It's been a while since I last updated and I'm really sorry for that. I had a wicked writer's block and couldn't get the chapter out as soon as I would have liked to. Add some real life - work, family, Christmas - and there you have it. :(

Thank you for sticking by, for all your wonderful reviews and messages! /hugs you all/

I'm wishing you all the best in the new year! :)

Previously:

"What does she want from you, Erik?"

"I have already told you. She wants my help." Much calmer now, they both sat down as Erik retold the whole story. "Please, do not say a word to Isabelle, any stress will not be good for her now."

"Of course." There was a short pause as both men contemplated all the facts. "What are you going to do?" Erik sighed heavily, his eyes locking with Edward's.

"I wish I knew."

For the most of the short carriage ride, Christine was deep in thought, her mind going in circles over the last ten years of her life. How did everything turn out like this? All that she has ever wanted was to perform, find a good husband who would have supported her in her music, raise their children and eventually grandchildren. Those dreams were shattered like a fragile glass now. Her life was not a fairytale and there was no prince in shining armor. Her husband had been murdered, she was working as an escort and sleeping for money with the man who once loved her. What a mess had her life become! She was on the run, from both the police and the criminals. However, the latter found her and now she feared for her own life and those of her friends.

Friends.

She sighed heavily. Could she still call him her friend? She did not think so and that knowledge hurt, for he was once her closest friend. Only hers. Now he could barely stand her, his standoff manner with her today was more than obvious. Whatever feelings he might have had for her in the past were gone. Her eyes burned and she blinked furiously to get rid of the awful sensation. What was wrong with her? The realization should have not hurt as much as it did. Was she really so selfish to want him still love her and only her? Why did it matter?

Christine didn't dare think what would happen once this would be over and the criminals would be punished. What would happen to her? What would happen to them? She didn't want to be an escort for the rest of her life. She had saved enough money from her earnings that she could leave the Duchess. But go where? Back to France? Back to de Chagny family? No, that was not what she wanted. She did not care for the life of a widowed Vicomtesse. Maybe she could try to find Madame Giry and Meg. What had Erik said? He had received the letter from Madame Giry, so he must have been in contact with her guardian all this time and known of their current location. Maybe when this was over, she could ask him about her foster family. Could she ask this of him, though? He was already helping her so much, why should he bother with her further?

Christine closed her eyes and let her head fall against the padded wall of the carriage. She could not think this far ahead, who knew what the next few days could bring. As much as she fought against it, her thoughts kept turning back to Erik. Such a complex man he was! She knew that deep down he was a good man. Not without fault, not perfect, for no one was perfect. He would do anything for those he loved. She had once made the mistake of misunderstanding his love for dangerous obsession and now she was paying for it. She didn't have Erik's love nor his friendship anymore. Christine didn't even know what they were to each other now, but she refused to stay in this perpetual uncertainty. She wanted her Angel's friendship back and would do anything in her power to win his trust once again. Not for the first time she wondered what would have happened if he had revealed himself to her months earlier. What would have happened to them? To Raoul? To the Opera house?

Too many ifs.

She rubbed her fingers against her forehead in frustration. She had to focus on the present and her current predicament. Just then the carriage came to a halt in front of the Duchess. The driver helped her exit the vehicle. Thanking him with a smile, she turned and walked the short way to the house. Her employer was tending to the front desk at the moment and Christine could hear jovial chatter above her head.

"Welcome back, darling."

"Thank you." She smiled at Amelia and reached inside her purse for the letter Erik gave her. Amelia raised an eyebrow at the envelope with her name on it and pushed it open, her eyes scanning quickly over the paper. After she was finished, her head rose to give Christine a curious look.

"Where did you get this?" Swallowing her panic, she quickly thought of a way she could have got the letter. It was inappropriate to visit a customer's house outside of an outing, and even then she wasn't visiting Erik, her customer, but Erik, her Angel. She couldn't say anything to Amelia about it, for it would raise too many questions.

"I picked it from the mail box. What is it?"

"It's a letter from Mr. Garnier."

"Oh. What does it say?"

"He would like to see you tomorrow at 3 o'clock for an unspecified amount of time. Then again the day after in the evening as well. Wearing plain dresses." Christine's eyebrows rose at Erik's requests, but knew that visiting the Scotland Yard office and giving her testimony might take a while. Amelia just waved her hand and smiled. "Oh, well. not the most peculiar requests I have ever seen while working here. Are you okay with this?"

"Yes." She smiled at her employer, thankful that she didn't reject Erik's requests.

"Splendid. Now run along and get some sleep, it looks like you did not get much of it last night." Christine nodded and went up the stairs to her room, collapsing on the bed with a heavy sigh. Tomorrow would be a long day.

The time seemed to fly by and the next day was there sooner than Christine would have liked. At the breakfast table she was distracted by Elizabeth's chatter with the other girls, which effectively stopped her mind from wandering. Afterwards she found herself alone in the music room, sitting quietly at the piano, many a thought assaulting her, memories worming their way out and into the jumbled chaos of her current state of mind. Lunch for Christine was a lonely affair, for the girls have already eaten and dispersed on outings or into their rooms. She didn't mind terribly, but would have been gladder for a company and some mindless talk, even if she didn't participate.

The clock chimed two o'clock before she knew it and her employer urged her to prepare for the outing. Her new day dress was plain dark green satin, though still very pretty even if it lacked in frill and lace. Putting on her bonnet, gloves and coat, she was ready just as Amelia called her downstairs, giving her a motherly smile and a wave as she closed the door behind her. Erik's driver Jules was ready by the carriage and greeted her warmly, which brought a genuine smile to her face. He helped her inside and they were on the way to the Savoy theatre. Christine felt strangely calm, no depressing thoughts on her mind for once as she was lulled into a peaceful state of mind by the soft clicking of horse hooves on the cobblestones. The carriage slowly came to a stop and Jules was there to help her out into the cloudy afternoon air. The Savoy theatre loomed above her, still as beautiful as ever. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the front door open. A young stagehand, no more than eighteen years old, showed her the way to the manager's office when she politely asked him for directions.

Christine walked the deserted hallway, admiring the interior design of the places she had not seen before. It was exquisite and made her miss the Opera even more. She reached her destination quickly enough and raised a hand to knock on the sturdy mahogany door to the manager's office. A few seconds later it opened and she came face to face with Erik again. She could not guess his mood but he looked calm and composed. Their eyes met and not for the first time she felt her breath catch. Every time she gazed into those striking green orbs, she found herself drowning in their depths.

"Good afternoon." He greeted her formally, his voice strong and even.

"Good afternoon." Christine responded timidly and watched as he wordlessly turned around to his desk, picking something up from a drawer. She couldn't see what he was doing but a moment later she saw his hands move to his head and next she caught a glimpse of the white mask as it disappeared into the drawer. Suddenly he turned to face her and her eyes went wide. Her head told her it was definitely her Angel standing in front of her, yet her eyes refused to believe what they were seeing. The right side of his face looked flawless, as if he had not been born with a deformity. She stared into his face perhaps too rudely as she examined the new mask he was wearing. It matched his skin tone perfectly and the edges were practically invisible unless you were specifically looking for them. It was strange seeing him this way.

She had never been scared nor repulsed by Erik's face. The first time she had uncovered him, she had been surprised, yes, but not scared. What scared her had been his temper as he had shoved her to the ground and spoken about betrayal, pain and love. His deformity did not bother her; she could still recall the different textures under her fingertips from when she had bestowed two kisses upon his lips. Her gaze slid unwittingly to his mouth only to dart away a split second later. This was no time to think about things like that. She swallowed and fought off her blush before daring to look back at him again. He was studying her, as if trying to read her thoughts.

"It will be better if we do not draw much attention. This will help me blend in better." Erik's explanation broke the silence before he fastened his cloak around his tall frame. He was right; even if they made the criminals believe they stayed in the theatre, extra privacy measures would not hurt. "Shall we?" Christine nodded wordlessly and followed him outside of his office and deeper into the theatre. He adjusted his pace to her shorter strides and she felt eternally grateful for that as they moved swiftly to the back of the building.

Pushing a small wooden door open, they entered a deserted alley in the back of the theatre. As with every upcoming winter months, the days grew shorter and the shadows grew longer at this time of a day. She felt a little uncomfortable in the dark alley. Erik had noticed her slight tremble and automatically reached for her hand, his large gloved hand enveloping hers in a gentle grip, giving her a sense of safety and protection.

"You have nothing to fear. The darkness is your friend. Find strength in it." Christine nodded and followed Erik's lead. She knew he had spent most of his life hiding away in the darkness, prowling the corridors in the Opera Populaire for years, becoming one with the shadows. As long as he was with her, she was not afraid. She watched him as they walked on; he was concentrating on their surroundings, his eyes darting from one place to another and still keeping them in the shadows from prying eyes. It was not a long walk from the Savoy to the Whitehall Place where the Scotland Yard resided, so they did not need to hail a carriage. In a matter of a few minutes their destination loomed above their heads and after a quick check to make sure they weren't being followed, Erik gently ushered her in. The entrance lobby was quite busy, milling with citizens, policemen and criminals alike. A sudden wave of apprehension filled her body and she inched closer to her companion, whose hand was still grasping hers. What if the policemen recognized her somehow? Did they even have a picture of her from La Sûreté, in case she fled France?

At the front desk, a young police officer just finished filing a report from a distressed citizen and Erik saw the opportunity and stepped closer to the desk. Seeing her anxiety, he whispered to her.

"Let me handle this." She managed a nod, relieved that she did not have to speak with the officer. The young man smiled at both of them as they approached.

"Good afternoon, Madam, Sir. May I be of some assistance?"

"We would like to speak with inspector Smith, if he is present." Erik's voice was strong and even and Christine admired him for his calmness. The officer frowned a little bit.

"I am sorry, sir. Inspector Smith is very busy and does not wish to be disturbed." Her companion's eyebrow shot up and she felt his hand clench around hers. When he spoke next, his tone was more on edge and his eyes held a silent warning.

"I understand, Constable. However, this is a very important matter. If you could just say that Erik Garnier wishes to speak to him." Becoming more nervous by the minute, the young officer nodded.

"Right away, sir." Christine watched with some amusement as the constable left his post in a hurry. It seemed like Erik exuded authority also for people who were not under his employment. In her opinion, he would make a very good chief inspector. Before she could voice her thoughts, they saw the young officer, followed by a tall middle-aged man, who she presumed was inspector Smith.

"I'm sorry if I kept you waiting, Mr. Garnier." He turned towards the young Constable. "Thank you, Thomas. I will take it from here." The inspector's gaze turned towards Christine, still partially hidden behind Erik's back, a hint of surprise in his voice. "Please, follow me." He led them into his office, shutting the door behind them. Erik helped Christine out of her coat and shed his own, placing them on a hanger nearby.

"Forgive me my manners. Madame de Chagny, Mr. Garnier. Please, take a seat." Christine did so with a relief; she was not sure she'd be able to remain standing on her shaky legs. Her companion, however, decided to keep standing, a few steps just behind her. The inspector's eye darted toward him for a moment but then focused back on her face. She knew the policeman was very well aware of just who Erik was and what he was capable of.

"My condolences to you, Vicomtesse. Your husband was a good man."

"Thank you, inspector." She resisted the urge to squirm in her seat; for some reason she felt uncomfortable discussing Raoul in front of Erik. "I do not know if you know the real reason my husband approached you." She began hesitantly.

"Yes, he told me most of it. At first I insisted that he should have contacted your local police but he didn't believe it would have been of any help and it would have put his family in more danger."

"That is the reason I have come to you for help. I fear for my life and the lives of my friends. The very same people who killed my husband are threatening me." She reached into her purse for the ominous note from yesterday and handed it to the inspector over the desk. She watched as his eyes darted over the little slip of paper and then his eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Why don't you start from the beginning, Madam? The night your husband was murdered." Christine swallowed hard; she knew she would have to testify sooner or later but reliving those painful moments of the last couple of months again was difficult. From the corner of her eye she saw Erik standing nearby, tall and straight, his hands linked behind his back. His silent presence gave her courage, a feeling she could lean on him for support.

Taking a deep breath, she started to talk.