That Face In The Mask
Chapter Twenty: The Music of Her Life:Part Two
A/N: Yes! School is finally out and I am celebrating by posting this final chap!Okay guys, it's finally arrived. This is the final chapter in "That Face in the Mask" and it was11 pages and 22,346 words in Microsoft Word:)
I just wanted to get all sappy for a minute and say that I have really enjoyed writing this fic. It was my first ever E/M fic, and I'm happy to see that I did a pretty decent job with it. Big thank yous to everyone who reviewed and wrote in so many helpful comments, opinions and constructive critisims, they were greatly appreciated!
So, here it goes. Enjoy...
P.S. If you have trouble imaging the stage bridge mentioned in this chap, think of the bridge Erik and Christine are standing on in Don Juan for PONR when he's unmasked. Long, wooden bridge with sides and a big edge.
Meg Giry thrashed against her captor, but he was quite stronger than her, and succeeded in dragging her against her will into the stage door and up the steps, leading to the stage bridge. Although she tried not to let on, she was absolutely terrified. Stagehands didn't even use the bridge she was now standing on, because it was so high up numerous workers had fallen to their deaths, even with the side rails. She could see the opera going on below them, the performers dancing around like colorful ants. She continued screaming and struggling, even though she knew no audience members could see her at this height.
Finally, her captor released his grip on her, and she reeled out of his arms, turning around sharply to see who it was. She couldn't believe the impossible sight before her eyes
It was Cedric
She felt herself stagger backwards in amazement, her hand clutched at her heart.
"Cedric?" she whispered hoarsely
He looked up at her, a crazy, almost demonic fire burning in his eyes that she had never seen there before.
"Cedric, no it can't be. You're dead" she whispered unbelievingly
He laughed bitterly in return
" Or so you and your little Phantom lover thought" he said, grabbing her swiftly by the waist
She looked up into his face, absolutely astounded. He was dead! She had seen his mangled body herself! Was she going insane, or was there something else she didn't realize.
"I know what you're thinking. But Meg, that wasn't me. It was someone else, so close to my heart, he was almost an irritable part of me" he ranted
"But, who? Why would you-"
She stopped short as the full realization hit her"I'll probably stay with my brother and his wife out on the coast, just until I get a job. It may be a little hard to put up with his arrogant comments and rude manners, but I'll manage"
"My brother's always sneering at me and acting so superior and haughty. He never thought I should have gone into music in the first place."
"I hate that man! He still treats me like I'm some child that's still in his shadow, not good enough to be in the Grieg family"Cedric Grieg had always been jealous of his brother, Edward. And they were identical twins, a fact Cedric had always despised. In fact, it had been Edward that had treated Meg when she was so ill with pneumonia!
She looked and saw the sneer spreading across his face
"So, it appears you've finally figured it out. Well done, Meg." he said tauntingly
"Cedric, how could you? Why would you kill your own brother?"
"You know how much I hate that bastard! He was in his carriage, expecting to take us back here when you accepted my proposal, and when we never showed up, he came down to investigate, and when he found out you refused, well-"
He grinned wickedly
"That was the last time he'll ever ridicule me again! It always comes in handy to carry a pocketknife strong enough to cut through the flesh" he sneered
Meg was beginning to feel faint. This was like some crazy nightmare she couldn't escape, and kept trying to make sense of
"But, if you stabbed him to death, then what did the lasso...?" she trailed off
He glared at her
"I needed your little Phantom lover out of the picture somehow. So, it was simple. Make it seem like the Phantom had killed again, and once he was gone, reveal that he'd killed the wrong man, so we could finally be together. The plan's just a little ahead of schedule"
She couldn't believe this. Cedric, her dearest childhood friend, a bloodthirsty murderer, ranting and raving like some lunatic!
"Cedric, why would you do all this? Fake your own death? Frame an innocent man? Erik- oh god, Erik!" she criedHe really didn't do it. He was innocent the entire time, like he tried to tell me, and I wouldn't believe him! Oh, how could I be so stupid? He must be heartbroken by now.
She saw Cedric's face begin to boil with rage, and he grabbed both her wrists in his hand, squeezing them painfully
"THAT'S why I did this Meg! You love me! You know you love me, you've always loved me! You're so obsessed with that stupid Phantom, you can't see what's right in front of your eyes! He doesn't love you. He never could love as much as I do. Don't you understand Meg? When you turned me down for some mysterious Phantom, I was sick of just accepting it, just mindlessly waiting for you to get over your little phase. I had to do something!"
She was crying now, the tears streaming down her face, colliding with the heavy stage makeup. Cedric had ripped her black wig off in his fit of rage, and was now running his fingers through her messy blond curls
"Meg, oh Meg, I love you. More than I've ever loved anyone else in my life. Can't you see that? Shh, don't cry. Everything will be fine. We're going to be very happy together. You know you love me, and eventually that love will come back, even if it has to be forced" he said dangerously
Meg pushed herself away from him, ever cautious of the extreme height
"Cedric, you're mad! I don't love you! I never did, and I NEVER WILL! Can't you understand? I love Erik! Not you! In fact, I'm beginning to despise you" she screamed, rubbing her wrists to get the feeling back in them
She saw the dangerous glint come back into his eyes, and he slowly pulled something out of his pocket
"I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but you leave me no choice Meg" he growled dangerously. coming towards her.
She panicked and began backing away slowly, desperately praying she would be in view of the audience, the stagehands, anyone that could save her from this madman!
In a sudden movement, he grabbed her towards him, forcing her small body against his own. They were now at the end of the bridge, over an extremely large, dangerous gap. One more step and she'd fall over the edge to her death.
Cedric whirled her around to face him, a knife poised in his hand, hovering threateningly above her neck
"Choose Meg. If I can't have you, no other man will. It's either me, or death." he ranted breathlessly.
He jolted her back farther, the heels of her shoes dangling over the edge as a dangerous reminder of the fall below her if she made the wrong move
"Make your choice"
He was too upset and confused to concentrate on the play, excellent as the music and storyline were though. Every little thing reminded him of Meg, leading to the unanswerable questions that continued taunting him:
Why did she really believe that I would kill Cedric? Doesn't she trust me more than that that? Doesn't she love me? Or was I just foolishly convincing myself that she loved me when she really didn't?
The gasps and screams from the audience snapped him out of his thoughts. He assumed it was because Don José had just killed Carmen, but then he realized that had already occurred. So what was the commotion?
Suddenly, Annette came bounding up the aisle, her hair loose in a tangled knot and her skirt hitched up from running, signaling frantically to Erik to come down from the box. What on earth was wrong?
Erik finally realized what was wrong, and when he did, he felt his blood turn cold. High up on the old stage bridge were two people, dangerously close to the edge. They could be killed. This wasn't a part of the show, which was why the play had momentarily stopped and the audience was screaming. The danger was real. Erik could faintly make out the shape of a man and woman dressed as a gypsy up there. The odd thing was, the gypsies in this production all had jet black hair, like his own, and this one had heavenly blonde curls...
Meg
In an instant, he leaped down the steps, running right past Annette towards the stage. She struggled to keep up with him, panting frantically
"Oh Erik, it's Meg up there-"
"I know!" he snapped worriedly, bounding past her
She stopped and grabbed his coat jacket, ripping it off to the ground. He tried to push her away from him
"Damn it Annette! What do you think you're doing? Are you mad? Let go of me!"
"Erik, listen! It's not just Meg. Cedric's up there with her, and he's getting ready to push her over the edge! He's gone insane Erik!"
That was about all he needed to hear before he began going towards the stage door, when Annette blocked him
"Erik, you have to LISTEN! You can't go charging up there to save her now! Cedric's not acting rationally right now, he's gone insane. Any sudden movements or surprises and he'll push her! He's gambling with her life right now, and you're the person he wants up there, to kill you too! You've got to stay calm if you're going to save her, and the stage door he's blocking is the only way up there."
He thought for a moment. The Opus wasn't that different from the Opera Populaire in architecture, and all opera houses had one thing in common that he was well acquainted with.
Erik smirked wickedly. "It's not the only way, Annette. Come on. I've got an idea"
"Make your choice"
The cruel words echoed in Meg's mind, over and over. What could she do? Cedric was holding her life in his hands, and now wouldn't hesitate to end it. Should she try going along with him, or humoring him?
No sudden moves now. She had to think, but God, she seemed to be much higher over the hard, wooden stage than she was moments ago.
Suddenly, a movement behind Cedric caught her eye. She could have cried with relief when she saw it was Erik, silently making his way across the bridge towards Cedric. He must have used another one of those passages to get up here without using the stage door.
He saw her face start to light up with relief, and frantically brought his finger to his lips, begging her to be silent. Amazingly, the audience was silent too, paralyzed by the real fear and suspense.
Erik knew he couldn't make a mistake, or it would all be over for him and Meg. He was now mere inches behind Cedric. He could hear the boy's threatening words to Meg
"Make your choice!"
Without hesitating, Erik grabbed Cedric's body, pulling it back suddenly away from Meg. Cedric moved to stab Erik, but he punched Cedric right in the face, knocking him to the ground. He bolted over to Meg, pulling her away from the edge of the bridge, into safety. She fell limply into his arms. Cedric was now blocking the stage door entrance and the secret tunnel's entrance. This was it.
Erik was almost as far as he could get on the bridge without tumbling over the edge. The only way he could keep Meg safe from falling was to put her in front of him, like a shield which Erik realized was dangerous for the both of them, because if Cedric moved to stab or harm him, he'd kill Meg instead. And if Erik backed up any father, he'd cause both of them to fall to their deaths
He could feel Meg trembling from fear in his arms and he hugged her tightly, holding her in his strong arms. She turned around in his grasp and began sobbing into his chest. He gently kissed the top of her head
"Shhh, Meg, it will be all right. You're okay. I'm here now, you're safe. Calm down. It's going to be fine"
He knew he was lying, but Meg had relaxed at the sound of his reassuring words. He smoothed her hair down gently. Meg could feel his heart hammering beneath his vest and knew he was probably more scared than she was right now, but he'd never let on.
Erik could feel his body becoming rigid as he watched Cedric get back up, wiping the blood from his face. With the knife grasped tightly in his right hand and the sweat pouring down his face, Cedric looked every bit the insane, raving madman Annette had described to him.
He watched him approaching slowly and heard Meg whimper softly into his vest.
Cedric laughed sarcastically
"My, what a touching display of affection, monsieur Phantom."
He was now only a few feet from them, drawing closer with every word
"Do you honestly think that she really loved you when she had me? Who could ever love a hideous monster like yourself? She'll never really love you, and you'll never be worthy of her love. So stop this masquerade already, monsieur. You can't hide your face behind that mask forever you know." he shouted.
Cedric suddenly moved to pull of his mask, but Erik's hand jerked up, enclosing Cedric's wrist in an iron grip. He could hear his bones breaking in his grasp, and tried not to laugh at the boy's stifled shouts of pain
"Don't even try that, monsieur. The only one ever permitted to remove that mask is Meg." he whispered dangerously
Cedric could feel the fury coursing through his body at the mention of his beloved on that vile monster's tongue. In a flash, he had removed his wrist from Erik's grasp, and lowered his right hand suddenly, ready to stab him.
Meg screamed as the knife grazed right by her shoulder, narrowly missing Erik's chest as he jerked away. Erik released his strong grip on Meg and quickly threw her to the floor, out of harm's way, where she watched the horrible scene now unfolding before her eyes.
Cedric tried to stab him again, but Erik quickly grabbed his wrist and flipped the knife out of Cedric's hand into his own free one. Maneuvering coldly yet cautiously in the small space, he spun around, so that now Erik was safely on the bridge and Cedric was in peril of falling down to the stage below.
It seemed now that Erik was faced with a horrible choice. Should he kill the boy or not? He knew he would have loved to just do it, to know that the ignorant fop was dead and would never again pose any threat to him or Meg. But, could he kill the boy with five thousand audience members and Meg watching him? Should he kill after he had sworn to Meg never to kill in vain again? Did this apply to "in vain"?
Meg could see Erik struggling with his choice, desperately hoping he'd make the choice they could both live with tomorrow. Unfortunately, Cedric had now noticed his rival was mentally struggling with his options, and paying no attention to him. Meg saw Cedric's hand jerk out , but by the time Meg screamed out his name as a warning, it was too late. He had punched Erik soundly in the stomach, causing Erik to fall, weak with pain. Cedric took advantage of his momentary lapse of strength to grab the knife and kick his rival to the end of the bridge. This was it. No more hesitation. He had to strike now.
He grinned wickedly at the notorious Phantom of the Opera, lying on the ground, weak with pain.
"You've passed the point of no return, monsieur. It's over.
Au revior, Phantom"
In that instant, the world seemed to stop as Cedric lunged the knife towards Erik's chest. Meg heard her voice screaming
"No!"
She leaped up, and grabbed Cedric's arm, pulling it back away from Erik. She fought with all her strength to keep his arm back against her chest. She held on, struggling with all her might. She could not let him kill Erik. She had to stop him!
"No, Cedric, please! Don't do this. You can't do this! I love him!" she screamed
He jerked Meg away from him, causing her to land dangerously on top of Erik. She saw him stagger backwards with amazement. Erik wasted no time, pushing Meg up and off of him and dragging her along with him, far away from the danger of falling off the bridge. They were still on the ground, but out of danger now. Meg stopped for a moment, looking at Cedric, who gazed back at her with hollow, tortured eyes.
He backed up, unaware of how close he was to the edge.
"Meg, you really love this...this Phantom?" he whispered hoarsely
She nodded firmly
"Yes, Cedric, I do. I really do. I could never love anyone else but him."
"So, you'll never love me? Never again?"
"No, Cedric. I never did love you. I never will. I truly love Erik."
Cedric smiled at her, looking like his old, playful, self for a moment. The fire and rage were now gone from his eyes, a clear, calm feeling settling over him.
"Well, Meg, I still love you. But, I suppose that we never will be more than just friends. So be it."
He was now almost entirely off the bridge. He whispered softly
"Meg, I love you"
before he poised the knife above his own chest, plunging it into his heart. His head rolled back and the blood began pouring from his chest as he fell back limply. Meg screamed in horror, and Erik turned her head away, into his chest so she wouldn't have to see Cedric fall to his death.
Meg couldn't believe it. Cedric had killed himself. He had plunged that knife into his own heart, killing himself willingly when he finally knew and accepted the fact that he would never have Meg's love.
She knew that even though Cedric was now dead, her thoughts of him, especially the awful image now engraved on her memory of his suicide, would never die, and live to haunt her always.
Erik practically fell with relief onto his organ bench. After safely helping Meg through the secret passageway and down off the dangerous stage bridge into the orchestra pit, she had fallen into his arms and literally fainted when the full realization of what had just happened hit her. After a few moments and gentle slaps from her distraught mother and Erik, she had come to, only to awake to find a crowd of spectators and news people wanting to know what had happened. She and Erik had answered a few brief questions, promising to tell the full story tomorrow, before her mother and the managers had shooed everyone away.
After a tight hug and sobs of relief from her mother and Meg, Erik had whisked Meg across the street, back to their familiar Opera Populaire, and quickly down to his lair for some privacy and comfort (with the approval of the ever-reluctant Mme. Giry of course)
Meg was now removing the last of her heavy gypsy makeup before falling onto Erik's plush red couch. He sat down beside her, hugging her for at least the tenth time that day. She looked up at him. Finally, she had come clean about her brief courtship with Cedric and why she'd kept it from him, and he wasn't angry with her at all. Still, she wanted to be sure.
"Did I already tell you that I am so, so sorry for what I blamed you for, and what I did to you?"
Erik pretended to think "Well, you've said it at least fifty times already, so this would be the fifty-first, making this the fifty-first 'Apology accepted.'"
She tiredly smiled up at him. He kissed her gently, stroking her soft, warm cheek
"But, it's all right now. Apology accepted. I forgive you. After all, it really wasn't your fault besides your incorrect assumption and your little act of deception."
She rolled her eyes "Erik, haven't we gone through enough today without you showing off your ridiculously large vocabulary?" she asked in mock exasperation.
He smiled, kissing her hand gently
" As I told you before, I'd go through anything to be with you. Though you sure do drag a man through a lot"
She laughed "I suppose I do, don't I. Oh, Erik, we've been through so much together. Don Juan, becoming friends, that composition..."
"Your illness, that major fight with your mother, our first kiss"
"Your panic attacks, my courtship, that false engagement letter, making lov- well, you know" she trailed off, her cheeks blazing at the thought of it.
"We really have been through a lot together, haven't we?" he asked drowsily.
"Yes, we have. And to think, I used to believe I would always be some little invisible petite rat in the ballet no one ever noticed. And now, well..." she let her voice trail off suggestively
Erik sighed in awe as he looked at her: her golden, flowing curls loose about her narrow shoulders, her petite frame leaning dependently against him, the warmth and love from her body flowing into his own. He knew that there was no possible way on earth Meg could ever be invisible or unimportant. She was far too sweet and gentle and beautiful to not be noticed.
Erik had finally realized how short and precious life was. He used to just aimlessly go on living, developing deeper thoughts of self-loathing and agony as each worthless day dragged on, waiting for death to free him from his hideous face and the bitter world that had cruelly despised him because of it. But now, he realized what a treasure each day was that he spent with her. Meg had really changed his life. The face hidden behind his mask truly didn't matter to her, as it had so many others, including Christine. Meg had embraced him and loved him even more because of it. He had been through numerous terrifying events in his horrible past, but tonight had been the most terrifying night of his life by far when he actually thought he might have lost Meg. That instant, when he watched her, so dangerously close to dying, was when time had literally stopped for him and his blood turned cold. He never realized how much she meant to him, and how he really couldn't live without her.
The mysterious Phantom normally never had any problems expressing his thoughts or feelings through words and music, but he did tonight. He knew what he was about to say would be the hardest task he would ever undergo, but he needed to do it. For Meg.
Gently shrugging her off his chest, he stood up off the couch, aware of Meg's curious eyes on him. Taking a deep breath, he turned to face her and bent down on one knee.
Meg, like any other hopeful girl, had always imagined this moment in her life, wondering and awaiting it in delightful anticipation, but she never could have imagined it would be like this.
Erik cleared his throat nervously, taking Meg's hand.
"Meg, normally, you know, I'm so good with expressing myself to you, but tonight, well, it may be a bit difficult."
She smiled at him, her normal confident, suave Phantom, so shy and nervous.
"But, Meg, I can't wait to do this a moment longer, though I know I chose the worst timing to do it. Meg, ever since you came down that first day into my lair, I knew I loved you. I've always known it. You are the sweetest, gentlest, the most beautiful, kind, caring woman I've ever known in my life. Even though we both had our different feelings and arguments sometimes, I've always known that I loved you, even if it wasn't all that clear at the time, but it couldn't be any more clear to me than it is tonight.
We've shared so much with each other, and there's so much more that we could share together. Meg, I've never loved anyone as much as I love you. You cannot realize how much you've changed me, how much you've helped me to become a better man than I was before. Meg, I love you more than mere words can express, so I won't bother with them any longer when I could let you know in the way that's best"
While Meg wiped away the tears from her eyes, he began singing
"Say you'll share with me
One love, one lifetime
Lead me, save me from my solitude
Say you'll want me
With you here
Beside you
Anywhere you go
Let me go too, for
You alone can make my song take flight
Meg, you are my music of the night"
He plunged his hand into his breast pocket to reveal a soft, black velvet case, which he snapped open to reveal a shining diamond ring, sparkling dazzlingly when it caught the occasional ray of light in his dark lair. He gingerly lifted it out of the case, holding it before him as he asked her
"Meg, will you marry me?"
And, although this was probably the biggest decision of young Meg Giry's life, she had absolutely no hesitation or thoughts as she smiled and answered
"Yes, I would love to. Phantom"
In that instant, Erik felt an indescribable feeling of joy bursting within him. He and Meg were both beaming as he gently slid the ring onto her finger. They stood, and Meg kissed Erik with all the love and passion she had ever felt in her life. She saw the small tears of joy in his eyes, mirroring her own.
"Meg, this is the start of a whole new life for both of us!"
"I know" she answered, laughing
"No, really, it will be a new life. I spoke to the managers this afternoon, and...
I am now the new manager of the restored Opera Populaire, which will be fully functioning next month"
She gasped
"Oh, Erik, this is wonderful! We can finally have our home back! Oh, you're the most wonderful man in the world!" she exclaimed, hugging him
He laughed "Anything for you, Meg. I love you"
As they stood there that night in Erik's lair, the evening twilight fading into black darkness, the future was bright with all their hopes and dreams for their new life together. Meg knew that Erik would truly help her make the music of her life, and she finally realized that her curiosity towards the Phantom was now satisfied when she could proudly state that that face in the mask was now her friend, her lover, and her husband. They both savored the moment, wishing it would last forever as Erik gently sang in her ear
"You alone can make my song take flight
Meg, you are the music of my night"
THE END
A/N 2: All right, everyone, it's over. But, be sure and leave a review on the way out!
Oh, and be sure to tell me if you'd like a sequel because I have a few ideas!