Hello, first I want to apologize for this massive delay. The past month has not been good, I had work to do plus there were health issues of a family member that really thrown me in a funk and I lost my writing mojo for a while.

Nevertheless, here it is, finally. :) I hope you enjoy it. Huge thanks to everyone who read, favourited and commented! :)

The weekend went by surprisingly quickly and on Monday Christine found herself once more on a stage during rehearsals. They were going through the very first scene, which was Sara's aria she had sang for her second audition. While he did not sing in this scene, Florian as Marco was there in front with her as well, falling for Sara's charms as she took the first step in their relationship.

Christine could feel a pair of eyes focused on them; Erik was standing off to the side, making sure the stage directions and blocking were done correctly. He looked thoughtful and completely focused, his eyes sharp. She found his stare a little unnerving, especially when this particular scene ended with her in Florian's arms, very close to kissing. She focused so much on that moment that she fumbled with her singing when the lead tenor placed his hands on her body. Casting a quick glance at Erik, she saw his dark eyebrow rise and a moment later he signalled for everyone to stop. Granted, it was only the orchestra and the two lead singers, but slightly off the stage were the chorus and ballet corps, waiting for their turns in rehearsals. She had glimpsed Meg's blonde head peeking curiously at them.

"There is absolutely no passion between you." Erik explained and from his tone she could hear he was disappointed. She had heard this feeling in his voice a few times when he was still her Angel. "Your characters are deeply in love with each other. You need to portray these feelings to the audience, sing the role, feel the role. Again if you please."

Christine tried to portray her character's feelings in her performance, but she was too nervous. The man she loved was watching her in the arms of another man, while that other man was her best friend's lover. She could see Florian was trying as well but knew that it was not working out, so she wasn't surprised when Erik stopped the rehearsal once again.

"Christine, it was better but you are too tense. I know you can do much more." His remark conjured the memories of their passionate duet on stage of Don Juan. While she had been unaware of her own feelings, the music had brought out the most from her with the seductive, intoxicating lyrics. "Florian, I can see your attempts, but I need you to try harder." He sighed and walked over towards them. "I will show you." Christine barely had time to react as Erik striked up the orchestra, telling them to play only the last couple of bars from the score. She sung automatically, hyperaware of his body nearing hers.

"Don't approach me, don't touch my skin,
I will burn you alive.
You've approached me, you've touched my skin,
now you are Mister Hyde!"

She let her voice soar when he closed the distance between them, capturing her from behind and running his hands down her arms and waist. She succumbed to his touch without scruples; being in his arms again felt heavenly and she sang as the song had been meant to - with great passion and love. At the lasting end of the aria, he spun her around and drew her flush against his strong body as the stage directions dictated. Christine could feel his breath washing over her face as they assumed the ending pose of their characters nearly kissing before being interrupted by Sara's father. Her eyes could only focus on his lips, moist and slightly parted and she found herself leaning more into him, her knees weak, wanting to feel his lips on hers once more. The music stopped and he released her to speak with Florian. She instantly missed his touch and nearly followed him as he drew away. She flushed slightly, clearing her throat. She pointedly ignored Meg's knowing grin and focused on Erik's instructions.

"If it helps you, you may pretend Christine is Meg. I only need you to get those feelings across to the audience." Determinedly, Florian nodded and assumed his earlier position. Erik returned to his spot on the side and motioned for the orchestra to start. Acting with Erik had been easy - she did not have to pretend and only expressed the longing for him in her voice and movements.

Christine lost track of how many times this aria was rehearsed that day. She was getting frustrated and Erik seemed to grow more angry with each repeat. Finally he decided that their acting performance was good enough and let Madame Giry rehearse with the ballet corpse while he stalked off into his office.

A week of intense rehearsals later, everyone was surprised to hear of a change to the score - a new song performed solely by Florian would be inserted into the opera. Set just before Marco's departure with Sara's father to visit her, it spoke of his sadness and loneliness, yet was full of hope of seeing his beloved again, to hear her sing to him again. As they stood aside to watch Florian rehearse the song. The first soft strains of a piano filled the stage and Christine listened with rapt fascination as the lyrics unfolded. They spoke to her on a deep level and her eyes involuntarily slid to the man watching from the other side of the stage. Erik looked deep in thought, even more so than usual during their rehearsals and she wondered what was on his mind and why this was such a sudden change in the script.

Once Florian finished singing, Erik nodded in satisfaction and let the cast have a few minutes break. Christine turned to Meg, surprised to see a look of wonder in her face. The ballerina looked at her friend with wide blue eyes.

"Christine, I have heard that melody before. That song..."

"That is not unusual, you must have heard him composing it recently."

"No, you don't understand. I first heard this when we came here, three years ago. Before he even thought about writing an opera." She paused, giving Christine a meaningful look. "I think he wrote that for you."

"Don't be silly, Meg." She brushed her friend off and focused as the ballet corps filled the stage, ready to rehearse their part. "This is a love song of sorts."

"Exactly my point." Meg said as she walked away to join her fellow dancers. Christine just stood there, not knowing whether to believe her friend or not. Nevertheless, she dared to hope.

The closer the date to the opera premiere was, the more nervous and short tempered the cast and crew became. Christine was surprised at Erik's reign over his temper and that it had taken him this long until his patience snapped. Right now all the cast stood to the side as he unleashed his wrath on a new young orchestra member, who couldn't seem to be able to play a few bars of an aria correctly. It was frustrating for all present and she did not blame Erik for snapping. She hid a smile as he continued ranting; it was good seeing him like this again. Many would think her mad but she was glad he hadn't changed that much. Sure, he managed to control his temper a lot since their days at the Opera Populaire, but when provoked, he could get angry like before.

Just as she was about to walk over to calm him as his anger reached its peak, he had somewhat calmed on his own. To Christine's shock he mumbled an apology to everyone present, gave them a lunch break and stalked to the direction of his office. She stood watching after him for a long while, until Meg, who stood next to her, spoke up.

"I know what you are thinking." Christine lifted surprised eyes to her friend. "Go." After a split second of hesitation she followed the path Erik had taken before. She knocked on his office door and heard a clear "enter" from within. His voice seemed calm as if he had never got angry, so she opened the door quietly to find him at his desk scribbling something down. He didn't look up at her entrance, so she closed the door quietly behind her.

"Are you okay?" She asked, wishing he would look at her but he was too engrossed in his work.

"I am fine. I am sorry for my outburst." Christine smiled to herself and came around his desk. He didn't seem to mind her invading his personal space or maybe didn't notice. She looked over his shoulder and found him scribbling down music. Another smile stretched her face.

"It's alright, I understand, Erik." She laid a hand on his shoulder, shocked at how knotted the muscles were. Using both of her hands, she absentmindendly worked out the tension in his shoulders with her fingers, applying gentle but firm pressure. In the recent weeks she had become more tactile with him and while he didn't seem to touch her much except the occasional accidental brush of their hands, she took every opportunity to touch him, going out of her way to plan her accidental touches. "I do not blame you, nor the entire company does. I cannot imagine how much work running a theatre entails and on top of that it is your work that is going to be performed soon. It is understandable you want everything perfect." There was a long moment of silence before he spoke up.

"May I ask what you are doing?" Erik's tone sounded a bit amused and Christine noticed he had stopped writing. Her cheeks tinged pink, she withdrew her hands and shuffled back to the front of his desk. He did not seem to be angry at her intimate touch, and the expression on his face mirrored the tone in his voice.

"I'm sorry."

"No need, it helped. Thank you, Christine." He dropped his gaze back to his work. She wasn't sure if he had meant the massage or her words but she took it neverthless.

"Anytime." She said quietly and scurried out of the door, her cheeks still aflame.

The last week was very intense in rehearsals, everyone felt excited yet nervous about performing a previously unheard opera. They wished it a great success, for their director's mastery of music and lyrics was extraordinary and every company member loved his work.

It was two days and two nights before the premiere when Christine stepped on the stage for her scheduled rehearsal only to find a small group of chorus members and ballerinas right in the middle. She looked to the direction of orchestra, surprised to find Mr. Reyer looking nervous, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief. It seemed Erik was not yet here, otherwise rehearsals would be in full swing. She walked over to Meg, who was surrounded by the cast.

"What is going on?" They all turned to look at her and she could see the worry and anxiety in their faces. Raising an eyebrow, she locked eyes with Meg, hoping to find some explanation.

"Christine, there has been an accident." She spoke in low tones and Christine's heart leapt to her throat. Did something happen to Erik? Or Madame Giry? "Florian had a nasty fall last night and broke his leg." She hated herself for the relief she felt yet worried for the lead tenor.

"Will he be okay?" Meg didn't look too distraught, so Christine figured he was going to be alright.

"Yes, the doctor said it was a clean break but that it will heal for the next 6 to 8 weeks if not longer."

"Erik is not going to like that." As if on cue, her words were followed by two sets of footsteps and a familiar voice.

"I do not pay you for idling around when there should be rehearsals going on." She turned and saw Erik, clad in his shirt and trousers as was customary in the recent weeks. The weather started to get warmer and warmer outside and the temperature rose in preparation of summer. Madame Giry stood at his side, her stern expression looking over their small group. "Back to work, please." The chorus girls and ballerinas exchanged looks and no one moved from their spot. Erik's eyes narrowed and he cocked his head to one side.

"Is there a problem?" Christine could see his eyes scan the group until they settled on hers. She felt a slight poke from Meg in her back. Apparently she would be the bearer of bad news. She cleared her throat.

"There has been an accident. Florian broke his leg last night. It should be healed in two months time or more." She blurted out as quickly as possible, waiting for the inevitable rise of his temper.

"How serious is it? Is he going to be alright?" Erik asked instead, completely surprising her.

"Yes, the doctor said there were no complications." Meg piped up beside her. Erik just nodded in acknowledgement.

"Good. Now back to the rehearsals, please."

"But Signor, we don't have a male lead!" Once one of the members of the chorus spoke, more joined her. "What about the understudy?"

Christine knew that Florian's understudy was good but not ready to step on the stage within mere 2 days. There was only one option she could think of, besides postponing the premiere or playing a different opera. However, she knew that the latter two were not an option for him. She watched Erik closely, wondering if he would come to the same conclusion.

"The understudy is nowhere near ready. The premiere is only two days away. We will not be cancelling either."

"But Signor, who is going to play the part of Marco?" After a few moments of tense silence, only one word was uttered.

"Me." Christine could see something flash in his eyes but it was gone just as fast. She was delighted he thought of the same solution and was excited to share the stage with him. There were several hushed whispers among the cast; some had never heard Erik sing, while the former cast from the Paris opera remembered their last performance. Christine wanted nothing more than to hear him sing again and get lost in his golden voice. "Now back to work if you please." He started to the direction of his usual observing spot but was stopped by a chorus girl.

"Signor, will you not rehearse with us?" He turned on his heel and gave the girl a small, somewhat sad smile.

"There is no need. I know this opera and stage directions better than anyone." As he turned back and the cast took their positions, everyone missed the smile on Christine's face.

That night Christine could not sleep, so she roamed the dimly lit corridors of the theatre. Due to the busy theatre schedule, Christine, Meg and her mother moved temporarily to the theatre and stayed there overnight. Christine's room was beautiful and reminded her of the little room she had had back in Opera Populaire. It was much larger than that and she felt very at home in between the lovely lavender walls.

On one hand she was sad for Florian and his injury, on the other incredibly excited. Acting opposite Erik again was a dream come true and with him she would not be nervous during the more daring duet. It was difficult singing and acting that song with Florian, kissing him on stage felt strange and awkward, especially when Erik was just a few metres away, watching their every move in rehearsals.

But now he was the one she would kiss and touch and sing about passion with, for three weeks!

She had not seen or talked to him much during the past week and she missed him already. In the few weeks since their conversation in library, they became closer as friends. Late at night she would go down the library in the house to read and often Erik would join her to either talk about her recent novel or to sit by the fire and read as well. She missed those quiet nights.

As she turned around a corner, she saw Erik's silhouette at the end of the corridor. She had been wandering for a while and lost track of where she was. Needing to talk to him, she quickened her step and called out to him, only to let out a soft cry as she found herself on her hands and knees on the floor, a brief sharp pain shooting up her leg. She heard a muttered curse and then footsteps that were heading in her direction. She turned to sit on the ground, trying to gather back her lost dignity before Erik came to her side.

"Christine?" Then he was suddenly crouched next to her, his eyes shining like two emeralds in the dim lightning of the theatre's corridors. "Are you hurt?" His eyes scanned her form and she blushed when she realized she was only in her thin nightshift.

"I am fine." She scrunched her nose, rubbing lightly at her ankle. She had had her fair share of sprained ankles but from what she could tell now, this was thankfully not the case. She heard him sigh.

"What are you doing here so late at night?"

"I couldn't sleep. I think I am lost. And I wanted to talk to you. Then I fell." There was another sigh and a shuffle and then she was suddenly lifted into his arms.

"Foolish woman." He murmured and she smiled as he carried her through the corridors back into her room, relaxing in his embrace and closing her eyes. If only he could hold her like this for the rest of the night!

All too soon they were back in her room and Erik gently lowered her on the bed in a separate part of her dressing room, mindful of her hurt foot. He sat on one side of the bed and slightly lifted the hem of her night dress. He gently took her injured foot into his hands, tenderly massaging the area around the ankle, moving her foot in little circles. His touch on her bare flesh conjured up forbidden memories and unleashed dozens of butterflies in her stomach. A short quiet moan bubbled up from her throat before she could stop it and he looked at her in worry.

"Does it hurt?" Christine could not possibly tell him now that no, it did not hurt and that it was a moan of a different sort for he would not believe her.

"A little bit." She lied and watched as he stood and walked into the adjacent bathroom. She wondered what he was doing but he was back in a minute with a long wet strip of cloth. She wanted to tell him cold compress was not necessary but let him spoil her. She did not feel the freezing cold cloth as he wrapped it tight around her ankle, his touch burned her skin.

"You are not to put more strain on that foot until the premiere. I do not want to see you stand or walk unless necessary. Rehearse sitting if you must, although I am confident you're well prepared."

"Okay." She would agree with anything as long as he kept touching her. She shook her head a bit to get rid of these thoughts.

"After all, I cannot sing both leads."

If anyone happened to pass by her dressing room, they would have heard Christine's delighted laughter.