A/N: Enjoy R&R!! This one is sure to please.

Her Own Free Will

"Roger?" Raoul demanded into the receiver hurriedly just moments after bursting into the study with Erik hot on his heels. Raoul paused for a moment as his brow furrowed, which only made Erik more anxious if possible about what the answer was. Now Erik, don't loose your temper if you don't get the answer you want, that is not the way to find Christine. "I need you to look for the name Count Vladimir Dracula." Erik's eyes widened and he grabbed Raoul forcefully.

"You think he'd look for property under that name?" Erik demanded in frustration. Raoul held his hand to cover the mouthpiece and glared daggers at Erik.

"Well what name do you propose to look under? Roger already has 7 sheets of paper with mens names on it looking for property in the last year and a half, and we don't even know if he used my men at all!" Raoul spat out and Erik pulled the Comte closer, and glared down at him.

"Let me talk to Roger and I'll find out." Raoul removed Erik's hand from his jacket and flung it away from him, turning back to the phone slowly.

"Roger, I'm putting someone else on the line who wants to talk to you about this." A moment passed before Raoul held out the phone to Erik who took it quickly. It can't be that hard to use this thing, you've seen the fool do it before. Erik placed the phone to his ear and noticed how cold it was.

"I…I want you to look under a few different names." Erik said into the phone, unsure of whether or not the man on the other end could hear him.

"Right then, what names?"

"Vladimir Dracula, Vladimir Kostya, Anton or Renfield."

"Very well, I shall get back to you as soon as possible."

"This has to be kept just between you and me, understand?" Erik said in a threatening tone.

"Oui Monsieur. If the Comte says so, than it shall be done in absolute privacy." Erik handed the phone back to Raoul.

"Tell him we need this kept a secret." Raoul pressed the phone to his ear once more.

"Roger, my associate and I need this to be handled privately and with the utmost haste." Raoul paused and then continued, "very well I shall be waiting." Raoul hung up the phone and turned to Erik. "He said it should be half an hour or so before he can go through the entire list."

"If that is the fastest he can get it done."

"It's the fastest he can do it alone." Raoul retorted. Erik nodded and moved over to the back of the office, only to shut the curtains so that the two of them and the room was plunged into premature darkness. Raoul turned up the oil lamps abruptly.

"What is the meaning of touching my office without permission?" the irritated Raoul questioned as the lamplight flickered off the white porcelain mask of the Phantom of the Opera.

"I want no prying eyes looking in on us while we wait." Explained Erik.

"What on earth are we going to be doing while waiting for Roger's phone call?"

"I'm going to prepare you to fight Dracula."

Christine spent the whole morning and early afternoon trying to figure out some way to break free from her bonds and escape from Anton and Vladimir. Her sense of time was no longer with her, as she only had the light from the window to judge the amount of time that had passed. She watched as the last of the red rays from the sun disappeared, and the room she was trapped in took on the dull grey tones of evening. She had spent the entire day alone in that room with the exception of two visits from Anton, the second one he brought red wine, soup and bread for her to eat. The tray holding the food was left untouched by the bedside even though Anton had released Christine for an hour to eat it. She was tied up again and lying in her bed trying to slow down time when a knock was heard on her door.

"Anton if you've come back to talk to me I don't want to see you." Said Christine angrily as she watched the door swing open slowly and another man's face appear. "Vladimir!" Christine cried struggling to get up, but forgetting about her bonds.

"Good evening Christine." Vladimir smiled kindly at her and sat down on the bed beside her.

"Vladimir let me loose." Christine demanded.

"Of course. " Vladimir replied smoothly and untied Christine's bonds so that she was free. Christine sat up in the bed and glared at Vladimir.

"Why did you kidnap me? I trusted you." Christine asked the man who sat before her, "and you broke that trust."

"I told you not to trust me." Vladimir replied to Christine and looked into her eyes. Christine's eyes lost their fury as she looked back. The blue shade of Vladimir's eyes deepened to a blood red as they held each other's gaze.

"Yes you did." Christine answered in an unemotional tone of voice. Vladimir smiled slightly and took Christine's hand in his own before kissing it softly.

"And I did not kidnap you, you came with me of your own free will Christine." Dracula commented rising and pulling Christine gently with him. Christine rose, not breaking gaze with Vladimir and nodded in agreement.

"My own free will…" Christine repeated softly. Vladimir's smiled widened somewhat as he led Christine towards the door.

"Would you like to see the rest of the place you are staying in?" Vladimir asked Christine.

"Yes." She replied with not a trace of emotion on her face. Vladimir placed Christine's arm on his own, and opened the door to lead her out of the room she had been trapped in for the past day. They walked down a stone corridor passing torches, which held flickering flames, every so often. The pair's steps echoed dully on the floor and eventually they reached the end, where Dracula broke his gaze from Christine's and gazed around the entrance hall.

"Isn't it marvelous?" Vladimir commented, and Christine looked away from Dracula seeing the grandeur of the massive room.

"Yes, it's beautiful." She replied as they moved off into the middle of a giant red carpet with designs of black birds woven in black. There was a grand staircase, which was covered with black carpeting as well, against the right wall that wound it's way to the upstairs. A marble statue of a wolf, molded with its mouth open wide in mid howl, stood on guard at the bottom of the staircase. To the left was a doorway which led to the dinning room and towards the back of the room was two doors; one led to the kitchen and the other to the parlour.

"Where would you like to go first my dear?" Vladimir asked Christine looking down at her and Christine looked back.

"Somewhere where we can be alone." She replied and Vladimir smiled at her response.

"Of course." He told her and guided her towards the stairs, up them and onto the second floor. The same black carpet was here lining the small corridor with doors leading off to different rooms. At each end of the hallway were two enormous full-length French windows that looked over the property, but Christine was not interested at the view, and neither was Vladimir. He led her over to a door and opened it pulling her behind him as they entered the room beyond. This room had no torches to light the space, but at the back were two giant doors leading out onto a balcony and the last of the fading light from the evening lit their path. They moved over towards these doors and Vladimir pushed them open to reveal a large balcony now drenched in moonlight. There was a small iron railing around the perimeter and four healthy Judas trees in each of the corners of the balcony. There was a fountain in the middle of the balcony; however, no water poured forth, but there was a ledge for sitting on, surrounding it. There was a white archway covered with white lilies that they passed under, making their way to sit down on the fountain. Vladimir helped Christine to sit down before be sat beside her, both of them facing away from the house. Vladimir looked to Christine who sat still as stone beside him and thought that she looked just like a china doll when bathed in the moonlight.

"I'm glad I came here." Christine whispered trance-like, breaking the silence and turning away from the view to gaze at Vladimir.

"As am I." Replied Vladimir looking deep into Christine's brown eyes and he saw them eyes flutter quickly before she refocused her gaze at him. Vladimir ran his hand through Christine's chocolate locks and she closed her eyes, savouring his touch. Vladimir encircled Christine with one arm and laid her gently down on the cold stone bench of the fountain. His arm left her, but his hand came to rest on her cheek and Christine's breathing quicken in excitement. Vladimir watched as Christine's chest rose and fell with each breath and he curled back his lips in anticipation. The moonlight twinkled off Dracula's fangs, dripping with saliva as he inched closer to Christine's bare neck, which looked irresistible. He brushed back Christine's hair, and without any more hesitation plunged his fangs in her neck. She screamed in pain, but it quickly gave way to a moan of pleasure before she felt silent and her world went black.