N/A Thank you for your kind reviews, although personally I don't believe the idea is quite so original. I think even perhaps most of my SUMMARY came from my B&B inspiration!!

For future reference, Génie (will be seen in this chapter, and future chapters) means 'Genius' in French.

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Beaute Et L'Ange Chapter two Into the Daylight

"Erik!"

For a moment, he thought the carpet, which like everything else in the room had been torn and thrown into a messy pile on the floor, would ignite in flames when Christine dropped the lantern. The glass to the small contraption exploded, and there was a flash of light that hurt his eyes a little, after being in such dim light for so many hours. Yet then, there was a blissful darkness. The door behind Christine was knocked open, and there was Raoul. He had also been holding a lantern, Erik noted, but it was now by the door frame on the floor. Raoul's hands were otherwise occupied aiming a small pistol. Erik shrank back quickly into the shadows, so as not to be a right target for the bullet. Oh, he might have been miserable since the night before, but he certainly wasn't going to die by the boys hand. He'd survived too much to die by such a trivial thing.

"I implore you, Monsieur, put away that toy!" He spat. "You're going to get someone seriously hurt over nothing!" He drew his cloak up about him tightly, and watched as the man slowly, cautiously, lowered his pistol and holstered it under his waistcoat. "Thank you."

"Erik?" Christine looked around in confusion, trying to see into the shadows that were considerably thicker than before. The lantern that Raoul had set onto the floor outside the door was at a dimmer setting than the other one had been. It was also further away, so did not light up so much of the room. "Where on Earth are you?"

"I'm right here, ma Cherie." He replied coolly, even more confused than her exclamation had been earlier. "I do hope that one day in the sunlight hasn't made you blind. I'm standing right in front of you."

"Are you?" She whispered, turning to look at him finally. Raoul was also looking utterly confused by this point, as he stepped up to Christine's side, and watched him with intent eyes. Then, Christine's hand slowly went up to cover her mouth, as though she'd just received an immense shock. "Oh. Erik! What happened to you?"

*She's never seen me disheveled.* He thought to himself, almost chuckling at the idea. He decided, however, to humor her.

"What is the matter, Christine?" He asked. "Have you forgotten what I look like so soon? I never thought that would happen."

"But Erik. you look."

Sighing, he watched as she abruptly came forward. He tried to flinch away at first, when she reached out to take his arm. Yet she was insistent, and he allowed his elbow to be pulled away from his side, so that the front of his cloak unfurled, and she took his hand insistently. Quickly, she pulled it up in front of his face, and then everyone simply froze.

It was the hand he had seen the night before in the reflection. He'd thought it had only been some sweet dream. Raising his eyes nervously to Christine, he swallowed thickly.

"How. How is this possible?" He whispered to her. Oh, how foolish that was. A genius was asking a young girl what had happened.

Shaking, he turned, and forced his jelly-like legs into the concealed bedroom again, leaving the door open so that Raoul would not think he was attempting to escape or trick them. He made his way around his mothers' bed, over to the vanity, and then again lit the lamps on either side of the mirror. He didn't look at his reflection immediately, but continued lighting all the candles and lamps in the room, staring at the perfect young hands before him.

"What is going on?" Raoul asked defensively from the other room. He was following her to the door of the bedroom, but did not venture further inward. "Christine, who is that man?"

"I . I think it's Erik." She whispered. "Raoul. he's not only alive. but . look at him!"

"All I see is a man a few years older than myself." The Vicomte stated primly. "Is there some reason that I'm supposed to be impressed?"

"You don't understand." Christine insisted, and then decided he simply never would. Sighing, she shook her head, and waved him back into the drawing room. Reluctantly, he moved back towards the door to retrieve his lantern. Meanwhile, Christine had walked into the bedroom, and was watching as Erik finally gazed at his own reflection. His eyes were wide in both fear and amazement.

"I'm." He glanced at Christine in the reflection, then looked back to himself again. Slowly, both hands rose to inspect the face he looked at. He had to know that his skin was indeed normal, just as his hands were. Not just by looks, but by touch. Sure enough, there were those fine young cheeks, which looked as though they had just barely finished getting rid of the cherub-like look of youth. His hands again moved to his long, somewhat curly auburn hair, and combed through the clean but slightly mussed and knotted strands.

"You're beautiful." She finally breathed, finishing for him, reaching up to grasp his right bicep with a clinging hand. Erik flinched, and almost pulled away. But he wouldn't ask her to take her hand away when he'd so seldom felt it before. Why on Earth should he be afraid of her touching him now? When there was little harm she could bring to him? "Well. for lack of a better word, at least. Erik - when did this happen??"

He sighed, backing away from the mirror, and sitting heavily down onto the edge of the bed. Christine crouched in front of him, taking his hands, and looking up to attempt meeting his fine amber-hued eyes. He finally looked at her, and he was breathing a bit heavily. Yet he was in shock. They all were.

"I . It was after you kissed me." He whispered. "I felt strange. as though there was something other than blood. something grainier. running through my veins. Then I felt this headache, and my face hurt . as though the tears I'd shed were stinging it. I didn't think it was anything except for shock. from that kiss."

Christine brought her hand up to her mouth again, staring at him in total wonder. Then, she reached up to lightly touch his cheek, and he did not stop her. He simply covered her hand with his own. When she smiled up at him so tenderly, just as she always had when they were not tense with one another for some reason or other, he could not help but smile back. Again, like the night before, tears stung at his eyes, but he blinked them back. He began to laugh softly, yet they came out as near sobs.

"Whatever it is. you are free of this place now." She told him gently, standing up to wrap him in her arms, and stroke his hair as she held his cheek against her breast. Erik closed his eyes, savoring everything. overwhelmed with it all. "You said last night you were bound here, chained here, because of how you looked. You don't have to stay here anymore in these ghastly shadows!"

She was right. Why should he stay down here now? Oh, it was his home, and a find house that he'd built himself. For that reason alone, he felt he probably would never leave it completely. Yet he could now go above in the daylight. He might wander around, attend the opera without being rejected. He might even audition for the opera! Oh, what would that be like? To finally be able to sing in the Opera without having to make demands, and without having to feel that fear of rejection. Surely they wouldn't refuse a voice like his. He knew exactly how powerful and sublime it was.

"Christine. why did you come back?" He finally drew away from her, and his eyes stared up at her. All right, so he was finally a handsome young man, ready to take on the world just as he'd always deserved. He could find and honest job where he could do whatever he so wished without being watched under a microscope. She blushed as he looked at her so steadily now.

"I didn't know if you were alive or dead." She said quietly. "The papers said nothing about you. Except for what happened up in the Opera House. and that Raoul and I had disappeared. I wanted to know that you were alive. and Raoul finally agreed that we could come see what was left. Somehow I never expected you to be here, so I thought him coming would be safe."

"And it is safe." Erik said in a low promise. "Christine, I could have killed him last night had I wished to. But I did not, and so you have nothing to fear of me hurting him now. Especially now. he doesn't even know who I am."

She laughed at that, knowing how ridiculous it was. Yet Raoul was a man of reason, just as Erik had once been. What had happened since they left the lair had not happened to him, so he was not going to believe it if he lived to be one-hundred. Yet Christine was the dreamer, and she had always fantasized about such things. if not Erik's face changing into that of a handsome man being one of her fantasies in particular. Taking his hands again, she squeezed them, and Erik kissed her fingertips quickly.

"Stay with me now." He whispered pleadingly. "Will you stay with me now that I am handsome?" He knew it was quite fruitless to ask her. She was totally in love with Raoul, although he still couldn't figure out why. Then again, it was probably because Raoul had been his competition that he didn't see the man for his full potential.

Then again, maybe Raoul really was just a young man whose head was thicker than stone.

"You know I can't do that, Erik." She sighed quietly, sadly. "I love Raoul. And I love you. please believe that. You are my angel. and you are my friend. But I do not think I might ever be able to love you as I do Raoul."

Resigned, for once feeling no desire to tear the man to pieces, Erik nodded, and then finally stood.

"Let me escort you both above." He said finally, his voice formal. "I would like to see what Paris is like in the afternoon sunlight."

"Oh, you might be mildly disappointed." Christine laughed. They were finally finding a way to be at ease as their shock wore off. "There are a great many clouds in the sky today. although the sun does still peek out from behind them every few minutes. I think it's going to rain tonight."

"Does it matter?" Erik smiled, touching her cheek softly. He leaned down, hesitating uncertainly, and as if she knew what he had planned, Christine tilted her cheek towards him. Smiling again, he leaned down to give her a brief kiss, and then they started from the room.

"Oh, Erik! What should I call you in front of Raoul?" She asked nervously. "He knows your true name because I told him about you last night after we left."

"We mustn't confuse him, I suppose." Erik was certain she would scowl at him for mocking her fiancée, but she only kept on smiling up at him. She was happy for him. "Continue to call me Erik. Surely there can be more than one man under the Opera House roof by that name."

"All right." She laughed quietly. "You know, if I can convince Raoul that you've gone, maybe he'll let me stay at the Opera so that I might continue to sing."

Erik nodded.

"And not alone either." He stated.

He moved swiftly from the room after that, and she stared after him curiously, wondering what he might have possibly meant by that. Then, shrugging, she made her way out into the drawing room where Raoul waited at the door between the drawing room and lake. He watched them come out quietly.

"He's." Christine told him quietly. "His body is in the bedroom. This man, Erik. Génie . found him here last night. I suppose he was still alive, so Monsieur Génie stayed with him until he died."

"He died thinking of Mademoiselle Daaé." Erik agreed softly, surprised at how quickly she'd come up with such a story. Raoul relaxed, having not recognized the voice of the man whom had nearly killed him the night before, and shook his hand formally. "It's . a pleasure. "

"Mine as well." Raoul agreed, sounding pleased about something. No doubt he was pleased with the fact that the Opera Ghost was finally dead. That made Erik a bit angry, but he couldn't help but smirk, knowing that this secret would always be between Christine and himself. Not even Nadir would ever know. Nadir, after all, would never believe it either.