A/N: Just want to apologize for the long wait of this chapter, been busy with two jobs and school. I'm hoping and wishing to have this story finished at least by Halloween, but we'll see. Anyway hope you enjoy this chapter, I know it's short

Chapter Twenty-One: The Truth

His fingers glided across the keys of the piano, playing the soft melody in order not to wake the angel sleeping just a few doors down. He had been away for a few hours now, needed to drink. The clock chimed two in the afternoon and he knew he should wake her up. They weren't leaving until the next day, but she had slept all day so far. Though he didn't blame her, they made love a few time throughout the night. He let her sleep as he worked on his opera, not realizing she had woken up and was standing in the doorway. Her brown eyes watched as his fingers pressed down on the keys gently, remembering how those fingers felt on her skin. She waited till he was finished with the song before approaching him. Her arms wrapped around him, making a smile form on his face.

Morning…" She kissed the back of his neck.

"More like good afternoon." He turned around and pulled her down onto his lap. His eyes scanned her outfit, seeing she was wearing his shirt. Her hands ran up and down his bare chest.

"Well can you blame me for sleeping in?" She smiled innocently.

"You didn't complain."

"No I didn't…what are you working on?" She looked at the music sheet on the piano.

"Possibly a new opera." He answered.

"You're working during vacation?"

"Not anymore." Wrapping his arms around her, he leaned in to softly kiss her lips. She welcomed his lips, kissing him back. Her hand gently cupped his bare cheek, feeling the raw flesh under her palm. Reluctantly he pulled away. "We shouldn't…you're still new to this and your body needs to rest."

"I think I've rested enough…" She leans in to whisper in his ear. "…besides, I'm already wet." Hearing this, he felt himself getting hard for her. He could also feel how wet she was since she wasn't wearing any panties. "Please don't deny me now…"

"Never…"

Christine lay peacefully on the bed, sheets covering her nude body as she rested. Her mind wondered as she stared at the window, looking outside at the rain. She knew Erik was right; she needed rest. Yes she loved making love with Erik, but she didn't have the stamina like Erik. She began to think about him now, really think about him. She started to wonder why Erik never seemed tired a lot or the fact he really didn't eat much especially when it has garlic. She couldn't forget the moments when he acted strange whenever blood came into the picture, almost like how a vampire acts.

"No he couldn't be a vampire." She told herself. "If he was, he'd have sucked me dry by now." But then she began to notice how he castle is rarely visited and how people look at him. She knew they were used to seeing his mask, but they still had that hint of fear in their eyes. "Stop it Christine; Erik isn't a vampire." She then remembered how Leila was that one day…how her eyes turned red like a vampire. Slowly her mind started to convince her and how she had to find out whether Erik was really a vampire.

Getting out of bed, she searched for her clothes and quickly put them on. Peaking her head out of the door, she couldn't hear him or see him. She left the bedroom and headed downstairs to the kitchen. Searching through everything, she couldn't find any evidence. She figured he'd keep it out of plain sight. About to give up, she spotted a cooler that looked pretty big. Walking over, she opened it and her eyes widen. The cooler was filled with blood containers. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth, quieting a scream.

"Oh my god…"

"Christine?" She jumped and quickly turned around to see Erik standing there. His eyes ventured down to the open cooler and he knew that she had found at his secret. He stepped forward, but she quickly stepped back from him.

"Don't come any closer!" She yelled out louder than she wanted.

"Christine, please let me explain…"

"Then tell me that you aren't a vampire." He sighed and looked down. She knew he couldn't lie to her now. His head titled up, showing her his red eyes that stared at her, giving her the answer. Her blood ran cold as she gazed at him.

"I am a…vampire."

"W-why didn't you tell me?" He could hear the fear in her voice. "Were you ever going to tell me?"

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to, but I didn't know how to tell you without losing you."

"How could you keep this secret from me? After everything we've been through…how could you?" She asked him. "W-were you going to kill me?" She asked, terrified to know the answer.

"I would never kill you."

"I wanna go home…please" She tried to stop shaking with fear, but he knew she was terrified. He could tell by how fast her blood was racing.

"We can go home if you want."

"Not we…just me."

"What?"

"There is no more 'we'." Hearing her say that tore him up inside.

"Christine, I'm so-"

"Erik, please don't…" She could feel tears coming to her eyes. Before saying another word, she quickly ran up to the room and closed the door, locking it. She sank to the floor, pulling her legs up to her chest. Her eyes ventured over to the bed, making the tears come as she recalled what happened them just hours ago. For the next few hours, she just sat there, crying.

Finally, she decided to start packing her things. Grabbing her suitcase, she began putting her things in it. Once her things were packed, she peaked out the door again. Seeing that Erik wasn't nearby, she quickly went downstairs to see a plane ticket on the kitchen counter. Walking over to grab it, she saw a note for her. Deciding not to read it, she took it anyway and left the cabin. A taxi was waiting for her to take her to the airport. As she sat in the back, she looked back at the cabin that was slowly drifting away from her.

"Good bye Erik…" She whispered but turning her head to look forward. Getting onto the plane, she noticed that Erik got her a first class ticket. A slight smile came to her, but quickly disappeared at the thought of him being a vampire. As the plane flew back to Romania, she stared out the window. She didn't know how she was going to explain this to Meg or anybody. If she told anyone about Erik's secret, they'd probably kill him. Sighing, she decided that she wouldn't tell anyone…for his sake. Taking out the note, she decided to read what it said:

Christine,

I know saying sorry won't help but please know that I never meant to hurt you because of this. I didn't want to tell you because I wanted to try and have a normal life with you….I know you probably won't want to see me again and I respect that. I hope you enjoy the rest of your time in Romania.

~ Erik