Disclaimer: Haven't we gone through this already?

Guardian Angel

The next morning, Erik stood in front of a mirror that he ... borrowed from the opera prop room. It was covered with a sheet he had yet to remove. What if everyone was right? What if I am a horrific monster? Does the opinion of one person outweigh those of the entire world?

Erik thought about how Michelle looked last night. She had been terrified, so scared that a strong wind would have sent her screaming into insanity. But she had looked at him unafraid. It had never seemed to occur to her to be afraid.

*It's not really that bad* she had said. Erik took a deep breath and removed the sheet from the mirror and, for the first time in his life, really looked at himself. Instead of seeing the hideous monster he had always seen before, Erik saw a man. An almost regular man with a deformity that really wasn't all that bad. The right side of his face looked as though it had been scratched up by a large cat and hadn't entirely healed, but it wasn't hideous at all.

Erik blinked away the unexpected tears he felt burning at the backs of his eyes.

He stepped out of his room and heard Michelle singing softly. Erik's fears returned with avengance. *What if she was too tired to really see me?* he wondered. *What if she screams when she sees me, like everyone else?* Erik force the thoughts aside. Michelle wasn't like everyone else. She was special. She might even care about him, just the tiniest bit? Was that asking for too much, that she should care about him? Erik pushed that thought away as well.

At the door to the kitchen, Erik paused, his heart pounding. *I can do this. She's not like everyone else.* He took a deep, fortifying breath and entered the kitchen.

Michelle was rolling out dough of some sort. There was a sweet warm smell in the air. Erik swallowed. "Good morning, Miss Michelle."

Michelle tossed her hair, today in one braid that went down to the middle of her back, over her shoulder and looked up at him. She stopped rolling the dough and her eyes widened in surprise. *Oh, please God* Erik prayed *Please don't let her be afraid.*

The Almighty seemed to be with him today, because a huge smile appeared on her beautiful face. "Good morning to you, too, Sir," she said in a softer tone than she usually used. She wiped her flour-dusted hands on the apron she had tied around her trim waist and walked around the table she had been working at to stand in front of Erik. She studied his naked face, her eyes roaming over it like a caress. Then, she lifted her hand and touched his face. Her hand was warm and soft, despite the work she was always doing. Erik held his breath. His heart was pounding again, but not with fear or anxiety this time. Desire? Yes. Erik finally admitted what he had been ignoring for weeks, maybe months. He wanted Michelle. He wanted her more than he ever wanted anyone or anything in his entire life. He wanted her with a depth and intensity that scared him half to death. And the fact that she might return some of his feelings made it almost impossible to bear.

After an eternal moment, she brought her hand back down to her side. Her eyes lowered shyly for a second, and then she returned to the other side of the table to expertly cut the dough with various cookie cutters Erik assumed she had brought with her. At least he would have, assumed, that is, if he had been able to think clearly. At the moment, his mind was too cloudy with desire (he couldn't call it lust) to think anything.

After a moment, Erik asked, "Have I missed breakfast?"

Michelle looked up from placing the dough, now in flat shapes, on a cookie sheet. She grinned at him. "Actually, Beeping Sleauty, you've missed lunch, too."

Erik blinked. How long had he been in his room?

Michelle must have mistaken his silence for disappointment about missing a meal, for she started ushering him out the door saying, "Go play your piano. Maybe if you're good, I'll make you a sandwich."

Erik looked over his shoulder t her. "What about the cookies?"

"You can have some of those after you clean your room. Now go. Get lost."

Chuckling, Erik walked out of the kitchen...

And right into Viscount Raoul de Chagney.