Chapter 6: Sweet Dreams

Toulouse stood frozen, his breathing returning to normal. Then he realized everyone staring at him. There was only one thing he could do.

"Hurrah!!!" He clapped his hands insanely.

After the dancers resumed their positions on the dance floor and everything was back to normal, Toulouse collapsed back into his chair, a sense of accomplishment trickling into him.

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Erik held Christine close, being careful not to trip as he made his way down the stairs. He was again outraged with himself, why did he have to save Christine? Why did he have to draw attention to himself? He looked down at her in his arms, and then realized why.

He loved her.

"Erik." She stirred but did not awaken.

Erik froze. Had she really whispered his name, or was it his imagination all over again? Erik was pondering this when she held onto him tightly, shocking him. However she did not awaken and Erik pressed on.

They soon arrived at his lair, and Erik went straight to the bedroom, where he lay Christine down on the bed. He gazed down at her and wondered if she was dreaming of him. He decided it was impossible and went to sit in a chair across from the bed where he could admire her from afar.

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Christine went through her mirror and down the steps of the passageway. She had just gotten out of a fight with Raoul, and now her eye was black and swollen. She thought of what Erik would say to this and decided not to tell him, it would only cause trouble.

She cautiously approached Erik's lair, hearing beautiful music as she got closer. Erik soon came into view, he was at his piano, creating a melody sweet enough for the angels with those long, slender fingers that he used so well.

Erik stopped suddenly and ran his hands through his hair. His head shot up and turned to Christine.

"C-Christine, what are you doing here?" He sounded shocked and Christine felt like kicking herself for coming to Erik like a child.

"I'm sorry, I'll leave right away." She turned and started to walk away, hating herself for making him suffer.

"No!!!"

Christine turned slightly.

"Stay, please?" Erik came to her. "Stay."

He took her hands and led her over to his piano bench, where he motioned for her to sit. He sat across from her in another chair and watched her as she looked around, admiring everything as if it were her first time there.

Then he saw the black eye.

"Christine," He leaned over to her and touched it, causing her to wince, "what happened?"

Christine covered her eye, not wanting to lie to Erik, but it had to be done.

"I walked into a…pole."

"Well then you walked into that pole with great force, that needs ice my dear." Erik disappeared into another room, leaving Christine to look around awkwardly at all his amazing objects. She was especially fond of a little music box in front of her on a table. She picked it up and examined the beautiful gold markings that resembled music notes. She turned it around in her hands, looking for the key, she couldn't find one.

"Do you like it?" Erik's voice came from behind her, causing Christine to jump.

"Yes, I do, where did you get it?" she turned to Erik in her seat.

"In Persia. The key is a necklace, I haven't listened to it in years." He looked down at Christine, she was running her hands over the designs. "Would you like to listen to it while I tend to your eye?"

Christine turned to face him. "If you want to." She lowered her eyes.

"Whatever makes you happy my dear, follow me." He took her hand and led her over to a divan where he motioned for her to lay down. Then he disappeared from Christine's sight. He soon returned holding the music box, and ice wrapped in a cloth. He took a long silvery chain with a small pendant in the shape of an actual silver key, out of his pocket He put the key into the back of the music box, and wound it clockwise. He set it down on small round table beside the divan, and picked up the ice. The tune that soon followed was familiar to Christine, it was the song that Erik sang to her so many times.

"Erik, is that the real music of the night?"

Erik looked down at Christine, who just looked up at him with her amazingly tempting eyes. "Christine, I have a confession to make," He wondered if he should tell her, she was so innocent, so trusting. "I had that music box made for you, so you'll always remember me."

Christine looked up at Erik with a slight bewilderment on her face.

"Erik you really shouldn't have, I can't except something like this, it's too much."

"Nothing is too much for you my dear, and if you don't take it, I'm afraid I'll have to see to it that it finds it's way to you on other terms." This being said, Erik took the chain and linked it around Christine's neck. She fingered it and smiled, making Erik's heart sing.

"I think it's best that you close your eyes, Christine." He had the ice poised over her injury.

Christine obeyed, still fingering the pendant. A stinging feeling followed, along with a sharp intake of breath from Christine. Erik pulled his hand away, hating himself for causing her pain.

"I'm sorry Christine, I forgot to mention that this will sting a little. Now please close your eyes."

Christine was once again obedient and closed her eyes.

Erik paused before he lowered the ice again and looked down at her face, then the rest of her body. Little did he know that Christine was watching him through her lashes. She smiled to herself, then prepared herself for the pain by biting down on her lip. Erik saw this and came back to reality. He lowered the ice down to her eye and winced as Christine bit down on her lip exceptionally hard. He stroked her face and her eyes fluttered open.

"Erik."

She reached up and kissed him. Erik staggered backward, ready to push her away, but her arms held him close to her.

He finally started to kiss her back when Christine awakened. Memories mostly, but the kiss had been her longing. She looked around trying to remember what had happened. She had been singing, on a swing, high up, and then…

"Erik!"

She tried to get up, but groaned loudly and fell back onto the pillows from a pain in her head. "Where am I anyway?" She looked around, thinking this to herself. It looked eerily like Erik's old home, but different in some ways. Christine noticed a shadow in the door way out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned, there was no one there. But she did know that some one had been there. And that someone needed to know that she loved him.