The Man Clad in Black (Phantom of the Opera)

An Offer at the Opera House - Chapter 33

"You and Erik are friends, no?" she asked, placing a hand on your shoulder.

Well... You seemed to be more than friends - especially after the stunt that he pulled - but you weren't going to emphasize that just yet. You simply replied with a nod.

"Good..." she muttered. "With the revival of the opera house under way, we don't wish to scare any of our cast and crew members... I'm going to have to ask you to keep your - erhm, friend - from doing anything that could sabotage the upcoming Opera."

***

It had only been a day since the chandelier incident, and nonetheless, here you were - sitting in a carriage with Madame Giry, Matthew, and Erik...

You and Madame Giry were the only two people he seemed to trust at all.

He still looked like he wanted to rip Matthew's head off.

"[Y/N], make sure to keep all of the ballerinas calm as calm as possible," Madame Giry said with a slight nod. "They seem to like you... While there may be some who are still afraid of someone in particular—" you both knew she was talking about Erik, "let them know that they have nothing to fear."

"That's not entirely true..." you heard Erik say.

It was clear that Madame Giry, while you knew she would normally hit someone over the head with her cane if they as much spoke a word with the same tone that Erik held, was still afraid of the man... She didn't even give him a stern look. It was almost like she broke character completely. She kept her gaze on the ground, unintentionally staring at your ankles, and she slowly shook her head.

You and Erik sat next to each other... While he didn't seem to try and make another move - as Madame Giry was right in front of him - he would have gladly done so if it was just Matthew. The only thing he loved more than you was bugging the hell out of him.

And he seemed to do that quite well.

"Monsieur, you're - " Matthew started to complain. He was referring to the fact that he was stepping quite hard on his foot, and in a way, he should have known better than to complain... why on earth would Erik, of all people, decide to play nice for once and move his for out of the way?

Instead of trying to fix his error, Erik simply looked out the window as he nonchalantly (though quite harshly) kicked Matthew in the shin, which immediately prompted him to let out a curse.

"Hey! What was that for?" the man said. Yet again, however, Erik simply ignored Matthew's frustration and kept his eyes glued to what was going on outside.

When Matthew got no response, he let out a slight groan as he glanced down at his shin, which was now throbbing with pain.

"Good lord..." he muttered, leaning over to start brushing himself off. He glanced up to Erik and, after a moment or two, he noticed his smirk... He clearly wasn't entertained. He tucked his leg up into his chest, massaging his shin to try and help the pain subside - even just a little bit... of course, while it wasn't a serious injury, it still really hurt. He glared at the man as he shook his head with frustration. "Go to hell, why don't you?"

Erik's smirk was quick to disappear as he shot Matthew a disgusted look.

"Where do you think I'm from?" he asked.

"Silence, you two," Madame Giry said, sending the both of them quite a stern glance... it seemed that, although she was somewhat afraid of Erik, she was not about to let him be an annoying little pest on the way there. "We are almost there... it is pointless to try and start an argument over such juvenile things."

The rest of the ride was silent. Erik tried to reach over and grab your hand a couple of times, and while you would normally be overjoyed with his interest in you, you knew that it was probably just for the sake of annoying Matthew all over again...

The carriage stopped at the front entrance.

"Matthew, [Y/N], you two can get out here," Madame Giry said. "Erik and I will go through another way... Now go quickly. We are holding up the roadway."

Sure enough, there was a line of carriages behind you, and you soon found yourself making your way out... Matthew held a hand out so that you didn't topple over, and even though Erik seemed to be unamused by the action, you didn't mind.

"Thank you," you smiled. Your carriage ride off again, and as you made your way up the steps, you were greeted by many familiar faces... One of them being Meg.

"Did you hear?" Meg asked, placing a hand on your shoulder. "Christine ran away to get married with the Vicomte... Can you believe that?"

Yes.

"Heavens, no!" you replied (while knowing you were lying). "I don't understand why she would leave."

You really did... You weren't surprised, actually - after watching Erik threaten to kill her beloved if she didn't comply with what he had asked of her. While Meg was there to walk in on you and Erik trying to escape together, she wasn't there to witness what horrible things he was about to do, and anyone in their right minds would never want to return to the Opera House of that had happened to them.

Hell, even you would do the same.

"Right?" Meg asked. "I don't know if La Carlotta's coming back either - it's going to be quite hard to find a replacement for the both of them. We're going to need another lead soprano..."

Wait a minute...

Hell no.

Everything began to add up. While Madame Giry came to speak to you about keeping Erik distracted, she also mentioned upcoming auditions... And how she wished for you to join them again. Christine running away had robbed them from all of their chances...  Christine had been taught by Erik, and now, you were the only one who he seemed to be remotely fond of - and Meg especially knew this... Perhaps, with a tremendous amount of time and effort, you would one day be able to step into Christine's shoes.

You weren't fond of the idea.

"Meg, this is absurd," you whispered. You noticed that Matthew had wandered off to speak with his father (who seemed traumatized, to be frank), which left you and Meg to venture back up the steps. You knew what she was getting at, and she knew that already. "I can't sing."

"But [Y/N]," she pleaded, stopping at the entrance. "Christine was taught by the Phantom, and you're the only one who would dare get lessons from him." Her voice had trailed off to barely a whisper.

"Meg... I'm sorry," you whispered, looking around for any prying eyes. "I don't think I can."

Meg looked a little defeated, but nonetheless, she respected your answer.

"Alright..." she murmured. "Just think about it, okay?"

You gave a slight nod.

"Absolutely."

A/N: OHH MY GOSH!!! I'M AT 1K!! THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!! I wish there was something I could do to celebrate, but I'm not sure what there is to do... I'll figure it out! Maybe. Anyway, what did you think? Vote, comment, and share... Don't be a stranger, and goodnight!