Title: Muse
Author: kire evoli
Pairing: ErikChristine (because Raoul thinks hes soooo cool. )
Rating: PG-13 (just a guess here but nothing I write is ever really below that. Might go higher? Its getting there.)
Disclaimer: Sadly, and how ever much my little heart may break everytime I say this, I do not own 'The Phantom of the Opera' or Erik or Christine or anyone else...-- sigh If only I did...
Warning: Raoul-bashing, abnormally cranky Raoul. I don't really fancy the Vicomte so it may look like he's going to get some love but bah.
Genre: Romance/Drama
Summary: Raoul goes mad when he finds out that Christine, his fiancé, still yearns for the love of her phantom. Takes place a few days after the happenings in the labyrinth.
Author's Notes: Weee! Chapter Five! This is getting good! Raoul's psycho everyone! Okay okay, I wont ruin it for you but by the end of this..well, we'll just have to see.
To IChoseTheScorpion: gods! Brittney Spears music is enough to torment anyone to death! But thinking about it does make me feel pretty evil! Muaha! Yes, lets do it. Anyone know where to find a vat of tapioca pudding? And some really Bad Brittney spears music? Mmm. I bet his arms are sexy! XD
To Lusiki-Thanatos: Lets just forget about that.hehe. That's why fanfiction is the greatest thing ever! XD
To All my other wonderful reviewers and readers: I hope you're enjoying the story so far! And thank you so much for reviewing and saying such wonderful things about Muse. Makes me want to write more! Good comments are severely inspiring! And we've still got a long way to go!

Muse: Chapter 5

Christine batted her eyes through her tears, the pain in her wrist still throbbing from Raoul's forceful hold. Never before had she seen him so malicious.

Erik had barely lifted her up from the floor and she was already clinging to him securely. "Hush now angel." He cooed, lightly wiping away her tears with his thumb.

"Oh Gods Erik! What have I done?" From that moment she knew she had been lying to her heart the whole time. She knew that if Raoul had never come to the Populaire, had never watched her sing that night, had never come to her dressing room she would have loved Erik. There would have been no Raoul to meddle in the feelings for her angel. It was true, she had known Raoul since childhood but before that night there had been years for those memories to be forgotten. She wanted to kill herself for even letting her heart remember them. "Erik! I have been awful to you!" She said, now realizing how that one man had easily kidnapped her love and demolished all of Erik's devoted hard work.

"No more of that Christine." He assured her. "Look, you're only wearing one ring now."

She looked up at him, he was so close yet she didn't feel a slight bit uncomfortable and at that moment she could have sworn he was smiling. Not sarcastically, not sadistically, but sweetly, a smile that rarely posed his lips. She smiled back and involuntarily lifted her arms over his shoulders, the last bit of her remaining tears beginning to dry.

Erik adored being the receiver of her love and though he wanted to beg for more, he let what she gave him rest. "Christine?" He uplifted her name as if to request her approval to ask a question.

"Yes?" She replied quietly, drawing herself nearer to rest her head on his chest, a new place she now thoroughly enjoyed.

Erik hesitated. The unfamiliar feeling of Christine's affection now flustering him. His heart quickened nervously as they stood there in silence.

"What is it?" Christine pushed trying to get him to remember that he was about to ask a question.

He shook his head, almost embarrassed at his hesitation. "What shall you do about the Vicomte?" His pronunciation of 'vicomte' was obviously denounced but when Christine didn't flinch he knew she didn't mind.

"He'll be after you." She grieved. "Or me."

"Not necessarily." Erik responded stepping back and breaking their small embrace. The same fiery glare that he had in his eyes when Raoul stormed out of the room returned. "Come." He demanded strongly but his hold on her hand was the complete opposite.

Christine didn't need to ask where he was taking her, subconsciously, she already knew he was after Raoul. Same as before only this time, Raoul had no fortress and Erik did. "Wait! Erik, you're going outside without cover?"

He stopped for a moment and allowed Christine to help him cloak himself enough so that to an unconcerned eye, he looked like any other man enduring the outside chill.

Christine waited patiently as Erik made deals with a half drunken coachman who now offered his team and carriage to the two not knowing that he wouldn't remember it by tomorrow.

When Christine was situated in the front seat of the carriage Erik climbed in next to her and took the reins. Though driving a carriage didn't seem much like something he'd do, he seemed to drive it rather well. Both he and the horses worked together and Christine giggled to herself as more thoughts of Erik pursuing everyday tasks played in her mind. The ride back to her new manor seemed much shorter. Perhaps it was the better company, or perhaps it was the fact she was reciting the directions to him the whole ride. Either way it didn't matter, she felt happy for the first time since the tragic happenings in the cellar of the opera house. Since the day she made that awful decision.

They left the carriage at the stable with the two boys without exchanging any words and hurried towards the house. "Raoul?" Christine called. "Raoul!?"

Erik removed his cloak and pressed forward into the house, unsure of what the eerie silence meant.

"Raoul!" Christine yelled one last time as he came flying around the corner, panting like a rabid dog. "You're to be my wife Christine! Mine!"

"No!" She struggled against Raoul's strength as he grabbed her and stared wickedly into her eyes.

"Mine!" With that he pushed her to the floor not even flinching at her horrible squeaks of pain.

"That's the way to treat your wife!" Erik spat out.

Raoul snickered and grabbed a miniature candelabra that stood on a nearby desk. "You know nothing you horrible excuse for a human being!" He lunged at Erik, the candelabra waving violently through the air.

Erik, unsure of how else to respond began to dodge the vicomte's innumerable attacks, trying to make his way over to the battered Christine.

"Raoul enough!" She squealed despite her lack of breath.

"Quiet angel! You wouldn't want your fiancé to get hurt now!" Erik now had him backed up against the desk and in a slight panic Raoul attempted to taunt his way out. "You don't have a weapon!" He seethed, dropping the candelabra onto the floor and reaching behind him.

"Neither do you." Erik jousted, feeling quite proud of his upper hold on the mad Vicomte.

Christine looked up at Raoul, from her view on the floor she could clearly see his hands on the desk adjusting a sharpened letter opener in his hands to use as a weapon. "Erik!"

Raoul took no time in letting Erik adhere to Christine's warning and he vigorously slashed the letter opener across Erik's chest, effortlessly ripping through his shirt and his skin.

Erik looked down and touched the wound, almost taking a few moments for him to realize what had happened and that he was indeed bleeding.

"You die here varmint!" He lifted the sharpened iron to his well alert foe and muttered viciously under his breath. "Die now."

Christine crawled over towards the brawl and picked up the heavy candelabra that Raoul had used before he found a better fatal toy. "Enough Raoul." She demanded and as he turned to her she struck him as hard over the head as she could. "Erik!" She stepped over Raoul's unconscious body and ran to Erik who was holding his wound in a slightly hunched manor.

"Christine."

She pressed her hand to his chest not worrying about the blood that was dripping through her fingers. "Shh, Erik. Let's go upstairs."