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A few of you have asked, what does Erik's mask look like. I try to mix things up a little for each story, and while I usually go for a full mask, I thought it might be a bit tooooo odd for modern day Erik, so I gave him the 'half mask' like in the play. His right side is all messed up (descriptions coming when the unmasking takes place) but his left side is alright. Hope that clears things up.
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Chapter 43
~X~
As the sun peeked over the hills and slowly brought Christine out of her slumber, she realized that something was different. She was alone. Not only alone in the bed, but in the whole room too, since she could not detect any sounds coming from the bathroom or closet, alerting her to the fact that Erik might still be nearby. Turning over, her suspicions were confirmed by the sight of a note and a rose, lying on the pillow beside her.
Christine picked up the flower, taking in the aroma for a moment before setting it down. It was one of the few left from her night of the recital, with the cleaning lady, Janet, having diligently weeded out the wilted ones until only a few of the younger blossoms remained. Unfolding the note, she sat against the headboard and read the words Erik had written.
My darling Christine,
I fear that my somewhat wounded pride would not allow me to face you this morning, and I apologize for my lack of courage to wake you and bid farewell in person. You were the epitome of kindness and grace last night, and I thank you for listening with forgiveness and understanding. Perhaps by this evening my old wounds will have once again scarred over enough for me to not feel so…vulnerable.
Again, your willingness to listen and not judge touched me deeply. I have no words to express my gratitude.
Your devoted husband,
Erik
Christine reached up and wiped at the tears that had begun to slide down her cheek. Oh, Erik…you have no reason to feel ashamed, she thought to herself. And he had no idea that confiding in her about such things had meant so much. Yet, on the morning of what she considered their most profound breakthrough, he had chosen to abandon her due to some misplaced sense of humiliation. Well, that would simply not do!
Reaching over, Christine grabbed her cell phone off the nightstand, quickly typing him a text message. She considered calling, but Erik might be in a meeting, or still feeling too raw to answer…so a text would have to do.
*Erik, you have nothing at all to feel embarrassed about. Not one thing you said caused me to think any less of you, in fact, every word you told me last night only made me care for, and admire, you more. Please don't let this be a stumbling block for us…but instead a step in the right direction. I will be standing at the door when you get home with a smile and a kiss. Don't keep me waiting.*
Christine balanced the phone on her drawn up knees and waited, wondering how long it might take him to see her message, read it, and then decide to respond. She didn't have to wait long before she heard a blessed beep. Touching the screen, she anxiously read his reply.
*Thank you. Your words mean the world to me. I will be home as quickly as possible, and I greatly look forward to seeing your smile and receiving your generous kiss. I do not deserve you. Your Erik*
"Yes…you're all mine," Christine whispered with a wide smile, before flipping back the covers and scrambling out of bed. The sooner she got the day started, the quicker it would fly by and she would be back in Erik's arms…right where she belonged.
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The first half of the day whizzed by, with her still riding high on Erik's note and text. When lunchtime arrived, Christine bought two deli sandwiches, a bottle of water, and an extra-large frothy coffee for Amir, heading out to his usual bench with a big grin on her face. When she drew near, she held out the coffee without a word, causing him to reach out and take it rather suspiciously.
"What's this for?" he questioned. "What devious thing do you wish for me to do now?"
"I resent that!" she laughed. "Can't a girl just bring her bodyguard a gift? Must there always be ulterior motives?"
"With you…yes," he informed her, still eyeing her skeptically.
"Well, not this time," she said with a harrumph, plopping down beside him and throwing her arms around his shoulders, planting a loud kiss on his cheek.
"WHOA THERE!" he protested, pulling away so quickly that he almost spilled his coffee. "What are you trying to do…get us both killed?"
"That was a thank you kiss," she explained, slapping him playfully on the shoulder. "Don't go getting a swelled head or anything, I'm not after your body."
"Well I should hope not!" he huffed, checking his pant legs to make sure none of the coffee had spilled on them. "Besides, Erik might like the cheeky kind, but I say you're a lot more trouble than you're worth."
"Oh, you love me and you know it," she grinned, reaching into her paper sack and pulling out the deli item she had bought for him. "And here's a hero sandwich, for being such a hero to Erik all those years ago."
"A what?" Amir questioned, taking the sandwich with a confused look on his face.
"A hero! For saving Erik from being tortured and killed," she explained.
"He told you how we first met?" Now Amir was shocked. "I can't believe that sorry sod actually listened to me for once!"
"Yep," Christine nodded, a mixture of satisfaction and regret in her eyes. "And while I am forever in your debt for what you did for Erik…I'm very sorry for what it cost you to do so. That was very brave…and honorable, Amir. Thank you."
The Persian was silent for a bit, apparently torn about how to respond. In the end, he reached out and patted her hand in a comforting gesture.
"It was the right thing to do," he admitted, not mentioning the emotional costs. "I could no longer stay there knowing what my family was doing, and saving Erik was just the catalyst I needed to push me to do what I'd been avoiding up until then. It was a good thing I left…it was even a better thing that I teamed up with Erik in doing so. We've done pretty well for ourselves since then, and I don't regret a thing." He then got a rather silly grin on his face. "Well…some things I regret. Like ever starting a running bet with him, or loaning him my car that time, or stitching up his chest wound…you know he still whines like a little girl about how big his scar is!"
"With all the bickering you two do, I'm shocked you've stayed together this long," Christine laughed.
"Oh, there's some advantages to hanging with Erik," he said with a shrug. "I mean, the man is a freaking financial genius, when he sets his mind to something. We arrived in this country with nothing but the shirts on our backs, and now look at us…sitting pretty if you ask me. I've never been good at saving money, I'm more of the mind to spend it, but as long as I keep working with Erik, I know I'm set for life."
"I think Erik values your friendship as well," Christine assured him.
"Did he actually say that?" Amir asked, looking somewhat skeptical.
"Well…not in so many words," she admitted. "But a girl can tell these things." Christine laughed, causing Amir to hum skeptically. "And even if he won't ever say it, I appreciate what you did, and what you do, very much. If you hadn't stepped in back then…well, I would never have met him. And I would consider that a bitter tragedy."
"Ahhhh, starting to warm up to the cold fish, are ya?" Amir presumed, waggling his eyebrows up and down suggestively. "And here I thought it might never happen."
"Well…it's taken a while, but you know what they say, anything worth having is worth waiting for," she quoted.
"That it is," he mused, his mind temporarily wandering somewhere else…and Christine figured she could guess where. To Antoinette.
"You know, Amir, no one says you can't find love too," she hinted, doing her best to leave a certain legal council's name out of it.
"And who says I won't?" Amir demanded, looking miffed. "Was it Erik? That rotten little buttinski!"
"No, Erik never said anything of the sort, I was just saying that somewhere, out there, might be the woman of your dreams, just waiting for you to come along and sweep her off her feet," Christine explained.
"Really? Well, who knows, maybe you're right," he said in a hopeful tone, turning his attention back to the sandwich she had brought him. "Does this have mustard on it?"
"Of course not, I know you hate mustard," she informed him.
"Thank you!" he said, his tone sounding as if he were just vindicated. "At least someone cares enough to notice things like that!" And then giving her a wink, he bit into the sandwich with gusto.
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Christine knew she still had two more days to practice her dancing with Meg before the big charity ball, but in truth she was feeling rather confident about the steps. However, there was no sense in getting cocky, right? When she entered the practice room, she found Meg sitting on the bench typing furiously on her cell phone, completely unaware that Christine had arrived.
"Hello? Earth to Meg," she chuckled, watching her friend jump at her voice. "It looked like you were typing out secret military codes to the enemy with as serious as you appeared."
"Yep, you caught me," she giggled nervously. "Super Spy Meg, ready to take down the government," her friend grinned, shoving her phone into her bag and standing up. "Are you ready to dance?" she asked, acting overly excited about the prospect.
"Ummm, yes," Christine said hesitantly. "Is everything all right, Meg? You seem…well, on edge a bit."
"Nope, I'm great!" she insisted. "Now, let's go over the tango a few times and then we can work on the waltz."
Christine still felt as if Meg was hiding something from her, but she didn't want to pry, so instead she followed her friend onto the dance floor.
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Their hour of practice went by swiftly, with Christine doing a very fine job of keeping up with the energetic ballerina. Yet, when Meg's phone beeped for the tenth time, with her doing her best to act as if she had no interest in who was texting her, Christine called for a time out.
"Meg, for heaven's sake, just go answer your phone," she insisted. "Whoever it is won't give up until you do, and it's driving me crazy!"
Meg gave a defeated sigh and marched over to the bench, sat down and did indeed check her messages, her face growing more and more concerned with each text she read. Unable to stand it any longer, Christine came over and sat down beside her friend, wrapping her arm around her shoulders encouragingly.
"Meg…what's the matter? Is something wrong?" she asked, not wanting to pry, but also wishing to help if she could. "You can tell me."
"Well…in truth, I kind of have to tell you," she lamented, laying down her phone and turning to stare at Christine with worried eyes. "Since you'll undoubtedly find out on Saturday."
"On Saturday?" she questioned. "Saturday is the charity ball." Christine's eyes then grew wide with horror. "I suck, don't I? That's it, I'm horrible at dancing and you've been lying to me all this time about being able to dance well enough not to embarrass myself! That's it, isn't it?"
"No, no, not at all," Meg was quick to reassure her. "You truly are doing great, you have nothing to worry about."
"Then what? What will I find out about on Saturday?" she pressed.
"You'll find out that…that…I kind of have a boyfriend," she confessed, cringing just a bit as if she expected her to object.
"YOU DO?" Christine squealed, grabbing hold of her arm in excitement. "When…how…did you find that stick and throw it like I suggested?"
"No, there was no stick involved," she chuckled. "He…he saw me dance at the recital and showed up at the after party. We got to talking and well…one thing led to another, and we exchanged numbers."
"You've been seeing him for nearly two weeks and this is the first time I'm hearing about it?" Christine gasped. "Meg! I thought we were friends!"
"We are! Or at least I hope we still can be after I tell you the rest," she moaned, leaning back against the wall and shutting her eyes.
"Meg…" Christine began, her tone now one of concern. "What did you do? You and he didn't…you know…"
"NO WAY!" Meg was quick to assure her. "Not till there's a diamond ring on this finger!" she stated firmly, holding up her hand and pointing to her naked digit.
"Then what are you so worried about?" Christine demanded. "And why do I need to know about him before Saturday? Tell me, Meg, before I imagine any more horrible things."
"Well, the reason you need to know before then, is because he invited me to go to the charity ball with him," her friend confessed.
"He did? Well that's great!" she smiled. "He must be rather well off if he can afford two tickets!" Yet her expression of joy quickly faded when she saw that Meg did not appear happy about it. "Or maybe that's not so great? Don't you want to go with him?"
"Oh, yes, more than anything! I've never felt like this about anyone, Chris. He's just so…so…perfect!" she stammered. "He's all I can think of, I want to be with him all the time, and he's got me so twitterpated that I've even been eating carbs! Honest to goodness carbs!"
"Well…that is serious," Christine snickered, doing her best to sound supportive. "But I still don't see the downside here."
"The downside is…he's your ex-boyfriend!" Meg blurted out, burying her face in her hands.
"RAOUL?" Christine gasped. "You're dating Raoul Chaney?"
"Yes," Meg cringed.
"Oh…" was all she could think to reply. This was not good, not good at all! While Raoul was a nice enough guy - cheating on her at the prom notwithstanding - Christine couldn't help but wonder what it was that made him single out Meg. Was he buddying up to her friend in order to get dirt on her and Erik? He was working for the FBI…had they somehow put him up to it? If so, she would literally knock his block off! She needed to learn more. "So…how did you find out that he and I once dated?"
"He confessed it to me the other night," she said. "He told me that he couldn't keep it a secret any more…not since he…well, he said he was having very strong feelings for me, and he didn't want there to be any secrets between us."
"Well, that's admirable," she nodded, glad that he had come clean and Meg hadn't found out on her own.
"He's been pestering me to tell you about us too, saying that he was not comfortable having you find out the night of the ball," Meg continued. "That's what all those texts were about. He kept asking if I had told you yet." She then reached out and put her hand over Christine's, looking at her friend with desperation in her eyes. "You…you don't hate me, do you? I know it's like a cardinal sin to date your best friend's ex…but…but I reeeeeeealy like him!"
"Your best friend?" Christine was shocked. She liked Meg a lot, and they always had a great time together, but best friends? She was quite touched.
"Well yah…unless I've just screwed that all up. Did I?" she asked, cringing a bit as if she feared her answer.
"No…of course not," Christine assured her, giving her a big hug. "Raoul and I were never meant to be a couple…we were more friends than anything else. And if you two have hit it off…well who am I to stand in your way."
"Really?" Meg squealed, a huge grin spreading over her face. "You truly don't mind? And you won't stop being my friend if I keep dating him?"
"No, of course not," she assured her, thinking that Meg must really have it bad. "Just don't rush things, after all, you've only known him for two weeks."
"Well, you married your husband after only knowing him a month," Meg pointed out.
"Now don't you go using me as a basis for how to court a man!" Christine warned. "Our situation was…well…unique." Yes, that was a good word for it. Unique.
"Fine, I was only teasing," Meg snickered. "I would never jump into anything so serous without completely thinking it through. Besides, he hasn't even met my mother yet, and chances are she'll interrogate him within an inch of his life and he'll disappear in a puff of smoke."
"Well…Raoul is tougher than he looks," Christine told her, doing her best to sound supportive, though in her heart she was torn. She really needed to get Raoul alone and grill him personally! "And you two will be going to the ball together? What costumes are you wearing?"
"I don't know yet," Meg admitted. "Raoul said he would take care of everything, since he kind of asked me on such short notice. He didn't want to stress me out…and I would have too, so really, he's doing me a big favor by handling it all."
"That's Raoul…the proverbial knight in shining armor," Christine nodded, recalling all the nice and thoughtful things he had done for her while they were dating. He really was a very nice guy…which made it even more difficult to believe that he might be dating Meg for nefarious reasons. "I'm sure he'll pick out something fun."
"I hope so!" she said, her eyes taking on a dreamy look. "I'm just so happy I could…well…dance!"
"Well, you'll get enough of that at the ball," Christine agreed. "And really, I am very happy for the both of you. You can tell Raoul I'm all right with the idea of you dating."
"I'm so glad, I've been worried sick ever since he told me, wondering what you'd say," Meg acknowledged, her fears now thankfully set to rest. "Would you mind us stopping a bit early today, so I can call Raoul and tell him the good news?"
"No, that's fine," Christine assured her. "I should be off to Leathwood myself. Go call your man."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Meg squealed once more, grabbing her phone and dialing his number…one she apparently already knew by heart.
Giving her friend one final smile, Christine stood up and turned to go, just as Raoul picked up.
"Raoul…I've got great news!" was the last thing Christine heard before shutting the door behind her.
Once she was outside in the hallway, Christine leaned her back against the wall and let out a deep sigh. What was she going to do? She couldn't let Meg's heart be broken on her account, and that was exactly what would happen if Raoul was indeed spending time with her only to glean information. Yet neither could she try and talk Meg out of seeing him, especially without knowing the whole story!
Pushing off the wall, she began to walk towards the exit, hoping that a visit with her father would help her think of something.
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Erik had been in a foul mood when he arrived at work, causing Antoinette to give him a wide berth most of the day. Yet, as five o'clock approached, his temperament seemed to improve, leaving Mrs. Giry to conclude that he was looking forward to going home to see Christine.
"Knock, knock," she called, poking her head inside the door cautiously. "Are you busy?"
"No more than usual," he replied, his attention glued to his laptop, not even looking up as she entered.
"I've had another fifteen responses to the invitations today," she announced, adding them to the stack of envelopes on the end of his desk. "I think this will be the best turnout the ball has ever had, and with Christine's idea about the guest buying more chances to vote for their favorite costumes, we stand to raise a very substantial amount for charity. You might even be nominated for humanitarian of the year for this."
"Oh, God, I hope not!" Erik moaned. He was still not used to being in the limelight, at least not for good deeds.
"Oh, come on, just think, you're practically Batman," she laughed, watching him stare at her as if she were insane. "You know, you're dark and moody, you drive cool cars, your office is practically a cave, you have secret tunnels and stuff, and you wear a…" here she stopped short, changing her mind at the last second. "…you wear black all the time. See…Batman."
"I hardly think the analogy fits," he huffed. "And trust me…Amir is no Alfred." He then sat back and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "If I must be likened to a super hero…I would say I am more like Iron Man."
"Really?" Antoinette chuckled. "How so?"
"I am rich, a genius, have a rapier wit, am a philanthropist, and I have a lovely lady waiting for me at home…just like Pepper Potts," Erik explained, smiling proudly.
"All right…I can see it," she laughed, rather enjoying this side of her boss. Things had certainly changed since Christine came along. Antoinette only hoped it would last. "Oh…and I thought I should let you know that Meg will be coming to the ball as well."
"That's fine, just add one more ticket for her and charge it to Phantom Industries. I am certain there are a few seats left," he then eyed the stack of RSVPs, and wondered if he was correct in that.
"Well, actually she already has a ticket," Antoinette informed him, sitting down in the chair in front of the desk in a bit of a huff. "She was invited by someone who is already attending, and he's paying for her dinner."
"Oh? Meg landed herself a rich man?" Erik was suddenly very interested. "Who might he be?"
"I don't know," came Antoinette's rather disgruntled reply. "She won't tell me anything about him, other than he's a real dream. Meg says I can meet him at the ball, and not before."
"Ahh, a mystery man," Erik nodded. "Might she be worried you will not approve? Maybe he's years older than her? Perhaps he has a shady reputation, or a questionable job?" He had only been teasing, but from the irritated glare Antoinette was now giving him, he didn't think she saw the humor in it. He was about to retract his words, when she spouted off with a few of her own.
"Oh, I highly doubt that's the case," Antoinette stated standing up and stomping towards the door. "Since Christine's already snatched you up!" And with that she exited the room, leaving Erik stunned at his normally respectful legal aid. Still…he couldn't find a reason to be upset with her words. For yes, Christine had already snatched him up…and he couldn't have been happier.
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Meanwhile, at Leathwood, Christine had poured her heart out to her father, going back and forth about what to do. Should she tell Meg to stay away from him, on the slim chance that Raoul was playing her…or speak to Raoul directly and threaten him within an inch of his life if he hurt her friend? She went on and on about the pros and cons to both choices, but each one had their own dangers. If she told Meg that she suspected Raoul was only seeing her because he wished to glean information about her and Erik, she ran the risk of hurting her and possibly losing her friendship in the process. Yet, if she confronted Raoul, and Erik found out, well, she ran the risk of losing her husband…or Raoul losing a few of his front teeth. Either way Meg would not be happy.
"Papa, I don't know what to do!" Christine moaned, laying her head down on his knees, wishing he could tell her the way to go. Yet the next moment her head snapped up, looking at him with great anticipation. "Maybe you can tell me what to do! I know that neither choice is perfect…but of the two, which one should I go with?" She reached out and took his hand in hers, holding it lightly and staring him in the eyes. "If you think I should tell Meg to steer clear of Raoul…move your fingers." She waited, anxious for any sign at all. When a full minute went by with nothing, Christine tried again. "All right, if you think I should go talk to Raoul in person about all this…move your fingers." Again, she waited…yet when nothing happened this time, she was really confused. "Are you saying there's another option? That I should just do nothing?" Almost instantly she felt his fingers wiggle beneath her palm, causing her to give a heavy sigh of defeat. "You know that's my least favorite thing to do! I need to do something!" This time, Charles' eyes moved from the left to the right, mimicking a head shaking the word no. "Papa! While I am beyond delighted that you are answering me…can't you do so in a more noncommittal way?" When he made the motion with his eyes again, she gave a sigh of resignation. "Fine! If you think it's best."
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When Christine left a little later, wishing to be home before Erik, she was not exactly happy. Why did her father have to be so darn practical? Do nothing, he said. That course of action would drive her insane. So, when she passed the receptionist's desk on her way out, and spotted the house phone sitting on the counter, an idea began to form in her mind. It was not one she was particularly proud of…but the need to know what Raoul was up to was eating away at her. Rushing forward, she approached the front desk before she had a chance to change her mind.
"May I use your phone?" Christine asked the woman politely, getting an affirmative response. "Thank you. I'll be quick." She then dug into her purse, and pulled out her cell, looking up the number Raoul had given her the day he came by the house. "Well, here goes nothing." Dialing on the house phone, she waited as it rang a few times before his familiar voice answered.
"Raoul Chaney speaking," his smooth tone replied.
"Raoul…this is Christine," she stated, not bothering with any pleasantries. "We need to talk."
"Christine, how good to hear from you," he said, his voice going up an octave, as if he were suddenly a bit nervous. "Meg told me she spoke with you about us…and that you weren't upset. Was that not true?"
"That all depends on what you have to say for yourself when we speak…in person!" she wanted to look him in the eye when she asked her questions, knowing that she could tell if he was lying. It was his whole good-guy complex…he just couldn't be dishonest when looking a girl in the eye.
"Whatever you say, Christine," Raoul agreed, not sounding happy about it though. "I don't want there to be any hard feelings between you and me…and I really, really like Meg."
"Of course you do! She's an absolute doll!" Christine told him. "You would be a fool not to like her. But I still need you to convince me of your motives. Will you meet with me tomorrow?"
"Yes…just tell me when and where," he said, obviously eager to satisfy her curiosity.
"Tomorrow at three-thirty," Christine began, thinking quickly. She would have to skip her final practice with Meg, but this was an emergency! Now…where to meet? It would have to be someplace they could have accidentally run into each other, someplace they might both have a reason to be. Then it came to her! "Meet me at the costume shop on Fourteenth Street, right next to the Starbucks coffee." With the ball coming up, no one would think anything of two old friends accidentally meeting at a costume shop, would they?
"I know the place, I'll be there," Raoul promised.
"Good…I have to go now, but I'll see you tomorrow. And don't you dare breathe a word of this to Meg, do you hear?" she warned before hanging up the phone.
There, it was done. Now Christine just had to figure out a way to do it all without Erik finding out. She felt her stomach clench in a big knot, the guilt and worry about deceiving her husband already beginning to eat away at her. But desperate times called for desperate measures…right? Still, this was going to take some careful planning, and with Amir tailing her wherever she went…at least a dozen cups of sweetened coffee!
Oh, sweetie...it's gunna take more than sweet coffee to convince Amir that THIS is a good idea!
Christine should take her father's advice and LET IT ALONE. But nope, she is worried about Meg, thus she is running headlong into trouble.
Erik is Iron Man? *snicker*
Did you like her chit chat with Amir? He did deserve that hero sandwich, without mustard. ha ha.
And Poor Erik, so embarrassed that he had to leave early and write her a note. Good thing she texted and set him straight.
See you on Monday!
Guest Reviews:
PG4044: My promise of more drama wasn't SUPPOSED to sooth your doubt. ha ha. Yes, Christine did forgive him and she got a bit of information she desperately needed out of the deal too. Amir IS the best! Thanks.
Guest: Glad you liked it. I do try very hard to make it believable, and thanks for your commendation. If you will continue to follow...I will continue to write. ha ha. Thanks.
Guest: Thanks. Backstory is always fun, and since it involved both Erik and Amir, it was twice as much fun! Glad you are always excited to see a new chapter! I'm equally excited to post them. Thanks.
Cayla: (chapter 41) Christine is indeed ready to hit the road...but hopefully no more trees. ha ha. Erik loves it when she pops in to say Hi at work. Date night was fun, until that horrible end, that is. ha ha. The reason I went with La Boheme was because I looked up to see what was playing at the Met right now, and that was on the schedule! Art copying real life, ha ha. Gerald is a good friend, he is loyal to Erik but sympathetic to Christine's situation too. Yes, what IS Erik doing when he runs off like this? Hmmmmm. (Chapter 42) Erik and Amir banter is my bread and butter! ha ha. I do try and mix things up, can't have it too close to what happened in other stories, including mine. Once bit, a million times shy, or at least that was how it was with Erik. Yep, not only did she scream...but she called him a monster and lied to her dad about what he did. Yes, I think if she only knew how rich Erik was now, she WOULD come try and re-connect. But I really think Erik would be smart enough to shoot her down right away. No second chances for her! Amir would be firmly against it as well. Amir is the best, right. Funny, hot, and a true hero. Antoinette better snap him up! so glad you got the visual of him as he stood up for what was right. No flinching for him. Thanks so much.
GuestWraithSnake: Ok, first of all I had to laugh...a lot...since your device changed FP to PP and you called me PP33. ha ha. Once my fingers missed the keys I wanted, and I signed off as FPee. That was funny too. I did put that 'point of no return' in there as a nod to the musical. ha ha. Yes, Erik is starting to open up...maybe not about showing her his face just yet...but about other things. The Tango is coming soon, because the ball is quickly approaching. I like your description...a "wow, mama, looky, looky" moment. ha ha. Too cute. Thanks.
GuestRP: (I'm going to assume this review was the 'guest' one you meant, since it got cut off in mid-sentence) And you may borrow Erik's lasso any time you want, you just have to get it back to him before midnight...that's when he does his best stalking. ha ha. Bad girls prey on sweet innocent lambs like Erik, right? *snicker* Erik a sweet lamb. Ha ha. Erik did some naughty things, but he was indeed a spy and a trickster, not an assassin. Now I'm not going to go so far as to say he didn't do damage...or even kill...but we will leave that to the mysteries of his past and not delve in tooo deep. Roshni did play poor Erik for a fool though, to the hilt. I answered the mask question at the start, hope that satisfied. Yes...that was the reason he gave for all this "so he could have Christine". But why? You will find out. Amir and Antoinette both deserve each other...and love. Like I said, you can borrow his lasso...but NOT his spoon! ha ha. Thanks.
Guest: Yep, told all the backstory! Well not ALL, but the important stuff. *Erik lays on a couch, and starts to tell you all his problems* The dance is coming! But lots of drama to get through before that. Thanks.
Kristin: Roshni is a rat! Erik built Phantom Industries with his smarts, his bare hands, and maybe a bit of nefarious deals. ha ha. Oh, and Amir helped him. Thanks!
