So hey guys here is the long awaited next chapter :D I know I was horrible leaving you guys with a cliffie and everything but I like to tease my readers since its only fair as you guys do it to me too :) Anyway I don't own any songs mentioned in any of the chapters or any of the people from Phantom...I just own Charlene and any other characters that are not in Phantom of course :D Now on with the show :D
Heartache and Pain
Chapter Seventeen: Dance me through the night...
Erik's POV
All I could do was stand and watch for a moment as I saw one of the men from that night holding Charlene against his chest with a gun pointed at her head.
"Well Phantom are you going to kill me now and show this Angel what a Devil you really are?" He commanded whilst jabbing the gun harder against her head.
"Please Erik make him let me go!" She pleaded as the tears fell heavily down her cheeks. For once I felt powerless to help her; so many thoughts were going through my head at this precise moment that I was unsure of what I should do exactly. If I tried to kill the man holding her hostage who knows if the other two are nearby. But if I didn't kill him then her life would remain in danger.
"Let her go or I will be forced to hurt you." Whilst holding the lasso in front of me menacingly to prove my point. However, all he did was laugh my threat off and hold onto her tighter.
"You know I might just sample her again since she was such a delight the first time round." This caused Charlene to cry even harder and struggle ruefully in his grasp.
"Please Erik make him let me go!" She pleaded again which caused me to see red and all I really remember doing was throwing the lasso towards the man holding her hostage...
Charlene's POV
The first thing I did was panic as I saw Erik's eyes sort of glow when Joseph said that comment and I knew he was going to be asking for it basically. I then panicked even more when I saw the lasso coming towards us and before I could even react I was thrown forward in the direction of the lasso. I didn't even have time to scream and I almost immediately felt the burning of the rope as it tightened around my neck. I tried as hard as I could to scream but no sound came out so I next tried to pull the rope off; however no matter how hard I tried to pull it off it somehow kept tightening itself around my neck. Within a few minutes or so I could see spots before my eyes and my vision began to blur around the edges but before I lost consciousness I heard someone call out Erik's name in shock.
Nadir's POV
I had come back from a hard day at the office and let myself into the flat. After stepping in I could tell something was wrong and I grabbed the pistol that we kept in a drawer in the hallway and walked through each of the rooms slowly. All that time I had my pistol poised in front of me ready to pull the trigger at the first sign of danger. I eventually reached the bathroom and saw the door was wide open but what shocked me was the fact that Erik had a lasso around Charlene's neck and he didn't seem to be reacting to her strangled pleas for help at all. I knew I had to get him out of his angry haze otherwise he could kill her and I don't know how he would react to her death either.
"Erik! Erik for Allah's sake let her go! Erik!" I yelled and as I shouted his name the last time I saw her fall to the floor from lack of air and I knew what I had to do. I took hold of the pistol firmly in my hand and used the handle end to hit him hard enough to render him unconscious but not enough to kill him. After he fell limply to the floor I quickly took the lasso off of her neck and checked to see if she was still alive. I breathed a sigh of relief when I could feel a slight pulse fluttering under my fingers. I carried her over to her bed and proceeded to give her the kiss of life to get her breathing again. I just hope Erik won't see me doing this manoeuvre as I know how possessive he can be; especially most recently of her. After about five minutes or so of breathing into her she gasped and coughed a little before falling back to sleep with her chest rising and falling at a normal and peaceful rhythm. I smiled and left her to sleep whilst I looked to see if Erik had sustained any injuries from the blow I had given him. But before I could give him the once over I felt a hand around my throat and I immediately grabbed him firmly around the arm to make him let me go.
"Nadir why did you hit me over the head and where is Charlene?!" I looked at him and breathed a little before replying matter of factly.
"I put her in her bedroom to rest after you almost choked her to death with your lasso which is why I hit you over the head otherwise you would have killed her." I could tell by the look on his face he was shocked about what he did and he immediately ran to her room to probably check to see if she was alright or not. I chuckled a little to myself and went to the kitchen to make myself a cup of tea to calm me down after all of the drama that has occurred.
Erik's POV
After what Nadir said to me I ran to Charlene's room hoping she was ok after her ordeal. But I made the mistake of barging in without knocking and I was confused about the scared expression on her face.
"Please Charlene listen to me for a moment. I'm not going to hurt you." I had my hands up in a kind of hopefully reassuring way but instead I could see the tears falling down her cheeks and before I could even explain she ran out of the room in tears.
"Charlene wait!" I yelled whilst running after her quickly. I saw her grabbing her coat and the last thing I heard her say was "I can't stay here another minute!" and with that she was out of the door. Without a second thought I grabbed my jacket and ran out of the door after her. I just hoped she wouldn't get hurt or hurt herself in spite of the fear she is probably feeling right now. But where do I start looking? I looked all around me for a moment and my eyes immediately fell upon the park that was nearby. I remembered that was where she sought solace before when she felt upset and so I quickly went in that direction hoping I would find her. When I reached the park I looked around hoping to catch a glimpse of her; for a while I couldn't see her in sight and I was about to give up all hope of finding her but at the last possible moment I caught sight of a flash of brown. Hoping it was her I ran after the figure and as I got closer I knew it was her and shouted out her name in desperation. But she didn't stop but ran even faster than before and I knew I just had to catch up to her so I could stop her from running even further; however I had to ensure I didn't scare her further by being too desperate-like on her. I finally managed to catch up with her and I gently but firmly grabbed a hold of her arm which caused her to struggle ruthlessly in my grasp.
"Please Charlene let me explain!" Whilst pulling her closer so I could embrace her again as I missed her touch so much.
"You don't have to explain anything! You nearly killed me and I've had enough of men nearly killing me." And with that response the tears had started to fall again and I lifted my hand slowly to wipe them away.
"Please don't do this to me Erik. I can't bear my heart being broken a second time. Please just make the separation easier to bear and we can still part as friends." As the tears continued to fall heavily down her cheeks. What, she can't be breaking up, not after all she had been through and I was there every step of the way.
"Please Charlene can't you bring yourself to forgive me. I can't bear it if I lost you. If you were to leave my music would die with your absence. The music of the night would be over." As I stroked her hands gently hoping to convey reassurance through the gesture.
"I don't know. I mean you almost killed me. How can I forgive something like that?" She replied quietly and I looked down at the ground whilst thinking about what I was going to say to her next. I took a hold of her hands gently within mine and decided what to say back to her.
"I know I was violent towards you and once I found out what happened I went to see if you were alright. You see I have this awful temper that makes me see red sometimes and when that happens I seem to forget the world around me sometimes. But know this; no matter what happens I'll always be there to protect you and I promise you I'll never hurt you ever again." I could tell she was contemplating my words and for a moment I was worried she was going to run away from me again. I closed my eyes and let the tears fall to wait for the moment when I hear her rapid footsteps running away from me.
Charlene's POV
After Erik's heartfelt speech I saw him close his eyes and before I knew it the tears began to fall down his cheeks. I've never really seen him cry before; I think this is the first time I have seen him properly cry like this. It makes me see how vulnerable he looks when he does this. I walked up to him and wiped the tears gently off of his cheeks and I smiled when he opened his eyes which were a beautiful shade of amber right now. But I thought his eyes were always blue; so why were they amber all of a sudden? I gently placed my hands on either side of his face and kissed him with all of the feeling I had hoping I could convey a message of forgiveness across. I smiled a little into the kiss when he responded to my kiss and somehow I knew he responded to my message. When we finally broke for air we just stared at each other for a moment when Erik broke the silence by asking.
"Would you like to spend the rest of the day with me? As a way of apologising for hurting you?"
"Yes I would although you don't need to do any of this to apologise anymore." And with that I took his hand gently and we walked together out of the park hand in hand.
"So where would you like to go?" He asked with a slight smile on his face.
"I'm not sure to be honest." Whilst shrugging my shoulders a little. But before he could reply I heard my stomach growl in protest and I blushed a little with embarrassment.
"I think I know exactly where to take you first." And with that he led me away from the park and the flat. But where was he taking me?
"Come on tell me where we are going." Whilst giggling and tugging on his arm a little like a playful child.
"No it's a surprise." He replied with a serious look on his face. I giggled a little more and continued to follow him until we finally reached our destination. I smiled a little and ran into the building like a child arriving at a sweet shop. I got inside and looked at all of the different pastries in the glass cabinets.
"Hello Miss how may I help you?" I looked up and saw one of the members of staff looking at me expectantly with a small smile on their face.
"I'll have two ham and cheese toasties and two pastries please; one chocolate and one fruit please." I heard a voice reply and I smiled when I looked up and saw Erik standing there with a sort of majestic-like stance. After giving the man his money he proceeded to walk towards the many tables in the cafe. I quickly followed him but became confused when he walked past all of the tables and instead proceeded towards a staircase at the back of the cafe before going up it.
"Where are we going or is it another surprise?" But instead of replying he smiled a little and we continued on up the stairs. When we finally reached the top I gasped in astonishment at the view where all you could see was a vast expanse of blue sky as far as the eye could see.
"I didn't even know this place even had rooftop seating. It's beautiful Erik; so truly beautiful." I whispered in awe.
"I'm glad you like it; I thought you would like to see the view whilst we eat our lunch since it's such a nice day outside today." Whilst stroking my hand gently. I looked up and saw the waiter coming over with our order and smiled a little as he placed them down in front of us. I immediately tucked into mine and Erik slowly tucked into his too.
"You can take your mask off if you find it uncomfortable; there is no-one else here but us." I said gently as I looked straight into his eyes. I could tell he was hesitating for a moment before he took off the mask and put it to one side. I smiled a little as he was now able to eat comfortably without being hindered by the mask. We soon finished our meal and decided to go on a walk through the park. We reached the lake and smiled a little when I saw a family of swans on the lake with cygnets in tow. I ran towards the lake which caused a child-like giggle to escape my lips. I knelt down beside the lake and stayed very still when the swan family approached me slowly. I held out my hand and they came up to me; probably hoping I had some food in my hands. I giggled a little as they prodded my hand with their beaks and for a moment I kind of forgot the world around me. I am not sure how much time passed exactly but I jumped a little when I felt a hand touch my shoulder. I turned around and saw Erik looking down at me with a smile on his face.
"I got these for you." And before I could respond he pulled a big bouquet of red roses from behind his back.
"You remembered; that is so sweet." I replied happily and after I gently took the bouquet I sniffed them deeply with my eyes closed and a smile on my face.
"I'm glad you liked them. Shall we get home to put them in a vase before I take you out for dinner?" I nodded in agreement and we went in the direction of the flat. We got in and I went straight into the kitchen to get a vase filled with water for the roses Erik gave me. I wonder how long they will last for. Could they possibly last for eternity like my love for Erik would? But that is not possible is it which made me sigh a little. After arranging them neatly in a vase I placed them on the dressing table in my room. I sniffed them once more before going out of the door to meet Erik downstairs. I wonder where he will take me out for dinner tonight I thought to myself for a moment.
"Ready to go?" I nodded happily and Erik opened the door for me before letting me out first; he then followed me soon after.
"So where are we going?" Whilst skipping along a little like an excitable little child.
"It's a surprise." Whilst giving me a cheeky little wink. Of course Erik would be all mysterious but that's what I love him for. We eventually got to our destination and gasped when I recognised where we were.
"I can't believe you took us to the restaurant that we went to on our first date. That is so romantic of you." I then looked down at what I was wearing and realised I wasn't really dressed to go into such a posh restaurant; it was almost like he read my mind or something because he explained gently.
"No worries I have already made sure you have something to change into. I can pull the shutters down on the car so you can change in private. I'll wait outside whilst you change." I then proceeded to pull the dress out of the bag and change into it as quickly as possible. After smoothing it down a little I got out of the car and smiled when Erik looked at me with a shocked expression on his face.
"Do I look ok?" I questioned meekly whilst fisting the skirt a little in my hands.
"OK? You look absolutely beautiful; like a rose." I blushed and smiled when Erik held out his arm towards me which I took readily. He led me into the restaurant but noticed we went past the table which we sat at before.
"Where are we going? That was our table there when we went on our first date."
"Well remembered. Well I have somewhere special in mind this time Angel." And before I knew it we were going up a big spiral staircase. When we finally reached the top after what seemed like forever I gasped in awe at the view in front of me.
"This restaurant has a balcony! It's so beautiful up here. And the stars are out. That makes it even more beautiful." As I stepped forward towards the balcony railings with my hands clasped together.
"Oh Erik words cannot describe what I am feeling right now." I heard him approach me from behind and I smiled and leaned into his embrace as he hugged me from behind.
"Then just listen to the music of the night." Was all he said and with that I closed my eyes and listened to the music that echoed in my mind. I could then feel myself being led to my seat and set down gently into it.
"What would you like to order my dear?" Clasping my hands gently in his. I looked down at the menu and made my choice. Once he told the waiter what we wanted I looked up at the stars and smiled. I wonder if my parents were watching us right now. Would they be happy for me? Or would they be disappointed? Why were these thoughts running through my head all of a sudden?
"What are you thinking about?" Erik asked whilst stroking my hand gently.
"My parents...when I saw the stars in the sky it made me think of the fact my parents could be up there watching over me. But would they be happy or disappointed in me?" I replied quietly.
"Whatever gave you that idea. Your parents whether they are watching over you or not would be proud to call you their daughter." Which caused me to smile a little and I kissed him gently on the lips. I looked over his shoulder and could see the waiter coming towards us with our orders.
"Right we have mushroom ravioli for the young lady and spaghetti and meatballs for the gentleman." After our plates were placed down in front of us we began to eat our meal. Once we finished I could hear music playing but I couldn't tell from where exactly.
"Would you care to dance?" Erik asked suddenly and held out a hand towards me for me to take.
"I erm don't really dance." I replied sheepishly.
"Well then I'll teach you." And with that he took hold of my hand gently and after showing me where I should position my hands we danced around the balcony to the beautiful music echoing through the night.
"There you see you're getting the hang of it. Well done you're sure a fast learner." He exclaimed happily and I giggled a little as he twirled me through the floor. Suddenly the chords of the music changed and I recognised the opening notes of my favourite Hayley Westenra called Dark Waltz. I felt a hand on my waist and when I looked down I smiled as Erik's musician fingers wrapped themselves gently around my waist. We both got lost in the music as he danced me through the night. Once the music stopped I tried as best as I could to suppress a yawn but failed to do so miserably.
"You're tired. I better take you home." The last thing I remember was Erik paying for the bill then carrying me out of the restaurant. I smiled a little and fell into a deep sleep.
I was dancing with Erik at the Masquerade ball that I know will occur in a week's time and our laughter was echoing around the hall. But suddenly darkness descended the hall and all I could hear were screams of panic and when I turned to Erik for comfort he was nowhere to be seen.
"Erik! Where are you!"
"Your chains are still mine. You belong to me!" A cold voice echoed around the hall and the last thing I did was scream...
I woke up still screaming loudly and I immediately looked to Erik for comfort.
"Charlene I'm here. You don't need to be afraid any longer." I then felt him embrace me tightly and I leaned into his chest; within a few moments I felt safe and calm.
"Would you like to tell me what the dream was about? It'll make you feel better." He asked gently whilst stroking up and down my arm. But all I did was bury my head into his chest without saying a word.
"Don't worry I won't force you to talk if you don't want to. Now you stay right here and I'll get you breakfast." And before I could even reply he got up and left out of the room. I sat there quietly fisting the bed sheet as I was still a little shaken by my dream. But what made me smile was Erik coming into the room with a tray in his hands; sitting on the tray was a beautiful red rose tied off with a black ribbon that was just starting to open. After Erik placed the tray down in front of me I picked it up and inhaled its scent.
"I see you enjoy my gifts; I'll remember to give you roses more often since they make you so happy. I like it when you smile; it makes you look so beautiful when you smile." I then became a little choked up with emotion and before I could do anything to stop it the tears started to fall a little down my cheeks.
"Charlene, I'm sorry I didn't mean to make you upset. Please forgive me." And with that he stroked my hair gently as a symbol of his love and sincerity towards me.
"You don't need to beg for forgiveness; it is I who needs forgiving. It's just no-one has ever told me that before; not even Raoul said any of those words to me. But at the time I was naive enough to believe he was the one and now I have realised how horribly wrong I was." I replied sadly.
"But living through those experiences in life has made you the woman you are today; the woman I love. And no matter what you are; whether you are naive or not I still love you for you." I smiled and pulled him down to kiss him soundly on the lips.
"Once you've finished your breakfast you can get ready for the day; I have a surprise for you." I nodded and tucked straight into my breakfast. As soon as I finished I went over to my closet to pick out an outfit but wasn't sure what exactly to pick.
"Erik I don't know what to wear!" I panicked.
"Ok I'll give you one clue; just dress in your comfiest outfit possible and make sure you wear comfortable shoes as well; we will be doing a lot of walking today." I nodded and picked out my outfit before proceeding into the bathroom to wash and change. I came out with a pair of jeans and a nice white blouse with big sleeves and it was sheer so I put a little camisole on underneath. I took hold of a jacket and a pair of oxfords and went in search of Erik.
"Ah there you are. I was just preparing lunch to take with us. You were taking so long in there I thought you were never going to come out." He explained gently and when he turned around I smiled as he looked at me up and down appreciatively.
"You look beautiful. So I take it you are ready to go." He continued and with that I nodded in agreement before proceeding to follow him out of the flat. We clambered into the car after putting the picnic bag into the back of the car and I heard Erik quickly start the engine.
"Please tell us where we're going." I pleaded excitedly like a child on Christmas morning. But all Erik did was smile knowingly and continue driving so I just sat there tapping my feet impatiently trying to pass the time as Lindsey Stirling echoed on the stereo system.
"I never knew you liked this artist. I stumbled upon her on YouTube once and well that is where I met Raoul. What is your favourite piece of music by this artist?" I explained excitedly.
"That is hard to decide really as I really like all of the music she plays; although the one that tugs at my heartstrings the most would be Elements. How about you? Which one's your favourite?" He replied matter of factly whilst concentrating on his driving.
"Well I am stuck between Skyrim and The Phantom of the Opera medley. But most of the other songs tug at my heartstrings." I replied and I looked out of my window excitedly when I realised we had reached our destination. I saw out of the corner of my eye Erik climbing gracefully out of the car and before I knew it my door opened which allowed me to climb out of the car too. Once we paid the entrance fee and got hold of a map we planned our day out together.
"So what animal shall we see first?"
"I want to see them all; I don't mind which one I see first." I replied excitedly.
"I'll do my best but we might not be able to see them all today." And with that he took my hand gently and we went in the direction of the aquarium and reptile house first.
"Hey this is London Zoo, that's the snake tank they used for the first Harry Potter film." I said excitedly.
"I can't believe we are here. I went once with my school but that was purely an educational visit. I haven't really been for just a pleasure visit before." I continued matter of factly.
"Well I'm glad you are so excited about being here. I've been here many times before and there are a lot of different animals to see." I nodded and we continued our way around the exhibits; the part I liked most of all was the butterfly house. A laugh and a smile left my lips as they flew around me with colours of the rainbow shining on their wings. At one point one landed on my hand and I stood still as its wings opened and closed slowly; but as quickly as it landed it flew away again and a child-like giggle escaped my lips once again. As we exited the butterfly house my stomach gave an almighty growl and I blushed a little.
"I see my Angel is hungry. I'll treat you to lunch; pick out whatever you like cost is no objection." And with that he led me towards a quaint little cafe where I picked out what I wanted and he did too.
After been around the entire zoo and seeing all of the different animals we went into the gift shop where I looked at every single stuffed animal on display. But the one that made me nostalgic the most was the peacock one; when my brother finished sixth form he started to dye his hair wild colours including turquoise and purple. Exactly the colours of a peacock and that is how he got the nickname 'Peacock'. I knew I would get one in memory of my brother so I would remember him always even though he has left me. But I still believe he is watching over me and will be so proud of me right now.
"Are you ok? You've gone all quiet and you're crying." I heard a voice ask and when I touched my cheek it felt wet and I realised I had been crying.
"Sorry, it's just memories overwhelming me I guess. Looking at the stuffed peacock made me think of my brother's nickname that's all. It made me remember all of the good times I've had with my brother." I replied quietly whilst wiping the tears away from my eyes. I tried to suppress a yawn and Erik said gently.
"Here are the keys to the car; I'll be with you in a moment." I then went straight to the car and tried to fight my tiredness until Erik got back; but within moments I fell into a deep sleep...
When I woke up I smiled when I realised I had an uninterrupted sleep and no bad dreams had haunted me that night. I then noticed something on the end of my bed and crawled to the end of my bed to see a stuffed peacock staring back at me. Attached to it was a rose and a note; the note read: "Knowing how much this reminds you of your brother. May you have happy memories of your sibling and I will always love you. Love your Angel." I tried to hold back the tears but they fell without me realising for a moment. Without a moment's hesitation I grabbed my dressing gown and hurriedly put it on before running out of my room in search of Erik.
"Ah good..." But before Erik could say another word I tackled him to the ground with a big hug and a kiss on the lips.
"Well good morning to you too my Angel. I take it you got my present?" He said teasingly.
"Yes I did thank you. I loved it." And with that I kissed him again on the lips.
"Come I have breakfast ready for you then we can..." Yet again he was interrupted but this time by the phone ringing. For a moment there was silence as Erik talked down the phone. I wonder who called; but as the conversation progressed I noticed Erik was getting more and more agitated with the person on the other end of the line. Finally after what seemed like ages he cut the call off and I could see a look in his eyes that I had never seen before; however I couldn't find the words to describe what that look was.
"Erik what's wrong? Please talk to me." I pleaded as I took hold of his hands gently.
"That was my boss on the phone. He says there is someone at the office who is going to take you home; they will be your legal guardians from now on. He wants you to go up there right now with your stuff as they are there already to pick you up. But you have to go in there alone." He replied forlornly.
"But why? Erik I don't want to leave you. I love you. You know that don't you right? Please don't let him make me leave you." I pleaded but the tears started to fall as he shook his head firmly.
"You better go pack your things Charlene. I'll take you there in the car." He said stiffly and without another word from me I went up into my room to pack what little belongings I had. I wonder which relative it is who is coming to take me home; I thought all of my relatives had died the night of the explosion. After packing all of my belongings including every rose Erik has ever given me I went out of my room to the hallway where I put on my coat and waited for Erik to come out. We then climbed into the car in silence and you could cut the tension with a knife as it was so silent during the entire car journey. Millions of thoughts were going through my head at this present moment in time. Would I ever see Erik again? Would I still go to the Masquerade Ball at work with him? Would I see Christine or Raoul? Would I still be able to keep in contact with everyone who has helped me heal through my ordeal? But none of my questions could be answered as the office building loomed in front of us. I looked at Erik tearfully wishing he could change things and without even thinking I kissed him with all the passion I had knowing this could be the last time I ever see him. I could taste the saltiness of his tears and I wanted to cry when we had to draw breath.
"Thank you Erik. For everything." And after kissing him again on the lips I opened the door and went towards the office without looking back because if I did I wouldn't be able to leave him. I eventually got to the door of the office and after knocking three times waited for the person's assent to allow me to enter.
"Come in." A nervous voice said on the other side which caused me to hesitate for a moment. Why did the person on the other side sound so nervous?
"Please can you come in immediately. I erm...have rather a lot of paperwork to do so would like to deal with this now rather than later." They said with a slightly commanding tone to their voice and so I entered the office to see Stephen and Gerald in front of me with Joseph holding a gun to the man sitting behind the desk.
"Hello my dear. Come to return to us at last? Now you can have your first meeting with the boss and then we'll get you ready for your marriage to him." Joseph said coldly. I shook my head wildly with tears whilst backing away slowly.
"You are not going anywhere!" And before I knew it the gun was pointed at me.
"Now you will follow us to the car without resisting or we will shoot you!" Without a word in retort I followed them wordlessly out of the building with tears falling silently down my cheeks.
"Awwwww there's no need to cry. Soon you will be married and you'll be the happiest woman alive." Joseph said coldly whilst stroking my cheek gently. But instead of bringing me comfort like Erik's touch did it brought a feeling of revulsion and a shiver down my spine. I then climbed into the car without a word of protest knowing if I refused he would kill me for sure. All I did for the entire journey was stare out of the window as I awaited my fate...