Chapter One: Morning


Morning found Christine alone in the wide, deep bed she shared with her husband. She had begged him – with no real resistance – to be rid of the coffin that he had once slept in and they would find a real bed to share. That is what they had done and now she found herself lost in the depths of it.

"Erik?" she called out quietly, turning over and looking to the other side of the room. He was nowhere to be seen. A heavy sigh escaped her lips as she slipped from beneath the covers, tugging at her robe that had lain discarded on the floor. She wrapped it around her bare body and started out.

Erik sat in a chair in the main room, Ayesha curled up on the arm next to him, and a book in one hand and the other stroking the cat absently. He was so absorbed in the literature that he did not hear her approach until she wrapped her arms around him from behind the low-back chair.

He looked up, startled, and smiled. "Good morning."

"You seem to be in a better mood this morning," she responded with a smile that matched his. Slowly, she moved around to take the other arm of the chair – she dare not challenge Ayesha for her place – and glanced at the book he was reading. He closed it so she could read the cover and she laid her head on his shoulder, sighing softly.

"You're hinting."

"Me?" she asked innocently.

He shot her a very light glare.

"Well… Sometimes it helps."

"Not this, my love."

"Erik, please. I want you to believe me when I say I don't care what you did in the past. The past is the past. It shall stay there. Well… It should stay there."

"It never does."

She reached out to him, running a gentle hand across his exposed cheek. "Let me help you," she murmured softly, leaning close to him. "Let me understand."

Erik's eyes widened a fraction more with every bit closer she came until she was next to his ear, placing a soft kiss just below it on his jaw line. It had been two weeks since the wedding and he was still not used to her pure displays of affection towards him. The soft looks she gave him when they sat together, the times when she would reach for his hand just to grasp it in hers, the way she'd kiss him… Even the way she was able to do all those things to get him to open up. And condound the girl, it worked.

He glanced at her, and found that she was staring intently at him, her dark eyes waiting for his words. He sighed. "I suppose I've told you very little, haven't I?"

"I know you were in Persia a bit, and lived with your mother until you were nine… Other than that I know very little. Did you spend time in Russia?"

"Yes."

She smiled brightly, feeling very proud of herself. "Your Russian tea."

Erik pulled her down to place a kiss on her forehead. "Of course."

Christine waited for a moment. "Where else, Erik?"

The Phantom thought for a long moment. "I went from my mother's house to the Gypsies… to Rome, to Russia, then to Persia. I traveled Europe a bit before returning to France to help build the opera house."

Christine's eyes lit up. "Gypsies! Is that where you learned your magic tricks from?"

Erik tensed at this. "Yes," he mumbled, visibly distraught over the turn of subject.

His wife placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Then the Gypsies are what fill your dreams."

He looked startled at this. How she had grown in such a short time! The Christine he had taken under his wing some time before had been timid, unsure, and acting the part of perfectly dense. A wilting flower. But here she sat with him: unafraid, very sure, and a brilliant mind in bud. A rose. An angel. His angel. His everything. "Yes, my dear." He watched as she settled in for a story and a sigh escaped his lips. "I was nine when I ran away, as you know. I found the Gypsies wandering and, contrary to Nadir's belief, I do have to eat. They caught me and I found myself on show… A freak in a cage."

Christine stood abruptly, seeing his distress. "Perhaps… perhaps I should make breakfast before we finish this. Would that be alright?"

Erik watched her for a moment before reaching his hand out to her and she took it. He brought it up to his lips in unspoken thanks. "That would be lovely, my dear."


"I have to go home now. My mother will be looking for me."

"The devil she will! Have you a little coffin all made up for you, will she?"

"Coffin?"

"That's where corpses sleep, isn't it? Now there's an idea! I'll have a coffin made up for the cage. No harm in heightening the effect with a prop or two…"

Erik heard the words and saw his younger self staring after Javert's retreating form. "No… please no…" he whispered.

Children surrounded his younger self, poking and prodding the boy with sticks. "What's the matter? It can't get out!"

Erik found the cage doors suddenly slamming in around himself and his younger form was no longer there. "I'm… not a creature," he whispered into the darkness. "Please… Christine, where are you?"

Javert appeared over him. "You really think she'll come to help you?" He began to laugh as Erik found himself cowering in the corner, away from the man who hadn't bothered to haunt his dreams in years, but suddenly…


"Erik?"

A set of mismatched eyes flew open and the Phantom of the Opera startled awake. "Christine!" he gasped.

His angel stood over him, fear written onto her face. Her hands shook as she reached out to him and he gathered her in his arms. "Are you… I heard you scream something horrible," she cried softly.

"I'm alright."

"Were they always this bad?"

"The dreams? No…" He forced a smile. "Don't worry on my account, Christine. My love, please." He kissed the tip of her nose, making her giggle. She leaned in and kissed him, causing all of the fear from a few moments before to dissipate.

The kiss was broken when a bell sounded and Erik was up in an instant. Christine all but fell out of his lap that she had settled into. "What is it?"

"Who would be more appropriate, love," he responded as he reached for his cape. "Don't worry. I'll see what visitor we have."

Christine watched him move out of the house and in the direction of the lake. She prayed silently that it was merely Nadir come for an unexpected visit.


A/N: Yay! Second chapter done. When I started this, I really only started with a title and a very VERY general idea as to what this would be about, but last night as I was supposed to be sleeping, my mind began running over new ideas and it's coming into place now. If anyone hasn't read Kay's novel and if I don't make it clear enough who the Gypsy characters are, let me know. I'll explain.

TS


LostSchizophrenic :Glad you like how it's started. The only problem that I have with writing late is that I don't sleep well anyway, so I need tons of sleep, but oh well. I made it through the day.

Mariah:Glad to! I'm just glad that I could come up with something :o

WildPixieChild16:Love your name. Very cool. A guy at my school calls my best friend and I the "pixies" b/c we go off on laughing fits. Haha! Very fun. Anyway, thanks for reviewing!