Part: 4/?

Disclaimer, Summary, Etc. can be found in the first chapter.

Can I Ever Say Thanks Enough: Kelsey and Sarah for going above and beyond… I think I love you guys!

Christine sat in Erik's library, curled up on the sofa. Ayesha sat on her lap as she read. The domesticity of the situation made Erik's heart swell.

He sat across from her in a chair, pretending to read, while he watched her. She had no idea.

Every few minutes, her nose would scrunch up, as though she did not comprehend a certain passage. She would also, at times, mouth the words she was reading. Erik found it all so endearing.

It was the third night in a row she'd come to him. She'd found his small kitchen the day before while exploring the underground house. She'd made him a grand dinner-- it was quite good. Madame Giry had forced the girls to learn other skills besides dancing and singing.

Christine swore, after having to bring a good deal of food from the opera houses kitchen, that she would cook for him every night. She'd given him the saddest pout when she could only find a few pieces of stale bread, some cheese, eggs and water.

He didn't have the heart to tell her he usually stole his meals from the opera kitchen. He supposed if she was going to be staying with him so frequently he would have to have more food available. She would probably frown upon his stealing.

"Erik?" He waited a moment, flipping the page as though he'd just finished the last before looking up at her. She was smiling as though she had a tremendous secret to tell.

"Yes?"

"Do I have something on my face?"

"No. Why do you think that?"

"Well, it's just… you were staring at me for so long, I felt that must be why." Her eyes sparkled with barely contained laughter.

Erik blushed. He must be getting old! To be caught so red-handed. "Er… well…"

Christine giggled. "Where are your fine, flowery words now, Monsieur?"

Erik glared at her, not used to the playful way Christine was mocking him. He didn't know how to act besides being angry.

She stopped giggling when she noticed he was upset. "Erik, forgive me. I was only playing…"

"No. I apologize. I'm not used to…" He shook his head. "I've spent so little time around others. I suppose it will take some time to get used to such things."

She jumped off the sofa, poor Ayesha falling to the floor with a hiss. She went to his chair, and sat on the floor in front of him. She put her hands on his knee. "And we will have plenty of time, won't we?"

"Yes." He reached out, stroking her cheek gently. She gingerly laid her head on his legs as he continued caressing her cheek and hair. "It's late and you have early rehearsals for 'Il Muto' tomorrow."

He pulled her up as he stood, and slid her arm through his as he led her to her room. She leaned against him heavily. Looking down at her he could see her eyes drooping.

He let go of her arm to scoop her into his arms. She giggled lightly, wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

Erik buried his face in her hair as he opened the door to her room. He began to lay her down but she tightened her arms around him.

"Sing to me?" She pulled to look at him. His heart nearly stopped at the look at warmth in her eyes. He nodded, sitting on the bed, holding her to him gently, like the treasure she was.

"Night-time sharpens,
heightens each sensation ...
Darkness stirs and
wakes imagination ...
Silently the senses
abandon their defenses..."

Her fingers played with the ends of his hair; her face tucked into his neck. He could feel her warm breath on his skin and it made him shiver.

"Slowly, gently
night unfurls its splendor . . .
Grasp it, sense it -
tremulous and tender . . .
Turn your face away
from the garish light of day,
turn your thoughts away
from cold, unfeeling light -
and listen to
the music of the night . . ."

He pressed his lips to the top of her hair in a gentle kiss before resting his masked cheek there. He tightened his arms around her as she snuggled closer.

"Close your eyes
and surrender to your
darkest dreams!
Purge your thoughts
of the life
you knew before!
Close your eyes,
let your spirit
start to soar!
And you'll live
as you've never
lived before . . ."

She pulled back to look up at him. She smiled softly, bringing one hand down his shoulder, resting it over his heart. He clasped that hand in one of his larger, gloved ones.

"Softly, deftly,
music shall caress you . . .
Hear it, feel it,
secretly posses you . . .
Open up your mind,
let your fantasies unwind,
in this darkness which
you know you cannot fight -
the darkness of
the music of the night . . ."

He pressed his forehead to hers, gazing into her lovely, expressive eyes.

"Let your mind
start a journey through a
strange new world!
Leave all thoughts
of the life
you knew before!
Let your soul
take you where you
long to be!
Only then
can you belong
to me . . ."

She smiled at him again. Their faces were so close, he could feel the smile.

"Floating, falling,
sweet intoxication!"

She raised their joined hands to caress his unmasked cheek.

"Touch me, trust me
savor each sensation!"

He shut his eyes as her fingers danced across his skin.

"Let the dream begin,
let your darker side give in
to the power of the music that I write -
the power of the music of the night . . ."

Her hand still on his face, she nestled back down into his arms, her head on his shoulder.

"You alone can make my song take flight-"

He looked down at her. She was fast asleep. He gently laid her on the bed, pulling the covers over her. He ran his fingers across her cheek and down her jaw.

"Help me make the music of the night…"

Making sure she was adequately tucked in, he forced himself away from her and pulled the curtain down around the bed. He lit one candle, putting it on the nightstand by her bed, then left the room.

Review Responses and Bitty Note:

I just wanted to say thanks again. I love getting reviews… who doesn't? You guys make me check my email constantly at work! Still haven't gotten caught! Lol. Anyway, my note is this… if you read my review responses… I tend to drop not so subtle hints of what's to come. ;)

Also, if I didn't respond to anyone, I apologize… really needs to have reviews in order from top(first) to bottom(last)… would simple things up right quick for me! And did that make sense to anyone besides me? Hahaha.

From Ch. 2

Morrigan le Fay

Thanks! I may change the rating. I buckle under any sort of pressure. Lol. I hadn't thought of it much in the sense of others not reading it… and the point of posting is to be read. Maybe when I'm not lazy… ;)

LadyWillow

Hot E/C lovin'? Isn't his skin cold? Lol. (Btw, I'd keep an eye out for chapter 9 or 10 wink, wink)

tactics

I dunno… 10 chapters done and "Don Juan Triumphant" is not mentioned once. But… he does have strange writing habits… maybe he's been working on it behind my back!

synaesthesia

Naughty? Did I write that? No! I meant… knotty. There's a chapter just about… knots… the best type for lassos… yeah… that's it… lol

(Pssst… if you really wanna await the day… "the day" should be sometime around the end of next week or the beginning of the week after.)

Nicole Gruebel

Yes… if only I had been Monsieur Leroux! How differently the story would have gone... though I suspect it'd be more Disney than anything else…

Erik'sTrueAngel

I'm trying to make Christine a little more sensible and understanding… after all… he'd been her angel for years (movie-verse at least). A little lie is easy to forgive!

af881

I love you! Really I do! To call my work brilliant after seeing the unedited versions! And… you know I love UST. Now be nice to the others who don't get the chapters early like you!

neo-lover72

Thanks again!

LadyAmbrosine

You're in love with him?!?! He's miiiiine! Lol.

unknown

I'm glad you're enjoying it… but… unfortunately I'm going to disappoint... the chapters will get shorter for a while before getting longer again. I tried for at least 1,000 each chapter, but it didn't quite pan out that way. My muse is a tricky little thing. :

Mel

I'll try to update a.s.a.p. but between school and work… darn life… it may take longer to update than anyone would like. Erik's naughty behavior might come back to bite his cute little phantom butt… but Christine has proven herself to be very forgiving, I think. I love, love, love this movie! I've seen it twice too… gonna see it again Friday… help support its official opening. You know, it's funny… the last movie I've seen so many times in the theaters was "Batman Forever".

From Ch. 3

synaesthesia

You know, that part wasn't in my first draft… it came to me right before I sent it to my betas! And I love it! And if they haven't seen, I'll send the thanks to Sarah and Kelsey, too!

Erik'sTrueAngel

Joseph is a pain, isn't he? A pain in the neck! Hahahahaha… get it??? Sorry… I'm a geek.

LadyWillow

Patients is a virtue! Lol. Maybe I'll write a smut ficclet just to tide you over!

leonsalanna

Ugh! I know! Don't you just wish he'd drowned? Or Erik accidentally pulled just a little too hard on the Punjab lasso? Lol. You may wanna save your "yay's", though. Raoul's existence has yet to be decided!

af881

You are so good for my ego… which is like… 1,000,000 times bigger than it was before! Lol.

Bec

You know that old saying… "Be careful what you wish for…" hint, hint.