Erik: Alright everyone pay attention Natalie has something she'd like to say.

Natalie: Well Madam Oakheart would like to make a random jock story about Erik and the song I'm Sexy and I know it. Review and tell her if you should.

Madam Oakheart: Anyone who doesn't wanna see Erik dancing to that then you crazy. So let me know...

Erik: Good day (Does sexy cape flip thing and walks away)


Chapter 11: Raoul

Somehow I managed to fall asleep the night before and woke in a weird position that cramped up my arm. Sitting up I went to check on Natalie. Walking into his room I saw the phantom passed out on the edge of the bed. From the position he was in he'd be hurting in the morning. Natalie herself was awake staring at the phantom.

"Morning." I whispered careful not to wake him though I knew he would yell at me for not awakening him since she was awake. "What's his real name?" It was a random time to ask but I couldn't help it I wanted to know.

Giggling she responded, "His name is Erik." She traced a finger down his face.

"Well tell Erik that I'm going to go talk with Christine." She looked hostile for a moment then her face relaxed and she held her anger in. When I was about to walk away she roughly grabbed my hand.

"Raoul be careful and if you even think of helping her, I will kill you. Without a doubt faster than you can blink." Nodding I turned away and made my way to the room where Christine and I were staying planning to wait for her there. Surprisingly she was there. Slipping behind her I slid a hand down her silky hair.

Jumping she let out a gasp and whipped around to see me. Letting out a breath of relief she hugged me. It felt so wrong after what she had done. Stepping away seemed the best option so I followed my instincts. She saw the cold calculating look in my eyes and saw I had not yet forgiven her. "Raoul…I had too…" She pleaded looking me in the eye. This was not something that could be forgiven so easily.

"Christine do you even realize just what you did?"

"I just… all.."

"EXACTLY!" She looked terrified as I shouted at her. "CHRISTINE YOU DON'T REALIZE WHAT YOU DID. YOU ACTED LIKE MORE A MONSTER THAN YOU PERCIEVE HIM TO BE!"

"Oh, so suddenly the phantoms the good guy."

"You don't know him at all he's an entirely different person when he's happy."

"SO SUDDENLY YOU KNOW HIM SO WELL. HE'S A BEAST, A LYING MALIPULATIVE FREAK. YOU HAVEN'T SEEN HIS REAL COLORS, RAOUL YOU HAVE NOT SEEN INSIDE HIS CORUPT SOUL. MONSTERSTROSITY, SOMETHING I DOUBT YOU HAVE SEEN. RAOUL YOU MUSN'T TRUST HIM. PLEASE!" She looked panicked shouting at me.

"I can't stop trusting Erik now Christine. I really think you need to fix your priorities, and when you do let me know sweetheart then maybe I'll forgive you." She sobbed and slapped me. I took it and walked away of course Christine never noticed the tears that slid down my face as I forced myself away from her. It broke my heart but I knew deep down that Christine had brought this down on herself. Redemption always has to be paid no matter the person.

Easily slipping back to the phantoms home I saw Madam Giry eating a sandwich. Erik was leaning against the organ looking pissed. "Did you or did you not leave to see Christine. Do not avoid the question." His voice was calm and anger free. It terrified me, true I shouldn't be afraid of him by now but it came automatically.

"Yes…" My answer was all he needed to know and the anger rose to the point where you could feel it in the air.

"Why?"

"I felt the need to tell her that she needed to get her priorities straight."

"So you didn't help her." His anger faded as the conversation continued.

"Not in the least, Erik." He raised an eyebrow at the actual say of his name. He must have summed it up as Natalie because he turned around and walked away after saying good.

Natalie

Laughing slightly I splashed my feet through the milky water of Erik's underground lake. Erik wrapped an arm around me. Sliding closer to him I grinned sheepishly. "I love you my darling Natalie."

"I love you, my angel Erik." He relaxed at this. Sometime I believe he was afraid I would tell him I did not share his love. If I ever did do that it would be the biggest mistake of my life. Thinking back I thought of a song I had written years ago when I had lost nearly all hope and had just started living with Antoinette. My mind faded back into memory,

"You must eat child. If you keep at that you'll be nothing but skin and bones." I sat in silence staring at the woman, defiance dressing my features. She would not make me eat. She couldn't make me do anything. "Child really at least tell me your name."

"It's Natalie." I made up fast I didn't have a name.

"Well Natalie what's your last name?"

"It's Natalie Alexandra Taylor ma'am."

"Alright why don't you eat?"

"That is something I will not do."

"Why?"

"My babe can't eat so neither can I."

I snapped roughly back into reality. The song I had forgotten bubbled to the surface and I needed to sing it. "I wanna fade away. Why won't you let me fade away? Can't you do all the talking? Why do I have to be here? This isn't meant to be so let me fade away. Just like I want too.

Are you going to save me? I don't see you moving very fast. I wanna fade away from the miseries, the catastrophe. Why will you not let me? I can't take this. I am on my knees. Must I beg? Must I plead? Will you watch me cry while I'm kneeling. Beautiful don't let me fade. Even if I want too. You keep fighting. Then in the end when I've got a bullet in my head you'll see just how much you mean to me.

I wanna fade away. Why won't you let me fade away. Can't you do all the talking? Why do I have to be here? This isn't meant to be so let me fade away. Just like I want too.

Let me be free. Can't you see this hurts me? Please must I beg? Must I cry? Let me go. Then in the end… I wanna fade away. I want you to realize in the end when I've got a bullet in my head you'll see I just wanted to go. I wanna fade away just like everything else." Erik was staring at me in surprise by the time and lyric.

"Where did that come from, love?"

"It was a song I just remembered I wrote it the first day I began to live with Antoinette."

"I remember it, I believe you did not know me to be listening when you sung it but I heard. I remember you telling me you wouldn't eat if Taylor wasn't eating. You were so torn apart." Antoinette said from behind us drawn by my voice. "Even then Meg was only six. She didn't really understand. No she didn't understand we had someone like Natalie living under our roof."

"Someone like me, describe me Madam."

"You Natalie how to say this lightly were a broken, rude, self-punishing, and terrified child. You were a pain in the ass and I hated you but slowly I grew to love the broken person inside. Soon you transformed into a beautiful composer. After that I began to think of you as my second daughter."

"Explain broken, rude, self-punishing, and terrified." I asked. Erik leaned back watching us curiously.

"Let's see rude because you did not respect me, self-punishing because you refused to eat, terrified because of what you had just escaped from, and broken…because you had lost the only one you had ever loved."

"I see…"

"Natalie how long did you not eat?"

"Three weeks on a glass of water a day." I watched Erik's eyes widen.

"Natalie! For God's sake why would you do that to yourself?"

"I was hurting I wanted to die but I wanted to suffer. I should have saved him but I'm so weak. So so weak…" Erik looked at me in shock the he pulled me into his comfortable warm grasp. Shaking me he left little kisses down my face. How could Christine not want this?

Who the hell would deny perfection? Especially hot, sexy, and badass perfection, she was a fool no doubt. But I knew I was thankful for Christine for if she had not I would not have love. "Thank you Christine…" I whispered. Erik raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you thank her?"

"Because if she hadn't chosen to not love you I wouldn't have you now would I and you Erik are surely something I could never live without." His lips crashed against mine from the heat behind my words. His hands slid down my body and I shivered with Erik this was ok. Anyone else would meet the edge of his blade.