A/N Hey everyone! I'm back from my vacation, sorry to make you guys wait so long for this but I didn't have my drafts with me on the laptop, but I will promise more rapid updates now since I am home again. Thanks so much for all the great reviews, I'm glad you guys are enjoying it and yes don't worry I have something good planned for Erik and Christine ahead.

Chapter 7- More than Music

Christine jumped as the object hit the floor. She looked at the ground and stood up. She walked over towards her window, and squinted her eyes in the darkness as she tried to see what had fallen. Her heart began to pump faster causing her heart to race. She carefully and quietly paced herself toward the frozen curtain. She sucked in a break of air as her heart raced faster. She reached out to the curtains with a shaking hand. She quickly pulled back the curtains. She winced slightly in fear only to look down at the face of one of her fellow dancers. A cold frown spread across Christine's face.

There was a scared look upon the girls face. Christine had quickly recognized her. The prefect blonde curls, the bright blue eyes, and the mischievous smile were hard to miss. It was Emily the nosey dance girl. She always had her nose stuck in everyone one else's business, not to mention she was a horrid gossiper.

"I-I'm so sorry." Emily said nervously as she bent down to pick up the jewelry box she had dropped. She studied it quickly for chips or dents. She sighed relieved and thankful that it was in perfect shape.

Emily opened the jewelry box and it began to play a soft tune that she had never heard before, but she was mesmerized by none the less. She began to read out a message engraved inside.

"With love from Erik…Who's Erik?" She spoke as she rolled the box around in her hands.

"It's none of your business!" Christine said in a cold voice as she snatched it out of Emily's hands.

Emily flinched and Christine snapped at her again. "Now get out of here you little twat!"

Emily didn't object and quickly scurried out of the room. As soon as she reached the far end of the corridor she cursed Christine under her breath and she ran back to find the other dancing girls.

Christine looked at the music box in her hand and she smiled slightly as she kissed the top of it. She let out a small sneeze and footsteps began to echo throughout the room. The sound and pattern were distinct. No foot steps echoed off the walls like these ones. She sat down on her bed and stared at the mirror.

The foot steps began to grow louder each passing second. Finally Erik bolted through the mirror with a look of excitement across his face. The excitement quickly faded into the look of love as he saw Christine before him. She looked up at him and smiled slightly.

"I've done it Christine!" Erik exclaimed as he was filled with such excitement to tell her. He walked over to her and knelt down at her bedside.

She gave him a small smile and then she tired to turn away. "What?"

"My masterpiece! It's finally done!" He held up a black leather binder with gold letters engraved on the front. It labeled Don Juan. His smile quickly began to fade when he saw Christine would not rejoice in his triumph. "Are you not well Christine?"

She nodded and sniffed. "I'm fine."

He gave her a half smile and he continued. "I want you to sing in my opera." He looked up at her with hope in his eyes.

She sneezed and quickly looked up at him. "What?"

His smile grew bigger. "I've been writing this opera since I was 15. I've been writing it for you."

"You didn't know me when you were 15 Erik." She frowned and looked away.

He laughed slightly. "On the contrary Christine, I have known you since then." He smiled at her affectionately.

She turned around and looked back at him. Her frown had begun to disappear. "How old are you now?"

He looked at her and then he stared at the wall in blank thought. It had been so many years and ever since he saw Christine all he could think about was the future not the present. He had completely lost track of the years. "I-I do not know." He looked back at her lost for an answer. "I believe I lost count of the years since I saw you."

Christine sat still as she stared past him. She was calculating and doing the math in her head.

"How old do I look?" He looked at her hopeful for a good answer.

She finally looked up after figuring out the numbers in her head. "I'm 17 now and you would be about 25 I would guess."

He sighed of relief. It wasn't a bad age. "Good, I shall not feel old." He gave her a warm smile. "Please Angel, will you sing for me in my opera?" He looked deep into her eyes.

"When is it?" she looked at him. She could never say no to those eyes.

"Well I'm not sure yet. I will have to have Mdm Giry work out some things, write a few letters, and get it published." He paused for a moment and she looked on him fondly. He continued, "Which is what I must do tonight. I came to see if you would like to accompany me."

She looked at him finally realizing he was speaking to her. "Doing what?" She said in a wobbly voice.

"Getting it published of course." He smiled. "But I must go see someone quiet a way from here."

She nodded casually and her small smile had faded again as she realized this was all about music, or so it seemed to her. "Sure."

His smile faded and he grew concern. He could feel her sadness running up his spine. "Are you alright Christine? You don't seem yourself, infact you almost seem sad." He turned her face only to look deep into his. His eyes pried the truth from her soul.

She moved away from him and held her gaze with his. "Is music more important to you than me? Do songs hold more value than I, Erik?"

He was bewildered by what she was saying. How could she think such a think such a thing? She was the music. "Of course it's not Christine. If it weren't for you there would be no music. Instead I would be alone in that horrid darkness that shadows my pain. It was your light and music that made me want to go on and live life." He walked over to her and held her hands in his. "You will always be more than music. More than all the heavens and angels if there are such things." He smiled warmly at her.

She smiled softly and looked up at him. "Of course there are heavens and the angels."

"I've only heard prayer when you would pray for your father in the Chapel. I've never been to a church, nor do I think they'd let me in one." He sighed.

She looked at him funny. "They let everyone in Erik."

"I don't know." He turned his head away from her and he looked at the ground. "I'm just…different, but please lets not worry about that." He looked back at her.

She sat down on the bed and nodded slightly. She didn't want to argue. She had already caught on to the idea of talking about his self would upset him. She coughed.

"Will you travel with me?" He looked at her hoping she would go. He really didn't want to go away from the Opera House without her.

"I'm sick Erik." She said as her coughing grew louder.

"Sick?" He began to grow worried. "But why?" Erik wasn't very accustomed to the symptoms of being ill. Erik had only been sick few times in his life. He had never really known much of being ill.

"I don't know. If you have a horse and carriage I will go with you, but if you plan to walk I say forget it." She placed her hand over her mouth as she coughed.

"Of course I wouldn't walk in this weather, but you should stay. I will miss you in the time that I am gone, but I can't risk you becoming more ill." He sighed and looked down at her disappointed she was unable to go.

Christine nodded and held out her arms to him. He took her in his broad arms and embraced her. He kissed her on the cheek and stood up. "I will be gone for about a week at least. I must travel far out of town. Please stay well and don't try to do too much while I'm gone." He took the music box off the side table and handed it to her. "I'm always close."

She looked down at the music box in her lap and then up at him. "I wanted you to carry me to the carriage. I wanted to come with you."

He rolled his eyes and laughed lightly. "You made me say that goodbye for nothing?" He sighed knowing it would be for the best that she stayed behind. "You shouldn't go as far as I must when you are ill."

Christine frowned giving in. She was too tired to fight about it anyways, so she nodded. "Alright."

She laid down holding the music box close to her heart. She closed her eyes and in moments she fell asleep.

Something inside Erik grew emotional. He almost felt as though he would cry as he wanted to when he watched Christine through the mirror. How he wished in those moments he could be where he stood now, and then he must leave. It was for her he kept telling himself. He kissed her cheek and left the room trying not to linger. "The sooner I go, the sooner I will be back my angel." He said softly, and with that he dissolved into the darkness.