(A/N: Sorry about the wait, everyone! I wasn't home all weekend, and therefore couldn't post. So, so, so sorry for making you wait! It almost made me feel guilty leaving you hanging like that... almost...)

Chapter Nine: Behind the Mask

For a moment, Erik sat still, frozen in shock. It was true; he hadn't even noticed Christine was in the room, let alone right behind him.

A series of emotions rushed through him as he realized what had happened. At first, he was afraid- afraid of what she would think of him... a monster. Then he was sad, knowing that she probably would be frightened, and might even scream. Then he got terribly angry. How dare she! How dare she invade his privacy like that, and possibly destroy the only happiness he'd ever had?

Erik clenched his hands into fists. Well, if she wanted to see his face, then so be it!

He whirled around to face her, his features unshielded.

Christine's eyes widened in fear and she gasped, shocked. She fell back, snatching his mask off of the floor. Then she looked at the ground, and refused to move her eyes the slightest bit upwards.

"Look at me, curse you!" Erik shouted, jerking her chin upwards, "You wanted to see me, now look at me!"

Christine backed further away, out of his grasp. She was crying now, but Erik didn't notice.

"Is this what you wanted to see?! No, Christine, Curse You!" Erik fell back into a chair, trembling hands now covering his face. "Curse you!"

He didn't dare look at her now, not after how he had acted. For a while he sat as he was, head in his hands, trying to gather his senses.

He didn't know what had happened to Christine, for he didn't look up. He hadn't the faintest idea of where she even was- for all he knew, she had fled the room by now and was hopelessly lost in his lair.

Erik didn't know how long he sat like that, not daring to cast the faintest glance upwards. If he had, he would have seen Christine, still standing before him- a few feet away, admittedly, but still there.

xxxxx

Christine didn't know what to do. She was terrified, as anyone would be, even if they wouldn't admit it. She was shocked that this man, who not too long ago she had believed was her Angel, could look like this... that any man could look like this. Most of all, however, she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt.

She stared at the mask that sat in her shaking hands. Why had she done that? Why, when he had been nothing but kind to her?

Christine glanced over at Erik, who was hiding his deformed face behind his long, graceful fingers. She bit her lip. How dare she shatter his trust in her, and his sense of security?

Slowly her sense of guilt and compassion overwhelmed her terror. Truly, his face wasn't that bad... she could get used to it.

But for now...

Christine took a hesitant step forward, worried that he was going to shout at her again. She couldn't bear to hear him yell like that, especially not at her...even if she had deserved it.

"Erik..." she whispered.

He didn't look up.

She closed the distance between them, then stopped right before him. Still, he wouldn't meet her gaze. Which, Christine admitted to herself, was probably for the better- she still needed time to get used to his face.

Gently, Christine laid the half mask in his lap, making sure that he knew it was there.

Erik quickly turned away and slid it back on, but still did not face her.

"Erik-"

"Come, Christine, I'm taking you back to the Opera House."

She opened her mouth to protest, to tell him that she would rather stay here with him, but no sound came out.

He swept passed her out of the door, and she reluctantly followed.

xxxxx

The journey back was completely silent, neither of them saying anything.

Erik was sure that she hated him by now, and Christine was certain that he wasn't ever going to forgive her.

At last, they reached Christine's room. As Christine stepped back in, Erik slunk back off into the shadows, half hoping that he would never see her again.

All hopes of this, however, were shatter when Christine called back to him.

"Goodnight, Erik."

He turned to see her looking after him. She smiled, and his heart lifted.

Perhaps...just perhaps... she didn't think he was a monster, after all. As he made his way back to his lair, he told himself that he wouldn't lose his temper like that again.

xxxxx

Christine stood at her mirror for a long while after Erik left, wondering if he was still angry with her.
When she had said goodnight, he had turned back to her, and her hopes lifted. He hadn't said anything, however, which made her think that it was probable that he was still angry.

She wondered if he would be too upset to even return.

Christine collapsed on her bed, head pounding. It had been an exhausting day, and she wasn't feeling well.

She rolled over to look back at the mirror, but her eyes were drawn elsewhere.

Still laying innocently on her desktop was a brilliant red rose.

Christine smiled and stood up, headache forgotten, then went back over to it. Carefully, she tucked the rose behind her ear.

Then, she paced the room nervously, wondering what to do about Erik His face had scared her a bit, it was true, but it was more shock that had caused her to back away. She knew now that she wanted to see him again, but she was worried that he didn't want to see her.

Christine sat down at her desk, chewing her lip. She wondered if she should write him a letter, begging his forgiveness.

She took up her quill and dipped it in ink. Then, in her best handwriting, she wrote,

Dear Erik—

Christine stopped, suddenly feeling stupid. A letter wouldn't mend what she had done. He probably would never, ever trust her again...

Finally, the day caught up with her and sleep overcame her. Her head dropped down against the desk, and the quill fell from her hand.

That was how Erik found her when he came back the next morning to check on her, with her head pressed against a sheet of parchment with the heading Dear Erik, her brown curls scattered across the desk, and his rose, tucked gently behind her ear.

(A/N: Okay, so it's short again. This week is really, really busy for me, so I hope you can forgive it. I only just have time to update one fanfic at a time, and they'll probably all be short.

I promise you some nice, long chapters when this week is over! Sorry! Please R&R. :)