A/N: Okay, because I love you guys so much, I thought that I make a very nice chapter. ^.^ R&R!

Always and Forever

Chapter Ten

Reunited

"The Phantom of the Opera." she whispered. Erik chuckled.

"Yes, one of my many other names." he said. Christine knew that there was something about him that was familiar. But, his voice interrupted her thoughts. "You don't remember me, do you?"

"W-w-what?" she stuttered. Remember him? She barely knew him! She backed away as he began to take a few steps toward her. He chuckled once more. Christine looked at her feet, nervously.

"Little Lotte, let her mind wonder..." he started. Christine looked at him with widened eyes. "Little Lotte thought 'am I fonder of dolls or of goblins or shoes?"

"No..." she whispered.

"Or of fiddle or frocks..." he continued.

"It can't be!" she gasped as tears ran down her cheeks, but Erik's face looked emotionless.

"Or of chocolates." he said as he looked at her tear-stained face.

"Oh God!" she ran towards him and threw herself in his face before pressing millions of kisses on his lips. It felt so good to feel her kisses again, but then Erik gently pushed her away from him. Christine looked at him confusedly.

"Don't kiss me, Christine." she felt more tears threatening to fall. "Not when you have that stupid, Vicomte!" he growled. Christine looked at him confused. Vicomte? Who is the Vicomte? "Oh, did he not tell you? Your precious de Changy boy is now the Vicomte."

Christine stared at him. "N-no. He didn't tell me..." she whispered. She looked up at Erik and grabbed his shoulders. "But, that doesn't matter, Erik! You and I are together again!"

Erik didn't say anything. He merely stared at her, looking closely at her beautiful features. She had grown so much, and so beautiful. He knows now why the Vicomte wants her so.

"Where have you been? All this time, Erik." she asked. Erik looked into her deep sea blue eyes.

"Everywhere." he merely stated. They heard a little meow and saw a black cat coming from another room. Christine ignored the cat and looked back at Erik.

"Specifically, Erik." she growled.

"I have been here for six years, the other two where spent elsewhere." he said, and Christine knew that in his tone of voice she must not push him further with that topic. But, Christine felt anger begin to fill her veins.

"Then why did you not come to me!" she yelled. She stood so close to him that he seemed, but a breath away.

"Come for you?" he repeated her words. "Why did you not wait for me! The first moment I sunk out to come and see you, I see you with that stupid boy!" he yelled back. Angry tears flooded Christine's eyes before they went down her cheeks like waterfalls.

"I do not love him. I love you!" she gasped.

"LIES!" he yelled moving away from her, though his eyes were still locked with his. "You were with the very boy who isolated us..." he growled.

"Raoul? No, h-he would never!" she said.

"You're doubting me?" he asked. "Of course you would protect his side." he said.

"Stop it! Stop it!" she cried. "Stop it, Erik." she moved closer once more. "Please... stop it." she began sobbing, her eyes getting red. Erik felt a stab in the heart when he saw the sight before him.

"I-I don't l-l-love him..." she before sobbing some more. "I h-have n-n-never given you a reason t-to not trust me... Why don't you love me?"

"Love you? You think I don't love you?" he asked. "How could you think that? Every night. I dreamt about about you. I dreamt about how much we loved each other in the past, and I have never forgotten you. But it seems that you have forgotten me."

"No! I haven't let go, Erik. I haven't forgotten you!"

"Oh, no?" he asked. "Tell me, Christine. how is it that you didn't recognized me? I saw you in the ballet dormitories and spotted you out of all the ballerinas. I wasn't around anyone, and yet. You didn't remember me."

Christine didn't say anything. When she knew he was right. "B-but... I thought you were dead." she whispered. Erik sighed. A painful sigh knowing that his words had hurt her.

"Christine, you didn't see me die. You assumed."

"Yes I did." she hissed. "I assumed because you NEVER came for me, and rescued me from mourning for you."

"I did go. Although it seemed some boy," he spat the last word. "was standing in my place. Many nights, I came to see you, and I saw you with him. You assumed, and I assumed. However, it seems that i was correct." he said without any emotion.

"You are not correct, and nor was I!" she yelled. "Why don't you believe that I still love you?"

"Because you have betrayed me! I love you and gave you my trust and you-"

He stopped when Christine ran up to him and showed him, her ring that he gave her long ago. Erik stared closely at it, with disbelieving eyes.

" I have never betrayed you, Erik. N-never. I admit I was friends with Raoul, but because I had no one else..."

"You kept it...?" he asked below a whisper. "W-why?"

"I kept it because I love you and I kept my promise that as long as I wear it, our hearts will be one." Erik felt that the wall that was blocking his heart from her, has been broken down.

"Oh God!" he cried he fell to the floor on his knees and kiss the bottom of Christine dress. Christine went on her knees as well. "I saw you with him and I thought-"

"You see only with your eyes, and you are easily fooled." she whispered. "Mistakes makes us human, Erik. But, I love you, my angel."

Erik pulled her into his embrace and held on to her tight. "I- I love you, Christine. I l-love you s-so much!" he cried. Christine could feel his tears in her hair. "So much I suffered, Christine. Without you, I thought that life is not worth living if there is nothing to die for..."

Christine kissed his lips. "Ah, but out of suffering emerges the strongest souls." he kissed her back with as much passion as he could. Erik removed his lips and took her to his bed and placed her on top. She knew that they weren't going to make love. And she wasn't planning to either.

She snuggled closer to him and breathed in his scent. "Erik?"

"Yes, Christine?" he responded, placing a kiss on her forehead.

"I noticed that you're wearing another mask." she said with a smile on her lips.

"Yes, well. I am. It's half a mask now..." he said. Christine smiled and closed her eyes before she fell into deep sleep. The best she has ever gotten in the past eight years.

Christine awoke and was alone in bed. She looked around and found no trace of Erik.

"Christine?" she heard someone call her. Christine got up from the bed and went out of the room.

"Erik, is that you?" She found the ballet mistress down in the lair. She gasped. "Oh! M-Madame you shouldn't be down here!" To Christine's surprise, the older women started laughing.

"Oh my dear child. You do not remember me either? Erik was right." she said. Christine cocked her head in confusion. " I am Antoinette Giry, my dear. And the little ballerina who took you to the ballet dormitories was my daughter, Meg."

Christine stood there watching her for a moment trying to get all the things she said inside her head, before she ran towards her and embraced her. "Oh, Madame Giry! I thought you and the other were dead."

Madame Giry pulled out of the embrace and looked at her in confusion. "Why would you think that, my child?" she asked.

"Well, I heard three gunshots and never heard from you again." she stated. Madame Giry sighed. She directed Christine to sit in the couch that Erik had.

"Christine, we didn't die. Erik pushed the guards away and we ran off. They shot at us, but missed." she said, and Christine was listening very closely. "We ran our way down here and hid for the first night. Erik tried to sneak out, but I stopped him. He told me that he wanted to see you. I knew I couldn't stop him. He left and didn't return 'till dawn." she sighed. "He said that you were sleeping and didn't want to wake you up so he watch you sleep all night. As days went on I became a ballet mistress and my daughter, a ballerina. So he did it everyday. Until somedays he returned only a few minutes after he left!" she paused. Christine cocked her head to the side, in confusion. "He never wanted to tell me why. He would come down here in anger and play his music all night long. One time, he told me that he had seen you talking, smiling, and laughing with Raoul.

I never was angry at you. I told him that it was best for him to stop visiting you. When he finally took my advice he slept, to my surprise. I have never seen him sleep a lot, he rarely did. But he did, and he would always have nightmare, and scream your name." she stopped to look at Christine. She had her eyes lowered to the ground.

"I feel like this is my fault, Madame." she whispered.

"Oh no, my child. None of this is your fault. He couldn't have expected you to wait for him all these years."

"But, I should have! I love him and he loves me! I will never love anyone else, but him!"

"I know my dear child. I know. I think you should know that last night was the worst of all. I was up in the stage making sure all the ballerinas were going to sleep at the ballet dormitories and I heard him screaming, well everyone heard him. Once I calmed the ballerinas down. I came down here to check on him and he was awake and panting. He told me that he had a dream where he was sitting on a tree and you came telling him that her was alive. He said that he felt demonic and he grabbed you by the shoulders tightly to the point when he knew that you would get bruises."

Christine's eyes widened. That was the same dream she had!

"He said that you kissed him and he backed away from you when he saw Raoul and disappeared in mid air."

"Thank you for saving my breathe, Antoinette. You may leave." a growl came from behind them. Both, Christine and Madame Giry jumped to their feet.

"Good to see you again, Christine." Madame Giry said, and left. Christine turned to Erik.

"Erik, about that dream-"

"I will not speak of it, Christine." he said. Christine wasn't going to give up that easily.

"Please, Erik. I had the same dream." Erik stared at her in disbelief. Christine lowered her sleeves and Erik saw the bruises.

"D-did I d-do that?" he asked.

"I don't know. If it was a dream how could I get bruises." Erik stepped closer to her and placed kisses on her bruises. Christine smiled and brought his lips to her and kissed him. Erik kissed her back with so much passion and she smiled. Erik pulled away and kissed her forehead.

"I should probably take you back." he said. Christine sighed and nodded her head.

"Yes, you should but will you come back for me?" she asked. Erik smiled before he place a peck on her lips.

"Always."

Erik returned Christine to the world above. Christine found a costume on her bed in the ballet dormitories that Madame Giry had left her. She quickly placed it on, and luckily the dress had a corset on it. She left to the stage where she knew she was suppose to practice.

Meg and the other ballerinas were there, as well as Carlotta.

Madame Giry saw her and brought her to the group. She knew that Christine was a fast learner so she told her the steps and Christine caught on. She went and they began rehearsing for Hannibal.

The managers were looking at the ballerinas and their eyes caught Christine. They were amazed the curves and body figure of that girl. Their eyes were not the only ones looking.

The Vicomte was sitting in the chairs below the stage and was dumbstruck at Christine. Her moves made it like dancing was made for seduction.

Carlotta noticed that all eyes were on Christine and she didn't like it one bit. She stopped singing and everyone stared at her.

"Everyone is liking the attention of Christine Daae! If everyone likes her so much, why not make her sing!" she hissed.

Up in the rafters, Erik was watching everything. He didn't like it how the stupid boy was looking at Christine, his eyes held lust for her. Until he heard Carlotta want Christine to sing and he didn't think it was such a bad idea.

Meanwhile, Christine felt her face go red as everyone was staring at her. The managers groaned. "Fine, but this is wasting our time. Mademoiselle Daae, if you please."

Christine felt and heard Erik's voice in her ear. Make me proud, my angel. Christine smiled and opened her mouth to sing.