A/N:

MadBrilliant: You have a good eye! As it so was, I was terribly stuck with this chapter. I heard that song and I thought it would fit perfectly. I tried to mask it, but you are perceptive:D

Angel or Demon: Make Raoul die, huh? We'll just have to see about that...;)

And for those of you who have me on your alert list - sorry for the whole...what was it, 42 chapters of my other two stories? wince I had to get them up quickly, and I only thought about those who have me on their alert list afterwards...

Anyway, here we go. And yes, we're quickly coming up to the end. ;)

"Come, we'll go to the Royal Court. The Shah will give us rooms, he wont mind. He's a kind man, he'll understand." Raoul said, holding Christine's arm gently after telling her that the they weren't able to leave for another two days.

But Christine shook her head. "No, that would never work. Raoul, what Erik told you was right - I do belong to him, according to the country. The Shah would not overlook that, no matter how much you bonded as friends. He would kill you and send me to work at the harem if he saw that you were taking me away. We must be terribly careful. I will return to...to where I've been staying until we ride off to the train in two nights from now." She said solemnly.

"I don't want you to go back there, Christine. I don't want you to ever go back to him." He said in ernest, worried for her.

"I know. Trust me, Raoul, I don't want to see him again either. But we do as we must. He really is being good to us at least in one aspect."

Raoul looked at her as if insane. "And what is that?"

"Well...quite a few, really. He's letting me go with you, for one. He knows I'll be leaving with you. He could tell the Khanum and then it would be the end of both of us, but he don't. He's letting me stay comfortably in his home. And he treats me like he always has, not like someone he now...owns." She said, her hands twisting within each other. "I need to go back until we may leave, even if you don't want to stay there."

"I'll stay with you." He vowed, kissing her hand. "No matter where you are, I'll stay with you."

But when they came to the chambers, they stopped in their walk to gawk in shock at the sight. Without even going inside, they could see that great damage had been inflicted to the objects inside.

A table leg and half of the table top was in the doorway, in front of the broken chess table, snapped in too many pieces. The blankets and pillows that were on her bed and that she slept with each night were all slashed and ripped in to shreds. Candles were broken, gas lamps shattered, glass shards everywhere. Dishes were smashed and littered the floor, and it looked like nothing in the house had went untouched.

"What kind of monster could do this?"

Raoul's words in her ear made her eyes grow wide. "I...I did this." She whispered in shock.

"You? What are you speaking of, Christine? You didn't do this!"

She shook her head, not caring that he didn't understand. Where was Erik?

Nadir peered his head from around the corner. "Christine, you're back! Good, but don't come in. Come around the back way, the fence is broken now anyway."

"Nadir, what happened here? Why? Where is he?"

The Persian shook his head sadly. "I believe you can answer more of those questions than I, my dear girl. I know nothing. He told me to leave after you did...I listened. I came back in the house to find it like this, and Erik gone once again. My bedroom though had been locked - he kicked down the door, but the contents inside had gone untouched. You can sleep there tonight - I'll be fine under the stars - I must await his arrival home. Vicomte, perhaps you can regain your position on the back porch?"

Christine buried her face in her hands. What had she done? The impact of her words had been too much - she knew of Erik's past and of his moods. His temper. He was more than just a monster or angel. He was a hurt man that couldn't take another rejection. It didn't matter who had done it, but it coming from her had made the difference of a melt down and of a destruction.

How could she have forgotten his past? His torment and his fears in her own fury? How was she any better than him?

She ran out of Raoul's arms and through the back way until she reached Nadir's room. Hurrying in, she saw the broken door.

"Please, I would like to be alone right now." She called out to the two men, then collapsed on the bed and started to cry in her misery.

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Erik didn't come home the next day. Nadir took it upon himself to clean up all the mess, sorting things in piles while trying to make a list of things they'd need to buy again.

Christine stayed in her room, not even allowing Raoul to visit her, therefore he stayed on the porch, occupying his time with thoughts of his own.

But the day after, Erik came striding in his house like nothing had happened.

"She gone already?" Erik asked wistfully, staring at Christine's empty bed.

"No Erik, she's in my room. This floor had glass all over - I didn't want to take a chance that she'd reopen her wounds."

"What is she waiting for?" Erik asked, breathing deep as his eyes burned.

"Transportation out of here, I believe. The next train, if I recall right, is coming today."

Heavy lids closed over hurting eyes as Erik nodded, then slid himself in to the one chair that had managed to keep all four legs upon it.

Christine, pale and blood shot eyes, came out and peered over the corner to see Erik, Nadir standing a few feet away as he picked up small pieces from the destruction.

She observed him for a moment, sitting there in his pure angst, before he felt her heavy gaze upon him and looked up.

The despair that echoed in his eyes went straight to her heart, feeling like he physically wounded her with just a glance.

Her hand went over her heart, trying to catch her breath. Seeing she was failing to do so, she quickly retreated in to Nadir's bedroom, leaning hard against the wall, trying to fill her lungs again. "I'm sorry for what I'm going to do." She whispered, full of sorrow, her eyes closed as tears managed to squeeze out of her eyelashes.

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