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

[Saiyan Princess]

He froze as icy sweat trickled down his cheeks and his knuckles turned white. He turned and laughed. "Who'd you pay off to put on a stupid mask and tattered cape?" He asked. Catherine's eyes were wide. "Just because I can pay someone to do it doesn't mean I did, Edward."

 

[Guile]

The Phantom glared at the boy. "Would you like me to prove that I am who I say I am?" He hid a threat within that question, that he wasn't sure the boy picked up on, but Catherine might know what he meant.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

With Edward's back to her, Catherine shook her head vigorously, warning her teacher not to give himself away. She stopped shaking her head and allowed him to do whatever he wanted. If he wanted to prove himself, she wouldn't stop him. "Sir, please don't start anything. You don't have to prove anything to anyone!" She pushed Edward out of the way and wrapped her thin, bony arms around her teacher. Master and pupil were reunited once more.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom was about to take his mask off and reveal himself when Catherine ran up and wrapped her arms around him. All the hate rushed out of him and he was filled with joy once again at her touch. He placed on hand on her back, the other he caressed her hair with. "I'm sorry, Catherine." He whispered to her. "I never wanted you to think I had abandoned you - I don't want to see you hurt."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She smiled as she used all of her senses to re associate him to her memory. "Don't say sorry. You have nothing to apologize for." She yawned in exhaustion, almost falling asleep in his arms. It was only morning, but she was exhausted from all of this singing. "Can we go back? I wanna stay with you until Mama and Papa come back." Edward's eyes were wide. "You aren't going with that, are you, Catherine?" The girl nodded and held herself closer to him.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom smiled, his eyes closed, and listened to her. It wasn't so much what she had said, it was just hearing the sound of her voice that made him smile. He opened his eyes and looked down at her, hearing her yawn and seeing the tiredness in her eyes. "Of course." He whispered softly. He reached down and swept her up into his arms and carried her out of the room. He paused only for a moment to turn and look back at Edward. "Oh, by the way, Edward." He said. "Keep your filthy lips off of my student." He threatened before leaving with her in his arms. As he walked down through the cellars with her, he thought about what he had said to Edward. It occurred to him that he'd had to pause and correct himself. He had almost said 'my daughter.' The thought of himself as a father stirred something in the Phantom's heart, but he tried his best to push the feeling away. He would never be a father - he could never be. He had lost his one and only love years ago, and she was happily married now. There was nothing he could do to get her back, and he wanted no one else. He would have to focus on being almost like a second father to Catherine, he supposed. Without actually saying so - he didn't want Catherine to feel like he looked upon her as a small child. After all, she was very mature for her age, however, she was still very young. The Phantom couldn't be blamed for looking at her as a daughter.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Edward laughed again. "When she objects, I'll stop. I'd rather have filthy lips than that mask hiding my hideous face." He was so proud of himself now. He felt like he outsmarted the Phantom. As the Phantom rowed the boat toward his home, Catherine was resting her head against him as she leaned back. Even though he was standing, she felt extremely comfortable like this. "Don't let his words hurt you, Master."

 

[Guile]

The Phantom rowed on, thinking about what the boy had said. "Don't worry, Catherine, I won't." He paused and glanced down at her. "Catherine?" He asked softly, knowing she was tired. "Do you love him?" He waited for her answer. "Don't worry, I won't mind if you do. Honestly, he's...not done anything wrong, really. I'm just...bitter I guess." He chuckled. "I promise not to say anything to your parents about him either." He added, teasing her a little bit. "I don't think they'd appreciate their daughter with a boy just yet." He joked. "So I'll spare you from their wrath."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"I don't really like him anymore. Not after how he treated you. It was like you weren't here at all and the thought of that made me physically ill, sir." She took a deep breath and sang just to keep herself from falling asleep in the boat. "In sleep he sang to me...in dreams he came...that voice which calls to me...and speaks my name.." She continues with this song for a while.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom didn't pressure her anymore on the subject of Edward. He rowed in silence, listening to her sing. Then, he realized what she was singing. "Where - where did you hear that song?" He asked, the words getting caught in his throat. They were almost to the gate now, but he was focused on Catherine again.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"I heard it around my home, sir." She flinched at him, thinking he was angry. "I heard my mother sing it a few times." She got wet as the water from the gate washed over her. "Is that going to be a problem?"

 

[Guile]

"No...no, child. Don't worry." His heart reached out to Christine as he thought about her singing their song around her home - years after she had fled from him. "It's just...your mother sang that song...with me." It was out before he could stop himself. The Phantom thought that, perhaps confessing that to Catherine had not been such a good idea. But, where was the harm really? Although, he didn't want her to think that he was using her to get to her mother - it was far from that. He just, couldn't help thinking about Christine.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Well, I just thought that it fit well in the current situation, dear Phantom." She truly had feelings for this man and if he only sought out her mother, well....she couldn't bear it. "Why wouldn't you sing it with me, then?" She asked as she waded through the water. She felt like he was growing ever more distant from her and it was eating her alive. "You haven't blended your voice with mine at all really."

 

[Guile]

The Phantom sensed she was upset, and he tried to reassure her. "Well, that song is..." He sighed as he got out of the boat, not sure how to put this without hurting her feelings. "It's just that...your mother and I sang that together and, well, I...wouldn't feel right singing it...with another person." His face reddened out of guilt. "I'm sorry, Catherine. I don't want you to feel that I don't care about you as a student - I do, very much. I-I...just...we can pick a different song to sing together." He smiled at her, hoping she would understand.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Her eyes were immediately dripping with tears and she covered her face to hide them. He doesn't love me at all! She couldn't look at him. Not anymore. "You only see my mother. All I am to you is a doorway to her!" She stood in the boat, it tipped over and she went under, then came up, stood and shivered, but she didn't care. He didn't love her and that was enough. "Take me home at once!"

 

[Guile]

The Phantom waded in the water and pulled her out as carefully as he could, despite her protests, took his coat off and put it around her. "Listen to me, please." He begged her softly. "You are not my doorway to her - you never were. I want you here as my student. I care about you, Catherine - you're like a daughter to me." He couldn't believe he had said that out loud, but he had, and it was the truth. "Your mother...doesn't love me...anymore. Sometimes I doubt if she ever did. How could I use you to get to her if she doesn't care for me? She'd just turn me away anyway. I don't want to hurt you, Catherine - I never did and I never will. I just, wish you could understand how...hard it is for me to see you and not think of your mother." Tears began rolling down his face silently now as well. "I love her so much...I always have." He looked up at Catherine and put his hand on her shoulder. "I love you too, Catherine. But...you must understand...I love you as a father loves his child. Please, don't take offense. You're very mature for your age, but you are fourteen. I am a few years older than your mother. I could, hypothetically speaking, be your father." He tried explaining calmly and hoped that she would understand and hopefully not hate him too much after this.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"You're right. I'm just a last resort. A second option. If you didn't want me for me, why did you let me kiss you?" She shrugged his coat off and backed away from him. "I was stupid to think that you would ever love me. I was stupid to trust you. I was stupid to scream for you at night. It would have been better if you were a silly story!" When she reached the lever that opened the gate, she pulled it.

 

[Guile]

"Catherine, please. I was lost in your kindness that night. I need you to understand for me...no one had ever done anything like that...accept your mother. When you kissed me I thought of the first - and only time - she did. Plus, I was so shocked by how kind you were being that I couldn't think straight. It wasn't because you were close enough to your mother that I wanted to settle for you. It was never like that. I just..." His words broke off and he ran his hands through his hair, feeling tears coming again and choking on his words. "Oh, God...please, what can I do to make you believe me?" He cried.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"You can rot here in hell for all I care!" She left him and made her way through the Opera House catacombs, crying. "Such an idiot...how did I not see this coming? Him always comparing me to her and then wanting to teach me his ways in music. " she rubbed her face as she continued to walk. "No one will ever love me. My voice means nothing now." She emerged from her hiding place and escaped again, not coming back to her beloved sanctuary.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom watched her go knowing there was nothing he could do to make her understand. His heart ached at her words. "I deserved it...every word...I deserved." He fell to his knees on the floor and sobbed, not thinking about anything at all, just letting all the emotions of the past few weeks come pouring out once again. "I didn't mean it!" He screamed to himself. "I didn't mean to hurt her! God, why do you torment me?" He sobbed.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

When she reached home, she ignored her parents as they asked what kept her out so late, took a stick about the size of a baseball bat and went to her mirror with it. She felt just as badly as the Phantom did when he thought about his looks. She kept beating the mirror as it shattered. Christine rushed in and held her tightly as her father wrestled her to the ground and took her weapon away. "Child, stop this!" Raoul ordered her as he pinned her legs down. She still squirmed.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom didn't stop weeping for hours. He ended up lying in a heap on his floor, eventually just screaming out apologies to everyone he'd ever come in contact with and curses at himself. He couldn't think straight and all he wanted to do was die - something that Catherine probably wouldn't mind so much. Maybe she'd even celebrate it... He thought to himself.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

As time passed, Catherine just grew weaker and more distant than before. She couldn't take her mind off of the love of her life, but he needed to love her in return, which he didn't. Christine knocked on her door. "Sweetheart, we're going to the newest show." Her mother's words stung, but she nodded, got up, and followed her out. The whole way there, Catherine had her head on her mother's shoulder. They took their seats as the child started writing a letter.


Dear Teacher,


These past weeks have been the best of my life and I have you to thank for that. I want you to know how truly grateful I am for everything you've done for me. As my teacher, you stood by me. As a father figure, you have taught me well. I know you still love Christine Daae, so this is my farewell letter. I must move on with my life and let you pursue what makes you happy. Thank you, my Angel of Music.


Catherine.


She finished this letter and stored it in between two seats in Box Five.

 

[Guile]

The Phantom made his way to box five for the next show. Lately, he hadn't felt like going to the shows much anymore, but he always drug himself along at least for the first act, just to make sure the managers were doing alright with casting and such. He seated himself in box five and almost didn't notice the piece of parchment between the two seats. He picked it up and read it twice over. The letter brought tears to his eyes and his heart stung worse than ever before. The poor girl...I hurt her so badly, and then she still brings herself to write this sweet goodbye to me...I deserve to rot in Hell, just like she said. He didn't even watch the show, just sat in his chair - his eyes staring blankly into space as he let his memories overtake him once again. But, this time, there was no tears - just shame and self-hatred.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Catherine sat there, not really paying any attention to the show. She wasn't herself anymore. She wasn't that bright, bubbly child that her parents treasured. She was pale and had a sunken face. Her hair was falling out and she had lost fifteen pounds already. She just managed to look over at her teacher's box and saw him reading the note. She smiled, knowing that he was hurting just as much as his student. Part of her felt empty and bad too. She didn't want his suffering, but she didn't know what to do or say to him, if he decided that she was worth actually speaking to once more. "Master, you have a gift. I love you for that and the kindness and tender love and care you've shown me." Even whispering, she thought he could hear her thoughts, just like Christine's.