Disclaimer: I wish I owned Erik but I don't. Lucky ALW.

A/N: Someone pointed out to me that I mentioned that Christine is Emmy Rossum's Christine and I accidentally described her with blue eyes when it's really suppose to be brown. –Hits head- Sorry everyone! My mistake. I went back and fixed those little parts so it should be right now. Sorry!

Chapter 21- Lesson 9: Wooing Christine Part 3

She couldn't remember a time when she's been in peace. Somehow, the releasing of emotions really helped her and Erik. She wasn't going to guarantee there wouldn't be any more fights, but the worst was over. And for that she was filled with a strange feeling- utter happiness. And the chunk of it was due to the absence of the contact around the house.

She briefly looked out in the backyard, thankful for the snow melting finally, and there was Erik teaching Harper a new trick. He was stomping his foot, mouth moving a mile a minute, no doubt of what language was pouring out. And sweet, poor Harper had his nose in the grass, seemingly unmoved with what Erik was throwing at him.

She giggled and went back to her reading. She was inspired to read The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux recently and so far Erik has been unsuccessful in taking her attention away from it. It was like that for her in any book she was interested in. When The Da Vinci Code was published, Stephanie absolutely refused to put it down until the last page was read, a moment that took a couple of days.

The back door opened and the jingle-jangle of Harper's license and Erik's heavy footsteps told Stephanie they decided to call it a break. She grinned to herself as she pretended to the absorbed in her book. She stole a quick glance to see the Phantom staring at her with a bored look.

A crazy thought came to mind and she imagined Erik reading this own story with the same vigor as she. She tried hard not to snicker but failed when a loud snort came out.

"How lady like," Erik murmured as he took a seat opposite from her.

Stephanie heaved quite loudly while trying to say, "I am a lady."

"You sound like a walrus," Erik commented as she continued to laugh harder.

She sobered up quickly and grinned sheepishly. "So will you say that to Christine if she laughed during your first date?"

"Christine does not laugh like that."

"Everyone does if it's hilarious," responded the teen. "Sometimes you have to let loose and make a fool of yourself."

"Let's not and say we did," drawled Erik.

"You are way way too serious," she said. "When was the last time you had fun? And that includes making an ass of yourself."

"Never," he stated as a matter-of-fact. "Think about it."

"Personality matters Erik. You need to have a good sense of humor and to poke fun at your actions. Once you get use to Christine being around that wouldn't be a problem. You might see some of her behavior rubbing off on you."

"I doubt it," he muttered. "I'm not innocent like she is."

"Enough of the innocence! You make her sound like an immature person. Okay, maybe she doesn't carry the knowledge of certain areas, but she's not an invalid. For all you may know she could be a secret genius in the world of romance. And if she reads romance then you're screwed. She's an expert in that field unlike you with the violence."

"I get the point! I'll stop murdering Raoul!"

Erik finally gave into the urge to write out a long list of ways to kill the fop including some detailed drawings. Stephanie stumbled upon them by accident and confronted Erik about it. "If Christine found this, she'll go ballistic," she informed him. Though, secretly she liked the one with Raoul cut in half by a chainsaw. Apparently, Texas Chainsaw Massacre played a role in the creation. And also a beheaded Vicomte courtesy from Sleepy Hollow.

"So, let's talk about the first date. You want to court her like a normal guy, right? In doing so you have to take her on an official date. You accomplish that by spending time with her, getting to know her, and when it appears she's interested then you ask. If you jump the gun then rejection is high. Yes, she may know you as the Angel of Music, but not the real Erik. You don't have to tell her everything right off the bat, but start with things that are appropriate and work your way through the difficulties as your relationship deepens. It shows how willing you are to discuss your emotions and she'll be pleased that you are sharing this with her."

"I understand all of that, but what if she decides she can't handle it?" he asked, dreading the consequence.

"If she's true then she won't leave your side. It will make you guys stronger."

"What if the boy tries messing this up?"

"Well, if Christine feels you're the right man for her then Raoul will be rejected. But if she's unsure then she wants to see her options. Therefore, she will go out with Raoul, nothing serious, just enough to see what he has to offer. If that's the case then you have to prove to her you're much better than he. But you cannot manipulate her by any means or she'll leave," she replied. "No one wants to be controlled. She'll want to feel independent in the relationship and with Raoul that won't happen. There's too many strict rules, but the decision is up to her and not anyone else."

"Last question. What if she stays with me out of fear?"

"She won't unless you give her the reason to. If you accidentally do, then I don't know what to tell you other than be gentle with her and let her see you're not a bad person but misunderstood. If she has the sense, she'll see the truth but you have to be dumb if you stay with someone if they terrify you. Of course there's the exception if the captor is a psychopath then yeah you stay."

"One more," he said, "What about my face?"

Stephanie sighed. "Again the face. Erik, we went over this before. She'll tell you herself how she feels. And it's up to you to respond to it. So let's get back to the date thing shall we? You asked her out, she says yes, and now what are you to do? For one, she won't want to spend her evening in a cold, dreary labyrinth. So you take her out. Now you can afford a nice dinner right?"

"Yes."

"There's a starter. A good meal at a nice place. But not too fancy otherwise she'll feel incompetent and not enjoy the evening. You want her to be comfortable and since she didn't grow up in a richy childhood you have to think on her terms. Afterwards, what else could you do?"

"I could show her around Paris," he suggested. "Show her places in a different perspective that people normally take for granted."

"Nice. She'll totally dig it. I know I would." She paused and thought about what other romantic things Erik could do. She always dreamt of her and Dan holding hands and making out at certain places, but that's this world and not Erik's. But mostly she dreamt about him proposing….

"DON'T PROPOSE ON THE FIRST DATE!" she screamed suddenly.

"Christ woman don't yell like that!" Erik rubbed his ears and glared at her.

"Sorry, but it just hit me."

"You're in luck. I haven't planned on doing that sort to Christine until I know if she loves me."

"Even then a little wait won't hurt," she added. "You don't want to be too clingy or eager to make a commitment when she may not be ready. Besides how old is Christine?"

"Sixteen."

"Okay, um, yeah. She's going to think about it. So don't be fretful if she asks if she could think about it. It's a good thing. Give her plenty of time and don't push her to your desired response. And don't nag her about it all the time."

"Okay, okay. I get the point," he grumbled. "No nagging."

"But when the time comes I'm sure you know how to go about it. I don't have to tell you that." She smiled. "Now let's recap. You went out to dinner, had a nice ride through the romantic city in the world, and it's time to end it. If the date went well she might go for a kiss. Remember from the movie Hitch? The signals the girl would do?"

"Yeah."

"Now, if she's stalling then you'll know. And how far do you go?"

"90 degrees and hold," he stated. "I will not fail that."

"And if she wants the mask off?"

He sighed. "Let her. Because I trust her."

She clapped her hands. "Very good! Now you don't have to that all on the first date, but if you do then kudos for you, my friend. And, if she asks if she could stay at your place, then amaze her with more of your musical talent. Play for her, sing, hell even recite poetry if you're in the mood."

"Trust me I will. Her just being around can overload the senses," Erik said dreamily.

She giggled. "Erik you're so lucky I'm helping you. I think with all that kind of talk you might run her out."

He stuck out his tongue. "Unfortunately, I'm forever indebted to you. So tell me about Dan. You haven't mentioned him in a while."

"What's there to say? He has conditioning for soccer going on and the season won't start until later. But our school hosts practice games in the gym and people can watch. I go to a couple of those and they're okay but the actual game is exciting. At least that's how the P.A. makes them."

That got Erik into doing some thinking. He decided the Phantom would take a little field trip tomorrow.

TBC…