(A/N: Wow. I'm twelve chapters in. This is exciting. We've experienced Christian's meeting with Erika, but now we'll see how their relationship (?) develops. I hope you do enjoy this next chapter and the one on Friday. I'm sorry to announce that as school starts, my updates will become less frequent. I'll try to make it once a week, but this is my first year of college, so it might end up being more infrequent than that. I'll give you a heads up as to when my updating schedule is going to change. Sorry... Enjoy the story and feel free to review!)

As they delved deeper into the tunnels, Chris's thoughts were filled with the woman he knew as Angel, Phantom, and Erika. As she walked in front of him, Chris watched Erika and the way she moved. Her step was long and her movements were lithe. Her fingers were lengthy, and, from what he had seen, as graceful as the rest of her. Chris is tall, around six feet, but Erika was tall enough for the top of her head to reach his nose.

They continued walking in silence, Chris's mind preoccupied, until Erika slowed to a stop. Chris pulled out of his dream-like trance and gasped in wonder. They were standing in a cavernous cave that held a softly lapping lake in its heart. Erika smiled softly at Christian's unguarded awe as she walked down to the shore and stopped by a small boat. Erika glanced back at Christian, making sure only the left side of her face was showing, and gestured for him to climb aboard the vessel.

Why did she hide from me? Chris couldn't help but wonder. When we first spoke, it was almost as if she didn't want anything to do with me... Then he remembered the encounter in the alleyway.

Careful, tongue sticking out the edge of his mouth, Christian climbed aboard, but his foot slipped and he instinctively grabbed her arm. Erika flinched away, unused to human touch, but let Christian steady himself. When Chris regained his balance, he slowly sat himself down on one of the many cushions on the boat. Erika hopped onto the small vessel with ease, picked up the push pole, and began guiding them onto the murky waters. All was quiet except for the soft splashing of the pole breaking the water's surface.

"What were you doing that day?" Chris blurted. He couldn't see her face, but he could tell by the way she tensed her shoulders, Erika knew what he was referring to. Erika went rigid as so many excuses flashed through her mind. When she didn't answer, he added, "In the alley." Erika turned slightly to look at Christian for a moment or two before turning back to face the bow. Chris wouldn't have her hide in her shell, so he lightly grasped her cloak, tugging it as he slowly began to make his way towards her. "Why were you there?" Chris asked again.

Erika's golden eyes found and held Chris's blue ones. Slowly, ever so slowly, Chris raised himself up from the floor of the boat till he was right in front of her, his eyes still on hers. Deliberately she placed her hand gently over Chris's hand that had grabbed her arm as he stood. Still silent, Erika began to pry his hand off, but Chris quickly grabbed both of her shoulders, almost making her drop the push pole.

"Please..." Chris's plea shattered Erika. His eyes flitted back and forth, nothing but sincerity in them. Erika averted her gaze down, from his eyes to his lips and finally resting on his chest.

"I-I..." Her soft voice broke the stretching silence. "I followed you when you left the opera house," she whispered. Placing her hands on his chest, Erika pushed away from Chris and turned, hiding the tears welling up in her eyes as she quietly said, "I am always watching over you." Her voice betrayed none of the emotions that overwhelmed her at the moment. Staring into oblivion as she began to move them forward once more, Erika let her tears dry before they could fall. After a long pause, she turned back to Chris, eyes now devoid of emotion, and said sharply, "We need to keep going. I want to get there soon."

And in silence they continued across the underground lake's glassy surface.

~*~*~*~

The boat hissed as it hit the gravelly shore. The ride had been silent after Chris's question, but as he struggled to maintain balance while exiting the vessel, Erika spoke. "Here. Let me help you." It was more of a command than anything and the tone reflected that, but there was not a hint of anger or harshness. Just a cold apathy. Chris grasped the gloved hand without hesitation, and was swiftly pulled to standing. Chris didn't let go of the strong grip until his feet were firmly on shore, and it pleased him somewhat that this enigmatic woman didn't pull away either.

Following him, Erika leapt of the boat with a grace that Chris couldn't help but envy. With long strides, Erika glided past Chris and ascended a small hill before disappearing into an opening at the summit. Not waiting to see if he made it, and too embarrassed to see his reaction to the organized chaos of her home, Erika made her way into the dining room.

Chris scrambled to follow her, not wanting to be too far away in this unfamiliar place. As he reached the crest of the little incline, Chris couldn't help gasping at what met his eyes.

Before him lay an entire world, far beneath the Opera Populaire, but still somehow a part of it. The room he stood in presently was almost a sitting room. It was on the small side, but had a high ceiling and had five doors along the back wall, and all but the center were closed. There was a small, and very well cushioned, couch that had a coffee table resting in front of it. There were some, what he assumed to be, Persian rugs covering the cave floor, a fireplace, and candles covered the mantle of the fireplace and the two side tables that sat on either side of the couch.

Curious of how the infamous Phantom of the Opera lived, Chris stepped further into Erika's domain, his eyes devouring every last little detail in hopes of learning more about his Angel. Chris smiled openly when he realized he was over the initial shock and still able to call this woman 'his Angel.'

Moving slowly, Chris maneuvered about the sitting room from door to door, testing to see if they were open. The one on the farthest right was securely locked, to Chris's dismay, but when he moved to the second from the right, Chris was delighted to find it open. Pushing on the door, Chris found himself in a room that was far more massive than the first. Its walls were lined with tall bookshelves, all of which were full to the brim of books, and a sliding ladder that reached to the highest shelf. In one corner of the room, there was a simple wooden desk, with multiple drawers and a cherry finish, covered in an organized mass of papers. In the center of the room was an amalgamation of musical instruments all ranging from soprano to bass; strings, brass, woodwinds, and even a few percussion instruments. But what drew Chris's gaze was the grand piano in the midst of all of them, its glossy black surface free of dust, showing its frequent use.

Striding carefully towards the magical instrument, Chris kept admiring its beautiful form. Like in the previous room, there were candles all around, but none had found their way onto the piano, as if it was too sacred to be soiled by the wax. He trailed his fingers along the ivory keys, pressing a few as they passed, and reveled in their flawless tones until his fingers met the edge of a sheet of paper. Glancing down, Chris found sheets upon sheets of musical scores, some he knew and others that were completely unknown to him.

Picking up one labeled Music of the Night, Chris began to softly sing the haunting melody. "Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation."

~*~*~*~

Glancing up to the high ceiling, Erika saw that the sun would be in the optimum position soon, so she'd better get working on dinner. Moving to the kitchen on the far side of the room, Erika looked around for something simple but still delicious and rich.

Finally thinking of a recipe, Erika removed her cloak and hat, tossing them to the side, and searched for what she needed. After gathering her ingredients, Erika put some water on to boil and began cooking the chopped sausage and sautéing the mushrooms, spinach, onions, and garlic all on her wood stove. As the water began to roll, Erika slipped in the spaghetti noodles. When the sausages were all cooked, she added some chopped tomatoes and tomato juice. When that was heated, Erika mixed the sautéed vegetables and some crème into the sauce.

Finally she put the noodles and sauce into bowls and crumbled some bleu and feta cheese on top. Leaving them in the oven, which was off, to keep warm, Erika left the kitchen in search of Christian. He couldn't have wandered far. He doesn't know how to use the boat and only two other doors were unlocked. Taking a quick glance around her sitting room, Erika saw the door to her immediate left was opened.

Slipping in quietly, Erika watched as Christian began singing one of her own compositions. The way he sings it... with so much heart. I couldn't imagine it better. "Darkness stirs and wakes imagination. Silently the senses abandon their defenses..." Chris unconsciously smiled as the last note rang. He was so intent on the music in front of him, he physically jumped into the air when Erika spoke.

"So I take it you find everything satisfactory?" her voice was steady, but Chris had learned to hear the smile in her voice, no matter how small, or well-hidden, the smile was. Turning towards her, the white mask gleaming in stark contrast to the dimly lit room, Chris nodded enthusiastically which earned him a half smile from Erika. "Well I'm glad I'm not the only one who can enjoy my music room," her eyes shone proudly as they looked over all her prized possessions. When her gaze landed upon Chris once more, Erika became slightly more rigid and said, "Dinner is ready. I suggest you come and eat," before walking out of the room.

Chris slowly walked back out into the sitting room, closing the door softly behind him. Shaking his head and smiling at her obvious lack of social skills, Chris followed Erika's retreating figure through the third door.

(The recipe used here was of my own design. I just figured it would be something quick and easy to make. I don't know if it actually works like that, but hey. Whatever. And as for how the kitchen and light source worked, I'm sure if that's entirely accurate either. Let me know if I should change something or if I got something wrong. :3)