Chapter Eighteen

Madame Giry pulled the curtains together with a snap and started towards Erik. He backed away, holding his hands up defensively. "Antoinette, please."

"How did you manage to do it? Did you threaten her? Hypnotize her? Coerce her?"

"No!" He shook his head in denial. "I would never do such a thing."

"THEN WHY IS THIS GIRL HERE?" Antoinette screamed. She was as protective of her students as a mother would have been. "I happen to know that this particular girl is still a virgin, unlike many of her peers… or was, before last night. How could you do such a thing?"

"I… Antoinette…" He cast around in his mind, trying to find some excuse, some explanation, but nothing came. In the face of her tirade, he was helpless.

"You are always wailing about how the whole world sees you as a monster. You always tell me that you are not as evil as the world makes you seem. And I believed you until now. How can you justify the rape of an innocent girl?"

Her accusation stung him to the core. "I did not rape her, Antoinette. I… she… we…"

"What you have done is despicable and terrible. I have known you for so long, and there are a lot of things that I knew you to be capable of, but this…" She pointed to the bed. "This is not one of those things."

He couldn't defend himself because the things Antoinette was screaming were being echoed by his mind. You were an animal with her last night, it scolded. You took what you wanted and did not ask her. She must have been so frightened. Why could you not have left her alone? And to know that you were the one who spoiled her… you are the monster everyone claims you to be. How could you have done that to her?

Madame Giry saw the self-blame in his eyes, but didn't want to acknowledge it. To avoid seeing his pain, she turned back to look at Alison… and Alison looked back at her.

When she saw Madame Giry looking at her, she pulled the sheet around her for the sake of modesty. Her eyes grew wide and frightened. Madame Giry began to say something to her, but Angelique quickly put her finger to her lips. She searched around desperately for a piece of paper. She found one and grabbed a quill that sat by the bed in case Erik had flashes of brilliance during the night. Quickly, she scribbled in all capital letters, WE NEED TO TALK. Madame Giry gave her a brief nod and turned to Erik.

"I would like some time alone with my student," she said sharply. "Let me speak with her and comfort her, poor girl." She was hurting him intentionally, wanting to make him sorry for what he had done. She immediately regretted it afterwards as she saw the agonized look on his face. He nodded slowly.

"I will go and leave you alone with her. If she is not there when I return, I will understand." He seemed to be forcing the last words out, trying to avoid begging Madame Giry to let Alison stay. He brushed past her, walking towards the bed. Alison quickly hid the paper and pretended to be asleep just as he came into view. He stood looking down at her for a moment. He wanted to kiss her lips, but with Madame Giry watching him like a hawk, he knew that wasn't an option. Instead, he quickly kissed her forehead and walked away.

As soon as the sound of his footsteps faded, Madame Giry turned back to Alison, who was now sitting up in bed, still holding the sheet. They looked at each other in silence for a moment, and then Madame Giry knelt by the bedside. "Words cannot express how sorry I am for what happened to you, Angelique. Erik is my friend, and so I feel all the more responsible. I–"

Alison cut her off. "Before you say anything else, Madame Giry, please allow me to explain myself. I was not forced or coerced in any way. I'm here because I want to be, not because he made me."

Madame Giry frowned. "Then please explain why you pretended to sleep and tried to escape his notice."

"I wanted to talk to you alone," Alison explained. "I figured I had a better chance of explaining what actually happened than he does. I thought you'd believe me more than you'd believe him when I say that everything that happened was consensual."

"You truly were not raped or violated in any way?"

"No. I was the one who encouraged him, actually." Alison turned a little red and looked down.

"Why?"

Alison met her gaze with clear eyes. "Because I love him."

Madame Giry froze, unable to believe what she had just heard. "I beg your pardon?"

"I love him," Alison repeated. "More than anyone I've ever known before."

"How long have you known him?"

Alison frowned, thinking. "Um… maybe two and a half years? No, wait, it's more like two years and nine months, since I met him a month after I came. I think."

Madame Giry was completely in shock. One of her ballet girls had just professed her undying love for the man she had been positive would never have a lover. Not only that, but they had a relationship for more than two years and she hadn't known. Admittedly, she hadn't spent all that much time with Erik lately, but even so, she should have recognized the signs. All of Alison's mysterious absences on her days off suddenly began to make sense. The more she thought about it, the guiltier she felt about the way she had treated Erik. She wanted to show him that she was sorry, but she knew that with his temper, he wouldn't let her near enough to apologize. Suddenly her mind hit upon the one thing she could do to convince him. She looked at Alison.

"What is it that you want to happen next?"

Alison thought about it. "Truthfully? I'd like to stay here with him, if that's all right with you. I just… we have so much to talk about and I–"

"Yes, you may," Madame Giry cut her off. Alison's answer was the one she had been hoping to hear. "I will allow you to spend this day with him. But," she warned, over Alison's exclamations of delight and thanks, "You must return to my office at five o'clock exactly or there will be consequences."

Alison nodded quickly, looking a little like a bobble-head. "Yes, Madame. Oh, thank you so much!" She moved to embrace Madame Giry, then stopped as she remembered her lack of clothes. She blushed, feeling awkward.

Madame Giry smiled. "I shall expect you back promptly at five." She turned to leave the lair. As she was at the doorway, she stopped and looked at Alison. "Have fun!" She winked. And before Alison could reply, she was gone.

Erik wandered the tunnels for a while, trying to escape the shame and guilt that was eating him alive. Madame Giry's words bounced around in his head. Monster…despicable… terrible…and the worst part is that I deserve every word. He started to berate himself even more when a thought occurred to him. It was Angelique who encouraged me, seduced me, really. Who is Antoinette to call me a monster? She doesn't even know what happened! I'll go back there and I don't care what she's saying to Angelique, I'll explain to her what really happened and then expel her from my rooms and my life. He strode angrily back towards his lair, ready to give Madame Giry a piece of his mind. He got to the entrance and stopped, realizing that Madame Giry had gone. That means that my Angelique is gone as well. He slumped dejectedly and walked over to his desk, not even looking at the bed. He sat down, staring moodily into space when a voice cut through his thoughts.

"For all you boast of your observation skills, you really are blind, aren't you?"

His head whipped around in the direction on the voice and saw Alison, sitting on the bed, still covering herself with a sheet. She grinned at the look on his face.

"Madame Giry decided to let me stay. I don't know why. You know, I think she was just guilty after I explained to her that all of the things she accused you of were false. So you've got me for most of the day, but I have to be back by five."

He stared at her, unbelieving. She wants to stay… she doesn't think it was rape…she's happy. He was about to express his gratitude to her when his desire asserted itself. She is there, in your bed, wearing nothing but a sheet. Why are you still sitting here? He jumped up, ran to the bed, and picked her up, sheets and all. "A whole day, hmm? And I know exactly what I am going to do with it." With that, he kissed her deeply, a kiss of relief and thanks and hot desire all at the same time. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back as the sheet slipped to the floor…

Madame Giry stepped through the mirror, almost unable to believe what had just happened. Erik found someone who loves him… who really loves him and defends him… I don't understand this at all, but I'm happy for him. A slight smile lifted her lips. She went to leave the prima donna's dressing room, but just as she reached for the doorknob, someone else flung the door open. She was about to scold the person on the other side, but she took one look at him and realized… "Patrick."

"Madame Giry!" His voice was frantic. "Did you talk to the person that you said might know where she was? Did he know? Where did she go?"

"Erm… yes, I did speak with my friend. I am not at liberty to say where she went, since I swore that I would not tell a soul."

Patrick sighed, exasperated. "But you can tell me, I'm her bo–cousin! I'm family! Don't I have a right to know where she went?"

Madame Giry searched for a way to soothe him without telling him the whole truth. "I will only tell you the general shape of it so that you will not be concerned. The truth is that she went to meet her lover. Now will you let me pass, please?"

As soon as the word 'lover' left her mouth, Patrick's demeanor completely changed. Instead of concerned, he became angry.

"A lover?" he repeated.

"Yes."

"And please explain to me," he said testily, "why you allowed her to stay with him? I thought you were into discipline! How could you?"

"I have my own personal reasons. It is not for you to question them. Now you know that she is safe, let me pass." She tried to push past him, but he grabbed her shoulders with a bruising grip and his face came very close to hers.

"Who is he?" Patrick hissed through his teeth. Madame Giry was alarmed. She had always thought of Patrick as sweet and somewhat vapid. But she looked into his eyes calmly.

"I am not at liberty to say. And even if I were, I would not tell you. He is a man who likes to keep his secrets."

"If you can't tell me who he is, will you at least tell me where she went?"

Madame Giry didn't reply. Her eyes flicked briefly to the large mirror in the corner of the room, betraying her answer. And the pieces clicked together in Patrick's mind.

Unsigned notes, roses, likes to keep secrets and remain unknown, Madame Giry's friend… of course. Why didn't I see it before? Rage began building inside him. He pushed Madame Giry away and began to scream.

"How dare she! How dare she leave me for that… that… that thing? She wouldn't! She couldn't! But I should have seen it before."

"Please wait a moment," said Madame Giry, confused. "You know about him?"

"Of course I know about him!" Patrick yelled, frustrated. "It's all she would talk about, Phantom of the Opera this and Phantom of the Opera that. I never understood why she could actually like that freak when he was just a character. But how could she break up with me for him?" All of a sudden his bluster was gone and he sunk to the floor. "I always had my pick of any girl I wanted. But now all I want is her and she's off with a man who doesn't even have a proper face! Why? What did I do that made her run away from me?" Despair began to eat him up. It was one thing to suspect that she had a lover, but quite another to discover who it was. Hurt and sadness consumed him, making him long for an escape, anything… anything… Without another word, he ran out of the room, leaving a shocked and scared Madame Giry behind him.

What's Patrick going to do now? ;) Please review and tell me what you think!