Keep Me Close

I Need Your Help

Erik POV
I had walked in the front door when I heard the scream coming from the bathroom. In a panic i sprinted up the stairs falling once in my hurried steps.
"Lily! What's happened?" I yelled banging at the locked door. She didn't respond, "For god sakes child let me in!" I said pulling at the door handle fearing for the worst. What if she has fallen and knocked herself unconscious? I heard her breath shakily on the other side of the door. "Lily!" I yelled again throwing my shoulder into the door. It didnt budge,
"Father go get Aunt Meg!" She yelled, Why on earth would she want Meg and not me?
"What? No! Let me in!" I yelled pulling at the locked door handle it.
"No! Go get Aunt Meg! Im not letting you in!" She yelled frantically. Then I knew what had happened and why she didn't want me in there with her. This was a woman's situation.
"Ok! Ok, ok. I will be right back just remain calm!" I yelled running down the stair case and out the front door again. I ran to the pen behind the house where I kept my horse and took off towards Meg's apartment.

Lily POV
I wasn't letting him in the bathroom, as much as I love my Father he wouldn't be the right person to help me in this dilemma. I sat on the bench with a towel wrapped around me still a but shaken up. Aunt Meg had warned me this would be coming very soon but I hadn't thought it would be this soon. Noel had gotten hers for the first time a few months back and told me how she was in the middle of a dance rehearsal when Madame Giry noticed what was happening. Noel was mortified but Madame was there to calm her and explain everything. It was times like this that I really wished Mother was around. I felt badly for being yelling at Father but he would be possibly one of the worst people to help me deal with this. His reaction to the corset was proof of that.

Erik POV
I hadn't spoken a word to Meg since that night I lost my temper at her for only trying to be good to my daughter. I knocked on her door, there was no response. I then banged on the door even harder to see her open the door slightly.
"Hello-?" She stopped and her friendly expression faded when she saw me. "Erik Im busy" she said then attempting to close the door.
"No! Wait!" I yelled putting my foot in-between the door and the frame.
"Erik move. Now. I don't have time for this." She said trying to close the door on me yet again.
"Meg please. I need your help." I said with pleading eyes.
"What could you possibly want?" She asked sharply opening the door a bit more.
"Its Lily"
"Whats happened? Is she okay?" She asked her expression changing from angry to concerned.
"I believe so, i think she's gotten her um..." I blushed not being too sure what to say. She began to look impatient.
"Her what Erik?" She asked me.
"Her, well her first erm. Well, I-"
"Spit it out Erik!"
"Her period! She wouldn't let me in the bathroom and asked me to come get you. I don't know what to do in this situation, I need your help Meg. Please!" I said slightly embarrassed to be having this conversation with her. Men weren't supposed to be the ones to deal with these things but raising a child without a mother, I had no choice. Meg was my only option in this moment.
"Oh" she simply responded.
"Will you come please?" I begged.
"Yes, give me a second. I'll meet you outside in a moment." She said closing her door and disappearing inside. I stood there still a bit frazzled. She retuned a moment later with a tin box. We said nothing else to each other on the ride back to my home.

Lily POV
"Where are they?" I said looking at the clock in the corner. I was still bleeding heavily. Then I heard a knock at the door of the bathroom. "Father I already told you I'm not letting you in!" I yelled growing annoyed with him.
"Sweetheart its just me" i heard the comforting voice of Aunt Meg. "Please let me in" she said softly. I approached the door and opened in slightly letting her in. She stood there smiling sweetly.
"Oh love, don't worry" she said coming in. I saw Father standing a few feet away watching protectively but looking anxious. She was me looking at him, "Erik, go downstairs. We will be down in a bit." Meg demanded. He looked displeased by her tone towards him but eventually he left grumbling under his breath. He really was a very stubborn man.
Aunt Meg explained everything to me again and helped me clean myself up. She told me this would last a week and come once a month. She gave me some items to help me control the bleeding. I was so grateful to her in this moment. As much as I knew this was normal, it was quite scary realizing your bleeding all of a sudden.
We made our way back downstairs after I had changed and calmed down a bit. Father was anxiously pacing the floor in front of the fireplace. He then noticed us and looked up giving me a loving yet concerned look. I was embarrassed slightly, having him know this was now going to be a normal thing.
"She's all set" Meg said wrapping her arm around me in a maternal manner. Father approached me and wrapped me into his strong embrace. "Be prepared for some cramping, it will be uncomfortable however, placing a warm cloth over you abdominal should help ease it a bit" She said heading towards the door.
"Thank you Aunt Meg" I said. She nodded and opened the door. I nudged Father to thank her as well, then i felt the tension in the room. I realized they hadn't spoken for a while. Ever since the fire.
"Go apologize" I mumbled softy in his ear. He ignored me at first but I repeated myself escaping his embrace and looking at him.
"Fine" he growled through his clenched jaw. Something Father hated doing, admitting he was wrong. "Meg wait" he said chasing her to the door. "May I have a word" he said formally as he followed her out onto the porch.

Erik POV
Meg and I sat outside in the garden. She looked around awkwardly admiring the flowers. I wasn't quite sure how to begin,
"Meg I'm-" she placed her hand on mine silencing me.
"Erik I understand why you reacted the way you did. You hate seeing her grow up. Its quite understandable, I don't like it one bit either. I wish we could turn back time to when she was a little girl, but that is no longer an option. Your doing an amazing job raising her, Christie would be so proud of you " she said gripping my hand tighter.
"Meg it wasn't right what I did. I raised my hand to you and let the monster I've been trying to conceal for so long show. He still haunts me constantly" I sighed. Meg was always there. She knew the truth of my past. She knew the actions I took back in Paris.
"The Phantom will always be there inside of you mind Erik. You must however, remember that that is not you. You are not that man anymore. You are kind and gentle now. You are a Father raising a young girl. " she said looking at me with sympathy. "How much does Lily know of your past?" She asked me.
"All she knows is that I am the Phantom of the Opera, nothing else. I've taken lot of precautions keeping her in the dark about my past monsteras actions" i said looking at my feet as if I was a child being scolded.
"Then you must know that someday there will come a time where you must tell her, for your sake and hers" Meg said. "Not today or anytime soon, but there will come a time, she will have to know. "
"I know, I just fear her resentment if I were to tell her the truth"
"She may be angry but she could never hate you. She has too much of Christine in her for her to ever hate you. She knows how much you love her and realizes everything you've done for her" Meg said looking at me with loving eyes. I sat there processing what she had just said before she got up and began to walk away from me.
"Meg?" She tuned to face me.
"Than you. You remind me of your mother more and more every day. Thank you"
"Your welcome Erik" and with that she left me sitting all alone to my thoughts in the the peaceful garden.