PLEASE READ THIS A/N

Hi everyone! So, I'm really glad everyone seems to still be enjoying this story! :) I love seeing all of these lovely reviews! I really do take all of them to thank you to those he followed and favorited this story. It always puts a smile on my face. Anyway, this chapter is going to be a little different. It's not going to be in diary form and it's going to have a new P.O.V. I hope you all enjoy this chapter because I really worked hard on it lol. I'm never quite sure how to write Erik. He is a really complex character.

Disclaimer: I do not own Phantom of the Opera

Chapter 10

Erik's P.O.V.

Well, this certainly has been one of the most eventful years I had in a while, I thought to myself as I sat down behind my piano in my dark room. I never liked the light. It always hurt my eyes from a young age. I suppose that would happen after being trapped inside for so many years.

I shook my head. No. I wasn't going to think about that. I had finally gotten into a good mood and I wasn't going to ruin it by thinking about...that. No, I just need to concentrate on her. My angel: Christine.

I never expected any of this to happen. How could I have? I never had felt any warm emotions for anyone in the human race for decades. Nadir Khan was the only one I associated myself with on occasion and even he can become tiresome. I suppose I should blame him for this entire mess. I remember him coming to my home those many months ago.

My maid, I think her name was Sophia if I remember correctly, had come into my music room and informed me that I had a visitor.

"Who in their right mind would come to see me?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"He had a strange name. I think he said it was Nadir..." she said and I groaned.

"Fine. Let him in." I told her and she left for a moment and returned with him. I looked him over. Nadir was dark-skinned and always tried to dress his best. He was wearing a large dress coat over a white shirt and black dress pants. "I don't recall you looking so old." I said to him and he chuckled. I stood up and waved to Sophia indicating that I no longer needed her service and she quickly left.

"Well Erik, I haven't paid you a visit in...how long has it been three years?" He asked and I nodded. "I suppose I have gain a few more wrinkles and white hairs."

"And a few more pounds." I added with a smirk and he gave me one of those glares I had grown accustomed to.

"Well, I didn't come here to talk about my fading good looks." he said sarcastically.

"Why did you come here? I don't believe I have done anything wrong." I said. Nadir had always been my...conscience so to speak. Ever since I met him in Persia all those years ago, he tried to put me on the right path. Whenever I started to stray from that path, he would surely pop up and annoy me until I fixed my ways.

"You haven't, thank Allah for that!"he said and I rolled my eyes. Nadir still clung to his religion even after everything he has been through. I never understood the need for religion. All of it was just lies to help people cope with the fact that life wasn't fair or good. "It's nice seeing you without worrying about how to stop you from making a stupid choice."

I rolled my eyes. "I never make stupid choices."

"Well, you certainly make immoral ones." he said. "But, I'm not here to talk about that either. I actually need a favor from you."

I started to laugh. "You need a favor from me? I never thought I'd see the day when the honorable Nadir Khan would ask anything of me." I calmed my laughter down and sat on my piano bench, still staring at him. "Do you need me to kill on of those idiotic teenagers that you teach?" I said sarcastically. "Because I would love to. I have too many living near me and they have to be one of the most irksome creatures ever to walk the earth."

He dark eyes glared at me again. "I find it so disturbing how you can easily joke about that."

"Who said I was joking?" I asked and his glare darkened. "Come now Nadir, where has you sense of humor gone?"

"I don't think anyone has the same sense of humor as you." he mumbled. "But no, I came here to ask you if you could help one of my students with her voice. She's a very promising student. If you helped her-"

"You actually think that I would do that?" I interrupted him in disbelief. "You think I would take time out of my day to help a girl who probably has no talent at all."

"She does!" he said as rummaged through one of his pockets in his coat. He pulled out a dvd case and I looked him curiously. "This is her singing in one of the school plays. Just listen to it and then tell me if you think she has talent or not." He handed it to me and I slowly took it.

"Why do you want me to help her so badly?" I asked him.

"She could really make something out of herself if she had the right training. She deserves it." he said. He left soon after I told him I would call after I had watch the video. I didn't expect the girl to be any good. For once, I was very wrong. When I watched her on the DVD, I could tell she hasn't had any outside vocal practice. However, she did have a lot of potential. I agreed to tutor her and Nadir was ecstatic. I was just hoping the girl wouldn't be as intolerable as the rest of the human race I had to deal with.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the girl was quiet at first. I never liked talking to people and she would barely talk for the first few lessons. It wasn't until when Sophia had to call out from work that I realized that Christine had a likeable personality and actually had emotions. She came to me for comfort and I really had no what to do. I usually cause people distress, not help them through it. But, I suppose I did something right because after that she seemed like she enjoyed talking to me and I enjoyed it as well. Enjoy was the wrong word. I lived for it. She made me feel like a normal man and I would do everything in my power to see she got what she deserved. That's when I knew I was hopelessly in love with her.

After the night I drove her home, I became obsessed. I thought about her every second and even dreamed about her. She was an angel in every sense. The way she looked, the way her face would light up when I complimented her, the way her voice sounded, it was just perfection and I needed to have it. She started to talk to me one day about what she would do after graduation.

"I'm going out-of-state for college." She told me one day after our lesson. My heart stopped when I heard that.

"Why so far away?" I asked her and trying to hide the fear in my voice.

"I've never been out of this town." she told me. "I want to, you know, explore the world and stuff."

"The world isn't that amazing." I told her and she laughed.

"Well, I want to see it for myself." she said. "If I don't like it, I can always come back here."

"What if you do like it?" I asked her and she shrugged.

"Then I'll stay there or maybe even leave the country!" she exclaimed and smiled. "That would be so perfect!"

"Yes...perfect." I said. The thought of her leaving me one day filled me with such panic that I needed to do something about it. I couldn't imagine a life without Christine and I refused to live without her. She was my everything and I would do anything to keep her. That was when I thought of this plan.

I was planning on taking her here after she graduated but, when those boys attacked her, I had to do something. I don't know why but whenever I was restless I would drive to Christine's home and stare at her window. It would calm me down some. When I saw her leave with her friends and that boy of her's, I had to follow and it's a good thing I did.

When I took Christine, I did expect her to be angry at first. I didn't expect her to be angry for two months. It really killed me inside that her usual cheerful self was gone and was replaced by this angry person and it was all my fault. I tried everything to get the old Christine back but nothing worked. After I hurt her that one night, I thought she would never forgive me. That's why I found it so hard to believe that Christine agreed to listen to me and give me another chance.

I was in my room composing when I heard Christine screaming. I don't think I ever ran that fast in my life. I thought she was in danger or hurt. It was such a relief that it was only a spider. After I got rid of it, I was aware that Christine was still on the floor and she appeared to be in pain. When she stood up, she fell into me. I suppose she twisted her ankle when she fell. When I saw her standing up, I noticed that she was only in a robe. I couldn't help but stare at her. Her sleeve was slightly falling off her shoulder and I could see her collar bone. It took everything in me not to touch that soft looking skin. Christine then asked me to help her back to her room and I tried to ignore the fact that she was lacking clothes. She really was too innocent for her own good.

When she apologized to me, I didn't believe her at first. How could she just go from being livid with me to being sorry? It didn't sit right with me at first. I suppose the way she was looking at me and was smiling broke me. I believed her and I really think she is being honest with me.

I smiled slightly, something I had been doing more often since I met Christine. She wants things to go back to normal and they will. Except this time, no one can interrupt us. She won't ever have to leave me ever again. Of course, I'll let her go out whenever she wants to. But when she realizes that we were meant to be together, she'll never want to leave me. For once in my life, I have something to look forward to.