Encounter in moonlight

"Who are you?" Meip's simple question hung in the air like a lead weight, pressing down on both her and Erik. Meip turned slowly, wondering if she really had heard someone behind her, wondering if she really had sensed Him staring at her, or if she was only imagining it.

'God no, don't let it be me imagining.'

Erik's mind was screaming at him to fade away, to melt back within the shadows and disappear from her, but his body betrayed him. Keeping him rooted to the hard wood floor and refusing to sway even slightly. Her body was almost fully turned now, only moments more and she would see him.

'I need to leave.' Yet the desire to see her face sprung up within him and flooded over his sense. He had to see her, she was Her and the burning need to see her, would not be abated.

Meip's breath was coming in quick short breaths now, He was behind her. Every cell in her body was screaming it to her, it was Him. Just one more step.

They both gasped as they saw each other at last.

'She is lovely, even more than I ever imagined her to be.' Erik stared at her, the moon softly caressing her features, lending her an ethereal grace. He soon found himself lost within her jade jeweled eyes.

Meip stared into the darkness, trying to fully see the man before her. She could just make out the edge of a white mask, glimmering in the moonlight. As she searched his face, his eyes captured hers and she was lost within a storm of smoky grey. They stood there, as the minutes ticked by, staring at each other. Both trying to discern for themselves whether the other one was real or not. Erik was the first to move, realizing that the oprea would be over soon and the stage hands would be coming back to dismantle the props. With one last long look into her eyes, erik began to retreat into the shadows.

"Wait! Please wait!" Meip shouted, reaching out to him, needing to touch him before he was gone. Needing to know without doubt that he was real. The feel of her hand gripping his cloak stopped him cold. He spun and grabbed her arms, meaning to shake her off and flee. The second his hand grasped hers, they felt a jolt of energy run through them. Need curled inside both of them, deep, strong, and inescapable. Meip stared at him, her lips parted to release heaving breath. Erik suddenly found that his eyes could not leave her lips. Driven by some unseen force, Erik found himself leaning more and more towards her moist, welcoming lips. Meip watched him leaning closer, every cell in her body telling her that it was right, that this was meant to be, fated. The applause from the stage brought them both back to their senses.

Letting go of her hands Erik quickly disguised himself within the shadows.

"Wait!" Meip called out again. "Please, tell me your name." Meip heard a rustle to the side of her and then nothing. She sighed, an empty feeling creeping throughout her veins.

"Erik." Meip spun around hoping to see him, her eyes only beheld empty air.

"My name is Erik." His voice sounded in her ears, washing over her like fresh rain, but when she turned he was already gone.

8:8:8:8:8:8:8:8:8:8:8:8

Erik paced around his home, trying without much success to figure out what exactly had just happened. How had it happened, was perhaps the better question. Erik ran his hand through his hair, thoroughly confused and frustrated. Two emotions he had never liked by themselves, let alone together. Erik sighed as he sat down on his couch, he had missed his meeting with Christine because of this too. Still, even so he found he really couldn't regret his meeting with her instead.

She was the girl from his dreams, that much Erik was absolutely certain about. What he really wanted to know was how she was real in the first place. Who was she in the opera house? Erik realized then that he didn't even have her name, but he had given his to her so freely. Erik half growled on the couch, his hands clutching the arm rests.

'Damn, why did I do that!?' He had never given his name away, he hadn't even thought to give his name to Christine, and yet that girl merely asked and now had it.

'What madness had processed me?' He wondered. Deep down, he knew the answer.

'Because no one has ever asked you for it.' His conscience offered. This was most certainly true. In his opera house, people were either afraid of him or curious, but never did they wonder about his real name. He was always simply and eloquently the Phantom to them. That name had served him well over the years, invoking fear when needed and keeping him safe from prying eyes. Still, now she had something no one else had, and this frightened him slightly. What if she tried to expose him?

'Well she would have quite a time at that, who in their right mind would try to do that to the Phantom?' Erik smirked at his thought. Who indeed?

Still, his thoughts were filled with her. Her ebony hair, her cream colored skin, her moist looking lips, her jade colored eyes. Ah yes her eyes. Such depth they held within them, seeming to pull at a person dragging them under and trapping them. Still, being trapped in her eyes was not such a bad thing he remembered.

'It had seemed wonderful to be trapped in her eyes.' Damn. What was she doing to him? All his thoughts kept circling around her, pulling toward her. His whole being seemed to scream for her damn it! Erik got up and began to pace again. Why did it feel so right to hold her hand, why did the thought of kissing her seem to be normal? Then it clicked. Maybe because it was normal? Maybe because it was right?

The words of the song he himself would sing in the dream came to him.

'Fate binds you to me forever and a day!'

Why not? Certainly stranger things had happened in this world. After all one only has to look to the written word to see them. So then perhaps he should look into this matter with a different view. Erik smirked again, a thought coming to him.

'Perhaps she is meant to be mine?' That thought turned his smirk into a full smile.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I AM.... BACK!!!!!!!!!

yeah updated chapter!, I hope i didn't make too many of you wait, and sorry for the wiat. I here now and yes I plan to keep writing. To all concerned parties, I am not only continuing this one, but have plans to continue my other fic, Drawn Together as well. Never fret, my pet i shall perservere!

Please reguard me kindly in reviews.