Erik: Hello. On account of what happened previously, I have taken it upon myself to present you with this chapter in place of the author...
DoctorPhantom: Erik. Give the laptop back. They can keep the chapter, but give the laptop back.
Erik: You're not very good at making deals, are you?
He grunted, getting to his feet, shaking his head to clear the ringing in his ears. "Adellade! Christine!" He walked over to the chairs, seeing her huddled there in an attempt to hide. "Here. Christine. It's alright. It's over."
He looked around, seeing Madeline lying on the floor. He walked over to her, kicking the revolver out of her hand. Erik knelt before her, seeing the way her eyes stared above her into nothing, the blooming of red staining her dress.
"Madeline's dead," he announced. "Adellade? It's alright. She's dead…." His voice trailed off, seeing her across the room from him, Christine already there to attempt to comfort her.
He walked over to them, kneeling before her. "Adellade. Adellade: look at me. Look at Erik. Just Erik." He gently tilted her head so she was looking at him. "See? Just Erik. Are you hurt? Does anything hurt? Adellade? Does anything hurt?"
She shook her head. He reached out and placed his hand over hers, gently taking the revolver from her, setting it aside.
"Here." He took the doll and handed it to her, wrapping her hands around it. "Remember this? Remember how you made this for Erik because you saw he had nothing to play with? Remember how we dressed her up to look like an angel? Remember how you went out to the garden each day to gather up things to build her a home? A place where she could sit and enjoy the sun?"
She nodded. He leaned over and gently wrapped his arms around her.
"Close your eyes. Can you do that? Can you close your eyes for Erik?"
She did and he picked her up, carrying her toward the door as Christine followed. He carried her to the Daroga's home and he answered Christine's knocking.
"Did you do something to her?" he demanded. "And what was that noise I heard? Have you any idea the amount of panic you've stirred up?"
"A bed, Daroga?"
"Through that door."
He carried her there, placing her down on the bed. Erik sighed and closed the door before going to sit on the bed in front of her. He removed the mask and set it before her.
"You may open your eyes now if you wish."
She did so and he sighed. She blinked and looked at him, then at the mask and doll.
"Erik is here for whatever you may require of him." He reached up to touch her face, gently wiping away a tear from the edge of her eye. "Whatever you require, however small it may seem." He wrapped her hands around the doll. "Hold onto her. Try to remember her. Remember those days in the attic when we would make up stories and play games. Do you remember those times?"
She nodded.
"Good." He smiled. "Very good. Remember those days, Adellade. Erik will be right back. I believe the Daroga is impatiently waiting for an explanation. Best to put this back on, hm?" He replaced the mask and stood, leaning down to kiss her. "Whatever you may need, Erik is here for you," he murmured into her hair.
"So what is going on?" Nadir demanded.
Erik sighed and grabbed him by the sleeve, dragging him outside.
"Release me!" he demanded, straightening out his coat. "I am not something for you to simply drag around, now am I?"
"I wasn't going to explain inside where she could overhear!"
"Since when have you ever cared about decency? The same man who designed a place for the Shah where no one could speak a word without being overheard! The same man who crept around his tunnels to listen into the affairs of the opera house!"
"It wasn't Christine I was concerned about, Daroga."
"Then why-?"
He turned to see her in the doorway. "You may stay or remain inside if you prefer. All I ask is that you leave Adellade to herself. That you not speak with her of what has occurred, do you understand?"
She nodded and turned to leave, closing the door behind her.
"I went to confront Madeline Destler," he began. "I found where she was living, and presented myself to her. Something made me curious about what type of life Adellade had been living underneath her roof. It was not a pleasant one, Daroga. She cried herself to sleep at nights, had to be chained so as to stop her from attempting to hurt herself because of a nightmare…." He sighed. "She said things about Erik's was upset with her-and rightfully so! So he challenged her to see whom Adellade cared for more."
"You know she would choose you over her own mother! Did you have to go and make a game out of it all?"
"Madeline was the one who chose how she was to decide. I knew she wouldn't be able to do it-wouldn't be able to take the revolver and kill her…. I had no say in the matter. She still refused. Things got out of hand. Madeline tried to kill Erik and Adellade-she…." He lowered his head. "Madeline Destler is dead, Daroga."
"You killed her? You killed Madeline in front of Adellade? In front of Christine? Are you mad? I thought we left all of this behind in Persia!"
"So what would you have me do?"
He opened his mouth to respond, stopping when he saw the way Erik stood. He looked more a man resigned to his fate than anything else. He had seen Erik after his kills in Persia-had seen what they had done to him. None of those had ever made him look like this, as if he knew he had come to the end of his life-that no amount of resistance could stop it. This wasn't the way Erik would hold himself after killing Madeline Destler. He would be proud of himself, would be glad that Adellade wouldn't have to suffer any more at her hand….
Adellade…. There was only one other time he had seen Erik look the way he did now…. The time Erik had watched over her after their escape-when he had cared for her, had worked to rid her of the poison…. The same look had been there as it was here. That resigned look, the clenched fist indicating the anger, the hatred, the self-loathing.
Erik hadn't explained away his reasoning for killing Madeline. Not the way he had done before in Persia. He hadn't tried to reason his way out-to make Nadir see his logic. He had accepted the accusation-welcomed it even. All because of one thing….
"It wasn't you, was it?"
"I doubt she even knew what she had done until it was too late." He swallowed. "I brought you out here so that she wouldn't have to hear it. So that she wouldn't have to hear what she had done. The first man I ever killed was a gypsy. The very first one. I had to slit his throat so that we could escape. The weeks I spent, wondering how she would see me now-the times when I could still see him fall, could still feel the blood on my hands…. I told myself I had no other choice-that I did what I had to do-until that became the only thing I could ever hear. I never did kill another until I stepped foot in Persia. Trust me: she doesn't need the reminder of what she's done. I got her out of there, took her away from that place. Tried to distract her with memories of a happier time…. She's hurting, Daroga. She's hurting and I don't know how to stop it. I don't know how to stop the pain she is in-how to banish the haunted look in her eyes! Tell me how to fix it, and I shall, whatever that may be. Simply tell me how to end this for her."
"Time. Time will help. You need to be gentle with her. She's delicate right now, and needs time to process it-to let her own mind work this out. The best you can do is be there for her. Comfort her when she needs comforting. That's all you can do for now."
He opened the door, hearing the whimpering sounds coming from within. Nadir sighed, seeing him sitting up against the wall, head in his hands, traces of scarlet still on his skin…. He was a man, yet his size made him look to be little more than a child.
"Leave me alone!" he called out. "Leave Erik alone! Erik has killed a man. Has killed a man and now his blood is on Erik's hands! See! See the blood! See the blood…."
"I see you've made use of some drugs there," he muttered, eyeing the open box. "They won't help all that much."
"Erik was upset. He was upset and reacted."
"I can see that." He eased himself down next to him. "I can also see that you've never taken a life before."
"Once, but that was different. Erik didn't have a choice then. He had a choice now."
"It's in the past. You can't hope to change it. What you can do is continue on. That blood will wash out of your hands eventually. You'll see." He stood and paused before leaving. "Oh, and the Shah did ask to see you. I suspect you ought to pull yourself together before seeing him."