Author's Note: Sorry everybody for such a long wait! I hate giving excuses, but here they are: it's the busy season for the company I work for, there's my school work that I am behind on, when people ask for big favours I cannot say no to and finally every time I did work on this fic, my F $%ing computer lost whatever I had worked on! So that is why!

Warning: Erik will be saying the F word in this chapter.

Before we continue I would like to do a little self-promoting! I've posted two more fics one called 'Phantom 2000', a crossover with 'Dracula 2000', & 'The Man in Hiding' also a Phantom of the Opera fic!

Phantomfan01: Thank you & there's plenty more to come!

EriksTrueAngel: Thank you! I suppose since I knew she would forget him I did not think of it as a twist!

Princesspanana: What I meant was that sometimes outer space is referred to as a heavenly body & that's what Erik thought of Christine as a Heavenly body. Sorry for the confusion!

Ecodarkendwarrior: Welcome & thank for your words of encouragement!


Chapter XI

The Victor & His Victory

There was no way in his lifetime, Erik had ever woken up happier. He opened his eyes feeling happy, but by simply turning his head and seeing Christine, smiling blissfully still in the same position as when they fell asleep, nearly caused his heart to explode with pure ecstasy. He could not even bring himself to resist the tear that slid down his marred face, but he did wipe it away, so that it would not fall on Christine and disturb her perfect slumber.

The Phantom would have stayed that way for eternity had he the option, but there was still one little pest that needed to be taken care of: the Vicomte. Even after victory he still hated the boy. The very name Raoul the Vicomte De Chagny brought distasteful bile to his tongue. No doubt the self-proclaimed "Hero" of the story would still be outside trying to find a way in.

Slowly and gracefully Erik eased himself out of Christine's embrace hoping she would not wake, so that he could re-join her and they could awake together. Christine tried to reach for her Angel, instead he handed her a pillow to fool her. Without making a sound he went over to his wardrobe and clothed himself. Within a few minutes The Phantom of the Opera stood fully dressed in front of a full length mirror feeling as powerful as the almighty Opera Ghost he was. He had not felt so enriched with power, since he had taken Piangi's life, but ever since, he had never needed that feeling, because it became about Christine.

But dressed to the nines, now he had to become the Phantom, probably for the last time, and face a member of mankind. Before boarding his small boat, Erik tied an almost invisible string to the lever activating the opening of his home. The Phantom slowly rowed to the front of the entrance. He took a deep breath, and then pulled the string.


On the other side Raoul the Vicomte De Chagny sat in the water with his head resting on his knees, sobbing pathetically. After the monster had shut him out like some mangy mutt, he continued to attempt to break in or find some way into the animal's den. Before long, the boy stopped when he thought he heard something ripping, the he heard them!

At first Raoul had prayed to God that what he was hearing was not them kissing, and then he heard Christine cry out. "Oh God he's hurting her!" De Changy started banging on the stone door. Try as he might he could not close out the sounds of her delirious panting and then she cried. The Vicomte froze, thing that the monster severely injured his beloved.

"NO! DON'T STOP! Please! Please don't stop!" she begged and gasped.

"CHRISTINE! NOOOOOOOO!" The boy began pounding on the rock hard entrance and sobbed miserably the way a toddler does when they have been sent to their room and beg to be let out. Soon Raoul's legs could no longer support both him and his grief as he slid into the lake water and continued to listen in on the lover's union. Christine's cries rapidly became louder and more unbearable with each passing moment. As if that wasn't bad enough, she began chanting his name. No! thought the Vicomte. That monster does not deserve the pleasure of hearing his name on your sweet lips, oh Christine!

Aside from her panting, things became quieter and Raoul lifted his head, hoping it was all over, when suddenly Christine let out a high-pitched scream. De Chagny could not convince himself that it was from anything besides pleasure, from the women he too had shared a bed with. In hopes to block out the lovemaking symphony, he pressed the palms of his hands to his tortured ears, but it only muffled the sounds.

What seemed like years later, everything was silent. So silent that the boy started crying to break the deafening atmosphere. Raoul must have drifted off, because the next thing he knew, the stone aqua-duct was moving. The Vicomte leapt to feet and stepped back a few paces and gasped in horror when the curtains pulled, revealing the terrifying Phantom of the Opera.

Raoul paled now seeing his disfigurement up close. Yes, Erik had purposely left his mask out in order to show the boy whom Christine had chosen. The Vicomte's disgust was apparent and Erik smiled evilly.

"Did you enjoy your sleep, pretty boy?" He meant every word as an insult.

"YOU BEAST!" Raoul cried hoarsely. Erik rolled his eyes in annoyance once and waited until Raoul was done with his deranged shouting. "What have you done to Christine, you wretched….thing?!"

The Phantom almost laughed at the Vicomte now that he had run out of verbal ammo. "It's simple Pretty Boy, I have won the heart of my beloved," he answered with a cool demeanor.

"You lie!" he pointed an accusing finger at the man standing in the boat, "You have poisoned her mind!"

The Phantom just shrugged his strong shoulders, "You know what they say Vicomte, there are two sides to every story and mine is that Mlle Christine Daae loves me," he gestured to himself.

"I see to it that she is taken from you and protected-"

"You cannot," Erik interrupted before he could say more.

"Yes I will! I-"

"Not will not, cannot!" he corrected, "Taking my Angel away from me and keeping her safe are two different things." Raoul looked at him confused and speechless. "You see," the Opera Ghost continued. "Let us just say for a minute that I have in fact poisoned her mind." Erik bent down slightly, but still kept his imposing stance, "Do you think on any level that simply taking her away from her Angel and guardian will restore her mind? I for one would assume it would make things worse. Killing me even more so! Taking away all she now knows and giving nothing to go on with. I myself would probably throw myself off a high balcony." He smirked evilly when the boy paled at the imaged Christine committing suicide like that. "Personally I would take my chances and leave her here."

Erik laughed when Raoul looked ready to pass out. "Before you leave me and Christine in peace I must say two things." Raoul looked at him begging him not to go on, but he did. "Why did it take you so long to find your way down here? With Madame Giry helping –which I predicted she would- I had expected you here days ago!"

A looked of shame crossed his face and he hung head, "I got lost."

"You…got…lost?" Erik honestly could not believe the sheer stupidity of the reason the boy had not come in time. He was so shocked; he could bring himself to laugh.

"Yes!" Raoul tried to defend himself, "With all of your traps and mazes I wound up outside the Opera Populaire!"

Erik belted out a cruel laugh at his misfortune, "Please do not tell me there is more?"

"After I got out," he continued. "No one would let me back in! They all thought I had lost my mind!"

And your balls apparently! the Phantom thought to himself. "Now Monsieur Le Vicomte, as much as I have genuinely enjoyed our encounter, I must be off."

De Chagny could not let it end like this. He would be shamed for the rest of his life he did not leave with some sort of victory under his belt. "Stop!" he ordered. Erik turned to face him, who was looking forward to what the noble had to say next.

"You yourself I was better looking than you! That is where I triumph! In looks!"

Erik snickered at the pathetic heap before him, "Yes," he replied sarcastically, "Yet I am the one who is going to fuck Christine in my own bed."

Raoul De Chagny hung his head as he finally accepted defeated. He turned to leave when the Phantom called him one last time, "Oh Pretty Boy!" He faced his rival only to have something hit his shoulder; he caught it before it could be lost in the murky lake waters. The boy opened his hand and revealed the engagement ring he had made designed especially for Christine. He looked up once more only to see the stone door closed…for good.


This is not the end for our beloved psycho couple of the year! There will be an Epilogue & I am taking a break to work on my other stories, so I've no idea when it will be posted