Beauty and the Phantom: a Beauty and the Beast/Phantom of the Opera crossover

Point of No Return

Chapter 16

Belle walked into the theater, her heart still heavy from leaving Erik the way she did. She wanted to go to New York, but she didn't want to go without him. If it hadn't been for Erik, she wouldn't have gotten the offer. The more she thought about it, the more she regretted not saying something. But, she had an audience to entertain in just a few short hours. She proceeded to her dressing room and slipped off her clothing before changing into her costume. 

"Ms. Isabelle," Mr. Cooper knocked on the door and entered. 

"Yes, sir?" 

"I heard that you had a delightful evening with my son last night and I wanted to see how things went." 

"It was wonderful, thank you." She quickly turned back to the mirror and saw that there was a rose hanging on it. "Did you leave this?" 

"No, actually." Mr. Cooper approached the vanity to examine the rose. 

"Erik must've left it." Belle concluded, pining her hair into place.

"I was actually about to ask you about Erik." 

"Is something wrong?" 

"Well, I'm assuming so with the way you are acting. Erik left last night shortly after you did." 

"What do you mean left? Mr. Cooper. . ." 

"Evangeline told me that he went after you when you departed last night. He never returned home, so we assumed he was with you." 

"He never came with me. Why was he coming after me?" 

"That is not my place to say, Isabelle. But we need to find him. I'll do what I can, just focus on the show right now. Alright?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Good. I'll try to call him and hopefully get a hold of him." 

"I hope so." Belle turned back to the rose and noticed it was fresh. If Erik had been missing since the night before, it couldn't have been left by him. . . could it have? 

As she pondered the disappearance of her love and the mysterious rose, her phone rang from an unidentified cellular number. Belle hesitated, but she picked up regardless. 

"Hello?" There was an uneasy silence. 

"Hello?" She asked again, her voice wavered in fear. After another moment of silence, a distorted voice spoke up. 

"Hello Isabelle. You may wonder who I am, but you will know soon enough." The voice hesitated, almost like it was waiting for instruction. "In order for you to discover my identity, first you must open the top drawer of the vanity in front of you." 

"How. . .how do you know where I am?" 

"That's not important. Open the drawer and you will find a box. Open it." Belle hesitantly obeyed, lifting out the box that had been described to her. She opened the box and her heart instantly dropped into her stomach when she saw what was inside. 

Erik's mask.

Blood streaked the mask and pieces were broken off. 

"Erik!" Belle sobbed. Any fear that she had about his safety was confirmed. He was in grave danger. "Where is he? Oh my gosh what have you done to him?!" She demanded. 

"I'm safe for now." The voice spoke quickly. "In order to keep Erik safe, you must do what is asked of you down to the very detail. Understood? Time is of the essence."