Blankets and Broken Promises
The rude awakening of Christine's cell phone going off at three something in the morning caused her to fall off her bed, hitting her funny bone on her bedside table.
"Hellooooooo..." She grumbled, holding her elbow in pain as it tingled harshly against her skin.
"C... C... Christine..." The person was crying, breathing heavily. "This is s-so pathetic..." The curly haired student sat against her bed, yawning greatly trying to figure out who would so rudely call at such an hour. "It's E-Erik... Professor Lantier, sweetheart." His voice was softer than usual, quiet and timid.
"Teacher?" Christine scratched her nose, squinting her eyes at the bright screen. "What are you doing awake? It's so early..." Erik laughed airily at her hoarse voice as he rubbed his eyes at his own tiredness. "Why are you crying? Is something wrong?"
"Bailey... We had a fight... I need a place to stay tonight... It's stupid, really... I... I just want to see you, Christine. Is that okay, sweetheart? I'll leave in a couple hours... I just really... Want to see you." Erik sighed at the pure feeble undertone his voice held.
"Sure, sure. I'll leave my key underneath the mat... Just come in and..." Christine starting dozing off at the sound of her teacher's velvety voice. Her steady breathing alerted Erik, almost making him laugh loudly at how pathetic this situation was.
"Christine, kitten, please wake up for me." Erik spoke a bit louder into the phone, but still Christine was still falling into a deep sleep. Erik took this chance to get a gym bag of some of his belongings together, the steady breathing of his student keeping him determined.
Bailey had left an hour before Erik called Christine. Where the blonde left to, Erik had only assumed she disappeared to Mindy's house. Yet again, just hours before Erik assumed that Bailey was in fact at a beauty convention and not to the place where she actually venture to. She could be anywhere at this point. Erik chose not to dwell upon his deceitful fiancée. He just wanted to see his Christine, his muse.
"Kitten, wake up before you ruin your back." Erik smiled at the sight as he entered the student's apartment. As she did not stir, he gathered her five foot three body easily into his arms and laid her gently on her bed. Discarding himself of his shoes, shirt, and sweatshirt, the teacher curled up next to the student.
"Took you long enough..." She mumbled, intertwining their legs.
"I had to make sure my house was locked, kitten." Erik sighed as he closed his eyes, taking in the darkness. "I'm sorry to have woken you, Christine."
"Don't be sorry..." Christine had slung her arm around his stomach, the warmth of his large body heating her own. "What happened between you and Bailey?" Erik sighed again, recalling the tragic turn of events.
"I can't marry you!" Bailey shouted at Erik with tears streaming down her cheeks. The unmasked man sat back in his seat, completely speechless. Bailey shut her eyes not wanting to look Erik in the eyes any longer. "I'm sorry, Erik... I just don't think that I can marry you anymore."
"Bailey..." Erik barely croaked out of his clogged throat. "W-Why... W-What have I done... A-Are you that unhappy with me?" Bailey's heart broke into pieces as Erik reached for his mask that sat between them in the middle console. She knew what he was thinking.
"Erik, no... Don't put the mask on, please-"
"WHY NOT?!" Erik boomed through the tiny Subaru. The windows shook again as he gripped the white mask in his fingers. "It's my disease, isn't it?! It's my face, the scars, the infection! You just can't bear the thought of marrying someone ugly-" Bailey's palm had made contact with his cheek. Thankfully, she was left handed and she didn't strike his marred cheek. The slap was weak, but her eyes burned into him as her chest heaved with anger.
"How dare you, Erik! Poor, Erik! Would you like some pity with your cheese and wine?!" Bailey shouted back at the silent man. "Erik, I can't marry you and don't think it's because of the scars the accident left you. It didn't bother me the first time I met you and it certainly doesn't bother me now!"
"Pray tell then, why can't you marry me?" Erik seethed through his clenched jaw at the blonde beauty. "Is it my long hours at work? I can... Cut them down, somehow..." Erik immediately thought of Christine; his two worlds were colliding at light speed and there was nothing he could possibly do to stop it.
"It's not work, it's not anything that has to do with you... It's just something that I have to do, for me." Erik rolled his eyes. If this was a movie, Bailey would be breaking out into song right about now. "It's not a great time for me to be getting married right now." Erik huffed.
"You still haven't told me why you don't want to marry me!" Erik pounded his fist into the dash board, denting it pretty good. He had no idea he was that strong.
"Let me just drive you home, Erik... We can talk about this later, please..." The teacher remained silent, allowing the blonde to do as she pleased - apparently, in more areas than one.
As soon as Bailey pulled into the driveway, Erik paused and turned towards his fiancée. He had put his mask back on, only to be pestered by Bailey. If it wasn't his hideous face that deterred her, repulsed her, and overall decided for her that this marriage was not worth going through with, Erik hadn't had the slightest of clues as to what would make her want to call of her dream cliff side wedding. While inside the house, Bailey remained quiet as Erik carried her luggage to the bedroom. He didn't know what to do, what to say, or where to start. She didn't give him an answer and he didn't believe that there was going to be an answer coming his way anytime soon.
"I'll find a place to stay tonight." Erik spoke flatly to the blonde as she began to unpack her suitcase. Erik stood in the corner, somewhere in the shadows of the bedroom. He had no intention of being near her at the moment.
"Stay here, Erik. This is your house, too." Bailey turned towards the corner, sighing to herself. She wished that he would stop being melodramatic.
"I don't wish to stay under a roof where I'm not welcome." Bailey rubbed her temples, turning back to her suitcase. "If we're no longer getting married, then I'm no longer welcome wherever you are." Erik's tone was cold, harsh. Suddenly, his eyes shot towards the net of the suitcase. A pink box laid hidden behind some running shoes and some other clothing. Erik narrowed his eyebrows towards the box, finally realizing what it was. "Pregnant..." He exhaled in disbelief.
"What?" Bailey paused her folding to watch the masked man emerge from the shadows. He was furious. "Erik, what's wro-" Before she could finish her sentence, he had grabbed the box and thrown the contents onto the bed. It was already opened and there were two sticks missing. He may wear a mask, but his eyesight was always better than perfect. Something Bailey always bragged about to her friends.
"What are you doing with pregnancy tests, Bailey?" Erik demanded of the wide eyed blonde as she stood frozen before him. She needed an answer quickly, but her throat closed up on her and her mouth went completely dry.
"I..." She choked out, looking down at the now-empty box. The strewn about contents taunting her every time she glanced down for a millisecond, taking her gaze off of the fervent man in front of her.
"Answer me!" He pointed to the box and its spilled contents, his eyes never leaving hers. "What the fuck are you doing with pregnancy tests and why are two of them missing?!" She was breathing at a rapid pace now, her eyes darting from the tests to his mismatched irises. "Bailey Sierra LaFavre, I hope you know that it is impossible for me, your FIANCÉ, to be the father of that child seeing that we never make love..." Erik murmured under his breath, trying to control his temper. He didn't want to break anything tonight. "Just tell me why the fuck two of them are missing."
"I took two of the pregnancy tests, to make sure..." Bailey had started crying as Erik's eyes bore into hers. "To make sure that it wasn't a false positive..." She finally murmured, shutting her eyes tightly, avoiding the hurt that was to come from the man she was supposed to give her life to.
"Are... You... Pregnant..." Erik was aghast as he vomited the words out, the taste of the question vile and putrid. Bailey softly nodded, the tears continually following.
"I met him at a Zumba class."
Christine woke up early the next morning, wanting to make Erik feel special after his truly awful evening. Her stomach churned as she laid there listening to her teacher's story. She didn't know why she felt so horrible about it. This is what she wanted. She wanted Erik all to herself and now she had him. Oh, but not this way. She didn't want Bailey to cheat on him and get pregnant. No, that was too shameful, too unkind. Christine could hardly believe the words that came out of her mouth when she spoke to Erik. Christine was confused. Christine didn't know if she was supposed to be happy or if she was supposed to be sick to her stomach for the current predicament. Christine just wanted Erik to be happy, yes that is what she truly wants.
"Would you like coffee or tea with your pancakes?" Christine placed a kiss on Erik's uncovered cheek, walking towards the coffee maker.
"I want..." Erik not-so-subtly eyed Christine as she stood with her back to her teacher.
Her sleeping shirt fell just beneath her bottom and when she rose to her tip toes to grab a mug from the cupboard above, her black lace panties would show. A sight that would make any man go mad.
"Coffee, yeah coffee for me is fine." Erik finally snapped out of his trance as she started the coffee maker. Her curls fell loosely down her back as she smiled softly towards the teacher. Erik noticed that she rose to her toes a lot with ease, her taut thighs teasing him and distracting him from his pancakes.
"Did you sleep okay last night? You were tossing and turning a lot, Dr. Lantier." Christine handed Erik the cup of coffee, knowing that he liked it black.
"I slept fine. I'm sorry if I bothered you with my tossing and turning, sweetheart." His voice was kind, sweet like he was apologizing for stealing a teddy bear.
As André meowed happily while Christine fed him a piece of left over pancake from her plate, Erik sighed at his dismal outcome of events. "Do you have any classes today?"
"I have one tonight at eight, but I'm yours until then. Aren't you teaching today?" Christine grabbed her teacher's empty plate, placing it in the sink.
"I called in sick yesterday. I didn't feel much like teaching." André nuzzled against Erik's arm, staring up at the masked man with round black eyes. "What class do you have tonight?" Christine bit her lip, walking slowly towards her teacher.
"It's not at the school, it's a hobby, you could say, of mine." Erik tilted his head at the curly headed girl as she stood in between his legs. Her hands found his hair, her glasses falling loosely on the bridge of her nose. "It keeps me out of trouble."
"What is the hobby you speak of?" Erik rested his hands on her hips, enjoying the rekindled feeling her body against his.
With a wink, Christine shrugged her shoulders and leaned into her teacher, attaching her lips to his in a passionate movement of affection. Erik moaned loudly, something he almost never did while they kissed. Christine smiled widely as she pressed her palms onto his thighs as he sat on the barstool. The kiss had grown more fervent, more needy as Erik brought one hand to the small of her back, the other to cup her face. Their tongues danced in a furious dance of ecstasy, the taste of each other lingering on every inch they could reach. Erik couldn't take it anymore. Scooping up Christine's tiny body, Erik grinned as he walked towards her bedroom, the eyes of his student never leaving him. As he set her down on the bed, she breathed happily, bringing the six foot four man on top of her.
"I'm a ballet dancer, that's my hobby." Christine whispered against his jaw. Erik's hands found her thighs, running his baby soft smooth palms anywhere he could feel the warmth emanating off of them.
"Is that how you got so fit?" Christine let out a gentle laugh as Erik pulled the sleeping shirt off her body. He sat on his knees, reveling in her beauty as she blushed immediately at his wandering eyes.
"I've been dancing ever since I could remember..." She breathed out a shaky exhale. Her eyes dutifully followed Erik's index finger as it traced a trail down her uncovered chest and torso. "Sometimes..."
Erik brought his thumb over her hardened areoles. Christine breathing hitched.
"Continue your story, please..." Erik cooed as he cupped her breasts, kneading them, making Christine bite her lip.
"Sometimes, that's..." Erik started to pull down her lace underwear, stopping when Christine stopped talking. He waited until she began once more. "Sometimes, my ballet lessons as a g-girl..." The lace panties were almost down to her knees, the cool air hitting her sex. She took a sharp breath, shutting her eyes. "They're all I r-remember..." Erik nodded, pulling off the underwear completely, leaning over the girl. Placing a kiss on her forehead, he nuzzled his face into her heated neck. With one last kiss to her neck, Erik's hand wandered to the place where she needed him the most and the place where he desired her the greatest.
"Well, my kitten, I say we make you some new memories."
"Final exams are coming up fast and I would very much like to see good grades this semester. We all know how those quarter grades looked and we most certainly do not want a repeat." Erik immediately centered his attention towards de Chagny, who wasn't paying attention. "As I was saying, finals are in about three weeks and I really would love it if you, yes you de Chagny, aced your final."
"What are you picking on me for, Mr. Lightbulb?" Erik narrowed his eyes at the student, confused at the nickname.
"Mr. Lightbulb?" Erik asked, leaning against his desk.
"Uh, yeah. I can't pronounce your last name, so I gave you a new one." Christine couldn't help, but giggle. "Hey, Curly! Why don't you shut the fuck up and suck it?!" Raoul had thrown yet another middle finger up in the air. Christine looked disinterested as she rolled her eyes at de Chagny's childish comeback.
"Raoul de Chagny! There will be absolutely no cursing in my classroom and what did I tell you about flipping off people?" The class fell silent as Erik's voice bellowed through the lecture hall. Christine had heard him yell before, but not like this. Raoul sank in his seat, embarrassed of his actions. "I'm going to give you one last chance. Don't try my patience, de Chagny, you're walking on thin ice."
To Raoul's advantage, Erik's alarm went off and the class stampeded out of the classroom. Lingering after the class let out, Christine made her way to the desk.
"Dr. Lantier?" She spoke gently to Erik whose back was turned to her. He was leaning over, but Christine couldn't see what he was doing. "Erik?"
"Christine..." He grumbled. "Please wait outside for me, I'll be out in a second." He sounded like he was in pain. Christine grew worried and antsy as she remained in her spot. "Christine, go outside now." Erik demanded with his back still turned away from her.
"Erik, you sound like you're in pain... Let me help you. Do you want me to call you a-"
"No, goddamnit! Just get the hell out of my classroom!" His voice echoed throughout the hall, ricocheting off the walls, permeating her body down to her bones. Christine flinched backwards, stumbling into the desks. Grabbing her bag, she quickly headed for the door, her heart racing faster than ever. "Wait." Christine was almost out into the hallway before she heard Erik's heart-shattering voice beckon to her. This time, it was broken, coarse and shaken. "Turn the lights off, Christine." The student hesitantly walked back into the classroom, turning the lights off as she ventured to his desk. She couldn't refuse him, ever.
"Erik, I didn't mean to make you angry or suggest that you couldn't take care of yourself. I'm just trying to help you." Christine stated as she looked upon the hunched over man.
"I know." He simply replied, his posture finally straightening out, his bones cracking in his back. "Do you ever wonder about what lies behind the mask, Christine?" Erik's voice had changed exponentially. It had grown deeper, mystical, enchanting. Christine was almost put under a deep spell as soon as he spoke those words.
"I never wonder, because you never gave me a reason to wonder." Christine finally replied as she meticulously watched Erik move in a completely different manner. His hands were twitching, but majestically; it was unlike anything she had ever seen. "You never told me to worry or gave me any reason to question what lies behind your mask. You never question what lies behind all of my curls." Erik let out a masculine chuckle, if that was even possible. He turned slightly, the profile of his unscarred face silhouetted by the light that streamed in of the now dark lecture hall. He had a sharp jaw line.
"Are you afraid of what lies behind it, the mask? Do you fear ugliness? Does thinking of a face so repulsive, so gruesome make your stomach tie into knots and your throat catch on itself?" Christine shrugged, not comprehending his enigmatic statements.
"We're all born with scars, Erik." The teacher closed his eyes, the burning that caused him to tear off his mask in the first place, returning all at once. It was so great, so vile, that it ached to have the mask on for more than ten minutes. He knew there was something wrong, but he hated doctors and he hated his face. He wished that he could be beautiful and handsome; the things that the mask could provide him. Standing to his feet, he turned on his heel to tower over the curly headed girl.
Her eyes immediately found his scathed face, darting around to taking in every detail there was to her teacher. It was leathery, stretched and even black in some areas. As it was stretched it some areas, mainly his nonexistent cheekbone, it was soft in other areas like his jaw and next to his mouth. Christine thought to herself as she examined him. There had been a fire of some sort. The skin was red, bright red from irritation. It look like there were hives beginning to rise on his cheek. That's why he was so irritable in class, his mask was rubbing against his already risen flesh. The tissue of his skull was showing and truly, Christine didn't know how he wasn't dead. She didn't question it, though. There was no eyebrow and there were many indentations of scars. His lips were swollen, which never had bothered her before. As she looked around the yellowed skin, she finally stopped on his nasal cavity. It was completely gone. There was simply a hole. She glanced down at the desk and saw a prosthetic nose. Finally, she put the puzzle together in her head.
"There was a fire, that was the accident." Christine finally spoke. Erik nodded, truly bewildered by the fact that she wasn't repulsed at his abhorrent face.
"I was born without an eyebrow, the scars near my ear. The fire took away the forehead, cheek bone, and cartilage in my nose. My lips though, have you never been bothered by them?" She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders.
"We all come with flaws. It's in the imperfection where true beauty is found." Christine took a deep breath. "Tell me about the fire." She took a seat on the desk, ushering for Erik to take a seat in his teacher's chair.
"I don't remember much of it, honestly. We were rehearsing for an opera and the chandelier was supposed to dramatically 'fall' onto the stage. Something went wrong and it actually fell, starting a fire that just kept growing. I was down in the pit conducting and I... Don't remember anything else. I woke up in a hospital some odd weeks later with this for a face." Erik began piecing together his, 'normal,' look again, only to be stopped by a small hand.
"Don't, I want to keep looking at you." Erik paused, furrowing his brow at the student. "What happened after you woke up in the hospital?" Christine grabbed the white mask, examining it André examining a new scratching post.
"I spent a year in the hospital trying to get a somewhat normal face back, but this was the best they could do. They told me that some of the chandelier pieces got in my head and the fire burned most of my skin off and, just... Pretty disgusting things, Christine. Strangely enough, my nose was violently cut off by a cymbal." Erik let out a shaky laugh. "I spent six months to the next year trying to rehabilitate myself. After I was healed, it was about two and a half years after the accident... I got my teaching credential and I moved here to California. I met Bailey and got a job teaching here." Christine nodded, trying to take in the teacher's story. With a deep breath, Christine rose to her feet and held out her hand.
"Come with me, Erik." He tilted his head in confusion as he rose to his feet.
"Where are we going, Miss Daaé?" Christine smiled widely, handing Erik back his mask. Grabbing her backpack, she turned on her heel and made a beeline for the door, only to turn around once again to face the one man she knew would keep her darkest secrets.
"Like I said, Professor Lantier, we all have our scars."
A/N:
it's 2:45am & I'm so tired. I'm getting a tattoo tomorrow! MY FIRST! AH. ok. anyway goodnight! I'm sorry for the shortish (?) chapter.
thank you for continually reading & hopefully reviewing. I do read all of the reviews & I do take them in stride, making sure I add whatever notes you give me to help make this Phanfic better! I love getting reviews. it makes me feel all special inside. You're all wonderful. I love you all.
Goodnight.