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Save Me From My Solitude	By : Pasque Category: M through R > The Phantom of the Opera > Het Views: 2589 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Phantom of the Opera, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Hey guys, thanks very much for all the reviews so far, hope you enjoy this chapter and if you do please let me know as I am an author inspired by reviews!

Chapter 3

“Erik please, “she begged again.

He eyed her warily and saw her face as he had never seen it before; tired and drawn yet sincere and inviting. Her eyes were honestly beseeching him to stay and within them he saw warmth directed towards him that she had never had before.

“I will stay,” he told her with a thin smile as he set down his cloak and hat once more and took a seat.

“I am so glad, “she said sincerely, she made as if to grab his hand in a gesture of happiness but nervously thought better of it. “Er… I’ll fetch the tea,” she excused herself with some embarrassment.

As she left Erik mused silently once more over the changes he saw in her. He knew suddenly that he would be entirely incorrect if he were to address her as “child” the way he used to, she had matured awfully quickly in her personality, her mannerisms, even the honesty she had shown towards him. He tried to force his heart still as he thought of the obvious wish she had for him to stay with her for a while.

It doesn’t mean anything, calm yourself man. But if this is another one of her indecisive moments which she will later regret as she flees to the arms of the idiot boy, I shall go completely mad.

He soon found himself bored as he waited for her to return with the tea and picked up her discarded book. Bronte’s Wuthering Heights, the child certainly has matured! I remember when she could not be persuaded to read anything but fairy tales. Idly he picked up reading where she had left off and was, as always, captured by the wild spirit of the moors depicted in the novel. He became so engrossed that he barely noticed as Christine re-entered the room bearing a tray of tea things, he jumped as she appeared in front of him.

“Oh do you like Bronte?” she asked eagerly, relieved to have some safe subject of conversation as she knelt before him setting down the tea tray on a small coffee table.

“Very much so, although I admit I am surprised to see you reading such things, whatever happened to your fairy tales?” he teased gently.

“Oh the fairy tales, “she laughed as she remembered the hours she had spent curled in an arm chair in front of the fire reading her childish stories as Erik composed on one instrument or another. “You should have explained to me that they could never come true,” she told him smiling sadly.

Erik gazed at her and felt his heart clench at the infinite sadness he saw in her eyes. Perhaps part of him had thought she would stay an innocent, happy child forever, but then, it was common knowledge in society that ever since the talented violinist Daae had died his little daughter had become irrevocably melancholy. Yet she never seemed this sad at the opera, she mourned her father then as she always will, but she wasn’t this sad with me.

All of a sudden he desperately wanted to hold her, to tell her that other things besides fairy tales could make her happy, that she was silly to be so young and yet so miserable when there were still innumerable things she could choose to do with her life. He felt the palms of his hands literally itch to touch her hair but luckily a familiar scent in the air distracted him.

“Russian tea?” he arched his single exposed eyebrow at her in amusement.

“Yes, I do seem to have developed a taste for it,” she admitted. “Perhaps it reminds me of you.”

Christine inwardly bit her lip. Good God what possessed me to say something so entirely inappropriate! Please for once could I just stop being clumsy and saying stupid things, just for ten minutes, just whilst Erik is here, please?

Erik had chosen to kindly ignore her last obviously unintended comment, but inwardly he couldn’t stop the million questions that exploded in his mind. She drinks the tea that I always drank, and she does this to be reminded of me? So that means she wants to be reminded of me? Does she miss me? Does she regret her choice? Does she want me in her life again?

Eventually he couldn’t help but comment, “Christine one of these days you really will drive me entirely mad you know.”

Christine blushed as she served the tea and handed him a cup which he accepted with thanks. She watched him nervously as he drank, “Well you seem to have mastered the samovar,” he smiled.

“Yes, although don’t you find it surprising how few people will actually drink it?” she said thoughtfully.

“It is an acquired taste,” he agreed.

One knock on the door and Christine had sent her own cup flying as she leapt to her feet. The door had already begun to open as she raced across the room to intercept this unwelcome presence. She opened the door slightly, allowing no view into the room and its other occupant.

“Yes what is it?” she asked rather impatiently.

“Vicomtess I have come to clean the room,” came the puzzled voice of a maid.

“Chloe, now is actually an inconvenient time as I am practising,” Christine said gently beginning to close the door against the prying eyes of her staff, “Be a darling and do it for me tomorrow would you, thank you!” She finally shut the door and as a second thought locked it before turning around and leaning her back to it as she sighed heavily in relief. But when she opened her eyes she was astounded to see that Erik had risen to his feet and was glaring dangerously at her. She had forgotten how intimidated she had always felt in the face of his anger. She felt herself instinctively shrink back against the door in alarm.

“Erik whatever’s the matter?” she exclaimed.

“I do not wish to take tea with a lady who is so ashamed of her choice in friends that she feels she had to conceal them from her own servants,” he seethed.

“Oh Erik no, no, no!” she cried aghast.

Wildly she grabbed at his sleeve and attempted to hold him back as he tried to move towards the door. She pulled valiantly, trying to explain, “Please listen Erik, you have to listen to me, please!”

Impatiently he easily swatted her restraining attempts away, thinking how strange it was that he should force her clamouring hands from his arm when a few years ago there would be nothing more appealing to him than the thought of Christine clinging desperately to him. He strode towards the door willing his ears to be deaf to her pleas, but she tried to grab at his clothes again in effect sending herself stumbling to the floor as he kept on moving.

At her small, shocked cry of pain Erik’s anger immediately faded and he was appalled to see her laying crumpled on the floor, crying softly, “Please Erik, it wasn’t like that I promise, only please let me explain. Please don’t open the door, you shall get me into such trouble!”

“What trouble, “he snapped, trying hard to fight against his instincts which were screaming at him to lift her from the floor and wipe away her tears. Damn it, why must she look beautiful even as she cries?

“Please Erik, I am not ashamed of you, truly I am not. But you see… I am not allowed to entertain… uh…male visitors.” She looked at the floor upon which she sat as she spoke, now that she had voiced her husband’s rule out loud it did seem rather stupid, especially in front of Erik who she knew thought disdainfully of Raoul anyway.

“You not allowed to…” he repeated dumbly. He seemed to process the information for a moment before calmly stating, “Christine that, even by your ignorant husband’s standards, is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard.”

Christine shrugged her shoulders helplessly, she felt embarrassed and ashamed all at once, and wished desperately that she had not given Erik this telling insight into her marriage. Because suddenly, with Erik there, it somehow seemed much more petty and small minded of her husband.

Erik reached out a hand to her which she accepted gratefully as she got to her feet. Well this is the second time already that I have tripped over, I do seem to be making as big an idiot of myself as possible. And why is it always that much worse when it’s in Erik’s presence, I hate so much for him to see me this way.

“So, does he think you sleep with every man you meet?” Erik asked her bluntly.

She immediately pulled her hand back as she gasped, “Erik you mustn’t say such things to me!”

“And why not?” he grinned wickedly at her shock.

“Well, it’s just not very appropriate, to say such things in front of a lady,” even as she admonished him she heard the giggle creep into her voice both at the thought of Erik’s forthright way with words and her husband’s silly jealousy.

“Surely if anyone has the right to say such shocking things to you Christine it is I, “he said lightly as he relaxed once more. “Having once abducted you from a Parisian stage I am surprised that I am still able to shock you, surely we will never be able to top such a scandal.”

“Yes it was definitely the highlight of my operatic career,” she agreed in mock seriousness.

“Honestly though Christine,” Erik turned sombre once more. “You are not allowed to choose your own house guests?”

She shook her lovely head and gave him a weak smile as she tried to pretend it didn’t matter to her. It didn’t work, for an actress she made a surprisingly terrible liar. She couldn’t stand for him to see her like this, subservient and controlled by petty rules, locked up alone in her prison of a home. She opened her mouth, but found herself left with nothing to say. She stared at him, expecting sneers at her husband and cruel recriminations.

Instead he said quietly, “You must be very lonely.”

Hey, hope it wasn’t too bad. I really don’t want this to be a stereotypical story, so many of them have Raoul bashing Christine around the second they’re home from honeymoon and whilst many of those stories are well written and enjoyable I felt I wanted to explore a different kind of problem in their marriage, just two people growing up and realising that they want completely different things, and that they are not as well suited as they thought, and what that happens they are bound to say things to each other that are unkind etc. Please please give me some feedback as I really love hearing what you think. love Pasque
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Save Me From My Solitude