Of Masks And Roses

Saturn

Author's Note: Hello everyone! Just to let you all know Scarlet plays another song in this chapter, you can find it in the playlist I made, which you can find on my main page. Its called Sleeping At Last - "Saturn" (Official Music Video) there is no piano really in this song but I couldn't find a better version so just use your imaginations lol. As usual, you'll know when to play when you see a bolded ( . Thank you so much, and let me know what you think!

xXx

Erik watched as Scarlet suddenly spun and ran the way they came. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but slowly closed it. His heart ached in his chest as he turned away and put his head against the wall, his hands reaching up to grab at his hair. He pulled slightly and gritted his teeth in anger.

"What am I doing?" he whispered to himself, "What am I doing?" He closed his eyes and the scene replayed before him; Scarlet up against the wall, fear in her eyes as well as worry. Worry for who? For him? No one cares about him. Why should she ever care about him? Why should anyone? Why? Why? Why?

He was close enough to smell her perfume. It smelled of lilacs and roses, and the scent of it caused his gaze to fall to her lips. It was suddenly like the world didn't matter, nothing mattered or existed except for him, Scarlet, and the space between them. He found himself slowly closing the gap, his eyelids falling and his heart soared in the fact that she was leaning in as well.

But why was his heart soaring? Why was she leaning in too? Why? Why? Why? It doesn't matter. All that mattered was the space between them. They had to close that space.

But the face of Christine was waiting for him behind those closed eyes. They way that she looked at him when they had met at the masquerade, and then her shocked face as he ripped her ring away from her neck; the face of horror and betrayal.

Erik spun away from Scarlet and practically threw himself against the opposite wall, his shoulders shaking. How could he do that? Why would he do that to Christine? His precious Christine? He couldn't betray her, he couldn't betray himself. He just couldn't.

Why?

Why?

Why?

Erik couldn't help but chuckle, "Look at us," he said, "Life and Death battling one another." He could hear Scarlet panting behind him. She had been holding her breath when they... when they almost...

"We couldn't be battling if you would just listen to reason." she whispered.

Erik found himself turning away from the wall to look at her, his heart aching from this night of turmoil. Her eyes widened and filled with tears.

And then she ran from him, just like everyone else.

Erik opened his eyes and stood up straight. He turned away from the wall to head back to his lair when a spot of green caught his eye. For a second he thought Scarlet had returned, his heart jumping to his throat in anticipation, but fell when he spotted her masquerade mask lying on the stone floor. He slowly knelt down and picked up a mask, a forest green with a flower and leaves of ivy that would frame the side of a face. It must have fallen off in her wake. Erik sighed and stood up, still gazing at the mask. The smell of her perfume still lingered and he closed his eyes at the scent of it, bringing the mask to his nose as he leaned back against the wall, his racing heart slowing.

And he was once again met with the scared face of Christine, and in his shock he almost crumpled the mask in his grip. He opened his eyes and glared into the catacombs. Into the void. The abyss. His home and dominion.

"I can't lose sight of what's important," Erik told himself, "I can't. I've come too far for anything else."

He dropped the mask at his feet and walked into the darkness, pushing Scarlet from his mind and replacing her with the singing, happy image of Christine, looking up at him in adoration.