Music of the Night: The Phantom of the Opera Returns (Guile & Melody)

[Guile]

"Babysitters? Us men?" Erik laughed at the thought of his being alone with such a young child for more than two minutes. "I don't know about that, Catherine. I think you hold us in too high of a respect. I would love to say that I could watch after a young child by myself, but I'm afraid I'd be lying. At least, I think I would be I've never really had to do such a thing." He was grateful for that.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Well, now I know you're lying." Catherine argued. "You not only watched me at fourteen, alone, but you watched Lilly, alone when she tried to hurt herself at home." She smiled, knowing that she had her father cornered. "But, you say that you can't handle being alone? What about when Mother and Meg went out on the town? You should try acting like a father and watch the kids sometimes." She teased, watching her siblings wrestle on the ground now.

 

[Guile]

"Ah, but neither of you were too little." Erik smiled, watching his kids playing. "I don't know if I could watch a young child - an infant. I still doubt myself around the twins." He laughed and shook his head at himself. "It sounds bad, doesn't it? I wouldn't mind watching the children, but it makes me weary."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Oh, just do it. Meg can bring her baby for you to watch when the child is born." Catherine laughed and held out her hands, protecting herself, as the twins rolled her way. "It's all fun in games until someone gets hurt, you two." She warned them, to which they both ignored her as Alistair dug up some mud from where he sat and slapped it on his sister's face. She squealed and threw him down. "Take that!" She snapped, holding his hands behind his back. "Say 'Uncle." She giggled. Her grip was surprisingly tight. "Never!" Alistair struggled as Lilly straddled his back. "Say it!"

 

[Guile]

"Meg's child?" Erik looked at Catherine, almost startled. "And why should Meg have any reason to trust me with her child? I have a hard enough time understanding why Christine allows me to be around any of you." He laughed at his joke, then watched in surprise as Alistair slapped mud on his sister's face. Their grappling was just as amusing to watch, though Erik did not understand this particular 'game' they were playing. He had never played in such a way before. I've hardly 'played' at all. I only ever mastered teasing because of Christine. Erik grinned at the thought.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"You're right. Maybe Mother should take us away again." Catherine sipped a bottle of wine. "But, we wouldn't want to go." She put the bottle down. "I wouldn't have a clue how to take care of myself." Catherine teased. "That's exactly why you have a big, strong, healthy man to take care of you." Andrew began to rub Catherine's shoulders enticingly, causing the girl to relax. "And-Andrew, don't." She begged him, but her husband didn't stop.

 

[Guile]

Erik scoffed, a smirk on his lips. "I wouldn't let your mother, no matter how hard she might try." He laughed at his joke and winked at Christine. Then the amusement slowly faded from his face when he heard Andrew's comment and realized how much his daughter was enjoying the man's touch. Erik felt sick to the stomach. "Oh, alright. Enough already!" He teased, scowling at them. "I should like to keep my lunch down."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"And so would I, old man." Andrew retorted. "Who do you think was making that noise in the bushes by the waterfall?" He laughed at his own joke, his sly demeanor never leaving him. "And, I can talk to my wife any time I want. You, on the other hand, were running the risk of being seen by someone by the waterfall." Andrew laughed as he tossed his head back. "Shame, that's bad parenting." He kissed Catherine passionately, sliding his tongue in.

 

[Guile]

Erik's face reddened and he suddenly felt quite self-conscious. "You...you were not there! You lie! You are simply guessing as to what happened." Still, even Erik knew that was almost impossible. How would Andrew know that Christine and he were by the waterfall, unless he had seen or heard them. Suddenly, Erik felt quite violated at the same time he was annoyed. "How dare you spy on others! How would you like it if I showed up to your little rendezvous that, from the way it looks right now, will most certainly be happening tonight?" He almost shivered, quite disturbed by the fact that Andrew could have seen them, and because of the way the young man had his lips all over Catherine.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"How will you show up if I don't tell you where we're going?" Andrew waved a hand over his wife. "Even your pretty little daughter doesn't know where I'm taking her." Catherine coughed. "What? I thought you said it would be your home?" Andrew smiled. "No, not my home. Somewhere more romantic." He promised her with a kiss on her cheek. "I don't want us to be interrupted."

 

[Guile]

Erik growled, scowling at Andrew. "Do you think I would really want to witness such a thing? I can hardly stand to see you with your lips all over her now. Do you think I want to witness your hands all over her?" He shuddered once again and turned his face away, unable to bare watching the way they stared into each others eyes. As much as he liked Andrew, Erik didn't like the idea of anyone touching his daughter. Still, he had to admit he was happy that they were at least married first.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Well, get used to it." William kissed Catherine's neck as his thumbs into her shoulder blades. "I'll never disappear from her side." Catherine was going weak, just as weak as Christine would for Erik. "I promise." Andrew was very sincere with his promise as he reached around Catherine and led her head toward his chest. "I promise that I'll always be yours."

 

[Guile]

As disgusted as Erik pretended to be, inside he was quite pleased. "Good." He said softly, a small smile forming on his lips as he looked over at the young man again. "You had better not disappear." With that, he sighed softly and looked away again, giving the couple a rest from his watching eyes. Though, as he stood there, he still sensed them holding tightly to each other and it made him uneasy. I didn't think it would unnerve me this much. I suppose it'll just take some getting used to.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"And, from now on, I'll be only yours." Catherine took Andy's hand and brought it to her lips. "I was only with one man before, and William took his name, but I couldn't do the same because he was killed before I could marry him." Andrew smiled. "It'll sound cruel, but I'm glad he didn't. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had that honor."

 

[Guile]

As Erik stood there, he tried to block out their conversation. Dear God, is this what it is like for the children when Christine and I show our affections? He almost went red in the face again as embarrassment slowly crept up into his body. It was then that he heard the couple speaking of the late William. All the horrors of the night came back to Erik with that one sentence. He could never get rid of the guilt he had felt over the young man's death. Erik had never felt so helpless in his entire life as he had kneelt beside William's body, attempting to stop his bleeding. Forgive me, William, for being powerless to save you. You were far too young to die. Erik glanced over at his grandson, sadness in his eyes. Today, Christine and/or I could have been killed in that indecent on the rafters. We would have left Catherine to raise her siblings and the difficult task of trying to keep memories of us alive and well in their minds. She was spared such a task with us and yet, she will still have William, who knows nothing of his true father. Catherine must still bare this burden.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Catherine pushed against her husband as lightly as possible. "Please stop." She noticed her father aching. "Daddy." She wrapped him in a hug. "Please don't associate guilt with that day. I'm happy now. I'll tell William when he's old enough." She kissed him lightly on the lips. "He'll know how much his father loves him. And, he'll have another father to love him just as much." She relinquished her grip.

 

[Guile]

Erik sighed, feeling guilty that he had interrupted a moment shared between his daughter and her husband. "I am sorry, Catherine. I am glad you are happy, and I am happy for you. I've no doubt that Andrew will be a good father to William." He wrapped his arms around her in return. "I just can't believe I could not help him. I never thought of myself as...as a God, but I was powerful. I had power until that moment - until I was looking down on this dying man and could do nothing to save him." Erik stared down at his hands, where they rested behind her back. "I was able to take away lives, but not save even one."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"You did what you could, that's all that matters." Catherine tried to tell him the positives, rather than the negatives. "Don't ever say that you didn't do anything. You make up for your mistakes every moment." She.kissed his cheek. "You showed what a man.could really do for his family when they are.in danger." Catherine whispered. "Now, can we go home? You must be freezing in those wet clothes, and I am freezing as well, if you remember what happened with mine." She hugged her jacket. "Still, Raoul won't give up until you're hurting."

 

[Guile]

Erik looked up into her eyes for the first time since she began trying to console him and smiled. "Thank you, my child. It warms my heart to know you think so." Her kiss took away his pain, momentarily, and brought him away from those memories of that day. "Yes, let us go home." Erik, for the first time in a while, remembered that his clothes were soaked. He had gotten used to the odd feeling and the cold hadn't bothered him. He placed a kiss on Catherine's forehead, to thank her once again for his kind words, before picking up the basket that they had carried the food there in. "I know." Erik sighed, thinking about the Vicomte. "I don't know what that man wants anymore. I only half believe that he desperately wants Christine. Another part of me thinks he tries to take her away just to see me suffer."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"Well, he won't get me as long as I fight back." Lady Destler told him. "Still, I won't give in unless he steals my heart and not my physical body like he did last time." Christine smiled and rubbed his shoulders. "Now, my sweet mastermind, how will we get home?" She nipped his ears.

 

[Guile]

"Ah, but if the time should come, will you fight back?" Erik looked at her questioningly. His words were not meant to hurt or offend her, he was simply asking her. He still was unsure if Christine's heart truly belonged to him or not. If the Vicomte were to return, masquerading as a changed man - because Erik was sure he would never truly be good again - would she go with him? Erik wanted to believe that she would not, but it was hard to convince his heart to trust her completely, after what had happened between them in the past. He was glad for the temporary distraction of her hands, her delicate fingers, digging into his shoulders. Suppressing a sigh, Erik grinned as a bolt of warmth shoot through his body, thanks to the soft nip she gave his ears. "Well, we could walk. Or, if Ali promises to be patient this time, would could catch another trolley."

 

[Saiyan Princess]

"I would try, most definitely, now that I know the extent of his abuse when any of the children were younger." She shivered just at the thought of how Catherine had suffered. I cannot believe that he would betray me like that. I should have listened to Catherine when she told me what was happening. Christine sighed. "I will try my best, but Raoul is strong, there isn't much that I can do." She closed her eyes. "He gets that from me. Remember when I kept begging to see you when we were younger? You were so very cruel to me when you said 'no' and 'leave me alone and stop asking.'" She teased. "I didn't like that at all."

 

[Guile]

Erik nodded, doing his best to believe her. A part of her heart says there is nothing that man could ever do to win her back, not after what he did to the children. And yet, I fear another part of her heart wishes for him to come back, changed for the better. To come to her and beg forgiveness, to swear that he would never hurt any of them ever again. I can't help but feel, if the Vicomte were to do this, that Christine would go with him. Erik was pulled from his thoughts of the possible future, to thoughts of the past quite quickly. This was probably the first time that they had actually put a smile on his face. "Of course I remember. I remember how disappointed you were as well, when I would refuse you. Still, I was only doing it for your own good. I was afraid that if I let you close to me, that I would become even more attached to you and wouldn't want to let you go." He turned to face her, wrapped his arms around her waist, and pulled her gently into his embrace. "Turns out, I was right." Erik chuckled and placed a tender kiss on the top of her head.

 

[Saiyan Princess]

Christine laughed into Erik's shirt. "Well, I for one am glad that you didn't ever willingly let me go." Christine smelled the strong scent of ink again. "Oh, my word! What have you been rolling in?" She scrunched up her nose. "Good Lord!" She moved away. "Remind me not to get so close unless I'm sure that you bathed!" She hugged herself and walked off to help pack up their stuff. "Normally, I can't smell it, but then, there's always candles surrounding us, blocking it out."

 

[Guile]

At Christine's exclamation, Erik furrowed his brows in confusion. At first he didn't understand until she made the comment about bathing. At that, Erik lifted up the collar of his shirt and sniffed, but could smell nothing out of the ordinary. He was far too accustomed to his own scent - the overwhelming smell of ink and parchment - to tell any different. "I don't know what you're talking about, Christine. I can't smell a thing. And I do bathe!" He retorted, glaring at her with a smirk on his lips.