This was an interesting chapter to write, because as I put down the first word I knew where I wanted to go. And the most surprising part is that after 45 chapters we finally find out the truth behind the title thanks to Erik's curiosity. And we find that Christine has a few surprises of her own. It was also a pleasure for me to delight all the members of the Raoul Hater's United Club, in which we have a new member, neverliedown, with the last chapter in which the fop is now pushing up daises. To neverliedown Welcome Aboard!

Chapter 45: Story Time and Lotte's Letter

Erik and Christine had returned to the De Changy house, because Christine had wanted to grab a few things before they headed back to the doctor's. As she went through things in her room Erik decided to do a little exploring and wandered into Lotte's bedroom.

The room was an average size and very cozy for a girl like Lotte. The walls were white and so was the bed covering with red ribbons intertwined through the white lace. Dolls were lined up on the top shelf of her bookcase and along the second shelf were a bunch of children's story books.

Lotte had always had a special interest for reading and listening to stories. Almost every night she had asked Erik to tell her one. He had told her a bunch of fairy tales and ones that he had overheard the gypsies tell during his years at the fairground, but one story he had told her made the biggest impact.

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"Father, can you tell me a story again tonight?" Lotte had asked as Erik tucked her in.

"I'm running out of stories darling. Not tonight," he said kissing the top of her head.

She pouted. "Then make one up."

He sat down on the bed and thought for a second as she climbed into his lap a small blanket wrapped over her shoulders. "Ah, I think I know just the one. Did I ever tell you of the man, who wanted one thing in life and never got it?"

"No."

"Well the one thing he wanted more than anything was love. He loved the most beautiful girl in all of Paris, but she was unsure if she loved him too. She visited him every night and in time grew to love him."

"That's good," Lotte said.

"But it didn't end in happiness my dear. Eventually another man graced the scene and promised the girl money and his love. She was torn between the two men and eventually the first man let her go with the second man thinking it would make her happy and he was left to wallow in his sorrow for the rest of his days."

"That wasn't very happy," Lotte said tugging at his shirt. "But you know what?"

"What?"

"I would have loved the first man. He sounded like he needed someone to love him."

Erik smiled at her and held her to him. "I think he would have been happy to hear that. You have such a kind soul Lotte."

"You know what else?"

"No, I don't know."

"I love you Father."

Erik gave her one last hug and then helped her under the covers. "Now you go to sleep alright?"

She smiled up at him and rolled over. He caressed her hair before lowering the curtain and leaving the room. He sat at the organ and let out a sob. He was surprised with Lotte's reaction to the story. He had told her the basic outline of his love struggle with Christine and she had only told him that if it had been her she would have loved him, not Raoul.

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Now looking back on that Erik felt so grateful that Lotte had come into his life when she did. The thought of Raoul taking care of his daughter had angered him and he had been debating on going in and rescuing her from his clutches, but she had had everything under control.

He continued looking around the room until he came across a jewelry box sitting on her night table. His curiosity got the best of him and he picked up the box while sitting down on the bed. He opened it and studied the contents. There were dried rose petals, one of his black silk ribbons, and a folded piece of stationary.

"I never gave her roses until she came to live with me, but then how did she get this one?" he asked a loud to himself. He took out the ribbon and gave it a sniff. The strong scent of his cologne was still upon the ribbon, but there was also a small hint of Christine's perfume. "She must have taken it from her mother."

He put the other objects aside and took out the stationary. Unfolding it he discovered that it was some kind of note or letter she had written to herself:

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"This box is my angel box, because the things within it belong to mama's Angel of Music. The rose was long since wilted, but I collected the petals and the ribbon that had been tied around the stem and hid them inside this box. I believe in the Angel of Music, because I have seen him before, yet no one believes me. I tried to tell mama, but every time I mentioned the rose or the angel she started to cry.'

'Papa would come and tell me I was being foolish for believing in something that wasn't real. I know I was named after a little girl named Lotte that was visited by her Angel of Music, so I knew I was distended to find my Angel someday. There was no way my parents could stop it. But last night I had trouble sleeping, because the moon was so bright. I went over to the window and it was then that I saw him. He was standing up on one of the nearby rooftops dressed all in black and there was something white on his face, but still he gave me the feeling of being safe. Right then and there I knew he had come every night to watch over me. To me he isn't an Angel of Music, but a Guardian Angel.'

'I feel safe now knowing that someone watches over me when I go to sleep. Thank you, Guardian Angel, for being my protector and savior. My parents may not believe in you, but I do, and I love you. Please protect me for always and keep me safe from the harms outside my window."

Little Lotte Age 7 April 17th, 1879

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Erik felt his whole body weeping at the words written on the paper by his 7 year old daughter. That night was still vivid in his mind. He thought for sure he had been well hidden amongst the rooftop, but she had seen him none the less. But the thought of him being a Guardian Angel was what really made the tears fall.

A big tear rolled down the right side of his face and fell upon the paper. The ink was beginning to run and he quickly dabbed at it trying to fix it. He managed to dry the paper, but the last few words were blurred.

"Erik, where are you?" Christine called from the bedroom.

"I'll be right there," he called back trying to arrange the items nicely back in the box and placing it back on the night table. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve trying to hide the evidence of tears.

He walked into the room as Christine was looking in the mirror with one of her dresses in front of her. She heard him coming in and turned to him. "Erik, what's wrong? You look like you've been crying," she said concern in her voice.

"Nothing is wrong I just got something in my eye is all."

"I was beginning to wonder where you had disappeared to."

"I was taking a look around. This is a nice house."

"It will be disappointing to sell it, but I couldn't possibly ask you and the kids to live here. You all love the Opera House. It's the only home you've ever known. I would hate to take you away from it and make you live here for my sake."

"What are you doing with those dresses?" he asked changing the subject.

"Oh, I was looking through some of my old ones looking to see if Lotte would fit into them, because she's been desperate for new ones and I have plenty to spare seeing as Raoul gave me one almost every day."

Erik shuddered at the mention of that man's name. Even in death that name was like a red hot poker burning him every time it was spoken. "That one there looks really nice," Erik said gazing upon her as she held a slim red dress up in front of her in the mirror.

"Thank you. Oh, before I forget Lotte had asked me to grab something of hers' and bring it back with us."

"What did she want us to grab?"

"A jewelry box of some kind that she said was next to the bed."

Erik felt a lump catch in his throat. "I'll go get it," he offered trying to hide the fact that he was guilty.

"Oh, that would be sweet of you."

Erik went into Lotte's room once more and went to pick up the jewelry box, but was almost afraid to touch it. Lotte would find out about him reading the paper and he didn't want her angry with him. He wanted to act as if he hadn't found it and have Christine get it, but soon swallowed his fear and tucked the box under his arm.

When he came back into Christine's bedroom she was gone, but the walk-in closet doors were open. "Christine?" he called out as he placed the jewelry box on top of some dresses in her suitcase.

"I'm in the closet. Come here there's something I want to show you."

He did as she said and came into the closet looking in wonder at all the clothes hanging up. Christine was up against the back wall holding the clothes together behind her. "Close you eyes," she said.

He gave her a questioning look, before closing his eyes. He felt her take his hand and led him to the back of the closet. Then he heard the sound of the hangers moving along the rack.

"Can I open them now?"

"Not yet darling," she cooed coming up behind him and running her hands along his shoulders. He gave a low growl in the back of his throat and even with his eyes shut tried to reach for her. She placed her hands on either side of his head and faced it forward again. "Now you may open them."

Slowly he opened one eye and then the other. The sight before him was more beautiful than anything he had ever seen. It was the wedding dress he had crafted from his own hands for Christine all those years ago. He looked at her first before going up to the dress and taking the fabric between his fingers. "You kept it all this time? But what about…?"

"I told him that I had gotten rid of it, because he wanted me to have nothing to do with you ever again. He believed me and I hid it here in the closet, taking it out now and again to be cleaned and just to feel it on my body once again. I had hoped that I would get to wear it one last time."

"You mean you wish to wear this when we get married?"

"Yes," she whispered softly into his ear.

Erik melted under her words and turned around eager to embrace her. She took his face in her hands and kissed him deeply turning him round and pushing him back towards the bed. He fell back and looked up at her eager to love her all over again. She crawled up on top of him and straddled his chest. He ran a hand up her leg making her shiver with the want of him.

Suddenly her eyes went wide and she crawled off him moving away from the bed. He sat up and looked upon the situation with great care. All thoughts of making love were lost and Erik stood up.

"Christine I understand if you don't want to."

"It's not that. It's just that I broke one of the biggest rules in the role of a noble widow. I was about to take another man into the bed of me and my late husband. It just wouldn't be the same," she said raising a hand to her mouth and staring at him.

"If it matters that much to you we can wait till we return home and to our own bed. I can wait my love," he said taking her into his arms.

He wiped away her tears and smiled down at her. "Let me grab the rest of my things and then we'll go," she said pulling away from him and going into the closet to retreave the wedding dress and came back, tucking it gently into the suitcase.

Erik watched her from the middle of the room aware now of how upset she really was. She had wanted his touch more than anything, but because of a stupid rule she had to call her love off. She moved with such sad steps that he was sure she would stumble and fall to the floor out of want and need.

She closed the suitcase and put it upright staring at the spot they had just occupied mere moments ago. Her shoulders were raised high and then lowered as she took a deep breath and slowly let it out. He came up behind her eager to reach out and message her shoulders, when she spun around and wrapped her arms around his waist holding him against her.

Standing on her tiptoes Christine reached up and placed her lips against his starting with just a simple kiss before she started to taste him hoping this would be enough to suppress her growing desire. Erik soon joined in wanting this just as badly as she did, but telling himself over and over that it was to stay just at kissing.

Her hands ran down his neck to his shirt fumbling with the buttons, but he stopped her. "No, Christine. That will have to wait."

"This is, so complicated we said we would return to Lotte and Pierre, but now this. I can't be a good mother if all I want to do when my daughter is suffering is to run off and make love to my husband to be, now can I?"

"The urge will pass in time and soon this whole ordeal will be over. Then I will have your beautiful face to look upon every morning when I awake. That thought alone gives me such a good feeling Christine. It will mean much more to me than it did when you were still with him, because you and I will truly belong to one another."

After a final kiss Erik took up the suitcase and Christine hailed down a carriage to carry them back to the doctor's house. The entire ride back was silent, but even in silence their hearts were singing to each other.

Okay I know I ignored Lotte and Pierre the last two chapters, but the next chapter will focus on them more I promise. Spring Break is upon me and I wanted to have this up before I'm stuck in the car for 6 hours. (At least I have all my chapters printed up so I can read my story again Yes!) Hope to have lots of reviews tonight and when I wake up tomorrow. Don't let me down.