Hey guys! Thanks for all your comments. This week has been exhausting, so it was especially nice to see them. This chapter is also fairly slow, but it does push things forward in several ways. Hope you enjoy!

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There had been a development that day. Nadir had been taken out of his cell at around one in the afternoon and led down a long corridor to a secluded office. A man in a blue suit and red tie had sat across from him and folded his hands upon the desk, before staring forward with a stoic expression. The man asked one question. "Where is he, Mr. Khan?"

Nadir managed to look him in the eye and imitate the emotionless gaze. "Where is who?"

The man leaned forward slightly, and Nadir could see small crumbs of food in his moustache. "You know who I'm taking about. Now, do you want to make a plea bargain? Is that it? Fine. Here it is. You give us this information, and we won't extradite you to one of the only civilized countries that still has the death penalty. How is that? Is that fair?"

Nadir kept calm. "I do not know who you are speaking of, sir."

After a few more threats, the man finally gave up. As Nadir sat back down in his cell soon afterwards, he couldn't help but feel a bit of pride in all of the misery. He had given nothing away that would lead to Erik's whereabouts. Wherever Erik was, Mr. Khan continued to hope that he was safe, even if he was miserable.

True to his word, Nadir had continued to venture over to Madeleine's house on a regular basis. He had enough money saved to afford both the cheap rent on the property and the bare necessities that a widower needed. Maddy often provided him with food as a sort of gratitude for his visits, and he imagined that she enjoyed spending her free time in the kitchen without having to think about her son.

It took some time before Erik would even speak to him. From what Nadir gathered, the child had very little contact with anyone outside of his mother. According to Maddy, relatives occasionally came over. Many had completely abandoned the small family, although Erik did occasionally mention a great-aunt that he favored. When friends or visitors arrived, Maddy always forced her son upstairs, sometimes denying his existence. "They would never come back if they knew," she had once told Nadir with a pained expression on her face. Still possessing a good sum of money left over from Trenton's business, Madeleine regularly paid a man to deliver food, toiletries, and other items. On the rare occasion that she did go out, she locked her son in his upstairs bedroom and had a relative sit with the house.

Mr. Khan was relieved when he learned that Erik had at least been educated. Trenton had a massive collection of books and magazines with which Maddy had never parted. Even in her fear of her son, she had taken the time to teach him to read and do basic arithmetic. After that, Erik had been able to teach himself. The boy could read and write at a very advanced level, and he had an almost photographic memory that allowed him to memorize a variety of scientific and historical facts. And then there was the music…..

"Do you play that?" he had asked Erik, gesturing over to the piano. He had been looking around the home for most of the afternoon. Madeleine had locked herself in the kitchen, and so her son had taken to shadowing him instead. Nadir had to admit that there was something unnerving about that constant yellow-eyed gaze, but he managed to keep composed.

Erik looked toward the instrument and nodded. "Will you play something?" Nadir enquired. The boy hesitated, likely used to his mother's disgust with the music, before slowly walking over to the bench and climbing upon it. One of Beethoven's pieces flawlessly rang into the air. Nadir's eyes widened as the small, pale hands flew over the keys with extreme ease. The boy was almost a prodigy. After a couple of weeks, Mr. Khan was no longer surprised by anything that Erik did, from intricate drawings to an almost eerie sort of ventriloquism. An educated man, Nadir had heard of such wondrous children before and was not alarmed, although he was better able to understand Maddy's fear of her son. Erik was likely already more intelligent than she was.

Of course, the true source of her fear had not yet been revealed to him.

"Madeleine?" he softly asked as he was getting ready to go home. He had been visiting regularly for two weeks. "Would it be possible for me to see your son's face?"

She paled as she handed him his coat. "No! Please don't ask that, Nadir. You'll never come back. I couldn't stand it if you didn't! Don't ask that."

"I will come back, Maddy. There is nothing under the mask that will permanently keep me away." Madeleine groaned and rubbed her temples. "I will return."

"You will always wonder, won't you?" she softly enquired. "Fine." She looked over his shoulder and raised the volume of her voice. "Erik! Come here!" The boy immediately came out from the back room and stood before them, keeping a distance as if he knew the request would be unpleasant. "Remove your mask," she commanded.

Erik took a step backwards, and the yellow eyes flashed several times. His hands clenched into balls. "Why?"

"Do as I tell you, Erik. Mr. Khan wants to see, and we will grant him that request."

"It is fine," assured Nadir, placing a friendly smile on his face. "No one will hurt you."

"No!" the boy stated with an abnormal amount of anger for a seven-year-old. "Everything looks wrong."

Madeleine sighed in exasperation. "Nadir is aware of that. Now take off the mask, or I will take it off for you. Do you understand?"

The boy hesitated, before slowly reaching up and untying the white strings that held the brown cloth onto his face. He paused again, before finally removing it and letting his arm fall to his side. Nadir felt his heart constrict and his stomach clench. He studied the horribly mangled visage, barely a face at all. A weary sadness came over him as he saw that Maddy had not been exaggerating. "I see," he whispered.

Madeleine silently turned away, unable to bear the sight. "Will you be returning, Mr. Khan?" she murmured.

"Of course, Maddy. I will come back. Tomorrow, even." Nadir turned back to Erik and forced himself to look upon that face again. "Thank you, Erik," he softly stated.

"I know it is wrong," the boy whispered, taking another step back. "I am not right. But no one has to see! I can make it disappear again! Mother made me show you."

Madeleine frowned. "You may leave now, Erik. And replace your mask." The boy took another step backwards, before quickly doing as he was told, the mask gripped tightly in his right hand.

"Is that why you keep him in all the time?" enquired Nadir after Erik had vanished. "So no one will see him?"

Madeleine glanced up. "That is merely a blessing of the circumstances," she replied, wringing her hands together. "As I said, Erik cannot be in the sunlight. A doctor came to my house many years ago when he was an infant. I'd phoned him to see if anything could be done about….well…Anyhow, I later received a letter from him that told me of some medical condition. Erik will die if he goes into the daylight."

Nadir furrowed his eyebrows and nodded. "Yes. I believe I've heard of such conditions, although they are rare. But have you ever tried before? Just…stuck his hand into the sun for a moment to see if it was true?"

Madeleine sadly laughed. "Although there are many times I have…." She swallowed. "…I have wanted him to go away, I would not murder my own child. No. Erik has never been in the sunlight. It's better that way."

"What do you mean?" he softly asked.

She turned away from him. "What could he possibly have if he did go into the sunlight?" she murmured. "He can never be around normal people without stares. No one would hire him with that face or with the mask. No school would allow him in. The police would demand that he take it off in public. And then what? People will scream. No woman would ever….." Tears welled up in Maddy's eyes. "It is better that he cannot ever go out."

Nadir didn't protest. Maybe Madeleine had been right. The world would not accept her son. She could not even accept her son.

The next years would bring about many changes. Nadir again blamed himself for Erik's current disposition. The violence that followed, the death, the fear….Mr. Khan had inadvertently contributed to all of it. His intentions had been good but….What was that saying about hell and good intentions?

Feeling his anger at himself grow, Nadir forced himself to calm down and accept the fact that nothing could be done. Those were thoughts for another day.

After realizing how quickly the end of the year was approaching, Christine began crossing the days off on a pocket calendar. As she walked to her dormitory that evening, she stared down at the row of black X's with a frown, before tucking the daily planner into her backpack. Three days remained until her last recital, and only five days were left before she headed home for Thanksgiving. Very little time remained to figure everything out and to ensure that no fatal decisions were made. An idea was slowly forming in the back of her mind, a solution to at least part of the problem. Still, there was no guarantee that it would work, especially when so much of it was out of her hands.

Her eyes had become almost accustomed to scanning the shadows every night for two yellow stars. The game of hide-and-seek was becoming frustrating. So much was at stake, and she was afraid that he would disappear forever. What had she ever done to make him so distrustful of her?

It's what he did to you. The realization came upon her slowly. Erik thought that she hated him because, on some level, she had every right to fear and despise him. He had threatened her life, kept her captive for a month, and nearly killed her fiancé.

But he didn't kill Raoul. And I don't hate him. She felt a strong desire to preserve his life, to not let that magnificent voice disappear from this world. Her plans of earlier returned to her. "If you would stay…." she murmured to herself.

As she started to ascend the concrete steps, a shadow entered the left corner of her vision. Christine quickly whirled around to face it, her heart jumping once in fear, before resuming a quicker rhythm. Then, a vague feeling of relief overtook her. "Erik," she softly stated as her gaze met with the familiar yellow eyes. "You did come." It was fairly dark, and she could barely make out his looming form.

He nodded once. "As you requested, Christine. I did."

She nodded and took a tentative step toward him, silently begging her hands to stop trembling. "Yes. I did…." Christine quickly glanced over their surroundings to ensure that no one else was around. The colder breeze continued to seep through her clothing, and she shivered.

"If you wish, there is an empty building that remains unlocked. It will be warmer." He paused and turned away from her, folding his hands behind his back. "Or perhaps you would rather be around others and in safer company. In that case, we can remain outside."

"No. It's cold," she softly replied. "We can go inside."

He turned back to look at her for a moment. "Of course. We will, then." Erik gestured toward the left and began walking in the indicated direction at a medium pace. She paused for a second, before quickly following behind him, always able to make out his silhouette a few feet ahead of her. When they came upon one of the older brick buildings, he suddenly darted right and stood next to a side door. "Here! It is unlocked." She breathed a sigh of relief to be out of the cold, before following him down a desolate corridor.

The hallway was dark and silent, and only her footsteps made any noise against the linoleum tiles. She walked faster to keep up with him, slightly unsettled by the emptiness in a place that was usually crawling with activity. Suddenly, he disappeared, and she paused in her steps and frantically gazed around in the darkness. "Erik!"

"Here, Christine," his fluid voice sounded out from somewhere unknown. She blinked as a light flashed on in one of the nearby rooms and quickly followed the yellow glow. The room was the size of a smaller auditorium, likely used for lectures. Erik stood at the very front with his hands again folded behind his back, looking toward her expectantly as she entered. "We will be able to evaluate the strength of your voice," he energetically stated, widely gesturing to the spacious area and higher ceiling. "Such a task was not possible in the previous room."

Although she nodded at the words, her concentration was now focused upon Erik. It was the first time that she had a clear view of him since June. An inaudible gasp escaped her lips as she looked over him under the fluorescent lighting. His tall, dark figure was always somewhat frightening, but now it appeared battered as well. His suit was not as immaculately pressed, lined with wrinkles and creases in both the jacket and pants. If it were even physically possible, he seemed even thinner than before. There was even something different about his posture and poise, something almost disheartening. "Do you see something of interest?" he suddenly snapped, as her eyes gazed over him.

She quickly glanced away in shame. "No. I'm sorry." It occurred to her that she had put her full trust in the notion that he would not harm her. No one would be able to hear her if she screamed. "Erik?" she timidly began. "Where are you staying? I mean…during the day?"

"Wherever I am able," he replied with an edge in his voice. "It is of no importance."

"But where do you sleep? How do you eat?"

He laughed wryly. "Oh, Ms. Daae. Why do you concern yourself with such trivial matters? What meaning do they have to you? I find sleep unpleasant, and I am rarely in need of food. The only thing I am in need of is my music, and you…." Erik paused and glanced into the empty rows of seats. "….your voice sustains me through the daytime hours." She started to reply, but he quickly continued. "You asked me here to assist you in singing, no? Let us begin. We have little time left."

"All right." That hadn't been her motive for meeting with him, but perhaps music was again the best place to begin. She began to sing scales for him, enjoying the way her voice sounded in the empty room. It had a hollow, haunting quality that it had never previously possessed. She then sang her entire aria straight through. Erik didn't even stop to make corrections, always keeping his gaze slightly to the right of her. The yellow eyes had a distant look to them, and his shoulders had relaxed slightly.

"You will do well, Christine," he murmured, as her voice faded into the silence. Her chest was heaving with deep breaths, and a slight euphoria raced through her from the music. "You are in need of no more of me. They will listen to you, if you only keep your concentration, Christine. They will...love you."

"Thank you," she whispered, gazing at the ground for a moment. After finally catching her breath, she quickly gathered her courage to take this next move forward. He already sounded like he was about to leave again. "Erik," she began. He glanced up at her. "After the concert, I have to go away for a while. It's a holiday, and the dorms close. But I…."

"Then we will both go our separate ways," he softly interrupted. No surprise was evident in his tone. "And that will be that. It will be the ideal time for me to make my departure."

A heavy feeling encased her chest. "Where are you going?"

"I am returning to Europe," he replied. "I have unfinished business, as you can imagine."

"You're going to get Nadir out of prison?"

"Among other matters, that is my intention."

Christine hesitated, wishing he would offer her more information. "How are you going to do that?"

He softly chuckled. "Do you really wish me to answer that question, Ms. Daae? The matter is complex. You should not dwell on such unpleasant things."

That finality once again marred his tone. Here she went. "Erik….I…I was wondering if you would wait here until I got back. I'll only be gone for a week. And maybe I can find out something while I'm back home. Maybe Raoul knows people or…."

"Oh, I am sure he has many acquaintances, Christine," Erik interrupted with a sneer. "Likely acquaintances of his father and brother as well. I am sure they would all enjoy hearing of my whereabouts, especially if they believe me dead." The yellow eyes flickered with confusion and distrust. "All the more reason for me to leave as soon as possible."

"No, Erik! I won't tell anyone you're here. I promise. But maybe I can find out where Nadir is. Raoul said something about having to identify them or...I don't know. But I can try to find out something! I can try to contact Nadir."

"Why, Christine?" he wearily questioned. "Why would you try to do that? What are you doing? What are your intentions?"

"I'm trying to help" she pled. "I want you to stay until I come back."

"Why?"

What was left now but the truth? "So you don't get hurt."

Erik was quiet for several moments, his shoulders again tense and his arms down at his sides. "Christine…." he slowly began. "I have never worried of such things before, and I do not now. There is only one ending for everyone. And perhaps mine will arrive sooner. And it will be welcomed. I have been given all I came for." His eyes lingered on her for another moment. "Perhaps…perhaps more than I came for…."

"But you don't have to go yet!" she exclaimed. "You're acting like you're going to go die, and maybe you don't have to. Why can't you let me try to help?!"

"And you wish me to wait for you while you go feast and socialize and do whatever else people are supposed to do during this gluttonous time of year?" he angrily questioned. "You wish me to wait here while you enjoy the holiday with your damned boy? For what? Why, Christine?" He had lost some of his composure, was leaning forward and gesturing outwardly with his hands. "What motive do you have for attempting to prolong my existence? Pity? Is that it? I can assure that I am not in need of that."

"Erik," she whispered, looking away from him as a tear ran down her cheek. "I thought you were…." She swallowed. "After Raoul told me, I thought you were dead. I thought you were gone. That was why I couldn't sing that night. I didn't want to sing anymore. It was this terrible feeling. I don't want it again. I don't want you to die."

She tapered off and cautiously looked up at him. Erik had now backed up several steps, as though she were the potentially dangerous one…as though she would suddenly strike him. His eyes appeared brighter than they had been moments ago. He tilted his head back slightly, and Christine thought that she heard him whisper something to himself. "Erik," she softly began again.

He twitched at the sound of his name and stared down at her. "You could not sing…." he murmured. "You could not sing..."

"I'm sorry," she quickly replied, not quite understanding his strange reaction. She brushed her tears away and tried to gather her composure, feeling as though she had gained some ground. "But if you'll stay until I get back. If you'll let me try, maybe…maybe I can find out something. Please don't leave yet." She fell silent and held her breath as she waited for his response.

Erik took a step forward. He held out an open hand toward her, and she wondered if he expected her to take it. But no. It was another odd gesture in her direction. He quickly withdrew his hand and looked away from her, his posture straightening again. "It is late," he softly stated. "It is late, and nothing more can be done tonight. I will see you after your performance, if you wish. You will do well."

She frowned at his lack of response but quickly nodded at the offer. At least he would meet with her again…."All right. I'll come out afterwards."

"Yes. I will find you." He motioned forward. "Come. It is late, and you are prepared. I will return you to your dormitory." She nodded and wearily followed, noticing that he walked beside her this time instead of staying ahead. They silently made their way through the maze of corridors and into the cold night air, back across the crisp grass and toward the building that was still heavily dotted with small rectangles of light.

Christine kept her arms folded at her chest for warmth, trying to think of something else to say before they parted. He was almost acting as though the conversation had never taken place, as though she had not just poured her emotions out to him. Erik stopped several yards from the entrance, checking once for intruders before facing her again. "We are here," he softly stated with a nod, before turning around to leave. "Rest well, Christine."

"Erik?" Without thinking, she reached up and half-grabbed his arm above the elbow to catch his attention, almost as she had done to stop him from killing Raoul. He abruptly turned around, and she released her hold on the woolen jacket, afraid that she had angered him. "Will you…stay?"

He moved away from her. "It is…I do not know, Christine. I do not know. Rest. I will see you soon."

She wearily nodded and allowed him to disappear. The uncertainty in his voice was somehow encouraging, though. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and entered her dorm, blinking in the bright lighting. As other girls passed her wearing pajamas and bathrobes, gossiping about classes and boyfriends, it felt as though she had stepped back into her other world. She absentmindedly waved to some of them, before entering her room and sitting down on the bed. Jamie was on the phone, and they nodded at one another.

Slowly, certain thoughts began to come together to form a coherent idea. And the ideas began to become a plan. Unable to sleep, Christine had gotten up around midnight and asked Jamie if she could use her computer.

Sitting down in the wooden chair, she logged onto the Internet and got into her e-mail. Gnawing at her lip, she began to compose a message.

Hey Gavin! How are you? Busy like me, probably.

She paused before continuing, praying that this would go well.

I'm really sorry to bother you, especially with Marisol here, but I need to ask you a favor.

I need you to drive me somewhere.