I'm back with a new chapter for you guys. Thank you so much for all your reviews. I think you guys are really going to like this chapter.

Christine woke the next morning with a pounding headache. She groaned as the light from the window hit her eyes and pulled the pillow back over her head. It didn't take long for Christine to realize that she wasn't in her own bed. Groggily, she looked around as she started to remember what happened last night. She found Raoul with that other woman, she left him, Meg didn't pick up, she was at the bar, and that's where it started to get fuzzy. She remembered most of her time at the bar, how much she drank for starters. But at a certain point the events became a haze in her mind. Someone must have picked her up, since she was in no state to drive last night. The room she was in was definitely not in Meg's apartment, though. If not Meg, then who …

And then it clicked. It was Erik who picked her up last night. Erik who saw her like this. Despite being alone in the room, Christine covered her face in mortification. She could not believe she let Erik see her that way. What must he think of her? She'd slept in the clothes she'd been wearing last night, her shoes were discarded on the ground and her purse was on the bedside table, she wondered how much help she'd needed from Erik to get here. In an effort to avoid facing Erik now, Christine dug through her purse for her phone. She had one missed call and voicemail from Meg and about a million missed calls, voicemails, and text messages from Raoul. She played through Meg's message first.

"Hey Chrisy, I saw you called me earlier. I'm sorry I missed you. Call me back when you get a chance. Is everything okay? Just call me back soon."

Then Christine glanced over the texts Raoul sent her. They ranged from apologetic to angry and he ended by asking her to please meet with him. She deleted all the voice messages he sent without listening to them; the thought of hearing his voice made her queasy. That done, she sat in bed for a moment longer before making herself get up. She was going to have to face Erik eventually, and she really wanted some Advil for her head. Before leaving the room she checked her appearance on her phone's camera, frowning at her messy hair and disheveled clothes. She grabbed the small brush she kept in her purse for her hair and smoothed her clothes out as best she could before steeling herself to go out.

She wandered into the living room and after not finding Erik there she made her way over to the kitchen. Erik was there, standing over a pan of scrambled eggs. A strange warmth filled her chest at this domestic scene.

A smile spread across Erik's face when he saw Christine standing there. He'd been awake most of the night, just sitting in the living room. The mere fact that he was so close to Christine made it impossible to fall asleep. At some point he fell asleep in his chair, and he started making breakfast once he woke up. He wanted to do everything he could for her.

"Good morning Christine," he said calmly. "How'd you sleep?"

"I slept well, thank you. And thank you so much for helping me last night. I'm sorry for dragging you into my mess. I'll get out of your hair right away," Christine replied, her cheeks flushed in embarrassment.

"No, no. Please don't go," Erik protested. "Stay and eat some breakfast. I told you last night I don't mind at all. We are friends, are we not? Friends help each other. Sit down. Let me get you some coffee and food."

"Okay. Thank you, Erik," Christine said quietly, unable to deny him.

She sat down at the small kitchen table and Erik brought her a plate of eggs, a cup of coffee, and two Advil. In a moment he joined her at the table and a plate of eggs for himself. He ate slowly, careful to avoid his mask and trying not to watch Christine too intently.

"Is it uncomfortable to wear that all the time?" Christine asked, noticing the careful way he ate. Usually she avoided the topic of his mask or his face. He tended to get very cold or angry when she brought it up, and she didn't want to make him uncomfortable. Christine had never been the type to push things with people, so she always just left it alone. But this morning she wasn't thinking as clearly, and the words slipped out before she had time to process them.

Erik froze for a moment before answering her. "Only a little, but I don't mind so much anymore. You get used to it."

"You know, you don't have to wear it on my account. I've seen your face before, and it really doesn't bother me. I know it's hard for you to believe that, but I hate to see you feel like you have to wear it. I'd much rather see your real face." The words tumbled out of Christine's mouth before she had time to think them through. It had always been what she thought, but she's always stopped herself from saying something before. But now it seemed more important.

Usually Erik wouldn't even consider such a request. Remove his mask? In front of the woman he is in love with? The idea was preposterous. But something in Christine's eyes made him stop and consider. Something about the way that her clothes were still slightly wrinkled and her hair a little tousled. Something about the fact that he was the very last person to see her before she went to sleep tonight. Something about the fact that she called him last night, even though it was on accident. Something about the fact that she was no longer seeing that handsome boy of hers. Something about the fact that she slept in his house last night and now she was sitting in front of him eating food he made for her.

"Is that really what you want?" Erik asked, praying to God that she says no. He didn't think he could deny her anything right now, but the thought of taking his mask off made him slightly ill.

"Yes, it is," Christine said boldly before adding, "but you know you don't have to." Erik didn't reply and after a moment she reached across the table to squeeze his hand.

Her hand touching his was the last push Erik needed to decide. He slowly lifted his other hand up to his mask, because there's no way he'd let go of her hand, and removed his mask, closing his eyes as he did. He didn't want to see the initial horror in her eyes as she realizes it's so much worse than she remembered. But the gasp of disgust that he expected never came and he opened his eyes to see a smile on Christine's beautiful face. She took a bite of her eggs and gave his hand one last squeeze before letting go of it, as if this was completely normal. Erik hadn't thought it possible to love her more, but that moment proved him wrong.

"So, what exactly did I talk about last night?" Christine asked, both because she genuinely wanted to know and because she wanted to shift the topic to something more casual. She felt like she must have told him about Raoul, but her memory was too blurry to be sure.

"Oh, not much," Erik deferred, shifting uncomfortably.

"Oh, come on!" Christine protested. "I know that's not true. Tell me."

"You told me about what happened… with that boy you were seeing." Erik said evenly.

Christine shifted in her seat. "Yeah. I figured. I just can't believe… I mean our relationship wasn't great, so I know I shouldn't be so upset. But it just hurts, you know? That he didn't have the guts to at least break up with me instead of just screwing some girl behind my back."

Erik could see the sadness and hurt in her eyes and he wanted to kill the idiot who did this to her. He wanted to hurt this boy–he always had a little bit, to be honest—but now he felt those violent urges more than ever. However, Erik shoved his rage down and reminded himself that this was not the time. Right now Christine needed him to comfort her, not allow the monster inside of him to take over.

"It's not your fault, Christine. You did absolutely nothing wrong. He is the one who cheated on you. He is the one who is wrong," he told her firmly.

Christine smiled genuinely at Erik. If it had been anyone else saying that, she would have given them a fake smile and told them she was okay, even when she wasn't. But when Erik said it, and his voice told her he meant it, it really did make Christine feel better. The things he'd said last night were coming back to her, too.

"Thank you, Erik."

They let the conversation drift to lighter subjects for the remainder of the meal, and when they finished Christine got up to clear the dishes.

"Please, don't trouble yourself," Erik protested. "I can do that."

"No, you can not." Christien argued. "You cooked, I'll clean up. It will only take me five minutes."

Erik sighed but let it go. It was hard for him to win an argument against Christine rather than just giving in to her wishes. True to her word, Christine was soon done with the dishes and the two of them settled themselves in the living room. Erik had replaced his mask while Christine was cleaning up, and Christine didn't say anything when she'd noticed. She knew how big it was for him to take it off earlier—he was always meticulous about his mask.

"Do you have work today?" Erik asked her.

"Yeah, but I have a night shift so I don't have to be there until a little later. You know I really can't thank you enough for helping me last night. I wish I hadn't bothered you, but I'm really glad it was you who came and got me." Christine said, feeling a little shy at the confession.

"What do you mean?" Erik asked.

"I mean you're my best friend, although you can't tell Meg I said that. She'll fight you for the title. But you're my best friend, and you're a good person, and I like spending time with you," Christine said simply.

If only it were that simple, Erik thought. But Christine got one crucial piece of information wrong. "Oh Christine, you don't know me. If you did you would bever be able to say that I am a good person."

Christine had always suspected that there was another part of Erik—a part he never let her see, besides the part that he hid under his mask, even now. She knew she needed to tread carefully. "What do you mean? You've been nothing but good to me. Surely that counts for something."

"Oh, yes, I suppose it does. But being kind to one person means next to nothing after the sins of my past." Erik knew he should let go. He couldn't keep lying to Christine and loving her at the same time. He didn't know what he would do if he lost her now; he was in too deep. Really it was his own fault for not stopping this sooner, before he started feeling too much.

"You can tell me anything, Erik," Christine told him gently.

"I will tell you everything, I promise, Christine. You deserve to know, but you have to promise me something. Promise not to stop me and say anything. Not until I get to the end. I know you may want to say something sooner, but please let me finish first. Can you do that?" Erik's voice was solemn, and it made Christine straighten.

"I promise, Erik," she said simply. Her heart speed in her chest, anxious of what Erik was soon to confess to her.

After a long silence Erik spoke. "I told you before that I joined the army when I was younger. I joined when I was 18. My mother was quick to kick me out as soon as I was a legal adult. My father died before I was born, or at least that's what she told me, and she always hated me. She couldn't stand to have a son who looked like me. I had nowhere else to go, so I joined. It was a way for me to survive. At the time I had delusions about the respect it would bring me. But I think deep down I always knew that that was foolish. I designed a special mask for the occasion. It was a flesh tone and it molded to my face. It made me look almost normal, if you didn't look too close. If anyone noticed anything they would likely just think my face looked… off. Or strange, but that was better than hideous, so I accepted it. I had to bank on the fact that they wouldn't pay close attention, and they didn't. I passed the physical and mental evaluations and I was shipped out to Iraq." This is the part of the story that Erik did not fear telling, the part where his beautiful Christine could still feel some sympathy towards him and not just hatred. He gauged her reaction as he spoke, but Christine maintained a steady expression.

Christine felt a hot rage building in her chest as she listened. She knew Erik's mother was never kind to him, but whenever he spoke about how she treated him it made Christine angry. How dare a mother treat her son that way for something he had no control over? Could a mother really be that vain? As much as Christine wanted to say this, she held her tongue, remembering her promise to Erik.

Erik cleared his throat and continued. "Unfortunately, the other soldiers in my unit did notice. I was too cocky, too proud of my new mask. Too unwilling to give up my positive relationship with them to protect myself. It would have been better for me to be more solitary, not try to bond with them. But it felt so nice to have people who would actually talk to me. To have the older soldiers who acted almost paternally to me. I had never had that before, and I was young and stupid. One day some of the younger soldiers found out about my mask. I had always been so careful to maintain the illusion, but somehow they must have noticed something. They got it off and they jeered at me and they beat me up. I passed out, and when I woke up my unit was gone. They hadn't gone far, and I tried to make my way over to them. I was taken by enemy troops before I could reach them. They knocked me out, and when I came to again I was in a dark room. They tortured me, there's no other word for it. For months this went on, just nothing but pain." Erik paused to collect himself.

Christine still didn't say anything, despite wanting to cry out at the horror of it. Instead she took Erik's hand in hers, encouraging him to go on.

After a moment he took a deep breath and continued a little shakily. "One of their top people saw something in me. She thought I could be useful to them, if I could take all my anger and channel it towards the right people. I was so angry then, at everyone. At my mother, my father, my former unit, the people who were hurting me. I had never had a great belief in God or any sort of higher power, but then I cursed every name I could think of. She offered me a deal: they would stop hurting me if I would work for them. I didn't agree right away, but it didn't take long. I was too weak to withstand more torture. I accepted and she turned me into her monster. My face, you see, was my main weapon. The sight of it made many weaker men confess and their confession sentenced them to execution. For some, those who had endured the same torture I had, I must have been a relief in a way. But I was creative when called to be. The object of their game was to get the prisoners to confess, whether or not they were actually guilty. Often they weren't and confessed only to end the pain.

"I worked with them for years. At first I hated it, but I grew to enjoy it. Inflicting pain on others brought me a sick pleasure, like I was completing some kind of cosmic payback. Nadir was the reason I left. I formed a bond with him while I was there. He was one of their people, but he never agreed with what they were doing. One day we ran away. It was carefully planned, but so much of it was based on variables that could have easily gone wrong. We were lucky and made it to a U.S. embassy. We lied and said we were both escaped prisoners of war. They sent us home, there was a huge settlement and many stories surrounding us, but they died down over time. My mother had died while I was over there, and I inherited a large sum of money from her. My father was quite rich apparently, and he left her more than enough to live on. How I got in her will, I am still not sure. The settlement combined with her money was quite enough to live off comfortably. I bought this place and retreated into obscurity because I could. I sold some of the music I write anonymously, more for something to do than for the income. I stayed living like that for years, until the accident. Then I met you, and you know the rest."

Erik kept his eyes on the floor as he finished. He couldn't bear to look at Christine, to see her reaction. For a long time she didn't say anything, and Erik was about to speak when her arms snaked around him in a tight embrace. She pulled away from the hug after a moment and he met her gaze.

"It's not your fault."

Erik stared at her in shock. "Christine, you don't understand. I choose to do everything I di—"

Christine cut him off. "You never had a choice. You did what you had to do. I understand perfectly."

"How can you still want anything to do with me?" Erik asked, not comprehending. Surely there was a limit to Christine's goodness and understanding.

"Because, I…" Christine trailed off.

Love you, that was what she'd been about to say. It wasn't even a question for her—she could feel it in her gut. She wanted Erik in her life, always. What he did in the past didn't matter. And despite his past, she was certain that he would never do anything in the future to make her love him less. It wasn't logical, it didn't make sense, but it was, and Christine supposed that was just the nature of love. She didn't know how she hadn't realized all of this before. It all felt so clear to her now, and she almost couldn't help but say it out loud. But the timing wasn't right. Not with everything Erik had just shared with her, not with everything that had happened with Raoul just yesterday. When things were right, she would tell him. For now, it was enough to reassure him that she wasn't about to disappear.

"Because I care about you," Christine said, content to leave it at that.

End of chapter. Much longer chapter than last time, but hopefully it was worth the read. What did you guys think? Please review! Also if you want to learn so interesting stuff about how far people are willing to go to obey authority look up Milgram's shock experiment. It is absolutely fascinating, and it kind of connects to this chapter. It was done after WWII to investigate the validity of many of the Nazi claims at Nuremberg that they just did what they did because they were following orders. If you don't want to read it but you are interested, PM me. I'll summarize all the details for you. Credits to lks358 for editing for me. I could not do this without her. - K