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Emptiness	By : Josephine1881 Category: M through R > The Phantom of the Opera > Slash Views: 8257 -:- 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.

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Disclaimer: See Chapter One!

Chapter Thirty-Four

Erik reacted more quickly than I had ever seen a person react. While I was still gazing transfixed at the opening door, he rolled off of me and off the bed. Somehow, he managed to throw me the blanket as he went. By the time I had pulled it up to my chin, he had vanished behind the bed.

A second later, Philippe entered the room.

ï¿½What on earth are you doing in bed?ï¿½ he asked.

ï¿½I was trying to sleep,ï¿½ I replied hastily, without thinking. I could only hope my voice sounded tired, rather than guilty.

My brother raised an eyebrow.

ï¿½At seven in the evening?ï¿½ he remarked, shaking his head. ï¿½Youï¿½re truly getting stranger by the day.ï¿½

ï¿½As far as Iï¿½m informed, I can still sleep whenever I want,ï¿½ I muttered defiantly. ï¿½I was exhausted when I came home, so I lay down for a while. And I thought I had told you not to come into my room like that!ï¿½

I didnï¿½t need to see the annoyingly superior look on Philippeï¿½s face to know that I had sounded like a whining ten-year-old boy.

ï¿½Oh, come, come, little brother,ï¿½ he said with a casual wave of his hand. ï¿½The most daring thing youï¿½ve ever done in your room was read an adventure story in one of your beloved books. Itï¿½s not as if I had interrupted anything... oh.ï¿½

Walking over to my bed, he had stumbled over a pair of trousers. As he looked down, probably noticing for the first time all the pieces of clothing Erik and I had discarded on our way to the bed, a frown appeared on his face. I held my breath. Any moment now, heï¿½d realise what was going on. Heï¿½d know I was not alone.

Philippe looked at me, a smirk on his face.

ï¿½Raoul...ï¿½ he said. ï¿½Raoul, Raoul, Raoul... Thereï¿½s no need to hide from me. I know exactly what youï¿½ve been up to, you naughty boy.ï¿½

ï¿½You do?ï¿½ I asked, in a brave attempt to sound casual, rather than horrified.

ï¿½Itï¿½s very obvious,ï¿½ my brother claimed, picking up a sock from the floor and throwing it back down again. ï¿½You were... how shall I put it... enjoying your own company.ï¿½

Under different circumstances, hearing Philippe say something like that about me would have made my cheeks burn with embarrassment. As it was, however, I could barely suppress a sigh of relief. Now that I thought about it, my worries seemed ridiculous. Philippe didnï¿½t know the first thing about my clothes. He couldnï¿½t have noticed that some of those on the floor belonged to someone else. He probably just thought I was untidy, leaving the clothes of several days lying around.

ï¿½No, I wasnï¿½t,ï¿½ I disagreed, not wanting my brother to know how close he had been to the truth.

He winked at me.

ï¿½If you say so...ï¿½ he gave back. ï¿½Anyway, whatever youï¿½ve been doing, stop it and get up. Dinner is ready.ï¿½

ï¿½Iï¿½m not hungry,ï¿½ I grumbled. ï¿½I told you, Iï¿½m tired. Let me go back to sleep.ï¿½

Instead of leaving me in peace, however, Philippe seized my hand and tried to pull me upwards.

ï¿½Up you get,ï¿½ he said. ï¿½You can... sleep...ï¿½ He winked again. ï¿½...as long as you wish later. But first, youï¿½ll have dinner with me.ï¿½

I knew my brother well. Once his mind was set, he wouldnï¿½t give up. I suspected that he had met one of our sisters lately, who had reminded him of his duty to take care of me.

ï¿½All right, all right,ï¿½ I agreed, pulling my aching hand out of his grip. ï¿½Iï¿½m coming. But you could at least turn around while I get dressed.ï¿½

Still wearing that unpleasant smirk, Philippe did as he was told. I dressed quickly, thinking that there was only one good thing about my situation: My erection had vanished when Philippe had come in, which meant that I could leave the bed without making a fool of myself. Of course, Iï¿½d have preferred a rather more pleasant way of getting rid of my erection...

ï¿½Iï¿½ll go with you,ï¿½ I repeated as I was finished, more for Erikï¿½s benefit than for my brotherï¿½s. ï¿½But right after dinner, Iï¿½ll come back here.ï¿½

Philippe rolled his eyes, muttering something like,

ï¿½Weï¿½ll see about that.ï¿½

I could only hope that he hadnï¿½t planned one of those annoying brother-to-brother talks he forced on me every now and then. I had other plans: After dinner, Iï¿½d sneak into the kitchen, put some food for Erik onto a plate and take it to my room, where weï¿½d finish what we had started once heï¿½d have eaten.

My brother and I left the room together, Philippe quickly, I more reluctantly. I couldnï¿½t help thinking longingly of what I left behind. No meal, no matter how good, could compare to an encounter with the man I loved.

As we made our way down the stairs, Philippe said,

ï¿½Thereï¿½s something I havenï¿½t told you yet. Iï¿½ve got a little... surprise for you. Itï¿½s something Iï¿½ve brought with me from the countryside.ï¿½

I felt an ominous tingling in the pit of my stomach. There was a certain gleefulness in Philippeï¿½s voice that told me his present for me was not the usual gift of eggs or butter he was usually given when he came to visit our land.

ï¿½What is it?ï¿½ I asked suspiciously.

My brother chuckled.

ï¿½Oh no, no,ï¿½ he said. ï¿½I wonï¿½t spoil the surprise for you. Youï¿½ll like it.ï¿½

I highly doubted it. I rather felt like turning around and going back upstairs, but Philippe, apparently suspecting what I was up to, had seized my upper arm in a firm grip and marched me down the stairs, letting go of me only when we had reached the bottommost one.

I saw the surprise at once. Two pretty girls of about eighteen years, twins by the look of them, both with dark curly hair that cascaded over their shoulders. Their skin was lightly tanned, and there were a few freckles on their small noses. At least they werenï¿½t dressed in an identical way. They wore simple sundresses of the fashion I had often seen farmersï¿½ daughters wear, one light pink, the other one light blue.

They fixed me with their brown eyes, flashing identical smiled. It was a little unnerving.

ï¿½Erm... good evening,ï¿½ I muttered, at a loss for what else to say to two girls who had turned up in our house all of a sudden.

ï¿½Good evening,ï¿½ they chorused, curtseying.

Philippe, beaming broadly, stepped between us.

ï¿½May I introduce you to my brother?ï¿½ he said. ï¿½Raoul, Vicomte de Chagny. Raoul, these are Annabelle...ï¿½ He indicated the girl in pink. ï¿½...and Angelique.ï¿½ He indicated the other girl. ï¿½Theyï¿½ve never been to Paris, so I invited them to come with me for a few days.ï¿½

He made it sound as if he had only wanted to do the girls a favour, but I knew better. In all his life, Philippe had never done anything without expecting something for himself in return. Annabelle and Angelique would ride in the best coach and eat in the best restaurants, but they would pay for it, too. Or maybe, I thought as I saw the adoring looks they kept throwing my brother, they had already paid for it and were here for a little more.

ï¿½Ah yes,ï¿½ I remarked shortly, not smiling.

I made the silent promise to return to my room as quickly as possible. I despised the way my brother treated women, and I didnï¿½t want to have anything to do with it.

Philippe offered each girl an arm, and they made their way to the dining room. I followed them, feeling left out. Not that I had any desire to lead a girl to the dining room myself. But there was someone else Iï¿½d have loved to have with me now. Someone who was sitting upstairs, while I was here, unable to get away.

When we reached the dining room, Philippe opened the door for the girls and ushered them inside.

ï¿½Make yourselves at home,ï¿½ he said. ï¿½Feel free to settle down and pour yourselves drinks. Raoul and I will be with you in a minute.ï¿½ With these words, he closed the door behind them.

ï¿½Whatï¿½s the matter?ï¿½ I asked, slightly annoyed. I wanted to get over with dinner as quickly as possible, and standing outside the dining room would not help me achieve that goal.

ï¿½Arenï¿½t they lovely?ï¿½ Philippe remarked, ignoring my question.

ï¿½Yes, yes,ï¿½ I replied without enthusiasm. ï¿½Theyï¿½re lovely. Just as lovely as all the other girls you bring here.ï¿½

Somewhere in the house, a door snapped shut loudly. My brother peered over my shoulder hopefully, but when I turned around, no one was there.

ï¿½Have you seen Viviana today?ï¿½ he wanted to know.

I gave a little groan as comprehension dawned on me. Now I knew why he had been looking so hopeful.

ï¿½So thatï¿½s what all this is about,ï¿½ I said slowly. ï¿½Youï¿½re trying to make Viviana jealous. You think that if she sees you with other girls, sheï¿½ll come running to you and beg you to take her instead of them. Well, that wonï¿½t work. If Viviana grew jealous of every girl you bring here, sheï¿½d have little else to do, and weï¿½d have to hire someone else to do her work.ï¿½

Secretly, I thought that Viviana would probably be relieved that Philippe was not after her for a change, given what her mother had said ï¿½ or rather, what she had not said ï¿½ this afternoon.

My brother merely shrugged.

ï¿½I think itï¿½ll work,ï¿½ he commented. ï¿½And believe me, I know women a little better than you do. Anyway, that is not the only reason why Iï¿½ve brought the girls here.ï¿½

ï¿½I know,ï¿½ I agreed, still not smiling. ï¿½The main reason is that you want to lie with them.ï¿½

Philippe smirked again, looking more unpleasant than ever.

ï¿½What makes you think that I havenï¿½t already done so?ï¿½ he asked. ï¿½After all, why should I buy a bottle of wine without taking a sip first?ï¿½

His casual comparison made me feel faintly sick. I wanted to get away, but Philippe was blocking the corridor, still talking, oblivious to how appalled I was.

ï¿½Yes, Iï¿½ve had both of them,ï¿½ he informed me. ï¿½And theyï¿½re rather good. Not as good as some of the older chorus girls Iï¿½ve been with, but quite all right. Annabelle is a little shy, Angelique is more outgoing... but both are very sweet... very eager to please, if you know what I mean.ï¿½ His smile widened. ï¿½So,ï¿½ he asked after a moment. ï¿½Which one do you want?ï¿½
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Emptiness