Music of the Night: The Phantom of the Opera Returns (Guile & Melody)

[Saiyan Princess]

Catherine simply stayed in the corner until she felt better about this situation. As she waited, she dried her face. "I cannot face him now. I failed him and he'll be upset with me." She watched the others hurry and get ready for their first rehearsal. It was torture just to go through putting make up on. She didn't see the point anymore. "You look simply stunning, Catherine." Her best friend, Elizabeth fawned over her. "Thank you, dear. As do you." Catherine mumbled under her breath.


Upon entering his office and scanning the note, the manager scoffed. "She lost because she tried to buy her way in, sir. I will not be intimidated by such a letter when you cannot even face me yourself, sir." He spoke as he wrote down an answer. "She is only a child and will have to earn her place in my theatre starting at the bottom. If I was obligated to automatically give her the position only because of her bloodline, I would have handed her the note myself." He stuck his answering letter under his flower pot. If there truly was a Phantom, he would find it.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom watched from the shadows as the manager went in, then came back out moments later looking no more unnerved than he had going in. Once he disappeared down the hall, the Phantom snuck back into the office and read the letter. As he read it, he filled with rage again. He crumpled up the letter and threw it on the ground. So be it. If it's a war you want, it's a war you'll get. He thought to himself with a smile on his face, as he went off to find the drunken Anastasia.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Annie was now passed out backstage, not aware of anything around her. Catherine stood up from the mirror and started walking to the stage, passing Annie and taking her spot. "He isn't here." She was slightly disappointed by this. He had always been there for her. "He's probably busy." She talked to herself. "Who are you speaking of, dear." Elizabeth asked. "Oh, no one, Lizzy." Catherine felt uneasy.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom stood over the new lead, looking down on her with distaste. There was no one around her to see what he was about to do, and that made him smirk. He picked her up in his arms, turning his head away in disgust at the strong smell of alcohol on her breath. As he carried her away, ready to hang her, the Phantom had a sudden change of heart. He didn't care an ounce for this distasteful girl he was carrying, but he was tired of being the killer. He was tired of taking lives and having people hate him because of it. So, instead, he would spare the girl. However, not at the expense of Catherine. Instead of killing Anastasia, he would hold her hostage - until Catherine had the lead, or until he had a better idea of what to do with this pathetic heap in his arms. He took her limp body out of the Opera House - surprisingly without being seen. He knew everyone in the House would be busy with the upcoming performance, but he was shocked to also see no one outside in view. He carried the girl far out into the city - through backstreets and alleys - until he came to an old, ramshackle building out in the middle of, seemingly, nowhere. The Phantom had been here before - it was where he had stayed when he was first chased out of the Opera House by the mob. He had needed somewhere to hide until the city had calmed down and stopped hunting for him after the kidnaping and release of Christine Daae. And now, he would keep Anastasia here until he was sure the Opera House would not take her back under any circumstances. He dropped her in the house - the girl never once stirring - and left a note behind before locking her inside.


Anastasia,


You are in no danger - if you do not try to come back to the Opera House. If you do I shall have no choice but to kill you - which I would very much regret doing. So, if you will kindly stay here until I leave a note saying you are free to go, I would appreciate it. I think you'll find that it would be in your best interest to do as I say.





He left no signature on the note before leaving the house and returning to the Opera. Once there, he left a note again for the manager explaining that Anastasia could not perform tonight, or any other night henceforth, and if the managers were inclined to seek her out, she would be in great danger. Then, he left once more to wait in the shadows for their response.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Anastasia stirred not long after she was left here in this shack. After reading the note, she struggled to find a way out. All exits were blocked. She had food and water, so she wasn't in any real danger of dying. She read and re-read the note. "No! I have to get back!" She shook everything again, but nothing budged. She finally sank to the ground and sobbed.


The others frantically searched for their lead. There were screams of horror and something about how the Phantom had caused this yet again. Catherine froze. She felt him so close to her and she wanted him, but not at the expense of his freedom. "Where is she, Master?" She whispered to herself. Catherine was trembling like mad as she was yanked onto the stage. "The role...of the Countess, shall be played instead by Miss Catherine De Chagney, until we find Anastasia Tremaine." Catherine's heart was wild with fear and anxiety as she sank to her knees onstage.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom smiled, watching the frantic commotion as everyone tried to find Anastasia. However, the most satisfying of all events was the acceptance of Catherine as the new lead. He found his way through the shadows to box five which - surprisingly - was left empty for him once again. He would watch her performance from here, as usual.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Her heart sank as she tried to make the man see reason with this decision. "Sir, I don't know the song. Or any thing about this character!" The man rubbed his temples. "Dear, please, we have no one else until we can find her. Please do this for me." Catherine shut her eyes as she thought about this. "Alright, I will try, sir." "Splendid!" It wasn't the man beside her saying this, but a boy about her age. "I look forward to accepting you beside me as my leading lady." Catherine's face was pink now. "Yes, Monsieur." She whispered to the boy. "I should introduce myself, I am Edward Tremaine." He bowed to her, took her hand, and kissed it.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom sat in box five thinking about Catherine. He hoped she wasn't too nervous. However, if he knew anything about her, he knew she would manage. She was indeed talented - he had not lied to her. He just hoped he hadn't put too much pressure on her in such a short amount of time. Oh, she'll be fine. After all...she is the daughter of Christine... Just the thought of her made the Phantom want to disappear back into his lair, but he couldn't shy away now. He had to be there for Catherine. However, he wondered what Christine was doing. Perhaps, and it was very possible, that neither her nor Raoul knew that their daughter was now the new lead. That disappointed the Phantom. However much it hurt his heart to see the two of them, Catherine was their daughter. It made him wish they could be there for her - he knew Catherine would want them to be. And he knew for sure Christine would want to be there as well, however, he didn't know if he could say the same for Raoul.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"I know who you are, Annie is your cousin." Catherine smiled at him. Her parents threw open the doors in anger and worry. "Why didn't you tell us you were leaving? We've searched everywhere for you!" Her father yanked her from the stage. "You aren't supposed to go anywhere without me or your mother." Christine couldn't take this. "Raoul! Stop this. She was just going to surprise us!" She yanked her child away and told her to get back on stage. "I am sorry." Raoul told everyone as he sat down. Catherine was more nervous than ever now. She rubbed her wrist.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom stood in fury, with his fists clenched, as he glanced up just in time to see Raoul drag Catherine off the stage. He didn't know why he had stood so abruptly. What could he do? Go down there? Expose himself in front of everyone so that he could teach the Vicomte how to treat his daughter? As he was contemplating his next actions, he saw Catherine walk back on stage. The Phantom sat back down, calm once again, and smiled. Thank you, Christine. You are a wonderful mother. He thought to himself, knowing it was her that had saved the girl from her own father.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine heard this in her mind, still having a slight connection to the Phantom. She looked at Box Five, but could see nothing, so she blew it off as her wanting to hear her old angel of music again. "You must understand my concern, love." Raoul spoke softly to Christine. "Of course, Raoul, but no matter what, we will protect her, but she is a woman now." Christine answered, then was silent as Catherine took her proper spot on the stage and did her number.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom watched curiously as Christine glanced up at him. She turned away as though she didn't see him, and the Phantom was convinced she didn't, but he was still surprised. Not to mention his heart was racing, but not out of fear. Had she...heard me? He tried to swallow the emotions threatening to spill out at this thought. Catherine was taking her spot on the stage and was about to perform - he owed it to her to pay attention. This was her moment now.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Tch...a woman. She is fourteen." Raoul muttered as he listened to his little girl's performance. Catherine finished and looked around for the Phantom and saw him. The curtain closed on her and she left, telling her friend to watch for her parents. Catherine escaped and immediately went to Box Five. "Where is she? What did you do to her? Let her go!" She pushed him away from her. She wanted nothing to do with this man any more. "I will never sing the lead again unless it is fair!" She stormed away from him. "I never want to see you again!"

 

[Guile]

The Phantom raced after her and carefully grabbed her arm. "Catherine!" He was disappointed and upset, but not angry at her. "Please, stop. She is fine." He stopped her, placed his hands on her shoulders, and turned her to face him. "She is fine, I promise you that. I've never lied to you, and I won't start now. I did it only because you deserved to be the lead. Those managers can't tell talent when it's right in front of them. They were the ones that weren't being fair." He stopped to breathe for a second before continuing. "I promise, Anastasia is fine. She has food and water and plenty to sustain her until I let her go - which will be as soon as I am sure that the managers will never ignore my orders again, or until she agrees to never return to this Opera House." He stopped and looked into her eyes sincerely. "I would never harm her. I'm through being the bad guy. I won't harm anyone ever again, you must believe me. Please, Catherine." His eyes pleaded with her to understand.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The thought of what she just told the Phantom was eating away at Catherine. She didn't mean a word of what she said. Was it possible that he knew her feelings for him? No, that is impossible. "I believe you, sir." She had tears streaming down her face and she tried to wipe them. "Don't do this again. Promise that you will not." She moved closer and hid her face in his chest, remembering his promise to her the previous night. "You're right. I shouldn't be so quick to make decisions sometimes." She did feel terrible. "Are you hurt, Master?" She asked, looking up at him. "Can I still see where you live?"

 

[Guile]

The Phantom let Catherine lay her head on his chest. He placed a comforting hand on her back and wiped her tears away with the thumb of his other hand when she looked up at him. "No," he said softly, "I'm not hurt. And I promise you that I won't do anything like that ever again." He stopped and smiled at her reassuringly. "You may see where I live if it interests you that much." He laughed quietly. "Although, I'm not sure it will be too much to your liking." He took the girls hand in his gently preparing to lead her. "Would you like me to show you now? Or will your parents be expecting you back soon?" He questioned, his voice still soft, hoping to calm her down. He hated to see her cry.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"I told them that I would be celebrating with the whole group." She sighed, referring to the theater actors. "They know I'll be home late." She smiled the same way. "I don't care what your home looks like. If it's yours, that's fine." She whispered as he took her hand. "I just want to see it. You know how I live, for the most part. You don't like my father, at least. I know that." She allowed him to take her.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom couldn't help chuckle at the excuse she had given her parents as he lead her through the shadowed halls of the Opera House. "You're quite clever, Catherine." As they entered the dark cellars, he scoffed at the mention of Raoul de Chagney. "No, I do not like your father." He looked back at her with a secretive look glazing over his eyes. "However, I think it's best that I keep the story of why I don't like him to myself." He cleared his throat nervously as they wandered deeper into the cellars and were almost to the lake. "I don't think it's a story that you would particularly appreciate hearing." He paused, thinking about what she had said. "Although, I'm curious as to how you know I don't like him." He smiled back at her as he helped her into the boat.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She sat right in front of him on the place where she would be most comfortable. "It isn't so hard to figure out when I saw you almost jump down from your Box when Father grabbed me." She sat there and played with her hair, also nervous. As the boat moved on, she sang softly to herself to keep from jumping out of the boat. "Why do you stay down here?" She asked, finally.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom scoffed again at the thought of that moment - one of the more disgusting memories created by none other than Raoul de Chagney. "He had no right to grab you, or speak to you, like that." He said as though the discussion were perfectly casual. "No father does." He rowed on in silence, listening to the quiet singing of Catherine and smiling at the beautiful peacefulness of the moment - until she interrupted it with a question. Normally he wouldn't mind. He loved talking to her, answering her questions. But this question he could not answer - not entirely. "I...prefer to...stay away from people. They don't tend to like me too much, unfortunately." He sighed quietly at the sudden rush of memories - the very memories that came back to him in nightmares every night: being shunned from society, scoffed at, hated in general. Then, Christine and his first chance at true love - all ripped from him, once again, no thanks to Raoul de Chagney. Then they rowed through the gate and into the Phantom's lair at last. The candles rose from the water and lit instantly, creating a burning glow throughout his entire home.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She couldn't move. What had she expected? A palace under an opera house? She hadn't expected such a sad sight, that much she knew. Everything glass was broken. It was terrible. The lighting was beautiful on the lake and over all of the undamaged furniture. She noticed that none of the kept things were made of glass. She sat in her seat until she was told to move. She would never dream of angering the Phantom further. "It's beautiful, sir." She said at last. She ignored her growling stomach. "It's sad down here. You're all alone." She brought her knees to her chest.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom stopped the boat and got out. He looked around with a smirk on his face and laughed at the sadness of his own home. He looked back at Catherine over his shoulder. "It's alright." He said. "I know it's horrible. It was once...not so bad actually." Then your father and mother happened...but mostly your father. He thought, but didn't say. He didn't want to offend the girl. He glanced over at the mirror that he had punched the other day and noticed dried blood was still on it, he did his best not to draw attention to that. Then, he walked back to the boat and kneeled in front of the girl. "Did you want to go back up?" He asked. "You won't offend me, I promise. I know there isn't much here to see that isn't broken or battered." His face turned red with embarrassment, but he laughed. "It certainly isn't what it was when your mother first saw it."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

He was so close. Now was her chance, but, she would wait until she was safely on the shore before taking it from him. He was keeping so many secrets and the one that bothered her most was that mask. "No, I can stay for a while. I don't want my parents thinking that I just walked out on a party, sir." She stood up and stepped out of the boat and onto the shore. "It's beautiful, sir." She ran her hands over the bed posts first. "It's amazing! You have all of this space to yourself?" She asked, waiting for her chance to strike.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom smiled at her interest, but he was a bit confused. Why was she so intrigued by all of this? Nevertheless, he was glad to have company. He made her feel...welcome...in the world again. "Yes," he confessed, "but don't think I enjoy the emptiness. It gets...rather lonely down here." He looked down at the ground, trying to hide the sadness glazing over his eyes. He cleared his throat again, before looking up at her with a forced, quivering smile. He followed her through his home and watched as she examined every inch. He couldn't understand how one person could cause him so much joy and pain at the same time. Christine did the same thing...I suppose it's...in their blood. They don't do it intentionally to hurt you, you know. He thought to himself.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She wished that he didn't do this to her, make her feel so important in his life. It made her feel like she had disappointed him all of these years by not being there. Looking back at him, she smiled. He wasn't close enough yet. She felt like he was intentionally keeping his face away from her reach. It was now really late, but she cared not. She opened up his wardrobe to examine the inside. "Everything is sheer beauty, Master."