What If He Wasn't Alone? (A Phantom of the Opera Fanfiction)

Chapter 16: Calm After the Storm

Hello everyone!!!! I'm sorry for the lack of updates, I've been so behind on school and piano it's ridiculous! This chapter isn't very long, but I thought you all deserved SOMETHING for waiting so long!!!!

I DON'T OWN PHANTOM OF THE OPERA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NOR DO I OWN EITHER OF THE SONGS THAT ARE METIONED IN THIS CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!



The next day was dark and stormy, completely ruining my plans to show Erik around Lucca. Erik jumped at the first roll of thunder. “What was that?!” he exclaimed.

“Thunder?” I said.

“oh.” He said. “Funny, I’ve never heard a thunderstorm.”

At the next flash of lightning and roll of thunder my front door flew open and slammed shut. “ISA!” I heard Jemma wail. “I’m scared!”



“You are still afraid of thunderstorms?” I asked. My question was just answered when thunder crashed again and Jemma jumped and flew into Erik’s arms, startling him greatly. I giggled at the sight of the former Phantom comforting a terrified six year old.

“There’s nothing to be frightened of, it’s just a flash and a sound.” Erik said as Jemma buried her face in his shoulder at the next crash.

“Jemma, I know how to help you face your fear of storms.” I said. Jemma and Erik both looked at me questionably as I continued. “You know where storms come from, don’t you?” when she shook her head I continued. “Well, high up in the clouds there is a crystal castle. The crystals cast rainbows wherever they please for little girls. In the castle, there live fairies and sprites that change the weather. The fairies of the castle cause the raindrops by the melted crystal drops and the flash and sound is the crystals breaking off the castle to fall down here so that we can have tiny crystals of our own. So there is no reason to be afraid of the fairies’ gift, it’s proof of the little beautiful things in everything!”

Jemma had been sitting on Erik’s lap while I told the story, but when I finished she slid off of him and went to hug me. “Thank you Izzy! That’s one of the best stories yet!” then as abruptly as she had come, Jemma skipped out the door, back to Grandma’s house.

I shut the door after her, only to turn around and see Erik looking at me. “yes?”

“That was a nice story.” He said as I took a seat on the piano bench.

“Thank you, I used to tell her stories every day before I left.” I said.

When he didn’t say anything I turned around and I started to play the piano, something I haven’t done in years.

“I thought you told me that you couldn’t play the piano!” Erik said as he took a seat next to me.

“I can’t, my parents only taught me one song when I was little.” I explained. “maybe you could teach me?”

“What can you play?” he asked, somewhat avoiding my question.

“ Chopin’s Nocturne in E flat major.” I answered. “but I can only play a bit.”

“You also think that you can’t sing, so I don’t believe that you can’t play.” Erik said.

I rolled my eyes and began to play the notes I had memorized all those years ago. My fingers flowed over the smooth keys as I played the song through. After I finished I turned to look at Erik, waiting for his comments. “And you said that you can’t play.” He said laughing a bit as I smiled at his compliment.

“That is the only thing I ever learned how to play.” I said.

“Well what would you like to learn?”

“Music of the Night.” I said softly, guilty that I had brought up something that reminded him of his lost love.

Erik sighed and said “It goes like this.” He spread his long fingers over the keys as I moved over so he could play. The sweet notes floated through the air and I could hear him whispering the words softly. The notes painted themselves into a picture in my mind, the lower notes were cool and the high notes were warm. As long as I would live, I would never forget the way that the music of the night would make my soul sing; it was uncanny. The song ended all too soon and the room was left silent once more. I applauded causing Erik to smile a bit as I started to try to replay the song. I assembled my fingers on the proper keys for the beginning notes, pushing the keys and the right pedal; causing the first notes to sound powerful. After that I couldn’t remember the following notes so I sat there for a while, feeling dumb that I thought I could play the song in the first place.

“I can’t do it!” I cried, hitting the keys with my hand as I used to do when I was frustrated.

“Yes, you can.” Erik said patiently. Gently he took my small hand and placed my fingers on the proper keys and I played as he steered my hand to the right keys. My crestfallen expression changed to amazement as I played the song I had admired for so long. We reached the end of the verse before I stopped playing and hugged Erik, surprising him with my actions.

“Thank you!” I said as I pulled away and tried not to giggle at his wide-eyed gaze. I got up and went to the kitchen to make lunch, realizing then that the storm had stopped and the sun was shining. Maybe tomorrow I would show Erik around Lucca.