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

[Guile]

At Lilly's kiss, Erik's eyes brightened. So many years of being a father, but it never got old, not once. Even the word 'father' still brought immense joy to Erik's heart. "Wait." His daughter's words caused fear to grow in him. "She's taken the babies up there with her? Won't they all wonder..." Erik didn't want to finish his sentence. The managers don't know that any of the children are mine. If they found out...who knows what they'd do? But, with two babies up there with Catherine and Andrew...will they suspect anything? Perhaps they're too blind to notice. Erik hoped the managers were. "If they have any scrap of brain," he assured Christine, "they will understand that she did not. After all, she is helping them clean up. Which, if I had been here when she wanted to leave to do so, I wouldn't have let her. It's not right for her to have to do such a thing. She didn't create the mess and she wasn't the reason that I did." He found himself growing even angrier at the managers and his body tensed at the thought of them. Still, he held Lilly tight and carried her home, walking beside Christine and keeping a watchful eye on the horse, making sure all was well and safe for Alistair.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine thought tirelessly as she walked on, hearing the clip clop clip clop of the horse's slow movements behind her. Alistair held tightly, not wanting to fall. "Papa, why don't they know who we are? Why can't they know that you're our father?" Lilly questioned, playing with a button on Erik's undershirt. "Didn't they spot us at your wedding? Wouldn't they know by now?" The child kept firing off questions, until, at last, they reached the river. "Mother, I want off. I'm scared." Ali murmured, frightened of letting the animal hear him. Christine wrapped him up, close to her again, then carried him down to their boat. "Alright, in you go." She helped him. Then, she spoke to her husband. "Are you certain that she will be alright? Are you going after her?"

 

[Guile]

"Well, Lilly..." Erik began, but did not know how to answer her questions. At this, he felt extremely guilty. "They don't know, at least...I don't think they know who you are because I don't think they bothered to question who you were. They may or may not have spotted you. However, you could have simply been relatives they don't know about or...well, who knows what they were thinking." Erik laughed at the idea of his next sentence. "They were probably too dumbfounded by the fact that I, the infamous Opera Ghost, was actually getting married!" He thought long and hard about her other question. It kept running through his mind. Why can't they know that you're our father? The reason stung at Erik's heart, but he had to tell Lilly something. "Because...because I fear that if they know...they will not like you." He put it in the simplest way possible, without giving any details he did not wish to throw on his little girl just yet. Placing a kiss on her head, Erik assured her. "Do not worry, little one. Everything will work out just fine in the end." As he sat her in the boat by her brother, Erik prayed that his words were true. At Christine's words he stood up facing her, and thought about what he would do. "She does have Andrew..." Erik weighed the pro's and con's of going up after her. "I don't want to come off as controlling." He chuckled slightly and eyed Christine as he said this, remembering how he always did so with her when she went off and he didn't know about it. "What threat is there other than the ridicule of the managers?" Then, he remembered the meeting with Raoul earlier on the balcony. Surely he will be gone by now. Still... "Perhaps I should go up. Just to see if they're alright. I can bring Jonathan down with me if I can get them alone to talk with them. If not, I'll just make sure they're alright and come back."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine shut her eyes, listening to the two of them in their little conversation. "Oh, I see, Father. It has to remain a secret." His son was the one speaking. "Who knows, maybe I'll keep them on their toes as Phantom one day." He laughed at this idea. "Or, maybe not." Christine considered what her husband was saying and smiled. "Oh, that rotten girl needs to be controlled, darling." Christine assured her. "If she cannot even let us know when she leaves two seven year olds alone, she cannot be trusted around men, alone." Her laugh echoed off the walls. "Go, be the big, overprotective father and bring, at the very least, our son home."

 

[Guile]

Erik turned to his son, a smile on his face at the boy's understanding. "Precisely, Alistair." He pointed a finger at him jokingly. "I best not hear any word from anyone about a second Phantom, or I shall have a word or two to say to you, young man.You are too good for such a horrible reputation." Laughing, Erik turned his attention back to Christine. "How right you are, darling. I say we punish her." He joked, of course. "Perhaps I won't even let her get married. Yes," Erik pretended to think about this idea, "I think that's a suitable punishment for leaving the children alone in such a way. Clearly she is not ready for the responsibility marriage entitles!" Placing a kiss on Christine's cheek, Erik turned and began making his way back the way they came. "Do not fear, my love! I shall bring them home safely to their dear mother." Shaking his head and laughing, Erik found his way back up to the world above and out, through the shadows of course, to where he could oversee the work being done to clean up the broken pieces that were once the beautiful chandelier. "I cannot believe I am missing out on Christine's repayment for this." Erik muttered jokingly to himself as he watched everyone struggling with pieces of glass and scraps of metal.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Alistair's eyes widened, hearing his father's warning about his little joke. "Oh, but he won't know if he's already dead." Alistair teased. Christine rowed, trying to keep herself from laughing herself silly. "No, there is only one Phantom of the Opera, and that is the man that I married." Up above, Catherine and Andrew were switching off their duties between caring for the two babies and cleaning up dear old daddy's mess. "What is he? In his forties?" Andrew asked. "Forty something, yes." Catherine answered. "So, why is it that we're cleaning up his mess? Shouldn't it be the other way around?" He chuckled as he attempted to remove his hair from Jonathan's fist. Catherine rolled her eyes. "Hush, Andrew."

 

[Guile]

Erik watched the two clean up the pieces of the chandelier and, seeing as no one else was in sight or earshot, he let out a laugh at Andrew's comment. "Oh, but dear Andrew, the older I get, the more feeble I become." He joked back to the young man. "You must learn to take care of your elders!" As they both turned to find the source of the voice, Erik waved them over, letting them know he wished to speak with them, but did not want to continue to speak aloud for fear of someone coming into earshot or eyesight.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Andrew finally managed to pull his hair free at last. "Johnny, that's not a t-" That's when his future father in law's voice reached his ears. "And, speaking of the devil..." he chuckled at his own joke. "Then, perhaps if you're getting too old, you should stop having more hair pullers." He met the man on Erik's terms, at his location. Catherine followed behind. "Yes, Papa? What's wrong?" She kissed his cheek in greeting. "Is the family alright?"

 

[Guile]

When Andrew arrived, Erik hit him lightly over the head, only joking around. "I shall have as many children as I like." He tried to hold back laughter, but it was impossible. He returned his daughter's kiss and at her words became serious. "Yes, yes, they are alright." Erik assured her with a smile. He didn't wish for her to feel guilty about what happened with Lilly and Alistair, but he had to tell her. He couldn't just pretend it didn't happen. "We did have a bit of a fright with your siblings though. It seems Alistair found it wise to try and take the horse to find your mother and I. Lilly was on it's back and it reared because Ali was pulling on it." Erik continued before she had time to worry. "They are perfectly well, dear. Do not worry yourself. We got there in time to stop anything bad from happening. Actually, what I came up here for was to check on you two and the babies. I wanted to make sure you were alright. Forgive me, I am an overprotective father as I'm sure you remember." Erik chuckled at his joke. He didn't wish to tell Catherine that the main reason he wanted to check on them was because of he and Christine's earlier encounter with Raoul. He couldn't bring himself to tell her that he had come back once again, though Erik was sure Catherine could probably see that her father was hiding something just by the look in his eyes - a look that he quickly tried to hide by joking again. "Also, you do not have to return right away, as I am sure the last thing you want to do is spend time around us. However, your mother requests that I bring at least one of her children home. So, if you don't mind, my friend..." he turned to Andrew, reached out his arms, and took Jonathan from him gently. It was nice, Erik realized, to hold his son to him again. "I told your mother that we should just leave him with you, it would be much easier for us!" He joked with Catherine. "But, no. She just had to have him back." Erik sighed, still joking. "I suppose she just doesn't trust you..." He couldn't hide his smile.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Catherine saw the look in Erik's eyes and couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong with her world of peace and music. "Father, what's wrong?" She begged to know the truth. "Father, please tell me." She kissed his other cheek. "I do not like seeing you upset. I apologize for leaving my siblings alone, but I had to help these people clean." Andrew struggled to free his hair from Jonathan. "Johnny, let go." It took an effort not to hurt the infant in the process, for his head still stung from Erik hitting it. "Erik, help me, please." He kept struggling. "By all means, take the boy."

 

[Guile]

Erik sighed, but gave in to his daughter's wishes. First, he helped Andrew with Jonathan. Taking the baby's hand that grasped his hair, Erik pried it gently open and took Jonathan out of Andrew's arms carefully before the child had time to grab his hair again. At this point, he turned to Catherine and confessed. "Your mother and I...we were out on the balcony and," Erik paused, unsure of how to put this. Finally, he just came right out and said it. "Raoul showed up again. Now, I don't want you to worry. He left peacefully, for the most part. It just...it concerns me when he comes around. It always seems to be when we're split up and I don't know where to find one of you..." Erik started to feel that familiar fear again. "I don't think the Vicomte will try and take anyone away again but...I don't know that for sure. Forgive my overreaction...I just get worried when he shows up and I don't know where the rest of my family is." He confessed, the worry quite clear in his eyes.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She laughed at his overreaction and concern. This made her feel as though he were trying to make up for lost time from long ago. "Papa, please, Andrew is with me. He wouldn't let me get hurt." She laid her head against her fiance's chest. "Do not worry." Andrew pat her head, smiling. "I'll have her on my arm and in my sight like a leech." He assured Destler. "Your baby is in good hands, sir." Catherine's face couldn't be redder. "Andrew, shut your mouth." The man laughed at her. "Awe, what's wrong?" He kissed her cheek. "I was just joking." Catherine faked as if she was going to slap him like Erik did, but Andrew caught her hand. "I'm prepared for yours." He let go as their lips met.

 

[Guile]

Erik quickly found himself turning red in the face. At first, it was because of Christine's words and her laugh. "Well, you mustn't blame me for being concerned dear. I trust Andrew as well, but I'm sure he would feel the same if our positions were switched - if he couldn't find you, even if you were with me." He was smiling through his words, though he had to admit that watching his daughter kiss a man in front of him was making him uneasy and his face turned red again. He liked Andrew, truly. He was a good, young man - the same kind that Erik had always hoped Catherine would find. However, it still hurt to watch his daughter falling for someone. Erik wasn't sure why he was so bothered by this, but he figured he would get over it soon enough. Life would be normal once the two married and then, perhaps, Erik's stomach wouldn't clench up every time he saw their lips touch. "Alright," he began, clearing his throat. "Alright, enough already. I get the point!" Erik teased them, shaking his head and laughing. "I'm going back to your mother, Catherine. Try not to get too out of hand." He made his last tease, held Jonathan tight to him, and turned around to make his way back down to his wife and the rest of the family.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

They stopped when Erik told them to do so. "Oh, pardon me, Madame." Andrew kissed her cheek. "I didn't know your father was such an overprotective type." He took his turn in picking up the chandelier pieces. "Alright, everyone. Ready?" He called, as though he were in charge. The only answer came from the Vicomte. "I'm ready, dear cousin." He pulled hard, as did fifty others, on the rope that would raise the great monument. Andrew heard his cousin's answer and smiled at him. "Thank you, Raoul." Something about this made Catherine uneasy as she.followed her father's lead, William close to her.

 

[Guile]

Erik didn't wait around long enough to hear the Vicomte's comment, or even know that he was still there. Erik was too far ahead of Catherine to hear what she did. However, after a few moments, Erik turned around at the sound of her footsteps. "Ah, my lovely daughter, you have decided to join us!" He teased as he paused and waited for her to catch up with William. When she did, he finished the journey home by her side, smiling as though there was nothing wrong - which, as far as he knew, there wasn't. At long last, they appeared at the gate to their home.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Andrew whipped around as soon as he heard his lover's footsteps leaving. "Catherine, what's wrong, dear?" He let go of his rope, causing the chandelier above to swing slowly back and forth. Raoul and the others had to tighten their holds, because Andrew was now around the corner and his footsteps were echoing along the halls, until jumping through the trapdoor and landing in front of Catherine, who could not look him in the eyes as she pushed past him and dropped William on the bed, then tackled her mother,who was teaching Alistair to play the piano. This shocked Christine. "Darling, what's wrong with you?" She wiped her daughter's face. "What happened?" Catherine choked on her answer. "An-drew is R-Raoul's c-cousin!" The man behind Catherine felt terrible. "I thought that you knew, dear."

 

[Guile]

At this news, Erik grew enraged. Grabbing Andrew by the shoulders, he shoved the young man back against the wall and yelled at him. "How dare you come here and act like nothing's wrong with this! Do you not know what he has done to this family?!" Erik's eyes flashed with fury, but then a glaze formed over them as he started to think, for now his mind was letting him do so. Dear God! What am I doing? Andrew has not done anything wrong...he's been so good to us, to Catherine. How could I do such a thing? When Erik was finally able to speak, he was still half lost in thought and obviously ashamed of himself. His words came out soft and full of guilt as he slowly let go of Andre's shoulders. "For-forgive me, Andrew. I don't know what came over me...what was I thinking?" Erik walked over to his daughter, still obviously ashamed at his outburst. "Catherine..." his words were soft as he placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders. "Andrew has done nothing wrong. He is simply unfortunate to have to be related to that monster." How ironic... "I can only hope he will forgive me someday for what I've just done." Erik looked up at the young man as he said this, guilt still in his eyes, then back at his daughter. "I've just done what I've wanted to save you children from for years. I just started to despise him for who he was related to, not thinking about who he, as an individual, is. Andrew is a good man. And his relation to Raoul does not define him as a person."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Andrew felt like he himself had been knocked over by elephant. The Phantom's murderous hands, murderous gaze were both holding him there. It became tough to breathe. His eyes started to roll back, until, oh, God does show mercy to his servants, the Phantom let go. When he did, the young man fell against the stone, scraped his backside on it and then his hands and knees as soon as they touched the ground. "I can-cannot stay." He stood, hurt to the point of collapsing again. "I know what he has done." He was crying now. Catherine's smart, talented, brave, strong lover was crying. He said nothing more as he walked toward the entry of their home. "Catherine, I-I'm sorry. I cannot st-ay." He kept moving away, past the frightened children. "NO!" Catherine splashed after him, but fell and got soaked in her own desperation and despair. "I wanted to make amends. Now, I cannot even do that." He disappeared among the candles and gargoyles that lined the walls. Now soaked, Catherine sat in the lake and curled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her arms, crying.

 

[Guile]

"Andrew!" Erik felt fear course all throughout his body as he desperately called to the departing young man. This is all my fault! Oh, God! What have I done? I have just chased away Catherine's love! Unable to bear watching his daughter grieve this way, Erik ran after the young man without saying a word to his family. A part of him was angered by this. How dare he just leave her like this? He did not have to forgive me, but why punish her for my actions? "Andrew! Stop!" Erik was just a few yards away from him now. "You cannot leave Catherine like this! You love her and she loves you! Do not punish her for what I have done!" He was almost begging Andrew to come back, even through his slight anger.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The sullen and broken man kept walking, though, he spoke as he did. "Or what?!? You'll hit me again?!" He was angry now as well. The good, kind, helpful Andrew that the Destler family had loved and treasured was gone. "Now you choose to hear what I have to say? Or, are you going to have a go with me again?" He growled. "You missed a few spaces, demon!" He hung his head low. "Go ahead, coward! Hit me again! I'm wide open! I want nothing to do with you, Christine, William, no one!" He turned around at last and slugged the father in the face. "Keep your hands at the level of your eyes!" He kicked him as hard as he could before moving away, quickly. "You didn't see me for me! I saw you for who you were the night you proposed to your wife! I could have screamed and stoned you or kicked you out!" He kept screaming. "DAMN YOU TO HELL, PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!" He got to the surface and just managed to chain the trapdoor closed. Everyone helping with the chandelier gasped or asked why, but he didn't answer. "Curse you!" He screamed again, before turning on his heel and escaping.

 

[Guile]

Nothing could have prepared Erik for the way Andrew reacted to him. Especially not the punch in the face, which sent Erik to his knees. He held his face in his hands, feeling a warm, slick liquid drip onto his palms and run down the side of his face. The kick made it worse. When Erik felt Andrew's shoes connect with his side, he let out a grunt of pain. Stunned into silence by the young man's actions and the blood pouring down and into his mouth, Erik was unable to say anything. After Andrew left, Erik wept. He wept for many moments, not for what he had done to Andrew, but for what he had done to Catherine. Oh, God! How will I ever face her again? After a few minutes wallowing in his own blood, Erik stood. It was a painful effort, for Andrew's kick had connected with Erik's ribs and made it hard to walk and stand. However, he managed to shamefully limp his way back to the family. When he returned to them his face was still flushed from the tears he had been crying, though the tears were long gone, his bloody hands were rested on his ribcage, and his face was covered in blood that he had desperately tried to wipe off but only ended up smearing. Upon seeing his Catherine in such a state, Erik had wished Andrew had beat him more - punished him severely for what he'd done, and not let him get off so easy. "Oh, God..." he whispered, seemingly to himself or no one. "My little Catherine...forgive me..."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Catherine was still in the.water, despite Christine's efforts to help her up. Catherine couldn't move. She hated herself for being the daughter of the most hated man in Paris. She wanted to just melt away and turn to dust, then float away along the river. "Why is every man that I fall in love with taken from me?!?" She heard her father's voice. "WHY!?" She got up and stomped toward him, evil intent in her eyes as she balled up her fist and punched him dead on the nose. "I HATE YOU!" She then moved past him and took the leg of a broken chair to the mirror again. "I...HATE...YOU!" Again, she made her way back to him, punched him and stormed away. "YOU RUIN EVERYTHING! ALL THE TIME! YOU NEVER CARED ABOUT MY FEELINGS!" Finally, the woman took her ring off and tossed it away, leaving through her mother's mirror.

 

[Guile]

Erik couldn't believe Catherine's reaction, though he should have been prepared for this. Actually, a part of him was, but still...her words killed him. Honestly, they killed him - Erik sunk to his knees as she left through the mirror and longed for death. The punches she threw on him couldn't have bothered him less, other than causing even more blood to flow form his nose. Sitting in the water, Erik was so lost. He didn't know what he could do, what he could say. For there was nothing to say. Catherine had taken his heart and ripped it from his chest with each word she had yelled. He couldn't get her words from his mind. She hated him...and God, Erik didn't even deserve death at this point. Death would have been a release from this horror he had to live. "Why don't you just kill me now and spare me form this madness!!" Erik screamed out in agony to no one, or perhaps it was to God. He wasn't sure. "I try to do right! I want to help the ones I love because I care about them more than I care about myself! Yet, I end up ruining everyone lives! And you let me do it! Just kill me!!" He begged, knowing now that he was speaking to God.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine listened to this. It broke her heart to see her family, especially her dear husband like this. "Erik, no! No, please don't say that!" She held his head to her chest. "I couldn't bare the thought of that! No, please!" She started screaming in the very same manner she had at her father's funeral. "NO!" The children were all crying too as they held their father as well. "Please don't go, Papa!" Alistair begged. "Please, I'll go get Catherine. I'll talk to her!" Christine whimpered. "I'll bring her back, just, please don't leave me alone! I hate it!"

 

[Guile]

Erik couldn't speak anymore. He was tired, drained of power from screaming, but mostly from the emotional torment he was being put through. He allowed his head to rest on Christine's chest and sobbed horribly. Erik hardly thought about the blood that was now surely soaking onto her clothes, but he was sure the thought would dawn on him later and cause him to regret laying against her. But, for now, all Erik could think about was the pain in his heart. He felt even more guilty at seeing his dear wife and his sweet, innocent children crying because of the way he was acting. God, this is what I mean1 No matter what I do, I only hurt the ones I love! Erik fought to regain his composure, though it didn't come. The tears and sobs still came out severe, though he was able to speak through them. "I'm so...I'm so sorry. I didn't mean what I said." Erik lied, knowing very well how his heart ached so badly, was bleeding out so profusely, that death seemed more welcoming at the moment. "I love you all...so, so much. I-I need you. I could never leave you...any one you." Erik did his best, through his weeping, to pry his arms from where they were stuck at his aching ribs, and wrap them around his two dear children and his wife.