A/N: Thank you all for the wonderful reviews!

eriksfirstlove: I can assure you that Christine is by no means pregnant! HAHA! I laughed so hard when I read your review! Hehe! AND I don't know if sending Gerard Butler is the best way to continue my phic… I would gladly abandon all writing for him! (Grins)

Christine's POV

For the next few days, Erik tended to me very loyally. If I even whispered his name (and he always commanded me not to talk – saying he feared I would lose my voice -), he would be there in a mere second. However, one thing occurred that I didn't care for… He insisted that I gargle warm salt water for my throat. I grimaced, when he first instructed me to do so.

"Now, my dear," He had begun, offering me the glass. "This is warm salt water. Gargle it for a few seconds for your throat. It may not taste good, I know, but trust me."

I sat upright in my bed, wincing and simply staring at him. "Do I… Do I have to?" I stammered, eyeing the glass.

He sighed. "Yes, my dear. I would prefer it if you would." He spoke with patience. "Please, drink it before it gets cold, Christine."

Wrinkling my nose, I grasped the glass and breathed in its scent. "Does it taste even worse cold?"

I saw his lips twitch, as if almost turning upwards but desperately trying not to smile. "Yes, it does." Erik paused, watching me wearily. "Just drink it, please."

"Is this necessary?" I questioned, obviously stalling. "I mean… Isn't there something else I could do that will have the same effect?"

"Christine." He said my name sternly, but with gentleness. "It will only take a moment."

With a sigh, I grimaced and quickly gargled it. And then, before he could repress it, Erik emitted a chuckle.

Now, it had been a week, and I was feeling entirely healthy. That night, as I made my way down to the kitchen for dinner, he met me halfway.

"Considering you're healthy now," He said with that heavenly voice that always seemed to hold my attention for however long I was with him, "Would you like to go out for dinner tonight?"

This caught me by surprise, but I finally found my voice, which resulted in speaking in a whisper. "Yes… very much so."

His eyes met mine, and we stood there in silence for a few minutes before he spoke up. "Well, then, my dear, it is a formal restaurant that I have in mind…"

I tilted my head, but soon realized what he meant. Looking down at my simple jeans and long-sleeved shirt, I blushed. "I'll only be a minute." I assured him, turning sharply on my heel and disappearing into my room.

With a soft sigh, I shuffled towards the closet and opened it. It was strange that Erik would consider taking me out again – let alone to a public restaurant. Choosing a crimson dress, I began to remove my other clothing. I pulled the dress over my head and inspected myself in the mirror. The dress fell a little ways past my knees and maintained no sleeves; slipping my feet into simple black shoes, I swallowed. Releasing my hair from the bun it was being help captive in, my curls freely fell and rested against my bare shoulders. I sighed shakily and emerged from my room.

Erik waited at the bottom of the stairs, pacing, as his fingertips lightly roamed over the railing. I shivered, as I watched his graceful and dark movements. As soon as I took that first step, his hazel eyes lifted to settle on me, and I held my breath. Yes, there had been numerous times where his gaze had found me, but this time it was different. Something about the way he looked at me now made me blush even more fiercely.

Making my way down the stairs, Erik retrieved my jacket from the coat hanger and approached me from behind. He silently slipped it on me, his fingers brushing against my bare skin, which caused a shiver to tingle my spine.

"You look… beautiful." He murmured, leading me out the door and into the car.

The car ride was actually rather comfortable, but my thoughts continuously lingered back to that single kiss…

After about two hours of soft classical music playing and light conversation, we reached the restaurant. When he opened the car door for me, we walked a bit before reaching our actual desired destination. Soon, my eyes befell the restaurant's title. Tilting my head, I followed Erik inside, silently wondering how to actually pronounce the title. After all, it was in French.

As soon as we entered the building, a man approached us. He had short reddish-brown hair, and his green eyes met our own. With a smile, he led us to a table that was conveniently placed in a corner.

"Thank you." I flashed a smile, after the waiter took our orders.

Watching him walk away, I turned my attention back to Erik. His luring eyes roamed the entire area, before befalling me again. While we awaited our food, we managed to come up with light conversation – simple things like the weather and such… But it felt as if both of us wished to discuss that kiss…

"Erik?"

"Yes?" He replied, his eyes flashing.

"Thank you… for taking me out tonight." I said, taking a sip of my water.

"Of course…" He nodded. Hesitating, his slender hand reached across the table and brushed against my cheek. "You deserve it, my dear." He murmured, but was interrupted by the waiter and instinctively withdrew his hand.

Shivering, I turned to look up at the waiter, as he handed us our food. I smiled gratefully and began to eat my soup. Throwing a glance at Erik, I remembered he ordered nothing but a glass of wine.

As I quietly stirred my soup with my spoon, I ultimately sat the utensil down.

"Is something wrong with your food, Christine?" Erik inquired with concern.

"No… I just…" My voice was shaky, and I began to tremble. "I think we need to talk."

I could imagine him furrowing his brow beneath his mask… and I'm sure I'd be able to tell if he was perplexed, but his fedora was lowered in a position that made it difficult to see his face.

"About what, Christine?" His voice had become softer, lower.

"About… that morning." I replied.

He nodded silently and remained stiff, his eyes locking with mine. Suddenly, all of the confidence and courage I had summoned for such a long time vanished so quickly under his gaze.

"About that kiss…" I was whispering now.

"What about it, my dear?" Erik asked darkly.

I found myself flushing and averting my eyes elsewhere. "We kissed!" I exclaimed unexpectedly, but not loud enough to cause a commotion.

"I'm aware of that." Came his dry reply.

I was quiet for a minute before I finally exploded into rambling. "Erik, that's all I worry about – it's all I ever think about! I-I can't get it out of my head! It constantly haunts me!" After sputtering that out, I heaved a sigh.

At this, he said nothing, but after silence, he finally spoke. "Are you finished with your dinner?"

"Yes."

Leaving money lying on the table, Erik stood and gestured for me to follow. I tilted my head. Did he really trust me enough to take his eyes off of me for a brief second in public? With a small smile, I obediently followed him, but still felt rather awkward.

Emerging from the crowded restaurant, he guided me down the street, slightly remaining in the shadows. My gaze scanned the area around me, realizing how barren the streets were. It wasn't that late, was it? I threw a glance to my right, only to shockingly find that he was no longer there. Someone who had been kidnapped for as long as I had would most likely have found this relieving, but instead, it filled me with horror and fear. Gasping, I spun around and somewhat thankfully bumped into Erik.

"I thought you had left me." I panted, staring up at him with wide eyes.

"Don't you remember, Christine? I would never leave you." He paused for a moment, as I did not move a muscle. "So, you wished to talk about the kiss?"

Silently, I nodded, as if in a daze.

"Well, what about it, my dear?" He inquired, but continued before I could reply. "Do you regret it?" He resumed this interrogation, while he took a step forward, closing the space between us.

I was barely breathing, as I gazed up at him. Regret it? Surely that was the last thing I felt about that kiss…

"No." Came my faint answer.

Cupping my cheek, he leaned down and pressed another kiss to my quivering lips. "What about now? Do you regret that?"

Swallowing, I shook my head gently. "No…" Now, my voice was barely audible.

He began to lean forward again, but a voice made him rapidly recoil.

"Let her go!" A voice said hoarsely, originating from an alley.

Turning on my heel, my eyes widened at whom I saw.

A/N: Don't y'all just LOVE cliffhangers? (Innocent smile) Now go review to find out who is there! Hehe! Y'all are smart and can probably guess anyway! :-) And since I left this as a cliffy, it gives this story an extra chapter! (Giggles).