As usual, a huge thank you to all for your reviews, favs and alerts!

Several reviews also wanted longer chapters. Please keep in mind I have to juggle school, work and family (and now holidays), so I'm doing everything I can to get you a decent sized chapter. The story is nowhere near finished though and there is yet more to come!

Chapter 11 - Interlude

Christine slowly ascended the stairs, her mind still reeling over the entire evening. After silence had befallen her and Erik in the carriage, she had thought about what he had said. Could he be right about Raoul? That question still lingered on her mind even now as she neared her room. It was still well before midnight and she vaguely heard feminine giggles echoing from some of the rooms, knowing that the other escort girls liked to spend their evenings with each other if they were not entertaining a client. On light feet she scurried to her room, letting out a long sigh after the door closed behind her.

She shuffled over to the bed and sat down heavily, her mind spinning with questions. Why had she never thought about it after Raoul's death? Since his confession that Erik was in fact very much alive, she had not wondered why he had lied to her. Now that since Erik made that remark, it was all she could think about. Why? Why would he tell her that her Angel was dead? Had it been simply because he had wanted to forget about her teacher entirely? No, she knew that it couldn't have been the reason; he must have known that it wouldn't have the desired effect, but much the opposite.

How could she ever forget him? He had chased away the loneliness after her father's passing and became her friend and teacher. She had never realized it back at the Opera, but he knew and understood from the start what she had been going through. No one else would understand. Not her dear friend Meg or her mother, bless them. Never Raoul, for he had never lived in need. Even though she had been foolish to believe Erik has truly been an angel, something drew her to him. Perhaps it was his own floneliness; maybe she had sensed a kindred spirit back then. She suspected that deep down Raoul had sensed their strange connection and now she knew it was a bond that could never be severed. Weakened, yes, but never completely gone.

Had Erik been right? Had Raoul wanted her to marry him quickly, lest the Phantom changed his mind and claimed what had been his? That fateful night of Don Juan she had made her decision. She could not let her Angel kill Raoul and had he not ordered them to leave, she would have stayed. What would become of her by Erik's side? Christine reached to her bedside table and pulled open the drawer, extracting her diary. She looked at the worn book and its yellowed pages, running the tips of her fingers along the edge. It fell open where the dried rose and the photo of her dear father lay together since she had fled the Chagny estate. She gently touched her father's features, recalling him in her mind's eye, playing the violin for her. Then she picked up the rose carefully, rising it to her face. Even dried the rose had retained some of its sweet smell. She ran her fingers along the black ribbon around its stem. The same rose with the same ribbon that Madame Giry had handed her after her debut in Hannibal. A drop of moisture fell on the dark red petals and once Christine realized, the tears just came down harder until her vision was blurry.

Why couldn't things go the way they were before? She wished to be back at the Opera Populaire, dancing, singing and having fun with Meg with Madame Giry scolding them for their behaviour. Back to the Opera, even with La Carlotta there, and the invisible rule of the Phantom, who was making the diva's life miserable with his many pranks. She wanted her Angel to be there, dry her tears and tell her everything was going to be alright. She cried harder as happy memories faded into the darker ones.

It was then that the door flew open to reveal grinning Elizabeth. Christine looked up and the smile on Elizabeth's face dropped quickly. She shut the door behind her and rushed over to the young soprano, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Anna? What happened?" Christine just shook her head, trying unsuccessfully to stop her tears. "Did he do something to you? Answer me, Anna! Did he do anything?" Elizabeth insisted.

"No!" Christine exclaimed incredulously and Elizabeth was surprised by the vehemence in which the word was spoken, as if Elizabeth was crazy for even suggesting it. She studied the younger woman and noticed the diary and rose in her hands. At once Elizabeth realized what could be troubling her. Christine just kept looking at the rose, feeling a little angered at Elizabeth's presumption. Raoul's voice from a couple of weeks ago echoed in her head.

I knew he would never hurt you...He will keep you safe...

"He would never hurt me." She whispered, knowing with all her being that it was true.

"Anna?" Elizabeth tried but Christine was unresponsive, twirling the rose between her fingers. She took a deep breath. "Christine?" A pair of brown eyes locked with hers and the pain she saw there made her heart clench. "Does he remind you of...your husband?" The surprise was evident on Christine's face at Elizabeth's question. Her brows furrowed as she pondered the question.

"Yes." She said finally. How could he not? Both men were so entangled in her life that she couldn't think of Raoul without thinking about Erik. "But not the way you think." Christine tucked the rose back into her diary and closed it, returning it to its place in her bedside table. Wiping away her tears with the back of her hand, she sniffed. "I'm sorry. It's just..." She trailed off, not knowing how to explain.

"That's alright. We all have skeletons in our closets." Elizabeth winked at her and grinned, trying to lift Christine's spirits. A small smile touched her lips at the truth in Elizabeth's words.

Two days later, Christine sat with Elizabeth in the dining room, enjoying their breakfast when Amelia stepped into the room, the smile on her face ever present.

"Anna, there was something for you in the post box." Christine looked up at her employer in surprise and then at the thick large envelope in her arms.

"Who is it from?"

"It doesn't say. There's no return address, nor any delivery address. Just your name." Amelia's smile widened and she winked at Christine. "Someone must have brought it personally." A rosy blush spread across Christine's cheeks. "Here you go, darling." Amelia handed her the envelope and Christine was surprised by how heavy it actually was. She studied the handwritten letters thoughtfully after Amelia left. She had forgotten the style of Erik's handwriting, for she had only glanced at it every now and then. The notes from the Opera Ghost were handled by Madame Giry and the managers, so now she had no way of knowing, but hoped that it was from Erik.

"Aren't you going to open it?" Elizabeth looked at her curiously, eating a morsel of pancake from her fork. "It may be a gift from Mr. Garnier." Christine hoped that it was the case, for she didn't know anyone who knew her by this name except Erik and his friends. Taking a deep breath, she gently pried the taped envelope open and reached inside.. As her fingers closed around the object, she could feel its leather casing. Pulling the item out carefully, she realized it was a large leather-bound notebook. There were no markings in the brown material to give away the notebook's contents. Elizabeth watched Christine as she studied the cover, taking her time in revealing what was inside.

"What is it?" She asked, feeling giddy with anticipation, her eyes darting over the exquisite leather cover. Christine took a breath and slowly opened it, only to find dozens of music scores inside. She gasped, quickly scanning all the different types of songs, ranging from easy to difficult, from opera arias to folk songs. A genuine smile graced her lips and strange warmth settled in her chest.

"Is that music? Anna, do you play?"

"A bit. I enjoy singing more."

"I can't believe Amelia has never shown you! We have a music room, come, follow me!" Elizabeth quickly stood up from her chair, the rest of her breakfast promptly forgotten as she dashed down the hallway to the back of the house. Christine smiled and hurried after her, keeping the leather notebook close to her chest. Despite her and Erik's last conversation, he had sent her these. Warmth settled in the center of her chest and spread into her extremities, tinging her cheeks a soft shade of pink.

The music room was small but cozy, the black grand pianoforte dominating the whole room from the alcove near the large windows facing the back garden. There was a small living room seating set, a small fireplace for cold nights and dozens of music scores lying on every possible surface. There was a glassed-in cupboard on one wall and Christine could see a selection of flutes.

Elizabeth stood in the middle of the room, doing a little twirl, beaming at Christine.

"Voila! What do you think?"

"It's so lovely!"

"You can use it anytime you wish. I'm going to leave you now, I have to prepare for another outing with Andrew."

"Thank you, Beth." Christine smiled gratefully at Elizabeth, who merely nodded and offered a smile in return.

"You're welcome, dear." With that, she closed the door and Christine was alone. She walked timidly over to the piano and sat down on the cushioned seat and flipped the music book open. Her mind still went over the conversation with Erik and now this... Did he think she still could become a diva? Was this his way of telling her she still had the voice to do it? Did he want her to try it again? All these questions didn't leave her for the remainder of the day she spent in the music room, idly plucking on the piano keys or singing softly to herself.

Three days later, Christine tended to the reception area per Amelia's request, who had to run some errands in the city in the morning. Elizabeth had spent the night at the Baron's residence; therefore she couldn't help Christine as she usually was the one who dealt with customers and newcomers alike in Amelia's absence.

The bell above the door jingled merrily and a gentleman in blue and red clothes entered. Christine immediately recognized the uniform of a postman and smiled pleasantly at the gentleman.

"Good day, sir. Can I help you?" She asked the newcomer, much more comfortable and confident in her English than when she had arrived here.

"Good day, Miss. I have a package for Miss Anna Renaud. If you'd be so kind to forward it..." Christine perked up at the sound of her new name and looked at the wrapped box in his hands.

"Of course, Sir. You can leave it right here and I will make sure Miss Renaud gets it."

"Thank you. Good day!" He placed the box on the desk between them and with a smile he hurried out the front door, his mail bag trailing after him. Christine didn't even bother with a reply and studied the box with a strange feeling of giddiness warming her chest.

"You have been staring at the box for the last twenty minutes." Elizabeth stated with a frown, looking at Christine, whose gaze was transfixed by the mysterious box. "It's been sitting here, unopened, since I came back a few hours ago. Aren't you at least a bit curious?"

"Of course I am! I'm just...nervous, I guess."

"Nervous? Why ever for?" Christine just shrugged and sighed. "If you're not going to open it soon, I will. I'm willing to bet that your Mr. Garnier had sent this. Your next outing is tomorrow evening." Elizabeth didn't need to remind her of that fact. Butterflies danced in her belly whenever she thought about it.

"Okay, I will open it." With a deep breath she began peeling off the brown wrapping paper and then opened the box itself. The contents were shielded by a white soft fabric. Lifting it and draping it around one edge of the box, Christine gasped as it revealed what lay underneath. Royal blue silk filled her vision and she grasped the fabric gently, lifting it out of the box. Elizabeth's gasp was audible as she pulled the dress out in its entirety and hanged it on an empty hanger left on her bed. Christine hooked the hanger carefully at the closet's door. She took two steps back and nearly collided with open-mouthed Elizabeth, who had the mind to step aside quickly.

"That dress is exquisite." She breathed but Christine didn't think that word described the dress in front of her sufficiently. It was off the shoulder dress with shiny beads creating flower patterns over the bodice and scattered sparsely down the whole length of the skirt. At first look the dress seemed simple but the longer she looked at it, the more all the little details jumped out at her, like the delicate embroidery on the bodice under the beads.

While Christine admired the level of detail on her new dress, Elizabeth reached into the box and pulled out a pair of matching shoes and a smaller box, which she handed to Christine. She gently pried it open and her eyes widened. Inside lay a set of necklace and earrings matching the evening dress. The necklace was made out of diamonds shaped into flowers, with a sapphire in the center of each little flower.

"Oh Anna, I absolutely cannotwait to see you wear all this." Christine fingered the delicate necklace, biting her lower lip as excitement filled her whole body. "It seems Mr. Garnier doesn't do anything by half." Elizabeth grinned at her knowingly and she hid a wry smile.

You have no idea.