Raoul awoke to a gentle knocking on his door. He sighed heavily, rolling over and drawing the blanket up over his head. He had been in the de Chagny summer home for nearly a month, and despite his countless protests, Philippe still refused to let him return to the city, and more importantly, to the Opera. The knocking persisted, even as Raoul tried desperately to block out the noise and escape once more into his dreams.

"I don't believe I requested a wake up Pierre..." He growled, vaguely aware of the door opening and closing, and of the footsteps crossing the room to his bedside. The bed shifted as someone lowered them self down beside the Vicomte. "Pierre! What in God's name do you think you're doing?" Raoul snapped, throwing the covers off his head in order to glare at where the butler sat. Or...should have been sitting.

A figure dressed in all black, a large hat concealing the majority of their face, sat on the edge of Raoul's bed. The Vicomte yelped, jolting back with wide eyes and reaching for the pistol on his bed-side table. The figure turned to face him, a glint of white just barely visible under their hat.

"Really now Vicomte, is that any way to treat a guest?" A deep voice purred. Raoul froze, his fingers hovering over the pistol. He turned slowly to face the figure on his bed, his throat suddenly dry. "Honestly Raoul? It's hardly been a month, and you've already forgotten me?" Moving carefully, as not to frighten the Vicomte, the figure reached up to remove their hat. The first thing Raoul noticed were the eyes. Those dangerous, intelligent...golden, eyes.

"Erik!" The Vicomte exclaimed, diving forward into the man's arms. Erik pulled Raoul close against his chest, clutching at the fabric of the boy's nightshirt. "Y-you aren't dead..." Raoul breathed, lifting his head to look up at Erik. The Phantom smiled, shaking his head. Suddenly, Raoul's eyes hardened and he leaned back. Before Erik could speak, Raoul had drawn back his fist and punched the Phantom's jaw.

"You bastard!" He snapped as Erik jolted back, hand flying up to his jaw. Raoul glared at him, trembling with rage. "You had me believe that you had poisoned me, only to go and get yourself stabbed!" Tears had begun to prick at the Vicomte's eyes as he struggled to understand. Erik slowly lowered his hand to rest on Raoul's thigh. The Vicomte blinked, looking down at the hand as through it had just grown out of his leg.

"Look at me Vicomte...Raoul." Erik's voice was soft, yet still commanding enough to receive a glance from the boy seated in front of him. "It was all for your own good...It was all to keep you safe."

"B-but..."

"No 'buts' Vicomte. You must trust me on this." When Raoul looked ready to protest again, Erik leaned down to pull him into a deep, passionate kiss. Raoul stiffened momentarily before he relaxed into Erik's arms, returning the kiss with a vengeance.

Just as Erik rolled to pin Raoul, there was yet another knock at the door. The noise startled the pair, freezing the, in place. There was a moment's pause, before another there was another knock.

"Monsieur le Vicomte? Is everything alright?" A woman's voice drifted through the wood. Raoul cursed under his breath, glancing between the door and to Erik. With a small nod, Raoul turned his attention back to the door.

"Yes Madeline. Everything is alright."

"Would the Vicomte like anything?" Madeline called in response, beginning to open the door.

"No!" Raoul squeaked, before he caught himself and cleared his throat. "No thank you Madeline. Just some privacy should suffice." The door stopped moving, and a small sigh could be heard.

"Yes, of course Monsieur." Raoul and Erik remained frozen in place, waiting until the footsteps faded into silence. Raoul was the first to move, letting out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. Erik laughed weakly, shaking his head and looking back down at Raoul.

"Should I be worried about further interruptions?" The Vicomte shook his head, smiling brightly.

"No, of course not. They know better than to bother me now."

"Excellent." Erik grinned, leaning down once again to pull Raoul into a fierce kiss. Raoul squeaked in surprise before eagerly returning the kiss, draping his arms around Erik's shoulders, fingers clawing at the fabric of the man's shirt. Raoul broke the kiss, leaning back with a breathy laugh.

"What?" Erik frowned, tilting his head slightly.

"Do you promise not to drug me this time?" Erik blinked, before nodding with a reserved smile.

"I promise."

"Good."

Raoul unhooked his legs from around Erik's waist, slowly rolling off of him and back on to the mattress, smiling lazily. Erik pulled away long enough to grab his trousers, tugging them on before laying back down next to Raoul. There was a long silence as the two caught their breath, happy to be in each other's company.

"Erik, may I ask you a question?" Raoul asked, rolling over and propping himself up onto his elbows to look at him.

"You just did." Erik's grin widened as Raoul rolled over with an exasperated groan. "Oh come now Vicomte, you know I jest." Raoul grabbed a pillow, rolling over again to whack Erik with it.

"I am aware." The Vicomte smirked. "Now, are you going to be difficult, or can I ask my question?" When Erik opened his mouth to reply, Raoul threateningly raised the pillow again. Erik paused, closing his mouth before he nodded slowly. Raoul, who was looking rather proud of himself, set the pillow aside.

"How did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Die...and yet, not die." Raoul replied, looking expectantly up at Erik. The Phantom paused, a sly gleam coming to his eyes.

"Oh that? Really Vicomte..." He chuckled, sitting up and letting the blanket fall off of his bare shoulders. "Where did your brother say he stabbed me?" Raoul chewed his lip, trying to think back to the one visit from his brother where Philippe had explained, in vivid detail what had occurred that night.

"The stomach...But I fail to see how that matters." He replied, tilting his head and moving forward. Erik's torso had no signs of even a scratch, never mind a fatal wound. As Raoul traced a hand over where the gaping wound should have been, Erik chuckled.

"Your brother has terrible aim when he's distraught."

"B-but, the blood..."

"It was yours." Raoul blinked, jerking away slightly.

"Excuse me? Did you just...What?" Erik chuckled, shaking his head and offering Raoul an apologetic smile.

"Hence the reason I drugged you. I couldn't take my own, too risky for the fight. And well, I knew you wouldn't have been willing to let me if you had been conscious." Raoul looked down at his arm, visibly paling as he traced over where his veins could be seen.

"So...You knew they were coming to kill you?" He asked after a moment of stunned silence. Erik nodded slowly. "So why didn't you just leave?"

"Because I wanted them to leave me alone. And they wouldn't if they knew I was still living, so..."

"You faked your own death." Raoul finished, shaking his head in disbelief. "You brilliant git." He muttered, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to Erik's cheek. The two would have continued, had there not been a frantic knocking at the door.

"Monsieur le Vicomte! Your father and brother are here to see you, sir." Raoul groaned, smacking his head against the wall. Erik had already climbed out of the bed, and was searching around the room for his discarded clothing.

"Tell them I will be with them in just a moment!" Raoul called back, throwing the covers off of himself and joining Erik in the search for their clothing. Finding his shirt and pulling it on, Raoul turned to where Erik stood, his hands clasped behind his back.

"Where will you go?" The Vicomte asked, crossing the room to wrap his arms around Erik's middle. He felt the older man's arms wrap around him, felt the sigh as it rushed past his ear.

"Where I've always gone."

"Back to the Opera?" Raoul asked, drawing back with a small smile. Erik nodded, leaning down to steal a brief kiss from the Vicomte.

"Yes, but nobody must know I am there, alright? I am dead to the world, and I'd rather it stay that way." Raoul nodded, jumping away from Erik as there was another knock at the door.

"Raoul, is everything alright?" This time, it was Philippe's voice.

"Yes Philippe, all is well! Allow me another moment to freshen up, and I will be right with you." Raoul called back, smiling to himself. Satisfied that he had another few moments to Erik and himself, he turned back around, only to find that the other man had vanished. Where The Phantom had stood, a single piece of paper lay. Stooping down to pick it up, Raoul sighed, unable to hide his grin. He held the paper up to the light, his eyes scanning over the graceful, elegant writing.

You know where to find me. Come at your earliest convenience. Be sure you are not followed. O.G.

Stashing the paper quickly under his pillow, Raoul quickly checked himself in the mirror, smoothing his hair down before crossing the room. He opened the door to his family, putting on his practised smile. Perhaps he could finally convince them to let him return to his position at the Opera; or at the very least, allow him to leave this dreadful house. Besides, he had a masked man waiting for him.

A/N: And there we have it. Sorry it took so long for these last two chapters to come out. Truth be told, they were supposed to come out early to late July, but things got in the way. But it's finally over. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and followed this, it really made it worthwhile to finish this. I do have two more projects planned for after this, so fans of Supernatural and Star Trek may want to stay tuned for the first chapters, which should be out within the next few weeks. Once more, thank you everyone for your support, and if you have any suggestions, please don't hesitate to tell me. Until the next time,

- S.O.M.M.