Most everyone had gone to bed and it was at least half an hour before midnight and Christmas would finally arrive. Nadir was no fool he knew Erik had something up his sleeve for Christmas Eve. A special gift for Christine perhaps? But Nadir didn't bother with guessing and wondering he wanted to be as surprised as everyone else when he found out. Erik had just left Nadir's side and Maya had just finished in the kitchen. She looked at Nadir and gave him a smiled that he returned. He looked over to Erik and Christine and when they moved to the gardens Nadir nodded in that direction silently telling Maya to follow. She laughed a little and followed. They stood at the balcony doors and watched Erik and Christine disappear; Maya smiled and looked at Nadir. "Spying is rude you know." She laughed.

He chuckled and looked at her. "I can't help it. I've looked after both of them so long its just habit I guess." They laughed.

"Well I think that they're pretty well off right now." She said moving away. Nadir followed her to her bedroom door.

"Maya?" Nadir asked before she could open the door. She turned to him. "Do you really think we can do it? Leave here? Actually succeed in what Katelyn and Gustave didn't? Do you think we can do it with both you and Christine?" He asked coming closer to her.

She looked at him in thought. "Honestly." She shook her head. "No. I promised Gustave and Katelyn to get Christine out of here. I didn't promise I would get myself out."

"Maya, what if we found a way?" Nadir suggested.

She shook her head again. "No, Nadir I have run over every way possible. Each way has failed."

"That's not an answer I will accept." He said.

"Well it's the only answer I have." She replied. "Why do you think I've been taking every chance I get to see her? The last time was so dangerous. I knew the Shah was back." Nadir looked at her like she was crazy. "I don't want Christine wasting her life waiting for my freedom. I know that I can't leave, but the three of you can. You and Erik can give Christine a life; a good life just like Katelyn wanted."

Nadir shook his head. "If I leave, I will come back. I won't leave you Maya." He said. "And it won't be a waste of my time so long as I know you're alive; that one fact is good enough for me." Maya smiled at him. With no further words to say she turned to the door but Nadir caught her arm.

He looked up and curios so did she. Mistletoe. She smiled and looked at him. "You put that there on purpose didn't you?" She asked knowing the answer.

He moved even closer and whispered "Your damn right I did." Maya didn't have long to laugh about it before Nadir had her up against the door kissing her. She wrapped her arms around his neck kissing him back. Memories of simpler times were awakened with his passionate kiss. Breathless Maya pulled away and smiled.

"I think this is something better continued in my room." She whispered.

Nadir chuckled a little and nodded "I agree." He whispered back letting go of her long enough to open the door and shut it then they were right back in each other's arms.

By the time the clock struck midnight they were laying half asleep in a lovers embrace. Maya lay on Nadir's bare chest and he stroked her hair kissing her forehead. "I love you." He whispered and she smiled leaning up and kissing his lips.

"You've said that to me so many times, and yet here I am still unsure of 'love' in general." She said with a sigh. "You have loved before me. You loved someone who gave you a family, who was your family. But now here we are and you have said those words over a thousand times, and I have not once returned them. How do you do it?"

Nadir smiled and stroked the hair from her face. "I'm a patient man Maya. I tell myself that if this is how you are when you are unsure of your love, then knowing you love me must be something fantastic." He said with a laugh making her smile. "I know one day you will know for sure that you love me. And when you do, it will be a great day." She smiled wider and kissed him.


Meanwhile…

Erik and Christine sat outside in the gardens on a bench. Christine rested her head on
Erik's shoulder as they watch the stars, then Christine pops her head up and kisses him. "Let's go." She said.

Erik laughed "Go where?" He asks.

"Paris." she said. "Let's go. Tonight. We can leave now and by the time the Shah gets back we'll be long gone."

Erik looked at her his smile vanishing. He shook his head. "We can't."

"What?" She asked.

"Well, I can't anyway."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"The Palace isn't finished yet. If I leave the Shah will send his men after me, and God only knows what will happen when they get to me. I can't put you in that danger." He explained. "I want to go to Paris with you Christine, but maybe, you should go on ahead."

"No!" She yelled almost in tears at the thought of going without him. "It's bad enough I'm more than likely never going to see Maya again, but not you. I won't lose you I can't." She argued. Erik went to take her in his arms but she pushed him away and punched his arm. "And damn you for even thinking like that!"

Erik rubbed his arm and smiled laughing a little. Then laughed more watching her try not to laugh or smile. Then she finally broke and hugged him. "I won't let anything happen. As long as I live I won't let anything happen to you, and I won't let anything separate us." He looked her in the eyes. "You are my Paris Christine."

She smiled. "And you are mine." She said stroking his face.

Erik turned in and kissed her hand. "We should go inside and get some sleep." Christine nodded and they walked in together very quietly holding hands. They stopped at Christine's room; Erik had just meant to say goodnight but Christine didn't like that idea.

"We're engaged now." She said. "I don't see the problem here." Erik laughed at her logic.

"At least let me go to my room for a minute so I'm not sleeping in my suit." Christine laughed.

"Fine. You get three minutes." She said and walked into her room.


Christmas came and went. Everyone congratulated Erik and Christine, and she couldn't get over the fact that Erik was her fiancé. Christine knew as well as Erik that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. Love. It was still a sour word for Christine, but she was beginning to like the thought of it again. Love had been something forbidden to her for so long but now Erik was changing her mind about it. Love used to be something evil and torturous to her, but then she found Erik. For once she was proud of what she had been and that was a thief, because if she wasn't she would have never found Erik.

The day after Christmas they left. Once they were safely in the mountains Christine opened the curtains and watched it gently snow wondering if Paris would be this beautiful, and Erik smiled at her child like fascination all the while. When they reached the base of the mountain Christine almost closed the curtains, but then saw familiar things. Pieces of land she thought she would never see again. "Darius stop!" She called and the servant did as told.

Erik stared at her for a moment, then she leapt out of the carriage and Erik chased after her. Erik caught up to her as she stood in front of a small house in bad shape. "Christine." He called softly.

She sniffled "This used to be the most beautiful place on earth." She said looking at the broken windows, chipped door, and the ivy growing on the house. She looked to the side where her father's horse was kept but she knew the horse was long gone. The small stable had caved in now. Then she looked at the other side where a small garden used to be. She and her father would grow so much food, but now even that was gone. The little patch was now brown and rotten. "This was my home." She walked away and to the back of the house to a big tree. Erik followed her back there and watched her sit on a swing tied to a branch high in the tree. Erik came closer waiting for her to say something. "This is where we buried them." She said staring at two pieces of wood stuck into the ground. "This is the one place we were all happy." She explained. "We would come up here and play for hours." She smiled a little. "We would swing, play, and laugh, sometimes Papa would bring his violin out here and we would sit and listen to him play. Before Mother died she told us she wanted to be buried here, and I knew Papa would want to be put beside her. We were so happy here." She shed a few tears and Erik came up behind her and held her.

Words were useless in the presence of these graves. Words were useless at this place that once filled Christine with joy, but all that was left was tears and love lost. Erik moved and took her fully into his arms and let her sob. A storm could be seen coming their way but Erik wanted to give her this moment. He knew that she could only be strong for so long and Erik knew that she needed this. "They would have loved you." She said looking at the graves and she smiled a little imagining that meeting.

Erik rubbed her back and kissed her head. She took and a deep breath and let it out just as a low rumble sounded. Christine pulled away and took a rose from the small bag she kept with her then knelt in front of the graves. "I'm going to be married now." She said to her parents. "It's all happened so fast. I'm also leaving here. We don't know when yet, but we're going to Paris." She placed the rose between the graves and smiled. "I love you both." She said for the first time in a long time. Then it began to rain.

Erik put a hand on her shoulder. "We need to go before this gets bad." He said calmly. It took her a moment but she nodded. She stood and kissed him gently on the lips, then they left for the carriage.

When they arrived back at Erik's apartment it was late and the storm was much worse than it had started out being. Christine had fallen asleep in the carriage. Erik not wanting to wake her carried her up to his room and Darius carried their bags up for them. Erik placed Christine on the bed and thanked Darius. Darius left and went to check on Nadir's apartment, and Erik checked things out around his home.

Erik walked into his office and found a note left on his desk. He looked around the room making sure no one was still there. He picked up the note "You can't kill us all off. Hand her over soon or else we go to the Shah. If we can't have her no one can."

Erik knew all too well who this was and he wasn't going to hand Christine over to them. He wouldn't put that on her again. Peeking back into his room and finding Christine still fast asleep, he decided that this was as good a time as any to go. He wrote her a quick note in case she was to wake up and left. Erik found the thieves camp quickly. All of them in an abandon building talking, laughing, and drinking around a fire. Erik quickly identified the new leader and waited for his moment. He saw the leader start to leave for a minute alone as soon as he was outside Erik grabbed him and threw him up against the wall. The man began to panic as soon as he realized who it was. "I'm going to say this once and only once." Erik said in a deep threatening voice. "You breath one word about Christine and I swear I will personally throw you in the torture chamber, and when you're almost dead I'm going to drag you out and finish you off in my own way slowly and painfully. I do hope that we're clear on this matter now." The man nodded quickly. "Good." Erik said with a twisted sort of smile grabbing him by the neck pulling him forward then sending him back to the wall hard.

The man let out a yelp of pain then Erik let him fall to the ground quickly disappearing into the storm. He had lost Luciana; he wasn't going to lose Christine. Not now. Not ever.