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A/N: Hey everybody! I have been very cruel to you all in not updating. I'm soooooo sorry! I was on vacation and then I went back to my two summer jobs, lol! Now I'm leaving again to go on vacation. But this time my laptop is going with me so I should have a new chapter ready to be posted in about a little over a week. Who knows I may have two chapters ready if I get a lot of reviews before I leave, lol! I am hastily writing this chapter for you guys before I leave and regretfully inform you that I will not be able to give personal feedback to my reviewers on this particular chapter! You do not know how much it pains me to do this, but I figured if I named you all and then gave a new chapter everything would be cool till I get back from vacation! Ok? Ok. So . . .

Many thanks to: Melinda Daae, Masked Stranger, Stormyrainedoncowgirl, Katesparrow, NordyGirl, fleetyfillyhpchic, I Despise Raoul, EriksIngenue, and erik'sangel527! Thank you guys so much and keep up the reviews for me !


Chapter 11: A Rooftop Rendez-vous and More Wine Pt. 2

" Christine, are you ok, my love?" Erik whispered into her ear, taking his arms and running them up and down her arms in reassurance. They had fallen pretty hard onto each other and it didn't help that she had been on the bottom!

Still Andrew and Meg stood agape before the lust driven, disheveled, and indecent couple. Erik quickly made to cover Christine, so long as they were there.

" Damn them. We were so close!" Erik lamented over and over again in his head as he secured the makeshift toga around Christine.

Suddenly, both Andrew and Meg roared with laughter. The kind that was so strong you had to cry along with it, showing just how amusing it was. The thirteenth glass of wine that Meg and Andrew both held in their hands certainly with out a doubt intensified the reaction, making not only Christine blush but Erik as well.

" Erik, you SCOUNDREL! You were already nervous enough with your clothes on, gods can only imagine how you feel right now! When you preached to me of my outing tonight, I would have thought you, a great gentleman with LOTS of propriety, would have followed the same guidelines. I see now that I must have a stern talk with you from now on about how you and the lady should go about your outings. I dear say that decent state of dress must be added to my long list!" Andrew laughed out, slurring every now and then, reminding every one of his poor state.

Erik and Christine both flushed a terrible shade of red, Erik's lips slightly parted in shock of what just happened and Christine biting her lips in embarrassment. They had gotten caught and there was no other way to describe it; they were sitting ducks now.

" Come Andrew. We should let them alone to retire into decent attire. I will have no throes of passion whilst little Emma is just next store!" Meg smirked at her dear friends with the last comment directed to them.

" Well then, more wine?" Andrew inquired

" I would love some." Meg replied, slurring sweetly as they left Erik and Christine to dress.

As soon as the couple left the room, Christine started to giggle to no end and rolled her angelic face into a pillow, oppressing her laughs somewhat. This brought Erik to laugh heartily along with her.

" What are you doing, my dear?" Erik inquired all the while trying to stifle his own laughs. When all he got was more giggling he tickled her sides making her turn over for air from his exercises.

" I do believe that was the first time I have seen Meg intoxicated, she was positively drunk!" Christine exclaimed laughing up at Erik's smiling face.

" I'm afraid Andrew, as well, has come to that state." And the couple resumed their laughing fit once again. After finally calming down enough, Christine was able to speak once more.

" I guess we had better give in and join them. Who knows what could transpire if we aren't there in 10 minutes. Did you see the way they were looking at each other as they left the room? They are completely head over heels for each other and it took a wine induced haze for them to realize it!"

Christine finally made a move to get up off the floor when finally Erik ceased his laughing to speak again.

" I'm not through with you yet. She can wait, besides she has no perception of time anyway." Erik exclaimed as he quickly grabbed the end of her makeshift toga.

" You wouldn't dare." Christine replied with slitted eyes, playfully wishing in her head that he did.

" On the contrary Mlle., I would." Erik smirked at her and gave the cover a sharp tug bringing Christine into his arms giggling once more and the makeshift toga following after.

" Erik, no don't . . . we won't be able to resist . . . oh, you are impossible!" Christine laughed as he lavished her with soft yet fiery kisses on the visible porcelain skin.

" I know we won't be able to that is the point, my love." Erik laughed at Christine's torn mind. He knew that she thought they should go check on Andrew and Meg, but then again she wanted him and he knew it.

With each kiss they shared, a little of Christine's resolve broke off and they slipped into a place where it was only each other. Christine couldn't believe that she could feel this way about just kissing and wondered about when they would . . . well, you know . . . make love. She hated to be brash but she couldn't wait for that moment to come!

" Christine, I love you so much." Erik muttered into her silky chestnut curls. He didn't understand how she could have this sort of hold on him. He was a man possessed when she was around. It was an euphoric dream like state that had captured him and he welcomed it with open arms.

" Erik," Christine breathed, " Erik, please take off your mask. I don't want anything between us, I love you for ALL that you are." Christine admonished.

" How can you demand such a horrid thing from me in such a beautiful moment?" He asked incredulously, finally finding his words.

" The only horrid thing now is you not being able to trust me and me not being able to see the whole man I absolutely adore and cherish." Christine replied softly and sincerely.

" Fine, let us ruin this now!" Erik retorted icily as he removed the mask.

Erik waited with closed eyes and bated breath. No doubt, that a second time of placing her gorgeous eyes on his wretched face would send her running.

" I won't . . . " Christine began before Erik cut her off.

" You won't? You won't what, Christine? Love a monster? A beast? A corpse? Tell me what you won't do, because I sure as hell wouldn't want you to do anything you won't want to do, that's for sure. I can understand why you won't marry a corpse. Is that what you won't do? Pray tell Christine, because I'm lost as to what you won't do!" Erik raged, rising onto his elbows; his mouth set into a grim line of defeat. Yet Christine saw his eyes. His eyes gave him away. They held such fear, rejection, and sorrow that it made her eyes water at the sight.

" I won't marry the mask, Erik. I won't!" Christine said with a quiet defiance, "I accepted your proposal because I love you. Not because of pity or duty, but real love Erik. I love the person you are without a doubt in my mind. Yes, I know of your face and past but they do not matter in the slightest bit. You are not a corpse, or monster, nor a beast, but a man. A kind, caring, genius of a man. I fell in love with the man, not the allusion of the mask."

Erik looked into Christine's eyes as she finished. They were swimming with tears and tear tracks graced her porcelain cheeks. She loved him for him, and she had no regrets what so ever. God he loved this woman so much, he knew he would die without her. With that Erik started to silently cry, letting the tear drops flow freely down his unmasked face. He loved her and she loved him, it was as simple as that.

Erik gently took her face in his hands, caressing her cheeks with his graceful thumbs, wiping away the tears that still lingered. Christine tilted her head into his inviting palm, closing her eyes, and reveling in the warm sensation.

" No masks between us, no hiding, no lies." Christine stated rather then asked. She needed this reassurance from him and little did she know, so did he.

" Never." Erik choked out, tears running freely as he pulled her into a painfully passionate kiss.

After a few minutes of sitting in one another's embrace Erik got up and lifted Christine with him as he stood. Silently he slipped the, exquisite yet dainty, ruby and diamond ring onto Christine's ring finger. No words were needed, they embraced once more and happily sauntered off to show Meg and Andrew. Then Erik remembered the part of Andrew and his's plan that must be done that night.

" Christine, I must go deliver something. I will be gone but an hour, forgive me but it is urgent. I am sorry, but I will be back soon." Erik said sadly, hating to leave now of all times, but this had to be done.

" Must you? It is Christmas eve, Surely it can wait." Christine pleaded with a hungry look in her eye. Erik laughed at her silent invitation, and it took all the self control he could muster not to give in, but this needed to be done and done tonight.

" I must, but I won't be long. I promise." And with that Erik gave her a long kiss and grabbed his cloak, mask, and fedora.

Putting on his things he told Christine to help Meg and Andrew to bed, seeing as how they were in no condition to be up and said for her not to wait up for him, should he be too long. After another series of kisses, Erik reluctantly pulled himself away to deliver Andrew's letters.

" This plan has to work. It will work!" Erik chided over and over again as he made his way to his stops. First to the De Changy estate, which Erik abhorred in doing. He told the gate master to go directly to his master with the letter, seeing as how it was urgent. The old man looked over him carefully, scrutinizing every detail. Finally he nodded his head and went to the house. Next, to the police station, where he left a most peculiar note for the head of the gendarmes to read, along with a handsome amount of money along with it. After he was done on his escapade, he returned back to the house by the lake to find everyone asleep and drifting off into their dreams.

He found Christine sleeping in his bed, seeing as how he got rid of that abominable coffin for a more comfortable bed. He quietly changed and slipped into the bed next to her, brushing a kiss to her forehead before sleep overtook him.

" Goodnight Erik," Christine breathed as they both drifted into pleasant dreams.

( Next mornings headlines in the paper)

CHRISTINE DAAE, OPERA POPULAIRE'S FORMER DIVA, FOUND DEAD!

Erik smiled at the headline, the plan was in full swing and proving to be a success.


A/N: OMG! Another cliffhanger? Now how did that happen, lol! REVIEW and you shall find out, what exactly is going on. HA HA! I love being evil!