Genre: Romance/Supernatural

Rated: R or M

Summary: After trying to commit suicide, Erik Trussler is saved by a mysterious woman. Now, he can't stop seeing her everywhere and the big problem—she's a ghost. Is it possible to fall in love with someone who is already dead? E/C!

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Phantom of the Opera. I'm merely borrowing them, but any time Erik decides he wants to be owned by someone else… I do have a spot open!

A/N: I decided to do something different for this one and have Erik and Christine switch places. For the most part, Erik is always portrayed as the "supernatural" one. He has been used as the Phantom (duh), a vampire, werewolf, ghost, mythical beings, etc. And yes… I have written Erik as a couple of these things. But with Christine… she is always human, always normal. So I thought… what if the tables were reversed? What if Christine was really a ghost and Erik was part of the living? Then this was born. It is definitely modern day with a very interesting love story. I hope you stick with me and that you enjoy this story!

A/N2: In the past, I usually update once a week, but as of now, I have a full time teaching job (long term) and I'm still working at my other job. So in other words, I won't be able to update as often as I like, except for the chapters that are currently done. Then after that it will be whenever I can, but this will not be abandoned. I have it for the most part outlined so that helps. Now enough of me talking… here we go!

My Ghost (Love) Story

By: Erik'sTrueAngel

Chapter 1

Erik Trussler—famously renowned composer and singer, world's most eligible bachelor, Forbes #1 powerful and influential men, New York Times bestseller, and People's Sexiest Man Alive for three straight years in a row and four times back…

…wanted to end his life.

It was nothing new, at least for him.

He had been toying with the notion for years, and only recently was actually considering following through and just doing it. He had nothing to live for. Not anymore anyways so what was the point in going through life pretending that all was well? When really… life was meaningless.

Of course, he could see the headlines now. Trussler Kills Self—For What?

After all, he had everything that people dreamed of having; wishing they could spend the day in his shoes and basked in the glory of the high life. Even his agent, his business partner, and (depending on the day of the week) best friend, Nadir Khan would have to wonder why he would do something so selfish when the world was in his lap?

It wasn't like Erik was heading into bankruptcy—not when he was pulling in a net income of about 2 million a year and being estimated as worth five times that amount. His books have been consistently on the bestseller's top list for ten years. Not to mention that his operas were all successful hits and his music could be bought in almost every country in every single format available. He had done countless interviews, specials, hosting events, charity fundraisers, political fundraisers, and even performing occasionally in his works as a surprise to the audience. He had endorsements in all shapes and sizes from Evian to VH1's Save the Music.

He was not only a millionaire, but a businessman, musician, artist, author, and philanthropist. Why… a year ago he had helped raise almost a quarter of a million for Make-a-Wish and has done more or less for various organizations and non-profit charities.

His name alone raked in money.

So no… Erik Trussler was not becoming poor anytime soon.

Perhaps it was his social life, the lack of companionship.

Nope.

Known as a ladies' man, Erik had a new girl on his arm every week, whether they were associated with him as either professionally or personally. Even when he was in a relationship, rumors were persistent that he had a girl on the side. George Clooney had commented once that he wished he possessed Erik Trussler's magnetism for the opposite sex.

And if that wasn't a compliment… then what was?

Yet, with all the success and fantastic sex life, Erik Trussler was not satisfied with his life.

If they dug deeper… then they would find the reason.

Of course, he thought it was fairly obvious.

The tabloids might conclude that he was harboring a secret alcohol/drug addiction. It was the latest craze nowadays with celebrities and entertainment personalities to admit to the world that they had issues with some narcotics. Even the young stars could be found dead of an overdose of some kind.

However, Erik wasn't a fresh-faced, young kid surrounded by the onslaught of peer pressure. And he did have a problem with alcohol but he was nowhere close in having the same symptoms as some alcoholics do. He can function without a drink to jumpstart his day. And yes… he has appeared in public completely intoxicated once or twice, but in this world who hasn't?

No. He had no problem there unless someone wanted to convince others that he did. Like Nadir.

Yes Nadir… he believed there was a problem, but Erik didn't see it as a concern and his drinking has not affected any of his business deals.

So what reason did a man of thirty six who was desired, envied, wealthy, and successful would want to cut his life short?

For one… there was his face.

Erik was first introduced into the world of entertainment after performing in Star Search back in 1983 when he was only seven-years-old. He didn't win, but he certainly gained a lot of attention and became an immediate overnight sensation. People were amazed and awestruck for someone his age with the incredible talent he possessed. The piece he played on the piano was Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji's Opus Clavicembalisticum. It is widely known as the most difficult and challenging piece to ever be played and anyone who has attempted this complicated rendition does so terribly.

But not Erik.

He has been and will ever be (apart from the original composer) to perform this music flawlessly. Even when it had to be shortened to fit the time slot for the show… Erik Trussler managed to play it with all the grace and emotion within it. A feat like that should have been enough to win the competition, but Erik did win in the end with the attention he received. Everyone wanted a piece of him… to have him perform live on television and in concert halls and in front of famous heads of state and the list went on.

The world was enthralled with this musical prodigy, despite the fact that he happened to wear a mask. If anything, the mask proved to be alluring and made him all the more adorable, and yet… speculations would rise about what was underneath it.

Some had said it was for his protection to keep people from recognizing him (even though it was a half mask), some said it was for his eccentricity (then again, how many children are eccentric?), and the common one of all… he was scarred. The latter was closer to the truth since Erik was born with a birth defect that affected his right side of his face. His parents tried everything they could think of to fix the damage, but there was never enough money to cover the medical bills and the doctor's costs. But when Erik started to pull in money from his appearances and interviews, they were able to afford the surgeries.

Unfortunately, nothing could be done to correct Erik's face. The doctors were more fearful that they would cause further damage to him and more often than not… turned the family down. One doctor was brave to try and it only ended up in disaster. Afterwards, Erik's parents didn't want to make any more attempts lest it would end up hurting rather than helping him. But they didn't want him to be scrutinized or judged by his fans and critics.

They would squash any rumors about Erik's face, explaining that he had a fascination with masks and liked wearing them so they indulged his wishes. This did result in some backlash on their parenting, but his parents would rather have the heat on them and not their little boy. Fortunately, it did stop the gossip for a while until Erik was older. Then it picked up again… this time with women he allegedly dated (but never proven) and people who wanted to ruin his reputation. But when he was a child, Erik had a decent childhood with supportive parents, although he knew that his face would be a problem later in life.

For his parents' sake, he pretended there was nothing wrong with himself and he wouldn't let the criticism get to him… but deep down, he knew the truth. He knew he was hideous if no one had truly seen him. And god bless his parents… they loved him but even they had a hard time meeting his eyes if he took his mask off.

It was best to ignore his shortcoming and focus on his music.

He turned out CDs of various composers and when he was ten he recorded his first original album. Then at thirteen, he wrote his first opera. There was some skepticism when The Veil of Illusion was produced, but to the shock of his critics, Erik's opera was an immediate hit. Not only did classical music lovers flock to see his show, but also other music fans as well. They were all intrigued by this boy's talent and had to witness firsthand his genius.

Erik would write and produce six more operas and one Broadway musical. The musical went over well, but Erik preferred the complexity that operas could bring and focused on them. At nineteen, he wrote his memoir. As he grew older, Erik would write two more autobiographies, several collections of the history and analysis of music over the centuries, and dozens of music and theater reviews for various newspapers.

At twenty, Erik opened his first theater in Detroit (his birth place) and by thirty… he opened several other ones around the world. Plenty of singers would get their careers started thanks to Erik Trussler and he would be mentioned as the inspiration for many musicians regardless what type of music they sing or play.

Everything was going well until tragedy struck when Erik was twenty-five. His parents died on Flight 175 that crashed into the Towers on September 11th. It had been so sudden and horrible that Erik didn't know how to react, except drowning his sorrows. The days and nights would consist of drinking and work, but no amount of each could take away the pain and anguish at the loss of his parents. Considering the nature of the event, no one could fault him for doing this, even though it was severely unhealthy.

Then came in Nadir… He was so irritably annoying and tried to get Erik into therapy and such that he wanted nothing to do with it. He must have fired Nadir a dozen times, but the damn Iranian continued coming back and cleaning up his messes. No matter how many times Erik told him… Nadir would not leave him be and he had warned Erik that he would be on his ass until he straightened his act up.

Erik did cut back on his drinking, but he still drank when occasion called for it or when he needed something to take the edge off. And sometimes… even his relationship with the love of his life, Elena Carlton, would have him sipping the bottle.

He did love her. Honestly, he did. He never once cheated on her when they were together and she was the light he needed to chase away the darkness in him.

She helped to keep him sane, and in an ironic twist of fate, she would also make him unhinged.

Which explained the on and off again relationship they had for three years.

Erik first met Elena she was this new pop sensation that came onto the scene. Naturally, her name had no meaning to him since he was not a fan of this style of music, but Erik was told that she would be presenting an award to him. In that moment, when Erik went up to accept the honor, he took one look in her eyes and fell hard.

She was a goddess. With her long, wavy blonde tresses, her deep emerald eyes, full pouty mouth, and a laugh that could make anyone smile… Elena had captured his attention and he had to introduce himself properly. The drunken stare at her chest while taking the award Erik Trussler was not someone he wanted her to know him as. So a month later he had the opportunity to correct the faux pas when she gave a concert in the same city he was visiting.

It wasn't difficult to snag a ticket and backstage pass. Once the show was over, Erik surprised her with a bouquet of roses and apologized for his brazen conduct and if she wanted to have dinner with him. She had been taken aback, maybe even in awe that this powerful man was apologizing to her and was asking her out on a date. She said yes and the rest as they say was history.

His drinking lessened, but it wasn't long before Erik was back at it again. Of course, he had good reason and it did help him survive the several nights when he attended her concerts in support like a good boyfriend.

She wasn't a bad singer, on the contrary, he would never associate himself with her if she was, but her preference was not his cup of tea. He wished she would try his classical world and sing for him. Of course, Elena made it clear she wasn't a fan of opera and after going to one opening night with him, she never wanted to go back again.

But he had to go to her shows.

Yet, he refused to give up on changing her mind. Erik kept insisting that her voice, if trained properly, would be able to take on any of the leading sopranos. He told her this countless times and if she would just try once… just once… then perhaps she could see that classical was better than pop and she could quit that popular mainstream and focus on real music.

If she didn't want to… then fine. But as long as she gave it a shot and saw what Erik sees in music, then she might better appreciate the necessity of the classics.

Of course, Elena didn't see it that way.

What bothered Erik the most was she didn't see that she was better than those other pop singers. That she actually possessed an instrument that could be bragged about. At least, if she sang classically she would be immortalized while the pop world would drag her down. It was a wise decision to leave that behind and do something worth doing.

But that argument was mild compared to the ones they had about his mask.

In the first six months of their relationship, Elena was not bothered by the fact he wore one. She said it was sexy and made him aloof. Then as time wore on, her tune quickly changed and she was loathed to look at it and not him.

Erik had been honest from the start that he had his personal reasons for wearing the mask and that he would never remove it in her presence. He had to guess that when Elena heard him… she didn't think he was actually serious until she asked him to take it off one evening.

"Aren't you hot wearing that old thing?" she asked.

"No." Erik was busy getting the fire started in the fireplace.

"C'mon. You must be. It's only the two of us here. What's the harm?"

"Elena, I already told you… I have to wear this mask for a reason. I'm not taking it off, end of subject."

That was the first time they broke up, but ultimately, they would find themselves thrown back together and they would continue where they left off.

It was a pattern.

When they were together, everything was wild and passionate. And despite Erik's loathing to the pop world, he was grateful that it introduced Elena to him.

Kind of ironic.

But despite the numerous times they left each other, Erik loved her. She was the only woman for him and he knew one day it would be permanent.

Until then…

As time went by, the mask still remained a sore subject and it was continually driving a wedge between them. It got to the point that magazines and the tabloids were publishing stories that highlighted the couple's unhappiness and that it was Erik's fault for not taking his mask off once and for all. Of course, the reason for the demand was not to make Elena happy. Oh no… it would make for a fantastic good story if they saw what was beneath.

Selfish bastards.

Yet, it was the price that was paid for living in the spotlight and while Erik didn't want to lose her for good… it was apparent it would come to fruition. One day, Nadir went to him and warned him:

"If you don't take the mask off you will lose her."

Easy to say for someone who didn't look like him. However, Nadir didn't understand. No one could understand. Erik didn't want to believe that his mask would end their relationship, but then four months ago… he heard a rumor that Elena was having an affair.

Erik's first reaction was to grab the nearest Jack Daniels, but instead, he chose to confront her head-on, hoping to put the rumor to bed. He knew they had their ups and downs and a fair share of rough patches, but never like this. He figured it was another made-up story that was often spread in his world and he brought it up as a joke.

The "Hey, you won't believe what ridiculous thing I just heard about you" open liner.

The good humor quickly ended when to his absolute dumbfounded state Elena admitted she had a lapse of judgment while on tour. Then to his continued speechlessness, she said it was his fault that caused her to cheat. So if anyone should be angry about this thing it should be her.

"When I look around, I see these other men and I think how sad it is that I don't know what my boyfriend looks like, but I know a complete stranger's face," she told him. "I feel like I can know their whole story just by looking at their faces, but you Erik… I know what the world knows and the little that you want to confide in me. What I want to know, what I need to know… is you. I want to know you Erik. Is that so wrong?"

When Erik was able to regain his voice, he fought to keep his composure. "No. But Elena you have to see it from my point of view—"

"It's always your point of view Erik. What of mine? Doesn't my opinion matter?" Elena exclaimed, moving away from him.

"If you saw you wouldn't like it." That was the honest truth and Erik didn't understand why she wouldn't take his word for it.

"How do you know that? Do you really think I'm that shallow? Erik, you have known me for three years now… do you think I would leave you because of your face?"

He left her to cool off and when he returned to his apartment… Erik thought about her last statement.

Did she believe he thought her to be shallow? She was probably the least shallow person he ever met, except for her poor excuse to cheat on him. But would she really leave him?

He didn't know.

But deep down Erik knew he couldn't continue to hide forever, not if he wanted to have a future with her.

He forgave her for her infidelity and promised he would take her feelings into consideration and tried not to be so demanding. And he will show her what was behind his mask… but at his time.

It was a step in the right direction and Elena agreed she would wait for him to make the decision to take it off.

This brings us back to the present.

Three days ago, to be exact, Erik fulfilled his promise. He took off his mask and Elena took one look, walked out the door, and never returned.

His calls, texts, and emails all went ignored. Even her publicist wouldn't answer him. And then he just saw on TV that Elena was seen walking the streets of New York City with some hot shot actor, prompting the question did she and Erik Trussler split again? Reps close to the singer said that she and Erik went their separate ways and decided it was best to see other people.

And the chances for another reconcile?

None.

Funny… he never knew that.

So while the rest of the female population was rejoicing that Erik Trussler was back on the market… Erik, himself, was severely depressed.

He wanted to believe so badly that Elena wouldn't leave him. When she said she wouldn't leave him based on his face, he believed her. She was so fierce, so determined that they could make it and he fell for it. He thought she was right and they could do this. It was his fault and his stubbornness that kept them apart and had them growing discontent. All he had to do was take off the mask and that would solve everything.

Yeah, right.

So the love of his life had ripped out his heart, moved on with her life, and he was supposed to do what? Move on too?

Easier said than done and he supposed he should be grateful that Elena didn't tell the media what he really looked like. Maybe she was doing him a favor for walking out or maybe she didn't want to be reminded of it if it had been plastered all over the media. Whatever her reasons, Erik could never forget what this meant. If Elena could not stomach his face, then what were the odds of him finding another woman that would?

And if he couldn't find happiness… then what was the point of living?

The wealth, the titles, the fame… none of that mattered if he couldn't have love.

So at the very moment, Erik Trussler was standing over his balcony on the eighth floor and was contemplating his final thoughts. The darkness invading him would end and he would be free of this existence… free of this face.

He thought about his parents and how wonderful they had been, but knowing if they had a perfect child… they wouldn't have to protect him as much.

He thought about Elena… she would be in his life if he was handsome.

Closing his eyes tight, Erik gripped the railing and began to climb over when he heard a voice.

"No! Wait!"

He opened his eyes to see a woman running through his apartment towards him. He thought how the hell did she get in? when he lost his grip and fell backwards.

The pain was acute and for a minute… Erik could hardly breathe. His entire body was on fire, his nerves standing on end, and he wasn't sure if he could move not with the raging pricks all over.

He remembered hearing screams and the sounds of people running towards him.

But it was the woman… the one he saw in his apartment that he remembered clearly.

She was standing over him, her blue eyes filled with worry and tears, her curly brown hair floating past her shoulders as she tenderly touched his shoulder.

It was so light, so tender… that he barely felt her, but her breathe wash over his face as she whispered:

"Hang in there Erik. It'll be all right. It'll be all right. Just hang on. Help is on the way."

TBC…

Also… I should mention… suicide is never the answer. Please keep in mind this is only a story and if you ever feel like there is no hope, then please go and speak to someone. Life is precious and you need to keep in mind… things do get better even if it appears that everything is bleak. The time will come when everything becomes brighter.