A/N: Thank y'all! Cookies or brownies for all… your choice! :-D And I am SO, SO, SO, SO SORRY! In the previous chapter, I put "after about month and a half months…" I meant to put "week and a half!" And when I read over it and read some reviews that said to slow down, I was like "what… AHHHHHH MONTH?!" So sorry once again! Enjoy! :)

Chapter Five

Sighing, I remained on the balcony, my eyes rested on Erik. He seemingly floated towards the mansion, carrying a bag in his right arm. Unlocking the door, he disappeared from my sight, and I turned my attention to the landscape before me. The trees' jade leaves that blew gently in the wind had begun to brown a little, as they anticipated the change of seasons. Pursing my lips, I tilted my head, while my azure eyes grew distant. Suddenly, a soothing voice shattered my thoughts.

"Good afternoon, Christine."

Turning delicately on my heel, Erik made his way towards me, as I noted that the bag that he had previously carried was gone.

"Good afternoon." I replied with a soft smile.

Then, something strange happened – something I had never witnessed before.

He smiled.

At least, I think he did… I could have sworn his lips had curved upwards ever so slightly…

"I have a surprise for you." He declared quietly, motioning for me to follow him.

Leading me from my bedroom, Erik brought me to the front door and helped me into my jacket. He donned his as well, before pulling out a crimson-colored scarf. Furrowing my brow, I stared at him with questioning eyes and backed up gradually.

"It's a surprise." He repeated with a gentle and patient tone, while he held up the scarf.

Sauntering forward, he walked behind me. Placing the material around my eyes, I held my breath and bit my lip, as my sight was hindered. Exceptionally slowly, Erik tied the material. His fingertips brushed against my cheeks, as my breathing was scarcely audible. They lingered there and slowly trailed down my neck. But he quickly withdrew them.

"Here," His melodic voice caressed my ear. "Take my hand." I felt his hand lightly brush against mine.

Hesitating, I slowly took it, shivering instantly. His slender fingers curled around mine, as his cold skin caused me to shiver again. However, his touch did not make me shiver only from its coldness… but something stirred inside of me. It was something I couldn't quite identify at the time.

I heard the front door faintly open, as he led me outside.

"Be careful." He warned, helping me over the few steps that led out the wooden door.

Helping me into the car, we sat there for a bit, listening to soft classical music. Although I could see nothing, I could feel his eyes on me… Sighing quietly, I imagined those eyes… They were hazel; they seemed to glow with this gentle comfort, yet blaze with this passionate fire that devoured everything in its path. And it always was as if they could see into my soul… After a few hours or so, we finally arrived at his desired destination. Hearing his car door shut, I heard mine open soon after, and his hand gently took mine again.

Stepping out of the car, I waited a few minutes until I felt his hands untie the scarf. My eyes befell a gorgeous lake, whose water shimmered in the sunlight, casting a magnificent glow on its surroundings. Beside it, waited a carriage with a driver. The driver craned his head to look back at us, a strand of his short red hair falling into his face. His green eyes widened, and he turned around once more, awaiting something.

I could barely breathe, as I focused my attention on the iridescent water.

"It's beautiful…" I whispered breathlessly.

Satisfaction swam over Erik's masked face, and he led me towards the carriage. Tilting my head, I stared at him with perplexity etched in my features. He opened the door for me, while I merely stood there for a few moments.

"Where are we going?" I asked, stepping into the carriage.

"Only for a ride." He replied quietly, following me into the carriage.

Silently, I placed my hands on my lap and felt relief and a sense of… disappointment when he sat down across from me. I turned my head to gaze out of the window, the lake greeting me with its sight once more. The carriage began to move, gliding across the dirt road, bouncing here and there. As I stared at the seemingly endless lake, I could feel his gaze on me, yet mine remained fixated on the water.

Finally, my eyes traveled back to look at Erik, and I was met with his hazel orbs that appeared to be attempting to memorize my every feature.

"Why are you doing this?" I inquired, lifting my eyebrow and leaning against the back of the seat.

"I thought you might enjoy it." Came the simple, yet entrancing reply.

With a small smile, my eyes lingered on him for a moment before returning to the window. I had always wanted to take a carriage ride… Always. I mean, that is how they traveled in the 19th century, wasn't it? Furrowing my brow, I was reminded of my new bedroom, which held a 19th century flavor… That time period had always fascinated me… but how did he know that?

After about thirty minutes or so of this slow and peaceful carriage ride, something else caught my eye outside of the carriage: a young man. His brown hair was disheveled, and worry seemed to be permanently sketched into his facial expressions. His chocolate eyes were heavy, and there was a group very far behind him; they all seemed so tired, as did he, yet the determination in his weary eyes was obvious. My mouth dropped, as I sat up in my seat, leaning forward; I just couldn't believe my eyes. Was it really… was it really Raoul?

Suddenly, he turned his pallid face and caught the sight of mine. Eyes widening, his pace hurried, as hope briefly coursed through his face, causing some color to return to his cheeks.

"Christine?" Raoul asked, somewhat disbelieving, but soon his voice grew louder and more hoarse. "Christine!"

"Raoul?" I murmured, my voice gradually rising, but not quite as loud as his. "Raoul?"

Staring at him, absolute horror filled me, as a slender hand rapidly shut the window, and its owner called to the driver to quickly turn around. As the carriage turned around and swiftly made its way away from the people, my hand remained clamped over my mouth that was unable to produce any sound whatsoever. Turning to look at Erik, his eyes locked on me, never leaving me – not even for a brief second. Their sharply tore at me, as I tried to avert my eyes elsewhere. I had believed – I had truly believed I was becoming content – that there was no use in crying anymore. But the tears that bit at my eyes and the same tears that I attempted to suppress were painful and somewhat necessary. They rested on the rim of my watery eyes, but did not go any further. Sniffling, I coughed, appearing as if I was fine, but Erik knew better. Much better.

When the carriage ultimately came to an abrupt halt, Erik left first, but I remained. I could hear his intimidating voice quietly converse with the driver, and then the door opened once more, as he waited for me. Stepping out of the carriage slowly, he ushered me into the car that still waited for us, and we returned to his home.

When we finally reached the mansion, I bit my lip and kept my eyes away from Erik. Entering the house, I heard the door faintly shut, and the deadly silence made me quiver.

"That idiotic boy…" I heard him harshly say under his breath.

Swallowing, I thought back to the missing policeman I had heard about on the news. If Erik had… killed him… what would stop him from killing Raoul in the middle of the night as well? I didn't see why he wouldn't; his anger was terrifying. He wasn't one to thrash around and yell, with the exception of that horrid night when I removed his mask. No, his anger was silent, spine chilling, and calm – much too calm.

"Erik?" I asked softly, causing his footsteps to come a halt.

"Yes, Christine?"

"On the news, it said that a policeman had gone missing… An officer that was involved with… with my search…" I began very quietly, stammering. He merely waited in silence for me to continue. "W-well, last night, someone rang the doorbell… a-and you said it was nothing, but…" I lifted my eyes to meet his. "Did you do it? Did you kill him?"

"Would it frighten you?" He replied gently with the inquiry.

"Perhaps…" Came my soft reply.

"Do you think that I would harm you?"

At this, I said nothing. I wasn't quite sure. He had never harmed me – only frightened me. And a specific look in his eyes clearly established that his intentions were not to hurt me… but I still did not answer.

"You must learn to trust me, Christine." He ambled towards me, as his voice and gaze did not waver. "I would never harm you. Never." He paused, now mere inches in front of me. "Do you trust me?" He questioned softly.

"I… I don't know." My voice was breathless at the nearness of him, and confusing feelings were welling up inside of me.

"Trust me." He repeated, watching me intently. Turning on his heel, I emitted a sigh and continued to stand there. As my eyes were on the floor, the light vanished, and everything went pitch black.

"Erik?" Panic swam over me, as I squinted and attempted to see in the dark. It was useless. I couldn't see anything. "Erik? Please, turn the light back on…" I whimpered, blinking back tears, as my voice cracked.

I loathed the dark. It terrified me. It wasn't necessarily the actual darkness that frightened me – it was what's in the dark that caused me to be afraid. I knew he was there, but I didn't know if that frightened me or not.

"I'm here."

"Where? Where are you? Please, turn the light on."

"Calm down, Christine. Trust me."

My head jerked around, and my eyes darted about the room, but they couldn't adjust to the darkness.

"Please, Erik. I hate the dark." I paused, my breath heavy. "Where are you?"

"Here." His whisper came from across the room, and I began to move towards it until he repeated the phrase, "Here", but this time it seemed to be in my ear, caressing it gently.

"Erik?" I murmured, a tear finally escaping my eye and trailing my cheek. "Please…"

Suddenly, I felt fingertips briefly run across my cheek, causing me to stiffen. I could feel the warmth of his breath, but could not hear it.

"I'm here." He said again with reassurance. "Trust me…"

The shirt I was wearing was indeed long-sleeved, as to keep me from the cool weather, but it was off of my shoulders, leaving them to be covered with a jacket that I had removed when I walked inside. His hands gently rested on my shoulders, his fingers running over them; I shivered. His graceful fingers made their way up my neck slowly and buried themselves in my hair. Leaning back ever so slightly, he was gone before I knew it. I stood there in the darkness for a few more moments, completely silent, hoping to catch the sound of his voice or breath. Finally, the lights came back on, and I turned around to find him.

"Even though you couldn't see me, Christine, I was there." He said, his eyes searching mine. "Remember that."