It had to be a terrible nightmare that she would wake up out of at any moment. Erik couldn't be gone from her life, that was impossible. Erik wasn't the sort of man who would give up on a conquest. He was too stubborn, too full of himself, too full of self loathing that he would never allow himself to feel true love and accept that it was in fact for him. Erik was a masochistic creature by nature and Christine knew that if there was any chance of proving to him that someone can care from you, it would take years of convincing. Or the time had passed.

She realised that her bothersome habit of pushing and pushing about a subject had caused him to crack. But she was determined that he would return once his anger had calmed down. In the light of the morning, as Christine made her way back to the dormitories to pretend she had spent the night there she could see the damage he had unleashed on her pale, fragile skin.

Dark bruises marred her arms from where he had held her as she fought to find purchase on him. His rough hands twisting her flesh beneath them as she moved. She hadn't checked to see what sort of damage would be found on her knees and legs and hips, but she knew from the amount of contact she had had with the cruel stone floors she would be marked by angry bruises.

Today, after a night of crying herself to sleep and wishing and praying that Erik was watching her through the mirror, she decided that she had to take her fate into her own hands. She dressed herself in one of her finest dresses, making her way to the manager's office before half of the company had even awoken.

She knocked her knuckles against the door, hearing a faint "Come in" from inside. She opened the door and entered, surprised to fine both Andre and Firmin with Raoul.

"Ah, Christine." Raoul gave her a boyish grin, "We were just talking about you."

"Oh?" Christine asked shyly as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. She hoped her swollen lips were not so noticeable that he could tell that she had spent an evening with her lips twisting against Erik's. The very thought made her heart pound. "And what were you talking about?"

"What should happen once we are married."

"What a coincidence," Christine said softly, refraining from cringing as Raoul wrapped his arm around her waist. "I came to declare that I will be the Countess."

"Is that so?"Andre asked with a tone of sarcasm in his voice.

"It is so." Christine replied firmly. "It is very so. I am capable of portraying the Countess far better than Carlotta. She is shrill and harsh, and I believe that the audience has had a taste of something softer and gentler and that that is what they want now."

"She has a poin-" Firmin started.

"She has a point? What is the matter with you Firmin?" Andre slapped his hand against the other owner's arm. "What will happen if we go back on our Prima Donna's requests?"

"Who is more capable, Monsieur?" Raoul questioned, giving Christine a questioning glance.

"Christine." Firmin replied, ignoring Andre's exasperated gasp. "The Countess is a soft spoken woman which is what makes the character that much more convincing as being the faithful wife, despite her relationship with the pageboy. It is in the damned script Andre!"

"Then there it is, I will be playing the Countess." Christine crossed her arms across her chest, looking between the two owners. "You wouldn't want to disappoint the Opera Ghost would you?"

"Christine," Raoul warned, "We have had this conversation. There is no Opera Ghost."

"Whatever you say Raoul," Christine returned the sceptical look, shaking her head slightly. Erik was a very real Opera Ghost, with a temper that should never be messed with.

"Then it is settled."

"Firmin" Andre howled angrily. "Whatever will we say to Carlotta?"

"Casting decisions can change. There has been no publicity yet for Ill Mutto. It can happen with very little hassle."

"Yes! Because an irate Prima Donna is worth the hassle?" Andre buried his face in his hands. "We're ruined!"

"I can be the Populaire's salvation." Christine said, mustering up the courage she knew she would need to portray this character without the guidance of her great tutor.

~o~

The rehearsal process went by in a whirlwind of anger, excitement, nerves, worry, and irritation. But it was worth it. She could prove to Erik, unseen though he still was, that she could handle her own wellbeing and become the star he longed for her to be.

Carlotta was paid more than Christine to settle her anger about being recast as the pageboy, but that didn't silence her from constantly berating Christine about the fact that she no doubt won the role by screwing Raoul.

The rehearsals had kept her busy and distracted from Raoul. She rarely had to attend supper with him because she was spending every spare moment perfecting the role of Countess. Still, Erik was out of her life. She tried to spend her time around places that she knew he would visit her. The dressing room, the auditorium, Box Five, and the chapel – but he never arrived.

Opening night arrived suddenly and before Christine could hardly blink her eyes the curtain had closed on her first official opening night as the star and not the stand in. In a heart pumping and exhilarating performance Christine found herself desperate to escape the masses of reporters and fans pressing for autographs and interviews. She escaped from the chaotic backstage and found her relief on the rooftop.

"It's snowing." She mumbled to herself, wrapping her cloak tighter around her. She glanced around at the cityscape that lay out before her. All of Paris would be buzzing with her name by tomorrow's time. This wasn't like Hannibal, she had honestly earned the role that she had portrayed. She had earned the love and respect from her overly adoring fans.

But had Erik been there? That was the only person she cared about impressing. She performed for him, and him alone.

"Christine."

Christine whirled around at the sound of her voice, carried to her ears by the wintery wind that whistled past the looming statues that adorned the roof top of the Opera House. "Who is there?" Had someone followed her to the rooftops? "I am sorry, I'm done with the interviews and autographs."

There was only silence. Had she honestly imagined the voice?

"Christine."

"Who is there?" Christine clutched her cloak around her body protectively, glancing between statues to see if someone had followed her up and was hiding themselves in the shadows of the gargoyles and mythical creatures.

"I am there inside your mind."

"Erik." Christine breathed heavily, searching desperately now for the shadow that was Erik's. It had to be him, that was the only person who had ever told her that he was within her mind. "Reveal yourself to me strange angel."

"Upon wings I will come to you." Christine's gaze instantly set on the Pegasus like statue the jutted out from the rooftop.

"Erik?" She questioned as she approached, seeing a shadowy figure clutching to the wing of the statue. "I am sorry for everything that I did that to irritate you. I never meant to lose you."

The figure leapt away from the statue, landing on the ground gracefully. "Let the past be in the past. It has been four months."Erik stepped towards her, "You were impressive tonight."

"You were there?"

"Of course I would be. Why would I not see my star perform?"

"You were pleased?" Christine hesitantly stepped towards him, marvelling in the fact that he was in her presence once again.

"I was very pleased." Erik reached out hesitantly, before snapping her hand up into his grasp. "But this does not please me."

Christine stared at the ring on her finger, "Please, Erik. I cannot get out of this."

"In four months you have become officially engaged to the sniffling fop then?"

"Yes, but it means nothing to me! He will never be given the same feelings as you. I do not love him." Christine was desperate to not lose him again. She pulled the ring from her fingers and let it fall to the ground where the snow was settling. "Nothing to me!"

Erik took her hand in his, lifting it to his lips. "Dear, Christine." Her voice betrayed him, trembling as her soft skin pressed to his lips. "How I have missed you."

"Then why did you not return to me?"

"You were thriving without me. I did not want to be the force behind the downfall of Christine Daae."

"You have brought me to where I am today." Christine reached forwards, pressing her hand his unmasked cheek. "You are the reason that I am standing here."

"You are the reason that I am still alive Christine. You do not realise how near I was to ending this miserable existence." Erik stepped closer to her, letting his hand trail up her arm and down her side, resting lightly on the curve of her waist. "You are the salvation in my life Christine."

"I love you." Christine murmured, unable to contain the words from coming from her lips. "I'm sorry."

"Please do not expect me to believe you." Erik hissed, pushing away from her. "I am not fit for the love an angel such as you. You are the untouchable force in my life."

"Do not let it be Raoul that makes me touchable to only him. Erik, please, I beg you." Christine stepped closer towards him, biting her lip nervously.

"You are damning yourself woman. You cannot tell me that you want me to take you without expecting me to follow through." Erik rasped, his voice becoming gruff as he closed the distance and pressed his lips against his lips to hers.

"But it is what I want. I am only engaged to him because I do not know how to handle these overwhelming feels for you. Raoul is safe, I have to occasionally bat his wandering hands away but he is respectful and doesn't take what isn't his to take. But you, you want to possess me and I want you to possess me. I want to be yours and yours alone. You own my soul, my heart, my mind. Take what is rightfully yours and own my body."

"No, it is not my right to own anything expect this cursed face. That is my only right. Torment, hate, self loathing, fear and mockery. How could a man with this face own a beautiful angel such as you?" Erik groaned as she pressed herself close to him. "You are damning yourself Christine."

"This is what you do to me. You have awoken such feelings inside of me that I do not know how to cope. I do not think I can live without you in my life. I want the last thing I see as the sun sets and my eyes close to be you. The only thing I see as I wake with the sun and my eyes open is you. That's all I want. Please, believe me. Please!" Christine grasped both of his cheeks, masked and unmasked, between her petite hands. Holding him there to stare into her eyes with his mismatched ones. "It is you that I want to possess me. To take me."

"You want this wretched body to deflower the purest blossom? To stain it with my ugliness?"

"Yes."