Love Revived

Chapter XVI

"We should go to Madame Giry and tell her that you know now," I told Erik, late the afternoon he remembered.

"Chrisitne, I do not see why."

Erik wasn't too keen on anyone any longer now that he had his memory back. I found it annoying, really, as this was about to be the seventh time I had explained to him everyone was sorry and apologetic for their actions.

"They apologized, you know. Past that, they are good people who bad things happened to. You, of all creatures on earth, should comprehend such a topic."

Erik looked up from his music and muttered, "I suppose."

"We leave in a few minutes, up now with you," I said, pulling his hand and leading him into the bedroom.

"I must look presentable as well?" He teased, buttoning his shirt and searching for a dress-coat.

"You must."

"You are rather demanding, Christine," Erik hummed, coming up behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Erik, we must go before she heads to dinner."

"Let her attend supper, Christine, she shan't be bothered with our problems."

"Hush now, this needs to happen."

I could feel Erik's chest groan with unhappiness, his warmth leaving my body as he complied to my warning.

When Erik was finally dressed appropriately, he led me to Madame Giry's room, avoiding the opera house's bustle and disarray. I allowed him to knock, and we waited patiently in the luckily empty hall for the Madame to come to us.

"Hello?" She asked as her head peaked from the door's opening.

"It's Erik and I, could we..."

She gestured us in quickly and quietly, making sure no one had seen after us.

"How are you both? Are there wedding complications?"

Erik chuckled, leaning back in that scary way that made him look more intimadating than the fluffy Erik I knew he really was.

"I've come to a realization-"

My fiancé was allowed to talk no more as she interrupted him, "You remember."

"That I do," he replied, annoyacne gracing his tone at her interruption.

I caught his hand, softening at least his gaze as he fixed on Madame Giry... the poor thing. I felt bad as they both stared one another down; both were gazes I would not wish to be on either end of. I'd experienced both in the hour of hatred, and I hadn't known which was worse.

I didn't want to find out.

"Well, we shall be off now, Madame Giry."

"So soon, Christine?" Erik asked, not breaking eye-contact with the woman who hadn't broken it with him. Sure we'd only been there moments, but it honestly felt like hours.

"Please?" I begged, desperate to spend another night with him in my arms. I hoped he would hear my urgency, and I hoped that it would be sultry enough for him to understand.

Erik broke contact and looked at me with astonishment. As if to ask did I really want to do such a thing with him again? Did he think I wore this ring on my finger for positively nothing?

"Erik Destler, take your fiancée and love her like she wants you to, you are so very ignorant."

I looked at Madame Giry with wide-eyes wondering how she understood what had just occurred.

"Antoinette," Erik gasped, astonished at her blatancy just as I was.

"Go you two, I shan't want to be in your pesence while you deny each other..."

I took Erik with a grin and led him from the room, running almost to get to our bed in the catacombs.

-

A week later, we found all of us agreeing to just live life from now on, going past the days of when we were all harming one-another. Erik forgave Meg, and she forgave us as well for the wrongs we did against her. Although, she denied we did anything and blamed it upon her mother, we insisted she forgive us. Raoul apologized more than anyone, his drinking, his persistance, his abuse... I guess he had a lot to apologize for. It felt really good to see everyone smile as we ended our apologies and started off on a new plane.

It wasn't until later in the next month that I discovered just why Raoul and Meg had forgiven and aplogized so quickly. Apparently, they both fancied each other. I had no clue as to how it happened, and I was weary, honestly. For a long while I thought maybe it was a recovery from their past, failed relationships. They couldn't just suddenly be attracted to one-another as they had lost someone they loved. Maybe they simply wanted to see why we didn't love the other. Then I got very mad at Raoul, wondering why he would pursue a relationship when he had handled ours so poorly. I was jealous, I realized, because I had been married to him. I told Erik about this, and the angel he was understood that it was simply because of this. He knew I loved himself more, I was just concerned for Meg. I didn't want my friend to get hurt in any way. I would have blamed myself if she died at Raoul's hand. Not to mention I would have taken Erik's forte and killed him for doing such a thing to her. And finally I accepted it after Erik talked some sense into me. They were both lost and had needed someone more real than the world usually had to offer. Many of the men Meg slept with were terrible fakes, and the woman Raoul was married to, myself, loved another. She lied for ten years that her son was his.

I had also apologized for that a million times. And once more for good measure.

So a month later, Erik and I were dressed in our finest clothes, awaiting the couple that I had forced Erik to invite to our home. I did not know how well this affair was to go, but I figured it would be tense on the best occasion. But it was good for us. Eventually, I hoped we would all come to enjoy one-another's presence. I held high-hopes, impossible ones had you asked Erik, but I felt that this was to go well. I would just have to see.