Chapter Seventeen

Summer came, an unbearably hot summer that drove all the wealthy citizens of Paris out to the country, attempting to escape the heat. Those who could not afford to leave were not so fortunate. Everyone went about their business in the lightest clothes they could find. The bounds of propriety were widened for that summer. Short hair became stylish, much to the consternation of the ballerinas, who were forced to keep their hair long for performances. Rehearsals were shorter and the dances much less complicated because of the heat. Even Erik's lair was hot, and it was generally much colder than everything else.

The heat bothered Alison the most. In this kind of weather, she was used to wearing shorts and T-shirts. All of her dresses were long-sleeved and she was sweltering. With the small salary she was given as a dancer, she went out and bought several light cotton dresses on her day off, in the hopes of being a little less hot. She wore one of them when she went to visit Erik the same day.

She skipped through the tunnels and only stopped when she reached Erik's door. "Hey, Erik," she called.

He had been sitting at his desk, and he turned around at the sound of her voice. When he saw her, something changed in his eyes. He sat staring at her with a strange expression on his face.

"Erik, what is it?" she asked, giving him a confused look. He shook himself and turned back to his work.

"Nothing." His voice was oddly clipped and tense. She couldn't understand his reaction. Did the dress look bad? What was it?

Damn, Erik cursed to himself. Why did she have to come wearing a dress like that? As she came and sat down next to him, he noticed that the room had become uncomfortably warm. He pulled his collar away from his neck and shifted awkwardly. She noticed his tension.

"Is there something wrong, Erik?"

He shook his head. "No, no. How was your day?" he asked, swiftly changing the subject. She relaxed and began telling him about what had happened that day. As she talked, he sneaked a peek over his shoulder at her. Her hair tumbled down in waves, framing her face perfectly. She unconsciously tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she talked. Her face lit up at a certain part of her narrative. Her dress clung to her curves. In that moment, she looked so beautiful, so perfect, so…desirable. No! Stop thinking like that, you beast! He turned away again, trying not to focus on her close proximity. At least she is not showing too much skin, he consoled himself. He wasn't even listening to her words at this point. He was only trying to control his instincts, which begged him to kiss her and… He clenched his fists, trying to keep his hands still.

She got up and began to wander around the lair when it was clear to her that he wasn't paying attention to her. She didn't understand what his problem was, and she almost didn't want to try. She fought back the prick of hurt at his indifference, thinking that he was probably focusing on a new piece of music or something. She noticed the heat and began to roll up her sleeves. His voice stopped her.

"What are you doing?" The words seemed like they had been wrenched out of him. His voice was harsh and scraped across his throat, very unlike his normal angelic tones. She looked at him as though he were out of his mind.

"I'm rolling up my sleeves. It's hot down here," she explained, as if to a child.

"Well, please do not." He turned back to his work, resolutely not looking at her.

"Erik, what the hell is your problem today?" she demanded, trying to understand his sudden change in behavior.

Something in him snapped. He rose out of his chair and began to stride towards her, covering the distance between them in a few short steps. Taking her completely by surprise, he pinned her against the wall and kissed her roughly. There was an edge to his lips that she had never felt before. She had only detected traces of it before, but now it dominated his kiss. He pulled back when both of them were breathing hard. He pressed his hips flush to hers with a hand at the small of her back, and she felt… she felt… So he does want me after all.

She looked at him, eyes wide. His face was only a few inches from hers. "This is why you should keep your sleeves where they belong. You torture me so, Angelique! All of the times I have considered just…but I cannot. I will not hurt you in such a way." He broke his hold on her and turned away. "Cover yourself respectably before I do something we will both regret." He began to walk back to his desk. Her voice halted him in his tracks.

"Why?"

"What do you mean, 'why'?"

"I mean, why would we both regret it?"

He turned around, not understanding. "What?"

"If you would regret it, that's a different matter. But if your only worry is that I would… you needn't be concerned on that score."

He looked at her, unable to comprehend her statement. Does she mean to say that she wants… she wants me to… "Angelique, I…"

"In my time, you are looked upon as strange if you're still a virgin by the time you're twenty-two."

He shifted uncomfortably, not used to people speaking openly about a matter like this. He didn't want to ask her such a delicate question, but he had to know. "And… what about you?"

She smiled a small smile. "I'm still a virgin, actually. I decided I would wait for the right person." She hesitated. "You could be that person, if that's what you want. If it's not, I'll shut up and we don't have to talk anymore about it. But if it is…" She trailed off suggestively. When she looked up into his face, her demeanor had completely changed. Her eyes smoldered, burning a path into his soul. "I love you, Erik. I am yours, completely and totally. I'll give you everything I can give you because of my love. All you have to do… is ask," she whispered.

He stared at her. Everything he had ever wanted, his for the taking. She made it sound so simple. All you have to do is ask. He swallowed and gathered his courage in both hands.

"Angelique, will… will you…" He felt graceless and awkward. In all his life, words had never failed him. He could enchant anyone with the mere sound of his voice. But now, when he needed it the most, his power deserted him. She looked at him expectantly, waiting for an answer. "Will you sleep with me?" The letters tumbled out of his mouth. Immediately he regretted his choice of words. They lacked finesse and seductiveness and completely ruined a scene that should have been much more passionate.

His words sent a small shot of fear through her. For a second she questioned herself. Was she ready for something as big as this? What if she didn't do it right? What if he hated it? She mentally pushed aside her fears. He was clearly just as scared as she was. She had to be the strong one between them. If she wanted this to be perfect, she would have to do it. She smiled at him seductively. She sauntered towards him and pressed her body to his, winding her arms around his neck. "Yes," she breathed in his ear. Her breath struck his bare skin, sending shivers down his skin. She looked into his eyes, making sure he meant the question, meant the feeling. Then she pressed her lips to his in a passionate kiss. His arms went around her waist and he kissed her back. The fire built between them as she began to unbutton his shirt…

The next morning, a figure picked her way through the tunnels under the opera house, muttering to herself. "This is not how I wanted to spend my morning, looking for foolish ballet girls who cannot keep from getting lost for one whole day. This is inane and pointless. She is sure to return at some point. Why did I do this? Well, I already know the answer to that." She sighed. "I appreciate that her cousin was concerned for her, but familial devotion can only go so far. I am not his messenger! I do not need to do this." She started to turn back, then stopped. "But if I return without her, he will pester me to no end. And to be honest with myself, I quite like the girl. The least I can do is check." Resolved, she started back down the tunnels.

She arrived at Erik's lair, tiptoeing in case he was asleep. She did not relish this meeting, but there was no other way to find the information she needed. She peered around the edge of the archway and was relieved to find that he was awake. He sat in a chair, fingers laced, staring broodingly at nothing. She cleared her throat to alert him to her presence. He looked up, startled.

"Hello, Erik," she said loudly. Immediately he made violent shushing motions with his hands.

"Please speak much more softly, Antoinette," he whispered.

Madame Giry frowned. "Why?" she whispered back.

He shifted uncomfortably and abruptly changed the subject. "Why have you come here?"

She remembered her original purpose for her visit, putting away his strange behavior to think about later. "One of my ballet girls has gone missing. I thought you might know her whereabouts. If you do, please tell me at once. Her cousin is frantic and will not let me alone until I find her."

He raised an eyebrow. "I can hardly tell you the whereabouts of your dancer if I do not know who she is." He got up, picked up a book of drawings on his desk labeled 'Ballet Girls', and placed it in her hands. "Point her out to me in there and I will see if I know where she is."

Madame Giry leafed through the book. Inside were detailed drawings of the ballet girls. He had made the book in case something like this happened. He never really bothered to learn their names, so this book would help her identify the dancer who was in trouble. All of the girls were captured in its pages… except the one that Madame Giry was looking for.

"Erik?" she whispered.

"Hmmm?"

"The missing girl is not in here."

"What? They should all be there. I am positive I have not left anyone out. How long has this girl been living here?"

Madame Giry considered this. "I think that it has been about two years. I do not understand why Angelique would not be in there."

At the sound of the girl's name, he froze, stopping his confused perusal of the book. "Angelique?" he asked. There was a strange tone to his voice that she couldn't place.

"Yes, that is her name. Do you know where she is?"

Erik turned away. Why is he so uncomfortable? She turned to his desk, shifting through the assorted papers on it to see if the drawing had slipped out. She moved a stack of sheet music and found the drawing of Angelique she had been looking for. She was about to turn around and show her finding to Erik when she took a closer look at the drawing. It showed her bending over some sort of paper, hair falling in her face. It was a much more personal drawing than he had made of any of the other ballerinas. She looked at the pile of paper again, moving some more sheets of paper around with her hands. Another drawing appeared. Then another and another. They were all so alive, portraying her extremely intimately. Oh no. I hope beyond hope that he has not developed another obsession. She looked up into Erik's guilty eyes, holding up the drawings.

"Erik, exactly what are these?" Her voice was acid and sharp.

His eyes darted back and forth, trying to find some way to get out of the situation.

"They are… as a matter of fact, they are…"

Madame Giry marched towards him until they were almost nose-to-nose. "Where is she, Erik?" she shouted.

"Shhh," he gestured. There was an ashamed expression in his eyes. They left her face and flicked momentarily to the swan bed, which was hidden by the black lace curtains. They returned quickly to look into her eyes, but the damage was already done.

Madame Giry froze for a moment. Please tell me that this is not what I think it is. Slowly she turned and walked over to the curtained bed. Her hand moved to pull back the curtains.

"Antoinette!" he called out, forgetting to be quiet. But it was too late. Madame Giry took in the sight before her in a state of shock. The bed was not empty, as she had hoped it would be.

Alison lay in it, asleep. Her hair was fanned out around her and she was covered by nothing but the sheet, which was pulled up to her shoulders. She wore a soft, contented smile. Madame Giry looked at Erik, her eyes surprised and condemning.

"Erik, what have you done?"

Oooohh, cliffhanger :) Please review and tell me what you think!