Thank you so much for all your reviews! I know that you all want more interaction between Erik and Christine. I'd like to ask you to bear with me, it will all start rolling in the next few chapters. ;)

Also, I will be changing the story rating to 'M'. If you're not comfortable with it, please let me know, so I can make two versions. I'd put the censored one here and the M-rated one on my livejournal (pegasus-fics). :)

Here is the next part, hope you enjoy! :)


Chapter 7 - Second outing

Christine emerged from the bathroom when suddenly her door was thrown open and a red-faced Elizabeth came rushing in, making Christine nearly drop the towel around her body in surprise.

"Elizabeth!" She shrieked and clutched the towel with both hands to cover her nudity, desperately looking at the gaping door and Elizabeth standing in the middle of the room. Elizabeth took in Christine's appearance and went to shut the door behind her.

"Sorry!" She grinned sheepishly after turning back to Christine. "I'm just so excited! And besides, you don't have anything which I haven't already seen." Elizabeth winked at her and Christine blushed. She went behind the dressing screen in one corner of her room and began putting on her clothing.

"What has got you so excited?" She asked as she dropped the towel and pulled on her chemise.

"There was a certain man downstairs. Tall, dark hair, handsome..." She trailed off and looked at the screen expectantly but Christine just made some noncommittal sound as she untangled the laces on her corset. "Why did you never tell me that Mr. Garnier wore a mask?" There was a sharp intake of breath, what sounded as a muttered curse, a rustle of fabric and then a blushing Christine emerged from behind the screen, holding her corset to her body.

"Was it him downstairs, then?" At Elizabeth's nod she turned around facing her vanity, gathering her hair so they didn't obscure Elizabeth's view on the laces. She sighed as Beth began lacing the corset tightly, thinking of what to answer her. "I didn't tell you because it didn't seem important."

"He is handsome though, at least the left side of his face. I wonder what he hides under that thing. Maybe some war injury? Did you see?" Christine swallowed hard and thought back at her horrible selfish actions on the night where Erik had taken her to his lair. She had wanted to see what he was hiding and with one unfeeling movement, she had ripped the mask from his face, unleashing his anger. Now she knew what a stupid, stupid child she had been back then. With that action she had damaged their already fragile trust but even though he had been furious, he had forgiven her in the end and that made her feel even worse.

"Yes." The word left her mouth before she could stop it.

"And? What is the mask hiding?" Christine thought about how to best describe his deformity. The night of Joseph Buquet's death she had described his face to Raoul as something too terrible to see. It was hardly a face in the darkness... She closed her eyes as she remembered her exact words, wishing she could take them back. Yes, she had been shocked and a bit scared when she first saw it, for she had never in her short life seen anything like that. In the end, after she had unmasked him in Don Juan, Erik's face was just like any other to her. When she had looked upon him in his lair, she hadn't felt disgusted or scared. His face didn't make him who he was, it was his surroundings and the things he had gone through in his life. It wasn't his face that people had to fear; it was the society that shunned such genius just because of how he looked.

"A birth defect." She said at last when Elizabeth jerked her back into the present with a last forceful pull at her corset laces. "He doesn't like people staring at him or questioning him about it. He told me people fear him without his mask." It was a lie; in reality he had never told her this.

"Does the mask not intimidate people also?"

"I suppose." There was a small pause as both women got lost in their own thoughts.

"You were right, though." Elizabeth broke the silence at last, running her hand through Christine's wet hair, meeting her eyes in the vanity mirror. "He is handsome. It's such a shame; just imagine what a charmer he would be if he hadn't been born with it." Christine just smiled at that, for she had the same thoughts the previous evening.

"I wonder what he was doing here." She mumbled to herself but Elizabeth had heard it and smiled triumphantly.

"He was just telling Amelia about the dinner at the McNeil residence on Friday at seven o'clock." Christine turned abruptly, her eyes wide, her jaw slack and her voice an octave higher.

"You were eavesdropping?" She shrieked and found Beth's hand around her mouth immediately.

"Shhh! Yes, I was curious. You would tell me anyway."

"Maybe so, but never do that again. It's unbecoming of a lady." Elizabeth merely laughed at Christine's serious expression and helped her into her dress.

"Well, I'm no lady. We have to pick you a dress! Oooh, I have a perfect one for you in my closet." She pulled Christine by her hand out of the room, talking excitedly about Christine's next date.


"Stop fidgeting!" Elizabeth exclaimed as she made last minute adjustments to Christine's dress. It was one of her own dresses but she no longer fit into it.

"I don't want to be late." Christine said and shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"You won't be late."

"Make haste, he will be here soon!" Amelia called out from downstairs as if on cue. Elizabeth laughed and stood from her crouching position near Christine's feet and took a step back to look at the younger woman fully.

"You look absolutely lovely, Anna." Christine smiled and looked at herself in the mirror and the sky blue taffeta dress she was now wearing. The top part was embroidered with small purple and dark blue flowers. The neckline was square but not too low and soft white lace hemmed it's edge and the 3/4 long sleeves. The skirt was full but simple and nearly reached the ground. She smoothed her hands down the soft and slightly shiny fabric, twirling around, admiring herself in her vanity mirror. Her hair was pulled back from her face so that it cascaded down her back freely.

Elizabeth helped her with her cloak and Christine gave herself one last look before sighing and facing the older woman, who was smiling knowingly.

"Nervous?" Somehow Elizabeth had the uncanny ability to tell how Christine felt, so it was no surprise she had picked up on Christine's slight anxiety.

"Less than before. But yes." She let out a soft laugh, trying to shake off that fluttering feeling in her stomach as she watched Elizabeth cleaning up the mess she had made during the dress adjustment.

It was true, she was less nervous because she knew who was waiting for her but at the same time being in close proximity with that person unleashed dozens of butterflies in her stomach. It didn't help that this evening was more informal than the previous event and although she had met Edward before, she was still a bit anxious. He and his wife were Erik's friends and she didn't want to leave a bad impression or embarrass Erik in any way. Christine smiled wryly at her reflection; she didn't care about leaving a bad impression with Raoul's friends, why should she care now? She knew that the answer was not money. Yes, she was paid to look pretty on his arm and to be a good company, but despite that she felt herself connected on a deeper, more personal level.

Sighing softly, she now realized how futile her attempt at disconnecting from her past life had been. As long as Erik was around, she wouldn't be able to suppress that part of her, that part that knew him and their shared history.

"Anna, Mr. Garnier has arrived." Amelia appeared in the doorway with a smile, waking Christine from her thoughts. Amelia reached up and gently touched her chin. "And lose that frown dear, it doesn't suit you." Christine realized she had been so lost in her thoughts that she was frowning at her reflection. She let a small smile spread across her face. "That's much better. Now go and have a nice evening."

Straightening, Elizabeth gave Christine a wink and grinned. "Have fun."

Christine merely smiled and walked down the stairs, holding onto the railing, for her legs were shaking slightly. As she opened the front door, she saw Erik standing outside of the carriage, dressed impeccably in his usual black clothing and white half-mask covering his face, the long black cloak swirling around his legs as the wind picked up. Her heart rate quickened and she felt lightheaded. The wind rustled the fallen leaves around her feet and she drew her cloak tighter around her against the sudden chill. Despite her nervousness, her smile widened and it didn't take her long to reach his side.

"Good evening, Anna." He smiled lightly, raising his hat briefly in greeting. He offered her his hand, wrapped in leather black glove.

"Good evening, Erik." She put her hand in his, suddenly very aware of the feeling of the cool leather against her soft skin; just like when he had first showed himself and led her through the Opera cellars into his lair. As he leaned down to press a kiss on her hand, she could see he was slightly surprised to see her hand bare but apparently didn't think much of it as he pressed a light kiss on her skin. The touch of his soft warm lips on the back of her hand made her skin tingle and warmth spilled from where his lips had been to the rest of her body. His eyes lifted to hers and for a tiny moment they just stood there looking at each other, her hand clasped securely in his.

"Shall we?" He broke the silence at last, opening the carriage door. Christine just nodded, not trusting herself to speak, her hand suddenly feeling cold as he released it. He helped her into the carriage and then climbed in, sitting opposite her. She heard the door shut with a little click and they were once again plunged into the darkness. In the faint moonlight she could see him pulling off his gloves, revealing his long, strong fingers. Before she could ask what he was doing, he handed her the gloves, taking her by surprise. "It's cold, you need them more than me."

"Thank you." She said almost reverently, pulling the black leather over her stiff fingers. She almost moaned at the warmth left behind by his hands, his warmth that dissolved the chill in her own hands and fingers. Satisfied, he tapped the ceiling of the carriage and it set to motion.

A pair of eyes appeared in the darkness as the carriage drove away, watching and waiting.


The motion of the carriage swayed them into silence and Erik watched Christine as she looked outside the window with a small smile on her face. He felt quite perplexed as to its meaning; she seemed content to be in his company, almost happy. Was this a ploy? Was she really at ease as she seemed or was she masking her true uneasiness? Erik knew she had been a good actress in the past, but she was not that good. The way she spoke to him and acted towards him was sincere and he could glimpse the old Christine every now and then. Normally Erik would have preferred silence but tonight he had the strangest urge to break it.

"The McNeil residence is on the other side of town, so it will take us longer to get there." He said at last after searching for a suitable conversation topic. Christine met his eyes and smiled, nodding.

"Okay." She looked briefly down at her lap, where her hands rested. Seeing her pull on his gloves and wearing them quite happily made something in his chest tighten. To many his gesture may have seemed insignificant, but to him it was personal, almost intimate. "How did you meet Monsieur Edward?"

"When I first arrived in England, he was looking for a business partner. I showed him my designs and he took me in."

"What led you to England?" She questioned again and Erik was taken aback by her boldness but her question didn't surprise him; he knew it was a matter of time before her curiosity got to her. He wanted to tell her everything but he didn't trust her enough yet to share that. That trust had been shattered the moment she had taken off his mask in front of the whole Opera house. He had forgiven her quite easily when she first glimpsed behind his mask but on that stage it had been different and he still couldn't get past her betrayal. He sighed quietly and pushed the memories back into his mind.

"Personal matters." He replied vaguely, waiting for her reaction. Where once she would have demanded a less vague answer, now she just looked at him curiously and nodded, not delving further into the subject. Erik was glad to find that Christine had matured into a beautiful and strong woman. She was more confident now and less of a damsel in distress and she had an air of defiance around her.

The rest of the journey was spent in silence until the carriage came to a halt in front of the McNeil residence.