So here's another chapter and we are getting really close to the end of this story! This chapter is by far one of my favorites and I really hope you like it. Thank you all for all your lovely reviews! They really motivate me to write even better for you!
Don't be shy and please let me know what you think of this, any suggestions or simply your opinion. A massive thank you to everyone that has continued to support this little story and specially my beta-reader Judybear236. This chapter is dedicated to you all, and I really hope that its everything you wish for!
And now on with the show
Chapter 20 Under the Stars
The cold air of the night caressed his face as he walked silently down the Street in the direction Madame Giry had told him. He had only though about what he was about to do just once, and it had been in one of those many nights of loneliness, when he had been parted from Meg. But since his return, the idea had been momentarily erased from his mind, oblivious to anything but the joy her presence brought to him. But after the confrontation with Christine and the Vicomte, he knew that they wouldn't stop until they saw him miserable once more. And a part of him knew that if they had to pass over Meg, they certainly wouldn't care about hurting her.
But he wasn't going to stay with his arms crossed, this time, he would defend the most important person to him. Erik knew that Meg wouldn't like if he hurt any of them, but still he needed to do something, to prove to the world that he had changed and that he had finally found someone who accepted him as he was. He needed to show them that his heart was still alive and feeling more than ever.
Soon he arrived to the modest building, a small iron fence surrounding the red-brick structure. As silent as he could, Erik opened the fence with a low creak and walked inside, following the path that led to the door. He stood frozen for a couple of minutes in front of the door, and taking a deep breath, knocked softly three times. With his hands behind his back, Erik waited patiently for the man to open the door, tightening his grip in the portfolio he was holding. After a moment, he heard hurried footsteps approaching the door and the sound of the door unlocking. But he didn't open the door.
"Who is it?" the fragile voice called from the inside, loud enough for Erik to hear it.
"Monsieur Conductor, it's me, Jacques" Erik answered leaning nearer towards the door "I really need to talk with you"
The man was silent from the other side of the door, when unexpectedly, the door was opened widely. Monsieur Reyer was standing in front of him, a head or two smaller than Erik. He clutched his robe tightly around his body, his moustache curling with a smile, yet, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"I was wondering when you would come to visit me, Monsieur Jacques" he said with a smile, stepping aside and allowing Erik to walk inside "Or may I say…Monsieur Le Phantom?"
Erik turned around abruptly, his jaw dropping with surprise. How did he know? Had his face give him away? But Monsieur Reyer was smiling softly, his face perked to one side as he studied him intently.
"Let me get us some tea and then we can chat"
And with that he left the room. The living room was well furnished, the fire crackling in the fireplace in the corner of the room. A large piano was situated on the opposite corner, something that caught Erik's attention immediately. He stood near the door, looking around curiously. He walked slowly towards the couch, taking in every detail of the comfortable place. On the wall there was a photograph, a family picture. A beautiful woman with curls framing her face was holding a baby in her arms, tenderly holding his little hands. Standing, there was a man, looking down at them lovingly, and a hand on his wife's shoulder. He knew who the man was, he would have recognized him anywhere. Erik felt a twinge in his heart at the thought that Mon. Reyer had a family, something that Erik wasn't aware of. But why hadn't he mentioned them before? Blinking furiously, Erik turned around and sat on the couch the same moment Mon. Reyer returned to the room carrying a tray with two cups and a pot. He sat down silently and served the tea, handing one cup to Erik who took it mumbling a quiet thank you.
"I think tea is the best thing that exists in this world" said Mon. Reyer with a content sigh "Don't you agree with me, Monsieur?"
Erik lowered his cup and nodded, staring at the man dumbfounded "I do. Tea is definitely one of the best things ever discovered"
"I knew you had good taste" Mon. Reyer chuckled "Now let us introduce ourselves. I'm Claude Reyer"
The old man stretched out his fragile hand towards Erik. Raising his eyebrow curiously, Erik leaned forward and took his hand, shaking it with a playful smile.
"And I am Erik Destler"
"Ah Monsieur Destler, you don't know how long I've been wanting to meet you" breathed Mon. Reyer as he leaned back onto the other couch "A pleasure"
"The pleasure is all mine, Maestro" replied Erik politely. He remained silent for a moment, trying to organize his ideas "But…do you have any idea of who I really am?"
"Of course I do!" stated excitedly Mon. Reyer "No one would be able to play the violin and piano like you do"
Erik smiled embarrassed "Thank you very much, Monsieur, but if I may ask…why haven't you revealed who I am to the others?"
"And to lose the best pianist I've ever had? Absolutely not!" Mon. Reyer gasped in shock "Beside, how could I betray the man who led the Opera Populaire to its glory? But here's the thing, Monsieur, why did you came back?"
"It's…complicated" whispered Erik with a frown.
"I am willing to listen" Mon. Reyer said softly "I must say that since that tragic night I've been very concerned about your whereabouts. Rumors in Paris spread like the flu, and the one of your possible death was one that kept me quite nervous. But then the rumor of your escape began to spread. I didn't dare to believe it, until someone proved me wrong" He concluded with a spark of mischief in his eyes.
"I'm very grateful for your concern, Monsieur" answered Erik sincerely, overwhelmed by the sudden demonstration of worry that the old man was showing "And who might that person be?"
The old man tilted his head to one side and chuckled "My dear Marguerite Giry"
Erik felt a wave of warmth overwhelm his body at the sole mention of her name, his heart beginning to beat rapidly. It still scared him how his body reacted at just the mention of her name, or a glance to her eyes. But the feeling that crept over his body was one that he was not willing to let go, and if it would happen every single time she appeared in his mind or around him, then he was not going to oppose. He tried to keep his expression emotionless as he eyed the conductor curiously.
"What do you mean?" Erik asked his voice tense with emotion.
"Oh, my dear boy, I've known that girl since she was born. When she disappeared the night of the fire I was terribly scared, until Antoinette assured me that she was all right with one of her friends" Mon. Reyer explained with a knowing smile "And when she returned it was obvious that she had changed, not to forget that ring that sparkled in her finger"
"And how do you know I was the one who escaped with her?" Erik questioned lifting an eyebrow.
Mon. Reyer remained silent for a moment, just to then giggle excitedly "That's easy. Because you had the same look she had in your eyes. ...love"
Erik felt his heart stop beating abruptly, his jaw dropping slightly with shock. How could this man make such declarations? He? Love Meg? He couldn't….he shouldn't…but he had. He was completely and undeniably in love with the little dancer, and there was nothing he could do about it. He had fallen, something he had vowed not to do. And that scared him. He told himself he would not fall in love again, but he did.
"But here's the real question, Erik" Mon. Reyer whispered as he leaned forward on his seat "Do you love her?"
Erik remained silent, feeling his heart beating faster with each passing second. The answer was so simple and obvious, but there was something about saying it out loud that made his hands shake with nerves. Looking up to meet Mon. Reyer tranquil gaze, Erik decided that if there was someone in the entire world that he could trust, it was this man.
"I do" Erik whispered, and clearing his throat he repeated it once again, this time his voice stronger "I love her. With all my heart"
Mon. Reyer smiled warmly as he placed a hand on Erik's forearm and squeezed it fondly "You have no idea how happy that makes me, boy"
"Thank you, Monsieur" Erik said his voice barely audible as he tried to swallow the lump that had formed in his throat.
"Now…does she knows it?" Mon. Reyer continued trying to hide his evident excitement.
"That's why I'm here" Erik stated clearing his throat. He leaned down and grabbed the portfolio "I need a way to show her how I truly feel. To prove her that everything that happened months ago is already forgotten."
As he talked, he opened it and revealed its content to the old man, sprawling the music score over the little table in front of them. Mon. Reyer leaned forward to get a better view of what Erik was showing him, grabbing one of the sheets carefully and examining it intently. His expression softened visibly as his eyes scanned the score, a soft smile appearing on his lips. Erik remained silent observing amazed the reaction of the old man to his music. Of all the persons that could judge him, the opinion of Mon. Reyer was the most important to him. He had worked with him for many years, although not face to face, but they had had some kind of interaction, and Erik knew that the man was a genius.
"So what do think, Monsieur?" Erik asked, his voice barely audible.
Mon. Reyer forced himself to tear his eyes away from the beautiful score and looked up, his eyes sparkling with excitement "This is brilliant. Utterly beautiful and breathtaking. Oh yes I can almost hear the sound of it in my head."
Erik let out a sigh of relief and smiled "Thank you so much, Maestro, you have no idea how much your opinion means to me."
"My opinion?" gasped Mon. Reyer with shock "But your opinion is what matters to me! After all these years, Erik, you are one of the best musicians I've ever had the pleasure to meet"
"But…aren't you afraid of me?" Erik asked hesitantly.
"There were occasions in which your temper was quite frightening, if I dare say" Mon. Reyer laughed, his expression becoming serious after a moment "But afraid of you? No, never. Fear always springs from ignorance, Monsieur"
Erik meditated on his words for a moment, nodding in acknowledgement as he slowly understood the meaning behind the old man's words. Mon. Reyer smiled and leaned forward with a playful smile.
"So now that we have cleared things up" he began, raising his eyebrows "What exactly are you planning to do with this incredible piece?"
Erik cleared his throat, trying to hide his embarrassment "I would like to change the way Don Juan ends. I want to redeem myself and show everyone that there are better things than hate, lust or envy. I want to show everyone how much Marguerite means to me. I want her to see it, to hear it."
"Belles paroles, Monsieur" breathed Mon. Reyer with a satisfied smile "You have my entire support, you have always had."
Meg was lying out on the soft grass, her eyes fixed on the sky. The stars were shining brightly over the city, illuminating the night beautifully. It had been a long time since she had done this, probably a year or two. A soft breeze caressed her face, tendrils of her blonde hair dancing around her face. Yes, definitely she had missed it. It was one of her favorite things to do, gaze at the stars, wondering how many others had done the same thing, how many stories the shining stars had witnessed. The thought of Christine returned to her head once more, haunting her with her words. The look of pity and loathing in the Vicomte's face. Shutting her eyes tightly she tried to erase the image from her head, and soon it was replaced by the thought of him. How he had stood up for her, even to the point of almost hitting the Vicomte. Although she would have secretly enjoyed it, she knew that violence was not the way of solving their problems. But still, their hurtful words still made her heart constrict with pain and fear. Opening her eyes she continued to observe the stars, the only sound was the air and her steady breathing.
But Meg was sure of something. No matter how much they tried to tear them apart, they would never be able to separate them. What they felt for each other was true and pure, something she had never experienced before and made her toes curl with excitement. She closed her eyes again, the ghost of a smile grazing her lips. It was then when she heard the back door open with a soft creak. She knew that it was him; it was shocking how she could sense his presence, even in a room full of people. Meg breathed calmly and opened her eyes slowly as she heard his light footsteps approaching to where she was lying. After a moment, she felt him sitting down and then lie back on the grass, his shoulder touching hers slightly.
They remained silent for a moment, observing the stars. After some minutes, she turned to face him, her heart pounding loudly as she realized that his eyes were already on her. They stared at each other, they didn't needed words to understand how they felt. A silent apology, eyes full of gratitude and adoration. And something else she couldn't quite comprehend. Although some part of her mind already knew what he was saying, still she was scared to accept it. A smile grazed her lips as she looked to the sky once more.
"I am sure that you know a lot about mythology" she whispered, her words floating away in the night "So…do you know the story behind that star?"
He followed her finger to where she was pointing it, recognizing the star immediately. He smiled, amazed of her ability to make him forget of what was happening around them.
"Its name is Lyra, represents the lyre played by Orpheus, musician of the Argonauts and son of Apollo and the muse Calliope" he explained, his eyes fixed on the star.
"Apollo gave his son the lyre as a gift, and Orpheus played it so well that even the wild beasts, the rocks, and the trees were charmed by his music. He fell deeply in love with the nymph Eurydice, and the two were married" he continued with a chuckle. Meg was completely sure that he was smiling, and she nudged his elbow playfully.
"Their wedded bliss did not last for very long, however. Eurydice was wandering in the fields with some other nymphs when she was seen by the shepherd Aristaeus. Aristaeus was struck by her beauty and pursued her; as she fled, she was bitten by a snake in the grass and died of the serpent's poison."
Meg stared at the star intently, imagining every word he said, his voice hypnotizing and alluring.
"Orpheus was devastated. He decided to seek out his wife in the underworld, and gained an audience with Pluto and Persephone. The king and queen of the underworld, like all others, were charmed by his music and granted him permission to take Eurydice back to the land of the living with him" he continued, his voice full of emotion.
Meg couldn't help but imagine herself in the place of Eurydice and Erik as Orpheus. Although a part of her feared that they would be ever parted, her romantic and sensitive side won over, imagining Erik traveling to the underworld to save her.
"They called Eurydice. She was among the ghosts who had but newly come, and walked slowly because of her injury. Orpheus received her, but on condition that he must not look back until he had emerged from the underworld or else the gift he had been given would be taken from him."
"Wrapped in impenetrable gloom, till they had almost reached the surface of the earth. Here, anxious in case his wife's strength be failing and eager to see her, the lover looked behind him, and straightaway Eurydice slipped back into the depths" Meg lifted her hand to her mouth to suppress a gasp. Erik laughed quietly and grasped her hand, taking it to his mouth and placing a kiss on it. He lowered her hand and laced their fingers together, his eyes fixed on the sky.
"Orpheus stretched out his arms, straining to clasp her. But the helpless man touched nothing but yielding air. Eurydice, dying now a second time, uttered no complaint against her husband. What was there to complain of, that she had been loved? With a last farewell which scarcely reached his ears, she fell back again into the same place from which she had come" Meg felt his thumb drawing lazy circles in her palm, the action making her feel completely relaxed, her eyelids closing as he continued.
"Orpheus was so heartbroken from having lost his love not once, but twice, that he rejected the company of women. Orpheus couldn't stand a life without the one he loved, so soon he died of despair. The people of Thrace threw his lyre and body into the river Hebrus, and Orpheus went to the underworld to spend eternity with Eurydice. Jupiter himself cast the bard's lyre into the sky."
Silence surrounded them once more, as his last words got lost in the air. She was aware of his soft breathing, the feeling of his thumb caressing her hand making her feel numb.
"I don't like sad endings" she frowned. Feeling his green eyes upon her, she opened her eyes and turned to face him "Ils me fonttriste"
"But it isn't sad" he answered back, his brows furrowing with confusion. But although he was trying hard not to smile, the corner of his mouth turned up.
Meg couldn't help but to get emotionally involved with each story she read or heard. It was something she couldn't help. Although she knew that it was something strange, she couldn't stop herself when a character or story caught her heart. Prepared to debate, she propped up on one arm, placing the other on his chest.
"Of course it is!" she protested, her eyes full of sadness "He risked his life to get her back, and in the end he died of despair…all because he lost her"
He pulled her back to the grass, his fingers caressing her curls soothingly. She leaned into his touch, closing her eyes softly.
"Every man in love would do the same" he whispered softly.
Her heart skipped a beat as she began to fully comprehend the meaning behind his words. Was she right? Did he really mean what she thought it meant?
"But you would never do that, right?" she whispered fearfully, although she already knew the answer.
"No, I wouldn't" he answered. Although Meg felt a stab of disappointment, she tried to hide it.
But then, she felt his strong hand grazing her jaw, turning her head to face him. His eyes were sparkling, the stars making them look almost blue. But still, there was something behind them, something he wanted to say but didn't dare.
"I would do so much more" he whispered, his breath hitting her face.
Meg felt her cheeks beginning to feel hot as she smiled softly and closed her eyes once more. They fell into comfortable silence, his hand still tangling in her hair. At some point, he had started to hum, a melody that sounded too familiar to Meg. She opened her eyes abruptly, and sitting up she placed her hand once more over his chest.
"I have completely forgotten!" she gasped with shock "I never said thank you."
He stopped humming and raised an eyebrow "For what?"
Meg traced the length of his chest, her eyes never leaving his "For writing such a beautiful song for me"
Slowly, the corner of his mouth turned up, a dazzling smile appearing "It was nothing"
"Keep humming" she ordered playfully as she lay back onto the grass.
He complied and continued to hum, his low, hypnotizing voice making a shiver run across her spine. Meg loved his voice, and although he hadn't sung since the night of the fire, she remembered it to be a completely breathtaking action. She was sure that he didn't know how much she loved his voice, so every time he hummed, she would be completely absorbed by that careless action. Without intending to, she began humming the tune too, her voice soft and fragile. At that moment, Erik's eyes snapped open without her noticing it, his attention on the lovely sound of his wife's delicate voice. Meg continued for a while until Erik stopped humming completely.
She continued, her mind lost somewhere else. It took her a while to realize that Erik had stopped and that it was her own voice sounding on the warm night's air. She opened her eyes in surprise, her cheeks coloring rapidly.
"Why did you stop?" she asked with embarrassment.
He laughed softly "You have a very lovely voice, and I wanted to appreciate it entirely"
"Stop it" she protested, thankful that the darkness didn't allow him to see her flushed cheeks.
"Très bien" he sighed dejectedly with a smile.
Silence surrounded them once more, and Meg knew that it was the moment to speak with him, to calm herself down. She needed to be sure that nothing would happen, not to him and not to her.
"Erik?" she whispered, hoping that he wouldn't have heard her.
"Oui?" he answered, his voice barely a whisper. Meg was silent for a moment, trying to find the right words to ask him what she wanted. She sat up and turned her face down to see him.
"After all of what happened today with…Christine and Raoul, and what was about to happen, when you almost hit him…you would never harm them, would you?" her voice was slightly trembling with nervousness, afraid of what he might think.
The question surprised him, and Meg felt him tense slightly by her side.
"No, I won't cause any harm to them, although I highly desired to at that moment. You know how much they hurt me and and I could only think that if they were able to harm you in any way, I would take revenge-"
"But you won't!" she exclaimed hurt "Because that's what they want you to do! They want to separate us, and they are looking for excuses to make you look like the villain. They clearly don't understand that you have changed…"
He sat up as well, his eyes full of pain and understanding "I won't Meg, you have said it yourself: I have changed. But still there's something that I need to prove to them"
"Erik, please" she asked in a desperate tone "If anything goes wrong you might go to prison and then we would be parted. Promise me it is nothing dangerous or bad. Please understand, I couldn't stand to live without you-"
"Meg…" he whispered, cupping her cheek with his warm hand, his thumb grazing her cheekbone "Nothing can go wrong, my dear. This is something that I need to do."
She sighed in defeat, her face downcast "Yes, I understand. But please, promise me that everything will be all right in the end."
Erik placed his hand on her arm, tracing its length until he reached her neck, leaving her skin yearning for his warm touch. He looked her straight into her eyes, his gaze destroying her defenses. At that moment, nothing mattered, it was just them. There was no opera, no police and no danger. It was just him, staring into her eyes lovingly as his touch calmed her down.
"Je promets" he whispered, the security in his voice making a shiver ran across her spine. He moved closer to her "Everything will be all right. We will be all right."
And with that he brought his lips to hers, responding immediately to his touch. He tangled his hand into her blond waves, her hand fisting the material of his shirt. The way he kissed her made her heart burst into flames, as if it was something natural. He leaned back, pulled her in and placed a warm kiss on her forehead. At that moment, she felt content and secure. Nothing else mattered, not even that the next day she would understand how much she truly meant to him.
Belles paroles- Beautiful words.
Très bien- All right.
Je promets- I promise.