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

[Guile]

Erik finally went to bed after hours of thinking about what had just happened to him - trying to ignore the raw pain in his heart. As he lay there, he glanced at the other side of the bed and closed his eyes, feeling the familiar sting of tears at the empty space. He fell asleep and woke the next morning, wiping the exhaustion from his eyes as he got dressed. He woke early - the performance wouldn't happen for quite some time yet - he figured because of the nightmares that had once haunted him had resurfaced as of last night. Sighing, he paced back and forth impatiently, going over and over in his mind what he would do to get his family back. It was a fairly simple plan, but he wanted to make sure he got it right, judged every possible angle correctly. There would be no mistakes, he prayed. "And you will pay, vicomte." Erik promised the man silently, to himself, his words coming out in a growl.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The family finally gathered after an hour or so of preparation. Together, they sat and prayed at the table, holding hands. Raoul led the prayer. "Dear Father, bless you for this meal we have at this table. Bless that Christine's and Catherine's voices shine brightly above all others. Keep us all safe. Amen." He finished praying. "Amen." Christine and her children repeated as they finally tucked into their food. When they had finished, De Chagney hurried them along to get their clothes together. "We'll be late. Hurry, now!" He pleaded as he escaped to get their carriage together.

 

[Guile]

Erik noticed that the time was drawing nearer to the performance. His heart quickened - from anticipation or the exciting thrill of the fact that he was about to be his old self again, he wasn't sure. Unable to wait down below anymore, Erik opened the lever of the gate and escaped to the world above after pocketing his dagger once again by his side, just in case. He climbed the stairs in a hurry and made his way to box five, slipping through the shadows the whole way there.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Raoul, be calm." Andrew basically begged him as they came bounding after him not long after he left. Christine stopped just outside her home and saw something glimmer in the sun. She pinched her fingers together as she lifted the ring and slipped it in her pocket for safe keeping, then boarded the vehicle. Soon, they were on the road again, and just as soon, it stopped in front of the Opera Popular. "Your audience awaits, my lady." Andrew took William from his mother and helped her down. Keeping his other arm wrapped around her the whole way. He left with the family, minus Christine, of course, and took their seats. "Mother, I'm nervous." She admitted. Christine grinned and kissed her quickly. "It's natural. I promise."

 

[Guile]

Erik did not see the carriage roll up outside the Opera, but as they came in the building he could see the family. He watched, forcing his broken heart to calm itself the best it could. Then, he saw Christine and actually had to turn away for the burning inside of him was too great. Shaking his head to clear it, Erik had to focus on his plan, which would commence shortly after the show had started. For a moment, Erik doubted his ability to go through with it - that soft part of him fearing that Christine and the children would hate him forever if he ripped them from their last chance at happiness. However, another thought came to his mind. What does it matter if they hate me or not? They'll continue to hate me, even if I walk away from this now. It's better to take them now and have them hate me, than let them go and never see them again except for passing glances when they come to the Opera. Erik still didn't wish any harm on his family. He loved them, all of them, more than life itself. But, he knew he was going to have to use force now, to get them to stay with him.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Just do what I do. You can do this. I promise you." Christine hugged her daughter, not wanting to look into Erik's eyes in her face. Again, Madame Giry came by and made her usual rounds to give the Phantom his dues. "What has happened to this place. It was exquisite not too long ago." Her face was sad. "I know you are hiding, Erik." As the music started, the manager stepped on the stage. "Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to present two beautiful young ladies, and their equally exquisite voices. A mother and daughter duet to bless my theater for a long time to come. Please, assist me in welcoming, after a long absence, Christine and Catherine Daae!" He clapped as he stepped away from the stage.

 

[Guile]

Reluctantly, Erik turned to face Madame Giry, his eyes showing the sadness in himself as well. "I know Madame." He was ashamed of himself - he could hardly look her in the eyes knowing he was about to do something drastic once more. However, he couldn't tell her that he was going to do anything. Madame Giry had never let him down before, but she was a good woman and Erik feared that she would warn someone of his intentions if he confessed to her. "I am sorry, my friend." Was all he said to her, so that he wouldn't give his plan away. A sudden thought of how dangerous this was going to be struck him. He knew the vicomte would not let his foe take away Christine and the others so easily, and it was very possible they could end up in a fight. Finally, Erik looked into Madame Giry's eyes. "If...if something should happen to me, at any time, I want to thank you for all you've done. I know that I say it quite a lot, but you have been most generous. If I can do anything for you or Meg, do not hesitate to ask. I owe you more than I could ever repay." Looking down at the money his friend had come to give him, he sighed. "I want you to keep that, again. I can last without payment this month." In his mind, Erik was thinking what he really meant by that. I want you to keep that because I may not live long enough to even need it. The dagger at his side was a vicious reminder of the dangers that were to come. As the manager got of the stage, Erik cursed him under his breath. "Bless your theater? They could have done this before, when I asked you, and blessed your theater sooner." Still, he waited. The right moment had not come yet - he would wait until they started to sing, let himself listen for a while, and then act.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"You can do something for us." Meg chimed in. "You can promise us that you will not let anyone hurt you and that you won't get caught. You'll be with Christine." Meg was serious as she pleaded with Erik, taking his hands in hers. "Please, Monsiuer." Her mother smiled and, placing her hands on Meg's shoulders, she whispered. "Now, Meg, he'll be fine. He's never gotten hurt before." Down below, Catherine felt a surge of fear course through her as the music to the only song she knew word for word sent the tune into her brain. "Think of me, think of me, fondly, when we've said goodbye..." Christine began. But, Catherine had suddenly drawn a blank and had a flashback of a scene that she had never witnessed. It was a memory that wasn't hers. Her mother was singing this very same song as Countess so long ago. Suddenly, gathering her thoughts, she chimed in. "Remember me, once in a while, please, promise me you'll try..." they continued together. "When you find that once again you long to take your heart back and be free, if you ever find a moment...spare a thought for me!"

 

[Guile]

Erik smiled down at Meg, grateful for her concern. "Thank you, Miss Giry. I appreciate it, and I promise I will be just fine." Christine's voice filled his ears suddenly, and Erik felt a new stinging in his heart. He closed his eyes and forced himself not to be saddened by the memories that came rushing back, but angered at Raoul for taking away his chance at making new memories. Erik knew that to keep the nerve that allowed him to do this again, he would have to be angry. If he thought about how it would hurt Christine and the children, he would never go through with it. As their voices rang out in unison, Erik opened his eyes and looked back at his two sincerest friends. "Thank you, both of you. I must go now, or it will be too late." Making his way past them, he forced a genuine-looking smile. "Do not worry for me, my friends. I shall see you soon!" Then, he made his way around backstage. He watched from there, hidden from view, and weighed his options. He could take Catherine or Christine, but not both. They would struggle, he knew, and he could not keep hold of both of them and maneuver them down below. He decided to pick the one person that would cause all the rest to follow in an attempt to rescue her: Christine. If he took Catherine, Raoul might come, but it was more likely that Andrew would follow as well. Erik could not take on two men - he only wished to lure the one down, if he had to lure any of them at all. What would make his life easy was if Raoul just gave up, Christine forgave him, and all the children came and followed them down. Unfortunately, life was not that simple and Erik was forced to push that useless thought from his mind.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"We never said our love was evergreen..." Christine started to look behind her, feeling that surge of fear again.


"Or as unchanging as the sea


But if you can still remember


Stop and think of me..." her heart felt that same aching as her other half was so intensely close to her. She could feel him. Catherine felt it as well. Trying to ignore it, she forgot where they were in the song. The women felt as if, instead of a duet, this was about to become a malicious, yet enthralling trio. "Mother, he's come." She whispered. She thought she heard a warning go through her mind that didn't come from her conscience, but a male's voice.

 

[Guile]

Erik felt a sudden twinge of guilt as he sensed the fear that was running through Christine and Catherine at the moment. He shook his head and thought to himself. I'm not going to hurt you... his heart ached again I'm just going to take away your last chance at a normal life... Forcing himself to focus on his task, Erik decided he would make this a little amusing for his good friend, the vicomte de Chagney. Erik started singing as he stepped form the shadows of backstage. "Think of all the things we've shared and seen. Don't think about the way things might have been." Erik got closer to the two, his eyes threatening, but the threat was not directed at them - it was directed at anyone who dared take this chance away from him. As he got closer to his family, he was reminded of the times when Christine and he would sing on stage, just having fun - how beautiful they had been. The memories softened his eyes and he went to Christine, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "Think of me, think of me waking silent and resigned. Think of me trying too hard to put you from my mind." As he held tightly to Christine, he glanced at Catherine, his eyes saddening as much as his heart was, the longer he stayed out here with them.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The feeling of his fingers on her belly, made Christine want to melt there again. "Oh..." She was very soft spoken now. With her pale, white face pointed at him as her head was forced backward onto his shoulder, not quite to the point of passing out, but very much to the point to where she was lost in his embrace. "Recall those days,


look back on all those times,


think of the things


we'll never do...


there will never be a day when


I won't think of you." Madame Giry, in on this plot, stopped De Chagney from getting up on the stage. "Leave them, Raoul!"

 

[Guile]

Erik held Christine close to him and as he listened to her voice, he ran his fingers lightly over her belly. He almost audibly sighed when she leaned back and rested her head on his shoulder. Erik placed a tender kiss on her cheek and had to fight back tears. The anger was quickly melting from him as she so willingly stayed there, letting him hold her. Erik had planned to drag her down below, but he couldn't force himself to take her from the stage now, not when she was being so good to him. "Flowers fade, the fruits of summer fade. They have their seasons, so do we." Erik felt tears forcing their way out at his own words, though his voice was steady and soothing. "But, please, promise me that sometimes you will think..." He couldn't go on, his voice weakened and wavered.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Flowers fade...She thought. Their games and play were over long ago. Forcing all her strength to come to her at last, she pushed against him and held onto their daughter. "Go away!" She ordered him. "I want nothing to do with you any longer!" She brought the ring from her pocket and pressed it into his glove. "I'm happily married." Christine yanked Catherine away from him and off the stage.

 

[Guile]

Erik was shocked, he had felt as if she had forgiven him. He had been a fool to think she had. Then, she placed the ring in his gloved hand. Along with the pain, his anger quickly resurfaced, and he wasn't about to let them get away. "NO!" He screamed, and suddenly the lights went out in the Opera, caused by a pre-determined plan of Erik's. Accustomed to the shadows and finding his way around in the darkness, he found Christine and tore her away from Catherine, going back to his plan of taking only one of them. Of course, she struggled, but Erik swept her up off the ground and held her as tightly as he could. Finding his trap door, he took Christine down into the cellars with him, by force, once again.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The theater went into a panic as the lights went out and, when they came back on and Christine and the Ghost had disappeared, the panic only got worse. Meg and her mother hid smiles as they too saw their friends gone. They let go of the Vicomte, allowing him to jump through the trap door just as he had done before, but, the Phantom's children did not follow. "What are you doing, Phantom?!?" His captive kept struggling. "Let me go, please!" She wasn't going to come quietly. He would have to fix that part himself if he wanted. "Please, don't do this! I know I've betrayed you too often, but this isn't right." She felt as if she were.conversing with a brick wall, for, of course, he just ignored her pleas.

 

[Guile]

Erik hurried down below with Christine in his arms. He ignored her pleas to let her go, but he could not ignore the fear in her voice. He did not speak at first, but as they crossed the water he looked at her and his eyes showed only pain - the immense pain she had caused and that he felt for having to do this to her. Erik finally got her back to his home and shut the gate before he let her go. Erik guarded the lever though, he would not let her escape. "I cannot let you go, Christine." His words were surprisingly soft and laced with guilt - his own actions were tearing him apart.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Why not?" She tried her best to sound calm in the face of this man. "Please, I told you that I cannot stay down here and wither away to nothing." She didn't move from where he had set her down, on their marital bed. "Please, I am too scared to stay down here. My children must be so frightened. They need me." She wanted to cry. For the situation. For him, being lied to and alone for years. For her children. For herself. For her angel of music that she missed so desperately. "Phantom, I know that you would never hurt me." She stood slowly and quietly, walking toward him. She reached up to his face and ripped the mask from it. "I expect to see your face when I'm talking to you."

 

[Guile]

Erik was turned away from her, he could not face her. He was too ashamed to even look into her eyes. He shook his head as she spoke, his own words caught in his throat. When she came over to him, he turned slowly toward her and winced as she ripped off his mask. "I can't let you go...because I love you too much. If you know that I will not hurt you, then why are you scared of staying down here?" Erik couldn't look in her eyes - he would break down and cry if he did. He thought about the children - how frightened they must be, and his heart broke even more. Still, he refused to let her go. He gave her a short, but true answer as to why he couldn't. "I will die without you." Erik promised her as he turned and looked deep into her eyes for the first time that night.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"I am not so scared of staying down here as I am of not having Catherine, Alistair, Lilly and William." She corrected that statement. "Please, they need their Mommy. You know that." She was shaking at this point. "Please, my closest friend, they need me." Crying, she sank to her knees. "I need them with me." She heard that he was basically going to kill himself if she left, so she held onto his hand as her forehead hit his knee. "If you don't want me to go, how can we be sure that they will come?"

 

[Guile]

Erik found it hard to swallow as he felt her trembling and crying for her children. Tears started to come from his own, despite how much he tried to blink them away. "I-" he finally croaked out his words, "I know they need their mother. But...I need them too!" Erik cried out his confession. "They are my blood as well. I love them." His words started to fade off as she took his hand. Erik cursed himself silently for putting her through so much pain. "They will come." Erik assured her, getting down onto his knees so that he was level with her - so she could look in his eyes and see how much she and the children meant to him. "If they do not..." Erik glanced over his shoulder at the gate, "we will go for them. If you wish it."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Everything up above was like a blur. People were panicking, Raoul was gone. And even the children were hiding themselves in Box Five for a while until Andrew suggested that they return to their home. "But, our daddy is mean now." Alistair's voice was like a mouse. "Don't say that!" Catherine begged as she held them both, Andrew held the baby, and they journeyed to their 'front door.' They went down one by one, Andrew having difficulties. "Horsey!" Lillith exclaimed, spotting the large and strong black horse that obviously, wasn't the original from so long ago. "Wait for me!" The twins climbed onto his back. The horse gave a loud snort as it hauled the children to the gate. "Mommy!" Lillith squealed her excitement. Catherine smirked, having an idea that would lighten the mood. "Oh dear, I am late for school. Whatever shall I do. My teacher will surely punish me for this. Don't you think, Brother, Sister?" She grinned from ear to ear as they agreed. "All three of us will have to stay late." The little girl chided in. "No, we should be spared. The gate was closed and locked." Alistair shook the bars after getting off of his steed. "See, locked."

 

[Guile]

Erik looked up at the sound of the children approaching. A relieved smile spread across his face as he saw them. "You see?" Erik placed his hand under Christine's chin and lifted it up so that she could see his eyes, which were starting to brighten. "They came back. For you." He added, removing his hand and shifting his eyes away from her gaze as the shame of what he had done burned inside him. Once again, Erik stood and opened the gate for them. "Please, children," Erik motioned to them, the genuine smile still on his face, "come in. No need to be afraid, I promise." His words were soft and inviting, and he meant them.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

When Erik had her chin in his hand, that same surge of longing came over the poor woman. She showed her teeth as she smiled up at this man who held her close. "I can see that, Master." She couldn't exactly call him her husband or her lover, not even her fiance at this moment. The ring was off of her finger, therefore, she was available. "May I please get the gate?" She held his arm, until he removed it from her chin. "Yeah, we can't really get in." Alistair shook the bars again. "The school gate is closed." He teased.

 

[Guile]

Erik smiled back at her, and nodded in agreement. "Of course, Christine." He stepped aside and gave her free passage to the lever. Erik stood, waiting for the gate to rise, watching Christine. It was only then that he realized the ring was no longer on her finger. His heart lurched in his chest and he turned his gaze away, forcing himself not to think about what she may have done with it.