All I Ask of You

Chapter 18

"Darling," I said walking into Erik's room, "I'm going to the market today. Can I get you anything while I'm out?"

"No, no. I think just the usual food."

"How are you feeling?" I asked, walking toward him. 

"Getting better every day." We had been living at our new home on the beach for nearly two weeks. Thankfully, Erik was improving and the worst of his illness seemed to be over. 

"That's great to hear," I leaned over and kissed him on his right cheek. He had been keeping his mask off most of the time, and I made it a point to kiss him on his scarred cheek to remind him that I loved him despite the deformity on his face, "I'll see you later, darling."

"Please be careful, my dear."

I went out to the market which was a fairly short walk away from our home. I made all of my purchases and began walking home. On the walk home, I spotted a tiny book stand with one of my favorite books in the front, Great Expectations. I quickly walked over and grabbed the book off of the shelf. I paid the bookseller and continued on my way home. I thought it was the perfect surprise for Erik. I thought he would enjoy a good book to read while he continued recovering. 

When I arrived home, I found Erik in the sitting room, "Look at you, up and at it!" I said happily. 

"Yes, yes I am. I'm feeling quite well."

"I got a little surprise for you while I was out. I thought you might like something to read," I handed him the book.

"Why thank you! That was very thoughtful of you to think of me. I do enjoy Charles Dickens."

"I'm glad! I do as well," I looked at him for a moment. Sometimes, I was unable to believe the kind of opportunity I had. Many people would have seen my fate as a curse, but I had left behind my own life of solitude for the opportunity to save the inspiration behind my favorite novel, musical, and movie from his solitude. While Leroux got some thing right about Erik, it seemed to me that the elements of horror had been greatly exaggerated for the purpose of producing a gothic romance novel. 

I must have been looking at him too long, and he became self-conscious. I saw him reach for his mask on the nightstand, "What are you doing?"

"Well, I'm getting better so I should be wearing this again."

"No," I said quietly, "I was just looking at you and thinking how lucky I was to fall into the lair that night."

"You weren't looking at my face?" he said, holding the mask in his lap. 

"No, Erik... I was looking at you. I was looking at my Erik." I sat down on the edge of his bed and placed my hand on the marred flesh, "I think you're so incredibly handsome."

He touched my hand with his and smiled at me,  "I want you to know that you coming into my life has made me the happiest man alive. I know I'm difficult, but I'm trying to be a gentleman and a respectable member of society. It's just difficult when I've never been able to be apart of society or had a father to model my behavior after."

"It's alright. I don't mind. I don't mind any of it. Can I ask you something?"

"Anything my dear." 

I went around to the empty side of his bed and crawled in next to him. I put my head on his shoulder, "Would you tell me about your life?"

"Oh, my dear, it will surely bore and depress you."

"But I feel like I should know... I mean only if you're comfortable, of course."

Erik sighed, "I shall try to retell it all, but if it is too boring or too disturbing, please tell me to stop." 

I nodded and moved closer to him. I felt his breath hitch as if he was shocked by our closeness. I hesitated knowing this could be considered improper for the 1800s, "I'm sorry if I'm being too forward," I looked into his eyes, "I... I just like being close to you. It makes me feel safe and protected."

"It's quite alright, my dear. When you're close to me, I forget about all of the pains of my past."

My heart did a small flutter and I curled up next to Erik with my legs bent underneath me and my hand resting on his chest. 

"Well, I think I've told you. I was born like this, and the doctors tried to use acid to burn the deformity into being normal or something of that nature. My mother gave me my first mask which was nothing more than a sack with holes cut in it for my eyes. Eventually, she sold me off to the freak show. One evening I was being whipped for refusing to take my mask off, and I suddenly snapped. Somehow, I managed to take the whip off of the man and... I strangled him with it. Madame Giry witnessed the whole thing and she helped me to escape. I grew up beneath the opera house. I began to write operas and sell them to the managers. It all went fine until one day the chandelier of the opera house fell and everyone started blaming the mysterious composer. Shortly after that, I caught this bastard stage hand about to rape little Meg Giry-"

"Who's Meg Giry?" I interrupted. Obviously, I knew who she was, but Erik couldn't know that.

"Oh, sorry. She's Madame Giry's daughter. Her father Jules Giry died when she was very young. I felt a certain responsibility to keep an eye out for her since her mother had saved me when I was young. Meg was probably ten-fifteen years younger than me... then again, I don't know how old I am. Anyway, I felt the need to protect her since she was very small, so when I saw Buquet about to take her purity so violently, I snapped. I strangled him to death... I'm not proud of it, but I had to protect Meg. You're a woman. You know how those things work. Many women had accused him of rape, but no one would listen to a word of it. I couldn't let Meg just fall victim to his ways. I hope you don't hate me for all of this..."

"Not at all, Erik. I think that's very brave of you."

"Anyway, the chandelier and Buquet's murder put a target on me. Not to mention, I was falling in love with Christine which just upset the Vicomte. All of that combined led to a search of the opera house with the cry that they must take down the Opera Ghost. Thankfully, they never found me. Then about a year later, you showed up..."

I shook my head, "Oh my... I'm sorry you had to go through all of that. What became of the Girys?"

"I suppose they're still in Paris somewhere. I told them they had to stay away from me for their own safety. Christine's husband, I would assume they're married now, would certainly not hesitate hurting one of them if it meant getting to me."

"Maybe I could meet them one day?"

"I could arrange that. I would quite enjoy seeing them both again. What about you?"

"Me?" I asked. 

"Tell me about your life."

"Oh, it's pretty boring," I shrugged, slightly nervous that I would give my secret away. I planned to never tell Erik about my previous life, and I was going to keep it that way, "Well, I had a pretty happy childhood with my parents and I. It's just been in recent years that my family has all died off and I've been left with expenses which has left me both homeless and without money to my name." 

"You're no longer homeless, my dear," he whispered in my ear and kissed my cheek.

"Thank you for that," I smiled at him.