Eric POV

I wake with a start. Forgetting the events of last night, everything comes back in a flash. The loneliness, the despicable feeling of dread. I remember my life is now over..

All of a sudden I feel a movement next to me. Where am I? Who's here? Panic spreads within me and then I hear the smallest of voices.

"...Eric?" Christine says.

Memories flood my vision, how could I forgotten she came back to me? I am not so surprised, it is within my nature to withhold the negative.

I turn, it's still pitch black. The middle of the night or at the very least, very early morning.

"Christine.." I whisper. I feel her move towards me, slowly she presses herself to me.

I realize that my body has reacted to her presence and I gently place my hand on her shoulder to halter her.

"Eric? What's wrong? I'm cold..hold me" she whispers.

"Christine I must be honest with you, I am overwhelmed with emotion and my body seems eager to resist temptation." I explain as clearly and as calmly as I can as I silently demand my body to steady itself.

"Oh.." is all she says. I feel ashamed and I turn my head down.

I assume she senses this and reaches her small hand under my chin to hold my head up to her, she plants a small loving kiss on my lips. Then I realize I am without mask, quickly I sit up and frantically search for it in the dark.

"Stop, it's dark. We both can't see, it doesn't matter" she makes a reasonable point. I say nothing and stop, laying myself down once more.

My body has disobeyed and is still raging. Her feminine hand reaches to touch my chest and I softly take it and kiss each finger delicately.

No this can not happen, I am unworthy. She will be the death of me. I can not let this happen! Stop!

"Christine please, how can I even begin to put in words the disgrace you'd feel after all this. I'm sure you'd be horrified, such a monster like me is unworthy."

Christine's POV

Such a sweet thing, I wonder to myself how I ever thought I could live without him.

"Eric. I love you and I want you to love me. Accept me now as rightfully yours." I plead.

"Christine? Out of curiosity, have you been laid before?" he asks his voice doubtful, searching for a truth he might not be ready to hear.

The question floors me and I briefly decide that I should lie. But no, honesty is key in gaining his full trust.

"Yes.." I whisper as silently as I can. "Once before I was laid... by force." His rage is immediate. Something in his entire being shifts and he seems not like the man I know but like a demon unleashed.

"Stop! Please, Eric! Please, it's something I would like to forget please. Don't do this I beg of you.." I plee.

"Who." Not a question, a statement. He demands an answer and commands it of me with his booming voice. My entire body trembles before him and I feel tears threaten to pour.

"Please don't make me say. Please don't make me remember..." I pause, my voice fracturing. He subsides when hearing the emotion in my voice. He lays there stiff and silent.

"Have you?" I ask.

"No. Of course not. Now woman in any state of mind would lay with me and of course I would never impose myself onto anyone. I am a monster but that would be an act of such revoltion that even I could not force" he says.

I understand. We lay in the dark for a few hours speaking, conversing of medial things such as likes and dislikes. I love this, I love him and I feel myself resolving the fact that I may have broke Raoul's heart but it was a necessary and worthy decision.

Raoul's POV

That rat bastard! How dare he lay a finger on her! Breathe the same air as her! I will find him. I will rescue her once more, my poor Christine. She must be devastated, counting the minutes, no, the seconds until she sees me once more. I'm coming for you Christine, you are mine. I will make sure that I settle this plague of a man, rid the world of him once and for all.

Dashing to the stable, I find my horse and begin my search. I know when the time comes I will need help detaining the creature. I will make sure to placate him before I send for a servant to help me, I must not let the lawmen take him before I do. They can take care of the funeral at their own expense once they find his ruins.

I take off not knowing where to, but with a simple goal in mind, take back what is rightfully mine.

I ride into a small tavern to here local gossip, perhaps someone has spotted him. What I hypothesized has come true as I sit at the small, dirty bar and overhear two lowly men talk of a boy who saw the masked man and was foolish enough to rent him a room. The other man asks where and I overhear the lodging he's residing at for now. I must act quickly, without a word I bolt out of this horrid, depraved pub.

I'm on my way Christine.