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Disclaimer: The Phantom of the Opera is not mine. All relations come from Mr. Gaston Leroux's novel The Phantom of the Opera.

Chapter 11

He sat on the welcoming, overstuffed couch. It was taking him some time to actually register what was being said to him.

"Raoul, say something." Christine pleaded, regretting saying anything of which she had confessed.

His pale green eyes darted from the delicate hands that were placed gently in his, to the face that pleaded for any notion that he had heard her, to the large window and back to Christine again.

"Please."

"How could you have lied to me?" Anger replaced shock. "All those times I've asked you if you were okay, you were think about him weren't you. It was all lies wasn't it?"

"No! Not all of the time." She exclaimed even though, she knew that what he said was perfectly, utterly, and completely true.

"Don't you DARE lie to me again!"

She blushed slightly and looked down to hide her guilty face.

"How reassuring." He said bitterly. He hated loosing her like this, for she'd surely run back to 'Her Angel'.

"Raoul! Raoul, listen to me! I knew you'd be angry and I didn't want to upset you."

He stood up angrily and dropped her hands. He walked briskly to the large bay window that overlooked the Eiffel Tower and sighed. "Christine, you don't know what its like to feel like you have to fight for your betrotheds affection." He turned to face her, "Do you love me, Christine, honestly?"

"Of course I do!" She nearly yelled alarmed, jumped up and ran over to him. "Why would you even say such a thing?"

"You've been so distracted lately. We haven't even set a date for the wedding yet, and…"

"Hush." She cooed and placed herself in his arms gently, taking in his smell. "You know I love you, now don't be foolish."

He smiled embracing her tighter. He loved her more than he knew. "From now one, you have my bodyguard. He shall stay with you at all times, and please don't give him a hard time, Mon ange." He joked. It was wonderful to hear the playfulness in his voice.

"You need not do that, dear."

"No! No excuses, you will have a bodyguard and that's final!" He looked down and saw the fear in her eyes. Was she afraid he would hurt her? How could that be? "Christine, dear, I'm only doing what's best for us."

She stared into his pale, sea foam-green eyes. She knew where he was coming from. He didn't want to loose her, and she didn't want to loose him. If she were in his shoes she'd do the same.

He broke away from the embrace and walked toward the door where he pulled off his coat and hat from the long wooden coat rack standing near a tall gas lamp.

"Where are you going?" Christine asked nervously, she didn't want him to do anything drastic.

"I'm going for a walk to clear my head." He gave her a small smile.

Christine nodded just as Manuel, Raoul's muscular bodyguard, rushed forward to assume his position. Raoul thrust his arm out and blocked Manuel's only exit to the lush front yard.

"No, stay with Christine." He said firmly smacking his hat on his head.

"But, but Monsieur le Vecomte!" Manuel exclaimed. It was his job and his job alone to keep the Vicomte safe no matter what happened.

"No excuses. Besides," he sighed, "I'd like to be alone."

"I love you Raoul." Christine smiled genuinely, illuminating her face.

"I love you too, watch out for him." He said and walked out the large, intricate front door out onto the streets of Paris.

Christine took a pillow that was resting neatly next to her, buried her face in it, and sobbed.

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He walked slowly along all the corner and side streets picking up small pebbles as he went.

-How could she have lied to me? Why wouldn't she tell me? I could've helped her, I could've protected her!- He slammed a small pebble on the street. It bounced off and landed into a nearby water fountain, spraying small shimmering droplets of water into the air.

-She knows I love her! She knows I would've helped her! –

All his pumped-up anger released as her threw all the pebbles at once. One hit a carriage, another a house, another a horse, and so on.

He felt like screaming. He loved Christine too much to give her up. He reached a main road and he decided… he was going to find The Phantom. He was going to find him and he was going to teach him a lesson. One he surely would never have to teach again.

He thought about the night when they narrowly escaped from within his grasps alive. The thought caused him to shudder as he recalled the Punjab wrapped around his neck…

All at once, he felt a searing pain in his abdomen. His knees buckled, he couldn't breathe. His desperate attempts for air failed him deeply and he fell on his back panting out of control…