A Second Chance

DISCLAIMER:

Title: A Second Chance.
Author: Larissa
Summary: She has the courage to save his life and give him a new one. Based on Susan Kay's and Gerard Butler's phantom.
Rating: R.
Pairing(s): Erik/Melanie and Erik/Christine.
Feedback: desired and appreciated.
Characters: Erik from Susan Kay's book "Phantom" and from Gerard Butler's interpretation.
Disclaimer: I do not own Erik, Christina and Daroga. The other characters listed in this story are all mine. I do not make any money out of it.

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Father and daughter simply stood there in silence watching the man reach the bottom of the stairs and walk away through the door the butler kept opened for him.

“You owe me an explanation father.” Melanie said turning her face to the side to look at the duke. “How is it that you know this man? What kind of “commercial relationship” is it that you have with him? And where is Erik in all of this? The Persian said you knew him very well… How come you never mentioned any of this to me? I want answers to all of these questions.” She said while she folded her arms across her chest.

“However now, I will take care of the monster, the wounded beast who doesn’t know who he is and has just rediscovered his deformed face and terrible past. Then, we will talk monsuier.”

The duke looked at his daughter as a bad behaving child would look at their mother, which made Melanie smile. Her father was the sweetest man she had ever met. No other would have let their daughter speak to them like this. Women had to bow their heads to men’s will and be obedient. However her father would never demand anything from her. He let her be free to speak her mind and act according to her own consciousness and he was proud to have a daughter with such personality.

Melanie kissed her father gently on the forehead.

“Go rest now, father. Today’s events must have been tiring for you.”

“Well, it is hard to have a peaceful day with this creature in the house.” The duke answered throwing his hands to the air in an impatient gesture.

Melanie didn’t answer since she was already heading towards Erik’s room. She slowly opened the door and walked inside carefully, thinking he might have been asleep.

He had one arm over his eyes while the other rested beside his body. She could see the coagulated blood over his wounds.

She took a basin with water and a clean cloth the servants had left on the new table that was placed in the room.

She walked to Erik’s bed and set down beside him.

“Erik, please, let me clean those wounds on your arms and hands.” She asked touching his arm softly.

He took his arm away from his face, tears rolling down his marred cheek.

“Melanie, I’m a murderer… a monster… in my soul and my face. You know that and still you want to take care of me? Why?” his voice was raspy and sad and left his lips in a whisper.

Smiling, Melanie took one of his hands and started cleaning the small cuts. She took pieces of the mirror, which still were on his hands and then, carefully, placed a clean bandage around them.

Erik watched her hypnotized as she stood up and placed the basin over the table, then walked back to him and set down on the bed once again.

Erik set on the bed and took one lock of long golden hair, which fell over her shoulder, bringing it to his lips and placing a gentle kiss on it.

“Are you an angel?” he asked looking in her eyes.

“No, I’m a woman. Angels have no sex, or so that’s what people say. But I do… trust me.” The words had just left her lips and she realized what she was saying. She immediately felt her face catching fire and bent her head down, suddenly finding great interest on the wooden floor of the room.

Erik smiled and placed a hand under her chin forcing her to look at him. When their eyes met, there was no need for words.

Melanie felt as if a magnet was pulling her towards him. She slowly bent forward, brushing her lips against his.

Erik buried his hand in her hair holding her face close to his. He placed his lips on hers and caressed the opening of her mouth with his tongue.

Melanie felt his warm tongue lick her lips and opened her mouth to allow him entrance, offering her own tongue to him, which he gladly took in his mouth.

Melanie placed her hand on his chest and caressed his bare skin through the opened shirt. Erik’s breath caught in his throat as she slightly scratched his chest with her nails.

“Melanie, I want you since the first time I saw you.” He said, his voice low and heavy with desire.

A little scared, Melanie backed away and stood up, brushing an imaginary wrinkle on her skirt as she got up. She looked at him and saw how excited he was. His chest would rise and fall in more ample movements as he fought to keep his breathing under control. His green eyes were shining in a way she had not seen before.

She felt her own sex wet and her legs tremble as she looked at him. She set back down on the bed.

“Erik, I want you just as much. I’ve never felt this way about any other man. However, it can’t be like this… When you recover your memory you’ll know that you love a woman named Christine and, because of her, you set the Opera Populaire on fire. When you remember her, your desire for me may vanish.”

He was not listening to her. He had taken her hand in his and was kissing each finger, passing his tongue between them and kissing the palm of her hand. When he moved his lips to her wrist and began kissing his way up her arm she thought she would go mad, throw herself on the bed beside him and let him do anything he wished with her.

Once more, she pushed aside her desire and managed to stand p and walk away from him.

“Erik, listen to me. We can’t…” she said placing her trembling hand on the table to support herself.

He looked up at her as if she had taken away all the happiness of his life.

“Why?”