Here is the new chapter. Thank you Darkgemwildcat for for reviewing the last chapter. I hope my loyal reviewers/ readers are still enjoying my story. A big thanks to my BETAer Honeyphan, (I still can't do her pen name). The title of the chapter the title of a Christmas carol. I own nothing, but the plot and the orignal characters that are not from Phantom of the Opera. I hope you enjoy.

Raoul rode through the country estate on an old gray mare. The four day journey from Paris had taken more out of him than he thought as he looked around the grounds. Despite the autumn weather, the whole estate seemed lively and untouched by war. Back in Paris, he had felt the tension in the air whenever he strode aound the streets. He and his escort had even slowed their pace and taken side roads the entire trip to avoid unnecessary confrontation with the German troops. Now here on his family's land, he felt the familiar air of his childhood unaffected by the political turmoil in Paris. Why was mother so concerned? Everything seems to be well in hand here.

Out of the corner of his eye, Raoul caught sight of a lone carriage being taken into the stable. Digging his heels in the horse's sides, he trotted toward it. He halted and swung down and handed the reins to one of the stable boys.

"Merci, and who has just arrived?"

The stable boy looked over at the others attending to the horses and carriage. "Oh, it's the Comte's brother I believe, Monsieur."

Raoul nodded, but something nagged at the back his mind. Neither of his parents had spoken about his uncle coming for a visit. He hurried out of the stable and began to ascend the stairs to the chateau. In the main foyer, all the walls and floors were polished and carpeted stairwells contrasted the small cramped tenement he stayed in while in the city.

He watched as servants hurried past going about their tasks without a word to him. It seemed like a lifetime ago that he had been in this house, but now he could not call it home. The desire to be close to Christine, to hear news of her heath had not stopped growing. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, still unable to refuse his father's command to stay. What could he do? Off to the right, a set of large oak doors opened as his mother stepped out.

A warm smile spread across her face. "Ah there you are, my son. Where have you been? Oh never mind, come your uncle Jarrett has just arrived."

Raoul looked over at the open door. "Oui, of course. I was just out riding." And was not informed of his visit.

His mother nodded. "Oui. Now your father and uncle are waiting and I must attend to other matters." She turned to leave, paused, and looked back at him. "And I am sorry you have not heard anything of your…fiancée. But no matter you are home now and I'm certain she will be back soon. But please do not speak of her in front your uncle…any mention of engagements are painful for him."

Without another word, she turned and walked up the stairs and out of sight. Raoul stared after her and sighed. A long conversation with his father and uncle was not an event he was longing to do. He turned and walked into the parlor, the scent of wine and cigar smoke filling the air.

He gave a small nod. "Good afternoon, Father, Uncle Jarrett. You honor us with such a surprised visit."

An older man stood and smiled. "Ah, there he is, my favorite nephew. How are you my boy? I hear you have been in Paris for the past few months."

"Oui, that's true. It was a very entertaining trip, thought I must admit I was waiting for-"

The Comte stood up. "Well you must be wondering why I asked you to come home."

Raoul paused and glanced over at his father. Did his father think he did not understand his reasons for summoning him home? He cleared his throat. "Mother wrote it was because she and you were getting nervous about the damned Germans."

"That is part of it, but-"

"Oh come now Philippe let us not talk of such things when I have just arrived. Come, Raoul, and tell your dear old uncle of your time in Paris."

Raoul nodded and took a seat in a chair beside his uncle and began to tell all his stories. Soon his mind began to wander back to Christine and his mother. He glanced over at his uncle, his mother's words running through his mind. Why was his uncle so upset about engagements? No it did not matter because soon he and Christine would be together.

XxX

"I'm tired." Christine paused on the uneven path and shivered. Away from the burning church, the early night air felt damp and cool. She hugged herself for warmth and took in her surroundings. Tall almost bare trees encircled her on all sides. The last rays of sunlight shone through the braches. Her heart quickened at the view around her, unable to remember the last time she had seen such a sight. All she could remember were dark rooms or high walls which held her inside. Once more, she shivered and tried to focus on her surroundings.

A shadow in the distance caught her attention and she felt her knees grow weak as she remembered who had saved her. They had been walking in silence since they had escaped the church, a few hours ago. She still could not understand why she had gone with Erik. Her mind feared him, but somewhere inside she knew she could trust him to keep her safe.

Christine turned away from the figure. No, that is how the devil works gaining trust only to destroy you. She felt her back stiffen as the man turned to her.

"Are you all right?" He took a few steps toward her, but paused a safe distance away.

She nodded and stifled a yawn. "Oui, I'm…fine, Monsieur."

The man stared at her. "Monsieur? What happened to using my name?"

She glanced over at him and glared. "Like you use mine?"

Christine watched the man stiffen before he looked away. He seemed to be trying to find the right words, but in the weak light it was hard to know for certain. He shifted the cape slung under his shoulder and looked back down the path. "I know you are tired, but we must keep going. I believe there is a stream close by."

"You are ignoring my question….why do you almost always refuse to use my name."

"I hardly see the point in this argument." He turned and began to walk further through the woods as though there was no point in discussing the matter further.

Christine coughed and scowled at his retreating form. Why is he so distant? How can he just walk away after saving my life?

She shook her head. Even when they were connected there were times when she never understood his actions. She took a deep breath and continued to follow him further into the forest, the last rays of sunlight growing fainter every minute. After all the chaos at the church, the whole forest seemed eerily quiet except for her feet moving over rocks and fallen branches.

Twigs caught at the hem of her gown and ripped it, but she paid no attention as she continued. Her eyes kept glancing over at the waning sunlight and she gulped. She could not be in the darkness again natural or not. Once more, she found herself quickening her pace over the rough terrain, but never seemed to catch the infamous Phantom. Only the sound of something clanking together signaled that he was still there in front of her.

She opened her mouth to call to him, but paused. What if he did not want wish to talk? In all the few conversations she seemed to only be a bother to him. How can he be so cold…that mons-ouch

Christine pulled away, staring directly at his back. She had been so lost in her thoughts she had literally bumped into him when he stopped. Rubbing her head, she glanced around and heard the sound of rushing water behind him. Fear and relief ran through her as she looked around at the increasing darkness. She opened her mouth, but Erik cut her off. "We'll set up camp here."

"Here?"

"Oui." He swung the sack down and winced.

A small bit of concern filled Christine, but Erik brushed her off with a dismissive wave of his hand. Once more, she frowned at him and pointed to the sack. "What is in there?"

"Just insurance." Erik stood and walked a little further away, his footsteps fading.

Christine shivered and wrung the small cloth nervously in her hands. Would he just leave her here? Leave her to fend for herself like her father and everyone else in her life had done? She looked down and saw a white imprint around her finger where her engagement ring once sat. Vague memories of Raoul swept through her mind…the last time she saw him was through a half opened door talking to a strange man.

She tried in vain to remember the snippets of the conversation she had heard, but none of it came back. She sighed in frustration and looked around for Erik. The increasing darkness kept moving in around her, almost suffocating. She tried to call out, but she found she had no voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a flickering light a little further in the woods. She jumped as a hand slid onto her shoulder.

"It's all right." Erik lowered his hand, turned, and picked up the sack again, wincing.

"Are you…?" Christine's voice trailed off as he again waved away her concern. Taking her hand again, he said, "Come."

She pulled her hand away and gestured around them. "I thought you said we were camping here?"

"It is better to be far away from main paths and being right next to a stream is one of a main path some travelers."

Again, he took her hand and led her further into the forest until they came to a small clearing with a lit fire. Christine sighed in relief, the heat warm against her even as she stared at it. She glanced over at him, opened her mouth, and paused. His silhouette was of a man who would not tolerate the fears of a little girl. He continued to look straight ahead and moved over to the fire. He set the sack down, the same clanking noise sounding as it hit the ground.

Christine moved and pointed to the sack. "What is in there?"

Erik threw some more twigs into the fire. "Just some insurance."

"What does that mean?"

Erik looked over his shoulder at her. "Just as I said - insurance."

Christine stared at him then at the fire. "How did you do this?"

A smirk spread across his face. "I was known for a while as a magician, my dear."

Christine frowned, but nodded. Oui, Satan's demons can be anything they want. She shook her head and tried to get the staff's words out of her mind as she stared into the flames. The firelight cast an uneasy feeling about her as she remembered the church set ablaze. Despite the heat of the fire, she shivered and hugged herself for more warmth.

"So, where are we going?"

Erik glanced over at her as though he'd been shaken from his own thoughts. "What?"

"Where… are we going?" She felt her voice tremble, her teeth chattering.

"Spain."

Christine blinked. "Spain? Why there?"

He stood up. "Where else can we go?"

Christine opened her mouth, but he only turned and walked away. The sounds of the forest grew louder the longer she waited. Yet, the noises gave her a sense of comfort as she remembered her childhood. As a struggling traveling musician, her father and she had spent many nights alone with only the fellow forest creatures to keep them company on long nights. It had been a very lonely childhood at times, but her father had always been with her to protect and comfort her. She glanced up and stared through the trees, catching a faint glimpse of the stars above. Christine closed her eyes and sent a silent prayer to her father for his protection. She knew it was childish, but she could not help herself.

Staring at the fire, she felt her body grow weary, her eyelids heavy. She looked around, but Erik still had not returned. She knew she should wait for him, but her body would not obey. Lying down, she curled her arm under her head and closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of nature and the crackling flames as she thought over her last conversation with Erik. Why is he so distant? And why must we travel to Spain? Those were her last conscious thoughts before she fell asleep.

XxX

She felt the rough hands pinning her down on the mattress. Loud and crazy voices echoed around her through the darkness, suffocating her. Through the chaos, she kept hearing the words: devil, spawn of Satan, a monster. She tried to remember her earlier years when she had an angel's protection, but there had been no real angel. It had all been a dream of a foolish and lonely girl. The scene shifted and she was by the fire beside the very monster himself. His fierce blue eyes stared back at her, contrasting the orange flames behind him. He did not speak to her, always so distant from her. Yet, the image changed and she heard him curse and scream.

Her eyes snapped open to the sound of another curse. She sat up, looking around her. The fire had just begun to die down though the night was still hanging about them. Beside her, she heard Erik curse. She tried to get up, but something caught her attention, a flash of silver caught in the firelight. Where had they gotten such a treasure? Another low scream broke into her thoughts. She turned and saw the silhouette of a young boy, his arm caught in Erik's tight grip. He must have heard something and woken up to find the boy intruding on the camp.

Erik growled, his face unmasked, and stared down at the young boy. "What were you doing you little thief?"

The young boy trembled. "No..nothing."

"You do see why I have a hard time believing that."

The boy simply stared at him and tried to break away from Erik's fierce hold. From the firelight, Christine saw a head of brown and green eyes attached to a thin body covered in urchin cloths. A part of his right sleeve was stained with something dark. Christine gulped and watched the boy struggling. "What has he done?"

Erik turned toward her. "He was-"

He doubled over, holding his stomach as the boy darted around the fire, his blue eyes shining. Christine glanced down and moved in front of the silver, but the boy shoved passed her with surprising strength, knocking her down. She winced as she fell onto the cold ground, her hands scraping against the dried leaves. Behind her, she heard the boy's retreating footsteps as he ran into the dark forest.

She shook her head and pushed herself up and nodded to Erik's quick questions of her well being, before he ran after the young boy. Christine looked after them and shivered. What would Erik do when he found the thief? Quickly, she jumped up, grabbed a flaming stick, and ran after them. Using the small torch to light her way, she moved through the forest with haste. All the horrible things Erik was capable of ran through her mind. The sound of a struggle in the distance caught her attention as she looked around and ran toward the noise. The light of the torch cast a dim glow around the two struggling on the ground while the cape and silver item were tossed aside.

Christine looked back at Erik. "What was he doing?"

Erik did not look at her. "This little thief was trying to steal from us." He pulled the boy closer to him. "Are there others?"

The boy winced and shook his head. "Non, I…swear, Monsieur."

"And should I believe you, you filthy-"

"Let him go. He's hurt." Christine took a step toward the pair. "He hasn't got the silver or anything else. Let him go."

"Don't be fooled my dear. Thieves are known for their trickery."

"But-"

The boy shook his head again, a growl of irritation and fear in his voice. "I'm not…a thief…Monsieur please let me go."

Erik glared at the boy, watching him tremble.

"Monsieur, please…"

Erik glanced over at Christine, ignoring the child's pleas. "We can't stay here. We have to move."

"What about the boy?"

Erik looked between them. "We shall take him with us."

The boy opened his mouth, but lowered his eyes to the ground. Erik dragged the child and the sack back toward the encampment, the firelight glinting against the dark landscape.

He glanced back at Christine. "I left a bucket of water on the other side. Could you douse the fire?"

Christine's eyebrows knitted together. "Why?"

"We have to move now."

"What do you mean?"

"Just do as I say."

Christine said nothing and moved to where he had instructed, but her eyes never left him. Erik set the sack down and removed his lasso from the cloak, tying it around the child's wrists. Dousing the flames, the small group was enclosed by darkness except for the stars above the trees. Christine felt her heart beat faster as she looked around for any large source of light except for the torch she still held. She listened as Erik picked up the sack, swung it over his shoulder, and grunted in pain.

"What's wr-?"

"I'm fine." Erik took hold of the rope and glanced back at Christine. "Did you get enough sleep?"

Christine nodded. Despite her body protesting with sore limbs and exhaustion, she would not allow herself to be weak. And the dreams….every time she closed her eyes she dreamt of the same horrible events. She took a deep breath, pushing the old fears away. Turning, she followed Erik and their small new acquaintance deeper into the forest, the firelight from the torch shoving away the darkness.

Well there it is. Please review and let me know what you think, good, bad, any critics would be most helpful. I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)