Disclaimer: I do not own the Phantom of the Opera or the Little Mermaid. I only own some of the minor characters and the idea.

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Chapter 14: Preparations

xXx Christine

The first thing I thought when I woke up was 'I am in a lot of pain.' My whole body is sore and it hurts to move. Then I remembered…

Erik; strong, powerful, sensual, beautiful. He is everything I have ever wanted.

I came to his room while dinner was in session to look out at the ocean. I was a safe distance away where my father wouldn't be able to see me. I started thinking about which life I belonged in, this one or my past one.

I was born a mermaid, lived my whole life under the sea with my family. That is where I should be. But, Erik needs me and I need him. Everyone I have talked to here has told me how much he adores me and how much he has changed since I came along. How can I leave him? How can I not go home?

As I was lost in thought the sun was starting to set. I felt to arms wrap around me from behind. I hadn't noticed that I was crying until Erik started to brush the tears away with his thumbs. I felt embarrassed, but I had to tell him what I was thinking about.

He kissed me and I had my answer. His kiss told me how much he cares for me and how much he wants me. I began to deepen the kiss and before I knew it I was sitting on his bed with my dress at my waist. In my head everything was moving so fast, but in reality Erik was taking his time undressing me and seducing me.

The next thing I knew we were both completely bare and he was on top of me. His whole body was hard and muscular. The roughness of his body connecting with my soft, gentle one was very painful. He assured me the pain would ease and I believed him. It took a while for the pain to stop, but once it did it was all worth it for the amount of pleasure I received.

I cried out his name when I hit the ultimate pleasure and I heard him groan into my shoulder my name. Everything was perfect and we were both heated and sweaty from our embrace. We lay together and marveled in happiness.

I must have fallen asleep because I woke in pain and found myself in a large bed with the man I love. Erik's chest is to my back and his arms are around my waist holding me close. His leg is on top of mine and we are tangled together in his sheets.

He sounds like he is still asleep and his head is resting on my shoulder. I quietly and slowly turn to face him without getting into too much pain. Once I faced him I put my arms around his waist and leaned up to kiss him on his deformed cheek.

His eyes shot open and I could see fear in his eyes. When he realized it was me his eyes and muscles softened and he took a deep breath. I quietly said, "Happy Birthday Erik."

He looked into my eyes and I could tell he forgot it was his birthday today. "Well, you gave me the best birthday gift last night. I don't know how to thank you."

In answer I took his head in my hands and kissed him with as much passion as I gave him last night. He continued the passion by rolling me onto my back and holding me down with his body. He started moving the sheets out of the way and positioned himself at my entrance.

The pain was much less excruciating then last night and the pleasure overtook the pain. We made love again in the early morning with the sun in the sky and the noise of the workers preparing for the party. All I could hear was Erik's grunts and moans and my own sighs. All I felt were his thrusts into me, the feel of his arms encircling me and the pleasure he was giving me. This was the best morning of my life.

xXx

Once we decided to leave the comfort of Erik's bed, he grabbed a shirt and pair of trousers for himself and left the room to grab me a dress. When he returned he held one of the dresses he bought me that was royal blue. He helped me put it on and we made our way down to breakfast.

It was late in the morning so everyone had already had breakfast and all the workers were preparing for the birthday feast. Erik took my hand and brought me to the front hall. He asked one of the footmen to bring his horse around to the front. Once his horse was prepared and brought in front of us I gasped. His horse was larger than any of the other one's I saw. He was very muscular and looked fierce. Every inch of his surface was covered in black.

As I came closer to pet the animal I felt two hands grasp my hips and lift me. All of a sudden I was sitting on top of the beast with my legs hanging off the side. I didn't know how I was going to balance on this thing. Then Erik hoisted himself on behind me and wrapped his arms around my sides to grab a hold of the leather around the horse's neck. Erik was holding me in his arms and pressing me to his back while we rode through the paths that led to the town.

Once we reached the little restaurant that we held hands at for the first time, Erik removed himself from the horse and lifted his arms towards me. I slid from the horses back and into Erik's strong arms. One of the castle guards rode behind us on his horse and grabbed the leather attached to our horse to guide him alongside himself.

Erik took my hand again and guided me to a vacant table outside the café. As we sat a waiter came over to hand us some menus. After we ordered Erik just sat opposite me holding my hands and looking into my eyes. He looked peaceful and tranquil; he never wanted to let me go.

Our food was brought out and the waiter said, "There you go and Prince Erik, I would like to say Happy Birthday to you." The waiter bowed. The man was old for he had wrinkles and a short white beard with graying hair on his head. He looked to be a very sweet man.

"Thank you very much sir." Erik said, as polite as ever.

The waiter left and Erik and I started to eat our crepes. When we finished we got up, paid and left. We got back on the beast of a horse and made our way back to the castle.

As we approached the front steps Angela came out the front door and rushed towards me. She grabbed my arm and in a rush, said, "Something has arrived for you." She winked.

I knew what that meant. I smiled and rushed forward with her towards the doors. I quickly turned back to Erik and kissed him on the lips before leaving. Angela and I rushed up the stairs towards my room and opened the door to find a gorgeous white dress hanging on the dresser door in a clear protection bag. I rushed towards it, not believing that it was actually here and not believing it could be more beautiful. I almost ripped the bag off in my haste to put it on.

Before I could Angela grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the bathroom where a bath was prepared.

"You need to bathe first. I have some soap and flower petals by the tub and I will leave you to clean." she said as she went to leave.

I quickly removed my dress and underclothes and stepped into the bath. I took a cloth and soap to rub my body clean. As I made to clan my thighs I was still a bit sore and noticed red staining my inner thighs. At first I didn't know what it was, but then I realized it must have been from what Erik and I did last night and this morning. I blushed at the thought.

I stepped out of the bath and dried off with a larger cloth. At that moment Angela stepped in and helped me put on a chemise and silk robe. She then ushered me back into the main room and set me down in a chair by the mirror.

"I am going to do your hair and makeup. Then you are going to help me with mine and we will put on our dresses together. The party starts in a few short hours and we need to be presentable." Angela said as she started to comb my hair.

I was nervous about helping her with her hair and makeup. I have never worn make up, let alone put it on. I could try something with her hair. I used to play with Carrie's and Meg's hair for hours, braiding and twisting. She had Meg's hair so I didn't think it would be too difficult.

Angela took special care with my hair, brushing it until it was nice and smooth. My curls cascaded down my back in thick waves. She pulled back a few locks in the front on one side and grabbed the hair pin from its box. She slid the jewel into place and it shined in my hair.

She took much longer to do my makeup. I watched closely to see how she put on the powder, eye shadow, blush, mascara and lip stick. 'Why does any woman have to wear all of this stuff?' Once she finished, I looked into the mirror and almost didn't recognize myself. The powder covered the tiny freckles on my nose and the blush made my cheekbones stand out. The eye shadow Angela added on my eyelids was a dark color that matched the darker stones on my mask. It definitely brought out the color of my eyes. She added a black substance to my eyelashes that made them look longer and more striking. The lip stick that she added was a pale pink color that made my lips look juicy. I really hope Erik likes this.

Now that my hair and makeup were done, it was Angela's turn. After watching how she added my makeup I felt more confident on adding hers. I put the powder on first and then added the blush to her cheeks. It looked good so far. I went to grab the eye shadow and noticed there were many different colors to choose from. I was lost which one should I choose?

"I always use the golden brown color for my eyes, brings out the green. Also it will match my gold mask." Angela said before closing her eyes again.

She must have noticed I was having difficulty choosing so she told me what she wanted. I grabbed the brown eye shadow and took the little brush. I added a touch of the golden brown to her eyes before going onto the mascara. I was worried about this part. I didn't want to poke her in the eye while trying to brush her eyelashes. I was successful for Angela kept her eyes open for better access and made sure to be still. Last but not least I grabbed the lip stick.

"Wait, use this." Angela said as she grabbed a different stick. She opened it to show a redder lip color. "I only used the pale lip stick for you to match your complexion. I look better with a red lip stick. Makes my lips look fuller." She handed the red lipstick to me and I pressed it to her bottom lip. She pressed her lips together and then I added it to her upper lip. The red did make her lips look fuller and did look better on her. I looked in the mirror and knew that the lip stick she chose for me was perfect.

Angela looked at her reflection and I watched her closely to make sure I did a good job. She smiled and looked at me. "Thank you. I look great and so do you."

"Thank you." I said as I blushed.

I then grabbed the hair brush and made work on her hair. She truly has Meg's hair and it became easy to brush it. Her hair is much straighter than mine with calm, light waves. When I finished brushing her hair I started taking pins from a bowl on the table and piling her hair on top of her head in small braids. I made sure it looked elegant and not messy. The finishing look was extraordinary. She looked at her hair and her smile grew larger.

"How did you ever learn to do hair like this?" she said in awe.

"I always practiced on my sister and best friend's hair back home. We would come up with so many ideas, some good, some bad." The thought of Meg, Carrie and I sitting in my room braiding each other's hair and laughing hysterically brought tears to my eyes. Before my emotions could take over and ruin my makeup, Angela got up and grabbed her dress from the hook next to mine.

"Would you help me put this on?" she asked. "Then we will put yours on."

I agreed and helped her remove the scarlet satin from the protection. It was a dress with long sleeves that clung to her arms and stopped at her wrists and it had a low neckline covered with black beads. The dress went all the way past her ankles and to the floor. Once it was on her she looked radiant. The scarlet was a perfect color for her skin tone and it was covered with black diamonds and beads of lace. Once the buttons were all finished and it fit her perfectly, Angela grabbed my dress from its hook.

We removed it from the bag and I swear it looked better than the first time I saw it in the window. It was sheer material of white and light blue. I couldn't wait to put it on. Angela helped me step into it and buttoned the back of it. It was much simpler to put on for it didn't have a corset and it felt soft to my skin. It definitely showed off my breasts and clung to the curves of my body. It looked fantastic and I never wanted to take it off.

Angela came back from the closet and handed me something. I looked at it and they were white covers for my hands that went up to my elbows. They had tiny crystals in them also and fit perfectly. Angela put on her jewelry that she bought in town with me and grabbed her shoes. Her shoes were black to match the lace cover on her dress. Mine were a light blue to match the strips of blue in my dress.

Before we left the room to descend to the party we grabbed our masks from there special boxes and helped each other put them on. Angela's gold mask went perfectly with her dress and definitely made her green eyes shine. My mask was much darker than my dress, but they complimented each other.

As we stood and looked at our reflections I heard the announcer downstairs introduce the King and Queen to their guests. Then I heard a knock at the door. Angela went to open it and Keith stood there looking very handsome.

He had a simple black mask the covered forehead to lips and was wearing a black suit with a white vest and cravat.

"Angela it is time for me to escort you down." He said as he grabbed her hand. He looked at me then, "Erik gets introduced by himself since he is the… main attraction, I should say. I would gladly escort you as well."

I thought he was very polite, but I had to decline his offer. I wanted them to leave so I could find Erik and have a little alone time with him before the party. Just as I wished Angela and Keith left to attend the party and as they went down towards the stairs I made my way to Erik's bedroom.

As I made it there his door was closed so I knocked. There was no answer and before I decided to open his door I heard the announcer say, "Ladies and Gentlemen. I give you the newly twenty-six year old, the man we have come here to see, Prince Erik Destler II." There was a loud applause and I took my hand off the doorknob. I quickly made my way to the ballroom. I went through the hallways and finally made it to the staircase that leads down to the crowd.

In my rush to see Erik, I almost went down the stairs without getting introduced. A man put his hand on my shoulder and asked quietly, "Name, miss?"

"Christine, Christine Daae."

"Princess?" he asked for formalities.

I thought about it. I am a princess back home and Erik's family believes me to be a princess from some foreign country. I quickly nodded my head as I made it to the top stair. Before stepping down the announcer said, "Princess Christine Daae."

xXx Erik

After Christine ran off with Angela I quickly went to the music room to grab my musical score. Once I had it I immediately went towards the ballroom to find the musicians. As I came back to the front hall there were workers everywhere carrying tables, chairs and large boxes. I had no idea what could be in those boxes so I dismissed it and made my way to the ballroom.

As I came closer I saw the large doors were swung open for easy access and I strolled in. The room was already full of workers placing furniture in the right places and placing decorations around the room. As I looked around my father came over to me in a rush.

"Son, you shouldn't be here." He said as he gave directions to one of the workers walking up behind me.

"I know father. This will be quick. I just need to give this sheet music to the musicians." I said as I gestured at the leather binder I held.

"I will give it to them for you. What is this?" he said as he went to grab it from me.

"It is a surprise, but I do need to give it to the musicians myself to make sure they don't mess up." I said as I maneuvered around my father and headed over to the group of people setting up chairs and holding large instruments.

When I approached them they seemed flustered. I moved toward the man that looked to be the conductor. He saw me and quickly bowed and started faltering for words. I handed him my score and said,

"I would like to have this performed. It is one of my pieces of work and I need it to be perfect." I said.

The man opened it to scan through the pages. He looked back at me and smiled. "Of course, sir. When would you like us to play it?"

"I will let you know when the time is right." I said as I patted him on the shoulder. He saw the words and immediately knew that it was a love song. He seemed like he would do anything for love.

He quickly shook my hand and bowed. He then moved towards his musicians and handed them the piece so they could look it over. I had made copies of it so they could all have something to look at. As I watched them group together and talk about it I left and hoped to God that everything would go well.

I looked at the grandfather clock in the front hall and it chimed twelve times to tell the time. I made my way upstairs to find Keith.

He was in his bedroom looking over outfits. Sometimes he acted like a woman with his fashion and taking forever to get ready, but in the end he looked perfect. He turned to see me in his doorway and motioned for me to approach. I walked in and asked,

"What are you doing? The party doesn't start for another few hours."

"I would like to look my best for the ladies. Your father did invite every single woman to this so you could choose one to marry. Of course that was before Christine came into your life."

I smiled at that. If Christine hadn't come along I would be celebrating my engagement to a complete stranger along with my birthday. Now I will be celebrating my birthday and the engagement of Christine and me, if she will have me.

With that thought I decided to take Keith's advice and take extra care and time to look my best for my lady. I had to have everything right. Before I could leave Keith asked,

"So how are you two doing? I haven't seen you together for a couple days."

"We have been spending a lot of time together. We actually just went to have breakfast in town." I answered.

"That must have been pleasant. I guess that is why you both skipped breakfast in the dining room this morning."

We went to town because we missed breakfast, but I wasn't about to tell him that. We were a little busy during family breakfast. I smiled at that thought.

"Why are you smiling?" Keith asked as he looked at me in a confused way.

"No reason. I should get ready. I do want to look my best for Christine." I said as I made my way to the door.

"That's the spirit." Keith said.

I left his room and made my way to my own bedroom. Once I arrived I noticed the sheets and blankets on my bed were all twisted and dirty from sleep and other activities. Before my mind could go through every detail of Christine's body again I went into the bathroom and cleaned up. I washed my body with a rag and the water in the basin and dried myself off. After that I went over to the closet to pick out my best dress trousers, white linen shirt, vest and coat. I laid it all out on my bed and began dressing. I only put my pants and white shirt on when there was a knock at the door.

I allowed whoever it was to enter and watched as my mother opened the door and walked in.

"Hello, Erik, Happy Birthday." She said as she closed the door behind her.

"Thank you, Mother." I said.

"How are you feeling today?"

"I'm fine." I asked full of concern. 'Why was my mother talking small talk with me?' "Is everything all right?"

"Yes everything is fine. Your father is downstairs bossing everyone around. I think he wants everything to be perfect for you." She said with a smirk. "I wanted to come here and speak with you about Christine."

"What about her?" I asked.

"I think she is a very sweet person. I am just curious about her. Nobody really knows anything about her family or where she is from. I understand that you feel greatly for her and want to marry her, but do you even know her?"

I was very confused. Where had this come from? Since when did it matter when two people get married and know something about each other? "Mother, why are you asking this?"

"I just don't want you to get hurt. I want you to be happy."

"Christine makes me happy. I don't need to know everything about her past only her present and future matters to me. I know things about her past that she told me and I have seen the way she talks about it and she fears it. I don't want her to get hurt. I want to spend the rest of my life with her." I said determinedly.

"If that is what you want, I won't stand in the way. I love you, Erik. I was only thinking of you." She said as she quietly turned and left my chamber.

Christine would never hide anything from me. The only reason her past is a mystery is because every time she talks about it I can see the fear and sadness welling up and I never want to see that. I only want to see her happy and full of life, no sadness or terror.

All I know is she was engaged to a man by the name of Raoul and her father was forcing her into that loveless arranged marriage. 'How could any father make their daughter do something like that?' My father tried forcing me to pick a bride and marry her even though I don't love her, but that is different. I could choose who I wanted to marry and Christine had no say. I wasn't about to let her go.

I decided to open my balcony doors and stand out to get some fresh air. The sea breeze is warm and calming. I looked out to the ocean and saw the wave's crash against the rocks and the seagulls flying above. From where I stood I could see the section of the beach where I saw Christine for the first time.

She was a goddess sitting on the sand looking up at me and smiling. From the very beginning I fell in love with that smile. I saw it many times after that moment and it brought me to a world without rejection.

As I stared at that space of land I thought of my plans to tell Christine my feeling for her. I thought she would love that I brought her to where we first met and I could hold her and kiss her. I would tell her that I love her and everything would be perfect. I would bring her there as the sun is setting and I could tell the girl of my dreams everything I have felt since I met her.

My mind imagined every look Christine would give me, every feeling I would have and every moment I would spend with her for the rest of our lives. The only thing that brought me out of my thoughts was a knock at the door.

I walked over to the door and saw my father entering. He was well dressed and wearing an expensive suit. His hair was combed back and he was holding his mask in his hand. He looked at me seriously.

"Why aren't you dressed?"

"What time is it?" I asked confusedly.

"All our guests are downstairs awaiting your introduction. What have you been doing in here?" he asked.

I looked over to the balcony and then back at my father. "Thinking." My mind had gotten so lost in fantasy that time flew by and the party was starting.

"Well get ready quickly. Your mother and I are going to the ballroom and I want to hear you announced in ten minutes." He said as he quickly left my bedroom.

I buttoned my linen shirt up all the way and flipped the collar up and grabbed my golden brown and black vest off my bed and put it on. I buttoned that and grabbed my cravat. I put it around my neck and tied it. I looked in the mirror to make sure it was neat. I pulled on my suit jacket and brushed my hands threw my hair to make it look clean.

I went into my closet and grabbed the mask I chose yesterday from the designer. It was made perfectly for me. It covered forehead to just below my nose on both sides. My deformity was completely covered. One side had black and the other gold. In the middle was white with music notes painted on it and it tied in the back with black ribbon. The second I saw it I knew I had to wear it. It fit perfectly and held music in its design. It was perfect.

I placed it on my face, tied the back and checked my reflection. It covered the deformity and made my blue eyes show greatly. Before leaving I grabbed two items from the top shelf in my closet and put them in my chest pocket.

I headed to the ballroom and as I approached and stood at the top of the stairs to see people crowded around talking amongst themselves, all of them wearing expensive, high taste material and masks. I didn't see Christine anywhere, but I heard the announcer say my name. Everyone turned to see me standing there so I took a step down and made my way into the crowd.

xXx

A/N: Next chapter is the awaited Masquerade. I was thinking of having Erik where the scarlet red death costume and skull mask, but decided against it. In my head he is wearing the same suit as the movie in Music of the Night. I imagined for Christine's dress the dress she wears during Think of Me only without a corset and smaller bottom. For Angela's dress I thought of Rose's dress in Titanic during the dinner scene with Jack. The mask links are below.

Erik's mask: .com/uploads/products/black_masquerade_masks_

Christine's mask: ..com/240000/243400/243421/products/-!BLUE%20AND%20GOLD%20GLITTER%20LASER%20CUT%20METAL%20VENETIAN%20MASK%20WITH%

Angela's mask: .