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No Easy Way	By : secretlysecretly Category: M through R > The Phantom of the Opera > Het Views: 7568 -:- 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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Chapter 47

Marianne stood taken aback by Erik’s sharp orders to her staff. The realization that her fiancé was planning on operating on Raoul left her stunned to say the least. More than a little alarmed at the grave intent she saw sparkling in his eyes, she rushed over to his side as soon as they were alone again.

Turning his attention to her, Erik smiled soothingly, in an effort to console her. When he saw abject… fear reflected in her gaze, he tried to put his arms around her in a vain attempt to bring her some comfort.

“Erik, I know what you’re thinking but I can’t let you do this!” were the first words to come out of her mouth and Erik couldn’t help but cringe at her obvious lack of trust in him. He didn’t speak, only stared at her, sensing the root of her agony but too wound up himself to try and do anything to appease her worry.

He turned his attention back to Raoul, staring into the pale face of the immobile man who, in his opinion, had lost far too much blood already and, steeling his resolve, closed his eyes trying to prepare mentally for what he knew could very well be a hopeless effort to save the younger man’s life.

Marianne wouldn’t allow him to concentrate however. Desperate to catch his attention, she took hold of his bicep and pulled him back frantically. “Erik, NO!” she shouted in his face, on the verge of tears again.

Understanding that he would have to make his fiancée trust him, Erik made one last effort to convince her that Raoul would run a severe danger if the bullet remained in his body for much longer.

He took hold of her hands as he tried to soothe her anguish. “My dear, I can comprehend your agitation perfectly but please, have a little faith in me. I know what I am doing. Raoul's condition is deteriorating by the second. I have to remove that bullet from his flesh or the wound will surely get infected and he could risk losing his leg.”

“But Erik, wouldn't it be better if we waited for Doctor Renault’s arrival? I want to trust you my love, however Doctor Renault must certainly be more qualified for this kind of operation.” Marianne frowned, unable to control her apprehension regarding Erik's intentions.

She turned her gaze to the form of her cousin and suddenly realized that Erik had been right. Raoul appeared to be in great pain as the blood from his wound kept flowing freely. She turned to Erik again, frantically searching his eyes for any kind of sign that Raoul would be alright, but only saw apprehension reflected in his gaze.

“Marianne, he has lost far too much blood already. Not only that, but if his wound gets infected, Raoul could very well risk losing his leg!”

She hesitated for a few seconds, weighing the possibilities and wanting nothing more than to trust the man before her. In the end, she gave in, nodding her head in the affirmative. “Alright Erik. I trust you...” she whispered, looking at him with pleading eyes.

“Thank you Marianne. I will do everything in my power to help your cousin. I owe it to him… after all Raoul was the one who helped us in our hour of need. Trust me when I say that I know what I am doing.”

Marianne caressed his masked cheek tenderly. “Let me help you, I am sure you will need all the help you can get.”

“I don't think that you should be present during the operation. It will not be a pretty sight for a woman in your condition to see. You have been under too much stress for one evening my love. I suggest you should retire to your chambers for the time being, at least until I am done with the task.” he proposed, covering her much smaller hand with his as he brought it to his mouth, to touch his lips softly to her palm.

“I feel perfectly fine! Besides, I would become even more agitated if I should stay in my room waiting for you. Remember that it was I who stayed by your side when you were wounded. I have seen the love of my life being in great danger and I managed to endure the agony the best way I could. I know it is not the same, but please Erik, let me stay in case you need my assistance.”

Erik nodded his head in the affirmative, taking hold of her hands. “I suppose you could stay, but only under one condition. You have to promise me that if you feel uncomfortable at any point during the surgery, you will leave the room immediately.”

“Yes, my love, I promise.”

A few moments later, Gerard entered the room carrying the items Erik had requested.

“You have to call another man in the room, I need your help in order to keep the Viscount as still as possible. I cannot risk the chance of him moving his leg at an inopportune moment. I will also need hot water. You will have to clean the wound from the blood every time I tell you to do so. Are you going to be able to assist me in this way?” Erik asked and the servant answered that he was prepared to do anything Erik would ask of him.

As two servants of the staff entered the room, Erik gave them instructions on how to keep Raoul still, never allowing him to move at any point during the delicate operation. He would have to make as small an incision as possible in order not to run the risk of a serious infection after he removed the bullet from Raoul’s leg; otherwise, Doctor Renault could even diagnose gangrene in the future and Raoul could run the risk of amputation.

Marianne watched her fiancé as he moved in the room with great confidence, preparing himself and Raoul for the imminent delicate operation. Seeing him making precise movements, she immediately assumed that Erik had prior experience of some kind. This incredible man was full of surprises! Finally it dawned on her that he would never do anything that could harm Raoul intentionally.

Raoul winced in pain when Erik began cleaning the wound with alcohol.

“You must use all of the strength you can muster Raoul. You must remain still and strong. I have to remove the bullet out now.” Erik warned him.

The blonde man lying on the bed opened his eyes slowly and looked at his old adversary, who appeared to be more than ready to perform an operation on his leg. He didn’t have another alternative than to take his chances and let Erik pull the bullet out. In any case he was almost unconscious, drained from exhaustion and feeling too weak to react.

The moment Erik made the first incision on his flesh, Raoul lost his senses due to the acute pain. The servants held him in place, not to let him move his leg, but after the first cut, it only took moments until Erik managed to pull out the metallic object. He tried to be hasty in order to close and sew the open wound with stitches, effectively diminishing the chance of Raoul losing any more blood. The moment he finished sewing, Erik covered the injury with clean gauze.

He stood up looking down at Raoul’s leg, examining his own work. His gaze then fell on his hands, which were covered in blood. Some time ago, the mere thought of operating on his rival would have been inconceivable to him. However, there he was, trying to save the life of the Viscount de Chagny of all people!

Feeling exhausted, he turned his gaze to Marianne who had been watching the entire scene play out from the opposite side of the room. In her eyes he saw conflicted feelings; deep concern for her cousin and something else, which he couldn’t clearly define.

Indeed, Marianne was regarding Erik with eyes full of admiration. She couldn’t have felt more relieved than she did at the present moment, her pride for the man who held her heart reflecting in her gaze. She stood on wobbly legs, slowly making her way to him, falling into his arms as soon as she reached him. She was completely oblivious to the fact that his hands were covered in blood, needing to be as close to the man she loved as possible.

Erik happily received her with waiting arms, hugging her tightly now that everything was over. He heaved a contended sigh of relief at the feeling of her supple body in his embrace, but couldn’t help worrying when he heard her stifled sobs and felt her body shake against his chest.

“Marianne? What is wrong?” he asked, trying to pull back and look into her eyes.

In response, she hugged him even tighter and buried her face in the crook of his neck, oblivious to the curious looks they received from her staff before they all exited the room as discretely as possible, leaving their mistress and the strange masked man alone.

As soon as Erik heard the door close behind the last of the servants, he tried to pull back again, suddenly anxious as he felt Marianne desperately cling to him and her hot tears scalding his skin. Alarmed by her obvious reluctance to let him see her face, he tried to get her attention again, this time concealing his agitation under a soothing tone.

“Marianne, my love, what is wrong? Why are you crying?” he coaxed as tenderly as he could, given the circumstances.

She shook her head in response, not trusting her voice as she felt overwhelmed by emotion at the loving way in which he regarded her.

“Please my sweet… You can talk to me about anything. Tell me…” he tried once more, running his fingers tenderly through her hair, much like he would have done with a child.

“I’m sorry…” her muffled voice reached his ears, occasional sobs running through her body. “Oh Erik… I’m so sorry…” she cried, trying to regain control of her senses but to no avail. As soon as the words left her mouth, tears flooded her eyes once more and all she could do was cling desperately onto this wonderful man whom she loved beyond imagination.

Trying to appease her, Erik pulled his head back, and this time she let him look into her eyes. As he took in her tear-streaked face, Erik felt his heart soar with love. Instantly, he leaned in to tenderly touch his lips to her forehead. She tried to pull back, but he didn’t let go. “I’m sorry, so sorry Erik…”

“Why? What could you possibly be so shaken over? Why are you apologizing my darling?” he whispered against her feverish skin.

“Oh Erik… how can you ask that of me?” she cried anxiously. “How… how could I ever doubt you? After all I have done to you, after everything that you did for me; for Raoul…” she cried, trying to disentangle herself from his embrace again.

This time, Erik let go of her, pulling back to stare at her with disbelieving eyes.

Marianne, realizing he wasn’t holding onto her anymore, stepped back, shamefully averting her eyes from his as she suddenly felt a cold shiver run down her spine. She waited for a few seconds but, when no words issued forth from his lips, finally raised her pleading eyes to meet his gaze.

“Will you ever be able to forgive me Erik?” she pleaded, only to have her hopes crushed under the weight of his hearty laughter. She felt her heart clench in her chest in view of his mirth, realizing she had finally gone too far.

“How can you even think I would hold something so silly against you my darling?” he managed to get out in between his laughter.

“How could you ever think there is something to forgive on my part?” he inquired when he caught his breath.

“But I…” she whispered, only to be silenced when he stepped in and swept her in his arms urgently. Immediately, his lips sealed hers with a kiss, his tongue invading her mouth hungrily. Marianne allowed her need for this extraordinary man to invade her senses and she lost herself in his kiss.

Suddenly nothing mattered anymore. Olivier and his devious scheme to separate them, as well as his untimely violent death were forgotten. Christine was left behind, neither of them sparing her another thought as they allowed their passion for each other to take over. Raoul and his horrible injury by his own wife’s hand were disregarded as they lost all sense of time and space, finally allowing their mutual love to appease their troubled souls.

Seconds, minutes or perhaps hours later; none could tell for sure, Erik raised his head to let some oxygen into their lungs. Marianne’s eyes remained closed as she tried to catch her breath, quivering from her need for the man before her. She felt Erik’s fingers trail the contours of her face tenderly, almost reverently and ever so slowly opened her eyes, leaning into his touch.

“I love you Marianne. How many times do I have to say it until you will finally believe me? I could never let something as silly as your doubts come between us, mon petit. You did it all for me. You even agreed to marry that... that psychopath to save me from the authorities who would surely have my head in light of my past atrocities.

“I owe you my life Marianne; I owe you my present and my future. I could never imagine spending the rest of my life without you by my side... If Raoul had not intervened, I surely would have drunk myself to an early grave knowing that you were married to Olivier Dervaux.”

“Oh Erik…” she whispered, touching her fingertips reverently to his unmasked cheek. “You are too good to me… You did everything in your power to help Raoul and all I have ever done is doubt you…”

“How you can even think that I would hold the fact that you doubted me momentarily against you is beyond me. I know how deeply you care for your cousin Marianne; and frankly I would have it no other way. I hate to admit it, but I once hated him for stealing Christine away from me. Now however, I know he is a good man, an honest man who put his own ego aside to help two star-crossed lovers find each-other again. I had to do what I did Marianne. I had to do everything in my power to save your cousin. I can only thank you for trusting me enough to let me operate on him... Anyway, what is done is done now. All we can do anymore is wait and hope that Raoul will fully recover from this ordeal.”

Marianne nodded her head in response and lowered her head in shame, her thoughts once again traveling to her cousin who had just undergone an operation and was in such obvious pain. She turned her gaze to Raoul who was unconscious and sighed. “Is there anything more you can do to alleviate his pain?” she asked Erik hopefully.

“I have administered too much laudanum as it is.” he stated matter-of-factly. “Thankfully he seems to have relaxed now. I believe the best thing would be to let him rest for now and wait for Doctor Renault to check on him as soon as he arrives. You too should rest my dear. You have undergone too much stress for one night and a woman in your condition should rest as much as possible; especially after all of the anxiety you have been through ever since we parted.”

“But we cannot leave him alone Erik. What if he needs something?” she inquired worriedly.

“I will arrange for Louise to spend the night by his bedside and I will personally make sure to check frequently upon him until Doctor Renault’s arrival. Come now my love, you need your rest. I will take you to your bedroom and receive some much-needed sleep myself, as soon as I check on Christine of course.”

Marianne’s eyes filled with venom at his words and she instantly flew from his arms to fix her heated gaze upon him. “Christine… That viper! She did this to her own husband! I could never have imagined her to be capable of such cunningness Erik… What shall we do with her?”

“Marianne, it is none of our concern what Raoul intends to do with his own wife. For the time being all we have to do is make sure she remains under lock and key away from him and from you of course. As soon as Raoul wakes, I am sure he will decide on the best possible course of action regarding her.”

“I will not hear another word! I demand to see her right now!” Marianne stated obstinately.

“Marianne…”

“No Erik! I insist! That vile woman has done everything in her power to separate you and I; she has tried to kill my cousin, her own husband for goodness sake! I demand to see her right away!”

“Marianne, I really don’t think that would be such a good idea right now. Certainly not in your condition…” he insisted.

“Oh Erik, don’t you see? I won’t be able to calm myself until I have confronted that… snake!” she demanded, her eyes sparkling with rage.

Erik shook his head, resigning to his fiancée’s wish at the knowledge that she would not be able to find peace until she confronted the younger woman. “Alright Marianne, but please try to control yourself in there. We don’t know in what condition she will be in and how she is going to react upon seeing us. You have to remember Marianne, that woman has nothing to lose anymore. She is capable of anything.”

“I don’t care Erik. After all that is done, she has to explain herself!”

Erik nodded his head in response, and put his arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly to him. “Come, follow me.” he simply stated in a grave voice.

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A/N: Please, feel free to R&R!
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No Easy Way