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

[Guile]

Erik smiled at her guiltily as she wiped his mouth. He did not speak though, just listened to her inform him of what his children knew of him. As he watched her lower her head, Erik put his fingers under her chin and lifted it back up, so that he could look into her eyes. Placing a soft kiss on her cheek, he spoke to her softly. "It's alright, my dear." He paused, not allowing his mind to venture back to his mother, but instead, focus on Christine. "Thank you. For not telling the children, I mean. I couldn't bare to have them know what I've been through - what I've done." His voice almost cracked as he remembered more painful memories. "Not yet, anyway. Someday they must know..." That thought hurt him greatly - stung his heart.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

He's not angry. Oh, thank Heaven! He's happy! She felt his fingers under her chin, his nails in her skin. This felt surprisingly comforting to her, just having him touch her and not have any fear of him being angry. "Thank you so very much for everything you've done for me, Erik." She moved into him, just to have his lips one last time before the carriage stopped. "The Opera Populair, Monsieur and Madame Destler. Madame Giry." The man driving took off his hat and bowed to the three. The women smiled at him. Madame Giry walked inside, but Christine stayed with Erik.

 

[Guile]

Erik closed his eyes to enjoy her last kiss before the carriage pulled up outside the Opera and they all got out. "Christine, I will do anything for you. You know this." Now it was his turn to place a kiss on her lips. "You need only ask. I'm always more than happy to oblige." Grinning, Erik reached into his coat and pulled something from it. Quickly, Erik explained himself. "I apologize for the suddenness, but I jut realized not too long ago that I never got my beautiful wife a wedding present. Nor did I get my dear friend, Christine, a gift for being so good to me." Erik referred to her, almost as two separate people, for that's sort of like what she was: his wife, and his friend. He didn't know why he was doing this now. Perhaps it was to make both of them forget the unpleasantness of the evening. Either way, he wanted to do so. "It's not much, but I wish for you to have it." Erik opened his hands to reveal a beautiful, sparkling necklace. Within it were small diamonds, scattered around to make it shine even more than it already did. Admittedly, it matched her wedding ring.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine now literally felt her heart throwing itself against her chest. She wished it would stop acting like this each time Erik spoke to or touched her in any way. Oh, God! She was elated just because she was in the presence of such a beautiful creature, let alone be the one that he had taken as a wife. Then, the necklace was revealed to her. Good Lord! Her heart wasn't ever going to rest until one of them was gone. "Erik, oh, Erik!" Her hands were shaking as she reached for it, just to have a look. "My wonderfully exquisite mate, you didn't have to do this." She showed teeth. "I wouldn't have noticed." She teased him. "It seems you spent all of that money for nothing!" Even so, she lifted her hair for him.

 

[Guile]

Erik happily held it out to her, so that she could look at it. He smiled at her reaction - he could tell she liked it, to say the least. Oh, he would buy her a thousand things just to see her smile this way at him. "No, Christine," he whispered, going around the back of her, "I have bought, with this necklace, your smile. And that, is more than I could ask for." Placing the necklace around her neck, Erik hooked it carefully, then let his fingers touch the back of her neck just lightly before going around in front of her to face her again. "I'm glad you like it, Christine. It looks beautiful on you. Rather, you make it look more beautiful than it was before."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine felt herself shiver even before her husband had ever walked around to bestow his gift upon her, then let his fingers grace her neck. Truthfully, she felt her knees give out. He had definitely done that on purpose. Damn him! Forcing herself to stay up, Christine watched as he came into view again. She couldn't hide her blush quickly enough. It was too late. "You are t-too k-kind." Damn, I'm stuttering. "Although, you won't stop me from getting you something. I will definitely do so the next time I stray."

 

[Guile]

On Erik's lips appeared slowly, something like a satisfied smirk. It had come from her blush, which he knew very well he had managed to cause. And, how he loved it. And her stuttering...it was too precious. God, even when you think you look ridiculous...you're beautiful - captivating, actually. Placing a hand on her still-warm cheek, Erik smiled warmly at her - though his eyes had a devious look still in them - and kissed her lips softly. When the kiss broke, he responded to her words at last. "You needn't get me anything." Wrapping his arms around her, Erik pulled her close to his body and kissed her forehead. He let his lips rest against her skin, just barely touching though, as he whispered his somewhat muffled response. "All I want is you, my dear. Though trinkets are lovely keepsakes and I would treasure it until the day I died, no gift could ever compare to you. I promise you that."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She made a small, squeaking sound when he had grabbed her and yanked her into his embrace. That silly sound was keeping the blush on her pale cheeks. Then, for the love of all that is good! He let his hand rest against her cheek. "That smile scares me." She felt ridiculous as she said this, for she wasn't at all scared. "It gives me the idea that you've got something tinkering inside the gears of your mind." She laughed and buried her face. "Don't get any bright ideas." She let the remaining words captivate her mind. "No, I'm still going."

 

[Guile]

Erik chuckled, enjoying that quick rising and falling of his chest and he did so. He remembered a time when he didn't use to laugh often - when that feeling had been new to him and...rather beautiful. "Ah, my smile is the last thing you need to be afraid of." He joked lightly. "Unless of course I really was thinking of something. Which, I'm not. Or...maybe I am. I don't know yet." Grinning at his tease, he looked down at her without separating their bodies. "Well, you may go and get what you like. However, just remember my words. You need not try and impress me with trinkets. All I need is you, my darling Christine." Erik ran his fingers through her hair and kiss the top of her head as he stood there, just enjoying her presence.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Well, then, I guess that there is no point in me wasting the money that I spent years gathering." She nestled into him again, almost in a way that Jonathan would do before finally sleeping. "Come, we must return." She led him, reluctantly, inside their home. "We spend way too.much time apart from them that Johnny is probably calling Catherine 'Mommy.'" That thought upset her. "Oh, God, my son!" She yanked him along. "I've ignored him!"

 

[Guile]

Erik couldn't help smiling as he was pulled along down the halls and to their home. Though, he was upset by this thought as well. Erik had always wanted to be there for his children, always wanted the chance to raise them. Now, he was getting the chance and it seemed as though he were letting it slip through his fingers. He needed to be near his son, probably as much as Christine wanted to as well. However, he still comforted her. "Darling, you've not ignored him. You've been busy elsewhere. From now on we will mind how much time we spend with the children." There was a trace of guilt in his voice, for he knew it was his fault a lot of the time that they were separated from the kids.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Thank you for understanding how much he needs me." She told him quietly. Oh, how it irritated her that she couldn't be with her husband more often then just at night, but she had other duties, other things that were important to her. Motherhood, for example. She wouldn't be done with that for another eighteen years! Rushing Erik along, as though their lives were in danger, Christine rowed and rowed with all her might. "I'm coming, my children!" She assured them as the ore got heavier each time she shoved it into the river. The statues on the wall seemed to be taunting her.

 

[Guile]

"Of course I understand." Erik smiled through his words and hurried along with her. He saw how rushed she was to get back to the children, especially when they got into the boat. The poor woman looked so stressed and tired. "Here, dear. Let me, please. You're tired." Erik gently took the ores from her and rowed them the rest of the way, faster than usual so that she could get to the children and hopefully be at ease then. At last, they came to the open gate and then the boat came to a rocking halt, as it finally touched land. They were home. Getting out, Erik offered his hand to Christine to help her out.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine relaxed as soon as she saw the twins safe in bed and Catherine starting to blow out the many candles. Christine pressed her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "No, don't do that quite yet." She replaced the few flames that were vaporized. "I will do that later. You will give me my son." She took the sleeping infant. Cooing in his ear, she told him how sorry she was and how much she loved him. Catherine crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Papa, has Mama finally lost her mind?" She laughed at her own tease. "The fresh air must be getting to her. Perhaps she should stay with us from now on."

 

[Guile]

Erik watched Christine take Jonathan in her arms and smiled softly at the sight. A large part of him actually felt guilty for having taken a mother from her son for so long that his mother was this upset. Though, he knew she would be alright. That being the reason he decided it was alright to tease...just a little bit. "I don't know, Catherine. I suppose so." He chuckled lightly. "Though, I think I'm just as crazy. And you would be too, if you were separated from William for a certain period of time."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

When Catherine heard 'separated' and 'William' in the same sentence, she scooped up her son, as though protecting him from danger. "I'd rather die!" She hissed at her father. "No one is taking my son from me. No one." She kept telling herself this. "No one." Christine coddled the baby. "Mama loves you." Her whisper was drawn out. "Dada loves you, Jonathan. You are so loved." She swayed with him. "Sssooo lllooovvveeeddd." She kissed his temple. "Good boy." Walking around the area, she kissed him repeatedly, then moved the hair from the twins' faces and kissed them both.

 

[Guile]

Erik watched the two women, feeling that he wanted to laugh a little, but knowing he would be better off holding it in. It was an amusing sight, but it was, at the same time, very dear. It warmed his heart, watching his daughter hold her own baby. And, of course, seeing Christine with their son always made him smile. He knew what they were feeling. His children were the world to him. If anything happened to them...Erik didn't know what he would do.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine saw Erik's amusement. "How dare you laugh at us, Monsieur Destler. You would truly be devastated if one of the children were taken from you." Walking over to the Phantom, she put her forehead to his chest. "How could you possibly be so cruel to me? To Catherine?" Christine had the starting drops of tears in her eyes. "You're so very cruel to us." Why was she crying? Was it the aftermath of giving birth? That's quite possible. Many mothers go through this same phase. "What do you mean by making us cry?" Catherine grinned. "I was right. Mom lost her mind, Daddy."

 

[Guile]

Erik chuckled until he saw Christine's tears. "Darling, what's wrong?" The first thing that came to Erik's mind was that he had hurt her. That he had really upset her by the way he had acted. Wrapping his arms around her, careful not to crush little Jonathan, Erik held her to him to the best of his ability. He ran his hands up and down her back comfortingly and kissed her temple. "I am sorry if I upset you, dear. I didn't mean it. You know I love the children with all my heart - I feel the same way about them that you and Catherine do." Chuckling a little, Erik added, "I just like to pretend sometimes that I'm a typical, heartless man."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine, feeling her husband's hand on her back, found it odd that she was still standing. "Why am I crying?" She wiped her face as quickly as she could. "Oh, how silly I'm being, Darling. It's not your fault." She turned away but kept her weight against him, so that both she and her son were comfortable. "You play your part so very well." Her eyes never left Jonathan's. "He has your eyes, Erik. True, his whole person is gorgeous, but his eyes are what captivate me and what will surely captivate some very fortunate girl down the road." She turned her head to look Erik in the eyes. "Yes, all I need are these eyes from dusk until dawn."

 

[Guile]

Erik let her turn away, and shifted just a little so his arms were now around her waist. He looked down at his son, just over Christine's shoulder, and smiled. He was, indeed, so beautiful. "My son..." Erik brought one of his hands up to the young child and ran his hand ever so softly over his head. Hearing Christine's loving words made Erik's heart soar. He couldn't see his son's eyes now, as he was sleeping, but he could picture them. Erik hadn't taken notice that they shared the same eyes, but God, did it make him so glad to hear that they did! When Christine turned to look at him, Erik smiled down at her and leaned forward just enough to place a kiss on her lips. "You don't know the extent of the joy your words bring to me. Or the happiness that you've brought me by blessing me with our beautiful children. For this, I cannot thank you enough. You've made what seemed like an impossible dream to me so many years ago, a reality." Erik took his hand away from his sleeping child and caressed Christine's cheek lightly with his fingertips.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine couldn't breathe. Erik's hand wasn't touching her throat, but it was making it very hard to breathe, just by being near her face. "Erik, I'm not the only one involved in the equation of your joy." It sounded cheesy, she knew, but didn't know how else to put it. "It takes two to have a baby." She smiled and kissed him back, sliding her tongue inside. "And I will never have any other man's child, I swear it. I'm yours. " She took a breath, then dove back under. "Just like you said all those years ago, when it was just us." The stars in her eyes twinkled as she reminisced. "Then, our lives were changed for the better thanks to what happened fifteen years ago, when someone that means the world to both you and I brought us together." Again, she dove under his lips.

 

[Guile]

Erik was in the same state as Christine: completely intoxicated with love, unable to breathe. He pulled Christine closer to him, allowing himself to feel the warmth of her body against his. At the same time he was relishing the feeling of her tongue, her lips on his. It was a breathtaking feeling, having Christine with him like this. So much had happened over the past few months that Erik just could not get over. It was a rush of memories, beautiful ones - sights, sounds, feelings, moments he could never replace. All that had happened to him, good and bad, was worth it. He would relive all the pain if he had to, just to have Christine here with him, like this. "Oh, yes. I do believe that, without our eldest daughter, we would not be here today, together." Oh, how Christine's eyes sparkle. She's so happy...and it was I that made her this way. Our children and I. I, a man deemed a hideous monster by society. And yet this angel loves me. My angel loves me. She has given me children, given me a new life - a chance to be a happy man. Oh how wonderful this feeling is to be making her just as happy as I! "I must thank Catherine," Erik chuckled softly, "for her persistence in taking lessons with me." Then, a confession came out of Erik that caused him to grow serious. He felt guilty right away for bringing it up, but it was something that he had thought about on several occasions. "I must confess, Christine. I am happy that your marriage with Raoul did not...well, result in any children. Forgive me, I must sound horribly cruel." Erik quickly tried to correct himself. "It isn't as if I wouldn't still want you, or take the child in as my own. No, I am not so heartless. I just..." he had started to stutter and trip over his words. "I just take comfort in knowing that the children you gave birth to are ours, not some other mans'." Erik wasn't naive. He knew that Christine had once had intimate nights with Raoul. After all, he had been her husband! That hurt a little, but he didn't blame Christine for that. He was simply glad that the children she had given birth to were his and that he didn't have to see her with another man's child. Particularly, that of the once-abusive Vicomte. As far as Erik was still concerned, that man did not deserve to have a beautiful gift such as children.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine listened intently, still having a small mindset that this was her teacher and that she should very well listen to every word, which she did without complaint or interruption. "Yes, indeed. After all the pain that she went through during her infancy, all the heartache, first, when seeing us together in Box Five, and then you comparing her to me and then losing William, she still has the courage to fight through all of it." She took a deep breath, smirking at him. "Dear God, I wonder where she gets that from." She raised a brow. "Erik, what in the world did you do to my baby?" She grinned devilishly. At the mention of children with Raoul, she lost the smirk and looked away from him. "Raoul wanted children, so I told him that Catherine and the twins were his." She felt guilty. "Then..." she walked away from him. "Alistair started to show signs of another man." She tried to hold the tears. "We tried a few more times, then I was so very convinced that I could have no more." She looked so lovingly at Jonathan. "And then, you come along." The look she gave him was like any mother's: loving and kind.

 

[Guile]

Erik first felt guilty about the fact that he had contributed to some of the harder times during Catherine's life. However, when Christine raised her brow at him he chuckled. "I believe I toughened her up." Still, he was only joking. He wished he could take back all the horrible things that had happened to her, and the other children as well. None of them deserved any of the wrongs they'd been put through. Then, he saw the smile fade from Christine's lips and he felt guilty again for bringing up Raoul. Hearing the sadness in her voice, Erik could not stand to be separated from her. He made it only about a minute or so after Christine walked away form him before following her and placing his hands on her shoulders and running them down her arms as he placed a kiss to her cheek. "Christine, forgive me for the pain you had to endure with Raoul - the pain of having to hide the children's true identities from him. I know at the time you loved him a great deal and that keeping our children's true parentage secret must have been so hard on your heart. If I could have done something to make you love me sooner, I would have. I would have taken you and the children away, so that you wouldn't have had to endure years of secrecy. But, I didn't know what to do to make you come to me, love." Erik sighed, still disappointed in himself for bringing it up, for it had brought tears to Christine's eyes. He had hurt her once again. Or, at least, his words had. The memories that his words had brought back to her. "Let us not worry over this anymore, Christine. I am sorry for bringing it up. I am just so very thankful to have you and the children with me now. The present and future are all that matter. I must learn as well, to put the past behind us."