"Christine!"

The cry seemed to come from all around her and she searched desperately for the direction of Raoul's voice.

"Erik, please, I promise to do everything you say...please!"

He laughed, mechanically and it frightened her even more than the thought of Raoul dying.

"Don't mock me, my dear. I didn't bring you here to hear you say those words."

"But isn't that what you wanted to hear?"

"Why ME? Why does it have to be what I want to hear? Can't you want the same thing, for me?"

"You ask so much of me..."

"I ask nothing of you as compared to what you're asking of me! Sparing his life so he can take you away and I know you would gladly make a romantic escape and leave me in your memory. I would lose you to a boy, Christine...I can't allow that to happen, you see, I always get what I want, at any price."

Erik was clinching his fist so tightly that Christine realized a shard of wine glass must have cut his palm because he was bleeding very slowly and the blood was seeping onto his cuffs.

"Erik, your hand--!"

He seemed to not notice, or at least not feel any pain.

"Do you know what I feel every time I see your face, Christine? I see fear and disillusionment, followed by the DISAPPOINTMENT in your eyes when you fixed them on my face...I LIVE in the nightmare of the horror in your scream that night, Christine; sometimes it becomes all encompassing and it makes it very difficult for me to finish my music..." He swayed a little as though he were about to faint. "Well it's true...I'm not perfect. But I love you...Isn't that enough?"

Erik was about to sit before he realized Christine had taken his hand and began wrapping it with a material she had torn from the hem of her dress. He watched her do it with a mixture of awe and disbelief. His hand trembled from the sensation of her fingertips every time they brushed his palm and she realized after a moment that he could barely stand straight.

"Christine, I--"

"Shhh..." She made a knot with the cloth and inspected his hands for any more wounds. "Is that too tight?"

He shook his head. Tears of pained affection brimed the edge of his mask.

"--I need you...need you to..."

"Yes, Erik?" She got up slowly, her hands still clasping his.

He was still sobbing genlty and she felt the need to hold him--

"Christine, tell him to let me out!!"

The cry caught her off guard and he dropped his hand from hers and immediately his demeanor assumed it's orginal languid coldness again.

"I need to let that boy out of his box."

Erik walked over to the door of the torture chamber and he spoke slowly to Raoul as though it would be very hard for Raoul to understand.

"Now, I don't want you to be hysterical when I open this door, do you understand?"

Silence.

"Ms. Daae is very distraught as it is--we dont need you to upset her with your impentent whining..."

"You DEVIL, you, let me out!" Raoul's voice was possibly irate.

Erik sighed, and slowly, he reached to turn the key.

Christine saw her last chance of redemption flash before her eyes.

"Erik, wait!"

He froze.