you alone. He says you seem sad."

"I suppose I have been a little sad. You see Jacob, what's under my mask, is not very nice to look at, that's why I keep it covered."

"Oh." Jacob said, his mouth firming a perfect 'o' shape. "My legs are like that. See," he lifted his pant leg to reveal bruises and white marks all up and down the shins. "the tops are like that too. Sometimes my belly gets bruised too. My mom likes me to wear long pants so kids don't look at it."

Erik was astounded, this child could be no more than six years old and his legs and sometimes stomach were plagued with bruises. He guessed that was why Jacob was so comfortable with him. He was used to seeing something unnatural. And the people here were probably accustomed to Jacob.

Jacob hung around Erik for nearly the rest of the day. Erik found his company nice and helped fill the void of Meg. Erik found the library and poured over their collection of books. Jacob did the same, though he confessed later that he had read almost all the books once before. Erik looked at Jacob and thought about how this is what it would be like to have his own child, to sit and read together to do things together and he liked it. If only there was another person, a certain female, here that could share this moment with him. 'I must get ahold of myself!'

Meg had barely spoken to Raoul or Christine since she had arrived. They came close to forcing her out of the house an into theirs and treated it like Meg had been staying there for years. Christine acted like nothing had happened and they were best friends sharing secrets again. The only problem was, Christine had her fair share of secrets. She disappeared for hours at a time at the opera house, leaving Meg with no notion of what was happening; leaving her to find out that she was with the Phantom the whole time. Things were not going to go back to normal for Meg. Christine had betrayed her, and humiliated the Phantom. Publicly. A soft knock on her door roused her from her thoughts.

"Come in," She answered quietly.

"Meg," Christine said, entering the room and sitting on the stool accompanying the vanity table. "I came to ask, why did you follow us under the opera house? Why did you come down there?"

"To be completely honest at first I came down to make sure you were okay but you and Raoul had already passed by the time I got down there. And then I kept going forward. I don't really know why, but I ventured into a tunnel near his bedroom and followed my instincts until I found him. I found him sobbing. Christine, this man that instilled fear on almost every person in the opera house was crumpled on the floor sobbing because you deceived him. You have also deceived me." She explained, hesitant about the last part.

"People keep telling me I have deceived him but I do not know how for I just followed my heart. And please tell me why I can make it right!"

"You stayed with him for hours upon hours: voluntarily. And you made him think you actually had feelings for him. He has known nothing of love or emotional attachment. You defended him. And yet, you chose another right in front of him. You pitied him when he needed your love. For months you spent countless hours in the bowels of the opera house, leaving all of us to wonder where you had run off to; some people rumored that you had run of with Raoul.

"You did not even tell me why. You kept it a secret from me, all while you kept telling me we were sisters; we were kindred spirits. You lied to me and I cannot bear it."

"Dear Meg, you must forgive me. I did not want to hurt you. But why did you want to stay with him?"

"I forgive you, but I do not think I could ever forget." Meg turned away to keep herself from meeting the devastated gaze of Christine. "I stayed with him because I saw a different side of him that you never spent the time to see. A man who was gentle and kind and playful. We talked endlessly about anything we could ever dream of." The distant smile Meg got upon her face was enough to let Christine know what was going on.

"Meg, this man, he killed people. He killed Joseph Buquet, he killed Piangi, not to mention he burnt down our home." Christine said desperately trying rid Meg of good impressions of this man. "He loved me enough that he would kill anyone for me."

"If he had not killed Buquet, Buquet would have surely killed him. Buquet was a poor excuse for a man and spent ample time running around with risqué ballerinas and groping women. Why is it you think my mother warned us never to be in a room alone with him? As for Piangi, he lives. Erik merely knocked him unconscious so that he may perform your duet. He is a different man!"

"I see your love for him has blinded you to the fact he is a manipulative cold-hearted individual who preys on young vulnerable women."

"No Christine. Perhaps it is you who are the manipulative cold-hearted individual." Meg said with a tone of finality. "I cannot stay here any longer. I must go. If Isaac calls on me, tell him I am sorry but I have returned to my Uncle's home. I shall always love you in the bottom of my heart, Christine but I cannot sit here while you are blind to the true facts. Goodbye." With that, Meg gathered the skirts of the pale lavender dress Christine lent her, and left.

A/N: I'm back! Here's chapter five, I would've posted this weekend, but I was at a folk/bluegrass music festival/campout in the country and it was awesome! But no service or anything.

Hope you enjoyed!

Anon Reviews: newbornphanatic: You're right, you were talking about Christine! My bad, I had just replied to a review about Meg so, she was on the mind. But yes, Christine does tend to get her way with her innocence. And yes, Erik had to leave to break the story up just a little bit, it won't be for too long, Remember I mentioned things move a little fast for the two! haha Hope you enjoyed!

Good? Bad? Lemme know!