Hello everyone! Phew, I didn't think that I would reach my deadline for this update to be honest. Since I had so many things to do and everything, but wow, I was surprised with myself this week. Anyway, thank you to everyone who gave me feedback last chapter! Means a lot! :) And I had a feeling that you all would enjoy the ending of last chapter ;). But... if you liked me on Facebook, you may have gotten my little foreshadowing of this chapter. If you didn't see it, well I'll say it again. Henri haters may not like this chapter at all. Or you may, it depends on what you think.

Well, anyway, hope you enjoy!

Chapter XVI: Peace & Turmoil

The next morning Theresa stared at her reflection. With her hand over her chest she felt her soft heartbeat against it. Theresa looked awful right now. She looked like she hardly slept the night before, and she barely did. After Erik brought her to her room last night, after their silent journey through the tunnels, he only bid her goodnight. Theresa expected him to say something, anything, to her about what had happened between them. She hardly knew what came over her last night, at one point when they were arguing, Theresa just got so frustrated with him.

Did she kiss him just to prove something? Just to prove that he really wasn't different from everyone else? To prove that she thought him an actual good person deep down and that she wasn't frightened by him?

She had no idea.

Did she do it because she wanted to? Maybe.

But she didn't know. She really didn't know. Theresa put a hand through her hair. She could only imagine what someone would say about what she looked like right now. She looked like death itself, that would be what her mother would tell her. Instead of looking at her reflection in the mirror on her vanity, the soprano sat down. She sat down slowly and looked down at the old rose that she found a while ago on the top of her bed. Theresa smiled softly at the dead rose before picking it up by the stem.

Her other hand went to the black ribbon still tied around it tightly, rubbing it gently in between her fingers. She told her chambermaid that she didn't want this thrown away, to be rid of it just yet, even though the leaves and the petals were almost completely dried out and crumbling. It was special to her, even if it was dying before her. She wanted to keep it, it was a reminder of how Erik really could be, how he took such care in preparing the rose before he gave it to her, how he stripped off each and every thorn and tied that small black bow around the stem.

If you knew Erik's past, and laid eyes on this rose, this beautiful, but now dead, white rose, you wouldn't even think that Erik had touched it without destroying. And yet... Theresa knew all too well that he did put all that care in this rose, as he did with the one before the one in her hand, and maybe even the ones that he had given Christine.

Maybe that was why she kissed him. Because of the care he used for this rose. Theresa soon dropped it onto the vanity's white surface, her hand limply going to hold her chin up. She sighed softly to herself, the smile falling off. She was frankly confused about this. Theresa, in her own reflection, could see this in her eyes that were looking back at her. There was a certain doubt in them, a doubt that she barely knew was inside of her. A deep worry that was beginning to swirl and twirl inside of the pit of her stomach, like little fluttering butterflies roaming inside of it. Theresa wondered, how did he feel about it? Was he just as confused as she was?

It was a shock for both him and her, she knew that. But... when he dropped her off, Erik didn't talk about it at all. He acted as though it never happened, he brushed it off immediately like she did because she, herself, felt awkward about it.

Just thinking about everything made her head ache too early in the morning. She wanted to just try and sleep again, like she had tried to do several times when Erik took her back, but it was now too late to sleep. The day was already starting. Theresa could see the sun shining through the square in front of the Opera house from her window. Theresa could already feel her tortuous afternoon coming. The auditions would be the worst hours of her life today with the aching head that she was already starting to have from her thoughts and exhaustion.

She rubbed her head with a frown, that really was the last thing that she wanted to do today. But she did as her managers commanded, so it was her duty... for some reason. It really didn't matter that she had to be there. Theresa was dragged out of her thoughts once she heard someone knocking on the door. She parted her mouth almost confused before rising slowly up from the vanity chair and going to the door.

At first, Theresa only opened it a crack to see that it was only Henrietta, her personal chambermaid. "Oh!" She said surprised, she opened her door fully to let her in. Henrietta never usually came this early to her room, and if she did, Theresa must have been asleep because she wasn't usually up at this time at all.

"I made sure to knock first, signora." Henrietta stated as she walked into Theresa's room. In her hands, she carried a couple of dresses. She made her way to Theresa's table and laid them on top of them. "But, I have to say, I didn't expect you to be up so early. If you didn't answer the door, I would've came later."

"Well, I am indeed up now."

"I see that, and good morning."

"Good morning to you, too." She was definitely more calmer than what she was before. Theresa closed the door to her room and asked Henrietta, "Can you prepare a bath for me please? The auditions are today and the managers asked of me to help them with the cast."

"Of course, signora," Henrietta stated to her. "It would be done in a tick."

Theresa nodded kindly to her, "Thank you, mademoiselle." Henrietta smiled motherly to her before she went off to the wash-room, leaving Theresa alone for a moment. She looked over to her small bed and on the night stand beside it was the book that she started to read weeks ago. She still never finished it. Theresa went to her bed and sat on top of it, taking the book in her hands. While she waited for her bath, she opened the book to where she left off in it last and then began to read it.

Auditions. She hated them. Either you are being the tortured judge of it, or you are being the nervous wreck on stage. She was now being tortured. Of course, there were several actresses and actors that were good for the roles, but many of them needed practice. Alaina, finding out that Theresa was secured for a role already, choked during her auditions as Theresa exchanged lines with her. They even sung a duet together to see how their voices harmonized. They somewhat did, but still, she stumbled on her words as she sung. The mangers were not impressed by her like they were the first time.

Although Theresa disliked the girl, she had to say she felt bad for her. A friend of hers, Josef, didn't do a bad job at all. He did a particularly good job that made the managers stand up on their feet and applaud him. Theresa and Jean only looked up at them, but nevertheless they did clap for him. But they didn't think he deserved a standing ovation like the managers did, maybe the night of he would get one. He was most likely going to get the lead... she hoped that he would get the lead at the very least.

Then Henri went on stage.

He didn't look so good. He looked like he had a hard night, the poor man couldn't even walk in a straight line when he approached the middle of the stage. Jean made a snide comment when he came on stage and it made Theresa feel small after that. However, they at all didn't expect what was to come out of his mouth. Theresa remembered her eyes widening and her breath being caught in her throat. She didn't know what to make out of what he had done, but she doubted that the man that she wanted to get the lead role would actually get it.

Jean was even stunned. The managers were brought to silence when he finished, you could tell that they didn't expect it either. Theresa was almost too stunned to even run lines with him, but she did anyway after a minute of collecting herself. When they were finished, Henri locked eyes with her before turning his back, leaving the stage.

Other than that, there was no one who really stuck out to her. Theresa's head ached along with her throat straining by the time they ended. Jean and Theresa were now leaving the theatre. "That was..."

"Tortuous?" Jean offered to her. Theresa found herself nodding as the two of them walked to where lunch was being served. "Tortuous and interesting, I think it was. This is definitely going to be an interesting performance."

"I have to agree." Theresa said. "But we all need practice if the performance is in three months." When they entered the dining room, Theresa frowned as Jean was making his way to the nearest empty table where they both could sit at. But Theresa wasn't hungry for any food at all. She looked to Jean, who had noticed that she stopped at the entrance. He approached her again and Theresa said to him, "I'll be back," she might not be however, "if Meg comes tell her I am in the chappelle, please."

Jean looked at her carefully, taking both of her shoulders within his grasp and looking her directly in the eye. "Are you okay?" He asked her slowly. Theresa offered him a small smile before nodding her head to him. Lately, Jean had noticed that she was distant these past couple of weeks and his concern for his friend had grown considerably over those weeks as well. His hands fell off of her shoulders. "Okay then... hurry back though, I have something to tell you and Meg." Theresa raised her eyebrow at him for a moment, but nodded to him once again.

Jean grinned at her before he turned around to sit where Meg was already headed to. Theresa watched him for a moment, his face lit up even more than how it should light up when he sat down across from her. Theresa turned around before Meg would look over at her and she went quickly out of the dining room.

Theresa could hardly eat right now, food was far off from her mind. She needed to make sense of some things before she could even pick up any sort of fork.

The crowd was rushing through the dinning room now to eat, but Theresa was leaving for now. She looked at each person there and there were a couple that looked her up and down like she had done something wrong. Theresa tried not to look at them directly in their eyes as she went to the chappelle.

She needed to talk to her father, these past couple of weeks had been very confusing to her. The weeks she was separated from Erik, without any sort of contact at all until the night before. He saved her and she kissed him, almost in the heat of the moment. Theresa walked quietly through the sudden turns and when she entered the hallway, she looked around, her hand skimming the wall.

Theresa picked up the skirt of her dress as she went down the steps so she wouldn't trip or get it caught on anything. She looked cautiously down that hall before walking over to where the candles were. But she stopped at the entrance, seeing someone already kneeling there. The man took a candle match and lit one of them. Theresa leaned against the wall as she heard the quiet sobs of this man in front of her. If they were even sobs, they sounded more like whimpers from a hurt dog.

She furrowed her brow, the man looked familiar from the back but she couldn't place him at all. That was until she heard his voice mutter softly.

Theresa slowly walked away from where she stood, her shoes not making a clatter at all. She gaped at him before kneeling behind him, laying a dainty hand on his shoulder. Theresa, with her thumb, massaged it gently as he laid his hand on top of hers, knowing that she was there with him. He didn't even have to look back to see that it was her, she would be one of the few women that would walk up behind him and lay a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Henri looked up from his father's small picture and to Theresa, locking eyes with her hazel eyes. Theresa only wiped a small tear from the corner of his eye. "I told you, I only knew him for two weeks." He stated to her. Theresa wasn't confused by this, it was their first conversation together. She remembered that clearly actually. Theresa looked over to see his father and took in a sharp breath seeing that it was... someone who she hardly expected. It wasn't that hard to figure out who it was either. There were only a couple of pictures there. Two of them were her parents. One of them was Gustav Daae who was, she knew, Christine's father. And on that side there was only one other. And that was Joseph Buquet. He was the only one with the candle lit on that side also.

Theresa slowly looked back at him and nodded, "I remember you telling me that, and that he worked here. That was why... when Emile said that his death was an accident, you walked off that day, wasn't it? This man wasn't just your friend."

"No," Henri admitted, his voice cracking as he did. His voice was so low that it was almost a whisper. "I couldn't say that man was my father after what you had heard about him." Emile said to her he was a drunk, leaving Henri and his mother flat. Though he admitted that to Theresa that he did leave them flat, Henri didn't want to say that was his father because he was a drunk and because of how he died. Theresa nodded understandingly.

She chuckled sadly though, offering him a small smile, "It would explain a lot of your love for the drink." Henri rolled his eyes at that, but smiled back at her despite it.

"I am guessing then, that you were looking for me?" Henri asked her. Theresa shook her head no. This was the last place that she would place Henri at. "Oh... then what are you doing here?"

"I didn't know it was occupied," she said to him softly. She looked over at her parents and gestured over to them. Henri looked over at them as well. "I was going to see my parents here as well."

Henri took a deep breath, nodding. His eyes never left the picture of her mother. Her soft waves reached to about her shoulders and if anything, she looked almost like Theresa's twin. He said to her, "You look like your mother."

"I've been told," she admitted to him, "people say that who had seen her perform before, that she looks exactly like me. Her eyes and... well, everything else."

"She had hazel eyes," Henri said admirably to her. Henri looked over at her, eyeing her up and down, his breath being caught in his throat. Theresa nodded glancing over at him before she looked back at her parents, her father in particular now. Henri looked over at her father now. There was no colour in the picture, but he could see love in her father's eyes and a gentle nature in them as well. "But you're probably more like your father, I think," Theresa raised her brow before looking over at him. She nodded to him. "I could tell, you have the same look in his eyes. Your mother seems nice, but she seems..." Henri trailed off, looking back in her mother's picture to find the word.

"Scary?" Theresa said to him with a crooked grin. "Because she was definitely a scary woman."

"I don't doubt it." Henri admitted to her. "Her beauty doesn't hide it." But yours does, he added to himself. "She taught you how to sing, didn't she?"

"She did. And my father taught me how to play piano."

Henri nodded slowly to her, "I remember... you telling me that."

"Yes, I forgot that I did." Theresa admitted to him. Silence then fell between them as Henri turned his head back at her again. Henri didn't know what should go through his head right now nor what he should tell her.

He only decided to search her eyes for anything. Theresa felt his hand grip hers gently as he took it off his shoulder. She began to breathe hoarsely. "Theresa," he started to her, her mouth parted slightly at the sound of his mouth, "I'm... I'm sorry."

"Sorry?" Theresa asked him confused. What exactly was he sorry for? Theresa didn't bring herself to look him directly in his eyes, knowing that she somehow found herself get lost in the greyish blue pools. "For what are you sorry for, Henri?"

"You do... remember, don't you?" Henri asked her cautiously. "That night when you found Alaina and I in the rafters together. I've said some things that had upset you."

Theresa shook her head at him and started to him, only to be cut off, "Henri—."

"Shush," he whispered to her, hushing her immediately Gently he placed a finger on the top of her lips. Theresa looked down pointedly at the finger and she found herself having no words at all right now. Henri licked his bottom lip before adding on to her. "Theresa, I'm not going to lie to you right now... and now that I have you in front of me, I'm just going to say it. No holding back any more, understand?" Theresa slowly raised her eyes back up to meet his. The greyish-blue eyes were almost pleading with her own and Theresa find herself actually nodding to him slowly. "You're different, Theresa. I haven't met anyone like you ever before."

"Wha—?" Theresa murmured against Henri's finger, but he pressed it down on her lips to stop her from finishing.

He continued to her, "There's something about you... I don't know why, but the way you avoided me these past couple of weeks, it made me... I don't know. I'm so confused about you, Theresa, you really have no idea with how confused I am about you." Henri knew that every word that was coming out of his mouth was every bit of the truth. The fact that Theresa had been acting like he hadn't existed these past weeks was actually killing him on the inside. It might sound a little bit dramatic, but Henri was an actor, everything was dramatics. There was something different about Theresa that caught his eye since day one.

She was more demure and shy than the other women he had been with. She had an innocence about her as well, that attracted him to her. He enjoyed seeing the innocence in her hazel eyes and not for the reasons that some might think. He never wanted her to lose any bit of that innocence in her eyes. He missed her stubbornness that he had come to know these past months, he had missed her small smile or her smirk that she would have when she would think, and he even missed the sound of her voice when she would talk.

Henri didn't know whether or not it was love that he felt for her. He didn't know what love even felt like. But if love was getting these feelings poking the inside of your stomach and becoming nervous just at the presence of the person you feel this love for, then perhaps that was what Henri was feeling right now.

For some reason, Henri didn't know what, he wanted her attention somehow so he could tell her all this. But now that she was finally in front of him, staring at him with big hazel eyes and waiting for him to say more to her... the words in his mouth went dry. His eyes searched hers, uncertain if he should really continue on to her or of even how he should continue to her. Theresa felt herself almost getting impatient with him, waiting with baited breath for what else he was going to say. It was beginning to irritate her and Theresa could feel herself growing more and more tense just with this wait.

"I don't know what I'm trying to say to you," Henri admitted to her. Perhaps he could show it to her? Henri shook that thought out of his head. He said to her, "But... what I think I'm trying to say is, is that I..." he trailed off once he felt that certain word begin to bubble at the top of his throat. Henri could feel how warm his face had gotten and he gulped immediately. Theresa unconsciously squeezed his hand that held hers in an almost comforting way. Henri pursed his lips and his finger fell slowly from Theresa's mouth. "You didn't come here to see me, Theresa. I know that. I think I should really leave you right now alone." He told her almost regretfully.

Theresa's face fell as she felt Henri's hand disappear from hers and he took a step back. "We'll continue this another time." Theresa didn't know what to say to him as he went to walk around her. She slowly turned her head as his figure retreated away from her.

She had almost forgotten why she had came here in the first place. "Henri," she called to him, walking to the entrance of the chappelle. He was only a little bit away from her when he stopped in his place. He slowly turned around to face her, Theresa could tell that he was nervous right now. But why was he nervous for her? She added to him, "If you have something to say, say it now."

He visibly gulped before he approached her again. Only this time, instead of talking to her, Henri had a new plan in mind. His eyes went to her lips for a quick moment, and just by looking at them he could already imagine them against his, how soft they would be against his. He slowly took both of her hands in his, her dainty hands were soft and small as he held them within his. "I have a lot to say, Theresa." Henri murmured to her. Theresa parted her mouth to say something, but she didn't have any time to even get a word out.

Henri closed the distance between them, his mouth covering Theresa's as he closed his eyes. Theresa's eyes widened in shock before she felt her lips catch his. She forced herself to close her eyes as she felt Henri's hands let go of hers. One went to her cheek, caressing it with his thumb and the other found its place on her hip. Theresa tilted her head back as she moved her arms around his neck, their lips moved together slowly and her breath almost hitched when Henri's lips moved away from hers to linger on the corner of her mouth.

This was a lot different from the gentle kiss that they shared after their awkward moment during dinner.

Theresa moved her face forward once she felt his lips absent from hers, her nose skimming his cheek. Theresa felt his chest rumble against hers as he began to chuckle lightly. "That went better than I thought it would," he commented to her. Theresa smiled in response, and a moment later she felt Henri move away from her. She opened her eyes slowly as he carefully took her arms away from his neck. "I think..." he trailed off, looking into her eyes. Theresa tilted her head forward just a bit, her eyes beckoning him to continue. He laughed sheepishly, shaking his head, "I think that we should forget what... happened before."

Theresa's face fell confused, "Do you mean the kiss?"

Henri looked at her confused for a moment, before he realized how that must have sounded before. He shook his head quickly, "Oh no, not that." He told her, causing Theresa to suddenly smile softly to him, but it faltered for a moment. "Not that at all. I enjoyed that, I really enjoyed it actually. I only meant that we should... start over?" He sounded unsure by the end of his sentence and it showed on his face. Theresa looked at him carefully.

"Okay..." Theresa said slowly. To be honest, she only said okay so he wouldn't act nervous right now. She didn't like this new, sheepish Henri in front of her now. "I think I understand what you mean." But she really didn't. Theresa then realized what had just happened between them. Her smile soon fell though when she saw Henri's lips pull up in a smile of his own. He didn't seem to notice her sudden frown. She added to him, "But Henri, if we start over... I don't know if we should start with that... kiss."

That smile fell almost immediately off of his face. He took a step toward and grabbed both of her hands. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean... is, I'm not sure if..." Theresa closed her eyes for a moment, she could see green eyes staring back at her once they were closed. She opened her eyes slowly, "I'm not sure if... I just need to think about things, Er—Henri." Theresa turned away, her hand coming loose out of Henri's hand. Henri stood behind her with his brow furrowed toward her still confused. Theresa touched her mouth lightly, unsure why she was about to call him Erik instead of his actual name. He didn't seem to notice though. Henri extended his hand to lay it on the shoulder, but dropped it immediately.

He pursed his lips. "Theresa," he murmured her name, taking a step toward her, but she stepped forward, her back still to him. "I don't seem to understand." Henri said to her slowly.

"I need to think things over, Henri."

"Yes, I know that," Henri said to her slowly. "But... are you saying you don't feel the same way about me?" Henri actually felt his whole body tense up at the question he just asked. Did he just admit that he had feelings for her? Feelings that he normally didn't have for another woman? He could have sworn that he heard his own voice break just saying that, like it hurt him to ask his own question. Theresa didn't answer him, instead she knelt down in front of the alter. Henri felt himself actually get frightened when she didn't say anything. "Theresa?"

"I don't know." Theresa said to him, looking over her shoulder and up at him. "Henri, I don't know." She repeated to him as if she had to be more clearer. Henri frowned deeper at the sound of her voice before she turned away from him. He stood there watching her for a moment as she went to use the match to light the candle over the small portrait of her parents. When Theresa didn't acknowledge him, Henri stepped away from her with a small nod of understanding.

Henri gulped before stating to her, "Maybe I shouldn't have done that." Theresa slowly raised her head up. He shook his head to himself, "I'm sorry for kissing you like that. That wasn't right." Henri turned around as Theresa stood up slowly. Her hands folded over the front of her dress and she looked over to see that Henri was walking away, mumbling to himself. Theresa felt herself gulp when she opened her mouth as if she wanted to stop him again.

Her stomach twisted though at the thought and when she outstretched her hand toward his retreating figure, she dropped it immediately. She put a hand to her forehead before looking down to the ground. Theresa suddenly felt a sudden chill as she went to kneel down again in front of the alter. With the match still being held, Theresa reluctantly lit the candle over her parents' portrait. She bowed her head, but instead of praying to them right away, she felt her bottom lip tremble and her eyes begin to water.

Theresa tried to think of something else as she closed her eyes. But the confusion of everything overwhelmed her, and when she tried to find peace, she found only turmoil.

Well... hope you enjoyed the chapter. Next update will be on March 15th, the Friday before my 18th birthday on March 17th... :) See you then!