The Stage Comes Alive When She Dances (Teressa)

[Erik Lenoir]

Erik had decided to look at the progress of the work in the opera house. He had not been there for some weeks, considering the holidays had been a busy time. He laughed at the thought. Holidays? Busy time? Until this year there had never been such a thing. All Erik's holidays were spent alone, in his lair, trying to forget that above ground were people rejoicing and making merry while he was down below all alone. Those were the days when Erik felt terribly sorry for himself. Well, no one else would.

But this year had been different. He almost felt as if some of the people in the mansion were his family. Family? That was something Erik had never had. All of the groups of people that he had worked with, he had never tried to be close to. Why would he? While some were polite, most of them thought him a freak. But here, for some reason, he was accepted, at least for whom he was. And that was good.

Erik entered the opera house and switched on the electric lights. They had been newly wired and a new chandelier installed. He walked about halfway down, then stopped. The stage...it brought back a poignant memory of the first time he had seen Teressa. The day he found her. She had been upon the stage and he had taken an instant liking to her.

His heart was still sad at the fact that almost as soon as they had confessed their love for each other, they had broken up. Yes, it was his fault, but he had to move on. Teressa hated him for his stupid blunder and there was nothing he could do about it. But still, he was sad. He walked slowly up to the stage and mounted the stairs. He walked over to the middle of the stage where he had first seen Teressa. He put his hand in his pocket and found the little gift he had been keeping, hoping that she would have forgiven him. But that had not happened. And she had taken up with Destler, and worse the despicable Claude.

Somehow, he could not give the gift to anyone else. He had thought about that, but he couldn't do it. It had been bought with Teressa in mind and he could not see it given to anyone else. It was a small box containing a necklace. It was a Victorian style collar necklace with amethyst beads, some of them made into florets.

The necklace was in a small purple velvet box inside another one which was carefully wrapped with gold foil paper and violet ribbon. He had been carrying it with him ever since Christmas thinking about how he could get it to her and not have to meet her face to face. For he felt she wouldn't care to see him and then he had carefully written on a small tag: To: Teressa. From: A Secret Admirer. Why did he have it here? He had been hoping to find someone who could give it to her, but there was no one really that he felt he could ask this favour. And surely it wouldn not be a good idea to take it to Lavalais' home.

Erik put it down on a prop table that was on the stage and then began measuring to decide if he wanted to replace some of the wood on the trapdoors of the stage to make sure they were in good working order.

Suddenly he heard someone coming. He walked to the side of the stage and watched to see who was coming in. He stayed in the shadows and never noticed the fact that the gift was still on the prop table.

[Teressa Lavalais]

Teressa shut the door to the opera house quietly behind her. Her hair had been slightly tamed today, pushed back into a braid to stay our of her face. Today was a different kind of practice day...Erik had gotten her new pointe shoes for the holidays, as the others in her room already seemed to be broken in. It was time to break in the new pair. Because of the different style of dance, she'd adopted a new set of dance clothes as well. There'd been a ballet-girl's outfit in her closet, so she's donned that and been on her way.

She turned to survey the opera house. The lights were on, which was a little odd, but she didn't question it and continued making her way to the stage. As she neared the front of the stage, she sat in one of the chairs, switching her boots for the new pointe shoes. She left the boots leaning against the side of the chair, then pulled herself onto the stage. She began warming up the shoes, pushing the toes into the floor over and over. It was a boring routine, so she let her eyes wander a bit.

Her gaze was caught by a small box on a table on the stage. It was a present! The little box was wrapped in gold foil, with a purple ribbon...the colours were lovely. She stopped her routine, walking over and picking the box up. She found the tag and stopped...

A secret admirer...? She looked up, looking into the audience for any sign of movement. She didn't see any, and looked back down at the box...what was the meaning of this?

[Erik Lenoir]

Erik was still standing in the shadows. He had avoided comong to the opera house at this particular time, for it was the time when Teressa often came to practice. And since their break up, he hadn't wanted to see her. Then he realized that he had left the gift on the table. He hadn't meant to, thinking to find another way to have her receive it, but this would work as well, if not better, for he would at lwast be able to see her reaction to the gift.

He watched her come to the stage and change her boots for her pointe shoes. She started warming up. She hadn't seen the gift... then suddenly, she must have seen it. She picked it up and read the tag. She looked about the place to see if there was anyone in the opera house. Erik pulled back as far as he could into the shadows and he knew he was all but invisible.

He hoped she would open the gift. He didn't care if she didn't know it was from him; in fact, if she did, she might not wear it. And he did not dare to reveal himself. He wondered how he would be able to leave. Any sound, even the slightest was magnified by being on or near the stage. Even though he could walk with almost no sound, he didn't want to chance making any attempt to leave before she did.

[Teressa Lavalais]

Teressa removed the ribbon on the gift, then carefully tore through the paper. She opened the box, only to find another purple box within. When she opened it, she lay her eyes on the gorgeous necklace. It was lovely! She looked around again. Perhaps whoever had left it behind was still around...?

There was no sound. No movements. She sighed, then stared down at the necklace in her hands...It seemed like something one of the Eriks would do. Actually, no. It seemed like something Lenoir would do. She smiled a little. Pushing her braid out of the way, she fastened it onto her neck and looked down at the colour against her skin. Even though she was paler than she had been when she was mortal, she enjoyed it. More colours went with the paler skin, and she enjoyed clothing and accessories as much as any girl.

[Erik Lenoir]

Erik watched as Teressa opened the gift. She put it on and it looked so lovely against her pale skin. Pastels looked beautiful on her. Well, she wouldn't have put it on if she hadn't liked it. He was satisfied. Now, how could he leave without her noticing. Unfortunately, there wasn't a panel nearby where he could creep out. Certainly he could go to the back of the stage and use the back stairs to the sub basement. But the wood was so creaky back there. That was why he had wanted to replace the stage and all of the wood in the stairs, etc. It would not do to have the stage creaking as his performers danced.

There was one thing that Erik hadn't thought about. The velvet stage curtains had not yet been replaced. They were still a bit shredded at the bottoms and worst of all they were full of dust. He was near the back curtains which were black. They were so full of dust that all of a sudden, even through his mask and false nose, he couldn't resist the urge to sneeze. He stifled some of it, but there was still a sound. He hoped she hadn't heard...

[Teressa Lavalais]

Teressa jumped, immediately pushing her footing to a defensive position. "Who's there?" Her voice quavered a bit. She'd KNOWN that whoever had left the necklace was still in the room! The noise had come from behind her, and she turned to face the mystery person.

Who could it be...? Teressa didn't think that it was Destler now, because he would've come out as soon as she'd put it on. He wasn't one for playing secretive with her. He liked to show off a bit with her, and took credit for everything he did for her. So that narrowed it down a little bit. Unless, of course, the secret admirer wasn't anyone she knew. But then...who was it? She suspected that it was Lenoir, but she knew that he wasn't in love with her any more. She'd seen him kiss that red head, and the brunette...how many other women had he been with since they split up...? It didn't matter any more, she supposed. She missed him, but...but it was over. Right...?

[Erik Lenoir]

He saw Teressa jump a bit, so she had heard him sneeze. He debated whether to come out and show himself. She might angrily tear off the necklace and he couldn't bear that. And he couldn't bear her wrath either. And moreover, if she was angry, they likely would get into a fight. And that would be the worst of all. He hand really thought it was all over, that his feelings had healed, that was, until he came in to the opera house today. The gift, he had bought that for her right after they had confessed their love for each other and he had found the loveliest thing he could find, something perfect for her. And of course, he had kept hoping they would make up. He had put his hopes on the gift exchange party, the Christmas eve party. But it had been a disaster. She was with Destler and then Claude, and she hadn't even said hello to him. She was very cold.

Earlier having been despondent about the situation, later having worked himself into a frenzy at the beginning of the party, he had calmed himself down, telling himself that obviously Teressa didn't love him any more. And deciding to move on made him feel better. But still there was that lovely gift. It would suit no one else. And he couldn't give it to anyone else. The gift was promised to Teressa, in his heart. As indeed his heart was promised to Teressa. He sighed at what he had done with that. At least he could give her one gift; the first gift he ever gave her and of course the last as well.

He looked over at Teressa. His eyes were misting over. He had to get away. He went around the curtain and stepped softly on the ancient wooden planks. But they were old and squeaky, as he had feared. If a few people had been on stage talking or acting, he would not have been heard. As it was, the complete silence and the acoustics of the stage amplified every sound. He suddenly had had enough and he shouted, "Damn, damn, damn!" He picked up some sort of glass bottle someone had left there and in his anger he threw it down with so much force that it shattered. Then he started walking faster and reached the stairway to the sub basement.

[Teressa Lavalais]

Teressa jumped when she heard the creak of the planks behind her. She turned, following the sound. Then she heard a voice. HIS voice. Lenoir.

"Erik?" Teressa called after him, hoping he was still there. There was a crash of glass, and it sounded as though Lenoir was headed for the stairs. She couldn't let him get that far. Not this time. "Erik, come back!" She started toward the back of the stage, walking as fast as she could in the pointe shoes. If she removed the shoes, she might lose him.

"Erik please..." She was pleading with him to stay...she had missed him very much...After that fight, she'd regretted everything she'd said, and many things that she'd done. The affair with Destler, for instance, made her feel as though she'd been unfaithful, even though she and Lenoir hadn't been together at the time. She still felt bad about that...

[Erik Lenoir]

Erik was halfway down the stairs when h e heard Teressa call him, say his name. He stopped where he was, then turned in hesitation. Then she said Erik, please... It seemed as though she wanted to speak to him. Should he keep on going and try to avoid her? Or she they have it out now? He didn't want to fight, really. But sooner or later, he must face her.

He walked up the stairs again. "Teresssa?" he said in a tentative, quiet voice. Did you want to speak to me?" He reached the top of the stairs. It was dark, but he could see her outline. He stood at the top of the steps looking over at her in the shadows. He'd missed her so badly. Just to hear her voice call his name... was good. But then there was Destler and Claude. She had been with both of them. Could she possibly want to pursue a relationship with Erik? He walked slowly toward her, expecting the worst. Surely, she would tell him it was over. Perhaps that was better than not knowing, speculating.

His mouth was dry and for once, he couldn't think of anything to say. He simply stood there. His eyes were misting a bit. How he had missed her! Just being this close to her again... "Teressa?" was all he could murmur....

[Teressa Lavalais]

Teressa stayed at the top of the stairs, hoping to God he wouldn't turn around and walk away. "Erik, come back...talk to me, please..." She heard his footfalls on the staircase, and finally, his silhouette in the darkness. She breathed, lightly. She didn't want to mess this up.

"I...I'm sorry, Erik. I hurt you over a misunderstanding...I shouldn't have over-reacted....it's just, you see..." Teressa paused, took a deep breath, and continued. "You see...the last time that I was in a relationship, it ended badly. I was to be married once...but on the day that we were to be wed, he disappeared. It ruined my life..." She shook her head. "I didn't want you to leave me too."

She hoped to God that he would listen, that he would forgive her. She still had feelings for him, intense feelings, and she didn't want to lose him.

[Erik Lenoir]

Erik had been badly hurt by Teressa, but he supposed he had hurt her badly also. But they h ad to talk. "I...I thought you hated me," he said very quietly. "I thought it was all over between us. " He paused. "I think we have to talk." He was encouraged by the fact that she had called him back...and she didn't seem angry...at least he thought she didn't.

"Teressa, let's go out front where we can sit down and talk. I had a small ...eh...fit of rage just now and I broke something. The glass is all over the backstage floor. I don't want you hurting yourself wearing only your pointe shoes. Come, let's walk out front. Be careful."

Erik led the way in front of the stage curtains and down the steps. He pointed to the new chandelier. "The chandelier...I had it replaced and the electrics modernized. The earlier wiring had corroded and there was a danger of fire. It was put in...during my time." That sounded so odd. It had been put in more than one hundred years ago...

And he was trying to fill the air with small talk while he thought of what he really wanted to say to Teressa. "Please, sit down." He pointed to seats in the middle of the first audience row. "They've been newly reupholstered also. And I am having new curtains put in all the boxes. The stage curtains are not ready just yet...."

[Teressa Lavalais]

Teressa walked with Lenoir to the front row of the house. She sat down in one of the seats, crossing her legs. He was right. They did need to talk. Were they still together? What were they to do? There were so many things that had to be discussed.

He was trying to make small talk by talking about the work he'd done in the opera house. She looked around at everything; the chandelier, the seats, the boxes...He'd done a lot of work, and it looked to be paying off rather nicely. It actually made her feel proud of him, that he could do so much difference.

"It's all rather lovely, Erik." Teressa smiled at Lenior a little weakly. She didn't want him to leave, not right now.

[Erik Lenoir]

Erik didn't know how to start. He needed to talk to Teressa, to tell her how he felt, and it was just not easy. "Thank you, Teressa. I am quite happy how the work is going, although it's rather slow." He paused. "Do you really like the necklace? It was supposed to be a gift to tell you that I ...love you...and yet, after the little tiff we had I hardly knew if I should even give it to you. I thought you hated me for the little stunt I pulled with the modern woman. It was really not meant to be anything at all. Yet after you became so angry, everything went wrong. "

"I understand your reluctance to enter into a relationship if you have been betrayed by someone before. That's how I felt...Christine betrayed me and now I felt that you had. What is your relationship with Destler? I fought him for you, but I don't intend to again. It's up to you. "

"Now I have many friends. If Deslter is simply one of your friends, I have no problem with it. However, I suspect that you mean much more than that to him. And my friends? I am friends with many of the ladies in the Mansion. I have never had friends before and I don't intend to give them up." He took her hands in his cold ones. "I don't want to lose you again, Teressa, and now that I've gone through it once, I don't want to do it again. I ...almost offed myself over you. But that was foolish. I shan't be thinking of doing that again."

"I do love you Teressa, and I need to know how you feel about me. But I don't want restrictions on my life if I make a commitment to you. What say you to that?"

[Teressa Lavalais]

Teressa clasped his hands. "Erik, I shall not hold restrictions upon you...but only on the condition that you will not hold restrictions on me in return. I do not look at Destler as anything more than a friend, and though I also suspect that I mean more than that to him, I will not let it get in the way of a relationship with you. He is nothing more than a friend...I assure you..."

Teressa sincerely meant that. Destler had never meant more to her than Lenoir did. Lenoir was a source of stability. He did not change his attitude at any given second, and he was respectful of her space. And that made Teressa happy. The predictability was something that calmed her and made her feel safer. That was all she really wanted in a relationship, really; safety and happiness with a person she cared about.

[Erik Lenoir]

"Thank you for not restricting my friends. And I shall do the same with you. However, there is one thing that troubles me. I believe Destler to be dangerous and if he feels strongly about you, he may see me as an impediment to expressing his love to you. In fact, I am quite sure he feels that way, considering what he has said to me many times about you belonging to him, and so on. I might well be putting myself in danger too. I suspect that he will demand that you choose between him and me".

"And then what of Claude? He, to my knowledge, is even more troublesome and dangerous than Destler. I believe, and with no small reason, that Claude is an evil entity, ready to torture any one of us who resists doing his will. So far, I have been able to stay away from him, but the hold he has on you...it concerns me. Of the two, I would rather see you with Destler, even though he is dangerous, he does seem to love you. But Claude, an evil entity who cannot really love, only hate and wish destruction for everyone."

"As to my own relationships, my friends are beginning to dwindle. Svenna does not care for me, only as a teacher. And Emilie has disappeared, strangely enough. Ana Goodwin has also disappeared. I have only you and a few male friends, Carrière and Castagne, even thought I do not know Castagne well. Perhaps you and I should pay him a visit at some time. Edouard de Chagny, tried to make me thing he was a friend at one time, has shown himself to be two faced and I shall not be associating with him again. So there you have it. I hope to become friends with Lavalais, but he is a difficult man to understand."

Erik took Teressa's hand and nodded toward the stairs leading back to the stage and from there to the exit of the opera house. "I would indeed like to spend some time with you, Teressa. We seem to see so little of each other..."