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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 48

Marianne stood by and watched as Erik gave Louise instructions to remain by Raoul’s side and tend to him for a short while. He promised he would be back in less than half an hour and, although the young maid appeared to be quite unnerved at the prospect, she was settled by Erik’s steady voice as he explained the delicacy of the situation to her.

Within a few minutes, the Duchess found herself following Erik towards the adjoining door of the boudoir next to the room that Raoul and Christine had been sharing. When he stopped outside the white lacquered door and turned to look at her, she simply stared at him with a puzzled look.

“I thought you were taking me to see Christine…” she spoke softly, as if talking to a young child.

“That I have my dear. During all of the hiatus, the best I could think of doing was to lock up Christine in the boudoir until all would fall into place.” he explained.

Marianne nodded in response, understanding his syllogism. “Erik, do you think she might become aggressive upon seeing us?” she muttered hesitantly, suddenly weary of seeing the Viscountess so soon after the betrayal of her husband.

“Marianne, darling, you don’t have to do this!”

“No Erik! I do! I need to see her! I’m not afraid…” she drifted off, her gaze belying her words as her eyes filled with anxiety at the prospect of confronting Christine.

“My love, you have nothing to prove to anyone! Not me, not Christine, not Raoul… Please, let us leave now and allow Raoul to settle this once and for all with his wife upon his recovery.”

“No Erik! You are mistaken! I have to prove to myself that I can confront that snake and let her know exactly what I think of her.”

“You don’t have to do this Marianne…” he tried to reason with her, but to no avail. The glint he saw reflecting in her eyes told him she was determined to end this charade once and for all.

“No Erik, I do! I have to stop relying on others for my peace of mind. I was trying to avoid hurting you by not telling you the truth about Olivier and it led to nothing but heartache for the both of us. I tried to conceal our involvement from Raoul when he first came to Rouen and all I managed to do was almost get you killed in the process. I did not give Christine a piece of my mind when she pursued your affection during the mayor’s ball and I almost ended up hating you for what appeared to be only betrayal on your part. No Erik, I am through pretending everything is alright! From now on, I will make sure I am honest towards the people I love, as well as the ones who I know are set out to destroy me and the ones I care about. Please Erik, I need this…” she whispered, in a last effort to make him see her point of view.

Erik in turn regarded her silently for a few passing seconds, his features seemingly curved on granite. Finally, he nodded his head in understanding and smiled encouragingly before he turned to unlock the door which separated them from Christine de Chagny.

Erik opened the door to a dark, silent room resembling a grave. He scanned the boudoir with his eyes, searching for any sign of the woman who had turned his life upside down for the second time, and found her sitting calmly with her back to the door, seemingly studying her reflection in the utter darkness.

“Christine?” he called out before sidestepping to let Marianne enter the room behind him as well. In the faint light that seeped into the room from the bedchamber next door, Marianne saw Raoul’s wife close her eyes and set her shoulders determinedly before turning in her seat to face them.

“I see you’ve brought company. What’s the matter Erik? Were you afraid you wouldn’t be able to control yourself in my presence? Or was it your darling future wife who insisted on paying me a visit now that she no longer feels threatened by me?” she scoffed, standing from her spot in front of the mirror.

“Why is it so dark in here?” Marianne inquired, squinting her eyes to follow Christine’s lithe form as the former dancer moved across the room towards them.

“Oh, it is rather silly really.” Christine started to explain as Erik turned his back for a few seconds to lock the door that led to the bedroom once more.

“After shooting Raoul, Erik brought me here and locked me up much like a common criminal. I couldn’t stand the idea of being in such a confined space, so I decided to put out the candles your fiancé lit in order to get some sleep. Unfortunately, my mind was so agitated, I was unable to rest at all. I am sure I will be in no condition to present myself tomorrow… I imagine you have to face that problem with your skin rather frequently Marianne. Could you offer me some tips to improve on the situation?”

Marianne stared at the woman before her with disbelieving eyes. She couldn’t fathom a person being so… impertinent in light of their crimes, but it would appear that Christine had no such qualms, looking rather… satisfied with herself and the awful way she was offending her.

“Erik, could you light up a few candles? I would like to look into the eyes of the monster who didn’t even give a second thought to shooting her own husband.”

Christine sneered at her words, her laughter sounding much like an old crown’s screeches to Marianne’s ears. “You think it’s funny Christine? You think that spending the rest of your life locked away in prison for your crime will be enjoyable? Or are you such a fool to think that Raoul would take you back after everything you did to him?”

For a moment, she thought that Christine would actually strike her for her words, but Marianne forced herself to appear calm in light of the woman’s hatred towards her.

“I would rather doubt that your dear cousin would be able to survive the wound he suffered Marianne. I saw him fall to the floor and I noticed the amount of blood he lost in mere seconds. But even if he survives, I don’t see how that would be a problem for me. I would be more worried for your fiancé, rather than myself.” she ironically stated, turning her eyes to Erik.

“It’s no secret how much you hate Raoul for stealing me away from you and of course that conviction is bound to become even graver in the eyes of the authorities once they make the connection between the sophisticated Monsieur Destler and the notorious Phantom of the Opera. I have every reason to defend my wounded husband’s honor and turn you in to the Parisian authorities, as much as it would pain me to see my former mentor hang for his crimes…” she addressed the tall man, granting him a mockingly hurt look. Before Erik could respond however, Marianne cut in.

“What are you insinuating you wench?” Marianne demanded before she could stop herself, but realized her mistake before she saw a smug smile cover the brunette’s lips.

“I am not insinuating anything Marianne. Merely that regardless my attachment to Erik, I will have to testify to the police and let them know everything that has happened during the past two months. Of course, I will regret having to taint your image by enlightening them regarding your unholy attachment to the man who had killed so many in the past and was willing to take my husband’s, your cousin’s, life to win my affection.

“However, I am certain all that will be forgotten once they discover the Phantom’s special talents. After all, Erik has been known for his ability to hypnotize his victims, even when he was a mere Phantom. I am sure his current status as a member of the nobility only served to make him even more alluring to an old maid’s eyes. Do not fret Marianne. No one can really blame you for siding with the only man to pay you any attention all through your long, lonely, empty life…”

“That is enough!” Erik’s booming voice filled the room, but Marianne cut in, unable to control her nerves.

“You… you…” Marianne stuttered, disbelieving of the cool manner in which Christine was regarding her.

“Come now Marianne… Did you honestly think I would let Erik get away with attempted murder against my husband?” she sneered, smiling as she rearranged her hair coquettishly.

“No one will ever believe you!” Marianne screamed, suddenly beside herself with anger.

“Don’t be so sure Marianne.” Christine answered sweetly.

“It’s your word against mine Christine! And once Raoul regains consciousness, he will make sure you pay for what you did to him; to us all!” Suddenly, she felt Erik’s hand on her shoulder giving her strength.

“Indeed Duchess… You took the words right out of my mouth. It’s your word against mine. Have you considered what will happen to your lover once I tell the authorities the whole truth about what he did to my husband? Better yet, have you considered what will happen to your precious Erik once I inform the officers of the law of the way he murdered your fiancé?”

“Erik didn’t…” Marianne whispered, realizing Christine’s cunning plan.

“Didn’t what? He didn’t kill Olivier? But I saw him with my own two eyes. The poor Baron tried to stop Erik when he practically broke into your house to abduct me and that monster killed him in cold blood… Then he threatened to kill you too and that was why Raoul did not turn him in right away… Poor Raoul… If only he had known what Erik had in store for him…”

“You… are planning to frame Erik for Olivier’s murder and Raoul’s wounds? Don’t you see how stupid that is? As soon as Raoul…”

“As soon as Raoul – NOTHING!” Christine screamed in her face and for a second Marianne regretted the fact that she had begged Erik to let her see Christine.

“Raoul will not regain consciousness Duchess! And even if he does, I will convince him to stay by my side and support me instead of that monster you have fallen in love with! You should know one thing about your cousin Duchess. Raoul is a weak, needy man; especially where I’m concerned. I could tell him Erik hypnotized me and made me shoot him despite my own free will, and he will believe me. He needs to believe me! As long as I wish to stay by his side, Raoul will remain loyal to me and do anything in his power to keep me happy. The fact that he believed me over his darling innocent cousin was enough to prove the fact to anyone who would pay attention!”

“You are mad…” Marianne whispered.

“You will see Marianne. Raoul will forgive me for everything I’ve done; even if it was threatening his life. My husband loves me. He needs me!”

“Don’t fool yourself Christine! Raoul will never forgive you for what you did tonight! He will never be able to trust you again and I’m sure he will drive you away as soon as he regains his strength!” Marianne yelled in the younger woman’s face, but was stunned when the brunette, instead of stepping back at her outburst, crossed her arms and sneered in her face.

“Even if that is the case my dear Duchess, I will find great joy in knowing you are suffering the loss of your baby’s father. And make no mistake about it Marianne. You will lose Erik! I will make sure of it! If I cannot have him, no one will!”

Marianne watched the brunette in stunned silence for a few seconds, wondering how she had ever considered her to be a beautiful woman. For a moment, all she could see in Christine’s face was a deadly viper set out to destroy anything good she had ever touched in her life. Unwilling to dignify this vile woman with an answer, she turned and looked into Erik’s eyes, silently imploring him to open the door and let her out of the room.

“Leaving so soon Marianne?” she heard Christine’s cold voice ring out behind her.

“I have no use for a cold-hearted snake Christine. I have had enough of you to last me two lifetimes.” she mustered tiredly as Erik opened the door and stepped out of the room, waiting for her to take her leave of Christine as well.

“What’s the matter Erik? Are you going to run after her like a lovesick puppy?”

Erik’s shoulder’s tensed for a brief second, but before closing the door and locking it between them, he cast Christine a glance full of pity and spoke in a level, calm voice. “You are a disgusting creature and I truly pity you Christine.”

“You will regret this Erik! You will regret ever setting eyes on me! You will regret denying me for that fat cow!”

“I have already regretted ever meeting you Christine. I have already cursed myself a thousand times for falling under your questionable charms. The world may consider me a monster for fear of my face, shunning me to live in darkness for the better part of my life, but I have managed to pull through it all in the end. The love of this extraordinary woman has lifted me, given me a second chance to live my life as a man. You Christine are bound to spend the rest of your life in eternal darkness, lost forever in the dark abyss radiating from your very soul.”

“You will regret this!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, but Erik had already closed the door behind him and the resounding click of the lock falling into place was the only answer she received before hysterics consumed her senses and she picked up a vase from the vanity mirror, hurling it against the door where it shattered into a million pieces.

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No Easy Way