IN CASE YOU DIDN'T SEE, PLEASE RETURN TO THE PROLOGUE CHAPTER FOR AN IMPORTANT UPDATE! IT'S LENGTHY, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT!

Nine

The bandit grinned over her as he pushed her skirt up. He was on top of her, holding her down, laughing evilly as she cried in fear, pitifully struggling to escape him. His hand pressed down hard against her dislocated shoulder, sending spears of pain shooting up and down her arm. Christine thrashed wildly, trying to throw the man off her, but it was no use. She was powerless to stop him. Crying fiercely, she screamed for help. The bandit laughed at her, cruel and hateful.

"Erik! Please, Erik! Save me, please!"

Christine felt her body shift, and then world she was trapped in began to fade. The forest disappeared, the bandit and his vile laugh was gone. All that remained now was the pain in her shoulder. She was lying on a soft bed, tangled in heavy blankets. Hovering over her was the concerned face of the prince, as he forced her into a sitting position. When he saw her eyes had opened, he sighed in relief. "Thank God," he whispered. "You were screaming for me, and I couldn't wake you. I thought sitting you up might help… Thank God," he said again.

The fear of the dream and the relief that that was all it had been was still so fresh. The pain in her shoulder was so poignant, Christine began to sob.

Beneath her, the bed sagged. Erik sat beside her, pulling her into his arms and holding her to his chest. Christine rolled against him, clinging to his suit jacket, crying heavily into his chest. He rested his chin on the top of her head, enfolding her completely and holding her securely. "It's alright, Christine," he reassured. "It was just a dream. You're safe now. I promise."

It took several minutes before Christine's sobs dissolved into sniffling. "I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" she whispered into Erik.

"You have nothing to apologize for. You've been through something terrible. Don't be ashamed for being afraid. Are you alright now?"

Christine nodded. "I think…I think I'm okay…"

He took his arms from around her and pushed off the bed, going back to his chair. "I'll still be here, Christine. In case you need me." Erik watched her as she slid carefully onto her back, her bad shoulder resting against the mattress.

She tried closing her eyes, but the face of the bandit kept swimming up behind her eyelids, so clear he could have been in the room with her. Her pulse quickened, afraid again. Christine heard Erik shift in the seat beside her, and her heart calmed. How interesting it was that only a few hours ago, there was little she feared more in this world than the prince. And now, his presence was the one thing keeping her calm.

"Erik?" Christine whispered, opening her eyes again. The sky outside the window across from her was a pale orange, the sun setting behind the horizon.

"What is it?"

"Sometimes, when I had a nightmare, my father used to sing to me. It would help me relax and I was wondering…"

"I can't, Christine," he interrupted. "I can sit with you, speak to you, hold you if you need. But music…singing…" His voice filled with pain. "It hurts too much. Reminds me of…everything I had lost." He was silent for a moment. "Forgive me."

"It's alright. It was a silly request anyway," Christine responded sadly. A part of her had known what his answer was going to be, but she had been foolishly optimistic that she would be able to sway him.

"Just try and rest a bit more. You're still exhausted."

She closed her eyes again, seeing the face of the bandit once more. Even if in the waking light that monster was dead, he was still waiting for her in the dark of her dreams. Her lower lip quivered, and a tear fell down her cheek. She felt Erik's thumb brush it away.

"You are safe Christine, I promise. No one can hurt you here." When he heard her still sniffling, he sighed. "Do you want me next to you again? Or will that be too much for you?"

"Come back," she whispered.

Erik got up from the chair and moved back to the bed. He lay down next to her, positioning himself so she could rest her head on his chest. He brushed a hand through her hair. "If I ever make you feel uncomfortable, tell me. I don't want to scare you anymore than you already have been."

"No, this…helps," Christine whimpered.

Christine curled as close as she could, feeling herself shivering against him. She was wondering how she was ever going to sleep again when she heard Erik humming in her ear. Her shaking slowed as the hauntingly beautiful tune found its way into her imagination, filling her mind with colors that chased away the visions of the bandits. The next thing she knew, she had drifted into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Erik didn't realize he had fallen asleep until he found himself waking up to Christine crying out once more. His eyes shot open. He saw her sitting upright, clutching her shoulder, tears in her eyes. Erik's heart broke seeing her in pain he couldn't immediately cure, and his eyebrows creased. "Are you alright?"

Christine was smiling sheepishly at him. "It wasn't hurting when I woke up and I moved too quickly," she admitted.

"Do you need me to check it?"

"No, it's still where it needs to be. It just…" She breathed deeply, blinking away the tears. "Hurts a bit… You were asleep when I woke up. I'm happy you managed to get some rest."

Erik slid out of the bed and stretched. He gazed out into the light morning sun that streamed through the window. They had made it through the night, it seemed. Erik found his gaze being drawn to the dark forest. It somehow managed to appear less menacing in the light of day, but the memory of what had happened there made Erik's blood race with renewed rage. If he ever got the chance, he would have every tree torn down until every last bandit hiding in them had been found and hanged. He turned back to Christine who was also staring out the window, her eyes wide as she looked at the forest. Her face was pale.

"It's over, Christine," he told her. "I know you are still scared, but I swear to you that what happened yesterday will never happen again." He crossed back to the bed. "You'll make your peace in your own time, but I will tell you this every day you need me to. Until you feel safe again."

She tore her eyes away and turned her face to look at him. "How can you be the same man I met a few days ago? You are so much kinder then he was… Antoinette was right. I just needed to give you a chance."

"Christine…"

"Do you think I could get up?" she continued, moving past the tender moment. "I can't stand laying down any longer and I'm getting hungry."

"If you think you're ready." Erik pulled back the blankets. He held his hand out to her, but she shook her head.

"I can do this." She inched her way to the side of the bed and placed her feet on the floor. Christine took a deep breath and pushed herself into a standing position. As she stood to her full height, she stumbled forward. Erik put his hand around her waist before she could fall. "I'm alright. Just a little lightheaded. I'm alright."

Christine tried to brush off his help again, but this time Erik insisted. "You are incredibly strong, Christine, but you don't need to do it all by yourself today."

"You've done so much for me already," she replied, looking at him helplessly.

Erik shook his head. "I have done barely enough. Let me help you."

The two shared an even gaze, and Erik thought for a moment she was going to demand he leave her to do it herself. He worried that she would end up falling and hurting herself even worse. But then she nodded. "It is a long way to the dining hall, isn't it?"

Erik held her against him, serving as her balance so she wouldn't trip. He led her from the room and down the stairwell to the dining hall where the long table had already been set for breakfast. Antoinette, Meg, André, and Firmin stood in their respective places, bowing their heads as the pair entered. Erik led her to the chair closest to his, pulled it out, and helped her sit. He went to his place as Antoinette came forward to help Christine.

"We are all so relieved that you're alright," she told Christine with a motherly smile.

Once the girl's plate was loaded with all she asked for, Antoinette turned to Erik for instruction. "You can leave for now. I'll find you if I have need of you." They filed out of the room, leaving the two to have breakfast together. Erik marveled at the chain of events that had led to this moment. "I suppose we should discuss a few things, then."

"Such as?" she asked as she started to pick at her breakfast.

"Where we stand with each other, the two of us. Things have…changed since the day we met."

Christine stared, empty-eyed at her plate. "That's true. We haven't exactly been friendly with one another…"

"I was horrible to you."

"I wasn't really much better."

"You spoke truthfully, in all of it, though. You acted exactly as I deserved. I was unbelievably…" he hesitated.

"Cruel," Christine finished. She met his gaze evenly, still so proud, still so strong. After a moment of silence, Christine cleared her throat. "Perhaps we could…start again? All things considered, there are worse options then a second chance."

Erik gave her a smile so small, it could hardly be counted as a smile. His heart raced. Was she really willing to give him the chance to make up for his past behavior? "If…if you would like to."

"Well then." Christine gave him a mischievous grin as she got to her feet. She gave a curtsy, quite balanced considering she hadn't been able to walk down the stairs a few moments ago. "Hello, my prince. My name is Christine Daaé."

Erik stood as well, taking her free hand in his right. He bowed his head and kissed the back of her hand. "Enchanté, Mademoiselle Daaé. Please, call me Erik."

"As you wish, Erik. As long as you agree to call me Christine." She was blushing.

"Is this too much?" he asked, nervous.

"No. I like it, actually. I never thought I'd see you act so...princely." She smiled brighter than he had ever seen.

It was as he looked at the large, happy smile he realized that he hadn't seen her as Emmeline since the moment he had first laid eyes on her. He had only seen her as Christine. Christine had long since left the other woman's shadow and had done so quickly. But if that was the case, if she wasn't now reminding him of his lost love, why was his heart racing in this familiar, painful way?

"You should smile more, Christine. It suits you."

"As should you." Her gaze softened.

It was only then he realized that he, too, was grinning. Quite like a fool, he felt. They both retook their seats.

"Tell me about yourself, my dear."

"There's really not all that much to tell," Christine blushed.

Erik shook his head. "I don't believe that for a moment. I'd bet there's a lot more to the young Christine Daaé than she lets on." When she still hesitated, Erik encouraged, "Start from the beginning. You'll see how much there is to say once you start, I promise."

"Well…I was born and raised in a small hut at the very far edge of the village by my father, Gustave. My parents divorced a few years after I was born, but it was a very clean break. He only ever wanted the best for her, wanted her to be happy. And he knew she needed more than he could give her to be happy. She loved him, of course, but…" Christine paused. "She still came around every so often, at least until she died…" She thought for a moment. "I have a childhood friend, Raoul de Chagny. His father practically runs the village, and his family is obscenely rich." She laughed, light and lilting. Her face took on a plaintive look. "Raoul means the world to me. He was planning on asking me to marry him before I came here. He's such a handsome young man…"

Erik had listened to all of this carefully, drinking up all the information he could learn. He wanted so badly to know about Christine, to understand where she had come from. But at the mention of this Raoul, an uneasy feeling crept into Erik's heart. "Would you have said yes, had you the chance?" he asked.

"In a heartbeat…" Christine stopped as an awkward feeling filled the air. "M-maybe you could tell me about yourself, Erik. But only as much as you're willing."

Erik looked down at his empty plate. He hadn't been very hungry this morning and found that now he had no appetite at all. "I'm afraid very little of my story is a happy one, at least in recent years. I don't think about my life before…it's too painful remembering my parents…and Emmeline. I lost them all to the fire. I would've died that night too, if not for Antoinette. I think she came looking for me, pulled from the room before it could kill me." He reached up and touched his white half-mask. "I did get this as a token to remember that night by. A scar that will never heal… Perhaps it would have been better if I had been lost."

Christine was watching him sadly. He knew it would have been better for her had he perished along with his family. She would never have faced the horrors she had if not for him. She could have stayed in her village, been safe with her father and her soon-to-be fiancé. How happy she would have been. But thanks to him, she had known the greatest terror of her life. Erik's heart broke as he thought of all of the suffering he had caused.

"It's fascinating, isn't it?" he chuckled darkly, fury at the distant memory of the fire filling him once more. "How much damage a single clumsy party-goer can cause? Knocked over a few candles the world was I knew it ended… I never found out who did it, but I blame them all. I hate them all. They took it all from me."

"Do you really think that way?" Christine whispered.

Erik paused, unable to meet her gaze. They sat quietly for a while as Erik realized he had said more than he had wanted to. He turned her question over in his mind. At last he responded. "No. It wasn't their fault. Not my parents, not the people who I have blamed and punished for so many years…" His eyes burned. "It was mine."

"What?" she gasped.

And suddenly, years or anger, years of guilt and pain, came pouring out, unrestrained and pure. "I should have gone to my parents, told them I had found the one. Told them I wanted to be alone with her, that it was time for the others to go. I could have seen her sooner, known her sooner. Not waited until the end of the evening... I could have sent her away when I knew there was danger. I could have saved her! I led her into danger and I killed her!"

He was shouting, he realized, and there were tears running down his cheek. So many things he had buried, that he had never allowed to be heard or thought. All of it was out in the open now, and he couldn't take it back.

Christine was in front of him. She pulled him against her, her hand cupped around the back of his head as she held him close to her. He returned her embrace clinging to the back of her dress as he calmed herself. From above him, he heard her whisper, "I loved her, too."

"Forgive me, my lady," Erik pulled away, rubbing his face and sniffing.

She knelt down in front of him, her eyes filled with something Erik hadn't seen from another person in years. Kindness.

She placed her hand on his knee. "I think…I think you're looking to place blame where there is none to place. What happened…it was horrible and tragic and painful. And it has given wounds that will never heal. But it wasn't anyone's fault. Not some person who knocked something over. And not yours. Not. Yours."

"Why…? How…? How can you look at someone like me the way you are? I've caused so much suffering, so much pain. I have been so selfish. And this aren't things I've done just to you. How can you be so…kind?" he panted. "Because I protected you once? Christine, I caused it to happen! As I have caused everything else that has hurt or scared you! But you…"

Christine put her fingers to his lips, cutting him off. "I won't lie to you. There is a part of me that still fears you, Erik. I grew up these last few years on the stories and the myths. I have seen the darkness and fury in you. But…I've also seen you have so much good buried underneath. You have been so gentle and caring these last few hours. And I know you are capable of so much more." She smiled. "You're kind of like this palace. Dark and imposing on the outside, but hidden deep within its walls there is something...beautiful."

As he stared at Christine, it hit him how wonderful this girl truly was. Her soul was unlike any other he had ever met. She seemed to have forgiven him everything. She had seen in him something he had thought had died. And as she placed her hand gently on the side of his face, his heart soared. He didn't deserve to be in the presence of a woman like her, but he had the blessing all the same. Erik didn't intend to let this opportunity slip him by.

"I will be better to you, Christine," he swore, placing his hand over hers. "I will make this palace more of a home than any you've ever known."

Christine smiled across from him. "I know you will," she whispered.

Later on, as she slowly made her own way back to her room, Erik standing in the hallway watching her, her began formulating a plan to repair all of the damage he had done to her.