Happy Saturday! Thank you to my loyal reviewers, I do appreciate each and every one. I also want to thank all of you who favored this tale and humbly ask that if you like what you read, please let me know! Okay, I'm done with the shameless plea for more reviews. That being said, this is the last update until I return from my Costa Rica vacation. I'll be back on Saturday, October 1st. I hope you will stick with me. Until then, I own nothing….

Annie released her hold on Claude's arm before stepping into the carriage and sat the furthest she could away from him. He knew he was going to pay for addressing Meg about Nadir but he didn't regret his actions. However, when he felt her pull away from him and saw that she deliberately distanced herself from him, he shook his head.

"Are we really going to behave this way all the way until we get to my home?"

She looked up at him and replied. "No, I intend to behave this way the entire time I am in your presence."

"Annie, come on!"

The driver tapped on the door and Claude tapped back to signal that they were ready to take off. He then looked to his right and left and then took his hat off and placed it next to him, since he had more than enough room beside him.

"Annie, I knew you wouldn't like what I said to Meg but clearly, I had to…."

"You're right, Claude. I did not like or even ask for your interference in this matter. Meg is my daughter, not yours. Whatever is happening between us, does not give you the right to take such liberties. Stay out of this, it doesn't concern you." She then turned and faced the window.

Claude was more than a little hurt by her flippant reply. "I said what needed to be said. I wasn't going to dance around the matter and if anything, it forced Meg to give us her answer, in her own words."

"Well you got it!" She whipped her head back around to face him with lightning speed. "She was going out with her chosen suitor."

"And that to me is even more ridiculous than the thought she could love Nadir. I can't believe you accept Thompson after what he is doing to your family!"

"You are the one who told me he does his job well! Furthermore, he helped one of our own yesterday and he didn't have to do that."

Claude rubbed his hand across his face. "Annie, if anything you should be happy that Meg did what you thought she would. Why punish me? I was only…."

"Meddling. Claude, my family is my business. I thought I made that quite clear. If you wish to continue to see me then you need to know that part of my life will never be open for debate or negotiation."

"Are you saying that I am to know my place and only be seen and not heard?"

She rolled her eyes. "Now who is being ridiculous?"

"How else am I supposed to feel? And for the record this whole matter became my business when Nadir took up residency in my home!"

"Are you shouting at me?"

"I am not shouting!" He then stopped and composed himself. He steadies his voice. "Antoinette, I don't wish to fight. You are right, I know nothing about Meg or her heart and for all we know, you are completely accurate. Nadir fell in love by himself. That's not a crime. A tragic circumstance but not a crime. I asked Meg, if she wanted to come along and she said no. End of story. We really should just focus on you and Nadir."

"Nadir's inappropriate feelings for Meg, cause me to be at odds with him. I need to be sure he will not act on them and can focus on what is best for all of us." She then sighed when she saw the pain in his eyes. "I… I don't want us to argue. I was rather getting used to having you on my side."

Claude moved over to where she was sitting and grasped her hand. "I'm always on your side. Please, know I was coming from a good place. Only…."

"What?" She was feeling alarmed again.

"I know I shouldn't say this." He let go of her hand, surprised when Annie grabbed it right back.

"Say it."

He nodded. "I know what Meg told us but are you really so convinced? Her actions… She didn't seem at all happy about leaving without us."

"She loves her family. She told us that…."

"Never mind about Nadir. Are you sure Meg wants to be with Thompson for the right reasons?"

"You mean….?"

"She said it. Family is very important to her. What if she is only with Thomson to help during the investigation? Could that be a possibility?"

Annie remained silent.

Claude continued. "I know you would never want that, so I need to ask you what you really think on the matter."

After a long pause, she squeezed his hand. "I think I need to talk to Nadir."

"And then?" He inched closer and had her rest her head on his shoulder.

"I don't know."

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Erik was holding Christine against him trying to savor the moments of having her close by. He inhaled her scent and found it strangely comforting. If only he knew that while he was holding on to her, she was holding him, achieving the same sense of relief wash over her. She needed him close and it didn't matter what he told her, she knew that if she ever had to be parted from him, it would surely tear her in two. She could feel the weight on her shoulders over her past with Raoul and if she wasn't careful she knew it would swallow her up whole. She steadied herself in Erik's embrace and focused on him. Providing him comfort was what she needed to do and not just for him but for her own sense of peace.

"I suppose I should start at the beginning." He kissed her forehead. "After Italy, I went to Germany, then Amsterdam and the Middle East."

She looked up in awe of him. "All by yourself?!" She then cursed her stupidity. Of course, he was alone. The world always shunned him. What a waste. She rested her head on his chest.

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, I wasn't a very good traveling companion back then. I needed to be broken in for you." He then grew serious. "I didn't exactly travel by the most honest of means." He paused and waited for her reaction. When she didn't say anything or move, he continued.

"I had no choice but to go back to the camp circuit and worked with the other so called artistes."

Christine lifted her head up. "Not the same camp?"

"No, no. There were many at one time and I was sure that this time, my stay and my act were entirely on my own terms."

"Did you sing?"

"I mainly did magic tricks and cheap parlor gimmicks to astound the so called crowds. I only sang when I absolutely needed money."

She looked confused.

"When I needed to pick a few pockets. My trance like voice helped keep the audience unaware."

She nodded in understanding.

"Christine….."

"Erik, it's okay. How else were you able to survive? You had no choice…"

"No, I always had a choice. I could have showed them my face and ….."

"No! That could never be an option for you. Not after what you went through. Erik, I am not condoning what you did but you said there was no other way and…."

He cupped her chin. "I am not proud of my past and I can tell you that when I left the camp, I never stole again. I got money to start Phantasma by working and showing my face as a freak for other smaller fairs and…."

She hugged him and it stopped him in his tracks. She then gently asked without words if she could remove his mask by caressing his face. He nodded and when she removed it, she covered his face in soft kisses.

"Angel, if you don't stop I may not continue with the story and I….. I have to tell you. I… Want to tell you."

She smiled and nodded and then leaned her head back on his chest.

"One day, there was a strange man at the camp. I had seen him around before but this was the first time he watched my act. He kept watching… No, staring at me. I admit, my defenses were up and I watched him in return like a hawk." He then began to absentmindedly draw circles on her arm.

"I put a trace on him and took his wallet." Erik laughed.

"Why was that funny? What did you make him do?"

His smile grew wider. "Nothing but now that you say that, I should have! Would have served that pesky Persian right!"

"Nadir! It was Nadir?"

Erik nodded. "Yes. After my trick, I never thought I would see him again but he returned the next night and the next. I didn't do anything to him but watch him. After day three, he came to my tent and introduced himself as the Daroga for the Shah of Persia."

"Daroga is a profession?"

"Chief of Police."

"Erik!" She jumped up. "You stole from the Chief of Police?!"

He laughed out loud. "I may not have always be so brilliant." He remembered that day and wondered how his life would have been so different, if he hadn't gone to Persia. What if I never would have met Christine…? He shut his eyes and blocked that thought out of his mind.

"He had been asked to find me and offer me an invitation from the Shah himself. It appears my travels and performances in the Middle East had caught his attention. Nadir had the misfortune of bringing me back. I turned him down twice but he was persistent and I… was weak."

"Weak, angel?"

"Flattery is a powerful weapon. Nadir said the Shah wanted me to work in his court and had a high regard for my talents. I asked him what was in it for him and he said, he was ordered to bring me back. Whether I stayed or not, had no bearing on him. I later found out the Shah had threated his family to make sure he was successful on his mission."

"Is that why you went with him?"

"No, Nadir never told me until years later. Not until….. Not until he tried to convince me that I was in danger."

"What happened?"

"As I said, the interest in me was intoxicating and I was getting bored at the camps. I always liked traveling and I soon found myself looking forward to Nadir's visits and my ability to spar and more than often have fun at his expense." He looked sheepish. "I ended up giving him back his wallet."

"What was Persia like?"

"Parts were beyond beautiful. There was a period of time there that I had never been happier. But it was all in vain."

"Erik, what did the Shah want you to do?"

He stiffened. "I told you before that my need for acceptance was always my downfall. The moment I arrived in that land, I was accepted. The Shah praised me day and night. I was offered free rein of books, and conversations with men of science and my own personal workshop. The Shah said he admired talent and brilliance and heard I had many skills, one of which was my voice and its hypnotic qualities but more importantly, he liked my ability to build things."

"How did he know that?"

"I never really stopped that craft. It is useful at fairs, as you may know. Yet the camps weren't too keen on grandeur, just results, usually involving a good scare."

"And he liked that?"

"He wanted me to create something for him. A place where those who had wronged him would suffer the consequences. It seemed logical to me. Yet he didn't want it to appear obvious. I had access to anything I could ever want and whenever I would show him my work, I was instantly given more. It wasn't so much the clothing or the pretty things, it was the acclaim and notoriety that came with being in the Shah's court was… I was like an addict."

"Erik, you are human. Of course you would embrace these things."

"At any price? Christine, at first my dungeons were harmless, it caused confessions out of men, based on fright. But soon it wasn't enough. The Shah wanted more. He wanted blood."

"Bl….Blood?"

Erik nodded. "He said he wanted to create something that would cause his enemies pain and only the strong and sound mind would survive. It would also serve as proof on who he could really trust. I was intrigued by the challenge. So I created a Maze of Mirrors."

"What was that, angel?" She wanted to keep calling him names of affection, as she could feel his heartbeat race and body tense up.

"It was designed to see who would be the smartest to exit the maze unharmed. There were traps everywhere and if not cautious or astute, there would be hidden mirrors that would come crashing down and kill the unfortunate individual. Granted, there were controls installed so it could be manipulated to occur in just the right places."

He started to let go of her but she pulled him back. "Go on."

"There was a party in my honor and the Shah wanted to show off my latest creation. He had accompanied over 50 or so men into the maze. I was tired and decided it would be a good time to take my leave. In the morning, I learned that all 50 men had died. I raced to the Shah and begged forgiveness, telling him I didn't know how it had happened, as I wasn't handling the controls."

He only laughed and said he knew that. He did it. He killed all of them as a warning. He then said that was only the beginning. Soon, everyone would know of me, far and wide, as the Shah's second in command. The Angel of Death."

"I wanted to stop but I couldn't. He hugged me. Hugged me! A Shah was granting me power and I was no longer a person that needed to hide in the back and beyond or struggle for scraps and measly pocketbooks at gypsy camps to survive." Erik had to stand up.

"Nadir tried to warn me." He was pacing and Christine watched him intently. "He was trying to tell me that the Shah was a dangerous person and even though he seemed to be on my side, he could easily turn. I didn't listen. I didn't want to listen."

"And so he told you he threaten his family?"

He nodded. "His wife had died about a year prior to our meeting. So Nadir only had his son."

"He has a son?"

"He did." Erik covered his face and dropped to the floor.

"Erik, what is it? What's wrong?" She was at his side in seconds.

"Get away from me!" His was remembering the boy. Nadir's poor, innocent child. "I can't have you near me! I am a killer! A monster and it is not due to my face! These hands! These blood, stained hands killed men, women and children! Children, Christine! Run, run and don't ever look back!"

"Erik, calm yourself. You don't know what you are saying. You would never kill a child."

He sneered. "You are wrong. Dead wrong. I killed that boy. I killed Reza."

Christine was frightened but she knew it wasn't really Erik. He was being tormented by his demons. She had to be strong.

"How did you kill the boy?"

He looked at her in exasperation. "He was sick… So sick….. I told Nadir what was going to happen but he refused to believe me! He just kept him hidden away thinking….."

"Reza was Nadir's son? Did the Shaw hurt him?"

Erik shook his head. "No….. After the night of the deaths, Nadir was trying to talk to me but I didn't listen to him. Yet I liked that he was coming round more often. One day, I was getting restless and I went to his home. Imagine my surprise when a small boy answered the door. I thought Nadir had shrunk." He smiled for a moment and Christine thought he was coming back to reality.

"Go on." She was careful not to touch him but she stayed close by him.

"Nadir wasn't home but the boy was there with a servant, Darius. The servant offered me tea and said I could wait. Meanwhile the boy played by himself and I…. I don't know, something about him reminded me of myself at his age. I don't know what possessed me but I asked if he wanted to play a game of chess. He said he didn't know how and when I offered to teach him, he dropped his toy and came running."

Christine smiled. "Children are very attached to you."

He didn't acknowledge her comment. "Nadir came home and found the two of us in a very heated match. I started coming by every day to see the boy."

Suddenly Christine could sense what he was going to say. "He became ill?"

He looked up into her eyes for the first time since his break down. "Yes." He said weakly. "It was a virus, I knew that much but we had no idea how he caught it. I saw signs over time and when I told Nadir that not only was he ill but death….. Death would be slow and very, very painful. He would suffer terribly and he needed to act swiftly before… Before Reza knew."

"How did you know?"

"The one good thing about growing up in the gypsy camp was knowledge of aliments. I tried to find some sort of antidote but I couldn't. When I told Nadir he called me a lying Son of a Bitch. He said he didn't care if I was the Shah's number two, he would kill me, if I ever spoke to him again."

Erik let out a huge breath. "I hadn't seen Nadir or Reza for two months and one night, there was a knock at my door. Nadir was crying. He fell at my feet and begged me to help him. Reza had gone blind and couldn't walk. He said his son was in a constant state of suffering and he had nowhere else to go. I picked him up off the floor and got him a drink. I then left him for a while and returned with small bottle and handed it to him."

"Erik….."

"He looked at me and said he couldn't do it. He knew it had to be done but he couldn't do that. He had already lost his wife. He begged me to be the man he couldn't."

"Dear God." Christine lay back on the floor and covered her mouth. "That poor man….." She then realized what Nadir had asked of Erik. "Erik, what he asked of you…"

"I refused but he told me that only I knew how worse he would get. Death would be a mercy. He asked if I could use my Angel of Death title for good."

"That Bastard." She murmured but then regained her composure, "I'm sorry… I …."

"I deserved it, Christine."

"No! No you didn't. That was beyond cruel and unforgiveable. You were in an impossible situation and to call you that hurtful title…. He of all people should not have manipulated you. The Shah knew your weakness and capitalized on it. Nadir did the same thing." She stood up and wrapped her arms around herself.

Erik got up and turned her around. "Please don't think that of Nadir. He saved my life. He is a good friend and he was going through the unimaginable."

She traced his cheek. "And you still think you are a monster? You, who have all the sadness in the world in your eyes. You, who show more love to others, than you have ever received. You are extraordinary and I am so lucky to be in love with you."

He couldn't resist kissing her in that moment and she didn't dare stop him. They clung to one another as if they were each other's liveliness. Then in an instant, Erik pulled away.

"I'm so sorry, Christine. What the hell is wrong with me? I shouldn't be kissing you after what I told you. I don't deserve to touch you."

She had to give herself a moment to come back to reality, for Erik's kisses transported her to another place. "Angel, I am not sorry and you shouldn't be either. I…. Love having you touch me and I want to touch you." She couldn't hide the redness from her cheeks.

"Oh Christine…."

She took his hands in hers and kissed them. "I don't look at you any differently. You showed that little boy such compassion. Nadir's right to be a good friend to you and don't you dare think for a second you are not one to him. He knows it. He knows the man you are inside, just as I do." She brushed her hand over his heart.

"Did he die quietly?"

He nodded. "I put the liquid in his soup and fed it to him. Then I stayed with him telling him stories until he fell asleep. He was so happy to hear my voice."

"Of course he was." She whispered. "Precious, how did you end up leaving Persia?"

He looked down at her. "Are you sure you want to know?"

With no hesitation, she replied. "I am."

"The Shah had sensed I was becoming distant to him. Reza's death had affected me greatly and I began to see more and more what Nadir had been trying to tell me. One evening one of his guards came to my door and said the Shah had a present for me. A reward for my continuous loyalty. That's when he shoved a young girl into my room and closed the door.

"A girl?" Christine's eyes widened.

"Women are things in Persia, my dear. Barely even second class citizens. She was a member of his harem. I suppose she had been a present to him.

"I see…."

"Do you?" He made a face. "Because I can't understand it and I'll never allow myself to see it like that."

She smiled at him, even though she knew smiles were in no way appropriate for this tale. "You are a different kind of man. There are men here that wouldn't see it the way you do."

"She was so scared and I tried to get her to relax. I offered her a drink but she refused. I told her beyond a shadow of a doubt that there would be no rape. Nothing would happen that she didn't want to have happen. I even…." He couldn't believe he was telling her this. "I told her that she might even enjoy it. I would not make it about me. That's when she screamed."

Erik closed his eyes as he spoke again. "She said to please, leave my mask on. I could do anything to her but she begged to keep my mask on. She didn't want to die, knowing she had slept with the devil."

"Oh, angel…."

"I became enraged. She didn't mind giving away her body, so long as I didn't show her my real face?! I wasn't thinking clearly. I opened the door and called for a guard. I then threw her into him and said that she did not please me and I refused to keep her one moment longer. I was warned that not accepting a gift from the Shah would be seen as an insult and I told them I didn't care. That keeping her around would insult me more."

"What happened then?"

I closed the door, ripped off my mask and destroyed my chamber in a fit of rage. Then I cried myself to sleep." He moved further away. "The next morning, I learned that the Shah had put the girl to death for not pleasing me. Later on, I receive a visit from Nadir. He said the Shah had asked him to kill me. Well, to be fair he asked Nadir to have me leave Persia in a box."

"Why?!"

Erik shrugged. "A test most likely, to see if Nadir still was loyal. The Shah knew we had been spending a lot of time together and he knew about Reza. Heaven forbid that the Shah's number two have more power or control than the Shah himself.

"How did you escape?"

"Quickly and not by the most civilized means. I left Persia in a coffin, only I wasn't dead. Nadir saw to that and sometime later, he and I met again in Paris."

"My God, Erik. To think all of that really happened."

Erik picked up his mask and placed it on his face.

"Erik?"

"I need to go out for a while, Christine."

"I'll go with you. Anywhere you like."

"I just…. Need some time alone."

"Erik, I still love you. Nothing has changed. Please don't feel as if you need to run off."

"I know…. I think the night air will settle me."

She didn't want him to go but she didn't stop him. "Ok. I'll be right here, waiting for you when you get back. I'll make supper. What do you like?"

He smiled weakly. "Make whatever you wish for yourself, Christine. You need to eat. I'll be fine with whatever you make."

Erik then went towards the door, only to feel Christine pull him back and embrace him.

"Don't stay away too long, my Erik."

He shook his head in surprise. "I won't."

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A little while later, Erik came back and realized it was later than he thought.

"Angel, I'm sorry I'm later than expected. I…." He stopped when she appeared before him in her blue nightdress that he had purchased for her. "It's late. You must be tired."

"No, Erik. I'm not tired at all." She came up to him and took his hand, leading him to the couch. "Sit with me?"

He did as she asked and then looked around. He noticed there were candles lit and a bottle of wine. "Where did you get that?"

"I found it in the kitchen. Would you pour us some, please?"

He nodded, doing his best to keep his mind off her nightdress and what happened between them the last time she wore it. He managed to get the bottle opened and then poured her and himself a glass. "My dear." He handed her a glass.

"To us." She said.

"To us." Erik took a slow sip.

"Erik?"

"Yes?" He was nervous.

She sat beside him. "Don't be nervous. We aren't doing anything wrong."

"I know but to see you in that, looking so…" He swallowed hard. "It's hard to not remember the last time you wore it and we were alone."

She smiled as she blushed. "I remember. I remember very well."

"So you see why…"

"Erik, do you trust me?"

The question caught him by surprise. "Of course, I do. How can you ask such a question, after all I have already told you?"

"I just want to be sure and let you know that I trust you. I trust you with everything. Do you know that?"

"I do. I do and it's that trust that makes me stay focused and not lose control."

"Sweetheart, I told you before I wanted you to touch me and I want to touch you." She took his hand and paced it around her waist. "You trust me?"

"Yes…" He could feel his temperature rising.

"Then let's trust one another and know that nothing is going to happen unless we both want it to."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying we love each other and a little display of that love is alright."

"Little display?" His visible eyebrow rose up.

"Maybe I'll just show you and have you take it from there." She kissed him deeply, causing them to fall down onto of the couch.