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

[Guile]

Erik watched Christine, unable to take his eyes from her, though he knew she could not see him. "Do not be afraid of me, Christine. I am simply...a friend." The word made Erik smile through his own tears. "A guardian, perhaps. A teacher, most definitely. Your father gave me his permission to teach you to sing. He entrusted me with your voice. You must trust me now." Erik smiled and watched as the poor girl went limp. Fresh tears came to him, this time for her sorrow. How he wished he could take her pain away.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The nurse relaxed her hold on Christine, but then reached under and scooped her up, walking her toward a chair and laying her in it. She then left, upset with the whole situation. It was as if she were hearing things and it was just too much, so she left. "M-My fri-friend?" She repeated, echoing his words. She then ran over what he said and, smiling, she curled into a ball on the chair, until it finally registered. "My music teacher!?!" For a moment, she had forgotten that she wasn't alone with Erik. Madame Giry was still there, smiling as the child's demeanor changed completely. Shooting out of her chair, little Christine searched and searched for Erik, wanting to hug him. "You're my angel of music!" She exclaimed. "I knew it! I knew you'd come!"

 

[Guile]

Almost pressed against the mirror, Erik watched Christine brighten. How it made his heart sing to know he was helping her get through this, if only just a little. When she assumed that he was her angel of music, Erik's heart almost stopped. He didn't wish to lie to the child, but he could not bear to break her heart anymore. "Yes," he managed softly, making it sound true, "I am. Of course I came - I will always come. Christine, whenever you need me, or want me," he added, hesitantly, "I will be there."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Madame Giry also held a smile on her face, almost out of character for the woman in her early twenties. "Perhaps I should allow the two of you to get acquainted." She suggested. "You don't seem to need me here at all." With those words, she left, shutting the door behind her. Christine still kept looking. "Where are you?" She asked, suddenly noticing her reflection in the mirror. "Can you see me?" She was now on her knees, searching under furniture.

 

[Guile]

Erik smiled as he watched Christine search for him and wiped the remaining tears from his face. "Forgive me, Christine, but I cannot tell you that. However, yes, I can see you." He allowed himself to laugh softly, his heart having almost stopped when she looked right through the mirror to where he was. She had been staring right at him and had not even known. "I assure you, it's for your own wellbeing that I do not show myself. But, do not worry, for I will still be able to teach you all that I know...from a distance."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"But, why?" She heard the echo of his voice bounding off of the walls in the empty room. "Why can't I see you? Are you a ghost?" She asked, when a thought occurred to her again. "Papa!" She whispered, her heart racing. "It's you. I know it is!" She laughed and opened her closet. "Boo!" She played with no one. No one answered her call and that sickly feeling of being alone came over her. "Papa?" She asked again, quieter this time.

 

[Guile]

Erik chuckled at her question. "No, I am not a ghost." However, his smile quickly faded as Christine started calling out for her father. "And...I am not your father." He could hear the sadness in her voice and almost feel the aching emptiness in her heart. Once again, he longed to hold her in an embrace so that she did not feel so alone. "Do not be sad, my dear. Your father is watching over you from where he sits with the other angels in Heaven. And, as for me, I shall always be here for you. You are not alone." Erik promised her again.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She nodded, not trying to show how sad she truly was. Feeling that cold loneliness that only a hug could cure, she nodded again, assuring him that she understood what he was saying. Without knowing why, Christine stepped up to the mirror, arms wide open, as though trying to hug it. "Okay, I understand." She hugged it as best she.could, now completely sure that he was indeed behind the mirror. "And, thank you, my angel of music." Christine sighed, hearing the low rumble of thunder, or, was it her stomach? She heard the growl again and was certain that it wasn't the thunder anymore.

 

[Guile]

Erik stood in silence as she approached the mirror. His heart raced out of fear that he had been caught...or, was it fear after all? He wasn't sure. "You are welcome...my Christine." He whispered, and now he knew that she knew for sure that he was behind the mirror. That's when he heard her stomach rumble and tried not to laugh, though his voice was light. "You must eat, my dear. Find Madame Giry - she will take good care of you, I assure you." He smiled, though he knew she couldn't see him.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine went scarlet in the face as soon as her stomach erupted. Hugging her stomach, trying to blow it off, she shook her head up and down. "Yes, my friend." Christine left him there, though she didn't want to, for she was too frightened of this all being a dream and her angel would leave her. She also didn't want to face the laughs of a certain group of children her age, who probably knew by now about her behavior, as though she were talking to herself. Feeling as though she had no choice, Christine went on her search.

 

[Guile]

At the words 'my friend' Erik could have sworn his heart stopped beating for a moment. The only friend he had ever really had was Madame Giry, but no one else. Christine's words brought tears to his eyes again, though they were joyful ones this time. He couldn't stop thinking of her after she had left. Erik's mind warped with questions of the present and future, all of them having to do with Christine. Before he knew it, Erik found himself following her through the halls. He kept a safe distance behind, making sure she didn't know he was following. He didn't know why he was to begin with. He just supposed, he wasn't ready to let her out of his sight just yet.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Madame?" Christine opened door after door, room after room, until she reached one door that was forbidden to touch. The door to the cellar. "No, Daddy. I promised you." She whispered. "I won't touch this door." Coming out of this stupor, she started her search again, until she found her new mistress cooking dinner for three. (Giry, the baby Meg, and Christine) "Madame?" She spoke. "Christine, there you are!" The woman pulled out a chair and let Christine sit down to eat. But, Christine wasn't paying attention to the food, but the laughter. "The Phantom of the Opera will eat you!" She heard a boy tease. "Stay away from the cellar!" These words sent chills down Christine's neck and spine.

 

[Guile]

Erik followed and watched with curiosity as Christine reached the door to the cellar...and walked away. He smiled, his heart breaking at the poor girl's words. He continued to follow her until she found Madame Giry. Once Erik was satisfied that she was in good hands, he turned to leave, still having been unnoticed by anyone. However, that's when he heard the laughter and teasing of a young boy. The tease having been aimed at Christine, Erik found himself growing furious within seconds. At first, he felt helpless to do anything. Then, he turned and saw, sitting nearby a candle sitting in a silver candlestick. A grin appeared on Erik's lips as he took the candle from the candlestick and separated the two. Then, he threw the candlestick at the boy, hitting him square in the head, and slipped back through the shadows unnoticed. However, he only went far enough and hid where the boy would not find him. Erik wanted to stay and make sure the boy left Christine alone.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

The boy let out a grunt of pain. "Ow!" He exclaimed, rubbing the back of his head. "Who threw that! Come back here, coward!" He whipped his mane this way and that as Christine continued to eat. "Thank you, Madame, for helping me." She smiled at the woman, who returned the smile and even.went so far as to kiss Christine's cheek. "I said, show yourself!" The boy went on. His gaggle of friends laughed at him. "Ooh! Vincent got attacked by the big, bad Phantom!" They all laughed. Christine felt her face flush as she heard the teasing.

 

[Guile]

Erik found himself holding back his laughter - that boy was just too ridiculous not to laugh at. Erik listened as the boy's friends laughed at him. He refused to show himself to them, but allowed himself to speak making sure they couldn't pinpoint where it was coming from. "Never speak to Miss Daae again in such a tone, or rest assured, the Phantom of the Opera will come after you. All of you. And he will bring more than just a silly, little candlestick." Erik's voice was threatening and could chill most anyone to the bone, which is what he made sure happened now.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

They were all clammy and petrified now. With their milky faces and open mouths, they stammered. "He is r-real!" They ran away, screaming their hearts out. This caused quite a stir, one that sent the managers to investigate this. "Children! Children, please!" Firmin Richard tried to calm them all. "Please, just go get ready for you dance lesson, please!" He didn't want them around when he was trying to understand this mayhem. Christine hurried to finish her lunch, consisting of a sandwich and an apple, and escaped to find her angel again. "I'm sorry. I should have told you that they were mean to me, sir." She whispered.

 

[Guile]

Erik stayed in the shadows, finding that his heart was beating rapidly now that there was no mirror to separate Christine from him. Mostly, it was fear that filled him because of this. "Do not apologize for their ignorance, my dear Christine." He whispered softly back to her. "It is they who should be sorry. And I, for being blind to it at first." A thought came to him and he spoke his concern aloud to her. "Christine, I will do all I can to keep them away from you - to get them to leave you in peace. However, I fear that...as long as you still speak to me, they will continue their torment. Heed my warning, Christine, if you continue on with me, you will more than likely have to face many years of that. I do not say this to upset you, I just want you to be sure you know what you're getting into." Erik paused, saddened by his own words. "If-if you don't wish to continue with me, I shall understand. No one should be subject to ridicule like that." Poor Erik knew ridicule all too well.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine felt as though he were asking her to leave him alone again. "No!" She snapped at him, without meaning to, of course. "Please, don't make me go!" She begged, trying to point out where he , exactly. She really needed a hug at this point. Someone to hold her. But, that was impossible. The only two that she would allow to do that were Madame Giry and her new teacher. But, she didn't want Madame Giry! No! She wanted her Phantom! "I don't care!" She screamed, sinking to her knees and digging her nails into it, letting her tears soak the fabric. "I don't care!"

 

[Guile]

Erik was startled by her sudden anger, so much that he jumped back and hit his head against the wall, unintentionally. He stood, frozen in silence, wondering if she would be able to find where he was because of that. He wasn't sure, but as he watched her sink to her knees and cry Erik found that, for a brief moment, he didn't care anymore whether she saw him or not. In fact, he almost made a move to take a step out to her, to comfort her, but he was thrown back against the wall by his own painful reminder. If she sees your face, it's all over. Everything. Wanting to cry himself, Erik forced himself to stay in the shadows. "Please," he begged her, a clear emotion filling his voice for the first time since he had first spoken to her - pain. "Please, don't cry. I won't make you go, and I will come for you still. Forgive me, please." Erik tried anything, anything at all that would stop her tears.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She stayed there on her knees, though her tears were less frequent. Thinking about what the other children said, she started to crawl to him, wanting to be there as well. "I.didn't know a monster was able to cry." She said this as nicely as possible. "I thought monsters were supposed to be scary, but you, you aren't scary at all. You're....crying." she gasped as that realization hit her hard. "Please, Phantom, don't cry. Tears won't do you any good." She plastered a smile to her face.

 

[Guile]

Erik tried his best to blink the tears from his eyes, but he couldn't stop them. Watching her crawl toward him like that frightened him, to the point where he was pressing his back to the wall, but at the same time he longed to be near her. Erik tried to keep the pain out of his vice, but he couldn't - her words were so kind. "I...I'm a different kind of monster, I suppose, Christine. A good one, a nice one." Erik wracked his brain, trying to tell if he believed his own words or not. He wasn't sure. Erik brought his hand to his face and tried to wipe the tears away. "You're right, Christine, they won't." He smiled through his tears, though she couldn't see it. "I just can't bare to see you upset..." He confessed, his voice growing weak again.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

What had she just heard? I just can't bare to see you upset. What was he saying? That sentence sent a strange sense of comfort throughout little Christine's body. She had a friend and companion at last, though she wasn't allowed to see him. "How long have you been here, Monsieur?" She asked, trying to take his mind from how upset he was. "How did you get here?" The question that she yearned to ask him escaped her lips. "What do I call my new companion?" She stood up, looking directly at the Phantom, though she did not know it. "Will you sing for me at least?"

 

[Guile]

Erik knew that Christine was trying to take his mind form this recent unpleasantness, and that thought made him smile. He did his best to answer her questions...without giving away too much. "I have been here for several years, Christine. I do not know exactly how many." Which was the truth. Erik had been without a date source for quite a while and, after so long beneath the Opera, he had lost track of the winters he had been counting as they passed. He hadn't bothered to ask Madame Giry, for he didn't think it was relevant, though he was curious to know. Christine's next question sent a shiver down his spine as he recalled his past. "My mother...I ran away as a child." Erik was finding it hard to speak again. "I met up with...a group of people." He was too humiliated to admit that he had been observed as a 'freak' for so long, so he kept the details to a bare minimum. "They weren't good to me, to say the least. Madame Giry...she found me, helped me escape. She brought me here." He paused, not wishing to go into further details. "You may call me Erik, and I will sing for you whenever you please' He added with a smile that she could not see.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

She took all of this information in, without crying, for once. "Oh, you poor thing." She whispered. "If it makes you feel any better, I can barely remember my mother." She tilted her head to the side. "You aren't alone, you know, Erik. You have me to talk to, now." She smiled again. "You will never be alone again. I promise you that much, sir." She said all of this while dusting off her dress. "I'm curious, master, when will we begin?"

 

[Guile]

Christine's lovely words brought a new light to Erik's heart and made him smile. She cared about him! Oh, the kind words she said. You aren't alone, Erik. You have me to talk to, now. He kept replaying those words over and over in his mind, for they were so beautiful. Christine's question quickly brought him out of his thoughts. "Oh..." admittedly, Erik hadn't thought about that. "Let us begin...now." He smiled, anxious to hear what she could do so that he could assess where her abilities lay. Then, he thought about the teasing group of kids. "Come, let us go back to your room." Erik would follow her, but do so through the shadows, break off halfway there, and finish the journey through the corridors so that he could teach her form behind the mirror.