Disclaimer: I do not own the Phantom of the Opera or the Hunger Games. They belong to their respective owners.

A/N: Thank you so much for waiting! I had planned to only throw the first chapter up until I got my other stories done, but this one just kept coming up in my mind. I hope you enjoy reading this chapter and I will try to update sooner!

I want to thank AngelofMystery-145 (Fanfiction)/Honeyphan2 (YT & DeviantART) for making my amazing cover for this story! She is incredible! Thank you, Honey!

Fight to the Death

Chapter 2: First Volunteer

xXx

"If you do get chosen, I will make sure to follow you and keep you safe. I will be your personal bodyguard."

Erik could feel he was being pulled away, pulled away from the stage, pulled away from Christine.

He could feel the hard, forcible armor against his arms and the harsh grip of the Peacekeepers as they pulled him away to give him a beating for disturbance, or worse. But the deep penetration in Christine's eyes was felt above anything else. Her eyes were wider than the full moon and sparkled with tears like the stars, penetrating his soul.

"I volunteer!" Erik said again, with more intensity, making sure everyone in the whole district could hear him.

He ripped his gaze from Christine's to stare, panicked, at the Peacekeepers that held him, who looked back with confusion and uncertainty. No one had ever volunteered to go into the games except, on rare occasions, the Careers.

His arms were released when Viga Fesh, the announcer, stuttered into the microphone, unlike the cool and rehearsed speech she made every year. "We… we have a volunteer."

As Erik walked forward, the Peacekeepers bewildered behind him, he watched as the mayor stood over a handbook, looking for rules or restrictions for a volunteer, never seeing anything as bizarre as what he had done.

Every nerve in his body was shaking, his heart beating a million miles a minute in his chest. When he reached the stairs leading up to the stage, Viga Fesh stood at the top, her hand extended for him to take, a smile splitting her powdered face. She looked ready to topple over in the six-inch enhancers she wore on her feet.

Looking past her, Erik saw the relief on Thomas's face as he ran past to the safe arms of his mother, relief he would never feel again. His gaze turned to see Christine who was still standing on the other side of the stage looking forward as if she were frozen. She was looking at the empty spot he had been standing in in the crowd.

With each step up to the stage, the enormity of what he agreed to struck him like a lightning bolt. 'I just agreed to going into a game of death. I'll be fighting for Christine's life.' Making that final step up onto the stage, there would be no turning back—even if he wanted to.

Instead of the sensation of being pulled away, he was being pushed forward as Viga brought him over to the microphone. "District 10's very first volunteer," she said in her cheery, high-pitched voice that made him, along with everyone else, shiver. "What's your name?" she said as the microphone was thrust in his face.

"Erik Diethelm." He answered, trying to hold no emotion or feeling in his response, when on the inside he felt like a pig going to the slaughter.

"Thomas Barnes, is he a friend of yours?" she asked, bringing the microphone back to his lips. She was digging for answers to bring back to the people watching at home, but he wasn't about to give her that satisfaction.

"He just works in the stables with me." Erik said, holding the truth of his decision back. But his body language betrayed him just as quickly.

He turned to look towards Christine, his eyes desperate to look at her. She still looked away; tear streaks were falling down her pale cheeks like a constant river. Her mouth still hung open slightly as if she was ready to faint or vomit.

She knew the truth. His promise from a year ago rang through her mind as clear as if he declared it to her yesterday. She was afraid to look at him, fearing that if she actually saw him standing next to her, on this stage, it would all become real.

Viga looked from Erik to Christine as if they were her newest playthings and without another delay she prepared for them to leave.

"Well, our tributes from District 10 for the 47th Annual Hunger Games are: Erik Diethelm and Christine Daube. Alright, you two shake hands." She said patting both their shoulders and stepping back.

Erik turned to face Christine completely, surprise written on his features. Past tributes only had to acknowledge each other and they were on their way, they never shook hands or embraced. Now he was given the opportunity to touch her, if she let him.

He waited as Christine stood unmoving in her spot. Erik wondered if she had heard what Viga said, but from her unchanging stance, he doubted it. He was about to reach for her hand, not to shake it but to guide her away from the crowd, when she slowly turned to face him.

Her oceanic eyes shown all the sadness in the world.

All he could see in her glossy, tear-filled eyes was astonishment and fear. But most of all, her body shook with her gasp of apprehension at actually seeing him standing there.

Not wanting to miss the chance of feeling her skin against his, even just the innocence of her hand in his, he put his hand out for her to shake. She looked down at his unusually clean, yet sweaty hands, for a second before reaching out with hers. Her fingers glided against his palm and fit in the curve of his hand perfectly. The feel of her soft, gentle hand against his rough, callused one was like ointment on a burn.

Erik kept his eyes trained on her as he felt Viga's presence behind him. She took a hold of the microphone to give the last of her speech, the words mumbled to Erik's ears, with the final saying: "may the odds be ever in your favor."

The reality of the situation they were in came crashing down on both of them like a ton of wood. With each step off the stage into the District Hall, away from the home they always knew, each implication came rushing forward with intense meaning.

'We are now a part of the twenty-four innocent people chosen to fight to the death in an arena.' They whispered in each other's minds in unison.

'There can only be one victor; I can't allow Christine to die.' Erik promised himself. 'I have to protect her until the end.'

At the same time, Christine tried to understand the reason behind his sacrifice. 'Why would he do this?'

Erik realized this would be the last time he saw the home he had always known. He would never see the other workers in the stables; never sit on the roof of the barn watching the setting sun in the distance behind the mountains; never ride Blue around the field.

What hurt the most was he would never watch Christine walk down the street or write in her journal under a lone tree. He would never be able to have those long talks with her or watch the sun set with her again. He would never see her genuine smile. The thought crushed his heart.

Turning to look back at the district for the last time, every memory, every part of his life, was there. He would never see it again. He would be dead within a couple months, but not from any stranger's hands… but Christine's.

xXx

"Alright, Christine, hold on." Erik's voice was full of happiness and amusement, even though inside I was reeling with fear.

I had been begging Erik to teach me how to ride a horse, but now that I was on the back of Blue I was terrified. I had never really been afraid of heights, climbing a tree or sitting on the roof of the barn were every day occurrences, but for some reason the six feet off the ground turned me into a ball of nerves.

"Erik, I don't know if I can do this." I said looking down at Erik who was standing beside me, his hand gripping the rope that was tethered around Blue's neck.

"Don't tell me that after months of you begging me to teach you to ride, you are ready to give up now." Erik said; the crooked smile appearing on his lips brought the misshapen side of his face to bunch up strangely.

I felt ashamed for being so quick to get down after asking for so long, but I just worried about falling off when Blue started trotting. The thought of falling on hard ground and possibly getting trampled on was… painful.

Erik could tell what I was thinking. He always knew my thoughts, even before I knew them myself. With a surety and swiftness, he put his foot in the straps and climbed onto the horse, behind me. The heat in the air had already made my hair stick to my neck and make my face red from the sun, but Erik's sudden closeness made those sensations heighten.

Turning fourteen had changed everything; I was noticing things that I never had before. Boys in school were looking attractive, not messy. The characters in the stories I read were holding emotions I could now understand. Mother explained that these feelings would come, but I never thought that would make my feelings for Erik change.

With his arms around me, taking hold of the reigns, his boot, which was resting next to mine, pushed mine into the horse's side. With a jerking motion, Blue started to move. The bouncing and jarring movements that the horse made with his walking intensified when Erik urged him into a trot.

Gripping Erik's arm, I held on for dear life, as the horse started moving faster around the penned in area. Once I got used to the speed my hand loosened its grip on Erik's arm. But suddenly, Blue was heading right towards the fence and I immediately gasped, worried, and moved to catch the reins that Erik was maneuvering. But before I could try and guide the horse in another direction, Erik put his arm around my waist and the horse jumped.

For a split second, we were in the air, but it felt like much longer. I felt like we were flying. The air hit my face, blowing the hat that Erik had put on my head off and tumbling to the ground.

When the horse reached land again, we were on the other side of the fence, no longer on sand and dirt, but on beautiful, tall grass.

Erik allowed Blue the freedom he never got and let him gallop around the green meadow, passing the grazing cows and field mice. A smile had formed on my face from the rush of excitement that Erik had created. Turning to loop around back to the penned in area, Erik stopped Blue immediately. Two Peacekeepers saw the action and were running over. The sight of them made my smile disappear.

With a frustrated sigh, Erik got off the horse with the skill and speed that he got on with and moved to take the rope to walk Blue back to the barn. We hadn't gone that far but with the speed that Blue was moving now, it took a minute to get back to the gate. When he opened it to bring Blue back into his pen, the Peacekeepers reached us and gripped Erik aggressively, completely ignoring me.

Erik didn't seem to fight it, as if he knew this would happen. 'Why would he do something if he knew it would put him in danger?' That's when I realized it. He got lost in the moment and didn't realize the consequences until after the deed was done, just like me.

Before Erik could even help me down from the horse, the Peacekeepers charged away, Erik still imprisoned between them. I wanted to yell after them, try to convince them to leave Erik alone, but I couldn't get off the horse by myself. A stable boy ran over to close the gate before Blue could run off again, with me on his back. When the gate was securely closed, the boy, Garrett, helped me down.

"What are they going to do to him?" I already knew, but I wanted to find a way to stop it.

"Erik allowed the horse to escape his pen. He also had himself and you on his back. Even though the District line is a mile from here and guarded by an electrical fence, any escape is highly punishable." Garrett said, guiding the horse into the nearby barn.

But we weren't trying to escape. We were just having fun, not even close to getting away. Why would they take him away without a good enough reason?

Before I could come up with an answer on my own, Garrett came back and said, "The Peacekeepers haven't had anyone to punish in a while. They probably just grabbed at whatever they could get."

The truth in Garrett's words hit me. No one had stepped over the line or broken the law in a while and the Peacekeepers had almost become as useless as a picture on the wall. They were bored. They're taking out their pent-up violence on the first person that caught their eye. Erik.

"Are you going to do anything?" I demanded as I turned to face Garrett.

Garrett turned to look back at me and let out a scoff, thinking I was kidding. When he saw the seriousness in my expression he said "And what? Get a beating as well? There is nothing to be done. I'm not going to risk their ire by helping him. Sorry, Christine."

I couldn't look at Garrett a minute longer without slapping him hard across the face. Turning to see the two Peacekeepers and Erik walking down the main road towards the District Center, where all the beatings and punishments took place, I begged Erik to look back and no that I was sorry.

Just before they reached the center, I could see Erik turn, looking over his shoulder, at me. He looked sorry too.

The moment Erik stepped into view in the crowd that memory replayed in Christine's mind. The look on his face, the punishment that had followed, all blurred from her tears like a nightmare.

She couldn't breathe for a long moment and thought she would faint there on the stage, but the feel of Erik standing next to her willing her to look at him and acknowledge him brought everything to a screeching halt.

Now standing in the small, plain waiting room waiting for her mother to come and say her goodbyes, she absorbed all of what had just happened. 'I've been chosen to fight to the death. I can't even kill a spider. How am I going to be able to take the life of someone just as innocent as me?'

Erik had volunteered and would now be in the games with her, going through the hell that this fight would be. 'Why would he do that?' she thought, her mind shaken to the point that she couldn't come up with an answer.

He hadn't come to her in over a year, not even said a word to her. The last thing he said to her was so harsh and cruel that she had ended their friendship out of anger and disappointment. All she had been waiting for was an apology. If he had just come and apologized and taken all his words back they could have forgotten the whole conversation and returned to being friends. She waited for a week, but that week turned into a month and the months just kept coming and passing in an uneventful blur. She refused to go to him; he had to come to her.

Now she wished she hadn't been so stubborn. They could have had this past year. Now they would never have the chance to have innocent, sweet talks or calm, silent walks on the road. She would never get another chance to ride Blue.

"Two minutes." A deep voice of one of the Peacekeepers said as he escorted her mother into the room.

"Mom." Christine said, running to her in the small space, curling into her arms and crying against her blouse.

"Baby. Everything's going to be okay. You're going to be okay." She said, but Heather could hear the disbelief and uncertainty in her own voice. She knew this was going to be her last conversation with her daughter.

"I'm so scared." Christine said, breathing in her mother's herbal smell and immediately calming.

"I know." She sniffled against her hair and released Christine to look into her eyes. Her brown eyes were wet and her face was just as pale as Christine's. "Erik will be there to protect you. I believe that he will bring you back to me."

Christine looked at her in confusion and then realization came down on her and she couldn't believe that she hadn't realized it before. "If you do get chosen, I will make sure to follow you and keep you safe. I will be your personal bodyguard." He volunteered to protect her and keep her alive. 'Why would he do that? What would he get out of it?'

As if Heather read her mind she continued to say, "He loves you. I don't think he would be able to survive without you. That's why he did it."

"But if he wants me to live…" she couldn't finish her train of thought out loud, 'he is going to have to die.' "Didn't he think about the consequences? Doesn't he know that his death will hurt me more than a blade in my heart?" her voice started to choke over the pain building in her throat.

Before her mother could answer, the door opened and the Peacekeeper came in to take her away. "Time's up."

Her mother grabbed her and held on as tight as she could before the Peacekeeper ripped her arms from around Christine and hauled her away.

"I love you, Mom. I love…" the door slammed in her face before she could hear her mother say it back.

As she pondered over the disaster that her life was turning into she stood looking out the small, dusty window. From the room she was in, she could see across the district to the fields of tall grass and the animals that grazed there. Memories of watching Erik chase the horses around the field and catch them with his lasso sprang to mind, bringing his fate back to the forefront of her mind.

"Time to go." Viga said from behind her, not a hint of remorse or pain in her voice.

Christine turned to face Viga, who stood in the open doorway, and walked towards her slowly, delaying the inevitable.

As she was escorted out of the small room, across the hall Erik stood being taken out of a very similar room. He must have been saying goodbye to someone. 'But who?' Christine thought. He didn't have any family left, unless he grew close with someone over the last few months. From somewhere deep and hidden that thought made her jealous.

Peacekeepers moved from their positions against the wall and took their arms. They walked them to the back of the building, farther from family and from the home they always knew, until they reached a large door, similar to the ones they came in from. Only this time when they opened they were shown a sleek, long train. The same train that only came twice a year, once when they picked up the tributes and the second when someone from their district made it to the top eight and, if they were lucky, came home.

There were crowds of people, all the people from their district. It was impossible to find Christine's mother, Raoul or any of the stable workers in the crowd, anyone that mattered to them. But the Peacekeepers were keeping them separated from the assembly to get them on the train with no difficulty.

Everything around Christine was unclear and blurry, the noises started to drown out and her movements felt like they were automatic and she had no control over her own body. She felt as if she was going to collapse, the chances of making it to the train conscious was very little. Everything was being thrown into motion and she couldn't stop it.

Just as things were getting painfully dizzy, she felt a warm grip on her hand. Turning to look down at the cause, she saw a tanned hand enveloping hers. The softness of his skin and the powerful grip Erik held on her was enough to keep her sanity for a little longer. She squeezed his hand back and let him guide her onto the train.

The doors slid open without a noise, silent as the dead. When the room beyond was revealed, she could hear herself gasp in wonder. Every surface was shiny and made of some kind of clear rock, and on each surface were plates and platters of different treats. There were pastries and cakes of every color, with coconut and chocolate shavings decorating the outside. The baker in their district would be green with envy at the sight of all the beautiful colors blended into frosting and powder.

The furniture displayed around the area was strangely shaped and the cushions felt like the material of her mother's wedding dress. 'Velvet' she thought with a gasp. There were glass chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, not just one, but six. The amount of money put into furnishing this one room would be enough to feed their whole district for a year. The anger at the Capital started to simmer in her heart.

Viga sat them down in the strange chairs and sat across from them as a servant came forward to offer them something to drink. Erik refused while Christine looked at the stranger, noticing that Capital servants looked clean and polished, respected almost, unlike district servants like Erik and she. She shook her head at the thought. The servant interpreted that gesture as her not wanting a drink and walked away.

"You two are very lucky. While you are here you get to enjoy all of the beauty and splendor that the Capital offers. It may not be for very long, but enjoy it while it lasts." Viga's fabulous expressions were cut short and her eyes widened in distress as she looked at Erik.

Christine looked at Erik and saw the expression he gave Viga. His teeth were clenched and his eyes were narrow as he stared at her. He was not at all happy with the words she chose and looked ready to rip the dramatic wig off her head. Before he could unleash his full rage, Viga stood abruptly and announced that she was going to go find their mentor.

As she walked out the sliding doors, Christine realized this was the first time Erik and her have been alone since… those words were exchanged. The silence drew on and it was the first time in their whole friendship that the silence was overwhelming and awkward.

The silence was painful to the point that she didn't think about what she would say, just that she had to ask the one question that had been screaming in her mind, anything to break the vast silence. "Why?"

Erik's head jerked to face her in surprise. The anger at Viga dissipated in front of her eyes and was replaced with tenderness. He knew exactly what she wanted to know and yet he didn't offer it. She knew the answer, but she wanted to hear it from his lips, to know that he knew the sacrifice he made. Without a word he slowly turned his head back to face forward, staring at the empty seat that Viga had been sitting in, and avoided eye contact.

She waited for him to say something, but after a few minutes of silence and cold aloofness, she stood and stormed away in frustration towards the door Viga left through. Just as she reached the door it slid open as if it knew she was there and displayed a hallway to another door. She turned to look over her shoulder at Erik and saw he was still vacating the chair, but he was watching her every move.

If he wasn't going to talk to her or even answer her questions she wasn't going to sit there and listen to the hum of the train and their measured breaths. Turning away, she walked through the doorway and down the hall.

After a few steps, the sound of Viga and what sounded like Joseph, their mentor, coming down the hall, she slid through a side door and hid. She didn't want to interact with anyone.

After the wall of steel closed in front of her, she turned to see she was in a room with small projections all over the walls. A man, wearing clean white clothing, was sitting in front of them pressing nozzles and buttons to edit and control the scenes playing out. Christine watched as the man picked angles and clips of the Reaping at home, the one that had changed her life… and Erik's. He was picking the footage that would be playing through all the districts and in the Capital. She couldn't even get the memory of that event out of her mind, now it was scattered along a wall for her to see. The danger of being seen didn't even hit her as she looked at the different clips.

On one screen she could see herself being picked through the crowd, her first reaction to hearing her name being called. On another screen she could see herself being dragged up to the stage and being forced to stand next to Viga as the male voice was called.

Just as she saw the screen of her reaction to seeing Erik volunteer, it switched to show Erik walking up to the stage. All the footage was being selected of him, but for some reason the editor was purposefully picking footage that only showed the smooth, handsome side of his face.

Just as she saw the clip of Erik and her shaking hands, the editor turned and saw her standing there. With a firm push of a button, the door behind her opened and with the clear message to leave, she turned and left the room on shaking legs.

Walking down the hall, away from where she came, she found herself in another lounge area, this one brighter and more furnished. She realized she was at the end of the train when she saw the whole back wall was a window showing the world disappear into the distance.

Christine was entranced. She walked over to the curved furniture that made up the wall under the window and sat down. She watched the trees disappear to be replaced by sand and hot desert. Every new visual made her realize that home was very far away. The short grass where the cows ate, the flowers and fields where the horses ran and the distant mountains where goats climbed, it was all too far away. New, fresh tears started dripping down her cheeks.

She continued to look out the window until the sun started setting and the world turn to darkness. She couldn't keep her eyes open, it became impossible, to the point that she didn't have the energy to move and just brought her head down to the cushion and closed her eyes. Maybe she would wake and this would all be a bad dream…

Christine sensed someone was watching her. She jolted awake at the feeling. She sat upright quickly to see the window in her dream was still there, allowing the world to slip by at a very fast pace. The sun had risen again; the light of the sun illuminated every visual. It wasn't a dream; she was really on her way to the Capital. She was going to be trained to fight to the death and be dead in less than a couple months... unless…

Erik.

She turned quickly to run and find him, almost falling off the couch as she saw him sitting in a nearby chair watching her. That same look he had on his face when he saw her standing outside her house before the Reaping was etched on his face. He looked lost. He looked afraid.

Everything that happened in the last 24 hours came back to her… including the way she acted towards him. She had been unresponsive, quiet and… rude to him. He had been unresponsive as well, but now she didn't care.

This was the cruelest reason for being brought together again. They hadn't talked in months and now they were thrust into this terrifying situation. This was the furthest thing from her mind as to how they would be reunited. The thought of losing him forever made her do the first thing she could think of, her first instinct when things were going terribly wrong.

Scrambling off the couch she ran to the chair he was sitting in and climbed into his lap like a child. His first instinct had always been to comfort her, so he brought his arms around her and held her close, the way he always had. The feel of her in his arms for the first time in what felt like a century was perfect. He didn't want to ever let her go.

The tears were rolling down her eyes and with her face pressed to his neck; his skin was becoming wet from her tears. He didn't care. He just kept holding her close and she kept crying into him. They sat there in silence for who knows how long, time seemed to have no meaning when they were together, but the one thing that broke through their silence was the faint cheers and whistles and… Capital music.

Christine looked up at the same time Erik did. The windows around the whole room showed their audience. They had reached the Capital and the people that were waiting at the train station… the people waiting for them… were clapping, cheering, smiling… they were excited to see the District 10 tributes.

The next thing they knew the windows turned black, as if a large black sheet draped over them, covering the scene, blinding them to their audience. They looked in confusion until a slightly familiar man walked forward from where he entered through the doors. Viga accompanied him.

"Rule Number 1: Don't show your weakness to anyone." Joseph said, rolling his eyes at their stupidity.

xXx

Thank you for all the wonderful reviews and for waiting patiently for this installment! It was a bit longer than the first one, but they will get longer.

Now, my lovely readers, I have a dilemma! Most of you are here because you love Erik and Christine and you love the Hunger Games so help me out with this brainteaser. I need to come up with a really awesome chariot parade costume for them. They live in District 10: Livestock. I have looked up the costumes from the movies and they are just not cool enough! I want Cinna material… no pun intended. So in your reviews will you please throw some ideas at me and I just might use them! Obviously they can't have fire explode on their clothes, but something equally as catching would be great! Throw any ideas at me, anything would help and I will be sure to mention you in the next chapter! Remember it has to reflect their district and it has to make them noticeable at the parade!