AN: Wow this is a fast update for me, but ah well. I believe I'll update this a few more times before I put it on haitus to update Demitri, which is a bit more original and it's supposed to be EPIC. Of course, you can't tell that it is yet, but the idea of it is! Anyhoo, on with the next chapter!

"He probably just pulled loose and ran off."

"For the last time, I tied it too tight for that to be possible! I checked to see if he could run off!"

"Thunder is a pretty strong dog, Christine."

"I'm telling you, someone must have untied him."

After failing to find her missing pet, Christine called Raoul and Meg to help her. Currently, she was busy arguing with Raoul while Meg drove around in her Jeep looking for the dog. Of course, Raoul would do anything to make Christine happy, but he honestly never liked the dog in the first place. He wasn't much of an animal-lover and a big German Sheperd/Siberian husky mix like Thunder freaked him out bigtime. Consequently, he lost interest of recovering the mutt pretty soon.

"Come on Christine, just go home and wait. Don't dogs have this weird sense of finding their way home?", he persisted, but Christine just rolled her eyes.

"That's horses. And no, I'm not going to go home and wait, at least until it's really dark.", she said determinedly. Raoul sighed and forced himself to keep walking.

"Can't I just get my car and--"

"NO."

That was enough to silence him.

If someone DID take Thunder, he thought wearily. He or she is really in for it when they find out how much care that thing needs.

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"Come on! Go to sleep already--I just bought you dinner and gave you twenty belly rubs! What more do you want?", Erik groaned, once again awakened by Thunder's insistent nudging and whining. This time, Erik just rolled over and covered one ear with his pillow. At this, Thunder yipped and hopped on the air mattress, nearly sending Erik flying from the sudden weight on one side of the bed. He was about to yell at the animal, but then Thunder quietyly whined and curled up next to him. Erik's expression softened.

"That's all you wanted, huh?", he murmured, stroking the big, furry head next to him. Those blue and brown eyes drooped and slid closed, as did Erik's own green and gold. He could see why Christine loved the mutt so much: Thunder was irritating as hell, but still irrisistable.

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It had been six days and still Christine couldn't find her dog. She'd looked on foot, she'd put up signs, she'd driven around with Meg or Raoul in their cars--still nothing. Yes, it was a big city, and yes, it was highly unlikely he was even alive, but she still had a speck of hope. that is until the seventh day turned and she simply gave up.

"I've failed him, all because I was too lazy to go to that book store some other time!", Christine moaned sadly, burying her face in her hands ans Raoul tried to comfort her. "By now there are so many things that could have happened to him--he could be run over, or have starved, or people could have hurt him, or--or..."

She choked up with tears and cried into Raoul's shirt, him all the while rubbing her back and telling her it was going to be okay.

"Well, he was always smart", he said, trying to calm her down at least a little bit. "He'd avoid cars and find food. It's only been a week, and we don't KNOW that he's dead. We'll find him, we'll find him..."

She didn't believe him. By the next Thursday, she was lifeless around the apartment, pacing lonsomely and getting ready for walks, only to realize there was nobody to walk with. After that she'd just cry for long periods of time. A normal person wouldn't be this unstable even about their best friend, but after both her mother and father died, and Christine was still a young woman, any loss hit hard.

Both Raoul and Meg tried their best to help, and even though she appreciated their concerns, they still got nowhere.

He's gone. And it's all my fault. I have to accept that. And I have to pay for it. I'm so sorry, Thunder...I'm so sorry.

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Erik got very used to sharing everything with Thunder: his warehouse, his air mattress, his food, his TIME....but it was worth it. Not just because the dog was so undeniably adorable, and a great companion, but he also gained Erik extra pity-cash when he'd play his violin. (Sometimes, Thunder would even "sing" when the right notes were hit). In fact, Thunder was so beneficial and distracting, that Erik almost forgot about giving him back to Christine. He almost didn't want to.

But when he passed her apartment complex, and remembered his plan, he knew he'd have to go through with it. For her sake and his. So, he pulled Thunder to a payphone across the street from the building, and dialed the number on the silver dog collar. As it rang, his heart beat faster and faster.

I'm going to speak to her, we're going to meet at last, please pick up, please pick up!!!, he thought excitedly. Finally, it happened.

"Hello?"

It sounded nothing like Christine, besides the fact the voice was feminine. Erik's racing heart nearly stopped.

"Um...", he stammered, trying to compose himself. "May I speak with Christine Daae?"

"This is she.", the voice on the other line replied emotionlessly.

She sounds so...dead., he thought regrettfully, before talking again.

"I believe I have your dog."

He would have expected a million thank you's, a whoop of joy, a laugh--what he didn't expect was the sound of something breaking in the background as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Really?"

Now Christine's voice was high and hopeful, but not quite happy. It was still better than that depressing monotone.

"Yes--the tag says his name is Thunder.", Erik told her, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"That's his name!", Christine gasped on the other line. But then her voice lowered.

"Wait--is he hurt? Where'd you find him?"

"Oh no, he's in erm...perfect condition. I found him...", Erik trailed off, looking around for a clue to a good lie. "I found him wandering around, in the Golden Gate Park."

NOW, she was giving him a million breathless thank you's. He smiled at the joy in her voice, winking at Thunder.

No, thank YOU, boy. , he thought, then cleared his throat.

"Where would you like me to bring him?"

"At my apartment. It's Carmichael Complexes, a big redbrick building off Adamson Street---"

"I know the place.", Erik nodded, staring at the complex just as she was giving directions.

"Good. Just um..come out to the front and I'll be waiting there.", she instructed. It sounded like she was about to hang up, but then she hesitated.

"Thank you SO much!"

Erik tried not to chuckle as he said, "You're very welcome."

After they had both hung up, each of them leaped in the air with a cry of "Yes!" and a laugh.

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AN: Oh yes, that's a much better chapter, now isn't it? Review, as always, dearies...