The Phantom of the Opera: A Beauty and a Beast (Guile and Melody)

[Guile]

Erik didn't stop sobbing, not even when Madame Giry came up behind him. Instead, he just continued to lay there, pathetically. "No, my friend. You have done so much for me and I thank you, but now I wish to stay here. You no longer need watch over me. In a few days, maybe a week or so even, I will be dead and you won't have to worry about me anymore." Erik really had his mind set on dying, and wasn't sure that anything would bring him back from this state of despair he was in. He hadn't decided if he was going to end his own life, but even if he didn't, Erik knew that he would soon die of a broken heart anyway. It didn't matter if he came inside now or not. Christine had left him, ripped out his heart, and took it with her. No one could live without a heart, and Erik didn't plan on lasting much longer.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"And what should I tell the child?!" She argued. "What should I tell your child, then?" She didn't want to ruin the surprise, but Madame Giry felt like it was the last resort. "Erik, your child needs a father. Christine is with child and I will not let you die in your own self pity." She yanked on his arm. "Get up, now." She pulled harder. "Christine wouldn't want you to die, Erik. I didn't save you to have you die so many years later." She took him down below. "What will make you change your mind about life?"

 

[Guile]

"Child?" Erik's voice was weak from the tears he had been crying and the harsh weather. His mind was fuzzy and it was hard for him to understand what she was saying. This was why he did not fight her but, instead, let her take him below. Erik's mind was frantically swirling with thoughts and questions as he tried to come to grips with reality. "Child?" He asked again, a bit louder this time, but equally as confused. "Christine is with...my child?" It was if he had finally understood the sentence, now that he had repeated it. His heart overflowed with far too many emotions - the biggest being pain and joy. He was going to be a father, but he was never going to get to see his child, he felt sure of that. "Christine hates me. She wants to be with Raoul. Why should it matter if I die? The child will have a father whether I die or not - and no matter what, it will not be me." Erik started to weep again at the idea. "Why does God do this to me? He gives me so much joy and I feel like a normal man at last, then he rips it from my grasp, just when I've become happy." He didn't know how to answer Madame Giry's last question. What would make him change his mind? He didn't know, and just shook his head, letting the tears flow still.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The woman started to get frustrated, with Erik, with Christine, with the thought of Erik's suicide. "Yes, yes! Child! Your child!" She practically growled. "It doesn't show yet, other than Christine being sick right now. She's vomiting right now." Giry dragged him to his bed, and with surprisingly strength, laid him there. "What do you think would happen if you died and Christine never saw you again? She still cares!" She was close to tears. "Christine is an innocent girl that needs help right now!" In frustration, she left without another word. "Stay!"

 

[Guile]

Erik was forced onto the bed, but did not put up a fight. Instead, he just lay there and let his tears fall as they pleased while he listened to Madame Giry speaking of Christine and how the pregnancy was affecting her. The whole time, Erik just shook his head, not believing her when she said that Christine still cared. All he could think of was how he wanted to be there for Christine, but that he couldn't be. Christine doesn't care. I refuse to believe it. If she cared...she wouldn't have said those things. She didn't know I was listening, that's how I know it's the truth. She despises me. She doesn't want my help. She wants her Raoul! Erik closed his eyes and let out a few more audible sobs, much more quiet now, after Madame Giry left. He didn't know where she was going and he didn't care. All he wanted to do was die, now that he had nothing left to live for. Still, he did stay as he was asked. And, much to his surprise, a warmth was returning to his heart at the thought of his unborn child. As he lay there, between his thoughts of suicide and his longing for Christine, Erik began to wonder what the baby would be.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Madame Giry went to Christine. "Child, go prepare for your performance. Worry not about Raoul. He will be attended to." Christine just stared at Giry, as though she had lost her mind. "But, I..." she started to say, but her friend held up her hand. "Silence, do as you're told and go get ready. I'm in a strange position right now, Christine. Erik is very hurt and the only one that.could possibly help him now is you." Christine felt a lot of pressure as she returned to her room to get dressed for this performance. Then, she broke down and cried. "What have I done?"

 

[Guile]

Erik lay in his bed and looked up at the ceiling. He wept until his eyes held no more tears and then he simply lay there breathing, wondering how long it would be before that stopped too. As he lay there, he couldn't help wondering where Madame Giry had run off to. Christine, no doubt. God, it even hurt to think her beautiful name. I'm sure she's just as sick of me as Christine is. I will probably never see her again. Getting up from where he lay, Erik sulked over to his dresser and opened one of the drawers. He reached into it and pulled out a very sharp, very new dagger. Stay. Madame Giry's last order rang in his mind and he had plans to obey it - for the time being. Taking the dagger firmly in his hand, Erik made his way back to his bed and plopped down and resumed his spot on the mattress. Sliding the knife under his pillow, Erik closed his eyes and waited. I will wait until Madame Giry comes back. I'll see what she has to say and then decide what I'm going to do about myself. If she does not come back after a few hours, well...then I know where I stand in all of their eyes and that it is no longer worth my while to keep living.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine felt horrible, knowing that it had been she that hurt Erik. "Please don't leave me, Erik!" She cried, praying to God that Erik would hear something, at least. Still, she got dressed for her performance, though her heart wasn't in it anymore. Singing was worth nothing now that she had no one to listen to her. He hates me. He hates me and I'll never see him again! The last thing I ever said about him was that his face was terrible, that it wasn't a face! With that in mind, Christine left, in her red dress, and onto the stage to perform. Looking up at Box Five, she felt a pang of guilt. "Why..."

 

[Guile]

Erik heard Christine, he had heard her quite clearly. Her plea had come through to him, graced his ears, but stabbed his heart like the blade that lay beneath him. "Please don't leave me..." He repeated as if in a daze and not completely sane. "Please don't leave you?" Erik felt his fury coming back, escalating far too quickly. He screamed at the top of his lungs, "you left me!" Throwing himself out of bed, Erik ran to the nearest mirror and smashed his hand through the glass - an act he remembered doing before. His wrist was gushing blood, but he knew that he would be spared death, once again - it was not enough to kill him. He had been cheated for the thousandth time in his life. "Why won't you let me die?" Erik screamed to God, but no reply came, as he expected, and he sank to his knees sobbing again and clutching his aching wrist. The anger left him and was replaced with pure sadness. "I love you, Christine...God, I love you so much..." He kept whispering this over and over to himself as he bled out on the floor.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine couldn't help but feel terrible. Now she had no one to turn to when she forgot what she was supposed to sing. The play didn't matter to her anymore. "Let Carlotta sing, Monsieur Debienne, Poligny." She lifted her skirt and took off through the audience, knowing one place that, it was very possible, she would be able to talk to Erik. She disappeared behind the door of Box Five, where she sank to her knees and cried. "Oh no..."

 

[Guile]

Erik didn't know what else to do. He had given up on Madame Giry reappearing and he knew Christine would never want to see him again. There was only one thing left that he felt he could do. Standing and making his way toward the bed, Erik flipped the pillow over and grabbed the handle of his knife with his bleeding hand. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply, and his heart began to race as he held the blade over his heart. He was about to push it in when he stopped. "No...I must see Christine one last time. I will apologize for ruining her life and then...I will end this pain in my heart once and for all." Choking back tears, Erik ran up the stairs to the world above. The first thing he noticed was that Carlotta's voice was ringing out through the Opera instead of Christine's. He found this rather strange, so he headed to Box Five so that he could look out and see what was happening. It was there that he noticed Christine on her knees, weeping. It broke Erik's heart to see her tears. All the more reason to stick a knife through me. "Christine." He addressed her with a tone that he forced to sound emotionless. "I came to apologize...for everything." What he wanted to say was 'why are you not singing? You are far better than Carlotta and you deserve to be out there in her place.' He also wanted to tell her that he loved her with all his heart, that he knew about the baby and that he was so proud that he was going to be a father. That Christine was going to be a wonderful mother and oh how he loved her! Erik wanted to embrace her, kiss her, and beg forgiveness - beg for her love. He could not do it, though. He couldn't let his heart weaken again, or he would never be able to take his own life. But, just staring down at her weeping figure was enough to make Erik want to live - anything to make her happy. And that is why he gently, but firmly, took her wrist and flipped her palm upright. He brought his bloody hand from behind his back and placed the handle of the knife in her palm. "You must kill me, Christine." Erik didn't wait for a response. He got down on his knees beside her, took off his coat, and ripped open the top part of his shirt, exposing his chest. "Stab me...right through my heart. I can't take it anymore. The pain - I can't stand it. Just kill me, please, I beg of you. You will never love me...I have no reason to live." Tears had started coming from his eyes again and he closed them, waiting for the end.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine stayed there, not looking up, even when Erik had come in. She was going through so much right now that she couldn't take the thought of the knife going through anyone's heart but her own. She ripped her own dress open and raised the knife up to the ceiling, blade facing her breasts. She wouldn't go on without her angel. She decided that, if he wanted to die, she would kill herself before he ever got the chance to take himself away from her. "When I do this, take the baby as quickly as possible. Give her to Meg to nurse." The blade pierced her skin. "I'll not bother you again. I won't hurt you ever again."

 

[Guile]

"No! Christine!" Erik screamed as the knife pierced her skin, just slightly. He saw a trickle of blood and immediately panicked, reaching out and taking the knife from her hands and pulling it out of the little bit of skin that it had cut into. Erik was shaking beyond belief as he threw the knife to the other side of the box and ripped away a clean piece of his shirt and placed it over her wound, trying to keep his bleeding wrist away from her. "No...Christine. Why would you want to do such a thing? Oh, why?" He cried and the tears blurred his vision, causing him to blink rapidly. "You have so much to live for...you have everything. You have a baby to take care of and..." Oh, this killed him to say, "...and Raoul. Don't scare me like this again. I love you, Christine. I love you so much." Erik pulled her close to his body and kissed the top of her head, hoping to comfort her. It was then that he promised himself that he would continue living, if only to keep her alive. "God, please forgive me for hurting one of your angels." He closed his eyes and prayed.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine wanted to puke so very badly, and not only because she was pregnant, but because she had almost lost Erik, saw his bloodied hand, and then, he took the knife away. "Erik, you wanted to do just the same! You wanted to die, so why are you stopping me? I don't want to go on like this any more! I can't choose between you and Raoul! I don't want this baby to go through what I do! Having to go back and forth day in and day out and day in and day out is killing me!" She pushed him away and punched through the glass that surrounded the walls. "I DON'T WANT TO CHOOSE!"

 

[Guile]

"Because I had reason to!" Erik yelled this, but calmed himself almost instantly, realizing that shouting would get them no where. When she punched through the glass, Erik grabbed her wrists and pulled her to him again so that she could not harm herself anymore. "You don't want to die, Christine. You don't." He assure her of this softly whispering to her. "You have a good life. You have your music, a baby on the way..." Erik paused, choking on his next words, "and you have Raoul. You want him, not me. I can see that." Then, he confessed his feelings. "I wanted to die because, without you, I have nothing. I have no love, no life. I don't even have my music, Christine, because without you, there is no music." Erik had to fight to keep his tears back. "Without you I am nothing. Tell me why I shouldn't want to die? Without me, you still have a life - a chance at happiness. Why throw it away? If I were to die, it would hurt you for a while, but you would move on. In fact, it might be better for you. If I die, you don't have to chose. You can go off with Raoul and live a happy life with him." Though, Erik knew he wouldn't kill himself now. It would hurt Christine and Erik couldn't do that to her. No matter what the cost would be to his heart, Erik would force himself to stay alive for her. He would force himself to live in his shadows and watch as she married the Vicomte, had their baby, and lived a happy life with him while Erik was resigned to only seeing Christine for singing lessons. What a dark, dreary future he saw lying ahead of him.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"I want both of you, but I know that I cannot do that without hurting one of you." She stopped struggling. "Listen, if you can't live without me, then I won't try to live without you, Erik. I.don't want such a beauty to be hurt because of my actions." She stopped crying. "Just, please don't use that knife ever again and I promise that I'll be beside you, forever! I don't want to have you hurt!"

 

[Guile]

Christine's words shocked Erik. I'll be beside you, forever! Was she really offering what he thought? No, she couldn't be. "Christine...I thought you hated me. You said..." He started to choke on his words, but forced them out, knowing that they needed to be said. "You said that my face...you said it wasn't even a face. It disgusts you, Christine. I disgust you. I frighten you." He paused, trying to gather his thoughts and make sense of what had just happened. "I don't want you hurt either. I love you more than anything else in this world." Erik put his head in one of his hands, trying to hide the tears that were falling once again. "Oh, God...I promise." He finally got out after a few moments of trying to get a hold on his emotions. "I promise I won't try to hurt myself again. For you, I will stay alive no matter what." Erik looked up into her eyes, his own looking honestly sincere. "I promise you."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"You mean it?!" She asked, excited about the prospect of having her Erik by her side. Hugging him to the point of cracking his spine, almost, she let go after a long time. "Oh, I'm so excited!" Taking him by the hand, she walked down with him. "Listen, what do I do now? Carlotta has my part now." She looked down, saddened.

 

[Guile]

Erik couldn't have been happier at the moment Christine wrapped her arms around him. He held her back, not wanting to let go, but reluctantly did so when she did. Then, she took his hand and Erik couldn't help placing a kiss on her temple, taking in her scent as he did so. That's when she stopped and told him that Carlotta had her part. "Don't worry, Christine." He caressed her cheek timidly with the back of his hand. "I will speak with the managers. I'll request that you take your part back. No, I will demand that they give you your part back." Then, he remembered that Christine was feeling ill. "Are you sure you can keep performing, dear? What about...well, what about the baby?" He asked, his heart warming just at the thought of holding their child in his arms for the first time, and getting to show Christine what their baby looked like.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"I should wait for a while, my darling." She tugged him through the halls and out on the same balcony that she and Raoul just sang together on. "I'll leave it alone until the baby is born, I promise you. And, even after, I should wait. I want to be a mother before a singer, Erik. I'll be too busy caring for my little one to sing at all." She sighed. "But, oh, how I'll miss this." She raised her hand to his face. "May I?" She asked, referring to his mask.

 

[Guile]

It was a far different perspective, coming out onto this balcony now when just hours ago he had felt like jumping off of it. Now, he walked confidently, with Christine's hand in his, feeling like a new man - a saved man. "I think that is a smart thing to do, Christine. I don't want you to push yourself. And, just so you know Christine, I am happier than I have ever been at this news. I-I want to be a good father. I'll need some help from you, though. I've never cared for a child before." Erik squeezed her hand lovingly and smiled at her, knowing how she was feeling about the idea of not being able to sing on stage for a while. "Don't worry, my love. You and I will sing together whenever you want to. I promise." It was then that she raised her hand to his face, asking to take it off. Erik suddenly found it hard to swallow as fear crept up into his throat. He knew his heart could not take watching her recoil from him again, but he had to trust her. She trusted him. Didn't she? "Yes..." Erik whispered and closed his eyes, waiting to feel the cool air on the right side of his face and hear her gasp of horror.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine thought about it. She wanted to see him, but she also hated the fact that he would recoil when she did. "Erik, I want to, but not if it will hurt you. I did it once, and that scared me enough to not try it again. I won't do it unless you say 'yes' without quivering like that. I hate seeing such confidence broken in such a way." She dropped her hand and pulled him close. "Your secret is safe with me."

 

[Guile]

Erik opened his eyes when Christine pulled him into an embrace. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close to him in such a loving way as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "You're an angel, Christine. Truly, you are." It made him so happy to know that she thought about his feelings before doing anything. "Forgive me for scaring you so much when you took off my mask the first time. I was frightened. I thought you would hate me forever once you saw how hideous I really was." Knowing that he trusted her once again, Erik reached up and took off his own mask. He didn't close his eyes or try and turn away from her. Erik stood before her a confident man, as if waiting for acceptance that he prayed would come.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine saw what lay beyond the mask, and, yes, at first, it scared her, but then she let go of her fear and wept. How could humans be so cruel to such a wondrous person like Erik. "Erik, I-I'm not...afraid of you." She hugged him, trying to hide her trembling. "Yes, I wasn't expecting this at all, but I knew it wouldn't change how I felt. I still won't turn from you. Yes, at first, I was horrified. To be completely honest, I was scared just now." She started crying again. "Then, I realized that a man lie beneath this ruin, that is what keeps me from running now."

 

[Guile]

Erik saw the fear in her eyes and wanted to break down, but he stayed strong, her embrace helping him do so. "Oh, Christine, forgive me for being this way. I wish I could be the handsome man that you deserve." Her tears brought an aching to his heart that he couldn't take hearing for long at all. "I promise you, Christine, that I am a good man. I know it's hard to believe when I have a face that looks so wretched. But, I can be a good husband...a good father. If you'll only give me a chance, darling. If you don't run from me, I can prove that I am a normal man inside that can give you more love than you will ever know what to do with." Erik kept his arms wrapped tightly around her, trying to do all that he could to comfort her and reassure her that his words were true.