Phantom of the Opera

Title: Backward Glances

Chapter 3: "Forward Progress"

A/N: Hello all! I am so very sorry for the extremely overdue update! I am in college now and I am studying to be a Chemical Engineer. It is a bit more stressful than I original though. lol Also, I lost my journal which held my chapter layouts. I have been so lost without it, but I finally just dove in and continued on without it. Well, wish me luck and here is the next installment!

She was snuggled deep into the comforter of her bed. It almost covered the top of her head but she had a hole just large enough for her to breathe comfortably. Suddenly her eyes scrunched shut and she covered her face with her hands. Grunts and moans could be heard, but no words seemed to form from her incoherent babble. She suddenly tossed the covers from her face and screeched:

"EEERIIIIIK!!" The horrible whine echoed through the house, but that did not hinder the evil genius from his master plan. He chuckled darkly and moved the curtains back into their original spot, casting the room into darkness once more. She let out a content sigh. "It is too early to be conscious!" He laughed heartily at her antics.

"Christine, you need to get out of bed. We must leave soon!" He sat on the side of her bed, his hand reaching down to move a strand of hair from her face. His kind spirit showed on days like this. She loved it when he could show his real emotions to her, to open up and for once let her in. It made her want to cry. This wonderful, playful, man, was the man she loved. This was who her angel of music was. Her protector. When she did not respond, he decided to take drastic measures.

"AAAAAAH!!" Erik had hoisted her up and slung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes! "Put me down! Erik!! Please!" He laughed as they neared the washroom. He tossed her onto the floor and left with a 'you had better hurry' look. Christine stood and realized that her clothes and everything she would need to get ready was already there. Leave it to her Erik to be prepared for anything. She finished getting dressed and hurried down the hall to the dining room. Erik was ready and sitting patiently for her.

"Finished already? I thought our trip would be delayed at least a few hours!" His smile told her he was teasing her, but she 'hmped' indignantly.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Let's get going!" He offered his arm and they walked to the carriage.

"Where are we headed next Erik?"

"You should know better than to ask that question, my dear." Christine blushed at the endearment.

After what seemed to be hours of riding through the country side, the carriage stopped. Christine lurched forward at this stop and landed right into Erik's arms. After things settled, she took a breath and looked up into Erik's face. He was bright red! When she looked down and realized the position they were in, she too colored and moved back to her seat. He cleared his throat. "I believe we have arrived." She jumped from the carriage faster than he could get to the door. She then stretched her arms above her head and twirled around. Oh how she had longed to get out of such a confined space! The fresh air was a welcome change for both. She began to stretch out her stiff limbs and scrutinize her surroundings.

Erik smiled to himself as he watched her. She acted like a child during long rides and it reminded him that she was still so young. That thought brought him joy that she had so much more to experience but pain at the thought of how far apart their ages were. He could remember simpler, easier, times for the both of them. But, surprisingly enough, not happier ones. "Race you to the door!" She said smiling as she took off into a run. The house before them was not but a few yards away. It held the charm of Parisian splendor with the simplicity of a country cottage house. It was a different sight to see, indeed. It was simple in its architecture, but complex in its ornaments and details. Though it was fairly small compared to what she was accustomed to, he hoped it would be to her liking. He hopped that by her reaction in wanting to run to it, that he had built a proper house for her needs. Considering he had never expected, even in his wildest fantasies, that she would come to live there with him, he had not built the house to accommodate what a woman would need. He hoped that these things would not deter her. She looked back at him, smiling and laughing. He pressed forward and came in a close second to the door. He stopped himself from ramming into the door by putting his hand above Christine's head. Breathing hard, he looked down at her. She was flushed from the run in the cool air and she was breathing hard. He felt a blush creep to his cheeks. Never more than now had he wanted to kiss her. He leaned forward, lifting a hand to her cheek. She leaned in towards him aswell, her eyes drifting closed. He lost his nerve at the last minute. He backed away and cleared his throat. "Well, this is the house Christine. Let me show you around." She looked disappointed for a moment before letting a small smile brighten her features.

Erik took her hand and led her through the door. She let the fake smile fall as he turned from her. She couldn't focus on what he was saying about why he built the house this way and all the other details. All she could think about was how close they had been. Millimeters! That's how close it was! She wished so desperately that he would get over this self-conscious, self-loathing, nonsense. It was quite tiresome after a while. She was here wasn't she? What else did she need to say or do to prove to him that he was the only one for her? That she was here to stay? She loved him more than any clichéd words stringed together could possibly describe. The words were not so much the problem, it was the actions. She could not be forward enough for him to understand. It wasn't as if she could literally throw herself at him yelling "I love you, you imbecile!" Firstly, because he was not an imbecile. Secondly, because ladies don't throw themselves at men. She sighed, perking up and putting the smile back on her face the instant he turned to her. "What do you think Christine?" She was lost for a moment. What did she think of what? His ability to completely frustrate her? That much was obvious, she- oh, wait, the house. He was talking about the house. She looked around franticly. What to say, what to say.

"It's lovely, Erik." She smiled brightly, hoping he didn't notice her strange pause and realize her lack of concentration. He smiled, obviously pleased. She let out a breath.

"Would you like to see your room now? You'll have to forgive me for not having perfect yet, considering my lack of time to prepare." All she could do was smile and move forward as he lead her by the hand. He pushed the door open and let her through. "What do you think?" Her simple reply made him inexplicably happy.

"It's beautiful."

She spun around in her new dress, admiring it in the full-length mirror. She was still in a daze. A wonderful, blissful, daze. Erik had the room stocked with everything a girl could want. The luxurious canopy was the first thing she saw, and of course, that was amazing, but what really made her ridiculously happy, was all of the dresses! There were so many! She could hardly contain her excitement. She wanted to just stay in her room, trying all of the wonderful dresses on, but she knew Erik was waiting for her. She gave her reflection one more once-over and headed out the door. Erik was waiting for her. He was reading something, the masked side of his face towards her. He looked so beautiful. She knew that beautiful was not a term one used referring to men but that was the first word that came to mind. He was glowing, bright and beautiful. She coughed slightly to alert him to her presence. He looked up and smiled.

"Ready so soon Christine?" He was about to continue teasing her about the time it took for her to get ready, but she shot him a look that clearly said 'don't even think about it.' He closed his mouth and offered his arm. They walked out through the front door, towards the carriage.

"You look very handsome tonight Erik." Christine told him, after they had gotten settled in the carriage. If she hadn't known better, she could have sworn she saw him blush.

"You look much better than I, my dear." He then picked up her hand and kissed the back of it. She could feel her heart beat loudly and hoped he couldn't hear it too.

"Thank you Erik. Please tell me, where are we going for dinner this evening?" She smiled, assuming he would once again tell her it was some grad secret.

"We are going to a small restaurant in town. I know the owner and we will get excellent seats." He smiled as if he was the cleverest man in the world. She wondered what that would mean.

They arrived soon after. A stout man in a dark, grey coat was standing at the door. He had graying hair and looked at his watch every few seconds. We made our way to him as he spotted us. "Erik!" His voice was a little raspy but he had much warmth. I knew immediately that he was a kind person. He smiled, greeting Erik. He made a slight bow and Erik likewise. "And who is this charming young lady?" Erik made to introduce her as she interrupted him, afraid of what distinction he would give her.

"I'm Christine. Erik is my music teacher. Very pleased to meet you." She smiled brightly and he returned the gesture.

"Pleasure to meet you too Christine. I am Stephan" He kissed her hand. "Well child, as long as I have known Erik, I have never known him to teach. He is much too impatient!" He chuckled and Erik gave him an amused yet annoyed look. Lowering his voice, he said to her, "You must be a very special student to get him as a teacher!" Giving her a wink, he turned back to Erik. "Well, my friend, shall I show you both to your table?" She smiled and Erik motioned for him to lead the way. Erik bent toward her and spoke in a whisper.

"Pardon my friend. He is losing his mind with his old age." He smiled at her.

"My mind perhaps but not my hearing! Don't you fill that young lady's head with lies about me, for I have much to tell about you!" Erik just gave him and a shook his head. Stephan lead them through the back of the restaurant. They stopped at a small table in a back room, secluded from the rest of the people. She now understood why Erik was so pleased with himself. He could go out into public without many people seeing him. If it wasn't enough that this place was rather empty to begin with, she could see no one else from their table. She sighed. Perhaps it would take more time to get Erik over the fact that, yes people would stare at his mask, but that was ok. She didn't care.

"Well my dear?" He had taken to calling her that. Apparently that was her new pet name. She held in the urge to giggle. He was still waiting for answer.

"Oh, it's perfect. It's quaint and very cute. I like it. Thank you for bringing me here, Erik." She gave him a bright smile. They ordered and again started to talk about the usual topics. They always seemed to avoid hurtful ones. Erik had apparently decide it was time to talk about some things though.

"Christine, I must ask you something. It has been bothering me for awhile. You don't have to answer." He grasped her hand tightly, running his thumb over her the back of her hand.

"Go ahead. I will try to answer." She gave him a small, encouraging smile.

"I feel I must know Christine." He paused and let out a breath. "Was Raoul…." He looked as though he thought about stopping but then pressed forward. "Did Raoul abuse you? Is that why you left him?" Christine wanted to laugh. She expected a much harder question than this.

"Of course not Erik. He was as a good a husband as he knew how to be. I already told you why I left." She gave his hand a gentle squeeze, hoping he would understand.

"I'm sorry to ask you difficult questions, Christine. I just…. I needed to know. I didn't know how I would be able to handle it if I knew he had hurt you." She moved closer to him, leaning her head against his chest.

"You have nothing to worry about on that front Erik." He rested his head on top of hers, still clutching her hand.

"Would you like to leave now Christine?" He asked her.

"If that is what you would like." They left the restaurant. Stephan insisting they had to come down at least once a week to see him. He persisted to tell them both that he had rarely any company and their presence was a breath of fresh air. They both assured him they would come to visit. The ride back to the house seemed much shorter than before. They rode in comfortable silence, still holding hands. They finally arrived at the house and Erik helped Christine get out of the carriage.

"I had a wonderful time Erik." She said, breaking the silence as they neared the door. They entered and Erik responded.

"So did I. It was a much needed outing" They stopped in front of her door, and he brought his hand up to cup her cheek. She closed her eyes as he leaned forward, despretly hoping for what she wanted. He turned at the last moment and placed a lingering kiss to the corner of her mouth. Her skin burned. He hoped she felt the words he wanted to say in his action. He hoped that she understood what it was he was trying to say. "Good night Christine."

"Good night." He turned and walked towards his own room, closing the door behind him. "I love you." She whispered as she closed her own door. She knew what direction her dreams would take tonight.

A/N Although, in perspective, this is not that long of a chapter, I feel like it would never end.

Well, now it is midnight. Please excuse any mistakes in my spelling, grammar, ect. I am horribly tired and I know I must have missed some things. Also, as my exhaustion increases, so do my commas. Has anyone else noticed this? I have. lol

Also, on another note, if I asked you about being my beta reader, please email me at .edu. I don't remember if I talked to anyone about it or not. --; I know it's horrible! *laughs nervously* If you would like to be my beta and I haven't talked to you before, also feel free to email me.

Thank you for reading and a big thanks to those who have reviewed! Reviews are what gives me that extra push to keep going!