A/N: Once again, sorry for the wait. We've had some horrible electrical storms here, which means the computer stays unplugged. I hate lightning with a passion. Grrrrr. I would swear the weather has PMS this week. Ah, well. At least we're back online for a little while. Thanks to my loving reviewers who thought it was funny that Christine seems jealous (their words, not mine, but it did help to kill the writer's block as you can see by the sheer size of this chapter).

Erik: Don't you eat anything besides leftover pizza and Ramen noodles?

Me: What part of college student don't you understand?

Erik: sigh

Me: Well, on with the story.

Chapter 13

Dawn was the first to wake. It was late afternoon and she was disoriented at first. Then, she felt someone beside her. For a moment, she held really, really still, trying to decipher who it was. Then, her memory surfaced. Erik. She was with Erik.

Sometime during the night, she'd rolled onto her stomach. Her head was laying on Erik's chest and both of Erik's arms had curled protectively around her. She could feel his breath stirring her hair slightly and his ribs moved gently beneath her head. She was laying diagonal, her head and arms laying on him but her knees tucked in almost in the fetal position. Both arms were spread, embracing Erik. Dawn couldn't help but smile. It was the best she'd slept since she'd been here. Squishie was on Erik's other side with her head laying on Erik's stomach like a pillow. Beside her, the three puppies were all there with their faces buried against her. She was in absolutely no hurry to move; besides Erik still being here, the room was the perfect temperature, she was warm, and she was comfortable the way she was. Nearby, her iPod, always playing, sang "Hanging by a Moment" by Lifehouse. She grinned as line "I'm standing here until you make me move" came on.

She felt Erik's breathing change, which meant he'd woken up. For a moment, he tensed. Apparently, he'd worried about this all being a dream, too. Realizing that the weight of Dawn's head over his heart wasn't a dream, his hand moved to stroke her hair. She listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat for a moment, eyes closed. Eventually, they would have to move and they both knew it. Squishie took the initiative and jumped on both of them, giving them bad-breath doggy kisses. Dawn peeled the fluffy little monster off of her.

"Okay, okay, we get it," Dawn told her, "enough already."

Squishie wagged her tail.

"I would stay," Erik told her, "but I have some Opera House matters to attend to."

Dawn held out her arms to him. Erik held her for a moment before giving her a kiss. The familiar euphoria rose within his spirit.

"Have fun," Dawn teased, watching him go through the mirror. She went into the washroom to change her clothes and retrieved the dog leashes.

The dogs were happy to be outside. Dawn let them off their leashes for a little bit and they ran around and chased each other. Then, she took them back inside to feed them.

"Hello, dearest Dawn," a familiar but unpleasant voice said. Dawn whipped around. Jacques was standing in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Oh, uh, hi," Dawn said uneasily. The dogs started growling and they all stood in front of Dawn.

"Easy, you hairy little beasts," Jacques told them, "I won't touch her."

They went back to eating, but were still wary of him.

"What are you still doing here?" Dawn asked.

"I am a good friend of Andre's," Jacques said, smiling nastily, "I am entitled to certain privileges."

Dawn gave him a Look and poured herself a cup of coffee.

"I do hope you won't hold last night against me," Jacques said casually, "I was a little tipsy last night from the champagne."

"Just don't repeat it." Dawn stirred in her cream and sugar and tasted it. She tossed the spoon into the sink and downed half of it in one swallow.

Jacques allowed his snobbish mask to drop for a moment.

"Oh, Hell," he cursed, "it's not going to work for you, is it? You're not like other women."

Dawn stared at him over the rim of her cup. She put it down on the counter with more force than was necessary.

"What are you talking about?" Dawn asked, sounding slightly offended.

"It's my blasted father," he said irritably, "he wants me to be married soon, but I don't want to get married right now. Last night was only an act. I didn't mean to cause so much trouble."

Dawn grinned.

"Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes. Two creams and a sugar, please."

Dawn handed him the cup.

"You're not a very good actor," Dawn teased, "you actually made yourself look more insecure when you pushed."

She meant to make Jacques laugh, but he gave her a dark look. Her smile faltered. She got up to rummage through the cabinets for some leftovers.

"I'm sorry you're having such a hard time," she said, discovering a loaf of bread and some fresh fruit in a bowl, "but why can't you just tell your dad to back off? You're a full-grown man for God's sakes."

"I wish I could," he sighed, "but if I do it, I will lose my inheritance."

Dawn sat back down with her food.

"So what? Get a job."

Jacques folded his arms and looked at her as if she'd suddenly sprouted snakes for hair.

"Your society is so freaking messed up," Dawn complained, "I've never seen a group of people so worried about appearances and money. Isn't there always something you wanted to do?"

"I wanted to be a chef," Jacques lamented, "but my parents disapproved. They said I was to grow up and be a proper gentleman and that cooking was for servants only."

Dawn shook her head.

"Listen, Jack," she said, not able to pronounce his name correctly anyway, "if you want to be a chef, then be a chef. Go to school and learn how to cook. Follow your heart. You have to stop taking orders from mom and dad someday."

"I already know some secrets," he admitted, "our kitchen maids would give me cooking lessons when I was a child and my parents were away from home...which was quite a bit...but where will I find a job?"

"Well, our cook's about to leave. She didn't like Squishie much, but now that Squish has had puppies, she really is ticked. Let's ask Andre and Firmin if they'll hire you."

"They would not agree to that," Jacques objected. Dawn grinned an evil, plotting grin.

"Yes, they will."

"How do you know?"

Dawn grinned, hearing a shriek of surprise down the hall.

"Believe me," she said mysteriously, "I have my ways."

True to Dawn's word, Jacques was still reeling from shock when all of his things were moved to the opera house a week later.

"Now do you believe me?" Dawn asked.

"I cannot thank you enough!" Jacques picked Dawn up in a bear-hug.

"I'll say we're even if you stop trying to break me in half," Dawn gasped.

"Agreed." Jacques let her go and went to see his new room. Dawn inhaled deeply, thanking God for the luxury of oxygen. She watched Squishie and her puppies in the grass for a little while. They didn't have their leashes on, but Squishie kept them rounded up for the time being. The puppies had been weaned and were doing well. Dawn knew she'd have to find homes for them soon. They'd probably just end up being the opera house mascots.

The next carriage to arrive was one Dawn had seen many times: Raoul and Christine. Raoul came out first and paused to watch the hired men drag Jacques's things inside.

"What's going on here?" Raoul asked Dawn.

"We got a new cook," Dawn said, "that comes from a very well-off family. Our other one didn't like me very much and she hated Squishie, so it's better this way."

Raoul helped Christine out.

"How goes married life?" Dawn asked casually, trying to keep her voice nonchalant.

"It goes very well," Raoul said, knowing she was just making small talk, "I see Squishie's puppies are doing well."

"Yeah. We're working on finding homes for them. If not, we'll just keep them here," Dawn said, "they're very well-trained and they're the one thing the managers haven't griped me out over."

"Erik doesn't mind?" That remark was from Christine. Dawn felt what she referred to as the "record scratch expression" cross her face for a moment.

"Nope. He loves them."

Dawn's voice was a little more icy than she meant to sound.

"How are things with you and Erik?" Christine asked, returning the coldness.

"Fine," Dawn said quickly, "I think Andre and Firmin are expecting you guys."

Christine and Dawn tried to smile at each other, but beneath the formalities, heated flames were burning in Dawn's dark eyes.

"May I ask what that was about?" Meg asked when Christine and Raoul had gone.

"I think our diva has a case of the green-eyed monster," Dawn said, crossing her arms.

Meg looked puzzled.

"She's jealous," Dawn said angrily, "but it's her fault for letting him go in the first place. I'm tired of being good and pretending it's not going on because it is. I'm tired of getting those looks all the time. She pretends that she's afraid for my safety, but what she's really worried about is that Erik's going to forget her for good."

Meg said nothing through Dawn's rant session.

"I've known Christine for a very long time," she said when Dawn had quieted, "and she believes herself to be entitled to certain things. I believe Erik's attention is one of those things. She will never love him romantically, but she enjoys the attention and doesn't want you to get in the way."

Dawn's expression soured.

"Well, it's too late," Dawn grumbled, "he's mine and I'm his and we're equals."

They stayed outside on the steps for a few moments before returning inside. Neither of the young women knew what was happening.

Christine had managed to slip away from Raoul, claiming that she needed to use the bathroom. He let her go and continued to talk to Jacques, who was being a lot more of himself now that he didn't have to pretend to be a rich snob. She dashed right past her feigned destination and to the old dressing room. She hoped the entrance was still there and the way was still the same. Every lick of common sense that she had seemed to leave her-- she knew she shouldn't come down here again. She knew that she could potentially walk into a trap or get lost. She had no idea how Erik would react to her presence. And yet, she still kept going.

Despite the summer heat, it was chilly down here. Christine came to the edge of the water. Hoping it wasn't too deep, she took off her shoes and gathered her skirts until they bunched around her waist. Then, she descended into the frigid water. It came up to her thighs. By the time she had made into the central chamber, her legs were going numb, but she knew she'd found the right place. The canoe was still there.

Christine drew in a deep breath. How was she going to get in? The gate was closed. She'd have to figure out another way.

She waded past the gate and discovered a crevice in the wall. It was just large enough for her to squeeze through. She wondered how long that had been there.

Carefully, she eased herself through, but still managed to get a few scratches from the jagged edges of the stone. Hissing in pain, she emerged into the chamber.

Yes, he was still here. She could hear his organ music flowing out from where he was. The candles were all still lit, guttering when a breeze came along. The last time she'd been down here, she'd been frightened. This was more like the first time when she'd been feeling so enchanted. She knew she wasn't supposed to be here and the odds of her finding her way back up to the surface were slim because the directions were rapidly fading from her mind. She felt a childish impulse to giggle as all children do when they're doing something they know they're not supposed to. It was forbidden.

But it was so intoxicating.

She decided that she wouldn't try to get the Phantom's attention. She would only try to get a glimpse of him, then she'd leave and he'd never know she was here.

But how? If she risked getting up out of the water, he'd hear her. She cursed herself, remembering how good his hearing was. If anything was out of the ordinary, he would know.

Erik paused in playing his organ. His stomach had twitched, a sensation that wasn't normal to him. Although he could hear no sound, he could feel a breath being held somewhere. But where was that coming from? He sensed another presence in his chamber, and it definitely wasn't Dawn. Dawn's presence was calm, relaxed, and comforting as well as strong. This presence had a dash of fear to it, a bubble of excitement.

Christine.

His thoughts worked rapidly, trying to figure out what to do. Should he draw attention to the fact that he knew she was there? Or maybe just keep playing and pretend he didn't notice. In the end, Erik didn't exactly get a choice.

It started with the barking of Dawn's dogs. That was how he knew she was on her way. She knew multiple ways to get down here without having to go through the lake. Even then, they didn't usually bark although he could hear their claws clicking on the stone.

Dawn's footsteps were getting more audible behind them.

Fear filled Christine. What was she going to say if Dawn caught her? She was going to try and cross the lake, but Dawn's footsteps indicated that someone would see her if she moved from her hiding place in the shadows. She was stuck here.

"Guess what? We're all set! Jacques moved in today," Dawn announced as she descended the stairs, "I sure hope he's a better cook than that other one. Raoul and Christine are here, too, but Christine's been gone for a long time."

She turned to the barking dogs.

"What is your problem? You've all been down here before," Dawn scolded them. Instead of quieting however, Squishie and the pups took off. Christine, fearing that she would be caught, started to run. Unfortunately, one of Erik's traps got her and she was yanked beneath the water. She floundered around, but she couldn't get back up because her foot was caught in something. Dots exploded in front of her eyes and she felt herself begin to go unconscious. No one would ever find her now... she hoped Raoul could forgive her.

Just then, her hand brushed against a furry little body. Squishie, she guessed.

"What the Hell?" Dawn shouted when Squishie had jumped into the water, trying to get Dawn's attention. Dawn took her shoes off and dove in after her. A hand grabbed Dawn's shirt, scaring the crap out of her for a second. She went under the water. It was too dark to see who it was, but she knew it was a woman by the skirts billowing out. Her foot was caught in something. Dawn fumbled around until she felt the mechanism release. She grabbed the woman by the back of her dress and hauled her up.

It had happened so fast that Erik didn't have time to react. He was still standing there, wondering what was going on when Dawn resurfaced. She came up, coughing and spluttering, dragging the unconscious person with her. With Erik's help, she got her out of the water. Just as Dawn rolled back onto the stone surface, she made a face.

"Of course, it would be her," Dawn said irritably.

Erik turned the motionless figure over.

"Christine," he said softly, surprise and old pain in his voice.

Dawn sighed. She rammed a fist into Christine's back, much rougher than was necessary. Christine coughed and a stream of water poured out of her mouth. She came to, gasping and coughing. Erik went to get her a blanket to wrap up in.

"All right, start talking," Dawn said angrily. Christine looked up at her, her face going white.

"What are you doing down here?" Dawn asked, trying to be grateful she was okay and not lose her temper.

Erik returned with the red blanket that had been on the swan bed. Gently, he put it around her shoulders. She accepted it gratefully.

"Well?" Dawn demanded.

Instead of answering her question, she turned around to Erik, wrapped both arms around him, and buried her face his shoulder. Erik was too surprised to really react, but Dawn's face turned hot red. Squishie, sensing her owner's apprehension, began to growl.

Erik gently disentangled himself from Christine's grip.

"Why did you come here?" he asked her, not having his usual bad-tempered episode when someone managed to find their way down here.

"I came to see you," Christine admitted numbly, shivering more from fear and embarrassment than cold.

Questions burned in his eyes, which were now more blue than green, but they were gradually turning gold, meaning his anger would take over any second.

"Do you realize how dangerous these basements are? You could have landed in the other traps and no one would know where to find you!" Erik scolded her. Tears began to pour down Christine's face.

"Why will you let her come down here, but not me?" Christine sounded like a child.

"For your information," Dawn snapped, "I have a map and I've also memorized where all these traps are. You just came down here on blind faith that nothing bad was going to happen to you. Does Raoul have any idea where you are?"

Christine shook her head miserably. She was going to be found out and she knew it. He would probably take this the wrong way and be angry with her. The others would probably notice that something was wrong, too.

Dawn saw Erik's anger deflate, but hers did not. Before Erik could embrace her, she yanked Christine away by one arm.

"Listen, let's get something straight right now," Dawn said firmly, "you made a decision, now you stick with it! You've got your man, I've got mine. I don't believe in sharing. I'm sick of you treating me like I'm not good enough, so cut the crap already! I may not be one of society's roses, but at least I can get by on what I have and what I know. I don't need everything handed to me because I work for it. I don't care if you and Erik are friends, I really don't. But I don't want you trying to take him away from me. I'm not a woman who goes around paranoid all day, but I know a slight when I see one. If I see it again, I won't be responsible for my actions."

Surprise had never showed on Erik's face the way it did now. Christine looked severely embarrassed by Dawn's blunt accusations. She huddled beneath the blanket as her face slowly changed to match its color.

Erik had never seen an interaction between two women like this before. He dared not interfere: he feared that Dawn's anger would prove to be a match for his.

Dawn turned to Erik, but she showed no anger towards him, only grave seriousness.

"I'm gonna take her back upstairs, okay?"

He nodded numbly.

Dawn yanked the red blanket off of Christine's shoulders.

"Sorry, but if they see that, they're going to know where it came from. The last thing you need is to get into trouble with those guys up there," she said, sounding more like an angry mother than an angry girlfriend. She grabbed Christine's arm and yanked her up the stairs. Erik watched them both go, emotions tumbling and conflicting with each other rapidly rising into his soul.

"Could you please let go?" Christine asked as Dawn continued her relentless pace up the stairs. Dawn's grip was unnecessarily tight on her arm.

"Not now! I'm trying to think of something to tell the guys so that Erik's not being blamed for this," Dawn snapped. Christine fell silent other than her panting from the physical exertion.

They emerged through the mirror in Dawn's room. Dawn roughly shoved Christine down in a chair and yanked her hairpins loose. She scrubbed at Christine's hair with a towel before brushing it out.

"You really love him, don't you?" Christine couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, I do," Dawn said irritably, rifling through her wardrobe to find a dress that might fit Christine, "I'd do whatever it takes to protect him. Even when he's mad, I'm not afraid of him. And I know what it's like to wake every day and wonder why the world hates you for something you can't help."

She found a light blue dress that would probably look good on Christine and handed it to her. She also gave her a towel for her soaked skin.

"I don't know what we're going to do for shoes," Dawn told her, "my feet are way bigger than yours. I guess we'll just have to get your ballet slippers, but that dress is long enough that no one would notice."

Christine poked her head around the side of the changing screen.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked suspiciously.

Dawn folded her arms across her chest.

"Because I don't like getting people in trouble," she said firmly, "and because I'm older and I've already been through all this stuff. I know what it's like to second-guess things. And I know what it's like to be a woman in general. I don't want Raoul being mad at you and I don't want him being mad at Erik. If they find out that you were down there, Raoul will never let you out of the house again because he's trying to protect you. Andre and Firmin will sick the police force on Erik again and I don't want him to be arrested or killed. They're going to question both of us and dig into details we don't want to give them. So I'm trying to help everyone. Not to mention that your name will be in the papers if they find out you've been down there again."

Dawn was surprised at just how much like her mother she sounded. Christine finished changing and came out.

"It's a little bit big, but not enough to matter," Dawn observed, "let's go find Raoul. And maybe a hot drink. Your skin's almost as blue as the dress."

Upon finding Raoul, Christine and Dawn presented him with a story of how she'd accidentally fallen into a washtub that someone had left in the hallway and how Christine had slipped and hit her head, knocking her out for a while. Dawn assured Raoul that she'd be fine with some rest and some hot tea. After getting her a cup, the happy couple went on their way to take Christine home to bed.

"Whew," Dawn breathed, collapsing onto a chair in the kitchen, "man, am I glad that's over!"

"She didn't really fall in a washtub, did she?" Jacques asked. Since they'd talked in the kitchen the morning after the masque, she and Jacques were becoming close friends.

"No," Dawn admitted, "she went downstairs trying to find Erik and got herself caught in one of his traps. I just didn't want to make a big deal out of it."

Jacques poured her a cup of hot tea and she accepted it gratefully.

"You must really love Erik to put up with her," Jacques said, cutting up some vegetables.

"I do," Dawn said, "I'd do anything for him and anything he asked. Sometimes things he doesn't, like protecting him. The question is, can I protect him from himself."

The tea was still too hot to drink, but Dawn swallowed some anyway, paying attention to the burn from her throat to her stomach. It felt like a reality check after the strange, almost dream-like quality of the situation.

"I'm glad it's Sunday," Dawn commented, "if this had happened on a practice day, I think I'd keel over from exhaustion."

She stirred her tea, letting it cool. Jacques playfully smacked at her hand when she reached for a bite-sized piece of potato.

"I won't have any vegetables left for tonight's dinner if you keep taking them," he teased, letting her have it.

"Oh, come on," Dawn scoffed, "I'm going to be the one dancing tomorrow. Madame Giry's making sure I burn off all the stuff I eat anyway."

Jacques grinned.

"Yes. Then you'll fall asleep in your plate just like last time."

Dawn stuck her tongue out at him.

"I was sleeping BESIDE my plate, for your information!"

He wasn't sure why he did it, but he kissed her. Dawn jerked backwards, awkwardly falling out of the chair she was sitting on.

"Hey, now," Dawn protested, "I hope that was just meant to shut me up."

"It was," Jacques said awkward, flushing bright red.

"Well, it worked," Dawn teased, "but I wouldn't do it again. Next time, I might have a rolling pin in my reach."

Jacques grinned again, the awkwardness seeping out of the moment.

"You wouldn't dare use my own tools against me!"

"Oh, yes I would! I once rolled up a page of sheet music and whacked Erik over the head with it," Dawn cautioned him, laughing.

After their verbal sparring match was over, Dawn went back upstairs. The day's events had drained her energy and she knew she needed to rest for tomorrow. Just as she entered her room and closed the door, Erik emerged from the mirror.

"Dawn," he said awkwardly, his heart in his throat, "are you angry with me?"

"Should I be?" she responded sarcastically.

Erik squirmed and she held out her arms for him.

"No," she said truthfully, "I'm not."

He hugged her gratefully.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," she said, "I could tell at the Masque party that she wasn't exactly thrilled with us being together."

"Most of them weren't," he reminded her.

She kissed him.

"I brought the dogs back," Erik told her.

"Thanks."

Another kiss, although this one was more heated. Alien sensations were surging through Erik's body. Dawn sensed it, but she wasn't entirely sure she wanted it to stop.

No, Erik thought, I want her. I want her so much, but not here. Not like this. Not where we constantly have to worry about-

His thoughts were cut short by a knock. Erik dashed back into the mirror and closed it just as the door opened. To his relief, it was only Meg.

"The costume makers are taking measurements today," Meg said, "why are you so flushed?"

Dawn hurriedly opened a window.

"It's kind of warm in here," she lied. Giving the mirror an apologetic look, she left with Meg.

Erik felt all of the air drain out of his lungs. He was going to have to gain some self-control and he knew it.

Dawn may have been different than other women, but she deserved something special. It had been a year since they'd met. He wondered vaguely if it had been long enough.

The ring he'd gotten for Christine was gone. He couldn't remember what he'd done with it, but in its place was a new ring, a gold band with a heart-shaped diamond in the center. He toyed with it as he made his way back downstairs.

He wondered if he should even consider asking.