136 - rejected - Almost - sparklybee - The Phantom of the Opera (stage show)

[sparklybee.livejournal.com]

Fandom: Phantom of the Opera (stage show)
Title: Almost
Characters: Christine Daaé, Erik, Raoul de Chagny
Prompt: 18coda 14 vivace, tamingthemuse 135 rejected
Word Count: 575
Rating: PG
Summary: Erik's thoughts after Christine's betrayal but before the chandelier crash.

Seeing Christine in a leading role was everything that Erik had ever wanted, and everything was just as he had imagined it would be. Almost. Christine looked radiant as the Countess; even the thick makeup couldn’t hide that her cheeks were flushed with excitement, and her eyes literally sparkled when they caught the light. Her voice was sheer perfection, just as he knew it would be. The audience loved her and clapped loudly at every opportunity presented to them. And, every once in a while, she cast a furtive smile in Erik’s direction, where he stood watching her from the hollowed column in Box Five.

But those discreet smiles weren’t for the man who had molded her voice into the beautiful instrument that was enthralling everyone in the building. They weren’t for the man who had been her teacher for three years, her confidante, one of her very few friends in the world. They weren’t for the man who had helped her when everyone else had thought she was just some mousy chorus girl beneath notice. No, those little smiles weren’t for him at all, and that changed everything.

Christine’s words to her lover were still ringing in Erik’s ears. Every flawless note, every effortless twirl on stage, and – worst of all – every damned smile only made the memory of his Christine in another’s arms hurt more. Everything he had worked for was in a shambles, and it was all because of the vicomte who sat, completely unsuspecting, only a few feet away from him.

He could kill de Chagny. Erik had certainly entertained the idea enough in the past few hours, as he had alternated between rage and despair at Christine’s complete rejection of him; in fact, that is why he had come to his box at all. The boy wouldn’t hear a phantom emerging from the column, wouldn’t see the shadow silently approaching him, wouldn’t even feel the catgut rope slipping over his head until it was too late. Maybe Christine would glance up at the box just in time to see her lover’s eyes bulging in terror, his face flushed an unbecoming dark red as he struggled for breath, his fingernails scraping bloody furrows into his neck as he futilely tried remove the lasso. Would she still think him handsome then?

But as he stood watching his protégé on stage, he realized that he wouldn’t kill de Chagny. Not tonight, at least. Not like this. He wanted to do something far showier. He wanted to do something that would show the entire city, not just Christine, that the Phantom was not someone to be toyed with, especially in his own domain. The managers, the audience, Christine, even the boy – they would all know tonight that he was far more than some specter that would slink away into the shadows because everyone found it more convenient to forget him.
As he gazed up at the ceiling, his eyes focused on the chandelier. What would they think if it crashed to the stage tonight? The managers would be more likely to obey his commands in the future. The audience wouldn’t giggle every time he was mentioned. The boy would know that he was indeed real – a real man, not some laughable ghost created by a girl’s wild imagination. As for Christine…

He had made her into what she was today, and he could ruin her just as easily. She’d do well to remember that.

also posted here

[week 5]